Rain rain go away

It's been raining now in Jhb for weeks, we are full up, completely saturated and had enough. It rained the whole day today and doesn't look like it's letting up any time soon. It's making people grumpy and making them drive worse than usual. I am going to go on about my most favourite topic - how much I loath Joburg and the people here. What do I start with - the lack of intelligence, the superficiallity, the constant chasing after money so they can get a bigger car/house/flat screen TV or just their plain stupidity. I take my dog for a walk every afternoon when I get home from work. I moved to a new smaller more compact townhouse in December - downscaled in esence - unheard of in Jhb as it always has to be bigger and better. Very few people in my area actually leave their houses - I see one African lady exercising by fast walking with her kids and another couple who occasionally take a stoll together. I alway make a point of greeting anyone I meet to encourage a bit of community spirit. Call it an experiment on my part to see if people will get friendlier, greet each other and get out into the great outdoors and experience a brisk stroll instead of getting home and couch potatoing down in front of the TV. I have come to the conclusion that Jhb is a society of couch potatos who are fat and unfit or only gym fit - maybe it's the pollution that is the problem. Damn it's on nice sunny days (when it stops raining) that I miss C.T. to take Sabine for a walk on the beach or up the mountain would be wonderful but I am restricted to my little suburb where we go round the block (long block - about a 2 km walk in all) but it's so boring - I know all the gaurds at the complexes and it's one high electric fenced wall after the next with the occasional building site. The roads are really bad too with all the trucks, building and rain lots of potholes develop and some of the roads are pitted. And people drive like idiots - screaming along quite roads for no other reason than it's eampty except for me and my dog. It's so dangerous the way they scream along and so uneccessary. I often let Sabine off the lead to play and jump around in the long grass but call her back when I see a car - so when I see these idiots screaming along at high speed I feel like kicking their butts and often wish to see them blow out tyres on the potholes for their stupidity. I have noticed something else about the 'community' where I live, nobody looks or notices their surroundings once they are in their cars. They don't look at pedestrians or people walking buy, it makes me wonder how much they notice or care about what is going on around them. By taking long walks around by area I am getting to know it. I feel safe because Sabine is a particularly viscious looking dobermann so nobody is gonna mess with me or bother us but I try to be friendly never-the-less. I feel sorry for the people in Jhb who live such isolated lives and who know so little about other people around them or their area. People seem to spend their lives in their car's, at work and in malls. Give me the open skies, fresh air and less developments any day.

Big business

So I thought I would try this blog thing and see if anyone is interested in my thoughts and activities. Today class we are going to talk about multinational big business. I work for one - of the industry type well known all over the world for it's brand and product. Big bad business that chews up it's staff and spits it out. Big business has just gone through for the 2nd year running a retrenchment process after once again producing record profits and posting all time high recoveries. My job is safe - I'm not sure I want it to be but I still have a job so can continue my comfortable and altogether boring lifestyle. Staff at lower levels however are being given a handshake and told thanks but you no longer have a job. Secretaries, admin staff, site staff, field staff who have dedicated their lives to the job, have given everything and who depend on their salaries. The are being told sorry no jobs for you we are centralising everyone in Jhb and there is no position for you - here is your retrenchment package good luck. We have been through the whole legal process, been offered counseling, CV writing training etc. but the emotional toll on those who are being shoved out the door is terrible. Motivation and morale is at an all time low and the stunned look on some peoples faces is awful. The secretary taking early retirement was crying in her office on Thursday. Her boss who she supported faithfully has removed himself to another venture and doesn't give a toss about his staff any more. I am sitting pretty and I look at the staff who are now jobless and I ask why? Why do these people have to be treated like they are disposable and nobody give a damn about them. They arn't just staff they are people dammit who have families and feelings. It's just business the bosses say but what kind of business where we are told people are the Human Gems but are treated like they are Human shit. If you don't have a degree and are an essential staff member, just support staff you are completely disposable, it's so sad and I feel for the staff who don't have a choice. It's terrible being treated like you are not an important member of the team, you don't matter and can be tossed out with a months notice.