"Green" Ball To Drop At Times Square

(AP)  The Times Square New Year's Eve ball is celebrating its centennial by going green.

The star of the world-famous holiday extravaganza was revamped this year with 9,576 energy-efficient bulbs that use about the same amount of electricity as 10 toasters.

Philips Lighting, which created the light-emitting diodes, or LED bulbs, specifically for the event, says they are smaller but more than twice as bright as last year's lights, which were a mix of more than 600 incandescent and halogen bulbs. And the new lights can create more than 16 million colors for a kaleidoscope of hues against the 672 Waterford Crystal triangles.

"The whole world looks up to New York's New Year's Eve. I'm proud to be able to save energy and show off this technology to the world with such a special event," said Kaj den Daas, chairman of Philips Lighting North America.

The ball was first dropped for the New Year's Eve celebration in 1907. Made of iron and wood, it weighed 700 pounds and was lit with 100 25-watt incandescent bulbs.

Over the century, five other versions of the ball were designed to ring in the New Year. In 1999, the ball was made from crystal to welcome the new millennium.

This year, the motif is "Let There Be Light" and features a stylized, radiating sunburst on each of the crystal triangles.

The new design and technology "will make the ball glow like nothing else," said Tim Tompkins, president of the Times Square Alliance, a business group in charge of the event.

The ball was tested successfully Sunday afternoon, making its way slowly up and down the 77-foot flagpole atop 1 Times Square with bursts of color.

More than a million revelers were expected to crowd the streets for the annual New Year's Eve celebration Monday.

Also this year, wishes from people around the world will be included among the confetti dropped when the clock strikes midnight. For the first time, people can write wishes for the New Year on the multicolored confetti by visiting the Times Square Information Center or by typing a message on a "virtual wishing wall" online.

Those message-carrying pieces will be mixed in with the rest of the more than one ton of confetti, organizers said.

[usbrit-2009]

Hey DumWatcher - see you''ve introduced a few new terms to your 1st grade vocab. lemming, dumbarse, toady. What a great advertisement for the true fascists in the world today. As I have pointed out on these pages before, liberals tend to more socialist ideals, it is the right wing who are the neo-facists. As my true blue conservative father always says - you can ignore the rantings of those who are further right than Attila the Hun - they really have no idea what''s going on. You, DumWatcher are a prime example of those to be ignored and from this posting on, I will not honor your mad ravings with a comment.

[ge556]

I''''m sick of all this "green" palaver. It''''s just fashionable. And like every other fashion, it will eventually be cast aside for something new.

Remember the ozone layer?? Who talks about that these days.

=========
We addressed that problem in the 1990''s. Now we need to address GCC. Why should we be talking about the ozone layer?

[ge556]

I''''m sick of all this "green" palaver. It''''s just fashionable. And like every other fashion, it will eventually be cast aside for something new.

Remember the ozone layer?? Who talks about that these days.

=========
We addressed that problem in the 1990''s. Now we need to address GCC. Why should we be talking about the ozone layer?

[ge556]

I''''m sick of all this "green" palaver. It''''s just fashionable. And like every other fashion, it will eventually be cast aside for something new.

Remember the ozone layer?? Who talks about that these days.

=========
We addressed that problem in the 1990''s. Now we need to address GCC. Why should we be talking about the ozone layer?

[grammawhamma]

What was the most "over used" word in the year 2007?

"GREEN"

And to think it''s not even a primary color!

[usakousagi]

Does anyone know the site link to put in a message?

[demwatcher]

"Come on now, let%u2019s not be ridiculous, the only bad things Bush is actually responsible for are:
1. Bringing Fascism to America.
2. The destruction of the middle class in America.
3. The destruction of democracy in America.
And it%u2019s not even him so much really, he%u2019s only a front man.

So I agree, Bush isn%u2019t so bad.
I hate it when people blame him for everything.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by sparks224 at 02:25 PM : Dec 31, 2007"

Here''s a little lesson for sparks224, you dumbarse, talking-point, IGNORANT, kool-aid puking, lemming:

"Fascism is an authoritarian political ideology (generally tied to a mass movement) that considers individual and social interests subordinate to the interests of the state or party."

THAT, is Hillary in one stroke! With the likes of YOU and other neo-fascist Liberals as her mass movement. For example: She BELIEVES that America, not the people, NEEDS a NATIONAL HEALTH CARE SYSTEM.

The Middle Class? Liberals can''t even agree on a definition for that. It changes everytime a Democrap opens their mouth. They twist the numbers to match their lies.

Democracy is doing just fine, even with the likes of ya''ll neo-fascist Liberals trying to make the REAL America seem otherwise.

It''s your own fault if the Democraps are TOO WEAK to take President Bush head-on.

"Oh, it''s HIS fault! Oh woe is us!"

You dumbarse lemming toady.

[cs4466]

Lol Sparks - too true too true... ;)

[sparks224]

%u201C...Bush is the reason for ALL our woes. Even the west Texas and Florida droughts. Shoot, it''''s Dubya''''s fault my boy has asthma and my daughter needs braces on her teeth. He is sooooooo evil!!%u201D
Posted by Hwy71So at 09:44 AM : Dec 31, 2007

%u201CBush is responsible for all pens that won''''t write and ketchup that will not flow.%u201D
Posted by ilikecats1

Come on now, let%u2019s not be ridiculous, the only bad things Bush is actually responsible for are:
1. Bringing Fascism to America.
2. The destruction of the middle class in America.
3. The destruction of democracy in America.
And it%u2019s not even him so much really, he%u2019s only a front man.

So I agree, Bush isn%u2019t so bad.
I hate it when people blame him for everything.

[infidel_us]

the ''''decider'''' IS the source of ALL evil in this world. Congrats...
Posted by JohnShaft4 at 12:24 PM : Dec 31, 2007

Only to bedwetting panzies like you. The rest of the country knows that socialist liberals, like yourself, ARE the real problem. Shaft that!