Thanksgiving is arguably American's most beloved holiday, in part because it comes just before we begin the national plunge into the chaos and pressures surrounding the Christmas season, according to University of Oregon historian Matthew Dennis. Dennis, who studies American holidays, says Thanksgiving is less stressful than Christmas because the feast is based on sharing, not consumerism. "At Thanksgiving you shop to create a feast that includes many kinds of people, and then you give it away," he explains. It's a welcome respite that comes just before the chaos of the Christmas season. Dennis points out that Thanksgiving is America's original multicultural holiday. "Fundamentally it is, and always has been, an inclusive holiday," Dennis says. The first Thanksgiving was a multicultural event, based on sharing, cooperation and coexistence--all the things that are the basis of any civil society, especially one such as America, which is based on difference, ethnicity and religion. SOURCE: Matthew Dennis, UO associate professor of history, (541) 346-4814; e-mail <mjdennis@darkwing.uoregon.edu> ASIAN SUMMIT WON'T SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACT CURRENT ECONOMIC CRISIS University of Oregon economist Bruce Blonigan says it's unlikely that any substantial agreements that would significantly help the current crisis in Asia will come out of this week's Vancouver, B.C., gathering of Pacific Rim leaders. "Some Asian leaders at the summit are hoping for a breakthrough trade agreement that will help soften the impact of mounting bank failures, currency devaluations and plunges," he says. Blonigan, who specializes in international economics, predicts that the Clinton Administration won't offer the kind of bail-out that rescued the ailing Mexican economy two years ago. "The Mexican economic crisis was an isolated situation. The Asian situation seems to be spreading and if we help one country, all of them will ask for U.S. aid," Blonigan says. It's more likely that leaders from faltering Asian nations will have to turn to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for loans. Blonigan says the most optimistic outcome he expects from the summit is some kind of agreement intended to augment the IMF's efforts in the region. SOURCE: Bruce Blonigan, UO assistant professor of economics, (541) 346-4680; e-mail <bruceb@oregon.uoregon.edu> -30- #T-6033/Day