Once upon a time (as in a fairy tale), most of us believed that the food we ate was basically wholesome, nutritious and free from dangerous chemicals, that advertising may have been believable, and that product labels truly described the qualities and contents of what we fed ourselves and our families.

I’m confused. For the past 35 years I have been traveling on commercial airlines to India and have become most familiar with the advertising hooks used to lure tourists by the millions annually to that country.

Halloween has come and gone, without incident. None of the neighborhood kids donned Lil' Ganesh costumes after all, and my daughter Shruti's first Halloween costume (an adorable pumpkin) was a hit.

Its nice to see a Christian brother find something helpful in the wisdom of the East for a change and to want to share the inner meanings of a common Sanskrit greeting with his flock.

If we see those who serve in the temple owning several large houses and taking what appears to be a disproportional high wage, when a majority who attend the centers every week cannot afford such opulence, then some ridicule should be expected I guess; even though we truly do not know the full reasons why.

BRASILIA: On October 19 and 20, I participated in an interfaith event organized by Amisrael, a nongovernmental organization (NGO) with international activities aimed at peace between peoples and nations.

How's this for an early Diwali gift for Hindu-Americans (and, perhaps, Hindus around the world): President Barack Obama lit a ceremonial diya (traditional candle) and delivered a characteristically smooth speech in which he declared that he was happy to join "some of the world's greatest faiths" in celebrating a holiday that heralds "the triumph of good over evil."

“Over my dead body!” screamed the woman over the telephone.

As I entered the office I could hear every word she was saying to Nandini dasi: “Never! I’ll never rent my school to you people! Not in a million years!” With that, she hung up.

According to Vedanta an ignorance of the original conception is the cause of sufferings. But when the actual Origin of both matter and life is understood, then peace and harmony are simultaneously achieved

Most of us are aware of the benefits of being positive in Krishna consciousness, and so do those who seek material success.

There are almost 2.5 million people unemployed in the UK. Those at least are the official figures. Over 7% of the workforce. It’s become a job in itself just looking for a job. Even the most qualified find it hard with one in ten graduates still failing to find a job a full year after graduating.

Kudos to Michael Pollan. His September 9, 2009 Op-Ed contribution to the New York Times, Big Food vs. Big Insurances, raises unspoken, yet hard to ignore, issues in the US Health Care Reform debate.

For those of you Spiritual Warriors who may be a little timid about taking on a big, bad, evolutionist I’m going to push you a bit here. Yes, he’s big, bestselling author and media darling Richard Dawkins.Yes, he’s bad, a scientist and avowed evolutionist.

This month is the month we went to war – 70 years ago. In early September 1939 Britain responded to Nazi Germany’s invasion of Poland by declaring that war now existed between us. Rationing of food, defeat in France, the nightly ‘blackouts’ and enemy bombing raids, the Battle of Britain, the Blitz – all were shortly to come. Britain would not be the same for many years.

As I write, California burns. Multiple wildfires continue to afflict the land.California! For so long the migratory terminus of American dreams, her own Hollywood gave those dreams back to the world crafted in dazzling pageants of lights and shadows that seemed more real than reality itself.

Like traffic laws, moral principles promote order, specifically orderly social interactions. But modern education doesn’t teach us about the goal of social transactions or the goal of life itself.

On September 11th, 2001, I was in England, and that day I happened to drop off a fellow from my faith at London's Heathrow Airport. At the curb in front of the terminal, a concerned Brit detected my accent and said, "Hey mate: Are you an American? You'd better go inside and see what's on the telly!"

Finally, there’s been a breakthrough. After 50 years of endeavor and countless billions of dollars spent, common ground, or should I say, common space has been discovered in the debate between believers in the Vedic theistic worldview and adherents of the scientific worldview on the subject of travel to other planets in the universe.

Sure the job market is tough right now. But, if you’re focused you can still be successful in finding the job that’s right for you. O Spiritual Warrior, your success will be in direct proportion to your ability to do two things: first, to meet the most pressing needs of a potential employer; and second your ability to utilize skills which give you an advantage over other applicants.

The New York Times has a great thing going. I mean besides being one of the most influential news sources in the world. They have this great feature where two of their regular columnists debate a topic. It’s called The Conversation, and recently Gail Collins and Ross Douthat debated cruelty to animals in discussing the case of fallen American football icon Michael Vick, who recently completed an eighteen month stint in federal prison for involvement in a dog fighting ring.