OTTAWA (CP) - The light is fading on one of the great inventions of the 19th century, the incandescent bulb with its white-hot filament that sheds far more heat than light.

The federal government is following a number of other jurisdictions, including Australia, Ontario and California, in banning incandescent bulbs that have dominated the lighting market since the 1880s.

The outmoded products will be phased out by 2012 and a new generation of more efficient bulbs is ready to take their place.

Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn says the ban will cut greenhouse emissions by more than six million tonnes of year. That’s about 0.8 per cent of Canada’s emissions.

Lunn said the ban will save homeowners about $60 annually in electricity costs.

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New Democrat MP Paul Dewar said he put forward a private member’s bill several weeks ago calling a ban on inefficient light bulbs and it was rejected at the time. He said the government is lurching from announcement to announcement with no overall plan on climate change.Â

Canada.ComÂ

This is a very common sense approach, and I’m glad the government is on side with the NDP on this, even though they were not a few weeks back. I hope this is the start of many other initiatives taking place. As much as I hate the term, this is really a “win/win” situation for both the environment and consumer’s wallets.

I’m sorry Joy Smith, but it’s a little bit too late for this.

From CBC:

A federal private member’s bill that would grant the government new powers while imposing restrictions and penalties on internet users and operators is off base, internet experts say.

Joy Smith, a Conservative MP representing Kildonan-St. Paul, on Thursday introduced her proposed clean internet act, or Bill C-427, for first reading in Parliament.

The bill’s full name is: “An act to prevent the use of the internet to distribute child pornography, material that advocates, promotes or incites racial hatred, and material that portrays or promotes violence against women.”

The bill’s provisions would grant the industry minister special powers to search data as well as the ability to order an internet service provider to block access to content deemed inappropriate.

It would force ISPs to exclude service to convicted offenders, and leave company officials facing jail time for failing to comply with some provisions.

While the goals are largely admirable, the approach is wrong-headed, some experts say.

“It highlights the problems people have with understanding the internet,” University of Ottawa law professor Michael Geist told CBC News Online. “This is not well thought out.

“I don’t think anything is going to happen with this bill, given how it’s inconsistent with the government’s approach.”

The bill even includes an ISP licensing system “that is so broad, it would include even a local store with a Wi-Fi connection,” Geist said.

This Clean Internet Act is an attempt to mimic American lawmakers who are trying the exact same thing. Or even worse, this mimics what China presently practices. I’m a big believer in following good examples of others… the key word is “good.”

If you disagree with Joy Smith, email to tell her!

PS. I’ve added a new category to my site called “Stupid Conservative Ideas.” Check there often for a good laugh.

As many of you know, Google edits its logo every once in a while to reflect a holiday, event, etc. Today is Earth Day and instead of it’s usual “bunnies and trees” Google has changed it’s logo into a powerful message.

Manitoba Premier Gary Doer has called an election and voters will head to the polls on May 22, giving parties little more than a month to campaign.

At dissolution of the Legislature the composition was:
35 New Democrats
19 Progressive Conservatives
2 Liberals
1 Independent
1 Vacant

CTV

Swiped From: BuckDog

To think I was actually excited last year when I heard that the former leader of the Sierra Club was entering politics. She’s lost all my respect in the last few months, and comments like this do not improve my image of her at all.

There’s something wrong with Jack Layton if he’d rather open up discussions with the Taliban than the Green party.
The ChronicleHerald.ca

I’m very confused about Elizabeth May and where she stands. This does not make me comfortable with voting for her. I had much higher expectations for May when she was seeking nomination for the leader of the Green Party and when she won it. My opinion of her has dropped significantly now. I have no doubt she has a genuine passion for the environment, but I really don’t think she can carry the ball on it without tripping and messing it all up.

The above comment sounds like something Steven Harper and the Conservatives would say. What’s her beef?