Marty’s photo of the day #2751: While in Italy, I spent quite a bit of time comparing and contrasting the country to the United States. Here are my observations for today—probably letting on a bit too much how my mind works:
In Italy, the toilets in most public restrooms do not have seats. This guarantees that if you have to sit, it will be cold. And if that toilet is in a men’s room, you’ll be sitting on the residual pee of more strangers than you really want to know about. Verdict: Advantage United States.
In Italy, most public and private toilets use a superior dual flush system to save water. Also, virtually all toilets are wall-mounted units that work better than the exterior tank models most common in the United States. Verdict: Advantage Italy.
In Italy, they had Benito Mussolini. In the United States, we have Donald Trump. Verdict: Equally shitty.
In Italy, 97% of the bathrooms have bidets. Still, I have to wonder: Does even 25% of their population actually use them for their stated purpose? Or are bidets just stationary sex toys that take up space and get in the way? Verdict: Way too many variables to guess.
Today’s observations warrant a macabre photo. You’re looking at Galileo’s thumb and index finger. When Galileo died, in 1642, Pope Urban VIII denied him a proper burial (the pope considered Galileo’s work to be an insult to Catholic beliefs) and instead ordered him entombed in an unmarked corner of a basement. Later, in 1737, Galileo was transferred to a proper mausoleum, and three of his fingers and a tooth were removed at that time. They are all on display at the Museo Galileo in Florence, Italy.