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DOES SCIENTOLOGY CONTROL 'Whyaretheydead' Domain?

Posted: Sat Sep 04, 2010 10:55 pm
by Justice
I have noticed that the 'whyaretheydead.net' domain (Formerly the URL for this Forum) now points to a web page which contains mostly links to Scientology (as well as Tom Cruise DVD's!!!).

Anonymous (the organisation, whose members include 'victims' of Scientology) have commented on this.

See:

http://www.whyaretheydead.net/phpBB2/vi ... ight=#4855

http://forums.whyweprotest.net/15-media ... ead-44820/

http://www.whyweprotest.net/en/

Re: DOES SCIENTOLOGY CONTROL 'Whyaretheydead' Domain?

Posted: Sun Sep 05, 2010 8:55 pm
by woodgreen
Hi Justice

I have a feeling you are right but would not know the in's and out's of website purchases. Would not put anything past the Scientologists = they can afford it. Mike Gormez set up the site as a general forum for discussion about cults I think , and the SES pupils found an outlet on the site. Led to this Forum - hope Mike is ok - seemed to do some sterling work.

regards

woodgreen

Re: DOES SCIENTOLOGY CONTROL 'Whyaretheydead' Domain?

Posted: Sun Sep 05, 2010 9:45 pm
by Justice
Hi Woodgreen,

It would only have cost a few pounds for Mike Gormez to renew the whyaretheydead domain and then redirect all hits to this forum website.

I find it very puzzling why he didn't do this. Is Mike Gormez still alive, fit and well? Is anyone connected with this forum still in touch with him?

Scientology have taken control of other 'Anti-Cult' websites in the past.

The CULT AWARENESS NETWORK (CAN) was set up in 1978 and its representatives were highly critical of Scientology, Landmark Education, and other groups and new religious movements that it considered to have potentially harmful tendencies.

It was subsequently driven into bankruptcy, and it was bought by, and is now controlled by.....SCIENTOLOGY!!

See:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cult_Awareness_Network

Scientology ads are also allegedly "taking over the web". See:
http://gigaom.com/2009/07/07/scientolog ... r-the-web/

Does anyone in the SES have any links with Scientology, I wonder?

Re: DOES SCIENTOLOGY CONTROL 'Whyaretheydead' Domain?

Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 12:51 am
by Daffy
Justice wrote:Is Mike Gormez still alive, fit and well? Is anyone connected with this forum still in touch with him?

As I mentioned in the welcome post after I set up the ses-forums.org domain almost two years ago (viewtopic.php?f=7&t=659), "Mike Gormez, owner of the old site, has retired from campaigning against cults so the SES discussion forums needed a new home. Mike has supported this move by providing a database backup that enables the forum to be moved with all existing posts intact."

I've not had any contact with him since, but well before he handed over the site he had told me he had new interests in his life, so I've no reason to believe that Scientology has 'got to him'.

Re: DOES SCIENTOLOGY CONTROL 'Whyaretheydead' Domain?

Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 10:56 am
by ET
It looks to me as if the site no longer exists, and that a browser robot has picked out significant words on the old site and found links to them to post on a holding page. As it's a robot, it doesn't know the difference between "positive" references to Scientology and "negative" ones.
It may be that Mike's registrations for the site haven't completely run out yet, and that's why the page is there.
Like Daffy, I think it's unlikely that Scientology have got to him in some way.

Re: DOES SCIENTOLOGY CONTROL 'Whyaretheydead' Domain?

Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 6:15 pm
by Free Thinker
The site no longer exists.

When you go to the URL of a domain name that is not run by anyone, the company that owns it accepts advertising bots so that there's a chance it will earn some money from people who come there.

When I click on it, I see links to Amazon.com, a course to learn German, info about crop circles and other UFO phenomena, etc. It has nothing to do with Scientology.

Re: DOES SCIENTOLOGY CONTROL 'Whyaretheydead' Domain?

Posted: Wed Sep 08, 2010 5:51 pm
by woodgreen
Hi All

Thanks for the clarification!

woodgreen

Re: DOES SCIENTOLOGY CONTROL 'Whyaretheydead' Domain?

Posted: Fri Sep 10, 2010 1:31 pm
by Justice
Woodgreen wrote:
When you go to the URL of a domain name that is not run by anyone, the company that owns it accepts advertising bots so that there's a chance it will earn some money from people who come there.


Since we started discussing the "whyaretheydead" domain in this forum, ALL mention of Scientology has suddenly disappeared from the domain, despite the fact that the ads dominated the domain for some considerable time!

The owners of the domain have paid to have their name withheld. Why pay money to do this if all you want to do is earn money from links?

Re: DOES SCIENTOLOGY CONTROL 'Whyaretheydead' Domain?

Posted: Fri Sep 10, 2010 2:05 pm
by woodgreen
Hi Justice

Interesting.

PS - it wasn't me who wrote about the URL etc, it was Free Thinker. I'm not that au fait with all this!

cheers

woodgreen

Re: DOES SCIENTOLOGY CONTROL 'Whyaretheydead' Domain?

Posted: Fri Sep 10, 2010 2:47 pm
by Justice
Woodgreen wrote:
Hi Justice

Interesting.

PS - it wasn't me who wrote about the URL etc, it was Free Thinker. I'm not that au fait with all this!


OOPS!

Sorry Woodgreen, my mistake!

Regards,

Justice

Re: DOES SCIENTOLOGY CONTROL 'Whyaretheydead' Domain?

Posted: Sat Sep 11, 2010 5:30 am
by Free Thinker
::shrugs:: When I click on the links, I see several ads related to Scientology.

I'm a firm believer in the craziness of Scientology but I think in this instance you are reading something that isn't there.

Re: DOES SCIENTOLOGY CONTROL 'Whyaretheydead' Domain?

Posted: Sun Sep 26, 2010 2:30 pm
by morrigan
And here is the latest BBC News info about Scientology:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/panorama/hi/front_page/newsid_9032000/9032278.stm

I hope that's accessible by you folk, if I've got it on correctly, and also we can watch/hear it on BBC as it says at the end.

Re: DOES SCIENTOLOGY CONTROL 'Whyaretheydead' Domain?

Posted: Sun Sep 26, 2010 7:16 pm
by woodgreen
Thanks Morrigan - the link worked for me. Will probably watch it even though anything to do with Scientology creeps me out!

woodgreen

Re: DOES SCIENTOLOGY CONTROL 'Whyaretheydead' Domain?

Posted: Sat Oct 16, 2010 9:04 am
by morrigan
And here's another BBC Nws about Scientology - being a church in Westminster, being supported by not being reckognised a a "cult", more treated as real, positive religion!

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11554738

I'm not pleased about this and didn't realize that it was being supported - so no doubt there are all sorts of cults and awkward "believers" who may not be organising a cult but are eccentric who are allowed less tax...