Thursday, January 03, 2008

The Way We Were (1973)

1973 Dry Bones cartoon - Israeli Drivers ...Yikes!
In keeping with our celebration of Dry Bones' 35th Anniversary, here's another cartoon from January 1973. Dry Bones was exactly one month old at that point.

Back then we Israelis all smoked. And the cigarette butts dangling from the lips of my characters as they chatted just seemed to make it more accurate.

In this Golden Oldie, two immigrants (new Olim in our pidgin English) were experiencing the daredevil excitement of driving on an Israeli road. "Kol HaKavod" is a Hebrew term of praise and encouragement which can be translated as "Way To Go!". Egged is the name of our national bus company (the second largest bus company in the world!!). The joke was that by driving like a maniac, our unwitting newcomer had earned the acceptance and congratulations of the Israeli drivers on the road.

35 years have passed. The few of us that haven't quit the tobacco habit are trying to.

As to maniacal, incompetent, unsafe, aggressive, and dangerous driving ...well, "The Way We Were" is unfortunately still "The Way We Are".

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