EMBARGOED For Release Until on or After July 4, 2001: @tlantis.TV: Washington Monument Reopens to Conspiracy Charges


WASHINGTON, July 4, 2001 (PRIMEZONE) -- On the eve of the Washington Monument's scheduled July 15 reopening after four years of renovation, a new ebook claims that the landmark is one of several on the National Mall astronomically aligned to the stars.

The ebook is titled "Washingtonople: The Secret History of America's Capital," recalling the original name bestowed upon America's capital city in 1790 by its chief architect, Frenchman and Freemason Pierre-Charles L'Enfant.

Published by @lantis.TV, the maverick online entertainment startup, the ebook is a send-up of similar "non-fiction" books about Egyptian pyramids and South American ruins. It can be downloaded for $2.95 exclusively at www.Washingtonople.com.

Among other things, Washingtonople states that such American monuments as the U.S. Capitol Building, Lincoln Memorial and proposed World War II Veterans Memorial, while erected during different centuries, are built according to L'Enfant's mysterious master plan. Furthermore, it concludes that the terrestrial landmarks of the National Mall will "lock" with their celestial counterparts at a date predetermined by the Founding Fathers.

To help readers separate reality from fantasy, the ebook's authorship is credited to Dr. Conrad Yeats, a fictional archeologist from an upcoming novel and a recurring guest on @lantis.TV's popular "Atlantis Mapping Project" Website.

Ironically, in spite of @lantis.TV's disclaimers, or because of them, viewers refuse to believe that it's all make-believe. They are instead using Internet bulletin boards and late-night talk shows like Art Bell's to accuse the company of being a government-funded "disinformation" agency bent on covering up the "real" story under the guise of distracting entertainment.

To the creators of @lantis.TV, the furor is both affirming and disturbing.

"In this cynical age of blurbs from phony movie critics in newspapers and book reviews from friends on Amazon, you'd think that a jaded public would appreciate upfront disclaimers," said Thomas Greanias, founder and CEO of @lantis Interactive, Inc., the parent company of @lantis.TV. "The reality is resistance and even resentment whenever we remind our more enthusiastic fans that it's for entertainment only."

For better or worse, Greanias, a former journalist with bachelor's and master's degrees from Northwestern University, believes @lantis.TV's experience reflects a broader trend in American pop culture. "News is entertainment and entertainment is news," he said.

With that in mind, @lantis.TV will continue to provide ongoing coverage of the Atlantis Mapping Project and Washingtonople via its free weekly Webcasts. At the same time, the company is ramping up production for several new channels it will introduce this fall.

Photos are available for this release at www.Washingtonople.com. To view photos, go to www.enewsrelease.com/pressroom and enter release I.D. 27872

@lantis.TV is the world's exclusive link to the secret U.S. dig in Antarctica and "Earth's Coolest Entertainment." Its free weekly Webcasts are among the most forwarded emails in the United States. Contact us at mail@lantis.tv.

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CONTACT: @lantis Interactive, Inc.
         Monica Lee
         (310) 476-6884
         mail@lantis.tv


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