Justice and good prevails?

So this week has seen two victories that I have campaigned for over the last few weeks.

Firstly, Barack Obama has become the President elect of the United States. In fairness to John McCain he was very humble, and conceded defeat in a dignified and respectful manner (even if the rednecks at his speech didn’t). A big congratulations to Obama, and to America for making a change. Despite the results however it is important to remember two things. Firstly, the vote was deceivingly close, there are allot of Americans out there who will be unhappy with the result, Obama has to endear himself to these people, and my opinion he will. Secondly, he hasn’t achieved anything yet. Whilst the optimism that seems to have surrounded his appointment is no doubt a good thing… lets proceed with caution… after all, the last cowboy didn’t exactly set the world on fire (only bits of it).

The second (and most important) victory is of course Lewis Hamilton’s heroic and nerve jangling victory over adversity, Ferrari and the FIA to take the Formula One world championship to become the youngest drive ever to do such. Next time Lewis… don’t leave it to the last corner of the last lap of the last race of the season.

A hearty congratulations to you both.

The London Meme

ColinM has taken part in the London Meme (which he was asked to do by Sylwia), a seemingly glorified web questionare! But hey, when killing time is the hobby of choice you can’t turn them down!
1. Top three non-work websites:
BBC Sport
Failblog
OUFC.co.uk

2. Three Favourite Cocktails:
Screaming Orgasm
Death Star (exclusive to the Cambrian in Aberystwyth)
B52’s… flaming

3. Top three Karaoke songs:
Like a virgin- Madonna
Jeffers Mum- ColinM & NickB (don’t kno who did the origional)
Don’t stop me now- Queen

I have to pass this on so…. Vicky, Celebrity Scraps and SEF

I’m on GraphJam… WIN

more song chart memes

Why Obama must win… to save America from itself.

I’ve read allot of right wing blogs recently (notably this one). Speaking as someone who thinks of themselves as a Conservative when it comes to British politics, I can’t help but be overwhelmed by the right wing bigotry, fear-mongering, farcicality and indeed blatant racism of those American voters who are standing against the idea Of Barack Obama being the next president of the USA.Let me make this perfectly clear. America is a laughing stock. America is hated, loathed and generally thought badly of by a large percentage of Europeans, Asians, South Americans and more. This is almost completely down to two factors. American foreign policy and George W Bush.

15 years ago as a young boy, I remember all of my friends and me included thought America was the best thing since sliced bread. That has changed. America is now seen as a country full of religious nut-jobs and closet racism that is being led (as of October 2008) by a man who could well end up being impeached for war crimes.
He (Bush) has created a society of fear that has spread like a plague through the American middle classes, causing them to treat anyone who isn’t the same as them, or doesn’t hold the same beliefs as them as different, dangerous, or a “Terrorist”.
America has an immigration problem, very true… but was America not founded by immigrants, wasn’t it America that welcomed so many different nationalities to it’s shores, wasn’t it these different nationalities that made America the great place that it once was? Hell, most middle class Americans come from European descent anyway.

Barack Hussein Obama (despite what his name might or might not suggest) is not a terrorist. He does not associate with terrorists, and if he had or did, this would have come to light a long time before now, probably before he reached the senate.
In my opinion he will rejuvenate America in way not seen in half a century, the whole world will be a better place for a more reasoned and thoughtful outlook to the rest of the world.

The arguments that he is a communist, and a socialist that wants to destroy American jobs holds little water. For example, if he introduced a privatised, or partially privatised health system it could do wonders for the millions of Americans who cannot afford proper health or dental cover, something that is only likely to worsen as the inevitable economic downturn rears it’s ugly head. I lived in the UK for 23 years of my rather dull life. I chose my own doctor, my own surgery never had to wait weeks for an appointment, and when I have been very ill was always cared for by caring staff in a clean and modern hospital. Whilst I acknowledge that not every case is like this, it certainly suggests that the system can work if done correctly.

The alternative to Barack not winning the vote is alarming at best, at frightening at worst. A president with questionable health, and a vice president that (and let’s be honest here) is seen as a comic side show. This would be as bad if not worse than the current incumbent.

Whilst I have no say in the American election, I have faith in Americans to do the right thing, and save their country.

NFL: MVP Brady out for the season

Week one of the NFL provided it’s fair share of drama this weekend as Patriots star Tom Brady was injured in the 1st quater of their season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs.

With Brady arguably being one of the main driving forces behind the Patriots impressive form over the last few seasons; will they be able to compete to the same level without the talismanic quaterback??

arghhh (thanks to LA times)

FIA = Ferrari International Assistance

I am angry at a sporting body for the first time in ages. Lewis Hamilton won today’s Belgian Grand Prix and legitimatly overtook Kimi Raikkonen after he let him back past. To add to that Kimi crashed out anyway so there was no advantage anyway.

The FIA are a joke and seem to award Ferrari anything and everything that they can. Ferrari International Assistance is alive and well. Wankers.

Oh and if you have no idea what I’m on about click here

My England X1.

I am now back in the UK… and enjoying the weather that accompanies my visit (woot).
It seems as ever (despite the best attempts of the Olympics) most sports news is dominated by football, and this week the start of the English Premier League and the selection of England’s new captain… which is John Terry.

Whilst I don’t disagree with the appointment, personally I would have preferred to seen Steven Gerrard in that role. Howeve, I feel that either he (Gerrard) Rio Ferdinand or John Terry would do a decent job.

This brings us neatly onto the selection of the squad… who will Don Fabio (don’t you just loathe The Sun) pick. Well… here is my selection and formation.

Firstly my formation… I would go for a 4-5-1 formation, similar to that used by both Liverpool, Chelsea and English and Premier League champions (sic) Manchester United. This involves a standard back four with attacking fullbacks with two defensively minded midfielders just in front supporting three attacking midfielders and a single (preferably Strong and fast striker) up front. The reason for this selection is simple… most of the players chosen in this squad know this system as they play it for their domestic clubs…. and it produces attractive attacking football, something that has been missing from England for a long time.

So the squad…

Goalkeeper: David James
James for me still has to be England’s number one, despite getting on a bit and being prone to the odd clanger their are very few better keepers in the premiership… let alone English ones. He adds experience and is a good communicator at the back.
Other contenders for this spot include: Green, Foster, Carson, Hart and Manual Alumina (if he can get English citizenship he should be considered)… Paul Robinson would have to show a complete change in fortune to be considered.

Right Back: Wes Brown
Despite not particularly liking this player, right fullback is a position in which England are woefully short of cover. Wes can attack and cross a ball, and his positional sense isn’t bad… in essence you can be THAT bad if you’ve won the Premier League and Champions League.
Other considerations: Micah Richards Glen Johnson and Gary Neville (if he ever shows some of his previous form)

Center backs: John Terry and Rio Ferdinand
Two of the best defenders in the world let alone England and this has to be the first choice center back pairing. Rio is fast and (despite loosing concentration occasionally) a very good reader of the game. Terry will sacrifice anything for his team… just don’t let him take a penalty.
Other considerations: Woodgate (if fit), Micah Richards, David (Davros) Wheater.

Left Back: Ashley (money money money) Cole
Ashley blows (allegedly) hot and cold, but there is little doubt that he is England’s best left full back. Although he isn’t very tall, he is very fast and makes Christiano Ronaldo look pretty ordinary whenever he plays against him. He will have a big year for Chelsea this year under (allegedly ) Scolari.
Other considerations: Wayne Bridge, Matthew (goal of the season) Taylor.

Defensive Midfielders: Owen Hargreaves and Gareth Barry
Owen Hargreaves was the man we all loved to hate a few years ago but has gone on to show what a very good player he is. A real work horse with good versatility he must start if fit. Gareth Barry, lusted after by Rafa Benitez and Liverpool fans alike is my second choice. When I first thought about this squad I didn’t think that choosing two DMs would be hard, but there is a real lack of quality in this area. Barry gets the nod over the others because he is a natural leader and is left footed, he also takes a good set piece.
Other considerations: Michael Carrick, Huddestone, Mark Noble.

Attacking Midfielders/Forwards: Joe Cole, Gerrard, Rooney
Three of the most technically gifted English footballers all very strong with a reasonable amount of pace. All can pass and shoot… all of them quality.
Other considerations: Lampard, David Bentley, Ashley Young, Jermain Jenas, Shaun Write-Phillips, Arron Lennon, Stewart Downing, Kieron Dyer

Striker: Gabriel Agbonlahor
A controversial choice. Gabby has shown his ability in the last two seasons in the prem, he is lightning fast and knows how to find the back of the net. He’s also very young and likely to improve and isn’t made of glass, so wont break in half as soon as someone comes close.
Other considerations: Ashton, Crouch, Owen, Defoe, Walcott.

A big update

Ok… So I haven’t updated this blog for way too long… and it is time to fill in the gaps.

Last time I posted (before today) was during the Euro2008 championships… which (and you may have spotted this) Spain won. Jumping in the city’s main fountain was also good fun.

The euphoria that spread throughout the country during the weeks after was indescribable. It makes me wonder what would happen if England won a major tournament… A win of this style does wonders for the country in terms of moral and kids interest in sport.

The rests of June was pretty uneventfull wth only the weather to talk of. The famous Spanish sun started to appear and weekends and spare afternoons seemed to equal a trip to the local outdoor pool (which probably explains a lack of blogging activity).

The end of June/start of July saw the end of the school terms and a reduced workload with regard to teaching, whilst this break from was welcome sometimes, the lack of work has meant cash has been a little tight. Vicky and I headed off to Madrid  to check out Spain’s capital, and I was very impressed. A trip to the Bernabau, and the worlds oldest restaurant combined with being away from Valladolid and spending time with the lady was ace. One interesting point… going to Madrid in summer to learn Spanish to me would seem pointless… as everyone we met spoke English… and most were American.

My Birthday was very uneventful with a record low ‘haul’ of two dvds… but that being said I did have a nice day  (and a wicked curry) and would like to say thanks to all those who texted, facebooked and sent cards.

Since then… well not a lot has happened. Vicky has gone back to the UK for a week and I have booked flights home for the 15th August. Thats the update just about complete… I wish I had something more exciting to add.

Love Nicko

x

Why Dell suck, and Nokia rock

Firstly I need to apologise for my lack of blogging over the last month and a half. There is no good reason for this and I have had allot to write about… but the weather has been nice and I generally couldn’t be bothered to sit down and write.Anyway, this week I have had an experience (or experiences that have jolted me out of my dormant blogging state.

Within the space of two day last week I managed to break my mobile phone and my laptop… not handy (especially as the GF hasn’t been around). I have had a Dell XPS M1330 for around 5 months, and the whole experience of dealing with Dell up until last week had been a pleasant one. This all changed when I rang Dell customer service to find out why my computer battery wasn’t charging (I knew beforehand that the AC adapter had broken, and that I simply needed a new adapter).

After eventually getting through I was greeted by a friendly young sounding man who obviously was not from the UK. He listened to my problem and acknowledged that I was speaking to him through Skype. He asked me to run a diagnostic on my machine and to call them back with the results of this test. He then assured me that once this was done that he would send a new Adapter to Spain the next day.
Well, I ran the diagnostics and rang them back… this is where the problems started.

I was greeted again by another gentleman from a slightly more exotic region than my own and was asked if I had run the diagnostics… I replied (truthfully) yes, and then told him the results. After listening to this the man then asked me to run the diagnostics on my computer…. WTF I JUST GAVE YOU THE RESULTS!!!!!
Then then asked if I had turned my computer “off and of again”… to which I replied of course. After much broken English he agreed to send the part to me.

I was then told that because I lived in Spain that they could not send me the part because of “security reasons”… ah I see… AC adapters running amuck throughout Spanish immigration…. makes perfect sense.

They then agreed to send the part to the UK (no security problems there then), but only on the condition that I send my old adapter (which was the only thing that was, and still is, keeping my laptop alive) back to them the same day. I told them that this was not possible under any circumstance, and to their credit they agreed to let me keep my old faulty adapter.
My contact in the UK received the adapter the next day…. it appeared to be the wrong part. I was angry… very angry. After much investigation and using the magic of social media I found that the adapter that I was send would work with my laptop although it wouldn’t fit “as snugly”. The total length of my calls to Dell tops 2 hours.

Now, compare this to Nokia. Last week I sat on my N95 with my keys in my pocket and cracked the screen. Once I had found a Nokia service center I took the phone there and explained in broken Spanish the problem. They said that it wasn’t a massive problem and that I could get the phone back the next week. One week later I went into the store paid over my money (a measly €45, which I thought was pretty cheap)… and as if by magic I was returned my N95 complete with new screen installed. I was very happy.

So my question is… seeing as Dell probably sells more computers than any other manufacturer world wide… why don’t they set up service centers??? It would be easy… take the part in if can be fixed…. get it fixed… if it can’t replace the part. Apple run a similar system in their stores and it works… but Dell have taken the cheap option and employed a gathering of people in a shed in the Middle East to read from a script as their version of customer support. It is, quite frankly, a joke.

Eurostat madness

I was pointed toward this rather stuperb blog by a friend of mine last week, and felt I should give it a mention.

Euro2008 statistics is a Castrol sponsored football blog concentrating on live in game statistics and metrics accompanied by a typically dry british wit. Whilst I have never been a big fan of statistics or metrics of any kind this is different and offers a really cool insight into the beautifull game.

Look at this pretty picture as a fine example.

This clearly shows that this Croatian gent was running around alot.

Check out the site here.

Luv

Nx