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Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - Aug 17, 2017
August 17, 2017
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The Big Eclipse (Don't look at it!):
If you're hoping to get your hands on solar eclipse glasses in time for Monday's Eclipse Across America,you might be out of luck. Many brick-and-mortar sellers are selling out. Mashable.com says prices have more than tripled on Amazon for the website's most popular glasses. On top of that, the online retailer's recently issued warnings that some of its vendors were selling possibly-unsafe eclipse viewing glasses and issuing refunds to people who bought glasses they could not verify as safe. (As we have mentioned once or twice before --you can immediately and permanently damage your eyesight if you look at the sun without safe solar glasses.)
So what should you do if you can't get safe solar eclipse glasses?
--Spend the weekend making a do-it-yourself pinhole viewer. NASA has instructions (it's a great activity if you have kids.)
--Check around with local libraries, museums and astronomy clubs. Many are holding their own solar eclipse viewing parties and will have glasses or their own projectors available.
--Plan on watching it on a live stream. NASA and just about every other major media website (Plug your local eclipse streaming site here) will be live-streaming the solar eclipse. So if you're not in the path of totality (where you'll see the sun fully covered by the moon) or you're worried about damaging your eyes --or even if it's just too cloudy to see anything-- close your windows and just watch the live-stream. (Bartha)Grace notes from Vinny Marino:
This is almost TOO perfect. Timemagazine says when the solar eclipse happens next week, folks aboard the Oasis of the Seas cruise from Orlando, Florida, to the Caribbean will get to hear BONNIE TYLER sing (...wait for it) "Total Eclipse of the Heart!" she'll be backed up by the band DNCE, led by JOE JONAS. The ship will be in the perfect spot to watch the eclipse, and Bonnie will take the mic as it happens. The actual 1983 song is seven-minutes long and the total eclipse of the sun will only last 2-minutes-and-40-seconds, so Bonnie said the song has been edited. JIM STEINMAN, who wrote all of MEAT LOAF's hits, wrote and produced the tune which was a number one single. (Marino)
Fashion Emergency:
SHAWN MENDES just launched his first fragrance. The 19-year-old singer-songwriter has hits such as "Stitches," "Treat You Better" and what may be the song of the summer, "There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back," Shawn's first beauty venture is out now. It's a unisex fragrance called Shawn Mendes Signature. The Hollywood Reportersays his 24 million Instagram followers learned about Shawn Mendes Signature through a series of four videos announcing the scent.
Inside the aquamarine-tinged glass bottle with a bronze guitar pick dangling from its guitar string-wrapped cap, the perfume itself has hits of maple, with notes of pineapple, apple and lemon oil. Prices run from $20 for a rollerball size and $59.50 for a 3.4 ounce size bottle. (Bartha) -
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