Garoo

You know, those pictures of New York kids playing in the water sprayed by a fire hydrant on a hot summer afternoon? I’d always wondered how it could be so common, and why you never saw, on the following shot, a bunch of kids lying on the ground, clubbed to near-death by the NYPD.

Turns out there’s a very simple reason for that, one I find it almost unconceivable, seen from across the ocean: just ask the local fire departement, and they’ll provide you with all the equipment needed to convert the neighborhood’s fire hydrant into a big sprinkler.