Graben Toilets, Vienna, Austria

Cheapflights.com begins its list of cool loos in Vienna. It may feel like youre entering a subway station when you head toward these underground toilets along the Graben (one of Viennas most famous streets), but these loos are actually lovely. Vienna didnt always have the best track record when it came to public bathroom options, but a proposal from Wilhelm Beetz helped change that in the late 19th century. In these bathrooms, which are near Kohlmarkt, youll be treated not only to attractive toilets but also to brass fixtures, marble walls and wood paneling, as well as some cool tile work. The mens side features waterless urinals Beetzs brainchild.

This potty takes the word public to a new level. Perched 14,200 feet up on Alaskas Mount McKinley, this john stands on its own surrounded by nothing more than three wooden slabs and plenty of ice and snow. Hiking to this toilet wont be easy, and theres still more than 6,000 feet to go from here to reach McKinleys summit. Once you arrive, youll be in for a bathroom break that will make you say brrrr, after all, this loo is largely open to the elements. But the novelty of the experience, and the view of Mt. Foraker youll be treated to, will do their best to help you forget about the wind and sub-zero temperatures.

Some visitors stop at the Hundertwasser toilets not to pee, but just to take pictures. Located along State Highway 1 in the rural area of Kawakawa on the North Island, these public toilets were designed by late artist-architect Frederick Hundertwasser. Built in the late 1990s, these bathrooms feature bricks from a former Bank of New Zealand building, a living tree, tile mosaics, curvy columns and walls embedded with glass bottles. The facility, which is topped off with a grass roof, is a cant-miss collage of colors and interesting materials. Hundertwasser died a few years after the bathroom was completed, making this his final project and only piece of work in the Southern Hemisphere.

When you gotta go, you gotta go and some European cities are taking this sense of urgency seriously. Places like London and Amsterdam are curbing public urination with a futuristic solution toilets that emerge from the ground during the nighttime hours then retract and disappear during the day. A company called Urilift is producing these cylindrical lavatories that look like something out of The Jetsons. Theyve started with walk-in urinals and have now moved on to pop-up loos with doors for the ladies. Other types of portable urinals have also been popping up across Europe for more than a decade.

From the folks who brought us Toto, one of the worlds high-end toilet brands, come the commodes of the Daimaru Department Store. The public bathrooms here are outfitted with you guessed it Toto toilets. The shopping destination has 13 floors, each of which has its own bathroom designed to match the floors atmosphere. These arent your standard toilets, though. They have everything from heated seats to sound effects (to mask typical bathroom noises), and they feature a self-cleaning mechanism, complete with temperature-controlled water.

Widely known as the largest public restroom in the world, this facility in Chongqing is impressive in numbers alone: four stories of about 1,000 toilets spread across more than 32,000 square feet. Now, thats a big bathroom. But the intrigue doesnt stop there the toilets here range in design from curvy women to open crocodile mouths. The bathroom even features one group of open-air stalls and entertainment options such as calming music and TV shows. This photo of Meixin Foreigns Street is courtesy of TripAdvisor

The toilets themselves may not be the main draw of these 15 elaborate themed bathrooms at the upscale Chung Yo department store in Taiwan. Were talking a Coca-Cola bathroom, a Wizard of Oz bathroom, a secret-garden-themed restroom and a Finding Nemo loo. But the bathroom that really gets people talking is a mens room that is much more than just a place to go. This bar-bathroom combo (yep, you read that right) features refrigerators stocked with Heineken for those whod like to take a leak and a swig of beer at the same time. Cheers!

Who knew you could pee and people watch at the same time? In 2012, Sulphur Springs introduced a pair of glass bathrooms in its downtown square. From the outside, these restrooms appear to be a mirrored cube, but step inside and youll discover these walls are made of a one-way glass that allows those on the inside to look out, giving you the feeling youre popping a squat in front of anyone and everyone who passes by. But dont worry, all those people strolling down the street cant see you pee. The walls work, in part, through an imbalance of light the light outside must be brighter than it is inside, so LED lights have been set up outside to keep the magic alive at night. The toilets came as part of a general revamp of Sulphur Springs downtown area and they were inspired by an installation in Switzerland by artist Monica Bonivicini. Photo by Sulphur Springs Texas

The mens restroom on Rothesay Pier was commissioned by Rothesay Harbour Trust in 1899. Retaining its Victorian-era charm, the bathroom is covered in elaborate ceramic tile work and features white enamel urinals topped with marble 14 of them line the walls and six more act as a centerpiece of sorts circling a stand in the middle of the room. The crest of the Royal Burgh of Rothesay sits at the restroom entrance. Much of the equipment, which originally came from Twyfords Ltd. Glasgow, is still here. The lavatory was restored in the 1990s and, at that time, showers, womens toilets, as well as facilities that cater to children and people with disabilities were added.

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'Transparency Toilet' Window In Japan Is A Terrible Idea And Can Leave You Rather Exposed

Termites infest more than 5 million United States homes each year, causing more than $5 billion in home damagesmore damage than earthquakes, tornadoes and fires combined. The Washington, DC region is heavily infested with termites, according to the U.S. Department of Forestry.

Termites work twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week devouring cellulous material found in wood, paper, drywall, and other materials in your home to provide for their colonies. And once termites find a good spot, they share their location with other termites using a sophisticated pheromone communication system.

Termites are usually active in hidden areas behind wall coverings, in crawl spaces, under foundations, and in still plates, making termite damage hard to detect. Common signs of termite infestation include:

The best way to prevent costly termite damage is through frequent monitoring and termite and pest control treatment by trained pest management professionals. Protect your property against termites in every season with our year-round Protection Plus plan, which includes a free annual interior and exterior termite inspection, and covers 31 other pests including ants, spiders, roaches, bees and rodents.

We offer the highly effective and environmentally responsible Altriset, Termidor and Sentricon termite treatments. These products are registered with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), meeting the strict requirements of the Reduced Risk Pesticide Initiative. Altriset and Sentricon have also won the EPA's Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award.

Every Connors technician is a Certified Sentricon Specialist, which means we are rated by the Dow Chemical Company as some of the best industry experts. We apply Sentricon by placing specially-designed containers in the ground in inconspicuous locations around your home or business. Once installed, Sentricon begins to work immediately. The exact amount of time required to eliminate an existing termite problem will vary, but you are protected from new or recurrent attacks as soon as the bait is installed. Sentricon has been tested and proven effective by 30 independent universities and the US Department of Agriculture.

Our certified technicians will recommend the best termite treatment option for you, and provide follow-up monitoring to ensure success.

Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company (Dow) or an affiliated company of Dow. Always read and follow label directions.

Altriset, an innovative and environmentally responsible termiticide made by Dupont, is a liquid treatment that works by paralyzing the mouths of termites. As termites walk through and ingest Altriset, they carry it back to their nest. Altriset increases social behavior in termites, who then share it with other termites through grooming and other interaction. Feeding on your property is reduced within hours, and the entire termite colony can be eliminated in three months or less. Altriset mimics organic termite repellants that occur naturally in some tree and shrub bark. It does not interfere with beneficial species, like honey bees or earthworms.

Termidor is a highly effective liquid termite treatment that is applied in the ground around affected buildings. Termidor is undetectable and unavoidable - to termites. Termites contact, ingest and share Termidor with their nest mates, successfully eliminating your termite problem. Termidor is virtually odorless, and most applications go unnoticed.

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Termite Control and Inspection | Connor's Termite & Pest ...

KAIZEN Realty - 305 MISTY FIELDS RD
Awesome home is upscale Oakland community. Natural Stone exterior, Lawn Sprinkler System, Granite Counter Tops, Glass Tile Back Splash, Upgrades Cabinets, Li...

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7 Leighton Court, Simpsonville, SC 29680
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A Conroe businessman came before the City Council Wednesday seeking an exception from a sprinkler system.

John Sebastian, owner of Conroe Golf Cars, has an 18,000-square-foot building in the rear of his property the along northbound Interstate 45 feeder road. Originally constructed in 1973, the building was leased to the Ark Church for several years.

While it was not removed during the buildings construction, the exemption was lost when the Ark Church occupied and installed a sprinkler system.

In a letter addressed from City Fire Marshal Mike Legoudes to Chief Ken Kreger, Legoudes stated, It is my position that once installed, the system should have been maintained for the life of the building, regardless of its current use, as the building itself meets current requirements for a system.

Sebastian has since complied to a reinspection by installing emergency lighting, no smoking signs, fire extinguishers and exit signs. But the sprinkler system remains out of service.

Sebastian contends the purpose of the building is strictly that as a golf car warehouse.

There will not be any customer traffic and offices, he said. Everything was removed from the building.

Since the building no longer has insulation or heat, We were concerned the system might freeze during extreme weather conditions, Sebastian said.

I made the decision to have the sprinkler removed. We were unaware that this was an issue with the city, he said. The cost to replace the sprinkler system would outweigh the value of the building.

Kreger said the citys ISO (insurance) rating also could be affected.

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Business seeks fire sprinkler exemption

The blue building sits at the northeast corner of Second Avenue and Washington Street in downtown Spokane. A newly-renovated painting of a young woman sitting on the constellation Ursa Minor, more commonly known as The Big Dipper, graces one wall.

For those who lived in Spokane during the late 1980s and early 90s, the building is more likely to conjure memories of a thriving, all-ages alternative rock music hub than images of the night sky. Since The Big Dipper closed in 1995, a few others have tried to operate live-music venues in that space, but nothing has taken root. Empyrean Coffee House, the most recent tenant, closed its doors in early 2011 after operating for a year in that location.

Enter Dan Hoerner, Troy Brower, and their wives, Dawson Smith-Hoerner and Annie Grinnell. The two couples have formed Big Dipper LLC and currently are operating the property as an event-rental facility. The company has a wedding reception, a few birthdays, and a couple of rock shows already under the belt. It plans to open a music venue and bar there May 1, contingent upon receiving approval of its liquor license. Once up and running, Big Dipper will employ six people, including the four owners.

The establishment is expected to host rock shows for all ages some nights, and Hoerner says he wants to capitalize on the venues versatility with poetry slams, open mics, art shows, and other events.

The front door opens to a bar with a kitchen in the back, a seating area, a dance floor and a stage, with couches flush against the walls for lounging. The back door opens to a courtyard where patrons can smoke. The stage has side doors that lead to two lounges for visiting bands, and a load-in room where the bands can bring in their equipment off the street.

In preparation for the opening of the bar, Hoerner is focusing on emphasizing what he calls the experiential qualities of the venue. With advice from a dozens of restaurateurs, he and Smith-Hoerner have crafted a menu that will include pizza, handmade pretzels, loaded grilled-cheese sandwiches, and antipasto plates. The drinks will be made with a palate of fresh-pressed juices.

While Hoerner has no experience owning a bar or music venue, he says he has seen the operation of a venue hundreds of times from the other side. His name might be familiar to 90s music aficionados; he was the lead guitarist for Sunny Day Real Estate, an alt-rock band. After college, he toured the world for nearly a decade with the band, recorded four albums, and helped lay the foundation for the emo music genre. But before that, he was a Spokane native just out of high school, playing in venues he wasnt old enough to walk into otherwise with bands such as Happy Dead Juans and Third House Down.

Hoerner says hes confident that Big Dipper will be successful. The business is opening with no debt and a sweetheart lease on the building, with a lease-to-own agreement in the works.

The team is committed to restoring the Dipper to its former glory, Hoerner says. It has spent about $50,000 renovating the interior, including refitting plumbing, installing new linoleum and hardwood flooring, rewiring the torn out electrical system, and redecorating, he says.

The couples didnt know until they opened the doors for the first time last fall just how far the structure had fallen into disrepair.

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Big Dipper gains a star

By Cindy Clayton The Virginian-Pilot March 12, 2014

PORTSMOUTH

A sprinkler system helped keep a fire at an old warehouse in the 800 block of Douglas Drive in check until firefighters arrived and extinguished it Tuesday night.

The fire was reported shortly before 9 p.m. at the warehouse, said Deputy Fire Chief Jim Hoffler.

Firefighters had to use saws to cut through metal doors and faced other obstacles at the old building that has been remodeled inside numerous times to allow for different businesses through the years. The blaze was contained to an area being used as storage by someone who owns a flea market.

The sprinklers helped keep the fire from spreading, but flames did damage the ceiling.

No injuries were reported.

The fire was under investigation, but did not appear to be suspicious.

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No injuries in warehouse fire in Portsmouth

Hattons and Railway magazines, and loco sheds
Haven #39;t looked at these for a while.

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Sprintcars 410 Eureka Garages Sheds A Main Final Simpson Speedway 8-3-2014
Sprintcars 410 Eureka Garages Sheds A Main Final Simpson Speedway 8-3-2014.

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Outdoor Furniture in Smyrna DE - Ricks Sheds
Rick #39;s Outdoor Furniture Smyrna DE - (610) 494-SHED Visit: URL We offer far more than just high quality sheds. We also have a wide selection of sturdy and st...

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