/Ohio debate, worm chat and more

[Guest guest]

On Hulda vs. Ohio, I must say I'm delighted on three counts:

1) That so many of you are able to identify flukes as such. I've tried hard

on this list to clarify the difference between roundworms, tapes and flukes

due to variations in their treatment, and I'm thrilled that " fluke " is now as

much a household word here as " worm. "

2) That lively debates are emerging which are highly topic-specific, as was

usual in the Precambrian days of this list (when I joined exactly two years

ago). I believe this kind of in-depth discussion is what leads to real

knowledge.

3) That worms and flukes is such a " hot topic " on the eve of my proposed

" worm chat. "

However, I'm extremely disappointed that:

1) While so many people are involved in the Hulda/Ohio debate, only two

people bothered to answer me about scheduling this chat. If you have so much

to say, where were you when I needed you?

2) The Hulda/Ohio debate degenerated into a mudslinging contest.

I have personally benefited from both Ohio State and Hulda. , although I

also have some problems with both. But whoever thinks differently has the

right to say so. Without insulting anyone or being insulted.

I recall two years ago a debate on this list between two highly knowledgeable

parties: one, a proponent of a live-food vegan diet and the other of a

" caveman, " high meat diet. The debate went on for weeks while we all watched

and learned. I doubt that the caveman or the vegan had budged much from

their original positions by the end of the debate but they certainly

encouraged each other to share what they knew, and replied point by point, to

each other's posts, with no name-calling. This, I believe, was because they

genuinely cared about each other's health.

At that time, I would estimate the number of regular, posting members of this

list to have been under 30. Since then our numbers have swelled. This has

been a great boon as we have a vastly larger pool of knowledge to draw from.

However, it also means that the list has become EXTREMELY high volume, and,

as such, personal messages of any kind, including insults, must be

eliminated--if only for the reason that it is so time-consuming for the rest

of us to have to wade through them. Time and time again many of us have

brought up this point, and frankly, it galls me that at least one avid

mudslinger has consistently ignored our requests to establish parameters on

this list. (Do you even know who you are?)

Unlike any technology before it, the Internet is both a public and a private

medium. Please, all of you, THINK about this before you write. Every time

you generate--and thereby encourage--personal posts, you waste hundreds of

people's personal time.

Many of us suffer from parasites, candida, IBS, fibromyalgia, CFS, Lyme's

disease, even cancer or MS.. There are days or weeks when we have barely

enough energy to empty our garbage.. During these periods, time for us

becomes as precious a commodity as water in the desert. Please don't waste

it.

Therefore, I ask yet again: PLEASE DO NOT POST ANYTHING TO THIS LIST THAT

HAS NO CONTENT. This includes thank you's, how are you's, love you's and

f.u.'s. They may be important to you, but to most of us, they are not. Send

these messages privately.

So, all you die-hard fluke and worm watchers, please participate tomorrow

(Sunday) at 4 PM in the worm chat. But bury your hatchets before you do. If

this kind of infantile " flaming " persists, I will contact about the

need for more stringent moderation of this list. Fortunately at this time I

have enough energy to do so.

Best regards,

Robin G.