Just sayin...
I've been told some Blue Mountain guys use cast iron skillets over open fires to roast beans for guys who want to drink Blue Mountain coffee on Blue Mountain. Heard it was pretty good...or did I see that on TV?
(Like making a chicken dish, prolly. Start with a really good chicken. It hardly matters what you do afterward short of undercooking the bird.)
Yup.
Of course if they last so much longer, and cost so much less electricity to operate, that the final cost of lighting your home is eight times longer in the long run, that would seem to be a pretty important fact to present.
But then we all know that fund-raising letters are long on scare and short on intellectual honesty. No surprise there.
Sadly, it is also not a surprise that some seem not to realize that they are being cynically manipulated in such a way and accept the information at face value. But again, this has already been pointed out.
That was one of the do-hickeys they have. A simple cast iron skillet with some mesh in it to keep the beans from direct contact, if memory serves.
Mmm. this is making want another cup...
Posted on Mon, Jun. 13, 2011
Texas light bulb bill would skirt federal plan
By ANNA M. TINSLEY
McClatchy Newspapers
Texas could soon be in a position to turn the lights off on a federal plan to phase out certain light bulbs. State lawmakers have passed a bill that allows Texans to skirt federal efforts to promote more efficient light bulbs, which ultimately pushes the swirled, compact fluorescent bulbs over the 100-watt incandescent bulbs many grew up with.
The measure, sent to Gov. Rick Perry for consideration, lets any incandescent light bulb manufactured in Texas - and sold in that state - avoid the authority of the federal government or the repeal of the 2007 energy independence act that starts phasing out some incandescent light bulbs next year.
"Let there be light," state Rep. George Lavender, R-Texarkana, wrote on Facebook after the bill passed. "It will allow the continued manufacture and sale of incandescent light bulbs in Texas, even after the federal ban goes into effect. ... It's a good day for Texas."
The Natural Resources Defense Council, a New York-based environmental group, is calling on Perry to veto the bill.
"The Texas legislation is designed to showcase the state's independence," said Bob Keefe, senior press secretary with the council. "But what it really shows off is how some politicians in the Lone Star State will do anything to score political points - even if it means echoing misinformation and wasting time and money passing legislation that can't practically be implemented and isn't in the best interest of cons uents."
Perry has until Sunday to veto bills, sign them into law or let them become law without his signature.
Lavender has described his House Bill 2510 as a common-sense bill.
"The 'new and improved' compact fluorescent light bulbs don't work as promised, are significantly more expensive as are the LEDs and have environmental and disposal problems due to the mercury they contain," according to a statement from his office.
The goal of the bill is to make incandescent light bulbs manufactured in Texas - that are sold in Texas and don't leave the state - not subject to federal law or federal rules. Such a bulb would have to have "Made in Texas" clearly imprinted somewhere on it. There are no estimates of how many incandescent light bulbs are manufactured in Texas.
If the bill becomes law, it would go into effect Jan. 1 and would apply to light bulbs made from that day forward.
U.S. Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, is trying to repeal the 2007 energy independence act passed by Congress and signed into law by President George W. Bush.
The federal act doesn't ban incandescent light bulbs, but it creates new standards for them, such as requiring 100-watt bulbs to be 25 percent more efficient. After that, similar changes will go into effect for 75-, 60- and 40-watt bulbs. The goal is to make the bulbs more energy efficient because much of the traditional bulbs' energy leaves the bulb as heat rather than as light.
The act requires the changes or essentially removes incandescent light bulbs from the market by 2014, leaving consumers to mostly use fluorescent bulbs, which some say are more energy efficient and others say are just more expensive.
"People don't want the government dictating the lighting they can use," Barton said. "Traditional incandescent bulbs have been brightening the night since Thomas Edison created the first one in 1879. They are safe, cheap and reliable."
The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee may soon hold a hearing on energy efficiency and could include Barton's BULB act.
"I am happy that the state Legislature voted to keep incandescent lights on in Texas, but the state wouldn't have to get involved if the federal government would just butt out," Barton said.
For some, the Texas bill represents this state's efforts to claim sovereignty from the federal government, proving that Texas has the right to regulate some commercial activities conducted only in this state.
"Telling Texans what types of light bulbs they can manufacture, sell, purchase and use is not the proper role of the federal government," said Janise Cookston, a spokeswoman for the Wharton-based nonprofit group "We Texans," which works to protect "private property, personal and economic liberty" as well as cons utional government.
"This bill sends the message to Washington that Texas will no longer sit idly by and take uncons utional intrusion into our lives."
Some say they worry about fluorescent bulbs because they contain mercury, a toxic metal linked to birth defects and behavioral disorders. Estimates show the average bulb has 4 to 5 milligrams of mercury, enough to cover the tip of a ballpoint pin. No mercury is emitted while the bulbs are in use, but vapors can escape if a bulb breaks.
Supporters also say fluorescent bulbs can cost more than $3 each; incandescent bulbs can cost as little as 35 cents each.
Opponents say the health risks of the mercury are minimal. And they say the bill violates the cons utional clause that states the federal law is the "supreme law of the land."
They say the state can't prevent a light bulb from being taken across a state line, which would make it subject to interstate commerce rules and federal regulation. They also say incandescent bulbs are archaic and have been replaced by fluorescent bulbs that last longer, are more environmentally friendly and don't create the same fire hazards incandescent bulbs do.
"Nobody is forcing anybody to use only compact florescent bulbs," said Keefe, of the NRDC. "Several manufacturers are already making incandescent bulbs that have the same lighting quality as old-school incandescents that we all know and use. It's just that newer, more efficient versions use 25-30 percent less energy - saving the average Texas household an estimated $100 per year and reducing overall Texas energy bills by more than $900 million."
Officials with Osram Sylvania, a popular producer of incandescent light bulbs, declined to comment on Texas' bill. But the company noted that it has developed a more efficient incandescent bulb called the Sylvania SuperSaver that will meet the new federal requirements.
GE, meanwhile, is moving forward to fill the demand for fluorescent bulbs.
Officials there say demand for traditional incandescent bulbs has declined and consumers have switched to more efficient lighting.
"As policymakers consider changes to current legislation, we hope they keep in mind that repeal of national standards would result in states establishing their own standards," said Kim Freeman, a spokeswoman for GE Appliances & Lighting. "That could create a patchwork of inconsistent standards across the nation that would mean increased manufacturing and distribution costs, higher prices for consumers and lost sales for retailers."
Texas lawmakers are re ed.
I got my rotating bin roaster about 10 days ago. I've roasted 6 batches so far....mostly huehuetenango, which turned out glorious! I got a pound of Kona beans from a buddy in Hilo. They were ok, but not near as good as I remember them when I was over there. Of course, even motor oil tastes good on the deck overlooking the beach.That was one of the do-hickeys they have. A simple cast iron skillet with some mesh in it to keep the beans from direct contact, if memory serves.
Mmm. this is making want another cup...
Next up, each CFL purchased in Texas will be subject to a mandatory sonogram.
outta control.
Do you really feel that the federal government should oversee every and anything you do, think or feel?
Sock puppet extends his fuzzy paw of accusation.
Takes one to know one, eh?
Straw man.
Yawn,
Then again I've read your posts and you really don't think for yourself.
Yawn.
Then again I've read your posts and you really don't think.
Why? CFL's are cheap, last longer, use less electricity, & their spectrums are very similar to incandescents now. So why are you so against using them?
The thread.... It's alive.... IT'S ALIVE!!!!!
I thought it had burned out after only a couple of weeks.... you know, like an incandescent bulb.
(badum-bum)
Next up: Perry proposes "Texas rotary phone for alpha males" legislation.
The lights are on, but there's no electricity.
(it's a freeking spurstalk miracle)
http://www.slate.com/id/2298444/pagenum/allWhen I drove to the offices of a start-up called Switch Lighting last week, I wasn't expecting much. A company representative had promised to show me something amazing—an alternative light bulb that uses a fraction of the energy of a traditional incandescent bulb and lasts 20 times as long, but that plugs into a standard socket and produces the same warm, yellowish, comforting glow that we're all used to seeing when we flip the switch.
These look very cool!
Bought my first three LED light bulbs this weekend from Home Depot. I'll confess I winced a bit at the cash register, but running the numbers on electric costs & replacement costs I'll still come out ahead about $60 per bulb.
Only difference I've noticed between the LED's and the other incadescents in the room is that there's a slight delay (noticeable, but probably not mroe than half a second) between flipping the switch and the light coming on whereas the incadescents come on instantly.
No signs of any Obama LED gestapo operatives at Home Depot.
Lights are on, at the Federally Mandated LED Lightbulb Cafe. CG brings the electricity.
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