Jon Atack
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Jon Atack
''A Piece of Blue Sky: Scientology, Dianetics and L. Ron Hubbard Exposed'' is a 1990 book about L.Ron Hubbard and the development of Dianetics and Scientology, authored by British former Scientologist Jon Atack. It was republished in 2013 with the title ''Let's sell these people A Piece of Blue Sky: Hubbard, Dianetics and Scientology''. The title originates from a quote of Hubbard from 1950; an associate of Hubbard's noted him saying that he wanted to sell potential members "a piece of blue sky". The work has been reviewed favourably by scholars in the field of new religious movements. A review in the academic publication ''Marburg Journal of Religion'' called it "the most thorough general history of Hubbard and Scientology". Stephen A. Kent, a professor of sociology who researches new religious movements, described the work as "an unrivalled piece of superb scholarship". The Scientology organisation's publishing arm, New Era Publications International, unsuccessfully tried to pr ...
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Non-fiction
Nonfiction, or non-fiction, is any document or media content that attempts, in good faith, to provide information (and sometimes opinions) grounded only in facts and real life, rather than in imagination. Nonfiction is often associated with being presented more objectively, like historical, scientific, or otherwise straightforward and accurate information, but sometimes, can be presented more subjectively, like sincerely held beliefs and thoughts on a real-world topic. One prominent usage of nonfiction is as one of the two fundamental divisions of narrative (storytelling)—often, specifically, prose writing—in contrast to narrative fiction, which is largely populated by imaginary characters and events, though sometimes ambiguous regarding its basis in reality. Some typical examples of nonfiction include diaries, biographies, news stories, documentary films, textbooks, travel books, recipes, and scientific journals. While specific claims in a nonfiction work may p ...
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Scientology (Lewis Book)
''Scientology'' is an edited volume about the Church of Scientology and the beliefs and movement called Scientology. It was edited by James R. Lewis, and published in March 2009 by Oxford University Press. In addition to Lewis, other contributors to the book include J. Gordon Melton, William Sims Bainbridge, Douglas E. Cowan, David G. Bromley, Anson Shupe, James T. Richardson, and Susan J. Palmer. ''Scientology'' gives an overview and introduction to the organization, and presents an analysis of the movement from the perspective of sociology. The book compares the organization to religious movements, and goes over its history of controversy. It delves into the practices of the organization and the activities undertaken at its facilities. ''Scientology'' was given an unfavorable review in the ''International Journal of Cultic Studies'', which considered the book unduly biased in Scientology's favour, a view echoed in a review in the magazine ''Private Eye''. It received a positi ...
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1990 Non-fiction Books
Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 ''Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years. Events By place Roman Empire * Mesopotamia is partitioned into two Roman provinces divided by the Euphrates, Mesopotamia and Osroene. * Emperor Septimius Severus lays siege to the city-state Hatra in Central-Mesopotamia, but fails to capture the city despite breaching the walls. * Two new legions, I Parthica and III Parthica, are formed as a permanent garrison. China * Battle of Yijing: Chinese warlord Yuan Shao defeats Gongsun Zan. Korea * Geodeung succeeds Suro of Geumgwan Gaya, as king of the Korean kingdom of Gaya (traditional date). By topic Religion * Pope Zephyrinus succeeds Pope Victor I, as the ...
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Scientology Controversies
Since its inception in 1954, the Church of Scientology has been involved in a number of controversies, including its stance on psychiatry, Scientology's legitimacy as a religion, the Church's aggressive attitude in dealing with its perceived enemies and critics, allegations of mistreatment of members, and predatory financial practices; for example, the high cost of religious training:191 and perceived exploitative practices. When mainstream media outlets have reported alleged abuses, representatives of the church have tended to deny such allegations. Secrecy The church maintains strict control over the use of its symbols, names and religious texts. Although U.S. intellectual property law allows for "fair use" of material for commentary, parody, educational purposes, etc., critics of the church such as Gerry Armstrong have argued the church unfairly and illegally uses the legal system to suppress "fair" uses, including suppressing any mention of the space opera aspects of the rel ...
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Amazon
Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company Amazon or Amazone may also refer to: Places South America * Amazon Basin (sedimentary basin), a sedimentary basin at the middle and lower course of the river * Amazon basin, the part of South America drained by the river and its tributaries * Amazon Reef, at the mouth of the Amazon basin Elsewhere * 1042 Amazone, an asteroid * Amazon Creek, a stream in Oregon, US People * Amazon Eve (born 1979), American model, fitness trainer, and actress * Lesa Lewis (born 1967), American professional bodybuilder nicknamed "Amazon" Art and entertainment Fictional characters * Amazon (Amalgam Comics) * Amazon, an alias of the Marvel supervillain Man-Killer * Amazons (DC Comics), a group of superhuman characters * The Amazon, a ' ...
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Greenfields School
Greenfields School is an independent day and boarding school in Forest Row, East Sussex, England. It services children from 2 to 18. It has a Montessori-based Pre-school & Reception class, followed by Infant, Junior, Senior, 6th Form and EFL (English as a Foreign Language) classes. The school uses the Cambridge Curriculum from Year 1 on up through the rest of the school. The school is a member of the Independent Schools Association. Greenfields utilises a study method called Study Technology which is a teaching method developed by Church of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, and licensed from U.S. non-profit educational organization Applied Scholastics. The school does not teach any religious philosophies and includes children of all nationalities, cultures and religions. The school has English as a Foreign Language programmes for international students. Summer holiday programmes run from June to August, minimum stay 1 week. The school also runs English programmes all year ar ...
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The Sunday Times
''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, which is owned by News Corp. Times Newspapers also publishes ''The Times''. The two papers were founded independently and have been under common ownership since 1966. They were bought by News International in 1981. ''The Sunday Times'' has a circulation of just over 650,000, which exceeds that of its main rivals, including ''The'' ''Sunday Telegraph'' and ''The'' ''Observer'', combined. While some other national newspapers moved to a tabloid format in the early 2000s, ''The Sunday Times'' has retained the larger broadsheet format and has said that it would continue to do so. As of December 2019, it sells 75% more copies than its sister paper, ''The Times'', which is published from Monday to Saturday. The paper publishes ''The Sunday Ti ...
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Louis Jolyon West
Louis Jolyon West (October 6, 1924 – January 2, 1999) was an American psychiatrist involved in the public sphere. In 1954, at the age of 29 and with no previous tenure-track appointment, he became a full professor and chair of psychiatry at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine. From 1969 to 1989, he served as chair of psychiatry at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine and the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute. West's work on brainwashing techniques allowed him to exonerate U.S. servicemen under suspicion of treason for making false confessions during the Korean War-era. This brought him to the attention of the CIA. He pioneered research into the use and abuse of LSD. West was also active in studying the creation and management of cults and anti-death penalty activism. Along with friend Charlton Heston, he supported the Civil Rights Movement, frequently participating in sit-ins and rallies. Early life West was born in Brooklyn, New ...
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Bare-faced Messiah
''Bare-faced Messiah: The True Story of L. Ron Hubbard'' is a posthumous biography of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard by British journalist Russell Miller. First published in the United Kingdom on 26 October 1987, the book takes a critical perspective, challenging the Church of Scientology's account of Hubbard's life and work. It quotes extensively from official documents acquired using the Freedom of Information Act and from Hubbard's personal papers, which were obtained via a defector from Scientology. It was also published in Australia, Canada and the United States. The Church of Scientology strongly opposed the book's publication. The organization was accused of organising a smear and harassment campaign against Miller and his publisher, though it strenuously denied this accusation, and a private investigator involved in the campaign denied that the organization was his client. However, a leak of internal Scientology documents to the press in 1990 disclosed many details o ...
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Russell Miller
Russell Miller (born  1938) is a British journalist and author of fifteen books, including biographies of Hugh Hefner, J. Paul Getty and L. Ron Hubbard. While under contract to '' The Sunday Times Magazine'' he won four press awards and was voted Writer of the Year by the Society of British Magazine Editors. His book ''Magnum: Fifty Years at the Front Line of History: The Story of the Legendary Photo Agency'' (1999) on Magnum Photos, was described by John Simpson as "the best book on photo-journalism I have ever read". His oral histories of D-Day, ''Nothing Less Than Victory'' (1993), and the SOE, ''Behind The Lines'' (2002) were widely acclaimed, both in Britain and in the United States. Life and work Miller was born in east London and began his career in journalism at the age of sixteen. In the early 1980s, Miller decided to write a biographical trilogy on the subjects of sex, money, and religion. The books that followed were ''Bunny'' (on Hugh Hefner, publis ...
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Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books by decree in 1586, it is the second oldest university press after Cambridge University Press. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics known as the Delegates of the Press, who are appointed by the vice-chancellor of the University of Oxford. The Delegates of the Press are led by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as OUP's chief executive and as its major representative on other university bodies. Oxford University Press has had a similar governance structure since the 17th century. The press is located on Walton Street, Oxford, opposite Somerville College, in the inner suburb of Jericho. For the last 500 years, OUP has primarily focused on the publication of pedagogical texts and ...
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Suppressive Persons
Suppressive Person, often abbreviated SP, is a term used in Scientology to describe the "antisocial personalities" who, according to Scientology's founder L. Ron Hubbard, make up about 2.5% of the population. A statement on a Church of Scientology website describes this group as including notorious historic figures such as Adolf Hitler. The term is often applied to those whom the Church perceives as its enemies, such as those whose "disastrous" and "suppressive" acts are said to impede the progress of individual Scientologists or the Scientology movement. One of the reasons Scientology doctrines portray Suppressive Persons as such a danger is that they are supposed to make people around them become Potential Trouble Sources (abbreviated PTS). Scientology defines a PTS as "a person who is in some way connected to and being adversely affected by a suppressive person. Such a person is called a potential trouble source because he can be a lot of trouble to himself and to others." Hub ...
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