i wish this was a joke: "another Padme moment"

"The Congress, by Public Law 85-529, as amended, has designated May 1 of each year as Loyalty Day. This Loyalty Day, and throughout the year, I ask all Americans to join me in reaffirming our allegiance to our Nation." - GEORGE W. BUSH, April 30, 2007. link

In the rest of the world, it's called "labor International Worker's Day" [or some translation thereof], or Beltane, both of which honor people, not some abstract (and oddly capitalized) "Nation".

the second half of the title refers to this observation from drshorn. Story discovered via BoingBoing, though their page on it seems to have been taken down.

more useful than shoelaces?

Rob Brezsny's horoscope for me this week:

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Math-whiz Ian Fieggen has determined that there are 1.96 trillion ways to lace up your shoes. On his website, Ian's Shoelace Site, you can get instructions for 47 of those methods, as well as 17 different approaches for tying your shoes. You currently have a capacity for mastering detail that rivals Fieggen's, Pisces. I just hope you use it to accomplish more useful and ennobling projects than his. Be a stickler with a higher purpose.

I don't know if anything I'm doing is more useful than shoelaces.

but it's nice to know Rob B. has my back.