By Chuck Woodbury
ROADSIDE JOURNAL
Really? This is what a skateboard is called in Kingman, Arizona? The photo is below. I wonder if it’s the same in other towns. Do you know? If so, please let me know in the comments. The term for skateboards in Kingman reminds me of what our National Parks call restrooms — Comfort Stations! I guess the idea is you use a comfort station to get comfortable. I know that happens with me sometimes.
The rest of the world calls their rooms where people go to perform their private waste functions as “toilets.” In England a restroom can be called a loo. If they are especially nice they are called a Superloo. The difference is that a Superloo usually costs more. In the USA we are lucky because most public toilets are free. Not so in many parts of the world.
So here you go — the photo of what a skateboard is called in Kingman, Arizona, as seen on a sign in front of a local high school.
Yup, a skateboard is a “Coasting Vehicle.” I wonder if roller skates are “Coasting Vehicles” too.
[Yes they are, as a matter of fact. Here’s the definition from the Kingman Municipal Code: “Coasting vehicle. Any self-propelled object of human travel having limited or no mechanism or other device with which to steer or control the direction of movement or speed thereof such as, but not limited to, skateboards, roller skates and sleds, but not including bicycles, wheelchairs or emergency medical apparatus.”]
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And, in case you are wondering why a public toilet in England is called a loo, here is one theory:
It’s short for “Lady Louisa,” who was an unpopular wife of a 19th century Earl of Lichfield. In 1867 while the Earl and Lady Louisa were visiting friends, two young men took the name card off her bedroom door and stuck it on the door of the bathroom. The other guests thereafter began speaking of “going to Lady Louisa.” In shortened form it eventually spread far and wide.
That may or may not be true, but it’s one explanation of how the term came to be.
Even though the sign pictures a skateboard maybe they meant to be inclusive of all non powered, non bicycle coasters. I’m thinking scooters for one or roller blades? 😁
I had always been under the impression that the term “loo” was short for Waterloo as that was used for what they actually are – A Water Closet or WC.
No reason to be tested. Test negative and 5 minutes later be exposed. Test and isolate the sick , not the healthy. 98 to 99 % factual recovery rate, not projection, for the the group as a whole for people who get it . Clearly something else is going on. IMHO and lots others too.
You’re only seeing half the equation. Test positive and you need to isolate. Before many people are actually sick they can silently be spreading the virus. There can be two weeks, maybe three when you are shedding virus and are not displaying symptoms.
Test and isolate the sick? If you have contracted the illness you are contagious BEFORE you feel any symptoms. So, if you wait until you feel sick to be tested and you test positive you have already been spreading the virus for a couple of days. Everybody thinks they know better than the experts who are actively researching this pandemic (and not just couch researching).
Off topic much?
Actually, “loo” is only one term. “WC” is common, but drinking with my pals in London, “Bog” is the most popular term. BTW, “bog roll” is toilet paper. 🙂
WC stands for Water Closet
I’ve always understood that the term Loo came from France. Back in the day people dumped their chamber pots out the window onto the street. As they did they would warn those on the street below by calling out “garde l’eau”, watch out for the water.
A friend of mine visited England and said they are very clean.
Wow, that municipal code has skateboards all wrong. “having limited or no mechanism or other device with which to steer or control the direction of movement”? These people have obviously never seen a skateboarder do an instant 180 turn on a dime.