"Jim Redelfs" wrote in message
...
In article
,
terry wrote:

this same item was posted on a news group populated
by those from a European country.

I don't suppose you can reveal that newsgroup. sigh

Their response were, if anything more factual, giving examples of
communities who do and do not turn off their street lights after
certain times, at night. Along with generally sensible comments and
references and quotes from newspaper articles about street light
situations. Also some technical comments about street lighting
techniques, retrofitting older and/or newer street lighting systems.

There was very little (or nothing) in the way of smart-alecky or nasty
commnets.

Oh, BAD us. snivel Can't we all just get along?

An interesting debate however, from both the North American
posting here and that other one.

I'd LOVE to read it - the measured, level-headed, polite thread from the
continent widely known for universal tranquility and cooperation.

BTW; a detail.

But no citation. Nice. :\

Some communities install street and other lighting that minimizes
light pollution upwards, directing a greater percentage of the light
downwards and onto the areas where it is most effective.

Oh, please.

The only street, parking lot or other lighting fixture I have *EVER*
seen that is NOT directing its output down is one that is DAMAGED - or
directed at another, Earthbound item, i.e. flag, sign, etc.

One benefit is to assist astronomical observations.

The folks at Mount Palomar are grateful, I'm sure.

Snip

Indeed they are grateful as are the astronomers in Tucson, Hilo, San Jose
and numerous other places. The lighting ordinances in those areas have kept
the light pollution under control so the multi-million dollars invested in
observatories, staff salaries and benefilts to the local economies are still
paying off. Other places, where wasted light makes it impossible for
astronomers to see the sky, they've packed up their telescopes and moved to
darker areas in Chile or Argentina.

So, let's see if I've got this right. You are saying that we should
continue to pay taxes to waste 30% of the light and energy from our public
lighting systems (streets and parking areas) lighting up the underside of
birds and airplanes so observatory investment goes off shore and so we get
to enjoy glaring and excessive lighting.

TKM