Extremely Impressive Scientology Organization Opened in London

Scientologists in London just opened 3 new buildings in the London area, including a new headquarters on Queen Victoria street that more than quadruples the space that organization has to care for its public.

Guest of honor, Mr. David Miscavige, was the keynote speaker at the opening event, where he said,

"This new church packs the full body of L Ron Hubbard’s technologies as derived from the greater well of Scientology knowledge, and, as such, it provides the full gamut of Scientology activities for the betterment of mankind."
A look inside this building shows that it's packed from floor to ceiling with displays, film rooms and seminar spaces so as easily show to the entirety of London what it is that Scientology offers, and what everyday people can do to improve their own areas using Scientology technology.

Have a look at the article on the Scientology London website.

Scientology Missions All Over the World

Scientology Missions International held their annual Convention at the Flag Land Base in Clearwater. It was attended by over 300 Mission Directors and executives from 31 countries.The Conference was held to provide tools for expansion and to brief Missions on current priorities and plans as well as community programs for all Missions (Human Rights, Drug Education and Scientology Volunteer Ministers).

This past weekend was the International Mission Holder conference in Clearwater Florida for Scientology Mission holders. This was apparently quite a sight, seeing as though Scientology missions are in every corner of the world from Vladivostok through Novosibirsk to Moscow in Russia, and from the bottom of Africa to a Scientology Mission in Alaska. Quite an International crew!

Scientology Anti-Drug Program in New Zealand

Famous for its Saturday flea market, where thousands of residents and tourists come in search of bargains, fresh vegetables and fun, Otara, a suburb in South Auckland, New Zealand, is also known for its cultural diversity.

The program is based on the successful pattern developed by the Drug-Free Marshals in the USA, Africa and Asia — combating pro-drug propaganda and peer pressure by involving kids in educating other kids on the truth about drugs.

The mélange of Pacific cultures gives Otara its very unique character.

Unfortunately there is a darker side to this neighborhood as well, as statistics show that youth from Otara are more likely get in trouble with drugs and alcohol than kids in other areas of the city.

But the Drug-Free Ambassadors of Auckland have decided to change that.

And so you will see them at the Otara Flea Market, with their drug education booth, passing out booklets, inviting kids to join their team, and swearing them in with a pledge to set an example for their friends and families by living drug-free lives.

They are distributing brand new anti-drug booklets that give factual information about the most commonly abused drugs: alcohol, marijuana, inhalants, ecstasy,
cocaine, Ritalin, crystal meth (methamphetmine), heroin, LSD and Oxycodone (painkillers).

What is a Volunteer Minister? Who are they?

I found this excellent little article today on ScientologyToday which defines a Scientology Volunteer Minister:

In 1976, L. Ron Hubbard, founder of the Scientology religion, wrote an essay titled, “Religious Influence in Society,” in which he launched the Scientology Volunteer Ministers program and described the role of the Scientology Volunteer Ministers in these terms:

“...a Volunteer Minister is a person who helps his fellow man on a volunteer basis by restoring purpose, truth and spiritual values to the lives of others.

“A Volunteer Minister does not shut his eyes to the pain, evil and injustice of existence. Rather, he is trained to handle these things and help others achieve relief from them and new personal strength as well.

“How does a Volunteer Minister accomplish these miracles? Basically, he uses the technology of Scientology to change conditions for the better—for himself, his family, his groups, friends, associates and for mankind.”

Also, quoted from VolunteerMinisters.org, from a talk by Mr. David Miscavige:

"They have become internationally known and recognized for what has been described as spiritual first aid, and to that end they are ready and organized to respond to any disaster — 'man-made' or by force of nature.

"Most notable, of course, were our Volunteer Ministers at Ground Zero, in the immediate aftermath of 9/11.

"Everything — from logistical work on the bucket lines, to caring for the rescue workers so deeply affected in the aftermath, our Volunteer Ministers were there for the duration. As for the help they provided, they were the only civilian group invited to participate in the Police Service, in memory of rescue efforts on the one-year anniversary of September 11th.

"But, what matters to us is the help we bring, and it is literally the same story in countries across the world."

If you want to find out more about being a Volunteer Minister, just contact your nearest Church of Scientology.

Human Rights Marathon at the Kremlin

Runners, participating in the 26th annual International Marathon for Peace in Moscow. The Marathon was co-sponsored by the Moscow government, the Church of Scientology of Moscow and the Moscow chapter of Youth for Human Rights International.

MOSCOW: For the thousands of Russian runners, who raced here on Sunday, world peace is not just a slogan — it is a mission.

The Church of Scientology of Moscow joined the local chapter of Youth for Human Rights International and the Moscow government in organizing the 26th annual International Marathon for Peace.

Human rights was a major topic covered by Mr. David Miscavige in his talks to world celebrities and leaders , and in subsequent presentations since. It's a major factor of what Scientologists do, in terms of ensuring Human Rights are available for all -- not just for people of the Scientology Religion, but for all religions.

Scientology Volunteer Ministers Fight Fires Too

Scientology Volunteers and Botswana Firefighters Repel Fire in Gabarone » Netscape.com

This one I found particularly moving. This is about Scientology Volunteer Ministers who happened to be in an abandoned section of Gabarone, Botswana when a fire broke out. As they were the only ones in a position to help, they pitched in and worked side-by-side with the Gabarone Fire Dept, braving the flames and putting out a massive fire.

This is just like Mr. David Miscavige hit on in his talk about Volunteer Ministers in his This is Scientology presentation, in terms of Volunteer Ministers giving a hand anywhere and everywhere, wherever needed. Many times, this is just in the form of helping using Scientology to save a marriage, or to give someone the tools they need in life to get their job back or whatever -- but in this case it was digging in and fighting a fire -- something the Fire Dept was immensely grateful for.

Google Analytics

I just painlessly installed Google Analytics on this blog, as I couldn't stand being without statistics for any length of time. I've been a management by statistics fanatic for years now, as it's the only way to manage anything. Not by opinion (as is way to prevalent in marketing) but by cold, hard statistics. Again, I got the notion from an extremely good Scientology event, where I decided I'd stop using the crystal ball to try to decide my future, and instead use some proven Scientology management techniques.

As noted, this install was utterly painless. I worked for Webtrends for some time, and also worked as a Web Analytics consultant, and so I'm quite familiar with web stats programs - but I have to commend Google for how well they took Urchin's ASP analytics software and integrated it into their accounts system. It's extremely informative, and was an utter breeze to put in. Now, if you're looking at this, I can probably tell where you're from!