There is nothing that riles up people more than the steady decline of comfort on US airlines, coupled with the disaggregation of fares so that now there is a steadily increasing list of things that used to be standard but are now charged extra, such a food, checked baggage, carry-on baggage, etc.
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People who use cell phones to talk are a scourge on the roads. But while there is evidence that talking on the cell phone, whether holding it in one’s hand or using hands-free devices, creates cognitive distractions sufficient to increase the risk of accidents and thus both should be banned, at least people have their eyes on the road and their feet on the pedals.
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A relative recently told me of a friend of hers who routinely parks in handicapped spaces just because they are more convenient. What is it with people who try to sneak into parking spaces that are reserved for people with handicaps? Are they simply too lazy to walk the extra distance that the other spaces might require? Do they think these reserved spaces are some kind of benefit provided to the undeserving that unfairly discriminates against them? Do they resent anyone being given a privilege that is not also available to them?
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When I returned to the US in the 1980s, we had little money and a six-month old daughter. If something were to happen to me, I wanted there to be at least some money to help in taking care of the baby and so I set about immediately getting a life insurance policy.
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From reader Jeff I received this link to another such episode. We see again a situation where the driver at an event in Virginia that attracted car enthusiasts, manages to make a total hash of parking even though the space available is huge. What makes this distinctive is that her car ends up on top of the car behind and that both cars are very expensive. The offending car is a Mercedes Benz while the victim car is a Ferrari costing around $300,000.
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Death is a difficult subject for many people to deal with to deal with and some shy away from the word itself and resort to euphemisms when referring to the death of someone they know. Chris Raymond lists 101 alternatives for death, dead, or dying, some of which are jocular and used only for the deaths of strangers or people one dislikes.
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A group of African Americans had an enjoyable meal at a restaurant in Murfeesboro, Tennessee and were treated well by the waitress. Or at least they thought so. But later a friend told one of them Chelsea Mayes that their waitress had posted a photo of the group on Snapchat and used a racist slur to describe the group. The management was alerted to this and after an investigation, fired the waitress.
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Reader G. sent me the link to this video of someone trying and failing miserably to parallel park and giving up after spending more that five minutes, even though the space was so large you could have parked an ocean liner there. I have seen and posted videos like this in the past but this is absolutely the worst I have seen. It is excruciating to watch.
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Growing up I recall people frequently saying that Sri Lankans would take anything if it were given to them free, including a cold. It turns out that Sri Lankans may not be the only ones who are drawn irresistibly to free things. Dan Greenstone, a lover of books and the possessor of many, has a hilarious article about what happened with his wife’s gift to him of a Little Free Library, a concept to increase literacy that is popular in many neighborhoods, where people set up a box in a public place stocked with books where any passerby can take a book and replace it with another.
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