Not a lot of time to put this together, the Garcia hearing continues this morning (See Tony Ortega’s blog).
But some good ones came across the transom since last week….
Burning Up The Track
The Birthday Game has become the “Fundraising Birthday Game” with the motto “Give LRH what he didnt want for his birthday, no expansion, just money not for services.”
And even then, 6 of these orgs managed less than $1000. It takes a LOOOOOONG time to buy and renovate an ideal org palace at $100 a week.
Tampa Central Files
It never ends… The scientology administrative system is just not workable. But they keep persisting with it, investing literally MILLIONS of man hours in a never ending quest to have up to date paper files.What a monumental waste of effort. Remember, this is the Model SH Size Ideal Org.
ASHO
The org formerly known as the American St Hill Org (now the American Survival RD Headquarters Org) is specializing in Russian and Italian????
ANZO Math
Apart from not being able to spell the name of the capital of their country right, this math is really something. IF we had 2/3rds of our orgs done we would be the “closest continent to FULL COMPLETION GO ANZO GO!”. I have a better idea: “With 100% of our orgs done we will be the first continent completed” (providing no other continent says it first….)
Pasadena
Come to Pasadena and move up the Bridge. Or more likely, move DOWN the bridge. Anyone want to bet whether Cindy Bamforth is a new public or if she is redoing the Purif?
Oh gosh. What a shock. Just looked her up and she was on Solo NOTs in 2009…
SMP
Or “Sump” as it is fondly known, is going to have 6 satellite dishes (and that is better than 1 because?), 20 edit bays (they cannot keep the 8 they already have at Gold busy, good reason to get 20 more.) And not only that, it is “near Paramount” and “ABC”. Maybe they can rent out their satellite dishes and empty edit bays to them? Otherwise, what is their proximity got to do with anything? They are even closer to the Children’s Hospital and Popeye’s Chicken… Probably saving those valuable facts for the next pitch for money.
Tampa. Again.
These are really the “model” Ideal Orgs (Tampa Day and Fdn)? I count less than 60 people in this staged “waving shot”? How can that be? They are shrinking in this golden era of massive international expansion? Surely not the MODEL ideal orgs?
Flag OTC
I guess they turned off the irony button.
Piggy’s fund raisers? Seriously….
Orange County
Another “ideal org” “solving it with scientology.”
These orgs are literally willing to do ANYTHING to try and get people to come in the door for any reason at all…
Pasadena Partnering
Pasadena. Again.
As I said, they will do anything to try and get people to come in.
Next they will be having speed dating nights.
Epic EUS/Can Event
Check it out below. Really looks pretty “epic” — 25 or 30 people and an ideal moose. And they are STILL talking about Toronto org. One of the ONLY orgs that did not require new premises when the “ideal org evolution” began 12 years ago. And it is STILL not done. But now they are talking about opening an AO in Ontario. That should go well.
Southern Convention
Though its a mystery as to what this is all about, I would hazard a guess that someone wants money. Think I will give it a miss.
Hmmm… 11 YEARS in the making. Must be something REALLY special (and VERY overdue…)
But rest assured, this is the BIGGEST. EVENT. EVER.
How do we know? The DEPUTY Building Expansion Dir Int is presiding. Must be more important than one of the Miscavige events…
“Sacramento” Clearing
Well, sort of. Not IN Sacramento at the Ideal Golden Age Of Tech Sacramento Org. But at ASHO??
Apparently they don’t make clears IN Sacramento, so this will have to do. And they are making a big announcement about it.
Notice ASHO has a new motto. The “Clearing Org” of the Americas? Isn’t that supposed to be EVERY Class V Org?
Regraded Being
Cindy Bamforth was an old friend from Seattle. She even dated my son when he was in high school. She comped OT VII last year. And now she is done with the PURIF? Sick, sick, sick. How could they even put such a farce up as PR?
“Regraded being” is a brilliant comic strip. Humor is a very effective weapon. I hope we see a book of the strips sometime in the future.
COMPLETELY OFF TOPIC – I’ve been listening to a lot of Christianity lately. Has anyone else found it comforting? I like how they’re non-judgemental compared to $cientology. We’re all God’s children. And we’re all fallen. I feel this is more truth than all the 20 years I spent studying $cientology. I developed a lot of deep addictions after leaving $cientology and feel like there’s no one and nowhere else to turn to. I’m not sure if I’m going to be here tomorrow. $cientology fucked me up good. God Bless.
Wish you good luck on your journey.
Jethro, We’ve been at the bottom rung on our mental states since leaving the church. Other people need to learn from what you went through. So don’t leave. You are not alone. Do not take the wrong indication that you are bad or evil. You are a perfect being just the way you are and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Stay strong for others. You have friends in the Indie world. You are welcome here. If you go away, the church will take a win on that. But don’t do it. We are here for you.
Beautiful Cindy, +1. I saw a great Abraham Lincoln quote yesterday that made me laugh. It was, “The good thing about the future is that it happens one day at a time.” For me, two particular datums have demonstrated proven value, in complicated and rough times. One is value life and the other is, just do the next right thing. I hope you find your way Jethro, and find peace.
Good advice Hallie and others. Jethero, we want to hear from you.
Jethro, Here is a link to The Life And Morals Of Jesus Of Nazareth by Thomas Jefferson. A brilliant work taken from the King James version of the Bible. https://archive.org/details/thomasjeffersont012049mbp Read Jefferson’s introduction thoroughly.
Jethro – whatever it is that you are experiencing right now will not last forever, even though it may seem to be the case. Cindy and Hallie Jane made some beautiful points. Please listen and God bless you too.
Cindy, that was so nice what you said. “Stay strong for others” resonates with me because that is exactly what I’ve done when I’ve hit dark times. Great advice.
Hallie Jane, the same to you. There’s a lot of wisdom in to “value life and just do the next right thing”. Bravo ladies.
+ 100
John Locke,
Thank you for the link – it’s an interesting read and I’m getting my own copy.
You make great points, Isabella.
I wonder what qualifications Daphna has to advise people on finding their soul mate (Pasadena).
I recall one of her emails talking about how to “vaccine” a person from black PR about Scientology and a lady she was working with to bring her into the church. Daphna was proud to announce that through her coaching, she got the lady to “shut up” her husband when he tried to tell her something about Scientology.
This sounds a little incongruous.
Nice work on the cartoon Regraded Being. Nice colors too.
It’s weird that Sacramento Org is sending members to ASHO like this. Are people attesting clear in Sacramento or only in ASHO? It was only November (3 months ago) that this blog reported how Portland was sending people to Sacramento to attest clear. Now Sacramento sends people away, too.
https://www.mikerindersblog.org/portland-ideal-org-isnt-clearing-anyone-let-alone-portland/
LOL! Love the one quote in Regraded Being:
“Wow! This is like in the old days when our parents were still in and connected. Man we’re living history!”
Reminds me of a couple quotes I ran across:
History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce.
-Karl Marx
If history repeats itself, and the unexpected always happens, how incapable must Man be of learning from experience.
-George Bernard Shaw
I look forward to the Thursday funnies and the Bunker’s Sunday funnies every week.
Regraded Being is hysterical. And oh so true.
I liked the “GO WUS!” slogan on one of the flyers. Per the urban dictionary: wus =
a person afraid to act or not up to the task because of fear.
And I think Ron’s quote got it a little bit wrong when he said that the islands will eventually become the sea. Um. That would mean the islands would become submerged. Straight down and underwater!
Good stuff!
Pssst – Wellington is the capital of NZ – just sayin 😉
Did I say otherwise somewhere?
Photoshop “IN” bodies to make it look like business is booming or
crowds show up at grand openings.The staff too scared to death to
give PR photos to D.M. for approval that portray the truth and the “POPE”
encourages it !!!!
Great Cartoon Mike, should have Sunderland org in distant background.
Looking at these Funnies from the viewpoint of a Never-In, as someone completely unfamiliar with Scientology, someone who never heard of L. Ron Hubbard, looking at these people, I have to say they look not altogether sane. Back in the day when I reached for Scientology I did so because I read Dianetics and was curious. Now, if I had seen photos like this – if someone had shown me these and said, “Look, here are some Scientologists” – I would have thought, “These people look kind of wierd”, and I wouldn’t have gone into an org. I was reaching for answers to important questions and some relief for the mental pain I was stuck in, but I didn’t want to join up with Mooney/Looney fanatic types. These photos, in my opinion, are extremely out-PR and I am amazed that the cult allows them.
The area of Southern Ontario is the most populous and richest part of Canada. Canada is not just a land of hockey, lumberjacks, maple syrup and hockey (and more hockey). Ontario has one the largest steel plants in eastern continent. Real estate there never saw the type of slowdown that the US had in the recent recession. Yet with all these resources, the CO$ can’t get up the money to fix what should be a real show piece in the most prestigious part of Toronto.
Ever since Buffalo NY ( not exactly a current economic powerhouse) and Cambridge Ontario went ‘ideal’, both locations have played ‘steal the customer’ from both sides of the boarder. When the exchange rate between the US and Canadian dollar got as little as 5 cents different, both mOrgs would advertise (via snail mail) the exchange difference and urge the loyal clams to cross the boarder. It is easier to get Canadian clams to go to Buffalo, tax savings alone on shopping for clothes can pay for the trip (but not the auditing).
Yet still the prime building in Toronto sits empty. Did the international landlord abscond with all the money? All I see is a customer base that can’t sustain 3 major mOrgs in the area.
Laughed hard at the cartoon. And the shooped Tampa pic. Good times…….
Nice, HJ! Very nice!
You do a damn good post in a hurry Mike. What an assortment of bizarre activities, none having any relation to spiritual well being or auditing anyone. The radical church has all but abandoned their actual purpose. The piggy in a pile of money…..oh my. It looks like someone had the bright idea to base an ad campaign on a sports theme. It’s funny how hard they assert their religiousness, yet adopt every quirky theme possible to feign cheerfulness, abandoning the dignity of true religious pursuit. I remember when Cindy Bamforth told me her 12 year old step daughter was being given to the sea org. I guess when you abandon your children, you have more money to donate to dm’s sheikdom. Teens can be really annoying and possibly take up valuable time you could spend redoing your bridge.
Awesome satire Regraded Being! Your work and talent are very much appreciated. 🙂
+1
Money well spent. Katharina is 100% who she is. Until OTIII, that is, when Hub gets to shit all over that kind of “win”. I’m guessing she’ll have more than a few questions then.
REGRADED BEING CARTOON IS NOW COMPLETE. My apologies for not loading it all correctly. It is now there in all its glory….
Thanks, Mike! A warm ack for how you manage to keep up with this blog despite the Garcia commitment. Much appreciated.
Regraded, this is a gem as usual, and I really relate to, “Please tell me I was never like that”. Do I ever.
Ditto! Hats off for doing an amazing job with the blog, specially in these end times for the Cof$.
I love the Regraded Being cartoons! Reminds me of most of the SO members I’ve known. And also of how every other word out of staff members’ and SO members’ mouths is fuck, fuck, fuck. So strange for a so-called “religious” movement.
Personally, when I left Scientology I got into Christianity. It’s not for everyone, but I find the people are much more understanding about the human condition, as opposed to the condescending attitude Scientologists tend to have about the rest of humankind. Plus, there is still a strong drive to help, especially those who are less fortunate, which I think is important.
I want to thank Mike and everyone else who posts on this blog for getting data out there that otherwise would not be broadly known.
When I moved from the Northeast to Texas, it was already partially to get away from Scientology. But sources like this blog and helped me come to terms with what I already sensed must be true; that something was really wrong, and whatever it could be, it was pervasive.
Hi Isabella. Welcome. Nice to see a new “face” here.
The Regraded Being cartoon for this week is now complete.
Hi Isabella. Welcome. My daughter also joined a Christian church after leaving the church. She has a strong God concept and loves the real charity work. She also gets auditing from a lovely, kind indie auditor when she feels like it. She’s making bridge progress which was stopped for arbitrary reasons. We’re free to follow what we feel is right for us and that feels…..so right! Best wishes!
My friend Vinaire told me to simply “Do What Works”
Hi Isabella! Nice to have you here.
Isabella, I agree with you about all the potty-mouthing in the Co$. Something can’t be just great good, bad, or whatever – no, for emphasis, its always “fucking great”/good/bad, etc. And then, if they’re writing, they have their exclam tech (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) for emphasis. Ah, yes, the Co$ – spearheading literacy on this benighted planet…
Hello Isabella. I also moved “to get away from Scientology” but quickly discovered that it will never be far enough. Our life experiences will follow us wherever we go. This blog was very instrumental in helping me to sort out what I did know already from what I wasn’t too sure about, to finding my place again. I am very grateful for it, for Mike’s work and for all of the people who post here.
I’m happy that you found your path and wish you happiness and continued success.
Mike please tell us more details on Pope, Cartwright and your assessment
Tampa Org is offering SNACKS if you help with Central Files….but you would be well advised to take a shit before you go there because they won’t be offering toilet paper.
what could be more “productive” and “uptone” and “fun”?
Exactly! OTs don’t need toilet paper, since they are Cause over MESS – oops I mean MEST
Mike, your comments make it possible to wade through the trash with a smile. OSA must love you.
RB, your commic is the carrot on the stick. A great one today. I only hope the satire does not reflect reality 😉
For those who still give a damn about the ethics tech and are doing their doubt on the church, the truth is right in front of you. The “church”, every single entity that comprises it, is advertising its down stats, omitted VFPs, and false purposes loud and clear in every single publication.
Incidentally, the CoS (can’t speak for the rest as I don’t know them) practices a cute form of implanting that Hubbard accused the alleged “fifth invader force” of doing. Once you leave, they replace other people’s memories of you with twisted lies and slander, and scramble their minds. Implantees henceforth no longer correctly remember who you are or were. Neat, huh?
In my view, the group is about as relevant as people gathering at a local pub (drunk as a skunk) to discuss how they’d handle politics if they were in charge. A refreshing realisation.
To add insult to injury now I read that they changed ASHO”s motto as the place where auditors are made, the Dukes of the Auditors Elite, Home of the Briefing Course, to just, “The Clearing Org of the Americas.” So they ditched “Home of the Briefing Course” and think no one will notice that? And aren’t ALL orgs the Clearing Orgs?
Yes Cindy, that is one gargantuan technical degrade. And they don’t even notice. Oi Vey!
Mike, as an auditor, I cringed when I read the tech degrade and out-KSW statement from ASHO, “Pacifica” (why can’t they just say PAC like it’s always been?) The promo says that “virtually every pc completing the Survival Rundown and going into the HGC at ASHO goes Clear within 2 to 4 weeks.”
Grades 0 to 4 plus NED make up 6 major actions. So by their figures that is 2 Grades or 2 major auditing actions per week. In order to do that they are Quickying like crazy. In the LRH Reference “From Clear to Eternity” Ron says the lower levels go fast and the time adds on as you go up the Bridge, but that at lower levels you can do Grades to Clear in a few months or so. Now they are boasting half that time or less to get what kind of EP? Clearly they aren’t running many of the processes per Grade. And NED can take several months to do. Everything Ron warned against, Quickied Grades, Boasting of Speed of Delivery, all of it is now being done at ASHO, the org that carries the St Hill name in it. I’m sure Ron would be appalled.
They named the Bridge “Pacifica” for the same reason why Starfleet named a ship “Voyager”: because naming something after a Chrysler Corporation minivan is sooooooo cool.
Cindy,
My attention got stuck at that same phrase ‘going clear in 2-4 weeks after completion of SRD’.
What a scam!
Greta
Not if you’re doing it for the 3rd time!!!!!!!
The funniest part of the these is the unsubscribe link on the Toronto email. Guessing the opt-out button goes straight to Captain Davey…
” Could it be one of those dreaded calls to the Atlanta Org which the fool on the other end wishes they had never picked up?”
Is there any other kind? 🙂
I see all 4 frames of the Regraded Being cartoon. Marvelous, as usual! It always has the ring of truth. Also agree with Pierrot Reno, the picture looks photo shopped to me, it seems off, and I also see the same face twice – unless it’s her twin.
Hi TJ
This one has 5 frames. You’ll have to check back later after Mike has had his day in court.
Oh, I see there was more to the comic! It was good even without the missing frame. I always am impressed by the comic strips. Thanks!
Regraded.. OH Yay I’m here later than usual ..and saw all 5 fabulous frames..You are so talented..funny and wow spot on! Thank you for such a valuable contribution to Mike’s blog..
Well, of course it’s photo-shopped! There’s nothing real in scientology. It’s all just expensive make believe.
The people in front, check out their hands.
My last comment was to you, Mike and those of you fighting the fight today in Tampa. Kick Ass.
Regraded Being, your strip today once again nails it. Hilarious how they miss the bus and are taking a win on their insanity. Interesting how truth can be funny.
I can hardly read the promo for the various events and churches. They go along with the comic strip. Delusional people, pushing delusional lies at the behest of a delusional leader all the while forbidding anyone IN to look, see, hear or read any other thing about their group except what they are told. The heartbreaking abuses that are going on around that prevention are horrific, otherwise I wouldn’t care how deluded these people want to be.
Good stuff this week Mike. And love your work Regraded Being!
You just know people are going to read the first poster as “Go Wuss!” LOL.
And about the music at the filing party, I suspect it’s “Thank You For Listening” or something equally terrible. I hope the participants bring earplugs.
I think they ought to go with: Go Wussies!
Tampa has 65,000 in CF? That’s more than all Scn’ers that have ever existed in the entire New World. Did they at one time just create files for every telephone book listing in their area?
Huh? How could they be ” investing literally MILLIONS of man hours in a never ending quest to have up to date paper files” if they have fewer and fewer members… LOL! 🙂
Aha! That Tampa “Island of Friendliness” flyer photo is not only staged, but Photoshopped till its pixels squeak using the same small crowd repeatedly in different positions, as an earlier use of it last year proved. They’ve used a cropped version this time, disguising the more obvious anomalies at the outer edges. You can see the May 2014 version exposed here in all its rampant dishonesty: https://www.flickr.com/photos/marksshoops/13990675628/
Thanks for the link Mr. S. That link is very revealing. It really is worth a look.
Pas de quoi! 🙂
And how come ODD from Latam (Mexico) is second in lead when, as of last year, he owed two years rent and taxes?
The regraded being cartoon is excellent.
Opps. I mean Tampa
Wish I was in Texas to watch
Kick ass!!
it seems the “first ideal continent ” has already been claimed…….and it’s “actual” too.
https://backincomm.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/ias-shirt.jpg?w=873&h=1158
On the Flag OTC flyer it mentions “A Surprise call to Atlanta”. What is that all about? Could it be one of those dreaded calls to the Atlanta Org which the fool on the other end wishes they had never picked up? Only beaten by the “Surprise visit to Atlanta” where they turn up at your door uninvited and won’t leave without a substantial amount of money.
I think it’s the clown dwarf who’s going to call to berate the staff for not raising enough money and putting everyone in lower conditions. After which, he’ll go out with his sycophants to have a a very expensive dinner and drinks.
Morning Mr. Rinder, it is my view that the picture for Tampa Bay has obviously been photoshopped… I see two faces that seem to be from the same person and the visual of the people standing in the doorway do not blend with the people at the front, the gap is too big between the two groups and the lighting and edges are too different and just don’t seem to make sense. So I would say even less than 60.
Surely you must be mistaken, Pierrot! And, yes, I’ll stop calling you Shirley. But, this is THE most ethical group on Planet Earth as we know it today. They would never stoop so low! That would not be ethical! Maybe you haven’t had your eyes check in awhile. Maybe that’s it! Yeah, yeah, that’s it!
Of course, I did start drinking early this morning.
There’s also the differences in skin tones between two people next to each other, and how some hands are blurred and others, not so much. A professional photographer could’ve made it much more believable, instead of something from the Thomas Kincaid school of painting that they ended up with.
“Thomas Kincaid School of painting.” Good one, TDA! Every time there’s an event for a new Idle Morgue, it’s photo-shopped. It has to be because there’s hardly anyone left…
Nah! They’d NEVER pass along a phony picture. NOT the “most ethical liars (oops) people on the planet. I also noticed that virtually everyone in that picture was SO staff in their uniform dress for the public. Really sad to see such lack of any vision. Reminds me of voters in the US who really think it makes a difference whom they vote for! LOL
Good for you to catch that, thegman! I keep tabs on the Pasadena Idle Morgue and they have SO there now too. I guess regular staff couldn’t cut the mustard! Maybe just the cheese…
Is that SO uniforms, or ‘ideal org’ staff uniforms?
thegman, I just need to say that comments like this “Reminds me of voters in the US who really think…” have started to make it unpleasant for me to read this blog. Lately we’ve had Islamophobic tirades, quotes from the racist writer John Derbyshire, “Apple is a cult,” and other off-topic but provocative remarks that seem to be tossed in like verbal hand grenades.
These comments don’t advance the discussion, and they’re typically made in a way that seems designed to provoke — as if the poster is saying, “I dare you to disagree with this, because I’ve got a *lot* to say if you’re that stupid.”
I’m just one reader and a relatively infrequent commenter, and I understand that an internet forum “belongs” to the people who use it most. But this is such a great and helpful blog — and an important one, for people who care about the actual topic here — and I think it deserves to be treated with care and respect. Heaping scorn on people whose who hold mainstream views (Muslims are okay, racism is bad, voting matters, Apple is not a cult) is not a civil way to behave. And over time, it undermines the blog more than any OSA troll.
Thank you Richard. This is a very good comment and I agree with you. I try not to cut off people as a general rule, and I am often really busy and moderate the comments on my phone so I can only glance at things to ensure they are not completely batshit crazy. If people are saying Apple is a cult or racist comments, I apologize as I don’t think they are appropriate either. But I commend the commenters here for not taking the bait and allowing threads to derail off into these things.
Appreciate you taking the time to note this.
I must agree, very shooped indeed. Tampa is just too close to Clearwater to need ringers or shoops. What, not enough buses to ‘loan’ a few Sea bOrg to Tampa for a photo op? Yet still, they shoop. I don’t see many public type clothes in that pic. It looks like a reunion from 50 years ago for some now defunct department store. Any one remember WT Grants?
More Coffee
Now missing 3rd frame.
Oh dear. So sorry. Nothing I can do til I get home from court unfortunately. My apologies.
No sweat Mike, Wish you success today.
Good Morning Mike
Cartoon is missing 4th frame.
Ooops. Sorry RB. Now fixed. Hurrying this morning….
Just saw the whole cartoon, RB. Really cute but sad at the same time. When I think of those teens joining the Sea Org and getting their priorities and world views twisted, it’s disheartening.