Eclipse link and Kite Fest

Here’s a link to NASA’s live feeds of today’s ECLIPSE! (Note that some of the live feeds "begin" before the eclipse itself begins this afternoon, so you'll get maps, diagrams, etc. before the real show starts).

And here’s a fun photo by Cleveland Tea Party’s roving photographer Pat Dooley taken at Cleveland’s 40th Kite Fest at Edgewater Park over the weekend.

[click on image to embiggen]

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Winning bigly

image credit: pinterest

Today I found another column, this one from R. Stephen Bowden on American Thinker, demonstrating why Tea Party people need to search for their news from multiple alternative sources.

If you get your political updates through ordinary channels – MSM; local news; the major newspapers; and popular website newsies such as Yahoo, Facebook, and more recently Drudge – you most likely feel that America is imploding, all due to the chaos of the Trump administration.

The goal is to wear you down, if not wear you out, until you agree that Trump must go.

The stakes rise with each new Trump achievement, commensurate with the rising decibel level of those who express outrage at whatever he says.  That's what happens when your cherished assumptions are disproven day after day.  It's comical and also understandable.  No one likes to admit that he is wrong.  Or that they are wrong on a regular basis.  It's embarrassing and humiliating – especially if you are touted as an expert journalist or commentator, at least by virtue of being on TV.

. . .

[there follows a splendid list of Team Trump’s achievements that go into the “America Wins” column]

. . .

Trump is winning – BIGLY.  It's almost too easy.  He's focused on results, period.  The rest is just distraction, much of it orchestrated by anti-Trumpers who insist that you really can get a different result if you repeat the same experiment enough times.  They still don't get it because they don't want to get it.  They have dug in their heels.  That's why I find it funny.  Trump is playing them every step of the way. 

Click here for the full column including the splendid list of Wins. 

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Monday’s Eclipse. Be Prepared!

photo credit: NASA eclipse 2017

Another warning via cleveland.com:

Planning to see Monday's eclipse with your own eyes? Be careful where you're buying your protective eye wear.

The American Astronomical Society has received reports of fake solar eclipse glasses being sold, and Amazon has issued refunds for glasses later found not to meet industry standards. Counterfeit glasses may claim to be certified International Organization for Standardization, imprinted with the code ISO 12312-2, but don't filter the sun's rays and can cause retinal damage.

The society has a list of approved eyeglass and filter vendors on its website, and says people should check glasses

Monday's solar eclipse is the first to span the United States in 99 years. But outside of a narrow path, most of the country will see the moon only partially cover the sun.

Looking at the sun might not feel painful, but it could cause blurry vision and temporary or permanent blindness, according to the American Optometric Association.

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine's office, which monitors scams, offered these tips for consumers who want to safely view the event:

Call your local library. More than 2 million eclipse glasses were sent to libraries for distribution and for eclipse viewing events. Several Ohio libraries plan to hold viewing events where glasses will be provided.

Test your glasses ahead of time. Proper eclipse eye wear will block everything except the sun. Be cautious if you can see other lights or brightness through the glasses. Glasses should not have holes or tears.

Skip regular sunglasses. Wearing regular sunglasses or stacking multiple pairs on top of each other will not protect eyes from looking directly at the sun.

Get advice for using a solar filter. Cameras, cell phone cameras, binoculars, telescopes and other devices will need a solar filter to view the eclipse without damage to the camera sensor or the viewer's eyes. Consult with a professional for how to properly use a filter.

Best option: watch the eclipse on a TV screen. NASA info, maps, and live stream links are here and here.

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Conrad Black on the anti-Trump narratives

Bob Gorrell cartoon via The Federalist Papers 

Amidst all the media hysteria and political posturing in the aftermath of the Charlottesville riot, IMHO, Conrad Black is still thinking through the reporting and editorializing quite clearly. This piece is on the American Greatness website, and here are just a few morsels:

Almost everything about the Charlottesville riot was disgraceful except the conduct of the president. The move to take down the statue of General Robert E. Lee was nonsense. Lee has few rivals as the greatest general in American history (Grant, Sherman, MacArthur, and Eisenhower perhaps). He opposed the secession of Virginia from the Union but, as was common in the South then (and has not entirely died out in any region of the United States today), believed he owed his first loyalty to his state over the United States. He was less dedicated to the virtues of slavery than was Charlottesville’s most famous son, Thomas Jefferson, founder of the University, neighbor at Monticello, and, of course, author of the self-evident truth “that all men are created equal.”

. . .

As the day unfolded, it was clear that orders had been given to the local police to ensure that a serious fracas occurred. The police did nothing to disperse the armed groups on each side, on several occasions herded them toward each other to encourage combat, and then withdrew at times to facilitate the violence. It must be assumed that orders for an insufficient law enforcement and ineffectual rules of engagement emanated ultimately from the governor of Virginia, Terry McAuliffe, the ne plus ultra of Clintonian zeal and cynicism, and former Democratic Party chairman.

. . .

The facts of Charlottesville should be ascertained by impartial investigation, prosecution, and exposure, and Attorney General Jeff Sessions has promised they will be.

This incident is of a piece with the mindless violence at Berkeley and other university campuses. The nihilists and anarchists of both sides want bloody conflict and vandalism, and most of the Democrats and the anti-Trump Republicans and the national media are trying to pin the phenomenon on Trump. . . .

Read the whole thing here.

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Not this guy again…

From Weasel Zippers (and it’s the intro line that got my attention):

BREAKING: John Kasich Suggests There May Be 

A Primary Challenge 

To Trump In 2020…

Not this guy again…

And from the comments:

           Did he mention his dad was a mailman?

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Ramirez sums it up

Cartoonist Michael P. Ramirez nails it again – via Creators.com / Townhall. (Click on image to embiggen or click on the Townhall link.)

Meanwhile, TexasVet4Trump2 posts:     

Black people who were never slaves are fighting white people who were never Nazis over a confederate statue erected by democrats, because democrats can't stand their own history anymore and somehow it's Trumps fault?

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Solar eclipse a week from today. Warning!

The much-anticipated total solar eclipse takes place a week from today. A map of the eclipse path is here. Another one is here. This cautionary message by an optometrist is from a Facebook page, via Conservative Treehouse.

As an Optometrist , I want to express concern that I have about the solar eclipse on Monday, Aug 21. There are serious risks associated with viewing a solar eclipse directly, even with the use of solar filter glasses. Everyone should keep in mind if they or their children are considering this.

We have to keep in mind that some people will encounter the inability to control every aspect of this exercise. For instance, true solar eclipse glasses are made for adults, do not fit children well and should not be used without direct parental supervision. If the solar glasses do not filter out 100% of the harmful UV rays, if they are not used absolutely perfectly, or should there be a manufacturing defect in any of them, this will result in permanent and irreversible vision loss for any eye exposed. Just like sunburn to the skin, the effects are not felt or noticed immediately. I have a great fear that I will have patients in my office on Tuesday, Aug 22 who woke up with hazy, blurry vision that I cannot fix. It is a huge risk to watch the eclipse even with the use of solar glasses. There is no absolutely safe way to do so other than on TV.

The biggest danger with children is ensuring proper use without direct parental supervision. As the eclipse passes over many places, including Columbus, the moon will not block 100% of the sun. Because so much of its light is blocked by the moon, if one looks at it without full protection, it does not cause pain as looking at the sun does on a regular day. Normally if you try to look at the sun, it physically hurts and you can’t see anything. During an eclipse, however, it is easier to stare for a bit….and even less than 30 seconds of exposure to a partially eclipsed sun, you can burn a blind spot right to your most precious central vision. With solar glasses you can’t see ANYTHING except the crescent of light of the sun. Kids could have a tendency to want to peak around the filter to see what is actually going on up there. One failure, just one, where education and supervision fail, will have such a devastating consequence.

Please, please be safe. Watch it on television.

Or live stream it via NASA. Pass it on.

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