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Bill Gates Takes To The Stage With A Jar Full Of 'Poo'

Bill Gates Takes To The Stage With A Jar Full Of 'Poo'

The poo is reported to be enjoying its 15 minutes of fame

Jake Massey

Jake Massey

Crowds have been left dazzled after Bill Gates took to the stage with a jar full of 'shit' for the premiere of his new musical, The Billionaire And The Jar Full Of Shit.

OK that's only half true. He did apparently take to the stage with a jar full of shit but the musical, The Billionaire And The Jar Full Of Shit, does not exist - as far as I'm aware.

The Microsoft founder was actually speaking at a toilet forum where he highlighted the need for clean sanitation in developing countries, claiming that more than half of the world's population live without it.

PA

His pooey prop was designed to draw attention to the cause and it definitely seems to have worked. Indeed, when the faecal receptacle was first unveiled the crowd whooped and cheered wildly, having mistaken the jar full of shit with a surprise appearance from Little Mix.

On closer inspection, it is clearly a jar full of shit, but it is not clear who the shit belongs to - if indeed a shit can be considered to belong to someone once passed.


It's all well and good to conceive of a winning publicity stunt, but did Gates follow through and provide the stool himself? Or does he pay for his very own shit sample provider? It seems unlikely we will ever know.

Whoever's turd it was in the jar at the Reinvented Toilet Expo in Beijing, it seems Gates was unimpressed with the volume of crap.

Pointing at the jar, he said: "In places without sanitation you have got way more than that."

PA

... Sounds like his shit sample provider could be in the shit, should they exist.

The forum was hosted by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and illuminated various ways in which sanitation can be improved without sewerage systems, using technologies such as self-contained toilets which can be installed quicker and more affordably.

China is in the midst of a 'toilet revolution' launched by President Xi Jinping, which aims to reduce the spread of diseases such as dysentery, cholera and hepatitis.

PA

Gates said: "When you think of things that are basic right up there with health and enough to eat, you think that having a reasonable toilet certainly belongs on that list.

"China has made great progress in improving health and sanitation for millions of people.

"China has an opportunity to launch a new category of innovated non-sewered sanitation solutions that will benefit millions of people worldwide."

This isn't the first time Gates has used shock tactics to draw attention to his philanthropic efforts. In 2009 he raised awareness of the deadly disease, malaria, by releasing mosquitoes at a TED talk in California, letting everyone panic a bit before assuring they were disease free.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Billionaire, Charity, Microsoft, bill gates