The Tide Is High

Gentle Readers,

The conventions are over. The signs have been put away, the protesters corralled, and all the balloons dropped. And I am a bit weary of all things political.

So it seems fitting that my vacation falls next week. I may blog. I may not. It depends on how the oysters and beer lead me. In the meantime, I promise to use lots of SPF to keep my lily white hide young and fresh looking (maybe I could someday be a VPILF too!) and to tip my waitresses well.

Now if those pesky non-greenhouse gas induced hurricanes would just leave me alone, all would be well.

Till later . . . 

Speaking of Vacation Days . . .

A couple of posts back (By the Numbers) I mentioned that the number of vacation days our esteemed leader has taken since rounding first"winning" the 2000 election and stealing second moving into the White House way back in January of 2001. Apparently I might have been a bit off on my data.

Olbermann's Countdown gave the number as being a bit closer to 2.5 years. And yes you read that right—TWO AND A HALF YEARS. I will leave you alone a minute while you weep silently to yourself in your cubicle.

Here's a tissue, now suck it up. If you can stand it, read more about the breakdown of this figure here.

Enjoy your two day weekend!

Rest for the Weary

Now this is a cause I think all of us should get behind. The good folks at Right2Vacation.org are giving us even more reasons as to why taking a break from work (a paid break mind you) is important. Here's a few facts for this Friday:

• 52% of workers took less than a week off, 65% of workers took less than 2 weeks off, and 78% of workers took less than 3 weeks off.
  
• The U.S. is the only industrialized nation without a minimum annual leave statute.
  
• 25% of Americans receive no paid vacation leave. Only 69% of lower-wage workers get any paid vacation leave.
  
• Men who don't take regular vacations are 32% more likely to die of heart attacks, and 21% more likely to die early of all causes. Women have 50% more risk of heart attack.
  
• Every European worker gets at least four weeks of paid vacation by law. Yet the Euro is rising while the dollar is falling.
  
• Stress and burnout at work cost the US economy over $300 billion a year.
  

Now how exactly we go about changing our corporate culture to allow this sort of thing I admittedly have no idea. But I sure do enjoy thinking about four weeks of vacation a year . . .