Hey Ben!   
      
    BR> I tried putting this in .profile but no joy   
      
   Try renaming it to .bash_profile although I'd be extremely hesitant to firing   
   up mc automagically on login, especially if you mean to run it as user 'root'.   
      
   Also .bash_logout can be of interest for cleaning up whatever before exiting a   
   user account.   
      
   Life is good,   
   Maurice   
      
   ... that path is sharp as a razor's edge - Katha Upanishad   
   --- GNU bash, version 4.2.42(2)-release (x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu)   
    * Origin: Pointy Stick Society (1:261/38.9)