Are criminals treated better than the victims of their crimes?

Having just read a shocking news story about a man who was caught with over 6000 images of child abuse, and how he has overturned a ruling saying he is not allowed to be unsupervised with minors because it breaches his human rights, it makes me wonder if criminals now are being treated better than the victims of their crimes.

Every day, stories emerge about how criminals are often given a punishment that very rarely fits the severity of the crimes they commit. More often than not, the victims of these crimes are left feeling that justice hasn't been served.
Another article I read recently has disclosed that more than 4400 criminals who were guilty of at least 15 offenses were let off with a caution in 2010.

It appears the justice system is becoming too soft on criminals, meaning offenders are given the wrong message when they are not being given a proper punishment that suits their crimes.

This not only leaving the victims angry that justice hasn't been served, but encourages criminals to re-offend because they know there isn't any real consequences for their actions.
If this continues to happen, victims will get to a point they feel they should take action themselves because the courts and the justice system will let them down...

Crimes against children are (in my opinion) the worst type of crime. Thankfully, serious child abuse cases rarely hit headlines, but when they do they really tend to shock everybody. 

In my opinion, they shouldn't hit the headlines at all. Not because they shouldn't be reported - because they shouldn't happen!

Baby P. Image courtesy The Telegraph.

You may remember a recent story of horrific child abuse case against Baby P.? 17-month Peter was abused over a period of months until he was discovered dead in his cot.
(The list of abuse he suffered is sick, which is why I am not going to write about it here.)


His mother Tracey Connelly, her boyfriend Steven Barker and his brother Jason Owen were all arrested and charged for the torture and death of Baby P.

Considering how horrific and evilly cruel this crime was towards an innocent baby, Jason Owen has been released only THREE YEARS after being charged.

To put things into perspective, young offenders involved in the recent riots have been given similar sentences for stealing a bin and breaking a window...

It seems to me that when it comes to justice, Britain is clearly backwards.

Baby P. isn't the only case. I could also mention Jamie Bulger... His killers Robert Thompson and Jon Venables were ten when they abducted and killed Jamie , then 2.
Having been convicted and sentenced, Jon Venables have since been released and given a new identity, at the cost of £250,000.

The main question is why should people who have decided to commit such atrocities be given the chance to have anonymity and have their identities be kept secret from the public?

The british government give more rights to criminals than the victims of the crimes they commit. Criminals aren't punished, they are often treated better in prisons than they would be outside of prison.

Children can be targeted by every paedophile, sex offender and pervert that wants them because they are too young to know how to ask for someone to uphold their rights!

If they commit a crime, British tax payers' money is often use to give these offenders a new life, a new identity so they don't have to worry about being attacked by vigilantes.

- TheLittlerich

Why do large companies forget customer service?

Ring Ring... Ring Ring!

I could already guess who to expect, but I picked up the receiver anyway. "Hello?"

"This is a pre-recorded message. Do NOT hang up!"

(The telephone receiver is already back in the cradle).

Even though the call was probably quite important, if the company calling me up (10 times throughout the day, I should add!) can't even be bothered to get a REAL person to call me then I am not going to listen to some pre-recorded message!

- This is an example of one way I think a company shows a complete lack of customer service!

Image: Graur Razvan Ionut / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I have read a good deal of blogs and articles about starting up and running a small business. Most of the share the same conclusion: Customer service is very important to keeping your business running.

Sadly though, it appears that bad customer service is becoming far more regular. It also appears to me that the larger a company becomes, the less effort is spent on providing good customer service for their customers.

With a huge emphasis on sales and marketing to attract new customers, businesses tend to forget how to keep their existing ones happy.

So my question is how can large businesses afford to upset so many of their customers and yet stay in business?

The simple answer is larger businesses have enough new customers constantly coming through their door to keep them ticking over. Once customers have paid their upfront installments, the business can treat the customer how it likes.

As soon as you have signed a deal with them, they have the opportunity to let you down, and somehow make sure that their failings are your fault!

If you speak to anybody about companies they have dealt with, chances are they will have a story about at least one business that has really let them down... (I certainly have!)
If a business really lets you down, the chances are you would highly recommend that everyone else avoids them!

Do you have any companies you would avoid at all costs? I know you do! Leave your comments below.

- TheLittlerich

How artistic are clothes pegs on a line?

 Some photos I took of clothes pegs on a washing line near sunset. 

I thought the setting was quite artistic, so I tried different settings on my camera.

The sky looked completely different with each different camera setting I tried.

Camera: Canon EOS 1000D.
Photos taken with various different exposures, with and without flash.


I hope you like them!


- TheLittlerich

Will Channel 5's Big Brother be any good?

 UPDATED AS IT HAPPENS: 

Image © Channel 5 television.

I am updating this blog as it happens. Please refresh to be kept up to date!

- TheLittlerich

21:03: 30 seconds in... Ex housemate Brian has been picked to host... I guess Davina has had enough of this crap as well then!?

21:05: Designer furniture, state of the art Gym, sauna... Nice!

SPECULATE NO LONGER... Here are the housemates:

Housemate no. 1:

Image © Channel 5 television.

Kerry Katona.

Well, she seems like an obvious choice - maybe she could set the record straight in BB... or make a complete arse of herself!

21:07 LOL at least she admits she will get on her tits!

21:08 JAN: What is she wearing? What has she done to her hair?!

21:09: Kerry entering the house to cheers and an excited crowd! She is crapping herself as she's walking down the stairs!

21:11: Housemate No.2:

Image © Channel 5 television.

Tara Reid.
Described as a nice slice of American Pie.

I didn't think she would be the sort of celeb who needs to re-kick-start her career... I guess so.

21:12 Tara has just got married! Is this her Honeymoon?

When asked if she's a party girl, she replied "Lets just put it this way, I'm a very fun girl!"

21:14 LOL @ Tara Reid not understanding Kerry's name!

21:15 Adverts.

21:19 We're back! Housemate number 3 is coming!

21:20 A bare knuckle fighter is up next...

Housemate No.3:

Image © Channel 5 television.

Paddy Doherty.
A full of himself, irish bare knuckle fighter is next into the house.
I don't know who he is, and have never heard of him. Hopefully he'll get a big annoyed and hit someone in the house!
He say's he is "here to have some fun". He wants to make his community proud!

LOL @ Tara - can't understand either Kerry nor Paddy!

Housemate No.4:

Image © Channel 5 television.

21:25: Amy Childs.
(Some girl from "The Only way is Essex".)
NEVER heard of her. I've only just about heard of TOWIE.
Don't know anything about her!

Brian to Amy: Have you Vajazzled yourself tonight?! Isn't that a bit personal, isn't it!?

Amy is up for a BB romance?
She looks like a WAG wannabe... Oh Great!*sighs*

Amy doesn't look very comfortable in the house yet.

21:30 - More adverts, but to recap we have in the house an essex girl, a fighting traveller, a US Starlet and a former kitten. Can this line up get any better? Probably!

21:34: Back to Brian. Introducing Housemate 5:

Image © Channel 5 television.

Darryn Lyons.
(Known as Mr Papparazzi)
The annoying australian who has created a nightmare for every celeb out there is next into the house.

He's just admitted snapping Kerry Katona - will this be a major fight in the making?! Oh I hope so!

Darryn is looking for mental stimulation. No chance with the housemates so far!

21:38: Darren has entered the house looking like a cartoon character!

Kerry has just recognised him! "Oh, I know who you are! Mr Paparazzi!"

Housemate No.6:

Image © Channel 5 television.

21:40 Sally Bercow.

She is going in because she wants to rebel against the stuffy rules she should abide by because she's married to the Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow.

She doesn't take orders from her hubby, and seems to want to "stir it up a bit"

21:44 Sally has been in the house about 2 minutes and already seems to be mumsy one of the group.
I think if there is any scraps in the house, she will cause the bitch fights...

21:50: Introducing Housemate 7:

Image © Channel 5 television.

Lucien Laviscount.
He was from Coronation Street.

He is excited about being able to fart and pick his nose while people watch.

21:52 Aww! His mum packed his suitcase for him! What a big kid!
Is looking for a BB romance - someone col and have fun with.

He "won't be a boring housemate and promises to make things happen". I will be made to switch off!

Hmmm... I think Amy and Lucien might be interested in each other... Could they get it on?!
All Tara is on about is the bloody door not opening!

21:55: Housemate 8:

Image © Channel 5 television.

Pamela Bach-Hasslehoff.

Not the Baywatch Pamela we were all expecting, but ex wife of David Hasslehoff!

I must admit I thought she was some nut case who was trying to combine Pamela Anderson and David Hasslehoff, but no, she is a person in her own right!

21:59 Brian is winding her up because she's "a clean freak".

22:00 An hour into the show and we have 8 housemates in the house... How many more will be going in?


22:00 Pamela is impressed with Darryn's hair! She said she just styled her bird's hair like it! (I think... )

2 More housemates to go in... Who will they be?

22:06: The last 2 housemates are being introduced..

Housemate No. 9:

Image © Channel 5 television.

Bobby Sabel

Levi model who fell into modeling by accident.
He is single and wants to have fun.
Not ruling out a BB romance.

22:08 He thinks BB has a house full of beautiful women inside... I think he will be interested in a few of them (Tara and Amy, I'm guessing...)

22:10 Bobby has introduced himself and ended up being ignored... Although Amy seems to like him!

22:10 Housemate(s) no 10/11:

Image © Channel 5 television.

Jedward.

Oh NO! I knew it couldn't last...

22:12 John (or is it Edward) claims peoiple only find them annoying because they have "so much love to give". I think they will find many people will get very annoyed of them VERY quickly!

Wow! Wearing a Tiger outfit and panda shoes they look like complete t*ats! They have packed identical clothes made by their fans, and have had to live on £20 a week...

22:14 They enter the house. Everyone knows who they are, and all the rest of the housemates seem to be happy to see them...

Personally I want Paddy to take them both out with one punch!
Tara wanted to know how to tell them apart. There is a bit of a height difference between them and one of them has a scar on his lip... I still can't tell them apart!

22:15 Brian has announced that Big Brother has a surprise in store... Could it be...? A public assassination of Jedward?! I await and watch the adverts in anticipation!

22:21: Brian recaps the line up: People BOO with Jedward is announced.

Image © Channel 5 television.

Big Brother announces the first task!

"This is Big Brother, will one housemate come to the diary room?"
Kerry Katona has gone to the diary room... and has been told she needs become the biggest celebrity diva ever!

First challenge: throw a celebrity tantrum. REALLY kick off!
Tomorrow: Your housemates must choose you as the biggest diva in the house.

Kerry has been given half an hour to throw a tantrum! Should be good!

Coming out of the diary room, she throws the folder Big Brother has given her, fobbing it off as a welcome pack...
"It's just a welcome pack! It's just a welcome pack!"

Do you think she'll be able to throw a major tantrum? Leave your thoughts in my comments box!
(Please note: all images © Channel 5 television) 


Thanks for reading my blog!

- TheLittlerch

I really love Jan Mason!

I really love Jan Mason!

I really, really do!

Every day, I like to tell her:

"Baby, I love you!"

 Jan Mason is my princess.

She really is my queen!

So I'm writing this poem just for her!

She'll see it on her computer screen!

I hope we are together

until we're monochrome.

A time our kids will have grown up and left,

and put us in a nursing home!

So babes, with this poem

I just want to say to you:

I honestly love you, and wrote this poem

because you told me to!

Could sponsors save our emergency services?

Image: Tom Curtis / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

With the recent rioting in London, Birmingham, Liverpool, Nottingham and Bristol making the headlines recently, police forces have been stretched to the limit.
However, even when they are not dealing with major rioting, police officers have to risk their lives to enforce the law.

Officers are often required to deal with violent criminals and dangerous situations. They are all too often under appreciated by everybody they deal with - even the victims of the crimes they are trying to help.

Image: worradmu / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Working as a soldier within the military is another under appreciated occupation.

The news is always full of stories about how our servicemen and women are sent overseas to fight a war, and are often not provided with the equipment they need to do their jobs properly. The reason is often purely financial.

Considering the severe danger that soldiers are put into on the front line, the chances are many sent over to fight will simply be killed or severely injured in battle.

Every day, I see posts on Facebook about the under appreciated soldiers who often don't return from their missions abroad.

Image: photostock / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The UK healthcare sector is another area that often causes controversy with regards to salaries.

The role of doctors and nurses, GP's, surgeons and specialists involves saving and prolonging life; treating illness and disease; and performing specialist medical procedures.

People working in the medical industry have a career with immense responsibility, huge pressure and one in which lives are literally in their hands.

Taking into account that to become qualified can take up to 7 years of training, and to become a specialist can take much longer!

Top salaries of Police, Medical and Military personnel in the UK:

• Top police officers earn about £157,000 a year. * 
• Top military positions have a salary of around £100,000 a year.
• Top medical specialists can earn up to around £100,000.

*depending on location
These might seem like very generous figures, however when you compare that to the 50th top football player (Alessandro Del Piero, who plays for Juventus) earns £4.1 MILLION (according to Exploredia), suddenly a top police officer, military or specialist medical personnel wages doesn't seem very fair... 

(According to the same list, the top player is Cristiano Ronaldo, who plays for Real Madrid..  He earns £11.3 million!)

Image: Paul Gooddy / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Compared to police officers, soldiers and doctors or nurses, footballers have very little requirement for training; they are not responsible for the lives of others and they don't have to worry if their job will lead to their deaths!

Footballers incomes are made up from a combination of the ticket sales, television subscriptions and sponsorship deals.

If this combination can produce enough income to give individual players multi-million-pound salaries, could the same combination be used to increase the salaries and budgets of emergency services and military personnel?

• If a company is willing to sponsor a football match, could they also be persuaded to cough up a similar figure to back the NHS? 
• Instead of paying a premium figure to televise a football match, could broadcasters offer a financial aid towards the police department? (Especially considering that events such as the recent UK riots have already televised the police force in action, and they have appeared on enough channels recently!)
• Instead of using ticket sales money on a single player, could this money be used to provide military with a salary worthy of the danger soldiers are in every day?

Image: arkorn / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The main drawback to investing money into health care, emergency services and backing the military (from a company point of view) is that their logo wouldn't get seen by the same amount of people as would see it during a football match... 

But why can't they include their branding on the uniform of 100,000 police officers, 100,000 soldiers or 100,000 nurses uniforms instead?

Think of the benefits!:

• The people within these uniforms could receive a salary that is worth the risk and responsibility they are required to have in their jobs. The money could be increased thanks to the advertising income.
• Companies would have their branding on display in many more locations that one football match. 
• The company could save money - one logo appearing on around 100,000 uniforms could cost the company less than one logo on the back of a footballers shirt.
• The businesses sponsoring the emergency services and the military would receive far more respect for backing worthwhile industries.
• Everyone would win in the long run!

- TheLittlerich

QR Codes - gimmick or the gap between printed and online content?

There is probably a good chance you will have seen a QR codes recently. These small squares of pixels may look like random nonsense... 
However, they are actually a 2D barcode matrix that use a very clever method of encoding text, phone numbers, web addresses and other data into a small area.
They can be read by special QR code readers, as well as most new smart phones and mobile devices with the addition of a reader application installed.

They were initially designed in Japan in 1994 and was initially used by vehicle manufacturers to track components. Other sectors then began to adopt them because of their high data capacity, accuracy and speed of use.

Today, they have been adopted by many businesses. They enable people who use "smart phone" technology to scan a printed image (the QR code) using the built in camera. The software then automatically decodes the data within the image and takes the relevant action, depending on the type of information.

This means that QR codes can be encoded to allow mobile devices to scan a code and:

• Visit a website.
• Download an MP3 track.
• Buy tickets for any event.
• Automatically dial a mobile phone number.
• Send an email; as well as much more.

By the very nature of design, QR codes can be printed virtually anywhere you see text or images. This means you can place a direct link to your website or product on limitless formats - t-shirts, business cards, posters, advertising boards, in newspapers etc.

This provides new and exciting ways for businesses to market themselves, utilising cross-platform marketing tools.

However, this is not a new technology. It has been around since 1994, and has only started to catch on in a big way. Even then, it appears that technologically advances countries, such as Japan and Korea tend to be the leaders in using QR codes.

There are issues with this technology unfortunately. These include:

• Not everybody has a compatible smart phone or mobile device that can be used to scan the codes.
• The mobile devices do not come pre-installed with a QR code reader, so it is up to the individual to install the app on their device.
• Not everybody know what a QR code is, or how to use it.
• There are several different standards of QR codes, which means sometimes you have an incompatible reader.
• If the code is connected to a website, you might not have access to internet services when you scan it.

I personally think QR codes are quirky and slightly cool, if you are a bit geeky (I certainly am!) I was at a bus stop the other day, and noticed a poster for an alcoholic beverage. Out of curiosity I scanned it on my iPod.

Once I got home I loaded the URL contained within the QR code and looked through the website.

Now, if the poster only had the website address, I don't think I would've bothered, which goes to show they can attract potential visitors who wouldn't otherwise visit the website.

So, as far as being a bit of a gimmick, I agree they can be, however gimmicks can lead to successful marketing in business and for this reason I believe QR codes are the perfect gap between printed and online multimedia!

What are your thoughts on QR codes? 

Have you ever scanned a QR code? 

Please leave your comments below!

- TheLittlerich

Lightning: Evolution of the universe in a flash?

We perceive time in many different ways. 
For example, it is said that "time flies when we are having fun", and "time seems to drag when we are bored" or waiting for something. "Time gets away from us" when we are involved in an activity that interests us, and when we look back on our lives, "it only seems like yesterday" since major evens in our lives occurred.

Have you ever wondered why we never experience time in the same way when we are doing different activities? After all, time doesn't actually change - it is a constant force throughout our universe... What makes time such an unknown phenomenon?

We have developed a method for measuring time. With seconds, minutes and hours making up the days, weeks, months and even years of our lives, we measure every aspect of time. From the smallest measurement of time to the greatest units of time, we use various scientific methods to understand time. We can understand how short a micro-second is, and we believe that the universe is between 12 and 14 billion years old.

However, we simply cannot understand how time as we perceive it relates to time outside of our dimension...

If you take a thunderstorm as an example. Lightning is an intense, powerful flash that lights up our skies for mere milliseconds...

From our point of view, the flash lasts a moment.

However, we cannot understand how time is perceived from within that flash...

(If you want to know how lightning is created, watch this video on Youtube).

During the flash of light in our skies, is it possible for a universe to be created from the Big Bang*, expand and contract back to the Big Crunch?

* THE BIG BANG THEORY: Our universe was once in an extremely hot and dense state. It expanded rapidly and cooled down. The matter that was expelled formed into planets, suns, and galaxies.

Imagine for a moment that a universe expands for millions of years... Suns are created from masses of gasses, planets are produced and evolve... Life begins to form, evolve and develop until they are at a stage of evolution when species start to develop technology.
The universe continues to expand, forming new suns surrounded by planets, populated with species, all developing.
The universe expands until it can evolve no more. The planets start to decay, suns burn out, planets start to die, species come to an end and the Universe collapses in on itself until it experiences The Big Crunch**.

**THE BIG CRUNCH THEORY: The expansion of the universe will eventually reach a point that cannot be exceeded, and then all the combined gravities within the universe will begin to pull themselves back together. The force will become so great that the universe will collapse into a reverse Big Bang Theory.

To the life within this time frame, I am talking literally billions and billions of years of evolution.

However from our point of view, it happens within a fraction of a second. A mere momentary flash. It is finished as soon as it begins.

If I take this theory outwards, who is to say that our universe, (with the billions of years of evolution and billions more we have until our Big Crunch) isn't actually happening in a mere moment? A millisecond?
Our entire universe could be over as quick as a flash of lightning to a species who exist outside our universe, beyond our dimension and beyond our comprehension...

Now, isn't that worth taking some time to think about?

- Thelittlerich

Is the loss of the humble milkman the downfall of society?

Photo courtesy Ryan Stanford. 

(c) 2011 rjnitro@hotmail.co.uk

Sunlight starting to show in the sky.

The early chirp of the first birds to awaken.

The gentle hum of the electric motor of the milk float.

The clink as empty glass bottles are collected, and bottles full of fresh milk are delivered to the door.

The occasional "Good Morning" exchanged between the postman and the milkman...

A beautiful sunrise

It's a scene that I always think of as slightly magical...

I don't know why, but the thought of having a bottle of milk delivered to the door in the mornings invites images of a picturesque rural village setting, with a friendly atmosphere and peaceful lifestyle.

Sadly, this isn't an image that occurs very often any more. At least, not in large towns and cities!

People are always looking for the cheapest, quickest and most convenient option, and this means large supermarket chains the main source for a large proportion of everyday grocery shopping, it's no surprise that smaller shops and door-to-door delivery services are reducing in numbers.

In large cities and town this seems fair enough, but in my opinion rural areas should be left alone.

I grew up in a small village in which had no large supermarket. 

If we wanted to go shopping we would visit the local convenience store. The shop delivered newspapers to the door, and if we wanted anything above and beyond that we had to travel to the nearest supermarket (about 6 miles away).

Now, I can imagine you are thinking this was a major inconvenience... However, when we decided to move into the village, we KNEW that there was only the local shops and amenities! If living close to a major supermarket was high on the list of priorities, we could've moved into the city!

It was through choice we decided to live in a rural setting, and this often meant sacrificing some of the large conveniences such as supermarkets, cheap local petrol stations and a MacDonalds on the cornet of the street. 

However, on the flip side of this we had a nice environment to live in, without air polluted by industrial and commercial properties. We didn't have the city rush hour traffic. We knew our neighbours, and everyone just got on without any hassles. 

We felt closer to the countryside and closer to nature! Oh, and we also had milk delivered to the door!

If a large supermarket chain had opened up in the village where I grew up, I'm sure it would've lost some of that peacefulness, some of the charm and some of the magic... 

It would have felt like it had been upsized from a village to a town.

It would've caused an increase in traffic, caused more pollution and inevitably led to the end of doorstep milk deliveries!

I believe people have less respect in towns and cities...

Personally, I believe that people living in a town or city have much less respect for each other.

There is an attitude in a city where everybody is out for themselves. 

Perhaps it's a good thing that milk isn't delivered as often to people in a city - what are the chances the bottles wouldn't be stolen or smashed before the indended recipient receives them!?

So to sum up my thoughts, I feel that if the humble milk man is forced to stop dropping milk off at your doorstep, the magic is lost and we'll all end up in a very horrible place to live! 

In order to prevent this from happening, I think we should all have our milk delivered to the door again! 

Who is with me?

- Thelittlerich

Pot Noodle: It's not poodle!

I'm eating a Pot Noodle!
I'm eating a Pot Noodle!

It's Not a Poodle!

It's a Pot Noodle!

There's Oodles and Oodles of Noodles in my Not Poodle!

Oh, wait! It's Not a Poodle, it's a Pot Noodle!


Yum!


- TheLittlerich

Is childhood going, going, gone?

My son Dominic climbing a tree

Growing up, I remember the summer holidays being filled with six or seven weeks of going out to the park, games of tag, hide and seek, red rover and the occasional game of football. 

Sometimes, we could find a nice big tree and climb it all the way to the top!

I remember my friends and I would go off on long bike rides, and no matter where we went, our parents were never worried about where we were...

I'm sure I'm not the only person who nostalgically remembers a time when entertainment was what you made it, and your best friends were the other kids in the neighborhood. 

Nowadays, things are very different...

The summer holidays usually mean six or seven weeks of bored children hanging about the house, pestering their parents for the latest advertised games and toys to keep them entertained.

Dominic on the computer

Entertainment is now what advertising companies tell you it is, and the only time children go out is to sit at their friends houses on their computers.

Even when children decide they do want to leave the house, parents are so worried every time their child sets foot outside the front door, they are reluctant to let their children venture very far.

Children nowadays are being forced to rely on computer games, mobile phones and technology to keep themselves entertained, and this means they have lost the ability "to play".

With a need for constant barrage of stimulation to keep themselves occupied, sadly it seems skills such as "using your imagination", "going off exploring" and "having fun" are all lost on modern children.

However, I don't believe that he children themselves are to blame for this apathy towards their childhood. 

If you ask me who is to blame, I believe there are several groups who have all played their fair part:

• The media: Every day, there seem to be more and more dangers for your children to face. From Pedophiles and murderers to health threats caused by going outside. If you believe everything in the media, you would be convinced that by stepping outside your front door, your children will die!
• Parents: Seemingly forgetting what their own child hood was like, they rely on the information supplied by the media to govern how free their children are with regards to experiencing the world. Parents also allow advertising companies to dictate which products you can use to babysit your children.
• Games designers: They are bringing out more and more pre-defined stimulation to feed the children. Most of these games are often sold to children who are younger than the age range the game is designed for.
• Advertising companies: Responsible for informing children they are not having fun without "product X". They are trying to make as much money as possible, and don't actually care if these products are the best product for your children.
• The Internet: Some parents use the Internet as a babysitter. By allowing children access to the knowledge and information they want, children can discover life through a computer screen. The internet is unmonitored and can also be the window of opportunity to information you don't want your children accessing.

Too many groups and organisations have their own agenda when it comes to children. Unfortunately, not everyone has the best welfare of the child at heart.

The media encourage you to keep your children "safe", by keeping them within your supervision, under lock and key... Some of their warnings are fair, however a lot of the reports broadcast simply encourage enough fear in parents to restrict the freedom of the child.

Companies then produce products aimed at children, that appeal to children, but are not always the best solution for children. Their marketing encourages you to believe by purchasing these products, you can keep your children entertained whilst restricting their freedom.

Dominic masters climbing high

In the era I was a child, life was simpler. It was safer and easier to keep children entertained without gadgets and technology. 

It saddens me that this golden age seems to have been lost to modern society.

Sadly, I don't see any change to this loss of childhood freedom, innocence and enjoyment unless parents and guardians make a stand.

I am a parent myself, and although I am aware of the dangers out there, I don't honestly believe they are as big a threat to my children as the media makes out.

I doubt there is a pedophile itching to abduct my children around every corner. 

I am certainly NOT buying my children all the latest toys and games (even if I COULD afford them!) simply because they are advertised.

I do allow my kids to go and play with their friends (although I am wary about where they go - my son is only five, so going to the park by himself is still a no-no...).

In my opinion, the best thing parents and guardians can do to keep their children's childhood alive is to switch off the computers, confiscate the mobile gadgets, mobile phones and mp3 players every now and again and spend some time playing with their children.

My daughter Makayla explores a tunnel

Make a visit to the local park, let them run about and climb and explore. 

Get out your bikes and go for a bike ride - even in the middle of a city you can find local cycle paths and recreation areas locally to cycle on.

Play sports with children - not only is it fun for the children but it is healthy too!

If you have a dog, encourage children to become involved in taking it for a walk with you. Not only will it help build up a relationship between the children and the dog, it will be healthy and fun!

Young or old, I believe that by spending time with your children, they will retain the ability to find fun and entertainment by themselves.

They will also appreciate the freedom they have to explore their own boundaries and will grow up happier than their console-fed friends.

- TheLittlerich