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High-Tech Van Tracks Down Spitters
from the watch-out dept
The latest bit of technology being used in the fight against SARS is a van that is supposed to help police catch people spitting. Basically, it sounds like a big spy van with a bunch of cameras. These days, with the number of surveillance cameras installed everywhere, you wouldn't think they would need an extra van, but apparently they do. As the article says, it's "a campaign against the ancient but unhygienic habit of spitting", which some fear is one way the disease may be spreading. However, the article also quotes someone they spoke to after they "loudly hacked up a gob of phlegm", who said he isn't changing his habits at all.
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Next stop India
China has received a lot of flak and there's been an overnight change in habits over there, as they're eager to prove to the world that they are civilized. (Incidentally, something similar occurred to the USA in the early 19th century when a French writer described uncouth American habits, so people rushed to change their habits.)
When SARS spreads to India, it will be a bigger challenge for them to rein in the habits of their democratic, recalcitrant, diverse populace. In India, the lower classes defecate on the streets. Rural India lacks toilets, so women wait until after dark to go to the bathroom, leading to health problems.
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