Inciting rebellion: Bountiful High School wants its dances to be dignified, modestly clothed affairs. And the school's administration is demanding a promise from all students - and their parents - that they will abide by a list of ambiguous, arbitrary rules or they won't be allowed to attend these solemn social events. We believe that is a naive, dictatorial and, possibly dangerous approach. The rules outlaw clothing and behavior that's deemed "vulgar, seductive, inappropriate, slovenly, and obscene," and prohibit "defiance and dissent." The U.S. Supreme Court has had difficulty defining such concepts; we doubt school administrators will do better. What such rules promote are smothering conformity and Draconian, discriminatory judgments. They might also encourage students who feel stifled to throw their own, unsupervised, come-as-you-are parties. Wouldn't it be better to have teens socializing in the presence of teachers and administrators willing to overlook a few spaghetti-strapped gowns and untucked shirts? Then, in cases of truly bad behavior, the offending students can be told to leave, and nobody else gets punished.

Star power: It's a sunny day for the Clark Planetarium in Salt Lake City, where officials have unveiled a roof-top solar energy system that has helped cut electricity bills by $10,000 a year and greenhouse-gas emissions by 125 tons. And that's just the beginning of the benefits. The planetarium's new "Star Power" exhibit (the sun is a star) will educate thousands of children, teachers and parents about the advantages of using clean, green solar power and the proof is on the roof.

Carry Nation lives! Remember those flavored malt beverages that the Utah Legislature banned from grocery stores starting Oct. 1 and exiled to state liquor outlets to keep them from the clutches of underage girls who supposedly must be genetics prefer them to beer? Well, that memory may fade fast because distributors of so-called alcopops say the state's onerous regulations and labeling requirements make it too much of a bother to market them in Utah. So this lousy law, written to curb underage drinking, inadvertantly(?) punishes adults unfortunate enough to have developed a taste for alcopops. Sorry, folks, but this is Utah.