Dear Friends,

It has been a very painful past few weeks. Dealing with the loss of Bailey has been the single most difficult experience I have ever been through. Ever.

I cannot thank you enough for the numerous letters of support, messages of condolence, and kind thoughts. Quite frankly, I was completely caught off guard by just how many people took the time to write to me. In the eight years of running Jumpseatnews, I have never experienced this kind of overwhelming communication and support. I thank all of you deeply and sincerely from the bottom of my heart.

Now that several weeks have passed, I've had some time to gain perspective and reflect.  I want to address some concerns/issues/questions that have been raised:

1. First off, Jumpseatnews is not going to close. It will not be shut down or eliminated. Jumpseatnews will remain open and available as it has always has been.  This decision was based solely on the letters that I received. In other words, you made the decision to keep this website open and I am now convinced more than ever that there is still a place for it.
2. I am going to upgrade Jumpseatnews. Not tomorrow, not next month, but a plan is in the works. Upgrading this website, adding many new features/sections, etc., will be the sort of change I intend to breathe back into this resource center. Until then though, my #1 priority will be to make sure that the information on this website is current, accurate, and up-to-date.
3. Bailey's photo will not return to the home page. He is gone. And I do not want to pretend otherwise. However, I will establish a section where there will be expanded photos/videos of Bailey where he will always be remembered. But, I am not ready yet to build this area.  Once I finally am ready, I believe it will be a fitting tribute to our lost friend.
4. I owe many people an apology. I closed Jumpseatnews completely for three days. Had I known how many people would have been adversely affected (Unimatic access, Shoutbox support, news updates, briefing worksheets, etc.), I would have done things very differently. You must believe me when I tell you that I really didn't think Jumpseatnews was used as often as it was. I didn't have a clue on how important it was that this website remain available on a 24/7 basis. After reviewing your letters (your many letters) during the past week, I am crystal clear on this fact now.  And so, please accept my sincere apology for taking this website off-line for as long as I did.  Lesson learned. That will never happen again.

During the next several weeks from now, I will again shift focus back on updating this website with regularity and continuing to move Jumpseatnews forward. It will be slow going at first; I am still having a lot of trouble adjusting to this loss. However, I am strongly committed to keeping Jumpseatnews moving forward and growing better than ever as our "home base" and electronic campfire.

Finally, I again want to say a special thank you and deep appreciation to all of you who wrote to me. You have made all the difference.

Christopher Lee
Los Angeles
February 15, 2009