From the Associated Press - "Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) reached an annual target of selling 100 million energy-efficient light bulbs ahead of schedule after heavily marketing them as a way for consumers to save money and fight global warming, the retailer said Tuesday" [a month or so ago.]

Previously [April 15, 2007 - income tax filing deadline day; I wonder if there's a connection?], many manufacturers agreed to "cap the total mercury content in [fluorescent lights] of less than 25 watts at 5 milligrams (mg) per unit. The total mercury content of [fluorescent lights] that use 25 to 40 watts of electricity will be capped at 6 mg per unit."

You do the math, although I've done some of it.  100 million bulbs at, probably, 6 mg per unit equals around 13,227 pounds of mercury.  And that's just one retailer.  Assuming that Walmart has, oh say, 20% of the market, it means that total sales might be around 500 million bulbs, thus potentially producing about 66,135 pounds of mercury discarded.  This must pleasure the environmentalists.  Tons and tons of mercury from discarded and broken lights to foul our wetlands, dumps, and general suburbs.  Brought to you by the greenies---protectors of the helpless snail darters and tree frogs.  Now, don't get me wrong.  I'm not necessarily against snail darters or tree frogs.  I just don't think they should be getting precedence over human beings.  And I dislike the idea of promoting a light bulb that will foul the environment so much more than incandescent bulb production and use.  The 'greenies' are pushing for power plants to become so pollution free as to make oil and coal impossible to use.  I suppose then, we can run our power plants on really big batteries?

From the Associated Press:  Silly String, a children's toy that was used to subdue Cosmo Kramer a few years back, is useful to US soldiers in Iraq as a bomb detector of sorts.  "Soldiers can shoot Silly String, which travels up to 12 feet [3.6 meters], across a room before entering. If the foamy string hangs in the air, that indicates a possible trip wire...The effort to ship the Silly String has taken months because its aerosol can is considered a hazardous material, and only certain companies can ship it."  And, I can guess, some of the soldiers are shooting each other with it during the off hours.

I suppose a 'grass roots' organization [from San Francisco] will now start with an effort to ban the dangerous substance.  Kids beware!  You may be banned everywhere except your hidden tree houses.

The City of Los Angeles removed a cross from its official seal.  Why?  Because the ACLU insisted.  It's a Christian symbol, after all, and they can't condone that.  Naturally, there was a pile of protests leading to a high court petition to review the decision.  The cross has been part of the seal since 1957.  Incidentally, the first settlers of the LA area were Spanish missionaries, and the name, Los Angeles, is short for the original name: El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles del Río de Porciúncula, [The Town of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels on the River Porciúncula.]  Will ACLU demand a name change?  How about San Francisco?  San Diego? San Gabriel? and all the other Sans?

I was going to mention a few items about the Democrats wanting to raise taxes, but I suddenly remembered that such a desire is not new with the 21st Century.  They've been doing it for years, and people like Charles Rangel always go that route.  If you're a Democrat, honk!  If you're a Democrat, kneel down before the enemy!  If you're a Democrat, raise taxes!

In May 2007, the 'Liberal' group MoveOn.org warned Democrats that if they appeared to capitulate to 'Bush' and not remove the troops from Iraq and thus give up on protecting the lives of millions or Iraqis and securing the protection and freedoms of the US citizens...pant...rest...pant...rest, the unity they enjoy will immediately disappear...  Why threaten them?  If the Democrats weren't around, nobody would pay attention to MoveOn.org anyway.  Perhaps the threat should be the other way around.

Carlyle Group [one of the world’s largest private equity firms; $75.6 + billion under management; 55 investment funds] sold a 7.5% stake in its ownership to Mubadala, a part of Abu Dhabi's government.  And of course, if Carlyle goes public and the price share drops, Abu Dhabi will be compensated.  Previously, Blackstone Group [a global alternative asset manager and provider of financial advisory services...total assets under management of about $91.8 billion...] sold a 10% stake to the Chinese government.  Abu Dhabi also bought part of Apollo Management in July.

WorldNetDaily.com tells us - the Emirate of Dubai is acquiring about 20% of NASDAQ and 28% of the London Stock Exchange.

Well, I guess you just open the door, invite the adversary in, and let him take over the household. Offer him a drink and bodyguard. Light his narghila .  After all, using tents is a cheap alternative for us anyway.

As noted by the International Herald Tribune, even the neutral Swiss are having their problems.  A poster of the Swiss Peoples Party [SVP] in the mountain country shows: Three white sheep stand on the Swiss flag, as one of them kicks a single black sheep away.  The Liberals say it is racist and polarizing the country's electorate.  Rocks and tear gas are the tools of the day.

The illegal immigrant message is appealing to the voters who have seen the country become "a haven for foreigners, including political refugees from places like Kosovo and Rwanda."  "Our political enemies think the poster is racist, but it just gives a simple message," said Bruno Walliser, a chimney sweep who is running for Parliament on the party ticket at the Schwerzenbach rally, on a farm outside of Zurich. "The black sheep is not any black sheep that doesn't fit into the family. It's the foreign criminal who doesn't belong here, the one that doesn't obey Swiss law. We don't want him."

Over a million and a half Swiss residents are foreign nationals, "and the SVP argues that a disproportionate number of them are law-breakers. The party says many of the country's drug dealers are foreign, and according to federal statistics about 70 percent of the prison population is non-Swiss."

From Yahoo News - "Mexican President Felipe Calderon criticized the planned U.S. border fence designed to stem illegal immigration, saying countries should be "building bridges, not fences"...

On ABC television's "Good Morning America," Calderon ...said the way to stop illegal immigration is to build economic growth and opportunities in Mexico, not fences."

I guess that means that we should pay Mexico to keep its citizens in its own country?  And, of course, Mexico doesn't have to do anything, does it?

The Windsor [Ontario] Star - notes that "city shelters filled and a surge of further refugee claimants expected to flood into Windsor...Mayor Eddie Francis is pleading for financial help from Ottawa.  "When there is a possibility of adding thousands to the local social assistance system as a result of refugee claimants crossing the border into Windsor, we will become overwhelmed and our current resources will not suffice," Francis wrote in a letter sent Wednesday [a few weeks ago] to Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

"I don't believe that Windsor's residents and taxpayers should have to foot the bill for U.S. immigration policy," Francis told The Star. He was referring to the suspected source of the problem -- a recently begun crackdown on illegal immigrants in economically struggling regions of the U.S. South.

Let's see...hmmm...Illegal Mexican immigrants are the fault of the US.  I know, I know.  The Mexican government is blameless.  The great satan US is responsible for everything.  Blame Bush!

And so goes the 21st Century.  I believe that by the advent of the 22nd Century, the World may very well be under stronger Islamic influence.  No Western culture per se; burqas and prayer rugs everywhere; female circumcision, honor killings and misogynism rule the day; cheap oil but no cars left because nobody built any; Edwin the camel-driver, now appearing in major cities; New York City Jinrickshaws Inc.; Jews and Christians hiding in catacombs; Liberals cowering in fear and panic wondering what the h*ll happened to their martinis and designer clothes and seaside homes; and all due to our own stupidity.

Thanks Liberals.

Our 218 year experiment at a democratic republic is failing, and the modern Liberals are pulling it down, along with denigrating and destroying Christians and Jews, Conservatives, Republicans, national security, national influence, and economic prosperity.  Is this the end of Rico?