Dear PBSers, Recently the PBS officers and board had a long teleconference where we discussed a number of outstanding efforts. One topic of continuing concern has been the subject of commercial activity on the elist. PBS gets a very good deal on its web activities from this online list to the wiki thanks to the kindness of ibiblio. You might check out our host's web site for a range of interesting topics http://www.ibiblio.org/ We are able to get their services by keeping all commerce and business off the elist and keep to our educational goal and basics. Our BX/SX is able to operate due to the fact that all materials are donated and actual business is conducted by private email with the BX/SX Director, Dell Sherk. We also allow commercial members to announce occasional news by directing readers to other web sites. We especially disdain from specifics of dollars and cents. But as the online list grows and times change, we see a need for a commercial outlet. Ellen Hornig, the proprietor of the recently closed 'Seneca Hill Perennials' has come to the rescue. With Ellen's willingness to become ringmaster and the board's approval, I am very pleased to announce a new PBS benefit: The PBS Market Place. The PBS Market Place is a web site for members to buy, sell or trade seeds, bulbs, pollen of bulbous plants. Take a look at http://senecahillperennials.com/index.php/… This is owned and operated by Ellen and she will make day to day decisions and operations. Alll activity must be conducted through this web site or by private emails. We hope this will totally restrict commercial activity from our ibiblio web activities. This is a six(6) month trial. At the end of six months, we will assess its success. It is extremely important to the viability of PBS that sales and trades do not reduce BX/SX donations or income. If the site become too big, too active or basically too much work for Ellen we will also determine its long term fate. So we encourage members of the elist, members of PBS and general bulb-lovers to try out the site. Ellen has suggested and I certainly agree that it would be very nice for sellers to donate 10% of their proceeds to PBS, but this is a voluntary contribution. Since this is a new effort, we assume some aspects of the service may change and details revised as the activity grows. If you have suggestions for its operation, please contact Ellen or me. So don't all flood Ellen immediately, but let's get some new activity going. We ask that all participants keep all activity to the PBS Market Place and DO NOT make commercial announcements on this elist. Ellen or PBS will make announcements as we see the need. We hope you appreciate and use the new PBS Market Place. Please send all compliments and complaints to Ellen, who will share, or direct to me. Big thanks to Ellen for volunteering and taking on this new member service. Good wishes and good luck. Enjoy. Jim W. -- Dr. James W. Waddick 8871 NW Brostrom Rd. Kansas City Missouri 64152-2711 USA Ph. 816-746-1949 Zone 5 Record low -23F Summer 100F +