Posts Made By: James Brown

Hi Ray:

I believe that Tamiflu is the trade name of a drug made by Roche Pharmaceuticals. Roche is a Swiss company. No doubt there are a large number of U.S. investors, but I have not heard of any ties to the administration. This would seem unlikely give the domicile of the corporation. Do you have any information to the contrary?

Roche stock is doing nicely based in large part I suppose upon prospective Tamiflu sales. Is there any evidence that the administration's preparation for a potential flu outbreak is really motivated by a desire to juice Roche stock? Or is this just the market at work. I would admit that when something like a flu pandemic is contemplated, the market can behave irrationally.

Roche has a product in which they have invested billions in R&D. If the product becomes needed because of an outbreak, and if the company profits accordingly, that is a good thing. These profits fuel and motivate future R&D.

I am not sure what this all has to do with fascism. If your point is that the powers at Roche in cahoots with the administration are overstating the risk case just to juice stock prices, then I would think that such a scenario is pretty far fetched. Not impossible of course, but rather implausible. In my opinion of course.

Jim

Hi all:

This ad piqued my curiosity.

http://www.astromart.com/classifieds/details.asp?classified_id=386515

The seller does not really say so explicitly, but he sort of implies that the optics of this particular "white tube" C-11 might be better than others because of the time period during which it was manufactured.

Is there any validity to this? Is there a web based timeline out there somewhere that chronicles when the better versus lesser Celestron optics might have been made?

Thanks, Jim

Tonight was so promising, until the clouds rolled in from the Northwest...

Jim

This little fellow and about 100 of his brethren were living in a beautiful slate creek bed feeding into Keuka Lake in the Finger Lakes region of New York. I imagine he is hibernating now!

Canon Digital Rebel and Tamron 28-300 mm zoom.

Jim

It always amazes me how much the moon moves in 24 hours. Canon 300d, Tamron 28-300 mm zoom. 2 second exposure.

Jim

Please don't be silly Ray, hang around for a while. I must say that the example of "double standard" you have posted seems like a pretty mild offense to me...

I do have some thoughts regarding the generalized claims of moderator unfairness which are made here from time to time. Most of us will remember that Herb had to beg and threaten to shut this forum down before any moderators at all stepped forward. Therefore, I think that none of us really has standing to whine about any particular moderator's style in general. I am positive that the existing moderator team is not on a power trip, and I even guess that they would gladly switch places with new blood. But it is easier to complain than to step up to the plate I think, so new moderator candidates are pretty rare.

More importantly, I think that it is important to recognize that this forum is a pastime, a diversion if you will. I am not suggesting that the opinions we express here are not deeply held or expressed about important topics. I am suggesting however that this particular forum does not affect public policy. It merely serves as a clearing house for us all to chat, argue and occasionally vent. Rather than challenge the moderators style, I would prefer that we lighten up a bit and keep things in context.

So Ray, I hope you hang around. Your perspective is unique and adds to the forum.

Jim

This is not a great photograph...too grainy etc. because of distance and low light, but the subject is fascinating. I could not believe how big this still-nursing calf elk has become in a few short months. I guess he is trying to squeeze in a few extra calories before the snow flies.

Momma sure looks patient.

(Canon 300D Tamron 28-300 zoom, fully zoomed and a substantial crop)

Jim

Boy does this forum need a fresh topic! I hope you find this provocative, or at least moderately interesting:

Sam Alito met with Diane Feinstein this morning. Check out the portions of the news clip reporting this event that I have highlighted:

[COLOR="Blue"]"After the meeting, Ms. Feinstein told reporters she had asked the judge why he had described himself, when he was applying for a promotion in the Reagan administration, as a thoroughgoing conservative "particularly proud" of contributing to cases arguing "that racial and ethnic quotas should not be allowed and that the Constitution does not protect a right to an abortion."

"He said first of all it was different then," Ms. Feinstein said. "He said, 'I was an advocate seeking a job, it was a political job and that was 1985. I'm now a judge, I've been on the circuit court for 15 years and it's very different. I'm not an advocate, I don't give heed to my personal views, what I do is interpret the law."'

She was asked if she found his answer satisfactory.

"The question is, Did I believe he was being absolutely truthful, and I did," she responded.

She said he "was very sincere, he was very direct in answering my questions, he clearly is well-steeped in the law, has a good mind, is an able thinker." Senator Feinstein is a strong supporter of abortion rights."[/COLOR]

Do you think that Feinstein would oppose Alito's nomination with the vigor necessary to prevail given the above comments? It almost sounds like she supports the nominee. She at least removed any doubt that he is both well qualified for the job and a regular upstanding human guy. Are the fireworks going to be missing from this confirmation battle too?

- Jim -

Full story:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/15/politics/politicsspecial1/15cnd-confirm.html?hp&ex=1132117200&en=f54532fa1fc37c68&ei=5094&partner=homepage

This Thanksgiving weekend, Canon 300D and Tamron 28-300 mm zoom lens. A sunset to remember!

Jim

Did Russell Chmela commit Astromart suicide when I was not looking? He appears to be gone. I can't find his profile, but I never could spell his name right. That would be really bad if he were gone for good.

J