BAD NEWS ON GROUND BEEF

“RED MEAT RED ALERT”
BAD NEWS FOR BURGER LOVERS

AOL News - Labor Day barbecues across the country might be a little leaner on the beef this year, as yet another recall of burger patties reminds consumers that potentially lethal dangers could be lurking in what they’re flipping on the grill. Cargill Meat, a Pennsylvania-based manufacturing firm, is recalling 8,500 pounds of ground beef sold through BJ’s Wholesale Club locations across the eastern United States. Three people have already fallen ill with E. Coli, and health authorities are warning that much of the contaminated meat is still sitting in home freezers. Of course, this is only the latest round in the decades-long debate over ground beef safety. From Oprah Winfrey’s 1996 admonition on disease-laden hamburgers to the more recent - and jarring - depiction of the meat production mill in 2008’s “Food Inc.”

Americans have been given lots of reasons to talk about meaty concerns, but at the same time, that hasn’t stopped them from chomping down on, and shelling out for, various cuts of bovine. The U.S. beef and cattle industry has seen steady increases in profit and sales over the last decade, dipping only slightly in 2009.

Hamburger is the No. 1 culprit for E. Coli infection in people, and has spurred dozens of recalls in the last five years. Despite reassuring labels like “sirloin” or “top choice,” ground beef patties are usually an amalgamation of cheap, leftover cuts of meat - from several different cows.
Some meat producers, including Cargill, often ship scraps from various facilities and suppliers to a central grinding location where patties are produced.

Many of the regulations governing the industry are opaque at best, and in the case of ground beef, there’s one major hole that’s yet to be plugged: the midpoint between meat arriving at a grinding facility and being combined into final retail product.


When ground beef is produced in such a manner, there's more opportunity for infection; usually it comes from feces on facility floors or within the intestines of cows being sliced and diced. Burger makers want to avoid this is known because they need to convince consumers that these products are safe to eat.

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 are 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.” ... It’s virtually impossible to determine how many cows contribute to a single burger.

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

WEB ADDICTED TEENS FACE MORE DEPRESSION RISK

ADDICTIVE OR OBSESSIVE INTERNET USE
BEEN LINKED TO DEPRESSION IN MANY TEENS

(HealthDay News) - Teens who spend far too much time on the Internet run the risk of developing depression, a new Australian study suggests. Pathological Internet use has been linked with relationship problems, health problems, aggressive behavior and other psychiatric symptoms, they added. “Parents should be vigilant about their children’s online behavior,” said lead researcher Lawrence T. Lam, from the School of Medicine, Sydney, and the University of Notre Dame Australia. “Should there be any concern about young people involving problematic Internet-use behavior, professional help should be sought immediately.” This sort of behavior may be a manifestation of some underlying problems that are more insidious, Lam said. For the study, Lam and his colleague Zi-Wen Peng, from SunYat-Sen University in Guangzhou, China, collected data on pathological Internet use among 1,041 Chinese teens aged 13 to 18. At the start of the study, the researchers classified 6.2 percent of the teens as having a moderately pathological Internet problem and 0.2 percent as seriously at risk. Nine months later, the teens were reassessed for depression and anxiety. The researchers found 0.2 percent had symptoms of anxiety and 8.4 percent had become depressed.

Michael Gilbert, a senior fellow at the Center for the Digital Future at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication, said that one factor to the link between overuse of the Internet and psychological problems like depression may be that the Internet is actually isolating and alienating. “Parents are indicating to us that a lot of their children’s friendship circles are contracting by reason of the fact they are spending too much time on the Internet,” he said. “This ties in generally with the notion that Internet behavior is becoming disruptive in the family.” Spending too much time on the Internet is a so-called “process addiction”, Gilbert said.


Yes, spending too much time on the web is not good. Technology changes, but questions remain unanswered: those adolescents who were depressed, were they at risk of depression before became addicted to the Internet, or not?. Were they also at risk for other addictive behaviors? Were they finding the answers to their internal search? Parents should respond.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Most people prefer entertainment to studying, so storytelling is a great way to make learning fun. We see even today that people love to go to the movies, rent DVDs, or watch television shows. The recitation of the Puranas was as good as watching television, but even more effective since it involved the hearing process. ... Sadly, in today’s society, almost no one is interested in hearing about these great texts. ... It is unfortunate that so many have taken to watching debauchery on television and the internet. Video websites are very popular these days, with people performing mindless acts on camera so that they can put their videos online and receive millions of views. People have fallen victim to such forms of entertainment because of the lack of leadership in their government. ... The leaders themselves are unaware of the real purpose of human life, which is to become God conscious.

Krishna'sMercy.org - Jai Shri Krishna :
“Puranic Recitation” - Posted on November 17, 2009
http://www.krishnasmercy.org/dotnetnuke/
http://krishnasmercy.wordpress.com/?s=puranic+recitation
http://krishnasmercy.wordpress.com/2009/11/18/puranic-recitation/

‘ZERO EMISSIONS’ RACE SETS OFF FROM GENEVA

TEAMS PUT ELECTRIC TECHNOLOGIES
TO TEST IN ROUND-THE-WORLD, 80-DAY TOUR

GENEVA (AP) - Teams from three continents have set off from the Place des Nations in Geneva with their electric cars for the longest and greenest race of all time: the ZERO Race. These tams from Australia, Germany and Switzerland have set off from Geneva for what they hope will be the first carbon neutral race around the world. Participants are using custom built two-seater electric vehicles that will be charged from regular power outlets along the way. At the same time they are feeding electricity generated from solar and wind plants into the grid. Australian Jason Jones says his team expects to pay only a little over $350 for the electricity needed to power their three-wheel car around the globe. The race will pass through 16 countries and 150 cities including Berlin, Moscow, Shanghai, Los Angeles and Cancun before returning to Geneva in January after 18,642 miles (30,000 kilometers) on the road. The race is organized by Swiss inventor Louis Palmer, the first man to drive a solar powered vehicle around the world.

The international teams are aiming to prove it’s possible to tour around the world in 80 days with emission-free, electric vehicles. Already, an American team that was supposed to compete lost its vehicle to a fire, while a South Korean team is expected to join later after running into battery trouble. The aim is to complete the 30,000-kilometre trip without pumping carbon into the atmosphere, a goal that Louis Palmer, the race organizer, believes can be done. Mr. Palmer should know. Two years ago the Swiss inventor and former schoolteacher completed his own round-the-world trip in a solar-powered taxi without using a single drop of gas. “Technology has developed a lot since then,” Mr. Palmer told reporters as the vehicles lined up at the UN’s European headquarters in Geneva. “These are capable of doing 500 kilometres a day.” Mr. Palmer said he hopes manufacturers will soon embrace some of the green technologies and incorporate them in their cars.


This zero race wants to make a tour around the world in 80 days using their electric vehicles fed by electricity generated from solar and wind power. It is encouraging to see that scientists are looking for solutions like electric cars and renewable energy. Everything belongs to the Supreme Being, so we must care for the environment because nothing is ours, but all is God's property.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

In all the inventions or devices we produce, all the ingredients and resources that we use are all given by God. The elements we need to make big buildings, bridges, ships, cars, or the fuel to operate them, are all being given by God, and we need to show the proper respect. To think we are the proprietors of everything is the illusion. It is our pride that makes us think we are so intelligent when actually the very brain with which we think is not created by us but has again been given by God. ... The imbalance in nature, such as the green house effect, the changing climate and weather patterns, are reflections of the imbalance in the consciousness of humanity. Once there is balance and harmony in society’s consciousness and the way we regard and treat the ecosystem, this will then be reflected in the balance in nature. Then many of the storms, natural upheavals and disasters will begin to cease.

Dr Stephen Knapp (Śrīpad Nandanandana dasa) :
“Environmentalism According to the Vedic View”
http://www.stephen-knapp.com/
http://www.stephen-knapp.com/environmentalism_according_to_the_vedic_view.htm

TAINTED EGG FARM OWNERS HAVE DATE WITH CONGRESS

SALMONELLA OUTBREAK CONFIRMED AT 2 IOWA FARMS
FDA TO INSPECT LARGEST EGG FARMS FOR TAINTED EGGS

WASHINGTON (CBS/AP) - Laboratory tests have confirmed that two Iowa egg companies are contaminated with the same strain of salmonella blamed for a national outbreak of illness, which continues to claim victims. The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday said it has found positive samples of salmonella that link Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms to the tainted supply that has forced the recall of over half a billion eggs and made as many as 1,500 people sick. The two farms are independent but share close ties, including suppliers of chickens and feed. A House Energy and Commerce subcommittee announced it will hold a hearing on the recalls Sept. 14 and intend to call Austin “Jack” DeCoster, the owner of Wright County Egg, and Orland Bethel, the owner of Hillandale Farms, to testify. It is not clear whether either of the men will actually appear. The panel has also written the FDA, which oversees the safety of shell eggs, and the Agriculture Department, which oversees other egg products and animal disease.

The committee asked for records of inspections and past communications with the two farms. The FDA has said it has “no inspectional history” with the two farms. DeCoster - who has paid millions of dollars in fines over the last 20 years for health, safety, immigration and environmental violations and is considered a “habitual violator” in Iowa - is actually tied to both of the culpable farms. In addition to owning Wright County, another of his companies, Quality Egg, supplies young chickens and feed to both Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms. Weeks after DeCoster accepted habitual violator status, his associates founded Environ Egg. Its registered agent was a Des Moines lawyer who had represented DeCoster in the environmental lawsuits. Environ later transferred ownership to a company called Environ/Wright County Inc., which leases the site to Wright County Egg - owned by DeCoster.


Tainted eggs from the two Iowa producers have caused the biggest case of Salmonella Enteritidis disease in the past decades. Not only in the USA, but mainly in all countries, these egg farms have gone largely uninspected. The factory farms cram egg-laying hens into cages so tiny they can't even spread their wings. When you eat eggs you are also eating the reactions of all this cruel confinement.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Agricultural with chemicals, pesticides and genetically modified crops to increase production of meat and fill our plates with blood is something that brings deplorable and condemnable reaction for both consumer health and for the discomfort of the planet's ecological situation. For all this, a member of the Spoon Revolution is a strong consumer of all the healthy organic aliments produced with respect to animals and Mother Nature. A member of the Spoon Revolution is a 100% vegetarian and does not touch the life of any animal including birds and fish and even eat eggs that are the product of the most terrible concentration camps there in the world for chickens. ... This revolution is to stimulate respect among all living things, to give our world a service and an opportunity to the environment. ... We want to see a world where animals and humans live in harmony and where individuals develop a Sense of Responsibility.

Śrīla Bhakti Aloka Paramadvaiti Mahārāja :
http://www.spoonrevolution.com/
http://www.vedic-wisdom.org/
http://www.larevoluciondelacuchara.org/
http://bhaktipedia.org/espanol/index.php

MOTHER TERESA’S BIRTH CENTENARY CELEBRATIONS

NUNS MARK MOTHER TERESA’S 100TH BIRTHDAY
CENTENARY MASS FOR HER HELD IN KOLKATA, INDIA

KOLKATA (PTI) - As Mother Teresa’s birth centenary celebrations commenced here yesterday, Pope Benedict XVI sent a message to the Missionaries of Charity, joining “spiritually” in the celebrations and giving the order and the people they serve his blessings. In a letter to Superior-General of the Missionaries of Charity Sister Prema, Pope Benedict said: “This year will be for the Church and the world an occasion of joyful gratitude to God for the inestimable gift that Mother Teresa was in her lifetime.” Pope Benedict said Mother Teresa exemplified the words of Saint John: “Beloved, if God so loves us, we ought also to love one another. If we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.” Expressing the hope that this love would continue to inspire the Missionaries of Charity in their work, the Pope said: “I encourage you to draw constantly from the spirituality and example of Mother Teresa.” The letter was read out at a special mass held at Mother House, headquarters of the Missionaries of Charity, by Archbishop of Calcutta Rev. Sirkar.

“Today people from all nations, castes, creeds and walks of life celebrate God’s love and light, which radiated on our cold and darkened world through Mother Teresa,” Sister Prema said. As part of these celebrations, it was India Railway Minister inaugurated ‘Mother Express,’ an exhibition train with photographs depicting the life and philanthropic deeds of Mother Teresa, at the Sealdah Station. At the inauguration, Sister Prema spoke about the close association Mother Teresa had with the Railways. It was on a train she took from the same station to Darjeeling when Mother Teresa received what she herself described as “the call within a call” - the moment when she received a message from God to leave the convent were she was a nun and begin her work in the slums of Kolkata. When several other centres of the Missionaries of Charity came up in other cities, she would often travel to them, but always in third class and without reservation. “Mother liked to travel like the poor and among the poor,” Sister Prema said. A Mother Teresa International Film Festival 2010 was also inaugurated.

The birth centenary celebrations of Mother Teresa remind us of the enormous potential that resides in human beings, to serve humanity with unwavering faith and abiding love. She has been called “the nun who moved mountains” and she still continues to inspire us with her life and message of love.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Radhanath Swami arrived at the convent of Mother Teresa, a simple one story building, where a Catholic sister received Radhanath Swami with a modest smile, “Welcome to the Missionaries of Charity,” she said. “How may I serve you?” ... The sister then led Radhanath Swami into a small room, offered him a seat, and told him that Mother would come after washing the pots. ... Other visitors entered the room just then. One British woman asked Mother, “Why do you wash the pots? Is there not someone else who can do this?” Mother Teresa looked warmly on her interrogator. “Serving God and humanity is an honor, not a chore. Any type of service to God is a blessing. There is no high or low.” “But Mother,” the woman’s husband inquired, “where do you get your strength from?” Mother Teresa held up her rosary. ... “All my strength comes from the Lord’s Holy Names.” She turned to Radhanath Swami and spoke. “If you are humble, nothing will touch you, neither praise nor disgrace, because you know who you are. God is our witness. Never be disheartened by any failure as long as you have done your best.” ... She then excused herself to scrub more pots.

Śrīla Radhanath Swami Mahārāja :
“Radhanath Swami Meets Mother Teresa”
http://www.radhanath-swami.net/
http://www.radhanath-swami.info/Radhanath_Swami_Meets_Mother_Teresa.php
http://radhanathswami.blogspot.com/2010/06/secret-of-mother-teresas-enthusiasm-to.html

GREEN LEAFY VEGGIES MAY CUT DIABETES RISK

STUDY: EATING MORE GREEN LEAFY VEGETABLES
MAY REDUCE RISK OF DEVELOPING TYPE 2 DIABETES

www.telegraph.co.uk - People who add more green leafy vegetables to their diet may significantly reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes, a new study says. Patrice Carter, a research nutritionist at the University of Leicester, and colleagues reviewed six studies involving more than 220,000 people that focused on the links between fruits and vegetables and type 2 diabetes. They conclude that eating one and one half servings of green leafy vegetables per day reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes by 14%. However, they also found that eating more fruits and vegetables combined doesn’t seem to affect this risk. Although many studies have found that diets high in fruits and vegetables reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer, many people don’t seem to be getting the message, researchers say. For example: 86% of adults in the United Kingdom ate less than the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables per day, according to a 2002 study. 62% ate fewer than three servings. The authors say that fruits and vegetables can prevent several chronic diseases, likely because of their antioxidant content.

Spinach and other green leafy veggies may reduce type 2 diabetes risk because of their high concentrations of polyphenols and vitamin C, both of which have antioxidant properties. They also contain magnesium, which may further reduce risk. They conclude that specific, tailored advice needs to be given to people to encourage them to eat more green leafy vegetables. Despite mounting evidence, the Leicester researchers’ study has met some mild skepticism. The study is published in the BMJ, formerly known as the British Medical Journal, and in an accompanying editorial, Professor Jim Mann from the University of Otago in New Zealand, stressed that the message of increasing overall fruit and vegetable intake must not be lost “in a plethora of magic bullets,” even though green leafy vegetables clearly can be included as one of the daily portions.



The study adds to the evidence that a healthy lifestyle, and the intake of green leafy vegetables - for example cabbage, brussel sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, and spinach - can help prevent type 2 diabetes. We should add that besides the health benefits, a vegetarian diet helps in human evolution, purifying their different bodies or “koshas” and the states of consciousness.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Purity and harmony of our body and mind, which are essential to understand that the true Self transcends this physical body, also depend on the food we eat, because our body, mind and spirit feed on the products we eat. Inbound Nutrition, not only teaches us how to feed the physical body but also how to feed and maintain the “pranic” body, mental, intellectual and soul, in perfect health and harmony, creating a simultaneous balance between our being and the environment that surrounds us. From the food we eat depends entirely our health, and the development and quality of life. While nutrition which is applied in the West, is based on the macro and micro nutrients of the food, Inbound Nutrition is based on the flavors of these and the psycho-physical constitution or “prakriti” of the individual, that is determined by the three subtle energies or “tridosha”, to establish the proper diet to each person.

Yoga Inbound :
“Inbound Health - Inbound Nutrition - Background”
http://www.yogainbound.org/ws/salud-inbound/21-nutricion-inbound
http://www.yogainbound.org/ws/salud-inbound/21-nutricion-inbound/35-antecedentes

VAST SISTER SOLAR SYSTEM ‘DISCOVERED’

NEW SOLAR SYSTEM DISCOVERED IN CHILE
AT 127 LIGHT YEARS AWAY WITH UP TO 7 PLANETS

CHILE (PTI) - A team of astronomers in Chile have announced they have discovered what they claim is a vast solar system of seven planets, orbiting a sun-like star, 127 light years away from Earth. An international team has confirmed the presence of the five planets and has tantalising evidence of two more in the planetary system which is believed to be the largest ever detected beyond the sun. The scientists at the European Southern Observatory made the discovery while studying a star in the constellation of Hydrus. The distance of the planets from their parent star follow a regular pattern, similar to that seen in our own solar system, say the astronomers. “We have found what is most likely the system with the most planets yet discovered. We are now entering a new era in exoplanet research: the study of complex planetary systems and not just of individual planets.” The parent star, known as HD 10180, lies in the southern constellation of Hydrus 127 light years away. The astronomers patiently studied it for six years using a planet-finding instrument called the HARPS spectrograph, attached to ESO’s 3.6 metre telescope at La Silla, Chile.

They were able to detect tiny wobbles in the star’s motion caused by the gravitational tugs of its planets. The five strongest signals corresponded to planets with Neptune-like masses, between 13 and 25 times that of the Earth. These planets, with orbit periods ranging from six to 600 days, are separated from their star at 0.06 to 1.4 times the distance between the Earth and sun. The planet would be rocky, like the Earth, but probably far too hot to sustain life. With at least five Neptune-sized planets circling inside an orbit equivalent to that of Mars, the HD 10180 system has a more populated inner region than our solar system. So far astronomers have found 15 systems containing at least three planets. The findings have been submitted for publication to the ‘Astronomy and Astrophysics’ journal.


Astronomers have discovered a new solar system that has between 5 and 7 planets, the largest known star system outside our own. This is not new, at least for the Vedic knowledge. Lord Brahma creates the material universe and the planetary systems, and his engineer, Sri Visvakarma, creates the planets where we enjoy and suffer, trying to live away from Bhagavān Śrī Krishna.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Guru will have to be seen in the same form as we see in the Lord. He is no way inferior. /brahmānda bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva / guru-krishna-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja/ “According to their karma, all living entities are wandering throughout the entire universe. Some of them are being elevated to the upper planetary systems, and some are going down into the lower planetary systems. Out of many millions of wandering living entities, one who is very fortunate gets an opportunity to associate with a bona fide spiritual master by the grace of Krishna. By the mercy of both Krishna and the spiritual master, such a person receives the seed of the creeper of devotional service” - (Śrī Caitanya Caritāmrita, Madhya-līlā, 19.151). By the grace of Guru and Krishna a fortunate person gets the seed of devotion when he goes around the universe. If he worships Krishna and serves his Guru, his curtain of maya will disappear and he will get the lotus feet of Krishna.

Śrīla Bhakti Kumud Santa Mahārāja :
“Śrī Guru Tattva”
A Lecture on the occasion of the
Abirbhava of Śrīpad Vamana Maharaja
Bhaktivedanta Memorial Library
www.bvml.org/SBKSM/index.htm