AUSTRALIAN SCIENTOLOGISTS MARK TWO DECADES OF EFFECTIVE DRUG EDUCATION

The Church of Scientology in Australia conducts drug education activities to help the community.

According to the most recent Australia Crime Commission Illicit Drugs Report, clandestine drug laboratory detections in the country have risen by 245 percent in the last decade. The urgency of dealing with the drug problem was brought to the fore last week when Western Australia enacted its new drug policy, described by the media as the nation’s toughest drug laws, designed to target the growing number of drug labs manufacturing methamphetamine and other substances—177 busted last year and 44 found so far in 2012.

For the past two decades, the Church of Scientology has taken a practical and proactive approach to drug abuse, educating youth on the physical and mental effects of drugs. In that time, Australian Scientologists have:

• Distributed 2.5 million drug education booklets and fliers containing factual information about marijuana, Ecstasy, painkillers and other drugs of choice, in markets, fairs and through street events.
• Inspired 300,000 Australian youths to pledge to live drug-free lives.
• Translated drug education materials in Japanese, Indonesian and Korean to make this information available to Australian youth who speak these languages. They have also arranged for the translation of these booklets into Samoan, Tagalog and Malaysian.

To learn more about the drug prevention initiative sponsored by the Church of Scientology or to participate, visit the Scientology website.

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The Church of Scientology sponsors one of the world’s largest nongovernmental drug education and prevention campaigns. When young people are provided with the truth about drugs—factual information on what drugs are and what they do—usage rates drop commensurately.

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

Scientology Volunteer Ministers: Update from Haiti

More that 300 Volunteer Ministers groups in Haiti trained more that 20,000 in simple VM techniques and helped some 12,000 in the month of September 2011. We continue delivering seminars throughout the country.

Some of our recent activities include:

Twenty-four Volunteer Ministers groups in Bon Repos, Sarthe, Lilavois, Meillet and Cotard delivered seminars to more that 2,000 people.

A team of VMs arrived in Cap Haitian, met with local ministers and officials to find out what they need and want, and began Volunteer Minister delivery throughout that area. Working with the six groups in the area they provided 16 seminars to more than 500 people, and formed up another new 15 VM groups.

Another tour spent 10 days in Port de Paix in the north of the country. They worked with the more that 30 groups in the area, providing them with any help they needed to provide assistance in their areas, and they helped form up 15 new Volunteer Ministers groups. They delivered 12 seminars and trained nearly 500 people in VM technology.

One person who studied the Volunteer Ministers assist booklet said:

“I got many things from the Assists for Illness and Injuries booklet and I learned what to do to help somebody who is sick or in pain. Now I know that I cannot let somebody suffer, saying that I’m not a doctor, because I can use what I’ve learned from the assist booklet to him help him get relief. From now on, I have to do my best to help people in the streets and hospitals.”

Another, who studied the Integrity and Honesty booklet wrote:

“It showed me how important it is to respect the moral code…. These things give me another way of living my life and also make me a honest woman.”

A student who completed the Communication booklet wrote:

“This is the best book that I’ve ever read. It shows me how and why to communicate. It also shows me how important it is to listen to people and how important it is to have their attention. Thanks to L. Ron Hubbard for this great technology and also to supervisors who makes great efforts to share it to all the others.”

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

ANNOUNCEMENT: International Volunteer Minister Week! 20-27 August 2011

August 20—27, 2011, has been designated International Volunteer Ministers Week in honor of the Scientology Volunteer Ministers whose work has become synonymous with unconditional help.

What happened over the past 10 years

Over the past 10 years, since 9/11/01, the bright yellow t-shirts and tents of the Scientology Volunteer Ministers have become established symbols of hope in times of need.

While no one could have predicted the violence with which the events of 9/11 would rip our culture from its social veneer, Mr. David Miscavige, Chairman of the Board of Religious Technology Center and ecclesiastical leader of the Scientology religion, saw clearly that it was time for Scientologists to redouble their efforts to aid Mankind in reversing society’s dwindling spiral that the cataclysm so suddenly and dramatically brought into focus.

A now legendary, internationally-issued Wake-Up Call inspired unprecedented response. On September 11, 2001 there were 6,000 Volunteer Ministers internationally. Today there are more than 350,000 trained in the technology and skills of Scientology Volunteer Ministers.

The Scientology Volunteer Ministers program was born in 1976 when Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard, noting a tremendous downturn in the level of ethics and morality in society, and a consequent increase in drugs and crime, wrote, “If one does not like the crime, cruelty, injustice and violence of this society, he can do something about it. He can become a VOLUNTEER MINISTER and help civilize it, bring it conscience and kindness and love and freedom from travail by instilling into it trust, decency, honesty and tolerance.”

Throughout the last 35 years, Scientology Volunteer Ministers have provided service in their communities and worldwide, volunteered in cavalcades and Goodwill Tours on five continents, and responded to 187 natural and manmade disasters including:

• Earthquakes in the United States, Japan, Greece, Peru, Chile, Russia, Italy, China, Turkey, El Salvador and Indonesia from 1995 to 2011, with major participation in the South Asian earthquake and tsunami of December 2004, the L’Aquila earthquake of 2009, the Haiti earthquake of 2010 and the Japan earthquake and tsunami of 2011.

• Yearly and seasonal hurricane, cyclone and typhoon relief throughout North and Central America and the Caribbean, Indonesia and Thailand. Some 900 volunteers aided victims of Hurricanes Rita and Katrina. Volunteer Ministers also routinely rescue people and property from floods throughout the U.S., Europe, Mexico, Pakistan and India.

• Crisis zones, including displaced persons camps in Chechnya 1997, the 1999 Moscow theater siege, Zimbabwe during civil unrest in 2000, Ground Zero in New York and the Pentagon after 9/11, London after the bombing of 2005, Mumbai in the wake of terrorist attacks in 2006.

• In Australian bush fires, Southern California brushfires and at the site of the massive 2009 fire on Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa.

This year Volunteer Minister across 185 nations will honor this year's celebration with events, seminars and tours. Regular updates will be posted on http://blog.volunteerministers.org

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

GOLDEN ERA PRODUCTIONS RECEIVES TELLY AWARD FOR HOW TO USE DIANETICS

How to Use Dianetics was honored Monday, June 13, with a Bronze Telly Award for Film or Video in the category of Religion and Spirituality. The film is a four-and-a-half-hour book on film of L. Ron Hubbard’s seminal work, Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health, the all-time best-selling book on the human mind.

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

Working in the shelters in Northern Japan

Today the Scientology Volunteer Ministers were asked to expand their activities in Onagawa, Miyagi Prefecture (see below). With almost 6,000 reported dead and 6,675 people still missing

the region of Miyagi is leading the list of severely affected areas.

More than 200 additional Volunteer Ministers are preparing to leave for Japan to fulfill the demand for help. However more logistical support is needed and there are many more shelter where we can serve.

Please support the activities on the ground by doing the following:

1. Keep yourself briefed by regularly reading this blog.
2. If you can volunteer in Japan (at least for one month) please download and fill out our application form and email it to us.
3. If you can't leave for Japan right now, please donate to the IAS. Your help will be very much appreciated.
4. At this time only very specific material donations are needed. Please contact us at disasterresponse@volunteerministers.org if you have any questions.

Letter from Onagawa Town Disaster HQ/translation:

24 March 2011

TO: International Scientology Volunteer Disaster Relief

Thank you for the work the Scientology Volunteer Disaster Relief Team is doing at the shelters in Onagawa Town.

I have heard many disaster victims say they feel good, relaxed, relieved from body pain, and healed from the trauma of this disaster after this group delivered the technology called "Assists" developed by L. Ron Hubbard.

The disaster victims were relieved of mental and physical pain and restored to positive thinking, which is the first step for recovery of this town.

I would like others to support this group in creating relief for disaster victims.

Please arrange for this group to work in all areas. We request relief and support actions from this group for Onagawa Town and other cities, towns and villages of this region. This is a very reliable group and they work hard to bring relief in the shelters.

Therefore, I hope that many cities, towns and villages will support them in expanding their activities.

Onagawa Town Disaster HQ
Head of HQ

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

Trauma specialists provide stress relief in Christchurch

Thu, 03 Mar 2011 1:44p.m.

Along with medical staff and psychologists on the ground in Christchurch, trauma specialists have also arrived to provide stress relief.

Gary Bromwell of the Scientology International Disaster Relief Group is a trauma stress specialist who says he helps victims “come out of the trauma and back into the present so they can rebuild their lives and move on”.

Mr Bromwell uses a variety of techniques including massage.

Watch Mike McRoberts’ interview with Gary Bromwell.

3 News

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

Scientology Volunteer Ministers Provide Aid World Over in the Wake Of Disaster in 2010

Over the course of the past twelve months, hundreds of thousands trained in the skills of the Scientology Volunteer Minister reached out and helped others in times of disaster. Their actions embodied the words of Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard: “A Volunteer Minister does not shut his eyes to the pain, evil and injustice of existence. Rather, he is trained to handle these things and help others achieve relief from them and new personal strength as well.”>>

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

THE SKY IS NO LIMIT FOR PILOT LARS NAJBJERG

Whether piloting passenger jets, flying aerobatics competitions or taking part in military defense exercises on behalf of NATO, Lars Najbjerg doesn’t just participate, he excels. His video is one of 200 “Meet a Scientologist” videos available on the Scientology website atwww.Scientology.org

When assembling model airplanes at age five, Lars Najbjerg was not just playing—he was preparing for his career.

Growing up in the shadow of the Soviet Union in the height of the Cold War, when he was 18 Najbjerg applied to train as a NATO fighter pilot.

“I knew there was more to being a good pilot that physical ability—there was a psychological factor as well,” he says. “Studying everything I could find on the subject, I read Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health and I knew I had found something workable. The book changed my whole attitude.”

Of hundreds of applicants, Najbjerg was one of the five accepted. He completed NATO flight school training at Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas in 1986.

"I've always wanted to test myself—to push myself to the limit,” he says. “As a fighter pilot you learn early on it’s not the airplane that determines your success, it is how well you can cope mentally. Sure, it’s physically demanding to be subjected to pressure nine times stronger than gravity. But the psychological factors are even more important.”

Najbjerg progressed in Scientology, achieving the State of Clear in 1991—a state in which one no longer has his own reactive mind, the hidden source of irrational behavior, unreasonable fears, upsets and insecurities. He describes how the ability he gained made the difference.

"I was testing the spin characteristics of a two-seat aerobatic aircraft. Spinning is a maneuver where the plane is flown out of control, rotating in small circles towards the ground,” he says. “Suddenly, the engine stopped. Instead of reacting with sweaty palms and panic, I analyzed what went wrong and got the engine going. Then I tried the maneuver again. Once more the engine stopped. After several attempts I was able to adjust the engine to correct the problem. I would never have been calm enough to troubleshoot the engine, before I went Clear.”

While he views military defense against the threat of aggression as necessary, he believes that freedom depends on far more fundamental factors.

“War is a social insanity that grows out of ignorance and intolerance,” he says. “It is a terrible solution for lack of one that is more humane. The real challenge is to create a world where we can live together in peace.”

To that end, Najbjerg, 44, devotes his efforts to humanitarian volunteer work. He is chairman of the Humanitarian Association of Denmark, and an active supporter of the Say No To Drugs campaign.

Najbjerg, wife Lisbet, and their five-year-old son Noah live in the town of Them in the Silkeborg municipality on the Jutland peninsula in Denmark. Lisbet, a dentist, also holds a staff position at the Church of Scientology Mission of Silkeborg.

View the Lars Najbjerg video at Scientology.org.

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

Youth for Human Rights Holds 7th Youth Summit at UN in Geneva

Youth delegates at the Youth for Human Rights Youth Summit in Geneva at the UN.

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

A Scientologist's View of Life

A Scientologist's View of Life

Just found this new Scientology blog in the Google blog results. I loved this quote by Denice Duff:

"I feel it’s important to refrain from needless criticism. As a photographer I see people actually become more beautiful just by complimenting them. And criticism does the same—in reverse!"

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

About the Church of Scientology

About the Church of Scientology

The article on ReligiousTolerance.org about Scientology is pretty decent and accurate.

L. Ron Hubbard - Artist

Study Technology

"In today's world, the ability to understand and retain data, to actually be able to learn, is vital for any person of any age. New technologies, a constant avalanche of information, even reading the directions on household electronic equipment, all require comprehension.

L. Ron Hubbard’s Study Technology is an advance of monumental significance in a world of steady educational decline. Covering a vast body of knowledge, Study Technology not only consistently teaches people to learn how to learn, but delineates the previously unknown three major barriers to effective study. Armed with this knowledge, anyone can now successfully study—an achievement marking nothing less than a revolution in the field of education."

My Hero website

There is a beautiful site called "My Hero"where kids can participate with art work and essays about their heroes.


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

Heroes Come in All Forms and Sizes

It doesn't take a superhero to help someone.

I'm willing to bet you know someone who's going through a rough time right now. Wouldn't you help them if you knew how? Or maybe you've been rebuffed so often in your attempts to help that you figure what's the point. But really, even when they say "no thanks" and even when they bite your head off for trying, they do want a hand. And if you do know how, you can save their life (or at least make it a whole lot better).

There is a whole series of new courses, announced last week by David Miscavige, that are being offered at Scientology Churches and Missions that give you the tools to be able to help.

Check it out for yourself.

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

Saved! Story of heroism, patriotism Warsaw Ghetto Nazi-fighter's history documented

This caught my eye today:


It's a story of unfaltering patriotism, heroism, loyalty and military history, and it almost was lost.

"Quiet Hero: Secrets from My Father's Past" by journalist Rita Cosby tells the story of her father's work as a teen on behalf of his Nazi-threatened homeland in Poland.

It also tells the story of the bond that was built between the father and daughter when she convinced him to tell the stories linked to the souvenirs of war she found among her mother's estate.

It almost didn't happen.

Cosby, an Emmy award-winning journalist, TV host and New York Times best-selling author, had been a near-stranger to her father after he abruptly announced one day when she was a teen that he was leaving the family.

She knew he had left Poland after World War II, and his body bore the statements of many scars, but he always had refused to answer questions about them.


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

Scientology Volunteer Minister tells of Haiti Disaster Response

Photo: Karen Farrell (c)2010

Scientology Volunteer Minister Karen Farrell, who is also a midwife, delivered six babies in while serving with the Scientology Disaster Response Team in Haiti.Photo: Gracia Bennish (c)2010

Photo: Gracia Bennish (c)2010

Karen Farrell is a midwife and a Scientology Volunteer Minister who lives in New England. When she heard about the Haiti earthquake on January 12, her first thought was that she needed to help. Four days later she was in Port-au-Prince with the medical and disaster relief team of doctors and nurses from the Association of Haitian Physicians Abroad, paramedics and Volunteer Ministers who boarded a flight in New York on January 16, chartered by the Church of Scientology to take medical personnel and supplies to Haiti.

Karen was assigned to General Hospital, where the facilities were woefully inadequate for the doctors and nurses working desperately to do something for the worst of the enormous numbers of earthquake victims. Overwhelmed with casualties, the medical staff could scarcely tend to women having babies.

The Norwegian Red Cross had set up a small makeshift obstetric and surgical unit and welcomed the midwife and doctors newly arrived from America.

Karen and a Haitian-American obstetrician from the Association of Haitian Physicians Abroad who arrived on the same flight set up a rudimentary labor and delivery room that Karen described as "archaic" and started moving women in.

After a 12-hour shift, exhausted obstetrics staff started leaving for the night. With no doctor on duty, Karen decided to stay. A fortunate decision. Karen delivered two babies that night.

The first baby was a girl whose mother named her "My Love." The second was born to a 16-year-old first-time mother. Alone, without her family or the father, the young mother was exhausted and terrified. "I held her in my arms for a long time, rocking her," said Karen. "After eight hours, we were finally able to move her to a room with power (yes, we were in the dark all that time). I had to show her how to push and get her to understand me." With the help of a translator, she told the woman, "Be strong and deliver this baby now!"

On another night, six women were in labor, two of them difficult cases. Karen could only hope their babies would hold off until the obstetrics staff came back on duty. Then, as morning dawned, another earthquake struck. Panic swept through the hospital. Some patients, forgetting their limbs had been amputated, tried to stand up and run out. Others who were far too sick to move struggled to get out of bed and out of the building.

"People were screaming and the whole building was shaking," said Karen. The labor room and all the obstetrics patients were in the basement, and Karen knew that if the building collapsed they would all be trapped.

She scrambled with medical students and military personnel to evacuate the patients from the basement and the wards, carrying them outside and placing them on the ground away from the unstable hospital building.

The move was too much for some. A young man died when his oxygen tank was disconnected so he could be moved. The nurse with him went into shock and was unable to function. Karen quickly applied her Volunteer Minister Disaster Response training that orients a person to their immediate surroundings, and the nurse soon snapped out of her shock and said, "OK, we have a lot of work to do," and got back to work moving patients to safety.

Amid the death and destruction, one of the pregnant women started giving birth. Haitian women near the mother-to-be began to sing. When the baby appeared, a doctor shouted, "A baby has been born! There is hope in the world."

Karen was still hoping the two difficult cases would hold off until an obstetrician came back on duty. Just as one woman was about to give birth, her labor slowed and the obstetrician arrived in time and delivered the baby by Caesarian section.

Karen also helped non-obstetrics patients. Many had no family because they were killed or separated in the earthquake, so Karen comforted them.

"Though I don't speak Creole, I could still sit with them and simply listen to them talk. I couldn't understand their words, but I wanted them to know they were not alone.

"One gentleman had so much fear in his eyes. I put my hand on his shoulder and in French I said 'calm.' I just wanted him to know that someone was there. He talked and talked and I nodded my head. I understood enough to know that he was in a lot of pain and was terrified. He thought he was dying, and he was. I got a cold cloth and wiped his face and the back of his neck.

"Everything was in disarray, including the area where the medicine was kept, and the doctors were spending their precious time picking though the medicine trying to find the one the man needed. I told them I would look for it so they could keep treating patients. I finally found it and they gave it to him and he recovered. He made it."

Karen returned home to Boston after a week, to go back to her job. In one week in Haiti she delivered six babies with her own hands and helped with another. She says the experience changed her, and she will never be the same.

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

12th Annual L. Ron Hubbard Humanitarian Awards Honor Outstanding Canadians

Toronto,Canada—The Church of Scientology of Canada recently hosted the 12th annual L. Ron Hubbard Humanitarian Awards honoring six exceptional Canadians for service to the community. More than two hundred guests attended including local and federal officials, police officers, and religious and community leaders. The awards were presented to:

Dr. Ken and Ms. Emily Ng, Chairman and President of the Federation of Chinese Canadians in Markham (FCCM), for providing services to those newly in the country and uniting the Asian community in cooperative social programs.

Ms. Melanie Dickson-Smith, Coordinator of the Church of Scientology’s Drug-Free Marshals program and Civilian Co-Chair of the Toronto Police Services 52 Division Community Police Liaison Committee, for 10 years of community service educating youth on the harmful effects of drugs.

Mr. Zul Kassamali, Vice President of the Association of Progressive Muslims of Canada and President of the Toronto Area Interfaith Council, for fighting intolerance and promoting better conditions for the elderly.

A Lifetime Achievement award was presented posthumously to Mr. Kamil Sadiq, Founder of the Canadian Federation of Intercultural Friendship. Ms. Shamim Sadiq accepted the award honoring her husband’s work to bridge ethnic, racial and religious differences. In 2002, Sadiq received the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal, awarded to Canadians for significant contribution to their fellow citizens.

Also receiving the L. Ron Hubbard Humanitarian Award for Lifetime Achievement was York Regional Police Chief Armand La Barge who began his career with York Regional Police in 1973 and has held the position of Chief of Police since December 2002. Crime rates have declined throughout his tenure as Police Chief and York Region has one of the lowest crime rates in North America. In accepting his award, La Barge said, “we have worked very hard to transform the concept of community policing in York Region from one of an officer walking the beat to one in which the community helps shape and assist police in delivering effective community safety, crime prevention and law enforcement programs.”

The L. Ron Hubbard Humanitarian Awards originated in 1999 to honor individuals whose humanitarian achievements make a difference in society. For more information on L. Ron Hubbard visit www.lronhubbard.org.

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

Video on the Life of L. Ron Hubbard

This video, which can also be watched on line on the Scientology web site, gives a brief overview of the life of Scientology Founder, L. Ron Hubbard.
A being is only as valuable as he can serve others.~~~ L. Ron Hubbard; founder of the Scientology religion

Keeping Kids Off Drugs

There are great videos on the Scientology web site you can show your kids to keep them off drugs.



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

Volunteer Ministers Helping Haiti Orphans

More than a hundred Scientology Volunteers are in Haiti working with the Scientology Disaster Relief Force. Hard work, but can you imagine anything more rewarding?

The Scientology Today gives regular updates on Haiti news and so does the Scientology Volunteer Ministers blog.


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