I'll give you one right now, Joe: I brought several pieces of filter material mounted in cardboard, for my employees to use after work, to view the eclipse. Two of them, a couple from a small village in Oaxaca, Mexico, told me that they consider it "bad luck" to view an eclipse! They elaborated: If a pregnant woman views an eclipse, the child will be born with a harelip or cleft pallate! Both are past their child-bearing years, so they plan to take a peek anyway and throw caution to the wind! They also believe in a race of tiny white people, similar to Leprechauns, who will become angry if you look at the eclipse, and will squeeze one's "cohones" if they catch you! When asked if they have ever seen these little people for themselves, the husband said "yes, after a party it is quite common to see them". Ah, I see. The cervesa filter.... There are more Hispanic immigrants in my neighborhood, I plan to ask them if they have heard of similar superstitions. Chuck --- Joe Bauman <bau@desnews.com> wrote:

Friends, if any of you have a noteworthy experience during the eclipse -- good or bad, excited kids or sourpuss saying it's no big deal -- could you send me a note about it? I might want to include it in my wrap-up I'll write for tomorrow's paper. Thanks, Joe Bauman

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