WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8,1986, PAGE 5 "I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man." - Thomas Jefferson 0 Advise and Dissent.ý Many elements of our aystemn have became so paranoid at the possibility of hanm that they avoid ail rlsks or even the appearance of risk. We have becorne ostriches who bury our heads in the sand. jThe case In point was the partial edipse of the sun Iast Friday. The weather jmade sure that nobody came ta any harrm, but nevertheless our scilools were ready and willlng to ensure that our children missed the event. Our educational system looked at this excitlng natural phenonienon in ternis of risk rather than its educational value. Instead of using this unique apportunity to teach students about the sun - the types of radiation it emits and how and why they are bar- niful, the movenients of the sun and the moon, and the historical importance of edlipses - the students in sanie schools were to be kept in at recess so they could not watchItL In otber words, students are taught to be afraid of edlipses. Are we any different fromn our pagan ancestors who feared the wrath of the sun goci? Has science flot; enlightened us? In this tecbnoiogical age, can we flot assess the risks and take precautions which stili ailow our students to observe and learn froni such natural phenomena? 1 have wltnessed (and photographed) three total eclipses of the sun, twa in Canada. (1972 & 79) and one in Inia ini 1980. There are few things in nature that can compare wlth the spectacle of a total eclipseý of the sun - the corona and solar plumies which are only visible for the niinute or two of totality are a thing of limense beauty. Yet, the media and the educatianal systeni always stress the risks. Blindness la the ultimate curse an those who dare ta look. The Ontario Ministry of Education's Safety Mema No. 19 says "Direct exposure ta the sun's infra-red raya for even less than a second can resuit In visual inipairnient (including par- tial or total blindneaa) or ather forma of permanent eye daniage." Even in- telligent adults have beconie so canfused that they are amazed that I have not binded niyself. Yes, precautiona are neceaaary ta observe an eclipse; yea, you can burn the retinas of yaur eyes. But the sun is no different during an eclipse than any aller tume - it enlia the sanie bazardous rays every day af the year. Ail of us have (probably «ûlte frequently) looked at the sun for an instant either by accident or ta look for clouda or whatever; yet, we haven't gone blind. In- deed, we oberved that il ta painful ta look at the sun for more than an instant - nature has away of tellng us not to da some thinga. (It would take an incredible degree of niasochismn ta look at the sun long enough ta totally blind yaurself.) The only thing different about the suni during an eclipse la that the niaon is moving in front of il. (Another failure of aur educational systen is that people assaciate the nioon wlth the night. R(ida observe aI a very young age that the moon la very frequen- tly In the sky during the day, yet nobody ever explains ta theni why. When it conies ta eclipses of the sun and you tell people that the moon la maving in front of the sun, they either can't understand what the moon is doing there during the day, or why you can't see 'it befare It movea acroas the sun.) Tile reason people are sometinies hannied by eclipses has niore to do with human nature than witli the sun - eclipses are fascinating ta waîch and people WILL look ah the sun In spite of the pain It inflicts. Rather than lack the kids in thescilools, eacli kid should have been provided witil the required two layera of aluminlzed mylar (cheapf) and encouraged ta watch one of nature's spec- tacles. Sureiy thie teacilera could supervise that - except that I expect mnany teachera are more paranoid about eclipses tilan tileir pupita. In part tile blanie for til paranola resta with the insurance industry and the courts. Schoal boards are overpratective of the studenta because tiley are afraid that any dlaim for injuries wlll raise Iheir insurance preniunis. In turn, the in- surance industry la reactlng ta sanie very liberal damages awarded against public bodies by tile courts. The courts have brouglit dawn judgementa of negligence I cases where anly a clalrvayanh.cauld have seen the rlsk. But since the rlsk in tis case need have been no greater than any other science outing, the paranola was due ta pure ignorance. That's what aur ed.ucational sysheni (I Ihought) was deslgned to combat. Paradoxlcaily, the achools were anly concerned tilat studenta not look at thle sun durlng school ilours - Ihey were not allowed aut at recess but what they did after achoal was not the sohoals' concern - the chlldren were to have been dlsnilssed as usual at 3:30 at the height f theecipse. When I was in Manitoba i 197 (where the eclipse was total and accurred entlrely wlthin achool hours), sanie enlightened schoal teachera encauraged their students ta play hoakey sin- ce Ihat was thle only way they would gel ta see it - if they stayed in schaol, tbey wahched the eclipse on TV. Myfirat e»erence wlth an edipse (a.partial one In 1963 in Toronto) wilehted my appetitean since tiien I have arranged ta be within the narrow path of totality for three subsequent efilpses. I ami already planning ta see (and have niy children see) the eclipse of July 11, 1991 which will cross Hawaii, Central and South Anierica. Perilapa sanie of the students, who niissed Friday's event wil have had their curiauity araused and wil be there too. Ail in ail, maybe it was best that Friday was cloudy - aur educational systeni did not get ta show (once again) bow little we've advanced in the last few thouaand years. WITH OUR FEET UP_ By Bill Swan *As I write Ibis, a teenager sîts in thea basamnent tapping quietly - in relative ternis, of course - on a set af drumsa. A few minutes aga ile appeared in the living rooni, worriad tilat they niigbt be too loud. "The cynibais could be a bit quieter,' le was toid. "But tbey have towela tied araund thern." "Try pillawa." "Pillowa? " beraplied. "Tied around cynibals?" Piilowa, " he was told. "Instead af cymbala. " Tile pillows are just one device in the foraver- wonderful worid af living witb teenagers. When you live in a aemi-detachad housa, teenagers witil drumis are a moat interesting species. Infants, of caurse, niake more noise, particulariy at tumes wban noise is mare audible. Say at tilree ay eni, wban people wbo dan't like noise are enjoyîng the silence. Silence buffa do not like having their silence ahat- tered at any tume. But if those sounds came frarnithle seared soul of a teething infant, wilo could coni- plain? Especially when one must complain ta he parent wilo walked the floor froni three o'clock unhil six and then dreased far work. Silence freaks show complehe diaregard for the Canadian Charter of Rights and tila Constitution. (Canada's Constitution, not the constitution of bila parent wilo walkad bile floor, whichi l, we are al aware, tilat of a hlorse. But ho continue.) Silence fraaks diacrirninate freeiy an the basis of age, whicil is, as we allknaw, illegal. For example, not aven the crankiest wiil coni- plain about the taathing infant. Few would ilesitate - especially aItilhrea in the morning, ramember? - if thea sound oiginated froni a druni set piayed by a 17 year old. Sonieniay doubt this, but tilere are sounds worse in both quanity and quality blan drumis. Take a Heavy Metal1 Band. Please. Add ta the drumis, three amplifiera: one for eacl of two guitara and one for the synthesizer keyboard. Put theni in a hasement rougbly 16 by 10. Crank up the amplifiera until thie lîgilts in tile rest of the bouse brawn ouI. And bilen Hit Il, Man! We ilad til situation in 1his bousebold once. By a sopblsticated timing arrangement we were able ta avoid toniany difficulties. But there eventually canie the day we were able ta add detail ta the universal law of sound physica. Did you know, for instance, that the average basenient Heavy Metal Band la loud enough ta com- plehely blot out the sound frani your average television set one floar up? Did you knôw that tile average basement Heavy Metal Band la also loud enougil ta conipietely aver- power the sound froni your neighbor's television set, ane floor up and through the conipletely baffled sound-proof wail? Did yau know that the average neighbor wbo finda his television 50 overpowered niay camplain, even after telling yau bow mucil he/she/they like Rock? They may also niave, but we have been assured thilre was no cannectian. I would ha remisa if I blanied al the world's sound problemsscon teenagers. High tech bas changed the texture of sound. Once upon a tuae I wauld disturb hausehold and neigil- borsafaike with the tap-tap-tap of niy trusty old nianual Royal typewriter, as I urged il past nid- night ta whatever deadline. Tile Royal naw gatilera dust an my clasat shelf. 1 write tîs an a Monolith Computer. The only sounds conie froni the niuld clicking of the keys - an ar- tificlal saund, aince moat hypiats prefer ta hear the pragresa of fingara acros the board. There alsa cames a faint but audible "Beap"* at inappropriate trnes. The "beep" la toc fainit ta regisher an any decibal recarder. Next ta a Heavy Matai Band, thé sound doasn't caunt. But that "beep" does have the power ta penetrate walls, concrete block closad doors and deep sleep. Nathing seama ta stop il. Particulariy past nid- nigilt. "'Beep."1 And there appeara in the doorway a figureain nigilt attira, eyes sioed from early sieep, wbo pears int the desk light. "Wilen are you coming ta bed?" Imniediately. Juat let nie get ti lauxnn printed out on my auper-silent electronic computer printer. lb.. Okay, bIen. In the morning.