Posts Made By: Greg Shaffer

Mel Maki said:

Been convicted seven times? Been deported five times? Not a problem. Cross the border again. Liberals have helped you with a more open border. Make it to a sanctuary city. San Francisco is a good one. They do not want to turn you over to ICE. After you admit to but are acquitted in the shooting of a woman your goofy attorney will run to a mic and tell the president that he is under investigation. Hell, they might give you a key to the city.

Russ Carroll said:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/06/us/politics/michael-flynn-russia-sanctions-ripped-up-whistleblower.html

So here is our first peek at motive in the Russian entanglements with the Trump administration. Nuclear power plants in the Middle East that Flynn's company was working on with Russia. He was still at the inaugural when he sent a text to his former partner saying "Russian sanctions [that would have stopped their project] are history . Let's party!!!!"

This is only the beginning, but we now have at least one clear motive for our pro-Russian administration.

MUCH more to come. I'm sure Trumps tentacles go very deep into Russia.

Rod Kaufman said:

In reviewing the reviews of the Baader Hyperion line of eyepieces, the 17mm model appears to be a standout so I purchased one recently to test in my 16" F4.5 dob.
First, the good aspects of this eyepiece. I'd certainly agree with Dan Mounsey in his review of the line up that the Baader Hyperion has superb light transmission along with a cold, neutral appearance of the image along with excellent clarity:
https://www.cloudynights.com/articles/cat/user-reviews/eyepieces/eyepiece-sets/hyperion-roundup-r1834
I was impressed with the view of the witches broom of the veil nebula together with a Lumicon 0111 despite the moderate level of light pollution in front of my home. The Veil is an object you'd usually employ a lower power longer focal length eyepiece under dark sky conditions for viewing and optimally with a 31mm Nagler along with an 0111 filter and apertures of 12" and above. However, despite the lower elevation of Cygnus in the December sky, the detail ascertained with the 17mm eyepiece was sharply demarcated and intricate when paired with a paracorr in my dob. I subsequently viewed the fetus nebula, NGC 7008 along with a followup observation of the crescent nebula, NGC 6888 and enjoyed satisfying views of these objects. I paired the eyepiece up with a good broadband filter and observed the little dumb bell, M76 and a fairly bright galaxy, ngc 1023 in Perseus. I managed to pick out some dimmer nebulas around Cassiopeia with the same combination with good contrast despite the high ambient light pollution. I really do believe the phantom coating group in this eyepiece helped improve the light throughput and perhaps the contrast as well.
Now for the bad, (and the ugly), the edge correction WITH a paracorr in my 16 F4.5 dob is terrible and downright ugly without one unless you happen to like birds, particularly seagulls in your field of view. I'd say only about central 40% of the 60 degree plus field of view is useable expanding to about 50% with a paracorr. I'd say it's about the least corrected eyepiece I've seen in quite awhile in a fast scope. I think it's fine for an extended object like a nebula with a paracorr in a fast scope but I expected more from a modern eyepiece design with exceptional coatings like this one.
Finally, I'll comment a bit about the eye relief of this eyepiece. It's similar to my 10.5mm pentax at 20mm but that can be a blessing or a curse depending on your viewing needs. I don't wear eyeglasses so I prefer much shorter amounts of eye relief with less sensitivity to head placement and blackouts. It's also easier to shield your observing eye from extraneous lighting around an urban environment so you won't pick up as much reflection around the eye lens as you might from a long eye relief model.
I do like the views through this eyepiece but it dies have significant shortcomings with a fast f-ratio scope.

Russ Carroll said:

Anyone who has read my posts over the past 18 months knows what a sharp critic of Pres Trump I have been. My view hasn’t changed. However, I feel I am an honest critic in that I will offer praise where it’s justified.

I had a significant OMG moment last year around this time. When I got over the total despondency of a Trump victory, I realized that the business headwinds of the previous 8 years were about to be removed, and that stocks would do well. That was true, and many, including me, benefitted from that.

I had a much bigger OMG moment over the past few days, and it’s related to the tax overhaul passed. I believe a confluence of events has occurred that will ignite maybe the biggest business expansion cycle in my lifetime, right up there with the largest ones of the 80’s and 90’s.

Why? The new tax code has multiple benefits in it that are absolutely enormous for business formation and expansion in my view, and the biggest two are:

100% expensing of capital equipment in year 1, and
20% pass-through rate for S corps and LLC’s

Even if these two provisions don't really apply to you, it will to a large number of new and existing businesses that will need products and services, creating a rich environment for entrepreneurs to thrive.

Combine this with what will actually be a tax cut for most people (despite the rhetoric telling us otherwise) and an already robust economy and you’ve created an economic juggernaut that will be almost impossible to stop.

You could not dial up much better conditions to start or expand a business than what has just occurred. Bad products fail in the best of times and the worst of times. However, if you have a good product and have skill as an entrepreneur, the window is WIDE OPEN for you, at least from my vantage point.

Russ Carroll said:

...sounds like a Michael Moore film. Richard and the rest of you Trumptards, how does it feel that Steve Bannon and I are completely aligned with my long-standing belief about Trump and money laundering...let alone Russian BS????


""You realize where this is going ... This is all about money laundering. Mueller chose (senior prosecutor Andrew) Weissmann first and he is a money-laundering guy," Bannon reportedly said. "Their path to f***ing Trump goes right through Paul Manafort, Don Jr., and Jared Kushner ... It's as plain as a hair on your face."

""The three senior guys in the campaign thought it was a good idea to meet with a foreign government inside Trump Tower in the conference room on the 25th floor -- with no lawyers. They didn't have any lawyers," Bannon continued, according to the Guardian. "Even if you thought that this was not treasonous, or unpatriotic, or bad s***, and I happen to think it's all of that, you should have called the FBI immediately.""

http://www.cnn.com/2018/01/03/politics/bannon-wolff-fire-and-fury/index.html

Russ Carroll said:

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/republican-rep-mia-love-trump-must-apologize-for-shithole-remark/article/2645700

Jim Moscheck said:

With all the news being reported this more or less stuck in under the radar.

http://time.com/5126082/russian-spy-donald-trump-intelligence/

“This is a serious national security issue,� Schumer told reporters. “Russia hacked our elections. We sanctioned the head of their foreign intelligence, and then the Trump administration invites him to waltz through our front door. This is an extreme dereliction of duty by President Trump, who seems more intent on undermining the rule of law in this country than standing up to Putin.�


Why does Trump always capitulate when it comes to the Russians? Did they interfere in our elections or not? Wasn't mentioned in the SOTU speech.

Why aren't sanctions against Russia being enforced? Why are some Republicans now so against our FBI when usually they are the law and order party? Now they are willing to release classified surveillance information to not only purposely harm FBI and their FISA warrants but also the Mueller investigation. Ironically, they all recently voted to extend the FISA program for six more years.

Russ Carroll said:

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/sen-john-mccain-nunes-memo-putin_us_5a749987e4b06ee97af24494

“The latest attacks against the FBI and Department of Justice serve no American interests ― no party’s, no President’s, only Putin’s,â€? McCain added. “The American people deserve to know all the facts surrounding Russia’s ongoing efforts to subvert our democracy, which is why Special Counsel Mueller’s investigation must proceed unimpeded. Our nation’s elected officials, including the president, must stop looking at this investigation through the lens of politics and manufacturing political sideshows. If we continue to undermine our own rule of law, we are doing Putin’s job for him.â€?

Rod Kaufman said:

Take a look at those magnificent widefield views appearing in Ting's new review of a tracking mount:
http://www.scopereviews.com/page3k.html

Bill Mc Daniel said:

Am considering purchase of a 20" dob and am weighing the differences between a f5 and f4. Have to admit that about 1'6" less height at zenith of the f4 is very tempting, but does that offset the greater demands for spot on collimation? Would like to hear real word experience/issues you've had with either scope. Price difference in optics really isn't a deciding factor for me.