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Conference thebay::joyoflex

Title:The Joy of Lex
Notice:A Notes File even your grammar could love
Moderator:THEBAY::SYSTEM
Created:Fri Feb 28 1986
Last Modified:Mon Jun 02 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1192
Total number of notes:42769

322.0. "Should I be passing out hand towels?" by SCOTCH::GLICK (Blessed by the Holy Puffins of Merrimack) Tue Feb 10 1987 11:52

Anyone know the history behind Digital offices, plants, etc being called 
"Facilities" as in the MK facility?  A lawyer friend of mine (you know
lawyers) thinks this is hilarious. The only time he's heard this word used
to reference a location is when one is asking for the location of the
bathroom as in "Where are the facilities?"

So . . .?

T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
DateLines
322.1Semper ParatusNY1MM::BOWERSDave BowersTue Feb 10 1987 19:013
    I have no idea how Digital started  this usage.  The Coast Guard
    Auxiliary refers to members' vessels that are used for official
    functions as "facilities".
322.2WC is just one kind...REGENT::POWERSWed Feb 11 1987 12:2011
"Facilities" seems to be a relatively common word to describe 
places of business.  "Office" and "plant" would tend to limit the
idea of what facet of the business was being practiced, and "site"
might be interpreted as just a place where facilities might someday be built.

Basically, however, this is an instance where the euphemistic use
of the term "facilities" (for "toilet" or "washroom") has corrupted 
its application against more general meaning.

- tom]

322.3go to the toilet and wash upVIDEO::OSMANand silos to fill before I feep, and silos to fill before I feepWed Feb 11 1987 18:456
Our office kitchen has a sign that says something like:

	"Please throw only liquid down the sink, as anything else
	will clog the pump.  If pump breaks again, Facilities will
	remove the kitchen."

322.4A CokeDSSDEV::DENNERLEINThu Apr 23 1987 01:0910
    When I first started here I asked Why is this a Facility and not
    a Plant?  The Answer was:
    
    At a Plant, When you go to get a Coke you get it in a Paper Cup
    
    And at a Facility, You get a Coke in a Can and that is the real
    
    difference!  
    
    Riplies Believe it or Knot.
322.5BEING::POSTPISCHILAlways mount a scratch monkey.Thu Apr 23 1987 01:3911
    Re .4:
    
    > And at a Facility, You get a Coke in a Can and that is the real
    > difference!                                                      
    
    You really have not clarified matters, since one is naturally getting
    Coke in a can when one gets Coke in a facility, both in the sense of
    .0.
    
    
    				-- edp 
322.6Huh?DSSDEV::DENNERLEINThu Apr 23 1987 15:152
     
    
322.7ERASER::KALLISHallowe'en should be legal holidayThu Apr 23 1987 15:3712
    Re .first_few:
    
    A "facility" is generally a term more generic than "plant" or "office,"
    and is often thus used when one wishes to include sales, service,
    manufacturing, administrative, and engineering operations together,
    as in "Digital has more than 60 facilities in the United States."
    
    Re .5, .6:
    
    I suppose it matters what you mean by "can." :-)  
    
    Steve Kallis, Jr
322.8it's been a slow weekDEBIT::RANDALLBonnie Randall SchutzmanThu Apr 23 1987 17:175
    re .5:
    
    best laugh I've had in days!
    
    --bonnie