Those of you on the Veg-Raw list here may have heard me as well as others
here mention the Natural Hygiene Many-to-Many discussion forum that
operates via snailmail in a newsletter-type format.

After 4 years as its Coordinator, I have recently decided to step down due
to other commitments, interests, and projects that I wish to devote more
time to. Bob Avery, a participant in the M2M since its inception, has
graciously agreed to step in and take over as the M2M's Coordinator. Bob
also being a participant here on Veg-Raw, I'm sure most of you will have
seen his devotion to the principles of natural hygiene demonstrated through
his postings, and I know Bob is going to be bringing a lot of energy and
enthusiasm to the role, which should bode well for the future.

As we speak, I am in the process of mailing off the latest issue of the M2M
(#28, the December 1996 installment) which will be in the mail either today
or tomorrow. That will complete my stint as Coordinator, and so...

...I hereby officially hand over the reins to Bob. Congratulations, Bob! :-)

We may debate issues vigorously here on Veg-Raw, but I think this should
reassure everyone we are indeed friends behind the scenes, even if we can
get a bit peeved at each other now and then for our differences of opinion.
:-) We have worked together on the changeover of the M2M Coordinatorship
now, though, for a couple of months, and the details have been worked out
well.

If those of you here on the list would like to see a sample issue ($5) or
subscribe to the M2M (currently $20 for 6 mos. or $40/year), you can
contact Bob via email at:

[log in to unmask]

Not to blatantly advertise here, but to give just a bit of information,
since some people will undoubtedly ask otherwise:

The way the M2M works is that participants in the M2M write letters about
their Hygienic experiences or other radical "natural" diets (we have two
committed instinctos on-board now), debate viewpoints, and offer support to
each other. Each issue the letters from everyone (up to 8 pages for each
person) are collated together (exactly as-is with no editing) into a 160-
to 180-page bimonthly installment. A copy is sent out to everyone and then
responses begin coming in again for the next issue to begin another cycle
of response. Right now there are about 35-40 active participants and
another 15-20 or so "Read-Only" subscribers. It's much like Veg-Raw with
several important exceptions:

- Because letters are written on paper instead of via immediate electronic
response and are lengthier, the forum is generally much more "thoughtful"
in feel with only a fraction of the flames that you see here on Veg-Raw.

- A wider variety of people are included, since a computer is not required,
and some people send in handwritten letters. (Sometimes the Coordinator may
choose to type them up to save space and cost or increase lebility.)
Therefore, we have for instance, a few people living off the land, or close
to the land, with no access to computers who write in, that you won't see
on-line. There are maybe 7 or 8 or so people here on Veg-Raw also active in
the N.H. M2M (myself, Bob Avery, Peter Nieft, Peter Brandt, Meredith
Westfall, Sandy LaBedz, Chet Day). We also have a former writer for the
ANHS national Health Science publication who can always be counted on to
defend the traditional line, and people like myself and Peter Brandt
willing to challenge it. We also have had a few successful long-term (10,
20, or 30-year) all-raw-foodsts or near-all-raw-foodists in the past and
present on-board. In general we have people who both succeed on the N.H.
plan, and those who are doing somewhat miserably, with lots of opinions as
to why, that make for very interesting and informative reading.

- I don't know what the male/female ratio is on Veg-Raw, but judging by the
postings, it seems to reflect the typical internet ratio dominated by
males. The last time I checked some months back, the M2M had close to a
50/50 ratio.

- You can curl up with the M2M over a number of evenings, and this relaxed
aspect tends to be reflected in the M2M itself via more friendly letters,
and often more extensively thought-out postings.

- The experience of the M2M is probably more coherent because you get to
read the whole thing at once rather than all chopped up like email
listgroups. If you like the anticipation of seeing what's going to happen
in the upcoming issue of the M2M in one big bite like a magazine, the M2M
should be your style.

- I think probably the best thing about the M2M, though, is that most of
the people are very frank and honest about admitting their problems. Many
people have joined to get answers from experienced natural hygienists, of
which we have a number. Everybody voices their opinion and there is plenty
of diversity of opinion, just like here, except more relaxed.

The main disadvantage would of course be that the cycle of response is not
immediate. And you have to deal with paper and snailmail and plan ahead to
get your letter in on time, and so forth. (Some people say the M2M at
160-180 pages (over 200 this time) is too much to wade through
sometimes--thoughs others like the wading just fine... :-) )

It's been a great 4 years at the helm of the M2M for me. I've learned a
lot, but it's now time to step down and have someone else step up on the
bridge. Congratulations to Bob Avery for his willingness to volunteer and
keep this unique type of forum going in the age of the internet. May the
M2M live long and prosper!

--Ward Nicholson <[log in to unmask]> Wichita, KS