Apparently we're allowed to call fat people "fat people" again after years of being told we had to call them obese. I have nothing against fat people but if they're allowed to call me skinny and that's OK then I don't see what I can't call them fat and that's OK too. So good - it keeps things nice and simple.
We were booking some tickets on Ryan Air, for the first time, this week and one of the extras it seems you have to pay for - actually everything is an extra with them - is your baggage. You have to decide if you will take a 15Kg or a 20Kg bag priced at £15 or £20 respectively. This got me thinking about how unfair this idea of how much baggage weight you are allowed actually is.
I weigh about 75Kg, so assuming I decide to go with the 15 Kg bag allowance I will be adding 90Kg to the weight of the airplane in total. However next up is Mr Fatso who already weighs 120Kg and also goes for the 15Kg allowance - total weight he's adding to the airplane is 135Kg which is exactly 50% more than me.
Is he paying more than me? No he's not. Is that fair? I don't think so!
If airlines have are going to charge me for my luggage based on what it weighs, then I think it's only fair that they charge their passengers using the exact same criteria. I think something like 120Kg comprising of both the passenger and their baggage as a standard would be fair - anything more than that and you have to start paying extra.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Ouch!
I spent most of this Saturday cooking burgers and sausages at the Simon Says BBQ - a charity for bereaved kids that Sheila works for. There was lots of stuff there for the kids to play with when they weren't eating my lovely food including a lot of space hoppers. After all the eating was done and people were starting to pack up and leave I thought I'd give a helping hand by passing stuff up towards the people who were collecting all the toys.
For some unaccountable reason, instead of just kicking the space hopper towards the guys collecting them up, it seemed like a good idea to grab it by one of the handles and throw it - really hard - in their direction. However instead of hurtling off in a forward direction as planned, I let go of it a bit too late and it just shot up into the air in what seemed like an ever increasing trajectory. I remember wondering how high it would go, and more importantly, where would it land. At one point I estimated, wrongly, that it might land on the head of one cocky looking kid who was clearly in need of a surprise from above.
As it gained speed and got closer to planet earth it became clear that it was, rather oddly, going to land very close to me just as I noticed two small boys standing about three feet away. They were standing face to face innocently minding their own business and talking to each other. Bam! The space hopper shot down right between the two of them, hitting each on the head and shoulder. They understandably both looked completely dazed, shocked, and thoroughly confused by what had just happened. Uncharacteristically I was immediately concerned for their wellbeing but happily, although clearly stunned by their ordeal, they both said they were OK.
All too quickly my concern turned to amusement as I could hardly contain the laughter caused by the looks on their confused little faces.
For some unaccountable reason, instead of just kicking the space hopper towards the guys collecting them up, it seemed like a good idea to grab it by one of the handles and throw it - really hard - in their direction. However instead of hurtling off in a forward direction as planned, I let go of it a bit too late and it just shot up into the air in what seemed like an ever increasing trajectory. I remember wondering how high it would go, and more importantly, where would it land. At one point I estimated, wrongly, that it might land on the head of one cocky looking kid who was clearly in need of a surprise from above.
As it gained speed and got closer to planet earth it became clear that it was, rather oddly, going to land very close to me just as I noticed two small boys standing about three feet away. They were standing face to face innocently minding their own business and talking to each other. Bam! The space hopper shot down right between the two of them, hitting each on the head and shoulder. They understandably both looked completely dazed, shocked, and thoroughly confused by what had just happened. Uncharacteristically I was immediately concerned for their wellbeing but happily, although clearly stunned by their ordeal, they both said they were OK.
All too quickly my concern turned to amusement as I could hardly contain the laughter caused by the looks on their confused little faces.
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