EARLY CANNIBALISM TIED TO TERRITORIAL DEFENSE?

THE REASON EARLY HUMANS MAY
HAVE PRACTICED INFANT CANNIBALISM

http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com - The earliest known instance of cannibalism among hominids occurred roughly 800,000 years ago. The victims, mainly children, may have been eaten as part of a strategy to defend territories against neighbors, researchers report online in the Journal of Human Evolution. The new study shows how anthropologists use the behavior of modern humans and primates to make inferences about what hominids did in the past - and demonstrates the limitations of such comparisons. The cannibalism in question was discovered in the Gran Dolina cave site of Spain’s Atapuerca Mountains. Eudald Carbonell of the University of Rovira and Virgili in Spain and colleagues found evidence of butchering on bones belonging to Homo antecessor, a controversial species that lived in Europe as early as 1.2 million years ago. Because no other hominid species has been found in the region at the same time as the butchered bones, the victims must have been eaten by their own kind, the team concluded. Today, human cannibalism occurs in a variety of contexts: for nutritional value (often in times of starvation), as part of funerary rituals or during warfare. 

The different purposes of cannibalism can leave different patterns in the archaeological record. When humans consume other humans for purely dietary reasons, the victims are often treated just like any other prey. This is what the researchers found at Gran Dolina. Eleven individuals were butchered in a manner similar to that of deer and other mammals: Bones had cut marks in areas of muscle attachments and the skulls had signs of defleshing. Thus, H. antecessor appeared to eat its own kind for a nutritional purpose - but probably not because of a food shortage. So why cannibalism? To find an answer, the researchers looked to chimpanzees. That’s because some aspects of H. antecessor cannibalism don’t resemble those of contemporary human cannibalism or cannibalism seen in Neanderthals or early modern humans living 100,000 years ago. For instance, nine of the 11 butchered individuals at Gran Dolina were children or adolescents compared with the largely adult victims of more recent human cannibalism. Young victims is a pattern seen among chimpanzees. When female chimps range alone near the boundary of their territory, males from the neighboring group may kill and eat the females’ infants. Carbonell and his colleagues suggest the best explanation for this behavior is territorial defense and expansion.

Back during the Early Pleistocene era in Europe, there lived a now-extinct subspecies of humans called “Homo Antecessor”, and it dates back to about 800,000 years ago, and they're one of the earliest known hominids to have lived in Europe. Archeological evidence indicates that this species practiced cannibalism - and that they preferred the meat of young children. In ancient times, when cannibalism was prevalent in the world, certain group of people used to eat human flesh. The Mahabharata tells that when Vyasadeva led Queen Kunti and the sons of Pandu to the town of Ekachakra, they came to know that - due to the weakness of the local king - a cannibal Rakshasa named Baka rules the country and he devoured one human being every fortnight. So, Queen Kunti asked Bhima - her second son - to kill that cannibal demon.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Baka, the mighty Rakshasa, inflamed with wrath, uprooted a lot of trees hurling them with all his power at the son of Kunti (Bhima). Soon the forest became treeless and finding no other weapon, Baka ran at Bhima and seized him with his arms. He dragged Bhima on the ground, and Bhima also dragged him on the ground. Soon the Rakshasa became fatigued and Bhima pressed him down to the earth with his knees and beat him with his fists. The cracking of his back and the screaming of his voice filled the whole forest. Baka then vomited blood and gave up his life force. The friends of Baka were frightened, and Bhima commanded them, “Do not kill human beings again, for if you do, you will die as Baka did.  The Rakshasas were terrified at Bhima's power, and from that day on, they were seen by the inhabitants of that town to be very peaceful toward mankind. Then Bhima dragged the lifeless corpse of the demon, placed him on the city gate and went away unseen by anyone. The next morning the citizens of Ekachakra saw the cannibal's mutilated body covered in blood.

“Mahabharata Summation”
Fourteenth Chapter of the Adi Parva,
Entitled: “The Cannibal Baka Slain”
http://philosophy.ru/library/asiatica/indica/itihasa/mahabharata/eng/gbmb01xt.html

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
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DRIVER SAVES KIDS WHILE DYING

BUS DRIVER ENSURES SAFETY
OF 38 BEFORE DYING ON ROAD

http://www.taipeitimes.com - A school bus driver steered a bus carrying 38 students to safety while dying of a reported heart attack yesterday in Taipei, Taiwan. Lee Chih-ming (Li Zhi-ming), 60, was driving a school bus full of students from Shu-te Home Economics and Commercial High School through the intersection of Jhengjhong Road and Jianwu Road in Greater Kaohsiung’s Sanmin District when the bus began to swerve to the right after he is said to have suffered an acute myocardial infarction. The bus then sideswiped a minivan belonging to a local resident, surnamed Ho, parked at 165 Jianwu Rd and seven more parked motorcycles before coming to a stop in front of a residence at 93 Jianwu Rd. Luckily, there were no moving vehicles or pedestrians on the stretch of road at the time. No other injuries or deaths were reported, while Lee, who reportedly died after ensuring the safety of the students, was the only fatality. Ho said when he saw his car he thought it was the result of a hit-and-run accident and so hopped on his motorcycle to chase Lee down, only to find Lee slowly bringing the bus to a stop, carefully avoiding any heavily traveled roads before he stopped in front of a private residence with no one present.

“No other casualties or injuries were caused. That was very responsible of him [Lee],” Ho said. The owner of a nearby oyster noodle stand, surnamed Lin, said he attempted to wake Lee up by slapping him in the face through the car window, but Lee was unconscious, though still breathing. One of the students said his and his schoolmates were clueless as to what was happening to the driver when the bus started swerving right and hitting parked vehicles. “We only knew that the bus was traveling at an extremely slow speed, and kept bumping into automobiles on the side of the road. Everyone was confused because we were all sitting on the upper deck,” the student said, adding that they followed instructions to pry open an emergency door. School authorities said Lee had served as a bus driver for the school for approximately a year, and that all 38 students had returned to classes after they were cleared of emotional shock.  Kaohsiung City Government’s Fire Bureau Dachang Branch said Lee, who did not show any vital signs at the time, was rushed to a hospital after firefighters removed him from the bus through an emergency door. Lee was pronounced dead after emergency treatment failed to resuscitate him, the branch said.

Bus driver Lee Chih-ming (Li Zhi-ming) of Shu-Te Home-Economics Commercial High School in Taipei (Taiwan), suffered a sudden death while driving 38 students to school. In his last moments, Li fought death to ensure the safety of the students as he switched to neutral and wrapped his arm around the steering wheel firmly so that the vehicle would keep to the right to prevent a bad accident. All 38 students on the bus were unscathed and safely evacuated. “I am truly grateful to the driver, who, despite being at the last moment of his life, fought to keep us safe. He was a courageous man,” said Hsieh Min-cheng, a student who sat in the back of the bus during the accident. This example of responsible behaviour towards others should encourage us to serve one another and eradicate our self-centered and self-interested mundane life.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Let us put aside all selfish interests. Consciousness is to serve others, and you have to sacrifice something of your own for others' well-being; many people are suffering in this world. You have the power of change. We want that everyone becomes conscious and teaches by his own example. We think that the duty of the humanity is to search the truth and to practice it.  Never forget that we have to be a part of the solution by talking and acting. We believe in simple living and high thinking. Each person should be disposed to sacrifice a part of his energy and put it toward serving others in different social services like help in hospitals, distributing food to people who do not have any, education, etc. It is a lot that we have to be, but conscious. ... We believe that all people, who have certain knowledge, wealth or some other distinguishing capacity, should be conscious about their personal conduct and be disposed to utilize their advantages to protect and serve those less fortunate.

Śrīla Bhakti Aloka Paramadvaiti Mahārāja :
“Vedic Wisdom”
“Conscience - Even If It Pains”
http://vrindaportal.com/  -  http://www.vrindavan.org/
http://vedicwisdom.weebly.com/concience-even-if-it-hurts.html

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
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ROSH HASHANAH, THE JEWISH NEW YEAR

ROSH HASHANAH ENDS TODAY
AT SUNSET, JEWISH NEW YEAR

www.huffingtonpost.com - Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is celebrated in 2012 from sundown on Sept. 16 to nightfall on Sept. 18. The Hebrew date for Rosh Hashanah is 1 Tishrei 5773. Though Rosh Hashanah literally means “head of the year,” the holiday actually takes place on the first two days of the Hebrew month of Tishrei, which is the seventh month on the Hebrew calendar. This is because Rosh Hashanah, one of four new years in the Jewish year, is considered the new year of people, animals and legal contracts. In the Jewish oral tradition, Rosh Hashanah marks the completion of the creation of the world. Rosh Hashanah is the beginning of the Jewish High Holy Days, or Yamim Noraim (the “Days of Awe”), and is followed 10 days later by Yom Kippur, the “day of atonement.” The Mishnah refers to Rosh Hashanah as the “day of judgment,” and it is believed that God opens the Book of Life on this day and begins to decide who shall live and who shall die. The days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are viewed as an opportunity for Jews to repent (teshuvah, in Hebrew) and ensure a good fate.

Jews traditionally gather in synagogues on Rosh Hashanah for extended services that follow the liturgy of a special prayerbook, called a mahzor, that is used during the Days of Awe. At specific times throughout the service, a shofar, or ram's horn, is blown. The mitzvah (commandment) to hear the shofar, a literal and spiritual wake-up call, is special to this time of year. The new year is the only Jewish holiday that is observed for two days by all Jews (other holidays are observed for just one day within the Land of Israel) as it is also the only major holiday that falls on a new moon. A common greeting on Rosh Hashanah is shana tovah u'metukah, Hebrew for “a good and sweet new year.” Many traditional Rosh Hashanah foods - apples and honey, raisin challah, honey cake and pomegranate - are eaten, in part, for this reason. The book of life is opened for the coming year and the fate of each individual is decided by God, according to Jewish beliefs. During Rosh Hashana, the faithful look back at their mistakes of the past year, make amends, so they can start the new year with a clean slate, Karen Lewin, education and youth director at Beth El in Lower Makefield, Penn said.

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, began the evening of Sept. 16 and ends today at sunset. Rosh Hashanah is a chance to start again. Traditional Rosh Hashanah foods include apple slices dipped in honey, or challah dipped in honey for a sweet year. Ten days after Rosh Hashanah’s start is Yom Kippur, which begins the evening of Sept. 25 and continues into the evening of Sept. 26. These 10 days are known as the 10 days of repentance. They give people a chance to reflect on their actions during the year - right and wrong. Yom Kippur involves fasting from one evening to the next, and most time is spent at the synagogue reading Scriptures. There are many similarities between the Jewish and Hindu traditions.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Shalom to acharyas, and revered guests. I shall speak on similarities in our traditions. Both our traditions have given birth to many other religions: Hinduism has given birth to Buddhism and Jainism, and, similarly Judaism is the mother of Christianity and Islam. We have both experienced the persecution of intolerant rulers. We also have been subject to the holocaust during colonial times. Both our religions are revealed. Hinduism does not have a beginning. It was never started. Dharma was always there. The Vedas are not books, they are revealed facts by Rishis. Similarly Moses did not create the Holy Books. They were revealed. God is the source of both the Jewish and Hindu traditions. Moses did not create the religion. Similarly in our tradition we say even Rama or Krsna didn’t create the religion. We have four Vedas, you have five Holy Books. We have smritis, you have midrash. Both of us remove shoes at the temple. We take a ritual bath before special rites. The outer purity is needed to cultivate inner purity.

HH Mahamandaleswar Sri Swami
Gurusharananandaji Karsni Peeth of Mathura
“Similarities Between Hindu and Jewish Traditions”
First Hindu-Jewish Leadership Summit - New Delhi - 2007
http://www.harekrsna.com/sun/editorials/05-08/editorials2960.htm

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
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GUTKA BAN WELCOME, NEEDS TO BE EFFECTIVE

INDIA STATES BAN POPULAR
'GUTKA' CHEWING TOBACCO

http://www.huffingtonpost.com - Ten Indian states have banned a popular form of chewing tobacco in a major policy shift that may save millions of lives and strike a blow at the global tobacco industry, already reeling from new anti-smoking laws around the world. But an estimated 65 million Indians use “gutka” - a heady form of chewing tobacco made of crushed betel nut, nicotine and laced with thousands of chemicals - and furious manufacturers are fighting to have the bans overturned. Companies such as Delhi-based DS Group are dragging states to courts, complaining that the billion-dollar industry should be regulated as tobacco and not as food and that the bans threaten the livelihoods of millions of farmers and street vendors scattered from Bangalore to New Delhi. “Nobody understands the bigger picture. What will happen to those poor farmers? No one thinks of them,” said a company official on condition of anonymity. No company Reuters consulted would speak on record. Last week, Punjab became the tenth of 28 states to ban the sale of gutka after the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India reclassified it as a foodstuff, prohibiting the use of tobacco and nicotine as “ingredients in any food product.” 

Gutka making is controlled by family-run Indian firms, with no international tobacco companies in the business. Several other forms of chewing tobacco considered less harmful have not been reclassified as foodstuffs and are not banned. Some 482 million people live in the 10 states which have enforced the bans. Delhi, Gujarat and Chandigarh, with a combined population of 77 million, are due to follow suit - Delhi this week. More Indians, including children, chew gutka than smoke, making the trend of outlawing the cheap, colourful packets a more effective health policy in the world's second most populous nation than anti-smoking laws like Australia's ban on cigarette pack logos. “We're using all kinds of means to persuade the rest (of the states) to enforce the ban. It's a central legislation. States have no option but to abide now,” said Amal Pushp, director of the health ministry's National Tobacco Control Programme. Gutka is popular with the young and old alike, many of whom are blase about the nation's leading cause of oral cancer. Some of the chemicals in some brands of gutka are also used in tile cleaners and battery acids. “This is a path to death,” said Abdul, who sold his land in Bihar to pay for the $9,000 treatment. It will be an uphill battle to keep gutka away from young people who who have been using it since early youth.

Ban on Gutka sale by Indian government came into force this week. Tobacco has been chewed in India for centuries, dating back to the Mughal era when nawabs had a concoction known as “paan” - a betel leaf wrapped around a mixture of areca nut, pastes, spices and tobacco - to refresh their palates and aid digestion. Gutka and paan masala are products of recent decades to cater for a fast-paced, modern life. India battles almost 80,000 new cases of oral cancer yearly. The treatment of tobacco-related diseases cost more than $5 billion in 2002-2003, according to Health Ministry and WHO report. Now, it remains to be seen how well the bans are enforced. Addiction to alcohol, cigarettes and drugs may be resolved by spiritual quests which give birth to the love of God.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

In the Bhagavad-gita, Krsna describes the psychological cycle that supports the perpetuation of addictions. Since Yoga involves controlling one's thoughts, it is a natural remedy. However, the practical action of Yoga must be integrated with knowledge, which includes knowledge of the social, metaphysical, and theological realities surrounding the object of one's attachment. ... The Bhagavad-gita's metaphysics and their social implications are outlined in the concluding six chapters, 13-18. ... The will to transcend one's addiction must involve a willingness to acknowledges one's weakness. This goes straight to the heart of Bhakti, wherein one acknowledges his utter dependence upon God. It is not by asserting one's own willpower that one can succeed. If we are to conquer our addictions, we must acknowledge our weakness. In doing so we will simultaneously realize the power of God. From this fortified position we can succeed and conquer the insatiable enemy of addiction.

Śrīla Bhakti Vedanta Tripurari Mahārāja :
“Kuruksetra War: Myth, History, or Lila?”
Śrī Caitanya Sanga - Vol. III, No. 3 - January 23, 2001.
http://www.swami.org/pages/sanga/1999/1999_3.php
http://swami.org/  -  http://www.swami.org/index.html

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
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UPANISHADS IN SPACE

UPANISHADS ACCOMPANIES SUNITA
WILLIAMS IN SPIRITUAL ODYSSEY IN SPACE

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com - NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, who holds the record for the longest spaceflight by a woman, took charge of the International Space Station Saturday (Sept. 15), becoming only the second female commander in the orbiting lab's 14-year history. While Sunita is thousands of miles above the earth taking a bird's eye view of the universe from her space shuttle window, she tries to understand universal truths of the Upanishads. The Indian American astronaut - who is spending six months in space is carrying with her an English translation of one of the most important Hindu scriptures. Her father, Deepak Pandya, is hoping that the farther she goes from earth, the closer she will come to understanding her Indian roots. It was his idea that she carry a copy of the Upanishads with her. “The last time she went into space, I had given her a copy of the Bhagavad Gita,” Pandya told TOI. “She was full of questions when she came back. She wanted to know why it became necessary for Krishna to narrate the Gita, what were its eternal teachings, was it not possible to gain similar knowledge from other works, and many such questions. I feel that she will find some of the answers in the Upanishads.”

Pandya, himself a Shiv bhakt, says that up in space his daughter will perhaps be able to better chart her spiritual journey with the Upanishads assisting her. “All the same, we don't discuss space when she calls amid her preparations,” Pandya adds. “We have normal father-daughter conversations.” Williams last worked aboard the International Space Station for six months in 2006. She took off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan with two other astronauts, a Russian and a Japanese. Dr Pandya used a colloquial term to express that Sunita was doing fine in the space. “Khadhe pidhe sukhi che”, he said. Dr Pandya said that Sunita is currently busy with carrying out different experiments which are part of her space mission and puts in 15-17 hours at work. “She is keeping extremely busy with her work. I had given her an Upanishad while she embarked on her mission. She told me that she has been able to read a few pages but there is very little time. They also have to sleep for a minimum number of mandatory hours. I pray for her as it is a challenging mission where anything can go wrong any second. My prayers are with her”, the father said.

Astronaut Sunita Williams who took off on July 14 for her second six-month-long space expedition from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan received from her father, Dr Deepak Pandya, a copy of the Upanishads to help her during her stay at the space station. In her previous voyage into space, Sunita took with her a statue of Lord Ganesha and a copy of the Bhagavad Gita for company. She had never read the Gita with any depth before her space journey though her father had narrated to her the epics - the Ramayan and the Mahabharat - when she was young. “In a little spacecraft zipping around the earth, you are doing a lot of things, sometimes it feels like work ... maybe you are taking for granted where you are, what you are doing ... things like Ganesha, the Gita bring you back home. It is nice to read about Arjuna's trials and tribulations and it puts your life in perspective,” said Sunita in her India Today interview in 2007. Among the 108 Upanishads available, the most important ones are Mundaka, Isha, Kena, Katha, Aitareya, Taittiriya, Chhandogya, Prashna, Shvetashvatara, and Brihadaranyaka.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

The Upanishads or Vedanta (the end of the Vedas) are the scriptures that contain the essence of the Vedic philosophy. “Upanishad” literally means “learning at the feet of,” meaning “at the feet of a Master.” Thus was born the ancient guru system in Hindu society. In each of the Vedas, there are two main divisions: the Karma Kanda deals with the rituals, and the Jnana Kanda, deals with knowledge or wisdom. The Upanishads are part of the Jnana Kanda. ... The Vedas taught worship of the gods of nature, such as the sun, sky, wind, and fire. The Upanishads emphasized that behind the façade of these many gods, there is but one Supreme God. ... In the Upanishads, this ancient philosophical thought came to the forefront, overshadowing the idea of multiple gods, who were considered simply as the manifestation of the transcendental Supreme Divine. ... The universality of the Upanishads has attracted spiritual seekers around the world.

“Hinduism - Path of the Ancient Wisdom”
“Upanishads: Culmination of the Vedas”
http://hinduismpath.com/
http://hinduismpath.com/book-contents/chapter-10/

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
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WORK STRESS 'RAISES HEART RISK'

JOB STRESS LINKED TO
INCREASED HEART-ATTACK RISK

www.bbc.co.uk - Having a highly demanding job, but little control over it, could be a deadly combination, UK researchers say. They analysed 13 existing European studies covering nearly 200,000 people and found "job strain" was linked to a 23% increased risk of heart attacks and deaths from coronary heart disease. The risk to the heart was much smaller than for smoking or not exercising, the Lancet medical journal report said. The British Heart Foundation said how people reacted to work stress was key. Job strain is a type of stress. The research team at University College London said working in any profession could lead to strain, but it was more common in lower skilled workers. Doctors who have a lot of decision-making in their jobs would be less likely to have job strain than someone working on a busy factory production line. There has previously been conflicting evidence on the effect of job strain on the heart. In this paper, the researchers analysed combined data from 13 studies.

At the beginning of each of the studies, people were asked whether they had excessive workloads or insufficient time to do their job as well as questions around how much freedom they had to make decisions. They were then sorted into people with job strain or not and followed for an average of seven and a half years. One of the researchers, Prof Mika Kivimaki, from University College London, said: "Our findings indicate that job strain is associated with a small but consistent increased risk of experiencing a first coronary heart disease event, such as a heart attack." The researchers said eliminating job strain would prevent 3.4% of those cases, whereas there would be a 36% reduction if everyone stopped smoking. Prof Peter Weissberg, medical director at the British Heart Foundation, said: "We know that being under stress at work, and being unable to change the situation, could increase your risk of developing heart disease. "This large study confirms this, but also shows that the negative effect of workplace strain is much smaller than, for example, the damage caused by smoking or lack of exercise."

A new research, published in the journal Lancet, shows that job strain can increase the risk of a heart attack and death. Job strain was linked to other lifestyle choices that were bad for the heart: Smokers with job strain are more likely to smoke a bit more, active people with job strain are more likely to become inactive and there is a link with obesity. "If one has high stress at work you can still reduce risk by keeping a healthy lifestyle." explains researcher Prof Mika Kivimaki. Job stress has become an integral part of modern life. It transforms itself into of psychosomatic diseases or addictive drives; however, we can avoid these consequences by filling our lives with spiritual goals.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Most people have rejected the cure of spirituality and embraced the analgesic of artificial enjoyment. And they think of themselves as very advanced and intelligent in doing this. But the passage of time  is showing that neither is a life of artificial enjoyment satisfying, nor is a society espousing artificial lifestyles sustainable. Despite the best facilities for bodily enjoyment, Western and Westernized societies are witnessing an alarming rise in divorces, criminality, addictions and suicides.  Stress, a disease unheard of in earlier times, is now synonymous with the modern lifestyle. All these are symptomatic of hearts that are profoundly and desperately empty. The disease of the empty heart has worsened so much that in many cases even the painkiller of artificial enjoyment is no longer working. But still it is not too late. The cure of genuine spirituality is easily available. It is safe, simple and sublime. And it works for those who give it a sincere try.

Śrīpad Chaitanya Charan das :
“The Spiritual Scientist”
“Smiling Faces, Crying Hearts”
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/2011/12/smiling-faces-crying-hearts/

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
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DOG SITS BY OWNER’S GRAVE FOR SIX YEARS

DOG STANDS GUARD OVER DECEASED
OWNER’S GRAVE FOR SIX YEARS

www.thesun.co.uk - A faithful dog has refused to move from his master’s grave for six years, a family claims. German Shepherd pet Capitan ran away after his owner Miguel Guzman died in 2006. A week later Mr Guzman’s family went to pay their respects at his tomb and found the heartbroken hound sitting there, howling. Since then the grieving dog has rarely left the spot at the cemetery. Mr Guzman bought Capitan as a present for his 13-year-old son Damian in 2005 but died suddenly in March the next year. When his family returned from the funeral Capitan was gone. Mr Guzman’s widow Vernonica was today reported as saying: “We searched for him but he had vanished. We thought he must have got run over and died. “The following Sunday we went to the cemetery and Damian recognised his pet. Capitan came up to us, barking and wailing, as if he were crying. “We had never taken him to the cemetery so it is a mystery how he managed to find the place. “We went back the next Sunday and he was there again. This time, he followed us home and spent a bit of time with us, but then went back to the cemetery before it started getting dark. “I don’t think he wanted to leave Miguel on his own at night.” 

Cemetery director Hector Baccega remembers the day he first saw the dog. He said: “He turned up here one day, all on his own, and started wandering all around the cemetery until he eventually found the tomb of his master. “During the day he sometimes has a walk around the cemetery, but always rushes back to the grave. And every day, at six o’clock sharp, he lies down on top of the grave and stays there all night.” Mr Baccega said staff at the cemetery in Villa Carlos Paz, central Argentina are now feeding and taking care of Capitan.  It is reported that Guzman's relatives have tried to bring Capitán back home, but each time the dog returns to his master's grave. The dog follows them home a short distance before he returns to the cemetery. Guzman's family say they would love to have Capitán return home, but it is clear that he would rather remain by his dead master's side. Mr Guzman’s son Damian said: “I’ve tried to bring Capitan home several times, but he always comes straight back to the cemetery. I think he’s going to be there until he dies too. He’s looking after my dad.” Capitan follows in the tracks of Hachiko, an Akita dog which is said to have waited at a Tokyo train station for its master to return each day for nine years from May 1925, following owner Hidesaburo Ueno’s death at work.

An extremely dedicated dog has continued to show its loyalty, keeping watch on its owner's grave six years after he passed away. Capitan, a German shepherd, reportedly ran away from home after its owner, Miguel Guzman, died in 2006 in Carlos Paz, central Argentina. A week later, the Guzman family found the dog sitting by his grave at the cemetery. Capitán walks around the cemetery during the day but retires to his master's tomb in the evening and spends the night next to the headstone. Cemetery director Hector Baccega thinks Capitán provides a valuable lesson for humans in loyalty. Stories of loyalty and devotion of “man's best friend” never cease to amaze us; however, sadhus find these stories reasonable because they can see that in all corporeal living beings the spiritual spark is present.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

According to Vedanta, there is another reality in nature different from matter. It is the fundamental spiritual particle (called atman in Vedantic terminology). It is a transcendental particle and is ontologically different from matter. It has a conscious property and has free will contrary to material particles like electrons. It is only by the presence of the “spiriton” that matter appears animated. In Vedanta this seemingly animated matter is referred to as embodied life. According to Vedanta, every life form has atma or spiriton, within it. In other words not only do human beings possess a spiriton, but so do all microorganisms, insects, aquatics, plants, reptiles, birds, and so on. In this regard, Vedanta is unique and different from the scientific and theological views of many other world traditions. The Bhagavadgita (verse 15.7), states: mamaivamso jivaloke jivabhutah sanatanah, which means that all spiritons are eternal conscious particles of the Supreme Lord. ... Vedanta explains that matter, however complex, will never generate life or its inherent symptom, consciousness.

T.D. Singh, Ph.D. - Śrīla Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Mahārāja :
“Hinduism and Science” - Chapter 2. “Nature of Life and Matter”
Bhaktivedanta Institute - http://www.scienceandscientist.org/
http://krishnascience.info/files/Bhakti_SD.html
http://www.bhaktisvarupadamodara.com/

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SCIENTISTS ID NEW SPECIES OF MONKEY IN CONGO

NEW MONKEY SPECIES WITH
MASSIVE BLUE ARSE FOUND IN AFRICA

www.theregister.co.uk - A species of monkey previously unknown to science has been discovered in Africa: and boffins say that it has an “extensive” bright blue bottom which rivals that of the largest and most colourful known monkeys on Earth. The new monkey was first sighted by scientists in 2007, when boffins found one being kept as a pet in the town of Opala in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It transpired that the unusual monkey was well known to local people, but had never before been catalogued by scientists. The scientific discovery of the new monkey was made in June 2007 when field teams saw a captive juvenile female of an unknown species at the residence of the primary school director in the town of Opala. The school director identified the animal as a “lesula” a vernacular name we had not recorded before, and said that it is well known by local hunters. The lesula, which is the first new monkey found in Africa for 28 years, is remarkable in particular for its vibrant colouring. It has a pink face, golden throat, massive whiskers and a vertical white stripe up its nose, which gives it some resemblance to the already well known owl-faced monkey. Perhaps the major claim to fame of the lesula, however, is its enormous blue arse.

The discovering scientific team describe this feature thus: The blue perineum, buttocks and scrotum displayed by adult males are comparable in size and coloration in C lomamiensis and C hamlyni, and are more extensive than genital patches in any other Cercopithecus. It is comparable in extent to the buttocks and genital patch displayed in adult male mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx). The lesula's blue buttocks, then, are not merely bigger than those of any other monkey in its family: they are such as to rival the enormous and glaring posterior of the Mandrill, the largest monkey in the world. Apparently the lesula, though not numerous, is not in massive danger of extinction right now. However the discovering scientists caution that it could be soon, as it is hunted for its meat by local people. “The challenge for conservation now in Congo is to intervene before losses become definitive,” say John and Terese Hart, who led the investigation team, in tinned quotes. “Species with small ranges like the lesula can move from vulnerable to seriously endangered over the course of just a few years.” C. lomamiensis is shy and was the least frequently seen of all primates recorded on large mammal surveys (19 observations of C. lomamiensis out of a total of 223 visual observations of primate groups).

Scientists are claiming they have discovered a new species of monkey living in the remote forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo - an animal well-known to local hunters but until now, unknown to the outside world. The “lesulas” - as they had been known to the locals - have giant blue backsides and bright aquamarine buttocks. Eminent old-time boffin Charles Darwin wrote that in his opinion: “No other member in the whole class of mammals is coloured in so extraordinary a manner as the adult male mandrills.” Except, now, the lesulas with its striking bright colours. They live in an isolated region in groups and feeds on fruit and leafy plants and they are only one among the 8,400,000 species of bodily forms in this material world that have their origin in the Lord, who is always Ādi, or the Beginning.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

The different forms of the living entities are different dresses offered by the illusory, external energy of the Lord according to the modes of nature the living being desires to enjoy. ... There are 900,000 varieties of material bodies in the water, 2,000,000 vegetable bodies, 1,100,000 worms and reptiles, 1,000,000 forms of birds, 3,000,000 different bodies of beasts, and 400,000 human forms. Altogether there are 8,400,000 varieties of bodies in different planets of the universe, and the living entity is traveling by so many transmigrations according to different modes of enjoying spirit within himself. ... The living entity creates his own body by his personal desires, and the external energy of the Lord supplies him the exact form by which he can enjoy his desires to the fullest extent. ... Similarly, a living entity desiring to get the body of a demigod in a higher planet can also get it by the grace of the Lord. And if he is intelligent enough, he can desire to get a spiritual body to enjoy the company of the Lord, and he will get it.

Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda :
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (Bhāgavata Purāṇa)
Canto 2: “The Cosmic Manifestation”
Chapter 9: “Answers by Citing the Lord’s Version”
Verse 2 - http://vedabase.com/en/sb/2/9/2

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/

US AMBASSADOR TO LIBYA, KILLED IN BENGHAZI ATTACK

U.S. AMBASSADOR TO LIBYA AND 3 OTHER
AMERICANS KILLED AS ISLAMISTS ATTACK

http://dailycaller.com - The U.S. ambassador to Libya and three American members of his staff were killed in the attack on the U.S. consulate in the eastern city of Benghazi by protesters angry over a film that ridiculed Islam’s Prophet Muhammad, Libyan officials said Wednesday. They said Ambassador Chris Stevens was killed Tuesday night when he and a group of embassy employees went to the consulate to try to evacuate staff as the building came under attack by a mob with guns and rocket propelled grenades. The three Libyan officials who confirmed the deaths were deputy interior minister for eastern Libya Wanis al-Sharaf; Benghazi security chief Abdel-Basit Haroun; and Benghazi city council and security official Ahmed Bousinia. The State Department said Tuesday that one American was killed in the attack. It has not confirmed the other deaths. A statement from President Obama “condemned the outrageous attack on our diplomatic facility in Benghazi, which took the lives of four Americans, including ambassador Chris Stevens”. The president added: “Chris was a courageous and exemplary representative of the United States.”

The attack on the Benghazi consulate took place as hundreds of protesters in neighboring Egypt scaled the walls of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo and tore down and replaced the American flag with a black Islamic banner. The attacks in Benghazi and Cairo were the first such assaults on U.S. diplomatic facilities in either country, at a time when both Libya and Egypt are struggling to overcome the turmoil following the ouster of their longtime authoritarian leaders, Muammar Qadhafi and Hosni Mubarak, in uprisings last year. The protests in both countries were sparked by outrage over a film ridiculing Muhammad produced by an Israeli filmmaker living in California and being promoted by an extreme anti-Muslim Egyptian Christian campaigner in the United States. Excerpts from the film dubbed into Arabic were posted on YouTube. Stevens, 52, was a career diplomat who spoke Arabic and French and had already served two tours in Libya, including running the office in Benghazi during the revolt against Qadhafi. He was confirmed as ambassador to Libya by the Senate earlier this year. Before Tuesday, five U.S. ambassadors had been killed in the line of duty, the last being Adolph Dubs in Afghanistan in 1979, according to the State Department historian’s office.

The US ambassador in Libya and three other embassy staff were killed in a rocket attack after the diplomat's car was targeted in the eastern city of Benghazi. They had been killed by a mob incensed by a US film that they deemed blasphemous to the prophet Muhammad. This attack has many similar antecedents. On April 2011, 20 United Nations staffers were killed in the Afghan city of Mazir-e-Sharif after a compound was overrun by Afghans angry at Florida preacher Terry Jones's first publicized Quran burning. In February and March of this year, six US soldiers were killed by Afghan soldiers and police in the aftermath of US soldiers dumping Qurans into a burn pit at Baghram airbase. Two weeks ago Salafists used a bulldozer to destroy a key Sufi Islamic shrine in central Tripoli. When followers of any religion perform cruel acts against others is due to their fanaticism and narrow-mindedness.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

People who show their love for their own religion by hating all others will spiritually stagnate and cause disharmony and quarrels between those of their religion and those of others. Someone may be a kind, generous, and devout person amongst those of his own culture, while ready to howl, insult, hate, and do injury to those of another. ... Only those individuals and dry forms of religion that are bereft of real spiritual knowledge look at all others with hate and suspicion. Only when one’s consciousness becomes mature does this form of fanaticism or immature enthusiasm subside. Then real love and respect for all will naturally emanate from that person. As one becomes closer to the all-loving Supreme Being by the development of his own love for God, no longer can he be an instrument of hatred or prejudice because he sees everyone equally with spiritual vision. Thus, he walks away from the animalistic quarrels and wars that others take so seriously due to their ignorance of spiritual reality.

Stephen Knapp (Śrīpad Nandanandana dasa) :
“Toward World Peace: Seeing the Unity Between Us All”
“Breaking Down The Cultural Distinctions”
http://www.stephen-knapp.com  -  http://www.stephenknapp.info/
http://www.stephen-knapp.com/toward_world_peace_ebook.htm

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/

USA URGES NEW FOCUS ON SUICIDE PREVENTION

U.S. LAUNCHES NEW NATIONAL
STRATEGY FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION

www.cbsnews.com - U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin unveiled the country's new National Strategy for Suicide Prevention on Monday. The new guidelines from the Obama administration focus on preventing suicides, especially among military veterans, by methods such as beefing up the nation's crisis hotline to help. U.S. health officials said nearly 100 people every day commit suicide, and many more attempt it. It is the tenth leading cause of death in the U.S. with rates doubling those of lives taken by homicide. The military in particular has seen an alarming increase in suicides this year. The federal government announced Monday it will boost staff by 50 percent at the national hotline - 1-800-273-TALK - which is open to military and civilians alike. It provided $55.6 million for state and local programs, and highlighted Facebook features that link distressed users to counselors. According to the report, suicide can affect anyone but certain populations are at increased risk including individuals with mental and substance abuse disorders, individuals in justice and child welfare settings, LGBT individuals, American Indians and Alaska Natives, men in midlife and older men, and members and veterans of the Armed Forces. 

The federal government's new campaign will kick off with public service announcements urging people to seek help if they spot signs that someone is suicidal. Signs of suicidal behavior include talking about wanting to die and feeling trapped or hopeless, increasing use of alcohol or drugs, acting anxious or reckless, sleeping too little or too much, withdrawing oneself, showing rage or speaking of seeking revenge and displaying extreme mood swings. The government urges people who notice these signs to not leave the person alone if possible and to ask them if they are thinking about killing themselves - it won't put the idea in their heads. In these cases, it might be best to try to get the person to call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, take him or her to an emergency room or seek help from a professional. “Preventing suicide is everyone's business,” Benjamin said at a news conference Monday introducing the plan. It updates one introduced in 2001. Since then, the nation has made progress in understanding suicide and launched some efforts, including the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and a special crisis line for veterans. A full copy of the 2012 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention can be found on the Surgeon General's website.

Many of the 36,000 annual deaths from suicide in the United States could be prevented by making suicide prevention a part of routine health care and getting people to talk frankly about suicide in homes, schools, workplaces, the military and even on Facebook, says a new strategy brings together the USA government, and public and private groups. Deaths from suicide have actually risen after falling in the 1990s, says Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. “We see especially alarming trends in our armed forces, and these deaths are especially heartbreaking because we know they are preventable.” Often, people in crisis do not know how - or who - to ask for help. Suicide is a calamity which brings nefarious karmic consequences.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Though he (Hanuman) had such wonderful abilities and had already exhibited tremendous feats of strength and heroism, he essentially hated himself for not having found Sita. Obviously, none of this was his fault, for what had he done wrong? He thought it would be better to just starve himself to death. This way he would give himself the proper punishment. He was on the brink of suicide. Then he thought to himself some more. He correctly decided that if he should quit, so many bad things would happen. If he continued to fight on, however, at least there would be a chance of succeeding. This is the rule to live by. The Paramatma is always residing within us, so as long as the life breath is there, there is an opportunity to connect with Him, to make the most of the human form of life. With death we have no idea where we will end up next. There is no guarantee that we will even get the opportunity to try to understand God and the need for worshiping Him. … Hanuman decided that if he was going to fail, he was going to take Ravana down with him. ... One would have to be courageous to continue to fight, especially when they were just on the brink of suicide.

Krishna's Mercy.org - Jai Shri Krishna :
“From Suicide to Redemption”
Posted by Krishnasmercy on February 12, 2012
http://www.krishnasmercy.org/dotnetnuke/
http://krishnasmercy.wordpress.com/2012/02/12/from-suicide-to-redemption/

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/