New benches are a pain in the ****

[The Straight Story]

New benches are a pain in the ****

Park officials in China have found a way to stop people from hogging their benches for too long - by fitting steel spikes on a coin-operated timer.

If visitors at the Yantai Park in Shangdong province, eastern China, linger too long without feeding the meter, dozens of sharp spikes shoot through the seat.

The spikes are too short to cause any serious harm - but long enough to prevent people from sitting on them comfortably.

Park bosses got the idea from an art installation in Germany where sculptor Fabian Brunsing created a similar bench as a protest against the commercialisation of modern life.

"He thought he was exaggerating. He didn't foresee that a very practical country like China might actually use them for real," said one critic.

http://web.orange.co.uk/article/quirkies/New_benches_are_a_pain_in_the

[LWolf]

1. If you are going to go out in public, you'd better be prepared to pay for the privilege. nt

[EC]

2. couldn't you just sit on a book or something

you might be carrying with you?

[david13]

3. Many places that I go have no chairs, no benches, no places

to sit. It is not unusual. However, some places, you have to pay for your seat. The theater, for instance.
Sit on a book? Hey, if I'm toting a book, it's to read. If I need a chair, I could tote a chair. I have a little aluminum lawn chair. I could carry that.
dc

[Nay]

4. What a perfectly capitalist idea. Let's all do it, so the whole world

can become a pay-as-you-go hellhole just like China. Jesus.

[Electric Monk]

5. Now my advice for those who die, Declare the pennies on your eyes.

(if you drive a car, car; ) - I’ll tax the street;
(if you try to sit, sit; ) - I’ll tax your seat;
(if you get too cold, cold; ) - I’ll tax the heat;
(if you take a walk, walk; ) - I'll tax your feet.