Honest Intellectual Inquiry:

The Weird and the (Sur)Real on the Net

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Copyright Emmanuel Gabily, used with permission

One of my interests is reading about some of the odd things people have done and believed throughout human history, and continue to do to this day. And with the Millennium fast approaching, you can bet there'll be a lot more weirdness to come. [NB: Please enter these links with care, as several require an open mind.] So hold onto your hats - it's going to be a bumpy ride!

I have divided my Weird and (Sur)Real page into the following subjects for your convenience:

Scams, Spams, and Urban Legends

Religions, Cults, and Other Beliefs - Past and Present

UFOs, Conspiracies, and All That Stuff

And Finally, the Truth??

Scams, Spams, and Urban Legends

Anti-Spam! Those of you with webpages, include this link to help foil the spammers.
Anti-Virus.comComputer virus info, including hoaxes. Handy website.
Blacklist of Internet Advertisers Know those businesses which send spam and junk e-mail, and stay from them!
BreakTheChain.org To stop that junk email cramming your in-box, and to check to see if that suspicious-looking, "too-good-to-be-true" offer is really for real. (It's not.)
ChooseYourMail: Spam Free E-mail Accounts Great idea.
Computer Virus Myths Great resource.
Fraud.org Home of the National Fraud Information Center & Internet Fraud Watch Programs. link.
F-Secure HOAX Warnings Page Recommended.
HoaxBusters Home Page Part of the Computer Incident Advisory Capability (CIAC) website - all about viruses and other external attacks on computers, and what's being done about them. Important.
Inside Spyware From Intranet Journal, all about trojans, spyware and adware and how to get rid of it once it's on your system.
Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) A government center including crime schemes, prevention tips, and a complaint form for those who've become victims.
Junkbusters Home Page How to get rid of all kinds of junk mail, telemarketing calls, etc.
Legends From a Small Country South African Urban Legends & more.
Museum of Hoaxes Another site with scads of info on lots of hoaxes perpetrated out there.
Scambusters Check it out. And don't miss their "What To Do If You're Scammed" handy references & free eZine.
Welcome to ScamWatch Where to find out about scams of all kinds.
Urban Folklore Page The alt.folklore.urban newsgroup (AFU) & other links.
UrbanLegends.com Links to urban legends websites.
Urban Legends Reference Pages Just about the best source for Urban Legends data; and for you Brats out there (!), visit Cokelore, about the whens and wherefores of Coke in Arabia.

Religions, Cults and Other Beliefs - Past and Present

The Advanced Bonewits' Cult Danger Evaluation Frame A test to gauge cultic control, dogma, etc.
The Alchemy Web Site & Virtual Library Britannica Rating = **
Alcoholics Anonymous as a Cult Yeah, 'fraid so. And you thought you were safe taking the cure....
Apocalypse & Millennium Fever Links Links to a bunch of "End Times" sites, pro & con.
Atlantis: The Lost Continent Finally Found (!!)
AvatarSearch - Search Engine of the Occult Internet Warning: It LOVES cookies!
Bishop Ussher Dates the World His calculation (in the 17th century) determined the Earth was created Sunday, October 23, 4004 B.C. No comment.
Blavatsky Net All about Madame Blavatsky and her religion, Theosophy.
Case Study: The Great European Witch-Hunts, c. 1450-1750, plus witch-hunts today From Gendercide Watch, interesting article about reevaluating all of the original records and data in light of the discovery that previous (prior to the mid-twentieth century) books and articles contained fake documentation.
Catastrophism Velikovsky et.al. are baaack!
Cathars: Journey to the Land of Oc The famous sect against which was launched the Albigensian Crusade. Wonderfully detailed, interactive site originally in French as Voyages en Terres Cathares The author has promised me his entire site will be translated into English by sometime this year (!). Highly recommended.
Catholics, Heretics & Heresy by Gilles C.H. Nullens A fascinating document on the Cathars & subsequent heresies. Must see!
CESNUR: Center for Studies on New Religions Website on cults worldwide (from Italy). Whole bunch of stuff here.
Christian Identity Label applied to a bunch of pro-European & neo-Nazi Christian groups - check the site for these definitions & more!
Contender Ministries: News, Forums, and Information for Christian Contenders For those who wish to be Christian and "liberal" - about the more fringe Christian sects, and other religions as well. Interesting.
Cult Awareness & Information Centre NOTE: Not to be confused with C.A.N.!! link.
Cult Controversies Interesting, scholarly resource from Univ. of Virginia site on Religious Movements. Quite tolerant, with links to sites on both sides.
The Cult Test Can you beat the mind control game?
CultWatch A look at cults in America.
Ignatius Donnelly & the End of the World Being a study of the 19th century Senator's beliefs in Catastrophism...
The Doomsday List A list of new-age "prophets" and their projections of when the Earth (etc.?) will end, from 2000 to 2012, with links to other sites.
.ex-cult Archive Cults, cults, cults.
Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds From Charles Mackay's famous book. Neat studies of mass hypnosis & the like.
FACTnet International Good resource for those trying to Get Out.
Free Zone Home Page Interesting info on Scientology.
The Genesis Factor The Gnostic interpretation of the Genesis story.
Genesis One, Dinosaurs, and Cavemen It's back! Creation science at it's best (or worst). link.
Genesis: No Answers The inherent problems with combining science and the Bible. Interesting.
The Great God Hoax On religious cults, pranksters & fakeries: you name it, it's here.
Tilman Hausherr's Home Page Good site on Scientology & other cults, & loads of links.
Heaven's Gate Information on the cult from Rick Ross's website (link listed below).
Heresy A fine page, part of Marginality and Community in Medieval Europe. Check out the other topics also.
The Historical Jesus Christ & Early Christianity by G.C.H. Nullens.
Jehovah's Witnesses: Watchers of the Watch Tower World For those who want to leave.
Jonestown People's Temple Analysis of Jim Jones & his religion, the massacre, & links to some other sites.
Kabbalah Links Links to the occult & everything else associated with religious belief. Go for it!
The Killings of Witches Then... and now; a list by names and dates of death. By Joe Bethancourt, who also plays a mean banjo.
The Knights Templar Templar history.
Malleus Maleficarum Project Short page on the notorious "Hammer of Witches", used as a manual of the Church for the persecution of so-called witches. link.
(Mormon History) Solving the Mystery of the Joseph Smith Papyri From the SLC Messenger, Sept. 1992. Thought-provoking.
Morningland Site for ex-members of the California cult (original website defunct).
The Mystica On-line encyclopedia of the occult, mysticism, magic, paranormal, and more...
Narconon Exposed A religious indoctrination hiding behind the veneer of drug rehabilitation. Best go elsewhere for rehab.
New Light on Witchcraft Chapt. 22 of Joseph McCabe's The Story of Religious Controversy Quite interesting essay on witchcraft through history and its relationship to the dominant religion(s) of the times. Read it.
Occult Tendencies A-L of (oc)cult-related info from SIMPOS; for M-Z, click on "M" or go here.
Operation CLAMBAKE: The Inner Secrets of Scientology All about it. A must see.
Persecution of the Jews in Europe Part of the History of the Middle East Database.
Phineas Priesthood From Wikipedia, with an excellent link to Phineas Priests. Another hate-group that doesn't discriminate among minorities.
Promise Keepers Their website, with their viewpoint regarding man as leaders of humankind and their religion.
Promise Keepers, from NOW The National Organization for Women logs in on their point of view regarding Promise Keepers as rulers, rather than partners, in a marriage, & as a political forum.
ProphesyKeepers Radio Website run by Native Americans, teaching prophecy from a Native American point of view.
The Protocols of Zion and Antisemitic Conspiracy There are a lot of folks who still believe this document, fabricated in the early 20th century by the Czarist secret police.
Psychotherapy Cults On Cult Help & Information site: opinions on EST & others of that ilk.
Rapture Ready well, gee whizzers...
The Real Origins of Halloween Interesting info, from a serious neo-Pagan.
reFOCUS Recovering Former Cultists' Support Network.
Rick Ross "Cult" intervention specialist (i.e. "deprogrammer") & expert consultant.
Eric Rudolph On the capture of the bomber of the Atlanta Olympics and abortion clinics, and his belief system, including the Christian Identity movement and the Phineas Priesthood.
Scientology Associated Deaths Important but scary site of deaths related to Co$.
Karin Spaink: I write, therefore I am Sued by Scientology! Read/download a free copy of Bare-Faced Messiah.
Survey of Scottish Witchcraft Fairly thorough treatment of witchcraft in Scotland, Interesting for the historian.
Timeline of Christianity & Judaism and a whole lot more. Good perspective.
TranceNet Critical Resource on Transcendental Meditation
We know who you are and what you're trying to do Scientology & its related organizations.
Werewolf Legends from Germany Mostly older, but one is late 20th century.
Witchcraft Bibliography Project Works in many languages published after 1950, collected by Jeffrey Merrick at the Univ. of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. In PDF format.
The Witch Hunts in Early Modern Europe An Internet archive of texts and documents, some links not working.

UFOs, Conspiracies, and All That Stuff!

"Alien Autopsy" Faked or Fiction? Hmmm.
Anomalies: the Strange & Unexplained Interesting site covering many unusual phenomena.
Bigfoot of North America An entry in the Unnatural Museum, a. must-see in its own right.
The Black Vault Genuine UFO info & other good stuff.
Conspiracy Theory, UFO & Alternative Topics Delving into that world. Hmmmm...
Cryptozoology Mothman's website, with info on the Thylacine of Tasmania (a real marsupial systematically killed off until it was extinct in the early 20th Century) along with some less-real beings.
Taking a Hard Look at Cryptozoology A critical approach by Ben S. Roesch. Check his Archives page.
Lost Tribes, Sunken Continents, Ancient Astronauts Anthro course.
Paranoidal Home Page Irreverant look at the "fringe."
Pseudo Pseudoscience, paranormal phenomena & skepticism.
Skull and Bones The secret Yale society begun in 1832.
SkySpy Conspiracytour From a Dutch perspective (in English). link.
Strange Magazine: Investigating skyspy/nieuws.Strange Phenomena Online version. Gotta see it!
Unconventional Archaeology from Archaeology World A few papers, plus links to all kinds of kooky stuff, and responses by scientists.
Web of Conspiracy Links to some of the most well known, & some lesser known, conspiracies.

And finally, the Truth??

The Anthropic Coincidences: Evil and the Disconfirmation of Theism (1992) An essay by Quentin Smith.
The Anthropic Coincidences: A Natural Explanation Physicist Victor J. Stenger's argument against the Supernatural. link.
Apotropaios Instances of folk magic used in Britain to avert evil. Neat site.
"Baron" James Reavis The Man Who Stole Arizona (not nearly as famous as Emperor Norton!).
The Big Myth A collection of creation myths from around the world.
Bogus Science Wonderful site of info about much of the bogus science out there in webland, including Bush's Misuse of Science Strange but true.....
The Burning Times A fairly well-authenticated list of people burned as witches during the last 600 years. Names supplied when known, so only the numbers of "unknowns" are debatable. [Sadly, this site is gone.]
Casebook: Jack the Ripper Possibly everything you've ever wanted to know about this Victorian serial killer.
Catacombs of Paris Really nice slide show of the Paris catacombs: about 30 pictures by Scott Fray (click on first page to go to next, etc.). These catacombs are definitely weird!
Catacombs of Paris Small history and description, with visitor info. Most of the external links on this page are broken, but check out the more famous Roman catacombs on this site also.
Catastrophism & Chronology Links from SIS Fascinating bunch of links to the true and the not-so-true regarding Catastrophism, & more.
Church of the SubGenius Heard about "Bob" yet? Totally zany. Warning - R rated.
City of the Silent: Tales from Colma Where the dead of San Francisco reside. Interesting.
Crank Menagerie "Scientific" papers, lists, & links to pseudoscience on the 'Net.
www.DarwinAwards.com Read about all the Stupid Human Tricks!
Dead People Server Irreverant: Check who's dead & who's not!
The Debunker's Domain "Skeptical to the Max" Robert Sheaffer's home page.
d i s i n f o r m a t i o n A Must-see, highly recommended.
Elephant Man and Medical Anomalies Homepage 19th century medical curiosities including, of course, the Elephant Man. From a book originally published in 1896.
Emperor Norton's Proclamations About the locally famous personality (read "kook") of San Francisco's early days. Neat!
The Hollywood 10 The real-life witchhunt for Communism in the movie industry, with short bios of many involved in the 1947 HUAC hearings. Interesting, with links.
Holy Land USA: The Catacombs Yes, folks. Don't be shy. See the one, the only Secret Sanctuary of Holy Land USA! (Could there be others?)
HotAIR: Rare and well-done tidbits from the Annals of Improbable Research
Houdini! - Harry Houdini Accounts of his escapades, including a short autobiography.
Internet Crime Archives All about infamous bad guys.
It's the End of the World As We Know It...Again Wonderful site with great links, too.
Joan's Mad Monarchs Series Selections through 23 centuries!
Kooks Museum Kooky (& sometimes scary) people & their beliefs, by Donna Kossy. Gotta go there!
Lhermine Neat website on French catacombs and other man-made underground spaces, with history & photos. In French.
Joseph McCarthy The man who tried Hollywood for Communism.
Junk Science and Pseudoscience: Topical Index Part of the Skeptic's Dictionary.
Medical Ethics Wonderful resource from Sweden on ethics in Biomedicine.
Memory and Reality False Memory Syndrome Foundation website.
Millennial Madness: Blame it on Dennis the Short Fun essay on the real millennium.
Millennium Hell E-zine on all the weird commercialism rampant out there, & some conundrums (other than the Y2K bug) brought on by our unique temporal position in history. Fun.
Morgana's Observatory: Ancient Prophesies, Universal Myths New-age info from a skeptical eye.
Museum of Jurassic Technology Definitely weird, & if you're in the L.A. area, please visit the real museum.
The Museum of Unnatural Mystery Really neat exhibits of the 'oddities' of this planet. Go for it. Britannica rating = **
News of the Weird Famous. And for real!
The Ossuary in a Church in Sedlec, Czech Republic with pictures Totally unbelievable BUT beautiful & true; here is one more (jpg, 355k). Be patient - it's worth the wait.
Paris Underground From Infiltration Magazine, a tour of the Paris catacombs by the author with Emmanuel Gabily as his guide. Gabily is the one responsible for the picture at the top of this page. link.
Penn and Teller See how Magic is really done...
Welcome to the Peoples' Park Home Page...Enjoy Go see it! I was there in '69, too, & here is the evidence. Last November 02, 2011.
Prophets & Prophesies Ones you've heard and others you haven't. Believe it or don't.
Quintessence of the Loon (tm) Another site devoted to weirdness & madness on the Web. Fun place.
The James Randi Educational Foundation Homepage One million $$ to anyone who can actually demonstrate something supernatural. Please, someone, take the challenge.
Repressed Memory - Recovered Memory Therapy (RMT) How reliable are these memories, & how useful is the therapy? Also see next 2 links:
What is Roleplaying? & The Real Truth About Dungeons and Dragons Game hysteria and the truth by Charney Cale. link.
Satanic Ritual Abuse (SRA) Cult or ritual abuse info.
Donald Simanek's Page Great links to physics, astronomy & other sciences, plus junk science, hoaxes & much more.
The Skeptic's Dictionary For examining the evidence. Britannica rating = **
Surfing the Apocalypse Articles posted by surfers regarding everything from crop circles to conspiracies about the end of the Bush Administration. Read, believe or not, and contribute your own favorite weird item.
The Talk.Origins Archive Exploring the Creation/Evolution Controversy. They've got some interesting links too.
Thanatos.net Image Gallery Some quite interesting, some beautiful, some disturbing images of death. Must register to view photos.
Theories of Science vs. Creationism Links to websites on both; also check out their Evolution & Creationism page. link.
Useless Information Home Page "Stuff you never needed to know."
The Wieliczka Salt Mine Air Pollutant Intrusion A guided tour of the marvelous mine, dated back to at least 1044 CE, wherein have been carved chapels, statues, & more, all from the native salt, but is now being damaged by us, as tourists (just like Lascaux Cave, among many other sites). link.
Witchhunt Links To sites on False Memory Syndrome, Satanic Abuse, & much more.
The Wizard's Den: Directory of Little Known Information I had a hard time deciding in which category this belongs, as some stuff belongs in the UFO arena, while other items are quite real. link.

Webpage launched October 19, 1998
Latest additions & corrections July 08, 2010
Latest links verification November 02, 2011
© 1998 - 2011

Webring added March 08, 2004

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Many thanks to Deb Dedon for permission to use her drawing as my logo at the top of this page; © 1997 Deb Dedon.

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