Data.Org

I found data.org today and really like what I see.

There is a lot of information on what you can do to help with the crisis in sub-Sahara Africa, and some startling facts.

For example, if the money Europeans pay in one year on ice cream were to be spent on the AIDS epidemic wew could wipe it out.

I don't know if that's true, but it certainly is food for thought.

David Miscavige Announces the Expansion of the Church of Scientology of London

With the new Church of Scientology of London there will be far more services available to the people of the city and all of the UK. That was the message from Mr. David Miscavige at the Grand Opening.

"We are about to drive home the message 'This is Scientology ' like you have never seen," said David Miscavige , chairman of the Church of Scientology (sic.) [David Miscavige is actually the Chairman of the Board of Religious Technology Center.]

So reports Robert Booth on Saturday in the Sunday Times - a story that got picked up internationally.

And Sunday's grand opening was everything Mr. Miscavige promised.

The Scientology Press Office announces the news as follows:

With thousands of Scientologists, local residents and officials in attendance, the new Church of Scientology of London opened its doors.

Mr. David Miscavige , Chairman of the Board of the Religious Technology Center and leader of the Scientology religion , stressed the historical importance of London. "This is the city L. Ron Hubbard himself [founder of the Scientology religion] selected as home to the first Scientology organization. This is also the city wherein he first defined the human spirit as an immortal being possessed of capabilities beyond anything predicted, and so arrived at the axiomatic truths on which the whole of Scientology is founded. Your early London organizations were also the original proving ground for the bulk of Mr. Hubbard’ s social betterment programs which are used to uplift neighborhoods just like this one."

The work of the Scientologist

There is a beautiful site by Danish Scientologist Thorston Overgaard where he documents the work of hundreds of Scientologists who responded to the "Call to Action" put out by the Church of Scientology International and local Scientology churches, and traveled to the tsunami-devastated regions of South Asia in late Dec 2004/early Jan 2005 to help with the relief and salvage effort and the reconstruction of these areas.


It is a very moving story.

And very beautifully photographed.

Human Rights Watch has a page with the bare, unembelished facts of child soldiers. If you haven't read it, you should. It's going on in our world right as I write and you read.


HRW: Child Soldiers: Facts About Child Soldiers

International Day for
the Eradication of Poverty

Today is anti-poverty day.

The General Assembly declared 17 October as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, to be observed beginning in 1993. It noted that activities undertaken with respect to the Day will take into account those undertaken each 17 October by certain non-governmental organizations and invited all States to devote the Day to presenting and promoting, as appropriate in the national context, concrete activities on the eradication of poverty and destitution.

The General Assembly also invited intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to assist States, at their request, in organizing national activities for the observance of International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, paying due attention to the specific problems of the destitute.

Whiteband.org runs a yearly campaign to promote this day and activities to achieve the goals set for it.

Choice Humanitarian

Beautiful web site and really bright idea -- humanitarian expeditions

Lawrence Anthony

Lawrence Anthony is an African environmentalist whose organization, The Earth Organization is racing against time to preserve the natural habitats form many endangered species, and to reverse the disastrous trends that are ruining the sustainability of our planet.

He also has his own new web site: Lawrence Anthony Family and Friends, which explains his mission and tells of some of his accomplishments.

Mr. Anthony, among his other awards, has been acknowledged for his great contributions with an IAS Freedom Medal.

Nobel Peace Laureate - Muhammad Yunus

BANGLADESHI Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus said yesterday he would donate his share of the $1.8 million prize money.

Mr Yunus said he would use his share to fund a project to produce cheap, nutritious food for the poor, an eye hospital, a drinking water project and a health-care scheme. "I will donate all my money to these enterprises," he said.

"These will be purely social business enterprises - not-for-profit organisations."

The French food giant Danone and Mr Yunus's Grameen Bank said this year they would work together to produce food to provide nutrition to millions of poor people.

Citizens Commission on Human Rights Exposes Psychiatric Fraud

This video is a pretty incredible indictment of the current state of psychiatry.

Out of their own mouths...

Watch it here.

American Friends Service Committee

When I was just out of college, in grad school, my boyfriend, who was a very devout Catholic, started working for the American Friends Service Committee as a "draft counselor."

This was right during the hottest point of the Viet Nam War, and because we lived close to Canada there were people coming up there, checking out what it would take to get across the border, and what they would lose by doing it, and what other options they had.

I lost track of Joe, and don't know how he fared. He had a applied for "conscientious objector" status and there weren't many of those being handed out.

But I bring it up as just another example of the great work the Quakers do.

Before the eighteenth century, very few white men questioned the morality of slavery. The Quakers were among these few. The doctrines of their religion declared an issue such as slavery to be unjust. By 1775, the Quakers founded the first American anti-slavery group. Through the 1700s, Quakers led a strong-held prohibition against slavery. The Quakers’ fight inspired
growing numbers of abolitionists, and by the 1830’s abolitionism was in full force and became a major political issue in the United States.

The American Friends Society is still very much alive and involved in progressive and humanitarian work.

Here's a great blog that links to many other Quaker blogs.

Volunteer Ministers of Gabarone

I was really impressed by this story on Scientology Today - the Church's news site.

Several members of the Volunteer Ministers team spotted a fire in a dump in Gabarone, Botswana, and stayed for 6 or 8 hours to put it out, even after the fire department came to take care of it.

That is certainly going the extra distance!

Salvation Army Prevails Before the EU Court of Human Rights

In a precedent that portends the fair treatment of religions throughout Europe, the Salvation Army prevailed over the Russian law, passed in 1997, that restricts the practice of religion.

Although this case is about Russia, the EU Court has jurisdiction over all European countries, and those such as Germany, France and Belgium will have to wake up to the fact that they too are not above the law as regards freedom of religion.

Congratulations to the "Army," and may they continue to win their wars!

The Council of Europe press release gives the full details of the case:

The Red Cross

Begun as a humanitarian activity on the battlefield, to save the lives of soldiers no matter which side they were on, the Red Cross and Red Crescent societies encompass help in times of need in all kinds of forms.

Whether it is blood drives, or assistance during floods, earthquakes, you name it, they are there and their volunteers are on the front lines.

The world would be a much colder, less forgiving place without their familiar symbols showing up when people need it most.

The Dream of Martin Luther King Jr.

I look forward confidently to the day when all who work for a living will be one with no thought to their separateness as Negroes, Jews, Italians or any other distinctions. This will be the day when we bring into full realization the American dream -- a dream yet unfulfilled. A dream of equality of opportunity, of privilege and property widely distributed; a dream of a land where men will not take necessities from the many to give luxuries to the few; a dream of a land where men will not argue that the color of a man's skin determines the content of his character; a dream of a nation where all our gifts and resources are held not for ourselves alone, but as instruments of service for the rest of humanity; the dream of a country where every man will respect the dignity and worth of the human personality.