Thad Floryan wrote:

On 2/5/2013 10:09 PM, jwarner1 wrote:
CAA has tentatively approved the actual purchase ( well maybe) of a
"working telescope with working drive", for their rolloff observatory at
their Pal-Dows facility. This wouldbe the first "complete and working"
telescope sicne the 1980s! The Gang of Five in control has even relented

and may allow the new telescope to be .... eeee-gads! .... Go To
!!!!!!!!
This monumental decision would break the longstanding AAVSO policy at
CAA that all telescopes must be "primitive" in order to force subjects
to learn how to find stars, manually.
[...]

How long until the CAA Luddites die off? That will seem to be your
only hope for success.

Do the CAA Luddites have a website or even know what the Internet is?

Hmmm, just googled "Pal-Dows" and it found these:

http://www.cedar-astronomers.org/paldows.htm Mt. Vernon IA
and
http://www.cedar-astronomers.org/files/Pal-DowsMap.pdf

Another beady-eyed Iowan can be read here authoring the Road Kill
report for the San Hoser Mockery, er, Murky, er, Mercury News:

http://www.mercurynews.com/mr-roadshow/

Thad

They are computer saavy, when it comes to promotions and private email.
They can make three or four people sound like an army of
volunteers all scrambling to do good works, for the flowing masses
in desparate need of the club's 'premier' astronomy assets. Behind the scenes
its: "what toilet paper lecture do I give again tonight?". UI has finally
stepped in
to buy them some eyepieces (on loan) and a camera. The failed lx200 16"
robotic
project to nowhere will now be used for: "research grade astro
photography"....
since UI failed to delivery on the "good used mount" CAA had wanted (five
years
ago). They have more officers and program directors and titles and meetings
than
Rockwell does! All designed to keep anything from happening ... too fast.
Installing
an outlet or a light switch takes an average two years of meetings ... to pray
on and
decide. The latest high level project suggestion is 'heated walks and pads' on
the grounds,
for the stray 3 or 4 people who still show up with a telescope each year. Then
a Greek style
ampitheatre made from large blocks of limestone placed in a circle, is next
because, it would
be nice to have. BIG IDEAS! Tons of monthly promotions and affiliations
including the NASA
Sky Network (but no working telescope to use!). It's been this way since the
1980s. 90%
of the former membership is long gone.