Safe Cosmetics?
Recently, Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, with the backing of congressional representatives, and even Holywood has launched another attempt at scaring consumers into thinking “big brother is watching out for you ”. Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010, sponsored by Reps. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc. Was introduced on Capitol Hill.
While the safe use of ingredients used in personal care products is of the utmost priority, this act will not, and cannot guarantee this. Charging an annual fee to companies with sales over $1,000,000 sounds good, but in reality, that only proves the companies can afford the fee, not that they are in compliance to rules and regulations! For those companies that cannot afford the fee? Simply put, they will be out of business………, but does that mean the company did not offer quality products with GRS – generally regarded as safe, ingredients? Not at all!
Personal Care Products Council’s president and chief executive officer, Lezlee Westine, stated: “For decades, the industry has had an impeccable safety record under the existing requirements implemented by FDA under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Our products remain among the safest in the marketplace.” The FDA, Food and Drug Administration, has very explicit requirements for labeling cosmetic products, and the ingredients used in these products. Why then do we need more legislation, fees, and additional testing on ingredients already GRS – generally regarded as safe? Perhaps there is a hidden agenda?
Eliminate the competition …. What better way to eliminate the competition than by hiding under the pretense of protecting the consumer? And, think about it – this legislation does not include imported products. Imported products, today, and in the future”, still be allowed into our mainstream consumer market without having to adhere to the same regulations as US based businesses. Larger US manufacturing companies, with off-shore holdings, sitting as board members and advisors on off shore companies, and not having to comply with the same regulations as US only based companies.
Is the consumer being protected more? No! The unsuspecting consumer, thinking all these additional requirements will make their products safer, is being led down the path of political and monetary gain of large corporations, politicians, and very powerful tax-exempt organizations.
Once again, the possibility of a smaller business, to stay in business, is questionable. Once again, as a consumer, my choices would be limited to products manufactured by companies able to pay large fees, initiate records for additional testing, and still not be able to actually prove the ingredients used are not going to cause cancer!
Additional reading:
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_bills&docid=f:h5786ih.txt.pdf
http://www.indiebusinessblog.com/2010/07/21/the-safe-cosmetics-act-of-2010-has-been-introduced/
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Japanese Beetle – Destoyer
During a recent stroll through the garden, I noticed the leaves on some of my lovely flowers were being eaten away! The poor leaves on some of my Zinnias were beginning to look like lace instead of leaves. What to do? After careful examination, I discovered the blasted Japanese Beetle having lunch on my plants.
japanese beetle
This beetle, having an almost neon greenish head and copper colored wings, is not hard to identify. And, these beetles can be disastrous for ones garden. Never having to deal with these invaders before, I researched for several hours on how to rid my garden of these nasty, destructive insects.
Some sources advised to get beetle traps. These traps, hang several feet away from the garden, contain pheromone, to attract the beetles into a trap where they cannot escape. That sounded like a good idea, but further reading gave me reason to seek other advise. These traps, although pretty convenient, have been known to attract more beetles than the garden actually has because of the pheromone. A hormone like substance that is like that of the female beetle and attracts the male beetles.
Other sources advised to eliminate the plants the beetles are munching on. These horrid insects are munching on the Echinacea, Zinnias, Sunflowers, and the Salvia! Destroying these plants is not an option I want to make. And, I am not one to want to use strong pesticides in my gardens. Still other sources suggested capture the insects and destroy them. Fantastic idea I thought!
How to do that? Further reading gave me some ideas how to fashion a contraption to capture the bugs in. Although I did not follow the precise instructions, I made my own death trap for the Japanese Beetle! Being one who recycles as much as possible, I headed to the basement. I knew I had a bag of litre size soda bottles down there that had been rinsed and bagged for a project my granddaughter had been working on. Sure enough, the bag was still there, so I removed 2 bottles and cut the top end of one bottle long enough to serve as crude funnel, and left the other bottle in tact. Not having the duct tape handy, I used electrical tape and taped the funnel portion on top of the threaded portion of the in tact bottle. (see photo) Not the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen, but you know what, it works!
The first day, I filled my trap with about a cup of water and headed to the gardens. Examining each plant for the intruders, as I saw one, I would place the funnel under the leaf or flower and shake it until the bug fell into the funnel. Then I would give the bottle a shake so the garden pest would fall into the larger bottle hitting the water. I was able to capture every bug I saw, which amounted to about 100 beetles. That evening, I strolled the garden again, and captured about 20 more of these insects, then folded and rolled a paper towel to serve as a plug for the funnel and left it sit over night so as to make sure my prisoners were dead. The next day, I dumped the dead beetles and started over with fresh water.
So far, this is working! I take a stroll each day and have only seen a few each day, which I send to their death.
Happy Birthday America!
Declaration of Independence
The 4th of July, Independence Day, honors the birthday of the United States of America! July 4, 1976 – this is day when all 13 original colonies proclaimed their freedom from the British Crown. From the Declaration of Independence: “When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.”
The list of reasons for this independence can be read in the original document, but some of these reasons are posted below:
- He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
- He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Recordsfor the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
- He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
- For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent
- For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments
It is understood why these colonists felt compelled to establish this separation. Over the years, Americans have shed blood, sweat, and tears to keep our country’s independence free from this kind tyranny.
Gatherings of all sorts will abound, and fireworks will be displayed, in celebration of our nation’s birthday. Please take just a moment during your festivities to remember those who have gone before us, and those that continue daily on that long road to indepence!
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