31–40 of 200 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
When I was elementary school age I saw some older kids at the park taking turns peeing on a drinking fountain (and laughing). I have used public drinking fountains since, but only when the need was severe. There has to be a better option.
Construct outdoor drinking fountains out of materials that naturally resist bacteria.
Let's start with the assumption (not necessarily true) that one who drinks from a public water fountain consumes significantly more germs than one who drinks bottled water. Is this even a bad thing? I would think that this regular exposure could help strengthen the immune system. I'm personally uncertain if anything like this is backed by research.
When I was elementary school age I saw some older kids at the park taking turns peeing on a drinking fountain (and laughing). I have used public drinking fountains since, but only when the need was severe. There has to be a better option.
When I first came to US, I didn't mind drinking public fountain. But one day, I walked by one and a dog was drinking from it, licking all over it in the process. From that day onward, I stopped. Still, I have to wonder: is that reasonable of me? And otherwise, is it expected to let your pet sharing the same water source with human?
Of course it's reasonable of you. The burden of proof is on the water fountain (or more specifically, the designers of the water fountain) as to whether drinking from it is safe. This is not a problem with being overly cautious. This is a problem with an antiquated design.
I've always found it kind of funny that in "capitalist" US, there is free water all over the place. It's one of my favorite things to drink good, clean water for free in Portland after getting off a long flight from Europe. In "socialist" Europe, you're pretty much stuck with expensive bottled water in places like airports, unless you have a cup or something and don't mind drinking from the bathroom faucets. OTOH, on…
To my understanding, this is no different than using the tap from your kitchen sink. It still comes from pipes and tap water is tap water. It's mostly a mental thing.
I grew up in LA, where water is scarce, and valued. Water fountains are around, but they have valves, which break, stick, or otherwise cause problems. When I lived in Chicago, I was shocked to see that their water fountains have no valves: They run full flow 24x7. Given the weather (frozen pipes) and the water resources available to Chicago (Lake Michigan), it makes sense for them to do it this way, but I had a lot o…
I've never heard of such a thing. That would be so strange to see.
When I first came to US, I didn't mind drinking public fountain. But one day, I walked by one and a dog was drinking from it, licking all over it in the process. From that day onward, I stopped. Still, I have to wonder: is that reasonable of me? And otherwise, is it expected to let your pet sharing the same water source with human?
I don't blame you for feeling a bit disgusted, but it's possible that the salivary/gut bacteria of dogs might actually confer a benefit on humans' immune systems. There's a study underway at the University of Arizona to investigate this: http://www.uadogstudy.org/thestudy/
Dogs stereotypically have bad breath but a healthy dog on a healthy diet should smell OK. There are variations within breeds (and probably within humans in how those scents are perceived). Many dogs like to give kisses to express affection so if you get a dog in the future it's something you'll quickly get used to.
I grew up in LA, where water is scarce, and valued. Water fountains are around, but they have valves, which break, stick, or otherwise cause problems. When I lived in Chicago, I was shocked to see that their water fountains have no valves: They run full flow 24x7. Given the weather (frozen pipes) and the water resources available to Chicago (Lake Michigan), it makes sense for them to do it this way, but I had a lot o…
I've always found it kind of funny that in "capitalist" US, there is free water all over the place. It's one of my favorite things to drink good, clean water for free in Portland after getting off a long flight from Europe. In "socialist" Europe, you're pretty much stuck with expensive bottled water in places like airports, unless you have a cup or something and don't mind drinking from the bathroom faucets. OTOH, on…
>unless you have a cup or something and don't mind drinking from the bathroom faucets. To my understanding, this is no different than using the tap from your kitchen sink. It still comes from pipes and tap water is tap water. It's mostly a mental thing.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I've never heard of such a thing. That would be so strange to see.
Portland, Oregon has them all over: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benson_Bubbler
That said, I have seen homeless people do unspeakable things with them, so my trust is rattled.
When I first came to US, I didn't mind drinking public fountain. But one day, I walked by one and a dog was drinking from it, licking all over it in the process. From that day onward, I stopped. Still, I have to wonder: is that reasonable of me? And otherwise, is it expected to let your pet sharing the same water source with human?