FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS: Japanese Firms Gives Employees Time Off For Heart Break
BEIJING, Jan. 29 (Xinhuanet) — If you are in Japan working in a company called Himes & Company, you can have a “heartache leave” if you feel frustrated over the ending of a relationship. This Tokyo company’s latest employee benefit sets a new standard for employer compassion. Their lovelorn staff can take paid time off after a bad break-up with a partner.
“Not everyone needs to take maternity leave but with heartbreak, everyone needs time off, ” said Miki Hiradate, chief executive of the company. Its workers 24 and younger can take one full day of heartbreak leave per year, while those 25-29 get two days and those 30 and older, three. “Women in their twenties can find their next love quickly, but it’s tougher for women in their thirties, and their break-ups tend to be more serious,” Hiradate added.
The company also made the news by instituting paid sales shopping leaves, giving employees four mornings off per year to shop. “Before, women could take half-days off to go to sales, but you’d have to hide your shopping bags in lockers by the train station,” Hiradate said. “But with paid leave, we don’t have to feel guilty about bringing our shopping bags to work, and we can enjoy the best part about sales shopping – talking about our purchases afterwards.” [via CHINAVIEW]
*
THERE WILL BE TITS: Upscale Nudie Bar Chain Buys Up Crazy Horse Too
Adult-nightclubs operator Rick’s Cabaret International Inc. said it will acquire a 100 percent interest in The End Zone Inc, owner of Crazy Horse Too adult nightclub in Philadelphia, under an amended purchase agreement. The 25,000 square foot club at 2908 South Columbus Blvd., decorated in fine marble and plush furnishings, opened in January 2006, will be rebranded Rick’s Cabaret. It is located minutes from the major Philadelphia sports complex where Philadelphia Phillies, 76ers, Flyers and Eagles games are played and near the site of a proposed new gambling casino. “This will be a significant acquisition for us and we look forward to bringing the Rick’s Cabaret brand of upscale adult entertainment to the Philadelphia market,” said Eric Langan, president and CEO of Rick’s Cabaret. “The venue already has the feel of a fine country club, but with significant changes we are planning – including installation of a sports bar and converting part of the venue to a high-end steak house – we believe that, once acquired, it is capable of becoming one of our strongest performers in terms of revenue and profit.” [via REUTERS]
*
PHASERS SET FOR KILL: Penn Erecting Gigantic Cancer-Zapping Raygun Thing
The future of cancer treatment at the University of Pennsylvania crawled through the streets of South Philadelphia this morning. Half of it anyway. A caravan of police and construction workers shepherded a 110-ton hunk of steel and copper at 5 a.m. to the hospital at Penn. The oversized load is half of a cyclotron, which accelerates sub-atomic particles to two-thirds the speed of light. The second half of the device will arrive Wednesday. The cyclotron will weigh more than a Boeing 747-400 aircraft when it is put together. When fully operational in July 2009, the equipment will be used to deliver ultra-precise beams of radiation to shrink patient tumors and minimize damage to surrounding tissue. The cyclotron will be the centerpiece of what Penn says will be the largest proton-beam therapy center in the world. [via INQUIRER]