RELIGIOUS SERVICES PREVENT DEPRESSION, NEW STUDY

ATTENDING RELIGIOUS SERVICES LOWERS 
DEPRESSION RISK AND RAISES OPTIMISM

Medical News Today - People who go to religious services routinely are 56% more likely to view life positively and 27% less likely to have symptoms of depression, researchers from Yeshiva University reported in the Journal of Religion and Health. The authors added that those who attend services every week tend to be less cynical too.  The researchers based their study on the “Women’s Health Initiative” observational study involving 92,539 postmenopausal females. These older women came from a wide range of society including several income levels, ethnic backgrounds and religions. The researchers deliberately did not verify the women’s religions.  Lead researcher, Eliezer Schnall, said:  “We looked at a number of psychological factors; optimism, depression, cynical hostility, and a number of subcategories and subscales involving social support and social strain.”

“The link between religious activity and health is most evident in women, specifically older women.” Schnall added that they concentrated on this group of people because females have longer lifespans than men, and seniors are a growing group.  Previous studies had shown that being a regular participant in religious services helps enhance social interaction.  The researchers mentioned several aspects of support which likely contribute to people’s attitude, such as being able to sit with a priest, minister or rabbi and talk about things (informational and emotional support), being taken to get to see a doctor by somebody (tangible support), as well as affectionate support and a positive interaction between parishioners.  The authors added that as the study only focused on older females, nobody knows whether the same applies to males or younger individuals.

Religious services improve your spiritual health - and new research suggests going to services regularly might also boost your mental health.  People who regularly attend religious ceremonies are less depressed and have a more positive outlook on life, and these emotional benefits bring healthier habits like smoking and drinking less.  Those who attended services frequently are more optimistic and less likely to be depressed than their non-religious peers.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?  

Although spirituality may not be able to cure all forms of depression completely, it will certainly help. In many cases, developing oneself spiritually can lay the groundwork so that if you are depressed, you may change your view which may allow you to rise above a depressed state of mind. ... The benefit of spiritual practice is that the higher your own vibration becomes, the more you will rise above all other forms of darkness, confusion, negativity, or evil forces and influences. The clearer your views of life and your purpose in it will be. The Divine Name is the one sovereign, infallible remedy to get rid of depression once and for all. Attend regular prayer services in the temple or ashrama. The holy vibrations will give you added mental and spiritual strength to cope with your problems. Study the scriptures or deep Vedic texts daily. This will give you discrimination, which will give dynamic strength to the mind. It will be your most effective weapon to seal the lower promptings of the mind.

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

MANY TOYS MAY HARM YOUR CHILD

DON'T RUIN HOLIDAY
SEASON WITH MATERIALISM

By Jennifer Coburn - This holiday season, let's not over stuff ourselves with toys, trinkets and gifts. The gluttony of consumerism adversely affects our health - and our children's health. The average American spends more than $1,000 during the holiday season, according to Buy Nothing Christmas, an organization that advocates simplifying the holiday. Despite the fact that the USA represents 4.5 percent of the world's population, we consume 40 percent of its toys. The typical first-grader is able to recognize 200 brands and acquires 70 new toys a year. In "Born to Buy," professor Juliet Schor explains that the more kids buy into the commercial culture, the more likely they are to suffer from depression, anxiety, headaches, stomachaches and boredom. Adolescents with more materialistic values are more likely to engage in risky behavior, such as smoking, drinking and illegal drug use. They are more likely to suffer personality disorders like narcissism, separation anxiety, paranoia and attention deficit disorder. 


Lavishing our children with gifts deprives them of something far more valuable: shared time and experiences. In our overscheduled lives, we are often too busy or tired to do a family art project, play a board game or bake cookies. I can't remember ever roasting chestnuts on an open fire, but it's always sounded like a lovely idea. Most families say that what they need more of is time - not stuff. And getting in and out of shopping centers steals your time. Overabundance of holiday gifts offers a short-term payoff, but the long-term consequences are high. Not surprisingly kids who are overindulged materially tend to have the worst relationships with their parents. Money can't buy love, but it sure seems to finance some serious familial discord. I don't advocate for doing away with all holiday gift-giving. A few thoughtful gifts can add a lot to a child's holiday, but we need to redefine giving by shopping less and doing more. Our kids will remember the bread-baking, the snowball fights and the family time long after they've tired of this year's must-have gadget. 

The average North American spends a lot during the holiday season, and presents are part of the holiday experience, but they have come to eclipse the greater meaning of the season. Whether it is Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or winter solstice, the season offers us all a period to reflect on what makes life beautiful and meaningful. And those usually don't come in wrapping paper.  Consumerism is based on the desire to purchase goods and services in ever greater amounts, and we must avoid its risks by providing our children with higher values and saintly association.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Whatever we think of is really part of our consciousness. And consciousness means person. Everything that we may be conscious of is a person. ... Affection, attraction, sympathy - these things are all the outcome of having a heart. The scientists feel that animals have no real brain, no intelligence. Yet we see that even without much of a brain, an animal can live, but without a heart, none can live. As the brain is a representation of a computer, the animals have no real computer to calculate. Animals may follow intuitive knowledge, and so they can work unconsciously. And we can see that intuition can go above brain calculation. So many birds and beasts can understand that an earthquake is coming, but so far, no human calculation can understand precisely when an earthquake will come. There are many things that our brain cannot feel, cannot catch, whereas even the animals can get some clue about them beforehand.

Śrīmati Urmila devi dasi : 

“The Company We Keep”

http://urmila.me.uk/ 

http://www.krishna.com/company-we-keep

GRIEVING DOG GUARDS DECEASED MASTER'S GRAVE

SINCE ITS MASTER WAS BURIED,
DOG REMAINED ROOTED TO THE SPOT

Agencies - People living in a Chinese village have been so moved by a dog that has been guarding the grave of its deceased owner they plan to build a kennel for him. The yellow dog belonged to Lao Pan, a single man who died earlier this month aged 68. After his room in Panjiatun village near Qingdao city, Shandong Province, was cleared his dog disappeared. But villagers later found the dog by the grave of its owner. Reports say that for seven days, the dog stayed there, refusing to leave. Seeing that the dog was going without food, the locals tried to take it back to the village and gave it some buns. The dog took the buns and returned to the graveyard. Now the villagers are taking food and water to the dog regularly and plan to put up a kennel for it near its owner's grave. The story is reminiscent of Edinburgh's Greyfriar Bobby, a Skye terrier who, history recalls, spent 14 years at his master's grave in the 19th century. He is now immortalized with a bronze statue in the city and has his own website.

There are also many more similar cases, for example the story of Hachikō, a Japanese dog with unquestionable loyalty to his master. In 1924, Hachikō was brought to Tokyo by his owner, Hidesaburō Ueno, a professor in the agriculture department at the University of Tokyo. During his owner's life Hachikō saw him off from the front door and greeted him at the end of the day at the nearby Shibuya Station. The pair continued their daily routine until May 1925, when Professor Ueno didn't return on the usual train one evening. The professor had suffered a stroke at the university that day. He died and never returned to the train station where his friend was waiting. Hachiko, not realizing the death of his master, kept coming back to the train station for more than ten years hoping that his master would still show up on the same spot where they last met. The Japanese residents of the town erected a statue to the dog, located outside Shibuya Station, located in western Tokyo.

A dog in the Chinese village of Panjiatun has attracted international attention by refusing to leave the grave of his recently deceased owner. The dog has stayed in place in all weather, and until the villagers started helping him he hadn’t even been able to get anything to eat or drink. There have been other famous similar cases, such as the 19th century story of Greyfriars Bobby in Edinburgh; a dog named Hawkeye refused to leave owner Jon Tumilson’s coffin; and there’s also the story of Hachiko, Japan’s most loyal dog. It is said animals have no sentiments to kill and eat them without remorse.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Whatever we think of is really part of our consciousness. And consciousness means person. Everything that we may be conscious of is a person. ... Affection, attraction, sympathy - these things are all the outcome of having a heart. The scientists feel that animals have no real brain, no intelligence. Yet we see that even without much of a brain, an animal can live, but without a heart, none can live. As the brain is a representation of a computer, the animals have no real computer to calculate. Animals may follow intuitive knowledge, and so they can work unconsciously. And we can see that intuition can go above brain calculation. So many birds and beasts can understand that an earthquake is coming, but so far, no human calculation can understand precisely when an earthquake will come. There are many things that our brain cannot feel, cannot catch, whereas even the animals can get some clue about them beforehand.

Śrīla Bhakti Raksaka Sridhara Mahārāja :
"Loving Search for the Lost Servant"
Chapter 7: "Knowledge-Free Devotion"
http://www.bvml.org/SBRSM/books/THELOVING.PDF
http://www.scsmath.com/

BLACK FRIDAY RETAIL SALES HIT RECORD

BLACK FRIDAY SALES GAINS
STRONGEST SINCE 2007 IN USA

Washington (AP) - Retail sales on Black Friday rose by their biggest margin since 2007 to hit a new record, while online sales grew even faster, according to initial estimates. Sales on the frenetic shopping day that follows the US Thanksgiving holiday expanded by 6.6 per cent from the previous year to $11.4bn, according to ShopperTrak, a research group. The group’s estimates are based on traffic counts in 25,000 places and the historical relationship between traffic and sales. Online sales expanded by 24.3 per cent from last year, according to the Coremetrics benchmark calculated by IBM, which captures online sales from more than 500 retailers.The sharp jump came as traditional retailers boosted their online efforts to compete with internet-only rivals at a time when smartphones have made consumers more comfortable shopping online. Half a percent of sales were referred from Facebook.


Bill Martin, ShopperTrak’s founder, said his group’s estimates were “surprising” given the economic situation but probably reflected a slight fall in job insecurity in recent weeks. Retailers had done a “tremendous amount” of discounting and marketing. “We believe the US consumer has seen some level of stability in [their] own jobs and therefore it looks like they’re willing to spend when they perceive they’re going to get good value,” Mr Martin said. ShopperTrak said the number of people in stores rose 5.1 per cent from last year. But concrete data are still unavailable for how many items the shoppers bought and whether they snapped up anything other than the heavily discounted goods. Mr Martin cautioned that ShopperTrak’s Black Friday estimate could not be extrapolated to provide a reliable forecast for the full holiday season because four of the traditional top five sales days of the season were still to come.

Black Friday marked the official start of the end-of-year shopping season, which is a make-or-break period for many US retailers struggling to defend market share and secure profits amid intense competition in a weak economy.  Retailers also made a stronger push this year for online sales.  Black Friday sales rose 6.6% from a year ago, getting the holiday shopping season off to a strong start, retail data and consulting firm ShopperTrak said. Consumers were drawn out by heavy promotions and early store openings. People have become extravagant consumers and their desires induce them to work hard for money.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Perhaps the most profound, and simplest, message that can be learned from the Hindu spiritual tradition is the value of a simple life. Western civilization has created the cult of the consumer. Human fulfilment has come to be measured in terms of possessions. Whoever has the most is considered the most advanced. One who travels on foot is inferior to one who travels by Concorde. By contrast, in the Hindu tradition fulfilment refers to the human spirit. Human life, says the Vedanta Sutra, is meant for understanding spirit, which alone can bring real fulfilment. In Hinduism, the one who takes the least is the most respected. A society which upholds the value of the inner life does not crave the pursuit of material wealth as a means of achieving happiness. ... All the world's religions say that materialism doesn't work - that a simple life is best. The highest 'standard of life' is the simplest. This has always been the Hindu way - the way of simple living and high thinking.

Ranchor Prime (Śripad Ranchor Dasa) :

“Hinduism & Ecology”

Chapter 13: “Restoring the Forest of Krishna”

Friends of Vrindavan (FOV) - Publish by Cassell y WWF UK

http://www.fov.org.uk/hinduism/hinduism.html

http://www.fov.org.uk/aims/aims.html

INTERNATIONAL DAY TO STOP VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR ELIMINATION
OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN, OBSERVED

Agencies - Yesterday was the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. In countries across the world, 15 to 76 per cent of women suffer physical or sexual violence from men at some point in their lives. Most countries fall into the 30-60 per cent range. In 1999, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly voted November 25th as a day of observance for the women who have suffered from violence and to advocate for the eradication of this injustice. Women’s groups, however, have been marking the date since 1981 in remembrance of the three Mirabel sisters who were murdered in the Dominican Republic because of their political activism. The good news is that many countries have made progress in protecting girls and women. In 2006, the UN Secretary-General’s In-Depth Study on All Forms of Violence against Women found that 89 countries enacted legislation on domestic violence and 90 countries enacted legislation on sexual harassment. Governments are adopting national plans of action to attack the issue. Marital rape is prosecutable in 104 countries. 


Still, there are major hurdles to clear, with protection gaps existing in a number of countries. In some places, rape poses a greater threat to girls and women that cancer, traffic accidents or malaria. The scale of the violence is at times unimaginable. As many as half a million women were raped in the 1994 Rwandan genocide. In South Africa, a woman is killed every six hours by an intimate partner. Meanwhile, in India, 22 women lose their lives to dowry-related murders daily. On the occasion of the day, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said: “I urge governments and partners around the world to harness the energy, ideas and leadership of young people to help us to end this pandemic of violence.  Only then will we have a more just, peaceful and equitable world.”  Canada’s own throne speech included a promise to “address the problem of violence against women and girls.” 100,000 women and children in Canada leave their homes for emergency women’s shelters every year.

The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women was observed yesterday all around the the world.  In some countries, only a third of women or less will not experience physical or sexual violence. It can happen anywhere – at work, home, the street or school.  Violence against girls and women crosses borders, socioeconomic class lines and strikes during peacetime or war. It can take a number of forms, from female genital mutilation, to rape as a weapon of war to domestic violence and honour killings. Mothers are the symbol of the religion; they are the Laksmi Devi in the home and worth adoration.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

When in a society one loses respect, tenderness and gratitude for the mothers, society is condemned to degradation. This is notable nowadays where they talk a lot about women's liberty, but where the woman is openly the symbol of instinctive exploitation among men. The patience that mothers have with their children, and their practical function of protecting the family and connecting them with Mother Earth, Mother Nature, is a great gift from her for everybody. ... Mothers are in general more religious, more honest; they do not act irresponsibly or get intoxicated, etc. The balance between men and women, the aspect of complementing each other with the blessings of the Vaisnavas, is what is fundamental in a sane family and society. All kinds of sentiments about men being superior to women, is born from a mind of competition and from an inferiority complex. It is really very far from Krishna consciousness.

Śrīla Bhakti Aloka Paramadvaiti Mahārāja :

"Mother’s Day every day"

From the Hotline chat 11th of May, 2003

http://www.vaisnavi.org/v2/articles/mothers_day_everyday.php

MEXICO, 26 BODIES DUMPED

26 BODIES DUMPED IN MASS
SLAYING IN GUADALAJARA CITY

Guadalajara - The bound and gagged bodies of 26 young men were found dumped on Thursday in the heart of Mexico's second-largest city, in what experts said could mark a new stage in the full-scale war between the country's two main drug cartels, Sinaloa and the Zetas. The bodies were stuffed in two vans and a pickup truck abandoned on an expressway near the Milennium Arches in Guadalajara, one of the most recognisable landmarks in the picturesque city that hosted last month's Pan American Games. Most of the men died of asphyxia, according to officials in Jalisco state where Guadalajara is located, though initial reports indicated some had been shot. The victims, apparently between the ages of 25 and 35, all had the words "Milenio Zetas" or "Milenium" written on their chests in oil. A law enforcement official said the writing was apparently meant as the killers' calling card, identifying the assassins as being from the Zetas and a smaller, allied gang, the Milenio Cartel. The official said a banner found in one of the vehicles was in fact signed by the Zetas.


Mexican cartels frequently leave threatening messages with the bodies of their victims as a way of intimidating rivals and claiming responsibility for their actions. The killings, apparently carried out before dawn, bore an eerie similarity to the September 20 dumping of 35 bodies on an expressway in the city of Veracruz. The victims in the Veracruz mass slaying were purportedly Zetas and the killers were allegedly linked to the Sinaloa cartel; those two cartels have emerged as Mexico's most powerful, and have each been trying to expand into each others' territories. On Wednesday, 17 bodies were found burned in two pickup trucks in a strikingly similar attack in Sinaloa, the home state of the eponymous cartel. Twelve of the bodies were in the back of one truck, some of them handcuffed and wearing bulletproof vests.

Mexican police found 26 corpses in vehicles that were abandoned yesterday on a main boulevard in Guadalajara, the nation’s second-largest city. The deaths came one day after authorities in the northwestern state of Sinaloa reported the killings of another 26 people in three different municipalities there. The government estimates that drug-related violence indicates the end of peace between authorities and narco cartels. Since 2006, almost 43,000 people have died in organized crime-related deaths. We're getting the reaction: People are killed and carried in vans such as dead bodies of animals are transported.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

To be nonviolent to human beings and to be a killer or enemy of the poor animals is Satan's philosophy. In this age there is enmity toward poor animals, and therefore the poor creatures are always anxious.  The reaction of the poor animals is being forced on human society, and therefore there is always the strain of cold or hot war between men, individually, collectively or nationally. ... Unless one is pious and recognized by the Lord, he cannot make others happy who are under his care. There is full cooperation between man and God and man and nature, and this conscious cooperation between man and God and man and nature, as exemplified by King Yudhishthira, can bring about happiness, peace and prosperity in the world. The attitude of exploiting one another, the custom of the day, will only bring misery.

Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda :

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (Bhāgavata Purāna)

Canto 1: "Creation" - Chapter 10:

"Departure of Lord Krishna for Dvārakā" Verse 6

EATING CANNED SOUP 'POSES A CHEMICAL RISK'

STUDY: BPA LEVELS SOAR
AFTER EATING CANNED SOUP

(Fox News / CBS) - Talk about stirring up controversy. A new study shows that the urine of people who consume canned soup can contain surprisingly high levels of bisphenol A (BPA), a hormone-disrupting compound linked to health problems including heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. People who consumed one serving of canned soup a day for five days had a more than 1,000 percent increase in urinary BPA over people who consumed fresh soup for five days, the study showed. "We've known for a while that drinking beverages that have been stored in certain hard plastics can increase the amount of BPA in your body," said study author Jenny Carwile from Harvard School of Public Health. "This study suggests that canned foods may be an even greater concern, especially given their wide use." BPA is used in the linings of metal food and beverage cans as well as in certain plastic bottles and dental sealants.


The chemical BPA is dominating headlines after research findings report the agent as being hazardous to your health. Seventy-five volunteers were recruited for the study. Every day for five days, one group consumed 12 ounces of canned vegetarian soup and another consumed 12 ounces of fresh vegetarian soup. After a two-day "washout period," the groups switched soups and spent another five days slurping away. The researchers found that urine samples collected from the canned soup group spiked 1,221 percent over BPA levels over samples collected from the fresh soup group. "It's not about the brand of soup or canned soup, it is about the cans," said researchers, who pointed that "It may be advisable for manufacturers to consider eliminating BPA from can linings." 

Eating canned food every day may raise the levels of the compound bisphenol A (BPA) in a person's urine more than previously suspected, a new study suggests. Bisphenol A, or as it's commonly known, BPA, is a chemical agent used to make plastic. BPA is considered a toxic chemical in Canada.  In the United States, the chemical has been used to harden plastics and as a sealant and bonding agent in canned goods, among other things, since the 1930's.  But new research shows that the BPA concentration found in canned soups could be harmful. As much as possible we should eat fresh foods, avoiding canned precooked food.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

A very important factor that combines with the practice of yoga is food.  Try to eat as healthy as possible, and this means to include vegetables, whole grains, fresh fruits  in your daily diet and also increase the intake of soy (which has the same properties of the meat but without the toxins of it).  It is also suggested to reduce or eliminate canned foods. Conserved, canned and frozen food are   essentially considered to be in the mode of darkness, ignorance or tamas, because they are not fresh. Any food cooked more than three hours before eating (unless prashadam or food offered to the Lord) is considered tamasic. Such foods, due to they decompose, usually are musty, tasteless, rotten, filthy and give off a bad smell, so many chemicals are added to preserve them. Yoga consideres food as one of the cornerstones of health along with breathing, exercise, rest and positive thinking.

Yoga Inbound :

http://www.yogainbound.org/clases_de_alimentos.php

http://www.yogainbound.org/ws/salud-inbound/41-articulos-de-salud-y-nutricion/248-yoga-y-alimentacion

MAN CAUGHT HAVING SEX WITH A FEMALE DOG

PARAGUAY, MAN WAS CAUGHT
HAVING SEX WITH AN ANIMAL

www.diariovanguardia.com.py - A striking case occurred in Paraguay, in San José neighborhood in the town of Hernandarias, when a young drunk man was arrested by police after being reported by people who surprised him while was maintaining sex relationships with a female dog. The incident occurred last Sunday at 10 pm inside a tenement building, when Alcides Ramírez Garay, 26, was reported by a case of bestiality by a neighbour who surprised him when having sex with dog property of the complainant. The young man, apparently under the influence of drugs, had brought the animal to his tenement room to satisfy his carnal instincts.  Even being caught in flagrante delicto, Ramirez, who was drunk, did not bother and continued having sex with the animal.  The owner of the dog, surprised and alarmed to see that her pet was being raped by this man, alerted the vicinity.

She called out many neighbours, who also witnessed the act of bestiality. Even with the presence of eight people Ramirez did not stop, eager to satisfy his low and depraved instincts. Subsequently, police officers entered into that tenancy, confirming the veracity of the facts when they found Ramirez with the female dog, so they arrested the man and finally separate him from the poor dog.  
The young man was transferred, according to the standard procedure, to the 5th Police Station in where he stayed detained from Sunday night until Monday at noon, when it was released by the prosecutor Aldo Moreira, because bestiality is not considered an offense.  “If it were in a public place could it be categorized as acts of exhibitionism, but in this case it happened in a closed room,” he explained.

In Paraguay, a man was caught having sex with a female dog inside of a tenancy. Neighbours of the place, shocked, notified the police and the depraved man was arrested but later authorities released him because it was not against the law cases of bestiality.  The prosecutor said the Criminal Code does not provide as a punishable act that a person has carnal intercourse with animals.  The man who is dragged by their low instincts abandons the search of higher goals and begins to act like an animal.  “Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection.” (B.G. 7.3).

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Manusya means human being. Manusyānān sahasresu. God realization is not meant for the animals or persons who are almost animals, or animals in the shape of human beings. Animals. At the present moment, in the shape of human beings, the population is animals, assembly of animals, because they do not know beyond the animal propensities. The animal is busy all day. The bird or any beast, rising early in the morning, they are busy: “Where is there some food? Where is there some sex? How to defend?” Then, at night, “How to take shelter and sleep?” … So these policies - eating, sleeping, mating and defending - they’re in all living entities. That is the, mean, the general law for every living entity. So if you are simply engaged in this eating, sleeping, mating and defending, then what is the difference? That is the defect of modern civilization.

Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda :
Lecture on Śrī Brahma-samhitā
New York, July 28, 1971 - 710728BS.NY
Complete Works of Srila Prabhupada
Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International

AUSTRALIA SUED OVER CIGARETTE PACKAGING

PHILIP MORRIS SUES AUSTRALIA
OVER CIGARETTE PACKAGING 

Sydney (online.wsj.com) - A legal showdown over advertising has broken out between the Australian government and the world’s big tobacco companies.  Tobacco giant Philip Morris International Inc. on Monday said it is suing Canberra for billions of dollars in damages over its world-first plan to wipe all marketing off of cigarette packs. The new laws passed by Parliament on Monday will make Australia the first country to restrict logos, branding, colors and promotional text on tobacco packets. Beginning December 2012, product names will appear in standard colors and positions in a plain font and size on packets colored a dark olive-brown, which government research has found holds the lowest appeal to smokers. Health warnings with graphic images of the harmful effects of smoking will have to make up 75% of the front of the packaging and 90% of the back.

Like Philip Morris, other big tobacco companies British American Tobacco PLC and Imperial Tobacco Group PLC are vehemently opposed to the measures and have said they will challenge the laws in court. “We are left with no option,” said Philip Morris Asia spokesperson Anne Edwards, in a prepared statement. “The government has passed this legislation despite being unable to demonstrate that it will be effective at reducing smoking and has ignored the widespread concerns raised in Australia and internationally regarding the serious legal issues associated with plain packaging.”  Health Minister Nicola Roxon said the government is confident with its position after receiving legal advice about the Philip Morris action.  “Big tobacco is ignoring the will of the Australian Parliament and is prioritizing their profits over the lives of everyday Australians with this action,” Ms. Roxon said in emailed comments.

Tobacco giant Philip Morris is suing the Australian government over a new legislation that means all tobacco will need to be sold in plain olive-brown packets with graphic health warnings.  Australia’s Minister for Health and Ageing said while the tobacco industry was “fighting to protect its profits, we are fighting to protect lives”. “Packaging remains one of the last powerful marketing tools for tobacco companies to recruit new smokers to their deadly products. In the future, cigarette packets will serve only as a stark reminder of the devastating health effects of smoking,” she said.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Smoking is an epidemic of public health, which daily puts in danger the life of many people. The slow poison of nicotine produces a traumatic effect in the mind of an addict, so that in the absence of the poison makes you feel depression, insecurity, nervousness and so on; and at the same time it creates dependence of false concepts like: “by smoking I get nice opportunities to meet interesting people.” Don’t fool yourself with such propaganda! You are an eternal soul and have a mission to fulfill. ... Dear friend of my soul, is time to wake up - better late then never, but take your decision today. And if you still have cigarettes in your pocket, then destroy them and throw them far away.  I love you and care for you so much, because you are my eternal brother/sister. I want you to be a winner over illusion, one of the souls who already learned that life is about giving, instead of taking, instead of smoking.

Śrīla Bhakti Aloka Paramadvaiti Mahārāja :
“Cigarette Addiction”
http://vedicwisdom.weebly.com/
http://vedicwisdom.weebly.com/cigarette-addiction.html

UNIVERSAL CHILDREN'S DAY

UNIVERSAL CHILDREN'S DAY
GLOBALLY OBSERVED YESTERDAY

http://www.unric.org  - Universal Children Day was observed across the globe on Sunday. All around the world several public and private organisations arranged seminars, rallies,  conferences, walks and interactive programmes to show the plight of those children who are deprived of basic amenities of life.  Officially established on 20 November 1989, Universal Children’s Day marks the day on which the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child in 1959 and the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989.  The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is an international treaty that addresses the rights of children and youth under the age of 18.  The Convention’ s 54 articles recognizes the basic human rights of children and gives them additional rights to protect them from harm.  Universal Children’s Day was established by the United Nations General Assembly as a day of celebration of the state of welfare of children.

Many countries respected this recommendation and this special day has since been annually observed on November 20.  The aim of Universal Children’s Day is to put public initiatives and campaigns in place to raise awareness of children’s rights worldwide, awareness of their situation in life, problems, wishes, needs and longings as well as to enable exchanges and meetings between them. Those in positions of political responsibility should, in particular, be reminded that it is very much up to them to act in the interests of children. It is up to them to act in family and social politics with laws that explicitly protect children from violence, exploitation and abuse of all kinds, in educational politics, in measures for ensuring the safety of children in wad and conflict situation, etc.

Universal Children's Day promotes the welfare of children, and yesterday it was commemorated the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, proclaimed by the United Nations in 1959 and the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989 which established universal standards to protect them.  Despite progress in recent decades, millions of poor, marginalized, displaced, sick without assistance, exploited children or victims of armed conflicts show that not everything is done yet.  However, to meet their material needs is not enough, we should meet their spiritual needs, too.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Not only we, even the beast, the cat, the dog, other beasts they also get their children. Other birds also, beasts, birds, animals - they love their children. So, to love a child is not a great deed that we have done in this human body. Everybody kissing his boy, everybody loving his boy. We love. But we are having human forms not for kissing. We kiss the boy - if he's grown up we don't kiss. We don't love so much and he also wants to be independent. He wants to see income. He will go away everywhere. No more mother and father. Then he will have marriage with some lady, young lady. That is not done in India. Indian culture is different. … The link is always there with boys and daughters and granddaughters and grandsons. Same affection they carry. You don't find in western countries that. The boys and girls attain education, they don’t go away from their parents, they don't go away. Indians like to be under their parents.

Śrīla Bhakti Vaibhava Purī Mahārāj:
Lecture given in Pula, Croatia on 18.6.2004
Śrī Krishna Chaitanya Mission
http://www.purimaharaj.com/