Lundi Pentecote

If you happened to be in France within the last few months, surely you would have heard people talking about the Lundi Pentecote. The people in the streets has been talking about it, the politicians, the workers, and even this morning i heard an italian tourist (i presume) talks about it. What is it actually?

Lundi Pentecote, is a christian holiday. They believe that the Holy Spirit was sent down to earth to he 12 apostles. It's.... It was, a public holiday in France. But now, the government has decided to cancel off this public holiday in solidarity with the elder (read on further). The French, are angry. Not because they can no longer celeberate it (they don't really practice their religion), but because the government took away their favourite long weekend. Lundi Pentecote is the first Monday 50 days after Easter. So it's the only long weekend after winter, in spring, and before the long summer break. Usually they spend their Lundi Pentecote in the south, where the beach is magnifique, the sea is deep blue, and of course, this year's Cannes Film Festival. But this year, no more going-to-the-beach-before-the-summer-holidays weekend.

In summer 2003, the was a heatwave in France. It was so bad that 15000 people died, mostly personnes agees. The government was criticized for not acting quick enough. So Raffarin the PM decided to upgrade the health system for the aged and the handicaps. He had 2 choices, raise the already high taxes, or make the French work an extra day. Why? It's like this. You go to work on a non working day. You won't get paid for the day. Which makes no difference since normally you still get the same wage in a 30 days month as in a 31 days month. So, you work for a day, for free, and your company that you're working with can produce something extra without having to pay you. This extra products will be taken count in the company's year end tax declaration. To make things short the government could tax the company for whatever they produce that extra day. They've calculated it and they could accumulate up to 2,000,000,000 euros. 2 bloody billions. And the government could use it to upgrade the already good healthcare system.

But who would want to sacrifice a holiday? So the French made noise. And the government said, fine, instead of making everyone work on Lundi Pentecote, you can choose any other public holidays you like. That satisfied certain, but mostly not. Then came the ingenious solution from SNCF, the train company. Their workers can continue having the Lundi Pentecote, but they have to work an extra 1 minute and 52 seconds everyday. Would you say no to this? Who the hell would chronometer the 1m52s? "Hey Francois, i'm going off now, come on." "No thanks Guillaume, i need to work another 1m52s. You go first."

As the second national sport, there would be strikes all over France tomorrow. The postal service, the public transport, teachers, and civil servants. And we're having Voltolini.

I'm in the blues today. Ahaha.

Moon River, wider than a mile,
I'm crossing you in style some day.
Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker,
wherever you're going I'm going your way.
Two drifters off to see the world.
There's such a lot of world to see.
We're after the same rainbow's end--
waiting 'round the bend,
my huckleberry friend,
Moon River and me.
~Breakfast at Tiffany's~