Date: Wed, 13 Apr 2005 00:53:19 -0400
To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>
From: "Mike B." <omni at omniphile.com>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: Q: What do you call two MDs who travel back in time to cure p...
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>

At 11:54 PM 4/12/05 EDT, MarkLFischer at aol.com wrote:
>In a message dated 4/12/2005 11:30:49 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
>omni at omniphile.com writes:
>
>>Who says that the Royal Astronomical Society has any more right  to
>>name stars than some star registry company somewhere?
>
>Since 1919, the only organization authorized to name any astronomical
object
>is the International Astronomical Union.

Authorized by whom?  Where did they get that authority?  Hmmm???

Such rules are society-centric.  They are agreements between the involved
parties, nothing more.  For everyone else, they are as important as a bee
fart in a hurricane, and everyone else is free to form their own
agreements, or not.  Somehow I suspect that those who purchase star
registry entries have, for the most part, never heard of the International
Astronomical Union...or even the Royal Astronomical Society, and the
situation is probably mutual.  They are, for purposes of this subject, and
in a practical sense, separate societies with different rules...and
apparently different star registries.  I don't see that that creates any
sort of a problem I need to worry about.

-- Mike B.
--
Government studies show that a 7% unemployment level is acceptable to 93%
of the people.