Natalya Podgorny
As the Green Yoga movement spreads across the country, let us all pay proper attention.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Prestigious prize awarded for cruelty
A British scientist whose pioneering research led to the creation of legions of "knockout" mice that are genetically modified to develop human diseases was awarded a Nobel prize yesterday. By knocking out specific genes, researchers have designed mice that develop a range of medical conditions including cancer, cystic fibrosis and atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries. The first "knockout" mice were created in 1989. They have become a standard research tool in labs. Read the full story here.
With this award, our society is further reinforcing the paradigm of exploitation. We continue to believe that humans are the most important species and thus are justified to use and abuse all other species for our own benefit. The argument for this testing on mice is that it gives researches "unprecedented insight into how some of the most debilitating human diseases progress in different tissues and organs over a lifetime, and have proved invaluable in testing new drug therapies." But at what cost? This short-sighted thinking has led us to our current disastrous state of humanity. We know that every action has a consequence.....and the consequences of exploiting other creatures for our own selfish gains WILL come back to us. Karma is a reality and we cannot escape from the negative impact of subjugating and torturing less powerful creatures. We may find new drug therapies that heal certain diseases in the short-term, but in the long-term we are damaging our spirits and souls. That is certainly not a price I am willing to pay.
With this award, our society is further reinforcing the paradigm of exploitation. We continue to believe that humans are the most important species and thus are justified to use and abuse all other species for our own benefit. The argument for this testing on mice is that it gives researches "unprecedented insight into how some of the most debilitating human diseases progress in different tissues and organs over a lifetime, and have proved invaluable in testing new drug therapies." But at what cost? This short-sighted thinking has led us to our current disastrous state of humanity. We know that every action has a consequence.....and the consequences of exploiting other creatures for our own selfish gains WILL come back to us. Karma is a reality and we cannot escape from the negative impact of subjugating and torturing less powerful creatures. We may find new drug therapies that heal certain diseases in the short-term, but in the long-term we are damaging our spirits and souls. That is certainly not a price I am willing to pay.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Army Enlists Anthropology in War Zones
The Pentagon may be getting smarter...........it has set up the first ever "Human Terrain Team" which is an experimental program that assigns anthropologists and other social scientists to American combat units in Afghanistan and Iraq. So far, the team's ability to understand subtle points of tribal relations has won the praise of officers who say they are seeing concrete results. Read on.
An Afghan boy at a medical clinic set up by American Army medics and an anthropologist in the Shabak Valley in Afghanistan.
An Afghan boy at a medical clinic set up by American Army medics and an anthropologist in the Shabak Valley in Afghanistan.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Interview with BKS Iyengar
Yoga master BKS Iyengar, or Guru ji
Guru ji started practicing yoga to cure his own illness, tuberculosis. But a fortuitous meeting with violinist Yehudi Menuhin in 1952 opened his doors to the West. He simplified complex yoga asanas, or poses, and performed thousands of demonstrations for the benefit of his new audience, transforming a mystical secret practice into a science, therapy and art accessible to everyone. The focus is on precision and proper alignment of the body.
Now 88 years old, Guru ji presides from his institute in Pune, India where he still supervises classes. Students come from all over the world to learn what has been branded "Iyengar yoga," a term he himself does not like to use, but a trademark with a huge following. Yoga and the commercial world surrounding it is now a multibillion-dollar industry, courses come in various styles and names, but the pioneer of it all, Guru Iyengar, prefers to keep it simple. We meet at his prestigious institute in Pune.
Meditation for peace and democracy in Burma today.... 5pm
If you've been saddened and angered by the images and stories coming out of Burma in recent days--of monks, nuns and laypeople peacefully marching for freedom and being shot down, arrested, tortured and disappeared by the military regime--please join us for a Meditation for Peace and Democracy in Burma today, Thursday, October 4, at 5 pm the Burmese Embassy (2300 S Street, NW, near Dupont Circle).
There will also be a large rally this Saturday at the Burmese Embassy, beginning at noon, and marching to the Chinese and Indian embassies. Please join us and spread the word.
There will also be a large rally this Saturday at the Burmese Embassy, beginning at noon, and marching to the Chinese and Indian embassies. Please join us and spread the word.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Letter writing campaign
Groups that have organized letter writing campaigns include freeburmacoalition.org, burmaproject.org, and earthrights.org. Visit their websites and type your own letters to: The President of the United States, the Secretary General of the United Nations, and the Government of Myanmar.
| President George W. Bush The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500 Switchboard: 202-456-1414 Fax: 202-456-2461 | Gen. Colin Powell Secretary of State U.S. Department of State Washington, D.C. 20520 Switchboard: (202)647-4000 Fax: 202-261-8577 E.mail: Secretary@state.gov | Kofi Annan, United Nations Secretary-General United Nations Headquarters, Room S-3800 New York, NY 10017, USA Tel: 212-963-5012 Fax: 212-963-4879 |
- List of all U.S. Senators and links to their websites
-
Search for any U.S. Representative's contact information
-
U.S. Supreme Court: http://www.supremecourtus.gov
Advice to Letter WritersU.S. Supreme Court
U.S. Supreme Court Bldg.
Washington, D.C. 20543
(202) 479-3000
- Amnesty International has a guide to letter writing.
- Amnesty International has a campaign manual on the web.
- Letters to Congress (from about.com)
- Tips on Writing a Letter to the Editor (from the ACLU)
- Tips on Writing to Your Elected Officials (from the ACLU)
- Tips on Meeting with Your Elected Officials (from the ACLU)
- Legislative Action Center (from adc.org)
More from Burma
Burma Cracks Down Violently
Washington Post Foreign Service
Thursday, September 27, 2007; Page A14
With the Burmese government restricting visas to foreign journalists, and all internal media controlled by the state, the internet provides one of the few routes left for getting eyewitness reports from inside Burma to the outside world. Despite rumours that the junta intends to close down internet access, a few brave bloggers continue to report their experiences.
.... Government military Car was crossing to the protest line and randomly shot all of them ... don't they have Family? don't they have Brain? ... I
............Despite peaceful demonstrators have been beaten to break up the crowd, the demonstrators are still together reciting "metta sutta" (A discourse on loving-kindness, about disseminating love to those who are aggressive)...
ko-htike.blogspot.com
weblog.xanga.com/dawn_1o9
seinkhalote.blogspot.com
koniknayman.blogspot.com
seinkhalote.blogspot.com
ko-htike.blogspot.com
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Krishnamacharya's legacy
Whether you practice the dynamic series of Pattabhi Jois, the refined alignments of B.K.S. Iyengar, the classical postures of Indra Devi, or the customized vinyasa of Viniyoga, your practice stems from one source: a five-foot, two-inch Brahmin born more than one hundred years ago in a small South Indian village.
He never crossed an ocean, but Krishnamacharya's yoga has spread through Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Today it's difficult to find an asana tradition he hasn't influenced.Read about him here
Death Penalty: Cruel and unusual?
USA Today and Wall Street Journal's world-wide newsbox lead with the Supreme Court's announcement that it will hear a case that challenges the constitutionality of lethal injections. The justices announced they will consider whether the method of execution violates the Constitution's provision against cruel and unusual punishment.
To learn more or act agout against the death penalty, visit the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty which is also where I once worked.
To learn more or act agout against the death penalty, visit the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty which is also where I once worked.
Ralph S. Baze speaks during an interview, Sept. 10, 2007, at the Kentucky State Penitentiary in Eddyville, Ky. The Supreme Court on Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2007, agreed to consider the constitutionality of lethal injections in a Kentucky case that could affect the way inmates are executed around the country. The high court will hear a challenge from two inmates on death row in Kentucky _ Ralph S. Baze and Thomas Clyde Bowling Jr. _ who sued Kentucky in 2004, claiming lethal injection amounts to cruel and unusual punishment.
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