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Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September. The holiday originated in 1882 as the Central Labor Union (of New York City) sought to create “a day off for the working citizens”.

Congress made Labor Day a federal holiday in 1894.All fifty states have made Labor Day a state holiday.

Traditionally, Labor Day is celebrated by most Americans as the symbolic end of the summer.

Labor Day has been celebrated on the first Monday in September in the United States since the 1880s. The form for the celebration of Labor Day was outlined in the first proposal of the holiday—a street parade to exhibit to the public “the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations,” followed by a festival for the workers and their families. This became the pattern for Labor Day celebrations. Speeches by prominent men and women were introduced later, as more emphasis was placed upon the economic and civil significance of the holiday. Still later, by a resolution of the American Federation of Labor convention of 1909, the Sunday preceding Labor Day was adopted as Labor Sunday and dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.

Today, Labor Day is often regarded as a day of rest and compared to the May 1 Labour Day celebrations in most countries; parades, speeches or political demonstrations are more low-key, although events held by labor organizations often feature political themes and appearances by candidates for office, especially in election years. Forms of celebration include picnics, barbecues, fireworks displays, water sports, and public art events. Families with school-age children take it as the last chance to travel before the end of summer. Some teenagers and young adults view it as the last weekend for parties before returning to school. However, as of late, schools have begun well before Labor Day, as early as July 24th in many urban districts, including major southern cities in the United States such as Atlanta, Miami, and Los Angeles. In addition, Labor Day marks the beginning of the season for the National Football League and NCAA College Football. The NCAA usually plays their first games the week before Labor day, with the NFL traditionally playing their first game the Thursday following Labor Day.

Controversies

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The Knights of Labor organized the original parade on Tuesday, September 5, 1882 in New York City. In 1884 another parade was held, and the Knights passed resolutions to make this an annual event. Other labor organizations (and there were many), but notably the affiliates of the International Workingmen’s Association, many of whom were socialists or anarchists, favored a May 1 holiday. In 1886 came the general strike which eventually won the eight-hour workday in the United States. These events are today commemorated as Labor Day in virtually every country in the world, with the notable exceptions being the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. With the Chicago Haymarket riots in early May of 1886, President Grover Cleveland believed that commemorating Labor Day on May 1 could become an opportunity to commemorate the riots. Thus, fearing that it might strengthen the socialist movement, he quickly moved in 1887 to support the position of the Knights of Labor and their date for Labor Day.

More than 100 years after the first Labor Day observance, there is still some doubt as to who first proposed the holiday for workers. Some records show that Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a cofounder of the American Federation of Labor, was first in suggesting a day to honor those “who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold.”

But Peter McGuire’s place in Labor Day history has not gone unchallenged. Many believe that Matthew Maguire, a machinist, not Peter McGuire, founded the holiday. Recent research seems to support the contention that Matthew Maguire, later the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, N.J., proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York. What is clear is that the Central Labor Union adopted a Labor Day proposal and appointed a committee to plan a demonstration and picnic.

Labor Day traditions

Since 1966, the annual telethon of the Muscular Dystrophy Association has been held on Labor Day weekend. The telethon, hosted by Jerry Lewis, raises tens of millions of dollars each year to fund research and patient support programs for the various diseases grouped as muscular dystrophy.

Labor Day weekend also marked the annual running of the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. The race was run at any time during the weekend from 1950-2002. In 2004, NASCAR began racing on Labor Day weekend at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California.

Chicago’s Taste of Polonia, the city’s largest Polish-themed festival celebration of Polish cultural heritage, traditions, and customs on the grounds of the Copernicus Foundation in Jefferson Park. Bringing in crowds well over 30,000 each year, Taste of Polonia has welcomed notable guests such as President George H. W. Bush in 1992 and Vice-President Dick Cheney, Mrs. Tipper Gore, and Mrs. Hadassah Lieberman in 2000[2].

Boomsday, one of the biggest fireworks displays in the Southeastern United States, has been held annually on Labor Day since 1986 in Knoxville, Tennessee; it attracts over 350,000 spectators.

Mackinac Bridge Walk is an annual event held every Labor Day since 1958 in Michigan in which people may walk the length of the Mackinac Bridge.

Mustaches on the River is an annual event that takes place Labor Day weekend. Traditionally participants grow mustaches for this float down the Russian River in Healdsburg, California. Mustaches are judged at the end of the day and all proceeds benefit charity. The event is seen by its participants as an exercise in self image and free expression.

Cleveland has showcased its aviation history with the Cleveland National Air Show each labor day weekend since the late 60’s. Begining in 1995, the Taste of Cleveland also highlights Cleveland’s restraunts each labor day weekend.

Popular fashion etiquette dictates that white should not be worn after Labor Day.[3] Originally it was white shoes that were taboo— white or “winter white” clothing was acceptable.[4] The custom is fading: “Fashion magazines are jumping on this growing trend, calling people who ‘dare’ to wear white after Labor Day innovative, creative, and bold. Slowly but surely, white is beginning to break free from its box, and is becoming acceptable to wear whenever one pleases. In the world of western attire, it is similarly tradition to wear a straw cowboy hat until Labor Day. After Labor Day, the felt hat is worn until Memorial Day.”

Well as a great deal as I seek to jargon throughout our above all set of true spring weather moving in it outstandingly performs neutral in comparison to Hurricane Gustav - a gargantuan hurricane the am able to require catastrophic damage to America’s south states.

I’ve kept on endeavoring over the degrees and experience select quite astonishing stats to share among you on the present extensive hurricane - persuaded to metric houses to take in it simpler to understand.

A storm of the current size is rare - and it is route is a particularly predicatable one. At the end of the preceding week I might see the Gustav was probable to be worse as opposed to the larger number of 6 named storms so far in the Atlantic Hurricane season.

In fact, we have nonetheless dedicated a section of the Weather Watch Centre to Gustav provided exciting satellite images based on data from NASA updated hourly and a plot of Gustav’s track, too updated hourly, of weather.com.

There’s so even information online on such storm we have determined to remain the surprise brief and easy to follow. I’ve kept on surprised at how the majority of mortgage holders hold imparted upon me properties would like to can appreciate a great deal more close to presently storm - and one of the comments requested on our site yesterday was of a lady in Louisiana who had kept on imparted upon to evacuate…her town is directly in Gustav’s path.

It are required to be incredibly scary for her, to pack up your treasured belongings and leave your home. I chatted to her briefly and she declared her largest trepidation might be going back consequently in the week - anything and everything could easily happen. Her piece of real estate may not be there when she becomes back.

We do not see storms similar to this moment in New Zealand. The sole storm I can am certain of in our general recorded history would’ve continued the “super storm” the current sank the Wahine. Winds in the achieved 275km/h at one rank in Wellington. That’s exceptionally similar to now storm, yet unlike Wellington, these kinds of winds are reaching this moment promptness in the open water - and not as of the geography obtainable it.

So the stats on Gustav:

Winds: Winds averarging 220km/h - and they’re impending to increase in value surplus today. These are winds SUSTAINED. Not gusts. I hold carried on in winds gusting to 180km/h and it was hard to breathe - the air simply flew by my mouth. 220km/h sustained is incredible. You appreciate the strength of the wind on your hand out the car window at 100km/h - enormously currently is within twice the current force. There are gusts a great deal even greater - up to 280km/h., possibly up to 300km/h today. The V8’s at Bathurst form it to such a promptness at the actually fastest.

Rain: We often hear rain forewarnings for the South Island calling for 200 or 300 mm - Gustav had trepidations for 500mm in Cuba yesterday. Rainfall figures ought to be similar for America when Gustav arrives and slows down. 49% of New Orleans is under sea total number in select spots 3 metres under sea total amount so this moment is able to be of true concern, esecially when combined among the storm surge.

Storm Surge: A storm surge is a combination of the sea soaring just about the centre of the storm (to put it simply, above average air pressure pushes the sea diminished desire a big hand - the eye of a hurricane has remarkably low air pressure - the lessened the pressure within the duration of the water the greater amount of it lifts up. It’s as if a humungous vaccuum) and moreover solid winds pushing the waves up on top of every other. Storms surges can be various metres elevated and when prohibative tide arrives every wave so crashes moves a greater amount of and a good deal more inland - sometimes numerous kilometres inland. The waves out in the midde of the Gulf of Mexico are guessed to be across 14 metres prohibative at the time - surrounded by rogue waves more than likely twice that. That’s 1 and part times the rank of a 747. That supplies you an understnding as to why so a good amount of oil rigs got damaged by Hurricane Katrina 3 decades ago. This storm is set to move during the biggest concentration of oil rigs in America so hopefully the lessons learnt of Katrina plans to cover them higher the present time.

The storm is able to implement to suffer an dwindle on the US by Monday night our age - and when and if craft landfall in Tuesday NZT. We’ll issue out links to free of charge rain radars at the Weather Watch Centre as the storm rolls in - it is astonishing when you can essentially see the “eye” rotating, additonally all the new satellite images, wind speeds and tracking.

Philip Duncan

Pictured above: US National Hurricane Centre director Bill Read surveys one of several tropical cyclone study patterns tracking Hurricane Gustav. (AP Photo/Andy Newman)

For the up to date weather to know still be up to date surrounded by The Radio Network’s new Weather Watch Centre or the NZ Herald weather section.

BEIJING (Reuters) - August 8 promises to be a lucky day for Liu Chuan who is getting married and has a ticket for the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.

Liu and his bride will join thousands of Chinese couples queuing at the marriage registry on Friday, an auspicious day for weddings and births because of the number 8, which symbolizes wealth in Chinese.

August 8 is also China’s big day, when the Olympic Games open in Beijing. Organizers added an extra eight for good measure by scheduling the opening ceremony for 8 p.m. “Chinese are partial to the number 8, and Friday is three 8s in a row - the eighth day of the eighth month, 2008. Also, we picked it because of the Olympics,” said Liu, a Beijing resident. “I got a ticket for the opening ceremony that night, but it was only possible to get one, so I will go to the Bird’s Nest (stadium) and my fiancee will watch it on TV at home.”

So many couples are planning to tie the knot on August 8 that Beijing’s marriage registries set up an online service for couples to file paperwork in advance and speed up the process. An estimated 9,000 couples in Beijing alone will get their marriage certificates that day.

“Whenever you get here, you will have to wait. The bureau opens at 8.30 in the morning and some people will come a lot earlier than that to get in line,” said a staff member at the Tongzhou registry, on the outskirts of Beijing, which has booked 500 appointments for Friday.

But despite the flood of weddings, many banquet halls are facing a drought of bookings. Many Chinese get their certificate and hold their banquets on separate days, and August 8 is usually a popular day to hold banquets.

However, most couples will delay the banquet for another day to avoid being upstaged by the opening ceremony, which will feature thousands of performers and extravagant fireworks.

“We thought about holding the banquet that night, but we figured it was inconvenient,” Liu said.

“Since it overlapped with the opening ceremony, most guests probably wouldn’t have the time or the interest to come to our celebration.”

Couples are also worried that transportation could be snarled up on Friday, when about 100 world leaders attend the opening ceremony, said manager Kang of Jinri Jiari Seafood City, where the banquet room is empty on Friday night but fully booked on Saturday and most weekends through October.

[Source]

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Morgan Freeman was discharged Thursday from a Tennessee hospital after the Oscar-winning actor was treated for broken bones and other injuries sustained in a weekend car crash in Mississippi.

Kathy Stringer, a spokeswoman for the Regional Medical Center, said Freeman was discharged but gave no other details.

The 71-year-old actor was hospitalized after the accident Sunday left him with a broken arm, broken elbow and shoulder damage.

Demaris Meyer, 48, of Memphis, a passenger in the car driven by Freeman, was also injured in the crash.

“Access Hollywood” reported Wednesday that Freeman’s lawyer, Bill Luckett, said Freeman and his wife of 24 years, Myrna Colley-Lee, had been separated since December and are getting a divorce. Luckett was also quoted in several newspapers Thursday, but did not give further details.

There was no answer Thursday at phone numbers for Luckett or for Freeman’s publicist, Donna Lee.

No divorce papers have been filed in Tallahatchie County where Freeman owns a home with Colley-Lee, according to Tallahatchie County Chancery Clerk Anita Mullen Greenwood.

[Source]

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[Source: wireandmedia]

Olympic gold medalist and outspoken Darfur activist Joey Cheek has had his visa revoked by the Chinese embassy, hours before the speedskating champion was set to fly to China. And he wasn’t even planning on wearing a mask when he got there.

Chinese officials don’t need a reason to revoke anyone’s visa but, in their eyes, they had plenty of reasons to snatch Cheek’s. He is the founder of Team Darfur, a group of 70 athletes whose goal it is to raise global awareness of the human-rights violations taking part in the Darfur region of Sudan. China’s military, economic and diplomatic ties to Sudan have been well-publicized in the lead-up to the Games.

Said Cheek of his ban in a prepared statement:

“I am saddened not to be able to attend the Games. The Olympic Games represent something powerful: that people can come together from around the world and do things that no one thought were possible. However, the denial of my visa is a part of a systemic effort by the Chinese government to coerce and threaten athletes who are speaking out on behalf of the innocent people of Darfur.

Cheek was going to China to support the athletes on Team Darfur — including soccer player Abby Wambach — and to promote the cause, one that he has championed for years. After winning gold in the Torino Games, Cheek announced he was donating his $25,000 USOC bonus to Darfur and implored his sponsors to do the same. It seems that Joey Cheek is truly one of the good guys.

And now he’s out of China before he even got there. With the Games getting closer (just two days away now), the world seemed ready to forget about all the Chinese issues in order to focus on the Games themselves. Unfortunately, China’s actions make that impossible. In a time when we should be wondering who will light the Olympic cauldron, whether Michael Phelps can break an all-time record and how Liu Xiang will react to the pressure of 1.3 billion of his countrymen hanging on his every step, we’re instead left to discuss the Chinese government’s reluctance to allow any dissension in their country, despite repeated promises that they’d clean up their act when the Olympics came to town.

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Living together is a big deal — if it doesn’t work out you can’t just pick up and leave. You have to hire movers! And that’s not even taking into account the emotions involved in a breakup or split where you’ve been living together. So do some homework before you commit to cohabiting.
Dating tips for women to focus on before calling U-Haul

* Meet his family. More than once. Do your research. Any mental illness? Alcoholism? Anything else that you might want to know? Ask now or forever hold your peace.
* Meet his friends. Has anyone ever been arrested? Use your instincts.
“Are you seeing any yellow flags? If you are, explore them before you make a move — with a truck.”
Are you seeing any yellow flags? If you are, explore them before you make a move — with a truck.
* Figure out who’s going to clean what — and if you can afford a housekeeper, how often she will come. (A housekeeper can be the best marital aid next to separate bathrooms.)
* Keep the kids in mind. If children are involved, sync up your custody schedules as best you can.
* Meet the ex. If your mate has gone through a divorce, make sure there are no restraining orders or other psycho secrets in the closet.
* Figure out who’s going to pay for what. Get down the important basics before the move. Who’s going to write the checks each month? Do you need a shared checking account?
* Determine who’s going to be responsible for what. Making meals, taking out the trash, walking the dog, etc., can all become problems if they’re not figured out ahead of time.
* Address the issue of how often your relatives and friends are going to visit. Visits from family folks are always an issue — even if you’re not married.

Single mothers: Reasons for moving in with him
Before making any major life-changing dating decisions, you must first complete some deep soul searching to make sure that there aren’t any regrets later on in life. If you have children, you’ve got to be even more cautious by fully understanding your shacking-up reasoning for both you and your children.
Reason 1: You truly want to get married to this man — the whole shebang with the ring, the wedding, and the thank you notes.
In this case: Don’t move in with him until you’re engaged, and it’s close to the wedding date. Why? Because you want to show your children that you have respect for yourself, for him, for marriage, for family, and that there is structure in life.
Reason 2: You need male company. Yes, it’s the intimacy, but it’s also being able to “decompress” with a grownup at the end of the day over a glass of wine or dinner.
In this case: Move in with him after it’s a “committed” relationship. You’ve dated exclusively for at least a year. You have a deal about monogamy. For whatever reason, you’re not the marrying types. Why? Marriage isn’t for everyone, and we live in a country where you are allowed to express your love for someone, their children, and yourself in many ways. Living together is one of them. A good tip is to keep a family therapist in the loop so that communication is facilitated, and the children’s best interests are overseen by a professional.
Reason 3: You’re ecstatic about a new guy you are seeing, but your young kids really haven’t gotten to know him yet.
In this case: Don’t move in with him. Living with a man to whom you are not married, when you’re raising offspring, can be irresponsible and emotionally harmful to your children. Before you decide to share living space with this great guy, you must consider all the relationships involved in your decision.
Reason 4: Financial. You’re paying rent, he’s paying rent. Why not cut down on the rent?
In this case: Move in with him if certain conditions are present. Your fairy godmother may tell you that money is never a good reason to make an emotional or familial connection. Being a single mother in the U.S., however, is a largely unsupported (financially, legally, emotionally, socially, and every other which way) lifestyle. In this difficult situation, although it isn’t traditionally accepted, it may be better for the children to have mom less stressed and enjoying the company of a reliable and loving man she’s loved a long time than living by principles that don’t pay for child care. But make sure that the children’s best interests are first and foremost, and be honest with them. Don’t lead them to believe that this is Mr. Right. Explain that you all love each other, and this will make life easier, and make mom happier and more available for happy homework help, more family nights without stress, etc. Kids are extremely intuitive and they will “get it.”
Of course, never move in with anyone who is in any way abusive, has a history of any kind of abuse, or presses any buttons for intuitive flashing yellows. That said, this can be a wonderful situation, and often love grows on ground well tilled.
Single women: Working out yours, mine, and ours
And finally, who over the age of 30 can forget the famous scene in “When Harry Met Sally” when Carrie Fisher’s character moves in with her mate and makes him get rid of his wagon-wheel coffee table?
As people marry at older ages, they bring with them emotional baggage — and physical baggage! Anyone who marries over age 30 or 40 has “stuff” to accommodate. Sometimes that stuff is a few boxes of books and some clothes, but more than likely it’s two sets of living room furniture, two beds, two sets of linens, two sets of kitchen supplies — and more importantly, two sets of styles!
“Furnishings and objects filled with meaning and sentiment to one person might strike a new mate as candidates for the dump or the Goodwill”
Furnishings and objects filled with meaning and sentiment to one person might strike a new mate as candidates for the dump or the Goodwill, which leads into my tips for working this out in peace.
Dating tips for women: Making cohabitation fun and easy
1. Humor and the big picture. Keeping a sense of humor when deciding what stays and goes is key. Remember, you don’t want to make a piece of furniture — or even two or three — a deal breaker in the relationship. Being able to laugh and keep the big picture in mind will help a lot in accepting his giant television with nine different remote controls — each of which performs 50 different functions — and getting him to let you keep the antique chairs that look better than they feel.
2. Bend a little. Compromise is important. Test your deal-making skills and think outside the box! Agree to keep his lime green recliner for 18 months, at which point you both go buy one together and give the old one to a charity. Agree to keep your dishes and donate his in exchange for going on his heli-skiing trip with him and his manner-less friends for three years in a row as an out-of-the-box deal.
3. Nuclear options. If you can’t agree, and it’s going to be a rocky road, agree to disagree and get rid of everything. Hold a giant garage sale or tag sale at both your places on two consecutive weekends or on the same weekend if you live nearby. You can even hire a company to hold the sale for you if you’re too busy or too emotionally attached to your things. Use all the money to start a “start over” fund and buy new stuff.

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The Dark Knight” is still on the tip of everyone’s tongue. But now, instead of folks breathlessly asking each other if they’d seen it, talk has turned to speculation over Batman’s next foe. Who’s it gonna be?

iVillage is reporting that the Caped Crusader may take on the Riddler in “Batman 3.” According to the rumor mill, Johnny Depp might sign on to play the nefarious super-criminal. But caveat emptor—this could be just as false as the one about Crispin Glover playing the Joker.

Slashfilm notes that there are additional possibilities floating around. For instance, Phillip Seymour Hoffman may play the Penguin or Angelina Jolie could don Catwoman’s skin-tight suit. Truth or fiction, fanboys around the world must be having a heart attack at the mere possibility.

Still, the “official” rumor mill is just one of the ways superfans are checking in on the next Batman flick. Many seek the scoop themselves. We’ve noticed impressive searches on “batman 3 rumors,” “dark knight sequel casting rumors,” and “batman’s next villain.”

That last query is very telling. People clearly want to know the answer, but we doubt even the filmmakers have decided. To that end, may we offer the studio execs this humble piece of Search-informed advice: Go with Catwoman. She’s far-and-away the most popular baddie and there are already a slew of searches on possible cast members including Jessica Biel, Amy Adams, and, wait for it, Maggie Gyllenhaal. Do fans think Rachel Dawes, Bruce Wayne’s one-and-only, was really the Catwoman all along?

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TOKYO (Reuters Life!) - Japanese girls born last year can expect to live until they are 86 years old, which would make them the longest survivors in the world, a report from the country’s health ministry showed.

Boys born in 2007 can expect to live to the age of 79.2, ranking third after Iceland and Hong Kong, the report said.

Japan’s females have topped the world’s longevity ranks for 23 years, something researchers have attributed to their healthy diet and tight social ties, among other reasons.

The report is the latest sign that Japan is ageing quicker than any other country, with government data showing a tenth of the population aged 75 years or older.

The proportion of those 65 years or older is also seen doubling to 40 percent by mid-century.

“People are in different social environments and are influenced by various factors and eating habits, so it’s hard to answer the question of why people live long,” a ministry spokesman said.

“But we can say that the improvement of medical technologies helps,” the spokesman added. Japan has improved treatments for the ageing population’s three biggest killers — cancer, heart disease and stroke.

Japan also has one of the world’s lowest birth-rates, leaving the government with the challenge of how to fund its pension requirements, take care of its elderly and maintain productivity.

(Reporting by Yoko Kubota, editing by Miral Fahmy)

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