Wednesday 31 October 2007

Wednesday notes

Wet and windy this morning and little sign of improvement. Halloween isn't going to be very nice for any youngsters venturing out in the islands this evening.

In Central Scotland, traffic is at a standstill on the M8 motorway, which links Edinburgh and Glasgow. An accident involving eight vehicles claimed a life at around 6.10 am this morning. It closed both carriageways, leading to gridlock. Debris from the accident were strewn across the width of the motorway, and police are appealing for any drivers who hit pieces of wreckage to get in touch. It will be hours before the road is reopened. Traffic is meanwhile diverted up the M9, M876 and M80 motorways.

India is hosting a toilet conference. 700 million people in that country do not have access to a toilet with proper waste disposal. Train travellers in the country will be familiar with the early morning sight of people squatting along the tracks to relieve themselves. Apart from the obvious hygiene implications, there is also an aspect of personal safety, particularly for women. Apart from the rather banale jokes that any reference to the lavatory tends to evoke, it is a basic necessity that everybody requires, and cheap solutions that do not require a lot of water to work are being developed.

3 comments:

  1. I'll tell you if coping a squat was the norm I certainly would take me a dark trashbag to put over myself while having to take care of business..tis a shame that this ole' world isn't civilized yet..
    ~c~

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  2. We certainly do take things like toilets for granted. I remember back in the seventies when we had a toilet paper shortage, There was great excitement when it finally came back on sale in shops! I hope they soon get the traffic moving again, it's sad to hear someone lost their life. Jeannette xx  

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  3. Although a serious problem I could not help but chuckle at "World Toilet Summit".
    My mom was horrified when in Greece as the public facilities were often simply holes in the floor - ugh.
    Lisa

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