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Curzon
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Curzon

Date

July 14th, 2008

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Insert Amusing Post Title Here

Thanks to Joe for this, from Marginal Revolution:

The remote town of Musiri in the Tamil Nadu state has hit upon a unique idea to teach its residents proper hygiene: pay them money each time they use the toilet.

Users can make up to $0.14 a month to relieve themselves in a specially constructed toilet. Not a princely sum, but it’s extra cash flow that low-income residents can make just for answering nature’s call.

The government-backed program serves two purpose: It encourages people to discard age-old practices of urinating and defecating in the open, leading to diseases. And the waste product goes into research to test their effectiveness as fertilizers.

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Jeremiah
July 15, 2008
3:54 am
From this NY Times article, a public health program in Ghana used marketing to create the habit of using soap after going to the bathroom.