mike hawkins - thinking out loud

I just know that I would like Eric Steward if I met him - 81 years old with a great attitude to life.

This article from the BBC news site covers the tale of a nine hour trip to buy a newspaper.

I love the last couple of paragraphs regarding old age and the merits of GPS.

"When you get to 80 and beyond it doesn't matter much. He's out there waiting for us and you just got to wait your turn."

"Why would you want one of those? You can't get lost. There is no fun in that."

Driver lost on 600km shops trip...

- BBC News

Restoring a bit of faith in human nature - this story from the BBC website would seem to suggest that there are still one or two good folk out there.  A 22 year old waiter who gave a key piece of information to police, that led to the arrest of a rapist has, altruistically, donated his £10,000 reward to the victim. 

Quoted as saying the decision was made because "...I really felt that it would go towards making her life a lot better over the next couple of years... ", this bloke has demonstrated a fabulous spirit of humanity  - that I for one thought was a thing of the past, - and is to be greatly admired.

Applaud Lloyd Gardner - loudly!

Man donates rape reward to victim

When is a crime, not a crime?

Apparently, when Leicester police decide it is not someone 'over-reacting' - not to my mind a fantastic way to interpret the law. 

This story covered on the BBC News website is almost too tragic to bear.  Take a family who have enough problems to begin with, add a group of teenagers, who have so little in their lives that fun involves finding someone less fortunate than themselves and tormenting them, relentlessly.  Then find an agency who, are responsible for the safety of the community but, in reality, couldn't give a damn - if it might involve getting out of their cars or doing a bit of paperwork.

This really is dreadful - the end result of continuous (and reported) harassment, torment, abuse and intimidation has lead to two tragic and needless deaths.

Well done Leicester Police and this family's tormentors - I hope hope you feel suitably proud of your actions, or inaction - whichever camp you are in.

Murder mother's abuse 'ignored'

It is, seemingly, on an almost weekly basis that I find myself reading about another inhumane, or overly draconian, law being introduced in some part of the world or another - the so called "modern world".  It is almost as though the news agencies are reporting 2000 years behind the times.

Today the BBC report on Aceh - an Indonesian province where, within 30 days, adultery will be punishable by 'stoning to death'.  I remember laughing when I saw Monty Python's "Life of Brian" scene, where false beard wearing women blag their way past the Roman soldiers to have a chance to hurl their rocks.  It was comic - because everyone knew it was a cruelty from an age long since past.

Adultery is not a good thing - I don't condone it - immoral some would say.  But anymore immoral than state condoned murder - I don't thinks so.  To suggest that this is barbarism is understating the matter.

BBC News report - Aceh passes adultery stoning law

I am not certain that Putin's rumoured intention to regain the presidency of Russia is a good thing - though as 'puppet master' to Dmitry Medvedev did he ever really relinquish any power - for either the people of Russia and her surrounding states, or indeed the world as whole.

Putin hints at presidential bid - BBC News
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Putin is an old-fashioned 'sabre rattler' with a KGB mentality coupled with a worrying love of decadence - in my opinion, that makes him a dangerous man.