Every time I send a message since a couple of weeks or so ago, I get
a response as below, and have no idea whether my postings are making
it...

>X-Sieve: CMU Sieve 2.2
>Date:         Fri, 16 Jun 2006 22:24:10 -0400
>Reply-To: "L-Soft list server at Vanagon List (1.8d)"
><LISTSERV@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
>Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
>From: "L-Soft list server at Vanagon List (1.8d)"
><LISTSERV@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
>Subject:      [VANAGON] Your message to vanagon-request@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>X-PMX-Version: 5.2.0.264296, Antispam-Engine: 2.3.0.1,
>Antispam-Data: 2006.6.16.151433
>X-PerlMx-Spam: Gauge=IIIIIII, Probability=7%, Report='__HAS_MSGID 0,
>__LINES_OF_YELLING 0, __MIME_TEXT_ONLY 0, __SANE_MSGID 0'
>
>Fri, 16 Jun 2006 22:24:10
>
>Your message  to vanagon-request@GERRY.VANAGON.COM has been  forwarded to
>the "list owners" (the people who manage the vanagon list). If you wanted
>to reach a human being, you used the correct procedure and you can ignore
>the remainder of this  message. If you were trying to  send a command for
>the computer to execute, please read on.
>
>The  vanagon list  is managed  by  a ListServ  server. ListServ  commands
>should    always    be   sent    to    the    "ListServ"   address,    ie
>LISTSERV@GERRY.VANAGON.COM. ListServ never tries to process messages sent
>to the vanagon-request address; it simply forwards them to a human being,
>and acknowledges receipt with the present message.
>
>The "listname-request" convention originated on  the Internet a long time
>ago. At  the time, lists were  always managed manually, and  this address
>was defined as an alias for the  person(s) in charge of the mailing list.
>You would write to the  "listname-request" address to ask for information
>about the list, ask  to be added to the list,  make suggestions about the
>contents and policy, etc. Because this  address was always a human being,
>people  knew and  expected to  be  talking to  a  human being,  not to  a
>computer.  Unfortunately, some  recent  list  management packages  screen
>incoming  messages  to  the  "listname-request" address  and  attempt  to
>determine whether they are requests to  join or leave the list. They look
>for words such as "subscribe", "add",  "leave", "off", and so on. If they
>decide your message is  a request to join or leave  the list, they update
>the list automatically;  otherwise, they forward the message  to the list
>owners. Naturally, this means that if  you write to the list owners about
>someone else's  unsuccessful attempts to  leave the list, you  stand good
>chances of  being automatically removed  from the list, whereas  the list
>owners will never receive your message. No one really benefits from this.
>There is no  reliable mechanism to contact a human  being for assistance,
>and you can never  be sure whether your request will  be interpreted as a
>command or as a message to the list owners. This is why ListServ uses two
>separate addresses, one for the people in  charge of the list and one for
>the computer  that runs it.  This way you  always know what  will happen,
>especially if you are writing in a language other than English.
>
>In  any case,  if your  message was  a ListServ  command, you  should now
>resend it  to LISTSERV@GERRY.VANAGON.COM. The  list owners know  that you
>have  received this  message  and may  assume that  you  will resend  the
>command  on your  own. You  will find  instructions for  the most  common
>administrative requests below.
>
>+---------------------+
>|  TO LEAVE THE LIST  |
>+---------------------+
>
>Write to LISTSERV@GERRY.VANAGON.COM and, in the text of your message (not
>the subject line), write: SIGNOFF vanagon
>
>+--------------------+
>|  TO JOIN THE LIST  |
>+--------------------+
>
>Write to LISTSERV@GERRY.VANAGON.COM and, in the text of your message (not
>the subject line), write: SUBSCRIBE vanagon
>
>+------------------------+
>|  FOR MORE INFORMATION  |
>+------------------------+
>
>Write to LISTSERV@GERRY.VANAGON.COM and, in the text of your message (not
>the subject  line), write:  "HELP" or "INFO"  (without the  quotes). HELP
>will give you a  short help message and INFO a list  of the documents you
>can order.