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Showing posts from January, 2009

The FDA Globalization Act of 2009 HR 759 will be released to the public today Jan 30, 2009

Click here to read or download a copy of HR 759, the FDA Globalization Act of 2009 The FDA Globalization Act of 2008, which died in committee in December was expected to be introduced this year modified and it's here, much earlier than expected. On Tuesday I called Rep. Janet Schakowsky's office because it had been reported earlier that she might be the one to reintroduce the bill. Her rep said it was "unclear" at this time if she would. Well, the next day, in true DC confabulation, it was introduced by Rep. Charles Dingell (DemMI) (the original author of the 2008 bill) and Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (DemNJ) as the FDA Globalization Act of 2009 HR 759. Until the bill is released on the internet today for close examination, a cursory look indicates that they may have backed off on the high fees and registration hurdles (more fees) that they were aiming at us, the little guys of the cosmetics industry. This is what is gleaned from the press release , but I'm holding of

Just when I take some time to catch up, Mr. Wiggles wiggles into my backyard

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What a handsome, sweet big dog. Just about the last think I need in my life right now. I am juggling so many clients, students and obligations it's ridiculous. We seldom have barking dogs in my village as there is a pretty stern law against it. When I heard a dog barking around 4:30 a.m., I thought it might be the new people who moved in with a big dog they keep in the backyard. When I moved to the back of my house, I realized the barking was coming from the alley, not the direction where the new folks and dog were. I went back to sleep. Over the next two-plus hours the dog barked on and off, from up and down the block, front and back. I figured it was a stray, and felt sorry for the poor thing. At 7:15, as I was getting up, I heard a big "woof" in the side yard next to my bedroom, where a wall deadends the yard. I parted the curtain, and his big, happy face looked up at me, he got on his hind legs, and you could imagine him saying "a people - a people who will take

Do you make a lot of mistakes attempting to create a perfume? My online basic perfumery course will set you on the professional path to perfumery

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Anya's Garden Online Basic Natural Perfumery Course The worldwide course is one year long and consists of nine modules of study Do you find you make some common mistakes in your attempts to create perfume? Do you even know if you're making mistakes? Are your blends muddy and you don't know why? Do you wish to gain a solid understanding of the basics of perfumery - basics that will last you a lifetime of study and perfume creation? Then this online, interactive course is for you. This course is for those who desire comprehensive basic training in: - Natural Perfumery - to become a Professional Perfumer - Education in a natural art - General interest in blending natural aromatics for the bath and body industry Materials Provided for Study - An aromatics kit of 25 absolutes and essential oils, labeled with botanical name, and country of origin. The bottles are 4ml in size, and four of the rare essences are diluted to 10%. Many students have said these aromatics far surpass any

I wrote to Obama's Administration today about the Energy and Commerce Committee's efforts to levy fees of $2000-$12000 on small artisan businesses

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I'm working with others to organize a two-pronged effort to expose the agenda of the Energy and Commerce Committee to effectively shut down our artisan businesses. Are you the member of a Guild of association of like-minded folks who make bread, body care products, toys, cheese, wine or any other made-in-America proudly and lovingly handcrafted item? You need to join us. Please volunteer - write me at my website contact page. You can visit the White House pag e and register your objection to the FDA Globalization Act or it new incarnation - not sure what the name will be yet. Click on the contact page and send your message. Here's what I wrote (messages are limited to 500 characters.) The Energy and Commerce Department is pushing the FDA Globalization Act or a form thereof and it will effectively put small artisan business out of business. We are organizing a grassroots group of associations of artisans - bread, cheese, perfume, bath and body care, etc. to fight the fees they

Energy and Commerce Committee to US Artisans: Drop Dead

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Got your attention? Too bad we all weren't paying attention to the US Energy and Commerce Committee. Sell handmade toys, children's clothing or any child-oriented item in your shop? Have some handmade children's toys, clothing or bath or body product you want to donate to a shelter? Perhaps you want to give some handmade cradle or bassinet away to your best friend. Forget it. Come February 10th, you have to: Empty your shop of the toys, forget about donations, and don't give them away - you might as well send them to the dump. The landfills across America should be full of handmade children's products in the coming months. Why? The U.S. Energy and Commerce Committee, the same group that attempted to pass the small-business-killing FDA Globalization Act last year, passed the Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act in August. Quietly, sneakily, this bill was passed into law and is just now becoming evident for what it is - the death knell for any handmade artisan pr

Shape-shifting odor molecules

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Chemists Promote Theory of "Shape Shifting" Odor Molecules Perfumers, perfumistas, scent geeks and assorted nose-governed folk have been aware of the shape theory of olfaction for years. Let's say a molecule of orange is square and of a certain size. Theory had it that your nasal receptor site had a square "hole" (for want of a better term) of that size that allowed that square orange molecule to travel up to the brain, where it was analyzed to be orange. Luca Turin had a different theory, and he postulated that odor molecules vibrated to a different frequency, and it was the receptor site that passed that frequency on to the brain, and thus, we knew an orange was an orange, not to be mixed with apple. Profs. Kevin Ryan and Stuart Firestein report in the journal " Chemistry and Senses " that they have a third theory, more linked to the shape theory - that molecules shape shift as they are inhaled. To me, it looks like a kind of hybrid between shape the