Continued from previous message.

www.fixthemlo.org for latest news. 
    No aurorae so far. We expected something based on an alert in mid 
and late January. Aurora were reported from northern England, Norway,
and Scotland, at least, but nothing for us in the City. Cloudy 
skies were probably the main reason for negative reports from here. 
Please, when ever stargazing, scan the sky for northern lights. I have 
a draft article about aurora viewing in the files section of NYSkies 
at '\files\PazDraft\aurora.txt'. Give it a lookover. 

City news 
 -------
    The City continues its march into the 21st century as Earth's one  
place to live, work, play. Inflation is still very moderate, as is the 
unemployment rate. We can do better, yes. Compared with many other 
economic and social centers across the country, New York is the one 
place to be. 
    Even if only for one night. On New Year's eve 2-1/2 million souls 
packed into and around Times Square to watch the ball drop. This is 
the second highest attendance ever, topped only by the millennium New 
Year's eve in 1999. (3-1/2 million -- quite the population of Chicago! 
-- were on hand for that.) Please understand that the very square can 
hold only 2/3 million people, closed packed. The rest are huddled on 
the surrounding streets in line-of-sight of the ball. 
    One evidence for the gravitation or magnetism of the City is the 
continuing inflow of immigrants. They come not only from overseas, but 
from elsewhere in the United States. Just since 2000 they settled here 
to add about 150,000 new residents thruout the boros. Some number-
crunchers believe that during 2004 the City topped a full 10 million 
residents (with those not crazy about census reporting). If not in 
last year, I figure that surely in 2005 we'll edge over that mark. 
    The red-tail hawk flap died out after the Fifth Av coop restored 
the hawk nest in late December. The initial ardor to somehow honor 
Lincoln Karim, arrested during a protest rally at the coop house, 
cooled off. Amateur Astronomers Association no longer is actively 
pursuing proposed accolades for him.
    The NY Jets football team had the chance to get into the Super 
Bowl this year. On January 15th with only a few seconds left against 
the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Jets had an easy field goal to win the 
game. They missed! A couple seconds to go for a second shot. Missed 
again! The score then tied at 17-17, the game went into overtime. 
Pittsburgh scored its own successful field goal, taking the Super Bowl 
chances away from the Jets. 
    Just when we were sitting back to relax, the skies being cloudy so 
often, we got whumped! A fire on January 23rd near Chambers St, IND 
8th Av, totaled a signal control room. The subway signals for a ha'K 
around the fire were knocked out, forcing trains to move thru under 
human supervision. Service on the whole 8th Av corridor was deeply 
slashed. Repairs are beginning at end January with gradual restoration 
of full service in six to nine months. stations all along the line. 
    At or just after end February 2005, New York transit fares go up. 
The date as at end January is still uncertain. The 'token' remains at 
$2, meaning there is no change in value or use of the stored-value 
MetroCards. The 30-day MetroCard goes to $76; 7-day, $24. Bridge, 
tunnel, and regional rail rates also go up. 

THAT Section (formerly Astropolitics) 
 -----------------------------------
    With the brouhaha within Amateur Astronomers Association shifted 
to the AAA_Politics Yahoo forum, NYSkies no longer promotes that 
business here. Of course, any news about the club posted into NYSkies 
can be 'political'. If that's your take, get over to AAA_Politics and 
bellow! It's just as free for all and free-for-all as NYSkies 
encourage until AAA_Politics was created on 2004 June 29. 
    There are two big stories in January 2005,
    First is a secret closed meeting of Amateur Astronomers 
Association's Board of Directors on January 4th. Agenda: kick John 
Pazmino out of the club. The brief meeting, not even a full hour that 
including sundry other business, mechanicly voted to revoke Pazmino's 
membership. 
    On January 8th Pazmino received what at first looked like a prank 
letter. It was a photocopy, unsigned, in a fudged envelope. It seems 
that this letter is the 'official' notification of membership 
revocation!  To 'enforce' this phoney expulsion, AAA president Michael 
O'Gara actually called New York City police to ask Pazmino to leave 
the Recent Astronomy Seminar on January 13th! He did, and so did three 
other Seminar members. A couple days later, Frank Schmidt resigned as 
from his Seminar chair and Board of Directors seat. 
    The other is the hearing on January 27th in small claims court for 
John Pazmino's loss of astro gar in the Great Eclipse Theft of 8 
November 2003. His case may the first of five more, one each for the 
other victims in the same incident. After club and claimant presented 
their cases, the judge reserved decision until early February. 
    What? Your fat is boiling over these items? Step right over to 
AAA_Politics. The folk there, including some club leaders, are itching 
to turn up the heat under you. 

NYSkies 
 -----
    Astronomers are exploiting NYSkies as a quick, handy, friendly, and 

 Continued in next message.

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