[Darksky]THES on the light pollution (fwd)

[Jan Hollan]

Dear friends of good outdoor lighting, 

the article kindly prepared by Nick for The Times Higher Education Supplement  

has appeared in its current edition. It is not accessible freely, as I
found out when trying the get its URL from the http://www.thes.co.uk --
however, I found another interesting quote from today news, May 27:

   Darkness is good for children
   Spending time in the dark helps children develop their imagination,
   argues University of Kent sociology professor Frank Furedi. (The Times
   T2)

-- such a merit of darkness did not occurred to me yet, it's quite
convincing. Seeing always something, with some relief coming just when the
eyelids are closed, really makes any trip to the realm of phantasy
rather uneasy. 

Subscribers of the THES can of course get the whole article, there is a
possibility of a free online access for a fortnight, and as I've used it
today, the URL of the article given below (with the kind permission of the
Foreign Editor regarding this mailinglist) appeared to be
 http://www.thes.co.uk/current_edition/story.asp?id=11957

I am really happy that the URL to more info on the Czech law appeared at
the bottom of the article, thanks a lot to the publishers.

> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> Date: Sun, 26 May 2002 22:52:57 +0200
> From: Jiri Zlatuska <zlatuskaAmuni...>
> Subject: THES o svetelnem znecisteni

> Czechs are turned off by the incredible lightness of
> being

> Nick Holdsworth, Prague
> The Times Higher Education Supplement
> Published: 24 May 2002

> Czech astronomers are hoping for clear skies on June 1
> when the world's first national light pollution law
> comes into effect. People who pollute the night skies
> with street lighting or other sources face fines of up
> to L3,000. 

> The law was passed after lobbying by environmentalists
> and astronomers who had noted a decline in the quality
> of star-gazing due to development, street advertising
> and sports facilities, all brightly lit. Authorities
> now have a duty to control the upward spread of light
> with shades and housings. 

> Jenik Hollan, an astronomer at the Nicholas Copernicus
> Observatory and Planetarium in Brno, said: "Because of
> light pollution, stronger equipment is needed to
> observe the stars, which are vanishing in an ever
> brighter sky." 

> David L. Crawford, executive director of the
> International Dark-Sky Association, said: "Fully
> shielded light fixtures not only preserve the beauty of
> the starry sky, but illuminate more efficiently and
> allow people to see better at night." 

> Details: www.astro.cz/darksky/