[gcruse]

 
If they can make us look like Africa without
taking away my microwave, I am all for it. ;-)

And my TIVO.  Never, never, never.  ;)

[dogbyte12]

If governments start buying lights, in mass, that are downward directed... the price of them drop, making them cheaper for consumers. It is a win-win for us all. Some of the reflex anti environmentalism here needs to be tapered with some reality.

It is sound to only direct light where you want it to be, if at all possible. Wasting energy needlessly is not conservative... If you are buying a 100 watt bulb, and 40% is leaking towards the sky where you don't need it, does it not make sense to get a better system, and use a less powerful bulb to do a better job? You don't have to eat tofu and wear birkenstocks to see this.