The World Toilet Association says the lack of proper toilet facilities kills almost two million people a year.

Most of these 1.8 million deaths occur in Asia. Inadequate sanitation hits children especially high, with 90 percent of the deaths occurring in children under five.

The United Nations has designated 2008 the Year of the Toilet in an effort to improve sanitation in developing nations.

The Great John Toilet Company builds an over-sized toilet to provide a more comfortable experience for larger people. The height of this toilet is between 16.5 and 18 inches. The seats are also extra-elongated and extra-wide. The toilet can be installed in new construction and as a replacement for an existing toilet.

Former pit mechanic Paul Stender rolled up his sleeves and turned out a jet-powered port-a-potty. It can't actually be used as a toilet, but it will get you down the highway pretty quickly.

Former pit mechanic Paul Stender rolled up his sleeves and turned out a jet-powered port-a-potty. It can't actually be used as a toilet, but it will get you down the highway pretty quickly.

Powered by a 50-year-old, 750-pound Boeing jet turbine that Stender bought for $5,000, the “Port-O-Jet” can top 46 mph with a tailwind. “It’s not real aerodynamic,” he allows.

The driver sits on the original seat and looks through a hole in the door.

NASA has signed a $46 million contract with Russia's S. P. Korolev Rocket and Space Public Corporation, for a new toilet on the International Space Station.

NASA has signed a $46 million contract with Russia's S. P. Korolev Rocket and Space Public Corporation, for a new toilet on the International Space Station.

The toilet system is similar to one in use in the station's Zvezda Service Module and will be used for the planned expansion from three to six crew members in 2009. The system will be able to automatically transfer urine to a U.S. device that can generate potable water.

Cintas is presenting the America's Best Restroom Award VI. The five finalists are Catch 31, Virginia Beach, VA; Fandangles', Flushing, MI; Jungle Jim's International Market, Fairfield, OH; Mix Lounge at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, NV and Vermont Marble Exhibit, Proctor, VT.

Voting ends July 31 and the winner will be announced in August. Our favorite is the entrance to the Jungle Jim's restroom which is made to look like a porta-potty.

The Kohler Purist Hatbox toilet uses tankless technology to flush. A 0.2-hp pump pushes water through the toilet. The toilet also features a self-closing seat.

From the celebrity toilet file we find that, according to the Internet Movie Database, Susan Sarandon has her Oscar for Dead Man Walking displayed in a bathroom.

Often dark spots or stains form in the bottom of a ceramic toilet bowl, particularly where the bowl curves. This is caused by material getting trapped in imperfections in the bowl's finish. A standard brush my have trouble reaching into these pits to remove the deposits. To get at them, turn of water to your tank and flush the toilet until it is empty. You can then reach in with a rag or sponge and clean out the deposits.