Hope I'm not too late to add my 2 cents! :-) Here's a little humor for the day . . . An internet search turns up many devices that help women attain urinary freedom, and some that promote the more natural approach. See the following articles written by a registered nurse. http://otoh.org/mirror/restrooms.org/standing.html http://web.archive.org/web/20021201123416/www.restrooms.org/problems.html A serious internet search will demonstrate ZERO danger to using urine, whether to activate the compost pile or to dilute as directly applied fertilizer. I can't find any documented information that germs and pathogens will be spread, only opinions and fears. Even caution about withholding urine fertilization for a certain number of days before harvest seems to be only opinion. I'm an engineering tech, so I might be approaching this situation a little differently than others: 1. It requires gallons of drinking water to flush--water I pay for on my water bill and collected from somewhere for drinking use. And don't talk to me about low-flow toilets. The joke is that there's a sign posted in the restroom stating "Low-flow toilet. Please keep flushing until the paper goes down." 2. Gallons of water flushed add to the burden of treatable waste at the sewage facility 3. Excess algae grows in our waterways from nitrogen NOT removed in the treatment process before discharge 4. Why pay for limited nutrient, refined fertilizer when I make my own? 5. Making my own garden soil is a step toward self-sufficiency Personal compost activator. I like the sound of that. BTW, I'm doing an experiment. I have a compost pile that is about 5' in diameter, about 3' high. For the past week I've been adding ALL of my daily urine output to the pile. I add it at least twice a day, so it is always relatively fresh. There is no olfactory evidence whatsoever. :-) One more comment: I image that those who master the technique in the link above with proficiency to write their name in the snow in BLOCK letters will have tremendously strong "kegels." Skirt

Alternating products will dramatically reduce the chances of strains of the organisms developing resistance. Can you say "Fungal MRSA" boys and girls? **** John, I spoke to that in my post just above yours, but MRSA? Whew, I dunno about that. LOL (Its very simple. If you are going to spray fungicides, it is completely irresponsible not to use at least two different products. If you are not going to do this, then don't spray anything at all.) I don't think I can agree with your comment about not spraying at all unless two alternating products are used. Yes, it's preferable to use two, as I also wrote above and as did mulio, but I don't think that using just one is all that bad if that's allthat someone has available to them. Through this Late BLight crisis we have here in the NE I can tell you that many normal sources for Daconil, copper, mancozeb, maneb, etc., are out of stock. New shipments of some are supposed to be arriving, per the remarks of others who have posted that online and it was also true where I live, but my local Agway was able to get what I wanted, but I had to wait quite a bit. Given a choice for those of us here in the NE who are in the target area for Late Blight right now, if only ONE product is available to someone I'd try and get Daconil. Late Blight is lethal, so I suggest getting that Daconil and using it. Just over the weekend I saw folks an hour to my south who posted pictures of their LB plants and since many local folks here where I live don't even know about the current LB problem I have no idea what spores might be wafting over my propert right now. Sigh. Carolyn,hoping that Freda gets here today to spray my plants for me b'c we're behind on th\je spray schedule.

Just an update on my best friend. She's still having the problem & has a colonoscopy scheduled for mid-August. She now also has a rash but she's not sure if that's related. It's been a long time since the bowel problem started. She said the tests she's had so far have all proven negative & the dr. can't diagnose it, which would worry me, too.

Millions of Americans have been diagnosed with OCD and other anxiety disorders. These personalities operate on a 'what if' rationale of fearful alert. These are disorders of the mind. Afflicted people can't help their feelings, other than remembering that they are prone to false perceptions. The rest of us can more easily be guided by facts. NONE of the people who came into contact any of the THREE documented cases of Ebola in the US have developed the disease. Incubation is normally three to eight days; Duncan's contacts have stayed isolated for 21 days 'just in case', and have NOT developed Ebola. Even Mr. Duncan might not have died if the ER had recognized his Ebola when he first came to the hospital, before the disease was obvious. I predict we won't see Dr. Nancy until this all blows over. Maybe she's ready to retire. Most females on TV have a 'sell by' date.