Heart of Darkness

I was hoping that Jerry Lewis and Dick Gregory would have lived to see today's solar eclipse, but alas, that will not happen.  

Left to right, this shows the path of the Eclipse.
Right to left, it's the path of the Lewis and Clark
Expedition, or Explorer or Escape.

I can't think of another thing to say about it. For the love of Pete, if you haven't heard by now that you aren't supposed to look up at the sun at the risk of blindness, where have you been?  Don't look up, for crying out loud! 

I have seen people asking where to get the official approved (but disposable, bear that in mind) eclipse viewing glasses, and there seems not to be a pair left to grab in Baltimore. So if you don't have them, join me on the recliner and watch it on TV.  

I mean, on your own recliner, to be precise.

I see the eclipse organizing us all into three groups. Most of us are in the big group of people interested in it enough to go out with our special glasses or watch it on network television with Charlie Rose explainin' what's happ'nin'.

The scientific community is launching airplanes, weather balloons and specially-modified camera-bearing woodpeckers to get data on an event that last occurred here before Jerry and Dick were even born! 

"The solar eclipse provides an opportunity for the public to experience a rare planetary phenomenon. Our live streaming from the atmosphere along with the other schools in the NASA space grant consortium will offer unique views in real time of this amazing event. It also provides an important set of conditions where we can study the effects of the sun on the atmosphere. As part of our research on eclipse day, we will collect data readings that scientists will compare against simulation results to understand our Earth."

That's the words of the science guys at USC. They are serious about this!

And then certain members of religious communities feel certain ways about it too. Back in ancient Mesopotamia, the citizenry figured that a solar eclipse meant a king had died.

Jerry Lewis starred in "The King of Comedy" in 1982, I'm just saying.

And, the ancient Aztecs sacrificed fair-complected people to ward off the demons of darkness. They believed these demons would come down to devour people.  

Excuse me, I have to run to the nearest tanning booth right this second. See you tomorrow, if there is one. I'm not letting some demon get me!