Happy holidays! We try not to bother you with inside-the-kitchen stuff much here at ETS!, but we did want to pass along a few end-of-year reminders--and emphasize an exciting offer!

One of the reminders will hardly be news to ETS! readers--we need money, as we always do, to survive, and we count on you readers to help provide it. We're even resorting to the rarity of a fund appeal, which should reach many of you just in time for us to be in your thoughts for those year-of-end charitable gifts. Thank you in advance (and, for those who've sent donations recently, thank you, period!).

But why rely strictly on altruism when we can also appeal to self-interest? For a limited time--til Dec. 31 only--ETS! is offering this amazing holiday special: Buy someone a one-year ETS! gift subscription for only $25, and we'll throw in a second gift subscription free! Buy one, and get one (or a renewal) for yourself at the same time. Heck, buy six and use them for a dozen stocking stuffers. You get the idea. That's the point, in fact--you'll keep getting ideas, all year long, or your friends will, or both. With 2004 likely to be a pivotal year for politics in America, it couldn't come at a better time. See the subscription form on p. 2, and send your checks or money orders today ($24 for 1 year, $45 for 2 years) to: ETS!, PO Box 85541, Seattle WA 98145. And we appreciate donations, and advertisers, too!

Long, long-time ETS! readers may remember that back in the days when we ran a Media Watch column each week, we spent a year cataloguing the MicroBoeing Watch tally of how many times our local dailies sucked up to our two biggest local corporate leeches. Today, in the immortal words of Jello Biafra's rewrite of California Uber Alles, we've got a bigger problem. Hence, the Iraq Body Count, iraqbodycount.org's tally of Iraqi civilian casualties, will now be featured each issue. Heck, someone in this country has got to report it.

Lastly, have you noticed the Activist Calendar, bursting with local community events, on the back page? It needs an editor--still--to replace Valerie Rose's four years of yeowoman work. If you're reliable, have a good sense of what's going on locally (or can cull web sites and e-mail to learn it), leave a message at 206-903-9461 and we'll be sure to get in touch. As always, thanks for your support in 2003. Let's raise some hell in 2004. --The Eds.