Tommy Davis’s deposition in the Monique Rathbun litigation is scheduled for today (Wednesday) in Austin.

Thursday marks the anniversary of Lisa McPherson’s death.

Tony Ortega’s Blog

Today’s regular installment in the series where Claire Headley, recently joined by “tech” veteran Bruce Hines, walks readers through the process of actually doing Scientology, featured the OT III “Wall of Fire.”  In this one, as most of us know from reading tons of stuff over the years, Hubbard introduces the Xenu mythos in an unveiling of the holiest of holies of Scientology out of a locked briefcase.  Even with all the hype and build-up before opening the envelope with some notes scrawled in Hubbard’s handwriting, apparently quite a few people do wake up and say, “WTF?” on their way out the door.

Apparently in this level, Hubbard giveth and Hubbard taketh away.  Part of the study involves explaining why you can’t show anyone else, even other Scientologists, that you can levitate ashtrays or do any of the super powers that OT’s are supposed to have.  This is obviously a key reason that people still believe in the OT powers without any evidence that they produce any results; they know that all those OT’s are doing amazing things in private; they’re just not allowed to show anything more interesting than keen parking space hunting capabilities.

Selected comments:

• Several commenters suggested sending Christmas cards to Shelly Miscavige at the “Twin Peaks” site and also to various execs in the Hole.  I’m sure the cult won’t bother with those postal regulations that make it illegal for anyone other than the intended recipient to receive their mail.
• Once_Born raises the point that all the cloak-and-dagger stuff around the OT III material may be to distract people from just how lame the actual materials are.  That, in turn, can lead to people who don’t remember their OT III materials because they don’t have them any more, being pulled off a given level and forced to redo it.
• Phil de Fontenay describes the alarm system in use in some orgs to prevent the materials from being stolen. The doors won’t open when the alarm cable is temporarily disconnected moving the Holy of Holies from the safe to the table.
• Michael Leonard Tilse wonders what the fire marshal would think of such an arrangement.
• Derek recalls that, while growing up in the cult, he thought OT’s were a lot like Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers with all those super powers (but maybe without the cool color-coordinated uniforms).
• Mighty Korgo of Teegeack also reminisces about how his instructors in the cult tried to both sell OT powers to keep people taking more courses and, at the same time, rationalize why nobody actually seemed to have any of them.

 

Mike Rinder’s Blog

• Today, Mike put up a fairly important post, with some estimates on the total number of Scientologists in the world, via the work of a source who did the actual number crunching.  They’re estimating 25,000 to 35,000.  The numbers for the most part look credible, though I think the Sea Org size is a bit high, as is the estimated public coming in through the mission system.  “Deep Six” gives some further details that are useful.

Forum Sites (WWP, ESMB, OCMB)

• Apparently, Tory Christman was involved in leading a rescue of someone from a Narconon facility in Michigan.  ESMB and WWP both cover the adventure.
• Both ESMB and WWP provide more detail on the blight of the empty Philadelphia Ideal Org building, which was purchased six years ago.
• The Way To Happiness Foundation is achieving peace and sanity in the Middle East.  I didn’t know that either, until I read the credible and accurate cult PR piece.
• OCMB is covering the FBI probe of LA County Sheriff Lee Baca, who seems to be a little too friendly to Scientology relative to the size of their membership among his voters.  

General Press

• This one’s a little late (November 1) but I haven’t seen reference to it elsewhere.  Worth it for the bizarro factor.  Apparently, at a party, Kirstie Alley asked a PR person who had recently had a baby to express some breast milk to feed her pet baby possum.  This came out in an interview on Showbiz411.com from gossip duo Rush & Malloy hyping their new book.  An ESMB thread ponders the insanity.
• Gossip web site “Crazy Days and Nights,” purportedly by an entertainment industry lawyer, revealed the identity of a couple featured in a blind item from January.  The site claims this actor with a distinctive name tried having sex with his new wife on their wedding night (back in June 2012) and he hasn’t gone after her since.  The recent piece claims that the groom is Scientologist Giovanni Ribisi.
• Hollywood writer Skip Press ran a column a couple days ago on The Morton Report sharing his perspective on Scientology’s attempts to recruit black members throughout its history. Skip is apparently seeking funding to write a book on Scientology via an Indiegogo campaign.