Interactive timeline: Anonymous - Interactive - Al Jazeera English

Interactive timeline: Anonymous - Interactive - Al Jazeera English: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Nicely made Anonymous time line. Starts with Anonymous' fight against the Church of Scientology. I guess this is more or less correct since we could say that Anonymous entry into the hacktivism scene dates from then, even though they did a lot of pranks before.

As for the Church of Scientology, it's largely a fail, mostly because, like for the church's critics, they couldn't avoid the trap of falling themselves in the very travers they were decrying against the CoS.

As for the Arab Spring, I don't know, because it's the first time I read about this possible link, and I am not sure I will have the time or the interest to read it all - but anyway, certainly worth mentionning.

Anonymous and the Arab uprisings - Middle East - Al Jazeera English

Anonymous and the Arab uprisings - Middle East - Al Jazeera English: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Didn't follow all this mess for quite a while now but Anonymous re-appears in the news as linked to the Arab spring?

Mind-Blowing Willow Smith

Where do all these kids come from? It's like raining small bombs of concentrated talent! After Jackie Evancho, now Willow Smith? I was blown away by Willow's appearance on Ellen. What a performance! What a personality in the interview! WOW!

Now for something different. Where in the world does OK Mag take that Willow is a Scientology kid? She isn't. The Smiths are not Scientologists. OK, they are friends of the Cruises and use some Scientology techniques in their school but they are not Scientologist. I don't follow much these things today but at least I know that.

Anyway, if Willow was an example of Scientology tech, then we should all plunge head first into it. But she isn't. She is just a high concentration of pure and unadultered talent. Absolutely amazing!

Eco Cultists Blowing Up Kids in a "Good Cause"

YouTube - Leaked Eco-Terror Commercial (No Pressure):

I am definitely an ecologist at heart - been helping the ecology movement at its outset 30 years ago, always vote for the green list, etc - but I am truly worried by people who claim to be sensible to nature and find it "extremely funny" to blow up dissenting kids in a gory video to promote their views. Has the green movement turned into a fanatical cult? At least some green activists certainly did turn into cultists of sort, as they have all the sign of it - fanatical to the point of losing any sensitivity and finding "funny" to blow up kids for a "good cause".

I am sorry but this is absolutely wrong and I am deeply offended by what I consider a treason of my own ideals. If anything, that video makes me want to start my own oil factory just in reaction.

Nor do these activists seem to get "why" so many people find that video totally repulsive. As an "apology" on their web site they write: "Many people found the resulting film extremely funny, but unfortunately some didn't" - proving that they themselves are in the mentality I wrote above ("many... extremely funny... some... not"). Incredible, they just don't seem to get it (another sign of true cultism) - plus they end up as if all of the fuss was just a non-important mistake, dealt with just by "moving out".Wrong, wrong, wrong.

Anyway... Hopefully they'll make a deeper realization, because the cause they are defending is of course well worth it - one more reason to avoid this kind of super foot bullet.

Jaw-Dropping Happening on America's Got Talent

You probably heard by now this stunning rendition of O mio babbino caro sang by a 10-years old who sounds and looks like an angel. I already posted about Susan Boyle at the time and I cannot help posting about a comparable event - a unique moment in history when Spirit manifest on earth and everybody instantly goes WOOOOOOOOOOW!!!!

There's really little else that can be said. The video sings for itself!




O Mio Babbino Caro

Italian Lyrics

O mio babbino caro
Mi piace, è bello, è bello
Vo' andare in Porta Rossa
a comperar l'anello!
Sì, sì, ci voglio andare!
e se l'amassi indarno,
andrei sul Ponte Vecchio,
ma per buttarmi in Arno!
Mi struggo e mi tormento!
O Dio, vorrei morir!
Babbo, pietà, pietà!
Babbo, pietà, pietà!

English Lyrics

Oh my dear papa
I love him, he is handsome, handsome
I want to go to Porta Rossa
to buy the ring!
Yes, yes, I want to go there!
And if my love were in vain,
I would go to the Ponte Vecchio
and throw myself in the Arno!
I am being consumed by the torment!
Oh God, I'd like to die!
Papa, have pity, have pity!
Papa, have pity, have pity!

Kathy Griffin slammed for Scott Brown remarks - USATODAY.com

Kathy Griffin slammed for Scott Brown remarks - USATODAY.com: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

When a humorist has to stoop down to slamming to get attention, what does it tell you? To me it tells that this humorist has a lack of imagination and seeks to suceed by shock rather than talent. She did it before with with Scientology, she did it again with Senator Scott brown, calling her two daughter prostitutes.

I don't find it funny.

Strength of Cult Experience

toss & ripple: Cult-Recovery 101 and Beyond

If there are still people following this blog in spite of the fact that I barelly have time to update it anymore (or even just read the Scientology-related news for that matter), have a look at this blog post, and the related pages. Though I could not read them in details it really seems to fit to what I call the "Third Way". It's comforting to know that we are at least a few to think along that line and that some people do a beautiful job at it.

Related blog entry: http://anotherlookatscientology2.blogspot.com/2009/02/positive-cult-experience.html

"Hidden" PayPal Fees Inciting Community Unrest

Slashdot News Story | "Hidden" PayPal Fees Inciting Community Unrest

I had the worst possible experience with Paypal. I discourage anybody to use it. Apparently I was not the only one, as this thread on Slashdot show.

And here are two more links:

http://www.kudzuworld.com/blogs/tech/paypal.en.aspx
http://www.paypalsucks.com/

World Whines as AT&T Muzzles 4chan

The Register has a rant about ATT blocking 4chan. Doesn't really say much, though.

World whines as AT&T muzzles 4chan, Google • The Register: "The most newsworthy message board on 4chan is /b/, which new journalists discover about every four months when they want to scare the shit out of people who own computers. Some /b/ users, who go by the name Anonymous, know a thing or two about internet security, and they entertain themselves by breaking into people’s private e-mail accounts, MySpace accounts, and other such painfully inconsequential things. Because of this, /b/ makes a decent slow-news-day scare piece: an army of anonymous hackers are out there, and they’re reading your e-mail. Oh shit. This just got real."

...

'The revolution will not be televised, but you can damn well believe it will be Twittered, and then promptly forgotten as it scrolls off the screen."

Father Guilty in Prayer Death Case

Wis. Jury: Father Guilty in Prayer Death Case - ABC News: "A central Wisconsin man accused of killing his 11-year-old daughter by praying instead of seeking medical care was found guilty Saturday of second-degree reckless homicide."

Financial Times Article on Anonymous

FT.com / Reportage - Dissenters transform the art of protest

No time to actually read it but the Financial Times has an article about Anonymous with an enthraling title: "Dissenters Transfor the Art of Protest". It is being follow by the interview of an anon - "I do it for the LULZ" usual stuff...

Gentle Countering

YouTube - The Truth About Amsterdam, RE: Bill O'Reilly loves Amsterdam

Amsterdam is an absolutely delightful town, and tolerance, together with the high-spirited Dutch mood is part of the package. I just love it, and Dutch people are some of my favorite people, together with Italians.

Fascist jerks at Fox of course don't like it. This little video is a wonderful reply, posting facts and pictures to contrast with wild claims.

This entry is not entirely off-topic, and the CoS could inspire itself to counter similar wild claims made by critics. I don't mean to say Scientology is not a cult, ultimately, but some of the claims critics make are even more ridiculous than Fox and deserve to be contrasted this way.

AT&T Blocks Part of 4chan

Slashdot Technology Story | AT&T Blocks Part of 4chan: "'Several news sources (Mashable, The Inquistr, etc.) are reporting that AT&T is blocking img.4chan.org in the southern united states. That server is used for the infamous /b/ board (the home of anonymous). TechCrunch calls the decision to block 4chan 'stupid,' noting that they may have 'opened perhaps the most vindictive, messy can of worms.' The Inquisitr suggests that 'The global internet censorship debate landed in the home of the free.' moot (who runs 4chan) asks users to call AT&T, while some others suggest more drastic action (like cutting AT&T fiber).'"

Katie Holmes Dancing

YouTube - katie holmes thinks she can dance

No very difficult dance moves but frankly not bad. I am more impressed with the singing, though.

Update: the video now made it to the "most viewed" category. In the meantime I learned that the singing in fact is the original Judy Garland to which she just lip sinc. I was wondering too as this was far better than the dancing itself and nobody seemed to notice ;-)

Update2: Now I am a little bit confused, because in yet another video that made it to the most viewed category, the presenter seems to say (not very clear) that it's actually Katie singing. If true, then it is going to become much bigger than it is, because I think that, while the dance is just so-so, the singing is outstanding.

update3: OK- I am now convinced that this is actually Katie singing. Just search the news and you'll many references to it. Besides, here is a 2007 video of her singing another song, and yes, it's the same voice. Check also this page that has Judy Garland's performance and Katie's back to back and you'll that the original voice is markedly different(though I do like the original choreography better but that's beside the point). I can really envision Katie completing the video that is shown at the start of the performance and putting it up on the market. Her voice really do match the one of Judy Garland! A rather amazing discovery (and so I'll put it in the Amazing category now).

Obama's Mis-Step

Obama Moves to Dampen Uproar Over Comment on Race - ABC News

I too thought that Obama's words were ill-chosen as he commented on the Gates incident, and God knows I am an Obama fan. Really, he should not have commented at all, as it was only an incident and not worth making it a political issue at that level.

I also fail to see why race was an issue in the case. I have seen many videos of police behaving in a dis-proportioned way towards people of all races...

Really, it is not the place of a President to take side in such matters and give it national and international attention, as well as fomenting debates and conflict on such a sensible subject.

Obama did make a mistake. This is good in the way it reminds us that, he too, is just human. Maybe a real apology would have been better.