Truth is stranger than fiction (though the Mission Earth series might disprove this old saw - it's hard to dream up weirder than that). I wonder if any of the WOTF contest winners understood that within a few weeks of being paraded on stage and handed a trophy and a check, their speeches would be being touted at the weekly "graduation" of scientology orgs? Like the people who are tricked into saying something positive about the "social betterment activities" and posing for pictures -- nobody warns them in advance that they will be being used to try to bestow legitimacy on scientology and … [Read more...]
Regraded Being
Thursday Funnies
The Chan Man is back... And it's only $100 to hear him ramble. How could you resist? He will teach you the secret to make yourself rich: charge people $100 to tell them to charge people $100 to get rich... Whole Track Technology to Make More Money! Jeanie better watch out, she is getting awfully close to setting herself up as a rival to the COB. "COB of the Midwest"? Love this promotion. Clearly she thinks the weird stuff attracts people... Maybe she could dress up in those white helmets, jump suits and boots like AOLA used to do. That was weird for sure. But … [Read more...]
Ideal Orgs, St Hill Size and Imaginary Bunnies
Another "Oops" from within. And this one is sadder than most. This couple "had to sacrifice many things in life" in order to hand over the needed funds to be anointed a "humanitarian." And it was all for naught. That is truly sad. I imagine these are good people who believe they are helping their fellow man. But setting that aside, let’s discuss the imaginary bunnies that spread tall tales believed only by those in the bubble. Pam and Ed make a rather startling admission. When they say "during Boston's St Hill size days" this was in the early 70's... nearly 50 YEARS ago. St Hill … [Read more...]
Freewinds Fail
The Freewinds is sinking, unable to stay afloat in a sea of red ink. Despite the fact that scientology screams "massive international expansion" at every opportunity and how they are opening "new churches" at a massive rate, the truth is a very different picture. The Freewinds is the only place on earth (this sector of the galaxy? the entire time/space continuum?) where OT VIII is delivered. It should be bursting at the seams with thousands of scientologists clamoring to do the first "real" OT level if there were people "flooding up the bridge" as they claim and each "ideal org" results i … [Read more...]
Purification Rundown Debunked
My old friend Bruce Hines forwarded this recent National Geographic article (emphasis mine). It says in part: From infrared saunas to hot yoga, towel-soaking activities are being touted not only as relaxation tools, but also as ways to stay healthy by flushing out toxins. Too bad you can’t sweat away toxins any more than you can sweat actual bullets. Recently published calculations back up what scientists have been screaming into their pillows for years: Sweating out toxins is a myth. Humans sweat to cool ourselves, not to excrete waste products or clear toxic substances. That’s w … [Read more...]
Time, Place, Form, and Event Part 4
The fourth 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. Time, Place, Form, and Event Chapter 19 A couple of hours later, Brenda walked into the room followed by Doug, and four guys in blue coveralls. One carried two of gallons of bleach. The last guy in line held a big square of folded, gray plastic. I felt just about as dead as Joan. “These guys are here to take care of things,” Brenda said. “Cl … [Read more...]
Ideal Org BS
Here is the reality of an "ideal org". They bring in virtually all the staff from outside the area -- even from outside the COUNTRY. In fact, they circulate a bunch of these people around from one ideal org to the next to create the appearance that there is a bustling staff ready, willing and able to serve the floods of people who will begin arriving the minute the doors open. This has been reported plenty of times in the past. This is the first time I have seen a black and white, blatant admission that the staff are imported for an ideal org... … [Read more...]
Regraded Being
Thursday Funnies
So much wrong here... A Non-Sea Org member giving a seminar at AOLA on how to become cause over life -- some way OTHER than doing the OT levels? I thought these non-staff seminar people were supposed to be reaching out to NEW public? More "seminars" from AOLA? What IS an "entirely new level of survival"? Nobody really knows, but you will get it if you give more money no doubt. Groovy baby Deal dancing? Truth in advertising award I guess they don't see the irony... One Time Only Event Everyone wishes that were true, … [Read more...]
Scientology Takes Over the World
Someone recently included some quotes from L. Ron Hubbard in a comment (I don't recall where exactly and sorry for not attributing) and it prompted some thoughts... Always a dangerous thing. And that was reinforced when I read the article on Tony Ortega's blog with new documents uncovered by Chris Owen disclosing that Mr. Hubbard, after failing to ingratiate himself with the apartheid governments of South Africa and Rhodesia, had sought to buy his way into Malawi by offering them hundreds of millions in today's dollars. (Interesting to note his liberal recounting of the "facts" about who he … [Read more...]
The Scientology Staff Recruitment Pitch
Despite what they tell themselves about their expansion, this was found on "MeetUp" and I thought it fascinating. Scientology is back to trying to recruit "wogs". Melbourne presents itself as one of the more successful "ideal" orgs -- and yet they apparently don't have a flow of new people to sign up for staff to deal with the inevitable attrition of those who leave because they cannot take the hours/insane demands or cannot survive on "staff pay", or both. Note the typically terrible spelling and grammar. And how they carefully call this "volunteering" and are given a "stipend … [Read more...]
The Truth About the CSN
Though scientology is making efforts to persuade people inside the bubble what an amazing success the CSN is with anecdotal stories of amazingness, the truth is less encouraging. It's impossible to get real numbers of viewership for DirecTV, but there are other measures of success that ARE available. Here are some figures from Google Trends. I have marked on the graph the Super Bowl ad and the CSN launch (and their massive media buys promoting the CSN -- TV, radio and internet). As you can see, after the initial launch, things have sunk back into their normal … [Read more...]
Time, Place, Form and Event Part 3
The third 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. Time, Place, Form, and Event Chapter 13 Her hands on her hips, Brenda stared down at Joan. “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” she said. “Jesus, fuckin, Christ.” I turned to Doug. “You never called an ambulance, did you?” “Why? You think we need one? You think some paramedic is gonna bring her back to life?” No. But they might have been able to revive h … [Read more...]
CSN New Shows Premiering Soon
In the spirit of play, and trying to support the Cult Shopping Network with some ideas for programming that might actually get an audience, my old friend Jefferson Hawkins (author of the wonderful Counterfeit Dreams that I highly recommend you read if you have not done so already and mastermind of SkyHawk studios graphic design) put together some promotional pieces. I thought you might enjoy them. Hard to imagine anyone topping the Duggan's, though I think her Royal Governess of the Vast and Entirely Empty Valley Ideal Org might give them a run for their money (so to … [Read more...]