DANGEROUS ALCOHOLIC ENERGY DRINK

CAFFEINATED BOOZE “FOUR LOKO”,

NOT DRUGS, SICKENED STUDENTS AT PARTY

WASHINGTON (AP) - A highly caffeinated, but legal alcoholic drink was responsible for sickening dozens and sent nine Central Washington students to the hospital, prompting initial police fears that the party-goers had been drugged, police said today. Police said some 50 students became sick after consuming large amounts of the controversial but legal beverage Four Loko, which combines as much alcohol found in a six pack of beer with as much caffeine in five cups of coffee. Sugary, high-alcohol energy drinks that are popular with college students who want to get drunk quickly and cheaply came under renewed scrutiny Monday as investigators announced that nine freshmen had been hospitalized after drinking them at an off-campus party. Several states are considering outlawing the drinks and at least two universities have banned them from campus while the FDA reviews their safety. Four Loko comes in several varieties, including fruit punch and blue raspberry. A 23.5-ounce can sells for about $2.50 and has an alcohol content of 12 percent, comparable to four beers, according to the company’s website.

Health advocates say the caffeine in the drink can also suspend the effects of alcohol consumption, allowing a person to consume more than usual. Nine students who drank a caffeinated malt liquor called Four Loko were hospitalized with blood-alcohol levels ranging from 0.12 % to 0.35 %, and a female student nearly died. A blood-alcohol concentration of 0.30 % is considered potentially lethal. All the hospitalized students were inexperienced drinkers, freshmen ranging in age from 17 to 19. “It gets you really drunk really fast and it gives you a lot of energy so you’re not going to be lying down and sleeping,” said a student who tried the beverage but doesn't drink it because the taste is "nasty."

This drink is the new major concern of parents, campus leaders and emergency services, as the effects it causes to those who consume it are similar to those of the mixture of alcohol and cocaine. It has been found that three cans of 70 ounces of “Four Loko” are able to overthrow the men, while it is not recommended that women consume more than one. It is well known that mixing a nervous system stimulant (like caffeine) with a nervous system depressant (such as alcohol) is bad for the heart. This new beverage, as well as the other forms of intoxication keep us bound to this material world and prevent us to advance towards the spiritual world.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Committing sins really means performing activities that will cause us to be attached to the material world and to cause us to return as human beings or other species in our next life. Lord Krishna also states that one who thinks of Him at the time of death is guaranteed to permanently return back to Godhead, or back to Krishna’s spiritual abode. ... Intoxication is one of the more obvious sinful activities because so many people develop addictions to it. Whether it be alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, or caffeine, addiction to intoxication is very common. Considering the fact that our senses are impossible to satisfy, it is no surprise that many take to intoxication in an attempt to break free of the senses. Instead of trying to escape the senses, the Vedas tell us to purify them through practicing devotional service to God, or Bhakti yoga. ... The easiest way to refrain from these activities is to always keep yourself engaged in God’s service wherever you are and whatever you may be doing. Keep chanting “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare” and you will be guaranteed of success.

Krishna’s Mercy - Jai Shri Krishna :
“The Four Regulative Principles” - Posted on Feb 15, 2009
http://www.krishnasmercy.org/dotnetnuke/
http://krishnasmercy.wordpress.com/2009/02/15/the-four-regulative-principles/ http://www.krishnasmercy.org/dotnetnuke/Teachings/FourRegulativePrinciples/tabid/85/Default.aspx

ALZHEIMER’S RISK DOUBLES IN HEAVY SMOKERS

HEAVY SMOKING LINKED TO ALZHEIMER’S
SMOKING DOUBLES DEMENTIA RISK IN LATE LIFE

(Reuters) - Heavy smoking during middle age can double the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia two decades later, researchers said. Smoking already causes millions of deaths each year from cancer and heart disease. “Our study suggests that heavy smoking in middle age increases the risk of both Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia for men and women across different race groups,” Rachel Whitmer, a research scientist with Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, California and colleagues wrote in the Archives of Internal Medicine. They said smoking also causes cancer and heart disease. The new findings show it threatens public health in late life, when people are already more likely to develop dementia. People who smoked more than two packs of cigarettes a day had a higher risk of both Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia.

Smoking, an established risk factor for stroke, may contribute to the likelihood of vascular dementia by causing small clots in the brain. Smoking also contributes to oxidative stress and inflammation, which may be linked to the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, the researchers say.

Heavy smoking in middle age seems to increase the risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia, a large new study suggests. Compared with non-smokers, those who smoked more than two packs of cigarettes a day in midlife had a “dramatic increase” in the incidence of dementia - more than a 157 percent increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and a 172 percent increased risk of developing vascular dementia, Whitmer’s team found.



Alzheimer's, the most common form of dementia, is a fatal brain disease in which people gradually lose their memories and their abilities to reason and care for themselves. It affects more than 26 million people globally. Alzheimer's disease is characterized by a progressive loss of memory and other mental abilities. However, there is no need to suffer from this disease to forget what should be the most important thing in our existence: God. In our nature there is a tendency to forget and fall into the deceptions of the material illusion; but there is a solution: the more we remember the Supreme Lord and sing His names, Maya will not come. On the contrary, when we forget Him, Maya will come quickly to govern our existence.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Then Kapila Bhagavan began His instructions to Mother Devahuti. You are to hear this repeatedly. We have already heard this many times, but it is our nature to forget. ... The mind is the cause of bondage. But this same mind is also the cause of emancipation. How can this be? If one's mind is attached to tri-guna, the primal qualities of the external potency, then that person is in bondage. If his mind is attached to pumsi, to Supreme Lord Sri Krsna, Who is the Transcendental Supreme Reality, then he is emancipated. It has nothing to do with the body. This body has no work relevant to emancipation. The body is neither the cause of bondage nor emancipation. The mind is the cause of both. If one engages his mind in thinking about these worldly, temporary things, then he is in bondage. If one meditates on the Supreme Lord, his mind always being concentrated on Him, then he has salvation. So, mind is the cause of bondage and also of mukti - deliverance from the clutches of maya.

Śrīla Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Mahārāja :
“The Qualities of a Sadhu”
http://www.sreecgmath.org/scgmtimes/scgmbbtm.php
Bhaktivedanta Memorial Library - http://bvml.org/SBBTM/tqoas.htm

SPAIN: 10-YEAR-OLD GIVES BIRTH

10-YEAR-OLD-GIRL IN SPAIN
GIVES BIRTH A BABY GIRL

(AP) - A 10-year-old gave birth last week in the Spanish city of Jerez de la Frontera, and the authorities are evaluating whether to let her and her family retain custody of the baby. The boy who fathered the baby born to a 10-year-old girl in Spain is just 13 himself, relatives revealed today. The Romanian youngster, called Elena, became one of the world’s youngest mothers when she gave birth to a 6lbs 6oz baby last week at a hospital in Jerez. She has called her child, a baby girl born naturally, Nicoletta. Elena flew to Spain from Romania just three weeks ago to give birth and attend a family wedding. They are now staying with relatives at a flat in Lebrija, a walled town of around 25,000 inhabitants between Jerez and Seville in the country’s south-west. Neither mother or child, who come from a gypsy family and are expected to stay indoors for 40 days in accordance with local tradition, have been seen in public.

But the baby’s grandmother, Olimpia, said the family were feeling “ecstatic.” She said: “Elena and Nicoletta will stay in Spain because her relationship with the baby’s father has ended. They’ve separated. Elena is very happy with her child. We’re very happy, for us it’s not a drama. These things are normal in our country. Girls get married at 10 so we don’t understand why people are so surprised.”
Britain’s youngster mother, Tressa Middleton, gave birth aged 12 in 2006 after getting pregnant while drunk. In February this year a nine-year-old Chinese schoolgirl gave birth to a baby boy.


A girl aged just 10 has become one of Spain's youngest mums after having a baby girl. The Romanian youngster gave birth at a hospital in Jerez, Cadiz. It is claimed the Romanian girl and her baby will both be looked after by her family and social services will monitor the case. Unfortunately, few people worry about studying and follow the ancient Vedic scriptures. They listed many ceremonies and requirements to be met by prospective marriage partners in order to create an enabling environment, so that children conscious of God will be born in this new family.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

The Vedic literatures are not only full of spiritual instruction but are also instructive in how to prosecute material existence very nicely, with the ultimate aim of spiritual perfection. Devahūti asked her husband (Kardama Muni), therefore, how to prepare herself for sex life according to the Vedic instructions. Sex life is especially meant for having good children. The circumstances for creating good children are mentioned in kāma-śāstra, the scripture in which suitable arrangements are prescribed for factually glorious sex life. Everything needed is mentioned in the scriptures - what sort of house and decorations there should be, what sort of dress the wife should have, how she should be decorated with ointments, scents and other attractive features, etc. With these requisites fulfilled, the husband will be attracted by her beauty, and a favorable mental situation will be created. The mental situation at the time of sex life may then be transferred into the womb of the wife, and good children can come out of that pregnancy.

Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda :
“The Śrīmad Bhāgavatam”
Purport in Canto 3, Chapter 23:
“Devahūti’s Lamentation” - Text 11.

ALL SAINTS DAY AND ALL SOULS DAY

‘WE ARE NEVER ALONE,’ POPE
EXCLAIMS ON ALL SAINTS DAY

VATICAN CITY (CNA) - Yesterday was the All Saints Day, and today the feast of All Souls. During these days Roman Catholics and other Christians hold ‘Day of the Dead’ celebrations, honoring their favored saints and offering a prayer for those who blessed and guided them in their journey of life. Pope Benedict XVI celebrated All Saints Day by urging the faithful to follow the example of the Christian martyrs and other men and women who dedicated their lives to God. Benedict made the appeal before thousands of people gathered in St Peter’s Square. During their earthly life, the saints “were poor in spirit, hurt by sin... hungry and thirsty for justice, clement, pure in their hearts, agents of peace, and persecuted,” Benedict said. In his homily for the celebration of All Saints’ Day, the Pope spoke of all the “anonymous saints” - that is, those who have not been canonized formally.

In particular, he recognized the “mothers and fathers of families who, by devoting themselves every day to their children, have contributed so much to the belief of the Church and the building of society.” To the faithful gathered on Sunday in St. Peter’s Square for the Angelus, Pope Benedict XVI presented the communion of saints, a “beautiful and comforting” reality that says “we are never alone.” The Pope also spoke about the commemoration of the faithful departed, also known as All Souls Day. He explained that Christ died and rose again and opened the door to the house of the Father, the kingdom of life and peace: “Those who follow Jesus in this life are welcomed where He came before us. So as we visit cemeteries, let us remember that there, in the tombs, are only the mortal remains of our loved ones awaiting the final resurrection.”


Pope Benedict XVI said “We live by the grace of God and are called to respond to his gift. This frees us from fear and gives us hope and courage in a world full of uncertainty, anxiety, and suffering.” He concluded his remarks by teaching that the most proper and effective way to honor and pray for the faithful departed is by offering acts of faith, hope and charity. The Pope also asked Christians to remember in their prayers for the deceased, especially today on the feast of All Souls, November 2. We are all children of the same Heavenly Father, and therefore, not only Christians but all of us are called to live a life of holiness.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

There are the two kinds of people: those who follow the advice of Krishna with faith, and why I can have faith without understanding?, just because the saints are asking me to do it and because I see that the saints are above ordinary people. The saints don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t eat meat, don’t lie, don’t cheat, they are not lazy, not lustful, not liars. The saints are superior, they know better all the things; a saint could run much better this world and its economy, so it is not necessary to study Economics to lead the world, it is only necessary to have a good heart, to have holiness. ... But what is the position of the sadhu, of the saint? : I want you in ecstasy; I want you to know the truth; I shall endeavor; I will fight; I will try to improve myself more and more for you to know the truth; I will try to be a best example, to be a better acarya; I will try to prepare myself more. That is the commitment that the devotees are feeling in your heart. I have to sacrifice for others, I have to worry for their sake, and I can not be selfish, because God is not selfish. ... You can see the lives of the saints, they have only one problem, and this is that you do not want to become a saint.

Śrīla Atulananda Ācārya :
“Paradharma, Duties of the Soul”
http://www.atulanandadas.cl/
http://gurudevaatulananda.blogspot.com/2010_02_01_archive.html
http://www.vaisnavi.net/nectar_gurudeva_atulananda/paradharma.htm

IRAQ: 52 DEAD AFTER CATHOLIC CHURCH SIEGE

A CHURCH SERVICE IN BAGHDAD
HAS ENDED IN BLOODSHED, 52 DEAD

(AP / Reuters) - Fifty-two hostages and police were killed on Sunday when security forces raided a Baghdad church to free more than 100 Iraqi Catholics held by al-Qaida-linked gunmen, a deputy interior minister said. Lieutenant General Hussein Kamal said on Monday that 67 people were wounded during the raid of the church in central Baghdad by gunmen demanding the release of al-Qaida prisoners in Iraq and Egypt. The toll only included hostages and police, not attackers. The standoff began at dusk Sunday when militants wearing suicide vests and armed with grenades attacked the nearby Iraqi stock exchange and then entered the nearby Our Lady of Deliverance church - one of Baghdad’s main Catholic places of worship - taking about 120 Christians hostage. Iraqi forces stormed the church after a tense hours-long standoff, freeing the hostages. It was not immediately clear whether the hostages died at the hands of the attackers or during the rescue. The attack came two days after a suicide attack at a cafe in Diyala Province killed 21 people, the worst assault in more than a month. In a statement posted on a Web site operated by militants late on Sunday, the Islamic State of Iraq took responsibility for the attack on what it called “the dirty den of idolatry,” Reuters reported. The posting said its actions had been prompted in part by the behavior of the Coptic Church in Egypt, which it accused of detaining two women who converted to Islam. The Islamic State of Iraq had been demanding the release of fellow militants from prisons in Iraq and in Egypt. The group also said it would “exterminate Iraqi Christians” if Muslim women in Iraq were not freed, The Associated Press said.


Iraqi Catholic church leaders have been constantly fearful of attack since the Rev. Terry Jones in Gainesville, Fla., threatened to burn a Koran on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. At the end, Mr. Jones decided not to burn the Koran. In view of these unfortunate facts and taking into account that Iraqi Christians have been frequent targets for insurgents, it is not surprising that the differences amid religions continue and that this Islamic group has called the Catholic Church “the dirty place of the infidel” and has warned of more attacks against Christians in the future.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

A new fear by name Islamaphobia is spreading in all corners of the world, not only terrifying non Muslims but also Muslims. These terrorists refer their source to holy Quran and eulogise their operation as a religious duty and divine order. Interfaith advocates and moderates in Islam brotherhood have given a new vision to the sense of holy war “Jihad”. ... Anyhow these explanations are neither going to reach and reform the fundamentalists and their blind faction. Being temperate is not just being amicable or away from problems. It requires the same intensity in a positive direction, without which, triumph over evil and restoration of peace will become unfeasible. Moderate Muslims are very limited in number as well as verve. In 2006, an Islam network by name “Al Jazeera” conducted an opinion poll among Muslims, regarding Osama Bin Laden’s twin tower attacks. 49% were in favour of Bin Laden justifying the attacks. ... Islam needs to develop more interfaith forces to compete with its fundamental elements and we see lot of young and energetic moderates, functioning amidst threat and peril.

Śrīla S.A.R. Prasanna Venkatachariar Chaturvedi Swamy :
Acarya of Ramanuja Sampradaya
“International Conference on Interfaith”
“Culture, Philosophy, Literature and Religion”
7th and 8th Sep 2009 at Somaiya Auditorium, Mumbai, India.
http://saranagathi.org/blogs/members/chaturvedi
http://www.sriramanujamissiontrust.org