I've thought about this quite a bit. Well, it's not all my doing, I've had help from some long term FML subscribers. But I really do think I now know how we can help Mary and Eric and Modern Ferret. And it gets even better -- it's a solution so simple that it checks itself. Let's back up a bit. As we know, there has been a flurry of posts about Modern Ferret (MF). It all started because someone innocently questioned if MF was still around since there has been no communication from the magazine lately. In my opinion, most of the responses to the question were quite civil and I'm proud of this. Only a few were "unpostable" and even those were very borderline. Some people have questioned the motives behind some posts and I'm listening, but I think it may no longer be relevant. The main difficulty I'm seeing is an unusual conflict: MOST of us seem to love Mary and Eric but SOME of us question their business decisions. This conflict is difficult because many of us seem to have difficulty separating the magazine business from the wonderful couple running it. I'm not here to judge their business decisions. People have legitimate concerns and they have every right to post these concerns. People also have every right to defend MF and many of you have done this. (I do, however, personally vouch for Mary and Eric -- their intentions are the best in my observation.) It's gone full circle now. Only one post today contained any new information and that was from someone who was so upset she was considering unsubscribing. The fact is that Mary and Eric are battling tremendous problems. Some of you may accept that and patiently wait. Some of you want to help. Some of you want to cancel your subscriptions. Do what feels right in your heart. In a way, they are all the correct responses. But your points have all been made. So how can we best help Mary and Eric? Simple. Let THEM ask for help IF they want it. Their lives are very full right now. They are battling horrendous health problems and are already going giving out 100%. Trying to start an organized collection effort, no matter how well intentioned, might just be more than they can handle right now. We don't know -- but they do. Please, now that all the opinions have been offered, let's drop it. All the posts received today about this subject are being held. If you feel you need to make a point that hasn't been made please let me know and I'll reread your post. Otherwise, please let Mary and Eric decide what is best for them. Even if we disagree, even if they are wrong, it's THEIR decision to make, not ours. They have done so much for the ferret community already -- let's work for peace. Let's understand their needs and let them work it out. If they need our help, we are here. I think they are too overwhelmed to deal with it right now. But they need to heal themselves first, and then need to heal the magazine. By bombarding them with "help", we are not helping. By the way, Mary has unsubscribed from the FML. With all that is going on in their lives, it's probably too much for her to deal with. This may be for the best, or may not be, but it is her decision to make, not ours. Thank you all for your support and comments. We're an amazing bunch. Bill [Posted in FML issue 3741]