Currently, it seems there is no standard imposed on the industry to demonstrate that levels of unsafe chemical pesticide residues are within safe limits. Countries of Central America and other cocoa-producing nations do not have the same standards and use pesticides banned here, too. Rules have been proposed to standardize testing of these products, as seen here: http://www.leg.wa.gov/documents/wsr/2000/13/00-13-012.htm I believe this kind of document demonstrates that there is at least a reasonable safety concern involved. Some organic guides I've seen also advise avoiding use of these products unless pesticide levels have been tested and disclosed. The bean itself is located within the interior of a fruit, but I suspect that the pesticides may be picked up during post-harvest processing, such as when the beans are spread out (they used to do it between banana leaves, I'm not sure how it's done now) to ferment and develop the delicious chocolate flavor. The mulch probably doesn't decay so much if located where the sun can dry it quickly. In the shade and with moisture, it's always molded very quickly on me.

Can you give us more information about these fixtures? Is this new or old construction? If the latter, how old? As David suggested the first thing to check is tripped breakers or blow fuses. A light switch hidden some where or a GFCI that has been tripped. If they are the pull chain variety, it's not uncommon to see the switch fail, especially if they are older. There's also a small spring metal tab at the bottom, center of the fixture that makes contact with the center of the light bulb. Over time that tab can loose it's spring and no longer contact the bulb. They can be bent back with care but be darned sure the power is OFF.

Yes, mine has opinions, often strong ones, and I really appreciate them. He has pretty good taste, quite compatible with my own, and a fantastic eye for color. He gets overwhelmed and shuts down if presented with too many options - normally more than about five - so I usually do all the research/legwork and bring him the final three options I've whittled all the possibilities down to, and then we choose from them together (or he says "I hate all of them and this is why", we discuss it, and I start over with that input). I always feel very bad for the husbands who get "steamrollered", who would care about how the house is decorated if they were allowed to, and end up living in a home that has absolutely nothing whatsoever to reflect them - the poor bugger ends up camping out in what amounts to being HER house. I'm not saying that every room has to have taxidermy critters and hockey jerseys in it if he's into hunting and sports, but it's his house too (and it's rather sad how he's so often expected to pay for all this decorating that doesn't take him into consideration at all). He may want something as minor as not having a zillion pillows on the couch, or preferring landscape photography to antique floral prints. There are several men on this forum who prove that men can and often do have excellent taste in decor when they don't buy into the bullpuckey that the presence of XY chromosomes means they automatically have no clue about decorating.

I've had Hi-Macs countertops for about a decade. I bought it because I liked the pattern (dark with speckles). It gets these milky-white stains that I can't get rid of (have tried every chemical suggested for Hi-Macs) and nothing gets rid of it. I have tried contacting the manufacturer: I think they're out of business. I have not been able to get a callback from anybody who says they refinish countertops. Ideas?