Tom Jones in the Grey Zone

(Off-topic)

BBC NEWS | UK | Wales | Tom Jones reveals grey hairstyle

Why are people hiding their grey hair? I find it much nicer than anything else!


PS - my favorite song of Tom Jones is the little-known song called: "I know"

Quick Firefox Jumps Over Lazy IE

(Off topic)

Projection: IE’s Days of Domination Are Numbered - PC World

Firefox is unbeatable for its add-ins. The only reason I can think of IE still dominating is that it comes with Windows and obviously most people in the world are not propeller heads.

VIVE FIREFOX!

Persia White

The Celebrity Scientologist is a good blog. I often discover there people I had no idea they were Scientologists, and people I just did not know about. Such is Persia White, featured today: Celebrity Scientologists: Persia White- Actress, Musician, Activist.

She is most known for her participation in a series called "Girl Friends", which I don't think I ever saw.

I must say she does not come out that good in photos, and I had trouble finding one that I really liked for my blog, but she does come out very good live, such as the KTL5 interview, obviously, or she wouldn't have starred in Girl Friends for more than six years.

Another thing I like about her is her activism, mostly for the environment and animals, and I do like the text of her web page opening:

"I know that many of the conflicts we face today are hard to confront, but I ask that you open your mind and eyes for a moment and allow yourself to be a witness. No matter what you've been taught, I know we can make a difference in the world around us. One simple action can lessen or stop the suffering of another. Every great movement, invention, or philosophy began with ONE person. Often times society can make a person feel small or unimportant, yet there is tremendous strength in every word, every action, every voice. It's time to be heard."

And no, I don't think she speaks of LRH, but just more simply of you and me.

OTOH, something that does come out through various aspects of her is what she surprisingly reveals in that KTL5 interview above: "My music side is more, you know, what's going on inside my head, which isn't always so positive and happy, it's a little bit ... darker".

Why is that surprising? Well, because it does not fit the stereotype of the Scientologist, who always strives to be "upstat" and "uptone". It may really be a stereotype, though, because the same can be said of Beck.

Other Links:

• Wikipedia page: Persia White - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• IMDB: Persia White
• My Space: MySpace.com - Persia White - 20 - Female - Los Angeles, California - www.myspace.com/persiawhite

Armstrong Allege Video One

On Jan. 27 I wrote:

"That impression is further reinforced when you know that Armstrong himself once declared: "We don't have to prove a goddam thing. We don't have to prove sh-t. We just have to allege it.”"

People have rightly asked for the reference of this and the only thing I found was a 404 page. See my researches here. However, R.Hill did a better job than I and found the videos themselves. Not only that, he even found where on the tape Armstrong made the comments! Something that in all honesty should have been done by RoadRunner. So thanks R.Hill! You can find the post of R. Hill and his interpretation of the tape (that differs from mine) here.

From his comment:

"The first part is to be found in the 4th video, at 6m 40s [Google video time] on the following page: http://thewar.xenu.ca/?p=12

The second part is to be found in the 1st video, at 9m 0s [Google video time] on the following page: http://thewar.xenu.ca/?p=13"

It seems to me at first sight that the statement used by the CoS in their flyer is the one on the second tape (p13 above). However, that tape's sound is terrible. I may web it later on. In the meantime, I will web here the first one (p12), together with the comments I made on the fly, and that can be found here.

I find that first tape interesting because his allegations about just alleging seems more clear, and also he seems to say at the end something about the fact they can always allege it and claim that the CoS destroyed the documents... not sure about that last part, give it a ear yourself. If true then it would make his own claim about having destroyed the original even more dubious.

I am webbing here only the relevant 3 minutes starting at 4:50 of the original video. I adapted the counter references in the comments below to fit that extract, but I preserved the references of the original in parenthesis.

The sound is not very clear and I am not a native English speaker so I may miss something out of it but this is what I get from it. Others may hear better.

Note that the sound does not always seems synchronized with the image but later on it gets better.



0:00 (4:50 on original) - Rinder: "Now these guys need to have like a personal knowledge of this shit or what? I mean, for what I understand when you write an affidavit you gonna like find guys who have... "

GA: "do you have any personal knowledge?"

Rinder: "Some, some, but I don't know if..."

(inaudible)

0:28 (5:16) rinder: "I rather not. I rather not. I mean, as soon as I, as soon as I would write an affidavit then that is gonna go somewhere with my name on it wherever it goes (inaudible)...

GA: "... (inaudible) fucking thing ... fuck ... affidavit ... so that they can be ... they are only allegations ... "

(Follows some angry rant from GA among others that the CoS want him dead.)

1:27 (06:12): Rinder "Do we have to find someone who has a certain knowledge of that in order to get an affidavit of those things?"

GA "how much they paid to this? [trying to kill him I guess] (inaudible)"

Rinder: "I don't know. I don't know that they did".

(something with attorney and that it would cost more...)

(Something GA says about Rinder being a board member and he can't find out even though he is on the board...)

Rinder: "OK, am not asking about where they can find out but whether they need to in order to be able to do this. You see what I am saying, it's like..."

2:10 (6:55). "THEY CAN ALLEGE IT!" (and very ironically pointing directly at the camera...). they can allege it, they don't even have... they can allege it".

(Rinder seems stunned and to look for words)

2:20 Rinder: " (inaudible) they don't have to have, you know, the documents (inaudible)

2:27 GA: "You can fucking say it's the organization destroyed the documents. The organization destroyed it. But you can simply say, you know, upwards of millions of dollars have been paid and fucking attach a God damned, if you attach Freedom and say that the whole thing is a crock of shit, you can, you know, a court has to look at that (inaudible), you know, the fact that, you know, how about, how about..."

Rinder: "(inaudible) mailing list, can you get mailing list?

Related blog entries: R-Affirmations-

FLV Splitters

I was looking for a program that could split Armstrong video into the relevant parts. Not surprisingly, that was not easy.

I first had to convert the FLV file into AVI. Most of the programs doing that pretend to be free but are not. I only found two really free ones.

One of these is called Super, but it's a freaking 30MB and it still had long to finish downloading when I found the other solution.

The other solution is beautifully explained on the http://worldtv.com/blog/guides_tutorials/flv_converter.php page, including the reason why it is so difficult to find a decent free program to do such.

Once in AVI, it was easy to split using the Windows Movie Makers included in Vista.

I am just writing this to reward that beautiful page above with a link and recommendation, and just in case someone else one day bumps in the same problem.

Quote of the Day - Long Term Dupes

The importance of the Affirmations by Hubbard is it is prime "unbrainwashing" material to leak to Scientologists to get them to "wake up" - alt.religion.scientology | Google Groups:

"To the people like me, former longterm dupes, the Affirmations are instantly recognized as legitimate."

Needless to say, I disagree.

But, hey, I was only 4-5 years in Scientology. Does this make of me a short term dupe or a long term dupe?

Short time, long time... Am in Thailand again. Pay me Cola?

Here is a claim that would be worth documenting:

"The Affirmations fully align with a LOT of Hubbard policies and ideas, and to the experienced long term dupe, they read like Hubbard, and follow so many of his principles in later years of writings."

I'll be curious to see that :-) In the mean time I think I'll sip my Colaaaa...

Mary DeMoss

On January 30, 2009, Mark Bunker posted on his blog:

"I’m not posting a link to [Mary DeMoss] blog but it isn’t hidden. I’m sure by now most have found it. I would urge people to leave her be. "

I knew, reading this, that this was wishful thinking. It didn't take long before I saw a nasty attack on her using her blog, and worst even, her private life. Here it is: http://free-from-scientology.blogspot.com/2009/02/hey-mary-panton-aka-mary-demoss-im.html

This "formerly fooled", supposedly "out of the dark", is taking on her to admonish DeMoss on her private life, trying to link what DeMoss sincerely put out about her relationships, to Scientology. She even tries to use DeMoss son against her:

"Listen up, Mary Panton , lobbyist (aka Mary DeMoss). I'm Lobbying You.............. because that son of yours is no joke and someday he's going to read all about you on the internet and all that you've written on your blog and you need to be prepared to be held accountable to the little one you love, a tougher fish than big one that got away."

Is it just me and my deficient English or someone else also think that this type of behavior is abhorrent, from whichever side it comes?

Insight

Most solutions, when found, are simple and elegant.

However, they often involve a "higher view", i.e. a thinking out of the box.

As long as we are thinking from within the box, things may seem perplexing and insoluble. We don't realize that the box itself is the problem.

The most important thing in trying to find a solution to something is to first put ourselves in a frame of mind that would allow for the solution to occur. That frame of mind often is the solution itself, because it pulls us out of the box. It would allow "insight" to occur.

An in-sight is something of a curious, mysterious, phenomenon. It is rarely brought from thought or thinking itself. We can't provoke it. All we can do is keep our house in order and let the window open to invite it in.

Insight is that something seemingly coming from a higher dimension that suddenly sheds light on some issue. It has that crystal clear quality to it, and that quality itself comes within a framework that seems to be made of absolute order and links us with thousands of other qualities that goes with it.

Thought itself will only make you see, at best. the various pro- and con- of something, and since everything is relative, it will never bring the solution, because all of that thinking occurs from within the box itself. We need to invite a higher dimension to shed light on it, but it is not going to happen just because we ask for it. This is why, the first thing we need to do is to get ourselves in the right state of mind. Then insight may occur. Or not...

Flag Event Featuring Bart Simpson on OT VII Tonight

The much talked about Flag event featuring Bart Simpson (read: Nancy Cartwright, the voice of Bart Simpson) is happening tonight.

Stargazing | Rubina from “Slumdog”; Rebecca Mader from “Lost”; Lisa Lampanelli, Noah Wyle - Kansas City Star:

"The Church of Scientology’s Flag World Tour is tonight in Hollywood, and one of the speakers is Nancy Cartwright, the voice of Bart Simpson. There has been some heat this week because Cartwright was using Bart’s voice in a pre-recorded message to promote the event."

The pre-recorded message has been widely featured in the press because Nancy used the copyrighted voice of Bart mixed with her own voice in the message to promote her appearance in the Flag event.

Pity it made such a scandal, because I for one found the message funny. Besides, isn't Bart Simpson known for making prank calls? Play it here below:

Aye carumba! Bart Simpson is spruiking Scientology - Times Online:

The actress credits Scientology for much of what she has achieved.

“Before Scientology I had one dream of making a living, from doing voice-overs for animation,'' Cartwright said in 2006.

“After I became a Scientologist my abilities expanded so far and above what I originally dreamed that I've amazed even myself.''

Bart Simpson's Voice Speaks for Scientology - E! Online:

"But although Cartwright has been a practicing Scientologist since 1989, the veteran voice actress had no outward problem helping The Simpsons poke fun at her religion in the 1998 episode 'The Joy of Sect,' in which the family joins the cultish Movementarians, whose members ultimately aspire to live on the planet Blisstonia."

Bart Simpson's voice being used to promote Scientology event:

"Cartwright also provides the voices of Nelson Muntz, Ralph Wiggum and several other Simpsons characters on the show. She also voiced the character, Chuckie Finster, on Nickelodeon series, 'Rugrats' from 2001 to 2008."

The Canadian Press: Nancy Cartwright uses Bart Simpson's voice to push Scientology:

"The Fox network would not comment, but 'Simpsons' executive producer Al Jean said the message wasn't authorized by the show, which has never 'endorsed any religion, philosophy or system of beliefs any more profound than Butterfinger bars.'"

Related Blog Entries: R-NancyCartwright-

Before the Day Starts Rolling.

I do many things in life but personally my ultimate goal is a spiritual one.

Spiritually, the ultimate goal, in a way, is do-nothing. It is nothing, no-thing from this world.

The least one could do with such a goal would be to sit quietly for a few minutes in a day and do nothing, nothing but being, nothing but meditate...

And yet, how hard is it for us to find these few minutes in a day? We are always striving to do some-thing, to be busy, or else we feel we waste our time, we waste our life.

Even for someone like myself, who do have such a goal, hardly ever take the time to do it. I think it's a mistake, and every time I "force" myself, in a manner of speaking, to take these few minutes, I hardly ever regret it. It's like taking a few minutes a day to sharpen your tools. It's hardly time wasted.

I find that the best time to meditate is in the morning, shortly after waking up. One first needs to actually wake up. No sense to start to meditate half asleep. There's all kind of things we need to clean up from our head first. Some people like to review the day before, or look ahead on what's up for the day coming, or give a thought to one or the other things.

After this, there's some space we could use to do nothing, and yet fully wake up. Not just physically but spiritually. It often is a time of opportunity for it because life has not started wheeling yet. The children may still be asleep, the sun itself may not have started his daily round. There is a space of quietness.

I find that although our first instinct is to get busy and do something, it helps greatly to, on the contrary, sit up in the bed and start a short meditation. This could be a quarter or twenty minutes. Just sit quietly and let all thoughts pass. Focus on the sheer awareness and on the infinite depth of silence, of being and awareness. In effect, what we do, I think, is to elevate our own vibration. It's like an airplane take-off, until we reach a point above the clouds where there is nothing but quietness and light.

If we can keep that feeling as we land back down to earth, then we would bring that extra quality in our daily doing. The focus that brings an automatic alignment of everything else we do, and everything that surrounds us. There would be a "meaning" present, a meaning that is beyond words, that words cannot express, and yet something we can feel and live as a sort of deep well-being, of peace and silence in the center of turmoil and noise, even though in fact the feeling, if we reach it at all, which is not always automatic, usually fades off during the day and we get "sucked up" in life again... But nevertheless, it usually is much more worth than what we think is the time we "spend" on these few minutes of silence and quiet before the day really starts rolling.

Fair Game Abused

The Church of Scientology certainly did engage in harassment along their "Fair Game" policy. That it was canceled does not mean the spirit and rationale has changed much.

While this is true, however, I have observed Anonymous and critics engage in two myths about this:

1. Virtually anything critical the CoS or Scientologists say about critics is automatically tagged as "Fair Game", even when it is a mere normal answer.
2. Anonymous and critics tend to greatly exaggerate Scientologists' reaction in an attempt to tag it as fair game. I once have given an example of this, where a Scientologist engaged an anon in a relatively friendly manner and where her words were completely distorted to make it sounds like something absolutely sinister.

Quite on the contrary, I found that Scientologists in general have been remarkably cool in the face of sometimes abject harassment on the part of Anonymous, that actually illustrate the notion of Fair Game much better than what Scientologists did.

Put the shoe on the other foot and for a moment and imagine what you would say if Scientologists engaged in these types of behavior towards critics.

In this sense, I found the following thread rather in ARS interesting, and so far critics could not come up with a good answer: Demagoguery and the Anti-Scientology Movement - alt.religion.scientology | Google Groups

Pubes Accomplice Arrested as Accessory

Man who filmed petroleum jelly-covered Scientology protester's rampage arrested as accessory:

"The man who videotaped a petroleum jelly-covered protester on a rampage inside a Scientology center in Manhattan was arrested Tuesday for helping with the crime, police said.

Jacob Speregen, 21, of Brooklyn, was charged with two hate crimes including aggravated harassment and criminal mischief for helping Mahoud Samed Almahadin, aka Matt Connor, during the Jan. 14 incident. [...]

Jacob's mother argues that the fact her son filmed the preparation of the incident and the incident itself is part of his "free speech right" and not a hate crime.

R-pubes- related blog entries

Anon-Orange's Arrest

A while ago where shown videos of one Anonymous held to the ground by Gold's guards. The video was part of anti-Scientology forums using it to blame Scientology but the news was not really picked up further. One reason for this may have been the fact that what happened before was not shown.

More information on that incident is unfolding now.

"ANONYMOUS" IS A GANG OF CYBER-BULLIES AND ANTI-RELIGION EXTREMISTS: "ANON-ORANGE" PROVOKED AN ATTACK ON HIMSELF AS A PUBLICITY STUNT

"Several months ago, fifty-five year old Anonymous member 'Anon-Orange' (see below) screamed out '..FUCK YOU!' into the face of a security guard patrolling the perimeter of the Church of Scientology's Gold Base. The guards had repeatedly warned 'Anon-Orange' that he was indeed trespassing, and clearly didn't expect such a heated response.

As per their standard operating procedure, the security guard necessarily detained 'Anon-Orange' for trespassing and for acting aggressively.

Strangely, the videos which surfaced onto Youtube.com at the time of the incident neglected to show the provocative "...FUCK YOU!" which precipitated the arrest:

The videos which surfaced made it appear as though the arrest was in violation of his rights. Evidentally, this is the spin which Anonymous seeks to perpetuate. They want you to see "Scientology Bad Guys" attacking "Anonymous Good Guys".

So today, Anon-Orange just released his own footage, which sheds more light on the issue. Namely, that Anon-Orange provoked the attack."

You can watch the video on the page above or on youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8FFCNZifvU

More related information, that appeared in ARS today, although the background and time of this incidents reported are unclear at this stage:

Agent Orange Goes Back to Jail - alt.religion.scientology | Google Groups:

"After this morning's arraignment, AO is back in jail.

An offer was made to drop the charges down to a 3rd degree misdemeanor with a $100 fine if AO would admit to screaming and yelling at Danny Dunigan. Graham advised AO to take the offer, which also would have allowed AO to protest Gold at his leisure, but AO refused it.

Following this, Scilon attorney Eliott Abelson informed the judge that AO had violated the court order given at the last arraignment on three occasions:

-AO had been ordered to stay away from Danny Dunigan, yet within 20 minutes he was filmed on the steps of the courthouse cursing at Dunigan and shoving a camera in his face.

-AO had been ordered to stay away from Gold Base, yet he has been filmed driving around Gold on two separate occasions.

Abelson said they may also be charging AO for his harassing behavior toward Catherine Fraser following one of the Riverside County Board of Supervisors meetings.

AO was escorted out of the courtroom by the deputies and bail was set at $2,500."

Seeing the Whole Field at Once

Sandy's Good News: Scientology increases reaction time and intelligence, says winning quarterback:

[...] "For several weeks running, he was listed as the number one top scoring high school quarterback in the NATION, on the popular web site, Max Preps.

Jesse says that Scientology and L.Ron Hubbard technology have given him an "unfair" advantage in life. When he was 13, he had an opportunity to take some basic Scientology courses that are designed to increase one's perceptions in present time. He says that the exercises he completed on his course have resulted in increased reaction time and ability to make decisions on a dime. Fast thinking and intelligence, he feels are key to being a successful quarterback. He can see the whole field at once: the guy who is trying to tackle him, the next guy after that, the receivers, the guys who are about to tackle them, and the guys that are coming in after that. All in a flash. Pressure is his friend. When he's being rushed at, he says, he has all the time in the world. "

On Hold

I had some problems with my laptop yesterday. I just "recovered" from this terrible cultic experience ;-) but it will take me a while to get up to speed again so no news or answers to comments for a while. Thanks.