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Two stories out of the US:


The first from Miami, Florida, concerns the story of the 12 year old boy who “landed the catch of a lifetime”.

The catch in question? A 250kg bull shark. A picture accompanies the text, of the beast slain by the young boy (in an almost fable-like fashion. Mind you, I’ve seen the picture and unless the boy is the son of Thor, there’s no way on this Earth he hauled that in himself).

This magnificent creature, king of its domain, reduced to a trophy of a boy probably bored by the plethora of toys society now provides and spurred on by the redneck adults.
I realise how I sound, and concede that if more young boys took part in similar activities that required the shifting of one's arse, the obesity epidemic (which is now how it’s generally considered with somewhere around 40% of the civilized world being classed in this way) would be much reduced.
But the sacrifice of this…well, dinosaur it has to be said – this species has existed for many millions of years, indeed, they say all life came from the sea don’t they? – is an awful price to pay for that.

I imagine the young fellow will be recipient of many a slap on the back – probably even the taste of beer as the “men” celebrate his victory and acceptance into their club. (He’ll maybe even get his end away! Too young you say? Of course, nevertheless, it’s not unheard of and after all - he hooked a monster!).


The second article is just as disturbing (probably more so to those who don’t share my disgust at the mighty warrior types that are “sports fishermen”).


This one is from Dallas, Texas (cue music from the TV show which spawned the ubiquitous “who shot JR” t-shirt range)

Charles Allen Chatman was jailed in 1981 for rape. He was 20.
He’s now 47.
And he’s just been released. After 27 years incarcerated, a recent DNA test has proven he was innocent all this time.
What price those 27 years? How much is 27 years of liberty worth? He was a young man when this began – his entire life in front of him.
Now? Well what chance does a 47 year old have? The part of his life when he should have been laying foundations for his (and possibly, probably his family’s) future was taken from him. He’ll never get to see his children grow up, or get to kick a football around a park with them (which apparently is what life’s about they tell me).
The article says he saw a mobile phone for the first time upon release. They must mean “live” – prisons have TV’s.
It also says he would have to “relearn how to use a knife and fork to cut his food”. Where was he…the moon? The Daily rag…quality journalism, folks!

Leaving aside the Daily Rag’s exaggerations, the fact remains, Mr Chatman has missed out on virtually everything good in life due to more than likely an overzealous prosecutor (Think Jack whatsisname from Law and Order).
The race card is also played at the end of the piece. Accused is black; victim white.

It’s another feather for the cap of the anti-death penalty campaigners. The victim was 50 at the time and depending on the ferocity of the attack I would probably have lobbied for such a sentence (rape is heinous to me).
I’d be feeling pretty crushed now it has to be said if such a penalty had’ve been imposed.
However, they didn’t have DNA technology then and mistakes were made.
They do now and such mistakes (allowing for human infallibility – still doesn’t make it right though) wouldn’t be as likely to occur.

Either way, someone needs to pay this man. In some way. I don’t think it would be too much to fund the rest of his life – say…whatever an average man on an average wage would earn for 27 years. That would see him aged 74. There’s not a great deal of time after that. It's really the least they can do - they stole the man's life.