GO TO SOURCE ALISO VIEJO, CALIFORNIA, Sept. 16, 2001: When the brand new campus of Soka University of America opened its doors here for admissions for this fall, it decided to dedicate one of its classroom buildings to the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi, naming it “Gandhi Hall.” Gandhi’s grandson, Dr. Arun Gandhi, who had flown here from Memphis, Tenn., especially…
GO TO SOURCE GAUHATI, INDIA, September 15, 2001: A banned pesticide used by villagers in remote northeastern India was blamed Saturday for the death last month of 15 wild elephants. Investigator Kushal Konwar Sharma said forensic tests revealed the presence of the pesticide Dimecron in the elephants’ carcasses, which were discovered in and around Nameri National Park in Assam state.…
Source: Canadian Press OTTAWA, CANADA, September 10, 2001: Canada may soon be coerced into joining the ranks with eleven other nations of the world where spanking of children is considered to be a criminal act. In the Ontario Court of Appeal, Paul Schabas, a lawyer representing the Canadian Foundation for Children, Youth and the Law, has advocated that Section 43…
GO TO SOURCE NEW YORK, NEW YORK, September 1, 2001: Following a series of lawsuits, McDonald’s Corporation has announced it is giving more information about ingredients used in the items on its menu. The fast food giant is using www.mcdonalds.com to mention whether a “natural flavor comes from a dairy, vegetable or meat source.” Fliers containing the ingredient information will…
Source: The Daily Pioneer KOLKATA, INDIA, September 15, 2001: Giving a thumbs down to the Central Government’s move to introduce astrology in the curriculum of universities, Rabindra Bharati University (RBU) here has rejected a University Grant’s Commission proposal to set up an astrology department and returned a grant of US$31,900. The UGC controls much of the funding for universities in…
Source: Religion News Service KASHMIR, INDIA, September 12, 2001: A Muslim shepherd in northern India who discovered an ancient Hindu temple while searching for lost sheep will receive 10 percent of the cash offerings that tourism officials expect the shrine will collect. Ghulam Qadir stumbled across the 1,500-year-old cave shrine in Chandanwari in central Kashmir, and found a 12-inch icon…
GO TO SOURCE BANGALORE, INDIA: The government is keen to cash in on the sudden demand for ayurveda medical treatment from foreign tourists and will introduce it in three tourist resorts in Karnataka. Shortly, ayurvedic treatment procedures, especially “panchakarma,” will be start at Bhimeshwari in Mandya district, Devabag near Karwar and Kabini. Speaking to The Sunday Times of India, Tourism…
GO TO SOURCE KOLKATA, INDIA, September 14, 2001: Sick and tired of the garbage piling up during the puja and the stench, the Calcutta Municipal Corporation has come with a novel competition scheme for cleanliness among puja pandals where the cleanest puja pandal will be awarded a prize. A “pandal” is a temporary temple set up beside (or in) a…
GO TO SOURCE PUNE, INDIA, August 28, 2001: Sadhu Vaswani Mission announced today its annual “Meatless Day,” also called “Meat-Out Day,” on November 25. The popular observance falls on the birthday of the Mission’s founder, Sadhu Vaswani, a revered saint of the Sindhi community. The present leader of the Mission, J.P. (Dada) Vaswani said, “Buddha asked 25 centuries ago, ‘how…