SAN FRANCISCO
8.JUNE.2016

​JOURNALCHARLES: IT's a PARTY NIGHT IN sAN FrancisCO.  Where should we go to watch the Warriors game and meet new strangers--boys and girls?

GOLDEN GATE TAP ROOM, perhaps, with its GIANT PROJECTION screens, red pool tables and Ms. Pac Man and Shuffle Board...and other games... and a long list of 100 brews of beer?

Union Square Bar is rowdy in the heart of the Tenderloin? or, perhaps, another adventure into some strange place I've never been in THE MISSION where "no one speaks no English" and if some drunk dude laughs and calls you "puto" you pretend you speak or know no Spanish...or South of Market--The HOLE in the Wall on Folsom Street, where other things might happen among big hairy BEARS who could lift a man with just his pinky and men in Leather with far too much stuffed in front to gaze upon,  and  yes, you sigh heavily--and then wonder  and smile 'what if???" ... This link is from last year's finals​, which is becoming a regular SF Event--WARRIORS always in the Finals vs some some other team bound to lose . . .

GO  W A R R I O R S!!!

Secrets written in a lost personal Journal, and discovered by a guy named Sabistian  in New York's Meatpacking district  and who read every word and said it was good,  has been returned to owner, Charles.   So we'll have to send him a check since he insured its delivery back to me.... Thanks Sabistian....Pity though it this Sabistian who found our sribbles is not author Sabistian Junger.  How wonderful it would be to meet and chat with Sabistian Junger, our favorite living writer...I supposed everything in that journal--now shared with another--will come true...

​Ramadan starts in the United States
​Ramadan (also known as Ramadhan or Ramzan) is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar. It is a period of prayer, fasting, charity-giving and self-accountability for Muslims in the United States. The first verses of the Koran (Qu'ran) were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (also written as Mohammad or Muhammed) during the last third of Ramadan, making this an especially holy period.

What Do People Do?
Ramadan is a month of fasting for many Muslims in the United States. Fasting during Ramadan is one of the Five Pillars (fundamental religious duties) of Islam. It is a time of self-examination and increased religious devotion.

People of Islamic faith are encouraged to read the entire Qur'an during Ramadan. Some Muslims recite the entire Qur'an by the end of Ramadan through special prayers known as Tarawih, which are held in mosques every night of the month, during which a section of the Qur'an is recited. Ramadan is also a month for acts of charity. Some Islamic centers and organizations actively take part in charity events and activities such as giving basic necessities, including food and clothing, to the homeless or donating school equipment to schools.

Some schools for students of Islamic faith may hold special events to welcome Ramadan. Some school authorities may issue requests on or prior to Ramadan, asking staff members at all schools within a district to help Muslim students perform their fasting ritual.

Public Life
Many Islamic businesses and organizations may amend opening hours to suit prayer times during Ramadan in the United States. There may also be some congestion around mosques during prayer times, such as in the evenings.

Background
Ramadan is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar, which consists of 12 months and lasts for about 354 days. The word “Ramadan” is derived from an Arabic word for intense heat, scorched ground and shortness of food and drink. It is considered to be the most holy and blessed month. Fighting is not allowed during this period.

The month of Ramadan traditionally begins with a new moon sighting, marking the start of the ninth month in the Islamic calendar. Many Muslims (except children, the sick and the elderly) abstain from food, drink, and certain other activities during daylight hours in Ramadan. This is considered as the holiest season in the Islamic year and commemorates the time when the Qu’ran (Islamic holy book) is said to have been revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. This occurred on Laylat Al-Qadr, one of the last 10 nights of the month.  Ramadan ends when the first crescent of the new moon is sighted again, marking the new lunar month’s start. Eid-al-Fitr is the Islamic holiday that marks the end of Ramadan.

About Ramadan starts in other countries
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Ramadan starts: 
​Regional customs or moon sightings may cause a variation of the date for Islamic holidays, which begin at sundown the day before the date specified for the holiday. The Islamic calendar is lunar and the days begin at sunset, so there may be one-day error depending on when the New Moon is first seen.