Well, it looks as if you folks are going to get the Christmas fun and games
after all, thanks to those who contacted me off-list, those who supported
a poll publicly, and particularly to David Harbin, whose lateral-thinking
suggestion seems to have tickled the fancy of a good many people, me
included.  But not my old friend Don Satz.  Never mind, Don.  Sometime
we'll have an all-HIP all-Bach poll, just for you.

I haven't thought the details through yet, but this will be our first
multi-category poll and MCML awards ceremony (suggestions for our version
of Oscar / Emmy / Tony?? Which listmembers should host the ceremony and
open the envelopes??).  There will be at least one forward-looking category
(thanks to Jim Tobin for his off-list thoughts here), and several "worst
of" categories based on David's list.

For a week or so I'm open to any ideas (private mail, please) for
categories etc..  After that I'll post the details and the rules.  Deadline
for entries will, as usual, be the very last second of the year, Greenwich
Mean Time as I live within a few hundred yards of the meridian.

And if we don't get at least a hundred people joining in (that's only a
rough 10% of the list membership), I shall be very very annoyed.

BTW, only one person has registered a no-poll vote.  I hope you'll just
ignore the rest of us and make liberal use of the "delete" key.  Or change
your mind and join in.

Ian
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