RUSSIA KEEPS PUNK BAND PROTESTERS JAILED

RUSSIA EXTENDS JAILING
PUNK ROCK PROTESTERS

www.washingtonpost.com - In a sign of Russian authorities’ determination to clamp down on dissent, a court extended for six months on Friday the detention of three punk rockers who had staged a protest performance in a cathedral. 
The three young women were among a group of five mask-wearing singers known as Pussy Riot who took to the altar of Moscow’s Christ the Savior Cathedral in February and chanted what they described as a punk prayer. 
In it, they called on divine intervention to drive then-Prime Minister Vladimir Putin from office two weeks before his election as president.  The women - Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 23, Maria Alekhina, 24, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, 29 - were arrested shortly afterward.  
Prosecutors said they needed more time to investigate and asked for an extension until January. By then the women will have been behind bars for a total of 10 months, accused of blasphemy and offending Orthodox believers. They are being held on hooliganism charges, which can bring up to seven years in jail.

The court action came just after the Russian parliament passed a series of quickly written laws this month aimed at curbing protest by imposing hefty fines for slander, allowing government limits on the Internet and forcing human rights and election-monitoring organizations, among other groups that receive foreign funds, to register as foreign agents.News of the prolonged detention quickly dominated Twitter and other social media and was met by disbelief and outrage. 
Although the Russian Orthodox Church has supported the rockers’ prosecution, the charges have angered many here, believers and non-believers alike, who say the women may be guilty of disorderly conduct but should not be in jail.
Influential cultural figures have signed petitions in their defence, and fund-raising concerts for them have been held around the world. Amnesty International has described them as prisoners of conscience and, after the latest court ruling, called for their immediate release.

A Moscow court’s decision to detain the members of the all-girl Russian punk band “Pussy Riot” for another 6 months has sparked a new wave of public outrage.  The trio of female punk group, who face up to seven years in jail, derided President Vladimir Putin in a protest in Moscow's main cathedral, have been held in pre-trial detention since March in what their lawyers called a show trial dictated by the Kremlin. There are two ways of bringing the opposition under control. One is by logic and philosophy, the other is by force.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

... Thus the saintly persons became very anxious for the safety of the people in general. The conclusion is that even though saintly persons have no business in political affairs, they are always compassionate upon the people in general. Thus even though they are always aloof from society, out of mercy and compassion they consider how the citizens can peacefully execute their rituals and follow the rules and regulations of varnāśrama-dharma. That was the concern of these sages. 
In this age of Kali, everything is disturbed. Therefore saintly persons should take to the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra, as recommended in the śāstras: harer nāma harer nāma / harer nāmaiva kevalam /kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva / nāsty eva gatir anyathā [Adi 17.21] Both for spiritual and material prosperity, everyone should devotedly chant the Hare Krishna mantra.

Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda :
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (Bhāgavata Purāna)
Canto 4: "Creation of the Fourth Order"
Chapter 14: "The Story of King Vena"
Verse 37 - Bhaktivedanta VedaBase

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
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GUNMAN KILLS 12 IN COLORADO MOVIE THEATER

MOVIE TURNS INTO SURREAL NIGHTMARE
WHEN GUNMAN OPENS FIRE: 'THIS IS REAL'

http://edition.cnn.com - A heavily armed gunman tossed tear gas into the darkness of an Aurora, Colorado movie theater Friday and then sprayed the audience with gunfire during an early morning screening of the new Batman movie, killing 12 and wounding 38 others, authorities said. One of the injured was just 3 months old, according to hospital workers. Police arrested a man believed to be the shooter in a rear parking lot of the theater, said Frank Fania, a police spokesman. 
The gunman, who is in custody and has been identified as 24-year-old James Holmes, stood at the front of the theater and fired into the crowd. "He did not resist," Fania said. Police seized a rifle and a handgun from the suspect, and another gun was found in the theater, he said. There was no evidence of a second gunman, and FBI spokesman Jason Pack said it did not appear the incident was related to terrorism. President Barack Obama said he and first lady Michelle Obama were "shocked and saddened" by the shooting and pledged the administration's support for victims of the shooting.

"As we do when confronted by moments of darkness and challenge, we must now come together as one American family," it said. Chaos broke out during the showing of "The Dark Knight Rises" at the Century Aurora 16 theater when the shooting began, police and witnesses said. Police said the gunman "appeared" in the front of the theater and threw a smoke bomb before opening fire. A federal law enforcement official told CNN the smoke bomb described by witnesses was tear gas. 
It was unclear how the man got into the theater, but witnesses told CNN affiliate KUSA that he came in through an emergency door. The shooter used at least four guns - an "AK type" rifle, a shotgun and two handguns, authorities told CNN. One movie-goer, said the gunman was wearing a gas mask. Some people in the audience thought the thick smoke and gunfire was a special effect accompanying the movie, police and witnesses said. Cell phone video taken by someone at the theater showed scores of people screaming and fleeing the building. Some had blood on their clothes.

A lone gunman went on a real-life rampage at a midnight showing of the “The Dark Knight Rises” outside of Denver USA yesterday, killing 12 people and wounding 40 others.  A 24-year-old suspect, identified as James Holmes, was in custody. The gunman burst into the theater through an emergency door 30 minutes after the movie started, set off a canister that emitted tear gas and opened fire, authorities and witnesses said. The progress of violence, madness and disregard for the lives of others is increasing.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

The present-day world appears to be running fast towards destruction. As per Indian scriptural evidence, the conditioned souls are enveloped by Lord’s illusory energy consisting of three primal qualities - Sattva, Rajah, and Tamah.  ‘Tamah’ indicates tendency to commit vice or to inflict injury.  In fact, Tamah tendency has now engulfed the whole world and is spreading over like fire and showing its most monstrous destructive ugly appearance. ... Practically it is demonstrated now that the human beings have become the greatest enemy of their own species. They are causing unnatural deaths without considering the innocence of the killed - whether they are children or women, whom the killers have never seen and who have never done any harm to the killers. It is the greatest shame of such human beings to claim the false vanity of being the best amongst created beings.

Śrīla Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Mahārāja :
“Human’s Sins will Never be Spared”
Sree Chaitanya Gaudiya Math
www.sreecgmath.org

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
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SPIRAL GALAXY IN EARLY UNIVERSE STUNS ASTRONOMERS

HUBBLE SPOTS ANCIENT SPIRAL
GALAXY THAT SHOULD NOT EXIST

www.bbc.co.uk - Astronomers have spotted the earliest known spiral galaxy, dating to just three billion years after the Big Bang. Theories of galaxy formation held that the Universe was still too chaotic a place to allow such a perfectly formed or "grand-design" spiral to form. It should take far longer for gravity to bring matter into thin, neat discs. But a team reporting in Nature says the galaxy BX442 got the gravitational "kick" it needed to form a spiral from a smaller "dwarf galaxy" orbiting it. 
They first spotted BX442 as the one and only spiral-looking object in a survey of 300 galaxies carried out by the Hubble space telescope, when they were shocked to see what looked to be a spiral galaxy. 
"What we've learned when we look at galaxies at that epoch is that they're very dynamically hot," explained lead author of the study David Law from the University of Toronto's Dunlap Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics.

"Even though we see some discs existing at that time, they're very thick and puffy, whereas the Milky Way has an... amount of random motion only about a tenth or so the amount of ordered rotation, giving rise to a very thin disc," he told BBC News. 
Those observations confirmed a hint apparent in the Hubble data: that BX442 was being orbited by a smaller "dwarf galaxy" at its edges. 
"You can get a little extra help if you've got a satellite galaxy orbiting around," explained Dr Law. 
"It gives that extra little gravitational kick to help accentuate the strength of the arm and make it into one of those eye-popping examples like the Whirlpool galaxy that you see all the pictures of." Having proved that such grand-design spiral galaxies can exist at such an early period of the Universe, Dr Law said the team would now like to look into larger, wider-ranging galaxy surveys such as the Hubble telescope's ongoing Candels survey.

 

Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope have discovered the oldest known spiral galaxy that surprised scientists. The galaxy was present in the early universe, about 3 billion years after the Big Bang, at a time when galaxies were still forming and normally looked clumpy and irregular, however this ancient spiral galaxy looks so neat and tidy that “it shouldn’t even exist”. The day that scientists accept that the universe was planned by a Higher mind, they will not be longer surprised to find galaxies "as symmetrical" like this.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

In Gita (9-10), the Supreme Lord informs Arjuna that the material nature is always subordinate to Him and is one of His multifarious energies. But at the same time under His direction material nature is able to produce the living and non living entities. The Lord is in the form of purified goodness, being transcendental and has no direct connection with material nature. Maha-Vishnu lying the Causal Ocean from far away casts a glance on material nature by which the material nature becomes agitated to produce this world of living and non-living things. Thus the mere glance of the Supreme Lord is sufficient to create this universe. The primary cause of this creation is the Supreme Lord Krishna while the secondary cause is the material nature. ... In this way, Sri Krishna in the form of Maha-Vishnu is the main reason for creation of the universe and His implements of creation namely, time and His energies are the secondary causes.

Śrīla Bhakti Promode Puri Mahārāja :
"Essence Of Pure Devotion -  Bhakti Siddhanta Sara"
Part IX - "Actual Form of Krishna"
http://bvml.org/SBPPG/eopd9.htm

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
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HOLLAND AMERICA: VEGETARIAN-ONLY ALTERNATIVE MENU

AN ALL-VEGETARIAN MENU?
THAT'S THE PLAN AT HOLLAND AMERICA

http://travel.usatoday.com - Holland America's latest plan to draw more customers: Serve more vegetables. Last May, the Seattle-based cruise operator announced that it is revamping its food offerings to offer more options for vegetarians and vegans than any other line. The changes include the addition of a new, all-vegetarian menu that will be available in the dining rooms on Holland America's 15 ships and the addition of 30 new vegetarian dishes to standard dining room menus. 
The all-vegetarian menu will be available upon request at lunch and dinner and include 22 vegetarian and vegan dishes. Among the choices: Portobello Mushroom and Chipotle Quesadillas; Vietnamese Vegetable Spring Rolls; Curried Vegetable Empanadas; Spicy Lentil and Garbanzo Salad; Sweet and Sour Vegetable Tempura; Vegetable Jambalaya; Grilled Vegetable and Tofu Kebobs; and Baked Cheese Polenta with Mushrooms and Artichoke Hearts.

"Many more people are choosing a vegetarian culinary experience, yet the options can be limited," Holland America's executive vice president, Richard Meadows, says in a statement accompanying the announcement. 
"By offering a complete vegetarian-only menu and the largest vegetarian selection at sea, we are ensuring that all guests can take part in an exceptional dining experience while cruising with Holland America Line." Other lines that have expanded vegetarian offerings in recent years include Celebrity Cruises, which also has an all-vegetarian menu available in its main restaurants during lunch and dinner. 
The 30 new vegetarian dishes being added to the main dining room menus on Holland America ships also will be available at the vessels' casual Lido buffets during lunch. Additionally, every dinner menu will now offer guests the option of one appetizer, one soup or salad, and at least one vegetarian entrée each evening, increasing the total number of vegetarian options on board to 52 delectable dishes.

Extraordinary culinary experiences are a hallmark of every Holland America Line vacation. This year, Holland America Line has introduced a new alternative, vegetarian-only menu, as well as 30 new vegetarian dishes to their main dining room menu, furthering the line's commitment to providing exceptional dining experiences for all guests. Nowadays, more than ever, conscious people closely examine the harmful effects of eating meat and they also advocate living without killing animals for food.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Today vegetarianism is a worldwide movement with adherents among all religions, daily gaining converts through one or more of the five basic reasons to adhere to a meatless diet: Dharma: Vedic scripture proclaims that ahimsa, non-hurtfulness, is a primary religious obligation; Karma: By involving oneself in the cycle of inflicting injury, pain and death, one must in the future experience in equal measure the suffering caused; Consciousness: One introduces into the body and mind anger, jealousy, fear, anxiety, suspicion and a terrible fear of death, all of which are locked into the flesh of the butchered creatures; Health: Vegetarians are less susceptible to all the major diseases that afflict contemporary humanity; and Environment: Destruction of ancient rain forests to create pasture lands for livestock, loss of topsoil and the consequent increase of water impurities and air pollution have all been traced to the single fact of meat in the human diet.

What Is Hinduism?
Hinduism Today Magazine
Chapter 43: “The Meat-Free Life”
“Five Reasons to Be a Vegetarian &
Ten Arguments Against Eating Meat”
http://www.hinduismtoday.com/modules/wfchannel/index.php?wfc_cid=21

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
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MOUSE TAIL IN McDONALD'S BURGER

CHILE: MOUSE TAIL FOUND
INSIDE McDONALD’S BURGER

http://news.ninemsn.com.au - It was not a 'Happy Meal'. A Chilean consumer got a big surprise to get a hamburger from a McDonald's: He found the tail of a mouse. Health authorities in Chile on Tuesday confirmed what one man has claimed for weeks: that he found a mouse tail in his McDonald's hamburger. Back in June, the man noticed something unusual when he bit into the hamburger he bought at a McDonald's restaurant in the southern town of Temuco, some 700 kilometers (435 miles) south of the Chilean capital Santiago. He said it appeared to be a mouse tail, and filed a complaint with local health authorities. 
On Tuesday Waldo Armstrong, head of the regional health department, confirmed what the customer had feared. "There were traces of the tail stuck between the cheese and the bread, and the tail had undergone a cooking process," Armstrong told reporters. The restaurant was closed, and a probe revealed mouse feces inside the restaurant - and that the tail was placed inside the hamburger on purpose.

The restaurant will remain closed until Temuco health officials determine the amount of the fine.  This story reminds us a quite similar one which happened in England in 2010, when a man found a rat's tail in his Big Mac at Dartford McDonald's.  In that opportunity, a hungry fast food customer bit off more than he could chew, and stomach, when he found what’s thought to have been a rat’s tail in his burger. 
Wayne Blackburn was far from “lovin’ it” when he sat down to a McDonald’s lunch and claims to have found the rodent’s remains lurking in his Big Mac. The 29-year-old said he spotted the inedible intruder as he tucked into the fast food giant’s signature meal at its Dartford restaurant. Wayne Blackburn says he found a rat's tail in his Big Mac. “I had a bite and went to take a second one and then I saw something in there and spat it all out,” he said. “I’m not sure but I think I might have taken a bite out of it.” However, Dartford council’s Environmental Health inspectors say they could find nothing of concern when it investigated the Priory Centre eatery.

 

A young Chilean got a big surprise after finding a mouse tail into a hamburger of the U.S. fast-food chain McDonald's in a shop located in the commercial center of the city of Temuco in southern Chile. The restaurant was closed until the health authorities of Temuco determine the amount of the fine against the company. Near 10 years ago, the WVA (World Vaishnava Association) organized a big protest against McDonald's and killing and selling animals and meat consumption in Vrindavan Dham.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Srila B.V. Aranya Maharaja, a disciple of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur and founding member of the WVA, was able to keep the slaughterhouse in Mathura closed for many years. He departed from this world a few years ago. Indian politicians and their consideration of secular government had very little power to stop the killing of animals in the Holy dham. It is a very sad story but you may not forget that also many Muslims and Christians live in the Holy dhams. At this point you can get meat in many hotels in Mathura, places which have such beautiful names as Govardhan Palace etc. McDonald's joint venture with indian nationals is surely a thorn in the eye of all softhearted Vaishnavas. The WVA sent a protest to the company, which was personally delivered by the WVA secretary Acarya das Adhikari, and the Vrindavan Dham Preservation Committee Coordinator, Bhaktivedanta Sadhu Maharaja in the year 2000.

VINA - WVA News
"Mc Donald's In Mathura - A WVA Report"
by WVA Vrindavan Dham Preservation Committee
http://www.vina.cc/stories/WVA/2003/3/mcdonaldsinmathura.html

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
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BILLIONAIRE'S SON ARRESTED IN CONNECTION WITH WIFE'S DEATH

EVA RAUSING: LETHAL DRUG AMONG
MONIED CLASSES AS ON SINK ESTATES

www.standard.co.uk - Far from being the preserve of inhabitants of sink estates, the drug used by Eva Rausing has followers among monied classes. Asked to describe a typical crack user, what would you say? Most likely the words “billionaire”, “philanthropist” and “Belgravia resident” would not be part of the picture. But here is the problem. The “typical” crack user, it turns out, is a mythical creature. She does not exist. 
“There’s a stereotype of people who use drugs but people come from all walks of life. Where you come from or how well off you are doesn’t protect you,” says Dr Owen Bowden-Jones, a consultant addiction psychiatrist. 
Is there a better illustration of this than Eva Rausing? Wife of the billionaire Tetra Pak heir Hans Kristian Rausing, daughter of a wealthy Pepsi executive - and after a suspected overdose her body was discovered at her £70 million Cadogan Place home, 4 days after she died, when her husband was arrested for drug possession in south London. He has subsequently been arrested on suspicion of her murder.

With a crack cocaine habit that first came to light in 2008 when she was arrested for carrying 10g of the drug into the US Embassy for a party, and after 50g of cocaine was found by police, along with Eva’s body, at the Rausings’ home - which she could have been snorting, injecting or cooking into crack herself - it’s no leap to conclude that Eva Rausing was still addicted. So where was she getting it from? “Every dealer who makes good money out of selling drugs has got a link to a really good user - meaning the rich. Any dealer can get them, it’s just where you go to find them,” explains Isha Nembhard, a reformed drug dealer who now works to help young people leave gangs. 
At the moment there are 42,422 such crack users in London, according to statistics from the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse. 
Since cocaine usage in the UK has risen over the past decade, so too has the availability of the cocaine from which to produce crack. But crack is twice as addictive as cocaine, crack requires just 10 seconds to start working in the brain.

Eva Rausing, one of Britain's richest women, was found dead in her west London home: Drugs. A scourge for the poor, for the middle class and even for the super-rich, those who, like the Rausings, measure their net worth in the billions. “Addiction doesn’t know any class boundaries,” said Amanda Thomson, spokeswoman for Action on Addiction, one of many charities the Rausings supported even as they swooned toward drugged-out oblivion. An intense desire for drugs or intoxication at the time of death is very sad and brings bad consequences.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

A person who had been strongly addicted to liquor and drugs will leave the body with thoughts of liquor and drugs, or the desire for more intoxication. Sometimes they leave the body while under the influence of intoxicants, which has a most regressive affect on entering the next realm. On the other hand, a person who had lead a pious and virtuous life, with thoughts of God, will depart from the body with thoughts of God. The last thoughts determine the conditions and nature of the next birth. This is what the sages have said about the phenomenon of death. This argument seems reasonable because the last dominant thought in our mind at the time when we just drop off to sleep can often be the thought that dominates our mind the next morning. It is for this reason that we are advised to sing the Divine Names of God or hymns at the time of death in order to focus the attention of the dying person on holy and noble thoughts.

Stephen Knapp (Śrīpad Nandanandana dasa) :
"Curing Depression with Spirituality"
"Suicide and the Reactions that Follow"
http://www.stephen-knapp.com  -  http://www.stephenknapp.info/
http://www.stephen-knapp.com/curing_depression_with_spirituality.htm

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
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APOLOGY ON OLYMPICS SECURITY

OLYMPICS-G4S SECURITY BOSS
SORRY FOR GAMES GUARDS FIASCO

London (AP) - The boss of British security group G4S said Saturday he was sorry that his company had bungled the contract to help protect the 2012 Olympic Games, a humbling televised apology that followed days of ugly news about his firm’s failures. Nick Buckles spoke to the BBC as British newspapers were filled with accounts of chaotic recruitment, sloppy security, and even an allegation that some G4S staffers weren’t fluent in English. 
The firm has not been able to provide enough guards, and some 3,500 British troops are being called in to help fill the gap in security and police have been put on notice that they may need to help fill the breach. “We’re deeply disappointed and we certainly are very sorry for what’s happened over the last week or two,” the chief executive said. 
In December G4S promised to provide that number of people to help keep the games safe, although in reality far more than 10,000 people need to be recruited in order to compensate for attrition, sickness, and absenteeism.

Buckles said that the operation was a “mammoth undertaking” involving a complex recruitment operation in five or six different stages, adding that, some 4,000 people were on the ground and that about 9,000 people were still in the pipeline - which still leaves a significant shortfall. Buckles has said his company would foot the bill for the last-minute military deployment, putting the loss on his company’s 284 million pound ($442 million) contract at up to 50 million pounds ($78 million.) That includes paying penalties of 10 or 20 million pounds for failing to live up to his company’s end of the deal. 
The costs aren’t just financial - they also are a hit to its reputation. G4S manages prisons, transports cash, and installs surveillance systems across the in some 125 countries. Its inability to get enough people to secure the world’s biggest sporting event has left some observers wondering at the wisdom of doing business with the company elsewhere. 
A call-up of the additional 3,500 troops would take the armed forces tally at the Games to 17,000, more than the 9,500 currently deployed in Afghanistan.

 

The head of private security firm G4S said his firm only realised just over a week ago it would not be able to supply enough venue guards for this month's London Olympics, as he publicly apologised for the embarrassing failure. Security has always been a major issue for London 2012 organisers and a source of great concern for the government. This worry is common to all nations and people, but in this material world all security planning is rarely successful.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Everyone is hankering for security.   Most people make a great deal of effort and compromise to get security.  In the name of security, one cultivates friends, cooperates with people in society, makes compromise with rivals, goes out of the way to be in the good books of family members, enthusiastically promotes the activities of his community, remains prepared to accommodate the opponent’s viewpoints, attempts at rapprochement with enemies and willingly makes sacrifices for the nation.  But ultimately, despite such manipulated behavior, no one can be sure of foolproof security, nor does anyone have any capacity whatsoever to provide security to others. ... Similarly, one who  desires to cross the ocean of material existence, the samsara sagara, should not seek the shelter of any demigod or any other apparently powerful individual of this world, but the fearless protection of Lord  Krishna’s Lotus Feet.

Śrīla Bhakti Swarup Tirtha Mahārāja :
"Bhagavat Kathamrita" -  "Are you Secure?"
Volume 1 - Issue 7 - January 2010
Gaudiya Vaishnava Association
http://www.gva.in/index.php

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
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DOES ANXIETY ACCELERATE AGING?

ANXIETY OVER FEARS MAY
SPEED UP AGING IN WOMEN

http://psychcentral.com - Phobic anxiety or fear-related anxiety attacks are relatively common among middle-aged women. A new study suggests the condition may be associated with premature aging. Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) discovered the condition is associated with shorter telomeres in middle-aged and older women - a biochemical status that implies cellular aging. Telomeres are DNA-protein complexes at the ends of chromosomes. They protect chromosomes from deteriorating and guard the genetic information at the ends of chromosomes during cell division. 
Scientists believe telomeres are markers of biological or cellular aging as shortened telomeres have been linked to increased risk of cancers, heart disease, dementia and mortality. In the large, cross-sectional study, researchers obtained blood samples from 5,243 women, age 42 to 69 years, who were participants in the Nurses’ Health Study.

Telomere length was then analyzed as well as the participants’ concurrent self-reports regarding phobic symptoms determined by assessment with a validated questionnaire. Investigators determined having a high phobic anxiety level was associated with significantly shorter telomere lengths. Moreover, telomere lengths for women who were highly phobic were similar to what was seen in women six years older. 
The findings pave the way for further prospective investigations relating anxiety to telomere length change. "Many people wonder about whether - and how - stress can make us age faster," study author Dr. Olivia Okereke, a psychiatrist at BWH, said in a press release. "So, this study is notable for showing a connection between a common form of psychological stress - phobic anxiety - and a plausible mechanism for premature aging."
The study is published online in the journal PLoS ONE.

You may have heard that worrying can give you wrinkles, but a new study shows anxiety may actually accelerate aging in people on a molecular level. Researchers suggest that high levels of anxiety might really make you age faster. If we are fortunate enough to develop the feeling for loving devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, inmediately the fire of lamentation, illusion and fearfulness extinguishes, and being old is no longer a problem.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

If you want to become free from lamentation, fear and illusion, just take shelter of devotional service. Instead of serving dogs, horses, other animals, human beings  and demigods - serve the lotus feet of Krsna. The Lord is ready to reciprocate with us. In the Bhagavad-gita (4.11), He has said, "As one surrenders unto Me, I reward him accordingly." If we desire to serve Him in any of the five rasas, the Lord displays His mercy accordingly. For those who are indifferent to the Lord's service, the observance of Ekadasi is useless. They simply increase their bile - they do not please Lord Hari. To attain Lord Hari, one must discuss topics in relation to Him. The conditioned souls have become narrow-minded in this material world. They have been captured by the network of lust, hunger, and other enemies. If you want to  be delivered from material existence, you will have to take shelter of the Supreme Lord.

Śrīla Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thākura Prabhupāda :
"Srimad Bhagavat Tatparya" - Lecture Nineteen
(The Purport of Srimad Bhagavatam)
http://spiritualsbooks.blogspot.com.ar/2011/06/srimad-bhagavat-tatparya-purport-of.html

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
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LINGERIE MODEL HAS TANNED EVERY DAY FOR 10 YEARS

EXTREME TANNER SAYS SKIN
CANCER WOULDN'T STOP HER

http://abcnews.go.com - For many women, summertime means hitting the beach and getting a sun-kissed look. For others, like Trisha Paytas, her obsession with being tan consumes everyday life. Paytas, a model working in the Los Angeles area, says she hasn't missed a day of tanning in 10 years and doesn't plan on it. "I go every morning. It's my routine," Paytas, 25, said. Day in and day out, Paytas goes to Total Tan or another local salon in Marina del Ray, Calif. Sometimes she's there twice a day. After hitting the tanning bed, Paytas gets a spray tan to make sure her complexion and color are perfectly even. 
Aware of the cancer risks, Paytas says being tan gives her confidence. "I have seen myself pale and I don't look like myself," she said. "When you see someone who is tan, you are like, wow, amazing." Giana Gerardo agrees. The 24-year-old is also a tanning fanatic, logging two or three days at week at the local Beach Bum salon where she works.

"It makes me feel good and I feel comfortable in my skin," Gerardo said.  "It makes my clothes kind of look a little bit better than if I were not as tan." Both girls started tanning in their teens after being introduced to it by their moms. Paytas has racked up an expensive tanning tab in her quest for darker skin.  Paytas' spray tans alone cost her more than $5,000 a year and she is saving up for her own tanning bed. Trisha Paytas hasn't missed a day of tanning in 10 years. She also sunbathes without protection whenever she gets the chance. The health risks of tanning don't deter Paytas either. Paytas doesn't care.
 She told ABC News that even a skin cancer diagnosis wouldn't stop her from hitting the tanning bed the next day. "If you told me that I have skin cancer I don't think I would stop," she said. "Scrape it off and keep going." Although she admits to using sunbeds a lot more than other people, Trisha Paytas doesn’t consider herself a tanning addict, and says she can quit whenever she likes. She just feels better and more confident when she’s tanned."

Miss Paytas reiterated that even a skin cancer diagnosis wouldn't stop her from using the tanning bed the next day. Giana Gerardo, 24, and a tanning fanatic, agrees. Skin cancer is now the second most-common cancer among women in their twenties, according to Cancer Research UK, and new studies show that sun bed users under the age of 30 increase their lifetime risk of melanoma by 75 %. However, the health risks do not deter the girls, especially when they’re young enough to think they’re immortal.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

The concept of beauty in the world clearly refers to the physical and it is consistent with an aesthetic which is product of a mind that tends only to the enjoyment. From this, many opinions qualifying people begin to be formulated, as if everyone is in a constant gateway, where a woman is rejected when her body measurements are excessive or insufficient. … What do we know about beauty? When beauty is separated from the Divine Being, the source and Creator, is temporary. Herein lays the problem. Even Miss Universe will look like a raisin when the old age arrives, and no one will remember what she was like in his youth. ... We can not know anything about the true beauty without a connection with the Divine, nor satisfy our hearts with the appearances of the body. We discover a deep beauty in people when we see with the eyes of the heart. By contrast, if the eyes of lust are the means to value someone, then the opinion will depend on the mere satisfaction of the senses. How small is this concept of beauty, and how cruel!

Śrīla Bhakti Aloka Paramadvaiti Mahārāja :
“The True Beauty” - “Vedic Wisdom Collection”
http://www.vedic-wisdom.org/
http://www.sabiduriavedica.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=124&Itemid=148&lang=en

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

CLIMATE CHANGE BOOSTS ODDS OF EXTREME WEATHER

SCIENTISTS ATTRIBUTE EXTREME
WEATHER TO MAN-MADE CLIMATE CHANGE

www.guardian.co.uk - Climate change researchers have been able to attribute recent examples of extreme weather to the effects of human activity on the planet's climate systems for the first time, marking a major step forward in climate research. The findings make it much more likely that we will soon - within the next few years - be able to discern whether the extremely wet and cold summer and spring so far experienced in the UK this year are attributable to human causes rather than luck, according to the researchers. 
Last year's record warm November in the UK - the second hottest since records began in 1659 - was at least 60 times more likely to happen because of climate change than owing to natural variations in the earth's weather systems, according to the peer-reviewed studies by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the US, and the Met Office in the UK. The devastating heatwave that blighted farmers in Texas in the US last year, destroying crop yields in another record "extreme weather event", was about 20 times more likely to have happened owing to climate change than to natural variation.

Attributing individual weather events, such as floods, droughts and heatwaves, to human-induced climate change - rather than natural variation in the planet's complex weather systems - has long been a goal of climate change scientists. But the difficulty of separating the causation of events from the background "noise" of the variability in the earth's climate systems has until now made such attribution an elusive goal. To attribute recent extreme weather events - rather than events 10 years ago or more - to human-caused climate change is a big advance, and will help researchers to provide better warnings of the likely effects of climate change in the near future. This is likely to have major repercussions on climate change policy and the ongoing efforts to adapt to the probable effects of global warming. Peter Stott, of the UK's Met Office, said: "We are much more confident about attributing [weather effects] to climate change. This is all adding up to a stronger and stronger picture of human influence on the climate." But the key question - of whether man-made global warming is putting a dampener on British summers - will take several years to solve, according to Stott.

Researchers have for the first time attributed recent floods, droughts and heatwaves, to human-induced climate change. Extreme weather prevailed in 2011, a year that saw severe drought in Texas, unusual heat in England - one of the 15 warmest years on record. As greenhouse gas levels climbed last year, boosting the odds of extreme weather events which rocked the world, international scientists reported. We must protect our Mother Earth and stop the abuse we are doing on Her.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Today we see the condition of the world. Never before in history has the world been in a more dangerous situation. We have made progress through technology and science. We have cured diseases such as small pox. Made vaccinations for polio. Made breakthrough in open heart surgeries to keep people living after major heart attacks. These are good things. But at the same time, what are we doing on the other side. We are creating other diseases due to pollution and other unnatural styles. ... due to the green house effect the polar ice caps are melting. It’s creating already dramatic and tragic climatic changes. ... We take the gifts of mother nature and due to our perverted ignorance, we utilize those gifts to create weapons of mass destruction which are meant to massacre the children of mother earth.

Śrīla Radhanath Swami Mahārāja :
“The Real Significance of Bhumi Puja”
“Most Precarious Situation in Humanity”
At Govardhan Farm, Wada - 2nd October 2009
http://www.radhanathmaharaj.net/node/80
http://www.radhanath-swami.net/  -  http://radhanathswami.info

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

LEGENDARY WELSH FOOTBALLER PRAISES YOGA

R.GIGGS: "YOGA IS KEY TO PROLONGING
MY MANCHESTER UNITED CAREER"

http://www.guardian.co.uk - Ryan Giggs has said that practising yoga has kept him in the game for so long and added that he would still love to play another 100 games for Manchester United. The Welshman, who is chasing his 13th Premier League title, told Gazzetta dello Sport that he has had to change the way he thinks on the pitch but that he is still "living the dream".  
"The yoga has definitely helped me," the 38-year-old said. "It helps me train every day because it gives me the flexibility and the strength not only to play the game but to train as well. "I rarely miss a training session even [if I do] a little less than the younger players I still go out and train. [When you get to my age] you have to change the way of thinking. I was a quick player when I was younger, now I am not so quick. [You have to] use your experience, use your intelligence on the pitch, to adapt your game and change your game, as I have done." 
The Welshman also confirmed that he wants to stay involved in football after ending his playing career but admitted that taking charge of United may prove a step too far. Initially, at least.

"At the moment I am just focused on playing. But whatever happens afterwards, I will be involved in football somewhere," he said. "I've done my coaching badges so I've done all I can really to prepare myself for life after football [as a player]. To manage a team like United ... Yes, [Pep] Guardiola has managed [to be in charge of a big club straight away] with Barcelona but even he was coach of the reserve team, the B team, for a couple of years so he had a little bit of experience so... [but] we'll have to see." 
Giggs explained, "Records and goals are not a big part of my motivation for going forward. Of course, playing 900 games for United is special but I don't look too far into the future, I just try to enjoy the moment and to do my best. If that is another 10 games then so be it, and if it is another 100 games then that would be great." 
United's local rivals, Manchester City, have emerged as the main rivals for the Premier League title this season and Giggs said: "We have the experience but City have the hunger, if we both keeping going like this, everything will be decided in the derby."

Giggs, who has already made 28 appearances and scored four goals this season, said: "When I was younger my goal was to play for Manchester United. Just once. You realise your dream and at 38 I am still living my dream." His former Wales and United team-mate Clayton Blackmore explained, "Giggs is still very effective. He’s not just a big name to sell tickets for the Olympics; he can make a difference. He still hasn’t got an ounce of extra weight on him. He has his yoga exercises which have made him more flexible than ever before."

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Asanas elongate, tone and strengthen muscle tissue, massage the organs, stimulate the nerves and balance the pingala and ida nadis. As maximum stretch and flexibility are approached, a subtle stimulation of the physical and psychic nerve system begins to occur. Perform the postures daily in the privacy of your own room, without drawing attention to yourself. Naturally, they should not be performed after meals. Don’t worry if you can’t perform them perfectly, or if some are difficult for you. Do the best you can. Progress at your own pace, rather than in a competitive manner.  With practice, you will find the body becoming more supple, reflecting the mind’s flexibility, alertness and freedom from subconscious repressions. ...
When physical tensions are released through Hatha yoga, mental-emotional tensions are automatically dissolved. This is a great secret and a wonderful tool that you can use every day of your life.

What Is Hinduism?
Hinduism Today Magazine
Chapter 34: "Hatha Yoga"
"A 24-Posture System of Body Tuning and Preparation for Meditation"
http://www.hinduismtoday.com/modules/wfchannel/index.php?wfc_cid=21

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