Entries Tagged 'oh holy shit' ↓

It is no secret that a group of unknown InterTubes users have been trying to make life very hard for the Church of Scientology. From DDOS attacks on the Church’s website to monthly protests highlighting the group’s less-than-PR-friendly tactics of disconnection and fair game, Anonymous has been trying to “enturbulate” (a Scientology word for annoy, pester, or otherwise be a pain in the ass) the church ever since Scientology tried to pull a video of Tom Cruise from YouTube and threatened media site Gawker with a lawsuit for distributing said video.

The Church has retaliated by unmasking members of Anonymous and attempting to block protesters from their Scientology Center in Clearwater, FL, but have to date not used the sort of tactics known as “fair game” that cause Anonymous to mask themselves. Fair Game was a policy under which known detractors of the church were subject to defamation, harassment, and worse. _[1]

The Church of Scientology’s website acknowledges the Church’s former activities, such as the framing of Paulette Cooper for bomb threats against the Church, but says such events were the work of rogue agents with the Guardian’s Office (including founder L. Ron Hubbard’s third wife, Mary Sue), and such illegal activities no longer happen within the Church.

“It subsequently came to light that a handful of GO staff members had been influenced to adopt an “anything goes” approach in dealing with government discrimination against the Church. These dupes infiltrated and burglarized several U.S. government offices to obtain copies of files maintained and circulated about the Church. Obviously such activity was illegal and directly violated Mr. Hubbard’s policies.”_[2]

The Church further states that Fair Game is no longer an acceptable practice and was revoked by Hubbard himself. _[3]

And yet, one member of Anonymous says s/he was held hostage in a Church of Scientology Center in Amsterdam yesterday, with church members attempting to obtain his/her personal details.

Here’s the story in his/her own words: Continue reading →

My parents have been stockpiling goods recently — pounds of meat in the freezer; dozens of cans of soup, vegetables, and fruit; bags of other frozen foods like vegetables and prepared meat like hamburgers; and gallons of olive oil.

“What the hell?” I said to my parents recently, counting the six tins of tomato soup and four of corned beef. “It’s a recession, not a depression.”

I may be wrong.

Banks in the United States have been quietly borrowing “massive amounts” from the U.S. Federal Reserve in recent weeks, using a new measure the Fed introduced two months ago to help ease the credit crunch, according to a report on the web site of The Financial Times.

The Financial Times said the move has sparked unease among some analysts about the stress developing in opaque corners of the U.S. banking system and the banks’ growing reliance on indirect forms of government support.

Reuters: Banks “quietly” borrow $50 billion from Fed: report