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Robin Williams, 1951-2014

News this evening that Robin Williams was found dead in his Marin home is reverberating around the world and we’ll be dealing with the shock for some time. Early reports indicate he may have taken his own life after a long battle with depression.

Our readers began posting remembrances of him this afternoon, and we hope []

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Mike Rinder on Scientology’s pathetic PR, and the Freewinds welcomes a famous clown

Let’s start off the work week with Surviving Scientology’s newest podcast as host Jeffrey Augustine has back former Scientology spokesman Mike Rinder.

We really like the question Jeff starts off with — he asks Rinder’s opinion of the performance by another Scientology mouthpiece, Sylvia Stanard at this summer’s Chautauqua, which we featured []

Scientology Sunday Funnies: The Sea Org full regalia edition!

On Sundays, we enjoy sharing with you the best Scientology fundraising fliers that have been forwarded to us during the week by our excellent tipsters. We have another great collection of items for you this morning.

For some reason, this week we’re seeing more Sea Org people in their dress uniforms. We don’t know if []

Jon Atack: Escaping the trap Scientology sets for the mind

Jon Atack is the author of A Piece of Blue Sky, one of the very best books on L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology. He has a new edition of the book for sale, and for more than a year on Saturdays he helped us sift through the legends, myths, and contested facts about Scientology that []

DOX: Here’s Monique Rathbun’s response to Scientology’s appeal of its anti-SLAPP defeat

We’ve got Monique Rathbun’s brief that was filed yesterday with the Texas Third Court of Appeals, and it’s a fascinating read.

The appeals court ruled recently that Monique can’t depose Scientology leader David Miscavige in her harassment action against him, but that was for a jurisdictional matter that didn’t affect the overall lawsuit.

This time, she’s opposing []

The axiomatic L. Ron Hubbard, and legal counterclaims from Scientology in Oklahoma!

Our video source came through again, bringing us a short film you normally have to be in a Scientology “org” to view. This one is a treat, because we get to hear L. Ron Hubbard in 1954 telling us to learn and understand Scientology’s “Axioms.”

The short “quote video” is meant to help sell a collection []

Camilla Andersson on Tom Cruise, and a gift for the Scientologist who has everything!

Tom Cruise, KSW!

Karen de la Carriere continues her series of interviews with Camilla Andersson, a longtime Scientology Sea Org member who only left the organization in the last two years.

Last time, we told you that Camilla had been put on a round-the-clock project to put together a wedding photo album for Tom Cruise []

Maybe the saddest Scientology promo video ever, and a history lesson from Mark Bunker!

We have a potent set of videos for you today. First, we’re going to show you the very latest Scientology promotional message that’s been smuggled out to us. Then we’re going to go back in time thanks to filmmaker Mark Bunker.

To begin, wasn’t it just the other day that we remarked how Scientology seems to []

Mareka Brousseau compares growing up in Scientology to The Hunger Games

We’ve talked to Mareka Brousseau numerous times for stories at the Village Voice and the Underground Bunker. And she was a key character in John Sweeney’s 2010 BBC special, The Secrets of Scientology. And now Jeffrey Augustine has given us a treat and interviewed Mareka at length for the Surviving Scientology podcast.

It’s really eye-opening to []

Scientology’s newest testimonials video is everything you want it to be

Subscribers recently received the new edition of International Scientology News, and it came with a DVD! On that DVD was another great video mashup of hyperactive Scientology testimonials, and it’s one of the best we’ve seen yet.

The last time we posted a testimonial vid, it got ripped off by Buzzfeed without any credit. Let’s see []