Source ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN, November 10, 2011 (ndtv): Text books in Pakistani schools foster prejudice and intolerance of Hindus and other religious minorities, while most teachers view non-Muslims as “enemies of Islam,” according to a study by a U.S. government commission released Wednesday. “Teaching discrimination increases the likelihood that violent religious extremism in Pakistan will continue to grow, weakening religious freedom,…
Source UNITED KINGDOM, November 12, 2011 (BBC): India’s thriving economy has brought many advantages to the population, including the widening of access to a special kind of funeral at the holy city of Varanasi. Trade is brisk as more people can afford to travel long distances to the cremation site. There are 80 ghats (ghat means a series of steps…
Source [HPI note: This rather long summary is drawn from a much longer article examining the role of gold in the modern world, focused specifically on production. For the full piece, click on Source, above.] US, January 1, 2009 (National Geographic Magazine): No single element has tantalized and tormented the human imagination more than gold. For thousands of years the…
Source NEW YORK, November 20, 2011 (ibn live, Press Trust of India): An Indian spiritual leader has been found guilty by a federal jury of selling religious worker visas to Indians for over $ 30,000 each to enable them to enter the US fraudulently. Sagarsen Haldar, 31, also known as Gopal Hari Das, identified himself as the president of a…
Source MUMBAI, INDIA, November 11, 2011: A growing number of Indians are hiring private detectives to check up on a prospective bride or groom’s character, sexual history and finances before marriage. Agencies say they’ve seen a huge rise in pre-matrimonial investigations to check a suitor’s background, because more people are meeting online and families are less involved. Pre-matrimonial investigations are…
Source CHENNAI, INDIA, November 9, 2011 (Times of India): Long before paper was introduced in India, birch bark was used for writing scriptures and texts in Sanskrit and other languages in North India. Now, Chennai can take a closer look at this piece of history as a rare birch bark, used during the 17th century by successive Kashmiri rulers, has…
Source Good thoughts are the foundation stones in the mansion of good conduct. If the foundation is strong, the mansion will endure.— Sri Rameshbhai Oza, inspired performer of Vaishnava kathas
Source Mud thrown is ground lost. The monotony and solitude of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind.— Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
RNS USA, November 16, 2011 (RNS): Got the blues? Go to worship. A new study in the Journal of Religion and Health suggests that — at least for some women of a certain age — there’s a link between optimism and attendance at religious services. “We looked at the religious practices of nearly 100,000 women and — like it or…
Source LONDON, UK, November 17, 2011 (metro.co.uk): Amma, the HIndu saint, spreads her arms to embrace all colors, faiths and creeds. For 30 years, the spiritual leader, real name Mata Amritanandamayi, has been offering strangers darshan – her unique brand of spiritual embrace – and is said to have doled out more than 30million hugs worldwide. ‘There’s a universal message…