If you’re looking for more time off from work, you might want to go to Ulyanovsk, a region in Russia about 550 miles east of Moscow.
And even though people won’t be working, I don’t think you’re going to find them strolling through the mall or in a neighborhood bistro. Try looking through the bedroom window (or maybe not).
Sept. 12 has been declared a Day of Conception and couples are given the time off to procreate (it’s actually only half a day, so make it quick, no romance). Couples who give birth on June 12 -- Russia’s national day -- will win a prize, money, cars, refrigerators and other prizes.
This is the third year that the region has held the contest, designed to stem the tide of the country’s declining population. Last year, 78 babies were born on June 12, more than triple the region’s daily average.
How do you think that woman who goes into labor early on June 11 is going to feel? Or as 11:59 p.m. on June 12 is approaching? So, every time Junior does something the parents don’t approve of, I can just hear Mom and Dad, “Can’t you do anything right? After all we went through. Just think what we could have had if you had only been on time.”