India’s raw sewage flood, Kicking Batman off Facebook

GOOD DAY FOR: Cleaning up your feces, after development experts estimated that the 100,000 tons of feces India’s residents leave in crop fields, rivers, streets, and drinking water sources shaves a couple percentage points from its $1.2 trillion GDP each year. Feces-related illness, lost productivity, and the high dropout rate among schoolgirls once they hit puberty and face sharing unisex bathrooms in schools are all cited as significant barriers to India’s development. (Bloomberg)

BAD DAY FOR: Making friends with Yoda and Batman, as aspiring Facebook users with odd names—like Miranda Batman, Hiroko Yoda, and Bess Pancake—are seeing their sign-up requests denied. The number of people with the actual name Batman, explains Facebook spokeswoman Meredith Chin, is probably “fewer than the number of people who could potentially misuse the name on the site.” (The Washington Post)

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