First World Street Sign Problems vs. Philippines Solutions

First World Street Sign Problems: While we are struggling with natural disasters, the City of Geneva struggles with gender equality on street signs. If we only could exchange our problems!

Filipinos paint very funny street signs. Many of these street signs are sponsored by a rum distiller or a beer brewer. Does this mean drink and drive? Haha.
In Geneva, Switzerland two politicians were not happy at all with the current street signs. Current street signs follow the recommendations of the “Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals“. 
Geneva’s Counselor Serge Dal Busco and City Mayor Sandrine Salerno ordered to “feminize” the traffic signs of the city.

Photo courtesy of Keystone / Martial Trezzini

First World Street Sign Problems – get more feminine!

	This had been the original sign for “Pedestrians crossing” from 1968.
	Some years later, nobody did wear a hat. So they removed it. Also the gender got more neutral.
	Now, Geneva got feminized. It’s not a curvy super model, but a pregnant woman on the new street sign.
	For not to offend the LBGTQ community, they also created a lesbian version “Pedestrians crossing”.

No, it’s not a joke. It’s real!

I first had to check if it’s not April 1^st when I read this news this morning. But it is really true. The city did already install the first signs. The proof behind the university:

It’s still more fun in the Philippines

In the Philippines most, if not all, street signs are hand-made. Sometimes the painters are really creative. Most of the people here do not understand the pictograms. Therefore all signs also contain the written meaning of the sign. And if the sign painter had not followed the language classes, the results can be very funny. Please fasten seat belts, I chose some funny ones:

OMG – did they get a Viagra delivery? As usual they say sorry. CAUTION: now it gets really hard …

One often sees the “Accident prone area” signs. Either this painter is 100% illiterate or he stayed to much of his (work) time on Porn Hub.

To finish the human interactions – a last one, seen in a bus:

Usually if there is a street sign announcing a town or a baranagay, you finde “Welcome to …”. And when you leave on the other side you see “Thank you. Come again”. This sign painter did not master English language. But OK – Bahala na!
And for once it is Coke who sponsored the sign. Because if the police uses rum sponsored signs…

No, we did not forget Taal volcano

We still keep in close contact with PHIVOLCS and post the latest update on “Philippine Active Volcanoes“. But today the volcano kept rather quiet. We also do not want to upraise panic while government agencies are diffusing quiet news.
But frankly, I would not go to Batangas now.
If you know to read between the lines, it seems that something is preparing. FULL STOP NOW! Read todays bulletin yourself.

On the other hand, Filipinos are fatalists and live here and now. Maybe you want to read about “Bahala na!“. Today had been a sunny day with blue sky. Why should we bother about things we cannot change?

[GARD]