I didn’t post yesterday as I’m trying to save the planet. Yep, it’s almost too good to be true for those of us who don’t subscribe to the Protestant work ethic, but instead worship the weekends. No less an authority than the Center for Economic and Policy Research (with an important-sounding name like that, they must be credible!) has determined that – get ready for it – shorter work hours would significantly reduce energy consumption. Say what? Well, the researchers used their fancy titles and their calculators to determine that if Europeans worked as many hours per week as Americans (and Canadians – our work weeks are similar), the additional carbon emissions could substantially increase the pace of global warming, making it “far more difficult for the EU to meet its commitments to the Kyoto Protocol.” (http://www.cepr.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=726) Of course, we North Americans get around that by voting in leaders that simply ignore the Kyoto Protocol. Then we work ourselves almost to death, spend our spare time at the mall buying toxic crap we don’t need, and wonder why our lives seem unfulfilling. The solution is now simple. Take the day off. It’ll give you a chance to smell the roses, rather than the foul-smelling stuff belching from the tailpipes of the commuter traffic. Just tell your boss it’s part of your master plan to save the planet.