I have received the following from Ward to post on the list.
Unfortunately, this will probably be the last we hear from Ward for a
while as he continues his hiatus from public forums.

>To those of you on the Veg-Raw list, I wanted to relay this second
>apology via Peter regarding the Bob Avery death hoax incident that I
>had a role in earlier this month. I know I already apologized once
>before, and that Peter has set a date for Doug's and my suspensions to
>expire. However, in talking with a few of the individuals afterwards
>who had been the most seriously affected emotionally by the event, I
>have realized my first apology did not acknowledge the extent to which
>some people were shocked and felt deceived and humiliated.
>So for those of you whom I don't know personally who may also have
>been just as deeply impacted, I want to say I now fully understand
>what I must have put you through. What pains me the most in having
>talked with the individuals I do know personally is the betrayal of
>trust they felt. For me, as much as the emotional shock people felt at
>Bob Avery's supposed death, this goes to the heart of the matter,
>because everything we do is built on trust, and it's something I put a
>high premium on myself, which is why it is all the more embarrassing.
>To have erred on such a fundamental point of human relationships in a
>misfired attempt at humor is something I can only ask your forgiveness
>for. Hopefully I can eventually live this one down, although I realize
>it will take some time.
>We all make mistakes, and I just hope that people can realize that
>that's what this was for me, even though it was truly a big whopper
>(may I be allowed a bit of repentant humor here? :-\ ) and something
>I've learned a lot from. Anyway, I plan for my next mistake to be in
>an area that won't have the potential for the kind of widespread
>personal consequences this one had. Take care everyone, and I will try

>to make sure I do as well.

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