SYRIAN WOMAN STONED TO DEATH OVER ADULTERY CHARGES

JIHADISTS STONE SYRIA WOMAN
TO DEATH FOR 'ADULTERY' CHARGES

www.standardmedia.co.ke - Jihadists in the northern Syrian province of Raqa have accused a woman of adultery and stoned her to death, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Friday. It was the first "execution" of its kind by the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria, which has proclaimed the establishment of an Islamic "caliphate" straddling Syria and Iraq. "The Islamic State carried out its first sentence of death by stoning against a woman in Tabaqa, accusing her of adultery," said the Britain-based Observatory, referring to a town in Raqa province, most of which is under IS control.
An activist in the province confirmed the report, and said the stoning took place in a public square in the Tabaqa market area on Thursday evening. "This is the first time that this has happened here," added Abu Ibrahim.

"The situation is unbearable. Stoning is the worst punishment history has known. A quick death is more merciful," Salameh told AFP via the Internet, using a pseudonym for security reasons. "The woman's family did not know the sentence was going to be carried out at this time," said Salameh. He said residents are "terrified" of IS, but fear the consequences of reacting to its harsh methods. The IS first emerged in the Syrian conflict in late spring last year. 
Some Syrian rebels initially welcomed the jihadists, seeing them as potential allies in their war to topple President Bashar al-Assad's regime. But the group's systematic abuses and quest for domination swiftly turned the mainstream opposition against it, and rebels have been battling IS fighters since January.

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) executed another woman who was accused of adultery by stoning her to death in the northern Syrian province of Raqa. The stoning of the second woman was carried out "in a square near the Municipal Stadium, where the IS fighters threw her by stones to death after bringing a pickup full of stones because people refused to participate of stoning." ISIS first emerged in the Syrian conflict in late spring last year. The group has reportedly executed around 270 people after they seized a gas filed in Homs province on Thursday. "Every day we receive accounts of a terrible litany of human rights violations being committed in Iraq against ordinary Iraqi children, women and men, who have been deprived of their security, their livelihoods, their homes, education, healthcare and other basic services," said U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay. According to Amnesty International, death by stoning takes place with the convicted buried up to the chest, and stones are thrown at the head. The stones are large enough to cause enough pain, but not too large to kill right away. Actually, one can not understand how so wild method of capital punishment can still exist today. In some societies running away from an abusive husband or a forced marriage is considered a ‘moral crime,’ for which many women are now imprisoned.  Violence against women is a sign of something is very wrong in the society.  When in a society one loses respect, tenderness and gratitude for the mothers, society is condemned to degradation. All women are mothers; ill-treatment to them is great disrespect to the Consort and Shakti or Potency of the Lord. (Editor's note).

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Persons who are attached to sinful activities generally become envious and violent toward other living entities. Committing violence is a heinous sin. It is everyone's duty to give up violence. Violence toward human beings is the gravest sin. ... Violence toward other living entities is the root of all sinful activities. ... There are three kinds of violence: violence toward human beings, violence toward animals, and violence toward demigods. Violence is born from hate. ... There are two types of cruelty, cruelty toward humans and cruelty toward animals. Cruelty toward men and women causes great disturbances in the world. When people practice cruelty toward one another, compassion leaves the world and irreligiousness in the form of cruelty become prominent. (Caitanya-siksamrta 2/5).

Śrīla Saccidananda Bhaktivinoda Thākura :
‘Violence Toward the Living Entities’
“Śrī Bhaktivinoda Vānī Vaibhava” - Vol 2. “Abhidheya”
Compiled by Śrīpad Sundarānanda Vidyāvinoda.

Published by dasavatara das - “Vedic Views on World News”
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/

THE POPE IN BRAZIL

FRANCIS TELLS CATHOLICS TO RESIST
“IDOLS” OF MONEY, POWER, PLEASURE

www.independent.co.uk - Pope Francis urged Catholics to resist the “ephemeral idols” of money, power and pleasure during a pilgrimage Wednesday to one of the most important shrines in Latin America. Francis celebrated the first public Mass of his trip to Brazil after praying before the statue of Our Lady of Aparecida, Brazil's patron saint. His eyes welled up with emotion as he stood silently in deep prayer before the tiny dark-skinned statue. 
In his homily, Francis appealed for the faithful to not seek out false idols of money and success that he said take the place of God. Rather, he called for Brazilians to keep Christian values of faith, generosity and fraternity.

Crowds roared, church bells rang out and a multitude of faithful waved in jubilation as the pope arrived in this small town, where thousands packed into the cavernous Basilica of the Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida. A powerful choir burst into song as Pope Francis arrived and tens of thousands of additional believers braved a cold rain outside. Francis paused in deep prayer before the statue of the virgin, his eyes tearing up as he breathed heavily. He touched the frame holding the statue and made the sign of the cross as a small group of prelates behind him applauded. 
It was a deeply personal moment for this pontiff, who has entrusted his papacy to the Virgin Mary and, who like many Catholics in Latin America, places great importance in Marian devotion.

In a sermon to a congregation of thousands, Pope Francis appealed to the faithful to focus on non-material values of spiritualism, generosity, solidarity and perseverance. During his first mass in Brazil, he also urged Catholics to resist the “ephemeral idols” of money, power, success and pleasure. “Let us never lose hope! Let us never allow it to die in our hearts!” the pontiff said in his message. Francis is in Brazil for World Youth Day. Pope Francis has said a great truth: the ‘idols’ of money, power, success and pleasure are against the practice of devotional service.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

What harm do the six enemies, which are unfavorable to devotional service, cause a practitioner of devotional service?
The six enemies (lust, anger, greed, illusion, pride, and envy) constantly appear in the human mind and create disturbances. These six enemies engage the mind in the following temporary material activities: the urge to speak in order to cause anxiety, the mental urge to speculate, the urge to speak harsh words in anger, the urge of the tongue to relish the four kinds of foodstuffs (sweet, sour, salty, and bitter), the urge of the stomach to eat palatable foodstuffs, and the urge of the genitals to enjoy the association of men and women. Because of these six enemies, pure cultivation of devotional service does not take place in the heart.

Śrīla Saccidananda Bhaktivinoda Thākura :
‘Activities Unfavorable to Devotional Service’
“Śrī Bhaktivinoda Vānī Vaibhava” - Vol 2. “Abhidheya”
Compiled by Śrīpad Sundarānanda Vidyāvinoda
http://blservices.com/books/previous-acaryas/sri-bhaktivinoda-vani-vaibhava
http://www.amazon.es/Bhaktivinoda-Vaibhava-Complete-Edition-ebook/dp/B00CQTQARK

 

Published by dasavatara das - “Vedic Views on World News”
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/

3 LONG-MISSING WOMEN FOUND ALIVE IN USA

THREE US WOMEN FOUND ALIVE
AFTER BEING MISSING FOR A DECADE

http://usnews.nbcnews.com - “Help me, I’m Amanda Berry.” With one frantic 911 call on Monday evening, three women missing for years were found in a Cleveland house where they had been held against their will by three brothers. “I’ve been kidnapped,” Berry, who disappeared a decade ago, told the dispatcher. “I’ve been missing for 10 years and I’m out here. I’m free now.” Authorities heaped praise on Berry, now 27 and the mother of a 6-year-old. Berry and two other women, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight, went missing between 2000 and 2004 in separate incidents. 
The women were all between the ages of 14 and 20 when they vanished. Neighbors and relatives celebrated the happy ending, but for some, the years had taken their toll. Three suspects are under arrest -- former school-bus driver Ariel Castro, 52, and his brothers Pedro, 54, and O'Neal, 50, police said.

Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson said at a Tuesday press conference that there are many unanswered questions: “Why were they taken, how they were taken and how they remained undetected in the city of Cleveland for all this time?” The three women were taken to nearby Metro Health Medical hospital, along with Berry's child, officials said. All three women were released from the hospital Tuesday morning, the hospital said in a statement, after reporting earlier in the morning that they had been in "fair condition." “These three young ladies have provided us with the ultimate definition of survival and perseverance. The healing can now begin,” said Cleveland FBI Special Agent Stephen Anthony. The three disappearances had stumped police in Cleveland and shaken the community for years.

Three women who went missing separately about a decade ago, when they were in their teens, were found alive in a residential area of Cleveland, Ohio, USA, and three men - all brothers - were arrested. One of the women told a 911 dispatcher the person who had taken her was gone, and she pleaded for police officers to come and get her, saying, "I'm free now." Police said the women appeared to be in good health and they had been taken to a hospital to be reunited with relatives and to be evaluated. Committing violence is a heinous sin. Specially, cruelty toward women and innocent creatures causes great disturbances in the world.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

There are three kinds of violence: violence toward human beings, violence toward animals, and violence toward demigods. Violence is born from hate. ... Violence toward other living entities is the root of all sinful activities. Those who are fortunate enough to engage in Krsna's devotional service naturally do not possess a propensity for violence. (Sajjana Tosani 9/8) ... There are two types of cruelty, cruelty toward humans and cruelty toward animals. Cruelty toward men and women causes great disturbances in the world. When people practice cruelty toward one another, compassion leaves the world and irreligiousness in the form of cruelty become prominent. (Caitanya-siksamrta 2/5).

Śrīla Saccidananda Bhaktivinoda Thākura :
‘Violence Toward the Living Entities’
“Śrī Bhaktivinoda Vānī Vaibhava” - Vol 2. “Abhidheya”
Compiled by Śrīpad Sundarānanda Vidyāvinoda
 

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/

NEW CANADIAN BULLYING CASE: REHTAEH PARSONS

REHTAEH PARSONS, 17, HANGS SELF
AFTER BEING RAPED AND BULLIED

http://www.businessinsider.com - A 17-year-old Nova Scotia girl died last Sunday more than a year after a "viral" photo of her alleged rape turned her into a social pariah at school. The family of Rehtaeh Parsons blames her suicide on her classmates' relentless bullying. They also blame the police who never prosecuted the four boys who allegedly raped their daughter when she was just 15. Parsons' story has drawn comparisons to the recent rape in Steubenville, Ohio, which created an international outcry because of graphic images that circulated online. 
After four boys allegedly raped Parsons at a house party in November 2011, one of the boys distributed a photo of the assault to "everyone in her school ... where it quickly became viral ... Boys who saw the picture asked her for sex, and other students called her a slut," her mother explained. Authorities confirmed a photo of Parsons "allegedly having sex" with one of the boys was emailed and texted among "friends. 

Parsons fell into a depression, her mother says. She changed schools and was hospitalized at one point for six weeks, The Toronto Star reported. On the night of April 4, she became so distraught that she locked herself in the bathroom and had hanged herself by the time her mother burst in. (Parsons was put on life support and died several days later.) She was reportedly never the same after her assault. "Rehtaeh is gone today because of the four boys that thought that raping a 15-year-old girl was OK and to distribute a photo to ruin her spirit and reputation would be fun," her mother wrote on the Facebok page she created. 
The Nova Scotia Justice Department is reviewing how police handled the case, so it's possible the four boys accused of breaking Parsons down could be prosecuted. It's impossible to know whether a prosecution would have healed Parsons' broken spirit, though.

A Canadian teen hanged herself after everybody at school saw pictures of her rape. "Four boys thought that raping a 15-year-old girl was OK and to distribute a photo to ruin her spirit and reputation would be fun," her mother wrote. In just the last ten days there were two reports of teen girls - Rehtaeh Parsons and  Audrie Pott - who both committed suicide after being raped and when pictures of the sexual assaults were distributed electronically among their peers they became the center of evil and relentless cyberbullying. Teens are very vulnerable emotionally and heartless humiliation from peers is the worst kind of abuse that someone of that age can suffer.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Persons who are attached to sinful activities generally become envious and violent toward other living entities.  Committing violence is a heinous sin.  It is everyone’s duty to give up violence.  Violence toward human beings is the gravest sin. ... There are three kinds of violence: violence toward human beings, violence toward animals, and violence toward demigods. Violence is born from hate. ... There are two types of cruelty, cruelty toward humans and cruelty toward animals.  Cruelty toward men and women causes great disturbances in the world. When people practice cruelty toward one another, compassion leaves the world and irreligiousness in the form of cruelty become prominent. (Caitanya-siksamrta 2/5).

Śrīla Saccidananda Bhaktivinoda Thākura :
‘Violence Toward the Living Entities’
“Śrī Bhaktivinoda Vānī Vaibhava” - Vol 2. “Abhidheya”
Compiled by Śrīpad Sundarānanda Vidyāvinoda

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/

POLITICIAN AND PLAGIARISM SCANDALS

GERMAN MINISTER SCHAVAN

QUITS OVER 'PLAGIARISM'

www.bbc.co.uk/ - German Education Minister Annette Schavan has resigned after a university stripped her of her doctorate for plagiarism. Duesseldorf's Heinrich Heine University voted last Tuesday to remove her doctorate following a review. Ms Schavan, a close ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel, insisted she would still fight the university's ruling. In 2011, Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg also quit after allegations he plagiarised his thesis. Johanna Wanka, the culture and science minister of the state of Lower Saxony, has been appointed as Ms Schavan's successor. 
Addressing Mrs Merkel with the words "Dear Angela,", Ms Schavan thanked the chancellor for her friendship. "I think today is the right day to leave my ministerial post and to concentrate on my duties as a member of parliament," the 57-year-old said. She explained that her main priority was to protect her department and the government.

"First the nation, then the party, then myself," she said, citing words used by former state prime minister Erwin Teufel. "When an education minister sues a university, then that comes with strains, for my office, for the ministry, and for the Christian Democrats. I want to avoid just that." The university of Dusseldorf decided to look into Ms Schavan's 1980 doctoral thesis after an anonymous blogger raised questions about it. 
The faculty committee found she had "systematically and intentionally" copied parts of her thesis, Person and Conscience. In a statement declaring the doctorate invalid and withdrawing it from Ms Schavan, the faculty head Bruno Bleckmann said they had "decided by secret ballot, by 12 votes to two, with one abstention". Ms Schavan had been scathing in her criticism of Mr Guttenberg when the scandal of his plagiarism broke. Ms Schavan said she accepted the resignation "with a heavy heart".

German Education Minister Annette Schavan announced her resignation on Saturday, just days after a university moved to strip her of her Ph.D. title in a plagiarism scandal surrounding her doctoral dissertation. "As a doctoral candidate, she systematically and deliberately presented intellectual efforts throughout her entire dissertation that were not her own. She was guilty of "intentional deception through plagiarism," stated the faculty council of the University of Düsseldorf. Schavan is the second member of Merkel's cabinet to step down because of plagiarism allegations. In 2011, Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg stepped down after he was found to have plagiarized large sections of his Ph.D. thesis. This world is full of cheaters who take advantage of the civilization to live “a life of leisure and pleasure” by deceiving other people.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Human life is for only a few days. Still, it contains many troubles. In this very short life one should sincerely worship Lord Hari. The “civilization” you talk about is only a way to cheat the soul. Therefore I say that this “civilization” is only another word for “cheating”. When men walk on the path of truth, they are simple and honest. When men’s actions are a collection of lies, their hearts are full of cunning, their deeds are sins, and their words are empty flattery. That is your “civilization”. True civilization is not like that. In true civilization men are honest and sincere. Nowadays people merely hide the wickedness in their hearts, and that hiding they call “civilization”. The true meaning of “civilization” is “honesty and goodness”. What you call “civilization” is only cheating and wickedness.  Civilization that is sinless is found only among the Vaishnavas.

Śrīla Saccidananda Bhaktivinoda Thākura : 
Jaiva-dharma (The Universal Religion)
Chapter Nine - Eternal Religion and Modern Science-Civilization
http://www.bvml.org/SBTP/JD/index.html
http://www.exoticindia.es/book/details/jaiva-dharma-universal-religion-IDJ890/

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/

SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR USING STOLEN IDENTITIES

MAN USES IDS FROM DEAD PEOPLE
TO COLLECT MILLIONS FROM IRS IN US

www.opposingviews.com - Andrew J. Watts, a Barbados national, was sentenced in Chicago to 114 months in prison and ordered to pay restitution of just under $1.7 million for devising and executing a stolen identity federal income tax refund fraud scheme, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today. 
According to court documents, between 2007 and 2011, Watts filed false federal income tax returns in the names of deceased taxpayers seeking fraudulent refunds. Watts either signed the name of the deceased taxpayer to the tax return, or would falsely list himself as the deceased taxpayer’s representative. As part of the scheme, Watts filed over 470 false federal income tax returns, claiming fraudulent refunds in excess of $120 million, and the IRS issued refunds in excess of $10 million.  
Watts directed the IRS to either mail the refund checks to an address he controlled or to electronically deposit the refund into a bank account under his control.

“While all taxpayers are victims when criminals file false tax returns using stolen identities, those who falsely use the names of deceased individuals add to the grief and burdens of their families,” said Kathryn Keneally, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Tax Division. “We will prosecute and seek just punishment against those who seek to commit these crimes.” 
“IRS-Criminal Investigation has made investigating refund fraud and identity theft a top priority and we will vigorously pursue those who undermine the integrity of the U.S. tax system,” said Richard Weber, Chief, IRS-Criminal Investigation. 
“Individuals who commit refund fraud and identity theft of this magnitude deserve to be punished to the fullest extent of the law.” On July 10, 2012, Watts pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.

Andrew Watts, 35, a Barbados national who stole the identities of hundreds of dead people in a scheme to collect many millions of dollars in bogus tax refunds from the U.S. government was sentenced to 9-1/2 years in prison. The man, who was in the United States legally, used the stolen identities to file 645 false federal tax returns between 2007 and 2011 and to claim more than $120 million in tax refunds. He used more than $1.6 million in refunds to rent apartments in New York, Beverly Hills and Chicago, buy a Mercedes Benz SUV and jewelry, provide cash to his girlfriend, and jet back and forth from California to New York. Another cheater who takes advantage of the civilization to live “a life of leisure and pleasure” by deceiving other people.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Human life is for only a few days. Still, it contains many troubles. In this very short life one should sincerely worship Lord Hari. The “civilization” you talk about is only a way to cheat the soul. Therefore I say that this “civilization” is only another word for “cheating”. When men walk on the path of truth, they are simple and honest. When men’s actions are a collection of lies, their hearts are full of cunning, their deeds are sins, and their words are empty flattery. That is your “civilization”. True civilization is not like that. In true civilization men are honest and sincere. Nowadays people merely hide the wickedness in their hearts, and that hiding they call “civilization”. The true meaning of “civilization” is “honesty and goodness”. What you call “civilization” is only cheating and wickedness.  Civilization that is sinless is found only among the Vaishnavas.

Śrīla Saccidananda Bhaktivinoda Thākura :
Jaiva-dharma (The Universal Religion)
Chapter Nine - Eternal Religion and Modern Science-Civilization
http://www.bvml.org/SBTP/JD/index.html
http://www.exoticindia.es/book/details/jaiva-dharma-universal-religion-IDJ890/

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/

LIFE AFTER DEATH? DOCTOR SAYS HE'S BEEN THERE

NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE OF A
NEUROSURGEON TOLD IN NEWSWEEK

www.wset.com - Is there life after death?  One neurosurgeon with ties to Lynchburg is trying to answer that.  He tells his story in the pages of Newsweek that's on stands right now. 
Dr. Eben Alexander said four years ago, he was in a coma. Doctors at Lynchburg General, where he worked, determined he had a very rare bacterial meningitis. He explained that there is no scientific explanation for the fact that while his body lay in a coma, his mind was alive and well - seeing what he believes is heaven. He says: 
“As a neurosurgeon, I did not believe in the phenomenon of near-death experiences. ... I understand what happens to the brain when people are near death, and I had always believed there were good scientific explanations for the heavenly out-of-body journeys described by those who narrowly escaped death. 
In the fall of 2008, however, after seven days in a coma during which the human part of my brain, the neocortex, was inactivated, I experienced something so profound that it gave me a scientific reason to believe in consciousness after death.” 

“Then, on the morning of my seventh day in the hospital, as my doctors weighed whether to discontinue treatment, my eyes popped open. ‘You have nothing to fear.’ ‘There is nothing you can do wrong.’ The message flooded me with a vast and crazy sensation of relief. ‘You have nothing to fear.’ ‘There is nothing you can do wrong.’ The message flooded me with a vast and crazy sensation of relief. There is no scientific explanation for the fact that while my body lay in coma, my mind - my conscious, inner self - was alive and well. 
While the neurons of my cortex were stunned to complete inactivity by the bacteria that had attacked them, my brain-free consciousness journeyed to another, larger dimension of the universe: a dimension I’d never dreamed existed and which the old, pre-coma me would have been more than happy to explain was a simple impossibility. But that dimension - in rough outline, the same one described by countless subjects of near-death experiences and other mystical states - is there,” explains Dr Alexander.

For seven days, Dr. Alexander lay in a deep coma. “I’m not the first person to have discovered evidence that consciousness exists beyond the body. Brief, wonderful glimpses of this realm are as old as human history. But as far as I know, no one before me has ever traveled to this dimension (a) while their cerebral cortex was completely shut down, and (b) while their body was under minute medical observation, as mine was for the full seven days of my coma,” says Dr. Alexander. While in coma, at the same time, he “journeyed to another, larger dimension of the universe, a dimension I'd never dreamed existed.” Dr. Alexander has no doubt about the existence of that dimension, as he explains “what I saw and learned there has placed me quite literally in a new world: a world where we are much more than our brains and bodies, and where death is not the end of consciousness but rather a chapter in a vast, and incalculably positive, journey.” The sages explain that apart from the physical body, there are subtle elements assembled together surrounding the individual soul, the small particle of spirit.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Maya is divided into twenty four categories: the five great elements ... the five tan-matras, the ten knowledge-acquiring and working senses, and mind, heart, intelligence and false-ego. Altogether these are the twenty four categories of matter. The conscious individual spirit soul is the twenty fifth category in the body, and the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Supersoul, in the twenty-sixth. ... The sthula-sarira (gross body) consists of the five gross elements (panca-maha-bhuta), five sense objects (panca-tan-matra) and the ten senses. The linga-sarira (subtle body) consists of the mind, heart, intelligence and false-ego. The individual spirit false thinks of this material body in terms of “I” and “mine”. In this way he does not understand how his own welfare is best served. The soul, a tiny fragment of spirit, exists in a dimension beyond time, space, and the other features of the material world. Even though it is a tiny particle, the soul is all-pervading within the material body. As a tiny drop of sandal-paste cools the entire body, so the soul, situated in one place within the material body, is aware of the pleasure and pains of the body as a whole.

Śrīla Saccidananda Bhaktivinoda Thākura :
Jaiva-dharma (The Universal Religion)
Chapter 16: “Eternal Religion and
Sambandha, Abhidheya and Prayojana”
http://philosophy.ru/library/asiatica/indica/authors/bhaktivinoda/jd/03.html

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/

URUGUAY APOLOGIZES OVER ALLEGED HAITI SEX ASSAULT

URUGUAY APOLOGIZES TO HAITI
FOR ALLEGED SEX ABUSE

Montevideo (AFP) - Uruguay’s president has apologized or the “outrage” carried out by peacekeepers accused of sexually assaulting a young Haitian man and vowed the “maximum penalty” for anyone found guilty. The soldiers, who were based in southern Haiti, stand accused of raping an 18-year-old man in the small coastal town of Port-Salut. Video footage of the alleged attack on a Uruguayan base has been circulated on the Internet. “I come at this terrible time to offer you and the dear and heroic people of Haiti my apologies for the outrage that some soldiers of my country committed,” Uruguay’s President Jose Mujica said in a letter. “I share your sadness, which I feel as my own,” he said, adding that authorities would investigate and apply the “maximum penalty” to those responsible. 

Uruguay’s defense minister had earlier admitted that the incident had caused “a lot of damage” to the armed forces, which provide around 2,400 peacekeepers worldwide, mostly in Haiti and the Democratic Republic of Congo.  The five peacekeepers accused of sexual assault must be tried in their home country for any crimes allegedly committed during their deployments abroad.  Haitian President Michel Martelly has condemned the alleged attack and demanded a detailed report on the exact circumstances of the incident, according to his office.  Martelly has also requested a meeting between Haitian officials and UN mission staff so that “measures can immediately be taken to ensure that such acts do not reoccur,” his office said in a statement. On Monday, hundreds of people demonstrated in Port-Salut to demand justice for the alleged victim, while some Haitians have asked for the UN mission - in the country since 2004 - to be shut down.

Several hundred Haitians demonstrated Monday in support of an 18-year-old man who says he was sexually assaulted by peacekeepers from Uruguay on a U.N. base along the southern coast of Haiti. Uruguay’s President Jose Mujica has apologized to Haiti for alleged sex abuse involving his country’s peacekeepers in the Caribbean nation, and promised that those responsible will receive the maximum penalties.  It is said that the UN mission - formed to help maintain peace - has already committed other anti-social actions in Haiti.  When it comes to sex and violence, heartless and lustful men do not distinguish between male and female.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

For the practitioner of devotional service, dhairya - patience  - is extremely necessary. Those who possess the quality of dhairya are called dhira, sober. Due to lack of this quality, men become restless. Those who are impatient cannot do any work. By the quality of dhairya, a practitioner controls first himself and then the whole world. ... There are six types of urges: namely, the urges of speech, mind, anger, belly, tongue, and genitals. ... The urge of the genital is formidable for persons who are averse to the Lord. In the Shrimad Bhagavatam (11.5.11) it is said: “In this material world the conditioned soul is always inclined to sex, meat-eating, and intoxication. Therefore religious scriptures never actually encourage such activities.” ... Persons who are filled with attachment for material enjoyment can never tolerate the urge of the genital.

Śrīla Saccidananda Bhaktivinoda Thākura :
“Śrī Bhaktyaloka: Illuminations on Bhakti”
“Six Qualitis That Enhance Bhakti” - Dhairya Patience
Translated by Bhumipati Dasa

MISSING LITTLE GIRL FOUND DEAD IN ARGENTINA

AFTER 9 DAYS MISSING, 11-YEAR OLD
ARGENTINEAN GIRL WAS FOUND DEAD

www.buenosairesherald.com - The mother of missing 11-year old Candela Rodríguez, Carola Labrador, identified her daughter’s body, which was found inside a plastic bag on the side of the Oeste Highway, in Morón.  “They killed my daughter!” she said after seeing her body, and suffered a nervous breakdown.  Buenos Aires Governor Daniel Scioli was also at the site, accompanying her.  While police authorities were combing the area, a witness assured she had found a bag containing the body of a young girl which has been dead for three days. She was not wearing any clothes and her body showed signs of violence. Residents in the Hurlingham area were seen in shock after the unexpected outcome.  They had held several vigils and marches, demanding for her immediate appearance.  On Tuesday, a 48-hour campaign featuring many Argentine celebrities was started, in hopes it would raise awareness about the girl’s disappearance.

The last time Candela Rodríguez was seen alive, she was heading towards a church a few blocks away from her home, where she was scheduled to meet other girl scouts who were waiting for her. Police authorities were looking into several theories of her abduction that ranged from a human trafficking case to a revenge exacted on her father, currently in prison over a truck robbery. According to police authorities, only 48 hours earlier Candela’s mother had received several threatening phone calls, warning her that if she “didn’t return the money” her daughter would turn up dead.  In the last few days, over 1600 policemen were searching for the girl and authorities will now investigate to identify the culprits of such a heinous crime that has shocked an entire country.

An Argentinean missing 11-year-old girl, whose disappearance in Buenos Aires gripped the nation and sparked a celebrity-led campaign to locate her, was found dead.  The girl’s mother had received several threatening phone calls earlier in the week, warning her that if she “didn’t return the money” her daughter would turn up dead.  Authorities said Candela Rodriguez’s body was not wearing any clothes and had been dead for three days. The autopsy revealed that the girl was killed by asphyxiation 7 days after being captive. The purpose of society should be to live in peace and always avoid acts of cruelty so everyone can advance spiritually.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?   

Persons who are attached to sinful activities generally become envious and violent toward other living entities.  Committing violence is a heinous sin.  It is everyone’s duty to give up violence.  Violence toward human beings is the gravest sin. ... Violence toward other living entities is the root of all sinful activities.  Those who are fortunate enough to engage in Krishna’s devotional service naturally do not possess a propensity for violence. ... There are three kinds of violence: violence toward human beings, violence toward animals, and violence toward demigods. Violence is born from hate. ... There are two types of cruelty, cruelty toward humans and cruelty toward animals.  Cruelty toward men and women causes great disturbances in the world. When people practice cruelty toward one another, compassion leaves the world and irreligiousness in the form of cruelty become prominent. (Caitanya-siksamrta 2/5)

Śrīla Saccidananda Bhaktivinoda Thākura :
‘Violence Toward the Living Entities’
“Śrī Bhaktivinoda Vānī Vaibhava”  - Vol 2. “Abhidheya”
Compiled by Śrīpad Sundarānanda Vidyāvinoda

IRANIAN WOMAN SPARES ATTACKER ACID PUNISHMENT

IRANIAN WOMAN BLINDED BY ACID ATTACK
PARDONS ASSAILANT AS HE FACES SAME FATE

http://www.rferl.org - An Iranian woman who was blinded and badly disfigured in an acid attack has stopped a retributive blinding sentence from being carried out on her attacker at the last moment.  “He was standing in the hospital operating room and the doctor was about to put acid in his eyes. It was that moment when I said, ‘No, I don’t want this,’” said Ameneh Bahrami.  The sentence of “retribution in kind” called for five drops of sulfuric acid to be put in each of Majid Movahedi’s eyes for the 2004 incident, when the spurned suitor poured a bucket of acid on Bahrami, ultimately leaving her blind and forcing her to undergo at least 17 operations.  But as the acid was about to be applied by a doctor in a live broadcast on Iranian state television, Bahrami forgave her attacker and spared him the punishment.  “The Koran gives you the right to retribution,” Bahrami says.  “But this very Koran also encourages you to pardon, since pardoning is one of the highest moral standards.”

Movahedi said Bahrami was “very generous,” but she said her attacker “hasn’t changed one bit.  This person is still dangerous for society. I think a person like Majid Movahedi should be kept in prison until the last moment of his life.”  Despite the protests raised against the cruel and inhumane nature of the retributive punishment by Iranian and international rights groups, Bahrami had insisted on it being carried out. Even after sparing Movahedi, she said she had no regrets in doing so. “Other victims after me might decide for the sentence of retribution to be carried out on their attackers, some might drop it,” she said. Bahrami also said she still wanted financial compensation from Movahedi’s family. “I was told that since you’re a woman, you’re entitled to half of the total amount of 200 million tomans [almost $200,000], which is 100 million tomans.  I am a full person and I am entitled to full amount of the blood money,” she said.

An Iranian woman Ameneh Bahrami who is victim of acid attack, pardoned a man named Majid Movahedi who was convicted of throwing acid in her face. Movahedi was sentenced for ‘qesas’ (‘eye for an eye’-style justice) to be blinded in both eyes after being charged with hurling acid in the face of the Bahrami when she repeatedly rejected his suggestions for marriage. She said she forgave the attacker man, “because God talks about ‘qesas’ (retribution) in the Koran but he also recommends pardon; since pardon is greater than qesas and I wanted to do a greater job.”  Justice is human, mercy and forgiveness are divine.  

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

When a person is situated in devotional service, his heart melts with love for Krishna. Because such a person sees all other living beings as servants of Krishna, his heart also melts with love for them. Thus he has mercy on them. ... Forgiveness is situated between mercy and humility. In this way one thinks, “I am poor and fallen, how can I be qualified to punish others?” When this thought joins with mercy, forgiveness is born. ... Krishna is eternal and real (satya), the individual spirit soul is eternal and real, the individual spirit soul’s service to Lord Krishna is also eternal and real, and the individual soul’s temporary sojourn in the material world is also real. In this way the relationship between the individual soul and Krishna, a relationship that is manifested as devotional service, is eternal and real.  Therefore eternal spiritual reality, humility, mercy and forgiveness are four things naturally included in devotional service.

Śrīla Saccidananda Bhaktivinoda Thākura :
“Jaiva-dharma” (The Universal Religion)
Chapter Eight : “Nitya-dharma O Vyavahar”
“Eternal Religion and Ordinary Activities”
Bhaktivedanta Memorial Library  -  http://bvml.org/SBTP/JD/index.html