If you're as old as I am, you just might recognize the title of today's post as a quote from Ratso Rizzo, Dustin Hoffman's character in the movie Midnight Cowboy. It's what he says as he gets in the face of a cab driver who nearly runs him over as he's crossing a street in Manhattan.
As most of you regular readers of this blog know, I live downtown and I walk a lot in the downtown area. I can't begin to tell you the number of times I get cut off by motorists making right turns as I'm stepping off the curb, or just plain refusing to slow down when I'm in the crosswalk in the middle of the street.
And the woes of a pedestrian aren't just confined to crossing the street. I'm wondering if anyone else out there has had this experience: other pedestrians who walk four abreast on the sidewalk and make it hard to go around them?
If you're behind them you'd think they're running a traffic break. Good luck trying to go around them to pass. And if they're walking in the opposite direction than you are, they aren't giving up any real estate! They'll sooner force you to step out into the street than move over.
It seems to me the worst offenders are foreign tourists and the students from the English language school on Chapala near Micheltorena. And the second worst offenders are those other type of foreigners. You know, the people from the great metropolis about 100 miles south of here, the L-Aliens.
At least in New York City, people know how to stay on their side of the sidewalk.
On the Radio Dick Flacks' Culture of Protest radio show today is devoted to the Fifth Anniversary of the News-Press Meltdown. The show airs Thursday, 6-7pm on KCSB 91.9 FM and is streamed live at www.kcsb.org The worker's rally commemorating the Fifth Anniversary, is one week from today, July 28th at noon at De la Guerra Plaza.
Gina La Monica, a health expert, is kicking off a new radio show devoted to the issue of healthy eating for kids, You can email Gina at 2eatright@gmail.com if you would like to ask a question or, alternatively, call in to (805) 879-5478 on Thursday morning between 10 and 10:45am. The show is being taped then and will air on Saturday at 6am on KTMS AM 990.
I figure anyone who gets up at 6am on a Saturday is probably eating pretty healthy.
© 2011 by Craig Smith and www.craigsmithsblog.com
