It’s the 4th Friday of the month and you know it’s time for your favorite A Gentle Introduction to Linux for Non-Geeks again! You have probably heard about the awesome OLPC project and the Asus eee PC, both of which have Linux as its running operating system. Their popularity got the attention of Bill Gates, who now wants to put his Windows OS on both machines! Thom Holwerda from OS News sums it up perfectly:
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Carl Bell was waiting his turn to check in at his hotel. A well-regarded psychiatrist and academic, he was traveling for a television appearance. The TV station had flown him first-class and sent a chauffeur-driven car to pick him up at the airport. But just before he stepped up to speak with the hotel clerk, a white man marched in and cut him off. Bell, who is black, was indignant.
“Do you think I’m waiting for a bus?” He demanded. “I’m standing right here!”
The man claimed he simply hadn’t seen him.
(excerpt from “What Was That? Researchers Explore Below-the-Radar Racism“) keep reading… »
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This is important.
If you still think Scientology is just some nutty and harmless religion, please watch the following videos. There are more in the forum and all over the Internet.
Join a global protest against Scientology on February 10th, 2008. If you can’t be there, you can show your solidarity by looking up the following information on the Internet:
Operation Freakout.
Operation Snow White.
Fair Game.
Sea Org.
Disconnect.
Paulette Cooper.
Lisa McPherson.
Ex-Scientologist Stacy Young.
Don’t just believe one single source. Read copiously. From as many sources as you can find.
If you are an ex-Scientologist, it’s time you stand up and share your stories with the world. If you have been targeted by Scientology, know that you’re not alone and contact your local support groups. The Internet is Scientology’s worst nightmare. The more visible our presence, the more difficult it is for Scientology to attack and silence its critics, and get away with it like it used to.
Knowledge is power. Don’t let any religion or any cult take that away from us.
Anonymous is Everyone and Everywhere.
BBC vs. Scientology
What are you afraid of?
Scientology’s obsession with Camera
Scientology bankrupted and bought Cult Awareness Network
Inside the Cult
The S Files
The Road to Total Freedom
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Understanding the German View of Scientology.
This is an excellent paper explaining why Scientology is not recognized as a religion but a commercial enterprise in Germany, why its activities are under surveillance, and why the federal court is moving towards a ban on the criminal organization. All emphasis are mine, and links to most of the media coverage on Scientology mentioned in the original article are provided for your viewing pleasure. (update: except for articles from the WSJ and “The Germans have a word for it”, all links are there)
“The German government considers the Scientology organization a commercial enterprise with a history of taking advantage of vulnerable individuals and an extreme dislike of any criticism. The government is also concerned that the organization’s totalitarian structure and methods may pose a risk to Germany’s democratic society. Several kinds of evidence have influenced this view of Scientology, including the organization’s activities in the United States. keep reading… »
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Pope Benedict XV was forced to cancel his visit to La Sapienza, the largest and oldest university in Rome founded in 1303 by the Vatican, to deliver an inauguration speech for the new academic year amidst protests from faculty and students.
67 academics signed a letter protesting the Pope’s visit for his speech in 1990 commenting Galileo’s trial, in which he quoted an Austrian philosopher: “At the time of Galileo, the church remained more loyal to reason than Galileo himself”, and that the verdict against Galileo was “reasonable and just”.
“These words offend and humiliate us,” said the letter.
In a separate initiative, students also organized an “anti-clerical week”. One banner reads: “Knowledge needs neither Fathers nor Priests”, as reported by BBC.
“The controversy was unparalleled in a country where criticism of the Roman Catholic church is normally muted,” wrote The Guardian.
“We have no objections to the pope visiting at any other time when there can be exchanges of opinion, but not at the inauguration,” said Physics professor Andreas Srova and was quoted on CNN. “It was a mistake to ask him to come at this time.”
Methinks it’s a mistake to ask a bigoted, cult leader of an unctuous, scatological corporation that has murdered, tortured and violated millions of lives and continues to scrub history, spread ignorance and spout lies, to come anywhere, anytime.
Hats off to those at La Sapienza who stand up against the tyranny of an evil empire!
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Got 20 minutes to spare? My friend Shaunessy sent me this link which I just have to share with everyone:
The Story of Stuff with Annie Leonard
If the video on the linked page takes too long to load, just click ‘keep reading’. Enjoy! keep reading… »
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