TV HURTS TEENS' RELATIONSHIPS: STUDY

STUDY: KEEP TEENAGERS AWAY
FROM COMPUTER AND TV SCREENS

AUCKLAND (Reuters) - The more young people watch TV, the poorer their relationships with both their friends and parents, an Otago University study suggests. Parents who don't let their children watch too much television or sit at the computer for hours have been vindicated by a study that linked excessive “screen” time with troubles relating to other people. The study's findings, published in the March issue of the “Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine”, should reassure parents who feel guilty that they are depriving their children of entertainment that their peers are also indulging in, lead author Dr. Rose Richards of the University of Otago said. “Our findings give some reassurance that it is fine to limit TV viewing. In fact, it may result in stronger relationships between young people, their friends and their parents,” Dr. Richards said.

The study involved 3,043 New Zealand adolescents aged 14 to 15. who completed a confidential questionnaire about their free-time habits, as well as an assessment of their attachment to parents and peers. “We found that high television use, or even high computer use, was related to relationship issues,” Richards said, adding that strong relationships with parents and friends are important for the healthy development of teens to adulthood, and therefore excessive “screen” time is not good. “With the rapid pace of evolution in screen-based technologies, ongoing research is needed to monitor the effect they are having on the social, psychological and physical well-being of young people,” experts said.


The more time teenagers spend indoors in front of the TV or PC screens, the less time they spend outdoors. As they are not in contact with nature, they don't value it; then, as adults, they will not seek to respect and protect it.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Television is so dangerous due to the easy access that it has to all the population and by its method of appealing to the lowest instincts of the conditioned soul with its sensual and violent images and its gossipy nature. It is a perfect instrument of manipulation on the part of political leaders who are unscrupulous and without spiritual vision. And due to this, all the problems of the so-called “civilization of the current age” are going day by day from bad to worse. ... Therefore, the first step in providing your children and yourself with a good atmosphere at home, is to take the TV out of home or have it only as a last resort, just to show videos which promote moral and spiritual values.

Śrīla Bhakti Aloka Paramadvaiti Mahārāja :
“Vedic Wisdom” - “Say NO to television”.
http://vedicwisdom.weebly.com/

SHRIMP-LIKE CREATURE FOUND IN ANTARCTIC ICE

LYSSIANASID AMPHIPOD: ANTARCTIC SHRIMP-LIKE
CREATURE DISCOVERED IN ANTARCTICA BY NASA

WASHINGTON (EFE) - In a surprising discovery about where higher life can thrive, scientists found a shrimp like creature and a jellyfish frolicking beneath an Antarctic ice sheet. A research team from NASA was shocked to discover a shrimp-like creature 600 feet deep in an Antarctic ice sheet where no light penetrates and where only simple microbes were believed to have been able to live. That’s why a NASA team was surprised when it lowered a video camera to get the first long look at the underbelly of the ice sheet in Antarctica, and a 3-inch shrimp-like creature went swimming by and then parked itself on the camera’s cable. Scientists also pulled up a tentacle they believe came from a foot-long jellyfish. “We were operating on the presumption that nothing’s there,” said NASA scientist Robert Bindschadler. “It's pretty amazing when you find a huge puzzle like that on a planet where we thought we know everything,” said biologist Stacy Kim of the Moss Landing Marine Laboratories in California, who co-authored the study. The discovery excited the scientists because it may mean that if creatures can really live in such harsh conditions then there is a possibility of life forms in space bodies that share the same set-up. The video is likely to inspire scientists to rethink what they know about life in harsh environments. And it has them wondering whether life exists in other hostile places on earth and in places like “Europa”, a frozen moon of Jupiter. Here’s the video provided by NASA of the shrimp-like creature:

Scientists have not found answers to fundamental questions about the universe and life forms. At different times their findings are accepted as factual descriptions of reality, but after a while they change their imperfect theories because the scientists themselves make mistakes.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

In the beginning of the 19th Century it was believed that atoms could not be divided, ... Newtonian Mechanics was accepted as the proper scientific explanation of reality until it was discovered in the 20th Century that it failed to describe the motion of these fundamental particles. ... Because General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics appear to contradict each other, Quantum Field Theory was developed. ... the various evolving theories of the scientists are constantly changing as they scramble to adjust these theories, all of which are filled with speculation.

Śrīpad Bhakti Bhāvana Vishnu Mahārāja :
“Has Science Failed Us?”
“Failure of Science”
http://www.rationalvedanta.net/node/99

STUDY FINDS CIGARETTE ADS APPEAL TO TEEN GIRLS

STUDY: TEEN GIRLS SAY PINK CAMEL
IN CIGARETTE ADS CAUGHT THEIR EYE

NEW YORK (HealthDay News) - Although the 1998 settlement agreement between big tobacco and state governments restricted advertising to children and teens, nearly half of teenage girls participating in the study could name their favorite cigarette ad. The study suggests there's a link between being able to remember cigarette ads and smoking - non-smoking kids who can recall ads are 50 percent more likely to take up the habit. One ad campaign in particular stood out in the minds of teen girls and increased their awareness of cigarette advertising, the study found. The product was Camel No. 9 cigarettes, and the ads featured a pink camel and a sub-brand of cigarettes called Stiletto.

In addition to the very feminine ads placed in such magazines as Glamour and Vogue, the campaign also featured promotional giveaways, including flavored lip balm, purses and cell phone jewelry. The first survey was done in 2003 when the 1,036 children were 10 to 13 years old. The fifth survey was done in 2008.


During the last survey, which was conducted after the start of the Camel No. 9 campaign, the proportion of girls who had a favorite ad jumped by 10 percentage points, to 44 percent. The Camel brand was responsible for most of that increase, according to the study. “There is credible evidence that the Camel No. 9 cigarette advertising campaign has targeted under-aged girls,” the researchers wrote.


Today, cigarette advertising is worse than it used to be in the past. Years ago, a popular cigarette advertising campaign proudly proclaimed to women, “You've come a long way, baby!”. But now, the catchy cigarette ads do not appeal to young women but teen girls.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Anartha, some unwanted things which you have practiced. ... So, why should we take that? Why smoking this nonsense? It is stated in every cigarette box it is injurious to health or something like that, … was is that? - Devotee: “Warning” - Warning. But, still they are eating that poison, they are drinking. So these are anarthas, unwanted things. By bad association we are a habituated to this nonsense practice, but if you become a devotee and render service to Krishna under the direction of your spiritual master these things will automatically vanquish.

Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda :
Recorded class on the Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.8
September 6, 1972 - New Vrindaban, West Virginia
Source: “Ref. VedaBase”

17 KILLED IN MEXICO DRUG VIOLENCE

VIOLENT ATTACKS BLIGHT MEXICO'S ACAPULCO
TOURIST IDYLL SHATTERED BY DRUG VIOLENCE

ACAPULCO, Mexico (AFP) - Drug-related violence left 17 people dead in Mexico's southern Guerrero state, including four people who were decapitated, authorities said. Its pearl-white beaches and balmy waters have earned Acapulco the title of Mexico’s Pacific Jewel. But just as tourists began flocking to its shores for the start of the spring holiday season, the idyll was shattered with the drug-related murders of 17 people. In the early hours of the morning, six police officers were also shot dead as they patrolled the outskirts of the city. Five died instantly and another later in hospital. The discovery of four other bodies in the city, including one dumped in a canal, brought Saturday’s death toll to 17 - just as thousands headed to the resort for a three-day public holiday. The weekend killings highlighted Acapulco’s increasing domination by powerful cartels vying for control of its strategic port.

Two decapitated bodies were found on a busy road packed with nightclubs, while another five bullet-riddled corpses - two beheaded - were found on the city’s western edge. The Acapulco resort, and the surrounding state of Guerrero, is largely under the control of the brutal La Familia cartel. But as President Mr. Calderón increases pressure on drug traffickers with the deployment of about 50,000 troops across the country, battles between gangs over smuggling routes have intensified, bringing more bloodshed to the Pacific paradise.



Everyone within this material world is trying to be very happy on a beatiful beach by the sea; however, even in that place one is forced to accept unhappiness. It doesn't matter which kind of resort you go to rest, you will be forced to accept conflicts in material existence.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

A section of people has become more, ferocious than beasts. People have now become habitual to this day-to-day horrible crimes. When Tamagun predominates, people become violently inclined. Tamagun causes destruction. The whole world is running fast towards destruction. It is now beyond the capacity of human efforts to restrain this trend of thought. Gradually this world is becoming unfit for stay of peace loving good people. If this unholy violent trend is not restricted, it will gradually contaminate the whole human society.

Śrīla Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Maharaja :
“His Teachings”
Sree Chaitanya Gaudiya Math
http://www.sreecgmath.org

BLUEFIN TUNA TOPS CITES UN CONFERENCE AGENDA

TUNA, POLAR BEARS, TUSKERS, TIGERS
TO DOMINATE UN WILDLIFE TRADE MEET

DOHA (AFP) - Sales of ivory and a ban on trading bluefin tuna top the agenda for the two-week CITES meeting in Doha, Qatar. The 175-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), is the only UN body with the power to outlaw commerce in endangered wild animals and plants. Besides the sharply disputed proposal on bluefin, the Convention will debate the status of African elephants, polar bears and tigers. Up to 73 million of the open-water predators are killed every year for their fins, a prestige food eaten mainly in China and Chinese communities around the world. Until now, the forum was best known for measures restricting commerce in charismatic species, including big cats, great apes and elephants. But for the first time a marine species - bluefin tuna - has taken centre stage. Despite self-imposed quotas, high-tech fisheries have drained tuna stocks in the Mediterranean and Western Atlantic by as much as 80 percent since 1970.

Animals and plants are listed on three levels according to the degree of protection they need. APPENDIX I covers about 530 animals - including tigers, great apes, snow leopards and sea turtles. The vast majority of species covered are in APPENDIX II, which permits carefully regulated trade. On elephants, a proposal by Tanzania and Zambia would reopen trade in ivory, but most other African nations oppose the move. Polar bears are also being considered for the top level of protection. Attended by environmentalists, animal rights advocates, big business and governments, CITES seeks a sustainable balance between protection and commercial exploitation.


Unfortunately, cows never meet the adequate criteria for deserving protection and a total ban on national or international trade. Governments maintain slaughterhouses for the satisfactions of the tongue of the citizens, so cows are always out of the UN international agenda.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Every living creature is a son of the Supreme Lord, and He does not tolerate even an ant's being killed. One has to pay for it. So indulgence in animal killing for the taste of the tongue is the grossest kind of ignorance. A human being has no need to kill animals, because God has supplied so many nice things. If one indulges in meat-eating anyway, it is to be understood that he is acting in ignorance and is making his future very dark. Of all kinds of animal killing, the killing of cows is most vicious because the cow gives us all kinds of pleasure by supplying milk.

Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda :
“Bhagavad-gītā As It Is”
Purport in Chapter 14 - Verse 16.

CANADA DIGNITARIES FEAST ON SEAL MEAT

CANADA'S PARLIAMENTARY RESTAURANT SERVED
SEAL MEAT TO SHOW SOLIDARITY WITH HUNTERS

OTTAWA (AFP) - Canada's Conservative government says it will fight the EU ban, which was imposed last July on the grounds that the annual seal hunt off the east coast was cruel and inhumane. A dish of double-smoked bacon-wrapped seal loin in a port reduction was on the menu on Wednesday, according the office of Senator Celine Hervieux-Payette. "All political parties will have the opportunity to demonstrate to the international community the solidarity of the Canadian Parliament behind those who earn a living from the seal hunt," she said in a statement. An aide to Hervieux-Payette said that, depending on supplies, seal meat could be available once a week when in season. The luncheon in a chic dining room in the roof space over the Commons Chamber was attended by politicians of all stripes, lawmakers, including several ministers - one in seal fur, and a beauty queen Miss Newfoundland 2010, Sara Green.

Outside parliament, meanwhile, a handful of protestors railed against the annual seal hunt, which begins again at the end of the month, accusing Canada of propping up "an embarrassingly cruel slaughter." The EU ban was imposed last July after years of campaigning by animal rights activists on the grounds that the annual east coast seal hunt is cruel. The ban covers seal products including clothing, meat and oil. Ottawa is fighting the ban, saying the seal hunt is sustainable and provides needed income for fishing isolated communities. A maximum of 270,000 harp seals are killed each year in March and April by gunshot or being hit on the head with a spiked club called a hakapik.


The rulers and governing class, in their desire to accumulate more power, money and sophisticated pleasures, do not hesitate to support the slaughter of defenseless animals, under the guise of benefiting the trade and development of their country.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Vaishnava dasa said: The scriptures declare, “Don't do violence to any creature.” With these words the Vedas prohibit violence to animals. As long as he is in the grip of the modes of passion and ignorance, a man will yearn to associate with women, eat meat, and drink liquor. He does not wait to hear the Vedas command him before he does these things. ... In this material world the conditioned soul is always inclined to sex, meat-eating, and intoxication. ... However, men in the mode of goodness should not perform such activities. To be violent to others is the way of the animals.

Śrīla Saccidananda Bhaktivinoda Thākura :
“Jaiva-dharma” (“The Universal Religion”)
Chapter Ten: “Nitya-dharma O Itihasa”
(“Eternal Religion and History”)

CHINESE GRANDMA, 101, GROWS HORN ON FOREHEAD

CENTENARIAN CHINESE GRANDMOTHER
SPROUTS MYSTERIOUS GOAT HORN

PEKIN (Daily Mail) - A 101-year old Chinese grandmother has sprouted a horn that resembles a goat's on her forehead. The mysterious protrusion began growing on Zhang Ruifang, 101, of Linlou village in Henan province, last year. It has since grown to almost 2 1/2 inches — and another now appears to emerging on the other side of the mother of seven’s forehead. The youngest of her six sons, Zhang Guozheng, 60, said the family didn't pay much attention when a patch of rough skin formed on her head last year. "But as time went on, a horn grew out of her head, and it is now 6 centimeters [2.36 inches] long,' he said. "Now something is also growing on the right side of her forehead." While it is not known exactly what the growth is, it is said to resemble a cutaneous horn. The funnel-shaped growths, most of which grow to only a few millimeters, can extend a number of inches. A small consolation for Zhang is that she says the horn doesn't cause her any pain, the Daily Mail reports.


Cutaneous horns are made up of compacted keratin, the protein in hair and nails in humans, and horns, wool and feathers in animals. The growths usually develop in fair-skinned elderly adults who have a history of significant sun exposure, but growths of this size are rare. The growths are most common in elderly people, and can sometimes be cancerous but are benign in more than half of cases. Common causes of cutaneous horns are warts, skin cancer and actinic keratoses, patches of scaly skin that develop on skin exposed to the sun, such as the forearm, face and scalp. Cutaneous horns can be removed surgically, but this does not treat the underlying cause.



During this life we go throught so many changes of body and yet we are still the same person. Althought the body changes, you are still the same individual. These changes, from childhood to old age, show that we are not the body, but the one who owns the body.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

The body is called kshetra, or the field of activity for the conditioned soul. Now, the person, who should not identify himself with the body, is called kshetra-jña, the knower of the field. It is not very difficult to understand the difference between the field and its knower, the body and the knower of the body. ... It is described in the beginning - dehino 'smin - that the living entity is within the body and that the body is changing from childhood to boyhood and from boyhood to youth and from youth to old age, and the person who owns the body knows that the body is changing. ... Similarly, we also understand by a little contemplation that we are different from the body.

Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda :
“The Bhagavad-gītā As It Is”
Purport in Chapter 13 - Verses 1 - 2.

TODDLER DIES MISTAKING GUN FOR WII CONTROLLER

THREE-YEAR-OLD GIRL FATALLY SHOOTS HERSELF
MISTAKING HANDGUN FOR VIDEO GAME CONTROLLER

TENNESSEE, USA - Cheyenne Alexis McKeehan, 3-year-old girl, shot herself Sunday night after mistaking handgun for Wii control. Cheynne's stepfather Douglas Cronberger, 32, heard a prowler outside the property. He fetched his gun, which he usually kept unloaded in a cabinet and went to investigate. After failing to find anyone, he left the loaded Smith & Wesson handgun in the living room. Cheyenne shot herself in the stomach with the .380 caliber, semi-automatic weapon after finding it lying on a table in the living room and probably mistaken the weapon for a Wii control. Her mother, Tina Ann, 32, was sitting at the computer just a few feet away while her three-month-old brother was also lying nearby. She told the child was used to playing a shooting game with the Nintendo Wii video game console and likely confused the real gun with the realistic-looking black toy gun.

“This Nintendo game called Wii had what looks like a solid black, basically automatic-looking type mechanism that operates the game,” Sheriff Ashe said. He displayed two guns taken from the home - one the Wii controller and the other the handgun which killed Cheyenne. 'You can see by the comparison of the toy weapon and the real weapon that there's little chance a three-year-old would differentiate between the two,' “The big message we're trying to tell parents is if you've got a gun, put it up, especially if you have children,” Sheriff Ashe said. “If you have a live handgun and a toy that looks the same - for parents some bells and whistles need to go off,” he said. At present no criminal charges have been laid but information collected by the Sheriff’s office in the investigation will be given to prosecutors.


In the grihastha āśrama, or the status of family life, the couple should take care of their children and also make them to develop transcedental qualities by training them in spiritual understanding, so that they can get liberated from the material world.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Sri Rsabhadeva gives the following instruction to his sons: (ŚB.5.5.18) “One who cannot save his dependents from the impending face of death in the form of this miserable material world, cannot be considered as Guru. A father who cannot liberate his children is not a father and should not beget children. Similarly a mother, if she cannot rescue her children from illusion, should not bother to give birth to a child. A demigod should not accept worship and offerings from the votaries if he cannot deliver them. A husband should not be accepted in marriage if he cannot save the wife ... from the material illusory energy culminating in death.”

Śrīla Bhakti Promode Puri Mahārāja :
“Essence of Pure Devotion - Bhakti Siddhanta Sara”
Part II - ‘Guru Tattva’
Bhaktivedanta Memorial Library - http://bvml.org/SBPPG/

500 DIED VICTIMS OF INTER-FAITH VIOLENCE

NIGERIA: HUNDREDS DIED DURING ATTACKS
IN THE AREA BETWEEN CHRISTIAN AND MUSLIM

JOS, Nigeria (CNN) - Gangs of machete-wielding Muslims have been blamed for the weekend slaughter of hundreds of Christian villagers in Nigeria. Men armed with gun, knives and machetes launched a pre-dawn attack on the villages of Dogo Nahawa, Zot, and Ratsat, south of the city of Jos, on Sunday, setting fire to homes and killing at least two hundred people. The government, led by acting President Goodluck Jonathan, has issued a red alert for the region amid fears of revenge attacks and calls for justice by the United Nations and Human Rights Watch. Survivors told Human Rights Watch that the masked men who stormed their village were speaking Hausa and Fulani, the languages of mostly Muslim nomadic herdsman who originate from the north. Some say they recognized the voices of their attackers as people who used to live there. The Fulanis are Muslim herdsmen who move long distances to graze their cattle. Jos is a majority Christian town dominated by the Berom, Anaguta, and Afisare ethnic groups. They are peasant farmers with strong ancestral ties to the land.

During the country's military rule which ended in 1999, Muslims were appointed as the city's local representative, which bred resentment among the local Christian population, according to Human Rights Watch. Jos is located in the Plateau State which straddles the majority Muslim region to the north, and Christian-dominated areas to the south. More than 50 ethnic groups reside there leading to flare-ups between rival groups. Some analysts believe the weekend slaughter was a revenge attack for the killing of around 150 members of the Hausa Muslim community by Christian mobs in Kuru Karama, south of Jos, in January 2010.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

When we are on the material platform, there are different types of religions — Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and so on. These are instituted for a particular time, a particular country or a particular person. Consequently there are differences. Christian principles are different from Hindu principles, and Hindu principles are different from Muslim and Buddhist principles. These may be considered on the material platform, but when we come to the platform of transcendental devotional service (sādhana-bhakti), there are no such considerations.

Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda :
“Śrī Caitanya Caritāmṛta”
Purport in Madhya-līlā - Chapter 25, Verse 121.

BABY LEFT IN THE CAR TO GO TO THE CASINO AND DIED

PARENTS LEFT ONE MONTH BABY IN THE CAR
TO GO TO THE CASINO AND DIED SUFFOCATED

PARANA, Argentina (El Diario) - Days ago, a baby girl named Valentina, barely a month old, died in the city of Gualeguaychu alone inside a vehicle, possibly because the baby was crying in desperation, as she has been left alone, and she might have thrown up while lying on her back, causing her drowning in its own liquid. The baby's parents, natives of Nogoyá, decided to leave their infant daughter alone inside his car to pass a brief quiet time in a casino. The baby's parents had assembled in the backseat of the car a kind of cradle with two chairs facing beach and a padded top. There lay the baby. The mother gave the baby's chest before getting off the car to go to the playroom. The couple reported that they left their baby daughter less than 20 minutes alone inside the car, and when the mother went to check on her found her little daughter dead. Apparently, the baby had suffered a reflux that killed her.

At one point during the night, the baby's mother left the casino and entered the car and began to utter cries of desperation as she took up her daughter. Desperate, the mother asked a neighbor of the place to help her, this woman hold the lifeless baby while the mother ran back to the casino to find her husband. The couple carried their suffocated small daughter to the medical center. When Valentina came to the clinic, she had been dead more than half an hour. Doctors confirmed shortly after the death of the baby and the assumption is that it could produce from an aspiration, possibly caused by regurgitation which led the drowning of the baby, apparently, with her own vomit milk.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Parīkshit Mahārāja told Kali-yuga to leave his kingdom immediately and reside in four places: brothels, liquor shops, slaughterhouses and gambling casinos. However, Kali-yuga requested him to give him only one place where these four places are included, and Parīkshit Mahārāja gave him the place where gold is stored. ... If there is gold, there is certainly illicit sex, meat-eating, gambling and intoxication. Because people in the Western world have a great deal of gold, they are victims of these four sins.

Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda :
“The Śrīmad Bhāgavatam”
Purport in Canto 5 - Chapter 14 - Verse 7.

FOOTBALL PLAYER DIES AFTER COLLAPSE

NIGERIAN STRIKER ENDURANCE IDAHOR
TRAGICALLY DIES DURING GAME IN SUDAN

JARTUM (AFP) - The Nigerian star of one of Sudan's top clubs collapsed on the pitch in front of thousands of spectators and died later. During yesterday's Sudanese Premier League match-up between El-Merriekh and Al-Amal, Nigerian-born forward Endurance Idahor was rushed to hospital after a challenge from a fellow player left him on his back, unable to breathe. Despite the teams' best efforts to see that the striker was given treatment as quickly as possible, the 23-year-old is said to have passed away inside the ambulance on the way to the hospital. The striker for Al-Merreikh Omdurman, raced into the opposing penalty area in the 13th minute of the match against Amal and appeared to be hit by an elbow before colliding with a teammate. Fans were stunned as the 25-year-old collapsed motionless to the ground before being stretchered off. “Some people say he might have (had) a heart attack, but I don't believe this. He was in good shape, he never complained of anything, he was perfectly okay.” teammate Stephen Worgu said. Sources from El-Merreikh Club revealed that the player will undergo an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

Doctors are still trying to establish the cause of death of a Nigerian football player who collapsed on the pitch while playing for his Sudanese club on Saturday. Meanwhile, early medical reports state that a heart attack is the most likely cause of death. Idahor and Worgu were considered the stars of Al-Merreikh which, together with Al-Hilal, are the two largest clubs of the Sudanese championship. “Idahor was the best professional player to come to Sudan in the past five years,” Dawod Mustafa, chief writer for the sports daily Al-Hilal said.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

In this world, we are flanked by birth and death, and whatever we do in between these two is temporary. ... Therefore, in the scriptures on sanātana-dharma, the ārya-rsis have said: “In childhood one is engrossed in playing, in youth he becomes captivated by the opposite sex, and in age he becomes immersed in anxiety; thus he never becomes absorbed in thoughts of the Supreme Truth. In this world we pass our time eating, sleeping, defending and so on; rather, we should consider that the time allotted to us in this body is fixed.” - (Śrī Śankarācārya)

Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Vāmana Mahārāja :
“Sanātana-dharma: The Solution to World Conflict”
Speech at Śrī Meghalaya Gaudīya Matha, Tura, India - 1/9/1983
Bhaktivedanta Memorial Library - www.bvml.org/SBVM/index.htm

AFP SEARCH SECOND SEA SHEPHERD BOAT

AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE (AFP) SEARCH
SECOND ANTI-WHALING SHIP DOCKED IN HOBART

SYDNEY, Australia - (AP) Australian police searched two anti-whaling vessels that recently clashed with Japanese ships in the Antarctic Ocean, at the request of Japanese authorities on Saturday, seizing log books and videos, after activists called a halt to their turbulent harassment campaign. Federal police with search warrants boarded the “Steve Irwin” and the “Bob Barker”, environmental ships belonging to the activist group Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, due to a formal referral from Japanese authorities. The search took place in Hobart, Tasmania - an Australian island lying off the southeast corner of the mainland - where the ships docked Saturday after returning from their pursuit of Japanese whalers in their annual, three-month hunt for the sea mammals. The hunt is conducted in the name of research although some of the whale meat is then sold in Japan.

Jeff Hansen, Australian director of Sea Shepherd, said police had confiscated log books, video footage, charts and laptops, as well as interviewing some of the crew. He said police would not reveal the reason for their search, and the group had no idea what the Japanese complaints could be. "We'd love to see something get into the courts because the reality is ... (the Japanese) have been the aggressors this year. We'd love to get it in the courts and get their illegal activity into the courts as well," Hansen said. Bob Brown, leader of Australia's Green party, condemned the move as "outrageous" and said at least five police had boarded the ship. "This is outrageous that Australian police are at the disposal of the Japanese whale killers," he said.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

The sense of ownership is extremely dangerous since it confuses us in our relationship with God. ... Krishna says: “Renounce the fruits of action, this is also a sense of ownership.” You think, “I am the only one who have right to enjoy this because I did my best to get it.” No, you are Das or Dasi, a servant. When we think, “I am the owner and because it is mine, I have the right to enjoy it.” But that way you will never own anything and never enjoy. But 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/

BABY DIES AS PARENTS RAISE VIRTUAL CHILD

KOREAN COUPLE LET BABY STARVE TO DEATH
WHILE CARING VIRTUAL CHILD IN ONLINE GAME

SEOUL (BBC News) - In a shocking case of parental negligence, a 3-month-old baby was starved to death after her parents forget to feed her as they were busy honing their parental skills in raising a virtual child. A South Korean couple who were addicted to the internet let their three-month-old baby starve to death while raising a virtual daughter online, police said. The pair fed their own premature baby just once a day in between 12-hour stretches at an internet cafe. Kim Yoo-chul, 41, and his partner Choi Mi-sun, 25, fed their three-month-old baby only on visits home between 12-hour sessions at a neighbourhood internet cafe, where they were raising an avatar daughter in a Second-Life-style game called Prius online, police said. Leaving their real daughter at their home in a suburb of Seoul to fend for herself, the pair, who were unemployed, spent hours role-playing in the virtual reality game, which allows users to choose a career and friends, granting them offspring as a reward for passing a certain level.

The pair became obsessed with nurturing their virtual daughter, called Anima, but neglected their real daughter, who was not named. Eventually, the couple returned home after one 12-hour session in September to find the child dead and called police. The pair were arrested on Friday after an autopsy showed that the baby died from prolonged malnutrition. "The couple seemed to have lost their will to live a normal life, because they didn't have jobs and gave birth to a premature baby," a police officer said. "They indulged themselves in the online game of raising a virtual character so as to escape from reality, which led to the death of their real baby." he added.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

The nature of the borderline energy, the tatasthā-śakti, is that it can go in either direction. However, the living beings who belong to this energy are constantly attacked by temptation. They see the "marketplace of pleasures" and are distracted from their purpose, ultimately falling into a hellish existence. This is the illusory nature of this world, and everyone is immersed and entangled in this illusion. Try to understand this yourselves and try to make others understand. It is our duty to make this effort. Let everyone know this truth.

Śrīla Bhakti Promode Puri Mahārāja :
“Vyasa Puja Lecture” - 100th Birthday
October 1997 - Mayapur, India.
http://bvml.org/SBPPG/100vyasapuja.html

ARE NON-SMOKERS SMARTER THAN SMOKERS?

CIGARETTE SMOKERS HAVE LOWER IQ
THAN NON-SMOKERS, A STUDY REVEALS

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Cigarette smokers have lower IQs than non-smokers, and the more a person smokes, the lower their IQ, according to a study of over 20,000 Israeli military recruits. Dr. Mark Weiser and colleagues from Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer found that young men who smoked a pack of cigarettes a day or more had IQ scores 7.5 points lower than non-smokers. While there is evidence for a link between smoking and lower IQ, many studies have relied on intelligence tests given in childhood, and have also included people with mental and behavioral problems, who are both more likely to smoke and more likely to have low IQs, Weiser and his team noted. To better understand the smoking-IQ relationship, the researchers looked at 20,211 18-year-old men recruited into the Israeli military. According to the researchers, 28 percent of the study participants smoked at least one cigarette a day, around 3 percent said they were ex-smokers, and 68 percent had never smoked.

The smokers had significantly lower intelligence test scores than non-smokers, and the IQ steadily dropped as the number of cigarettes smoked increased, from 98 for people who smoked one to five cigarettes daily to 90 for those who smoked more than a pack a day. The researchers also compared IQs for 70 pairs of brothers in the group in which one brother smoked and the other did not. Again, average IQs for the non-smoking sibling were higher than for the smokers. The details appear in the journal Addiction. The findings suggest that lower IQ individuals are more likely to choose to smoke, rather than that smoking makes people less intelligent, Weiser and his team conclude.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Asat-sanga, bad association, ... the advertisers are asat-sanga: “Come on, smoke Kool cigarettes and make your brain cool.” The rascals! How can someone become cool by smoking cigarettes? By smoking fire one can become cool? Still, the advertisements are being presented, and the foolish people who are captivated by them smoke cigarettes to become cool. This is maya. ... “This advertisement is claiming I can become cool by smoking cigarettes. What is this nonsense?” Similarly, an intelligent person can understand maya's tricks and see the contradictions in all her allurements.

Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda :
“Dharma - The Way of Transcendence”
Chapter 10: “The Sword of Remembrance”