First off, I'd like to thank Janice for being the whip that keeps me meeting my obligations to DUFF. Every now and then I get an email asking me, very nicely, if it isn't time to get this or that happening? My co-administrator is a gracious, friendly, fun, intelligent, patient and perceptive human being who also looks great in black slacks. [JG: I didn't pay him to say that, honest!]
This year's race is one of which I'm particularly proud. Guys have won the Australian end of DUFF for ages. It's great to finally get an entirely female race. When I became administrator one of the things I most wanted to do was redress the gender balance. Both candidates this time--Susan Batho and Cathy Cupitt--are worthy folk and please, even if you don't know much about them, give one of them a go or, if you don't, at least send DUFF a donation.
Ballots are available in PDF or HTML. (We recommend PDF for
printing.)
The deadline for submitting ballots is Sunday, April 30, 2000.
America is this enormous, bewildering, information dense movie set that the rest of the World visits every now and then. But it's the Big Apple that impressed me most. The place where that other rugged Australian, Rod Taylor, picked up a young and clipsome Jane Fonda in "Sunday In New York". Noo Yawk has an energy unlike any place I've ever been. Remember when Bruce Willis' taxi pulls out of the garage the first time in "The Fifth Element" and suddenly there's that three dimensional kinetic maze of skyscrapers and layered flying car traffic? New York really is like that, only shorter. All the time I walked the streets of Manhattan - 120 blocks on one singularly hot and humid day - Curtis Mayfield's "Pusher Man" was running as my intra-cranial soundtrack. I saw the park benches in Central Park where George Peppard and Buddy Ebsen met in "Breakfast at Tiffany's", the Navy Fountain where Campbell Scott got stung in "The Spanish Prisoner", Times Square, Riverside Park, Sardi's, Broadway... I was on the island where they invented the concept of the restaurant! I even went to the top of the Empire State Building where Cary Grant waited for Deborah Kerr in "An Affair To Remember" and the Eighth Wonder of the World took Fay Wray sightseeing. From there I could see the Chrysler Building where "Q, The Winged Serpent" built its nest. Doesn't get any better than that.
Terry's Favourite American Foods: Soft shelled crabs at Inner Harbour, Baltimore, All You Can Eat Clam Night at Clifford's in Seattle (with a supernacular Alaskan summer ale) and dried beef sticks with hot sauce from a corner grocery around the corner from Terry Garey and Denny Lien's place in Minneapolis.
Terry's Most Surprising Cultural Differences: The fact that American women, and one or two guys, found my accent sexy; Australian theme restaurants with nothing Australian about them and the Anoka County Wave Pool in Anoka County Minnesota.
Janice's Favo(u)rite Australian Foods: ANZAC biscuits, meat pies. (Least favourite: pizzerias whose plain pizzas included *surprise* ham!)
Janice's Most Surprising Cultural Differences: Practically honor payments on the trams, the overwhelming acceptance of non-married couples ("partners") with children, half-flush/full-flush buttons on toilets, on/off switches on power outlets.
Received from the previous administrator $ 10,000
Fanzine sale from rich brown 135
Rivercon auction (Pat and Roger Sims) 239
SCIFI donation (Elayne Pelz) 21
NASFIC auction (Milt Stevens) 36
Loscon auction 66.50
Sale of item from Aileen Forman 100
Sale of fanzines at SMOFcon 60
Interest through Jan 31, 2000 161.45
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TOTAL $ 10,818.95
Airfare to Australia 1,300.00
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$ 9,518.95
Cost of transportation in Australia 240.00
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Current balance $ 9,278.95
Received from the previous administrator $ 2400
Auction at Swancon 1999 150
MSFC Coffee God Fund Raising 200
Misc. Fund Raising at Aussiecon 3 1850
Nomination fees, voting payments, and misc. 335
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TOTAL $ 4935
Travel expenses in Australia for `99 DUFF 400
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Current balance $ 4535
This newsletter brought to you by:
Australasia
Terry Frost
4/8 Walker Street
West Brunswick,
Victoria 3055, AUSTRALIA
Internet: hlector@netspace.net.au
North America
Janice Gelb
1070 Mercedes Avenue #2
Los Altos,
CA 94022 USA
Internet: j_gelb@yahoo.com