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No lighting blog is complete without a CFL FAQ page. In this case it will consist of my comments to a EU CFL FAQ defending the decision to phase out incandescent light despite the many problems and drawbacks with CFLs.
It is a very long list of concerns and complaints they have seen necessary to address, so I'll only quote and comment some of the most relevant points here (not necessarily in original order). Surprisingly, EU actually confirms the crucial points I've described in this blog (CFL light loss, misleading conversion charts, poor power factor, heat replacement effect etc) but still defends the CFL.
Compact Fluorescent Lamp issues
EU FAQ Question: "III.3. Is it true that compact fluorescent lamps produce less light than incandescents?
EU FAQ Answer: "Compact fluorescent lamps can produce just as much light as incandescent bulbs. Consumers should check the product packaging to buy lamps of the appropriate power and light output. Currently, exaggerated claims are often made on the packaging about the light output of compact fluorescent lamps (e.g. that a 11-12 Watt compact fluorescent lamp would be the equivalent of a 60 Watt incandescent, which is not true)."
My comment: Correct. And this means that CFLs do not save "up to" 80% energy as is often claimed.
"The regulation will introduce restrictions on equivalence claims made on the product packaging, in order to keep the claims reasonable. Until then, for guaranteed satisfaction, a simplified method could be used to compare wattages when selecting the compact fluorescent lamp, by applying a 1:4 ratio (example: the light output of 15W compact fluorescent lamp is slightly more than the light output from a 60W incandescent). Even with this conversion ratio, compact fluorescent lamps are much more energy efficient than incandescent bulbs."
Correct (just as I've been saying, see Conversion Charts). Good to see EU suddenly having realised this (after the ban was voted through on the premises that CFLs save "up to 80%"). After this insight, I expect to henceforth never again see the "save 80%" or "give 5 times more light" in an EU document.
"Nevertheless, it is highly recommended to consider the light output of the lamps instead of their wattage if you want to compare them. It is this quantity (expressed in lumens on all lamps from 2010) that really describes the performance of a lamp, therefore it allows direct comparisons without a need for conversion. For example, a 15 W compact fluorescent lamp typically provides 799 lumens of light and a 60 W incandescent lamp 710 lumens. See also III.9."
This is good advice and I hope it will become mandatory information on the package so as to make this comparison possible for consumers.
Life Span
"III.4. Is it true that compact fluorescent lamps have a much shorter life time than generally claimed?
"Untrue. There are indeed low quality compact fluorescent lamps that do not reach their normal life time (6000 h), but most respect the claimed values in average domestic use. The regulation introduces requirements on lifetime so that national market surveillance can eliminate free-runners."
Many of the best CFLs have gotten better in this regard, if the right CFL type is used in the right luminaire so they don't get overheated etc. But there are still a lot of CFLs out there which, for various reasons, don't last as long as claimed (see Life Span).
Light Loss
"III.10. Do compact fluorescent lamps lose light as they age?
"It is true that during their long lifetime, compact fluorescent lamps will gradually emit less light than at the beginning (incandescent bulbs lose light too, but because of their short lifetime the loss is less noticeable)."
Manufacturer catalogues do not mention this so I've called and asked. Sylvania claim their incandescent bulbs lose no light, Osram says around 5%, Philips Lighting says theirs may lose 5-10% but that they don't last long enough for this to be noticable.
"At the end of their life, compact fluorescent lamps often lose 30% of their initial light. This is why the regulation requires that when claims are made on the packaging of a compact fluorescent lamp concerning equivalence with an incandescent bulb (see III.3), the light output (and power) required from the compact fluorescent lamp is overstated. This way the user will get initially more light from the compact fluorescent lamp than from the incandescent bulb that is claimed to be equivalent to the compact fluorescent lamp on the packaging."
I'm assuming this means requiring packages to recommend a 1:4 switch instead of 1:5 (as stated under III.3 above). A good start, but since an 11-12W CFL gave less light than an incandescent to start with, even using a 15W is often not quite enough when light loss is taken into consideration. To stay on the brighter side, a 20W CFL may be more appropriate for the European market = 1:3 switch (see Conversion Charts for more details).
"The regulation also introduces a minimum requirement on light output at the end of life of the lamps. Nevertheless, over its life, the light output of the compact fluorescent lamp may decrease below the light output of the "equivalent" incandescent bulb. Most users should not notice the difference, those who do will have the option of replacing the compact fluorescent lamp earlier than its normal end of life."
Which makes its practical lifespan shorter than claimed (the industry uses something called "economical life rate" which differs from actual life rate) and thereby also alleged savings.
"III.5. Is it true that compact fluorescent lamps should not be switched on/off frequently because it shortens their lifetime? For example, does it make sense to install them in a toilet which is used for 5 minutes 10 times a day?
"This functionality is also addressed by the regulation, requiring that compact fluorescent lamps should reach the claimed life time while being switched on/off once for every hour of operation. Where frequent on/off switching is likely, dedicated compact fluorescent lamps that can endure up to 1 million switching cycles"
In other words, this is a problem, and if one wishes to conserve energy by not leaving lights on, one has to buy a specially dedicated (and no doubt extra expensive) CFL that can tolerate a million switches?
Osram, for example, says their Dulux Long Life and Facility are designed to withstand frequent on-off-switching, whereas their standard CFLs need to stay switched on for at least 3 hours at a time and should only be switched on a couple of times a day in order to last 6000 hours, otherwise their lifespan may be drastically shortened! (Which might explain why some CFLs last only a fraction of their promised life for some consumers.)
This does not sound very energy saving since the best way of conserving some of those few % energy that lighting uses, is to turn it off when leaving the room (or use an occupancy sensor that does this automatically). Since most people probably buy the cheaper standard CFLs and are either not informed at all of this limitation, or unwilling/unable to pay extra for CFLs that don't have these restrictions, the practical lifespan of the average CFL can be considered much shorter than advertised, and potential savings will of course dwindle accordingly.
"…or other energy saving light sources insensitive to switching can be used (such as halogen lamps which will also remain available)."
Yes, halogen lamps do not have the many limitations and huge quality variations that CFLs do and would be an excellent alternative in many cases. But most halogen lamps will be phased out too, starting with all frosted halogen lamps in September.
Other CFL Limitations
"III.11. Is it true that compact fluorescent lamps do not work in cold temperatures?
"A standard compact fluorescent lamp will indeed lose a substantial part of its light output in cold temperatures. However, there exist compact fluorescent lamps designed specifically for outdoor use which can withstand cold temperatures without losing performance. Consumers should watch out for this information (required by the regulation for display on the packaging) when purchasing compact fluorescent lamps."
Another detail consumers need to educate themselves on and watch out for. And pay extra for, of course.
"Improved halogen lamps will also remain available and can operate in any ambient temperature."
Yes, those few low-voltage halogen lamps that will still be permitted after the phase-out period. This is one more reason halogen lamps should not be regulated. They don't have the many limitations that CFLs do.
"III.6. Is it true that compact fluorescent lamps cannot be dimmed?
"Untrue, there are compact fluorescent lamps on the market that can be dimmed, and there are dimmers that can dim any compact fluorescent lamp."
Both of which are much more expensive and may yet be harder to find. Besides, dimming a CFL will not save any energy, only make the light even more grey and dull than it already was. Standard CFLs still can't be dimmed at all.
"Consumers should carefully read product information concerning dimmability."
Correct. One more thing consumers have to educate themselves on besides finding out which CFL type a) can't be used with electronic timers, occupancy detectors or ceiling fans; b) won't work or give less light at cold temperatures, c) will give less output and die sooner in closed luminaires, d) will give too few lumens compared to the recommended incandescent equivalent; e) will or won't give the colour temperature desired, besides reading consumer tests to find out which brands and models will be more likely to give as much light as promised and last as long as promised (if used correctly).
This will be a requirement for each of EUs 500 million citizens if they want to get what they think they're paying for, since the only reliable and good quality options will be phased out.
"Improved halogen lamps will also remain available and provide full dimmability in all circumstances."
Only clear halogen retrofit bulbs with infrared coating and integrated low-voltage transformers (hardly on the market yet and even more expensive than standard halogen lamps already are) will be permitted after the phase-out period. As all frosted halogen retrofit lamps, including Halogen Energy Savers, will be banned from September, this doesn't leave consumers a lot of choice when it comes to an incandescent alternative.
"III.7. Do compact fluorescent lamps really take longer to switch on and warm up to full light output than incandescent lamps?
"True. In order to guarantee an acceptable level of service with any compact fluorescent lamp, the regulation introduces minimum requirements on switch-on and warm-up times. Switching on a compact fluorescent lamp shall not take more than 2 seconds, and it should reach 60% of its full light output within one minute."
60% within a minute? But what if one wants 100% immediately? (Like one gets from those incandescent and halogen lamps now being phased out…)
"However, there are now compact fluorescent lamps on the market that come close to incandescent bulbs for these performance parameters from the point of view of the average consumer. If these are features consumers are concerned about, they should look out for the information on the product packaging, where the manufacturers will be required to display warmup-times."
Ah, another vital piece of information the consumer will have to search for! And probably pay extra for. And these still won't reach 100% instantly, since that's not possible with CFL technology.
"III.9 Is it true that compact fluorescent lamps do not always fit in the luminaires housing incandescent lamps?
"Compact fluorescent lamps exist today in many sizes and shapes to replace incandescent bulbs. Where there is indeed too little room for any compact fluorescent lamp to fit in, improved halogen bulbs could be used to replace incandescent bulbs."
Which may be too hot or glaring and are not always the most appropriate option even if they give an equivalent high quality light. And low voltage halogen is often somewhat whiter.
Power Factor
"III.16. Compact fluorescent lamps cause losses in the electrical distribution grid due to a poor power factor. Incandescents do not. Is this taken into account when assessing their energy efficiency?
"According to the technical study ordered by the Commission to prepare for the regulation on household lamps (http://www.eup4light.net/) even if we assume they have a poor power factor, compact fluorescent lamps are overall much more energy efficient than incandescents."
Translation: "Yes, we have been made aware of this uncomfortable fact, but since CFLs still save something, it doesn't matter if it's 50% rather than 80%."
"Besides, the regulation on household lamps requires a minimum power factor for compact fluorescent lamp lamps."
So all lamps with below PF 0.85 will be banned from September…? Or just a similar recommendation as for Energy Star: a minimum of 0.5 in order for manufacturers to get the EU energy label by claiming to pass this generous requirement? Which means that such a CFL will use about twice as much energy as is marked with (see Power Factor).
Heat Replacement Effect
"III.17. Incandescent bulbs produce a lot of heat, compact fluorescent lamps much less. When compact fluorescent lamps replace incandescent bulbs in a room, does the increased heating need in the room negate the energy saving through the lower consumption of lighting?
Here we get all the standard counter-arguments (see Heat Replacement Effect) listed together:
"Though it is accepted that incandescent lamps emit heat, incandescent bulbs are not an efficient way to regulate indoor temperature."
And I repeat that people don't use lights to regulate indoor temperature but to see what they're doing.
"The location on the ceiling is inefficient"
Invalid argument since heat circulates and most homes have lights lower down in the room.
"electrical heating itself is inefficient compared to other forms of heating (e.g. gas or heat pumps),
Correct, but see above about people using lamps for seeing, not for heating.
"the heating is unnecessary in the summer period and may even result in increased cooling needs, and not all rooms needing lighting need also heating. Because of all these factors, heat from lighting is considered as energy loss rather than useful energy."
In the summer it is usually lighter so less artificial light is needed. And studies on the heat replacement effect have taken seasonal variations and other factors into consideration when making their calculations.
"Nevertheless, when it comes to quantifying the improvement potential of the switch from incandescent lamps to compact fluorescent lamps, the UK Market Transformation Programme recommends using correction factors [3], to take into account what they call the "heat replacement effect". But even these factors remove only 20 to 30% of the estimated savings in energy costs and CO2 emissions, meaning that the balance of savings achieved is still substantial both for the consumer and for the environment."
Hm, let's see what the study referred to actually says:
"The magnitude of the heat replacement effect for lights in a typical UK dwelling"
"Comparing cases 2 and 3 shows that for the dwelling simulated in this study, 0.363 MWh/yr of electricity is saved by replacing tungsten lamps with CFLs. Because of this, the annual heat requirement increases by 0.220 MWh/yr. This implies a heat replacement factor of 60.6%. However, an allowance should be made for lighting energy used in external lighting. The factor fin (95%) is therefore applied, leading to a heat replacement factor R of 57.6%.
"In terms of delivered energy savings, assuming a 70% efficient gas heating system provides the extra heat, 100% / 70% = 1.429 times the quantity of missing heat from lights will be required to heat the dwelling to the same level. Using the formula from [1] the delivered energy saving factor is thus 17.7%. In other words, only 17.7% of the gross delivered energy saving will be achieved in practice.
"In terms of fuel costs, replacing tungsten lamps with CFLs reduced electricity consumption by 0.363 MWh/yr and increased space heating consumption by 0.220 MWh/yr. However, since electricity is more expensive than gas (by a factor of about 4 in the UK), the gross cost saving will not be so heavily reduced when including the effect of heat replacement. In this case, 84.4% of the gross cost saving will be achieved.
"Similarly, in terms of carbon savings, because electricity is significantly more carbon intensive than gas in the UK (by a factor of 2.2), the gross carbon saving is not as heavily reduced when converting to a saving net of heat replacement. Simulation cases 2 and 3 suggest 61.4% of the gross carbon saving will be achieved." [emphases added]
Interesting way of focusing on cost and CO2 and conveniently omitting the part about "only 17.7% of the gross energy saving will be achieved in practice". (And in this simulation they have of course calculated with maximum claimed/imaginary savings for CFLs, as pro-CFL studies always do.)
"The improved retrofit halogen bulbs that will remain available only provide 25-45% energy savings compared to incandescent bulbs (whereas compact fluorescent lamps save up to 80%), which means they still radiate much of the energy they use as heat rather than light."
But the above study just confirmed that this same heat helps keep heating bills down in the UK and cooler climate countries. And CFLs still don't save "up to 80%" – especially not with heat replacement effect taken into consideration!
Light Quality
"III.8. Isn't the shape of compact fluorescent lamps ugly and do they not produce unpleasant light (also in terms of colour rendering, colour temperature and light spectrum)?
"Consumers usually find modern quality CFLs perfectly suitable for everyday tasks and aesthetically pleasing."
No they don't. True that many men don't seem to notice a difference, but then men often have poorer colour vision than women (but better night vision). Most women I've asked or read comments from – and quite a few men too! – do not like fluorescent light or CFLs at all due to the unnatural looking light even from the 'new and improved' top brand lamps. (Yes, this is anecdotal but so is the EU claim to the contrary.)
"There may be some substandard compact fluorescent lamps on the market, but those will be removed through the functionality requirements of the regulation."
But according to recent Swedish consumer tests, over half of the CFLs tested still had a strange colour. And even the most incandescent-mimicking good quality 'warm-white' CFL with double envelope still has a pinkish tinge that might be acceptable in a shaded luminaire but looks distinctly fluorescent and sterile in open luminaires where you see the lamp (or part of it). As this type will be the only frosted retrofit lamp available for open and task luminaires after September, I predict a lot of unhappy customers.
The CRI around 80-83 (medium-good colour rendering) for standard lamps has been the same for decades and will not improve since that means adding more expensive rare elements (which have to be mined out of the ground; not exactly improving the environment).
"Improved halogen lamps will also remain available and produce exactly the same light quality as incandescent bulbs."
Correct about quality, incorrect about availability (see previous comment above).
"Overall, the perception of shape and light quality is quite subjective, however there are parameters that can be measured. On some of these parameters, CFLs are actually doing better than incandescent bulbs and halogens."
This is a direct lie. Not even manufacturers' own catalogues or anyone in the lighting business claim such a thing. CRI values (= colour rendering properties) are always highest for incandescent & halogen light, and spectral power distribution charts show why this is so (see Light quality).
"Modern CFLs come in a variety of sizes and shapes approaching that of incandescent bulbs. The outer lamp envelope that hides the small twisted lighting tubes has become commonplace, and makes CFLs resemble frosted (non-transparent) incandescent bulbs in appearance."
Correct, except the resemblence is only in shape, not in light quality. Though due to the bigger base they don't always fit in existing luminaires, especially not the candle type CFLs. And the smaller/lower watt CFLs often have poorer performance and durability.
Colour rendering
"In order to ensure proper colour rendering (ability to reproduce the colours of the objects lit) for CFLs, the draft regulation introduces a minimum requirement on this product parameter."
Which I assume is the same as the current standard of CRI 80-83? Unless the minimum is set at CRI 95-97 (which improves colour rendition but reduces light output by about 30% and makes it many times more expensive due to use of more phosphors), and poorer quality CFLs will be banned, this sentence only means that EU deems medium-quality light in exchange for top-quality incandescent light an acceptable lower standard for EU citizens.
Unfortunately, the lighting industry have created a lighting standard where CRI around 80 is called "good" when in reality it's only mediocre. Anyone who has bought a fabric or chosen paint or wallpaper under standard fluorescent lighting in a shop, only to later find it a different shade than they thought they bought, will know the importance of perfect colour rendering – like you get from natural daylight and from incandescent light.
Colour temperature
"CFLs can be produced with different colour temperatures (warm/cold) depending on consumer needs, whereas incandescent lamps can only provide warm white light."
As stated earlier, special incandescent and halogen lamps come in different colours too, and LEDs come in even more colour varieties, so this feature is not unique to CFLs.
"The draft regulation requires the indication of colour temperature on the lamp's packaging, so consumers should watch out for this information."
Good. But colour temperature for non-glowing light sources is only an approximation when compared to a blackbody radiating light source such as an incandescent lamp. It may or may not look like real daylight or incandescent light, depending on the quality of the CFL and relative success in mimicking the real thing. All too often it does not look quite like the original.
Light spectrum
"The light spectrum of incandescent bulbs resembles that of natural daylight in that it is a continuous curve with no abrupt changes across the spectrum of colours. On the other hand, natural daylight is as strong at the blue and ultraviolet wavelengths as at the yellow and red wavelengths, whereas light from incandescent bulbs has very little blue component and an extremely high proportion of red and infrared component (therefore their light is very yellow and most of it is emitted as heat)."
Correct. Incandescent light (at wattages normal for indoor use) is like sunlight towards sunset. This warm golden-white light is often preferred for home use and makes people and natural materials look their best. This is why manufacturers have tried to copy it in CFLs (with varying degrees of success) and why people are clearing the shelves to stock up on incandescent lamps. And despite being warm in tone, the incandescent spectrum includes enough blue to make blue colours fully visible – unlike fluorescent light which doesn't let the eye see all wavelengths due to spikes and gaps in the spectrum.
"Compact fluorescent lamps differ from natural daylight in that they do not have a continuous spectrum. They emit a high amount of light at certain wavelengths and almost nothing at adjacent wavelengths."
Correct. Which is what often makes a room look strange, dull and unappealing when lit solely by CFL light.
"However, in terms of the proportion of light emitted within the blue and red wavelength ranges, there are compact fluorescent lamps that are able to reproduce daylight more precisely than incandescent bulbs."
Correct. But 'full-spectrum' daylight CFL is a more expensive specialist product, just like there are Solux halogen daylight lamps which have even higher light quality and colour rendering properties. But these special products have little to do with the standard, reasonably affordable, CFL that people can buy in their local supermarket and which we are discussing as replacements for standard incandescent bulbs.
"Q: III.12. Aren't compact fluorescent lamps much more expensive than incandescent bulbs?
"Compact fluorescent lamps are actually much cheaper than incandescent bulbs if you consider also lamp life time and costs related to electricity consumption while using the lamps."
The original sales argument repeated once again. Is this a CFL FAQ or a CFL ad?
"During the lifetime of one compact fluorescent lamp you will have used 6-10 incandescent lamps. And the compact fluorescent lamp will consume one fourth / one fifth of the electricity consumed by incandescents, another cost saver."
I thought the "one fifth" argument was not going to be used anymore since it was already established earlier in this document that no CFL saves that much?
"A six-year-life energy-saving bulb would save about €60 during its lifetime (80W incandescent versus 20W compact fluorescent lamp). This is based on an assumption of 3 continuous burning hours per day, for an energy cost of 0,15 €/kWh.
Double envelope and poorer quality CFLs of course save less since they don't give as much light in the beginning and lose more as they age. If one has to replace the CFL sooner due to light loss, that too cuts savings. Same if one gets a CFL that gives up sooner than promised, or is used in the wrong luminaire. One may also be charged extra by one's utility to compensate for poor power factor, and pay extra for the heat loss in cooler climates etc.
So, net savings are often markedly less than promised in these optimistic calculations, especially with a poor quality CFL (it is actually more economic to pay more for a brand CFL, if you don't mind fluorescent light).
If EU should ban every top quality product on the market because there is a poorer quality product that might save the consumer a few euros per year (if used correctly) there would be very few products left. I wonder what would happen if the same policy was applied to the auto industry? (That might actually save the planet but it would probably not be very practical or popular…)
Total Energy Use
"III.13. More materials and energy are needed to produce a compact fluorescent lamp than an incandescent bulb, and it also results in more waste at the end of life. Does this not outweigh the benefits of its energy efficiency?
"According to the technical study ordered by the Commission to prepare for the regulation on household lamps (http://www.eup4light.net/), the impact of energy savings during the use of a compact fluorescent lamp clearly outweigh the environmental impact of its production and its end-of-life. Therefore using them rather than incandescent bulbs reduces the overall energy use and the environmental impact of lighting."
A more exact reference would be desirable. I'm sure they were made by CFL enthusiasts on the premises that CFLs "give 5 x more light"/"save 80% energy". And that they only cover the assembly, not the mining of rare minerals, turning the oil into plastic, or manufacturing and shipping of all the different parts (e.g. like the ballasts which, even for the same brand and lamp type, are made by many different manufacturers from different parts of the world).
"III.14. Is it true that because of high energy use at start-up, compact fluorescent lamps have to remain switched on for 45 minutes before they bring any energy saving at all?
"No. The energy use of compact fluorescent lamps in the first 2 to 3 seconds of their operation is slightly higher, but after that their power uptake is stabilised. In practice, they provide energy savings right from the moment they are switched on."
Probably correct, though savings, as we have seen, are not as big as claimed. And many standard CFLs need to be switched-on for at least 15 minutes or more in order to not shorten their life, which makes them unsuitable and uneconomical in places you only visit for a short while, e.g. bathroom, closet etc.
"III.15. Compact fluorescent lamps contain mercury, a hazardous material, incandescent bulbs do not. If more compact fluorescent lamps are used, does it not mean more mercury pollution in the EU?"
"Mercury is present in compact fluorescent lamps in such a small amount that during its lifetime a compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) will have saved more mercury emissions from electricity production in coal power plants (compared to the mercury emissions related to the incandescent bulbs' electricity need) than is contained in the CFL itself."
The usual flawed PR-argument recycled once more (see Mercury).
"Moreover, CFLs should be recycled according to EU legislation already in place."
Should be does not mean that all will be.But 5 mg x millions of CFLs still adds up to tons of mercury in landfills if not recycled properly. The fact that dental amalgam and old thermometers contain more mercury does not in any way make CFL mercury less of an environmental hazard, only makes it seem as if EU has some vested interest in downplaying the significance of mercury in CFLs.
"Compact fluorescent lamps have been widely used in European homes in the past decade, they will not be introduced by this regulation."
But they will be more or less mandated by banning its most popular and affordable competitors. The whole idea of this ban is to boost CFL sales, whether consumers want them or not, isn't it?
That CFL sales have been permitted for a decade without adequate information and routines for recycling is not exactly a point in favour of the CFL lobby, but a scandal in itself, as who-knows-how-many CFLs have already ended up in landfills?!
"Most office and public buildings, and also most streets have been equipped for the last 50 years with fluorescent and high-intensity discharge lamps containing mercury (often much more than compact fluorescent lamps)."
Correct, but linear FL tubes in offices are used in ceiling luminaires and street HID lamps are placed far above pedestrian level, neither which can be knocked-over or thrown away with household garbage, so there is little health risk to citizens, and businesses & public agencies usually have well-established recycling routines for their burned-out lamps. So the fact that other types of mercury-containing lamps have been used safely in non-residential environments is not as reassuring as it's meant to sound, and has absolutely nothing to do with home lighting or CFLs (which is what is being discussed here).
"The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (2002/96/EC) provides for the collection and recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipments (WEEE), including lighting equipment such as CFLs. The Directive sets out collection requirements for all WEEE, specific treatment requirements and a recycling target for gas discharge lamps (including CFLs). According to the requirements, mercury needs to be removed from the collected lamps through treatment, and their recycling should meet an 80% minimum target. Once consumers learn that they have to take back their burned-out CFLs to collection points just as they do with batteries, the mercury content will be recycled and not released to the environment."
"Member States have to ensure that users of electrical and electronic equipment are given the necessary information about the requirement not to dispose lamps as unsorted municipal waste and to collect such waste separately, as well as about the return and collection system available to them. After the regulation is adopted, the Commission will remind the Member States of the need to reinforce the recycling of CFLs on their territory."
I'm sure some member states already have or will be able to put time, money and effort into informing their citizens and establishing good recycling routines, while other member states may have more pressing matters on their agenda and few funds to finance such operations with.
And even with successful information campaigns and easily accessible recycling facilities, states still can't guarantee that every individual will comply. The only way to ensure no more mercury in landfills is to not allow mercury-containing products on the market if there exists a mercury-free alternative. And we do have such alternatives: incandescent, halogen and LED.
"The Commission also proposed to recast the WEEE Directive on 3 December 2008, so that the collection target for all WEEE is increased and the recycling target for gas discharge lamps is set at the level of 85%. This proposal will now go to co-decision with the Council and the European Parliament."
Good target but target still doesn't mean 85% will be recycled (see Recycling).
"From a life-cycle perspective, the proposed regulation is in any case the most eco-efficient solution. Indeed, according to the technical study ordered by the Commission to prepare for the regulation on household lamps (http://www.eup4light.net/), even in the worst possible case that a CFL goes to the landfill, during its lifetime it will have saved more mercury emissions from electricity production in coal power plants (compared to the mercury emissions related to the incandescent bulbs' electricity need) than is contained in the CFL itself, so the overall mercury pollution balance will be positive."
Again assuming that:
a) all energy for light bulbs comes from coal, which is not correct (Eurostat says 29% of EU electricity production 2006 come from coal) and type of energy source may vary greatly between countries and regions;
b) CFLs save 80% energy, which they don't (more like 50% for the best, and less for the rest);
c) that reducing up to 1.5% of the c. 3% of domestic energy that is used for lighting will reduce emissions from coal fired power plants better than mandating filtering systems for EU power plants that would deal directly with the coal powered part of the remaining 97%. See http://www.ceolas.net/#li19x
"III.21. Compact fluorescent lamps contain mercury, which is a highly toxic substance. Do compact fluorescent lamps represent a danger to health because of that?"
"Mercury is an important component of compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) that plays a key role in their energy efficiency and also other parameters such as lifetime and warm-up times. There are up to 5 milligrams (0,005 grams) of mercury contained in a CFL (compared to 0,5 g in dental amalgam filling or several grams in older thermometers). The 5 mg limit is set in the Restriction on Hazardous Substances Directive (2002/95/EC)."
"The mercury content cannot escape from CFLs, except in the event of accidental breakage of the lighting tubes. In that case less than 5 milligrams of mercury could be released."
Correct. And this is obviously too much, or safety guidelines would be unnecessary:
"The draft Ecodesign regulation requires manufacturers to explain on their websites how consumers should clean debris in case the CFL's tubes accidentally break, and to include on the packaging of each lamp the link to online explanations. Such an explanation is already available on the website of the European Lamp Companies Federation."
Good. Though one wonders how many were broken before these recommendations came up. And why the Commission hasn't issued its own guidelines.
"Buying commonly available CFLs with an outer non-breakable lamp envelope is another way to address the issue of mercury leakage in case of accidental lamp breakage, but the envelope slightly lowers (about 10%) their efficacy."
This doesn't eliminate the risk but lowers it (and makes the light less glaring and unattractive).
"Consumers who would particularly worry about mercury can choose alternative technologies such as improved halogen lamps."
See previous comments about the limited availability of halogen, and non-availability of frosted halogen.
About the incandescent ban
"III.2. By banning incandescent bulbs, are you forcing the use of compact fluorescent lamps? Are they not bad alternatives to incandescent bulbs?
"The best compact fluorescent lamps today can offer lighting functionalities approaching and in some respect surpassing that of incandescent bulbs (e.g. higher variety of colour temperatures)."
There are incandescent lamps too that come in 'peach', 'cream', 'daylight' etc. so this is not unique to CFLs. This sonds more like a desperate attempt at finding something good to say about them.
And this 'colour variety' diversion evades the questions, to which the answers are: yes – EU is forcing the use of CFLs, and yes – they are bad alternatives to incandescent bulbs, for all the reasons listed above and below and now confirmed by this very EU FAQ.
"In order to guarantee a minimum quality for compact fluorescent lamps on the market, the regulation also establishes requirements on product functionality (lifetime, warmup times, colour rendering etc.)."
This still won't make them start immediately or have perfect colour rendering like incandescent and halogen lamps since this is not possible with flourescent light technology.
Nor will retailers be prohibited from importing and selling poor quality CFLs. EU will just give a 'quality stamp' to those CFLs that are reasonably decent, meaning very little the regulations is like EnergyStar, which is based merely on manufacturer claims or tested on bulbs chosen by the manufacturer.
"The ENERGY STAR labeling program for residential lighting products merely requires data submission and certification by the product manufacturers. Product samples tested are "self-picked" by the manufacturer. No follow-up testing on actual products purchased from retail is required by ENERGY STAR. In addition, no centralized data review or challenge process exists within the lighting industry relative to the performance of residential ENERGY STAR lighting products."
"Requirements for adequate information provision on the product functionalities will also ensure that consumers can make informed choices. See the other questions in section III for the details."
Similar but not the same. The main similarity is the frosted outer bulb on CFLs that have a double envelope. But fluorescent light doesn't radiate and glow like incandescent light does, as it's a 'dead' chemical light.
"but different light from clear (transparent) lamps which are bright point light sources. In order for such lamps to continue to exist, the regulation allows transparent improved (class C according to the lamp energy label) halogen bulbs on the market."
Correct. They may do to replace some clear bulbs, but are more glaring and may not be a suitable as replacement for frosted bulbs.
"Improved halogen bulbs provide exactly the same type and quality of light as incandescent bulbs or conventional halogens, they come in the same shapes and appearance, and fit into all existing luminaires. They start and provide their full light output as soon as they are switched on, and they are insensitive to frequent switching. These lamps can be useful also for consumers who are looking for alternatives to compact fluorescent lamps for other reasons (sensitivity to light or aesthetic considerations such as need for small lamps in decorative luminaires). Improved halogen bulbs for luminaires using incandescent bulbs are already available on the market, however their use is not yet widespread. Large manufacturers have them in their product portfolio (look for lamps such as 'HaloLux Classic ES', 'EcoClassic30' or 'MasterClassic EcoBoost')."
Correct. But the clear ones will only be permitted for a few more years. And the frosted Halogen Energy Savers will be forced off the market now in September – exactly one year after their market introduction! If this incandescent ban is not revoked, frosted retrofit Halogen Energy Savers must still be permitted indefinitely, or until an even better alternative has been created.
Frosted bulbs don't give less light than clear bulbs so there is no reason whatsoever to ban frosted other than to force people to buy CFLs against their will. Forcing consumers to buy a mercury-containing product they don't want – because it is an inferior quality product – is clearly a gross violation of personal freedom!
"I.8. People are likely to stock up incandescent bulbs when they hear about the regulation. Does this not weaken the impact of the measure?
"Communication to consumers about available equivalent alternatives to incandescent bulbs (such as improved halogen bulbs) could help prevent much of the stocking of bulbs. Consumers will realise in the end that the alternatives provide substantial savings and have equivalent light quality to incandescents. They might decide not to use their old energy-wasting bulbs, or to install them only in rarely used places such as cellars. Moreover, the estimate of 15 Mt CO2 savings was calculated for the year 2020, by then any delaying effect of "hamstering" will have disappeared."
That's 11 years away! By that time we need to have done some something about the real problems instead of hunting droplets in the energy ocean… like that less than 1% used for home lighting in Europe.
"I.9. Is it not disproportionate to ban incandescent bulbs from the market? Would it not be better to make use of other measures to achieve the switch (such as voluntary restrictions as in the UK, information to the public or taxation)?"
"The draft regulation introducing minimum efficiency requirements (rather than a voluntary approach) is in line with the principle of proportionality. There is clearly a market failure in moving to the alternatives providing the least life cycle cost to the consumers. Since 1998, household lamps have to indicate their energy efficiency on the packaging, thanks to implementing measure 98/11/EC of the Energy Labelling Directive (92/75/EEC)."
Which resulted in the CFL Quality Charter, right? The "Quality Charter" that requires only 660 (initial) lumen from a CFL to replace a 700 lumen standard 60W incandescent lamp, and permit labels that recommend an erroneous 1:5 switch (adressed earlier in III.3)? This is what the European Commission has said about it:
"The CFL Quality Charter is a voluntary scheme. It is opened to lamp manufacturers, CFLs importers and retailers willing to comply with the Charter rules and market in the European Union CFLs that meet the Charter requirements."
Residential Lighting Consumption and Saving Potential in the Enlarged EU
Yet even such EU-sanctioned exaggerations from manufacturers, utilities and governmental agencies alike, obviously hasn't impressed consumers enough to replace all their top quality incandescent lamps with inferior quality CFL. Perhaps because they would rather save on something else than ruining their home atmosphere by compromising on something as essential as light quality?
"In spite of the clear indications provided on the packaging and campaigns in many Member States, consumers have failed to direct their choices to the more efficient lamps offering equivalent service, and have been largely sticking to incandescent bulbs. This is due to the fact that the purchase price difference between incandescent bulbs and more efficient alternatives constitutes a psychological barrier, even if the higher initial investment pays off within a year and brings substantial (but much less visible) savings over the life cycle. Another deterring factor has been the sometimes poor quality of the so-called economic lamps placed on the market without being subject to quality requirements. This market failure can only be tackled with mandatory requirements on the efficiency level of all household lamps placed on the market in the EU."
What? Manufacturers fail to produce a decent enough alternative and it is considered a "market failing" that people don't like the inferior product and refuse to replace all of their lamps, despite such an unprecedented global PR-campaign from governmental agencies, utilities and environmental organizations, including free giveaways, subsidies, events, commercials, articles, brochures – and most people nowadays really wanting to be green – so this has to be tackled with "mandatory requirements"? Doesn't that go against the very idea of the free market and consumer choice?
"This also serves the interests of the internal market, as voluntary restrictions or taxes introduced in certain Member States or by some retailer groups in Europe would create barriers to the free movement of goods. They would have different efficiency limits and timing of the restrictions. In addition, for taxation to be an effective deterrant, it should multiply by 10 the price of incandescent bulbs."
If the EU can legislate about a universal bulb ban, they can just as easily mandate a lower VAT for A-rated energy products and higher for E-rated products. Even a small price increase may inspire those who don't mind compromising on quality to buy alternative products. Especially when LEDs get affordable enough.
"Still the main point is that efficient lighting as provided for in the draft regulation is a way to save energy, to limit CO2 emissions and to help consumers save money without loss of functionality."
As we have seen above, the CFL doesn't save as much as claimed of either and functionality is lost for all those who for various reasons need top quality incandescent light and cannot tolerate CFL light (see Health & Wellbeing).
As this is not in accordance with the draft regulation and the decision seems to have been taken on the false premises that CFLs save "up to" 80% energy and lighting constituting 20% of home energy use when it is only around 3%, this should be enough grounds to revoke the ban and just keep educating people on energy saving measures while subsidising measures that can make a real difference, which is switching to alternative fuels/methods for space heating & cooling, electricity production and transport.


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Personalised cancer drug hope
Researchers have today published a new "encyclopaedia" detailing how hundreds of different cancer cells respond to anti-cancer agents, BBC News has reported.
The research is part of a high-profile project to unlock how genetics controls the way cancerous cells respond to chemotherapy and drugs in the lab. It could potentially lead to personalised treatments. For example, if a patient were to have their tumour tested, doctors could potentially choose the best drug based on the tumour's specific characteristics.
The initial results that will form part of the encyclopaedia have been published in two large studies. These provide details on hundreds of different laboratory-grown cancer cell lines. Cell lines are isolated cells that mimic the characteristics and genetic diversity of human cancer cells. Each of these cell lines was exposed to more than 100 drugs, and data were collected on the effectiveness of thousands of different cell and drug combinations, at least in a laboratory setting.
Why build a cancer encyclopaedia?
Drug development trials and clinical trials have shown that tumours, even from a single type of cancer, can respond to cancer drugs in different ways. A drug can prove highly effective in one patient but produce little effect in another, even with a seemingly similar cancer. Also, drug companies have long struggled to work out which patients are most likely to benefit from a drug in advance of clinical trials. As cancer is caused by faulty genes (segments of DNA), leading to uncontrolled cell growth, scientists have long sought to predict which drugs will be effective based on the genetic characteristics of the cancer cells.
Cancer treatments are already increasingly being tailored to the particular genetic characteristics of a tumour, but this shift in treatment practice is in its early stages. This type of approach has become known as "personalised medicine". In the field of cancer this could lead to treatment being tailored according to the specific genetic characteristics of the cancer cells of the person being treated. Currently, many cancer drugs only work in a small proportion of patients who are given them. Gaining extra knowledge in advance about who is most likely to benefit is a desirable research aim.
The authors behind the cancer encyclopaedia, which is available to the whole cancer research community, hope their database will be an important resource for the scientific community and ultimately lead to better treatment for patients with cancer.
Having a cancer encyclopaedia may aid drug development by improving our understanding of how drug effectiveness is linked to cancer genetics. It provides information to researchers, drug companies and health professionals about which types of drugs are most likely to work on different types of cancers, and how this is linked to the genetic characteristics of the tumour cells.
How is the research being performed?
Laboratory-grown cancer cells are frequently used by researchers studying cancer and developing new drugs. However, results from laboratory cells do not always translate into clinically useful results as the cells grown in the lab are not surrounded by other cells in the body. Furthermore, drugs that are added in the laboratory do not have to circulate in the body before reaching the cells, so may have different effects.
Despite these differences, laboratory tumour cells are very useful in cancer research as they allow researchers to test large numbers of drugs in large numbers of cells relatively quickly. In some cases this can be automated using robotic technology, speeding up the process and allowing many combinations of drugs and cancer cells to be tested rapidly. The sharing of the results through a single, centralised source also means that there is likely to be a reduction in overlapping research, so that time, money and valuable resources are not needlessly committed to researching the same premises repeatedly.
The two new studies published today provide an overview of how the research constituting the encyclopaedia could work and the type of results it can provide. In the studies, researchers analysed and documented the detailed genetic features of hundreds of laboratory-grown cancer cell lines, mimicking the many different types of human cancers. The researchers then cross-referenced these genetic characteristics with the way the cells responded to approved drugs, as well as drugs in development. Now that the results of these two studies have merged they provide the most complete picture yet of how genetic differences shape a cancer's response to drugs.
The first of these studies assessed the genetic information of 947 cancer cell lines and exposed 479 of these cell lines to 24 different anti-cancer drugs to test how sensitive they were to the drugs. The second study profiled the genetics of 639 cancer cell lines and how they responded to 130 drugs. Together the studies provide detailed information on thousands of combinations of drugs and cancer cells, as well as the genetic factors governing how these cells responded.
The collaborative research was funded by the Wellcome Trust. Any financial links between the researchers and pharmaceutical companies are declared in the reports.
What has it found so far?
Both research groups have already been able to use their "cancer encyclopaedia" to highlight potential new avenues for treating a type of cancer called Ewing's sarcoma, a rare bone cancer that affects mainly children and young adults. One of the teams, for instance, found that Ewing's cancer cells were sensitive to a certain type of drug called PARP inhibitors. Nature News reported that one of the PARP inhibitors is already being tested as a treatment for other cancers in clinical trials, and that the encyclopaedia findings may speed up the transition to testing this drug against Ewing's sarcoma in the future.
How could the results be used?
The research authors hope the results of the encyclopaedia can eventually be used to help predict which types of cancer cell will be sensitive to anti-cancer drugs so that treatment of people with cancer can be tailored to the individual. This would work by assessing the genetic characteristics of extracted cancer cells and matching them against the best available drugs according to the encyclopaedia's results.
The encyclopaedia can do this by helping to guide current cancer research by highlighting previously unknown links between the genetics of a cancer and its reaction to new or existing drugs. The discovery that PARP inhibitors may be useful in the treatment of Ewing's sarcoma is a good example of this in action.
It is hoped that this type of research could lead to better methods of predicting which cancer drugs will be most effective for treating cancer patients, based on the genetics of their particular cancer. Crucially, this could help predict the best drug for the job before the drug is given, potentially reducing the number of drugs given inappropriately or minimising unnecessary side effects caused by giving a range of drugs that are unlikely to work.
Developing personalised, targeted cancer treatments around an individual's specific tumour, rather than simply trying the best option for the broad type of cancer they have, has long been a goal of cancer treatment. This research paves the way for a new phase of research aiming to unlock the way genetics controls the behaviour of cancer cells, and eventually this may lead to great improvements in the way people with cancer are treated in the future.
Analysis by Bazian. Edited by NHS Choices.
Researchers have today published a new "encyclopaedia" detailing how hundreds of different cancer cells respond to anti-cancer agents, BBC News has reported. The research is part of a high-profile...
Links to Headlines
Cancer: 'Book of knowledge' published. BBC News. March 28 2012
Links to Science
Research article
Garnett MJ, Edelman EJ, Heidorn SJ, et al. Systematic identification of genomic markers of drug sensitivity in cancer cells. Published online 28 March 2012
Research letter
Barretina J, Caponigro G, Stransky N, et al. The Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia enables predictive modelling of anticancer drug sensitivity. Published online 28 March 2012
News story
Nature News: Cancer screen yields drug clues. Published March 28 2012
Press release
Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute: The path to personalised cancer treatment. March 28 2012
Related Articles
- Cancer treatment response may be affected by gut bacteria
- Acid reflux drugs linked to increased stomach cancer risk
- New genetic variants associated with breast cancer identified
- Men who perform oral sex on women 'more at risk of mouth and throat cancers'
- Many new cancer drugs show 'no clear benefit', argues review
Useful Links
- NHS Choices links
- Health news about genetics
- About genetic testing
- About cancer (all forms)
- About medical research
- Article's categories
- Cancer
- Genetics/stem cells
- QA articles
- Article Review/Published Date
- Classification
- Credits Section
- Analysis by Bazian
- Edited by the NHS website

subset: commoncrawl


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Every year we alternate. It's a little tradition from our college dating days. This year it's his turn to plan Valentine's Day. Let's hope I've dropped the necessary hints. Such a dangerous statement. Today he told me he was going to make me dinner from scratch. Usually I'd be jumping off the walls excited. However, I bet him a made-from-scratch dinner a month ago. He lost the bet. Smart boy—he thought he'd kill two birds with one stone. Smarter boy—he'll come to his senses before the 14th. One can only hope.
Last year, I topped off dinner with Chocolate Pudding. It was so good and simple I had to share it with you. Sharing is caring after all. Speaking of, go ahead and click the email icon at the bottom of the post. And send this recipe to your significant other. Dropping hints is a good thing. A very good thing. And so is chocolate pudding in mason jars. With whipped cream on top. Wont you be mine? Valentine?
- 1 3/4 tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tbsp. cocoa powder
- 1/2 c. sugar
- hefty pinch of coarse salt
- 3/4 c. milk
- 1 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 large egg, beaten
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/3 c. heavy cream
- 1 tsp. powdered sugar
- cocoa powder or shaved chocolate, for garnishing
- Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Pour the mixture through a sieve into a medium saucepan in order to get rid of any lumps. Whisk in milk until combined.
- Stir the mixture over medium heat until thickened. Add butter and stir until combined.
- Quickly whisk 1 tablespoon of the hot chocolate mixture into the beaten egg in order to temper, or cook, the egg. Return the mixture into the pan and continue to whisk until combined. Stir in the vanilla and cook until thickened, about 2 to 3 more minutes. If lumps remain, strain through a sieve. Pour the pudding into two pudding cups or mason jars. To prevent a skin from forming, press plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding. Chill until serving.
- Whip the cream and powdered sugar together on high until soft peaks form. Top with a dollop. Lightly sprinkle cocoa powder or chocolate shavings to garnish.
Recipe adapted from Mad Hungry.


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BBC News
- Sri Lanka attacks: British dad's tribute to 'amazing' family
- Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protesters at Natural History Museum
- Prince Louis: Catherine's pictures mark first birthday
- Canoeist dies during annual Devizes to Westminster race
- UK weather: Hottest Easter Monday on record
- Theresa May to face grassroots no-confidence challenge
- Marsden Moor fire 'started by barbecue'
- British woman killed by gunmen at Nigerian holiday resort
- Explosions heard in Derby city centre after blaze
- Three boats with 36 migrants found off Kent coast
- Britain breaks coal-free power record over Easter weekend
- Lyra McKee murder: More than 140 witnesses contact police
- Thunberg: 'Climate fight will never stop'
- 'Dark kitchens': Are they the future of takeaways?
- Alopecia: I lost my hair aged one
- Deaf boy finds his voice after brain implant surgery
- How making bars of soap 'started my life again'
- Are plants a necessity or a luxury?
- Nottingham midwife saves best friend's life
- BBC News Channel
- Earth Day: How to be more eco-friendly in everyday life
- The breast cancer surgeon who got breast cancer
- 'New breed' of influencers changed the game
- An alternative way to capture childhood on your phone
- Why blend? Exploring the art and science of blending
- Military 'museum' in Suffolk man's shed includes 1,200 guns
- Millions using 123456 as password, security study finds
- Inside the school for bullied children
- Avengers Endgame: The Marvel Cinematic Universe explained
- Abused as children, art is their therapy
- Meghan and Harry: All you need to know about the next royal baby
- What is it like to strike rich while metal detecting?
- 420: Seven charts on how cannabis use has changed
- 'You can succeed as a vegan athlete'
- Welsh cheerleader: 'Amputation was best decision I made'
- Climate protests: How do police control demonstrations?
Below we are listing a number of UK job websites that have full-time and part-time job opportunities available in the KEADBY area.
Fish4 Jobs
JobSeekers (Direct.Gov.uk)
http://api.indeed.com/ads/apisearch?publisher=4773927896266615&q=&l=DN17 3EJ&sort=&radius=5&st=&jt=&start=&limit=10&fromage=&filter=&latlong=1&co=gb&chnl=AVUK&userip=22.214.171.124&useragent=CCBot/2.0 (https://commoncrawl.org/faq/)&v=2
Jobs at IndeedWarning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in D:\Webvirtual\ANYWeb\www\Wordpress\wp-content\plugins\shortcode-exec-php\shortcode-exec-php-class.php(895) : eval()'d code on line 9
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After the death of a dear friend, the photographer Emir Ozsahin was struck by the poignancy of life and grief, choosing to confront by creating heartbreaking images of deceased animals. In his series Pastel Deaths, he captures lifeless creatures in gentle tones, hoping to undo the fact of their tragic deaths with the naiveté of a child incapable of processing mortality: with the utmost innocence, he poses a dog beneath a blanket and offers the grey-nosed canine a book to read.
The series conveys this youthful optimism and poignant refusal to accept death with the use of tiny fixtures that could easily reside within a child's dollhouse: a bed on which a bird might lay his beak, a straw nest for a guinea pig, a tiny, sudsy bathtub for another, darkly featured bird. The artist's relentless striving to erase the fact of and his own personal knowledge of death is utterly heart wrenching; we follow him as he personifies each creature with a soft pair of miniature pajamas, a stuffed toy, or a pair of fallen glasses.
The juxtaposition of the dead with the artist's infant-like insistence upon life results in a painfully intimate conversation with death and with each once-living being. Ozsahin's subjects are so unflinchingly peaceful in their eternal slumber that the viewer must approach them only with utter care; the eye holds each for a moment like a tender newborn baby, then sets him down to rest. As viewers, we waver between acknowledging the facts and whispering to ourselves quietly, "No, look, he's just sleeping." While using once living creatures as subjects normally raises ethical flags for me, Ozsahin's images read like Victorian post-mortem shots of humans, serving to tenderly and lovingly memorialize each creature. (via Feature Shoot)


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iPads are visually impressive, beautifully interactive personal media devices, but, let's be honest, they aren't exactly known for stellar audio. Objekt, a co-venture comprised of design consultancy firm Industry, and project engineering outfit Shift, aims to remedy that by wreathing your iPad with an octet of speakers and injecting it with some much needed punch. Today, the partnership launched a Kickstarter venture, hoping to raise $450,000 for the aptly-named Ora. Its title is a clever play on words, as it surrounds your pad with an audio life force of sorts.
Unfortunately, original iPad users are out of luck here, but the product is compatible with the iPad 2 and iPad 3. Just click your iPad into the Ora and twist a few quarter-turn fasteners. The Ora docks via Apple's 30-pin connector and sports a rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery which is meant to mirror the iPad's battery by chugging for 10 hours on a single charge. The speaker also features a screen cover that flips around and serves a stand. We're a little light on specs at the moment, but Ora's press materials claim it can output 16 watts peak. That should be plenty for a small personal device such as this.
Despite a lack of details, we t think this is an intriguing product. It offers an obvious step up from iPad audio (5x louder if you believe the hype), yet remains low-profile enough that it doesn't interfere with the aesthetic of the iPad it's meant to upgrade. And, as a bonus, it isn't too expensive. Starting today, a $99 pledge on Kickstarter will secure you an Ora. You can check out a video on the Ora here.


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Ducks' Fowler emerging as complete defensemanby Curtis Zupke
ANAHEIM -- When defenseman Ben Lovejoy was traded to the Anaheim Ducks in February, he "knew nothing" about this Cam Fowler kid.
Lovejoy had spent his entire career in the Eastern Conference, with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and he couldn't get to know his new teammate right away because Fowler was out with a concussion. But then a scouting meeting brought Fowler to life.
"We were doing video of the other team, and I remember seeing Cam on the point and I'm like, 'Who is this guy?" Lovejoy said with a laugh. " 'Why isn't he playing?' "
Lovejoy saw what many first see with Fowler: the skating ability and the natural offensive flair. Paired with Fowler since the end of last season, Lovejoy has seen the evolution in Fowler's game as he's developed the defensive side and taken the next step in his career.
With Anaheim missing its top three defensemen from last season because of injury, Fowler is averaging a team-high 24:04 of ice time. He plays in all situations and, with Lovejoy, handles much of the top defensive assignments. The two are a combined plus-15 going into a game Sunday against the Edmonton Oilers.
"He came into the League as an offensive defenseman, but this season he's really prided himself on almost being a shutdown defenseman," Lovejoy said. "He's not your prototypical shutdown defenseman. He's not a big, imposing guy, but he can skate with the best players in the world. I think that that has been such an asset for our team."
Minnesota Wild forward Zach Parise doesn't see why Fowler shouldn't be in consideration for the U.S. Olympic team for the 2014 Sochi Olympics and beyond.
"I think he has a great chance this year," Parise said. "That's just my opinion. Down the road? Definitely."
Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau first put Fowler with Lovejoy at the end of last season, and the two clicked in the 2013 Western Conference Quarterfinal series against the Detroit Red Wings. Fowler cites that as a turning point.
"After last season, especially after our playoff series, the coaching staff gave me a little bit more responsibility and I think I was able to step up and I thought I played pretty well in the playoffs," Fowler said.
"We didn't get the result that we wanted, but I think I grew a lot as a player. Coming into this season, I think Bruce wanted to put a little more responsibility on me. It's really helped me complete my game into an overall defenseman."
Boudreau has gone so far as to say, "This is Cam's breakout year as a defenseman. It's not just that he can skate."
Boudreau inherited Fowler when he was on his way to a confidence-crushing minus-28 season in 2011-12. Fowler was 20 then and had to take on too much responsibility. Anaheim righted itself that spring under the newly-hired Boudreau, but too late to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Fowler was expected to thrive under Boudreau much like Mike Green did with the Washington Capitals. After all, Fowler was projected as a "prototypical offensive defenseman" and "power play quarterback for years to come" by the late E.J. McGuire, former director of the NHL Central Scouting Bureau, before the 2010 NHL Draft. McGuire projected Fowler as a Brian Leetch-type player.
But for Fowler, whose love of the game has driven him throughout his career, it wasn't a pleasant period. Even last season, Fowler went 33 games before he scored a goal.
"The biggest thing was that the organization and my teammates and coaching staff still had a lot of confidence in me," Fowler said. "If you look to the way I played to my second year, to the way I play now, it's a huge difference. The main thing is just completing my game into [becoming] an overall defenseman, which was something I needed to learn how to do."
Fowler said his pairing with Lovejoy has a lot to with it. Lovejoy was a rather low-key arrival in Anaheim, but has become an integral part of the defense. When Lovejoy re-signed in the summer, Boudreau called him and told him he expected the two to be paired again this season.
During intra-squad scrimmages in training camp, Lovejoy pointed to them being matched up against the Ryan Getzlaf line. Lovejoy and Fowler had a conversation about being a shutdown pair. It's come out of necessity with Francois Beauchemin, Luca Sbisa and Sheldon Souray out with injuries.
"We take a lot of pride in our games," Lovejoy said. "We've got guys playing that haven't played huge roles in the NHL, and we're fighting for respect. We don't want to be the team's liability. We want to be an asset to this team, and we want to do everything we can to win."


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Tile Store In Yucaipa
Why Ceramic Tile Might be the Right Choice for your Next Home Project
As a home owner in Yucaipa, CA looking to up-date your floors, you'll be faced with a number of various materials to pick from. You may have thought about wood or carpet, however, ceramic tile flooring offers far more advantages than either of these choices. What's more, the applications for ceramic tile go far beyond flooring. Ceramic tile is ideal for shower walls, counters, and many other areas of your home. Here are just some of the benefits to choosing ceramic tile for your next project.
Water and Allergen Resistance
Glazed ceramic tile's protective coating makes it water and stain resistant. That makes this material well suited for areas where humidity is often present such as bathrooms and kitchens. With a properly glazed tile, there is no risk of mold establishing in these humid areas of your home. If you are an allergy sufferer, ceramic tile can also be extremely effective for reducing the number of allergens in your home. Because glazed ceramic tile is not porous, pollen and other toxins do not get stuck in your home.
Ceramic tile can be incredibly durable. Unlike wood flooring where scratching is a frequent concern or carpet which is vulnerable to stains, ceramic tile flooring can last for upwards of twenty years with typical use. Maintaining ceramic tile through your home is also very easy. Floors simply require regular sweeping and other surfaces can be wiped down with a wet cloth. In the unusual event that your floor does sustain damage, another added benefit to ceramic tile is the ability to repair a small section at a minimal cost.
Ceramic tile comes in a seemingly endless range of styles, sizes and colors. Tiles of varying shapes and sizes can be used to create one-of-a-kind designs. This allows home owners to create a custom look that is all their own. If you happen prefer the look of wood or stone, but want the benefits of ceramic tile, there even varieties of tile that are designed to look remarkably close to hardwood and natural stone.
Ceramic tile is available in a variety of price points, including many discount tile options. The professionals at Empire Tile can help you find the perfect tile for your budget and aesthetic. We specialize in supplying our customers with quality, affordable tile. Our experienced team members are standing by to help you make your next tiling project a success.
Contact us Today at (909) 888-8325 or visit our Contact Page to find the perfect tile for your project in Yucaipa.


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By Jenny Horton, Rotary Club of Kenmore, Australia
The state of West Bengal in eastern India presented many problems to polio eradicators. The poliovirus was imported into one of the northern districts in January 2010 and was still circulating the following December, with eight confirmed wild polio cases. Even with monthly immunization campaigns, reaching every child to stop the virus from circulating proved difficult.
National Polio Plus Committee Chairman Deepak Kapur needed a new plan. So he met with Rotary leadership in district 3240 (in North Bengal) and asked them to gather Rotarians and cross the border into district 3291 (includes parts of West Bengal) to assist with health camps in areas where many children were not being vaccinated. Within weeks, Rotarians from several clubs in district 3240, under Past District Governor Tapan Ray's leadership, crossed the border to undertake two health camps to treat under-5-year-olds and, at the same time, vaccinate children with the oral polio vaccine.
With support from partners (the West Bengal government, WHO, and UNICEF), 23 camps have been held in the past year, treating over 13,000 children including polio vaccinations for 3,575. I was able to witness one camp and found it totally overwhelming. Thirty Rotarians arrived (of which eight were doctors) and were joined by three non-Rotarian doctors and an ambulance filled with medicine. Rotarians drove to an area identified by the local government and WHO team as an area of highest risk and set up the camp within 10 minutes.
Soon, there was a long line of mothers with babies who needed medical advice. Rotarians were keeping registers and issuing slips for the mothers, who then moved on to have a consultation with a doctor. From there, the mom took the slip to the pharmacist where the family was provided with the necessary medicines and advice on administration. The line of mothers was never-ending and the Rotarians just kept working. After four hours, they moved to another site to do the same. There was no fancy lunch, no long breaks, just a box lunch as they drove from one place to another. On that day, over 1,000 children were treated for various illnesses through the generosity of Rotarians.
As a Rotarian, I have never been more proud than I was standing there, watching this happen. Rotarians came from several clubs in district 3240, and some had travelled many hours to join the camp. While I was there, a Rotary video van showed DVDs on the importance of vaccination and hand washing. I joined Rotarians visiting the homes of some of the resistant families to chat about taking vaccines. The local families have come to see that there is real concern for the kids, not only in giving polio vaccinations but in providing much needed health care.
The huge commitment has played a major role in stopping the circulation of polio virus in this area. India has not reported a new polio case in a year. My hat's off to these Rotarians who built a bridge across a border and made a real difference.


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Although our biggest impacts derive from energy use and transportation, it's also important to do the right thing on a daily, smaller scale by seeking to reduce waste in many different settings, and to re-use or recycle everything possible. Many of these items are actions that we encourage guests to undertake back home – often you'll see posters at the resort with that message.
Foodservice Waste Reduction and Composting – We've already ended the use of Styrofoam© products due to concern over environmental impacts, and all of our hot and cold cups are now recyclable paper, or compostable. All of the disposable food containers we buy are made from certified compostable and renewable cornstarch or paperboard (not plastic) and many also contain recycled content. This not only reduces reliance on non-renewable petrochemical products, but also means that we can compost the waste. After a successful pilot program, we now close the loop even further by collecting food waste and all compostable disposables from all kitchens, restaurants, bars and cafeterias, as well as the ski school, ski patrol, Nordic center, and other staff lunchrooms. A giant dishline waste grinder and dewatering machine (a "SOMAT") installed in our busiest lodge shrinks the volume of kitchen food scraps by up to 90% prior to the composting process. Approximately 30 cubic yards (8 tons) of compost every month in the winter are hauled down to a commercial compost facility by Cedar Grove, Inc and converted into topsoil within 60 days. By downsizing dumpster service, composting is cost-neutral and helps reduce our carbon footprint.
Water Conservation – In order to reduce chemical and energy usage, and save money and water, we operate two parallel water systems here at the resort: a non-potable supply feeds toilets, urinals, and fire sprinklers, while a separate fully-treated spring-fed supply connects to sinks and food operations. In addition, instrumentation and efficiency upgrades to our treatment plant in the past three years have reduced the waste of potable (treated) water by over 1 million gallons/yr. We are adding gauges to individual buildings to monitor usage more accurately, and we have run efficiency pilot projects, such as upgrading an employee men's room to all low-flow or automatic fixtures. By swapping out the toilet, urinal, and sink, that single (very busy) restroom saves 60,000 gallons of water annually.
Energy Efficiency Initiatives – We're always looking for opportunities to improve the energy use of our facilities. In early 2010 we commissioned regional experts MacDonald-Miller to conduct an energy audit of our largest buildings and have been tackling the upgrades ever since, starting with smaller projects such as T-8 fluorescent eco-bulbs (80% less mercury), electronic ballasts (40% more efficient), LED bulbs, occupancy sensors, timers, insulation, etc. After that, we tackled larger projects, such as elevator air dampers (keeping warm air in the building more of the time), variable-frequency drive kitchen hoods (no need to run at full speed all the time), and furnace upgrades. The air dampers alone have a payback of just 12 months, and will then will save $5,000/yr in avoided energy waste.
Hazardous Waste Reduction – As part of our significant industrial recycling program, we collect all disposable, vehicle, and rechargeable batteries and transport them to an approved recycler. In order to keep mercury out of the air and ultimately the groundwater, we also collect and properly recycle all fluorescent light tubes and CFLs. At our Vehicle Shop, we removed the petrochemical solvent-based parts washer in 2004 and replaced it with a water-based system that uses low hazard citrus cleaner. In addition, oil and grime from vehicle washing are collected, filtered, and sent to a hazmat facility.
Reusable Tableware – All locations with waitstaff serve meals on durable, washable plates and employ metal flatware and drinking glasses that can be used indefinitely; our cafeterias all use at least some melamine tableware and plastic baskets with long lifespans.
Reuse of Waste Cooking Oil, Motor Oil & Antifreeze – Approximately 400 gallons/month of spent fryer oils are collected by a biodiesel company; vehicle oils, crankcase and hydraulic fluids are collected, filtered, and burned in a high-efficiency furnace to supplement the heating of the Vehicle Shop; and all anti-freeze from over 40 vehicles, including snowcats, is filtered and reused for required steel rail lubrication on the high-speed quads.
Rental Fleet Equipment Reuse – When it's time to renew our rental fleet of skis and snowboards, we sell the older models to other resorts in the business; old uniforms are donated to less-privileged cold mountain communities around the planet.
Aggressive and Expanded Recycling System – In 2008, we began a dramatic expansion of our recycling programs to include all staff areas and kitchens, public base areas, the top and bottom of all lifts, parking lots, and various off-mountain staff housing. Under this new arrangement, our guests and staff are generating approximately 25 cubic yards (3,500 pounds) of mixed recycling every 10 days, reducing landfill impacts and saving disposal money. Materials captured include: aluminum cans, coffee and soda cups, glass, paper and paperboard, plastic bottles and containers, and steel tins.
Industrial and E-Waste Recycling – One of our most common industrial materials is corrugated cardboard, which we collect resort-wide, compact into tight bales at each of the three lodges, and sell at a rate of about 10,000lbs/month. We also recycle numerous other materials such as scrap metals, appliances, rubber tires, batteries, fluorescent lights, electronics, copier/toner cartridges, etc. Every year, under our ongoing upgrade program, we properly recycle approximately 25 old monitors, 25 aging PC's, various printers, and many boxes of other electronic products. Under special agreement, Coca Cola delivery trucks recycle all of our pallet-wrap plastic film. In the summer of 2011, we installed new carpets in our largest lodge, but only after finding a vendor that would recycle the old material: over 13,000sq ft, equivalent to five tennis courts.
Surplus and Reuse – An active surplus property program seeks to re-allocate, re-use, or donate serviceable items such as office furniture to staff or local groups. We have also arranged with food and beverage vendors to take back used freight pallets at the end of each delivery for reuse (approx. 20-30/week). The back side of banners and placards is used again at our in-house sign shop; ski poles become stakes for signage. Building materials of all types are reused as much as possible: old lift towers are cut up for road gates, light-posts, and culverts; metal roofing is salvaged for lift shacks; lumber from remodeling is used again for other small rebuilds; after a 2009 cabin fire we even salvaged the remaining unburned wood!
100% Recycled Paper – All the office paper we purchase resort-wide is 100% post-consumer content, recycled stock, and all bulk printers/copiers are set to default to duplex printing. All of our outsourced marketing materials (posters, flyers) are printed on FSC-Certified, 100% recycled cardstock with soy inks; and our mountain map is printed on 100% recycled paper. All restroom paper towel (which is unbleached) and toilet paper products are also 100% recycled, with approximately 30% post-consumer content; paper towel dispensers utilize sensors to minimize waste.
Recycled Garbage Bags –We go through about 25,000 bags a year for our garbage and recycling needs, so it makes sense to look for ways to reduce the impacts of an item that we have to throw away. Unlike almost everything else on the market, our plastic bags are made in the USA, and have 35-65% post-consumer recycled content.
E-Marketing – As much as possible, marketing materials are made available electronically in order to save paper and other resources; our on-site sign shop produces most of our resort artwork, avoiding many unnecessary trips to the city.


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CHAD Chats — Safety Third!
CHAD Chats 3: Safety Third!
Thursday, August 16, 2012
@ The Jack London Bar
529 SW 4th Ave, Portland, OR
CHAD Chats are back, and they're safer than ever! The CHAD Institute, a not-yet-profitable foundation devoted to the creation and destruction of knowledge, presents SAFETY THIRD, their newest program of satirical PowerPoint presentations from the finest minds in Humor, Science, History, Child Slavery, and Personal Empowerment. Inquiring minds and thirsty lips are invited to seize control of their host bodies and converge on The Jack London Bar on August 16th at 8pm. We assure you that all necessary safety precautions have been taken and that there is absolutely nothing to worry about.
This time around enjoy a series of all-new Chats, by new CHAD participants and returning favorites:
- Global inspiration pioneer and internal power mentor LANCE BANKS — creator of LanceLife, the Comprehensive Total Life System — will re-empower us with a life-skills demonstration entitled "I've Got Your Back";
- STEPHANIE PURTLE, comedian and V.P. of Viacom's Community Rehabilitation Action Program (CRAP), will unveil exciting new advances in the suppression of teenagers, in "Service Learning through Active Visioning Educating Reality-TV Youth (SLAVERY)!";
- Historian and comedic thaumaturge PHILIP SCHALLBERGER will explore the curing of ailments both demonic and bodily with his talk "Medieval Medicine: The Cutting Edge";
- Writer, cartoonist, and costume-maker MARK RUSSEL will muse on the fan-fictional nature of ancient Christian texts in "What Is the Bible?";
- Famous Author and CHAD co-flounder MYKLE HANSEN will revisit his exploration of life's toughest issue with a newly updated version of his talk "Death: Is It For You?";
- Plus a possible post-mortem appearance by astrophysicist and internet meme CARL SAGAN.
- Comedian and punofficial CHAD spokseperson WHITNEY STREED will deftly guide the evening to its predetermined conclusion, during which time not one single person will be in harm's way.
Presentations begin safely at 8:30pm (doors at 8pm) on Thursday, August 16th at The Jack London Bar, located at 529 SW 4th Ave in the basement of the Rialto Poolroom. Tickets are $10 at the door, or $7 in advance from Brown Paper Tickets.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, contact mykle (at) mykle.com or streed.jokes (at) gmail.com, follow @thinkchad on Twitter, or navigate to our interweb sitenet at www.thisischad.com .


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Imprint & Data Protection
Back to the overview
exhibition gallery
Press Release
Play it again, Sam
Bruce Nauman
, 1994
Peter Wegner
Buildings Made Of Sky I,
, 2007 (detail)
Lucinda Devlin
Lake Huron, 8-11-11, 4-14 pm
, 2011
Caroline von Grone
HLF 9 Grobputz
, 2011
Alfredo Álvarez Plágaro
Identical Paintings
, 2009
Lee Ufan
, 1976
Thomas Florschuetz
enclosure (La Jolla) 02
, 2007/10
enclosure (La Jolla) 03
, 2007/10
Evelyn Hofer
Just Married
, 1974
September 22, 2012, to January 5, 2013
, Galerie m Bochum will present the exhibition "Play it again, Sam." Featured are some twenty works in the genres of painting, photography, object art and video art that deal in different ways with the theme of repetition.
Repetition is a very open-ended concept and can mean either a copy of, or reference to, a prior model or also a non-hierarchical lining up of like things. Both strategies can be found paradigmatically in the prints by
Bruce Nauman
that are on view in the show. The artist repeats the motif of interlocking hands that is etched onto the printing plate to form a circle. This playful arrangement in an infinite cycle represents the iteration of equal elements with no apparent beginning or end.
The repetition of identical units is more of a human ideal than a natural phenomenon. Mass production aims at just this, and the media of photography and film fascinate us with their ability to reproduce images using technical means. Humans have always taken pleasure in identical elements conjoined in a temporal or spatial sequence to form a rhythm – whether the orders of classical columns or ornaments in architecture, the recurring chorus in music, or the anaphora in poetry.
In most cases, however, one encounters varying repetitions within a defined framework that, while allowing for some leeway, makes it amply clear that the elements belong together. This is the form of repetition on which the natural principle of evolution is based. Repetition is omnipresent in nature, evident in the seasons, life cycles, genera and species.
And repetition is also essential to the way we perceive things, and an inescapable part of our everyday lives. The title of the exhibition, one of the most famous false quotes in cinematic history, from the film
, reveals the power of repetition to take on a life of its own remote from actual reality. Similarly,
Peter Wegner's
Buildings Made of Sky
enduringly sensitize us to an image of reality formerly hidden from our cursory gaze.
Artists have diverse ways of dealing with our experience of repetition and the possibilities it offers. Repetition as aesthetic principle is basically distinguished by the tension whipped up between repetition and variation. The interesting question is just how this tension-charged contrast is realized in each case.
The series has played a role in artistic repetition ever since the advent of Modernism. Artists such as Claude Monet and Paul Cézanne were aware of the impossibility of capturing natural variety and mutability in a single work, and thus tried to at least adumbrate these qualities in entire complexes of works on the same motif. Still today, artists often take recourse to the series in order to convey their observations of natural phenomena, as demonstrated for example by
Caroline von Grone
Lucinda Devlin
. In Devlin's
Lake Pictures
, views of Lake Huron unfold picture by picture in all their inexhaustible variety.
In painting, repetition as a fundamental design principle can sometimes lead to a variety of pictorial solutions. This is the case with
Kuno Gonschior's
works. Depending on their color, his paintings either exhort us to scrutinize them carefully or they overwhelm the eye so much that the individual dots start to vibrate.
François Perrodin
varies the size, color and arrangement of rectangles to create a light-hearted, dancing rhythm.
Painted images must each be individually crafted, even when they show the same motif or follow the same design principle. Series production for the purpose of making identical copies is thus in principle anathema to painting.
Alfredo Álvarez Plágaro
turns this aspect into a conundrum with his
Identical Paintings
; although they may look identical at first glance, each painting in fact exhibits widely divergent details. The development of all the individual elements simultaneously leads to a non-hierarchical juxtaposition.
Lee Ufan's
works on paper for their part display the continuous repetition of simple characters. The focus here is on individual execution of gestures that are reduced to a minimum.
With the invention of the negative-positive process in the 1830s, William Henry Fox Talbot created the prerequisite for the production of identical prints in any number. The technical process alone is already based on repetition. But beyond this, photographers have always worked in series. The character of a series develops in each case from constant and variable features of the individual images.
Thomas Florschuetz
, for example, varies the angle from which a particular building is seen and thus emphasizes genuine architectural aspects: the different perspectives show vistas and spaces as monumental fragments of the building that open or close as the viewer moves past them.
Beyond the media-driven aspects of the series, artists show us in terms of content as well how many different repetitive phenomena can be found in nature and in human life.
Simone Nieweg's
photographs of the cultural landscape explore the rhythm of the seasons; the diversity, individuality and taxonomy of plants; and the constant renewal of things that nonetheless always stay the same. Likewise revealed here is how the marks left by human civilization on nature – planted fields, vegetable gardens and forests – also resonate with visual aspects of repetition.
Our everyday lives are shaped in astounding ways by repetition, because the human brain has a penchant for fixed habits. This is the only way we can manage to devote our attention to what matters most at any particular moment, while other actions are carried out automatically. In this respect, habits have an almost meditative character.
Evelina Cajacob's
video installation
makes this quality tangible, and
Melanie Manchot's
likewise exude in their aesthetic of asceticism an atmosphere of calm concentration.
The human need for repetition is reflected as well in the form of memorial days, rituals and customs. Texts, images and rites with centuries of tradition shape our consciousness as collective cultural memories and leave their mark on our view of the world over generations. Accordingly, in the Christian religion the Church has the central task of bearing witness over and over again, under the changing conditions of the times, to the death and resurrection of Christ.
Arnulf Rainer
finds his own way of grappling with Christian tradition and symbolism in his artistic ritual of painting over the cross.
In "Casablanca", Ilsa asks to Sam play the song "As Time Goes By" as she indulges in nostalgic memories of her love affair with Rick. Her words, "Play it, Sam," might serve as an amusing caption for
Evelyn Hofer's
photograph series
Just Married
. In the serial presentation of the couples fresh from their nuptials, the ritual of the wedding as celebrated across generations takes on a peculiar ambivalence, caught up between the unvarying repetition of the social custom and the absolute uniqueness of each personal life story.
Ultimately, as Herbert Grönemeyer says, "Everything remains different."


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Southern Mexico rattled by 5.4 magnitude earthquake, no reports of damages
MEXICO CITY – Parts of southern and central Mexico have been rattled by a 5.4-magnitude earthquake, but there were no immediate reports of damages or injuries.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was centered in the southern state of Guerrero, about 50 miles (81 kilometers) northwest of the resort of Acapulco.
The quake was felt slightly in Mexico City late Thursday.
Mexico City Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera wrote in his twitter account that there were no immediate reports of damages.


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Dell EMC Data Protection Suite Family Overview
The Dell EMC Data Protection Suite Family delivers industry-leading data protection through a comprehensive set of offerings specifically tailored to meet your needs. Whether the environment you are charged with protecting is rich with mission critical applications, fully virtualized, focused on backup and recovery with strict RPO/RTO's, requires you to archive data to meet regulatory requirements, or a complex assortment of these, the Data Protection Suite Family offers solutions built to satisfy the needs of your business. Because there is no such thing as a one size fits all solution, Dell EMC designed the Data Protection Suite Family based on enabling you to choose the best solution to meet the service levels that align to your unique business objectives.


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NEW ORLEANS -- Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Jim Caldwell is back at the Super Bowl, only three years removed from leading the Indianapolis Colts to the big game as a head coach.
He knows he won't necessarily be a hot coaching name for long, and that these moments can be "fleeting." He also knows that he's in a rare position as a minority-coach play-caller.
"Fact of the matter is, there's just not many minority play-callers and minority coordinators," Caldwell said on Wednesday when asked about the Rooney Rule.
Caldwell said there are plenty of guys "in the pipeline" right now that are deserving of opportunities. It's a hot topic because of the potential changes that are coming to the Rooney Rule after a NFL hiring cycle this month that didn't include one minority hire for a head-coaching job or a general manager job.
Caldwell said that there are a lot of running-back coaches who would make great candidates because they have to know the running game and the protection schemes well in the passing game. It sounds like Caldwell supports a possible change to the Rooney Rule that would require minority interviews for coordinator positions.
"Right now, because of the fact that I think everybody is a bit up in arms about what occurred this past year, that you have to look at every aspect. That's one of the issues," Caldwell said.
I asked Caldwell what changes he's seen in terms of hiring minorities during his career. He expressed surprise at how little things have changed.
"There are some similarities (to 10 to 20 years ago)," Caldwell said. "I was the first African-American head football coach in the ACC. That was 1993. That wasn't 1956. That wasn't 1965. That was 1993. That wasn't long ago. ... Here's another instance that it's come full-circle again and something needs to be done, needs to be talked about, and needs to be implemented."
We'd be surprised if something isn't changed after the season.Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.


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University Women's Club Offers Scholarship to Non-Traditional Women Students
The deadline is Monday, March 19, to apply for the University Women's Club scholarship for non-traditional women students.
The scholarship ranges from $500 to $2,000 for an academic year, depending on the past year's fundraising results. It is open to full- or part-time students pursuing either undergraduate or graduate studies.
Applicants must be female and 25 years old by Sept.1, 2012. Graduate students must be at least 30 years old by Sept. 1, 2012.
The recipient is selected based on the application, financial need and a personal statement.
The University Women's Club will recognize the scholarship recipient at a dinner in the fall that is hosted by Jacque Buchanan, wife of UW President Tom Buchanan.
The scholarship recipients for the 2011-2012 academic year were Mikia Carter and Kristine Koss, both non-traditional students who are raising children while pursuing their bachelor's degrees.
The University Women's Club was founded in 1912 by Mrs. Clyde A. Duniway, wife of the university's ninth president. The club's mission is to promote social interaction among members, welcome women new to Laramie and to provide assistance to the University of Wyoming and the surrounding area. Any woman in the community is welcome to join. Annual dues cost $20, a portion of which goes toward funding the scholarship.
To apply, visit http://www.uwyo.edu/sfa/scholarships/misc/scholarship_apps.html and click on "UW Women's Club Application."