-Caveat Lector- SkeptiNews 990701b - - - - - - - - - - - All The News That's Fit To Question : Passages starting with ':' are editorial comments to provoke discussion. : Nothing contained herein is ever endorsed for truth, accuracy or meaning. : No Scientologists were deprogrammed during production of this bulletin. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ # Religion trumps porn in Web popularity. (IDG) Overcome by its fascination with pornography's presence of the Web, the press has overlooked the skin trade's leading contender: online religion. On AltaVista, a search on the word "porn" produced 4,794,806 Web page hits, while a search on the word "God" produced 6,396,150 hits. Could it be that the scales have tipped to the bright side? http://cnn.com/TECH/computing/9906/30/religion.idg/ # Pat Robertson's Net Adventure derailed: http://idg.net/go.cgi?id=137773 # Jesse slams Valley discrimination: http://www.idg.net/go.cgi?id=137774 # HateFilter blocks racist Websites: http://www.idg.net/go.cgi?id=137776 # Porn cases spark surveillance debate: http://www.idg.net/go.cgi?id=137777 : Do you prefer religion, sex, drugs, rock'n'roll, implant stimulation, the torture of small fuzzy animals, daytime television, hamburgers, vacuum, me? _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ # Scientology loses Swiss appeal. LAUSANNE (AP) Switzerland's supreme court threw out an appeal by the Church of Scientology, upholding a law aimed at keeping people from being "dishonestly" accosted on the street. The court ruled that the Basel law involved an intervention in religious freedom but did not infringe it. But the judges questioned whether the law, which was prompted by efforts to curb Scientology, could be enforced and said a blanket ban on recruitment in public places would be inadmissible. See http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2560128008-5ba : Is any group that claims to be a religion REALLY a religion? How to tell? Should religions be regulated by gov't? Should govt's be run by religions? _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ # Japanese call on Govt to get tough on cult. Hundreds of representatives of local communities across Japan have held a rally in Tokyo calling on the national government to get tough with the Aum Supreme Truth religious sect. There are increasing concerns the cult, linked to the 1995 nerve gas attack on Tokyo's subways, may be regrouping. The national police agency estimates Aum has about 500 priests and 1,000 followers still living. http://www.abc.net.au/news/newslink/weekly/newsnat-1jul1999-69.htm : What's your favorite death cult? Do you prefer murder or suicide cults? Do you have/plan a death cult? What are the criteria for membership? Is it fun? _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ # Bangladesh sculptor threatened. DHAKA (AP) A well-known sculptor in Bang- ladesh has sought police protection after Islamic extremists denounced her work and threatened to torture her to death. The threat to Shamim Sikdar came from the Taliban Bahini, an obscure militant Islamic group. Sikdar's latest sculpture at Dhaka U., where she teaches art, features Bangladeshi women who fought for the country's independence against Pakistan in 1971. See http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2560128521-632 : Does your belief system promote torture/murder? Are artistic/cultural/pol- itical/religious/economic leaders fair game for assassination? Are there any writers/artists/musicians you want to kill for ideological reasons? Who??? _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ # COMING SOON: BACK ORIFICE 2000. The Cult of the Dead Cow preps a new, more powerful mix of its notorious hacking program - just in time for DefCon7. http://wired.com/news/news/explode-infobeat/technology/story/20493.html # Microsoft charged with racist link. SAN DIEGO (AP) - A lawsuit accuses Mi- crosoft of including a "racially-charged" message linking black people to monkeys in its Publisher 1998 software. MS has agreed to alter the pro- gram. http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2560126075-164 and see: http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2286412,00.html # 'July Killer' virus may hit Thursday. A computer virus dubbed July Killer is expected to strike July 1. Active only during July, it will infect Microsoft's Word 97 documents via a Visual Basic macro, say antivirus specialists. http://cnn.com/TECH/computing/9907/01/killer.idg/index.html : Do you prefer to hack military/gov't sites, racist corporate warez, banks? Will you write a virus that targets Bill Gates' financial holdings? Why not? _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ # AUSTRALIAN NET CENSOR LAW PASSES. In passing a sweeping law that seeks to bar offensive content from the Internet, Australia joins nations such as China and Iran with strict rules about what can be seen online. Shudder: http://wired.com/news/news/explode-infobeat/politics/story/20499.html : What do the voices in your head tell you should be censored from the Net? Does your belief system promote suppression of offensive/dissenting views? _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ SkeptiLinks: # Canada court quashes child-porn law - will be appealed nationally: http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2560130036-411 # HOUSE PASSES BILL TO RESTRICT TEEN ABORTIONS - Violators face maximum penalties: http://cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/stories/1999/06/30/teenabort.ap/ and http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2560131104-3fc # HOLLYWOOD, US GOV'T FACE OFF OVER VIOLENCE IN MEDIA - 'Daily dose of violence': http://cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Movies/9906/30/movie.violence/index.html # N. Korea may be preparing missile launch - "very real consequences": http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2560132156-3e1 # U.S. opens Pinochet documents, reveals State Dept./CIA links to coup: http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2560131916-342 # Project Censored: Top Under-Reported News Stories: http://www.sonoma.edu/ProjectCensored/top_stories.html # 119 bodies discovered at Kosovo site, see http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2560131745-000 # Also: KLA impostors add to Kosovo chaos, see http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2560136408-9b1 # Also: Serbs chased from Croatia, Kosovo, see http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2560133791-8ac # And: Anti-mine laureate visits Kosovo, see http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2560130957-3ac _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ "Fido can't come to the phone right now, he's busy licking his balls." * [EMAIL PROTECTED] * http://www.sonic.net/~ric * ICQ# 19633976 * email INFO or SUBSCRIBE SKEPTICHAT to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] SkeptiChat archives: http://www.sonic.net/~ric/sc/files.htm * UFO/ET/PSI * Conspiracy * Faith * Science * Fringe * Mind-Control * DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
