From robhawley at earthlink.net Sat Oct 2 07:53:42 2004 From: robhawley at earthlink.net (Rob Hawley) Date: Sat Sep 30 03:57:25 2006 Subject: [SJAABoard] Additional CalStar info Message-ID: Thanks for the forward of the letter to Valley Catering. Based on the letter we have already sent the checks. These are some other items I would find useful 1) An electronic copy of the handout. If one has not been prepared for this year, then a copy of last years. 2) Did we have an SJAA sign made? If so could I get it on Friday? My observation attending my first CalStar a couple of years ago is that there was no clear source of information once you got to the viewing area. If we don't have a sign made, then I will get a sign that says "Information" and hang it on my tent. 3) Who is the contact in the park and forwards of any correspondence. 4) Is anyone preparing a recommended viewing list (such as was done at Shingletown)? If not, then I will ask some folks myself. Rob Hawley From mgw at resource-intl.com Sat Oct 2 09:09:16 2004 From: mgw at resource-intl.com (Mark Wagner) Date: Sat Sep 30 03:57:25 2006 Subject: [SJAABoard] Additional CalStar info In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <5.1.0.14.2.20041002090558.00bcb270@mail.resource-intl.com> At 10/2/2004, you wrote: >Thanks for the forward of the letter to Valley Catering. Based on the >letter we have already sent the checks. I do not see that stated or inferred in the letter. I do not think checks have been sent yet. Mike and Gary can tell us. Mark Wagner From areopagus125 at yahoo.com Sat Oct 2 13:03:51 2004 From: areopagus125 at yahoo.com (David Smith) Date: Sat Sep 30 03:57:25 2006 Subject: [SJAABoard] Revised Aug 28 Board Minutes In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <20041002200351.93713.qmail@web12209.mail.yahoo.com> --- Rob Hawley wrote: > > Based on input > ... > ------------------------------------- > Dave Smith reports the club has 332 members. > > ------------------------------------- That was reported by Dave North. _______________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Declare Yourself - Register online to vote today! http://vote.yahoo.com From robhawley at earthlink.net Sat Oct 2 17:57:53 2004 From: robhawley at earthlink.net (Rob Hawley) Date: Sat Sep 30 03:57:25 2006 Subject: [SJAABoard] Additional CalStar info In-Reply-To: <5.1.0.14.2.20041002090558.00bcb270@mail.resource-intl.com> Message-ID: >From the (undated) letter to Valley Catering attached to your earlier message Shirley, Thank you for providing catering service for CalStar, our star party at Lake San Antonio on Saturday, October 15th and 16th. >>>Enclosed you will find two checks for $125 each for transportation.<<< We have summarized some of the information discussed with you by Mark Wagner below so that there are no misunderstandings. So were the checks enclosed? Rob Hawley -----Original Message----- From: sjaaboard-bounces@sjaa.net [mailto:sjaaboard-bounces@sjaa.net] On Behalf Of Mark Wagner Sent: Saturday, October 02, 2004 9:09 AM To: Business list for SJAA board of directors and members Subject: Re: [SJAABoard] Additional CalStar info At 10/2/2004, you wrote: >Thanks for the forward of the letter to Valley Catering. Based on the >letter we have already sent the checks. I do not see that stated or inferred in the letter. I do not think checks have been sent yet. Mike and Gary can tell us. Mark Wagner _______________________________________________ SJAABoard mailing list SJAABoard@sjaa.net http://www.sjaa.net/mailman/listinfo/sjaaboard From robhawley at earthlink.net Sat Oct 2 23:30:32 2004 From: robhawley at earthlink.net (Rob Hawley) Date: Sat Sep 30 03:57:25 2006 Subject: [SJAABoard] Caterer Status Message-ID: Mark indicated the letter has not been sent. Please let me know when the letter is sent and the check numbers. I will be out of town until Tuesday evening. You can leave a message on my cell (408 893 8242) if you need me before then. Rob Hawley From wb6yru at aenet.net Sun Oct 3 01:33:59 2004 From: wb6yru at aenet.net (Gary Mitchell) Date: Sat Sep 30 03:57:25 2006 Subject: [SJAABoard] Caterer Status In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <415FB977.70703@aenet.net> Rob Hawley wrote: > Please let me know when the > letter is sent and the check numbers. It will get mailed Sunday, so it will go out in Monday's mail (Oct. 4). The check numbers will be 1098 and 1099, $125 each. Gary From wb6yru at aenet.net Sun Oct 3 01:21:02 2004 From: wb6yru at aenet.net (Gary Mitchell) Date: Sat Sep 30 03:57:25 2006 Subject: [SJAABoard] Additional CalStar info In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <415FB66E.4010607@aenet.net> Rob Hawley wrote: > > So were the checks enclosed? Enclosed where? What you see going on here is just us passing updated versions of the letter between ourselves. This is like a board meeting. Nothing has been sent... yet. Gary From wb6yru at aenet.net Sun Oct 3 01:36:59 2004 From: wb6yru at aenet.net (Gary Mitchell) Date: Sat Sep 30 03:57:25 2006 Subject: [SJAABoard] Additional CalStar info In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <415FBA2B.2020401@aenet.net> By the way, Mark... From the letter: > Enclosed you will find > two checks for $125 each for transportation. Why is in necessary to send two checks? Gary From mgw at resource-intl.com Sun Oct 3 07:01:09 2004 From: mgw at resource-intl.com (Mark Wagner) Date: Sat Sep 30 03:57:25 2006 Subject: [SJAABoard] Additional CalStar info In-Reply-To: <415FBA2B.2020401@aenet.net> References: Message-ID: <5.1.0.14.2.20041003070052.00bc4640@mail.resource-intl.com> At 10/3/2004, you wrote: >By the way, Mark... > > From the letter: >> Enclosed you will find >>two checks for $125 each for transportation. > >Why is in necessary to send two checks? Mike requested that. From jvn at svpal.org Sun Oct 3 16:20:32 2004 From: jvn at svpal.org (Jim Van Nuland) Date: Sat Sep 30 03:57:25 2006 Subject: [SJAABoard] Absence Oct.4-12 Message-ID: <41608940.3990@svpal.org> Hi, All, One of my sisters is visiting from Wisconsin for Oct.3 thru 13th. We'll be traveling much of the time. I'll try to pick up e-mail most evenings, but possibly not at all Oct.7-8. We'll visit Yosemite those dates, tho not as an astronomy trip. I've suspended my TAC list messages for the duration, but not the SJAA board list. Clear Skies! -- Jim Van Nuland, San Jose (California) Astronomical Association JVN's home page From koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net Sun Oct 3 20:40:35 2004 From: koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net (Michael Koop) Date: Sat Sep 30 03:57:25 2006 Subject: [SJAABoard] Additional CalStar info In-Reply-To: <5.1.0.14.2.20041003070052.00bc4640@mail.resource-intl.com> References: <5.1.0.14.2.20041003070052.00bc4640@mail.resource-intl.com> Message-ID: <20041003213500.B54522@koopm.best.vwh.net> No, Mike suggested it. It is up to the caterer how they would like to do refunds and cancellations. This should be reflected in the letter. We have TWO days of catering, Friday and Saturday. If one gets canceled, we get one check back. I am suprised that we do not need to have a deposit for both days. If we get rained out, the caterer will have lost two days of business. They could have done a wedding or something indoors. It's not my responsability to say how they should run the business. The letter reflects what Mark agreed to. Send it and be done with it. Mike On Sun, 3 Oct 2004, Mark Wagner wrote: > At 10/3/2004, you wrote: >> By the way, Mark... >> >> From the letter: >>> Enclosed you will find >>> two checks for $125 each for transportation. >> >> Why is in necessary to send two checks? > > Mike requested that. > > > _______________________________________________ > SJAABoard mailing list > SJAABoard@sjaa.net > http://www.sjaa.net/mailman/listinfo/sjaaboard > From pkohlmil at best.com Mon Oct 11 00:20:13 2004 From: pkohlmil at best.com (Paul Kohlmiller) Date: Sat Sep 30 03:57:25 2006 Subject: [SJAABoard] November Ephemeris Proofread Please Message-ID: <001601c4af62$c2972e40$0200a8c0@PKHPXPP> Dear friends of the ol' FM, The November issue of the Ephemeris is available for proofreading at http://ephemeris.sjaa.net/0411/EphNov04.pdf. This edition is set to go to the printer on Wednesday morning. There are a few empty spots that I will fill in and I need a better headline for the lead article (submitted by the editors). I also need better captions for the pictures. Thanks, Paul and Mary Kohlmiller -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.sjaa.net/pipermail/sjaaboard/attachments/20041011/a8a73c7a/attachment.html From koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net Mon Oct 11 21:26:41 2004 From: koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net (Michael Koop) Date: Sat Sep 30 03:57:25 2006 Subject: [SJAABoard] November Ephemeris Proofread Please In-Reply-To: <001601c4af62$c2972e40$0200a8c0@PKHPXPP> References: <001601c4af62$c2972e40$0200a8c0@PKHPXPP> Message-ID: <20041011214750.Q21039@koopm.best.vwh.net> Hi Paul, In the Calendar Section: Dec 18th General Meeting SJAA 50th Anniversary Celebration and Holiday Party Nice Article on Schweikart's talk. You might want to include references to the B612 website, http://www.b612foundation.org Slide and Equipment Caption: That small box on the floor is a complete string Dobsonian telescope, to the amazement of some and the delight of its creator, Craig Colvin. Rich Neuschaefer admires the fine craftmanship. Mooning Article: Second Column, first line. Space between Moon.However Fall Swap Meet Article: a) The date of the swap is Sunday November 21st b) Remove the statement "5% for new items", change to "10% for new or used items" c) Add after pre-swap publicity. Do you have only one item to sell, such as a book or eyepiece? A consignment table for people to drop off up to 3 items will be available so that they can shop at the swap and not be hindered by selling an item. d) I'll need your help with this again Paul. We need the swap email address to go to you, me, and JVN. I'll also need you to make the website like for the auction for telescopes and other large items. Thanks. Officers and Board of Directors: Dana, Craig & Elena, and Rob: We need contact info for you. A phone number or email address, which ever you prefer. Another Great Issue! Thanks! Mike Loaner list on the way. BTW, it looks like Fremont Peak will be closed for the winter. I am waiting for an official announcement from the park staff. We can wait for the next issue. See http://observers.org/tac.mailing.list/2004/Sep/0549.html On Mon, 11 Oct 2004, Paul Kohlmiller wrote: > Dear friends of the ol' FM, The November issue of the Ephemeris is available for proofreading at http://ephemeris.sjaa.net/0411/EphNov04.pdf. This edition is set to go to the printer on Wednesday morning. > There are a few empty spots that I will fill in and I need a better headline for the lead article (submitted by the editors). I also need better captions for the pictures. > Thanks, > Paul and Mary Kohlmiller From koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net Mon Oct 11 21:26:41 2004 From: koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net (Michael Koop) Date: Sat Sep 30 03:57:25 2006 Subject: [SJAABoard] November Ephemeris Proofread Please In-Reply-To: <001601c4af62$c2972e40$0200a8c0@PKHPXPP> References: <001601c4af62$c2972e40$0200a8c0@PKHPXPP> Message-ID: <20041011214750.Q21039@koopm.best.vwh.net> Hi Paul, In the Calendar Section: Dec 18th General Meeting SJAA 50th Anniversary Celebration and Holiday Party Nice Article on Schweikart's talk. You might want to include references to the B612 website, http://www.b612foundation.org Slide and Equipment Caption: That small box on the floor is a complete string Dobsonian telescope, to the amazement of some and the delight of its creator, Craig Colvin. Rich Neuschaefer admires the fine craftmanship. Mooning Article: Second Column, first line. Space between Moon.However Fall Swap Meet Article: a) The date of the swap is Sunday November 21st b) Remove the statement "5% for new items", change to "10% for new or used items" c) Add after pre-swap publicity. Do you have only one item to sell, such as a book or eyepiece? A consignment table for people to drop off up to 3 items will be available so that they can shop at the swap and not be hindered by selling an item. d) I'll need your help with this again Paul. We need the swap email address to go to you, me, and JVN. I'll also need you to make the website like for the auction for telescopes and other large items. Thanks. Officers and Board of Directors: Dana, Craig & Elena, and Rob: We need contact info for you. A phone number or email address, which ever you prefer. Another Great Issue! Thanks! Mike Loaner list on the way. BTW, it looks like Fremont Peak will be closed for the winter. I am waiting for an official announcement from the park staff. We can wait for the next issue. See http://observers.org/tac.mailing.list/2004/Sep/0549.html On Mon, 11 Oct 2004, Paul Kohlmiller wrote: > Dear friends of the ol' FM, The November issue of the Ephemeris is available for proofreading at http://ephemeris.sjaa.net/0411/EphNov04.pdf. This edition is set to go to the printer on Wednesday morning. > There are a few empty spots that I will fill in and I need a better headline for the lead article (submitted by the editors). I also need better captions for the pictures. > Thanks, > Paul and Mary Kohlmiller From wb6yru at aenet.net Tue Oct 12 01:46:16 2004 From: wb6yru at aenet.net (Gary Mitchell) Date: Sat Sep 30 03:57:25 2006 Subject: [SJAABoard] November Ephemeris Proofread Please In-Reply-To: <001601c4af62$c2972e40$0200a8c0@PKHPXPP> References: <001601c4af62$c2972e40$0200a8c0@PKHPXPP> Message-ID: <416B99D8.9070005@aenet.net> Paul Kohlmiller wrote: > Dear friends of the ol' FM, The November issue of the Ephemeris is > available for proofreading at > http://ephemeris.sjaa.net/0411/EphNov04.pdf. This edition is set to go > to the printer on Wednesday morning. > There are a few empty spots that I will fill in and I need a better > headline for the lead article (submitted by the editors). I also need > better captions for the pictures. > Thanks, > Paul and Mary Kohlmiller Just one minor comment... It could just be the way it showed up over here, but the photos of the last meeting seemed to be little bit on the dark side. It's no big deal, but if it were me, I'd lighten them up just a tad. Gary From craigus at rocketmail.com Wed Oct 13 08:52:08 2004 From: craigus at rocketmail.com (Craig Scull) Date: Sat Sep 30 03:57:25 2006 Subject: [SJAABoard] November Ephemeris Proofread Please In-Reply-To: <20041011214750.Q21039@koopm.best.vwh.net> Message-ID: <20041013155208.28228.qmail@web53808.mail.yahoo.com> > Dana, Craig & Elena, and Rob: We need contact info for > you. A phone number please use 408-292-9317 for Elena and I Craig --- Michael Koop wrote: > Hi Paul, > In the Calendar Section: > Dec 18th General Meeting SJAA 50th Anniversary > Celebration and Holiday > Party > > Nice Article on Schweikart's talk. You might want to > include references to > the B612 website, http://www.b612foundation.org > > Slide and Equipment Caption: > That small box on the floor is a complete string > Dobsonian telescope, to > the amazement of some and the delight of its creator, > Craig Colvin. Rich > Neuschaefer admires the fine craftmanship. > > > Mooning Article: > Second Column, first line. Space between Moon.However > > > Fall Swap Meet Article: > a) The date of the swap is Sunday November 21st > b) Remove the statement "5% for new items", > change to "10% for new or used items" > c) Add after pre-swap publicity. > Do you have only one item to sell, > such as a book or eyepiece? A consignment table for > people to drop off up to 3 items will be available so > that they can shop > at the swap and not be hindered by selling an item. > d) I'll need your help with this again Paul. We need > the swap email > address to go to you, me, and JVN. I'll also need you > to make the website > like for the auction for telescopes and other large > items. Thanks. > > Officers and Board of Directors: > Dana, Craig & Elena, and Rob: We need contact info for > you. A phone number > or email address, which ever you prefer. > > > Another Great Issue! > > Thanks! > > > Mike > > Loaner list on the way. > > BTW, it looks like Fremont Peak will be closed for the > winter. I am > waiting for an official announcement from the park > staff. > We can wait for the next issue. > See > http://observers.org/tac.mailing.list/2004/Sep/0549.html > > > > > > On Mon, 11 Oct 2004, Paul Kohlmiller wrote: > > > Dear friends of the ol' FM, The November issue of the > Ephemeris is available for proofreading at > http://ephemeris.sjaa.net/0411/EphNov04.pdf. This > edition is set to go to the printer on Wednesday > morning. > > There are a few empty spots that I will fill in and I > need a better headline for the lead article (submitted > by the editors). I also need better captions for the > pictures. > > Thanks, > > Paul and Mary Kohlmiller > > _______________________________________________ > SJAABoard mailing list > SJAABoard@sjaa.net > http://www.sjaa.net/mailman/listinfo/sjaaboard > __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Address AutoComplete - You start. We finish. http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail From craigus at rocketmail.com Wed Oct 20 20:38:44 2004 From: craigus at rocketmail.com (Craig Scull) Date: Sat Sep 30 03:57:25 2006 Subject: [SJAABoard] Craig & Elena unable to attend this saturday's board mtg Message-ID: <20041021033844.902.qmail@web53809.mail.yahoo.com> Hello everyone We unexpectedly need to fly out this weekend to see my grandmother in New Jersey this weekend and will be unable to attend this saturday's board meeting. best Craig & Elena _______________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Declare Yourself - Register online to vote today! http://vote.yahoo.com From robhawley at earthlink.net Mon Oct 25 11:45:05 2004 From: robhawley at earthlink.net (Rob Hawley) Date: Sat Sep 30 03:57:25 2006 Subject: [SJAABoard] CalStar 2005 Message-ID: The head ranger (Mike) of LSA called me today. He wanted some feedback on how his staff did and wanted to know if there were any hard feeling about being rained out. (I forgot to get a thank you letter to them). I assured him that his staff did a wonderful job in taking care of us. While the weather was not as nice as in past years, everyone felt the trip was worthwhile. I gave him the dates for next year. He indicated those worked out well for the park. I also told him (based on the board meeting) that I will be his contact for next year. He also was concerned that there might be some hard feelings about the cost of the camping since we were rained out. Normally the park has a rain check program, but we agreed that tracking down all of the CalStar participants was not reasonable. He offered a new camping deal for next year. We will pay for one night of full camping plus one day use charge. I indicated that was more than fair. We agree we would talk again early next year. Rob Hawley From areopagus125 at yahoo.com Tue Oct 26 22:59:03 2004 From: areopagus125 at yahoo.com (David Smith) Date: Sat Sep 30 03:57:25 2006 Subject: [SJAABoard] October board meeting notes In-Reply-To: <20041013155208.28228.qmail@web53808.mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <20041027055903.66284.qmail@web12202.mail.yahoo.com> SJAA Board Meeting, 2004 October 23 In attendance: Mike Koop, Bob Havner, Jim van Nuland, Rob Hawley, Gary Mitchell, Bill O'Shaughnessy, David Smith Last meeting's minutes read & approved. Treasurer's report (Gary): $11,034.27 in checking $ 2,856.91 in money market (observatory fund) $ 400.37 in savings (Gregory account) RASC 2005 books & calendars are here; club will sell books @ $17, calendars @ $10. Rob Hawley made a donation, I didn't catch amount. Membership report: Dave North reports 333 members Loaner scope program: Mike transferred the 10-inch Orion Deep Space Explorer Friday night. It needs some Ebony Star for its base. Observational Astronomy Class: Bob did great job presenting the Milky Way. No one lined up for November 5; might ask Terri Kahl to talk about Dobsonians. Bob H. putting in request for copies of Night Sky Magazine to give beginners. ATM class: Mike reports that just 3 people were working on mirrors last Thursday night. General meeting programs: Bob intends to follow up with Scott Sanford on Stardust mission, Dale Cruikshank on Cassini. Rob asked about David Levy. David to ask Irwin Sobel about his Milky Way Yurt. Houge Park Star Party: Very light attendance on Friday, with just 3 scopes, 10 public - but that included a reporter. Rob taking on some part of publicity task. Observatory Committee: Rob says there is nothing new to report, but there has been some more discussion of buying vs. leasing land. Insurance company says there is no difference between buying and leasing as far as they are concerned. School star parties: 2 parties canceled for weather this week, but nice one held on Thursday, with 4 astronomers & 5 scopes. AANC: no one from SJAA attended last meeting. Next meeting December 5, 2004 Calstar 2004 Review: Successful despite lack of publicity. Poor weather with high cirrus, but Dan Wright saw the Horsehead. Estimated 75 scopes present. 54 catered meals served against 57 contracted for (9 no-shows, but 6 other people came). We should have people pay for meals in advance in the future. Rob Hawley will take over as organizer from Mark Wagner. Time to talk to ranger and clear time is February, S&T in March. Penciled in for Sept 24 - Oct 1, 2005. Tour of Chabot Space & Science Center scheduled for October 24; meet at Houge Park to carpool at noon, for start at Chabot at 1:30. Lunar eclipse on evening of October 27, with star parties scheduled for Houge Park, Morgan Hill. Fall Swap scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 21 December 18 general meeting & holiday party: 50th anniversary of SJAA. Club logo competition stalled out, but simple design by Jack Zeiders has won plaudits. I think it was described as a star above the letters "SJAA". Adjournment. _______________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Express yourself with Y! Messenger! Free. Download now. http://messenger.yahoo.com From wb6yru at aenet.net Wed Oct 27 01:23:25 2004 From: wb6yru at aenet.net (Gary Mitchell) Date: Sat Sep 30 03:57:25 2006 Subject: [SJAABoard] October board meeting notes In-Reply-To: <20041027055903.66284.qmail@web12202.mail.yahoo.com> References: <20041027055903.66284.qmail@web12202.mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <417F5AFD.3080006@aenet.net> David Smith wrote: > SJAA Board Meeting, 2004 October 23 > Rob Hawley made a donation, I didn't catch amount. It was $322.54 worth in parts for scope #39. (Jim will write a thank-you letter which has the proper special wording to make the IRS happy, for tax purposes. Ah bureaucracy, huh?) Gary From robhawley at earthlink.net Wed Oct 27 07:32:31 2004 From: robhawley at earthlink.net (Rob Hawley) Date: Sat Sep 30 03:57:25 2006 Subject: [SJAABoard] October board meeting notes In-Reply-To: <20041027055903.66284.qmail@web12202.mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: The official dates for CalStar 2005 are 9-29 through 10-2. The minutes can reflect my email of conversation with the ranger. "Poor" is too strong for a description of the weather at CalStar. There were high clouds on Thursday and Friday, but both nights had sufficient transparency to be useable. This was the worst weather of the 5 CalStars to date. The minutes should reflect that Mike and I cancelled the Saturday dinner in anticipation of bad weather. We will lose our deposit of $125. The reason we are considering some form of prepayment is because the club has to commit to a number of dinners sold. That represented more than $800 for Friday night. It is not prudent for the club to expose itself to such a risk. We also need to be able to get access to detailed weather forecasts in the future. The observatory discussion concerning buying or leasing land was to correct the previous months notes. Did I commit to do the December Observational Astronomy Class? Rob Hawley From craigus at rocketmail.com Wed Oct 27 08:10:45 2004 From: craigus at rocketmail.com (Craig Scull) Date: Sat Sep 30 03:57:25 2006 Subject: [SJAABoard] October board meeting notes In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <20041027151045.69375.qmail@web53803.mail.yahoo.com> Hi Rob > Did I commit to do the December Observational Astronomy > Class? Where can I learn more about these classes? I also would like to do one or more of these (in the last mtg I attended it sounded like Mike needed help with this). thx Craig --- Rob Hawley wrote: > > The official dates for CalStar 2005 are 9-29 through > 10-2. The minutes can > reflect my email of conversation with the ranger. > > "Poor" is too strong for a description of the weather > at CalStar. There were > high clouds on Thursday and Friday, but both nights had > sufficient > transparency to be useable. This was the worst weather > of the 5 CalStars to > date. > > The minutes should reflect that Mike and I cancelled > the Saturday dinner in > anticipation of bad weather. We will lose our deposit > of $125. The reason > we are considering some form of prepayment is because > the club has to commit > to a number of dinners sold. That represented more > than $800 for Friday > night. It is not prudent for the club to expose itself > to such a risk. > > We also need to be able to get access to detailed > weather forecasts in the > future. > > The observatory discussion concerning buying or leasing > land was to correct > the previous months notes. > > Did I commit to do the December Observational Astronomy > Class? > > > Rob Hawley > > > _______________________________________________ > SJAABoard mailing list > SJAABoard@sjaa.net > http://www.sjaa.net/mailman/listinfo/sjaaboard > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com From robhawley at earthlink.net Wed Oct 27 09:25:42 2004 From: robhawley at earthlink.net (Rob Hawley) Date: Sat Sep 30 03:57:25 2006 Subject: [SJAABoard] October board meeting notes In-Reply-To: <20041027151045.69375.qmail@web53803.mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: We run this class each 3rd quarter moon. As a minimum Mike gives a "what up tonight" talk. In July I gave my talk on weather. They are on the hotline schedule and we discuss the speaker in the board meetings. As the minutes reflect the Nov 5 date is open. Rob Hawley From robhawley at earthlink.net Wed Oct 27 10:43:48 2004 From: robhawley at earthlink.net (Rob Hawley) Date: Sat Sep 30 03:57:25 2006 Subject: [SJAABoard] Charity Letter In-Reply-To: <417F5AFD.3080006@aenet.net> Message-ID: IRS publication 1771 describes the requirements for an acknowledgement letter (http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p1771.pdf). Note that we should be issuing one of these letters each time we receive a telescope. Here are the applicable words A donor cannot claim a tax deduction for any single contribution of $250 or more unless the donor obtains a contemporaneous{by Jan 31 of next year}, written acknowledgment of the contribution from the recipient organization. An organization that does not acknowledge a contribution incurs no penalty; but, without a written acknowledgment, the donor cannot claim the tax deduction. Although it is a donor's responsibility to obtain a written acknowledgment, an organization can assist a donor by providing a timely, written statement containing the following information: 1.name of organization 2.amount of cash contribution 3.description (but not the value) of non-cash contribution 4.statement that no goods or services were provided by the organization in return for the contribution, if that was the case 5.description and good faith estimate of the value of goods or services, if any, that an organization provided in return for the contribution 6.statement that goods or services, if any, that an organization provided in return for the contribution consisted entirely of intangible religious benefits (described later in this publication), if that was the case A separate acknowledgment may be provided for each single contribution of $250 or more, or one acknowledgment, such as an annual summary, may be used to substantiate several single contributions of $250 or more. There are no IRS forms for the acknowledgment. Reading the IRS regulations it looks like the cleanest way to handle my letter would be to acknowledge the non-reimbursed repairs on scope #39 and return my receipts for my tax records. See page 3 of Pub 1771. I looked at letters I have received in the past. The following form should be sufficient. Dear Thank you for contribution of . [Optional yadaya of how this gift benefits mankind] [For non-cash deductions: Please refer to IRS publication 526 or consult an tax professional since you may have to maintain additional records before filing your tax return.] All contributions to SJAA are tax-deductible as allowed by law under IRS Code Section 501(c)(3). No goods or services were provided in consideration of this gift. Rob Hawley From robhawley at earthlink.net Wed Oct 27 10:54:04 2004 From: robhawley at earthlink.net (Rob Hawley) Date: Sat Sep 30 03:57:25 2006 Subject: [SJAABoard] Who is moderating SJAA Announce (sjaa-announce@sjaa.net)? Message-ID: I posted a message on Monday and another today. TAC was copied on both. Both appeared on TAC. Neither has been entered in the SJAA announce archive or sent. I agreed to send notices of events for future SJAA star parties. If the board wants me to continue to do this, then I need to be assured that the email will be transmitted in a timely manner. Rob Hawley From koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net Wed Oct 27 10:54:20 2004 From: koopm at koopm.best.vwh.net (Michael Koop) Date: Sat Sep 30 03:57:25 2006 Subject: [SJAABoard] Charity Letter In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <20041027115353.Q1337@koopm.best.vwh.net> Here is a sample which I have used in the past: http://koopm.best.vwh.net/sample.PDF Mike On Wed, 27 Oct 2004, Rob Hawley wrote: > > IRS publication 1771 describes the requirements for an acknowledgement > letter (http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p1771.pdf). Note that we should be > issuing one of these letters each time we receive a telescope. Here are the > applicable words > > > A donor cannot claim a tax deduction for any single > contribution of $250 or more unless the donor obtains > a contemporaneous{by Jan 31 of next year}, written acknowledgment of the > contribution > from the recipient organization. An organization > that does not acknowledge a contribution incurs no penalty; > but, without a written acknowledgment, the donor cannot > claim the tax deduction. Although it is a donor's responsibility > to obtain a written acknowledgment, an organization > can assist a donor by providing a timely, written statement > containing the following information: > > 1.name of organization > 2.amount of cash contribution > 3.description (but not the value) of non-cash contribution > 4.statement that no goods or services were provided by the > organization in return for the contribution, if that was > the case > 5.description and good faith estimate of the value of goods > or services, if any, that an organization provided in > return for the contribution > 6.statement that goods or services, if any, that an organization > provided in return for the contribution consisted > entirely of intangible religious benefits (described later > in this publication), if that was the case > > A separate acknowledgment may be provided for each single > contribution of $250 or more, or one acknowledgment, > such as an annual summary, may be used to substantiate > several single contributions of $250 or more. There are no > IRS forms for the acknowledgment. > > > > Reading the IRS regulations it looks like the cleanest way to handle my > letter would be to acknowledge the non-reimbursed repairs on scope #39 and > return my receipts for my tax records. See page 3 of Pub 1771. > > > I looked at letters I have received in the past. The following form should > be sufficient. > > > > > > > Dear > > Thank you for contribution of . > > [Optional yadaya of how this gift benefits mankind] > > [For non-cash deductions: Please refer to IRS publication 526 or consult an > tax professional since you may have to maintain additional records before > filing your tax return.] > > All contributions to SJAA are tax-deductible as allowed by law under IRS > Code Section 501(c)(3). No goods or services were provided in consideration > of this gift. > > > > > Rob Hawley > > > _______________________________________________ > SJAABoard mailing list > SJAABoard@sjaa.net > http://www.sjaa.net/mailman/listinfo/sjaaboard > From robhawley at earthlink.net Wed Oct 27 11:52:10 2004 From: robhawley at earthlink.net (Rob Hawley) Date: Sat Sep 30 03:57:25 2006 Subject: [SJAABoard] Charity Letter In-Reply-To: <20041027115353.Q1337@koopm.best.vwh.net> Message-ID: That's a great letter. Rob Hawley -----Original Message----- From: sjaaboard-bounces@sjaa.net [mailto:sjaaboard-bounces@sjaa.net] On Behalf Of Michael Koop Sent: Wednesday, October 27, 2004 10:54 AM To: Business list for SJAA board of directors and members Subject: Re: [SJAABoard] Charity Letter Here is a sample which I have used in the past: http://koopm.best.vwh.net/sample.PDF Mike From jvn at svpal.org Wed Oct 27 12:19:50 2004 From: jvn at svpal.org (Jim Van Nuland) Date: Sat Sep 30 03:57:25 2006 Subject: [SJAABoard] Charity Letter References: Message-ID: <417FF4D6.16F1@svpal.org> Rob Hawley wrote: > Note that we should be > issuing one of these letters each time we receive a telescope. I ask the donor for an address to send a letter. Often the donor declines the letter, in which case I thank him again. The attached is a recent letter. This one has more than the usual discussion regarding price, as I wanted to show how we arrived at the estimate. Yes, yes, I know that it's the donor's job, but we can provide guidance. As an astronomical organization, we have credibility for making such estimates (I do not say "appraisals"). Some donors have no idea whatever of the value. Clear Skies (and phrases)! -- Jim Van Nuland, San Jose (California) Astronomical Association JVN's web site ================ sample =============================== (sjaa letterhead) (name of donor) (mailing address) Thank you very much for your generous donation of your late husband's astronomical books. There were 35 hardbound books, plus several sky charts and maps. All are in like-new condition. The publication dates range from 1980 to 1995, mostly in the mid- to late 1980's. I've seen such books at Goodwill, Salvation Army resale stores, etc., marked $10, but when I found them still there months later, I knew that they were overpriced. Though astronomy is the oldest of the sciences, many discoveries are being made, so older books are often out of date. My colleagues and I feel that $5 to $7 is more realistic, in view of sales at our annual auction. According to the IRS, determination of the value of a donation is the donor's responsibility, but we estimate the total value of your donation at $216. Consult IRS publication 561 "Determining the Value of Donated Property" for additional guidance. To meet IRS rules for this letter: SJAA has not provided to you any "quid pro quo consideration" in exchange for your donation. SJAA is incorporated in California as a non-profit charitable organization, state registration number CT54965. Under IRS rules, we are a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) educational organization, identification number 94-2629586. Again, thank you very much! Clear Skies, (signature) James H. Van Nuland Secretary, SJAA From wb6yru at aenet.net Thu Oct 28 01:21:48 2004 From: wb6yru at aenet.net (Gary Mitchell) Date: Sat Sep 30 03:57:25 2006 Subject: [SJAABoard] Charity Letter In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <4180AC1C.6040203@aenet.net> Rob Hawley wrote: > > IRS publication 1771 describes the requirements for an acknowledgement > letter (http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p1771.pdf). > Although it is a donor's responsibility > to obtain a written acknowledgment, an organization > can assist a donor by providing a timely, written statement > containing the following information: > > 1.name of organization > 2.amount of cash contribution > 3.description (but not the value) of non-cash contribution > 4.statement that no goods or services were provided by the > organization in return for the contribution, if that was > the case > 5.description and good faith estimate of the value of goods > or services, if any, that an organization provided in > return for the contribution > 6.statement that goods or services, if any, that an organization > provided in return for the contribution consisted > entirely of intangible religious benefits (described later > in this publication), if that was the case Evidently, that receipt booklet in the treasurer's box is next to worthless. Gary From robhawley at earthlink.net Thu Oct 28 07:48:57 2004 From: robhawley at earthlink.net (Rob Hawley) Date: Sat Sep 30 03:57:25 2006 Subject: [SJAABoard] Charity Letter In-Reply-To: <4180AC1C.6040203@aenet.net> Message-ID: My accountant tends to be a strict reader of the regs. Since the procedure for non-reimbursed expenses is specifically described in the publications, that is what we must do. I have not encountered this situation before so I did not know the proper procedure until I read the pubs. The receipt booklet would be useful for things under $250. Rob Hawley -----Original Message----- From: sjaaboard-bounces@sjaa.net [mailto:sjaaboard-bounces@sjaa.net] On Behalf Of Gary Mitchell Sent: Thursday, October 28, 2004 1:22 AM To: Business list for SJAA board of directors and members Subject: Re: [SJAABoard] Charity Letter Rob Hawley wrote: > > IRS publication 1771 describes the requirements for an acknowledgement > letter (http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p1771.pdf). > Although it is a donor's responsibility to obtain a written > acknowledgment, an organization can assist a donor by providing a > timely, written statement containing the following information: > > 1.name of organization > 2.amount of cash contribution > 3.description (but not the value) of non-cash contribution > 4.statement that no goods or services were provided by the > organization in return for the contribution, if that was > the case > 5.description and good faith estimate of the value of goods > or services, if any, that an organization provided in > return for the contribution > 6.statement that goods or services, if any, that an organization > provided in return for the contribution consisted > entirely of intangible religious benefits (described later > in this publication), if that was the case Evidently, that receipt booklet in the treasurer's box is next to worthless. Gary _______________________________________________ SJAABoard mailing list SJAABoard@sjaa.net http://www.sjaa.net/mailman/listinfo/sjaaboard From robhawley at earthlink.net Thu Oct 28 15:04:09 2004 From: robhawley at earthlink.net (Rob Hawley) Date: Sat Sep 30 03:57:25 2006 Subject: [SJAABoard] Proposed change in maillist administration Message-ID: I exchanged some email with Bill Arnett today concerning the administration of the club's mail lists. (This was in reference to my not being able to post on sjaa-announce). Bill is suggesting that someone else might want to manage the lists. If no one on the board objects I would be willing to take that on. Rob Hawley -----Original Message----- From: Bill Arnett [mailto:bill@nineplanets.org] Sent: Thursday, October 28, 2004 2:45 PM To: Rob Hawley Subject: Re: Need to be able to post on SJAA Announce On Oct 28, 2004, at 1:16 PM, Rob Hawley wrote: >> Would you like to take over administration of the SJAA email lists? > If you do not wish to do it anymore then I would be happy to. What is > involved? Not much. The lists are hosted on Mojo's server, whiteoaks.com. There are three. Administration is done via the web at http://www.sjaa.net/mailman/admin/sjaaboard http://www.sjaa.net/mailman/admin/sjaa-announce http://www.sjaa.net/mailman/admin/sjaa-chat You'll want to change the administrator address on the first page of each. You might want to review the rest of the options, too; it's been a long time and I'm not sure they're all currently appropriate. -- Bill Arnett bill@nineplanets.org http://nineplanets.org/ Emerald Hills CA USA 37 27 N 122 15 W From Paul.Kohlmiller at Sunclinical.com Thu Oct 28 15:15:55 2004 From: Paul.Kohlmiller at Sunclinical.com (Kohlmiller, Paul) Date: Sat Sep 30 03:57:25 2006 Subject: [SJAABoard] Proposed change in maillist administration Message-ID: <67C1254C7F68D2118F9300A0C9EA07CC01D33F95@SJ-NT-EX1> Are there two issues here? A) Posts to sjaa-announce made by someone not on some list have to be approved by someone in a timely manner. B) Someone needs to administer the email lists themselves. I can't offer much in regards to A). For B), as the SJAA webmaster I could administer the e-mail lists but I'd be happy to have a board member do it - makes sense actually. Paul K -----Original Message----- From: sjaaboard-bounces@sjaa.net [mailto:sjaaboard-bounces@sjaa.net] On Behalf Of Rob Hawley Sent: Thursday, October 28, 2004 3:04 PM To: Sjaaboard Subject: [SJAABoard] Proposed change in maillist administration I exchanged some email with Bill Arnett today concerning the administration of the club's mail lists. (This was in reference to my not being able to post on sjaa-announce). Bill is suggesting that someone else might want to manage the lists. If no one on the board objects I would be willing to take that on. Rob Hawley -----Original Message----- From: Bill Arnett [mailto:bill@nineplanets.org] Sent: Thursday, October 28, 2004 2:45 PM To: Rob Hawley Subject: Re: Need to be able to post on SJAA Announce On Oct 28, 2004, at 1:16 PM, Rob Hawley wrote: >> Would you like to take over administration of the SJAA email lists? > If you do not wish to do it anymore then I would be happy to. What is > involved? Not much. The lists are hosted on Mojo's server, whiteoaks.com. There are three. Administration is done via the web at http://www.sjaa.net/mailman/admin/sjaaboard http://www.sjaa.net/mailman/admin/sjaa-announce http://www.sjaa.net/mailman/admin/sjaa-chat You'll want to change the administrator address on the first page of each. You might want to review the rest of the options, too; it's been a long time and I'm not sure they're all currently appropriate. -- Bill Arnett bill@nineplanets.org http://nineplanets.org/ Emerald Hills CA USA 37 27 N 122 15 W _______________________________________________ SJAABoard mailing list SJAABoard@sjaa.net http://www.sjaa.net/mailman/listinfo/sjaaboard From robhawley at earthlink.net Thu Oct 28 15:29:42 2004 From: robhawley at earthlink.net (Rob Hawley) Date: Sat Sep 30 03:57:25 2006 Subject: [SJAABoard] Proposed change in maillist administration In-Reply-To: <67C1254C7F68D2118F9300A0C9EA07CC01D33F95@SJ-NT-EX1> Message-ID: While trolling around in the admin interface I discovered that I had never subscribed to the announce list. I fixed that and set the bit so I can now post without waiting for moderation. I temporarily set the admin to myself pending board approval. If the board would like Paul to do it that is fine also. Rob Hawley -----Original Message----- From: sjaaboard-bounces@sjaa.net [mailto:sjaaboard-bounces@sjaa.net] On Behalf Of Kohlmiller, Paul Sent: Thursday, October 28, 2004 3:16 PM To: Business list for SJAA board of directors and members Subject: RE: [SJAABoard] Proposed change in maillist administration Are there two issues here? A) Posts to sjaa-announce made by someone not on some list have to be approved by someone in a timely manner. B) Someone needs to administer the email lists themselves. I can't offer much in regards to A). For B), as the SJAA webmaster I could administer the e-mail lists but I'd be happy to have a board member do it - makes sense actually. Paul K From mgw at resource-intl.com Thu Oct 28 15:32:44 2004 From: mgw at resource-intl.com (Mark Wagner) Date: Sat Sep 30 03:57:25 2006 Subject: [SJAABoard] Proposed change in maillist administration In-Reply-To: References: <67C1254C7F68D2118F9300A0C9EA07CC01D33F95@SJ-NT-EX1> Message-ID: <5.1.0.14.2.20041028153224.00ba18a0@mail.resource-intl.com> Please un-sub-scribe me. Thanks... At 10/28/2004, you wrote: >While trolling around in the admin interface I discovered that I had never >subscribed to the announce list. I fixed that and set the bit so I can now >post without waiting for moderation. > >I temporarily set the admin to myself pending board approval. If the board >would like Paul to do it that is fine also. > >Rob Hawley >-----Original Message----- >From: sjaaboard-bounces@sjaa.net [mailto:sjaaboard-bounces@sjaa.net] On >Behalf Of Kohlmiller, Paul >Sent: Thursday, October 28, 2004 3:16 PM >To: Business list for SJAA board of directors and members >Subject: RE: [SJAABoard] Proposed change in maillist administration > >Are there two issues here? A) Posts to sjaa-announce made by someone not on >some list have to be approved by someone in a timely manner. B) Someone >needs to administer the email lists themselves. >I can't offer much in regards to A). For B), as the SJAA webmaster I could >administer the e-mail lists but I'd be happy to have a board member do it - >makes sense actually. >Paul K > > > >_______________________________________________ >SJAABoard mailing list >SJAABoard@sjaa.net >http://www.sjaa.net/mailman/listinfo/sjaaboard