There were demonstrations held throughout the world on May Day, a day when labor unions traditionally take to the streets to talk about work conditions. According to reports, more than 100,000 people in Spain marched because they were upset about budget talks and higher taxes. In Indonesia, tens of thousands marched calling for higher wages. In the Philippines, 8,000 workers marched for regular jobs instead of contractual work. In Taiwan, more than 10,000 protested a government plan to cut pensions.
In the U.S., it was groups fighting for comprehensive immigration reform who held rallies, though none were of the size of those back in 2006 and 2007, the last time the issue went before Congress. In Tampa last night, about three dozen people met in the driving rain in Ybor City's Centennial Park to advocate for such legislation.
It's no revelation that Americans are crazy about pets, so it was no surprise that the chambers at the Hillsborough County Center in downtown Tampa were packed yesterday due to the issue of what should be done on a government level about the excessive amount of feral cats that roam the region. The man in charge of Animal Services, Ian Hallett, testified that there are somewhere between 200,000-400,000 in the county. I can relate to the issue as I have fed and fixed four feral cats throughout the past six years, since I moved to Ybor City. It was five, but the cat I called Suzy seems to have gone away, which is sad. An interim proposal to deal with such cats was debated yesterday at the County Commission.
There seems to be more concentrated movement on liberalizing American laws regarding Cuba. Earlier this week, Tampa Democrat Kathy Castor joined 58 of her colleagues in writing to President Obama, calling him to further reduce restrictions on Americans traveling to the communist island.
