Mike Southby

It seems that I have nothing to talk about in a technical stance these past few days, I’ve been very busy churning out some pretty intense reports which have taken up a lot of my time and reduced my brain to mush, but I still find the old news story which catches my eye in the press.

In Australia, I came across this video footage of a mother who accidentally lost control of her buggy with small child in whilst stood on a platform waiting for a train.  Now of course, I do understand that accidents happen but really, could she have picked any better moment to let go of the buggy and tuck herself in when she could see the train approaching?  It beggars belief.  I’m utterly amazed and thankful that the little chap came away relatively unscathed.

Amazing.

I switched on Sky News this morning when I got up to see coverage of the story of little Zachary Christy, a 6 year old in an American school who has been suspended for 45 days after bringing a knife into school.   At this stage, assuming you have not seen the story, you’ll be visualising I’m sure the numerous knife attacks that have happened in American schools over the past few years that have been plastered all over world media, and rightly so.  Knife crime is a serious concern, not only in America but around the globe and it is something which needs to be addressed.

The story focuses on Zachary taking a pocket multi tool into school (which, for the record has what appears to be a 3 inch blade being proudly displayed from it…) and not understanding why he has caused such upset.  His mother is quoted as saying “it’s a tool with eating utensils, not a weapon”, not understanding that on the flip side “it’s a weapon which just happens to have eating utensils too”.

Not a weapon?  urm, I think it is actually.

Listening to Zachary speak, which of course would have been scripted and rehearsed, he comes across as a very switched on and intelligent 6 year old, questionably more intelligent than his parents if they really thought it was OK to take such a thing into school.  I’d go as far as to say even Zachary himself appears intelligent enough to understand that this is not something which should be bought into school.   Period.

Perhaps the initial punishment is too harsh, and indeed the story goes on to say that the school board has re-evaluated it and is lessening the punishment but really, what do parents like this expect?   You allow your child to take a weapon into school – because that is what it is – and wonder why they are sent home and it develops into a media frenzy.  I think personally the parents should be punished for being so fundamentally stupid.  If nothing else, they should think of the distress a story like this brings to the families of those victims who have been tragically killed in schools at the hand of knife wielding peers.

I’m sure that Zachary meant no harm and I’m sure on this occasion their was no danger but parents have to think and take responsibility for their children.  The story seems to simply focus on Zachary being a sweet little boy who would not harm anyone, which I’m sure is true.  But nowhere does it pose the question of someone talking the knife off of him and using it against other children in the school, I’m sure not all children as as nice as he is, doesn’t experience teach us anything?

Come on parents, stop being stupid, take responsibility.  Rant over, I’m off for a cup of tea..!

Anyone off to Samoa on holiday in the next couple of weeks..?

If so keep well away from any learner drivers.  Let’s face it, learning to drive can be traumatic enough for a lot of people but imagine getting half way through your lessons and the government decide to switch which side of the road you drive on, mad!  Cited for financial reasons, mainly so that the population can get cheap second hand cars from Australia, New Zealand and Japan the reasoning on one hand seems good but imagine the accident rate over the coming months…

Now to put this into context, no country has even tried doing this since the 1970′s, urm I wonder why? Good luck Samoa.

The big switch over from driving on the right to the left happens this morning, you have been warned.

Further info:  http://bit.ly/VfunH