Petition or Pitchfork?

Online is a funny old world. Social media can often be the fastest 'news' source around and most days I am guilty of checking it before the more standard news sources. We all know by now (I hope) that just because a story is in the paper, in print, it doesn't necessarily follow that it's true. And most of us are aware that fiction can be slewed to fact and vice versa, but oddly we seem happy to trust 'real people', those faceless strangers we meet online.

Twitter is a great place and I really enjoy talking to people there. I'm opinionated (no really!) and so are many people I follow. Opinions are great but some days it seems we forget that opinions are not fact. A huge group of people seem to find that with the advent of 'instant news' via social media, that their opinion, and the facts of a matter can be just as instantly determined.

Wait for all the facts? Don't be silly, I have seen what twitter said and so now I know! In fact there was an article in the Sun/Guardian/Times/Mirror and they agree so it must be true. And  now I am sure that xxxxx is guilty. And that xxxxx is innocent and so next I shall ask, nay demand! that everyone agree with me and grab pitchforks to attack the guilty and sign a petition to protect the innocent!

This was aptly shown his week with the Jeremy Clarkson 'fracas' affair. Currently the BBC, his employer, are looking into the facts. Yet over 300,000 are so sure of his innocence that they have signed a petition while equal numbers malign him and demand his sacking. 

I wasn't there, I know this may shock you, but I don't know the details of what happened. So I will wait and see.

Petitions and pitchforks are a simple analogy for this failure to stop and think. Both have proper useful functions but either, grabbed in haste, make you look foolish when all the facts are revealed. I'd like to think that even in an instant age of fast moving social media we can still use our brains, can still stop and think before we act.

Christopher Jefferies is a man who experienced pitchforks, fuelled by media and misinformation, let us not forget him, let us not be too hasty to be sure that we are right, let us gather facts and make decisions based on them.

Instant social media interaction is fantastic fun. But it should not replace courts and juries, nor a bit of thoughtful common sense. A tweet is just a tweet, it can be a fact or not, I'm not saying you should never act on a tweet, I'm saying you need to use some thought, check, check other sources, don't grab the proverbial pitchfork or sign anything until you are sure, and even then ask yourself is this the best course of action? Don't fall into the 'outrage trap' that can blur a true view of things in its red mist.

The one thing that social media can be great for is asking, asking the questions, keeping a story in the public eye. Never feel you need to keep silent about an important issue. Shouting at those in power, demanding answers can be a vital role of the general public, we have power in our numbers.  Do you have all the facts? If you don't have all the facts, demand them.

But put down your pitchfork, close that online petition page, think about why you have decided your course of action.

Art by DD and me ...she did the angel and devil

Ranty Rant - Paid to stop smoking

OK so I’m pissed off, I’m not alone I know and I bet this post is echoed on mummy blogs across the UK right now but…well this is Random Rantings, I encourage a rant. Here’s my rant of the day.

‘Women paid to give up smoking when pregnant’ An eye catching and rant worthy headline indeed.

You will recall I was similarly ranty about ‘Women paid to breastfeed’

I imagine most people would instantly balk at the idea, paid to do something you should either do anyway or at least that you should just make a personal choice over? Why bribe someone into making a good choice? Why reward someone for doing the right thing? Don’t we as humans have intellect, a moral compass, and a brain capable of making rational and informed decisions?

It’s not the only time ‘incentives’ have been used either. People have been paid to lose weight too and I’m sure there are other examples. (Who else remembers this little gem of an idea from 2009)

Ranty me can’t help wondering if, as I am, you are lazy is it not reasonable for the NHS to chuck us £20 or so to go for a brisk walk! It might sway me.

Yes but it works you say? It saves money and lives you say? The ethics don’t matter if it works the politicians cry!

Don’t they? Really? They are arguing that the end justifies the means? Well then I suggest a cheaper but I’m sure equally effective idea. We bring back the stocks. People caught making the wrong life choices should be placed in the stocks on the village green with a sign round their neck and we can fling rotten fruit at them. I bet that would work too. Would it make it OK if it worked?

Copyright: / 123RF Stock Photo

Do the ends ever justify the means? What do you think? Is paying people to behave well a reasonable idea?

News Round up - this week - Women in the News

I love to surf the web reading odd news from around the world each morning before I get up - so I thought I'd gather some of the best (may not be the correct description) news stories in a blog post to spare you the hunting. To keep it somewhat organised I've decided to go with a theme, so here are my favourite (again may be an inaccurate description) news stories from around the web. Not all are nice, not all are happy, not all are funny, but they are all about women. Enjoy (or at least - read)

Let's begin with a particularly horrible tale of a missing actress. Her family worry she has been kidnapped and maybe forced into the sex trade, but then residents in her apartment block notice the water in the taps starts to taste bad...

Police said the body of aspiring actress Carmen Yarira Noriega Esparza, 27, was found in the tank by council workers responding to reports of foul tasting water.

 Moving right along to a horrific account of a beheading of a woman in Saudi. Found guilty of the abuse and murder of a child a woman is publicly executed. Don't click if you are easily upset, contains graphic description.

There are two ways to behead people according to Mohammed al-Saeedi, a human rights activist: “One way is to inject the prisoner with painkillers to numb the pain and the other is without the painkiller,”

 Meanwhile in Philadelphia a woman is killed while taking a photo,from the ledge of an eigth floor window, as you do

On Thursday evening during rush hour, a young woman fell from an apartment building

  OK enough with the unpleasant, the tragic and the sad, next on news round up a more light hearted affair, a woman sues a tights manufacturer over her lack of pantyhose inspired orgasms.

Wang’s suit argues that the company didn’t follow through on its ‘tension relief and massage claims’ and says the ads used misleading language.

 In BBC News the Lords say there are just not enough women in current affairs programs. Maybe they should give me a call...

  Lord Best said: "Although on the surface it appears that women are well represented, the facts tell a different story.

  The telegraph wants to know if white wine makes women 'loopy' (spoiler - The evidence for the "crazy white wine effect" is entirely anecdotal.)

  women interviewed variously blame white wine (but only white wine, not any other sort of alcohol) for sending them into such a crazy rage that they smash furniture and break windows

And on both web and TV a campaign has both lovers and haters. How do women really feel about exercise? Do you exercise? does being fat and jiggly and sweaty impact on what you choose to do? or where you choose to do it? I have to confess that the slow girl on the bike muttering 'I'm lapping everyone on the couch' did make me think that I could do maybe just a bit of exercise...

 a national campaign developed by Sport England—is inspiring women to feel confident and get active, whatever their size, shape, age, or fitness level.

  And last but not least an opinion piece in the Guardian about boobs. Should we stop policing breasts? Who is complaining about them (I have a hint it's more likely to be women than men) and if women are right to bare breasts should we complain if men look at them?

So, to recap, breasts imagined through a man’s eyes and painted by his brush are high art, but women choosing to use these parts of their own bodies to feed their children is potentially offensive

A little news round up (nothing sad)

​ And now ladles and jellyspoons, a round up of the odder side of life. I love to read the other news, the funny things , the weird things that life throws at us. So here is my news roundup

Random Drinks anyone? After all - it IS Christmas!

First up, an inspiration to us all - a sausage dog (initially more sausage than dog) shed 50lbs and poses for a calendar. Amazing before and after photos. ​

Next up - a cute proposal story to help us oldies recall those fond days of youthful dating. More great photos to make you smile there.

And how about this guy that decides that 'asking for it' really is the way forward at Christmas, a truly 'non sleazy' way to get those Christmas kisses

Back in the UK there is happy news about an injured parrot after the Scottish SPCA arrive to rescue it

And how big a family is too big? 6 kids? 7? a round 10? This family have 34 and are adding more, love really is limitless (and children really might destroy those last vestiges of good sense you once had) 

I'm sure you have all heard about the stranded seal (I assume he had time to hide his parachute but not quite enough time to get to the rendevous in the woods before his discovery - keep your eyes peeled, the seal invasion has begun, they may already walk among us) He is now biding his time until the reinforcements arrive recovering in a sanctuary.

Feeling less than Festive? Why not read some of these hilarious wish list items kids asked Santa for.

Or Just gaze at these cuter than cute babies, careful, those feeling broody should look away now.

And finally a  round up of some funny tweets - I'm using the HuffPost list this time - but I'm planning my own list next time - HuffPost miss too many gems!

Happy Christmas! And God Bless us, Every one!

Music, Children and 'Adult Only' Spaces

Copyright: korionov / 123RF Stock Photo

A musical post for you today. With some bragging, some questions and some ranting.

This week I have a proud mummy brag. My DD (the lovely Teen) has passed her grade 5 Music Theory exam with merit! She was not keen to do the exam and wouldn't have bothered except that to continue to the Clarinet Grade 6 you have to have passed the Grade 5 theory exam. She can read music of course and has been studying music since she was 3. And no, I'm not some wild tiger mother that beat her with a violin until she played correctly. She went to a toddler music group, Kindermusik, that is fun for little ones and teaches things like rhythm, keeping in time with others, following a conductor, looks at beats and speeds etc. She really loved it and at about age 5 she moved up to recorder and then on to the clarinet. So anyway, she passed and I'm proud.

Music is important for humans (and possibly some other animals too) and children have been shown to benefit from both playing and listening to it, so I was surprised to read a BBC News story in which a musician of some standing criticised a child and berated the parents for some concert disruption in the form of coughing.

  

But the 66-year-old took offence at a child coughing during her performance of Mozart's Sonata In G.

"Maybe bring her back when she's older," she scolded the parents from the stage.

I don't know about you but I sometimes cough in a concert (or theatre, or cinema) and you do your best to muffle it but mostly life (and the concert, play, film etc) goes on. Of course a prolonged hacking fit of coughing would make me leave but just a bit of coughing? I guess I might hope to find something to suck (behave!) in my bag but that's all. We are humans, silence is not always possible.

And what of the strange idea that a child is 'too young' for a concert? Can that be right? Are there 'adult only' spaces and if there are should they at least be clearly marked? If a concert plans to be adult only should it not at the very least say so on a ticket? I took my own daughter to many public spaces from when she was a baby and although I would take her outside if she was noisy for any length of time (I'm not a sociopath) I don't see that a baby or child cannot experience and enjoy music just as an adult can. Even the Royal Festival Hall are quoted as saying "We don't discourage parents or carers who wish to bring young people to an evening event".

So what are your thoughts (and do mention if you are a parent or not!) Do you get annoyed by children? Are there too many 'free range' parents that allow children to dominate public spaces or should we be prepared to share?

I like to think I take a middle ground, sharing spaces has a responsibility to others in the space and as a parent I take responsibility for my child, but as for the odd cough, I'm not convinced that warrants complaint.

The News. Sense and Sensitivity

*trigger warning for rape on the news link

I should be proud, I suppose, to have a sensitive, caring, teenage daughter. She's not perfect, she shouts and stamps and argues like any normal person, but she is very empathic. (remember the whole Finding Nemo incident!) and so I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when I went into her room to find her in tears because she had heard about this news story on Radio 1 this morning. She told me what had happened and just seeing the tears running down her face was enough to set me off too. There we were, 6.30 am weeping in the dark. She asked me why I was crying, was it because of the woman's story or was it because she was crying? I told her truthfully that it was mainly seeing her so upset, seeing that bad things affected her so strongly. She hugged me. We sobbed more.

As a parent its hard to think that you cannot always keep your child safe, and the realisation that they can be hurt by sad news even in the home seems so cruel.

How do you deal with bad/sad news stories? Does your child care? Do you keep them from them? (difficult once a teen listens to radio, surfs net, tweets, reads news etc)

I feel sad for a world that continues to be filled with hurt, and for the children that have to learn to 'toughen up' just to be able to cope with living in this world.

Sorry for the gloomy post today. Cheery comments welcomed.

Feeling Ranty?

Right, I'm not going to rant about the Royal thing *whispers the word 'baby'*; it is news, but we all know now. Let's hope Kate gets the treatment she needs for a very real, very serious pregnancy complication. That is all.

I'm not going to rant about anything actually, I was...but then I started typing and thought, 'you know what, it's not worth the hassle, ranting is simply too stressful, yes Rhianna has made a silly choice and will (hopefully) live to regret it, yes press freedom and privacy are important, yes feeding dolphins is risky if you don't pay attention and let your kid wave their little pink arms over the tank, and yes countries fighting for decades and decades with far too many dead is important (and stupid, and rage inducing) but today I can't be arsed.

Today I shall watch the 'Dog adopts Tiger Cubs' video again instead.

Have a nice day

Copyright (c) 123RF Stock Photos

We live in probing times

I know. I'm obsessed. But the news media (at least on line, I don't buy any papers but I bet they are similar) have a new word and damn are they going to use it. I feel I need to buy them a thesaurus.

Lately there have been many horrible stories from the past (and present) uncovered by journalists and others and in many cases the government or another body has started to investigate the incident, to carry out an inquiry, to question, to research, to quiz, to study, to scrutinize....to PROBE! 

Yes gentle reader probing, once the plaything of aliens, has become the new buzzword in news-speak.

Especially appalling examples link the probing to child abuse, but probing is taking place all over the web, at all times of the day and night. You are never safe from THE PROBE!

India Launches Probe against Wal-Mart

CIA launches probe into Petraeus scandal 

FDA probe seeks links to energy drinks and deaths 

British Regulator Probes Controversial BBC Report

Dave Lee Travis arrested by police probing Jimmy Savile sex abuse claims

and on, and on, and on.....thousands of hits on Google news just as a start.

So here Journalists, this is for you, a handy link 

to THESAURUS.COM

You stop saying 'probe' from today, and we can all move on as though this unpleasant thing never happened.