Source NEW YORK, October 30, 2011 (NY Times): After decades in which cancer screening was promoted as an unmitigated good, as the best — perhaps only — way for people to protect themselves from the ravages of a frightening disease, a pronounced shift is under way. Now expert groups are proposing less screening for prostate, breast and cervical cancer and…
Indian Express NEPAL, November 5, 2011 (by Yubaraj Ghimire for the Indian Express):Nepal was declared a secular state more than five years ago, but politicians’ use of religion is still strong. On Vijayadashami day, October 6, President Ram Baran Yadav offered prasad to senior government officials and others in his office, following a practice of the monarchs before Nepal became…
Source GEORGE TOWN, MALAYSIA, November 2, 2011(The Sun Daily): Thousands of Hindu devotees made their way to the Sri Arulmigu Ganesha temple, near Vale of Tempe, during its re-consecration ceremony today. The five-day event, which is celebrated once every 12 years, started Saturday, and saw devotees flocking to the temple to pray and bring offerings for blessings. With thousands of…
Source We live in a moment of history where change is so speeded up that we begin to see the present only when it is already disappearing.— R.D. Laingt (1927-1989), Scottish psychiatrist
Source MALAYSIA, October 17, 2011 (Times of India): In an interview with B. Sivakumar, Carl Vadivella Belle, former Australian diplomat and a devotee of Murugan, talks about his first visit to a Hindu temple and his interest in Hinduism: “I was posted in Kuala Lumpur in the ’70s. Shortly after my arrival, we were taken to a Murugan temple in…
Source COLOMBO, SRI LANKA, October 17, 2011 (zeenews.india.com): India agreed Sunday to provide nearly USD 3 million to help restore the Thirukatheeswaram temple. This temple, located in the northeastern district of Mannar, is one of the holiest Hindu shrines in Sri Lanka and an important symbol of the island’s Tamil cultural heritage. A memorandum of understanding was signed between India…
hinduamerican.org WASHINGTON, D.C., November 1, 2011 (Press Release from the Hindu American Foundation): The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) strongly condemned a “blatant attack” by Kentucky legislator David Williams (R-KY) against the state’s Governor, Steve Beshear (D-KY), for participating in a Hindu religious ceremony last week at an area business. State Senate President David Williams claimed that Gov. Beshear’s participation in…
Source USA, October 31, 2011 (NYT) Feeling claustrophobic? You’re not alone. According to United Nations demographers, 6,999,999,999 other Earthlings potentially felt the same way on Monday when the world’s population topped seven billion. But if you’d rather go by the United States Census Bureau’s projections, you’ve got some breathing room. The bureau estimates that even with the world’s population increasing…
Source USA, October 31, 2011 (CNN): The global population is expected to reach 7 billion today — just 12 years after hitting 6 billion — and the milestone has many pondering the complex challenges associated with billions more people on Earth in the coming years. Some are also pondering something else: Just how big is 7 billion really? It’s a…
Source COIMBATORE, INDIA, October 13, 2011 (cadalyst.com): This may be a first: a Nandi created with laser scanning and a computer-aided design (CAD) model. Nandi is Lord Siva’s mount, a great bull who is installed in front of every Siva temple, gaze fixed unwaveringly on the image of God in the inner sanctum, one leg extended as if just rising…