The Off Topic Topic

[derspiess]

is there a more pointless holiday than President's Day?

I enjoyed it

[Admiral Yi]

I enjoyed it

Did you bake your famous presidents cake?

[Liep]

Southern Portugal is mostly flat, unlike northern Portugal. It's not a detail for a cyclist I guess. 

Part of my plan, to cycle myself into shape on the flats before hitting the mountains around Malaga

When are you planning to do this trip? Spring?

Mid march to mid april.

[derspiess]

I enjoyed it

Did you bake your famous presidents cake?

Dunno what that means.

[Admiral Yi]

Dunno what that means.

Mega obscure allusion to an Onion piece during Gulf War I or II about an Iowa housewife baking her Victory Pie.

[The Larch]

When are you planning to do this trip? Spring?

Mid march to mid april.

Ok, let me know your schedule when it gets closer or when you're somewhat sure of which route you'll take. In mid april I'll be in Sevilla for a congress, so maybe I can catch you on your way back. 

[celedhring]

The Visergrad 4s had organised a meeting in Tel Aviv of all places earlier, since Netanyahu has been increasingly trying to use Orban and Polish Potato's playbook as I understand.

But it has been cancelled with Orban's plane already enroute.

Netanyahu said something about Poles being collaborators in the Holocaust, Poles got offended, and the Israeli Foreign Minister doubled down by quoting some old Polish Holocaust survivor who said "Poles drank anti-semitism with mothers milk" or somesuch. Poles after that cancelled their visit which prompted the Czech PM to cancel the whole thing.

I guess this is the problem when you try to build a team out of nationalistic populists.

Our own far right party (Vox) is being courted by ECR. It will be fun seeing them alongside Flemish nationalists (which support Catalan independence), pity the Tories are leaving or we'd also have some Gibraltar fun.

[Grey Fox]

is there a more pointless holiday than President's Day?

Atleast it has a good name. In Ontario, Saskatchewan & Alberta it was just "Family Day" Here, in Quebec, it was.. monday.

[Tamas]

If you are commuting long distances in heavy traffic, do yourself a favour and do it with an automatic gearbox. Goddamit it's exhausting to crawl along on rush hour M25 when I have to bloody clutch. With the automatic I just release and apply the brake and that's it.

[Syt]

Austria is a bit weird when it comes to whether or not Good Friday is a public holiday. In general it isn't, but if you are a protestant, then it is.

Someone took this to the European Courts which concluded that this is unfair - in many cases protestants just work on Friday, but are entitled to special bonuses for working on a public holiday, while their non-protestant colleagues get nothing.

The government has now found a compromise: "Good Friday is half a Public Holiday. Regular work ceases at 2 pm."

There's a few issues with that, like:
- A lot of companies do that every Friday, anyways (est. 1.5 million employees)
- How many working hours are required? It makes a difference if someone's contractual hours start at 7 am or 9 am.

Additionally, the chamber of commerce (which has all but written most new business/employment legislation the new government has forced through, often bypassing parliamentary review) has already said that this is an unacceptable additional burden for entrepreneurs and companies and expect the federal government to cover the extra expenses that incurs them.

[Valmy]

No. It should be rededicated to the abolition of slavery.

We have that in Texas at the date slavery was actually abolished here. I guess we could have it on January 31st for the passage of the 13th Amendment nationally. Or is your idea that since President's day is evolved partially from Lincoln's Birthday that we can just rededicate it to Abolition?

[derspiess]

Austria is a bit weird when it comes to whether or not Good Friday is a public holiday. In general it isn't, but if you are a protestant, then it is.

Someone took this to the European Courts which concluded that this is unfair - in many cases protestants just work on Friday, but are entitled to special bonuses for working on a public holiday, while their non-protestant colleagues get nothing.

The government has now found a compromise: "Good Friday is half a Public Holiday. Regular work ceases at 2 pm."

There's a few issues with that, like:
- A lot of companies do that every Friday, anyways (est. 1.5 million employees)
- How many working hours are required? It makes a difference if someone's contractual hours start at 7 am or 9 am.

Additionally, the chamber of commerce (which has all but written most new business/employment legislation the new government has forced through, often bypassing parliamentary review) has already said that this is an unacceptable additional burden for entrepreneurs and companies and expect the federal government to cover the extra expenses that incurs them.

Dang.  I guess that Protestant Bonus was sweet while it lasted.

[Habbaku]

Where's Ferdinand II when you need him? 

[grumbler]

Where's Ferdinand II when you need him? 

He's taking the winter off.

[celedhring]

Austria is a bit weird when it comes to whether or not Good Friday is a public holiday. In general it isn't, but if you are a protestant, then it is.

Someone took this to the European Courts which concluded that this is unfair - in many cases protestants just work on Friday, but are entitled to special bonuses for working on a public holiday, while their non-protestant colleagues get nothing.

The government has now found a compromise: "Good Friday is half a Public Holiday. Regular work ceases at 2 pm."

There's a few issues with that, like:
- A lot of companies do that every Friday, anyways (est. 1.5 million employees)
- How many working hours are required? It makes a difference if someone's contractual hours start at 7 am or 9 am.

Additionally, the chamber of commerce (which has all but written most new business/employment legislation the new government has forced through, often bypassing parliamentary review) has already said that this is an unacceptable additional burden for entrepreneurs and companies and expect the federal government to cover the extra expenses that incurs them.

When I was a TA at Columbia there was always a bit of grumbling from nonchristian students for the fact that we were instructed to allow Christians to take Ash Wednesday off.