Can this be True? Can Scientology delete Auctions from eBay's Database?

A post in "Reality Based Community" claims that the church of Scientology abuses eBay's VeRO program and deletes auctions it doesn't approve of.

According to the post, "The mechanism that permits the Church of Scientology (and others) such broad access and discretion is called the Verified Rights Owner ("VeRO") Program. Membership in VeRO is obtained simply by submitting a form to eBay explaining that you are an Intellectual Property rights holder".

If this is true, this is really outrageous. According to Slashdot, this isn't new. Scientology abuse of eBay has began as early as the year 2000: "eBay has been yanking auctions of e-meters because of complaints by the CoS".

According to Wikipedia, an E-meter is a device that uses a Wheatstone bridge to measure electrical resistance, manufactured by the Church of Scientology at their Golden Era Productions facility.

If these claims are true, this is truly outrageous. Lately, there have also been claims that Scientology receives illegal tax breaks and that Philips and Dell have troubling links with the cult.

Add to this the story about Shawn Londsdale, an outspoken Scientology critic, that was found dead in his house, in what seems to be a suicide, and you get a pretty creepy picture.

In the mean time, Anonymous promises the protests will continue. The latest message speaks of the "Ides of March":

Stay tuned for further developments.

Brent Spiner: The Days before Data

I am huge fan of Brent Spiner. I think he is one of the best actors out there, and I always get proof for that. His role as Data in Star Trek: TNG was brilliant, but he did many other things in the movies, the theater and as a singer, that prove - time and time again - that he has the gift of true talent.

This is why I was delighted to discover this funny little clip in YouTube, that shows Brent Spiner in Night Court, doing what he does best - making people laugh:

To the best of my knowledge, Brent is working on his second music album at the moment, which is supposed to come out real soon. His first CD, "Ol' Yellow Eyes is Back" is a wonderful creation, which caught me completely by surprise - who knew Brent could sing so well? It wasn't easy getting that CD, as it was out of print and only available at eBay and Amazon for outrageous prices, but it was worth every dollar. I hope that getting the new CD won't prove as difficult.

A Week without a Credit Card

I keep telling mu friends, that I'm very lucky that my head is attached to my neck. Otherwise, someone would have already sold it on eBay. Or Something.

And so, to uphold my glorious reputation as an idiot, I managed to forget my credit card in a restaurant, and subsequently lose it forever.

I realized that I'd lost it when I got to the Supermarket. I wanted to take out my card and put it in my pocket before I go inside the store - but it wasn't there. I got it canceled quickly enough - and tried to get on with my life. They told me it would be about 4 business day till I get a new card. What with the holidays and everything - I figured a week until I get a new credit card.

What do you do without a credit card? It's a very weird feeling of being limited. I do a lot of my shopping on the net, but without a credit card, you can't buy a thing online. I actually had to apologize to an eBay seller - I won an item he sold, but he had to wait a few day until I could pay him with my PayPal account. I couldn't pay him until I get a new card.

I had to rely on some cash that I had around the house (always a good idea) and ask my father if he can spot me some cash for the time being. When I thought about buying something in a store, I didn't just have to think if I can afford it, but I also had to worry about the amount of bills in my purse. Can I pay for this right now? And how much money will I have left for the rest of the week? I need to survive here, after all!

It got more difficult when my friend and I wanted to order pizza to my place. We had to use HER credit card, because I didn't have enough cash.

I couldn't order movie tickets on the net like I always do - I had to use my father's credit card, like a stupid teenager. My independence, at 30 years old, was suddenly very shaky.

And Checks. Yeah, those obsolete pieces of paper. I shook the dust of one of my check-books and stared at it in disbelief. WHO would accept something as flimsy looking as a check? A piece of paper with my name on it, and a sum of money. How can people actually USE these things? I payed with checks in two stores (in which I know the owners), and one of them joked and told me "I ain't taking your checks! They are sure to BOUNCE!". He would never have said that about a credit card (and MY bloody check DON'T bounce, thank you very much).

Oh, and payments? Forget about that. Pay up. Straight up. The whole thing, right now. No more delays. Everything you buy, comes of your account at that same instant.

So, all in all it was a very weird week. I felt half disabled most of the time. I am glad it's over. It's amazing to realize how much I depend on this little piece of plastic. I didn't starve or anything, but managing my financial affairs was a lot more difficult without the credit card.

Finally, I got my new card, payed the guy on eBay and got some cash out of the ATM. All is well - until the next time I misplace an important financial tool.

By the way - the restaurant never called me about the lost credit card. Maybe it fell in the garbage can, or maybe someone thought they can have a party with it. Either way, it's now a useless piece of plastic. Even a personal check has more worth.