On Friday, a colleague of mine sent me a note saying: "check this, they're having an anti Scientology demonstration on Saturday, isn't that a good photo opportunity for PDP?" I was a bit doubtful, but today the weather was nice, it was in my old neighborhood (Les Batignolles), so I decided to give it a shot. And I did! Let's face it, I don't think the Church of Scientology may be threatened in any way by these people, but it still makes a cool photo!
Are the guys in the masks supposed to be replicas of Tom Cruise? I don't know what the big deal is. I can think of a lot of other religions that are just as likely to be considered cults as this is. But, I won't discuss religion here (yeah right!).
ReplyDeleteI'll be taking my GF award now and going to bed.
ReplyDeleteI suppose this is truly a "beware the ides of March" photo op. Great shot. I think Tom Cruise has sported a goatee at one time.
ReplyDeleteWow, your demonstrations look more interesting than ours,lol.
ReplyDeleteI was just checking in for the first time today and what is for now, yesterday's comments. Voila, Eric posted early today! Nice to have you join the GFclub , Michael!
ReplyDeleteI don't understand what the masks have to do with anti- Scientology.
I can't keep my opinion to myself, and for what I do know of them(an old friend joined), it's wierd. That is all I will say about them. And I would love to say more.
Bye for now,
CDG and LHR, here I come.
he he the chap (girl) behind, that face is such a smirky expression! Great shot Eric! Is Tom Cruise in town? They'd better watch out.
ReplyDeleteHey well done GF Michael! Yay.
ReplyDeleteProbably the masks are necessary as the one on the far side is Tom and the girl behind is of course Katie Holmes. They didn't have time for autographs today.
ReplyDeleteYes put your GF award down now Michael and come to bed.
The masks are references to Alan Moore's "V for Vendetta" comic, which is about an anonymous vigilante who fights against a totalitarian regime in a "future" England.
ReplyDeleteTheir purpose is to protect the identities of those involved in the protest.
What is Xenu.net? I'm clueless.
ReplyDeleteI think these masks are as scaring as Tom Cruise's testimonials about this religion. But then again, nothing is too weird in this world anymore.
Phx yay!!! Since you're going to Paris soon, don't forget to give me the usual updates!
Michael congratulations on GF!! It's a really tough competition..
ReplyDeleteI'm happy to see you're back home. Now, couldn't you have taken the rain with you back to Paris? It's been pouring here in Rio since yesterday!
He must have sent it over to me Monica... groan.
ReplyDeleteIt's raining there too Lynn??!
ReplyDeletePouring I'm afraid yes. It's quite here tonight isn't it. Just you and me.
ReplyDeletelol quiet not quite. oops.
ReplyDeleteLynn it's saturday night, so my guess is everybody is out having fun. So why are we here again?
ReplyDeleteThe photo's just delightful.
ReplyDeleteMonica, xenu.net is "Operation Clambake: Undressing the Church of Scientology Since 1996." Worth a look, whether you're pro or con.
Petrea, "Operation Clambake"? Sounds so CIA like...
ReplyDeleteI'll take a look then.
Hi Monica,
ReplyDeleteYes, and/but I take it all with a grain of salt. It's hard to substantiate all stories you read on the web--some are truer than others. Anyway, that's what the site is and it's pretty interesting.
lol Monica well Petrea's here now too, three girls at a Paris party. I'm quite tired though, might have to be a party pooper and go to bed. Night girls!
ReplyDeleteIt's 6PM here. What time is it for the two of you now? Lynn, I should think 2 or 3 AM. Monica, I'm not sure what your time zone is...
ReplyDeletePetra it's 10pm here. I'm leaving now, it's raining cats and dogs here, but it's saturday so... I'm out!
ReplyDeleteRaining in Pasadena, too. Everywhere, apparently.
ReplyDeletePetrea: I looked up xenu.net, too, and found it quite a hoot! Most religions/cults are peppered with beliefs and practices that make you wonder whether we humans are - as we often claim to be - the "rational animal", but Scientology is positively chock full of them!!
ReplyDeleteIt is disturbing, though, that protesters feel the need to conceal their identity, as this has a tendency to make them seem like the villains of debate and not its heroes; which, for many, they undoubtedly are. On the other hand, it does suggest their fear of retribution, which may or may or may not be justified.
It's all a bit sinister, really.
Religions "peppered with beliefs and practices that make you wonder whether we humans are...the "rational animal""
ReplyDeleteLucio, one could say that about just about all of them, I suppose. That's why Michael and I don't discuss religion here. (Yeah right, Michael!)
Petrea: I think the sign of a good discussion about religion is when it shifts gear from the singular to the plural (religions rather than Religion), but PDP is probably not the proper forum for a discussion of this charged and complex topic.
ReplyDeleteEric's photo, however, is by no means innocent with respect to the issue of freedom of speech; which, it has to be said, should also be respected by faiths (such as Scientology) which unabashedly claim their right to religious tolerance in the face of having, to say the least, dubious foundations.
That said, each to his own...
They wear masks because Scientology has a history of harassing its critics thus they must conceal their identities. The reason that Scientology is the current target of this group, Anonymous, is because of Scientology's attempt to censor the internet. And, yes, Scientology is scared of them. Link
ReplyDeleteIs it just me, or does the man with the turtleneck look like Matthew McConnaughey?
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the GF, Michael.
Thanks for the weather tip, Lynn. I guess I always have to bring my brolly for both destinations.Bye Bye.
ReplyDeletenice photo. lovely masks ;)
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThey bought a gorgeous older building in North Beach, San Francisco. A nice piece of real estate, too, worth quite a bit of money. These guys are not hurting for money.
ReplyDeleteGUY FAWKES MASKS! That's so cool! Did any of you all see V for Vendetta? Nice way for people to make a stand.
ReplyDeleteThis is interesting to hear the various reasons for the masks. I had no idea.
ReplyDeletePhx-cdg, if my watch is correct, you are landing around now. Welcome back to Paris!
I don't see any signs of anger. All are smiling. It is almost funny.
ReplyDeleteScientologie, deux mots "science" et "logos" que l'on chercherait en vain dans cette organisation.
ReplyDeleteReligion! What a touchy subject uhm? It is almost as bad as football or politics.
ReplyDeleteLynn, on a lighter note, I went to Oxford on Friday and had not realised that it is so near Cheltenham or I would have taken you out for dinner.
How sweet of you Rose. We should meet there perhaps next time you are going. It's about an hour from where i am. Petrea and Monica, talking of the heavy rain, i awoke to a deep, wavy lake instead of fields at the back of my house yet again. There's a deep drop so far i am dry but it shows what a downpour it was! Petrea i went to bed at about 1 am so that was the time when you asked, but by then, i was halfway up the stairs in my nightdress, yawning, carrying my book and candle.
ReplyDeleteJ’ose écrire un petit message en français car, comme la plupart des anglais, j’écris très mal. En tout cas, j’ai voulu dire un petit cou cou car tes photos sont sublimes.
ReplyDeleteAt the first sight I thought it was les Guignols de l'info!(no link between les guignols and the scientologists, of course).
ReplyDeleteI don't really know scientology, we're less concerned than American people are...I'm maybe wrong but it's not a subject which affects French people in particular.
Rose, to me, politics is a worse discussion subject. ;)
"i was halfway up the stairs in my nightdress, yawning, carrying my book and candle."
Countess Lynn the First, don't you have electricity in your Cheltenham Castel?
I notice that Michael is really more mature and modest with the GF price than we are girls! He just took his price and went to bed, far from the "I'll wear a gorgeous robe and wonderful sparkling jewels, everybody will applause and scream my name" of Lynn! ;)
Guille! I'm not sure i went so far as to say people would scream my name, did i? LOL !! You made me laugh out loud again. The gorgeous robe and wonderful sparkling jewels can stay with a big welcome though...:)
ReplyDeleteHe is modest about his prize online only. In private, you can bet he's jumping around his apartment whilst throwing Monica's chocolates into his mouth, punching the air with his fist, shouting "Yesss!"
No, we all live in castles in England, Guille, none of us has electricity, preferring candles for the sheer romance of it and our men fight duels over we ladies on the lawn at dawn whilst we watch from our towers, clapping delightedly and looking marvellous. Pretentious lot that we are. ;)
oh and that's such a lovely new photo of you Guille! Very pretty. Isn't it more interesting when we update out profiles now and then (Ahem, Eric).
ReplyDeleteshhh....YYYYEEEEESSSSS!!!!!!!
ReplyDelete... told you... :) LOL
ReplyDeleteItlooks more like Carnival than a protest demonstration, but why not have some fun while protesting? Anger and violence are not required to make a point.
ReplyDeleteMichael, you're priceless.
ReplyDeleteBut I'm really disappointed by your behavior. I though you were more decent and had more self-esteem than that!
From now, I'll believe Lynn.
he he self-esteem or self-control? Throwing those chocs into his mouth, if only Eric had been around with his camera. By the way Michael, have you seen my shop NOW? Its shelves are stocked high now! Pop into Zazzle and see, i think you'll be even MORE proud of me now, if that's possible. he he (though i could still do with some help)...
ReplyDeleteI said now three times there. Guille take note, my example is how NOT to write in English. lol ... blush. It was the exciting thought of Michael walking into my shop that did it.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've ever been to Paris when there wasn't a marche of some sort..
ReplyDeleteMAggie
I'm sorry to disappoint you Guille. I was actually screaming because I was in Facebook buying up all of Rose's friends to keep her busy. I can't afford her now, so I'm trying to break her bank.
ReplyDeleteNo Lynn, I haven't seen your Zazzle store. Could you give me the address again?
Hello and welcome Maggie!
ReplyDeleteWell if people are changing their profile photos, then why not me too?!
ReplyDeleteHere it is Michael -
ReplyDeleteLynn’s shop!
lol no it isn't. Typical huh. Try this one.
ReplyDeleteLynn’s shop!
Yes, typical :-)
ReplyDeleteLet's try this one just to be sure...
Lynn's Zazzle Gallery
I really love the stuff you have there and so much already? You've been busy.
he he you are sweet Michael ;) Yes i have been putting a couple of things on every now and then!
ReplyDeleteYour photo? Wow. You'd better watch out, we girls will be pushing each other to the back of the queue even more now. Swoon.
By the way, i saw him first, girls. The new profile. I saw it. Ok?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Maggie!
ReplyDeleteBy the way, "Scientology" is NOT science!
So everybody's changing their profile picture!!!
ReplyDeleteShould I change mine too?
Phx, where's YOURS btw??? It's been a month since you promised you'd put your photo here!
Michael, you look somewhat younger in this new photo. I would say the air in Brazil did very good for you, but the atmosphere in Sao Paulo is so polluted that it could never benefit you.
ReplyDeleteIt's no good being all complimentary to Michael Monica, i was first in the queue. LOL !!!! Yes, as much as i love that shot of you, i'd like to see a different one... go on!
ReplyDeleteLynn, if you were on FB you could see lots of different shots from me!
ReplyDelete(when are you finally going to join us?!)
Oh goodness i'll have to, won't i. I just dread it taking up too much time that's all. Plus my son at uni told me not to, as he'd have to link me or something and i might see the antics he's getting up to, like bare-bottom shots at uni. Sigh. Oh well it's not like i've not seen his bottom before, albeit 19 years ago. Sigh again. Okay i must do it. I'll try to this week. I suppose you'll all want to 'buy' me then? Sigh once again.
ReplyDeleteI think I would be suspicious of anything that Tom Cruise is a zealot for. He is just plain "weird"!! Did you ever see the clip of him "freaking out" on Oprah? What a freak.
ReplyDeleteI was accosted by Mormons in Paris once[in French of course]and I was absolutely shocked. The last thing I expected in the Latin Quarter were Mormons proselytizing. As if "Starbucks" in Paris wasn't enough!? LOL!! ;-)
lol Tonton Flaneur i saw that too. I must say he seems frighteningly happy about things. You just...wouldn't want to please him would you really. Mind you, he was decidedly DISpleased when someone squirted him with a water pistol in London. Did you see THAT? lol well it's not behaviour i would like or condone either, but he went totally over the top in response i thought.
ReplyDeletehello there Monsieur
ReplyDeletejust stopped by, and wanted to pass my compliments on your wonderful photographs
thanks, I will be back for more
Jo x
I've just come back from Manchester, UK. And they had a demo like this one there. Identical masks too!
ReplyDeleteInteresting...I saw these same guys in Clearwater Florida this past weekend....The Anonymous crowd giving the Scientologist a hard time...
ReplyDeleteYes it does make a very good photo.
ReplyDeleteYes it does make a very good photo.
ReplyDeletefunny pic! thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteInteresting. Pity there are no such demonstrations in Hollywood.
ReplyDeleteJennifer Reitveld: your comment made me laugh, which intrigued me, which made me look at your profile and blog. Now I suggest you look at Rose's blog: http://1001shoes.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteShe's one of the regulars here and you two should talk!
Protesting scientology! That had to be very interesting. Cool pics too. Tres bien!
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