Actually I read that since it is so dark in the moments before and after the total eclipse, your pupils are more dilated than during broad daylight, so looking at a partial eclipse without eclipse glasses / welder's shield, etc. your eyes do not protect themselves as much and you end up getting more exposure to the damage-causing UV rays.
Not a pilot, but to me, that approach looked really fast. I don't recall seeing the scenery fly by the cabin window that fast the last time I was in a 737.
"According to public relations, the worker was dealing with the storage of luggage when he passed out in the aircraft hold and had been forgotten inside."
'Passed out' most likely = hungover, laid down for a second, only to find himself at FL350 when he woke up, if he woke up before they found him.
