U.S. May Phase Out the Incandescent Light Bulb

A bill being drafted by the U.S. Senate Energy Committee would phase out the incandescent light bulb in the United States, according to a NewsTarget.com report.

The incandescent bulb, the same kind of light bulb developed by Thomas Edison (pictured left), emits light by forcing an electric current through a thin filament. This process is vastly inefficient, wasting up to 90 percent of the energy put into them -- giving off more heat than light.

Alternative methods of lighting include florescent (pictured right), operated by heated gases, and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Although more expensive than incandescent bulbs, florescent and LEDs are more efficient and longer lasting.

Banning incandescent light bulbs is part of a more sweeping move to curb energy use -- addressing the issue of global warming.

Thirteen states are currently considering at least a partial ban on incandescents, while Australia is on track for a full ban by 2010. Canada also plans to phase out the sale of incandescent light bulbs by 2012.

Steven Milloy of ProudToBeCanadian.com with commentary describing how a potential ban will effect General Electric and its stake in coal burning power plants:

Congress and the state of California, for example, are considering legislation to ban by 2012 the incandescent light bulb, thereby forcing consumers to buy compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). Because USCAP member General Electric manufactures CFLs in China, it now faces labor problems with its U.S. employees who make incandescent bulbs.

Ironically, GE is working on a more efficient incandescent bulb that is slated to be available by 2010 — just in time to be banned.

Speaking of CFLs, let’s not forget the mass tort lawsuit potential against manufacturers and sellers of potentially billions of mercury-containing CFL light bulbs that require special clean-up and disposal procedures.

GE also has a business interest in coal -– a major source of CO2 emissions. The company makes turbines for traditional coal-fired power plants and is developing so-called “Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle” (IGCC) technology — a system for capturing CO2 from coal-fired electricity plants.

Although GE needs greenhouse gas regulations to drive growth for IGCC, its entire coal business is threatened by alarmism and regulation that would ban or greatly reduce the use of coal-fired power plants. Recent environmental group pressure caused the cancellation of eight coal-fired power plants that TXU Corp. planned to build. The cancellation caused, in turn, TXU to cancel its orders with GE for steam turbine generators.

-Dippold

Political Online Reputation

2008 Primary Schedule

I've chosen to pretty much ignore the 2008 presidential race so far on PoliticalReps.com. But the time is fast approaching . . . for the primaries.

Instead of trying to keep up with all the date changes, we'll let Connecticut Bob do it. So without further ado, here is the latest primary (and caucus) schedule:

Democratic primary and caucus schedule

January 2008
3 Iowa caucus (moved from Jan. 14th reported from several sources, but still not 100%)
15 Michigan (on Nov. 8th, a judge ruled the change isn't legal, but Democratic sources insist the primary will be held on the 15th...stay tuned for more details)
19 Nevada caucus
22 New Hampshire Primary (very slight chance it may change to
possibly Jan. 8th if other states move their primary schedule up despite DNC rules)
29 South Carolina Primary
29 Florida Primary (may be penalized for breaking party rules, which may result in losing delegates)

February 2008
Super Tuesday - February 5th
Alabama, Alaska caucus, Arizona, California, Colorado caucus, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho caucus, Illinois, Kansas caucus, Minnesota caucus, Missouri , New Jersey, New Mexico caucus, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah

Later February 2008
9 Louisiana, Nebraska caucus, Washington caucus
10 Maine caucus
12 D.C., Maryland, Virginia
19 Hawaii, Wisconsin

March 2008
4 Massachusetts, Ohio, Rhode Island, Vermont, Texas
8 Wyoming
11 Mississippi

April-June 2008
April 1 Pennsylvania
May 6 Indiana
May 13 West Virginia
May 20 Kentucky, Oregon
June 1 Puerto Rico
June 3 Montana, South Dakota

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Republican primary and caucus schedule

January 2008
3 Iowa
5 Wyoming (split - 12 of 28 delegates)
15 Michigan
19 Nevada, South Carolina
22 New Hampshire (will probably move earlier)
29 Florida

February 2008
Super Tuesday - February 5th
Alabama, Alaska , Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia

Later February 2008
9 Louisiana, Kansas, Washington (18 of 40)
12 D.C., Maryland, Virginia
19 Wisconsin, Washington (19 of 40)

The rest of 2008
March 4 Massachusetts, Ohio, Rhode Island, Vermont, Texas
March 11 Mississippi
April 22 Pennsylvania
May 6 Indiana, North Carolina
May 10 Wyoming (16 of 28)
May 13 West Virginia, Nebraska
May 17 Maine
May 20 Kentucky, 20 Oregon
May 27 Idaho
June 3 South Dakota, New Mexico
June 6 Hawaii
June 28 Nebraska

Later events

* August 25 to August 28, 2008 - 2008 Democratic National Convention, in Denver.
* September 1 to September 4, 2008 - 2008 Republican National Convention, held in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
* November 6, 2008 - Election Day.
* December 15, 2008 - Members of the U.S. Electoral College meet in each state to cast their votes for President.
* January 6, 2009 - Electoral votes officially tallied before both Houses of Congress.
* January 20, 2009 - Inauguration Day. A New Beginning for our nation.

As Connecticut Bob says, "Check back often for further updates as the states try to juggle the schedule in the rush to front-load their own contest."

Project Vote Smart also lists the "state presidential primary and caucus dates." But it was last updated 10/25/07.

-Dippold

Political Online Reputation

Headlines Galore: A Headlines Round-up

• For Va., Half a Holiday Loaf
  Bush Acknowledges Thanksgiving Claim but Won't Pardon Pig

• US Fights WTO Over Internet Gambling

• Pro Wrestling Legend Endorses Huckabee

• Somalia Crisis Dubbed Worse Than Darfur
  The Skinny: Top U.N. Officials Call Current Bloodshed, Exacerbated By Piracy, Worst In Africa

• US to Send Invites for Mideast Talks

• The New Counterfeit Money

• Supreme Court to Rule on Union Law

-Dippold

Political Online Reputation

10questions.com Last Call

10questions.com allows anyone with a video camera to ask the presidential candidates a question. The top 10 ten questions are chosen by voters on the site then presented to the candidates who respond with their video answers.

I'm a little late to the game. You only have the rest of the day to submit questions. The deadline is tonight.

AirCongress.com on the site's status:

The results so far: 188 questions and 92,500 votes from 27,000 voters. The top videos so far are about “network neutrality” and whether America is “unofficially a theocracy.” Activists on both of those issues have heavily promoted the questions. The third question is about “non-religious voters.”

The rest of the top 10 questions, as of now, cover: medical marijuana, wiretapping without warrants, transparency in government, “corporate personhood,” campaign reform, the voting system, and the two-party system.

So far, Democrat John Edwards and Republican Ron Paul have committed to answering the top 10 questions. If you don’t like the list, go vote and do your part to change the line-up.

-Dippold

Online Political Reputation

Under the Radar: A Links Round-up

• The 2008 defense appropriations bill includes a provision for a new $100 million "prompt global strike" program that could fire a conventional warhead anywhere in the world in under two hours from space. [Washington Post: Space Defense Program Gets Extra Funding]

• Blackwater to be involved in the War on Drugs? [WSJ: Next Test for Blackwater]

• Will the Supreme Court hear the case involving the District of Columbia’s strict gun-control law? [New York Times: Case Touches a 2nd Amendment Nerve]

• More time alloted for diplomats to volunteer in Iraq in hopes that some diplomats won't be forced to serve at the embassy by the Bush Administration. [Newsvine: State Extends Time for Iraq Volunteers]
  

-Dippold

Political Online Reputation

Should Telecoms Get Immunity?

Interview with AT&T Whistleblower Mark Klein



The Cafferty File on Telecom Immunity on CNN's The Situation Room


The above YouTube videos touch on the subject of whether or not the telecommunications industry should be granted immunity for allowing the NSA to warrantlessly tap the phone calls, emails and internet traffic of its customers.

The first video is of Mark Klein. He is a former AT&T employee who testified before Congress yesterday about why he believes lawmakers should reject immunity for telecom companies who assisted the Bush administration's spying on millions of Americans.

In an NPR interview, Mr. Klein describes a room at a AT&T main switching facility in San Francisco where the National Security Agency essentially intercepted the internet traffic of AT&T customers. And because other telecoms' networks come together at the facility, it gives the NSA wholesale access to all internet activity passing through.

“I flipped out,” he said. “They’re copying the whole Internet. There’s no selection going on here. Maybe they select out later, but at the point of handoff to the government, they get everything.”

Bringing lawsuits against those telecoms involved is a good thing according to Steve Benen of The Carpetbagger Report:

If senators disregard Klein’s first-hand knowledge, and approve retroactive immunity, the extent of the surveillance program will remain a mystery, and Americans seeking their day in court will be denied justice.

Former Attorney General John Ashcroft disagrees. In an opinion piece he penned for the New York Times, Ashcroft cites the "inherent unfairness of requiring companies to second-guess executive-branch legal judgments" when they have received "explicit assurances from the highest levels of the government that the activities in question were authorized by the president and determined to be lawful."

But is immunity really just to protect the telecoms? Dr. Steven Taylor of PoliBlog raises a good point:

Really, in all this discussion of immunity for telecoms it seems to me that the real consequence of granting them immunity will be protecting not the telecoms, but the Bush administration. Lawsuits, while possible financially damaging to AT&T and friends, will point an uncomfortable spotlight on the domestic intelligence gathering by the administration.

The Senate Judiciary Committee was expected to consider a revised FISA bill today, including the immunity provision, but Raw Story is reporting a delay:

A committee aide tells RAW STORY it is "likely" the panel will produce legislation that differs from an Intelligence Committee bill. The Intel bill includes telecom immunity, but it remains unclear whether immunity will be struck by the Judiciary committee.

-Dippold

Political Online Reputation

Congress Adresses 'Do Not Call' Expiration

Separate House and Senate committees passed legislation Tuesday, taking the first steps to make permanent the nearly 145 million names and numbers on the national Do Not Call list by essentially eliminating a five year expiration date enacted by the FTC.

Starting next month, millions of people would be required to re-register their phone numbers with the list, but the Federal Trade Commission decided last week to forgo the removal of the expired numbers while congress considers making the current telephone numbers on the list permanent.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee cleared H.R. 3541, the Do-Not-Call Improvement Act of 2007 on Tuesday. It will go to the full House for a vote. In the Senate, S. 2096, also called the Do-Not-Call Improvement Act of 2007, cleared the Commerce Committee; likewise, it will go ahead to the full Senate for a vote.

Several bloggers are championing the Do Not Call Registry.

Marc Hedlund of O'Reilly Radar:

The closest the U.S. has gotten to a privacy uprising is the National Do Not Call Registry. According to a January, 2007 Times article, since its launch in 2003, "more than 137 million phone numbers have been placed on the list by people tired of interruptions during dinner or their favorite TV show." 137 million! The seeds of a movement are there, at least. While probably nothing else has risen to that level of response, news coverage of ChoicePoint, identity theft, and the like make privacy a popular topic of lip service -- but usually, unfortunately, little else.

Skeet of Skeet's Stuff:

So should you register your cell phone? It can’t hurt. I get occasional telemarketing calls on my cell phone, so I decided it was the reasonable thing to do. You can do it online at the National Do Not Call Registy or by calling 1-888-382-1222 (TTY 1-866-290-4236) from the phone you want to register. I used the phone number to register my cell and office phones today. It took less than two minutes to do each. My fax machine does not have a handset on it, so I registered my fax line through the online site (link above.) That was also quick and easy. I look at it the same way that I see buying term insurance - like an ace in the hole. I remember registering my phone (land line) when Do Not Call became available, but maybe that was before I got new numbers. I regularly get calls from Sun Marketing (as do thousands of others who have complained about them) and occasionally from other telemarketers. Now that I know for sure that all of my phones are registered I’ll be able to file complaints if these nuisance calls continue. It takes thirty-one days for your number to actually enter the system, but after that you’re protected for five years. It’s free, so I can’t think of any reason not to do it.

The registry began in June 2003 and prohibits companies from calling those listed. Fines reach $11,000 per violation. Political, charitable or survey work organizations are exempt. Companies having a sales history with a customer may call for up to 18 months after the last delivery, payment or purchase.

-Dippold

Political Online Reputation