“Many of the officers came to me with the idea of adding several K-9 units to the department, and that was something I had already given a lot of thought to,” said Clark.

The new chief formed a committee to study the feasibility of the idea, and, according to Clark, Sgt. Matt Myers, Cpl S.A. Johnson, Officer Heather Horne and Lt. Jason Epps came back with one conclusion.

It would be great for Peachtree City.

Read entire story here.

“The Love Guru” didn’t bomb because of Justin Timberlake. It didn’t bomb because Mike Myers waited too long after the last installment of “Austin Powers” to become one with the cultural zeitgeist. It didn’t bomb because Hindu fundamentalists raised a stink over the film’s usage of sacred terms.

It bombed, says Deepak Chopra, because Myers got too mired in gross-out jokes.

“‘The Love Guru’ didn’t work well because Mike Myers addresses a teenage audience, and he was trying to mix it up with metaphysics,” Chopra told MTV News. “Humor mixed with spirituality can work, if it’s done well. But frankly speaking, this was not a good attempt.”

Chopra, who counts Myers as a friend, knew well in advance that the comedian was planning to poke him at him with his character of Guru Maurice Pitka. After all, he agreed to lampoon himself with a cameo as Pitka’s rival in the guru business. And the spoof went both ways. At the same time Myers was making the movie, Chopra was writing “Why Is God Laughing? The Path to Joy and Spiritual Optimism,” using Myers as the basis for his main character, comedian Mickey Fellows. “It’s a spoof on Mike Myers,” Chopra said. “I told Mike that since he was doing a spoof on me, I was going to do one on him.” (Myers returned the favor by writing the foreword for the book, “because he gets the joke.”)

“Humor in spirituality is very important,” Chopra said. “It helps address paradox, contradictions, and ambiguity, as well as themes of mortality and transcendence.” The original script for “Love Guru” had more of that multi-layered humor, Chopra said. “It was actually better than the movie, to be honest,” he said. “I think as they went along, they kept revising it.”

“I think what he could have done was have been a little less gross about some of the jokes [which were added later],” Chopra said. “And some of the spiritual themes, they could have shown more the lighter side. He was almost too serious in his deprecation. He needed more humor.” (Reference)

'Love Guru': Hindu Lions and Hollywood Lambs?
Deepak Chopra addresses the controversy over Mike Meyers' film, 'The Love Guru,' and why Hindus shouldn't take offense.
By Deepak Chopra

With some Hindu groups saying that the upcoming movie "The Love Guru" denigrates Hinduism, we offer this essay by Deepak Chopra. The renowned author and teacher is also a Beliefnet blogger who helped inspire the film.

No one knows if the flickering controversy over "The Love Guru" will fan into a flame. On one side we have a Mike Myers comedy that is likely to be raucous and nose-thumbing, on the other a blogosphere campaign about giving offense to Hindus. With a huge cadre of Hindu fundamentalists lurking in the background in India, Hollywood is walking on eggshells. The studio is moving quietly to placate the offended parties with early screenings. Politically correct murmurings are being made. I am reminded of a line from Woody Allen about the end of the world: On Judgment Day the lions will lie down with the lambs, but the lambs will be very, very nervous.

In this case we have Hindu lions attacking Hollywood lambs, but why? "The Love Guru" is a comedy, and comedies poke fun. Advocates for the mentally disabled didn't rise up over "Dumb and Dumber." Hasidic Jews resisted holding protests when Woody Allen hilariously appeared as one in "Annie Hall." (In the interests of full disclosure, I make a cameo appearance in Myers' film, and he and I have taped an hour of dialogue together for cable television as part of the "Iconoclasts" series.) As viewers will find out when the movie is released this summer, no one is more thoroughly skewered in it than I am--you could even say that I am made to seem preposterous. If I don't take offense and some Hindus do, that doesn't make me superior or more mature or even innately tolerant. I just know the difference between a belly laugh and a diatribe.

If "The Love Guru" were a sermon delivered in St. Patrick's Cathedral, comedy would turn into religious propaganda. The premature outcry against the movie is itself religious propaganda. Worse than that, the protestors expose the insecurity of Hindus who don't believe that their faith can stand on its own. Like the Christian right wing in America that ran to God's defense by trashing Martin Scorsese's "The Last Temptation of Christ," the fulmination of outraged Hindus masks a delight in gaining some free publicity. At least the director of "Last Temptation" intended to say something provocative about Jesus. But Scorsese can't be equated with Monty Python, whose "Life of Brian" was a lampoon of a messiah, not a pamphlet waved in our faces. Silliness often has wisdom hidden just beneath the surface--perhaps "The Love Guru" will, also, since Myers laced his Austin Powers farce with a message about tolerance--but if you can't accept silliness in the first place, you are likely to be immune to wisdom, too.

The deeper irony is that the phrase "Hindu fundamentalism" is a paradox to begin with. The more purely you follow Hinduism, the more you tolerate differences, because God is seen everywhere. The Atman or higher self not only transcends the turmoil of material life but is more real than material life. Hinduism also has the concept of Lila, the play of the goddess Shakti that creates the world out of sheer delight. Lila shocks Westerners because the purpose of the universe isn't goodness and reverence for God but a divine comedy. The universe is recreational, and the most devout believers are those who abandon care and woe to join the cosmic dance. I imagine that "The Love Guru" contains much more Lila than its grim critics. It might even contain enough to leave some of the audience dancing in the aisles. (Reference)

[caption id="attachment_1406" align="aligncenter" width="128" caption="The Love Guru Bombed"][/caption] ]]> http://ozbuzz.wordpress.com/?p=72 Wed, 06 Aug 2008 07:50:32 +0000 ozbuzz http://ozbuzz.wordpress.com/?p=72

Austin Powers 4 is in the works! I'm so excited! Woo! Yeah! Who's with me? ...well? Any... anyone? Ok fine. I'll see it alone.

Put it in my home theatre and was treated to an hour of inspiring and beautiful music. I loved the very soulful style of the lead guitarist Josh Myers. I'm one of those people who likes shredding in moderation while relying on melodies. That is exactly what one finds in Josh. This guy has inspired me quite a lot and I like to listen to this album to observe and learn how the various riffs have been put together in creating a seamless song.

The guitar tones in some of the songs made me have "Eureka" moments. In fact some of the tones represent the ideals I aspire of achieving. Let me try to describe the some things I loved in this album:

-The opening riff on the song "The Good Fight" has THE blues guitar tone from my view. Its like the tone is just in to the tipping point from clean to distortion. It was unbelievable listening to it. Makes me smile whenever I hear it.

-I loved the vibe different songs emanate in particular, "(Rise of)" and "The Color Plaid". These songs transport the listener to a different world so to speak. Loved the harmonics in the start of The Color Plaid.

-The blues tone reappears in the very bluesy rendition of the song Amazing Grace. This album is worth just listening to that tone alone. Dang. A very refreshing version as well.

-"Takin' Back the Farm" is a very fun song to listen to. Country vibe plus shredding. Count me in :-)

-I really liked the bass at the start of the song "Blue Skies".

One thing I would like to point out is in the song "The Good Fight", from 4:08 to 4:10 there is this beautiful riff at the start of a new phrase. I would have liked that to be repeated couple more times in that part. Its like you get a glimpse of something lovely and in a moment its gone. This doesn't in any way take any thing away from an excellent album. I will be looking forward to more stuff from this band.

Rant:[I was delighted to find that they had a separate "Gear" section in the bands website. I wish more bands do this, 'cause some of us poor guitarists would like to be just amazed by knowing _how_ our favourite tones were achieved, though we can't afford the gear professional musicians have. It is better to know that than to wallow in ignorance about the mystery guitar tone. And a thumbs up to Josh Myers Band for sharing their complete rig details. And guess what: the legendary Peavey 5150 is in there. Who'da thunk it!]

Go to the bands myspace to check out some song clips: The Josh Myers Band

Avant de jeter du café et une peau de banane sur les "objets sacrés", il a simplement cloué le Christ sur un exemplaire du Coran. Pas de kippas dans le tas, évidemment. "Le clou est rouillé" précise t-il sur son blog, "j'espère que Jésus est vacciné contre le tétanos".

La presse n'en parle pas, mais le Professeur PZ Myers explique sur son blog pourquoi il a commis l'infâme.

J'ai fais une petite traduction pour vous :

Je me demande lesquels de nos amis catholiques ont entendu parler du quatrième Conseil de Latran de 1215 ? C'est l'événement où plusieurs de leurs dogmes importants ont été codifiés, y compris les idées de Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus, à savoir que l'Eucharistie était le sacrement qui ne pouvait être donné correctement que part des prêtres de l'Eglise Catholique, et que les juifs étaient des peuples de paria, qui ne pourraient tenir aucun bureau de l'administration publique. Ils ont dû payer un impôt spécial pour leur droit d'exister, ils ont été priés de porter l'habillement spécial pour les distinguer des chrétiens. L'insigne jaune marquant le Juden n'était pas une invention des nazis, mais un décret par les catholiques fidèles dans les Moyens Âges.

+

Maintenant vous pourriez inventer des histoires des juifs et les sorcières prenant le centre serveur de communion à la torture, pour inciter Jésus à souffrir encore plus, et de bons catholiques naturellement se lèveraient dans l'horreur pour défendre leur salut. Aucune des histoires n'était vraie, naturellement - des juifs et les infidèles ne voient aucune puissance du tout en ces petits biscuits, et l'idée qu'ils hantaient au-dessus d'obtenir une relique non-sacrée, impuissante, injustifiée est risible

+

Cependant, inspiré par une vieille gravure sur bois des juifs poignardant l'hostie, j'ai pensé à une chose simple et rapide à faire : Je l'ai percée avec un clou rouillé (j'espère que Jésus est vacciné contre le tétanos). Et ensuite je l'ai simplement jetée dans le détritus, suivi des articles classiques et décoratifs des poubelles partout, des vieux marcs de café et d'une peau de banane. Mes excuses à ceux qui ont espéré plus, mais le plus mieux que je puisse faire est de montrer mon mépris insouciant.

Priez pour son âme ...

Vous pouvez laisser un commentaire sur son blog.

J'espère qu'il n'y a pas des experts en hacking qui nous lisent, ce serait dommage que son beau site subisse une attaque ...

VOIR L'ARTICLE : http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/07/the_great_desecration.php

LAISSER UN COMMENTAIRE SUR SON BLOG : http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula (c'est plus facile de faire un commentaire sur d'autres billets, parce que le principal article concerné a déjà plus de 2000 commentaires - il ne verrait pas le vôtre).

Now let's see what we've got. A few quotes purportedly by PZ Myers, used to tarnish his reputation as a scientist and law-abiding citizen. The first piece (of... Yes.) by Donohue is: 

“The biology professor made it clear that he would never disrespect Islam the way he does Catholicism. When asked about those who abuse the Koran, for example, he said such an act was analogous to desecrating a graveyard. ‘That’s completely different,’ he said. ‘I don’t favor [that idea].’ But when it comes to the Body of Christ, he opines, ‘The cracker is completely different.’

Point-by-point rebuttal: (since these people hardly understand what they're told unless it's divided into verses and sentences)

1. Dear Bill, 

When you quote, quoting the place, time and occasion of the quoted material is a sign of goodwill, if not honesty or respect towards people whom you quote. There are different methods and systems of quotation / citation developed by respected institutions; you might want to refer to them.

Nevertheless, I shall comment points you have made and unveil what they really mean to an intelligent reader.

2. Dear Bill, 

I am truly baffled by your obscure comparison of the Koran and a cracker. The cracker is really different from the Koran, the Old and New Testament. While the former is a, well, cracker, possibly made of flour, the latter three are books considered (do I have to emphasize "considered"?) to be holy by very many people. The books are not made to be eaten, and they are not expected to transubstantiate afterwards. This is probably why PZ said that it was different, and that he didn't favor it.

3. Dear Bill,

In that paragraph, it is quite surprising to see how you try to manipulate the American public opinion - whose greatest debate today is concerning the religion of a presidential candidate - and certain media outlets - among whom are those who try to portray Barack Obama as a bin Laden-worshipper Muslim terrorist - by putting forward PZ's alleged respect towards Islam. 

“This isn’t the first time Myers has shown deference to Islam. For instance, two years ago he was critical of the Danish cartoons that simply depicted an image of Muhammad. ‘They [the cartoons] lack artistic or social or even comedic merit, and are presented as an insult to inflame a poor minority.’ So now the Planet-of-the-Apes biologist has divined himself an expert on the artistic value of cartoons. So thoughtful of him. He even went so far as to say that Muslims ‘have cause to be furious.’ (His italic.) Worthy of burning down churches, pledging to behead Christians and shooting a nun in the back, Professor Myers?

Having recognized the absence of citation once again, I do implore you not to digress from your original issue, on which I shall continue to elaborate in a few minutes.

PZ's ideas on the cartoons are easy to list. He says that the cartoons "lacked artistic or social or even comedic merit", and that they were "presented as an insult to inflame a poor minority". Given these, it's certainly beyond any stretch of imagination to deduce a support on part of PZ for Islam. He was merely commenting on some cartoons, putting forward his own opinion. When you refer to a "simple" depiction of Muhammad, you omit the fact that a bomb in a turban is not inherent in cephalic simplicity. His emphasis on the words "have cause to be furious" lacks any context in your paragraph, and you do not provide evidence to suggest that he indeed has found the Muslims to be right on the issue.

Then again, when some teenage kid takes a piece of cracker outside a church, you and your glib followers at the Catholic League, do rightfully have a cause to be furious, huh? Smell the irony there Bill?

"Planet-of-the-Apes biologist". Hah! Made my day. Thank you very much. From now on I'll call you "Apocalypse-Now whiner". Oh by the way, you don't have to be an expert to recognize an artistic value on certain things. You don't have to be an expert to distinguish between sour milk and major league Catholic bullshit. Aforementioned reference to freedom of expression should serve you well, albeit for the second tim now in under a few minutes.

One last point and I hope to steer back on the real issue of the cracker. This type of attempted smearing reminds me again of certain types of printed and visual media companies who believe that exposing someone's personal belief or the team he supports is key to ridiculing him in public. The most recent example is Obama, appearing on the New Yorker's front page as nothing shy of an Islamic terrorist. A Turkish friend of mine told me about how extremely Islamist newspapers had once argued that the Chief of Staff had been Jewish, since his grandfather's - or great-grandfather's, - grave was in Israel. Given the staggering extent to which anti-Semitism has survived in Turkey, I wasn't terribly shocked to hear that. The explanation to all that? Well, apparently the great-grandfather was fighting the British when he was KIA, and had to be buried while the Turkish armies retreated. Nevertheless, the effects of that slander still linger, and what you, Bill, are trying to do is just the same. Manipulation of an existent, ill-informed public opinion directed against a specific group of people in order to tarnish the reputation of an otherwise very respected professional in his field. 

Bill, that's cheap. But no, I'm not going to say you're better than that. Everybody knows you're not.

“We hope Myers does the right thing and just moves on without further disgracing himself and his university. The letter I received from University of Minnesota President Robert H. Bruininks makes it clear that school officials want nothing to do with his hate-filled remarks. It would also be nice if Myers’ fans would cease and desist with their hate-filled screeds.”

Screed is a good word. I'm glad you know how to use it. The simple fact remains, however, that obstinacy embodied in your belief systems continues to refuse parsimonious explanations of the fact that you're wrong. The University of Minnesota is more popular than ever, thanks to PZ Myers and his blog, Pharyngula. The University of Minnesota is not disgraced because people at UCF decided to resort to physical means to obstruct a student's freedom of movement and to violate his property rights. Major league non sequitur again, huh Bill? 

Speaking of screeds, what about the long and swear-studded death threats received by Webster Cook? Do you think additional security for him is totally unnecessary? How do you even dream of defending the hate that fills your fans' e-mails when they can't even be man enough show themselves like Pat Condell does? 

Please do not be offended when I ask you to show exactly which part of that letter convinced you that the school officials "want nothing to do with his hate-filled remarks". You say yourself that you're a descendant of Adam and Eve, who were fooled "convinced" by a talking snake. We might think otherwise. 

On second thought, who gives a s**t if you're offended. Put up with it. 

Bill,

Comment on the death threats received by Webster and PZ. 

Stop taking PZ's words out of context.

Stop being cheap and trying to portray PZ as deferential to Islam, as if it's worse than being deferential to Christianity. 

You don't have Jesus or anyone else in your stomach when you eat a "blessed" cracker. Doubts? Check what comes off your rear end after you eat one. 

Planet of the Apes... Hahaha...

The other defense is that the Diageo people are honorable and would never do such a thing. Well if the are so damned honorable, why not remove the offending language and revert to the far simpler and restricted form which says that the rum rebate monies should only be spent on Captain Morgan and other products made in the plant. Quite Simply,

Diageo’s Marketing Activities shall be in furtherance of its promotion of the Captain Morgan rum brand or any other products utilizing the bulk rum produced by the Project for sale in the United States.

There is simply no excuse for any other alternate form.

On page 17 under section 5.1.1 Marketing Activities

5.1.1(b)Diageo's Marketing Activities shall be in furtherance of its promotion of the Captain Morgan rum brand (or any other products utilizing the bulk rum produced by the Project for sale in the United States), and when advisable from a marketing viewpoint “Virgin Islands Rums” or “Caribbean Rums”, in the United States.

5.1.1.(c)Diageo shall regularly report to the Government on the content and effectiveness of the Marketing Activities performed hereunder. The Government shall have the right, at reasonable times and upon reasonable prior notice, to meet with the representatives of Diageo to discuss the Marketing Activities and progress in promoting both the Captain Morgan brand and Virgin Islands Rum or Caribbean Rums generally.

Now the first paragraph is confusing and seems to imply that its rum made in the facility but lets break it down into a simpler form.

Let “CAPTAIN” be the Captain Morgan rum Brand (or any other products utilizing the bulk rum produced by the project for sale in the United States)

Let “CRUZAN be Virgin Islands Rums

Let “MYERS” be Caribbean Rums

Now let's rewrite the paragraphs in far simpler forms:

Diageo's Marketing Activities shall be in furtherance of its promotion of CAPTAIN, and when advisable from a marketing viewpoint “CRUZAN” or “MYERS”, in the United States.

The Government shall have the right, at reasonable times and upon reasonable prior notice, to meet with the representatives of Diageo to discuss the Marketing Activities and progress in promoting both the Captain Morgan brand and CRUZAN or MYERS generally.

Clearly the money can be spent on promoting any product from the factory and “CRUZAN or MYERS” but when reporting to the government they don't necessarily have to document expenditures on MYERS. I don't see how a court could rule in any other manner.

One reason they might want to do this is when visiting trade shows, they might carry Captain Morgan Brands and their other minor rum brands and have the Captain Morgan Brand pay for it.

Another reason might be that the Government is giving them too much money to spend on Captain Morgan alone. After all in 2003, they only spent $15 million on media advertising to grow about 10% while Bacardi is spending $60 million a year to defend their market share which is declining anyway. Clearly, $89 million is just too much money to spend on advertising a hot brand like Captain Morgan and the cash reserves could be used to promote another Virgin Islands brand or Myers Jamaican rum which is the fastest growing rum in America and obviously gaining market share at the expense of Cruzan Rum and Puerto Rico's Ronrico. These funds will accelerate the direct assault on the financial stability of the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico and be paid for by the people of the Virgin Islands. Now that's sick.

Unbelievably we could finance an even sicker move by Diageo which owns Pampero made in Venezuela which has a better and truer marketing story for a premium rum than Cruzan or even the fictional Captain Morgan. The last time I checked, Venezuela was a Caribbean Nation and they could use their $89 million of marketing money to promote Pampero and increase employment and taxes for the Government of Hugo Chavez.

Now when Congress figures out that the people of the Virgin Islands are using rum rebates to assist the government of Hugo Chavez and destroying the financial stability of Puerto Rico and themselves, I doubt that even Donna Christiansen can keep the Rum rebates flowing to the Islands during a period of National recession.

I don't want to believe that Diageo really believes that Virgin Islanders should pay for the development of the Myers and Pompero Brands and jeopardize the whole rum rebate program and impoverish the Virgin Islands. But it's up to them to alter the paragraph as the Governor has already signed off on it, the Delegate has approved it and the Senate will rubber stamp it. It may have been their intent to say that rum made here and packaged in Bermuda as Caribbean rum could use funds from the rum rebates to promote the work done in Bermuda but it does not say that. Even in that case, I'm not sure Congress would be happy about using American funds to promote offshore jobs. Whatever , there intern, they can clarify it in the hearing and add an amendment which reflects the change. Something very simple like:

Diageo's Marketing Activities shall be in furtherance of its promotion of the Captain Morgan rum brand or any other products utilizing the bulk rum produced by the Project for sale in the United States.

This would cover every product produced in St. Croix regardless of what it was called in the market.

Islanders should thank Kennith Mapp for taking the time to read the document and bringing up all of the fatal flaws as a topic of discussion. If one fatal flaw is not enough to kill this deal there are more to come.

             Hindu Leader Rajan Zed

Special to Earthpages.org

Calls for public apology by Paramount Pictures and its parent Viacom on issues surrounding "The Love Guru" movie, started by acclaimed Hindu leader Rajan Zed, are gathering strength.

Now Nevada Clergy Association (NCA); which is composed of Christian (various denominations), Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, Bahai, Native American, etc., clergy; has joined others in asking for Paramount/Viacom apology.

In a statement issued in Nevada (USA) today, Right Reverend Gene Savoy Jr., NCA President, said, "We urge Paramount and Viacom to issue a general public apology over this issue, which will help heal the wounds of seemingly perturbed one-billion-strong Hindu community".

Rev. Savoy, who is himself a well-respected Head Bishop of International Community of Christ, said in this statement, "We are dismayed at Paramount Pictures, presenter of this movie, for backtracking on their promise to protesting Hindu brothers-sisters, which we consider an unethical business practice. We are also appalled at Paramount and its parent Viacom for utter disregard of the protesters and making no efforts to have an open civilized dialogue with protesters and arrive at a mutually acceptable solution, who have been stressing that this movie denigrates Hinduism and Hindu concepts."

He congratulated Rajan Zed "for his successful campaign" against the Hollywood movie "The Love Guru" and thanked him for "effectively creating this debate and awakening the future filmmakers to be more sensitive to the feelings of devotees when dealing with faith related issues".

Rev. Savoy further said, "We at NCA are for free speech as much as anybody else if not more. But faith is something sacred and attempts at debasing it hurt the adherents. Hollywood should be more conscious while handling faith related subjects, as cinema is a very mighty medium and it can create stereotypes in the minds of some audiences. We are concerned that today it is Hinduism; tomorrow Hollywood might attempt to mock another denomination/religion, which can be very painful to the faithful."

Sometime back, Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, and Hindu religious leaders, in a joint signed statement, described Paramount's backtracking on their promise to protesting Hindus as "un-Christian, un-Hindu, un-Buddhist, un-Jewish, etc., besides being unethical."

Meanwhile, various other organizations, including Universal Society of Hinduism, Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, Hindu Alliance of India, Shri Ramayan Pracharini Sabha, Sanatan Sanstha, India Heritage Panel, have also demanded public apology from Paramount and Viacom.

Rajan Zed launched the protest movement against "The Love Guru" in March, saying that it appeared to be lampooning Hinduism and Hindus and using Hindu terms frivolously.

             Hindu Leader Rajan Zed

Special to Earthpages.org

Rajan Zed, acclaimed Hindu leader, has lauded the remarkable interfaith gesture of United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) by giving Hollywood movie "The Love Guru" its highest rating "O" (morally offensive).

USCCB, headquartered in Washington DC, is an assembly of the hierarchy of the United States and the U.S. Virgin Islands who jointly exercise certain pastoral functions on behalf of the Christian faithful of the United States. Its Office for Film and Broadcasting (OFB) in New York is responsible for reviewing and rating theatrical motion pictures.

Harry Forbes, Director of OFB, in his review of "The Love Guru", said "...Unabashedly vulgar and tasteless, the film, which wallows in endless penis jokes and fairly yucky potty humor...". "O" is the highest of the five classifications granted by USCCB.

We are thankful to the Conference of Catholic Bishops for having a feel for the pain of the Hindu and spiritual community by categorizing "The Love Guru" as "morally offensive", Zed stated.

Meanwhile, Rajan Zed has given a worldwide boycott call for "The Love Guru" by Hindus and other religious people because it lampoons Hinduism and Hindu concepts and uses Hindu terms frivolously.

Zed, who launched campaign against this movie starting in March, urging other people of faith (besides Hindus) also to boycott the movie, said, "Today it is Hinduism, tomorrow Hollywood might attempt to denigrate another religion/denomination."

The antics of Guru Pitka of "The Love Guru" are a mockery of the esteemed institution of guru, who is a highly revered spiritual teacher/master/preceptor in Hinduism and who helps remove the ignorance of the seeker and who leads one from darkness to light.

On the other hand, guru in "The Love Guru" instigates a bar fight, repeatedly narrates penis jokes, mocks yoga (one of the six orthodox schools of Hindu philosophy), wears female jewelry, mocks the concept of third eye, makes disciples drink tea passed through his nose, orders alligator soup, induces elephant copulation in front of the crowd, introduces himself as "His Holiness", lives in a lavish ashram staffed with scantily clad maids, and whose goal in life seems to appear on Oprah Winfrey show, Zed said.

When did Hindu gurus become available "for hire"? When and who started rating them? When did shishyas (disciples) started joining ashram for the sole purpose to make girls like them? Which Hindu ashram organizes fights of disciples with mops soaked in guru's urine? Which guru urinates in the midst of disciples? Rajan Zed asked.

A prominent Jewish Rabbi, Elizabeth W. Beyer of Nevada (USA), has already called for boycott of "The Love Guru" because it "...lampoons Hinduism, mocks Ashram life and Hindu philosophy..."

Meanwhile, signature campaign launched by Hindu groups against "The Love Guru" has crossed the 6,400 mark.

"The Love Guru" (88 minutes), a comedy starring Mike Myers (of Austin Powers fame), opened Friday in USA and Canada and will be released in different parts of the world in the near future.

Myers Created Guru Voice To Cheer Sick Pals Up:

Mike Myers created the voice for his new movie guru Pitka to cheer ill friends up.

The funnyman has been working on his The Love Guru character for years and came up with the comic spiritual leader’s Indian voice in an effort to give sick pals a laugh.

He explains, “The Seat of The Soul was a book I read that I saw on Oprah and I loved it. This is a guy who was a green beret and he was also a physicist.

“When I talked about what I was reading philosophically this mellifluous voice would emerge.

“My friends loved it and, in fact, would ask me to call them when they were not feeling well in that voice: ..You have a cold? This is the universe telling you to be with yourself because the only way out is in.

‘”

Hindu Leader Takes Aim At Myers Over ‘Frivolous’ Guru Comments

The war of words between Mike Myers and a U.S. Hindu leader, who is urging the public to boycott his latest comedy, just got personal after the actor told Rajan Zed to watch the film before damning his portrayal of an oddball spiritual guru.

Hindu leader Zed has been leading a protest against The Love Guru for months after learning Myers mocks his religion in the film.

He tells WENN, “It appears the film lampoons Hinduism and Hindus and uses Hindu terms frivolously.

“

But Myers counters, “This guy has not seen the film. What he will find is that this is a mythical and completely made up system of teachings in the tradition of The Force in Star Wars and Fredonia in the Marx Brothers movies.
http://jonhammond.blip.tv
TwitPic.com/hammondcast
Paramount Pictures

Myers Created Guru Voice To Cheer Sick Pals Up:

Mike Myers created the voice for his new movie guru Pitka to cheer ill friends up.

The funnyman has been working on his The Love Guru character for years and came up with the comic spiritual leader's Indian voice in an effort to give sick pals a laugh.

He explains, "The Seat of The Soul was a book I read that I saw on Oprah and I loved it. This is a guy who was a green beret and he was also a physicist.

"When I talked about what I was reading philosophically this mellifluous voice would emerge.

"My friends loved it and, in fact, would ask me to call them when they were not feeling well in that voice: ..You have a cold? This is the universe telling you to be with yourself because the only way out is in.

'"

Hindu Leader Takes Aim At Myers Over 'Frivolous' Guru Comments

The war of words between Mike Myers and a U.S. Hindu leader, who is urging the public to boycott his latest comedy, just got personal after the actor told Rajan Zed to watch the film before damning his portrayal of an oddball spiritual guru.

Hindu leader Zed has been leading a protest against The Love Guru for months after learning Myers mocks his religion in the film.

He tells WENN, "It appears the film lampoons Hinduism and Hindus and uses Hindu terms frivolously.

"

But Myers counters, "This guy has not seen the film. What he will find is that this is a mythical and completely made up system of teachings in the tradition of The Force in Star Wars and Fredonia in the Marx Brothers movies.
http://jonhammond.blip.tv

             Hindu Leader Rajan Zed

Special to Earthpages.org

Hindu groups have asked for immediate issuance of general apology from Viacom, leading global entertainment content company, to the "perturbed" Hindu community, over the issues related to the upcoming Hollywood movie "The Love Guru", presented by its brand Paramount Pictures.

Spearheaded by prominent Indo-American leader Rajan Zed  (who has been saying since March that from the information available about "The Love Guru", it appears to be lampooning Hinduism and Hindus and using Hindu terms frivolously), this protest movement has now spread worldwide and various other Hindu and non-Hindu groups/leaders have come out in support of the cause espoused by Zed.

In a complaint sent to Viacom's Corporate Responsibility Council today about "about unethical, unprofessional and irresponsible business/corporate practices of Paramount Pictures and its parent, Viacom", Hindu groups said, "We are appalled at the unethical, unprofessional and irresponsible behavior of Paramount Pictures (under the broad patronage of Viacom), who we had thought to be highly credible, global business entities, held in high esteem, which has resulted in the one-billion strong Hindu community worldwide feeling hurt."

Various issues highlighted in this complaint included apparent denigration of Hinduism and Hindu concepts by the movie and utter disregard of the protesters by Paramount, Paramount backtracking on its promise to pre-screen the movie for Rajan Zed and other Hindu leaders, no response to the communiqués of protesting leaders/groups, making no efforts to have an open dialogue with protesters to arrive at an mutually acceptable solution, non-issuance of requested study-guide on Hinduism for movie viewers to undo the damage done.

Paramount/Viacom's actions dealing with Hindu protesters were in clear violation of Viacom's own policies, which talk about social commitment, highest standards of business behavior, company values individuals who are ethical, reaching all demographics, etc., this complaint sent to Sumner Redstone, Viacom Founder; Philippe Dauman, Viacom President; and others; indicated.

It stressed, "Viacom should immediately issue a general apology to the perturbed Hindu community, investigate its own policy violations, contact acclaimed Hindu leader Rajan Zed to arrange a pre-screening of the movie 'The Love Guru' and try to arrive at an acceptable solution with the protesting Hindus (including Rajan Zed and us)".

This complaint pointed out, "...Hindus are now left with no other alternative, but to consider launching a worldwide boycott of Paramount and Viacom products, and not to have any dealings with Paramount. The responsibility for this will lie with Paramount and Viacom, for not making any efforts to have an open dialogue with protestors and arrive at a mutually acceptable solution."

Clergy belonging to different religions and denominations has strongly come out in support of "Hindu brothers" and criticized Paramount recently. "Going back on promise is un-Christian, un-Hindu, un-Buddhist, un-Jewish, etc., besides being unethical," "Clergy's appeal to Paramount Pictures" signed by Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, and Hindu religious leaders said.

Zed says that Paramount's behavior is like sending the message that it does not care about the feelings of one billion Hindus of the world. Hinduism is the oldest and third largest religion of the world with a rich philosophical thought, and it should not be taken lightly, he stresses.

"The Love Guru", a comedy starring Mike Myers (of Austin Powers fame), is set to release on June 20 next.  Viacom's family of brands includes MTV, Paramount, DreamWorks, etc. Paramount Pictures Corporation is a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment.

Mike Myers admits he had a "man crush" on Justin Timberlake while shooting their new comedy The Love Guru (out June 20).

"I will confirm that," Myers told Usmagazine.com at the Hollywood premiere on Wednesday.

His take on Timberlake in speedo?

"What is amazing about the speedo is that they have to do a lot of special effects to reduce the size," he joked. "Oh, yeah ... you heard it here first, folks!"
Co-star Verne Troyer wasn't as enthused about the scene.

"I didn't actually have to see it, luckily," he told Us. "Just watching him on film was enough. I was just embarrassed for him."

Timberlake's BFF Trace Ayala shrugged off the speedo scene.

"Man, I see this kid naked all the time!" he told Us. "I am just glad that he put some clothes on!"

             Hindu Leader Rajan Zed

Special to Earthpages.org

In view of apparent lampooning by the upcoming Hollywood movie "The Love Guru" and its presenter Paramount Pictures showing utter disregard to the protests, Hindus are considering launching worldwide boycott of products of Paramount and its parent Viacom if no immediate acceptable solution is reached.

Protesting Hindus have been perturbed by "Paramount's utter disregard of the one-billion-strong Hindu community", who have vowed to intensify their campaign against the movie. Rajan Zed, acclaimed Hindu leader, who spearheaded this drive, has been saying that from the information available about the movie, it appears to be lampooning Hinduism and Hindus and using Hindu terms frivolously.

In a communiqué to Paramount Pictures today, Bhavna Shinde, representing Hindu Janjagruti Samiti and Sanatan Society for Scientific Spirituality, said, "If this anti-Hindu stance taken by Paramount and Viacom continues, and these companies make no efforts to contact the protestors (including Rajan Zed and us) to arrive at an agreeable solution immediately, Hindus and other spiritual seekers, who hold the 'Guru-disciple' relationship as sacred, will be left with no other alternative, but to consider launching a worldwide boycott of Paramount and Viacom products, and not to have any dealings with Paramount and Viacom. The responsibility for this will lie with Paramount and Viacom, for not making any efforts to have an open dialogue with protestors and arrive at a mutually acceptable solution."

"We are appalled at the unprofessional attitude of Paramount and its parent company Viacom, who we had thought to be highly credible global business entities, held in high esteem. It is very unusual for corporations like Paramount and Viacom to behave so immaturely", Shinde added.

She listed various reasons of Hindu community "feeling hurt" as: apparent denigration of Hinduism and Hindu concepts by "The Love Guru", no reportedly promised pre-screening of the movie in sight, ignoring of protesters despite their repeated efforts for contact, failure to respond to protesters' communiqués, non-issuance of study guide on Hinduism for the viewers of the movie, utter disregard for the efforts of Hindus to arrive at an acceptable solution.

In a communiqué to Rajan Zed in March; Jessica Rovins, Senior Vice President National Publicity of Paramount Pictures, wrote, "It is our full intention to screen the film for Rajan Zed and other Hindu leaders in the U.S. once we have a finished print." Hindu groups have been repeating the same statement in the media since then without any denial or contradictory statement from Paramount, thus concluding that Paramount was going to stand by its words.

Clergy belonging to different religions and denominations has strongly come out in support of "Hindu brothers" and criticized Paramount. "Going back on promise is un-Christian, un-Hindu, un-Buddhist, un-Jewish, etc., besides being unethical," "Clergy's appeal to Paramount Pictures" signed by Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, and Hindu religious leaders said.

Attempts by Hindu groups to reach Paramount executives during the last few weeks have been futile, as Rovins and her boss Executive Vice President Michael Vollman did not return the communiqués of Hindu leaders. Despite trying, Hindu leaders also could not get through to Paramount Vice Chairman Rob Moore and Chairman Brad Grey.

Prominent Indo-American leader Rajan Zed has said that it was shocking to see a company like Paramount, a brand of Viacom, which is held in high esteem world over and is known for its credibility and clean business practices, apparently going back on its word to pre-screen the movie for Hindu leaders. It is like sending the message that Paramount does not care about the feelings of one billion Hindus of the world. Hinduism is the oldest and third largest religion of the world with a rich philosophical thought, and it should not be taken lightly, Zed stresses.

Hindu groups are re-planning their agitation in view of this development and leaning towards further intensification and taking it to the streets.

Shinde, in another communiqué earlier to Paramount, said, "So far, the protest movement against this movie's denigration of sacred concepts of Hinduism is increasing, with thousands of Hindus and spiritual people from around the world joining in. However, Paramount Pictures' seeming 'about turn' on their promise to the Hindu community may cause the tolerant Hindu community to lose patience and we fear the protests coming to the streets against this movie... At least the producers of 'The passion of Christ' movie had the decency to keep their promise to the clergy by holding advanced screenings for them...We ask Paramount Pictures to promptly contact Rajan Zed to arrange the pre-screening of this movie for Hindu leaders."

The apparent breaking of the promise by Paramount has angered various other Hindu leaders also, including Jawahar L. Khurana, Chairperson of Hindu Alliance of India; Rakesh Nagpal, General Secretary of Shri Ramayan Pracharini Sabha; Lila D. Sharma, President of India Heritage Panel; and Dharam Loonaa, Executive Director of the Universal Society of Hinduism (who have been supporting this cause espoused by Rajan Zed); who are also gravitating towards taking the protest to the streets.

Hindu groups have also contacted cinema/film related organizations worldwide urging them not to distribute/screen upcoming Hollywood movie "The Love Guru" till Paramount Pictures makes necessary changes to it, "so that it will not hurt the feelings of the worldwide spiritual and Hindu community." Hindu groups have contacted Federal Communications Commission (FCC) urging intervention in the matter. Hindus have also floated an online protest signature drive, which had over 5,200 signatures today.

Meanwhile, furthering the drive pioneered by Indo-American leader Rajan Zed, various organizations and leaders have been coming out expressing concern about the possibility of "The Love Guru" hurting the sentiments of Hindus worldwide and urging filmmakers to be more responsible when handling faith related subjects. Various Hindu, Catholic, Presbyterian, Jewish, Native American, Methodist, Buddhist, youth, film, spiritual/religious, music, yoga, civil rights, etc., leaders have already issued statements in support of this cause espoused by Rajan Zed.

A prominent Jewish Rabbi, Elizabeth W. Beyer of Nevada (USA), has called for boycott of  "The Love Guru" because it "...lampoons Hinduism, mocks Ashram life and Hindu philosophy..." and asking "who laughs at religious practices".

It may be recalled here that advance screenings of Mel Gibson's 2004 movie "The Passion of the Christ" were held for clergy and others.

"The Love Guru", a comedy starring Mike Myers (of Austin Powers fame), is set to release on June 20 next.  Viacom is a leading global entertainment content company and its family of brands includes MTV, Paramount, DreamWorks, etc. Paramount Pictures Corporation is a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment.