as a layman i'm inclined to ask naive questions . . . have google groups posts affected google search rankings, possibly independent of their nearly obsolete usenet connection which might help to explain the incomparably vast quantities of spam passed along to usenet newsgroups without any regard whatsoever to the irreparable consequences they have wrought against unwary users of this user's network? some might say it's deliberate, "embrace, extend, extinguish" tactics