A note to our readers

It's 2006, did you think we'd ever make it through 2005? Along the way, a few of us had our doubts.

We also had our doubts about this edition. Having worked Christmas Eve, some of us weren't sure we could get through New Year's Eve as well. We did. We've got spotlights for every site in the community. We've got Kat's latest reviews (Back to Bedlam and Motion Sickness) reposted.

What's our new content?

Ava and C.I. take a look forward at what's in store for 2006 on your TV screens. They wrote that quickly as we were about to honor New Year's Eve obligations and intended to go back and polish it. They never did. The rest of us laughed out loud repeatedly when we read it. But you know Ava and C.I. and how they trash their own writing. Since C.I. still has postings to do at The Common Ills, there's no time for a polish so it is what it is (to steal Kat's motto) and the rest of us argue that what it is is damn funny.

As always, the TV review is the sole creation of Ava and C.I.'s.

Credit for the other four pieces belongs to:

The Third Estate Sunday Review's Dona, Jess, Ty, Ava and Jim;
Rebecca of Sex and Politics and Screeds and Attitude;
Betty of Thomas Friedman Is a Great Man;
C.I. of The Common Ills and The Third Estate Sunday Review;
Kat of Kat's Korner (of The Common Ills);
Cedric of Cedric's Big Mix;
Mike of Mikey Likes It!;
Elaine of Like Maria Said Paz;
and Wally of The Daily Jot.


The other four pieces? We have a feature on movies that we would have done earlier if we'd thought of to be honest. Two sick children meant Betty had to pass on her family's get together and stayed home alone (after her kids were asleep) on New Year's Eve. For anyone in a similar situation next year or just interested in some films with New Year's Eve backdrops, that feature should be enjoyable.

We do read the e-mails and not just "Jossette"'s. Our feature on what we're thankful for in 2005 and what our hopes for 2006 was suggested and requested by Kim in an e-mal. Our editorial utilizes a song [Melanie's "Peace Will Come (According to Plan)"] that Jess turned many of us onto. (Some already knew the song.) We must have listened to it repeatedly on Saturday and Sunday. It really is a song worth checking out and a hopeful one. We felt like starting the year off with some hope. Read the editorial and you'll see why.

And we have an essay that we honestly wanted to be longer but it was New Year's Eve so, looking back, we're suprised that it's as long as it is. However, given more time, there were additional topics we wanted to touch on. Maybe at a later date. But we think you'll enjoy the essay (unless you're a member of the mainstream press).

We thank all the above for their work on this addition. In addition, we thank Maria for allowing us to repost her entry, ditto Seth and Isaiah. As always we thank Dallas for his help with links and our readers.

Let's see even more truth to power in 2006. Happy New Year.

-- Jim, Dona, Ty, Jess, Ava and C.I.