I found this press release online just now. I love to see this kind of thing because I have gotten so much out of the books I've read by L. Ron Hubbard and this new campaign looks like it will introduce so many more people to the technology he developed.

L. Ron Hubbard's Works Presented by Three Publishers -- in 65 Languages -- at Book Expo America

At the Book Expo America, three publishers presented L. Ron Hubbard's works in the non-fiction, fiction and "effective education" categories. Mr. Hubbard's best-selling books are the most translated in the publishing industry, according to Guiness Book of World Records. Every six seconds, someone buys a book by L. Ron Hubbard, the worldɓ most translated best-selling author.

Washington, DC (PRWEB) May 24, 2006 -- Each year, Book Expo America (BEA) parades everything new in books for the publishing trade and this year at the Washington Convention Center, one author stood out: L. Ron Hubbard. As is traditional at the worldɓ largest book trade show, thousands of first-time novelists and international best-selling authors promoted their titles over the weekend to retailers and distributors who decide what will fill bookstore shelves for the next year.

The diversity and international appeal of Mr. Hubbard's works was reflected in the three publishers exclusively representing his titles at the BEA:

Bridge Publications showcased Mr. Hubbard's non-fiction titles, including Dianetics, an international publishing phenomenon, which has sold over 21 million copies in 55 languages. Many industry observers find it astonishing that the full library of Mr. Hubbardɓ works on Dianetics technology and the Scientology religion he founded includes more than 3,000 lectures, three encyclopedic series and over 40 million written words.

In a year in which it has sparked more grassroots interest than ever before, spokespeople for Dianetics announced its entrance into one of the worldɓ most popular sports, joining the NASCAR family. On Friday, May 19, the new ɩgnite Your PotentialŀDianetics Racing Team, was unveiled at the BEA by Kenton Gray, founder of Freedom Motorsports Group, Inc., and a top performing Southern California race car driver. Gray and Bridge PublicationsĠrepresentatives unveiled both the new Dianetics race car and bookɓ new sales campaign.

Galaxy Press (www.galaxypress.com) continued to introduce whole new generations to Mr. Hubbardɓ master storytelling. This weekend, they presented their 25-year publishing plan, re-releasing some 250 L. Ron Hubbard classic fiction titles spanning genres of adventure, westerns, suspense, science fiction, fantasy and mystery, and using original cover artwork and illustrations.

A third publisher, Effective Education Publishingfulfilled the worldwide demand for Mr. Hubbardɓ educational books that detail his breakthrough learning methods. Not only do some of Hollywoodɓ biggest names use and promote these works, but so do tens of thousands of teachers and millions of students the world over, as well.

With more than 230 million works sold, L. Ron Hubbard continues to break publishing records 20 years after his passing. He is unquestionably one of the most acclaimed and widely read authors of all time, with new international sales figures confirming that an L. Ron Hubbard book sells every six seconds.

Mr. Hubbardɓ prolific output is recognized across the world, witness the Guinness World Records, which spotlights him as ɴhe Worldɓ Most Translated Authorōverified as such in 65 languages, topping Sidney Sheldonɓ previously set record of 51, and the unofficial counts for J. K. Rowlingɓ Harry Potter (63) and Anne Frank's classic Anne Frank Diary (64). The United States Library of Congress Rare Book and Special Collection Division also honors Mr. Hubbard's writing career, archiving a full collection of his early pulp fiction works adjacent to the writings of Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln.

For more information contact: Sharyn Runyon, 917-536-6637 (L. Ron Hubbard, the author, and Effective Education Publishing); Danielle Methvin, 323-953-3294 (Bridge Publications); or Elise Toth, 323-466-7815 (Galaxy Press).

###

Trackback URL: http://www.prweb.com/pingpr.php/TWFnbi1TaW5nLUVtcHQtUHJvZi1IYWxmLVplcm8=

I noticed that Human Rights Watch is holding their 17th annual Human Rights Film Festival right now in New York. The film festival "promotes dialogue and activism through the screening of distinguished documentary and dramatic films."

"Human Rights Watch brings these films to an international audience and seeks to empower viewers with the knowledge that personal commitment can make a very real difference."

I have experienced this personally, where by watching a film I've gained a completely new perspective on some aspect of life.

The Church of Scientology International is working with Youth for Human Rights International to release a series of public service announcements that bring home the message of human rights through the medium of film. these are only 30 seconds long but they are masterpieces. The first three can be viewed online at the Church of Scientology International Human Rights News Forum, and I've heard that 27 more of these are soon to be released.

Of the three that are online, my favorite is the "Don't discriminate" PSA. It is so full of life. I've watched it dozens of times and it never gets old.

Dianetics Sponsoring NASCAR car

Lots of news today about the Dianetics NASCAR car.

According to MSN.com:

"Kenton Gray, a 35-year-old Californian, will attempt to make the field for a late model race Saturday night at Irwindale (Calif.) Speedway. His No. 27 Ford Taurus will be sponsored by Bridge Publications, which publishes Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard'sbestseller Dianetics."

Exciting!

Scientology Volunteer Ministers Disaster Relief in Java

Teams of Scientology Volunteer Ministers are arriving in Java to help with the disaster relief effort following the earthquake a few days ago that left hundreds of thousands homeless and thousands dead.

Scientology churches from as far away as Italy and the United Kingdom are forming up teams to send to help.

Scientology Church Grand Openinings
I've written about several grand openings recently, so I'll carry on with another one.

A few years ago I had the opportunity to go to San Francisco when the Church of Scientology of San Francisco held its grand opening.

Typical weather greated us this morning - unfortunate as the entire stage and seating area were outside, with the street in front of the Church closed for the occasion.

There were Chinese dragon dancers, a full brass band, and hundreds of well wishers waiting while the sky decided what it was going to do.

Drizzling on and off, it didn't look too promising.

Then just before David Miscavige took the stage, the rain stopped.

Mr. Miscavige gave an inspiring speech, where he laid out the special role San Francisco has in the history of Scientology, and the role this new San Francisco church has in the expansion of Scientology internationally.

This was followed by the ribbon cutting.

Just as the final balloons rose in the air, and the dignitaries started to file into the Church for a tour of the new premises, the skies opened and the rain let loose.

The Church is magnificent, and is totally oriented toward service to the community.

It was really gratifying this year at the Birthday event commemorating L. Ron Hubbard's birthday to hear the San Francisco churches acknowledged for reaching the size the Saint Hill church in England had reached in the mid-60's when L. Ron Hubbard was the Executive Director. We call it "Saint Hill Size" and it is a major accomplishment.

Congratulations to the staff and executives of the Church of Scientology of San Francisco!

Posted by flyer at 11:23 AM - [Link]

Church of Scientology of Spain

The Church of Scientology of Spain has a beautiful headquarters in Madrid.

When they held their grand opening, Tom Cruise spoke and shared how much he had gained from Scientology and how delighted he was to have this beautiful church open in the city he loved.

Another highlight was the speech by Chairman of the Board of Religious Technology Center, Mr. David Miscavige.

This grand opening was a dream come true. Mr. Miscavige had announced the plans for this church International Association of Scientologists was

David Miscavige Speech at Celebrity Centre Gala

Dubleindem writes:

As stated on the Religious Technology Center web site:

On August 7, 2004, Mr. David Miscavige presented a global overview of the Scientology religion to over 2,000 leaders in the fields of the arts, entertainment, commerce and government.

What follows is an extract from this definitive address spanning the state of Earth today and the role of the Scientology religion in solving planetary decline Űfrom social reform organizations to volunteer ministers, from grass-roots programs to Scientology Churches themselves.

In the months preceding this event Mr. Miscavige had personally attended and spoken at the Grand Openings of various Scientology churches -- churches which are now set up to provide service to every sector of society with community programs that work.

Mr. Miscavige dedicated the new Scientology church in Johannesburg, South Africa and reminded those attending of L. Ron Hubbard's dream of a new civilization sprining from the African continent.

Buffalo was another church Mr. Miscavige visited for their grand opening, where the mayor of the city personally attended and presented the church with a proclamation.

At the Church of Scientology of San Francisco grand opening Mr. Miscavige further emphasized the importance of reaching out to help the community with the tools L. Ron Hubbard developed to improve the quality of life.

The This is Scientology" speech is available in DVD form from Bridge Publications, publishers of Dianetics and Scientology books for the Western Hemisphere.

I was at this event at Celebrity Centre and what this blog omits is what an incredible speaker David Miscavige is. The crowd was completely engrossed with what he had to say.

Mr. David Miscavige at the Grand Opening of the Church of Scientology of New York

When Mr. David Miscavige came to New York for the grand opening of the
Church of Scientology of New York it was a truly grand occasion for Scientologists, not just in New York but all over the world.

Right after 9/11, when New York Scientologists were putting their own lives and health on the line to help the emergency workers at Ground Zero, Mr. Miscavige put out a call to all Scientologists to take more responsibility for the world we are living in.

A few months later he awarded the Scientology Volunteer Ministers of New York with the presentation of the International Association of Scientologists Freedom Medal - the highest honor a Scientologist can earn.

These New York Scientologists were a real inspiration to members of the Church around the world.

Mr. Miscavige announced that the International Association of Scientologists had decided to fully renovate the New York church, which is located right on Times Square.

So, when he came to give the keynote address at the Grand Opening 2 years later, it was such a special occasion.

Mr. Miscavige's speech has been excerpted and is online at the New York church's web site.

Famous Scientologists on ABC.com

Here's what ABC.com has to say about Jason Lee:

Jason Lee, star of the hit TV show "All About Earl," practices Scientology. He also appeared in "Vanilla Sky" with fellow Scientologist Tom Cruise. He was a rocker in "Almost Famous" and Satan in Kevin Smith's "Dogma."

For more information about Scientology and the arts I recommend a visit to the Scientology Celebrity Centre web site

Scientology in San Francisco

The Church of Scientology of San Francisco is expanding and providing more and more service to the community.

Scientologists in the Bay Area are delighted with the new building that is the home of the Church. But it has grown so much in the two years it has been there that they need additional quarters to house the community activities the Church provides.

Recently, at the "March 13th event" (a Scientology holiday commemorating the birth of Scientology Founder, L. Ron Hubbard) Scientologists from around the world congregated in Clearwater for the presentation, hosted by Mr. David Miscavige, Chairman of the Board of Religious Technology Center.

Fans of the San Francisco Church were ecstatic to hear that it was awarded a very special prize for having reached "the Size of Old Saint Hill" (the Church in East Grinstead, where Mr. Hubbard lived in the early to mid 1960s and where he developed much of the technology and administrative procedures used by the Church, and which expanded so fast and grew so large that it has served as a model for Scientology churches ever since).

Mr. Miscavige welcomed the Church of Scientology of San Francisco to its new home in November 2003, and its accomplishing this goal of being "Saint Hill Size" is a real milestone for this church.

Scientology and the Center for the Study of New Religions

The Center for the Study of New Religions (CESNUR)is an Italian-based NGO (non-governmental organization headed by Italian scholar Massimo Introvigne. It was established in 1988 by a group of religious scholars from leading universities in Europe and the Americas.

According to their web site:

In the 1990s it became apparent that inaccurate information was being disseminated to the media and the public powers by activists associated with the international anti-cult movement. Some new religious movements also disseminated unreliable or partisan information.

CESNUR became more pro-active and started supplying information on a regular basis, opening public centers and organising conferences and seminars for the general public in a variety of countries.

Today CESNUR is a network of independent but related organizations of scholars in various countries, devoted to promote scholarly research in the field of new religious consciousness, to spread reliable and responsible information, and to expose the very real problems associated with some movements, while at the same time defending everywhere the principles of religious liberty.

CESNUR recently announce that it has acquired one of the rarest pulp magazines, Astounding Science Fiction, vol. XLV, no. 3, May 1950.

They have a very informative section on the Scientology religion.

In this issue, prior to the publication of Dianetics the Modern Science of Mental Health, was an article by L. Ron Hubbard on Dianetics including a note by editor John W. Campbell, Jr. called "Concerning Dianetics."

For more information on Scientology another good site is the Scientology
Effective Solutions web site.

Scientology Volunteer Ministers Helping Sort Out Relationships

I have a friend who is a Scientology Volunteer Minister, and she spends time on the weekend at her Church's Volunteer Ministers tent, where people come in for help to handle various aspects of their lives.

She told me the story of a woman who had had trouble for years with her mother. They just couldn't get along with one another at all. It was very upsetting to this woman, and she had given up on being able to resolve this.

My friend had her get a copy of the booklet "How to Resolve Conflicts" by L. Ron Hubbard.

A few months later this woman came back to thank my friend: she had applied what she learned from this booklet, and for the first time in over 20 years she and her mother were at peace with each other.

Anyone wishing to support the Scientology Volunteer Ministers and their disaster relief work can go to http://www.exactscientology.net/vm-logolinks.html and copy one of their logos onto their web site. The logos then link back to the Volunteer Ministers home page. Here's my favorite one:

Scientology Volunteer Ministers

According to the Scientology Effective Solutions web site:

"More than a system of belief, Scientology is an applied religion that plays a vital role in both the lives of its congregation and the community at large. It brings spiritual enlightenment to man by way of religious practices that advance him to higher states of spiritual ability and understanding, while providing practical solutions to every facet of day-to-day living."

It goes on to say:

"Scientology is a religion in the deepest and most traditional sense, for it is concerned with no less than the full rehabilitation of manɓ innate spiritual self Űhis capabilities, his awareness and his certainty of his own immortality Űand his relationship to the divine."

I am a Scientologist

Posted by flyer at 4:00 PM - [Link]

I found an interesting article on a site called Uniquesouls.net It's about the Grand Opening of the Church of Scientology of Johannesburg in Kensington.

It states that this church is "the hub of Scientology activity in South Africa. More then 1,400 guests and well-wishers Űgovernment and religious leaders, human rights champions, celebrities and professionals, church members and friends Űcame from all over Africa and from many countries to celebrate the landmark dedication.

"The event was capped by the appearance of senior Scientology executive Mr. David Miscavige, Chairman of Religious Technology Center, custodian of the religious scriptures of Scientology.

"Mr. David Miscavige's presence to dedicate and open the new church was significant, both for him, personally, as a first-time visitor to the country, as well as for the parishioners of the 45-year-old Johannesburg church. 'It is my honor to address you, to walk in a land where L. Ron Hubbard laid so many milestones, and on this, your milestone day,' he stated."

The full article can be read
here >>

Scientology Volunteer Ministers Provide Stress Tests

In an article on the Scientology Site the following description of a stress test is given:

"Stress tests are done by Scientology volunteers on an E-Meter , a religious artifact Scientology counselors routinely use to aid parishioners in locating areas of stress and travail."

The article also states:

"Last year, as a public service, volunteer Scientologists and Dianetics counselors began providing free stress tests in the community. These can now be found in almost any city Űat malls, railway stations, or virtually any area people frequent.

"In New York, even in the freezing winter weather, volunteers can be found at tables cheerfully assisting interested persons in learning how Dianetics techniques can relieve stress."

Scientology Volunteer Ministers in Cape Town

The Scientology Volunteer Ministers web site has an interesting posting on the Scientology web site about a recent fire in Cape Town South Africa:

A team of Scientology Volunteer Ministers from Cape Town, South Africa were among the volunteers who rushed to Table Mountain on Thursday, January 26th, 2006. Fire had broken out at 4:00 pm and within an hour gale-force winds had caused it to spread over a vast area, requiring the city to mobilize all available resources from 27 metropolitan fire stations in addition to the Air Force fire-bombing helicopters.

I'm a great fan of Celebrity Centre International.

Here is what Celebrity Centre says about their purpose and activities:

The artist is capable of creating major effects that inspire our society and culture. Especially today in this high-tech age, where communications routinely address millions of people at a time Űmaking the sphere of an artistɓ influence almost boundless.

L. Ron Hubbard recognized the importance of the artist to society. Thus he created Celebrity Centre International, a Church of Scientology that specializes in delivering Dianetics and Scientology services to celebrities, professionals, leaders and promising new-comers in the fields of the arts, sports, management and government.

He realized that real celebrities deserve the best in service and care, for those are the people who are sculpting the present into the future.

Hollywood has always been the center of the entertainment industry. In this highly competitive and often tough environment, Celebrity Centre International is an oasis of creative freedom for all artists and professionals.

We take care of those who entertain, fashion and take care of the world. Come to Celebrity Centre International and gain self-respect and freedom to do what you want in your career.

This is Scientology

I found an excellent description of the Scientology Religion on the Religious Technology Cente web site. It is an excerpt of a speech entitled "This is Scientology"



The following press release on the Scientology site describes the event where the speech took place, at Celebrity Centre International.


Mr. David Miscavige, Chairman of the Board of Religious Technology Center, the highest ecclesiastical office in the worldwide Scientology religion, addressed the thousands in attendance, taking up the questions "What is Scientology?" and "Why do you have a Celebrity Centre?" Mr. Miscavige explained, "Scientology does have answers. Real answers. Answers that work. Bold statements? Yes. But what millions of people from over 150 nations will tell you themselves."

On-line Human Rights Seminar Sponsored by the Church of Scientology International European Office for Public Affairs and Human Rights

This entry in the Human Rights Listings blog caught my eye today.

Innovative On-line Human Rights Seminar
Launches at end of February 2006

The Spanish organisation, Documentation Sciences Foundation, has launched an on-line human rights conference covering a five-day period from the 27th February to the 3rd March. In order to reach as wide an audience as possible, the Foundation is using Interwise conferencing technology to broadcast the conference across the web.

The conference itself is loosely based around Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which covers "the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control."

The Seminar on human rights will be given by members of the Brussels˂ased European Foundation for Human Rights and Tolerance and will be focused around audiovisual to show how human rights education can be effectively performed using modern communication media.

The Human Rights Director of the Scientology office will be moderating one of these conferences.

The Scientology religion is very much involved in human rights issues and promoting human rights and religious tolerance.

Effective Drug Education - an Important Issue

Helping kids make educated choices about their future is a very important issue, particularly when it comes to drugs. Here's a very interesting article on an anti-drug program being run by Australian Scientologists.

SCIENTOLOGISTS CELEBRATE AUSTRALIA DAY WITH A PLEDGE TO BE DRUG FREE

In Parramatta, Australia, a city in the Sydney metropolitan area, a group of young people called the Drug-Free Ambassadors celebrated Australia Day this year by offering a helping hand to the youth of the area, educating them on the truth about drugs and encouraging them to pledge to be drug free.

The full story can be read on Scientology.org

The Church of Scientology International and all Scientology churches are very much involved in helping the society.