News from Hindu Press International
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Posted on
2012/2/25 17:30:00 ( 1400 reads )
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Religion News
Service
LONDON, February 25, 2012 (RNS): A controversial Oxford University
professor billed by many as the world's "most famous atheist" now
says he is not 100 percent sure that God doesn't exist -- but just barely.
In a 100-minute debate with Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams on
Thursday (Feb. 23), Richard Dawkins surprised his online and theater
audiences by conceding a personal chink of doubt about his conviction that
there is no such thing as a creator. But, to the amusement of the
archbishop and others, the evolutionary biologist swiftly added that he was
"6.9 out of seven" certain of his long-standing atheist beliefs.
Replying to moderator Anthony Kenny, a noted English philosopher, Dawkins
said, "I think the probability of a supernatural creator existing (is)
very, very low."
Dawkins, author of "The God Delusion" and other best-sellers, is
a leader of the "New Atheist" movement that aggressively
challenges belief in God and criticizes harm done in the name of religion.
"What I can't understand is why you can't see (that life started from
nothing and) is such a staggering, elegant, beautiful thing, why would you
want to clutter it up with something so messy as a God," Dawkins told
Williams, according to The Daily Telegraph account.
The archbishop, who heads both the Church of England and the worldwide
Anglican Communion, replied that he "entirely agreed" with the
"beauty" part of Dawkins' statement -- but said "I'm not
talking about God as an extra who you can shoehorn onto that."
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Posted on
2012/2/25 17:00:00 ( 757 reads )
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I have never met a person who has given me so much trouble as myself. Yet,
I am happy to have learnt from my mistakes.
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Posted on
2012/2/24 18:32:47 ( 742 reads )
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JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA, February 13, 2012 (the new age): Thousands of
devotees observed Kavady prayer at a colorful ceremony in Lenasia,
Johannesburg, on Sunday.
Kavady is a Hindu prayer that has been observed for many centuries by
millions of people throughout the world in dedication to Lord Muruga. It is
celebrated by temples all over the country, where devotees carry containers
of milk from the grounds to the temple and this is offered on the murthi
(statue) of Lord Muruga.
Several devotees pierced their bodies with pins containing various items
(lime, fruit, flowers) while others pulled a large chariot with hooks
attached to the skin on their backs. Devotees do various things as penance,
while seeking blessings of the Lord Muruga.
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Posted on
2012/3/11 21:40:00 ( 684 reads )
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NEW DELHI, INDIA, March 8, 2012 (The Guardian): The trustee of a temple in
Bihar is building a full-scale replica of the 12th century temple of Angkor
Wat on the banks of the Ganges river, near the state capital Patna.
"The Angkor Wat temple in Bihar will be as majestic as the original,
and slightly larger, it will be 222ft by 222ft, and its five shikharas
[towers] will also be 222ft high," said Kishore Kunal, who runs the
Mahavir Mandir temple trust in Patna. "And when it's ready in 10 years
time, it will be a functioning temple, employing at least a dozen
priests."
The project, Kunal estimates, will cost at least 600m rupees (around US$12
million), half to create the basic structure, the rest for the
embellishments, including sculptures of gods and goddesses.
The original Khmer temple at Angkor, built in the 12th century by a Hindu
king from a dynasty linked to southern India and now a Unesco world
heritage site, was dedicated to Vishnu. Bihar's replica will be called the
Virat Angkor Wat Ram Mandir, and will have Ram as the main Deity, flanked
by his consort Sita, who is said to have been a native of the state. Ram,
though, is an avatar of Vishnu and, according to legend, the Hindu god once
crossed the Ganges at the very spot where the temple dedicated to him will
be constructed.
Kunal, a 61-year-old retired police officer, has never visited the original
temple complex in Cambodia, which moved from Hindu to Buddhist use in the
13th century. He is planning his first visit soon but hopes that thousands
of Indians who cannot afford to visit Angkor Wat will be able to experience
its grandeur by visiting the replica nearer home.
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Posted on
2012/3/11 21:30:00 ( 776 reads )
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Description: Source
AGRA, INDIA, February 26, 2012 (maktoobnews): Necessity is the mother of
invention. When the war against pollution to save the Taj Mahal affected
many factories and jobs here in the 1990s, hundreds of men and women took
to repairing and facelifting old saris. Now it has turned into a booming
industry and their skills are in high demand.
The trick is simple - old and used saris are turned into brand new products
thanks to agile and artful hands that breathe life into a discarded
six-yard wonder, even banarasis and kanjivarams.
Over years, workers have acquired the art of repairing and face-lifting old
saris into new, washed, ironed and attractively packed to sell it at low
prices in smaller towns and cities through an efficient network of traders.
The refurbished saris look good and are sold at low prices.
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Posted on
2012/3/11 20:20:00 ( 631 reads )
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Description: Source
NEW YORK, March 9, 2012 (NY Times): Recently, both Starbucks and Amazon
announced that they would be entering the Indian market. Amazon has already
started a comparison shopping site; Starbucks plans to open its first
outlet this summer.
I grew up in rural India, the son of an Indian father and American mother.
I spent many summers (and the occasional biting, shocking winter) in rural
Minnesota. I always considered both countries home. In truth, though, the
India and America of my youth were very far apart: cold war adversaries,
America's capitalist exuberance a sharp contrast to India's austere
socialism. For much of my life, my two homes were literally -- but also
culturally, socially and experientially -- on opposite sides of the planet.
All that began changing in the early 1990s, when India liberalized its
economy. Since then, I've watched India's transformation with exhilaration,
but occasionally, and increasingly, with some anxiety.
More than half a century ago, R. K. Narayan, that great chronicler of India
in simpler times, wrote about his travels in America. "America and
India are profoundly different in attitude and philosophy," he wrote.
"Indian philosophy stresses austerity and unencumbered, uncomplicated
day-to-day living. America's emphasis, on the other hand, is on material
acquisition and the limitless pursuit of prosperity." By the time I
decided to return to India for good, in 2003, Narayan's observations felt
outdated. A great reconciliation had taken place; my two homes were no longer
so far apart.
This reconciliation had both tangible and intangible manifestations.
Something had changed in the very spirit of the country. India is infused
with an energy, a can-do ambition and an entrepreneurial spirit that I can
only describe as distinctly American.
But other things have come to India, too: pollution, crime, and a feeling
of anxiety for those, like me, who are torn between celebrating and
lamenting its change.
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Posted on
2012/3/11 20:00:00 ( 584 reads )
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Description: Source
NEW YORK, March 8, 2012 (by Mark Bittman, NY Times): It is pretty well
established that animals are capable of suffering; we've come a long way
since Descartes famously compared them to nonfeeling machines put on earth
to serve man. No matter where you stand on this spectrum, you probably
agree that it's a noble goal to reduce the level of the suffering of
animals raised for meat in industrial conditions.
That is perhaps difficult when people eat an average of a half-pound of
meat daily. But as better fake plant-based "meat" products are
created, that option becomes more palatable. But I have felt, if you want
to eat less meat, why not just eat more of other real things? But in
October I visited a place in The Hague called The Vegetarian Butcher, where
the "butcher" said to me, "We slaughter soy."
Really: Would I rather eat cruelly raised, polluting, unhealthful chicken,
or a plant product that's nutritionally similar or superior, good enough to
fool me [a food critic] and requires no antibiotics, cutting off of heads
or other nasty things?
"When you 'veganize' food convincingly," says Kathy Freston,
author of "Veganist: Lose Weight, Get Healthy, Change the World,"
"people can enjoy a healthier, better version of their traditional
favorites. And if you know that food won't hurt your body or the
environment and it didn't cause any suffering to an animal, why wouldn't
you choose it?"
Indeed. This country goes through a lot of chickens: We raise and kill
nearly eight billion a year -- about 40 percent of our meat consumption,
compared with roughly 30 percent beef and 25 percent pork. Chickens are
grown so quickly that The Veterinary Record has said that most have bone
disease, and many live in chronic pain. (The University of Arkansas reports
that if humans grew as fast as chickens, we'd weigh 349 pounds by our
second birthday.)
I don't believe chickens have souls, but it's obvious they have real lives,
consciousness and feeling, and they're capable of suffering, so any
reduction in the number killed each year would be good.
And almost all unbiased people agree that less meat is better than more:
for our health, for the environment and certainly for the animals treated
as widgets.
See a video of the soy "chickens"
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Posted on
2012/3/10 21:00:00 ( 1494 reads )
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MOSCOW, RUSSIA, January 2012 (Global Hinduism .com): An ancient Vishnu
statue has been found during an excavation in an old village in Russia's
Volga region, raising questions about the prevalent view on the origin of
ancient Russia. The statue found in Staraya (old) Maina village dates back
to VII-X century AD. Staraya Maina village in Ulyanovsk region was a highly
populated city 1700 years ago, much older than Kiev, so far believed to be
the mother of all Russian cities.
"We may consider it incredible, but we have ground to assert that
Middle-Volga region was the original land of Ancient Rus. This is a
hypothesis, but a hypothesis, which requires thorough research,"
Reader of Ulyanovsk State University's archaeology department Dr. Alexander
Kozhevin told state-run television Vesti . An international conference is
being organised later this year to study the legacy of the ancient village,
which can radically change the history of ancient Russia.
The Vishnu statue is depicted with a hammer in one left hand while the
seventh arm on the right side holds a reticulated sickle. This hammer and
sickle imagery is also found in the Parashurama Sutra, conclusively placing
the origin of great and popular Russian political ideology in Vedic India.
The discovery of the statue confirms certain ideas that others have had
about the Vedic ancient and glorious land and culture.
More at source.
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Posted on
2012/3/10 20:40:00 ( 865 reads )
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USA, March 8, 2012 (The Atlantic): Around the world, Hindus are celebrating
Holi, the Festival of Colors. Gathered at source, above, are images of this
year's Holi festival from across India and several other countries.
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Posted on
2012/3/10 20:30:00 ( 564 reads )
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HOUSTON, TEXAS, March 1, 2012 (Sewa USA, Press Release): As more and more
American college students are opting to work in India to get a closer look
at this emerging giant, Sewa International USA is offering an exciting
internship opportunity to experience India from within.
"Yuva (Youth) For Sewa" (YFS), a 10-week long summer internship
offered by Sewa, provides students a great opportunity to work in India's
nonprofit sector. Interns will work with some of the highly energetic
social service organizations in India.
"YFS started in 2006 and 44 students have served so far in various
projects based on their interest and academic training. Health, education,
environment and woman and child empowerment are four broad project
categories," Prof. Sreenath, President of Sewa International USA,
said.
"Applications should be submitted online (click on source, above) by
March 31, 2012. YFS interns can also opt to work in a Caribbean country. We
select interns through a telephone and an in-person interview",
Darshan Soni, Sewa's Vice President for Development outlined the selection
process. For more details, go to the application form.
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Posted on
2012/3/10 20:20:00 ( 519 reads )
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HPI
KAUAI, HAWAII, March 11, 2012: Hinduism Today is preparing a short item on
the "Yoga Room" at the San Francisco Airport--a first! We need
someone to send us pictures of the sign for the room posted in the airport
(the outline of a yogi in lotus with the words "Yoga Room") and
of the inside, preferably with yogis. Send to ar@hindu.org
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Posted on
2012/3/10 20:10:00 ( 763 reads )
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Religion News
Services
USA, March 9, 2012: Radio evangelist Harold Camping has called his
erroneous prediction that the world would end last May 21 an
"incorrect and sinful statement" and said his ministry is out of
the prediction business.
"We have learned the very painful lesson that all of creation is in
God's hands and he will end time in his time, not ours!" reads the
statement signed by Camping and his staff and posted on his ministry's
website.
"We must also openly acknowledge that we have no new evidence pointing
to another date for the end of the world," he wrote. "Though many
dates are circulating, we have no interest in even considering another
date."
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Posted on
2012/3/10 20:00:00 ( 469 reads )
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The mystery is no mystery to the mystic.
-- Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (1927-2001), founder of Hinduism
Today
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Posted on
2012/3/5 19:20:00 ( 773 reads )
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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, INDIA, March 1, 2012 (Times of India): The inventorying
of valuables in the vaults of Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple has hit an
unexpected roadblock: the expert committee appointed by the Supreme Court
could not find enough qualified gemologists to assess the worth of precious
stones stored there.
Of the three gemologists working in the department of mining and geology,
whose services were sought, one is a woman, the other a non-Hindu and the
third is currently preoccupied elsewhere. While the last obstacle could
probably be remedied, temple customs and rituals categorically rule out the
first two. Sources said the stock taking of valuables in the vaults was
stopped temporarily as the committee could not decide how to solve this
crisis. "There are only three experienced officials in the department.
One is a woman and the other a Christian male. The third person, the only
Hindu male, is currently part of the Kerala mineral squad and his services
need to be relieved from there for engaging in the temple assignment,"
a source said.
For carrying out inventorying in a time-bound manner, at least five
gemologists need to be in the team. Given the limited choice before the
expert committee, it looks like they would have to rope in retired
directors of the department of mining and geology who have the necessary
qualification in gemology. Another option is to train the Hindu male
geologists in the department in gemology and use their services.
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Posted on
2012/3/5 19:00:00 ( 611 reads )
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KATMANDU, NEPAL, February 25, 2012 (Demotix): The wedding of Hindu Deity
Tirupati Balaji concluded in Kathmandu. Thousands of Hindu devotees paid
homage to Tirupati Balaji during the wedding ceremony. The statue of
Tirupati Balaji, considered as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu in Hindu
mythology, along with those of goddesses Sridevi and Bhudevi, was brought
to Kathmandu from Andhra Pradesh, India, for the ceremony.
For the first time, the Tirupati Balaji marriage ceremony was organised
outside India. Some 800 police personnel had deployed and many more private
security guards were stationed to manage the crowd.
The town of Tirupati Balaji is considered one of the most sacred places for
Hindus. Considered the richest temple in the world, the Tirupati Balaji
temple is a vibrant cultural and philanthropic institution with a glorious
history.
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Posted on
2012/3/5 18:50:00 ( 723 reads )
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Life is a loan. Invest wisely.
-- Anonymous
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Posted on
2012/3/4 21:30:00 ( 882 reads )
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INDIA, February 21, 2012 (Express Buzz): US-based human rights activist
Richard Benkin, who has been tirelessly fighting for the cause of
Bangladeshi Hindus, urged all humans across the globe to recognize the
silent ethnic cleansing of Hindus going on unchecked in Bangladesh and
raise their voice against atrocities on the Hindus there.
Speaking on 'Ethnic Cleansing of Hindus in Bangladesh' jointly organised by
Madabhushi Institute of Public Affairs (MAIPA) and Bhavan's Kendra, Benkin
expressed deep anguish over international community, human rights
organisations, people and government of India keeping quiet on the ordeal
of Hindus in Bangladesh. Hindus who were one third of East Pakistan's
population, at time of partition of India in 1947 had dwindled to nine
percent in 1971 when Bangladesh was created and further down to 7 percent
now.
He stressed on exposing Bangladesh government's complicity abetting crimes
against Hindus, forcing them flee the country or covert to Islam. Benkin
said that the UN could do anything to save the hindus and added that it is
the Indian government which has to act fast to stop atrocities on Hindus.
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Posted on
2012/3/4 20:20:00 ( 611 reads )
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TEXAS, March 2, 2012 (My West Texas): Leaders of five different religious
backgrounds gathered Tuesday night to discuss how they understand and
confront contemporary issues through their various faith traditions. The
interfaith event, which was hosted at First Baptist Church, aimed to
promote dialogue and understanding among different faiths, organizers and
participants said.
"We're trying to foster more tolerance, and one of the ways to do that
is to interact," said Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami of Kauai's Hindu
Monastery in Hawaii, who was also a panel member at the first interfaith
event held last year at St. Stephen's Catholic Church. Other speakers
Tuesday night were the Rev. Randel Everett of First Baptist Church in
Midland, Rabbi Holly Cohn of Temple Beth El in Odessa, Imam Wazir Ali of
the Houston Masjid of Al-Islam and Masjid Al-Qur'an and Monsignor James
Bridges of St. Stephen's Catholic Church in Midland. Russell Meyers, CEO of
Midland Memorial Hospital, moderated the event for the second year in a
row, and the event was orchestrated by Padmaja Patel of the Hindu
Association of West Texas.
Questions used during the forum were written by the panelists and shared
with the speakers before the event so they could prepare answers. After
each question, the religious officials each were given four minutes to
share their perspective. Topics ranged from the role of women across faith
traditions; beliefs on capital punishment; and the central, non-negotiable
truth on which different faith traditions are built.
Veylanswami explained the idea central to Hinduism that though God exists
outside of earthly beings in heavenly realms, his omnipresent consciousness
exists within each individual. While holding up a rosary, he imagined that
every person was a bead, but the string that goes through the center of
each bead -- God's consciousness -- permeated all of them. If individuals
look deeply inside themselves, he contended, they will experience their
oneness with God. Until realizing their oneness with God, they will
continue to be reborn or experience reincarnation, he said.
Everett made the caveat in some of his responses that Baptist churches are
largely autonomous by deciding on their own how to deal with issues like
the role of women in the church. "If you get three Baptists together,
there are four opinions, usually," Everett said.
Cohn, who came to the Permian Basin in July 2011, said she was excited to
add diversity to the panel not only as a Jew but as a woman.
In the Catholic church, women cannot be ordained as priests, but many in
that faith tradition look to Jesus' mother Mary as an example of how to
devote their lives to God, Bridges said. "We use her as a tremendous
example that we too can be good at saying yes to what God wants us to
do," he said.
Ali, respresenting Islam, told the audience that he used to come to Midland
while playing high school football and hoped his familiarity with the area
would help others celebrate the diversity around them. "There have
been Muslims among you all the time," he said. "I was just as
Muslim then as I am now, though I wasn't as open about it. I'm teaching it
now."
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Posted on
2012/3/18 21:41:18 ( 1111 reads )
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DELHI, INDIA, March 18, 2012 (Jammu.com): The Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board
convened to decide the details of the Holy Amarnath Yatra for 2012.
Regarding the date of commencement of the Yatra 2012, the Board decided to
commence immediately the registration of pilgrims. The Shri Amarnath Yatra
would commence on 25th June and conclude on Raksha Bandhan on 2nd August.
The Board further directed that all possible efforts should be made to make
a timely assessment to determine whether it would be feasible to consider
advancing the Shri Amarnath Yatra by a few days, prior to 25th June,
depending on the weather.
During the 2010 and 2011 Yatras, despite vigorous efforts to carry out snow
clearance operations on the Chandanwari-Sheshnag-MG Top-Panjtarni-Holy Cave
axis, this route could become fit for movement only around end June. During
Yatra 2009, despite sustained efforts to clear the snow tracks, the Yatris
had faced severe difficulties for the initial 10-12 days, particularly on
the Chandanwari route.
The Shrine Board further decided that the CEO should arrange a Special
Pooja on the day of Jyestha Purnima, which falls on 4th June this year.
This Pooja shall, if possible, take place at the Holy Cave or at any other
suitable location in the Yatra area, to invoke the blessings of Lord Shiva
for the safe and smooth conduct of the pilgrimage.
Referring to the helicopter services from Pahalgam to Panjtarni, which were
started in 2009 on experimental basis for about two weeks before the
conclusion of Yatra, the Board noted with satisfaction that the services on
the Pahalgam-Panjtarni route had been gainfully utilized by over 5000
Yatris every year during the last two Yatras. The CEO informed that fresh
contractual arrangements for the helicopter services from Baltal and
Pahalgam to Panjtarni are under finalization and the schedules and rates
would be notified shortly.
The Board was apprised of the efforts being made to progressively upgrade
the telecommunication facilities in the Yatra area. In this context, at the
request of the Governor, the Union Telecommunications Department had
convened a high level meeting few days ago to finalise an Action Plan for
providing a further improved mobile connectivity in the entire Yatra area
this year.
The Board noted that a growingly large number of pilgrims had been losing
their lives during the annual Shri Amarnathji pilgrimage, particularly due
to cardiac related ailments. It was further noted that 45, 68 and 107
persons had lost their lives in the 2009, 2010 and 2011 Yatras,
respectively.
Taking note of the loss of precious lives during the annual Yatras, the
Shrine Board had decided, in 2010, that every pilgrim seeking Registration
for undertaking the Yatra must be fully aware of the serious risk involved
in the pilgrimage and must self certify that he/she possessed satisfactory
health status to be able to undergo the Yatra.
The Board directed that the C.E.O. should issue a very clear Advisory to
inform every intending Yatri to undergo a medical check-up to assess
his/her fitness for undertaking the arduous Yatra. It will generate the
required awareness through release of appropriate informative features,
both in the print and electronic media, for several weeks running before the
Yatra begins. In this context, the Board appealed to all sections of the
media to provide whole hearted support for enhancing adequate awareness of
the arduous nature of the Yatra among the people at large.
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Posted on
2012/3/18 21:41:12 ( 1073 reads )
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HPI
KAUAI, HAWAII, March 18, 2012: In HPI on March 17, the second article,
"New Jersey Balaji Temple's Hinduism Summit" contains this
inaccurate statement: "a study indicates that over 1/3rd of youth from
Hindu families in America may be converting out of Hinduism." There
has been no study reaching this conclusion. The statement refers to an
informal estimate that possibly 1/3rd of youth from Hindu families in
America are marrying outside of Hinduism, but even that estimate offered no
statistics on actual conversion.
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Posted on
2012/3/18 21:41:06 ( 1010 reads )
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One who is established in a comfortable posture while concentrating on the
inner Self naturally becomes immersed in the Heart's ocean of bliss.
-- Siva Sutras III, 16
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Posted on
2012/3/17 21:47:02 ( 1274 reads )
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RISHIKESH, INDIA, March 12, 2012 (Speaking Tree): The International Yoga
Festival just concluded in Rishikesh, and a hot topic was in many minds in
those healthy bodies: should hatha yoga become an Olympic sport?
A proposal is generating debate around the world. Here are some anwers from
a debate moderated by Ranjeni A. Singh and Sonal Srivastava:
Swami Chidanand Saraswati: Introducing yoga in Olympics will be a good
beginning. When people practise yoga, they will understand that there is a
next step and they will slowly take to the path. There was a time when
people thought yoga was only for sadhus; today everybody is interested in
yoga. The people who would be judging yoga competitions would have to be
those who practise yoga every day.
Manouso Manos: My guru, B K S Iyengar, is okay with yoga being included as
an Olympic sport. He says competition would promote yoga. But I think it's
not the beauty of the posture we are looking at. It is the
Self-realisation, understanding of the real Self; that's what yoga is all
about. If it becomes an athletic sport, it will get wide publicity and
spread like wildfire, but it will lose its elegance and eloquence. If yoga
becomes competitive, there will be a division in the yoga community. There
will be groups that will be interested in the competitive edge and others
that will be interested in healing. Some teachers will teach and train
those who are born flexible and let them compete. Another group of yoga
teachers will help those who are stiff, tired, injured. Then the question
will arise -- who is a better teacher? One who helps individuals or the
school that wins the most gold medals?
Hikaru Hashimoto: Let's understand the concept of Olympics; originally, it
was about harmony. Of course now there is more competition; we'll have to balance
competition with harmony. If yoga is included in the Olympics, it will
change the nature of competition. It will be good for the Olympics.
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Posted on
2012/3/17 21:46:56 ( 994 reads )
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BARCELONA, SPAIN, March 8, 2012 (Europa Press Reports): Indian Spring
arrives on Saturday March 24th in the Spanish capital for the second
edition of the "Festival of Colors: Holimadrid." A Bollywood
flash mob will be the centerpiece of the three hour show. Those who wish to
participate can learn the choreography on the web in advance. More than 154
lbs. of powdered flower petals will be distributed among the participants
to throw during the shower of colors. Everyone is requested to wear white.
Over a thousand people attended last year.
In Malaga a month long Cultural Festival of India, timed to coincide with
the observance of Holi, began on March 5th. Exhibitions, lectures, Indian
cinema, food, music, dance and round table discussions are occurring at
different venues in the city. The Indian residents of the Costa del Sol are
participating in the event which is funded by the local government.
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Posted on
2012/3/17 21:46:50 ( 1116 reads )
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USA, April 2007 (Ars Technica): [HPI note: we recently found this article
which, though a few years old, is a good explanation of the almost mystical
discoveries some physicists find today.]
It may be one of the best-kept secrets in science: we really don't have a
good grip on reality. Two of the best models of physical reality,
relativity and quantum mechanics, appear to be fundamentally incompatible.
That point is reinforced by an article and a perspective from Nature
magazine. The articles describe results that show that quantum mechanics
describes the behavior of a system called "local realism."
Local realism can be understood fairly easily: the properties of particles
can be completely described, and those properties remain localized, meaning
that properties can't be transmitted to a different location faster than
the speed of light. That can be translated as: "Things are the way
things are, right here."
But if take into account a process known as entanglement, in which
particles immediately behave according to other entangled particles which
may be half a universe away, you have a problem. The "local
reality" is either not local or, well, not real.
Many physicists haven't been happy about this situation (including
Einstein), and some have tried to compensate by creating what are termed
"hidden variable" models, in which there are properties of
reality that we don't know how to measure.
That's where the new paper comes in. A set of plausible models allowed us
to test the way the infinitesimal particles that form our universe really
behave. The results confirms odd quantum mechanics phenomena such as
entanglement and discard the idea of a local reality.
Does this mean that it's time to give up on reality? The authors sure seem
to think so, wrapping the paper up with the statement that "We believe
that our results ... must abandon certain features of realistic
descriptions."
(For a complete and more arcane article, see the source above).
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Posted on
2012/3/17 21:46:44 ( 922 reads )
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Alas for me, I cannot rest. This floating bubble, Earth. Its hollow form,
its hollow name, its hollow death and birth. For me is nothing. How I long
to get beyond the crust of name and form! Ah, open the gates; to me they
open must. Open the gates of Light, O Mother to me, Thy tired son. I long,
oh, long to return home! Mother, my play is done. My play is done.
-- Swami Vivekananda
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Posted on
2012/3/16 21:00:00 ( 1047 reads )
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UNITED KINGDOM, March 3, 2012 (Times of India): Research by the House of
Commons Library found that while Christianity has declined, other religions
have seen sharp increases. Christianity is losing more than half a million
believers every year, while the count of atheists and agnostics is going up
by almost 750,000 annually, the Daily Mail reported. UK Hindus grew by 43
percent in the last six years.
In that period, the number of Muslims has surged by 37 percent and
Buddhists by 74 percent. In 2010 there were around 41.1 million Christians
in Britain - down 7.6 percent over the past six years. The number of Sikhs
and Jewish believers fell slightly, according to the Mail Friday.
On Friday, the group's chairman, former Tory justice minister Gary
Streeter, warned that Christian believers were having their faith
"steamrollered" by a "secular and hostile state".
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Posted on
2012/3/16 20:52:24 ( 1012 reads )
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BRIDGEWATER, NEW JERSEY, March 8, 2012 (indoamerican-news.com): Recent
surveys showed that a majority of Americans are leaning towards Hindu
thought. At the same time, a study indicates that over 1/3rd of youth from
Hindu families in America may be converting out of Hinduism. While the
growing interest in Hinduism is a testimony to Hinduism's science and
universal nature, the counter trend shows ignorance about Hinduism's
uniqueness among many born Hindus.
The Hinduism Summit (Dharmajagruti Sabha), at the Balaji Temple Community
Hall in Bridgewater addressed these trends as well as threats to Hinduism
from direct assaults, denigration and 'digestion'.
Some of the speakers were: Hindu activist, Jitendra Oulkar ('Know
denigration: preserve Hinduism'); Shilpa Kudtarkar ('Spiritual dimension
underlying Hindu concepts and issues'); Rajiv Malhotra ('Breaking India -
Western Interventions in Dravidian and Dalit Faultlines'); and Bhavna
Shinde Hurley, spokesperson of Forum for Hindu Awakening, whose
presentation was on 'Understanding, living and preserving Hinduism'.
Since the first Hinduism Summit held in July 2009 in Virginia, 12 Hinduism
Summits have been held in North America, UK and Australia. For more
information, visit www.hinduawakening.org/
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Posted on
2012/3/16 20:52:18 ( 791 reads )
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK, March 6, 2012 (NY Times): The going rate to get a child
who has already passed the entrance requirements into high school in
Nairobi, Kenya? 20,000 shillings. The expense of obtaining a driver's
license after having passed the test in Karachi, Pakistan? 3,000 rupees.
Such is the price of what Swati Ramanathan calls "retail
corruption," the sort of nickel-and-dime bribery, as opposed to
large-scale graft, that infects everyday life in so many parts of the
world.
Ms. Ramanathan and her husband, Ramesh, along with Sridar Iyengar, set out
to change all that in August 2010 when they started ipaidabribe.com , a
site that collects anonymous reports of bribes paid, bribes requested but
not paid and requests that were expected but not forthcoming. 80 percent of
the more than 400,000 reports to the site tell stories like the ones above
of officials and bureaucrats seeking illicit payments to provide routine
services or process paperwork and forms.
Now, similar sites are spreading like kudzu around the globe, vexing petty
bureaucrats the world over. Ms. Ramanathan said nongovernmental
organizations and government agencies from at least 17 countries had
contacted Janaagraha, the nonprofit organization in Bangalore that operates
I Paid a Bribe, to ask about obtaining the source code and setting up a
site of their own.
Last year, the Kingdom of Bhutan's Anti-Corruption Commission created an
online form to allow the anonymous reporting of corruption, and a similar
site was created in Pakistan, ipaidbribe, which estimates that the
country's economy has lost some 8.5 trillion rupees, or about $94 billion,
over the last four years to corruption, tax evasion and weak governance.
Ben Elers, program director for Transparency International, a
nongovernmental organization, said social media had given the average
person powerful new tools to fight endemic corruption. "In the past,
we tended to view corruption as this huge, monolithic problem that ordinary
people couldn't do anything about," Mr. Elers said. "Now, people
have new tools to identify it and demand change." "The critical
thing is that mechanisms are developed to turn this online activity into
offline change in the real world."
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Posted on
2012/3/16 20:52:10 ( 942 reads )
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Peace has three dimensions. Peace within ourselves, peace among nations and
peace with nature.
-- Dada J.P. Vaswani, head of the Sadhu Vaswani Mission
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Posted on
2012/3/12 17:30:00 ( 669 reads )
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QUETTA, PAKISTAN, March 8, 2012 (Forum for Hindu Awakening): The Hindu
community in Quetta and some other parts of Balochistan celebrated Holi on
Wednesday.
People of all ages from the community were seen on the Masjid Road in the
provincial capital celebrating the colourful festival. "We are
enjoying the festival. There are no distinctions between us, class, age or
gender," said Rahul Kumar, a young man whose shirt was soaked in
colored water.
Holi was also celebrated in Naushki, Sibi, Dera Murad Jamali, Lasbela,
Dadhar, Nasirabad, Mastung, Kalat and Khuzdar. The members of the Hindu
community also organised religious ceremonies at their residences and
temples.
It is pertinent to mention that the business-oriented Hindu community of
the province announced to celebrate the festival with simplicity due to the
sharp rise in kidnappings incidents, particularly targeting the traders and
businessmen of the community.
According to a rough estimate, the Hindu population in Balochistan is of
around 200,000 people, and most of them are traders and businessmen.
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Posted on
2012/3/12 17:20:00 ( 1015 reads )
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UNITED KINGDOM, March 2, 2012 (The Guardian): Researchers at the National
Institute on Ageing in Baltimore said they had found evidence which shows that
periods of stopping virtually all food intake for one or two days a week
could protect the brain against some of the worst effects of Alzheimer's,
Parkinson's and other ailments.
"Reducing your calorie intake could help your brain, but doing so by
cutting your intake of food is not likely to be the best method of
triggering this protection. It is likely to be better to go on intermittent
bouts of fasting, in which you eat hardly anything at all, and then have
periods when you eat as much as you want," said Professor Mark
Mattson, head of the institute's laboratory of neurosciences.
Cutting daily food intake to around 500 calories - which amounts to little
more than a few vegetables and some tea - for two days out of seven had
clear beneficial effects in their studies, claimed Mattson, who is also
professor of neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins University School of
Medicine in Baltimore.
Scientists have known for some time that a low-calorie diet is a recipe for
longer life. Rats and mice reared on restricted amounts of food increase
their lifespan by up to 40%!
A similar effect has been noted in humans. But Mattson and his team have
taken this notion further. They argue that starving yourself occasionally
can stave off not just ill-health and early death but delay the onset of
conditions affecting the brain, including strokes. "The cells of the
brain are put under mild stress that is analogous to the effects of
exercise on muscle cells," said Mattson. "The overall effect is
beneficial."
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Posted on
2012/3/12 17:00:00 ( 1238 reads )
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INDIA, March 3, 2012 (Times of India): Vedic literature has stood the test
of time and is the highest religious authority for all sections of Hindus
in particular, and for mankind in general. They are the scriptures of Hindu
teachings, and contain spiritual knowledge encompassing all aspects of our
life.
A new, special 2-DVD pack features the complete Vedas in Sanskrit, chanted
by priests from Karnataka and Varanasi with prescribed pronunciation,
punctuation and enunciation as recommended for Veda recitation. It also
contains a verse by verse translation of the four Vedas - Rig Veda, Sama
Veda, Yajur Veda and Atharva Veda in English and Hindi, for comprehensive
understanding and incorporation in matters of our everyday life.
Times Music has launched the DVDs across all leading music and retail
stores in India.
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Posted on
2012/3/12 16:00:00 ( 719 reads )
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Everything is permanent, until it changes.
-- Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (1927-2001), founder of Hinduism
Today
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Posted on
2012/3/27 17:24:11 ( 945 reads )
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As your mind releases its desires and cravings, it releases the hold that
it has on you. You dive deeper, fearlessly into this blazing avalanche of
light, losing your consciousness. And as you come back into the mind, you
see the mind for what it is, and you are free. You find that you are no
longer attached because you see that the binder and the bound are one. You
become the path. You become the way. You are the light.
-- Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (1927-2001), founder of Hinduism
Today
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Posted on
2012/3/26 21:58:39 ( 3789 reads )
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INDIA, January 6, 2012 (by Sangram Parhi, Express Buzz): In the 1880s, a
Shiva temple in Agar Malwa, Madhya Pradesh, was rebuilt by Lt. Col. Martin
-- the only temple walls ever erected by an Englishman in India.
Col. Martin was in the Afghan wars. He used to regularly write to his wife,
but gradually the colonel's letters stopped. Mrs. Martin, who then lived in
the cantonment of Agar Malwa, was besides herself with grief, fearing the
worst.
One day she rode her horse, past the temple of Baijnath Mahadev. It was in
a decrepit state. She went inside to see the worship of Lord Shiva taking
place. The priests saw the grief on her face and asked her what was wrong.
The Brahmins told her that Lord Shiva listens to sincere prayers of all
devotees and saves them from difficult situations. She was advised by one
of the priests to start chanting the mantra "Om Namah Shivaya"
for 11 days. The Englishwoman prayed to Lord Shiva for the colonel's safe
return, promising she would rebuild the temple if he came home safe from
the war.
On the 10th day, a messenger arrived from Afghanistan with a letter from
her husband. It read, "I was regularly sending you letters from the
battlefield but then suddenly the Pathans surrounded us. I thought there
was no way of escape. Suddenly I saw an Indian yogi with long hair, wearing
a tiger skin carrying a trident. He had an awe-inspiring personality and he
started wielding his weapon against the Afghans who ran away from the field
in fright. With his grace what was certain death our bad times turned into
victory. Then the great yogi told me that I should not worry and that he
had come to rescue me because he was very pleased with my wife's
prayers."
After a few weeks Lt. Col. Martin returned and his wife told him her story.
The couple became devotees of Lord Shiva. In 1883, they donated 100 pounds
(the equivalent of US$6,680 in today's currency) to renovate the temple.
This information is engraved on a slab kept in the Baijnath Mahadev Temple.
The Martins sailed for England with the firm resolution that they would
make a Shiva shrine at their home and pray to him till the end of life. And
they did.
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Posted on
2012/3/26 21:58:33 ( 1107 reads )
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AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND March 2012, (chakranews.com): The Hindu Council of
New Zealand welcomes all to the 4th New Zealand Hindu Conference Hindu
conference, entitled "Serving Community - Serving New Zealand"
that will be held on 12th and 13th May in Auckland.
There are many individuals and groups in the tradition and culture of Hindu
Dharma, working actively to serve Hindu and the wider Aotearoa (New
Zealand) society. The goal of this conference is to provide a platform and
to bring together all Hindu volunteers, organizations and temples that are
currently, capably contributing to the society, and to showcase their
contribution to New Zealand.
The conference will include discussions on Hindu community's contribution
in serving New Zealand community through the education sector, media,
health services, social and community services, and youth development. For
further information email hinduconference@gmail.com
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Posted on
2012/3/26 21:58:27 ( 1051 reads )
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Religion News
Service
WASHINGTON, March 2012 (RNS): Atheists and nonbelievers gathered on the
National Mall Saturday (March 24) in a bid to show politicians, voters and
even themselves that they have grown into a force to be recognized and
reckoned with.
"We are here to deliver a message to America," David Silverman,
president of American Atheists, one of the rally's sponsors, told the
crowd. "We are here and we will never be silent again."
Jesse Galef, a spokesman for the Reason Rally, said diversity is a major
goal of its 20 nontheistic sponsoring organizations. "We can't succeed
if we are only coming from one demographic," he said.
The rally's speakers touched on many issues that unite nontheists --
separation of church and state, science education, equality, rights for
women and the influence of religion on politics, among them. Politics was a
common theme, as many nontheists are concerned about the fundamentalist
beliefs of some Republican presidential candidates.
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Posted on
2012/3/26 21:58:21 ( 1014 reads )
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Man is not man, man is God.
-- Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (1927-2001), founder of Hinduism
Today
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Posted on
2012/3/24 17:02:55 ( 1160 reads )
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INDIA, March 18, 2012 (The Hindu): Recently, a highly influential family
reportedly reached Lodhi Road crematorium ground with the mortal remains of
their beloved. Along with it they brought 400 kg of precious sandalwood for
the purpose of cremation. After all, the last rites ritual is an important
occasion to honor and respect the memories of the departed soul. So, even
if it takes huge quantity of this valuable timber, so be it.
At the crematorium they came across an eco-friendly cremation system
Mokshda, using which they were told could save 300 kg of the wood. They did
exactly that, used 100 kg of the wood and took back the rest. But the
makers of Mokshda aren't as lucky every time. People are not willing to
listen so readily.
"It has taken me 20 years to reach here. Now, people are at least
ready to listen to me. The journey ahead is equally long and full of roadblocks
but I can't give up," says Vinod Kumar Aggarwal, Founder-President of
Mokshda Paryavaran Evam Van Suraksha Samit.
However, in Delhi its first unit was installed as recently as January this
year. The basic design of the system works on the principle that the amount
of air in it is controlled and wastage of heat is restricted, hence
requiring 150 kg of wood as against the 400 kg required in the conventional
system.
Aggarwal informs us that the unit installed at Lodhi Road is only a sample
to test the waters. "The resistance to this change is more in Delhi as
compared to Bombay and Gujarat, where our systems are recording 100 per
cent usage," he says recalling the incident when he witnessed a poor
man immersing a dead body in the river as he didn't have money to buy wood.
A mechanical engineer by profession, Aggarwal then gave up everything to
look for alternatives which were cheaper and more environment-friendly. It
was in Kankhal that MGCS was installed first but recording a poor response
they tried it out in Haryana which too witnessed the similar response.
"The project was almost shelved for a year. We used that time to
introspect on why people were not ready for this change.
Aggarwal did another crucial thing -- he tried to get feedback from a
cross-section of society, in particular various religious and spiritual
leaders. They gave consent to the system. Today their statements have been
turned into banners that adorn the crematorium.
"I wish more and more people see it and get convinced that MGCS
remains true to the tradition and the norms prescribed and nothing is being
twisted. Anshul Garg, Director of Mokshda, feels that the eco-friendly
system also works out to be a cheaper option. "...The entire procedure
just takes two hours. It will also act as a deterrent for the poor who
because of the lack of sufficient wood dispose of partially burned bodies
or even whole corpses in rivers," he says as he shows the experimental
Mokshda pyre to a team from Spain, which is here to study the system and replicate
the model for Hindu cremations in Spain.
Mokshda is also applying for carbon credits under Kyoto Protocol's Clean
Development Mechanism which encourages green projects in developing
countries.
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Posted on
2012/3/24 17:02:49 ( 1183 reads )
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BALI (March 23, 2012) : Shops were shuttered Friday and many tourists
stayed inside their hotels as the Indonesian holiday island of Bali closed
down for a day to mark the Hindu new year.
More than 2,500 police dressed in traditional black-and-white batik sarongs
guarded the island to ensure there was no activity in the streets on the
day of reflection, known as Nyepi. Bali's international airport in Denpasar
was also shut, with almost 300 flights cancelled over a 24-hour period.
Around 35,000 passengers normally fly into Denpasar each day, airport
officials said. Vehicles were not allowed on the streets, and TV and radio
were cut off.
"Other than police, there is no one outside, nothing at all to
do," said Nyoman Sumaya, a receptionist at the beachfront Oberoi Hotel
in the busy tourist district of Seminyak. "We informed all our guests
that they could not leave the hotel or even sit on the beach out
front."On Thursday night, locals paraded effigies of demons known as
ogoh-ogoh, before setting them alight to symbolise renewal and
purification, but on Nyepi night, the island blacks out as lights must stay
switched off.
[HPI note: Dont' miss Hinduism Today's special issue on Bali here ]
See a slidewhow with extrordinary photos of Nyepi here.
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Posted on
2012/3/24 17:02:42 ( 1781 reads )
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HPI
KAUAI, HAWAII, March 23, 2012 (HPI): In 2005 Hinduism Today with the
collaboration of Dr. Shiva Bajpai set out to produce a better history book
to improve the teaching of Hinduism and the history of India in American
schools. Five individual chapters were included in Hinduism Today magazine
over several years. These have been incorporated into a book, "The
History of Hindu India," published in 2011.
Now, with the help of two professional middle-school teachers, Justin Stein
and Esther Llamas, we have a complete set of lesson plans, one for each of
the book's five chapters (download for free here). They are based on the "workshop model"
of teaching for sixth grade, a combination of guided independent work and
group discussion. Each lesson is based on a 42-minute teaching period
divided into five sections: do now (2 to 5 minutes); whole group
instruction (10 to 15 minutes); scaffolding (5 minutes); independent work
(15 to 20 minutes) and summary (5 to 10 minutes). Scaffolding is the
transition between instruction and work time during which the teacher
assists with the assignment, such as by solving a sample question.
There are five plans for each chapter, making a total of 25 classes for the
book. Each plan lists the learning objectives, then outlines each of the
five sections above (do now, etc.). Additional material, such as maps and
biographies, drawn from other sources (often Wikipedia) are provided for
the teacher. Suggested homework is given and at least one worksheet for use
in class. The supplemental material has been selected to be appropriate for
sixth grade level.
The lesson plans were prepared for US schools, but should be easy to adapt
to other countries. They are a work in progress, and suggestions for
changes or additions are welcome.
The follow is an example of "Whole Group Instruction," this for
the section on religious tolerance in the fourth chapter. It is an exercise
to challenge students and get them engaged in thinking about tolerance in a
situation where they have a personal stake. A worksheet (below right) in
the same chapter's lesson checks the student's understanding of key points
made in the lesson and the class discussion.
Example of Whole Group Instruction:
Chapter 4, Teacher's Lesson Plan #2:
Topic: Religious Tolerance
After brief assessment of the student's work during the Do Now period,
quickly divide the class into four groups, each representing one of the top
four sports in their school. Instruct each group to come up with 3-4
reasons why their sport is the best. Give the students 5 minutes to
anecdote responses collectively in their group.
Then, acting as moderator, allow each group to defend their sport as if it
will be chosen as the ONLY sport played in school. Let the students defend
their favorites and counter each other as well.
At the end of their discussion, announce your favorite sport (picking
something no one has mentioned) and nominate THAT as the FINAL and BEST
result. After all their debate, the students will be shocked. Then ask:
Tell them that their sports are inferior. How does this make them feel?
Discuss.
Is this fair?
Is the teacher being tolerant? It certainly isn't the majority choice or
even close!
Compare this exercise to the actions of the missionaries and colonists who
tried to convert the Hindus and Muslims.
Discuss imposed religious beliefs and the colonized mind.
Example of an Exercise:
Chapter One
"Independent Work (15 minutes): Ask students to write a short story
that incorporates Hindu ideas, such as dharma, ahimsa, karma and
reincarnation. It can be about a page long. The main point is that the
character commits an action and then experiences the consequences of that
action either in this life or a future life."
Example of a Worksheet
Chapter 4
Worksheet #4.2 Religious Tolerance
Name _____________________ Date __________
1. What was the main job of the British missionary? Why do you think
missionaries were sent to India?
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. How did Swami Vivekananda view his religion and the religion of others?
How did the world respond to his point of view?
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. When Swami Vivekananda said, "As the different streams have their sources
in different places, all mingle their water in the same sea," what was
he referring to? (p. 67) Explain.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Posted on
2012/3/23 17:11:59 ( 1078 reads )
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HPI
KAUAI, HI, USA, March 23, 2012: The April/May/June 2012 issue of our
flagship magazine focuses on the Hinduism of Bali, where we experience the
people and explore the philosophy and temple culture of this unique Hindu
outpost. If you ask the Balinese, they will tell you theirs is the real,
the ancient and the true form of the faith! They may well be right.
Our Delhi correspondent flew to the island and spent two weeks among the
Balinese, diving ever deeper into their special expression of Sanatana
Dharma and their tightly-knit and proudly Hindu community. To get us
started, he relates the history of how Hindus settled on this unlikely
island and later uncovers the little-known Lontar palm-leaf manuscripts
which reflect Bali's connection with ancient India. An expatriate
Australian married to a Balinese shares her keen insider-outsider cultural
insights, and there is a rich sampling of the Hindu arts, music, painting
and dance which permeate Bali's way of life.
Dare we speak about Nyepi, the day of silence, when all of Bali comes to a
complete stop? Yes, everyone, even the tourists, enjoy a day without noise.
Discover why Bali's cremation rites reflect a cogent understanding of the
soul's passage, and learn of Bali's reflective reaction to the 2002 terror
attacks which killed hundreds and stunned the world. The amazing way they
responded provides a lesson and a model for all communities suffering from
tragedy. As if that were not enough, Rajiv bravely throws himself into the
controversial practice of animal sacrifice in Bali, offering some
not-to-be-expected insights.
In his Publisher's Desk editorial, Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami takes us
on a spiritual journey, showing how the soul matures from instinctive to
intellectual to spiritual maturity, using the lotus flower as a symbol of
our inner growth. Dada Vaswani offers insights on Atma Vidya, the science
of the Self, telling a clever story to drive home his point.
The Insight Section is a full 16 pages of delightful photos and how-tos on
the traditional Hindu wedding, with special emphasis on helping those in
the diaspora to do it right.
And, as usual, our Global Dharma digest tells you what's happening around
the world in the Hindu family, Quotes & Quips offers a humorous respite
from the mean-old-world and Digital Dharma gives you the scoop on how
technology is being used to support Hinduism. With stunning photos and
in-depth articles, you don't want to miss this special issue on Bali!
The latest issue of Hinduism Today for April/May/June 2012 may be ordered
online at www.minimela.com in single copies and in
multiple copies at discounted prices.
See it for yourself at hinduismtoday.com !
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Posted on
2012/3/23 17:11:53 ( 1109 reads )
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Out of purity and silence come words of power.
-- Swami Chinmayananda (1916-1993), founder of Chinmaya Mission
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Posted on
2012/3/19 22:48:32 ( 1108 reads )
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KARACHI, PAKISTAN, March 6, 2012 (thehindu.com): Sikhs and Christians of
Karachi have come out in support of the Hindu community over the kidnapping
and forced conversion to Islam of a 17-year-old girl from the Ghotki
district of Sindh. On Sunday, members of various minority communities
joined hands to stage a protest outside the Karachi Press Club demanding
justice.
Rinkle Kumari is said to have been kidnapped from her home in Mirpur
Mathelo in Ghotki district on the night of February 24. The girl's family
claims that she was forcibly converted, re-named 'Faryal' and married to
Naveed Shah, a politician and members of the Muslim National Assembly. The
other side claims Rinkle left home on her own to marry Naveed.
President Asif Ali Zardari had stepped in early in the case to call for a
transparent and speedy investigation. Taking serious note of reports of the
kidnapping, the President had called for a report from the provincial
government on February 26.
[HPI note: Though we cannot yet know the details from this case, it is
worth noticing the volatile religious situation in Pakistan, where the
situation of Hindus has been steadily deteriorating.]
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Posted on
2012/3/19 22:48:26 ( 1153 reads )
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WASHINGTON, U.S.,March 9, 2012 (The Hindu Business Line) : India is the
second largest source of global migrants after Mexico and is the ninth top
destination for all migrants, a new report said today. According to a study
released by the Pew Research Center, over 77 million migrants, or about 36
per cent of the worldwide total, have come from the 10 leading origin
countries.
Overall, Mexico has been the largest single source of migrants (12.9
million), followed closely by India (11.8 million) and Russia (11.3
million). In addition, China (8.4 million), Bangladesh (6.5 million) and
Ukraine (6.5 million) each have more than six million emigrants.
Britain, the Philippines and Pakistan round out the top 10 list of
countries of origin for international migrants alive today, the report
said.
About 110 million migrants, or more than 50 per cent of the global total,
have gone to 10 leading destination countries. With nearly 43 million
foreign-born residents, including more than 11 million unauthorised
immigrants, the US has more than three times as many international migrants
as any other single country.
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Posted on
2012/3/19 22:48:20 ( 1085 reads )
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UNITED STATES, March 13, 2012 (NY Times): Eating red meat is associated
with a sharply increased risk of death from cancer and heart disease,
according to a new study, and the more of it you eat, the greater the risk.
The analysis, published online Monday in Archives of Internal Medicine,
used data from two studies that involved 121,342 men and women who filled
out questionnaires about health and diet from 1980 through 2006. There were
23,926 deaths in the group, including 5,910 from cardiovascular disease and
9,464 from cancer.
Each daily increase of three ounces of red meat was associated with a 12
percent greater risk of dying over all, including a 16 percent greater risk
of cardiovascular death and a 10 percent greater risk of cancer death.
Previous studies have linked red meat consumption and mortality, but the
new results suggest a surprisingly strong link. "When you have these
numbers in front of you, it's pretty staggering," said the study's
lead author, Dr. Frank B. Hu, a professor of medicine at Harvard.
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Posted on
2012/3/19 22:48:15 ( 1113 reads )
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NEW YORK, March 16, 2012 (by Mark Bittman, NY Times): A new study reported
finding that too much meat can kill you. The headlines screamed, of course.
The Los Angeles Times: "All Red Meat Is Bad for You." NY Times:
"More Red Meat, More Mortality." The BBC: Red Meat Increases
Death, Cancer and Heart Risk."
Well, duh.
Do we eat too much meat? Undoubtedly. That our level of consumption causes
health problems that may lead to death is not news. For a time it was
thought that those problems were because of high cholesterol levels, but
no: cholesterol is a marker. Then saturated fat was believed to be the
culprit but now, well, we're not so sure.
It could be one or more of many things. It could be, for example, that the
sheer quantity of our overindulgence overwhelms something in our immune
systems. It could be too much protein, too little exercise, too few
vegetables. It could even be the way the animals are raised or killed or
the drugs they're fed. It could be all of the above.
Our animal production and consumption situation is a great steamship of a
mess, one that's going to take us years to begin to turn around and a
generation or more to "fix." The meat industry is deeply involved
in abominable cruelty and questionable practices.
We shouldn't ignore work that found that "Eating meat is associated
with increased risk for diabetes, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and certain
cancers," and "Higher intake of red meat was associated with a
significantly elevated risk of total, CVD and cancer mortality." But
this is like throwing a twig on an inferno, or what should be an inferno.
High meat consumption has already been exhaustively proven to be bad for
you, and bad for the environment.
It's also worth quoting Dean Ornish, who wrote the journal's commentary on
the study: "What is personally sustainable is globally sustainable.
What is good for you is good for our planet." Which about sums it up.
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Posted on
2012/3/19 22:48:09 ( 949 reads )
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One night, Emperor Akbar dreamt that he had lost all his teeth, except one.
The next morning he invited all the astrologers of his kingdom to interpret
this dream. After a long discussion, the astrologers prophesized that all
his relatives would die before him. Akbar was very upset by this
interpretation and so sent all the astrologers away without any reward.
Later that day, Birbal entered the court. Akbar related his dream and asked
him to interpret it. After thinking for a while, Birbal replied that the
Emperor would live a longer and more fulfilled life than any of his
relatives. Akbar was pleased with Birbal's explanation and rewarded him
handsomely.
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Posted on
2012/4/3 21:29:21 ( 1346 reads )
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MINNESOTA, U.S., March 7, 2012 (StarTribune by Anant Rambachan): In
November, Minnesotans will approve or reject a proposed constitutional
amendment that would ban same-sex marriage. Many belonging to
long-established religions in Minnesota have joined the debate over this
matter. Jews and Christians, liberal and conservative, have expressed
positions.
Our state is home also to significant numbers of people of other world
religions, including my own Hindu tradition. It is important that our
voices also be offered in the public square. This amendment threatens to
enshrine in law the perspective of particular religions and marginalize
others.
There are important teachings in the Hindu tradition that affirm the equal
worth of all sexual orientations. In the Hindu tradition, the value of the
human person is not located in his or her sexual identity. It proceeds from
the teaching that God is present equally and identically in all beings. No
being is excluded, and awareness of this truth is regarded as the highest
religious wisdom.
In relation to the attainment of life's highest goal, spiritual liberation,
the Hindu tradition does not discriminate between heterosexuals and
homosexuals. Its sacred scriptures positively mention the accessibility of
liberation for gays. What stands in the way of liberation is ignorance of
God existing in the heart of all beings, expressing itself in greed,
violence and injustice.
The public good, as understood in the Hindu tradition, is best served by
our support for committed relationships that embody the values of love,
loyalty, trust, care, friendship and justice. Such values are not exclusive
to heterosexuals. There is no good religious argument in the Hindu
tradition for supporting this amendment to the Minnesota Constitution.
More at source.
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Posted on
2012/4/3 21:29:15 ( 1541 reads )
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PARIS, FRANCE, April 3, 2012 (indeaparis): Sadhus--Holy Men of Hinduism by
photographer Olivier Remualdo was on exhibit at the Espace Pierre Cardin
from March 26 to April 3, 2012. Sadhus, Holy Men of Hinduism was awarded
the Prix Lucien Clergue in 2011.
Olivier Remualdo is a self-taught photographer originally from Nice. He has
conducted many exhibitions on Indian culture in France. The work on Sadhus
was started in 2009. Three trips to India were necessary to achieve this
gallery of portraits of Hindu wandering monks. In total over 110 portraits
and interviews with ascetics have been made. To complete this project and
also to launch a personal challenge, Olivier Remualdo traveled over 373
miles alone in the Himalayas to meed the sadhus.
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Posted on
2012/4/3 21:29:09 ( 904 reads )
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Only the guru is father, mother and brother. He is also friend, well-wisher
and the only wealth. Thus everything should be surrendered to him. The
disciple, fully surrendered to the guru, sees him as God, and then becomes
God himself.
-- Chandra Jnana Agama, 2.68
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Posted on
2012/4/1 17:11:41 ( 1135 reads )
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TIRUPATI, INDIA, March 28, 2012 (Times of India): Members of a numismatic
scholars' committee, formed to segregate the huge collection of coins in
the famous Tirupati Tirumala temple, have found that some of the earliest
coins in the collection belonged to the Satavahana period, more than 2,000
years ago.
The panel, which included 20 numismatic scholars from the south, has
segregated more than 36 tonnes of coins from the total 48 tonnes in three
sessions.
"We have segregated about 36 tonnes of coins so far. The remaining 12
tonnes will be segregated in a couple of months," said T Sathyamurthy,
one of the members in the team and vice president of South Indian
Numismatic Society.
Sathyamurthy said the gold coins accumulated in the hundi (temple
collection box) are found to be embedded in the necklaces of the God. The
temple administration has stored a huge amount of copper and lead coins in
the nearby treasury. The temple is administered by the Tirupati Tirumalai
Devasthanams.
The coins during the Nayak period cover the major share. Others include
coins of Bahmani, Khilji, Chatrapathi Sivaji, Qutub Shahi, Mysore Wodayars,
Travancore kings, East India Company and Dutch India Company, Sathyamurthy
said, adding that modern coins from as many as 60 countries, including the
Middle-East, Africa, US, UK, Australia, Canada, Malaysia, Singapore,
Thailand and the Philippines are also found in the collection.
"We are planning to display the rare coins in the two museums here. We
are actually working on how to do it," said J Vijayakumar, chief
museum officer of the Sri Venkateswara Museum, Tirupati.
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Posted on
2012/4/1 17:11:35 ( 890 reads )
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USA, February 28, 2012 (HPI): The second Permian Basin interfaith dialogue
took place in Midland, Texas. This year's event was hosted by First Baptist
Church of Midland.
This year's highly qualified panelists each spoke on the perspective of
their faith on questions regarding the singular non-negotiable truth of
their faith, the role of women in their faith, the practices that members
of their faith perform in the home, their personal view on capital
punishment and how their faith values diversity and looks at the idea that
the whole world is one family.
Emcee: Russell Meyers, CEO, Midland Memorial Hospital
Speaking for First Baptist Church: Dr. Randel Everett
Speaking for Temple Beth El, Odessa: Rabbi Holly Levin Cohn
Speaking for Kauai's Hindu Monastery: Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami
Speaking for St. Stephens Catholic Church, Midland: Monsignor James Bridges
Speaking for Masjid Al-Qur'an and Masjid Al-Islam, Houston: Imam Wazir Ali
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Posted on
2012/4/1 17:11:29 ( 1380 reads )
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ONTARIO, CANADA, March 27, 2012 (Press Release): A Hinduism Summit
(Dharmajagruti Sabha) will be held Saturday, April 28, from 2.30-4.45pm, at
the Hindu Heritage Centre, Mississauga, Ontario. The free event is being
held by the Heritage Centre and the Forum for Hindu Awakening.
The event will feature presentations by Hindu leaders, videos and exhibitions
on topics ranging from the tenets of Hinduism, maintaining Hindu identity
in Canada and issues faced by Hindu youth in Canada. Also, Hindu spiritual
healing remedies on health, relationship or financial problems.
The summit welcomes everyone interested in understanding Hinduism. To
register, visit www.hinduawakening.org/events or call 877-303-3342.
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Posted on
2012/4/1 17:11:23 ( 1110 reads )
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NEW YORK, MARCH 30, 2012 (NY Times): Interracial marriage rates are at an
all-time high in the United States, with the percentage of couples
exchanging vows across the color line more than doubling over the last 30
years. But Asian-Americans are bucking that trend, increasingly choosing
their soul mates from among their own expanding community.
From 2008 to 2010, the percentage of Asian-American newlyweds who were born
in the United States and who married someone of a different race dipped by
nearly 10 percent, according to a recent analysis of census data conducted
by the Pew Research Center. Meanwhile, Asians are increasingly marrying
other Asians, a separate study shows, with matches between the
American-born and foreign-born jumping to 21 percent in 2008, up from 7
percent in 1980.
Asian-Americans still have one of the highest interracial marriage rates in
the country, with 28 percent of newlyweds choosing a non-Asian spouse in
2010, according to census data. But a surge in immigration from Asia over
the last three decades has greatly increased the number of eligible
bachelors and bachelorettes, giving young people many more options among
Asian-Americans. It has also inspired a resurgence of interest in language
and ancestral traditions among some newlyweds.
In 2010, 10.2 million Asian immigrants were living in the United States, up
from 2.2 million in 1980. Today, foreign-born Asians account for about 60
percent of the Asian-American population here, census data shows.
"Immigration creates a ready pool of marriage partners," said
Daniel T. Lichter, a demographer at Cornell University who, along with
Zhenchao Qian of Ohio State University, conducted the study on marriages
between American-born and foreign-born Asians. "They bring their
language, their culture and reinforce that culture here in the United
States for the second and third generations."
The term Asian, as defined by the Census Bureau, encompasses a broad group
of people who trace their origins to the Far East, Southeast Asia or the
Indian subcontinent, including countries like Cambodia, China, India,
Japan, Korea, the Philippine Islands and Vietnam. (The Pew Research Center
also included Pacific Islanders in its study.)
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Posted on
2012/4/1 17:11:17 ( 902 reads )
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In the West we think we are a human having a spiritual experience. In the
East we know we are a spiritual being having a human experience.
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Posted on
2012/3/28 17:23:26 ( 1613 reads )
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BANGALORE, INDIA, March 2012, (siliconindia.com): A foundation-laying
ceremony has been held in Patna, Bihar earlier this month for the creation
of what is said to be the tallest Hindu temple anywhere in the world. But
what became a matter of diplomatic confrontation between India and Cambodia
is the same proposed Hindu temple in the banks of Ganges River as it's the
replica of Cambodia's Angkor Wat, the country's most popular tourist
attraction and national symbol. Mahavir Mandir Trust, a privately run
India-based religious organization, is behind this 100 crore (US$19.7
million) project and 'bhoomi pujan' (land purification) has been held at
the site near Hajipur.
The massive replica of the 12th century Cambodian temple will be called
'Virat Angkor Wat Ram Mandir' and will be built in a sprawling 40-acre site
on the Hajipur-Bidupur road near Ismailpur village.
The Cambodian government called the move to make a higher replica of its
national symbol a "shameful act" and warned that this could
affect the future relationships with India. "'There is only one Angkor
Wat in the world, it is Cambodia's Angkor Wat temple, which was listed as
one of the world heritage sites in 1992," Cambodia's Minister of
Culture and Fine Arts, Him Chhem, told reporters in Phnom Penh.
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Om Tat Sat
(Continued...)
(My humble salutations to Sadguru Sri Sivaya Subramuniyaswami ji,
Satguru Bodhianatha Velayanswami ji, Hinduism
Today dot com for the collection)
(The Blog is reverently for all the seekers of truth,
lovers of wisdom and to share the Hindu Dharma with others on the
spiritual path and also this is purely a non-commercial blog)
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