Titles and Outrage

As usual with all my rants, this story begins on a car journey to work.

Listening to Radio 1, the dj had a caller on line who said he was an engineer and on further questioning on what he did, he said that he unclogged toilet pipes.

I'm not sure if I need to write any more to show how incensed we were (bear in mind that our car had two engineers and a manager who was a software engineer).

Granted, if he designed the pipes then it requires a modicum of engineering ability but to merely flush out pipes and call himself an engineer?! The UK is a sad place for real engineers as the status has been dragged through the dirt... literally with the cases of civic amenities engineers, or bin-men as you and I would call them, whereas being a doctor or a lawyer is a preserved title for the deserving.

Have you ever called BT to have your phone line fixed and been told that they will despatch an engineer?
Have you been to a car garage and seen themselves being advertised as auto-engineers?
Or maybe rang up an 'electrical engineer' to wire your house alarm?

Our culture has come to such a state that work that is not popularised by the media need to become tarted-up so the pimple-faced boy in Subway now has the title of a 'sandwich artist' and a 'custodian engineer' for a janitor.
Over into mainland Europe, engineers enjoy an acknowledged status and isn't used by every Tom, Dick or Harry in an attempt to boost their ego's from their manual jobs. It's disappointing going to a bank and when asked for profession, you get bundled with mechanic whereas teachers, lawyers, doctors all enjoy their own division.

I think it's important to realise the distinction between an engineer and all the above mentioned (and more) pretenders. Engineers are those who understand the theory and science of objects in their field.
For example an automotive engineer will know how the driveline system works, the different components and how components such as a torque convertor works and what difference changing the oil or temperature in it will do and why... but not necessarily need to know how everything is physically put together. Now the local 'auto-engineer' garage will very likely not know any of this except the building of the system, how to change parts etc. - they are mechanics.
Similarly in a science or non mechanical field, you will have the scientist and then the technician.

So when I need my phoneline fixed, I want a technician to come around and fix it, not an engineer to analyse and deliver a communications system.
When I take my car to have it's MOT done, I want a mechanic to have a look at everything rather than an engineer modelling the car and giving me an optimum gear-map.
When I want someone to press some buttons on a manufacturing line, I want a shop floor worker rather than an 'assistant production engineer'!
And when I want my road cleaned, I would want a sweeper rather than a 'throughfare hygiene engineer'!

If you ever come across these pretenders, please kindly give them my utmost outrage and tell them to stop demeaning us real engineers.

Strawberry, cream, equality and Wimbledon

The end of the tournament was today and what a final! A 30game last set which never seemed to end! And now that it is all over, I have time to make a quick complaint (seems that's all I do here!).

Traditionally women were paid less in prize money than men at Wimbledon and it was justified by the organisers as men played more sets. The difference wasn't great (a £30k difference between Nadal and Mauresmo in 2006) but it was still lobbied for equal pay and had a lot of feminists up in arms at Wimbledon as the only big championship to have the difference.

But aren't they fighting the wrong battle? Do they really concede that the work done in the shorter womens game is equal to the mens?! If this was a normal working environment such as an office, you would expect a man and woman in the same post to be on the same payrate but if the man worked more hours that he should earn more... yet why is this not the case here?

If you want equality then become equal in all that you do!

Democracy and its dark secret

The recent elections in Iran has produced a wide variety of opinions and this has got me thinking about what democracy really means.

A lot of people are claiming that the voting had been rigged as there were suspicious circumstances and coincidences involved. These folk applauded the Iranian people for rising up against the government and holding a peaceful protest as a sign of their disatisfaction and longed for similar action in their respective countries against policies and directions their governments were taking. In contrast the others are admonishing the former as sore losers as Ahmedinejad was voted in by the majority and they should accept it... this is reminiscent of the Palestine elections where Hamas won, much to the shock of others.

Countries, the US in particular, have been the first to point out the greatness of democracy and have even invaded other countries to enforce this but is this what everyone wants? Democracy is a majority-rule based system where votes are cast to decide matters but there will always be losers, it's the nature of the system. At what point do you decide the will of the people? Is 2/3 of votes enough? I'm not sure I'd take action where a third of the people were against it.

Here lies the great weakness - us humans. Each and everyone of us is naturally selfish and want things our way and complain when it doesn't. This will create an inherent rebellion and you will find a loud minority voicing their disatisfaction which will affect the others. Democracy may mean the majority get their way but at the expense of others and no-one likes losing and chances are that you will lose at least once, is this really the ideal situation or just the best of the bunch to rule the people?

Maximising Perks or Unethical?

As you're no doubt aware, unless you've been stuck in a nuclear bunker and disconnected from the world the past 3 months, scandal has hit our fair shores in the form of government 'corruption'. A bastion of democracy with a rich history and the rise of parliamentary powers over monarchy by the common people only to now find itself revealed for what it has become - a self serving collection of elected officials.

The BBC did a survey where they found half the population thought at least half of the MP's were corrupt and most had lost faith in the officials that are supposed to run the country but I'm left wondering... are people really surprised?

I had always known that wherever there is a system, people will try and game it to their advantage. From simple things like loopholes in a supermarkets voucher policy, it is only a matter of scale as you go up the tree. Was there anyone really unaware that officials would try and get away with as much as they could? Or is the real anger that it's been bluntly exposed?

The MP's get a second home allowance and have many purchases repaid, some of which do truly feel inappropriate. I work and earn a factor less than MP's yet I pay for my own food and bills, should these people get their food and bills paid for by my tax money? But are they to blame for asking for a rebate or should the system be questioned for allowing them to do so?

Rather than question the integrity of the MP's, I would rather voice my anger at the system for allowing this to happen because in all honesty, I can see myself doing the same if I was in their shoes.

Remember... power corrupts and try not judging others without questioning yourself first.

Faith Misplaced?

Once again, this topic was started in the car journey to/from work... is there any topic that we don't cover?!

Several of my colleagues have young children and a number of them have sent their children to faith schools and the question was should kids be sent to a school based on the educational standard and in a mixed cultural/religious environment or a single faith based school which would tend to have a limited demographic.

Arguments put forward were that, irrespective of which faith, kids were brought up with morals and in better behaved culture but a counterpoint was that these kids would have a limited growth being around only a certain type of people and stunted development as 'kids just don't get to be kids' and are uncannily angelic.

My background was going to a Roman Catholic school and I can compare my junior school to one 2 blocks away which was a normal mixed state school and the difference was remarkable. We were in uniform, better behaved and performed better in exams. On the other hand, I had to attend all the Christian religious ceremonies, including several masses and even eating the wafer representing the body of Christ... despite being of a different religion!
Due to the confusion caused amongst children of other beliefs, other faith schools have opened up to cater for the different needs but are children going to these schools not having the best childhood?

One of my friends went to a mixed school and he claimed that he preferred it as from a young age he was in a multi cultural society and although it was less behaved, the lessons learnt from the social aspect was irreplaceable. Kids should be able to be kids and if they don't get to any trouble, they're not having a fun time. They should learn the boundaries of their behaviour and learn early on how to deal with situations like bullying, being with girls (some faith schools separate the genders) as well as understanding different cultures and becoming more tolerant.

If you have kids, where would you send your children? Or where have you already sent them and why?

Traditions of Stupidity

On the daily commute to work, my friends and I always have some long and thoughtful debates/discussions such as the consistency of poo and Thursday was no exception... we were talking about St George's day and the statement said by one of my friends was that all people who celebrate St George's day are stupid.

The other two passengers were taken back by this broad sweeping generalisation and were arguing against him but I couldn't help but agree, to some extent. Christianity is in a declining state with few people attending church yet everyone would celebrate St George's Day but would they know the significance of the man?

A brief history of St George... a man born from a Roman father and a Palestinian mother who had never set foot in England and died as a martyr for not renouncing his faith. Well, I did say brief history! Oh, legend also has it that he once came across a pagan town sacrificing a girl to appease a dragon and he slay the monster and all the people converted.

So why do the English celebrate St George's Day when most haven't set foot in a church? How many believe that St George was in England? Or that he had a Palestinian mother? The day is to celebrate the life of a man who died for his faith... and in this modern age, many people who do this are labelled as either nutters or terrorists.
Has the meaning lost got lost in translation through the ages and they celebrate St George's character of bravery in adversity? In which case, why not change it to someone else that everyone can relate to?

Can anyone name other traditions that are carried mindlessly?

Sequels and Disappointments

It seems many sequels and remakes walk hand in hand with a Raspberry... the latest instalment of failure to make me cry a little inside is Street Fighter: Legend of Chun Li.

The Street Fighter series has a rich background and lore which is quite interesting and much to explore and the game does well in teasing with snippets of the characters past or possible futures and there have been animés that continued this trend of leaving you hanging and wanting more and when I heard that they've made a new movie of it, I was struck with both trepidation as well as excitement... would it be like the cheesy Van Damme version or will the producers come out with the current trend of excellent remakes (Batman, Watchmen, X Men). I started sniffing around on the interweb and found Kristin Kreuk would be playing Chun Li (she plays Lana in Smallville, I think she's hot but not as much as Allison Mack - plays Chloe Sullivan) and began to start salivating... yes, I'm a bloke, what do you expect?

I've been waiting keenly for the UK release but haven't heard any rumblings and so I had another look and found out that it's been such a flop over the pond that they may not release it here! What... The...

So yes, I've been majorly disappointed again.

Thing with Street Fighter is that although it has a great story, it just may not work as a normal movie and perhaps needs to stick with being animated so you can enjoy the effects more. This is the reason I'm really looking forward to seeing Dragonball and seeing if they can actually pull off animation->movie conversions... bets on another disappointment?

Let's celebrate 'special person appreciation especially for this day'

I know Mothers Day has gone and this post is late, but I still want to get this off my chest.

Why have Mothering Sunday?!

What is the point in celebrating a living person for just one day? Does it give you license to be an ass through the rest of the year or is it because you feel guilty of not treating your mother well daily that you must concoct a 'special day' just for mum?

Only my mother could verify but I'd like to think that I've been good to her everyday. Sure, there have been some bad patches when I was young but that's part of growing up and part of being a good mother is to grow you out of the immaturity and I'd like to think I have and more than made up for all my past misdeeds. I treat my mum to random presents or surprises, help her when I can or when she least expects it etc - I know I'm not the perfect son and I could do a lot more but I do appreciate her every day and she knows that ... yet I still am 'forced' into getting something for one particular day of the year.

I say forced because although it is indeed optional, we've been brought up as children to participate in this farce. From nursery, kids are helped to create gifts to their mothers and the cycle from kids to parents can never end!

Of course, this isn't the only 'treat some especially on this particular day'... you have Fathers Day and Valentines ... the cynical part of me leads me to believe that these are just marketing tactics used by companies to charge 5x for the same goods and the only difference is it's wrapped and has a ribbon on it. A commercial day used to boost sales of otherwise unwanted goods to be bought by suckers.

And yet there I was on Saturday, shopping for my mother and continuing this facade of special appreciation, guilty at betraying my thoughts because I'm part of the system.

Another sucker.

Rules and Tips for Flying

1. Every takeoff is optional. Every landing is mandatory.

2. If you push the stick forward, the houses get bigger. If you pull the
stick back, they get smaller. That is, unless you keep pulling the stick all
the way back, then they get bigger again.

3. Flying isn't dangerous. Crashing is what's dangerous.

4. It's always better to be down here wishing you were up there than up
there wishing you were down here.

5. The ONLY time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.

6. The propeller is just a big fan in front of the plane used to keep the
pilot cool. When it stops, you can actually watch the pilot start sweating.

7. When in doubt, hold on to your altitude. No one has ever collided
with the sky.

8. A 'good' landing is one from which you can walk away. A 'great'
landing is one after which they can use the plane again.

9. Learn from the mistakes of others. You won't live long enough to
make all of them yourself.

10. You know you've landed with the wheels up if it takes full power to
taxi to the ramp.

11. The probability of survival is inversely proportional to the angle of
arrival. Large angle of arrival, small probability of survival and vice
versa.

12. Never let an aircraft take you somewhere your brain didn't get to
five minutes earlier.

13. Stay out of clouds. The silver lining everyone keeps talking about
might be another airplane going in the opposite direction. Reliable sources
also report that mountains have been known to hide out in clouds.

14. Always try to keep the number of landings you make equal to the
number of take offs you've made.

15. There are three simple rules for making a smooth landing.
Unfortunately no one knows what they are.

16. You start with a bag full of luck and an empty bag of experience. The
trick is to fill the bag of experience before you empty the bag of luck.

17. Helicopters can't fly; they're just so ugly the earth repels them.

18. If all you can see out of the window is ground that's going round and
round and all you can hear is commotion coming from the passenger
compartment, things are not at all as they should be.

19. In the ongoing battle between objects made of aluminium going hundreds
of miles per hour and the ground going zero miles per hour, the ground has
yet to lose.

20. Good judgment comes from experience. Unfortunately, the experience
usually comes from bad judgment.

21. It's always a good idea to keep the pointy end going forward as much
as possible.

22. Keep looking around. There's always something you've missed.

23. Remember, gravity is not just a good idea. It's the law. And it's not
subject to repeal.

24. The three most useless things to a pilot are the altitude above you,
runway behind you, and a tenth of a second ago.

Who Watches The Watchmen?

I'm a self professed 'geek' (- a term used derogatively by the masses but in fact just highlights their own shortcomings) and I clearly remember being 11, going to the library and finding the graphic novel section and wowed that comic books were in the library!

From that moment on, I was immersed in a world of Batman, Superman, Spiderman, Green Lantern, Flash, Nexus... I was living a kid's dream in the company of superheroes but as I satiated my childish glee, I became interested in more thoughtful plots - true graphic novels which would be insulted being referred to as a comic. One that remains still clear in my mind is the Watchmen, which I have picked up several times between these years and I hoped that the movie did the book justice as there have been countless Hollywood attempts at bringing life to comics with eye-bleeding results (does anyone remember Halle Berry as Catwoman?!).

This was the first graphic novel that opened my mind to other aspects of the superhero life, more than the super powers and heroics - the humanity of heroes. It is quite dark and gritty, shocking scenes of violence including abuse to women would knock you out of your comfort zone and when you see it happen in a movie as opposed to drawings, stunned is an understatement.

Watchmen is about a group of people with power and ideals doing what they believe is right and just for the world and how everyone's opinion of righteousness differs. You have those that fight from the bottom up, cleaning the streets of crime and working upwards, those that want to start from the top and bring crime crashing from it's heights, those that don't care as long as it doesn't affect them and finally those that think they can save the world in one act. Yet all of these people are on the same team.

The dynamics between the different 'heroes' is interesting and you couldn't help but sympathise with aspects of everyone's views as you watch the powerplay amongst them but unlike the book, you could tell who the 'bad guy' was. The essence of the story is "the end justifies the means" and to how far you would go down that path. Would you sacrifice a handful for the peace of a city? A million for the world? Or would you stick to your guns like Rorschach and "never compromise, not even in the face of armageddon"?

Those of us who have read the novel will know the difference in endings but it essentially brought about the same end and in honesty, I preferred the movie's ending as it didn't seem as far-fetched as the novel. The only gripe I would have was that it didn't leave you in as much suspense as to who the mastermind of this was. Also the frequency of full frontal male nudity was a sight I could have lived without!

The movie is pretty true to its origins and is done well, in fact it was more shocking for me than the novel and viewers must be warned beforehand the nature of this movie :- cold, brutal and brilliant!

of excess and idiots

Firstly, this morning as I was on the motorway, a driver or passenger in a car ahead of me threw out his cigarette which flicked onto our windscreen and my friend who was driving started cursing them because it is dangerous - natural human instinct is to avoid something coming fast towards you, which is not something you would want to do on a motorway travelling at 70mph!

I won't be ranting at smokers, that's definitely a pet hate (so ladies, if you're interested, make sure you kick the habit before seeing me :p) but litter bugs. Why do some people think it's perfectly ok to just throw away rubbish into public space? By all means I have nothing against you littering your private house, I won't be going inside there, but don't you dare punish me with your lack of decency. It's not difficult to hold onto waste until you find a bin, heck I carry food wrappers with me until I find a bin!

Litter just brings down the area and seeing rubbish blowing on the streets is unsightly and is also damaging to the environment. Wildlife suffers as vegetation is ruined with salty food, birds die from swallowing objects, pests such as rats are drawn to it. Just think, people!

Secondly, I think in this time of recession and cut-backs, my mum is single handedly trying to reinvigorate the economy!

So the other week I come home and my mum greets me in the usual manner by saying "you need socks right?" ... this is one of those questions that women so often ask that there is only one answer to... "yes".
Then she picks up a bag with ten packs of socks in them... each pack contains 10 socks... so mum has just bought 100 socks... I could wear a new pair of socks for a third of a year without needing to use the washing machine! I look at my mum questioningly and she replies with "guess how much they were"... "oh I don't know... £1?" ... mum looks well pleased as she tells me "no no... I got them for 10p per pack".

And two days ago, I come home to find 7 mops propped up in the hallway. Once again I'm thinking "oh mum!" but I think "no, I have 3 aunts and she could be giving 2 to each of them"... I wait for my mum to return from wherever she's gone and once she does, I immediately greet her with "what are those for?". My mum always knows how to surprise me, she says "they're for us".
Yes, that's right folks, we need 7 mops in our house, our huge 3 bedroom terraced house needs these many mops. Else I'm thinking that perhaps mum now thinks I am of age and need to be trained in the secret staff martial arts that have been passed down generation to generation, I always knew there was something cool about me but could never put my finger on it.

However that wasn't the case, once again mum asks "guess how much I got them for?!". I had seen the price tag for them was £4 so I guessed at £1 each but she has a mischievous smile and says "no, I got them for 2p each".

Seriously, I think my mum can run classes on Bargain Hunting!

Now this brings me on to the point, why do some people purchase things just because they're bargains? We don't even need all of these socks and mops but because they're at such a reduced price, my mum had to buy more and yet this same woman has instilled in me the virtues of spending only what I have, throwing away unused/unneeded items, using only what I need and not giving into excess but here she acts in the opposite.

Similarly with vouchers, why do you have to use them because you have them?! Just because you have a £10 voucher for John Lewis that expires at the end of the week doesn't mean that you have to buy something whether you actually need it or not! It is not a bargain if you buy it because it's reduced, it's only a bargain if you buy something that you need that is reduced!

Is this part of a woman's psyche? Do they just disengage their logical thinking and turn into impulsive buyers? I am not the tidiest of people, in fact I'm a bit of a hoarder but I'd like to think that compared to most guys that I'm pretty good and well trained. I like to maintain some sort of order and it's not chaotic and to help, I only purchase items that I need and so my stuff doesn't pile up. But I've found guys in general are similar in that we're sensible for bulk purchases and only go for necessary items whereas women just lose the plot.

All are created equal

This is a strange concept for many yet sought after by most... or as the cynic may say it is a strange concept for those in power but sought after by everyone beneath them. I'll only touch one aspect of this today as it's a rather broad topic to rant about!

I've always wondered why some people receive so much attention. Some 'celebrities' have, what appears, no talent but yet the media hunt and expose every portion of their lives, no matter how humdrum... and possibly worst still are the mindless zombies that read the 'gossip' and are wowed by how 'normal' the lives of these people are and all the while feeding the media monster with their money.

The most recent event that has made me write this entry is the news that Jade Goody (of Big Brother fame) has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. I heard about this a week ago and felt sorry for her and her family but only with the sympathy one would show to a complete stranger however the media have leapt on this and the news has blazed on the front pages for several days.

I noticed on Facebook a group was created in support of Jade and there was one entry by someone who was astonished at the hypocrisy of how so many people who were baying for her blood not even a year ago were now supporting her with so much affection... of course he was gunned down for his comments.

I fully stand behind that guy and before I get similarly shot down, let me put my defense up.

Jade Goody came to fame through participating on Big Brother 3. She is probably one of the most famous contestants to have come out of Big Brother in all it's years ... out of notoriety. In her time inside the house, she proved herself beyond the accolade of Stupid, if I was the editor of the Oxford dictionary, I would sincerely consider creating a new word to describe the ignorance shown by her - I felt embarrassed being human, being of the same species.

An example of her level of 'intelligence' (courtesy of our mutual friend, Wikipedia):
Goody thought that the English city of Cambridge was in London. On being told that Cambridge is in East Anglia, she assumed that to be abroad, and referred to it as "East Angular".

As my friends know, geography isn't my best subject. Well, I lie a little... I know more about other countries and position in the world than I do of the geography of the UK. If someone were to tell me a city, I could hazard a cardinal direction but that would probably be the extent of my knowledge... but even I know that East Anglia is in England!

There are countless other examples that show her lack of intelligence... and to think she used to be a dental nurse!

The media were a frenzy of disdain towards her and didn't miss a chance to mock her yet she survived Big Brother for a long time and came out with the most publicity. During her time out of the house, she did what all these reality tv 'stars' do, hose shows and write books. And as most reality tv stars, she was fading out the limelight and would have fizzled out completely if she had not been constantly in womens magazines at least once a month, probably due to Max Clifford, her PR agent who must be the best person at that job, ever.

Then came a celebrity Big Brother a year or so ago where she once again showed her lack of intelligence and said some racial slurs against an Indian actress. I don't doubt that she did not mean them in the way that was emphasised by the media however one must know that certain words are at least taboo. Due to the international aspect of this, news travelled far and wide, effigies of Jade were burnt in India and there were fears for her life. So once again she became infamous.

What little she had in business was reduced as shops would not stock her goods but she remained in the limelight by doing public apologies and trying to become more cultured.

So all in all, my eulogy of Jade would be: ill-educated young woman who rose to fame through public humiliation and brought no worthwile gain to society. Not worth the paper her news is printed on.

However... the tables have turned. The public absolutely adore her and are just bursting with affection and sympathy now. She was diagnosed with cervical cancer and recently found it was terminal and she only had months to live. Obviously devestated, she revealed that she didn't want to die unwed and her boyfriend propsed to her and she was married today in a whirlwind wedding.

The heartstrings of women nationwide were plucked and played by the Pied Piper: Max Clifford, who has once again shown his brilliance in PR and generated a fortune for Jade (who in fairness has said that she's only doing this to support the two young children she'll leave behind) and there will be tv interviews and a documentary on her life now... how morbid are the legions of women? I understand the solidarity of women but must you really support this? And most importantly, why her?

She, who has shown tremendous lack of skill, is affected by a life threatening disease and is put as a poster-girl for people in her plight? Why is her life that much more important that any of the other countless women who are/have suffered with cervical cancer? Where are the millions of pounds for the woman down the road with cancer and children? Do you really need a celebrity to highlight the cause and to stir your emotions, are you that fickle? Why do people become angry at those of us who do not share the same unreasonable sympathy because we see all humans as equal?

I await to go down in flames.

Where Darwin Went Wrong

Survival of the fittest, evolving with the world to become more efficient and rising above the other animals. Sounds so simple and natural and as a race, we seem to definitely be at the top but I fear we've opened our parachute and are descending slowly.

At first it is the abilities that make you stand out from the others:- strength, agility, intelligence, size, dexterity ... but when you become so far above the rest, those traits become redundant. Can anyone honestly say they can take on a lion bare handed? With a spear? How about with your neighbours? I would put money that most wouldn't yet our Neanderthal ancestors were breathing this stuff. So we're superior to them?

We have traded most of the traits to rise above other animals through intelligence, we don't need greater numbers or strength if we can outsmart the opponent. Next time a lion comes to attack you, a shotgun will decide the outcome and will deter any other wannabe hero lions.

Intelligence is how we have survived. We have the ability to create the most wondrous inventions which can be used for good or ill depending on the morals of the user. We have become physically more lazy and take many things for granted, without even pausing to blink but has our greater intelligence actually retarded many people?

With our technology, the need to learn to progress isn't seen as a necessary drive as there is nothing to threaten us. There are plenty of able bodied people wearing white coats and pocket-protectors who are working for us and creating the goods that we will purchase to entertain us, to prevent disease and to transport us wherever we wish... so why should we bother with such mental work? We can simply work 9-5 in any fashion and bring in the money to enjoy ourselves. Heck, we don't even actually have to work! The state will pay us to be able to enjoy ourselves! All the other workers can pay us!

Slowly the moral pillars holding society decay. Most of the progress made is through good intentions - scientists and engineers enjoy their work and love to bring their creations to life because they are beneficial and helpful. Morality should be a compass that guides us to be the best of creatures and to create a better world for all.

However the other week I thought the world was coming to an end. The end of humankind. Not immediately, but definitely on the horizon.

It didn't involve nuclear weapons, natural disasters, chemicals or aliens but was my loss of faith in humanity and how we could possibly go on.

My faith in humanity is optimistic, some of my friends would call me overly optimistic, but I truly believe that goodness will prevail, morals will stand and righteousness will win... but every so often, something will hit me and make me close my eyes and wonder if I'm right.

Last week the news blazed with shock at a father, which is nothing exciting, except for the fact he was 13 years old. The mother was a 15 year old.

Just writing that has momentarily left me speechless again as I just boil with outrage at the collapse of morality that is slowly pervading our society.

The story was that the boy, Alfie, was actually 12 years of age when Chantelle became pregnant. No matter how you view that, seen from whatever angle, orientation and squinting through jam jars, none would make you see that as a normal thing to happen.

A 12 year old boy who doesn't even look as if he's even reached puberty has fathered a baby with a girl that is rumoured to be as promiscuous as a box of chocolates.

Just what do you expect the baby will grow up to? How can you have hope for future generations if they are in an environment where such events can occur? What were the parents of these children thinking? How can they allow such behaviour? Why did they think this was acceptable?

So many questions and more but all of which will remain unanswered as it seems events such as this is not that uncommon and the outrage of people do not even register on their moral radar, perhaps nowadays they are born defective.

A few days later, reports come out suggesting that the boy may not in fact be the father but there are several other potential boys not that much older and it was Chantelle's parents who had suggested to frame Alfie for the shock value and increased media revenue.

Again, I have paused in stunned silence at this and cannot write the emotions that I feel. Despicable is probably the most diplomatic of language that I can say and I daren't say anymore.

Back to my point, would such people be successful in natural selection? One would hope not but with the increasing rate of such incidents, one has to wonder. Have people just degenerated into greed to such an extent that morality has no governance or even any presence? What will these people bring to the future generations, the future of our world? What kind of example are they setting to the young and impressionable? Have we gone so far with our intelligence that we are degrading the people into mindless drones that are falling back to primal urges who do not think of consequences?

Our morality has broken evolution. If we were to follow it's course, such people would have been culled and sometimes I wish that I were like these people, without morals and with a shotgun. What can we do to stem this? In my frustration, I would simply neuter children at birth and reverse it on assessment of the child as they turn 18 and so selectively progress mankind through the genes of those who wish to touch the heavens.

I'm sighing as I am coming to an end of my rant, the injustice of the world must be weathered and just hope that it doesn't chip away at your own morals.