Time again for Rod Keller’s Scientology Social Media Review! Rod’s well known for his indispensable “ARS Week in Review,” which ran for nine years when ARS — the Usenet newsgroup alt.religion.scientology — was the most important daily source for Scientology news. More recently, Rod has made a specialty of hunting down the odd and wonderful things Scientologists post to social media. Rod is a chronicler who piece by piece builds a highly detailed assessment of what Scientology is doing around the world, and this is what he found for us this week…
Scientology posted its official photos from yesterday’s opening of an Ideal Org in the Atlanta area. The Bunker’s own correspondents on the scene reported that there were fewer than 400 folding chairs and the overall crowd may have numbered around 500 which, Mike Rinder had found, was mostly bussed in from places like the Flag Land Base in Clearwater, Florida. But on its website, Scientology is claiming that 1,500 were in attendance.
Following the ceremony, rug merchant Kaye Champagne is traveling to the Freewinds where she will join Jim Bridgeforth, Rafferty Pendery, Andrea d’Agostini, Emmett Osborn and Tom Cummins in leading a week-long Personal Prosperity course.
Actual advertisement text: “Veterans make up a large percentage of individuals who suffer from addiction. Narconon Suncoast is now offering a 30 percent Discount off our drug rehab program for military personnel and their families. Don’t let them suffer in silence.”
Former soccer player and now a human rights activist Bobby Duval was a guest at the Foundation for a Drug-Free World offices in Clearwater, Florida this week. Duval runs youth soccer leagues in Haiti, and was a political prisoner under the Duvalier regimes.
The Kansas City org won a competition to raise money for Ideal Orgs during LRH’s birthday week. Hawaii came in last. Kansas City owns a large building in need of major repairs, and they are unlikely ever to open the building.
Stats from European orgs showing Milan, London, Barcelona and Munich leading a “Div 6” competition. Div 6 is the Public Division, and NBSRAW stands for Number of Books Sold to Raw Publics.
The Taipei Mission held a fundraiser for an Ideal Org this week. The donations board lists the goal as 600,000 New Taiwan Dollars, which equals US$18,500.
Scientology Volunteer Ministers in Fiji continued to clear debris in the wake of Cyclone Winston this week. The VMs all appear to be residents of Fiji.
The balloon reads “Psychotropic Drugs for Children? No Thanks.” The anti-psychiatry Scientology front group CCHR goes by the initials CCDU in Italian.
The Aruba port webcam captured Scientologists doing the Competence and Leadership course on the Freewinds this week. The course consists of a series of lifeboat drills, cleaning the sides of the ship and other physical training.
Brazilian auditor Ana Cláudia advertises her Dianetics courses as “a natural, fast and effective therapy” for treating “psychosomatic diseases, marital crisis, anxiety, depression, anguish, panic and mourning.”
Linus Svenning is featured on the cover of “I Say No Drugs,” a publication by Swedish Scientology front group Drogfritt. Svenning was a participant in the 2014 and 2015 Melodifestivalen, part of the Eurovision song contest. He was arrested during the contest for drug possession, and does not appear to be a Scientologist.
Scientologists distributed literature from the Foundation for a Drug-Free World to shopkeepers in Santa Ana, California this week.
It’s Veteran’s Day in Argentina, and the Argentinian branch of the Scientology group Youth for Human Rights is remembering those lost during the Falklands war, and is calling for the U.K. to turn control of the islands over to Argentina. In Spanish the islands are known as the Malvinas.
Let us remember our heroes with pride and respect. Our remembrance and tribute to the heroes of Malvinas. We work together to recover what is ours.
— Rod Keller
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James Kirchick for the win with his Trump/Hubbard comparison
James Kirchick’s piece for the Daily Beast comparing Donald Trump with L. Ron Hubbard is pretty spot-on. You really ought to give it a look!
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Posted by Tony Ortega on April 3, 2016 at 07:00
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Our book, The Unbreakable Miss Lovely: How the Church of Scientology tried to destroy Paulette Cooper, is on sale at Amazon in paperback and Kindle editions. We’ve posted photographs of Paulette and scenes from her life at a separate location. Reader Sookie put together a complete index. More information about the book, and our 2015 book tour, can also be found at the book’s dedicated page.
Learn about Scientology with our numerous series with experts…
BLOGGING DIANETICS: We read Scientology’s founding text cover to cover with the help of L.A. attorney and former church member Vance Woodward
UP THE BRIDGE: Claire Headley and Bruce Hines train us as Scientologists
GETTING OUR ETHICS IN: Jefferson Hawkins explains Scientology’s system of justice
SCIENTOLOGY MYTHBUSTING: Historian Jon Atack discusses key Scientology concepts
Other links: Shelly Miscavige, ten years gone | The Lisa McPherson story told in real time | The Cathriona White stories | The Leah Remini ‘Knowledge Reports’ | Hear audio of a Scientology excommunication | Scientology’s little day care of horrors | Whatever happened to Steve Fishman? | Felony charges for Scientology’s drug rehab scam | Why Scientology digs bomb-proof vaults in the desert | PZ Myers reads L. Ron Hubbard’s “A History of Man” | Scientology’s Master Spies | Scientology’s Private Dancer | The mystery of the richest Scientologist and his wayward sons | Scientology’s shocking mistreatment of the mentally ill | Scientology boasts about assistance from Google | The Underground Bunker’s Official Theme Song | The Underground Bunker FAQ
Our Guide to Alex Gibney’s film ‘Going Clear,’ and our pages about its principal figures…
Jason Beghe | Tom DeVocht | Sara Goldberg | Paul Haggis | Mark “Marty” Rathbun | Mike Rinder | Spanky Taylor | Hana Whitfield
