The Happenings Thread

[audtatious]

Let's see what's happening today, tomorrow, happened last week, last month, etc.....

- Illinois Reps. Mark Kirk and Judy Biggert wrote in a letter Tuesday that their constituents had apparently scheduled meetings to discuss health care reform with them after receiving an Aug. 9 e-mail from BarackObama.com urging them to do so. As a result, the lawmakers claimed more than 20 constituents came to their district offices Monday. "When they learned neither the White House, the Democratic National Committee nor Organizing for America had passed their request to our offices, they were understandably confused and upset with the BarackObama.com e-mail they had received," they wrote.

- MSM seems to keep focusing on any possible Hitler associations that is presented at Townhall meetings via anti-UH'ers, no matter how little of it has been present. A book and a film depicting the murder of Bush, along with lots and lots of "Death to Bush" and signs of he being Hitler-like is in the past. The few examples shown are proof that whitey is scared of losing their country and it's proof of racism (Per Southern Poverty Law Center).

- Obama keeps wanting to push his UH plan...err...health reform plan....errr... insurance reform bill....errr...whatever. Problem is he has never submitted a plan and the only plan out there is the House bill....and even Obama thinks it would be run like the Post Office.....

- MSM is happy to idolize the druggies/nudists/mud slingers that were at WoodStock but those who attend TownHall meetings against UH are evil, Un-American extremists

- The Obama email list seems to keep growing with people receiving emails who have never contacted any of his organizations. Maybe they were snitched upon? Lists and eavesdropping is fine in the current Gov, unlike when Bush did similar (and far less) during his Administration. Where's my email? Maybe Organizers for America (brown shirts), Fight the Smears, whitehouse.gov or one of the O's other sites have simply not added it yet....

- Difficult to own a house when you can't get a loan in today's economy? Obama to the rescue as he plans to pump $4.25 billion of economic stimulus money into creating tens of thousands of federally subsidized rental units in American cities. This includes building new low-rise rental apartment complexes and converting foreclosed homes into rentals. Maybe Rezko could be made the rental housing czar....

- Man was convicted of posting white supremacist death threats on Facebook. Bout time they started cracking down on the racist haters. Damn shame he was black....

- Birthers are still pressing Obama for information that won't do a damn thing. News at '11

- Specter says critics of the Democrats' health care proposals are not representative of the public's view on the issue. This line of thinking follows the "GOP paid for" mentality to those against UH at meetings, regardless of what Gallup and Rasmussen polls are showing. Me thinks Mr Specter will be looking for a new job soon along with any others who want to dismiss what's happening as being due to a few political organizers paying people.

- Bad'ole Palin has scratched back at Obama for having possible death panels in "his" bill (which does not exist). The Administration says it's ludicrous and a lie as it's not in his bill (which does not exist) while the House of Rep members said it has pulled those portions of their UH bill. Holy crisscrossed statements Batman!

- 12,000 Oklahoma children are to be tested with new H1N1 flu vaccine to see any side effects. Sure, pick kids. Why not? They don't pay taxes in the first place.....Wonder if this will turn out like the 1970's scare where people died.

- Canada healthcare system is in perfect condition...well, maybe not... http://www.google.com/hostedne...KXoQw

Weehaw.....The above is just crap going on and open for general discussion (my interpretation and viewpoints can be ignored.....as numerous do anyway)

[audtatious]

- The snitch email is being pulled, according to Drudge. Guess the public didn't like it much?

- In other news, according to a AP report, Obama is now for gay marriage which is a reversal of his traditional stance before the election. This guy is flopping his support for measures so fast I'm not sure if 'lil 'ole me can keep up with him

- The staff that caters to Michelle Obama consists of 26 people. Here is a list of 22 of them:

1. $172,2000 – Sher, Susan (Chief Of Staff)

2. $140,000 – Frye, Jocelyn C. (Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Policy And Projects For The First Lady)

3. $113,000 – Rogers, Desiree G. (Special Assistant to the President and White House Social Secretary)

4. $102,000 – Johnston, Camille Y. (Special Assistant to the President and Director of Communications for the First Lady)

5. $102,000 – Winter, Melissa E. (Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief Of Staff to the First Lady)

6. $90,000 – Medina, David S. (Deputy Chief Of Staff to the First Lady)

7. $84,000 – Lelyveld, Catherine M. (Director and Press Secretary to the First Lady)

8. $75,000 – Starkey, Frances M. (Director of Scheduling and Advance for the First Lady)

9. $70,000 – Sanders, Trooper (Deputy Director of Policy and Projects for the First Lady)

10. $65,000 – Burnough, Erinn J. (Deputy Director and Deputy Social Secretary)

11. $65,000 – Reinstein, Joseph B. (Deputy Director and Deputy Social Secretary)

12. $62,000 – Goodman, Jennifer R. (Deputy Director of Scheduling and Events Coordinator For The First Lady)

13. $60,000 – Fitts, Alan O. (Deputy Director of Advance and Trip Director for the First Lady)

14. $60,000 – Lewis, Dana M. (Special Assistant and Personal Aide to the First Lady)

15. $52,500 – Mustaphi, Semonti M. (Associate Director and Deputy Press Secretary To The First Lady)

16. $50,000 – Jarvis, Kristen E. (Special Assistant for Scheduling and Traveling Aide To The First Lady)

17. $45,000 – Lechtenberg, Tyler A. (Associate Director of Correspondence For The First Lady)

18. $45,000 – Tubman, Samantha (Deputy Associate Director, Social Office)

19. $40,000 – Boswell, Joseph J. (Executive Assistant to the Chief Of Staff to the First Lady)

20. $36,000 – Armbruster, Sally M. (Staff Assistant to the Social Secretary)

21. $36,000 – Bookey, Natalie (Staff Assistant)

22. $36,000 – Jackson, Deilia A. (Deputy Associate Director of Correspondence for the First Lady)

[Poyzinous]

Staff? so there's like a million bucks of funding for Obamas wife?

[audtatious]

Over a million in salary alone, not including their benefits. I would like to see how it compares to what Laura Bush had but I have not seen reference to it anywhere....

So....new things happenin.....

- Cindy Sheehan to protest against Obama......He has not pulled all troops out either and is following the Bush plan

- Howard Deans latest: "The Republicans, they have no interest in this Bill. They’re using the 1994 playbook. Let’s kill the bill and kill the president...... or, kill the president’s term. Although there are sort of angry people out there I get very nervous about this stuff. I don’t like it at all."

- FBI trained NJ blogger to incite others (AP): "Prosecutors have acknowledged that Turner was an informant who spied on radical right-wing organizations, but the defense has said Turner was not working for the FBI when he allegedly made threats against Connecticut legislators and wrote that three federal judges in Illinois deserved to die. " Them pesky fake Republicans again....

- Wonder what Oliver Stone will change about history this time as he is creating a 10-part documentary series for Showtime titled "Secret History of America." Let me guess, GOP = killers?

- New from Hamid Karzai, President of Afghanistan: Not only do women have to have sex with their husbands at a minimum of every four days (law put in place a couple months ago) their husbands can now starve them if they refuse sex......Good for the men I guess

- According to Gibbs, what was presumed to have been the end of the Obama squeal email address has in fact been combined with their RealityCheck site.....Business as usual I guess.....I still have not received my Obama email for being reported to the new Gestapo

- The Obama administration has committed $2 billion in loans to exploit offshore oil resources in hopes of extracting a major new source of petroleum......But......wait for it........It's for Brazil, not the US

[audtatious]

- Mortgage defaults soar to record 13% (LA Times)......Yep, things are surely getting better....

- Nah, no such thing as "death panel" legislation....You can't remove what did not exist..... http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200...ife_2

- Gallup Reports That Conservatives Outnumber Libs in All 50 States....Hmmmm.....WSJ

- Michael Steel tells Dems to go ahead and implement the Nuclear option and put the healthcare bill to a up-n-down vote. ""Get it to the floor. Up or down, baby," Steele said at a news conference at the state GOP headquarters. " “We are down 20 votes in the Senate, 78 in the house. Don’t come up in my face talking about how I’m an obstacle and we’re blocking this process. You’ve got the votes Mr. President; pass the bill." ”You want it done, pass the bill. But they know it's poisonous and they know the American people will not tolerate it." "

- U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced Thursday that after a "wildly successful" run, the "Cash for Clunkers" program will end on Monday.....See Ya!!!!

- Stupidity on all sides at a town hall meeting? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mslFPmo5Owc

- At Friday's daily briefing at the White House, a reporter for The New York Times said that Rep. Leonard Boswell (D-Iowa) was told by the president that he would that he was willing to be a one-term president if that meant getting health care reform through......Sorry, not tempting enough

- Ted Kennedy wants to repeal the 2004 law that he pressed through in order to allow the Gov to rubber-stamp a replacement for him quicker. Seems the law was put in place to ensure there is a special election for replacement Senators and it is the timeframe of this special election that is concerning to Teddy as he is unable to travel and wants to make sure the current Governor can appoint a special someone who will vote appropriately on the healthcare initiative bill. Oh their wicked ways..... overturn a bill he helped put in place to protect a Dem position in order to do what the bill stops in the first place.....

[audtatious]

- A wealthy New York investor and prominent Democratic Party fund-raiser with ties to President Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton was arrested on Tuesday and accused of lying about his assets to obtain a $74 million loan from Citibank.http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08...=1&hp

- The woman arrested by Denver police on suspicion of smashing 11 windows at Colorado Democratic Party headquarters appears to be the same woman who handles the books for many other Democratic-leaning political committees and was paid $500 by the leftist Colorado Citizens Coalition for “communications” in November 2008.http://www.denverpost.com/recommended/ci_13199902

- Latest analysis on our budget:

# Since World War II, the largest budget deficit recorded was 6.0 percent of GDP in 1983. The Bush Administration oversaw budget deficits averaging 2.0 percent of GDP. The projected 2009 budget deficit of 11.2 percent of GDP would nearly double the post-war record.

# The 2009 budget deficit will be larger than all budget deficits from 2002 through 2007 combined. More than 43 cents of every dollar Washington spends in 2009 will have been borrowed.

# While President Obama claims to have inherited the 2009 budget deficit, it is important to note that the estimated 2009 budget deficit has increased by $400 billion since his inauguration, and the whole point of the “stimulus” was to increase deficit spending to nearly $2 trillion based on the unproven notion that would it alleviate the recession.

# The 22 percent spending increase projected for 2009 represents the largest government expansion since the 1952 height of the Korean War (adjusted for inflation). Federal spending is up 57 percent since 2001.# In 2009, Washington will spend $30,958 per household–the highest level in American history–and under President Obama’s budget, the figure will rise above $33,000 by 2019.

# The White House brags that it will cut the deficit in half by 2013. The President does not mention that the deficit has nearly quadrupled this year. Merely cutting it in half from that bloated level would still leave budget deficits twice as high as under President Bush.

# The public national debt–$5.8 trillion as of 2008–is projected to double by 2012 and nearly triple by 2019. Thus, America would accumulate more government debt under President Obama than under every President in American history from George Washington to George W. Bush combined

- How does the Obama Admin justify that the deficit will only be 9 trillion? To get to $9 trillion, the White House is still counting on $627 billion in revenues from cap-and-trade, $275 billion from limiting deductions on taxes, $622 billion from health savings, $295 billion from "other revenue changes and loophole closers" and $580 billion in upper-income tax provisions. That's $2.4 trillion of revenue that's far from guaranteed (and could make the overall deficit 11.4 trillion.......and that does not include UH costs of 1.5+ trillion).http://www.forbes.com/2009/08/....html

- Chris Matthews, MSNBC, while stating that Ted Kennedy was perhaps "the greatest Senator in history" concluded his outpouring of emotion by stating that "Barack is the last (Kennedy) brother"...... has he seen Obama's secret birth certificate?

[audtatious]

- FDIC going broke: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200..._fund

- Black Hole is now a racist term? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...edded

- Toyota is now moving its California Tacoma plant to TX. One location is unionized and the other is not.....Care to guess?http://www.mysanantonio.com/bu....html

[srellim234]

Yep. 100% union's fault, and this had absolutely nothing to do with it:

"...San Antonio and Texas leaders also took notice as they started readying an incentives package weeks ago.

On Thursday, city and county officials said it includes a 10-year abatements on property taxes as well as state sales tax rebates on capital investments and new machinery to retool the plant, which could cost $100 million.

Additionally, Toyota could receive a $2,500 credit for every new hire from a “designated disadvantaged zone..."

[audtatious]

I never stated it was 100% unions fault, just find it interesting that Toyota seemed to not find enough value in Unionized labor to bring it with them. Lots of cities will do incentives for businesses which will lower operating costs. Unions are a problem as are the cost of doing business within Cali. Seems more of a trend now for businesses to leave Cali due to multiple reasons.

[Poyzinous]

I don't quite understand unions and business much, but isn't expansion always a good thing?also- did GM kinda screw Toyota with this joint operation?

[srellim234]

...Except that you definiteley inferred it was the unionionization since that was the ONLY factor you cited...

[srellim234]

That black hole argument is ridiculous. It absolutely is a scientific phenomenon and name of an object. The analogy was used properly.

I'm more concerned about this congresswomen's use of the term "The Great White Hope", which always has been a racist reference.

http://www.salon.com/wires/ap/..._hope/

[audtatious]

...Except that you definiteley inferred it was the unionionization since that was the ONLY factor you cited...

Yeah, it's what I mentioned so I do understand why you would come to that conclusion. I'll try better next time

[audtatious]

I don't quite understand unions and business much, but isn't expansion always a good thing?also- did GM kinda screw Toyota with this joint operation?

This isn't expansion though, they are moving the factory completely. Less jobs for CA and less corporate taxes for the coffers is probably not a good thing for them.

[audtatious]

That black hole argument is ridiculous. It absolutely is a scientific phenomenon and name of an object. The analogy was used properly.

I'm more concerned about this congresswomen's use of the term "The Great White Hope", which always has been a racist reference.

http://www.salon.com/wires/ap/..._hope/

In today's environment that was a poor choice for sure. Racial tension seems to be a lot higher than it was 2 years ago, IMO.

[Poyzinous]

Racism has become more tense because we have a black president now. Being latino, eventually we'll have one in office and tension will be high towards us... I honestly don't care too much about race. We're all human beings. We all bleed red, have brains, a conscience, and personalities. I can get along with any good person regardless of where they're from. I just dont like seeing people try to throw race in as a main factor for a tense moment. Lots of bad or questionable things happen with racism behind them, but some things don't, and people try to mix them in. Its silly. and unnecessary. sorry for the rant

[audtatious]

Honestly, the majority don't care about race. I didn't, but I am starting to get overly irritated at being called a racist just because I'm white. I've never owned slaves and I've never kept anyone "down" but the more it's thrown in my face the more it's pissing me off.

[Poyzinous]

I dont blame you. I see a lot of that around the DC area. Its actually racist for someone to assume every person is racist because they are white (or anything). I have family that has mixed with whites and blacks and it doesn't bother me one bit. Good people and bad people alike come in all colors and hues. Unfortunately, ignorance is everywhere, and it hurts many people. There is sometimes racism within a race. West coast blacks vs east coast blacks. Northern whites vs Southern whites. Mexicans vs Central americans. Colombians vs Venezuelans. North Koreans vs South Koreans. It makes no sense.

[audtatious]

- Massachusetts has just increased their sales tax by 25% and have now applied retail sales tax to alcohol for the first time. Michael J. Rodrigues, House Dem, was spotted loading his state-supplied car with alcohol in New Hampshire (tax free). He blows off the accusations of hypocrisy by stating: “Unfortunately, I think that’s why the Republican Party is in such bad shape in Massachusetts,” Rodrigues is quoted as saying. “The electorate here is smart enough to figure out what they’re up to.”

- Based upon current projections by the Obama administration, the Congressional Budget Office and other non-partisan groups, our nation's national debt is expected to balloon to $18-23 Trillion dollars in the next ten years. As a result, a $19 Trillion national debt in 2019 would be the equivalent of $63,333 of debt for every man, woman and child in the United States.

[Poyzinous]

Thats a lot of debt. Is that $63k individually?I can't comprehend the hole that is the country's debt. Trillions?? How can you even measure that....

[audtatious]

From what the financial analysts are saying, that 63k is debt that each of us, and our children, will owe due to the current spending.

Billions is the new millions today and billions simply sounds so small compared to trillions. Hard to believe.....

[audtatious]

- Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter, New Hampshire, had a constituent removed for asking her about health care and the SEIU members who were bussed from another district to be in her town hall meeting. This is the same Carol Shea-Porter who, four years ago, protested at the state house with people dressed like Nazi's, followed Republican Incumbent Jeb Bradley from town hall to town hall meeting in order to disrupt it and still calls those against her parties vision of UH "Tea Baggers". Way to represent!!!!! Dissent was the highest form of patriotism while Bush was in office and now it's treated with disdain by the hypocrites who used it over the last 8 years.

- Back to SEIU....SEIU (Service Employees International Union) was founded by the same people who founded ACORN, and both have offices out of the same buildings in many locations nationwide. Since ACORN is getting a bad rap, with all those unjust claims against them for fraud...and the pesky criminal indictments...it explains why SEIU has come out of the wood work. At least they are not being called tea baggers and it seems their members are getting paid to "represent".

- Seems the White House is hiring a contractor to harvest information about Americans from its pages on social networking websites such as MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr. This includes data such as comments, tag lines, e-mail, audio and video from any place where the White House "maintains a presence" – for a period of up to eight years. Per the scope of the contract: "The contractor shall provide the necessary services to capture, store, extract to approved formats, and transfer content published by EOP on publicly-accessible web sites, along with information posted by non-EOP persons on publicly-accessible web sites where the EOP offices under PRA maintains a presence" and "The contractor shall include in the information posted by non-EOP persons on publicly-accessible web sites where the EOP maintains a presence both comments posted on pages created by EOP and messages sent to EOP accounts on those web sites. Publicly-accessible sites may include, but are not limited to social networking sites.".......BIG BROTHER indeed

- According to the Electronic Privacy and Information Center, federal agencies have already negotiated agreements and contracts with social networking sites like Google, YouTube, SlideShare, Facebook, AddThis, Blist, Flickr and VIMEO to collect information on visitors for federal websites. In public comments submitted to the Office of Management and Budget, EPIC notes it has obtained documents that show federal agencies have negotiated these contracts with the private sector in violation of "existing statutory privacy rights." Those agencies include: Department of Defense, Department of the Treasury, and the National Security Agency...........I guess Lobbyists and Dem protesters are glad they don't have to spend time demonstrating against a GOP-run Gov doing such things as it would be exhausting work. Better to spend time protesting the protesters at town hall meetings

- In other White House news.....The White House Office of Management and Budget wants to lift the 2000 ban on tracking visitors to government websites. The 2000 ban ensured that private citizens personal information would not be gathered nor would "cookies" be used for those surfing Gov internet sites. Their reason for lifting the ban? Why, they simply state a "compelling need"

[Poyzinous]

- Seems the White House is hiring a contractor to harvest information about Americans from its pages on social networking websites such as MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr. This includes data such as comments, tag lines, e-mail, audio and video from any place where the White House "maintains a presence" – for a period of up to eight years. Per the scope of the contract: "The contractor shall provide the necessary services to capture, store, extract to approved formats, and transfer content published by EOP on publicly-accessible web sites, along with information posted by non-EOP persons on publicly-accessible web sites where the EOP offices under PRA maintains a presence" and "The contractor shall include in the information posted by non-EOP persons on publicly-accessible web sites where the EOP maintains a presence both comments posted on pages created by EOP and messages sent to EOP accounts on those web sites. Publicly-accessible sites may include, but are not limited to social networking sites.".......BIG BROTHER indeed

They would probably be shocked at how many millions of idiot morons massacre the english language and grammar, and wonder in curiosity and disgust the obscene amounts of profanity, stupid "caps Lock malfunctioning" posters, and just plain nonsense that has plagued the internet. Reading comments in youtube probably makes you dumber and want to drown kittens. I wonder how deep big brother will go, if they aren't already.

[audtatious]

I just wish I had that Gov contract for storage. The amount of disk space that will need to be purchased for this one initiative will be HUGE. Never, ever, ask how much something like this costs because they sure won't tell you what the infrastructure to support it will be......

[WDRacing]

Good reading Matt, I always enjoy your little anecdotes

[Poyzinous]

What bet did you guys lose that your pic now declares your love for Greg?

[audtatious]

It's called "harassment"

[audtatious]

- Today, on MSNBC, concerning Obama addressing school kids....Daily Voice editor, Keith Boykin, stated "So much of the debate about President Obama has been politicized in an effort by some to delegitimize his presidency. This is clearly much ado about nothing. We're talking about the President of the United States speaking to school kids. Why wouldn't schools want this to happen? That's why our kids are so dumb today, because they don't want to have basic common sense in the classroom."....So.....I take it that he includes the teachers in the "no common sense in the classroom" comment and the need for Obama to teach us all based upon the wisdom of his word. Oh joy.

He continues

"These kids don't vote. I don't understand why parents are concerned about health care related to kids hearing a speech from the President of the United States," Boykin said. "They're 17 years old. Some of them may be able to vote, but the idea the President of the United States is giving a speech to thousands and thousands, or millions of school kids from the potential of reaching a few 18 year olds doesn't seem likely. I meant this is about basically encouraging kids to stay in school. It's a worthy motive. The idea that anybody would be opposed to it is ultimately about politics and nothing else."

Nope...these 15,16,17 YO kids won't be able to vote in the next Presidential election.....uhm, what? Also seems parents don't have a right to determine what their kids hear or are involved in. Must be some of that Hillary "it takes a village" mentality....Maybe Keith simply did not understand that the speech itself was not the issue but the post-speech classroom activities the kids would have to perform concerning what they can do to help the President? Nah, that simply can't be it.

- Not only are some Dems avoiding in-person town hall meetings by doing phone calls instead, some are simply not going to have them at all. On Air America, Rep Louise Slaughter stated she would not "give those people" a forum, using the excuse that she knows what all her constituents need and that they also trust her. She then makes comments about NOT going through the drama which was the Hillary care ordeal and then stated that it would be dangerous to have them as "those people" show up with loaded guns.....Sheesh......I hoped she at least looked good but I was wrong so I will have to find fault with everything about her at this point.

- Good 'ole Charlie Rangel......Seems it has come out that he gave campaign contributions to three of the Dems on the on the ethics committee that is charged with investigating him. He's a Dem so anything he does should be OK to us mere tax payers...... http://wcbstv.com/local/charle....html

- The world is speeding towards a climate catastrophe, UN chief Ban Ki-moon warned on Thursday, urging rapid progress in talks to cut emissions and tackle global warming. "Our foot is stuck on the accelerator and we are heading towards an abyss,".......I think we are heading towards an abyss if we follow even one suggestion these clowns have

- Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Relations between Switzerland and Libya remain strained, with Libyan leader Muammar Qadaffi repeating a call he made at the G8 summit in Italy in July 2009, for Switzerland to be considered a non-country and its linguistic districts to be shared among its neighbours. The rhetoric itself has ruffled few feathers, given Qadaffi’s widespread reputation for stepping outside the usual boundaries of diplomatic talk, but Libya’s upcoming turn as president of the United Nations General Assembly, which opens its new session 15 September, gives him a platform. It will be the first time he has joined a General Assembly since coming to power 40 years ago, according to Swiss television TSR......It's a damn shame the bomb killed his kid and not him.....

- President Hugo Chavez, in one of many verbal attacks against Israel, stated "The entire world knows it. Why was the state of Israel created? ... To divide. To impede the unity of the Arab world."....No response from Obama yet. Maybe another hug and book signing is needed as arab history before Israel was given the land is being ignored....

- As the Europe-wide ban on incandescent bulbs begins tomorrow the European Commission has admitted that the claims of a 11w CFL bulb being the equivalent of a 60w incandescent bulb is false. Testing has shown that a 11w CFL actually only gives off 58% of the illumination that a 60w incandescent bulb does....

How the energy saving bulbs compared to incandescent bulbs as independently tested:

Traditional incandescent:Osram 60W (700 lumens) – 126 luxPhilips 60 W (700 lumens) -114 luxTesco 60W (700 lumens) – 122 luxMaxim Pearl 60W pearled (no lumen info) – 101 lux

Energy Saving (all claim to be equivalent to 60W):Philips 12W T60 Softone (610 lumens) – 77 luxSouthern Electric/GE 11W (610 lumens) – 79 luxTesco Greener living stick 11W (640 lumens) – 70 luxEveready Energy Saver 11W (no lumen info) – 60 luxOsram Duluxstar 11W (600 lumens) – 67 lux So, while CFL's supposedly are 80% more energy efficient than incandescent bulbs, the numbers above show that drops to around 40% due to having to use 2 bulbs to have equal or more brightness to the singe 60w bulb. Fluorescent bulbs are know to yellow white objects and some reports are coming out showing more eye strain when using household CFL's. The CFL bulbs are $7 - $15 each. They supposedly last up to 8 years but the ones I've used all have blown in less than a year. Then you have the mercury issues. I thought environmentalists were all against mercury? Guess it's OK as long as it's the Chinese who are getting mercury poisoning while making the bulbs.....

[Poyzinous]

I'm not a fan of Hugo Chavez. He's put a lot of negativity into Honduras.

[audtatious]

Obama seems to support the Chevez viewpoint on Honduras and not their Constitution.....Go figrue....