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Digest

Labor Day

By TIMES WIRES
Published September 2, 2006

LABOR DAY

The genesis of a three-day weekend

Other than barbecue, what the heck is it we'll be celebrating on Monday? Labor Day is believed to have started with a union parade of 10,000 workers in New York in 1882. Union leader Peter McGuire wanted a day to honor those "who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold." By the next year, more than half the states had their own Labor Day, and in 1894, President Grover Cleveland signed a bill making it a federal holiday to celebrate the nation's labor force, which is now 151-million strong. Washington, Columbus and MLK all have their days. Labor Day celebrates you.

COW TALK

She moos like a Somerset holstein

Y'all are familiar with the concept of the regional accent. Turns out the same thing happens in animals, don'tya know. A group of dairy farmers in southwest England say that when their cows are talking, they have more of a "moo-arr" than that plain, homogeneous "moo." "I spend a lot of time with my Friesians, and they definitely moo with a Somerset drawl," insists farmer Lloyd Green of Glastonbury. Linguists back up the concept, saying that it's not at all unusual for groups of birds to have unique dialects from area to area and that it could happen in other species. It should be noted that these farmers play classical music for the cows to relax them while milking and have coats for them to wear in the winter. Just to paint the total picture.

Root recovery

It kind of looks like a weed, but wild ginseng is a big deal in West Virginia. The season on the herb opened Friday, and runs through Nov. 30. Much of the harvest, which amounted to 4,800 pounds worth more than $2-million last year, finds its way to China, where it is used as a digestive aid and aphrodisiac. You don't need a permit, but you have to know what you're doing. Look for moist, shady spots, often on northeast-facing slopes. The southern coal fields are a good spot. Plant the berries of any plants you pick. And register your harvest. Otherwise, you can't sell it.

UPDATES

Cable cars reopen

The cable car system that stalled and stranded 69 people above New York's East River for 11 hours in April, leading to a rescue mission that looked like a scene from Spider-Man, reopened Friday with upgrades including new motors, emergency provisions and even toilets.

VERMONT JUDGE

Vermont District Judge Edward Cashman, who sparked national outrage and a change in state policy by sentencing a sex offender to two months in jail earlier this year, will retire at the end of his term in April. Cashman said he imposed the short sentence because Mark Hulett, who had been convicted of repeated assaults on a young girl, would not get treatment while in prison. The state changed its policy to include treatment, and Cashman increased the sentence to 3-10 years.

WEEK AHEAD

Wednesday: Deadline for tribunal to certify contested Mexican presidential election.

Wednesday: Scheduled launch date for space shuttle Atlantis.

[Last modified September 2, 2006, 01:11:19]