I am not usually inclined to write about waterclosets/toilets; they are the strictly functional element of the bath.  However, there has been a lot written about them in recent days and I thought I should weigh in. The news has centered around the Bill and Melinda Gates initiative to search for a new toilet that benefits the health and well being of people living in developing countries. According to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, four in ten people worldwide do not have a sanitary way to dispose of their bodily wastes. To solve this problem, the foundation launched an event–the Reinvent the Toilet Fair. Eight teams of engineers competed to develop a super toilet that runs on a “shoestring” and doesn’t need a sewage or water system.