Archive for August, 2007
Thursday, August 23rd, 2007
Alachua Youth Wednesday Night Bhajans
The night before I left to go to India for the first time in 2000 I decided to invite all my friends over for kirtan, I thought that would be an auspicious way to depart, everyone liked it so much they decided to get together the next week and the next, I was quite surprised when I came back a year later and it was still going on, every wednesday for the last six years the program has gone on thanks to wonderful devotees like you see in these videos who love to gather together and glorify the Lord by chanting his holy names. Last night I again had the opportunity to attend Wdenesday night bhajans in Alachua.
Kirtan by Jaggie, Kishore on flute, Vish on mrdanga
Kirtan led by Kalindi, Vish and Keesh on mrdanga
Kirtan by Amala, mrdanga by Jaggie, Haribhakti, and Dharma (age 13), and Vish on whompers
No Comments » - Posted in Contributors by Gauranga Kishore Das
Thursday, August 23rd, 2007
24 Hour Kirtana Recap…
Need we say more…
YS,
NVMT and Arya Siddhanta dasa
No Comments » - Posted in Contributors by Arya
Thursday, August 23rd, 2007
More New Vrindaban 24 Kirtan Videos
Acyuta Gopi leads kirtan, Mrdanga by Bali and Ananta
Akincana Krishna leads kirtan, drumming by Vish, Bali, and Ananta
Madhava Prabhu leads kirtan, back up vocals by Rasika and Gauravani, flute by Kishore, and Akincana on bass
No Comments » - Posted in Contributors by Gauranga Kishore Das
Thursday, August 23rd, 2007
More Rocking New Vrindaban 24 hour Kritan videos
No Comments » - Posted in Contributors by Gauranga Kishore Das
Thursday, August 23rd, 2007
Prayer Request for Mother Gopi lila and health update
The following are some excerpts from emails that I have received from Gopi lila’s husband, Haribhakta written on the 20th and 22nd. Please keep her in your prayers, as Haribhakta so nicely states below, “ to carry her through her treatment and soothe her soul”.
From the 20th: “Just wanted to inform you about Gopi lila’s […]
No Comments » - Posted in Contributors by jm
Thursday, August 23rd, 2007
Test For Smart People
This is a test for Smart People… I have determined that you qualify.
The following short quiz consists of 4 questions and will tell you whether
you are qualified to be a professional. Scroll down for each answer. The
questions are NOT that difficult. But don’t scroll down UNTIL […]
No Comments » - Posted in Contributors by Madhava Gosh
Thursday, August 23rd, 2007
Remembering Madhuvana
by mrupa
Madhuvana-smokey, cold, crazy, and dirty.
Madhuvana-one of the 12 forests of Vrndavana where Dhruva performed austerities and met both Narada and Lord Visnu face to face.
Madhuvana-an extension of the Lord Caitanya half of Golaka Vrndavana where Lord Caitanya and His associates reside eternally. Where ISKCON along with Srila Prabhupada are and where […]
No Comments » - Posted in Contributors by mg
Wednesday, August 22nd, 2007
Organic Farming Could Feed the World
Article from Organic Consumers Association
Along with reporting on fertilizers, biotech, ethanol, corporate consolidation and the agrofuels vs food debate comes an increased science reporting of the real world of organic-ecological-diversified agriculture that actually feeds the world.
The biotech industry used to regard speed as one of the defining characteristics of genetic engineering. To prove the point, it rushed new products to market with little regard for the consequences. Speed, however, is a characteristic of neither good science nor sustain-able agriculture. Now the ’slow’ reports of scientific findings on nutritious food and sustainable agriculture are beginning to surface. It will be interesting to see how the biotech bullies deal with these. The authors of a new study* claim that a switch to organic farming would not reduce the world’s food supply but could actually increase food security in developing countries. They claim their findings lay to rest the debate over whether organic farming could sustainably feed the world. The team of researchers has compiled research from 293 different comparisons into a single study to assess the overall efficiency of the two agricultural systems.
They found that in ‘developed’ countries organic systems produce, on average, 92% of the yield produced by conventional agriculture. In ‘developing’ countries, however, organic systems produce 80% more than conventional farms. Then, using data from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, the team estimated what would happen if farms world-wide were to switch to organic methods today.
The researchers found that under an organic-only regime, farms could produce between 2641 and 4381 calories per person per day compared to the current world equivalent of 2786 calories per person per day. Members of the team believe the calculations they carried out to arrive at the upper number are the most realistic. These took into account the higher yields that would be obtained in developing countries, and the details of which crops are grown where. Nutritionists recommend that people consume between 2100 and 2500 calories a day.
The researchers found that small farms tend to produce more per hectare of land. They also note that although organic production tends to require more labour, this labour is often spread out more evenly over the growing season, making it easier to manage. They also point out that once you incorporate the environmental costs, then organic agriculture is a much superior system.
In this era of climate change and unpredicted disasters (droughts, floods, heat waves, etc.) organic/ecological agriculture has another important virtue. Relying on locally-sourced and adapted species and varieties as well as labour, knowledge, and skills, it is much more resilient than a system which is dependent on manufactured and imported inputs.The issue of speed is also crucial. As George Monbiot has persuasively argued, air travel may be the single most intractable cause of carbon emissions. But fast boats, trains, and cars are also problematic. The fact is that when you take the whole system into account, speed is simply not efficient. Slower modes of transport would, of course, limit the perishable food and other products which are now shipped around the globe, and make us all more dependent on what we can produce ourselves. Not a bad idea.
* Organic agriculture and the global food supply: Catherine Badgley, Jeremy Moghtader, Eileen Quintero, Emily Zakem, M. Jahi Chappell, Katia Avilés-Vázquez, Andrea Samulon and Ivette Perfecto, Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems, 2007, Cambridge University Press
No Comments » - Posted in Contributors by AR
Wednesday, August 22nd, 2007
Beloit College?s Mindset List For The Class Of 2011
Most of the students entering College this fall, members of the Class of 2011, were born in 1989. For them, Alvin Ailey, Andrei Sakharov, Huey Newton, Emperor Hirohito, Ted Bundy, Abbie Hoffman, and Don the Beachcomber have always been dead.
Some excerpts:
2. Humvees, minus the artillery, have always been available […]
No Comments » - Posted in Contributors by Madhava Gosh
Wednesday, August 22nd, 2007
New Raman Reti Dham ki Jaya!
Shri Shri Radha Syamsundara ki jaya!
Raghunatha, Candramukhi (age 3), Vanamali (7 months), and Shri Shri Radha Madana Mohana. 
Here is a close up of his deities Radha Madana Mohana.
Raghu is a very dear friend. When I moved to Alachua in 1989 he was one of the only other young people here. It seems like just yesterday we were playing football, and running around in the woods of New Raman Reti. We have been close friends since then, and now he has become a wonderful exemplary devotee. He has a job teaching in the local devotee run charter school, He is married and takes wonderful care of his two children, he is initiated by Radha Govinda Maharaj, gets up at 4:00 everyday to chant his rounds, do his puja to his Shalagram Sila and his deities, and even finds time to exercise every morning. One day a week he doesn’t get up at four, every saturday he gets up at three to go to the temple offer mangala arati and dress Gaura Nitai. He is also very involved in the community and temple activities. And has started many programs for the community youth including Gita study groups and a Big Brother Big Sister style mentoring system. I was happy to be able to spend a little time with him yesterday.
Last night I also got a chance to spend some time with two other very dear friends who are both great sources of inspiration, Kartamasa and Badahari Prabhu. Kar was telling us all about his recent experiences in Sharanagati with Yamuna and enlightening us with his realizations about Bhaktivinode Thakur, Kalyana Kalpa Taru, and kirtan. What can you say about Badahari Prabhu? He is a saint. It is always a great fortune to have his darshan. It was especially sweet to be there at his home doing kirtan in such an intimate setting. He sang this amazing song about the gopis separation from Krishna from Narottama Das Thakura’s Prarthana, we were all transported to the spiritual world.
When will I attain the dark treasure known as Lord Krsna? When, agitated with ecstatic love, will I give my heart to Lord Krsna? When will I consider Lord Krsna more dear to me than my own life’s breath? When will I be able to see Lord Krsna’s moonlike face?
When will I regain my master’s association? When will I happily return with singing and dancing to the shore of the Yamuna? O friend, when will this auspicious day be mine?
When, in the company of Lalita and Visakha, will I meet Lord Krsna? When will I be able to offer various gifts to please Him? When will destiny be compassionate to me? When will my destiny become like a virtuous person who is an ocean of good qualities? When will this good fortune be mine?
Cruel fate has made me poverty-stricken and I do not have even a penny to purchase the goods sold in the marketplace of pure love for Krsna. Nevertheless, Narottama dasa says: “My life’s hope is to renounce everything and attain the prince of Vraja.
Overall it has been a really wonderful visit, thus far, by Krishna’s mercy, I’ve gotten to spend a lot of quality time with many wonderful vaishnavas who have all been very kind to me.
No Comments » - Posted in Contributors by Gauranga Kishore Das
Wednesday, August 22nd, 2007
New Vrindaban 24 Hour Kirtan (Ananta Govinda Prabhu)
No Comments » - Posted in Contributors by Gauranga Kishore Das
Wednesday, August 22nd, 2007
New Vrindaban Water System Usage Update
As all of the Temple area residents should be aware of, there is still a shortage of water supply with the New Vrindaban Water System. Although we’ve had so much rain lately, that has no real immediate effect upon the lower levels of water in the ground far below us where our well get the water […]
No Comments » - Posted in Contributors by jm
Wednesday, August 22nd, 2007
Lord Balarama’s Appearance Day…
No Comments » - Posted in Contributors by Arya
Tuesday, August 21st, 2007
The Horror!!!
People, we’re all being manipulated. It’s like right out of some horror movie. Our minds are controlled. Our bodies no longer belong to us. We are incapable of acting in our own self interest. We’re like proverbial lemmings heading for the cliff.
In her article “In Parasite Survival, Ploys To Get Help From A Host,” (NY Times, June 26) Natalie Angier states that parasites are “an evolutionary force to be reckoned with, a source of nearly bottomless cunning and breath taking bio-inventiveness.” A chilling description of an alien foe worthy of stalking the pages of the best science fiction thriller.
Yes, it’s a sad fact. We, us humans, are not the only intelligent creature capable of making strategies and plans. But since the parasite doesn’t live very long, it needs to think and act quickly and effectively. There are numerous examples of a parasite growing in one bug or animal and then directing that being into the jaws of another where the parasite can continue to thrive.
Case in point: One parasitic worm growing in a pill bug needs that bug to be eaten by a bird. A rational pill bug hides away in the day time only to come out at night. But the parasitic worm is working on that pill bug, eating away at its intelligence. Gradually, it begins to manipulate the bug to the point where that worm-infected bug defies all natural pill bug instincts and reasoning, and comes out in the day time to be devoured by a bird. Conclusion: parasitic worm equals lust.
“The senses, the mind and the intelligence are the sitting places of this lust, which veils the real knowledge of the living entity and bewilders him.” Bhagavad Gita 3:40
No Comments » - Posted in Contributors by NY Times & Bhagavad Gita Sanga/ Sankirtana Das
Tuesday, August 21st, 2007
What Are You Doing for Cow Protection?
By HH Sivarama Swami
Krsi goraksya vanijya. Krsi means ploughing or agriculture and goraksya, cow
protection. These are the staples of society, this is what people live on. All
living entities subsist on grains. So the ksatriyas may direct and instruct
people, the brahmanas may perform their yajnas, but if they don’t eat then
giving shelter or instruction is not […]