Public toilets

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Crohn’s and Colitis Canada has just launched an initiative dubbed “GoHere,” an effort to have restaurants and office buildings open up their washrooms to people who can experience urgent and frequent bowel movements.

I remember a similar initiative -- by the same folk, I think -- more than a decade ago.  An LCBO outlet near me had one of the stickers on the door.

I never ask at the LCBO.  I just pee on the Chardonnay and nobody notices.

Hate to use the W word...  But when we would do a road trip with small children, the most reliable bathroom place was usually Walmart.  Generally clean and nearly always open, you don't actually have to be buying anything to use the loo, unlike a lot of fast food places that also populate roadsides.

Cheating - by Megan Murphy

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But before we move any further into this discussion, we need to acknowledge that this conversation is a gendered one. Reports say that 70 per cent of Ashley Madison's users were male, but it looks like many of those who made up the remaining 30 per cent of female users were actually fake, meaning the percentage of male users was as high as 90-95 per cent. Is this mere coincidence? I think not. Male entitlement is an issue, here.

In the exercise above, if we're to understand what is going on at AM, typically 90 to 95 percent of that site's clientelle are male, who vye for the attention of the remaining 5 to 10 percent that are presumed to be female.  Just the business model alone is enough of a deterrent to my mind.  It must mean on average that at any given time, every female enjoys roughly 9 to 1 odds or better in interchangeable correspondents.  One has to assume that there's an awful lot of meta-cheating going on that is internal to the site.  Man:  "Why weren't you available to talk to me last night?"  Woman:  "Ummm, I was busy."  

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Beyond that, I'm going to straight up tell you that I judge male cheaters differently than I do female cheaters. This is partly because I have, over the years, seen or heard aboutfar more men cheating on their girlfriends than I have the reverse.

Of course you do.  But if they're out there cheating, the girlfriends they meet enable this transgression, while committing a transgression of their own in terms of swiping someone else's partner, do they not?  Unless the far greater prevalence of men who cheat are not actually cheating on their girlfriends by dating other women.  That would imply cheating with the same sex, or with non humans, which would be out of bounds entirely because non-humans cannot give their consent.

The logical suggestion, instead of complaining about it, would be to encourage more female participation in online cheating sites.  Me, I would certainly discourage women from remaining on the sidelines in precarious relationships while their partners are off doing this kind of thing as if it were an entitlement.  In that sense, shouldn't everyone be entitled?  What's good for the goose?  If one is not going to advocate for a generalized 'unfaithfulness,' then it seems that, for one, the author is merely ranting against the male component to these affairs for the sake of the rant alone, while leaving the female side in the moral, but unenviable position of waiting for their unfaithful men to spend some time with them.  Why would anyone wish for that?  Lets get that message out there, its been suppressed for far too long.  It's more than ok for women to exercise their options as well.

Also, why is it that more men than women cheat?  Is it because historically the issue of cheating men, while not exactly condoned by the religious institutions, was more or less considered as something men engaged in, particularly if they were wealthy and could afford to introduce a little variety to their lives?  I mean, isn't it an historical travesty that the same opportunities, when undertaken by the few women who dared to dabble in extra-marital liaisons, elicited more shame, scandal, and frankly danger, than if a man was discovered?  I'm in favour of a general leveling out in that regard.  Here I agree with the author.  If people are going to cheat, as they certainly will, I think it's completely wrong for men to be overwhelmingly represented in that activity.  The whole structure of relationships could stand a re-evaluation.  This is how we make an attempt toward progress.  Whatever it is that M. Murphy is doing seems to be an further entrenchment into a status quo imbalance that hasn't changed for millennia.  Pity.

lagatta wrote:

I resent my longstanding loo topic being taken over by mere adultery!

I was wondering what happened there.

Also, reminded me that we were talking about a similar aspect of this not too long ago:

http://rabble.ca/babble/lgbtq/new-osha-guide-to-restroom-access-transgen...

Since then I was at an event up north which has run for many years mostly on outhouses. As it is becoming more of a tourist destination they are building more porecelain. Thing is, this year the demand outstretched capacity on the last day. I had a very odd conversation with someone who bemoaning the fact that the toilets were out of commission, and I mentioned that there was always the other option, and she didn't get it. When I said specifically I was refering to the outhouses she said something to the effect of "why would you want to do that?" I replied that I used the outhouses as much as possible so as not to use too much water and cause the very crisis we were in.

If one could truly call it a crisis. Thing is, it is an event at which things like water, garbage, lack of electricity and cell service, bears and other limits and environmental concerns are pretty obvious. So it was really odd to run into the perspective of looking down one's nose at outhouses which were perfectly clean and serviceable.

Speaking of public toilets, this is about as public as it gets - on Whyte Avenue in Edmonton:

http://www.yelp.ca/biz/whyte-avenue-public-toilets-edmonton

And of course there is the other urban waste problem: why aren't we recycling this as greywater? And why isn't some of it (urine especially) composted? I know there are some places (like the M.E.C. in Winnipeg) which does have a composting toilet.

lagatta wrote:

I resent my longstanding loo topic being taken over by mere adultery!

Sorry.  I looked elsewhere but this seemed to be the most appropriate place for that blog entry.

There was a contest several years back for "best public restroom. 

http://blogs.windsorstar.com/news/canadas-best-public-toilet-you-can-decide

Interesting that some toilets have been designed as art or architectural pieces. Not the best ust of money perhaps, but it does draw attention to the issue.

Plus, there is the fact that most of what we think of as public washrooms aren't really - they are in private places like malls and bus depots. So as with the problem of libraries and clinics being in malls,  if you happen to be someone the owners don't want on the property, you don't get to use that facility.

http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/architecture-design-blog/2013/ap...

The one problem with these recycle options is drugs like antibiotics and hormones that wind up back in the food chain. Still, it is something that should be going into the compost.

Our neighbor on Thetis Island has a compost toilet, which is a combination of a indoor plumbing and an outhouse.  In urban areas dealing with #2 will have to be through the waste water treatment system.  Finding a way to restrict harmful products from the system is I guess job one.

thanks to the heroic person who merged these threads! Onwards and upwards to Loo Accessibility and Equity!

I always have some facial tissues or toilet roll if out and about in places where I'm not sure of the loo situation. Here is the beautiful renovation of Parc Lahaie in the Plateau/Mile-End just south of where I live (you can see "Little Italy" on the map). Water features (used a lot by kiddies) a beautiful parvis in front of the church (for wedding pics) and many benches and picnic tables including some with "holes" for wheelchairs or comfy portable chairs for seniors etc. The benches are actually clean and there is little graffiti. However, there is no public toilet and none close by. Perhaps in the summer when the baroque church is open for visits?

https://ville.montreal.qc.ca/operationpatrimoine/coup-de-coeur/parc-lahaie There should be a spot on the page to get the English version, though the photos speak for themselves.