ROME & THE VATICAN - THE ETERNAL CITY

Seagull dipping and soaring in the wind above the Cupola of St Peter's Basilica, Vatican City

I took this image of the seagull soaring and dipping in the wind - he was so curious to look at us humans behind the strong iron bars at the top of the Cupola, St Peter's Basilica, Vatican City. He dipped away and then quickly coming back sometimes at arm's length almost touching the iron bars. He did that for about 10 minutes. 

I invite you to enjoy my views of the Basilica.

God bless you. 

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A RANDOM GOOD DEED

RED SHOES AND PERFUME - photographer: Nicolene Coertse

Last night (1 March 2017) my wife and I enjoyed a hamburger at a prize winning joint. It was extremely noisy, as usual, with a high turnover of hungry hammy eaters! Young kids were dancing at their own pace and sounds in their heads while the music playing blasting a different tune. People hacking away at the fries covered with tomato sauce or if you want ketchup. Young people standing around staring at their cell phones.

Old people, not senior citizens, battling away with one finger on their cell phones. Waitrons rushing around to see to every single need of their hungry hammy eaters. Cars flitting about, radios blaring.

The odd garbage collector slaving away under his load of cardboard boxes.

We were part and parcel of this motley crowd hacking away at our specially prepared hammy. And then we paid and left.

At the parking meter the lady in front of us battled to get the thing working. Then I heard a voice inside the meter machine chatting to the lady outside the box. Magic! Must have been a very tiny guy inside that machine and is he clever! He told the lady exactly what to do. She executed his instructions, got her ticket stamped and left. Wow! It worked. Follow his instructions and it will work.

Then it was our turn. And we battled. The guy in the machine told us to go to another machine.

There was a young lady standing behind us; she then tried. And she got instructions from the same guy: "Go to another machine."

And so we left - my wife and I and walking next to us was this unknown lady. She was very smartly dressed in a fine white blouse and stylish black pants. And oh my word she had the most beautiful red high heeled shoes on!

While we were executing our instructions to go to another machine she then said: "Can I help you? Give me your ticket and money, wait for me and I will get the stamp to let you out." 

We gave it to her and stood there on the driveway waiting for her.

She got it for us!

She got into a car and drove off!

An angel?

I don't think so; she certainly did an angel's work! I forgot to tell you about her perfume; after all, she might have been an angel with that perfume! Do you think an angel wears bright red shoes?

You did a good deed to two elderlies. May God bless you, young lady!

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MAKE PHOTOS, DON'T TAKE PHOTOS

Freeway, Johannesburg

Rag doll, Johannesburg 

How can you make photographs? I think it is very easy, provided you pause for a moment or maybe two moments and just think. You should actually think even before you leave your home. Think a bit about photography. Making photographs start long before you even lift your camera. Making a photograph starts in your head and not in your camera - the  camera is just a tool to express what you were thinking about. Think before you take any image. And when the decisive moment arrives, you will seize it and half the battle is won. 

I took the two images above. The RAG DOLL I took with my iPad in a parking garage at the Johannesburg Charlotte Maxeke Hospital. I saw it because I am thinking about photography and I am aware that images are lurking around every corner - look and you will spot it. After I took it, I cropped it to get rid of extraneous matter and worked in Photoshop a little bit. If you don't have any software manipulation program it is not a disaster. Cropping can be done in your computer - don't say to me that you are computer illiterate or that you are stupid. Do something about it.

When you are taking images of children do them the favor and pay them some respect and bend your knees before them. Do them another favor and stand a distance away from them because if you are too close, the beautiful faces will be distorted and then they look stupid. 

Please read the following article by Eric Kim about this very topic. Never stop making photographs.

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THE JOYS OF CHRISTMAS SHOPPING

This is a bit of social commentary on the warped sense of Christmas joy! It seems  as if people think that the more you give and the more expensive your Christmas gifts are, the more spiritual you are!

In the meantime it is Christ Jesus that we should honor.

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ZUMA GIGGLES AGAIN. IRRATIONAL! FOOLHARDY!

THE GIGGLING PRESIDENT!

It seems as if this man, the honourable President, has lost all contact with reality. Watching SONA and the seriousness with which the opposition leaders treated the matter, looking at the grave and sullen faces of the judges inclusive of the Chief Justice, this character was the only one laughing. 

Do you remember President Kenneth Kaunda from Zambia and how that guy laughed? 

I am really disappointed in the judges not leaving Parliament - to my mind they then lent credibility to the unrepentant and dishonorable president. But giving it another thought these learned men/women, I am now only referring to the judges, could have created a constitutional crisis if they walked out., and I think they probably tried to avoid that. 

You will now recall that the DA already instructed their legal team to draft papers for the Western High Court. Looking at history this matter will eventually proceed to the Constitutional Court which will create another problem: How will the Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng be able to participate in that matter? He was an eye witness to the proceedings on Thursday 9 February 2017. He had a ringside seat so to speak.

ZUMA THE CONTORTIONIST

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ILLEGAL ORGAN HARVESTING AND TRANSPLANTS WORLDWIDE

Huang Jiefu, a former Chinese deputy health minister - photo website

The Vatican recently hosted an international conference on the illegal human organ harvesting and transplantation. China was the odd country out. China may still be using executed criminals' organs. Gross!!!

What about our own country the Republic of South Africa? The Rainbow Nation? It was reported during 2010 that at the Durban regional court Netcare KwaZulu (NKZ) pleaded guilty on 102 counts relating to illegal operations between June 2001 and November 2003. It was fined R7,820,000 (£704,000) - you can read it here.  

I wonder whether this is still going on? Human trafficking, prostitution, slavery, illegal human organ harvesting - one of the most obvious goals of these horrific acts is of course money. 

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Amazing woodturner in Morocco using his hands and feet on his lathe.

Hammer and horseshoe for a horse with a sore leg - hand made by Amy De Wet farrier

Amy De Wet is a farrier from Pretoria - everything he does is by hand. It is such a blessing to be able to work and to create things with one's own hands, and that is the reason why it strikes me when people do something with their hands. After Amy finished this horseshoe, he gave it to me and it now it sits on my stoep proudly welcomes visitors to my home. 

Have a look at this video clip of the guy sitting on the floor busy at his lathe. I hope you also enjoyed it as much as I did.

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