Almost any thing discussed in Parkinson's can be found using the listserv. Every message posted to the list is archived in Notebooks which are simple to search by E-mail. All that it takes to find anything ever discussed in the PARKINSN (notice the spelling) database uses the following method. Send mail to: [log in to unmask] In the Subject: put anything or nothing at all(this isn't read by the machine) Enter the following information: //DBlook JOB Echo=No Database Search DD=Rules //Rules DD * select blue glasses in parkinsn index Don't put anything else in the message even your signature. Explanation: The word SELECT(caps just for emphasis) is a command that the listserv understands to tell it to look for the following words just before IN(caps again just for emphasis). In this test message, the words, blue glasses are what we want the machine to look for. The words, in parkinsn tell the listserv where to look for blue glasses, which is in the parkinsn database. The parkinsn database includes all the notebooks in which hold the Parkinson messages. Don't confuse the word Parkinson with the database name which is parkinsn. The word INDEX(caps again just for emphasis) is a command that tells the listserv to send you a list of messages that contain the words you specified. You will receive a message back from a listserv which will tell you the number of hits that resulted from your search. Below this, a list of messages will be given. The number in the first column is important. Each message will have a unique number. How do I get these messages? Enter the following information: //DBlook JOB Echo=No Database Search DD=Rules //Rules DD * select blue glasses in parkinsn index print all (THIS IS WHERE YOU ENTER THOSE UNIQUE NUMBERS THAT WERE IN THE FIRST COLUMN) Separate the numbers with a space. Example: print all 249 250 >From experience, some of the posts can be quite long and the listserve will restrict the number of lines it will send per request. If you limit each message request to 3 or 4 numbers, you should get all of the information for those 3 or 4 numbers. From a practical standpoint, if you save the the message to a text file, it is easy to edit the message numbers in the print all line without having to retype the whole schmaltz each time. Can I ask more than one question in the first message requesting a parkinsn database search? Yes. //DBlook JOB Echo=No Database Search DD=Rules //Rules DD * select blue glasses in parkinsn index select left foot dragging in parkinsn index In this example, another search would be made for left foot dragging and an index would be returned. Receive those messages the same way with the print all and then the unique message number. Remember, if you request more than 3 or 4 of those messages with one request, you may not receive them all. Also, when you receive the messages and wish to correspond by E-mail with the posters, the addresses may not be valid. In the last year and a half that I have been on the list, I have gone through 4 or 5 providers. There is a way using what you have learned about getting information from the parkinsn database to find a newer address. Enter the following information: //DBlook JOB Echo=No Database Search DD=Rules //Rules DD * select * in parkinsn where sender contains cottingham index >From the list of messages received that contain that match, pick the newest one and use the print all command in another message to get the newest address. If anyone finds one piece of information that they desparately needed, compiling this message was worth it. John Cottingham [log in to unmask] "God help us if we don't help one another"