6000 – Page 859

Istanbul at night

Posted on February 5, 2014February 5, 2014

Long story short, Mrs 6000 went to Spain to visit a friend and then got stuck in Istanbul on the way home. Given that she had an enforced 24 hours in the city, she did a quick tour and then had a pricey drink in a hotel bar in Beyoglu with this view:

There are obviously a lot more photos taken in Spain and Turkey, and I’ll see if she wants them uploaded to Flickr, but in the meantime, I’m sharing this as my favourite. Using a unfamiliar camera, in the dark and just pointing and shooting, I think we can agree that this is fairly spectacular. #NoFilter

I now want to visit Istanbul. At night.

Last Minute Winner

Posted on February 5, 2014

I stayed up awfully late watching football last night, especially since Mrs 6000 was getting up at 4:15 to head to the airport and I was getting up at 6 to get the kids to school and the me to work.

I’m knackered.

But it was SOOOOO worth it!

After 119½ minutes of… “uninspiring” (polite terminology) football and with the threat of a penalty shootout looming large, Sheffield United substitute Shaun Miller stooped to head in from a couple of yards out after a towering header by Harry “Harry” Maguire, sending the visitors’ huge and vocal contingent into ecstasy.

I may have shouted a bit too.

I’m suffering today – Scoop even commented on the “big blue lines” underneath my eyes this morning – but, fueled by imported Caribbean coffee, I’ll somehow make it through to this evening. However, please be warned that today’s productivity may be slightly reduced.

Another Manx Storm

Posted on February 4, 2014

My inbox has been alive with images from the Isle of Man suffering the slings and arrows of another winter storm this weekend. This just a couple of weeks after a huge storm hit the Island. They’ve come in from various sources (the photos, not the storms, they all came from Atlantic low pressure areas), and in various ways, so – aside from the top one – I’m not sure whose are whose. If they’re yours and you want credit or want them removed, please get in touch.

Castletown Breakwater doing exactly what it’s supposed to.

Photo by Peter Killey of manxscenes.com (who’s been on 6000 miles… previously here).

Laxey harbour wall is under there somewhere.

Douglas Prom

The aftermath on Douglas Prom

Fire Hazard and no footpath at Groudle Glen

Laxey is overcome

I recognise that these photos won’t mean as much to many of my local readers as they do to be, but 1. I want a record of them and 2. “My most important reader is me“.

Queensland Black Mamba plan just might work

Posted on February 3, 2014

In a wonderful and “green” pest control plan, an Australian newspaper is reporting that a local authority in Queensland is set to introduce 22,000 Black Mamba snakes into the region in order to address the area’s Cane Toad problem. True, the Black Mamba is one of the most deadly snakes in the world: highly venomous, very fast and extremely aggressive, but this will surely rid Burdekin Shire of the much-hated invasive toads; except:

Burdekin Shire Council Animal Management Secretary William Matevellio said the jury was still out on whether the Black Mamba will hunt the cane toads, “Currently, there is no evidence that these snakes hunt cane toads, so this is just a trial. I can’t make any promises that the toad population will be reduced. We’ll have to wait and see.”

I’m all for experimentation though. In the meantime:

The introduction begins on the 29th of January and Council has told residents to be cautious when walking around their yards and homes. Council has also instructed residents to keep pets locked up inside until further notice.

It’s great to see the council finding novel ways of controlling these invasive alien species, without needing to use any nasty chemicals, which could potentially harm local residents.

Coast Guards

Posted on February 3, 2014

A really nice piece in Mahala this month about the car guards at Durban’s beachfront – and the extra services that they offer (careful now):

The car guards that ply their trade along the Golden Mile are known to go beyond the call of duty, thanks to the trust that has been built over time between them and their “clients”. The modern surfer has one major issue when it comes to parking their new age vehicle and jumping into the ocean. The remote key: an electronic device that is not water friendly!
But this is not a problem at the major surfing beaches. Every day, numerous beach goers hand over their car keys to the guards in full confidence that their belongings are in good hands. An amazing interaction if you consider the approach most of us take towards crime prevention in this country.

I enjoyed reading this – a quick dip into another world – a world that as the writers suggest, conjures up all sorts of negative connotations. But the entrepreneurship demonstrated by these guys and the obvious trust that has built up between them and the surfers are fantastic.