news.bbc.co.uk CHINA, May 17, 2007: Chinese archaeologists studying ancient rock carvings say they have evidence that modern Chinese script is thousands of years older than previously thought. State media say researchers identified more than 2,000 pictorial symbols dating back 8,000 years, on cliff faces in the north-west of the country. They say many of these symbols bear a strong resemblance…
www.shastras.org TROY, MICHIGAN, USA, May 15, 2007: HPI note: Navya Shastra issued the following press release in response to the introduction of a Congressional Resolution condemning the practice of “untouchability” in India. The Resolution text is here. Congressional resolutions do not carry the force of law, but can influence policy makers. The Resolution was introduced by Representative Trent Franks, a…
capeem.org CALIFORNIA, May 17, 2007: In the latest development in the federal lawsuit of the California Parents for the Equalization of Educational Materials (CAPEEM), a motion has been filed with the US District Court in Massachusetts to compel Dr. Michel Witzel, professor of Sanskrit at Harvard University, to turn over certain documents relating to the case. The subpoena, available as…
timesofindia.indiatimes.com NEW DELHI, INDIA, May 13, 2007: On September 22, 2006, the Indian Supreme Court imposed a ban on new field trials of GMO crops, allowing only on going and earlier approved trials to continue. The GMO industry appealed and lost a recent appeal, which requested the court remove the ban and allow new field trials to proceed. The court,…
www.ibnlive.com NEW DELHI, INDIA, May 9, 2007: Imagine a scenario where people have never seen a Hindu or a Muslim. There are places in the UK where children have never seen a person from either race. The growing disparity in community relations has the UK government so worried that it is now urging schools in the country to forge links…
news.bbc.co.uk LONDON, ENGLAND, May 14, 2007: Farmers say they have sympathy for a “sacred” bullock facing slaughter, but still feel the animal must be put down. Monks at the Skanda Vale Temple in Carmarthenshire are campaigning to save Shambo, a six-year-old British Friesian which tested positive for TB. The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) Cymru said exceptions could not be made.…
news.bbc.co.uk UNITED KINGDOM, May 9, 2007: A UN report warns that a hasty switch to biofuels could have major impacts on livelihoods and the environment. Produced by a cross-agency body, UN Energy, the report says that biofuels can bring real benefits. But there can be serious consequences if forests are razed for plantations, if food prices rise and if communities…
timesofindia.indiatimes.com NEW DELHI, INDIA, May 2, 2007: A study, conducted by researchers at the Washington State University, has found that the immunity system of breast cancer survivors improved significantly after practicing the Iyengar form of yoga. Created by B.K.S. Iyengar, based on the traditional eight limbs of yoga as expounded by Pantajali in his Yoga Sutras, this yoga form emphasizes…
shnpillai@yahoo.com MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA, May 13, 2007: The first Hindu temple built in Melbourne, Australia, will celebrate its second Punarutharana Maha Kumbhabhishekam, Sunday, June 17, between 7:00 a.m. and 9:05 a.m. The Sri Vakrathudaya Vinayagar Temple is Melbourne’s only Ganesha temple and the first temple in Australia to have a granite Rajagopuram (literally translated as the entrance deserving of royalty.) Visited…
www.insidebayarea.com NEW YORK, NEW YORK, May 8, 2007: Peter J. Gomes has been at Harvard University for 37 years, and says he remembers when religious people on campus felt under siege. To be seen as religious often meant being dismissed as not very bright, he said. No longer. At Harvard these days, said Gomes, the university preacher, “There is probably…