April 11 in Scientology history

Our special source gives us another look at what Scientologists were sharing with each other on social media this week, and once again, things couldn't be better in David Miscavigeland! We'll start off with a rare check-in from the Los Angeles Ideal Org, which we had pretty much given up for dead. Not true! Krissten has gone Clear! There's never been a better time to learn to shatter suppression!

Tags: 1970, 2001, Andreas Heldal-Lund, Bermuda, Bill Robertson, Clear, Clearwater, David Miscavige, Dee Pearson, Dianetics, Freezone, Hal Puthoff, Hamilton, Hungary, Ideal Org, Ingo Swan, London, Los Angeles, Marcab, Mental Health, Scieno, Sea Org, Suzette Hubbard, Tampa, Uri Geller, WISE

are there benefits to cult membership? Is righteous indignation better than rage? How did Chris deal with his anger after leaving Scientology? Does life begin at 50? Is it safe to listen to ideas we're sure we'll disagree with? Is Scientology just Ron Hubbard's fever dream? Ups and downs – but mainly ups – on the road to freedom from an authoritarian group. Are Chris and Jon "anti-Scientologists"? What does the missing chapter from Let's Sell These People a Piece of Blue Sky say? What is charisma? Chris' latest talk with Jon on his channel, mentioned in this talk: https://youtu.be/CCna9YOUD4U Chris and Melissa's livestream about Tiger King:

Tags: A Piece of Blue Sky, Chris Shelton, Operation Clambake, Patreon, PayPal, Quicky, Tony Ortega, Twitter, Underground Bunker, Xenu

It's been almost a month since Scientology canceled its L. Ron Hubbard Birthday Event in Clearwater, Florida on March 13 and church leader David Miscavige put out his secret "bulletin" responding to the coronavirus crisis. In that bulletin, Miscavige furiously took swipes at the "hysteria" of the pandemic and proclaimed that Scientology's number one priority would be to "PROTECT THE ORG." And initially, Scientology tried to keep the orgs (churches) open, inviting members to come down and take courses even as stay-home orders were being put in place around the country. Eventually, reality set in and most orgs closed as Scientologists, like the rest of us, stayed home to help "flatten the curve."

Tags: 1970, Birthday Event, Chris Shelton, Clearwater, Coronavirus, David Avila, David Miscavige, Facebook, Florida, Hal Puthoff, Ingo Swan, Jon Atack, Orlando, Orlando Org, OT, Quicky, Suzette Hubbard, Touch Assist, Uri Geller, Volunteer Ministers, YouTube

This week I've got a bit of a surprise - we are doing the podcast live and with Jeffrey Augustine of Scientology Money Project fame onboard to talk about the recent troubles Scientologist and self-proclaimed real estate guru Grant Cardone has been having. Stuck at the Flag Land Base in Clearwater, laying off employees and a host of other issues seem to be hitting Grant hard. Jeff and I will be talking about this in detail, with plenty of callbacks to Scientology and how Grant uses it to run his business and his life, and how that may well have had a lot to do with his current predicament.

Tags: AMA, Audio, Clearwater, Flag Land Base, Grant Cardone, Jeffrey Augustine, Patreon, PayPal, Quicky, Scientology Money Project, Scientology: A to Xenu

I received a copy of a promotional piece from the Dror Center. It's one of the few successful "independent" scientology groups. Let me say at the outset that Dani and Tami Lemberger are wonderful people and personal friends and I thoroughly enjoy their company when they come to visit with us. They founded and still run the Dror Center. I do not subscribe to their views concerning scientology, but they try to help people and do no harm. No disconnection. No Fair Game. No hard sell regging.

Tags: Aviv Bershadsky, Coronavirus, Disconnection, Dror Center, Facebook, Fair Game, Independent, Merchants of Chaos, OT, Potential Trouble Source, Quicky, Scientology Handbook, Tami Lemberger, Texas, Twitter, Xenu

While we continue to wait for a response from the Watchtower organization to our inquiry about 'Bottlegate,' we thought we'd share with you an entertaining video by a couple of ex-JWs about it. What's 'Bottlegate'? It's a remarkable short video that surfaced showing JW Governing Body member Anthony Morris III purchasing about $850 in expensive scotch at 11 am on a Sunday morning in March (and throwing away the gift boxes), and in Ramsey, New Jersey, about a half hour drive from JW world headquarters in Warwick, New York. Lloyd Evans, who first posted the video, has explained how rare it is to encounter a Governing Body member in public at all, but this incident was particularly stunning because Morris in particular is known for his imperious statements about the standards Jehovah's Witnesses need to maintain in their appearance and behavior.

Tags: Jehovah's Witnesses, Lloyd Evans, New Jersey, New York, Quicky

Get the biggest Daily stories by email Subscribe Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email Nine years after buying the Royal Fleet Club, the Church of Scientology are once again applying to restore it. The church, via its agents Paul Butler Associates, lodged a planning application with Plymouth City Council requesting consent for the "comprehensive repair, refurbishment and change of use of the Royal Fleet Club to enable its conversion to a place of worship and religious instruction"

Tags: 1900, 1960, 2002, 2010, 2016, 2018, Church of Scientology Religious Education College Inc, England, L. Ron Hubbard, Plymouth, Rotting building, Royal Fleet Club, Royal Fleet Hotel, Sauna, UK, Victoria, Volunteer Ministers

(Keith Raniere) Former Nxivm leader Keith Raniere really doesn't like to be in jail and doesn't want to delay the start of his trial, which is scheduled to begin on April 29. Despite a flurry of activity leading up to jury selection, Judge Nicholas Garaufis has been able to keep things generally on track, but now US government prosecutors have submitted a request to move opening statements back to May 14.

Tags: Judge Nicholas Garaufis, Kathy Russell, Keith Raniere, NXIVM, Quicky, Utah

You might remember that we got some help last month from a health journalist who elicited an interesting reaction from the organization that runs Miss New York pageants, which in turn feed the Miss America contest. Our friend had brought up to the Miss New York Scholarship Organization that their current Miss New York, Rahmeka Cox, was seen helping out a Scientology front group, the Foundation for a Drug-Free World. In fact, for years we've been pointing out that Scientologists and Freedom Medal winners, Queens dentist Ben Fialkoff and his daughter, Meghan, have been infiltrating New York City schools to deliver L. Ron Hubbard's quack ideas about drug abuse, and often with the help of Miss New Yorks.

Tags: 2012, Bernard Fialkoff, David Miscavige, Foundation for a Drug-Free World, Freedom Medal, Kansas, Miss New York, New York, New York City, Phil Jones, Queens, Rachel Bernstein, Rahmeka Cox, Scientology practice, Sloane Lewis, Willie Jones

First, thank you so much for the quite overwhelming volume of good wishes on the occasion of my birthday yesterday. There is no way I could respond to everyone individually or even "like" or "heart" everything. It was extremely gratifying to know how many people out there have my best interest at heart. It's GREATLY appreciated. Scientology TV This was a BIG topic this week. The "new season" launched with 6 new episodes of the same old infomercials.

Tags: CCHR, Clear, Clearwater, Dallas, E-meter, Facebook, Flag World Tour, Hurricane Maria, Mission, Nashville, OT, Quicky, Scientology TV, Scotland, Sea Org, Sharon Lonstein, Stevens Creek, Study Tech, Texas, Thursday Funnies, Twitter, WISE

We have to apologize to University of Alberta Professor Stephen A. Kent. He sent us a copy of his newest book ages ago, and we simply haven't had time to do more than leaf through it. It's an academic tome, and its title is Scientology in Popular Culture: Influences and Struggles for Legitimacy, and it's a collection of chapters written by various scholars, including Susan Raine and Hugh Urban. Kent himself is one of the hardest-working scholars in the Scientology field, and he's amassed a legendary collection of Scientology materials, some of which we got access to when we were researching our own book about Paulette Cooper, The Unbreakable Miss Lovely.

Tags: 1947, 1986, 1987, 2000, 2012, 2014, Australia, Belgium, Bent Corydon, Boing Boing, CESNUR, Chicago, Chicago Fire, Christian Stolte, Church of Scientology of California, Coin, Cult, David Miscavige, Excalibur, Food and Drug Administration, Gerald Armstrong, Gerry Armstrong, Gordon Melton, Hugh Urban, John Brousseau, Los Angeles, Massimo Introvigne, Messiah or Madman?, Paulette Cooper, Quicky, Scientology in Popular Culture, Stephen A. Kent, Stephen Kent, Steven Spielberg, Susan Raine, The Unbreakable Miss Lovely, Turin, University of Alberta

In this video, I talk with highly trained former Scientologist and Sea Org member Sunny Pereira about how Scientology deals with medicine and mental health disorders. We get into the details of how the more common mental disorders would be translated into "Scientologese," what L. Ron Hubbard says causes these conditions and how Scientology would deal with them. Both of us were in Scientology for years and oversaw some of these kinds of handlings. In the next videos in this series, we will explore the Introspection Rundown as well. Playlist on this topic: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list... Basics of Scientology series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...

Tags: Audio, Basics, Introspection Rundown, Quicky, Scientology: A to Xenu, Sea Org, Sunny Pereira

In 1964, the Church of Scientology published a small document authored by L. Ron Hubbard called "Scientology Plan for World Peace," which set forth a vision of a "one world government" headed by the UN, with all decision-making to be handled by diplomats and bureaucrats resident in a giant "International City" to be built in North Africa. This document was only circulated for a few years, perhaps only until the early 1970s, when it apparently was allowed to fade quietly from sight. While it's been available on the web for a while, it hasn't been the subject of much scrutiny. We'll give a general overview of the proposed structure of Hubbard's world government but we'll focus on the economic prescriptions Hubbard throws out to solve all the world's ills. Unsurprisingly, they're the usual Hubbard stew of naively simplistic ideas presented with unwavering confidence in their brilliance. The biggest conundrum is why Hubbard would propose something under his own name that's so far left on the surface. Hubbard's political views, especially in the 1960s, were so rabidly anti-communist that they could have been lifted wholesale from the propaganda of the John Birch Society. We take a guess at Hubbard's real motivation. In particular, the bland assurance in the introduction that "the following programme has no other purpose or interest than attaining these ends" is highly suspect.

Tags: 1960, 1964, 1970, 1986, 1991, Africa, Albania, China, David Miscavige, Greece, IRS, John Birch Society, L. Ron Hubbard, Mediterranean, Morocco, Quicky, Rhodesia, Ron Paul, The Way to Happiness, United Nations

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.

Tags: 1972, Boston, Chairman of the Board, David Miscavige, Harlem, Ideal Org, Manhattan, New Haven, Quicky

Two years after he ordered Luis and Rocio Garcia to submit to the Church of Scientology's internal arbitration scheme, Tampa federal Judge James Whittemore has finally heard enough bickering by both sides and is taking matters into his own hands. In an order he released yesterday after a status hearing on Friday, Judge Whittemore has given the Church of Scientology just two weeks to turn over to him the names and contact information for 500 Scientologists in good standing in the Los Angeles area. The judge will then personally choose three people from that list and secure their cooperation to act as arbitrators. And he warned that if he catches either side contacting or responding to the three people he selects, he will hand out sanctions — which could include jail time. Can you imagine, a federal judge calling up a Los Angeles Scientologist and asking them to sit on an arbitrating panel, and telling them not to contact the church about it? Good luck on that one, judge.

Tags: 2013, Bob Lauffer, Case Supervisor, Class VIII, David Miscavige, Denver, Drug Free Hero, First Amendment, Garcia v. Scientology, Irvine, Judge James Whittemore, Los Angeles, Luis and Rocio Garcia, Meghan Fialkoff, Tampa, Wally Pope, Writers of the Future

This is an interesting piece from the Auditor magazine, the official chronicle of all things scientology: "if it isn't in the Auditor, it didn't happen" is the their motto. This is from back in the day before there was a conscious effort to distance Narconon from Scientology. Today, Narconon claims it is NOT Scientology. Scientology likewise claims all they do is "support" Narconon. This Auditor magazine story reflects the true nature of the relationship. They are not just in the same family, they are siblings. Maybe identical twins.

Tags: Narconon, OT, Quicky

There's a billboard in Los Angeles dotted with dozens of faces representing Scientologists who have separated from their families. It reads: "To my loved one in Scientology . . . call me." The massive message was placed in Echo Park this month by Phil and Willie Jones, former Scientologists who say they have lost their two adult children, Mike and Emily Jones, to a practice known as "disconnection," which believers describe as a last resort — ending communication with people who are "antagonistic to Scientology" to protect themselves from being torn from the religion. Phil Jones told NBC's Today that his son has told him he never wants to speak to him again.

Tags: 1952, 1970, Academic, Billboard, Clear, Disconnection, Emily Jones, GoFundMe, Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief, HBO, Hollywood Reporter, John Travolta, Las Vegas, Lawrence Wright, Los Angeles, Mike Jones, NBC, Phil Jones, Quicky, Sea Org, Tom Cruise, Washington Post, Willie Jones

(Gregg Hagglund, right, on the picket line in Toronto) When you're the target of a Scientology "noisy" investigation, the thing that's the most unsettling is the not knowing. Whether you're a former member of the Church of Scientology, or you're someone who investigates and writes about the organization, or you're just a curious citizen who wants to disseminate information about Scientology's controversial practices, you may find that your family members, your co-workers, even people you went to school with you haven't talked to in many years are suddenly hearing from private investigators asking for information about you.

Tags: 1949, 1951, 1952, 1955, 1956, 1960, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1986, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2013, 2015, Al Buttnor, alt.religion.scientology, Andreas Heldal-Lund, Anonymous, Battlefield Earth, Bridge to Total Freedom, British Columbia, Burglary, California, Canada, Casey Hill, CBC Radio, Charity, Clear, Clearwater, Conspiracy, Dallas, David Miscavige, DC, Disconnection, Edmonton, E-meter, England, Ethics Order, Facebook, Fair Game, FBI, Florida, Fort Harrison, Freedom magazine, Freedom Medal of Valor, Gary Soter, Globe and Mail, Gregg Hagglund, Guardian's Office, Guy Fawkes, Hospital, IRS, Jesse Prince, John Travolta, Key to Life, Lisa McPherson, Los Angeles, Mark Bunker, Mark Plummer, Nan McLean, Norway, Office of Special Affairs, Ontario, Ottawa, Paulette Cooper, Peter Ramsay, Private investigator, Quicky, RCMP, Robert Minton, Roland Rashleigh-Berry, Ron Sharp, Snow White Program, Spying, Squirrel, Stacy Brooks, Stephen Kent, Suppressive Person, The Unbreakable Miss Lovely, Timothy Appleby, Tom Cruise, Toronto, University of Alberta, Washington

 World  Business  Tech  Lifestyle  Entertainment  Crosswords Video  Photography  Washington Post Live  Live Chats Real Estate  Cars Jobs WP BrandConnect Classifieds Partners  washingtonpost.com 1996-2016 The Washington Post Terms of Service Privacy Policy Submissions and Discussion Policy RSS Terms of Service Ad Choices The Washington Post Acts of Faith 'We won't stop fighting': Parents use billboard to reach children inside Church of Scientology Resize Text Print Article Comments 21 Book mark article Save Read later list My List  Saved to Reading List By Lindsey Bever April 11 at 11:33 AM  Follow @lindseybever Reconnecting the #Scientology Disconnected and Declared—Call Me https://t.co/ttZRMI0x3C cc @CallMePhilJones pic.twitter.com/yZqWkLQDXe — IndieScientologyNews (@IndieScieNews) April 10, 2016 There's a billboard in Los Angeles dotted with dozens of faces representing Scientologists who have separated from their families. It reads: "To my loved one in Scientology … call me." The massive message was placed in Echo Park this month by Phil and Willie Jones, former Scientologists who say they have lost their two adult children, Mike and Emily Jones, to a practice known as "disconnection," which believers describe as a last resort — ending communication with people who are "antagonistic to Scientology" to protect themselves from being torn from the religion. Phil Jones told NBC's "Today" that his son has told him he never wants to speak to him again. "That's what they do," Jones said, sobbing. "It's a cruel and vindictive organization to do something like that."

Tags: Billboard, Disconnection, Emily Jones, GoFundMe, Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief, Hollywood Reporter, Las Vegas, Lawrence Wright, Los Angeles, Mike Jones, Phil Jones, Sea Org, Willie Jones

On March 13, Tampa federal Judge James D. Whittemore granted the Church of Scientology's motion to compel Luis and Rocio Garcia to submit to Scientology's internal arbitration scheme, which essentially ended the Garcias' lawsuit against the church. The Garcias, who live in Irvine, California, had sued the church for fraud, contending that donations they'd given of several hundred thousand dollars had been pried out of them through lying and deceit. They also contended that Scientology's "arbitration" scheme didn't really exist, and was just concocted for contracts they had signed in order to shield Scientology from lawsuits. As former members who had been declared "suppressive persons," they would never get a fair hearing from Scientology's own arbitrators, they said. Judge Whittemore agreed that the arbitration scheme appeared to be something of a phantom, but he argued that he couldn't rule if the Garcias would get fair treatment because that would require him to judge the practices and values of a church, and since both sides agreed Scientology was a religion, he couldn't go there. The Garcias, once they took a close look at the order, did a double take. When did they ever agree that Scientology was a religion?

Tags: A Piece of Blue Sky, Alex Gibney, Al-Qaeda, Amazon, Birmingham, California, Christian Szurko, Christopher Evans, CIA, Clear, Combatting Cult Mind Control, Critic, Cult, Cults of Unreason, Cyril Vosper, David Miscavige, Filmmaker, First Amendment, Garcia v. Scientology, Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief, Iran, IRS, Irvine, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jon Atack, Judge James Whittemore, Los Angeles Times, Luis and Rocio Garcia, Moonies, Mormon, NASA, OT, Paul Haggis, Ron Miscavige Sr, Roy Wallis, Steve Pfauth, Steven Hassan, Suppressive Person, Tampa, Tax exempt, Ted Babbitt, The Mind Benders, The Road to Total Freedom, Tom Cruise, UK

In a Los Angeles Times op-ed on Saturday, documentary filmmaker Gibney, whose Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief aired on Mar. 29 on HBO, addressed the church's tax-exempt status, and why the status should be revoked. "Regarding 'private interests,' it seems clear that Scientology is ruled by only one man, [Scientology head] David Miscavige," Gibney wrote in the op-ed. "Further, powerful celebrities within the church, particularly Tom Cruise, receive private benefits through the exploitation of low-wage labor (clergy members belonging to the Sea Org make roughly 40 cents an hour) and other use of church assets for his personal gain."

Tags: 1983, 1993, Alex Gibney, David Miscavige, FBI, First Amendment, Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief, HBO, IRS, John Travolta, Lawrence Wright, Los Angeles Times, Marty Rathbun, Mike Rinder, Police, Sara Goldberg, Sea Org, Tax, Tax exempt, Tom Cruise, US Supreme Court

A day or two delayed but better late than never. Especially when there is a new Regraded Being cartoon. Truth Well, in truth, most scientologists CANNOT stand the truth. See Regraded Being this week at the end of the post.

Tags: Battle Creek, Canada, Celebrity, Class XII, David Miscavige, Freewinds, Ideal Org, International Management, L. Ron Hubbard, New Year's Eve, OT, Pasadena, Purification Rundown, Quicky, Regraded Being, Thursday Funnies, Twin Cities

The secret of the GAG II Purif has leaked out. The "new tech" incorporated into the "GAT II Purif" is a VITAMIN DISPENSER and BLUE AND WHITE UNIFORMS (wrapped in plastic). This is MAJOR.

Tags: Ideal Org, John Allender, Los Gatos, Purification Rundown, Quicky

David Edgar Love and two other former patients of a Canadian drug rehab facility run by Scientology's front group, Narconon, have won a stunning victory from Quebec's human rights commission. More than three years after Love complained about the way he was treated as a patient and employee of the Narconon Trois-Rivières facility (now closed), the Quebec Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse has produced a scathing finding of fact that Narconon did violate Love's human rights. "This is a big win," Love told us during a Skype conversation Wednesday night.

Tags: 2007, 2009, 2012, California, Canada, CCHR, David Love, David Miscavige, Fair Game, Georgia, Minnesota, Narconon, Narconon Trois-Rivières, Nevada, Oklahoma, OT III, Quebec, Quebec College of Physicians, Quebec Human Rights Commission, Quicky, Sea Org, Skype, Super Power, WhyWeProtest

OK, so the truth is outing now. New Era had a surplus of DVDs, so they are shipping them instead of booklets. That's a bit strange, as every request for money has been to ship "booklets" and to buy "bundles" at no discount.... Now, the "success" is coming from "DVD's" — but really there is NOTHING to show for this except a couple of anecdotes from the always unnamed "officials" and "teachers" who "like it" and "want to use it"...

Tags: Kiev, OT, Quicky, Russia, Saint Hill Special Briefing Course, Ukraine

This is a quote sent out from the church as part of one of their many fundraising pitches. Methinks they would do well to read it: "When things are not running right, when the public, unable to perceive why, drift down to an apathy below perception, when a culture, already misguided, drifts further and further toward ruin, the nation is fortunate indeed that it has men with the genius to recognize approaching doom and the courage to speak out. ...

Tags: L. Ron Hubbard, Quicky

Consistent with our theme over the past couple of days, here is a video from the Executive Director of Buffalo Org about how their "BUDGET IS APPROVED" for their Non-Existence Campaign — all they need is the money (which is where you come in!). One thing consistent with all these pleas for money: THESE PEOPLE HAVE NO SHAME. They will announce to the world the most embarrassing things in order to try and get money. How amazingly embarrassing is it to be the first "Ideal Org", now with two Grand Openings, and to be telling your public "we don't have any money to get out of NonE"? I don't know this woman, though she appears to be a random OT VIII who is wasting her Spanish speaking skills in one of the lowest percentage Spanish speaking cities in the US.

Tags: Buffalo, Ideal Org, OT VIII, Quicky

Prenatal engram material? Welcome to our ongoing project, where we blog a 1950 first edition of Scientology's bible, Dianetics, with the help of ex-Scientologist, Bay Area lawyer, blogger, and author Vance Woodward. Go here for the first post in the series. Vance, in this next chapter of the section on therapy, "The Auditor's Role," Hubbard lays down some pretty important guidelines which still seem to be in force today. One of the key ideas in Hubbard's therapy is that the listener — which he has named the "auditor" — must not interfere with the person he's listening to.

Tags: 1950, 1970, Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape, Cult, David Miscavige, Dianetics, Eric Roux, France, Infinite Complacency, Jenna Miscavige Hill, Jonny Jacobsen, Paris, Purification Rundown, Quicky, Roger Ellory, Roger Gonnet, Ruin, Sea Org, Vance Woodward

CALIENTE, Nev. -- Former patients and employees are speaking out about a Nevada drug rehab center they describe as having mold and lice -- and requires patients to try to move objects with their mind. Narconon, an unlicensed rehabilitation center in Caliente, Nev., is connected to the Church of Scientology, but many parents sending their children there claim they were never told that. The I-Team has been investigating Narconon for nearly three years. The center is about 100 miles northeast of Las Vegas in Lincoln County.

Tags: Caliente, Las Vegas, Narconon, Nathan Baca, Nevada, Quicky

CALIENTE, Nev. -- An unlicensed drug rehabilitation facility with ties to the Church of Scientology is doing business in Nevada. Former patients and employees of Narconon said the center is forcing those who check into the center to try and lift ashtrays with their minds, among other controversial practices. The I-Team has investigated Narconon for the past three years.

Tags: Narconon, Nathan Baca, Nevada, Quicky

British crime writer R.J. Ellory's 27-year-long association with Scientology made the news in France earlier this month. But how committed is he? 1 Now here's a twist in the tale: English thriller writer R.J. Ellory, who only last year had to apologise for an egregious lapse of professional ethics, turns out to be a long-time Scientologist. British crime writer R.J. Ellory Britain's Daily Telegraph reported in September 2012 that Roger Jon Ellory had been caught using "sock-puppet" accounts to write glowing reviews for his own books. As one wag at the New York Times put it a couple of days later: "His Biggest Fan was Himself".

Tags: 1986, 1990, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012, Birmingham, Captain Howdy, Daily Telegraph, England, Foundation for a Drug-Free World, France, Haydn James, International Association of Scientologists, John Duignan, L'Express, Merchants of Chaos, Movie, Narconon, New York Times, Office of Special Affairs, Purification Rundown, Quicky, Registrar, Roger Ellory, Scientology celebrity, Sea Org, Study Technology, Telegraph, The Complex, Tony Ortega, Underground Bunker, Wikipedia

Critics say that after being hounded in countries like France, Canada, and the US, the Church of Scientology is seeking to establish new markets in other parts of the world. "Asia could prove to be a goldmine for the program, with Vietnam being its entry point into the region," said Kent, the Canadian sociology professor. "Consequently, Vietnamese officials should respond appropriately to this ineffective program, because the program has implications not only for their country's citizens but also for people throughout Southeast Asia," he said. The church sent volunteers to Asia to administer another of its treatments, a massage called a "touch assist," in the aftermath of disasters including the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and 2008 Myanmar cyclone, the Associated Press report said. An, who is also a major-general, said that after the first phase of piloting the treatment last November, the hospital and the Scientologists have been in "regular touch" to compare notes. "The first step [of collaboration] is very good," he said.

Tags: ABLE, Agent Orange, David Carpenter, Detox, Food and Drug Administration, Hoang Manh An, Institute for Health and the Environment, Lucas Catton, Narconon, Narconon Arrowhead, Nguyen Duc Hanh, Nguyen Thi Hien, Niacin, Purification Rundown, Rubina Qureshi, Stephen Kent, University at Albany, Vietnam, Wayne Dwernychuk

Maureen Bolstad described her years imprisoned inside Scientology's punishment programme - and how the movement's disconnection policy had cut her off from her twin sister. Maureen Bolstad quickly got to the heart of the matter.i "I'd like to first say that I currently have a situation where I've been disconnected from my own twin sister and it's a very heart wrenching and hurtful thing to me.

Tags: 1993, 1995, 1997, 2010, Australia, Clearwater, Disconnection, Florida, Lisa McPherson, Mark Bunker, Maureen Bolstad, Quicky, Rehabilitation Project Force, Sea Org, Xenu

In his Easter homily Archbishop Robert Rivas, O.P., of the Archdiocese of Castries the capital of St Lucia, has denounced Scientology's penetration of his nation through the Scientology front group, The Way To Happiness. The homily is an historic document. Archbishop Rivas is the first Roman Catholic hierarch in the English-speaking world to speak out against Scientology. Cardinal Marc Ouellet, Archbishop of Quebec and Roman Catholic Primate of Canada publicly criticized Scientology on two occasions in 2009 and warned Catholics about Scientology at his annual press lunch in February of this year. However, his remarks were made in French and not reported outside the francophone media of Quebec. Archbishop Rivas refers to Cardinal Ouellet in his homily. Archbishop Rivas' homily addresses three subjects of concern: the current drought in St. Lucia, the aftermath of the earthquakes in Haiti; and the subversion of St. Lucia by Scientology. Dialogue Ireland has received the complete text of the homily, and we print below the concluding section, which deals with Scientology.. The Freewinds is a cruise ship operated by the Church of Scientology in the Caribbean. Training for the most advanced level of Scientology's expensive courses of self-improvement may be taken only on board it. In March the ship docked in Castries to launch Scientology's campaign to distribute L. Ron Hubbard's The Way To Happiness, a simple, yet subversive compilation of moral principles. The campaign is being carried out by a Scientology front group in St. Lucia called the National Youth Mentoring Programme, which is promoting the book as a means of crime prevention and criminal rehabilitation.

Tags: Freewinds, Marc Ouellet, Robert Rivas, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Lucia, The Way to Happiness

The organisation was turned down for charitable status in 1999 because the Charity Commission ruled scientology was not a religion in English charity law. Graeme Wilson, the director and spokesman for the Church of Scientology in England and Wales, said it had not decided whether to reapply. But he said some UK bodies had already recognised scientology as a religion, including the City of London last October when it granted the Church charitable rates relief. He said: "Over the years there have been many official recognitions of scientology's religiosity throughout Europe, including in Britain.

Tags: East Grinstead, Graeme Wilson, Russia, UK Charity Commission, Youth for Human Rights International

Gov. David Walters gets a lot of visitors pushing one idea or another, but few visitors turn as many heads as the one he had Wednesday. Actress Kirstie Alley met with Walters and Secretary of State John Kennedy to plug the Narconon Chilocco New Life drug rehabilitation center at the old Chilocco Indian School in Kay County. "She came to express her interest in the center," Kennedy said later.

Tags: David Walters, Don Anderson, Kansas, Kirstie Alley, Narconon, Narconon Chilocco, Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Wichita