(*whew*)

Simple majority defeated higher majority on our last ballot. The only problem is, the Buffista who wrote up the ballot used an archaic definition of majority. (She also sometime uses shan't and whilst in her posts.) So, now we need to define "majority" in cases where more than two options are available to voters. We are doing this whilst blindfolded, with our hands tied behind our backs, as we screw in a lightbulb with our teeth.

Your vote on the last ballot does not commit you to vote in any certain way on this ballot.

What do you think a "simple majority" means and how would you like it applied to determine future votes?

Choice 1: An option which receives more than 50% of the vote wins.

Choice 2: Whichever option has the most votes wins.

Choice 1 means that in the rare cases where a ballot question has more than two choices, there may need to be runoff ballots, or you will have to vote preferentially, or we will decide that the vote fails if no choice initially gets 50%. We will decide this either vote by vote, or else there will be another vote where this gets decided for all future ballots.

Choice 2 means that a choice could win even though it received only a fraction of the total votes cast. For example, if there are five choices that receive 22%, 21%, 20%, 19%, 18%, the choice that received 22% would win with no further balloting.

VOTE HERE

Voting starts Tuesday night (March 4, 2003) at midnight and closes Friday night (Mar. 7, 2003) at midnight (that would be "Board Time", i.e. EST)

(did I say *whew*?)

If this isn't pertinent, a stompy is welcome to smash:

If you receive an e-mail that looks like it's from PayPal asking you for your bank account information, with all the graphics and doodads in the right places, you might want to double check that it isn't something like this e-mail fraud scheme.

There's a shiny new Gothic Miss Manners column up at www.gothic.net, plus new fiction by Caitlin R. Kiernan and an essay by Poppy Z. Brite.

Photos from the NYC dinner with Hil R

ATTN NYCistas!

This Tuesday (March 11th), Naomi Sommers (childhood friend of mine, now a jazzy/bluesy/folksy singer-songwriter) will be performing at The Cutting Room.

The address & note from her mailing list is here:

Tuesday, March 11
The Cutting Room
19 W. 24th St. (b/tw B'way and 6th Ave)
7pm show
(I only have one set, so come early!)
$5

Since Buffy's a repeat that night, it would be great if some of you could come out.

[eta: Somervillians should know that she's one of you, so keep an eye out for her gigs in the Boston area if you like that sort of music.]

Ballot results:

Option 1: An option which receives more than 50% of the vote wins: 57 votes (57%).

Option 2: Whichever option has the most votes wins: 43 votes (43 %).

There were a total of 100 votes, and - like the former ballot - most of the voters dubmitted them on the first couple of days of the ballot.

Two bits:

1.) Since there was talk of poetry elsewhere...

Thessaly and I will both be in the new anthology of California poetry, "So Luminous the Wildflowers." The book includes work by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Phillip Levine, Dorothy Barressi and 180-odd others. More info at:

[link]

2.) Somervillains and New Englandistas, we officially put our bid in to host a party for the BtVS Series Finale on May 20th. (Remember, we have a couch now! And a real TV!) There are rumours of fat pills circulating, but they couldn't be substantiated at press time. More to come.

Oh, and while we're at it, we're headed to NYC on Saturday for a meeting about a magazine project. Sorry we won't have time to see anyone--it's all business, then have to get straight home-- and I can't even talk too openly about it, but let's just say send good vibes anyway.

On Thursday, March 13th at 10:00 P.M. my Musical Improv Workshop will be having our class show at Chicago City Limits. (1st Ave and 60th St., New York, NY)

You can either pay $5.00 for the one hour show or you can see the main company at 8:00 for $20.00 and stay for free.

If you'd like to see me make up a musical live on stage before your very eyes here's your chance.

Cool news!

My show is actually a (brief) run. We will be performing on the 13th AND the 20th. Woo & Hoo.

There's been some discussion in the Bitches thread about having a mini-F2F in Philly, soonish-like. If you think you might be interested, email rebecca_lizard@worldcrossing.com right now and I'll compile all the emails, send a group notice, and try to work something out. I will be Organizy Girl.