Beijing Starts Campaign to End Spitting

[Zafir]

(AP) Beijing is launching a campaign to stamp out widespread public spitting in an effort to clean up its image for the 2008 Olympics.

 

The government has concluded that spitting is the city's "most serious bad habit," Zhang Huiguang, director of Beijing's Capital Ethics Development Office, said Wednesday.

 

"This year we will intensify our law enforcement efforts in this field," Zhang told a news conference. "We will require law enforcement officials to step up the frequency of fines."

 

The fine for public spitting is 50 yuan (US$5; euro4).

 

Tourists visiting Beijing often are startled at how many people spit or blow their noses onto sidewalks.

 

The crackdown is part of efforts to raise "ethical and cultural" standards in advance of the 2008 Summer Games, a major prestige project for the communist government.

 

Zhang said officials will launch an advertising campaign on radio, television, the Internet and mobile phones to "teach people the right way to spit."

 

"For example, you have to spit into a tissue or a bag, then place it in a dustbin to complete the process," she said.

 

Those without a bag handy needn't worry. Zhang said her office has organized a small army of volunteers who are already hitting Beijing's streets, handing out small "spitting bags" and wearing bright orange uniforms with the Chinese character "tan" _ "mucus" _ printed in yellow on the back.

 

She said enforcement will also be ramped up against littering _ the second-worst habit her office faces _ and pets fouling the streets, the No. 3 scourge.

 

Source

 

 

LoL how many people have you seen spit in front of you, better yet how many people have you seen hold their index finger on one side of their nose and blow (with experience comes the speed of that discharge)

[sheherazade]

Tissues are a luxury item to the majority of the world population. They should hand out cloth handkerchiefs- resuable and biodegradable. Those spitting bags are probably plastic. They'll just have to learn to swallow their phlegm and blow their noses into something with decorum.

 

I once had spit- a lot- splatter my face. I was fast asleep on a bus and the woman in front of me had leaned out her window and splurted or gurgled or something foul into the wind. It came hurtling back at me through my window. It woke me up with a start. Seeing the woman still hanging out her window, I was grateful it wasn't vomit. Nonetheless I got nausea-induced goosebumps, manically wiped my face with the first available material(my own hijab), turned my face into my seat and cursed.

 

When I reached my destination a couple of hours later, the room where I stayed stunk of human excrement. Exhausted I slept without changing, only stopping to wash my face and hands. I awoke longing to take a shower- that salivating rain was still bothering me. I went into the bathroom and there was no running water. I stayed drool-stained for a few more hours. They don't just spit in India, they've turned it into a national past-time. I got nailed by Rajasthan's finest. True to Rajasthani tradition, it comes in a vibrant red.

 

Gimme a ooucc.

[Zafir]

^LoLL Maskiinah, why didn’t you slap the stupidh woman silly? Was she eating paan? And what on earth were you doing in Rajasthan?

[sheherazade]

look and u shall have yr answer..

 

 

 

[Alle-ubaahne]

^^How come you are impatient to our views against the liberals, and you are patient to others who went too far, to an extent of spitting on your beautiful face?!

 

Come on girl, you need to use your harshness for the needed suitable ways, mise fuley aa tahay, anaka lee naga adagtahay haye?

[sheherazade]

^u're right about the beautiful face.

 

Work a little on the rest of your blah from nowhere inorder to get my attention again. Fuleey meesha wey ka buuxaan. The place ciir-ciirs with them. Adaa ka mid ah. Is that harsh enough for you mise you'd like more? Can u tell if I'm being serious or not? Or is my style all part of the grand agenda that I and the others share?

 

Dramaad ka heshaan some of you men on SOL, it's embarrassing and mind-numbing, hadal malaayacni ah iyo comprehension la'aan aya isugukiin darsantay. Half the time people are debating points that have not being made by the other party. Somebody say, 'duh'.

 

If you want to start something with me, however trivial, make a valid point at the very at least. Suggesting I spit back at a poor woman who wasn't even aiming at me is beyond nac-nac for the sake of nuuc-nuuc. Naga daaya kalaamka faarigha ah, iyo doon-doonashada baselesska ah.

 

I'd suggest you and your conservative lot, whoever they may be get out more and see just how conservative you really are in comparison to the rest of the world. U might be surprised.

 

Had that woman spit on my face deliberately I wouldn't have retaliated. When the Lord blesses you with security, good health and enough money to live on comfortably u don't battle the poor and illiterate.

 

U, dear have yet to prove yourself a worthy opponent of mine(however trivial your chosen battle) so yalla, don't start where u once left off, come back when your mind has opened a fraction(the pain will have been worth it) and you've grown out of your mental shorts. I'll show you around. U've missed out on a lot.

 

Who's next?

[sheherazade]

Look what Google spit out for me(long but humourous)

 

The Art of Spitting (A PhD Thesis Proposal)

A friend of mine showed me this PhD thesis proposal.

 

Background:

Spitting is an act of expulsion of the contents of one's mouth into one's surroundings. It is an act which allows the person indulging in it, to get rid of unwanted fluid, food particles, phlegm, sputum or extraneous material such as "paan-juice". The uniqueness of the act of spitting lies in the fact that unlike belching, farting, micturition and defecation it is almost completely voluntary, done at will and usually with complete control.

 

Spitting in India is a universal phenomenon. In virtually every locality, at almost every corner, someone is spitting at any given time. There are very few public places, where evidence of spittle, especially red "paan-juice" is absent. It would therefore be safe enough to say that this one act of volition, which the majority of Indians participate in most of the times, has elevated spitting to the level of a national sport or past-time. It is important therefore to study the concept of spitting in detail.

 

We have already done a preliminary survey of 1000 people to understand the act of spitting, which we will describe in the sections to follow.

 

Objectives of the study:

1. To understand the anatomy and physiology of spitting.

2. To understand the pyschology behind the act of spitting

3. To study the various methods of spitting, the differences between them and the reasons for these differences.

 

Materials & Methods:

We will undertake a large survey with a lengthy questionnaire, to try and meet the various objectives. This questionnaire will be handed over by various non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to over 100,000 individuals, randomly picked, to avoid bias related to gender, socio-economic status or religion.

 

Our preliminary studies have found that there are no hard and fast criteria for the type of people who spit. People of all socio-economic strata spit, whether it the rich, Mercedes-driving individuals or the mathadi workers pulling a cart. Males appeared to outnumber women, 1.4:1, but we believe this is a bias related to the fact that more men than women are found outdoors. Young children spit less, but after the age of 15, there is no difference. All religions spit equally. All castes spit without bias. The only difference is that the more socially upscale a person, the more careful that person is not to spit on someone else and to wipe his/her mouth with a clean handkerchief after the act.

 

If the person is a "spitter" (preliminary results show that only 1% of individuals, spit only in their homes or in washrooms, and thus do not qualify"), then the questioner will try to understand when and how the spitter spits. Our initial survey has shown the following methods: saliva spitting, "paan-juice" spitting, phlegm spitting and spitting of food particles. These can be spitted out in the form of a drool, straight down, straight direct, with mouth open or through pursed lips, gently or with a considerable ejectile force. All these will be evaluated in detail to assess for specific associations with gender, religion, socio-economic status and the like.

 

The next question will deal with the emotional state before and after the act of spitting. Our early results have shown that there is an element of agitation before spitting, especially if a cough has brought up phlegm or if a person is chewing paan. The act of spitting leads to emotional satisfaction and in some instances a post-orgasmic state of relief. As a result of this, only women will question women and men, men.

 

The economic background will also be studied in detail. It is believed that the reason many people spit so much is because of the high level of unemployment. Having nothing much to do during the day, and no money or access to most sports activities, spitting helps spitters keep active and in an alert state of mind (avoiding hitting passers-by, aiming correctly, etc). Since this act seems to help alleviate the angst of unemployment, it needs detailed study.

 

One part of the study will deal with the question of why "paan-chewers" insist on spitting their red spittle on the whitest and cleanest surfaces, especially in buildings and public places. One study done in the past has postulated that this act allows them to bring to the fore their anti-social feelings and to get rid of them - if so the act of spitting actually may help in relieving individuals of their angst and may be a cat*****c solution for psychological problems. Something similar to graffiti in public places.

 

Eventual Aim:

All this data will then be processed to understand the psychology and methodology of spitting. This data may then be sold to companies to help them identify target populations for their products, such as special handerchiefs for wiping after the act, special portable "spittoons", spitting contests and the like.

 

It is probable that with over 90% of the population spitting constantly, the possibility of turning out a world-champion is high. Therefore, since we lack sportsmen of calibre in other sports, this data can be used to institute proper training camps and to convert this national past-time into a full-time sport. The only competition apparently that we will have to worry about from is from Bangladeshis, Pakistanis and maybe Mexicans (from Clint Eastwood's curry westerns).

 

Epilogue:

The proposal was accepted. When it was sent for grants, the grants commission saw so much potential, that the proposal was sent to the World Bank, which immediately decided to fund it as a third-world project. Now, there are four NGOs involved with two full-time MBAs drawing seven figure salaries running the project. Not to be outdone, the state and central governments have made special budgetary provisions and deputed a minister of state to oversee the activities. It has also been made clear to various policing agencies that people who try to stop the act of spitting in public places (apparently there was some campaign called "say 'chee' to spitters") should immediately be booked for obstruction of individual rights. Efforts will also be instituted to brainwash such anti-social "non-spitters" into becoming spitters.

 

source

[Zafir]

^^ Fascinating read, although I felt like oouucing at times. See I am now considering of spitting more often and discontinue excusing myself in public. Usually when I am walking the streets and I get the urge to spit, I try very hard to sneak it out with out a lot of people staring at me, plus I yell out “a bug flew into my mouth†just to ease the tension for fellow street walkers. But now I says to you “no more, will that happenâ€

 

 

ps: Why are being so nice to Alle- ubaahne?

[sheherazade]

He chose me to be nice to him, ask him the Q.

 

Now I can't stop Googling spit.....

After meals and at other times, it's not uncommon for men to

chew "paan" or betel leaves, along with nuts and flavorings,

then spit out the red mixture onto whatever surface is

available. Spitting is an art form in India -- you should

see some of the patterns on the walls. In one building, I

saw a sign on the wall that said, "No spitting," and under

it, someone had left some "spit art." It may seem like a

disgusting habit, but probably not to the men who do it.

They're beautifying India.

 

Paan chewer: "Look, Deepak, I just created a picture of the

prime minister on the wall. Quite a likeness, no?"

 

Friend: "Yes, Suresh, it's amazing! The spitting image of

him."

source

[Zafir]

Did you live in India Sherehazade?

[sheherazade]

^nope, visited it long enough to know I'd go insane if I stayed too long. I'd recommend it though, it'll put hair on your chest. Unless u've lived there and alredy have the shag to prove it.

[Zafir]

^ LoLL Nop...I am in the same boat as you, I have visited (‘By visited’ I mean was there for 7months before I got smuggled to Canada, completely involuntary)

[Alle-ubaahne]

Originally posted by sheherazade:

[QB] He chose me to be nice to him, ask him the Q.

 

I think the true answer is that she is attracted to a sheikh man just like him, the council of conservative leaning on Islam, but she couldn't get straight upto him.

 

that is ok, laakiin, take it easy abaayadiis.

[sheherazade]

Now that u're close enough can I just say: oooouccc.

 

Move on, sheikh-is-ku-sheeg.