PALESTINIANS MARK 65 YEARS SINCE DISPLACEMENT

THOUSANDS OF PALESTINIANS MARK
'NAKBA DAY' IN GAZA, WEST BANK

www.reuters.com - Palestinians clashed with Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday during demonstrations to mark 65 years since what they call the Nakba (Catastrophe) when Israel's creation caused many to lose their homes and become refugees. A shell fired from Gaza, which is ruled by the Islamist movement Hamas, exploded in an open area of Israel but caused no injuries, according to an Israeli military spokesman. There was no immediate claim of responsibility from militants in Gaza.
Protesters skirmished with Israeli forces outside a refugee camp near the West Bank city of Hebron and at a prison near Ramallah, leaving several Palestinians injured. Israeli police in Jerusalem scuffled with Palestinian protesters, tossing stun grenades and making several arrests.

Thousands also rallied in the main square of Ramallah, the Palestinians' de facto capital while Jerusalem remains under Israeli control, holding up placards with the names of villages depopulated in 1948 and old keys, symbols of lost homes. Arab states failed in a 1948 war to stop the Jews settling in Palestine, who cited biblical ties to the land and a need for a Jewish state, which up to that time was under British colonial control. 
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is to return to the region on Tuesday in another bid to revive peace talks frozen since 2010. But a resolution remains elusive and many Palestinians cling to a desire for refugees and descendants to return to ancestral lands now in Israel - an idea Israel rejects, saying it would spell the end of the Jewish state.

The 65th anniversary of Nakba Day was commemorated today by Palestinians throughout Israel, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and the Palestinian diaspora. The “Nakba (the catastrophe) Day” marks the day Israel was founded. In Palestinian towns, at exactly noon a memorial siren was sounded, its length 65 seconds, one second for every year Israel has existed. In the afternoon hours, Palestinian youths began clashing with IDF soldiers. They hurled stones at security forces who returned fire with riot dispersing equipment. Clashes are taking place among people and nations due to our mistaken sense of propriety; in fact we are not the owners of anything in this world.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Śrīla Prabhupāda said we must teach all over the world that Lord Krishna is the Owner and the Supreme Enjoyer.  The sense of ownership is extremely dangerous since it confuses us in our relationship with God.  When we believe to be the owners of something, we believe to be the enjoyers of that, for this reason to believe that something belongs to me is a great illusion; nothing is ours, not even our own body, that to say of others, or the things related to the body, such as children, family, money, facilities, etc.. Krishna often repeats in the Bhagavad-Gita that we must understand that nothing is ours, everything belongs to Him. ... Krishna says: “When you understand that I am the owner of all, everything belongs to Me and I am the enjoyer, then even you'll be My owner and enjoyer.”

Śrīla Atulananda Ācārya :
“Sense of Ownership”
“Words of Gurudeva”
http://www.atulanandadas.cl/
http://www.atulanandadas.cl/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=50
 

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
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PROMOTING PEACE AND TOLERANCE AMONG RELIGIONS

RELIGIOUS LEADERS GATHER TO
PROMOTE TOLERANCE, UNDERSTANDING

www.mywesttexas.com - In an effort to promote peace and tolerance, leaders from different religious backgrounds met last month in Midland, Texas, USA for an interfaith discussion. St. Nicholas' Episcopal Church played host to leaders of the Baptist, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and Mormon faiths, and more than a hundred listeners. All of the religious leaders explained about their faith and what role it plays in the day-to-day lives of people all over the world. 
The Muslim faith was represented on stage by Imam Wazir Ali, of Houston.  "It was the plan of God that the world is a pluralistic place," said the iman Ali. "What he wants us to do instead of looking at pluralism and diversity as a problem, is look at it as an opportunity to benefit from the genius of other human beings and other cultures." 

The leaders spoke about how the different faiths can co-exist peaceably in today's world to complex issues such as what each religion teaches about death, resurrection and an afterlife. Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami, of Kauai's Hindu Monastery, explained that his faith does not teach about resurrection. The resurrection is such a foreign concept in the Hindu faith that he took time to explain the basis of it to people in the audience who might not recognize the term or know its meaning.
"This idea of the resurrection is focused on what's going to happen to the body, ... where the Hindu idea is focused on not the body, but the soul," he said. Also participating in the discussion were the Rev. Randel Everett, of First Baptist Church; Rabbi Holy Levin Cohn, of Temple Beth El in Odessa; and Jerry Zant, stake president of the Odessa Texas Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Much of the messages - from all religions - had tones of tolerance, love, acceptance and harmony. Despite differing views on the specifics, all leaders seemed in agreement on the existence of a higher power and that power's desire for humans to live peacefully and in harmony, always caring for the needs of others. The most important thing that comes from the annual Interfaith Event is the effort for “sharing of knowledge and ideas, a quest for the truth,” said Adam Syed, a member of the Muslim Association of West Texas. We should encourage tolerance and reduce misconceptions of unfamiliar religions and traditions.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

A sense of common interest can be fostered among individuals, if they know that they are inter-connected, are parts of one Organic System and are the sons and daughters of one Father.  Here is the task of all religions; to teach people that all beings of the world are closely inter-related.   Although steadfastness or firm belief in God (Nistha) according to some particular faith and eligibility of the individual is congenial for healthy spiritual growth of every individual, religious bigotry which begets enmity is condemnable, as it is against the real interest of the individual and society.  Real religion teaches love for one another.

Śrīla Bhakti Dayita Madhava Mahārāja :
“Realistic Solution for Diverse Humanity”
Speech at a ‘Spiritual Summit Conference’ - 1968 Calcutta.
Sree Chaitanya Gaudiya Math -  http://www.sreecgmath.org/scgmtimes/scgmsbdm.php

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MIDDLE-AGED SUICIDE RATE UP SHARPLY IN US

US SUICIDE RATE ROSE
SHARPLY AMONG MIDDLE-AGED

http://abcnews.go.com - The suicide rate among middle-aged Americans climbed a startling 28 % in a decade, a period that included the recession and the mortgage crisis, the government reported. The trend was most pronounced among white men and women in that age group. Their suicide rate jumped 40 % between 1999 and 2010. But the rates in younger and older people held steady. And there was little change among blacks, Hispanics and other ethnic groups.
Why did so many middle-aged whites - that is, those who are 35 to 64 years old - take their own lives? One theory suggests the recession caused more emotional trauma in whites, who tend not to have the same kind of church support and extended families that blacks and Hispanics do. Another theory notes that white have always had higher rates of depression and suicide, when they come to middle age.

During the 1999-2010 period, suicide went from the eighth leading cause of death among middle-aged Americans to the fourth, behind cancer, heart disease and accidents. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the report, which was based on death certificates. People ages 35 to 64 account for about 57 % of suicides. For the entire U.S. population, there were 38,350 suicides in 2010, making it the nation's 10th leading cause of death, the CDC said. The overall national suicide rate has increased by 15 %. 
Suicide prevention efforts have tended to concentrate on teenagers and the elderly, but research over the past several years has begun to focus on the middle-aged. The new CDC report is being called the first to show how the trend is playing out nationally and to look in depth at the racial and geographic breakdown. The suicide rate registered a statistically significant increase in 39 out of 50 states. The West and the South had the highest suicide rates.

Suicide rates among middle-age Americans have risen sharply in the past decade, prompting concern that a generation who have faced years of economic worry and easy access to prescription painkillers may be particularly vulnerable to self-inflicted harm. Mike Stobbe, medical writer from AP, explains that this report contained information about how middle-aged people kill themselves: During the period studied, hangings overtook drug overdoses in that age group, becoming the No. 2 manner of suicide, whereas guns remained as the first instrument of death in nearly half of all suicides among the middle-aged in 2010. We should not commit suicide because we can use this human body to escape from this material entanglement and attain the highest goal of life divine.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

This human life is so valuable that with it we can take the path of the highest divine conception. ... If we can use this human life in a valuable way, we can acquire the key by which to become free from the whole chain of life in this troublesome world. We can get rid of the bondage of all sorts of physical and mental troubles. The key is here, in this human form of life. Jiva Goswami says that lower life-forms have insufficient understanding to realize the highest truth. And in the higher life-forms, such as demigods, because previously acquired energy or karma has accumulated on all sides, the chief enjoying elements are surrounding the living being. It is difficult to escape the charm of those influences and begin the prospect of a fresh life in a higher plane of consciousness.

Śrīla Bhakti Raksaka Sridhara Mahārāja :
“The Golden Volcano of Divine Love”
Part 3 “Conclusion - A Drop of Divine Love”
Section: “Let us Take Poison ...”
http://bvml.org/SBRSM/index.htm
Bhaktivedanta Memorial Library

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A STRUGGLE TO OVERCOME MOUNTAINS OF WASTE

HONG KONG STRUGGLES
TO COMBAT WASTE CRISIS

http://main.omanobserver.om - An army of road sweepers and refuse collectors keep the streets clean in the heart of Hong Kong - but on the outskirts, growing mountains of waste are testament to what campaigners say is an environmental crisis. While the city may look well-kept, its three huge outdoor landfill sites are piled high with rubbish and are set to reach capacity by 2020, according to the government's Environmental Protection Department (EPD). Some predictions say the first one will be full in a year or two. 
The majority of the 13,000 tonnes of rubbish dumped at landfills in Hong Kong each day is termed 'municipal solid waste' (MSW), generated by households, business and industry. With a population of more than seven million, Hong Kong is sending 1.3 kg of MSW per person to landfills daily. 

Most of it is 'domestic waste' - rubbish from homes and institutions including schools, as well as refuse collected by public cleaning services, from food to furniture. Its per capita generation of domestic waste is significantly higher than other leading Asian cities, including Tokyo, Seoul and Taipei.
In a statement, the EPD acknowledged Hong Kong "has a waste crisis" and added that this can only be dealt with "by taking multi-pronged actions, ranging from waste reduction at source to enhancing waste recovery, as well as building a comprehensive and modern waste treatment infrastructure that can handle different types of waste". The government and green groups believe that waste charging for households and businesses according to the amount they dispose of is the key to reducing the amount of rubbish generated.

It is not the government the only one responsible of tonnes of rubbish which are dumped everywhere in the big cities, the public's attitude to consumption has been partly blamed for the problem. "We need to have a clear roadmap for waste reduction, otherwise our rubbish will be on the streets in seven years' time," environmental scientist Professor Jonathan Wong, of the Hong Kong Baptist University, said. "Hong Kong is a fast-moving city and people want to keep up with the trends, whether it's clothing or iPhones," said Angus Ho from the Hong Kong environmental NGO Greeners Action. Do not be a passive onlooker of the destruction of our world. Be active. Do something!

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Humanity has tried everything in the last few thousand years. Every economic and political system, as well as the industrialized, technological information age have failed to improve the human character and create a balanced environment. We are not leaving a healthy planet, let alone a system that works, in order to continue living as we have been used so far. ... Always separate the garbage strictly, recycling everything possible. ... No more plastics until there is NO other way out. Use wood toys for your children. Let them feel and love nature. Teach them about Mother Nature and Father Krishna. ... Organize and create civic action. Use natural products like leaf-plates, natural fiber shopping bags, and organic grown produce whenever available.

Śrīla Bhakti Aloka Paramadvaiti Mahārāja :
"Vaishnava Ecology"
"Body, Mind, and Soul in Harmony with Nature"
http://www.vrindavan.org/English/about/VaishnavaEcology.html

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
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SOLAR ECLIPSE VISIBLE TODAY IN AUSTRALIA

SPECTACULAR “RING OF FIRE”
ANNULAR SOLAR ECLIPSE IN AUSTRALIA

www.washingtonpost.com - Later yesterday and today over parts of Australia and the Pacific ocean, the moon passes in front of the sun, leaving behind all but a golden trail of light. The term for this dramatic alignment of the moon and sun is an annular or “ring of fire” solar eclipse. The last annular eclipse occurred May 20, 2012, and was viewable over parts of the western U.S. This year’s version will not be visible over North America, but will be broadcast online via the Slooh Space Camera for all to see.
The website Earth Sky provides a detailed location-based timeline of the eclipse evolution. And AccuWeather provides a forecast of sky conditions along the eclipse’s path; it is generally favorable for viewing. Here are some viewing tips for the solar annular eclipse. 

Do not look at the eclipse with the naked eye or with a camera or telescope without a solar filter. Doing so could cause irreversible eye damage. NASA warns: the concern over improper viewing of the Sun during an eclipse is for the development of “eclipse blindness” or retinal burns. For safe viewing with your eyes, obtain special solar eclipse sunglasses (ordinary sunglasses will not protect you) or create your own eclipse viewing device. For photographing the eclipse directly, you need a solar filter for your camera. Viewing or photographing the eclipse indirectly - via the ground - is possible without eye protection or filters.
The next solar eclipse viewable in the U.S. will be a partial solar eclipse on October 23, 2014. But just wait until August 21, 2017 when a total solar eclipse traverses the country crossing the U.S. from the Pacific to the Atlantic.

This first solar eclipse of 2013 occurs today. It will transform the sun into a dazzling "ring of fire" for observers in Australia, weather permitting. Also known as an annular eclipse, it  happens today, starting in Western Australia, it will move over the Northern Territory, crossing Cape York and passing through Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. Two Aboriginal communities, Kowanyama and Pormpuraaw, will experience it in full, whereas other parts of the world only will be able to see a partial solar eclipse. These cosmic events reminds us when the gopīs of Vrindāvana and the residents of Gokula, met Krishna at Kuruksetra during a solar eclipse.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

After His separation from Vṛndāvana and the innocent rural cowherd boys, girls, ladies and others, they all felt shock throughout their lives, and the separation of Rādhārāṇī, the most beloved cowherd girl, is beyond expression. Once they met at Kurukṣetra during a solar eclipse, and the feeling which was expressed by them is heartrending. ... Krishna, Baladeva and Subhadrā are represented in the famous Jagannātha temple of Purī, and the temple is still visited by thousands of pilgrims daily. This temple is in remembrance of the Lord's visit at Kuruksetra during an occasion of solar eclipse and His subsequent meeting with the residents of Vrindāvana. The meeting of Rādhā and Krishna during this occasion is a very pathetic story, and Lord Śrī Caitanya, in the ecstasy of Rādhārāṇī, always pined for Lord Śrī Krishna at Jagannātha Purī. 

Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda :
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam - Canto 1: “Creation”
Chapter 10 - Verses 9 - 10
Chapter 13 - Verses 3 - 4
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase

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DO YOU BELIEVE IN THESE SUPERSTITIONS?

ARE YOU SUPERSTITIOUS?
DO YOU BELIEVE IN SUPERSTITIONS?

www.boldsky.com - There are many superstitions that are followed by people. We all are superstitious in some or the other way. We might deny that we are practical and not superstitious, but, at some point, we believe in it. For example, a black cat is always taken in the negative way. Similarly, Friday the 13th is another common superstition. These beliefs make us believe in ghosts and monsters. Here are the most common superstitions that have made us believe in many myths. Lets brief out ... 
Black Cat Crossing the Path: It is believed that a black cat crossing the path ahead of you brings bad luck. It is said that if you are going for some work, you will fail if you walk the path where a black cat crossed. People either throw stones and then walk or wait for someone else to cross. Bad Luck comes in Three: There is a common saying in Hinduism, “Teen tigada kaam bigada”. This means that bad luck comes when there are three. Be it a person or an object, the belief that three spoils the good luck is a myth. 

Friday the 13th: Friday has been considered as the unlucky day of the week. Moreover, 13th is considered as an unlucky number. When the two combine, it is a bad day. People fear to face Friday the 13 if anything wrong happens, we blame the day and date. Coin on the Ground: It is said that if you find a penny or note on the road or footpath, you should pick it up. It is a lucky sign that brings good luck. Eyelash to Make a Wish: If an eyelash is found under the eye then people place it carefully on the hand and make a wish. They believe that the eyelash will fulfil the wish as it travels to God.  
Itchy Palm: This is another common superstition. If the right palm itches, it means that you will either lose money or meet someone new in life. Whereas that if the left palm itches, it signifies money coming. Blinking Eye: The eyes blink because of the tissues but we take it as a superstition. People think that right eye blinking means bad luck for (women) and left eye blinking brings good news (for women). It is vice versa for men.

There are some common superstitions observed in many places worldwide. Amrisha, the writer of the article, has mentioned just a few of them. She also adds that there are two different believes associated with money. On one had, the superstitious believe that finding money is lucky and if you get it somewhere you should not disrespect it, so you should store the money and not spend it. On the other hand, it is said that you should not keep the money with you as it is not yours. You can either donate it to the poor or offer it to God. There are many faiths and superstitions which are not based on any revealed scriptures. It is not easy to completely get rid of superstition and ignorance.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

As a general principle one should try to take the best from Eastern and Western culture and apply it to one's life. It is natural that one influenced by an Indian-based spiritual tradition will develop affinity for certain aspects of Hindu socio-religious culture. However, not every aspect of Hindu culture is spiritual. Many Hindu social customs are simply ethnic traditions, some are the result of outside influences, and some are even based on superstition. None of these have much to do with essential spirituality. ... Essential spiritual practices such as chanting Krsna nama are not based on one becoming a member of any particular culture. In fact the culture of Krsna bhakti (Krsnanusilanam), centered on the chanting of Krsna nama, is a spiritual culture unto itself. Krsnanusilanam can be incorporated into any ethnic culture or lifestyle.

Śrīla Bhakti Vedanta Tripurari Mahārāja :
“Krsna lila: The Highest Reality”
Q & A with Swami B. V. Tripurari
Śrī Caitanya Sanga - April 7, 2005, Vol. VII, No. 5
http://swami.org/index.html
http://swami.org/pages/sanga/2005/2005_5.php

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3 LONG-MISSING WOMEN FOUND ALIVE IN USA

THREE US WOMEN FOUND ALIVE
AFTER BEING MISSING FOR A DECADE

http://usnews.nbcnews.com - “Help me, I’m Amanda Berry.” With one frantic 911 call on Monday evening, three women missing for years were found in a Cleveland house where they had been held against their will by three brothers. “I’ve been kidnapped,” Berry, who disappeared a decade ago, told the dispatcher. “I’ve been missing for 10 years and I’m out here. I’m free now.” Authorities heaped praise on Berry, now 27 and the mother of a 6-year-old. Berry and two other women, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight, went missing between 2000 and 2004 in separate incidents. 
The women were all between the ages of 14 and 20 when they vanished. Neighbors and relatives celebrated the happy ending, but for some, the years had taken their toll. Three suspects are under arrest -- former school-bus driver Ariel Castro, 52, and his brothers Pedro, 54, and O'Neal, 50, police said.

Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson said at a Tuesday press conference that there are many unanswered questions: “Why were they taken, how they were taken and how they remained undetected in the city of Cleveland for all this time?” The three women were taken to nearby Metro Health Medical hospital, along with Berry's child, officials said. All three women were released from the hospital Tuesday morning, the hospital said in a statement, after reporting earlier in the morning that they had been in "fair condition." “These three young ladies have provided us with the ultimate definition of survival and perseverance. The healing can now begin,” said Cleveland FBI Special Agent Stephen Anthony. The three disappearances had stumped police in Cleveland and shaken the community for years.

Three women who went missing separately about a decade ago, when they were in their teens, were found alive in a residential area of Cleveland, Ohio, USA, and three men - all brothers - were arrested. One of the women told a 911 dispatcher the person who had taken her was gone, and she pleaded for police officers to come and get her, saying, "I'm free now." Police said the women appeared to be in good health and they had been taken to a hospital to be reunited with relatives and to be evaluated. Committing violence is a heinous sin. Specially, cruelty toward women and innocent creatures causes great disturbances in the world.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

There are three kinds of violence: violence toward human beings, violence toward animals, and violence toward demigods. Violence is born from hate. ... Violence toward other living entities is the root of all sinful activities. Those who are fortunate enough to engage in Krsna's devotional service naturally do not possess a propensity for violence. (Sajjana Tosani 9/8) ... There are two types of cruelty, cruelty toward humans and cruelty toward animals. Cruelty toward men and women causes great disturbances in the world. When people practice cruelty toward one another, compassion leaves the world and irreligiousness in the form of cruelty become prominent. (Caitanya-siksamrta 2/5).

Śrīla Saccidananda Bhaktivinoda Thākura :
‘Violence Toward the Living Entities’
“Śrī Bhaktivinoda Vānī Vaibhava” - Vol 2. “Abhidheya”
Compiled by Śrīpad Sundarānanda Vidyāvinoda
 

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RAT MEAT SOLD AS BEEF, LAMB: CHINESE POLICE

CHINESE AUTHORITIES BUST CRIME RING
THAT PASSED OFF RAT MEAT AS MUTTONS

www.nydailynews.com - Chinese police have busted a $1 million crime ring that was allegedly passing off the meat of rodents and other small animals as mutton. In total, more than 900 suspects have been arrested this year alone for selling tainted or fake meat products, adding to a long list of hazardous food practices that range from butchering cats to pass as poultry to thousands of dead pigs dumped in a river outside of Shanghai.  More than 20,000 tons of counterfeit meat was seized in the raid, according to a release from China's Ministry of Public Security.
Suspects in eastern China allegedly purchased fox, mink and rat meat and passed it off as lamb. It remains unclear where the smugglers got the meat in the first place. The fake products had been treated to more closely resemble lamb, and were doused in gelatin and pigmented to mask their true forms, The New York Times reported. 

Shanghai police, in an effort to show greater transparency, warned diners to look out for tell-tale signs of imitation meat. "In fake lamb, it is easy to pull apart the fat from the red meat. In real lamb, the fat is difficult to separate," they wrote on Sina Weibo, China's equivalent to Twitter.  Residents of China have become hardened to many issues plaguing the country, including pollution and environmental issues, but news of the "meat ring" has rattled many. One user said on Weibo: "How many rats does it take to put together a sheep? Is it cheaper to raise rats than sheep?" 
The news comes amid a bird flu scare, and weeks after thousands of dead pigs were found discarded in water supplies. 16,000 bloated hog carcasses were discovered floating in the body of water outside of Shanghai in March. The dead animals were believed to be diseased and likely discarded by a piggery upstream.

Police in Shanghai have busted a $1 million crime ring that was allegedly passing off the meat of rodents and other small animals as beef or lamb meat. Chinese authorities seized more than 20,000 tons of illegal meat billed as beef or mutton but actually made of fox, mink and rat in an operation that has spanned three months. 904 suspects have been arrested. Police said the suspects injected the meat with water to make it appear fresher and, in some cases, sold diseased meat to consumers. Authorities are also probing crimes related to dairy products and the use of  hydrogen peroxide in the processing of chicken claws. In their effort to profit by deception, counterfeiters threaten all population's health.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

This is called samsāra-dāvānala. Even in ordinary transactions between two people, there is invariably cheating because the conditioned soul is defective in four ways - he is illusioned, he commits mistakes, his knowledge is imperfect, and he has a propensity to cheat. Unless one is liberated from material conditioning, these four defects must be there. Consequently every man has a cheating propensity, which is employed in business or money transactions. ... Unless one can find a person transcendental to the four basic defects, one should not accept advice and become a victim of the material condition. The best process is to take the advice and instructions of Śrī Krishna or His bona fide representative. In this way one can be happy in this life and the next. 

Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda :
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam - Canto 5: “The Creative Impetus”
Chapter 14: “The Material World as the Great Forest of Enjoyment”
Verse 26 - Bhaktivedanta VedaBase

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ECOLOGY AND ORGANIC FARMING IN BELARUS

LAW ON ORGANIC FARMING
COMING SOON IN BELARUS

http://news.belta.by/en - The law on organic farming may be passed in Belarus in 2014, Nikolai Ivanchenko, head of the Initiative group, vice-chairman of the permanent commission on ecology, environmental management and the Chernobyl disaster of the House of Representatives, told reporters. The MP said that organic farming is very important in the world today. More and more people prefer organic food. 
“Production of ecologically clean food increases every year. For example, in China the annual growth is about 20%. Chinese import of organic food to Europe reaches $6 billion. This is a big economy, and our country cannot stand aside, it must also participate in this process,” said Nikolai Ivanchenko. According to him, this is an extremely important task for Belarus. 

Belarus can set up a harmonious system for the production of organic products by bringing together MPs and all agencies concerned, according to the MP. “We need to develop the bill on organic or ecological agriculture, and on organic products,” said Nikolai Ivanchenko.  Pursuant to the orders of the head of state on the development of organic agriculture in Belarus, the government has already adopted a relevant resolution, developed a plan of activities for the production of organic food products. The MP stressed that organic farming would help the country preserve one of its main resources - land. 
Today farmers use various chemicals, mineral fertilizers that leave a negative effect on soil. Organic farming is one of the ways to maintain soil fertility. Besides, eco-friendly production will help conserve the nature, improve people’s health and the demographic situation in the country.

Good news as regards Organic Farming! The House of Representatives of the Republic of Belarus has recently hosted a roundtable to assess the efficiency of the implementation of the project of international technical assistance in organic farming. The event is aimed at promoting cooperation and experience sharing between Sweden, Lithuania and Belarus in developing sustainable organic farming and permanent food communities for enhancing the level of knowledge in organic farming and its benefits for the nature of both Belarus and the Baltic region. “We will take foreign experience into account, it is valuable and important for us,” the MP Nikolai Ivanchenko said. We should support organic farming because Nature by itself provides everything to produce healthy, nutritious fruits, vegetables and grains.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Organic food is grown in a natural way, without chemical fertilizers, without pesticides, herbicides, fungicides or any other poison. And, of course, with original, unaltered, unmodified seeds. ... Plants are perfect as they are. They fulfill a purpose in nature. So there is absolutely no need to do speculative experiments with gene-technique on the seeds, in order to modify the plants. ... The customer has the power to support the production of organic food, restrict the production of genetically engineered food and the use of chemical substances, simply by buying natural, organically grown foodstuff and not accepting altered food. And preferably buying directly from farmers or local stores. We have to educate and inform ourselves about how to support local communities. 

Śrīla Bhakti Aloka Paramadvaiti Mahārāja :
"Organic Farming vs Exploitation"
http://conferencias-virtuales.blogspot.com.ar/
http://vrindachats.blogspot.com.ar/
http://asktheswami.blogspot.com.ar/2005/11/organic-farming-vs-exploitation.html

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MAY 1 or MAY DAY

FROM BANGLADESH TO EUROPE ANGRY
WORKERS RALLY IN THE TENS OF THOUSANDS

www.csmonitor.com - In Dhaka, Bangladesh, a raucous crowd descended on the city center with signs and drums, chanting and waving banners demanding the death penalty for the owner of a factory where more than 400 people died in a building collapse last week.In Jakarta, Indonesia, some of the tens of thousands of demonstrators marching through the city came dressed as ants - complete with bright red outfits and antennae - to depict the exploitation of workers. And in Greece, trains, buses, and ferries sat vacant and hospitals nearly empty as thousands of public sector employees walked off the job in a one-day strike.
Each year, May 1, better known as May Day, is marked with labor rallies and strikes around the world. And this year's holiday came at a particularly prescient moment in many parts of the world. 

From Europe, where the bite of austerity has left many facing down unemployment and reduced benefits, to South and Southeast Asia, a region cluttered with precariously-built factories similar to the one that collapsed last week in Bangladesh, demonstrators gathered to vent outrage and demand reform. In Phnom Pehn, Cambodia, workers rallied for higher wages and safer working conditions. In Manila, Philipines, where labor unions are banned, workers marched to demand the right to organize. And in Hong Kong, thousands turned out in support of striking dock workers, calling for wages that would help close the income gap between the country’s rich and its poor. 
In Greece, where the government recently announced that it would lay off 180,000 civil servants over the next two years a strike shut down public transit across Athens.  And in France, which saw unemployment rose again last month, marchers carried banners reading, “Where are the real socialists in our government?”

Ryan Lenora Brown, correspondent from CSMonitor, explains that May 1 is a national holiday in some 80 countries around the world, and its ties to labor advocacy date back to 1886, when American police killed 10 protestors at a rally for an eight-hour workday in Chicago’s Haymarket Square. International socialist organizations and labor unions declared it a day of commemoration and action soon after. "Ironically, however, May Day is not celebrated in the United States. In the early 1890s, fearing the “socialist” overtones of the holiday, President Grover Cleveland quickly declared an alternate holiday, beginning the American tradition of celebrating Labor Day on the first Monday of September," Miss Brown adds. In the Bhagavad-gītā, Sri Krishna described very clearly karma, akarma and vikarma. 

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

The living entity has to work for his livelihood because that is the law of material nature, and if he does not act according to his prescribed duties, he transgresses the law of nature and binds himself more and more to the cycle of birth and death. ... Actions that free one from the cycle of birth and death are called akarma. ... Ordinary men wish to perform good work in order to be recognized and achieve some higher status of life in this world or in heaven, but more advanced men want to be free altogether from the actions and reactions of work. Intelligent men well know that both good and bad work equally bind one to the material miseries. Consequently they seek that work which will free them from the reactions of both good and bad work. 

Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda :
Śrī Īśopaniṣad
Iso mantra 2
http://vedabase.com/en/iso
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
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