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#1261
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Draconian vacation policies for US slave workers
"Hatunen" wrote in message ... On 21 Aug 2006 08:27:02 -0700, "Jordi" wrote: Tchiowa wrote: Claims that Americans don't get enough vacation were countered with facts. People dropped out. (Kill file! Kill file! Troll!) http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/20/us...wanted=pri nt "About 25 percent of American workers in the private sector do not get any paid vacation time, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports. Another 33 percent will take only a seven-day vacation, including a weekend." How does that work? They don't take the other weekend? Taking a vacation for a week means five days of not working and four days of weekend for a nine day total. As per the rest, your imagination, as usual. My imagination is working on figuring out where the other two weekend days went. ************* DAVE HATUNEN ) ************* * Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow * * My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps * This bit is further down in the article: "The Travel Industry Association, the largest trade group representing the industry, found that the average American expects his or her longest summer trip to last only six nights. And it takes three days just to begin to unwind, experts say." Looks like they are using averages, not making a definitive statement. |
#1262
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Draconian vacation policies for US slave workers
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#1263
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Travel Abroad
On Tue, 22 Aug 2006 01:59:06 +0100, Padraig Breathnach
wrote: "Tchiowa" wrote: It's interesting that if you look at the dictionary definition of "nation" it uses the term "country" to define it. And it you look at the term "country" it uses "nation" to define it. What dictionary is that? It's not on my shelves. I see at www.dictionary.com that what he says is *one* of the proffered definitions, and, of course, it is common parlance to use the words somwhat interchangeably. There are not precise definitions for "country" and "nation", anyway. "Nation" derives from a root meaning birth, and can be used to describe all kinds of combinations so long as the people share some birth characteristic. I live just a few miles from the Tohono O'odham Nation and not that far from the Navajo Nation, but I have never heard either called a "country". But in the late 18th century when Thomas Jefferson pined to return to "my country", he meant the colony cum state of Virginia, not America. Not being a Brit I can't know for sure whether Scotland or Wales is ever considered a "nation" as would be appropriate for their ethnic makeups, but I do see them called countries. In Canada, the Province of Quebec considers itself a "nation" and the provincial legislature is l'Assemblée nationale ************* DAVE HATUNEN ) ************* * Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow * * My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps * |
#1264
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Travel Abroad
Hatunen wrote:
On Tue, 22 Aug 2006 01:59:06 +0100, Padraig Breathnach wrote: "Tchiowa" wrote: It's interesting that if you look at the dictionary definition of "nation" it uses the term "country" to define it. And it you look at the term "country" it uses "nation" to define it. What dictionary is that? It's not on my shelves. I see at www.dictionary.com that what he says is *one* of the proffered definitions, and, of course, it is common parlance to use the words somwhat interchangeably. There are not precise definitions for "country" and "nation", anyway. I glanced at the definitions, and formed a quick impression that this was not the sort of dictionary I would want to use. "Nation" derives from a root meaning birth, and can be used to describe all kinds of combinations so long as the people share some birth characteristic. I live just a few miles from the Tohono O'odham Nation and not that far from the Navajo Nation, but I have never heard either called a "country". But in the late 18th century when Thomas Jefferson pined to return to "my country", he meant the colony cum state of Virginia, not America. I use "nation" to refer to a grouping with some ethnic or cultural bond. In some cases those people generally share a common territory, but some nations have no national territory under their own political control -- the Kurds are an example. Almost invariably the matching of a territory with a population is inexact. That has contributed to many conflicts, a recent example being in the Balkans. I use "country" less often, because I don't feel that it has a generally-agreed meaning. Often "state" is more satisfactory. Not being a Brit I can't know for sure whether Scotland or Wales is ever considered a "nation" as would be appropriate for their ethnic makeups, but I do see them called countries. Interesting question. I think one can speak of the Scottish people and the Welsh people more easily than the Scottish nation or the Welsh nation. In Canada, the Province of Quebec considers itself a "nation" and the provincial legislature is l'Assemblée nationale The Quebecois seem to satisfy my idea of having an ethnic or cultural bond. Don't let's go down the road of nationalism. -- PB The return address has been MUNGED My travel writing: http://www.iol.ie/~draoi/ |
#1265
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Travel Abroad
On Tue, 22 Aug 2006 21:15:34 +0100, Padraig Breathnach
wrote: Hatunen wrote: In Canada, the Province of Quebec considers itself a "nation" and the provincial legislature is l'Assemblée nationale The Quebecois seem to satisfy my idea of having an ethnic or cultural bond. Don't let's go down the road of nationalism. Hard to avoid if you start dealing with Quebec. ************* DAVE HATUNEN ) ************* * Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow * * My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps * |
#1266
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Draconian vacation policies for US slave workers
"Hatunen" wrote ... On 21 Aug 2006 23:55:06 -0700, wrote: Hatunen wrote: On 21 Aug 2006 08:27:02 -0700, "Jordi" wrote: "About 25 percent of American workers in the private sector do not get any paid vacation time, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports. Another 33 percent will take only a seven-day vacation, including a weekend." How does that work? They don't take the other weekend? Taking a vacation for a week means five days of not working and four days of weekend for a nine day total. At least here, that would be called a 7-day vacation (Monday - Sunday), the first weekend would be part of the last working week, I hope that kind of thinking doesn't prevent them from going on holiday on the first weekend. I'll opine in two manifestations of vacation/no vacation overlooked so far here by both 'Merkins, Uropeens and even the random Ozmandian or two. 1. In legend if not in fact tradition holds that most of us USAians don't work very hard anyway, and that at both ends of the compensation spectrum don't work very hard, given too long lunches, excessive coffee breaks, and much MS Solitaire or wandering about the 'net. We take lots of short vacations. 2. In my case, living in a less densely populated area, vacation-like things are easy and accessible... The weather makes outdoor recreation doable 10 months a year (and golf year around except for a handful of weather days). Golf, fresh water fishing, tennis, swimming, boating, big time college sports watching, skeet shooting, bird hunting, and a variety of standard vacation sort of things are available within a 20 minute drive, while I can hunt deer an hour away. My favorite, salt water fishing is a longer drive, four hours, but the vast shallow bay in which I fish is next to one of the country's better known wildlife preserves, has few visitors per acre and provides estuarial solitude unknown elesewhere. Between several private and municipal courses, golf tee times mean simply showing up, while rarely are the tennis courts full. I live in the land of lazy men, not viewing vacation trips as relaxing, relaxing beaing an adjective to describe simply recreating around here. Unfortunatrely, few Europeans who visit the US become acquainted with the lifestyles of much of the "sub-surban" US, quiet and leafy streets and country lanes where folks live in relative solitude and it ain't far to "Far from the Madding Crowd". I never really thought about it, but for 34 years my family lived on the far edge of a city, nearly as isolated from neighbors as some crofter in rural Scotland, our kids hauled by yellow school busses, the trade out long drives to the supermarket, etc., an easy tradeout when you learned to go but once a week. I really can't imagine 30 days of uninterrupted vacating.....other than an extended trip to some far corner of the earth, finacially not really available for many, especially during those years when the burden of kids about to be or in college meant a major burden on pre-tax cash flow. These days, in 30 days away, the damn obituary pages would have stacked up, filled with familiar names. I can hardly go 30 days without serving asa pallbearer. TMO TMO |
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