My question has always been: Where is the end and beginning of a circle? On Jan 1, 2015, at 10:59 AM, Mike Palij <[email protected]> wrote:
> Best wishes to all for the coming year! May your teaching loads > be lightened and your committee/administrative work be lessened > as your salaries are increased. > > A few notes about New Year's Eve (NYE), the new year, and > other stuff: > > (1) Some of the news channels started showing how NYE was > being celebrated around the world, starting with, I believe, > New Zealand (NZ) which is about 16 hours ahead of the celebrations > in NYC's Times Square (there a few islands in the Pacific that > enter the new year earlier but these will only be of interest to > fanboys of NYE). > > (2) One realization as the crystal Waterford ball came down > at Times Square: there are probably folks in NZ, Australia, > and the eastern Russian Federation who are starting their > hangovers as the ball comes down. > > (3) While watching the financial news network CNBC, the > newsreader was excitingly announcing that midnight had just > come to Moscow and that a spectacular fireworks display > would light up the night sky. However, as the skyline of > Moscow remained dark for the next minute, the newsreader > chimed in "Well, maybe those sanctions really are working!?" > The fireworks started 4-5 minutes late. > > (4) As with every new year, people make resolutions of various > sorts, usually to achieve positive goals like weight loss, exercising > more, being kinder to people, giving more to charities, and so on > (there are those who swear to carry out their revenge against their > enemies, real or imagined, but I digress) and the NY Times is > perhaps making suggestions about changing behavior on the > subway. Let's be clear: "manspreading" might be a problem, > especially one that some folks like to focus on (you know who > you are) but New Yorkers who regularly ride the subway are > all too aware of other "problematic" behaviors which the following > NY Times story identifies based on polling of its readers: > http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/29/nyregion/door-hogs-music-blasters-litterbugs-readers-sound-off-about-subway-rudeness.html?mabReward=RI%3A11 > > One set of problem behaviors: > > |Grievances include smells that offend, sounds that grate and > |personal grooming not appropriate for a public space. Riders > |seethed over frequent culprits: the door hog, the pole hugger, > |the litterbug. > > Smells that offend can come from a variety of sources, ranging > from people with poor personal hygiene to the foods that are > eaten such as: > > |Some think food should be banned on the subway altogether. > |They had visceral memories of unpleasant odors on the train: > |Mexican fast food, garlic breath, Chinese takeout. > | > |"I actually witnessed a man put on rubber gloves, open a can of > |sardines and eat it on the train," Yana Ivanov wrote in an email. > |"It was nasty." > > Somebody should do a memory studies for odors experienced > on the subway. I'm sure they are especially durable. ;-) > > And one particular problem that I find offensive is people taking > pictures on the subway. Consider: > > |Several complaints were logged against people who take selfies > |on the train. Sharmila Mukherjee objected to riders who take these > |photos with "preposterous smiles on their faces." Women are often > |the culprits, she said. "They fancy they are girls in pearl earrings > |and the smartphone camera is Vermeer himself," she wrote, referring > |to the Dutch artist who painted the famous "Girl With a Pearl Earring." > > True Story: after a tiring day of teaching I was taking the subway home > when a group of about 6-7 youngish people, obviously European > from their accents, got on my car and started to act as though they > were in a photoshoot. I could tell that they were amateurs because > of their "Golly Gee! Let's Take This Shot!" attitude -- your average > tourist who thought it was great taking photos on the subway without > asking anyone not in their group if they minded being in the picture. > I counted down the stations to my stop while this group occupied > about a third of the car. As I got off at my station I prayed to God to > send a homeless man to this car so he could take a dump in it. > > Another unanswered prayer. ;-) > > Good luck with that hangover. ;-) > > -Mike Palij Paul Brandon 10 Crown Hill Lane Mankato, MN 56001 [email protected] --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=41348 or send a blank email to leave-41348-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
