NASA Science News for May 19, 2011, as quoted by S. Wormley:
A storm of rare power has formed in Saturn's northern hemisphere.
Wreaking havoc for months....

Davoud:
Havoc? Really? "Devastation, destruction, damage, desolation,
ruination, ruin; disaster, catastrophe?" How many dead or homeless from
this storm (compared, say, to the recent havoc in Japan and across the
American South?

Quadibloc:
Well, it is expending energy and moving gases around. It _would_ cause
havoc, if there was anyone _there_ on Saturn to be disturbed by it.

It is a manifestation of great energy, in the middle of which one
would not wish to be caught. An attempt was made to express the
impressive magnitude of the event... but there was no intention to
minimize the human tragedies recently experienced on Earth.

No, I'm not suggesting that there was such intent.

I am suggesting that NASA's attempts communicate the excitement of
important astronomical discoveries with the public are failing. I live
within a triangle of not-so-many sq. km. that is delineated by NASA
Goddard, the STScI, and the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.
Also within that triangle are many other public and private sector
research facilities, including the NSA--largest user of computers on
earth and possibly home to more PhD's per sq. meter than any other
facility. Lotta smart, well informed, well educated people livin' in
that triangle, In an e-mail poll of 20 of my educated friends who live
within this triangle and who are not involved in astronomy, I found
that /not/ /one/ was aware that there are has been a major storm on
Saturn for some months.

I would suggest that NASA hire some real stickler-type English majors
over the age of 50 or so (to avoid "Like, Saturn is this planet with
these ringz, you know, and like, we sent a rocket there, so now there
are these stormz on Saturn, and we at NASA are, like, wow, this is,
like, totally awesome!") and also a PR firm to get its message of
discovery out to the public.

That's, like, all I'm sayin', ya know, dude?

Davoud

³This was an event that in my mind was so significant that it should
have been celebrated with ticker-tape parades in every major city
across the US and Europe.² -- Carolyn Porco, leader of the Cassini
imaging team, speaking of the landing of the Huygens probe on Titan.

--
I agree with almost everything that you have said and almost everything that
you will say in your entire life.

usenet *at* davidillig dawt cawm