In Memoriam
The Daily Camera reported on June 25th that Robert Penny has passed away. Bob was a former Scientologist and co-founder of Factnet, a cult information service. "Robert T. Penny of Niwot died of multiple sclerosis Thursday, June 19, 2003, in Louisville. He was 60. The son of Robert T. Penny Sr. and Mable Hammack Penny, he was born May 25, 1943, in Hodge, La. He married Barbara B. Sommer in 1966. They divorced. 'He will be remembered for his love of the Colorado mountains,' his family said. "Contributions may be made in his name to HospiceCare of Boulder and Broomfield Counties, 2594 Trailridge Drive East, Lafayette, CO 80026." Message-ID: okbigv4tdic945eqq6oijdgu6t2eeib7ps@4ax.com
Clearwater
Letters to the editor of the St. Petersburg Times on July 8, 2003 responded to previous letters regarding the attitude of Clearwater residents towards Scientology. "The letter writer is incensed and does not understand why people constantly criticize Scientology. Could it be the reason is that Scientology is not a religion but a cult/business which tries to portray itself as a religion? You don't see people criticizing Christianity and Judaism, because those are real religions. The people of Tampa Bay are tolerant of all religions. If the cult were a religion there would not be a problem. "The cult brings the criticisms upon itself by its actions, past and present. So when Scientologists argue that they can't practice their faith, it may be because they practice by lining the cult's own pockets with the livelihood of their victims. Not a faith to admire. - David Rodman, Dunedin "This letter included fraudulent claims which I wish to correct. He stated that Clearwater citizens and your newspaper 'attack' his 'religion.' In looking over the St. Petersburg Times for the last three years, one can clearly see that it is abuse and criminal behavior that people have been 'attacking' regarding Scientology Inc. and not 'religion.' In the online search of the Times, I didn't find even a single letter that attacked Scientology as a 'religion.' "Religion isn't the issue. Lies, deception, harassment, intimidation and another dead woman are the issues. Why isn't this obvious to Scientology customers? It is not an issue of 'religious tolerance.' If Scientology were a religion, they still would not have the right to commit crimes and human rights abuses. Tolerance doesn't mean ignoring abuse. - David Rice, San Clemente, Calif. Message-ID: 1057659389.893041@newshost02.voicenet.com
Tom Cruise
People Weekly published an article by Tom Cruise, in which he credits Scientology for helping him overcome dyslexia. "In 1986, the year Top Gun came out, I became a Scientologist. A friend gave me a picture book on Scientology, and through this I was introduced to the writings of L. Ron Hubbard, who had founded the religion. Mr. Hubbard was also an educator who had been researching the field for decades. He had found that literacy and comprehension levels were declining worldwide, so in the 1960s he had developed 'Study Technology.' It pinpoints three barriers to learning: Lack of mass (you can't learn to fly a plane by just reading about it - you have to sit in the cockpit or at least have a picture of a plane); skipped gradients (trying to master skills or information without mastering or understanding that which comes before them); and misunderstood words (the most important one and a cause for stupidity). "I had run the gamut, hiring specialists for myself privately, bringing in tutors and hearing why I would just have to 'learn to deal' with being dyslexic. Many people had tried to teach me, but no one had taught me how to learn or how to study; I had been told I had all the symptoms of dyslexia, but no one had given me a solution. I'm now a founding board member of the Hollywood Education and Literacy Project (H.E.L.P.), which opened its doors in 1997. H.E.L.P. is a non-profit program that uses the Study Technology in a totally secular setting to provide free tutoring in communities all over the world. Before this, I was supporting Applied Scholastics, H.E.L.P.'s parent organization, which was started by teachers to make Study Technology available broadly. When you consider that schoolteachers are sometimes dealing with four or five different levels of literacy in one classroom, you can see what they have to contend with." Message-ID: cevvgv8hgipmlvek45ef5ccpbdfmid2db2@4ax.com
Org News
The San Francisco Examiner reported on July 8th that Scientology has purchased a building in the North Beach area of the city. "North Beach residents are whispering about the new owners of the old Transamerica Building on Montgomery at Columbus - the Church of Scientology. It's a historic landmark. 'As long as the building is not being altered in any way,' says Sarah Owsowitz, who deals with historic landmarks at the City Attorney's office, 'then it is just another purchase of private property.' So far, there's been no activity around the site. "I once took one of those personality tests the Scientologists around United Nations Plaza often proffer. The results were inconclusive. My personality remains undetectable. The Church of Scientology bought up lots of property in West L.A. and that seems to irritate a lot of the locals. 'Don't write anything about them,' someone down there warned me." GlobeSt.com reported on July 8th that the New York Scientology org will be renovating its building in Manhattan. "The Church of Scientology New York will renovate and expand its current home at 227 West 46th St. Brennan Beer Gorman/ Architects has been selected as the architect to develop the church's concept, which includes a total renovation and expansion to the six-story building. Upon completion, the building will total approximately 46,650 sf. Currently in construction, the project is expected to be complete by spring 2004. "The renovated facility will serve Church members with office space, classrooms, a bookstore, 250-seat auditorium, small film screening rooms and a variety of rooms for interviews and spiritual counseling. An existing airshaft will be filled in on floors three through six, contributing another 2,000 sf to the building and allowing more open and efficient floor plans. A skylight will cap the sixth floor infill. Leveling out the raked balcony of the current auditorium will create additional interior space for office and administrative functions while retaining views into the auditorium. "A mansard roof will be replaced with a 1,771 sf 'purification rundown' used in a program for eliminating the effects of drugs and toxins. Featuring three skylights, the new structure will be clad in a material complementary to the building's existing limestone facade and be topped with a standing seam roof. "'We approached BBG with a broad plan based on Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard's methods for individual improvement and serving the needs of the community,' notes Rev. John Carmichael, president of the Church of Scientology New York. 'Working closely with us, they have designed a renovation that provides the spaces we need now to deliver those services, and enables us to continue that expansion into the future.'" Message-ID: 3e471c14.0307081319.4259606b@posting.google.com Message-ID: ehv0hvge2ddjh7qbe6g7km0cn7f8d0tpgb@4ax.com
Narconon
News24.com reported on July 7th on the Narconon program in South Africa. "'The Narconon First Step programme is new to South Africa and was only launched here a few months ago, after extensive research and piloting in the United States,' said Paul Kruger, director of Narconon New Life Centre in Cape Town. He said the programme had operated successfully for over 30 years and was used in several cities and countries, including Melbourne, Sydney, Los Angeles, New Mexico, Brazil, Jakarta, Buenos Aires, Mexican prisons and Pakistan. He said the programme was a cost-effective approach for handling large numbers of people needing to get off drugs, and involved voluntary, drug-free and pain-free drug withdrawal. 'We can train a family member or concerned friend to administer the programme with a two-day intensive workshop.' "Kruger said that the new programme helped with the withdrawal symptoms before real treatment could begin. Each individual was assessed to determine if the First Step Program was suitable to his/her personal drug history. This involved doses of CalMag - a tonic of calcium gluconate, magnesium carbonate mixed with cider vinegar and water - and something called a 'drug bomb,' a vitamin and mineral formulation. 'A third important component of the programme is the use of physical assists, that bring the person back into communication with his body and also helps with the associated physical symptoms of withdrawal. There are different types of physical assists, including nerve and touch assists,' he said. Communications exercises are also used to get the recovering addict to look 'outward' and to get back into communication with his/her environment. "Discussions were currently under way with religious bodies, government, community-based organisations and other agencies to try to co-ordinate the programme. Narconon is an international non-profit organisation started in 1966 by William Benitez based on the research of L. Ron Hubbard. There are over 100 drug education and prevention offices worldwide. Narconon has received support for its advanced technology from Scotland Yard, Britain's National Treatment Agency, the European Centre Against Drug Abuse, and the American justice department." Message-ID: 3e471c14.0307070515.289b4fcb@posting.google.com
Saint Hill
The Auditor UK reported on a celebration of the anniversary of the Saint Hill compound in East Grinstead, England. "Saint Hill staff and public celebrated the 38th Anniversary of Saint Hill Foundation in the Great Hall at Saint Hill. LRH established Saint Hill Foundation on the 11th of June, 1965. Up until that time Saint Hill had operated only as a Day org. The anniversary celebration included speeches from two people who were involved with Saint Hill Foundation from the very early days. "The first was Rosalie Delacy, the AO Case Supervisor AOSH UK, who had the privilege of working as the HCO Exec Sec Saint Hill Foundation under LRH in 1966. Rosalie talked about her experiences at Saint Hill during those early days, the excitement of the first Clears being made, and the volume of students coming through the Saint Hill Special Briefing Course. "Then Margaret Meal, who has been involved with Saint Hill Foundation for well over 30 years, shared her experiences from the beginning to the present day. She arrived here in the 1960s, and in 1970, after doing the Flag Executive Briefing Course on the flagship Apollo, she returned to Saint Hill under LRH's direction to assume the post of Executive Director Saint Hill Foundation. "The final speech of the evening was delivered by Captain Saint Hill Foundation, Mr. Thomas Fehn. He briefed the audience on the increase in the org's delivery areas over the past year and the plans for the future. "Entertainment was provided by local Scientologists Mike Ricketts, Adrian Pownall, Francois Mairaux, Roland Boucher and John Wood, who performed a selection of live music from the 1960s up to present time and ended with a special song written for the anniversary of the org." Message-ID: BI4SJ6F837814.604224537@anonymous.poster
A.r.s. Week in Review is put together by Rod Keller ©
This collection is organised for WWW by Andreas Heldal-Lund.
Only edits done by me is replacing word encapsuled in * or _ with bold and underscore, and made links into HTML.
