Sabotage corporate capitalism, save a baby

By

Peter Oren|

IDS

How do we detect pride? What are the characteristics of prideful people?

Prideful people tend to be self-righteous, thinking more highly of themselves than they should. They are often oblivious to their own failures and shortcomings and have difficulty admitting their own sin. Because of this, prideful people tend to think that they don’t really need God. If we are a “good person” all on our own, then we feel no need to come to Jesus Christ in repentance and faith. Why confess our sin and prayerfully seek God’s grace and mercy to help in our times of need, if we are “okay” all on our own? If we find ourselves thinking very little of our own sin and need, then we are likely a prideful person.

Prideful people also tend to possess a critical spirit where others are concerned. They are exceptionally good at pointing out the faults of others. In large part, this is because a prideful person feels superior and is confident that they are doing everything “the right way.” Therefore, they tend to look down upon those who disagree with them or who fall short of their standard.  If we find ourselves constantly criticizing others, then pride is likely running rampant in our own hearts.

Prideful people are often self-protective and self-serving. They selfishly guard the use of their time, talents and treasures and will insist on receiving what they feel they deserve. They tend to demand their own rights and refuse to let any wrong go unpunished. They are defensive when questioned and typically make excuses and blame others when confronted about their own sin and failures. They often have a very hard time saying, “I was wrong” and asking for forgiveness. If this describes us, then we need to beware of the fall which pride will sooner or later bring about in our lives.

Prideful people tend to be self-conscious. They are overly concerned about what other people think of them. They tend to be fixated on success, self-advancement and recognition. They want to be noticed by others and, when people don’t notice them, they can easily become sullen and depressed and feel like they are being slighted.  This also manifests itself in jealousy when others are recognized and appreciated. If we spend an excessive amount of time pondering what others think of us, then pride is no doubt lurking beneath the surface of our lives.

Think about how prevalent pride is in our homes.  Think about how often we see families fall apart as a result of pride. Pride leads us to think only of ourselves. It leads us think we deserve to have things our own way, even at the expense of others. The self-serving attitude produced by pride destroys any possibility of truly loving relationships. It pushes away those who would encourage us and counsel us toward greater relational health. It causes us to rely on ourselves rather than to seek God, who is the only One who can truly correct the problems in ourselves and in our homes. Pride, if left unchecked, leads to personal and family destruction! And none of us are immune. The sooner we recognize the danger of pride in our hearts and homes, then the sooner we can begin combating this sinful tendency within ourselves and our families.

I believe the words of John RW Stott ring true, both in our personal lives and in our homes, “At every stage of our Christian development and in every sphere of our Christian discipleship, pride is the greatest enemy and humility our greatest friend.”  If we want to have healthy, God-honoring families, then we must prayerfully consider how prevalent pride is in our homes and we must strive to root out pride in our own hearts. We must plead with God to revive within our homes a spirit of humility which leads us to confess our pride, trusting that God will forgive us and remove this sinful tendency from our midst (I Jn 1:9.)  Remember, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Prov 16:18.) May God Himself protect us from the danger of pride in our homes!

Pastor Dan can be reached at (928) 537-7555 or at pastordan@calvaryshowlow.org.

Tampa, Florida (PRWEB) April 12, 2012

Telemedicine provider MD247 announced on Thursday that it would begin issuing a series of blog articles discussing the abrupt technological advances in the field of medicine.

Each article by MD247 will review evolution within the field of medicine; positive impact resulting for those seeking medical help and the reality that telemedicine can treat everything from allergies to sunburn. Barbers once learned the art of surgery, antibiotics were eventually released on a wide scale for the treatment of infections caused by bacteria and then medicine hit warp speed with technological advances. With current smart phone technology it is possible to monitor everything from a heart healthy diet to actual blood oxygen saturation level, all with the use of applications simple enough for the masses to use. These applications, as well as other products more specific to the healthcare industry, allow physician and patient alike an affordable and expedient method by which to stay in frequent contact. MD247 is prepared to serve as a guide into what will be the future of medicine worldwide.

MD247 recommends that readers frequently visit the MD247.COM blog to learn more about telemedicine, and dispel fears of scams or ripoffs. Articles will periodically include MD247 customer product experience, telemedicine industry advances and even an occasional letter from MD247 Founder Thomas Meehan.

Seminole Florida based MD247 (MD 247; MD/247; MD 247; MD247.COM) provides discounted telemedicine healthcare services nationwide to families, and discounted wholesale telemedicine healthcare to businesses. MD247 has successfully provided 25,000 people the ability to talk to a doctor twenty-four hours a day, talk to a nurse twenty-four hours a day, receive discounted prescription drugs and receive discounted in-person healthcare services. In addition to discounted healthcare services, MD247 provides support to groups supporting the employment of veterans of the United States Armed Services. MD247 services, as well as informational blogs, can be found for review online at http://www.md247.com.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2012/4/prweb9398331.htm

Which? has put several high-capacity batteries – including one ‘ultra-high’ capacity battery – to the test to see which last the longest in high-drain conditions.

Our experts have also tested several new hybrid batteries, which come pre-charged so you can use them straight from the packet. Brands tested include Energizer, Duracell, GP, Ansmann, Uniross and Maplin.

You can see full test results for all 16 batteries tested – and find out which batteries scored well enough to become Best Buys in our rechargeable batteries review.

Improved rechargeable battery technology

The hybrid batteries Which? tested last year typically lasted between six and six and a half hours in our lab tests (compared with nearly eight hours for the best high-capacity batteries).

But this year we’ve seen manufacturers offering higher-capacity hybrids and have found two new Best Buys that last more than seven hours under our high-drain conditions, which simulate use in power-hungry devices such as shavers.

Weve also tested the highest-capacity battery we’ve ever seen – the Ansmann Digital 2850mAh – and we were quite surprised at the results.

Best and worst rechargeable batteries

Which? rechargeable battery tests reflect real-life use, and we rate each battery based on the factors that Which? members told us were most important to them – including exactly how long each battery lasts each time it is charged, how well it keeps its charge when not is use, and how long it takes to charge.

The longest-lasting high-capacity batteries we tested survived nearly eight hours in our high-drain conditions, while the worst hybrids managed less than six hours.

And we saw significant differences in terms of charge retention. While the best batteries lost less than 10% of their charge after 50 days, the worst lost nearly 30% of their charge during this time.

Rechargeable batteries vs disposables

Which? has tested two types of rechargeable battery – high-capacity and hybrid – and two types of disposables – pricey lithium and cheaper alkaline.

None of the rechargeable batteries we’ve tested last as long as our Best Buy lithium disposable batteries but, on average, they do beat alkalines.

Hybrid rechargeables offer the added advantage of coming pre-charged – but don’t expect them to perform to their full capacity on their first use. In our latest tests the hybrids ranged from 27-75% charged from the packet.

More on this…

• See full test results in our rechargeable batteries review
• Find out which disposable batteries are Best Buys
• Which? Conversation: Do ‘ultra high’ capacity batteries really exist?

Early this year, the Government released the Draft Diaspora Policy aimed at mainstreaming the role of the Diaspora, an increasingly influential constituency in Kenya’s socio-political and economic development.

According to ambassador Odembo, this signals the government’s commitment to creating an enabling environment for Diaspora engagement and an opportunity for the Diaspora to determine how they wish to engage with the government in shaping the future social, economic and political destiny of the country.

The Embassy in Washington, D.C, wishes to encourage Kenyans in the US to critically review the draft policy, discuss it, and provide their input before the policy is finalized. Our going to Boston to receive the initial reviews is not only for us to show the seriousness with which the government is taking this initiative but also to encourage the Diaspora to participate fully, he said.

The discussions will take place soon after a lavish Dinner Party with the Kenyan Elite Team at Back Bay Events Center, 180 Berkeley St. Boston, MA. 02116.

It will herald the launch of live recording and streaming of a TV show, ‘DIASPORA VOICE’. The event is organised by the Diaspora Advisory Council of New England in collaboration the Kenyan Embassy in DC, Run With Kenyans and Diaspora Voice TV show.

Odembo said the policy would be meaningless if it does not incorporate the considered views of the Diaspora.

It is a Diaspora Policy, which means that the Diaspora is the key stakeholder in the policy. We propose that the Diaspora groups convene meetings/workshops to discuss the draft policy and send their ideas in writing to the Embassy for forwarding to Nairobi. This policy is domiciled in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), and it is the intention of the Ministry to have it finalized and published by June 2012, he said.

Other significant Kenyan Caucuses taking place around this time is the Kenya Diaspora Summit scheduled for April 14-15 at Umass Convention Center, 222 Maple Ave and the launch of New England Kenyan Welfare Association (NEKWA).

According to the organisers, KDCC, the aim of the summit is to give Kenyan Diaspora members a rallying point for mutual self-advancement through cooperative ventures aimed at enhancing sustainable development in Kenya.

LONDON, ENGLAND, Apr 16, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) –
Tethys Petroleum

/quotes/zigman/42102 CA:TPL
-2.56%

/quotes/zigman/5951908 UK:TPL
0.00%

today announces that it has
appointed FirstEnergy Capital LLP (“FirstEnergy”) and Seymour Pierce
Limited (“Seymour Pierce”) as new corporate brokers with immediate
effect.

FirstEnergy is a leading energy-focused investment bank providing
full-service investment banking operations. FirstEnergy’s industry
leading team of over 150 professionals is focused exclusively on
serving the needs of energy companies and sophisticated institutional
investors on a global basis. FirstEnergy’s UK activities include
corporate broking, equity research, sales & trading, corporate
mergers & acquisitions and oil and gas property acquisitions &
divestiture advisory.

Seymour Pierce is a leading London based independent investment bank.
Seymour Pierce’s principal activities are corporate finance,
corporate broking, institutional sales and trading and market making,
focussed on small and mid cap companies operating across a broad
range of sectors, including natural resources where it currently acts
for 16 companies. Seymour Pierce was voted the Best Advisor Corporate
Sponsor at the UK Stock Market Awards 2011.

Quam Capital Limited continues to act as financial adviser to the
Company in Hong Kong, Singapore and East Asia.

Notes to Editors

Tethys is focused on oil and gas exploration and production
activities in Central Asia with activities currently in the Republics
of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. This highly prolific oil
and gas area is rapidly developing and Tethys believes that
significant potential exists in both exploration and in discovered
deposits.

This press release contains “forward-looking information” which may
include, but is not limited to, statements with respect to our
operations. Such forward-looking statements reflect our current views
with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks,
uncertainties and assumptions. See our Annual Information Form for
the year ended December 31, 2011 for a description of risks and
uncertainties relevant to our business, including our exploration
activities (which are incorporated herein by reference). The “forward
looking statements” contained herein speak only as of the date of
this press release and, unless required by applicable law, the
Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise such
information, whether as a result of new information, future events or
otherwise.

Contacts:
Tethys Petroleum: North America
Sabin Rossi
Vice President Investor Relations
Office: +1 416-941-1257
+1 416-947-0167 (FAX)

Tethys Petroleum: Europe
Veronica Zhuvaghena
Vice President Corporate Communications
Office: +44 1481 725911
+44 1481 725922 (FAX)

Corporate Brokers:
FirstEnergy
Hugh Sanderson / Derek Smith
Office: + 44 207 448 0200

Seymour Pierce
Richard Redmayne / Jonathan Wright / Stewart Dickson
Office: +44 207 107 8000

Asia Pacific: Quam IR
Anita Wan
Office phone/fax: +852 2217 2999

FTI Consulting
Ben Brewerton / Edward Westropp
Office: +44 207 831 3113

Tethys Petroleum Limited
info@tethyspetroleum.com

www.tethyspetroleum.com

http://m.tethyspetroleum.com

SOURCE: Tethys Petroleum Limited

mailto:info@tethyspetroleum.com

http://www.tethyspetroleum.com

http://m.tethyspetroleum.com

Copyright 2012 Marketwire, Inc., All rights reserved.

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CA:TPL

Tethys Petroleum Ltd.

CA

: Canada: Toronto

$
0.76

-0.02
-2.56%

Volume: 144,400
May 11, 2012 5:40p

P/E RatioN/A
Dividend YieldN/A

Market Cap$217.89 million
Rev. per EmployeeN/A

/quotes/zigman/5951908

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UK:TPL

Tethys Petroleum Ltd.

UK

: U.K.: London

48.63
p

0.00
0.00%

Volume: 0.00
May 13, 2012 4:35p

P/E RatioN/A
Dividend YieldN/A

Market Cap£135.80 million
Rev. per EmployeeN/A

Financial Glossary

Words used in this article:

There followed a brief altercation which, even by the standards of YouTube, where clips of what occurred were later posted, seems impossibly surreal. Come on, Marty! bellows the groups middle-aged leader, who wears a camera on his head, got anything to say? Rathbun asks who he is. Im with Squirrel Buster Productions, comes the reply. Im doing an investigation on you, and your squirrel technology. Heated discussions ensue. Well be here for weeks and weeks, promises one of the men, after Marty orders them off his property. Another adds: As long as it takes!.

They werent lying. From that point onwards, men wearing squirrel buster outfits began turning up outside Rathbuns home every few hours. Sometimes, theyd arrive in a car; often, as the long, hot summer wore on, in a golf buggy. Occasionally, they moored boats in the canal outside his home. According to a harassment log local police advised Marty to keep, theyd video him inside and outside the property. From time to time, theyd also pepper his wife, Monique, with hostile questions, often about their sex life.

The squirrel busters stayed in Ingleside throughout May, June, July, and August 2011. They rented homes nearby, carried placards denouncing Marty, and posted occasional footage of him on the internet. Soon, they became the talk of the village. One day, as news spread, Mark Collette, a reporter from the Corpus Christi Caller, appeared on Martys doorstep and asked what was going on. The answer left him stunned.

Here, in this seaside hamlet, full of retirees and fishermen, Marty Rathbun was fighting an extraordinary religious war. The squirrel busters were among its (possibly self-appointed) foot soldiers. At stake in the dispute, which has now been running for almost three years, is the future of one of the worlds most controversial and headline-prone spiritual institutions: the Church of Scientology.

A few weeks ago, I travelled to Ingleside to meet Marty Rathbun, who is 55 and shares his home with Monique, a lapdog called Chiquita, and several hundred books by L Ron Hubbard, the science-fiction author who founded Scientology in the 1950s. Like many people drawn to the faith, he is an easy conversationalist with a fascinating, if somewhat troubled life story. We started from the top, and ended up talking for a little more than three hours.

Many aspects of Martys story are disputed by the Church, which calls him a liar, a criminal, and an apostate. But the verifiable facts are as follows: he was a fully-paid-up Scientologist for 27 years, before quitting in 2004. For much of this time, he was a high-ranking executive in the Church, helping steer some of its most sensitive legal campaigns. He was also acquainted with many celebrity members, including Kirstie Alley, John Travolta, and Tom Cruise.

Marty says he left the Church for two reasons. The first is what he calls the increasingly onerous financial demands it places on followers. The second is a series of personal disagreements with its leader David Miscavige, a charismatic former associate of Hubbard who has reigned over Scientology since the mid-1980s. Over the years, Miscavige has built ties to a string of Hollywood personalities. When Cruise married Katie Holmes in 2006, he was best man.

When Marty left, eight years ago, he dropped off the radar and attempted to build a completely new life. But in 2009, after renewing contact with a handful of disaffected former colleagues, he changed course. First, he launched a blog, which has become a popular forum for the Churchs critics. Then he turned his home into what he calls a half-way house, offering refuge to people attempting to leave Scientology.

Since then, Rathbun has provided a temporary home to 72 defectors. His blog, Moving on Up a Little Higher, gets around 10,000 hits a day. It has been visited a total of six million times, is credited with encouraging scores of former Scientologists to quit, and has broken a string of sensational news stories about the Church, including film director Paul Haggiss resignation, in 2010, and Januarys decision by Debbie Cook, a senior member of Church clergy, to quit in protest at what she called its extreme fundraising. Almost every former Scientologist I have spoken with checks it daily.

Today, Marty has become one of the Churchs most public detractors, and has appeared in that guise on virtually every major US news network. Tony Ortega, the Village Voice editor and one of the most prolific journalists covering Scientology today, wrote recently: There may be no greater outside threat to the continued existence of the Church of Scientology than a lone man who lives near Corpus Christi and who operates a blog he updates about once a day.

I spoke to several ex-Scientologists who have stayed with Rathbun. When I left Scientology, I lost every friend I had, said Samantha Domingo, who quit in 2009, after 20 years. Then I went to see Marty. He gave me certainty, gave me hope, and made me realise I wasnt alone. Domingo, the British former daughter-in-law of the opera great Placido, now lives happily in Kent. He picked up the broken pieces of my life and put them back together, she said.

John Brosseau, who quit the Church in April 2010, after 30 years, recalled: Leaving felt like jumping out of an aeroplane with no parachute. But after two weeks at Martys place I got my feet back under me. He put me in touch with a community of former Church members. One even offered me a job. Its been two years since then; Ive now got a home, a wife, and a wonderful six-month-old daughter.

Marty does not charge house-guests. But he does accept their financial donations. Along with financial pledges to his website, these now represent his entire income. Critics say he is therefore leveraging his former status within the Church for financial gain. In a letter sent in 2009, Tom Cruises lawyer, Bertram Fields, asked Marty to stop using his blog to mention the fact that he was the actors former counsellor. This is… a serious invasion of Toms privacy and a violation of the priest-penitent relationship, wrote Fields. Rathbun replied, insisting otherwise. Cruise did not pursue the claim.

In March, I contacted the Churchs PR department to inform them that I was writing a profile of Marty, and asking if they would like to respond to criticisms he had made of them. I also sought to check a few points of fact. They asked me to submit questions via e-mail. A few days later, their response arrived. It covered 15 pages. A second letter arrived at The Independents offices in London the following day, from the Churchs British lawyers, Carter-Ruck.

The Church called Rathbun an anti-Scientologist, desperate and delusional. It said he was expelled from the Church for violating Scripture and has a history of malfeasance recently exposed in detail by Freedom, Scientologys in-house magazine, which claims he belongs to a posse of lunatics. It advised me to research Marty via the website whoismartyrathbun.com. Among other things, it dubs him a cult militia leader and claims, Rathbuns eyes glow with a psychotic gleam.

Since Scientologists live in the community, the Churchs letter argued that the idea of a half-way house is absurd. It said Marty had been responsible for lies, obstruction of justice, and violent behaviour within the Church and had been dismissed from an executive position in the organisation rather than having, as he claims, quit. Because of his work since then, it claimed: he is what we call a squirrel (a heretic).

All of which brings us back to the strange campaign that began in Ingleside on the Bay last year. If, in the argot of Scientology, Marty is indeed a squirrel, it follows that the cameramen who turned up at his home were out to bust him. Regardless of where they came from (and the Church formally denied being behind their activities), Marty came to the view that these strange men, with their golf buggies, weird T-shirts, and highly-visible surveillance equipment, had a plan: they wanted to shut him down.

To properly comprehend the threat Marty poses to the Church of Scientology, you need to grasp an important point: though no longer a Church member, he has by no means renounced the faith. Instead, he calls himself an independent Scientologist.

In practice, this means Marty still subscribes to many key tenets of the religion. He continues to practice auditing, the form of counselling Scientologists use to seek enlightenment, and he continues to revere Hubbard, whose books and lectures he frequently quotes. Like L Ron, he believes firmly in reincarnation. The way I see it, he told me, this faith has a lot in common with Zen Buddhism.

Marty insists, however, that the Church, which he calls corporate Scientology, has become estranged from its core values. In recent years, he argues, an organisation created to harness individualism became obsessed with loyalty, discipline and control, with getting members to obey rules, and, above all, with separating them from their money. I never doubt the gains that I got from Scientology, he says. Ive never doubted the effectiveness of auditing. But I believe theres a real problem with the Church. The core poison is greed. I look at Scientology, and I think its being destroyed by this quest for the buck.

The Church, for its part, denies placing unreasonable financial demands on members, claiming that its perfectly possible to participate in the faith without making financial donations, and pointing out that all religions depend on the financial support of members. In a statement, it added: There are no such things as independent Scientologists. Scientologists are members of the Church… Others are squirrels.

Either way, critics such as Tony Ortega believe Martys reformist platform is central to his ability to win over disaffected Scientologists. He speaks their language. Hes not abandoned Hubbard. Hes not given up on the faith. Hes just worn down. And the people hes speaking to are also worn down. They are exhausted with requests for donations. Because of that, he reaches deep inside the organisation.

In the eyes of supporters, Marty is not even an enemy of Scientology. Instead, he is leading a sort of Reformation. Marty presents himself as a true believer, says Janet Reitman, the author of Inside Scientology, perhaps the most complete history of the Church. He still believes in the faith, but hes trying to reform it. He sees himself as a Martin Luther figure.

Marty argues that corporate Scientology is dominated by fundamentalists who mandate literalist readings of its theological texts, including a famous piece of literature by Hubbard which argues that mankinds problems are the work of a despotic alien called Xenu who fought an intergalactic war 75 million years ago (see box). Marty would prefer to see that story as allegorical, in the same way many Christians view the Old Testament. The Church counters: This shows he is no longer a Scientologist. Scientologists are true to the writings of Mr Hubbard.

Marty is also sceptical about the Churchs rigid system of self-advancement, which requires members who wish to ascend its Bridge to Total Freedom (see box) to take paid study courses. Theres an old rumour, from the 1970s, that Yvonne Jentzsch, who founded the Churchs Celebrity Centre, tried to convert Led Zeppelin, he says. The band got the sales pitch, and didnt buy, but later wrote Stairway to Heaven about Scientology. If thats true – and Im not saying it is – Id have to agree with Led Zeppelin. Scientology has become a stairway to heaven.

Martys views strike a chord with many Church members who are struggling with their faith. I recently spoke with Luis Garcia, who had been in Scientology for 28 years, ascending to OT8 (the highest level of The Bridge) before stumbling on Martys blog in 2010. Reading it had a therapeutic effect, he said. It made me realise that I wasnt the only one with doubts. He reflected exactly what I was thinking.

I also spoke with Mike Rinder. He was one of the Churchs most senior executives, working in its PR department, before leaving in 2007. Martys blog is a forum for information, he said. Thats what makes it such a threat. Hes not trying to be a leader of men, or take over the Church, or storm the castle walls. Hes just a guy on the outside who wants to speak his mind.

Their experiences illustrate a fundamental truth about the Churchs future in the internet era. Unlike during previous decades, when defectors had no means to communicate with each other, todays breed can join forces and make themselves heard. There have been exoduses of senior staff in the past, but they havent websites like Martys to connect them, adds Reitman. Now, for the first time, they have been able to build a significant resistance movement, which isnt going away.

The web makes it impossible for anyone to silence critics. Typing Scientology and cult into Google will return more than three million hits. Searches for Scientology on YouTube will turn up a wealth of footage, most of it negative – from tapes of Tom Cruise jumping on sofas, to scatological clips from South Park, to two revelatory documentaries about the Church by the BBCs John Sweeney.

How deeply this affects recruitment is impossible to say. The Church insists that its membership is estimated to be in the millions (though academic studies have put it in the tens of thousands). But the sheer volume of critical material that now exists online can hardly attract new members.

The internet is a curse for Scientology, Sweeney tells me. In the old days, people thinking about quitting would have had to go to bookshops to hunt down scepticism. Now, one click takes you to Xenu… When theyve picked themselves off the floor and stopped laughing, they may start wondering about the Church that likes to wear dark glasses.

Martys journey in Scientology began on a pavement in Portland, Oregon. It was 1977, and he was walking to a bus stop when a man outside one of the Churchs missions thrust a leaflet into his hand. Look, man, I got 45 minutes to my bus, Marty told him. Tell me what it is youre doing here. The man said he was seeking recruits for a three-week course that advanced a technology for improving communication.

Marty, who was then aged 20, was a troubled soul. His mother had committed suicide when he was five, and his brother suffered from schizophrenia. Hed been brought up in bohemian Laguna Beach, California, and experimented with drugs as a teenager, before dropping out of college. I was having serious problems with communication, so what the guy said intrigued me, he recalls. The course was 50 bucks. I only had 25, but he said, If you pay cash, I can get you in.

The next three weeks were life-changing. Marty was given intensive auditing, carried out lengthy meditation exercises, and at one point during a communication drill in which he had to silently stare into a counsellors eyes for an hour, underwent what he calls an out-of-body experience. I literally exteriorised from my body, he says. It was incredible. It changed everything.

A few weeks later, the Scientology mission in Portland was visited by a man from Los Angeles, wearing a quasi-naval uniform. He was a member of Sea Org, the Churchs version of the clergy, seeking new recruits. He was dynamic, and he spoke about working to change humanity. I was sold, says Marty. He duly joined Sea Org that day. Like every other member, he signed a billion-year contract.

I asked Marty how an outwardly normal 20-year-old could, in the space of a few short weeks, become so committed to a minority religion that he would agree to devote his entire life to it. What you dont understand, he replied, is how much of Scientology really works. The auditing, and the counselling, and the communication drills sorted me out. They completely changed me.

Members of Sea Org are given board, lodging, and a small allowance. They are also offered resources to further study Scientology. In return, they are expected to work for the Church, in whatever capacity they are asked. Marty was sent to Los Angeles, on a stipend of $17 a week. It was kind of cool, he says. I thought it was a great socialist experiment. I mean we all lived communally. We were people who shared the same ideas. I was engaged. You cant help but be engaged. It was a hive of activity.

At first, Marty performed fairly menial tasks. But over the years, his seniority grew. By the late 1980s, he had become a trusted lieutenant of David Miscavige, who had in turn inherited the leadership of the Church following the death of Hubbard in 1986. His remit included contributing to some of the Churchs most important legal battles, and attempting to silence its critics.

In 1993, Scientology won a 30-year campaign to be granted exemption, as a religious institution, from US taxes. It was a huge moment: loss might have bankrupted the Church. In 1995, Rathbun led the Churchs response to one of the greatest crises in its history: the death of Lisa McPherson, who had suffered a mental breakdown at Scientologys Flag headquarters in Florida, and died while in its care. The felony charges it faced were eventually dropped.

In the same era, Marty became adept at battling news organisations seeking to cover Church affairs. In the early 1990s, he helped pursue an epic defamation case over Time magazines cover story, Scientology: the cult of greed. The Church eventually dropped its claim, but not before Time Warner had endured five years of litigation.

Marty was also a gifted auditor. And by the end of the 1990s, he had worked with a slew of celebrity Scientologists. In 2001, Tom Cruise, who was going through a divorce from Nicole Kidman, asked him to come to Los Angeles for some sessions. It was a big deal, because Tom hadnt been on line with the Church for eight years, and that had been a huge loss, Marty says. So I went to LA and helped him.

Later that summer, Cruise asked Marty to help him devote serious time to Scientology. From July to November 2001, between Vanilla Sky and The Last Samurai, he was with me almost every day. He was actually practising for Samurai between sessions. He had swords with him all the time.

Cruise had recently embarked on a relationship with Penelope Cruz. Marty says he was asked to recruit her to the faith. It didnt work. She was doing auditing, and she was doing it with a very open mind, but she never really bought into it, he recalls. She was a professed Buddhist, and she was continuing to meditate, and that ended up freaking people out.

Marty says he also audited Kirstie Alley, helped Lisa Marie Presley during her very public separation from Michael Jackson, and worked with John Travolta (a very sweet guy; innocent and sometimes naïve, but sweet). He also became close to Greta Van Susteren, the Fox News pundit and longstanding Scientologist, who quietly assisted Church PR campaigns near its Florida headquarters.

Gretas very wary of wearing Scientology on her sleeve. But she had this yacht, the Sequoia. Shed bring it to Clearwater harbour when she came down for the holidays. Opinion leaders from the local community would be told, Youre invited to have dinner with Greta on her yacht. Shed be very charming, without ever talking about Scientology. Afterwards, guests would be informed: Shes a leading Scientologist and as you can see, shes also a regular person. It would really impress them.

I asked the Church about Martys dealings with high-profile members. It responded: the Church does not comment on spiritual advancement of any parishioners. This is shameless name-dropping by a defrocked Scientologist.

Martys career in the Church came to an abrupt end on 12 December 2004. The reasons for his departure are hotly disputed. He claims to have witnessed troubling abuse at a Scientology compound in Riverside, California. Several other recent defectors who were there at the time have publicly supported that version of events. However, the Church describes their claims as blatant fabrications which reveal him to be an apostate and anti-religious hate-monger. Either way, he fled on a motorcycle, and has not been back since.

Its hard not to conclude, taking a long view of Martys 27 years in Scientology, that his role in the Church made him uniquely suited to his current life outside it. Marty was the guy who used to be the Churchs enforcer. So when they go after him, he has the full knowledge of what their tricks are, Tony Ortega told me. I mean, when the squirrel busters came to his home, he just sucked it up. In fact, I got the impression that he was almost enjoying it.

The men in strange outfits stayed in Ingleside for several months last year. Their modus operandi became simple: theyd walk to the edge of Martys property line, and film there. Any subsequent confrontation would then be captured on tape. Their endgame, says Marty, was to get me prosecuted for assault.

When newspapers asked the Church what was going on, they denied any affiliation with the squirrel busters. But regardless of who was pulling their strings, they got under Martys skin. A total of 13 criminal complaints were filed against him, following various scuffles, though none resulted in a prosecution.

At one point, he came close to leaving town. I went to the local council when it started getting pretty heated in May or June, and said, Look Im the guy who dragged these horseflies in here, and Im sorry and if it doesnt end, were going to move house, he says. But the locals were having none of it. They said, Youre not going anywhere!, he recalls. The lady who lives next door told us, This country was founded on freedom of religion. Who are they to come across the country and tell you how to go about your religious activity? Thats not America!.

On 1 September, Marty recalls asking a squirrel buster called Norman James Moore to stop bothering his wife. When Moore didnt respond, Marty snatched the sunglasses from his head. On 18 September, a police car appeared at Martys door and told him he that was being arrested. Mr Moore had filed an assault charge, claiming that his forehead had been scratched during the incident.

Four days later, local prosecutors made an announcement: no jury, they said, would possibly convict Rathbun after learning of the circumstances he had endured during the previous five months. All charges were dropped. We took a totality of the circumstances, said a spokesman. We examined the level of provocation and the extent of the injury, which was literally a scratch. The decision brought national media attention on Marty. Shortly afterwards, he was invited to discuss the affair on Good Morning America.

September 18th turned out to be the last day the squirrel busters ever appeared on Martys doorstep. Maybe they had grown bored. Maybe their leaders realised that their presence was becoming counterproductive. They left town on 2 November, no less than 199 days after arriving. Since then, Marty has been blogging daily, running his halfway house and writing a memoir of his career in Scientology. He hopes to publish it later this year. Ive seen the Church from inside and out, over such a long period, he says. Its made me realise that the best thing I can possibly do is to tell my story, warts and everything, and let people make up their own minds.

Scientology: a beginners guide

Scientology posits that a form of counselling known as auditing can allow human beings to identify pain experienced years ago. The process of confronting that pain will improve their emotional well-being. During sessions, subjects are questioned while attached to an e-meter, which measures resistance being exerted on an electrical current being passed through someones body. Scientologists believe that both conscious and subconscious thoughts affect the e-meters reading. By locating and dealing with their subjects harmful thoughts, an accomplished auditor aims to help them reach a state of enlightenment known as clear, where their negative sentiments have been wiped out.

Church members follow a study programme called The Bridge, or The Bridge to Total Freedom, based around texts and lectures created by L Ron Hubbard. It boasts dozens of different levels, which take years to complete.

The cost of ascending The Bridge is fiercely disputed. To complete each stage, members must pay for lengthy auditing sessions and intensive study courses. David S Touretzky, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University who has researched Scientology, says that, based on price lists he has analysed, the total cost of ascending to the highest level, OT8, runs to $500,000 (£315,000).

However the Church calls that figure absurd. A spokesman said that ascending The Bridge involves an intensive amount of study, equivalent… to about two years of university study but costs less than two years of tuition at a typical US university, such as UCLA.

At a stage called OT3, Scientologists are presented with L Ron Hubbards creation theory, known as The Wall of Fire. The Church refuses to publicly discuss this aspect of its theology, deeming it potentially harmful in the hands of anyone who has not been properly trained. But details entered the public domain in 1985, in documents released by a court in Los Angeles.

A summary of The Wall of Fire published by the LA Times reads: A major cause of mankinds problems began 75 million years ago, when the planet Earth, then called Teegeeach, was part of a confederation of 90 planets under the leadership of a tyrannical ruler named Xenu. Then, as now, the materials state, the chief problem was overpopulation.

Xenu decided to take radical measures to overcome the overpopulation problem. Beings were captured on Earth and on other planets and flown to at least 10 volcanoes on Earth. After that, H-bombs far more powerful than any in existence today were dropped on these volcanoes, destroying the people but freeing their spirits – called thetans – which attached themselves to one another in clusters.

After the nuclear explosions, the thetans were trapped in a compound of frozen alcohol and glycol and, during a 36-day period, Xenu implanted in them the seeds of aberrant behaviour for generations to come. When people die, these clusters attach to other humans and keep perpetuating themselves.

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By Dan Molinski

BOGOTA -(MarketWatch)- Pacific Rubiales Energy Corp. (PREB, PRE.T, PREC.BO), the largest private oil producer in Colombia, reported net earnings of $554 million last year, more than double 2010′s earnings, as it pumped more oil and received higher prices for each barrel of oil it produced.

Fourth quarter net earnings were $80.8 million, up 32% versus that period in 2010, Pacific Rubiales said.

Ronald Pantin, the Toronto-based firm’s chief executive, said in a statement that 2011 “was another outstanding year of growth for Pacific Rubiales, and the company had a very successful year in terms of its operational delivery and strategic positioning.”

The company, which trades on stock exchanges in Canada, Colombia and Brazil, said its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, or Ebitda, an indicator of a company’s cash flow, also more than doubled, to $1.95 billion.

The firm’s output rose 52% year over year, averaging 86,497 barrels of oil equivalent per day after royalties. This, it said, was largely driven by increased production from the Rubiales and Quifa SW fields. Total output at Rubiales fields, which include joint ventures with national oil company Ecopetrol (EC, ECOPETROL.BO) was 218,450 barrels per day, more than one-fifth of Colombia’s total output.

Looking forward, the company said production at the Quifa North and Sabanero areas began in the final month of last year, which will add to this year’s growth.

It also said it was able to spread out its net reserves base, with the key Rubiales field now accounting for less than 30% of the base from 60% in 2008.

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