A book I'm reading right now

If you're looking for a good read, check out:

Selling Sickness: How the World's Biggest Pharmaceutical Companies Are Turning Us All into Patients (you can find it on amazon or at your local library)

And for more stuff along this line which you can find on the net, go to www.cchr.org

Be forewarned: this stuff is hard to stomach. (Like painkillers that kill more than just the pain.)

Never understood social security? Watch this video

Though it's talked about all the time in the news, I didn't really know what social security was actually all about until I saw this. Plus the kids in it are cute, too.

read more | digg story

Album Review: Immortal Technique - Revolutionary Volume II

We try to change the world in myriad ways, and we succeed on a daily basis. Our actions determine whether we change it for the better, or for the worse. And while I'm doing my part with this little blog to bring a little larger piece of light into the world, I believe a wise cliche once said, "to each his own," and so I'd like to present a fellow world changer: an underground Harlem rapper named Immortal Technique.

I got his album Revolutionary Volume II on the advice of a friend and it has been one of my best finds in a long time. The first impression you get can be summed in one word: ATTACK. Any symbol of corruption or hypocrisy is fair game, and believe me, he doesn't pull any punches or miss any targets. For a sampling of his rhymes, from a song called "The 4th Branch":

Got my back to the wall, cause I'm facin' assassination
Guantanamo Bay, federal incarceration
How could this be the land of the free, home of the brave?
Indigenous holocaust, and the home of the slaves
Corporate America, dancin' offbeat to the rhythm
You really think this country never sponsored terrorism?
Human rights violations, we continue the saga
El Savador and the contras in Nicaragua
And on top of that, you still wanna take me to prison
Just cause I won't trade humanity for patriotism

While the stunning lyrics are the centerpiece of this album, the beats are just as intense.

Yet underneath the angst there runs a current of hope and determination — that this is a man who has seen the world and he's not backing down. While "attack mode" is the best way to describe this album, you also see a playful side come out on "Freedom of Speech," where he employs a brilliant sample from none other than Pinnocchio the puppet, who chimes in with "I've got no strings" to get the point across about why Technique won't sign with a major label.

But when you look closer, what is this album really about? Human Rights. Find out more at youthforhumanrights.org

You can also visit the website of the Harlem church here: www.scientology-harlem.org

Scientology tax victory could cost UK Revenue millions

UK Scientologists claimed victory Friday when a tribunal ruled that Revenue must pay the church at least £4.1m in past payments.Tribunal chairman David Williams issued an unprecedented rebuke with his ruling, calling the handling of the case "frankly inadequate, if not inept." Tom Cruise is pictured but it appears he was unavailable for comment.

read more | digg story

Church of Scientology International Unleashes Global Assault on Drug Abuse

Bolstering UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's call to "arm people with the information they need to say no to drugs," the Church of Scientology International (CSI) today announced a major step-up in its two-decade-long "Say No to Drugs, Say Yes to Life" worldwide drug awareness campaign.

read more | digg story

Youth Groups take the heat to stop hand gun violence in the City of Boston

City youth help get out the "Stop Hand Gun Violence" message.

read more | digg story

Music Video - UNITED

A multi-award winning music video about human rights, sponsored by the Church of Scientology and the organization Youth for Human Rights International.

read more | digg story

David Miscavige Quote of the Day

I've just posted a lot of pertinenet news stories and found the following quote from Mr. David Miscavige altogether apropos:

"Today we are at a watershed in history. At stake is whether the ideals we cherish will survive or some new abhorrent set of values win the day. And if that decline has been evident through the past half century, it continues unabated into this new one.

"The events of September 11th served as a wake-up call for all of us. When one must worry, in today’s modern world, about the safety of its citizens, when one’s solutions are limited to the use of military might, it is obvious that the problems we face run much deeper.

"It’s a situation none of us can ignore. They are conditions we all must face. They are problems we all must be responsible for helping to resolve.

"Yet look around the world today — what will you hear? “What can I do about it?” “I’m just me.” And therein lies the real problem. For the truth of the matter is that just “me” and “we” are the most powerful force on this Earth.

"And no, I am not merely speaking of the daily headlines of international warfare and conflict. The fact is, that’s only but the latest chapter in the drama that has continued to unfold for the past several millennia. War — man against man — nation against nation. And if today it is different, that’s only because the weapons are larger. It’s a long way from sticks and stones, to laser-guided missiles.

"But here’s the real point. While we are hit with the daily headlines, the Code Orange terror alerts, and all else, it obscures the deeper, more serious problem that underlies it all. Man himself." — Mr. David Miscavige

Here is the speech this excerpt is from: http://www.rtc.org/en_US/presentations/thisisscientology.html

And if you're interested in more speeches from David Miscavige, check out these links:

• Mr. David Miscavige, Grand Opening of the Church of Scientology of San Francisco
• Mr. David Miscavige, Grand Opening of the Church of Scientology of Madrid, National Church of Spain
• Mr. David Miscavige, Keynote Address at the Grand Opening of the Church of Scientology of New York
• Keynote Speech by Mr. David Miscavige given at the Grand Opening - Church of Scientology Buffalo
• Grand Opening of the Church of Scientology Johannesburg with Mr. David Miscavige

Searching for Shaun...

Since I couldn't find my own name when searching in blogger, I decided to rectify the situation.
Not to shamelessly self-promote, but I figure this way my friends and family can at least locate the page a little easier.

While you're here, check out these cool sites:

www.rtc.org
freedommag.org
www.scientologytoday.org
www.dianeticsracing.com

How I Became a Scientologist

Wow. My blog already hit home for someone:

"Jotter said...

Those are quite the intense words. How did you get in to Scientology?

I got in through Study Technology. But my parents were Scientologists so I got to see it as I was growing up, but it was the study tech later on where I got in to it."

To answer the question:

I myself was "born into" Scientology. But that's almost a misleading statement, because Scientology isn't something you can be born into. You have to decide for yourself. And the way I decided was when I was going to the Delphian School in Sheridan, Oregon. I did a communications course and never looked back. I'd never seen anything like it.

Can a blog make the world a better place?

This blog is not for the faint at heart or the weak minded or those who sit on the sidelines of life and watch the world go by. This blog is for those who stand for kindness and decency and the hope that we can do something to improve our lot on this earth.

So the real question is not whether one man's blog can make a difference — it's whether this world can be improved.

Whether we are the martyrs of our position and environment, or the triumphant few who champion human rights.

Can a blog make the world a better place? Or rather, can the world be made a better place?

I think it can.

In fact I know it can.

It can happen with Scientology.

I know, because Scientology changed my life. And it can change yours.

David Miscavige Quote of the Day

I'm bringing my blog back to life with something intense: a quote of the day from Mr. David Miscavige, Chairman of the Board Religious Technology Center.

If you've never seen him in person, you should go to a Scientology event.

Anyway, and without further ado, here's the quote of the day:

"Two years ago this planet had a wake-up call. The curtain came down, exposing the fragile state of the world we live in. While others would respond with war and military action, we recognized terrorism as but a 'symptom' of what really ails man.

More bluntly, the urgency of our mission had never been clearer. By the same token, the demand for our solutions had never been greater. People were asking and it was time for us to answer."

— David Miscavige