Warning: Exposure to Sun Can Cause Recession

Today marks the beginning of Passover.

And for observant Jews, this day is even more special because, according to Talmudic tradition, the sun returns to the position it occupied at the same time during the week of its creation, something that occurs once every 28 years.  Jews express their gratitude for the continuity of the sun and to thank God for the rules of nature in worldwide Blessing of the Sun ceremonies.

The last time the sun occupied this position in the sky was in 1981, in a period of economic recession.

Before that, in 1953 – in the post Korean War recession.

And 28 years before that there was the prelude to that Great Depression thing.

Now, in 2009, in this terrible recession, the sun is trying to tell us something, again, like, "Hi, it’s me, up here – it’s been 28 years and you’ve still done nothing to harness my power and free energy -- why can’t you listen?  I’m here to help, folks.  Here’s another recession, now go to your room and think about what you’ve done.”

God of cinema Frank Capra, a Catholic, tried to say the same thing in “Our Mr. Sun” in 1956 -- ironically, a movie shown to practically every school-aged child courtesy of the now defunct Bell Telephone System.

In it we learned the sun is something awesome, powerful, even a little scary if we didn’t listen to him.

Today on Passover, this once every 28-year event is evidence that the sun, the heavens, and the economy are connected.  And when we ignore this, the economic gods send us into recession, lower our credit limits without notifying us, and perhaps take away one’s matzoh for not baking it in a solar kitchen.

So here’s a prediction – there’s going to be another solar-economic event in 2037. 

We’ve got 28 years and 3.5 more presidents to fix this economy and transform the way we consume energy before the sun says “Hey, stop investing in things that sound like me – but aren’t – like sun chips, Sun Microsystems, and the Pontiac Sunfire.  And by the way, sunny D has nothing to do with me - the sun – and contains about 2% juice.”

Comments

[Wayne]

I'm glad to see your first new post after NPR up. (The other post is repeated on NPR, I'm not counting it.)

Please keep your fans posted on when you return to podcasting.

Best of luck in your new venture, career, or series of random occurrences and paid gigs.

[Gabe]

"Our Mr. Sun" is viewable at the Internet Archive: http://www.archive.org/details/our_mr_sun

[jon]

Great to see you are still alive on the web. I'll happily forward this link to my friends and family. The world needs more Brian Unger observations and humor.
And I am eagerly awaiting your return to podcasting too. It makes my commute to work in the morning much more enjoyable. Or when I am the dentist's office.