LIGHT POLLUTION

• Light pollution, also known as photopollution or luminous pollution, is excessive, misdirected, or obtrusive artificial light. Pollution is the adding-of/added light itself.
  
  
  
  • Unpleasant light that intrudes on an otherwise natural or low-light setting
  • Excessive light (generally indoors) that leads to discomfort and adverse health effect
  
  
  Light trespass 
  
  
  Light trespass occurs when unwanted light enters one's property, for instance, by shining over a neighbor's fence. A common light trespass problem occurs when a strong light enters the window of one's home from the outside, causing problems such as sleep deprivation or the blocking of an evening view.

  Glare 

  • Blinding glare describes effects such as that caused by staring into the Sun. It is completely blinding and leaves temporary or permanent vision deficiencies.
  • Disability glare describes effects such as being blinded by oncoming car lights, or light scattering in fog or in the eye, reducing contrast, as well as reflections from print and other dark areas that render them bright, with significant reduction in sight capabilities.
  • Discomfort glare does not typically cause a dangerous situation in itself, though it is annoying and irritating at best. It can potentially cause fatigue if experienced over extended periods.
  
  
  
  
  I ask you with tears (literally) in my eyes why businesses have to install searchlights (really bright piercing lights) on the outside of their buildings.
  
  Security? Maybe.  But all these really bright lights do is highlight the target and make it easier for muggers and carjackers to see what they are doing.  People coming outside to go to their cars are just plain blinded by the really bright lights and cannot see who their attacker is.
  
  The business over the road from where I live has installed these really bright lights on their outside wall.  So bright that I cannot go onto my balcony without being blinded.  They also give me an  intense headache.  
  
  As far as I am concerned there is no point in these lights pointing upwards towards the building over the road.  They should be pointing downwards on the cars they are supposed to be protecting.
  
  When I complained about these "searchlights" the reply I got back from the CEO of the business, Red Pepper Studios, was:
  
  
  I acknowledge receipt of your mail. I will ask my people to look into the matter. They are not search lights and they were put there to light up our pavement after we suffered a few muggings and car thefts in the evening after 18h00.
  
  
  As you are no doubt aware, we are busy with building project at the moment and it seams as if one of the lights might have been accidentally moved. We will attend to this.  You have however made your point quite clear with respect to the whole blinding thing and I accept that diplomacy was never your strong point in life.
  
  
  Light pollution is a major problem in this world.  Not only because the security searchlights cause disruption to an astronomer's viewing pleasure and potentially blinding people, but they contribute to global warming.  Plants that are near these searchlights react to them by having no  night time so put out more oxygen in the air and don't "sleep."  I have noticed this on my plants that I have on the verandah are getting twenty four hours of light whereas my plants on the balcony are only getting 12 hours of light and are more healthy.
  
  
  While I am driving these lights are brighter than car bright lights and they really hurt my eyes.  At least when other cars lights are bright you can request a dim from them.
  
  
  Besides causing blindness they are such a waste of energy.  According to wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_pollution#Light_trespass) "commercial lighting alone consumes about four to five million barrels per day (equivalent) of petroleum, "
  
  
  There are solutions from wikipedia:
  
  
  Reducing light pollution implies many things, such as reducing sky glow, reducing glare, reducing light trespass, and reducing clutter. The method for best reducing light pollution, therefore, depends on exactly what the problem is in any given instance. Possible solutions include:
  
  
  • Utilizing light sources of minimum intensity necessary to accomplish the light's purpose.
  • Turning lights off using a timer or occupancy sensor or manually when not needed.
  • Improving lighting fixtures, so that they direct their light more accurately towards where it is needed, and with less side effects.
  • Adjusting the type of lights used, so that the light waves emitted are those that are less likely to cause severe light pollution problems. Mercury, metal halide and above all first generation of blue-light LED road luminaires are much more pollutant that sodium lamps: Earth atmosphere scatters and transmits blue light better than yellow or red light. It is a common experience observing "glare" and "fog" around and below LED road luminaires as soon as air humidity increases, while orange sodium lamp luminaires are less prone to show this phenomenon.
  • Evaluating existing lighting plans, and re-designing some or all of the plans depending on  whether existing light is actually needed.
    The following website shows some examples of bad lights and how to direct them to make them better.
    http://aslc-nm.org/Lighting.html
  
  
  My comment:
  
  You don't have to point your lights skywards to protect your street. Point the the lights downwards. Replace the sharp searchlights with softer lights. Ones that don't blind your neighbours.
  
  
  My solution is why not put the lights onto movement detectors then when a potential thief walks past the movement detector switches the light on and they are blinded
  
  
  Put shades on them so the light shines downwards and does not shine upwards, and sideways. The following is from La Cruces ordinance on lighting
  http://aslc-nm.org/LCLightingCode.pdf
  
  
  Outdoor lighting fixtures: Any lighting device located exterior to a structure or intended to illuminate areas exterior to a structure, whether permanently or temporarily installed. Such devices include, but are not limited to, search lights,spotlights, flood lights, sign and architectural lighting, and lighting for
  parks,parking lots, roadways, and athletic facilities.
  
  
  Illuminating devices:
  1. Light fixture types:
  a. Full cutoff fixture types--A fixture which, as installed, gives no emission of light above a horizontal plane;
  b. Floodlights and spotlights--Fixtures defined as having a full beam width or beam spread of less than 110 degrees;
  (2) Lamp types:
  a. Incandescent lamps--Lamps which produce light via an electrically heated metallic filament;
  b. Fluorescent lamps--Lamps which use fluorescence of a phosphor to produce visible light.
  c. High intensity discharge lamps--Lamps which produce visible light directly by the electrical heating or excitation of a gas. Examples of such lighting include, but are not limited to, Metal Halide, High Pressure Sodium, Low Pressure Sodium, and Mercury Vapor. For purposes of this chapter, fluorescent lights are not considered HID lighting.
  
  
  
  
  
  

Allergies and illness caused by black mould

Recently, I house sat for a some people and discovered that their washing machine had black mould in it.  

This is one of those unthought of sources of infection and allergies which one sees in otherwise clean houses.  It is relatively easy to get rid of in automatic washing machines.

Step one:  Regularly clean the dispensing tray where one puts the detergent, bleach and softener.  Clean the lint trap if there is one.  I try to do this in my washing machine at least once a month.

Step two:  Run a cycle with boiling water through the washing machine.  Do not add detergent or softener.  You may add bleach or vinegar. If your washing machine does not have the facility to heat its own water and has a separate hot water inlet, then boil a kettle or two and pour boiling water into the machine through the dispensing tray to clean the pipes.  Then run a cycle with that hot water in the barrel/tub to clean it.  Add more hot water if necessary. Then drain that water through the pipes. You will be unpleasantly surprised by the amount of mould which comes out.

Step three:  When you are finished with your washing dry the rubber seals around the door or lid.  Leave the door/lid open to air the machine so that mould doesn't get a chance to build up on rubber seals.

The sickness of South African society

Do your part as a parent and petition at the end of the document.

Don't let us forget Louise de Waal this week!

It could have been your child!

We need everybody's support!

Over the last few weeks in South Africa , a two year old was abducted from her creche, raped and left in the bush, where she was found crawling around and crying, by an old woman, two hours after her abduction.

Another child in a pre-primary school was molested, and the authorities have done nothing. We have all heard the story of Sheldean Human who was abducted and brutally murdered close to her home.

A while ago a 3 year old girl was beaten and raped. She is still alive. The man responsible was released on bail. He is walking the streets.

If you are too busy to read this then just sign your name and forward this on. The Government is planning to close the child protection unit and this is a petition against it. This is a very important petition. It is an essential part of the justice system for children.

You may have already heard that there's a myth in South Africa that having sex with a virgin will cure AIDS. The younger the virgin, the more potent the cure. This has led to an epidemic of rapes by infected males, with the correspondent infection of innocent kids. Many have died in these cruel rapes!
                                                                                       

Recently in Cape Town, a 9-month-old baby was raped by 6 men. Please think about that for a moment.
The child abuse situation is now reaching catastrophic proportions and if we don't do something, then who will?
                               

A young boy was killed for muti!!! This may not continue!!!

Some may say that this photo is tasteless and cruel but please, let this be a wake-up call! Innocent children are being butchered, raped and killed!
 
 
Please don't be complacent, do something about the kids of South Africa . You can make a difference. This is just one of the million cases of child abuse, so please pledge your support and help keep CPU (CHILD PROTECTION UNIT) open. Please give your support to the petition and ensure that it goes to as many people as possible. Please don't just leave it, make a difference. All these losers must get the death penalty

Please sign the online petition

Toll Roads - THE way forward

Dear South African motorist,

TOLL ROADS ARE TO BE IMPLEMENTED NATIONWIDE. Finish and klaar.

This is not just a Gauteng concern, every province is targeted for tolls.

IT SEEMS TO BE ANOTHER SCAM ON US ALL FOR THE ENRICHMENT OF A FEW. Consider….

1)    To fund the road costs by way of a small addition to the fuel levy would cost absolutely nil in collection fees. Nada, zilch!

2)    The proposed tolls collection costs amount to nearly 40% of what you will pay under tolling.  40% versus nothing. Where is the reasoned thinking?

3)    The collection fees (R5 billion a year) goes offshore to Austria, far from the auditor general’s reach and oversight powers. Petrol levies stay in S.A. and are audited.

4)    R5 billion exported impoverishes us all. Our current account is already disastrous. R5 billion is the equivalent of just 20 new Zumaseraglios, but is still a klomp geld

Wayne Duvenage says we already collect R40 billion p.a. in fuel levies, much more than we need to sustain  decent road structures.

Tolls are just another disguised tax like A.D.T., private schools and Discovery, paying for services which you have already paid for with your tax buck.

For-profit taxies are exempt from tolls, we producers still have to pay. Our Lords and Masters are dead scared of the taxies. So, I guess, are we all!

Daily we read  of the huge financial scams being perpetrated on us by our scurvy elected Lords and Masters. Daily. Huge amounts and no one is ever brought to account.

We are punch drunk and feel powerless. We know that this latest scheme is like the others. We know why they will not release the contract details, and are united in gatvolheid.

TOLL ROAD DISOBEDIENCE IS OUR CHANCE TO FIGHT BACK! And no one gets to bleed for a change. You can simply suck it up (again) or fight back.

A very simple solution is at hand. It will cost you nothing, give you immense satisfaction and screw those scumbags who wish to accumulate huge offshore bank accounts at your expense.

DO NOT REGISTER FOR E-TOLL TAGS. REGISTERING IS NOT A LEGAL REQUIREMENT. IF YOU DO NOT REGISTER THEY HAVE TO SEND YOU AN ACCOUNT, 300 THOUSAND ACCOUNTS A DAY, 10 BILLION ACCOUNTS PER YEAR, 10 BILLION! Quite impossible, and the scam will collapse.

Then query your account! What fun. They will have to send you a photo of every toll you have passed through, maybe 20 billion in total. Then argue that it was not you but a cloned licence plate. Demand proof that you were the driver. With individual identification.

DEMAND THAT THEIR 'LETTERS OF DEMAND' ARE SENT BY REGISTERED POST. Oh! The cost, the cost, the cost!

Defend the case if you have time, but it will never reach that stage, the logistics and costs would be too overwhelming for the possible scamsters to contemplate. Insist, in writing, that the guy in charge of the camera attend the court, then pay your R15 due the day before trial.

Over 20 years there is perhaps R160 billion at stake here, many times that when every province is targeted.

R160 billion of your, my and South Africa’s money, possibly diverted to crooks ( they will not disclose the contracts which divulge where and to whom the toll fees are to be paid, so we cannot know).

Sincerely, if you are tired of being a milch cow, tired of seeing your hard worked for earnings being ripped off for the benefit of a few connected yobboes, tired of being scammed

DO NOT BUY AN E-TAG, THEY CANNOT LOCK YOU UP, CANNOT BEGIN TO FIGHT US ALL, CANNOT HOPE TO WIN.

Remember, the more draconian they get in trying to extort money from you, the more they will lose at the polls, and losing power is something they cannot afford as it would deny them the unlimited power of plunder they now enjoy.

Please send this to as many of your contacts as possible.

Petrolatum, petroleum jelly, Vaseline,

Recently I discovered that I am allergic to petrolatum, (petroleum jelly or Vaseline). It cause contact dermatitis.  After I had used aqueous cream for a long time my hands started peeling and the skin started breaking open, especially on my index fingers.

No matter how much I put on the skin got worse.

SO I stopped putting cream on and my hands slowly healed.  At night I would put my hands in water and then into polythene gloves.  This helped moisturise them.  Then I tried pure olive oil (the edible kind) which helped quite a lot but the result was oily marks all over everything for at least an hour. Fine if you are not in a hurry.

THEN I discovered why my skin reacts to this mix. When you read the recipe for AQUEOUS CREAM B.P. I understand why I react to it. The following is extracted from the British Pharmocopaeia 1968:


AQUEOUS CREAM
Hydrous Emulsifying Ointment
Emulsifying Ointment     300 g.
Chlorocresol 1 g.
Purified Water   699 g.

Dissolve the Chlorocresol in the Purified Water with the aid of
gentle heat. Melt the Emulsifying Ointment, add the solution of
Chlorocresol while still warm, and stir gently until cold.
Storage. Aqueous Cream should be kept in a well-closed container and
stored in a cool place.
Action and Use. Water-miscible cream basis.

Then I read what was in Emulsifying Ointment:


EMULSIFYING OINTMENT

Emulsif. Oint.
Ung. Emulsif.

Emulsifying Wax                       300 g.
White Soft Paraffin                    500 g.
Liquid Paraffin                   200 g.
Melt together and stir until cold.
Preparation. Aqueous Cream.

I hunted for products which did not contain mineral oil, petrolatum or liquid paraffin and found very few.  Most of these contained Shea Butter (to which I also react) or glycerin (which is OK if it is of vegetable origin but in South Africa it is mostly a by-product of Coal refinery and comes from Sasolburg).

I tried all sorts of raw materials in an effort to find something which would help with the healing process and stop my hands peeling. I even tried a product which supposedly promoted healing with Calendula.  It just made the condition worse and when I wrote to the manufacturer asking what the base cream was I received no reply.

I  have done a bit of research on Vaseline, petrolatum and have found on this site:
fablenaturals.com  the following:

The bad: Surprise, surprise, it’s made from petroleum! And why would that ever be good for our skin? Petrolatum forms a barrier on the skin, clogging pores and causing acne. Like SLS, it’s been found to be contaminated with other chemicals (like 1, 4 dioxane) linked to cancer.The alternative: Use a natural version of petroleum jelly – such as a salve or a body butter. They will contain oils and a natural wax like beeswax to moisturize and protect your skin.Some people will argue that there is nothing wrong with these chemicals. And there are so many studies and conflicting pieces of advice that it’s hard to know who to listen to. But with all the safer alternatives out there, why would you choose to use a product that could be bad for your health?

There are other sites which also pan petrolatum, for clogging pores, damaging lips. An alternative is coconut oil, beeswax, honey, lemon juice, mixed together make a cream.

Eventually I wanted to try pure lanolin and couldn't find any. I eventually remembered something my grandmother used to make and could not find the ingredients. I hunted and hunted and hunted, and then I remembered UDDER CREAM and started asking around.

It is marketed as MILKING CREAM and is available from farm supply stores.  I patch tested a tub at the price of R40 per tub and found that it works.  There may or may not be petrolatum in it but it seems to be easier on my hands than the commercial hand creams with all their fancy additives and seems to soak in relatively quickly and doesn't leave oily patches on my keyboard as I type.  

It also works on my cracked heels.  A nice alternative to Eulactol Heel balm which I find expensive and ultra greasy.

I HATE MICROSOFT

AGAIN Microsoft XP has failed on my Desktop computer.

I wonder if it is a built in obsolescence from Microsoft.  Probably.  OR it is just that dear Microsoft wants to make sure you are using a "legal" paid for version of their software.

Now is the time to chuck Microsoft out the window.

When I google the error of :

"desktop keeps trying to boot  but goes to safe mode options screen"

I get loads and loads of advice including: "reboot from your XP cd"

or a wonderful explanation from 

bleepingcomputer.com/

which explains very nicely what to do but that doesn't work on my desktop

So I insert my "legal" paid for XP and reboot.

"Press any key" to boot from CD.

Can't find the "any" key. LOL

The setup screen presents three choices.

To Setup Windows XP now, press ENTER
To repair a windows XP installation Recovery Console, press R
To quit setup without installing Window XP, Press F3.

Press R

Pretty blue screen with a ribbon of  stuff happening at the bottom of the screen
BLACK screen:

Microsoft Windows XP (TM) Recovery Console
The Recovery Console provides system repair and recover functionality
Type EXIT to quit the Recovery Console and restart the computer.
C:\>

So here goes.
And back to the black screen of

safe mode
safe mode with networking
safe mode with command prompt
restart manually
last known good configuration

around and around in circles we go.

SOD this crappy MIcrosoft garbage.  

I HATE MICROSOFT AND EVERYTHING IT STANDS FOR.
So typical that someone else has to fix an error that you cannot make right in the first place.  

All this is probably because you want me to buy your crappy DOZE 7 or 8 or whatever.

NO no no and again no.

SWEETIM THE HIJACKER

Now there is this disgusting hijacker of computers, called SWEETIM which you cannot get rid of.

It links itself to any number of websites in and then downloads onto you system.

You can't destroy it as it will come back.

I wish SWEETIM would die and never return.  It thinks it is JESUS CHRIST AND KEEPS RESURRECTING ITSELF.

No matter how many CCLEANERS and SPYBOT programmes you install this SWEETIM crap will return and attack your computer.

I hate  SWEETIM.  I want it destroyed along with its host MICROSOFT