Now everyone is flying and we all seem to share the same problems with airlines. The "On the Spot" column by Catharine Hamm at Los Angeles Times provides good answers to questions from passengers who have had trouble with airlines. Recently, a passenger asked if it was possible for an airline to check a passenger in to a regular seat if the passenger bought a seat with extra legroom. Hamm double checked with the airline for the passenger and consulted gurus on the issue. Check out the answer at http://goo.gl/8sfuY of how the passenger was treated for his extra-legroom seating. For another question, about what rights a passenger has as a paying customer if one has to endure a smelly passenger in a flight, check out http://goo.gl/DWcP4.
Although most of the questions focus on airlines in the US, much applies to airlines worldwide.
Trashing the Christmas spirit
Every year Santa delights people at the magical Brussels Christmas fair. This time they found out not every present is worth giving. About 700 tonnes of trash were found in the donation boxes. So Les Petits Riens, a non-government organisation in Belgium, last Christmas turned Santa into Satan for a moment by giving away what they retrieved from their donation boxes. The receivers on the streets were happy until the moment of truth arrived when they opened the gift boxes and found a broken doll, empty beer can, or even a rat corpse. Les Petits Riens filmed the giveaway and the reactions and released a clip to remind people that the donation box isn't a trash bin. Watch the clip in http://goo.gl/uiytA.
Better safe than sorry
An article called "Through a Rapist's Eyes" has been in forward mails and bloggers for some time, and has been blogged about again at http://goo.gl/xVNYz.
Some people find the article, a list of things rapists look for, a hoax and/or offensive. For example, it says a rapist usually looks for a ponytail, bun, braid, or other hairstyle which can easily be grabbed. True or not, it won't hurt to read and think about. "They also look for women using their mobile phone, searching through their purse or doing other activities while walking because they are off guard and can be easily overpowered," is one of the points it makes. The article will certainly help you be more careful.
