Real Live Philanthropy

Whatever your opinions may by of the Microsoft empire, what Bill and Malinda Gates have done with their money is saving lives.

An article this week on Newsweek covers their work in sub-Sahara Africa to contain AIDS and bring in the needed resources to end deaths from treatable/curable diseases which still plague these countries. >>more

A being is only as valuable as he can serve others.~~~ L. Ron Hubbard; founder of the Scientology religion

Heroes Come in All Sizes

I was so impressed with the story of this two year old child who called 911 when her mother collapsed in their home, I had to share it.

"In a military town filled with heroes, Alana Miller has the distinction of being the smallest of them all.

"The 2-year-old girl is also on her way to becoming a miniature celebrity.

"Oak Harbor High School swim coach Erika Miller came home to her family’s house on the Seaplane Base last Thursday night with a migraine headache. She got up from the couch to make sure a door to the garage was locked. She fainted in the hallway, knocking her head on the floor.

"The precocious toddler sprang into action. She picked up the phone and dialed 911. She told the dispatcher in her tiny voice: 'momma owie, momma owie.'>>more

A being is only as valuable as he can serve others.~~~ L. Ron Hubbard; founder of the Scientology religion

British Men Hailed as Heroes

Two British men on board an airliner which crash-landed in Thailand were hailed as heroes last night for saving several of their fellow passengers by smashing their way out of the burning wreckage.

Peter Hill, from Manchester, and Ashley Scott Harrow, from Northern Ireland, were said to have saved at least eight people by forcing open a jammed emergency exit. The Thai Prime Minister visited Ashley Scott Harrow where he is recuperating at Bangkok Hospital to thank him for his heroism. more>>

A being is only as valuable as he can serve others.~~~ L. Ron Hubbard; founder of the Scientology religion

Remebering Biko on the Anniversary of his Death

This story by Raymond Whitaker is well worth reading.

I met Steve Biko once. His miserable death on the floor of a South African prison cell, 30 years ago today, still lay a few years in the future. So did his friendship with the white newspaper editor, Donald Woods, resulting in the book and film, Cry Freedom!, which made him an icon. But if the name of Biko became a thorn in the side of the white regime, today's commemorations will be equally uncomfortable for South Africa's black majority government. more>>


A being is only as valuable as he can serve others.~~~ L. Ron Hubbard; founder of the Scientology religion

Heroism at Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech showed us once again that real heroism is still with us.

"Liviu Librescu was doing a slide show for his engineering students when gunshots rang out a couple of classrooms away.

"Librescu's students say their 76-year-old professor moved quickly, blocking the door to give his class time to escape. Two were wounded, but all survived -- all except Professor Librescu.

"Librescu's son, in Israel, said he is not surprised that his father, who survived the Holocaust, would act with such bravery.">>

A being is only as valuable as he can serve others.~~~ L. Ron Hubbard; founder of the Scientology religion

Misou's Infoshop -- She Speaks Sooth

As a bit of an information snob who has the odd idea that facts are more important than "documentation," "reliable sources" or "experts" I love Misou's Infoshop and look forward to what new Wiki-dirt she's going to dig up each day.

Iranian Crisis

I was so happy to read that the Brits who were detained for two weeks we released today. Enough tension in this part of the world. Enough reasons on both sides to escalate tension up to violence. And so some good relief, and a hope we can further chill out this scene.


A being is only as valuable as he can serve others.~~~ L. Ron Hubbard; founder of the Scientology religion

Finding a Volunteer Minister

If you have been thinking of contacting a Volunteer Minister but don't know how, there is a new feature on the VM web site -- a VM locator.

Makes it easy to get help when you need it.



A being is only as valuable as he can serve others.~~~ L. Ron Hubbard; founder of the Scientology religion

Related Photos - - MSNBC.com

Sydney has turned off their lights for an hour as the first step of their year-long effort to reduce greenhouse emissions by 5%.

Good for Sydney!

What is a hero?

According to wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn a hero is:

man [or woman, I might add] distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength.

I think teachers today are heros. They are the lowest paid, hardest working professionals, and they have to deal with often stifling regulations, few resources and a total lack of effective educational technology.

With study technology developed by L. Ron Hubbard they have so much more opportunity to shine and help their children do so too.


A being is only as valuable as he can serve others.~~~ L. Ron Hubbard; founder of the Scientology religion

March 13th Event

I thoroughly enjoyed the March 13th event (L. Ron Hubbard's birthday). As usualy, it was great to hear about Scientology expansion over the past year.

And hearing David Miscavige recap the year's highlights is my favorite part of every event. No. Actually may FAVORITE part is at the very end when he hits us between the eyes on our responsiblity for the planet.



A being is only as valuable as he can serve others.~~~ L. Ron Hubbard; founder of the Scientology religion

The ONE Campaign

I found out about this beautiful new web site when someone from The ONE Campaign commented on my blog. Thanks a lot for the comment and for creating such a terrific web site.

It's all about eliminating poverty.

And it is a community of people who care.

I wish the ONE the best of luck!

A being is only as valuable as he can serve others.~~~ L. Ron Hubbard; founder of the Scientology religion

Scientology Volunteer Ministers

There is exciting news on the Scientology Volunteer Ministers delivering effective help in Fiji and Botswana under the News and Articles link on this page: www.scientologyreligion.org

Scientology Media Information - Church of Scientology International

The Scientology Media Information - Church of Scientology International
Has an interesting story today on the Martin Luther King Jr. event in Los Angeles.

"A panel of government and community activists, moderated by Ms. Leisa Goodman, Human Rights Director of the Church of Scientology International, agreed that volunteerism is the key to improving our communities. They emphasized that community service is urgent to fight against racially-incited violence such as the recent shootings of three teenage girls, one of whom was slain, in Harbor Gateway, a neighborhood in the southern Los Angeles."

I couldn't say it better myself.

This posting by Jetteroheller says it all....

SCIENTOLOGY OPENS PROMINENT NEW CHURCH IN BERLIN
The Church of Scientology of Berlin opened its new home today in
Charlottenburg to over 5000 church members (including Academy Award
nominated actress Anne Archer and Jazz legend Chick Corea), government
officials and community leaders, with an invitation to all Berliners to
find out for themselves the answer to the inevitable question, “What is
Scientology?”

—

The above is from the ScientologyToday.org announcement of the new Berlin Church, which seems to have everyone talking. Nasty politicians in Germany are pointing fingers at one another (especially the ones with their vested interests to protect) and the general public has just been pouring in to the building to find out what Scientology is all about. It has been at the top of Google.de news for the past 48 hours.

Now, that is where things get interesting — especially from a technical standpoint. There’s a curious problem that you get into when you’re trying to explain to someone what your religion is all about. You’re either very well versed in language, and can easily explain it in ways that someone can understand, and do this one-on-one, or you figure out a way to explain it much faster to more people.

Just try doing this for something like Shinto. What is it all about? You need to read a lot, and probably talk to some Shintos before you really grok it. Scientology is similar, in that you either have to talk to a Scientologist who’s in the know for some time, or just go in to this new Berlin organization.

Inside the organization are some of the niftiest displays and films that have been devised specifically to solve this problem. Explained at a Scientology event by Mr. David Miscavige — Chairman of the Board of Religious Technology Center, which is the holder of the Scientology & Dianetics trademarks — this organization includes panels that literally let anyone walk in, touch a screen, and then by themselves — with no input from others or person trying to explain anything — get a full explanation of the various facets and practices of Scientology.

You can see some of this here:

A gallery of photos from the grand opening of the Church of Scientology of Berlin is available at the Scientology Berlin website.

The screens there just let you walk up, and visually get an explanation of the various principles of Scientology - such as the A-R-C triangle, which the average person got introduced to during Tom Cruise’s wedding.

Mr. David Miscavige

Mr. David Miscavige is truly a humanitarian and leader who accomplishes effective actions towards world peace and freedom for man. He forwards the aims of the Scientology religion. Here is an article about an interview of Mr. Miscavige done by the St. Petersburg Times. www.sptimes.com/TampaBay/102598/scientologypart1.html

Firemen

I really respect firemen.

They put their lives at risk to save us and our property on a daily basis.

Even when not at risk they sure put themselves through hell.

About 16 years ago there were riots in LA and I remember how awful it was just having to be here with all the smoke and soot in the air. But these guys live through that ALL THE TIME!

So I have GREAT respect for anyone who is dedicated enough to make fire fighting their life's work.

Should We Permit It?

I saw something this holiday season I never noticed before in LA.

Friends told me they'd seen it over the past couple of years, and that it was imported from the East Coast.

Road Blocks on LA streets to check if people were drinking. Not just people who looked like they were drinking, but everyone!

In one way I think this is a pathetic violation of privacy.

On the other hand, if it saves lives, isn't it worth it?

What do you think?

New Description of Scientology

There's an excellent new description of Scientology on the Scientology web site -- a new section of the site about An Introduction to Scientology -- an interview with L. Ron Hubbard filmed for Rhodesian television in 1966.