I was only able to break away from work for about half of the functions, but I too, thought it came off VERY well! It seemed so well organized and had a "good feel". The SLAS people were all so helpful and seemed to be enjoying 'their jobs'. Congratulations to all who made this event such a success! It had to be a LOT of hard work and organization. Great Job? Any feedback from the outside groups? I do know though, many people were asking about whether/when the Meade people were goign to be at the booth. There were many people waitng to ask a lot of product questions. But, I did see many club members and others offer assistance in answering questions. I do think Meade should know many people were hoping to speak with the company reps directly. My only suggestion on an improvement. I was impressed with the range of equipment Meade sent for display. Otherwsie, it seemed like a great success. Did the financial side meet expectations? Tnanks again, all Jim Stitley --- Dale Hooper <Dale.Hooper@sdl.usu.edu> wrote:

I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU to all of you SLASers that put ALCON together. I had a FANTASTIC time there and I learned a lot and met some great people. I've, of course, now got more ideas than I can possibly afford. ;-)

Clear skies, Dale Hooper.

P.S. I think John Dobson's theory has quite a few glaring holes - but, it sure was interesting to listen to the debate Saturday that it spurred.

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--- Dale Hooper <Dale.Hooper@sdl.usu.edu> wrote: > > P.S. I think John Dobson's theory has quite a few > glaring holes - but, it sure was interesting to > listen to the debate Saturday that it spurred. John Dobson definitely has a unique personality, but I must say that he thinks for himself. His views on Cosmology are somewhat unorthodox, as he is a strong proponent of the Steady State model of the universe. He is vastly outnumbered in his thought, but has very good reasons for the theories he puts forth. I guarantee that he has spent an order of magnitude more time thinking about the problem than anyone else I know. Dale, I wish you had taken the time to talk to him personally about his views, and challenged the areas where you believe there are holes. He is open minded when confronted with facts, and will carefully consider them. He will think for months and even years if necessary to reconcile facts with models. Please take the time to talk one-on-one with him next time you have a chance. He will listen to what you have to say, and consider facts. He may appear to be self centered, but I believe this comes from his long consideration of his positions. When challenged, he is very self assured because his theories are not just brought up on the spur of the minute. He really hates the recognition and credit he gets from the having a telescope named after him. If he had his preference, he would spend his time talking to people while showing them the wonders of the universe, especially the Sun, Moon, and planets. That is the area he prefers to be involved in. I hope that at 86 years old I can think and move as well as he does. I also wish that you all could have been at my table for the stimulating discussion we had. Brent __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Health - Feel better, live better http://health.yahoo.com