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Reporting from Sydney,
Australia, Allen Schauffler - of KING5-TV in Seattle, Washington - explains:
- "credential
envy." 28k
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significance of Flack Boulevard in Sydney. 28k
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Reports from Belo Interactive contributors at the Olympics in Sydney, AustraliaJohn Miller: Notebook from Down Under That swirling curiosity (of the Coriolis effect, I'm told) 09/14/2000 By John Miller / KTVB-TV, Boise, Idaho
Today I woke up, recalling that one of my personal goals in Australia was to test the "Swirling Toilet Theory." The crew from Seattle's KING-TV tells me this is actually called the "CORIOLIS EFFECT." Anyway, I'd always heard that toilets flush in the opposite direction south of the equator. So this morning I gave it a whirl (HA!). I was kind of disappointed to find that our industrial-strength super potty actually flushes straight down, just like in the United States.
Perhaps I should take a moment to mention that we're staying in a place called the Olympic Media Village. The place is actually the grounds of an old hospital. Most of the media are staying in little shanties that have cute little porches, and no doubt housed residents of the facility long ago. Mark and I, however, are living in what was formerly a major ward of the hospital. We're told it was actually once the mental illness unit. We're not taking it personally. More on our home digs in another entry.
Anyway, back to the matter at hand. The toilet flushes straight down with the force of Hurricane Andrew, proving nothing (though POSSIBLY revealing the true source of those Florida sinkholes). So I shoved a block of soap into the sink drain and filled it up. By the time I had dislodged the soap to send the water spiraling down, I had forgotten which way toilets swirl back in the States.
I'll have to get back to you on this one.
Beyond that, Mark and I are keeping busy. Mark is chasing down the athletes from Idaho and the surrounding area. (Of course, he's having trouble catching them. ... They're Olympians, you know). Mark's also taken a liking to the word, "rubbish."
"Hey Mark, the bus just missed our stop!"
"Oh, what a bit of rubbish!"
Staff Photo / KTVB-TV, Boise
A view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, one of the best-known landmarks of Australia.
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Time to go track down some more Aussie stories. Our next adventure? We're strapping on some climbing gear and hiking up to the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge (the one that they launched the Y2K fireworks from). They make you wear jumpsuits that look like something out of a Devo music video. More on that next time!
No Worries!
John Miller and Mark Johnson are reporters for KTVB-TV in Boise, Idaho, a Belo Interactive affiliate. They are writing a daily notebook column from the Olympics.
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Track star 
1996
swimming gold medalist Ryan Berube 
