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There's usually a lot of nasty colds and outbreaks of flu going around at this time of year. We all pick up a bit of lergie from time to time but perhaps if some people were a bit more considerate and didn't spread their germs around, we'd all be a lot better off. My gripe is specifically those selfish individuals who think that it's okay to sneeze all over you!
I'm sat in the computer room of a large university, surfing the net rather than doing any work. A guy has just come and sat opposite me. I could tell straight away that he had a cold by the way he was sniffing and clearing his throat. My first reaction: Oh no - Christmas next week - really don't need a cold. Never mind, I thought, I'll just finish an email and log off.
Three big sneezes that made everyone jump...
Then it started, three big sneezes that made everyone jump. No attempt whatsoever was made to cover his mouth and contain the sneeze. Obviously he thought it was okay to infect everyone with his disgusting germs in this way.
I got up and started clearing away my stuff and he looked puzzled. As if to say, I've only just sat down, why would she want to move? Is the cretin so self-involved that he doesn't understand the basics of hygiene? Who the hell wants a cold or flu over Christmas? Selfish prat!! I could cheerfully wring his neck.
As it happens, I did manage to tell him the reason I was leaving but he still seemed puzzled. Then his girlfriend said 'Oh, is he sneezing over everyone again?', like this was something funny and nothing to be concerned about. Grrrrrr - I hate these selfish people!
Thanks for listening - I shall now go shopping to stock up on Lemsip.
By: NickyB
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From a Scottish newspaper: 12-May-2011
A seat on a Glasgow subway train harboured 125 times more bacteria than a toilet, scientists said yesterday.
They found 1000 bugs per square centimetre on the underground train's upholstery - but just eight on a square centimetre of loo seat.
The seats in Glasgow - used by 13.4million passengers a year - were almost as dirty as the London Underground, which has 1.1billion users.
Tests in Glasgow found the seats were six times dirtier than the handrails and twice as manky as the poles.
Dr Dawn Harper, a medical expert from Channel 4 programme Embarrassing Bodies, said: "No one is suggesting that Glaswegians try not to touch anything when they are using the subway. That's just not practical.
"But it is a good idea to be savvy when out and about. You, or your children, are bound to touch the seats when you are travelling.
"So just consider washing your hands afterwards, or not letting kids put things in their mouths that have touched the seats."
And you were worried about sneezes.
Route 66: Toilet to hand, to bus grab handle-rail, to my hand, to my sandwich, to my gut.
Better make that two Sooty glove puppets.
01/10/11 Stalag 14
A seat on a Glasgow subway train harboured 125 times more bacteria than a toilet, scientists said yesterday.
They found 1000 bugs per square centimetre on the underground train's upholstery - but just eight on a square centimetre of loo seat.
The seats in Glasgow - used by 13.4million passengers a year - were almost as dirty as the London Underground, which has 1.1billion users.
Tests in Glasgow found the seats were six times dirtier than the handrails and twice as manky as the poles.
Dr Dawn Harper, a medical expert from Channel 4 programme Embarrassing Bodies, said: "No one is suggesting that Glaswegians try not to touch anything when they are using the subway. That's just not practical.
"But it is a good idea to be savvy when out and about. You, or your children, are bound to touch the seats when you are travelling.
"So just consider washing your hands afterwards, or not letting kids put things in their mouths that have touched the seats."
And you were worried about sneezes.
Route 66: Toilet to hand, to bus grab handle-rail, to my hand, to my sandwich, to my gut.
Better make that two Sooty glove puppets.
4
Nothing worse than seeing someone come out of a toilet cubicle and walk straight out without washing their hands. That one really makes my skin crawl.
01/10/11 Nick
1
Just had a good idea; when someone offers to shake my hand, instead of a latex glove I could whip a Sooty puppet from my pocket and shake hands with that, I could also use Sooty to use the grab handles/rails on the bus, brilliant.
Problem solved.
01/10/11 Stalag 14
Problem solved.
-2
The best way to get “Deli Belly” is to read one of the aforementioned papers or use the grab handles on the bus and then partake of a sandwich in your local cafe, guaranteed to give you the shits from the bugs on your hands.
Years ago, out of curiosity, I took a swab from a bus grab handle and had it analysed by one of my family, the result was a nightmare of faecal matter and other nasties.
Of course we need exposure to various bacteria and virus to develop our immune system but I like to eat my sandwich without other peoples s**t thank you!
01/10/11 Stalag 14
Years ago, out of curiosity, I took a swab from a bus grab handle and had it analysed by one of my family, the result was a nightmare of faecal matter and other nasties.
Of course we need exposure to various bacteria and virus to develop our immune system but I like to eat my sandwich without other peoples s**t thank you!
-4
It's absurd to try to totally isolate yourself from daily germs, mainly because it's impossible and secondly because if you were to do so, you would lose your resistance and be susceptible to all sort of minor infections.
I agree that the thought of touching something that someone recently touched with their hand with which they have scratched their backside or picked their nose is unappealing, but the reality is that most germs and bacteria don't live long on those surfaces. We are, as a result of commercial pressures, obsessed with cleaning and wiping and disinfecting. Companies like Unilever are laughing all the way to the bank.
I have spent much of my life travelling in developing countries where standards of public and personal hygiene are even lower than in the UK and very rarely succumb to anything.
The foregoing does not mean that we should drop our standards. Of course you should wash your hands after using the toilet, specially in a public place, and so on, but we should not become obsessed.
01/10/11 MikeP
I agree that the thought of touching something that someone recently touched with their hand with which they have scratched their backside or picked their nose is unappealing, but the reality is that most germs and bacteria don't live long on those surfaces. We are, as a result of commercial pressures, obsessed with cleaning and wiping and disinfecting. Companies like Unilever are laughing all the way to the bank.
I have spent much of my life travelling in developing countries where standards of public and personal hygiene are even lower than in the UK and very rarely succumb to anything.
The foregoing does not mean that we should drop our standards. Of course you should wash your hands after using the toilet, specially in a public place, and so on, but we should not become obsessed.
-9
On my daily commute by bus I see many people who, while reading the local free newspaper, lick their fingers as they turn the page, pick their nose, squeeze spots, sneeze, cough, adjust underwear scratch their bum etc. and then what do they do? They dump the paper back on top of the pile in the dispenser bin, the next person who gets on the bus spots the free newspapers and grabs one from the top of the pile, little do they know that the paper comes with its own second-hand supply of saliva, faeces, snot and bum fluff.
One of the worst examples of this habit was a Barrow-Boy (err I mean Barrow-Person) who when I asked for a Pound (err I mean Half a Kilo) of apples licked his fingers to pick up a paper bag and then used the same hand to fill the bag with apples, disgusting.
Even worse was a lady running a roadside cafe, I ordered two sausage rolls to take away and she licked her fingers to pick up a paper bag and used the same hand to pick up the sausage rolls! Needless to say I binned them and never visited the cafe again.
Nowadays I have adopted the habit of using my “unclean left hand” to grab bus rails, door handles, use ATMs etc and use only my right hand for eating food, as am fully aware of the delights of bacteria and viruses living on such surfaces...and I don’t want to ingest them.
Maybe the Arabs have got something there, keeping the left hand in the lap.
There is one major problem though:
What do I do when introduced to someone and they offer to shake hands? Pretend that I am left-handed? Whip a latex glove from my pocket and put it on my right hand or say “I have no sword hidden upon my person therefore it is unnecessary to shake your hand.”
01/10/11 Stalag 14
One of the worst examples of this habit was a Barrow-Boy (err I mean Barrow-Person) who when I asked for a Pound (err I mean Half a Kilo) of apples licked his fingers to pick up a paper bag and then used the same hand to fill the bag with apples, disgusting.
Even worse was a lady running a roadside cafe, I ordered two sausage rolls to take away and she licked her fingers to pick up a paper bag and used the same hand to pick up the sausage rolls! Needless to say I binned them and never visited the cafe again.
Nowadays I have adopted the habit of using my “unclean left hand” to grab bus rails, door handles, use ATMs etc and use only my right hand for eating food, as am fully aware of the delights of bacteria and viruses living on such surfaces...and I don’t want to ingest them.
Maybe the Arabs have got something there, keeping the left hand in the lap.
There is one major problem though:
What do I do when introduced to someone and they offer to shake hands? Pretend that I am left-handed? Whip a latex glove from my pocket and put it on my right hand or say “I have no sword hidden upon my person therefore it is unnecessary to shake your hand.”
-4
I was on my way home from work and this chav was sat behind me. He was snorting up his nose really loud all the way home. That snort where it's collecting in their throat. It was making me feel sick. I hate that sound! Sorry but if you have a cold or need to blow your nose then carry tissues with you don't snort it up and back in your throat oh it was disgusting!
27/05/11 Sickly
-13
Annoying co-worker who sneezes and blows his nose all day long...I find it very offensive to blow your nose in public...hello use the bathroom...we could be in the middle of lunch and this guy blows his nose...not once, not twice but three, four times...and uses the tissue out of his garbage can...how do you tell someone they are being rude and inconsiderate of others around him...he needs an office all to himself
15/02/11 just me
-13
You know the human race has failed somewhere when there are signs for flu posted everywhere, 'cough into a tissue' and all this stuff, and someone walks into a bus coughing and sneezing into the air.
24/12/10 Kat
6
You all sit on the train and spreed about your SWINE flu, like its nothing, if everyone was more considerate, we might not have an outbreak, but OH no....you want to go on the train and sneeze and cough on everyone, you'd think that the train I take to work every morning was a god dame hospital, with the amount of people coughing and sneezing all over each other, its really stupid, if your so ill, then phone up sick, and don't go to work, don't sit on the train and cough and sneeze on everyone, you people are all looking for sympathy!! poor little me, let me just sneeze so everyone knows how sick I am.... F off!! hayfever?? I have hayfever, when i'm near plants and grass, london??? where are the flowers?? on the train?? NO! and why do u all cough so much, are u lot all chain smokers?? if I coughed like that everyday, i'd get myself down to the chest clinic, you might have tuberculosis?? and if u hate work that much that u need to cough on everyone on the train in the morning why don't u just go on disability living allowance and save everybody else from your diseases. selfishness....ONE WORD PEOPLE!!
17/07/09 stop coughing on trains fools
-11
I really hate people with sweaty feet. YUK. Now all these trainers that people wear are giving them bad smelly feet. You go into someones home and the smeel of sweaty feet hit you between the eyes. I mean trainers are for running and gym not for walking all day in and everyday? They should wear cotton socks and leather shoes and WASH THE OFFENDING FEET every day. Spray there feet with deodarent also.Then they would have nice smelling feet. if symptoms persit go see the doctor!!!!!
26/06/09 Frannie
-10
What really annoys me is those people who sneeze really loud and theatrically, eg AAACHOOOWOOOARRGH BLOODY HELL - usually when I'm trying to listen to something.
15/05/09 mikbnay
-9
Very selfish, people who sneeze on others. Even more selfish those individuals who soldier on into work when they're down with the sickness. Gee thanks. Really wanted your germs and to be off sick myself!
05/02/09 Just go home!
-4
Blimey, that sounds exciting. Lovely turn of phrase - actually I read tarot cards myself. Was that a free reading you gave me? Ta ever so. You should write books - you've obviously got a way with words. Thanks for posting.
24/01/09 NickyB
-18
hairyfairy