The seventh installment of the first draft of a novel written by our old friend Terra Cognita. Our Sunday Serial. Terra welcomes all suggestions and feedback -- this is draft -- you can note them in the comments. Chapter 37 Morning three. Instead of heading for the sauna after breakfast, two “pages” hustled us across campus to a three story, rectangular building with no sign, number, or identifying marks. Unlike the other buildings I’d been in, there was no person manning a front desk. We climbed the stairs to a lobby-like room on the third floor where a fifteen or sixteen year-old boy … [Read more...]
Just When It Could Not Get Weirder…
This is a glimpse behind the smoke and mirrors of ideal org openings from inside the bubble. When Miscavige yanks his ribbon at the Gala Grand Opening of a new building, he expects to see enough staff present to occupy his new palace. But the vast majority of these massively oversized new buildings are in cities where the scientology organization is a small, failing operation with a few staff. Or in the recent case of Dublin, with no staff at all. Can you imagine the CEO of WalMart opening a new Supercenter to replace a lemonade stand and nobody is inside to man the checkouts or stock … [Read more...]
Regraded Being
Thursday Funnies
Scientology code Havingness = making money For posterity's sake Just so there is a record of the foolishness somewhere Scientology code Keys to OT = making money Chan man bio He made it big as a roofer. This is much easier work. Quoting some Hubbardisms to bubble-dwellers and being paid for it. That about sums it up... It's about all they have. Delphian school prepares you... ...to join the Sea Org. More dreams... You would think they would promote people who HAD gone OT? Don't have any of … [Read more...]
The Big Lie Rolls On
This is one of the more amazing pieces of bubble-think... It was sent to me for the Thursday Funnies, but this little piece of Facebook genius deserves its own post. What a HUGE accomplishment this is -- they got 2 new people doing OCA's! The Cult Shopping Network is clearly flooding the orgs and missions with curious people. OMG, 2 OCA's is a "Win, win, win." If that is true, and these people are not overwhelmed with new public, then the CSN is a complete failure. But even more interesting: Sunland/Tujunga, according to Lydia Hopwood, consists of 30% scientologists. The … [Read more...]
The Fun Never Stops
So, the building is done and is being yanked into life on Saturday. But scientology NEVER tires of collecting money for their worthy causes (anything that results in more money for scientology is worthy/humanitarian). Though they collect tens of millions for "dissemination campaigns" and "planetary dissemination" and "ideal orgs" (beyond just the building fundraising) there is NOTHING in scientology that is identified as a valuable CAUSE on which to spend money, unless it is also a cause to COLLECT money. And they ALWAYS collect more than they spend. Apparently they cannot spend a few … [Read more...]
Orlando Ribbon Yanking
The big announcement has come. On Saturday, the Orlando morgue is set to open its doors. Of course, this had to be done in time for Maiden Voyage so there is something to show there. It's pretty much the ONLY thing there is to talk about with regard to scientology, so they orchestrate the funding, work and timing of the yanking event around Chairman of the Bored's schedule and the need for video for his "international events." Wonder how many "ringer" staff members they will have on hand for the "grand opening"? And as is the norm they don’t announce the presence of Dear Leader b … [Read more...]
Time, Place, Form and Event Part 6
The sixth installment of the first draft of a novel written by our old friend Terra Cognita. For the next little while it is our Sunday Serial. Terra welcomes all suggestions and feedback -- this is draft -- you can note them in the comments. Chapter 31 Roxy and I were sitting in a sauna in the basement of the same building that housed the big course room. We sat facing each other, each leaning back on opposite walls. Rivulets of sweat ran down our bodies. I wore an old pair of gym shorts; Roxy word a red bikini. I looked like I’d just finished a race. Roxy looked like a S … [Read more...]
The Ideal Org She Ain’t What She Used To Be
The National Public Affairs Office that is part of the DC Ideal org (the Fraser mansion at Dupont Circle) seems to have sprung a leak. One of our eagle-eyed correspondents sent in these photos yesterday. Looks like a rather large section of the roof has sprung a leak, so they deployed some tarpaulin tech to "handle the hell out of it".... Even though the majority of public at the DC org are NOI, they are not enough to make this org viable. No doubt, like all the other "ideal orgs", they are incapable of covering their expenses. As long as no water is gushing in, you can pretty … [Read more...]
Regraded Being
RB has had some technical difficulties this week. Here is an oldie but goodie. Someone the other day was asking about "Timmy"-- this has one of my all-time favorite lines from RB about farting during a sec-check... … [Read more...]
Thursday Funnies
An ideal "Continent" Really? 11 orgs to serve all of Asia, the Pacific and Australia/NZ.... That's "ideal"? And BTW -- the reg, Rikke, is the former RTC Rep FLB banished to Australia because of what she knew about Lisa McPherson. FUNraising? Seriously? That's what the regges think -- "Ooh, isn't this fun?" The people that actually have to give the money may have a different view. A special guest speaker... Why are they afraid to name them? Perhaps they think they might get more suckers if they DON'T announce who it … [Read more...]
No New Orgs Part 2
Some more promotion about the massive expansion of scientology that clearly states "we are not expanding at all." (see first in this series from a few days ago) This is the only org for "6 surrounding states" -- meaning there are NO ORGS IN THE 6 SURROUNDING STATES. This is their statement... I assume these 6 states are: Kansas (there is another org in Missouri in St. Louis), Arkansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Iowa and Kentucky? Idaho, Montana and Wyoming have no scientology either -- but they are closer to Portland, Salt Lake City and Denver. Then again St Paul is closer … [Read more...]
CCHR Fund Raising
I have often commented about scientology being masters of disaster capitalism -- taking advantage of any disaster or tragedy as a reason to collect more money. And here is the latest. Cashing in on the tragedy of mass school shootings. Let's begin with a fundamental: because two things are connected does not mean one is causative. When it rains, umbrellas appear that are otherwise not seen. A fool might conclude that umbrellas cause rain. When someone is mentally deranged enough to murder children in a school, it is more likely than not that they have been in the hands of the mental … [Read more...]
No New Orgs
I have often noted that scientology's claim about "new churches" is a semantic sleaze to try to fool the bubble-dwellers and outside world alike that they are actually expanding. They are not. What they have done is moved existing orgs into new buildings and called them "new churches." And those new buildings are EMPTY. They have not opened any new organizations in a decade other than one in Dublin for no good reason, though they have shuttered quite a number by "combining" them into one. Here is a classic example that highlights the foolishness of this "ideal org s … [Read more...]
Time, Place, Form and Event Part 5
The fifth installment of the first draft of a novel written by our old friend Terra Cognita. For the next little while it is our Sunday Serial. Terra welcomes all suggestions and feedback -- this is draft -- you can note them in the comments. Chapter 25 A young SO member stopped in front of Doug and me. She held my routing form in one hand and a clipboard in the other. Her name tag read “Roxy Brand,” and she looked about nineteen. Shiny blond hair just touched the top of her ears. “Rick,” she said. Come with me.” Doug and I rose from the couch and followed her up to the fourth floor … [Read more...]