- Great, just what we all need - more bad environmental news. Worse still, it’s something we really can't control or alter in any significant way. Apparently the glow of city lights obliterates light-sensitive molecules that scrub the atmosphere by night, thus worsening the problem of air pollution, according to a new study. The study measured the impact of artificial lighting over the Los Angeles area and even though that mad-made lightning is 10,000 times dimmer than sunlight, it still reduces night-time atmospheric cleansing by up to 7 percent. That joyful news comes courtesy of say researchers with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which flew aircraft over the region four times this summer to measure city light intensity. Never mind that they were polluting the air in order to do their study, I guess we’ll just let that one slide. What researchers found was that the artificial lights prevent production of a particular type of nitrogen-oxide molecule known as a nitrate radical, which forms from reactions of nitrogen dioxide with ozone. The molecule bonds well with pollutants in the atmosphere, but breaks down quickly in the presence of light. "It doesn't exist during the day," said NOAA investigator Harald Stark. "At night, it shows up. It reacts with pollutants and cleans them up." After measuring the brightness of Los Angeles' city lights, which are 25 times brighter than the full moon, with satellite data, researchers then produced computer models for assessing the impact of night-time lighting for other areas. What they found was that not only do the lights impede the night-time cleansing of the atmosphere, they also leave more polluting molecules in the skies for the next day's chemistry to start with, thereby multiplying the problem, Stark said. He cited Los Angeles’ lights as a prime example of the problem, as the high-pressure sodium and metal halide lights elevated the chemistry for day-time ozone pollution by up to 5 percent. The obvious reaction to all of this is to change the type of lighting cities use to alleviate the problem, because not having lighting would clearly solve this issue while raising plenty of other crime-related ones. A different kind of lighting would be the next idea, but scientists believe that would have little or not impact unless cities would use red lights, which don't interfere with nitrate radical formation. "I don't think from a policy perspective that would be a reasonable," Stark said. Why not? Turn every major city into one giant red-light district every night, sounds like a great formula to me………
- There are some patterns and trends that just need to end and this is one of them. Politicians giving pardons to deceased, historical figures who haven’t walked this earth in decades or even centuries is lame, ridiculous and a total waste of everyone’s time. I don’t care if it’s an iconic figure like Jim Morrison possibly receiving a pardon on a conviction for indecent exposure at a concert it Miami four decades ago or someone a little more historical, the idea is a complete and total farce. That includes you, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, and your consideration of a pardon for legendary Wild West outlaw Billy the Kid, who is reputed to have killed 21 men and been the source of dozens of tall tales that have spread through U.S. popular culture. Richardson said on Thursday he was reviewing a pardon petition based on the widespread belief that New Mexico territorial Governor Lew Wallace promised the 19th century gunman a pardon in exchange for his testimony in a murder trial. "As someone who is fascinated with New Mexico's rich history, I've always been intrigued by the story of Billy the Kid and, in particular, the alleged promise of a pardon he was given," Richardson said in a statement. "I will diligently review this new petition and all the facts available regarding an agreement between Billy the Kid and Governor Wallace before rendering any decision.” Really? And this is the best use of your time and energy? I don’t care if you spend five minutes or five weeks on this issue, every minute you spend on it is a minute you could have been doing something that actually impacts the citizens who voted your sorry, focus-deprived self into office in the first place. Before you leave office at the end of this month, why not try to do something productive with the time you have left? Instead, Richardson is soliciting opinions from historians and others on a website dedicated to the issue as if a pardon is going to do a damn bit of good for anyone alive in this world today. To refresh everyone’s memory, Lincoln County Sheriff Pat Garrett shot Billy the Kid to death at point-blank range in 1881. What that means is Billy the Kid, whose real name was Henry McCarty, is dead and likely to remain so for a long time to come. McCarty's descendants have been pestering Richardson for a pardon during his two terms in office, but this was the first formal petition he received in the matter. So big ups to everyone involved in this farce for wasting time, money and effort that could have been spent on literally anything else in the world and had a bigger impact on the world as it exists today………
- Life in the nation’s capital has not been pleasant for Donovan McNabb. At all. In any way, shape or form. For any reason. In fact, life has been downright miserable for the man the Redskins traded for this offseason, hoping that he would be their franchise quarterback for the next few seasons and be part of the team’s turnaround under new head coach Mike Shanahan. The Redskins started the year a respectable 4-3 and seemed destined to blow right past last year’s 4-12 record and take a major step forward. Since that point, they’ve a) lost to lowly Detroit, b) won just once and c) seen the wheels fall off the McNabb train faster than an Amtrak train comes off the tracks. McNabb’s issues began in earnest at the end of the Detroit loss, as Shanahan pulled him from the game with less than two minutes remaining and then offered an ever-changing explanation for the benching after the fact. First, it was that backup Rex Grossman knew the two-minute offense better. Then, it was suggesting that McNabb’s cardiovascular conditioning wasn’t up to par. The Redskins mercifully had their bye week after the game and the situation seemed to settle down. Before the next game, the Redskins gave McNabb a five-year contract extension technically worth $78 million -- but the only thing it guaranteed was that he would receive an extra $3.5 million this season. If they so choose, the Redskins can cut McNabb before next season with no further financial obligation. That seems extremely likely now that Shanahan has named Rex Grossman as his starter for the rest of the season, beginning with Sunday's game at Dallas. Not only that, McNabb will only serve as the backup for this game before being further demoted to No. 3 behind Grossman and John Beck for the final two games of the season. "I also told him," Shanahan said, "that I cannot guarantee him that he will be back next year." Wow….going from starter on a team with playoff hopes to basically inactive for the final two games of the season…..that hurts. To be fair, McNabb has been inconsistent this season, throwing a career-high 15 interceptions and ranking 25th in the NFL with a 77.1 rating. Still, he’s not worse than Rex Grossman even on his worst day and that seems to be the message of his agent, Fletcher Smith, who ripped Redskins' decision as "disrespectful to Donovan. He has not been more disrespected his whole career than he has this season. It's absolutely ridiculous." Shanahan said he had been planning to make the move after the Redskins (5-8) were mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, which happened last weekend after a loss to Tampa Bay. "I've got to find where Rex Grossman is, where John Beck is. I want a chance to evaluate these guys," Shanahan said. "I told Donovan that there's nothing he could do in the three games that would influence me over what he's done over the last 13 games. I said, 'I'm not sure what I'm going to do in the college draft, if we're able to get the top quarterback in the draft, if there was a young Donovan McNabb or maybe a Sam Bradford, someone like that.' There's a lot of possibilities." Where Rex Grossman is? Probably the same place as he’s always been, as a quarterback with a 69.6 career rating who isn’t good enough to hold down a starting job for any team for more than a few games. McNabb didn’t react well to the decision, pointedly saying "No! No! No!" to reporters as he entered Redskins Park after practice Friday. His wife also abruptly canceled a scheduled interview with The Associated Press in which she planned to promote a charity event involving NFL wives. All in all, it’s an embarrassing turn for a quarterback who, at least going into this season, could be considered a borderline hall-of-famer……….
- Aaaaaand unimaginative Hollywood strikes again. At this point I am actively wondering whether there is some sort of secret plot or tacit agreement among the studios and production companies in Tinseltown to not rest until there is at least one remake of every movie ever made gracing the world’s movie screens. Whether it’s Tron or Escape From New York, Hollywood is hell-bent on recycling old movies until they’ve accomplished this feat. Don’t believe me? How else do you explain that a random, mediocre film from 1986 with not even a cult following to point to is a near-lock to be redone by none other than Screen Gems. The romantic comedy (not much comedic about it, but I guess it’s the intent that counts) About Last Night…, which wasn’t all that successful back in 1986, may soon be recycled by Screen Gems. The first time around, the movie starred Rob Lowe and Demi Moore. There’s no script at this point for the remake, nor has any casting been done. But rest assured, if there is a way to make money without having to conjure up any original ideas and plot points, there will be a studio willing to green-light the project. For those who don’t know, the plot of About Last Night…. revolves around a man and woman who are attempting to date despite their personal issues and disapproving friends. What adds a new layer of un-imagination to this particular remake is the fact that the original movie wasn’t even original. It was based on the 1974 David Mamet play Sexual Perversity in Chicago. The first incarnation of the movie was directed by Edward Zwick and also starred James Belushi and Elizabeth Perkins. If Hollywood had a soul or a shred of originality, there wouldn’t be a second version. But I think we all know better than that………
- You may try to cut the head off of the dissident beast, Russian government, but you will not succeeding in killing the spirit of the uprising. Okay, so that sounded a little cryptic, creepy and loner-ish, but the sentiment stands. While Russian police may have arrested a man suspected of killing a migrant from Kyrgyzstan and leading recent riots that drew thousands in Moscow, there is no denying that Russians are not happy with their government and not likely to quiet down about the issue any time soon. Even though Ilya Kubrakov and three other rioters were arrested on Friday and Kubrakov could face life in prison for the stabbing death of the Kyrgyz migrant in southern Moscow, he is merely the most visible face in an angry mob demanding change. Lest the government forget, some 5,000 nationalists and "football hooligans" clashed with Moscow police on December 1 as an unsanctioned nationalist-tinged mass memorial for a fellow supporter turned violent. Those “hooligans” (the government’s term, not mine) were protesting alleged police negligence over the death of Yegor Sviridov, who was killed in a fight with migrants from Russia's North Caucasus region. Those awesome riots occurred in Manezh Square, outside the Kremlin, and led to the arrests of 65 Spartak Moscow fans for "disobedience." The official fan group of Spartak Moscow, a Russian soccer club, has gone out of its way to clarify that the riot had nothing to do with sports but instead was rooted in problems in Russian society. Tensions remained high on Wednesday, with ethnic Russians and internal migrants coming together for a confrontation in Moscow. Other riots have also taken place in St. Petersburg and other Russian cities, leading Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to blame the rash of violence on investigators who released suspects in Sviridov's death. He wants authorities to take measures to punish those responsible for the crime, but just like the arrest of Kubrakov, those measures are unlikely to quell the violence. To quote indie rockers Kaiser Chiefs, I predict a riot……..
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