Heightism!

D...I...S...C...what's the next letter?

No, it's not 'O', we're not here to party and have a good time, we're still here to bitch about sh1t!

So, back to the question, any thoughts?  If we said 'R', would you be able to finish the word?

OK, cut the rubbish, the word of the moment is DISCRIMINATION.

We've all heard this word thrown about in the past, but what is your take on it?  Have you seen discrimination in action, positive or negative discrimination?

Most areas of society now have laws relating to discrimination - think about it, you have to be treated equally whether you are fat or thin, old or young, tall or short, french or english, black or white, you get the idea!

I have recently found one area which appears to be free of all responsibility to human rights, discrimination, whilst we believe it should be covered.  Any guesses?

Air travel.

Simple, if you have ever been on a commercial plane, chances are you will have gotten to know the back of the chair in front of you intimately on your journey.  Seats in planes tend to have less room for people than cattle get when they are being transported.  There have been protests at how poorly cattle are treated in transit, and we want to know how airlines have been able to get away with treating people so badly for so long.

I have had bad experiences on planes, most frequent travelers probably have!  I'm above average height, not something I chose, although I like being tall - don't get me wrong, I'm not that tall - 6' 4" (190cm), but physically doing things in everyday life is seeming to be getting harder and harder.

The tube pisses me off, barely being able to stand on some trains, in the middle of the carriage, let alone in rush hour, trying to stand next to the curved doors, all whilst some ignoramous reads the f****** newspaper - but air travel is the real issue, as this is actually dangerous to health.

I have been lucky enough to be on a few long haul flights in the last 12 months or so, and have been basically satisfied with the service, there are certain compromises to be made, such as knowing you are either not going to be able to feel your feet through them being forced under the seat in front, or being run over by the trolley if they are in the aisle.  It used to be the case that you could get to the airport early enough and check in first, and ask nicely for the emergency exit seat to help a little with the legs.  This was normally met with a couple of questions to make sure that you would be able to help in the event of an accident - e.g. were you fit and of 'reasonable' strength, could you open the door in other words?  This is fair enough to ask, and I totally agree that the person or people sitting in these seats have a certain responsibility to other passengers.

This has all changed.  In the money grabbing, profit driven society we live in today, these seats are now for sale.  Fat, thin, old, young, as long as you have more cash, you can have these seats.  Is this showing that the airlines have really stopped caring about the passengers, as long as someone can stump up the cash they can have these seats - regardless of whether they would be able to open the door or not, although the airlines are obviously trying to help by ensuring their wallet is slightly thinner!

I'm bored of ranting now, but suffice to say the airlines get away with this all the time, so many companies do in one way or another, what do you think?  Who is on your list of poor companies in terms of customer services...?

o2
Virgin
All fuc*ing airlines!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heightism

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6 of the best poke.....

...r related cufflinks!

So, it always amazes me just how quickly Christmas always creeps up on me. I know it's coming every year, and I know when it is! It just suddenly seems that it's here! Walking down Oxford Street last night, the lights are on, the weather is cold, and people (grrrr, annoying crowds!) are out shopping in force.

As you probably can tell, I'm not a huge fan of crowds. Or shopping. As a result, I've fallen headlong into a, so far, lifelong affair with the internet. OK, it may not be an affair, and I know we both have other interests, but f*ck buddy doesn't sound so poetic.

Right, I'll get to the point. I have, as many people do, an interest in poker. I think my family have cottoned on to this, and suspect that those shiny parcels I am hoping I've been good enough to get this year, will have in some poker related goodies.


What might they be, I hear you ask? Well, I've been banging on about cufflinks a bit at home recently, so had a quick look to see whether there are any nice cufflinks out there - this is what i've found:

1. Dunhill have a nice pair of chips cufflinks, they are quite pricey though, but having recently found dunhill do this sort of thing, I presume the quality will be excellent.

Link

2. Next is another dunhill creation, this time they are lovely looking cards, the marketing spout says they're made from sterling silver with rhodium plating, whatever the f*** that is!

Link

3. At the other end of the scale from the first 2, we've found these bad boys. Considerably cheaper than the dunhill ones, they look good in the photo, and are cheap. I'm not sure getting 8 aces is going to go unnoticed around the table though!

Link

4. From the same site come the Ace of spade cufflinks - not sure I like these as much as the others, but they are simple and cheap.

Link

5. Next on the list we move sites to find some poker chip cufflinks. These have a bit more colour than we've seen so far, but could be fun. At under a tenner, these could be a good present this Christmas for a secret santa thing in the office!?!

Link

6. Finally on this list, we have the kings and aces cufflinks. These have good detail on the cufflink, and I'm sure would complement any shirt.

Link

So, that's our list of 6 of the best. I like these cufflinks, but am hoping if I had to choose a single pair, to get the ones first in this list. Yes,. I know they are £155 but they look really good, and they seem to be built to last. Father Christmas, if you are reading, can I please have a pair?

What do you think of these?

I've got my long legs out...

I'm tall.  At 6' 4" (about 1m90) I'm not *that* tall, just taller than average.  I am in proportion, and therefore come equipped with longer than average legs.

Why is it then, that I feel discriminated against when asked to do certain things? 

Driving cars is becoming easier, as taller consumers are catered for, I have however never driven an early mini, or managed to get my hands on a supercar - although Jeremy Clarkson seems to get in (just) to these things, it's simply not practical in some cases for everyday use.

Another example is flying, and this is one which really does wind me up - every time I fly.  Every. Single. Time.

I will research some seat pitches (or one of you lovely readers may be able to help!), however understand that the trend is an increase over the last few years, I believe it has reached a staggering 31" on BA longhaul flights in economy. Seat pitch indicates (I think!) the distance between the rows of seats - a measly 31" to fit my long legs in for a 10 hour flight is, imho, totally unacceptable, cattle gets more space when flying!

Each time I check in for a flight, I ask whether there is any chance of getting a seat with slightly more legroom, to which the normal response is a flat out no, with the exception of recent offers of being 'allowed' to pay for a bit more room. 

Emergency exit seats tend to be the ones with more legroom, these seats never used to be assigned until travellers were physically at the airport, and the check in staff could assess their ability to open the exit in the event of an emergency, now apparently the safety of other passengers on the plane could be at risk in the event of an emergency, because someone with more cash - not necessarily fit to open the door - has 'bought' the right to a particular seat.

I always make the effort the arrive early, and to check in as soon as possible the day before, when the online check in opens, however it is becoming more and more frustrating that people are given the option of buying this space, as opposed to placing people who cannot physically get their legs in to the meagre space in coach.

When 'sitting' in these seats, I am forced to either ask the person in front to put their seat up, or put my legs out in the aisle - when I normally get hit several times by the trolley!

Fat people are, in extreme cases, asked to purchase 2 seats to accommodate their bulk, however I've been unlucky to be next to one that has not - again, this could be construed as a physical discrimination in that the seats are not fit for purpose - where the issue is deemed medical.

I want action, I need your help as I am not sure the best way to go about this, but come on, we're in the 21st century, and I can't get my legs in a plane seat - the Disability Rights Commission do not, at present, cover air travel, and the airlines will not be interested. 

Another issue is the rude inhabitants of London (I live in London but do not consider myself to be rude!), when on the tube - fine, you read your newspaper, screw the people who are trying to get on the tube (which they've paid a small fortune for, thanks Ken!), or when they do get on, why not just stop. Idiots.

What do I do, who can help me get heard....?  Or of course, you can always donate moeny to me so that I can afford to fly in business.... ;-)