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Someone needs to look up their facts before writing, Seizures Back in the 1970's and 80's, fluorescent tubes did have a flicker; it certainly used to bug me at school, but technology has improved, here is a quote from GE: “The first compact fluorescent bulbs flickered when they were turned on because it took a few seconds for the ballast to produce enough electricity to excite the gas inside the bulb. Thanks to the refined technology in our new GE compact fluorescent bulbs, there is now no significant flicker (less than 1 second). However, these bulbs do require a short warm-up period before they reach full brightness, which is why they may appear dim when first turned on. Compact fluorescent bulbs are best used in fixtures that are left on for longer periods of time, rather than in fixtures that are turned off and on frequently.” Please feel free to read more detailed information at their website: http://www.gelighting.com/na/home_lighting/ask_us/faq_compact.htm. Environmental Degradation Farah claims that CFLs contain mercury, and indeed they do. On average, compact fluorescents contain about 4mg of mercury, of which the EPA estimates that 0.27 mg will be released, as the rest is within the electrodes or glass. El Paso County collects CFLs at its waste disposal site, so you don't need to even release the 0.27mg! But let's say that we all just negligently throw our CFLs in the trash; that's 0.27mg of mercury in the landfill, not good, but what about incandescent bulbs? Most of the US, and Colorado particularly, is powered by coal. We all know that coal burning power stations release mercury, and we also know CFLs utilize less energy. Therefore less power is needed and less coal mercury released into the atmosphere. Exactly how much energy and coal mercury do we save? According to Richard Benware, who researched this for the EPA's Energy Star program, a 15W CFL will prevent the release of 5.67mg of mercury from an average power plant over its life. So to Mr. Farah, your dumping of 37 CFLs not only has caused 0.27mg x 37= 9.99mg of mercury to go unnecessarily into the landfill, but also 5.67mg x 37=209.79mg additional mercury must be released to power your energy hungry incandescent bulbs. Mass Unemployment We are supposedly a ‘developed' or technologically advanced nation, but we can't manage to build CFLs? Interestingly enough, most incandescent bulbs are built in China by the very same manufacturers that build CFLs. Therefore, this is not truly a CFL issue, but rather, an issue of labor, corporate ‘acumen,' and our personal need to buy cheap. Either way, until we wish to pay our fellow Americans to build products, we will continue to buy both forms from the great manufacturing machine that is China. Old Houses This is by far the most interesting claim, as it seems ludicrous to intimate that an old wiring system could have difficulty powering a CFL that uses less power and therefore puts less strain on the system! I know of many people in old homes (myself included) that use CFLs with no issues. As to a CFLs longevity, I converted my home to CFLs over 5 years ago, and have had only one defective bulb during this time even though three bulbs have been set in outdoor fixtures and have been both frozen and heated on our south facing wall during this time. Oh and Mr. Farah, should you have problems reading this, then follow this link and you can purchase a CFL that produces light equivalent to a 500W incandescent. http://www.1000bulbs.com/2-to-200-Watt-Compact-Fluorescent-Screw-In-Light-Bulbs/