Disappeared News: Mark your calendar for July 22 eclipse

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Mark your calendar for July 22 eclipse

by Larry Geller

It’s considered inauspicious to have a solar eclipse during the Chinese New Year. We’re ok in Hawaii, but those who live in Australia, Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Taiwan or Thailand had better watch out for the negative energy.

Hawaii will experience a partial solar eclipse on July 22. Don't miss it, that one will be the longest total solar eclipse in the whole 21st century and will last for up to 6 minutes and 39 seconds for those in its path.

We shouldn’t experience much bad luck from the partial eclipse. It certainly won’t compare with eight years of George Bush or the economic collapse that’s already underway.

We could be lucky, by then, in Hawaii, and experience only a partial economic collapse. I’m assuming that we might convince the rich bankers who got their handouts to fly over here a couple of times. Rooms will be easy for them to get, the golfing is good, and maybe they are big tippers.

It’s what they call trickle down economics. Bail out the bankers and their tips will lead to prosperity, or at least that’s the theory as I understand it. All we’re gonna get from them is tips, so let’s go for it.

Here’s a pic from an unknown photographer of private jets lined up at Kahului Airport. That’s an economic bailout if I ever saw one. Even if they are only millionaires and not billionaires, if we can get them to come and get them to spend, there’s hope.

The Hawaii Tourism Authority might open a Wall Street branch to encourage this. To help stimulate our economy they could present everyone on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange with aloha shirts and maps of secret beaches. Are aloha shirts still made here? I’m afraid of the answer to that question.

Yes, that’s a desperate strategy. But why not? Our state leaders have nothing better for us. The Secretary of the Treasury spread around huge handouts. Now we hear complaints, for example, that Merrill Lynch paid out huge bonuses early, before they were acquired by Bank of America. You’ve heard about the extravagant AIG parties.

These guys have got the bucks (our taxpayer bucks, actually), why can’t we get them to spend some of it here in Hawaii?

So here’s the challenge for you, Governor Lingle, stop cutting social services and get on a plane yourself to Wall Street. Visit some of your Republican buddies. Bring back the bacon for Hawaii. Or don’t come back (I wish).

What has this to do with eclipses? Nothing. I was just wondering if, by eclipse day, July 22, Hawaii will have done anything to improve its economy. Aren’t we all thinking about what will happen to us in the future? The eclipse, at least, is predictable.