ATEG
Scientologist-owned American Technologies Group suffered two losses this week when it was ordered to pay a former employee and was unable to stop a competitor from selling products similar to ATEG's. From Business Wire on December 12th: "The California Superior Court ruled that American Technologies Group Inc. must pay the sum of $56,544.00 to its former Vice President of Sales, Jim Nicastro for employee compensation due. Because of American Technologies Group's perilous financial condition, ATG's counsel requested that payments be deferred claiming that ATG was not able to pay a minimum initial payment of $2000. Nicastro entered into a stipulation of entry of Judgment, which allowed ATG to make installment payments since ATG claimed it was unable to meet payroll and other obligations." "After reviewing American Technologies Group Inc.'s claim for a temporary restraining order against Bio-Friendly Corp., a judge refused to give American Technologies Group Inc. any relief whatsoever to prevent Bio-Friendly's right to manufacture, sell, promote, distribute, or market its products. This includes Bio-Friendly's right to promote to its investors any of its technologies. Additionally, ATG's counsel, in open court proceedings, admitted that ATG had no evidence to support its claim that Bio-Friendly misappropriated any trade secrets belonging to ATG." Message-ID: 02hf3tcq874g3b6g1lvhsu4in7e58h87pl@4ax.com
Austria
Die Presse reported on December 11th on a sect specialist in Innsbruck, Austria. "Ever more frequently Wolfgang Mischitz, a sect specialist in family counseling for the Tyrolian Caritas, says he is confronted with people seeking advice who had expected all their life's problems to be solved by sects or denominations, but were instead very disappointed. The field of denominations and sects in recent years has grown faster than anyone can keep track of. 'In an analysis for the Families Ministry not long ago I listed 36 religious categories which I have been confronted with here in the Tyrol,' reported Mischitz in a 'Presse' interview. These groups range from movements like 'Fokolare,' 'Engelswerk' and 'His People' in the Catholic Church to Jehovah's Witnesses and Scientology. Mischitz reports that most of those seeking counseling wanted to keep on being members of their respective groups, but they wanted defense against the way they were being treated." Message-ID: Pine.LNX.3.96.1001212160235.122C-100000@darkstar.zippy
Clearwater
Mark Bunker reported being asked to leave the Winter Wonderland in downtown Clearwater this week. "There were children singing on stage, kids getting pony rides, and a small petting zoo on display. The lure of the bunnies waiting to be pet were too much for us so we went inside. Within minutes of our entering what we assumed to be a public event, one of my guests had a man poke her in the arm and say 'Why are you here if you don't believe?' My guest was wearing a t-shirt saying 'Think for yourself' and displaying the web address for the Lisa McPherson Trust, a watchdog group in downtown Clearwater which helps folks victimized by Scientology. "Immediately after, Benetta Slaughter, a prominent Scientologist, came up to the three of us and demanded we leave as we were on private property. We complied immediately. We saw no indication that you had to have specific beliefs to share in the glory of the Winter Wonderland. The signs at the entrance welcomed all and said 'Free Admission.'" Message-ID: 3a3bbcf9.0@news2.lightlink.com
Finland
A recent issue of International Scientology News claims that a consul from Finland living in Valencia, Spain is using Scientology technology in his work. "As the Consul, he officially looks after his government's commercial interests and the welfare of local Finnish citizens. And while looking for how to increase that responsibility, he came upon LRH Admin Tech. He trained as a Consultant, then opened a Hubbard Management Consultancy. Now, whenever a restaurant chain owner, a furniture exporter or water systems supplier comes to him, they get real assistance. He tells them to do an Admin Scale, or a 2-hour confront on their areas. Or he sits down with them to work out their correct ethics condition. And that Hubbard Management Consultancy is located right inside the Finnish Consulate itself!" Message-ID: 3a356bc8.41903710@news.primenet.com
Drug Free Marshals
The Savannah Morning News reported on December 11th on an essay contest being held by Scientology's Drug Free Marshals program in Savannah, Georgia. "The Drug-Free Marshals program is an educational anti-drug program sponsored by the Church of Scientology International. Geared toward children between the ages of 5 and 12, this program has grown from its beginning in 1993 to an international anti-drug program. To make this program more accessible to children in Georgia, an essay contest is being launched throughout the state. The topic of the essay contest is 'Anything is Possible When You Are Drug Free'. This contest is open to all youth between the ages of 5-14 and all entries should be no longer than one page in length. Children entering the contest will receive an official Drug-Free Marshals Pledge." Message-ID: kml93t0c7f53hqadhbdtguns7k3jj4ci4c@4ax.com
Germany
Passauer Neue Presse reported on December 9th that an Altoetting, Germany library will not be including Scientology books in its collection. "The building committee representing the city council has turned down an application from Scientology in which the sect asked that their literature be considered for the city's library system. They founded their application in a letter to the city saying that forming an opinion was part of the basic right of freedom of opinion. And that freedom would be present only if their books were available in all libraries. The city council, however, did not follow that argumentation. They unanimously decided against the application so that Scientology literature continues to be excluded from city libraries." Freie Presse reported on December 13th that a cult information office will be opening in Zwickau, Germany. "The position will be temporary, ending 31 December 2002. The information office was originally supposed to have been established in the Christophorus Church congregation. But the plan did not permit having the Evangelical-Lutheran state church office as an oversight agency. As a result of activities in Zwickau by Scientologist and construction tycoon Kurt Fliegerbauer, the city council made the case for an initial position meant for those who wanted information about the sect or felt harmed by it." RT reported on December 14th that Scientology has lost a ruling mandating that membership in Scientology to be considered when judging the trustworthiness of employees. "The Federal Labor Agency may not disregard membership in the Scientology organization in licensing a commercial employment agency, according to the Federal Welfare Court. In making this decision, the Federal Welfare Court contradicted Rheinland-Pfalz State Welfare Court. That court had decided that legal commercial untrustworthiness could not be derived solely from membership in Scientology. "The actual case was about the complaint of a 44-year-old masseuse who had obtained a permit to be an au-pair placement agent in 1994 from the Federal Labor Agency. The permit was revoked one year later after the federal agency learned that the woman was a Scientology member. In the legal dispute that followed the masseuse commented that she had a 'proselytizing mission,' but that she only carried that out in her private life. The state welfare court required the Federal Labor Agency to issue the permit. The Federal Welfare Court has now overturned this decision and referred the case back to the state welfare court for review." Message-ID: Pine.LNX.3.96.1001211115429.116A-100000@darkstar.zippy Message-ID: Pine.LNX.3.96.1001214122032.118C-100000@darkstar.zippy Message-ID: Pine.LNX.3.96.1001215173345.138A-100000@darkstar.zippy
Keith Henson
Keith Henson posted an appeal he filed to get sanctions against Scientology for their conduct during his copyright infringement case. "In June of 1999 Robert Cipriano started talking to my lawyer, Mr. Graham Berry, about a number of criminal acts he and the lawyers for the plaintiff RTC had committed against Mr. Berry before, during and after Mr. Berry was my counsel. Mr. Cipriano's confession seems to have been motivated by a combination of a guilty conscience and being discarded as a used tool by Scientology. "RTC committed fraud on the court through its activities against the court's officer, Mr. Berry. I.e., RTC's lawyer, Mr. Moxon, and his agents committed some dozens of felonies directed against my lawyer, Mr. Berry. These actions were designed to interfere with Mr. Berry's ability to represent me during the course of the underlying case. "Defendant requests the court to admit the Cipriano Declaration (and exhibits) as unopposed evidence, and either rule on the Rule 60 issues or remand the case to the district court for an evidentiary hearing and reconsideration and take such other actions as would be just." Message-ID: 91c9n8$5g4$1@nnrp1.deja.com
Boy Scouts
The Los Angeles Times reported on December 16th that a Scientology-sponsored Boy Scout troop held a charity event for Toys for Tots. "Boy Scout Troop 8, with members from Burbank, La Canada Flintridge, Glendale, La Crescenta, Tujunga and Los Angeles, held a costume event for Toys for Tots at the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre International in Hollywood. The admission fee was one new toy of at least $10 value. The U.S. Marine Corps officers representing the charity were presented with more than 300 toys that will be donated to needy children. Along with a costume party, a haunted house and dancing, the evening featured a performance by Kids on Stage for a Better World." Message-ID: 91g1qs$lhh@netaxs.com
Essay Contest
The Lisa McPherson Trust announced the winners of the annual essay contest on Scientology. "Three essays stood out among the 32 entries for this year's Lisa McPherson Trust Literati Contest and have been selected as winners. "FIRST PLACE: Chris Owen for his well documented essay entitled 'The Control Agenda: Control, Responsibility and Freedom in the Church of Scientology.' Chris was able to describe the four spheres of Scientology's control -- Personal, Organizational, Societal and Cosmological -- in terms that can be understood even by someone who is completely unfamiliar with Scientology's totalitarian political agenda. Congratulations to Chris for his prize of USD 7,000.00. "SECOND PLACE: 'Anti-Virus' for 'Scientology: Soul Hackers,' an insightful and well-researched essay by a former very high-level Scientology auditor who was able to communicate clearly a viable technical explanation for how Scientology is able to control its adherents. Congratulations to 'Anti-Virus' for winning the USD 2,000.00 prize for second place. "THIRD PLACE: 'Peter Smith' for an insightful and disturbing essay entitled 'Doubletalk: Orwellian Reversal of Meaning in Scientology.' His Scientology comparisons to 1984's 'Ministry of Truth' and 'Ministry of Justice' will ring true to anyone familiar with Scientology's totalitarian, extremist doublethink. Congratulations to 'Peter Smith' for third prize winnings of USD 1,000.00. "SPECIAL AWARD WINNER - Junior Category. The judges decided to include a 'Junior Category' in this year's Literati Contest for a very compelling account of a 16 year old's experience with Scientology. Congratulations to 'Darla deToledo' for her Special Award of USD 500.00 in the 2000 LMT Literati Contest for her essay, 'When Can I Start My Life?' "Four other essays deserve special recognition. Honorable Mention goes to Eldon Braun's 'The Attention Fix: Scientology as a Figment of Narcissism,' David Cecere's 'Scientology: Control, Freedom and Responsibility,' Arnie Lerma's 'The Art of Deception II,' and 'Christina Wilson's 'Rose-Colored Glasses.' These four entries will also be posted shortly on ARS and on the LMT website." Message-ID: r97g3tk43634ipepdofecp4kgo1ammguq5@4ax.com http://lisatrust.net/literaticontest/contest2000/winners2000.html
Narconon
Neal Hamel reported that Scientology's Narconon group has begun an email solicitation program "Does someone you know have a drug addiction? Narconon Southern California, Inc. is number one in rehabilitation, proven by our 76% success rate backed by a guarantee. We are the ONLY drug rehab that offers a full holistic body tissue detox to eliminate all of the drug residuals from the fatty tissues. A unique alternative program using NO substitute medications or group sessions. We get to the underlying issues (one-on-one) creating the mental addiction and cleanse the body of drug residuals creating the physical addiction. All calls are confidential!" Message-ID: 3a38496e.86842373@nntp.ix.netcom.com
Scieno Sitter
A new version has been released of the Internet filter provided to Scientologists to prevent them from reading about Scientology in email, newsgroups or on web pages. "As you know, part of the Scientologist On-Line program (as in the legal agreement which you signed) includes Internet Filtering software that we have developed which blocks entheta email messages, if any were to be sent to you by the few 2.5% lingering on the Internet. We will periodically be providing updated versions of this filter program to ensure that your comm lines are protected. Thus, if you have already installed the filter software, you should do so again in order to utilize the most recent version. The big advantage of using this filter program is that it makes it possible for you to shred any entheta unsolicited messages - if they ever happen to be sent to you - without even having to look at them. "While downloading your email messages, for instance, the filter detects incoming email messages that should be blocked and does so. If this occurs, it is necessary to use the other program, 'CleanMail' which will delete the offending email message(s) before you receive it from your Internet Service Provider. "First, you need to download the files necessary to install the software. Do this by going to the following Internet addresses: http://on-line.scientology.org/sw.download/setup.exe http://on-line.scientology.org/sw.download/clean.exe "This filter program is not fully compatible with America On-Line, (the email blocking features do not work with America On-Line email) however you can still take advantage of it. In order to do this, ensure you do not use the web browser built in to the America On-Line software, but instead use a separate web browser to surf the world wide web. (Such as Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator.)" Message-ID: mepn3to5akfrbhat5j70034oaa91fibruc@ARSCC.Sweden.Dep.OSA.Surveillance
Sky Dayton
Forbes reported this week that Scientologist Sky Dayton's Ecompanies technology incubator has been struggling. "Eighteen months after its splashy birth, Ecompanies has had zero initial public offerings and has seen one of its 14 companies, Eparties, fall flat and end up being sold to Etoys for stock that has since fallen 72%. Ecompanies has taken 8 companies from birth to the outside funding stage, but only animated-programming site Icebox and photo-sharing site Ememories have actually moved into their own buildings. US Business Exchange and Business.com have technically left the nest, but both are still in offices leased by Ecompanies. There could be a lot more tombstones around if Ecompanies doesn't produce some successes soon. "Scientology devotee Sky Dayton, 29, was the postpubescent founder of EarthLink, one of the most successful independent Internet service providers. For Dayton, Ecompanies was a chance to avenge his mistake in giving away too much equity in EarthLink early on. Snowboarding chum Jake Winebaum, 41, was the head of Disney's Internet ventures and had been founder and publisher of the magazines FamilyFun and FamilyPC, and a senior marketing executive at U.S. News & World Report before that. "The duo put more than $20 million, their own money and EarthLink's, into the incubator, and raised another $160 million for a venture capital fund from such luminaries as Disney, Goldman Sachs and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts. They set an ambitious plan: launching an Internet company a month (or week, depending on whom they were talking to). Casting themselves as 'serial entrepreneurs,' they offered new companies office space and expertise in areas such as strategy, finance, technology and marketing. The incubatees would move down the assembly line until they popped out, ready to go into hock. "But the pair's get-rich-quick plans quickly dissolved into quotidian headaches. Their first flop was Eparties, an idea Winebaum reportedly got from his elementary-school daughter for an online invitation site. Ecompanies won't discuss Eparties' revenue figures, but no investors showed interest in backing it before the carcass was sold last summer to Etoys, which has since obliterated most traces of the site. "Ecompanies is now staking much of its reputation, and investors' money, on Business.com. Winebaum's concept is to make order out of the chaos of business information on the Internet by creating a massive directory of information about companies. So far the site has received more attention for the $7.5 million Ecompanies shelled out last year to a cyber-squatter for the domain name than for any accomplishments. "Dayton and Winebaum did manage to attract serious interest in Business.com, fetching $61 million in equity and content deals from the Financial Times, Cahners Business Information, Primedia, McGraw- Hill and Winebaum's old boss, Mort Zuckerman." Message-ID: hmgf3t0bh6rsv94ql89k1a4i9ntp7pd3n3@4ax.com
Switzerland
Suedostschweiz Presse reported on December 15th that Scientology has been buying spiritually-oriented front groups in Switzerland. "Georg Otto Schmid warns of charlatans and so-called false prophets: behind some organizations, like Auro-Soma which originally started out as a serious institution, lurks more and more the Scientology Church (Dianetics). He stressed that Scientologists had recently bought up several institutions. Dealing with spirituality as such could also be dangerous, said Schmid. If subjects get too involved with the spiritual, they can lose orientation to reality. 'It happens that families and children in particular are neglected because of this disorientation.'" From Suedostschweiz Presse on December 9th: "'Sects: threat or challenge?' - a series of three events took place in our region recently under this title, organized by the Glarus Evangelical reformed congregation. The theologian Georg Otto Schmid, staff of the state church information center 'Churches - sects - religions' spoke in the following two events about Christian sects as well as about psycho-sects and miscellaneous esoteric groups. "Georg Schmid shed some light on the Scientology Organization. Its stated goal was to improve people. In order to sound out strengths and weaknesses, recruitment candidates are given a written test with 200 questions. During evaluation of the test, the participant is frequently talked unto a communication course, which can cost a total of 1,000 franks. Upon completion the Purification Program is recommended to the neophyte as preparation for auditing. In auditing people are confronted with their own bad experiences which they have to describe until no emotion registers during the narration on a special device called the e-meter. They are put on the 'clearing' steps, which can cost 20,000 franks to obtain. The highest step ever attained by Scientologists today is OT VIII, which can cost a half million franks. A separate world of Dianetics is constructed in the courses into whose vacuum people fall as time progresses. In light of the negative press the number of Scientologists in Switzerland has decreased in the past ten years from 5,000 to probably under 1,000. But the number was said to be rapidly growing in eastern Europe." Tages-Anzeiger reported on December 14th that Embrach, Switzerland has not granted Scientology a permit for an anti-psychiatry rally. "The municipal council has not granted approval for the Swiss Citizen's Commission on Human Rights - an organization founded by the Scientology Church - to hold an anti-psychiatry rally. According to municipal president Albert Berbier, leaflets distributed by CCHR Switzerland contain false and libelous statements about consumption of medication, drug abuse and medical treatment in the Hard clinic. Fifty to a hundred sympathizers were to have taken part in a 'silent march for the victims of psychiatry.' The Scientologists plan on gathering in Embrach on Saturday despite the decision." Message-ID: Pine.LNX.3.96.1001215173508.138B-100000@darkstar.zippy Message-ID: Pine.LNX.3.96.1001211115457.116B-100000@darkstar.zippy Message-ID: Pine.LNX.3.96.1001215173626.138D-100000@darkstar.zippy
Battlefield Earth
Year-end movie lists and the release of Battlefield Earth on video and DVD have brought new publicity to the movie. From the Guardian on December 15th: "Here's an unscientific, bigoted, contradictory, illogical, and dyspeptic rundown of (nine) American media products, people and phenomena that particularly annoyed me this year. "4. Battlefield Earth "Barking, leg-lifting dog (or runt) of the year - nothing else even came close. But every reverse for the Church of Scientology is one more victory for us 'normals'. Thus it was nice to see the man the public associates most closely with the group, John Travolta, fall flat on his well-fed backside in this tedious and inept, insanely expensive pseudo-epic. But guess what - the sequel's already in the pipeline. People of Earth! Before it arrives, we must devise and construct super-rockets and motherships, abandon our planet to the pod-people of Chairman Ron and immediately colonise Saturn." From dvd.com: "Based on a novel by the late L. Ron Hubbard, the mind hovering over all matters Scientology, Battlefield Earth delivers one utterly convincing and ominous warning about life in the year 3000: This is what movies will look like when they're made by 12-year-old boys! Or maybe this isn't the most defiantly ludicrous movie ever made. "Describing the aliens as Psychlos suggests Hubbard may have meant the story to represent man's internal struggle. Obviously he intends a childish moral that's hard to argue against - that it's a shame when people don't educate themselves and that such ignorance could lead to their ruin. That makes it all the more baffling that Battlefield Earth seems to be made by and for morons." Message-ID: js3j3tcstgpuhv5q0cp2fk3s3mr26o279g@4ax.com Message-ID: podkayne1-4F3385.00063515122000@nntp.lightlink.com
Illustrator of the Future
Metroactive reported this week on the winner of the L. Ron Hubbard Illustrator of the Future award. "Art may not be his main source of income, but Frank Wu will never cease to be an artist. The recent winner of the L. Ron Hubbard Illustrators of the Future Gold Award, Wu has been an artist for most of his life. He was rewarded with $4,000, a large trophy, and the publication of his illustration in L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future Anthology, Vol. XVI. The contest, established in 1984 and maintained separately from Hubbard's Church of Scientology, operates in two phases: three winners are chosen from both the writing and illustration categories each quarter. "The winning writers and illustrators were honored at a gala on Sept. 15, at the L. Ron Hubbard Library in Hollywood. Among the attendees were nine best-selling authors, from among the foremost writers in the world of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. All nine served as judges for this year's Writers of the Future contest." Message-ID: eu9j3tc2deafduuimbuu7snsb0tocih1j4@4ax.com
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.
