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One Fifth of World's Population Can't See Milky Way At Night
An anonymous reader writes with this excerpt from Cosmos Magazine: "Light pollution has caused one-fifth of the world's population — mostly in Europe, Britain and the US — to lose their ability to see the Milky Way in the night sky.
'The arc of the Milky Way seen from a truly dark location is part of our planet's natural heritage,' said Connie Walker, and astronomer from the US National Optical Astronomy Observatory in Tucson, Arizona.
Yet 'more than one fifth of the world population, two thirds of the US population and one half of the European Union population have already lost naked eye visibility of the Milky Way.'"
And 1/10th of them can't simplify fractions.
>I'm lucky if I can see cyclists and pedestrians after sunset. That's just population control, if there stupid enough to step in front of a moving car then they don't need to be spoiling the gene pool.
Life moves pretty fast; if you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. -FB
A) If you look at a photo of Earth at night, you'll see why a clear view of the night sky is not just a train-ride to the suburbs away.
If that's not the case for you, then *move*. Seriously, if this is important to you, you can pick up your things and move-- just like if gambling (for example) is important to you, you can move to Nevada. Or if high school football is important to you, you can move to Texas.
C) Seeing the wonder of the universe is a good thing. Living in a cave is not. Is that distinction so difficult to comprehend? "The rest is technology at work, for better or worse." Oh, so maybe you do grasp the point! Except that we don't have to just accept technology "for better or worse"; we can choose to use technology in ways that makes our lives better and not to use technology in ways that makes it worse.
Use technology like the "automacar" and the "zepplaplane" to move your ass somewhere where you can see the stars.
Christ, I hate this thread. It's basically a bunch of people whining, "this issue is important to me, but not important enough to change anything in my life!" Waaah. Either move to where you can see stars, or shut up already.
Comment of the year
I realize this may not be convenient for you, but they aren't "motorways". With the exception of highways cyclists have as much right to use them as motorists.
I realize you're not in touch with reality, but they ARE motor ways. They are designed for cars, maintained largely by tax on gasoline, and whatever idiot convienced our idiot leaders that letting bikes on the road is a good idea should be hung.
You actually DON'T have a right to use them. The roads are built for the common mode for transportatin of the day; a while back, it was horse and carrage. Now it's cars. You're free to use the road in some kind of motor vechicle... not in whatever you choose.
Cyclists should indeed be using reflectors and lights (as should the cars).
Cars don't need reflectors; either it's light outside, or they have LIGHTS which everyone can see from any angle around the vehicle.
That said, I'll be happy to take my bike off the streets as soon as there are sufficient bike paths to get me where I'm going. Of course, the same anti-cyclist interests that want us off the streets, also keep blocking initiatives to get those trails built. Funny that.
I have no problem with bike trails, provided I don't have to pay for them. They benefit a small minority that thinks they should be able to take public tax money to fund a project only they have an interest in. If you like, fund bike trails yourself, I won't object.
While we are on the subject, how about bikes kick in more. If I need a license, insurance, a plate, and registration to drive my car on the road, I fail to see why cyclists shouldn't face the same requirements as well. After all, FAR more cyclists run right lights, turn without signaling, pass on the right, and hop onto sidewalks whenever convient.. and such requirements would force bikers to comply. In my own driving around, I've recorded cyclists breaking the rules.. the rate is that about 90% of those i've encountered have done one of the things I mentioned. If 90% of drivers drove that way, the streets would be nothing but a demolision derby.