OneWingedBird
Beloved of Ra
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2003
- Messages
- 15,431
If they are charging tall people extra, does that mean there is a discount for midgets?
BlackRiverFalls said:If they are charging tall people extra, does that mean there is a discount for midgets?
river_styx said:All you little folks have such bad tempers I'm surprised you're not all banned from flying anyway :lol:
Mythopoeika said:river_styx said:All you little folks have such bad tempers I'm surprised you're not all banned from flying anyway :lol:
There might be a reason for small people to have bad tempers - tall men get all the attention from women and get all the best jobs, positions in authority etc...
Blinko_Glick said:I'm 5'8" and also built like a brick poo house thanks to a spate of body building in my 20s and karate until my mid 30s.
So in all, I look like a munchkin, as wideness tends to shorten.
But whatever, enjoy the cards you're dealt with and make the most of them.
Five foot? Is that a typo? What's wrong with a 14 year old girl being five foot?
Woman told she was too short to drive bus gets €6,000
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ire ... 34116.html
AOIFE CARR
Wed, Sep 22, 2010
A WOMAN who was unsuccessful in applying for a job as a driver with Dublin Bus has been awarded €6,000 by the Equality Tribunal for gender discrimination.
Isabella Lazar, from Romania, passed the theory and practical driving test required for the job and was then called for interview. At the interview she was referred for a medical examination, where she was informed she did not meet the height requirement for the position.
Ms Lazar claimed that a height restriction affected a greater proportion of women than men, and that Dublin Bus employed people of a similar height to her who were male, white and Irish.
Two other claims by Ms Lazar that she had been discriminated against on the grounds of race and disability were dismissed.
The tribunal heard that Dublin Bus informed Ms Lazar she did not satisfy the minimum height requirement for the job, without telling her what that height limit actually was.
In response, Dublin Bus said the minimum recommended height for a professional bus driver was 165cm (5ft 5in), and that Ms Lazar, at 157cm (5ft 2in), fell well short of this requirement.
However, the company confirmed to the tribunal that there “might be” men employed by it as bus drivers who did not meet the height requirement.
It said those outside the guideline heights suffered from greater than normal sick leave levels.
An occupational health specialist gave evidence that, in her opinion, the average height of an Irish woman was 162.5cm (5ft 4in). Therefore, the tribunal heard, Dublin Bus required its female bus drivers to be above average height.
The tribunal found that in the absence of any clear and defined height range and associated procedures, it did not consider an apparently arbitrary measure of height implemented in a piecemeal fashion grounds for refusing employment.
A spokeswoman for Dublin Bus said this was the first time the company had had a case like this.
“As part of Dublin Bus’s recruitment process, each potential applicant is individually assessed and must also attend the medical department to undergo a full medical examination. The medical department will then make a recommendation as to whether the individual is suitable for employment or not,” she said.
She did not comment on whether the height restriction for drivers was still in place.
Hobbit team calls for short actors
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11404484
Peter Jackson Peter Jackson won the Oscar for best director for his work on Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
A casting call for diminutive actors has been issued in New Zealand, as director Peter Jackson forges ahead with plans to film The Hobbit.
Advertising in a Wellington newspaper, Wingnut Films is looking for men 123cm (4ft) to 158cm (5ft 2ins) tall and women measuring 123cm to 153cm (5ft).
The two-movie project has yet to officially receive the go-ahead by MGM Studios due to ongoing financial woes.
However a Wingnut spokesman said they wanted to "be prepared".
The spokesman told the AFP news agency that the call was for "scale doubles" for actors with speaking roles, and further auditions for extras would take place at a later date.
"Scale doubles appear in some wide shots in place of our actors and with other adult actors when we need people to look smaller or taller," he explained.
He added all applicants must be aged 16 or over and anyone not meeting the height requirements would be turned away.
'Shortish in the leg'
Even with the height restrictions, many of the eligible actors would tower over JRR Tolkien's fictional creatures.
In a prologue to The Lord Of The Rings, he wrote that Hobbits are between two and four feet tall, the average height being three feet six inches.
Letters from the author, published after his death, went on to describe the physical appearance of The Hobbit's protagonist, Bilbo Baggins, as:"fattish in the stomach, shortish in the leg".
"A round, jovial face; ears only slightly pointed and elvish; hair short and curling (brown). The feet from the ankles down, covered with brown hairy fur," he continued.
Casting for The Hobbit is due to take place on Sunday at the National Dance and Drama Centre in Wellington.
Mexican-born director Guillermo Del Toro had signed on to direct the films, but pulled out in June citing almost two years of delays.
Jackson, who won the Oscar for best director for his work on Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, is expected to replace him at the helm, although no official announcement has been made.
Teen named world's shortest man
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/bre ... ing18.html
Thu, Oct 14, 2010
A Nepalese fruit seller’s son with the body of a toddler turned 18 today and was officially declared the world’s shortest man.
Khagendra Thapa Magar measured in at 67.1cm (26.4in), displacing the former record holder, Edward Nino Hernandez of Colombia, who measures 68.6cm (27in).
Cheers went up when Mr Magar was handed a world record certificate by Guinness World Records official Marco Frigatti. The ceremony was held in a hotel in Pokhara, Mr Magar’s home town and a popular tourist destination west of Kathmandu.
His family have campaigned for years to get him the crown, but earlier requests to Guinness were rejected because of the possibility he might grow.
“We are very proud of our son,” said his father, Rup Bahadur Thapa Magar. “We have been finally recognised and our dreams have finally come true.”
Mr Magar and his family excitedly welcomed journalists to their rented home, where he jumped on the kitchen table and made tea for the press and family members. He also received presents for his 18th and danced to the sound of a toy drum.
Mr Magar, who weighs just over 5.4kg (12lb), was tiny even at birth, weighing just 600g (1.3bl). His father says he has no explanation for why he never grew taller – his younger brother is normal height for a boy of 13.
Local doctors are stumped, but lack facilities for detailed testing.
Mr Magar’s doctor for the past five years says he has the body of a three-year-old.
“His body structure is like that of a small child and he also thinks and behaves in that manner,” Hum Prasad Newpane said.
Mr Magar - who already travels as part of a dancing troupe when he isn’t helping out his parents in their fruit shop - seems ready for the media spotlight that will accompany his new title.
Next year he is to serve as a government-appointed goodwill ambassador as his nation celebrates Visit Nepal Year. “I am very happy and excited,” he said.
Careful, James, she sues at the least hint of mockery...JamesWhitehead said:It's the way she tells them. :shock:
Mythopoeika said:I think Ms Schoenfleish-Backofen is very pretty. I'd date her. 8)