NY School Goes Vegetarian, Student Test Scores Improve

Source FLUSHING, NEW YORK, October 21, 2013 (EcoWatch): A public school in Flushing, NY that was the first in the nation to offer a 100 percent vegetarian lunch menu reported recently that students have improved attendance, test scores and energy in the wake of the change. Students are still allowed to brown-bag, but the overwhelming majority–about 90 percent–of students are…

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Hindu Community Under Attack Again

Source BANGLADESH, November 5, 2013 (Dhaka Tribune): Members of Hindu community in Lalmonirhat on Monday came under targeted attack again, for the third time in a week of escalating sectarian tension and violence in the region. At least 15 Hindus – including nine male and six female – were injured, 40 houses raided, four of them damaged, and valuables worth…

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Alleged Facebook Post Sparks Rampage In Pabna

Source PABNA, BANGLADESH, November 2, 2013 (The Daily Star): An angry mob vandalized at least 26 houses and a temple of the Hindu community in Pabna’s Ataikula upazila today following a rumor that a Hindu boy posted something on Facebook demeaning Prophet Mohammad. It took around six hours for the law enforcers to bring the situation under control after the…

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Daily Inspiration

Source The atman in you is that which indwells all things.” “Tell me, Yajnavalkya, about this atman that indwells all things.” “It is that which transcends hunger and thirst, sorrow and delusion, old age and death.”— Brihadaranyaka Upanishad III, 5A

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Parents Appeal California Judge’s Ruling Allowing Yoga In Public Schools

Religion News Service LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, November 1, 2013 (RNS): Parents who say yoga is inherently religious have appealed a judge’s ruling that allowed yoga in a public school system near San Diego, saying it violates the constitutional separation of church and state. “Our children are not religious guinea pigs and should never be subjected to such misguided religious experimentation,”…

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Kenya’s Hindus Can Light Fireworks On Diwali–As Long As They Make No Noise

Source NAIROBI, KENYA, October 29, 2013 (Quartz): Terrorism fears here, a little more than a month after the Westgate mall attacks, have prompted a ban on fireworks during the Indian holiday, often celebrated with the eating of sweets, the exchange of gifts, the lighting of candles, and lots of fireworks. Government officials say they fear that criminals and terrorists could…

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Daily Inspiration

Source Death is not extinguishing the light; it is putting out the lamp because the dawn has come.— Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), Bengali poet and Brahmo Samaj philosopher

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Ancient Vishnu Statue Found In Russian Town

Source MOSCOW, RUSSIA, January 4, 2007 (Times Of India–Please note this article is six years old): An ancient Vishnu statue has been found during excavation in an old village in Russia’s Volga region, raising questions about the prevalent view on the origin of ancient Russia. The statue found in Staraya (old) Maina village dates back to the VII-X century AD.…

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Bali Hindus Angered By Temple Tourism Plan

Source DENPASAR, BALI, October 31, 2013: (hindujagruti): Hindu leaders on the Indonesian holiday island of Bali Tuesday lashed out at a government plan to attract more tourists to their most sacred temple as “degrading” to Hinduism. The Indonesian Hindu Association’s concerns centered on a government decision to include the Besakih temple and the volcano upon which it sits on an…

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Capitol Hill Lights Up For Diwali Festival

Source WASHINGTON DC, October 2013 (The Hindu): The first -ever Diwali festival was celebrated at the U.S. Congress on Tuesday amidst chanting of Vedic mantras by a Hindu priest. Over two dozen influential lawmakers along with eminent Indian-Americans gathered at the Capitol Hill to lit the traditional “diyas.” The event–the first of its kind event at the Capitol Hill–was organised…

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