Earth Hour

It's lights out in Baltimore today. The city, as well as Annapolis and 3,500 other municipalities around the world, will be turning off their lights for 60 minutes tonight in observance of Earth Hour, an effort to reduce energy use.

Mayor Stephanie C. Rawlings-Blake is encouraging residents to turn off lights and appliances from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Seven municipal buildings, including City Hall, will go dark. Maryland and 32 other states have passed Earth Hour resolutions.

---- Brought to you by the same symbol-minded thinkers who, 60 years ago, reminded us to "duck and cover" and more recently "plastic and duct tape," or tie a yellow ribbon. Let's just have the government shut off the grid at designated hours - that's how it's done in the developing/third world - they call it rationing. Americans need to get used to that word.