Monday, March 22, 2010

Be there or be square

.
For World Water Day join a protest. Be there or be square.
.

For World Water Day people everywhere are being asked to take a stand and join a Guinness World Record attempt to make the world's longest toilet queue.
.
One month from now politicians from across the globe will gather in Washington, D.C. to discuss what they need to do to fulfil two of the most basic rights of the world’s citizens – access to a safe toilet and clean water.
.
The World’s Longest Toilet Queue is a mass mobilisation event and Guinness World Record attempt bringing together thousands of campaigners from across the world to demand real change at the meeting.
.
The lack of access to clean water and basic sanitation affects 2.5 billion people.
These are some results:
.
> 4,000 children under the age of five dying every day from preventable water-related illnesses such as diarrhea , typhoid, cholera, and dysentery.
> Over half of hospital beds in developing countries are taken by those suffering with diarrheal illnesses, heavily overburdening fragile health systems.
> The UN estimates that half of girls who stop attending primary school in Africa do so because of the lack of safe and private toilets.
.
More info at http://www.worldtoiletqueue.org/eng .
.
P.S. This is the first square toilet I've ever seen. They are in the public WC at Jerusalem's Mamilla Mall.
.
That's it for That's My World Tuesday.
.

20 comments:

  1. Dina: That toilet would be a surprise to encounter.

    ReplyDelete
  2. what a neat post. you focused on a timely need.

    ReplyDelete
  3. First square toilet I ever saw, too!
    Looks funny!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Interesting serious post and amazing toilet sear!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Dina - Great post! Thanks for bringing this matter to our attention. What a terrible problem that shouldn't exist in this day and age.
    I do wonder exactly how comfortable that toilet is...

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks Dina for your reporting, good to know all of the facts. But a square toilet...well, that's just wrong.

    ReplyDelete
  7. A first!

    An important post!



    Aloha from Hawaii my Friend


    Comfort Spiral

    ReplyDelete
  8. Rotary International works around the globe to improve water supplies in impoverished areas.

    ReplyDelete
  9. This is the first square toilet seat I've ever seen too.

    I wish I'd heard about World Water Day earlier. Running and potable water is a major problem in our urban poor and rural communities.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Your post is very serious and the toilet looks fun. It´s more important to know how much water it demands to work.

    ReplyDelete
  11. great post and informative too. i may be coming to jerusalem for sukkoth to see my relaivtes who i haven't seen in over 20 years. isn't that great? family reunion.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Toilets have come a long way but the inventor never did figure out what to do with the flush. Streams, lakes, cisterns. It all adds up. Can you imagine the combined flush of New York City. I gulp trying to imagine that load of fecal matter on a barge out in the Atlantic Ocean. Remember that time when they were caught and had to bring the barge back to the city just as full as it was when they left port. I don't know what the city does with it now but I am guessing it is transformed into drinking water.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Shalom friends, thanks for your contributions to the subject.

    Soulbrush, great. Can we meet up if you come to Jerusalem?

    Abe, eeuw. No, I don't know about that barge.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Square toilets for square bottoms with square minds? Could that be the point? Good post Dina! Water is very important, but how do you get corrupt governments to care about the welfare of their people when they don't value human life? Solve the corruption problem and safe water will be there for the people. It starts with values.

    ReplyDelete
  15. From under my umbrella: They have my full support.

    PS That toilet must be for the real squares...

    ReplyDelete
  16. aloha,

    i also did a post on earth day and being green...nice thing to think about before earth day :)

    love your post also....

    ReplyDelete
  17. A problem that shouldn't exist, indeed.

    As to the square toilet, I've seen almost square loos (more rounded that your one tho) in Italian show rooms - usually v expensive. Seems tho that the square one you show might be rather uncomfortable?

    ReplyDelete
  18. Interesting potty. For squares only!

    ReplyDelete


Thanks for your comment!
Comment moderation is on so I will see any new comments even on older posts!