You know how fickle i am, first all aquiver over Giles Bolton (his ‘Poor Story’ still a recommended read) and now i have swung the other way and got it hot for Rose George. She has published a book called ‘The Big Necessity’ which is all about human waste management. (Not so much chick lit as …). It is a fascinating volume, covering biology and chemistry and history & different cultures. And stuff like the damage it does to the human gut when one is forever holding back as one has to sh*t into plastic bag and just throw it out the window as one is an urban slum dweller with no loos around. That is 40% of the world’s population with no access to any kind of loo at all, not even the sort that would gurantee us spoiled westerners being constipated for weeks. And how 1 gram of faeces holds 10 mill viruses, 1 mill bacteria, 1000 parasite cysts and 100 worm eggs. (No partridge in a pear tree tho.) And when anyone – everyone – enters your dwelling they will be carrying that in at least. Even if they made ‘Aggie & Kim Go Global’ that would not touch the problem. There are those who say more die from lack of basic sanitation than lack of actual fresh water itself.

But – per the mention of christmas back there – it does give me a focus for my christmas giving. Sure, i will give a few loos through Oxfam but i also want to find a charity which specialises in sanitation work. Sadly if there is one i’ll bet the profile is low as it is not exactly a glam subject is it?

Just be glad i read the literature so you don’t have to!

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