CSI lies

I’m hugely busy and I note that James still has’t published anything beyond his salad, so I’m just going to share this article I read in the Grauniad last night on “CSI Oxford” – or rather LGC Forensics, the private company who deal with the science side of many of the high profile criminal cases in the UK.

It was part of this paragraph that I particularly enjoyed:

We’re in a long – a very long – corridor. The overriding theme, colour-wise, is blue. Clean enough to be a hospital, except nothing is worn or in need of repair; all is pristine. Either side, set after set of swing doors. Security keypads.
On the doors, bright red and yellow notices: No Entry for Unauthorised Personnel. Danger, Hazardous Materials. Approved Clothing Must Be Worn. And the one that gives you instant pause: Stop – DNA Sensitive Area. Do Not Enter Unless You Have Given An Elimination Sample.

I’m no crime fiction reader, but even I imagined feature writer Jon Henley as some sort of serial killer, whose DNA would be found all over crime scenes across the country and sent to LGC. How very convenient that through that elimination sample, he now has the perfect alibi for all those murders and remains free to kill again. Possibly anyway. We’ll have to watch for the follow up artcile as he clears his name again.

Also interesting was the effect that the CSI programmes have had on their customers and the juries they present their findings to. It might be wise of me to point out that the technical stuff in other science/medical dramas is often also rather overblown and often just wrong – which comes at a cost:

TV’s worst inaccuracies may compromise what trust remains between doctors and patients.

And Mrs 6000’s favourite show is right at the top of the naughty list.

Poor choice

Back in December when we arranged the repairs to the pool and the pool area, the weather was pretty rubbish in Cape Town.
But we couldn’t have foreseen that we’d choose to have it done during the hottest week in living memory.

image

It’s a job that has to be done during the summer months, because the lower water table in the drier seasons lessens the risk of your pool literally popping out of the ground. (On first hearing about this possible phenomenon, I was desperate to see it happen – then I saw how much it was going to cost me if it did.)
But the summer months have weeks that are in the mid-20s, which would have been fine. Right now, in an effort to get any sort of comfort, I’m writing this from next door’s pond.

The Dangers of Raw Fennel & Almond Salad

Tune into James Lech’s blog today and there is a recipe for a Raw Fennel & Almond Salad. James, lest we forget, is not only “Africa’s #1 Dog Whisperer”, with powers that don’t include stopping his dogs from attacking young children, he also follows a vegan diet (as do his dogs).

While there’s plenty of evidence out there suggesting that James may be a fraud when it comes to his claims of canine control, I fail to see how following his recipe for a Raw Fennel & Almond Salad could possibly harm you (as long as you thoroughly wash all the ingredients first). I’d therefore like to suggest to James that he gives up on the dog stuff and instead concentrates on delivering us instructions for making tasty meat-free dishes. That way, no-one gets hurt.
Least of all a two year old girl playing on what should have been a dog free beach.

James Lech has been fined R1,500 for taking his dogs onto the beach that day, and a charge has been laid against him by the parents of the little girl involved. But James was still out and about on Saturday on that “Pack Walk” we mentioned in that last post. Let’s just be thankful that apparently this time there were no toddlers around to “witness the POWER of the PACK”.

James has promised us a public statement about the Clifton incident:

A public statement and interviews shall be available regarding the facts and comments concerning the incident. Currently documentation is being compiled with our advisors and should be ready within the week.

Hmm. How many lawyers does it take to spell “I’m sorry”?

We’ll share James’ public statement “and interviews” (?!?) when it’s released. And I can’t wait to hear his version of “the facts” on this attack. After all – the last time one of his dogs attacked a young girl, it seemed that his version of “the facts” didn’t quite match the CCTV version of “the facts”.

I saw the child running, coming around the right of my table, jumping over the dog while he was lying down and resting and accidentally stepping on it at the same time.

When told that the video footage showed otherwise, Lech responded:

I saw it with periphery vision because my head is tilted, correct.

This strange periphery vision may also account for James missing the “No Dogs” sign on Clifton Beach and also his not putting a disclaimer on his site stating that he is NOT endorsed by the “World’s Number One Dog Whisperer”, Cesar Millan, despite clearly being instructed to do so.

The good news is that fennel is reputed by many (including Chief Prawn Lance Armstrong) to contain many nutrients that may promote healthy eyes and good vision.

So like I suggested above, James: Fewer dogs, more salads.
Please. For the safety of all our children.

Pylons

All weddings should come with [several] Carling Black Labels, some Moer Coffee and a scary looking shooter or eight. It makes you lose your pre-conceptions and langarm to Kurt Darren.

Wow – I said that like it was a good thing. Meh – it was fun evening: good food, good company, crap music.

After yesterday’s near miss when it came to getting up the West Coast, today’s return journey was rather unexciting, tinged with heat, more heat, a lack of sleep, some heat and a mild hangover.

Passing Koeberg

Mrs 6k drove and I looked out of the window at the scenery passing by at *cough* 120kph. This grey one sums up how I’m feeling this evening – distinctly lacking colour.

The bread is made, the uniforms are ironed and it’s back to school for our two tomorrow. Back to some sort of normality here too – but right now, I need my bed.