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I have been very busy lately making soap, while Hanno has been wrapping it and packaging it up to post all over Australia, the US and UK. Thanks to everyone who placed an order for soap or something I made. It is helping us with our finances and makes us feel good to be earning money selling what we've made with our own hands. I was very pleased to receive the first re-order from someone who bought the soap and wanted more. It makes me feel good knowing that something that helps us live well here can help others too....

There's poop in public pools, according to a new report. Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found genetic material from E. coli bacteria in 58 percent of public pools they tested during the summer of 2012. This shows that "swimmers frequently introduced fecal material into pools," which could spread germs to other people, the researchers wrote in their report. E. coli bacteria are normally found in the human gut and feces. They also found genetic material from bacteria called Pseudomonas aeruginosa, whichcan cause skin rashes and ear infections, in 59 percent of pools. The fecal material...

You’re gonna love this. It turns out that two products that most of us use multiple times a day can trigger a false positive result for explosives during a TSA screening. The culprits? Soap and lotion. Don’t believe me? A few days after the Boston bombings, Linda, an Oklahoma native, was flying out of Port Columbus International Airport (CMH) in Ohio when she was randomly chosen for a hand swab at a security checkpoint. The TSA agent swabbed her hand and promptly informed her that she had tested positive for explosives, specifically nitrates. The poor woman was naturally befuddled and...

It takes a big man to resist temptation. At a Sunday press conference calling for stricter rules on concentrated laundry detergent pod packaging that some children have mistaken for candy, New York Democratic Sen. Charles Schumer admitted that even he has felt drawn to down a few detergent pods himself. “The incidents are skyrocketing,” the New York Daily News reported Schumer said during a joint press conference with medical professionals. “These pods were supposed to make household chores easier, not tempt our children to swallow harmful chemicals. I saw one on my staffer’s desk and I wanted to eat it.”...

Introduced in the 1970s, the compound triclosan has become an increasingly popular ingredient in many antibacterial soaps and other personal-care items, such as deodorants and mouthwashes. However, as the chemical’s popularity continues to grow, a recent report has raised concerns about some frightening risks that triclosan could pose to public health. A new study published in the "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences" has revealed that exposure to triclosan is linked with muscle function impairments in humans and mice, as well as slowing the swimming of fish. By reducing contractions in both cardiac and skeletal muscles, the chemical has...

Nanodiamonds, pieces of carbon less than ten-thousandths the diameter of a human hair, have been found to help loosen crystallized fat from surfaces in a project led by research chemists at the University of Warwick that transforms the ability of washing powders to shift dirt in eco friendly low temperature laundry cycles. These new findings tackle a problem that forces consumers to wash some of their laundry at between 60 and 90 degrees centigrade more than 80 times a year. Even with modern biological washing powders, some fats and dirt cannot be removed at the lower temperatures many prefer to...

Vortex research could add to knowledge of small-scale variations in tropical cyclones Although it's well-known that a tempest sometimes shows up in a teapot, it turns out that something smaller and far more ephemeral — a soap bubble — can also accommodate a squall. Such was the discovery of a group of physicists at the University of Bordeaux; when they heated hand-size soap bubbles, vortexes of color swirled into action and went dancing across the delicate orbs. "Soon after we started seeing these things, we thought, 'Wow, that looks like a hurricane,'" said Hamid Kellay, a professor of physics at...

Occupy Wall Street protesters should 'buy bar of soap and head home,' Rep. Michael Grimm saysBy Judy L. Randall - Staten Island Advance Updated: Thursday, November 17, 2011, 2:18 PM STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Rep. Michael Grimm today blasted Occupy Wall Street protesters as "lowlifes," telling them to "buy a bar of soap," clean up and ship out. That includes Occupiers threatening to "overrun" the Staten Island Ferry and subways, whom he called a "mob." Said Grimm: "It has been two months and now it's time for the OWS protesters to pack up their tents, buy a bar of soap...

ROFL!!! All My Children-- LAST episode today-- What an ending-- My grandma watched this show, so I have had years of exposure.... In high school, my sister and I got hooked. heard the show was ending- so decided to check in this week. Jackson exits with a "Frankly my Dear" moment to Erica-- but the kicker was the Dallas reference. Good ol' JR Chandler has a gun, hiding somewhere. Aims at dad- Eric runs after Jackson. Does she step in front of the line of fire? Gun shot rings out- screen goes black.. LOL!!! Not Who Shot JR-- but who...

You can’t blame Americans for feeling as though the government is increasingly crossing boundaries and reaching into their daily lives. The Obama administration and regulatory authorities such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) appear to be coming at us on all fronts. The Republican-led Congress has been steadfast in its efforts to beat back the EPA. Recent committee hearings have exposed the adverse consequences that the EPA’s regulation of greenhouse gas emissions will have on the job market. Unfortunately for hardworking Americans, the cost of the EPA’s action will make energy prices higher, drive jobs overseas and force more citizens...

People such as me are often accused of wanting to return to the 19th century. But, if the New York Times is right about a new trend, some on the Left want to go back to the Middle Ages. What is that trend? Avoiding soap, deodorant, and even bathing regularly. Today, though, it’s often for environmental reasons. It seems that top-notch Western hygiene has now joined SUVs, Wal-Mart, tobacco (not the wacky kind — it’s in fashion), guns, McDonald’s, and white males in the Museum of Politically Incorrect Persons, Places, and Things. For example, Guardian writer Kira Cochrane tells us...

A growing number of people are cutting down on daily showering and hair-washing. So could you join the extreme soap-dodgers? If you are reading this article over breakfast, the chances are you have recently stepped into the shower, lathered up your hair and torso, rinsed off, towelled and blow-dried, before dousing your armpits with deodorant, and wafting on a fog of perfume or aftershave.

October 29, 2010 The Great Unwashed By CATHERINE SAINT LOUIS A DAILY shower is a deeply ingrained American habit. Most people would no sooner disclose they had not showered in days than admit infidelity. But Jenefer Palmer, 55, of Malibu, Calif., cheerfully acknowledged recently that she doesn’t shower or shampoo daily and doesn’t use deodorant. Ever. No, she does not work from home in pajamas. In fact, Ms. Palmer, the chief executive of Osea, an organic skin-care line, often travels to meet business contacts at the five-star luxury hotels where her line is sold. They might be surprised to read...

Some longtime users were furious. "My dishes were dirtier than before they were washed," one wrote last week in the review section of the website for the Cascade line of dishwasher detergents. "It was horrible, and I won't buy it again." "This is the worst product ever made for use as a dishwashing detergent!" another consumer wrote. Like every other major detergent for automatic dishwashers, Procter & Gamble's Cascade line recently underwent a makeover. Responding to laws that went into effect in 17 states in July, the nation's detergent makers reformulated their products to reduce what had been the crucial...

Baltimore - A ban that's designed to protect the Chesapeake Bay from a dangerous pollutant went into effect more than a month ago and you may not even noticed. That ban impacts the detergent we all use in our dishwashers. ABC2 News Investigator Joce Sterman explains what's been cut out of the cleaning product and where we found banned items out for sale. She's got kids, a career and still has to make time to do those households chores. It's obvious Lutherville’s Jenny Atwater is a busy mom with plenty on her plate. She says, “I hate unloading the dishwasher...

The first oil-covered birds are being seen on the Gulf shore as well as further out. One bird, a gannet, which is normally white with a yellow head and long, pointed beak was covered in thick, black oil. The rescuers are cleaning the bird at Fort Jackson, a historic landmark about 70 miles southeast of New Orleans. Rescuers are expecting to be busy for a long time cleaning the birds and other wildlife with Dawn detergent, which seems to work best. Hopefully, they can save many of the otherwise doomed creatures from this huge disaster. There are over 400 species...

A Palm Bay woman and her boyfriend were arrested Monday for child abuse after the couple went old school to punish their 8-year-old daughter for swearing. They washed her mouth out with soap. We don't know about you, but we would petition President Obama and Congress to make it mandatory for every parent to carry a bar of Irish Spring in their back pockets with all the profanity kids use today.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Wash your hands, folks, especially you ladies. A new study found that women have a greater variety of bacteria on their hands than men do. And everybody has more types of bacteria than the researchers expected to find. "One thing that really is astonishing is the variability between individuals, and also between hands on the same individual," said University of Colorado biochemistry assistant professor Rob Knight, a co-author of the paper. "The sheer number of bacteria species detected on the hands of the study participants was a big surprise, and so was the greater diversity of bacteria...

Welcome to The Hobbit Hole! First thread: New Zealander builds Hobbit holeSecond thread: The New Hobbit HoleThird thread: The Hobbit Hole III - Journey to the Cross-roads! (Congratulations, we filled it up!) Fourth Thread: The Hobbit Hole IV - The Road Goes Ever On...Fifth Thread: The Hobbit Hole V - Where Many Paths and Errands Meet...Sixth Thread: The Hobbit Hole VI - And Whither Then? I Cannot Say...Seventh Thread: The Hobbit Hole VII - But not yet weary are our feet... Eighth Thread: The Hobbit Hole VIII - Still round the corner we may meet... Ninth Thread: The Hobbit Hole...

As al-Qaeda in Iraq’s fortunes wane, it has no one but itself to blame. President Bush’s troop surge indisputably has crushed al-Qaeda and other terrorists, while Iraqi soldiers have honed their ability to hammer deadly insurgents. But much of al-Qaeda’s damage has been self-inflicted. Largely overlooked is the Islamo-puritanism that it inflicted on the Iraqi territories it seized. Rank-and-file Iraqis tasted life under bin Laden-style Islam, and they gagged. They responded by collaborating with American and Coalition forces to expel these mad zealots from their midst. At one level, al-Qaeda’s religious decrees have been nearly comical. As the Institute for...