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Toilet conference eyes revolution

Story Highlights

WHO: Nearly 2 million people die every year from diseases related to bad sanitation
World Toilet Association aims to provide toilet facilities to impoverished nations
South Korea's "Mr. Toilet" unanimously elected association's first president
2.6 billion people worldwide lack access to proper restrooms

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- The World Toilet Association kicked off its inaugural conference Thursday, hoping to spark a sanitation revolution that will save lives through better hygiene and break taboos about what happens behind closed bathroom doors.

To the celebratory rhythms of a percussionist beating on toilets, dozens of government delegates and U.N. representatives began two days of discussions on improving bathroom facilities for the 2.6 billion people worldwide who lack access to proper restrooms.

Dr. Shigeru Omi, western Pacific director of the World Health Organization, said 1.8 million people die annually due to diseases related to inadequate sanitation, 90 percent of them children younger than 5.

Providing healthy bathroom facilities worldwide would cost some $10 billion a year -- equal to 1 percent of world military spending or what Europeans annually spend on ice cream, he said. The new association aims to provide toilet facilities to impoverished countries, provide for urgent sanitation needs after natural disasters and spread information and technology for improving toilets.

The South Korean government has given strong backing to the World Toilet Association, which has been spearheaded by the country's "Mr. Toilet" -- parliament member Sim Jae-duck. He earned his nickname for improving public restrooms for the 2002 World Cup as mayor of Suwon city.

"The restroom revolution will provide hope and happiness to mankind," Sim told delegates.

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The group is not associated with the World Toilet Organization, another body that was founded in 2001 by Singapore's Jack Sim, has 44 member countries and similarly seeks to improve toilet sanitation in the third world.

South Korea's Sim, who has built a toilet-shaped house in his hometown, was unanimously elected Thursday as the new association's first president.

South Korea has sought to establish a "toilet culture" to improve restroom facilities for hosting international events. It now holds annual contests to select the most pleasant facilities. Photos of winning restrooms displayed at the conference included lavatories featuring abundant natural light and plants, a boat-shaped building in the city of Ansan and the bathrooms on a South Korean naval ship.

"The toilet is directly linked to sanitation and hygiene of human beings as well as the improvement of the quality of their lives," South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo told the conference.

Ringing up baby: What infants really cost

You get a lot of financial advice when you're about to have a baby. Sometimes it pays to listen.

By Ryan D'Agostino, Money Magazine senior editor

Money Magazine) -- When you're expecting a baby, as my wife and I are, you get a lot of advice. Grandparents-to-be, co-workers, affectionately nosy old ladies on the bus -everyone has ideas.

Some are helpful (tips about the best swaddling blankets, say). Some are questionable (read to the baby before it's born?).

As the bromides add up, it's clear we have a lot to learn. That's okay when we're experimenting with blankets and mobiles, but the financial advice has me a tad worried.

I'm not talking about the basics. I already know I have to buy more life insurance, write a will and start a college fund as soon as the little bugger has a Social Security number.

What scares me is the stuff I don't know I don't know. My wife (our CFO) is due to give birth this month, and while we've thought a lot about the color of the walls in the nursery - we're going with Prescott Green - we didn't realize we'd need to raid our savings to furnish it, as one friend warned us.

Nor did we know what to say during a recent dinner-party debate about whether it's gauche to register for baby supplies. And we were blindsided when an acquaintance suggested we slash our 401(k) contributions to make sure we have cash for diapers and burp cloths.

These peripheral bits of advice have us wondering if we really do have our financial ducks in a row. Plenty of expectant parents apparently share our worries.

A 2005 survey found that 87 percent of people with a baby on the way fear being stressed out by the expenses. Worse, 81 percent of new parents confirm those fears.

To better prepare us, I sifted through some of the tips we've gotten to determine which are helpful and which are useless. My conclusion: While a few financial changes are inevitable when you have another mouth to feed, a newborn doesn't have to turn your finances upside down. Only your sleep schedule.

Conventional wisdom: "Be prepared to spend a small fortune on baby stuff"

The verdict: True - to a point.

The typical new mom and dad spend $6,200 outfitting their baby in the first year, from cribs and car seats to clothing and formula.

Sure, infants need a lot of equipment. But the $7.1 billion baby products industry is also very good at selling unnecessary, overpriced paraphernalia to inexperienced parents who don't know any better, warns Alan Fields, co-author of "Baby Bargains," a consumer guide.

The key to not overspending, says Fields, is to focus on your primary job: creating a safe place for your baby to sleep, cry and soil diapers.

Stuffed animals and mobiles are fine, but only after you've covered essentials like a sturdy crib and practical onesies. And steel yourself against the hard sell.

"When you buy a crib, the store might try to sell you a bedding set with a quilt, pillows and frilly accessories," says Fields. "But a sheet and cotton blanket are all a baby really needs." In fact, quilts and pillows are a health hazard, increasing the risk of suffocation.

Conventional wisdom: "Registering is tacky"

The verdict: False

People are going to buy you gifts anyway, so give them a little guidance on the items you'd appreciate most.

When people ask you what you want for the baby, by all means tell them -honestly. Otherwise, Fields says, you'll find your baby with a closet full of unworn sailor suits.

Conventional wisdom: "You'll have to slash your 401(k)"

The verdict: False: The impulse to cut retirement contributions to free up cash before you have a baby is understandable: This tiny new person's life depends on you, so socking away greens fees for the year 2037 seems a little selfish.

It's not.

Getting in the habit of reducing contributions every time a new financial undertaking (like having a baby) comes along makes it difficult to restore your allocation to pre-baby levels, says Scott Kahan, financial planner and father of two.

Conventional wisdom: "Disposable diapers are the best deal"

The verdict: False

If there's a financial winner, it's cloth, although it might be a wash. (Heh.)

Consider: If you change your baby eight to 10 times a day, that would add up to 7,000 to 9,000 diaper changes from birth to age 2½. At an average price of 25¢ per disposable diaper, you'd spend $1,750 to $2,250.

A diaper service, meanwhile, might charge $15 a week for cloth diaper delivery and laundering. The tab to age 2½: $1,950.

Washing cloth yourself? Cheaper still, but gross.

Of course, cloth is also better for the environment. And that counts too. After all, you want this planet to be safe for your baby's babies.

The Mini-Shower would be a perfect solution to washing off your baby and rinsing out the diapers in the toilet.

Kansas Prison Limits Inmates to 4 Rolls of Toilet Paper Per Month

Tuesday, May 01, 2007 Associated Press

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Toilet paper is becoming a sought after commodity at the Hutchinson Correctional Facility after officials began limiting inmates to one roll at a time to trim costs.

Officials say the prison has long had a limit, but they learned recently that it hadn't been enforced. Increased enforcement began this month.

Under the prison policy, inmates are restricted to four rolls of toilet paper each month or on an "as-needed" basis.

Steve Schneider, public information officer for the prison, said officials also restated restrictions on other personal items, including soap and toothpaste, as a result of stockpiling and overuse.

The increased enforcement has angered many of the more than 1,600 inmates housed at the facility.

"Some take this for granted," inmate Carl Kennedy said in a letter to The Hutchinson News. "But in here it's part of a safeguard for widespread infections. We use it to blow our noses, clean sinks, toilets and tables."

Prison officials said the policy could save the prison nearly $600 each month if each inmate uses one less roll each month.

"There are a lot of things that individually don't cost much," said Kansas Department of Corrections spokeswoman Frances Breyne. "But when you multiply that by hundreds, it makes a drastic impact."

Schneider insists inmates won't go without toilet paper. Charmin four-packs can be purchased at the prison canteen for $2.70, and anyone who produces an empty roll will receive a new roll of toilet paper.

One side effect of the policy could be that toilet paper will become a new form of currency among inmates.

"Anything you restrict becomes a thing of value," Schneider added. "It automatically becomes a means of dealing and trading."

The Mini-Shower would be a perfect solution to saving the cost of supplying toilet paper to all the inmates and better for the environment.