News of the Day

Thusfar, this has been a pretty dreary day in the news...

Sex Offenders Missing? According to the BBC, an account from the Metropolitan Police stated that there are 112 registered sex offenders who are "currently recorded as missing." I don't think I need to speak of the impact this will have on families in London. In a day and age where tragedies like Madeleine McCann's disappearance are dominating the news on a daily basis, this is clearly the last thing that we need. As it stands, there are 3700 sex offenders in London. This means that over 3% are currently or had been missing. There are far too many children on the Child Protection Register, and the fact that 3% of those who have offended have gone unnoticed is alarming.

Haringey Council Senior Officers Sacked? Three senior staff members of the Children's Services team in Haringey have been suspended due to the negligence surrounding the Baby P case, sparking a universal review of child protection policies across the board in England. For those who are not familiar with this case, the baby in question, who was on the Child Protection Register, was a 17-month-old little boy who died after suffering serious injuries at the hands of his mother, her boyfriend, and a lodger. All have been convicted of charges related to his death and are awaiting sentencing. As a result of this incident (and rightly so in my opinion), all child protection officers will be subject to unannounced inspections. As a former council employee myself, I can attest to the importance of this decision, and hope that in the future a more strict limit on the case load of workers will follow. This would truly go far in helping to chip away at the cases of negligence in child welfare work.

And now on to lighter stories...(You didn't think I'd leave it on a sour note, did you?)

At a time when sales all over are dwindling and the economy's tanking has left many in a state of depression...

Take That's album, entitled "The Circus," was released yesterday to record sales. 133,000 copies on day 1 is not too shabby if you ask me, and it was enough to land the group in the number 1 spot for highest first day sales of the year. That's right, folks. Take That de-throned Coldplay. Shocking, I know. Considering the year is almost over, I think it's safe to say that this is a pretty favourable position to be in.

In another strong opener, Four Christmases, starring Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn, has knocked Quantum of Solace out of the top spot and earned the top spot at the UK box office. The latter was trounced by almost ₤1 million. If that isn't a statement about society I don't know what is. The world would rather watch reality shows and comedies about divorce than sink their teeth into a James Bond action adventure.

So this leads me to pose a (not-so-serious, yet thought-provoking...maybe) question: Are we gluttons for punishment, happy to laugh at the misfortune of others, or just coming to terms with the current realities of life and having an honest laugh? Think on that one, kids, and I'll be back sooner than you can say "marmite."