There goes the neighborhood.

I had heard that Tom Cruise was wandering around the neighborhood. Apparently that was confirmed. Mr. Cruise was in town on several missions including promotion of the bizarre Scientology cult. They opened a headquarters not far from here. But they are not widely welcomed.

Not long ago they were caught using a new recruiting tactic. They set up "tutoring schools" which purported to help students improve their grades in particular topics. But all the "tutors" are Scientologist and the students are encouraged to take the psychobabble tests which the cult administers. Of course they will discover that they way to improve their grades is to buy into the utterly strange theories of scifi writer L. Ron Hubbard.

I wouldn't recommend their rights be inhibited legally but I would warm people to stay as far away from these crazies as is humanely possible.

What did annoy me a bit is that Tom got special treatment from our zoo. Now the main entrance is two blocks from my flat and the zoo has become very popular of late. People are flocking in to see the new polar bear. But the bear is only out twice a day and I can't find out when. I would love to go see him but don't want to pay the admission price and then find I have to wait 4 or 5 hours to see him or missed the last opportunity entirely and have to come back the next day. Tom didn't have that problem. They opened the zoo just for him and gave him a personal visit with the cub. I bet the SOB didn't even pay admission price.

The cub was handed an E-meter and told how $50,000 worth of courses based on the teachings of L. Ron will improve his life. Okay, maybe not. But I shouldn't joke. Tom doesn't have much of a sense of humor and has been known to set his attorneys on people, a tactic his church uses as well. And since he apparently bought property not far from here it doesn't help to piss off the neighbors. So I should not mention that he's completely bonkers or that his cult leader was one of the most successful con men of the last century. And before he threatens a lawsuit I want to make it perfectly clear: I have never said he was gay. And that reminds of the hilarious Kathy Griffin comedy routine where she says: "How much fun is the Tom Cruise meltdown? Here's my favorite thing about it. He's so crazy the gays don't want him anymore." Funny stuff. Almost as funny as Scientology.