What's new

Basics Books Bonza Buggerup

Dulloldfart

Squirrel Extraordinaire
That's a very interesting article. It looks like a PR puff piece, but I can well believe the facts it states are true. Three comments. Professor Rebsamen speaks of Bridge in glowing terms, and since they used him as an adviser I would assume they paid him handsomely for his expert advice, and he is not likely to bite the feeding hand.

Secondly, the article says Bridge is the only publisher to have set up such a full digital operation, including warehousing their products. Others haven't been willing to take the plunge. That could have something to do with the fact that regular printers/publishers don't have a guaranteed market for their products, where wholesale customers (orgs) can be ordered (or bypassed by Int Finance people with access to the checkbooks) to buy up to 200 copies of each title, whether they can move the merchandise to end-users or not.

Third, the article is limited to the production environment of the facility, and doesn't stray into the morass that is the CofS interacting with the real world.

Paul
 

Björkist

Silver Meritorious Patron
That's a very interesting article. It looks like a PR puff piece, but I can well believe the facts it states are true. Three comments. Professor Rebsamen speaks of Bridge in glowing terms, and since they used him as an adviser I would assume they paid him handsomely for his expert advice, and he is not likely to bite the feeding hand.

Secondly, the article says Bridge is the only publisher to have set up such a full digital operation, including warehousing their products. Others haven't been willing to take the plunge. That could have something to do with the fact that regular printers/publishers don't have a guaranteed market for their products, where wholesale customers (orgs) can be ordered (or bypassed by Int Finance people with access to the checkbooks) to buy up to 200 copies of each title, whether they can move the merchandise to end-users or not.

Third, the article is limited to the production environment of the facility, and doesn't stray into the morass that is the CofS interacting with the real world.

Paul



Yes, it was a very interesting article.

'Throughout the facility, the bulk of paper used is acid-free. “We are very green-conscious,” says Arnow. “We use approximately 90% recyclable and biodegradable materials, and minimize production wastage as much as possible. Excess paper from trimming, etc., is carried by special ducts to a baling system and prepared for recycling. Generally speaking, digital printing is much greener than the conventional sheetfed or web offset method.”'


Next thing the CofS (and other publishers/printers) need to look at is printing on Hemp paper (the remaining 10% for CofS). Then, no more trees/forests will need to be destroyed.
 

Thrak

Gold Meritorious Patron
From what I remember of the events, DM made it quite clear that the printing facilities were in-house. There was footage of SO personal running the machines, the CD production, the book printing, etc. I understand that this could all be one big PR con (of course I personally doubt that CoS would stoop to such a level), and therefore the costs involved would be significantly different.

I was under the impression that both Bridge Publication had a facility in Los Angeles, and New Era had a facility in Europe somewhere.

Sorry I don't have any more data than that, I was probably too blown out by my wins off the Basics at the time to be paying attention :duh:

Neo

Yes I'm not really seeing why it would be a lie DM would tell or even if it matters where they print them. It would be to DM's advantage to say they were printed out of house as then it would make more sense that they cost $4000 a set. And if they were printed out of house then why cover the facility at the release? They have been bragging about their manufacturing facilities for years and we know they have the money. The fact that they print them with their own facilities with slave labor should make one ask "so why do these cost so much?" And THAT is what they say they are doing, just not in those words..

And to answer someone else's question. They do have lists of who has bought them. They may not announce it in public but if you are at an org and haven't bought them someone will be waiting for you. And it's so ridiculous you can be walking down the sidewalk and a guy raking leaves might ask you "do you have your basics yet?". Any conversation with any staff member could turn into a reg cycle. The MAAs in eligibility interviews have gone into "reg" mode and start asking if there's any way you could come up with another $4000. "Is there some way you could work it out?" Happened to me. Then they have maps of continents saying "DONE!" implying they are in every public library on the entire continent and don't mention A WORD that libraries don't just put books on the shelves because they are sent to them. I believe Scooter mentioned they raised over a hundred million dollars for this effort. That would be worthwhile data to verify if possible. That and how many libraries actually have them on the shelves. To me WHERE they print them is irrelevant and a detraction from the point here. We know they're getting printed somewhere and we know it doesn't cost $4000 a set or anything close to that. This is a huge scam and it is the fact that huge amounts of parishioner money is being extracted telling the parishioners that this is achieving a certain thing - books in libraries. And then the reality is they are flat out lying about achieving that product, keeping the money and only demanding more.
 
Last edited:

MarkWI

Patron Meritorious
Europe

The promo I got says that the new digital printing line of New Era Publications International is able to deliver 1000 printed books every hour.

New Era Publications International
Smedeland, 20 - 2600 Glostrup, Denmark
 

Attachments

  • image1.JPG
    image1.JPG
    35.7 KB · Views: 34
  • image2.JPG
    image2.JPG
    18.7 KB · Views: 26

Carnaubawax

Patron Meritorious
The promo I got says that the new digital printing line of New Era Publications International is able to deliver 1000 printed books every hour.

New Era Publications International
Smedeland, 20 - 2600 Glostrup, Denmark

I wonder if the 'church' can sell one book an hour... Probably not consistently... Anymore...
 

uniquemand

Unbeliever
What they don't say is that their strategy for getting all these books out is to force members to buy them, and then purchase them for 5% of the price they sell them to people for on E-Bay, and then resell them again. Good racket!
 

dchoiceisalwaysrs

Gold Meritorious Patron
Div6: Fantastic Job digging this up! You have succeeded where I have failed!! :duh:

Thank you very very much! :coolwink:

HP Digital Press Page (for those who want to see these monsters):

Xerox Digital Press Page

The post-press machinery is not mentioned, but it would have to include equipment to bind books into hardcovers, foil stamp them, add dust jackets, etc. I would expect that sort of gear to be remain fairly large and require considerable floor space.

Michael "The Sneakster" Hobson
I am *not* anonymous

Sneakster, did you click the link I provided? Further in the article which Div 6 took an excerpt it does talk about the hardcovers, foil stamp etc.

I have not been able to find the Video, Scooter, however I have made a post on "why we protest" for help in locating it.
 
T

TheSneakster

Guest
Sneakster, did you click the link I provided? Further in the article which Div 6 took an excerpt it does talk about the hardcovers, foil stamp etc.

I have not been able to find the Video, Scooter, however I have made a post on "why we protest" for help in locating it.

Yes, I read the article from end to end. :thumbsup:

I meant that the post-press machinery was not identified, so it was not possible for me to link to the manufacturer's pages for that particular gear. :no:

Michael "The Sneakster" Hobson
I am *not* anonymous
 

dchoiceisalwaysrs

Gold Meritorious Patron
Yes, I read the article from end to end. :thumbsup:

I meant that the post-press machinery was not identified, so it was not possible for me to link to the manufacturer's pages for that particular gear. :no:

Michael "The Sneakster" Hobson
I am *not* anonymous

OK gotcha! maybe when we find the video you maybe be able to identify some of it as shown.
 

Thrak

Gold Meritorious Patron
I wonder if the 'church' can sell one book an hour... Probably not consistently... Anymore...

You gotta wonder if this is also some huge laundering scheme? I walked through a sea org only tunnel one time due to an anon protest. In the hallway were hundreds of basics lining the walls. What good does it do them to over produce like this? Are they claiming a higher expense somewhere than they actually have? This is such a scam it's unbelievable.
 

Thrak

Gold Meritorious Patron
OK gotcha! maybe when we find the video you maybe be able to identify some of it as shown.

Can't you see the game this guy is playing? I think you could take him to factory and let him look at every inch of the place and he would still say he needs more info to verify it. Don't waste your time.
 

Dulloldfart

Squirrel Extraordinaire
You gotta wonder if this is also some huge laundering scheme? I walked through a sea org only tunnel one time due to an anon protest. In the hallway were hundreds of basics lining the walls. What good does it do them to over produce like this? Are they claiming a higher expense somewhere than they actually have? This is such a scam it's unbelievable.

The service orgs are forced to buy vast stocks. Then they have to sell them to get the money back as best they can. Quite apart from the insane amount of HEAVY product-officering to sell them to anyone who will pay the money for any reason. They are not done on a basis of get the sale first, then get the item in stock, or drop-ship it.

Paul
 

scooter

Gold Meritorious Patron
It sounds like there's an enormous amount of SO reserves been put into this and the orgs (as usual) are being forced to pay it back yesterday or else.

Thanks for all your input people - this gets more interesting the more I look at it.

I'm starting to think that this is an enormous gamble to try to put the CoS back in the black - it's got to have been operating at a loss for at least the last five years.
 

Carnaubawax

Patron Meritorious
It sounds like there's an enormous amount of SO reserves been put into this and the orgs (as usual) are being forced to pay it back yesterday or else.

Thanks for all your input people - this gets more interesting the more I look at it.

I'm starting to think that this is an enormous gamble to try to put the CoS back in the black - it's got to have been operating at a loss for at least the last five years.
I'm really looking forward to reading your conclusions when you've gathered all the info and had a good look at it.:thumbsup:
 

Terril park

Sponsor
It sounds like there's an enormous amount of SO reserves been put into this and the orgs (as usual) are being forced to pay it back yesterday or else.

Thanks for all your input people - this gets more interesting the more I look at it.

I'm starting to think that this is an enormous gamble to try to put the CoS back in the black - it's got to have been operating at a loss for at least the last five years.

This was verified by Ex data Chief Anna Marie-Woodward a few years ago.
Cash bills crossed I believe in 2002 approx, dosn't count donations best i know.
 

Anon678_

Patron
I'm starting to think that this is an enormous gamble to try to put the CoS back in the black - it's got to have been operating at a loss for at least the last five years.

No. Just no. It's just an attempt by DM to make as much money as possible. It doesn't look like the long or medium term success of scientology organisations is neccessarily DMs goal. It might be, or might not be. And if it is, he sucks at it.

I'd consider it more DMs attempt to enrich HIMSELF at very little risk to himself personally / his finances. Sure, scientology might suffer from his attempt, but who cares?
 

scooter

Gold Meritorious Patron
Here's an interesting titbit:

I grew up in the inner western suburb of Sydney called Concord.

I went to the library a lot as a kid and the librarians knew me well.

A lot of the time I was on staff, I lived at my parents' house in Concord.

Not long after I got married, I moved back to the area and lived there again until 2003.

I went to the library whenever I could

I had a chat to a librarian who told me the following:

The library received an e-mail from the CoS asking them if they wanted the full Basics books - no thanks.

Later the library received another e-mail asking if they wanted a smaller package (5?) of the books.

Both were signed by a person with an unusual name (I prompted her here and "Cyrus Brooks" seemed right to her.)

Now she remembered these because she remembered I was involved with the CoS and my family went to the same church as hers did (the Concord Baptist Church) as well as seeing me and later me and my young family in the library.

Small world eh?

So, Cyrus - why have you been keeping this secret from us all eh?
 

Anon678_

Patron
So, Cyrus - why have you been keeping this secret from us all eh?

Doublepalm.jpg


Oh god, someone give this man a clue. I mean, it must be hard being recently-out and all, but seriously......

EDIT: Oh, and I'm not even going to try. Haven't got the mindset.
 
Top