Ralph and his friends are on a mission. Put on your thinking caps and help them on their journey to discover the meaning of tradition!

'Treasured Times'' is written for anyone seeking to develop lasting connections with the ones they love. As we spend time and have meaningful experiences with family members, close friends, and loved ones, we gain the sense of security and acceptance that we all crave.

From the reflections of famous people and the stories of everyday folk to classic love letters and contemporary "ten best" lists, this delightfully eclectic treasury shines a spotlight on the many joys of marriage. I Like Being Married is the ultimate celebration of the ties that keep loving couples together in good times and bad. With a guest list that includes Paul Newman and Joannne Woodward, Nancy and Ronald Reagan, Queen Victoria, George Burns, and Secretary of State Colin Powell (to name just a few); poetic tributes from Homer, Shakespeare, and Elizabeth Barrett Browning; and wedding readings from the Bible and other religious traditions, it captures the magic and deep-seated sense of commitment at the heart of married life. I Like Being Married shows that the institution of marriage is integral to our common humanity. There are heartwarming stories of courtship–including Mikhail Gorbachev’s charming "Chasing Raisa" and Rosalyn Carter’s story of meeting Jimmy for the first time. Jerry Stiller, Celine Dion, and others who have broken the "rules" describe how they overcame family expectations, age differences, and other obstacles to wed the people they love. In moving and amusing portraits, husbands and wives reveal the qualities and the quirks that make their mates endearing, and vignettes by Ruby Dee, Roy Rogers, and Walter Payton capture the special joys that children bring to a marriage. Long-married couples look back on a lifetime of love–and look forward to the future with hope. Lists of the ten best books, songs, movies, and sitcoms about marriage, along with evocative illustrations, round off this unusual, multifaceted look at marital bliss. Filled with stories, memories, and musings, I Like Being Married is not only an ideal gift for showers, weddings, and anniversaries but is the perfect way to explore the true meaning of marriage.

The Mecca Bible is the culmination of 38 years of research, yielding the following major findings: The Holy Land promised to Abraham was not Palestine but the Mecca region of Arabia. The Israelites were originally from ancient West Arabia, with a significant population still present during the emergence of Islam, forming an important part of Saudi Arabia's population today. The original Old Testament was written in the old Arabic of the 2nd millennium BCE. Two distinct eras emerge from this research: The Israelite Era: According to this research, the Garden of Eden was situated in the lush green mountains of West Arabia during the Savannah period following the last Ice Age. The four rivers mentioned in the Old Testament are identified as four valleys in this region. Noah's clan resided near Tayef to the North. The boat of Noah is said to have landed in the mountain area of Al Arid in East Arabia, leading to the repopulation of Arabia after the Deluge. The homeland of the first Semitic Gubarah/Hebrews was the Riyadh region, from where Abraham's clan migrated to Dawasir valley and then to the Mecca region. Jacob and his children left for Misr (modern-day Ethiopia) from Idhim, south of Mecca. The Exodus under Moses is said to have occurred from Axum, with the Red Sea crossing at Bab el Mandeb, leading to a 40-year wandering in the Tihama region of Asir in Saudi Arabia. Joshua is credited with leading the conquest of the Holy Land of Mecca, and King David established a kingdom with U’ra es-Salam/Mecca as its capital. King Solomon is believed to have built the Temple to encompass the Kaaba in the location of the holy mosque of Mecca. Following Solomon, the kingdom was divided, with Samaria/A’sfan in the north and U’ra es-Salam/Mecca in the south falling to the Assyrians and Chaldeans, respectively. The Jewish Era: After Babylon fell to Cyrus the Great, the Israelites gradually returned to U’ra es-Salam/Mecca, albeit facing opposition from surrounding tribes. The Achaemenid Empire guaranteed religious freedom to its subjects. Alexander the Great's conquest in 332 BCE did not extend to Arabia, allowing Arabs to regain their independence. Believers faced pressure from heathen Arab tribes, leading to a choice between abandoning their monotheistic beliefs or leaving. While some integrated with local beliefs, a minority moved to Greek-dominated lands. In Alexandria, the Hebrew Old Testament was translated to Greek, and a Hashemite Meccan dynasty led Jews in Palestine. Under pro-Greek influence, the community started to disconnect from West Arabia. Scriptures were translated from Greek to Aramaic, defining Canaan as Palestine, Syria as Aram, and Misr as Egypt. The gentile Edomites/Adnanites emigrated from Arabia, favored by Romans for their lack of allegiance to the Greeks. King Herod built the Jerusalem Temple, which existed during Jesus Christ's time and was destroyed by the Romans in AD 70. The 2nd century witnessed the deportation of Jews from Palestine. Identity of Original Scriptures: In Palestine, liturgy was conducted in Aramaic, with Hebrew largely forgotten. In the 5th century AD, efforts to read square Aramaic texts began in Galilee and Babylonia, which were previously copied from old Aramaic texts commissioned by Ezra. This research posits that the texts must be reread in the 28-letter format and in the context of their place of origin, ancient West Arabia. When interpreted as such, geographic and historical contradictions can be resolved. Y-DNA Haplogroup Studies: Recent Y-DNA genetic studies support these findings, with high compatibility found between the Y-DNA of the Cohen family and royalty members from Jordan, Morocco, and the Shareefs of Mecca. Most of the population in KSA belongs to the J1 haplogroup family. Ashkenazi Jews are believed to have central Asian and East European origins, while Sephardim Jews have North African origins.

The first visual document of black social and cultural history in America from World War II to the present, In Our Own Image is also a fascinating scrapbook that recounts simple, eloquent stories about home life, family reunions, worship, weddings, funerals, barbeques, barbershops, beauty parlors, nightclubs, civic organizations, and celebrations. The unique recollections of African-Americans from a variety of backgrounds and age groups accompany more than 160 images from personal and archival collections, with such poignant ephemera as programs from cotillions and fashion shows, restaurant menus, movie posters, even ticket stubs. The authors have woven material from university and museum collections in Detroit, New Orleans, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and Atlanta into a narrative photo book that forms a warm, loving record of African-American community, traditions, and family life in the latter half of the twentieth century.