Foxy,

"We receive more public holidays than any one else...."

Try Google, you might get a big surprise.LOL

Dear Is Mise,

Been there, done that.

Read the link I gave.

Thanks for your concern. (smile).

Dear Nathan, for the benefit of yourself, and Paul, you have to understand the complexities of public holidays and while we all like time off with pay, the reality is someone has to pay for that time off.

Unfortunately, more and more it is the business owner that pays for that time off, or, its the consumer, the very person that enjoys the time off in the first place.

I know Paul just loves to call me a whinger, however, having been self employed, and an employer since the late 80's, I can assure you that I am in a position to explain why simply wanting another holiday just does not cut it and in fact, it costs our economy billions every year just to have public holidays and, while we except them reluctantly at times, simply wanting another one is simply reckless. By all means have one for any event you like, but use an existing one and rename it rather than simply having another one because the costs are too high.

While on the subject, when I was working with a global consultancy my colleagues from overseas who were involved with public organisations were aghast that public services and particularly Quangos often approved special leave with pay for ethnic staff taking religious days off.

That was in addition to the usual public holidays, including the Christian ones, that they availed themselves of as well.

'Multiculturally sensitive HR', their exasperated operational managers said, after being forced to turn a blind eye to the practice.

The taxpayer has to stump up for the paid leave though.

We would not be alive without oxygen. On the earth initially there was no free oxygen in the air. Some bacteria developed that excreted oxygen as a waste product. As time went on they generated enough oxygen in the air so that organisms that breathe oxygen could develop. To some species of anaerobic bacteria oxygen is a poison so they sacrificed themselves so we could live and breathe what was poison to them.

Let's have a holiday to honour oxygen and the bacteria that sacrificed themselves for us.