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Nazareth, Pa., United States

Tuesday, August 22, 2017

Did You Like the Eclipse?

Unlike The Donald, during today's solar eclipse, I avoided looking directly at the sun. I was excited to watch the event with courthouse workers, but was taking no chances. My eyesight is shitty enough as it is.

When I get up in the morning, it takes me about 10 or 15 minutes before I can really read this computer.

I mentioned this to my eye doctor when he checked me out recently, and he said the same thing happens to him. "What do you expect at your age?" he asked.

While standing outside with courthouse workers, one of them was kind enough to let me borrow her eclipse glasses, and I took a quick look. .

It was amazing! I also did notice it cool down and get a little darker. Nothing like being in the path of totality, but still very nice.

Tonight, my eyes feel like someone stuck a hot poker in them. It's not the eclipse. It's allergies, which make my eyes burn.

That never happened when I was younger, either.

Yesterday, I expressed by doubts about the Easton aquarium proposed by the DaVinci Science Center.  I am disturbed to read a comment from someone that this nonprofit was charging $7.99 for $2 eclipse glasses. I don't know if this accusation is true, but if it is, that demonstrates pretty clearly what officials there really think of the public.  

27 comments:

Whethervain said...

Bernie, check out my time-lapse footage on FB; not spectacular, but genuine. This was about 2 hours worth condensed into a 25 second video.

Bernie O'Hare said...

Will do.

Anonymous said...

These glasses were selling on e-bay for as much as twenty dollars. These non-profits have to make money somewhere and somehow. If you don't want to pay the price, or if you were too lazy to make your own device, then suffer with burnt retina's.

Anonymous said...

These non-profits have to make money somewhere and somehow.

Seems to be a correct summary. That would be DSC's thinking when having NorCo and Easton provide the money from taxpayers.

Anonymous said...

Wake up sheeple This was a DoE plot to gather populations along a concentrated area in order to drop chemtrails from aircraft for purposes of mind control. I stayed in the bunker to avoid being made insane by the Deep State. I have lots of liquor, weapons, and freeze dried Moravian sugar cake to outlast a zombie apocalypse. No eclipse was going to take me off my game. Keep up the good work, Bernie. You speak for me on the other side of the grass. And there's nothing wrong with your eyes that probably wasn't caused by your government. You need to make some distance from the centers of power. Food for thought ...

Anonymous said...

@7:52
Keep spouting crazy talk like that and you'll be put in an asylum.
Everybody needs to be aware of the real threat - Aliens among us. Their mother ship is hiding on the dark side of the moon, sending out xenon rays to change our thought patterns. Obviously you weren't wearing the necessary heavy duty tin foil hat like I wear 24/7.

Anonymous said...

I was at the DaVinci Center and thought they did a superb job. Free to members and standard charge for non-members.
I would have loved to purchase glasses at $7.99 but they had sold out. Selling them in the first place was a great service. If they were sold for $2, someone would have bought them all up and resold them for $20 or more. Ebay and Craiglist were $25 to 50+. At the venue, the DaVinci staff gave out. viewing cards and viewing boxes at no charge. They also had a telescope set up for viewing. They also had 8 or more viewing stations set up where a staff member would give out FREE view glasses, one per family. Every family had the chance to vireview the eclipse safely and no families were turned away. We have visited the DaVinci Center several times this summer.

Bernie O'Hare said...

Where are your pom poms? I find this fee from a nonprofit outrageous. It is an indication how it really views the public.

Anonymous said...

I bought my glasses at the DaVinci Center after waiting in for three hours over two separate days.

Yes, they did charge $7.99 when the week before, the price had been $2.99. However, when I inquired, I was told it was due to the distributor raising the price by $5. I happen to believe that is true, but it is up to each of you to believe what you will.

BTW, I drove down to Tennessee with my two sons to see the Totality, and it was amazing - truly awe-inspiring. If you ever have a chance to catch a total eclipse, do what you can to see it.

Anonymous said...

Can't pass by an opportunity to take a dig at President Trump, can you Bernie.

Bernie O'Hare said...

He can't pass an opportunity to set himself up for one,can he?

Anonymous said...

Here it all is in context.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpEG_FTPqYU

And note, he's not holding Melania's hand, and isn't standing next to Jeff Sessions, so I guess the marriage and Sessions are both toast.

And what's more, I hear he immediately went inside and had TWO scoops of ice cream!

Anonymous said...

The next path of eclipse totality will pass over Erie in April 2024.Start making Your plans early. Don't miss it !

Anonymous said...

Did employees take time off to go out and look at the sun?

Dennis P said...

Actually the next path of totality is July 2, 2019 but it won't occur over the U.S. it will occur in Chile and Argentina

Bernie O'Hare said...

12:38, several interested employees took a few minutes to witness something that last occurred 99 years ago. But most employees were unable to step outside.

Anonymous said...

Wasn't there an eclipse in the late 70's and there will be one again in 2023.

Bernie O'Hare said...

In June, I wrote a story about the Great American Eclipse. You are misinformed. This was the first coast-to-coast total eclipse since 1918, and the first time since 1252 with a "path of totality" that only existed here in the continental US.

Bernie O'Hare said...

"Yes, they did charge $7.99 when the week before, the price had been $2.99. However, when I inquired, I was told it was due to the distributor raising the price by $5. I happen to believe that is true, but it is up to each of you to believe what you will"

The Bethlehem Area Public Library was handing them out for free, so I think what DaVinci did was callous and a betrayal of its core mission. They do not exist to rip off people. I am glad you enjoyed the eclipse, and wish I had been there and would have been but for some matters beyond my control.

Anonymous said...

Partial eclipses are visible irregularly but average 1-2 every ten years.

A real doozy (~90%) in the mid 90s and one on Christmas day about 15 years ago.

Anonymous said...

Since all that was visible in the LV was a partial eclipse, it doesn't matter how historical it was elsewhere. Every eclipse is "historical" in that it probably does something very rare in any individual spot, but if all it is in your spot is a partial eclipse, it's really quite ordinary.

Anonymous said...

During my search for the glasses I called the Bethlehem Library, and they were handing out glasses for free. They had 150 pairs which they had gotten for free and were planning on handing them out on a first come first served basis Monday August 21st. I do think that was highly commendable, but they were passing on a gift to their community.

The DaVinci center was selling their allotment through the gift shop, so I would assume they paid the wholesale price for every item they sold. Therefore, when the wholesale price went up, they were forced to pass that increase on to the consumer.

If I might make a suggestion, could you please call the DaVinci Center for their input on this? Full disclosure, while I do work for one of the corporate sponsors of the DaVinci Center, and whole-heartedly support any venture that makes science and science education accessible, I do not know all that much about this situation beyond what I observed while standing in long lines.

Rather the reason I feel it is important to give you my impressions, is that I am on the Board of a community, non-profit, educational entity and know we constantly are looking for ways to raise money to keep our doors open and serve our community. We do not have a gift shop, but whenever I am at a museum or science center or, heck, even a State Park, I understand that the items I might buy may be a couple of dollars more expansive than Amazon, but I am supporting an entity that enriches the community.

(BTW, I also checked Amazon before calling around for those glasses. Cheapest I could find on Amazon was $199 for a pack of 5....I think there may be better targets for accusing people of gouging.)

Bernie O'Hare said...

"Since all that was visible in the LV was a partial eclipse, it doesn't matter how historical it was elsewhere."

You've already established your ignorance in an earlier comment.The last time something like this happened was 1252. That makes it quite historical. You're just upset that Donald Trump's voice did not appear from the heavens.

Bernie O'Hare said...

4:28, I get the notion of a mark up on items in a gift shop. But I am appalled that a supposed Science Center would play that game with the eclipse, especially at a time when it holding out its hand for even more public money. That's just bush league. You want me to make inquiries? How far do you think I'll get? As a nonprofit yourself, you know that I am only entitled to very limited information. Also, I expect Amazon to be in it for the money. Not a nonprofit.

Bernie O'Hare said...

Actually, Russia is already here, thanks to Team Trump. AsI suspect, a person who would disparage the Great American Eclipse is a Trump supporter. You probably did not like it bc it was too black.

X said...

Bernie,
The eclipse was great, but if you do decide to seek surgery for your eyes them there assklownz might pick them out. They have there hands in everything and you being a real reporter of real news, god only knows what they are capable of!

Anonymous said...

Some people are like the sun, they shine so bright you need those "John Carpenter" sunglasses to see the darkness that covers them.