“Apple has dedicated its entire [U.S.] homepage today to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day,” Chris Hauk reports for MacTrast. “”
“An image of the fallen civil rights leader is accompanied by this quote from Dr. King: ‘Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?”” Hauk reports. “To commemorate the holiday last year, Apple encouraged its employees to volunteer, and offered to donate $50 to charity for each hour of employee volunteer work completed.”
Hauk reports, “The third Monday in January was designated as Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983 to honor Dr. King’s birthday, which is January 15th. Dr. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968.”
Remembering #MLK and his timeless words. We should never forget. pic.twitter.com/b8kXa4ZFZ1
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) January 18, 2016
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Note: Obviously, today is Martin Luther King Day in the U.S. and the markets are closed. As usual on such trading holidays, we will have limited posting today.
MDN is not a financial site and should not govern their behaviour based on the stock markets. This is a Mac Daily News site. I still don’t understand what ‘trading holidays’ have to do with MDN having limited posting. I can definitely understand and support MDN taking the day off to honour Dr King.
However, MLK is not a holiday for Apple employees. Odd that Tim cannot see taking the time to actual honor him.
There are exactly ten official American holidays, but states can’t be compelled to observe them. The ones that are observer by practically all of America are New Year’s Day, President’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labour Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. The remaining three (MLK, Columbus, Veterans) are often not observed by many states, which ends up keeping schools, banks and governments open, but private businesses closed.
Non-Christian religious holidays (Jewish or Muslim), while not federal, are observed in some states.
(writing this from my office, which is indeed open today as usual).
President’s Day??? Who observes that? No place I’ve ever worked that’s for sure.
Some companies give you President’s Day as a holiday, others MLK. It’s kind of an either or situation.
Many states seem to be observing it. Until very recently, place where I work did. Beginning this year, they have removed the President’s day, but have instituted a ‘flexible holiday’ — staff can pick one of several various ethnic and religious holidays and chose it as their official tenth holiday of the year (among which are Orthodox Christmas an Easter, Vesak, Divali, Chinese New Year, Yom Kipur, as well as the President’s Day).
To his dying day, Father was vexed that Pearl Harbour Day was not universally observed. “‘Twas that attack, and America’s response to it, that made America a world power, and a force for good,” he’d often declare. “What use are religious holidays like Christmas? Instead of honouring a man who turned the other cheek and got crucified for it, better to honour the fallen who protect our wives and children from enslavement.”
The US of A should hang its head in shame when it comes to WWII. They sold material and resources to Hitler and wouldn’t back the British until they could see that US businesses could profit from the Allies. The ‘world power’ you talk about is referred to US hegemony by the rest of the world. The US of A is generally thought of as somewhat evil and arrogant by the majority of the peoples of the world an is more akin to Google than Apple (Do no evil versus strive to delight your customers).
I would rather honour the people who put Europe and Japan back together after the war. They were the true protection from reprisal and hate.
About a 30% of US companies observe MLK Day. Tim Cook decided that Apple is not one; and that is disappointing and perhaps even telling.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/01/15/jesse-jackson-silicon-valley-martin-luther-king-birthday-federal-holiday/21806933/
What’s telling is that most companies aren’t going to lose business for a made-up bullshit holiday created to make blacks and liberals feel good. It makes me sick to think of all the taxpayer money going to public employees to screw off, and believe me they sure as shit aren’t doing anything to honor MLK.
Aren’t all holidays made up? I can’t wait to see your post about how easter is made up to make whites and conservatives feel good.
http://www.amren.com/features/2012/01/the-king-holiday-and-its-meaning/
I’m awaiting the day when they make Kwanzaa a national holiday and the public employees can have an entire week off with pay. Crap like this is how Democrats get elected; take from those who do and give to those who don’t.
Apparently, Tim Cook is agrees more with you then those who would want it to be a holiday.
Apple got soul.
Meanwhile, the microsoft.com website honors the holiday with this headline:
“Got a new device this holiday? It’s time to get Office.”