Wonder if the supervisor tells everyone that. If so, the local landfill or trash to steam plant could have problems with mercury building up. Definitely not good for the environment. I think I would check with someone else in charge of hazardous waste in your area, graywings-maybe even the feds. I do believe we can reach a point of no return on the poisoning of our planet-check out the way the oil being released into the Gulf (I refuse to call it a "spill" since it is still gushing after a month with no indications of being capped any time soon) is working its way around Florida. Those of us on the East Coast may be wiping tar from our feet this summer. I remember doing that as a kid-when we came home from the beach every day. We had to use turpentine to clean off the tar. Too bad we are back to that point and there seems to be little outrage or action. I think they should be broadcasting and printing pics of all the dead sea creatures and birds as well as the watermen who will now have no way to support themselves and their families. That area of the Gulf is now a dead zone. Sorry to go off topic, but it is all related.

Here is my story: Am in my sixties, have always been a klutz and am now a worse klutz. This past summer while on an out-of-state family visit, I tripped on the stairs of our motel, arced out onto the sidewalk and landed on my palms, elbows, and knees, which prevented me from cracking my skull but did break my leg. The staircase did not have risers, IOW there was an empty space between each step. My shoe caught on the back of the stair and out I went. Spent seven weeks immobilized in a cast, under strict orders not to do anything that would jeopardize the healing of my leg, and under no circumstances to put weight on the in-cast broken leg. Ladies - have you ever tried to wheel a wheelchair (no crutches for me) into your bathroom and to the toilet, scrunched in a tiny space - and get up, pull down your pants, sit, go, wipe, stand up again, pull pants back up, turn, and sit back down - all using one leg only? An experience no male could imagine. I began to dread the urge to "go". And of course our two cats insisted on accompanying me to watch in fascination. All of the docs who saw me, the ER doc, the orthopedist who saw me a few days later, the orthopedist here at home, and my internist, said the same thing - take Vitamin D. Better yet, take it years before something like this happens. More to the story. A few weeks after the cast came off and I was gingerly re-learning to walk and not fear stairs, I was home alone and was suddenly hit with a violent cough after having been on our deck working on my container garden. The cough became so severe that I could not catch my breath - like asthma - and I became extremely weak, unable to stand. Slid into the wheelchair and called the paramedics. Landed in the hospital for four days, having every test imaginable, all fine, no pneumonia, lungs and heart excellent. Final diagnosis - acute bronchitis - brought on by an allergic reaction to the plants (including in our front yard, recently planted and vigorously blooming). The docs said that because I had been immobilized for so long and was moving slowly and carefully post-cast, I had lost the strength to handle the cough, which simply took over and depleted my oxygen intake. In other words, it began with the fall and the cast. Ironically I'd spent last spring doing several months of physical therapy at a wonderful sports medicine center, working to alleviate terrific sciatic pain. Was doing well with core-strengthening exercises, learning to use a stability ball for balance, pedaling away on a recumbent stationary bike, and losing significant weight. All of which came to an end with that pitch off the stairs in Oregon. Will begin again with my trainer in January. I am not complaining; this is part of life and I am a fortunate woman, with a caring DH and good doctors. But I learned a lot. Take my vitamin D. Think about making a home easy and safe for someone who is incapacitated and/or older. Our house was built in 1933 and although we love it, the builders seem to have thrown the codes into Monterey Bay. My wheelchair couldn't go into the kitchen or the back of the house, where the MBR and laundry room are. DH took the entire time off work, except for a few half-days, in order to be my stay-at-home-mom, because I was essentially helpless. I now would never buy a house without wheelchair access, because you never know when you'll need it. It can come with one misstep, no matter your age! Franksmom - you asked about distance around an older person, what is safe and navigable. I would say four feet, at least. And please make that attic inaccessible to your mom! It's a bad accident waiting to happen. Apologies for the length of this. I hope it's in some way useful!

Been trying to tell people this for a long time mote, but seems curious that people go Chicken Little on one thing and ignore a far more serious danger. And amazingly, people will recycle pop bottles and tuna cans, but won't recycle light bulbs. I truly wish I could understand this fear of change. Personally I think the life span of the CFL bulb useage as a whole will be short in the grand scheme of things, all things considered, as I believe the LEDs will be soon taking over with even better savings. However, people will still put crosses in their windows and sprinkle salt at their doors at that time too I imagine. Somewhere in the future there's going to be a lot of peoples' estates given the chore of disposing of all these hoarded light bulbs too I suspect! I will say that there are some differences in color temperature on bulbs and certain bulbs won't seem as bright as others. I find this true with streetlights when you compare sodium vapors with mercury vapors. (Oh heavens!!! MERCURY!!! Our towns are now hazardous waste sites as are many warehouses, even stores. What will we do?) The lamp next to my recliner had a 100w bulb and 2-60w bulbs. I'd use a 60 for general lighting and if company were here, all three would be on, and for reading the newspaper or something the idea was the 100w. It got to the point with incandescent, I needed the 100w with a 60 for comfortable reading. I switched to a 23w and two 13w CFLs. For reading now I only use the 23w (100w comparable) so in reality, during those times, I'm using 23 watts instead of 160. And there were times I'd burn the 3rd bulb so even to offset the occasional use of two at once, it's still clear about the savings. I can't understand how anyone would think a $5/mo variance in a $30 bill with rates and general useage would not be noticible! So it's no sense trying to discuss it. Question for you hersraterdave: If you had the same failure rate on a single particular brand of incandescent bulb, let's say a batch of Binford brand had similar failure, would you quit incandescents and start using candles? Or might you consider another brand or source? Or some other cause of the trouble? I'm just curious. :) Seriously though, although I'm not pleased with the dimming on the dimmable bulbs I put in the kitchen, I am pleased that I'm using 75watts instead of 225 watts and getting more light in the process. That's the result I wanted anyway. But to be fair, I wasn't pleased with the flickering of incandescent in the same fixture on the dimmers either. Given the energy use, I don't feel bad about leaving it on for a while since it's still cheaper than the incandescent. It remains to be seen how long these will last, but (knock China-made wood) so far, so good.

Oh Jane !!!!!! When it rains it pours !! ( have you tried Arnica? it's a herb, but it works great for sprains/bruises.. ) I must tell you that I have always had a soft spot for your name. A few years ago when I was working in a hospital. I walked into a new patients room. I tripped over the first patients shoes hit my head on a IV pump that was hanging over the new gals bed. Her eyes popped out, and without missing a beat I introduced myself as nurse Calamity Jane! Well, she turned purple with laughter, I almost had to send her to the ICU because I feared she'd go into respiratory distress!! I'm not kidding.. ( she was my favorite patient after that) ....anyhoo.. You are not alone in your calamities.. maybe you have them more frequently .... I have size 10 or 11 shoes.. I trip on everything .. ( cept I'm a weeble.....weebles wobble but they don't fall down.. do you remember that little ditty) .. good thing you don't trip on MY shoes!!! Get better soon.. ( google Arnica Montana.. it works) buy stock!!!