Rickon Stark - why he didn't zigzag

So my first proper post is going to be about one of my new favorite things - my new favorite television show to be precise - Game of Thrones.

[***SPOILER ALERT FOR SERIES 6 EPISODE 9 OF GAME OF THRONES***]

It has been a few weeks since the episode aired.... after which the internet was filled with cries of "Zig Zag"and "Serpentine".

Looking at the episode I had no problem with the fact that he didn't run in a zig zag and I don't believe it was obvious for him.

Before I start here is a little background for those of you who aren't avid Game of Thrones fans....

Rickon had been captured by his families enemies and just before a big pitched battle was given an opportunity of freedom, if he could run across the battlefield to his brother while being shot at with a bow and arrow. Rickon ran in a straight line and was hit just before getting to safety. 

The internet, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc exploded..... HOW COULD HE BE SO STUPID??? WHY DIDN'T HE ZIG ZAG... I'm too lazy (and not techy enough) to list actual examples....bu if you want some evidence just Google "Rickon ZigZag" and see the pain.

But as the lone voice of sanity, I will provide dissent to the common belief that running in a ZigZag was obvious and the fact he didn't was a plot hole....

1.  Have you ever watched a TV game show and screamed an answer at the screen only to see the contestant crash and burn. Or have you ever walked out of an exam hall only to realise that the answer was so obvious it was like a smelly fish slapping you in the face.... The truth is that in the heat of the battle the average person doesn't think straight, and often go with the first idea that comes up. This was the heat of the battle and with little time to think, Rickon went with the first thing that came to mind... Run as fast as you can away from the enemy.
2. Rickon was a child, he was four years old at the start of the series  and his elder brother Bran is only just being taught the basics of archery, let alone tactics. If they only just started tutoring Bran then it can be safely assumed that Rickon wasn't taught anything. At the time of the battle he was probably between 11 and 15, not an age at which you would expect a person to know these tactics.
3. Between the start of the series and the Battle of the Bastards, Rickon spends most of the time on he run and the latter period as a captive. Again its unlikely that anyone would have been tutoring him in battlefield tactics.
4. At the time of the battle he had been he had been a captive and was likely tired, thirsty and malnourished, none of which will help him think straight in the heat of battle.
5. "The shortest distance between two points is a straight line". Running in a zigzag would have doubled or even trebled, the distance being run and the time being spent in the target zone. The best option is to get out of the target zone as quick as possible.
6. A zigzag pattern would be useful if there is only one poor archer, an expert could probably have factored this in. Someone like Ramsey Bolton would probably have had all the archers let loose a volley if it appeared that Rickon was about to get to safety.

It can be easy for the viewer to watch a TV show, gameshow or any other contest from the comfort of our armchairs and say the decision was wrong. All said and done, I don't think it is a plot hole or a major error showing Rickon running in a straight line.

Anyway this is just my opinion on a fictional TV show.    

601

It's been 601 days since my last post..... which was ironically going to herald my return to the realms of blogging..................

and that turned out to be a false dawn.... 

Since then much has happened in the world.......wars, elections, deaths, births, marriages, empires falling, another season of Game of Thrones......

...and amongst all these harrowing events, I know you have all missed, nay been lost in the wilderness, without my musings on this thing we call life. Well never fear I am back (I hope). Will this be my magnum opus, a phoenix rising from the the ashes or another false dawn...........

Well lets see....

That's all for now....  

The revival...

This post is called the revival because.....

.
..
...

.... I've had to many posts titled "I'm back".....

Let's see how long I can keep this reincarnation going!!!!

I'm back (again)

I'm back again. ... hopefully more updates via mobile blogging....

Iphone 4s v Motorola Razr v Samsung Nexus Prime

Three new beasts have entered the mobile phone arena:

Iphone 4s;

Motorola Razr; and

Samsung Galaxy Nexus Prime.....

This isn't a review of the handsets themselves, you'll find plenty of those all over the net. My only comment is slight disappointment. I was expecting big leaps from Iphone and Samsung and something ground breaking from Motorola......

Unfortunately to my eyes there don't seem to be any major leaps forward (4s is 4 with a few bolt ons; Nexus is similar to SGS2 in terms of processor etc; Razrisn't that different to any other premium Android phone out there). While there is no doubt that these are top class leading devices, I can't see why I waited for these devices.

Now it may just be a testimony to how good the original devices were in comparison and how it is now to make big leaps forward.

Anyway I do need a new phone I'll think a little more before I pick one.....

I'm back (again)

For the nth time I am going to try a return to blogging, its been a while since I last blogged, and to be honest its been a bit of a struggle trying to think of anything interesting, hopefully

My iPad

Well I finally did it, two weeks ago I gave in to temptation and bought myself an iPad (actually a more precise version of events would be that my wife gave me permission to buy one!!!!!!!!!). So now i'm going to give a brief review of my new toy.... but don't expect a detailed breakdown of specs, size, weight, screen resolution, processor speed.....except to say it's a good size and weight, screen is good enough and functions respond fast enough).

Well first I'll start with what it's not... That is a laptop replacement. I couldn't really use it to carry out edits to documents or update spreadsheets, but realistically I wouldn't want to, the form factor doesn't lend itself to it (although apps are available if you want to try). If I brought some work home I would just fire up my laptop and chug away, (although I am erupting this on my iPad so it isn't that bad).

There is no camera for still or video picture capture, but then I wouldn't really want to be walking around trying to use something this big to capture those magic moments.

It's not a phone.... Well not exactly "not"!!!!!!! I have downloaded Skype and am making free or fairly cheap from the iPad (using the home wifi network..... I'll test out the connection over 3G when I get back to Blighty). But again I wouldn't really use it to make calls on the go as my mobile phone is glued to my @ss fairly permanently.

What does it do well:

Always on, unlike a laptop it doesn't take five minutes to fire up, so the web surfing, mailing etc is quicker to access than on a laptop. So for ease of access it's the first port of call.

Speed, the iPad is very quick and responsive so lots of time isn't wasted waiting around for things to load up. The interface is fairly slick and easy to use as expected.

Web surfing (Safari) over the wifi is a joy, as I said its always on, the screen is good to look at, fast to load and most sites i want to look at are accessible. It's much better to look at the smaller smartphones, although occasionally it does direct you to the mobile version of websites which can be a tad annoying when you have a large screen to use. The lack of flash will mean that you may not be able to get the best of all sites, but for now I haven't any major issues.

E-mail (native app), checking and sending my yahoo and gmail is great. Again as its always on it's quicker to check than a laptop, however, iPhone/Blackberry/Android users would boast of the same benefits with the added advantage of ease of use on the go. A point to note is that not all accounts are fully supported in the native app (e.g. Hotmail) but it's just as easy to check on the web browser.

Photos, again it's great here, the screen size is ideal for showing off holiday snaps etc when you have guests, much better than smaller phones, quicker than firing up a laptop and space saving compared to physical albums. The app is great to navigate around as well.

Ebook reader, this was a great plus for me. Now I generally wouldn't have bought a separate ebook reader (even though I love to read), but having one handy is great. The free native app is easy to use but you can also get kindle and other readers for free. There are a wealth of free books available (mainly classics) on all the different readers. The big plus here is the ease of loading up PDFs. I can fire lots of these over to the iPad and use it as a reference source (again the always on functionality is key).

Music player personally I would just steal my wife's iPod or use my phone, so not a biggie in that department (music/podcasts etc). But its not a bad thing to have thrown in.

Apps and games, a wealth of free games and apps are available, however, i used to find the AppStore on my wife's iPhone a tad easier to use. There aren't the same number of apps for the iPad as you have on the iPhone but hopefully that should change over time.

Contacts and calendar are useful tools to have and sync with my PC, but again it's one of those things that a decent enough mobile phone could handle for you.

Videos, the native app means you have to convert movies to the iPad format which can be a bit of a pain (but there are plenty of free utilities out there to do the job). As with the iPhone there is a dedicated YouTube player which is great. The screen dimension means that there will be black bands above and below the screen when watching widescreen but it's bearable. It's definitely a jump up from a smartphone. It also has advantages over a laptop if you fancy watching a movie in bed or on a plane. One cool app I have found is CineXplayer which let's you play avi files on the iPad.

Negatives

iTunes and backups. iTunes is just about ok for file transfers. But the library function is a pain as it doesn't automatically monitor folders to check when they have been updated for pics etc. However, the biggest problem is backups. This part of iPad/iTunes blows away the myth that Apple stuff "just works". Depending on what you have on the iPad backups can take hours, this is something that Apple need to address as it is a major user complaint.

Computer needed. You can not use the iPad straight out of the box. Before you can use it you need to download iTunes and sync it before first use. So if you haven't got a computer you will have a problem. If you buy one while you're out travelling without a laptop forget using it till you're back home.

Marital discord has increased slightly since the purchase of the iPad. Firstly, I'm not trusted to not damage it so I'm constantly being told how to store and look after it by the wife (but I guess anyone who knows my record on destroying things probably sympathizes with her). Secondly, my wife complains that I spend too much time on it and not enough on her. Thirdly, we're always arguing over who should use it.... And as usual it's an argument that she always wins by laying the smack down on me!

The usual suspects with anything "I" related are multitasking and a flash player. But this all depends on your usage. If you frequent sites that are flash heavy then this is not the toy for you. But for my web habits it's fine (especially since they made a standalone Farmville app). I'm also not going to use it for intensive work purposes so the lack of multitasking is no issue for me.

Future

I think the advent of a forward facing camera would be the killer tool in a net gen iPad. Using Skype on it is great and if I could make a video call I'd definitely pick up the next version. It would be nice to have some always on widgets on a home screen, but I don't think Apple are two keen on it.

Overall

It's a nice new toy, it's not a laptop replacement and does nowhere near as much, but what it does do, it does extremely well. I would recommend getting one but look at what you are going to use it for.

Return of the Slick

It's been just over a year since I last blogged. One of the big reasons for my absence was the subject of my last writing.....my dearest darling wife........ As well as my adventure in Libya.

Well now my Libyan adventure is coming to an end and i'll soon be returning to the UK. My time with Petro-Canada has come to an end.......I'll be job hunting as well shifting my life from one continent to another..... So there should be plenty to write about.....as well my views (or lack of) on current affairs.

My Wife

Hi to the dear fan club…. I just want to share with you the fact that I am very happily married (to my wife in case you are wondering!!!!!).

I am very lucky as I have a very very very beautiful and intelligent wife (but clearly not as intelligent as me). She can sometimes be a little moody – but I put this down to me being so irresistible that she gets upset being away from me!

Actually, on a serious note I do doubt her sanity – after all she did marry me and she is actually way more stunning then I thought I would ever get. She’s actually a girl I fell for a long long long time ago – but then she broke my heart and rejected me – it took me forever to recover – but she seems to have had a momentary lapse in sanity and she decided to marry me.

Like I say, I think I’m very lucky as she is way better then anything I deserve and ever dreamt of. I only pray that I can keep her happy (or keep her medicated so that she doesn’t come to her senses and realise what a mistake she’s made!!!)

Anyway, any tips on married life would be appreciated as this is more difficult then expected – women are weird!

Star Trek

Watching the latest Star Trek movie made me wonder……  how does the Federation in Star Trek survive... in every battle the shields go to 5% after taking the first shot and the warp reactor goes offline..... whatever evasive manoeuvre they try they get blown away!!! There photon torpedoes can't penetrate a tomato!!!!! Physically everyone else seems to be harder than them!!!

If it was purely down to who had the better hardware I know whose side I’d be on…….

Thank god we have Kirk and Picard on our side!!!

“The Italian Job” to be remade in Hindi

Now this could be a disaster beyond all proportions or a fantastic success (and lets face it, it can’t get much worse than the American remake).

I’ve just read that an all time cinematic classic is to be remade in Bollywood.

I’m looking forward to this in eager anticipation and trepidation. Anticipation because a well done remake of this classic could be great……

……But trepidation because…..

…..I’m not sure how humour from the swinging sixties can be effectively placed in modern India….

…..I can’t picture it with singing and dancing……

…..I have no idea what car they would use…..

and

….I can’t imagine how they’re gonna bring in the classing line….

"You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!",

(but one scene I can picture is some poor fruit sellers cart being overturned in the car chase)!

lets wait and see………………………….

Are you really you???? (Philosophy 2 of 4) – Are you same person who started reading this????

Part two of my ripping off a the BBC philosophy article is here…… again let me know of you’re thoughts!

“Consider a photo of someone you think is you eight years ago. What makes that person you? You might say he she was composed of the same cells as you now. But most of your cells are replaced every seven years. You might instead say you're an organism, a particular human being, and that organisms can survive cell replacement - this oak being the same tree as the sapling I planted last year.

But are you really an entire human being? If surgeons swapped George Bush's brain for yours, surely the Bush look-alike, recovering from the operation in the White House, would be you. Hence it is tempting to say that you are a human brain, not a human being.

But why the brain and not the spleen? Presumably because the brain supports your mental states, eg your hopes, fears, beliefs, values, and memories. But then it looks like it's actually those mental states that count, not the brain supporting them. So the view is that even if the surgeons didn't implant your brain in Bush's skull, but merely scanned it, wiped it, and then imprinted its states on to Bush's pre-wiped brain, the Bush look-alike recovering in the White House would again be you.

But the view faces a problem: what if surgeons imprinted your mental states on two pre-wiped brains: George Bush's and Gordon Brown's? Would you be in the White House or in Downing Street? There's nothing on which to base a sensible choice. Yet one person cannot be in two places at once.

In the end, then, no attempt to make sense of your continued existence over time works. You are not the person who started reading this article.”

and if you want here is the link to the original article..

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7739493.stm

VAT cut - its not to help the average person!

I think that the proposed cut in the VAT rate from 17.5% to 15% is a pointless exercise. Its not been clearly thought out and won't really help those at the lower end of the income scale anyway.

Will the high street really pass the VAT cut on????

Most high street retailers pick price points i.e. they pick prices that appeal to the public, at a price they think the public will be ready to pay i.e £9.99, £10, £15 etc etc - they don't think..... I'll sell this for £x plus VAT!

Do you really think that most retailers will sell a £9.99 product for £9.77 or a £25 product for £24.47 after the rate has been cut?

The answer is NO - most will stick to the price points that have already been identified as attractive to consumers.

If a retailer has identified that it can sell its product for £10 then they will keep the price at £10 and pocket the difference (23p). That might not seem like a lot for the average perosn - but actually it amounts to billions in the pockets of the businesses.

Retailers are more than capable of changing the total cost (inc VAT) as necessary i.e £5 off in order to have attractive price points.

Before you say that I'm being cynical - I thik that retailers have already shown that they are ready to exploit loopholes to keep as much money in their pockets as possible

http://images.vnunet.com/v6_static/oracle/pdf/fd/nov_vat_fdbrief.pdf

No I think the savvy retailer will simply pocket the difference in order to bump up its own profits!

The only way to truly test this is for someone to keep a track of all prices pre and post the cut - but no one is really goingto do this now are they!

Will it make a difference??????

The actuall impact in the retail price of a product will be just over 2%. When a retailer has a sale they would normally slash a minimum of 10%-25% of goods to get people through the doors. Just imagine how busy the January sales would be if the offer was 2% off everything???? Not very I would guess!

In these depressing times are you going to celebrate being to save 20p off a box of chocolates or £10 of a £500 plasma tv!!!

Why

Ultimately, I think it a sound bite - "look what we've done to help the public".

I guess you're going to ask what would I do - to be honest I don't know - but this is too little, poorly targeted and pointless!

What makes it worse to my mind is that none of the mainstream media (tv, newspapers) seemed to have picked up on this pointkess exercise!

Moral dilemma - what would you do??? (Philosophy 1 of 4)

It was world philosophy day last Thursday (20 Nov)... and to celebrate this the BBC decided to post four philospohocal questions which may have made your brain hurt - that is if you had one in the first place...

As I am running out of things to write about I am just gonna rip of the material via a cut and paste exercise and let you guys pnder on them... (I was gonna apologise for making your brains hurt - but I doubt if it will cause you guys much pain as its a rarely used organ for most of you...).

And before you bother asking - philosophically speaking - I think its perfectly okay for me (and me alone) to rip of other people's material (and atleast I give credit....

Anyway here is the first philosophical dilemma - let the world know what you think.......

Should we kill healthy people for their organs????

Suppose Bill is a healthy man without family or loved ones. Would it be
ok painlessly to kill him if his organs would save five people, one of whom
needs a heart, another a kidney, and so on? If not, why not?

Consider another case: you and six others are kidnapped, and the
kidnapper somehow persuades you that if you shoot dead one of the other
hostages, he will set the remaining five free, whereas if you do not, he will
shoot all six. (Either way, he'll release you.)

If in this case you should kill one to save five, why not in the
previous, organs case? If in this case too you have qualms, consider yet
another: you're in the cab of a runaway tram and see five people tied to the
track ahead. You have the option of sending the tram on to the track forking off
to the left, on which only one person is tied. Surely you should send the tram
left, killing one to save five.

But then why not kill Bill?

I'll publish the rest whenever I feel like it...

My new hobby…. (fighting back against the morons)…

Have you ever been annoyed by stupid e-mails and forwards saying rubbish like….

• forward this to a million people in a few days some random fool will send you some money…
• this kid is dying and xyz plc will give them money for a cure if you forward this e-mail…
• reply to this mail and you will get free cash…
• oh my god have you seen what these evil people are doing… forward to everyone you know to stop…
• beware of this ridiculous scam were people will steal you’re body parts…
• forward this to a million people in the next five seconds or your sad and miserable life will become even worse!!!!
• have you seen this impossible thing… it proves aliens exist….
• etc etc etc

Well I get tons of them for people who I would otherwise say are quite intelligent (although when I get these forwarded mails I sincerely doubt it!!!). To add to the ridiculous nature some of these are things that I have seen in circulation years ago…… and I’m sure you guys have to!

Well plenty of these mails are clearly fakes, spoofs etc… and as I said people who are normally quite sane end up sending me this rubbish…

Well I don’t want it and I’ve been trying to ignore it…. and no I don’t forward it on….

Don’t you imbeciles realise that these are fake just from the context (who in their right mind is going to give money away)! We live in the world of the internet (and you must be on it to read your e-mail), So pick your search engine of choice (Google, Yahoo, MSN etc etc) and look up the damn subject. And guess what you’ll find…. its all a crock of $h1t. (Their are good sites like snopes, urban myths and hoax slayer which research this crap and tell you exactly how stupid it is).

Well I woke up one day and thought enough is enough… its time to fight back against all you idiots out there…

Ideally I would like to remove the senders of these e-mails from the human gene pool with carefully placed baseball bat to the brain… but while the bleeding heart liberals are in charge its down to the next weapon in the arsenal…….

ITS TIME FOR NAME AND SHAME

Everytime I get one of these useless pieces of mail in my inbox… I look it up… then I reply to the person who sent me the offending piece of crap… but not just them, I include everyone they sent it to, and everyone in the e-mail chain… I explain how stupid the mail is and hope simple it is to spend ten seconds of their useless lives researching this stuff so they don’t waste my lives.

And guess what miraculously I don’t get any of these mails anymore… either people have seen the error of their ways (which I doubt as you’re all morons) or more likely they don’t want a barrage of e-mail abuse from me with all their nearest and dearest cc’d.

I would advise anyone who gets one of these mails to spend five minutes looking it up before blindly forwarding it… and to top it all of do a “reply all” to humiliate the sender into sending these again.

Things to do in Libya

Here is the first of my soon to be legendary lists.

Well the there are a number of things for people to do while Libya - but the first thing to do is remember that the sanctions have only recently been lifted - so its not quite a Morocco or Tunisia. And alcohol is illegal (which is fine for me as I'm a Muslim) - so theirs no bars, pubs etc. But there is still enough to keep people entertained.

Resident (expat) or Tourist - Whether you're a tourist or a an expat staying here will be important - as tourists probably won't be interested in the societies etc - I'll list items of interest to ex-pats with (E) and those to tourists with (T).

Some more things to note before venturing out...

Libya is still a fairly conservative Muslim country so you should dress appropriately. Avoid criticising the regime, cultures, values etc (i guess this applies to any country in the world that we visit as we are guests and should be respectful to our hosts).

Okay now lets get going with the list..... I'll try and update this as and when I discover new things....(ps its likely to be Tripoli centric as that is where I am based - but I will try and make notes of other things as I discover them).

1) Beaches (E & T)

Libya has a phenomenal amount of coastline on the Mediterranean coast (the just check it out on a map). So needless to say there are some nice beaches. I haven't been to many so will tell you more at a later time.

2) The Souk (E & T)

The Souk in the old city is fantastic for shopping - there are shops selling virtually everything from modern new appliances,to the more traditional rustic things and gold. Its a good experience to wander around. And unlike other countries you don't get constantly harassed to go into shops and buy things (and even when you go in you don't get the hard sell).

3) The Hash (mainly Expats - but I'm sure tourists could attend to)

And no its not what you think. Its basically an eccentric, worldwide running club (but I tend to walk and use it to chillout and socialise). Its good fun and theirs no pressure to be fit - its just for fun - checkout the global home page http://www.gthhh.com/ 

As well as Tripoli Desert Rats Hash House Harriers, their is also a hash based at Benghazi. On a side note they are a world wide group so you'd be more than welcome to check them out in any country!

4) The Caledonian Society (E)

As the name suggests its a Scottish society - but you don't have to be Scottish to be a member or attend events. As with the hash its an excuse for people to get together and socialise. Great fun with a great bunch of ex-pats from various companies and countries.

5) The Royal Society of St George (E)

Again as the name suggest its an English society but all are welcome to be members and attend events - great fun and just an excuse to meet people and socialise.

6) The Archeological Society (E and T)

Another society - as well as meeting people - it provides you with the opportunity to get out and about and see some of the more of the city. And before you write it off as some fuddy duudy event, its actually a good opportunity to get out and about and see more of the country which you may not normally get a chance to see.

Well that's all for now. I'll try and some links to the above and if I find anything new I'll let you know.

As the famous bunny kept saying... that's all for now folks.......

Lists

I'm running out of things to blog about... and then I read somewhere lists are a good thins so be prepared for a number of lists...... the fist few lists I can think of are:

• websites I like;
• things to do in Libya;
• books I like...

no doubt I'll discover more as I go along......................

so get ready....

and let me know if there is anything in particular you'd like to see and I'll consider it (actually I'll pretend to dismiss it then claim it was my own idea a few months later - but that's tough on you)....

End of my first month in Libya

My first month in Libya is coming to an end - and its been very eventful so far.

I stated my job;

I've moved into my new apartment - which is fairly luxurious (pictures coming soon);

I've met lots of new people - all of whom have been friendly and helpful (both locals and ex-pats);

I've discovered the city of Tripoli (well some parts of it...actually a very small part of it... where I live (near Regatta), where I work (near Qadisiya Square), and the Souk where I was taken for a tour by a colleague.

I've been able to pray at the mosque more often as this is a Muslim country and there are mosques everywhere and its not a problem popping out of work for five/ten minutes to pray at the mosque (in the UK I never had a problem being allowed to pray at work etc - its just in Libya its easier to get to the mosque). Its also easier knowing that everything I cam eat is halal.

I've found a few groups/societies/events to keep me occupied - the hash (no its not what you think its a running event), the Caledonian society, the Royal society and the Archeological society.

And now I'm heading back to London - earlier than expected as my visa got messed up. Next month will be my first Eid in Libya.... so it should be interesting.....

The move to Libya

I've talked a little about my move Libya - but not many people know why I moved etc.

Well I work in Finance within an international integrated oil and gas exploration and production company. I was based in London for the last two years in a corporate role. But after speaking to a number of colleagues it was clear that gaining international or operational experience (or both) would be a big advantage.

So I spent the last year "pimping myself like a hoe" with anyone who would listen (so much so that my colleagues joked that I spent more time socialising the working - but hey guess what it worked ha).

Oh yeah and the money offered on an international assignment isn't to bad (yes I am a greedy, materialistic s.o.b). It wasn't a sure think that I'd get the role as I didn't have the experience to get the role. But then my current role came up - and all my schmoozing paid off (I was actually offered two jobs - one in Libya and one in Aberdeen - now Aberdeen isn't a bad place - but Libya seemed a bit more exotic at the time).

And I've always wanted to get out and explore the world - I didn't really get out and about for various reasons - and this would give me an opportunity to get out and explore.....

I visited Libya, had a look around and liked the place - it seemed clean and safe, and while it wasn't London - it had everything that I thought I might need (I'm a simple soul with no major diva type demands - but I reserve the right to moan and complain even at the best of times - after I am British).

So I decided to take the money and run...... and here I am. On the 18th October I landed in Tripoli.

I think I've annoyed everyone back home that I talk to - the weather in good old blight is wet and grey - and I keep telling them its always hot and sunny.

So the aim is to get out there make friends, smile at people and be me. One important thing is going to be getting out and meeting people. There appears to be quite a few societies and activities that have been set up for ex-pats in Libya by the ex-pats.

I'll try and keep a list of events listed here for reference in case anyone is interested.

Well that's all for now folks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Looks like I owe America an apology.....

It looks like I owe America and Americans an apology! That's 310 million people (actually its the 62,million of the 119 million who voted).

While Obama was my favoured candidate for the US presidency, and the person I thought would was best for the role, I doubted whether Americans would be free of prejudice enough, brave enough and ultimately clever enough to elect him.

I never thought that white Americans would elect a black man, I thought that the politics of fear would take over the hearts of an electorate unable to peer through the fog of lies and misinformation that was being spewn out by the media and certain sections of the campaign.

Well it takes a big man to admit he's wrong and apologise - but I'm a short-arse midgit so I won't!

But I will congratulate Obama for his victory and the American people for entering a brave new era.

I also gained a new respect for McCain (who I don't actually think would have been a bad president - its just the Republican party politics and Sarah palin that made me uneasy).

I already respected McCain for standing up to his own supporters when they were calling Obama a terrorist and evil during one of his speeches. He said that while he did not agree with Obama's politics he wasn't an bad person.

McCain said - "He's a decent, family man, a citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with (him) on fundamental issues and that's what this campaign is all about."

and

"I have to tell you, he is a decent person and a person that you do not have to be scared of as president of the United States."

http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/10/11/mccain-booed-calling-obama-decent-person/

But when I read McCain's speech conceding victory - I was actually moved - it was very gracious and powerful. I actually hope there can be room for McCain in some capacity or role.

The text of the speech can be found here: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hmJfimrZW3jBur_BmaFtqj7mfFgQD948JFJG5

Obama's victory seems to have opened up some hope in world that was in turmoil only hours before. Anyway lets hope we wake up tomorrow to a better world

:)