Use Vodka in Surprising Ways!

Money, like vodka, turns a person into an eccentric.
~Anton Chekhov

I want to say first that I am skeptical of many of the items on this list. I have not tried any of them. For the most part, I tend to use vodka the traditional way, on the rocks with some olives. I find it hard to believe that dousing a blouse with vodka will make it smell good enough to wear to work...

The list:

• Odor remover
• Keep cut flowers fresh (this one I may try sometime)
• Bug repellant spray
• Soothe stings of jellyfish
• Add body to hair (this one I may also try, some weekend when I am not going anywhere)
• Stain remover (again, worth a try)
• Use with lavender as a fabric softener when ironing
• Weed killer (may try - seems like a waste of vodka though)
• Remove mold and mildew
• Mouth wash (now there is an idea...)
• Topical tincture
• Ease poison ivy rash
• Metal polish
• Remove sticky tags and labels

Learn the details of Vodka, the miracle booze!

Note: I am not endorsing any of these suggestions. If I do try any, I will update this post with my findings.

Something else I learned: Low quality vodka is served chilled because colder vodka hides the true taste.

What's wrong with Thorium as an Energy Source?

One ton of thorium can produce as much energy as 200 tons of uranium and 3.5 million tons of coal, ~Carlo Rubbia, Nobel laureate 

Thorium is a metal more abundant in nature than uranium - it is actually a waste-product of rare-earth metal mining and has no current commercial use. Thorium is an efficient fuel source and all thorium has the potential to be used as fuel. Uranium has to be refined before it can be used to produce energy.

Thorium was used in reactors in the early 1960s. It's use was eventually replaced by uranium to meet the growing call for plutonium. Thorium fission does not create the plutonium byproduct of uranium fission, and the waste that is produced by by Thorium fission is far less radiotoxic than that of uranium and plutonium.

What if we could build a nuclear reactor that offered no possibility of a meltdown, generated its power inexpensively, created no weapons-grade by-products, and burnt up existing high-level waste as well as old nuclear weapon stockpiles? And what if the waste produced by such a reactor was radioactive for a mere few hundred years rather than tens of thousands? It may sound too good to be true, but such a reactor is indeed possible, and a number of teams around the world are now working to make it a reality. What makes this incredible reactor so different is its fuel source: thorium.
Source (a very good article - I highly recommend reading it in it's entirety)

Are Thorium reactors the answer to alleviating our dependence on fossil fuels? It is suggested that use of thorium could alleviate our complete depedence on fossil fuels in 5 years time. Cleaner, safer, and cheaper... Thorium sounds like the way to go.

Some interesting articles:

• A Nuclear Reactor in Every Home
• Can Thorium Generate Safe and Cheap Nuclear Power?
• Thorium: the element that could power our future
• Is Thorium the Biggest Energy Breakthrough Since Fire? Possibly.

Note: I did not find any negative articles about thorium. That doesn't mean there is no down side, just that no one is talking about that yet.

Something else I learned: Thorium was discovered by a Swedish chemist, in 1828.

Soapnuts for Skin Care, Laundry, Dishes, Shampoo and More!

My idea of housework is to sweep the room with a glance.
~Erma Bombeck

Soapnuts are the dried shell of the fruit of Chinese Soapberry trees (also known as sapindus trees). The shells contain saponin, purported to be as effective a cleaner the chemical laden cleaners we use around the home. It is a natural surfactant, reducing the surface tension of water.  Apparently the chemicals in household detergents are manufactured surfactants.

The Sapindus Mukorossi trees have the highest saponin content. These trees grow wild in North India and the berries have historically been used medicinally. It is now primarily known for it's cleaning properties. Some uses for soapnuts include: laundry detergent, dishwasing detergent, fruit rinse, jewelry cleaner, and shampoo.

Soapnuts are natural, organic, nd environmentally safe. They can be used 2-4 times (for laundry). 

Note: I have got to try this! I will let you know if it works.