Ermm.. BK, did you read the link you gave us - completely?   

The amount of mercury contained in most CF lighs is less than 4 milligrams - about the size of the tip of a pen. (Some manufacturers have reduced even further) Compare it to an old thermometer which had about 500 milligrams.

As for the EPA hazardous waste type cleanup - good ideas. I'm betting most of us broke a large tube fluorescent bulb and probably wiped it up with a mob and thought nothing of it (and somehow survived!!) No one is denying that there is mercury in these bulbs, but the risk is very small - and everyone should recycle as described.

As for the size, just look around - they are now coming in much smaller sizes that will fit in fans, shades and globes without problem.

I do think that LED's are the future, if they can perfect them and make it marketable. CF's are an intermediate step - and I think they are worth embracing.

Reminds me of the joke, I remember Suzanne Vega used to tell it - how many folkies does it take to change a lightbulb?   10 - one to actually make the change and 9 to sit around and talk about how much better the old lightbulb was.