Light Pollution: Burning Earth at Both Ends

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Hi Hello,
i just want to say hello with a joke .
Three contestants on a game show were trying to win prizes.
The emcee asked the first one, “for $3000 who invented the telephone”
“Alexandra Graham Bell,” she answered.
“Right you are and as an added bonus what is your home town”
“Orange Grove Florida” she answered. O.K. you will receive a year’s supply of the biggest and best oranges” said the emcee.
He asked the next one, now for $2000 who discovered America?
“Columbus she answered. Right and what is your home town? Asked the emcee.
Peach tree Georgia, she said. O.K. you will receive a year’s supply of the biggest and best peaches for a year”
He then asked the last one, “now for $1000 who was the first president”
“George Washington, she said” “Right you are” said the emcee
The lady screamed out “I beat you all and hit the jack pot!”
“How can you say that asked the other two, you only won $1000"
“I’m from Petersburg.” She replied.

RabybeamiCoem of AL 7:00PM November 07, 2008

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ggheddffhaag of AL 1:52PM September 11, 2008

I currently live in Munich and here all lighting systems are on a sensor, so when you walk past the lights turn on, but when you move the lights start turning off behind you, a much more efficient way than what we have at home.

Chris of MI 5:18AM June 26, 2008

Here is my blog entry in response to:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/usnews/20080623/ts_usnews/forcesofdarknessmakepitchtocongresstofightlightpollution
and
http://www.usnews.com/blogs/thinking-harder/2008/3/14/light-pollution-burning-earth-at-both-ends.html
It's clear you're a science *journalist* and not a *scientist*. Your multitude of statements implicating artificial light as causes of health issues (primarily cancer) both here and in more "mainstream" articles (like this, from Yahoo's news page: http://news.yahoo.com/s/usnews/20080623/ts_usnews/forcesofdarknessmakepitchtocongresstofightlightpollution) are so patently *unscientific* it is really a travesty that you are promoting them. They are poster children for the pitfalls of correlational studies, yet you treat them as scientific fact. For example, nursing shift workers having higher incidence of breast cancer. There are too many confounding variables in that to even enumerate, both internal (how the types of people who choose/do shift work differ from other types of people) and external (all the other factors that change in the hospital, the air, the wind, etc. at night). You don't even blink in mentioning that. Of all the comments above, only Robert Gillette seems to understand the experimental method. What's worse than your presentation of data without enlightening your audience to its weakness (perhaps you're not aware of its weakness) is that you seem to *intentionally mislead* your audience with statements like this: "shift work has been labeled a probably human carcinogen by a branch of the World Health Organization.". What is the relevance of that statement at all. Are you railing against shift work? I thought you were writing about light "pollution". Clearly you're trying to trick people into associating that organization's label with *light pollution* not with shift work, even though that is not what they said. It is also clear that you are hoping your audience will take away that the WHO made this statement, when they didn't... it was made by a "branch of the WHO".
It's a classic case of trying to find mainstream arguments that are popular in this country; "it harms our health and causes cancer", "it is wasteful of energy" to drive forward a fringe agenda.
Labeling you a "journalist with an agenda" is putting it *very* mildly. This whole "light pollution" issue is yet another example of a fringe group in this country being able to influence legislation for all of us.
One final comment: The "before and after" pictures you have... in almost every one of them I think it is way more beautiful with the lights shining. Yes, stars are beautiful, but city lights aren't eliminating stars... if you want stars, go to the country, or the mountains, or the desert... me, I like my cityscapes.

Keith B. of 12:29PM June 24, 2008

Computer.... Male or Female?
As you are aware, ships have long been characterized as being female (e.g., "Steady as she goes" or "She's listing to starboard, Captain!").
Recently, a group of computer scientists (all males) announced that computers should also be referred to as being female. Their reasons for drawing this conclusion are the followings:
1. No one but the Creator understands their internal logic.
2. The native language they use to communicate with other computers is incomprehensible to everyone else.
3. The message "Bad command or file name" is about as informative as, "If you don't know why I'm mad at you, then I'm certainly not going to tell you."
4. Even your smallest mistakes are stored in long-term memory for later retrieval.
5. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself spending half your paycheck on accessories for it.
However, another group of computer scientists (all female) think that computers should be referred to as if they were male. Their reasons are the followings:
1. They have a lot of data, but are still clueless.
2. They are supposed to help you solve problems, but half the time they ARE the problem.
3. As soon as you commit to one you realize that, if you had waited a little longer, you could have obtained a better model.
4. In order to get their attention, you have to turn them on.
5. Big power surges knock them out for the rest of the night.

SLXTC of 10:36AM June 22, 2008

Surprise Package
spacer
A man was drinking in a bar when he noticed this beautiful young lady sitting next to him. "Hello there," says the man, "and what is your name?"
"Hello," giggles the woman, "I'm Stacey. What's yours?"
"I'm Jim."
"Jim, do you want to come over to my house tonight? I mean, right now??"
"Sure!" replies Jim, "Let's go!"
So Stacey takes Jim to her house and takes him to her room. Jim sits down on the bed and notices a picture of a man on Stacey's desk. "Stacey, I noticed the picture of a man on your desk," Jim says.
"Yes? And what about it?" asks Stacey.
"Is it your brother?"
"No, it isn't, Jim!" Stacey giggles. Jim's eyes widen, suspecting that it might be Stacey's husband.
When he finally asks, "Is it your husband?"
Stacey giggles even more, "No, silly!" Jim was relieved.
"Then, it must be your boyfriend!"
Stacey giggles even more while nibbling on Jim's ear. She says, "No, silly!!"
"Then, who is it?" Jim asks.
Stacey replies, "That's me BEFORE my operation!!"

SLXTC of AL 8:22PM June 21, 2008

Die Herkunft des Koi
In der heutigen Zeit gezüchtete Kois kommen hauptsächlich aus
Surprise The Wife
After a few years of married life, this guy finds that he is unable to get it up anymore. He goes to his doctor, his doctor tries a few things but nothing works.
Finally the doctor says to him this is all in your mind, and refers him to a psychiatrist.
After a few visits to the shrink, the shrink confesses I am at a loss as to how you could possibly be cured.
Finally the psychiatrist refers him to a witch doctor.
The witch doctor tells him, I can cure this, and throws some powder on a flame, and there is a flash with billowing blue smoke....
The witch doctor says This is powerful healing but you can only use it once a year All you have to do is say 1 2 3 and it shall rise for as long as you wish
The guy then asks the witch doctor What happens after when its over?.
The witch doctor says all you have to say is 1 2 3 4 and it will go down. But be warned it will not work again for 3 months
This guy goes home and that night is ready to surprise his wife with the good news... So he is lying in bed with her and says 1 2 3, and suddenly he gets a hard-on.
His wife turns over and says What did you say 1 2 3 for ?

SLXTC of AL 7:08AM June 21, 2008

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Light Pollution: Burning Earth at Both Ends

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