A note to our readers

Thank you for reading. Hopefully, we've managed to offer something this edition that makes you think or makes you laugh or makes you angry.

We're sure e-mails will come in asking where is Ava and C.I.'s TV review. There's no TV review this edition. We address Monster-In-Law in our roundtable. Rebecca had requested that and we were happy to do so. We hadn't figured it would become such a big topic but everyone had a reason to weigh in. Before the roundtable, we'd asked C.I. and Ava to write a rebuttal to two reviews of the film that went beyond far beyond wrong.

Both were against it as a topic because they didn't think they could be funny with this topic. But due to our begging and their own feelings about the topic, they agreed to. It is an angry editorial. We almost made it the editorial for this edition in fact. But we'd all argue it was called for and we're glad to print it.

The roundtable dealt with a number of issues. At one point Jess notes that some people reading it might dismiss the roundtable for addressing the way a film was covered. We're glad he brought that up because Ty's response to that type of dismissal is very strong and it's the most passionate we've seen Ty (who's no wallflower to begin with).

We've geared our readers to the release of Monster-In-Law for some time now. We've been reviewing Jane Fonda's comedic films. We think you'll have a great time if you see it. And while we were still attempting to persuade Ava and C.I. to write on this topic we went ahead and decided to highlight Betty, Rebecca and Folding Star's reviews of the film. We think you'll enjoy them.

Ava wants it added that the objections from her and C.I. were over the two of them writing it themselves. They were angry and wanting the voices of others with the hopes that the piece would have a calmer tone. Consider it noted, Ava. But, as we wrote before, we stand by and applaud that rebuttal.

We also bring you the interview with Common Ills community member Isaiah as well as two of his comics. He may disown and down play his talent, but we think he's quite talented and a great person on top of it. Read the article on him and we think you'll understand why we feel that way.

We thank our readers, always. We thank Chuck of Dayton for coming up with a question for our roundtable. We thank Rebecca of Sex and Politics and Screeds and Attitude for being there every step of the way on every article with advise and input. We also thank her for allowing us to reprint her Monster-In-Law commentary as well as her entry on polio and Matthew Miller.
We thank Betty of Thomas Friedman is a Great Man for being there for every article as well, with input and advise and for allowing us to reprint her commentary on Monster-In-Law. We thank Folding Star of A Winding Road for allowing both the commentary of Monster-In-Law as well as allowing us to raid the book chats. We thank Isaiah for granting us an interview and for giving his permission to reprinting two of his illustrations.

We thank C.I. of The Common Ills (and, in our opinion, The Third Estate Sunday Review) for, as always, being there with ideas, suggestions and just about everything.

We thank C.I. and Ava for taking on an assignment that they didn't want. We thank they executed it beautifully. (Ava just said "execute" is the key word.)

-- Jim, Dona, Ty, Jess and Ava