Veil falls over Italy's soothsayers

[emad]

John Hooper in Rome
Thursday March 10, 2005
The Guardian

Italy's soothsayers and magicians were contemplating a future condemned to darkness yesterday after the national media watchdog said it was banning them from daytime television.

Scores of tiny regional and private channels teem with programmes featuring tarot readers and others claiming prophetic powers. Their activities have become a matter of concern in a country where superstitious beliefs are increasing.

An official of the communications guarantee authority said the ban was "to combat any kind of exploitation of superstition or credulity among members of the public".

In a report two years ago the authority expressed alarm about the effect of this sort of programme on the young.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/italy/story/0,12576,1434072,00.html

[Trajan]

1. They need to come here to the US ....

MANY US citizens will fall for thier preposterous claims ....

Trust me ...

[emad]

2. Soothsaying on US TV responsible for Armageddonesque

politics of the NeoCons?

Or is it TheoCons???

[Alpharetta]

3. Nancy Reagan needs to do something about this

she is a stout defender of freedom of religion

[SpiralHawk]

4. First they came for the soothsayers

Then they came for the bloggers and bulletin boarders.

[muriel_volestrangler]

5. They think they can follow this through?

"An official of the communications guarantee authority said the ban was "to combat any kind of exploitation of superstition or credulity among members of the public"."

Well, there goes religion, politics, advertising ...

[emad]

6. Third Secret of Fatima: Pretender to Throne picks April 1st

http://www.thespoof.com/news/spoof.cfm?headline=s1i7457