Grumpy Editor

Kiplinger’s future lighting story skips toxic CFLs mention

A glowing story in the January issue of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine on the upcoming replacement of the long-used traditional incandescent light bulbs overlooked mention that compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs, one type of substitute, contains toxic mercury that can pose problems, notes Grumpy Editor.

Under the headline, “Incandescents Take the Heat,” CFLs, Halogen bulbs and light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are cited as replacements when new energy standards go into effect next month. 

But the main concern, not touched on in the article, focuses on the replacement CFLs, produced mostly in China.  They are being promoted in efforts to go more "green” and conserve energy.

A few vigilant newspaper editorial writers in recent months have alerted readers to problems with CFLs which entered the future lighting picture when Congress four years ago passed an energy bill that essentially banned the traditional incandescent light bulb that received a major thrust in 1878 from Thomas Edison’s research. 

Many officials apparently remain unaware that when a CFL bulb (a small glass tube twisted into a spiral) shatters, mercury escapes as vapor that can be inhaled, and as a fine powder it can settle into carpet and other textiles.

A Scientific American posting three years ago was among the first to point out highly toxic mercury is especially harmful to the brains of both fetuses and children. 

The director of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Hazardous Waste Minimization and Management Division at that time recommended opening windows and stepping outside, then quickly ventilating the room when a CFL bulb breaks. 

"Get all the people and pets out of the room for 15 minutes and let the room air out,” was the warning.  

In July, U.S. House efforts to repeal use of CFLs fell short of the two-thirds majority vote needed for passage --- without a peep from the current EPA.

 

Passing asteroid grabs space while NPP gets snubbed

Receiving much print and broadcast attention was a 1,200-foot-wide asteroid that zipped pass Earth yesterday, affecting no one, while last month’s launch of a NASA satellite for climate research and improved weather forecasting --- with output affecting millions in the U.S. alone --- received scant coverage, notes Grumpy Editor.

With the asteroid, editors, naturally, are always interested in objects (this one the size of a city block) hurtling through the atmosphere, even though this chunk passed Earth 201,700 miles away while traveling about 29,000 miles per hour. 

Meanwhile, the Oct. 28 California launch of a $1.5 billion Earth-observing satellite, the size of a minivan, with new technology to beef up weather forecasting and climate research receives limited coverage. 

For newspapers, maybe it's because the lengthy nine-word identification --- National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project --- is difficult to fit into a headline. 

Labeled NPP for short, it carries five instruments to study temperature and water in the atmosphere, how clouds and aerosols affect temperature, and how plants on land and in the ocean respond to environmental changes.

NPP’s daily observations transmit about four terabytes of data.  That’s equivalent to about 800 DVDs. 

Expected to operate at least to the end of 2016, NPP is one of 14 Earth observation missions managed by NASA. 

 

L.A. Times writer gets layoff word while in the Arctic

Grumpy Editor recalls with media layoffs in earlier years, Friday afternoons were the dreaded times editors called staffers together and announced those slated for sad, usually unexpected, departures.  Others simply were sent pink slips. 

Nowadays, emails --- received at home or at newsroom desks --- sometimes are used to convey departure words from management not wishing to face staffers. 

About the strangest place to get a layoff email:  Alaska, 150 miles north of the Arctic Circle --- and almost 3,000 miles from the newsroom. 

That’s the location of a recent message received by Margot Roosevelt, environment reporter for the Los Angeles Times. 

Kevin Roderick in his LAObserved.com disclosed where Roosevelt received The Times email, along with her farewell note to the newsroom. 

“I was about to get on a helicopter (thanks to a two-week science journalism grant) with biologists who study how Arctic fire is changing earth’s climate,” wrote Roosevelt, who joined The Times four years ago after 20 years with Time magazine and 13 years with the Washington Post. 

“Been sleeping in a cold tent, fending off mosquito swarms and happily roaming over moss-green tundra, the lavender peaks of the Brooks Range in the distance,” she continued. 

“I’ve loved the L.A. Times. I’m grateful to have worked with so many people I admire.  I’m heartbroken to be leaving.  Please keep in touch.”

Meanwhile, among others in a new round of layoffs at the L.A. Times, Roderick mentioned Tim Rutten, op-ed columnist and book reviewer, would be laid off after 39 years --- one year short of retirement.

 

House effort to repeal curly fluorescent bulbs flickers out

U.S. House efforts this week to repeal curly, compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), which contain toxic mercury and are slated to replace long-used traditional incandescent bulbs, fell short of the two-thirds majority vote needed for passage --- without a peep from the Environmental Protection Agency, notes Grumpy Editor.

The EPA, with 17,000 employees at Washington headquarters, 10 regional offices and 27 laboratories, is charged with protecting human health and the environment. 

A few vigilant newspaper editorial writers in recent days alerted readers to problems with CFLs which entered the future lighting picture when Congress four years ago passed an energy bill that essentially banned the traditional incandescent light bulb that received a major thrust in 1878 from Thomas Edison’s research. 

While CFLs, made mostly in China, got the green light with new energy standards set to go into effect next year, officials have curtailed or banned mercury use in other applications, including thermometers and automotive and thermostat switches. 

Many lawmakers apparently remained unaware that when a CFL bulb (a small glass tube twisted into a spiral) shatters, mercury escapes as vapor that can be inhaled and as a fine powder that can settle into carpet and other textiles. 

A Scientific American posting three years ago was among the first to point out highly toxic mercury is especially harmful to the brains of both fetuses and children. 

At that time, the director of EPA’s Hazardous Waste Minimization and Management Division recommended opening windows and stepping outside then quickly ventilating the room when a CFL bulb breaks. 

"Get all the people and pets out of the room for 15 minutes and let the room air out,” he said.  With central heating system or an HVAC (heating, ventilating and air-conditioning) system, he warned, “you don't want it sucking the fumes around, so shut that down.”

 

Smokey Bear unveils wildfires app; PSAs urge caution

With major wildfires in New Mexico, Arizona and elsewhere, new Smokey Bear radio and television public service announcements (PSAs) for the U.S. Forest Service are being aired, just in time for the Fourth of July weekend, notes Grumpy Editor. 

The cartoon character Smokey (so named with the debut back in 1944 when the Forest Service spelled smoky as smokey --- perhaps because proofreaders were hard to come by during World War II) attired in forest ranger uniform, doubles as the symbol of conservation/protection of U.S. forests and "spokesperson." 

The Forest Service, assisted by the Ad Council, figures people, especially campers, should be reminded to put out campfires and outdoor barbecues --- and use caution with fireworks. 

Something new this year is Smokey Bear’s first mobile application. 

The free smartphone app is designed to provide critical information about wildfire prevention, including a step-by-step guide to safely building and extinguishing campfires, as well as a map of current wildfires across America.

The real-time wildfire map (now showing locations of three dozen large incidents) and other information are available through Smokey’s Web site:  www.smokeybear.com. 

Many Americans believe lightning starts most wildfires, says the Forest Service. In fact, the agency points out, nine out of 10 wildfires nationwide, on average, are caused by people. 

Principal causes are campfires left unattended, trash burning on windy days, arson, careless discarding of smoking materials or barbecue coals and operating equipment without spark arrestors.

 

Fewer fingers on Yellow Pages loom in San Francisco

Future deliveries of printed Yellow Pages look glum in San Francisco as the Board of Supervisors takes a final vote this week calling for restricting directory deliveries only to residences and businesses that request them, notes Grumpy Editor.

The Yellow Pages put a blight on the community and banning the book of names, numbers and addresses will protect the environment, claims the board. 

The likely ban on unsolicited distribution of Yellow Pages is the latest in a series of “green” measures in the City by the Bay.

An estimated 1.6 million Yellow Pages directories are distributed annually in San Francisco. 

A ban would make San Francisco the nation’s first city to thwart Yellow Pages distribution. 

Backers say the Internet makes the directories unnecessary. 

"If we're serious about the environment, it's time we recognize that phone books are a 20th century tool that doesn't meet the business or environmental needs of the 21st century," Supervisor David Chiu pointed out when his directory-banning idea surfaced three months ago.

 

Good Friday battles Earth Day for media coverage today

Grumpy Editor figures some newspaper editors faced tough decisions in deciding front-page play today:  focus on Good Friday or Earth Day.

Both fall on the same day this year.  Both are celebrated around the world.

In the end, since this is 2011, Earth Day is getting the nod from eco-minded editors.

As an example, this week's Bloomberg Businessweek in "events of note in the week ahead" lists two items for today:  Italy's retail sales and Earth Day.  

Earth Day started 41 years ago while Good Friday’s originations go back centuries, perhaps to the 4^th century, or earlier.

Good Friday is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.  For many, it means going to church.

Falling on the last Friday before Easter, Good Friday dates vary each year, occurring between March 20th and April 23rd.

Earth Day, meanwhile, is designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth’s natural environment.

Some celebrities grab newspaper space and television time by their “green” actions.  Just yesterday, for example, a news release --- in connection with Earth Day --- cites actor and environmentalist Ed Begley, Jr. who “chooses to ride a bike when weather and fitness permit and takes public transportation if available to cut down on traffic and pollution and lessen our dependence on foreign oil.”

Noteworthy, however, is that Good Friday gets the edge when it comes to closing non-religious operations to mark the day.

It’s the basis for the U.S. stock market being shuttered today.

In many parts of the U.S., state, county and municipal offices are closed on Good Friday “for the Easter holiday,” giving workers three-days off.

 

Proposed S.F. ‘green’ law pulls fingers off Yellow Pages

In the future, there will not be many fingers walking over the Yellow Pages in San Francisco if the Board of Supervisors has its way, notes Grumpy Editor.

A proposed ban on unsolicited distribution of Yellow Pages is the latest in a series of “green” measures in the City by the Bay.

A ban would mark San Francisco as the first city in the nation to fully thwart Yellow Page distribution.

Behind the move is David Chiu, Board of Supervisors president, who feels Yellow Pages are becoming obsolete in the Internet age and often end up unopened or in the trash, reports Rachel Gordon in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Chiu’s proposed law would require telephone companies plus other distributors and publishers to obtain advance permission before delivering an estimated 1.5 million Yellow Pages annually in San Francisco.

"If we're serious about the environment, it's time we recognize that phone books are a 20th century tool that doesn't meet the business or environmental needs of the 21st century," Chiu tells the Chronicle.

The proposed law "would be an infringement of our constitutional rights, the right to distribute speech" and would unfairly target one industry, declares Amy Healy, vice president of public policy and sustainability at the Yellow Pages Association, founded in 1975.

The San Francisco proposal follows a Seattle ordinance (now the basis of a law suit) that prohibits Yellow Pages distribution to those on a city-enforced opt-out list. In efforts to recover recycling costs, the ordinance also places a fee on phone books distributed in the city.