Light Pollution at the University of Oklahoma

[Licmycat]

What wasteful acts those people do! They are just evil.

[mcchaparral]

This is the problem with lighting.  More is not better and it wastes resources. These streetlights are horrible. They produce more glare and uplight. Should have installed full-cutoff fixtures to make the area more appealing to the eye rather than a glare bomb. This is not safe and it doesn't increase safety. Keep it going Mr. Wright. I salute you!!!

[mcchaparral]

Mr. Wright,

The stadium lights are a waste of energy and money. It does not need to be lit up dusk to dawn. The street lights are the old acorn style lights that are big "glare bombs that direct their light everywhere except for the ground. A full cut-off fixture could be used along with a lower wattage bulb to produce the same amount of lumens; and direct the light down where it belongs. People think more light is better and it will keep them safe. This is far from true. I salute you!!

[Edsan91]

This sucks I never thought about light pollution But now that I bought a new telescope it is neccessary to have a dark sky. I cant see any galaxies nebulas etc only planets and the moon. We need to stop putting light pollution. Man i am so mad I feel like getting my pellet gun and shooting each and every light in the US U bet If i did that I would see the stars clearly no lights just stars And i would see the milkyway as well. Man in mexico its dark and u can see al the stars there!

[DynamiteProd]

I watched a couple of videos of yours, and I have to say you are overreacting. I live in Florida and a lot of the schools around here are the same exact way. University of Florida is probably louder and brighter than OU. You are implying that OU is the only school in the nation with these "problems". Sir you really need to devote your time to a greater cause. You will answer this by insulting me and calling me a "Boren lover". You are very predictable unfortunately. Sir please act your age.

[MichaelPhillipWright]

You are an ignorant fool using the same tactic used by so many Boren-lovers as they howl their hatred at me. You are guilty of the "straw man" fallacy. You accuse me of "implying that OU is the only school in the nation with these 'problems.' " I have never said or "implied" anything of the kind. I doubt if you are really from Florida. You sound like a local Boren-lover in disguise. Click on the link in my text box to the letter from Brian Howard, for a rational viewpoint on this problem.

[sniper152]

Just think of all the crime and Prostitution that could be there if those lights were off.

Did you get fired from here or get the shaft in some other way? You seem to have a vendetta against this guy Boren and the OU. just curious

[mcchaparral]

What does crime have to do with overlighting? Criminals love light, because they can hide in the glare that our eyes see when these glare bombs are operating. A prostitute would welcome the darkness to hide an ugly face. The campus looks like a prison yard. There are other more attractive schools with better lighting using full cut-off fixtures. Take a look at Arizona State University. It is a beautiful campus with excellent lighting and little crime. "More light is better" is a myth.

[MichaelPhillipWright]

Your comment about OU looking like a prison yard is right on target. David Boren, the president, is a buffoonish tyrant. Many people complain about him quietly but are afraid to speak up publicly. Others compulsively praise this miscreant in order to prove their loyalty. It is a very sick situation. Boren is much like a fathead Roman emperor. See some of my other videos about OU and Boren.

[mattokie]

You do realize you will never accomplish anything by making these videos, right?

[sooner9659]

I agree about the stadium lights. That is, of course, completely unnecessary. But, I disagree with you about the street lamps. They are necessary for the safety of the students.

You are taking some of the bite out of your criticism of David Boren by interjecting name calling and negative emotion in your commentary. It just makes it look like a personal vendetta by a man hurt by Mr. Boren rather than someone who wants the best for OU. People are going to turn you off because of your approach.

[MichaelPhillipWright]

You are unable to show me any crime statistics demonstrating that there was more crime in the area before fathead Boren added the street lights to show off his new expensive sandbox. Friends of Boren have continually used the ridiculous "personal vendetta" argument to try to discredit me. I'll believe that you agree with me about the stadium lights when you come out in public, identify yourself, and denounce this wasteful practice. Unless you do so you do not deserve to be taken seriously.

[SoonerJack87]

The lighs were on for GRADUATION.

[MichaelPhillipWright]

Nice try. You are absolutely wrong. There was NOTHING happening in the stadium the night I made this light pollution video. David Boren loves to show off his new stadium. It makes the disgusting weasel feel big and powerful. He also loves LOUD noise. See my video of the outrageous booming fireworks show at the 2008 graduation ceremony. I made these two videos on different nights.

[cherob1984]

If you dont like Oklahoma then move. It is part of the U.S. you are free to come and you are free to go. SOOO, MOVE THE FUCK OUT OF OUR STATE!!!

[MichaelPhillipWright]

I allow comments like yours to be posted so you morons can display to the world the fact that intolerant sleazebags have come to rule OU during the Boren years.

I'm not moving anywhere. If you don't like my videos, then you are invited not to watch them. I intend to continue to exercise my lawful right to denounce David Boren and his corrupt administration.

You are so insecure about your identity as a "Sooner" that you cannot even tolerate ONE critic of "glorious" OU. You are pathetic.

[soonerwxboy]

If you don't like it why don't you move?

[MichaelPhillipWright]

Boren-lover, if you don't like my videos, why don't you stop watching them?

[jdetherow]

would you like it better if student's were on a campus where they felt uncomfortable walking around at night?

please, walk in the footsteps of a student attending OU during the present time and then tell me what you think of the campus. of the lights so we can walk at night, of the bands that play so we are torn away from monotony and let us be proud of our athletes.

[MichaelPhillipWright]

Are you proud of Josh Jarboe, who was recruited to OU after being convicted of carrying a gun to school? How about Jenna Plumley, who was arrested recently for shoplifting? Or DeMarcus Granger, who was arrested for shoplifting last season? Or Ryan Broyles, who pled guilty to stealing gasoline last summer? Or Dusty Dvoracek, who in 2004 got into a bar fight and sent his victim to the hospital? Or Rhett Bomar, who violated NCAA rules by accepting financial gifts from a football fan?

[MichaelPhillipWright]

BULLETIN

Medical researchers say light pollution increases breast cancer risk. See the details in the text box accompanying this video.

[gorgydan]

duhamm i thought oklahoma state was bad

[MichaelPhillipWright]

TRANSLATION FOR NON-OKIES

"Duhamm" is Okie dialect for DAMN. Sometimes it is pronounced "dah-yumm."

[pearldrummerjo]

THANK YOU!!

this was a valuable lesson.

I appreaciate the fact that you knew most of us have never heard of this strange pronunciation before!!!

You sir, are a good man.

[MichaelPhillipWright]

You are obviously being sarcastic and ridiculing me for presuming to tell other Oklahomans about their dialect. You've just stumbled all over yourself. At the top of my comment, it says "TRANSLATION FOR NON-OKIES."

You appear to believe that only you and your fellow meatheads at OU see my videos.

[wgibbens]

And, by the way, let's hope that "sooner1508" is sticking to a liberal arts major (and I mean this in all respect). What college level student doesn't immediately see the line between electric light and fossil fuel?? No wonder there's an energy crisis.

[wgibbens]

You are absolutely correct, Mr Wright. This is a complete waste of energy at a time when everyone should contribute to saving wherever possible. But I think that an on-campus initiative to bring attention to this issue would be more fruitful than a petition to remove President Boren, who likely has very little direct influence over which lights are turned on anyway.

[MichaelPhillipWright]

I obviously would like to see Boren fired from OU, but I would applaud the circulation of a petition to do away with some of those wasteful lights. There is so much artificial light there that, when standing in that area, one hardly sees any stars on a cloudless night. More stars appear as one walks east on Brooks toward the railroad tracks.

[sooner1508]

electricity is not a fossil fuel

[MichaelPhillipWright]

I am not surprised that a defender of David Boren would be so ignorant. Most electricity in this country comes from coal, natural gas, or oil-powered generators. All of these are fossil fuels. You seem not to know what a generator is. Also, you are unaware of the fact that sentences end with periods and that the first word is always capitalized. Go back to grade school. (Readers, in another message this moron has claimed to be an OU student and has defended Boren.)

[saxon12qa]

Fact, lighting does not prevent crime, it merely reduces the fear of crime; that is to say although you may feel safe doesn't mean you won't become a victim- people forget wrong doers need light to operate too.

Apart from the overall energy waste, those globe lights running along the pavement are highly inefficient by design, nearly all of the light is wasted on illuminating the sky above (where it can serve no useful purpose) instead of downwards where it is needed.

Keep up the good work.

[MichaelPhillipWright]

Because of Boren's fetish for lights to highlight the grandeur of the imperial stadium, in that area the number of stars seen in the sky on a clear night can be counted on the fingers of both hands. More stars appear as you walk east and get away from all the ugly street lamps.

[akierig]

Actual incidents are unimportant. The important consideration is crime prevention which the articles that I cited demonstrate street lamps contribute towards.

[MichaelPhillipWright]

Joker, it's just painfully obvious that you can't answer my question, so you trivialize it. First you express grave concern about an imagined crime wave in the stadium area before your idol boss Boren cluttered it with with hundreds of street lamps to celebrate his new stadium. You cannot document the imagined "crime wave." Now you trivialize crime victims by saying that "actual incidents are unimportant." You are hilarious, and so transparent. Is Boren paying you for harassing me?

[akierig]

Crime prevention, Mr. Wright, is more reasonable than allowing crimes to occur.

[MichaelPhillipWright]

Speaking of crime prevention, joker, I think you need to ask your lawyer to tell you about laws against internet harassment. I find your presence at my video forums to be most unwelcome.

[MichaelPhillipWright]

Joker, there you go again showing your inability to use the English language properly. Why am I not surpised that Boren's defenders would be so ignorant? You write this awkward sentence. "The important consideration is crime prevention which the articles that I cited demonstrate street lamps contribute towards." The correct sentence would be, "The important consideration is that the articles I cited demonstrate that street lamps contribute to crime prevention." Go back to middle school, fool.

[akierig]

Not going to approve my citations, Mr. Wright?

They are all peer-reviewed.

[MichaelPhillipWright]

Like many OU students, you have a very short attention span. You did not understand my sentence. My sentence obviously had too many words for you. I asked if you could tell me how many people annually were victimized by criminal assaults in the OU stadium area, before Boren added all the lights to show off his new sandbox. You didn't answer the question. Try again, joker. It's fun watching you make a fool out of yourself as you try to prove your loyalty to big boss Boren.

[akierig]

I love how you call people in authority with "B" last names "Big Boss 'Boren' or 'Blank'"

[MichaelPhillipWright]

There you go again making another frivolous comment. You obviously cannot answer the question: how many people annually were victimized by criminal assaults in the OU stadium area, before Boren added all the lights to show off his new sandbox?

[akierig]

2002 "IMPROVED STREET LIGHTING AND CRIME PREVENTION." Justice Quarterly 19.2 Pp. 313-342

1999 "Improved Street Lighting: Crime Reducing Effects and Cost-Benefit Analyses." Security Journal 12.4 pp. 17-32

1993 "Environmental improvements and the fear of crime." British Journal of Criminology 33.4pp. 555-561

Is that enough? I found all of these through SOCIndex and thus only scratched the surface.

[akierig]

The street lamps provide safety for pedestrians at night. When I am walking, I don't want to walk in the dark for fear of my safety.

The stadium lights I despise, but reasonable people can recognize that it is an entirely different matter.

[MichaelPhillipWright]

Tell me this, Mr. Reasonable, before Boren expanded the stadium, bulldozed the historic neighborhood across the street, brought the athletic department debt to $152.7 million, and cluttered the area with his energy-wasting street lights, how many people annually were victimized by criminal assaults in that area? Provide authoritative sources for your answer. If you can't do that, then a "reasonable" person would conclude that you are ignorant and speaking out of turn.

[mcchaparral]

Have you ever looked at the street lights?  You will notice that more light is wasted to the night sky than used for ground lighting. These fixtures are very wasteful. They should have installed a full cut-off fixture for better safety and less glare. This will let more light shine down on you for more safety.