Could the end of the world finally be upon us? New Age authors and conspiracy theorists would certainly have us believe so, determined not to be thwarted yet again. This time the apocalypse comes to us courtesty of a supposed ancient Mayan prophecy that the world will end on December 21st, 2012. And boy is it popular. A quick search on Amazon.com pulls up over a dozen books on the subject, all written within the last three years.

Nothing makes a person sound more idiotic than the presence of a new baby. We start to babble senseless, often embarrassing, phrases. Sometimes even the baby shakes its head in disgust. But something about a baby turns us unto clowns. And it looks like we aren’t the only creatures to make such fools of ourselves over small members of our species.

Over the past few years I’ve had an uncomfortable sense that someone, or something, has been tinkering with my brain, remapping the neural circuitry, reprogramming the memory. My mind isn’t going—so far as I can tell—but it’s changing. I’m not thinking the way I used to think. I can feel it most strongly when I’m reading. Immersing myself in a book or a lengthy article used to be easy. My mind would get caught up in the narrative or the turns of the argument, and I’d spend hours strolling through long stretches of prose. That’s rarely the case anymore.

Seoul (AsiaNews) – Religion “is spreading like a cancer inside North Korea’s armed forces;” for this reason it “must be eradicated without delay since it comes from our enemies from around the world,” this according to a booklet prepared by the North Korean Army titled 'Saving Our Soldiers from the Threat of Religion'.

What images do you see when you think of hardcore punk music? Wild teenagers in ripped leather and mohawks, screaming out violent lyrics to aggressive music? Would it surprise you to learn some punk musicians are devoutly religious, are opposed to abortion and abstain from drugs, alcohol and premarital sex? For members of the movement known as Hare Krishna Straight Edge, this blend of conservative ideals and radical music is completely comfortable.

Semolina halava is the most popular dessert served at any of the Hare Krishna restaurants worldwide. This version of the famous hot, fluffy pudding with juicy raisins, raw sugar, and walnut pieces rates high in the "halava-top-ten". I have cooked halava for 4 or 5 persons and for 1500 persons; either way, following the same basic steps yields equally stunning results.

The secret of good halava is to roast the semolina very slowly for at least 20 minutes, with enough butter so as not to scorch the grains. Steam the finished halava over very low heat with a tight-fitting lid for 5 minutes to fully plump the semolina grains; then allow it to sit covered for another 5 minutes. Fluffy, plump grained halava is best served hot, on its own, or with a spoonful of cream or custard. Serves 6 - 8 persons, or a couple of halava addicts.

PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island (AP) -- Oscar the cat seems to have an uncanny knack for predicting when nursing home patients are going to die, by curling up next to them during their final hours.

Hindu Mandir (Temple) Executives representing 113 Temples and Hindu Organizations from more than 25 states of US and Canada and Caribbean converged in Romulus, MI to attend the Third Hindu Mandir Executives Conference (HMEC), from September 26, 2008 through September 28, 2008.

This book, written by an Oxford don, is a howler-seeker’s delight. Turning to the bibliography, I found a reference to T. Roy, A Countryside in Revolt: Bulandshahr District, 1857. The reference is to The Politics of a Popular Uprising: Bundelkhand in 1857-58. Has Maria Misra ever set eyes on this book, let alone ever read it?

This is not about the history of ISKCON’s GBC meetings, but of the original GBC that was created way back in the days of Queen Victoria.

The acronym GBC stands for ‘Governing Body Commission’ and was a term created by the British for its top executive body of the Indian Railways. The British-run railways were one of the miracles of Victorian India.

LIVINGSTON, N.J. - They used to be everywhere there were Jews. Mikvahs, ritual purification pools used by observant Jewish women, have been considered so important to Jewish communities that even a sacred Torah could be sold to build one.

Iskcon has turned its personal experience of the reality of terrorism into a reel weapon in the fight against terror across the world. A year after an act of violence sullied its precincts midway through a Janmashtami function, the management of the Iskcon temple in Imphal, Manipur has produced a documentary that it hopes will hold a mirror to practitioners of terror.