AFF
The American Family Foundation reported this week that Scientology is attempting to infiltrate Re-FOCUS, a support group for ex-members of cults. "Re-FOCUS is an ongoing forum to talk about lingering issues for survivors of cults. These sessions, which are free, are held at undisclosed locations in various cities. It has been reported that active Scientology members have embarked on a plan try to gain access to these Re-FOCUS meetings. The only name disclosed thus far in this apparent Special Affairs operation attempt, is Mr. Andrew Bagley. The message they alleged was something to the effect of 'Oh we just want to try to help others with this program.'" Message-ID: <13980-3B69BA03-13@storefull-217.iap.bryant.webtv.net
Clearwater
The St. Petersburg Times reported on August 3rd that a Scientologist couple have opened a pastry shop in downtown Clearwater. "The store opened Tuesday and quickly sold all of its chocolate croissants. The next day, the batch was doubled. All had been sold by 2 p.m., as had several dozen quiche slices. Andreani, who moved to Clearwater two years ago in part to be closer to the Church of Scientology, also is looking forward to his new neighbor and the business it could bring. "With the help of Main Street and the Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce, Andreani did his homework and found that residents cried out for a business like his. Sixty-seven percent of the more than 2,000 shoppers, Church Scientology members and visitors and business owners rated the quality of restaurants and shops as 'poor to fair,' in a survey analysis conducted in two phases in 2000 for the Main Street program. "He plans to put a few tables on the sidewalk outside his door and lure customers who might want to sip a cup of coffee with an apple tart. A store logo is also in the works. And by the end of the year, he also hopes to cater to residents' pastry needs in their homes and businesses." Message-ID: <9ke26m$8rr@netaxs.com
Celebrity Center
The South China Morning Post reported on August 1st that several Scientology celebrities will appear at an anniversary event for the Celebrity Center in Los Angeles. "Cruise will be hobnobbing with other faithful celebrities at the 32nd anniversary of the controversial Church of Scientology. On the guest list for Saturday's event in Los Angeles are Jenna Elfman of Dharma And Greg, Leah Remini from The King Of Queens, Danny Masterson of That 70s Show, his brother Christopher Masterson of Malcolm In The Middle and Nancy Cartwright, the voice of Bart Simpson." Message-ID: <9kbl7i$7lo@netaxs.com
Germany
Hamburger Abendblatt published an article on August 2nd about Ursula Caberta, director of the Task Force on Scientology in Hamburg. "Ursula Caberta, director of the Task Force on Scientology in the Interior Agency, was interrogated on US American soil in the middle of Hamburg by American attorneys of a German citizen. Several hours of deposition took place in the US Consulate on Alster at the wish of a judge from Tampa, Florida. At the end of July 2000, a German employee of an American software business, Hubert H., had sued Mrs. Caberta in Florida for at least 75,000 dollars in damages. The reason was that H. had failed in getting business from a Germany company because he answered 'yes' to the question of whether he was a Scientologist. In the lawsuit H. is asking not only for damages, but that this 'sect filter' be prohibited. "In the hearing itself, she said the Scientology attorneys were obviously less concerned about H's lawsuit than they were about learning about the work in the Interior Agency, even wanting to know how files were dealt with. The Scientologists are very interested in discrediting Caberta. Caberta had commented that she had privately accepted money from US businessman Bob Minton. Since Bob Minton also combats Scientology and Caberta had dealt with him in an official capacity, the Scientology organization filed a charge with the state attorney's office on suspicion of soliciting for favors. Caberta was said to have had a relationship with Minton in which she was dependent upon him, according to Frank Busch, spokesman of the Hamburg Scientologists, who also said that she could no longer be neutral. The Scientologists are saying that Minton has not disputed that the amount was more than 100,000 marks. Caberta would not say anything about it because the state attorney's office was still investigating." Message-ID: Pine.LNX.3.96.1010802071256.108A-100000@darkstar.zippy
Lisa McPherson
Scientology served subpoenas on the Lisa McPherson Trust and several staff members, demanding they produce a large number of documents in the Lisa McPherson wrongful death case. "LIST OF DOCUMENTS TO BE PRODUCED "Copies of all letters, e-mails, forms, affidavits, declarations, statements or any other documents concerning communication with any government agency with respect to any witness or family member of any witness listed on any parties' witness lists and/or any individual who has knowledge of the facts concerning the Estate of Lisa McPherson v. Church of Scientology Flag Service Organization, et al. "All correspondence with any current or former Scientologist, or the parent or guardian of any current or former Scientologist. "Any and all forms or questionnaires used by any employee, member or agent of the Lisa McPherson Trust used for compiling information or complaints on any witnesses or family members of any witnesses listed on defendants' witness list and/or any individual who has knowledge of the facts concerning the Estate of Lisa McPherson v. Church of Scientology Flag Service Organization, et al. "Any leaflets, fliers, e-mails, web pages or any other promotional material used by the Lisa McPherson Trust to solicit complaints or otherwise obtain information for complaints on any witnesses or family members of any witnesses listed on defendants' witness list and/or any individual who has knowledge of the facts concerning the Estate of Lisa McPherson v. Church of Scientology Flag Service Organization, et al. "Any and all documents concerning the statement from the Lisa McPherson Trust announcement that it has 'documented cases in which Scientology has committed exactly the crimes that the French have named 'fraud, abuse of confidence, the illegal practice of medicine, wrongful advertising and sexual abuse, as well as many others.' "Any and all documents concerning communications about or with Marcus Quirino, Astra Woodcraft, Lawrence Woodcraft, Zoe Woodcraft, Maria Pia Gardini. "All records reflecting payments of funds for any purpose, to Stacy Brooks, and Jesse Prince not previously provided to defendants, including payroll records. "All documents concerning any complaints to any government agency or entity against defendant Church of Scientology Flag Service Organization and/or any of it staff. "All videos, letters and any other type of communication and material provided to any government agency, entity or employee, regarding the defendant Church of Scientology Flag Service Organization and/or any of its staff. "Records reflecting any and all payments received from Robert Minton for operating expenses and debts. "All records of counseling conducted by LMT staff with members or former members of the Scientology religion whether classified as counseling, exit counseling (as described in the articles of incorporation of the LMT and other public statements by LMT) or anything else." Message-ID: cpqhmt4kc5jq7erjj2tmr6pgo7jv5hsggi@4ax.com
Bob Minton
Bob Minton filed a complaint this week against Scientology, accusing them of harassment in violation of the temporary restraining order issued by Judge Pennick. "On February 21, 2001, the Court placed the Respondent on six months of probation under the supervision of the Salvation Army. On or about May 17, 2001, Ben Shaw, acting in his capacity as a member, officer, agent, servant, or employee of the Petitioner, sent to the Salvation Army Correctional Services in Clearwater, Florida, a letter. This letter suggested to the Salvation Army Correctional Services as well as to the Court that the Respondent was in violation of his probation by aiding and abetting H. Keith Henson in failing to appear for sentencing before a state court in California, either by causing, aiding, advising or encouraging H. Keith Henson not to appear for sentencing. Subsequent to receipt of this same letter, the Respondent's probation officer at the Salvation Army presented him with the letter and advised the Respondent that the allegation in the letter would not constitute a violation of probation and therefore no further action would be taken on these allegations by the Salvation Army. "Gerard Renna, identified as Director of Special Affairs for the Petitioner's Church of Scientology in Boston, acted in his capacity as a member, officer, agent, servant, or employee of the Petitioner in composing and causing to be sent two letters, the first dated May 9, 2001, and addressed to J. Scott Currier, Chief of Police in Sandown, New Hampshire, and the second dated May 24, 2001, and addressed to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and copied to the Boston Police Department and Chief of Police J. Scott Currier. In the letter of May 9, 2001, Gerard Renna states in part to Chief of Police J. Scott Currier, 'As Mr. Minton is known to have guns, I have also enclosed a copy of his six-month probation order for your information.' At the time this same letter was sent, Gerard Renna knew or had reason to know that Chief of Police J. Scott Currier, as a law enforcement officer in New Hampshire, had no authority or jurisdiction to enforce a probation order from the State of Florida. At the time this same letter was sent, Gerard Renna knew or had reason to know from a review of the probation order that possession of firearms was not a violation of the Respondent's probationary conditions. Renna refers to an enclosed 'letter sent to Minton's probation officer regarding violation of his probation by assisting Henson,' and further states, 'Minton lives in New Hampshire and Boston and that it is likely, due to his arrogance for the law, that he might harbor this fugitive of the United States at his home.' "Each act of sending of these letters to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Chief of Police of Sandown, New Hampshire, the Boston Police Department, and the Salvation Army Correctional Services constituted harassment by the Petitioner against the Respondent as that term was contemplated in Temporary Injunction Number Two. An effective deterrent to such continued harassment and abuse by the Petitioner would be for the Court to terminate the Respondent's probation, or alternatively to modify and clarify condition 5 of the Respondent's probation by allowing the Respondent to keep and possess such firearms as he owned." Scientology responded to the accusation in a filing with the court. "On its face, Mr. Minton's allegations of harassment, and his resultant claim that the Church has violated the injunction and therefore committed an indirect criminal contempt, are patently frivolous. The purported harassment, as set forth in Mr. Mutton's motion, consists of sending a letter written by a representative of the Church of Scientology Flag Service Organization to Mr. Minton's probation officer and the sending of a letter by an employee of the Church of Scientology of Boston, to a New Hampshire police department, and sending a letter, by the same employee of the Church of Scientology of Boston, to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, submitting information about an apparent probation violation of the conditions of Mr. Minton's probation. Mr. Minton's claim that any or all of these acts violate the injunction is absurd for at least the following reasons: "The mailing of letters to probation officers or law enforcement agencies, alleging violations of a court order is on its face free speech that is protected by the Florida and United States constitutions. It is ridiculous to contemplate whether Mr. Minton would also claim a violation of the injunction if the Church had sent similar letters to a newspaper, or posted the same allegations against him on the Internet, or conveyed the same information on picket signs. "The 'acts of harassment' prohibited by the Court's injunction clearly relate to harassment in the context of direct interaction between the parties subject to the injunction in connection with picketing and demonstrations. Neither the Church of Scientology of Boston nor its employees are subject to the terns of the Court's injunction." Message-ID: ntpimtgaanje92mhlnm1d6vuvfrmrt49hp@4ax.com Message-ID: utpimt8sg31ren6haqunserttkcckor2kc@4ax.com
David Minkoff
The St. Petersburg Times reported on August 4th that Dr. David Minkoff has been suspended as a doctor and fined for his treatment of Lisa McPherson, who died as a result of her care in the Fort Harrison Hotel in 1995. "Florida's Board of Medicine has sternly sanctioned Clearwater physician David I. Minkoff, finding he improperly prescribed medicine for a patient he had never seen - Scientologist Lisa McPherson. Minkoff, also a Scientologist, prescribed Valium and the muscle relaxant chloral hydrate at the behest of unlicensed Church of Scientology staffers who were trying to nurse McPherson, 36, through a severe mental breakdown. When they failed after 17 days of isolating her, Minkoff was recruited again. This time, he pronounced McPherson dead. "For his role in the 1995 episode that Minkoff himself calls a 'fiasco,' the 53-year-old doctor will lose his medical license for one year and then be made to practice under probation for two more years - unless he appeals and wins a reversal. He also was fined $10,000. "Ken Dandar, the Tampa lawyer who represents McPherson's family, called the sanctions too lenient. Dandar set off the inquiry that led to Friday's action, complaining about Minkoff to state health officials in 1997. He nevertheless credited Minkoff on Friday for the candid accounts he has given in sworn statements. It was Minkoff, a Scientologist for 20 years, who told prosecutors in 1998 that McPherson's care at Scientology's Fort Harrison Hotel in Clearwater was seriously flawed. "The doctor is a 'public' Scientologist, not one of the uniformed members who staff the church. Though Minkoff had never seen McPherson and didn't know her medical history, he prescribed liquid Valium. He also wrote the prescription in the name of the Scientology staffer who was sent to pick it up - not the actions of a 'reasonably prudent physician,' according to a stinging document written earlier this year by the state's Agency for Health Care Administration. Nine days later, the church staffers called again. This time, Minkoff prescribed chloral hydrate, a prescription sedative, again without examining McPherson or gleaning information about her medical situation. "On Dec. 5, 1995, when Scientology staffers realized McPherson was physically ill, they again called Minkoff, who says he told them to take her to the nearest hospital. But the staffers persisted, saying they feared doctors at Morton Plant Hospital, two minutes away, would put her in the psychiatric ward. Minkoff, who worked in the emergency room at a New Port Richey hospital 45 minutes away, finally agreed to see McPherson. After pronouncing McPherson dead, Minkoff told prosecutors he screamed at church staffer Janis Johnson for bringing him someone in such 'horrific' shape. Johnson was an unlicensed physician. An autopsy found McPherson died of a blood clot in her left lung. "Once a defendant in that lawsuit, he has settled with McPherson's family. Minkoff has said Johnson never revealed the severity of McPherson's psychosis. Had he known more, he would have acted differently, he told prosecutors." Message-ID: 9kgv76$lvf@netaxs.com
Protest Summary
"Barb" reported a protest against Scientology at a gay pride parade in San Diego. "Last Saturday was the date of the Gay Pride Parade in San Diego. Richard and I decided to take the opportunity to pass out some fliers to the gay community. We took lawn chairs and set up near the terminus of the parade. My sign read, 'WARNING! $CIENTOLOGY PREYS ON THE GAY COMMUNITY!' I brought Purple Inflatable Xenu. I also brought along my org of Fortune Clams which I'd mocked up for the occasion. These are glued together clam shells with little rolly eyes glued to them. Each one contained a 'fortune' that said, 'You will save a friend or loved one from $cientology, www.xenu.net' Also on the list, a stack of fliers aimed specifically at the gay community, these contain some choice Hubbard quotes revealing his opinions on homosexuality. "Many, many people responded to my 'Hey! Scientology Sucks!' Several people declared their Christian affiliation, seeming to think that would protect them from Scientology's enticements. I explained the deal to them, that Scientology assures you you can be both Christian, Jew, Moslem, gay and a Scientologist. These people took fliers and, although they felt fairly safe, promised to inform their friends. We handed out fliers for about two hours. Although we only gave out less than 100 fliers, this event has great potential for a massive information fest." Dave Bird reported a protest in Birmingham, England on August 4th at a 'What is Scientology' exhibit. "We started fairly early as the exhibition began at 12:30. Dave with boombox and Jens with helium balloons, later joined by Martin Poulter, arrived opposite the awning of the convention centre and began to put our message to the crowd. As we pitched up, a little creepy guy came and more or less sat in my trouser pocket to make a mobile phone call. He said that 'a tramp was looking for me and would throw more than Guinness this time' - a reference to an incident at Saint Hill where they once bribed a homeless nutter to come and attack us. There was a whole cluster of local and Saint Hill clams running around counter-leafleting. Later the Jive Aces appeared under the awning and tried to drown our speech out with amplified music; it didn't work very well. I started singing Xemu Loves You to the beat and key of whatever they were playing. "Later some OSA clam objected to use playing brief extracts of Hubbard's speech. He didn't know which organisation owned the copyright. By the end of the demo we were really getting going and heard well over the top of their music. We'd done our three hours and we decided to go home." Message-ID: 3B6580B9.EBB1C2CB@home.com Message-ID: 1lLPcPAhXCb7EwIm@xemu.demon.co.uk
The Profit
The St. Petersburg Times published an article on August 2 on The Profit, a film which parodies the history of Scientology. "It's a movie about cults based on fictional characters, says the director. But it's hard to miss the inspiration behind The Profit. The main character is a science-fiction writer who founds a religion. Get it? The leader starts the Church of Scientific Spiritualism. His name: L. Conrad Powers. The full-length feature film was written and directed by Peter Alexander, a 20-year Scientologist who broke from the church in 1997 and now calls it an elaborate fraud. It was funded in part by Bob Minton, the Church of Scientology's most vocal critic. And in three weeks, it will be shown to the public for the first time at an independent theater in none other than Clearwater, the mecca for Scientologists who come there from around the world for church counseling. "At one point, he said, members of the Foundation for Religious Tolerance of Florida handed out fliers denouncing the film's backers at the film site and followed crew members home to press them for information about the content of the film. Mary DeMoss of Clearwater, a Scientologist and founder of the Foundation for Religious Tolerance of Florida, calls the movie a 'hate propaganda film.' She denies anyone from her organization followed anyone home and says the fliers were intended to 'let the people know who was behind this.' "The cast of the $2-million film is made up mostly of New York stage actors, Alexander said. But it also includes cameos by many of Scientology's staunchest critics, including Minton, trust president Stacy Brooks, church critic Jesse Prince and lawyer Ken Dandar, who represents the trust in a lawsuit against the church. "Alexander said he was introduced to the church in the late 1970s by his future wife. Over the years, he estimates he donated $1-million to the church. His schism with the church developed not long after he and his wife split up in 1997. Alexander said he became convinced that Scientology was a cult after he did some research on the Internet. For a while, he took up with the Lisa McPherson Trust but has since dropped out. "St. Petersburg Times movie critic Steve Persall, who viewed the movie in an invitation-only pre-screening in June, offered this assessment: 'The movie looks like any other exploitation flick: cheap production values, stilted drama, gratuitous nudity and episodes that pop up and disappear without much detail except what's supposed to shove the audience into a desired reaction - in this case, outrage. It's hard to take seriously, in part because the story seems so far-fetched.' "The Clearwater Cinema Cafe, a two-screen theater on the northeast corner of U.S. 19 and Sunset Point Road, is the only Tampa Bay area theater so far to commit to showing the film. Theater owner Larry Greenbaum said he expected some heat when he decided to run the movie. 'We like to run some films on the edge when we have an opportunity,' Greenbaum said." Message-ID: 9kbkv9$7lo@netaxs.com
Ritalin
The National Law Journal reported on July 30th that lawsuits against the manufacturers of Ritalin are not doing well. One of the main attorneys in the case is Scientologist John Coale. "Despite the participation of two tobacco litigation heavyweights, judges this spring threw out two of five class actions filed last year against New Jersey-based Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp., the manufacturer of Ritalin. And on July 25, a federal judge in Florida dismissed a third Ritalin class action at the request of the plaintiffs' lawyers. John Coale and Richard Scruggs, who were leaders on the plaintiffs' side of the tobacco wars, point to the difficulty in the early stages of tobacco litigation and say they've only begun the Ritalin fight. "Lawyers for Novartis and two nonprofit groups that were also sued say that the plaintiffs are trying to use the courts to short-circuit legitimate scientific debate over attention deficit disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, the conditions that Ritalin and its generic siblings are used to treat. "The first of the class actions was filed last year in Texas by Dallas' Waters & Kraus. Coale and Scruggs, working with the Texans and other plaintiffs' lawyers, soon filed class actions in California and New Jersey. A second set of lawyers filed similar class actions in Puerto Rico and Florida. In California, senior federal Judge Rudi M. Brewster of the Southern District ruled that the plaintiffs had failed to plead a valid cause of action and stated that the lawsuit targeted speech protected by the U.S. and California constitutions. The case is on appeal to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. And in Texas, federal Judge Hilda G. Tagle of the Southern District ruled in May that, despite two tries at amending the original complaint, the plaintiffs had failed to state a cause of action in that case as well. "A group that for years has been highly critical of Ritalin, Prozac and other psychiatric drugs is the Citizens' Committee for Human Rights, a group that is closely tied to the Church of Scientology. Coale, a Scientologist, calls the issue of Scientology involvement a red herring. He says the committee has nothing to do with the current lawsuits, an assertion backed up by the group." Message-ID: 9k4800$2vt@netaxs.com
Russia
Nezavisimaya Gazeta reported on July 4th on Scientology's presence in Perm, Russia. "Branches of the Church of Scientology operate in Moscow, Omsk, Nizhni Novgorod, Yahkar-Ole. The Church of Scientology, in essence a totalitarian cult, was founded in 1954 in Los Angeles by American science fiction writer Ron Hubbard. In 1995 the now deceased director of the Moscow ventilator company, Alexander Miron, joined Scientology. A few years ago, when he was directing a bank in Nizhni Novgorod, Sergei Kirenko took a course at a Hubbard College. And those are only the two most sensational efforts by Scientologists to convert leading business representatives and the political elite to their faith. According to the 'Nezavisimo Gazeta's' information, an unusually large amount of activity by the Church of Scientology is evident in Perm. "The influence of the Dianetics adherents in Prikamye state political and business circles used to be great. Perm Scientologists intend to greatly strengthen their representation in local government agencies. Specifically, they are gathering votes to use to this end in the Perm region legislative assembly, which is planned in December of the current year. "The fact of the matter is that the existence of Perm's Hubbard College came to an end in 1996, or at least that's when it stopped operating on its license. In that year it lost its status and its main patron of Perm Scientology - Vladimir Fil lost the election for mayor of Perm to Yuri Trutnev, a big businessman. And as far as the new town governor goes, at no time has he ever taken an interest in Hubbardism. Even with the losses they suffered, Scientologists still continued to actively lay the groundwork with Perm's elite. In their dictionary of recent years, the words 'Dianetics' and 'Scientology' are hardly used. It's now all under the title of 'Modern Management Technology.' "Some time after its untimely demise, the Hubbard College in Perm emerged as the 'Cooperation' association, the head of which was, of all people, Aleksei Andreyev and Georgi Gordeyev. Into its staff entered managers of a string of the western Urals' leading industrial corporations, many of whom had already spent time in the Hubbard College. One of the chief goals of the 'Cooperation' was ostensibly 'improving and developing the organization and technology of corporation operation in the scientific research institutes and engineering design companies of the region.' "The 'Cooperation' association has been actively engaged by organizations and is conducting various seminars, conferences and forums for corporate problems. In the way of lecturers we quite often find that former teachers of the same Hubbard College are speaking. Doesn't the 'Cooperation,' do everything the school of Hubbard technology did, except it has a different sign on the door? "Mr. Andreyev replies that his involvement in the management system is his personal business. Perm Production Science Instrumentation Company, Inc. is a large, strategic enterprise which employs almost 3,000 people. And all that goes on there is by no means the personal business of a solitary general inspector." Message-ID: Pine.LNX.3.96.1010730072357.122C-100000@darkstar.zippy
Reed Slatkin
The Wall Street Journal reported on July 31st that the trustee in the Reed Slatkin ponzi scheme investigation reported that over half a billion dollars appears to be missing from the fund. "The court-appointed trustee in a bankruptcy filing who is seeking to recover as much as $554 million on behalf of as many as 800 investors said it will take years to sort through the affairs of money manager Reed Slatkin. In his first appearance before creditors, R. Todd Neilson, the trustee charged with overseeing the disposition of Mr. Slatkin's assets, said that an outside expert he had called in to value the money manager's holdings called it 'the worst portfolio he'd ever seen.' Mr. Neilson, a partner in the Los Angeles accounting firm Neilson, Elggren LLP, said it was difficult to say what could be recovered on behalf of investors. "In a brief appearance Monday, prefaced by an attorney's statement that he would plead Fifth Amendment rights to all questions, Mr. Slatkin said: 'I just wanted to say that I'm here today because I'm not hiding and I wanted you to know that.' Mr. Neilson characterized Mr. Slatkin's level of cooperation differently. He said that Mr. Slatkin had failed to fill out bankruptcy schedules and had only agreed to meet twice with the trustee. "The bankruptcy filing has hit two main groups of investors; residents of Santa Barbara, where Mr. Slatkin found early backers among many of his neighbors and golf buddies, and members of the Church of Scientology, where Mr. Slatkin is an ordained minister." From the Santa Barbara News-Press on July 31st: "Reed E. Slatkin made no apologies Monday as he faced angry creditors for the first time since his financial empire crashed three months ago. In his brief appearance, the unregistered money manager from Hope Ranch made a 20-word statement and refused to answer questions before being excused by the court-appointed trustee. 'I just want to say that I'm here today and I'm not hiding. And I wanted you to know that,' Mr. Slatkin said. Mr. Slatkin refused to say anything more, invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. Some groaned and cursed, but as he left one person told him, 'Good luck, Reed.' "'For years you've been lied to,' Mr. Neilson told the group. But he declared that Mr. Slatkin is being held accountable, stating: 'I assure you that the charges will be brought and he will have his day of reckoning.' He also implied that over the 15 years that Mr. Slatkin ran his investment club, he may have had help creating reams of allegedly fraudulent records. While Mr. Neilson stopped short of detailing who else may be culpable, he said, 'I will say this: It would have been very difficult for him to do this on his own.'" From the Los Angeles Times on July 31st: "Slatkin invoked his 5th Amendment right against self-incrimination, refusing to answer questions from court-appointed bankruptcy trustee R. Todd Neilson. Instead, he offered a short statement to the 100 investors, lawyers and onlookers. 'I just want to say that I'm here today, that I'm not hiding,' said Slatkin, dressed in a black T-shirt and khaki pants. 'And I just wanted you to know that.' In response, a groan rippled through the audience. 'Who cares?' one investor asked aloud. "One investor, who declined to provide her name, said she was frustrated by 'the confusion of not knowing what happened. If we knew what happened - good, bad or indifferent - then we could move forward.' Another investor, Ken Wright, said he hoped to recover at least some of the more than $500,000 he invested with Slatkin." Message-ID: tmd9pp4of5aiae@corp.supernews.com Message-ID: 9k6pnf0ob2@drn.newsguy.com Message-ID: tmf5m564nk0p95@corp.supernews.com
Switzerland
Newsbytes reported on July 24th that Scientology was among the victims of computer hackers, who broke into the email system of SwissOnline. "Hackers apparently had access to the SwissOnline accounts for months, allowing them to read, delete, change or forward e-mails. In addition to the embassies, the accounts on the CD-ROM include those of famous athletes, TV personalities, the UBS bank credit card center, the Association of Foreign Banks, a police department and the Scientology Church of Zurich." Message-ID: vs9bmtgqj9j2gf17st0dpdepig98fm86cv@4ax.com
A.r.s. Week in Review is put together by Rod Keller ©
This collection is organised for WWW by Andreas Heldal-Lund.
Only edits done by me is replacing word encapsuled in * or _ with bold and underscore, and made links into HTML.
