2. US Supreme Court to Consider Monuments of Religious Minorities
3. Eulogies for Acharya Karmananda
4. Maldives Islanders Save For New Home
5. India Facinates Europe' Royalty
6. Daily Inspiration

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2. US Supreme Court to Consider Monuments of Religious Minorities

The city had rejected Summum's attempt to erect a monument to the group's "Seven Aphorisms" alongside an already accepted Ten Commandments marker. The Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has already ruled in Summum's favor, saying the rejection constituted viewpoint discrimination. If the Supreme Court upholds the 10th Circuit decision, Summum plans to place a stone monument similar to the Ten Commandments marker. Summum is arguing its case based on free-speech rights.

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3. Eulogies for Acharya Karmananda

Source: HPI

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO, November 5, 2008: Acharya Karmananda, spiritual leader of the Divine Life Society (DLS) in Trinidad and Tobago, has passed away at the age of 62.

One of many spiritual leaders honoring the acharya's memory before hundreds of devotees Wednesday was Dr Balkaran Shivnauth, President of the New World Spiritual Foundation, who said, "He has given 46 years of service to humanity in T&T and everywhere he went. T&T has lost yet another great spiritual soul. Each one of us has been touched by the life of one who was inherently humble, one who projected a simple life style, he spoke softly and only when necessary. He last left an indelible mark on society as a whole."

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4. Maldives Islanders Save For New Home

www.nytimes.com

MALDIVES ISLANDS, INDIAN OCEAN, November 10, 2008: The president-elect of the Maldives, a nation of 1,200 low islands in the Indian Ocean, is planning to establish an investment fund with some of its earnings from tourism so it can buy a haven for its citizens should global warming raise sea levels at a dangerous pace, according to several news reports. And Mohamed Nasheed, the country's first democratically elected president, named Sri Lanka and India as possible spots for a refuge, according to the BBC.

Of the 350,000 Maldivians, 10,000 are recent immigrants from India. It would be the reversal of a migration that happened thousands of years ago when dravidians from the subcontinent first colonized the archipelago. The national language, Dhivehi, is originated from Sanskrit.

Ibrahim Zaki, a spokesmen for the government, said, "Global warming and environmental issues are issues of major concern to the Maldivian people. We are just about three feet above sea level."

In its latest report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change of the United Nations projected that sea levels worldwide could rise up to two feet by 2100 as ice sheets eroded and warming seawater expanded. But the panel and independent climate specialists said even higher levels were possible and centuries of rising seas could follow if warming persisted.

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5. India Facinates Europe' Royalty

royalnews.wordpress.com

AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS, November 15, 2008: It seems like there's India fever with royals lately. Belgium's King Albert II and Queen Paola of Belgium just got back from a 10 day tour of the country. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden also spent nearly two weeks there last month.

King Albert II, in his visit, made a point of meeting and honoring religious components of the country. With his wife, Queen Paola, the sovereign started by visiting a Hindu temple, where they received a tilak and garlands of flowers. They have also visited a Sikh temple, a Muslim masjid and a Jain temple.

Another European royal celebrated Indian culture this week, this time in her own country. Crown Princess Maxima of the Netherlands launched the Amsterdam-India festival on Wednesday, a two week event in Amsterdam. Until November 30th, the Amsterdam-India Festival will hold concerts, exhibitions, seminars and many more to celebrate India's unique culture.

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6. Daily Inspiration

www.hinduismtoday.com

Temper takes you to trouble, pride keeps you there.
   Ma Yogashakti Saraswati

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