Despite the violence of a general strike Scientology Volunteer Ministers set up their tent in the heart of Kolkata on International Volunteer Day and helped nearly a thousand people just that afternoon — one person at a time.

Here are some people who are spending their Christmas holiday in the service of people who really need help: (from the Scientology Press Office)




An experienced team of Australian Scientology Volunteer Ministers, who led the disaster relief effort last summer after the Yogyakarta earthquake, are on the ground in the Philippines, helping in the aftermath of Typhoon Durian.

The Scientology Volunteer Ministers are known for their motto: Something can be done about it.
The effective help they bring to people all over the world is beyond comparison. They get RESULTS. Here is a video of them in action.

According to a report organized by ‘Citizens’ Initiative for Rights of Children Under Six' and covered in the The Tribune, Chandigarh, India:

"India's children 'is best described as a humanitarian emergency.'

"The survey reveals that approximately half of India's children are undernourished, more then half suffer from anaemia and a similar proportion do not get immunisation.
India has the highest proportion of undernourished children besides Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Nepal. >> continued

I have been following the work of Mohammad Khalil Ullah and the Scientology Volunteer Ministers of West Bengal, covered in the Scientology Press Office. His work to help the children of Kolkata is so important. >> continued

This essay in an online Nepalese journal is quite astute. In honor of this week's Nobel Peace Prize award:

Nobel Peace Prize was founded in 1901.Thereafter, 94 exemplary figures and 19 humanitarian organizations have received the dazzling prize. But ironically, a person whose very life symbolizes peace never got the prized accolade. Isn’t this surprising? But yet, Mahatma Gandhi continues to shine as the beacon of love, peace and non-violent resistance all over the world. Why? Because he was a man, who proved that even the greatest of all conflicts could be resolved by the weapons of non violence and love.

Take for instance, the latest Nepalese peace accord singed by the Maoists and the Government. Who would have in their wildest dreams thought that after years of violent conflict, peace would finally shroud Nepal and that too through round table consensus? But that has happened in Nepal and Nepal has shown the world that conflicts no matter how harsh can be resolved by non violent means – once again Gandhism prevails.>>

Peace - the Message of Christmas

The message of Luke 2:14 is one that resonates in 2006 as much as it has for the past two thousand years.

May we all work together to accomplish it.

This is a great video that shows the impact of the most effective help force on earth - the Scientology Volunteer Ministers. The video is in several languages. This one is in Italian.

Human Rights Day

Human Rights day commemorates the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations.

Just reading about the atrocities that occured during World War II, I can imagine the shock that must have gone through the world when what was going on in the death camps came to light.

The Universal Declaration had, as one of its purposes, to ensure that such atrocities would never occur again.

Yet 58 years later we can hardly say that it has accompolished that purpose, with civil wars, terrorism, genocide still with us.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights were enforced as law and everyone needs to know what they contain.

Just for example, can you name off all 30 Articles?

If not, how can you really work to defend and protect them?

Get educated at www.youthforhumanrights.org

As a Scientologist I am very proud that the Scientology religion is dedicated to human rights.

Reliefweb

Reliefweb is an excellent resource for information on disasters and how you can help.

Volunteer Day - A Day to Acknowledge All Who Help

On Volunteer Day 2006 I would like to thank everyone who gives of their time to help their fellow man. There are many millions of people who do so, and without them the world would be a much harder, less human, darker place.

Callling for Volunteer Ministers

There is a call out for any Scientology Volunteer Minister who can go to the Philippines, to contact the Volunteer Ministers coordinator at vm@volunteerministers.org. Over 1000 are dead from Typhoon Durian, and help is desperately needed.

Scientology Volunteer Ministers Helping Around the World

There's an excellent video on YouTube that shows what the Scientology Volunteer Ministers are doing to help in disasters and just around their own neighborhoods to make a difference in the lives of people.



For more information about Scientology visit the Scientology Press Office

Scientology Event

After the event I attended last weekend for the anniversary of the International Association of Scientologists I decided to get a lot more active as a Scientologist.

I saw what some Scientologists are doing - the guys who won the IAS Freedom Medal. This was so impressive. These are people who literally risked their lives to help people who really needed it.

In case you haven't seen the event I won't blow it for you. But I will tell you this. David Miscavige was in rare form. The talk he gave at the start of the event was the most hard hitting I've heard yet, and the ethical level of our society. Pulled no punches.

And Mr. Miscavige's talk at the end hit me between the eyes in terms of how much I'm doing now and what it is really going to take to turn this planet around.

So I've decided to volunteer every weekend at least one afternoon a week, and I've signed up for a number of activities, including getting the anti-drug booklets the church is sponsoring out into society.

Church of Scientology Mission of Lafayette

This photo, taken last year during the Hurricane Katrina relief effort, is on the new web site of the Church of Scientology Mission of Lafayette, LA.

Nancy Cartwright (the voice of Bart Simpson) and Marie Pace at the Boys and Girls Club Shelter with Francis J. Plaisance, President/Grand Parade Chairman of the Louisiana Cattle Festival and Fair Association.

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