'Dictatorship of the Bureaucrats': Light-Bulb Ban Casts Shadow over EU Democracy

[sysop]

Beginning Saturday, it will be illegal to import or produce traditional incandescent light bulbs in EU member states. The move has upset consumers and many environmentalists, but it serves to highlight the EU's democratic deficiencies.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/...852931,00.html

[billcstf04]

as I have mentioned before in these columns the problems which the EU is now facing from the Euro Crisis down to this light bulb storm in a teakettle all stem from the same cause the EU's decision making process from the largest issues, i.e. the Constitution to the smallest, what light bulbs to use are decided by unelected and unaccountable bureaucrats of one sort or another. This even results in a PM of a democracy saying publicly that executives of the Member States should not listen too much to their Parliaments.

[lighthouse10]

The Spiegel article is interesting in showing the German angle on how the light bulb ban came about.

For a fuller unpublicized history of the EU ban, including the considerable involvement - both for and against - of German members of Parliament, see
http://ceolas.net/#euban
.

[lighthouse10]

The esteemed Cambridge University Science Network about the light bulb ban:

"The total reduction in EU energy use 0.54 x 0.8 x 0.76% = 0.33%
This figure is almost certainly an overestimate...
Which begs the question: is it really worth it?

The problem is that legislators are unable to tackle the big issues of energy use effectively, so go for the soft target of a high profile domestic use of energy ...this is gesture politics."

http://dunday.com/p/deception-behind...bs.html#energy

[thaistalker]

Yet another example of the faceless Bureacraps in Brux telling us what we can and cannot do.... I really am surprised that the ordinary people of the EEC (NOTE THAT) let themselves be overridden by the slimy things that try to rule our lives, and have ruined many in the process.

[longknife]

Next they will tell you what cars you can drive - to save the planet!

Then, they will tell you clothes you can wear - to save the planet!

Then, they will tell you what food you can eat - to save the planet [and they're already making food too expensive - to create biofuels to save the planet! :(]

What comes next?

You Germans should be wary of this as something similar happened in the 1930's, didn't it?]

[siebenburgischer]

Some of the basic things about the fluorescent vs halogen/incandescent debate: in cold climates the heat generated by the halogen/incandescent lights is not wasted, it is part of the heating cost. Fluorescent light vibrates at a frequency that is bothersome to some people (negative effects on health,comfort and productivity that were not factored into the calculation) whereas heated filaments have an inertia - they don't cool down that fast so the light is fairly constant. The light temperature for fluorescent lights is dismal compared to incandescent light, especially halogen lights even with all the triphosphor coatings - if you understand the basic mechanism behind gas discharge and black body radiation you understand precisely why. Fluorescent light bulbs have mercury so they lead to environmental poisoning everywhere (as they are not disposed properly). Fluorescent light bulbs also need a long warm up time that adds to the discomfort, and they are especially bad for lighting where a lot of switching occurs (ex. bathrooms). Use of fluorescent lighting in such situations dramatically reduces the lifespan of such bulbs, driving up costs - and negating all saved energy if the manufacturing is factored in. Those are the technical considerations I understand as a physicist. This link might also be useful: http://greenliving.nationalgeographi...cent-3228.html

Regarding the politics, it seems to be an issue of powerful companies making people buy expensive products by outlawing the competition, and it seems to have nothing to do with genuine concern for the environment. It is a very invasive political decision where the freedom of choice is taken away from the people without even asking their opinion or caring about it. This will only will further alienate people from the incompetent bureaucracy of Europe. Policy makers have to be either knowledgeable technocrats (which in this case, they are clearly not) or be able to sell things diplomatically (again, a fail). Educating people to be conscious consumers, inspiring them to be more environmentally friendly and empowering them to make the right decisions is very different from dictating their lives down to minute details. Most people do not want to live in a dictatorship of the latter kind.

[ronlentjes@yahoo.com.au]

A course on the Art of Lighting - Human Factors

Now that Australia has been rudely transformed into a scientifically sound Watts and Lumens

place of Friday the 13th Lighting Expedition due to the PROFIT motives of PHILIPS

ELECTRONICS NV NEDERLANDS, we need proper assessment of lighting needs. Namely the art of

lighting, the human factors of lighting, and the FIGHT for APPROPRIATE lighting practices

other than those of the CARTEL members of the PHILIPS GIANT.


Q. Who started the BAN OF INCANDESCENTS?

A. PHILIPS ELECTRONICS NV NEDERLANDS.


Q. What was the motive behind the ban?

A. PHILIPS was pushing the SALE of it's baby the CFL but was up against the constant client

preference to INCANDESCENT lighting. Americans in a 2003 study kept going back to

INCANDESCENT. Only 2.5% take up.


Q. Why is Australia hushing up those apposed to the BAN?

A. Unlike Canada and USA where this is not allowed, Australia have very bad policy of

white-washing the just opinions of its citizens. This is due to the CRAFTY bribes of PHILIPS

and members of persuasion (to put it mildly). Woolworths is part and parcel of this

collusion.


Q. Why such a push?

A. Huge profits. The INCANDESCENT can only sell for $0.50 to $1.00. A poor profit item. CFL

and LED can pull in approx $6 and $20 accordingly.


Q. What is incandescence?

A. It is light produced by the 'black-body' heating of an object.


Q. Why is this preferred?

A. Incandescence produces an INFINITE range of FREQUENCIES of smooth composition of light.

This kind of light can take all the reflections and refractions and filtering after bouncing

off all the objects in a room lit by this quality of light. It is also a favorable

yellow-white warm light of INFINITE FREQUENCIES that maintains its quality under all the

transformations of dimming and reflections and refractions and filtering that normally

occurs in the process of ambient lighting conditions.


Q. What is the common problem with CFL, Fluorescent, and white-LED?

A. They all produce their light using a selection of approximately 5 different pigments

excited by UV or BLUE LED light. The spectrum is like that of a dead forest of spiky trees

with little fill in. Very poor rendition. Very sensitive to manufacturing and to other

conditions. Resultant lighting becomes very distorted after only a few (if only one)

reflection, refraction or filtering. Many view the light as 'strange' or 'eerie'. Low

quality. Most often rendered as COLD white light. Some 'WARM' pigment versions are still

very strange and vary between BLUE-PURPLE-GREEN-VIOLET off white. Unstable rendition.


Q. Has anyone taken into consideration the human factors of lighting?

A. Not PHILIPS. Not those with VESTED INTERESTS in PROFITS. There is HUGE margin for

profits. Human factors are an annoyance to PHILIPS and they rather use the MEDIA to

propagate FALSE MISINFORMATION about the entire issue. False mentions that people will get

used to this kind of light (absolutely not possible) and false uptake numbers.


Q. Why the hush campaign?

A. Many people DO NOT LIKE the new forms of lighting. It is a natural response. You don't

paint walls pure white. You don't paint them blue-white. You paint off-white with warm

colors for warm effect. No different than the choice of INCANDESCENT lighting. This includes

the use of fire-place lighting, candle lighting, kerosene lighting and incandescent

lighting.


Q. Is it worth abandoning warm, calm, inviting INCANDESCENT lighting just for the sake of

more energy efficient options of poorer forms of lighting such as CFL, Fluorescent and

white-LED?

A. If quality of light, quality of life, quality of health, quality of tourism, quality of

relaxation are of concern, then the answer is simply no. Everything is to be taken in

balance. The most efficient lighting is the most annoying kind of lighting. It is BLUE light

and devoid of BODY (the billions of frequencies of INCANDESCENT lighting).


(cont'd)


Cheers,
Ron Lentjes

[ronlentjes@yahoo.com.au]

A course on the Art of Lighting - Human Factors (cont'd)


Q. Is it worth abandoning warm, calm, inviting INCANDESCENT lighting just for the sake of

more energy efficient options of poorer forms of lighting such as CFL, Fluorescent and

white-LED?

A. If quality of light, quality of life, quality of health, quality of tourism, quality of

relaxation are of concern, then the answer is simply no. Everything is to be taken in

balance. The most efficient lighting is the most annoying kind of lighting. It is BLUE light

and devoid of BODY (the billions of frequencies of INCANDESCENT lighting).


Q. Why is it important to choose quality lighting?

A. You spend all you life under lighting. Choose INCANDESCENCE (fire-place, candle,

kerosene, INCANDESCENT) lighting and you will never suffer from the ills of bad lighting.

You don't have to limit your exposure, you don't get headaches, you don't have biological

stresses from this kind of lighting. It is safe. You're body knows it is safe. But choose

poor lighting (CFL, Fluorescent, white-LED) and you suffer from any number of issue

including BLUE light, UV, Flicker (even new CFL: one at 40,000 Hz and one at 39,990 results

in 10Hz of annoying sickly feel), biological stress from the light and the EMF from

unshielded clipping power supplies in the near radio frequency 40,000 Hz range, the strange

incorrect reflections, refractions, filtering of 5 frequency spikes resulting in eerie and

strange lighting effects. And the UVA, B, C, D, E so on that is NOT filtered from

atmosphere, ionosphere, ozone layers that normally shield us the the Sun's generation of

these UV spectrum (the CFL/FLU is direct to you).


Q. What does Canada say about CFL?

A. Not to be exposed closer than 30cm for no longer than 3 hours per day (or 1 hour for

larger units).


Q. What does Australia say about CFL?

A. (Hushed up).


Q. What does USA say about breaking CFL?

A. Proper guide to all clean up steps to be taken. Step one is to leave the area

immediately, FIRST. Then follow all remaining steps (including NOT to vacuum or sweep with a

broom).


Q. What does Australia say about breaking CLF?

A. (Hushed up).


Q. Why is Australia not backing down?

A. PROFIT.


Q. What does artists and photographers think about this fiasco?

A. Many simply change to in-house studio with their heavily guarded collection of

INCANDESCENT bulbs. Some are upset they cannot take night photography anymore in Australia

outdoors. Many artists have a similar issue with LED. Colored monochromatic lights for

display (not ambient room lighting) is great, fantastic. When lighting white off-white and

moody, use INCANDESCENT only. When general room lighting: Only INCANDESCENT for art.

Fluorescent ok when using machinery to cut things but otherwise not. But white-LED is NOT TO

BE USED FOR ANY PURPOSE what-so-ever. The only exception is non-art. Friday the 13th movies

with eerie scenes: COLD CLF, COLD Fluorescent and EERIE white-LED is perfect for those

'DEAD' scenes.


Q. What do interior decorators feel about CFL and white-LED?

A. They are very angry. I know one in particular who now has a site about how they cannot

properly design because an important tool has been taken away from them: THE INCANDESCENT

LIGHT BULB.


Q. Why does Australia gov't not care?

A. PROFIT.


Q. Where are OHSA complaints about lighting directed?

A. 1st attempt. Sorry, their is no department to handle such a complaint. 2nd attempt. You

have to contact Australia Lighting (aka PHILIPS).


Q. Why have they eliminated all avenues to oversee lighting in Australia?

A. PHILIPS controls the lighting in Australia.


Q. Why are there very few courses for human factors of lighting?

A. PHILIPS educates kids in schools. They want total control of lighting and the resulting

sales and PROFITS.


Q. You've got to be kidding.

A. Do your own research.


Cheers,
Ron Lentjes