Open Letter to AI/A&S Ltd. (2)

john,
i presume he did not answer the bit about the accounts which would not surprise me. I think it is time to ignore him and just promote ourselves the best way we can. we cannot devote all our time to it as we all have jobs to do
but we can give a them a run for our money. he can only be in one place at a time whereas we can be everywhere. the only thing is that he will promote this event as the only astronomy event in ireland so we have to get out and make people in each area that there is a local alternative.
stephen.

I agree with a lot of what is being said here and I understand the concerns that many people have. However I really don't understand why 90% of the mail traffic on this board is dedicated to politics. I don't want to be the geek who implores "Why can't we all just get along?" but I do want to be the guy who says "Feck it, it's not important, forget about it. Anybody see anything interesting last night?"

Can we move on now?

i presume he did not answer the bit about the accounts which would not surprise me.

No, he asked me to phone him next week to follow up on these other points.

I think it is time to ignore him and just promote ourselves the best way we can.

I agree with you on this (and your comments too Shane). Although judging from the number of views/replies to the 'political' subjects, it does seem to be an area of concern for people on these boards. And when you have something like this hanging over you, it will just keep cropping up again and again. It makes it hard to ignore.

I would find it difficult to sit in a club meeting and listen to a beginner tell the tale of how they thought 'AI was the only club in ireland before they found out about this one', or that they've 'just spent a thousand euro over the odds for their new telescope because they didn't realise they had a choice'. :roll:

Awareness and choice is what this is about. If I saved a beginner €1,000 by posting this topic, then it makes it worthwhile. How many beginners are going to be at Astro Expo this weekend, spending their cash at the A&S Shop? Unfortunately I can't picket the A&S Shop, but I can make my point here.

Of course, one of the advantages of bulletin boards is that people also have a choice. If they don't want to get involved in or read about the 'politics', they can just ignore these threads (there's plenty of space on the boards for astronomy as well!)

John.

Jhonan has requested a record of AI accounts.
I would be very surprised if A&S supplied a record of the accounts for AI! I have tried to gain access to them in the past without success.
It became obvious to me and many others a few years back that AI was a name only and that A&S Ltd. is at the forefront of everything. Lets face it, if you join AI you are basically contributing to a commercially run company ie. A&S Ltd. I do not have a problem with that if they made it clear to everyone that they are basically paying a subscription for a commercial magazine.

On another note the web links on the AI site do not list any of the other Irish astronomy clubs on the net, why? Because they do not want the competition. They have been approached (by me) about listing other web sites of Irish interest and despite agreeing to do so, nothing has ever been added or changed.
The www.ecliptomaniacs.com web site has now added a list of Irish astronomy web resources and is willing to add any other sites which they are unaware of if people let them know the relevant address.
It would be nice if all the web sites listed returned the compliment by adding www.ecliptomaniacs.com to their respective list of web resources, after all there is no point in talking about helping each other if we do not do so in practice!
Regards to all,
Greenflashman

I've watched the progress of AI for many years since they and I parted company back in the early 1990s. I was one of the original group (though not a 'founder member' as I had no money) and had great hopes that AI would become a dynamic astronomical group which would increase the interest in astronomy as a whole. We wanted AI to be different but to be a group of which members would feel a part. When I, along with several other committed colleagues, was ejected I was then a Vice Chairman of AI and Director of Meteor Observations.

We put so much work and energy into AI that it was extremely hurtful when we silently disappeared from the organisation. I am loath to expand on that episode without full consultation with my colleagues from that time.

I became so disillusioned with astronomy in the past 10 years or so and eventually became inactive. My anger at David Moore has been immense and this made it increasingly difficult for me to return to active astronomy. I had been a founder of the Junior Astronomical Society of Ireland (anyone remember that?) and was active in European amateur astronomy.

I have read the messages on this board with great interest, a sense of deja-vu and a feeling of 'told-you-so'. The discussion is going round and round in circles and no-one is winning except AI and David Moore. As long as we engage in self-destroying activities he will continue to present himself as the national face of Irish astronomy - the 'TV astronomer'. If we refocus away from AI and back on ourselves and on our own astronomical societies and clubs we should see that it is there that the collective face of Irish astronomy resides. We are the real astronomers - we don't only go out for the big events and try to collect money for ourselves - no, we go out on the other nights as well, and share our love of and passion for astronomy with others, so that people come out of their interaction with us having shared in our love of astronomy and not having to associate astronomy with hurt and loss (financial or emotional).

I have been through 10 years of the bad feeling and self-destroying anger. I am moving on - I rejoined IAS and bought the scope I've always wanted - I have even gone out observing, and I brought my kids! I'd advise you all to forget about David Moore and AI. You all have better things to do - put that wasted energy into your astronomy groups and clubs and remember they are that - clubs or societies of people who share in a common love of astronomy and who want to pass that on to others.

Fintan Sheerin

:x Well gentlemen,
It is nice to see that many people agree with the sentiments expressed here in relation to AI.
Fintan's letter does not surprise me at all. I note he talks about being depressed after being ejected from AI. Many of us had the same experience. There is a new term in astronomy in Ireland.
PAISS or Post Astronomy Ireland Stress Syndrome.
I have had ex-commitee members of this so called club in tears, literally,on the phone to me after their experiences with David Moore.
Yes we should forget about him and get on with our astronomy but the problem lies in the fact that there are still many people out there,some quite vulnerable, who have yet to cross his path.
Surely we owe it to them to warn them in advance and provide them with options to join other astronomy clubs and societies.
Or is it a case of "I'am all right jack, it's nothing to do with me".
God I hope not.
Greenflashman