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Maine Voices: Mainers being wrongly blinded by the light
Press Herald ^ | 2/12/2023 | Anthony Dater

Posted on 02/12/2023 8:06:16 AM PST by Saije

According to Science magazine, the average night sky brightened by 9.6% per year from 2011 to 2022. Many of us have experienced our own encounters with the reduction of nighttime quality of life because of poorly positioned or excessively bright lights.

A recent documentary on the subject of Maine’s skies, “Defending the Dark,” described the public health effects of constant over-bright nighttime artificial light. More light at night is linked to cancer; glare threatens public safety of motorists and pedestrians, and more light takes the night sky away from us earthbound dwellers, something all flora and fauna have evolved under for millions of years.

What happened? In short, new LED outdoor lighting came along, with the capacity to emit much brighter blue-white light, replacing the more mellow and gentler hue, friendly to the human eye, that we were accustomed to.

It can take a while to sort out the beneficial effects and negative effects of a new technology. LED streetlights save between 40% and 60% in electricity use and carbon footprint, which is very beneficial. They also introduce glare, light pollution and light trespass. They obscure the night sky, something essential to our well-being.

There is a long tradition in literature and religion of using “light” as a metaphor for understanding or acquiring knowledge. We “see the light” or we seek “the light at the end of the tunnel.” If what is at the end of the tunnel is nighttime, it is still largely visible because of moonlight and stars.

(Excerpt) Read more at pressherald.com ...


TOPICS: Health/Medicine; Science
KEYWORDS: darkness; light; maine; sky
Not to make a light of the issue, but I hear they don't have this problem in North Korea.


1 posted on 02/12/2023 8:06:16 AM PST by Saije
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To: Saije
Oh cut loose like a deuce, another runner in the night
2 posted on 02/12/2023 8:34:10 AM PST by moovova ("The NEXT election is the most important election of our lifetimes!“ LOL...)
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To: Saije

I’m in on this one. Here, Arlington County, VA spent a ton of money, supposedly to save money, on LED street lamps. Residents hated the glaring white light, so the County had to re-replace them w/ the older standard lights.


3 posted on 02/12/2023 9:40:44 AM PST by nicollo ("I said no!")
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To: moovova

Mainers have gone completely Crazy - they re-elected Communist Janet Mills with 60% of the vote.


4 posted on 02/12/2023 10:38:01 AM PST by EC Washington
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To: EC Washington

Well, THIS Mainer has not gone crazy.
I can’t STAND J.Mills and did not vote for her.

The problem is we have had an influx of wealthy
Liberal wing nuts move here.
They come and vote for Dems and liberal crap
just like they did when they lived in their liberal s**t holes.

We are out numbered now.
You can’t go to the once quaint and cobble stones streets of The Old Port without being pan handled or worse.
They are sprawled all over the beautiful library there, just smokin’ stinkin’ and pan handling.

All that aside, Janet Mills so just embarrassing.
She dresses like a slob, and it’s not hard to tell that she’s
“number than a hake.”

You want a twofer?
Try watching her and Sue Collins on the same stage.
We’re doomed!


5 posted on 02/12/2023 9:10:26 PM PST by MS.BEHAVIN (Women who behave rarely make history.)
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To: MS.BEHAVIN
The problem is we have had an influx of wealthy Liberal wing nuts move here.

Yep. I'm in Washington County, and we got a whole bunch of them here, too. Not nearly as many as some other areas, but we still got a lot.

6 posted on 02/12/2023 11:29:46 PM PST by SIDENET (Whatever they're threatening, the vaxx is worse. Don't give in to coercion. )
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