Tonight: Our conversation with Mike Rinder on ‘A Billion Years’ for Mark Twain House

Our first trip to the Mark Twain House in Hartford was with our friend Dan Perkins, the man behind Tom Tomorrow and the This Modern World comic strip. We got a special tour, and at one point found ourselves in Twain's upstairs billiards room where his writing desk was tucked away in a corner. It shook us to stand there, by that desk, and think about what the man had created there during the years 1874 to 1891.

On the wall nearby, there was a very curious artifact. Our guide, Jacques Lamarre, explained that it was a rare panel, about a foot on each side, made from thinnest bone, so that some light could come through from the outside, and it had some symbols carved in it. It was otherworldly.

After that experience, we knew we wanted to have a book event there in 2015 for The Unbreakable Miss Lovely, and Dan was good enough again to take part, asking questions.

So now we get to return the favor, and we’ll be asking questions of Mike Rinder about his excellent book A Billion Years: My Escape from a Life in the Highest Ranks of Scientology.

You can see our full-length review of the book here, which we posted the day after the book came out in September. And hey, we'd like your suggestions about what we should ask Mike about the book. Leave us a suggestion in the comments section here or at the dot org site.

Here’s the link for tonight’s conversation.

While you wait for tonight’s event. Here’s a little something that Neil Clark spotted.

In 2016, a person calling themselves “Angry Thetan” approached us with some killer drone footage of Scientology’s secretive properties, including Int Base in Southern California and the smaller mountain compound where we believe Scientology is keeping Shelly Miscavige.

Well, someone has taken Angry Thetan’s lengthy drone flyover of Int Base, sped it up, and added helpful titles to identify various locations at the base.

The result is a fast and thorough inventory of the place, and we found it to be a very worthwhile updating of Angry Thetan’s work.

As you fly over the place, keep in mind that David Miscavige has apparently abandoned this compound for Florida, and that a much smaller crew lives here now than in years past.

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Source Code: Actual things founder L. Ron Hubbard said on this date in history

Avast, Ye Mateys: Snapshots from Scientology’s years at sea

Overheard in the Freezone: Indie Hubbardism, one thought at a time

Past is Prologue: From this week in history at alt.religion.scientology

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