It seems appropriate that Aretha Franklin’s RESPECT was selected as the best song ever by Rolling Stone Magazine on September 17.
“Respect” is a song written and originally recorded by American soul singer Otis Redding. It was released in 1965 as a single from his third album Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul and became a crossover hit for Redding. In 1967, fellow soul singer Aretha Franklin covered and rearranged “Respect”, resulting in a bigger hit and her signature song. The music in the two versions is significantly different, while a few changes in the lyrics resulted in different narratives around the theme of human dignity that have been interpreted as commentaries on traditional gender roles.
18th September is National Respect Day. Teaching respect and raising awareness about domestic and dating violence was done with the goal of ending violence against women and children. Observe the day by becoming involved to educate respect and prevent violence.
Expect Respect
Reject Neglect
If he doesn't respect you
Expect he'll neglect you
Celebrated on September 17, Constitution Day, also known as Constitution and Citizenship Day, honors the document that guarantees Americans their essential rights. Since its ratification in 1787, the Constitution of the United States has served as the basis for all U.S. laws.
To prevent the abuses of power they felt subjected to under the British monarchy, the Founding Fathers framed the Constitution carefully, distributing power between three branches of government. The Constitution outlines the government’s powers, the limitations on those powers, and the rights of citizens. It also outlines an amendment process for making changes in the future.
If you listen to politicians, pundits, and even ordinary people pontificate about the US Constitution, most of them have little real idea what they are talking about.
How well do you know the U.S. Constitution? Take the quiz.
a proclamation by Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla on September 16th 1810, in the village of Dolores, near Guanajuato called for an end to Spanish rule in Mexico, encouraging rebellion and insurrection against the Spanish.
The Spanish Empire had been broken by Napoleon’s invasion of Spain, and imperial rule had been replaced by “juntas” in both Spain and the American colonies, while King Fernando VII was being held hostage by Napoleon.
The Proclamation of Dolores
Hidalgo ordered that the church bell be rung to gather his congregation, then called for insurrection and ended by calling out, Viva la Virgen de Guadalupe! Viva Fernando VII! Abajo el mal gobierno! [Long live Our Lady of Guadalupe! Long live Fernando VII! Down with the bad government!].
There are various accounts of what Hidalgo was reputed to have actually said. While the proclamation has gained national status, in reality, it is unlikely that Hidalgo disowned the King as he is supposedly said to have done.
Following his speech, Father Hidalgo raised an army and attempted to overthrow the Junta government, but he was eventually defeated. As his struggle against the establishment continued, he began to demand the full independence of all the Spanish American colonies, and the exile or arrest of all Spaniards within Mexico.
It was only after a ten year long War of Independence that Mexico’s independence was finally acknowledged by the Spanish viceroy on September 27th 1821.
Cinco de Mayo is an annual celebration held on May 5, which commemorates the anniversary of Mexico’s victory over the French Empire at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. Led by General Ignacio Zaragoza, the victory of a smaller, poorly equipped Mexican force against the larger and better-armed French army was a morale boost for the Mexicans. Zaragoza died months after the battle from an illness, and a larger French force ultimately defeated the Mexican army at the Second Battle of Puebla and occupied Mexico City.
This is a fun quiz with cute pictures of animals, birds, and fish. It was a fairly easy quiz, especially if you like to watch nature shows. Click here to see how well you know your fauna.
There were several choices on what to celebrate on September 13 including Uncle Sam Day, Hug Your Hounds Day, Bald is Beautiful Day, and Grandparents Day, but once I saw it was International Chocolate Day, I knew which one I wanted to honor.
Dark chocolate has many proven health benefits. It is a powerhouse of antioxidants, which neutralize free radicals produced by metabolism of fat. This has an array of positive effects on your body, ranging from improving cardio-vascular health to preventing chronic diseases. It has been shown to reduce blood pressure, as well as, interestingly enough, help regulate blood sugar. Finally, it has also been linked to the release of endorphins – the feel-good hormone, which might explain why it is so widely known and loved as a mood-lifter. It is often mixed with other foods and flavors which enhance the taste and may improve your health as well, such as mint, orange, peanuts, almonds, coconuts etc.
Chocolate is good any time of the day from your morning hot chocolate until your bedtime snack of a a chocolate cookie or candy.
Click here to read the history of chocolate from History.com.
I didn’t take up smoking in college (when cigarettes were $.25/pack) because I was already a chocoholic (when candy bars were still $.10/bar). According to Google, The average cost for a pack of cigarettes across all states is $6.96 per pack or an average of $. 35 per cigarette. The price for chocolate candy outpaced non-chocolate in 2019, averaging 2.27 U.S. dollars per unit compared to 1.88 for non-chocolate. (I can find candy bars for about $1.25 at my local Krogers.)
In a cookie or candy bar
Eaten at home or in a car
In the north or in the south
My favorite place is in my mouth
Luscious chocolate coats my tongue
taking me back to when I was young
I haven't outgrown that treat from youth
100% Geezerette truth.
When somebody donated what they thought was a ship’s mobile compass, both Phil and Carl thought it might be a boat compass which lead to the following sea stories.
Phil-It would be a boat compass, as I remember them. In my first ship, a Gearing-class destroyer, the Captain’s gig had a boat compass. It is a magnetic compass and had to be compensated once a year. My first job of the ship was a Navigator, and to the navigator falls the job of compensating the ship’s magnetic compasses. The ship’s magnetic compass is compensated through a process call swinging ship. The ship steers cardinal heading in sequence and the difference between the magnetic and gyro compasses are noted.
For the gig, we had go swing that, so myself and a couple quartermasters and a coxswain and engineman take the boat to a sheltered spot in Subic Bay. Turns out it is closer to Subic City than to Olongapo. After an hour or so out there on a hot and sunny tropical day, a local comes up to us in a bonca boat (native outrigger craft) from Subic City and asks us if we’d like to buy a nice cold beer. A real leadership test. Doing ship’s business during working hours. They guys all wanted one, and we were far away from our ship, so I said OK. And it was just one piece. (Phil remembers that each man had a San Miguel).
Carl-This is getting farther away from boat compasses, but when I was aboard USS Bainbridge, a nuclear-powered cruiser, one of the Bosun’s Mates was due to ship over. I think he was a first-class petty officer and had something to do with the guys who manned and maintained the captain’s gig. The ship was anchored jut out of Pearl Harbor during an ORE and the bosun asked to be re-enlisted in the gig. Captain “Wild Bill” Sheridan granted his request and volunteered to do the shipping over ceremony himself. They put the gig in the water and loaded a case of cold beer from the captain’s “pic-nick” supplies. The gig laid out a half-mile from the ship, the Bosun’s Mate re-enlisted, and the half-dozen or so folks aboard all toasted him with the captain’s beer. They laid alongside the ship and dis-embarked, the gig was hauled in, and they all went back to work. So, I think Phil was on solid ground with the gig crew, which is NOT a commissioned vessel, and their beer break.
This is a written interview with my friend and National Defense University Library co-worker, Lily McGovern. In September 2001, Lily was a reference librarian at the Pentagon Library (PL) . The Library was in the section of the Pentagon hit by the plane, but because it mostly in the inner most or A ring, the plane did not penetrate that far into the building.
During the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001—60 years to the day after construction began on the Pentagon—a hijacked plane struck the building, killing 189 people and damaging roughly one-third of the building.
From History.Com
Where were you when the plane hit and what were you doing?
I was at my desk in the Pentagon Library (PL). I had been on vacation and it was my first day back at work. Someone heard about events in New York so we were watching the planes hit the World Trade Center on the TV in the PL. It was upsetting to watch the tragedy in NY, especially the second plane hitting the World Trade Center and the collapse of the Twin Towers, so I decided to get back to work at my desk.
I should add for anyone who is not familiar with the layout of the Pentagon that the PL was previously in space that straddled wedges 1 and 2 of the Pentagon renovation project. The temporary wall erected between wedge 1 and wedge 2 was actually in the library area. There was a lot of planning and physical work to rearrange the PL and squeeze into a much smaller space. Since the temporary wall between the renovation wedges cut off the A ring at the PL, the library gained some space from what had been the A ring corridor. The front door was now in the A ring. For over a year we could hear the sounds of wedge 1 being stripped to the bare concrete, construction equipment backing up, jackhammers, saws, drills and all that.
When I heard the big boom, I immediately thought that someone had dropped a big heavy something in wedge 1. They were moving offices into the renovated area and we knew that shelving was being installed in the part of wedge 1 where the PL would be.
Note: From the Pentagon Renovation Program, Wikipedia:
Wedge 1 was the first above-ground section of the Pentagon to undergo renovation. Demolition of the existing structure and hazardous material abatement began in 1998, and the first move-in of tenants occurred in February 2001. The last tenants moved in on February 6, 2003.
The renovation of Wedge 1 involved the renovation of one million square feet of space. This involved the removal of 83 million pounds of debris (70% of this was able to be recycled), and 28 million pounds of hazardous material. The renovation also saw the installation of eight new passenger elevators, new blast-resistant windows, escalators traversing all five floors, skylights, a new HVAC system, a new communications infrastructure, and a new open-plan office layout.
The Library was between Wedge 1 (in blue) and Wedge 2 (in light green). It was on the first floor in the A (or inner most ring.)
2. How as the word spread on what to do? What did you do?
One of my coworkers saw the heavy glass doors of the PL swing open as we heard the big boom. He yelled that it was a bomb and to get away from the windows which lined that side of the library. I recall being told to evacuate the PL and that people who exited using our fire evacuation route came back saying there was smoke that direction. I was checking with the other librarians to see that we got everyone to leave and when we were sure, I left. I don’t recall whether the fire alarms went off. Funny how many details I have forgotten over the years. You might think I’d remember it so clearly but not thinking or talking about my experience for years has faded my memory.
3. Were you allowed to get your personal items, such as a purse or take anything with you when you exited the library?
Luckily since I was at my desk. I shut down my computer and grabbed my purse, pretty much as a reflex action. During fire drills, it might take a while to get back into the building and I seem to always need a tissue. My friends who left with only their Pentagon badges, which we had to wear at all times, were not allowed back into the PL to retrieve their purses and belongings for several months. They had to cancel credit cards, replace driver’s licenses, and any important items. They also didn’t have money or their Metro passes unless they kept them with their badge..
4. How did you exit the Library and where did you go?
Since our usual exit route had smoke, we exited into the A ring through the PL’s main door and over to the exit to north parking. Going through the Pentagon there was no sign of smoke and the only unusual thing was people moving fast towards the exit or in the direction of where the smoke was seen by my coworkers. I felt no great danger as I exited the building.
I carpooled with Ann Parham who was the Army Librarian and worked in an office in the renovated and reopened part of Wedge 1. We were parked in north parking so I went to her car. Once I was outside the building, security guards were telling people to move away from the building and smoke was visible around the side of the building that faces Henderson Hall and Arlington Cemetery. People were saying that a plane had hit the building. It was a very sunny and warm day for September. Very soon the guards were telling us that we had to move farther away from the parking lot because there was another airplane that could be headed for us. I scribbled a note to Ann that I was out of the building and OK, placed it under the windshield wiper and started walking away with some of my coworkers.
5. How did they account for everyone and were there any library staff who could not be accounted for?
There was no opportunity to account for everyone once we evacuated. It was standard procedure to insure no one was left behind during a fire drill and that was done before the PL Director Katherine Earnest and the last librarians left. Once outside we were told to move farther from the building and parking lot so couldn’t meet at our assigned spot. Ms. Earnest and division supervisors called employees at home to account for everyone. I know it must have taken quite a while and I’m not sure when Ms. Earnest arrived home. Cell phones were not working by the time we were out of the building and moving. The call volume had crashed the system. I’m not sure when cell service was restored since I didn’t own a cell phone at the time. By the next day I heard that everyone was accounted for and all were unscathed.
6. How and when did you get home?
We had walked some distance from the parking lot and came to a road. A woman pulled her car to the side of the road and yelled out that she was headed to Alexandria and could give a ride to anyone who needed one. I told my friends to jump in and we could go to my house. I am eternally grateful to this woman and regret that even though she told us her name, none of us could remember it later. She was a real good Samaritan to the 4 of us.
She asked where in Alexandria we wanted to go. Since one of my friends lived in Maryland and rode the Metro to work, I asked her to drop us at the King Street Metro. My house is within walking distance so the rest of us could go there and use our land line to call their families.
As we traveled towards Alexandria listening to the car radio, we were hearing all the confusing and sometimes inaccurate reports. Traffic was getting heavy, and our angel was getting worried about getting home to her family. She asked if we would mind if she dropped us off in Old Town rather than at the Metro. I knew that she had saved us a lot of walking on a hot day and that we could easily walk from there. We thanked her profusely as she dropped us off. I only wish I could have thanked her more.
We were all hot, thirsty, and eager to contact our families. We found a little shop where we could buy cold drinks and use a pay phone. I was able to call my husband at home to tell him that I’m OK and will be arriving with friends. We walked to the Metro and checked that it was running through to Maryland. I gave Shirley money for the ride home and my home phone number in case the Metro stranded her in Virginia and wished her luck. The rest of us continued on foot to my house.
7. How did you feel during and after the evacuation?
I didn’t feel in immediate danger of losing my life at any point. I did feel shocked at what I saw happening in New York and that a plane crashed into my workplace. I was relieved that there had been no smoke in the PL even though there was a fire not that far away in the building. I knew from previous events that there could be a fire in a part of the Pentagon that I was not even aware of till the next day or more. The building was built during wartime to withstand bombing and to limit damage. That and its sheer size made me more confident that we could walk out safely.
I was more concerned after I knew that it was a plane that struck the building and when we were told there was an unaccounted-for plane that might be headed for us. It was a totally unplanned for type of evacuation so everyone was on their own when we were ordered to get away. As we were walking, I was thinking how I’d get home if I wasn’t able to go back and find Ann. Pentagon Metro was out of the question, Pentagon City would have meant going back through the south parking lot to cross under 395, and I wasn’t sure if Metro from Arlington Cemetery would have taken me past the Pentagon to get to Alexandria. I didn’t know the bus routes on streets near the Pentagon. I had used an express bus from Fairlington to the Pentagon on occasion but figured I’d have to change buses in order to get from Arlington to Alexandria. Everything was happening fast. News was sketchy and hard to come by as I walked so evaluating options was very difficult. I really didn’t have time to feel scared because I was trying to figure out what to do. When the wonderful lady offered us a ride, it beat all the options I had in mind. I was very relieved to know I could get to Alexandria and confident that I’d be able to walk from there. I wasn’t sure what forms of public transportation were working or how well but I can walk 10 miles .
8. What did you do the next day or the next week?
I was told to stay home until notified where to report to work by my supervisor. On the 12th I talked with family and friends who called to see if I was OK, checked in with coworkers to see how they got home, and called a friend who worked across the street from the World Trade Center in NYC. I don’t recall how long it was till we were told to report to an office building in Crystal City. When we first arrived at our temporary space in recently vacated offices it had been stripped to the bare concrete floor, walls between rooms were sparse and showed signs that it was expected they would be replaced. Furniture was an odd assortment of old metal desks and various chairs. We didn’t have computers or access to internet so couldn’t really accomplish work tasks like database searches or looking for material in the library catalog. We moved several times to different locations in those office buildings as better space was available. Equipment improved and it felt less like being a refugee.
We could not access the library collection in the Pentagon or any personal belongings for 2 months. That part of the building was considered a crime scene and no one was allowed in. It also took time for an assessment of the building to determine if it was structurally safe. There were fires in the roof area that had to be fought for days and more water was used.
The PL Director was only able to go into the Library after a few weeks to assess what damage was done. By that point there was water and mold from the water used to fight the fires.
9. How were they able to save the materials in the library? What was saved? Did you have a role in that?
Most of the Library materials were saved due to the efforts of the PL Director. She made the case for hiring a firm that specializes in remediation after fires or flooding. They brought in fans and dehumidifiers to reduce the dampness and stop further mold growth. I didn’t have any specific role in the efforts. The PL staff were doing whatever tasks the Director assigned them. I worked off site at the National Defense University Library for a short while because they offered office space and their computer access until we had that in the Crystal City offices.
10. How long did it take for you to feel ‘normal’? When were you first allowed back in the library?
The Pentagon Library never felt normal to me again. The Library never reopened in the old space in wedge 2 or in the space that was designated in Wedge 1 before 9/11. I left the Pentagon Library for another job in January 2002. Books were moved into space in the Crystal City office building as the PL Director wrangled to get space anywhere in the Pentagon to provide service and let our community know we were still able to assist with their information needs.
I recall that it was about 2 months before people were allowed back to get their purses, car keys, house keys, cell phones and important papers. It was a hard hat area, no electricity for lights and instructions to not spend any more time than necessary getting only the most important items. Later we were allowed to clear out our desks.
11. Is there anything you would like to share with us about the experience?
I have led a very fortunate life. From growing up in a loving middle-class family in rural central Pennsylvania, to having a rewarding career doing work I really enjoyed, to good health and good luck in more ways than I can count, I have benefited from circumstances beyond my control. I can’t claim to deserve the luck that allowed me to walk out of the Pentagon and have a total stranger offer me a ride home. I think of the people who lost their lives, had injuries and a traumatic exit (like my carpool partner Ann), or the horrible journeys that some of my coworkers had getting home. I have no words to express my gratitude for a million things that could have gone wrong that didn’t for me on that memorable day. My hope is that I can return the favor of the woman who went out of her way to assist strangers.
One way to assist strangers is to remind people to keep their Metro card (your local transit pass) and some form of money with their government badge. In case you must evacuate quickly you will have means to get home. If your workplace allows you to keep your phone at your desk or on your person, you may be able to keep your pass and money in your phone case. Having a plan on how to get home or to some agreed upon meeting place really pays off in an emergency. I doubt that anyone in Washington, DC expected to have to evacuate their workplace due to an earthquake when one struck in 2011. Fires, shootings, and other extreme events can and do happen. Please give some thought to how you could get home if something awful happens or how you would let your family/friends know where you are or where you would go if you can’t contact them by phone or email. Ask your supervisor if you don’t know the evacuation and meet up plan for your workplace.
From Francisco Bravo Cabrera of Omnia Caelum Blogs He used to live in Miami, he has now returned to his native Spain. He was mobilised as a Coast Guard reservist .
I was home. My wife woke me up and told me to rush to the tele. I couldn’t believe it until I got the call telling me I was being mobilised…
I was a children’s librarian and we watched in horror at the events unfolding on the internet as we tried to keep ourselves composed in front of the kids coming in.
From Don of Nemorino. Don was a soldier during Vietnam and now lives in Europe.
I was sat in the armchair watching the TV when the first newsflash came up. I sat there glued to the TV for the rest of the day. When I asked if he was in the UK (where he currently lives, he replied. “Yes I was. I was working nightshifts then and I’m not even sure I went to bed that day.”
Don Ostertag of Ostertag: Off Stage served with the 82nd Airborne while in the Army.
I was at the Mpls Orpheum working on the set- up for a week of RIVER DANCE. Some how we managed to get the show up on time.
It was like no other show I ever worked. Prior to it starting the cast came on stage and we all had a moment of silent prayer. During the show there was silence backstage and the audience’s reaction was gentle clapping. I will never forget that performance and I am sure neither will the cast nor the audience.
I was in the bank in Rome (Italy) when a friend phoned me. I spent the next 30 hours worried sick about Mima, a great friend of mine who I knew worked in one of the buildings that were hit. Another friend finally sent me a message saying Mima was fine and would contact me soon. Apparently she had decided to quit her job the day before, and had been told to go in on 9/11 “later in the morning” for the paperwork!…..
JeanMarie of JeanMarie Writes is a poet living in North Carolina
I lived in Denver, CO. I overslept that morning and instead of the alarm, the phone rang. It was my mother telling me about the planes, Groggy, it took me a while to get it and then my boss called me telling me I could come in or not. My choice. I did go in but me and my coworkers just sat around with the TV. Still it helped not to be alone.
Derrick Knight of Derrick Knight’s Ramblings is a pensioner who lives with his wife, in a beautiful, bucolic part of the UK.
I was on a commuter train on the way home to Newark, Nottinghamshire, from London, Kings Cross. A number of other commuters were watching on their laptops – I thought it was just another disaster movie.
From Becky Ross Michael of Platform Number 4, Becky Ross Michael, an Author’s Blog. Becky is from Michigan and now lives in Texas.
Sept. 11: I had hurt my back and it was my first day returning to school, teaching. I was only told about what had happened and didn’t see any video until that evening. My husband drove home from out-of-town work several hours away to be with me and had to drive back the very next morning. My daughter called to tell me that she was expecting a baby. Life would begin and go on for some…
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. As the nation’s record keeper, the National Archives holds many documents and photographs related to the events of September 11.
9/11 Commission Records The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, known as the 9/11 Commission, was an independent, bipartisan commission created by Congress. The Commission’s mandate was to provide a “full and complete accounting” of the attacks of September 11, 2001 and to provide recommendations as to how to prevent such attacks in the future. When the 9/11 Commission closed on August 21, 2004, it transferred legal custody of its records to the National Archives. The Commission encouraged the release of its records to the fullest extent possible in January 2009. A large percentage of the Commission’s records are national security classified files. The National Archives maintains a list of documents released since the records were opened in 2009.
9/11 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Records Following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) (Record Group 237) compiled records from its staff and aviation facilities to support internal and external investigations of the events. The records consist of 126 cubic feet of textual, audio, and electronic files relating to the actual terrorist attacks, the FAA’s involvement in the monitoring of United Airlines Flights 175 and 93 and American Airlines Flights 11 and 77, and the Federal Government’s subsequent actions in the aftermath of the attacks. Learn more about the 9/11 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Records at the National Archives and view the Finding Aid. View the processed FAA records in the National Archives Catalog.
9/11 Photograph Collection In the days following the September 11 terrorist attacks, White House photographers took over 50,000 photographs capturing the horror and heroism, the courage and compassion surrounding the attacks.
9/11 Fireman’s Son Sees Dad on National Archives Instagram On the 18th anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy, the National Archives shared a Catalog image from President George W. Bush’s visit to Ground Zero on September 14, 2001.
The son of a 9/11 fireman saw the photo on the National Archives Instagram account and asked: “Hello, I just came across this picture that you posted and the firefighter in the middle is my dad. Is there any way you can send me the original photo?” Learn more about this remarkable story and connection on National Archives News.
Upcoming Programs and Resources The National Archives and the National Archives Foundation will commemorate the 20th anniversary of 9/11 with a series of virtual programs accessible live to viewers across the country. Learn more about the live programming, as well as featured documents and educational resources on the National Archives Foundation website.
Would this qualify as “Out of Abundance of Caution? I received this notice from someone who went beyond sharing the information to providing an unsolicited benefit of an opinion. I didn’t mind the information but I did mind the added opinion.
If you have ever basked in the sweet melancholy or is it melancholy sweetness of warm September Day with its flowers and meandering butterflies, this will pluck at your heart strings.
Mi è sempre piaciuto settembre con le sue dolci giornate splendenti. Un mese pieno d’ uva, di mele, di fichi profumati e di amici ritrovati. Regala languidi raggi di sole, dolci profumi inebrianti, rondini che fissano appuntamenti, foglie e farfalle vaganti prima di scegliere dove poggiarsi silenti. Evoca una felicità sommessa e una dolce malinconia … e anche il rimpianto di un’altra estate che scivola via.
September Days
I have always loved September with its sweet shining days. A month full of grapes, apples, fragrant figs and rediscovered friends. It offers languid sunbeams, sweet intoxicating scents, swallows setting appointments, leaves and butterflies that wander before choosing where to rest silently. It evokes subdued happiness and sweet melancholy … as well as the regret of another summer that slips away.
Since 1987, Library Card Sign-up Month has been held each September to mark the beginning of the school year. During the month, the American Library Association and libraries unite in a national effort to ensure every child signs-up for their own library card.
I have had a library card since I can remember. My first volunteer job was shelving books at my local public library. My current volunteer job is cataloging books and writing bibliographies for the USS Midway (CV-41) Research Library.
I have a library card for my local regional library system. I check books out there regularly. Today on the local news I learned some more things I can do with that library card:
Do you remember as a kid whiling away the time on a bus or in your parents car singing “99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall”?
I’m the only one in my family who does not like the taste of beer. I’ve tried American, Belgian, German, Thai, Japanese, Australian, and Mexican beer and it all tastes like beer. The taste is unbeerable. Blech…..
Beer and the process of brewing beer goes back to ancient times in cultures the world over. The crafting of beer carries rich traditions, often requiring years of training and experience in the trade while the methods, grains, and flavors continue to change and evolve over time. Becoming a brewmaster can take years of fine-tuning the skills to make an exemplary beer or even an ale. One sure requirement is a love of beer and the craft. Today, fill your glass with an ice-cold, frothy beer and savor every gulp!
Pour yourself a cup of cheer
Just for today make it a beer
In a bottle or a cup
The only phrase is " Bottoms up!"
Labor Day pays tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers and is traditionally observed on the first Monday in September. It was created by the labor movement in the late 19th century and became a federal holiday in 1894. Labor Day weekend also symbolizes the end of summer for many Americans, and is celebrated with parties, street parades and athletic events.
Americans first celebrated Labor Day in 1882, and it became a federal holiday in 1894 – nearly 20 years before the creation of the Labor Department.
2. We put our own spin on the idea of “ladies first.”
The Labor Department was the first Cabinet agency led by a woman: Frances Perkins. Six women have held the title since then, giving us the record not just for the first, but for the most women secretaries as well. Many of the women who followed in Perkins’ footsteps have blazed their own trails. Elaine Chao and Hilda Solis were the first Asian American and Hispanic women in the Cabinet, respectively. Alexis Herman was the first African American to serve as secretary of labor. And Elizabeth Dole was the first woman to lead two different departments for two different presidents (Labor and Transportation).
3. Clam chowder could be a contentious dish at a Labor Secretary reunion.
Our 29 secretaries come from over a dozen states and three countries, but about one-fifth of them have called New York or Massachusetts home. Current Secretary Marty Walsh isn’t the first to hail from Boston. In fact, he’s not even the first Mayor of Boston to serve as Secretary of Labor. It’s an honor he shares with Maurice J. Tobin.
4. We didn’t always wear pants.
The women, at least. In fact, when the department’s female employees started wearing pants to work, it was notable enough to merit a mention in the newsletter. “Fashion forward” isn’t a phrase typically used to describe the department, but in the 1970s, we were ahead of other federal agencies in officially allowing women to work in pants, thanks to Elizabeth Duncan Koontz, the director of the Women’s Bureau and an advocate for women’s rights. Pants proved to be very practical, and the rest is history.
5. Our secretaries’ side hustles are next level.
Being a Cabinet member would be a pretty impressive accomplishment for most people, but for the 29 men and women who have served as secretary of labor, it’s just the beginning. Our first secretary, William Wilson, wrote poetry. Arthur Goldberg served as both a Supreme Court justice and ambassador to the United Nations. George Shultz also served as the director of the Office of Management and Budget, Secretary of the Treasury and Secretary of State. And Frances Perkins is a saint in the Episcopal church.
Few movies, if any, have created as many iconic characters as theStar Warsfranchise, especially the original trilogy. Luke, Leia, Han, Chewbacca… the list goes on and on. Everyone has their favorite, but when it comes to classic lines, Jedi Master Yoda is arguably the most quotable character. The small, green character is wise, funny, and grouchy at times, and has a distinct way of speaking that turns even the simplest of phrases into a nugget of wisdom.
We never learn what species Yoda belongs to, but we do know that he is a legend in his own lifetime — averylong lifetime. Viewers first met him on the swamp planet of Dagobah inThe Empire Strikes Back. “For eight hundred years have I trained Jedi,”he tells Luke, and we realize that this funny little creature is in…
Did you know that Hummingbirds are native to the Americas? North, Central and South America
Did you know that Hummingbird do not flap their wings? Instead they rotate them in a figure 8.
Did you know how small a Hummingbird is? These diminutive birds weigh only about 4 grams—or .141 ounce! That’s tiny! For comparison, a U.S. penny weighs 2.5 grams. The egg of a hummingbird weighs just 0.4 gram to 2.4 grams. A newly hatched bird is just 0.62 gram. However, when it’s time to migrate, hummers pack on the grams for the long trip—sometimes doubling their weight.
Click here for more fascinating Hummingbird facts.
Behold the mighty hummingbirds:
Pollinators
Trans-continental navigators
Territorial instigators
Human fascinaters
From the Wall Street Journal editorial by James Freeman
What’s the fun of “progressive” governance if you can’t use political power to reward friends and punish enemies? A striking feature of the Democrats who now run Washington is that they no longer pretend that the goal of tax policy is simply to fund government. It’s also a vehicle to help themselves and their pals while raising the tax burden on everyone else. A new analysis shows how Beltway swamp dwellers will catch a break even as Americans in the hinterlands brace for crushing new government burdens.
I can not and will not argue the validity (or lack thereof) of this quote.
I lived and worked in the Swamp for some of my career. It is a favorite target, until you want or need something from the government.
A city/county/state. facing an emergency from a COVID outbreak to a natural disaster like wild fires, hurricanes or 100 year floods, wants the Federal Government to declare their entity a federal disaster area so they can receive federal assistance in dollars or expertise.
A veteran needs help
A student wants a loan
A traveler seeks a passport or visa
A senior needs some type of Social Security or Medicare assistance
Crumbling infrastructure needs to be fixed or replaced
People with food insecurity want assistance
States want somebody else to pay for a needed or desired project
Schools (from preschool through universities) want/need subsidies for a variety of programs.
Politicians want the shift the blame to another entity
A creator (author, artist, inventor) wants copyright/trademark/patent protection for the intellectual property
Citizens want to be protected (whether from themselves, their neighbors, or some foreign entity)
