DURING MEXICAN FEAST OLD BULLS ARE TORTURED

IN MEXICO ANIMALS ARE DRAGGED 
THROUGH A RIVER AND BEATEN BY LOCALS

http://elpais.com - In Tlacotalpan, Veracruz, local ranchers donate their working bulls for a religious festival. The animals are first dragged through a nearby river and afterwards beaten by local residents - many of whom are inebriated - as they climb back on to the riverbank. The bulls in Tlacotalpan are not raised to fight or run - they live peacefully in the fields, and when the time comes their meat is used to feed the hungry. 
But every year six elderly, tired bulls, donated by their owners, are sacrificed during during the celebrations of the feast of the Vírgen de La Candelaria. The popular annual event in this town of 8,000 residents has angered many animal rights groups.

The bulls are forced to cross the river before being beaten by spectators. At the other side of the river the townspeople wait for them. Hundreds pull the bulls out of the water using a rope. They expect the massive animals to run after the spectators, but the bulls can’t or won’t. Unlike fighting bulls, the breed in question is docile and, they are usually already exhausted and can hardly move by the time they arrive at the festivities. Some of the bulls arrive on the riverbank bleeding from the nose. In past years, some of them have drowned in the river. 
But animal rights organizations believe that these rules do not go far enough. “[The cruelty] should be prohibited and eradicated from our society, especially from religious festivals, which should instead focus on teaching people positive values,” reads a joint statement issued by AnimaNaturalis México, PATAS, and Project ARPA.

This violent tradition takes place in the state of Veracruz, Mexico; the article is written by Elena Reina Muñoz. Many voices from protectionist groups have risen to condemn these traditions. Since 2014, municipality of Tlacotalpan had to enact a regulation under pressure from animal rights organizations and the Ministry of Environment for the abuse were not so blatant. But unfortunately things remain the same. The mayor, Homero Gamboa, has acknowledged: “Despite awareness campaigns about the care of the bull, many attendees flout the rules and try to hit the animals.” This is another example of man's cruelty to animals, but why are there people who enjoy torturing the defenseless? Our spiritual masters have taught us that is due to a greater or lesser degree the consciousness is covered. As their consciousness is said to be retracted, animals can not search to find God. Only conditioned souls in human bodies can search and love God. Among people there are different stages: those who are in the stage of budding consciousness; those who practice devotional service (sadhana-bhakti), situated in the stage of blossoming consciousness; and those who have already reached the love of God (bhava-bhakti), situated in the stage of fully blossomed consciousness. As human beings we have already reached an auspicious condition of life, so we should act accordingly protecting our younger siblings (the animals). We should improve our state of consciousness, change our materialistic view of life and help our neighbors to do the same. We should be concerned, not only in our individual advancement, but also be ready to collaborate in the task of raising consciousness in others and walk with them along the path of goodness. (Editor's note).

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

[...] We must constantly work to raise our consciousness, which is the potential that God gave rational beings like us. The initial and most basic step to enter into this platform is to stop harming others for personal benefit or gain. And for this, it is essential to become sensitive to animals and stop mistreating them only for our sense gratification. At that time we will be able to enter into the area of universal respect and love between beings. A feature of those who want to change the world is that they feel constantly that life is a bliss [...]. Those who possess this ability should share it with others and educate people in such values, because when consciousness is shared, it is possible together to begin to understand the philosophy of love: then it becomes an endless bliss.

Śrīla Bhakti Aloka Paramadvaiti Mahārāja :
"Love Activists, Activists of Consciousness"
http://voces.huffingtonpost.com/b-a-paramadvaiti-swami/activistas-del-amor-activas-de-la-conciencia_b_2089259.html
http://gurumaharaj.net/
http://vrindaportal.com/
http://vrindanews.com/

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

STAY AWAY FROM MEAT!

10 REASONS WHY IT'S 
GOOD TO STOP EATING BEEF

http://www.boldsky.com - Excessive consumption of red meat can cause certain health effects. Beef is not an exemption. Though it can provide many nutrients, health experts recommend minimising the consumption of beef or is possible, staying away from it altogether. Read on to know why eating beef could be bad for health: (1) It Hardens Your Blood Vessels - This applies to all red meats. Carnitine, which is a compound that is present in red meat may clog arteries. 
(2) May Cause Infections - E.Coli is a microorganism that may cause kidney failure, cramps in the stomach or even dehydration. (3) Hormones - The hormones present in red meat may increase the risk of suffering breast cancer in women. (4) Bacteria - As beef sellers want more profits, they started using certain drugs on cattle to make them grow faster and bulkier. This makes the meat cause certain side effects in humans including bacterial infections.

(5) Affects Immunity and cause Inflammation - Your immunity may react to certain substances present in red meat. (6) May Cause Cancer - Processed meat increase the risk of cancer due to certain additives and flavours added to processed beef and this makes it more dangerous. (7) May Cause Diabetes - Too much of beef consumption may also lead to type 2 diabetes and the risk factor increases by 45%.  (8) Alzheimer's - Red meat consumption in excess may cause accumulation of iron and this might indirectly lead to the risk of suffering Alzheimer's disease. 
(9) Cardiovascular Issues - Eating too much of beef is linked to cardiovascular diseases because the bacteria in the gut breaking down certain substances in beef and releasing certain harmful compounds. (10) Obesity - It goes without saying that too much of meat on your plate can easily obesity. It is tough to burn all the calories and fat when you are on a beef diet.

This article was written by Praveen Kumar from boldsky.com. He wisely wonders "Does it make any sense to eat artery-clogging meat? When you plan your diet with low calorie foods, why eat fattening meat on the other side? Beef pushes your waistline further and invites a host of health issues like arthritis, asthma, diabetes, heart issues and osteoporosis." Also, he adds, "any animal product comes with a set of minus points. It comes with hormones, antibiotics, bacteria and toxins too." While research found that both red meat and processed meats contained similar amounts of saturated fat and cholesterol - both a contributing factor for heart disease and stroke - processed meats had on average four times higher levels of salt and other preservatives, according to lead author of the study Renata Micha, research fellow in the department of epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health. Despite all these, many people still claim about meat protein benefits, so the debate over the pros and cons of vegetarianism will continue forever, as different people have different needs and differing views on health and nutrition. However, our spiritual teachers have taught us that the fundamental principle of vegetarianism is essentially not to be violent. To eat meat is necessary to kill, therefore we must abstain from eating meat, for not participating in violence against other living creatures. If we are part of the food chain that is based on the act of killing, we will receive as a reaction to be born as animals in order to be killed. Srila Prabhupada has very clearly explained that we had animal bodies in past lives, and if we do not reach perfection in this opportunity which has been given us this human life, we will return to these lower forms. So please, do not eat meat. We should not participate in the killing of animals and therefore we can avoid both the suffering of our younger brothers and the harmful effects on our health and our future destiny. (Editor's note).

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Eating of cow flesh or the flesh of any other animal, the motivation behind slaughter, is detrimental to the health of human beings. [...] Meat bearing animals suffer from dozens of diseases and parasites caused through unnatural living and exploitation such as forced feeding, which causes fatty degeneration of organs, endocrine complications through castration diseases including contagious abortion, foot and mouth diseases, fevers, catarrhal conditions, cancer tumours, tuberculosis, mastitis, liver flukes causing ducts to be filled with septic matter (only the liver is condemned, not the carcass), etc; their blood and tissues are impregnated with preventive vaccines. Poultry is often impregnated with oestrogens, which are carcinogens. Animal fats contain cholesterol which is now thought to cause coronary diseases of the heart.

Vedic Knowledge Online - “Hidden Price of Meat”
“Modern Civilization is Centered Around Animal Killing”
http://www.veda.harekrsna.cz
http://www.veda.harekrsna.cz/bhaktiyoga/change.htm#2

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

HANUMAN FIGURINE IS PRESIDENT OBAMA’S LUCKY CHARM

BARACK OBAMA ALWAYS CARRIES 
HANUMAN STATUETTE IN POCKET

www.indiadivine.org - A statuette of Lord Hanuman is among few items that US President Barack Obama always carries in his pocket and seeks inspiration from whenever he feels tired or discouraged. President Obama disclosed this on a YouTube interview which the White House scheduled as a way to reach younger audiences as it promotes Obama’s final State of the Union address on last Tuesday. 
Asked to show off an item of personal significance during the interview with YouTube personality Nilsen, 54-year-old Obama pulled from his pockets a series of small totems, each of which he said reminded him “of all the different people I’ve met along the way.” It included rosary beads given to him from Pope Francis, who he met at the White House this fall and a tiny Buddha statue procured upon him by a monk.

The other items that US President Obama always carries in his pocket are a silver poker chip that was once the lucky charm of a bald, mustachioed biker in Iowa; a figurine of the Hindu monkey God Hanuman; and a Coptic cross from Ethiopia, where he visited in July. “I carry these around all the time. I’m not that superstitious, so it’s not like I think I necessarily have to have them on me at all times,” Obama said. 
But he said they do provide some reminders of the long path of his presidency. “If I feel tired, or I feel discouraged sometimes, I can kind of reach into my pocket and say yeah, that’s something I can overcome, because somebody gave me the privilege to work on these issues that are going to effect them,” he said. Obama, whose father was a Kenyan and mother a white woman from Kansas, spent initial days of his life in Indonesia where Hinduism is a popular religion. Nowadays, there are about three million Hindus in USA.

A figurine of Lord Hanuman is among the few items that Barack Obama always carries around in his pocket and seeks inspiration whenever he feels discouraged, the U.S. President revealed in an interview, CNN reported. In a live post-State of the Union interview with Ingrid Nilsen, American YouTube personality, from the East Room of the White House on January 15, Obama showed things he carried around all the time and took out from his pocket which he described as: "This is Hindu little statuette of monkey god Hanuman that a woman gave me." This video-interview is posted on The White House website. In Mahabharata war, the flag on Arjuna’s chariot, driven by Lord Krishna himself, displayed Lord Hanuman; therefore to achieve success in battle it is not  surprising that President Obama also reportedly carried small Hanuman figurine as a lucky charm during electioneering. Hanuman, son of wind-god, besides incredible strength and changing shape at will and flying, is a perfect grammarian, great scholar and excelled in all the sciences. According to a legend, even while he was still an infant, he intimidated the sun. Apart from all of this, Hanuman’s only desire was to go on serving his Lord Rama; and thus, from the devotee's point of view, Hanuman perfectly exemplifies ‘dasyabhava’ devotion - one type of devotional disposition - that lovingly bonds the master and the servant. Servitude [dāsya], friendship [sakhya], parental affection [vātsalya] and conjugal love [śrińgāra] are the four transcendental mellows [rasas]. These are the transcendental modes of loving service to the Lord. By the devotees who cherish these four mellows, the Supreme Lord is subdued. Our spiritual masters have taught us that our practice should be focused on culturing a specific service that takes the shape of any of the loving sentiments, dasya, sakhya, vatsalya or madhurya / śrińgāra. Our hearing and chanting will become focused on those lilas which will help us to promote our particular serving identity to the Lord. (Editor's note).

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

The bhāva stage is the final division before one reaches love of Godhead. The word sarva-bhāva means that one can love the Supreme Personality of Godhead in different transcendental modes of mellows, beginning with dāsya, sakhya, vātsalya and mādhurya. In the śānta stage, one is on the border of loving service to the Lord. Pure love of Godhead begins from dāsya and develops to sakhya, vātsalya and then mādhurya. Still, in any of these five mellows one can render loving service to the Supreme Lord. Since our main business is to love the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one can render service from any of the above-mentioned platforms of love.

Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda :
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam - Canto 7: "The Science of God"
Chapter 9: "Prahlāda Pacifies Lord Nrisimhadeva with Prayers" - Verso 54

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

'PRAYING PIG' GOES VIRAL IN CHINA

PIG KNEELS 'PRAYING' IN FRONT 
OF WENZHOU TEMPLE IN CHINA

www.huffingtonpost.com - In video footage shot last month, a pig facing a date with the slaughterhouse is shown kneeling directly in front of a local Buddhist temple, as if in an act of prayer. The pig, which weighed over 300 pounds, reportedly remained kneeling on its forelimbs for hours in front of the temple in China’s eastern Zhejiang Province, leaving the area only after monks began chanting sacred scriptures. 
Some online commenters have taken a skeptical approach to evaluating the pig's behavior, pointing out that a deficiency of vitamin E can lead to weakness in a pig’s front legs. But the pig's owner told local press that this animal was healthy and that he had never seen anything like those events.

Local media reported that the pig was one of three that escaped from a nearby enclosure on the morning of Feb. 22 and were recaptured that afternoon and sent to the slaughterhouse. The owner of the pig, a man surnamed Huang, later revealed in a Wenzhou Metropolis Daily report that the pig had escaped its hog pen on the morning and was searching for food. 
In a cruelly ironic twist, Huang had recaptured the animal and sent it off to the slaughterhouse only after he'd learned that the pig was internet famous. Huang was apparently shocked to learn of his pig's pilgrimage and said he regretted killing it.

Last month, a video originally uploaded to "Youku", the Chinese version of YouTube, showed a pig kneeling down whilst being sung to in China. The video received over 10 million hits. The pig escaped a farm early morning and wandered to a temple in the village of Yongjja, China. It knelt down in front of the temple and waited there until a monk came out and sang to the pig. It is said that following the song, the pig left for home only later to be sent to a slaughter house in the evening of the same day. Photos taken by passersby went viral on social media. The owner of the kneeling pig reportedly said he hadn't known about the animal's behavior at the temple when he sent it to be killed and that he regretted it now. Some guessed that the prostrating pig was actually just weak due to Vitamin E deficiency, others speculated that the creature was seeking protection from Buddha. Many others thinks the pig was a reincarnated human and attempting to atone his past sins or to seek forgiveness for the way he treated animals in his past life. Some people think that once we become humans we will not descended on the evolutionary scale. But it is not. There are many testimonies of men who reincarnated as animals. This is one more example that proves that reincarnation of human being into animal is possible and we must therefore act in human platform and not act like animals because in them we will become and we can investigate the truth and we will be very difficult to leave the wheel of births and deaths, know God and understand what is our mission in life. (Editor's note).

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Activities of sense gratification, meant only to please one’s mind and senses, are the cause of material bondage, and as long as one engages in such fruitive activities, the soul is sure to continually transmigrate from species to species. ... Jnana, or knowledge that one is not the material body but a spirit soul, is not sufficient for liberation. One must act on the platform of spirit soul. This is called devotional service, which includes many practical techniques for becoming free from karma and reincarnation. ... Therefore, in order to free ourselves from the endless repetition of birth and death, we must understand the laws of karma and reincarnation. Otherwise, we will have to come back to this material world again and again; and we must remember that we may not always return as human beings.

Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda :
“Coming Back” - Chapter 8: “Don’t Come Back”
“Practical Techniques for Becoming Free from Karma and Reincarnation”

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

EATING FISH IS EVEN MORE DANGEROUS TODAY

WHY EATING FISH IS EVEN MORE
DANGEROUS THAN YOU THOUGHT

www.mindbodygreen.com - Bad news for seafood lovers: fish isn't quite as healthy as we've been led to believe. If you eat fish regularly, chances are you're getting too much mercury and too few omega-3s. That's the conclusion of a report released months ago from the Environmental Working Group. While US Dietary Guidelines encourage Americans to eat up to 12 ounces of a seafood (about three servings) a week, the EWG has discovered that this may be dangerously high for some people.
EWG’s analysis of mercury and omega-3 concentrations in seafood finds that 10 of the most popular seafoods in the American market would pose an unacceptable mercury risk to an average-weight pregnant woman who ate amount recommended by the government each week.

Since safe mercury levels are based on body weight, lighter women are at greater risk from mercury in seafood. And for folks eating fish because they're hoping to get their omega-3 fats, which have been shown to lower cardiac risks, and boost infant brain development, there's more grim news. 
The EWG concluded that many people won't benefit as much as they hope, because 8 of the 10 most popular types of seafood, including shrimp and catfish, rank low for healthy omega-3 fats. EWG investigated mercury contamination and beneficial omega-3 levels in seafood in order to identify species that offer the greatest health benefit and lowest mercury risk.

Fish has always been associated with a healthy diet. It’s low in calories and rich in beneficial Omega-3 fatty acids. However,  due to pollution and other environmental factors, some fish contain unhealthy amounts of mercury, PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyl), and parasites, eating fish is not so healthy as it was thought. Eating fish from the rivers and oceans is not safe ... but, what about the farm-bred fish?  There are many bad news for the one who loves eating farm-bred fish because they have also been found to have high concentrations of antibiotics and pesticides. In AnitaStayHealthy's blog, we read: "Farmed salmon may have at least 10 times the amount of cancer causing organic pollutants compared to the wild variety – This can most likely be attributed to the feeds that are used on farm raised fish. If you knew what went into the feeds of farm raised fish you would be horrified. Apparently, chicken feces is one of the main ingredients that go into farm fish feed. Not only that, the transfer of pig and duck waste to fish farms is also a very common practice." It has been demostrated that pesticides in our food supply can cause cancer and other health risks, yet pesticides are often covering all of the fruits and vegetables that we eat, unless we buy organic or grow our own, and it is also very well known that mercury in fish causes developmental problems in babies, and also heart, kidney and brain problems in adults. Therefore, we must adopt a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle and become aware of what we eat to protect our health and stop the unnecessary killing of animals and the innumerable sufferings to which our small brothers are subjected on farms where they are bred, which are real concentration camps, of torture, misery and martyrdom. (Editor's note).

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Pure and wholesome vegetarian foods are what is needed for our own refinement, health, strength, and happiness; while other kinds of food cause pain, suffering and disease.  Furthermore, we can see that the process of preparing and eating food is also a part of the Vedic system for making spiritual advancement. As the Vedic literature explains, what we eat is an important factor in the process of purifying ourselves and remaining free from accumulating bad karma. It actually is not so difficult to be vegetarian, and it gives one a much higher taste in eating and in one’s spiritual realizations. The level of our consciousness is also determined not only by what we think and do, but also by the vibrational level of what we put into our bodies as food. The more natural and peaceful the food, the more healthy and peaceful will be our consciousness.

Stephen Knapp (Śrīpad Nandanandana dasa) :
“Vegetarianism: Recommended in Vedic Scripture”
http://www.stephen-knapp.com
http://www.stephen-knapp.com/vegetarianism_recommended_in_Vedic_scripture.htm.

 

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

AVOID MASS-PRODUCED, ARSENIC-LACED CHICKEN

FDA ADMITS SUPERMARKET
CHICKENS TEST POSITIVE FOR ARSENIC

- If you eat chicken raised commercially in the United States, you are most likely consuming arsenic. A study by Environmental Health Perspectives has found that a growth-promoting drug called roxarsone, which also treats parasites in the birds’ intestines and gives the meat a pink color, accumulates in the breast meat of broiler chickens. Roxarsone, manufactured by Pfizer, is an organic form of arsenic. Its use was approved by the FDA even though arsenic is a known carcinogen.
After a study by the Food and Drug Administration found elevated levels of inorganic arsenic (iAs) in the livers of roxarsone-treated chicken in 2011, Pfizer voluntarily pulled the drug off the U.S. market. But the FDA has not acted to ban it, and it is still sold overseas.

The study was conducted prior to Pfizer’s removing the drug, but the results have just been released. After roxarsone was pulled by Pfizer, chicken producers replaced it with nitarsone, another organic arsenic, indicating the results of the study are still relevant. The study’s authors analyzed chicken breast meat samples which came from 82 stores in 10 U.S. metropolitan areas. According to the study, cooked conventional chicken meat contained the highest amount of iAs. Cooked organic chicken meat had the lowest. Organic chicken most likely ingested arsenic through the water supply, the study’s authors suggested. 
A risk analysis performed by the study’s authors estimated that, based on the amount of chicken consumed over the average 70-year lifespan, there will be approximately 124 more cancers per year in the U.S. if arsenic-related drugs aren’t pulled from the market.

The first advice we can give all of you it that if you consume chicken, it is best to find locally raised, free-range organic chicken rather than that mass-produced by the large chicken producers. Three of four arsenic drugs used in animal feed have been banned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Yes, that's right - that means that up until now, arsenic was used in animal feed. The drugs - roxarsone, carbarsone and arsanilic acid - were added to feed for chicken, turkeys and pigs to prevent disease and promote growth and a "healthy" pink hue. However, recent studies showed levels of arsenic in chicken are on the rise. It has been proved that the drugs added to feed animals along with all the germs and parasites found in meat weaken the immune system and are the source of many diseases. What we eat is very important for our health. More recently, medical research has found that a properly balanced vegetarian diet may, in fact, be the healthiest diet. Apart from considerations regarding health, most importantly, we must understand that if you want to eat meat an animal must be killed, and is an act of cruelty to kill innocent beings just to satisfy our tongue. Living compassionate, living cruelty-free is possible. Make the decision today and say NO to meat on your plate. (Editor's note).

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

The government and the food industry are trying to divert attention from the escalating problem of meat contamination by telling the consumer it is his own fault that these incidents happen. It is very obvious that they want to avoid hefty lawsuits, and bad-mouthing of the meat industry. They insist that dangerous bacterial outbreaks occur because the consumer does not cook the family's meat long enough. It is now considered a crime to serve a rare hamburger. Even if you have not committed this “crime,” any infection will be attributed to not washing your hands every time you touch a raw chicken or to letting the chicken touch your kitchen counter or any other food. ...Yet, with all the research proving that meat-consumption harms and kills millions of people each year, meat continues to be sold in all grocery stores.

Association for Promotion of
Vegetarian Life and Indian Culture
"Eating Meat Kills People"
Sri Sri Nitai Gauracandra mandir - Karlovac - Croatia
http://avadhuta.hr/index-eng.php
http://avadhuta.hr/yatra_news/795/eating-meat-kills-people

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

WHAT IS FOUND IN YOUR MEAT

FOOD POISONING:
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

http://edition.cnn.com - Despite food safety measures, the threat of foodborne illness remains in meat and produce - and some types of illness are on the rise. About 48 million people contract some form of food poisoning each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Salmonella remained the top cause of foodborne illness last year, according to the CDC's 2012 report card on food poisoning. However, the overall instance of Salmonella was unchanged from the 2006-08 data, the agency said.
The report card is based on reports from 10 U.S. regions, representing about 15% of the country. The second most common cause of illness was Campylobacter, which increased 14% over the 2006-08 data, the CDC said.

Campylobacter lives on live chickens and can taint meat during slaughter; it can also be found in raw, unpasteurized milk. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has an online reporting tool for those who think they might have a foodborne illness. “We applaud (Center for Science in the Public Interest) CSPI's ongoing efforts to educate consumers about food safety,” Dr. Elisabeth Hagen, the USDA's undersecretary for food safety, said in a statement.
“While we have made progress in making food safer - including cutting E. coli O157-related illnesses in half - we still have work to do. As Salmonella rates continue to stagnate, we look forward to CSPI's support, and the support of other groups committed to food safety, of our efforts to reduce this dangerous foodborne pathogen, including modernization of the poultry inspection system.”

Chicken and ground beef top a list of “risky meat” published by the CSPI. Researchers from this group examined data from foodborne illness outbreaks over a 12-year period and found between 1998 and 2010, meat and poultry products were linked to “at least 1,714 outbreaks involving 33,372 illnesses.” Actually, these figures are just the tip of the iceberg, as many people do not seek medical attention for food poisoning and these cases are not reported. It is also alarming the number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that are found in chicken, pork and beef sold in supermarkets, which, when ingested by people, drastically reduces the number of options available to the physician to treat humans beings if you are sick. We must understand that fill our plate with the flesh and blood of our little brothers and sisters, the animals, is something that brings horrible reactions for both consumer health and for the planet's ecological situation. We must stop killing innocent animals and give an opportunity to the environment, by eating only healthy, organic food which has been produced with respect to animals and Mother Nature. (Editor's note).

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

In “Modern Meat,” Frontline speaks with numerous scientists and industry observers who raise serious concerns about today’s meat production system.  With large numbers of animals being raised together in huge feedlots covered with feces, they say, it’s easy for bacteria to spread from one animal to another.  “Cows tend to produce feces [and] feces is primarily bacteria,” says Glen Morris, a microbiologist at the University of Maryland and a former USDA official.  When those bacteria are spread around, there’s ample opportunity for bacteria to be spread from one cow to the next.  “In the larger feedlots,” he adds, “there’s a greater chance for the passage of microorganisms back and forth.  All of that contributes to the spread of microorganisms like E. Coli.” ... The consequences of bacterial contamination can be deadly.

Dr Stephen Knapp (Śrīpad Nandanandana dasa) :
“The Dangers of Meat”
“Modern Meat: A PBS Frontline Documentary”
http://www.stephen-knapp.com/the_dangers_of_meat.htm
http://www.stephen-knapp.com/vegetarian_recipes_and_resources.htm

 

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

REASONS TO STOP EATING MEAT

4 COMMON SENSE REASONS
TO STOP EATING MEAT

www.wakingtimes.com - The debate over the pros and cons of vegetarianism will continue forever, as different people have different needs and differing views on health and nutrition. There simply is no ‘one size fits all’ answer to the nutritional and health effects of reducing or quitting the consumption of meat and meat products, and what feels right and works for some, may not for others. Typically, this debate is centered around the nutritional pros and cons of eating meat, but in this day and age there are several other key reasons to take a second look at eating meat and animal products. 
Over the past few years, the public has learned a great deal about the meat industry and the evolution of its practices in getting farm animals to your plate, while continuing to maximize profit. Let's see if we can answer some new questions:

1. What kind of meat is it? - A significant portion of the ‘beef’ sold in Europe contains horse meat, and it was found in many ‘beef products’ at popular eateries like Burger King and Taco Bell.
2. What kinds of chemicals have been added to this meat? - It’s no secret that the meat industry overuses antibiotics, vaccinations, painkillers and growth hormones to maximize profit. These chemical residues are passed on to you when you consume treated meat.
3. Is this meat even fresh? - The time between an animal’s death and your meal can be shockingly long in some cases, as the global business of importing and exporting means food sometimes travels thousands of miles just to get to your plate.
4. Was this animal mistreated? - The current state of factory meat production is horrifyingly inhumane and grotesque. Animals are confined to torturous, un-natural conditions, beaten, abused and often sick.

Sarah Free, author of this article, explains that if slaughterhouses had glass walls the meat industry would collapse overnight, yet the cognitive dissonance associated with this makes it all too common to ignore the treatment of animals for our consumption. Common sense dictates that in order for food to nourish the body, it has to itself have been nourished and well-cared for, yet the gruesome holocaust against farm animals continues. Manufacturing processes which create the infamous ‘pink slime‘ found in up to 70% of processed meats, use industrial chemicals like ammonia gas to make the meat smell better and look more palatable. It is even said that investigators in South Africa recently discovered human tissues in meat samples from many provinces, indicating a widespread situation of high contamination. Apart from the above reasons, we must realize that animals are our younger brothers and sisters. They have incarnated in the bodies of animals and their consciences are not evolved and therefore they can not develop a relationship with God nor can inquire about the self. We, having a higher intelligence to seek transcendence, must take care for and protect them. If instead of doing it, we make them suffer and then we eat them, instead of raising our consciousness we will have regressed. (Editor's note).

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Embodied souls pass through many species of life, but only as human beings do they accrue karma, as only in that condition is one's free will fully manifest. With free will comes responsibility. (...) Humans who misuse their free will have to lose their free will, at least for a time. Chapter sixteen of the Bhagavad-gita says that such human beings will have to take birth in lower species of life. Thus some souls in human dress later wear the dress of an animal and the degree of suffering or enjoyment they have in animal life is directly related to what they did in human life. Animals cannot create new karma because they are completely controlled by their nature. Similar to criminals being incarcerated by the state, souls wearing animal bodies serve out their karmic sentences until they are again eligible for a human form of life, where they will have another chance to act responsibly and progress toward liberation.

Śrīla Bhakti Vedanta Tripurari Mahārāja :
“Animals and Karma” - Śrī Caitanya Sanga
Vol. VIII, No. 3 - Mar. 17, 2006.
http://swami.org/index.html
http://www.swami.org/pages/sanga/

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

NO DOLPHINS FOR PUBLIC ENTERTAINMENT IN INDIA

INDIA BANS CAPTIVE DOLPHIN SHOWS
AS "MORALLY UNACCEPTABLE"

http://ens-newswire.com - India's Ministry of Environment and Forests has decided to forbid the keeping of captive dolphins for public entertainment anywhere in the country. In a policy statement released last week, the ministry advised state governments to reject any proposal to establish a dolphinarium "by any person / persons, organizations, government agencies, private or public enterprises that involves import, capture of cetacean species to establish for commercial entertainment, private or public exhibition and interaction purposes whatsoever."
The statement issued by B.S. Bonal, the member secretary of the Central Zoo Authority of India, acknowledges that cetaceans in general do not survive well in captivity.

B.S. Bonal says, "Confinement in captivity can seriously compromise the welfare and survival of all types of cetaceans by altering their behavior and causing extreme distress." Noting that India's national aquatic animal, the Ganges River dolphin, as well as the Snubfin dolphin are listed in Schedule-I and all cetacean species are listed in Schedule II part I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, the ministry said it is important to protect them.
The grassroots Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organization, FIAPO, was pleased with the decision. This group took the lead in campaigning to ban dolphinaria in India, meeting with key ministry officials and garnering local grassroots support.

India has decided to forbid the keeping of captive dolphins for public entertainment anywhere in the country. “Whereas cetaceans in general are highly intelligent and sensitive, ... means that dolphin should be seen as ‘non-human persons’ and as such should have their own specific rights and is morally unacceptable to keep them captive for entertainment purpose,” the Ministry of Environment and Forests said. “India has become a beacon of hope for the global movement to protect cetaceans from captivity,” said FIAPO spokesperson Puja Mitra. This is a huge win for dolphins!

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

There are many ways in which animals are mistreated and also many ways which our attitude can help them. Changing our eating habits, our way of dressing, not attending performances which involve them, or not buying products tested on animals are key actions to save their lives. But to know what really happens to animals is necessary to have access to the right information and discover that for them things are worse than we thought: nor food animals are living outdoors on a farm neither zoos are educational, nor circuses are fun for them, neither bullfighting is culture, nor fur coats are elegant neither animal testing is indispensable. Talk about animal rights is to work for a fairer world with less suffering for all.

Matajee Gargi Devi Dasi :
“Animal Rights and the Environment”
http://bhaktipedia.org/espanol/index.php?n=tesis.derechos_de_los_animales_y_medio_ambiente
http://academiavecuador.blogspot.com.ar
http://govindasquito.blogspot.com.ar/

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