Alt.religion.scientology Week in Review Volume 0, Issue 47 03/30/96 by Rod Keller [rkeller@voicenet.com] copyright 1996
Alt.religion.scientology Week in Review summarizes the most significant
postings from the Usenet group Alt.religion.scientology for the preceding
week for the benefit of those who can't follow the group as closely as
they'd like. Out of thousands of postings, I attempt to include news of
significant events, new affidavits, court rulings, new contributors,
whatever. I hope you find it useful. Like many readers of a.r.s, I have a
kill file. So please take into consideration that I may not have seen some
of the most significant postings.
The articles in A.r.s Week in Review are brief summaries of the articles.
Many include an excerpt, and all include message IDs for the articles I
cover. This may or may not be useful to you, depending on how long your
site stores articles in the newsgroup before expiring them.
Free A.r.s Week in Review subscriptions are available, just email me at
rkeller@voicenet.com
It is archived at:
http://wpxx02.toxi.uni-wuerzburg.de/~krasel/CoS/ars-summary.html
http://www.eecs.nwu.edu/~mallen/scn/arswr/ars-summary.html
http://www.amazing.com/scientology/ars-summary.html
http://users.aimnet.com/~jdiver/scieno.htm
http://www.thur.de/religio/publik/arsfaq.html
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Note: This is once again a two week issue of Week in Review. There was no issue last week, for basic reasons.
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Steve Fishman's cult operative past came back to haunt him in a painfully public conversation with one of his victims during his time in the cult, LaVenda Van Schaick.
"Fishman may be some kind of hero on ARS, but he was the slime who ruined my life and any chance I had of suing Scientology.
"I first met him at a protest in front of the Fort Harrison 15 years ago, when he was pretending to be a protester but he was a G.O. pig who wanted information out of me. I started seeing him never knowing who he was or what he was. My sister Lisa was raped by two sea org staffers right after she had her baby. She was raped in her apartment, in her own living room just as a distraction while Fishman went into her bedroom through a window and 'rescued' LRH's O/W's for the Church. She will never forget about what happened to her. Do you know how sore and in pain she was right after she had a baby? What were the names of the Sea Org guys, Fishman? Why weren't you all tried for conspiracy to commit rape?
"You know what he did to me 4 years later? I was going to get a loan on my car to give to a lawyer to sue Scientology. I told him I was between jobs and did not pay the insurance on the Eldorado, so he had it burned up. I lost everything and collected nothing. I couldn't sue and he had his stat and I had no car, no money, I had zip. You think the slate is clean just because he's anti?"
Excerpts from Steve's reply:
"Lavenda, Lavenda, Lavenda.... I'm sorry you still have all this anger. You have every right to feel the way you do. I wish you had called me first just to talk about this. I wish you would still call me (954) 434-9777.
"I know nothing I can say will help, but I'm not in Scientology anymore. I never denied that I got what I deserved, maybe I should have gotten punished a lot more for what I did to hurt you.
"I know the slate will never be clean. I try hard but nothing is going to clean it up. I was always afraid this day would come and now I know saying I'm sorry doesn't mean anything. I never wanted to be a hero on a.r.s. I hoped that by taking a stand, maybe I could make up for some of the hell I put you through.
"I have to confront this somehow, so just tell me if there is any solution; maybe one big cry, I don't know. I'm not too good at this, especially in front of the whole world. I know you wish I would just disappear or die, and you don't want to hear from me ever again. I know you don't believe a word I say but I feel your pain and I am crying too.
Message-ID: <4jcaq3$h13@newsbf02.news.aol.com>
Message-ID: <4jdafs$os7@cloner3.netcom.com>
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Steve also posted some details of the Fair Game tricks the cult continues to pull.
"[W]hen are you going to stop the mail bombing? The hang up calls at 3 in the morning? The pizzas that were delivered to my house without my consent or knowledge? (Doesn't the cult know I hate onions?) The pest control people who formatted my hard drive? Nails put in my tire (not one nail but two!) just last week?
"I know it takes a lot of time and money to send teams of OSA agents to the public library and go to the periodicals section and then circle all of those business reply cards and send them in to the magazines in my name so that they can process the requests.
"From the amount of mail I've been getting, I know your stats have been skyrocketing, and even though sometimes I get the feeling that you are circling numbers indiscriminately, you are making things go right and that's what counts.
"I just don't know what to do with the 112 pair of latex rubber gloves which you sent, since I am not planning on doing an proctoscopies lately.
"So then I tie up all of the bulk paper into neat little packages, just the same way the Emperor Xenu packaged the thetans into clusters and shipped them off in DC-8's (It was DC8's not DC9's by the way).
"Except the packages don't get sent to Teegeeack; instead a guy from a local recycling company comes once a week with a big scale and gives me about $ 20.00 every time in cash."
Message-ID: <4jee10$9hl@cloner2.ix.netcom.com>
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An article from the February 16th St. Petersburg Times detailed the cult's request for changes in Clearwater's housing regulations. The cult wants to pack in twice as many Sea Org members into the Hacienda Gardens, the barracks for low ranking SO and many RPF.
"The change would cut in half the required living space and eventually provide homes for the 300 new Scientology staff members needed for the 'Super Power' facility, said Richard Haworth, a spokesman for Scientology's Clearwater-based Flag Service Organization.
"Hacienda Gardens, 551 N Saturn Ave., has 200 units populated, in large part, by members of Scientology's Sea Organization, who wear Navy-style uniforms and sign billion-year contracts to devote themselves to Scientology.
"Sea Org members, as they are called, spend 10 to 14 hours on the job daily. That unusual work schedule, and the fact that they eat their meals at Scientology dining halls and not at home, means that the city's normal living standards aren't necessary in Hacienda Gardens, Haworth said.
"'The units are used primarily for sleeping and are seldom used for cooking, entertaining, etc.,' the Scientology request said. 'If this variance is not granted, then, among other results, the applicant will be required to acquire additional property for housing purposes, which property will then be removed from the tax rolls.'
"The Scientology request asks that in 120 apartments, the city's minimum dwelling space requirements be cut in half. For a 700-square-foot apartment, for instance, the change would boost the number of Scientologists allowed from six to 13.
"In April 1992, city building officials cited the church for overcrowding in 34 of the Hacienda Gardens apartments. Scientology officials moved staff members around to alleviate the overcrowding, which they blamed on the logistics of renovating the facility."
Message-ID: <4jceue$gvf@utopia.hacktic.nl>
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Dennis Erlich posted an update on Judge White's recent rulings.
"In one order he granted the plaintiff's motion to modify the injunction against me to include a single bulletin called Routine 3D Commands, for which the scienos had failed to provide proof of copyright earlier.
"In the same order modifying the injunction against me, he narrowed the type of browsing from which I was enjoined. The injunction now forbids, 'browsing' for a commercial purpose the text of a copyrighted work resident on another computer through on-screen examination.'
"Another order denies the scienos motion to impound all the material they stole from me during the raid. He asserts again my right as a church critic of fair use of the unpublished material. And he dismisses the claim that by returning the material to me, the scienos were being forced to violate the tenets of their religion and their First Amendment rights.
"The final order relates to my motion to find the plaintiffs in contempt for not returning the material they stole during the unconstitutional raid. The judge ordered the plaintiffs to supply me with a description of the software and methods they used to download files from my computer. He ordered that the 'fruit' of the seizure be returned to me. This includes films or photographs taken during the seizure. He ordered that the material not be used for any purpose outside of the litigation (as photos of the raid had been used in the scienos propaganda literature). An evidentiary hearing will be held to determine if the plaintiff has been in contempt."
Message-ID: <314e1542.20542334@news.primenet.com>
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An account of a recent lecture by Steven Hassan, cult expert and author of Combating Mind Control.
"On this dreary wet rainy night my companion Jackie and I went into Cambridge, MA, U.S.A., to listen to Steve Hassan at a quaint old Baptist Church with limited parking, creaky floors, poor lighting and tunnel acoustics.
"Knowing that a certain amount of 'cult' plants might be there I looked forward to going to the church--ready for anything. Before coming into the church we came to a welcome wagon of people pushing their literature on us by way of a very expensive, glossy magazine called FREEDOM and a 143 page booklet called The Cult Awareness Network, Anatomy of a Hate Group.
"After being greeted by this welcoming committee, which I soon found out were Scientologists, I went in looking forward to whatever else might be hiding in the way. The dimly lit, creaking floor, hollow tunnel sounding room had approximately 50 people in it, and of those, about one third were Scientologists!
"Steve gave his speech in the usual manner and presented his facts showing quite convincingly the four components of mind control which were the control of a person's: Behavior, Information, Thoughts, Emotions
"During the lecture there seemed to be an excessive amount of background noise going on by way of doors opening and closing and certain individuals getting up and walking around in a seemingly disruptive manner which resulted in Steve feeling the need to mention that there seemed to be a lot of walking around for some reason.
"After the lecture the floor was opened up for questions and comments. Low and behold our disruptive Scientologist group took advantage of this opportunity to monopolize the evening by asking stupid questions that were more for the purpose of disrupting than for seeking information.
"I was eventually called on and gave my two cents worth. I wasn't exactly an example of calmness. I was extremely distraught that ANYONE would dare to act in a manner such as I saw at this lecture. What is even stranger is the fact that this Scientologist group, which boasts such a high level of mental stability through its mind cleansing of our supposed 'engrams,' certainly wasn't showing mental 'clearness' by their actions that night.
"This is what I said when Steve called on me: 'Steve, I'm NOT a Scientologist. I was actually a Jehovah's Witness for almost twenty years. I've listened to Steve talk, and I absolutely totally agree with him. I WAS in a cult for twenty years. I SAW what they did to me. I SAW what they did to my family. I SAW what the lunatics did to everybody around me. Then when I see people like this come in and act like a bunch of dopes walking around -- if you're happy with the group STAY WITH IT!! STAY IN IT!! Just stay in it, I feel good for you. But don't come here and try to destroy everybody else. I saw that for twenty years! YOU GUYS SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES!! ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES, PEOPLE YOUR AGE DOING THIS!
"Needless to say the Scientologists just sat there stunned by my conduct--probably thinking that my 'engrams' certainly needed cleaning."
Message-ID: <4jap64$38q@newsbf02.news.aol.com>
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A copy of NOTS Series 34 was posted anonymously this week.
"NED for OTs Series 34 THE SEQUENCE FOR HANDLING A PHYSICAL CONDITION
"There is a definite sequence for handling a physical condition. All steps must be done in this sequence to fully handle the condition:
Message-ID: <199603281210.EAA20753@idiom.com>
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In response to numerous requests by a.r.s posters for legally obtained copies of the NOTS processing levels, Helena Kobrin, cult attorney has been again sending legal threats via email and Usenet.
"The purpose of this posting is to inform you that on March 21, 1996 at 5:12 p.m., Judge Ronald M. Whyte of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California issued the following Temporary Restraining Order against Ward and SCAMIZDAT prohibiting them and anyone in active concert or participation with them from, among other things, acquiring, reproducing, displaying these materials.
"By this electronic communication, you are being formally placed on notice of the above order and its terms. As Ward and SCAMIZDAT have solicited copies of the NOTs materials, your attention is specifically called to the fact that the order specifically prohibits, among other things, the acquisition of the NOTs materials."
Jim Byrd posted part of an email sent to him personally.
"I put up a joke post about the crackpot NOTS packs, and got this:
"I represent Religious Technology Center ('RTC'), the owner of the confidential Advanced Technology of the religion of Scientology, and the holder of exclusive rights under the copyrights applicable to the Advanced Technology materials. Among these copyrighted, confidential, unpublished materials are the Advanced Technology materials of the works included in a level known as 'NED for OTs Series' or 'NOTs'."
Deanna Holmes posted her reply so a similar letter sent to her Internet Provider.
"I am not under the Temporary Restraining Order because I am not an agent or affiliate of 'Scamizdat' or Grady Ward. I am acting totally on my own.
"I do not accept your legal reasoning, to wit: a 'Church' <spit> that gets a tax exemption is not a business, and cannot by definition, have 'trade secrets.' Of course, if you wish to give up your tax exemption, then we can consider it. But I don't think you want to do that.
"Email is *still* not acceptable as notice or of service. For all we know, all the letters coming from hkk@netcom.com could be forged. Therefore, it's all just legal bluster on your part.
Message-ID: <31554b61.409520@news>
Message-ID: <4j8liv$13c@rcp6.elan.af.mil>
Message-ID: <hkkDoyJAt.6ro@netcom.com>
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Grady Ward was served with a Temporary Restraining Order, alleging him to be the author of the SCAMIZDAT series of secret cult materials.
"To Defendant GRADY WARD, his officers, agents, servants, employees, and attorneys, and to those persons in active concert or participation with him, including, but not limited to SCAMIZDAT:
"YOU ARE HEREBY ORDERED TO SHOW CAUSE at 9:00 a.m. on March 29, 1996, or as soon thereafter as counsel may be heard in the courtroom of the Honorable Ronald M. Whyte, located at 280 South First Street, San Jose, California 95113, why you, your agents, servants, employees, partners, privies and attorneys, and all persons acting or purporting to act under your authority, direction or control, and all persons in active concert or participation with you, or acting on your behalf, including, but not limited to SCAMIZDAT, having advance notice of this Order should not be enjoined during the pendency of this action from: directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, publishing, reproducing, distributing, performing, or creating derivative works based upon the works listed in Exhibit C to the Complaint, also attached hereto, or any of them, in any media now known or hereafter developed in any time, place or fashion, and in particular, from engaging in any such acts in, on, or in connection with any computer, database, information service, electronic bulletin board service, network, storage facility, or archives, or other electronic or computer device, service, network or facility, including, without limitation, the transmitting or loading of any such materials onto, or downloading any copies thereof from any such device, service, network or facility and that all such copies which defendant, his agents, servants, employees, partners, privies, and attorneys and those in active concert or participation with them have caused to be copied or copied onto any such device, service, network, or facility be removed.
"PENDING HEARING on the above Order to Show Cause, you, your agents, servants, employees, partners, privies and attorneys, and all persons acting or purporting to act under your authority, direction or control, and all persons in active concert or participation with you, or acting on your behalf, including, but not limited to SCAMIZDAT, having advance notice of this order ARE HEREBY RESTRAINED AND ENJOINED from:" [same list as above]
Grady decided under the circumstances to suspend his postings to a.r.s
"I am glad to report that my project of taunting the criminal cult of scientology into acts that would tend to expose their criminal motivation in harassing their critics has been completely successful.
"Even with my extreme hubris I admit that I am over my head as an 'In Pro Se' Defendant in a Federal Action. Nor do I have the personal resources to litigate in a manner consistent with the criminal cult. However I knew this when I decided as an individual to get involved it the fight.
"Since I have been fully aware of the nature of the criminal cult, I will *not* ask for, nor will I accept money on behalf of my litigation. I went into this fight for free speech as an individual and I will leave as an individual. The net is evolving toward a sentience and a distributed power that promises to be the most significant technical contribution to achieving a world-wide democracy that has occurred since the development of the external Code of Hammurabi."
Message-ID: <hkkDoyJAt.6ro@netcom.com>
Message-ID: <31555df8.3000112@northcoast.com>
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Martin Hunt reported that he received a phone call from a cult member pretending to be performing a government survey.
"He was a nice young clam who lied about who he was and used call-block to stop his number from being displayed to me. He said he was doing a survey for the government, and wanted to do a ten-minute interview with me over the phone about how I felt about my college. His real reason for calling? Who knows? Perhaps just to verify that (604) 380-2025 is really my number, and he also asked for me by my real name (not in the phone book). I asked the clam nicely for his number, but he said he couldn't give it to me. I asked him why he couldn't give it to me, and he said that it wasn't done like that. The clam then asked if he could call me back at a more convenient time, but I just asked him for his address. He gave me an address on Howe Street in Vancouver not far from the little cult offices and storefront on Hastings."
Message-ID: <DoAoLC.DGE@freenet.carleton.ca>
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Ted Mayett provided a description of the M7, M8 and M9 procedures.
"M8 is where each word is looked up, usually from an alphabetical list. M7 is used when one is working with foreign-language persons or semi-literates. M9 is done by reading out loud, your twin reads along on another copy, if you stumble, hesitate, mispronounce, etc. you flunk. M9 is completely stupid, the average person does not read out-loud without effort. If you use effort to read you flunk. Passing M9 requires a willingness to lie by both the student and the twin.
Message-ID: <315C63E6.B52@skylink.net>
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Mark Heaney posted a summary of the progress of Tax Analysts in uncovering the details of the secret IRS agreement granting tax exempt status to the cult.
"Although they won their case on 3/21/96, the written decision of the judge is not yet available. Once it is, it will state how long the IRS has to turn over the documents and rule on any unresolved matters. The IRS will be given time to appeal the decision if they wish. Barring an appeal, the documents should be available within (3-9?) months. If there is an appeal, it could go much longer."
>From the judge's order:
"ORDERED that Defendant release all requested FSAs except that all 'return information' as defined by 26 U.S.C. section 6103(b) shall be redacted; and all attorney work-product shall be redacted from the 309 FSAs identified by Defendant. Gladys Kessler U.S. District Judge
Message-ID: <4jckdt$j6n@gamera.cbl.cees.edu>
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Tom Klemesrud posted a letter from cult attorney Elliot J. Abelson.
"Now that RTC's rights have been judicially recognized and your client's potential exposure as a contributory infringer has been clarified, RTC believes that it would be wasteful for RTC and your client (and his carrier) to continue this very costly litigation. We have not yet started what should be a period of very prolonged and expensive discovery.
"In that spirit, RTC is willing to resolve all disputes between Mr. Klemensrud [sic] and RTC upon payment to RTC of $60,000.00 by your client or his carrier. I believe you and your insurer will agree that this proposal is reasonable and remarkably modest.
"As you are aware of your obligation to inform Klemensrud's carrier of this demand, I will expect your response to include a specific acknowledgement of the carrier's receipt of this demand. I am available to talk directly to the carrier's receipt of this demand. I am available to talk directly to the carrier or its counsel with respect to this settlement proposal and, in fact, I prefer that arrangement since Mr. Klemensrud's policy dictates that it is the insurer, and not the insured, that decides terms of settlement under his policy in these circumstances."
Message-ID: <tomklemDox8uH.HqI@netcom.com>
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The cult unveiled new web sites this week, including this announcement from Andy Milne.
"You can get a virtual reality tour of churches of Scientology on the new sites http://www.scientology.org. There are tours of the Founding Church, Celebrity Centre International, Freewinds, Flag and the Los Angeles Church. These churches are the fruits of an ongoing program to renovate churches of Scientology and are beautiful. In fact, the Church is known in Hollywood for the stellar quality of its renovations."
And some less glowing reviews of the sites.
"Another Big Win! One of the CofS web pages made Mirsky's Worst of the Web for today, March 27th.
"The page in particular that Mirsky points to is one with an article by Elron about 'reducing criminal behaviour'. It's amusing. Http://mirsky.turnpike.net/wow/Worst.html"
Message-ID: <4ilmfm$t0f@crl8.crl.com>
Message-ID: <0000087C00003288@prostar.com>
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An amusing anecdote was posted by the anonymous poster The Black Lensman.
"In the summer of 1986, Sea Org Members started showing up for post with big welts on their bodies. What was causing these welts? It seems that the mattresses in the complex had been invaded by bed bugs!
"The RPF was called to eradicate the six legged creatures, who were lurking inside the mattresses of Ron's Freedom Fighters! They thoroughly inspected each mattress and replaced any infested with the little critters. They washed everybody's laundry using special soap at a special temperature, but alas, they missed the mattress of an RTC executive who got bitten the next night. This omission sent the Berthing IC himself to the RPF to join with the troops up front for the next battle!
"Again, RPFers were sent through the complex to 'Clear the Planet' (or at least the complex) of the Bed Bugs! This time, in addition to the mattress inspections and the laundry, The RPFers attacked the insects with pesticides; yet afterwards, bed bugs were still residing in the mattresses!
"After the RPF failed about five times (and the Berthing I/C reprieved from the RPF and sent out on a mission) professional exterminators were called in to do the job right, and they succeeded in banishing the six-legged pests from the complex and freeing the Sea Org Members of unsightly and itchy welts!"
Message-ID: <4j92pd$our@raffles.technet.sg>
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An excerpt posted from the tech dictionary this week, describing a disease invented by LRH.
"METALOSIS, osis. Greek. action; process, condition abnormal or disease condition caused by . METAL, any of a large group of substances (as bronze steel) that typically show a characteristic luster, are good conductors of electricity and heat, are opaque,can be fused or are usually malleable and ductile. A psychosomatic condition caused by the the interaction of body electric flows and magnetic and other fields of metal. The effects take a long time to occur. Engrams are formed.
"METALOSIS RUNDOWN. The procedure used in expanded Dianetics to cure metalosis."
Message-ID: <4jjqf2$t7m@Starbase.NeoSoft.COM>
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Martin Hunt posted the text of the Russian Brainwashing book, written by LRH. He also posted a review of the book, entitled "Psychopolitics".
"'Brain-washing' is Hubbard's great attempt to third-party rabid anti-Communists and the psychiatric community to make the Communists look bad, and especially to make the mental health field, psychiatrists and psychologists, look bad, but also and mainly to make room for Dianetics as a legitimate player in the field of mental health. Major themes include anti-Communist and anti-psychiatric rants, and plans to take over the world through 'psychopolitics' (Scientology). Reading between the lines of 'Brain-Washing' and taking a hard look at the terminology Hubbard uses can pay big dividends for the astute critic.
"Hubbard's dreams of setting up a totalitarian state with himself as sole dictator are visible in the text, as is the brutality which Hubbard would dearly love to visit upon the populace under his control. The reader almost needs a rag at times to wipe off Hubbard's drool over his palpable lust for power."
And from the conclusion of the book itself:
"In this time of unlimited weapons, and in national antagonisms where atomic war with Capitalistic powers is possible, Psychopolitics must act efficiently as never before.
"Any and all programmes of Psychopolitics must be increased to aid and abet the activities of other Communist agents throughout the nation in question.
"The failure of Psychopolitics might well bring about the atomic bombing of the Motherland.
"If Psychopolitics succeeded in its mission throughout the Capitalistic nations of the world, there will never be an atomic war, for Russia will have subjugated all of her enemies.
"Communism has already spread across one-sixth of the inhabited world. Marxist Doctrines have already penetrated the remainder. An extension of the Communist social order is everywhere victorious. The spread of Communism has never been by force of battle, but by conquest of the mind. In Psychopolitics we have refined this conquest to its last degree.
"The psychopolitical operative must succeed, for his success means a world of Peace. His failure might well mean the destruction of the civilized portions of Earth by atomic power in the hands of Capitalistic madmen.
"The end thoroughly justifies the means. The degradation of populaces is less inhuman than their destruction by atomic fission, for to an animal who lives only once, and life is sweeter than death.
"The end of war is the control of a conquered people. If a people can be conquered in the absence of war, the end of war will have been achieved without the destruction of war. A worthy goal.
"The psychopolitician has his reward in the nearly unlimited control of populaces, in the uninhibited exercise of passion, and the glory of Communist conquest over the stupidity of the enemies of the People."
Message-ID: <4jbjt3$kfl@freenet-news.carleton.ca>