Free Republic

**SNIP** Under the new law, the interior lights of nonresidential buildings will have to be turned off an hour after the last worker leaves, and lights on building facades and in shop windows will have to be extinguished by 1 a.m. Ms. Batho also presented the decree as a matter of public health. Artificial lighting can damage sleep patterns, she said, and also “cause significant disruptions on ecosystems by changing communication between species, migrations, reproduction cycles or even the prey-predator relationships.”

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - California's electricity grid operator issued a state-wide alert on Thursday warning users to try and curb power usage in coming days because a fast-approaching, major heat wave may place undue strain on an already taxed network this week. The exceptionally rare power warning -- its first in years -- from the most populous state in the country comes as California struggles to meet surging electricity demand. The California Independent System Operation, or CAISO, a not-for-profit corporation charged with operating the majority of the state's high-voltage grid, issued a "flex" alert urging consumers to reduce power usage...

Lasers conserve Pictish treasures The Pictish carved stones date from the decades before 843 AD High-tech laser technology has been used to record and conserve one of the finest collections of Pictish carved stones in Scotland. The St Vigeans Stones from Arbroath are being cleaned by a specialist team of Historic Scotland experts in Edinburgh. Earlier efforts at conservation, dating back to the 1960s, carried out using the best techniques of the time have now reached the end of their life. The project removes the earlier repairs and uses more modern treatments. The project is part of works to upgrade...

PHOENIX (AP) - Phoenix and its suburbs, where the air conditioning is cranked up so high that office workers and shoppers get goosebumps and have to wear sweaters in the middle of the summer, are being urged to turn down the AC to avoid rolling blackouts. But it's not going to be easy to get people to change their ways. Phoenix-area utilities started asking customers to conserve energy after fires at two transmission stations earlier this month reduced their capacity to deliver electricity. One of the first energy-saving suggestions: Push the thermostat a few degrees higher. "It all starts with...