Page 2 RAIN May 1978 ~II =S=EW-.=~=G=E~ ' ' l!:::=:11 =fl=O=OD==--'' The Toilet Papers, Sim Van der Ryn, 1978, $3.95 from: Capra Press 631 State Street Santa Barbara, CA 93101 Captain Compost has finally written his memoirs-a warm addition to the pile of information now available on compost toilets, by one of the people most instrumental in their development. Toilet Papers covers a good bit of the same ground as the Rodale book and the OAT report, but focuses much more on creative owner-built applications and a lot of the reasoning and values underlying new approaches to sewage. Dis- • cusses community alternatives to central sewage plants, home compost and privy management, and construction of various designs. Contains pictures of numerout beautiful dry toilet installations that show well what these changes in attitudes are producing. Gives a muchneeded depth to the normal technological hardware discussions. -TB The Village Texturizer, by Meals for Millions Foundation, 1977, $ 3. 9 5 from: VITA Publications 3706 Rhode Island Avenue Mt. Rainier, MD 20822 Does your village need texturizing? Strange titles aside, this manual shows why and how to build a "pop-cake maker." Simple to make, cheap ($50), can be used at home or as a small business, can be built to use a variety of fuels, can quick-cook a wide variety of tasty and nutritious foods from inex- • pensive vegetable flours. Okay, but what are pop-cakes? A mix of flours is put between two heated plates under pressure. When the pressure is released, the moisture in the cake expands with a loud pop to give you a tasty, crunchy, nutritious puffed snack food. Variations are used all over Asia by street vendors. Manual contains a guide to complementary protein mixes, fuel requirements, how to figure costs for its use as a small business. -TB /I GOOD THINGS II Non-Radioactive Smoke Alarms Isn't it nice to be forced to have your own radioactive source in your home ("preferably in every sleeping area")? Ionization-type smoke detectors, which make up probably 95 percent of all smoke detectors sold, contain radioactive isotopes as their ionization source. Most models we've looked at make absolutely no mention of radioactivity in either product literature or on the mechanism itself. The manufacturers claim the radiation is totally harmless (hear that before?) alpha radiation that doesn't even penetrate through the casing. No mention is made of what happens when the plastic case breaks or is left off. We've seen some already with cases taken off while replacing batteries and not replaced. No mention is made of what happens after the alarm is discarded, burned or landfilled. An unnecessary hazard does exist, in part because of the millions of units sold, and in part because the radioactive source is unnecessary. Photo-electric smoke alarms are available at similar prices to the radioactive units. They're extremely hard to find, because the ionization units are so highly promoted. We finally located a source for them (Sears Catalog-$19.95) after trying more than 20 stores (and after our house burned down). Make sure your friends are aware of the hazards of the ionization types-they should be banned. -TB "ll:W nl<lf' SIWI • .__ __. ltHCU >E /\l,r-1 flU\l\ltJG~h·51UI' C.N\~ lllAHtrlG <-~- ) ~ -~ 11>\\<WE flt..,_llOUI l~>U:IU"G ' ~ " • l.jUlf Bl:>LT l'l"'IIH ElV~ from The Village Texturizer
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