Stepping Down

[Horus]

I have finally decided to step down as Admin/Moderator on the L4U forums. Now don’t all cheer at once, I know that many of you do not like the way I moderate or try to run the forums, but that is just a downside of doing this onerous task. I joined the L4U forums in 2006 and have been a fairly active contributor during all of that time, back then there was far more activity and may I say it was a bit more fun. Sadly the lack of tourists and a general decline in all things Egypt related has resulted in us becoming a very narrow group. This is not the fault of this forum neither is it the fault of Keefy who has kept this forum going through thick and thin and may I say at some personal cost to himself, he remains as always my friend and I have no issues with him. After making my decision Keefy asked me several times to reconsider and out of respect for him I have thought about it long and hard, but eventually I decided that my original intention was correct. I offered to continue for a short while with some background moderating until he found a suitable replacement, but he has decided that now he is able to carry out those tasks by himself without having to resort to further appointments and I am in total agreement with him on that score.

During my tenure which goes back further than many of you may realise I have always done my best to help any member who asked for my help, I have lost count of the reams of typed instructions I have done to try and explain a problem any member may have had and I made a point of replying to each and every one of you. I have also tried to be even handed even though some of you may disagree with that, but unfortunately I cannot please everyone. Many will not realise that this has been a 24/7 360 days a year position, each day I read each and every post, I have to decide whether new posters are genuine, are they scamming the forum, are they trolls, is the content suitable etc. will it cause offence to another member, how far should I allow a joke to go, the list is endless and I do not always get it right. There are also forum rules that I am tasked with enforcing, often people try to circumvent my authority and go behind my back, but this never works as Keefy is far smarter than that and I have to say he has always supported me when support was needed, so no problems there.

You should also realise that I am often the devils advocate when it comes to trying to generate some sort of interest, many of my own comments are tongue in cheek or intended to provoke a reaction nothing more, if I don’t get you talking, then who will? We unfortunately have too many members who are content just to read.

I would like to thank all those who have helped or befriended me over the years, especially Hepzi who has helped me in many ways and was a good friend when life dealt me some bad cards. Not forgetting Keefy whom I like to call my friend, I had the good fortune to meet him on several occasions in Luxor and spent some enjoyable time in his company namely Sinbads and a memorable night dining out at the Lantern with him and my late wife, so thank to you both. I would also like to thank other members who have supported me over the years, some I have met and others regrettably not, it has always been nice to see your ‘likes’ in support of my posts, I will miss chatting with you all.

I will not be hanging around as I have many other things to keep me busy, I love walking with my little dog Annie and I have a keen interest in photography (as many of you will have noticed over the years ) I may even find the time to finally master playing my electric guitar and Banjo. There is of course one other person I would like to thank and to also put some of you out of your misery and that is my alter ego IP Freely (“damn” I hear you say “I always knew it was him”. I know that some of you enjoyed ‘his’ posts, but let me assure you that nothing in them was ever intended to be malicious or hurtful, it was just a spoof and never meant to hurt anyone, just something to fill in the quiet times and hopefully give you all a few laughs, but hey! even IP's rants can't go on forever . So I thank all those who took it in good part especially Who2 with my (or should I say IP’s) references to his living in a mud hut, something he always took with good grace, not forgetting Dusaks 'Pussy Palace' so thank you George and any other member who were spoofed in IP’s ranting missive’s and videos.

Finally I know many of you by sight and should I ever cross your paths either in this life or the next (I'm sure that's a quote from the film Gladiator, eh George? ) it will be my pleasure to buy you a drink and even a meal if you prove sociable. So there we have it, not much else to say other than good luck to the forums going forward, take care everyone and remember that Keefy's job is not as easy as it may look, you should all be grateful to him.

So its goodnight from me and “go **** yourselves” from him (IP Freely).
Horus.

[A-Four]

I do find it sad that you are to give up this very challenging job, you was a very brave person to take it on.

In the past I have always said that this forum is, or should be made up of a 'broad church' of people who have different views, and they are equally important. Although you have done your best to keep this so, a number of quality writers, no longer contribute to this forum, it is now for others to see why this is so.

I do believe Horus, that even you have learnt something while moderator, and that in some cases, it best to simply ignore certain people, rather than have a restless night.

The reason why I am still on here at such a late time is that I wanted to find details of a subject that is very near to my heart, being Daramali House, which I have now done but will write up tomorrow. Many thanks for your past work Horus, sad to say that E4u is a far more friendlier that this site will ever be.

A-Four.

[LovelyLadyLux]

Definitely going to miss your posting Horus.

[hatusu]

Horus - I am SO sorry you are leaving. I was so shocked to open up the forum and find this sad news. I think you have done a wonderful job as administrator, and it was very kind of you to put us all out of our misery at last wondering over the years who IP Freely was. We will all miss your commonsense and interesting comments, your decency, and your wonderful sense of humour. I bet Annie's pleased about it though, more time for Walkies now, eh?

[crewmeal]

I'm also so sorry you're leaving this post. In my short time here I've seen you referee different subscribers with amusement I might add. You've been very fair, not only that but you've been helpful with your ideas, comments and general posts which have been invaluable.

I wish you luck for the future and hope you'll still contibute in this forum.

[carrie]

I P Freely hey? I never guessed. One of the best things that has ever been written on the forum.
Sorry you have decided to stand down Horus, you will be missed.
I bet Annie is happy though much more time to go walkies. Please don't stop posting if only updates on you and Annie's ramblings.

[newcastle]

I certainly didn’t have you down for I P Freely

I can appreciate the burden moderating this forum - indeed any forum - represents and I am genuinely sorry to have added to it on occasion.

I suspect we have similar temperaments and therefore clashes were, perhaps, inevitable. Occasionally I look back on earlier posts....with a mixture of laughter and embarrassment. “Rising above it” is a nobel objective. I’ll try. Maybe even with those who can’t resist having a dig on your obituary.

You leave with my good wishes, apologies for the recent spats, and thanks for your efforts over the years.

I was going to conclude with an appropriate Latin motto......but thought better of it!

[HEPZIBAH]

Horus, I am sad that the first item I have read this morning is your Stepping Down notice. However I, probably more than any other member, know of the time and commitment you have given over the years, and I fully understand your decision.

Thank you for all you have done for Luxor4U , both infront of the screen and behind the scenes. I hope that in freeing up some time you reaĺly do enjoy investing it in other new and old interests alike.

Our paths have never crossed in the real world but I am glad they have in the cyber world.

Take good care of yourself, and little Annie.
Hepzi.

P.S. re: I. P. Freely. Although I had you as a 'name in the frame' from the outset, I never actually knew it was you. I now feel a bit like a child who has just discovered Santa is really their dad - sort of knowing but not wanting to accept and hanging on to the makebelieve for as long as possible.

[Ruby Slippers]

That's a very handsome post, Newcastle!

[Grandad]

Sad news H, but completely understandable. Thanks for all the hard work both here and on E4U, I think we can all appreciate what is involved in moderating a forum and you have done a sterling job. I hope that we can keep in touch occasionally especially if I need advice about visiting your part of the world.
Thanks again mate and take care......with best regards Grandad

[Who2]

What is E4U ?

[DJKeefy]

Horus will be missed and it shows in the posts above, He has done so much for the forums L4U and E4U and before being forum admin he also moderated all 3 forums (Global moderator) all is work is much appreciated by me.

I only wish him the best in his future, hopefully he will come back one day, or make an odd post now and again

Thank you Horus

[Grandad]

What is E4U ?

@Who2
Surely you must have heard of E4U Doc. This is the blue side forum, we are on the gold side forum, Egypt4U.
We are a very small group and Horus has been our Leader, Teacher, Adviser and sometimes Confident. A mine of knowledge and information and we are going to miss him very much. Just hope he will look in from time to time and post the occasional comment.

[Horus]

Thank you all for your kind comments from both the L4U & E4U sites, if I had realised I had so much support I might not have left.

Keefy has been kind enough to acknowledge my other roles over the years of being Admin and Moderator on all three sites when they all existed. I was very honoured when he also asked me to take up the roll of Global Moderator which allowed me to intercede on any and all forums should I feel the need had arisen or if he was incapacitated in any way and Egypt being a very volatile place at times it could well have been required. Fortunately that has only happened on a few occasions, but his faith in my ability to look after his and the forums interests in his absence was sign of his trust in me and I appreciate that very much.

So to conclude, don’t just sit out there reading and not contributing, you have one of the best forums on the web so start using it. Don’t be afraid or be put off because you think the one person doing all the talking is smarter than you are, often they are not. Don’t let mocking comments stop you from disagreeing with what is being said, remember that sarcasm is often the lowest form of defeated wit. If you sit back and let one person do all the talking for fear of ridicule then you may as well just listen to the radio. And please don’t expect to sit back and let everyone else write posts just to entertain you, everyone has something to contribute

I will not be participating in any of the forums from now on in and I will be pulling the plug in the next few days so this will be my last ever post and even IP has assured me that he is now retired from barracking his “bestest mate Beefy” although he is very sad that he cannot send him anymore complaints. I cannot guarantee he will not pop up somewhere else on the web though, he is a difficult person to control.

Take care everyone.

[newcastle]

“...remember that sarcasm is often the lowest form of defeated wit...”

If you are going to raise that hoary old quote about sarcasm, at least make sure you get the full quote right.

It isn’t “Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit”, it’s “Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit… but the highest form of intelligence.”

If the second half of the quote didn’t give it away, the fact that it’s from Oscar Wilde, well-known witticist from times gone by, should give you a clue. There’s a pretty good chance that Oscar was being sarcastic when he said it.

[A-Four]

So to conclude, don’t just sit out there reading and not contributing, you have one of the best forums on the web so start using it.Take care everyone.

As I am sure you are aware I can not contribute to E4u, but I do often look in on that site and unlike L4u, it is not just a forum, if anything it is almost like a family, you Horus are a important part of that family, highly regarded and respected. True you no longer have to be moderator of that forum, as though it was ever needed, but I do hope you will reconsider your decision, and continue to play an active part, either now or in the future on that site. I am sure I speak for members of that site, but what ever you decide, I and I'm sure others from L4u and E4u will wish you all the best.

P.s. I wonder who will attempt to push themselves,.....up the front,.......in an attempt to become the future mod of L4u,.......as though we need to ask.

[newcastle]

“......found a suitable replacement, but he (Keefy) has decided that now he is able to carry out those tasks by himself without having to resort to further appointments and I am in total agreement with him on that score”.

As are we all.

Do try to keep up A-Four....

[denisegr]

All the very best Horus you have done a great job, IP Freely, who knew

[John Landon]

So Long Horus, and thanks for eveything.

If you ever find you way to my neck of the woods, give ma a shout. Well keep a welcome in the hillside..

enjoy your retirement and have fun.. Great to have known you both in this virtual world...

[Mad Dilys]

Thank you for holding E4U together, all your hard work, your mine of information and humour.
I hope that you might be tempted to visit occasionally under a new name...………….? Whether or not, take great care of yourself and know that you have been very influential in our lives.
I never imagined the first post I would be able to make for months would be to say farewell to you Horus and IP
Thank you.