Paging Mr. Darwin

"Paging Charles Darwin. Paging Mr. Darwin.

Please return immediately to your office where there are customers urgently awaiting your attention."

Where there is no nearby traffic light or marked crossing, pedestrians must choose between a long walk to the nearest light and crossing the road where they happen to be. Those who choose to walk without benefit of a marked crossing, specially those who proceed head down, cell phone to ear, and looking in the opposite direction to the oncoming traffic - if they are looking anywhere, are obvious candidates for immediate extinction.

Last year nearly four thousand pedestrians were killed by automobiles in the United States. While, in most States, pedestrians legally have the right of way, such petty legalisms are always trumped by the Gross Tonnage Rule - a variation on 'Might makes Right'. Those, therefore, who tread in dangerous places would be well advised to keep a good lookout. The alternative is a high likelihood of joining the other discards on Mr. Darwin's rubbish heap.

Your correspondent, yesterday, only narrowly avoided three members of this clearly-unfit-to-breed sub-species. He does not believe that any of them will thank him.