Celebrate World Toilet Day!

It's not too late to celebrate World Toilet Day!

November 19 is the toilet's day to shine! Next time you flush, pay a little gratitude to that porcelain contraption that makes your life easier and - yes - cleaner.

World Toilet Day was organized by the World Toilet Organization. The World Toilet Organization, or WTO, was started by a man named Sim Jae-duck. This is a picture of his new house, which is in the shape of a toilet and located in South Korea.

Sim Jae-duck founded the WTO in 2001 because he wanted to call attention to the fact that 2.6 billion people around the world lack access to basic sanitation services.

Since then, the WTO has worked to raise awareness, funds and projects surrounding sanitation issues.

For example, according to the WTO Web site, improperly or poorly built sewerage systems discharge waste into rivers, lakes and the sea with little or no treatment.

This is admittedly gross, which is why, I guess, the World Toilet Organization needs to exist. A trip through its Web site, however, produced all sorts of good, clean fun.

For example, I found a quiz that told tell me what kind of toilet paper I most closely resemble. (Quilted, in case you're wondering).

I also found a list that teaches me to ask:"Where's the bathroom? in many different languages. In case I ever make it to Estonia, I'll need to know how to say: Kus on tualett?

If you're interested in some of the best and worst bathrooms around the world, you can always pay a visit to The Bathroom Diaries, a Web site that posts pictures and rankings of commodes across the globe.

And last but not least, should you be so moved (pun intended) by the plight of the toilet-less throughout the world, you can even donate money to the construction of proper sanitation structures in developing countries.

* Photos © Reuters.