A bunch of things have been happening behind the scenes at ETS!. The most important development has been the abrupt resignation of long-time ETS! co-editor Maria Tomchick. As those of you who listen to our Saturday morning KEXP radio show (8:30-9:00 AM) already know, Maria has been battling both health problems and burnout for several months now, and decided she needed to step away from political writing and analysis.

It s impossible to overstate how much Maria has meant to ETS!. Over the past eight years, she s developed a devoted following--both with ETS! and nationally at sites like CounterPunch, ZNet, and AlterNet. She's meant a lot to us, as a writer, editor, radio personality, and as a core volunteer, and we'll miss her a lot. Her work has been truly remarkable, and we hope she'll get some rest, heal, and someday return. If you'd like to send a note of appreciation, e-mail info@eatthestate.org, or write P.O. Box 85541, Seattle WA 98145.

Maria is not replaceable, but one of her tasks--that of editing--did need replacement, so as of the last issue, we've added Eileen Heimer as our new columns editor. Welcome, Eileen!

We're also pleased to announce the addition this issue, as a regular column, of excerpts of the outstanding blog Baghdad Burning, written by a young Iraqi woman who calls herself Riverbend. Riverbend's descriptions of life under US domination have captivated a global audience--we're sure you'll see why.

There are still plenty of other volunteer gigs ETS! could use help with. We need folks to coordinate fundraising concerts/special events, tabling, and managing our e-mail subscription list. As usual, we have vacancies in our distribution routes--currently including Fremont, Queen Anne, Green Lake, Greenwood, Ravenna, and Beacon Hill. And, of course, we can always use folks to help sell display ads for our print edition. (Yes, there's a commission.)

Lastly, we've wrapped up our winter fundraising drive, and the total jumped nicely at the end--to over $4,500. We came up short of our $6,000 goal, but what we got helps a lot. Thank you to all our donors and subscribers! If you haven't contributed or subscribed, there's still a need and there's still time! You can use the PayPal setup at www.eatthestate.org, or send a check or M.O. to P.O. Box 85541, Seattle WA 98145. This is our tenth year -- help keep independent journalism and commentary alive in Seattle!