Category: More Topics

Does It Really Matter?

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Does It Really Matter?

D. S. Mitchell

I was sitting in the doctor’s office reading a February 2016 Reader’s Digest article that offered the following advice on when and what to shred.  It seems our greatest danger is through ‘mass hackings’ of our credit information. No matter how cautious we are our greatest danger is as victims of other people’s carelessness, or bad intent.  But, every bit of protection we can develop should help keep our private information private. Kelsey Kloss article suggested the following things, we as individuals can do to protect ourselves.

 

Receipts: If you aren’t saving the receipt for taxes or other purposes and you made your purchase with a credit or debit card shred it. The receipt shows the last 4 digits of the card number and possibly your signature. Those clever crooks can use receipts for fraudulent returns and benefit from your store credit.

Prescription Labels: Sometimes they are stapled to the prescription bag or on the bottle. Labels frequently list your name, date of dispensing, name and strength of the drug and dispensing pharmacy.  Crooks can use the information to refill prescriptions or steal your identity.

Pet Medical Documents: Keep records of major events for the pets health history, but shred the rest.  The paperwork will show your name, address, phone and the pet’s name, which according to many studies to be the most common computer password choices.

Airline Boarding Passes: Shred after landing. The boarding pass will show your name, your itinerary, and a bar code that in some cases will show your frequent flier number, which would allow thieves to “log in to airline accounts to view upcoming travel plans, check in to flights, and even cancel trips.”

Return Labels: Shred free return labels that come in the mail and any envelopes showing your name and address. When writing a return address on an envelope omit your name. Identity thieves will use that information to collect more information from social media and piece together your identity.

Any little thing we can do to help keep our private information private should be considered important. Do it.

Calamity Politics is a progressive news magazine that shares interesting information with its primary focus on the ongoing events in Washington, DC.

Join the Resistance

Dar

The Flag Is For Protester And Soldier

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Let’s remember we are more alike than we are different. Last weekend President Trump went on a rant at an Alabama rally and attacked any “SOB” that did not stand for the National Anthem.  Steve Schmidt, my new favorite guy, said it simply, “The flag is for the protester and the soldier.”

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Darlene

10 Simple Ways To Protect Against Computer Viruses

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10 Simple Tricks To Protect Against Computer Viruses

D. S. Mitchell

The massive hacker attack on Equifax has unnerved many of us. According to reports, half of the American adult population was compromised by the attack. I was one of those who had their information stolen. If you haven’t frozen your accounts, or registered with Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, you should do that immediately.  If you want to deal first with Equifax their website for this event is: Equifaxsecurity2017.com, or you can call, 1-866-447-7559 . Experts are advising that you freeze your credit at all three credit bureaus.

Equifax is a huge company that has failed to protect our most sensitive information. We can’t do anything about that, accept call or write Congress, but it highlights our need to take whatever steps we can to protect ourselves and our crucial information. The bulk of that security, must naturally, be directed at our personal computers, the storehouse of all our life information. In January 13, 2013 MoneyTalksNews published an article on ways to block computer viruses. The Sept/Oct 2017 AARP magazine supported those suggestions with its article, “7 Ways To Block Computer Viruses”.

Don’t forget the WannaCry virus that in the spring of 2017 wrested control of over 200,000 computers across 150 countries in one of the most vicious international cyber attacks in history.  The saddest part of the WannaCry episode is that Microsoft had, previous to the attack, issued a routine update to the Windows operating system that would have blocked the virus.  Anyone that had downloaded the Microsoft update was spared the misery of the massive hack.  This incident was a reminder that we must be vigilant and follow some common sense rules to protect our PC from outside attacks.

The FBI recently issued a warning to the public about a computer scam that starts with a phone call. This scam involved the scammers calling people, claiming their company worked with a major software company.  The caller would tell the mark that his computer was sending error messages to them over the web and through that communication had identified a virus.  “No problem” the scammer tells his target, “Just pay a small fee, and we will fix the problem remotely by installing our anti-virus software.”

Once the telephone scammer has your fee, your credit card number, and computer access, they don’t stop viruses they install them. It seems hard to imagine that something like this would work, but apparently in the case of thousands of people, it sounded good. There is a list below that gives you 10 time-tested means to protect yourself.  However, the most important thing we can all do to protect ourselves, is use some common sense. Shred all sensitive documents. Don’t give information to unknown callers and:

  • Strong password: Try a short phrase. “Cute_*shoes!” Definitely avoid the most common passwords, 123456, or its closest competitor, 234567.
  • Buy legitimate software and Register it:   In the case of the WannaCry virus only versions of Windows that had been purchased from a licensed retailer and registered with Microsoft received the upgrade that blocked WannaCry. The reason that so many systems outside the U.S. were affected is that they were running on bootlegged or borrowed versions of Windows.
  • Regular backups:  The easiest way to recover from any malware attack is to restore a recent backup of your files.
  • Run pop-up blocker: Google Chrome, Firefox and Microsoft Edge include pop-up blockers that keep potentially dangerous ads from appearing on your PC.
  • Be sure all software is up to date:  Set your system to automatically download and install updates from trusted software providers.
  • Use a reputable anti-virus program and keep it updated: Many anti-virus companies release new products as attacks occur. **Many excellent free protection systems exist, such as Microsoft Security Essentials.
  • Firewall: Mac’s and PC’s have built-in firewall software. Be sure to enable your system.
  • Minimize Downloads: Be sure that your web browser security settings are high enough to detect unauthorized downloads. With Internet Explorer medium security is the lowest level to use.
  • Instantly leave websites you have been routed to without your consent: If you are on the site, DO NOT click on anything, doing so could trigger a malware download to your PC.
  • DO NOT click on links or open attachments from email addresses you do not know: Just remember John Podesta, and what happened to him after opening an unfamiliar email. According to AARP, “one of the biggest sources of malware is fraudulent emails, called spam.  Seeking information from you via spam is called phishing.  Delete unsolicited emails from unfamiliar people or companies”.

Hope this cobbled together list helps you protect your information. We cannot protect ourselves from the hackers going after the huge depositories of personal information held at such giant companies as Equifax, but we can take these simple common sense steps that should help us sleep better at night.

Calamity Politics is a news magazine with an outspoken voice for the progressive agenda and we show that mission with pride. Join, me mostly daily, for news, comment and opinion on the state of the Union.

Join the Resistance

Dar

79 Reasons To Smile

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79 Reasons To Smile

D. S. Mitchell

I posted a reminder yesterday that September is National Suicide Prevention Month and then today I posted a Remembrance of 9/11/01. I decided I needed to think of “Reasons To Smile.” Here we go with a new list of things that should bring a smile to your face.

1.)Theme parties 2.) Your daily horoscope 3.) An Amish buggy on a Pennsylvania country road 4.)Levi 501 button fly jeans 5.) A day hike 6.) Pumpkin soup 7.) Filmy, gauzy dresses blowing around tanned legs 8.) Sunglasses after dark 9.) Having to replay a voicemail more than twice to get the phone number right 10.) A B & B week-end 11.) An herb garden 12.) Holiday beer gardens 13.) A shady porch on a hot day 14.) A nice driver’s license photo 15.) Small airports 16.) A mailbox filled with donation requests 17.) The sound of a Texas fiddle 18.) Doves cooing 19.) Realizing you have just said something of merit or maybe, something truly brilliant 20.) Polished brass 21.) Having my own private office with lots of windows 22.) Staying focused 23.) Smiling so big your shoulders quake 24.) Souvenir t-shirts 25.) The little deli at the “Cove”  26.) Beach side living  27.) Air dried sheets 28.) Finding a friendly adversary on Twitter 29.) Cleaning out that junk drawer 30.) The crashing sound of the ocean 31.) Having that secret place to escape to 32.) “More isn’t always better” 33.) Drawing Smile Faces in the sand 34.) Trains 35.) Habitat For Humanity 36.) Homemade fudge with walnuts 37.) Plaid flannel shirts 38.) Frosted Margarita glasses their rims dusted with salt 39.) XXX’s OOO’s on a letter from Mom 40.) The seventh inning stretch 41.) Changing my hair color  42.) Brew pubs 43.) Bright, cold, autumn days 44.) That first cup of coffee 45.) The sound of a zipper going up or down 46.) Mornings on the boat 47.) Jumping over puddles and not getting your feet wet 48.) Park benches 49.) Candlelight 50.) Finger painting 51.) Sisters, OR 52.) Reading glasses slid to the end of my nose 53.) Cypress trees 54.) My quirky, oddball friends 55.) VIP seats  56.) “I love you” 57.) Having time to check my options 58.) Saturday Night Live with Alec Baldwin doing President Trump  59.) Australia’s Great Barrier Reef  60.) The Statue of Liberty 61.) After dinner walks 62.) Google Maps 63.) No one in the express lane 64.) Yesterday’s meatloaf in today’s sandwich 65.) Amazon 66.) Hugging Teddy after a really bad day 67.) Automatic garage door openers 68.) Hot air balloons over a New Mexico landscape. 69.) The sound of church bells 70.) Planting an avocado seed and watching it grow into a tree 71.) Losing ten pounds  72.) Quiet time 73.) Caramel apples 74.) Biking the prom 75.) Watching a Bumblebee kiss every flower in the garden 76.) Fall leaves gathered in large piles 77.) A thank you note written in calligraphy 78.) “A Separate Peace”  by John Knowles 79.) A really funny dirty joke

Well, I feel better now. Hope you do too. Keep smiling.

Calamity Politics intends to present relevant and topical information on the current U.S. political scene. We’ll be back with more from the swamp, join us for the remaining installments of “Trump:Behind The Curtain”.

Join the Resistance

Dar

Remembering 9/11-Sixteen Years Later

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Remembering 9/11, Sixteen Years Later

D. S. Mitchell

Thousands of victim relatives, survivors, rescuers and others gathered at the World Trade Center Memorial to commemorate the 16th anniversary of the terror attacks masterminded by Al Ouida and Osama Bin Laden that took the lives of 2,977 people and will be remembered as the worst terror attack on the U.S. homeland in history. Terrorists high jacked 4 commercial airliners, two of the planes crashed into the Twin Towers of The World Trade Center, New York City, N.Y., a third was directed at the Pentagon and the fourth was crashed into a rural field in Pennsylvania when passengers and crew fought the terrorists for control of the plane leading to it crashing before reaching its intended target, savings many lives.

100 Things To Make You Smile

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100 Things To Make You Smile

D. S. Mitchell

Sunday afternoon on the fabulous Oregon coast.  The sun is shining,  and Lilly the dog, is sprawled out on the back patio while I restlessly flip through the morning cable news shows. I am a regular Sunday viewer of Meet The Press, Fareed Zakaria’s GPS and AM Joy.  I wanted a nice peaceful weekend, a morning with coffee cup and the N.Y. Times, a game of golf in the afternoon, a movie with a friend to finish the day.

But, hell no. Not with Trump in office.  He is like a spoiled child demanding every moment of his mother’s attention. I do not intend to go off on a rant. I promise.  In fact I want to get your mind, and my mine, off the American Tragedy playing out in front of our eyes.  So, my favorite distraction of the week, my Sunday version of a day-off, is imaging simple things in life that will bring a quiet smile to the corners of your mouth.

1.) A Hummingbird at the garden feeder 2.)A day with no chores to do 3.) Left over spaghetti or cold pizza for breakfast  4.) A chocolate “fix”  5.) The Nite Owl, Helena, MT  6.) A bedroom with a window seat  7.) A scarecrow dressed in Daddy’s old coveralls and straw hat  8.) short lines  9.) Drive-in theaters  10.) Face painting 11.) Film Noir  12.) Watching young swallows learn the art of flight  13.) Painting the front door a vivid color  14.) Working a potter’s wheel  15.) Spontaneous hugs  16.) Forgetting the punch line of a joke  17.)  Libraries  18.) Using the dog to do left over clean up 19.) Fireworks  20.) Running boards on tall trucks  21.) The soft sound of a paddle cutting the water  22.) The patter of children’s feet  23.) Crater Lake, Oregon  24.) Clean as you go  25.) Gingerbread loaded with melted butter  26.) Forming a Foundation to help fund a cause  27.) Talking with intelligence instead of just blowing smoke  28.) River barges  29.) crisp apples  30.) Doing a good job  31.) Rich, delicate French pastry  32.) Floating lilies  33.) Listening to the sounds of the night  34.) A secret crush  35.) Spontaneous kisses  36.) Writing  37.) Homemade lemonade 39.) The aroma of Honeysuckle and Daphne  40.) Cloth napkins with napkin rings  41.) The American flag  42.) Lettuce fresh from the garden  43.) A new mattress  44.) Fessing up to an eff ‘up  45.) Honey Baked Ham  46.) A great painting found at a Thrift Store.  47.) Refreshing an old dresser with a coat of paint  48.) First ski run of the day  49.) Old English Sheepdogs  50.) Koala bears  51.) Rearranging the furniture for a party  52.) A banana split for two  53.) Travel magazines  54.) Swim meets  55.) Swans on Black Lake, Ilwaco, WA  56.) Wind across a field of wheat  57.) Twinkies  58.) My Time  59.) Echoes  60.) The Olympics  61.) Mt. Vernon  62.) Cheetahs in the wild 63.) Warm dry socks  64.) Mutts  65.) Sundance catalogues  66.) Buy one and get one free  67.) Making lists  68.)  Pinto ponies   69.) Sneakers without socks  70.) Unicorns and rainbows  71.) Picnic tables  72.) Owning and island  73.) Walking the railroad tracks  74.) Habitat For Humanity  75.) A team of horses  76.) Weeping Willow trees  77.) 3-D movies  78.) Political comics  79.) Lawn parties  80.) Laughing babies  81.) Getting a makeover  82.) Up with the dawn  83.) Weathered shutters on shingled beach cottages  84.) Hopscotch  85.) Night snowmobiling  86.) Hit that high note  87.) Frisbee with the dog  88.) Blanket tents in the backyard  89.) Club sandwiches  90.) Being on time  91.) Woodstock  92.) Snoopy  93.) Earth Day  94.) Catching a man’s eye  95.) Dream catchers  96.) Dog carriages  97.) Revolving doors  98.) Retirement  99.) Winning a race  100.) Puget Island, WA.

Keep smiling.

Join the Resistance

Dar

Civil De-construction, One Tweet At A Time

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Civil De-Construction, One Tweet At A Time

D. S. Mitchell

On July 26, 2017 President Trump tweeted: “After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States government will not accept or allow……”
That was the president of the United States starting his morning with an ominous tweet. Then for the next nine minutes there was no follow-up tweet. His audience (the world) was left to wonder what would follow those six dots. The reporters at Buzzfeed confirmed that Pentagon staffers and officials alike believed Trump was about to announce a strike against North Korea or another Afghan military strike.

After a mind bending nine minute wait, the president finally continued his tweet, “transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. military. Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgenders in the military would entail.”

My first thoughts, 1) the tweet is both too organized and clearly written to have been originally authored by Trump, and instead, I suspect was the work of Steve Bannon or Stephen Miller. 2)  the writer acts as if transgender military service was not already a fact of life.  If this thoughtless tweeted policy is implemented, which I assume they will attempt, it will negatively affect an estimated 15,000 service personnel who openly identify as transgender.

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Vice President Doomed

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Vice President Doomed

D. S. Mitchell

In today’s (8-8-2017) New York Times, writer Frank Bruni had an excellent piece on the Vice President. I can’t reprint it here, but I decided I would paraphrase Bruni’s opinion piece.

According to Bruni Mike Pence was furious over recent reports by NY Times reporters, Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns, that indicated Pence might be readying himself for a presidential run in 2020.

Problem 1) Trump is only six months into a four-year term. 2) Trump is vicious in attacks on anyone that might be putting their agenda ahead of his.

Pence felt endangered by the reporting and pushed back quickly and vigorously, with a red-faced proclamation of “disgraceful” assertions, never detailing exactly why the assertions were disgraceful. According to Bruni, the Vice President’s anger “reflects the inconvenient truths, it is overarching. It’s existential. On some level he (Pence) must realize that he’s in a no-win situation.  Without Trump he’s nothing. With Trump he’s on a runaway train that he can’t steer or brake. If it doesn’t crash, Trump can scream down the tracks straight through 2020. If it does, Pence will be one of the casualties.”

The question is why has Pence formed a political action committee, the only sitting vice president in history to do so? It could be that he is generating contributions to a legal defense fund, which is permissible under election laws.  The Russian conspiracy probe is broadening and Mike Pence is not as financially well off as the President and attorneys in such circumstances charge big bucks.

However, all those donations and bridge building efforts could also be a quiet effort to make himself a viable 2020 presidential candidate.  It seems unimaginable, but according Bruni, “there could be some imaginable future in which Trump falls and Pence is left to soldier on. But, mostly he is in denial , and he’s living very dangerously.”

The various scenarios of the future are mere speculation.  But, it is within the realm of possibility that Trump will self destruct-be impeached and run out of town-or throw a tantrum and stomp off on his own. Who the hell knows? Anything now seems possible. Bruni theorized that, “Pence indeed needs an infrastructure and a network of his own.”  But there is a rub to this, “there is no way to assemble those without looking disloyal to Trump and courting the wrath of alt-right types who know how to go on a Twitter jihad.”

Other possible primary challengers include a Ohio Governor, John Kasich and Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse.  These adversaries don’t owe Trump what Pence does. They didn’t pledge complete allegiance. Kasich started his unofficial campaign before Trump’s inauguration. He is free to raise money, hold news conferences, become a fixture on cable news and attack Trump’s proposals and his failures. When Kasich and Sasse go after the President the Trump base will react but they will not be targeted like Pence would be.

Pence is being squeezed into a box of “compulsory worship”. And despite his behind the scenes machinations, he has done a masterful job of appearing perfectly content” looking devoted, and damn near infatuated.

Before being tapped by Paul Manafort as Trump’s running mate Pence was losing popularity in Nebraska based on his performance as their governor.  Before accepting the role of Trump running mate Pence blasted Trump’s “travel ban” calling it “offensive and unconstitutional”. Pence advocated free trade and Trump’s protectionism was alien to Pence’s earlier stated trade stance. Pence claims to stand for “Christian values” and refuses to be alone with a woman other than his wife, yet he stands beaming next to an admitted gropper and female abuser. Mike Pence has even admitted feeling guilt over his past political behavior as a “negative campaigner” while he collaborates with the most corrupt and dirtiest politician in U.S. history. Pence seems to have given up his core values to stand next to such great power.

Bruni finishes his piece as follows, “No wonder he (Pence) wants and expects a reward as lavish as the White House itself: He sold his soul. but I don’t think he studies the contract closely enough and thought the whole thing through.  There’s no political afterlife in this equation, just the loopy, mortifying limbo where he and so many of Trump’s other acolytes dwell.  Maybe the howling is cathartic, but it won’t change a thing.”

Mike Pence has protested loudly that there is no 2020 presidential election run in his future.  I think he is right, but not because he doesn’t want to be president, but because he can’t afford to enrage Trump.

Calamity Politics publishes nearly everyday.

Join the Resistance

Dar

82 Reasons To Smile

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82 Reasons To Smile

D. S. Mitchell

Another perfectly silver day at the Oregon coast. There must be a million tourists in my little North Oregon hamlet, which makes getting on our main roadway, Hwy #101 a near impossibility. Friends are here from Portland for the week. It was 103 the other day and running high nineties for the last couple weeks in the city of bridges. Oregonians aren’t used to such high temperatures and they all run to the beach, especially if they have friends that live surf side.  Summers are fun and I enjoy the company.

On Sunday Calamity Politics abandons it usual political posts and focuses on things that make me smile. Today I decided that I needed at least 82 Reasons to Smile.  So, here we go:

1.) Philly Sandwiches   2.) Hugs   3.) The comfort of old friends   4.) A forest hike   5.) Thick wood planks that squeak with age   6.) Brand new business cards  7.) A full piggy bank  8.) Watermelon hearts  9.) Neutron stars  10.) Uncle Norman’s boathouse  11.) High school basketball games  12.) 1980’s rock  13.) A whitewashed fireplace  14.) Two in the shower  15.) Antique scrimshaw  16). Street musicians  17.) Looking through old picture albums  18.) YouTube  19.) The song of a Western Meadowlark 20.) Using the Internet to correct my spelling 21.) Miniature golf  22.) A perfectly executed omelet  23.) Historic Places  24.) Painted rocks left for tourists to find  25.) Food trucks  26.) Farmer’s Markets  27.) A Yo-yo  28.) Hand knitted slippers  29.) A sky full of multi-colored hot air balloons  30.) Making homemade sausage  31.) Antique airplanes 32.) Going fishing with Daddy  33.) Pitching a tent in the back yard  34.) Long afternoon shadows  35.) Patsy Cline  36.) The calls of migrating geese  37.) 20 questions on long car rides  38.) kids art on refrigerator doors  39.) Saturday Market, Portland, Oregon 40.) Full moon  41.) Coffee mug with my name on it  42.) Using the dog to clean up left overs 43.) A surprise party  44.) Harry O. the old television series with David Jansen  45.) Old trunks in dusty attics  46.) Thunder and lightening 47.) Poetry readings  48.) Root beer floats  49.) Starting a collection  50.) Embroidery on old jeans  51.) Turning off the phone  52.) Karaoke night  53.) Bottles of champagne chilling in buckets of ice  54.) Tooth fairies and Easter bunnies  55.) A good horoscope or fortune cookie  56.) A barge tour down the Seine River  57.) French doors to massive bedrooms  58.) Brass fire poles  59.) Playing strip poker  60.) Flowers floating on a pond  61.) Ferris wheels  62.) Re-upholstering dining room chair seats  63.) Old movie posters  64.) Sundance catalogues  65.) White daisies  66.) Caller ID  67.) Letters to the Editor  68.) A flattering driver’s license picture  69.) Being in a party mood  70.) Oversize sweaters and skin-tight jeans  71.) Panning for gold  72.) Lady bugs  73.) Disney movies 74.) Beer gardens  75.) Summer whites  76.) Kentucky Rain by Elvis Presley 77.) Being alone to dream and scheme  78.) Track meets  79.) Crashing waves  80.) Sea breezes  81.) Electric pencil sharpeners  82.) Riding my bike on the Prom

That’s it folks. Stop smiling and go to bed.

Join the Resistance

Dar

Total Solar Eclipse

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Total Solar Eclipse

D. S. Mitchell

Calamity Politics is a progressive political blog. Our aim is to offer earnest and honest opinions and speculations, and constructive arguments on the daily happenings in the U.S. political scene. Today however, I want to talk about the upcoming total solar eclipse. Mark your calendar for 8-21-2017, because on that date all of North America will experience a solar eclipse. A total solar eclipse is one of nature’s most inspiring and intimidating events. Calculations show it will take 1000 years for every geographic location in the lower 48 to view a total solar eclipse.

A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon covers the sun-an event where only the sun’s coronal atmosphere will be visible behind the moon. You must be “in the path” of the totality. If you are not, you will not see the total phase of the eclipse, and unfortunately, that is the show.

I live on the North Oregon Coast between Astoria and Seaside. The path of the August 2017 eclipse will be about an hour and a half south of me, coming across the continent just north of the small coastal community of Cloverdale, Oregon. I am quite familiar with the little town because one set of Aunts grew up in Cloverdale and nearby Neahkahnie. Amazing in my now aged mind that I will soon be headed back to a place of such fond childhood memories.

Reports from earlier total eclipse observers attest that about an hour to an hour and a half before totality you begin to notice the moon taking “bites” out of the sun. Over the next approximate hour the bites get bigger as the moon slowly covers the entire solar disk.

What we are actually witnessing is the movement of the moon in its orbit around the earth.  The next total solar eclipse is expected April 8, 2024. That eclipse will track from Texas to Maine. I like that the 2017 eclipse is so conveniently located. I’m getting pretty excited. I plan on getting up early that morning and heading south via #101. The eclipse is expected to start at 9:05 PDT and totality beginning at 10:17 (PDT)and will last two minutes. I’m just keeping my fingers crossed for at least a semi-clear day.

Thinking about the eclipse aroused my curiosity and I have done some reading and learned a few things that I thought were interesting facts and interesting enough to pass on.

The most important thing to know is NEVER look directly at the sun while any part of the bright disk is visible.  You must get filtered eyeglasses called “eclipse glasses” to be able to safely view the phenomenon. Once the eclipse becomes total you can look at it without the glasses because the moon is covering it and the sun will have a luminosity of a full moon. Be sure to remove the glasses once totality is achieved, otherwise you won’t see anything. Once the totality ends–immediately put the eclipse glasses back on.

A few other interesting facts I read:

The sky darkens in the last 2-3 minutes before the totality. The temperature will drop significantly, and the wind may pick up. Animals react as if the sun is setting and birds will roost and insects will chirp. At the very last instant before totality if you look to the West you will see a huge curtain of darkness spring up as the moon’s shadow rushes at the observer. Stars and planets will be visible.

So mark August 21,2017 on your calendar and throw politics aside and watch a sight that you will never forget. Be sure to set your camera up for breathtaking shots. Or you can just watch. Alone or in a group take it in.

Join the Resistance

Dar