CNN news 2012-02-23 加文本

cnn news 2012-02-23

LANCE: And that wasn`t his first time in space. John Glenn was one of NASA`s original astronauts. He`s been the center of a lot of attention right now, because 50 years ago yesterday he made history.

JOHN GLENN, ASTRONAUT: The (inaudible) light (ph) is on. (Inaudible) a miracle.

SCOTT CARPENTER, ASTRONAUT: Godspeed, John Glenn. Five --

LANCE (voice-over): As that rocket launched into the sky, John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth. In fact, he circled the globe three times during the five-hour mission. It may have happened half a century ago, but Glenn says that famous flight is one he`ll never forget.

GLENN: I guess I`ve recalled it quite often over the past 50 years, and that`s kept it fresh, but it was such an impressive thing at the time, that it`s indelibly imprinted on my memory, and I can recall those days very, very well.

LANCE: Today is Tuesday. You already knew that, but did you know that it`s Fat Tuesday? That means it`s also Mardi Gras, which means Fat Tuesday in French. And no matter what you call it, it falls on the day before the religious observance of Lent, which begins on Ash Wednesday.

LANCE (voice-over): And in cities like New Orleans, Mardi Gras is a huge celebration. You`ll see parades with floats, marching bands and people in costume. New Orleans hosted its first Mardi Gras parade in 1837. The floats started showing up about 20 years later, and typically more than a million people come out to attend the city`s Mardi Gras celebrations.

LANCE: Next up, the bright lights of the big city -- you might have seen the neon displays in New York or maybe even Las Vegas, but in this case, we`re talking about Hong Kong. Now some residents say all that light from businesses and advertisements can boost a city`s image or even make the streets safer. But not everyone thinks brighter is better. Richard Quest has this illuminating report.

RICHARD QUEST, HOST, QUEST MEANS BUSINESS (voice-over): there are lights bigger lights and then there`s Hong Kong. The world`s big cities offer culture, convenience and a cosmopolitan way of life.

Living in a city, especially like this, can be anything but easy. Property prices are some of the highest in the world. The city`s battle with air pollution is well known. With so much development, there`s also the noise pollution. Now an entirely different problem -- it`s trying to live in a city of lights, lots of lights.

QUEST: Bustling with business in the heart of Hong Kong (ph), night becomes day when the lights get switched on. This is about as bad as it gets. And remember, there are people living up there, trying to sleep, if they can.

QUEST (voice-over): Professor Henry Chung has been studying light pollution for more than a decade, and says not only is excessive light a real nuisance, it`s a waste of energy.

QUEST: So what would you do? Would you switch them all off?

HENRY CHUNG, CITY UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG: It is a good idea. But, of course, we have to strike a balance. That`s why I think the government has to do something. The legislation tried to control the maximum brightness produced by all these lights and check the brightness around the area. That is the best way to control light pollution.

QUEST (voice-over): Well, there`s been debate. There`s currently no regulations in place to curb light pollution. While the city`s glistening skyline`s been a draw for tourists for years, now even Hong Kong`s chief executive recognizes action needs to be taken.

DONALD TSANG, HONG KONG CHIEF EXECUTIVE: We realize that we have to do something about it. You look at the commercial areas, it`s really bright. I think it become offensive at times, and we are now introducing virtually regulation restriction to make sure people do have a quiet night and not be disturbed too brightly in lights.

LANCE (voice-over): And, finally, if you like bacon, you`re going to love today`s "Before We Go" segment --

LANCE (voice-over): -- because that`s the main course of this annual Iowa event that attracts thousands of people. It`s Baconfest. Now where the popular product isn`t just for breakfast. There`s bacon for lunch, bacon for dinner. And for dessert, you bet your bacon. Cupcakes and brownies with bacon baked right in. They even offer life-size bacon. OK, that actually may be just a guy in a costume.

LANCE: He was probably trying to ham it up or hog all of the attention, but the true star was the bacon, and the "skillet" takes to prepare it in such interesting ways. We`re just a little surprised an event like this was held on Saturday. You`d think the best time for Baconfest would be on a "Fryday." All right. We`re done pigging out on puns. Enjoy the rest of your day. For cnn, I`m Natisha Lance.