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Posts Made By: Morgan Spangle

August 29, 2002 01:28 AM Forum: Equipment Talk

Mount for large f/15 refractor

Posted By Morgan Spangle

I've been trying to figure out how to best mount a 6-8" f/12 -f/15 refractor for some high power observing of double stars. Anybody out there do this kind of thing? What do you use or suggest?
Morgan

September 23, 2002 12:06 AM Forum: Telescope Making

Replace Meade ED refractor focuser

Posted By Morgan Spangle

Has anyone replaced the Meade refarctor's pretty poor focuser with something better? Looking for ideas for my 152ED. Thanks
Morgan

September 23, 2002 12:12 AM Forum: Meade

Replacing Meade ED refractor's focuser

Posted By Morgan Spangle

Has anyone replaced the poor focuser on the Meade ED refractor with a better one? Looking for ideas for my 152 ED. Thanks.
Morgan

October 13, 2002 06:19 PM Forum: Film Astrophotography - Imaging and Processing

Counterweight shaft camera attachment

Posted By Morgan Spangle

Does anyone know where I can get one of these that will fit a 1" counterweight shaft?
Thanks.

September 4, 2002 08:29 PM Forum: Refractors

Meade ED refractor

Posted By Morgan Spangle

So Jeff, how do you get them tuned?
Morgan

May 19, 2004 02:07 PM Forum: Polls

Do you like the new design?

Posted By Morgan Spangle

OK, its more up-to-date...but its also a lot busier in look and feel than the old astromart, whose clean graphic design made it very easy to grab a quick peek at new items (while sitting at work in my very public office..). It may take some getting used to. But I think its a good start - and nothing beats having a more reliable auction resource than Ebay! I'm very interested in watching how it turns out - the reliability and community of the astromart users has been one of its key features, and if that same coda can be transferred to the auction site, you will have an unbeatable place for astromoners to do business!
Morgan Spangle
Larchmont, NY
astromart user since '99

October 2, 2008 03:39 PM Forum: Polls

Bail out fails

Posted By Morgan Spangle

No I mean really good.

Stick it to em??? Its us that'll get it stuck to if this doesn't work...when you can't get a car loan, or a mortgage, or a line of credit for your business cause your local bank can't lend cause its assets have been marked to market, i.e., zero, you think that's going to affect rich people? Its going to affect us, man..

Yesterday, I had a very interesting discussion with a person who was one of the top bond traders for Bear Stearns in the 1970s-90s - he ran their NYC bond trading operation (retired, his foundation lost millions when the stock collapsed this year). He knows the credit markets. He believes that the government can make money buying these "toxic" assets, holding the underlying houses until the market heals somewhat, and selling them prudently over time - perhaps 5 years. He also believes that without intervention, 300-400 local banks will fail this year, resulting in untold job loss and greater expense for the government by far than any losses possible from the rescue plan. He had many things to say about the people and the firms that got us into this mess (Alan Greenspan seemed to top his chart of all-time bad guys), but mostly what stuck with me was that he thinks that without intervention, our economy will be affected negatively for at least a decade.

And yes, this guy is very rich indeed. But he deplores what happened to his market even more, if possible, than you or I do; he believes that many of the players should go to jail, and that eventually they will....

October 3, 2008 02:53 PM Forum: Polls

Bail out fails

Posted By Morgan Spangle

Clearly, these guys couldn't care less what they spend it on, they just want to get their hands on $700 billion dollars of our money.

I don't think we should question the motives of Secretary Paulson: a guy who could've done anything in the world when he left Wall Street, chose to go to work in government to serve what he truly believes is in the best interests of his country. He sees a situation that is alarming and that needs drastic action to prevent a disaster. I'm alarmed too, as I think we all should be - and we can disagree with Mr. Paulson and the actions he has recommended, but to demean his motives and imply what you are implying, is demeaning to all of us as citizens. Lets discuss solutions...Paulson and his crew have focussed their energies 120 hours a week to come up with a plan that will help you and me, and maybe prevent a complete meltdown that would be a financial disaster for anyone but the richest people amongst us. I think they deserve some real credit for doing this on our behalf....

March 1, 2009 06:49 PM Forum: Polls

Obama is doing ......

Posted By Morgan Spangle

He IS better than I thought, and I thought he was great. After 30 years of starving the beast, and having the American public get used to living in a second class state (just go visit Japan or , yes, France), while our government, uncaring, inept, incompetent (hello Katrina) and asleep at the switch, allowed roads to fall apart (see Minneapolis; or any interstate in California), health care to deteriorate to third world status(if you're wealthy enough to afford,it, or have good health insurance, its great, but have you visited an emergency room lately? or for comparison, Japan or France? You do see 3rd world dictators coming here for health care; you don't see people from Japan or France coming here...and if you, like me, run a small business and have to see the choices offered by health insurance companies, and the rising costs (13% last year, only 7% this year) of that worsening service, well, its worse than I ever thought it would be...). What, have you been hiding somewhere - what evidence don't you see that this country needs a new direction desperately - which is why this guy won! I love watching John Kyl try to switch the subject from his own $118,000,000 of earmarks to socialism - but obviously those guys are finished - about time! We kept saying throw the bums out, and geez, we finally did it. We did it! And now we've got someone that can get us going again ,and we hear the same old shibboleths of the right - socialism! (From the party that spent us into oblivion on nothing while fighting a war (unprecedented) and giving back a surplus to the rich (and hey, I'm one of those guys). I'm looking around for those same republicans who kept carping that it wasn't patriotic if an American didn't support his president in a time of war - and what I'm hearing is , they hope their president fails! (He is OUR president after all). So yeah, I voted "better than I thought" in this pole - but actually he's doing what I hoped and expected he would, and what he ran on. I'm readuy to make my country stronger, give my kids and yours a better future, and I'm willing to sacrifice in paying more taxes to do it - what about you? Are you willing to be a patriot and support your president and your country in their time of need? Or do you want to carp about socialism....

March 16, 2010 02:53 PM Forum: Polls

Astromart should

Posted By Morgan Spangle

I've been a supporter most of the time for the last several years. I've both bought and sold a lot of astro equipment (95% of which were excellent deals and met my expectations) on astromart, and look at stuff every day. I guess the ONLY reason (and I admit its not a good reason) that I don't keep supporting is...the fact that most of the people who use the service NEVER support it. Its kind of depressing to see guys with 50 or more ads NEVER show up on thew supporters list. So that is why I voted for the $15 annual fee. Anyone who is serious about this (expensive) hobby should be able to afford that rate; and if we ALL have to support, then I know I'll feel better about doing so (and I imagine others feel this way too).
By the way - I'm going to support right now...