Thursday, August 26, 2010

The most important innovation in 150 years is...what?

Toilets. I've had to use an out house before. I've had to dig a hole in the mountains, sit over a log, all kinds of things like that through my life. But to have a situation where on a daily basis, every day, day after day, you have to deal with where to go to the toilet, where you have to walk far from home to find a place where someone else hasn't gone before you, or you have to do it in a river where it is fouled to a point beyond belief, I've not had, nor do I want, that experience.

This all comes up because I was watching Vanguard, a series of documentaries on the Current cable channel. A documentary on the "World's Toilet Crisis". Interesting, sad, disgusting, funny, awkward, totally relevant, ultimately, important.

Adam Yamaguchi takes us on a tour of India and Indonesia with a look at how 55% of the world rids themselves of Human waste. People are living in incredible situations around the world and its mostly being ignored, mostly because there is no money to take care of it, but also because its not important, if those in charge don't have to live in it. Its an important subject and so is the Vanguard series of documentaries.

Check them out, you will find them educational, entertaining, and well worth the watch.

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