Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: One last set of thoughts for Curtis
---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend@... wrote : My guess is that having preferences or hierarchies is hard wired into us for survival value. I disagree. I see nothing wrong with preference or believing in hierarchies, but I definitely don't see them as the same thing. Despite your attempt at what you thought was a clever remark earlier, having a preference does NOT imply believing in a hierarchy. It was a perceptive observation, not an attempt at a clever remark. And having a preference does imply having a hierarchy of personal values. I disagree. Assuming you already like both flavors equally, you are offered either vanilla or chocolate ice cream. Does your choice at that meal imply that you feel the one you chose was higher or more valuable, of just that you had a preference for one of them that day? Rhetorical question. No need to reply. I was just amused that neither you nor Share can conceive of having a preference without the presence of some kind of hierarchy. I would suggest that this is pretty limited thinking. But if it makes you unhappy, stick with it. :-)
Re: [FairfieldLife] Are the TM-Sidhis nothing but Placebo Effect?
---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, steve.sundur@... wrote : Share, I do like Barry, but I think he has gone ecstatic with this new theory he's put forth. I think he thinks he's found the Rosetta Stone or something. Steve, I suspect you might want to rethink this. Yesterday I posted a *theory*, presenting it very much *as* a theory. I only replied to my original post a few times about the theory itself -- once to Michael, twice to Share, once to Salyavin, and once (humorously) to Bhairitu. I made a couple of posts under the topic correcting Judy on inaccuracies (a polite word for lies) she was trying to spread about the history of the TM-Sidhi courses, but not arguing the Placebo Effect thang per se. At no point did I attempt to sell the theory, to you or anyone else. In contrast, *most* of the other 58 posts (so far) in the thread were from people dumping on Barry. One might suspect that something about it pushed their buttons. Another bunch of the same people -- Judy, Richard, Ann, Nablus -- also produced dozens of posts under another thread dumping on Barry. Presumably they got *their* buttons kinda pushed, too. As for the theory itself, I can think of two more pieces of supporting evidence for it. Do you remember how the flying (actually, hopping) took place in waves? Nothing would happen and nothing would happen, and then one person would start to bounce, and almost immediately a whole bunch of other people would start bouncing around as well. Might I suggest that suggestion might have had something to do with this? The other thing is the barking and growling and shouting and moaning. I don't know if you were around back then, but it was pretty much a feature of early TM-Sidhi practice. People would start barking like dogs and shouting and flailing their arms about and moaning and all sorts of other stuff. Again, it tended to happen in waves -- one person starting it and then others picking up on the suggestion and doing it, too. That certainly speaks to the possibility of suggestion. However, something *else* speaks even more strongly of suggestion. At some point Maharishi heard about all of this ruckus, which made the domes sound like an out-of-control evangelical tent meeting, and he declared that it was inappropriate. Almost overnight, it stopped. The *same* people who had been claiming that all this noise emanating from them was not in their control suddenly found that it was. Go figure. The way I figure it, it's all explained handily by Placebo Effect -- suggestion, then effect. But again, all of this is just theory on my part, and furthermore a theory I am *not* trying to sell you. If you somehow feel threatened by me presenting it -- as Judy, Richard, Ann, and Nablus obviously do -- I would look inside for the cause of that rather than to me.
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Unstressing or Demons?
---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, steve.sundur@... wrote : You make the point well, Ann. I don't know many who took these claims at face value, and thereby set themselves up for disillusionment. Well, I'd say that at least 5,000 did, because isn't that the number who paid thousands of dollars each first to learn the TM-Sidhis, and then even more money to attend the Taste Of Utopia course in Fairfield. Then there are all the people who have paid similar thousands of dollars to learn them in the years since, and even more to move to Buttfuck, Iowa to practice them in a group several hours a day. I'd suggest that the number of people who took the promise of the ME seriously was very large -- and very profitable -- indeed. Most put them in the context of a vision of possibilities and discounted accordingly. It appears to me that this most you're speaking about still refuse to challenge the basic idea of the ME to this day, and obviously because it's easier to claim that you never 'really' believed in it and spent all that time and money just for a 'vision of possibilities' than it is to admit that you have so little discrimination and common sense that you bought into an obvious fraud completely. And it seems strange to make the case that since, we didn't eliminate the ago old problems of mankind in this generation the whole program was a fraud. I wouild say instead that it seems strange to you because you don't want to admit that you were gullible enough to fall for an obvious fraud. It's not really that horrible a thing to do. Here, I'll show you: Back when I paid thousands of dollars to learn the TM-Sidhis, the idea of the 'ME' was not even a gleam in the old con man's eye, and didn't appear until long after I had left the TM movement. Nevertheless, I *was* stupid enough to pay thousands of dollars for another kind of obvious fraud -- the promise that I would be able to learn to levitate. Shame on me for being so mind-numbingly gullible as to have done that. See? It isn't hard at all. I poured my heart and soul into achieving those goals. And at some point I too became a little disillusioned, but I never felt anyone owed me anything in this spiritual game. You certainly don't seem to feel that they owed you the truth. Let a man raise himself, by himself. Let him not destroy himself. He alone is his own friend. He alone, his own destroyer From the Bhagavad Gita. Maybe that is what helped me. If you alone are responsible for believing that bouncing on your butt would bring about world peace and end crime, how did you think up and promote the idea? And if you alone thought it all up, why did you pay thousands of dollars to the TM organization to learn how to do what you alone were responsible for? The word fraud is liberating, Steve. Learn to say it, and you might feel better.
Re: [FairfieldLife] Non-Celebrity TM Endorsements
---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, LEnglish5@... wrote : I guess I'm a young'n. I'm not yet 59. So young, and ostensibly a software engineer, and enhanced by decades of TM improving your creative intelligence, and yet completely unable to figure out how to find and click the Show message history link at the bottom of the window when replying. Go figure.
[FairfieldLife] Oh my!
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Violet and Daisy mini movie review
---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, noozguru@... wrote : You might want to check out the CW series The 100 which debuted this last week. Usually CW, whose target audience is younger, has some fairly adolescent shows and of course the central characters in this one are older teens. The premise is that there was an apocalyptic nuclear war on earth and a small number of people escaped to a space station. Now that they feel the earth is safe they send a group of 100 teens to the planet. But there is really another reason they were sent... ;-) Dumbest and least interesting TV show I may have ever seen in my life.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Violet and Daisy mini movie review
Thanks for mentioning this. I'd had it on my watch list for a while anyway, because of Saoirse Ronan, but it turned out to be a rather more interesting movie than I was counting on. I just loved the opening hit/joke scene. ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, noozguru@... wrote : Violet and Daisy is a New York indie comedy about a couple of teenage girl assassins who find things complicated when they go to do a hit on a man. It stars Saoirse Ronan (How I Live Now), Alexis Bledel (A Girl Walks into a Bar) as the teens and the late James Gandolfini as the man they are to assassinate. There are also cameos with Danny Trejo and Tatiana Maslany (Black Orphan). There is some violence in the film but overall it is a quirky comedy and has the earmarks of a stage play redone as a movie. It's on Netflix for you Netflixers: http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Violet_Daisy/70212151 http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Violet_Daisy/70212151
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Meditating Fairfield, Iowa and Unity Village Kansas City
Sorry, I meant to direct these questions to Steve, not Michael. ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb@... wrote : Can you expand upon this, Michael? - Where do you get your information from about the numbers of people starting TM? - What kind of numbers are you talking about? 10s? 100s? 1000s? - Where is this supposedly happening -- among people from the general public learning TM, or as part of some program offered by the DLF and thus subsidized by donations? - Please expand upon the fee structure you mention. What do you believe it costs to learn TM these days, and where can we check this? Thanks. As I've said many times, I would have few problems with the basic TM technique, as long as it was advertised and presented as what it is -- a simple, easily learned technique of sitting meditation, no better than any other -- and offered at a fair price. It's the decades of baggage that comes with TM and the attempt to upsell everyone to buy other TM-related products that I can't support. From: steve.sundur@... steve.sundur@... To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, March 20, 2014 3:15 AM Subject: Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Meditating Fairfield, Iowa and Unity Village Kansas City Actually Michael, You might be surprised to know that more people are learning TM than you might have expected. The fee structure has changed, and more people are signing up. I was surprised myself actually, but I have first hand knowledge of this.
[FairfieldLife] So what have we learned from the pundit riots?
Carl Sagan quote https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/t1/_10151925111952203_1385221165_n.pngCarl Saqan quote https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/t1/_10151925111952203_1385221165_n.pnghttps://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/t1/_10151925111952203_1385221165_n.png https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/t1/_10151925111952203_1385221165_n.pngTrying to follow the news reports posted here, it seems to me that we can discern a few things about the pundit project, how it is run, and what that says about TM, the TMSP, and the TMO: - First, and above all else, the MUM administration knows nothing at all about what is happening inside the pundit compound. We can infer this from the fact that they felt the need to plant non-Indian spies inside the compound to find out. - Second, I think we can infer from the above that everything is being run by Girish Co. and Maharishi's relatives in India, who rake in a hefty bundle every year from the indentured servants they've managed to place in America. And that the MUM/American TMO is not happy about that. - Third, and possibly most damning, the MUM (and TMO) administration has so little faith in its flagship product TM that it didn't believe that the pundits were actually *practicing* it, and felt the need to plant spies to confirm that they were meditating. What does this say about *their* belief in TM taking advantage of the natural, spontaneous tendency of the mind to seek greater fields of charm and bliss (which are supposedly provided by TM)? - The MUM/TMO administration obviously feels that it has the basic right to discipline human beings who work for the princely sum of $50 per month (with *maybe* another $150 going to their families) to force them to practice TM and do what they're told. They even issued a press release saying that more such discipline is planned. - The MUM/TMO administration, despite their business-as-usual spin, is fully aware of how damning an incident this is. We can infer this from the fact that the person handling all press releases and interviews is the organization's top lawyer, not one of the top TMO shills like Hagelin, who is nominally in charge of the project. - The official policy of the TMO is *still* quiet excommunication for anyone who doesn't do as he was told. Mishra refused to allow his buddies to be spied upon, so the MUM/TMO's immediate reaction is to try to put him on a plane and send him back to India. This is basically the *same* policy that has been in place for decades, starting with quietly spiriting away anyone who freaked out or attempted suicide on long TM courses in Europe. The policy cares nothing about the person being spirited away, and is designed only to protect the PR image of the TMO itself. - This policy was about to be enforced without ever speaking to the pundits themselves. We can infer this from Goldstein's admission of it in the discipline press release. In other words, the peons *still* don't need to be informed of any MUM/TMO decisions affecting them. Their job is just to accept them and toe the line. - The practice of TM, the TMSP, and presumably the Woo Woo ME that is being sold for big bucks to governments and individuals as a cure for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) *obviously* does not have the ability to reduce stress in any way. In this case, people whose *whole lives* revolve around these activities, plus chanting the Vedas, are full of enough stress, anger, and (yes) pent-up hatred to trash a police car. The whole PRODUCT LINE being sold by the TMO is a sham. - As predicted, TBs like Buck choose to ignore all of these lessons and continue to believe in the fantasy sold to him years ago. Cue the Carl Sagan quote I posted yesterday (see below). Once you've sold your mind to a charlatan, it's hard to get it back. - Nothing whatsoever has been said about the nature of the contract between Girish Co. and the pundits, the gist of which (You have to work for your full three years or your families get nothing) fits the legal definition of indentured servitude, which was declared illegal in America in the 1800s and by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948. - The notion that the barbed-wire fence enclosing the pundit compound is to keep other people out has been proved to be false by comments made in the press. It's OBVIOUSLY to keep the pundits in, and keep them from running away (and potentially creating havoc). - TM True Believers *still* have the ability to overlook any and all of this and hold onto their faith in Maharishi and all of the products and lies he sold them decades ago. Jai fucking guru dev.
[FairfieldLife] Invitation for TMers to be positive about the pundit program
I can't help noticing -- and in fact have commented on it today -- that most of the responses to the pundit riot furor have been pretty much standard cult fare, primarily consisting of Shoot the messenger and trying to demonize critics. And this coming from people who specialize in shouting Oooopsie anytime someone they're not fond of makes what they think is an error, and demanding that they own up to it and apologize profusely. Seems to me that the TM movement just made a pretty fucking big Oooopsie. Shouldn't they be held to the same standards these people apply to their enemies? Well, this thread offers them an opportunity to do something different, something a tad more positive: If you believe that the TM Pundit Program is valuable, please explain to us WHY you believe this. Hopefully you will be able to present some credible arguments to back up your belief, something more than, Well...it must be good because Maharishi said it was. We'll wait. In the meantime, I'll explain my beliefs about the whole pundit thang, pointing out at the outset that these are *only* my beliefs, and suspicions. I believe that the pundit project -- in particular the recruitment of young (as young as 6-8 years old) boys -- to turn them into Maharishi pundits is and always was a cynical scam dreamed up by Girish Varma and Maharishi's other relatives in India. It's a cash cow to get suckers to donate big bucks for something they know nothing about and support only because of Maharishisez, but will continue to support anyway with their money because Maharishiseddit. I suspect that Girish Varma and his ilk thought up this scam and then either blackmailed Maharishi into supporting it, or took advantage of his end-of-life dementia and vanity (he *did* spend his last days focusing on and applauding mainly efforts to build monuments to his memory, after all) to get him to throw his support behind it. This succeeded, and forced the TM movement to *also* support it, again because of the all-powerful Maharishisez. After he died, the cash cow continued on its own, still raking in money from supporters eager to do something to honor Maharishi's memory and (in their minds, at least) help to create world peace. And yet in all of the years the program has been in existence, I don't remember ANY evidence being presented that it has accomplished anything at all *except* being an effective cash cow to sucker donations from TM practitioners. It's in my opinion a cynical scam that takes advantage of poverty and ignorance to convince poor parents into selling their children into indentured servitude, all for the profit of Girish Varma and his Indian mafia. That's my honest opinion. Here's your opportunity to provide yours. If you feel you can make a case for the pundit program providing benefit, and thus being continued, please do so.
[FairfieldLife] You gotta admit...
The term Vedic pundit riots has a real ring to it. It's got mileage, meme- and media-wise. It'll be hard to spin this one positively. I mean, the image conveyed is a lot like the one below. Holy boys who describe themselves as creators of world peace out in the streets rioting and wasting a cop car. I honestly didn't think it was possible for the TM movement could shoot itself in the foot any worse than it already has, but they've proved me w...w...w...wrong. :-)
[FairfieldLife] A sunny afternoon in God-forsaken Holland
It's strange. I live in a university town, but there are no riots happening. There are some folks, after all, who are trying to convince me that if riots *were* happening, it would be a sign of the rioters acting in accord with the Laws Of Nature. Not that the *lack* of evidence of the Laws Of Nature should be a surprise to someone living in the Netherlands. I mean, we've got legalized prostitution, abortion, and cannabis, and we've had the last one for over 30 years. We were one of the first countries on the planet to legalize same-sex marriage, and we even allow them steenkin' media pirates to get away with it without fear of prosecution. The whole damned country is one big cesspool of sin, so one could make a case for the Laws Of Nature not wanting to put in an appearance here. So what accounts for all the sunshine and the warm weather, sufficient that I can finally sit out on the patio at Bad Habits and work here -- without a coat, without gloves, and without a care? There must have been a serious fuckup deep in the gears that drive the Laws Of Nature. Me, I'm just grateful for the sunshine and the good beer and the good company, and don't feel any particular need to attribute these things to anything or anyone. They just happened, and I happened to be here to appreciate and enjoy them. What a relief. Some people on this forum seem to believe that one can only truly appreciate life if they personally (as butt-bouncers emeritus in the Fairfield domes) or as members of the group they identify with get the *credit* for it. A few of them seem to be freaking out lately, because it's become painfully obvious that the programs offered by the group they identify with can't even keep a bunch of holy pundit boys from rioting and trashing a police car. SO much easier to just assume that All Of This happens pretty much by accident, and that neither I nor any group I am part of (if I were part of any group) is in any way responsible for it happening. SO much less likely to inflate one's ego and sense of self-importance. I am just a puny human, enjoying the fruits of chance, and trying my best to enjoy them fully. I didn't create them, I didn't bring them into manifestation with the awesome power of my mind, as they've been told they can do with *their* minds by the group they identify with. That group has even told them that their minds, because they bounce on their butts twice a day, are something-X times more powerful than the minds of lesser spit non-butt-bouncers like myself. Hard to let go of that much imagined self-importance, I guess. Me, I'm not important at all. I'm just a guy enjoying a beer and rapping on the Internet while sitting in the sun. I somehow think I've got a better gig than the ones who consider themselves personally responsible for the fate of the world.
[FairfieldLife] How to deal with confrontation junkies
We all know who they are. The ultimate confrontation junkie on this forum, of course, was Robin Carlsen, whose whole *ACT* revolved around saying something provocative about someone else here, and then trying to goad them into replying, and thus engaging in a one-on-one argument with him. Second, we all know where this behavior comes from -- it's classic Narcissistic Personality Disorder. *Everything* is based on trying to lure others into these direct confrontations so that the narcissist can then prove themselves (in their minds) superior or right or more truthful or whatever it is they have convinced themselves they just have to prove. Third, I think we all know why Robin's primary cult groupies Ann and Judy *became* cult groupies in the first place. He just ran the same confrontation act they do, but better. So in their warped minds, that made him admirable. The fourth thing we all know -- just from watching the confrontation junkies' behavior -- is the thing that pisses them off and frustrates them the most, and makes them the most crazy. It's when people DON'T FALL FOR IT, and just blow them off. Curtis did this to Robin, who reacted by first going even crazier than usual, and then by running away with his tail between his legs. So the answer of how to deal with such pests seems obvious to me. DON'T RESPOND TO THEM. The confrontation junkies literally *feed* on the responses they get to the argument-starters and insults they post. The content of the response doesn't matter; all that matters to them is that they were able to provoke a response. So starve them out: DON'T RESPOND. Let them keep trying to provoke the confrontations they can't seem to do without, and just keep ignoring them. Chances are they'll eventually run away, too, just like their sicko cult leader did. Just a suggestion. You can do it to me, too, if you find my posts somehow offensive or confrontational. I won't mind a bit...
[FairfieldLife] President Barack Obama Between Two Ferns
Really. The prez as a guest on the worst TV talk show in the world, Zack Galafanakis' Between Two Ferns. HIlarious. http://www.upworthy.com/president-obama-burns-a-rude-celebrity-and-then-teaches-him-how-to-get-it-treated?g=2c=ufb1 http://www.upworthy.com/president-obama-burns-a-rude-celebrity-and-then-teaches-him-how-to-get-it-treated?g=2c=ufb1
[FairfieldLife] True Detective: epilogue
Very satisfying conclusion to what will undoubtedly be seen as the best TV show of the year. I'll offer no spoilers, just reflections. First, it was *exactly* My Kinda Series because it was almost completely character-driven. As series writer Nic Pizzolatto confirms in a long interview today, the plot involving the serial killers and the murders was merely a structural device that he needed to provide a framework for the story he was really interested in telling. That is, an analysis of the characters and relationships of two men, over a period of 17 years. As compelling as the plot sometimes was, it simply *wasn't the point*. It could just as easily have been a robbery, except that the statue of limitations on robbery probably doesn't last that long in Louisiana. Second, he confirms my earlier rant here against those who looked down on the philosophy that Rust Cohle spouted, calling it hogwash. He points out that to believe that, you pretty much have to consider Arthur Schopenhauer and Friedrich Nietzsche hogwash, because the philosophy was theirs, sometimes verbatim. So much for the education levels of mainstream TV critics. Third (having already seen a couple of completely dumbass reviews after the final episode), he pooh-poohs the idea that Rust finds God, pointing out that at best he's moved about 5% away from his previous dark view of life. It's not an insignificant 5%, but certainly not a shift to being a believer. Fourth, I am filled with nothing but admiration for Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughhey's performances in this series, which will without question earn them both Golden Globe and Emmy nominations. Woody's work is less flashy, which will mean that he probably won't win, but he was just as good as Matthew's. And fifth, I look forward to more of the same, but not really next year. True Detective was always intended as an anthology, with completely different sets of characters and plots each year. Pizzolatto even gives a hint in his interview as to what next season will bring: It's about hard women, bad men, and the secret occult history of the United States transportation system. Can't wait...it'll be like a Dan Brown novel, but created by someone who can actually write. :-) hard women, bad men and the secret occult history of the United States transportation system. Read more at http://www.hitfix.com/whats-alan-watching/true-detective-creator-nic-pizzolatto-looks-back-on-season-1#1wW88PixZCHuYuFx.99 http://www.hitfix.com/whats-alan-watching/true-detective-creator-nic-pizzolatto-looks-back-on-season-1#1wW88PixZCHuYuFx.99 hard women, bad men and the secret occult history of the United States transportation system. Read more at http://www.hitfix.com/whats-alan-watching/true-detective-creator-nic-pizzolatto-looks-back-on-season-1#1wW88PixZCHuYuFx.99 http://www.hitfix.com/whats-alan-watching/true-detective-creator-nic-pizzolatto-looks-back-on-season-1#1wW88PixZCHuYuFx.99
[FairfieldLife] True Detective: epilogue
Very satisfying conclusion to what will undoubtedly be seen as the best TV show of the year. I'll offer no spoilers, just reflections. First, it was *exactly* My Kinda Series because it was almost completely character-driven. As series writer Nic Pizzolatto confirms in a long interview today, the plot involving the serial killers and the murders was merely a structural device that he needed to provide a framework for the story he was really interested in telling. That is, an analysis of the characters and relationships of two men, over a period of 17 years. As compelling as the plot sometimes was, it simply *wasn't the point*. It could just as easily have been a robbery, except that the statue of limitations on robbery probably doesn't last that long in Louisiana. Second, he confirms my earlier rant here against those who looked down on the philosophy that Rust Cohle spouted, calling it hogwash. He points out that to believe that, you pretty much have to consider Arthur Schopenhauer and Friedrich Nietzsche hogwash, because the philosophy was theirs, sometimes verbatim. So much for the education levels of mainstream TV critics. Third (having already seen a couple of completely dumbass reviews after the final episode), he pooh-poohs the idea that Rust finds God, pointing out that at best he's moved about 5% away from his previous dark view of life. It's not an insignificant 5%, but certainly not a shift to being a believer. Fourth, I am filled with nothing but admiration for Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughhey's performances in this series, which will without question earn them both Golden Globe and Emmy nominations. Woody's work is less flashy, which will mean that he probably won't win, but he was just as good as Matthew's. And fifth, I look forward to more of the same, but not really next year. True Detective was always intended as an anthology, with completely different sets of characters and plots each year. Pizzolatto even gives a hint in his interview as to what next season will bring: It's about hard women, bad men, and the secret occult history of the United States transportation system. Can't wait...it'll be like a Dan Brown novel, but created by someone who can actually write. :-)
[FairfieldLife] Monotaskable vs. Multitaskable Entertainment
Here's a rap thrown out just to see if anyone else identifies with it. I have only recently noticed a certain trend in my TV and my at-home movie watching behavior, although it's been going on for years. I probably wouldn't have noticed it at all if my brother -- like me a born multitasker -- hadn't mentioned that he does it, too. That is, I sometimes multitask while watching TV shows and movies I enjoy. For example, I work at home these days, primarily researching, writing, and editing articles. Some of these articles are sorta heavyweight, and require my full attention, but to be honest, many don't. I work using multiple monitors, with often 5-6 different windows open on them at once. Some windows contain a browser or my portal into medical database searches, others contain files into which I cut and paste the material I find that will be source material for the article I'm writing, and at least one contains the article itself. And when working on research (which really *doesn't* require my full attention) and occasionally even the writing of the lightweight articles (which are sometimes so formulaic that they don't require my full attention, either), I sometimes open another window and let a TV show run in the background. Everything I write goes through at least one *very* stringent editor before being forwarded on to the clients, and so far neither that editor nor the clients have had any complaints about the resulting quality of what I write, so I feel comfortable continuing this multitasking workstyle. However, there are some forms of entertainment that I find I *can* multitask to, and some that I cannot. I've always been able to multitask easily and effectively while listening to music, so that's a no-brainer. Reading a book, on the other hand, is not something that lends itself to multitasking. Anyway, the thing I've been realizing about my multitasking workstyle is that some of the TV and movies I watch *can* be multitasked, and some cannot. And the difference seems to be one of perceived quality. Some TV series and movies are simply so *good* that I have to give them my full attention. Anything less, and I'd be missing either essential information, or depriving myself of the pleasure of watching every moment of every scene to explore and appreciate its depth. Breaking Bad, for example, was definitely NOT multitaskable; it required not only single focus, but often multiple viewings to appreciate it fully. When I'm watching a foreign series, with subtitles, I can't really multitask, either (because...duh...I often don't speak the language), but some of these series, like Denmark's The Bridge or France's Braquo or Les Revenants are so good that I wouldn't want to anyway. These series are monotaskable. But there are other TV shows or movies that I watch just out of curiosity, or because I'm kinda attached to one or more of the characters and want to see how things turn out for them, or just because I've developed the habit of watching them, even if they are guilty pleasures. These are, for me, multitaskable entertainment. So, just for fun, I'll list a few of the TV series I try to keep up on, and classify them into these monotaskable vs. multitaskable categories. If anyone identifies and wants to chime in, do so. And if no one does, no prob... Monotaskable (at least during the first viewing): - Breaking Bad - Hannibal - True Detective - Justified - Game Of Thrones Multitaskable (anytime): - House Of Cards (not consistent enough to be monotaskable) - Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (still hoping it'll get better, still disappointed) - Castle (a guilty pleasure I watch mainly because I like the actors) - Lost Girl (ditto above) - Helix (really dumb and infinitely multitaskable, but I watch it anyway) - Downton Abbey (basically a soap opera, but addicting) - The Following (a different kind of soap opera, about cults) - Homeland (yet a third kind of soap opera) - Person Of Interest (often fascinating, but not often enough to monotask) - Line Of Duty 2 (ditto above) - Ray Donovan (ditto again) - The Blacklist (more fascinating in the beginning, now getting repetitive) - The Newsroom (a little hard to multitask because of the speed of the dialog) - Black Sails (pirate fantasy, high babe factor, but essentially lightweight)
[FairfieldLife] Another fascinating article
This one about why repetition is the mother of retention. http://aeon.co/magazine/altered-states/why-we-love-repetition-in-music/ http://aeon.co/magazine/altered-states/why-we-love-repetition-in-music/
[FairfieldLife] Card should like this
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/06/languages-sound-foriegners-smoukahontas_n_4912793.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/06/languages-sound-foriegners-smoukahontas_n_4912793.html
[FairfieldLife] Good article about the best show currently on TV
It's about bloody time someone took on the critics who dump on the show simply because they *can't follow the dialogue*. As one of the detectives questioning Rust Cohle, totally incomprehending after hearing another of his philosophical monologues replies to it, That's above my pay grade. The series these critics are dumping on is above their pay grade. The philosophy expressed in True Dectective is, from my point of view, largely lucid, *possibly* a little overwritten (except that's *exactly* how stuck-in-their-heads philosophers think and talk) and sounds at times not unlike a kinda depressed Advaita. I'm just passing along the article for those who are watching the series, and will ignore any commentary from those who *aren't*, and who think that they're able to comment *anyway*, just because they've read a review or two, or just this article. Such people aren't worth paying any attention to...they're a lot, in fact, like the critics being criticized, who once read a passage or two from Neitzsche and think that enabled them to pigeonhole his philosophy. What these people who get their buttons pushed by Rust's atheism and obviously cynical view of life fail to realize is that he is the only character in the series who actually *acts ethically*, and who carries on trying to do the right thing. He knows (or believes he knows) that nothing he can or will do will make a grain of difference in the larger cosmic scheme of things, but he does the right thing *anyway*, because it matters. This is a kind of philosophy that the talk-the-talk-but-never-walk-the-walk-ers can't conceive of, and that both challenges them and pisses them off. http://www.thepointmag.com/2014/culture/doubters http://www.thepointmag.com/2014/culture/doubters
[FairfieldLife] The View from Einstein's Cafe
I'm enjoying my Friday off by venturing out for my first outdoor writing cafe afternoon of the season here in Leiden. It's *not* as if this has been a bad outdoors winter. In fact, it's been the second-warmest winter since 1706. But still, unlike Paris, few of the cafes here with outdoor terraces also have the space heaters that make such places comfy in winter. The place where I'm sitting -- Einstein http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=enamp;sl=nlamp;u=http://www.einstein.nu/amp;prev=/search?q%3Deinstein%2Bcafe%2Bleiden%26newwindow%3D1 -- has space heaters, but doesn't have them on. I guess they assume anyone hearty enough to want to sit outside when it's still 11 degrees Celsius is Dutch, and thus genetically predisposed to treat 11 degrees as T-shirt weather. Me, I lack those genes, so I'm sitting here bundled up in my normal winter coat. The cafe thoughtfully provides blankets on each of the seats on the terrace immediately outside its windows (where I'm sitting), but they don't do much to warm up my typing fingers. I can already tell that soon my fingers are going to get a bit chilly, and that I may not last here long, but I might as well take advantage of the relatively sunny day and the relatively warm weather while I can. Einstein (the cafe/restaurant, not the scientist) looks out on one of the major canals of Leiden. Across the way is the town hall, which is actually pretty damned attractive, as town halls go. The church bells are just now ringing noon, and as a result the streets are starting to fill up, even though this cafe hasn't yet. To be honest -- my T-shirt comment above being more of a metaphor than an exact description -- most of the people walking by on their lunch hour are still wearing their winter coats, too. The coats may be open, and their scarves worn loosely and as more of a fashion statement than wrapped tightly around their necks, but they're not in T-shirts. Well...one girl was in a T=shirt, but she definitely had her high beams on, so I guess things are still a bit chilly for her, too. :-) It's really nice, even after a mild winter, to see the sun again, and be able to bask in it. Dutch winters tend to be a tad gray, even if they're almost completely snowless, as this year has been. (We had one morning of snow, and it burned off by noon.) This should give believers in Support Of Nature, and that Nature tends to support the sattvic, some pause. Godless, weed- and prostitution-legal Netherlands is enjoying one of the mildest winters in (literally) centuries, while the US, all protected and all by the butt-bouncers and pundits of Fairfield, is still snowed under in many places. I guess we got off easy here in the Netherlands because of Vlodrop, and the All-Powerful Woo emanating from it. :-) Whatever. Whoever or whatever created or brought into manifestation the bodacious bounty of beatitude (alliterate much?) bouncing babaliciously by -- I thank them. I suspect that the prevalence of incredibly tall women with great legs owes more to several generations of access to high-protein milk products and transportation via bicycle than it does Maharishi pundits, but if they want to take credit for that, I'll thank them anyway. Anyway, it's nice to live in a university town. The conversations in cafes are better, and the scenery is *much* better. Besides, the waitress just came and turned on the space heater over my head, without me even asking. What's not to like about that? More support of Nature...go figure. :-) On the other hand, one of the passing babes with long legs who walked past earlier has returned, and taken the cafe table next to me. You will have to forgive me if I end this travelogue here and converse with her. Spring, after all, is in the air, and who knows what can happen when that happens? One quintessentially Dutch moment before I go. A street person just walked up and asked me for a few centimes so he could stay in a shelter tonight. I kinda got the gist of what he was saying, although my Dutch is still bad, so I motioned to him that I didn't really understand. He then related the same spiel in French, German, and English. I gave him ten times more than he asked for. Ya just gotta reward multilingualism, wherever ya find it. :-)
[FairfieldLife] Two science articles that might be of interest to people here
First, is there such a thing as the self? http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2014/03/inquiring-minds-jennifer-ouellette-science-of-self http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2014/03/inquiring-minds-jennifer-ouellette-science-of-self Second, scientists document OBEs using an MRI machine. http://sploid.gizmodo.com/scientists-unlock-mystery-of-woman-who-sees-herself-out-1538196076 http://sploid.gizmodo.com/scientists-unlock-mystery-of-woman-who-sees-herself-out-1538196076
Re: [FairfieldLife] Nicole Kidman has done TM since her 20'ies and has stamina and patience
---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, mjackson74@... wrote : And look what it got her - married to an egotistical whacked out adherent to another cult (but he can act) - he certainly acts like he is a regular human being when he mugs in front of the camera - wonder if Nicole was allowed to do TM when Tommie was her lord and master? Isn't it fascinating, when you think about it, that *only* with regard to a CULT can you even *think* about one of its members being allowed to do another technique? You -- and probably many others here -- can easily imagine Nicole Kidman being pressured to not do TM by her Scientologist husband and by the Co$ itself, right? Because that's something that only happens with cults, right? Being pressured to do *only* the techniques sold by the cult, right? Now think it through...what *other* organization puts pressure on its practitioners to practice *only* the techniques that it sells? This other organization has a long history of preventing people from attending its courses and getting advanced techniques or being allowed to become teachers if they've gotten caught practicing any technique other than the one they sell. It even has a documented history of throwing people out of their domes for practicing other techniques or seeing other teachers. You can *damned* well bet that if Nicole Kidman had been applying for TM Teacher Training, she'd have been questioned heavily about any Scientology techniques she had practiced while with Tom Cruise. Don't be stupid, TMers. The organization you're part of is JUST as much a cult as Scientology is, and practices the exact same domination over its members. During the 47 years I've been involved with spiritual organizations, or taken courses from them, or visited forms of spiritual teaching other than TM, only *ONE* organization has ever suggested or said outright that I'd be doing something wrong if I learned a technique that they didn't sell. And that was the Transcendental Meditation organization. The approach taken by literally ALL others was, Do whatever you want, visit whoever you want, and study whatever you want. You can do all of this while still studying with us...no problemo. What is it about CULTs that makes them take the opposite approach, and try to indoctrinate their followers into never learning anything other than the stuff taught by the CULT? Could it possibly be because they're afraid that the people might learn something *new*, something of value, and thus come to doubt the Our teaching is the 'highest' teaching malarky? Think about this with regard to the one-downsmanship I mentioned earlier about meditation experiences. I would suspect that the people who suggest that I am trying to brag about my experiences with other techniques when I talk about them openly have never learned another meditation technique since they learned TM. They've all stayed guru-whipped and cult-whipped, and have DONE WHAT THEY WERE TOLD TO DO. The bottom line in matters of meditation experience is very simple, and something that the cultists wish to distract you from. If a person has never learned and personally experienced a technique other than the first one they were taught, they can say NOTHING meaningful about the other technique. To attempt to do so is to be a cultist, parroting what you were told *about* a technique or techniques that -- in the case of TM -- you were *also* told NEVER TO PRACTICE.
[FairfieldLife] The other C word
I suspect that anyone who has followed this forum for any length of time knows that a lot of the TM adherents here have issues with a couple of C words. But relax...I'm not going to rap about them again. On my day off today, I'd like to rap about a third C word that I suspect many TMers here also have an aversion to -- concentration. If I asked most TMers what that word concentration means, with regard to meditation, I'd be willing to bet that I could predict in advance what they'd say. This is no big psychic achievement on my part; I know what they'd say because I, like them, was taught *what* to think and say about that word, by Maharishi, and by his organization. Stuff like: Concentration is the opposite of TM, which has its basis in effortlessness. Concentration involves effort. It's a form of straining, trying to keep the mind focused on one thing, and thus contrary to the rule we all know is true about the 'natural tendency of the mind.' Concentration causes strain and headaches, and actually *prevents* transcendence because that process has to be effortless and concentration by definition involves effort. They'd probably throw in a hearty, So there. :-) And the thing is, most of these TMers would be saying these things *without ever having practiced a form of meditation that involves concentration in their lives*. Me, I have, so I can speak about it...whereas they cannot. Be warned. Here be heresy and offtheprogramnessitude. :-) I have a different definition of concentration, one that seems to me not all that different from TM's instruction: When you become aware that you are not thinking the mantra, effortlessly come back to it. My version of this, used to describe many of the so-called concentration meditation techniques I practice, would be: When you become aware that you are thinking *anything*, effortlessly come back to silence. That's it. No mantra, no other object of focus, nothing to concentrate on, as the term concentration is usually misdefined by TMers. I just come back to silence. The instruction I think that is *missing* from the TM instruction above is the second half of it: 1. When you become aware that you are not thinking the mantra, effortlessly come back to it. 2. By the way, you can get *better* at becoming aware of things like this, and thus notice them more quickly. Doing this increases the strength of your mind, and allows you to 'come back to' whatever it is you're coming back to more quickly. I don't concentrate on anything when I meditate, I merely express a preference as to what I 'come back to.' I come back to silence. And just as I say above in #2, I have found that making the decision to do so is just as effortless as coming back to the mantra in TM, and that as I practice making this preference it becomes more easy *to* notice when I am thinking anything more quickly, and thus come back to silence more quickly. Now I know that this might be considered heresy to some TMers here, because they've been taught to believe that they're actually meditating when they're sitting there lost in thoughts. These thoughts are good, they've been taught, because they indicate the release of stress. Thus having a mind full of thoughts during meditation is not only real mediation, it's good for you. Me, I don't believe this. I believe that you're only experiencing real meditation when you're not thinking. So when I meditate, I prefer techniques that allow me to access that state of no-thought more often, and for longer periods of time. Since it involves intention, you might still call what I do concentration if you want, but I don't think it fits into your straining definitions of that term. I just prefer silence. There is no strain involved in re-establishing that silence, merely a willingness to notice -- and prefer -- what is already present.
[FairfieldLife] The Black Budget
Hi. We're the people who defend you and make you feel safe. We'd like to spend 58.7 billion dollars of your money on things we're not going to tell you about. Just sign here... http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/03/06/inside-the-pentagon-s-59-billion-black-budget.html http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/03/06/inside-the-pentagon-s-59-billion-black-budget.html
[FairfieldLife] RE: The other C word
---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, no_re...@yahoogroups.com wrote : What's the other one, besides 'cunt', Barry? I don't think anyone has issues with those words, whatever that second one is - until you use them to insult people - then it obviously upsets your target, and makes you sound terribly crude, and ignorant. You believe that using the word 'cult' makes a person sound terribly crude, and ignorant? Go figure. :-) 'cunt' is just a word, but no one likes to be called one. So, if your point is that people just plain don't like hearing the word, 'cunt', I think you are way off - sounds to me, like a rationalization by someone, who, on the one hand wants to be nasty and abusive, and on the other, doesn't want to own it. So you convince yourself that you are the free spirit, among the prudes, when in fact, *you* are the only one to whom the epithet, 'cunt', applies, on this forum. Have a nice day, and please, watch your language. ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb@... wrote : I suspect that anyone who has followed this forum for any length of time knows that a lot of the TM adherents here have issues with a couple of C words. But relax...I'm not going to rap about them again. On my day off today, I'd like to rap about a third C word that I suspect many TMers here also have an aversion to -- concentration. If I asked most TMers what that word concentration means, with regard to meditation, I'd be willing to bet that I could predict in advance what they'd say. This is no big psychic achievement on my part; I know what they'd say because I, like them, was taught *what* to think and say about that word, by Maharishi, and by his organization. Stuff like: Concentration is the opposite of TM, which has its basis in effortlessness. Concentration involves effort. It's a form of straining, trying to keep the mind focused on one thing, and thus contrary to the rule we all know is true about the 'natural tendency of the mind.' Concentration causes strain and headaches, and actually *prevents* transcendence because that process has to be effortless and concentration by definition involves effort. They'd probably throw in a hearty, So there. :-) And the thing is, most of these TMers would be saying these things *without ever having practiced a form of meditation that involves concentration in their lives*. Me, I have, so I can speak about it...whereas they cannot. Be warned. Here be heresy and offtheprogramnessitude. :-) I have a different definition of concentration, one that seems to me not all that different from TM's instruction: When you become aware that you are not thinking the mantra, effortlessly come back to it. My version of this, used to describe many of the so-called concentration meditation techniques I practice, would be: When you become aware that you are thinking *anything*, effortlessly come back to silence. That's it. No mantra, no other object of focus, nothing to concentrate on, as the term concentration is usually misdefined by TMers. I just come back to silence. The instruction I think that is *missing* from the TM instruction above is the second half of it: 1. When you become aware that you are not thinking the mantra, effortlessly come back to it. 2. By the way, you can get *better* at becoming aware of things like this, and thus notice them more quickly. Doing this increases the strength of your mind, and allows you to 'come back to' whatever it is you're coming back to more quickly. I don't concentrate on anything when I meditate, I merely express a preference as to what I 'come back to.' I come back to silence. And just as I say above in #2, I have found that making the decision to do so is just as effortless as coming back to the mantra in TM, and that as I practice making this preference it becomes more easy *to* notice when I am thinking anything more quickly, and thus come back to silence more quickly. Now I know that this might be considered heresy to some TMers here, because they've been taught to believe that they're actually meditating when they're sitting there lost in thoughts. These thoughts are good, they've been taught, because they indicate the release of stress. Thus having a mind full of thoughts during meditation is not only real mediation, it's good for you. Me, I don't believe this. I believe that you're only experiencing real meditation when you're not thinking. So when I meditate, I prefer techniques that allow me to access that state of no-thought more often, and for longer periods of time. Since it involves intention, you might still call what I do concentration if you want, but I don't think it fits into your straining definitions of that term. I just prefer silence. There is no strain involved in re-establishing that silence, merely a willingness to notice -- and prefer -- what is already present.
[FairfieldLife] The M word
Another word that I think some on this forum seem to have an aversion to is mindfulness. What, when you saw the Subject line you thought I was going to rap about motherfucker? Or some other colorful but button-pushing term? Nope, just mindfulness. The term -- and presumably the practice -- seem to be looked down on by some here, as if they were somehow lesser concepts and practices than TM. I suggest that this might be because the lookers-down-upon-ers' internal definition of mindfulness -- never having practiced it themselves -- is similar to the definition of concentration that I discussed in the previous rap. My suspicion -- and please correct me on this if my suspicion is not true -- is that many here seem to have an aversion to mindfulness because they equate it in their minds with either what they think concentration is or what they think mood-making is. To be 'mindful' seems to imply to some people that you either have to concentrate to practice it, or mood-make to practice it, or both. Because I've already presented my working definition of concentration today, I guess I might as well go for it and present my definition of mindfulness, too. This doesn't come from any book, teacher, or tradition. It's literally something I'm coming up with on the fly here in this Leiden pub. It's just the first thing that comes to mind to describe what it is I do when I practice something I would call mindfulness. Mindfulness is -- for me -- the same thing I described earlier when defining concentration as I see it: having a preference and going for it. I know that some forms of mindfulness popularized in the press involve pushing away or ignoring thoughts, emotions and activities you don't want to entertain or linger on because experience has taught you they are unproductive. And I see no problems with either that definition or that practice. It's just that I rarely find the need to push away many thoughts or emotions. They just come and go...big deal. When I do find myself becoming aware that I am dwelling on thoughts, emotions, or activities that I recognize as unproductive, well, I...uh...just kinda effortlessly shift my attention to something more interesting. Sometimes, as with meditation, that can be silence. Sometimes, just something more interesting. The key -- as with my definition of concentration -- is in becoming aware of these potentially unproductive mindstates and activities as soon as possible, so as to be able to shift to some more interesting mindstate or activity as soon as possible. Early detection facilitates an early exit from the time-wasting thoughts, emotions, and activities, and thus a better day. :-)
[FairfieldLife] Bad movie review: The Bag Man
Truth in advertising. Note the word bad in the Subject line. It is not there by accident. Here's the poster for the movie...see if you can notice something a little off about it: Here's a hint: note the font size of the three top billed names of actors associated with this movie. John Cusack. Robert De Niro. Rebecca Da Costa. Huh? Who was that last one? It turns out that she's Brazilian, about six feet tall, has a stunning body, and is *not* a completely terrible actress, but she's a nobody in terms of top billing. So what I'm left with after watching this movie just for fun is wondering HOW it ever got made. WHO *paid* for it, and convinced Robert De Niro to not only be in it, but for almost 40 minutes of screen time? The only thing I've been able to figure out is that someone was trying to do a Citizen Kane, in the sense of that character making movies to show off his girlfriend. *Someone* really wants Rebecca Da Costa to be a Big Star, and was willing to shell out megabucks to try to make it happen. Zzt. It didn't. Mainly it's because the movie itself is a mess. You could call it film noir, if it were more of a...uh...film. It's basically about a guy (Cusack) who has been hired to pick up a black bag and not look in it, just deliver it to the Big Bad Guy who paid for it (De Niro). He picks up the bag, holes up in room 13 of a seedy motel, and waits. While he's waiting, everything turns into a major clusterfuck and he has to kill a bunch of people and get saddled with the babe from the room next door (Da Costa). It's not really as exciting as it sounds. I'm just passing this review along for those who might want to similarly waste a little noir time... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKBLfwVEKP8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKBLfwVEKP8
[FairfieldLife] Film review: Winter's Tale
Akiva Goldsman (screenwriter of an odd combination of films that include Batman Forever, A Beautiful Mind, I, Robot, The Da Vinci Code, I Am Legend, Angels Demons, and producer/writer of Fringe) makes this his directorial debut, and I for one think he does a fairly creditable job of it. Especially since Martin Scorcese once owned the rights to the Mark Helprin novel on which it is based, but backed out because he deemed it unfilmable. This film will not be some people here's cuppa tea, especially if they're realists. It's set at first in New York in the early 1900s, and then in our era, but in each case a very different and more fantastical New York than the one we know. Miracles are commonplace, the presence of a beautiful white horse who can fly barely raises an eyebrow, and the battle between good and evil is not an abstraction. It's more of an everyday reality, and characters such as Lucifer and a fallen angel Gabriel proliferate. Others will not like it because its official tagline is accurate: This is not a true story. It's a love story. I liked it because it's one of my favorite themes -- a love story that is not constrained by the trivialities of time, mortality, and most people's lame definitions of reality. In short, it's a multi-incarnational love story...just the sorta Sunday afternoon fare I like. Colin Farrell and Jessica Brown Findlay play the star-crossed lovers (star-crossed because he's a thief and she's dying of consumption), and Russell Crowe plays the personification of evil who tries to destroy them. Eva Marie Saint and Jennifer Connelly add to the magic. And Will Smith does a couple of overblown cameos as Lucifer, which even I have to admit is pretty silly, and difficult to get past. It's difficult to make a film about a normal novel. What do you put in, and what do you leave out? It's even more difficult to make a film about a novel that doesn't follow the rules of normal storytelling and writing. Many who loved Helprin's novel will not like this movie, and I suspect that many who didn't read it will not like it, either. In fact, I expect the film to be savaged by critics and written off as a failure. But I liked it, and for me, that's all that counts. Fables fall into a different category than other forms of fiction. They don't have to make sense, they don't have to follow the normal rules of logic and reason, and they don't have to please everybody. They just have to be fabulous. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBSj1MKwx6A http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBSj1MKwx6A
Re: [FairfieldLife] In Media Res: a TV series season opener review
---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, noozguru@... wrote: I won't be reading this because I will be watching Hannibal tonight on Hulu+. But I was going to mention yesterday that the second season started last night and that I almost rented the BD of Machete Kills for the evening but decided on watching a couple more episodes of The Returned on Netflix. I have to ask...are you watching the original French series Les Revenants, or the American remake called (either, depending on where you see it referenced) The Returned or Resurrection. I'm about to finish watching the French series, and you know me w.r.t. European TV...I wouldn't touch an American remake with a ten foot pole, but I was just wondering...
[FairfieldLife] In Media Res: a TV series season opener review
We find ourselves in an upscale, beautifully-appointed kitchen, where an elegant dinner is being prepared by an impeccably-dressed host. We see the host's knife slicing the raw main dish, and then arranging it into a presentation that can legitimately be called art. He walks across the room and serves it to his guest, who is seated at the dining table, and they exchange words. Host: This course is called ryukozuki -- seasonal sashimi, sea urchin, water clam, and squid. Guest: What a beautiful presentation, Doctor. Host: Kaiseki - a Japanese artform that honors the taste and aesthetic of what we eat. Guest: Well, I almost feel guilty about eating it. Host: I never feel guilty eating anything. Guest: H...I can't quite place the fish... This would have been a cool season opener in itself, and a very funny one, given that the host in this scene is Dr. Hannibal Lecter, and you can't always tell what he'll be serving with the Chianti. But what makes this scene more powerful is that it wasn't the first scene. It was the second. The first was a type of flashforward known as In Media Res, a technique that dates at least back to Homer, and was discussed by Aristotle. http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/InMediasRes http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/InMediasRes In the first scene, we're in the same kitchen, and a similarly elegant dinner is being prepared for the same guest by the same host. The host uses the same precision with his knife as he slices the main course, but doesn't get to the presentation stage because then his guest enters the room, they exchange glances, each of them seemingly realizing the same thing at the same time, and all hell breaks loose. [ Detail deleted not for spoiler reasons -- since you're going to see it first-thing anyway -- but as a form of kaiseki for those who have not yet savored this episode yet. ] The screen goes black, and a title appears, saying Twelve weeks earlier. Then we see the scene I describe above. Very effective. It worked for Homer, in The Iliad, it worked for Breaking Bad, and it works for the season opener of Hannibal. Something is going to happen during that twelve weeks (coincidentally enough the length of the season) that explains to us how the dinner scene we see second morphs into the one we saw first. The third and forth scenes take an opposite -- or perhaps the same -- structure. In scene three we see Will Graham, FBI profiler whose job it is to catch serial killers by literally getting into their heads, during his rare off-work moments. He's standing in a river in his waders, fly-fishing. He looks up, and on the bank of the river he sees a magnificent deer. We see the awe and reverence on his face as Will gazes at the deer. Cut to scene four, and the same face, staring at us from behind bars. Will is now in jail, charged with being the very serial killer he is chasing. So is scene three a flashback to the past, or a flashforward to the future? Guess we'll have to watch twelve weeks of television to find out. Since this was one of the best 40 minutes of television I've seen in a long time, I see no problem with that... :-)
[FairfieldLife] UK TV heads-up: The Smoke
This one is probably only for UK residents or those of the Pirate persuasion at present, because it seems to be available only on Sky1 in Britain. And it's rated SO not for Buck or for TM wussies, but I note it here just so I can be one of the first to predict that Jamie Bamber is on his way to a BAFTA award for his work in it. I'd suggest that he'd win an Emmy as well, but it probably will never be released in the US because the strong accents would be beyond the comprehension of many Americans. It's about firefighters. But the real drama of the series doesn't center on the heroics of these real heroes whose job it is to run *into* a burning building that everyone else is running out of. It's about what they risk every time they do. Bamber (whose credentials as an actor you might infer from the fact that most people who enjoyed his role as Lee Adama in Battlestar Galactica never knew he was British) plays a firefighter who is returning to service after nine months spent recovering from having been trapped in a fire. The first ten minutes of the series show the intensity of what it's like to be the person running up to the top floor of a burning building to rescue a baby, only to be trapped there after having been attacked by the very residents he was trying to save, and it's truly amazing action footage...but that's not really the point. The point seems to be not the ever-present danger of dying in one of the fires they're fighting, but the horrors of *surviving* one. Bamber's character has been catastrophically maimed by the third degree burns he received, leaving him a physical and emotional wreck in many ways. But he's a firefighter, so he actually goes back to the job. Again, *not* a series for the faint of heart, but good writing, good acting, and a remarkable contrast to the standard Wolf of Wall Street and House Of Cards fare, which seem to glorify people who are not only NOT heroes, but the opposite -- true slimeballs who hurt people and not only get away with it, they become rich and famous because of it. The world of entertainment needs more depictions of true heroism in my opinion, and The Smoke provides some.
[FairfieldLife] Cool ad
Can't help it...I love creative advertising... http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/28/ad-on-subway-reacts-to-trains_n_4871517.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/28/ad-on-subway-reacts-to-trains_n_4871517.html Here's another, rated probably not for Buck, but funny as hell. It's a real Dutch ad, and part of what makes it so hilarious is that the Dutch are usually so proud of their multilingualism: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3uJHTisUdE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3uJHTisUdE
[FairfieldLife] Pretty much the definition of LOL
At least for me http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zh5B4f4bigA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zh5B4f4bigA
[FairfieldLife] Peso Pussy Tuesday movie review: Machete Kills
Imagine a classic Grindhouse movie version of a James Bond movie made by filmmakers high on a combination of bad Mexican grass, LSD, animal tranquilizers, jimson weed, and mescal so cheap it comes with a plastic worm. Imagine them doing a really, really good job of it. Part of the reason for this, of course, is that the filmmaker in question (to my knowledge) doesn't imbibe in any of the mindchemicals listed above…he's just good, and like Quentin Tarantino a B movie buff. Part of reason is the relationship that this filmmaker builds with the actors he's worked with in the past , which is so close and so mutually-respectful that all he has to do is call them and ask whether they can spare a couple of days to act in one of his low-budget, *literally* made-at-home productions, and they not only say Yes, they offer to pay their own airfare to Austin for the privilege. The filmmaker in question is Robert Rodriguez, and the cast he's assembled for his latest low-budget epic is in itself kinda epic: Danny Trejo, Mel Gibson, Demian Bichir, Amber Heard (the reputedly soon-to-be Mrs. Johnny Depp), Michelle Rodriguez, SofÃa Vergara, Charlie Sheen, Lady Gaga, Antonio Banderas, Walton Goggins, Cuba Gooding Jr., Vanessa Hudgens, Jessica Alba, Cheech Marin, and Elon Musk. Yes, Elon Musk. To truly appreciate Machete Kills, you probably have to be able to appreciate B movies as an artform, and be immune to gratuitous sex and violence. You probably also may have to have followed Robert Rodriguez' previous movies. He's a kind of Texas wunderkind, having made his first, career-starting movie El Mariachi for $7,000, and then having parlayed it into a career as one of the most consistently well-reviewed *and* money-making directors in history. And he's got a wonderful sense of humor. The character of Machete came from a trailer he shot for a movie that never existed, attached as a preview in the style of the old Grindhouse movies to the film he made with Quentin Tarantino, Grindhouse. That trailer received more positive fan feedback than the movie did, so Rodriguez took this as a sign from God and made a whole movie out of it, Machete. That film attracted enough of a following and cleared enough of a profit that he has made a sequel, Machete Kills. If he stays true to form, this latest sequel won't be the last…I've included the next trailer at the end below. Machete Kills is so over the top in so many ways that I can't describe it. It's also not terribly reality-based, so if you need that in a movie you're shit outa luck. I thought it was a real hoot, but if you believe some here, you already know how low-vibe and depraved I am and that I can't be trusted, so caveat fuckin' emptor, muthafuckahs. Nevertheless, I highly recommend it. Original Machete trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Loq9OkHURw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Loq9OkHURw Trailer for Machete Kills: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BO1WwOQowlg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BO1WwOQowlg Faux (but maybe not) trailer for Machete Kills Again…In Space: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=or6u4Wqig5Y http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=or6u4Wqig5Y
[FairfieldLife] The Meaning Of Life: ski lift version
This is a wonderful story. At the back of my mind, I even have hazy memories of having met a Doug Preston (the author) when I lived in Santa Fe. I certainly know many of the people he writes about, especially the Tibetans with a shop on Canyon Road. I can look around the room I'm currently sitting in here in the Netherlands and see many objects I bought there. I love how he captures the setting, and the incredibly silly way that blissninnies behave around people they perceive to be their spiritual betters, and how *those* people -- in this case the Dalai Lama -- pay no attention to the silliness. Lovely story, with an even lovelier punchline, and it only cost the writer $50. Such a deal. http://www.slate.com/articles/life/culturebox/2014/02/dalai_lama_at_a_santa_fe_ski_resort_tells_waitress_the_meaning_of_life.html http://www.slate.com/articles/life/culturebox/2014/02/dalai_lama_at_a_santa_fe_ski_resort_tells_waitress_the_meaning_of_life.html
[FairfieldLife] Laugh Therapy
Yesterday I was writing an article and found occasion to remember and write about the concept of laughter as therapy. Voila, this morning I logged on to the Net and found this. I pass the list along without comment, except to point out that if you find yourself in need of a psychic, energetic, or emotional boost, a good funny movie is cheaper and more effective than pretty much anything else you could name. Late in life Norman Cousins was diagnosed with a form of arthritis then called Marie-Strumpell's disease. Told that he had little chance of surviving, Cousins developed a recovery program incorporating megadoses of Vitamin C, along with a positive attitude, love, faith, hope, and laughter induced by Marx Brothers films. I made the joyous discovery that ten minutes of genuine belly laughter had an anesthetic effect and would give me at least two hours of pain-free sleep, he reported. When the pain-killing effect of the laughter wore off, we would switch on the motion picture projector again and not infrequently, it would lead to another pain-free interval. Here's the 100 best comedy movies as chosen by over 200 people whose job it is to make you laugh. We spoke to dozens of comedy writers, comedy directors, comic actors and stand-up comedians and asked them to share with us their favorite comedy films of all time. By Tom Huddleston, David Jenkins, Adam Lee Davies, Derek Adams, Edward Lawrenson, Wally Hammond, Ben Walters, Gabriel Tate and Phil Harrison 100 Sister Act (1992) Dir Emile Ardolino (Whoopi Goldberg, Maggie Smith) 99 Carry on Screaming (1966) Dir Gerald Thomas (Kenneth Williams, Harry H Corbett) 98 Jonathan Pryce in 'Brazil' Brazil (1985) Dir Terry Gilliam (Jonathan Pryce, Robert De Niro, Michael Palin) 97 Swingers (1996) Dir Doug Liman (Vince Vaughn, Heather Graham, Jon Favreau) 96 BASEketball (1998) Dir David Zucker (Trey Parker, Matt Stone) 95 The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976) Dir Blake Edwards (Peter Sellers, Herbert Lom, Burt Kwouk) 94 Midnight Run Midnight Run (1988) Dir Martin Brest (Robert De Niro, Charles Grodin) 93 Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) Dir Frank Capra (Cary Grant, Priscilla Lane) 92 Nuts In May (1976) Dir Mike Leigh (Roger Sloman, Alison Steadman) 91 Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004) Dir Rawson Marshall Thurber (Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn) 90 Mean Girls (2004) Dir Mark Waters (Lindsay Lohan, Jonathan Bennett, Rachel McAdams) 89 BLITZKRIEG BOP Chaplin parodies a certain German figure. The Great Dictator (1940) Dir Charles Chaplin (Charles Chaplin, Paulette Goddard) 88 Arthur (1981) Dir Steve Gordon (Dudley Moore, Liza Minnelli, John Gielgud) 87 A Fish Called Wanda (1988) Dir Charles Crichton (John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline, Michael Palin) 86 Mr Hulot's Holiday (1953) Dir Jacques Tati (Jacques Tati, Nathalie Pascaud, Micheline Rolla) 85 Caddyshack (1980) Dir Harold Ramis (Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Bill Murray) 84 Galaxy Quest (1999) Dir Dean Parisot (Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman) 83 Sullivan's Travels (1941) Dir Preston Sturges (Joel McCrea, Veronica Lake, Robert Warwick) 82 The Pink Panther (1963) Dir Blake Edwards (David Niven, Peter Sellers, Robert Wagner) 81 Raising Arizona (1987) Dirs Joel Coen, Ethan Coen (Nicolas Cage, Holly Hunter, John Goodman) 80 Clockwise (1986) Dir Christopher Morahan (John Cleese, Sharon Maiden, Penelope Wilton) 79 Bridesmaids (2011) Dir Paul Feig (Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne) 78 FABLE MANNERS The Hoovers endure nuclear fission. Little Miss Sunshine (2006) FDir Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris (Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Greg Kinnear) 77 Stir Crazy (1980) Dir Sidney Poitier (Gene Wilder, Richard Pryor) 76 Old School (2003) Dir Todd Phillips (Luke Wilson, Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn) 75 Bananas!* (1971) Dir Todd Phillips (Luke Wilson, Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn) 74 Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) Dir Mike Newell (Hugh Grant, Andie MacDowell, Kristin Scott Thomas) 73 The Party (1968) Dir Blake Edwards (Peter Sellers, Claudine Longet) 72 Bedazzled (1967) Dir Stanley Donen (Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Eleanor Bron) 71 Broadway Danny Rose (1984) Dir Woody Allen (Morty Gunty, Jackie Gayle, Corbett Monica) 70 The General (1926) Dir Clyde Bruckman, Buster Keaton (Buster Keaton, Marion Mack) 69 Clerks (1994) Dir Kevin Smith (Brian O’Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Marilyn Ghigliotti) 68 The King of Comedy (1982) Dir Martin Scorsese (Robert De Niro, Jerry Lewis, Sandra Bernhard) 67 His Girl Friday (1940) Dir Howard Hawks (Cary Grant, Rosalind Russell, Ralph Bellamy) 66 National Lampoon's Animal House (1978) Dir John Landis (John Belushi, Peter Riegert) 65 Elf (2003) Dir Howard Hawks (Cary Grant, Rosalind Russell, Ralph Bellamy) 64 Coming to
[FairfieldLife] Fascinating French film about gender inequality
Only about 11 minutes long, this film takes a fascinating look at a society in which one gender rules, while the other is subjected to derision, disrespect, and sexual abuse, all while the ruling gender treats it as normal and does absolutely nothing about it. http://www.upworthy.com/a-french-film-showing-men-what-being-a-woman-feels-like-kinda?c=reccon1 http://www.upworthy.com/a-french-film-showing-men-what-being-a-woman-feels-like-kinda?c=reccon1
[FairfieldLife] Shrooms With A View
http://www.messynessychic.com/2014/02/25/the-last-mushroom-farms-of-the-paris-catacombs/ http://www.messynessychic.com/2014/02/25/the-last-mushroom-farms-of-the-paris-catacombs/
[FairfieldLife] Best TV commercial ever
I got to wondering what Robert Rodriguez was up to, and found that he's busy working on two different projects that both look as if they'll be on my Must Watch list. Both are sequels. The first, co-directed by Frank Miller again, is Sin City 2: A Dame To KIll For, starring Eva Green, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Eva Green, Juno Temple, Eva Green, Josh Brolin, Eva Green, Jessica Alba, Eva Green, Bruce Willis, Eva Green, Rosario Dawson, Eva Green, Mickey Rourke, and Eva Green is a must-see for what should be obvious reasons. Most gorgeous woman in the world directed by one of my fave directors...what is not to like? The second seems to be From Dusk To Dawn: The Series, with no big-name stars, but it's Rodriquez, so I'll be there. In the meantime, Rodriguez managed to bring his unique talents and filmmaking abilities to a...uh...Nike commercial starring himself, Kobe Bryant, Bruce Willis, and Kanye West. Passed along for those who love Robert Rodriguez movies: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDpp8x70hAI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDpp8x70hAI
[FairfieldLife] Best film insight I've heard in a long, long time
As I reported here earlier, ike many people I enjoyed Cate Blanchett's performance in Blue Jasmine while hating the character she played. There has rarely *been* a crazier, more narcissistic, and more self-obsessed character portrayed onscreen. So when a good friend watched the film last night and felt the same way I did, her insight set me back on my heels, because it *completely* explains all of this Woody Allen pedophile nonsense that sprung up *as* he was being given a lifetime achievement award on TV. It's really simple -- Jasmine *IS* Mia Farrow, and Mia was so pissed off at seeing herself portrayed onscreen the way she really is (or was) that she lashed out at Woody with everything she had.
[FairfieldLife] OK, now this is funny
And it's funny no matter what you think about the legalization of cannabis... http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Girl-Scout-Does-Brisk-Business-Selling-Cookies-Outside-San-Francisco-Pot-Club-246452511.html http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Girl-Scout-Does-Brisk-Business-Selling-Cookies-Outside-San-Francisco-Pot-Club-246452511.html
[FairfieldLife] I'm definitely too old for this band, but I may not be able to resist...
Walking my dog just now, I noticed a couple of band vans unloading outside Q-Bus, a rock/blues club near where I live. I've still never been there, its choice of talent not coinciding with me having a free evening, but I may have to drop by tonight. Who, after all, can resist a band that calls themselves The Dirty Daddies? http://thedirtydaddies.com/ http://thedirtydaddies.com/ :-)
[FairfieldLife] Review: The Last Days On Mars
Pretty good science fiction movie made on a fairly low budget but looking better than many big-budget scifi flicks. It's by a first-time Irish writer-director who doesn't feel like a first-timer, and the result is pretty tight, well-done hard science fiction. A crew of astronauts exploring Mars are down to the last day of their six-month mission when they stumble upon signs of life. Unfortunately, that life is bacterial and infects humans, so this isn't quite the find they hoped it would be. The excellent cast -- including Liev Schreiber, Elias Koteas, Romola Garai, and Olivia Williams.-- makes the story of what they do about all of this fairly taut and suspenseful. http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1046194457/ http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1046194457/
[FairfieldLife] Sport is for everyone, no matter what team you play for
Awesome commercial from Norway: http://vidcy.com/awesome-norwegian-commercial-during-the-olympics-wait-for-it/ http://vidcy.com/awesome-norwegian-commercial-during-the-olympics-wait-for-it/
[FairfieldLife] The Truth
A post for those who claim to value the Truth. Here it is. Now get over your puny self.
[FairfieldLife] The Art Of Persuasion
Or, How Buck went from 20 minutes twice a day to two+ hours twice a day plus non-stop proselytizing during the other 20 hours, explained in 59 seconds: http://digg.com/video/the-art-of-persuasion-explained-in-59-seconds http://digg.com/video/the-art-of-persuasion-explained-in-59-seconds
[FairfieldLife] Watching the movie backwards
https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/t1/1958362_10202232346784836_703857403_n.jpg https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/t1/1958362_10202232346784836_703857403_n.jpg
[FairfieldLife] Vedic Deco
Who knew? The second biggest treasure-trove of Art Deco architecture is in India: http://www.messynessychic.com/2014/02/19/miami-of-india-the-forgotten-capital-of-art-deco/ http://www.messynessychic.com/2014/02/19/miami-of-india-the-forgotten-capital-of-art-deco/
[FairfieldLife] Good news for Pushing Daisies fans
Not off topic because one of our former FFL members won a Primetime Emmy for editing this wonderful and quirky seles... http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/18/pushing-daisies-musical_n_4808045.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/18/pushing-daisies-musical_n_4808045.html
[FairfieldLife] Moonwalking Armadillo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsmxsX7fo9I http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsmxsX7fo9I
[FairfieldLife] Internet TV review: House Of Cards
This weekend, while others on FFL argued about unprovable theoretical shit like the existence of God or tried to insult and demonize those who speak about actual spiritual experience when they can't because they've never had any :-), I, like millions of Americans and now others around the world, chose to focus on evil politicians guilty of murder and worse, government corruption so pervasive as to be taken for granted, and news media only interested in seeking viewers, not truth. And that was just the Nightly News. Oh, and I also watched the second season of House Of Cards. :-) Unlike most of these Netflixers (who were able to download their flagship original series all at once rather than have to wait a week between episodes and thus were binge-watching like crazy), I have actually seen the original UK series on which it is based, and thus can appreciate the differences. In this case, IMO the original was better, but the US version has its charms, too, and is far more accessible to an American audience. Part of the reason, of course, is Kevin Spacey. He obviously delighted in being able to play one of the most charmingly evil characters in film/TV history, and does so with mucho flair. He's best in those moments in which (using a trick stolen from the original series) he breaks character in the middle of a scene, turns directly to the camera, and speaks to us in the audience, telling us what he's *really* thinking, as opposed to what he's saying. It's a cool trick, and is not overused in the series, so it provides a kind of subtitles when watching the machinations of one of the most evil politicians since Machiavelli. Robin Wright is also great as his wife, equally evil and self-serving in her own right. Kate Mara as a reporter who knows how evil Spacey's character is and is trying to prove it is good in a shorter role than she played in the last season. Gerald McRaney is tremendous as a 1% billionaire pulling all the strings from the background, and Michael Kelly is great as the Spacey character's loyal henchman and head fixer. In terms of new faces, however, my favorite is the extraordinary Molly Parker (Deadwood), who I would watch in a soap commercial, much less in one of the major roles of a major TV series. Color me happy with the casting decisions. Other players are good, and the use of real-life commentators like Rachel Maddow and Morley Safer to present the news playing on TVs in the background or to conduct interviews adds to the impression of realness. And, in another sense, the realness the creators of this series achieve is effective, because it's probably as close and as accurate a portrait of what politics as usual really IS as anyone is likely to ever see onscreen. While there are some critics (and I am one of them) who feel that Netflix's *other* major series (Orange Is The New Black) is better in many ways, still I commend them for this one. It's easily as good as anything from HBO or Showtime, and infinitely better than almost anything on broadcast TV. Expect another round of nominations and wins for the second season, and expect to do a bit of binge-watching yourself if you succumb and download this 13-episode season. My advice, however, is that if you didn't watch the first season, double your binge-watching time and start with it. I found myself having to go back and re-watch parts of it, just to remind myself who and what I was dealing with, and the evilnessitude they had specialized in previously. And a good thing I did, too, because I caught something I might not have otherwise. You know how some TV shows create an artificial gap between seasons, as if some unspecified amount of time has passed? Well, as far as I can tell the gap between season 1 of House Of Cards and season 2 is about five minutes of elapsed real time. So being up to speed on what happened last season will help you appreciate what's happening in this one even more. Good television. Not great television...that term is reserved for series like Deadwood and Breaking Bad. But damned good, and very watchable. It's like watching Lord and Lady Macbeth in the White House.
[FairfieldLife] Theist and TB takes an early lead in the 2014 Darwin Awards contest
But there is still time to dose yourself with Maharishi Ayurvedic potions laden with lead and heavy metals if you're interested in competing... http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/16/jamie-coots-dead-snakebite_n_4799851.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/16/jamie-coots-dead-snakebite_n_4799851.html
[FairfieldLife] The God vs. No-God Thang
Not to overly offend those who feel that arguing the existence or non-existence of a God is fun, but I really don't get the point. It's that not getting the point that tempts me to follow up on my previous idiot posts today. I consider ALL arguments idiotic. Those that involve matters of pure belief and thus can NEVER be resolved...even more idiotic. And I tend to feel that way whether I encounter Bible-thumping theists or Darwin-thumping atheists. Zzzz. Big snooze. BORING, and a classic Waste Of Time. People believe what they believe. And they're all *entitled* to their beliefs, without being considered idiots for believing what they believe. Even a person who fervently believes that the moon is made of green cheese is entitled to that belief without being considered an idiot. Well, the moon-green-cheese thang is kinda pushing the envelope of non-idiotic beliefs, but certainly those who believe that there is a God are just as entitled to their beliefs as those who believe that there isn't one. No idiocy involved. Until they start trying to SELL their beliefs. At that point, the concept of idiocy appears, at least for me. I mean, WTF? What could be more *personal* than one's belief or non-belief in a God? And what could be *less* open to debate or argument than something that seemingly by definition can never be settled one way or another? So when some people cross that line and try to *argue* for the supremacy or rightness or truth of their particular belief, that's where I see idiocy entering into the equation. What about them is so NEEDY that they feel the need to proselytize their beliefs, and try to get others to share them? The whole thing seems to me to be an exercise in either ego (trying to impose one's own narcissistic views on others and thus win some imaginary battle) or insecurity (feeling that if somehow they convert someone to their beliefs it makes those beliefs stronger, and thus them better or stronger). VOLUMES of these ego-fests and insecurity-fests have been written in human history, and they've never accomplished a damned thing but to waste the time of those writing them *and* those reading them. IMO, of course. Wouldn't it be more...uh...civilized to, if the subject comes up, just state what you believe and move on to more interesting and possibly more productive subjects? What IS it about some people that they actually feel *threatened* by someone believing something different than they do, or feel *threatened* by someone failing to argue about it? I just don't get it. All in all, I think one of the wisest commentaries on the whole subject was offered in a cartoon I've posted here a few times, and will again below. That's the bottom line, as I see it. End of story, end of argument.
[FairfieldLife] How often things happen (if it doesn't blink, click link)
http://xkcd.com/1331/ http://xkcd.com/1331/
[FairfieldLife] A treat for the eyes and the heart
During our Mayamovies session this morning, I showed this 1956 Oscar-winning classic to Maya and she loved it so much that she demanded to see it twice. I didn't complain, because after all it is 34 minutes of some of the most gorgeous footage of Paris ever, in glorious Technicolor. Enjoy, and may you find a friend as constant as this balloon... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhGLI7yyzYM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhGLI7yyzYM
[FairfieldLife] Addicted to Internet porn? You're probably religious...
This should come as no surprise to those who equate religion with repression, and repression with encouraging the very behavior it claims to be suppressing. On the other hand, most long-term TB TMers are such sexless dweebs that they probably feel guilty for looking at photos of ice cream on the Net. :-) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/15/religious-people-addicted-to-porn_n_4794614.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/15/religious-people-addicted-to-porn_n_4794614.html
[FairfieldLife] Buddhist Cave Temples
Nabby will claim this is a troll post because it mentions the dreaded word Buddhist in the title. Others can just enjoy, and compare these places of worship to the butt-ugly Fairfield domes. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/15/buddhist-cave-temples_n_4775101.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/15/buddhist-cave-temples_n_4775101.html
[FairfieldLife] Married Kama Sutra: The World's Least Erotic Sex Manual
http://marriedkamasutra.com/ http://marriedkamasutra.com/ Click the preview http://issuu.com/littlebrown/docs/marriedkamasut_hcpubf1-crop link
[FairfieldLife] Who needs screenwriters?
This short certainly didn't. Every line of dialog is the name of a movie. http://digg.com/video/every-line-in-this-short-is-also-a-movie-title http://digg.com/video/every-line-in-this-short-is-also-a-movie-title
[FairfieldLife] The thing about obsession...
...is that people who are obsessed don't seem capable of recognizing that they're obsessed. Their own behavior goes completely over their heads, and they fail to see what almost everyone watching them sees...that they're caught up in an obsession. As an example, consider some stuck-in-his-head mental midget who gets a wild-hair-up-his-ass idea that God (yes, the same God who is on record as having smitten millions of innocent people because he was pissed off at them) became so affronted by the bombing of an obscure Christian monastery during WW2 that He withdrew His presence from the very Creation He had created, and basically told all its sentient creatures to fuck off, because He would never have anything to do with them again. OK, this is ludicrous, right? You would think that the first time said mental midget dared to say this out loud or in print he'd catch a clue from the way people reacted and realize that he was talking crazy, right? But nooo. Said mental midget goes on and on and on and on, trying to make other people agree with this insanity. In other words, he was obsessed with the weird stuff in his head, just because it was in *his* head. And, he was incapable of even realizing that he *was* obsessed. Crazy, right? Now imagine a lonely, 70-plus-year-old spinster who listens to this crap and not only doesn't challenge it, but develops an obsession of her own with the mental midget in question. Never having met him, she makes almost 1700 posts to or about him to an obscure Internet group that no one cares about, turning defending him and explaining what he really meant into something that similarly goes on and on and on and on. This crush on the mental midget in question gets so bad that she embarrasses herself thoroughly, resorting to lies and insults to defend him, and destroying whatever little credibility she had on the forum. And throughout all of this, it doesn't ever occur to her that she's obsessed. She would probably bristle at the idea and write dozens of stinging replies pointing out how absurd the idea is. Come to think of it, she probably will...
[FairfieldLife] Knights of Badassdom
I've been waiting for this one ever since I heard about it on whedonesque.com, and it arrived in my Pirate queue at the perfect time, just when I needed a little something to take the taste of Top Of The Lake out of my eyes. (Suffice it to say I was underwhelmed.) This one's a hoot, one that might be appreciated by bhairitu and few others here, a sorta horror movie/adventure tale based on the concept of real-life fantasy role player geeks. Imagine Dungeons and Dragons played for real, by nerds, in a forest, with supernatural overtones. Or Pennsic, the annual gathering of the Society for Creative Anachronism (which I have attended), on shrooms. Throw in Peter Dinklage (the best actor from Game Of Thrones), Ryan Kwanten (the hunk from True Blood), and...the nerdboy icing on the cake, everyone's favorite nerd princess...Summer Glau (River, from Firefly) and you've got yerself a fantasy romp in the woods that will have every nerdboy in America jerking off into their hankies for weeks. Me, I just watched it...hankiless, and laughed my way through pretty much every minute. It was fun, something that Fairfield Life hasn't been for years, so I preferred it to paying any attention to the insane people here on FFL today. If you guys still think that anyone here deserves more attention, by all means focus on them. Me, I'd pick Summer Glau and fun anytime... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyougFDZ7zU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyougFDZ7zU
[FairfieldLife] TV's The Following as a treatise on NPD and psychopathy
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu wrote: I'm glad I went back to check out the remaining episodes of season one of The Following on Netflix. I had bailed after episode three because it seemed to formulaic. Perhaps Bacon was thinking that too as the storylines improved over the remainder of the season. But now I'm caught up on the first three episodes of season two they are pushing the envelope farther. Glad to hear it...I think it's an interesting series. Naturally, given the three-year tutelage I spent talking with my psychiatrist friend in Santa Fe who used to specialize in NPD (before he gave it up, experience having taught him that the disorder was untreatable), I think the series kinda nails it. Also naturally, I see some strong parallels between the TV show and what's going on lately on Fairfield Life. My friend understood immediately my interest in his former specialty, and spend considerable time talking with me and giving me textbooks to read about NPD, so that we could discuss my particular interest -- NPD and how it relates to the spiritual teacher or faux spiritual teacher. They were great discussions, and I learned much from them. Now, of course, the Joe Carroll character in The Following is not a one-to-one match for Robin Carlsen (or Rama, or any of the other NPD-impaired teachers we discussed). Joe is a true psychopath, one who has allowed such free rein to his NPD that he's become a mass murderer. But it's all three of their *tactics* when dealing with their followers that interests me, and in which I see a strong parallel. The person with NPD doesn't *have* a fixed history or story. He or she *makes it up as they go along*. They *tailor* what they say to what the follower or prospective follower wants to hear, telling them things that they can't tell anyone else, making them feel special, as if no one really understands them the way that the person being talked or written to does. Many people -- desperate for attention and specialness -- fall for this routine, and actually *believe* the stories being told to them. But none of them are true. They're just tactics to get -- and keep -- another person in their fold and on the hook. Now that it's finally been revealed that Robin conducted his cult indoctrination/recruitment number not only in public on FFL but individually (via private email), isn't it easier to understand Judy and Ann's near-psychotic devotion to him? Chances are in each of those emails he tailored what he said to each of them differently, playing off of each of their weaknesses and needs to make them feel special, and thus cause them to develop an allegiance with him. According to Judy, he told her he was near suicide several times; does anyone suspect that he didn't tell that to anyone else because he perceived that as *her* weakness and samskara, and was tailoring his spiel to her to make her feel special? And, of course, it worked. He probably told different things to Ann to get *her* to feel just as devoted. The thing about Narcissistic Personality Disorder -- ironically, given Judy's hangup about lies and truth -- is that the truly NPD-afflicted personality is *incapable* of truth. EVERYTHING they say is a lie, fabricated in the moment to tailor their spiel to the perceived target they're trying to make feel special. Judy is an easy mark. There has never been a person who CARES more about what other people think of her on FFL than Judy Stein. Almost *all* of her posts are about trying to force other people to see her the way that she sees herself. In other words, she's budding NPD herself. Ann has more than a little attention-seeking driving her as well, so she became another easy mark, even though *her own past history* with the guy should have tipped her off as to how meaningless anything he says to her really is. This is really my only interest in Robin Woolworth's Carlsen. Given my tutelage in NPD, its symptoms, and its unique ways of acting itself out, I nailed him as NPD from his first wall of words solipsistic posts. Had it not been for their weaknesses -- trying to find an ally in their silly war against their enemies here on FFL -- Judy and Ann might have seen these traits as well. But they didn't. Instead, they became followers. And they still are. Between the two of them, they have made 182 posts this posting week, in just over 72 hours, all but a few of them about Robin Carlsen -- trying to defend him, trying to explain his oh-so-fabulous beliefs and theories, trying to get those who don't like him and somehow get other people on the forum to discount what they say. I call this cult behavior, and more specifically, behavior generated as the result of being played by a person suffering from Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Judy and Ann are the *victims* here, and as such (and as human beings) deserve our pity. Their *methods*, however, deserve to be pointed out and either made fun of or questioned. They *really can't see*
[FairfieldLife] Re: People are beginning to catch on
Please note that this post was written at 02:01 AM her time. She's *still* up obsessing about Robin Carlsen, and attacking his perceived enemies. Can you say cultist? I think you can... --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, wrote: So wrong. So wrong. So, so, so wrong. He isn't coming back to FFL, ever, and I respect his decision. As I've told you, Barry, by the time he left he hated the place, just wanted to get out for good, and I can't say as I blame him. It's a shame, because he made significant contributions here--far more significant than anything you've provided in eight years. You and a few others couldn't stand that, couldn't stand the comparison. And you're still obsessing about him, demonizing him, lying about him, nine months later. Talk about unhealthy! You live in your very own bad horror movie, Barry. Really sucks to be you. All because she's still trying to be good little cultist, defending the guy she developed an unhealthy crush on in hopes that he'll come back to FFL and praise her and interact with her again. It's like a bad horror movie...her whole reason for living has degenerated to trying bring about the second coming of Robin. :-)
[FairfieldLife] TV-inspired rap: Some early Top Of The Lake impressions
Even though I can certainly see why people liked this series -- the acting is good and the plot/mystery is engrossing -- at the same time I see why I intuitively avoided it for so long. It's Jane Campion. She seems unable to make any film without bringing to it a kind of heavy-handed Angry Feminism that winds up permeating the whole work and overshadowing any finer points it might have. She did it with Holy Smoke, she did it with In The Cut, and she's doing it with Top Of The Lake, at least in the first few episodes I've seen so far. In this case, the Angry Feminism (as well as Campion's profound misunderstanding of spiritual groups and the spiritual quest in general) centers on a group of women who have created a kind of mini-ashram near a back-country lake in New Zealand called Paradise. The women are all caricatures of New Age Women, and it's difficult for me to believe that even Campion felt they'd be perceived positively. The only thing that makes their struggling attempts at self-sufficiency more tolerable is that they're set against the everpresent misogyny of New Zealand, something that exists in real life, and is worth pointing out and commenting on negatively. One of my good female friends from the Rama days is now a lawyer working in New Zealand, and she has to deal with this kind of backassward male chauvinist shit every day. The fascinating thing for me is that the leader of this mini-cult, played by Holly Hunter in a long, blond wig, is a dead ringer for someone I know. She was also a student of Rama's, and since his death she has set up shop as a spiritual teacher on her own, with *only* women students. She discourages these women from having any relationships with men, and bases her talks on the evils of The Patrimony and how it has subjugated women for centuries. Angry Feminism, in spades, and of a sort that even Rama would be horrified by. He taught his female students to be self-sufficient *without* the anger, and *without* the scapegoating of men as an excuse for not achieving more in their own lives. Most of his female students, as I've written about on this forum, took his advice and became both happy and successful in their careers (as did my lawyer friend in NZ). Many of them are now millionaires as a result of following his advice. The woman I'm talking about who runs this Gotta Focus On The Evil Patrimony group became a spiritual teacher instead, and is supported by the women she teaches to afix blame and stay angry most of the time. Anyway, in the first two episodes, that's what the group living in Paradise in Top Of The Lake reminds me of, and is thus coloring my appreciation of the series a little negatively. Campion said that she based Holly Hunter's character GJ on UG Krishnamurti, whom she claims to have met before he died. I met him, too, and if Campion perceived him as being like the character she created for Top Of The Lake, we perceived him very, very differently indeed. Partly it's the eerie fact that Holly Hunter's GJ *is* such a dead ringer for the woman who now runs the Angry Feminist mini-cult, partly it's the fact that the same Angry Feminism still seems to permeate this series as it did most of Campion's films since The Piano, but it definitely casts a gloom over the whole series that I don't know if I'm going to be able to get past. I promised myself that I'd be open and try to see in the series all the positive things that other critics and friends have seen, but Campion's heavy-handed I AM *SERIOUS* HERE AND BY GOD *YOU* HAVE TO BE *SERIOUS* TOO bludgeoning is getting in the way of me being able to stay open. The whole thing is making even Scandinavian crime dramas seem light-hearted and fluffy. :-)
[FairfieldLife] Re: TV's The Following as a treatise on NPD and psychopathy
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, wrote: This post is a superb example of why I said it really sucks to be Barry. Either he believes the delusional crap he wrote, or he knows it's crap but stupidly expects others to believe it. What on earth makes you believe that anyone CARES what you think -- about Robin, about them, or about anything else? I didn't even bother to read the rest of your drivel in this post, just as I never bother to read past the first few Message View words of any of your posts. I'd be willing to bet that I'm not the only person who feels this way. Both you and Ann have become mono-topical with regard to Robin. Few people ever really gave a shit about Robin anyway, and they *certainly* don't give a shit about your attempts at creating a revisionist history for him. Several people now -- meaning not just me -- have commented on the near-absolute lack of original posts from you. At least one has commented that this latest obsession of yours -- 112 posts in three days, *most* of them rehashing the same old-maid I know him better than you do fantasies about Robin -- is causing them to long for the old Posting Limits. Have you *really* got nothing to talk about except this dweeb who ran away in panic from this forum ten months ago? Do you *really* want to give people the impression that he is pretty much the *only* thing you can come up with to post about other than your obsession with me and Share and now Steve? That's what you're accomplishing. Just sayin'...
[FairfieldLife] For those I hate my job days
I work at home, and love what I'm doing, so this doesn't apply to me. It also probably doesn't apply to many of the folks here who are either retired or love their jobs. But it's funny, so I pass it along anyway... [https://scontent-b-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/t1/q75/s720x720/162262\ 3_10151994435713800_664239328_n.jpg]
[FairfieldLife] Re: VERY interesting take on the vedas by an Indian writer
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Michael Jackson wrote: http://neoindian.org/2011/06/16/why-you-should-read-the-vedas-and-why-th\ e-religious-will-never-understand-them/ http://neoindian.org/2011/06/16/why-you-should-read-the-vedas-and-why-t\ he-religious-will-never-understand-them/ Interesting and insightful article. I particularly liked: The most striking feature of the Vedas is that the Vedas are not the word of god; the Vedas mostly consist of hymns addressed to the gods. This might seem like a mere literary detail, but it is refreshing to read a religious book where, for a change, mankind is the author and not the target audience.
[FairfieldLife] Re: TV's The Following as a treatise on NPD and psychopathy
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu wrote: I was raised to not let anyone bully me. So in the late 1960s when there were all kinds of cult leader types I just blew them off. When Robin showed up here you may recall I told him in a message to break up his wall of words as I felt that people might be interested in what he had to say. To me a wall of words shows worse than misspellings that the writer is ignorant or poorly educated. It's not necessarily an education thang. Some people are simply not aware of the short attention spans of Internet- and soundbyte-impaired readers these days. They find it almost impossible to read a Wall Of Words. Therefore, if you wish to communicate, you use shorter paragraphs. However, according to my friend the psychiatrist who is an expert on Narcissistic Personality Disorder, writing in Wall Of Words style -- especially when you see it happening in someone who has been well educated -- is one of the key markers they look for when diagnosing NPD. Wall Of Words writers don't CARE if they're communicating, and neither do NPD writers. Then at one point he went off on one of my posts and finished by saying now tell me you love me. I thought wha...? Rather than berate such cult leader like behavior I treated it like a joke and told him how funny he was. That seemed to throw him off his game. :-D I feel sorry for someone who can't shed the need to feel important. There may indeed be no cure for someone with severe NPD. When someone dares order me around in person I just stare at them. That really fucks them up. We're both lucky in having avoided the Boss Syndrome for much of our lives. There is a certain freedom in being a consultant that helps when dealing with life's Petty Tyrants. My friend the shrink was familiar with the works of Carlos Castaneda, and he referred to Carlos' descriptions of the Petty Tyrant often when teaching me about NPD. On 02/11/2014 12:09 AM, TurquoiseB wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu wrote: I'm glad I went back to check out the remaining episodes of season one of The Following on Netflix. I had bailed after episode three because it seemed to formulaic. Perhaps Bacon was thinking that too as the storylines improved over the remainder of the season. But now I'm caught up on the first three episodes of season two they are pushing the envelope farther. */Glad to hear it...I think it's an interesting series. Naturally, given the three-year tutelage I spent talking with my psychiatrist friend in Santa Fe who used to specialize in NPD (before he gave it up, experience having taught him that the disorder was untreatable), I think the series kinda nails it. Also naturally, I see some strong parallels between the TV show and what's going on lately on Fairfield Life. My friend understood immediately my interest in his former specialty, and spend considerable time talking with me and giving me textbooks to read about NPD, so that we could discuss my particular interest -- NPD and how it relates to the spiritual teacher or faux spiritual teacher. They were great discussions, and I learned much from them. Now, of course, the Joe Carroll character in The Following is not a one-to-one match for Robin Carlsen (or Rama, or any of the other NPD-impaired teachers we discussed). Joe is a true psychopath, one who has allowed such free rein to his NPD that he's become a mass murderer. But it's all three of their *tactics* when dealing with their followers that interests me, and in which I see a strong parallel. The person with NPD doesn't *have* a fixed history or story. He or she *makes it up as they go along*. They *tailor* what they say to what the follower or prospective follower wants to hear, telling them things that they can't tell anyone else, making them feel special, as if no one really understands them the way that the person being talked or written to does. Many people -- desperate for attention and specialness -- fall for this routine, and actually *believe* the stories being told to them. But none of them are true. They're just tactics to get -- and keep -- another person in their fold and on the hook. Now that it's finally been revealed that Robin conducted his cult indoctrination/recruitment number not only in public on FFL but individually (via private email), isn't it easier to understand Judy and Ann's near-psychotic devotion to him? Chances are in each of those emails he tailored what he said to each of them differently, playing off of each of their weaknesses and needs to make them feel special, and thus cause them to develop an allegiance with him. According to Judy, he told her he was near suicide several times; does anyone suspect that he didn't tell that to anyone else because he perceived that as *her* weakness and samskara, and was tailoring his spiel to her to make her
[FairfieldLife] Growing fresh produce...underground...in London
This is actually a very cool project, and I wish them the best of luck with it... http://www.messynessychic.com/2014/02/11/london-has-a-subterranean-veggi\ e-farm-in-an-abandoned-wwii-bunker/ http://www.messynessychic.com/2014/02/11/london-has-a-subterranean-vegg\ ie-farm-in-an-abandoned-wwii-bunker/
[FairfieldLife] Re: TV's The Following as a treatise on NPD and psychopathy
Just for fun, since it appears that she's up at 2:00 AM again obsessing: Speaking of poor memories, Barry never used the phrase 12,000-word rant. That's a lie. The only person who has used that phrase, according to the Yahoo Search engine, is Judy Stein, in three separate posts today. Opsie. :-) :-) :-) --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, wrote: I just told you what I said. Why are you still misquoting me? And I wasn't talking about anything but his last series of posts, his last exchange with Curtis, in any case, what Barry dishonestly called a 12,000-word rant. He did write some long posts, but no single post was anywhere near that long. He wrote his posts for many different reasons. A few you could say were to set the record straight when someone had misrepresented or misunderstood him, but by no means all or even most or even many. Stevie, you were bragging about having access to Classic search. Your memory is so poor, you really need to check what someone said before you write about it. We wouldn't still be talking about this if you did. I thought Judy said a few days ago, that the purpose of his extraordinarily long posts was to basically, set the record straight especially with regard to this interactions with Curtis. And yes, I can't believe we're still talking about this. On the other hand, I kind of wish that little rascal would show up again. ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, awoelflebater@ wrote: ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, steve.sundur@ wrote: I admit, I found it awfully strange that when Robin first came on board he had that wall of words manner of writing. It seemed like a rather large blind spot on his part, since it made what he wrote almost unreadable. And I remember Barry 2 speaking up, and then Robin started breaking things into paragraphs. Now, I guess Judy did clue me into one aspect of his writing, that is, his 12,000 word posts were written for posterity, if I understand it correctly. As I understand it, Robin decided to venture onto FFL as a result of an invitation (from Rick?) and as an exercise, a sort of meta therapeutic venturing forth in the form of this internet forum. I don't think he had really investigated this type of format before other than for a few months on the alt. blahdadeblah (can't remember the name) forum. Judy will know all this history. But I don't think he wrote what he did at FFL for posterity. This was pretty much an exercise for his own benefit. At least that is how I remember him talking about it. ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu wrote: I was raised to not let anyone bully me. So in the late 1960s when there were all kinds of cult leader types I just blew them off. When Robin showed up here you may recall I told him in a message to break up his wall of words as I felt that people might be interested in what he had to say. To me a wall of words shows worse than misspellings that the writer is ignorant or poorly educated. It's not necessarily an education thang. Some people are simply not aware of the short attention spans of Internet- and soundbyte-impaired readers these days. They find it almost impossible to read a Wall Of Words. Therefore, if you wish to communicate, you use shorter paragraphs. However, according to my friend the psychiatrist who is an expert on Narcissistic Personality Disorder, writing in Wall Of Words style -- especially when you see it happening in someone who has been well educated -- is one of the key markers they look for when diagnosing NPD. Wall Of Words writers don't CARE if they're communicating, and neither do NPD writers. Then at one point he went off on one of my posts and finished by saying now tell me you love me. I thought wha...? Rather than berate such cult leader like behavior I treated it like a joke and told him how funny he was. That seemed to throw him off his game. :-D I feel sorry for someone who can't shed the need to feel important. There may indeed be no cure for someone with severe NPD. When someone dares order me around in person I just stare at them. That really fucks them up. We're both lucky in having avoided the Boss Syndrome for much of our lives. There is a certain freedom in being a consultant that helps when dealing with life's Petty Tyrants. My friend the shrink was familiar with the works of Carlos Castaneda, and he referred to Carlos' descriptions of the Petty Tyrant often when teaching me about NPD. On 02/11/2014 12:09 AM, TurquoiseB wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu wrote: I'm glad I went back to check out the remaining episodes of season one of The Following on Netflix. I had bailed after episode three because it seemed to formulaic. Perhaps Bacon was thinking that too as the storylines improved over the remainder of the season. But now I'm
[FairfieldLife] Re: TV's The Following as a treatise on NPD and psychopathy
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB wrote: Just for fun, since it appears that she's up at 2:00 AM again obsessing: Speaking of poor memories, Barry never used the phrase 12,000-word rant. That's a lie. The only person who has used that phrase, according to the Yahoo Search engine, is Judy Stein, in three separate posts today. Opsie. :-) :-) :-) Actually, the third post was by Steve, quoting Judy Stein's lie. In case no one has noticed, I'm just running the Steinster's insane nitpick number on HER. The crazy part is not that she lied -- she does that all the time -- the crazy part is that she's still obsessing about the nonentity named Robin Carlsen. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, wrote: I just told you what I said. Why are you still misquoting me? And I wasn't talking about anything but his last series of posts, his last exchange with Curtis, in any case, what Barry dishonestly called a 12,000-word rant. He did write some long posts, but no single post was anywhere near that long. He wrote his posts for many different reasons. A few you could say were to set the record straight when someone had misrepresented or misunderstood him, but by no means all or even most or even many. Stevie, you were bragging about having access to Classic search. Your memory is so poor, you really need to check what someone said before you write about it. We wouldn't still be talking about this if you did. I thought Judy said a few days ago, that the purpose of his extraordinarily long posts was to basically, set the record straight especially with regard to this interactions with Curtis. And yes, I can't believe we're still talking about this. On the other hand, I kind of wish that little rascal would show up again. ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, awoelflebater@ wrote: ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, steve.sundur@ wrote: I admit, I found it awfully strange that when Robin first came on board he had that wall of words manner of writing. It seemed like a rather large blind spot on his part, since it made what he wrote almost unreadable. And I remember Barry 2 speaking up, and then Robin started breaking things into paragraphs. Now, I guess Judy did clue me into one aspect of his writing, that is, his 12,000 word posts were written for posterity, if I understand it correctly. As I understand it, Robin decided to venture onto FFL as a result of an invitation (from Rick?) and as an exercise, a sort of meta therapeutic venturing forth in the form of this internet forum. I don't think he had really investigated this type of format before other than for a few months on the alt. blahdadeblah (can't remember the name) forum. Judy will know all this history. But I don't think he wrote what he did at FFL for posterity. This was pretty much an exercise for his own benefit. At least that is how I remember him talking about it. ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu wrote: I was raised to not let anyone bully me. So in the late 1960s when there were all kinds of cult leader types I just blew them off. When Robin showed up here you may recall I told him in a message to break up his wall of words as I felt that people might be interested in what he had to say. To me a wall of words shows worse than misspellings that the writer is ignorant or poorly educated. It's not necessarily an education thang. Some people are simply not aware of the short attention spans of Internet- and soundbyte-impaired readers these days. They find it almost impossible to read a Wall Of Words. Therefore, if you wish to communicate, you use shorter paragraphs. However, according to my friend the psychiatrist who is an expert on Narcissistic Personality Disorder, writing in Wall Of Words style -- especially when you see it happening in someone who has been well educated -- is one of the key markers they look for when diagnosing NPD. Wall Of Words writers don't CARE if they're communicating, and neither do NPD writers. Then at one point he went off on one of my posts and finished by saying now tell me you love me. I thought wha...? Rather than berate such cult leader like behavior I treated it like a joke and told him how funny he was. That seemed to throw him off his game. :-D I feel sorry for someone who can't shed the need to feel important. There may indeed be no cure for someone with severe NPD. When someone dares order me around in person I just stare at them. That really fucks them up. We're both lucky in having avoided the Boss Syndrome for much of our lives. There is a certain freedom in being a consultant that helps when dealing with life's Petty Tyrants. My friend the shrink was familiar with the works of Carlos Castaneda, and he referred
[FairfieldLife] Re: TV-inspired rap: Some early Top Of The Lake impressions
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, ultrarishi wrote: Stick with it. It's good. Most long form crime series pad out their stories with stuff, like the so called angry feminist element you speak of. However, misdirection is a key part of these dramas and the padding is the misdirection. While I don't want to give any spoilers, the misdirection is there to keep you from solving the mystery too soon. What would be fun in watching if you guessed right off the bat. Season 2 of Bron / Broen made good use of this with various plot elements. Same goes for the Killing. At the end of the day this is still just a crime drama, just with characters a bit more wacky than usual. I watched the third episode last night, and it was a little less tiresome than the previous two, so I will probably continue watching. As for the misdirection and the mystery, I am hoping against hope that it isn't a rehash of her AWFUL plot in In The Cut, with the heroine having sex with the person she begins to suspect is the bad guy. I have heard from women friends that they like Jane Campion because of her obsession with obsession. That is, according to them she captures the way that women sometimes glom onto some guy who is a total loser because they're attracted to him sexually, and fuck him because they can't control themselves. You'll have to forgive me if I find this theme as uninteresting and as dumb in women as I find its counterpart in men. Sounds to me as if Jane Campion has some real issues with regard to her love life, and that she acts them out in her movies. Another tell is that she made her guru character look pretty much exactly like her. Long, straight grey hair (I mistyped earlier when I referred to a blonde wig), no makeup, and almost purposefully dressing down to make herself more unattractive. Please don't get me wrong...I liked The Piano, and had high hopes for her films after that. It's just that she manages to dash those hopes over and over and over. As a friend of mine once said about Rama (who we both studied with), He never fails to disappoint. So far, Jane Campion has never failed to disappoint. I will finish Top Of The Lake, however, and hope that she redeems herself at the end.
[FairfieldLife] Re: People are beginning to catch on
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB wrote: What is she going to do when *no one* falls for her tarbaby act any more, and allows themselves to get sucked into an argument with her just because she wants one? I predict panic. Fairfield Life Post Counter === Start Date (UTC): 02/08/14 00:00:00 End Date (UTC): 02/15/14 00:00:00 304 messages as of (UTC) 02/09/14 23:44:16 67 authfriend Given an estimated 12-hour posting day, that's 2.8 posts per hour. Are we looking at another record posting week for the Judester? :-) Then again, look on the bright side. Maybe she'll follow her cult leader's lead and post a 13,000-word manifesto *demanding* that people argue with her...or else. And we all know what comes after that. Something to look forward to... :-)
[FairfieldLife] Re: The Essence of the Robin Carlsen Cult
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, wrote: If you haven't already done so you might want to read Carlsen's take on Ayatollah Khomeini. To me he was clearly a cruel, narrow-minded fanatic with an instinctive hatred of western ideas of freedom. But where I see black Carlsen sees white. Follow the link for his portrait of the mad imam; but here's a typical quote: He did not smile once; his face was implacably set in the resolution of his will; God demanded everything from him; he had given his life to serving God. There was nothing to laugh at, to be amused at, to wonder about; his course had been set and he was in the determined consequences of that course: to bring Islam into the prominence which its divine genesis had portended. He lived for Islam; he had become the instrument of Islam; he had no purpose but the enactment of Islam. His individuality seemed merged with the universality of his higher purpose. http://tinyurl.com/nbmpvj9 http://tinyurl.com/nbmpvj9 http://tinyurl.com/nbmpvj9 http://tinyurl.com/nbmpvj9 For the record, s3raphita, this projection of idealized fantasies onto Khomeini is pretty much standard Narcissistic Personality Disorder stuff, combined with mania. What happens is that the NPD individual, *lost* in self-obsession and convinced of how important *he* is to the world (we *are* talking about the person who billed himself as the World Teacher, after all) gets high on mania and looks at someone else and projects that same supposed grandiose greatness there. So for Robin, Khomeini became the same kind of God-directed leader he considered himself to be. But it's not *just* Khomeini he was a fan boy for. And the fan boy schtick was not *just* in the past. Robin did the same sort of fantasy projection on other people whom he chose to focus on during one of his manic states. For example, check out what he said about Lady Gaga back in June, 2011. It's the same schtick. And he carried on carrying on about it for some time, ready to argue with anyone who disputed *his* accurate view of Lady Gaga, because of course...they're wrong, and he's right. I suspect in a few years, when no one even remembers who Lady Gaga was, he'll issue a repudiation of what he wrote back in 2011, claiming similar levels of delusion. He'll probably even find a way to make his mania someone else's fault: Lingering influence from the Vedic demons who once convinced me I was enlightened made me write this stuff about Lady Gaga. :-) :-) :-) My take? She is so passionate and devoted to her music—and her message (inner God-given dignity of every person: For God makes no mistakes BTW) comes through non-didactically, non-sentimentally. As you say, her effect on her little monsters is real. They can't help what happens to them during a LG performance—and I have been in a live audience watching her: she does more good for each person than TM ever did (if you will excuse the hyperbole, the bitterness, the outrageousness of that declaration—but for me, it's true). No one of course is 'transformed' but her effect seems to make people a little more sincere, a little more intelligent, a little more grounded. Although I doubt ANYONE knows just how she is doing this. For me, her dedication as an artist is pure and deathless, and this invites a grace which desexualizes her just to the right degree, while allowing her, non-egotistically to sacrifice herself inside her art. And the form and message of the art are one. That almost is unprecedented in my experience. (I have been a performer myself). A woman dishabille and yet private lust for her is not permitted. This is because her art is (and the woman behind the art) so sincere and inspired that a certain chasteness secretly enters into the context—defying the very provocative and sexually uninhibited way she performs. Inside her performance—I have studied her carefully up-close—she is that good (as an artist) that she surrenders all of herself, and from within this posture of total giving, she is able to create an effect which defies analysis. People feel good, but it is not an escape, nor is it some kind of epiphany. She just works on you, and the sensation (for me at least—and it seems reflected in the faces of most of the audience as well: see that HBO MSG Concert) is controlled by a beautiful intelligence. You will also notice she never breaks her concentration. She remains Lady Gaga, even in her intimate improvisational words to those fans who are standing near to her. She does not get off on the energy, the rush of her performance. She remains invulnerable, poised, focused when all that adulation and enthusiasm comes at her. She wants to stay inside herself, and not be seduced by any experience of what it is like to be her performing. For me this borders on the miraculous. Vanity, pride, egotism are banished in the commitment she has made to her art—and I would say, even her 'religion', for she certainly believes she has a message, and she efficaciously
[FairfieldLife] Re: Marshy's Marketing
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Michael Jackson wrote: Glad to be of service - laughin' is good! Next time I'm up in Canada (never been actually) I'll give you a holler. As to Bucky I figgered maybe there was some kinda jyotish rectification for straightening out one's attitude and point of view - wait, that's believing everything a raja says!!! I would imagine that the nature of the rectification can be inferred from the root word rectal. :-) On Mon, 2/10/14, awoelflebater@... awoelflebater@... wrote: Subject: Re: [FairfieldLife] RE: Marshy's Marketing To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Date: Monday, February 10, 2014, 4:09 AM ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, mjackson74@ wrote: and how do you propose I get a rectification? God, Michael, sometimes you make me laugh but good. I would love to meet you in real life; I'd be privileged to sample your baking and I'm sure we'd have a good chuckle or two.
[FairfieldLife] Re: The Essence of the Robin Carlsen Cult
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, wrote: Well, Judy has gloated many times about this in the past. And a couple days ago, referring to one of her private e-mails from Robin, (not to be mistaken for an e-mail from or to, anyone else, this was a private e-mail from Robin to her, and not just a single isolated e-mail, but one of many private e-mails she got from Robin). I just want to make that clear, because she sort of went on and on about it. Anyway, where was I. Oh yes, she said, in this most private of e-mails from Robin, that this was the most fun he had posting on FFL. There, finally got it out. I dooon't think she does realize what this says about her, and Robin. All of this makes me wonder whether the real reason he bailed on Fairfield Life was that Judy was starting to stalk him via email the way she's stalked so many people over the years on talk forums, and it was freaking him out. Maybe he was afraid she'd show up outside his door in Toronto. It *does* sorta sound like she had -- and still has -- a rather unhealthy obsession going with the guy, doesn't it? ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, sharelong60@ wrote: Steve, I had a very similar thought. What kind of person calls fooling other people the most fun ever? Doesn't sound balanced to me. Sounds a bit arrogant. And is Judy quoting Robin about this? Or are these just her feelings on the matter? On Monday, February 10, 2014 6:33 AM, steve.sundur@ steve.sundur@ wrote: Really, the strange thing for me, is that both Judy and Robin consider this the best time they had posting on FFL, or at least near the top. Judy said as much a few days ago. Now what does that say about a person, or persons that creating a parody just to see how many people they can fool is what they consider great sport? But maybe the real kicker is that if you accuse Judy and Robin of setting traps for people, you will hear Judy recite chapter and verse (for the umpteenth time) of what an honest person she is. That's a go figure if ever there was one. ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, punditster@ wrote: On 2/9/2014 8:24 PM, authfriend@ mailto:authfriend@ wrote: But you know, of course, that he completely repudiated what he'd written, right? Most of Robin's writings appear to be parodies or total fibs. So far as I can tell, Robin never repudiated his parody of Judy. But, according to Judy and Ann, Robin told them in private email that it was a joke on the rest of us. If that's true, then nobody on FFL will ever believe anything Robin ever wrote or says again. And, now that we know that Robin, Ann, and Judy are playing tricks on us pricks, will we never again believe anything they say on FFL. I am surprised though, Judy, you would reveal this information about my prior association with you before I started posting at FFL. But I will take this as your need to express your hurt that I should turn on you like this. Still, I think it was imprudent of you to do this. But the damage is done, and we must live with it. http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/FairfieldLife/conversations/topics/30\ 0960 http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/FairfieldLife/conversations/topics/30\ 0960
[FairfieldLife] Re: The Essence of the Robin Carlsen Cult
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, awoe wrote: ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, someone wrote: Well, Judy has gloated many times about this in the past. And a couple days ago, referring to one of her private e-mails from Robin, (not to be mistaken for an e-mail from or to, anyone else, this was a private e-mail from Robin to her, and not just a single isolated e-mail, but one of many private e-mails she got from Robin). I just want to make that clear, because she sort of went on and on about it. Anyway, where was I. Oh yes, she said, in this most private of e-mails from Robin, that this was the most fun he had posting on FFL. There, finally got it out. I dooon't think she does realize what this says about her, and Robin. All of this makes me wonder whether the real reason he bailed on Fairfield Life was that Judy was starting to stalk him via email the way she's stalked so many people over the years on talk forums, and it was freaking him out. Maybe he was afraid she'd show up outside his door in Toronto. Can I put this post of Barry's in neon lights? This one has probably taken the proverbial cake. Eminent scholars take note - it doesn't get much better than this! Barry, there really is a God; I know this because if you knew how clearly your little theory indicates what you are inside you'd never show your deluded and ugly face here again. (Oh, and by the way, your theory stinks.) Ahem. Says the woman who essentially stalked the cult leader she was enamored with 30 years ago -- who dumped her publicly and humiliatingly -- to Fairfield Life and attempted to take up where she'd left off with him again. Now she's one of his two only champions and defenders here on FFL, acting...dare I say it...as if she'd become his cult follower again. Go figure. I mean, really...go figure.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Marshy's Marketing
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, wrote: 'Rectification', when applied to any situation, hypothesis, calculation, or theory is an indication that something is wrong, that some piece of information or knowledge is missing from the system under consideration, because the expected result did not appear. In science this usually means going back to the 'drawing board' and starting over since the idea was dis-confirmed. Rectification is the attempt to fudge the result in some way in order to maintain that the original idea is correct, but unless very carefully done with due diligence to the entire edifice, it typically is an act of intellectual dishonestly. Science generally proceeds this way - the idea is wrong, doesn't work right, so another is tried until a good stable theory is worked out. In spiritual matters it usually means cognitive dissonance is a work in an attempt to make the original idea come off clean, when in fact it has not. Psychologically it is difficult to avoid this because we humans do not like to be wrong, even though we tend to be wrong a good part of the time. Well said. I've never understood the near-pathological fear of admitting they were w...w...w...wrong some people seem to have. I mean, isn't saying that you've never been wrong another way of saying, I've never learned anything?
[FairfieldLife] Re: Stevie thinks this was an attempt to fool people, 1 of 2
Ahem. Both Judy and (if her word is to be trusted as to what occurred in their private mails) Robin have said that this exchange of parodies was the most fun they've had at FFL. Isn't it fascinating that their shared concept of most fun is obsessing about Barry? :-) --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, wrote: This was my response to Robin's first post in what we called our irony duel, in which he declared that he was switching his allegiance from me to Barry. Traitor. Turncoat. After working with me for 17 years now to discredit Barry, staying discreetly behind the scenes until just recently, you've decided to switch sides. Or were you on his side all along, acting as a double agent, setting me up for this odious betrayal? That was the plan all along, wasn't it? It all becomes clear to me now. Your masters trained you well in the art of deception; I never suspected. But it hardly matters. The damage you've done with this post is well-nigh irreparable. Almost two decades of exhausting labor to counter everything Barry says, even what he says outside the context of TM, everything his *allies* say, straight down the tubes. I imagine you're pretty proud of yourself right about now. For in the end, I assure you, Barry will be vindicated. Yes, you've bloody well made sure of that, haven't you? Barry is the martyr here. No, *Judy* is the martyr here. But her blood, her sweat, her toil, her unswerving devotion to the cause, will not go unavenged. Enjoy your moment of triumph, for it will not, it cannot last. Would you even just for the sake of how much I have defended you in the past, think about what I have said here? Yes, I most certainly will think about it. And so will others, the Others for whom I've been tirelessly working, whose power is more vast than you dream. You may be certain they've taken note of your perfidy, and there will be, not a reconciliation, as you so fondly imagine, but a showdown and a reckoning. Your masters have overreached themselves and in so doing wrought their own destruction. Count on it...and tremble. OR (your choice): I grovel here before you, the bitter dust of humiliation filling my mouth as I struggle to formulate the words of my repentance. There are none so blind as those who will not see. That was me, right up until the moment I read this post. I am still blinded, but now by the light, the blessed light of Truth. I dare not hope for reconciliation; my sins have been too great for that. I can only pray that those whom I have so grievously misled through my own hubris will understand and accept what you have laid out before them at such personal cost and repudiate the Cult of Judy. For it is dead; Robin has slain it. Robin, I cannot express my boundless gratitude for the selflessness of the holy work you have just accomplished here. In the pain with which it has seared my very soul may others find sweet release. Now let us all together, cleansed of our hatred and joined in our determination to march forth into sanctified renewal, repeat the beautiful prayer the Devoted Brother Vaj has composed for us on this awesome occasion: Hail Barry, full of Grace, Blessed be the fruit of his thumbs. Can I get an -MEN? Hallelujah! https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/FairfieldLife/conversations/topics/3\ 01020 https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/FairfieldLife/conversations/topics/3\ 01020
[FairfieldLife] The tour of Versailles I'd like to take
The palace is actually kinda gaudy. But this is cool. http://content.messynessychic.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/underversa\ illed.jpg Seen here are the underground resevoirs underneath the Palace of Versailles. Once a year on `maintenance day', the water parterre reservoirs are emptied a few weeks before the Fountains show.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Polar Plunge 2014 . Fairfield Parks and Recreation - YouTube
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Rick Archer wrote: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFQpBBuWdY8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFQpBBuWdY8 And to think, people used to bitch about wearing wet dhotis as a technique to keep themselves un-horny and on the program. :-)
[FairfieldLife] Re: The Essence of the Robin Carlsen Cult
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, wrote: ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, awoe wrote: Can I put this post of Barry's in neon lights? This one has probably taken the proverbial cake. Eminent scholars take note - it doesn't get much better than this! Barry, there really is a God; I know this because if you knew how clearly your little theory indicates what you are inside you'd never show your deluded and ugly face here again. (Oh, and by the way, your theory stinks.) Ahem. Says the woman who essentially stalked the cult leader she was enamored with 30 years ago -- who dumped her publicly and humiliatingly -- to Fairfield Life and attempted to take up where she'd left off with him again. Now she's one of his two only champions and defenders here on FFL, acting...dare I say it...as if she'd become his cult follower again. Go figure. I mean, really...go figure. Just to reiterate: There is a God and you should be grateful for that Bawwy. Only Judy, Robin and I know how truly ridiculous, farcical you really are. You'll go to your grave taking yourself as seriously as you do not realizing those watching you go are clutching their sides and howling with laughter. That's quite a tight and elite group you've got there, Ann. The only ones who know the truth are you, Judy, and Robin. It almost sounds as if you're describing a cult. :-)
[FairfieldLife] Re: The Essence of the Anti-Robin Carlsen Jihad
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authcunt wrote: Uh-oh. You've made him really nervous, Ann. No, not at all. I'm just curious. You two are the primary Robin defenders and supporters here. You go out of your way to try to convert people to your way of seeing him, and persecute them if they fail to agree with you and diss him. Now you've clued us in that there aren't just two of you -- there are three. You have private email conversations with Robin, conversations that allow you to know the truth about things that others don't know. Why was it that we shouldn't consider you a cult, again? :-) Just to reiterate: There is a God and you should be grateful for that Bawwy. Only Judy, Robin and I know how truly ridiculous, farcical you really are. You'll go to your grave taking yourself as seriously as you do not realizing those watching you go are clutching their sides and howling with laughter. That's quite a tight and elite group you've got there, Ann. The only ones who know the truth are you, Judy, and Robin. It almost sounds as if you're describing a cult. :-)
[FairfieldLife] Re: The Raam
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, wrote: I am not familiar enough with providers to know if you are able or not able to access that global.net address. But evidently Ann uses it, so perhaps it is more accessible than you think. Don't know. I did a test today, logging in from multiple computers served by multiple Internet services, and the results were consistent. Using one sequence, if I logged in from either Chrome or Firefox to FFL, I got Neo. Using another sequence, I got the old classic interface, including the old Search utilities. I'm not going to tell Judy what the sequence was because I like to see her sputter and fume because she can't stalk people using the Yahoo Search engine. :-)
[FairfieldLife] Re: People are beginning to catch on
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB wrote: What is she going to do when *no one* falls for her tarbaby act any more, and allows themselves to get sucked into an argument with her just because she wants one? I predict panic. Fairfield Life Post Counter === Start Date (UTC): 02/08/14 00:00:00 End Date (UTC): 02/15/14 00:00:00 462 messages as of (UTC) 02/11/14 00:05:37 107 authfriend (plus 4 more after the post count) All because she's still trying to be good little cultist, defending the guy she developed an unhealthy crush on in hopes that he'll come back to FFL and praise her and interact with her again. It's like a bad horror movie...her whole reason for living has degenerated to trying bring about the second coming of Robin. :-)
[FairfieldLife] The Robin Carlsen Cult on Fairfield Life
Yesterday I posted, after an attempt by two Robin Carlsen cultists to bring him up again and clarify what he believed as only they can: And on this forum, only two people believe him. Fascinating that they turn out to be the two gullible women who became his cult followers. One signed on to his delusions here, the other 30 years ago, and then *again* here, which should tell you a little about *her* sanity. As far as I can tell, pretty much everyone else considers him a nut case. Some were entertained by his insanity and his ramblings and considered him a harmless nutcase, and others felt differently. But only two people seem to have taken him seriously. And they continue to defend him to this day like the hard-core cultists they've become. Go figure... One of the cultists replied: Oh, by the way, Barry, there was no cult to be a follower of on FFL. That's just part of your fantasy. Let's examine this, shall we. In the time since my original post suggesting that Ann and Judy are Robin cultists, they have made the following number of posts about him or mentioning him. J: 1 1 1 1 1 -- (25 posts total) A: 1 1 1 -- (15 posts total) In these 40 posts, the two people who claim that there is no Robin cult have spent their Saturday night 1) defending him, 2) claiming to be the experts on What He Said And What He Meant By It (as if what he said was some kind of sacred teaching), 3) trying to lure people into arguing with them so that they could keep talking about their cult leader Robin, and 4) trying to demonize anyone who speaks ill of him (you know...the way cultists *always* tend to do about their cult leaders). I rest my case. They are cultists, and they've proved it. Now let's look at the issue of whether Robin was trying to be a cult leader here on Fairfield Life (even though he failed miserably and succeeded in finding only two cultists to follow him). I think we need look no further than his Last Tantrum. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/message/340466 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/message/340466 In his last post to Fairfield Life, Robin Carlsen basically declared an ultimatum. He pronounced that he was only interested in discussing one topic -- his continuing diatribes against Curtis. Nothing else, he declared, was worthy of his participation. He basically set himself up (again) in the position of Narcissistic Personality Disordered cult leader, and tried to make the rules. If no one played by them, he would leave. And leave he did, when no one was the least bit interested in his -- get this -- OVER 13,000 WORD MANIFESTO. That's how long that last post was, when you include the four posts that he *demanded* that everyone read before they were worthy of interacting with him further. What a fuckin' loon. What a cult nut case. Now try to imagine what nut cases the two women who became -- and remain -- his cult followers must be to continue following him. It pretty much boggles the mind.
[FairfieldLife] The Essence of the Robin Carlsen Cult
I will try to make this my last comment on the nonentity who was Robin Carlsen today, because there seems to be a lingering misconception on this forum about what his teaching and his cult were all about. I have my own opinion on the subject, and will state it -- as what it is: OPINION. I do so because I think that we can pin down the *essence* of who he was, and to do so helps to explain those who chose to raise him up on an unrealistic pedestal and continue to do so. I think that the essence of Robin Carlsen's appeal can be stated in three words: Narcissistic Personality Disorder. In one word: Confrontation. The classic DSM-IV definition of NPD lists several traits, *all* of which Robin displayed both back in the day as a cult leader, and in his short drive-bys here on FFL. But one of them that seems to me to be most key to his (disordered) personality is confrontation. The person with NPD tends to see things from a solipsistic point of view. These individuals are so locked into the supposed importance of self -- *their* self -- that they feel the compulsive need to prove that they're as important as they believe they are. It's their way or the highway. You either do things their way -- according to their rules -- or they cease dealing with you. Nowhere is this to be seen more definitively than in his Last Tantrum, the 13,000+ word megalomaniacal post that he *demanded* everyone read to be worthy of interacting with him further. But it was what he was *after* in that Last Tantrum that is the subject of this rap. He wanted a *confrontation*. He *didn't like it* that Curtis didn't respond to the 12,000-word four posts in which he ranted obsessively about Curtis And Everything That Was Wrong With Him. He *didn't like it* that no one else seemed interested in his continuing diatribes against Curtis. What he wanted -- and stated clearly in the Last Tantrum -- was for someone (anyone) to respond to him and ARGUE WITH HIM. This is classic NPD because in these arguments the narcissist always wins, at least in his or her own mind. The whole confrontation routine is TO PROVE THEIR SUPERIORITY, and how in control of the situation they are. Curtis didn't go for it, and neither did anyone else, so Robin ran off with his tail between his legs, running away *BECAUSE* he rightly perceived that he wasn't ever going to be able to draw anyone into his confrontation routines here again. Now let's look at his two cult followers. Do either of them tend to try (over and over and over and over and over and...) to suck people into Confrontations with them? Do they have a proven history of being able to turn almost everything into an affront of some kind, or a nitpicky point that simply MUST be debated? Duh. You all know who I'm talking about. And you all know their histories, and their samskaric tendencies. Their whole ACT is built around trying to provoke conflict, TO PROVE THEIR SUPERIORITY. *NO WONDER* they were impressed by Robin. *NO WONDER* they became his cult followers. He personified everything they wanted to be. Which is, of course, a Narcissistic Personality Disorder poster child. Both of these individuals have more than a touch of NPD going for them IMO, and so what they saw and appreciated in Robin was his ability to do *their* act, only better. He was *good* at starting arguments, and then *demanding* that people participate in them and get into a face-to-face confrontation with him until (presumably) he declared himself the winner. Robin's act was their act, only magnified. Thus they projected charisma and greatness onto someone who had neither of those qualities, and they continue to do so. It's been OVER TEN MONTHS since Robin Carlsen posted here, and yet rarely a week goes by in which these two Squeaky Fromme wannabees don't find a way to bring up his name here so that they can explain What He Really Believed. That *alone* is cult behavior. But now add to it *how* they try to bring up his name and his teachings here. They do it by trying to provoke Confrontations. What they're looking for is for people to ARGUE WITH THEM, so they can PROVE THEIR SUPERIORITY, and of course in the process prove his. Confrontation. And an inability to interact with people in any other way, or at least in no other way that is satisfying and pleasing to them. In other words, behavior that is otherwise known as one of the primary indicators of Narcissistic Personality Disorder. I think it's silly. Both in Robin Carlsem, and in his two followers. It's nothing but ego, blown up to unrealistic proportions by the bad brain chemicals that cause NPD. I post this as brain food for those who still fall for Robin's Confrontation act, now being performed *in his name* on FFL by his two cult followers. Don't. They're trying to suck you into their world, which is not really sane.
[FairfieldLife] Re: The Robin Carlsen Cult on Fairfield Life
Earlier I said that I'd try to make my second post about Robin Carlsen my last here on FFL today. And I did try, but foreseeing a bunch of retorts from the two cultists asserting that *I* am the one obsessing about him, not them, I'll post for the record (and for those for whom the Yahoo Search engine no longer works well) the total number of posts mentioning Robin made by the three people in question since he left FFL back on April 13, 2013: Barry: 138 Ann: 329 Judy: 544 25 of Judy's posts about Robin and 15 of Ann's were made in the 16 hours since I last posted about him yesterday. I rest my case. I now allow them to react, predicting in advance that they will do so by attempting to force the very Confrontations with other posters that I suggested was their -- and Robin's -- M.O.
[FairfieldLife] TV review: Ray Donovan
I want to write this to thank those on this forum who recommended this series. I've just binge-watched my way through the first season, and I see what you were raving about. It's a drama about a dysfunctional family. But then, so were Macbeth and Hamlet. And no, of course the language of this series is not Shakespearean, and the closest it gets to iambic pentameter is the Irish Southie accent spoken by many of its characters, but the drama is often right up there with Shakespeare's, as is its sense of what constitutes a human tragedy. This is a Big Budget Production. Not so much in terms of sets or CGI, but in terms of what kinds of talent the creators were willing to hire, to play both the primary parts and the shorter guest slots. The former consist of Liev Shrieber (Best Actor Golden Globe nominee for this show) and Jon Voight (former Oscar winner and Best Actor Golden Globe winner for this show). They are ably assisted in the regular cast roles by Paula Malcomson, Steven Bauer, Eddie Marshan, Dash Mihok, Peter Jacobson, and Elliot Gould. Shorter appearances have been made (and never wasted) by James Woods, Rosanna Arquette, Denise Crosby, and many others. And not a penny of this investment in talent is wasted. They are given great lines to speak, great characters to fill with life, and an opportunity to create great TV. To a man or woman, they seem to have taken this opportunity and run with it. The action takes place in the uber-brightness of L.A. But it's often dark, ranging from Catholic priest child abuse to murder. Ray Donovan (Schreiver) is a fixer, catering to very rich and famous Hollywood people to make their problems go away. If you wake up with a dead hooker in the bed with you, Ray is the guy to call. He can handle *anything*. Except his own family, especially when his father (Voight) shows up. It's a damned good series, and I look forward to the next season of it. Rated not for Buck, and maybe not for some of the aging flower children here.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Crazy Raam crap
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, salyavin808 wrote: I like the bit If we think really, really big nature will support. Yep nature is like that, always willing to help us out. It helps if you appeal to the right people in charge of Nature, though. For example, this kid's think big ideas sure happened, didn't they? :-) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXudpW1l5Mw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXudpW1l5Mw ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, mjackson74@ wrote: You just gotta read it to believe that anyone could be foolish enough to believe that anyone would ever buy this kind of thinking. I only got through 11 pages. http://www.hiddencures.com/Videos/Raam%20Lecture%202-12-09.pdf http://www.hiddencures.com/Videos/Raam%20Lecture%202-12-09.pdf
[FairfieldLife] Re: Crazy Raam crap
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, salyavin808 wrote: You laugh, but I say that every winter and six months later it comes true! Jeesuz obviously has his own time schedule in mind for how and when the support of nature should manifest itself. It probably would have sped things up if you'd paid for a Maharishi-brand yagya. :-) Meanwhile here in the Netherlands we're having the mildest winter in decades. It has only dipped below zero (zero Celsius...32 degrees Fahrenheit) a couple of times so far, and there has been only one light sprinkling of snow, just enough to make the streets look like a sacher torte dusted with powdered sugar for a couple of hours before it burned off. I guess this is because I and the other low-lives who live in this land of legal cannabis and prostitution are enjoying the support of nature, right? While those who consider themselves so much more evolved (and thus worthy) are up to their willies and their wonkas in snow and bitching about trudging through it to the magical Woo Woo Domes Of Enlightenment. Go figure. :-) ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, salyavin808 wrote: I like the bit If we think really, really big nature will support. Yep nature is like that, always willing to help us out. It helps if you appeal to the right people in charge of Nature, though. For example, this kid's think big ideas sure happened, didn't they? :-) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXudpW1l5Mw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXudpW1l5Mw ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, mjackson74@ wrote: You just gotta read it to believe that anyone could be foolish enough to believe that anyone would ever buy this kind of thinking. I only got through 11 pages. http://www.hiddencures.com/Videos/Raam%20Lecture%202-12-09.pdf http://www.hiddencures.com/Videos/Raam%20Lecture%202-12-09.pdf
[FairfieldLife] Re: The Raam
Oh, and of course you were never around Robin during his enlightened days anyway. No one was. There *were* no enlightened days. There was only Narcissistic Personality Disorder acting itself out. Or do you believe that he *was* enlightened? Please state your position for the record. A simple Yes or No will suffice. Anything else will be perceived as the evasion it is. What's NPS, and how were you in a position to think Robin had it, whatever it is? As for Robin, yes I found him extraordinary in many ways. Whether he had classic NPS, I couldn't say, but it sure seemed that way to me much of the time. But then again, it doesn't register with me much if a person is said to be enlightened or not.
[FairfieldLife] Re: For Bhairitu
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, wrote: ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu wrote: On 02/07/2014 10:01 AM, TurquoiseB wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu wrote: On 02/06/2014 05:30 PM, ultrarishi wrote: Ray Donovan is intense and gritty. Just our cup of tea. Didn't overly pander like some cable shows with excessive tits and ass and violence because, after all, it's cable and it's why people go there. Just good story telling, excellent stars and writing. Great show and I'll miss the next season. Didn't watch Homeland either due to cutting the cable. Interesting take on the kind of person who actually exists in Hollywood to clean up things after a big star blows it. */I'm off work today, so I downloaded Ray Donovan and have now watched the first three episodes. I'm hooked, and will watch the rest. Liev Schreiber is excellent, Paula Malcomson is always excellent, and there are quite a few familiar faces popping up among the rest of the cast, such as Steven Bauer and Elliot Gould. Still, it's Jon Voight who kinda steals the show, as the most despicable human being you're ever likely to see onscreen. I can only imagine that he'll get worse. Good to chat with people about TV and movies they've actually seen. Much better than dealing with people who know nothing whatsoever about them, but repost month-old articles we've all already read before to make it seem as if they do. :-)/* That said I would expect you to be on top of this one. ;-) http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57618549-93/kickstarter-funded-film-reu\ nites-joss-whedons-dollhouse-cast/ http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57618549-93/kickstarter-funded-film-re\ unites-joss-whedons-dollhouse-cast/ You would be correct, actually. :-) I have a 1080p full HD version of it ready to watch tonight after dinner. I first heard about it on whedonesque.com. http://www.buzzfeed.com/jarettwieselman/dollhouse-alums-talk-life-in-the\ -whedonverse-or-whedonverse http://www.buzzfeed.com/jarettwieselman/dollhouse-alums-talk-life-in-th\ e-whedonverse-or-whedonverse Haven't seen it, though, so unlike the person on this forum who likes to comment about films she's never seen, I can't give you a review yet. :-) That's right Bawwy, sit your ass down and watch some more TV. Wow, your life sounds like a frigging nightmare. Is there really nothing for you to actually DO? Have you really accomplished everything you wanted to in your life that you can afford to sit like a lump in front of a small screen for hours on end? Is there nothing you can imagine that might give you any sort of pleasure other than sitting in coffee houses or staring at moving pictures? Phew, you aren't quite dead yet so there is still time to milk some of what this life has to offer that doesn't include sitting down all day focussing on a world that doesn't include breathing, warm human beings. I got *paid*, by seven different clients so far, for my review of Lust For Love. The mini-reviews I wrote here and for the IMDB were freebies. I've also gotten paid for reviews of several of the TV shows and movies I've mentioned here recently. How much did you get paid to snark once again on someone you don't like, just because you can't get over being called a cunt? You do know that you're demonstrating being one every time you post one of these ad hoc gotta get Bawwy posts, don't you?
[FairfieldLife] People are beginning to catch on
Judy, go start you silliness with someone else, please. Lame, baby, lame. What is she going to do when *no one* falls for her tarbaby act any more, and allows themselves to get sucked into an argument with her just because she wants one? I predict panic.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Crazy Raam crap
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, salyavin808 wrote: Obviously still a bit of stress in the collective FF consciousness. Something good must be happening... The UK is having the wettest winter for over 100 years with large parts of the west country under water and sea defences crumbling. According to one UK independence party councillor it's punishment from God for legalising gay marriage! Nice to know that correlation equals causation, that ought to make witch hunts a lot easier... Same as it ever was... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3jt5ibfRzwfeature=channel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3jt5ibfRzwfeature=channel ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, salyavin808 wrote: You laugh, but I say that every winter and six months later it comes true! Jeesuz obviously has his own time schedule in mind for how and when the support of nature should manifest itself. It probably would have sped things up if you'd paid for a Maharishi-brand yagya. :-) Meanwhile here in the Netherlands we're having the mildest winter in decades. It has only dipped below zero (zero Celsius...32 degrees Fahrenheit) a couple of times so far, and there has been only one light sprinkling of snow, just enough to make the streets look like a sacher torte dusted with powdered sugar for a couple of hours before it burned off. I guess this is because I and the other low-lives who live in this land of legal cannabis and prostitution are enjoying the support of nature, right? While those who consider themselves so much more evolved (and thus worthy) are up to their willies and their wonkas in snow and bitching about trudging through it to the magical Woo Woo Domes Of Enlightenment. Go figure. :-) ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, salyavin808 wrote: I like the bit If we think really, really big nature will support. Yep nature is like that, always willing to help us out. It helps if you appeal to the right people in charge of Nature, though. For example, this kid's think big ideas sure happened, didn't they? :-) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXudpW1l5Mw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXudpW1l5Mw ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, mjackson74@ wrote: You just gotta read it to believe that anyone could be foolish enough to believe that anyone would ever buy this kind of thinking. I only got through 11 pages. http://www.hiddencures.com/Videos/Raam%20Lecture%202-12-09.pdf http://www.hiddencures.com/Videos/Raam%20Lecture%202-12-09.pdf
[FairfieldLife] Re: The Raam
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, awoecultist wrote: ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, sharelong60@ wrote: Judy, Robin himself called his alleged enlightenment a delusion. So I think it's inaccurate to use the phrase enlightened days. Here is the important point Share: Robin believes true enlightenment to be a delusion, an illusion. It is not that he is saying he wasn't enlightened in the sense that MMY or others who understand the kind of enlightenment the East embraces, it is that that state is a delusional state. Here is the crux: it is not that he believes himself to have been delusional to think he was enlightened, he would still maintain that he was enlightened, it is just that enlightenment is not something he feels is a positive state to be in. And on this forum, only two people believe him. Fascinating that they turn out to be the two gullible women who became his cult followers. One signed on to his delusions here, the other 30 years ago, and then *again* here, which should tell you a little about *her* sanity. As far as I can tell, pretty much everyone else considers him a nut case. Some were entertained by his insanity and his ramblings and considered him a harmless nutcase, and others felt differently. But only two people seem to have taken him seriously. And they continue to defend him to this day like the hard-core cultists they've become. Go figure...
[FairfieldLife] Re: For Bhairitu
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, ultrarishi wrote: Suggestions come from all fronts. Indeed they do. That's why I cannot fathom anyone being interested in a supposed algorithm to categorize movies and TV to better sell them to customers. Just thinking back over the things I've enjoyed this last year, there simply *isn't* any genre or even half a dozen of them they could be categorized into. I get my tips from folks here, from the occasional professional reviewer whose taste I trust (there are only 2-3 of them at this point), and from the recommendations of Internet friends and Pirate suppliers whose taste I've come to trust because they've never let me down. If they recommend it, it's interesting...even if it turns out to be not entirely my cuppa tea. But on the whole I can't *conceive* of being so dependent on Other People's Taste to shape my own that I'd have to rely on genre descriptions or reviews. That just doesn't compute. I see a title in my list of available downloads, and either get an intuitive hit on it or I don't. If I do, I immediately check it out on the IMDB, and if the cast, director, writer, or short description appeal to me, I download it. That said, thanks for the reminder about Top Of The Lake. I avoided it at first because of Jane Campion. She fell off my Directors To Be Trusted list with Holy Smoke and In The Cut and I've been avoiding her ever since. But maybe I'll give this one a try. I avoided Dancing On The Edge because yet another series about the British upper crust just didn't appeal to me after Downton Abbey. But, as you remind me, it's Chiwetel Ejiofor, so maybe I should transcend my aversions and give it a try. Thanks. As mentioned a few times, I'm a fan of Canada's Lost Girl, but for reasons that may not appeal to others here. First and foremost, of course, is the Babe Factor, which Anna Silk, Ksenia Solo, and Zoie Palmer supply in spades every week. Second is the fairly remarkable approach the writing takes to sex and sexuality, which I find refreshing and rare -- there are straight relationships, gay ones, and even odder ones, and *none* of them are treated as anything but normal. The third factor is what does it for me (but probably won't for most people), and that's the writing. Lost Girl is FUNNY, in a way that allows comparison only to Buffy The Vampire Slayer. That, for me, is a high compliment. There are more great one-liners per show than pretty much anything else on the air (but they go fast quickly, without drawing attention to themselves, so many people may miss them). I'm all caught up on The Blacklist now, and will probably keep watching. The draw is, of course, James Spader. What a surprise. My first reaction when I heard his name was the same as everyone else's I mention this series to: Is he still alive? But he not only is, he's turned into a damned good character actor. The boyish good looks have been replaced by a paunch, somewhat bloated features, and a balding head, and not only does he not hide these things, he turns them into *assets* when forming his character. Plus, the writers are good enough to keep us guessing, and to foil all of our assumptions from time to time. But I think you nailed the Big Thing about a TV series for me in your posts. As I've mentioned before, I'm more drawn to character-driven series than plot-driven series. But it's the issue of overriding arc that makes for good characters. Whether it's one long plot (like True Detective) or episodic (like The Blacklist), the hook for me is whether the characters are allowed to have their own long stories that develop over time. If they don't, I'm pretty much outa there. I'm also outa there even if they have long stories if those stories become boring, and I lose interest in the characters and find myself not really caring what happens to them. That has happened for me with Mad Men and Boardwalk Empire. I go back and try to catch up, and can't even finish an episode, because I can't bring myself to care about these people any more. Go figure. Anyway, thanks for the raps about TV and movies, and enjoy your viewings... This is the first year we watched the Golden Globes. We're glad we did because it gave us a heads up on 2 series we would have not known about otherwise. The NZ crime drama Top of the Lake was excellent with an award winning performance by Elizabeth Moss. That's available on Netflix streaming already. The British series Dancing on the Edge we just started and it appears to be very good as well. It is starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, who is having one helluva year. Orphan Black was tremendous because of the many, many characters the incredibly talented Tatiana Maslany is able to play seamlessly. The writing is great as well. Ray Donovan is intense and gritty. Just our cup of tea. Didn't overly pander like some cable shows with excessive tits and ass and violence because, after all, it's cable and it's why people go there. Just good story telling,
[FairfieldLife] Re: For Bhairitu
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu wrote: On 02/06/2014 05:30 PM, ultrarishi wrote: Ray Donovan is intense and gritty. Just our cup of tea. Didn't overly pander like some cable shows with excessive tits and ass and violence because, after all, it's cable and it's why people go there. Just good story telling, excellent stars and writing. Great show and I'll miss the next season. Didn't watch Homeland either due to cutting the cable. Interesting take on the kind of person who actually exists in Hollywood to clean up things after a big star blows it. I'm off work today, so I downloaded Ray Donovan and have now watched the first three episodes. I'm hooked, and will watch the rest. Liev Schreiber is excellent, Paula Malcomson is always excellent, and there are quite a few familiar faces popping up among the rest of the cast, such as Steven Bauer and Elliot Gould. Still, it's Jon Voight who kinda steals the show, as the most despicable human being you're ever likely to see onscreen. I can only imagine that he'll get worse. Good to chat with people about TV and movies they've actually seen. Much better than dealing with people who know nothing whatsoever about them, but repost month-old articles we've all already read before to make it seem as if they do. :-)
[FairfieldLife] Re: For Bhairitu
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu wrote: On 02/07/2014 10:01 AM, TurquoiseB wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu wrote: On 02/06/2014 05:30 PM, ultrarishi wrote: Ray Donovan is intense and gritty. Just our cup of tea. Didn't overly pander like some cable shows with excessive tits and ass and violence because, after all, it's cable and it's why people go there. Just good story telling, excellent stars and writing. Great show and I'll miss the next season. Didn't watch Homeland either due to cutting the cable. Interesting take on the kind of person who actually exists in Hollywood to clean up things after a big star blows it. */I'm off work today, so I downloaded Ray Donovan and have now watched the first three episodes. I'm hooked, and will watch the rest. Liev Schreiber is excellent, Paula Malcomson is always excellent, and there are quite a few familiar faces popping up among the rest of the cast, such as Steven Bauer and Elliot Gould. Still, it's Jon Voight who kinda steals the show, as the most despicable human being you're ever likely to see onscreen. I can only imagine that he'll get worse. Good to chat with people about TV and movies they've actually seen. Much better than dealing with people who know nothing whatsoever about them, but repost month-old articles we've all already read before to make it seem as if they do. :-)/* That said I would expect you to be on top of this one. ;-) http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57618549-93/kickstarter-funded-film-reu\ nites-joss-whedons-dollhouse-cast/ http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57618549-93/kickstarter-funded-film-re\ unites-joss-whedons-dollhouse-cast/ You would be correct, actually. :-) I have a 1080p full HD version of it ready to watch tonight after dinner. I first heard about it on whedonesque.com. http://www.buzzfeed.com/jarettwieselman/dollhouse-alums-talk-life-in-the\ -whedonverse-or-whedonverse http://www.buzzfeed.com/jarettwieselman/dollhouse-alums-talk-life-in-th\ e-whedonverse-or-whedonverse Haven't seen it, though, so unlike the person on this forum who likes to comment about films she's never seen, I can't give you a review yet. :-)
