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

ELEVEN KILLED, 66 INJURED IN DELHI TERROR ATTACK

‘BRIEFCASE BOMB’ EXPLODES
OUTSIDE NEW DELHI HIGH COURT

New Delhi (AP) - A bomb exploded outside New Delhi’s High Court on Wednesday, killing at least 11 people and injuring 66, in an act of suspected terrorism in the heart of India’s capital that further heightened concerns about the nation’s security vulnerabilities.  The high-intensity blast occurred at 10:14 a.m. near the courthouse reception area. Officials said they believed the bomb was placed in a briefcase.  Addressing reporters in Bangladesh, where he has been visiting, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said, “We will never succumb to pressure from terrorists. All political parties must unite to crush the scourge of terror.”  Indian news channels said the Islamist militant outfit Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami had claimed responsibility for the attack in an email to media organizations.

The bombing appears to be the worst attack in India’s capital since blasts at shopping centers in 2008 that left 22 people dead. Security experts say Wednesday’s bombing is particularly worrying because it comes three months after a low-intensity explosion outside the same courthouse in New Delhi, reflecting a lackluster response by the government. The May blast didn’t result in any injuries.  India vowed to redouble efforts to crack down on terrorism after the country suffered its worst-ever terrorist attack nearly three years ago in Mumbai, when Pakistan-based gunmen rampaged through the city and killed 166 people. But despite some moves to beef up intelligence gathering coordination and strengthen police capabilities, attacks have continued. In July, a series of bombs ripped through crowded shopping areas in Mumbai, killing 20 people and injuring 131. Police have yet to name any suspects for those blasts.

Two months after 26 people were killed in Mumbai (Bombay), Delhi has been attacked again.  A bomb apparently hidden in a briefcase has exploded outside India’s high court in New Delhi, killing 11 and wounding at least 66.  Some analysts feared these attacks, culminating in the July attack in Mumbai, signaled an effort to regroup by the Indian Mujahedeen - a domestic militant group blamed for many of the 2008 attacks.  Violent humans beings are causing unnatural death regardless of the innocence of the murdered women and children. By doing so, they are attacking human dignity itself.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

The present-day world appears to be running fast towards destruction. As per Indian scriptural evidence, the conditioned souls are enveloped by Lord’s illusory energy consisting of three primal qualities - Sattva, Rajah, and Tamah.  ‘Tamah’ indicates tendency to commit vice or to inflict injury.  In fact, Tamah tendency has now engulfed the whole world and is spreading over like fire and showing its most monstrous destructive ugly appearance.  The sagacious persons are bewildered to find any solution of this terrible tendency of violence. ... Lord does not think much about sins of other living beings who have got no such discriminating power. They do actions out of instinct. But God has bestowed discriminating power to human beings. In spite of that if they commit heinous crimes, surely they will be punished. They will never be spared.

Śrīla Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Mahārāja :

“Human’s sins will never be spared”
Sree Chaitanya Gaudiya Math - www.sreecgmath.org

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

REBELS DEMAND ALGERIA RETURN QADDAFI FAMILY

LIBYAN REBELS DEMAND RETURN  
OF GADHAFI FAMILY FROM ALGERIA

(CNN) - The wife of fugitive Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, three of his children and some of his grandchildren arrived in Algeria on Monday morning, Algerian diplomats said.  Mourad Benmehidi, the Algerian ambassador to the United Nations, said he relayed the news to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon earlier Monday.  Benmehidi said his country granted entrance to Gadhafi’s wife, Safia, his daughter, Aisha, sons Hannibal and Mohamed and their children on “humanitarian grounds.”  The ambassador said he did not know whether Moammar Gadhafi was expected to seek entry into Algeria and claimed none of the Gadhafis were subject to U.N. Security Council sanctions.  News on Monday of the Gadhafi relatives’ departure from Libya came the same day that a senior rebel commander reported that Khamis Gadhafi, a son of the Libyan leader and military commander in his regime, had been killed Sunday night in a battle with rebel forces between the villages of Tarunah and Bani Walid in northwest Libya.

The information minister in the rebels’ interim government says, “We are determined to arrest and try the whole Gadhafi family, including Gadhafi himself.”  The departure of some of his family members is one of the strongest signs yet that the longtime leader has lost his grip on the country.  Gadhafi’s children have played important roles in Libya.  Hannibal headed the maritime transport company, Mohammed headed the national Olympic committee and Aisha, a lawyer, helped defend Iraq’s Saddam Hussein in the trial that led to his hanging.  The rebels had previously speculated that Gadhafi could be trying to reach Algeria or Libya’s southern neighbor Chad, both countries with which his government had close ties.

Libyan rebels are demanding that Algeria return Moammar Gadhafi’s wife and three of his children for trial.  Gadhafi’s wife, daughter Aisha and sons Hannibal and Mohammed fled Libya and entered Algeria yesterday. Gadhafi and several of his other sons remain at large.  Gadhafi appears to be on his way to defeat but he is not there yet.  When Saddam Hussein was captured, he was hiding in a hole in the ground, alone and without an army. Gadhafi is still fighting and posing challenges. The war is not over.  The desire to keep fighting of these leaders makes them to forget the number of innocents - women and children - who suffer in these conflicts.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

There are so many problems of war in this world. As Prabhupada said, they made a League of Nations after World War One, and they made a United Nations after World War Two. But has there ever been a time without wars? Prabhupada said that the pinprick in the whole system is so simple: We are forgetting that Krishna is in the center.  And even among devotees, due to material nature, because we are living in material existence, there is the propensity to argue, to disagree, to fight, to form positions and defend our positions, to criticize, to find fault, to undermine people. This has been going on in every religion, including our own, throughout history as well as today. These problems arise and are perpetuated when there is selfishness.  But if we can just maintain our focus on keeping Krishna at the center, this propensity will naturally diminish.

Śrīla Radhanath Swami Mahārāja :
“Thoughts For The New Year”
January 2010, Bhaktivedanta Manor England
http://jivacow.blogspot.com/2010/01/thoughts-for-new-year-by-radhanath.html
http://www.radhanath-swami.net/  -  http://radhanathswami.info/

ANNA’S STIR CHANGED PEOPLE’S PRIORITIES

INDIAN ACTIVIST HAZARE RESTS
AFTER ENDING ANTI-CORRUPTION FAST 

http://www.bbc.co.uk - Indian anti-corruption campaigner Anna Hazare has spent a night in hospital after ending a 12-day hunger strike in the capital, Delhi.  Doctors say Mr Hazare’s condition is stable and he is on a liquid diet.  Mr Hazare, 74, broke his fast after MPs expressed support for proposed changes to anti-corruption legislation.  Indians have been angered by a string of corruption scandals and Mr Hazare’s campaign received widespread support and a great deal of media coverage.  Mr Hazare is expected to rest and undergo check-ups for two days.  Doctors at the private hospital in a Delhi suburb say he is “dehydrated and exhausted” and will be given solid food gradually.  Mr Hazare’s campaign to strengthen an anti-corruption bill has received widespread support, with tens of thousands of people attending protests across the country.

The Indian government has been rocked by recent corruption scandals including an alleged telecoms bribery scam that may have cost the country $39bn (£23bn), suspected financial malpractice linked to the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games and accusation that homes for war widows were diverted to civil servants.  Critics of the government say the scandals point to a pervasive culture of corruption in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s administration.  A recent survey said corruption in Asia’s third largest economy had cost billions of dollars and threatened to derail growth.  Anna Hazare’s supporters want an anti-graft body to have sweeping investigative powers over virtually every level of government, including the prime minister.

Seventy-four-year-old Anna Hazare ended his 12-day hunger strike Sunday after parliament agreed to some of his demands for tougher anti-corruption legislation.  Hazare’s “fast to death” united millions of Indians against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s government.  Despite the government agreed to lay the groundwork for a more robust anti-corruption law, Hazare said his struggle is not over, and he will not back down from his fight for reforms.  When rogues and cheaters are elected to office, taking advantage of their situation and position, enjoy life by living off the high taxes taken from the citizens.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Just as it is difficult not to taste honey or poison placed on the tongue, similarly, it is difficult for one handling the ruler’s money to refrain from tasting it in at least small quantities.  Just as it is not possible to know when the fish moving in water drink water, similarly, it is difficult to find out when officers employed in the execution of works misappropriate money.  Even the path of birds flying in the sky can be found out but not the ways of officers who hide their intentions. ... (The cowherds) if given wages in the form of milk and ghee act to the detriment of calves.  He who is responsible for loss of revenue shall be deemed to have eaten the ruler’s property.  He who doubles the revenue eats up the people’s property.  He who causes expenditure equal to the revenue eats up the labour of workmen.  The pure shall not be corrupted, as water by poison.  Sometimes it may not be possible to find a cure for the corrupted.

Chanakya Pandita - (Indian politician and writer, 350 BC 75 BC)
“Maxims of Chanakya” - “Maxims from Arthasastra - Corruption”
Written by V. K. Subramanian - Shakti Malik, Abhinav Publications
E-37, Hauz Khas, New Delhi - 2000

AT LEAST 53 KILLED IN MEXICO CASINO

ARSON FIRE KILLS 53
IN A CASINO IN MEXICO

Mexico City - In what Mexican officials have called an “act of terror,” a half dozen gunmen burst into a casino in Mexico’s industrial capital of Monterrey Thursday, sprayed the place with gasoline, and started a fire in the bingo section, killing at least 53 people.  Speaking to Monterrey’s leading newspaper El Norte, Nuevo León Gov. Rodrigo Medina said that at least 53 people had been killed in the attack, making it the bloodiest attack suffered by this prosperous city, which has been rocked by spiraling drug violence in the last year. Monterrey is the capital of Nuevo León state.  Officials said they expected the death toll to continue to climb in what appeared to be an attack linked to warring drug cartels, although there was no immediate information linking the massacre to drug traffickers. Up to 80 people were in the casino when it was attacked.

“Six hooded gunmen came in, shouting obscenities and firing their guns,” said a person at the scene who asked not to be named. “They drenched the place with gasoline. People were running as the place went up in flames. Those who stayed behind burned to death.”  Videos of the Casino Royale by local news channels showed a grim scene of rescue workers dragging bodies out by their feet as billowing clouds of black smoke came out of the building. One fireman appeared to be attempting rescues from a crane. The entrance to the casino was charred black and a sign reading “Royale” stood beside it.  The massacre in the Casino Royale in an upper-middle-class area of the city was the second such attack on an entertainment center in the past two months in Monterrey. The attack on the casino, located on one of Monterrey’s main avenues, took place at about 3:30 p.m. when six men drove up in two cars, officials said.
Armed men burst into a casino in the northern Mexican city of Monterrey and set a fire that killed at least 53 people and injured several others.  The attack at the Casino Royale, was the worst massacre since a crackdown on drug gangs by the authorities and infighting among the gangs exploded more than five years ago.  Casinos, growing in number across the country, have also emerged lately as targets of extortion, violence and money laundering.  Kali-yuga resides in four places: brothels, liquor shops, slaughterhouses and gambling casinos.  There, greed, lust, pride, and violence are perceived.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

King Pariksit, in disciplining the Personification of Kali, submitted to his earnest plea and granted him five places for his residence, irreligion to flourish. These are namely gambling, liquor and all other stimulants, illicit sexual intercourse, violence (brutal killing of defenseless creatures) and gold (money used in the service of the Lord properly does not fall into this category). The practice of gambling breeds dishonesty, drinking of intoxicants and taking of stimulants lead to loss of austerities. ... Hence those desiring their highest welfare should not indulge in any of these sinful activities at all, especially the religious minded person. A King and spiritual leader or ‘guru’ should shun all such activities from a distance. Such indulgence in irreligion will only deteriorate the character of the individual and all his so called preaching will be of no avail.

Śrīla Bhakti Promode Puri Mahārāja :
“Essence of Pure Devotion”
Part V -  “Preaching and Self-Practice”
Bhaktivedanta Memorial Library - http://bvml.org/SBPPG/eopd5.htm

FORBES’ MOST POWERFUL WOMEN: 2011

THE WOMEN WHO MATTER MOST: 
FORBES’ 10 MOST POWERFUL WOMEN

(Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel topped the Forbes list of the world’s most powerful women, which is dominated by politicians, businesswomen and leaders in media and entertainment.  U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who came close to defeating President Obama when he sought the Democratic nomination in 2008, was second, followed by Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff.  “Our list reflects the diverse and dynamic paths to power for women today, whether leading a nation or setting the agenda on critical issues of our time,” said Moira Forbes, president & publisher of ForbesWoman, said in a statement.  Eight heads of state and 29 CEOs made Forbes’ roster of the 100 most powerful women released on Wednesday. They have an average age of 54 and collectively control $30 trillion. Twenty two are single.  U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama, who last year held the top spot, dropped to No. 8 in the current ranking.

“Across their multiple spheres of influence, these women have achieved power through connectivity, the ability to build a community around the organizations they oversee, the countries they lead, the causes they champion and their personal brands,” Forbes added.  Merkel was cited as the head of the one real global economy in Europe. Clinton was lauded for deftly dealing with Middle East revolutions and WikiLeaks revelations in her second year on the job, while Rousseff made history as the first woman to lead Latin America’s largest economic power.  Rounding out the top five were the CEO of PepsiCo U.S. Indra Nooyi, who oversees the $60 billion food and beverage empire, and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, who was credited with preparing the booming social network’s IPO that could bring in as much as $100 billion.  Lady Gaga and The New York Times’ recently appointed executive editor, Jill Abramson, came in at No. 11 and 12.

Every year, Forbes releases a list of the world’s most powerful woman, influential in everything from politics to technology to culture.  Forbes said women on the list achieved power not only through money and might, but, thanks to social media, through reach and influence.  These women bring a fresh look at power and they are politicians, CEOs, bankers, cultural icons, billionaires and entrepreneurs.  Among the many societies in the world, ancient Vedic culture is one that has most revered and protected women.   There is a Vedic saying, “Where the women are happy, there will be prosperity.”

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

There are many civilizations in the world where respect for women and their role in society are prominent, and others where regard for them and their status should be improved. Yet the level of civility along with moral and spiritual standards in a society can often be perceived by the respect and regard it gives for its women. Not that it glorifies them for their sexuality and then gives them all the freedom men want so they can be exploited and taken advantage of, but that they are regarded in a way that allows them to live in honor for their importance in society with respect and protection, and given the opportunity to reach their real potential in life. … The Vedic tradition has held a high regard for the qualities of women, and has retained the greatest respect within its tradition as seen in the honor it gives for the Goddess, who is portrayed as the feminine embodiment of important qualities and powers.

Stephen Knapp (Śrīpad Nandanandana dasa) :
“Women in Vedic Culture”
http://www.stephen-knapp.com/women_in_vedic_culture.htm
http://www.stephen-knapp.com  -  http://www.stephenknapp.info/

AL QAEDA VOWS ‘100 ATTACKS’ FOR BIN LADEN’S DEATH

AL-QAIDA IN IRAQ VOWS 100-ATTACK
CAMPAIGN FOR BIN LADEN DEATH

Baghdad (AP) - Al Qaeda in Iraq has vowed to carry out “100 attacks” across the country, starting in the middle of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, to exact revenge for the death of Osama bin Laden.  The terror group’s statement was released on militant websites late Friday. It said the attacks will avenge bin Laden, who was killed by U.S. forces in Pakistan in May, and other slain senior al Qaeda leaders.  “By God’s will, the campaign starts in the middle of the fasting month (of Ramadan) and ends by God’s will after 100 attacks exactly,” it said. The statement said the campaign would include “varied attacks, including raids, martyrdom operations (suicide attacks), roadside bombs, silenced guns and snipers, in all cities, rural areas and provinces” across Iraq.  Monday marked the middle of Ramadan.

On that day, a wave of crushing attacks swept across Iraq - from the northern city of Mosul to the southern Shiite heartland. At least 70 people died in suicide bombings, roadside bombs and shootings in what was Iraq’s deadliest day this year.  Al Qaeda did not explicitly claim responsibility for those attacks in Friday’s statement, but the chaos is widely believed to be the work of al Qaeda in Iraq.  A little over a year ago, U.S. and Iraqi officials said the deaths of al Qaeda in Iraq’s two top leaders in a raid had dealt a severe blow to the organization. The group has suffered from a drop in funding and just two weeks ago was calling on former members to come back to the fold, a sign of its diminished status.  But Monday’s violence suggests that al Qaeda in Iraq has the ability to resurrect itself and still carry out vicious attacks.

The al-Qaida militant group in Iraq announced a campaign of 100 attacks across the country, starting from the middle of holy Muslim month of Ramadan to take revenge for the death of its former leader Osama bin Laden.  “The campaign started in the middle of the fasting month of Ramadan (middle of August) and, if God wills, will end after exactly 100 attacks,” they said in a statement posted on an Islamic website.  Self-defense and fighting for the just cause forms an important part of the righteous duty, but revenge is not sanctioned in Hindu religion.  Desire for vengeance only lead to the destruction of the worlds.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

We are all for establishing peace in the world, for that is a state of Dharma, but some violence may be necessary to preserve Dharma from violent forces, to bring about peace, as we have seen from the past. This does not mean we use violence that is based on ego, or a political agenda, or for revenge. But it is for the defense and protection of Dharma. This was the reason for the Kurukshetra War, which lead to the speaking of the Bhagavad-gita by Lord Krishna to His friend and warrior Arjuna.  In this way, Arjuna understood that the purpose of acting as a warrior was to preserve the moral and religious principles as held and presented in Sanatana-dharma. But part of that included the destruction of the asuric or demoniac elements that were determined to ruin society by neglecting or even demolishing and annihilating the great spiritual lifestyle as found in Sanatana-dharma, the great Vedic culture.

Stephen Knapp (Śrīpad Nandanandana dasa) :
“Crimes Against India And the Need to
Protect its Ancient Vedic Traditions”
“The Purpose of Defending Dharma”
http://www.stephen-knapp.com  -  http://www.stephenknapp.info/
http://www.stephen-knapp.com/purpose_of_defending_dharma.htm

FRENCH OLYMPIC HERO COMMITS SUICIDE

PIERRE QUINON, VETERAN POLE VAULTER
 CHAMPION FROM FRANCE COMMITS SUICIDE

Paris (AFP) - Former Olympic pole-vault champion Pierre Quinon has committed suicide at the age of 49, the French Athletics Federation announced on Thursday.  The news was confirmed by family members.  Quinon’s hour of golden glory came at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, a year after he broke the world record with a leap of 5.82m.  He retired in 1992 and entered the restaurant business in the south of France, and had also been involved in preparations for the 2015 World Masters Athletics in Lyon.  Quinon was part of a golden generation of French pole-vaulters coached by Jean-Claude Perrin that included Thierry Vigneron and he reached the summit when he smashed the world record with 5.82 metres at Cologne in 1982.  That mark lasted just four days before Vigneron went one centimetre higher, but it was Quinon who took gold at the Los Angeles Games ahead of Mike Tully of the United States with Vigneron settling for the bronze.

Among other major achievements during the professional career of the French athlete, we have a silver medal at the 1984 European Indoor Championships, where again, he finished just behind traditional rival, Vigneron. On his sad demise, the world athletics body, the French athletics federation and spectators of the vaulter world around mourned the loss. He was indeed a great champion and a greater player.  It was the first time that a Frenchman had won Olympic gold in the pole vault and represented the peak of his career with injuries spoiling his form in later years before he finally retired in 1992 and entered the restaurant business in the south of France, and had also been involved in preparations for the 2015 World Masters Athletics in Lyon. A police inquiry has been opened into the circumstances of his death.

Former Olympic pole-vault champion Pierre Quinon has committed suicide at the age of 49, the French Athletics Federation announced.  Quinon’s hour of golden glory came at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, a year after he broke the world record with a leap of 5.82m.  Sources of Athletics Federation said Quiñones "suffered from depression" and was on medication.  A confused, frustrated man cannot get relief by committing suicide because suicide will simply lead him to take birth in the lower species of life or to remain a ghost, unable to attain a gross material body.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

The reason for depression may be different for each person, and there are a variety of causes. ... And what is worse, if the depression is not remedied, then it can escalate to feelings of suicide.  When a person in despair feels that all of their basic defenses are broken and there is no one to turn to, nor can they find a comforting voice to console or support them, then they may conclude that there is no way out but through death.  If their cry for help is not heard or seems to be ignored, or if they do not know where to find help, then suicide may be considered as a last resort.  But it must be understood that suicide is never the end.  And suicide, and the state of mind that one has to compel one to commit suicide, is never a way for progressing into the next realm.  Death is never the final act.  It only opens the door to additional challenges that must be met or endured, depending on how one leaves their body.

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

ADOPTING A BABY FROM INDIA

ADOPTIONS BABIES FROM INDIA
EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW

India (http://www.lassiwithlavina.com) - One of the ironies of life is that there are millions of children without homes, and without families, while there are millions of adults who wish to be parents but cannot. Adoption is the process which can unite them, and yet it is still a loaded word for many Indian families. For years there was a stigma attached to adoption, especially in Indian society. In a country like India where so much value is placed on marriage, family values and fertility, it can be particularly difficult for a couple to be ‘barren’. In India it can be feast or famine, where children are concerned. The orphanages are full of abandoned children waiting to be adopted. And on the other side you have thousands of couples, both in India and the Diaspora, who can’t conceive and yearn to have a child to nurture and love. Add to that thousands more who, in spite of having their own biological children, want to adopt children and have the time and resources to do so.

So shouldn’t this be the simplest thing in the world - placing abandoned children and prospective parents together to create new loving homes and giving children a future? Most people who have been through the adoption process talk as if they’ve been through the wringer - emotionally and financially - for adopting a child from India is like running a marathon through hoops and mazes. How can one make sense of the procedures and bring about a quick happy ending? The US State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs statistics shows that between 1999 -2010, 224,615 children were adopted from several countries. The total amount of children from India in this time frame was 4753, and of this the number of girls was 3383 and boys were 1370. To know more about it, go to India‘s Adoption Authority,  Central Adoption Resource Agency (CARA) http://www.adoptionindia.nic.in/

Until recently, adopting a child in India was reserved only for couples who could not conceive a child of their own, often a secret undertaking and managed with a great deal of family resistance, and certainly little support.  In the glorious Vedic times many personalities were adopted by another family, among the most important are undoubtedly the Queen Kuntī, Baladeva and Lord Krishna himself.  Nanda Mahārāja was the foster father of Lord Krishna and Lord Baladeva, whereas Yaśodā Mātā was Krishna's foster mother and Rohini Mātā was Baladeva's foster mother. 

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Vasudeva: Son of King Śūrasena, husband of Devakī and father of Lord Śrī Krishna. He is the brother of Kuntī and father of Subhadrā. ... When Krishna appeared within the bars of Kamsa’s prison house, He was transferred by Vasudeva to the house of Nanda Mahārāja, the foster father of Krishna, at Gokula. ... Baladeva: He is the divine son of Vasudeva by his wife Rohinī. He is also known as Rohinī-nandana, the beloved son of Rohinī. He was also entrusted to Nanda Mahārāja along with His mother, Rohinī, when Vasudeva embraced imprisonment by mutual agreement with Kamsa. So Nanda Mahārāja is also the foster father of Baladeva along with Lord Krishna.  ... Originally named Prithā, Kuntī was the daughter of Śūrasena, the chief of the glorious Yadu dynasty.  When she was a child, her father Śūrasena had given her in adoption to his childless cousin and close friend Kuntibhoja (hence the name “Kuntī”).

Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda :
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam - Canto 1: “Creation”
Chapter 11: “Lord Krishna’s Entrance into Dvārakā” Verses 16-17
“Teachings of Queen Kuntī, Introduction” - Bhaktivedanta VedaBase

TIBETAN MONK BURNS HIMSELF TO DEATH IN CHINA

IN CHINA TIBETAN MONK DIES
IN SELF-IMMOLATION PROTEST

Beijin (Reuters) - A Tibetan Buddhist monk burned himself to death on Monday in southwest China calling for the return of the Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader condemned by Beijing as a separatist.  The Tibetan Buddhist monk protesting Chinese policies immolated himself publicly in a Tibetan area of Sichuan Province in southwest China on Monday, an outside advocacy group reported. It was the second such act in the area in the past five months and appeared to reflect resistance to increased Chinese repression of loyalty to Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.  The monk’s self-immolation could spark fresh tensions in heavily ethnic Tibetan parts of Sichuan, which neighbors the official Tibet region, following protests in March when a Tibetan monk there also burned himself to death.  The London-based Free Tibet organization said the latest immolation-protest was carried out by a 29-year-old monk, Tsewang Norbu, who was from a monastery in Tawu, about 150 km (93 miles) from where the last immolation happened. 

“Tsewang Norbu drank petrol, sprayed petrol on himself and then set himself on fire,” Free Tibet said in an emailed statement, citing an unnamed witness.  “He was heard calling out: ‘We Tibetan people want freedom’, ‘Long live the Dalai Lama’ and ‘Let the Dalai Lama Return to Tibet’. He is believed to have died at the scene,” the group said.  “I saw a monk lying on the ground and burning, he died right in front of the county government building. Before setting himself on fire, he was distributing leaflets,” a hotel receptionist near the scene told AFP over the phone.  Tensions over the fate of the exiled Dalai Lama and his calls for Tibetan self-determination have continued to dog the region, sometimes flaring into protests.

A 29-year-old Tibetan monk set himself on fire and died of his injuries on Monday in southwest China, months after another self-immolation in the restive area sparked a crackdown by authorities.  Before setting himself on fire he was distributing leaflets right in front of the county government building. He was heard calling out “We Tibetan people want freedom”, “Long live the Dalai Lama”, and “Let the Dalai Lama return to Tibet” before he died.  In the epic Ramayana, we read the story of Bharata who vowed to Rama that if he did not return immediately when the fourteen years had elapsed, he would give up his life by self-immolation.  

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Lakshmana spoke this to Rama:  “Ushered by anguish Bharata must be practising ascesis in city with adoration to you.  On forsaking kingdom and pride of becoming the king of Ayodhya as well and varied and various pleasures too, he is in self-denial, and with his food regulated he sleeps on chilly surface of earth.  That lotus-petal eyed one with blue-black complexion, being the noblest he is knower of dharma thus an advocate of truth, and thus intolerant of ignominy, and as a self-restrained one he talks dearly and sweetly, and he is dextrous and an enemy-destroyer, such as he is, that Bharata on forgoing all of his various pleasures he is devoted to you, as you alone are his adorable brother.”  Whith these broodings Lakshmana is quickening Rama’s thinking to take some action to complete his mission in eradicating the demonic atrocities and quickly return to Ayodhya, lest time slips by and Bharata may self-immolate.

Valmiki Ramayana
“Aranya Kanda (in Prose) - Sarga 16”
http://www.giirvaani.net/giirvaani/vr/aranya/sarga16/aranya_16_prose.htm

INDIA RAMPS UP SECURITY FOR INDEPENDENCE DAY

TERROR ALERT PROMPTS ALL-ROUND
SECURITY FOR I-DAY CELEBRATIONS IN INDIA

New Delhi (AFP) - India's prime minister says his government will take the strictest possible action against wrongdoers in a series of corruption scandals facing his government.  Manmohan Singh made the comments Monday from the ramparts of a 17th century fort during a speech marking the 64th anniversary of India's independence from British rule.  Police and soldiers were out in force across India on Monday as security was ramped up for Independence Day celebrations held in the shadow of blasts last month in Mumbai which killed 26 people.  A senior home ministry official said security measures were being increased in New Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai and Kolkata, as well as Mumbai, where police are probing the July 13 bombs.  The three coordinated explosions killed 26 and injured 130, but no group claimed responsibility and detectives have struggled to unearth who was behind the attack.  Indian President Pratibha Patil in her customary address on the eve of Independence Day called for heightened vigilance against militant attacks. 

“The attack in Mumbai last month is yet another grim reminder of the destruction that can be caused by terrorism,” she said in a nationwide broadcast on Sunday evening.  “We need to be ever-vigilant, to fight this menace which is a global phenomenon,” the president added.  The Press Trust of India (PTI) said thousands of police personnel were deployed in the national capital ahead of the celebrations, which mark India’s independence from British rule on August 15, 1947.  Heavily-armed commandos backed by snipers and rapid-action squads will guard the 16th-century Red Fort in the crowded centre of Delhi where Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will make his annual speech.  PTI reported “an impregnable ground-to-air security apparatus” was in place around the event.  Security was also raised in insurgency-hit Kashmir and India’s seven restive northeastern states including Manipur, where several separatist groups have asked people to boycott Monday’s celebrations.

Police have made elaborate security arrangements for the Independence Day celebrations today in India, with around 80,000 cops and over 20 companies of paramilitary forces being deployed in the capital.  Officials said they were keeping an eye on the markets as terrorist groups like the Indian Mujahideen had targeted these areas in the past.  After 64 years of independence, due to the prevalence of materialistic way of thinking which exists in most of the countries, Indian society are facing dominance of the western culture.  Day by day the influence of foreign culture is increasing in India.  

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

In the long and difficult struggle to gain independence for India, Mahatma Gandhi encountered many set-backs. ... Gandhi had always said that real independence for India was not just to become free from British rule. It was also to become free of British culture and industrial way of life and to re-establish the traditional Indian village-based culture which he had always struggled for. He saw India’s destiny as different from that of the West:  “I feel that India’s mission is different from that of others. India is fitted for religious supremacy of the world. There is no parallel in the world for the process of purification that this country has voluntarily undergone. India is the land of duty, not the land of enjoyment.”  Consequently he foresaw disaster if India were to try in her new-found independence to imitate or compete with the West.  “European civilization is no doubt suited for the Europeans but it will mean ruin for India, if we endeavour to copy it.”

Ranchor Prime (Śripad Ranchor Dasa) :
“Hinduism & Ecology” Chapter Eight: “Village Economics”
Friends of Vrindavan (FOV) -  Published by Cassell and WWF UK
http://www.fov.org.uk/hinduism/hinduism.html
http://www.fov.org.uk/aims/aims.html