Adjudication 1436 The Australian Press Council has dismissed a complaint from Rob Perkovic against The Daily Telegraph, Sydney, relation to an article titled Scientology’s $12m renovation rescue for Sydney HQ published on May 31, 2009. The article reports on the upgrade of the Church of Scientology’s Sydney headquarters. It reports on the cost of the upgrade, conditions of the development application, the number of supporters and objectors to the application, the number of members within Australia and notes some high-profile media ...

THE celebrity-studded Church of Scientology in Australia wants negative media reports about the controversial religion outlawed. Scientology, which boasts members including Tom Cruise, said it wanted a law "to prevent the dissemination of anti-religious propaganda in the media, which is based on unfounded hearsay and either known or reasonably known to be untruthful". Churches and individuals who have been "defamed" should be able to sue for damages, the religious organisation said in a submission to the Australian Human Rights Commission. Scientology ...

The Church of Scientology should not move to Sandy Springs, the city’s Planning Commission decided Thursday night. In a 3-2 vote, the commission denied the church’s request to rezone a former office building at Roswell Road and Glenridge Drive into its Georgia headquarters. Members David Rubenstein and Donald Boyken dissented. The vote is nonbinding but will be considered by the City Council during its vote. The City Council is scheduled to vote on the issue at its Oct. 20 meeting. The ...

Tom Cruise himself could show up to make the case that the Church of the Scientology be allowed to convert an office building in Sandy Springs into its Georgia — and Deep South — headquarters, and members of 15 neighborhood associations would be unmoved. Even Cruise, they say, wouldn’t have a place to park. “That property just doesn’t have enough parking for a church,” said Mark Sampl, a leader in one of the city’s largest coalitions of homeowners, the Sandy Springs ...

RIVERSIDE — A Riverside County ordinance that prohibits picketing closer than 30 feet from a residence has never been enforced since a divided Board of Supervisors approved it, prompting critics Tuesday to call for its repeal. “There are no picketing incidents now or in the past that show the necessity of this ordinance in the County of Riverside,” said Julie Waltz, a county resident who has been a vocal critic of the measure since it was enacted in March. “This ordinance ...

Supervisors left untouched Tuesday an ordinance that places restrictions on protests that target residences in unincorporated Riverside County. The board approved the ordinance in March after months of debate and revisited it Tuesday to examine its impact. Former Supervisor Roy Wilson, who died last month, had requested the review. The board accepted a report Tuesday from the Sheriff's Department, saying deputies had no instances where they needed to utilize the ordinance. In situations where the ordinance might apply, deputies found the ...

Youth need more positive influences Recently the newspaper talks about the difficulties of the youth going back to school. Fewer classes in the community college, fewer preschool and after-school programs and fewer cultural programs because the government can’t financially support these activities anymore. This can create the risk of a reduction of the education and culture in society, with the result of more youth hanging around on the streets, more drugs, gangs, etc. For years, as a member of the Church ...

The co-defendant who said he funneled money in a $3.5 billion Ponzi scheme has a history of fraud, mob ties and a spot in witness protection. By DAVID PHELPS and JENNIFER BJORHUS, Star Tribune Staff Writers Last update: September 14, 2009 - 10:43 PM The Los Angeles mystery man who helped Tom Petters allegedly launder billions of investors' dollars appears to be a disbarred Boston-area attorney with a shadowy criminal history and stints as a wire-wearing government informant. Newspaper clippings, court ...

PARIS (Reuters) - A new French law means the Church of Scientology cannot be dissolved in France even if it is convicted of fraud, it has emerged during a trial of the organisation. A prosecutor has recommended that a Paris court dissolve the church's French branch, which has been charged with fraud after complaints by former members who say they gave huge sums to the church for spiritual classes and "purification packs." The Church of Scientology's French arm denies fraud. Whatever ...

La Mission interministérielle de lutte contre les dérives sectaires (Miviludes) a affirmé, lundi 14 septembre, qu'une modification de la loi, intervenue le 12 mai, ne permet plus à un magistrat de dissoudre une secte pour escroquerie, ce qui lèverait le risque de dissolution de la Scientologie, poursuivie pour de tels faits à Paris. Dans un communiqué diffusé à l'AFP, la Miviludes écrit avoir "découvert avec consternation la suppression de la peine de dissolution d'une personne morale en matière d'escroquerie, votée le ...

GILMAN SPRINGS: Scientology lawyer asks in vain for San Jacinto to hold off on resolution. By CHARLES HAND/The Valley Chronicle Published: Friday, September 11, 2009 5:26 PM CDT A plea from Scientology attorney Sam Alhadeff to take no action on a proposed resolution opposing the closure of Gilman Springs Road fell on deaf ears at last week’s meeting of the San Jacinto City Council. The five council members voted unanimously to oppose any effort to close the road. Alhadeff said in ...

According to Petters' attorneys, Larry Reynolds is a lifelong scalawag behind a long list of fraudulent schemes. Is Minnesota businessman Tom Petters himself the victim of fraud? Petters, awaiting trial on charges he ran a $3.5 billion Ponzi scheme, is now trying to get his case dismissed, claiming that during its investigation of him, the government hid the true identity of Larry Reynolds, an alleged co-conspirator who has pleaded guilty to money laundering in the case. Attorneys for Petters apparently filed ...

CLEARWATER - The city of Clearwater is so strapped for cash that leaders have eliminated 86 jobs, cut library hours, and raised the property tax rate. Parks and recreation workers even stopped flying the American flag for a few days over 13 city landmarks to save a couple of bucks. But one step the city staff has not taken to help make ends meet is forcing city code violators, including the Church of Scientology, to pay the $3.4 million in fines ...

The New Village Leadership Academy Allegedly Mimics Some Scientology Teaching Methods Like many modern celebrity power couples, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith are not satisfied with just being actors. The couple, who met on the set of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" in 1995, have had a lot of different roles over the years, most recently founding the New Village Leadership Academy (NVLA), a private elementary school in Calabasas, Calif., which opened its doors this week for the start of the ...

Cathy Moore of Poulsbo June 22, 1957 to Aug. 21, 2008 Catherine Lee Moore, at age 51, died Aug 21st at 2:55 a.m. at the beautiful new Hospice Center in Bremerton Washington. Cathy Was surrounded by loving family members as she quietly ended her 7-year battle with breast cancer. Cathy was born June 22nd, 1957, in Saint John New Brunswick, Canada, to Andy and June Moore. Cathy was the 2nd oldest of 5 children. She is survived by older brother, Michael ...

Paulette Cooper, a journalist based in Florida, wrote the book The Scandal of Scientology in 1971. She was the first reporter to expose some of the unsavory elements of the Church and its teachings. As a result, the Church hounded her for years and tried to intimidate her into no longer challenging them. She didn't give in. ''Paulette agreed to respond to some of her frequently asked questions here on Jewcy, as well as discussing her Jewish roots and explaining ...

AN army private found dead in mysterious circumstances had been bullied by others for refusing to get drunk, a court has been told. Edward Alexander McBride, 30, was found hanging from a rope at the Energex substation in Brisbane's Everton Park on February 7, 2007. The cause of death was found to be electrocution. An inquest into his death got underway in the Brisbane Coroners Court today, where evidence was heard that Mr McBride had been the victim of bullying while ...

A Church of Scientology-backed organisation has distributed free DVDs about anti-depressant drugs in the area where killer Shane Clancy lived. The group, called the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), has given out copies of a documentary to residents in the Dalkey area, just weeks after the tragic murder-suicide in Bray. Reports have indicated that gardai are investigating whether Shane, who murdered Seb Creane (22) before killing himself, may have misused anti-depressants that had been prescribed for him a week before ...

Since its humble beginnings in the 1970s, Hip-Hop has had spiritual connections to established religious groups like Islam and Christianity. However, legend Doug E. Fresh has emerged as the first Hip-Hop artist to publicly embrace the controversial faith known as Scientology. Fresh confirmed the news via an interview with Essence Magazine, and stated he has been practicing the faith for the last 8 years after being introduced to it through former girlfriend and Hot 97 radio personality Miss Jones. The faith ...

The future of vehicle storage comes to Ibn Battuta. The future of parking can be found hidden in an unassuming new development next to Ibn Battuta Mall. The only clue that you are crossing into science-fiction territory is a hastily put-together sign taped to a light pole that reads “ROBOTIC PARKING GARAGE” with an arrow pointing to the right. The notion of a robotic garage might evoke images of android valet drivers who politely decline your tip when they return your ...

The San Jacinto City Council voted unanimously Thursday to go on record opposing any future proposal to close Gilman Springs Road where it bisects the Church of Scientology's Golden Era Productions property. The winding, two-lane road between Highway 79 and State Street is in unincorporated Riverside County, adjacent to the city. The Scientologists' interest in closing the road predates the 2004 election of County Supervisor Jeff Stone, who represents the area's 3rd District. The issue has come up every few years, ...

The Church of Scientology has sparked a battle this year in Sandy Springs. Since March, hundreds of residents from 14 neighborhood or civic associations have adamantly opposed the church relocating from Dunwoody to the property it purchased in late 2005 at the intersection of Roswell Road and Glenridge Drive. Those citizens have, month after month, meeting after meeting, grasped the podium to voice their concerns about traffic and parking. They have implored city boards and planning staff to deny the rezoning ...

Does the Church of Scientology engage in Human Trafficking? Thanks to all for the usage of footage in this video.