Labor Day was observed just a few days ago on September 7. It typically falls on the first Monday of September and is regarded as a federal holiday in the United States of America. It marks the end of summer and the beginning of fall, although Covid-19 has blurred the lines between season, work, vacations and staycations.

Covid outbreaks have been especially intense during this time on college campuses. There were pictures and videos on social media of large gatherings, with students holding masks in their hands but dancing close together with no social distancing. New York University, Ohio State, Purdue and West Virginia University have all suspended students over violations of rules put in place to curb the virus’s spread on campus.

According to data released by the Transportation Security Administration, the number of people screened at airports reached 9,68,673 on September 4, the highest since March 16. During the Friday-through-Monday Labor Day holiday weekend, close to 3.3 million passengers passed through TSA checkpoints. Boston celebrated with a socially distanced outdoor gathering by the Greater Boston Labor Council where the mayor remarked on the importance of essential workers especially during this pandemic.

Americans typically celebrate Labor Day with cookouts, barbecues and a trip to the beach. This year the holiday has more meaning given the frontline workers who are truly keeping the country and economy afloat during the pandemic.

Strong stand

The National Basketball Association launched its season this year at a time when all major sports events have taken a hit. For the first time in history, an entire team — the Milwaukee Bucks — walked out on their scheduled game in August. They were set to appear for their playoff game just 40 miles away from the site of the shooting of Jacob Blake; the latter was shot by the Kenosha police when his back was turned to them. The shooting sparked protests all over the country, and games since then were postponed after other walkouts followed.

As part of the agreement between players and the association to restart the games, it was agreed that every team that controls its home arena will work with local election officials in hopes of turning those buildings into polling places for the November 3 election, according to a joint statement from the NBA commissioner and the NBA players’ association. The NBA pact with the players’ union also called for the league to team up with its broadcast partners to include more advertising spots that highlight social justice initiatives and voter turnout efforts. “These commitments follow months of close collaboration around designing a safe and healthy environment to restart the NBA season, providing a platform to promote social justice, as well as creating an NBA Foundation focused on economic empowerment in the black community,” the joint league-union said in a public statement.

Before the Kenosha shooting, the league has painted ‘Black Lives Matter’ on the game courts, and is allowing players to wear social justice messages on their jerseys.

Remember them

Yesterday marked the 19th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks of 2001. The non-profit organization, Wreaths Across America, encouraged Americans to put up a flag at their house and wave it at four significant times of the day to honour the victims. The first flag wave was at 8.46 am, the same time that American Airlines Flight 11 was hijacked and flown into the World Trade Center’s North Tower in New York City, and lasted for a minute. Then, at 9.03 am, participants waved their flags for another minute, this time to remember the time the hijackers flew United Airlines Flight 175 into the South Tower. A third flag wave happened at 9.37 am to mark the time American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon, and the fourth and final was at 10.03 am, the time United Airlines Flight 93 crashed into a field in Stonycreek Township, Pennsylvania.

The September 11 attacks killed 2,977 people across three different sites. In Lower Manhattan, 2,753 people died and 184 people were killed at the Pentagon. An additional 40 people were killed when Flight 93 crashed, according to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum.

Game on

The presidential election is weeks away and everyone from local shops to celebrities is doing their part to make sure people vote. A small shop called The Monogram in East Hampton has been selling plastic cups and napkins with ‘Trump 2020’ or ‘Biden 2020’ written on them. The shop is not trying to push either candidate, but simply keeps track of which candidate’s merchandise sells the most. As of last month, its Instagram displayed the Biden cups outselling the Trump ones.

On National Poll Worker Recruitment Day, the actress, Kerry Washington, posted a picture of herself on a dancing pole to encourage people to vote. It was a cheeky nod to the idea of ‘working the pole’ to encourage people to assist with voting in the election when the country is facing a record shortage of poll workers due to Covid-19. Joe Biden’s team has gone a step ahead and created a virtual campaign that posted Biden signs for the popular Nintendo switch game, Animal Crossing. One sign bears the Biden-Kamala Harris logo; others say ‘Team Joe’ and ‘Joe’ with the ‘E’ rendered in pride colours. The fourth is an image of Biden’s signature aviator sunglasses. This is not the first time the game is being used to send a message. Both PETA and Black Lives Matter have used the game to raise awareness.

Footnote

Fall is officially here. Americans and visitors alike look forward to the changing colour of foliage and falling leaves. I Love NY, New York State’s official tourism website, is looking for volunteer “leaf peepers”. The job involves giving foliage reports each week with observations and estimations of foliage conditions for the upcoming weekend. This includes noting the location, the percentage of leaves the volunteer expects will change by the coming weekend and the colours visitors might see.