1. Famed Krisha Temple Oversight Changes Hands on Schedule
2. Kite Offering for Lord Krishna on Makar Sankrati
3. Violent Video Games Make People More Aggressive

1. Famed Krisha Temple Oversight Changes Hands on Schedule

www.newkerala.com

UDUPI, INDIA, January 16, 2006: The two-year-long paryaya (right to conduct the worship) of Sri Vishvapriya Theertha Swami of the Admar mutt will come to a close in the wee hours of January 18 when he hands over the charge of the famous Sri Krishna temple here to his successor Sri Vidyasagar Theertha Swami of Krishnapura mutt. Ever since he took charge of the temple affairs on January 18, 2004, the Admar seer had involved himself in several social-oriented schemes to help rural people. His involvement in social work and participation in the daily Sri Krishna pooja at the temple was widely appreciated. The seer was in trouble when he took steps to demolish the old gopuram in front of the temple and put up a new one in its place. The move did not go down well with a section of the people, especially the Kuruba community, and they resorted to widespread protests demanding the arrest of the seer and taking over the temple administration by the state government. However, the issue died down after the pontiff succeeded in demolishing the old gopuram and constructing a 65-ft huge and magnificent Kanaka gopuram at a cost of US$156,000. The swamiji would hand over the charge to his successor after performing the Nairmalya Visarjana pooja to the presiding deity in the wee hours of January 18. Administration of the temple rotates among the eight ashrams founded by the eight successors of Madhvacharya, founder of the dualistic school of Hinduism in in the twelfth century.

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2. Kite Offering for Lord Krishna on Makar Sankrati

www.hindustantimes.com

JAIPUR, INDIA, January 14, 2006: Special kites embellished with gold and silver threads will be offered to Lord Krishna to celebrate the annual kite festival in Jaipur Saturday, which is one of the most important festivals on the city's calendar. Several temples of Lord Krishna and his consort Radha across the city are being spruced up for the kite festival, which is also celebrated as Makar Sankranti. The main attraction on this occasion would be at city's historic Govind Dev Ji's temple, which is situated in the City Palace's precincts in the old city. Anjan Kumar Goswami, head priest of the temple, said: "Like every year we would have special kite flying arrangement for Lord Krishna. This year he would fly kites decorated with gold and silver threads." He said devotees would also be allowed to offer colourful kites to Lord Krishna on this day. Goswami said: "There are many incarnations of Lord Krishna and Bal Gopal is one of them, wherein the followers treat the God as their son. "Since kite flying is a festival for children, devotees offer kites to him to enjoy the festival. This custom is being followed every year for the past two decades. Krishna's devotees actually celebrate the festival with him." Narendra Purohit, a devotee, said: "I would start Makar Sankranti by offering kites and threads to Lord Krishna. Krishna is the master of the world and we are his followers. So I cannot even think of enjoying the festival without offering prayers to him." Mohan Sharma, another kite lover, said: "I will be offering kites and prayers to Lord Krishna not to appease him but because I love and respect him."

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3. Violent Video Games Make People More Aggressive

hindustantimes.com

NEW YORK, NEW YORK, January 10, 2006: People who play a lot of violent computer games may become aggressive, says a new study that confirms a link between violent computer games and destructive behavior. Earlier research has found people who play such games are more likely to be aggressive though some say this just shows violent people gravitate towards them. However, researchers at University of Missouri-Columbia monitored the brain activity of 39 game players and found changes in their brain activity when they play violent video games, reported BBC News. They measured a type of brain activity called the P300 response, which reflects the emotional impact of an image. The researchers gave the game players opportunity to punish a pretend opponent; those with the greatest reduction in P300 were much more severe with the kinds of punishments being picked. "This is the first study to show that exposure to violent games has effects on the brain that predict aggressive behavior," Bartholow, the lead researcher of the study, said. "People who play a lot of violent video games didn't see them as much different from neutral. They become desensitized. However, their responses are still normal for the nonviolent negative scenes," he said. The findings will back up what many have argued over recent years with the growth in games, there may be a growth of graphic violence.

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