Press Center, Winter Olympics: the washrooms use reclaimed "graywater" to flush the toilets; it's more than clean enough for that purpose but it isn't potable.
Okay, not such a bad idea. But they have signs up over each and every toilet, warning you not to drink the water!
My informant is male; he reports that at times, he was a bit, er, worried, as someone would walk up to use the urinal next to his, read the sign, and start laughing like mad while doing his business....
Look for pix of the signs to show up on the 'net -- he says everyone was pulling out cameras and camera-phones. Kinda unnerving.
Um, Canadians? Guys? The world's press thinks maybe some of you have to be reminded to not drink outta the loo, or perhaps that you think reporters need the reminder (h'mm, y'may have a point there). Geesh, I sure hope they don't visit Maui next.
Update: Thank Uncle Jay for on-the-spot photography! Also, the more I think about it, the more I have to believe it's the journos they fear will do as dogs do.
Shot this pic two weeks ago.
ReplyDeletehttp://l2uj.blogspot.com/2010/01/signs-of-apocalypse-3-vancouver-edition.html
(You have another source here?)
TBG
We did; he's back at the ranch now. Short guy, loooong blond hair, extremely competent.
ReplyDeleteI've worked at a few sporting venues over the years. Judging by the behavior of some attendees, and their various states of intoxication, the warning signs are not a bad idea.
ReplyDeleteShhhhh! Olympic secret here.
ReplyDeleteThey actually wanted to build a bunch of earth pit toilets as a gesture of sensitivity to the customs and facilities in various athletes' home countries.
That would have violated some public health ordinances, so they had to put their shovels away and go modern. The signs are for the benefit of those used to different facilities, albeit in an English language that many can't read.
Actually, Jim is probably closer to the truth.
I'll leave Maui to the Mauians.
However, this male Canadian will cheerfully report that writing one's name in yellow letters on white snow is a pastime enjoyed by cold-climate boys of all ages.
Won't be doing that so much at the Olympics. Snow being a rare commodity in Canada in February, they've actually had to truck the stuff in.
Who'da thunk?
In Kanada, we have immigrants and visitors from all over the world and you would not believe what some of them do! For example, an immigrant from Jamaica defecated in the swimming pool I used to go to as a child.
ReplyDeleteMore recently, I used to work for a large corporation in Vancouver that was owned by a muslim. For some reason we had an extraordinarily large number of muslim employees. Well the washrooms soon were so filthy that the janitor couldn't keep up and the whites refused to use them. So special instructions had to be issued to the employees on how to use a modern toilet!
We also had an office cafeteria, that served meals on real plates with real cutlery. When the muslims were finished eating, they would dump their trays into the garbage, plates cutlery and all.
When a country invites the third world to send it their detritus, don't be surprised if it turns into a cesspool.
ANNNND. . .
ReplyDeleteThis is the Olympics.
Now Vancouver has all sorts of Third World vistors.
They literally might not realize you aren't supposed to drink the water.
Reminds me of the probably-not-true story of the junior high girls that kept kissing the mirror in the bathroom in order to leave cute red lips on the glass. Seems the administration got really fed up with having to constantly clean hard to remove lipstick so they called the girls into the bathroom to talk about it. They told them how much work it was for the janitor to be cleaning the mirrors all the time. In fact, they had him do a demonstration of how hard it was.
ReplyDeleteWhereupon, the janitor takes a brush, dips it into the toilet and scrubs the mirror with it until the lips disappear.
Needless to say, they all stopped kissing the mirror.