Now that I finally figured out how TweetDeck works, I have been promoted from TWIT to TWITTERER. TweetDeck is an exceptionally easy way to keep track of your Follows and Followers and even has the facility to receive and post from your FaceBook Profile.
So it only took me a few months to work this out… I am slow but thorough.
You can CLICK HERE to follow me on Twitter
You can CLICK HERE to download TweetDeck
In honour of Heritage Day, I have decided to rerun an article I wrote some years back on the People You Find Around Your Braai. For those who read it and remember it “Enjoy the refresher” (This means ‘don’t write to me and bitch and moan’) and for the rest, enjoy the day off on Thursday, light a fire, have a few mates around and work out who’s who at your Heritage Day Braai.
A while back I spent a couple of days with Sam ForFree. Now in Sam’s presence the whole world seems funny! By way of introduction Sam ForFree is my web guru who helped me put TooMuchCoffee together and every time I need a new feature or an upgrade Sam is there to take my call and help (except between 2am and 6am).
In light of my Customer, Waiter and Complaint analysis Sam believes there are 5 distinct individuals you will find around every South African Braai (That is the local term for a BBQ). There is the Sports Fan, The Ex Rece, The Ladies Man, The Mechanic, and The “I wish I was at home reading a book” Guy.
The Sports Fan
This guy has been there, seen that and bought the T-Shirt. Personally he has never kicked, caught or thrown a ball in his life but there is nothing he doesn’t know about any sport including but not restricted to Zorbing There is no statistic he can’t correct you on and no coach who couldn’t benefit from his wisdom. He supports Australian Cricket, New Zealand Rugby, Manchester United, Nadal at the French Open, Federer at Wimbledon and in fact just about anyone who will probably win. He drinks Castle because that is THE sponsors brew.
The Ex Rece
Short for Reconnaissance Division, an elite military unit, The Ex Rece will be wearing Khaki and sporting a Spyderco knife. He can kill a man at twenty paces just with a glance. He will start off very quietly but as the Klippies and Coke begins to disappear and the subject moves to violence, crime and what to do about it, you can expect him to come into his own. He keeps himself in tip top shape just in case his country ever needs to call on him again.
The Ladies Man
Who in their right mind comes to a braai wearing THOSE clothes? All the labels are on the outside and his ‘these are especially made to look old jeans cost more than even he can afford. He has a couple of sexist jokes to share and is quite sure the Rece’s girlfriend has been secretly staring at him all the time. He just hopes the Ex Rece doesn’t notice, after all he is a lover not a fighter. He will be drinking an imported beer or a glass of wine that he doesn’t really enjoy but it makes him look good.
The Mechanic
Easy to spot by the grease that is so ingrained in his knuckles that even a roll of sandpaper wouldn’t make the slightest difference. He knows cars! Not like you and I know cars, he knows then inside and out, in fact you may be wondering if he has in fact ever had carnal knowledge with one. You know the top speed and fuel consumption on a number of models and occasionally even pick up a Car magazine while you are waiting for your Bee-Emm to be serviced, this guys knows Air Filter, Brake Line, Camber, Differential, Exhaust Manifold, Flywheel, Gasket, Hydraulic System, Inhibitor, Jumper Cables, Kingpin, Lateral Run Out and so on. He still can’t believe the stopped making Lion and would drink Castrol Engine Oil if there weren’t so many people around. Don’t tell him what car you drive because he will proceed to tell you why you just dropped over 200k on a piece of sh!t.
The “I wish I was at home reading a book” Guy
This is the new boyfriend of one of the sports fans wife’s best friends. You didn’t want him here and he doesn’t want to be here. He would rather be reading a book or surfing the Internet right now, in fact he would rather be home pushing pins under his nails than listening to this rubbish. He will say absolutely NOTHING the entire visit and will not even be able to remember one person’s name when he tries to lie to his girlfriend on the way home about how much he enjoyed himself. He will drink a soft drink and may even be spotted wiping the rim of the glass before he takes his first sip. He will probably go home at the end of the evening and write about the other guys at the braai in his blog!
So to Sam ForFree I offer my gratitude for the inspiration behind this post and most of what is great about TooMuchCoffee. You are a scholar, a gentleman and a … (only you know what goes here!)
You can get hold of Sam ForFree through Propono-Hosting
An Owners Guide to Smoking in Restaurants, Bars, Hotels, Casinos etc
There is so much hype and hypothetical theory surrounding the laws around smoking that I have decided to put together “An Owners Guide” on the subject. Please note that although this document is not legally binding, the information has been researched and checked to ensure it is all correct.
I will NOT attempt to debate the moral or ethical side of the law or how it may affect businesses positively or negatively; I will simply lay out the rules in a simple format that may save you a lot of money and a lot of aggravation.
Let’s start with Rule Number One! Rule number one simply states that YOU MAY NOT SMOKE ANYWHERE EXCEPT IN YOUR OWN HOME OR OUTDOORS (And even that is restricted where people congregate). That’s it! This is not a debate about personal freedom or rights or choice or restrictions on earnings… It’s a health law. No Smoking!
Then the law goes on to say, “hey we will make exceptions in certain establishments like restaurants, bars, clubs, hotels, casinos etc BUT only if you comply with all the provisions in CLAUSE 3.”
So what exactly does CLAUSE 3 say? Well CLAUSE three has four provisions and only compliance with all four provisions allows you to have a “Smoking Area”. Note, all four! Although 2 out of 4 may be a pass mark at school, it doesn’t apply to the smoking rule.
Provision 1: The area concerned must be less than 25% of EACH section SEPARATELY. Now listen to this part carefully because it is the one area where most people fall short. This in effect means that if you have a restaurant and a bar you MAY NOT make the restaurant non-smoking and the complete bar smoking even if it (The bar) is less than 25% of the total area. The law states that you may make 25% of the restaurant and 25% of the bar into a smoking area. The same applies to hotels who try to make an entire bar the smoking area because it is less than 25% of the hotel floor space. Each section of space is treated separately and the 25% rule is applied to each one.
Provision 2: These smoking areas must be totally separated from the rest of the establishment by SOLID partitions and must have a closing SOLID door. This means, NO open windows, NO air curtains, NO open entrances. No person must be forced to walk through this area in order to gain access to another section of the establishment i.e. toilets, cashiers, kitchen, other sections etc.
Provision 3: This section must be SEPARATELY VENTILATED, exhausting directly to the outside. This means that you may not rely on the same ventilation system that runs the rest of the establishment regardless of how powerful it is or what certification you have for it.
Provision 4: Clear and compliant signage must be displayed in both the smoking and non-smoking areas.
So that’s it, either you are in compliance or you are not. Now let’s chat about the penalties for non compliance. I would like to make it clear that the law makes it the clear and legal obligation of the owner or person on duty to ensure that people do not smoke in non-smoking areas. We can all argue till we are blue in the face about “not being policemen” about “there are more important things to worry about” about “personal freedom and choice” about “this is how I earn my income” but, none of these will stand up in court.
The penalty for non-compliance is up to R50 000 but it does not stop there! Should you be found guilty or pay an admission of guilt fine, you will have a criminal record and this may adversely affect your ability to keep or renew your liquor license as the provision for having a liquor license clearly makes reference to NO criminal record.
Here are a few other things you need to consider…
A staff member must be allowed to object to working in or having to pass though a smoking area without fear or victimization or retaliation. The law also states that if requested to do so by a staff member, an establishment must protect its staff from the harmful effects of tobacco. Failure to do this may result in a fine of up to R100 000.
Cigarette vending machines and other tobacco products may only be displayed INSIDE the non-smoking area or where persons under the age of 18 cannot gain access. Please note, the Act makes provision for entrapment to ensure you are complying with this. That in effect means that an under aged person may be sent into your establishment to try and purchase tobacco products or access your cigarette machine. Furthermore, a vending machine selling tobacco products may not sell anything else.
No person under the age of 18 is permitted in the smoking area, with or without the permission of their parents and once again the law is quite clear… The onus for compliance rests entirely with the owner or management of the establishment.
At this stage you are probably fuming and swearing or about to call a mate to complain. As previously stated I have some very strong views on smoking and even stronger views on the act and how it is being applied BUT none of these views have any relevance to the information contained in this document and I urge you all to read it carefully and familiarize yourself with its content. The days of skirting the issue and paying lip service are over, if you do not want to see your business go “up in smoke” now is the time to make some hard and far reaching decisions.
Below you may download the actual act and information pertaining to it.
One of the secrets of Wimpy’s great success is the consistency they offer. After all a toasted cheese in Beauford West and a toasted cheese in Sandton costs the same, looks the same, tastes the same… In fact there are even the same number of chips on the plate (9 at last count). Well this morning at 6:01am that theory was safely laid to rest at the domestic terminal Wimpy (air side) at OR Tambo airport.
Mrs Addict and I are on our way to Pietermaritzburg to celebrate the FIFTIETH birthday of my mate Mork From Ork. We arrive early, browse Exclusive Books (where the cashier Nompele decided I once again didn’t need my 5c change!!!) and move on to Wimpy for some light refreshment. That is a decaff cuppuccino for Mrs Addict and toasted anchovy and strawberry milkshake for me (some people never grow up)
We order the drinks and watch the staff argue for five minutes while they decide who is in fact going to take our order for the one slice of anchovy toast. In the mean time, at least the manageress has her coffee and toast and is quite oblivious to our struggle to order
The cuppuccino arrives looking like very hot milky coffee with not a spot of foam in site (heaven forbid it should actually resemble the marketing material) The anchovy toast is next and this can only be described as warm soggy bread with a semblence of something reddish lightly smeared on one side.
I know it is only 6am but I didn’t set the operating times, you did and if you can’t find friendly capable staff to serve us at that time of morning, you don’t deserve our custom or our cash.
Then the final suprise was discovering that a decaf cuppuccino costs R3 more than a regular. Note to ops and marketing “tell the customer before they get the bill”
Oh well I will certanly continue to visit Wimpys around the country just maybe not at ORT
Two second places and a third, not too shabby for a blog that runs on Caffeine and 99c a month! South African Weblog of the Year, Most Humorous South African Blog & Best SA Blog about Politics. 
The blog owner requires users to be logged in to be able to vote for this post.
Alternatively, if you do not have an account yet you can create one here.
Powered by Vote It Up
