Scientology is just a little more direct than the catholic church, but the motives are the same.
Indulgences and penances (which I assume you're referring to) is asking forgiveness for screwing up. You're not paying the church for permission to read the next book in the Bible.
I think that is the best part of their belief system, it restricts the followers to a select group of quantifiable gullible.
I'm fairly certain that as long as you have money, you're qualified. While those who make more cash than I can hope to in a life time aren't affected by throwing several thousand to get the latest and greatest from the CoS, those whom are less well off are hit pretty hard with the fee to learn more. This is where I have issue. They're not restricting their set of gullible to the rich, they're set is anyone with money, rich or not. I'm not saying it would be okay if it were just the rich falling victim (wary of using that phrase) to this. There are people who believe in Scientology enough they're willing to sell essentials, like their car to get to work, just to be viewed as holier than thou who didn't want to sell their car.
Now, I'm told there are a few people who will give away or resell (wasn't there a story here a while back about the CoS restricting EBay sales of their beloved E-meter?) their old tools to those interested. Oddly, the CoS frowns muchly upon this practice because they don't make a dime off it.
I am certain this has been stated many times, but here I go anyways, cause I'm new and want karma...
For me it is not necessarily what they believe. You could believe that the waffle I toasted this morning is the 'Supreme Being' and bathe in maple syrup (thanks Canada!) as part of your religious rituals and I could care less...
What gets my goat is that you must pay to pray, so to speak. If I wanted to learn about the beliefs of Christianity, Islam, Wicca, or even Voodoo, there are books out there and for the most part, a 'holy person' you can throw questions at. They won't ask for cash if you want to advance your knowledge of their belief system. Scientology requires that for you to become a more true believer, you pay, and through the friggen nose (I think the CoS has more to do with this than their individual adherents).
I could be wrong, who knows.
Anyone else smell the desperation? I'm not sure if this comforts me or makes me even more wary. Something about animals backed into corners, and all that...
It's certainly magical... like LSD-induced magical. What is this administration smoking? Can I have some? But more importantly, did this administration INHALE?
Complete with animations of your choice! Make mine the Enteprise D firing a photon torpedo! Ensign, take us into the Verticle Smile Nebula, full impulse!
Okay, I'm good. Had to get that out of my system.
Well at least I will have a use for all the fine items made in China that have large amounts of lead in them. Don't forget those aqua beads with the 'free' gamma hydroxybutyrate! I think they're defective tho, I've been eating these beads like crazy and still no action for me.
Nice. Instead of raining water, it will rain lead. Good thinking china.
First it rains.
Then it rains bullets.
Then it rains rockets.
Then it rains assorted aircraft parts.
Finally, much to the sha-grin of the Weather Girls, it's raining men!
My iPod came with those as well. Too bad there was not enough space left on my laptop after the Mozilla folk were nice enough to give me a sheet of Mozilla stickers for purchasing a few t-shirts and a laptop tote...
Great. Now we've got something else we need to accidently ship to Taiwan...:) Maybe we can accidently ship just the back halves of these and the Taiwanese can put them together with the nose cones and come up with something REALLY cool?
I don't feel as if you addressed my original question as to the status of China's tech in relation to these fuses. I'm asking because I honestly don't know.
If this tech is already beneath their research (or something they've purchased or already stolen) it is of little use to them.
But the parts in question are from designs in the 1960s, how far behind/ahead of that mark is China with regards to being able to create a nuclear fuse of similar function?
Agreed. Headline makes it sound like we shipped something radioactive. Reading a few lines into the article will show that nothing glowy was shipped, only the fuses.
Wouldn't this be like saying "Grade schooler found with explosives equipment in backpack" when all they really had was a few fuse wicks in there? Don't get me wrong, we still screwed up, but at least be truthful of how we screwed up.
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I lost 50 pounds due to the wobble!
Thanks space elevator!
Scientology is just a little more direct than the catholic church, but the motives are the same.
Indulgences and penances (which I assume you're referring to) is asking forgiveness for screwing up. You're not paying the church for permission to read the next book in the Bible.
I think that is the best part of their belief system, it restricts the followers to a select group of quantifiable gullible.
I'm fairly certain that as long as you have money, you're qualified. While those who make more cash than I can hope to in a life time aren't affected by throwing several thousand to get the latest and greatest from the CoS, those whom are less well off are hit pretty hard with the fee to learn more. This is where I have issue. They're not restricting their set of gullible to the rich, they're set is anyone with money, rich or not. I'm not saying it would be okay if it were just the rich falling victim (wary of using that phrase) to this. There are people who believe in Scientology enough they're willing to sell essentials, like their car to get to work, just to be viewed as holier than thou who didn't want to sell their car.
Now, I'm told there are a few people who will give away or resell (wasn't there a story here a while back about the CoS restricting EBay sales of their beloved E-meter?) their old tools to those interested. Oddly, the CoS frowns muchly upon this practice because they don't make a dime off it.
I am certain this has been stated many times, but here I go anyways, cause I'm new and want karma... For me it is not necessarily what they believe. You could believe that the waffle I toasted this morning is the 'Supreme Being' and bathe in maple syrup (thanks Canada!) as part of your religious rituals and I could care less... What gets my goat is that you must pay to pray, so to speak. If I wanted to learn about the beliefs of Christianity, Islam, Wicca, or even Voodoo, there are books out there and for the most part, a 'holy person' you can throw questions at. They won't ask for cash if you want to advance your knowledge of their belief system. Scientology requires that for you to become a more true believer, you pay, and through the friggen nose (I think the CoS has more to do with this than their individual adherents). I could be wrong, who knows.
So...Security is like ogres and onions?
Complete with animations of your choice! Make mine the Enteprise D firing a photon torpedo! Ensign, take us into the Verticle Smile Nebula, full impulse! Okay, I'm good. Had to get that out of my system.
Nice. Instead of raining water, it will rain lead. Good thinking china.
First it rains.
Then it rains bullets.
Then it rains rockets.
Then it rains assorted aircraft parts.
Finally, much to the sha-grin of the Weather Girls, it's raining men!
...is four nosecones from 1960s nuclear weapon technology! HA! I knew it! *hide*
My iPod came with those as well. Too bad there was not enough space left on my laptop after the Mozilla folk were nice enough to give me a sheet of Mozilla stickers for purchasing a few t-shirts and a laptop tote...
So when my friends crack one off in my car, they're really trying to prolong my life? How thoughtful of them!
...proving we are the rednecks of space! I wonder if the moonbase is going to look like a mobile home...
I don't feel as if you addressed my original question as to the status of China's tech in relation to these fuses. I'm asking because I honestly don't know. If this tech is already beneath their research (or something they've purchased or already stolen) it is of little use to them.
This is Taiwan, not the PRC. They make the computers around which your nerdly life revolves.
Would it be okay if I sent them a fruit basket as well then? You know, a lil icing on the cake...But the parts in question are from designs in the 1960s, how far behind/ahead of that mark is China with regards to being able to create a nuclear fuse of similar function?
Agreed. Headline makes it sound like we shipped something radioactive. Reading a few lines into the article will show that nothing glowy was shipped, only the fuses. Wouldn't this be like saying "Grade schooler found with explosives equipment in backpack" when all they really had was a few fuse wicks in there? Don't get me wrong, we still screwed up, but at least be truthful of how we screwed up.
WEEE would like to play!