Decisions, decisions

Decisions can be good or bad, cruel or kind, weird or funny. They can also be rash and illogical, or carefully thought through and well considered. This week some of the cruellest, funniest and kindest decisions have been made that have changed people's lives for good and bad.

In New Zealand this week, the The Department of Internal Affairs made a decision that protects children feom their parents bad decisions with the issue of a list of 77 banned baby names. This list came into being partly in response to 2 sets of Kiwi parents naming their children Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii, and Superman. If  other parents were allowed to go ahead with their bad decisions, there would be citizens walking the streets of New Zealand named Anal, V8, 89, Mafia No Fear, Lucifer, full stop and *.

A rash, illogical decision made at a South Australian country football Grand Final has left an umpire with little trust in people and he now struggles to go out in public. During the 3/4 time break, with ten beers under his belt, and being told by a mate that "Someone should have a go" at the umpire, Jeffrey John Hunter walked to the middle of the ground and king-hit umpire  Paul Fitzgerald, leaving him with a cut eye, fractured eye socket and a fractured nose.

Mr Fitzgerald, who said he would never umpire again, had more surgery on Wednesday for his injuries. He said he lost seven kilograms due to medication he was put on, which made him vomit, and that he could no longer run as it caused sharp pain in his face and his vision from his right eye was now limited.

Thankfully there are people out there who are making good decisions that make the world a better place.Cafe owners around the world are selling "suspended coffees" to customers who want to make a practical difference. Suspended coffees started in Naples, Italy and have been reported as far afield as Russia, Quebec and Australia.

A suspended coffee is one that is paid for by an everyday customer with some spare coins in their pocket, and later claimed as a "freebie" by someone who is down on their luck and needs a hot drink

Decisions can be made in the heat of the moment with little thought to the consequences, but these stories show that our own personal choices can have an impact on the people around us. So as everyday decision makers, we have a lot of power to make people's lives better or worse.

But with great power comes great responsibility.