Posts Made By: Rod Kaufman

John,
I've not compared the two but I am pleased with the on-axis sharpness of the TAL 24mm in my 16" F4.5 dob. I've compared it with my 24mm axiom eyepiece which is quite sharp on axis and I can't see an appreciable difference. I don't find the off-axis aberrations of the TAL 24mm as distrubing as the axiom 24mm which has the characteristic edge astigmatism of the axiom line on fast scopes.
The TAL edge aberrations are subdued with the use of my GSO 2" barlow and you might consider using the combo if you have a fast scope.
I would also add that to appreciate the resolving power of longer focal length eyepieces such as the TAL 24mm, one benefits from eith a longer focal length scope or a larger aperature fast scope. Even though my 16" operates at 4.5 the focal length is sufficient to exploit the resolving power of the longer focal length eyepieces and unless one experiences the difference between smaller aperature fast scopes and larger aperature units, the difference is not realized by many observers. Even a 12.5" f5 appears to resolve sigificantly less with a longer focal length eyepiece than say a 16 f4.5 scope. I utilize the longer focal length eyepieces if seeing conditions are poor and I can still resolve planetary detail I wouldn't have even attempted in a lesser scope such as a 12.5" f5 unit.

The CNN website describes a new CIA report that provides more evidence of the decline in security in Iraq. The report is said to be unusually candid in it's presentation.
This is just one of a series of CIA reports that has described the deteriorating conditions in Iraq.
One wonders how "dubya" reconciles the CIA reports with his own thoughts about conditions in Iraq. I mean where are his intelligence reports about the status of security in Iraq that counter the results of the CIA reports?Anybody care to answer? Tick-toc, tick-toc, buzz, times up. It's just dubya's opinion that supports his own personal optimism on Iraq. His initial reaction to the first CIA report describing the probability of civil war in Iraq was "they are guessing". He then admitted it was wrong to call it a guess but he still doesn't believe the reports.
I suppose that since he does not read the newspapers, neither does he read the CIA reports. Dubya at the helm...

Despite all of the hype of the political right, German doctors utilized stem cells to grow new bone in the skull of a child. It seems the child fell and a huge defect in the skull could not be repaired through conventional means. In fact, the child had to wear a protective helmut and the brain could be seen pulsating through the defect in the skull.
Stem cells were mixed with bone cells and applied to the skull with the defect being repaired.
The stem cells were taken from the child's own body.
I am glad to know that California passed a proposition directing billions for stem cell research despite the resistance of the Bush administration. The biotech companies are going to want more of this kind of money when they get a taste of this source of funding. In order to do it, they will have to produce results.
If German doctors can successfully apply stem cells for a therapeutic cure, similar applications for bone grafting can occur elsewhere and research can and will take us there, despite the opposition and lack of funding of the Bush administration.

There's a new cloudy nights review on tha antares ultrawides that have been on the market for a few years. I tried the link to discuss the article on CN but it didn't work for me so I thought I would provide comments in this forum.
I found the article to be thorough and unbiased. I also agree with the author that the antares 8.6mm ultrawide is the best of the lot with the 19mm unit being a close runner-up.
I've described the 8.6mm unit as a real "kicker" and the overall performance of it is quite good in my fast 16" f4.5 dob. I have not been bothered by the "kidney bean" effect that the CN author describes in his review. I've also used the 19mm antares ultrawide in a discovery 12.5" f-5 truss dob and while there is image degradation at the edge, the overall performance is quite good.
The author also comments on the purported similarity of these oculars with synta eyepieces but notes the quality control on these is evidently superior. He also notes the apparent addition of a barlow in the 8.6mm unit which I've noted in this forum in my previous posts on these oculars.
If you want a high performance ocular for modest cost that delivers a wide field of view in a dob, consider the 8.6 unit for tracking planets. Again, I have not noticed the kidney bean effect in this ocular and I am curious to know if others have seen it.
At any rate, check out the excellent review on cloudy nights!

Well, Bush has managed to PO both parties on his administration's decision on the importation of drugs from Canada. The decision imposed such tight regulations that both parties have reacted angrily. You can imagine the response from the democrats so let's consider the response from the republicans. "I don't know whether to describe this as an insult or an embarrassment," said Rep. Gil Gutkneckt (R-Minn), one of a growing number of republicans who say they are willing to confront the president about whether Americans should be able to buy imported brand name drugs. Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) called the administration's decision, a disappointment."
During the presidential campaign, Bush hinted he might soften his stand on the importation of drugs from Canada but would never commit even though he was pressed on this issue by Kerry. Of course, he pushed through flu vaccinations for Florida voters from Canada despite the usual rhetoric from the white house regarding "safety concerns" about imported drugs.
I thought Bush said he was going to hold out his hand to both parties. It looks like the only hand holding in this instance is with the drug companies...

Well, I see the CNN website is reporting the main Sunni minority party is pulling out of the so-called elections in January citing worsening security issues and concerns about the fairness of the elections. At the same time, the Shiite party headquarters were bombed.
Of course, there is the ongoing tragedy of the daily carnage as well as the 4.4 billion PER MONTH price tag of our involvement in the Iraqi abyss.(The 18000 US troops and 10 billion/year price tag in Afghanistan pales in comparison).
I see the US/coalition convoys have been reduced in favor of supplying the troops from supplies dropped by parachute and a major US firm has withdrawn because of the security issue.
And Dubya actually acknowledged last week that the training of Iraqi security forces by the US has produced only "mixed" results, perhaps preparing the faithful that the elections may not occur afterall...

Allawi himself expressed the same setiments the other week and our CIA has stated the same in their own reports. That's about as strong as a consensus for civil war as it can get.
There are various factions in Iraq with their own agendas and beliefs and civil war will be the eventual outcome of the conflict.

Well, Rumy's at it again. He stated one of the planes on Sep 11 was "shot-down", fueling conspiracy theories that one of the planes was,indeed, shot down by a military plane.
While I don't believe in the theory, and the pentagon says Rumy made a mistake, it seems to me that someone in the position of secretary of defense has to be more accurate in what he says and does. Did he not learn anything from the critical comments leveled at him from the republican party?
How long is Dubya willing to defend this guy?

Well, the forest service and the Bush administration has had to back-off of the destruction of 175,000 acres of the Bridger-Teton forest in Wyoming as conservationists and hunters joined forces with the democratic governor and the republican senator to prevent drlling in the region.
Extensive drilling in Pinedale Wyoming has turned the area into an industrial landscape with oil rigs and screaming compressors threatening to block wildlife migration routes. The rigs are currently spaced every 20 acres but may now be placed every five acres.
But at least Bridger-Teton safe at this point.
Of course, the logging industry is jumping for joy over relaxed environmental rules via the Bush administrsation which is no surprise as they were a major contributor to the Bush campaign. They will be tearing up forests at a torid pace but at least something has been saved from destruction...

The LA Times has reported Bush's desire for an instant budget surplus by leaving off the costs of the war in Iraq and privatization of social security because the costs are "unknowable".
You gotta love it! I,like others writing to the Times after reporting on this boner, might just implement this system for ourselves. For example, take the adjustable rate mortgage, since rates in the future are unknown, just remove it from your budget! Car repairs? Also unknown, ditch those as well!
Result: instant budget surplus!
I always wondered how Bush forgave the Iraqi debt to the US of 4 billion dollars a few months ago. I thought he just wandered out to white house cherry tree and picked the moola from the branches and filled the federal coffers so the Iraqi debt is vaporized. Silly me, he just does not bother to count it in the first place!