NEWS
By Janet Gilbert | May 24, 2009
A lot of women I know take day trips to New York City to see a Broadway show, go shopping, or dine at a fine restaurant on a special occasion. But I prefer to take my expensive 24-hour city jaunts to move my daughter in and out of various dormitories in the neighborhoods around Washington Square. Actually, I'm writing this on the Amtrak now, returning home to Baltimore after moving her back into the city for a mandatory summer session just 10 days after we picked her up from her freshman year.
NEWS
By Cassandra A. Fortin | August 10, 2008
When most people finish using products like laundry detergent containers, tin cans, pie tins and greeting cards, they throw them in the garbage or in a recycling bin. But a group of eight local women covet trash that they can make into treasures. "I love the idea of taking something society had thrown out," said Sue Eyet, 54, who is one of the eight women. "It's nice to be able to bring out the beautiful, from what society thinks is ugly." They use garbage for the art they make as part of a group that formed about three years ago, called the Trashy Women.
NEWS
By Laura Smitherman | May 8, 2008
Gov. Martin O'Malley said yesterday that he is inclined to sign legislation delaying a statewide ban on dishwasher detergent containing polluting phosphorus and that he still is weighing whether to veto a bill ensuring that fruity alcoholic drinks known as "alcopops" continue to be taxed and distributed the same way as beer. The General Assembly approved both bills during its recently concluded session. O'Malley, a Democrat, has received a number of veto requests and letters in support of the alcopops bill, which he pulled at the last minute from a batch of bills he signed last month.
NEWS
May 1, 2008
Last month, Colgate-Palmolive began marketing several phosphate-free dishwashing detergents under the name eco+. It's not hard to understand the new product's appeal. Many states, including Maryland, have required that dishwashing detergent be rid of the phosphates that are threatening to destroy aquatic life. So why did the General Assembly last month approve legislation postponing Maryland's phosphate ban for six months from January to July 2010? Environmental groups say it was to benefit one company, Proctor & Gamble, which hasn't yet released its own version of a phosphate-free product.
NEWS
March 22, 2008
A bill that would require students to attend public school in Maryland until age 17, beginning in 2010, won preliminary approval in the state Senate yesterday, though the proposal's fate remains uncertain. The Senate, which is expected to take a final vote next week, amended the bill to ensure that it would not take effect unless the governor provides added funding to pay for it. The House of Delegates has not taken action on a similar measure. The Maryland State Board of Education opposed the bill.
NEWS
By Laura Smitherman | March 19, 2008
The Maryland Senate is poised to delay the implementation of a statewide ban on dishwasher detergent containing polluting phosphorus that seeps into the Chesapeake Bay, in response to objections from consumer products giant Procter & Gamble, which said it cannot meet the original deadline. Senators gave preliminary approval yesterday to legislation that would push back the ban's implementation by six months, to July 2010. The change would come one year after the General Assembly passed the ban on nearly all phosphorus in the detergents, which environmentalists say are discharged into the bay through sewers and other avenues, and contribute to algae blooms, fish kills and dead zones.
NEWS
By JANET GILBERT | January 14, 2007
I am smelling like a man. I don't mean I am bending down to smell something in the way a man would because I have rarely witnessed a man performing the "voluntary sniff." A man, alone in an elevator, might perform an olfactory check of his pant cuffs if he has mistakenly walked through a dog park on his way back from lunch. But this is the "compulsory sniff"; something a man must do, apparently solo. My point here is, my actual person smells like a man. My best guess is that there was a mix-up at the factory that, coincidentally, makes both my antiperspirant and my laundry detergent.
NEWS
By THE BOSTON GLOBE | August 10, 2006
Tide, the nation's best-selling laundry detergent, has slimmed down. With no "new and improved" fanfare or notice to consumers, Procter & Gamble Co. has cut the weight of its powdered detergent by 20 percent with no corresponding reduction in price. The downsizing looks very much like a stealth price increase, but P&G officials say that's not the case. The officials say they were able to improve their powdered detergent formula so a 70-ounce box of Tide can clean just as many clothes as the old 87-ounce box. "It's a very positive development for the consumer," said Ross Holthouse, a spokesman for P&G. "We're not taking out 17 ounces.
NEWS
By Mary Beth Breckenridge | December 7, 2003
A holiday such as Christmas offers a great excuse to haul out Grandma's finest tableware and linens. If they haven't been used in a long time, though, they might be looking a little bedraggled. Here's how to spiff them up so you can show them off. CHINA AND CRYSTAL Delicate heirlooms should be hand-washed in warm water with mild dishwashing soap, Jane S. and Richard W. Long recommend in their book Caring for Your Family Treasures. To guard against accidental damage, they suggest placing a rubber or foam pad in the bottom of the sink before you start, washing the items individually and using great care.
NEWS
By Dave Barry | July 27, 2003
Good news: It's not my fault, about the Cheez-Its. I eat a lot of Cheez-Its. I get them at the supermarket, when I'm wandering the aisles, trying to locate the items on a grocery list made by my wife. For guys, this a stressful task. This is the Scavenger Hunt from Hell. Say the list says "detergent." What you want, as a guy, is an aisle with a big sign that says DETERGENT, underneath which are 1,000 identical bottles, all labeled: "Detergent." Instead, you have to make choices. Do you want Wisk?