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5 stories of faith from New York City that helped one man find his
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When you think of New York City, you probably don't think of thriving spirituality and vibrant church communities. But that's precisely why author Rikki Tahata went there to find God. - photo by Shelby Slade
When you think of New York City, you probably don't think of thriving spirituality and vibrant church communities.

But that's precisely why author Rikki Tahata went there to find God.

After traveling all across the city asking strangers about God and their faith, he turned it into a book, called God in New York, that shares the stories of those he stumbled upon, A Journey Through NYC Religions reported.

Tahata said he decided to take on this project because he was searching for God in his life.

I struggle with faith, I dont fit neatly into the doctrines of any single religion and have happily joined friends in all different faith, he said. But I do believe in a god, I reach out the best I can and having that as part of my life just makes me happy. Most of all I find the divine reflected in other people, so I figured if its the same god that touches us and is revealed within us all, maybe theres some revelation in the crowd.

From his study, he found that there were small distinctions within the community that separated believers from non-believers and those who attend services on a regular basis from those who don't, he wrote for Faith Street.

However, a significant portion of the population still felt that there was a god that was involved in their lives. He shared some of the stories people told him with Faith Street.
Its toxic: New study says blue light from tech devices can speed up blindness
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A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers. - photo by Herb Scribner
It turns out checking Twitter or Facebook before bed is bad for your health.

A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers.

That process can lead to age-related macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to the researchs extract.

Blue light is a common issue for many modern Americans. Blue light is emitted from screens, most notably at night, causing sleep loss, eye strain and a number of other issues.

Dr. Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said our constant exposure to blue light cant be blocked by the lens or cornea.

"It's no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye's retina. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop, he said.

Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease that often affects those in their 50s or 60s. It occurs after the death of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Those cells need retinal to sense light and help signal the brain.

The research team found blue light exposure created poisonous chemical molecules that killed photoreceptor cells

"It's toxic. If you shine blue light on retinal, the retinal kills photoreceptor cells as the signaling molecule on the membrane dissolves," said Kasun Ratnayake, a Ph.D. student researcher working in Karunarathne's cellular photo chemistry group. "Photoreceptor cells do not regenerate in the eye. When they're dead, they're dead for good."

However, the researchers found a molecule called alpha-tocopherol, which comes from Vitamin E, can help prevent cell death, according to Futurism.

The researchers plan to review how light from TVs, cellphones and tablet screens affect the eyes as well.

"If you look at the amount of light coming out of your cellphone, it's not great but it seems tolerable," said Dr. John Payton, visiting assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "Some cellphone companies are adding blue-light filters to the screens, and I think that is a good idea."

Indeed, Apple released a Night Shift mode two years ago to help quell blue lights strain on the eyes, according to The Verge. The screen will dim into a warmer, orange light that will cause less stress on the eyes.