Vedic Views on World News

LEADERSHIP: LEADING WITH SPIRITUALITY

2012-02-14T16:50:00.002-03:00

WHAT DOES SPIRITUALITY
MEAN FOR LEADERSHIP?

BizTimes (Karen Vernal) - I begin this article with a confession… I realize that while I have wanted to write an article about Leadership and Spirituality for some time, I have also experienced “writer’s block,” resistance or just plain fear. I think I have been afraid to offer these reflections for fear that readers will not think it “businesslike enough.” And yet, we learn from our clients that spirituality is an integral part of their growth and development as leaders, whether they use the language or not. And so, I offer these reflections. Have you considered what spiritual means for you? We have been struck by the recent reflections of clients who somehow appreciate that the deep inner work they are doing, individually and collectively, is in the realm of spirituality. Recently, after a team retreat, one of the leaders said to my colleague, “You have an amazing way of blending spiritual and corporate.”

I stumbled upon this description of spirituality from the Wellness Center at Ohio State University. It captures the dimensions of spirituality that resonate with my experience. “Spirituality is not religion. While the definition of spirituality is different for everyone, here are some common themes associated with spirituality: The idea of a process or journey of self-discovery and of learning not only who you are, but who you want to be. A connectedness to yourself and to others. Spirituality is personal, but it is also rooted in being connected with others and with the world around you. This connection can facilitate you finding “your place in the world.” A higher power, whether rooted in a religion, nature, or some kind of unknown essence.” I would also add that spirituality strengthens our ability to be fully present in the moment.

Spirituality proposes a challenge of reaching beyond your current limits. This can include keeping an open mind and trying to better understand others’ beliefs. Spirituality often embraces the concept of searching and moving forward in the direction of meaning, purpose and direction for your life. We should use our business and companies not to exploit neither to delude, but used them in the spirit of service to others; and in serving our brothers and sisters there is a great spiritual joy.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

People sitting in this room today are potentially the leaders of the next generation. What difference do we want to make in our lives to do something positive in the service of God, in the welfare of the world. That is the question we must ask if our life is to be meaningful. The greatness of India historically is people who ask these questions. ... We have devotees who are members of this temple who are industrialists with tens and thousands of employees; we have doctors, lawyers, engineers and they are very productive, creative and successful in the business world, the medical world and the professional world. You don’t have to be a simple pauper to be spiritual. You can be powerful, you can be dynamic, you can be successful in the society but everyday they clean their hearts by chanting the Holy Names; they raise their family with compassion and love for the soul and they are trying to use their influence and their power to uplift the humanity, and their lives are meaningful, worthwhile and perfect.

Śrīla Radhanath Swami Mahārāja :
“Conquering The Greatest Enemy”
http://www.radhanathmaharaj.net/content/conquering-greatest-enemy-radhanath-swami
http://www.radhanath-swami.net/ - http://radhanathswami.info/

RELIEVE STRESS IN FIVE MINUTES WITH YOGA

2012-02-13T10:24:00.004-03:00

KILL STRESS AND ANXIETY
WITH EASY YOGA TECHNIQUES

www.mensfitness.com - Deadlines, meetings, bills - no matter how big or small, life is replete with stressors. Countless studies reveal a correlation between high stress levels and poor health, particularly strain on the heart. Many people turn to yoga to decompress and achieve mental clarity, but are all the awkward motions and painful poses really making a difference? Yoga expert, instructor and author Tara Stiles of Strala Yoga Studio spoke to us about how and why yoga relieves stress, and shared with us tips to achieving a healthy body and mind through yoga. Yoga used to have a reputation as an alternative, new age way of getting healthy, but it’s grown into a legit, doctor-approved method for treating emotional disorders. “I get a lot of people who come in with doctor’s notes for anxiety because they don’t want to go on mood-enhancing drugs,” says Stiles. “It isn’t mysterious anymore -it will help your body.”

Confirming this is a new study conducted by the researchers at Boston University School of Medicine, who found that yoga practitioners increased GABA levels in the brain by 27% after a session. GABA, or Gamma-aminobutyric acid, is a main neurotransmitter in the brain responsible for regulating other neurotransmitters that reduces stress and anxiety. Stiles explains, “[Yoga] is resetting everything that keeps you happy and healthy. It’s calming.”
Stiles theorizes, “Yoga makes more room in your body and mind. You don’t get wrapped up in the roller coaster of thought patterns or stuff that is disruptive to yourself.”
Regarding strategies to use when in immediate need, she finds alternate nostril breathing to be effective. “You close off one nostril and breathe in from the other side, hold for a four-second count, exhale and repeat the other side,” she explains. “Do that for three-to-five minutes.”

According to Yoga expert Tara Stiles, “The more regular the practice, the more benefits happen, but studies show that even five minutes of meditation - the deep breathing you are practicing - stimulates the vagus nerve,” which acts as a sensory highway between the physical body and the central nervous system. Through Yoga we relieve stress, anxiety, anguish and fear. If your body and mind are healthy and you are feeling at peace with yourself, you can emanate serenity, love and health to those around you.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Today we live in a world of constant stress, always facing the outside, which prevents us from knowing our essence or inner nature. This makes us feel frustrated, anxious, tense and thus, ill. When a problem arises we take drugs to hush those signals that the body emits and then we do not realize that just by stretching out, relaxing, a conscious living, refusing to negative influences, breathing in a slow and controlled manner, having a natural and healthy diet, we can restore our health and prevent diseases. Well, yoga is to implement a series of techniques that help us to get that full health. These Hatha Yoga techniques include relaxation exercises, body positions or asanas, pranayama or breath control exercises and techniques of internalization and concentration that lead us to a fullness.

Yoga Inbound :
“Hatha Yoga - Overall Benefits of Asanas: Full Health”
http://www.yogainbound.org/ws/hatha-yoga
http://www.yogainbound.org/ws/hatha-yoga/30-articulos-interes/213-salud-plena

2011 WORLD PRESS PHOTO OF THE YEAR AWARDS

2012-02-12T18:41:00.006-03:00

WORLD PRESS PHOTO OF THE YEAR:
SAMUEL ARANDA, NEW YORK TIMES

www.nydailynews.com - The World Press Photo of the Year 2011 was awarded to Samuel Aranda, a Spanish freelance photographer for the New York Times, for capturing a moment in Yemen that illustrated the stakes of the mass protests that rocked much of the Arab world since early last year. The image, taken Oct. 15th, shows a woman wearing a full-length burka cradling a wounded relative in her arms inside the shelter of a mosque in the city of Sana’a, Yemen , that was being used as field hospital after demonstrators protesting against the rule of President Ali Abdullah Saleh clashed with government forces. "I think it's really important when you receive such an award to remember that all of this work is for the people we're documenting," Aranda told The British Journal of Photography. Though the image is from Yemen, it symbolizs movement by millions of disenfranchised citizens that swept much of the Middle East last year, leading to regime change in Egypt, Libya and Yemen despite violent crackdowns.

Breaking traditional and cultural taboos, women were often leading the charge in dangerous protests that successfully ousted Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh’s decades-long hold on power. Saleh is currently in New York under diplomatic immunity while receiving medical treatment, the Associated Press reports. Other World Press Photo 2012 award winners among the nine categories include images of Occupy Wall St., Egypt’s Tahrir Square protests, Japan’s devastating Earthquake and Tsunami , and poaching of endangered rhino horns.
"The winning photo shows a poignant, compassionate moment, the human consequence of an enormous event, an event that is still going on," said chairman Aidan Sullivan. "We might never know who this woman is, cradling an injured relative, but together they become a living image of the courage of ordinary people that helped create an important chapter in the history of the Middle East."

Spanish photographer Samuel Aranda has won the 2011 World Press Photo of the Year award for an image of a veiled woman wearing rubber gloves as she clasps her relative, a thin man whose torso is bare, grimacing in pain after a demonstration in Yemen. Jurors said today that Mr Aranda's photo, taken for the New York Times, encapsulated many of the facets of the uprisings across the Middle East. The world needs more compassionate attitudes and Vaishnavas’ feelings, who are “para dukha dukhī” and suffer when they see the sufferings of others.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

The Bhagavad Gita teaches us to balance our lives; to understand that we are eternal spirit souls while honoring material nature and cultivating feelings of compassion for the body, mind and soul of ourselves and others. A genuine spiritualist accepts the suffering of others as his or her own and finds joy in other people’s happiness. A genuine spiritualist feels compassion for all living beings-humans as well as animals and other species- because he realizes that everyone is a sacred part of God, who is the father and mother of all living entities. Thus a spiritualist extends love and compassion to all, without egoistic, selfish conditions. … We should all try to do our part however little or big it may be. A compassionate heart also extends to those apparently fortunate people with wealth, health and success, who forgetful of their eternal nature are being consumed by time, on the road to death.

Śrīla Radhanath Swami Mahārāja :
“Nature - Love It Or Fear It?”
http://radhanathswami.com/events/nature-love-it-or-fear-it
http://www.radhanath-swami.net/ - http://radhanathswami.info/

20 PERCENT OF AMERICANS ARE MENTALLY DISTURBED

2012-02-11T20:25:00.000-03:00

MENTAL ILLNESS STRUCK ONE IN
FIVE U.S. ADULTS IN 2010: REPORT

www.latimes.com - One in five adults in the U.S. had a mental illness in 2010, with people ages 18 to 25 having the highest rates, according to a national survey. The report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health, released Thursday, includes information from 68,487 completed surveys about mental illness (as defined by the American Psychiatric Assn.’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV) and substance abuse among adults and children. Rates have remained fairly stable since 2009, with only a slight uptick in overall numbers. Among the highlights, people in the 50-plus age bracket had the lowest incidence of any mental illness (14.3%), while those ages 18 to 25 had the highest, at 29.9%. Women had higher rates than men: 23% versus 16.8%

When broken down by racial and ethnic groups, the highest rates of mental illness were seen among people who reported two or more races (25.4%), followed by whites (20.6%), blacks (19.7%), Native Americans or Alaska natives (18.7%), Hispanics (18.3%) and Asians (15.8%). “Mental illness is not an isolated public health problem,” SAMHSA administrator Pamela Hyde said in a news release. “Cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity often co-exist with mental illness and treatment of the mental illness can reduce the effects of these disorders.” Mental illness can lead to thoughts of suicide, and in 2010 8.7 million people thought seriously about taking their own lives. In that group, 2.5 million people made plans to kill themselves, and 1.1 million attempted suicide. Substance abuse sometimes goes hand in hand with mental illness; those who had any mental illness had higher substance abuse or dependence rates.

About 20% of American adults reported having had a mental illness during the preceding year, a government survey found. The figure rose to almost 30% of those in the 18 to 25 age group. Depression was an issue among children ages 12 to 17. Almost 2 million people in that age bracket had a major depressive episode in 2010 that lasted at least two weeks. Increasingly, anxiety, loneliness and mental illness are characteristic of living in big cities.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Many large cities are unsafe at night. For example, it is understood that no sane person will walk in New York’s Central Park at night because he knows he will almost certainly be mugged. Apart from ordinary thieves, who abound in this age, large cities are filled with cutthroat businessmen, who enthusiastically convince people to purchase and consume useless or even harmful products. It has been well documented that beef, tobacco, liquor and many other modern products destroy one’s physical health, what to speak of mental health, and yet modern capitalists do not hesitate to use every psychological trick in the book to convince people to consume these things. Modern cities are full of mental and atmospheric pollution, and even ordinary citizens are finding them unbearable.

Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Śrīla Hrdayananda dasa Goswami
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam - Canto 12: “The Age of Deterioration”
Chapter 3: “The Bhūmi-gītā”
Verse 32 - Bhaktivedanta VedaBase

DINING WITH THE HANDS

2012-02-10T16:13:00.001-03:00

MIND YOUR MANNERS:
EAT WITH YOUR HANDS

USA (www.nytimes.com) - Julie Sahni vividly remembers the first time she had to eat with utensils. Ms. Sahni, a New York-based cookbook author and cooking teacher, grew up in India eating the traditional way, with her right hand. Then, in college, she won a dance competition that would take her to Europe. How, she wondered, would she eat? Ms. Sahni, 66, mastered the knife and fork, but she has never really liked them. “Eating with the hands evokes great emotion,” she said. “It kindles something very warm and gentle and caressing. Using a fork is unthinkable in traditional Indian eating. It is almost like a weapon.” Ms. Sahni refuses to eat Indian food with a knife and fork, even in the most formal South Asian restaurants in New York. “I don’t care if I’m all dressed up, if everyone else is eating with a knife and fork, if the wine pairing is $80,” she said. “It’s essential.” Eating with the hands is common in many areas of the world, including parts of Asia and much of Africa and the Middle East.

But until recently, you would have been hard-pressed to find many restaurants in the United States - especially those with $20 or $30 entrees - where digging in manually was encouraged. Now, several high-profile chefs are asking diners to get their hands dirty, in the belief that it heightens the sensual connection to food and softens the formality of fine dining. Chef Roy Choi’s restaurant - “A-Frame” - in Culver City, Calif., is utensils optional. Though a basket of silverware is provided at each table, when the grilled pork chop or market salad arrives, servers advise customers that they’ll be missing out if they pick up a fork.
Etiquette is central to most traditions of hand-to-mouth eating; the artfulness and ritual of the practice is part of what people love about it. Hand-washing often comes first. In many communities, a prayer of thanks comes next. Only then can one reach in - usually with just the right hand - to eat.

No-utensils menu “creates more of a social atmosphere,” says Mr. Tila, a chef from Hollywood. “It brings us back to our childhood, and it seems to lighten the mood in the room.” Dining with the hands is not necessarily easy: in some regions, including parts of India, it is most polite to use your thumb, pointer and middle finger, and to let only the first two joints of those fingers touch the food. In the ancient Vedic system, lot of basic social etiquette was respected.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

“They (asuras) do not know etiquette.” Ācāra means one should learn how to behave. That makes a gentleman and a rough person. ... Ācārau means he learns from the sāstra how we should live, that, preliminary, that you must take bath, you must wash your hands after eating or you must take bath after evacuating. So many things are there. ... In the Vedic literature you find all these directions, but now they have given up. Especially Vedic culture was there long, long ago all over the world. But now that is finished. Now in India, also, where little Vedic principles were still glowing, that is now being finished also. They are learning from the Westerns how to remain unclean, how to eat meat, how to drink wine, and so on, so on, so many things. ... The asuras, they have no aim. They do not know what is the aim, neither they follow.

Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda :
Lecture on Bhagavad-gītā - Chapter 16 verse 6
South Africa, October 18, 1975
“Complete Works of Srila Prabhupada”
Bhaktivedanta Booktrust Inc - Copyright © 1972-2006

NARCISSISTIC MEN MAY PAY WITH THEIR HEALTH

2012-02-10T16:10:00.002-03:00

NARCISSISM CAN BE NOT
GOOD FOR MEN’S HEALTH

(ANI) - Men who are narcissists may be at risk for some health problems, since they could have inherently higher levels of the stress-related hormone cortisol even when they’re not under pressure, a new study suggests. “Narcissistic men may be paying a high price in terms of their physical health, in addition to the psychological cost to their relationships,” said Sara Konrath, a University of Michigan psychologist who co-authored the study. Earlier studies by Konrath and others have shown that the level of narcissism is rising in American culture, and that narcissism tends to be more prevalent among males. The personality trait is characterized by an inflated sense of self-importance, overestimations of uniqueness, and a sense of grandiosity. For the new study, Konrath and colleagues examined the role of narcissism and sex on cortisol levels in a sample of 106 undergraduate students. Cortisol, which can be measured through saliva samples, is a widely used marker of physiological stress.

The researchers measured cortisol levels at two points in time in order to assess baseline levels of the hormone, which signals the level of activation of the body’s key stress response system, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The researchers found that the most toxic aspects of narcissism were indeed associated with higher cortisol in male participants, but not in females. In fact, unhealthy narcissism was more than twice as large a predictor of cortisol in males as in females. They also found that there was no relationship between healthy narcissism and cortisol in either males or females. “These findings extend previous research by showing that narcissism may not only influence how people respond to stressful events, but may also affect how they respond to their regular day-to-day routines and interactions,” stated Konrath. “Our findings suggest that the HPA axis may be chronically activated in males high in unhealthy narcissism, even without an explicit stressor,” she said. The study has been published in PLoS ONE.

Men with an inflated view of their importance, who are incapable of putting themselves in other people’s shoes and who see themselves as “special” and superior to others - some traits of a narcissistic personality - may pay for this with their health. A study found that narcissistic men can have higher levels of the stress-related hormone cortisol in their bloodstream increasing their risk for developing cardiovascular problems. By devotion to God our whole mundane and illusory self-centered will be finished.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Bhagavad-gita tells us, “Work only for the center, otherwise you will be tied down with a reaction.” So it has been made clear that a very laudable life is possible for us if we dedicate ourselves to the highest center. That is neither dishonorable nor tiresome. Neither is it ignorance. ... If we are attentive to that and try to follow the advice coming from the real source, from real saintly persons, we will become properly adjusted; we will develop a proper understanding. And everything will be harmonized. ... Only by devotion, by dedication to Krishna, can we very easily become free from ignorance in the world of suffering. To be a devotee means to serve; service is everything. Our proper life is to be found in dedicating ourselves and in self-distribution, not self-aggrandizement. We can live in service.

Śrīla Bhakti Raksaka Sridhara Mahārāja :
“Loving Search for the Lost Servant”
Seventh Chapter: “Knowledge-Free Devotion”
Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, Nabadwip.
http://www.scsmath.com/
http://bvml.org/SBRSM/

INDIAN MINISTERS RESIGN OVER SEX VIDEO

2012-02-09T21:17:00.000-03:00

3 INDIAN MINISTERS RESIGN IN
ASSEMBLY PORN-VIEWING SCANDAL

Bangalore (AFP) - Three state ministers from southern India, including one holding a portfolio for women and child development, quit on Wednesday after being accused of watching porn in the local assembly. The ministers from the ruling right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were filmed by television cameras watching graphic footage on their mobile phones on Tuesday while other lawmakers in the house were debating legislation. In the footage, the ministers were seen watching a woman dancing, undressing and then engaging in a sexual act. They passed their mobile phones amongst themselves.“We have resigned to avoid embarrassment to our party and not give the opposition an opportunity to disrupt the assembly proceedings today,” state minister for cooperation Laxman Savadi told reporters.“We were watching a clipping of an incident for a discussion on the rave parties held at St. Mary’s Island (on the western coast of Karnataka). It was not a porn clip.” Karnataka’s minister for women and child development, C.C. Patil, and the minister for ports and fishery Krishna Palemar also stepped down. “It’s a shameless act. The three ministers have submitted their resignation. We will set up an inquiry committee to probe the incident,” said BJP spokeswoman Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi.

A survey by India Today magazine conducted in 2008 in Indian cities found that three out of five men and one out of five women approved of pornography, which is illegal but widely available in India. The incident is the latest embarrassment to hit the Hindu nationalist BJP. An ombudsman investigating corrupt mining practices reported last year that illegal mining fraud had cost the Karnataka state and federal exchequers $3.6 billion. After the scandal broke B.S. Yeddyurappa, the chief minister of Karnataka, had to resign and was arrested on graft accusations. He is now free on bail. Yeddyurappa also faces allegations of selling government land at below market cost to family members. Reacting to the sex video incident, a leader of the national ruling Congress party, Kapil Sibal, who is also telecom minister, said the BJP should “introspect” before they preach morality in public life. In 2009, young activists from the radical Vishwa Hindu Parishad, or World Hindu Council, which has close ties with the BJP, attacked women in a fashionable bar, accusing them of “debauched behaviour” for drinking and smoking.

Three government ministers in the southern Indian state of Karnataka resigned Wednesday after they were accused of watching a pornographic video during an assembly session. They were ordered to resign after television channels aired footage of the men watching the allegedly pornographic video clip while the state assembly proceedings were going on. They denied they were watching pornography. The low morals and lack of belief in higher values encourage pornography and prostitution.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Modern society has different elements which lead their members to destruction, such as lust and pornography; the latter is so prominent, which becomes a real danger to a person’s spiritual progress. ... There is pornography on the internet, in magazines, everywhere, even in many modern writings in which, apparently there is only text, but it is filled with terrible pornography. Pornography is the worst offense to the people and sex, because it describes the human being just like a source of pleasure, in other words: The body would be the gift that God gave us to enjoy irresponsibly of the sex and have it whomever, whenever and whatever. ... So the world goes from bad to worse; this is what we observe, and we have to face it because lust and pornography are the enemies number one for spiritual advancement. God says in the Bhagavad Gita - “kāma esha krodha esha rajo-guna”: “Lust is the largest of the sins; lust is the all-devouring sinful enemy of this world.”

ŚŚrīla Bhakti Aloka Paramadvaiti Mahārāja :
“Vedic Wisdom Collection - The Lust”
http://vedicwisdom.weebly.com/index.html
http://vwonline.blogspot.com/2006/03/vedic-wisdom-online.html
http://bhaktipedia.org/espanol/index.php?n=sabidurias_vedicas.la_lujuria

FRENCH AIRPORTS BATTLE AVIATION STRIKE

2012-02-08T17:40:00.001-03:00

CANCELLATIONS GROW IN
FRENCH AVIATION STRIKE

PARIS (AFP) - Hundreds of flights in France were cancelled on Tuesday, including 40 percent out of Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, as unions ratcheted up pressure on day two of a strike over labor rights. Air France forecast that it could guarantee just 50 percent of long-distance flights Tuesday, after running 85 percent of them on Monday. The airline, among the world’s biggest, said that 70 percent of short- and medium-range flights would be maintained. At the heart of the dispute is the right to strike itself. Unions representing pilots, cabin, ground crews and others called the walkout to protest a draft law that would require air transport workers to give 48 hours notice before striking. A spokesman for the Paris airport authority ADP said 40 percent of flights out of Charles de Gaulle were canceled. Most of those were announced to passengers the day before, but the airport also saw a few last-minute cancellations.

The airport sees about 1,500 landings and take-offs per day on a normal day, he said. At Paris’ Orly Airport, about 15 percent of flights were cancelled, the spokesman said. He wasn’t authorized to be publicly named according to the airport authority’s policy. Red “cancelled” signs dotted the huge screens greeting passengers to Charles de Gaulle, and long lines snaked out from the Air France service desk.Transport Minister Thierry Mariani says the bill is needed to protect passengers in a country where strikes occur regularly. The bill passed in the lower house of parliament last month, and goes to the Senate later this month. The conservative-led parliament passed a law a few years ago requiring a minimum level of service during strikes and warning time ahead of walkouts on other forms of public transport. The Air France statement suggested frustration with the current rules, noting that last-minute changes may await because “personnel is not required to warn ahead of time of their intention” to strike.

Air France and other airlines sought to limit the damage from a strike by aviation industry workers. Paris aviation officials canceled or rescheduled at least 100 flights in advance as 200 flag-waving protesters marched from terminal to terminal at Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport, watched by riot police. Unions callS strikes but we are part of a higher plane of existence and we should avoid self-centered interest.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Our real cause, the purpose of our lives, our satisfaction, and our existence will be found within the universal wave of the Absolute. That is Krishna consciousness, the most universal, fundamental wave. We have to catch that wave. Our goal, our satisfaction, the fulfillment of our life is to be found only there, in that plane, not in this superficial plane of nationality or family interest or social service. All these are provincial interests. ... In a nation, so many workers may be failing to follow the proper rules for production, and that is bad, it is disorder. The product will be bad. However, to go on strike won’t produce good results either. No work, that is also bad. To work in the interest of the country, only that is good. From our local, separate interest, we must go to the universal interest, to the interest of the Absolute.

Śrīla Bhakti Raksaka Sridhara Mahārāja :
“Follow the Angels” - ‘The Path of Dedication’
Part One: “The Krishna Conception” - “Sraddha is the Minimum Demand”
http://bvml.org/SBRSM/FtA.html

18 DIE AS MIGRANT BOAT SINKS

2012-02-06T17:43:00.003-03:00

DOMINICAN MIGRAN BOAT
OVERTURNS, 18 DEAD

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic - An overloaded boat carrying migrants from the Dominican Republic overturned in the pre-dawn darkness on Saturday off the coast of the Caribbean country, killing at least 18 people and leaving dozens missing, officials said.The migrants had left from near the town of Nagua, on the country's northeast coast, and were apparently headed to the U.S. island territory of Puerto Rico, a frequent destination for migrants from the Dominican Republic.Rescue teams from the country's Civil Defense Department and volunteers were searching by air and sea in Samana Bay for any signs of survivors.Authorities had rescued nine people and some said there were as many as 70 people on board, according to Jeffrey Pimentel, a fire chief in Samana Province. The bodies of 4 women and six men had been recovered.

The news agency reports that Dominican authorities were alerted several hours later and immediately launched a search and rescue operation. By Monday afternoon 18 people had been rescued, but it was unclear whether the unaccounted for were considered missing or had swum to safety. The boat was carrying up to 72 people when it overturned in rough weather. “We have 18 dead - six men and five women," Civil Defence Director, Luis Frias is quoted as saying.CNN says that the civil defence department, the Dominican navy, the Dominican air force and national police were all involved in the sea and air search. AP’s reporter in Santo Domingo said the migrants had left from near the town of Nagua, on the Dominican Republic’s northeast coast and were attempting to get to Puerto Rico.

An overloaded boat carrying migrants from the Dominican Republic capsized en route to the American island territory of Puerto Rice on Saturday, leaving at least 18 people dead. Thousands of Dominican migrants try to reach Puerto Rico as illegal immigrants in open boats that are ill-suited to the treacherous journey. This material world is full of dangers, so it is urgent to take shelter under the lotus feet of Guru and Krishna.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

After eight million births we have got this precious human birth, Supreme Lord is pleased by creating human beings because human beings have got the discriminating power between eternal and non-eternal, good deeds and bad deeds, they have got the capability to worship Lord. But other living beings have got no such conscience, discriminating power. ... There is no guarantee that next we shall get human birth. ... By serving Him (Krishna) we serve all. If we pour water at the root of the tree, all parts of the tree will be nourished; if we give food to the stomach, all parts of the body will be nourished; like that we should have firm faith- by serving Him we serve all. Without serving Him, Who is the Prime Cause of all causes, we can neither do any good to ourselves nor to others, but only the valuable time of precious human birth will be unnecessarily wasted.

Śrīla Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Mahārāja :
“Process of Initiation”
http://nandafalva.hu/cikkek/tanitasok/felavatas_en.htm
http://www.sreecgmath.org

PROCESSED MEAT RAISE PANCREATIC CANCER RISK

2012-02-05T11:50:00.001-03:00

STUDY LINKS PROCESSED MEAT WITH
INCREASED RISK OF PANCREATIC CANCER

www.cbc.ca - Bacon or sausage? You might want to rethink that decision. Consuming processed meat regularly may increase a person’s risk of developing pancreatic cancer, though the risk is still low, says a new study. A meta-analysis of 11 studies involving 6,643 people with pancreatic cancer suggests an elevated risk of the disease when consuming processed meat such as bacon, cold cuts and sausages. In the study, men who ate red meat also showed an elevated risk of the disease, while women did not. The authors believe this is because men generally consume more red meat than women. For every 50 grams a person adds of processed meat to their diet, the risk of pancreatic cancer increased by 19 per cent, according to the study.

For the study, 120 grams was deemed a serving of red meat per day, while 50 grams represented a serving of processed meat. A typical hot dog is about 45 grams. “Processed meats are usually preserved with nitrite and may also contain N-nitroso compounds,” write the authors. They say these compounds can also be formed in the stomach from nitrites and from compounds found in animal products and are potent carcinogens that have been shown to induce pancreatic cancer in animals.
The study was conducted by Swedish researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm and published Thursday online in the British Journal of Cancer.

Eating processed meat such as sausages or bacon increases the risk of pancreatic cancer. It increases by 19 % for every 50 grams of processed meat a person adds to their daily diet. Consuming an extra 100 grams per day would boost the risk by 38 %, according to a new study. Nowadays, a processed meat-based diet is so full of nitrates, nitrites, and other chemicals that it can barely be called “food”, then why not remove the meat from your diet? The animals will thank you.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Vegetables, fruits, grains and dairy products are in perfect balance for proper nutrition. These same vegetable substances, if they reach us through flesh of an animal, are dangerous to health and carry with them the following disease provoking substances: Toxic wastes from the bloodstream, germs and pus, vaccines and drugs injected to offset animal disease. Fear poisons released at the time of slaughter. Bacteria from putrefactive decomposition, which commences as soon as the animal dies. … Animal fats contain cholesterol which is now thought to cause coronary diseases of the heart. Many studies in cancer research reveal that areas in which meat-eating is highest tend to have the highest cancer rate, while vegetarian areas generally have a far lower rate.

Vedic Knowledge On Line :
“Hidden Price of Meat.”
VEDA - Bhaktivedanta Book Trust Krishna.com
http://www.veda.harekrsna.cz
http://www.veda.harekrsna.cz/bhaktiyoga/change.htm

GOT THE BLUES? GO TO WORSHIP

2012-02-04T18:31:00.003-03:00

RELIGIOUS SERVICES MAKE
SOME WOMEN HAPPIER, STUDY

USA (RNS) - A new study in the Journal of Religion and Health suggests that - at least for some women of a certain age - there's a link between optimism and attendance at religious services. "We looked at the religious practices of nearly 100,000 women and - like it or not - found a strong connection between going to church or synagogue or any other house of worship and a positive outlook on life," said Eliezer Schnall, clinical associate professor of psychology at Yeshiva University. Those who attended services frequently were 56 percent more likely to have an optimistic outlook than those who did not, and were 27 percent less likely to be depressed, according to the study. Schnall's research, which focused on post-menopausal women, is far from the first to associate church attendance and happiness. But it cements previous work that seems to show that those who engage in communal religious services are better able to cope in life.

Past research has shown that older women tend to take more of a social role in religious activities and may gain the most from it. As a follow-up to a 2008 report from the Women’s Health Initiative that showed regular attendance of religious services increased life expectancy and reduced their risk of death by 20 percent, the researchers wanted to see what factors may contribute to that risk reduction and believe they could be related to psychological factors. Schnall cautions that these results and their study apply only to women, and older women at that. The benefit of regular religious service attendance by younger women or men has not been looked at in this study. Past studies have noted, however, that it seems friendships formed at services, rather than the worship itself, are more strongly correlated with happiness.

A new study showed regular attendance of religious services increased life expectancy and make happier post-menopausal women over the age of 50. Despite the diverse religious affiliations of all the participants, all the women who regularly attended services have increased their level of optimism and were less likely to be depressed. Although the study has not considered the benefit to younger women or men, participating in the service of God and take refuge in Him brings happiness to everyone.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

“... As you are my most beloved, I am speaking this topmost secret of all secrets, My supreme commandment for your eternal welfare.” (Bg 18.64) This is Sri Krishna’s highest instruction that He gave to all conditioned souls of the world for their eternal welfare through Arjuna: “Devote your mind to Me. If it is difficult to devote your mind to Me, serve Me; engage your senses in My service. If this is also not possible, worship Me. If that even were not possible, take absolute shelter of Me. I promise you, surely, you will get Me.” (Bg 18.65) “Relinquish all My previous spiritual instructions about dharma (relative duties of varna and asrama as enjoined by the Vedas). Take absolute shelter of Me. I shall rescue you from all sins. Do not be overwhelmed with grief.” (Bg 18.66).

Śrīla Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Mahārāja :
Lecture: “The Message of the Bhagavad-gita”
“The Most Confidential Supreme Commandment”
Sree Chaitanya Gaudiya Math - www.sreecgmath.org
http://www.gokul.org.uk/
http://www.trilokanath.com/Gokul/Articles/ArticleBBTirthaGita.htm.

INEFFECTUAL COMMITTEE FOR TREE PROTECTION

2012-02-03T19:05:00.001-03:00

‘TOOTHLESS’ GREENS SEEK GUARANTEE
AFFORESTATION PRGM FOR TREE FELLING

Hyderabad (http://timesofindia) - Hoping to establish itself as an authoritative body, the Tree Protection Committee of Hyderabad has now decided to reject all tree-felling applications placed before it, unless the applicants take up compensatory plantation work in advance. In fact, in its recent meeting held earlier this month, the committee denied permission to five organisations that had approached it with requests to axe as many as 11,907 trees in and around the city. The list includes: Outer Ring Road authorities, South Central Railway, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, National Academy of Agricultural Research Management and Regional Stations for Forage Production and Demonstration. In each of these cases, the committee noted that felling permissions would be granted once the organisations produced proof of an afforestation programme they had taken up to compensate for the loss of green cover.

But while the District Forest Officer (DFO-Hyderabad), who claims that South Central Railway too is in the process of planting 5,000 trees, is confident about the success of the new strategy, several environmentalists in the city are not. Environmentalists in Hyderabad argue that the Tree Protection Committee’s proposal of planting 5,000 trees is unsustainable considering the limited powers that the board has. Another hindrance is the lack of experts on the panel. “How can you even expect it to save our environment? The members neither know how to grow trees and nor are they aware of ways to protect them,” said retired forester Sarvottam Rao. Afforestation and compensatory plantation are essential tasks and the committee needs to get additional manpower to work more effectively. “Also, it is only a committee with no authority. Until it is given powers to take disciplinary action the body will continue to remain toothless,” Rao said.

Last month, the Tree Protection Committee of Hyderabad, India designed a new legal rule by which permissions to cut trees would be granted once the applicants exhibit a forestation program they plan to perform as a way of compensatory plantation. Although the Committee is confident that its ordinance will succeed, some environmentalists claim it is unsustainable due to the Committee lacks of power to take disciplinary action in case its directives are not enforced.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Trees such as mango, nim or banyan have always been planted along the roads to give shelter and shade, their leaves acting as natural air-conditioners. Beneath their broad canopies generations of travellers, stopping for a rest or a meal from a roadside stall, have found relief from the heat. ... Banwari explains how originally the land is covered with trees, but as the human population increases trees are cleared to make way for cultivation. However, Vedic culture required that another kind of forest be established in its place. To remove the forest was simply not acceptable. It was the source of natural wealth such as fodder, timber, roots and herbs. Moreover the trees guaranteed the fertility of the soil and purified the air and water.

Ranchor Prime (Śripad Ranchor Dasa) :
“Hinduism & Ecology” Chapter Two: “The World Forest”
Friends of Vrindavan (FOV) - WWF
http://www.fov.org.uk/hinduism/hinduism.html
http://sites.google.com/site/ranchorprime/home

AT LEAST 74 KILLED IN EGYPT SOCCER RIOT

2012-02-02T00:12:00.005-03:00

AT LEAST 74 KILLED, HUNDREDS
HURT IN EGYPTIAN SOCCER RIOT

www.voanews.com - Egyptian health ministry officials say at least 74 people were killed and hundreds of others injured Wednesday in violence following a soccer match in the northern city of Port Said, on the Mediterranean coast. Fans of the home team, al-Masry, swarmed the field after a rare win against al-Ahly, Egypt’s top team. They threw rocks, fireworks and bottles at opposing fans and players. Live television footage showed fans running onto the field and chasing al-Ahly players, setting off clashes and a stampede. The footage also showed images of a fire in the stadium. The head of Egypt’s ruling military council, Field Marshal Mohamed Tantawi, ordered two helicopters sent to Port Said to fly out some of the visiting team and its fans. The helicopters will transfer the injured to military hospitals. Egypt’s state prosecutor has ordered an immediate investigation into the violence and the country’s football association called for an indefinite suspension of the annual championship.

Soon after the violence, another match in the capital, Cairo, was halted by the referee after receiving news of the violence in Port Said, prompting fans to set parts of that stadium on fire. Violence at soccer matches across North Africa has increased significantly since political unrest sweeping across the region began more than a year ago. Egypt is not immune to soccer violence. In April, the ineffectiveness of the police force also was on display when thousands of fans ran onto the field before the end of an African Champions’ game between local club Zamalek and Tunisia’s club Africain. The hundreds of police on duty at Cairo International Stadium could not stop the violence then either. Activists quickly scheduled rallies Thursday outside the headquarters of the Interior Ministry in Cairo to protest the inability of the police to stop the bloodshed. TV footage showed Al-Ahly players rushing for their locker room as fistfights broke out among the hundreds of fans swarming on to the field. Some men had to rescue a manager from the losing team as he was being beaten.

At least 74 people were killed and 248 injured after soccer fans rushed the field in the seaside city of Port Said following an upset victory by the home team over Egypt's top club, setting off clashes and a stampede as riot police largely failed to intervene. It was a bloody reminder of the deteriorating security in the Arab world's most populous country. The root-cause of unrest and discord is ignorance of our real-self. We should find a common ground which unites us all.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

There is an outbreak of conflagration of group clashes throughout the world. ... When there are different centers of interests, nobody can avoid clashing of individuals, groups, nations etc. As for example, if circles are drawn with different centers, circumferences will cross, but if there is one center of interest there may be smaller or bigger circles but there will be no crossing. According to Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu there should be knowledge of the real self, real interest and one center of interest. Supreme Lord Sri Krishna who is ‘Achyuta’ can only be the common center of interest from whom all the spirit souls have emanated. If we pour water at the root of the tree, whole tree is nourished with all its parts, in like manner, by serving Krishna we serve all.

Śrīla Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Mahārāja :
“Strongest Spiritual Force on Earth”
Statements at a press conference, 12-29-2000, Mumbai.
Sree Chaitanya Gaudiya Math - http://www.sreecgmath.org

EUROPE SHIVERS IN GRIP OF DEADLY COLD SPELL

2012-02-01T08:52:00.000-03:00

UKRAINE SAYS DEATH TOLL
FROM COLD WEATHER AT 43

London (CNN) - Eastern Europe shivered Tuesday in the coldest conditions seen this winter, with below-freezing temperatures and heavy snowfall leading to deaths, frostbite and widespread travel disruption. Ukraine and Poland are among the worst affected countries, with lows in Kiev and Warsaw of -17 and -16 degrees Celsius (1 and 3 degrees Fahrenheit) respectively, far lower than the average for this time of year. Ukraine’s Emergency Situations Ministry said 30 people have died as a result of the cold since Friday. 21 of the dead were homeless people, whose bodies were discovered on the streets and four died in their homes. More than 600 people had sought treatment for frostbite and hypothermia over the past 5 days, with more than 500 of those treated in the hospital. Thousands of people have sought refuge at government-run shelters as the temperatures have plummeted.

About 1,590 heated tents operating across the country are offering warmth, tea and hot meals to those in need. Another 150 are due to be set up shortly. Meanwhile, schools and colleges in Kiev have canceled classes until Monday because of the cold, city authorities said. In Poland, the interior ministry urged people to look out for the elderly and homeless, saying temperatures were set to drop further as the week goes on, especially at night. Romania and Bulgaria were among the first Eastern European nations to be affected by cold and heavy snow. In Slovakia, a 63-year-old man was found dead outside his house in the northern village of Sunava on Monday, the Slovak news agency SITA reported. In Serbia, one person has died and two are missing after heavy snowfall in the territory of Uzice. Travel and electricity supplies have been disrupted, and a state of emergency has been declared in a number of districts.

Ukrainian officials say the death toll from a severe cold spell that has hit Eastern Europe has risen to 43 people, most of them homeless. Over 600 others were hospitalized with hypothermia and frostbite. Temperatures dropped to minus 30 C (minus 22 F) prompting authorities to close schools and nurseries and causing power outages and blocked traffic. Knowing that these environmental conditions are cyclical, we should tolerate them as part of our karma and learn to do the best with what we have.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Krishna strongly suggested that Arjuna should take the noble path of tolerance in relation to the dualities of hot and cold, etc., knowing them to be mere fluctuations of the mind. ... Material happiness invariably turns to unhappiness in its absence. Thus one should tolerate both happiness and distress knowing them to be one and the same in the ultimate issue. From a world of apparent variety one must learn to identify with its underlying unity. Srimad-Bhagavatam teaches us further about tolerance. Not only is tolerance necessary if we are to distinguish ourselves from the body and mind, it is also required if we are to know God. One who acknowledges that his happiness and distress in life are that which he is due-his prarabdha karma-and thus tolerates these two, is the rightful heir to the kingdom of God.

Śrīla Bhakti Vedanta Tripurari Mahārāja :
“Tolerance: the Ornament of the Saints”
Śrī Caitanya Sanga - Vol. I, No. 3 - October 30, 2003
http://www.swami.org/pages/sanga/1999/1999_3.php
http://swami.org/ - http://www.swami.org/index.html

PERU EARTHQUAKE INJURY NUMBERS RISE

2012-01-31T10:11:00.001-03:00

PERU 6.3 -MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE
INJURES 145 AND DAMAGES MANY HOMES

(CNN) - The number of people confirmed injured in an earthquake in Peru rose to 145, civil defense officials in the South American nation said Tuesday. The number of homes damaged or destroyed rose to 277, they said. Civil defense officials have been distributing tents to families whose houses were affected by the quake early Monday morning, they said Tuesday. The magnitude 6.3 quake hit about 15 kilometers (9 miles) southeast of Ica, at a depth of 39.2 kilometers (24.4 miles), according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It affected power in the region, but as of Tuesday, it had been restored in the districts of Parcona, Tinguina, Ocucaje and Ica, officials said. While residents remain jittery, there were no known fatalities on Monday, Civil Defense officials said. Most of the injured had gone home by Tuesday morning, although six remain in hospitals, they said.

Among the damaged buildings was the Cathedral of Ica, which had already been damaged in a 2007 earthquake. The jolt caused people to flee their homes in Ica, the port of Pisco, and the towns of Palpa, Nasca and Canete. Dozens of Ica residents spent the night in parks and gardens fearing aftershocks. The quake epicentre depth was 24 miles, according to the USGS. The reading was based on the open-ended Moment Magnitude scale used by US seismologists, which measures the area of the fault that ruptured and the total energy released. Peru is in the “Pacific Ring of Fire,” which is the site of 85 per cent of global seismic activity. A 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck the same region in October, leveling dozens of buildings and leaving some homeless. In 2007, an 8.0-magnitude quake struck southwestern Peru, killing more than 500 people and injuring more than 1,000.

At least 145 people were injured and about 300 homes were damaged after a 6.2-degree earthquake shook Peru early Monday morning. Most people were injured when they fled their homes in panic, or when they were struck by collapsing walls. Lot of residents spent the night in parks and streets due to fears of possible aftershocks. Despite the occasional upheavals, the Earth is the foundation and support of everything; its mountains are compared to the bones of the Lord’s universal form.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

The Earth exhibits qualities that can easily remind us of the Lord’s qualities. ... The Earth is tolerant and continues to support us even though we abuse her by drilling for oil and strip-mining her body, and by spilling the blood of her children upon her in war. In a similar way, Krishna continues to be the friend of all living beings, even those who blaspheme Him and try to cause Him pain. ... The Earth can sometimes change her face from that of a benign solid object to one of sudden anger in the form of quakes and volcanoes. Similarly, Krishna’s face, normally graced with a sweet, gentle smile, can sometimes show loving anger, such as when His incarnation Balarama caused an earthquake in ancient Delhi to bring the rulers there to their senses.

Śrīmati Urmila devi dasi :
“Earth: A Meditation” - March/April 2010
http://urmila.me.uk/
http://www.krishna.com/earth-meditation

NEW MIDEAST TALKS HIT AN IMPASSE

2012-01-30T16:03:00.001-03:00

PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT SAYS ISRAEL
SPOILED ROUND OF TALKS ON BORDER

http://www.voanews.com - The latest international effort to revive the Middle East peace process has run into trouble. Israeli and Palestinian leaders are blaming each other after five rounds of exploratory talks this month in Jordan hit an impasse. The aim of the talks is to revive direct peace negotiations that have been deadlocked for three years. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Israel did not offer detailed proposals on the future borders of a Palestinian state. In remarks published by the Palestinian news agency, Abbas accused Israel of defying international guidelines for peace and foiling the talks. His comments were echoed by Palestinian Prime Minister Salaam Fayyad. “It is time to recognize the failings of this process. It has failed and the process is in bad need of serious direction,” he said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pointed a finger at the Palestinians. He told the Israeli Cabinet the Palestinians refused to even discuss Israel’s security needs. Netanyahu said the signs are not very good, but he hopes that the Palestinians “will come to their senses” and return to the negotiating table. The United States and European Union have also urged the Palestinians to continue the talks, saying negotiations with Israel are the only way to achieve a two-state solution and peace. President Abbas says he will make a final decision on whether or not to continue the exploratory talks after consulting with the Arab League later this week. For the past month, the sides have held Jordanian-mediated exploratory talks at the urging of the Quartet of international Mideast mediators - the U.S., the U.N., the E.U. and Russia.

The Israeli and Palestinian leaders blamed each other for the impasse in newly launched peace efforts. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas accused Israel of spoiling the low-level talks, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Palestinians “refused to even discuss” Israeli security needs. The goal of the talks has been to resume formal peace negotiations, with the aim of forging an agreement this year. We are running after peace, but without the association of sadhus it is just an illusory peace.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Those who are going down and down, going to hell and those who are ignorant, he doesn’t know what the life is. They think life is only to eat and drink and sleep and mate. No. No. Life is not like that. Life is to know the Supreme Lord, see the Supreme Lord, hear the Supreme Lord, sing the glories of the Lord, sing the glories of the sage. Then you will be happy. Then you will be satisfied. Then you can enjoy peace. Peace cannot be enjoyed without the association of a sadhu. Without the blessings of the sadhu, without the blessings of the sage we cannot enjoy peace, we cannot enjoy happiness. Only if you will be repeating of Divine Name you could become happy. All throughout the life you will be happy. You will be happy. If we hear one, we are chanting so many times namam, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna.

Śrīla Bhakti Vaibhava Purī Mahārāj:
Lecture at Pula, Croatia on July 2, 1999
http://www.bvml.org/SBVPGM/P070299.html
Śrī Krishna Chaitanya Mission - http://www.purimaharaj.com/

RUNNING FOR A CAUSE CAN BOOST MOTIVATION

2012-01-29T12:13:00.001-03:00

THE 21ST ANNUAL SUSAN G. KOMEN
RACE FOR THE CURE BREAST CANCER

www.coloradoan.com - Is there a special cause that is close to your heart? Perhaps it is fighting cancer, helping children, protecting the environment or advocating for animals.
Maybe there is an event that has touched you personally or one about which you feel very passionate. Examples could range from commemorating the tragedy of 9/11 to honoring someone you care about on Memorial Day. Have you ever considered using your running abilities to support a cause that is important to you? There are many opportunities to participate in events that support a variety of organizations. Running for a cause is a great way to stay motivated and it adds another dimension to your personal running goals. Several causes have huge events every year with a variety of ways to support the organization and participate. Breast cancer research is one of the biggest with races of various lengths as well as multi-day events all around the country.

There are races that benefit abused children, veterans, at-risk youth, animals, environmental causes, disease research and many more organizations doing great work. There also are races that commemorate meaningful events. One example is the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon, which is a tribute to the victims, family members and survivors of the bombing and supports the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum. The Bolder Boulder is held every year on Memorial Day and you can run in memory or honor of someone. There are a variety of races all around the country honoring the victims and heroes of 9/11. Perhaps you would enjoy participating in one of the many Fourth of July races and celebrating our country’s independence and freedoms. A few of the large organizations even have programs that will help you train for an event while also fundraising for a cause.

More than 20,000 packed downtown West Palm Beach for the 21st annual Susan G. Komen South Florida Race USA, for the Cure on Saturday morning in the USA. If there is a cause or event about which you care, there is likely a way you can combine your running with getting involved and helping. What a great opportunity to do something good for yourself while at the same time helping a worthy cause! One of the greatest services to others is the Sankirtan movement to rescue people from this mortal world.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Śrīla Rupa Goswami, Sanatana, Raghunatha, Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati, etc., are gopis who have come for sankirtan, to preach. Then we can see that when a gopi or a manjari comes to this world, it is to accomplish this task. Sankirtan is what Mahaprabhu Himself is doing in this world. With great longing He wants to embrace all souls and he leaves all His interests when He takes sannyasi to save the others. Krishna also says in Bhagavad Gita Chapter 12 verses 6-7 that He immediately saves us if we serve Him. ... That is sankirtan. Sankirtan means total and immediate relief for oneself and for others. ... Śrīla Prabhupada insisted so much that we should preach. All his faith was put into seva and preaching, and of course in the Nama chanting and the adoration of the Deities.

Śrīla Atulananda Ācārya :
“The Moon Mahaprabhu Gauracandra”
Chat with Guru Atulananda - 16 of March 2003
http://www.vrindanews.com/chat/moon_mahaprabhu_toprint.html
http://www.atulanandadas.cl/

LIBYA PRISONERS MAKE NEW TORTURE ALLEGATIONS

2012-01-28T10:15:00.000-03:00

LIBYAN REVOLUTIONARIES
ACCUSED OF WIDESPREAD TORTURE

www.bbc.co.uk - New evidence has emerged that supporters of the former Libyan leader, Col Gaddafi, have been tortured while in detention. The BBC has been told by inmates at a jail in Misrata that they were beaten, whipped and given electric shocks. The head of the city’s military council has dismissed the allegations. United Nations human rights chief Navi Pillay has called on Libya’s transitional government to take full control of all prisons. The allegations come exactly 100 days after Col Gaddafi’s violent death at the hands of former rebels. Earlier this week the medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres said it was suspending its work in one Misrata detention centre because of an alarming rise in torture cases. The BBC’s Gabriel Gatehouse managed to get access to that prison. Inmates told him they had been subjected to prolonged beatings and were whipped with electric cables.

International human rights groups have said such incidents are widespread in Libya. “The torture is being carried out by officially recognised military and security entities as well as by a multitude of armed militias operating outside any legal framework,” a spokesman for London-based Amnesty International said on Friday. The people running the Misrata detention centre are aware of inmates being taken away to be tortured, but were powerless to stop it. Many detention centres are controlled by militias unaccountable to the government. The UN human rights chief, Navi Pillay, expressed concern about the treatment of prisoners, but especially sub-Saharan Africans who the militias assume to have been fighting for Col Gaddafi. “There’s torture, extrajudicial executions, rape of both men and women,” she told the AP news agency.

Three months after the killing of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, concerns are mounting about the torture of prisoners held by Libyan militiamen. “Patients were brought to us in the middle of interrogation for medical care, in order to make them fit for more interrogation. When you patch people up and then they get taken back to be tortured again in the same evening, you become part of the process,” said Medecins Sans Frontieres’ director. Rape, torture and murder must be stopped in this world.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Everyone wants to be happy and live in peace, but how can this be peace when so many other entities suffer from the most painful experiments in so-called scientific laboratories? ... This does not include the widespread torture of people by people. Political prisoners are often tortured by rulers or their military to keep people in line with the particular agenda of the regime. Some leaders have such a mentality that they enjoy keeping their subjects in a miserable condition. Or there is torture and fighting of people for being of a different religion. This type of thing goes on much more than we think, and has been going on for hundreds of years. ... These reactions affect many millions of people every day around the world, and it is nothing more than the workings of nature as it reflects the consciousness of the people who inhabit this world.

Dr Stephen Knapp (Śrīpad Nandanandana dasa) :
“Karma of the Nation”
http://www.stephen-knapp.com/
http://www.stephen-knapp.com/karma_of_the_nation.htm

INDIA MARKS REPUBLIC DAY

2012-01-27T13:21:00.001-03:00

INDIA CELEBRATES
63rd REPUBLIC DAY

www.voanews.com - India celebrated its 63rd Republic Day Thursday with a parade showcasing its military and air power, and its rich and diverse cultural heritage. In New Delhi, India displayed missiles that can carry nuclear warheads, while fighter jets, long-range aircraft and helicopters flew overhead. Thousands of people turned up at Rajpath (King’s Avenue) to watch the colourful parade amid tight security. India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and military officials laid wreaths at a memorial for those who gave their lives to defend the nation. Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, in the country on an official visit, was the guest of honor. Some 25,000 security personnel guarded the Indian capital against possible attacks from militant groups. Security was also stepped up in Indian-controlled Kashmir. India’s Republic Day commemorates the adoption of a democratic constitution on January 26, 1950.

On Thursday morning, Delhi resembled a fortress with a multi-layered security ring in place at Rajpath, where President Pratibha Patil unfurled the Indian flag and took the salute of marching contingents, news agency Press Trust of India reported. Officials said 160 closed-circuit cameras were installed between Rajpath and Red Fort, the route of the parade. Anti-aircraft guns were placed at several places and helicopters hovered over the parade route. At the parade, the army displayed its tanks and missile launchers. The nuclear capable Agni-IV missile with a range of 3,000km (1,864 miles), was cheered by the public, reporters said. Smaller parades have also been held in the state capitals. It is informed that 40,000 policemen were keeping vigil in the financial capital, Mumbai, which has seen several high-profile militant attacks in recent years.

India has celebrated its 63rd Republic Day showing off its latest weapons, even tanks and missile launchers, at a military parade in the capital, Delhi. Thousands of people attended the parade. Hundreds of soldiers marched and more than 25,000 policemen and paramilitary forces guarded the streets. Smaller parades were also held in the state capitals. In India there is still the wonderful cultural heritage of Vedic knowledge, the one who studies and practices it gradually increased his spiritual enlightenment.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Thus whoever takes birth in the land of Bhārata-varsha attains all the facilities of life. He may take advantage of all these facilities for both material and spiritual advancement and thus make his life successful. After attaining the goal of life, one may distribute his knowledge and experience all over the world for humanitarian purposes. In other words, one who takes birth in the land of Bhārata-varsha by virtue of his past pious activities gets full facility to develop the human form of life. ... In this verse the word lakshita-lakshanām indicates that the human body attained in Bhārata-varsha is very auspicious. Vedic culture is full of knowledge, and a person born in India can fully take advantage of Vedic cultural knowledge and the cultural system known as varnāśrama-dharma.

Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda :
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam - Canto 4: “Creation of the Fourth Order”
Chapter 25: “The Descriptions of the Characteristics of King Purañjana”
Verse 13 - Bhaktivedanta VedaBase

TIBET GOVT IN EXILE CONDEMNS “GRUESOME” CHINA CLASHES

2012-01-26T13:22:00.001-03:00

CHINESE POLICE FIRE ON TIBETANS
AS VIOLENT PROTESTS SPREAD

Ganzi, China (Reuters) - Ethnic tension simmered in remote corners of China’s southwestern Sichuan province on Thursday after security forces fired on demonstrators in a series of deadly clashes that Tibet’s government in exile condemned as “gruesome”. The flareups were perhaps the bloodiest spate of Tibetan-linked violence in China since early 2008, when riots and protests erupted in Tibet’s capital, Lhasa, and spread to other restive regions in China’s western border regions including Sichuan, Qinghai and Gansu provinces. Lobsang Sangay, the prime minister of Tibet’s government in exile in Dharamsala in India, denounced the shooting by police on hundreds of Tibetan protesters in western Sichuan this week that he said had killed six and injured more than 60. The protests have become violent in recent weeks.

On Tuesday, at least one Tibetan was killed in a clash in Seda County, known as Serthar in Tibetan, when police opened fire on protesters, leaving the town square “covered in blood” and tear-gas canisters, according to the Washington-based International Campaign for Tibet. Another group, Free Tibet, said at least two Tibetans had been killed and many wounded during protests in Seda. Calls to the Seda public security bureau went unanswered. Two Tibetans were shot dead by police on Monday in a separate protest in Luhuo Township, known as Drango or Draggo to Tibetans, also in the mountainous western reaches of Sichuan province, according to Tibetan rights groups and observers. On the other hand, China will remain “resolute in maintaining normal social order,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said in a Jan. 24 statement.

China police opened fire on a crowd of protesters in a Tibetan region during a clash. At least two Tibetans were killed and several wounded. Another case of the longstanding underlying ethnic tensions between Tibetan communities - some of whom have called for the return of the Dalai Lama - and Han Chinese authorities whom they accuse of stifling Tibetan traditions, religious freedoms and their unique way of life. We must abandon hatred, and adopt the way of love and respect to all beings.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

The purpose of any true spiritual path is to raise our consciousness to the point of allowing us to directly perceive the spiritual dimension. Being spiritual means to recognize one’s spiritual identity and practically see the transcendental essence of all others. It also means to see that we are all parts and parcels of God and to respect each other in that light. ... The point is that the more spiritual we become, the more we can perceive that which is spiritual. As we develop and grow in this way, the questions about spiritual life are no longer a mystery to solve, but become a reality to experience. It becomes a practical part of our lives. ... The Vedic system is practically non-denominational. It is not for any one culture or ethnic group. It is for all of humanity and is called Sanatana-dharma.

Dr Stephen Knapp (Śrīpad Nandanandana dasa) :
“Yoga and How to Get Started”
http://www.stephen-knapp.com/
http://www.stephen-knapp.com/yoga_and_how_to_get_started.htm

FRACKING GETS ITS OWN “OCCUPY” MOVEMENT

2012-01-25T09:31:00.001-03:00

ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS RALLY
FOR NEW YORK BAN ON FRACKING

Albany, N.Y. (AP) - Health and environmental groups rallied at the Capitol on Monday to call for a legislative ban on hydraulic fracturing of natural gas wells, saying no amount of regulation can adequately safeguard water supplies from contamination. “Fracking is the most important environmental issue this state has faced in the past 100 years,” Sen. Tony Avella, sponsor of a bill to ban hydraulic fracturing, said at the rally in the Legislative Office Building next to the Capitol. “There is no possible regulation or series of regulations that can stop the one incident that pollutes our water supply for 1,000 years.” Organizers said about 600 people from around the state traveled to Albany and registered to lobby state lawmakers for various bills related to the practice known as fracking, which stimulates gas production by injecting wells with millions of gallons of chemically treated water to fracture shale.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation has refused to consider new shale gas wells since 2008, when it began an environmental impact review of fracking. Industry groups, who point to a decadeslong history of safe gas drilling in New York, have said the regulations proposed by the DEC are so strict they would effectively shut down shale gas development in the state because of the high cost of compliance. The rally featured chants of “No fracking way” and signs calling for “Renewable energy now.” A group of residents from Middlefield in Otsego County held a banner supporting a “home rule” bill, which clarifies the right of towns to enact zoning ordinances that prohibit fracking and discourage industry-funded lawsuits against such bans. Middlefield is fighting a lawsuit against its local fracking ban.

Health and environmental groups calling for a legislative ban on hydraulic fracturing of natural gas wells have rallied in Albany (USA). The technology known as “fracking” stimulates gas production by using chemically treated water to fracture shale with the tremendous risk of contamination to the drinking water supply and the entire ecosystem. We must start urgent action in awakening consciousness and ending the dangerous and self-destructive habit of exploiting our natural resources.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Nature is one of the manifestations of God; if we mistreat the environment, if we live irresponsibly, in any moment we will be sucked into an abyss. God is in each tree, each plant. The waters of the Earth are the veins of the Lord. We should proceed with absolute compassion and responsibility, because by not taking care of other living beings, our present planet will become a complete desert. Polluted waters cause the leukemia of the ecosystem. Mother Earth heals you, she allows you to build houses, sustains you, gives you drinkable water; that is our dear Mother Earth. ... All the elements created by the Lord are different representations of His powers, and the combination of all the components produces food for us, the conscious beings.

House of Wisdom :
“Eco conscience - Recommendations”
http://www.houseofwisdom.org/english/advices_eco_conscience.htm
http://www.houseofwisdom.org/english/index.html

SOCCER PLAYER’S INJURY BLAMED ON TOO MUCH SEX

2012-01-24T13:05:00.001-03:00

MODEL GIRLFRIEND OF MILAN STAR
BLAMES HIS INJURIES ON TOO MUCH SEX

www.goal.com -The girlfriend of AC Milan midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng has revealed that the player’s injury woes of late could be down to the amount of sex the couple have. The club confirmed recently that the player will be out of action for up to a month due to amuscular problem. However, Melissa Satta, a model, TV presenter and actress, has stated that Boateng’s poor injuryrecord is the result of their bedroom antics. “The reason why he [Kevin-Prince Boateng] is always injured is because we have sex seven to 10 times a week,” the 25-year-old told Vanity Fair. “I hate foreplay, I want to get straight to the point,” she added. “My favourite position is on top so I can take control.” Milan are yet to speak out in regards to Satta’s comments although the Rossoneri did release an official statement on their website to validate the injury.

Boateng, whose fellow countrymen begin their the African Cup of Nations participation early next week, injured himself during last weekend’s 1-0 defeat to Inter and is a doubt for the Champions League date with Arsenal due to a muscle strain. A statement from the Rossoneri read: “Boateng has sustained a muscular lesion in his left thigh and the estimated time of recovery is around four weeks, unless there are complications.” But his girlfriend has claimed his antics in bed may be the cause of his constant injury. The 24-year-old will likely be sidelined for Milan’s next eight games, including their Champions League Last-16 home leg against Arsenal on February 15. Boss Massimiliano Allegri has set his sights on the attacking player’s return for his side’s domestic encounter against Juventus on February 26.

The former Ghana international player is currently sidelined for a month with a thigh injury, but his model girlfriend, Melissa Satta revealed the real reason behind his ailment: too much sex. The club has not commented on his girlfriend's “medical evaluation”, but surely he doesn't mind not being able to play for a month because he will have more time to enlarge his lesion peril. People having a primitive mentality based on the desire to enjoy money, sex and social prestige are called “bhukti-kāmī”.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

In the various species of life there are various facilities for material sense gratification. Different species are distinguished by differently formed senses, such as the genitals, nostrils, tongue, ears and eyes. Pigeons, for example, are given the facility for almost unlimited sex. Bears have an ample opportunity for sleeping. Tigers and lions exhibit the propensities for fighting and meat-eating, horses are distinguished by their legs for swift running, vultures and eagles have keen eyesight, and so on. The human being is distinguished by his large brain, which is meant for understanding God. ... The Lord facilitates sense gratification (mātrā-prasiddhaye) so that the living entities will gradually understand the futility of trying to enjoy without Him.

Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Śrīla Hrdayananda dasa Goswami
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam - Canto 11: “General History”
Chapter 3: “Liberation from the Illusory Energy”
Verse 3 - Bhaktivedanta VedaBase

CHINA CELEBRATES YEAR OF THE DRAGON

2012-01-23T15:56:00.000-03:00

CHINESE NEW YEAR OF THE DRAGON
WELCOMED IN AROUND THE WORLD

www.mirror.co.uk - Celebrations for the Year of the Dragon begin today and last for 15 days. Millions of ethnic Chinese, Koreans and Vietnamese across Asia have rung in the New Year of the Dragon with fireworks, feasting and family reunions. From Beijing to Bangkok and Seoul to Singapore, people hoping for good luck in the New Year visited temples and lit incense, setting off fireworks and watched street performances of lion and dragon dances. In London, Chinese New Year will officially be marked on January 29 with a parade and a performance in Trafalgar Square. Among the 100-strong performers will feature Shanghai Song and Dance Troupe and the National Music Orchestra of Jilin Province. For many, the Lunar New Year is the biggest family reunion of the year for which people endured hours of cramped travel on trains and buses to get home.

In ancient times the dragon was a symbol reserved for the Chinese emperor, and it is considered to be the most auspicious and powerful of the 12 signs of the zodiac, one associated with high energy and prosperity. It’s also the only mythical creature in the Chinese astrological stable that includes horses, rats and pigs. This year is considered especially auspicious because it is the year of the water dragon, something that happens once every 60 years. “The dragon is a symbol of power and superior control,” says Stephen Chu, president of the Mississauga Chinese Business Association, west of Toronto. “It’s not evil. The dragon is a good symbol.” It also represents change and mobility. “Dragons seem to be a change year, and usually from bad to good,” says Paul Ng, a feng shui master in Richmond Hill, Ont., north of Toronto.

Chinese New Year celebrations have begun throughout the world. Colorful parades and spectacular fireworks usher in the Year of Dragon, which symbolizes courage and prosperity. According to the Chinese Zodiac, the Year of Dragon comes after the Year of Rabbit and is followed by the Year of Snake. In the Rig Veda, there is a description of the battle between Lord Indra, the king of heaven, and an asura named Vrtra who had taken the form of a mighty Dragon and stole all the water in the world for himself.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

I will declare the manly deeds of Indra, the first that he achieved, the Thunder wielder. He slew the Dragon, then disclosed the waters, and cleft the channels of the mountain torrents. Like lowing kine in rapid flow descending the waters glided downward to the ocean. Impetuous as a bull, he (Indra) chose the Soma and in three sacred beakers drank the juices. Maghavan (Indra) grasped the thunder for his weapon, and smote to death this firstborn of the dragons. ... When Indra and the Dragon strove in battle, Maghavan gained the victory for ever. ... The waters bear off Vrtra's nameless body: the foe of Indra sank to during darkness. Guarded by Ahi (Vrtra) ... the waters stayed like kine held by the robber. But when he (Indra) had smitten Vrtra, opened the cave wherein the floods had been imprisoned.

“The Hymns of the Rigveda”
Book I - Hymn XXXII - “Indra”
Translated by Ralph T. H. Griffith
2nd edition, Kotagiri (Nilgiri) 1896
http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/rigveda/rv01032.htm
http://www.hinduwebsite.com/sacredscripts/hinduism/rigveda/indra_1.asp

DUTCH TEEN CIRCUMNAVIGATE WORLD

2012-01-22T09:44:00.003-03:00

DUTCH TEEN LAURA DEKKER COMPLETES
HISTORIC SOLO SAIL AROUND THE GLOBE

(CNN) - Some 518 days after she first set off alone in her sailboat, 16-year-old Laura Dekker glided into a Caribbean port on Saturday to complete her historic, and controversial, voyage around the globe. The Dutch citizen arrived in Sint Maarten around 3 p.m. (2 p.m. ET). While other teens have made similar sea voyages - some of them without stopping, as Dekker did - the Dutch girl unofficially appears to be the youngest to do so sailing alone. In 2010, Australian Jessica Watson finished a non-stop, unassisted solo circumnavigation days before her 17th birthday. Her route was less than 21,600 orthodromic (or, in the same direction for a great circle) nautical miles, which is the length of the equator and the distance generally used for round-the-world sailing records. Dekker states on her website that she traversed about 27,000 nautical miles on her own solo voyage aboard her 38-foot yacht, which she has dubbed Guppy.

The teenager made a trip with stops that sound like a skim through a travel magazine: the Canary Islands, Panama, the Galapagos Islands, Tonga, Fiji, Bora Bora, Australia, South Africa and now, St. Maarten, from which she set out on Jan. 20, 2011. She had altered her route and headed around South Africa toward Sint Maarten to avoid pirates. The trip almost didn’t happen - not because of problems at sea, but rather due to a high-profile legal fight by Dutch authorities to prevent the teen from setting sail, for her own safety. In October 2009, a Dutch court ruled the girl couldn’t sail around the world because she was not considered experienced enough to do so. But it left the door open for a future trip, deciding that she could depart if she fulfilled certain requirements the court had established for her. Laura did what the authorities require, and she finally arrived in St. Maarten after struggling against high seas and heavy winds.

Laura Dekker, 16, arrived in the island of Sint Maarten after her voyage around the globe. She was at sea or in port for 518 days and traversed 27,000 nautical miles. “There were moments where I was like, ‘What the hell am I doing out here?’ but I never wanted to stop,” she said. “It’s a dream, and I wanted to do it.” She also fought against Dutch authorities who didn’t want her to sail. Tapah (austerity) and Acāpalam (determination) are good for everyone because in the end our efforts are rewarded.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

“To serve the spiritual master the disciple should learn cleanliness, austerity, tolerance, silence, study of Vedic knowledge, simplicity, celibacy, nonviolence, and equanimity in the face of material dualities such as heat and cold, happiness and distress.” Tapah, or “austerity,” means that despite the irrational impulses of the mind, one should remain fixed in executing his proper duty in life. Specifically, one must control burning anger and the urge for wanton sex life. If a human being does not control the impulses of lust, anger and greed, he loses his power to understand his actual situation. Human life is a golden opportunity to solve the overwhelming problems of birth, death, old age and disease. ... One must remain in his prescribed duty and not become impatient or unregulated due to the waves of lust, anger and greed.

Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Śrīla Hrdayananda dasa Goswami
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam - Canto 11: “General History”
Chapter 3: “Liberation from the Illusory Energy”
Verse 24 - Bhaktivedanta VedaBase

MALAWIAN WOMEN ATTACKS FOR WEARING PANTS

2012-01-21T09:43:00.001-03:00

ATTACKS ON WOMEN IN TROUSERS,
MINISKIRTS SPARK PROTEST IN MALAWI

Blantyre, Malawi (AP) - It’s been 18 years since the late dictator Hastings Kamuzu Banda’s “indecency in dress” laws were repealed in Malawi, but mobs of men and boys in the largely conservative southern African country have recently been publicly stripping women of their miniskirts and pants. Friday, hundreds of outraged girls and women, among them prominent politicians, protested the attacks while wearing pants or miniskirts and T-shirts emblazoned with such slogans as: “Real men don’t harass women.” “Some of us have spent our entire life fighting for the freedom of women,” Vice President Ms Joyce Banda told the protesters. “It’s shocking some men want to take us back to bondage,” she added. The attacks took on such importance that President Bingu wa Mutharika went on state television and radio on the eve of the protest to assure women they were free to wear what they want.

The president ordered police to arrest anyone who attacks women wearing pants or miniskirts. He said in a local language, Chichewa. “I will not allow anyone to wake up and go on the streets and start undressing women and girls wearing trousers because that is criminal.” During Hastings Kamuzu Banda’s 1963-1994 dictatorship, women in Malawi were banned from wearing pants and short skirts. Banda lost power in the country’s first multiparty election in 1994 and he died three years later. While Banda is gone, strains of conservatism remain in the impoverished, largely rural nation. Some of the street vendors who have attacked women in recent days claimed it was un-Malawian to dress in miniskirts and pants. Some said it was a sign of loose morals or prostitution. The protesters were wearing pants, miniskirts and leggings in a show of solidarity as they gathered to condemn the attacks.

Malawian women protested about attacks on women for wearing trousers. Some women were beaten and stripped by vendors on the streets for wearing pants, leggings and miniskirts, instead of dresses. They accused women of defying cultural norms and attacked them claiming they did not follow the tradition. Women have also been attacked for wearing trousers in Kenya, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Puritanical mentality is based on external materialistic issues, not on spiritual considerations.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

If we truly believe, even theoretically, that we “are not this body,” then why do we care whether our bodily duties are “higher” or “lower” than someone else’s? Such things are temporary, external, and don’t touch the real self. ... Most difficulties with understanding the position of women can be solved if we understand that all of us have two duties: material and spiritual. The spiritual duties, the nine processes of devotional service, are equally available to every human being regardless of age, gender, race, intelligence, health, etc. etc. ... Why not just accept the body we have for this life, and work with it so as to please Krishna and make our life peaceful, so that we can concentrate our time and energy on what’s truly important-loving and remembering Krishna.

Śrīmati Urmila devi dasi :
“Prabhupada's Views on Women”
http://urmila.me.uk/
http://www.chakra.org/discussions/WomenNov29_02.html

ARGENTINA OUTRAGED AT CAMERON’S ‘COLONIALISM’ REMARKS

2012-01-20T06:33:00.000-03:00

UK PRIME MINISTER ACCUSES ARGENTINA
OF ‘COLONIALISM’ TOWARDS FALKLANDS

www.bbc.co.uk - Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has demanded renewed talks about the future of the islands - which Argentina calls Las Malvinas. But Mr Cameron told MPs they would stay British for as long as the islanders wanted, and Argentina’s demands for that to change were “like colonialism”. The issue was discussed at a National Security Council meeting on Tuesday. This year is the 30th anniversary of the Falklands War, which was prompted by an Argentinian invasion of the islands. Most Falkland Islanders wish to retain British sovereignty and 14 June is marked as Liberation Day in the capital, Port Stanley. Argentine leaders have reacted with fury after UK Prime Minister David Cameron accused Argentina of “colonialism” for continuing to claim sovereignty over the Falkland Islands. “It’s totally offensive, especially coming from Great Britain,” Argentine Interior Minister Florencio Randazzo said.

President Fernandez has repeatedly requested talks on the islands’ future and accused the UK of “arrogance” for refusing to negotiate. She has accused Britain of “taking Argentine resources” from the islands and the waters around them. Tensions have risen in recent years over oil exploration around the Falklands. In December, the Mercosur grouping of countries, which includes Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil and Paraguay, announced that it would ban ships sailing under the Falkland Islands flag from docking at their ports. The islands were discussed on Wednesday during a visit by UK Foreign Minister William Hague to Brazil. Mr Hague knows that “Brazil and other South American nations support Argentine sovereignty over the Malvinas and that we support the UN resolutions calling on Argentina and Britain to discuss the issue,” Brazilian Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota told reporters.

British PM Cameron has accused Argentina of “colonialism” for continuing to claim sovereignty over the Falkland Islands. In response, Argentine Foreign Minister Timerman said Great Britain was a country “synonymous with colonialism”. Little remains of colonialism and Great Britain, an empire in decline, decides to re-write history. The sayings of politicians try to historical “re-arranging the furniture”. This cheating tendency is called vipralipsa, ‘the desire to deceive.’

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

This is called samsāra-dāvānala. Even in ordinary transactions between two people, there is invariably cheating because the conditioned soul is defective in four ways - he is illusioned, he commits mistakes, his knowledge is imperfect, and he has a propensity to cheat. Unless one is liberated from material conditioning, these four defects must be there. Consequently every man has a cheating propensity, which is employed in business or money transactions. ... A philosopher accuses an economist of being a cheater, and an economist may accuse a philosopher of being a cheater when he comes in contact with money. In any case, this is the condition of material life.

Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda :
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam - Canto 5: “The Creative Impetus”
Chapter 14: “The Material World as the Great Forest of Enjoyment”
Verse 26 - Bhaktivedanta VedaBase

GLOBAL WARMING THREATENS CHINA’S ADVANCE

2012-01-19T11:47:00.002-03:00

CHINESE REPORT SPELLS OUT
CLIMATE CHANGE THREAT

www.smh.com.au - Global warming threatens China’s march to prosperity by cutting crops, shrinking rivers and unleashing more droughts and floods, says the government’s latest assessment of climate change, projecting big shifts in how the nation feeds itself. The warnings are carried in the government’s “Second National Assessment Report on Climate Change,” which sums up advancing scientific knowledge about the consequences and costs of global warming for China - the world’s second biggest economy and the biggest emitter of greenhouse gas pollution. Global warming fed by greenhouse gases from industry, transport and shifting land-use poses a long-term threat to China’s prosperity, health and food output, says the report. Water, either too much or too little, lies at the heart of how that warming could trip up China’s budding prosperity.

With China’s economy likely to rival the United States’ in size in coming decades, that will trigger wider consequences. “China faces extremely grim ecological and environmental conditions under the impact of continued global warming and changes to China’s regional environment,” says the 710-page report, officially published late last year but released for public sale only recently. Even so, China’s rising emissions of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas from burning fossil fuels, will begin to fall off only after about 2030, with big falls only after mid-century, says the report. Assuming no measures to counter global warming, grain output in the world’s most populous nation could fall from 5 to 20 percent by 2050, depending on whether a “fertilisation effect” from more carbon dioxide in the air offsets losses, says the report.

China, with 1.34 billion people, already emits a quarter of the world’s CO2, with the United States the world’s second largest greenhouse gas emitter. As the temperatures continue to rise, the negative consequences of climate change on agriculture will be increasingly serious. Without effective measures in response, by the latter part of the 21st century, climate change could still constitute a threat to the world’s food security. We are living in one of the most precarious situations of humanity.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Today we see the condition of the world. Never before in history has the world been in a more dangerous situation. We have made progress through technology and science. We have cured diseases such as small pox. We made vaccinations for polio and breakthrough in open heart surgeries to keep people living after major heart attacks. These are good things. But at the same time, what are we doing on the other side. We are creating other diseases due to pollution and other unnatural styles. … And with all the toxic chemicals in the soil, in the ocean, in the rivers and in the air, if you look at it realistically the world is in a hopeless state. Politicians don’t want to tell you and we don’t want to hear about it, because we are just caught up in our petty pursuance of fulfilling our greed. It is a big problem.

Śrīla Radhanath Swami Mahārāja :
“The Real Significance of Bhumi Puja”
Lecture at Govardhan Farm, Wada - 2nd October 2009
http://www.radhanathmaharaj.net/node/80
http://www.radhanath-swami.net/ - http://radhanathswami.info/

ETHIOPIA FORCES THOUSANDS OFF LAND

2012-01-18T08:00:00.000-03:00

RIGHTS GROUP: ETHIOPIA
FORCIBLY RESETTLED 70,000

Addis Ababa (AP) - Ethiopia has forcibly moved tens of thousands of semi-nomadic people in the country’s west to barren villages and threatened, assaulted and arrested those who resisted, an international rights group said in a report. The Human Rights Watch report said that Ethiopia last year resettled about 70,000 people in its western Gambella region after the first of a three-year “villagization” program. The rights group said it suspects people have been moved to lease out farmland to investors, and not just to lift them out of poverty. It said that security forces “repeatedly threatened, assaulted, and arrested villagers” who resisted relocation. It also reported rape, killing of cattle and burning of houses among rights violations. Instead of the promised improved life with “access to basic socio-economic infrastructures,” locals found new villages that lacked food, farmland, schools and health clinics, HRW said.

The watchdog said its report is based on 100 interviews in 2011 with residents in Gambella and in a refugee camp in Kenya. The organization called upon the Ethiopian government to suspend its program until all promised facilities have been provided for. The government in Addis Ababa rejects HRW’s allegations. Ethiopia’s minister of federal affairs denounced the allegations in a letter to Human Rights Watch as “downright fabrications” of a “politically motivated” organization. He wrote that Human Rights Watch “willfully ignores the fact that more than 50,000 people are utilizing services from the newly built” villages. HRW says it has evidence that some 70,000 indigenous people in the western Gambella region were relocated against their will to new villages that “lack adequate food, farmland, healthcare and educational facilities”.

Ethiopia’s government has been accused by US-based Human Rights Watch of forcing tens of thousands of its poorest people off their fertile land so it can be leased to foreign investors. Indigenous peoples, like the pastoral Nuer and agrarian Anuak, are being forcibly relocated to new villages that lack adequate food, clean water, farmland, schools, clinics and other basic facilities. When there is no sense of justice or mercy, governments utilize violence against their own people to simply serve their selfish purposes.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

We are all brothers and sisters in this world. We are all visiting the planet earth for a very short time. We all have a certain amount of pains and pleasures to experience in this short visit. And the human being specially will accumulate either positive or negative reactions for everything they will do in this lifetime. And after they leave this body, very soon we will get the just compensation for what have been our deeds in this lifetime. So it is in all of our interests that we do not commit any injustice to anyone and instead of creating hellish conditions in our greed to gain more power and money. We should remember that in our next lifetime we will be subjected to the same injustices we are creating for others today.

Śrīla Bhakti Aloka Paramadvaiti Mahārāja :
“Attacks on Innocent Considered Most Sinful”
http://www.vrindanews.com/articles/attacks_on_innocent.html
http://www.vrindanews.com/ - http://www.gurumaharaj.net/

FATAL BUILDING COLLAPSE IN BEIRUT

2012-01-17T10:23:00.002-03:00

AT LEAST 27 KILLED MANY INJURED
IN BEIRUT BUILDING COLLAPSE

Beirut (AFP) - At least 26 people were killed when an old six-storey building in the Lebanese capital collapsed, officials said on Monday, with more people still trapped under the rubble. A dozen people were also injured, none of them seriously. Civil defence chief General Raymond Khattar told AFP the bodies recovered by rescuers who worked through Sunday night and Monday included those of seven Lebanese, six Sudanese, two Filipinos and two Egyptians. Among the dead was a 15-year-old Lebanese girl, and those hurt included her grandmother as well as a 73-year-old Lebanese man, at least two Sudanese, an Egyptian and a Filipina. The building housed some 50 people, many of them labourers from Sudan and Egypt, Khattar said, adding that at least eight people were known to have escaped as the building came down.

A Syrian labourer at a nearby building site said debris started falling from the building in the early evening before the entire block came crashing down. “We saw small pieces of stone falling down but no one paid any attention at the start,” he told AFP. “Then large chunks of stone started falling and people began screaming for everyone to get out. Within minutes, the building was on the floor.” Bilal Hamad, the head of Beirut municipality, urged all residents to alert authorities should they suspect any danger in their neighbourhoods and said a team of experts would soon begin to inspect buildings across the capital, many of which are built illegally or have had storeys added without proper permits. There was speculation that heavy rain may have contributed to Sunday’s disaster, making the building more prone to collapse.

At least 27 people died and several people were injured when a five-storey building collapsed unexpectedly in the Lebanese capital Beirut. Rescuers are continuing their search of the site in the Ashrafiyeh district for a further 16 people believed to be buried beneath the rubble. It is said the building was extremely run-down and the owner had recently warned tenants to move out. We are daily surrounded by many dangers; there are risks at every step, so we should choose the Lord as our protector.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

A firm confidence that the Supreme Lord will protect us in all circumstances is needed. In fact, who is saving us from all the dangers and calamities that are hovering around us every moment? In time of a severe trial, all of our acquisitions or our nearest relations fail. There is no power anywhere in this universe that would do any harm to a person whose Protector is the Supreme Lord. On the contrary, the entire population and resources of the whole universe, cannot save him, if he is disowned by the Lord. This firmness in his belief makes him steady ever the more. This spirit of confidence saves him from the unsteady nature of the mind. … It makes the life of a striver light and easy, and his journey remarkably smooth and pleasant.

Śrīla Bhakti Vaibhava Purī Mahārāj:
“Guru and Atma Nivedan”
“Firm Confidence in the Lord”
Bhakti Vigyan Nityananda Book Trust
Śrī Krishna Chaitanya Mission - http://www.purimaharaj.com/

CHAOS IN ITALIAN CRUISE SHIP SINKING

2012-01-16T08:27:00.000-03:00

LIKE SCENE OUT OF FILM ‘TITANIC,’
CHAOS CONSUMED LISTING SHIP

Porto Santo Stefano, Italy (CNN) - The 3,200 passengers aboard the Costa Concordia cruise liner were enjoying a night of entertainment and relaxation off Italy’s Mediterranean coast. Then, at about dinnertime, the lights went out, an ominous scraping sound moaned through the hull, and the ship tilted to one side. The 1,500-cabin luxury vessel, which was also carrying about 1,000 crew members, had run aground on a rocky sandbar off the tiny island of Giglio. Chaos overwhelmed passengers and crew alike when, as the ship listed and water rose as if it were a scene from “Titanic,” everyone realized that only one side of the ship’s lifeboats and rafts were reachable. Amid screams, the crew appeared helpless, according to one passenger who had to make a ladder of rope to save himself and his wife. The worst part came when a lifeboat crew member told everyone, “Women and children first.”

“All these families who were clinging to each other had to be separated,” said Benji Smith, who was on the Concordia for his honeymoon with his wife, Emily. The couple lives in Boston. After helping passengers, some crew members jumped overboard and swam ashore. At least three lifeboats apparently malfunctioned due to technical or crew error, Smith said. Life rafts were “twisting and turning,” and the crew pulled in some rafts and put the people back on the ship, but the crew never returned for them, Smith said. With the ship’s staircases flooded, “we made ladders out of ropes to climb down from the outer fourth deck to the third deck,” Smith said. “We waited clinging to those rope ladders for 3½ hours” before being picked up by a lifeboat, he said. Smith said he and his wife never heard from any of the officers or captain during the incident. The couple was eventually transported by bus to a hotel in Rome.

Panic spread as people scrambled to find lifeboats in the dark as the ship quickly leaned to one side. Passengers complained about how the cruise ship staff handled the crisis when disaster struck. A sixth body was being pulled from the wreckage of the stricken Costa Concordia as the ship’s captain was accused of “significant human error”. Mankind is by nature afflicted with the four flaws or defects, even the greatest scholars cannot free themselves of them.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

The conditioned soul has four defects: (1) bhrama (‘the tendency to error’), (2) pramada (‘inattention’), (3) karanapatava (‘the inadequacy of the senses’) and (4) vipralipsa (‘the desire to deceive’). Any conditioned soul has these defects. Bhrama means the tendency to think something that is true to be false and vice versa. The word pramada means ‘inattention.’ Even when the senses do their job, the mind is not entirely attentive and so makes further errors. Karanapatava means the incapacity of the senses to properly perceive anything. And the last fault is quite devastating; it is vipralipsa, ‘the desire to deceive.’ Even though we don’t really know what the truth is, we say, ‘I have seen.’ So these are the conditioned souls’ four defects.

Śrīla Bhakti Promode Puri Mahārāja :
“Sri Guru Pranali - Siddha Pranali”
Conversation at Gopinatha Gaudiya Matha,
Cakra Tirtha, Jagannatha Puri, Sept. 28, 1998
http://bvml.org/SBPPG/sgp-sp.html

THAI MAN MARRIES HIS DEAD GIRLFRIEND

2012-01-15T11:04:00.006-03:00

THAI MAN MARRY HIS GIRLFRIEND
DESPITE SHE’S BEEN DEAD FOR DAYS

Pattaya Daily News - The news of a North Eastern Thailand tv director marrying his dead fiancée became viral on the social media with 50,000 sharing the news on-line. The news became the “Talk of the town” on Facebook and YouTube after “ Chadil Deffy “ or Deff Yingyuen, stated his love for his late girlfriend, Sarinya or “Anne” Kamsook. Much to the surprise of his friends, on January 4, Deff posted the message on his Facebook page, inviting his friends to a wedding-cum-funeral rite for his longtime girlfriend at a local temple in Surin Province. The couple had been together for a decade and made a promise to get married before the bride died in a car accident. Deff said their wedding was postponed due busy schedules and his studies before he was going to settle down in matrimony with Sarinya.

This bizarre wedding ceremony together with the funeral of the corpse of the bride was held at Tri Vivek temple Moo 9 Baan Sadao Tambon Nabua , Amphur Muang, Surin province. The corpse of the bride was Ms. Sarinya or “Ann Kamsuk” age 29, from Surin province. The bridegroom, known by his nickname “Dave”, is director of television programs. Both of them fell in love while studying at the Eastern Asia University ten years ago and had planned to get married but the woman had died on the evening of January 3, 2012. During the funeral ceremony, the groom is seen in a black smart suit putting a ring on the finger of his late girlfriend. This was posted on the Facebook and YouTube and it spread like wildfire. There were many wreaths from her friends and relatives and from actors, singers and fellow students.

A young man, Chadil Duffy, and long-time girlfriend Sarinya had agreed to marry, but before they had the chance, she died unexpectedly. However, Duffy, intent on following through on his promise to his girlfriend, and last week he has married his dead girlfriend. Depending on sensibilities, one may have a number of reactions to this unique story of tragedy and love, yet one thing is certain: in our current conditioned state, the material attachment for the gross body is very hard to overcome.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Sukadeva Gosvami told Maharaja Pariksit that every living entity is actually most attached to his own self. Outward paraphernalia such as home, family, friends, country, society, wealth, opulence and reputation are all only secondary in pleasing the living entity. ... The next important object of affection, after his own self, is his material body. A person who has no information of the spirit soul is very much attached to his material body. ... The attachment to the body is there only because the “I,” the spirit soul, is within the body. Similarly, when one is further advanced, he knows that the spirit soul is pleasing because it is part and parcel of Krishna. Ultimately, it is Krishna who is pleasing and all-attractive. Without being an expansion of Krishna, nothing can be attractive.

Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda :
“Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead”
Chapter 14: “Prayers Offered by Lord Brahma to Lord Krishna”
Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International

VAN DER SLOOT GETS 28 YEARS FOR MURDER IN PERU

2012-01-14T11:41:00.001-03:00

JORAN VAN DER SLOOT GIVEN 28 YEARS
PRISON FOR MURDER PERUVIAN WOMAN

Fox News - The self-confessed killer of Peruvian college student Stephany Flores was convicted of aggravated homicide and petty theft. The prosecution had requested a 30-year sentence, which was reduced to 28 years for having subjected himself to what is called an “anticipated conclusion,” whereby he declared himself guilty and accepted all charges put forth by the Public Ministry of Peru. He was also charged just over $74,000 in reparations. Van der Sloot’s sentence will conclude on June 10, 2038, after which he will be expelled from the country. Van der Sloot acted bored and disconnected during his two hearings, an attitude many interpreted as disrespectful to the court. During his plea, he said he “felt badly” and “regretted” what had happened. Asked if he accepted the sentence, Van der Sloot, standing in a green T-shirt and faded jeans in a hot Lima courtroom, said he would appeal.

Van der Sloot met Flores, 21, at a poker tournament in Lima the night before her murder. Her badly beaten, decomposing body was found in his hotel room two days later. The murder grabbed international attention because van der Sloot was already the only suspect in the presumed death of 19-year old Holloway, who vanished in Aruba. He was detained twice in Aruba, but released because of lack of evidence. He was never charged with the murder because Holloway’s body was never recovered. The Flores case, on the other hand, was loaded with a weight of evidence, and he admitted that he killed Stephany. Van der Sloot and Flores fought after returning to his hotel room to play on-line poker. It is said she received a message from someone who had been at the poker tournament, warning her of van der Sloot’s alleged murder of Holloway, so he reacted and brutally beaten and strangled Flores with a bloody shirt.

The 24-year-old Dutch national Joran van der Sloot was sentenced to 28 years in a Peruvian prison for the 2010 qualified murder and robbery of 21-year-old Stephany Flores. He was in Lima for a poker tournament, where he found himself on a losing streak. The professional poker player lured the young woman to his hotel room for a game of online poker, then he reacted with rage and beat her to death. The Mahabharata states that gambling is one the vices which lead to a man’s downfall.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Gambling opens the door to all types of deceit. Whoever doesn’t dedicate his life to gambling understands that all work and each responsibility have its own fruit. To gamble means not to know why one is living. Responsibility and honesty get lost simultaneously when playing with money. The illusion of betting is that one can win something good, effortlessly. The idea of good luck contradicts the law of karma. Time that is lost in gambling should be devoted to improving family relationships, because the family is our best treasure. One has no right to put others in anxiety; the well-being of one’s beloved family is at risk. No one will find blessedness in games of chance, nor in material gain.

House of Wisdom :
“Gambling - The real fortune is inside of you”
http://www.houseofwisdom.org/english/index.html
http://www.houseofwisdom.org/english/advices_society_realfortune.htm

VIDEO OF MARINES DRAWS U.S. CONDEMNATION

2012-01-13T10:46:00.000-03:00

MARINES GUILTY OF SHOCKING
ACT AGAINST TALIBAN IDENTIFIED

Washington (Washington Post) - The Obama administration on Thursday strongly condemned a viral video that depicts Marines desecrating corpses as U.S. officials tried to prevent a popular backlash in Afghanistan and forestall damage to nascent peace talks with the Taliban.

As the images of Marines urinating on three bloodied bodies circulated around the globe, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta denounced the video as “utterly deplorable” and called Afghan President Hamid Karzai to assure him that the incident would be thoroughly investigated. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton expressed “total dismay” at the apparent behavior by Marines.

“Actions like those are not only illegal but are contrary to the values of a professional military and serve to erode the reputation of our joint force”, said Gen Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The video, which runs for less than a minute, depicts four Marines in combat gear laughing and joking as they urinate on three male bodies lined up on the ground next to a toppled wheelbarrow. The caption refers to the corpses as “dead Talibans,” but it was unclear whether they were civilians or fighters killed after a battle. A Marine official said investigators were questioning two individuals whom they had preliminarily identified as being in the video. The Marine Corps is “fairly confident” that all four were members of the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines, the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Two of the soldiers appearing in a shocking video showing marines urinating on corpses of the Taliban militants have been identified. “This conduct is entirely inappropriate for the US military and does not reflect the standards of values our armed forces are sworn to uphold,” Defence Secretary Leon Panetta said in a statement. This apparent desecration of the dead is an immoral behavior that goes against military code of conduct and should be internationally repudiated.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

The prime protector of the citizens in the Sanskrit language is called a Kshatriya. This word means warrior, but primarily as one who protects people from kshat or unhappiness. Such a Kshatriya is said to display the characteristics of bravery, courage, vigilance, charity, the ability to display his prowess, and not retreating from battle. (Mb. 6.42.43) Kshatriyas should take up their weapons only to protect others, such as individuals and the community at large. (Ramayana 3.10.3) A Kshatriya must exhibit the appropriate conduct toward his subordinates. He can exercise control of the other classes in society and is thus called a statesman. He thus must exhibit impartiality in executing his duties without favoritism or disdain toward anyone. He must have consideration for the benefit of all.

Dr Stephen Knapp (Śrīpad Nandanandana dasa) :
“Purpose and Function of Government
According to Mahabharata”
http://www.stephen-knapp.com/purpose_of_government_according_to_mahabharata.htm
http://stephenknapp.wordpress.com/2009/06/30/purpose-and-function-of-government-according-to-mahabharata/

INTERFAITH PANEL OFFERED BY JEWISH FEDERATION

2012-01-12T12:13:00.001-03:00

HAVDALLAH, COMMUNITY DINNER
AND INTERFAITH PANEL DISCUSSION

www.chattanoogan.com - The Jewish Federation from Chattanooga city in the US state of Tennessee will host a Havdallah, a community dinner, and an interfaith panel discussion on life and the afterlife on Saturday, Jan. 21, at 7 p.m. at the Jewish Cultural Center, 5461 North Terrace Road. The evening will begin with Havdallah, a very short ceremony that marks the symbolic end of the Sabbath (Shabbat in Hebrew) and/or religious holidays. Havdallah ushers in the new week and during the ceremony, individuals use all five senses, tasting wine, smell spices, seeing and feeling the flame of a special braided candle, and hearing special Havdallah blessings. Following the ceremony and a community dinner, members of an interfaith panel will present how each of his religions deal with life and the afterlife.

Each of the members of the interfaith panel will exhibit each religion’s view by answering the following questions: - How does his faith define/interpret the word, “heaven?” - How does his faith define/interpret the word, “hell?” - What are the views/beliefs/understandings of his faith regarding sin? - What are the views/beliefs/understandings of his faith regarding reward and punishment? The evening will conclude with a facilitated question-and-answer session with the audience. Members of the panel include Rabbi Bill Tepper (Mizpah Congregation), Imam Plemon ElAmin (representing the Muslim community), Father Stavros Ballas (Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church), and Reggie Lisemby (Brainerd Baptist Church).

The Jewish Cultural Center at Chattanooga, USA, offers classes and exhibits rooted in Jewish values; however, all programs are open to everyone regardless of religious affiliation. In a world of constant struggle between religions, this interfaith panel discussion is a right path towards mutual understanding. Besides, the rapid rise of fundamentalism threatens the religious freedom for all of us. That is why interfaith dialogue is more important now than ever.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

The purpose of Interfaith is to create an understanding about the other systems and their rudimentary values to enforce mutual respect, even though not reverence … Due to continuous engagement in scientific and economic pursuits, west has lost its immunity in self and social control, which has made it the first and the worst vulnerable region for ethical degradation. ... In the present context of Interfaith, cultural exchange, in its level-headed way, can tremendously lubricate collective survival mechanism. Festivals and art forms of every faith and system are to be demonstrated with their essential messages, so that it can kindle involvement in their own people and others. This get together shatters the cloud of selfishness and egoism, thereby binding everybody with inborn love.

Śrīla S.A.R. Prasanna Venkatachariar Chaturvedi Swamy :
Acarya of Ramanuja Sampradaya
“International Conference on Interfaith”
“Culture, Philosophy, Literature and Religion”
http://saranagathi.org/blogs/members/chaturvedi
http://www.sriramanujamissiontrust.org

WORLD TICKS CLOSER TO ‘DOOMSDAY’

2012-01-11T13:19:00.006-03:00

DOOMSDAY CLOCK MOVES ONE
MINUTE CLOSER TO CATASTROPHE

www.news.cnet.com - The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists announced Tuesday that it has moved its “Doomsday Clock” to five minutes to midnight. The group says inadequate progress on stopping the spread of nuclear weapons and continuing inaction on climate change are the reasons for the move. The clock had been set at six minutes to midnight for the past two years. It previously was set at five minutes to midnight from 2007-2010. “It is five minutes to midnight. Two years ago, it appeared that world leaders might address the truly global threats that we face. In many cases, that trend has not continued or been reversed. For that reason, the BAS is moving the clock hand one minute closer to midnight, back to its time in 2007.”

In pushing the hypothetical hands of time one minute closer to our proverbial destruction, the BAS blamed the lack of progress in reducing nuclear arms and addressing the issue of climate change. The group says in a statement that two years ago, there was reason for optimism “that world leaders might address the truly global threats we face. In many cases, that trend has not continued or been reversed.” “The world still has over 19,000 nuclear weapons, enough power to destroy the world’s inhabitants several times over,” said Jayantha Dhanapala. Further, the world has fallen behind in adopting climate change agreements designed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by requiring coal producers to capture their CO2 and encouraging the world to invest more heavily in alternative energy sources, such as solar and wind power.

The Doomsday Clock, which represents just how close the world is to a global catastrophe, has been moved closer to midnight (destruction) due to the proliferation of nuclear weapons and continuing inaction on climate change. Unless societies begin building alternatives to carbon-emitting energy technologies, the world is doomed to a warmer climate, harsher weather, droughts, famine, water scarcity, rising sea levels, loss of island nations, and increasing ocean acidification.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

It is practical, to destroy the water, to destroy the air, to destroy the ground, with pollution, nuclear waste, very realistic is it not? ... What is the cause of all these problems? One thing. There is one cause for all of these problems in the world if you examine properly: People are discontent. The more they have, the more discontent they become. ... The scientists and the technologists are thinking, if only we can make a very, very luxurious type of lifestyle, then everyone will be content. Now we have our big skyscrapers and people are jumping off to commit suicide. Now we have our big, big airplanes and the terrorists are putting their bombs in them. We have our rocket ships and they are exploding in mid air. Spending billions of dollars of tax payer’s money, for what, looking for some contentment, some peace in life. Who has found it?

Śrīla Radhanath Swami Mahārāja :
Class on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 8.19.21
“Vamandev Begs Forgiveness from Bali Maharaj”
http://www.radhanathmaharaj.net/content/vamandev-begs-forgiveness-bali-maharaj-radhanath-swami
http://www.radhanath-swami.net/ - http://radhanathswami.info/

WHAT MYSTIFIES DR. HAWKING? WOMEN

2012-01-10T16:43:00.000-03:00

ONE LAST MYSTERY FOR PROF
STEPHEN HAWKING: WOMEN

msnbc.com - As famed physicist Stephen Hawking turns 70, the subject that most occupies his thoughts is not how the universe arose from nothing, or how he’s been able to live with neurodegenerative disease for so long. Here’s what he thinks about most: “Women. They are a complete mystery.” That’s the bottom line from New Scientist’s interview with Hawking, timed to coincide with this weekend’s birthday celebration at Cambridge. The theorist is almost completely paralyzed due to his decades-long struggle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, and had to provide his answers by laboriously twitching his cheek to operate a computerized speech-translation system.

But it’s his brief comment on women that attracted the most attention: How could it be that a scientist who has plumbed the deepest mysteries of the cosmos finds himself mystified by women? Like the real-life Einstein, Hawking has had an active romantic life, marked by two marriages. (Einstein’s second marriage ended with the death of his wife and cousin Elsa; Hawking’s ended in an ugly divorce.) Hawking’s disease does not affect his sexual ability or his potency, and the fact that he’s fathered three children is evidence of that. Even as he approaches the age of 70, Hawking seems to have kept his playful, pleasant, mischievous character. That may help explain his latest comment about the mystique surrounding women, as well as his own mystique.

He may be one of the world’s most eminent scientists, but one thing remains a mystery to Professor Stephen Hawking - women. When asked what he thinks most about during the day the physicist, who has recently turned 70, said: “Women. They are a complete mystery.” Prof Hawking made his comment about women in an interview with New Scientist. Originally, family system in Hindu society protected women. They always knew that someone loved and cared for them.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

In the Hindu scripture Manu Shastra, it is recommended that a woman always remain under the protection of a man. As a child, she may be under the supervision of her father; after marriage, her husband may protect her; and if she becomes widow, she must live with her son. This has been resisted by some as a sign of weakness and inferiority of women, but such a practice may also provide much-needed security for weak and vulnerable females - this was especially so in the ancient times, when hard manual work was required for daily existence. ... Women were considered too precious and too vulnerable to be left alone. Even today, Hindu society generally abhors the idea of women living on their own. Yet the tragic reality is that the injustices and humiliations of both the lower caste and the female sex did continue for thousands of years - human weakness prevailed.

Dr. Hiro Badlani:
“Hinduism - Path of the Ancient Wisdom”
Chapter 9: “Vedas through the Passage of Time”
http://hinduismpath.com/
http://hinduismpath.com/book-contents/chapter-9/

ANOTHER TEENAGER CYBERBULLIED TO DEATH

2012-01-09T11:25:00.006-03:00

BULLIED TEEN GIRL KILLED
BY BUS HOLDING SUICIDE NOTE

www.examiner.com - On January 6, 2012, mourners flocked to St. Ann’s Church to pay final respects to 15-year-old Amanda Diane Cummings. According to relatives, she was a popular girl bullied by a group of mean girls at high school. While some family members knew she was being tormented, the bullying was not reported to school officials at the teen’s urging.
After a recent breakup with a boyfriend and constant bullying, the pretty high school sophomore walked into the path of an oncoming city bus at about 7:30 P.M. on December 27, 2011. According to reports, a suicide note was found on her person. She succumbed to her injuries six days after the incident, on January 2, 2012.

While friends and family say she was kind to everyone and always had a smile on her face, hundreds of hurtful and hateful messages and images continued to be posted on her Facebook page not only while she was alive, but while she was in a coma fighting for her life and even they are still being published after her death! Like traditional bullying, cyberbullying is a serious issue that can result in low self-esteem, anger, depression, absenteeism, bad grades and as in this case, suicide. As electronic bullying continues to increase, perhaps more states will finally enact tough anti-bullying laws that will protect children from online and offline bullies? It was reported in 2010 that one out of five middle-school students claim that they were victims of cyber bullying in the USA.

Amanda Cummings, 15, died after being struck by a bus as she was carrying a suicide note. She was a sophomore at High School, where she was being bullied by her classmates. The bullies were posting inappropriate and cruel things on her Facebook wall, even while she was in the hospital. Cyber bullying is a great danger if social networking sites turn into areas for insults and taunts. Sometimes an intense hatred awakes in the soul, so we see others as enemies and we want to see them suffering.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Attracted to maya, the soul becomes bewildered. Then he is not attracted to pure spirit. ‘It is ‘I’ and ‘It is mine’ are the two conceptions maya thrusts upon the soul. Then the soul thinks, ‘This material body is mine’ and ‘I am this body’. In this condition the soul loves persons who bring pleasure to his material body and hates persons who thwart the bringing of pleasure to his material body. Thus the bewildered soul becomes a slave of love and hatred. The bewildered soul thinks others are either his friends or his enemies in three ways: 1. saririla (in relation to material bodies), 2. samajika (in relation to society and social groups), and 3. naitika (in the context of ideas). That condition of life is called samsara (enslavement in the world of repeated birth and death).

Śrīla Saccidananda Bhaktivinoda Thākura :
“Jaiva-dharma” (The Universal Religion)
Chapter Three: Naimittik Dharma Asampurna, Heya, Misra O Acirasthayi
http://bvml.org/SBTP/index.htm
http://bvml.org/SBTP/JD/index.html#3

SRILA BHAKTI KUMUD SANT MAHARAJ´S DEPARTURE

2012-01-08T11:15:00.002-03:00

ONE MORE STAR OF THE GAUDIYA
SKY FADED FROM MUNDANE SIGHT

www.sreecgmath.org - Most Revered Siksha Guru Sri Srimad Bhakti Kumud Sant Goswami Maharaj leaves His dear disciples, associates and followers in separation grief yesterday. This is a great loss not only to the Gaudiya Vaishnavas but to the entire world. He took His last breath at 1.05 AM IST yesterday in a private nursing home. Earlier Srila Maharaj was admitted to the hospital as He had problem in respiration due to severe cold few days ago. Doctors also diagnosed that He had fever, sugar and liver problem. These external things just became apparent cause but ultimately it was His desire to be part of the mid-night eternal pastimes of the Lord.

He is the last disciple of Nitya-lila Pravista Om Vishnupad 108 Sri Srimad Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur Prabhupad, the Founder of world-wide Sri Chaitanya Math, Sri Gaudiya Math and Sri Gaudiya Missions to leave this planet.

At 9.45 AM IST Srila Maharaj’s transcendental body was brought to the Math in Behala, Kolkata and was placed in front of the Deities. He was performed Arati, Pushpanjali. Countless devotees of various organizations visited the math and offered flowers to His body. Later He was shifted to the bhajan kutir in the 2nd floor where devotees stood in queue to get their turn to have darsan of His transcendental body.
The grief of the devotees cannot be phrased and expressed in any language of the world.

His service to the Vaishnava literature is also worth, with His books like “Samlape Shiksha”, “Patre Upadesh”, “Geeta Siddhant Sar”, “Sant Vani”, “Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhur Jiveni”, “Sadhan Kan”, “Damodar Vrat Mahatmya”, “Bhakti Geeti” and “Diksha” which have been casting divine light on the royal path of pure devotion.

One of the brightest stars in the Gaudiya sky, Srila Bhakti Kumud Santa Goswami Maharaj took His last breath yesterday in a private nursing home in Calcuta, India. His transcendental body will be taken to Narma near Medinipur where He appeared. From there He would be taken to Sri Chaitanya Ashram in Kharagpur. Later He would be taken to Keshiari where He established Sri Gauranga Math and the final samadhi will take place there. Santa Maharaja’s glories will be heard all over.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Srila Santa Maharaja was an outstanding preacher through his life. He was very dear to his godbrothers and to his Spiritual Master. Srila Santa Maharaja left the world in Calcutta where he had spending the last years in his bed, deeply absorbed in the welfare of all living entities. Despite of his state of being absent minded from the mundane affairs, he still received thousands of visitors and even initiated many new sannyasis into the preaching invitation his gurudeva made to the whole world. … Srila Bhakti Kumud Santa Maharaja has established many beautiful mandirs in India and also traveled around the world preaching the glories of Lord Caitanya in England, Germany and USA. … He joined Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur Prabhupada’s Mission when he was still a young boy and, as he told me personally, Srila Bhakti Pramode Puri Maharaja had been a tutor for him in his early stages of math’s life.

Śrīla Bhakti Aloka Paramadvaiti Mahārāja :
“Srila Bhakti Kumud Santa Maharaja”
VINA - Vaishnava Internet News Agency
Sunday, January 8, 2012
http://vinacc.blogspot.com/2012/01/srila-bhakti-kumud-santa-maharaja-by.html
http://harekrishnaworldnews.blogspot.com/2012/01/srila-bhakti-kumud-santa-maharajas.html

THE INFLUENTIAL UK VEGETARIAN SOCIETY

2012-01-07T09:38:00.001-03:00

THE VEGETARIAN SOCIETY, ATTRACTS
VISITORS FROM ALL OVER ENGLAND

UK (messengernewspapers) - A Victorian mansion just off leafy Dunham Road in Altrincham is home to an organisation whose appeal is so far and wide, it gets more hits on its website from overseas than it does at home (England). It is the Vegetarian Society - a 165-year-old charity which has always had its roots in Manchester since forming in 1847, but has been in its current home for the past 43 years. The society’s patrons include the doyen of vegetarian cookery Rose Elliot and Paul, Stella and Mary McCartney. It employs 30 staff - none of whom eat meat - and has an annual turnover of 1.3 million pounds sterling (US$ 2 million). “There are vegetarian societies all over the continent, but we’re the oldest and the biggest,” said CEO Dr Jon Green.

“We’re an educational charity and make information available so people constantly contact us asking for advice. We don’t preach to people, that would be counter-productive. I personally believe the world would be a better place if we didn’t eat meat - but our role is to show what it means to be vegetarian, how to eat vegetarian food and how great it is to eat as a vegetarian.” As well as receiving funding from all the usual sources such as membership and legacies, it also receives a fee for underwriting vegetarian cuisine in supermarkets - you will find the logo on 8,000 products. Today there are two million vegetarians in the UK, with the society having 12,000 members. 75 % of those members are women and most - according to a recent survey - cite animal welfare as the main reason for abstaining from eating meat.

“Vegetarianism was a bit different back in the 1800s as people’s religious views played a part as well as concern for animal welfare, health and the environment. However, the basic principles are the same today - eating as a vegetarian is good for us and the environment and causes minimal damage to the animals we share the planet with,” said CEO Dr Jon Green from The Vegetarian Society, in Altrincham England.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Until around the mid-twentieth century, most of us were taught that meat contains essential amino acids that could not be obtained in vegetarian foods. It was thus implied that a vegetarian diet was inferior and incomplete. But now the tables have turned - without any controversy, medical opinion now favors a vegetarian diet. Meat is often considered a relatively toxic substance for human consumption. Health authorities worldwide agree that heart attacks, cancers, and many other diseases are more prevalent in the meat-eating population than in the vegetarian population. ... Vegetarian food is considered a complete diet, especially if there are sufficient dairy products and nutrient foods like soya in the diet.

Dr. Hiro Badlani:
“Hinduism - Path of the Ancient Wisdom”
Chapter 48: “Vegetarianism”
“The Compassionate Way of Living”
http://hinduismpath.com/
http://hinduismpath.com/book-contents/chapter-48/

THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS AND EPIPHANY

2012-01-06T09:37:00.001-03:00

THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS
ENDS ON THREE KINGS DAY

www.examiner.com - On January 6, many religious people still celebrate the Epiphany or Three Kings Day which is the 12th day of Christmas. This is the day in which the biblical three wise men reached baby Jesus, Mother Mary and earthly father, Joseph, in the Bethlehem manger. Epiphany is the climax of the Advent/Christmas Season and the Twelve Days of Christmas, which are usually counted from the evening of December 25th until the morning of January 6th. The essence of Epiphany is the revealing of God to the Gentiles. In the incarnation, God's light shines on all persons and all nations. Today, is no ordinary day, but the day baby Jesus was visited by three kings bearing gifts to the newborn King; the gifts were Frankincense, Myrrh, and Gold. The three kings, Melchior, Gaspar, and Balthasar follow the star which appeared in the night sky not knowing where this journey would take them. During their travels they encounter danger and many difficulties along the way.

The three kings discover that they must each give up what they hold most dear. The star leads the Magi to a shelter house for animals in the town of Betlehem in Judea. There they find the newborn King, baby Jesus, lying on straw in a manger. They return home joyful and eager to share the truth with others. This is the story of the Epiphany.
The term epiphany means "to show" or "to make known" or "to reveal." These 12 days give us time to meditate on the true meaning of Christmas and give thanks for the blessings that the holiday season brings. It is a time to reflect on Christmas memories of family, children, traditions, holiday foods, and special gifts. There is something special about a lit-up Christmas tree in an otherwise darkened room, while pondering the wonder of our Lord Jesus Christ born in a manger.

Today, January 6, is Epiphany also known as Three Kings Day. The ‘12 Days of Christmas’ you have heard sung about in Christmas songs are commonly known as the days that it took for the three wise men to travel to see the baby Jesus and presented Him with gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh. In this story there is a clear parallel to baby Krishna who was also presented with gifts that included sandalwood and perfumes - about three thousand years earlier in Vrindavana, India.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

The native land of the three saints has frequently been placed in the Arabian area or, as the attribute of origin ‘from the East’ rather leads one to expect, in the Indo-Iranian region. The Indian thesis of their origin is nowadays steadily gaining adherents. ... But where did the Magi come from? What is East, seen from Jerusalem? ... It was perfectly natural for the rishis from India offer the traditional gifts of gold, incense and myrrh.” Vedic custom is to offer presents to a newly born child. See SB 10.5.10, etc. Later, during anna-prasana samskara (rite of passage, “first grains”) at six months of age, children are offered various items like rice, gold, coins and books to choose from and thus show their inclinations in future life.

Vedic Knowledge Online - Vedic Connections
“Ancient Vedic World - Christianity”
“3 Wise Men of Bible were from India”
http://www.veda.harekrsna.cz
http://www.veda.harekrsna.cz/connections/Christianity.php#6

TAPPING SPIRITUALITY TO RESET CORPORATE GOALS

2012-01-05T12:29:00.001-03:00

MANAGEMENT EXPERTS TO HOLD
SPIRITUAL MEETING IN BANGALORE

www.dnaindia.com - The global economic meltdown, for which corporate greed in the developed world is blamed, seems to be prompting management experts to bank on spirituality to reset goals for businesses. More than 100 management experts from about 60 countries will meet in Bangalore next week to “address for the first time (in India) the spiritual side of corporate management,” Ramnath Narayanswamy, economics professor at the Indian Institute of Management-Bangalore (IIM-B), has said. The management experts and practitioners will be attending the three-day conference, titled The International Spirituality Conference, which starts on January 9. IIM-B and the Journal of Management, Spirituality and Religion (JMSR) are organising the programme.

Narayanswamy and Yochanan Altman, professor of management and JMSR founding-editor, are the conference directors. The conference is supported by BEM Bordeaux Management School, France, the Institute of Labor Studies, Barcelona, and the Business and Design Lab of the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. On the role of spirituality in management, the JMSR says: “The remarkable explosion of scholarship in the field of management, business, organisations and work provides the opportunity for more specialised interest areas.” “Two areas whose time has come are that of spirituality and religion, and their role in shaping organisations,” the journal said. The Bangalore gathering is the second such conference after the one held in Vienna in December 2010.

The conference will discuss the role management plays in shaping an organisation’s decision-making models and managing resources efficiently in the context of spirituality and religion. ‘Spirituality is intimately connected with ‘purpose’ and ‘meaning’, not so much ‘religion’, and corporate work can be fulfilling if steeped with purpose. Meanwhile there is also an urgent need for businesses to be ethical, inclusive, compassionate and moral,’ Narayanswamy said.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

In Vedic times, it used to be the intellectuals who understood spiritual knowledge and the Absolute Truth, and had direct experience of it. Such people had the practical knowledge to give direction and bring stability to society; to give society a brain. A brainless society is without real direction. In such a society, everyone works in any way possible for economic development, acquiring whatever superficial prizes and heights that mean the most, while being ignorant of the true goal of life. ... This is the materialistic form of consciousness. This easily leads to activities that may pollute the earth and its atmosphere, not only environmentally but also morally, economically, politically, and in so many other ways. ... Thus, in some way, the whole world becomes affected.

Dr Stephen Knapp (Śrīpad Nandanandana dasa) :
“The Vedic Prophecies”
Chapter 3: “The Beginning of Kali-yuga”
“The Basic Pattern of Events for the Future in Kali-yuga”
http://www.stephen-knapp.com/
http://www.stephen-knapp.com/vedic_prophecies.htm

MERCURY AMALGAM: ENVIRONMENTAL POISONING

2012-01-04T08:35:00.003-03:00

GOLD RUSH IN PERU LEADS TO
MERCURY CONTAMINATION CONCERNS

www.pbs.org - In collaboration with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, PBS special correspondent in Peru, Steve Sapienza, reports about environmental concerns over mercury contamination at extensive gold mining operations in the remote regions of the Peruvian Amazon. Sapienza says: “Recent spikes in gold prices have lured 10 to 15 million people worldwide into the business of small-scale gold mining. But rising global demand for gold has also fueled demand for a far less prized metal, mercury. The toxic metal is used by millions of miners every day to separate and collect gold from rocks and soil. Miners say mercury is easy to use, readily available, and cheap. The United Nations Environment Program estimates that small-scale miners use up to 1,350 tons of mercury each year, making it the single largest use of mercury worldwide. In south-eastern Peru, the gold rush has attracted some 20,000 small scale miners to the pristine rain forest and rivers of the Madre de Dios region.”

“The devastation caused by widespread mining is easy to spot, with huge swathes of the forest turned to barren desert, but the damage caused by the heavy use of mercury is harder to detect. Mercury from small-scale mines travels widely, settling in sediments and moving up the food chain into fish, fish-eating wildlife and humans. Scientists and medical researchers only recently started to measure the impact of mercury here. Mota is a very popular fish around the region. You will find it on a lot of dinner tables, a lot of restaurant menus. This fish is at the top of its food chain. And what that means is it consumes a lot of smaller fish. And a lot of these small fish have mercury in them. And through a process known as biomagnification, this fish accumulates a lot of mercury. In fact, if a person consumes two servings of this fish per week, they’re getting seven-and-a-half times the safe limit of mercury, according to the World Health Organization,” Sapienza explains.

Gold-mining operations in remote regions of the Peruvian Amazon have stirred major environmental and health concerns over mercury contamination in fish, fish-eating wildlife and humans. Miners mix the soil with mercury, often using their hands and feet, creating a clump of amalgam that contains gold. And yet most miners are unaware of the dangers posed by mercury to the environment and to their own health. We are part of the earth, and she is part of us, so we should live a natural life.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

The biological well-being of our Mother Earth, along with the character of mankind, are becoming ruined by the materialistic way of life. Still, as the current residents of this planet, we are the ones responsible for establishing solutions for the future. ... Humanity has tried everything in the last few thousand years. Every economic and political system, as well as the industrialized, technological information age has failed to improve the human character and create a just environment. ... Change is unavoidable. We always want to be progressive and successful. Now is our last chance to do the right thing. In theory it is easy. Accept a spiritual way of life which does not allow those who follow this path to do any harm to others.

Śrīla Bhakti Aloka Paramadvaiti Mahārāja :
“Vaishnava Ecology”
http://www.vrindanews.com/wisdoms/index.html
http://www.vrindavan.org/English/about/VaishnavaEcology.html

LET A CLEAN YAMUNA FLOW INTO BRAJ

2012-01-03T11:01:00.002-03:00

FIGHT FOR THE YAMUNA RIVER
REACHES INDIAN PARLIAMENT

Delhi (ISKCON News) - After a whole year of active protesting and lobbying by sadhus, devotees, and environmentalists, it looks like the fight for the Yamuna River is finally reaching its peak, with the issue snowballing its way into Indian Parliament on December 18th. Major TV stations in India broadcast a heated three-hour debate in which fifteen to twenty members of Parliament challenged the government as to what it was going to do about the sacred river, declared ‘dead’ by the Ecological Department of India. The outraged politicians included former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav. There’s been widespread public anger for the past year due to the fact that while the Yamuna emerges clean from Yamunotri, its source in the Himalayas, there is barely a drop of the original sacred river left by the time it reaches Braj, Lord Krishna’s birthplace.

That’s because eighty-five per cent of it is held back by an irrigation dam in the state of Haryana, while 3.6 billion liters of Delhi City sewage and industrial waste is emptied into it every day. Back on April 15th this year, one thousand protestors finished a month-and-a-half long march at the common protest ground of Jantar Mantar in Delhi, where they were joined by another 19,000, some of whom went on a six-day hunger strike to get the government’s attention. The protest was led by sadhu and environmentalist Ramesh Babaji and members of his Maan Mandir organization; Bhanu Pratap Singh, head of the 100,000 strong Bhartiya Kisan Farmer’s Union; and ISKCON devotee and businessman Radha Jivan Dasa. Now, with Parliament finally taking notice of the issue, worshippers of Yamuna Maharani are seizing the opportunity with both hands and can be able to save Lord Krisna’s beloved river.

What flows by the name of “Yamuna Ji” in Braj-Vrindavan today is none but the sewage of Delhi drain and other polluted drains. The protestors have a clear demand: Let a clean Yamuna flow into Braj. They are requesting Delhi to build a 22 kilometer canal for its waste, which can then be cleaned for irrigation, rather than using the Yamuna. Million of pilgrims take their holy sip and dip in this “water” and Braj’s Deities are being bathed with it; so, if you agree with this protest, please sign "Save Yamuna Petition" here : http://www.saveyamuna.org/sign-yamuna-petition

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Many of the Lord’s transcendental, spiritual activities relate to water. ... Sometimes a flood devastates the universe, and Krishna assumes the form of a golden fish to play in the water. Tied to a horn on His head is a boat carrying sages, Vedic knowledge, and seeds to replenish the world after the flood. During this pastime, Krishna enjoys His play within the water as well as His loving relationship with the great sages. Krishna in His original form often sports in water with His friends and beloveds. For His water pastimes He chooses rivers such as the Ganges and Yamuna, who are also goddesses pure in love for Him. Krishna also plays in lakes and ponds filled with lotuses and swans and surrounded by jeweled pavilions. These bodies of water are persons, devotees of His, alive with love and bliss.

Śrīmati Urmila devi dasi :
“Water - A Meditation”
“Water Pastimes” - July/August 2008
http://urmila.me.uk/
http://www.krishna.com/water-meditation

TORTURED AFGHAN GIRL TO GO TO INDIA FOR TREATMENT

2012-01-02T10:50:00.003-03:00

15-YEAR-OLD TORTURED AFGHAN GIRL
SENT TO INDIA FOR MEDICAL TREATMENT

Kabul (AP) - A 15-year-old Afghan girl severely tortured for months by her in-laws in an attempt to force her into prostitution will be sent to India for medical treatment. Sahar Gul’s mother-in-law and sister-in-law were arrested and her husband was being sought, an Afghan official said Tuesday. The case has shocked Afghanistan, though rights activists say serious abuses against women and girls in the conservative society are common. President Hamid Karzai has said that whoever used violence against Gul will be punished. According to officials in north-eastern Baghlan province, the in-laws kept Gul in a basement for six months, ripped her fingernails out, tortured her with hot irons and broke her fingers. Police freed her last week from a basement at her husband’s home last week after her uncle called the local police.

“Her nails were pulled out, she has injuries in all parts of her body, there are signs of burning on her body, she was suffering from different kinds of injuries,” spokesman for the provincial police chief said. Her mother-in-law and other members of the family were reportedly involved in what he described as “criminal activities,” which he said included selling alcohol and prostitution.
According to reports, “they tried to force her into prostitution and she did not agree. This was one of the reasons that they detained her in the basement for six months,” the spokesman said. The public health and women's affairs ministers visited Gul at the hospital. Women's rights in Afghanistan remain a problem area in a country with a strict patriarchal culture.

A 15-year-old Afghan girl, Sahar Gul, was brutally tortured by her husband’s family. She was burned with cigarettes and had chunks of her flesh cut out with pliers in an attempt to force her into prostitution. Running away from an abusive husband or a forced marriage are considered ‘moral crimes,’ for which women are now imprisoned in Afghanistan. This is one of the worst cases of violence against Afghan women. All women are mothers, ill-treatment to women is great disrespect to Lakshmi Devi.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Goddess Lakshmi is the consort and shakti, or potency, of Lord Vishnu. Lakshmi, or Sri when she is especially known as the goddess of beauty (though sometimes considered to be separate entities), is the Goddess of fortune, wealth, power, and loveliness. Wealth means not only money, but also the higher values and qualities of life. The power of the mind and intellect is also a must if one wants to be truly wealthy, which includes spiritual wealth. ... As the spouse of Lord Vishnu, she appears whenever He does in each of His appearances, such as Vamana, Parashurama, Rama, or Krishna. In each of these appearances, she appeared as Padma or Kamala, Dharani, Sita, and Rukmini respectively. They are inseparable.

Dr Stephen Knapp (Śrīpad Nandanandana dasa) :
“Lakshmi, The Goddess of Fortune”
http://www.stephen-knapp.com/
http://www.stephen-knapp.com/lakshmi_goddess_of_fortune.htm

GREAT CELEBRATIONS TO WELCOME 2012

2012-01-01T03:13:00.001-03:00

TO WELCOME NEW YEAR 2012
CELEBRATIONS AROUND THE WORLD

http://www.bbc.co.uk - A multi-million dollar firework display heralded in the New Year in Sydney, while the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, was illuminated in colours in a similar display in Dubai. Celebrations have also been taking place in Europe, with crowds gathering in many cities to count down to 2012. In London, around 250,000 gathered to watch fireworks over the River Thames. Revellers in Spain greeted the New Year by eating 12 grapes in time with the chimes at Madrid’s central Puerta del Sol clock in a national tradition, while hundreds of thousands partied in Berlin to live music in the landmark Brandenburg Gate. In Tokyo, people released helium balloons in front of the Tokyo Tower at midnight with notes attached listing their hopes for 2012.

Many wished for a better year, following the earthquake and tsunami that brought devastation to the north-east of Japan in 2011. A downbeat tone was reflected in the new year’s message of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who said 2012 would be more difficult than 2011, but hoped Europe’s debt crisis would bring its member states closer. In France, President Nicolas Sarkozy, issued a similar warning, but tried to remain upbeat. Thousands of people gathered in Red Square in Moscow to witness a firework display at midnight. In Madrid, thousands of people gathered at six indoor “macro-parties” the authorities had organised in big venues across the Spanish capital. In Brazil, revellers enjoy a fireworks display on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro, while hundreds of thousands gathered at New York’s Times Square for the ceremonial ball-dropping at midnight.

A New Year can be a time for new beginnings. New Year’s resolutions are one way to make changes in our life; however, proclaiming a resolution for the upcoming year is something many of us do but very few of us stick with. Some experts say resolutions are worth it if you make them realistic and have an action plan to stick with them. So, cheers to you and best wishes for a Happy New Year full of service to the Lord which will allow you to keep and renovate your vows.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

We use the pretext of the New Year to take new energy in the service, since the devotee is always renewing his vows. In fact, in each moment he does so, because frequently the mind proposes to him to leave his vows. Therefore there is continuous renovation of vows. This is a special moment that we use for singing more Hare Krishna. ... So now it is about having a heart. We still have not developed it yet, but Bhakti is for this. It is like people who go to the gym to develop muscles, or who go to the stock market to get more money, but we perform Bhakti to get more heart. Well, my greetings and my best wishes. A big hug to all of you, and thank you very much for being occupied in your service which bless my life and the whole world.

Śrīla Atulananda Ācārya :
“Resolutions for a New Year”
http://www.atulanandadas.cl/
http://vrindanews.com/chat/newyear.html

CHINESE FIND CANCER-CAUSING FUNGI IN FOOD

2011-12-31T10:32:00.001-03:00

NEW CHINA FOOD SAFETY SCANDAL
IN MILK, COOKING OIL AND PEANUTS

Shanghai (Reuters) - Chinese food safety regulators in the southern city of Shenzhen have found carcinogenic mildew in peanuts and cooking oil, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Friday. The cancer-causing substance, called aflatoxin, triggered public concern this week after milk giant Mengniu Dairy said last weekend its Sichuan plant had destroyed products found by a government quality watchdog to contain it. Aflatoxin occurs naturally in the environment and is produced by certain common types of fungi. It can cause severe liver damage, including liver cancer. Fungi and the aflatoxin they produce can infect crops before harvest or during harvesting and storage. The tainted crops then enter the foodchain either directly, or indirectly via animal feed, so milk, eggs, and meat can sometimes be contaminated with aflatoxins.

Xinhua reported that the Shenzhen market supervision bureau had said it found up to 4.3 times of the permitted level of aflatoxin in peanuts sold in two supermarkets and one frozen food store, and up to four times the allowed level of aflatoxin in cooking oil in four restaurants. On Thursday, food safety officials recalled cooking oil produced by three companies in the southern Guangdong province because they may contain excessive levels of aflatoxin. These incidents are the latest in a string of safety scandals to hit China’s food industry in recent years. In 2008, at least six children died and nearly 300 000 became ill in China from drinking powdered milk laced with melamine, an industrial chemical added to low-quality or diluted milk to give misleadingly high protein readings.

Chinese authorities have detected a cancer-causing toxin in peanuts and cooking oil that was only recently discovered in milk, in China’s latest food safety scandal. Fungi and the aflatoxin they produce can infect crops before harvest or storage. Aflatoxin can enter the foodchain via animal feed; so after animal consumption of tainted crops, milk, eggs, and meat can be contaminated with it. Despite so many risks, there are still people who wonder why it is not advisable to eat eggs and meat.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

The Gaudiya Vaisnava object to meat eating because they consider animal slaughter a merciless act. ... To the extent that one is involved in merciless acts, one will be checked from making significant spiritual progress. ... Eat simply. Eat to live; don’t live to eat. Bhagavad-gita teaches that a sattvic diet is best for spiritual life in general. Sattva refers to the quality of goodness, which is said to be illuminating. A sattvic diet is vegetarian, one that avoids overly spicy foods as well as onions and garlic, because these foods are said to excite passion (rajas). Meat, fish, and eggs are products of unnecessary violence and are considered unclean. Above all, one should eat in gratitude and service to God.

Śrīla Bhakti Vedanta Tripurari Mahārāja :
“When Invaders Destroy the Deity”
Śrī Caitanya Sanga - Vol. V, No. 24 - October 30, 2003
“Guru-Pranali and the Current of Spirituality”
Śrī Caitanya Sanga - Vol. V, No. 27 - December 7, 2003
http://swami.org/ - http://swami.org/pages/sanga/current.php

NEW NORTH KOREAN LEADER; SAME OLD HOSTILITIES

2011-12-30T10:43:00.001-03:00

NORTH KOREA’S NEW LEADERS
LASH OUT AT SOUTH KOREA AND ALLIES

Seoul (Reuters) - North Korea sounded a bellicose note in its first communication with the outside world since the death of leader Kim Jong-il, saying its confrontational stance against South Korea would not change and labeling its opponents “foolish.” Since Kim Jong-il died on December 17, the outside world has been watching to see whether his son Kim Jong-un, aged in his 20s, would stick to its hardline “military first” policies that have seen the isolated nation move closer to nuclear weapons capacity. “On this occasion, we solemnly declare with confidence that foolish politicians around the world, including the puppet forces in South Korea, should not expect any changes from us,” a broadcaster on state television said.

She was reading a statement from the National Defense Commission, the top body in the militarized and impoverished state under Kim Jong-il.In a break from the black mourning clothing worn since Kim Jong-il’s death, the broadcaster wore dark red clothes and almost shouted her defiant message. North Korea has a long history of using bellicose phrases against the South, especially since the conservative government of Lee Myung-bak took office in 2008 and ended a policy of engagement with the North. It has threatened to turn the South’s capital Seoul into a “sea of fire” on numerous occasions and repeated that rhetoric again on Friday. South Korea’s government did not formally respond to the comments from the North.

Many had hoped that North Korea would change their foreign policy with the rise of Kim Jong Un, but this message from North Korea’s powerful National Defense Commission show no flexibility: “The sea of bloody tears from our military and people will follow the puppet regime (South Korea’s government )until the end. The tears will turn into a sea of revengeful fire that burns everything.” Revenge and hatred are the kind of emotions that affect our present and future.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

The last thoughts determine the conditions and nature of the next birth. This is what the sages have said about the phenomenon of death. The last dominant thought in our mind at the time when we just drop off to sleep can often be the thought that dominates our mind the next morning. It is for this reason that we are advised to sing the Divine Names of God or hymns at the time of death in order to focus the attention of the dying person on holy and noble thoughts. It is needless to add that if the soul departs from the body with thoughts of anger, hatred, jealousy, worry and fear, or in a state of great mental turmoil, then such thoughts and agitation will be carried over and immediately experienced in that realm also.

Dr Stephen Knapp (Śrīpad Nandanandana dasa) :
“Curing Depression with Spirituality”
http://www.stephen-knapp.com/
http://www.stephen-knapp.com/curing_depression_with_spirituality.htm

RUSSIAN COURT REFUSES BAN TRANSLATION OF BHAGAVAD GITA

2011-12-29T11:07:00.001-03:00

COURT REFUSES BAN BHAGVAD GITA
FOLLOWERS CHEER ACROSS THE WORLD

Moscow (TOI) - A Russian court yesterday rejected a petition, described by India as “patently absurd”, which had sought a ban on a translated version of Bhagvad Gita, bringing cheers to followers here as well as those across the world. “We have won the case. The judge has rejected the petition,” Sadhu Priya Das of ISKCON, Moscow, who is also Chairman of newly formed Hindu Council of Russia, told PTI. External Affairs Minister S M Krishna welcomed the judgement and thanked the Russian government for its support. ISKCON members have alleged that the Russian Orthodox Church was behind the court case as it wanted to limit their activities. Prosecutors in the Siberian city of Tomsk had argued that the Russian translation of “Bhagavad Gita As It Is” promotes “social discord” and hatred towards non-believers.

The text is a combination of the Bhagvad Gita, one of Hinduism’s holiest scriptures, and commentary by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, that is commonly known as the Hare Krishna movement, ISKCON. The prosecutors had asked the court to include the book on the Russian Federal List of Extremist Materials, which bans more than 1,000 texts including Adolf Hitler’s “Mein Kampf” and books distributed by the Jehovah’s Witness and Scientology movements. Speaking in Parliament, Krishna had said the lawsuit was the work of “ignorant and misdirected or motivated individuals.” He also called the complaint “patently absurd”. The judge, after reviewing the petition from the state prosecutors and the responses against it, dismissed the plea.

A Russian court on Wednesday rejected prosecutors’ calls to ban a translated version of Bhagavad Gita written by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada entitled “As It Is”. This case had created a diplomatic stress point for India and Russia and provoked protests all over the world. Instead of the Bhagavad Gita, it should ban smoking, liquor, drugs, abortion, gambling and consumption of meat that does so much damage, not only to animals but to the environment.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Contrary to what the Russian government’s spokesperson has to say, what the court is objecting to is not Prabhupada’s commentary but the Bhagavad Gita itself. I do agree that there is a difference in the Christian and ISKCON conception of God, I understand the court has a problem with terms such as ‘demons’ for asuras and ‘fools’ for mudhas but Russians are philosophical by nature, with a high level of receptivity. They seek answers to what is the meaning of life after death and why we are born. Many Christians have told me that their understanding of the Bible has become deeper after reading the Gita. The contention is that we differ at a theological level, but a normal court is not the place to debate these differences. The core teachings of both Christianity and ISKCON are the same - love thy neighbour, love God.

Śrīpad Bhakti Vigyan Mahārāja (nee Vadim Touneev) :
Head of ISKCON, Russia
“Tomorrow is a critical day. Krishna please Protect!”
“Moscow Courts had dismissed Gita cases”
http://radhashyamasundar.com/2/post/2011/12/tomorrow-is-a-critical-day-krishna-please-protect.html