Bin it.

          

 Back on my trusty steed again

VENTING TIME!


On a recent morning I found myself on the banks of Emmarentia Dam.
On the surface, all seemed to be as it should.
A Red-Knobbed Coot slowly made its way past me,
stopping occasionally to peck at something in or on the surface.
As there are often fishermen, paddlers and sundry other folk at the dam,
I figured that it was used to having its "space" invaded.


Even these semi-submerged rocks made for an interesting composition


The major "inhabitant" of the area must certainly be the Egyptian Geese.
This one was doing his Karate exercises...


On one panel of the fence at the dam,
locks have been attached to commemorate various relationships.
Certainly not as many as some bridges in Europe,
but they are "multiplying"...
So far, dear Reader, you might be under the impression that this is not a RANT,
but it is...


AND THIS IS THE MAIN SOURCE OF MY ANGER!
Why are humans so messy?
Do the perpetrators of this type of behaviour think that they are
*JOB CREATORS*?
Not so, you are just pigs actually.
You cannot put your trash into the bin?
Can't you see it?
Why can't the JMPD,who purport to uphold municipal bylaws
DO SOMETHING?
NO, they would rather sit on the side of the road,
eating junk food and issuing speeding tickets.
EARN YOUR MONEY.
It is time for the citizens of the suburbs that surround this public space
to BECOME PROACTIVE.
Get the Ward Councillor to get involved...
Get a local school to clean up?
Or even better, if people are caught littering,
make THEM clean up...
Doing NOTHING is not an option.

I am certain that the canoeists that use the dam
do not want to be injured stepping onto broken glass.
Or fight their way through rubbish to get to the water.


After all the rubbish (bottles etc) that I saw,
I felt that I should end this on a positive note.
This might be a weed, but it is pretty.
Come on, let us do ourselves proud.
If you do use this facility, PLEASE, PLEASE clean up.

                                                       

And that is all I have to say...

Until the next time.

TRUCK IT!

          

Time to hop on my trusty steed again

and VENT!

Objects in your rear-view mirror may be closer than they seem!

In the case of THIS truck and the back of the car I was in.

For a moment I feared that the word "SCANIA" 

would be imprinted on the back window

On a recent trip to Cape Town,I was amazed at how badly 

many of the 18-wheelers are driven.

It seems that many of them believe that the road is THEIRS.

There is no law that forces them to pull into an emergency lane,

to allow cars to overtake.

However, if you know your vehicle is incapable of the legal speed...

PULL THE F&*K OVER!

"A Dream is a serious thing"...

Really?

I dream that you will get out of my way.

Does that count? 

Trucks overtaking trucks.

Not too bad in this case, as the smaller vehicle has the speed...

But when this happens...I get really pissed off.

The larger truck is having to "race" to get ahead.

The truck in the emergency lane was NOT prepared to slow down

The "blue" truck hogged this lane for quite a distance.

It was unable to pass, but was NOT prepared to move into the left lane

in order for us to overtake

Usually, it is the mini-bus taxis that get most of the blame.

On my journey down the N1, those that we passed were courteous 

Many of the drivers DID use their headlights.

I believe that daytime headlight use should be mandatory.

There were plenty of police on the N1...

All were intent on catching the speedsters 

and not those infringing other rules

Back in the day, we had a functional railway infrastructure.

What has happened to that?

If it was working it would take many of the trucks off the road,

thereby leaving regular road users feeling safe.

                                                       

And that is all I have to say...

Until the next time.

A guest posting by Dov Fedler

 

I am privileged to have South African political cartoonist Dov Fedler as my father-in-law.

This article appeared on the front page of the Cape Times.

  

How do I feel ?I have been asked that all week. Friends phoned my wife, concerned that I may be hiding in a cupboard afraid to confront the world. Suddenly every cartoon I draw is under the most intense scrutiny. I receive angry racist emails, cartoons from all over about Muslim terrorism. I hit delete without so much as a glance. 

 I’d never heard of Charlie Hebdo until last week. Four cartoonists massacred. How do I feel? Well, it wasn’t like the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Jack Ruby shooting of Lee Harvey Oswald, 9/11,Martin Luther King,or Chris Hani-Verwoerd even. That is how long I have been around. In those days, each of those events  resonated like the tsunami of ten years ago. 

Now we drown in bad news daily. There is no time for me to accommodate my emotions. I am still there with the death of Pierre Korkie, planes falling out of the sky, lost God knows where. There is the daily Boko Haram outrage, Isis, Ukaine, our own continent, atrocities everywhere, too numerous to mention. Atrocity, outrage are  the vocabulary of the media. 

A cartoonist’s day is crammed with horrible events thanks to social media. It is all too much- like working in mortuary with mutilated bodies-like being a vulture looking for slim pickings after the kill. There, already two tired clichés ready to submit to my editors.  It has been an awful week, trying to strike the right tone, recover my sense of humour.

The event offers a gigantic soapbox on which to stand and now preach peace on earth and welcome to Hunkydoryland. But the soapbox conceals a bear trap. I am weary of these media quicksteps. Whose book will be first on the shelves after the Oscar judgement? Something not quite kosher about it all  It’s a feast for piranhas. Who will draw the definitive Charlie Hebdo cartoon? It’s a race for more fame. 

And I look up to the hills, wherever they are, from whence cometh my truth, and have this blazing,  happy insight. I am so happy to live in South Africa, with load shedding, potholes, Julius and Jacob and what have you. 
Jews are leaving France in droves. They should all wear yellow stars on their sleeves The words contained in the centre should read “ Je suis Juif.”

Xenophobia and poverty will continue to plague our society. Juju will have his day. Aluta continua. And that is a good thing. Give me corruption and Eskom to play with. Darkness and corruption too, will be led into the light.

It is a monumental privilege I enjoy, being a commentator in our emerging democracy. My editor, Gasant Abarder, asked me to write this piece after we discussed at length how we both feel. This event is designed to pit Jew against Muslim. We refuse to be nudged. Besides, I have something invested in this. You know how we Jews are. I have beaten cancer. The physician who has led me through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, in whose hands I invested my life ,is named after The Prophet.  

How do I feel? God, Allah knows.

YES YOU CAN!

Why do exercise programs/ diets/changes HAVE to start on a Monday?
Why can they not be implemented immediately?
Is it part of our inbuilt procrastination DNA?
What have YOU chosen to change in 2015?


November 2013- January 2015

It is not easy to stick to a food regime,
especially over the "silly season".
We find a variety of excuses to have that extra slice of Christmas cake
or one more piece of wors(sausage)  from the braai (barbecue).
But all is not in vain,
and those extra kg's can be lost to get YOU back on track

Plan your strategy for getting back on track.
If you do have one, it will make the journey back far easier

I do enjoy my running!
In the past I have run all the major Ultra-marathons in South Africa,
including the Comrades( 8 finishes)
But those distances are well behind me now.
My goal was to run sub 30 minute 5km consistently.
And I am now doing that.
Next goal... 25 minute 5km!

YOU can change...if you want to.
Do it for yourself first.
No-one can force you to change,
you must WANT to.

I never realized how fast a sub four minute mile was
until I ran in miles while on a trip to the USA several years ago.
I was running 4.5 minute km's consistently.
And that translates to 7.14 minutes per mile...
 I enjoy running...more than my gym visits.
But the latter are important as they allow me to run better.
The gym visits are there when I have an excuse NOT to run...
Rain, wind, sleet etc.
If you are feeling particularly energetic you can do a morning run
and an afternoon gym session.

Never give up...
If you have picked up some weight over the holiday season,
try to get back into your routine now that you are back at work.

What this says!

With my new eating plan/exercise regime,
I intend to keep to this mantra.
At 62 I have less years ahead than I have years behind me.
That being said, keeping the weight off SHOULD be easier

I have had several people compliment me on my achievement...
20kg's GONE since November 2013.
And they have said that I have inspired them...
and then they find excuses NOT to try for themselves.

The word "diet" should be banned.
It should be seen as a lifestyle change.
An eating plan is actually what you should be focused on.
Diet has a negative connotation.
More "what-not-to-eat" than "eat-in- moderation"

Find YOUR trigger foods and cut down or cut them out totally.
Remember it takes 21 days to set a habit (good, bad or indifferent)
And if you slip on any of those...it is back to day one.
For me bread is my default food...and one that was easily accessed
during the holiday period.
But now that I am back at work, I can control that intake.

For all my running friends and colleagues.
I have run in game reserves, and even in the dark cobbled streets of Europe.
My best, running in Pottsville, Pennsylvania in -23C!
My tongue froze.

Before and after...
Personally I did not realize how much I had changed
until I started putting pictures side by side

Being healthy and fit means more time with my wife and daughter.

"When we lift weights at gym, the process doesn't change the weights. It changes us. Even if you try, and fail... something IN YOU has grown in the process". 

Roland Gaspar, Motivator/Author

The long and short(s) of it...Dress code, yes or no?

So what has me tilting at windmills once more?
 What is getting me hot, but not under the collar?
Long pants on holiday...that's what.
Long pants, I hear you ask...
Let me explain.



Should there be a dress code in restaurants in holiday destinations?
And if so, how will it be determined?


The first item of "banned" clothing for men seems to be shorts.
I have yet to understand why shorts have attracted the ire of many hotel managers.
Women seem to be allowed to wear shorts,
despite some of them having legs more suited to being covered.
Am I being sexist? No, just truthful...
 Vests are next on "the list".
The vests I can ACTUALLY understand.
I certainly don't want to be looking at some hairy armpits while I have dinner.
But why single out flip-flops?
What about sandals? Why are they "acceptable"?
Barefeet being unacceptable, yes,
but personally, I would ban Crocs rather than flip-flops.


So what then defines "long pants",
which is what male guests are asked to wear.
Can you have long shorts or short longs?


I do NOT want this next to me at dinner.
And it seems to be dinner that is the problem meal.
Breakfast and lunch are an "anything goes" dress code.
Why does that change when the sun goes down?


Is this young lady correctly attired?


Have a close look at some of the items on this list...
Why pick on Timberland Boots?
No striped Polos? WTF...
No white tee shirts? Is that a racial thing?
Why pick on white?
Why not pink or lemon yellow or puce for that matter?
If I walked into a hotel/ dining room where this was displayed,
I would certainly leave and NEVER return.
Often these "rules" are not displayed on a web site,
but are only on display in the hotel/dining room.
SNEAKY...


Yes/No?
You decide...


White shoes should be banned outright.


Does the cost of the trouser count?
Up until now, I have seen no signs that have banned jeans.
But then again modern jeans can be VERY expensive,
and the VERY wealthy wear them...
And you DON'T want to make the rich and famous angry


Are these permissible?
And the sandals?


YES PLEASE...
We are adults, allow us to make our own decisions,
PLEASE.


Would you like her as a dinner companion?

A couple of years ago I was asked to leave a hotel restaurant in Port Elizabeth for wearing shorts to dinner.

I had not seen the sign stating that the hotel had a dinner dress code until I was stopped by the manager.

When I inquired why, I was informed that their International guests

 insisted that men wear long pants to dinner.

I did ask if I could check with the handful of guests already in the dining room,

if my shorts would be offensive, but I was told that this was NOT an option,

 I was given to access the buffet, meaning that I could WALK around the dining room, with my legs in full view of the guests,but  I had to eat alone in the coffee shop.

Seeing  I  was eating alone ANYWAY, I did not really mind, 

but I did feel like I had been banished from eating with the grown-ups. 

RANT OVER...

All images are from Google images

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