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See the original image at farm2.static.flickr.com —

The White House During "Earth Hour" [pic]

farm2.static.flickr.com — It appears Bush forgot to turn a light off in the Oval Office.

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  • darkchild82, on 03/31/2008, -71/+369Like anyone thought he was actually gonna. The man doesn't watch the news.
    • SmackMyMac, on 03/31/2008, -26/+13What?! He watches the news!
      Well, at least when it's not on at the same time as cartoons.
      • RedHeadedFreak, on 03/31/2008, -25/+96Or perhaps Bush just didn't care about some stupid contrived Earth Hour like me.
        • giveer, on 03/31/2008, -16/+19"Bush not caring..." sounds about right.
        • DucoNihilum, on 03/31/2008, -11/+28You know, 'not caring' doesn't necessarily mean bad. Earth hour is as stupid as not using gas for a day, but buying it all the day before.
        • Zaeboes, on 03/31/2008, -8/+15@ DucoNihilum
          Does this mean you will turn on extra lights just because you missed light so much during Earth Hour?
          • themastersb, on 03/31/2008, -15/+4That's the case for me.
          • nigh7dagger, on 03/31/2008, -14/+7It's the same argument I have to vegetarians: For every animal you don't eat, I'll eat three.

            Maddox ftw.
          • DucoNihilum, on 03/31/2008, -11/+3No, it means that you won't be saving any electricity. Power stations don't have an 'off' switch, you just feel very good about it while still causing the same amount of consumption.
          • JohnyD, on 03/31/2008, -0/+5@DucoNihilum
            The natural gas power station that generates electricity for my city has several generators. When demand is lower then can shut some down. They never shut them all down but they can reduce generation to a degree. Maybe you should generalize less about power plants.
        • bluezinc, on 03/31/2008, -2/+12It's a gesture, that's all. It would be nice if he actually showed us that he gave a ***** about anything other than himself and his buddies wallets.
        • jj101, on 03/31/2008, -2/+2Contrived implies some sort of trickery which is not appropriate here. Trying to belittle an idea by just randomly using words with negative connotations does not detract from the idea itself or the people who took part or supported it in some way. If you had no desire to participate then fair enough, but please try an keep your resentment to yourself as this clearly did no harm to anyone.
    • unreg, on 03/31/2008, -39/+171Yeah, let's turn off the lights around what is probably the most highly prized terrorist target.

      While we're at it, let's turn off all the streetlights.
      • chrisgnv, on 03/31/2008, -24/+53What terrorists do you speak of?
        • quiznos, on 03/31/2008, -17/+53While there is little chance of anything happening, unreg makes a valid point.
          • thetechkid, on 03/31/2008, -30/+19Wow the Terrorist have won.
          • quiznos, on 03/31/2008, -8/+15Being rational means the terrorists have won? This isn't a house in the suburbs or a town hall.
          • cwgannon, on 03/31/2008, -0/+18Something tells me that the White House has more to its defenses than its interior and exterior lighting systems. Just a hunch.
      • Metatron197, on 03/31/2008, -8/+55Exactly, that way they wont know where to aim the airliner
      • pintomp3, on 03/31/2008, -6/+56wouldn't turning off the lights make it harder to find in the dark?
      • fmaxwell, on 03/31/2008, -6/+53Okay, so what did they do in London during WWII when the air raid sirens went off? They turned off the lights to so the Germans could not find their targets.

        • slambert90, on 03/31/2008, -11/+4I think it's more a fear of a ground attack, not air.
        • Gir53457, on 03/31/2008, -5/+2They're not afraid of anymore planes smashing into the white house, they're worried about internal conflicts like assassins or ground attacks. Also the White House as few people know, is actually a bunker, not jut his vacation home when he's away from his Ranch.
          • GliTCH82, on 03/31/2008, -0/+7For some random guy posting on Digg here, you sure do sound like you're in the whole presidential/secret service loop. Let's see some sources and credentials.
      • riddlebox, on 03/31/2008, -14/+4The Germans didn't use have night-vision and thermal imaging either. I myself can now pick all this up for around $10,000 dollars. Hopefully the "terrorist" have $10,000 or we are just wasting out time...
        • atchon, on 03/31/2008, -0/+19I dare say that the white house has a more complicated security system than by eye. If you think the lack of lights would cause any serious security problems you have an unrealistically low view of the technology I'm sure is employed to keep the white house safe.
        • pe5t1lence, on 03/31/2008, -0/+13Yeah they have flashlights!
        • wageslaven, on 03/31/2008, -3/+6Afghanistan was one of the world's most poor places. Iraq had been cut-off from the international economy for a decade.

          $10,000 is an incredible amount of money for the people who the USA is occupying.

          That doesnt say anything about your "friends".
          • expert01, on 03/31/2008, -1/+6On the other hand, I can pick up some night vision goggles for about $500

            http://shopkami.com/component/page,shop.product_de ...
          • riddlebox, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1What I was meaning was that if you or anyone had such malicious intent then your funding should not be so slim. If the white house were to turn out the lights that would not cause any problem in security. Don't you realize along Area51 they have security devices in place to alert people are near the installation, why would the White House or any other "major" government building be any different? What I wanted to say is now...we have technology that wouldn't stop anyone if the lights are on or off. They really don't care.
      • GramarNatzi, on 03/31/2008, -7/+63So you're saying the Whithouse defence system relies so heavily on their porch lights that if they were switched off for an hour suicide bombers would start popping out of nowhere and blow the place up? Just make sure you check under your bed before you go to sleep tonight... you never know there might be a terrorist hiding under there!

        paranoid lunatics.
      • fluxion, on 03/31/2008, -0/+7i'd imagine darkness works well for the highly equipped individuals guarding the white house (nightvision googles/survellience, well-coordinated communication, etc)
        • lukasvermeer, on 03/31/2008, -1/+2Ooooohhhh! "nightvision googles". WANT!!!11
      • Abomonog, on 03/31/2008, -3/+5unreg: Your reply makes no sense.

        The White House, being the home of the of our "Commander and Chief", is a proper military target. Even a terrorist cell attacking it could not be guilty of terrorism if they attack a legit military target.

        Second, a successful attack on a fully occupied White House anytime before mid January 2009 would be no great loss and for many Americans a cause of celebration. Really! We might have a day of mourning but in reality, "Ding Dong The Witch is Dead" would quickly hit the Billboard top 10 it would get so much radio airplay.

        And finally: Turning out the lights of the White House at night WOULD MAKE IT A MORE DIFFICULT TARGET TO HIT. Why do you think cities blacked out during bombing raids in WW2? Because they are harder to hit when they are dark. Imagine how hard the White House would be to hit with no visible landmarks lit up nearby.

        You, and everyone who Dugg your comment have just joined the ranks of upper echelon stupidity. Congratulations. Next time you go on vacation and check into a hotel, be sure to lock your car up good and tight just before you hand the car keys to the valet.
        • stevetrojanman, on 03/31/2008, -2/+3Anyone who would celebrate the death of a President, no matter who it is, is a disgusting excuse of an American...
          Your comment shows exactly what is wrong with the extreme left.
        • unreg, on 03/31/2008, -1/+1Good job not seeing the bigger picture Abornonog
        • GliTCH82, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1If an entire nation or national army attacks it, it's an act of war. If a single person, group, tribe or gang attacks it, it's a terrorist attack. I need no sources for this, it's just how we and the media would perceive that aggression.
    • bradkovach, on 03/31/2008, -18/+3He watches the news on his Dell television set.
    • DiscoLando, on 03/31/2008, -35/+277I'm sorry to tell you this, but the White House wouldn't turn off the lights regardless who was the President. Using this moment to bash Bush is nothing but ignorant and needlessly opportunistic.
      • phr0stbyte, on 03/31/2008, -34/+9they didn't need it lit up like that though.
        • atact88, on 03/31/2008, -7/+11Al Gore doesn't need to fly himself to Save-the-World conventions in super jumbo jets. What's your point?
      • DucoNihilum, on 03/31/2008, -5/+29Actually, yes they did. It seems a little more light than usual because of the exposure of the camera (it's a little over exposed, I'm guessing for effect)
        • expert01, on 03/31/2008, -6/+1Who says the picture was taken today? There's no way to prove it without a paper in the picture (because data, such as dates and timestamps, in a digital image can be changed)
          • cwgannon, on 03/31/2008, -1/+12You'd just bitch that the date was photoshopped onto the paper. We know it.
          • GliTCH82, on 03/31/2008, -1/+2What about the EXIF data on the photo?
      • BenderFlexo, on 03/31/2008, -2/+10Gore would turn off the lights and his internets
      • keltin, on 03/31/2008, -5/+8It's all just hype and mirrors, anyway. Turn a light off for an hour is ridiculously simplistic. Try doing things that are more effective and important than just symbolic.
        Kumbaya singing just doesn't work for me.
    • Jordan117, on 03/31/2008, -7/+16He also did not visit the Google, I see...
      • limbikity, on 03/31/2008, -12/+5the google?
      • p0s3r, on 03/31/2008, -3/+13If Earth Hour was so important, why didn't they power down their data centers for an hour? I guess spending 20 seconds to change some css was more of a powerful gesture.
        • jeff303, on 03/31/2008, -1/+5Umm because then nobody would even find out about Earth Hour?
      • TonyCubed, on 03/31/2008, -0/+3Maybe because, if they did that, people wouldn't obviously be able to use Google, access their Gmail, and so forth. While it is a nice idea, it's highly impratical for a big Search engine company like Google to turn everything off for an hour. Imagine the chaos it would cause?
        • CommissarVlad, on 03/31/2008, -1/+1Okay, and imagine the chaos it would cause if the our government was unable to work without its power sources.
    • orca94, on 03/31/2008, -7/+5Give him a break, if he knew what the news was, or how to turn on that black rectangular box on his desk he might watch it.
    • sup4141, on 03/31/2008, -8/+44This is what's wrong with America. Everyone wants to blame someone else for their problems. I am sick of hearing how screwed this country is just because of Bush. People need to stop bitching and do good despite of what others are doing.
      • NAK321, on 03/31/2008, -4/+13Freaking YES!
      • GramarNatzi, on 03/31/2008, -4/+11Please log off the Internet. Rational thought will not be tolerated here.
      • LeopardGirl420, on 03/31/2008, -5/+2Dugg for sup4141 bitching on Digg about people who bitch
        • hinchb, on 03/31/2008, -1/+1I'm not sure if this post was intended to be ironic or stupid but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.
      • wageslaven, on 03/31/2008, -4/+3Why is doing good, and bitching about those who do bad WORSE than doing bad?
      • bonk2k, on 03/31/2008, -1/+4I disagree. Bush is exactly why I burn my toast in the morning, why my pens run out of ink, and why everyone else is a ***** driver. I mean who else could be behind such diabolical treachery?
    • JettaMan, on 03/31/2008, -9/+11I didn't turn off my lights and I knew about this earth hour *****. WTF Is it supposed to accomplish? I get more work done with the lights on.
      • fluxion, on 03/31/2008, -2/+4yah my digging skills are better with the lights on
      • thundacracka, on 03/31/2008, -4/+7I turned extra lights on to cancel you all out, left my car running in the drive all day, and purchased aerosol everything on my trip to the grocer. Mwah ha ha ha ha ha.
        • wageslaven, on 03/31/2008, -10/+2Way to go, your a *****.
        • h4ppydotcom, on 03/31/2008, -0/+4That should be "you're", not "your"... ;)
      • OneLess, on 03/31/2008, -3/+5I actually conserve power all the time instead of making a meaningless gesture for an hour one day.
        • BenderFlexo, on 03/31/2008, -5/+2You are all aware of it, making it anything but a meaningless gesture
        • fireburner23, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1Amen thinking conservatively is better than doing something for one hour once a year. Just like people always say that Christmas and Valentines Day is ***** because we should be giving and showing our love year round.
          Then again...who am I to judge...I don't give and don't show my love year round.
      • heavyd14, on 03/31/2008, -5/+2For every light you turn off, I'm turning on two
    • diggstown, on 03/31/2008, -4/+3Didn't the person taking the picture use up energy during Earth Hour to show this to us?
    • MacSuxWindozSux, on 03/31/2008, -1/+1They only say he doesn't watch the news as a means to allow him to avoid answering questions he doesn't want to answer.
    • xCeramikx, on 03/31/2008, -2/+16Not that the lights were actually turned out or anything, but here is the source for the picture: http://thenewshole.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/06/2 ...
      • hinchb, on 03/31/2008, -1/+6don't worry people on digg wanna get pissed and even though the picture is a year old ***** BUSH YEAH
    • NEUTRINO50, on 03/31/2008, -4/+3Also, how dare NORAD keep their operations going during these holiest of the holy 60 minutes... christ...
    • dafunkmonster, on 03/31/2008, -8/+3I knew "Earth Hour" was coming, but I didn't turn my lights off, because I've got more important things to do than to waste an hour of my time bowing to some silly anti-capitalist movement disguised as a "energy conservation" movement.
    • quade, on 03/31/2008, -0/+2He doesn't NEED to watch the news. He already signed off on what Fox News was gonna report earlier in the day.
    • daridave, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1He did! But he doesn't know that Earth with a capital E means the planet. So he went to look for worms in his garden instead ...
  • Rotzooi, on 03/31/2008, -44/+1074Bush is afraid of the dark. That's when Dick Cheney visits him.
    • Attol, on 03/31/2008, -11/+17Then play laser tag?
      • CATSCEO, on 03/31/2008, -12/+30Anal rape.
      • ruddy, on 03/31/2008, -4/+19with a shotgun
        • thecheatah, on 03/31/2008, -2/+2Ooh man I had completely forgotten cheney had shot someone in the face!!

          Thanks for reminding me...
      • darlingt, on 03/31/2008, -7/+6IMMA CHARGIN MAH LAZOR!!!!!
      • DucoNihilum, on 03/31/2008, -7/+2YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG
      • eShinn, on 03/31/2008, -3/+1Bush, bending over in the dark, screaming, "Armagedd'n!"
      • orca94, on 03/31/2008, -4/+6If by laser you mean dick, and by tag you mean tag that ass.
      • jseres, on 03/31/2008, -0/+2PEW PEW!
      • ozwolfbane, on 03/31/2008, -0/+2yup there is some tagging involved but not with a laser
    • casual7y, on 03/31/2008, -5/+8you forgot karl rove
    • jakatan, on 03/31/2008, -3/+33few comments are ever as good as this
    • tattertech, on 03/31/2008, -3/+15Show me on the doll where he touched you!
      • shawnanigans, on 03/31/2008, -0/+10I see you pointed to the soul. And he won't give it back until you invade Iran? Well then I will just have to have a chat with Mr. Grumpypants.
    • sadfly, on 03/31/2008, -7/+4Take a seat over there.
    • xyu1, on 03/31/2008, -0/+3hahah, another classic
    • OneLess, on 03/31/2008, -1/+7Best comment ever. Thank you for brightening my night (no pun intended).
    • isaactwito, on 03/31/2008, -0/+3Congrats! I think this is only the second time something on the internet has made me lol.
    • victorycig, on 03/31/2008, -0/+6My three year old niece has been taught to say "Daddy, Dick Cheney is hiding in my closet" and "Karl Rove is under the bed!" when she's going to bed. It's hysterical.
  • queenmoweeny, on 03/31/2008, -54/+66Hey .. I played my part...the president has never been a very good role model.
    • jdh24, on 03/31/2008, -12/+4899% of people didn't turn off their lights, and probably most of the people digging this picture. congrats, hypocrites.
      • 2bees, on 03/31/2008, -3/+12I agree, not only that but where is the PROOF that this picture was actually taken during earth hour?
      • AtiimKiambu, on 03/31/2008, -2/+3I don't think it matters whether the picture was really taken during Earth Hour or not. Most people would probably agree that the lights in the White House were probably on during the hour.
        • rishichhibber, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1Right! And what matters is what most people agree on - not the hard fact, or a solid proof.
      • schrankage, on 03/31/2008, -0/+2I turned off my lights, and COMPUTER for the whole day! I perticipated.
    • jcm267, on 03/31/2008, -6/+22This President changed the White House to clean energy shortly after taking office, his ranch runs on clean energy including the biofuels that power his vehicles.

      Earth Hour is ***** stupid. I'm not sitting around in the dark for an hour.
      • wageslaven, on 03/31/2008, -3/+560 minutes? you cant go for a walk? Unreal.
    • D0m0kun, on 03/31/2008, -0/+5Good! The first step to activism of any sort is making a positive example of yourself.
    • tundra721, on 03/31/2008, -3/+5I like how everyone blames Bush for leaving the lights on. Because it's his job to turn off all the lights in the white house.
      You can also catch him trimming the hedges on the weekends...............
      • topherwheeler, on 03/31/2008, -2/+4That actually makes your counter argument even stronger, because if he really wanted to turn off the lights for an hour for any reason, he wouldn't even have to do it himself.
  • pisceslad07, on 03/31/2008, -39/+26Bush doesn't want the light fairies to disappear. They are all he has left.
    • babybottombutt, on 04/04/2008, -0/+0nah they were held at gunpoint and promised tax breaks to stay.
  • mwrl, on 03/31/2008, -106/+65God Bless George W. Bush for flipping off hippies everywhere!! WOOT!!
    • Akaji, on 03/31/2008, -32/+49There's a big difference between "being a hippie" and "caring whether or not the Earth survives the next couple of centuries."
      • shockoj7, on 03/31/2008, -39/+19no there isnt
        • BlacklabelSAR, on 03/31/2008, -8/+20so you position is not caring about the planet? Do you have, or are you planning on having kids? If so, would you care about their lives? Or maybe you are expecting the 2nd coming so it doesn't matter to you?
        • AresDiggs, on 03/31/2008, -12/+19Yea turning off the lights for an hour is gonna save the planet...
          • pintomp3, on 03/31/2008, -6/+12no, but every bit of awareness helps. that's the point of a publicity stunt, publicity.
          • eShinn, on 03/31/2008, -8/+3No, but it'd save your electric bill, ya douche
          • AresDiggs, on 03/31/2008, -6/+9Awareness of what? a climate change? the ones our planet has been going through for millions of years without our help? oh yea... i mean really its the cave mans fault for discovering fire in the first place... those bastards!.. i bet they where republicans too!
        • eShinn, on 03/31/2008, -3/+1*delete*
      • triskele, on 03/31/2008, -6/+30The earth is just fine. We're the ones getting screwed.
        • MrSlumberjack, on 03/31/2008, -5/+2If by fine, you mean getting sucked dry of every last one of it's resources by an exponentially reproducing bacteria called humans, then yea... It's fine.
      • ralphthemagi, on 03/31/2008, -13/+19Because the Earth is going to die? The reality is we aren't worried about the survival of the Earth. It's been around for long before we were here, and it will be here long after we are gone. Look at the geological record. The planet has undergone EXTREME climate changes several times. The idea that global warming will somehow kill the planet is stupid. It will make it much harder for people to live in certain areas, and lots of creatures will die—something else that has happened countless times on this planet.

        I'm not saying we shouldn't be concerned about pollution and we should all drive Hummers, but lets stop pretending like we are going to kill the planet. Natural causes pump way more CO2 into the atmosphere than humans could ever dream to. The reality is that the best thing for the Earth, and all the life on the Earth, is probably the extinction of the human race. Of course, we don't really think about things like that, because we are so sophisticated with our large monkey brains. There are roughly 6 billion people in the world. That's a drop in the bucket compared to all other life on this planet. It's just that, in our little section of the bucket, we learned how to build things... and kill things.
        • Issius, on 03/31/2008, -2/+14Kudos for saying what most people don't understand. However, the "best thing for the earth" is irrelevant. I'm not sure how to say it without coming off as a prick, but if we aren't here to enjoy it then the Earth's condition is meaningless. It'll flaot around in space for however long it was going to regardless of what we do or what anything else does (with the exception of planet destroying lasers of course). Unless we kill ourselves off and another concious life form evolves then it really doesn't matter much. If all life is gone from the planet, then there's no one around to miss it and thus it isn't a problem.
          Get what I'm saying?
          • ralphthemagi, on 03/31/2008, -12/+5Yeah, I see what you're saying, but you're wrong. Planet destroying lasers are a real threat, and anyone who doesn't think so is clearly an ignorant, God hating, family destroying, Neo-con Islamo-fascist homosexual. There I said it.
          • wageslaven, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1How about an earth where your kids can live?

            Has digg become this backwards and sociopathic? WTF?
        • eShinn, on 03/31/2008, -3/+1Dude. You really think its the "Earth" we care about? If we had a huge space-craft where everyone could live happily ever after, you'd hear almost nothing about this. But we don't yet, so clean up yer sh:t 'till we GET one!
      • RedHeadedFreak, on 03/31/2008, -8/+15A couple of hours of lights out isn't going to help. Global communism on the other hand, which is what the environmentalists want, probably would cut down on CO2. But I'm not about to live like that.
        • ralphthemagi, on 03/31/2008, -11/+7Global communism is what environmentalists want? I think all they want is to try and prevent every city in the world from looking like LA.
          • longbow486, on 03/31/2008, -3/+2i would rather live in LA over Beijing
            but i like it over here on the east coast
          • heliox, on 03/31/2008, -3/+3Ummm, What's wrong with LA (besides the pro-illegal alien mayor)?
        • DucoNihilum, on 03/31/2008, -2/+5Well, I don't disagree that some of them might want communism, it's actually kind of ironic considering that communist countries are some of the worst polluters ever. If you think we pollute here in the US, move to some cities in the PRC, or check out the conditions of the USSR.
      • masterm1nd, on 03/31/2008, -7/+14Theres a big difference between shutting off one light bulb and saving the earth. If you cared you would do something productive about it.
        An inconvenient irony: http://gop3.com/2007/03/23/gores-mansion-vs-eco-fr ... .
        • heliox, on 03/31/2008, -1/+6Yeah, but he buys carbon offsets right? So that makes it okay.... /sarc
        • AtiimKiambu, on 03/31/2008, -2/+3Carbon offsets kinda remind me of the Catholic church selling indulgences. You can keep on polluting as much as you want as long as you have enough money to buy offsets. I think I want to become an Environmental Protestant.
      • Treason, on 03/31/2008, -1/+3The earth has sustained blows from meteors, earthquakes, fires, hurricanes and comets. Global Warming will not bring the Earth to an end, it will bring an end to the human race.
        • wageslaven, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1no *****. I know the planet isnt going to ***** explode, but Id like to save something lovely for my grandchildren.
    • XBSHX, on 03/31/2008, -11/+52The earth was here long before us and its going to be here long after us. We are the ones who won't survive.
      • x0mb13, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1exactly that`s why we shouldn`t call this stuff earth hour and earth day but Humanity day...ok that sounds lame but you get the point.
    • JimW311, on 03/31/2008, -6/+8Earth Hour is an act of responsibility. Intelligent, responsible people are trying to save the earth for idiots like you and your offspring. You should try practicing responsibility some time when you grow up.
  • FarcicalFart, on 03/31/2008, -54/+831I just want to point out that this image is a longer exposure (as can be seen by the blur of the person). This will make the image appear brighter, as light is being capture over a longer period of time.

    Just fyi.
    • bossm4n, on 03/31/2008, -12/+198Actually, since the person is moving perpendicular to the camera and the blur is not that much, it was probably shot at about 1/30 of a second--not exactly a time exposure. More likely is that it was shot as a very high ISO with the lens wide open. Not that any of this really means anything. The lights were on regardless. Since the White House is a national/historic landmark, I wouldn't have expected it to go dark. Same goes for all the other monuments and such in DC.
      • Daniel591992, on 03/31/2008, -40/+6Oh, God. I gave up after the first sentence...
        • bjornski, on 03/31/2008, -2/+17Those big words were too much for you, huh?
          • Daniel591992, on 03/31/2008, -2/+9Well, yes. (It was a great comment though. I'm just saying I have no clue what he's talking about)
          • bjornski, on 03/31/2008, -1/+5@Daniel591992

            Dugg you up for admitting it. You should understand perpendicular, but the rest of the photography stuff I can understand not knowing. And most people don't use film cameras anymore, so the general public knows much less about ISO, shutter speeds and f/stops than ever before.

            I just used to take photography classes and develop the film in a darkroom myself. So I just kinda knew what he was talking about. Not everyone has that background.
      • Bologner, on 03/31/2008, -15/+3Thank the Flying Spaghetti Monster for photography class this semester.
      • iNunchuk, on 03/31/2008, -4/+12You mention that the White House is a national landmark, but what about the CN Tower in Canada? That is also a national landmark and it went out for Earth Hour.
        • adammerkley, on 03/31/2008, -11/+14Uh, last time I checked Canada wasn't in the US.
          • ChuqAU, on 03/31/2008, -8/+17Uh, last time I checked "national landmarks" exist in countries other than the US.
          • timewarp424, on 03/31/2008, -2/+11I'm glad you can google, but your sarcasm doesn't exactly answer his inquiry. What you meant to say is the Canadian government has a much more environment friendly attitude than the US.
          • rrbest, on 03/31/2008, -4/+7U.S. national landmarks do not exist outside of the U.S.
        • ZebZ, on 03/31/2008, -2/+3Many cities and landmarks participated in Earth Hour.

          The major buildings in the skylines of San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Detroit, Atlanta, and Philadelphia all went dark.

          Landmark structures such as Sears Tower and the Golden Gate bridge were darkened.
        • TastyLamp, on 03/31/2008, -0/+2Don't forget Sydney.
      • PeterGandalf, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1Actually since there is such a large depth of field the aperture was probably not wide open. Thou it was probably a high ISO but not too high since there is not that much noise in the image.
        • frogsoblivious, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1it looks like it was shot in the 400-800 ISO speed too..check the metafile
    • padrebuf, on 03/31/2008, -30/+31but the lights are still on. that 's the point.
      • thanakar, on 03/31/2008, -1/+3For security reasons you can't expect them to turn the lights off AT the white house..get a grip people.
    • scy1192, on 03/31/2008, -6/+98no the man was just walking REALLY FAST
      • jasdf, on 03/31/2008, -0/+2Wouldn't him walking really slow prove FarcicalFart's point though (time lapse)?
    • alenox, on 03/31/2008, -10/+37i think the submitter of this photo wanted to make a symbolic message about the white house's lack of environmental concern
      • mikerev, on 03/31/2008, -0/+2Wow, you think? Amazing revelation.
    • nogChoco, on 03/31/2008, -3/+9You can also tell from the colour of the sky and the glow around the trees, that the brightness was upped.
      • OneLess, on 03/31/2008, -0/+3And from the pixels. And from seeing quite a few 'shops in your day.
      • sarixe, on 03/31/2008, -0/+2or light reflecting off the air? that tends to happen in cities, fyi. it's why you can barely use telescopes in suburban towns.
    • changyang1230, on 03/31/2008, -3/+9The term "long exposure" is a relative concept, and long-exposure doesn't mean that the photo WILL appear brighter than it really is. I can take a picture at 1/200s under broad daylight (relatively short exposure for many purposes), but it could turn out too bright if my ISO set too high or my lens aperture too wide open. I can also take a picture of the night sky for 1s (quite a long exposure), but the star may not come out as bright as it appears to my eyes (usually it requires a longer exposure time to achieve the same brightness as perceived by our eyes).

      So there's no point saying whether the exposure is "long" or "short" for this picture. What we should say instead, is whether this photo is over or under exposed. Or in other words, a better way to evaluate is whether it has been exposed to the approximate brightness perceived to be "normal" to the human eyes. And in this matter, my opinion is that it is slightly over-exposed, judging from the white walls at the centre part of the facade. Regardless, it doesn't change the fact that the light is on.

      Also, as mentioned by many others here, who knows whether it is indeed taken during the Earth Hour? And who really cares?
    • capnawesome, on 03/31/2008, -1/+4speaking of this being a bad picture, I'd like to point out that it would have taken them all of 5 seconds in Picasa to straighten the image.
    • jaggedwind, on 03/31/2008, -0/+4when was picture taken? clear it was actually during the hour?
    • x1ang, on 03/31/2008, -1/+11I just want to point out that this image is from here http://thenewshole.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/06/2 ...
      • kingofnexus, on 03/31/2008, -1/+1Nice Find. This post is obviously bending the truth.
    • Tayls, on 03/31/2008, -1/+2Could be that, or maybe the White House is powered by the alternative energy sources they don't let us use...must...buy...oil...
  • TEHxINTERWEBS, on 03/31/2008, -42/+589Looks like what my house was doing...
    • twistaspliff, on 03/31/2008, -63/+40Yup, mine too. Man made global warming is a hoax designed to get the sheeple to accept a global carbon tax. Watch 'The Great Global Warming Swindle' online.
      • Jekkonidae, on 03/31/2008, -29/+27You're an idiot.
        • unreg, on 03/31/2008, -9/+22Cause he doesn't agree with you?

          Heres a clue Spanky, if you want to get your argument across, you have to be prepared to listen to others.
        • Issius, on 03/31/2008, -12/+8Some people don't deserve to be listened to though. All twistaspliff said was that it was a hoax and you should go watch a video that told him so. If that doesn't say sheep then I don't know what does. He offered no backup, no information, no reasoning behind his belief whatsoever. Hell, I'd respect it more if he said that his religious views prevent him from believing in it.
          • unreg, on 03/31/2008, -3/+8So show me the concrete, irrefutable proof that Global Warming is

            1-Real
            2-Man made

            I've heard both sides of the issue and frankly it's a bit tough to find the facts amongst all the ***** and rubbish.

            It's like listening to the 911 Truthers. They'll blow their credibility with outlandish "facts".
        • sw33tsarin, on 03/31/2008, -8/+14All I ever hear from the people that say Man-made global warming is real is "Dude go watch an Inconvenient truth!!" what's the difference?
      • CATSCEO, on 03/31/2008, -17/+27I bet you think 9/11 was a inside job, and the moon landings never happened too.
      • MWeather, on 03/31/2008, -12/+15That movie has been debunked 1000 times over. The fact you do not know this leads me to think perhaps you haven't actually investigated the facts behind global warming.
        • unreg, on 03/31/2008, -4/+12Kind of how all of Micheal Moores ***** has been debunked. But you guys continue to swallow what he offers up as the gods honest truth.

          • MWeather, on 03/31/2008, -2/+2Michael Moore has never done a movie about global warming. What the hell are you talking about? And why did you get dugg up?
      • HeLLFyRe490, on 03/31/2008, -1/+3You sir have one very large tin foil hat.
      • twistaspliff, on 04/03/2008, -0/+1Wow! Look at all the cattle digging me down. LMFAO! I bet you're all running out to http://www.terrapass.com/ to buy your carbon credits too. No?
        Hypocrites.
    • SuperWinner, on 03/31/2008, -49/+64Global warming hysteria, (the sky is falling syndrome) is the real problem.
      • rahamm, on 03/31/2008, -10/+14How about saving some power so oil doesn't cost 108 dollars a barrel and gas 3.50 a gallon?

        Ohhhhhh we should waste more power who cares how much it cost right it isn't like American was built on cheep oil..............Oh wait!!!
        • AresDiggs, on 03/31/2008, -7/+6i get my power from a coal plant... i don't know about you but i don't know of many places that get their power from burning gas and/or oil, infact i cant think of one... the whole point of this 'earth hour' is about global warming.. but hey at least you tried...
        • triskele, on 03/31/2008, -1/+3If they had made the issue resource management then you have a point, but it's not so you don't. Here's a tidbit from the official earth hour site www.earthhour.org/about
          "It started with a question: How can we inspire people to take action on climate change?
          The answer: Ask the people of Sydney to turn off their lights for one hour."
          • rahamm, on 03/31/2008, -1/+2So then that must mean you should not do it right? You agree it would help with a big problem but you wont do it because the reason why are people are doing it you don't agree with? COME ON!!!!! LISTEN TO YOURSELF
        • rahamm, on 03/31/2008, -2/+3You are right if we use more of it and not less our power bills will surly go down!!!

          Come on
          • AresDiggs, on 03/31/2008, -1/+7Dude... we dont use oil for power... Coal, Nuclear, Wind, Solar, Hydro and im sure a few other weird ones, Coal power being the largest... now unless we are gonna start using coal powered steam cars then i dont think you have the right idea....

            not saying gas isnt expensive... but turning off my lights isnt going to make gas prices go down...
          • unreg, on 03/31/2008, -3/+2Actually oil is used on a limited basis (2%) for power generation, along with natural gas (20%).
          • AresDiggs, on 03/31/2008, -1/+3Ok so 2%? Source please.
          • rahamm, on 03/31/2008, -0/+2Unless you count cars, heat, planes, and ships as power but lucky for us they run off love!!!!
          • AresDiggs, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1What? dude that didn't make any sense at all.
          • rahamm, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1It was sarcastic he meant 2% of home power no 2% of all power
      • orlyfactor, on 03/31/2008, -2/+5Yeah, those crazy 99% of all scientist in the world! What do they know!?
    • skatastrophy, on 03/31/2008, -6/+86Same here. They shouldn't schedule it during the Elite 8 of the NCAA tournament next year.
      • bjornski, on 03/31/2008, -6/+3They weren't asking people to turn off their TV sets....

        Just shut off your porch lights and the kitchen one if you're not in there. It's common sense, but some people need reminders, even if they are only "stupid symbolic gestures".

        You're talking about it, right?
      • cnot3, on 03/31/2008, -0/+6To offset the earth day hippie propaganda, I turned on every electrical appliance in my house and killed three baby seals.
      • melonhedd, on 03/31/2008, -1/+0Stop saying "Elite 8" and we'll pander to your moronic college sports telecasts.
        • Ryansmellsfarts, on 03/31/2008, -0/+2That is what everyone calls it when the tourney gets down to 8 teams..
        • logan074, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1Just because someone has interests that differ from you does not make them retarded or moronic. Millions of people love supporting their school if they advance to the Elite 8 (which is what it is called) why can't you accept that not everyone enjoys what you do or enjoy without putting them down?
    • MrFisty, on 03/31/2008, -21/+14Hey, man, like come on. You've got to support this Earth Hour thing, man. Like, didn't you see the live news coverage, or read the special magazine and newspaper inserts or see all the bill posters around town? Come on man, we've all got to do our bit. We can't just leave the lights on, that'd be bad for the environment.
    • S1ngular1ty1, on 03/31/2008, -7/+17Global warming leads to global cooling shortly afterward due to the therohaline conveyor belt shutting down from the excess polar ice cap melt which desalinates the water around the north pole preventing the density difference that drives the conveyor. So what is everyone worried about?
      • twomeyw23334, on 03/31/2008, -5/+7Have you seen 'Water World' or 'Day after tomorrow.' We don't know what is going to happen, but it either going to be the whole planet is covered by water or really cold temperatures are going to chase us around like ghosts and kill us instantly. We are all going to die, and its all because Bush left the lights on during earth hour instead of turning everything off like me and the rest of the non-hypocritical diggers here today.
        • mtekk, on 03/31/2008, -2/+3we don't have enough water on earth to have "Water World" occur, "Day After Tomorrow" was a fear mongering movie.
      • jaderobbins, on 03/31/2008, -0/+3Yes, the movies tell me what to do. Duh?
      • mirrorguy, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1I was about to say the same thing.
    • FUR10N, on 03/31/2008, -2/+3Yeah I forgot, but when I clicked this link I turned 'em off.
    • tas08, on 03/31/2008, -2/+10My thoughts exactly. I couldn't care less. I think it's just fine to save some energy, but the motive is crazy, and do you really think the freaking White House can be taking an hour to turn off all the power? Good grief.
    • diablozx9, on 03/31/2008, -12/+30My house had MORE lights on.
      Take that global warming people,,, you turn em off,, I turn em on ...
      YYYEEEAAA Whhhoooooo
    • fluxion, on 03/31/2008, -6/+6dude you're so cool, way to stick it to the man!
    • realgoat21, on 03/31/2008, -1/+4probably just sitting there, as its a house
    • GOVStooge, on 03/31/2008, -5/+18WTF was earth hour???
  • mediaspree, on 03/31/2008, -36/+17He's too busy trying to turn the lights back on in Iraq. Oh wait...not even that...
  • perkonis, on 03/31/2008, -35/+418But if we turn out the lights the terrorists win.
    • pintomp3, on 03/31/2008, -1/+13mother earth harbors terrorists. she even gives aid and comfort to them.
      • victorycig, on 03/31/2008, -0/+2Has Bush suspended Habeas Terra yet? It's extraordinary rendition time.
    • bjornski, on 03/31/2008, -3/+3They already have. And they're not leaving Iraq until we secure those oil contracts for the multi-national corporations.
    • ynggrsshppr, on 03/31/2008, -3/+1That could be literally true. Who would turn off the lights knowing that it is a prime target for terrorists? It doesn't make practical sense.
    • TypeEE, on 03/31/2008, -1/+1and Iran will make use of that opportunity
    • inkyblue2, on 03/31/2008, -1/+1earth hour is a sinister grue plot.
    • Ganja420, on 03/31/2008, -1/+5The ECO-Terrorists win
    • AZNL473ncy, on 03/31/2008, -0/+2Ummm... If I'm not mistaken blacking out the lights was a tactic used in WWII to confuse bombers into being forced to guess where they should bomb instead of bombing a definite target (ie. the bright lights of the buildings).
    • babybottombutt, on 04/04/2008, -0/+0I would just like to say that was the funniest thing I've heard all day!!
      Go on Preach it !!
  • Jekkonidae, on 03/31/2008, -24/+101Well they have work to do like run the country (however poorly) and it's not very realistic or plausible for them to do it. Just saying....
    • LellysHubby, on 03/31/2008, -13/+1They're supposed to lead the most powerful government in the world. IF they were able to do that, shouldn't they be able to figure out a way to make it happen. One hour isn't so much to sacrfice. Besides, isn't Bush's bedtime at 8 anyways?
    • Serinus, on 03/31/2008, -3/+2It wouldn't be difficult to give the White House the appearence of dimming for earth hour. If the rest of the city was participating, it would certainly be a nice gesture.
    • tim04, on 03/31/2008, -2/+5the Parliament Buildings up here in Canada did their 1 hour. It's very realistic considering it was at 8-9 pm in the evening.
  • Scheissen, on 03/31/2008, -32/+20Why is this news to see a picture of the White House during Earth Hour?
    • Akraz, on 03/31/2008, -24/+8are you dumb? Yes. Yes you are.
      • Jennefah, on 03/31/2008, -2/+4There's a difference between being dumb and being uninformed.
  • felman87, on 03/31/2008, -26/+131At least Iraq's lights were turned out....not like they had much of a choice
  • LordSkywalker, on 03/31/2008, -74/+740Who cares about Earth Hour anyways? It's just some ***** to make people feel better about wasting power the other 364 days of the year. Guess since Google got in on it, it's suddenly important. How about we find some real improvements in energy use?
    • Bukowsky, on 03/31/2008, -31/+22Well... I think Earth Hour was more important in the sense that it spreads eco-awareness. I do agree and have always believed that it would be very wise to utilize what we can from FREE resources, such as Wind & Solar plants. It's not like these are going to solve our problems, but it will help. Why aren't we doing that right now?
      • Aeaus, on 03/31/2008, -4/+15http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com/2008/01/ ...
        • Yetisquatch, on 03/31/2008, -0/+2i so love and hate that site at the same time. it must be effective.
        • D0m0kun, on 03/31/2008, -0/+2I'm sure you Digg stories to raise awareness. Are you suggesting that all the time you've spent reading stories and digging stories has been entirely wasted?
      • jnosanov, on 03/31/2008, -3/+14Sorry but wind power ain't free - every wind power generator removes angular momentum from the atmosphere and slows down the rotation of the earth!!

        probably j/k
      • triskele, on 03/31/2008, -2/+4Why can't it just be about tangible things like light pollution and better resource management?
        Turn the lights off = less energy(and resources) consumed + a clearer view of the night sky
        • bjornski, on 03/31/2008, -4/+1Because most of these people who don't give a ***** would have to leave mom's basement to see the night sky.
      • sgtpppr, on 03/31/2008, -3/+8"Awareness" is another word for "masturbation". So often it's just used to validate something that doesn't make any real change and was only done in the first place to make the people involved feel good about themselves. Honestly, if the current state of the world isn't enough of an indication that energy consumption is a big issue, then turning out the lights in some cities for an hour once a year isn't doing a single thing to spread "awareness".
    • mhender, on 03/31/2008, -36/+11"Guess since Google got in on it, it's suddenly important"
      You sir, are a huge dumbass. Huge corporations taking part are only part of it -- many major cities voluntarily made an event out of it, so unless you live in ***** USA, you would have heard about it. But I guess you get all your information from Google, so that's how you heard about it -- speak for yourself, LordSkywalker, and try coming out of your moms basement once in awhile.
      • ObamaWins08, on 03/31/2008, -1/+7never heard of it...
        • bjornski, on 03/31/2008, -2/+1Then your city obviously didn't give a *****.
      • MotoFly, on 03/31/2008, -3/+12Haha ***** USA? You have got to be kidding me, did you think of that all by yourself?
        Pretty sure you are one of those people who was in the dark typing away on his power hog computer during earth hour, thinking he is making a difference.
      • sgtpppr, on 03/31/2008, -2/+7It's one thing to be a pseudo-activist who derives self-worth from meaningless 'causes', but it's another to verbally attack those that disagree with you. Now you're a pseudo-militant pseudo-activist!
      • hierophantus, on 03/31/2008, -0/+3I live in *****, USA. Hence, I was too busy ***** to hear about Earth Hour or Google's participation in it. Now, if you'll excuse me, my current refractory period is about to end, and milady again awaits me in handcuffs under the disco light on my rotating bed.
      • digg4smarts, on 03/31/2008, -0/+0ay man ***** you! the only place i saw this thing was on google too! Oh yea and hes right "It's just some ***** to make people feel better about wasting power the other 364 days of the year" and another good point - "How about we find some real improvements in energy use?"
    • oatdc, on 03/31/2008, -22/+46it's not to make people feel better about wasting energy, it's just to raise awareness. it's like running a marathon for cancer research - running a marathon isn't going to cure cancer, but it makes people aware. i agree that we need to find some real and consistent improvements in energy use. who knows, maybe it'll happen soon now that people actually seem to care - minus dubya of course.
      • crowbar77, on 03/31/2008, -7/+5Why is he being dugg down? He's right, the whole point is to try to raise awareness for global warming. And for the those of you saying it doesn't matter, last year in australia 2 million people participated which is the same as taking off 45 000 cars off the road.

        btw Parliament Hill in canada participated.
      • Cl1mh4224rd, on 03/31/2008, -1/+10> "it's like running a marathon for cancer research - running a marathon isn't going to cure cancer, but it makes people aware."

        I don't care what the advertisements say, these various "cancer marathons" aren't held to "raise awareness". People are damned well aware of cancer. These marathons are to raise *money* for cancer research. Obviously that's a *good* thing, but money != awareness.

        It's the same with Earth Hour. How many people, at this point, are *unaware* of the environmental concerns being debated? Seriously.You hear about it all the time. If anyone is unaware, it's because they aren't paying attention. Earth Hour wasn't going to change that.

        Unfortunately, Earth Hour didn't even have the benefit of raising money for a good cause. It may have saved some families a few cents on their electric bill, but it comes off as an ridiculously empty gesture...

        You want to make a difference? Think long term...
        • digg4smarts, on 03/31/2008, -1/+5STRAIGHT UP TRUTH...MY SENTIMENTS EXACTLY
      • Ender008, on 03/31/2008, -1/+5Running marathons doesn't cure cancer?! Well ***** me sideways.
      • finir, on 03/31/2008, -0/+3What's cancer?
      • kleezy, on 03/31/2008, -0/+5No one bitches when the President doesn't run a cancer marathon.
    • unreg, on 03/31/2008, -5/+10While the action is admirable and calls attention to the fact that we do need to think about how much energy we are actually using, it's like one of those campaigns to not buy gas on the first Thursday of the month.

    • KLowD9x, on 03/31/2008, -1/+4Real improvements in energy use?

      But, We have the ZEV mandate in California.

      Oh wait...
    • ahoyhoy, on 03/31/2008, -1/+24Kind of like how NBC did that Pre-Game show under candle-light, as if a handful of 100W bulbs would use more electricity than a warehouse full of A/V equipment.
    • LellysHubby, on 03/31/2008, -5/+2Well put.
    • TypeEE, on 03/31/2008, -1/+3What else did google do other than turning it's search frontpage black?
    • paintaneight, on 03/31/2008, -2/+5Its constructive to get people's attention. I think you're missing the point.
    • rodelero2, on 03/31/2008, -4/+2well said, its just the hippies trying to "save the planet"
    • maddhopps, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1Yeah, I forgot too.
    • vwvwvw, on 03/31/2008, -0/+0It gets dark around 7:00. I go to bed around midnight, so thats' only 5 hours I acutally have my lights on.
    • LordSturm, on 03/31/2008, -1/+1Sure google got onto it, they made a joke.
      Then they pointed out that the black screen does't actually do anything so it was all a farce anyway.
    • OrGoN3, on 03/31/2008, -5/+3How about everyone here, including myself, can start by turning OFF their computers and doing something else (you don't have to go outside, no one is forcing you to. don't be afraid. you still have your cell phone, pda, mp3 player, gaming console (possibly unless you only game on consoles, lol, idiots), drive our extremely fuel-inefficient cars (wasn't Japan making cares that were 60mpg in the 80s?), not bring out hydrogen powered cars yet (just spend money on advertising them)...well at least the gov't is caring about the car situation. Every car has to be at least 35mpg, or something of that nature, by 2012, oh and i don't think trucks count, and you dont have to buy a new car you just can't sell a car that's less fuel efficient....we'll just knock it aside for a couple of years while everyone complains about oil prices. Here's a thought. If all of a sudden the demand for oil went down a million-fold, so would the price. In fact, if outlawed in the USA for new products, some countries with oil that we don't like, will have completely shattered income (no we aren't the world, but don't we use the most oil and polute the most?)....oh, and don't trust nuclear power. it's only been safe for the past 30 years, to use as a power source (extremely controlled nuclear reactions that have less chance of something going wrong than oil spills, oil fires, hazardous work environment, etc, are clearly not safe).
    • Mihey, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1Oh, no, no, the oil magnates want you to buy more oil.
    • vidar808, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1Well, it did at least create discussion on the topic; which I think was the primary aim.
    • daridave, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1You're simply a coward that's too lazy to try and make a difference. You claim it's worthless because you didn't try, but when the rest of the world will read that cities reported differences higher than 2% savings on that hour, it WILL hit the news, it WILL make people think and it WILL make a difference. But it's OK, I respect your opinion. We all know this planet is filled with pollution -- you're (indirectly) just proving to us by your comment getting digged that some of the ***** that occupies this planet actually breathes.
  • MikeonTV, on 03/31/2008, -27/+26Good ol' Georgie. Always workin'!
  • bsdboy, on 03/31/2008, -32/+20Well how is halliburton supposed to profit with all the lights off?
    • zmigliozzi, on 03/31/2008, -1/+6You can dig in the shade.
      • loggia, on 03/31/2008, -9/+3Why does the right defend Halliburton? IDGI.
    • redneckblues, on 03/31/2008, -1/+3"Our Earth Hour will blot out the lights"
      "Then we shall profit in the shade."
    • babybottombutt, on 04/04/2008, -0/+0I really don't understand why your comment has so many negitive diggs. I think Cheneys friends are at it again.....lmao
  • dyranios2, on 03/31/2008, -39/+31Good, at least they didn't buy into the hippy *****.
    • joeyGibson, on 03/31/2008, -5/+3I turned on extra lights to offset all the ***** turning theirs off. Stupid hippies.
      • strictnein, on 03/31/2008, -2/+2I ran hot water and turned on my furnace and opened the windows.
    • jordwest, on 03/31/2008, -3/+4How ignorant people describe anything attempting to make a difference: hippy *****.
  • ZekeZacary, on 03/31/2008, -41/+249Yeah, I think I've about had it with Digg. Social "news" site my ass.
    • Bacontastic, on 03/31/2008, -10/+148Digg has become one giant example of group think.
      • serif69, on 03/31/2008, -1/+9Four legs good. Two legs better. O_O
      • Lukesed, on 03/31/2008, -3/+30Apparently the majority agrees with you that most people on digg are idiots.
      • inkyblue2, on 03/31/2008, -7/+3uh... think about that comment for a second. that is the entire point of digg.
      • drizzlelicious, on 03/31/2008, -0/+3I love how you're being dugg up
        and i'm not being sarcastic
        • Bacontastic, on 03/31/2008, -0/+2I know...it's proving my point perfectly!
      • shawn1122, on 03/31/2008, -0/+6Dude, the idea that digg is the epitome of groupthink crossed my mind a little while ago, I'm glad someone said it, I wish I could Digg you up a trillion times.

        I think some guys seriously come on here and just say something that is along the lines of what everyone else is saying, just to get dugg up, and that in turn somehow makes them feel good about themselves..
        • GuitaristTom, on 03/31/2008, -3/+1i really hope you are being sarcastic, otherwise this is one of the funniest comments ive ever read
      • DrummerAndrew, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1Dugg up because you have a bunch of points already.
    • kingUssop, on 03/31/2008, -16/+9When Bush wins elections it's "popular mandate", when people criticize him you're a "repressed political minority"... just curious which the ***** is it...
    • ruddy, on 03/31/2008, -3/+34BUT HIS LIGHTS ARE STILL ON
    • theAlice, on 03/31/2008, -7/+18exercise your right to bury articles BEFORE they hit the front page then, not after.

      if you are only here to browse through the front page articles, then you are just as much at fault as the internet hivemind.
      • hierophantus, on 03/31/2008, -3/+2Whoops, hit red instead of green thumb. Your comment will perpetually look two diggs less agreed-with than it is. Sorry.
    • sgtpppr, on 03/31/2008, -2/+27If you write an article right now about the origin of Steve Job's black turtlenecks or how Bush rapes children and have it submitted by a 'top digger', it will make front page in less than 30 minutes. Has nothing to do with news and everything to do with group think. Despite popular opinion, people DO like propaganda...as long as it pushes their own agenda. I hate Bush and crew as much as the next person, but propaganda is propaganda whether it's used for good or evil. The real news here is that digg is for promotion of political ideas, certain corporate products, and top ten lists...not 'news'.
    • bjornski, on 03/31/2008, -11/+5Bye. We won't miss ya.
    • ChristianMagic, on 03/31/2008, -0/+5Well it stopped being news in a different way a long time ago when a lolcat hit the front page.
    • jwillda2, on 03/31/2008, -10/+4ill miss you ever one else on here is just a dumb hippie green ass mother *****. who wants obamas *****
  • aquanutz, on 03/31/2008, -68/+149zomg! he didn't turn off teh lights! zomg!!! bush are teh evil and hates the eearf and wants us all to die!!!


    seriously, you ***** jerkoffs need to do something better with your time.
    • AppleGeorge, on 03/31/2008, -19/+9
      • GuitaristTom, on 03/31/2008, -1/+1yeah man, parody is in no way a mature tactic for persuasion
    • mywhitenoise, on 03/31/2008, -30/+8Shut the ***** up, you unoriginal ass.

      You're not being cute by trying to mock people by sounding like an idiot saying ***** like "zomg!" and "teh".
      • cerealjynx, on 03/31/2008, -6/+18I like the part where you say ***** and ass. I think you're cute.
      • XXXXXXXXXXXXXX, on 03/31/2008, -3/+2zomg! teh
    • Sirlolalot, on 03/31/2008, -6/+26I was doing something better with my time, i was doing your mom!

      wtflulznubggftwhaxrz!!11!!!
    • 1337Einstein, on 03/31/2008, -4/+21Nobody making comments on digg has any business telling others that they're wasting their time.
    • twiztidsinz, on 03/31/2008, -3/+4Like posting on digg?
    • dudettea, on 03/31/2008, -1/+1***** a, dude!
    • harveywalbanger, on 03/31/2008, -2/+1I know what aquanut could do with his spare time... LEARN HOW TO ***** SPELL.
  • whoreable, on 03/31/2008, -10/+68If they never said they were going to turn them off then its not like they went back on a promise. I hate bush as much as the next guy but it would be a security risk to turn the lights off.
    In other news ***** earth hour. It's all about earth day bitches!!
    • loggia, on 03/31/2008, -6/+5Security risk? Puzleeze. They could have turned off some lights and then said "sorry we can't turn them all off for security concerns."

      They turned out: zero.
      • SexyInsurance, on 03/31/2008, -0/+3I agree, it would have been a nightmare for the secret service if they had turned of any of the lights. Earth Hour is stupid. Why should we make laws penalizing ourselves when countries like Mexico and China don't do anything to curb pollution. Have you ever seen a picture of Hong Kong skyline? No? I didn't think so because it's always obscured by thick pollution. I love America and Hong Kong. These symbolic gestures don't do anything of substance to fix the problem.
    • Hartley1942, on 03/31/2008, -2/+2Earth Hour. Because it will make our energy supplies last for one more hour...

      GREAT IDEA.


      Hippies.
  • jnosanov, on 03/31/2008, -22/+44At the White House, every hour is Oil Hour
  • HA5TY, on 03/31/2008, -4/+36maybe....security lights?
    • HUKI365, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1Yah. Security concerns would be paramount at a location like that. You don't expect Los Alamos to turn of its security camera for an hour do you?
  • metric7, on 03/31/2008, -26/+20I turned on all my lights also!!!
  • tont0r, on 03/31/2008, -2/+170anyone go take pictures of the digg office during earth hour?
  • HolmWrecker, on 03/31/2008, -49/+88Earth hour is ignorant beyond belief. I cranked on every light and appliance in my house for more than an hour. Suck that you eco-fools.
    • Picard102, on 03/31/2008, -14/+9Me too.
    • mhender, on 03/31/2008, -28/+18Actually it's you who are ignorant beyond belief. Itt's just good all-around fun for individuals who want to join together. But I guess someone as awesome as you has to ***** on everyones ideas because they don't follow your apparently comprehensive and intellectual thought process wouldn't approve.
    • Apokalyps2547, on 03/31/2008, -5/+34Was it worth the bigger electric bill? Was it really?
      • bjornski, on 03/31/2008, -2/+20His mom pays it. He doesn't care.
      • postaboy, on 03/31/2008, -3/+10I kept the lights on in my home for Earth Hour and it only cost me:
        1 "Earth Hour" * (10 CFLs at 400 watts / 1000) * $0.09/kWh = $0.036
        I used the light to do work and being productive, instead of sitting on my ass in the dark trying to save the Earth. The extra 4 cents was worth it.
    • MidwayPC, on 03/31/2008, -6/+2Yes....Yes it was.
    • bonhoeffer, on 03/31/2008, -15/+19Earth Hour. Just proves Rush's claim that libs don't have to accomplish anything, just make themselves feel good with a symbolic gesture for the world to become a better place.
      • laxrich, on 03/31/2008, -2/+3So all us libs are assholes because were trying to do something positive for the environment?
    • DemonWasp, on 03/31/2008, -3/+9The lone hour isn't supposed to save the planet any more than a marathon is meant to cure cancer. It's more on the order of making us aware just how much we use power for, and how lucky we are to have it.
  • ace429k, on 03/31/2008, -8/+1well they tried.
  • stonklit, on 03/31/2008, -21/+111What the ***** is Earth Hour?
    • KidArtemis, on 03/31/2008, -13/+5I see you're not familiar with using Google.
      • smeenz, on 03/31/2008, -2/+1Actually, only the US version of google was changed to the black background version, and I only found out about the whole thing in the media coverage that ensued *after* the fact. Yes, I do read the paper (online) every day.
      • stonklit, on 03/31/2008, -2/+5LOL, one of those "everyone don't drive for one day so we can make oil companies lose money!" things.

        Riiiight. So, what, 1000 people did this and people are pissed because the White House was on?
    • Awspire, on 03/31/2008, -3/+71Its when Google goes from #FFFFFF to #000000 for an entire hour.
      • lewikee, on 03/31/2008, -0/+10Day
      • serif69, on 03/31/2008, -0/+6I'd like to see Google's traffic stats for that day, just for the irony of it.
        • changyang1230, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1I don't think it would change.
      • bjornski, on 03/31/2008, -0/+2It didn't affect my iGoogle page one bit. (my default home page)
        • asurroca, on 03/31/2008, -0/+3Or Gmail or Google Docs or anything else. It was just the main search page.
        • NetPyro, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1Me either. That's why I didn't hear about this mysterious earth hour.
        • dudettea, on 03/31/2008, -0/+0See, that's why you're stupid. You need to set your hompage to the main Google search page so you can see ***** like this and how they play with their logo on holidays.
      • JimMcFartyPants, on 03/31/2008, -3/+1Creating black with an LCD monitor uses MORE power than producing white. You think google could have googled that one.

        (i know, I know, its to promote the cause)
        • yeskia, on 03/31/2008, -0/+3No it doesn't, jackass.

          The individual pixel still has to be on, there is no different in power output on an LCD. There is on CRTs but these were phased out a long time ago.
      • reln, on 03/31/2008, -2/+0ROFL!!!!!
    • Cov3rt, on 03/31/2008, -0/+4An illusion
    • JimW311, on 03/31/2008, -3/+1Wow, if my awareness was as good as yours I would probably get people killed. I'm an air traffic controller.
  • thecosmicpope, on 03/31/2008, -10/+76My lights get turned off at night. All of them. Every Night. For 6-8 hours at a time. They are turned off when I leave my house for work, for 10 hours at a time. They are turned off any other time I leave my house. Why would this 1 hour make such a massive difference?

    If you want to save energy then target people who leave all there electrical equipment on when they don't need to. People who took part in Earth Hour are people who do there best to save energy (for whatever reason) at other all times anyway.
    • crowbar77, on 03/31/2008, -9/+6Its more symbolic than anything, to raise awareness for global warming.
      • TheGooseyOne, on 03/31/2008, -4/+8Be Aware: Flying spaghetti monster
    • girlpirate, on 03/31/2008, -1/+7There it is. the comment I was going to make almost word for word.I shall have to settle for digging it rather than attempt duping it.
  • dimplemonkey, on 03/31/2008, -4/+56So before I start saying anything else, can anyone provide photos of some of the planet's other capitals during Earth Hour?
    • dimplemonkey, on 03/31/2008, -9/+4Since no one else obliged, here's the list of partner cities that participated in Earth Hour (pulled straight from EarthHour.org)
      * Aalborg » * Aarhus » * Adelaide » * Atlanta » * Bangkok » * Bogota » * Brisbane » * Canberra » * Chicago »
      * Christchurch » * Copenhagen » * Darwin » * Dublin » * Hobart » * Manila » * Melbourne » * Montreal »
      * Odense » * Ottawa » * Perth » * Phoenix » * San Francisco » * Santa Cruz » * Suva and Lautoka » * Sydney »
      * Tel Aviv » * Toronto » * Vancouver »
      • mdaize, on 03/31/2008, -5/+5I love how 4 of those cities are Canadian.....
        • bjornski, on 03/31/2008, -1/+3Why does that matter? How many of them are US?
        • heliox, on 03/31/2008, -1/+4Why do you love that?
        • girlpirate, on 03/31/2008, -0/+2 I can't really be bothered to figure out whether some of those cities are referring to American ones or Canadian or the original cities of those names. Who really cares? and I say that as a Canadian. Earth Hour. *****.
        • ZebZ, on 03/31/2008, -0/+2And they say Americans suck at geography.
      • Lachlan91, on 03/31/2008, -0/+2I love how 7 of those cities are Australian.....
        • Bigheadaus, on 03/31/2008, -0/+18 Actually... Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Darwin, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney...
          I am fairly confident that here in Canberra that out National icons such as Parliament house all went out apart from security lighting.
      • tim3094, on 03/31/2008, -0/+0So if Washington isn't on the list, why is everyone complaining that the white house lights weren't shut off?
    • BinaryFragger, on 03/31/2008, -4/+10Canada's Parliament building had its lights turned off. Pics can be seen in the Ottawa Citizen:
      http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/
      • RyanCoke, on 03/31/2008, -1/+4And yet the Leafs still played the Habs. With the lights on.
      • diablozx9, on 03/31/2008, -3/+2Dude,, that was the white house.. Not the Capital Building.
        The white house is NOT the same as Canada's parliament buildings. It is the Prez's HOUSE.
        The Capital Building is the same as Canada's Parliament building.
        PS - I am Canadian and I TURNED ON ALL MY LIGHTS.
        • DemonWasp, on 03/31/2008, -2/+1Congratulations, you missed the point. You're also an enormous douche, for willfully wasting power.
    • mj1903, on 03/31/2008, -1/+8Australia's Parliament House:
      http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2008/03/29/4canberr ...
    • seanc6610, on 03/31/2008, -0/+9Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure that nobody lives in the Parliament buildings. There are actually people living in the White House 24/7.
      • Bigheadaus, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1I'm pretty sure you would be right. There was still security lighting on. Mr Rudd lives around the corner (about 5 minutes drive) in the lodge.
    • p858snake, on 03/31/2008, -1/+1No they don't, but the parliamentary offices can be used 24/7 by any parliament members and then theres extra staff that are onsite at different times during nights. theres staff on site 24/7
  • saxreturns, on 03/31/2008, -4/+58On a mildly related note:

    Here in Birmingham, UK, we recently saw two billboard advertising campaigns running simultaneously. One was from the local council, encouraging us to help the environment by turning off any unnecessary lighting and appliances when not being used. The other was from the local police, informing us that leaving lights on when we leave the house is a good way to deter burglars! I love cohesive government, don't you?
    • mousky, on 03/31/2008, -0/+9Welcome to the world of local politics. I have to deal with this every day. Our Official Plan calls for commercial buildings close to the road with parking at the back - it's the whole urban design thing. Meanwhile the police want the parking at the front because of security and safety issues. You try explaining scale and pedestrian access to the politicians and they give you a blank look. Talk about safety and security and their ears stand up.
  • JMScheib, on 03/31/2008, -7/+25Did you expect them to shut off the lights? That's ridiculous.
    Not politically speaking. It won't happen.
  • musicmanryan, on 03/31/2008, -11/+47Wait--when was earth hour?
    • mhender, on 03/31/2008, -17/+4Aw man I dugg you and I totally meant to bury you.
      • musicmanryan, on 03/31/2008, -3/+17Ah man, I buried you and totally meant to bury you!
    • zmigliozzi, on 03/31/2008, -4/+9supposeably 8-9pm your local time on sat march 29.
    • StanleyKoolPrik, on 03/31/2008, -0/+5It was approximately 26 of your Earth hours ago, Earthling.
  • Thumper13, on 03/31/2008, -11/+28Jesus, look I know it was cool, but most of the world didn't take part. I live in one of the greenest cities in the U.S. and we didn't take part (although my wife and I did.)
    This is a bit silly.
    • heliox, on 03/31/2008, -6/+7Yeah...I find it silly you participated too. I burned extra lights just for YOU!
      • strictnein, on 03/31/2008, -1/+1I broke open CFLs on the heads of baby seals, just for him.
    • asskicker32, on 03/31/2008, -1/+1I turned off my lights and used my coal stove and oil lamps.
    • davincid, on 03/31/2008, -0/+2I think the point is that the world leaders need/should be setting an example. The terrorist comments are just a lame joke. Get real people.
  • cfizzo, on 03/31/2008, -30/+103whoever dugg this story is a douchebag
    • atticus8, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1and not burying the story was an easy opportunity lost to make digg a better place
  • WraTH017, on 03/31/2008, -10/+300I postponed Earth Hour till about midnight and then I turned everything off and left it off for about 8 hours. I plan to do it again tonight.

    You're welcome, Earth.
  • d8thnote, on 03/31/2008, -18/+41OH come on, am I the only person that knows turning the lights off for an hour does nothing for the earth? Please this is just a fad. I'm all for helping out the planet but what does turn off lights for an hour really do? And all of this go green stuff is just marketing to sell products. Let's be real here.
    • dddavid, on 03/31/2008, -11/+11It DOES do something. It raises awareness. Nothing more, nothing less.
      • heliox, on 03/31/2008, -3/+12Anyone on Earth that has heard of earthhour has the whole environmentalist agenda shoved down their throat on a daily basis. There is enough awareness...
        Show me one person who said "Oh yeah...lets conserve...I never thought of that before"
      • Cl1mh4224rd, on 03/31/2008, -2/+9> "It DOES do something. It raises awareness. Nothing more, nothing less."

        You know, I'm developing an extreme dislike for the phrase "raising awareness" and people who parrot it without thought.

        What awareness is being "raised" here? Concern about the environment is talked about *all the time*. And--get this!--the only people taking part are already aware.

        OK, so maybe it "raises awareness" in those *not* participating, but I guarantee this is exactly what happened:

        Unaware: "Huh... Why are those lights out?"
        Aware: "Earth Hour. Helping to raise awareness about environmental concerns."
        Unaware: "Ah, neat. I guess it's good that I'm out-and-about, isn't it? I'm participating by default." *proceeds to completely forget about Earth Hour*

        Anyone *not* in a position to see these lights out aren't going to even know what's going on. They'll hear about it later and, maybe, say, "Neat. Maybe I'll participate next year." *proceeds to completely forget about Earth Hour*

        So, again... what awareness is being raised by Earth Hour. Do you people parroting that phrase even know?
    • asskicker32, on 03/31/2008, -1/+3No, I know that it does nothing, because I too leave my lights and most everything else in the house off routinely, every night. But I also participated in a largely symbolic way to raise awareness and demonstrate to my daughter that I care about the earth and I want her to grow up in a world thats better than the one I grew up in (Difficult, because I grew up in the US in the 90's, which were hugely positive, economically speaking).
    • babybottombutt, on 04/04/2008, -0/+0No it doesn't do much but doing something is always better than doing nothing. Which is why us Americans are where we are today. And yes those "green" products do actually help benefit Earth, But no one can see the difference. Because the people that need to use them don't. The people on Earth that use the most energy and create the most waste is the.....RICH!! But they don't care about using these products to reduce energy becuz they can pay the bill. Most poor people have to worry about if they can even afford their light bill, heating bill and the cost of gasoline. So us poor people are very interested in reducing the cost of energy but can't afford the products that could actually make a difference in the long run.
  • semperfidoordi, on 03/31/2008, -13/+36Hmm, o