GO TO SOURCE USA, August 2002: Every year hundreds of vegetarian international high school students want to live with American families and attend American high schools for an academic year. To make this happen, AFS Intercultural Programs (formerly the American Field Service), a 55-year old, nonprofit organization, has to find families willing to host them for a school year. The…
GO TO SOURCE CHENNAI, INDIA, August 15, 2002: The annadhanam scheme, launched by Tamil Nadu government in March last year in 63 select temples in the state is being extended to 63 more temples from Thursday in view of its tremendous success. Philanthrophists who wish to contribute towards this scheme could create endowments for US$306 for temples of their choice.…
GO TO SOURCE MOSCOW, RUSSIA, August 6, 2002: “Bindi iz Indii” (“Bindis from India”) are the new craze among young Russian girls. Bindis are being used as an element of body art along with pierced noses, tattoos and mehndi-dyed hands. Many girls display fancy bindis on their bellies, a thing unimaginable in Communist Russia where tight jeans, mini-skirts, hotpants and…
GO TO SOURCE NEW YORK, NEW YORK, August 15, 2002: The study of the genomes of people and chimpanzees has yielded a deep insight into the origin of language, one of the most distinctive human attributes and a critical step in human evolution. The analysis indicates that language, on the evolutionary time scale, is a very recent development, having evolved…
GO TO SOURCE GAYA, INDIA, August 11, 2002: The drought situation prevailing in several parts of the country, particularly Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, has made the “Gayawal pandas,” the traditional priests of the temples here, jittery. Drought is likely to affect the inflow of pilgrims during the pitripaksha, the fortnight-long festival of souls scheduled to begin in the…
GO TO SOURCE BALIGORADA, INDIA, August 10, 2002: Villagers here have decided to build a temple in honor of Laxmi, an elephant which died this week after suffering for about a fortnight. It turned out to be the last journey for Laxmi, the 45-year-old elephant which had come all the way from Varanasi to take part in Lord Jagannath’s Car…
GO TO SOURCE PATNA TAMOLI, INDIA, August 7, 2002: Kuttu Bai, 65, committed sati, the banned practice of a widow immolating herself on her husband’s funeral pyre. Kuttu had been separated from her husband for some time. But so far as the people of this rural hinterland of Bundelkhand are concerned, they have witnessed a sacred act and Kuttu has…
GO TO SOURCE BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, August, 2002: The Vegetarian Resource Group Online Newsletter is always filled with handy information for vegetarians. This month’s edition has information for the vegetarian college student, who may face special challenges when it comes to eating on campus. Check out these URL’s for many practical suggestions on how to eat vegetarian style while maintaining a…
GO TO SOURCE PEORIA, ILLINOIS, August 12, 2002: The 2002 Hindu Heritage Youth Camp just concluded in Peoria, Illinois. Children and adults from Central Illinois attended this camp to learn about universal values that are strongly emphasized in Hinduism, and also respected in other faiths. The goal was to prepare the youth so that they grow into role models who…
Source: Religion News Service LONDON, ENGLAND, August 16, 2002: The idea of removing the cross from the badge of London’s police force has been dropped — almost as soon as it was raised. The police badge is surmounted by a crown with a tiny cross on the top, and it had been suggested to remove the cross in order to…