What's New Robert L. Park 11 March 2011

WHAT=92S NEW   Robert L. Park   Friday, 11 Mar 2011   Washington, DC

1.DIM BULB: "AND GOD SAW THAT LIGHT WAS GOOD" (GENESIS 1:4).
"Let There Be More Efficient Light," an op-ed by Roger Pielke Jr in this=20
morning's New York Times.  He was commenting on a bill introduced by Rep.=
 =20
Michele Bachmann (R-MN) that seeks to turn back the ban on conventional=20
light bulbs signed into law by George W. Bush.   I can do no better than=20
Dr. Pielke, however, I don't think Rep. Bachmann reads the New York Times=
. =20
I don't think she reads WN either, but she should.  Rep. Bachmann declare=
d=20
that, "Government has no business telling an individual what kind of ligh=
t=20
bulb to buy."  Hold your candle a little closer Michele; I can find nothi=
ng=20
in the law telling people what kind of light bulb they have to buy, as lo=
ng=20
as it's efficient.  Lots of things are banned if they=92re harmful;=20
incandescent light bulbs harm the entire planet.  The ban is an incentive=
=20
for companies to build a better light bulb.  The compact florescent lamp=20
was an important step in that direction but half-a-dozen other new lamps=20
are already entering the market. =20

2.GAS PRICES: THE BEST NEWS THAT EVER HURT SO MUCH. =20
Petroleum is a hydrocarbon of fossil origin that can be refined to provid=
e=20
fuel and valuable petrochemicals.  Abundant 100 years ago, it is now=20
available in the quantities needed by modern industrial societies only=20
beneath oceans and politically unstable countries. Short of an unexpected=
=20
breakthrough in synthetic fuel production or fusion the world, and=20
particularly the US, will suffer a serious oil shortage. =20

3. DISCOVERY: THE EXPLORATION THAT REACHED NO OTHER SHORE.
The space shuttle Discovery returned its crew safely to Earth on=20
Wednesday.  Nothing more had been asked of it.  A remarkable technologica=
l=20
achievement, the shuttle program must nevertheless be judged a colossal=20
failure.  It was sold to Congress and the nation as a reusable spacecraft=
=20
that would reduce costs; it turned out to be the most expensive launch=20
system ever devised.  The great achievements of the space program,=20
including exploration of the solar system, space-based telescopes, weathe=
r=20
satellites, space communications and global positioning all came out of t=
he=20
unmanned program. =20

4. EXTREME SUPER FULL MOON: THIS LOOKS REALLY SERIOUS.
If you=92re a space alien from the planet Mongo, that is.  According to t=
he=20
Astronomy Weather Blog, on March 19 (that's a week from tomorrow) the moo=
n=20
will make its closest approach to Earth in 18 years.  Talk about trouble.=
 =20
A new or full Moon at 90% or greater of its closest perigee to Earth has=20
been named an Extreme Super Moon by astrologer Richard Nolle.  This occur=
s=20
when the moon is full, or new, and at its 100% greater mean perigee=20
distance to Earth (if I got that right).  The last time was on January 10=
,=20
2005 around the time of the 9.0 Indonesia earthquake.  WN explained it:=20
http://bobpark.physics.umd.edu/WN05/wn011405.html .  The disaster claimed=
=20
more than 150,000 innocent lives. "Innocent"? Buddhists explained that=20
seemingly innocent victims could be paying for some really bad stuff they=
=20
did in previous lives. A leading Muslim cleric in Southern California say=
s=20
it was, "a test from God to see how human beings respond."  Columnist and=
=20
pretentious theologian William Safire also saw the 2005 tsunami as a test=
,=20
and compared it to God' s test of Job.

THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND.
Opinions are the author's and not necessarily shared by the
University of Maryland, but they should be.
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