TALIBAN SUICIDE BOMBS KILL 80 IN PAKISTAN

PAKISTAN SUICIDE BOMBS KILL 80  
TO TAKE BIN LADEN REVENGE

Habqadar, Pakistan - A pair of Taliban suicide bombers attacked paramilitary police recruits eagerly heading home for a break after months of training, killing 80 people Friday in the first act of retaliation for the U.S. raid that killed Osama bin Laden.  In claiming responsibility, the al-Qaida linked militant group cited anger at Pakistan’s military for failing to stop the American incursion on their soil.  The blasts in the northwest were a reminder of the savagery of Islamist insurgents in Pakistan. Tensions also have risen between the U.S. and Islamabad over allegations that some elements of Pakistani security forces had been harboring bin Laden, who died in a May 2 raid in Abbottabad, a garrison town about three hours’ drive from the scene of the bombing. “We have done this to avenge the Abbottabad incident,” Ahsanullah Ahsan, said spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban. He warned that the group was also planning attacks on Americans living inside Pakistan.

The bombers blew themselves up in Shabqadar at the main gate of the facility for the Frontier Constabulary, a poorly equipped but front-line force in the battle against al-Qaida and allied Islamist groups like the Pakistani Taliban close to the Afghan border. Like other branches of Pakistan’s security forces, it has received U.S. funding to try to sharpen its skills. The scene was littered with shards of glass mixed with blood and flesh. The explosions destroyed at least 10 vans. It was the first major militant attack in Pakistan since bin Laden’s death on May 2, and the deadliest this year. Bin Laden, the Sept. 11 mastermind, and at least four others were killed by U.S. Navy SEALs who raided his compound in Abbottabad. 

Pakistani Taliban struck the first blow yesterday in what is feared will be a series of deadly attacks to avenge the death of Osama bin Laden, killing at least 66 paramilitary policemen and 14 civilians were killed and around 120 people were wounded, in a double suicide bombing near the northwest city of Peshawar.  “This was the first revenge for Osama’s martyrdom. Wait for bigger attacks in Pakistan and Afghanistan,” a spokesman for the Taliban warned.  People don't have to fight for revenge or respond with the same violence, because desire for vengeance only lead to the destruction of the worlds. 

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?  

While the Kurukshetra fighting was going on, the snake Ashvasena remembered how Arjuna had killed his mother as she was trying to escape the Khandava forest fire set by Agni.  Desiring to gain revenge against Arjuna, he entered the arrow that was being kept by Karna for Arjuna’s death.  When Karna released that arrow, meteors fell from the sky, and the demigods, headed by Indra thought that Arjuna would be killed.  Seeing the blazing snake mouthed arrow come toward Arjuna, Lord Krishna pressed down on the terrace of the chariot and caused it to sink into the ground about a foot and a half.  When this happened the horses were forced down to the ground.  Karna’s deadly arrow then swept off Arjuna’s crown and smashed it to pieces. Upon witnessing the feat of Lord Krishna, which saved Arjuna’s life, the demigods showered flowers and beat on their drums.

Commentary of the “Mahabharata Summation”
to the 4th Chapter of Karna Parva - “The Death of Karna”
New Vrindavana community, June 3, 1985.
http://philosophy.ru/library/asiatica/indica/itihasa/mahabharata/eng/

1152 CONGOLESE RAPED DAILY, STUDY FINDS

48 WOMEN RAPED EVERY HOUR
IN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

Dakar, Senegal ( http://www.time.com ) - The African nation of Congo has been called the worst place on earth to be a woman. A new study released Wednesday shows that it’s even worse than previously thought: 1,152 women are raped every day, a rate equal to 48 per hour.  That rate is 26 times more than the previous estimate of 16,000 rapes reported in one year by the United Nations.  Congo, a nation of 70 million people that is equal in size to Western Europe, has been plagued by decades of war. Its vast forests are rife with militias that have systematically used rape to destroy communities.  On average 29 Congolese women out of every 1,000 had been raped nationwide.  “The number of reported violations are just the tip of the iceberg of actual incidents,” said Margot Wallstrom, the U.N. special representative for sexual violence in conflict.

The highest frequency of rape was found in North Kivu, the province most affected by the conflict, where 67 women per 1,000 had been raped at least once.  “The message is important and clear: Rape in (Congo) has metastasized amid a climate of impunity, and has emerged as one of the great human crises of our time,” said Michael VanRooyen, the director of the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative.  
Even in the parts of Congo that are not affected by the war, a woman is 58 times more likely to be raped than a woman in the United States, where the annual rate is 0.5 per 1,000 women.

Congo has endured decades of conflict, characterized by the use of brutal sexual violence against civilians, with mass rapes still regular in this country of a population of around 60 million.  Michelle Hindin, specialized professor in gender-based violence - says that more than 400,000 women had been raped in Congo during the a 12-month period between 2006 and 2007.  To satisfy their unlimited appetite for lust and sense enjoyment some people performed terrible cruel acts towards others, without thinking that they are actually harming to themselves because those are their own sisters and brothers. 

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?  

Caught in a trap of many needs, the soul in a gross material body suffers.  To drive away these sufferings, he acts in many ways.  To drive away hunger and thirst, he struggles to get food and drink.  So these things may come easily, he labours to collect money.  To drive away the cold, he collects clothing.  To stop the thirst for sense pleasures he becomes married and performs many other activities also. ... Tossed about by the six waves - lust, anger, greed, bewilderment, pride and envy - he engages in fighting, argument, violence to others, tormenting others, robbing others’ wealth, cruelty, senseless pride, and a host of other evil deeds.  So he can live independently, he builds his own house and performs other deeds.  In this way the soul in Maya’s prison struggles day and night to attain pleasure and stop distress.

Śrīla Saccidananda Bhaktivinoda Thākura :
Jaiva-dharma (The Universal Religion)
“Eternal Religion and Sambandha, Abhidheya and Prayojana”
“The Individual Souls Swallowed by Maya”
Bhaktivedanta Memorial Library -  http://bvml.org/SBTP/JD/index.html#16

PEERING INTO MONKS’ MINDS TO UNRAVEL MEDITATION MYSTERY

BRAINS OF BUDDHIST MONKS  
SCANNED IN MEDITATION STUDY

New York (BBC News) - In a laboratory tucked away off a noisy New York City street, a soft-spoken neuroscientist has been placing Tibetan Buddhist monks into a car-sized brain scanner to better understand the ancient practice of meditation.  But could this unusual research not only unravel the secrets of leading a harmonious life but also shed light on some of the world’s more mysterious diseases?  Zoran Josipovic, a research scientist and professor at New York University, says he has been peering into the brains of monks while they meditate in an attempt to understand how their brains reorganise themselves during meditation.  “Meditation research, particularly in the last 10 years or so, has shown to be very promising because it points to an ability of the brain to change and optimise in a way we didn’t know previously was possible.”

When one relaxes into a state of oneness, the neural networks in experienced practitioners change as they lower the psychological wall between themselves and their environments, and this reorganization in the brain may lead to what some meditators claim to be a deep harmony between themselves and their surroundings, Dr Josipovic says.  The brain appears to be organized into two networks which are rarely fully active at the same time, and like a seesaw, when one rises, the other one dips down.   Dr Josipovic has found that some monks and other experienced meditators have the ability to keep both neural networks active at the same time during meditation - that is to say, they have found a way to lift both sides of the seesaw simultaneously.

“Meditation research has shown to be very promising as it points to an ability of the brain to change and optimize.  When one relaxes into a state of oneness, the neural networks - in experienced practitioners - change as they lower the psychological wall between themselves and their environments,” Josipovic says.  This brain’s reorganization makes meditators to claim they have found a deep harmony between themselves and their surroundings.  A rubbish-brain will be only cleaned when we purify our heart by serving the Guru and having the lotus feet of God as the highest object of meditation. 

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?  

Our heart’s concern is with ecstasy, charm, and sweetness. And this is felt by the heart, not by the brain, so the heart has been given the most importance. The next effect is felt in the plane of knowledge. ... By getting a taste of Krsna consciousness, the heart is captured, and when the heart is captured, the ecstasy of love of Godhead, prema, begins to flow.  Being satisfied, the heart will say, “This is what I was searching for!” Then, the brain will follow, thinking, “Yes, there can be no doubt, this is the highest goal of our search. Dissolve everything else.” The heart will say, “I have attained prema, divine love - this is the highest thing! Stop all works from now on.” ... When the heart is captured, the brain approves, and our karma, energizing in the wrong direction, stops. Krsna consciousness is the real wealth of the heart.

Śrīla Bhakti Raksaka Sridhara Mahārāja :
“The Golden Volcano of Divine Love”
“Friend of the Fallen” - “The Heart Wants Ecstasy”
http://bvml.org/SBRSM/tgvodl.html

HINDU SWIMSUIT GODDESS OUTRAGE

INDIAN FURY OVER AUSTRALIA SWIMWEAR
IMAGES OF HINDU GODDESS LAKSHMI

http://www.bbc.co.uk - Images of the Hindu goddess of wealth displayed on swimwear at an Australian fashion show have sparked a legal battle in India.  The Allahabad High Court has issued notices to the Hindustan Times for publishing the photos that show female models wearing the swimwear.  Images of the goddess, Lakshmi, were displayed on the garments.  The fashion show attracted worldwide media attention and was held in the Australian city of Sydney last week.  Pictures of the controversial swimwear were published in many newspapers, leading to protests in towns and cities across India.  “The sentiments of billions of Hindus have been hurt and this issue will not get resolved by presenting an apology. We feel this is a deliberate act to get cheap publicity,” said protesters belonging to radical Hindu groups such as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Shiv Sena and Bajrang Dal who took to the streets of Delhi on Monday, shouting slogans against the Australian government.

The swimsuit, from Byron Bay label Lisa Blue, shows Lakshmi - the goddess of wealth and beauty - on the front and back of the cutaway design.  The label’s creator, Lisa Burke, has issued an apology on Facebook and Twitter.  “This range will never be available for sale in any stockists or retail outlets anywhere in the world,” Ms Burke posted on the label’s Facebook page on Saturday.  “We apologise to the Hindu community and take this matter very seriously.”  But the statement was not enough.  Protesters who took to the streets of some Indian cities, waving photos of the swimsuit and burning the Australian flag,  continued demonstrations over the weekend, because the swimwear display had offended their feelings.

“It’s disturbing to see the goddess Lakshmi, who is highly revered in Hinduism, printed on a swimsuit,” said Hindu statesman Rajan Zed.  “Lakshmi was meant to be worshipped in temples or home shrines and not for pushing swimwear in fashion shows for mercantile greed of an apparel company.”  The designer of the brand, Lisa Burke, decided to apologize to those affected, discontinue production of the garment and remove all copies of its stores.  Lakshmidevi, the goddess of fortune and Lord Vishnu’s consort and shakti (or potency) is worshipped every day by Hindus and her image is considered to be sacred. 

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?  

Lakshmi, or Sri when she is especially known as the goddess of beauty (though sometimes considered to be separate entities), is the Goddess of fortune, wealth, power, and loveliness.  Wealth means not only money, but also the higher values and qualities of life.  The power of the mind and intellect is also a must if one wants to be truly wealthy, which includes spiritual wealth.  These are prerequisites to attaining spiritual knowledge. ... As the spouse of Lord Vishnu, she appears whenever He does in each of His appearances, such as Vamana, Parashurama, Rama, or Krishna. In each of these appearances, she appeared as Padma or Kamala, Dharani, Sita, and Rukmini respectively.  They are inseparable.   Lakshmi is also known in Her other eight forms as Veera, Adhi, Gaja, Vijaya, Dhana, Aiswarya, Santhan, and Dhanya.

Stephen Knapp (Śrīpad Nandanandana dasa) :
“Gods and Goddesses of Vedic Culture”
“A Quick Guide to the Primary Divinities of Sanatana-Dharma”
http://www.stephen-knapp.com/gods_and_goddesses_of_vedic_culture.htm
http://www.stephen-knapp.com  -  http://www.stephenknapp.info/

CHRISTIANS PROTEST VIOLENCE IN CAIRO DEMONSTRATION

EGYPT’S CHRISTIANS CONTINUE
PROTESTS AGAINST SECTARIAN VIOLENCE  

Cairo (http://www.voanews.com) - Coptic Christians demonstrated in Cairo on Monday in protest of Muslim-Christian clashes that left 12 dead over the weekend in sectarian violence.  Some of the protesters gathered outside the headquarters for state-run television where a sit-in began on Sunday.  Demonstrators are demanding that Egypt’s Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi step down and that the arsonists who burned two Coptic churches be brought to justice.  State media have reported that 12 people were killed and more than 220 wounded during two days of sectarian clashes that began late Saturday in the poverty-stricken Cairo slum of Imbaba. Medical sources said 65 of the injured were shot. 

The demonstration came as Egyptian security on Monday detained 23 Egyptians, including two blamed for sparking the riots.  Military leaders said Sunday that 190 people detained in connection with the violence will face trial in a military court.  Egypt’s civilian leaders have promised a swift response to the clashes including more security at houses of worship and a new ban on demonstrations outside churches and mosques.  The violence has deepened fear among Christians, who complain of poor police protection and a new tolerance of Muslim extremists, raising the risk of new flashpoints in a country dogged by poverty, soaring prices and a faltering economy.

Hundreds of Egyptians, many of them Coptic Christians, demonstrated on Monday in Cairo to protest Muslim-Christian clashes that left 12 dead and a church burned.  Demonstrators feared that some in Egypt seek to create an Islamic state that would marginalize the Coptic Christians, who make up about 10 % of Egypt’s nearly 80 million population.  There are quarrels between races, religions, countries, and even next door neighbours.  While we live in the bodily concept, seeing the differences between us, we always feel that our group, culture or religion, is the best; and this is the beginning of the disagreement among people. 

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?  

There are five great enemies of peace which inhabit all of us: avarice, ambition, envy, anger, and pride. These also take shape in our passions, prejudices, vices, weaknesses, and our intellectual and spiritual ignorance. If these were removed, we would enjoy perpetual peace.  However, these are not qualities found in relations between people.  Rather, they are within ourselves, hampering our ability to relate.  We not only have to work on problems that exist in our relations with others, but also on the problems that exist within us. So our primary enemies are inside us. Thus, in order to grow in our understanding of each other, it is first better to rid ourselves of these internal enemies than to inflict these characteristics out on others. After all, if we want to change the world, the change starts with ourselves.

Stephen Knapp (Śrīpad Nandanandana dasa) :
“Toward World Peace” – “Seeing the Unity Between Us All”
http://www.stephen-knapp.com/toward_world_peace.htm
http://www.stephen-knapp.com  -  http://www.stephenknapp.info/

AND RABINDRANATH TAGORE CONTINUES TO LIVE ON ...

INDIA KICKED OFF RABINDRANATH TAGORE
150TH BIRTH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS

New Delhi (AFP) - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh launched the festivities for the poet who won the Nobel in 1913 and who is revered by the world’s 250 million Bengali speakers in India and neighbouring Bangladesh.  The events, planned over one year, aim to stir new interest among a wider audience in the Bengali writer’s novels, music, plays, poems and paintings, the government said.  “A number of commemoration events have (also) been planned abroad, particularly in countries with which Tagore had some association,” Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said at a function in New Delhi.  Tagore, who established an open-air university in India’s West Bengal state, also penned the national anthems of both Bangladesh and India. He produced some 50 volumes of poetry including his acclaimed Gitanjali (Song Offerings).  Singh, addressing diplomats and fans from India and Bangladesh, announced an award in the name of the poet.

“A jury headed by the prime minister will select each year a citizen of the world of outstanding public eminence who in his or her life and work epitomizes the high universal ideals that Tagore stood for,” Singh said.  The Prime Minister also announced India’s culture ministry has begun the digitalization of Tagore’s rare paintings and original manuscripts and books.  Tagore, known as the “Bard of the East,” set up Vishwa Bharati in 1921 in the picturesque town of Shantiniketan near Kolkata from the prize money he received from the Nobel Foundation.  The prime minister thanked his Bangladeshi counterpart, Sheikh Hasina, for jointly hosting the year-long celebrations.

India began celebrations on Saturday to mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of iconic poet and playwright Rabindranath Tagore, the first Asian to win the Nobel Prize for literature.  There is a need for a critical analysis of the works of Rabindranath Tagore to understand the relevance of his ideologies, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said today.  No doubt, Tagore was a nice poet from the materialistic point of view, but not from the spiritualistic one.  Vaishnavas prefer to read Vyasadeva’s poetry, such as the Srimad-Bhagavatam, which is far superior, even from the literary point of view. 

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?  

Gopala Krsna: How do you feel about Rabindranath Tagore, the poet?
Prabhupada: ... God consciousness is on the spiritual platform. ... Generally people are in bodily concept of life.  Therefore body means the senses.  They want to satisfy the senses.  And then mental platform, they are satisfying the mind by philosphical speculation or some poetry.  So, Rabindranath Tagore, he belongs to the mental platform.  So one has to transcend the bodily platform, mental platform, intellectual platform and come to the simple spiritual platform. ... So Rabindranath Tagore belonged to the mental platform - a little bit higher than persons who are on the bodily platform.  But perfection of life comes when one comes to the spiritual platform.  That we are giving directly, Krsna.  Immediately.  That is the difference between Rabindranath Tagore and our activities.

Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda :
Lectures & Classes - 710728BS.NY
Sri Brahma-samhita, Lecture - New York, July 28, 1971
The Complete Works of HDG ACBSP

ALBINOS IN TANZANIA KILLED OR RAPED AS AIDS “CURE”

ALBINOS RAPED AS AIDS “CURE” OR
KILLED FOR BLACK MAGIC PURPOSES

DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters) – Hundreds of albinos are thought to have been killed for black magic purposes in Tanzania and albino girls are being raped because of a belief they offer a cure for AIDS, a Canadian rights group said on Thursday.  At least 63 albinos, including children, are known to have been killed, mostly in the remote northwest of the country.  “We believe there are hundreds and hundreds of killings in Tanzania, but only a small number are being reported to the police,” Peter Ash, founder and director of Under The Same Sun (UTSS), told Reuters.  “There is belief that if you have relations with a girl with albinism, you will cure AIDS. So there are many girls with albinism who are being raped in this country because of this belief, which is a false belief.”  Around 1.4 million Tanzanians among a population of 40.7 million have the HIV virus that leads to AIDS.

Albino hunters kill their victims and harvest their blood, hair, genitals and other body parts for potions that witchdoctors say bring luck in love, life and business.  “(It is believed) a person with albinism is a curse.  They are from the devil, they are not human, they do not die, they simply disappear,” said Ash.  Ernest Kimaya, head of the Tanzania Albino society and a sufferer of the pigment disorder, said social stigma prevented many girls from reporting rape, making it difficult to say how many albinos had been sexually abused.  Activists last week reported three murders of teenage albino boys from the same family in northern Tanzania, who were poisoned and their bones later robbed from their graves.

Hundreds of albinos have been killed for black magic purposes in Tanzania and many albino young women have been raped in the belief that having sex with albino girls can cure AIDS, and that drinking blood from albinos promotes health and makes you more powerful.  The business of buying and selling body parts of albinos - which shamans used to make “magic potions” for good luck in love, life and business - move a lot of money and is very lucrative.  If you are interested in obtaining material benefits by means of black magic or the help of witchcraft spells, you will quickly fall in great disgraces, and only God's mercy can save you. 

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?  

In the Malabar district, a section of the brāhmanas are known as Nambudari brāhmanas, and the Bhattathāris are their priests.  Bhattathāris know many tantric black arts, such as the art of killing a person, of bringing him under submission, and of destroying or devastating him.  They are very expert in these black arts, and one such Bhattathāri bewildered the personal servant of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu while the servant accompanied the Lord in His travels through South India.  Somehow or other Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu delivered this Krishnadāsa from the clutches of the Bhattathāri.  Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is well known as Patita-pāvana, the savior of all fallen souls, and He proved this in His behavior toward His personal servant, Krishnadāsa, whom He saved.

Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda :
Śrī Caitanya Caritāmrita - Madhya-līlā - Chapter 1 - Verse 112
“The Later Pastimes of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu”
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase

SUICIDE CAR BOMBER KILLS MORE THAN 20 IN IRAQ

SUICIDE CAR BOMBING IN IRAQ
KILLS UP TO 25 AND WOUNDS 80

(Reuters) - A car bomber killed more than 20 people and wounded 80 on Thursday at a police building in the mainly Shi’ite city of Hilla, an official said, as Iraq braced for revenge attacks after U.S. commandos killed Osama bin Laden.  Iraq’s army and police have been on high alert since American forces shot dead the al Qaeda leader and security officials said they had received intelligence that the Sunni Islamist group’s Iraqi wing would carry out revenge attacks.  The suicide bomber rammed his car into the entrance of a police headquarters in the center of Hilla, 100 km (60 miles) south of Baghdad, during a shift change at around 6:40 am (11:40 p.m. EDT), when many police officers were outside the building.

A hospital source in Hilla said the blast killed 25 and wounded 83.  Iraqi officials often give conflicting tolls.  Iraq has been a major battlefield for al Qaeda since the 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.  Dozens of bombings and other attacks are still mounted each month, although U.S. and Iraqi officials say al Qaeda in Iraq has been severely degraded in recent years.  Attacks on the army and police are rising ahead of a full withdrawal of U.S. troops by December 31, more than eight years after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.  Blast walls in front of the police headquarters in Hilla collapsed and the building was badly damaged, many shops, houses and buildings nearby also were damaged, a Reuters reporter at the scene said.

A suicide car bomb attack on the Iraqi police in south of Baghdad on Thursday killed 25 and wounded another 75.  The attack came as the Iraqi security forces increased security alert in Baghdad and other Iraqi cities as they expected deadly attacks to be carried out by al-Qaida militants in retaliation for the killing of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan.  The retaliatory attacks by the death of al-Qaida leader have already begun.  Western governments then return to take revenge and action-reaction cycle continues, and it will not stop until we see the other as a loving brother. 

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?  

When we are free from the clutches of separate interest, then all suspicion and doubt will be cleared.  We shall feel this through direct soul experience, the experience of the inner senses that we possess.  Then there will be no need for all our attempts and efforts; they’ll stop.  No special endeavor must be undertaken for our purpose because we have no separate existence.  We are particles in the Infinite and that which is feeding the Infinite will feed us also.  We shall find the general interest everywhere. We are not separate, so there is no necessity of acting for our special interest.  We shall see the divine arrangement for everyone, including every grain of sand.  We are one in the whole and the main current is doing everything, so no karma, no action is necessary on our own behalf.

Śrīla Bhakti Raksaka Sridhara Mahārāja :
“Follow the Angels” – ‘The Path of Dedication’
Part One: “Connection with Divinity”
http://bvml.org/SBRSM/FtA.html

RISKY JUMP IN MOTO FROM THE ANDES MOUNTAINS

SKYDIVER MADE FREEFALL JUMP 
WITH MOTORCYCLE FROM LOS ANDES

Santiago de Chile (AP) - A Chilean paratrooper used a 450 cc bike and a ramp located at 4,000 meters to make a risky jump into the void and performed a fall of around thousand feet in the Cordillera de Los Andes.  Julio Muñoz, 37, made this skydiving jump, called “Project BASE Los Andes”, last Saturday at Loma Rabona sector, located in the Cerro El Plomo in the Chilean Andes.  Chilean Patagonia has very beautiful sceneries surrounded by mountains and volcanoes worth visiting for fans of nature, and this feat had a cost of 50 million pesos (106,000 dollars). “It’s the most media I’ve done. And within the spectacular things, it was without doubt the most spectacular,” Muñoz confessed to reporters.   For him, the more complicated about the project were not the risks associated with diving, but the financing and logistics.

“Project B.A.S.E. Los Andes “was attended by 25 people, enough to put the ramp of half-ton of weight, at a place about 4,000 meters, a this move required the support of three helicopters.  Munoz expressed his intention to continue this kind of “extreme” adventure.  “The idea is to make Chile known, because behind this sport there are great natural monuments,” said Muñoz.  Among his upcoming projects is a leap in the “skysurf” style in the Torres del Paine, a place of great natural beauty of Chilean Patagonia.  The athlete also aims to bring its challenges throughout South America.  The first stop and it is clear for him, the barrel of Colta in Peru, one of the deepest in the world.

The Chilean parachutist, Julio Muñoz made an impressive leap in the dark on a motorbike to 4,000 meters high in the Loma Rabona next to the Cerro El Plomo, then falling over a cliff a thousand feet deep.  This man is very experienced and has already made other extreme experiences, but this has been the most extreme challenge of Chilean history.  Our human life is so valuable, because it is an opportunity to know and love God, then it is not advisable to put our health and life in such threatening risks just to enjoy these so-called extreme sports.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?  

Currently, it is imposed the general idea that “You have to enjoy the world.”  But the concept of enjoyment is dangerous, self-destructive and, in turn, it makes people to put their lives at risk.  More and more people spend large amounts of money on distractions that have no importance, just to satisfy their desires.  Some are poisoned themselves with drugs and alcohol, while others engage in activities that are constantly exposed their health and welfare.  In the rush to meet happiness artificially, man does foolish things, knowing from experience that is wrong and that ultimately end up disappointed. ... However, this type of activity sooner or later, discouraged artificially them, it is a pleasure so brief that fails to meet the expectations of enjoyment. ... We invite you to learn more about the spiritual life, which delivers a superior taste.

Śrīla Bhakti Aloka Paramadvaiti Mahārāja :
“Dangerous Fun” - “Fictitious Happiness”
http://bhaktipedia.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php
http://bhaktipedia.org/espanol/index.php?n=sabidurias_vedicas.diversiones_peligrosas

HAMAS-FATAH: DEAL OR NO DEAL?

RIVAL PALESTINIAN FACTIONS 
PROCLAIM RECONCILIATION PACT

www.washingtonpost.com - Rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas on Wednesday proclaimed a landmark, Egyptian-mediated reconciliation pact aimed at ending their bitter four-year rift. The declaration was made at a ceremony at the Egyptian intelligence headquarters in Cairo. Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said the accord ended “four black years” that hurt national Palestinian interests. He also said he would “soon” visit Hamas-held Gaza Strip.  The pact provides for the creation of a joint caretaker Palestinian government ahead of national elections next year, but leaves key issues unresolved and makes no mention of peace talks with Israel. Israel has denounced the pact in advance of the Cairo ceremony, because of the militant Hamas’ long history of deadly attacks against Israeli targets. It has equated the deal with a renunciation of peacemaking.

Like the U.S. and the European Union, Israel considers Hamas a terrorist organization and says it will not negotiate with a future Palestinian government that includes the Iranian- and Syrian-backed group. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned a Palestinian unity pact on Wednesday, “What happened today in Cairo is a tremendous blow to peace and a great victory for terrorism,” he said.   Terrorism had been dealt a resounding defeat this week with the killing by U.S. forces of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, Netanyahu said.  But he said terrorism recovered on Wednesday because Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had embraced Hamas, which condemned the U.S. killing of bin Laden and praised bin Laden as a martyr.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Fatah leader and the head of the Hamas political bureau, Khaled Meshaal, have made official a reconciliation agreement on Wednesday in Cairo. The Hamas leader, Khaled Mashaal, said his group was prepared to do everything possible “to concrete in actual events the pact,” adding that “our only struggle is against Israel.”  In response to that agreement, Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, has described the ceremony of Cairo as “a tremendous blow to peace and a great victory for terrorism.”  Enemies unite to fight a common enemy ... the age of Kali is progressing.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?  

When we forget this philosophy - that Krishna is the supreme father, Krishna is the supreme proprietor, Krishna is the supreme enjoyer, and Krishna is the supreme friend of everyone -  when we forget this, then we come into this material world and struggle for existence, fight with one another. This is material life.  Nor can we get any relief through our politicians, diplomats, philosophers. They have tried so much, but actually nothing they have tried has become fruitful. Take the United Nations. It was organized after the second Great War, and they wanted, “We shall now settle everything peacefully.”  But there is no such thing.  The fighting is going on, between Pakistan and India or between Vietnam and America or this and that. Mundane politics and diplomacy and philosophy - this is not the process.  The process is Krishna consciousness.

Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda :
“The Journey of Self-Discovery”
“Superconsciousness” -  Bhaktivedanta VedaBase

NEW REPORT CONFIRMS ARCTIC MELT ACCELERATING

ARCTIC ICE MELT ACCELERATING,
SAYS AMAP’S NEW OFFICIAL REPORT

Stockholm – Arctic ice is melting faster than expected and could raise the average global sea level by as much as five feet this century, an authoritative new report suggests. The study by the international Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program, or AMAP, is one of the most comprehensive updates on climate change in the Arctic, and builds on a similar assessment in 2005. The report says that Arctic temperatures in the past six years were the highest since measurements began in 1880, and that feedback mechanisms believed to accelerate warming in the climate system have now started kicking in. One mechanism involves the ocean absorbing more heat when it’s not covered by ice, which reflects the sun’s energy. That effect has been anticipated by scientists "but clear evidence for it has only been observed in the Arctic in the past five years," AMAP said.

The report also shatters some of the forecasts made in 2007 by the U.N.’s expert panel on climate change. The cover of sea ice on the Arctic Ocean, for example, is shrinking faster than projected by the U.N. panel. The level of summer ice coverage has been at or near record lows every year since 2001, AMAP said, predicting that the Arctic Ocean will be nearly ice free in summer within 30-40 years.  The melting of Arctic glaciers and ice caps, including Greenland’s massive ice sheet, are projected to help raise global sea levels by 35 to 63 inches (90-160 centimeters) by 2100.  AMAP’s main function is to advise the nations surrounding the Arctic – the U.S., Canada, Russia, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland and Finland – on threats to the Arctic environment.

A new assessment of climate change in the Arctic shows the region’s ice and snow are melting faster than previously thought and sharply raises projections of global sea level rise this century.  The report by the international organization AMAP informs that the level of summer ice coverage has been at or near record lows every year since 2001, predicting that the Arctic Ocean will be nearly ice free in summer within 30-40 years.  The biological wellbeing of our earth and the future of mankind are being ruined by the materialistic vision of society.  We are part of the earth, and she is part of us.  Please, no more pain for Mother Earth!

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?  

Nature is one of the manifestations of God; if we mistreat the environment, if we live irresponsibly, in any moment we will be sucked into an abyss.  God is in each tree, each plant.  The waters of the Earth are the veins of the Lord.   We should proceed with absolute compassion and responsibility, because by not taking care of other living beings, our present planet will become a complete desert.  Polluted waters cause the leukemia of the ecosystem. Mother Earth heals you, she allows you to build houses, sustains you, gives you drinkable water; that is our dear Mother Earth. If you cannot see divinity in the mud, in Mother Earth, it would be very astonishing to see it in anything.  All the elements created by the Lord are different representations of His powers, and the combination of all the components produces food for us, the conscious beings.

House of Wisdom :
“Ecology - Eco conscience”
http://www.houseofwisdom.org/english/index.html
http://www.houseofwisdom.org/english/advices_eco_conscience.htm

EMPTY THE BRAIN’S TRASH IMPROVE MEMORY

“SPRING CLEAN” YOUR MIND
TO IMPROVE YOUR MEMORY

http://psychcentral.com/news/- Although memory loss is not a normal function of age, we often begin to forget things as we grow older.  New research suggests a reason may be that our brains are cluttered with irrelevant information.  Using a computer analogy, researchers believe we should defrag and empty our brain’s trash bins to improve cognitive performance.  Thirty individuals with an average age of 23 years old, and 30 individuals were an average age of 67 years old took part in the study.  They were asked to perform a working memory task, which included recalling and processing different pieces of information.   Researchers from Concordia University believe older individuals have reduced learning and memory because their minds tend to be cluttered with irrelevant information when performing tasks.

The study published in The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology offers new insights into why aging is associated with a decline in memory. For those who are having trouble remembering, Mervin Blair, a PhD student at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada, suggested that focusing and reducing mental clutter can be done by stress-reduction techniques.  Reducing clutter from our brain is unfortunately more difficult than hitting the defrag button or clicking permanently delete for our trash, so he recommends keeping the brain in shape by performing activities that challenge and stimulate.  Activities to do this could include learning a new language, playing an instrument, completing crossword puzzles, keeping an active social life and exercising.

New research indicates older people are less able to process information - including remembering things - because their memories tend to be cluttered with masses of information.   “Basically, older adults are less able to keep irrelevant information out of their consciousness, which then impacts on other mental abilities,” said researcher Mervin Blair.  The Ayurvedic medicines made out of rasa (essence), bark, fruit, and leaves of different plants may appear to be useless, but they have the capacity to cure many incurable diseases to modern Western science. 

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?  

Ayurveda has the cure for all disease. It is a complete and approved system of medication.  Some important Yogic Remedies from Ancient Indian Scriptures:  (1.) 29th chapter of Agnipuran contains a medicine, which grants longevity to a person. According to the text, consuming 240 mg to 500 mg of Brahmi powder with milk every morning is very beneficial. It also increases the memory power.  (2.) Ayurvedic scriptures like Charaka and Sushruta say that consuming 3 gm of green vegetable soup (made form Brahmi) increases the memory power. Brahmi leaves are tasty just like the tamarind leaves.  (3.) Bhav Prakash includes the importance of Shankhpushpi for good memory.  Consuming 3 to 6 gm of Shankhpushpi powder with milk is extremely beneficial for increasing memory and improving the functioning of the brain and its overall development.

Remedy Spot.com
“How to Improve the Memory According to Ayurveda”
Published by the Editor on 11-23-2010 03:43 am
http://www.remedyspot.com/
http://www.remedyspot.com/articles/142-how-improve-memory-according-ayurveda.html

MAY DAY 2011 MARCHES AROUND THE WORLD

WORKERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY
PEACEFULLY CELEBRATE LABOR DAY

www.ibtimes.com/articles - Thousands of demonstrators gathered at May Day marches around the world, which took place in cities like Istanbul, Ankara, Paris, Berlin.  In many countries, May Day is synonymous with International Workers’ Day, or Labour Day, a day of political demonstrations and celebrations organised by communists, anarchists, socialists, and activist groups.  The commemoration of May Day as International Workers’ Day received its inspiration from the United States, going back to the 1886 Haymarket affair, when police opened fire on striking workers and 4 people were tried and then publicly hanged for their political beliefs.  The corporatist U.S. successfully tried to void May Day of its symbolism for the worker rights about 50 years ago, and the United States are one of the countries where today no bigger demonstrations take place.

So, today the Labour Day was observed in many parts of the globe to pay tributes to the martyrs of Chicago, who laid their lives for the rights of labourers, but May Day is also a traditional holiday in many cultures.  May Day is related to the Celtic festival of Beltane and the Germanic festival of Walpurgis Night. May Day falls exactly half of a year from November 1, another cross-quarter day which is also associated with various northern European festivals such as Samhain. May Day marks the end of the unfarmable winter half of the year in the Northern hemisphere, and it has traditionally been an occasion for popular and often raucous celebrations.

From Hong Kong to Indonesia, Moscow to Paris, protesters marched and rallied in largely peaceful demonstrations for international Labour Day around the world.  We should add “bhakti” to our everyday activities; that is to execute labors under the appointment of, and in the interest of, a higher plane: the Guru and Krishna.  All our actions must have that upper connection.  Our daily work should not be independent, but we must accommodate our ways to earn a living to that higher plane, avoiding self-centered interest, in order to correct our rebellious and capricious nature.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?  

Our real cause, the purpose of our lives, our satisfaction, and our existence will be found within the universal wave of the Absolute. That is Krishna consciousness, the most universal, fundamental wave. We have to catch that wave. Our goal, our satisfaction, the fulfillment of our life is to be found only there, in that plane, not in this superficial plane of nationality or family interest or social service. All these are provincial interests. ... In a nation, so many workers may be failing to follow the proper rules for production, and that is bad, it is disorder. The product will be bad. However, to go on strike won’t produce good results either.  No work, that is also bad. To work in the interest of the country, only that is good.  From our local, separate interest, we must go to the universal interest, to the interest of the Absolute.

Śrīla Bhakti Raksaka Sridhara Mahārāja :
“Follow the Angels” - ‘The Path of Dedication’
Part One: “The Krishna Conception” - “Sraddha is the Minimum Demand”
http://bvml.org/SBRSM/FtA.html