Free Republic

Amidst the no-shampoo revolution, a look at global hygiene habits Cleanliness, it turns out, has been one dirty trick. One reason early-20th-century Americans ramped up their weekly baths to daily showers is that marketing companies capitalized on the insecurities of a new class of office drones working in close quarters. As Gizmodo wrote last week, to sell products like "toilet soap" and Listerine to Americans, "the advertising industry had to create pseudoscientific maladies like 'bad breath' and 'body odor.'" Take, for instance, Gizmodo's description of the philosophy of the Cleanliness Institute, which was founded by the Association of American Soap...

Since the outbreak, San Diego's Health and Human Service Agency and local health administrators have given about 68,500 vaccinations, including nearly 54,000 to at-risk populations. Also Tuesday, the San Diego Board of Supervisors voted to extend the county's emergency health declaration over the outbreak, which will need to be reviewed and voted on every 14 days. Mayor Kevin Faulconer announced Tuesday more than 600 tons have trash has been cleared from San Diego streets, sidewalks, and riverbeds over the past six months as part of citywide cleanup efforts.

Wyo. May Ban Facial Piercings in Eateries   Mon Mar 14, 7:09 PM ET   By CURTIS B. WACKERLE, Associated Press WriterCHEYENNE, Wyo. - As if the hair in your salad wasn't bad enough, a city health inspector said there had been "several cases" of tongue rings and other facial jewelry found in the food in the city's restaurants.   It was enough to persuade the Governor's Food Safety Council to recommend banning facial jewelry for restaurant workers who prepare food — perhaps becoming the first state in the country to do so. But despite his testimony, when contacted...

SEOUL (AFP) - Stalinist North Korea has stepped up its campaign against long hair and untidy attire which its media says represents a "corrupt capitalist" lifestyle, reports said. North Korean state television, radio and newspapers have led the grooming drive, urging people to cut their hair short and to dress tidily, the BBC said in a dispatch citing broadcasts from Pyongyang

Students at hundreds of high schools are planning a walkout on Wednesday to protest the Bush Administration's plans for war in Iraq.The 'student strike' is being coordinated by the National Youth and Student Peace Coalition, an organization of 15 student groups that came together after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.The coalition, which calls the action 'Books not Bombs,' has linked student protests against war in Iraq with a call for better financed schools.'Were getting about 10 schools a day contacting us to participate, and it's probably about 35-40 percent high schools, said Andy Burns, an organizer who is...