Free.....but at what cost.

We went to pick up the new car today and came back staggering under the weight of all the free gifts. Now, I like a free gift as much as anyone else, although I could do without the chocolates, but, of course, they aren't free....it's all part of the dealer's margin. Which made me ponder, not for the first time, about the the goody bags given away at the Oscars, the ever flowing bar in first class, designer samples given to celebrities.......the obscene amount of money that is thrown at people who don't need it.

Now, realistically if you were to gather up all that unnecessary expense and divide the sum between all the needy in the world it wouldn't make any difference. I'm thinking more about random acts of kindness, about making someone's day for no reason at all. I'm thinking about finding new homes for the free gifts.........

This brings me nicely to today's "Gosh, Sherlock, really, you do surprise me" moment. A study in the USA has shown that all people driving older, cheaper cars will stop at a crossing (a legal requirement) to allow a pedestrian to cross the road, whereas only 50% of people driving expensive cars will stop.