May Day

We´re settling back into life in Cochabamba, and last night we went bowling with our house mates and friends in Cochabamba. Apparently, I have a distinctive form in bowling, and pretty soon everyone in all three of our lanes was trying to do the "Kimi Hop"! (It´s a fun, if not effective, style of bowling!) We went dancing later and had a late night, but fortunately nobody had to work the next morning because today is the International Day of the Worker.

May 1 celebrates the struggles of workers and the labor movement and stems from the workers´ struggle for an eight-hour day culminating in the arrest and sentence to hanging of eight anarchist labor organizers in connection with Chicago´s 1886 Haymarket Bombing. Seven years later, Illinois´ governor pardoned the labor organizers, noting that they were innocent and that they and their colleagues who had already been hanged were the victims of hysteria, packed juries and a biased judge.

May Day is observed in Bolivia (the Haymarket Workers´ Proclamation and a history of the Haymarket Martyrs was published in Cochabamba´s paper yesterday) as well as in most of the world, but not in the U.S. where it originated. In an attempt to obliterate the history and significance of May Day and the struggle of workers, the U.S. government declared May 1 to be "Law Day" and established Labor Day in September which falls on a day of no historical significance.

Those interested can read more about the history of May 1 here:
http://communicatinglabourrights.wordpress.com/2008/04/30/history-of-may-1st-international-workers-day/

On a lighter note, we are moving toward winter in Cochabamba which means that temperatures are in the 80s during the day and the 50s at night, perfect weather if you ask me. And since the rainy season is over, there is not a cloud in the sky! Today we hung a hammock in our back yard. Yay for winter!