Category: Well all right

No, it wasn’t Jerry Mcguire who founded Labor Day.  Nor was it the McGuire Sisters. It certainly wasn’t Barry McGuire. He was too busy singing the 60s protest song “Eve of Destruction.” A great way to start you day is listening to that song, or maybe Pink Floyd’s “Mother (Do You Think They’ll Drop the Bomb).” That along with your choice of bran flakes and skim milk.

  “While most sources, even the Department of Labor, credit Peter McGuire with the origination of Labor Day, recent evidence suggests that the true father of Labor Day may in fact be another famous union leader of the 19th Century, Matthew Maguire,” according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

“Peter McGuire was a young, though well-respected, union leader. A child of immigrants, he quit school at an early age to go to work. In 1881, he founded the United Brotherhood of Carpenters, which would become the largest trade union of the time. Later, McGuire would join with his friend, Samuel Gompers, to found the American Federation of Labor (AFL). Through the AFL and the Carpenters, McGuire led the great strikes of 1886 and 1890, which would eventually result in the adoption of the eight-hour workday on the nation’s agenda.”

But naturally something is always there in labor to gum things up, said DOL.

“In the 1870s, Matthew Maguire led several strikes, most of which were intended to force the plight of manufacturing workers and their long hours into the public consciousness. By 1882, Maguire had become the secretary of and a leading figure in the Central Labor Union of New York.”

So why has the Mag been overlooked for the Matt? Politics, me boy!

  “According to The First Labor Day Parade, by Ted Watts, Maguire held some political beliefs that were considered fairly radical for the day and also for Samuel Gompers and his American Federation of Labor. Allegedly, Gompers did not want Labor Day to become associated with the sort of “radical” politics of Matthew Maguire, so in a 1897 interview, Gompers’ close friend Peter J. McGuire was assigned the credit for the origination of Labor Day,” the Labor Department history of Labor Day goes on.

Ain’t that the s**ts?”

Oh, well Happy Labor Day.

Three hours.

Three freaking hours I have sat here. I have tried to write something, even something short that’s right for going off into this weekend.

It’s not that I’ve had writer’s block. If that is indeed such a thing. Used to, I could write something for deadline made from essentially nothing and it would be a great, well, good story. When I say from nothing, that isn’t to say I made it up. It is just that I kicked my ass in gear and got to it. I have a hard time doing that sometimes today.

So, I shall just say, be careful, all you fathers out there on the highways or wherever. Be careful grilling. Whatever you are doing. Don’t make any headline news for the wrong reasons this Father’s Day!

Oddly enough, my Dad died 29 years ago tomorrow. He would have been 98 on his birthday next week. I still miss him. He didn’t make any headline news, but his picture was in the local paper one time.

All of you fathers out there, have a happy weekend. That is whether or not you get to see your kids. If your father isn’t around whether for awhile or permanently or your kids, you can still celebrate. I’m all for celebrating.

Cheers!

 

 

 

 

Christmas Eve and today, Christmas, were both days off for me. I will probably have to work more hours than scheduled in the remaining days of this week but it is just as well. I’m sure I can use them.

Whatever meaning Christmas has for you, religious, secular, time off, time with your family, it is a day to wish others the best. So that is what I am doing on this day.

Best wishes. Merry Christmas. Oh and it’s back to work tomorrow.

 

 

Be brief.

Do you know what this is?

A common Facebook meme these days, especially among the Baby Boomers, starts with “Do you know what this is?” or “Ever seen one of these?” These questions precede a photo such as drive-in movie speakers or a Slinky, perhaps. From what I have read, Slinky stills remains a best seller. I can understand why. There is nothing like watching a spring run up and down a set of steps. I don’t know why. It just is what it is.

If it is something that doesn’t piss me off, like a Care Bear for instance, then I enjoy playing along with the meme. Some folks don’t appreciate a joke one might make along the way, which I understand. The truth is, not everyone has the same frame of reference.

So I thought I would put up a few photos. Not everyone will recognize them. The pictures are of a specific occupation, firefighting, which I did from 1978-1983. I think most of the objects found — I’m sure some of those — are still used in battling blazes. Fighting fires hasn’t changed that much during the period of time I have been out of the profession although some tactics and gizmos have become much better. I wish some of the gadgets they have today were around when I worked in the profession. Here are a few of the devices we used way back when. And perhaps now.

Top of the morning to you! Do you happen to have a Halligan tool handy? We always had certain job-specific tools around, many were made from sheer need. Before I introduce the Halligan, to the right, I will briefly explain the pike pole upstairs and to the left.

From what I’ve found so far, pike poles at least date back to the days of the Cossacks fishing for sturgeon in the Ural River of Russia or Kazakhstan. The Cossacks used the spike of the pole to break ice and pull out sturgeons which were hibernating. It is not exactly the best way to be awakened from sleep but then again, neither is having some galoot whose call happens to be a wrong number. As for as why it was called a “pike” pole and not a “sturgeon” pole, you’ve got me.

For firefighting, pike poles run up to about 12 feet long and are stored on some kind of clip lengthwise on a fire truck in many cases. The pole is good for pulling sheetrock, walls and ceilings apart to find fire. Much can be said as well for the Halligan.

The Halligan, or known as well as a “hooligan” tool, was reportedly named after a New York fire lieutenant in the 1940s.The tool has a pick and claw which can be useful in forcible entry and other purposes, such as helping pry doors apart until the Jaws of Life come. Or if a particularly unruly cop is on the scene who interferes in your services to the public as a fireman, the Halligan becomes a hooligan and once the cop has turned to look away one might give him a pop alongside the head. Just joking. None of that would happen.

 

An odd-looking bugger indeed. But if you want more water than is in one’s pumper tank or tanker, then it is the perfect way to turn the top of a hydrant to the “gimme” position. Yes, dear friends, it is a hydrant wrench or key. Notice the long shaft of the tool. It caused me some great difficulties while I caught the “plug” one day as a gasoline truck tank blazed along, threatening an entire gas facility. My path was impaired by a fence and it took me twice as long as it should have to open the hydrant. That made me popular, of course, as the firefighters down the supply line awaited the gushing water from me.

 

Below you will see the SCBA. Notice the “U” is missing. What happened to the “U?” Who stole it? Where’d it go?

Well, there is SCUBA and SCBA. One is meant for breathing underwater and the other for breathing during fires or other hazardous respiratory conditions. The equipment is called a Self-contained breathing apparatus for firefighting and Self-contained underwater breathing apparatus for SCUBA diving.

There are differences between the two types of breathing equipment. If you want to know about the difference you can start here.

Hopefully you have learned something here. If not, sorry. There are millions of other places on the Internet where one might learn many, many things.