The latest bit of science so-called journalism from NBCNEWS.com's very
own Tariq Malik (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/50031629/ns/
technology_and_science-space/#.ULosdoZ8NHY):

"In the 1990s, the European Space Agency's star-mapping Hipparcos
satellite determined the 434 light-year distance to Polaris, while
other studies suggested the star could be closer to the sun. One light-
year is the distance light travels in a single year, about 6 trillion
miles (10 trillion kilometers)."

I predictably stopped reading at that point (will follow it up later
on Wikipedia) and violently cursed at my computer screen for the nth
time running.

Oh, please, must every single ***CENSORED*** astronomy story in the
***CENSORED*** public media have to ***CENSORED*** explain to me what
a ***CENSORED*** light-year is??? I'm reading an astronomy story,
right??? What could be more ***CENSORED*** basic to elementary
astronomy than how long a light-year is??? , Do these ***CENSORED***
science "journalists" never cease to think that we (who regularly read
up on the latest scientific discoveries) are that ***CENSORED***
uninformed??? Imagine if every football story in the sports section
contained something like the following:

"The Jets took the lead by scoring a touchdown in the last minute of
regulation. A touchdown counts for six points; the following kick, if
successful, is worth one additional point."

Sports journalists, business journalists, political journalists,
weather journalists, entertainment journalists, and so on generally do
not insult their readership with such patronizing awfulness. American
science journalists do nothing but insult their readership by
repeatedly spouting facts which (to us followers of science) are
common knowledge.

Oh, well, enough ranting for now...