They squeezed into a two bedroom apartment, all they could afford. Two couples and a single guy had left the Church of Scientology and joined up in Las Vegas, starting a mortgage business near the Palace Station Casino. They were faces in the crowd. Except that the two wives were important in Scientology history, sisters Terri and Janis Gillham. They were two of the original four "messengers" for L. Ron Hubbard. The founder ran his church from his ship, the Apollo, ...

This week, CP got a call from a Northern Liberties resident with an unusual story. He, and about 50 other NoLibs residents, had attended a police town hall meeting on September 8. On his way out, he happened to pick up some literature that had been placed on a table by the door – in particular, three pamphlets entitled, "The Truth about Marijuana," "The Truth About Pain Killers," and "The Truth About Drugs." The pamphlets, he says, seemed ordinary enough at ...

L’Eglise de scientologie a bien essayé de passer les grilles du Palais des Nations, mais elle n’y est pas arrivée. Initialement, le 6e sommet annuel international des droits de l’homme devait se tenir à l’ONU. Ses organisateurs, Des jeunes pour les droits de l’homme et Village Suisse ONG, ont dû se rabattre sur les salons feutrés de l’Hôtel Intercontinental. La proximité de ces deux organisations avec l’Eglise de scientologie a fini par éveiller les soupçons, incitant l’ONU à ne pas prêter ...

HuffPo's Rachel Weiner has already reported on Greta Van Susteren's defensive response to a Politico story today, which cited an anonymous source saying that one of the reasons that Sarah Palin has been caught up in a "series of public relations gaffes" is because she is "taking advice from Greta and her husband." In her Fox News blog, Van Susteren vehemently denied offering Palin any advice, and called the authors to task for not checking on this allegation. Let me give ...

Victoria directs teachers to religious group's human-rights website Ethan Baron, The Province Published: Thursday, January 29, 2009 Attention students: it's now OK to jump up and down on your desks and rave about your latest crush. The Ministry of Education is referring teachers to an organization set up by the Church of Scientology, the group made infamous by Tom Cruise, the raving couch-bounder and Scientology adherent. Two ministry teacher-support documents direct teachers to the website of Los Angeles-based Youth for Human ...

The Washington Times recently reported the curious appointment by Governor Martin O’Malley of John P. Coale to the Board of Directors of UMMS (University of Maryland Medical System). Coale is a high-ranking Scientologist and trial lawyer who got rich from the “tobacco wars” and has particpated in Scientology’s assault on Ritalin, taking on not only its manufacturer, Novartis, but the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and patient advocacy group CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Defict Disorder). Coale is a member of ...

The Anonymous collective has announced a new phase in its protests against the Church of Scientology, targeting the alleged mistreatment of youngsters by Scientologists. Operation: School's Closed is due to take place on 13 September and will involve a wave of protests against the "Church of Scientology management, its attempts to infiltrate schools, and its internal exploitation of children". The planned demos follow seven previous protest days outside Scientology centres around the world, each with a particular theme. The Church of ...

All acknowledgement to Poynter's Jim Romenesko, whose blog [http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=45] alerted me to the Reporter's Notebook Web site [http://www.reportersnotebook.net/article.php3?id_article=57], which contains a compelling collection of memories by alums of the long gone Clearwater Sun newspaper. While I'm not so sure about the contention that a newspaper 25 miles away can't provide comprehensive coverage of a community, it is illuminating and sobering to read about the Sun's glory days. A particular standout is the essay crafted by Mike Pride [http://nenews.org/stories/639.html], a well-regarded, recently-retired ...

A Vancouver principal said his school was uninformed when it invited a group affiliated with the Church of Scientology to speak to a student assembly last month about human rights. John Bevacqua, of St. Patrick regional secondary school, said he hadn't been aware that Youth for Human Rights International (YHRI) is part of the Scientology movement until it was brought to his attention by a staff member shortly after the group finished its presentation. "It was very unfortunate that they were ...

Anyone who thinks the police aren't interested in diversity will be amazed by the links they have built with Scientology Once again our great nation has entertained the world, putting on two stunning exhibition matches this week. First was the Champions League final, between the clubs who finished first and second in our very own Premier League. The second - and whether the parties were quite as closely matched as Manchester United and Chelsea will be for you to decide - ...

Prodata, an award-winning Danish IT company with customers such as the Royal Family and public broadcaster DR, is run by some of the most prominent forces within the Danish branch of Scientology. Prodata has a pyramid-like structure with approximately 200 partners in 12 countries and around 2000 freelance IT professionals. The company has been voted best IT company in Denmark and been awarded financial daily Børsen's Gazelle prize. Henning Jørck, its chief executive, told Jyllands-Posten newspaper, that he kept his connection ...

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble launched a verbal assault against the Church of Scientology on Sunday, accusing it in a newspaper interview of trying to secure political power and influence in Germany. A spokeswoman for Scientology in Germany dismissed Schaeuble's allegations as "insane". Schaeuble and the country's 16 state interior ministers declared Scientology unconstitutional on Friday, opening the way for a possible ban on the organisation. "Scientology is also working in Germany to secure political power and influence," ...

UNIFORMED police distributed Church of Scientology propaganda at Whyalla High School, contrary to guidelines for religious education. A team of police officers visiting the school showed classes a DVD on living a moral life and distributed a booklet entitled "Whyalla High School presents the way to happiness, a common-sense guide for better living", written by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. One outraged parent who did not wish to be named said she had explicitly told the school her children were not ...

There are moments in life, coincidences, which have the potential to utterly change the direction and meaning of your existence. Of these I have had several; they have all marked me in various ways, but none more so than that fateful late afternoon in Stuttgart, Germany, when an attractive and rather aggressive young woman blocked my path and accosted me with the interrogative; "Do you have a good memory"? This story aims to serve a dual function: Enlighten those who may ...

The Church of Scientology is running courses for learners on behalf of the KZN premier’s office About 120 hand-picked learners in KwaZulu-Natal have participated in a pilot human rights workshop run by an organisation with direct links to the controversial Church of Scientology — with the backing of the provincial government. A proposal to have the programme rolled out to the rest of KwaZuluNatal’s children is awaiting approval from the provincial legislature and the office of Premier Sbu Ndebele. Last week ...