Panorama views

Meet A Scientologist: Jule, Sculptor

2010-09-14T21:27:00.000-07:00

A little breakfast reading – Anderson Cooper and Marty Rathbun

2010-08-24T14:58:00.000-07:00

Man, a little breakfast reading, Marty Rathbun: A History of Hidden Violence. I have to admit its fascinating to read about the many weaknesses of Anderson Cooper's reporting and how he completely missed the boat on Rathbun's history.

"… the fact Anderson Cooper knew full well who and what Rathbun was and he chose to both ignore it and keep silent."

"All began one year earlier when Rathbun unloaded to the S.P. Times, pointing a stubby finger and leveling a "Do you still beat your wife" accusation. Although he thought it would go unchallenged, he was wrong and every person named as a target in a so-called tale of "abuse in high places" not only stepped forward to tell the true story, they also swore under oath that none of what Rathbun alleged ever even happened. More chillingly, they identified the true perpetrator of violence…it was Rathbun himself."

I mean c'mon... 4 yr old nephew could have done better in our Sunday night game of "Clue." Anderson you're an embarrassment. And as far as this Rathbun character, he just isn't worth eating my cereal over.

Here is some better reading: Mike Rinder, walking hate crime (another loser but better with chicks)

Scientology: What is Disconnection?

2010-08-20T13:16:00.000-07:00

A Scientologist can have trouble making spiritual progress in his auditing or training if he is connected to someone who is suppressive or who is antagonistic to Scientology or its tenets. All spiritual advancement gained from Scientology may well be lost because one is continually invalidated by an antagonistic person who wants nothing more than to do harm to the person. In order to resolve this situation, one either “handles” the other person’s antagonism with true data about Scientology and the Church or, as a last resort, when all attempts to handle have failed, one “disconnects” from or stops communicating with the person.

As defined by L. Ron Hubbard:

“The term handle most commonly means to smooth out a situation with another person by applying the technology of communication.

“The term disconnection is defined as a self-determined decision made by an individual that he is not going to be connected to another. It is a severing of a communication line.

“The basic principle of ‘handle or disconnect’ exists in any group and ours is no different.

“It is much like trying to deal with a criminal. If he will not handle, the society resorts to the only other solution: It ‘disconnects’ the criminal from the society. In other words, they remove the guy from society and put him in a prison because he won’t handle his problem or otherwise cease to commit criminal acts against others.”

By way of another example, a wife who cannot stop her husband from cheating finally disconnects from him through divorce.

A person who disconnects is simply exercising their right to communicate or not to communicate with a particular person. This is one of the most fundamental rights of Man. For as Mr. Hubbard pointed out:

“If one has the right to communicate, then one must also have the right to not receive communication from another. It is this latter corollary of the right to communicate that gives us our right to privacy.”

There is no policy in Scientology that requires Church members to disconnect from anyone, let alone family and friends who simply have different beliefs. To the contrary, the moral code of Scientology mandates that Scientologists respect the religious beliefs of others. The Church encourages excellent family relationships, Scientologists or not, and family relations routinely improve with Scientology because the Scientologist learns how to increase communication and resolve any problems that may have previously existed.

http://www.scientologynews.org/faq/what-is-disconnection.html

Scientology: What does "Suppressiv Person" mean?

2010-08-20T13:15:00.000-07:00

A Suppressive Person (SP) is a person who seeks to suppress other people in their vicinity. A Suppressive Person will goof up or vilify any effort to help anybody and particularly knife with violence anything calculated to make human beings more powerful or more intelligent.

The Suppressive Person is also known as the Anti-Social Personality. Within this category one finds Napoleon, Hitler, the unrepentant killer and the drug lord. But if such are easily spotted, if only from the bodies they leave in their wake, Anti-Social Personalities also commonly exist in current life and often go undetected.

The basic reason the Suppressive Person behaves as he or she does lies in a hidden terror of others. To such a person every other being is an enemy, an enemy to be covertly or overtly destroyed. The fixation is that survival itself depends on “keeping others down” or “keeping people ignorant.” If anyone were to promise to make others stronger or brighter, the Suppressive Person would suffer the utmost agony.

Because of this, the Suppressive Person seeks to upset, continuously undermine, spread bad news about and denigrate betterment activities and groups. Thus the Anti-Social Personality is also against what Scientology is about—helping people become more able and improving conditions in society. As anyone can think of many examples of a Suppressive Person, this concept is not limited to Scientology. However, when such a person is connected to Scientology, for the good of the Church and the individuals in it, such a person is officially labeled a Suppressive Person so that others will know not to associate with them.

To be declared a Suppressive Person is extremely rare and results in expulsion from the Scientology religion. This occurs in instances of serious offenses against the Scientology faith and can also occur when an individual is found to be actively working to suppress the well-being of others. This can be done through criminal acts already recognized by society as unlawful or through the commitment of acts deemed Suppressive Acts in the Scientology Justice Codes—which includes the Suppressive Act of publicly renouncing the faith, an act which in Scientology, as well as almost every religion, is grounds for automatic expulsion.

When someone has been expelled from the religion, that person loses both his or her fellowship with the Church as well as with other Scientologists. The condition lasts until they have been restored to good standing. Once the person has been restored to good standing, the prohibition against fellowship with other Scientologists is lifted. Similar practices have been part of religious communities for thousands of years and have been recognized by courts of law as a fundamental right.

http://www.scientologynews.org

Marty Rathbun - who is this?

2010-08-10T16:35:00.000-07:00

Recently the world of anti-scientology witnessed some kerfuffle about a figure called Marty Rathbun. Rathbun is a former Scientologist who got kicked out for horrendous acts of stupidity and evildom... Freedom Magazine has given him some space in their latest issue and you might want to check it out.

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

2010-06-12T09:51:00.000-07:00

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.

Mark Rathbun, squirrel or worse?

2010-05-24T13:30:00.000-07:00

Find out for yourself:

"Anonymous" Hate Group Member Sentenced in Crime Against New York Scientology Church

2010-04-17T12:40:00.000-07:00

A member of the hate group Anonymous, Mahoud Samed Almahadin, aka Matt Connor, was sentenced today in New York City Criminal Court.

New York (Vocus/PRWEB ) April 15, 2010 -- A member of the hate group Anonymous, Mahoud Samed Almahadin, aka Matt Connor, was sentenced today in New York City Criminal Court in connection with a January 8, 2009, attack on the Church of Scientology of New York. (People vs. Almahadin, Mahoud; Criminal Docket 2009NY00410).

Almahadin smeared himself with a mixture of Vaseline, nail clippings and pubic hairs donated by other members of the Anonymous hate group, ran into the New York Church just off Times Square and desecrated the Church, including causing damage to Scriptural materials. Almahadin’s sentence forbids him from going near the Church of Scientology for five years. He was also sentenced to pay the damages caused by his acts and to perform substantial community service as further restitution for the crime.

Church of Scientology attorney Kendrick Moxon said of the result, “The action against Almahadin is a victory for everyone’s right to peaceably practice their religion. It is a warning to others who desecrate houses of worship and commit hate crimes. It is also the latest blow against Anonymous.” “Anonymous” is a loosely connected hate group targeting Scientologists, Jews and other minority racial and ethnic groups and organizations.

Another member of Anonymous, Jacob Speregen, also charged in the same incident, will stand trial later this year.

The conviction follows the November 18, 2009, sentencing of a New Jersey man to one year and one day in federal prison on a felony conviction for his part in a cyber attack against Church of Scientology websites in January 2008. (Case No. CR 09-87-01) That attack was also carried out by Anonymous members.

Dmitriy Guzner, 19, of Verona, New Jersey, who in May 2009 pled guilty to one count of computer hacking, was sentenced for his role in the distributed denial of service (DDOS) attack against Scientology websites. A DDOS attack occurs when a large amount of malicious Internet traffic is directed at websites, overloading their capacity and making them unavailable to legitimate users.

Church websites were made unavailable to valid users for over 24 hours, with the attacks continuing for 12 days, requiring the Church to hire a computer security company to protect against the attacks and to reroute traffic. Due to the severity of the crime, Judge Joseph Greenaway in U.S. District Court in Newark sentenced Guzner to the 366-day prison term, plus two years probation following his prison term, and ordered Guzner to pay $37,500 restitution to the Church.

On October 31, another Anonymous follower, Brian Thomas Mettenbrink, 20, was indicted by a Grand Jury in the US District Court in Los Angeles, for his role in the same attack on Scientology websites, for conspiracy and “transmission of a code, information, program, or command to a protected computer.” (Case No. CR 09-01149) (The indictment states that he obtained a computer program from an Anonymous website and executed a DDOS attack from his dormitory at Iowa State University against the Church computers in Los Angeles. He is awaiting sentencing.

According to court documents, Anonymous is an underground hate group that, in addition to the cyber attack, targeted Churches of Scientology and members with death threats, bomb threats and fake anthrax mail. In addition to Scientology Churches and the Prime Minister of Australia, Anonymous has also targeted The Epilepsy Foundation, hip-hop music websites and others.

Scientology is a worldwide religious movement with more than 8,500 Churches, Missions and affiliated groups in 165 countries. The Church and its members dedicate their time and resources to numerous humanitarian programs that Scientology has become known for around the world, including combating drug abuse, immorality, illiteracy, and human rights violations.

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Defectors Say About Church of Scientology ....

2010-03-06T21:36:00.000-08:00

The vast majority of false allegations put forward, primarily on websites on the Internet, to attempt to stigmatize the Church of Scientology, have been systematically spread by a handful of disgruntled former Scientologists, Church of Scientology staff members or members of the Sea Organization (Sea Org) —apostates(1)— who commonly have "an axe to grind."

Courts, scholars and objective and responsible government bodies routinely discard testimony by apostates of any religion because their credibility is always suspect, their anecdotal allegations inevitably motivated by personal interests, and their claims frequently fueled by greed to support outlandish and unwarranted demands for monetary compensation in legal actions from their former faiths. Read on..

Another Anonymous head chopped off

2010-02-25T09:52:00.000-08:00

Hate group Anonymous member, Mahoud Samed Almahadin, pled guilty to Criminal Mischief today in the New York City Criminal Court in connection with a January 8, 2009 attack on the Church of Scientology of New York.

NEW YORK, Feb. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- A member of the hate group Anonymous, Mahoud Samed Almahadin, aka Matt Connor, pled guilty to Criminal Mischief today in the New York City Criminal Court in connection with a January 8, 2009, attack on the Church of Scientology of New York. (People vs. Almahadin, Mahoud; Criminal Docket 2009NY00410)

Almahadin smeared himself with a mixture of petroleum jelly, nail clippings and pubic hairs donated by other members of the Anonymous hate group, ran into the New York Church just off Times Square and desecrated the Church, including causing damage to Scriptural materials. As part of his guilty plea, he is required to stay away from the Church of Scientology for the next five years. His sentencing will take place in April.

Church of Scientology attorney Kendrick Moxon said of the result, "The action against Almahadin is a victory for everyone's right to peaceably practice their religion. It is a warning to others who find pleasure in desecrating houses of worship and committing hate crimes. It is also the latest blow against the hate group Anonymous."

Another member of Anonymous, Jacob Speregen, also charged in the same incident, will stand trial in April.

The attack was carried out with others calling themselves "Anonymous," a hate group targeting Scientology and others individuals and organizations, including the website of the Prime Minister of Australia.

Church websites were made unavailable to valid users for 24 hours, with the attacks continuing for 12 days, requiring the Church to hire a computer security company to protect against the attacks and to reroute traffic. Due to the severity of the crime, Judge Joseph Greenaway in U.S. District Court in Newark sentenced Guzner to the 366-day prison term, plus two years probation following his prison term, and ordered Guzner to pay $37,500 restitution to the Church.

On October 31, another Anonymous follower, Brian Thomas Mettenbrink, 20, was indicted by a Grand Jury in the US District Court for Central California for the same attack on Scientology websites, for conspiracy and "transmission of a code, information, program, or command to a protected computer." The indictment states that he obtained a computer program from an Anonymous website and executed a DDOS attack from his dormitory at Iowa State University against the Church computers in Los Angeles. He is awaiting sentencing.

Scientology is a worldwide religious movement with more than 8,000 Churches, Missions and affiliated groups in 165 countries. The Church and its members dedicate their time and resources to numerous humanitarian programs that Scientology has become known for around the world, including combating drug abuse, immorality, illiteracy, and human rights violations.

For more information about Scientology, visit http://www.scientology.org.

Scientology - Steal, Bribe and Spy - St. Petersburg Times Report

2009-12-30T21:21:00.000-08:00

Inside the Times:
- Journalism with an Agenda
- $10 million libel verdict against St. Petersburg Times
- Hypocrisy exposed at Poynter Institute and much more in this issue.
Freedom Magazine

The Rescue Specialists of Scientology: Volunteer Ministers awarded for aiding at all fronts following the violent Typhoon Morakot

2009-11-06T15:54:00.000-08:00

Kaohsiung, 17 October 2009 - In a special ceremony Scientology Volunteer Ministers were commended for their part in helping Taiwan recover from the deadliest typhoon to hit the country in 50 years. Ms. Mei Tsu Lee accepted the award presented by the Youth Volunteer Association and the Kaohsiung City Council for the Church of Scientology in Taiwan.

Typhoon Morakot slammed into southern Taiwan last August, killing more than 600 and causing an estimated $1.5 billion in damage. More than nine feet of rain inundated the island causing record flooding and mudslides buried entire villages.

Despite more than 20,000 troops pressed into service for disaster relief, without the volunteer community the country could not have coped with the needs of some 7,000 who lost their homes and the enormous cleanup operation needed to restore the island to any semblance of normality.

The bright yellow shirts of the Scientology Volunteer Ministers fast became a welcome sight in the days following the typhoon. The Scientologists helped distribute food, water and supplies and rolled up their sleeves to help villages clean up mountains of mud that were everywhere.

But it was Scientology Assists—spiritual first-aid—that were the most valuable contribution of the Scientology Volunteer Ministers. Assists are procedures developed by L. Ron Hubbard that provide relief by addressing the emotional and spiritual factors in stress, trauma, illness and injury.

“I could not close my eyes to sleep,” said one woman who lived through the storm. The Assist brought her immediate relief. “The feeling of numbness is gone and now I can sleep.”

“Thank you for helping me put the smile back on my face,” said one person aided with an Assist. “The pressure in gone.” She asked to be taught techniques herself so she could help her family and neighbors.

To the 64-year-old woman whose banana farm was literally washed away, it seemed the typhoon had destroyed everything. She was desperate with worry about how she and her daughter could carry on. But after her Assist it all looked different: she was relaxed, even optimistic, as she started to plan for the future.

The Volunteer Ministers were not there only for the Morakot victims, they also gave Assists to the military who were carrying out disaster response. One solder was so impressed by the change he experienced from his Assist that he asked the Volunteer Ministers to teach him how to give them. “I really felt lucky to have helped in this disaster,” he said. “I have never been involved in a more meaningful activity. Now I want to do more.”

For more information on the Scientology Volunteer Ministers, visit their web site at www.volunteerministers.org or the Scientology web site at www.scientology.org.

New Church of Scientology opens in Washington, DC

2009-11-02T19:16:00.000-08:00

Located just six blocks from the White House in the historic Embassy Building on Embassy Row, stands the new Founding Church of Scientology of Washington, DC, at 1424 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036.

Six blocks! So Obama can drop in during his lunch break, I guess :-) and watch an Introductory Film:

"Dianetics and Scientology introductory films are shown in our state-of-the-art theaters, located just off Reception. Here you can watch An Introduction to Scientology, the only filmed interview L. Ron Hubbard ever gave. See Mr. Hubbard provide answers to the questions posed by millions — What is Scientology? How can Scientology help people overcome their problems? Why is Man on this planet and what is his purpose here?"

Scientology News: Federal Crime Charges against Anonymous

2009-10-29T20:06:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, October 28, 2009, a federal Grand Jury in Los Angeles indicted Brian Thomas Mettenbrink, a member of the cyber hate group Anonymous, for his part in the January 2008 attempted destruction of Scientology websites owned by the Church of Scientology.

Mettenbrink, 20, is charged with conspiracy and “transmission of a code, information, program, or command to a protected computer.” The indictment states that he obtained a computer program from an Anonymous website and executed a “DDOS” attack from his dormitory at Iowa State University against Church computers in Los Angeles. A DDOS (distributed denial of service) attack occurs where a large amount of malicious Internet traffic is directed at a website or a set of websites, with the intent to overwhelm and shut down the websites.

Mettenbrink is the second member of Anonymous to face criminal charges relating to this attack. In May 2009, Dmitriy Guzner, then 18, pleaded guilty to computer hacking charges for his role in the attack on Church computers. He is currently awaiting sentencing.

Scientology is a worldwide religious movement with more than 8,000 Churches, Missions and groups in 165 countries. The Church and its members dedicate their time and resources to numerous humanitarian programs that Scientology has become known for around the world, including combating drug abuse, immorality, illiteracy and human rights violations.

For more information about Scientology, visit Scientology.org.

Scientology Headquarters for the United Kingdom Hosts International Arts Festival

2009-07-09T21:19:00.000-07:00

Saint Hill Manor, once home of Scientology founder, L. Ron Hubbard, gears up for 18th annual international arts festival

Saint Hill, the headquarters for the Scientology religion in England, and home in the 1960’s to Scientology founder, L. Ron Hubbard, is about to undergo its once-yearly transformation into an international haven for the artist, with the 18th annual Saint Hill International Arts Festival opening there on Sunday the 2nd of August.

L. Ron Hubbard once wrote, “A culture is only as great as its dreams, and its dreams are dreamed by artists.” And it is the regard with which he held the artist that inspired this yearly weeklong tradition of concerts, performances, workshops and projects in which those attending stretch their creativity and polish their craft while sharing their talent with others.

This year’s festival opens with an evening of world-class performances, including concert pianist Gabriel Arnold, soprano Marion Shuster, violinists Mike Perroud and Martin Sonneveld, violist Anne-Marie Sonneveld, actor/comedians Georgina Roberts and Robbie Scandrett and dancer Barbara Lanik, with a guest performance by Hollywood actor and singer, Judy Norton, best known for her role as Mary Ellen in the Waltons.

To cap the evening, guests will be treated to a professionally staged fireworks extravaganza.

The concert begins the week of workshops, exhibitions and classes in painting, drama, singing, dance, filmmaking, photography, fashion design and sculpture, including a master class in piano. For the entire week, the grounds of Saint Hill Manor will be transformed into an art exhibition, where all those attending can display their work.

“The Saint Hill International Arts Festival provides artists and potential artists with the ideal environment in which to blossom, where art is taught by people with the correct technology, without invalidation, and where one is free to perform and be appreciated,” said Festival Executive Producer, Sheila Gaiman.

For more information on L. Ron Hubbard, whose work inspired the program, visit the Scientology site. For more information about the festival please contact comm@arts-festival.org or go to www.arts-festival.org.

Scientology: Know Yourself - Know Life

2009-06-29T18:04:00.000-07:00

Scientology Know Yourself, Know Life (http://www.scientology.org/) ads, launched May 18th, by the Church of Scientology's International office have been running in the US and Canada on MTV, Discovery, The Learning Channel, CNBC, MSNBC, CNN, ESPN, Fox News and Fox Sports. The Know Yourself, Know Life ads have been appealing to the interest of ten thousands every day since the start of the information campaign. The current Know Yourself Know Life ads will air daily until the end of 2009.

Additionally, the video channel website http://www.scientology.org/ features a new section called “Meet a Scientologist” with videos of 100 Scientologists from all walks of life - bus driver, artists, inventor, doctor, professionals, race car driver, equestrian, housewife, and others - in their life situations. Visitors can learn why these people chose Scientology as their religion.

The Church’s website explains that Scientology is an applied religious philosophy and features visual depictions of some of the Church's core principles. The website also details four of The Church of Scientology’s worldwide campaigns - anti-drugs, human rights, volunteer ministers and The Way to Happiness (a common sense moral code) as well as data on the secular programs of Narconon and Applied Scholastics - programs that address drug addiction and literacy.

The word Scientology literally means "the study of truth." It comes from the Latin word "scio" meaning "knowing in the fullest sense of the word" and the Greek word "logos" meaning "study of." Scientology is the study and handling of the spirit in relationship to itself, others and all of life.

The Scientology religious philosophy was founded by L. Ron Hubbard. Mr. Hubbard is a 3-time Guinness Book of World Records holder of the most published works by a single author, most audio book titles on Earth and most translated author.

The “Know Yourself Know Life” (http://www.scientology.org/) ads are sponsored by the Church of Scientology which was formed in Los Angeles in 1954 by a group of Scientologists, and within a few year churches were formed across the country and around the world. Today there are 8,000 churches, missions and related organizations in 164 countries. For more information you can also visit http://www.whatisscientology.org/.

More here

Scientology Member in Sicily Receives International Award

2009-06-29T07:08:00.000-07:00

Scientologist recognized for outstanding contribution to the culture with the Silver Chimera Award for 2009

Scientology Public Affairs Director for the Church of Scientology of Catania, Italy, Ms. Itria Leone, was awarded the 2009 Silver Chimera Award for the impact she has made on the community through her work as coordinator of the Church’s social reform programs.

The 8th annual International Silver Chimera Awards ceremony was organized by dell’Arte Etrusca to raise awareness of social issues and recognize those who have distinguished themselves through contribution that improves the quality of life. With the theme, “Peace in the World,” the ceremony was held this year at the Museo Castello Ursino in Catania, in Sicily.

Ms. Leone, a native of Sicily, has been coordinating the social reform activities of the Church of Scientology of Catania since 2005. At a grassroots level, she has been working to educate children and teenagers on the effects of drugs, to help them make educated choices and avoid the tragedy of addiction. She also coordinates a chapter of Youth for Human Rights International, through which young people learn their rights and help educate their friends and community on the basic rights to which every individual is entitled.

In accepting her award, Ms. Leone acknowledged L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of the Scientology religion, for inspiring her to dedicate her life to helping others.

Other recipients of this year’s Silver Chimera Award were: in literature, Dr Sandro Distefano; in medicine, Dr. Ennio Roman; in civil service Dr. Domenico Pinzello, chief representative of the Minister of Interior for the province of Catania, for his many years of effectively combating organized crime, professor Giuseppe Adernò, who has distinguished himself an entrepreneur and cultural leader and Concetta Bufardeci, who has carried on a centuries-long family tradition of representing the country of Spain to Sicily.

Scientology Video Channel: Meet a Scientologist

2009-06-27T13:30:00.000-07:00

"Meet a Scientologist" with testimonials of Scientology members that are medical doctors, bus drivers, baseball coaches, run art galleries or work as photographer or fitness trainer.

Since the Church of Scientology has launched its new video channel on www.Scientology.org, scores of individual videos have been added, most remarkably a section called "Meet a Scientologist" with testimonials of Scientology members that are medical doctors, bus drivers, baseball coaches, run art galleries or work as photographer or fitness trainer.

The Scientology Video Channel provides a comprehensive overview of the basic beliefs and practices of the religion while answering the question "What is Scientology?," as well as information on the many humanitarian programs sponsored by the Church—programs addressing drug abuse, illiteracy, human rights and disaster relief.

The video channel contains hundreds of broadcast-quality videos, comprising almost 4 hours of content. These videos have previously been available for viewing by the general public in Church exhibitions around the world.

By making the Scientology Video Channel available on the Church's website, the Church is able to provide far more expansive and enlightening information to those who have questions about the religion. Visitors to the Scientology Video Channel wondering just "what is Scientology?" can request a free book entitled "A Description of the Scientology Religion" or obtain other basic books about Scientology or Dianetics.

As Scientologists number in the millions and come from all walks of life, included in the online content are statements from Scientology parishioners themselves expressing why Scientology is their chosen faith.

The Church of Scientology has always considered the Internet a resource for disseminating accurate information about the religion—concentrating on using the Internet to promote its message and mission in the world. Since 1996, Church sites have provided hundreds of thousands of individual pages of material and images on the religion. These sites are available in most major languages and are visited by tens of millions each year.

The Church firmly believes that understanding is achieved through knowledge and information. It is in this spirit that the Church is putting this special video channel online, designed to answer the question most often asked: What is Scientology?

The Church of Scientology encourages anyone desiring information about the Scientology religion to visit the Church video channel at www.Scientology.org.

Freewinds Maiden Voyage: David Miscavige

2009-06-22T17:03:00.000-07:00

As always, the Maiden Voyage events are sure exciting. I look forward to hearing Mr. David Miscavige tonight speak about expansion on all fronts. It always amazes me to hear about the stellar production of the past year, yet again exceeding anything reached before!

Check out Freewinds.org

Church of Scientology Cincinnati moves to Kentucky

2009-06-07T20:21:00.000-07:00

says the Kentucky Post:

The Church of Scientology is outgrowing its current location in downtown Cincinnati so it is moving to Northern Kentucky.

County records show the Church of Scientology bought the property formerly owned by the Florence Baptist Church at 283 Main Street for $1.64 million on May 28.

The Church of Scientology has been at their downtown location since 1987.

"Its just going to help us service our parishioners better because we have people who come from all over the United States and sometimes the world to this particular church," said Thalia Ghiglia, Spokesperson for Downtown Church of Scientology.

Ghiglia adds their increase in numbers is reflective of the national interest.

"There's been a tremendous amount of growth in Scientology in general. In the last five years, we've grown more than in the last 50," said Ghiglia.

The Florence Christian Church sits across the street.

They've already met some of their new neighbors.

"I really don't know much about the Church of Scientology. I believe we should welcome our neighbors whoever they are, whoever bought that property we would welcome them," said Rev. Jerry Zehr of Florence Christian Church.

With the growth of scientology, there are also questions surrounding the religion which is based on discoveries by philosopher L. Ron Hubbard. Celebrity followers like Tom Cruise have attracted media headlines and sometimes negative attention.

However the Church of Scientology has tried to respond with a media campaign of its own.

"We are really well known for our delivery of spiritual counseling, our technical delivery, this particular church gets alot of recognition and recognition's in international standings and things like that," said Ghiglia.

They are planning a grand opening ceremony at the end of 2009.

Video Interview on the page of the Kentucky Post

Church of Scientology of London Fights Drug Abuse and Addiction

2009-05-07T20:30:00.000-07:00

Scientologists from the Church of Scientology of London team with volunteers of diverse backgrounds and faiths to fight youthful drug abuse in five London neighborhoods.

The Church of Scientology of London launched a major anti-drug offensive last week. Teams of volunteers of many faiths and backgrounds distributed more than 8,000 drug-education booklets in five London neighborhoods that are notorious for drug use, trafficking and crime.

One common purpose united the diverse group—to help young Londoners avoid the tragedy of drug abuse and addiction by letting them know the truth about drugs.

Sikhs, Christian ministers and Scientologists, sports figures, teachers, social workers and students worked together to distribute The Truth About Drugs booklets in Newham, Southwark, Dartford, Romford and Southall.

The volunteers were spurred on by reports that drug and alcohol abuse were the common denominator in the recent spate of vicious and deadly knife attacks around London.

In Newham, a local gym owner used The Truth About Drugs booklets in a lecture on health, fitness and the dangers of drugs.

A volunteer who helps ex-offenders handed out some 500 booklets In Southwark, because she is “very aware of the fact that drugs are the starting point of criminality.”

In Romford, two teachers pitched in, getting local shops to support the campaign. They distributed over 1,000 booklets and kept another thousand to give to the pupils in their schools.

Drug abuse and the crime it fosters cost private citizens, businesses and government hundreds of millions of pounds annually. The Church of Scientology of London is proud to play a role in uniting volunteers in their city to make a difference by educating youth on the truth about drugs.

For additional information on the Church of Scientology of London visit their web site at www.scientology-london.org.

For more on the work Scientology is doing to combat drug abuse, visit the Scientology video channel.

Scientology Opens New Church in Arlöv

2009-04-20T20:32:00.000-07:00

ARLÖV - The Church of Scientology of Malmö opened its new home with an invitation to all to find out for themselves the answer to the often asked question, “What is Scientology?” Thousands of parishioners and dignitaries attended.

The new church not only provides greatly expanded facilities for religious training, services and counseling, it also enables the Church to bring Scientology’s international social reform and betterment programs to the city on a much larger scale.

“Our doors are open to everyone,” said the Malmo Church’s president, Stig Andersson. “We want everyone to come in, tour our exhibition or attend an open house and find out for themselves who we are and what we do.”

The new Church of Scientology of Malmö represents four decades of growth in Sweden. A group of students from Lund University founded the first Church of Scientology in Sweden in 1969.

The new Church of Scientology of Malmö is a reflection of the rapid expansion of Scientology today. Each of Scientology’s nearly 8,000 churches, missions, and groups, active in 164 nations, is dedicated to achieving the Aims of Scientology — a civilization without insanity, without criminals and without war, where the able can prosper and honest beings can have rights, and where man is free to rise to greater heights.

The Church of Scientology of Malmö offers tours seven days a week from 9:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. For more information on the Church and its programs, visit www.scientology.org or call +46 (0)40 537580.

Vandal in hate crime vs. Scientology

2009-01-15T10:05:00.000-08:00

Found in the NY Daily News:

A hooligan claiming to be a member of an anti-Scientology group [Anonymous] was arrested Wednesday for attempting to "desecrate" the Church of Scientology with a wacky weapon - Vaseline, police said.

Mahoud Samed Almahadin - the name he gave cops - tossed a number of books around, then smeared the petroleum jelly on a TV set, shelves and himself during the incident at the W. 46th St. Scientology center last week.

A cohort videotaped the 18-year-old's antics while surveillance cameras filmed them both.

Cops used the tapes to track down the dopey duo, who said they were members of Anonymous, a shadowy, Internet-based anti-Scientology group.

A cop escorting the suspect to his arraignment, said "He's just a kid. He's young and he's dumb."

Police said Almahadin, clad in shorts, boots and rubber gloves, entered the building at 227 W. 46th St. with his partner at about 1:30 p.m. Thursday and went to work. The Vaseline was laced with toenail clippings and pubic hair, police said.

Shown the tapes at the Midtown North Precinct, Almahadin admitted, "Yup, that's me," a source said.

Almahadin, whose who goes by Matt Connor on the Web, was charged with burglary, criminal mischief and aggravated harassment as hate crimes. No charges were filed against the other man.

Scientology member Tom Cruise back with Matt Lauer

2008-12-15T13:14:00.000-08:00

For anyone who missed the Matt Lauer "Today" show this morning:

It's online! Check it out here.

And, expect this:

The actor and the Today Show host bury the hatchet.

It was four years ago when Tom Cruise went on the Today show to talk about his devotion to Scientology. Host Matt Lauer was caught in the midst of Cruise’s diatribe.

In a recent appearance on the Today Show, Cruise and Lauer seemed to have finally buried the hatchet. According to People, "the two did finally clear the air – and discussed at length – their June 2004 confrontation, in which Cruise angrily accused Lauer of being glib during a discussion of Brooke Shields’ use of anti depressants to treat her post-partum depression.”

During the interview, the movie star also emphasized that he will probably not discuss Scientology in any interviews in the foreseeable future.

Although Cruise is still an advocate of Scientology, he believes that it is not appropriate to talk about that topic during interviews.

Whiny Anonymous "Francois" gets caught trespassing

2008-11-04T20:54:00.002-08:00

Ok, one could say three people for one potential psychopath wearing a scary mask is a but too much. But that the Anons are trying to blame their fault on some security guards, well, this is RIDICULOUS!

Another Anonymous has to stay away from Scientology

2008-10-26T14:45:00.000-07:00

A Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Friday issued a restraining order against Donald Myers, a member of a cyber-terrorist group known as Anonymous. The order requires Myers to stay at least 50 yards away from a female Scientology member he stalked and harassed. The order also requires Myers to stay away from the L. Ron Hubbard Life Exhibition at the Church of Scientology International building in Hollywood where the victim works, and stay 50 yards away from the woman's home. The restraining order lasts for 3 years unless renewed.

Myers was found to have engaged in acts of harassment against the young woman, after video evidence was submitted to the court showing Myers stalking her, taunting her with sexual slurs, and refusing repeated requests to leave her alone. Myers was also ordered by the court to turn over any firearms in his possession to the police.

This is the second restraining order issued against a member of Anonymous this week. On October 21, a Boston Court ordered self-styled Anonymous leader Gregg Housh to stay 100 yards away from the Boston Church of Scientology. Housh was placed on probation for one year with the threat from the Court that if he violates the restraining order or any other law, he faces a year in prison.

Anonymous has been implicated in numerous criminal acts, including bomb threats, death threats, vandalism and computer crimes which are being investigated by law enforcement.

On October 17, The U.S. Department of Justice filed federal criminal charges against New Jersey Anonymous member Dmitriy Guzner related to the January 2008 attempted destruction of websites owned by the Church of Scientology. Guzner has agreed to plead guilty to felony charges that could send him to prison for ten years.

In November 2007, Anonymous member Pekka-Eric Auvinen shot and killed seven students, a nurse and a teacher at Joleka High School in Finland before turning the gun on himself and taking his own life. Prior to these acts Auvinen stated on a website used by Anonymous that he would do this all "in the name of Anonymous." He was immediately encouraged to carry out his threats by other members of the group, who afterwards called him a "hero."

"Law enforcement and the courts are seeing through the false image that the cyber-terrorist group Anonymous tries to portray to the media and are sending a clear message to everyone - if Anonymous breaks the law, Anonymous will suffer the legal consequences" said Karin Pouw of the Church of Scientology International.

She also said that "the Church will never be intimidated by the criminal acts committed by Anonymous members and will continue to work with law enforcement to bring the perpetrators of these crimes to justice for the protection of the Church and all groups targeted by these terrorists."

Anonymous member agrees to leave Scientology alone!

2008-10-22T20:33:00.000-07:00

The Docket reports today about a case of the Church of Scientology against a Anonymous member in Boston:

"On Oct. 22, Judge Thomas C. Horgan imposed a one-year CWOF against Gregg Housh, who had been charged with disturbing an assembly of worship and disturbing the peace.

As part of the plea, Housh was ordered to stay away from the Back Bay headquarters of the Church of Scientology and its new headquarters in Boston’s South End.

Suffolk prosecutors also moved to dismiss a criminal harassment complaint against Housh after determining they could not prove the charge beyond a reasonable doubt.

Prosecutors alleged that Housh and other members of a controversial web-based group called Anonymous entered the Church of Scientology’s Beacon Street building during a March 1 protest, disturbing the proceedings and alarming those inside."

French Scientology Member Continues his Work to Help the People of Tamil Nadu

2008-10-20T20:21:00.000-07:00

When Marc Arrighi heard about the tsunami that hit Pondicherry in the state of Tamil Nadu in South Eastern India in December 2004, he knew exactly what he needed to do. He and his wife Prisca packed up their family and left immediately for this former French colony, to help the people recover from the devastation they had just experienced.

Marc Arrighi and his wife Prisca and the team of Scientology Volunteer Ministers of Tamil Nadu, India.

With nearly 8,000 dead from the tsunami, and many more thousands injured or left homeless, the stories in the media didn't come close to describing what they found when they arrived. But the people were indomitable and were so willing and eager to help one another, and the Arrighi family forged such friendships, that they decided to stay on in the region as Scientology Volunteer Ministers.

Over the past two and a half years they have continued their work, training a team of local Volunteer Ministers, and using technology of L. Ron Hubbard to help their many new friends.

The Volunteer Ministers team uses Dianetics technology to help the people of Tamil Nadu recover from the trauma they experienced.

The word Dianetics comes from the Greek dia, meaning "through" and nous, meaning "soul", and is defined as "what the soul is doing to the body."

Mr. Hubbard discovered that when a person experiences trauma, whether physical pain, loss, or the threat of loss, this is stored in the reactive mind—that part of the mind which works on a totally stimulus-response basis, and which is not under the person's volitional (willing) control. The reactive mind exerts force and the power of command over one's awareness, purposes, thoughts, body and actions. The causes of a person's persistent or recurring feelings of grief or loss are buried in the reactive mind, able to influence and control the person.

Dianetics technology guides a person through his or her reactive mind to locate and permanently eradicate the actual source of these unwanted emotions and attitudes. Once this is done, the person is once more able to live a happy, healthy life.

Since arriving in the region, the Arrighis and their team of Volunteer Ministers have delivered nearly 4,000 Dianetics sessions to people of all ages.

In October 2006, Marc Arrighi was presented with the Freedom Medal Award of the International Association of Scientologists in acknowledgement of his humanitarian work in the region.

In accepting this award on behalf of his family and his team of Scientology Volunteer Ministers, Marc said, "I spend my days helping others. When we help in India, we have great pay, not in money but in thanks from people. Their gratitude is incredible, and I have never received so much 'pay.' To see people blossoming when they are in touch with the technology of L. Ron Hubbard is the most wonderful thing. To see the confusion cool down and the hope arise in the eyes of people, this is the value of my life."

Scientology attacks: Anonymous member charged for crimes after FBI investigation

2008-10-17T14:24:00.000-07:00

http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/cac/pressroom/pr2008/140.html

NEW JERSEY MAN CHARGED WITH ATTACKING CHURCH OF

SCIENTOLOGY WEBSITES IN THE NAME OF ‘ANONYMOUS’

LOS ANGELES – A New Jersey man was charged today for his role in an attack on Church of Scientology websites in January 2008 that rendered the websites unavailable.

Dmitriy Guzner, 18, of Verona, New Jersey, has agreed to plead guilty to computer hacking for his role in the distributed denial of service (DDOS) attack against the Scientology websites. A DDOS attack occurs where a large amount of malicious Internet traffic is directed at a website or a set of websites. The target websites are unable to handle the high volume of Internet traffic and therefore become unavailable to legitimate users trying to reach the sites.

According to the criminal information filed in United States District Court in Los Angeles, Guzner participated in the attack because he considered himself a member of an underground group called “Anonymous.” “Anonymous” has led protests against the Church of Scientology at various locations across the country, and in January 2008 posted a video on YouTube which announced a new offensive against Scientology.

Once he pleads guilty, which is expected to take place in the coming weeks in federal court in New Jersey, Guzner faces up to 10 years in federal prison.

This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service Electronic

Crimes Task Force in Los Angeles. The agencies involved in the investigation were the United States Secret Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office Bureau of Investigation.

Scientology or not? Possible J-Lo hoax

2008-10-14T15:29:00.000-07:00

Jennifer Lopez was allegedly "spotted at the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre International " yesterday morning, and "she stayed for over two hours", says tabloid blog "x17online.com" and shows some photos as if they had an eyewitness there. Well, the photo clearly does not show the Church of Scientology Celebrity Center International but rather an ordinary office building J-Lo is leaving together with her manager. So, as usual with most online media: we don't know.

But what the heck is a Scientology "Celebtrity Center" anyway? Here's what they say:

Scientology exists to provide help — help for all people — at every strata of life, of every disability or ability and across all ethnic and religious boundaries.

Borne out of this desire to help are the many social betterment activities Scientology supports. From our education programs, providing real answers to declining literacy levels, to our solutions for criminal reform and drug-rehabilitation — everything we do in Scientology is in the name of help.

Thus, while we continue our work to bring real solutions to those areas of society most in need, we also realize that we must not forget those individuals upon whom society depends the most.

L. Ron Hubbard once said, “The world is carried on the backs of a desperate few.” Unfortunately, it is these desperate few who are often the most neglected.

It is for this reason that L. Ron Hubbard saw to the formation of a special Church of Scientology which would cater to these individuals — the artists, politicians, leaders of industry, sports figures and anyone with the power and vision to create a better world. That Church is Celebrity Centre International.

Now one might argue that these individuals already have benefits that many will never have. But, ask any one of them — ask yourself — it can become a lonely world. Subject to the unusual pressures that come with prominence and responsibility, being looked upon under a microscope for good or bad — these are burdens others can’t imagine. Not to mention the counter-attack such individuals are subjected to by those less-ambitious who would rather fight to maintain a “status quo” than allow another to attempt a change or improvement.

You see, there’s no shame in helping the artist. In fact, in the larger scope of societal help, we had better help the artist if we wish to advance the society at all.

For as L. Ron Hubbard states, “The artist has an enormous role in the enhancement of today’s and the creation of tomorrow’s reality. He operates in a rank in advance of science as to the necessities and requirements of man. The elevation of a culture can be measured directly by the numbers of its people working in the field of aesthetics.”

And so we at Celebrity Centre work.

Through our delivery of Scientology services, we provide one with a practical technology for improving one’s happiness and creativity.

What is unique about Scientology technology is described in one word: RESULTS. It works.

Whether applied to marital or personal relationships, to one’s family or career or simply one’s personal peace of mind — Scientology changes conditions for the better.

Scientology gives one the tools one needs to handle any situation in life. In this sense, Scientology helps the able to become more able. It is a road to greater spiritual freedom.

As one who would work to build a better world, the artist is deserving of that freedom. The Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre International stands ready to deliver it.

Scientology Celebtrity Centre International

Blog recommendation: Pepperwillis on Scientology

2008-08-11T16:00:00.000-07:00

There is so much trash about Scientology out there on the interwebs that I was happy to find a safe harbor of sanity: Pepperwillis Blog. I don't know who this lady is but she sure has some good tips and nice graphics.

Scientology Ministers Offer Olive Branch

2008-08-08T18:44:00.000-07:00

The Times of Zambia (Ndola)

NEWS
23 June 2008
Posted to the web 23 June 2008

By Melody Chansa

"DO not always feel low or negative about yourself just because you are going through a certain situation. Remember, something can be done about it," says the scientology volunteer ministers currently conducting training and various workshops in Zambia.

This is a team currently comprising three volunteer ministers from South Africa who feel something could be done about any situation, no matter how serious.

The team led by Philippa Sondergaard who is director of the volunteer ministers for Africa, is confident that the technology of scientology which they have brought with them, will help restore purpose in those that feel the situations they are going through have no solution.

The three volunteer ministers are imparting practical skills aimed at improving people's lives and are helping restore truth and spiritual values and personal strength.

The team has been in Zambia for the past four months and is currently in Kitwe after spending two months in Lusaka.

Ms Sondergaard said the Scientology Volunteer Ministers' Southern Africa Goodwill Tour had seen thousands of teachers, students and pupils trained on technologies of study and have also worked with the Red Cross and St John's Ambulance in Lusaka, nurses and student nurses.

She said the scientology volunteer ministers programme was founded by author and humanitarian L Ron Hubbard (the late) in mid 1970s, in response to rising crime and violence in society, in order to provide society with tools for helping and practical solutions based on understanding and compassion.

The Volunteer Ministers' Southern Africa Goodwill Tour launched in June 2005, has since travelled through Botswana and Namibia and is currently in Zambia where it is carrying out training for various organisations, which also include university students and lecturers.

"The volunteer ministers help in all areas of living. Family and children, marriage, communication learning and education, workplace relationships, worries and upsets, attaining goals in life, honesty and integrity, overcoming suppression, getting along with others, drugs education and many more," she said.

She said the volunteer ministers were conducting workshops free of charge with the aim of reaching as many people as possible.

"Scientology is an applied religious philosophy. Applied because one does scientology. Religious because it addresses one as a spiritual being and enhances one's abilities in dealing with life thus making them more able in life. They are able to control life rather than feel life is controlling them.

"One does not convert to scientology but uses it within one's own belief system hence will find christians, jews, muslims, hindus and people of various religions within scientology as well. Scientologists recognise and respect the religious beliefs of others as one has the right to his or her own religion.

"In simple words, scientology means the study of knowledge or knowing how to know, it deals with life and provides simple usable tools to handle the everyday problems which most people face," she said.

Ms Sondergaard said L Ron Hubbard researched man in order to find ways to solve problems that plague his existence and what brought man to a point of unhappiness and a feeling that there was no other way but simply to endure the bad.

The scientology volunteer ministers are a worldwide organisation with more than 100,000 volunteers working around the world where they are involved in emergency services dealing with disaster response training, conducting training meetings with youths in institutions of learning where they are discouraging drug abuse.

They also undertake teaching youths effective study methods and acquisition of effective communication skills as well as working within their communities helping their families and friends when needed.

Volunteer ministers have helped at the Twin Tower disaster in New York, the tsunami in the East, fires in Cape Town, Floods in Europe and in Uganda and Mozambique and are currently on the ground in China aiding the victims of the recent earthquake.

Mayors, government ministers, relief organisation leaders, church ministers and various other organisations have acknowledged the work of the scientology volunteer ministers in their areas with letters.

The volunteer ministers programme has the aim to reach all countries in Africa. To help achieve this, at this time, there are two Volunteer Minister Goodwill Tours currently going on with the other one travelling through West Africa.

Other tours are going on in Australia, Europe, India and South America.

The training they have so far conducted in Zambia have been well received and have been described as useful by the organisations whose officers have been trained.

From Kitwe, the team will return to Lusaka and will be travelling to Eastern Province before proceeding to Malawi and Mozambique.

"A volunteer minister does not shut his eyes to the pain, evil and injustice of existence. Rather he or she is trained to handle these things and help others achieve relief from them and new personal strength as well," says L Ron Hubbard, founder of the Scientology Volunteer Ministers programme.

And so, people should realise that there is no problem which cannot be solved and please take advantage of the volunteer ministers' presence and get your problems solved.

Scientology: David Miscavige

2008-07-17T14:24:00.000-07:00

David Miscavige: Chairman of the Board of Religious Technology Center and ecclesiastical leader of the Church of Scientology

David Miscavige has served as Religious Technology Center's Chairman of the Board, its most senior position, since 1987. Mr. David Miscavige is uniquely qualified for this position. An active Scientologist for most of his life, Mr. Miscavige has been involved with next to every aspect of the Church's activities for many years and worked closely with Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard.

David Miscavige has worked tirelessly to protect the Scientology religion. He authored the early 1980's reorganization of Church of Scientology corporate and management structures which have given the religion years of sustained growth and stable leadership.

Additional Resources on RTC and David Miscavige

Scientology: Online Hate Crime Conference Confronts the Internet Safety and Security

2008-07-14T20:01:00.000-07:00

In early summer 2008 over 100 law enforcement and government officials, clergy and educators attended an interfaith conference in May at the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre International in Hollywood to address the growing problem of Internet hate crime and to see how they can work together to improve Internet safety and security.

Over 100 law enforcement and government officials, clergy and educators attended an interfaith conference in May at the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre International in Hollywood to address the growing problem of Internet hate crime and to see how they can work together to improve Internet safety and security.

A panel of leading experts shared their insights, professional experience and concern over how the Internet and advanced cell phones are used to perpetrate civil rights abuses, hate crimes, terrorism, fraud, identity theft, sex slavery, terrorism and pedophilia.

Internet technologists explained how the Internet is structured and used as the base for attack and as shelter to maintain anonymity, while millions of users are vulnerable at any given moment when logged on. Even big business and governments constantly battle with intruders attempting "break in" to steal money, assets, or valuable information.

Bishop Ted Frazier, President of the Faith-Based Coalition of the San Francisco Bay Area and guest speaker, stated, "I am shocked and dismayed at the types, severity and volume of crime and intolerance found online. This information is too valuable to sit on. We have to go state-wide with this, get every clergy council involved, become united, teach our communities these things."

The roster of notable speakers included Deputy Chief LAPD Michael Downing, who spoke about the encroachment of hate crime and terrorism on the Internet. Brad Dacus, the President of the Pacific Justice Institute posed and answered the question: Is religious freedom on thin ice? While he noted with considerable accuracy that religious institutions are under attack online, he also articulated the need for solidarity amongst all faiths to pull through and that conferences such as these are one of the mechanisms to do so. He punched home the principle that "a crime against one religion is a crime against all religions" so all religions should stand together against hate and intolerance.

Detective Chris Keeling of the Los Angeles Sheriff's Dept Gang & Hate Crimes Investigation Unit gave an in-depth view into how kids access far more information on the Internet than their parents or teachers would approve of, and how these secrets are masked, leaving the door open to danger from on-line predators.
A panel of leading experts shared their insights and professional experience.

Information technology specialists Mr. Andrew Duggan, President & CEO of Dynamic Energy Capital Inc, Mr. Ryan Sherstobitoff of Panda Security and Mr. Bob Lotter the CEO of eAgency, each articulated the risks and dangers inherent in the digital communications revolution, exploited by online criminal hackers, pedophiles, the 12-billion dollar sex slave industry and modern terrorist cells operating via secret networks, and they gave suggestions for solutions to these crimes.

In closing, four prominent clergy took the podium to express the power of solidarity when faiths join together as a cohesive whole. Dr. Edward Nasioki of the World Missionary Fellowship, Ms. Shazia Kamal of the Muslim Public Affairs Council and Bishop Ted Frazier of the Faith-Based Coalition of the San Francisco Bay area each articulated in their own special way the importance of a spiritual resolution to these evils. And the conference was closed by the indomitable Rev. Cecil (Chip) L. Murray, who offered a fitting prayer of strength, hope and love. Rev. Murray expressed what most attendees felt—that the conference gave "a superb lift to the faith-based community" and that much was accomplished.

Mr. Bob Adams, Vice President of the Church of Scientology International, which co-sponsored the event, said, "I am really pleased with the outcome, the enthusiastic response to the lessons provided by these experts. The Interfaith community came together in harmony and learned something that we can apply immediately to improve this vital problem."

Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard on Youtube

2008-07-14T19:58:00.000-07:00

The Church of Scientology International announced the first time ever release of an online video presentation of Scientology Founder,L. Ron Hubbard. The ten minute on-line video presents a chronological overview of the major milestones and significant achievements of Mr. Hubbard's life.

His enduring legacy includes his presence as one of the most prolific and widely read authors of all time, with over 250 million copies of his books and recorded lectures in circulation, and as the founder of the only major religion established in the 20th century—Scientology—growing at an unprecedented rate.

This video, containing historical footage and stills spanning three quarters of a century, much of it drawn from Mr. Hubbard's archives, can now be viewed on the Scientology Video Channel at www.Scientology.org and on the Official Church of Scientology Video Channel on YouTube at www.YouTube.com/ChurchofScientology.

While Scientology has become a household word internationally, to understand a religion one must have an understanding of its Founder. Thus the question: What kind of man could have founded the only major religion of the 20th century?

L. Ron Hubbard was a man who maintained that to know life, one must live life. He lived life from the top down and the bottom up. He saw much suffering and wisdom, and worked for a quarter of a century to bridge the gap between East and West and between science and religion. L. Ron Hubbard has inspired a religious movement spanning all continents and cultures which now includes over 7,500 Churches, Mission and Groups in over 165 countries.

In an effort to meet the unprecedented public and online demand for more information on Scientology, and to answer the question—"What is Scientology?"— the Church of Scientology International has been engaged in a continual pro-active on-line campaign to provide accurate information to inform the general public of Scientology's beliefs and practices.

In March 2008, the Scientology Video Channel launched with 82 videos, providing a comprehensive understanding of the beliefs and practices of Scientology, and the programs the Church supports, including dozens of public service announcements illustrating the social betterment programs sponsored by the Church. One month later the Church launched the Official Scientology Video Channel on YouTube.

With the premiere of this on-line video presentation of L. Ron Hubbard, the Church of Scientology continues its commitment to keep the public informed by regularly providing new material on-line.

This new and special on-line chronology of the life of Scientology Founder, L. Ron Hubbard, is now live at www.Scientology.org and www.YouTube.com/ChurchofScientology.

Scientology Ministers in Zambia

2008-06-24T18:53:00.000-07:00

Source: The Times of Zambia (Ndola), by Melody Chansa

"DO not always feel low or negative about yourself just because you are going through a certain situation. Remember, something can be done about it," says the scientology volunteer ministers currently conducting training and various workshops in Zambia.

This is a team currently comprising three volunteer ministers from South Africa who feel something could be done about any situation, no matter how serious.

The team led by Philippa Sondergaard who is director of the volunteer ministers for Africa, is confident that the technology of scientology which they have brought with them, will help restore purpose in those that feel the situations they are going through have no solution.

The three volunteer ministers are imparting practical skills aimed at improving people's lives and are helping restore truth and spiritual values and personal strength.

The team has been in Zambia for the past four months and is currently in Kitwe after spending two months in Lusaka.

Ms Sondergaard said the Scientology Volunteer Ministers' Southern Africa Goodwill Tour had seen thousands of teachers, students and pupils trained on technologies of study and have also worked with the Red Cross and St John's Ambulance in Lusaka, nurses and student nurses.

She said the scientology volunteer ministers programme was founded by author and humanitarian L Ron Hubbard (the late) in mid 1970s, in response to rising crime and violence in society, in order to provide society with tools for helping and practical solutions based on understanding and compassion.

The Volunteer Ministers' Southern Africa Goodwill Tour launched in June 2005, has since travelled through Botswana and Namibia and is currently in Zambia where it is carrying out training for various organisations, which also include university students and lecturers.

"The volunteer ministers help in all areas of living. Family and children, marriage, communication learning and education, workplace relationships, worries and upsets, attaining goals in life, honesty and integrity, overcoming suppression, getting along with others, drugs education and many more," she said.

She said the volunteer ministers were conducting workshops free of charge with the aim of reaching as many people as possible.

"Scientology is an applied religious philosophy. Applied because one does scientology. Religious because it addresses one as a spiritual being and enhances one's abilities in dealing with life thus making them more able in life. They are able to control life rather than feel life is controlling them.

"One does not convert to scientology but uses it within one's own belief system hence will find christians, jews, muslims, hindus and people of various religions within scientology as well. Scientologists recognise and respect the religious beliefs of others as one has the right to his or her own religion.

"In simple words, scientology means the study of knowledge or knowing how to know, it deals with life and provides simple usable tools to handle the everyday problems which most people face," she said.

Ms Sondergaard said L Ron Hubbard researched man in order to find ways to solve problems that plague his existence and what brought man to a point of unhappiness and a feeling that there was no other way but simply to endure the bad.

The scientology volunteer ministers are a worldwide organisation with more than 100,000 volunteers working around the world where they are involved in emergency services dealing with disaster response training, conducting training meetings with youths in institutions of learning where they are discouraging drug abuse.

They also undertake teaching youths effective study methods and acquisition of effective communication skills as well as working within their communities helping their families and friends when needed.

Volunteer ministers have helped at the Twin Tower disaster in New York, the tsunami in the East, fires in Cape Town, Floods in Europe and in Uganda and Mozambique and are currently on the ground in China aiding the victims of the recent earthquake.

Mayors, government ministers, relief organisation leaders, church ministers and various other organisations have acknowledged the work of the scientology volunteer ministers in their areas with letters.

The volunteer ministers programme has the aim to reach all countries in Africa. To help achieve this, at this time, there are two Volunteer Minister Goodwill Tours currently going on with the other one travelling through West Africa.

Other tours are going on in Australia, Europe, India and South America.

The training they have so far conducted in Zambia have been well received and have been described as useful by the organisations whose officers have been trained.

From Kitwe, the team will return to Lusaka and will be travelling to Eastern Province before proceeding to Malawi and Mozambique.

"A volunteer minister does not shut his eyes to the pain, evil and injustice of existence. Rather he or she is trained to handle these things and help others achieve relief from them and new personal strength as well," says L Ron Hubbard, founder of the Scientology Volunteer Ministers programme.

And so, people should realise that there is no problem which cannot be solved and please take advantage of the volunteer ministers' presence and get your problems solved.

New Dianetics Book Site Launched By The Church of Scientology

2008-06-24T18:51:00.000-07:00

The new Dianetics Online Book Site at www.dianetics.org provides a rich media driven information and online video based overview of L. Ron Hubbard’s Dianetics, the self improvement book and New York Times bestseller, Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health.

Dianetics The Modern Science of Mental Health

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) June 17, 2008 — In celebration of the 58th anniversary of the release of Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health, the Church of Scientology has now launched a new and interactive portal at http://www.Dianetics.org for access to testimonials, videos, excerpts, home extension courses, and all information regarding Dianetics. The launch is also supported by a national television advertising campaign. By doing so, the Church of Scientology is able to provide expansive and enlightening information to those who have questions about Dianetics.

Scientology vs Anonymous - watch the video!

2008-05-23T14:46:00.000-07:00

Or go and check out what Scientology really is:

Church of Scientology Video Site
Dianetics Video Site
What is Scientology?
Scientology Religion

Scientology launches counterattack on Anonymous

2008-03-19T11:12:00.001-07:00

Beginning January 2008 the Church of Scientology has been attacked by the online group "Anonymous". Anonymous took down websites of the church and instructed its members to object the churches worldwide to prank calls and other harassment. ... Ryan Benno from Valencia, CA, is shown, as well as Jonathan Brown from Tarzana, CA and Sean Carasov ...

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They got a leader now, Gareth Cales

2008-03-18T15:55:00.000-07:00

"Anonymous" member - Jonathan Brown

2008-03-13T20:58:00.001-07:00

YouTube text:The Church has not interacted with this "Anonymous" individual nor does it desire to. However, death threats and threats to plant nitroglycerin bombs in Churches have made it necessary to take security precautions and identify members of this group responsible for these crimes. WTF?

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"Anonymous" member - Sean Carasov

2008-03-13T20:57:00.001-07:00

YouTube text: The Church has not interacted with this "Anonymous" individual nor does it desire to. However, death threats and threats to plant nitroglycerin bombs in Churches have made it necessary to take security precautions and identify members of this group responsible for these crimes. WTF?

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Scientology & Anonymous - Hate Crimes & Terrorism

2008-03-12T10:45:00.001-07:00

Documentary about Anonymous Religious Hate Crimes and Terrorism directed at Church of Scientology. Found on Digg.

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Anonymous - Hate Crimes & Terrorism Directed at Scientology
Uploaded by smashingdocumentations

L. Ron Hubbard's Detox Program in action!

2007-11-29T19:57:00.000-08:00

Source: Foxnews

A controversial Church of Scientology treatment used on World Trade Center emergency responders is being used in Utah to "detoxify" cops who raided methamphetamine labs in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Utah Meth Cops Project is treating around a dozen former and current police officers at taxpayers' expense, using a regime devised by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard at a Bio-Cleansing Centers of America facility in Orem, Utah.

State Attorney General Mark Shurtleff brought the project west after seeing it used to treat emergency workers in New York who were injured working at Ground Zero following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

More than 800 rescue and recovery workers who had complained of respiratory ailments have been treated at the New York Rescue Workers Detoxification Project in Manhattan, using funds raised by Scientologists including actor Tom Cruise.

The Hubbard protocol has its critics, despite anecdotal evidence from responders who said the treatment has made them feel better.

"There is no demonstrated efficacy or effectiveness for that protocol," said Raymond Harbison, a professor of environmental and occupational health at the University of South Florida's School of Public Health. "That is, there's no demonstration that that protocol speeds the release of substances associated with meth labs from one's body."

The Utah program — funded with an initial $50,000 grant from the state — is being run in conjunction with a $500,000 study into the causal link between chemicals in meth labs and respiratory ailments suffered by around 110 ailing meth cops in the state.

"Anecdotal stories, to me, is enough, I mean cops who say they couldn't walk up a flight of stairs without stopping to breathe now can," Shurtleff said. "That's pretty good evidence, but we want more scientific evidence, mostly to assist the study in Utah that there is a causal connection."

Dr. Gerald H. Ross, the director of the program, said the use of this treatment on meth cops is a first.

"To most people and to a lot of physicians, [it] sounds like a lot of hokum, but believe me it's not," Ross said. "There's really quite an accumulation of scientific publications that show the reduction of chemical residue in people who have this kind of therapy."

At the Orem clinic, the men take a vitamin cocktail that includes B-3 or niacin and spend 20 to 25 minutes stretching in a 160-degree sauna for a nearly four-hour period to help the body release toxins that may be stored in the body, Ross said.

The program, which has been up and running for a little over a month, is designed for about 30 days of treatment, seven days a week, but it can be modified depending on the patient, Ross said.

"The saying is out there: 'You don't see any old meth cooks' because they're all dead," said Kelly Call, 53, a retired officer with the Utah Department of Public Safety who is participating in the Utah Meth Cops Project. "They don't live; there's got to be a reason for that."

Call said that 27 days of treatment at the Utah Meth Cops Project have curbed his constant headaches, short-term memory loss, tinnitus and Barrett's esophagus, a disorder caused by acid reflux. He blames all his ailments on the meth raids.

"I started back in the mid-'80s, when we didn't even have rubber gloves," Call said. "We went into those with our teeny runners, our cutoffs and our tank tops."

Lt. Al Acosta of the Utah Department of Public Safety blames his muscle tremors, headaches, chest pains and difficulty breathing on the more than 300 labs he's raided in his nearly 20-year career.

He said one whiff of his sweat — with bouquets of ammonia or cat urine, depending on the day — is enough to tell him he's expelling those chemicals.

"Whoever the skeptical people are [should] come here and just take a whiff of the odors that we're putting off," Acosta said. "I don't think we normally smell this way."

But Harbison said it's unlikely the men are sweating out chemicals they were exposed to days, months and even years ago in the meth lab.

"You would not expect the chemicals that are associated with meth labs to stay in your body for that long of a period of time," he said.

Shurtleff said that before he brought the program to Utah, he needed assurances that the officers wouldn't be proselytized by Scientologists. The only Scientologists involved, he added, are fundraisers.

"It's a completely secular program," Ross said.

Scientology only comes up in social banter, Acosta said.

"We make jokes about Tom Cruise coming to visit us," he said.

Shurtleff shirks off any taxpayer worry about the cost of the program. He plans to appropriate an additional $140,000 to complete the treatment for 20 of the worst cases and hopes to raise private money to finance the rest of the treatments for the others.

"Hopefully it will ultimately result in worker's compensation to be authorized for these officers and their families."

Scientology to operate from landmark site

2007-11-29T18:48:00.000-08:00

The Times South Africa, 30 November 2007

A landmark Durban building sold to the Church of Scientology in Africa is to become the headquarters for its community work in the province.

Scientology, popularised by Hollywood heavyweights Tom Cruise and John Travolta, has a growing following in South Africa.

The Morningside building, in the city’s dining and nightlife hub, was formerly an hotel. It was recently converted into an army barracks.

It was sold to the Scientologists for R12.5-million.

Chantal Williams, a broker at property company JHI, said the 60-year-old building was originally a boarding house.

Paul Sondergaard, director of external affairs for the Church of Scientology in Africa, said the house would be converted into a regional church building.

“One of the things we do is find old buildings and renovate them to their former glory. We don’t alter the look of it but make it shining and new.”

Sondergaard said his organisation, which he said has a following of about 15000 in Durban alone, will use the building for administering community projects and campaigns.

Scientology cure aids 9/11 workers - Doctors doubt, but it gets results

2007-10-15T20:16:00.000-07:00

Makes me cry every time I read it... WOW!

Source: Monterey County Herald, 15 October 2007

By ART CAREY

Within days of beginning treatment, Mike Wire noticed changes. His pain eased. His mood brightened. His sense of smell returned, sharper than ever.

A retired millwright, Wire, 60, is among thousands of rescue workers, firefighters and police officers who developed an array of serious ailments after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York. Wire spent 2½ weeks at ground zero helping rig cranes to remove a precarious fallen girder.

Wire's symptoms — shortness of breath, depression, aching joints and feelings of doom — surfaced later. And he found little relief until he began getting treated at the New York Rescue Workers Detoxification Project, a Manhattan clinic that follows a protocol pioneered by the late L. Ron Hubbard, controversial founder of the Church of Scientology.

The Scientology link spooked Wire a bit, frankly. But he and hundreds of Sept. 11 responders were desperate for help. What they got has left most of them amazed.

Set against these believers are skeptics who emphasize the need for an independent review of the center's detox regimen. They question whether the program's reported benefits are real or purely psychological. The harshest critics call the method quackery.

But many independent medical experts who have visited the center and talked to patients say they are impressed by the experiences of Wire and others. They are also mystified: This clinic seems to be doing something good that is helping heal those who came to the country's aid, but what it is, no one fully understands.

Dirty work, dirty places|

Mike Wire is a big man — 6-foot-6, 260 pounds. He had spent his career building and fixing industrial machinery. It was dirty work conducted in dirty places.

Last winter, Wire, who lives in Richboro, Pa., was feeling bad.

He had trouble breathing. He couldn't sleep. Bile was backing up in his throat — acid reflux.

He went to see a pulmonary specialist. He went to see an allergist. Meanwhile, his symptoms were getting worse. His joints began aching; his mood turned sour.

"He became short-tempered and began snapping at the grandkids, which was really unlike him," says his wife, Joan. "He didn't have a whole lot of zest. He wasn't as lighthearted as he once was."

Wire was already somewhat depressed. He was still reeling from the death of his brother, Frank. A fellow millwright, Frank was robust and physically active until acute myeloid leukemia was diagnosed in the fall of 2004.

He died, at age 62, in May 2005, leaving his wife, three sons and a grandchild.

It affected Mike deeply.

"It may be down the road for me," he remembers thinking. "Do I have to go through the same agony?"

Then, in March, Wire got a call that changed his life.

On the phone was Jan Stewart, the wife of his cousin Bobby Stewart. She wanted to tell him about the unorthodox detox center in Manhattan that was achieving remarkable results helping Sept. 11 rescue workers who had symptoms just like Wire's.

Supported by actor and prominent Scientologist Tom Cruise, it opened in September 2002 and is housed on the fifth floor of a narrow office building on Fulton Street, a couple of blocks from ground zero. She urged him to look into it.

A toxic storm|

The collapse of the twin towers produced an unprecedented dust storm of hazardous substances. For weeks, the fires that burned in the debris sent all manner of poisonous gases into the atmosphere.

Since Sept. 11, thousands of rescue workers, firefighters, police officers and residents of the area have developed a persistent hacking cough and other ailments, such as asthma, chronic sinusitis and gastrointestinal distress. In a May interview with the New England Journal of Medicine, Robin Herbert, director of the World Trade Center Medical Monitoring Program, warned that ground zero health problems seemed to be occurring in waves of escalating gravity: coughing and respiratory difficulty, then chronic asthma-like lung disease, and now cancer, especially cancers of the blood and lymphatic system, such as leukemia and lymphoma.

Free program|

Herbert and her colleagues were seeing conditions like multiple myeloma in young people, something they had never observed before. "That's been a really unusual and troubling experience," she said in the interview.

The Manhattan clinic offers its detox program free to all who were involved in the rescue effort and do not have medical issues, such as a heart condition, that would make participating unsafe.

It is also strictly nonreligious and engages in no proselytizing for the Church of Scientology. But it is affiliated with the Foundation for Advancements in Science and Education (FASE), a Los Angeles research and education nonprofit rooted in Scientology and backed by leading Scientologists.

The clinic's president is Jim Woodworth, 46, a Scientologist. Personable and enthusiastic, he has ties to FASE and moved to New York from Sacramento, where he had been involved with a similar detox program.

So far, 838 people have completed detoxification in New York, and in nine out of 10 cases, symptoms have disappeared or diminished substantially, Woodworth says.

A half-dozen people who reported similar dramatic improvements were interviewed by The Philadelphia Inquirer, as were several union leaders, who spoke enthusiastically about the program and said scores of their members had benefited from the treatment. While more than 400 members of New York's fire department have sought treatment at the clinic on their own — on average it lasts 34 days and costs about $5,000 — the department does not pay for the care. "It is not an approved medical-treatment program," department spokesman Tony Sclafani says.

The full cost of care is covered by the center's fundraising efforts, with contributions coming from a wide range of supporters, including celebrities and Wall Street investment managers.

On the Internet, Mike Wire learned that the detox regimen was pioneered by Hubbard and involves exercise, body-cleansing through sessions in a sauna, high doses of the vitamin niacin, and other vitamin, mineral and oil supplements. Hubbard devised it to rid addicts of drug residues in their fat and blood.

Wire is by nature skeptical. Nevertheless, what he was learning was persuasive. Still, he wanted more proof. So in early April, he visited the clinic to see for himself.

He was astonished and comforted to learn that rescue workers, cops and firefighters who were there for treatment were experiencing the same cluster of ills afflicting him: acid reflux, shortness of breath, aches and pains in bones and muscles, depression, feelings of doom.

"There were guys in their 20s and 30s who were having these symptoms," Wire says. "It was not just me. It was not just about getting old. This was about 9-11. The common factor was ground zero."

Finally convinced, Wire signed up and, a week later, underwent a complete physical.

The most persuasive case for the detox regimen is made by the patients, many of whom report dramatic improvement in their health.

Critics and skeptics are leery of these testimonials, what scientists call "anecdotal evidence." They attribute the tales of recovery to the power of suggestion, the placebo effect and psychological delusion.

"A lot of how you feel depends on belief and hope," says James Kenney, a registered dietitian with a doctorate in nutrition and a fellow of the American College of Nutrition. "You can't underestimate the power of suggestion and self-hypnosis in terms of mitigating people's symptoms, especially when it comes to vague psychosomatic problems such as depression and fatigue."

But doctors and experts with no link to the clinic who have visited and spoken to the patients are invariably impressed. The changes in appearance and health are too salient to be written off merely as wishful thinking, they say. Something remarkable appears to be happening, and it deserves thorough scientific scrutiny.

"I don't understand how or why this particular method works," says John Brick, a biological psychologist and expert on psychopharmacology who visited the clinic in July. "Whether it's from some mysterious combination of vitamins or just good diet and exercise, I can't say. But the bottom line is that it helped the patients I talked to."

The validity of the program should be verified by an independent, disinterested party, Brick adds. "As a scientist, I like to see data. To the best of my knowledge, no one has clearly demonstrated a causal relationship between the treatment and the outcome."

The mainstream medical establishment looks askance at the Hubbard detox program. Over the years, some doctors and scientists have denounced it as unsound and dangerous. Critics say the program is based on physiological fallacies and is unsubstantiated by science and credible studies.

In the 1980s, Bruce Roe, a professor of biochemistry at the University of Oklahoma, was asked to examine the rationale behind Narconon, a Scientology-linked drug-rehabilitation program that employs a similar detox protocol. After studying a stack of published material, Roe called the method "pure unadulterated cow pies."

It's "a scam," he said, based on "half-truths and pseudo-science" and "as medically valid as using copper bracelets to cure arthritis."

Keith Miller, president of FASE, the Los Angeles nonprofit that supports the Manhattan clinic, says his organization has long sought a partnership with other institutions to produce "an independent, university-based research study" of the detox program.

Indeed, one of the experts FASE approached is David Carpenter, a research physician whose professional focus is the effect of environmental contamination on human health.

After FASE contacted him, he twice applied for grants from the National Institutes of Health to evaluate the detox regimen, but was turned down both times. He is committed to trying again.

A professor of environmental health and toxicology, Carpenter is director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at the State University of New York at Albany.

"I'm convinced the program has beneficial effects," he says. "The question from my perspective is: Are they mainly psychological, or is it really ridding the body of nasty chemicals?"

Medical science has yet to discover a way of removing contaminants from the body, especially fat-soluble contaminants stored in fatty tissue, Carpenter says.

"But before we get too excited, it must be demonstrated that it clearly does work through an objective, totally independent, rigorous analysis."

Asked to explain why the NIH has yet to fund any studies of the clinic and the Hubbard detox method, a spokesman says: "It is the science that drives NIH funding, and so we cannot discuss projects that were not funded. The privacy of applicants is protected in that way."

John Howard visited the Manhattan clinic in 2006, was also impressed by the "great testimonials," and believes the NIH should fund a formal study of what is happening.

Howard, a physician, is director of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health and coordinator of World Trade Center programs for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIOSH has been funding the screening, monitoring, and recently the treatment of those whose health has been damaged by Sept. 11.

"What I'd love to see are some controlled trials that would address the question: Does the treatment really work?" he says.

Commuting by train, Wire underwent detox sessions at the clinic day after day, with no breaks. As time went on, the detox sessions grew to five hours, with more spells in the sauna. The dosage of niacin was steadily increased — eventually to 5,000 milligrams, way above what conventional medical authorities deem safe.

"If it's as toxic as they say, I should be dead," says Wire.

In addition to niacin, Wire drank a concoction of lecithin and polyunsaturated oils (soy, walnut, peanut and safflower). According to the Hubbard protocol, this cocktail of cold-pressed oils keeps the mobilized contaminants from being reabsorbed by the intestines and helps usher them out of the body.

During his time at the clinic, Wire saw plenty of dramatic transformations. After finishing the program, many men were able to walk out with a bounce in their step for the first time in years, free of drugs and medications, he says. In a ritual, they left their inhalers on a shelf by the door, like crutches at Lourdes.

After 35 consecutive days of treatment, Wire was pronounced detoxified.

His shortness of breath, his acid reflux, his aches and pains, his gloomy outlook — all gone.

"I feel great," Wire says. "I'm much healthier, more invigorated and involved in life."

Since then, he has felt no need to revisit the specialists who had treated him previously, nor has he sought further medical care.

He's looking forward to the future again, making plans to save a ranch in Burnt Fork, Wyo., once owned by his grandmother.

"He feels better. He looks better. His eyes are clearer. He's happier. I got my old Mick back," says Joan, using a pet name.

Wire wants to do more. He wants more people to know about the program. He wants businesses to contribute money and supplies. He wants his union, the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, to patronize the clinic.

"People don't realize that for people who are sick, 9-11 is not over," Wire says. "The government is doing what it has to, but this is the only group that is proactive, that is actually helping people get better.

"If I had known about it when my brother was sick, he might still be alive."

Communication Skills

2007-10-07T00:09:00.011-07:00

L. Ron Hubbard wrote, "A man is as alive as he can communicate." Communication skills are essential in any sphere of human interaction. In fact, when all is said and done, on whatever level, communication is the sole activity all people share.

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Tips on Raising Happy Children to Become Productive Adults

2007-10-07T00:09:00.009-07:00

We work hard to provide the material needs of our kids. But how do you guarantee they will be happy?

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Communication Skills

2007-10-07T00:09:00.007-07:00

Improving Conditions in Life

2007-10-07T00:09:00.005-07:00

How does a person know if what he/she is doing is right or wrong? When he sees dishonest men hold power, criminals go free and traditional values cast aside, maybe he feels he should take the easy way out. How can a person be sure his choices will be best for himself, his family and every aspect of his life and his future?

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Is there a Way to Improve, Salvage or Restore a Marriage Gone Bad?

2007-10-07T00:09:00.003-07:00

With as many marriages failing as succeeding we could all do with some skill in the marriage department. This section of the Scientology Handbook provides a simple technique anyone can use to salvage a relationship.

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Crime May Pay But at What Cost?

2007-10-07T00:09:00.001-07:00

How outrageous is it that 83-year-old Texas oil tycoon Oscar Wyatt can settle and buy his way out of facing the full consequences of his Iraq-created crimes? And what is the real impact of what he did in the lives and survival potential of the people of that country?

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Helping Others Recover from Illness and Injuries

2007-10-07T00:08:00.001-07:00

Simple techniques anyone can learn to help others recover, from the Scientology Handbook by L. Ron Hubbard.

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The Scientology Basics are Empowering

2007-10-06T23:52:00.001-07:00

L. Ron Hubbard’s basic books and lectures are filled with unbelievably powerful truths.

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L. Ron Hubbard Interview on Scientology Released in 50 Languages

2007-10-06T23:47:00.001-07:00

Over 88,000 copies sold in the first 2 days since the newly-restored DVD of a filmed interview with L. Ron Hubbard was released in 50 languages this at the Scientology New Year celebration. Cutting-edge tech was used to restore the aged 1966 film to remarkable hi-res DVD quality.

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Scientology hunter Caberta's core witness: a criminal!

2007-10-06T23:24:00.001-07:00

Typical German: Scientology hunter employs criminal. Well, the unholy stick together, don't they.

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German Scientology "experts" tricked by con man

2007-08-21T20:46:00.001-07:00

German Radio came out with a new Scientology story today showing some background of "former Scientologists". They had checked the alleged life history of a "Scientology Expert" (employed by the government, shown around by Scientology critic Ursula Caberta and the German Secret Service) and found him to be fraud with pending search warrants out against him in several countries.

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Did you think that of the Scientologists???

2007-08-17T16:44:00.000-07:00

Bringing Comfort to Infants--The Women's Auxiliary of the Churches of Scientology Donates Handmade Caps and Blankets to Hospital Members of the Women's Auxiliary of the Churches of Scientology recently delivered 100 hand-crocheted infant caps and blankets and handmade quilts to Garfield Medical Center in Monterey Park, California. Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Director Lisa Marquez gratefully accepted the caps and blankets for babies in the NICU. The caps and blankets help premature infants regulate their body temperature, a bodily function that is undeveloped when babies are born prematurely.

Director of NICU, Lisa Marquez, and Women's Auxiliary project chair, Carol Austin, display one of the handmade blankets donated to Garfield Medical Center's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to help babies and their families.

Los Angeles: Fire Department Drills with Scientologists

2007-08-14T20:36:00.000-07:00

Cute! Nicked from scientologytoday.org:

The Los Angeles Fire Department, Police Department, Department of Transportation and City Councilman Eric Garcetti's Office took dramatic steps last weekend to protect LA County residents from what is predicted to be the worst fire season in LA history, by staging a first-of-its-kind, full-scale fire and evacuation drill in the Hollywood Hills.

Scientology Volunteer Ministers spokesperson, Ms. Veronica Albano, speaks with city and county emergency response personnel during Saturday's drill, to find out what they need from volunteers when disaster stikes.

The purpose of the disaster response drill was to let local residents know what to do when a real fire breaks out, how and why they should prepare for one in advance, and exactly how to evacuate their homes if the need should arise.

In a city notorious for its fire season LA brush fires started three months early this year. In May, 150 firefighters battled a blaze that blackened more than 800 acres in Los Angeles' Griffith Park. And with this being the driest year in the 130 years records have been kept for the area, city officials are very concerned.

The full battery of monitoring and firefighting units participated in Saturday's drill, the purpose of which was to ensure that the community is fully prepared for this season's fires, predicted to be the worst in LA history.

Scientology Volunteer Ministers, who were out in force providing help to the firefighters in May, joined the Red Cross and other members of the Cross Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) in this Disaster Response Drill. "Our volunteers feel it is very important to support this program," said Veronica Albano, spokesperson for the Scientology Volunteer Ministers. "By holding exercises like this to inform the community about what to do when a real disaster strikes, our city and county agencies are saving lives."

Saturday's exercise was a full-fledged enactment of what will occur in the event of a major brush fire in the Hollywood Hills. Police officers with loudspeakers blaring raced though the Hollywood Hills neighborhood, announcing the drill and calling on residents to evacuate to a local school, while fire fighters and other emergency personnel carried out all the actions they would take when a fire really breaks out in the area.

Scientology Volunteer Ministers joined members of the Red Cross, other members of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) participating in this important community program.

At the end of the drill, the "evacuated" families and emergency personnel were enjoying a barbeque at the school that served as the evacuation center, when emergency struck for real—a major fire, less than a mile away from the school. With the fire trucks so close by, in a matter of minutes the fire was under control with no casualties.

"L. Ron Hubbard, founder of the Scientology religion, believed that '....a being is only as valuable as he can serve others,'" said Ms. Albano. "Our firefighters and other emergency response personnel put their own lives on the line to protect ours. It is an honor to help them in any way we can."

How The German Government Used A Convicted Criminal To Create Propaganda

2007-07-30T12:50:00.001-07:00

On June 20, 2007, a very strange press conference was held in the Berlin Parliament House involving a known human rights violator, Ursula Caberta (a Hamburg government official), Thomas Gandow, a former German communist turned anti-sect propagandist for the state supported Lutheran Church and a Mr. Schiemann, a member of the secret service.

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Scientology helps others... despite everything.

2007-07-25T11:37:00.000-07:00

Reading along on the internet I occasionally get the feeling of being in a zoo or an insane asylum, especially reading what "people" (presumably the same pseudonymous lunatics over and over again) claim Scientology is. Scientology works, there is no doubt about it and it is easy to see for those who have an idea what is meant when I say "Scientology".

Scientology is open, realistic, comprehensible and transparent. It is a very young and dynamic religious belief system which has developed out of a self-help method called Dianetics in 1954. It was founded by L. Ron Hubbard, who earned his living as a fiction author and researcher before he went on to search for answers to life. The main organization in Scientology today is the Church of Scientology International in Los Angeles, US, but thousands of local churches and missions exist in close to 200 countries. There is no centralist membership system so current membership estimates range from 8 to 15 million members worldwide.

Scientology helps. And it is easy to see because free books, materials and training can be found online. For example here, in the Scientology Volunteer Ministers Handbook, or here, in the online e-book of "Dianetics: The Evolution of a Science" (PDF format). Apply what you read and observe. Simple. Unlike what some online creeps want to make you believe.

See for yourself. Good luck.

Extremists, looneys, criminals...

2007-06-01T10:30:00.000-07:00

The anti-cult scene is full of interesting characters. I mean, look at them and tell me if you find a normal person there.

This exhibition of personal deficiencies could be just funny but sometimes one or more of these guys seem to drink too much their own propaganda medicine and turn into Mr. Hyde for a while. Like it happened on with Religious Freedom Watch recently. I don't know the webmaster of the site but this guy/girl has guts! Teaching the public in view of vicious murder threats is admirable and 5,000 bucks is quite something. Almost worth digging into these guys...

A little interjection....

2007-05-28T16:24:00.000-07:00

I had a good laugh on this one:

The guy on the right is one of those dumb anti-cult characters who would kill babies if he could. Or what do you think of somebody saying> "Maybe they’ll ban partial birth abortion though. Not that I think they should. Hell, I’m for post-partum abortion! Retro-active abortion! Up until, say, the age of six months."

The Church of Scientology: What is it?

2007-05-19T16:53:00.000-07:00

With all that noise about John Sweeney and his meltdown in the "Psychiatry: Industry of Death" Museum in Los Angeles, there is one big, open question: What the heck is Scientology all about. Their news site gives a rather long description, but the following YouTube clip seems to summarize it well:

And here is some text from Scientology Today:

THE RELIGION OF SCIENTOLOGY
A DESCRIPTION

Scientology comprises a body of knowledge which extends from certain fundamental truths. Prime among these truths:

Man is an immortal spiritual being.
His experience extends well beyond a single lifetime.
His capabilities are unlimited, even if not presently realized.

Scientology further holds man to be basically good, and that his spiritual salvation depends upon himself and his fellows and his attainment of brotherhood with the universe. In that regard, Scientology is a religious philosophy in the most profound sense of the word, for it is concerned with no less than the full rehabilitation of man’s innate spiritual self — his capabilities, his awareness and his certainty of his own immortality. Furthermore, as religion deals with the spirit in relationship to itself, the universe and other life, and is essentially the belief in spiritual beings, Scientology follows a religious tradition that is at least as old as mankind. Yet what Scientology ultimately represents is new. Its religious technology is new, its ecclesiastical organization is new, and what it means to 21st-century man is entirely new.

At the heart of Scientology lie its axioms that precisely define the fundamental laws and truths of life, including who we are, what we are capable of, and most importantly, how we might realize our native spiritual abilities. These axioms form the foundation of a vast body of wisdom that applies to the entirety of all life. From this wisdom has come a great number of fundamental principles people can use to improve their immediate lives, as well as to achieve spiritual immortality. In fact, there is no aspect of life that cannot be improved through the application of Scientology principles.

BBC Reporter and his YouTube Drones "fighting" Scientology

2007-05-19T16:41:00.001-07:00

Let’s face it: Scientology won the PR battle against the BBC. They had the faster, better and more impinging arguments, and they were - rare in such type of battles - true.The BBC is better to reform. As Kevin Marsh, senior editor of the BBC, puts it: “The scientologists have done us a service. Their rebuttal campaign aimed at John Sweeney’s Panorama investigation is a foretaste – a particularly well-funded and well-produced foretaste – of the feedback firestorm beginning to engulf all of Big Journalism.

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Travel tip: Avoid UK until further notice

2007-05-17T15:22:00.001-07:00

New developments on the BBC Panorama John Sweeney front (see panoramaviews.blogspot.com for the whole story): The BBC reporter was found screaming also at VIP Scientologists and it seems they can be insulted as part of an investigative program. At least in the BBC. So if you have a little bit of popularity, don’t go to the UK for now.

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ABC News (Australia): Church of Scientology vs. BBC 1:0

2007-05-16T16:59:00.001-07:00

John Sweeney is famous for confronting despots, championing lost causes and traveling through the streets of Harare, Zimbabwe, in the trunk of a car. But faced with Tommy Davis of the Church of Scientology in Los Angeles, he totally lost his cool. Today video footage of Sweeney screaming at Davis is on YouTube, taped and posted by the church."He can dish out, but he certainly can't take it," Mike Rinder, a spokesman for the Church of Scientology, told ABC News. "The tables got turned on him, and he was the one who ultimately melted down."

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Scientologists launch attack against BBC

2007-05-15T11:08:00.001-07:00

Seen on ABC: Scientologists have created a video which has become popular on Internet sites such as YouTube, in order to counter a BBC documentary critical of the movement.

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Scientology BBC Panorama Documentary

2007-05-15T11:02:00.001-07:00

"[The BBC] is at times hideously hidebound with stupid bureaucracy. There are people there who claim salaries, who frankly are morons." — BBC Panorama's John Sweeney.We know that much about the BBC now. But what about Scientology? What got lost in the "slandering Scientology trip" by the multi-billion dollar corporation BBC is "What the hell is Scientology anyway?"

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The BBC is done with John Sweeney!

2007-05-14T13:50:00.000-07:00

Today the big bomb exploded and a full featured documentary about the shabby methods of the BBC and John Sweeney. It can be found on http://www.freedommag.org and http://www.bbcpanorama-exposed.org .

John Sweeney: a disgrace to the profession of journalism

2007-05-13T22:22:00.000-07:00

Hey-Ho, Sweeney, what a lame excuse....

2007-05-13T03:23:00.000-07:00

....for loosing it! I'll ask the BBC to return my fees!

Must see: Ramblings of a BBC Reporter

2007-05-11T09:31:00.000-07:00

I ran across this on YouTube today and it might be worth to start a blog with. Good insight on how BBC Panorama productions are really done. I think if this guy would have interviewed me like this I'd kicked him in the balls, thoroughly.