My wife was five months pregnant when we visited Italy in 1996. Da Vinci Airport is about twenty miles outside Rome and is serviced with a light rail to and from Rome. Nobody offered my wife a seat when we took the light rail though her pregnancy was clear for all but the most doltish. I steadied her as best I could during the ride. Luckily, a middle-aged Italian woman saw my wife's stress and gave up her seat. As an aside, I give up my seat at all times as I think of myself as a gentleman instead of as a radical egalitarian. In the six months since I resumed riding the DC subway, I can count the times men have given up their seats to women on my left hand.

Back to the manners thing, I hate when people jump down someone's throat on this forum when opinions differ. Politely stating your differences, being rude is another.

I don't understand why Roger hates the baggy look of women's pants (the emphasis here is "women's"). Personally I'll be thrilled when this style is gone! *G* I keep having this urge to go up to the guys that have to keep grabbing the waist of their pants to keep them up, and snatch those britches down to their ankles, step back, and laugh my butt off at their embarassment. When you can grab a handful of material on either side, the pants are TOO big! But really, that's just a peeve, not a manners issue.

I don't like the cars that drive around with the bass waaay up and the windows down. That is an invasion of my airwaves.

I don't like the people who smoke in the kiddie section of an amusement park, holding their cigarettes down at hip level. That's face level for too many children.

My current peeve is also related to the hats. Go to a ball game/air show, etc. Very few men take their hats off during the national anthem. Many older men do; younger ones don't seem to have a clue.

Speaking of pregnant women, I've seen quite a few very pregnant women so far this summer wearing a tight knit pullover shirt so you can see their belly AND their belly button sticking out underneath.

Don't mind the belly, but that belly button kinda weirds me out.

X, just reach over and poke that belly button back in!

blowing nose at table,yuck!

Smoking in front of children is always bad, especially babies. Nothing like bombarding those little pink 4 1/2 inch lungs with second hand smoke.

How about people who use a fingernail clipper to cut their nails in public?

People who reach over to push in a pregnant women's "mega-outie" belly button are pretty low on the scale too, but thanks for the idea.

Used to work for TV political show host John McLaughlin (ex-Jesuit priest). He shamelessly used to belch while eating in his office, in front of both men and women. He also ate lunch in front of his staff without giving his staff time to eat their own lunch. When you become famous, you can get away with being rude. I've read Barbra Steisand is a very rude person as well.

xxx-you're perfectly right. Pregnant shouldn't be allowed in restaurants. In fact, once the pregnancy is initially confirmed, pregnant women should stay in the house, barefoot preferably, where they belong. Also, there should be boiling water and clean towels to hand at every moment.

As for working, forget it. Let's go back to the 60s, when my mother had to quit teaching as soon as she started showing with me.

While we're at it, let's make sure that no children, or handicapped people are allowed in restaurants. After all, that's just an accident waiting to happen.

My pet peeve is women putting on makeup in a restaurant! Why can't they go to th e restroom?

I second what Lynn said!