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Holidays

Enjoy Your Holidays and Stay Safe!

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It’s that busy time of year with increased activities as preparations are made for decorating, gift-giving, and time with family; so take a moment to think how you can enjoy your holidays and stay safe at the same time. Here are a few suggestions to keep in mind.

Fire

Check your smoke alarm before adding electrical decorations. Often lights are added during the holidays, both inside and outside of your home. This can put an added strain on breakers, but especially on outlet strips. Watch that these are not overloaded and be aware of any unusual odors or flickering that may signal an overheated strip of lights.

Keep candles unlit unless there is someone watching them and be sure they are not close to flammable materials.

Children – and adults – love to be close to a fireplace. Use a fire screen and check to see if clothing, especially pajamas, are fire-proofed. Outdoor fire pits can be especially enticing to children; be sure an adult monitors activity around the fire and discourages roughhousing in the area.

During gatherings of family and friends, there may be a number of people in the kitchen, including children. Keep pots on the back burners of the stovetop if possible to avoid burns from accidental bumping or little hands reaching.

Pets

While some pets may love the activity and attention, others may become agitated. Ensure there’s a safe place where your pet can relax and also where the pet will not be tempted to lash out at a child. Dropped food can turn a docile pet into one that will bite to defend its prize.

Trees, lights, ornaments, ribbons, wrapping paper, and food – chocolate and nuts especially – must be out of reach or watched closely so you don’t experience a late night trip to an emergency vet.

Shopping and traffic

This is the time of year when the “traffic is terrific” and can put a damper on trips to the mall or event venues. There is no avoiding it, unless all shopping is done online, but be prepared. If you can shop “off hours” you’ll have fewer issues. Check road conditions before leaving home and find the best route.

When you park, keep all packages in the trunk or other place where they cannot be seen. Always lock doors. When walking to and from a store, keep your eyes open and avoid looking at your phone. Take note of where you park so you can walk directly to your vehicle, keys in hand, when leaving the store or event. If you feel uncomfortable about any people in the parking lot, go back into the store and request an escort.

Hold purses or wallets and don’t leave in shopping baskets, even for a moment. Guard your cards and carefully input your PIN number in a manner that is not visible to others.

Drinking

This time of year is filled with parties and dinners where liquor is served. If you want to celebrate with drinks, there are ways to do it safely. If you have one drink, have it early and eat at the same time. Stay long enough to remove it from your system before driving. Otherwise, ride with a friend or take one of the car services to get home. Many holidays have been ruined because of one too many.

Enjoy your holidays!

These suggestions are common sense and take very little time, but they can save you from a holiday and lifetime of regrets. Enjoy your holidays and stay safe!

Have fun! Make memories! Celebrate!

Veterans Day is a National Thank You to All Who Served

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While Veterans Day began as “a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as ‘Armistice Day’,” we now set aside November 11th as a time to honor our military men and women as a national thank you to all who served and are serving our country.

The history

1919

Armistice Day was proclaimed by President Woodrow Wilson in a message one year after the end of World War I. In it he stated, “To us in America the reflection of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service, and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of nations.”

1924

In June, 1924, Congress requested a resolution from President Calvin Coolidge to deliver an annual proclamation for the observance of November 11th with “appropriate ceremonies.”

1938

Congress approved an Act on May 13, 1938 making each November 11th a legal holiday, “dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as ‘Armistice Day’.”

1945

In 1945, Raymond Weeks, a World War II veteran from Birmingham, Alabama, determined all veterans, not just those who served in WWI, should be celebrated. He led a delegation to Gen. Dwight Eisenhower, who also supported the idea of a national Veterans Day. In many ways, Mr. Weeks is the “Father of Veterans Day” as we know it today.

1947

The first national celebration was held in Alabama and led by Mr. Weeks.

1954

On May 26, 1954, President Eisenhower signed a bill establishing Armistice Day as a national holiday. Just a week later, Congress amended the new law by changing the name from Armistice Day to Veterans Day.

1971

In accordance with the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, Veterans Day was moved to the fourth Monday of October. However, seven years later it was returned to November 11th, but celebrated on either Friday or Monday if it occurs on the weekend.

How can we say thank you to all who served?

Many who served, especially those on ships, were exposed to asbestos in addition to the dangers of their service. From WWII through Vietnam, veterans faced this unseen danger. Many ships continued in service long after Vietnam. In fact, of the almost 3,000 Americans diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma annually, a significant percentage of them served in the U.S. Navy.

Though the asbestos fibers were unseen, they were throughout the ships: fireproofing, steam lines, pumps, boilers, condensers, evaporators, distillers, turbines, deck material, and electrical equipment.

Since there can be 50 years between exposure and diagnosis, service men and women still suffer from diseases brought about through exposure on ships. In those same years, those at home were also exposed through building materials or other occupations.

Banning asbestos in the United States is long overdue. Let your voice be heard by contacting the EPA and letting them know you want a ban. There is no safe level of exposure. While we can’t turn back the clock for our military men and women who suffered exposure, we can say “thank you” by working to prevent exposure to their children and grandchildren. Click here to find out how you can be heard.

The American Flag and Flag Day

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The American Flag from 1777 until 1960

The American Flag, somewhat in the form we know today, was adopted on June 14, 1777, when the Second Continental Congress passed a Flag Resolution. It stated, “Resolved, That the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.” Though somewhat descriptive, there were 27 variations from the first Stars and Stripes until the current flag adopted on July 4, 1960 with the admission of Hawaii to the United States.

Design of the American Flag

There are a few stories that are legend in the design and making of the U.S. Flag.

Francis Hopkinson

A signer of the Declaration of Independence and a naval flag designer, Hopkinson designed the naval flag and also the U.S. flag in 1777 – however, the public preferred the naval design for the national flag. It wasn’t until 1780 that a bill was sent to Congress for payment for his design. He requested a “Quarter Cask of the Public Wine” as payment for design of the U.S. flag as well as for the Great Seal of the United States and other seals. However in his following bills, he only mentioned the design for the naval flag, not the U.S., in addition to the other seals. He received no payment because he was paid a salary as a member of Congress at the time they were created.

Betsy Ross

The legend of Betsy Ross sewing the first flag from a sketch given to her by George Washington has no proof. It was never mentioned until her grandson suggested the scenario almost a century after the first flag was created.

Rebecca Young

Another rumor came from the family of Rebecca Young. They claimed it was she who sewed the first flag. There was flag-making in the family as it was her daughter, Mary Pickersgill, who sewed the Star Spangled Banner Flag. The family believed she was inspired by a 15th century window in Selby Abbey showing stars and stripes in the Washington family coat of arms.

The progression of the American Flag design started with the Union Jack as both have the seven red and six white stripes.

In 1818, Congress passed an Act that specified a new star would be added to the flag as each new state was admitted.

Until the 48-star flag adopted in 1912, there were no standard arrangements for the stars, except in the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy. Stars were in circles, rectangles, star patterns, almost any shape.

The History of Flag Day

Through all this history, there had been no day set aside to focus on the U.S. Flag. Today, Flag Day is unknown to most U.S. citizens, but June 14th is the day set aside to honor our flag.

The commemoration of the Flag originated in Wisconsin in 1885 when a schoolteacher, BJ Cigrand, had his students celebrate the day as the anniversary of the official adoption of the U.S. Flag which occurred 108 years previously. The first years, the day was known as the ‘Flag Birthday’ but later known as ‘Flag Day.’ It was observed through special commemorations at schools, articles in magazines, newspapers, and even public speeches. There were assemblies with patriotic songs, the gifting of small flags for children, and the request that all citizens in Wisconsin display the flag on that day.

In 1894, the mayor of New York proclaimed all public buildings should fly the flag on June 14th. That same year 300,000 children gathered at parks in Chicago to celebrate the day.

The first national celebration was established on May 30th, 1916 when President Woodrow Wilson officially proclaimed June 14th as Flag Day. Though it was celebrated in many communities across the nation in the following years, it was on August 3rd, 1949, when President Truman signed the Congressional Act designating June 14th of each year as National Flag Day.

National Flag Day in 2018

Though the day shows up on most calendars and there are some who make it a practice to fly our flag at home and businesses, most people think little of the day and its history as they look forward to the Fourth of July. Today the flag is sometimes a controversial icon. Many have fought and died for this piece of cloth and the freedoms it represents, including the freedom to revere and respect it as well as the freedom to express differing opinions and even abuse it. Yet, the flag represents now – as well as in the past – a country founded on freedoms expressed in the First Amendment right to freedom of speech.

While there will be few, if any, events honoring our flag tomorrow, it provides the chance to reflect for a moment on this country and those who have defended the flag representing our rights.

Long may she wave.

The Cinco de Mayo Few Know

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While millions celebrate Cinco de Mayo, to many an obscure Mexican holiday, its significance to us in the U.S. is rarely known.

What does Cinco de Mayo commemorate?

On May 5, 1862, the Mexican army under the leadership of Gen. Ignacio Zaragoza, defeated the French army at the Battle of Puebla in Mexico. Mexico already won its independence from Spain 50 years prior to the battle, but this battle was a victory against the imperialism of Napoleon’s France and unified the various Mexican regions under one Mexican identity. It inspired enormous pride that the small Mexican army defeated the French army, considered the best army in the world according to Professor Margarita Sanchez of Wagner College.

To the French, they fought because Mexico defaulted on its foreign debt to France and other European countries. But, for Mexican Latinos living in the U.S. and California, the battle against the French was closely tied to the U.S. Civil War. Many Latinos joined the Union army or navy, or returned to fight the French in Mexico. David Hayes-Bautista, Professor of Medicine and Director of the Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture at the University of California Los Angeles, remarked that Mexican history and American history are tied together through these two wars. “It gives you a sense that our countries have had a shared history going back hundreds of years. It is something that extends to cultural and national ties as well as family ties.” Hayes-Bautista pointed out that Mexicans in the U.S. viewed the Civil War and the French invasion of Mexico as one war fought on two fronts. If the Battle of Puebla had been won by the French forces, it is quite possible the Civil War might have gone differently as the French backed the Confederacy.

Cinco de Mayo celebrations

Unfortunately, this history, and its relevance to U.S. citizens and even Mexican citizens, is lost to most. Jose Alamillo, professor of Chicano studies at California State University Channel Islands, was born in Zacatecas, Mexico before moving to the U.S. at the age of eight, but didn’t learn about this event until he was in a U.S. elementary school. “I thought, ‘Why would I hear about it in a classroom in the U.S., but my parents and uncles never heard about it in their schooling in Mexico?’”

Corporations began marketing the holiday in the 1980s to sell tequila and beer and to entice Hispanic customers to celebrate with their beverages and dine in Mexican restaurants. Cinco de Mayo is regularly and widely celebrated in the U.S., but not to any great extent in Mexico – except in Puebla, scene of the battle.

Alamillo summarizes his thoughts, “It’s not a Mexican holiday, not an American holiday, but an American-Mexican holiday.” Sanchez who wishes it provided more of an opportunity to learn Mexican history says, “But a day of celebration is a day of celebration – and that is good for everyone.”

It’s May Day!

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For some, May Day brings thoughts of children dancing around a May pole with streaming ribbons or baskets of flowers left secretly on a neighbor’s doorstep, but how did May Day actually start?

May Day history

Some may think it began with the huge demonstrations of military might seen in films of the old Soviet Union. In reality, for thousands of years many societies celebrated the welcome change of season on this day. The first known occurrence began with Beltane, a Celtic celebration of rebirth and fertility. When the Romans overtook the British Isles, their celebration of Floralia combined with Beltrane.

Maypoles probably originated in medieval times as villagers would dance around the pole – again as part of a fertility ritual. But in America, this was discouraged by the Puritans and never became a common occurrence.

May Basket Day, however, was celebrated by children delivering baskets of flowers and candies to neighbors and loved ones throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. These baskets were hung on the doors anonymously.

How did the current May Day begin?

In the early 1800s, workplaces were dangerous and the work was often long and hard, with many injuries and death – some jobs having a life expectancy in the early twenties. This led to the organization of labor unions. By 1884, the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions determined “eight hours shall constitute a legal day’s labor from and after May 1, 1886” at their national convention.

Many labor unions backed this, and some began jousting for other reforms. The political climate worried citizens that a revolution would follow. One proclamation, printed just prior to May 1, 1886, clearly demonstrated this thinking.

• Workingmen to Arms!
• War to the Palace, Peace to the Cottage, and Death to LUXURIOUS IDLENESS.
• The wage system is the only cause of the World’s misery. It is supported by the rich classes, and to destroy it, they must be either made to work or DIE.
• One pound of DYNAMITE is better than a bushel of BALLOTS!
• MAKE YOUR DEMAND FOR EIGHT HOURS with weapons in your hands to meet the capitalistic bloodhounds, police, and militia in proper manner.

Chicago was the center for all this activity and its citizens thought a violent clash would occur. The first May Day ‘celebration’ was held in that city on May 1, 1886. More than 300,000 workers representing 13,000 businesses walked off their jobs across the country. But, the violence didn’t happen until May 3rd, between the police and the Metal Workers’ Union and their supporters at Haymarket Square.

The crowd was much smaller than a day earlier due to bad weather, but 3,000 people, including families, were present along with the mayor of Chicago. The mayor later said the crowd was orderly, but rumors of unrest began filtering through the crowd and the police presence. There were rocks thrown and brawling, which led up to a bomb thrown into the police ranks. The police began firing into the crowd and eight officers died. The bomb thrower was never identified or caught.

The results of that day in Haymarket Square

May Day was established as an international Workers’ Day and is an official holiday in 66 countries, but is not officially recognized in the US where it all began.

Through those years of strife well over a hundred years ago, we benefit from their struggles and sacrifices with eight hour work days, Saturday as well as Sunday as a weekend, the end of child labor, and many more improvements including overtime and wage laws.

The Haymarket monument has these words from those who lived that era:
“The day will come when our silence will be more powerful than the voices you are throttling today.”

Today, most of this history been lost except in the memories of a few. Instead, May Day is a time of enjoying the weather, attending outdoor festivals, and planting gardens, but while enjoying these activities, take a moment to remember that without these “rabble rousers” of the past our lives might be much different.