Rats riding NYC subway!

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Ron.M

Posts: 7051
Joined: Jul. 7 2003
From: Scotland

Rats riding NYC subway!

Jeez...I just heard about this on the World Service while in bed and had to get up to check it out!
Unbelievable in a 1st world country!!
Apparently there are rats everywhere...on the platforms, on the tracks and in the cars....

"NY NY it's a helluva town..
The rats are up and the bums are down..."

(Sorry NY members..just joking)

cheers,

Ron

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 9 2012 5:09:04

Doitsujin

Posts: 5078
Joined: Apr. 10 2005

RE: Rats riding NYC subway! (in reply to Ron.M)

Oo omg! This poor animal must be scared like hell being caught in a train....

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 9 2012 13:08:27

Estevan

Posts: 1936
Joined: Dec. 20 2006
From: Torontolucía

RE: Rats riding NYC subway! (in reply to Ron.M)

No problem - a rat doesn't qualify as "a suspicious package"

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 9 2012 15:08:16

Tomrocker

Posts: 404
Joined: Apr. 18 2010
From: Italy

RE: Rats riding NYC subway! (in reply to Estevan)

quote:

No problem - a rat doesn't qualify as "a suspicious package"

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 9 2012 16:55:05

kudo

Posts: 2064
Joined: Sep. 3 2009

RE: Rats riding NYC subway! (in reply to Ron.M)

It's a mouse not a rat , theres a difference.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 9 2012 17:42:24

Estevan

Posts: 1936
Joined: Dec. 20 2006
From: Torontolucía

RE: Rats riding NYC subway! (in reply to kudo)

quote:

It's a mouse not a rat , theres a difference.

Yes, there's a difference; rats are much bigger than mice, and the animal in the subway video is a rat.

It's funny that in Spanish, the word ending "-ón" usually makes the thing bigger, but in the case of rats and mice it's different: rata is a rat, but ratón is a mouse.

This one doesn't really look like either (and don't listen to the words)

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 9 2012 17:51:09

Ron.M

Posts: 7051
Joined: Jul. 7 2003
From: Scotland

RE: Rats riding NYC subway! (in reply to Estevan)

Yup...it's a rat alright!

An employee of the NYC subway was saying on the World Service that the problem has arisen due to laying off lots of the Rodent Control Squad and the Garbage Collectors in order to save money.

Just perfect conditions for the rats!

He said that the last time any rat poison had been put down was back in August!

Austerity and all that!

cheers,

Ron

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 9 2012 18:08:55

Ricardo

Posts: 14801
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC

RE: Rats riding NYC subway! (in reply to Ron.M)

Come guys, rats are decent people!

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 9 2012 18:44:06

Ron.M

Posts: 7051
Joined: Jul. 7 2003
From: Scotland

RE: Rats riding NYC subway! (in reply to Ricardo)

quote:

Come guys, rats are decent people!

I like rodents (as pets) and these subway rats do not have any evil intent towards humans....they're only trying to make a living just like everybody else.

But I don't fancy some bloody sewer rat running up my face when I'm going to work in the morning on the subway!

That's just a bit much and has to be dealt with by the Public Transport Authorities IMO.

I had 4 field mice which got into the house and besides getting into the cupboards and crapping and pissing on the cornflakes etc, they started chewing the phone cables and stuff, knocking out the phone and doorbell relay system.

I caught them one by one by using an old plastic toolbox with the lid held up by a pencil attached to a thread which was attached to a piece of cheese in the bottom of the box.

In the morning, when I got one, I'd walk about half a mile over the field and release it.

One hopped onto the edge of the box and sniffed the air for about half a minute before hopping into the undergrowth.

Such a bonny looking wee critter.

It took a week to get them all.

Meanwhile the cat just looked on with slight puzzled interest (too well fed!)

"Catch them yourself dude....I'm busy sleeping.."

cheers,

Ron

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 9 2012 18:58:50

XXX

Posts: 4400
Joined: Apr. 14 2005

RE: Rats riding NYC subway! (in reply to Ron.M)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Ron.M
That's just a bit much and has to be dealt with by the Public Transport Authorities IMO.

No not at all. Maybe they paid for the ride?

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 9 2012 19:35:12

Estevan

Posts: 1936
Joined: Dec. 20 2006
From: Torontolucía

RE: Rats riding NYC subway! (in reply to Ron.M)

quote:

But I don't fancy some bloody sewer rat running up my face when I'm going to work in the morning on the subway!

Then just stay awake, you'll be fine!

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 9 2012 19:35:42

Ron.M

Posts: 7051
Joined: Jul. 7 2003
From: Scotland

RE: Rats riding NYC subway! (in reply to Ron.M)

To go off at a bit of a tangent here...

You know that dank, musty smell you get on the Underground?

Well is there any Underground system danker and mustier than the Madrid Metro??

I've only travelled on 4 networks..Glasgow, London, Paris and Madrid....and the Madrid Metro must easily take top prize for it's unique smell IMO.

It's totally overpowering, like going into another world. You could practically cut the air with a knife.

It's imprinted itself on my "smell memory" so much that if I close my eyes and think about it I can still smell it to this day.

Anyone else agree?

BTW I've never ever seen a rat on ANY of these Underground networks!

cheers,

Ron

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 10 2012 5:12:33

KMMI77

Posts: 1821
Joined: Jul. 26 2009
From: The land down under

RE: Rats riding NYC subway! (in reply to Ron.M)

quote:

Anyone else agree?

Yes, and not only in the metro. In the centre of the city there is also that disinfectant mixed with sewerage or something smell. It's in my smell memory as well. You can be walking along and suddenly get hit with it. I had never smelt it prior. I don't think i will ever forget it.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 10 2012 11:42:29

Ron.M

Posts: 7051
Joined: Jul. 7 2003
From: Scotland

RE: Rats riding NYC subway! (in reply to KMMI77)

I know what you mean KMM.

I DO however LOVE that smell of fresh fried churros and strong coffee wafting out of some of the bars and cafes!

cheers,

Ron

PS: It seems the Metro has cleaned up it's act....

http://cockroach1.wordpress.com/tag/smells-of-madrid/

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 10 2012 11:55:32

Estevan

Posts: 1936
Joined: Dec. 20 2006
From: Torontolucía

RE: Rats riding NYC subway! (in reply to Ron.M)

Thanks for the link Ron, that was good. Especiallly the last paragraph:

"So there you have it, the smell of new Madrid- for some it’s pee, for others it’s garlic, or fatty fried food. Lavapies, like a Third World enclave, is an oasis of gritty, unadulterated smells. Of course, statistically you are bound to come up with some good pongs as well as bad. Between my house and the plaza, for example, in just half a block, I regularly smell Turkish kebabs from the Kurdish cafe with its service window onto the street, incense from the Egyptian bazaar, Lebanese food and shisha smoke, the heavy sweet cologne of pomaded arabs and Indians, Patchouli oil trailing from some urban hippy, the fresh sharp sting of the desert air with a hint of mountains, traffic fumes, the rich stink of rubbish bins not cleaned out properly, flowers from window-boxes, the occasional overpowering stench of good weed, and of course, fresh and not so fresh pee. "

There's a good school bus story too:
http://cockroach1.wordpress.com/category/mean-streets/

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 10 2012 21:35:08