ISRAEL BARS GUENTER GRASS OVER POEM

ISRAEL BARS GERMAN LAUREATE
GÜNTER GRASS OVER POEM

http://news.smh.com.au - Israel has declared Günter Grass persona non grata, deepening a spat with the Nobel-winning author over a poem that deeply criticises the Jewish state and suggests it is as much a danger as Iran. The dispute with Grass, who only late in life admitted to a Nazi past, has drawn new attention to strains in Germany's complicated relationship with the Jewish state - and also focused unwelcome light on Israel's own secretive nuclear program. In a poem called What Must Be Said, published last Wednesday, Grass, 84, criticised what he described as Western hypocrisy over Israel's nuclear program and labelled the country a threat to “already fragile world peace” over its belligerent stance on Iran. Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman accused Grass of anti-Semitism.

The poem has touched a raw nerve in Israel, where officials have rejected any moral equivalence with Iran and been quick to note that Grass admitted only in a 2006 autobiography that he was drafted into the Waffen-SS Nazi paramilitary organisation at age 17 in the final months of World War II. Grass's subsequent clarification that his criticism was directed at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, not the country as a whole, has done little to calm the outcry. On Sunday, Israel's interior minister, Eli Yishai, announced that Grass would be barred from Israel, citing an Israeli law that allows him to prevent entry to ex-Nazis. But Yishai made clear the decision was related more to the recent poem than Grass's actions nearly 70 years ago.

Israel declared Günter Grass, one of Germany’s best-known authors, unwelcome in Israel, barring him from entering the country for a poem that accused Israel of being a threat to world peace. The poem is considered an effort to raise the flames of hatred against Israel and the Jewish people. The debate in Germany has reopened old wounds about the country’s past. Many times, it has been seen how tiny seeds of anti-Semitic hatred are transformed into a huge fire, harming all of humanity.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

On an average every human is in the grip of miseries, ever since they entered in the realm of time and mind and lost the awareness of Self. Hence they are confused that why are they in grip of miseries. One yearns to get rid of misery and prolong pleasure. The greatest misery is death that hounds every living soul. Suffering is inevitable as long as one identifies with mind and body - as long as one is spiritually unconscious. ... Scriptures however say this is short-lived; Kaliyuga is the age of kalah or quarrel. The result is suffering. The cause is forgetfulness of our eternal relationship with Krishna and while remaining in such a state, indulging in various activities that lead to incremental suffering.

Śrīla B.S. Nishkinchan Mahārāja :
“How to Become Immortal”
Secretary - All India Sree Chaitanya Gaudiya Math
http://www.sreecgmath.org/scgmtimes/scgmtimes.php
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/How-to-become-immortal/articleshow/7663714.cms

DEATH TOLL IN YEMENI CLASHES RISES

127 KILLED IN 2 DAYS OF
CLASHES IN SOUTHERN YEMEN

Sanaa, Yemen (AP) - Heavy clashes overnight between al-Qaida-linked militants and the Yemeni military in the country’s south have killed 63 people, bringing the two-day death toll in the fighting to 127. The latest fighting points to escalating hostilities between the government and militants linked to the terror network who have sought to take advantage of the turmoil roiling the country since a popular uprising began early last year against longtime authoritarian leader Ali Abdullah Saleh. The militants seized control of towns in the lawless south and staged attacks against government troops there and elsewhere in the impoverished Arab nation. The military officials said the fighting that broke out in the town of Lawder in Abyan province early Monday spilled over into Tuesday, with the army shelling militant hideouts in an effort to prevent them from sending reinforcements.

They said 56 militants, four soldiers and three tribal fighters were killed overnight and early Tuesday. Fighting also erupted Tuesday along the border of Shabwa and Marib provinces, where militants ambushed an army post. Eight soldiers and three militants were killed in that attack, the officials said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media. Al-Qaida was once present in Lawder, but in July residents drove them out. A few months later al-Qaida was blamed for planting a roadside bomb that killed two civilians there, and, as Monday’s attack demonstrates, they continue to try to regain their foothold. For the militants, Lawder is a strategic city. It lies along a major highway that links Abyan’s provincial capital of Zinjibar, an al-Qaida stronghold, to the provinces of Hadramawt, Bayda and Shabwa where the group is active. The area is now a patchwork of government- and militant-controlled towns.

At least 127 people were killed in 48 hours of fighting between Yemeni troops and Al-Qaeda militants around the city of Loder in Abyan province in the country's restive south, military and tribal sources said. The fighting surged after Al-Qaeda militants attacked army barracks. Al-Qaeda's Yemeni branch has exploited the country's political turmoil to seize territory in the south of the impoverished Arab nation. There is no peace in the world: Men hate each other and new struggles and wars occur.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

The material world is compared to davanala, a forest fire. As we have experienced, no one goes to the forest to set a fire, but still it takes place. ... So you may try your best to live very peacefully, but nature will not allow you. There must be war. And this warlike feeling is always going on, not only between nation and nation, but also between man and man, neighbor and neighbor - even between husband and wife and father and son. This warlike feeling is going on. This is called davanala, a forest fire. No one goes to the forest to set fire, but automatically, by the friction of dried bamboo, sparks arise, and the forest catches fire. Similarly, although we do not want unhappiness, by our dealings we create enemies, and there is fighting and war. This is called samsara-davanala.

Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda :
“The Journey of Self-Discovery”
“The Bona Fide Spiritual Master”
Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International

WEATHER HAMPERS AVALANCHE SEARCH

WEATHER HAMPERS AVALANCHE RECOVERY
EFFORTS IN WORLD’S HIGHEST BATTLEFIELD

www.heraldsun.com.au - Bad weather yesterday hampered efforts to boost the search for 135 people buried in an avalanche at a Pakistani army camp. It has been over two days since a huge wall of snow crashed into the remote Siachen Glacier base high in the mountains of Kashmir, and experts say there is little hope of finding survivors, though no bodies have been recovered yet. Specially trained search-and-rescue teams of army engineers equipped with locating gadgets and heavy machinery on Sunday joined rescue units aided by sniffer dogs and helicopters. But a senior military official said attempts to send extra equipment up to help with the search yesterday had been delayed. An eight-member American team of high altitude search and rescue specialists arrived in Pakistan late on Sunday to help with the search effort, the US embassy said.

A Pakistani security official involved in the work said the US team was expected to reach the site yesterday, adding that operations were likely to go on for some time.  The US assistance comes as Washington and Islamabad try to patch up their relationship, badly damaged last year by the discovery of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan and US air strikes that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers. Two expert teams from Switzerland and Germany were also due in Islamabad to assist the rescue operation, the military said in a statement. Pakistan’s powerful army chief General Ashfaq Kayani on Sunday visited the site in the militarised region of Kashmir, which has caused two of the three wars between India and Pakistan since their independence in 1947.  India and Pakistan have spent heavily to keep a military presence in the frozen area, where temperatures can plunge to minus 70 degrees Celsius.

Poor weather conditions are hampering recovery efforts two days after an avalanche buried more than 135 Pakistani soldiers and civilians in what is known as the world’s highest battlefield.  A 20-meter wall of snow plowed into the military complex in the Siachen Glacier region near the Indian border early Saturday. Both Pakistan and India have military outposts near the disputed glacier, high in the mountains. Geological phenomena are consequences of human activities which destroy the natural balance.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Despite all this advancement, at every moment everyone is suffering due to at least one of the following threefold miseries: (1.) adhyatmika klesha; (2.) adhibhautika klesha and (3.) adhidaivika klesha. The miseries caused by nature (adhidaivika klesha) like floods, droughts, famines, earthquakes, hurricanes, etc. are devastating calamities imposed upon us through the agency of nature. ... And moreover, we are being constantly tormented by the changes in the weather such as scorching heat, freezing cold and untimely rains. Thus a wise person should ponder, “Why our lives should be ridden with the anxiety of facing and tackling one problem after another? Is this all that life is meant for? Or is there a life of eternal joy that is never inhibited by sufferings?”

Śrīpad Radheshyam Das :
“Discover Your Self” - ‘Vedic Wisdom’ - ‘Cause of Suffering’
Director, ISKCON Youth Forum, Pune President, ISKCON, Pune
http://nitaaiveda.com/Soul_Science_God_Philosophy/Discover_Your_Self/Vedic_Wisdom/Cause_of_Suffering.htm

CHRISTIANS COMMEMORATE CHRIST’S RESURRECTION

TODAY THOUSANDS OF CHRISTIANS
CONVERGE ON JERUSALEM FOR EASTER

www.washingtonpost.com - Thousands of Christians gathered near Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulcher for Easter Saturday and marched in processions brimming with tradition, taking turns to pray in the site where they believe Jesus was slain and buried. Easter Saturday is a day of reflection and waiting for many Christians, who believe Jesus was crucified on Friday and rose from the dead on Sunday. “This day is very important for us. It’s the waiting for the great celebration of the resurrection,” said Father Ibrahim Shomali. Thousands marched through Jerusalem’s cobbled old city Saturday morning. They were led by Palestinian guards in black costumes richly embroidered with gold, topped with scarlet rimless hats. They rhythmically pounded their staffs on the cobblestone ground, providing a beat for believers to march.

The guards, “Qawwasin” in Arabic or “Marksmen” in English, are a leftover vestige from when Ottoman Muslims ruled the Holy Land, Father Shomali said. According to a series of traditions established over hundreds of years of accommodation between different Christian sects and the region’s ever-changing rulers, the Qawwasin march at the head of the Easter Saturday procession. Their job was formerly to protect Jerusalem’s Catholic patriarch. Now, it is a ceremonial role. They were followed by Franciscan monks in plain brown robes, clerics in black garb, and then laymen. The believers congregated for prayer in the Holy Sepulcher, which many Christians believe was built on the site where Jesus was crucified and buried. The Holy Sepulcher is a complex of cave-like rooms, winding corridors, a soaring domed roof, and ornate decorations alongside broken furniture.

Easter in Jerusalem began with a sunrise service at the Garden Tomb, where the faithful sang hymns of the resurrection. The garden resets the scene of Jesus’ burial place based on biblical accounts. Facing an ancient, empty tomb carved into a rock, worshippers gave the Easter proclamation: The Lord is not here; He is risen! The fact that Jesus rose from the dead remains us that the soul is eternal and will not perish.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Jesus said: “I am the Resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he die, will live and all who live and believe in me, will never die”.  (St. John 11-25). “The soul is not born, nor does it die! It always existed and it will always exist! It isn’t born, it always existed and is primordial. When the body is finished, the soul continues to exist”. Bhagavad-gita (2.20).  What happens to the soul when it leaves the body? How can we prepare for the moment of transition? In accordance with these Sacred Scriptures death does not exist but there is a rebirth into a new form of life. They teach us that we are not this body, that our physical body is just a passenger that envelopes the immortal me. They also tell us that we are spiritual beings and that our soul is eternal and blessed.

“Casa de la Sabiduría- House of Wisdom”
“Society” - “Help for the Terminally Ill”
http://casadelasabiduria.org/
http://www.houseofwisdom.org/
http://www.houseofwisdom.org/english/advices_society_terminallyill.htm

ARSENIC FOUND IN FACTORY-FARMED CHICKEN

NEW STUDY FINDS TRACES
OF ARSENIC IN CHICKEN

www.abc4.com - If you thought “pink slime” was bad, here’s something else to consider - arsenic in your chicken.  Scientists from both Arizona State University and Johns Hopkins University examined ground chicken feathers from six states and China. Similar to human hair, feathers reveal traces of chemicals an animal has been exposed to. Arsenic, a known carcinogen, was found in every feather sample. “We were kind of floored.  It’s unbelievable what we found,” says Keeve E. Nachman, a scientist at the Johns Hopkins University Center for a Livable Future. In addition to the arsenic, the studies revealed a laundry list of other chemicals found in the feathers: antibiotics that were banned by the FDA for poultry production in 2005, acetaminophen, the antihistamine used in Benadryl which reduces their anxiety in order to speed up their growth and improve the taste of their meat, and caffeine which keeps chickens awake so they eat more.

The arsenic is used to give poultry meat a pleasant pink color. It also reduced infections in chickens. Odorless and tasteless, arsenic is a metalloid that is somewhat naturally occurring in drinking water supplies and can cause the thickening and discoloration of the skin, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, numbness in hands and feet, partial paralysis, and blindness (not to mention cancer) if consumed in high, or even moderate, quantities over time. The EPA has set a strict standard for arsenic levels in drinking water, but oddly no arsenic standard exists for food. The National Chicken Council is shooting down the findings, claiming the study only examined feathers, not meat. They also claim that arsenic is not used as an additive for US produced chickens. Scientists admit since more research is needed, they’re not sure if there’s an immediate danger in eating chicken right now.  A spokesperson for the FDA claims they haven’t had enough time to review the studies in-depth yet.

What’s in that chicken from factory farms you’re about to eat? Two new scientific studies found that along with a steady diet of arsenic, chickens and turkeys are routinely dosed up with active ingredients of Tylenol and Benadryl, many antibiotics banned from use in poultry since 2005, and also fed with caffeine and green tea powder to keep them awake so that they can spend more time eating. Don’t you think this is time to take out all kinds of meat from your plate?

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

As early as 1961, The AMA journal stated that 90+% of heart disease can be prevented with a Vegetarian diet.  There is a strong link between colon cancer and meat eating. Toxins in meat, do damage because they are not expelled as quickly they would be in carnivores.  Dioxin, one of the deadliest toxins, is concentrated in meat at levels 22 times what are safe, according to the EPA. More than 95% of all dioxin exposure comes in meat, dairy, and eggs. None comes in vegan foods (the other 5% is environmental).  Factory farming has made meat eating more dangerous. Because the animals are given tranquilizers, hormones and antibiotics, the latter often up to 30 times higher than humans consume in a lifetime. Preservatives in meat are dangerous to human health too.

Stephen Knapp (Śrīpad Nandanandana dasa) :
“Why Be a Vegan / Vegetarian?”
http://www.stephen-knapp.com  -  http://www.stephenknapp.info/
http://www.stephen-knapp.com/why_be_a_vegan_vegetarian.htm
http://www.stephen-knapp.com/vegetarian_recipes_and_resources.htm

PASSOVER IS THE HOLIDAY OF LOVE

PILGRIMS FLOCK TO JERUSALEM
FOR EASTER, PASSOVER CELEBRATIONS

http://news.monstersandcritics.com - Pilgrims flocked to Jerusalem Friday, both for the start of the Easter weekend and for the Jewish festival of Passover which reminds Jews that at the heart of Judaism is the deep yearning of God and human beings for one another. Good Friday marks the death of Jesus Christ, according to the Bible, followed by his resurrection on Easter Sunday. Passover commemorates the biblical Exodus from Egypt and begins at sunset. Amid tight security, hundreds of Christian worshippers took part in the annual procession along the Old City’s Via Dolorosa (Way of Grief or Way of Suffering), retracing Jesus’ last steps before his crucifixion.  Led by Franciscan Monks, the pilgrims - many carrying crosses, with some hefting full-scale replicas - stopped to pray at each Station of the Cross, which commemorate specific incidents which happened to Christ on the way to the crucifixion.

The Via Dolorosa has 14 stations, the last 9 of which are in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where, according to tradition, Christ was crucified and then buried. Police closed off some of the streets adjacent to the Via Dolorosa, causing anger among Muslim who use them to get to Friday prayers at the Temple Mount/Noble Sanctuary compound.  ‘I’m very excited and happy to be able to visit Jerusalem, to be see the place where Christ suffered,’ said Christine, a French pilgrim at the procession. Easter weekend commemorations had begun some hours earlier, with a procession and mass, in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, led by Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal, who was accompanied by consul generals of France, Spain and Italy. The Passover festival lasts 7 days in Israel, and 8 days in the rest of the world. It is ushered in with a festival meal, during which Jews are obliged to eat unleavened bread, and recount the story of the Exodus.

Today is both Good Friday and the start of Passover. Passover celebrates love. It is not the love of candy and cards, but a love where souls are ennobled. It is love deep, passionate, purposeful and true. Passover celebrates the passage of the children of Israel from slavery in Egypt.  For Christians, the day recalls the crucifixion of Jesus on a hill outside Jerusalem's walls.  He was tried and crucified without mercy. He preached the consciousness of God, therefore He is our spiritual master, He is our Guru.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

The Śrīmad Bhāgavatam states that any bona fide preacher of God consciousness must have the qualities of titiksā (tolerance) and karunā (compassion). In the character of Lord Jesus Christ we find both these qualities. He was so tolerant that even while he was being crucified, he didn't condemn anyone. And he was so compassionate that he prayed to God to forgive the very persons who were trying to kill him. (Of course, they could not actually kill him. But they were thinking that he could be killed, so they were committing a great offense.) As Christ was being crucified he prayed, “Father, forgive them. They know not what they are doing”. A Vaisnava is unhappy to see the suffering of others. Therefore, Lord Jesus Christ agreed to be crucified - to free others from their suffering.

Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda :
“The Science of Self Realization”
Chapter IV “Understanding Krishna and Christ”
“Krishna, Christos, Christ”
Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International

ARGENTINA: SHOCK FOR CHILD SUICIDE

12 YEARS BOY COMMITTED SUICIDE
FOR SCHOOL HARASSMENT, ARGENTINA

www.clarin.com - Victor Feletto was 12 years old. He lived in Temperley, Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was the one who carries the national flag at the school, but he did not like gymnastics because his teammates made fun of him because of his physique. Last Tuesday he was pushed during gym class and hit the shoulder. Three days later, Victor’s mother went to school to discuss her child’s bruises due to that push, and ask if he could be authorized to pursue other subject instead of gymnastics. The director said that “physical education was a one of the official subjects” and that the boy would have to do it. When Victor arrived home, he asked what the director said. “She said you must keep going,” replied her grandmother. Victor sat on the bed, turned off the light and began to watch cartoons on TV. The grandmother went to heat the mash. After a few minutes they heard the shot. Victor had taken from a wardrobe a 22-gauge gun which belongs to his grandfather, a former safety employee. It is thought that the child would have taken the drastic step due to the abuse he received from his colleagues in the school he attended.

According to police sources, the child shot himself after being warned by the authorities of his school, that if he did not attend Physical Education classes, he could repeat the year. As the outraged relatives of the victim said, “he was constantly mocked and beaten by his peers for his physical appearance.”  José Feletto, Victor’s grandfather told to journalists, the boy was the constant object of ridicule from his peers. “The school is to blame. They are responsible, he was killed by the school,” he said. The boy’s death occurred at the home of his grandparents; when his family found Victor in his bedroom quickly moved him to Gandulfo hospital, but he had lost his life. The disconsolate man said “Victor always felt bad because the other boys beat him and laughed at him, and he was not used to much physical exercise.”  Few days before his death, the grandfather had spoken to him about it and “I promised him that I would go to see his teachers and the school’s director, Victor was crying and said not to worry, but then I couldn’t imagine what he did ... I do not know how we will overcome this misfortune.”

A sad news that makes us reconsider the simple fact that not all of us are born to perform physical activities or sports.  With thousands of educational alternatives that meet the child's need, to force him or her to participate in activities where his or her teammates tease these children is regrettable. Teachers must be prepared to address these differences and not let things just happen. While you're reading this, a child is being abused by his or her classmates. Say NO to bullying!

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

The sage Canakya, whose proverbs Srila Prabhupda would often quote, tested a person’s education by three questions - questions of character and ethics. ... “atmavat sarva-bhutesu”: an educated person sees other living creatures as he sees himself. Following the golden rule, he treats others as he wants to be treated. “Others” does not mean just one’s own family, one’s fellow citizens, or even just other human beings. As Srila Prabhupada would point out, even cruel, fierce animals such as tigers love their own cubs. ... Krishna defines a learned person as one who sees all living beings spiritually as part of Him. And Krishna says that ultimately a wise person surrenders to Him, seeing Him as all there is. Unfortunately, in this Dark Age of Kali thousands of schools award diplomas without considering the ethical and spiritual character of their students.

Śrīmati Urmila devi dasi :
“Real Education” - Sep 29 2006
http://www.dandavats.com/?p=1481
http://urmila.me.uk/

WHY STRESS MAKES COLDS MORE LIKELY

CHRONIC STRESS MAKES
COLDS WORSE: WHAT TO DO

www.boston.com - Researchers have been swabbing noses with cold viruses for years, discovering that certain lifestyle factors - such as lack of sleep and stress - makes a person more susceptible to developing a runny nose, hacking cough, and all-over achy feeling. Now, a new study gives an explanation for why those under chronic stress are likely to get more frequent colds: The body’s reaction to the stress hormone cortisol becomes impaired when stress is prolonged, making cortisol unable to turn down the immune reaction that causes cold symptoms. In the study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers asked 276 volunteers questions to determine if they were under chronic stress due to, say, unemployment, marriage troubles, or being a full-time caregiver to a sick loved one. They found those who scored high on the chronic stress scale were more likely to have severe cold symptoms after being infected with a virus compared to those who scored low on the scale.

Unfortunately, there may not be much you can do to avoid the curve balls that throw your life into a tailspin. But some research suggests that adopting certain lifestyle measures can help lower your body’s level of inflammation. These include eating a Mediterranean-style diet - rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, olive oil, whole grains, and fish - and getting moderate amounts of daily exercise, about 30 to 60 minutes at a time. Getting adequate amounts of sleep, about seven to eight hours every night, can also reduce inflammation, and you may want to remember to floss before bedtime. Practicing good dental hygiene can help reduce inflammation and swelling in the gums. Previous research has shown that those with gum disease have increased levels of inflammation elsewhere in their body. Meditation can also help reduce inflammation by lowering your body’s response to stress.

Most of us know from experience that stress weakens our immune system. Commonc colds always seem to strike when we're overworked or emotionally exhausted, as do eczema flare-ups, headaches, and a myriad of other health problems. Long ago, doctors confirmed that the connection between stress and health is real, but now they are able to fully explain it.  Psychological stress weaken our body and we are more likely to develop illnesses, so why don't try to find calm through Yoga Asanas and Pranayana?

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Yoga prescribes physical, mental and spiritual disciplines which will free one from mental and physical diseases. ... Asana -”bodily postures”: This process of various exercises and bodily postures brings physical and mental steadiness as well as health and vigor.  Pranayama - “control of breath”.  Prana means life air and yama means to control.  It involves controlling the inhalation, exhalation and the retention of the air we breathe. ... Yoga practices are also meant for the holistic upliftment of mind, body and spirit.  By regularly practicing Yoga, Pranayana (breathing exercises) and by maintaining a natural life style in one’s eating, resting, work, etc., a person can be fully relaxed and free from tension and anxiety.  When a person maintains these practices properly, he or she will be free from heart diseases and mental anxiety.

TT.D. Singh, Ph.D. - Śrīla Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Mahārāja :
“Science and Religion - Present and Future” - “Yoga”
Bhaktivedanta Institute - http://www.scienceandscientist.org/
http://www.bhaktisvarupadamodara.com/lang1/pg002.html
http://www.krishnascience.com  -  http://www.bhaktisvarupadamodara.com/

HUNGARY PRESIDENT QUITS IN PLAGIARISM SCANDAL

HUNGARY PRESIDENT SCHMITT
RESIGNS IN PLAGIARISM SCANDAL

www.bbc.co.uk - Hungary’s President Pal Schmitt says he is resigning, after being stripped of his doctorate over plagiarism.  Mr Schmitt, elected in 2010, said “my personal issue divides my beloved nation rather than unites it”. “It is my duty to end my service and resign my mandate as president,” he told parliament. Last week, Budapest’s Semmelweis University revoked his 1992 award after finding that much of his thesis had been copied. Mr Schmitt, 69, won gold medals for fencing at the 1968 and 1972 Olympic Games. He was elected to the largely ceremonial role of president for a five-year term, with strong backing from the conservative ruling Fidesz party of Prime Minister Viktor Orban. The university said whole passages of his thesis about the modern Olympic Games had been copied from the work of two other academics. He denied wrongdoing but protesters stepped up the pressure for him to resign.

Schmitt has been the target of public ire over the past few days when he chose to stay in office despite evidence that he had transposed practically his entire doctoral thesis 20 years ago.  Schmitt’s thesis “didn’t meet the ethical and professional criteria of scientific work,” Tivadar Tulassay, the rector of Semmelweis University was quoted as saying by Bloomberg, after the university stripped the president of his doctoral title. Schmitt has headed the Hungarian Olympic Committee since 1990 and was vice president of the International Olympic Committee from 1995 to 1999. He was a deputy state secretary for sports under communism in the 1980s. He also served as Hungary’s ambassador to Spain in 1993-1997, and to Switzerland in 1999-2002. He was Hungary’s fourth democratically-elected president since the collapse of communism in 1989. He told parliament he would appeal against the decision which revoked his doctorate.

Hungarian President Pal Schmitt resigned Monday because of a plagiarism scandal regarding a doctoral dissertation he had written 20 years ago. A committee of the Budapest’s Semmelweis University last week revoked his 1992 award after finding that much of his thesis - on the topic of the modern Olympic Games - was based entirely on earlier work by Bulgarian researcher Nikolai Georgiev. It is assumed that a president should set an example of truthfulness, but the tendency to deceive is very powerful.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Prabhupada: The thing is that one who is cheating you, he will cheat in twelve rupees, also he will cheat in fifty rupees.
Aksayananda: Yes, I know.
Prabhupada: He knows how to cheat you.
Aksayananda: Yes, they’re expert.
(...)
Prabhupada: Cheating is one of the qualifications of the conditioned soul. ... Vipralipsa, vipralipsa. Bhrama, pramada, vipralipsa, karunatmika. So cheating is a qualification of the conditioned soul. Everyone is expert in cheating more or less. That is qualification. People take pride, “Oh, I have cheated. I am so expert that I have cheated.” When the lawyers make some agreement between the two lawyers, simply think “How I can cheat you?. How can I cheat you?” That’s all. The more one lawyer is expert in cheating, he is big lawyer. ... This is the world. Vañcaka-vañci. Whole world is going on, my Guru Maharaja used to say that one is cheater, another is cheated.

Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda :
Room Conversation in Vrindavana
September 6, 1976 - 760906rc.vrn
Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International

31 KILLED IN RUSSIAN PLANE CRASH

PLANE CRASH KILLS 31 NEAR
SIBERIAN CITY OF TYUMEN

www.voanews.com - Russian emergency officials say at least 31 people were killed when a passenger plane crashed and burst into flames shortly after takeoff in an oil-producing region of Siberia on Monday. Thirteen survivors were pulled from the wreckage, but one later died. Medical officials told Russian state media at least five people remain in critical condition. Thirty-nine passengers and four crew members were onboard the aircraft. The ATR-72, a twin-engine, turbo-prop plane operated by the Russian carrier UTair, went down some 35 kilometers from the western Siberian city of Tyumen while heading to the town of Surgut. The cause of the crash is not known. Emergency Situations Ministry spokeswoman Irina Andrianova said the injured survivors were flown by helicopter to a hospital in Tyumen following the crash.

“This morning at 5:40 a.m. we received a phone call from the dispatcher at the Roschino airport that 35 kilometers west of the airport in Tyumen, an ATR 72 has crashed after take-off,” she declared. “It fell some 15 kilometers west of the Tyumen city itself, after takeoff. The plane was on a flight to Surgut.” Russia’s aviation industry remains blighted by repeated accidents involving its aging fleet of planes. The Soviet-era Tupolev jets are having a particularly poor safety record. But industry experts point to a number of other problems, including poor crew training, crumbling airports, lax government controls and widespread neglect of safety in pursuit of profits.  Pilot error was blamed for a September crash in Yaroslavl, a Russian city 250 kilometers (150 miles) northeast of Moscow, that killed 44 people, including a professional hockey team.

A passenger plane crashed in Siberia shortly after taking off Monday morning, killing 31 of the 43 people on board. The 12 survivors were hospitalized in serious condition. The cause of the crash was not immediately clear but investigators consider technical failure as the most likely cause of this tragedy. Russia has seen a string of deadly crashes in recent years.  Pilot or ground control errors, fog or bad technical condition of planes are the main causes of these tragedies, which happens at any time any where.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

The unfortunate man, falling a victim to evil influences of the sense-ridden ego, may revolt against his own Lord … he may conquer worlds, he may be the architect of nations, he may build vast empires or he may do many other wonders which no ordinary man can ever even imagine; yet he is utterly helpless in crossing this unfathomable ocean of worldliness. At every moment, he is being violently tossed by the roaring waves of this ocean of never-ending sufferings. All his false hopes are frustrated, his confidence in the efficacy of his own actions betrays him finally. He sees all around him threatening temptations, horrors and sweeping currents of cares, calamities, anxieties, and worries.

Śrīla Bhakti Vaibhava Purī Mahārāj:
“Guru and Atma Nivedan” - ‘The Act of Submission’
Bhakti Vigyan Nityananda Book Trust
Śrī Krishna Chaitanya Mission
http://srilapurimaharaja.org/
http://www.purimaharaj.com/GuruMaharaj.htm

FAST FOOD CONSUMPTION LINKED TO DEPRESSION

FAST FOOD, DOUGHNUTS CAN BE
DEPRESSING, STUDY CONFIRMS

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com - We have all enjoyed eating those deep fried potato chips, flavoured wafers and meat burgers as well as those creamy cakes, doughnuts and pizzas. But you might now want to do a re-think when you reach for your ‘couch potato’ or ‘work cubicle’ fare. Fast food is linked to depression, says a study. The findings revealed an eye-opening health warning. According to the recent study headed by scientists from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and the University of Granada, the results showed that consumers of fast food, compared to those who eat little or none, are 51 per cent more likely to develop depression. That apart, a ‘dose-response’ relationship was observed. What this means is that ‘the more fast food you consume, the greater the risk of depression,’ explained Almudena Sanchez-Villegas, lead author of the study.

The study throws light on the personality of the person consuming such fast food and explained that those participants who eat the most fast food and commercial baked goods are more likely to be single, less active and have poor dietary habits, which include eating less fruit, nuts, fish, vegetables and olive oil. Smoking and working more than 45 hours per week are other prevalent characteristics of this group. Naturally this leaves little room for a healthy, attractive persona. The study has been published in the Public Health Nutrition journal. “This is certainly true. Eating unhealthily can make you sad. Such fast foods contain trans fats and saturated fats could contribute to depression. Cutting down in high sugary foods and sugary drinks also in your work day can lead to lesser mood swings at work,” says dietician Nisha Jadhav, Mumbai.

Researchers have found an association between chowing down on fast food burgers or having your morning doughnut and the risk of depression. The study reports that eating these and similar foods increase the risk of developing depression by 51%.  Further, those who ate more of these fast foods were more likely to lead less active lives, be single, and eat poorly overall. Regarding the food, people are more interested in their shape and on losing weight than adopting a healthy lifestyle.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Life is the wonderful opportunity to know the truth, to live the truth and to know its Creator. The objective of the human life is to know our real identity, and to serve it with all attention. The simple life and high thoughts are the true values of life. Foods should be prepared with a correct conscience. Real life is gratitude toward the supreme truth. ... A healthy life is manifested internally and externally. We all are maintained by the Creator, through Mother Earth. We should feel gratitude for her and manifest compassion for those that need our help. That will provide us with happiness and with peace. The healthy life is purifying and honest. The most beautiful gifts that she gives us cannot be bought. A natural life is one that unites all the elements and maintains them in total harmony, achieving an integral well-being.

“Casa de la Sabiduría- House of Wisdom”
“Ecology” - “Natural way of life”
http://casadelasabiduria.org/
http://www.houseofwisdom.org/
http://www.houseofwisdom.org/english/advices_eco_natural.htm