Asbestos.com, run by the Mesothelioma Cancer Center, gives us this article summarizing the Freewinds asbestos story for its wide audience of medical pracitioners and personal injury lawyers.  Read it with that last group in mind and you’ll see why this is bad news for David Miscavige.

One news report from International.org claims Scientologist representatives lied to Nordica Engineering about the amount of asbestos on board, and that Nordica workers who occupied the ship are now in danger of developing asbestos-related diseases such as mesothelioma.

In addition, the Scientology organization has failed to pay Nordica the $3.5 million it owes for the work that was completed.

This comes from Astra Woodcraft of Ex-Scientology Kids:

Today I found out some very interesting, in-depth and somewhat shocking news in regards the Freewinds.

In early 2008, a contract was made between Scientology and a company out of Miami called Nordica Engineering. This contract was for approximately $18 million and was for the work of completely stripping the Freewinds, and then re-fitting with new furniture, carpets, wiring, etc.

Nordica Engineering brought in approximately 240 workers from Poland who slepts on board the Freewinds in cabins until they were moved to a camp after 1 1/2 months.

Nordica Engineering was given no warning or information in regards blue asbestos or other asbestos panelling on the Freewinds. Apparently, in addition to the blue asbestos which is sparyed on all over the Freewinds, a lot of the panelling on the Freewinds was made with asbestos. A giant container at the dock in Curacao was filled with approximately 70 tons of asbestos, whereabouts now unknown.

The work proceeded until April 2008 when the Freewinds was sealed due to asbestos contamination at the drydock in Curacao.

Nordica Engineering has apparently not been fully paid and is owed upwards of approximately $3.5 million.

A separate company was brought out from Florida to clean up the asbestos at a cost of approximately $2 million. Some of the asbesots was removed, some encapsulated, but apparently there is still loose asbestos on-board.

The ship is now in Aruba (due to Curucao drydock being booked) but will be brough back to drydock in Curacao in November to finish up work and get its DNV certification.

Nordica Engineering appears to have been misled or outright lied to in regards the asbestos situation. There are 240 workers from Poland who have apparently been following the story about the Freewinds online. They are in possession the the affidavit that my dad, Lawrence Wooodcraft wrote back in 2001 in regards the asbestos he saw on the Freewinds in 1987. They have been majorly exposed to this asbestos, sleeping on-board while the work was being done and now they are, from reports, very upset to say the least.

Nordica Engineering is apparently still negotiating with Scientology executives Sue Price and Bob Wright, hoping to receive payment but it seems unlikely.

Please re-post and distribute as appropriate.

This is a video from early June by 13Heathens.  It’s relevant to Will Smith, as he is shilling the cult’s flawed “educational” methods in his private school.

Scientology has had a push to up their stats since the Anonymous uprising began. It seems the “fastest growing religion” on Earth today, with all their “8 million” members, could only muster selling 2,257 copies of Dianetics worldwide. The breakdown:

24-May-2008 11:12 PACIFIC STANDARD TIME
INTERNATIONAL TOTAL: 2,257
BRIDGE PUBLICATIONS TOTAL: 748
NEW ERA PUBLICATIONS TOTAL: 1,509

Leading the sales was the European Union with 672 sales; the UK had 235; the Western US had 170; the Eastern US had 104. Rock bottom was Canada at 18 sales nationwide, in a country of 33 million people.

The following orgs sold ZERO copies, with the ones that sting the most in bold: (more…)

The Marlin Democrat published three (3) separate Narconon ads yesterday in its “Community Events” section. Here they are:

CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION

Substance abuse and child abuse are inseparably linked. Nationally, statistics show that drug or alcohol abuse is frequently present in cases of child abuse. Narconon can help by offering addiction counseling, referrals and assessments to centers nationwide. No child should be left behind, call today 800-468-6933 or log on to www.stopaddiction.com

DRUG AND ALCOHOL IN OUR SCHOOLS

Drug abuse and addiction affects school aged children in many ways. Some kids live with an addicted family member while others have started using themselves. If you suspect that someone is struggling with addiction, call Narconon Arrowhead today! Narconon offers free addiction counseling, assessments and referrals to rehabilitation centers nationwide. Call 800-468-6933 or log on to www.stopaddiction.com to speak to a qualified counselor today.

GET YOUR FREE BOOKLET TODAY

To learn about the three barriers to successful recovery call Narconon at 800-468-6933 and receive a free booklet entitled The Life Cycle and Mechanics of Addiction or log on to www.stopaddiction.com. Narconon offers free addiction counseling, assessments and referrals to centers nationwide. Don’t lose your loved one to addiction, call today.

Notice the impersonal, non-local tone. Compare to the other, non-cult ads:

OCC PLANT SALE IS SATURDAY IN ROSEBUD

Operation Christmas Child Plant Sale will be held Saturday beginning at 8 a.m. on the First Baptist Church parking lot on Main Street in Rosebud. Plants for the sale have once again been donated by Donath’s Transplant of Rosebud.

POWERS CHAPEL TO HOLD WORK DAY

Powers Chapel Cemetery Association will hold another work day Saturday in preparation for the annual Powers Chapel Memorial Tribute on Sunday.

SOFTBALL TOURNEY FUNDRAISER IS MAY 24

Westphalia Celebration Park is sponsoring a softball tournament to raise funds for the newly completed concession stand and rest rooms on Saturday. To register a team or for more information, contact Emily Hering at [number].

Seems a bit odd to see a recruiting front for a multi-million dollar international organization using the same advertising space as local churches and softball parks. Something tells me they’re not paying the top dollar they can easily afford to spam the Marlin Democrat’s ad page for the same ad three times.

Good day,

I noticed on Thursday’s Community Events page that there are three separate ads for the group Narconon: [url]

I wanted to inform you that Narconon is a front group for the Church of Scientology. I find it unusual to see an international organization with no local presence advertising three times on a “Community Events” page.

The Church of Scientology can no doubt afford paying for ad space like any other major multinational corporation. Posting three ads on your Community Events column to peddle their medically dangerous and scientifically disproven Narconon vitamin regimine comes across as taking advantage of a community service the Marlin Democrat provides.

Thanks,

Anonymous

Will update if anything happens.

Standard issue nonsense from the cult, opposing life-saving legislation on the grounds LRH told them to do so.  This time with postpartum depression.

The MOTHERS Act runs against a major tenet of the Church of Scientology, whose beliefs are rooted in the writings of science-fiction author L. Ron Hubbard. Followers oppose psychiatry and mood-altering medication.

In 2006 Scientology’s most visible member, the actor Tom Cruise, criticized the actor and model Brooke Shields for taking the antidepressant Paxil to combat postpartum depression. Cruise this month told Oprah Winfrey that he had been “wrong,” adding: “I’m not trying or want to tell anyone how to live their life or what they should believe or shouldn’t believe.”

Some other church members won’t waver. The Scientology-affiliated Citizens Commission on Human Rights encourages its Web site visitors to send a form letter to senators, stating that postpartum depression could be treated with “normal medical or alternative means.”

WENN has picked up on the Freewinds fiasco and uses it as a celeb piece.

Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, John Travolta and Kelly Preston have been told to seek medical attention, after deadly asbestos was found on a cruise ship they have all sailed on.

What I find notable about the article is this statement from a doctor they contacted about asbestos exposure:

“Once diagnosed with mesothelioma, the victim has six months to a year to live. It gradually reduces lung function until the victim is no longer able to breathe and dies.”

I guess that’s an escape plan for someone who’s been sailing the cancerboat for over 20 years. Exteriorization due to mesothelioma is a great way to avoid a lengthy jail term.

JerseyMudkip posts on Enturbulation:

Here is the Fluctuation of ratings for Nightline for the past week not including the 24ths ratings

2.8/7 - 3.0/7

April 24th’s Nightline which covered scientology is as follows 3.3/8

So before you guys think that’s not much consider this: For the 2007-08 season, there are an estimated 112,800,000 television households in the U.S. so 1% of that equals 1,128,000 households. Note that a household may contain more than one person. You do the math.

Hey, this means doing a show blasting the cult (with only one day of advertising to pump it up) gets you 0.3% to 0.5% higher ratings - approximately 500,000 moar viewers!

Imagine what a heavily promoted week-long series will bring in…

It’s old, but if you haven’t read it before it’s new to you.

The “Section III OT” materials as written by L. Ron Hubbard in late 1966 remain in use to-date by Scientology as a heavily promoted and very expensive course (over 3k British pounds). The materials mostly revolve around a statement of events “recalled” by Hubbard that supposedly occurred on earth 75 million years ago. Section III OT then applies “Dianetics”, which is claimed to be a science of mental health, using the events as essential information. My paper checks Hubbard’s statement against the known geological record for the time, finding that nearly all of the listed locations didn’t exist then and that other available evidence contradicts the general story.

I found out from It’s Over Nine Thousand that there’s a discussion over at the the Discovery Channel boards asking that Mythbusters tackle Scientology’s e-meter. The first reply seems to have figured it out though:

It’s a device that removes money from your wallet and gives it to Scientology, with your cooperation. The benefit is all one way, and it’s not in your direction.

It’s also a popular story on Digg!  I’d audit Keri, if you know what I’m sayin’.