Culture down the toilet

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Anything is possible in England, even a recycling project melding the art and the spirit of long-passed excrement. Artists have transformed the former sites of public restrooms into tiled, underground chambers for the alternative arts scene and quiet Internet surfing. One such venue claims it is an underground spot for underground thought and agendas and offers coffee and Internet access, reports SALON.COM.

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But while quirky individuals are looking toward former public conveniences for trendy space, the British Toilet Association is decrying the disappearance of the public restroom. Claiming there is now only one public toilet for every 10,000 people in England, the association brings publicity to the problem with its annual Loo of the Year Award.

That’s a long line no matter what you are waiting for.

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WE'LL BE BLUNT

It is astonishingly hard keeping a newsroom afloat these days, and we need to raise $253,000 in online donations quickly, by October 7.

The short of it: Last year, we had to cut $1 million from our budget so we could have any chance of breaking even by the time our fiscal year ended in June. And despite a huge rally from so many of you leading up to the deadline, we still came up a bit short on the whole. We canā€™t let that happen again. We have no wiggle room to begin with, and now we have a hole to dig out of.

Readers also told us to just give it to you straight when we need to ask for your support, and seeing how matter-of-factly explaining our inner workings, our challenges and finances, can bring more of you in has been a real silver lining. So our online membership lead, Brian, lays it all out for you in his personal, insider account (that literally puts his skin in the game!) of how urgent things are right now.

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