Of course, it didn’t take long for the pitches for money for the earthquakes in Japan and Ecuador to appear.
I have received a few of them, each pretty much repeating what is said below.
Scientology (particularly the IAS) is the poster child for disaster capitalism ( defined as: the practice of generating profits based on the occurrence of a disaster). Note: it is PROFITS, not just revenue or income. If the money was SPENT on what it was collected for, it would not be profit.
The IAS has accumulated billions over the years. They NEVER spend more than they collect — that is basic Hubbard doctrine. They ALWAYS collect MUCH MORE than they spend, all spending is only done in accordance with two principles:
- Spend as little as possible on anything that does not remain your asset (in other words you can splurge on buildings as they are retained as an asset)
- Ensure the PR value for future fundraising is at least as great as the cost of whatever project it is that is being funded.
Over the years, many have drawn parallels between Herbalife (and other MLM — Multi-Level Marketing — schemes) and scientology.
At the exact time I was sent the email above, someone sent me the press release below commenting: “Sounds just like scientology and the VM’s”…
How true it is. Apparently scientology and MLM’s share some common ground (Herbalife is the biggest MLM in the world) – the promise of happiness and success based on a system that generates a lot of money for those at the top and a lot of people with cleaned out savings accounts and stockpiles of materials at the bottom.
But there is one noticeable difference in the Herbalife PR release. They say EXACTLY how much money they are giving along with their nutrition bars. Scientology NEVER says how money they give to go along with the WTH books they hand out (and those have to be bought separately, Herbalife donates their nutrition bars, which are in fact quite nutritious).
But what ISNT different is they are asking for more money.
And more significantly, they are patting themselves on the back. Self-congratulation is a “tech” scientology has truly mastered. In fact, you might well call this the Golden Age of Self-Admiration.
Herbalife and the Herbalife Family Foundation Provide Support to Earthquake Victims in Ecuador, Japan
LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Global nutrition company Herbalife, (NYSE: HLF), the Herbalife Family Foundation (HFF), and the Los Angeles chapter of the American Red Cross today announced their support for those impacted by recent earthquakes in Ecuador and Japan.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have been impacted by these earthquakes, and we are proud to partner with the American Red Cross in their disaster relief efforts,” said Michael O. Johnson, chairman and CEO, Herbalife.
The Herbalife Family Foundation has committed $10,000 to the Red Cross to help provide necessities like shelter, clean drinking water, food, blankets and clothing to displaced families. Herbalife members can contribute financially to the relief efforts by visiting the HFF website here. In addition, Herbalife is donating nutrition bars to those displaced by the natural disaster.
The American Red Cross exists to provide compassionate care to those in need. Their network of volunteers and employees share a mission of preventing and relieving suffering, at home and around the world, through five key service areas: disaster relief, supporting America’s military families, lifesaving blood, health and safety services, and international services.
About Herbalife:
Herbalife is a global nutrition company that has been changing people’s lives with great products since 1980. Our nutrition, weight-management, energy and fitness and personal care products are available exclusively to and through dedicated Independent Herbalife Members in more than 90 countries. We are committed to fighting the worldwide problems of poor nutrition and obesity by offering high-quality products, one-on-one coaching with an Herbalife member and a community that inspires customers to live a healthy, active life.
We support the Herbalife Family Foundation (HFF) and its Casa Herbalife programs to help bring good nutrition to children in need. We also sponsor more than 190 world-class athletes, teams and events around the globe, including Cristiano Ronaldo, the LA Galaxy and champions in many other sports.
The company has over 8,000 employees worldwide, and its shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: HLF) with net sales of $4.5 billion in 2015. To learn more visit www.Herbalife.com or www.IAmHerbalife.com.
About Herbalife Family Foundation
Herbalife Family Foundation (HFF) is a 501(c)(3), a non-profit corporation dedicated to improving children’s lives by helping organizations provide healthy nutrition to vulnerable children. HFF supports more than 100 Casa Herbalife programs globally and serves the daily nutritional needs of more than 120,000 children around the world through annual grants to NGOs and charities that cater to vulnerable children. Additionally, HFF often supports relief efforts in response to natural disasters. For more information, visit www.herbalifefamilyfoundation.org.
Dear Mike,
Regarding Herbalife: https://www.factsaboutherbalife.com/
I too, was in Mexican Omnilife, another version of the same scheme (also split from Herbalife).
Yes, the owner lead a very rich lifestyle. He is been surrounded by his own brown nosers, and at events, you are indoctrined with a lot of “facts” played by actors: “A municipal waste collecting man found the best company in the world, and now has his own NEW house, and he couldn’t achieve such living even in the best company in Mexico”
The company boasts about 6 million “independent distributors” worlwide.
I knew some of the top brass, but the rich ones were all relatives of CoB Jorge Vergara…
thanks Ed for the info.
I GUARANTEE that the average “slave” (term used by a herbalife fanatic) working for the evil corp HP makes MORE money that the average sucker (my term for a MLM contractor) working for Herb-a-lie.
How surprising.
They make people believe that :
1) they’ll be rich
2) they’ll be “their own boss”
3) they’re business owners
None of these things are true. I’m more free with my time than these people. I’m not forced to attend ridiculous, boring, useful content-free, pep meetings for which I have to pay from my own pocket. If there are meetings or courses, they are paid by my employer, plus time taken to attend them and meals/staying/transportation if necessary. I can work from home whenever I desire. I have insurance which will pay my salary if I get sick. More importantly, I don’t have to constantly sell stuff to/recruit everybody I meet, I just have to do my job (which is rewarding and interesting and does not involve selling stuff or recruiting) for the time I’m paid to. They don’t tell me I’ll be rich, they give me a contract with numbers on it, contract which I am free to refuse if said numbers are not pleasing to me. No ifs, buts, maybes, once upon a time in unicornland somebody won a pink cadillac.
You don’t own anything in an MLM, except the merchandise you (sometimes are coerced to) buy. No, those business cards don’t make you a “business owner” – you own no assets in this so-called business, the rich parasites at the top do. You’re not “your own boss” either – at least not if, as they say it, want to be “successful” – they want you to think and act a certain way for that. They want you to change your life for that, which is way more invasive than any normal job. I’m sorry, the only impact I want my job to make in my life is an increase in the numbers in my bank account. I’ll take care of my health, personal philosophy and happiness on my own, thank you very much – increasing those numbers, AND not destroying my social network by constantly selling stuff and recruiting people, is of some help with that.
WiskeyTangoFoxtrot…
I just got Gateway mag sent to my POB.
Does anyone have comforting words for me?
– – – – – – – – – GATEWAY – – – – – – – –
– – – – – – – TO PURGATORY – – – – – –
+
Are you a Scientologist? Be prepared to be a stranger to your family, penniless, invisible to humanity and enslaved until your last breath, at which time the record of you will be lost.
You are aware that Central Files in your little org does not employ the use of computers, hm? What science you have. How you really weighed that in to your concept of immortality?
Return to Sender
Hi Captain Mars, It is good to meet you and WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot indeed! The comforting words that come to me for you would be if you ever need any help with fire starting GATEWAY would be oh so on the way to happiness happy to oblige.CF employ computers,why eons ago that is where us miscreant out-ethics RSers of the Sea Org type learned the art of doing the same act over and over and expecting a different result! As in being able to breath without paper dust everywhere,imagine the dust now!The Insanity that is CF within the Insanity of Immortality for Sale combined with disconnection and all the other evil cocktails the cult mixed up for us all through the decades.Their concept of Immortality,in my view,lots of lies and lots of money the altar is the dollar bill and dm dances his twisted vision around that $ as gospel.So did Ron but presented with a different tack I feel.Just as dangerous however.Both still give me the shivers…Always,Ann.
The insanity of immortality for sale, that’s priceless, definitely worth every penny I ever shot,
just to arrive at this moment and not give a rats’ arse, and hear that. Icing on the cake.
And I don’t, who would,
and I am content. And i did take that guy’s advice, with a crimson red sharpie on the envelope. Refused. Wasn’t really that satisfying but on advise of my defense team. Boo! Did I scare ya? Would you look at that, dude wants you to believe he don’t scare easy. Creep scn-gists. Just offer them a microphone, right up to their nose, they run like mice, as you probably would expect, especially the fabulously famous-for-that leader, crumb, does, as everybody knows, and I’m just being nice.
You don’t wanna see my arsenal, did I mention the pride in my crew, of course, but never mind the ship. Every man has his secrets, I suppose. Lucky for me, I only worry about things one lifetime at a time. All secure, miss, and It is a delight. We’d be nothing if not a team.
Thanks.
What about Haiti earthquake 5 years ago ?
Big Scientology rescue for what ? besides making
David Miscavige rich.
Still struggling with Cholera,poverty , and rebuilding
efforts. The VM’s flew in got their photo op’s and bailed
out claiming victory . That is padding the COB’s bank account
from every possible source and spending a few dollars
on yellow T shirt PR ( David Miscavige makes money on the T shirts)
then cut and run. Fact check any Scientology disaster scams
as to the money raised and non results .
LMP and Ron Sr, thanks for everything you have been doing and may do in the future to help dismantle what you have probably concluded by now is a truly f’ed up organization. I’m sure you know by now that anything good in Scientology has “left the building” a long time ago. Nothing good remains now. It’s time to end this.
Scientology – the science of scamming money out of people for “disasters” and doing absolutely nothing but taking credit.
It is quite clever how Scientology convinces people within its membership that THEY are responsible for going to the disaster and paying to get there, helping the victims, BUYING a yellow VM T-Shirt to wear for the photos which are propaganda fed to the Clubbed Seals at the Scientology events…convincing everyone that this Organization does something to help victims of disasters when in fact, they just take credit for a few individuals who do the work and pay to do it.
What a scam!
EVIL
Scientology:
THE science of getting you to buy things you do not need,
to the limits of your ability and until your last mortal breath.
Scientology:
The absence of both science and religion.
Notably, the identical void found in evil.
And the absence of common sense….
As to be expected in the case of Scientology, I’m afraid it is much, much worse than that, scientifically speaking. Our tests are registering predominately around that of a typical 7-year old, dangerously low, and well beneath ‘common sense’ in the generally understood sense of the term. I would have presumed far better results, but we are still testing. The thing is, it, I mean HE… ahem, excuse me, just clearing my throat there, well, he occasionally flatlines the whole field. Alarming. We have to stop the monitoring in order to check conclusively for a pulse, rather not have him die on the table. Seriously, though, my dog is not that stupid, never comes close to getting that stupid.
1. Yeah, that bullshit about providing the VMs with travel, lodging, etc. = Bullshit. They get public to pay their own way, they give ’em a loud yellow t-shirt, and have them pose for photos. And that asshole Miscavige will take full credit at the next event. Hail COB!
2. Whoopee, they sent a whole 15 people somewhere. Compare that to the Red Cross. Whose books are open.
3. And I’m no fan of MLMs, but I have a feeling that the Herbalife Family Foundation’s books are a fuck of a lot more open than those of the stupid IAS. Now I haven’t gone and looked, but, shit, the IAS’s books? My goddamned teenaged daughter’s diary is more open they are.
4. And as much as Dad would like to see what’s going on in Little Princess’s heart, *that* damned book is way off limits!
The IAS is such a fraud. They really do nothing other than hand out WTH booklets and annoy locals by touch assists. Yet they collect so much money in donations. I wonder why otherwise intelligent people give to a “charity” that has no accountability? Never donate to an organization that does not provide a breakdown of how the money is used. -T.J.
‘Vital equipment and materials’ are not Yellow VM tshirts. The clampire ‘rescuers’ didn’t bring anything that some other organization didn’t pay for and send. Feeling up the injured and homeless is not ‘disaster relief’, it is feelophilia. Or some ‘phillia’ that deals with misdirection and touching.
Two of my drinking buddies joined the Red Cross Disaster Relief Service after retiring. They went to New Orleans after Katrina for 6 months. They have been all over the US for tornadoes, floods and even a train derailment in Quebec.
I saw them last month at a brewfest and asked them about the ‘volunteer ministers’ from $cientology. They asked me ‘Who is that’? The VMs survive by being so under the radar that no one knows they are around. Just like Lron intended. What’s in your mystery sandwich?
An IAS OT may have waved at the Topos when he/she saw them on TV, so they counted that as “helping” the Topos… Hahaha….Today all Scientology reports are these outright, bald faced lies that only work on their cult members inside the bubble. To the outside world, their “self congratulating” BS doesn’t even empress the “internet challenged” or the homeless. Scientology has made a name for itself that nothing can repair, fix or improve. It’s all downhill from here.
Mike,
While it is true that the CO$ is a criminal organization and nothing they do is without fraud or deceit of one kind or another,
they should not be compared to MLMs or placed under the same category as MLMs in any way.
You really have to be very intellectually dishonest to compare the CO$ to a MLM.
And MLMs cannot be justly vilified as a pyramid that generates a lot of money for those as the top, etc.
That idea is the voice of extreme ignorance, very limited thinking, and it is also perverted.
Quote:
How true it is. Apparently scientology and MLM’s share some common ground (Herbalife is the biggest MLM in the world) – the promise of happiness and success based on a system that generates a lot of money for those at the top and a lot of people with cleaned out savings accounts and stockpiles of materials at the bottom.
End of quote.
The facts are:
1. The standard corporate model is the real pyramid. That is where a lot of money is generated and funneled to those or the one at the top at the expense of those at the bottom. There are 1000s of workers at the bottom and one or a few at the top. Especially those companies who do everything possible to pay the workers at the bottom as little as possible; such as Walmart and the fast food chains. These stories are often in the news.
This is the mantra and agenda of the GOP. That is the……………. “American way”.
The chances of someone at the bottom working their way to the top in the standard corporate model are between slim and none. The workers at the bottom are true modern day slaves.
2. The often parroted idea (unevaluated idea) that MLMs “leave a lot of people with cleaned out savings accounts and stockpiles of materials at the bottom”. is a perverted and exaggerated MU at best.
2. a. Condition: While there may have been some fringe or obscure and unscrupulous MLM companies who have done that, in the past, it is far from the norm. And they never get very far or stay in business very long, if they do. The market for that business model is very small and usually short lived at best.
2.b. At the same time there are stories of certain Amway dealers and other similar MLMs, who 30 and 40 and 50 yrs ago, did buy large stocks of product and landed up not selling it,……. to the best of my knowledge and understanding, it was not company policy to do that. It was a misunderstanding by the new agent or dealer who applied the standard business model idea of buying a lot of stock and running his business as a regular store.
That is not company policy.
Standard MLM company policy is a relatively small sign up fee, (maybe roughly equivalent to one or two or three days wages, which will not break anyone) and to order a customer’s order- prepaid- from the company headquarters. (That was before computer and drop ship days.)
There is nothing wrong with that practice.
That is in fact good business.
I did that 40 yrs ago, so I know. I am qualified to comment on the subject. And I did hear stories of people who made the MU and bought garage fulls of product. That was their own idea, their own MU, not the company policy, at least to the best of my knowledge.
At least nothing was ever said to me to buy a garage full of product.
And I think I paid $30 to sign up.
That is not unreasonable.
Everything has a cost and almost anyone can afford that.
3. A good MLM is actually the best business model there is. Everyone is basically their own boss, and the amount of money they make is directly proportional to how hard and smart they work.
And it is not that difficult for a go getter, to become financially independent in a good MLM company in a few yrs. Five yrs is a reasonable goal for someone who is teachable, can follow instructions and has a few marbles in their skull and a good work ethic.
.And any new person has a realistic equal chance to make as much money as the person (s) at the top.
This is highly unlikely in the standard corporate model. People who work hard and climb the standard corporate ladder take 10 -20 yrs to get there if they are lucky and even have to do a lot of ass kissing and work their ass off, often putting in lots of overtime and weekends. 60-70 80 hours per week is often the norm to achieve success in the standard corporate business model.
In a good MLM, you do not have to kiss anyone’s ass.
And you always are your own boss.
You can stay home or go to work as you feel like.
Most very successful MLMers usually only work 10-15-20 – 30 hrs a week.
And do a heck of a lot traveling with their families, and take a lot of vacations.
You make your own luck.
There can hardly be a better business model and a better lifestyle.
The other better option is to buy a lottery ticket.
Good luck!
Dio
All very interesting. But the fact is, face-to-face, smile-to-frown selling is extraordinarily inefficient. The MLM sales structure may have made a little bit of sense in the 1950s – when it was invented by DeVos and Van Andel of Amway (like LRH admin “tech” was) – but the vast, and I mean *vast* majority of MLMers don’t make dick money for themselves. It’s worse than minimum wage. Factor in the “Go Diamond” and “Leadership” weekends, and it actually *costs* money to be involved in MLM.
Contrast that with modern 21st Century companies such as, say, Costco. The average Costco employee makes something in the range of $18/hour, plus benefits (paid vacation and yes, HEALTHCARE! unlike any fucking MLM), and the Costco CEO calculates his pay at 30X that. I would damned well rather work for Costco than Amway or Herbalife. Or effing Wal*Mart. Any Goddamned Day.
Oh, and Amway, because of how toxic that name became, changed it to Nutrilite or whatever the hell it is now. Scientology should do the same. Scientology the name is even more toxic that Amway ever was. If Miscavige weren’t such an ignorant asshole, the Golden Age of Tech (barf) Phase III would be scrapping word Scientology altogether and coming up with something else. Like Amway did.
But the Pope of Scientology, Oracle of L. Ron Hubbard, He Who Must Not Be Named, Chairman of the Board Religious Technology Center, Mr. David Miscavige (the superannuated 8th-Grader), is just too damned ig-nant to figger it out.
Keep on with Your bad self, Davey Boy. You’re too stupid to even see how stupid You are. I can tell You exactly what You are doing wrong, but You’re so goddamned full of Yourself that You will just keep fucking up. Very Well Done, Sir! Continue!
Now, I know that Mr. Rinder (and I use Mr. respectfully, as Mike is one of those guys who was in Int Mgt. who was damned smart) does insist that Miscavige isn’t stupid. And I defer to Mr. Rinder’s closer understanding of Miscavige than I have. Mr. Rinder’s understanding of Him came at quite a price, for which I do not envy Mr. Rinder one goddamned bit!
So I accept that Miscavige is not unintelligent, as Mike has stated before in response to me and others. But I knew that little Shit even before Mike did, and I have to say, He really is a stupid bastard. Intelligent, yes. Stupid? Yes, big time.
Wow, I just kinda rolled away with myself… sorry for the long rant.
Yes Gus, that entire diatribe is ridiculous. One of my kids after HS searched for a 6 figure/year career and found it in the electrical generation industry. He inquired as to the training and experience needed to make 6 figures there. He was told where to get trained and apprenticed WITH pay, housing, food and full benefits for a few years. He did that and was immediately afterwards was hired (he was woo’ed by multiple companies) at 6 figures with full benefits, vacation, etc,. No lottery needed. Just a willingness to get paid while training for a high paying career that is needed in every 1st and 2nd world country on the planet.
Ain’t America great?
I’m a programmer.
Companies throw everything at us to hire us, including on-the-job gymnasium / entertainment, free food and drink, ergonomic adjustable desks on which you can work standing or sitting, the possibility of working from home, or from every damn place in the world you might wish – I know some guys who have no home, they just go from country to country, stay a little bit and enjoy as they work.
When we have motivation team meeting, employers offer us a day of fun paintballing, or kart racing, instead of making us pay to hear somebody who is so motivated about motivation because since they lack any discernible skills, the only way they have found to get money is to be life coaches.
If that’s being a slave, then I’m a happy slave.
Admit it Kemist, if you hadn’t spun that wheel and been given the, “You are a highly sought after programmer” card you’d just be making minimum wage slinging fries. 🙂
Seriously though. I know a couple who program. They live in $200k Class A Motor Coach and travel North America’s beauty spots while working remotely.
Horrible slavery indeed!
They move into a disaster area, quickly take a bunch of pictures and then leave. The Volunteer Vultures must be so very proud….
I am now VERY careful with whom I give disaster relief $ to. This after I reviewed ACTUAL work done & buildings built by the Red Cross in Haiti vs. total $ spent, including salaries and “sundries” for that disaster relief effort. Needless to say, I’d flush cash down the toilet before giving to anything associated with Scamology.
Their mission in Quito has been set up as headquarters? The place isn’t even visible from Google Streetview. I guess it must be a Super Sekret headquarters.
Good morning fellow SPs and Jokers and Degraders.
For more on what your donations to the $cientology VM crusade buy, go to http://www.comicrelief.com – oh wait my bad its http://www.disasterrelief.com
At least with MLMs like Herbalife and Amway, there is an actual product that one could use in a zombie apocalypse.
I don’t count LRH books, tapes, CDs, DVDs, etc. as a product anyone would want, especially zombies. Zombies like brains.
I miss The Walking Dead….
I miss my Zombie. He ran away…
I’ll be right back.
Set up a Free Stress Test table. Even the zombies will avoid that.
Oh, no doubt! Zombies HATE scientologists! When they open up their heads, their brains were missing.
True – “Golden Age of Self-Admiration.” Bhwwaaaaaaa!
Another lie?
IAS states that thanks to an IAS Grant (0.05 cents) 12 “Moles” Los Topos Rescue Team were sent from Bolivia and Mexico….
Tsk…Tsk… misownership; the Topos is part of the Army trained personnel specially able in rescuing victims of earthquakes and the Mexican TV and News papers announced the Mexican Government was sending these teams to assist at Ecuador.
Ah, and it does it for free!
Ron Miscavige’s book is coming out May 3, and 20/20 is interviewing him Friday, April 29. Those two events are seismic, if not earth-shattering. Lisa-Marie Presley is waiting in the wings to throw some mud, earth splattering? Exciting times we live in
Lisa-Marie Presley is waiting in the wings to bitch slap that tiny peckerhead all the way to Target 2. She has a full head of steam and is ready to expose everything.
For one, I do believe Lisa is taller than He Who Shall Not Be Named. And regardless of her physical advantage, she’s just more badass than He is anyway!
Dave,
Will Ron’s 20/20 interview, and the release of his book, start the Black Swan Event that marks the end of your 30 Year Reign of Terror?
On local TV, 20/20’s on ABC 10:01 PM, Friday 4/29. That’s Philly’s channel 6 still, Davie, boy.
I’ve got it on my calendar! That’s one Friday night I’m staying home! I even bought popcorn (Pop Secret Extra Butter – yummy!) just for the occasion!
Disasters can happen and the Herbalife Corp. still has enough integrity to officially announce partnering with the American Red Cross. Volunteer Minister’s don’t do this because it could prove if their intentions to do others good are genuine or not. And of course any Church of Scientology around would not want that to happen! 🙂
Relevant to this post, SCN recently puts out press release about helping in Amazon – not just a goodwill tour, but an EXTREME GOODWILL tour. Always exaggerating, often downright lying.
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/scientology-extreme-goodwill-tour-arrives-at-the-amazons-with-a-mexican-at-the-helm-300253758.html
It sounds like something the CIA would do: “Send agents up the Amazon to deliver some Extreme Goodwill.”
🙂
“Charity’s fine/Subscribe to mine/Get out and pick a pocket or two” (Lionel Bart from the musical “Oliver!”)
Michael Roberts and the other hucksters must lick their chops in anticipation of their IAS commissions whenever there’s an earthquake or tidal wave. And you know what? All the idiots who fund the IAS and enable the CoS atrocities deserve to be fleeced every day of the week as their penance for their continual sins, if nothing else.
Scams! Herbalife, Acai Berry Juice, Amway, all of them. No matter how they dress it up, what the product or false promises are, all scams. Amway is reputed to be a cult in its own right.
Avoid! Like Scientology, they go after vulnerable, gullible, uninformed people.
I’ve had friends and aquaintences try to get me into these stupid things. It seems epidemic now that I think of how many people have tried to enlist me in their get rich quick schemes. I loathe sales, so that’s actually been a protection. I’d never pester family and friends to buy into anything, especially their stupid cleaning products or whatever.
The health claims ones can be dangerous! One friend was super hot on acai berry juice scam before acai was everywhere. She has since passed from cancer she thought she was magically immune to!
If it’s too good to be true, etc!
At least there seems to be more information. At one point, if I’d Google “is Herbalife a scam” I would see every site saying it was legitimate. Can’t keep the truth down, and there are too many people who’ve been burned!
I hadn’t thought about Herbalife since I was in college in the mid 80’s. A buddy of mine, who is one of those guys who pursues a new and exciting get-rich-quick scheme every month, was selling it for a brief time. I think he followed that up with selling home water softeners.
Anyway, curiosity from this post led me to google it up, and I found an article in The Atlantic from a few years ago about how Wall Street investors were fighting over the stock, with one hedge fund manager taking a $1 billion short position, against Carl Icahn taking a 17% ownership stake. The one quote that struck me as damning was, “… asked Herbalife’s president, Des Walsh, how many sales were made outside the company’s network, to nonmembers. Walsh’s unsatisfying response, as summarized later on the company’s Web site—’We don’t track this number and do not believe it is relevant’—drew fire from more hedge-fund managers.”
That has got to be a lie. A company that size cannot possibly not track such a fundamental statistic. And the reason they have to launch such unbelievable BS is that the answer is damning in the extreme. Verdict: pyramid.
Yeah, it’s the old, “Why don’t Hawaiians get cancer????!!!! They drink Noni Juice!!!!!!!!!! Buy Noni Juice from (fill in MLM here) and STOP CANCER IN ITS TRACKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Or, sharks don’t get cancer (actually they do, just a different kind because, well, sharks aren’t human) so buy powdered shark cartilage from (fill in MLM here) and STOP CANCER IN ITS TRACKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It’s bullshit. All bullshit. MLM is bullshit, Scientology is bullshit, and (fill in new age woo here) is bullshit.
Find good friends and enjoy life. Spend less than you make. Be happy. That’s not bullshit.
Nice article.Enjoyed seeing cherch fundraising efforts compared side by side with legitimate fundraising efforts.
Have no hard data but my guess is that the heist is about 90% less than 10 years ago.
Probably went from Reid Slatkin style swindles to stealing people’s lunch money.
Different day,same scam.If it is not a lie,it is not scientology.
Miscavage suffers from what is called the telescope bias.He sees everything with perfect clarity through the right end of the telescope.
The dupes however cannot see hardly anything since they look through the wrong side.
I wonder if the Scientology VMS will help extract the hundreds of decaying bodies still buried in the building rubble in Ecuador. I have in laws that are there on scene in the most affected areas and the they report the stench is unbearable. VMS will have to bring air conditioned Hazmat suits because of the tropical temperatures.
“I wonder if the Scientology VMS will help extract the hundreds of decaying bodies still buried in the building rubble in Ecuador.” Oh hell no! John, they taking photo ops. They can’t be bothered to help find corpses.
Sure John. Just tell the IAS reges that the dead bodies have gold fillings in all their teeth. They’ll get those bodies exhumed (in the middle of the night).