Wrong Priorities
Thought for the day “Light travels faster than sound. That’s why some people appear bright until they speak”
“If you can’t see the bright side of life, polish the dull side” (Rowan Atkinson).
Amazing to read again in the Norwegian newspapers that the police have arrested another foreign tourist for flying a drone. This time is was over the capital city of Oslo, as reported here –
https://www.nrk.no/nyheter/en-person-pagrepet-etter-droneflygning-i-oslo–1.16697099
What is amazing is that while a tourist flying a small drone (presumably causing no damage) gets arrested, on the streets below people can be seen openly selling drugs and injecting themselves. If, as the Norwegian Police keep saying, they do not have the resources to investigate many crimes in Norway, then why are they focussing on tourists flying drones??? Surely a much more SERIOUS issue is the open selling of hard drugs on the streets in the city centre (especially the areas around Storgata and Gronland) ? If you have limited resources then why focus on trivial ‘crimes’ (and I would not consider flying a small drone over most of Oslo a crime) then why not focus on the SERIOUS issues like hard drugs? There are also the other serious crimes, like the increase in knife attacks in the city, but Norwegian Police are arresting tourists flying drones. My experience when contacting the police in Norway is that their standard answer seems to be that they do not have the resources to investigate. I can guess why.
It seems to me that the Norwegian Police are concentrating on the ‘easy’ targets like tourists flying drones and motorists driving a few km/h over the speed limit, instead of the SERIOUS crimes like selling or using hard drugs. Surely, somebody using a knife in an attack or selling heroin should be targeted BEFORE a tourist flying a drone ???
Today’s photo is Winter in Norway, with cold and clear weather in the town of Honefoss in South Norway.
And another photo from the archives, the driver of the BRB steam train waits for his next trip up the Rothorn mountain in Brienz, Switzerland.
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Put Two and Two Together
Thought for the day “If you do not live for something then you will die for nothing”
“The boisterous sea of liberty is never without a wave.” Thomas Jefferson
Very surprising in Norway that people are not putting two and two together. Probably the same situation around Europe too. According to the newspapers, more than 65 000 people from Ukraine have come to Norway since the war started. Recently that number has been increasing by around 1000 new people each week.
A quick read of the Norwegian newspapers will show the problems and long waiting times that people are having to get appointments for visits to doctors and hospitals. Students are having problems to find apartments to rent, and prices for rentals have increased a lot. Supply and demand.
But people do not seem to be putting two and two together. More than 65 000 extra people in Norway from Ukraine and now a shortage of apartments and problems to get appoints for medical matters. And yet the Norwegian government is continuing to let in large numbers of people from Ukraine each week, so those problems will just get worse and worse.
But people do not seem to realize the connection. Rather obvious to me. Much like the captain of the Titanic saying that the Titanic is on course but it is the iceberg which must get out of the way.
When will Norwegian people wake up ??
Today’s photo comes from Cardrona near Pembroke on the South Island of New Zealand. The historic pub there has featured in advertisements and is a popular stop on the drive from Pembroke to Queenstown.
Water, water everywhere
Thought for the day “Success depends on your backbone, not your wishbone.”
“The man who is swimming against the stream knows the strength of it.” Woodrow Wilson
Norway has been hit by some very heavy rains over the last few days, resulting in flooding in low lying areas. As usual, many trains were cancelled, although that is nothing unusual in Norway where rain, wind, snow or even sunshine stops the trains. But the heavy rains have produced some interesting photo opportunities, especially around the waterfalls in the town of Honefoss. Foss is actually a Norwegian word for waterfall, very appropriate now given the size of them. Here is a photo today, showing the huge amount of water. Great sky for the photo too !
And a photo from the other side…..
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Big Brother is coming -1984 is on the way.
Thought for the day “A smile is a curve that sets everything straight.” Phyllis Diller
“The mystery of government is not how it works but how to make it stop.” P. J. O’Rourke
I picked up an interesting story on YouTube today, posted by an American lawyer, Ben Hart, who is resident in Thailand. There is a proposal in Thailand by one of the big political parties there, to give citizens there a 10 000 THB payment (about 265 euros) together with a new digital savings account and digital I.D. Even worse is the proposal that this digital money will have to be spent within a 4km radius of the resident’s home.
This is a very dangerous move if it does actually happen. What government has the right to tell a citizen where he/she can spend THEIR money ? And the linking of your digital identity to your money is a very dangerous move, as then governments will have total control over both you and your money. Say something wrong (politically incorrect) and your digital money is locked. If your ‘social credit’ is too low your digital money might also get locked.
There is a lot of news from England about Nigel Farage having his bank accounts at the Coutts Bank (part of National Westminster Bank – partly government owned) closed because of his political views and political associations. This is one sign that governments may already be taking control of people’s money.
But the proposal in Thailand to even limit somebody’s use of money to a 4km radius of their home is very worrying. No government should have this sort of control over where somebody spends their OWN money. It will become even worse if this is also linked to the ’15 minute cities’ idea, as then governments will also be to effectively limit spending and movement, all controlled by the digital I.D and linked digital money. Frightening.
If you would like to see the video by Ben Hart on YouTube, the link is –
The photo today is an early morning local train from Interlaken to Meiringen waits at Oberried in Switzerland.
And another photo from the archives….the lakeside at the town of Pembroke Wanaka, New Zealand.
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Virtual Travel
Thought for the day ” Turn your face to the sun and the shadow falls behind you.”
“The best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up.”
Some virtual travel today, although very realistic. Microsoft has made huge strides with the quality and the realism in their flight simulators, and the current version is almost “as real as it gets”. Here is a screenshot of the approach into Queenstown Airport on the south Island of New Zealand on a perfect Autumn morning. The arm of the lake behind the helicopter leads down to Glenorchy and deep into the Southern Alps. The second screenshot shows the airport, with the Remarkables Mountains behind.
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More stupidity in Norway
Thought for the day ” “If wars can be started by lies, Peace can be started with truth” Julian Assange.
“The more sand that has escaped from the hourglass of our life, the clearer we should see through it.” Jean Paul
Like a lot of people, before I came to Norway I had an idea that it was a modern, efficient and well-run country. Certainly on the first, short tourist visit the country looks very pretty with some dramatic scenery. But beyond the fjords and mountains things are not so pretty.
Another example in the newspapers this week showing that things are not so modern and efficient in Norway. Ruter, the company which organizes the buses and trams in and around the Oslo capital region, has said that its’ travel guarantee’ (where it normally pays for alternative travel costs if a bus/tram service is delayed) will NOT apply during the current snows which Norway is experiencing.
The reason for this is that it considers the current snows to be a “force majeure”. I cannot understand why any Norwegian person or company can consider snow in the middle of WINTER to be an exceptional circumstance. It is Norway, it is Winter and normally in latitudes so far north then the frozen water does fall in the form of snow. I would like to see a refusal to pay compensation because of this snow tested in a court of law. I definitely do NOT consider snow in the middle of Winter to be anything unusual. I can also think of at least 3 other countries where snow in Winter has little effect on public transport. Those countries are not surprised by it. But this is Norway…..
Another photo from the archives, a Bergen to Oslo train on its journey to Oslo, without snow.
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More stupidity in Norway – Avis Car Rental
Thought for the day “If you count all your assets you always show a profit.” Wilson Mizner
“The more sand that has escaped from the hourglass of our life, the clearer we should see through it.”
There are more stupid people in Norway than I imagined. I hate stupidity, and I hate people who will not move with the times. Latest example of stupidity comes from Avis Car Rental in Norway, part of the same Avis/Budget Rental group. The Norwegian government issues digital driving licences which work through an app on your telephone. These are accepted by police and also border officials and can also function as an identity card (as they have the holder’s photo on them as well).
So imagine the stupidity of Avis Car Rental in Norway who refuse to accept digital driving licences. It seems like this company wants to live in the past, although presumably their cars run on petrol and not steam, so they can move with the times when it suits them. Numerous emails to their head office but still a refusal by Avis Car Rental to use this ‘new’ technology. They claim that it is due to ‘security reasons’ but refuse to say what these ‘security reasons’ are. So whilst the police and other government officials ARE happy to accept digital driving licences, Avis prefers to live in the past and refuse them. Pure stupidity. Avis is very happy to use the internet and modern technology to debit my credit card instantly, but when it comes to accepting digital driving licences, it is a different story.
I hope that Avis Car Rental company gets the success that it deserves with such a backward attitude like that. Some of us are happy to live in the 21st century (or more, depending on which calendar that you use). Avis prefers to live in the past. So whilst their prices are 21st century, their behaviour is certainly not. Guess who will NOT be renting from Avis/Budget in future ?
Waiting for the train in Sri Lanka for the photo today –
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Stupidity in Norway
Thought for the day “To different minds, the same world is a hell, and a heaven.”
“The young man knows the rules, but the old man knows the exceptions.”
Thinking back 12 months, my crystal ball never said that the next 12 months were going to be crazy, and that the World would be turned upside down. But upside down they certainly are. And in Norway, stupidity seems to be spreading too. Take for example the bus company VKT which operates buses in Vestfold (one of the counties in Norway). They proudly advertise on their buses that they have Wifi BUT they advise passengers that they have to log on in order to get the password. My question to the bus company (sent by email) is how do they expect passengers to get the password to log on because you need internet to get the password in the first place. So far, the bus company has not admitted their stupidity but whoever thought up this crazy policy deserves to be sacked. Either he/she is very stupid or they do not want people to use the internet on board their buses. The same bus company VKT should perhaps use that same internet (assuming that they can log on) to monitor their buses, as all four buses which I travelled on today were late. But perhaps they do not have the password to log on……….
Today’s photo comes from the South Island town of Pembroke Wanaka in New Zealand, with the mountains of the Southern Alps in the background. Eely Point, visible in the centre of the photo, is a popular place for bathing and also boat launching, as well as a starting point for water skiers.
and another photo from the archives
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Censorship and Freedom of Speech
Thought for the day….”Turn your face to the sun and the shadow falls behind you.”
“Striving for sucess without hard work is like trying to harvest when you have not planted.”
People often criticize countries such as China for restricting freedom of speech and people’s freedoms. But now the governments around the World are being just as bad as any dictatorship. Twitter, Facebook and YouTube are now censoring posts which do not comply with the official government line or which question vaccines or controls. So even when there is scientific evidence, people are being stopped from publicly questioning governments. And governments now are using coronavirus as an excuse to introduce all sorts of controls and restrictions on freedom that would never have been accepted before. People fought two World Wars so that generations could have freedom, yet now those very freedoms for which they fought (and sometimes died) and being taken away by politicians. Many, many years ago, I was taught in school an important lesson which I have never forgotten….that is to never believe everything that people tell you. Very good advice. So now when I see statistics then I am careful. And when I see the likes of Twitter, Facebook and YouTube removing posts which go against what the politicians are promoting, then I am very, very suspicious. We are already well down a very slippery slope.
Great light and mood in this photo from Glenorchy in New Zealand, looking towards the Mount Aspiring National Park and both the Dart and the Rees valleys.
and another photo from the archives, Zebras drinking at a waterhole in Namibia –
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As always, two laws, depending on who you are
Thought for the day…”Rough Diamonds may sometimes be mistaken for worthless pebbles.”
“We may pass violets looking for roses. We may pass contentment looking for victory.”
So often in life there are two sets of laws, depending on who you are and who you know. The New Zealand government is charging NZD 3100 (about 1800 euros) for the compulsory 2 weeks quarantine but has a quote system to limit the number of international arrivals. Sounds fair enough to only allow in as many people as can be housed in the isolation hotels BUT, as always, some groups are getting in. A film crew was allowed into New Zealand to make a sci-fi film as they were considered ‘essential workers’.
This week, the NZ news is reporting that the West Indies cricket team is being allowed into Queenstown, all 28 of them –
https://www.odt.co.nz/regions/queenstown/warm-welcome-windies
Whilst there are stories in the press and on the internet about families UNABLE to get places in the isolation hotels and unable to get one of the limited places to be allowed into NZ. Families are also being kept apart –
http://www.thesouthafrican.com/lifestyle/south-africans-delays-henco-de-beernew-zealand-quarantine/
So while families and couples are being kept apart due to the quota system for managing isolation and arrivals, a film crew is deemed to be ‘essential workers’ and 28 members of a cricket team are also allowed in. Now in my mind that is wrong. Very wrong. Making a sci-fi film is NOT essential, nor is playing cricket. But as always, there seem to be two sets of laws…….
Gone but not forgotten, this 747 of Air Pacific takes off from Nadi airport in Fiji. It was retired from service in 2013.
and another photo from the archives…..a motorist enjoys the early morning view over Lake Wanaka, Pembroke on the South Island of New Zealand.
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South Island beauty, Southern Alps of New Zealand
Thought for the day…”Reach for the stars, even if you have to stand on a cactus”
“The world of reality has its limits; the world of imagination is boundless.”
The beauty of the South Island of New Zealand with some fantastic weather. The river here, the Waimakariri, is one of three rivers which cut through the Southern Alps. The main east-west road and also the trans-alpine railway follow this river for many kilometres. In just a few km from where this photo was taken, the vegetation changes from dry grasslands and bushes to the rainforest of the (wet) West Coast. This area was also the area where the extinct moa bird was said to have been seen by two locals in 1993, leading to a mini tourist boom. The fact that these two locals were about to take over the running of the local pub near where the ‘moa’ had been seen may just have been coincidence !! Nowadays you are more likely to see fishermen by the river and hunters in the hills after wild boar or deer.
and another photo from the archives…an intense stare from this boy in a market in Sri Lanka
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“Its because of coronavirus”
Thought for the day…..”Too many people miss the silver lining because they’re expecting gold.”
“The world of reality has its limits; the world of imagination is boundless.”
Far too many companies are now trying to excuse their own inefficiencies with the excuse that “it is because of coronavirus”. Airlines in particular seem to be especially bad at the moment, and their excuse is always “coronavirus”. Same story with a lot of other companies too. Emails are going unanswered and customer ‘service’ is falling even more. Given that a lot of people can work online from home for things like refunds and answering emails then the coronavirus excuse is wearing very thin now.
Airlines such as SAS and Norwegian Air Shuttle (both of whom seem to be ignoring emails for months) are not going to see my money for a long time.
But in the long term these companies are going to lose. Companies (such as airlines) which are now failing to reply promptly are going to lose some or all of my business. The World is still turning, despite coronavirus, and businesses cannot use coronavirus as an excuse for everything.
And staying in Switzerland, a Piper Cub seaplane on the Brienzersee during a recent seaplane meeting. The village of Ringgenberg is in the background.
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Lufthansa German Airlines group and Economy class travel
Thought for the day…”Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get.”
“A certain amount of opposition is a great help to a man. Kites rise against, not with, the wind.”
Too many companies are using coronavirus as an excuse now. Often it is being used to cover up their own failures but the excuse of coronavirus is being overused. Joining the bandwagon of companies blaming (conveniently) coronavirus is the Lufthans group (LH) airlines. Now this is why I am getting angry…..according to Lufthansa, they are no longer giving ECONOMY class passengers tea, coffee or food on flights of less than 150 minutes. This is to protect “your health and the health of our employees”
https://www.lufthansa.com/ch/en/current-onboard-services#short-haul
BUT if you are travelling Business class then you will still get food and drink. Now would the managers at Lufthansa like to tell me why Business class passengers are not seen as any risk whereas Economy class passengers are seen as a risk? Or is the real reason that Lufthansa just wants to save money and is conveniently using coronavirus as an excuse to make further cuts to Economy class services? I know which answer my money is on. And also why do Lufthansa no longer service food when other airlines ARE still serving food to economy class passengers?
Companies should stop trying to blame coronavirus for everything. Be honest with customers, and if you are going to cut out meals and drinks for Economy class passenger then BE HONEST and tell us the real reason….to save money. Do not try and blame it on coronavirus. We are not stupid.
And another photo from the archives, Ometepe in Nicaragua at sunset….
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Go Pro Be Gone
Thought for the day “Too many people miss the silver lining because they’re expecting gold.”
“The world of reality has its limits; the world of imagination is boundless.”
Go Pro make some good action cameras. But so do a lot of other companies (such as Garmin, which I own). My recent experience of GoPro Customer ‘service’ has made me determined that I will never buy a Go Pro product. Indeed, GoPro and Customer ‘service’ should not be used in the same sentence, as if you have tried to resolve anything with them online then you will know that ‘service’ is probably the opposite of what you will receive. Can you imagine an international company that REFUSES to accept emails? This is the 21st century, yet Go Pro will nicely send you an email telling you that they do not accept emails. How stupid is that? And if you dare to try their online chat (only available during certain hours), apart from the unhelpful ‘assistants’ (and that is the wrong word for them) then you may find that the conversation conveniently (for Go Pro) gets cut off. So they refuse to accept emails and their online chat will leave you searching for some (unprintable) words.
So the end result of all this frustration and failed emails…..I will not be buying anymore Go Pro cameras. Plenty of good alternatives out there (such as InstaOne and Garmin). If Go Pro will not accept emails then they will not be seeing any of my money. Bad customer service drives customers away, and it has done. Go Pro be gone.
Two photos from Stavanger in Western Norway for the pictures today. The first photo is of the Old Town which is next to the harbour. Normally these streets would be full of tourists and visitors from cruise ships, but because of coronavirus, are mercifully quiet at the moment. Add to that Spring sunshine and it is easy to get some great photos.
and staying in Stavanger for another photo, interesting shapes and colours on the waterfront. Both photos taken with the Fuji X-T30 camera and 18-55mm kit lens.
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The positive side of coronavirus
Thought for the day…”Curiosity will conquer fear even more than bravery will.”
“Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
Despite all the doom and gloom at the moment, there are some positive sides to coronavirus. Staff in shops and cafes have become noticeably better recently, and are happy to serve you now. Not only that but they have time to help and, with the lack of customers, are actually trying to help out. Shops and cafes have become more polite, with people waiting patiently in spaced-out queues. Cafes have started putting most items in plastic to prevent contamination, hand disinfectant is now common and for the time being, people are being very good at using disinfectants. And another bonus, the enforced free time is giving some of us some a great opportunity to catch up on things that previously we never had time for. So it is not all negative at the moment !! Stay safe.
The southbound Oslo to Kiel ferry passing the coast of Norway at Drobak.
and another photo from the archives….sunrise captured with the Fuji X-T30
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Joys of travelling
Thought for the day…”Reach for the stars, even if you have to stand on a cactus”
It is the set of the sails, not the direction of the wind that determines which way we will go.”
The joys of travelling….exciting new places and destinations. But it is not always fun. One of my pet hates (one of many) is that hotels often do not have a list of TV channels. Given that some hotels can have upwards of 100 channels, why can they not put a list in the room to save endless channel surfing trying to find the 5 or 6 interesting channels?? A simple card or print out listing the channels would be so good. And linked to this pet hate are hotel TVs that as soon as start them are at maximum volume, hardly ideal for a hotel when guests are trying to sleep.
Next pet hate……Many hotels are no longer giving the small bottles of shampoo and conditioner or individual soap, preferring to have dispensers on the walls instead. All very well IF the hotel refills them but so often just when you are in the shower you discover that the dispensers are empty.
And staying with hotels and pet hates…..the annoying habit that more and more hotels are only putting in one rubbish bin/trash can in the whole room and bathroom. Saves them a little money, but is hardly good for the guest experience.
Another hate….modern hotels whose managers have decided that THEY know the temperature that guests want the rooms to be at, and have removed individual temperature controls in the rooms….I am seeing this more and more and it is also not good for the guest experience.
Topping the list of pet hates for hotels…..any hotel that has slow internet or has a poor internet signal in the room deserves to go out of business….no excuse for this in the 21st century. Excuses such as “it is the number of guests in the hotel” or “it is the rainy weather” just get me irritated. It is not rocket science to get fast, reliable internet in a hotel, but it seems to be a major problem for some hotels.
The list goes on….to be continued………
Today’s photo is of the lakefront in Pembroke, South Island, New Zealand, on a perfect Summer’s evening. One man and his dog admire the view….
and another photo from the archives…..driving hazards on the roads of Scandinavia….these are a much bigger problem at night when they tend to freeze in the car headlights. A male elk can be over 300 kg, so can cause a lot of damage to a car.
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An aerial view of Lake Wanaka in perfect weather
Thought for the day….”Life Always offers you a second chance. It’s called tomorrow”.
A video instead of a photo today…the lakeside town of Wanaka on the South Island of New Zealand. A short (10 minute) drone video taken in perfect weather. Starts over the town of Wanaka then along the lakeside at Glendu Bay and finally over Dublin Bay. New Zealand at its best. Sit back and enjoy !
and another photo from the archives…an Autumn day in Glendu Bay, South Island, New Zealand (same place as featured in the video above). The glaciers visible in the background are in the Mt. Aspiring National Park, with Mt. Aspiring (3033m) visible on the skyline to the right. The mountains are part of the Southern Alps.
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Soon to be devloped – an area of outstanding natural beauty.
Though for the day…”Prepare for the worst; expect the best; and take what comes.”
“To different minds, the same world is a hell, and a heaven.” (J.B. Priestley).
A panoramic photo from Glendu Bay on the South Island of New Zealand near Pembroke. This area is on the edge of Mount Aspiring National Park, but sadly is being sold for development. Already new roads are being put in and sections for houses laid out. It is terrible that the local council is allowing an area of outstanding natural beauty to be developed. As they say, “money talks”. Sadly the politicians and officials in NZ have not learned from the mistakes that have been made in other places, and once this area is developed then it is gone forever. Soon photos like this will be just a memory. Progess??
And another photo from the archives, beautiful Wineglass Bay in Tasmania, Australia
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