What's Latin for "I Roar"?

As you may know, Orato means “I Speak” in Latin.

But if we have another week like the one just past, we’ll have to change our name to the Latin equivalent of “I Roar!” (If there are any Latin scholars reading this, please feel free to help).

The big news is that Digg promoted “I Escaped Scientology” to the top of the entertainment page and our server was hard-pressed to keep up with the story downloads. If you could not get through to the site on Thursday, our apologies, but I have to admit, we really weren’t technologically ready for the record 55,475 visitors we logged that day.

The Scientology story has been on the site since (ominously) 9/11 2007. It is an absorbing account of one man’s experience with L. Ron Hubbard’s religion, and I am pretty happy that all those people read it. Maybe it will prevent some people from wasting their lives pursuing the Wrong Answer.

So if I’m so smart, do I have the Right Answer? Don’t ask me. I think all answers that begin with a capital A are wrong, so I’m no help. On the other hand, author John Duignan’s final paragraph indicates that he’s found some:

“In my new life outside of that psychotic cult, I have found love, encouragement, compassion, real peace and a sense of contentment that I did not think possible while moving up Hubbard's torturous 'Road to total freedom.'”

The Beatles sang “Love is All You Need” and if there is an Answer, that’s probably it. Although there are at least as many abuses perpetrated in the name of love as in the name of religion. Trust the human animal to get it all screwed up. Still, “love”, properly done, has the unique benefit of making both the giver and the getter feel as if they have it all.

One Orato correspondent who’s trying to figure out this thing called love is our new teen columnist Adrienne Matei. In Teenage Mutant Ninja Sexuality, Adrienne examines, with honesty and without flinching, sexuality in her community. I love this line:

“The irony is that as every generation changes its views on teenage sexuality, for the most part, the only advice confused teens can get is from their seemingly out-of-date parents.”

Our intent is to give Adrienne and other teens a platform where they can discuss the things they really want (and need) to talk about frankly and honestly, in a safe Internet environment, which we’re determined to prove is not an oxymoron.

Speaking of frank and honest, allow me to introduce: The Naked Reporter, our very own Drill Sergeant With A Mind Of Her Own, Michelle Manhart. We refer to Michelle as the Naked Reporter because it’s much shorter than DSWAMOHO, but also because Michelle put her career on the line in order to pose naked for Playboy. And we’d like to honor her determination.

But there’s more to it. At Orato, we have a number of regular correspondents who are empowered by their sexuality and reserve the right to flaunt it. Watermelon and Trina Ricketts come to mind along with Michelle. Some people are worried that any expression of sexuality, no matter how healthy, is subject to exploitation or will breed unhealthy obsessions in dark corners. Maybe, but Michelle Manhart is a Marine drill sergeant, and she’ll have the perverts doing pushups before they know it. Plus, she puts out a lot of positive energy – she’s like sunshine on a cloudy day – and we could all use more of that. Michelle tells it like is – so she is naked in more ways than one. Naked in a good way.

Michelle will post weekly to the site, and Adrienne will post regularly as her schoolwork permits.

Orato is all about its correspondents, and the above three examples are a real testament to the power of citizen journalism, as is this week’s submission from the host of A&E’s Intervention, Ken Seeley. In Hollywood's Interventionist On Heath Ledger's Death, Ken deals sensitively with the possibility that Brokeback Mountain’s Heath Ledger was suffering from an addiction that may have led to his death. Ken can read the signs as expertly as anyone, and his story leads you to wonder if an intervention was exactly what the young actor needed to save his life.

I wonder what this week will bring?