No holiday here today. Except that the kids are home from school. And Richard is busy at work.. in an otherwise empty office.

From wiki:

Opposition to the holiday cites the fact that Columbus and many of the conquistador followers treated the American Indians with great cruelty. Columbus directly brought about the demise of many Taino (Arawak) Indians on the island of Hispaniola, and the arrival of the Europeans indirectly slew many indigenous peoples by bringing diseases previously unknown in the New World. An estimated 85% of the Native American population was wiped out within 150 years of Columbus's arrival in America, due largely to diseases such as smallpox, which were accidentally spread among Native American populations. Additionally, war and the seizing of land and material wealth by European colonists also contributed to the decline of the indigenous populations in American.

Well, "treated with great cruetly" is quite an understatement. But it is nice to know that some states get it right..

Columbus Day is not celebrated in the state of Minnesota. However, some city offices in Minneapolis were closed in 2006, as well as libraries across the Twin Cities. In the state of South Dakota, the day is officially a state holiday known as "Native American Day", not Columbus Day. Columbus Day is not a legal holiday in Nevada, but it is a day of observance. Schools and state, city and county government offices are open for business on Columbus Day.

In other news. Bob Dylan and Elvis Costello are in town tonight and I'm not going

Its a good thing I kept forgetting to pick up my ticket. Richard has to teach tonight, and I'm without childcare. To console me, Richard broke out in his version of "Veronica", sung in Bob Dylanese. I'm sure you can image in it.

Around a year ago on this day..

• Political Posts Make A Comeback - 2008