Page 7 - aruba-today-20170819

A7
U.S. NEWS Saturday 19 auguSt 2017
Eclipse mania sends Americans scurrying to find safe glasses

retired nurse from Utah, was launched campaigns this president of the Memphis,
delighted to be among the summer to warn people Tennessee-based compa-
final people to get glasses that they can damage ny.
Thursday before the Clark their eyes staring directly Among their customers
Planetarium in Salt Lake at the sun, even the slim- was Vanderbilt University
City ran out. It sold nearly mest sliver of it. They ad- Medical Center, which
90,000 pairs at $2 each this vised people to get special had to recall 8,000 glasses
week. eclipse glasses. The Ameri- purchased from an uniden-
“I will never see a total can Astronomical Society tified third-party vendor
eclipse again because I will put out a list of 15 approved and given out at a county
not live long enough,” West manufacturers. fair last weekend. The cen-
said. “It’s an opportunity to Doctors say people who ter was offering people
understand how our uni- don’t have the glasses the chance to exchange
verse works and what part can look indirectly with a the faulty glasses for new,
I play in that.” pinhole projector — which certified ones from Ameri-
Amy Watts and her 13-year- can be made from a shoe- can Paper Optics Friday
old son, Ethan, waited in box — that casts images through Monday.
line for an hour at the plan- of the eclipsed sun onto a The scramble was on even
etarium so they could have screen at least 3 feet away. for those not affected by
a safe way to watch the NASA also has a webpage recalls.
historic moment. listing safety tips for how to The Boise Public Library
“We heard the frenzy of view the eclipse. started giving out free
getting ahold of some One of the approved eclipse glasses Aug. 1.
eclipse glasses so we manufacturers selling the With lines of eager eclipse-
thought, ‘What the heck, special glasses, American watchers stretching out the
we’ll give it a shot,’” said Paper Optics, has sold 45 door, the main branch ran
Watts, a health coach. “We million pairs over the last out in about 15 minutes,
actually scored some.” two years — 10 million since spokesman Kevin Winslow
Doctors around the U.S. mid-July, said John Jerit, said.q

In this Thursday, Aug. 17, 2017 photo, hopeful eclipse-watchers
line up outside the Clark Planetarium in hopes of getting eclipse
glasses from the gift shop in Salt Lake City. Eclipse mania is
building and so is demand for the glasses that make it safe to
view the first total solar eclipse to cross the U.S. in 99 years.
(Scott Sommerdorf/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP)
By BRADY McCOMBS ing moon. Complicating
Associated Press the rising demand from
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — last-minute shoppers was
Eclipse mania is building a recent recall by Amazon
and so is demand for the that forced libraries and
glasses that make it safe health centers around the
to view the first total solar country to recall glasses
eclipse to cross the U.S. in they gave away or sold.
99 years. For stores that still have the
Lines are forming, prices glasses, prices are spiking.
are rising and shelves are The ones still for sale on Am-
emptying as people scurry azon were going for steep
to obtain special eyewear prices Friday, around $11-
to view the sun Monday as $12 each.
it is obscured by the pass- Nancy West, a 67-year-old

Montana wildfire destroys 2 homes

LOLO, Mont. (AP) — One “We’ve got a couple of very
of several wildfires burn- challenging days ahead of
ing in Montana destroyed us,” fire operations man-
two homes after jumping ager Mark Goeller said late
control lines as firefighters Thursday. “You’re going to
braved another day Friday see a lot of smoke in the
of high temperatures, gusty air and a lot of ash fallout.”
winds and low humidity. The blaze burned nearly
The homes, southwest of 30 square miles (76 square
the town of Lolo, were kilometers) of forest land.
among 750 residences Evacuations were in effect
evacuated after the fire, along the U.S. Highway 93
started by lightning in July, and U.S. Highway 12 corri-
blew up late Wednesday. dors. The town of Florence
Several outbuildings were was under an evacuation
burned late Thursday. warning.q