Stuff YOU Should Know
Workingman’s Holiday
For many of us, the upcoming Labor Day means “last blast of summer” before returning to school (or a gentle reminder of summer if you’ve already started back). But how many of you know the origins of this holiday? There are conflicting reports over its earliest incarnations, but most agree on the year. In 1882, both Matthew Maguire of the Central Labor Union (CLU) and Peter McGuire proposed a day to recognize workers. In the same year, 10,000 workers took unpaid time off (on September 5th) to gather at City Hall in New York City and march to Union Square.
Twelve years later, Congress passed legislation to officially recognize Labor Day as a national holiday. Outlined in the proposal was the call for a parade, for the purpose of exhibiting the strength and spirit of the trade and labor organizations in various communities across the country. In the earliest days of the Industrial Revolution, working conditions were not always safe or humane. It took great efforts of the labor movement to implement laws against child labor, and offer benefits to workers. While there are still inequalities, working conditions of the modern age are far superior to those of our ancestors.
What Do You Think? Do you have a job? If so, imagine workers doing the same work 10 years ago. How about 20. 50, and even 100 years ago? How has the work changed based on changes in technology, working conditions, and the like.
Russian McDonald’s Closing Over Ukraine Conflict
The presence of American fast food culture can pretty much be felt around the world. For some, it is an inevitable result of a globalized economy. For others, it is a symbol of too much western influence. It seems like the Russian government has had enough. Last month, four McDonalds throughout the country have been temporarily shut down for suspicious reasons (supposed sanitary violations or “technical reasons.”) In response, the burger giant said it was addressing the complaints and hoped to reopen soon. The unofficial rumor going around is that the closures are due to the ongoing conflict with the United States over dealings in the Ukraine.
Since 1990, McDonalds have had a presence throughout Russia, with people standing in line for hours to get the famous fast food on the day it opened. There have been as many as 437 restaurants across the country, employing more than 37,000 people. Political analysts overwhelmingly believe the closures are politically motivated. Economists believe the decision is only hurting the Russian people who, in addition to being workers, provide a large number of ingredients to the chain stores. McDonalds is not the only target, earlier this month, Russia imposed an embargo on various food imports coming in from Western countries.
Dig Deeper Do some research and determine what the Russian government hopes to accomplish with these actions. Do you think they will be successful? Why or why not? Explain you answer.
ALS Ice Bucket Challenge
If you haven’t already dumped ice cold water over your head in the name of charity, you surely have heard of or seen your friends, relatives and even the famous people you admire do so. So the deal is, someone challenges someone else to shoot a video of themselves dumping a bucket of ice cold water over their heads. The dared person has 24 hours to complete the challenge or donate $100 to support ALS. Most participants complete the challenge in addition to making some kind of monetary donation. Through this method, millions of dollars have been raised so far for ALS research. Some of the famous people who have taken the plunge so far include Victoria Beckham, Mark Zuckerberg, George W. Bush, Bill Gates, Justin Beiber, Lady Gaga, and Oprah. Even eighty-six year old Kennedy matriarch Ethel Kennedy gave herself a chilly dousing. President Obama was called out by several people, but an ethics code bans standing government officials from taking part.
ALS stands for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. It is also called Lou Gehrig’s disease, after a Major League baseball player who played for the New York Yankees in the 1920s and 30s and developed the disorder before it was very well known. ALS is considered a neurodegenerative disease, which means it weakens the muscles as well as breakdowns tissues, ultimately leading to total paralysis. Life expectancy after diagnosis is typically less than five years. The cause of ALS is not known but is thought to be hereditary. There is currently no cure or effective treatment. Donations are intended to support research projects about the disease.
What Do You Think? Have you been called out to take the ice bucket challenge? If so, describe your experience. For more information about ALS, visit the organization’s Web site.
Crowdsourcing Our National Archives
Credit: denis_pc/Getty Images
The Smithsonian Institute is a cluster of U.S. government-operated research centers and museums. Many of them are located in Washington, D.C. In addition to its famous items such as the Apollo lunar landing module and dresses worn by the former First Ladies, the Smithsonian also has a vast collection of “cultural artifacts.” These include personal diaries, handwritten data of all kinds, and a cataloging of 45,000 specimens. In order to adapt to this digital age, the Smithsonian has undertaken an enormous project in transferring all of its collection into a digital format. While some materials can be scanned and read by computers other materials (where ink is faded or handwriting difficult) require a human’s help.
Which is where you (could) come in. After a year of thorough testing that involved over 1,000 volunteers transcribing over 13,000 pages of archived documents, the Transcription Center has now been opened to the public. It’s easy to help out. You simply create an account and choose from a variety of available projects. To reduce the likelihood of human error, multiple reviewers will transcribe the same page, which will receive a final verification of a staff expert.