tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196554259323465442.post1915600472061369215..comments2023-10-27T03:41:13.171-07:00Comments on Warning Signs: Wrecking AmericaAlan Carubahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10901162110385985193noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196554259323465442.post-10639870678917955992009-11-11T11:29:19.917-08:002009-11-11T11:29:19.917-08:00Guy: I agree with you. Nobody shoud be forced to b...Guy: I agree with you. Nobody shoud be forced to buy CFLs. I was writing in response to Mr. Canuba's column in the Cleveland Plain Dealer. He demonized CFLs, and talked about technical issues like efficiency and the evaporation of mercury, but he is very ignorant about science.<br /><br />The first generation of CFLs is not perfect. Future research should lead to a warmer spectrum and the replacement of mercury.<br /><br />I wouldn't worry about the 2012 law since it cannot be enforced.William Claffeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12655221043171689745noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196554259323465442.post-26471640057945015232009-11-10T14:36:06.200-08:002009-11-10T14:36:06.200-08:00William: Nobody is really disputing that CFL's...William: Nobody is really disputing that CFL's are more efficient, at least I'm not. I've measured their power draw, and they do indeed use significantly less power and generate less waste heat than an incandescent bulb. They do have their drawbacks, like the different color temperature and poor performance in cold weather, but for indoor use, in a standard lamp or fixture, they are a good choice. Personally, I use a lot of them for one simple reason ... to SAVE MONEY. I also use them when the heat generated from an incandescent bulb would be a problem.<br /><br />However, I've also run into several applications where a cheap, inefficient incandescent bulb is a wonderfully simple solution to a difficult problem. It's all about CHOICE, and that's what America is all about ...freedom of choice. I decide where I want to use which product, based on my needs and wants.<br /><br />Letting some bureaucrat in Washington make those decisions for us is wrong, it's un-American, and it goes against everything I love about this great country. I'm not going to go into detail about all the applications where CFL's simply won't do the job, but let it suffice to say that CFL's simply will NOT WORK for many applications. Having our government, that is supposed to be busy SERVING us, making ridiculous laws and banning things complicates my life and interferes with my ability to get things done. In my humble opinion, THAT SUCKS.<br /><br />Additionally, people like me, who often NEED incandescent bulbs for these "other than lighting" applications can see the writing on the wall. Incandescent bulbs will become hard to find, many types will disappear altogether, and guess what? They will also become very expensive. Coming from a group of people who were elected to SERVE us, this sort of legislation is incredibly aggravating, and it makes me want to hoard incandescent bulbs and use them everywhere I can for the rest of my life, just to make a point.<br /><br />Lastly, when the MILLIONS of harmless incandescent bulbs that end up in dumps every day are replaced with CFL's, we're going to have a big problem on our hands.... mercury pollution. Yes, I know we aren't supposed to throw them in the trash, but to date, nobody has been able to stop people from tossing batteries in the trash, and it will be no different with CFL's. Perhaps we just need another law ...Guyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10903448394061019454noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196554259323465442.post-77309203499047434622009-11-09T11:20:51.773-08:002009-11-09T11:20:51.773-08:00Hello, Mr. Caruba:
Yesterday I read your column de...Hello, Mr. Caruba:<br />Yesterday I read your column denouncing CFLs. It is inaccurate in several ways.<br /><br />25 years ago I talked to some GE engineers who were starting research and development on the CFL. They succeeded, but it took a lot of time and money. GE wants to sell its product. GE announced in 2007 that they would no longer make incandescent bulbs. The move toward CFLs may be partly due to Congress, but it is also due to GE.<br /><br />Incandescent bulbs are not less "efficient" than CFLs, they are less efficient. The quotation <br />marks are meant to cast doubt. The raio of lumens out to watts in is smaller for the incandescent bulb by a factor of four. <br /><br /><br /><br />The EPA safety level for mercury vapor is 0.33 mgs per cubic meter for a period of eight hours. The CFL contains 5 mgs of mercury, and this would be dangerous if all the liquid turned rapidly into vapor.<br />But this will not happen, because the vapor pressure of mercury at 20degrees C is 0.0000001 bar. <br /><br />I have seven CFLs in my house. All achieve full brightness in three seconds. One buzzes. The light is not quite as warm as that produced by an incandesecent bulb (less red in the spectrum). It is much warmer than the light pruduced by a fluorescent tube. When I talked to the GE engineers, they knew that they had to figure out how shift the fluorescent spectrum toward longer wavelengths, and they solved the problem, though not perfectly. None of my CFLs have burned out. I will cut my electric bill by $210 in the next five years.William Claffeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12655221043171689745noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196554259323465442.post-55784551183366536552009-11-09T07:42:20.397-08:002009-11-09T07:42:20.397-08:00Hi Alan,
You write, correctly, "It did not a...Hi Alan,<br /><br />You write, correctly, "It did not and does not matter which Party was or is in power."<br /><br />I write, correctly, HOORAY! You dun broke the code.Dave's Daily Day Dreamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17491764990082380190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196554259323465442.post-11086187644934806362009-11-08T21:45:38.134-08:002009-11-08T21:45:38.134-08:00How very ironic that while our European and US tro...How very ironic that while our European and US troops are slugging it out, and dying, in Afghanistan in order to establish some sort of democracy in that barbaric land, our home countries are being subjugated relentlessly. <br />Men and women dying for someone else's freedom when their own freedoms back home are being snached away by the EU, the UN, Agenda 21, Sustainable Development and any other nasty alpha-numerical mix you want to add on. <br /><br />Somehow, the world seems out of kilter and getting screwier. Our politicians are hell-bent on as much destruction to our way of life as they can muster. What ever course of action is deemed best for our people is rejected in favour of imposing an 'ideal' bygone age of Conan The Barbarian style retro city states.<br /><br /> This collective, world-wide madness has to end and will only be brought about by a complete about face by those in power and able to organise on a massive scale. As those in power erect a massive, almost impenetrable fence between themselves and the people this seems to be a pipe dream; we are being herded like cattle to ever smaller pens prior to slaughter - all in slow motion. There must be, eventually, a corrective moment.<br />Just when and how is the moment of correction going to kick-in?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com