Some of our international readers may not know that Labor 
Day, this Monday, is the counterpart of Memorial Day - the official book-ends of summertime, but with both holidays having solemn and important meaning.
Labor Day, of course, was designed to celebrate the trade union movement, which succeeded in raising the American blue-collar worker to the middle class. A very worthy accomplishment, but perhaps not a reason for a national holiday. So we ignore its meaning and make a long weekend out of it, which many seem to be beginning today.
Image: a 1920s worker's lunch bucket, made by Thermos, no doubt designed to contain a loving wife's preparing of a thermos of coffee, a sandwich, an apple, and a hunk of cheese or something, and maybe a piece of chocolate for her hard-working man.
Fresh truffles, out of season, from Australia. A good thing.
US incomes rising. That's another good thing.
Class and politics. Fabrizio wonders whether the poor are tired of being politically exploited, when they could work - and shop - at WalMart. Am Spectator
Chavez taking golf courses for housing projects. So much for private property. Rule #1 of the Left: Make the "little people" dependent on you, no matter what.
A propos of Labor Day, Maxed Out Mama takes on Marxism - and wins!
Are manatees dumb? Maybe so. NYT Science News
Legal bill-padding. What's OK, and what isn't. the Prof
Stephen Schneider - MIT's inconvenient scientist.
More on the ethanol scam. Synthstuff. Many would be happier if they just called it corn alcohol and gave it away free.
