Cargo Cults

The day started badly. It rained so hard as I walked to the station this morning, that I arrived like the proverbial drowned rat. My feet were wet as I sat at my desk, but luckily I had a pair of dry socks in my bag for just such an emergency. It still looks pretty foul out there now. But I have dry feet.

There seems to be a lot of paedophile talk in the news today. A new website has been launched which is identifying missing paedophiles, complete with pictures and personal information. The site is government sponsored and features people that are wanted by the authorities. I'm not at all sure I approve of this. I remember the last time this was attempted by that foul Rebecca Wade woman from the News of the World. It caused all sorts of problems, including wrongful targeting by the public of people thought to be offenders.

There is less scope for that kind of cock up this time. It's unlikely that a government sponsored site will identify the wrong people. It could still whip up a storm however. Of course, this site wouldn't be required at all if the authorities hadn't let the scum bags escape in the first place, which makes me wonder whether the public money could have been spent better.

The BBC website is reporting that the Netherlands is intending to pass legislation that would ban women (and presumably men) from wearing a burqa in public places. The ban would cover the street, public transport and public buildings. This seems like a drastic measure to me, and it's bound to cause unrest. I want to be tolerant, but I can't help being rattled when I see a woman in a burqa. Intelectually I take the view that people should be allowed to dress like batman if it makes them happy, privately I find the burqa unsettling. We shall see what the Dutch do and how it pans out.

I've been reading about Crago Cults. I didn't know anything about them, but apparently these cults all sprang up int he South Pacific after WW2 in various places. They were all nearly identical, and yet, they had nothing to do with each other. I might write abou them when I know more.

Work is gettign busy again.