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News

Dalai Lama criticized

added on: 27th June, 2008

The Western Shugden Society, the community of Wisdom Buddha Dorje Shugden practitioners, is now demonstrating openly against the Dalai Lama as a result of the alleged unjust punishment inflicted on the practitioners of Dorje Shugden. Using his people like an army, it is claimed the Dalai Lama has destroyed all Shugden Temples and shrines, and expelled all Shugden practitioners from the Tibetan community. His actions, it is claimed, have separated innocent people from their families, friends and community. As a result thousands of Shugden practitioners have allegedly been forced to become refugees for the second time in their life as they seek exile in other countries. There are concerns that the Dalai Lama may be breaking the law on grounds of religious persecution. The controversy dates back to the 5th Dalai Lama (1617-1682) who wrote: ‘It is well known that at Dhol Chumig Karmo (Dorje Shugden) a very powerful perfidious interfering spirit (damsri), born due to distorted prayers, has been harming the teaching of the Buddha and sentient beings in general’. Hence the current Dalai Lama’s aversion to the worship of such a being. Yet the origins predating the 5th Dalai Lama’s interpretation couldn’t be more different – it was more widely believed that Dorje Shugden always helps, guides and protects pure and faithful practitioners by granting blessings, increasing their wisdom, fulfilling their wishes, and bestowing success on all their virtuous activities. For more information visit www.westernshugdensociety.org

Heads Up!

added on: 26th June, 2008

New research suggests that two well-known crystal skulls in the British Museum and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, are not, after all, from ancient Mexico. Academics now believe the British skull was made in 19th-century Europe and the American one even later. Electronmicroscope analysis for tool marks found both skulls were carved with a rotary disc-shaped tool, a technology the ancient Mexicans didn’t have. Analysis of the quartz in the Brit ish Mu se um skull sug gests it was quar ried from Brazilor Madagascar – far outside the Ancient Mexicans’ trading links. The team, made up of experts from Cardiff and Kingston universities, the British Museum and the Smithsonian, concluded that neither skull could have been made in Mexico before the time of Columbus. They believe the British skull was created in Europe in the 19th century, and the Smithsonian’s shortly before it was bought in Mexico City in 1960. ‘It is always disappointing when an intriguing arte fact like a crystal skull turns out not to be genuine,’ said Cardiff University’s Ian Freestone, a mem ber of there search team. The findings are to appear in The Journal of Archaeological Science.

Sea Sanctuary

added on: 25th June, 2008

Environmental groups are applauding the recent promise by Chilean President Michelle Bachelet to convert Chile’s entire coastline – one of the longest in the world – into a whale sanctuary. Nearly 50 per cent of the world’s whale species pass through Chilean waters on a regular basis and, in addition, Chile hosts a sizeable population of blue whales which come to feed and reproduce off the northern coast of Chile. Bachelet made the announcement as part of her annual May 21 State of the Nation speech. During June’s annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) – to be held in Santiago – she promised that Chile will condemn the capture and killing of whales for scientific purposes. The whale sanctuary plan was first proposed in 2007 by the National Confederation of Chilean Artisan Fishermen which joined with the Center for Cetacean Conservation and Ecoceanos, a Santiago-based environmental NGO, in lobbying Chilean government authorities. A law already in place bans whaling until 2025 and the new sanctuary would help extend that law indefinitely. In recent months the initiative has received almost universal backing; over 100 environmental groups around the planet including the Marine Connection support the proposed sanctuary. ‘This is a huge triumph for the people of Chile and a strong international signal by the host country of the International Whaling Commission gathering,’ said Ecoceanos Director Juan Carlos Cárdenas. ‘This demonstrates the eff ectiveness of the combined effort by environmentalist and artisan fishers, who in demanding the creation of a sanctuary were able to attract the support of 97 per cent of the Chilean public.’ For more information visit ww.marineconnection.org

Water Worries

added on: 24th June, 2008

Tourist lodges requiring huge amounts of water are to be built on the land of the Kalahari Bushmen – but the Bushmen are not allowed to pump water from their single borehole. The government has invited companies to tender for concessions to run tourist lodges at three sites in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR). One of the sites is very close to the Bushman community of Molapo. The companies, Afro Ventures Botswana and the Safari Adventure Company, have been asked to bid for this concession. The Bushmen have been asking the government to allow them to reopen a disused water borehole inside the reserve, ever since the government dismantled it during the evictions of 2002. The Bushmen say they will seek their own funding to pump water. But the government has refused, on the grounds that the borehole is ‘government property’. The Bushmen won the legal right to return home in December 2006 but the government is making this almost impossible by preventing them from pumping water in what is an extremely arid and inhospitable environment. Survival’s director Stephen Corry said: ‘The government’s plan to build tourist lodges in the reserve makes its denial of water to the Bushmen seem crueller than ever. Some tourists thinking of visiting are bound to change their minds when they hear what happened to the Bushmen there.’ Several boreholes have already been sunk in the reserve in preparation for Gem Diamonds’ $2.2 billion diamond mine at the Bushman community of Gope. For more information contact Miriam Ross on (+44) (0)20 7687 8734 or email mr@survival-international.org

Emu oil to the rescue

added on: 20th June, 2008

The oral history of the Australian Aborigine indicates their use of oil from emus for over forty thousand years. They used ‘emu oil’ to gain relief from minor aches and pains, to help heal wounds quicker, and protect their skin from the harsh elements of wind and sun. Emu oil made the headlines in the UK after Paula Radcliff e discovered the remedy and claimed it helped her get over injuries she had suff ered prior to her record-breaking run in the 2003 Flora London Marathon. Now registered as a therapeutic anti-infl ammatory in Australia and without the side-eff ects of man-made alternatives such as an increased risk of heart disease, vascular disease and strokes, emu oil’s popularity is only set to grow. As science learns more and more lessons from nature the hope is that the likes of emu oil will open up people’s minds to other remedies used by indigenous people around the world and help us protect and nurture their medicinal remedies. For more information contact The Pioneer Trading Company by calling 01526 344971/345613 or by visiting their website at: www.pion-tc.co.uk

Together they stand

added on: 15th May, 2008

The first national event for Pagan teens will be held from 7-11 July at Adventures Unlimited Campground in Ocoee, Tennessee, organised by Young Tree Grove. The organisation aims to provide educational events for teens and parents, bringing them together to better understand each other and promote religious tolerance. Young Tree Camp offers a five day educational programme covering topics including Pagan history, herbalism, crystal work, ritual and spell structure, meditation and more! Workshops are in a small group setting, allowing them to be interactive and ‘hands on’. Teens and their parents will be able to interact with educators, and get answers to any questions they may have. To learn more about the The Young Tree Pagan Educational Grove: Go to www.youngtreegrove.org or phone President Leo Flamehand at 423.836.3615.

Planet of love, a real threat?

added on: 4th March, 2008

The lunar calendar accurately predicts 2012 to be the date the gravity of the planet Venus negatively affects the moon's lunar trajectory and causes disruptions in the weather patterns on planet earth. The event of venus' orbit pulling the moon away from us only happens once every 60,000 to 70,000 years and coincides with landmark claims of human survival such as the book of Genesis and the predictions of the Maya. For communities of the time, then dependent largely on agricultural industries, this was known as the beginning of the 'end times' or the apocalypse. There are some who believe we need to re-engineer the moon's orbit back into a position consistent with life on earth and that this should be the sole focus of Global Warming talks and endeavours.

Natural-born giver?

added on: 2nd March, 2008

Scientists have found evidence that a particular gene may underlie generosity. A recent experiment at Hebrew University in Jerusalem used gameplay where one player was given a sum of money and could then decide how much of that to give to a second player. It provided 'the first evidence, to my knowledge, for a relationship between DNA variability and real (costly) human altruism', wrote reseacher Ariel Knafo. 'Games recreate social interactions in the laboratory using real money payoffs and thus engage people in "putn your money where your mouth is" decisions', said the study's authors. They found variations in generosity of upwards of 44% in association with variants in the AVPR1a gene, the gene now linked to our level of altruism. The gene is involved in the production of a molecule, called a receptor, that lets a hormone known as vasopressin act on brain cells. Vasopressin in turn has been implicated in social bonding. The researchers found greater altruism in players in which a key section of the AVPR1a gene, called its promoter, was longer. A promoter is the region of a gene that allows cellular machinery to read the gene and carry out instructions.