September 02, 2008

• I guess toilets in India really are a big deal.
• This is a shit post.
• I was just asked permission for a pic of my toilet to be used on Finnish tv. Is it Global Dunny Day or something?
• Picture please. And, you sick smelly fucks!
• Good on them for addressing an issue no one else will talk about.
• Born and bred on two-ply... Anyone here ever wipe their ass with their bare hands? Seriously, I know that I take my toilet for granted. The first time I realized what a "life-saver" it can be was after a hurricane hit us dead-on. We had no working facilities for a few days afterwards, and a trip to the bathroom quickly became a trip to the woods out back. Nothing like taking a shit outdoors with your bum to a hearty gust of wind... and then cleaning up with a handful of leaves. Then, I had lengthy stays SE Asia - my first real taste of what it's like to live without adequate toilet facilities... Yes, people are eating, drinking, and living in shit everyday because of a lack of sanitary toilet facilities.
• Photo Caption: A girl in Java, Indonesia, enjoying her new school toilet. Completely inaccurate. She's either cleaning the toilet or shooting up herion, I can't tell for sure which. I'm glad the caption is wrong, too. I'm not sure if I want to see the picture that the caption describes.
• If you have ever been to Java, Mr. K, you would understand that this girl clearly *is* "enjoying" the toilet shown. I'll be damned if I ever saw a squatter that clean looking, and with fresh corrugated steel siding to boot... I *would* have been smiling too, had I had a chance for using such a fresh-looking squatter. On the contrary, they were usually speckled with remnants of fecal matter, festooned with a bevy of roaches the size of your fist, and downright nasty. She's filling the bucket with water, prior to using the facilities, so that she can rinse afterwards - - not to "clean it" per se. Also, she's in her school uniform; looks like her book case strap fell down her arm. Not quite as exciting as shooting heroin. I suppose this is what to be expected of a shit post...
• Yah, next time ya'll wipe, breathe a short prayer of thankfulness that you have wonderful, soft, clean paper to do it with. And a toidy that will flush. Occasionally I am in awe of my good fortune.
• Meanwhile, elsewhere in the world, "The nozzle has to be accurate, and to make it so, they need to know the average location of the human anus."
• I volunteer to try one and report back. MonkeyFilter: they need to know the average location of the human anus Don't we all.
• SMT, I feel badly because this is a great post on an important issue that deserves lots of serious discussion. The truth it, though, that contemplating a life without the current level of plumbing I enjoy depresses me beyond measure, the the point of a mild panic attack. My family background is rural poor (OK, white trash; there, I've said it), so my loved ones and I have had juuuust enough experience with insufficient facilities to be able to begin to imagine what it's like for people without any. And it's depressing. It's taken me a week to even work up to thinking about it enough to write this.
• Funny enough, I was surprised at how few people were not interested in having a serious discussion on this subject (not referring to MoFi alone). Perhaps it's because unless you've experienced what it's like to not have "proper" facilities, it's something that is easily overlooked and taken for granted. Now, if I really wanted to get some N. American posters stirred, I suppose I could always bring the matter of restroom design to the table. Think about it for a moment. How many times have you witnessed a long queue of women waiting their turn to step foot inside the restroom, meanwhile, the males stomp easily in'n'out of the male-designated restroom with ease?? Still, that's not the case here. Millions don't have the luxury of a clean and private place to relieve themselves... not that privacy is the matter at hand - - health is overriding. I truly admire those who are attempting to tackle the matter. Sorry to have given you anything remotely close to a panic attack, TUM!!
• My problem, SMT, not yours!! I just felt bad, because it really was a good post, and something that should be discussed so it can be improved. Now if we're talking bathroom design, here's what I want to know: In England, the flush handle is on your right as you face the toilet. In the U.S., it's on the left. So, us right-handed folks have to reach across the bowl to flush. What's the sitch in other flushing countries? The obvious solution seems to be to move all the righties to Britain and the lefties to the U.S. But some bleeding heart liberal is bound to make some kind of fuss and wail and moan about leaving her kids or something.
• NZ is eager to please; our handles are in the middle.
• So, us right-handed folks have to reach across the bowl to flush. Jeez Louise, TUM -- you flush with your left hand, because as a rightie, you've been wiping with your right, and there may be some lingering dampness that shouldn't be transferred to the handle before you go to wash your hands. So you've been sullying toilet handles your entire life?
• So you're saying right-handed brits use their disgusting, soiled right hands to flush? It's a wonder the whole damned country doesn't die of cooties!
• Automatic flush. Works almost as fast as the POST NEW COMMENT button
• And with approximately the same result.
• Toilet Ecology The Big Necessity argues toilets and sewers are the key to improved sanitation. But reality is more complex - and toxic... And from within the link, we have Sludge News