Will Smith Defends Cruise/Scientology

Cool video running on You Tube:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=PjZEVKUkNOE

Inter-religious Action NW 2007 Thanksgiving event

Another year of coming together in Washington County. This year we had about twice the crowd we expected, which was fun, fun, fun. It was a collaborative effort this year with the Methodist churches making the pies, the LDS hosting and doing all the work, Hands On Portland (surprise, surprise; last we'd heard they "didn't do religion", so that was either amazing or hypocritical) doing food prep, Scientology churches doing the table decor and infrastructure parts like plates, cups, etc. I don't know who did the soup and salad, but I hear it was delicious! Here are some photos: http://morespamfordero.googlepages.com/test.gif

TOPOFF a real, well, disaster

I was a "victim actor" in Homeland Security's "TOPOFF 4" drill in October. This drill stands for Top Officials, the fourth one they've done. Homeland Security apparently does all sorts of preparedness drills, but not all of them involve the Top Officials of different security agencies. This one did, hence the name.

I know the Oregonian coverage of this drill was all roses, but from a "victim" perspective, this drill was a mess. Utter confusion on the scene, transporting, and at the hospital. Once I got into the actual emergency room, things went great; the staff were very much on top of it all, and doing the drill very realistically. But prior to that...yowza.


I'll spare you the details of being a seriously injured victim, laying in the rain for two hours without ever once being triaged, decontaminated or moved under cover and get right to the point: THIS is why citizens everywhere must get trained as a disaster responder. Cities offer free training for their citizens to be enable them to help themselves and handle their own personal neighborhood after a disaster.

The victim actors for this TOPOFF drill were asked to just be victims. But in a real-world situation, all of us who are trained disaster responders would have jumped into action helping and treating each other. The man who was playing an old woman in shock with her hand amputated by debris would have been dead by the time the rescue workers got around to "her" 2 hours later in this drill scenario. But in the real world, we would have helped "her"; that's an injury a trained disaster responder can handle.


So I highly encourage enrolling in the various disaster responder trainings.


In the City of Portland, it's called Neighborhood Emergency Team training http://www.portlandonline.com/oem/index.cfm?c=dbggh .



Very useful and helpful training. They've also created a citizens' web site: http://www.pdxprepared.net/



In City of Beaverton it's called Citizens Response Team Training. http://www.beavertonoregon.gov/departments/emergency/cert/cert_training.html




If you do a search of "(city's name) disaster training" you'll find your City's program. Most training is free. Some advanced training, like operating radio systems, have a small fee attached to them.

Jerry Seinfeld and Scientology

Over the years I've been asked many times, "Just what is the story with Seinfeld and Scientology?" So here's the answer, in the man's own words as given exclusively to Parade

On Studying Scientology
“I last really studied, oh, it’s almost 30 years ago. But what I did do, I really liked, in terms of it’s very...it was interesting.

Believe it or not...it’s extremely intellectual and clinical in its approach to problem-solving, which really appealed to me. I actually got to it from my auto mechanics teacher in high school, who was into it, and he was telling me about it. In my early years of stand-up, it was very helpful. I took a couple of courses. One of them was in communication, and I learned some things about communication that really got my act going.”

“It was just things about understanding the communications cycle... Even the volume at which I’m speaking now is the right volume for where you’re sitting. I’m almost performing, in a way.”

“You would just understand that there’s this kind of voice, and then there’s this kind of voice, and then there’s this kind of voice. I wasn’t a natural performer at all, so I learned. I was always a pretty good writer in the beginning, but I really had to learn how to perform. Just a little thing like that, understanding that really helped me on stage to understand how you have to invade the space of the audience a little bit. I learned that early on. It was a very helpful thing to learn. You have to invade them just a little bit. Not too much, because then it’s obnoxious. But you can’t be short of them either, or you won’t control them."

"They have a lot of very good technology. That’s what really appealed to me about it. It’s not faith-based. It’s all technology. And I’m obsessed with technology."
To read the whole article: http://parade.com/

Philadelphia Inquirer story on Rescue Workers' Detox Project

A friend sent me this recent Philadelphia Inquirer story on this project.

It is a detox program that was created specifically for the thousands of 9/11 rescuers who have experienced terrible health problems as a result of inhaling/ingesting toxic gases and dust during their rescue work.

How horrifying that THESE people, the ones who were the most heroic after that event, have lived every day for the last six years with the symptoms they describe in this article. How horrifying that many have died as a result.

Whatever you think about Mr. Tom Cruise jumping on Oprah's couch, he deserves every kudo, particle of admiration and expression of thanks for not only creating this program, but also staying with it and keeping it funded so it can be available AT NO COST to all 9/11 rescuers.

Here is the link to the Philadelphia Inquirer story: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/gallery/20071007_Clinics_results_make_9_11_responders_believe.html Be sure to click on the "related stories" link, just under the sauna photograph. These are the personal stories of several graduates. Amazing. Heartwarming, and heartbreaking, all at the same time.

Here is a link to the Detox Center itself: http://nydetox.org/

GLOBAL HUMAN RIGHTS SUMMIT 2007

As the Universal Declaration of Human Rights approaches its 60th Anniversary, only a small percentage of the population worldwide even know of its existence.

Today, the UN reports that more than a billion people are without clean water; most of the 25 million who have HIV/AIDS in Africa have no access to health care; and 121 million children are denied a basic education. Furthermore, Amnesty International has documented serious human right abuses by armed opposition groups in 42 countries, including deliberate and arbitrary killings of civilians.

Viewing these statistics, who could disagree that actions must be taken now to make human rights known, understood and most importantly, put into practice.

With this aim in mind, Youth for Human Rights International (YHRI) has teamed up with the Human Rights Department of the Church of Scientology, the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force, the Global Peace Leadership Conference and Artists for Human Rights for its annual international human rights summit and Human Rights Heros Awards presentations which will be held this year in Los Angeles on October 1 – 3, 2007.

Get more information, and watch the Youth For Human Rights television ads, here: www.youthforhumanrights.org

On October 15th, bloggers around the web will unite to put a single important issue on everyone’s mind - the environment. Every blogger will post about the environment in their own way and relating to their own topic. Our aim is to get everyone talking towards a better future.

Blog Action Day is about MASS participation. That means we need you!

Want more information? Click here: http://blogactionday.org/

Sunday, September 30, 2:00 pm at the

Beaverton City Park: 4950 SW Watson Ave.

Celebrate the diversity of our community with a 3-mile walk and festival featuring music, a community fair and much more!

For more info: 503-846-5792, or visit www.visionactionnetwork.org

Second Annual Festival of Faith!

What is the religion of Islam? And how to Muslims view Buddhists, or Baha'i?
How to Buddhists view and interact with Jews, or Scientologists?

Can we each be deeply religious in our own faith, and at the same time honestly interact and work with each other?

Attend this year's Festival of Faith to find out about and discuss these issues!

Sunday, Sept 9, 1:00 to 6:00 at Portland State University, Smith Ballroom
Free of charge and open to any information-seeking public

Some of our speakers this year:
Mary Jo Tully, Archdiocese of Portland
Rodney Page, formerly of National Council of Churches
Emily Gottfried, American Jewish Committee
Mayor Tom Potter
Imam Toure
Max Williams, OR Dept of Corrections and LDS leader

Workshops on: Scientology, Mormonism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Baha'i, Interfaith Spiritual Center and Hinduism

As well as more than two dozen religious organizations with table information and staff ready to answer questions

Contact angiedero@comcast.net for more information, or www.ifcgp.org

Introduction

Welcome to my brand new blog! Very happy to be joining you all in the 21st century. Thank you for having me.

As a note of introduction: I am the Deputy Director of Special Affairs at the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre Portland.

This means I coordinate our social justice/community outreach departments, and I represent the Church on various boards and commissions. Currently I am serving on:

• Oregon Community and Faith-Based Re-Entry Steering Committee


• Coordinating Council of the Washington County Inter-Religious Action Network
  
• Board of Directors of the Interfaith Council of Greater Portland


• Oregon Faith Roundtable Against Hunger


• Downtown Neighborhood Association Public Safety Committee


• Oregon Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (we are "partner" organization)


• I am also the 2003/2004 President of the Washington County Public Affairs Forum


• The Church is also a member organization of the Coalition Against Hate Crimes

I am a native Oregonian, and grew up on a farm in Estacada with my parents and sister. I currently live in Beaverton with my husband and three cats.

As soon as I figure it out, I will post photos of recent fun and games around here. In the meantime, check out these links for more info:

Religious Tolerance, Church of Scientology
Scientology, the Doctrine of Clarity
Scientology
All Things Spiritual: Scientology
Scientology Website
L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology: Marburg Journal of Religion
Los Angeles Scientology Directory
Scientology Beliefs
Columbia Encyclopedia - Scientology
Scientology Answers
Clergy Corner - Scientology
Yahoo Groups - Scientology
Scientology in Kansas City
CESNUR - Scientology
Ontario Consultant on Religious Tolerance: Scientology
Signature Books - Church of Scientology