Change? Ready or not, here it comes. January felt like a sudden stumble off the 10-meter diving platform. At last, the belly-flop abrasions are fading; it’s time to get with 2019.  What changes began when the ball dropped New Year’s Day?

 

Domain Name Change

Subscribers to Golden Nuggets and Silver Musings see a big change: domain name. It’s taken three years to finally accept the professional writers’ counsel and make the switch. From now on, I will post my silver musings under my name.

I sensed a growing desire to record some of the interesting and important historical events and changing views happening in our world, so by definition, that makes me a twenty-first century scribe.  The plan is to present a nugget of news readers may not have heard, or a new twist on a popular thread. If something raises a question for me, I’ll share my findings with readers.

Just as the twenty-first century journalists mix their personal views and beliefs into current news reports, some posts will do likewise. It is my sincere hope that readers will feel encouraged, and perhaps, stimulated to check further for more details.

A week into 2019, I searched for what changes began when the ball dropped New Year’s Day. Among the many news sites, I discovered several unique changes in legal statutes. There’s even a peculiar geographic renunciation decorating the office wall of one newly-elected member of Congress.

Legal Changes

Here are a few notable and interesting changes launched in several American states.

 

Illinois

Among the 250 changes in Illinois laws are two safety regulations—one colorful and one challenging for parents of active preschoolers.

Hunter Safety Vests:

 

Deer hunters can now don a bright pink hunting vest, instead of the traditional Hunter Orange.

Our teenage African boys love bright pink attire, but it’s not normally the first choice for America’s typical macho man. Perhaps it’s time for a change?

 

Rear-facing Car Seats:

As of January 1, all children under the age of two years, weighing less than forty pounds, or shorter than forty inches must ride in a rear-facing car seat.

Parents will find this a challenge if age is not the prime factor in the new law keeping a child in rear-facing car seats. The average four-year-old weighs forty pounds and is forty inches tall.

Just picture attempting to secure an almost-forty-inch, nearly-forty-pound, four-year-old into a rear-facing car seat. On the other hand, if the twenty-three-month-old is as big as the average four-year-old, will it be less of a challenge to secure the toddler in the rear-facing seat?

 

Ohio

Cursive Writing:

The conflict over dropping cursive from standard education has been settled on the legislative floor. As of January 1, students must be able

to read and write print words by the end of third grade and read and legibly write cursive words by the end of fifth grade.

Back in the mid-twentieth century, the second-graders in my class eagerly waited for that day when we finally learned cursive. We wanted to write like the big kids. We spent many hours carefully forming letters and words between the dark lines on our tablet. (But, then, that was back when a tablet was a stack of low-grade paper glued together at the upper edge and topped by a red “Big Chief” cover-page. No charger needed.)

 

California

Plastic Straws:

The ban on plastic straws is official. As of January 1, a sit-down restaurant may be fined if the server gives a plastic straw to a customer—unless he, specifically, asks for a straw. The exception isn’t widely publicized, but it’s good for the diners to know. When the server plunks down a large glass of iced tea–chips /cubes to the brim and sugary liquid escaping as the drink meets the table–one really needs a straw.

There are two other exceptions to the ban: …

• Any beverage ordered “to go” will be given a straw, automatically, and
• Fast-food eateries aren’t affected by the ban.

As a young child, I recall the cafes brought that rare glass of orange pop with an inflexible, cardboard straw. We heralded the switch to plastic because it never caved when our play with the cubes lasted well past the beverage.

Maybe it’s time to consider returning to paper straws? Just sayin’…

 

Healthy beverage default:

As of January 1, all child meals in restaurants that come with a drink, must have a “healthy” beverage as the default option

Healthy choice options include the following:

• Milk,
• Water,
• Sparkling water, and
• Flavored water with no added natural or artificial sweeteners.

California consumers should be aware of this new law when ordering the meal. One assumes the customer will be able to override the default, but probably not after your child has the first swallow and he’s gone postal, right?

 

New Pets:

 

If you’re looking for a new cat, dog, or rabbit, it may be cheaper for you to start with the animal refuge nearest you. As of January 1, California pet stores will not be allowed to sell cats, dogs, or rabbits that have been bred by the store. All such future pets must come to the pet store by way of the animal shelters.

 

New York

While parents selecting the gender on their baby’s birth certificate isn’t new in 2019, what about the people stuck with certificates filled out by parents at the time of their birth?

Old Birth Certificates:

As of January 1, adults already possessing a birth certificate are allowed to change the gender line of their birth certificate. Their options include male, female, and X.

There’s one caution for those wanting to travel outside of the United States: Many countries of the world have yet to catch up with gender fluidity acceptance and will not admit someone with a passport marked X.

In fact, an international travel agency trainer I spoke with last week said there are countries who will imprison anyone who arrives at their airport holding a passport marked anything other than female or male.

 

There are many, many interesting changes in State laws all over the country. These are just a few that caught my eye. Tired of watching reruns while waiting for your favorites’ new season to start? Consider a Google search to find more interesting changes in American State laws.

 

US Congressional Changes

Mid-term election winners have been sworn into the House of Representatives, giving forty desks new employees of the people. Several unique changes came with the Representatives. Here are two that may trigger a search for more.

 

Dress Code:

For 181 years, Congress held a ban on headwear. Jewish men couldn’t wear their kippah or yarmulke (skull cap) while in the Chamber. The law changed to allow the newly-elected Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota) to wear the Muslim hijab.

It’s not a stretch to understand that the framers of American law had respect for the Chamber in mind when initiating the original ban. These men removed their hats when entering homes, churches, restaurants, and other official buildings as a matter of courtesy. Since America was founded on freedom to practice religion, it’s puzzling that Jewish men weren’t allowed to wear the symbol of their faith for 181 years. Lifting the ban for the Muslim lady has also allowed the Jewish men to keep their kippah in place.

 

Office Map:

While one expects the new occupier of a government office to decorate in a manner that puts the individual stamp on the workspace, reordering Middle-East geography speaks to more than individual decorating taste, doesn’t it?

Nevertheless, Rashida Tlaib, (D-Michigan) the second newly-elected Muslim woman who will serve in the 116^th Congress, used a post-It note marked Palestine to remove the presence of the country labeled Israel on the map in her office. It’s uncertain if this temporary change will be made permanent, but Rand McNally makes Israel-free maps for the education system in Gaza so it’s possible to acquire such a map.

In 1995, the Senate voted 93 – 2 to accept Israel as a nation with Jerusalem as her capital. The House of Representatives voted 374 – 37 to join their Senate colleagues. When another vote came in 2017, both the Senate and House of Representatives agreed with the 1995 vote—overwhelmingly in the House and unanimously in the Senate.

Tlaib wore a traditional thobe stitched by her Palestinian-born mother for the swearing in ceremony. The map alteration reflects her ancestral bias. This action prompts two questions: Is the elected member of the House of Representatives expected to represent the will of her constituency, regardless of personal belief? Does the House of Representatives have any rules against relabeling maps to reflect desire over fact? Time will tell.

 

Conclusion

If the start of 2019 set the pace for the new year, hold on. Ready or not, the cameras are rolling.

Let’s make this a year we the people stay informed and get involved in the happenings of our world. Follow the work of the 116^th Congress. Consider writing to elected officials—even the White House. Our opinions matter.

Feel free to share other interesting changes in the comment section.