[gsm18439]

Has anyone read the HighFidelity (Poland) interview with Srajan Ebaen . . . the
Editor in Chief, publisher and owner of the Swiss (former American) Internet
magazine 6moons.com. Born German, USA citizen, living for years in Cyprus and
since a few years residing in Switzerland . . .

http://www.highfidelity.pl/@main-243&lang=en

[NavyDoc]

It should be noted that Srajen’s spiritual leader Osho from the interview is also known as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. I moved to Oregon shortly after the Rajneeshees conducted a bioterror attack on The Dalles, Oregon.     The Rajneeshees deliberately contaminated condiments at local restaurants with Salmonella bacteria leading to acute food poisoning in over 700 residents in an attempt to throw a local election.  Using DNA fingerprinting techniques the bacterial strain used in the attack was definatively tracked back to clinical laboratory at the Rajneeshee compound.  Apparently this was not enough to persuade Srajen that Osho is not an upstanding fellow.   

[grsimmon]

His statements seem contradictory when you view his exhaustive equipment list.  Not exactly a small and/or inexpensive inventory.

[jackman]

It should be noted that Srajen’s spiritual leader Osho from the interview is also known as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. I moved to Oregon shortly after the Rajneeshees conducted a bioterror attack on The Dalles, Oregon.     The Rajneeshees deliberately contaminated condiments at local restaurants with Salmonella bacteria leading to acute food poisoning in over 700 residents in an attempt to throw a local election.  Using DNA fingerprinting techniques the bacterial strain used in the attack was definatively tracked back to clinical laboratory at the Rajneeshee compound.  Apparently this was not enough to persuade Srajen that Osho is not an upstanding fellow.   

Wow, are you serious?  I remember when the Bhagwan got into all that trouble. Isn't that a cult?

[totoro]

His statements seem contradictory when you view his exhaustive equipment list.  Not exactly a small and/or inexpensive inventory.

Exactly what I thought. He goes on about how superior he is to people who are into expensive equipment but:

1. Makes a living on reviewing mostly quite expensive equipment.
2. Owns a lot of quite expensive equipment (that he almost certainly got in sweetheart deals from manufacturers).

In all honesty, I don't think it's too much of a stretch to call him a hypocrite. That he is proud of having a business model based on that of a spiritual leader who became very wealthy by fleecing the credulous pretty much says it all.

[NavyDoc]

Wow, are you serious?  I remember when the Bhagwan got into all that trouble. Isn't that a cult?

Some would call it that.  When I was running a bioforensics laboratory the Rajneshee case was a textbook example of how NOT to run an investigation.  The deliberate nature of the attack was missed for at least a year or two.  Bhagwan needed his fleet of Rolls Royce's due to his ailing back, no other mode of transport was adequate.

[Mikeinsacramento]

Read the interview.  That guy's a nut.

[rajacat]

Read the interview.  That guy's a nut.

He doesn't seem like a "nut" to me. He just has a different way of looking at things.
I'll have to admit that I don't understand his attraction to the Rajneshee cult. OTOH he seems quite intelligent, has established a business that provides a good living and is portable. He doesn't seem to have loyalty to any particular country; an international man. Perhaps in the distant future, with continued outsourcing and the world wide web dominant, national borders will slowly break down, we'll all be free to work anywhere and passports will become obsolete. Tote your business around in your laptop which is relatively easy if you're writer like he is

[JohnR]

I haven't read the interview, but could I request please that in the interests of allowing discussion to continue that remarks be limited to what you would say in person. (This is merely a guideline that may help to clarify for some what is more or less likely to be considered acceptable, should Admin need to intervene. Thanks )

[Turk]

His distaste for the US seems to border on the pathological.  No other nation seems to draw as much vitriol.  Then again, when you are ruminating upon an "adolescent" society, I am given to wondering how you can then  point to mature values and social and political forms that gave the world National Socialism and Italian Fascism, the purges of Joe Stalin and Mao. ( Carl Marx and Friedrich Engels were both German not Slavs).

Oh, and the war thing; he might check the fatalities of the past two World Wars.  The nations he admires so much, save Switzerland, were all part of the great blood baths.  His model of the road to maturity for nations is one we may consider avoiding.

[wushuliu]

Yeah, well, all of the world's major religions qualified for cult status at some point - all guilty of crazier activities than the ones some folks are swooning over in this thread. And his feelings about the USA are hardly controversial, so no need for smelling salts over that. Unfortunately the interview will just make for more fodder for the 'objectivist'/skeptic crowd, which is too bad. Regardless of someone's views I do appreciate good writing, and he is a very good writer.

Hate to burst anyone's bubbles but most everyone on the web, myself included, has some aspect of their life, worldview, etc. that others would consider wacko. That includes you.

Still, it's another reason why I have reached my internet saturation point: too much information.
Time for me to sign off for a while.

[Russell Dawkins]

Yeah, well, all of the world's major religions qualified for cult status at some point - all guilty of crazier activities than the ones some folks are swooning over in this thread. And his feelings about the USA are hardly controversial, so no need for smelling salts over that. Unfortunately the interview will just make for more fodder for the 'objectivist'/skeptic crowd, which is too bad. Regardless of someone's views I do appreciate good writing, and he is a very good writer.

Hate to burst anyone's bubbles but most everyone on the web, myself included, has some aspect of their life, worldview, etc. that others would consider wacko. That includes you.

Still, it's another reason why I have reached my internet saturation point: too much information.
Time for me to sign off for a while.

I find your perspective admirable (and your sign-off avatar change amusing).

[Phil A]

I read the interview and it doesn't change my opinion of what he provides in the way of audio information.  Whatever someone does for a living they are going to have opinions about issues that I may or may not agree with.  I don't go to a movie based on what I think of an actor or his or her views.  Similarly, I don't make decisions on going to a concert on what I think personally about an artist.  History is filled with people who are great at a particular craft but are naive about other things.  For example France and Britain agreed to cede certain parts of Czechoslovakia to Germany (probably 1938 or 1939) to resolve issues and that sure didn't solve the problem.  So, in summary, if we disagree or have questions about his audio reviews, I think it is fine to give him feedback.  I don't have anything to say about the way he feels about anything else.  I am not even sure that this whole thing is really the place for such a thread.  If it bothered me that much, you could always send him correspondence. 

Things in print (or on the internet), posts, e-mails, IMs, etc. also can get easily get misunderstood without face to face contact.  Many years back I worked for company and had trouble getting one of my benefits set-up.  Three months later a person who came to work for me had his set-up in a couple of weeks and mine still was up in the air.  When I followed up, I got an e-mail response that said "to the person who asks, I resent it."  The e-mail should have said "to the person who asks, I re-sent it."  I got the e-mail and was kind of taken back that someone would resent a very laid back follow-up to something long overdue.  I sent stuff all the way up the chain (and made some people uncomfortable temporarily, but it was worth a good laugh afterwards).  So the bottom line is that it is really easily to read something and get the wrong impression.