-----Gee Gee

Well since the door has been opened on the toilet topic, I have one for the
group.

the toilet at a relatively new apartment building in Munich where I stayed
several days in 1991 had a design feature which I could not for the life of
me figure out. The shape of the bowl had, for lack of a better term, a
shelve above the water line which would catch the "droppings". Now, with
it being above the water line, the room would stink up pretty quickly no
matter how quick your courtesy flush finger was. Flushing of course would
wash it down to the water pool and then on out. Why why why is all I can
still ask. No wonder they lost the big war.



"Lon" wrote in message
newspOcnez6SYkXsz2gXTWcqQ@New-
s.GigaNews.Com...
    > Just got back from ten days in Italy. I was very surprised to find that
all
    > the public toilets in Rome and Naples had no seats. You would think that
if
    > they charged 50 cents to use it, they could at least put seats on them.
Our
    > hotel rooms had seats, thank goodness. Up north in Pisa and Venice they
    > were more civilized and had seats. Do people really not have seats on the
    > toilets in their homes?
    > Lon

Derek

On Sun, 06 Oct 2002 12:06:36 GMT, "-----gee gee"
wrote:

    >Well since the door has been opened on the toilet topic, I have one for the
    >group.
    >the toilet at a relatively new apartment building in Munich where I stayed
    >several days in 1991 had a design feature which I could not for the life of
    >me figure out. The shape of the bowl had, for lack of a better term, a
    >shelve above the water line which would catch the "droppings". Now, with
    >it being above the water line, the room would stink up pretty quickly no
    >matter how quick your courtesy flush finger was. Flushing of course would
    >wash it down to the water pool and then on out. Why why why is all I can
    >still ask. No wonder they lost the big war.

You really want to know?

They have a habit in Germany of eating rare cooked pork. This leads to a
high incidence of intestinal worms. The toilets are made that way to
facilitate the inspection of the stool before it is flushed away.

DG

Harvey V

On Sun, 06 Oct 2002 12:18:13 GMT, Derek wrote
    > On Sun, 06 Oct 2002 12:06:36 GMT, "-----gee gee"
    > wrote:


- snip re: shelf in German toilets to catch stool.

    >> Why why why is all I can still ask. No wonder they lost the big
    >> war.

    > You really want to know?

    > They have a habit in Germany of eating rare cooked pork. This
    > leads to a high incidence of intestinal worms. The toilets are
    > made that way to facilitate the inspection of the stool before it
    > is flushed away.


Although I knew the reason for the shelf was indeed to be able to see
the stool, I understood it was for general information as to the state
of one's digestion, rather than any specific concern with parasites.

Could be both, of course.

--
Cheers,
Harvey

Fred_Scuttle

It's amazing what you can learn on these forums

Evelyn Vogt Gamble

Fred_Scuttle wrote:
    > >
    > It's amazing what you can learn on these forums

Too true! ....But is what you learn? ("True", I mean?)

Alan Harrison

"Harvey V" wrote in message
news:[email protected]
53.162.109...
    > On Sat, 05 Oct 2002 19:43:19 GMT, Alan Harrison wrote
    > > (Which reminds me,
    > > is the unisex bog in "Ally McBeal" a reflection of real practice?
    > > It would be illegal in Britain.)
    > We're a lot closer in Britain to them than Boston -- I've seen unisex
    > restaurant loos in France and Belgium. In one case the stalls just
    > shared the handbasins, but in another the urinal -- and the back of any
    > man using it -- was entirely visible to women entereing the room to use
    > the stalls.

What I had in mind with the "Ally McBeal" bog was that it was in an office.
The relevant British legislation provides that (except for a business
employing only members of a single family) an employer should provide
separate toilets for male and female employees, and that the doors shall be
so constructed that persons of the opposite sex shall not be able to see
people inside the toilet.

Some years ago, I visited the principal tramway depot in Milan, and was
intrigued to see that the men's lavatory in one workshop had plain glass
windows looking out into the work area. It gives a whole new meaning to "a
public bog"!

Alan Harrison

Alan Harrison

Gordon Forbess

On Sat, 5 Oct 2002 18:08:20 -0400 (EDT), [email protected] (Paul
Ding) wrote:

    >According to 29 CFR 1910.141(c)(1)(i), where toilet rooms will be
    >occupied by no more than one person at a time, can be locked from the
    >inside, and contain at least one water closet, separate toilet rooms for
    >each sex need not be provided.

A restaurant I know originally had separate M & F rest rooms. They
were required to enlarge/upgrade one toilet stall with the
improvements to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. This
makes the former Mens rest room Unisex. It was 2 urinals + one stall,
is now one large improved stall, one urinal and a locking door. The
Womens room is unchanged.

The lock on the door that *might* be used is an often expressed
concern by the 85 & 89y.o. guys I often meet for lunch there.

Gordon

Owain

[email protected] (Paul Ding) wrote
    > > Which reminds me, is the unisex bog
    > > in "Ally McBeal" a reflection of real
    > > practice? It would be illegal in Britain.
    > According to 29 CFR 1910.141(c)(1)(i), where toilet rooms will be
    > occupied by no more than one person at a time, can be locked from the
    > inside, and contain at least one water closet, separate toilet rooms for
    > each sex need not be provided.

In UK, over 5 employees, segregated toilets must be provided. But I
don't know if mixed toilets additional to that would be prohibited.
Anyway...

    > A friend of mine has an 10-year-old son with cerebral palsy. She can't
    > take him into the men's room because she's not male. She can't take him
    > into the women's room because he's not female. She *really* likes the
    > idea of unisex restrooms, even if they are one-holers, and I have to
    > agree.

Which is one good reason why disabled toilets and baby changing rooms
should not be incorporated within segregated toilets.

Owain

Barbara Vaughan

Carole Allen wrote:
    > No, they still have squats in Florence, in Siena, at the bullring in
    > Arles, in Roussillion. At least in '98 they did. I have used them
    > all. And gladly paid for the privilege, given the alternative.

Squat toilets are not all that rare in Italy. Given that a great number
of people won't sit on a public toilet seat in any case, they seem like
a good idea to me. They are usually clean and flush efficiently.

Barbara

Fred_Scuttle

The first time I visited the US I was surprised that the door of the stall started about two feet from the floor.Not very private.Someone had scrawled on the inside of the door

"BEWARE GAY LIMBO DANCERS IN THE VICINITY"

P J Wallace

Common in the Netherlands also, probably more so. I think there might
be some belief that you can gauge your health by inspecting your
output, so to speak. Just as the French and Spanish seem to believe
suppositories are more effective than pills, even for a sore throat.

PJW

On Sun, 06 Oct 2002 12:06:36 GMT, "-----gee gee"
wrote:
Why why why is all I can
    >still ask. No wonder they lost the big war.

Pandjking

Barbara Vaughan wrote in message
news:[email protected]
.edu...
    > Squat toilets are not all that rare in Italy. Given that a great number
    > of people won't sit on a public toilet seat in any case, they seem like
    > a good idea to me. They are usually clean and flush efficiently.
    > Barbara

Granted. But they can be difficult to manage with some types of clothing
(control-type pantyhose spring to mind, though I never wear them on
vacation), for the elderly (never saw one with a grab-bar), or for those
with arthritis or other joint problems!

Mrs . Somebody

On Sat, 05 Oct 2002 20:04:47 GMT, ZombyWoof
wrote:

    >On Sat, 5 Oct 2002 13:25:59 -0400, "Lon" let us in
    >on their opinion by saying:
    >>Just got back from ten days in Italy. I was very surprised to find that all
    >>the public toilets in Rome and Naples had no seats. You would think that if
    >>they charged 50 cents to use it, they could at least put seats on them. Our
    >>hotel rooms had seats, thank goodness. Up north in Pisa and Venice they
    >>were more civilized and had seats. Do people really not have seats on the
    >>toilets in their homes?
    >>Lon
    >Better never go to Korea or Japan, You'd be in for a real BIG
    >surprise.

And some in this group wonder why Americans are isolationist?

this group is saving me a large sum of money. I had planned to go to
Europe next Spring, but after a couple of months of enlightening
threads such as this, I think I'll travel through the US and Canada
instead. It gets more ridiculous and disgusting by the week.

No wonder Americans are isolationist.

The topic of toilets without seats is astonishing. This is the 21st
century. Yes, we used toilets without seats when we were camping as
children. Do they work? Sure. Did for eons, I'm sure. Now I read that
people want to look at turds because the turds may contain worms.
Looking at turds? Is this a joke? Jesus H. Christ, why would I want ot
look at my turds. Oh, I read because of worms? Worms?!?!?

I'm thinking "this is a joke." Who has worms today, other than in
filthy third world countries. I guess there are people here who will
say, "Sure, I know a lot of people with worms." Okay, whatever you
say. I used to read about bedbugs and scarlet fever, but that was over
half a century ago.

I love to backpack, or stay in a tenting area. So I don't mind walking
to to the toilet or hot showers. But I also don't pay over $18 a night
for this 'privelege." If it costs more than that and is inside, I
expect my own bathroom and plenty of hot water. Again, this is the
21st century. There is no reason to cut corners. But I read here that
part of the "European experience," and at say fifty dollars US, is to
not have my own bath, or even hours when the hot water is turned off.
Huh?

I guess I'm too picky. Uh, sure. Again, whatever you say.
I am sure there are plenty of apologists for barbaric and backward
practices. I just read yesterday that in contrast to my assertion that
squat toilets are barbaric because they make no provision for the
elderly or infirmed, that these two groups manage just fine. Well my
ninety year old mother sure couldn't manage such a toilet, I assure
you. Toilets are cheap. Even the Amish near me can take the time and
pennies to put a seat in their outhouses, and they are retro living as
if it were still the 1800's.

I could go on, but will stop with the topic of pickpockets. I have
lived in three major US cities, grew up in NYC, and never even thought
about pickpockets. I have never known anyone who was pickpocketed. Of
course you avoid the slums and especially slums after dark. But
apparently pickpockets are not uncommon in Europe, and not in slums.

Another incentive to spend my travel money there. ; )

I realize that I am probably overblowing these risks and downsides.
But am I? Europe still does not sound like the place where my dollar
will get as much as it would in my own country or Canada.

Mrs. S.

Tim Challenger

    > I'm thinking "this is a joke." Who has worms today, other than in
    > filthy third world countries. .....

If you're thinking "this is a joke", why are you getting your knickers in a
twist about it?
Tim.

Briggl

"Mrs. Somebody" wrote:

    > I could go on, but will stop with the topic of pickpockets. I have
    > lived in three major US cities, grew up in NYC, and never even thought
    > about pickpockets.

I guess you didn't spend much time in Penn Station?