[Chefelf]

Microsoft to cut swastikas from software
Friday, December 12, 2003 Posted: 9:28 AM EST (1428 GMT)

SEATTLE, Washington (Reuters) -- Microsoft Corp. said on Friday that its latest version of Office software inadvertently contained a font featuring two swastikas, and said it would offer tools to remove and replace the offending characters from the program.

The swastika, which was made infamous by Nazi Germany, was included in Microsoft's "Bookshelf Symbol 7" font. That font was derived from a Japanese font set, said Microsoft Office product manager Simon Marks.

"It was discovered by one of our customers a couple weeks ago," Marks said, adding that there was "no indication of malicious intent."

The Redmond, Washington-based software maker said that it had contacted various Jewish organizations about the font and said a utility would be immediately available on its Web site that would remove the characters from the system.

Microsoft said it will release other tools at a later date to remove only the offending characters.

http://www.cnn.com/2...reut/index.html

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[Reader]

The swastika wasn't always a symbol of evil!

Nothing is sacred - everything is perverted....

[K1NGWARREN]

I'd always suspected that Bill Gates was a secret Nazi!

[Ninja Duck]

The swastika wasn't always a symbol of evil (right?)!

Nothing is sacred - everything is perverted....

The swastika used to be a symbol of the gods, and the Japanese character for ten thousand is derived from it. That's a little strange that they would get all up-in-arms about a swastika. When we see a sunrise, do we think of pre-WWII Japan?

[looktothesky]

*looks at image, wipes tear*

[Despondent]

that's a great image. (top of page) I never realized the microsoft windows logo contained an embedded swastika

the swastika is also an ancient image, and was used by native americans. strangely enough, it also appears as an architectural device in friezes and such. there are reliefs of that image on (pre wwII) big city courthouse in Alabama. Of course no one picked up on the 10 commandments stylized on same courthouse (40 feet up) whereas 10c was such a big no-no elsewhere in this state.

[Chefelf]

Most of us are surrounded by embedded swastikas everywhere we go! The windows in our own homes, for example.

It's like the Nazis actually won WWII and are silently ruling our lives.

[Supes]

Here's some detail on the swastika outside of Nazi use:

History

Traditionally, when the swastika is drawn facing right handed or clockwise as above, it is a good luck symbol. It is sometimes claimed when it is drawn left facing or anti-clockwise, it is a bad omen and it is labelled a "sauwastika", however there is little evidence of this distinction in Hindu and Buddhist history from which it is supposed to derive. This symbolism has been modified because of associations with Nazism and current Buddhists will almost always use the left facing swastika.

In the early twentieth century, a right facing swastika which is rotated through 45 degrees, was used as the symbol of German Will by the German Nazi Party (see below), and it is still closely associated, in the West, with this use.

In modern times, the symbolism of the Nazi swastika has been used by neo-Nazis and other hate groups. Because of this, its use outside historical contexts has become a taboo in much of the world. However, it is important to bear in mind that for many millions of people worldwide, the swastika has associations which have nothing to do with Nazism.


Ancient and non-Nazi uses of the swastika

In Hinduism, the two symbols represented the two forms of Brahma; clockwise it represents the evolution of the universe (Pravritti), anti-clockwise it represents the involution of the universe (Nivritti).

In Buddhism, the swastika is oriented horizontally. These two symbols are included, at least since the Liao dynasty, as part of the Chinese language (as 卍 (in pinyin: wan4), the symbolic sign for the character 萬 (wan4) meaning "all", and "eternality" and as 卐 which is seldom used.) The swastikas (in either direction) appear on the chest of some statues of Gautama Buddha. Because of the association with the right facing swastika with Nazism, Buddhist swastikas after the mid 20th century are almost universially left facing. This form of the swastika is often found on Chinese food packaging to signify that the product is vegetarian and can be consumed by strict Buddhists. Also this type of swastika is often sewn into the collars of Chinese children's clothing to protect them from evil spirits.

In Jainism, the swastika symbol is combined with that of a hand.

In Christianity, it has been used as an alternative to the traditional cross. It also symbolizes the pain of Christ on the cross.


Areas

The swastika symbol was found extensively in the ruins of the ancient city of Troy.

In Ireland, a variant of the swastika known as Brigit's cross is used to ward off evil.

The British author Rudyard Kipling, who was strongly influenced by Indian culture, had a swastika on the dust jackets of all his books until the rise of Nazism made this inappropriate.

In Finland the swastika was used as the official national marking of the Finnish Air Force and Army between 1918 and 1944. The blue swastika was the good luck symbol used by the Swedish Count Erich von Rosen, who donated the first plane to the Finnish "White Army" during the Civil War in Finland. It has no connection to the Nazi use of the swastika. It also still appears in many Finnish medals and decorations, in a visually understated manner.

In Japan, the swastika is an ancient religious symbol. A swastika appeared in some Pokémon playing cards sold in Japan. Because of the taboo status of this symbol in the West these cards were not sold in other countries. The Magen David (Star of David) symbol is also present in the card set. On Japanese town plans, a swastika (left-facing and horizontal) is commonly used to mark the location of a Buddhist temple.

[sinister grinner]

hmm. weird.

[Jordan]

It's like the Nazis actually won WWII and are silently ruling our lives.

Come to think of it last night I woke up screaming in german. I went on about the 4th reich and how we need to muster our troops along the russian border, it's as if microsoft over the years has brain washed me.

[sinister grinner]

you know the same thing happened to me. except i wanted some kremlin fried chicken.

i would put a link here to that website, but i dont know how and im too lazy to find out.
ninja duck knows what im talking about.
or just type in fried chicken on yahoo.