Here's something that takes the idea of "recycle and reuse" to whole a new level. Ecobrique, a revolutionary building material developed by the French company vBc 3000, is a brick that's 2 parts clay one part sewage.

According to TreeHugger.com, Ecobrique is a mostly ceramic brick that is kiln fired just like regular bricks, but has aerated and dried "solids" (we all know what that stuff is) added to the mixture to create what turns out to be a highly durable and lightweight building material. According to the manufacturer, reusing sewage to make Ecobriques is comparable in cost to alternative means of disposal, such as incineration or composting. So to answer the obvious questions.

- No, ecobriques don't stink.

- Yes they hold up, just like regular bricks, when they get wet.

- And no they are not available in the U.S. - yet.

I guess this puts a whole new perspective on whether a place does in fact look like crap.

Now for the Spills O' the Week:

Mo-bile, Alabama: A power outage at the infamous Prichard Sewage Treatment Works caused yet another sewage spill into Eight Mile creek. Prichard serves the greater Mobile, Alabama metro area and residents have been cautioned about consuming seafood caught near the spill and should avoid primary contact with waters in the effected area.
April 18, 2007: Mobile Press-Register

Massive-poo-setts: Heavy rains that soaked the northeast pushed sewage treatment facilities to the brink and caused several sewage overflows. In Worcester, MA more than 50 homes had sewage back up into basements and had toilet and drain backups.
April 17, 2007: Worcester Telegram-Gazette

Poo Jersey: Sewage treatment plants all across North Jersey were forced to discharge raw and partially sewage into the Hackensack and Pompton River watersheds because of heavy rain caused by a massive storm system. Area residents were warned to avoid contact with flood waters throughout the state.
April 17, 2007: North Jersey Record

Taking the #2 to Staten Island: Numerous residents of Staten Island, NY are dealing with sewage backups in basements and overflowing drains and toilets after what the local paper is calling the "storm of the century."
April 17, 2007: Staten Island Advance

Trouble in Odorton: Nearly 600,000 gallons of untreated sewage spilled into tributaries of the Patuxent River in the Suburbs of Annapolis, Md. The spill was caused by power outages at the sewage treatment plant.
April 16, 2007: Baltimore Sun

WASA Matter-U: DC WASA (Washington Area Sewer Authority) reports that sewage burst off a 32 inch manhole cover off of a combined sewer line and spilled raw sewage all over a road that runs parallel to the already embattled Anacostia River.
April 15, 2007: WUSA 9 News