Some Mother's Son

The other morning, just as I was about to leave for work, I found myself listening to a journalist reporting from Green Square, now Martyrs' Square, in Tripoli where people were gathering to celebrate their newly won freedom.

Amongst the many people there, he had found a woman holding up a picture of her son.  As it turned out, her son had died in the fighting, and, what with a fairly insensitive line of questioning from the journalist, she began to break down and cry.  The sound of one person sobbing under the general hubbub was truly saddening.  It was a poignant reminder that even during the greatest of triumphs there will often be those who have had to suffer the most profound of losses.

No Trace ATM

Whenever I use an ATM and am prompted "Would you like a receipt for this transaction?", I always find myself wishing that it was offering me the "Would you like a record kept of this transaction?" option.  To which, of course, I would press "No".  

That way I could just keep making withdrawals without ever affecting my balance.

Award Winning Business Losing

There's a yum-cha restaurant nearby that proudly displays the sign "2010 Small Business Champion Awards - Winner". 

Now I'm sure that's not to be sneezed at and they're no doubt rightly pleased about it but it actually discourages me from dining there.  To me, winning a small business award is rather like getting a recommendation from an accountant.  Now if it was a recommendation from a food crtic, say the "2010 Restaurant Award" or "2010 Best Yum Cha Award", it would be a different story but "Best Business"?  To my, admittedly paranoid, mind, that suggests the propieters have simply found the most cunning way to overcharge their customers.