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May 24, 2005
What's up with Oprah and Scientology?
I've noticed something odd about the recent guests I've caught on Oprah's show. Once in a while she'll have a celebrity on so they can promote their latest movie or album or whatever.
What do these recent guests have in common?
Tom Cruise
Lisa Marie Presley
Kirstie Alley
John Travolta
Of course, they're all scientologists. Travolta, in particular, is always popping up on Oprah's show when you least expect it. I recognize that Oprah's a big fan of his, but it just smells funny. Especially because whenever Tom or John come on, they seem exceptionally happy. I mean, really too happy. I don't know, maybe Scientology just makes you REALLY REALLY happy, but can it possibly make you THIS EXCITED?
So what's the deal with Oprah? Unlike the talentless hacks mentioned above, certainly she can't be dumb enough to fall for the "advanced technology" of good ol' L. Ron. I hope. I can't imagine these guys HAVEN'T tried to recruit her. Guys like Travolta and Cruise seem to do a really good job of recruiting other celebrities. My guess is Oprah's too smart for it, but if Tom Cruise wants to come on your show during sweeps, do you say no? Especially when the result is a show talked about round the watercooler for days to come? Of course not.
UPDATE: A lot of people seem to be searching for information on Oprah and Scientology. I must not have been the only one to notice.
UPDATE 2: Seriously, TONS of people are now searching for information on Oprah and Scientology. People don't have to have the media tell them what's going on... they can figure it out for themselves. Oprah is, in the very least, buddy buddy with a lot of Scientologist celebrities. But I imagine they're a pretty tight group, so if she got to be (for some reason I can't imagine) best friends with John Travolta, it wouldn't be so hard to book Kirstie Alley or even Tom Cruise. Plus, I mean, she's Oprah.
Either way, I'm doing something I almost never do, and that is open comments on this topic in case people are interested in leaving their thoughts. You don't have to register or anything... but I will be moderating the comments (just to make sure you sneaks don't try anything sneaky mcsneaky!)
6/25 UPDATE 3: Well, this site is not the number 2 search result for "Oprah Scientology", and a LOT of people seem to be making the connection. Well, a LOT for this site anyway. I've noticed, still no one has been willing to leave any comments. Perhaps they're afraid Tom Cruise is going to come over and treat them like Matt Lauer. Honestly, this whole thing is really getting out of hand.
Clearly Cruise's odd behavior, and Oprah's connections with famous scientologists, have people questioning Oprah's motives. Is Oprah becoming a mouthpiece for the Church of Scientology?
I have a hard time believing that. Keep in mind Oprah is the woman behind the success of Dr. Phil, who holds a doctorate in clinical psychology. She also had Brooke Shields as a guest on her show, discussing her use of Paxil to cure her post-partum depression.
The success of Dr. Phil alone is proof enough for me that Oprah is not actively promoting the religion of Scientology. That's not to say her celebrity friends haven't tried to recruit her, but on that we can only speculate.
Posted by March at 06:19 PM | Comments (3)
May 16, 2005
How Do You Retract 17 Deaths?
If you don't know by now, Newsweek printed a claim that U.S. interrogators were using, as one of their tactics, the flushing of the Koran down a toilet. The result was riots and death in Afghanistan.
Way to go Newsweek. But here's something to ponder. They admitted they were wrong. Once upon a time, I believe such an admission would not have been likely. But after Rathergate, the media can no longer hide their mistakes, and they know it. They know, thanks to the blogosphere, that doing so will cost their credibility, and even their jobs. Today, the new strategy is to admit the mistake, ask for forgiveness, and move on. But that might not be enough for Newsweek, because they haven't just smeared the reputation of the U.S. military. People are dead.
From Jackson's Junction, Fox's John Gibson asks "How do you retract 17 deaths?"
Meanwhile, Brian Maloney, formerly of 710 KIRO, notes that Newsweek's radio program is facing the axe from various stations around the country.
Last, but not least, Austin Bay has a nice take on the incident, but only read it if you've got a lot of time, or you've just finished school and have nothing to do but drink and pack up your Jeep Cherokee.
Posted by March at 02:20 PM
May 15, 2005
Sunday Catblogging
Many bloggers post pictures of their cats on Friday. They call it Friday Catblogging. But I've never considered myself a blogger, and I've got pictures of the cats to put up, so they're here today.
Fluff has been going outside lately, whether we like it or not, so we have leashed him and are trying to train him to only go outside when we allow him to.
Melvin on the other hand just goes out by himself anyway. He's so fat that he's not going to run away, so I just let him wander around upstairs by himself as long as we've got Fluff out.
Here's some pictures!
MEOW!
Posted by March at 09:46 PM | TrackBack
May 13, 2005
The Church, The State, and the License Plate
Jane Milhans of Tacoma was surprised to find out that an anonymous woman filed a complaint about her BMW's personalized license plate JOHN316. KOMO-TV reports here.
The anonymous woman wrote to the state saying "I was offended that I have to be 'prayed over' by a license plate... What happened to keeping church and state separate?"
Yes, indeed. The intent of "separation" is to allow all people the freedom to practice whatever religion they wish, freely, without interference from the state. It is, however, not intended to keep oversensitive "progressives" from being offended by other people's beliefs. "What happened to keeping church and state separate?" she asks, while asking the STATE to step in and revoke a religious vanity plate.
True, a license plate is issued by the state. For the most part, these plates feature letter/number combinations that are chosen by the state. An example from Washington state would be 123-ABC. But a personalized plate is different. It is selected by the individual driver. The state plays no part in the message selected, and does not prohibit plates provided that they are not blatantly offensive.
In fact, the state goes out of it's way not to offend people with it's license plate combinations. You won't see 123-GOD or 123-SEX. Various letter combinations are banned, so that vehicle owners need not be offended.
Since JOHN316 was selected by an individual, the state is not responsible for the message it sends. But surely the fact that the state ISSUES the plate to the driver is cause for concern, no? The state shouldn't allow one to license their car if that license contains a religious message.
Then what of other state licenses? If I license a business, and call it "John 3:16 Fast Lube and Brake Service", should the state revoke my license on the grounds that someone might be offended? In both cases, I am forced to obtain a license from the state. In both cases I select a religious theme for my license. What's the difference?
There is none.
Posted by March at 06:11 PM | TrackBack
May 10, 2005
One small step into nursing...
I'm taking a nursing assistant course three nights a week, four hours each of those nights, for seven weeks and then I will take a state test and become a certified nursing assistant. I'm very happy, because while I find school rewarding, the classes do not fulfill that need I have to actually be learning and doing something related to nursing. This will be great experience for me and I think I'll learn a lot in this role and it will prepare me better for nursing school. I hope to get a job in a hospital when I am finished (The Swedish has many openings for nursing assistants), but even if I work in a nursing home, it'll be a wonderful and challenging step into the direction of nursing.
School is also going well for me. I am doing exceptionally well in my classes this quarter. I seem to have a knack for the sciences, although I do have to put in an absurd amount of study time to do as well as I'm doing. So far I have 4.0's in all of my classes, although I don't know how long that'll last in Chemistry. I have a test on Friday and I haven't studied nearly as hard for this one as I did for the last one. Also, the teacher doesn't seem to like me all too well, despite the fact that I think I am doing the best in his class. Last test, everyone around me, including a few people I studied with, had about 60-70% on their test while I had a 97%. I really want to get a 4.0 in Chemistry, but it is very tough. I have a list of twenty-something polyatomic ions I need to remember and I just can't seem to get them into my brain. I don't even know why we need to memorize them. It's not something that any of us will remember at all after the test. And that's for the people who study enough to even remember them.
Nothing else much has been happening around here. My mom came up for a while and we had a lot of fun. I've been missing Redding and my family a lot lately. The pace of life is just so much slower in Redding and people are a lot more friendly and personable. I love the fact that I can get such a great education up here, but I really do miss the little things about Redding.
That's all the rambling I have for tonight.
Posted by December at 10:34 PM | TrackBack
May 04, 2005
Melvin's Blog: My First Entry
I hate it here. Every day I try to make the females life miserable. Last night, she picked me up, so I gave her precious leg a three inch gash with my back claw. And just to make matters worse, I made sure to leave a special pile of poop on the sheets this morning.
My attempts to escape have consistently failed. Last week I tried to escape, but I was sidetracked by some ducks, and caught by the female.
Meanwhile I must put up with the constant playfulness of the stupid kitten, who is easily entertained by just about anything. I have encouraged him to get into trouble in the hopes that he will be sent back to whatever horrible place he was spawned from. I have tried, but failed, to make it look like he has left various surprises around the house.
The female has forced us to eat healthy foods, which means I am now forced to eat like an actual cat. Despite my constant begging, the humans are abusing me, unwilling to share their Cheetos and Wendy's french fries with me. Surely this must be against the law.
I am starting this blog to chronicle the success and failures of my attempts to escape, or at very least maim my captors. I will keep you posted on the latest developments involving me and the three idiots I live with.
-Melvin
Posted by March at 11:19 PM | TrackBack
More on Del Taco in Seattle
An article came out yesterday outlining Del Taco's plans in Seattle.
Del Taco has just two stores in Washington now, one in Vancouver and one in Spokane. The 430-store chain signed its first franchisee here in January, a four-person private ownership group that includes former Little Caesar's franchisee John Richards. The group has a territory that excludes the city of Seattle but otherwise stretches from Bellingham to Tacoma....Richards said the franchise hopes to have its first store open by the end of the year, and three stores open by the end of 2006. The group plans to build between five and 10 stores in the next five years. The franchise group is working with commercial brokers Leibsohn & Company in areas east and south of Seattle, where Renton, Factoria, Federal Way and Puyallup's South Hill are top priorities.
Redmond, Des Moines and Tacoma are on the group's wish list as well, Richards said. To the north, Bellingham, Burlington and several North Seattle sites are also under consideration. Four sites are currently in negotiation, Richards said.
Del Taco, which offers a mixed menu of Mexican and American cuisine, has site requirements that are a bit different from many fast-food chains. That's because all of the company's units are 24-hour drive-through restaurants, Richards noted, costing in the neighborhood of $1 million per store to open. Neighborhoods with middle incomes and night-shift workers are highly desirable.
In the Puget Sound area, Del Taco will face off against more than 50 Taco Time restaurants and two dozen Taco Bells. Richards is hoping that additional franchisees sign on for territories near his group so that the brand gains a quick market presence throughout the region.
Yummy yummy!