May 2008

Welcome to the Memorial Day 2008 Edition of the Carnival of Family Life.

Memorial Day is specifically reserved to honor those who have died in service to the United States. While the holiday’s origins are unclear and subject to debate, what is known is that it was originally called “Decoration Day” because it was a time when the graves of Civil War soldiers were decorated. It began in a number of different towns, but in 1966 Lyndon Johnson declared Waterloo, New York the site of its genesis. Long before it became a national holiday, Waterloo had treated it as such, closing down its businesses and holding city-wide observances.

The first official commemoration, on May 30, 1868, was marked by the placement of flowers on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. Following World War I, observances expanded to honor those who died in all American battles.

It was not until 1971 that Congress declared Memorial Day a federal holiday celebrated annually on the last Monday in May. In contrast, Veterans Day, November 11, is for the purpose of honoring veterans, living or dead.

One of the best ways to educate children about the sacrifice so many have made for their country is to take them to Memorial Day commemorative ceremonies in your community. Encouraging them to help decorate the graves of family members who served in the Armed Forces is an excellent way to teach them to respect and honor all veterans.

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My pal Kailani at An Island Life hosts this great meme, Aloha Friday, based upon a very popular term used in Hawaii when island residents take it easy and look forward to the upcoming weekend - kind of like T.G.I.F. The meme involves no long posts, no deep soul searching revelations . . . just a little fun.

Each Friday, Kailani posts a simple question or topic of conversation. Visitors leave a comment on Kailani’s site and then post a question or short discussion topic on their own site. Participants visit each other’s sites and respond with a comment! Even if you do not post a question or topic on your site, you can still play by simply leaving a comment!

Here’s my question for this edition:

Has the price of gas impacted you/your family? If so, how? If not, what’s your secret?

My answer:

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Reminder: This coming Monday, May 26, 2008, a very special Memorial Day Edition of the Carnival of Family Life will be here at Colloquium! Participants are encouraged (but not required) to submit posts with Memorial Day or patriotic themes! Click here to submit your entry!

Federal and state laws prohibit discrimination, harassment or retaliation in the housing market, workplace, and when a business establishment provides goods or services. But do those statutory schemes apply or have any force in cyberspace?

Here in Northern California, one online group inadvertently discovered that the courts have not yet answered that question. The circumstances that brought the issue to the forefront also caused an online forum designed for and utilized by mothers to implode.

An online forum owned, operated by, and designed for mothers had, for two years, been the site of discussions about parenting, play dates, intimate thoughts about husbands, breast feeding, post partum depression, and sex among its 361 members. Until, that is, five words were posted on that venue: “Hi all, I’m a dad.”

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