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Where there is no law, but every man does what is right in his own eyes, there is the least of real liberty
Henry M. Robert

THE SUN GETTING DARK IS NOT AS BAD AS BRAINS GETTING CLOUDED

17 July, 1999 - 00:00

As promised by astronomers, the solar eclipse started at
12.47 Kyiv time. Ten minutes later people using smoked glass in the streets
could watch the Moon's shadow slowly envelop the Sun. The Day decided
to take random interviews to see how Kyivans reacted to this rare cosmic
phenomenon.

The results were not totally unexpected. Contrary to a
multitude of apocalyptic prophecies, people in the street showed not the
slightest sign of alarm, let alone panic. On the contrary, tenants would
leave their apartments to take vantage points outside, watching the eclipse
through exposed film, smoked glass, even through ordinary sunglasses. Many
took children along. A young woman named Tetyana explained the phenomenon
to her 6-year-old daughter and let her take a look through a piece of smoked
glass. She is sure that her daughter will grow to be an educated and sober-
minded person.

The Day: What do you think of the possibility of
negative post- eclipse phenomena?

Tetyana: If you mean the end of the world and other such
cataclysms, I think it's ridiculous. I'm no expert, but I know what can
and cannot happen. The main thing is not to watch the sun for a long time,
but that's damaging to your eyes, eclipse or not.

People of older generations are not as categorical, yet
they also feel that nothing terrible will come to pass.

«What will be will be. If something terrible were to happen,
well, there would be nothing anyone could do about it,» says Olha Ivanivna,
a woman on pension selling fruit, adding, «The Holy Bible says no one knows
when the world will come to an end.»

Nor did any of the others selling things leave the market
before or during the eclipse. There were still many people in the street
and business was business. No sense in wasting time, for time is money.
Solar eclipse? So what? We have seen things worse than that. Let the tax
inspector visit you and you'll see what I meanЕ

From a conversation overheard at the market:

«Look, I don't give a damn about the eclipse. I've got
so much to worry about and for all I know, there is a full solar eclipse
in all those heads upstairs.»

Maybe it is true? And this is the actual reason for all
our problems?

The last of the Moon's shadow left the Sun at 15.23 on
the dot. Everybody was tending to his business as usual.

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