NATLE FYI

Good Morning and Happy Friday!

In case you missed Monday’s 4th Monday Zoom Series, “Do More with Less: Strategies, Tactics, and Winning Ideas All TLAs Can Use”, it was recorded.  This interactive idea-sharing hour contained tips on useful apps and ways to make them work for you.  Several discussion-generating polls drew out the best examples from the 25 participants.  Thanks, again, to Barbara Jorden for facilitating!

The partial packet for the July 20 Membership Business Meeting was distributed last week.  A full packet with the latest financials, FY26 budget, and potential ByLaw amendments, will be sent closer to the date.  If you haven’t yet registered for the NATLE Annual Meeting in San Francisco, now’s the time!  It’s only three weeks away.  The room block is in AAJ’s “bucket” and when it fills up I have no leverage to finagle a last-minute reservation.

Save the date, November 8-10, for NATLE’s Governmental Affairs Conference in Kansas City, MO.  Registration is open and the confirmation contains a link to make hotel arrangements at The Fontaine.  Subjects include: making new friends with non-traditional coalition partners, fighting back against the mega campaigns (insurance, utilities, Uber, Bayer), and supporting your members (and their clients) as they give legislative testimony.  Please share the registration information with your TLA’s volunteer leadership so they can plan to attend and learn from the program first-hand while they network with their counterparts.

We have one (maybe two) ticket available for the Wine Tour Through Napa on July 18.  Let me know if you'd like to claim it.

That’s the NATLE Weekly Wrap.  Have a great weekend!

P.S. In case you’re still here…Humor me as I confess another guilty pleasure.  Like watching Netflix’s Formula 1: Drive to Survive, I’m enjoying Season 2 of America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.  Gymnasts, and acrobats in general, have always held my fascination.  Frankly, flexibility has, so far, been a far-off, unattainable skill for me.  I could blame genetics or maybe my dad, the doctor, who said “no” to my getting into gymnastics in grade school.  Though, he also closed the door to tap dancing lessons…because of “the noise”.  Shrink time – come to think of it, I must have internalized that negativity as I, from then on, passed on all after-school sports.  Except for alpine skiing.  He couldn’t say no to that since we skied as a family and I wasn’t half bad.  Anyway, going into Season 1, I expected the beautiful and bubbly.  The unexpected was learning about some of the dancers’ other highly-skilled careers.  Shame on me for pre-judging, but at the time, I didn’t know they were paid barely more than babysitters.  They can now earn up to $75/hr, but back to why I watch.  I come away from each episode walking a little taller, as if I’ve mastered some of their high kicks and splits through the airwaves.  You can understand why it’s a good idea that I didn’t get into my car right after watching Formula 1.  That surely would have been a formula for a speeding ticket!

Good Morning and Happy Friday!

The partial packet for the July 20 Membership Business Meeting will be distributed later today.  A full packet with the latest financials, FY26 budget, and potential ByLaw amendments, will be sent closer to the date.  If you haven’t yet registered for the NATLE Annual Meeting in San Francisco, now’s the time!  We are four weeks out.  The room block is in AAJ’s “bucket” and when it fills up I have no leverage to finagle a last-minute reservation.

While you’re looking at your calendar, save the date, November 8-10, for NATLE’s Governmental Affairs Conference in Kansas City, MO.  Registration is open and the confirmation contains a link to make hotel arrangements at The Fontaine.  The Planning Committee met this week to come up with a fabulous list of timely topics and a program will be distributed once we have the itinerary figured out.  Share the registration information with your TLA’s volunteer leadership so they plan to attend and learn from the program first-hand while they network with their counterparts.

Don’t miss our next 4th Monday Zoom Series this coming Monday, June 23 at 2pmET, “Do More with Less: Strategies, Tactics, and Winning Ideas All TLAs Can Use”.  Regardless of staff or budget size, all TLAs face the same challenge these days—getting more done with less.  It will be an interactive idea-sharing hour with tips on where to save money and do more with limited resources, be it funds, staff, or volunteers.  Register for June 23 at 2pmET and come prepared to share and learn!

That’s the NATLE Weekly Wrap.  Have a great weekend!

P.S. In case you’re still here…I thank my lucky stars every day that I live in a relatively “blue” bubble here in Vermont.  We treasure – and our small businesses survive in-part because of – our neighbors north of the border.  In a gracious metaphor of an extended hand of friendship, Vermont’s biggest city, Burlington, has renamed its main pedestrian street in the heart of its shopping and dining district to “Rue de Canada” (that’s “Canada Street” for those who opted for Spanish in high school. :-) )

P.P.S. Summer officially arrives tomorrow and while Vermont may be blue politically, we’ll be red hot next week with temps in the 90s.  Ben & Jerry’s anyone?!

Good Morning and Happy Friday!

Don’t miss our next 4th Monday Zoom Series on June 23 at 2pmET, “Do More with Less: Strategies, Tactics, and Winning Ideas All TLAs Can Use”.  Regardless of staff or budget size, all TLAs face the same challenge these days—getting more done with less.  It will be an interactive idea-sharing hour with tips on where to save money and do more with limited resources, be it funds, staff, or volunteers.  Register for June 23 at 2pmET and come prepared to share and learn.  All members welcome.

Save the date, November 8-10, for NATLE’s Governmental Affairs Conference in Kansas City, MO.  Registration is open and the confirmation contains a link to make hotel arrangements at The Fontaine.  The Planning Committee met this week and came up with a fabulous list of timely topics and a program will be distributed once we have the itinerary figured out.

That’s the NATLE Weekly Wrap.  Have a great weekend!

P.S. In case you’re still here…My hiking trip, Part II.  On Day 2 of our hiking, the longest day, a sign near the trailhead warned that it was an “active bear area”.  That fired up our “bear”-DAR and I took up my post at the rear of our threesome to watch our six.  It wasn’t two minutes after passing that sign that we treed something that, in our now hyper-aware brains, seemed enormous…at least grizzly bear size.  As with most wild critters, we couldn’t pick out anything in the canopy, so we tiptoed ahead.  I blame too many YouTube videos of hikers being stalked by mountain lions, but my head was on a swivel while Sara (trailname, Scout, since she was always in the lead) clapped and whistled like a high school soccer coach as we approached every curve in the trail.  There was no shortage of non-carnivorous wildlife.  Together with Amy (trailname, ‘ennessey or N.S.E., for Newt Spotter Extraordinaire), we counted 16 red-spotted newts (so cute), two centipedes (not so cute), one millipede (definitely gross), as well as tons of deer and woodchucks, but zero bears or mountain lions.  The prize that I’d hoped for was the Mountain Laurel.  Thankfully, it was in full bloom and created sheer pale pink walls on both sides of the trails, punctuated every so often with purple rhododendrons.  As a bonus, I added the Eastern Bluebird to my life list.

P.P.S. Get your superstition fix today…it’s the only Friday the 13th this year.

Good Morning and Happy Friday!

“BIG thanks to the Working Group that put together the 2024 CEO Compensation Study.  I know we've done similar things in the past, but this one is super well-organized, in-depth, and user-friendly.”  We are on track to conduct this survey every few years and I’m hoping the glow of these kudos stays bright and will prompt even more participation in the next round.  I’m a true believer that there’s always room for improvement and I’ve received a few suggestions for questions/crosstabs to include in the next round, so feel free to forward any ideas as they come to mind.  The CEO Compensation Survey results deck was missing a few practical crosstabs – total compensation by budget, staff size, and membership size – so I crunched the anonymized data and distributed the new pages to the executive directors who participated in the original survey late in 2024.  Also, The Spark Mill is looking into the feasibility of pre-populating the next survey with the previous responses so we’re not starting from a blank slate.  I’ll keep you posted.

Please register for our next 4th Monday Zoom Series on June 23 at 2pmET, “Do More with Less: Strategies, Tactics, and Winning Ideas All TLAs Can Use”.  Regardless of staff or budget size all TLAs face the same challenge these days—getting more done with less.  Small staff TLAs know this all too well as they work to deliver high-quality programs and services despite limited staff and finances.  It will be an interactive, idea-sharing hour with tips on where to save money and do more with less, be it funds, staff, or volunteers.  Join us for this discussion of great ideas and best practices that work no matter the size of your TLA or budget.  Save the date, register for June 23 at 2pmET and come prepared to share and learn!

That’s the NATLE Weekly Wrap.  Have a great weekend!

P.S. In case you’re still here…My hiking trip last week, Part I.  We were in the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia with rain every day, but mostly in the afternoons.  We hiked three out of the four days and covered a total of 25 miles.  The scenery was amazing and most of the time we were on a ridge that gave us views of the valley on both sides.  I’m a bit of a geology geek, or more of a wannabe, and the rock formations from the long-ago collision of tectonic plates were awesome.  We didn’t hike the whole time.  No, we also sampled a few wineries, took in the New Market Civil War Museum and battlefield, and trooped through the magnificent limestone Luray Caverns.  On our last day, we were enjoying a flight by the firepit at Marceline Vineyards while a musician set up his mic, guitar, and speakers under a tent.  We knew there were storms in the areas, even tornado warnings, but we had blue skies overhead.  The musician favored obscure bands from the 70s, but most songs were recognizable to this GenXer.  Out of nowhere the wind picked up and the rain came down in giant, sloppy drops.  We made a quick dash for the car just before the downpour could soak us through and kept a wary eye on the horizon for funnel clouds.  None spotted, thank goodness.  To be continued…

P.P.S. I had one of those dreams where I’m late for a conference.  I’m “racing” to the front of the crowded room to get the program started, but it’s like I’m in a pool up to my chest and speed is not an option.  I still have occasional dreams where I’m back in high school and haven’t studied for a test or done the homework.  I have no idea what my heart is doing during these dreams, but I wake up with every muscle buzzing and feeling like I’ve been in a straight jacket.  Hmm, maybe my weighted blanket is the culprit.

Good Morning and Happy Friday!

**I will be away from NATLE “HQ” next week beginning with Memorial Day.  Two friends and I will fly to Dulles on Monday and rent a car to take us into the Shenandoah National Park.  These friends have warned me that I’m allowed to have my phone, but under no circumstances can I bring the laptop.  I don’t have the easiest version of Outlook, but I’ve set up an OOO “rule” that I hope will work.**

The CEO Compensation Survey results deck has been distributed to the participating executive directors.  Feedback may result in a few additional slides with additional crosstabs.  The Spark Mill has the request and I’ll forward the supplemental slides ASAP.  Thank you to the Working Group (Tiffany, Karen, VC and Shannon) for their time to rework the survey to get at the most helpful and relevant information.  If you have suggestions for the next round of questions and/or crosstabs, please submit them as they come to mind.  (For ease of comparison, all responses were requested to be in USD.)

An announcement was distributed yesterday with information about June’s 4th Monday Zoom Series presentation.  “Do More with Less: Strategies, Tactics, and Winning Ideas All TLAs Can Use” will be an interactive idea-sharing hour with tips on where to save money and do more with less, be it funds, staff, or volunteers.  Regardless of staff or budget size all TLAs face the same challenge these days—getting more done with less. Small staff TLAs know this all too well as they work to deliver high-quality programs and services for their members despite limited staff and finances. Out of necessity they use a variety of strategies and tactics to increase productivity, get work done efficiently, and stretch their budgets. Join us for this discussion of great ideas and best practices that work no matter the size of your TLA or budget.  Save the date and register for June 23 at 2pmET and come prepared to share and learn!

That’s the NATLE Weekly Wrap.  Have a great weekend!

P.S. In case you’re still here…Does anyone else clean before leaving town for at least a few days?  Yes, I’ll be away next week and before I take a trip, I clean.  I tackled the kitchen sink yesterday and this weekend it’ll be the bathrooms.  One of my bugaboos, frankly, is being judged by my tidiness, or lack thereof.  If something happens to me and I don’t make it back, I don’t want to leave my friends with anything other than happy memories.  I have no doubt this tendency has been exacerbated by the nearly two years it took to pack up and move my dad’s accumulated “stuff”.  The attic alone seemed to be the catch-all for anything he couldn’t use right away.  From 60-year-old med school textbooks, auto insurance statements from cars he hadn’t owned in decades, to a box of Moon Pies the mice didn’t even dare touch.  I don’t have the clutter, but I also don’t break out the Swiffer at the first sign of a dust bunny.  I can’t be the only one.

Good Morning and Happy Friday!

**I will be away from NATLE “HQ” the week of Memorial Day.  I’ll be hiking parts of the Appalachian Trail…actually hiking, though, not dropping off the grid like SC’s guv back in 2009.  Two friends and I will fly to Dulles on Monday and rent a car to take us into the Shenandoah National Park.  They’ve warned me that I’m allowed to have my phone, but under no circumstances can I bring the laptop.  I don’t have the easiest version of Outlook, but I’ve set up an OOO “rule” that I hope will work.**

The Spark Mill has the suggestions and corrections from the CEO Compensation Survey Working Group, so we should be able to distribute the deck to the participating executive directors by this afternoon or early next week at the latest.

We will not have a 4th Monday Zoom Series presentation this month, but stay tuned for information about June’s topic.  It will be an interactive idea-sharing hour with tips on where to save money and do more with less, be it funds, staff, or volunteers.  A Working Group met yesterday to brainstorm the program and will kick-off the discussion with their own favorite short-cuts and “no cost” ideas.  NATLE’s member TLAs represent the full range of staff sizes and budgets, but nuggets and gems can come from anywhere along that spectrum.  Save the date of June 23 at 2pmET and come prepared to share and learn!

That’s the NATLE Weekly Wrap.  Have a great weekend!

P.S. In case you’re still here…I like chapters, but I don’t mean the DAR.  I like my books to have chapters.  Not only do they make for convenient stopping points, but they give the author a way to transition to another character or zip ahead in the timeline.  I finished Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None on Sunday afternoon and waddled upstairs to pick out my next book.  I randomly pulled down Herman Hesse’s Steppenwolf recognizing nothing other than the title, and thought, “Ooh good, a cerebral adventure and translations are not my usual go-to genre.”  I got through the preface where the “Editor” sets the stage with a description of the protagonist before leaving us to continue on with his memoir.  I gave it the ol’ college try – 35 pages – and it was like reading a super boring diary by someone who needs to write down every move and mood in his day.  I flipped ahead to see how many pages to the next chapter when, to my horror, it was endless.  No chapters and, skimming the text, it was just more tedious meditations.  I’m no glutton, so I’ll donate that book to the mini driveway library in my neighborhood – I’m sure it’ll appeal to someone.  I had been using Stephen Ambrose’s Citizen Soldiers because it was the right thickness for my nightly PT “T turns” and decided to give it a go.  It’s about the storming of Normandy in WWII and it’s roughly broken out by months.  Not exactly a lighter subject, but the chapters help me set the pace.

P.P.S. It’s true what they say about expired medicine.  My allergies came in hot this week and in a desperate move, I took a Benedryl from a box I found buried deep in the stash under the sink.  The expiration date was 2010 – I know, I said I was desperate.  Predictably, I had a miserable night with barely a wink of sleep.  Last night, I stopped at the store to refresh the supply with a new box and, hoo boy, what a difference.  My ears are still plugged and I sound a bit hoarse, but I can breathe again.  Hallelujah.

Good Morning and Happy Friday!

The Spark Mill has the suggestions and corrections from the CEO Compensation Survey Working Group, so we should be able to distribute the deck to the participating executive directors by early next week.

We have secured a major sponsor for the wine country tour through Napa (Friday, July 18).  Ashley Rochestie from Morgan & Morgan will join us for the tour and is looking forward to meeting the TLA movers and shakers for fine wine, a hosted picnic (details in the works), and visits to a few vineyards.  If you will be arriving in time to leave the hotel by mid-morning and interested in going, we need to know ASAP.  We have two seats left on the bus and will start a waitlist.  Send me an email with the number of tickets to reserve and I’ll keep you posted as the plan evolves.  (NB, this is not the Social Event – that will be Sunday evening and details are TBA.)

The number of registrations for the NATLE Annual Meeting (July 19-21) is ahead of past trends, so we expect a great turnout.  We’ll always have room for one more, but the more crucial piece is the room block which tends to sell out earlier than seems predictable.  Registering with AAJ (it’s free) will produce a confirmation notice with the link to reserve a room.  Don’t wait on this step!  The program has been designed for all TLAs, from small TLAs with no staff to large TLAs with staff members in charge of whole departments.  NATLE registration is open and TLA Presidents (at the time of the conference) can register for the AAJ conference at 50% off with a promo code.

That’s the NATLE Weekly Wrap.  Have a great weekend!

P.S. In case you’re still here…Look, up in the sky!  It’s a bird…it’s a plane, it’s Superman…no, it’s space junk!  Wear your hard hat this weekend as we expect a 50-year-old Soviet-era space probe to plunge back to Earth.  It looks like a giant marshmallow, but don’t be deceived.  This Venus-bound failure weighs half a ton and if it fell into your firepit, you wouldn’t bother fishing it out.  In fact, if it lands that close to your house, I’m afraid a lost marshmallow in the firepit would be the least of your troubles.  Vermont’s weather this weekend may not give me an opportunity to get out of its way, so if I end up as a speck of dust at the bottom of a crater, you’ll know it was quick and I didn’t see it coming.

P.P.S. I heard my neighbor’s lawnmower yesterday and that was all the motivation I needed to give my front yard its inaugural Spring trim.  (At least it will be a tidy spot for a crater.)

Good Morning and Happy Friday!

The deadline for submitting nominees to the NATLE Board is EOD today.  If you know of someone who may be considering a move to run for a Board position, please get their permission first and fill out the wufoo nomination form.

The Spark Mill has compiled the CEO Compensation Survey results into a draft slide deck that is now in the hands of the Survey’s Working Group.  As soon as they’ve reviewed and indicated any suggestions/corrections, we will distribute to the participating executive directors.

The number of registrations for the NATLE Annual Meeting (July 19-21) is ahead of past trends, so we expect a great turnout.  We’ll always have room for one more, but the more crucial piece is the room block which tends to sell out earlier than seems predictable.  Registering with AAJ (it’s free) will generate a confirmation notice with the link to reserve a room.  Don’t wait on this step!  The program has been designed for all TLAs, from small TLAs with no staff to large TLAs with staff members in charge of whole departments.  NATLE registration is open and TLA Presidents (at the time of the conference) can register for the AAJ conference at 50% off with a promo code.

The wine country tour through Napa (Friday, July 18) is taking shape and we have lined up the first winery, Alpha Omega!  We’ll ultimately have an itinerary with 2-3 vineyards and lunch.  We met with a potential sponsor on Monday, so once we receive their commitment we’ll be able to set the ticket price in the next few weeks.  We have two seats left on the bus and will start a waitlist.  If you will be arriving in time to leave the hotel by mid-morning and interested in going, we need to know ASAP.  Send me an email with the number of tickets to reserve and I’ll keep you posted as the plan evolves.  (NB, this is not the Social Event – that will be Sunday evening and details are TBA.)

That’s the NATLE Weekly Wrap.  Have a great weekend!

P.S. In case you’re still here…It’s budget development time again at NATLE HQ.  I actually enjoy working on it, but it takes me a while to get motivated.  There are so many bits ‘n pieces to collect (ie. past year’s files to open) to bring all of the variables together in one spreadsheet.  I think of it as a puzzle that, when solved, is a complete picture.  I balance my personal checkbook every month and I’m always so gratified when 99.44% of the time there’s an exact match with the statement.  It makes me thankful I inherited my mom’s organizational skills.

P.P.S. It’s Sauvignon Blanc Day.  My wine intake has slowed dramatically since the height of the pandemic, but I still enjoy a glass when I’m out at a restaurant with friends.  It’s also National No Pants Day, but I’m sticking with SB Day, myself.

Good Morning and Happy Friday!

The Spark Mill has compiled the CEO Compensation Survey results into a draft slide deck that is now in the hands of the Survey’s Working Group.  Once they’ve reviewed and indicated any suggestions or corrections, we will distribute to the participating executive directors.

The Early Bird registration rate for the NATLE Annual Meeting (July 19-21) ends TODAY!  The program includes topics for everyone on your staff – membership, non-profit compliance, board management, graphic design & marketing, leadership academies, dealing with rogue vendors, and a TrialSmith / MemberCentral Update.  NATLE registration is open and TLA Presidents (at the time of the conference) can register for the AAJ conference at 50% off with a promo code.

Can you help us pull together some of the opportunities to consider when working with your Boards?  A session during the Annual Meeting covers Boards: Obstacles & Opportunities and we’re seeking examples.  Have you devised immediate steps to turn a bad/tense situation around or new processes that prevent future challenges?  Have you tried a Board self-evaluation or implemented position descriptions?  Did they correlate with good outcomes, ie. membership or financial?  Or worked on board culture and created a list of board member expectations?  We’re looking for best practices, and periodic and measurable metrics.  Forward your ideas to be compiled for the discussion on Monday, July 21!

There are TWO seats left in the bus for the wine country tour through Napa on Friday, July 18, and I’ll start a wait list!  Our local, California Posse, is working their contacts to put together the itinerary with 2-3 vineyards and lunch.  We are also reaching out to potential sponsors so that we can minimize the ticket price.  If you will be arriving in time to leave the hotel by mid-morning and interested in going, we need to know ASAP.  Send me an email with the number of tickets to reserve and I’ll keep you posted as the plan evolves.  (NB, this is not the Social Event – that will be Sunday evening and details are TBA.)

That’s the NATLE Weekly Wrap.  Have a great weekend!

P.S. In case you’re still here…“Made in Vietnam”?  Uh oh.  I didn’t want to pay an extra 46% to cover the tariff – or whatever % it was going to be on any given day.  I hadn’t read the fine print when I hit on the 5-piece rattan patio set for my deck, but that ended up as the least of the issues.  Up until yesterday, I’d been receiving calls from Lowes Customer Care – yah, the corporate department – every other morning.  Late last week, after I unpacked the box and found only enough pieces for the ottomans and side table, but no hardware or instructions, I called my local store to track down the rest of it.  Spending 20+ minutes on hold pushed my buttons, so I called HQ.  It took a week to find the second box, but it’s here, unpacked, and ready to assemble.  Just in time for a rainy weekend.

P.P.S. Isn’t it enough that I know what a “3rd and 9” means?  Do I really need to know the difference between a tight end and a wide receiver?  Who cares?  If you were glued to the tube watching the NFL draft this week, I hope your team got its pick.

Good Morning and Happy Friday!

The AAJ Council of Presidents meetings are held roughly once a month and all EDs are notified of the schedule with a link to register.  They run an hour and are a great way to learn about the boots-on-the-ground climate in DC, the federal legislative agenda, and discussions on timely topics, like initiatives re “statements”.  Always on the agenda is an opportunity for your leadership (or you) to chime in with any issues happening in your state**.

The session profiles are coming out in the e-blasts as the speakers are confirmed for the NATLE Annual Meeting (July 19-21).  The program  is designed with topics for everyone on the TLA staff!  NATLE registration is open and TLA Presidents (at the time of the conference) can register for the AAJ conference at 50% off with a promo code.

Congratulations to the Townsend Scholarship awardees, Deborah Neary (Nebraska Assoc of Trial Attys) and Karen St. Aubin (TLA of British Columbia).  We received five applications from well-qualified, all very deserving members and it was a tough decision by the Scholarship Committee – enough so that they requested permission from the NATLE Board to award two scholarships.  Thank you to all who applied and we encourage you to submit again in the future.

There are five seats left in the bus for the wine country tour through Napa on Friday, July 18.  Our local, California Posse, is working their contacts to put together the itinerary with 2-3 vineyards and lunch.  We are also reaching out to potential sponsors so that we can minimize the ticket price.  If you will be arriving in time to leave the hotel by mid-morning and interested in going, we need to know ASAP.  Send me an email with the number of tickets to reserve and I’ll keep you posted as the plan evolves.  (NB, this is not the Social Event – that will be Sunday evening and details are TBA.)

That’s the NATLE Weekly Wrap.  Have a great weekend!

P.S. In case you’re still here…It’s the kind of weather when I consider switching the flannel sheets out for the percale as I lie there and roast in my flannel pajamas and look longingly at my motionless ceiling fan.  It’s too early for that and I should instead be turning down the heat as a first step.  Contemplating PJs makes me remember the days when I used to wear the one-piece, zip-up-the-front fleece jammies with built-in booties.  We’re going back multiple decades, you realize.  Those PJs were a source of entertainment all on their own.  I’d crawl under the sheets and swish my legs around to make the staticky sparks.  (I was an only child…I had to make my own fun.)  It’s a wonder my parents didn’t check on me one morning and find only a little grease stain in the middle of charred sheets.  I don’t court death that way anymore.  If I’m going to combust, it’ll be spontaneously and happen somewhere I’d call a “happy place”, like a tropical island.

P.P.S. Now there might be life on a planet that’s over a hundred light years from Earth?  Somehow, they detected a gas that might indicate that we are not alone.  I just hope we don’t spend too much money tracking down E.T. only to find out he simply partied hard and drank his PBRs too fast.

**I’m saying “state” since I’m not aware if the provinces participate.