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Cake day: August 10th, 2023

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  • Here just this morning we were talking about this at work, chat gpt answered it:

    The distinction between International Workers’ Day on May 1 and Labor Day in the United States, which is celebrated on the first Monday in September, arises from historical and political reasons. While International Workers’ Day was established to commemorate the Haymarket affair and to symbolize the struggles and solidarity of the labor movement worldwide, the U.S. government chose to avoid celebrating Labor Day on May 1, partly to dissociate it from any socialist and anarchist movements that had adopted May Day as their day of celebration.

    Instead, the United States adopted Labor Day as a federal holiday in 1894 following a proposal by the labor movement to honor the American worker. The choice of September was influenced by the successful first celebration of Labor Day on September 5, 1882, in New York City, organized by the Central Labor Union. This date was selected partly because it was midway between Independence Day and Thanksgiving, providing a holiday in the long gap between the two. The decision effectively provided a distinctly American identity to the holiday, focusing on celebrating the economic and social achievements of workers, separate from the more politically charged connotations of May Day.






  • Certainly, here are some notable instances involving French colonial forces:

    1. Algerian War of Independence (1954–1962): This was a significant and violent decolonization conflict where Algerian nationalists sought independence from French colonial rule. The French military’s efforts to suppress the independence movement resulted in large numbers of casualties, including civilians. Tactics such as the use of torture, mass executions, and the creation of internment camps were reported. The exact number of Algerian casualties is disputed, but estimates suggest that the death toll could be in the range of hundreds of thousands.

    2. The Madagascar Uprising (1947): In Madagascar, a nationalist uprising against French colonial rule was met with severe repression. French forces were accused of committing numerous atrocities in their effort to suppress the rebellion, including summary executions, village burnings, and torture. Estimates of the Malagasy deaths vary widely, with some suggesting that the number could be as high as 100,000.

    3. Indochina War (1946–1954): This conflict in French Indochina, which includes modern-day Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, was fought between French colonial forces and the Viet Minh, led by Ho Chi Minh, who sought independence. The war was marked by guerrilla warfare and significant civilian casualties, with both sides accused of atrocities. The use of forced labor, internment camps, and the bombing of civilian areas contributed to a high death toll.

    These examples reflect the complex and often brutal nature of colonial rule and the struggle for independence. They involve a wide range of actions and policies implemented by French military and colonial authorities, which led to significant loss of life and suffering among the colonized populations.