Well, the truth is they never really had them (or anything else that requires spending money on anything other than buildings). Remember Tim Bowles? Former "good guy" partner of Rick Moxon? He won an IAS Freedom Medal for his work with children in Africa. The IAS repeatedly announces it's "support" for human rights, most particularly "Youth For Human Rights". They gave an IAS Freedom Medal to Mary Shuttleworth, the head if the whole show. They have literally collected tens of millions of dollars on the basis of their PR that they are "bringing human rights to the world." They claim … [Read more...]
Thursday Funnies
Oh No Ross and Carrie Love these two. The second installment is worth listening to, just like the first. Smart, funny people explaining their experiences being sucked into the scientology bubble, including attending the New Year's event. It is humorous to get their take on how things come across to normal people that walk in the door. Listen here. The IAS "Inglewood Edition" Featuring the incomparable Jackson Wyan (whoever he is) rather than the full time IAS Reg Michael Roberts, one of the VERY few African Americans in scientology. So what makes the presentation from … [Read more...]
Scientology Ad Fail
There has been plenty of discussion about scientology's ads during the Super Bowl and Grammy's. Much of it very derisive - the twittersphere lit up with comments as soon as the ads appeared. Many of them were pretty humorous. They have run two ads -- and neither sell anything. Instead they ask a lot of questions and direct people to scientology.org website. Maybe this is modeled on the original Jeff Hawkins Dianetics "question ads" that sent Dianetics back onto the NY Times bestseller list. Back then, the success of the ads was measured by the number of books sold in bookstores (today, … [Read more...]
Hysteria of the SP’s and 60X Expansion
Tom Cruise's brother in law, nominal "head" of "Criminon International" and IAS fundraising shill has poured his heart into his latest letter beseeching people to come hear him speak on behalf of the IAS (so he can collect his FSM commissions). This letter is fascinating on many levels: He starts out in Chicken Little mode: look how bad things are, everyone is against us and it is terrible. But with it comes the scientology twist: all this PROVES we are winning. The "hysteria of the SP's" - ie the constant stream of bad news that pours in the door -- from media coverage to legal losses … [Read more...]
Thursday Funnies
What's Next? One thing for sure -- it will involve taking your money. All of it. Craig Mathieson? Been in the SO for 40 years and doesn't have a post worth mentioning? And they can't figure out who their top technical terminal is? Moneywinds Someone has been reading this blog and forced them to do a token promotional piece that doesn't talk about making money. But how unreal can you get? Learn how to throw the switch to light a universe? Who is going to teach them that? Mountain View Juggernauts Now renamed the Mountain View Juggernoughts. You … [Read more...]
Nothing Says Chinese New Year Like….
...left-over anti-drug booklets from the church of scientology. Residual evidence that the grand plan of distributing ginormous numbers of Truth About Drugs for the Super Bowl was another Big Fail(tm). I suspect the people who gave them money for the Super Bowl distribution might be just a bit peeved... I suppose they are trying to clear some space in the SFO "ideal org" so they can fit in more copies of the "Basics," "Congresses" and "ACCs." Every org on earth has rooms full of these items when they were forced to buy them from Bridge/NEP in order to inflate the "sales figures" -- … [Read more...]
How Scientology Views Its Marks
A revealing look inside the mind of the scientology vultures comes by way of an email from the infamous Barbara Dews,. It's all about the "close" to extract money from the mark. These are the tricks to getting someone to give you their money -- removing their "brick overcoats" of objections to handing over their money. My favorite is the "Unattached Female Buyer" -- get her with flattery. Nothing like some good old 50's sexism brought forward into today's world. Why? Because in the 1970's L. Ron Hubbard recommended this book, so this horribly outdated drivel will endure for all time as … [Read more...]
Thursday Funnies
Magic in Orlando All they have is an empty thermometer and ONE person to suck money out of? This is beyond "wishful thinking" this is outright delusion. Recently "back on OT VII" Wonder where he went and why? Such a strange thing to promote. Those are the question I want answered. A "Very Senior Executive" They don't have a name? Doomed to failure Can you imagine two sorrier excuses for "ideal" orgs than Buffalo and Cambridge and they are "teaming up" to "complete" the Toronto continental org? Other than LA Org and NY, the only org in … [Read more...]
Random Thoughts
Just some random thoughts. Super Bowl ads: What a colossal waste of money. IF scientology really had an interest in "humanitarian works" they would not spend a dime buying airtime to pat themselves on the back -- because the money would be needed for their humanitarian works. In fact, these ads serve absolutely no purpose than trying to convince the INTERNAL public that scientology is still alive. The reaction from the general public is revulsion and ridicule. The tone of the ads was pretty strange, and could be summed up as "See, we are not as bad as you think we are." There was not … [Read more...]
It’s Super Bowl Sunday — What A Perfect Fundraising Opportunity!!
"Fixed donations," "mandatory donations," "required donations" are scientology oxymorons. Once the exclusive provence of church services, the "bright idea" spread to IAS donations (you must be a Patron to be on OT VII) and ideal orgs (you must qualify for OT VIII by contributing to your ideal org) and now have reached out into the "social betterment" programs and even the scientology public. And everyone is so conditioned to this that they don't even notice any more. And BTW, an "open bar" at a scientology event? I guess there are a LOT of people that are NOT "on lines" despite what the … [Read more...]