THE BIG I: It's the stuff you once saw on "Back to the Future" but the future is NOW if Nike has their way! Our Big I today takes a look at self-lacing shoes. Yes–you read this right, shoes that lace themselves! They aren't quite ready for wear yet but the patent is in the works. You can check out more here and here!

CHALK TALK: On this show, we are committed to bringing you solutions to big problems...especially those in schools. Orpheus Crutchfield is joining us today. He is the President of Strategenius, an organization devoted to improving the conditions for black education in America. He focuses specifically on teachers and role models. You can read all about his organization here.

TIME NOW FOR THE XYZ OF IT...It's Labor Day and SOME people – clearly – ARE working today. Let me take a minute to talk about Labor Day. The first observance of Labor Day appears to have been a parade on September 5th, 1882 in New York City. By 1893, more than half the states were observing a labor day of sorts and a year later, Congress passed a bill making the first Monday in September as Labor Day. Now, other than being the last REAL day of summer, at least for school kids, the beginning of the campaign season, and the last day your can wear white and seersucker in some parts of the country, what does it stand for today? Well, let’s start with the obvious. We're celebrating labor. Let me give you some stats about our labor force, by the numbers:

• 150 MILLION: the approximate number of people in America, between the ages of 16 and 65, who are actively working or seeking work in this country.
• 83: the percentage of full-time workers that get health insurance through their jobs.
• 78: the percentage of workers in private industry who get paid vacation.
• 100: the percentage of government workers that get paid vacation.
• 7.6 MILLION: the number of workers who hold down more than one job; "moonlighters" make up 5% of the working population.
• 284,000: the number of people who actually hold down TWO FULL-TIME jobs.
• 4.1: the median number of years workers have been with their current employer. About 10% of U.S. workers have been with their employer for 20 years or longer.
• 16 MILLION: the number of labor union members nationwide. About 12% of wage and salary workers belong to a union, with Alaska, Hawaii and New York having among the highest rates of any state. North Carolina has one of the lowest rates, 3 percent.
• 5.9 MILLION: the number of people who work from home.

Finally, while we've come a long way from the first labor day, we still have some distance to travel. My last two numbers:

• $46,000: The median earnings for full-time, year round male workers in America.
• The earnings for women? About $36,000

That's my XYZ.