OK, I'll own up...I've made my last two CD purchases from blush CDNow, rather than through the Mudcat links. I did it partly out of habit, and partly because I make a lot of purchases on American Express, and I'm not sure I can do that on the Mudcat links. Could I have gotten my last two CDs (O Brother Where Art Thou Track, and Merle Travis 24 Hits) through the Mudcat links, and paid via American Express? Let's here some Mudcat music purchase success stories!

And Spaw, I have to hand it to you. When it comes to this pledge drive stuff, Nina Totenberg's got nothing on you. You're a regular goldang Jerry Lewis.

But the Forum is accomplishing important work. I'd like to take just a moment to tell you about a kid who came to us here at Mudcat not so long ago...shaky, scared, suffering ear-drum damage from too much heavy metal music, unable to execute a proper A-form barre chord on the bent-necked Stratocaster knock-off that he called a guitar. Now I'm proud to say he's well on the way to recovery, brand new Larivee in hand, able to play the Canadian Railroad Trilogy all the way through from memory, and shedding crocodile tears whenever he hears Joan Baez warble There But For Fortune, and we're only two treatments away from having his Zeppelin : Hammer of the Gods tattoo completely removed from his forehead. Thanks...to all of you for bringing this kid back to his roots.

Over to you Spaw.