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Friday, August 30th, 2002

As with many Americans, I will be on holiday this Monday and have no intention of sitting at my computer. Hence, I must take the time now to say that I hope everyone has a happy Labor Day.

And in case you didn't know what you were celebrating:

The observance of Labor Day began over 100 years ago. Conceived by America's labor unions as a testament to their cause, the legislation sanctioning the holiday was shepherded through Congress amid labor unrest and signed by President Grover Cleveland as a reluctant election-year compromise.

Labor Day grew out of a celebration and parade in honor of the working class by the Knights of Labor in 1882 in New York. On September 5, 1882 the first Labor Day parade was held in New York City. Twenty thousand workers marched in a parade up Broadway. They carried banners that read "LABOR CREATES ALL WEALTH," and "EIGHT HOURS FOR WORK, EIGHT HOURS FOR REST, EIGHT HOURS FOR RECREATION!" After the parade there were picnics all around the city. Workers and celebrants ate Irish stew, homemade bread and apple pie. At night, fireworks were set off. Within the next few years, the idea spread from coast to coast, and all states celebrated Labor Day. The first states to declare it a state holiday in, 1887, were Oregon, Colorado, New York, Massachusetts, and New Jersey. In 1894, Congress voted it a federal holiday.

Thursday, August 22nd, 2002

Too often I've heard people suggest that those of different 'races' or 'cultures' shouldn't pursue serious romantic relationships.

The usual excuse for this is that it is either too difficult to pursue such a relations in a world of bigotry or that any children born of such a relationship would have to suffer at the hands of a cruel world for being different.

I reason that this type of thinking is probably born from two lines:

1) The person offering the advice is in fact bigoted themselves, whether consciously or unconsciously and use their argument as a thin veil over their own prejudices.

2) The person has no particular prejudice of their own and in fact believes what they are saying.

Regarding those who think along the first line, there is little that I can say here that should not be obvious already. If we are wise, we will stamp down the demons of our own prejudice.

As for the second line of thinking, the person presenting the argument needs to re-evaluate what they define as good character. We can not give into the baser elements of thinking (or worse yet, thoughtlessness) because they are easier. It is a foolhardy approach to life if we give into the cruel aspects of society and humanity because they offer the path of least resistance. When we do give in, we only contribute and perpetuate the foolishness, the cruelty and the hatred.

Tuesday, August 20th, 2002

I'm physically back from vacation but I'm still waiting for my brain to arrive.

Friday, August 2nd, 2002

I will be on vacation for the next two weeks and won't return to writing here again until Monday, August 19th at the earliest.

In the mean time, I will leave all of the June, July and August essays active here in the WorldView and in the password protected Friend's and Family section for quick perusal.

If you've read all of those essays I encourage to visit the archive and read my ramblings from past months.

As always, I am very grateful if you contact me. Drop me a note and give me your opinion or just let me know that you were here.

If after you've read everything I have to offer here, I encourage you to check out some other sites such as Teddy Carroll's Adventure's in My Mind, Ron Edward's Deadvile, and Corey Davis' flawd logic. If you visit their sites, be kind and drop them a line - I'm sure they will appreciate it.

I tried buying the new Bruce album the last couple of days but I had to go to three places before I found it in stock. - I believe it was selling out, if so that is good news for Mr. Springsteen.

I'd heard the songs 'The Rising' and 'Into the Fire' previous to buying the CD. I was pretty skeptical about the notion of a CD themed around the events of September 11th with out more time for better perspective. The song 'Into the Fire' seemed to confirm my doubt since it seemed rather uninspired and relatively trite. 'The Rising' sounded okay and had some good lines ("A dream of life comes to me Like a catfish dancin' on the end of my line") but besides being a decent song it also failed to blow me away.

So having plopped down my $24 for a the 'collectors edition' (not worth the extra money) I am very happy to report that the album is actually pretty wonderful. Almost no other song is as obvious metaphorically as 'Into the Fire'.

The album was produced and mixed by a person Bruce has never used before - Brendan O'Brien. I am unaware of Mr. O'Brien's previous work but I loved the new sound that he brought to the album. - The most stirring of these new sounds can be found on two of my favorite songs from the CD - 'Worlds Apart' and the chilling 'Paradise'. (The album is worthwhile for these two songs alone.)

The best thing I can say is, "Bruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuce!"

Thursday, August 1st, 2002

Senator Rep. Jake Knotts, R-Lexington, is opposing a bill that would make tattooing legal in South Carolina. The bill that Knotts is fighting was introduced last year and would legalize tattooing by non-doctors while requiring strict health and safety regulations. Currently South Carolina law allows tattooing only when done by a licensed doctor for "cosmetic or reconstructive purposes".

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Tattoo parlors, like restaurants and other services that pose a potential risk to the health of citizenry should be monitored for health issues. I would also advocate laws that would restrict the tattooing of minors but otherwise, adults should have the right to get tattoos in legal, health monitored parlors. It is absurd that our government should say otherwise. - I say this even though I personally find tattoos to be a really silly idea, but I recognize that is a matter of personal taste and I respect other adult's right to choose for themselves.

Additional editorial reading about the subject

See past WorldView and Friends and Family News in the Archive