Fast and Slow, Albania to China
Thought for the day…” Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving” (Einstein).
” If you do not know where you are going, any road will get you there”.
Around 3.2 million people live in Albania, which borders Greece in the south and Montenegro in the north. Italy is just 72km away across the sea, yet Albania remains one of the poorest parts of Europe. One strange difference in Albania is that shaking your head means ‘yes’ whilst nodding your head means ‘no’. Today’s photo shows the train from the Albanian capital, Tirana arriving at the second largest city of Durres. At the time the photo was taken, trains ran all the way from the capital, however now the main train has been demolished to make way for new roads ! Even when it was operating all the way, average speeds were extremely poor, with the 38km journey taking around 90 minutes. Compare that to the world record for a conventional train, held by the French TGV which reached a top speed of 574.8 km/h in April 2007. Up to July 2011 (when its top speed was limited to save energy) the Chinese CRH2 Harmony train covered the 922km from Wuhan to Guangzhou at an average of 313 km/h.
and another photo from the archives….boats in Essiouria, Morocco. Spot the man on the boats….
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Why do they do it?
Thought for the day…” Some days there will not be a song in hour heart. Sing anyway”.
“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss then you will end up among the stars”.
I have no sympathy or patience for the increasing numbers of people who are walking along pavements with their head down, concentrating on a mobile telephone, and oblivious to the outside world. Now I refuse to move out of their way. TMCnet.com is reporting that a poll of British doctors has shown that 37% of UK smartphone users have stumbled in the last 2 years. The study also reported that 40% of Greek smartphone users damaged their phones in stumbling accidents over the last 2 years. And sites such as youtube have videos showing mobile phone users walking off piers in the sea or into canals or fountains whilst texting. So why do people do it?? What is so important that it needs a text to be sent whilst walking??? Moan for the day.
A sunny day in the Croatian city of Dubrovnik for the photo today and a shot of the Costa Victoria cruise ship. The ship carries up to 1928 passengers and a crew of 766, whilst about 42 000 people live in the city of Dubrovnik.
and another photo out of the archives….Gospel day in the Cook Islands….
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Travelling in style….the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland
Thought for the day…” Minds are like parachutes, they only function when open”.
” When it is time to die, let us not discover that we have never lived”
News on the net is that over 1700 private jets are expected in connection with the World Economic Forum, which is being held in Davos, Switzerland. Zurich airport has already exhausted its private jet parking spaces, and a nearby military base is being opened up to cope with the overflow. And demand for helicopters is also breaking records. So what will the 2500 world leaders and business managers actually achieve at Davos??? No doubt lots of talk and lots of very expensive dining, but to what end? To me, it seems like just another excuse for an expensive luxury trip to wine and dine in Switzerland. Try telling that to the millions in Greece who have been without jobs for a long time, and where youth unemployment (ages between 15 and 24) is now over 60%. And whilst some people in Greece and Portugal have to queue for food handouts from charities, the 2500 world leaders and business managers will be dining in style in Davos in 5 star luxury.
Today’s photo is not from a private jet, but is a nice photo of clouds. This photo works much better in black & white, as then it concentrates attention on the shape of the clouds themselves.
and another photo out of the archives…..a steam train in Uppsala Sweden.
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Sunset in the Sahara
Thought for the day…..” The optimist seems opportunity in every danger, the pessimist sees danger in every opportunity”
“Kites rise highest against the wind, not with it”.
Said to be the World’s largest sand desert, the Sahara is about the same size as the USA, and covers about 30% of Africa. Antartica and the Artic are larger deserts, but the Sahara is the largest hot desert. Temperatures in summer can reach up to 57 degrees and some of the sand dunes can reach up to 180m, although the Sahara also includes volcanic mountains as well (the highest point is 3415m at Emi Koussi). The name ‘Sahara’ comes from the Arabic plural word for deserts. Seen here is the edge of the Sahara at sunset in Morocco. The photo was taken with an early digital camera (Olympus) many years ago.
and another photo out of the archives…..a beautiful winter’s morning in Haglebu, Eggedal, Norway…..
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6 Billion variations on a theme……
Thought for the day…” You will never find a rainbow if you are looking down”s
” Go to Heaven for the climate, and to Hell for the company”.
It is amazing the variations that are possible with just 2 eyes, one nose and one mouth. And add to that emotions and the variations become endless. The English language has more than 400 words which describe emotions and sentiments, and studies have shown that when people are trying to conceal emotions, that they subconsciously show ‘micro emotions’ very rapidly. For smiles, there are around 18 different types of smile, ranging from polite to cruel and false. And body language also reflects our emotions, for instance, touching the nose often indicates that the person is hiding something. Studies have estimated that the human face can make over 10 000 facial expressions, although most are too small to notice. Few people are said to posses the perfect face, that is where both halves of the face have perfect symmetry, yet there are some 6 billion faces worldwide. 6 billion variations on 2 eyes, one nose and a mouth……here is one of them, a few years ago in Pakistan….
and another photo from the archives…
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Beers of the world.
Thought for the day…” If you want the rainbow then you have to put up with the rain” (Dolly Parton)
” No-one can make you feel inferior without your consent”.
Next time you feel like a beer, then spare a thought for beer drinkers in Iceland. There the Stedji brewery is offering a special beer to quench your thirst, made from smoked whale’s testicles. Apparently it is an ancient Icelandic tradition to cure, smoke and then salt these parts of whales. Whale meat is found on the menu in Icelandic restaurants, and is claimed to be healthy due to its high protein content and low fat. The beer, which is 5.2% alcohol, will only be sold in Iceland.
A perfect autumn day at Lake Wanaka, New Zealand for the photo today….clear air and still conditions made photos like these very easy…..
And another photo out of the archives…snowmobile jumping in the centre of the Finnish capital, Helsinki
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New job – Get shot at !!
Thought for the day…” If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favourable”.
” I would rather be optimistic and a fool, rather than pessimistic and right”.
Picked up some rather unusual news in the New Zealand Herald newspaper which featured a story on a job that had been advertised in the UK by a company called UKPaintball. They were advertising for a person to become a ‘Human Bullet Impact Tester’. The job was offering a salary of GBP 40 000 a year if you were prepared to be shot at (presumably only with paintballs !) daily. So popular was the idea of the job that more than 10 000 people applied, including worldwide applicants from places as far afield as India and Canada. One applicant said that because he was fat then he would be easier to aim at !! So if you fancy a new career…..
Up in the mountains in Eggedal, Norway for the photo today and to the lake at Haglebu. The hill in the picture offers fantastic views over the valleys and mountains around, yet takes under an hour to get to the summit at 1076m. On the right of the photo in the trees is a glimpse of a church, popular for weddings and christenings. This road makes a very scenic alternative route for those heading from Oslo to Bergen.
and another photo from the archives…. a watchful iguana….
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250 million people – and more to come……
Thought for the day…” Tough times never last, but tough people do”.
I have been reading about the plans for the expansion of the second airport in Dubai, called Dubai World Centre. Costing some USD 32 BILLION, the airport hopes to handle some 250 MILLION passengers a year, including up to 50 A380 aircraft at once. That cost, USD 32 billion is equivalent to about 3 times the total government debt of Bolivia Each of the terminals will be 2.8 km/1.7 miles long and will have 100 gates (so a total of 400 gates). If you have transitted the current Dubai (DXB) airport then you will know what a huge affair that airport is, but now with a second airport (Dubai World Centre) under way, huge takes on a new meaning. But what sort of travel ‘experience’ will that offer if you are one of just 250 MILLION passengers using the airport? I can imagine the queues, the wait for baggage and the sheer amount of walking that will be involved.
A smiling local in Samoa prepares fish for the photo today…..
and another photo from the archives..an Ethiopian woman….
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Were there some red faces recently?
Thought for the day…” A goal is a dream with a deadline”.
” When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it”
Now I am wondering if there are some very red faces at the American toymaker Hasbro over it’s ‘Play-Doh Sweet Shoppe Cake Mountain Playset’. Red faces probably, not over the spelling of ‘shoppe’ but probably over the transparent plastic tube that is used to squeeze out Play-Doh to appear like cake frosting. More than one person has commented that the plastic extruder appears to be very much like a sex-toy. Remember that this item was sold in a set aimed at children, and was sold through reputable retailers.
Comments were posted on Facebook, including on Hasbro Inc. own pages about the ‘toy’. More than a few parents have been upset by the shape of the ‘toy’. And if you have time, then check out some of the comments and reviews that purchasers have left on Amazon.com. Sure to bring a smile…….and good that most people can see the funny side of life. Hasbro are replacing the item with an alternative design.
Something more serene and less controversial here…Lake Hawea in Otago, South Island New Zealand. The photo shows the main highway which heads through the Southern Alps up to the Haast Pass, before dropping down to the West Coast. Lake Hawea is a popular fishing spot, whilst Hawea village has a wonderful cafe and restaurant (Sailz), well worth a short detour off the highway to visit. Highly recommended !!
and another photo from the archives…the rare Rothschild giraffe…
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An unusual online dating site……..
Thought for the day…” A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single cash advance”.
” You miss 100% of the shots that you never take”.
If you are bored at this time of year then you may like to join an online dating site. But not any old online dating site. How about ” Dead-meet.com”?? This is THE site for people working with death, such as embalmers, morticians, coroners etc. to meet like-minded partners who will understand the stress and trials of working with death. So at the end of a long day, you can return home and discuss all the decomposition of the day with a partner who will likely be able to describe their day of death as well. http://www.dead-meet.com if you want to check it out.
Less boring, and showing plenty of signs of life is the photo today of a ferry passenger. The white paint on the ferry acted as a natural reflector, illuminating her face perfectly.
and another photo from the archives – speed and action in this cycle race in Portugal, taken a few years ago….
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