Disposable Diapers

The war over how to cover American baby bottoms has ended in a rout.Exhausted by their failure to convince parents that the nation's landfills have turned into reeking mountains of disposable diapers, many of the most zealous environmentalists have simply stopped trying.The signs of surrender are everywhere. Three years ago, 22 states considered taxing or banning disposables. None have succeeded.In 1990, New York nearly passed a law requiring hospitals to distribute pamphlets about cotton diapers to all new parents.

First-time parents may not always know how to care for their newborn's skin or recognize common conditions. Most problems resolve themselves, and the basic rule of thumb for washing and choosing products is to go with what's simple, says Dr. Kate B. Puttgen, assistant professor in the Johns Hopkins Medicine departments of dermatology and pediatrics and assistant director of the division of pediatric dermatology and cutaneous laser center. What are the basics that new parents need to know about washing newborns and caring for their skin?

HOLYOKE, Mass. (AP) -- Drug addicts trying to scrape up quick cash in this struggling mill city are turning to the unusual plunder of disposable diapers, baby formula and Tylenol, police say.Across the country, addicts in Los Angeles are likely to grab car stereos; in Miami, aluminum awnings and copper wire are snagged by those looking for ready money, police there said."

Rebecca Benner picked up her 16-month-old son Will and hoisted him onto her back. Then using a piece of woven cloth about three yards long, and two feet wide, she bent over and twisted and tied the ends of a baby wrap first around herself, and then around her son. Once she was confident that Will was tightly secured, she stood up. Will giggled and banged his head on her back. "The reason I started to wear Will is that he cries less, and it's a great opportunity to bond with him," said Benner, 32. "And these carriers are so comfortable."

Consumers who do their shopping in the city could find themselves paying slightly more for such items as refrigerators, kitchen stoves, disposable diapers and auto tires under a bill being prepared for consideration by the City Council.The legislation would add a wholesale distributor tax to these items and others and could generate approximately $3.5 million in new revenue for the city.These items, most of which are not recyclable, end up being dumped in municipal waste disposal sites. The tax would, in effect, offset the cost to the city of collecting and disposing of the items.

Walter Schmidt had a ticklish problem: what to do with the nation's chicken feathers?The U.S. poultry industry produces up to 4 billion pounds of feathers each year, and Schmidt, a research chemist at Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, was assigned in late 1993 to come up with a way to dispose of them.Schmidt and a team of four scientists think they have figured out a solution: recycle the feathers into disposable diapers and building insulation.Chicken feathers are made of a fibrous protein called keratin, the same fiber found in wool, hair and fingernails.

The Domestic Violence Center of Howard County is experiencing a serious shortage of food for the women and children seeking safety in its five shelters. Food, money and grocery store gift certificates are needed.Especially needed are chicken, ground beef, pasta and sauce, hot dogs, lunch meats, sliced cheese, cereal, canned soups and vegetables, frozen orange juice, disposable diapers (large) and dessert mixes.Information: 997-0304.POLICE LOG* Long Reach: 6400 block of Waterloo Road: Someone destroyed a home's mailbox early last week.

AS A YOUNG working mother in her early 30s, I came face-to-face with the facts about disposable diapers and what they are doing to the Earth.I must admit that at first, I shrugged off the thought that my little baby's use of disposables was contributing to Mother Earth's demise. And besides, I thought, if I switch to cloth diapers, what difference would it really make? The disposable industry appeared to be thriving. In fact, I found it was easier to obtain disposable diapers than cloth in some establishments.

Merit raises: If you're hoping for a merit raise next year, chances are it will be about the same size as the one you got this year.Buck Consultants, which advises employers on benefits and compensation, surveyed 383 big U.S. firms and found that they generally plan to give white-collar workers an average merit raise of 4.1 percent, the same as in 1996.Hourly workers can look forward to an average merit raise of 4 percent, up from 3.9 percent.Merit increases for executives will be smaller, averaging 4.2 percent, down from 4.3 percent this year.

First-time parents may not always know how to care for their newborn's skin or recognize common conditions. Most problems resolve themselves, and the basic rule of thumb for washing and choosing products is to go with what's simple, says Dr. Kate B. Puttgen, assistant professor in the Johns Hopkins Medicine departments of dermatology and pediatrics and assistant director of the division of pediatric dermatology and cutaneous laser center. What are the basics that new parents need to know about washing newborns and caring for their skin?

O say, does that Star-Spangled Banner yet wave - on bandanas and beach towels, on aprons and ashtrays, on coolers and playing cards, socks, sneakers, suspenders, ties, tote bags, fanny packs and welcome mats. And not just o'er the land does it wave, but around the shoulders, atop the heads, on the lapels and even between the legs of the free - as in the case of the American flag G-string and thong available from Teddygirl.com. As Congress ponders a Constitutional amendment to prohibit "physical desecration" of the flag, its commercial exploitation - once viewed as so crass that most states passed this country's original flag-protection laws - continues unabated, relatively unscorned and largely unnoticed.

Walter Schmidt had a ticklish problem: what to do with the nation's chicken feathers?The U.S. poultry industry produces up to 4 billion pounds of feathers each year, and Schmidt, a research chemist at Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, was assigned in late 1993 to come up with a way to dispose of them.Schmidt and a team of four scientists think they have figured out a solution: recycle the feathers into disposable diapers and building insulation.Chicken feathers are made of a fibrous protein called keratin, the same fiber found in wool, hair and fingernails.

Merit raises: If you're hoping for a merit raise next year, chances are it will be about the same size as the one you got this year.Buck Consultants, which advises employers on benefits and compensation, surveyed 383 big U.S. firms and found that they generally plan to give white-collar workers an average merit raise of 4.1 percent, the same as in 1996.Hourly workers can look forward to an average merit raise of 4 percent, up from 3.9 percent.Merit increases for executives will be smaller, averaging 4.2 percent, down from 4.3 percent this year.

What causes diaper rash? Do most babies get it? Does it depend on the kind of diapers you use?The most common type of diaper rash, called irritant diaper dermatitis, is common indeed. At least half of all infants get diaper rash at some time during their diaper careers. It is most common in the latter half of the first year, perhaps because the infant diet is changing at that time. Diaper rash is particularly likely when a baby has diarrhea.Diapered skin can become irritated for a variety of reasons.

The Domestic Violence Center of Howard County is experiencing a serious shortage of food for the women and children seeking safety in its five shelters. Food, money and grocery store gift certificates are needed.Especially needed are chicken, ground beef, pasta and sauce, hot dogs, lunch meats, sliced cheese, cereal, canned soups and vegetables, frozen orange juice, disposable diapers (large) and dessert mixes.Information: 997-0304.POLICE LOG* Long Reach: 6400 block of Waterloo Road: Someone destroyed a home's mailbox early last week.

I read constantly of the number of disposable diapers that Americans use each year. Apparently, if we cared to stack them up -- wearing gas masks, I presume -- they would reach to the moon.My children never wore disposable diapers, so I just don't have a real feeling for a huge stack of disposable diapers, clean or otherwise. I do have a feeling for some things, though, that there simply seem to be too many of in this world.Thistles, for example. I can, on any given day from April to December, yank out a pile that easily fills my wheelbarrow.

The war over how to cover American baby bottoms has ended in a rout.Exhausted by their failure to convince parents that the nation's landfills have turned into reeking mountains of disposable diapers, many of the most zealous environmentalists have simply stopped trying.The signs of surrender are everywhere. Three years ago, 22 states considered taxing or banning disposables. None have succeeded.In 1990, New York nearly passed a law requiring hospitals to distribute pamphlets about cotton diapers to all new parents.

Rebecca Benner picked up her 16-month-old son Will and hoisted him onto her back. Then using a piece of woven cloth about three yards long, and two feet wide, she bent over and twisted and tied the ends of a baby wrap first around herself, and then around her son. Once she was confident that Will was tightly secured, she stood up. Will giggled and banged his head on her back. "The reason I started to wear Will is that he cries less, and it's a great opportunity to bond with him," said Benner, 32. "And these carriers are so comfortable."

The war over how to cover American baby bottoms has ended in a rout.Exhausted by their failure to convince parents that the nation's landfills have turned into reeking mountains of disposable diapers, many of the most zealous environmentalists have simply stopped trying.The signs of surrender are everywhere. Three years ago, 22 states considered taxing or banning disposables. None have succeeded.In 1990, New York nearly passed a law requiring hospitals to distribute pamphlets about cotton diapers to all new parents.

The war over how to cover American baby bottoms has ended in a rout.Exhausted by their failure to convince parents that the nation's landfills have turned into reeking mountains of disposable diapers, many of the most zealous environmentalists have simply stopped trying.The signs of surrender are everywhere. Three years ago, 22 states considered taxing or banning disposables. None have succeeded.In 1990, New York nearly passed a law requiring hospitals to distribute pamphlets about cotton diapers to all new parents.