ISKCON NewsThe News Agency of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness

Between September 13th and 22nd in New Vrindavan, there will be a ten day art seminar taught by veteran ISKCON-BBT artists, Dhriti Dasi and Ram Dasa Abhirama Das.

June 2010 marked the 40th anniversary of Europe's largest green field music festival. Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts was started from humble beginnings four decades ago and attracted mostly those immersed in the hippy culture and those seeking an alternate lifestyle.

The BBT will be holding its fourth annual art seminar in Vrindavana, India, from November 5 25, 2010. Once again, the seminar will led by veteran ISKCON artists Dhriti Dasi and Ramdas Abhirama Dasa, teaching both new and repeat students practical techniques as well as the mood essential in producing devotional art.

Over the past six years the parikarama has been conducted very successfully, with an increasing number of attending devotees from all over the world. Last year more than 6.500 devotees participated, listening to sannyasis and Srila Prabhupada`s disciples speaking about the pastimes of Lord Jagannatha and Lor Gauanga every day.

The British described Jagannath as “a frightful visage painted black, with a distended mouth of bloody horror.” It could hardly be expected that the British should have immediately fallen in love with Jagannath or worshiped him, but at least they could have investigated the meaning and philosophy behind him.

We seem to be losing our sense of love for nature. Man and nature, particularly trees, have a natural mutually fulfilling relationship. Man receives the Mother Earth’s bounty, and offers back respect and care. Yet, modern civilization at its worst abuses this relationship, and even at its best tends to make the relationship an economic one.

American-born spiritual teacher Radhanath Swami will set off on a North American book tour from August 1st to December 1st this year, to promote the US trade release of his autobiography The Journey Home.

A trendy New York purveyor of gourmet doughnuts clues us in on his most important ingredient: devotion to Krishna.

When it comes to almost anything, including education, finances, health and family concerns, “What you see is what you get” and isn’t seeing believing? We seem to be visually fixated.

On June 16 in Radhadesh the graduation ceremony was held for seven students from Bhaktivedanta College. Radhadesh's temple president, Hrdaya Caitanya Dasa, summed up the feelings of everyone present when he said, “We are very happy to see students graduating today. But we also feel sad since some of them are leaving - they have become part of the community.”

ISKCON's temple in Lenasia, a suburb of Johannesburg, is home to the Bhaktivedanta College of Education and Training, and to several active youth groups. But the beautiful Sri Sri Nitai Gaura-Hari, the oldest Deities in South Africa, remain the top reason to visit.

Following the failure of the latest efforts to plug the gushing leak from BP’s oil well in the Gulf of Mexico, and amid warnings that oil could continue to flow for another two months or more, perhaps it’s a good time to step back a moment mentally and look at the bigger picture—the context of our human history of resource extraction.

Quetta is the largest city and the provincial capital of the Balochistan Province of Pakistan. 1,680 meters (5,500 feet) above the sea level, the "Fruit Garden of Pakistan” has a healthy climate, with a diversity of plants and animal wildlife. Between 17-19 of June, more than a hundred ISKCON devotees gathered here to celebrate the 3rd anniversary of the installation of Sri Sri Radha Radha Nath Bhagwan.

The Guyana chapter of ISKCON held its annual Ratha-Yatra festival in Georgetown on the 27th of June, with a Lord Jagannath parade through city streets, which culminated at the Merriman’s Mall with a cultural event.

On 2 June, 2010, a ceremony was held to celebrate the official opening of the Museum of Sacred Art in Radhadesh, Belgium. The opening itself is part of wider celebrations to mark the 30th anniversary of Radhadesh. The museum has a permanent collection of nearly 250 pieces — paintings, sculptures, puppets, and sacred objects, and is planning to also organize temporary exhibitions.

Beginning on July 3rd 2010, at ISKCON`s Simhachalam Farm in Germany there will be two training courses for ladies.

The Mayapur Institute is going to start this year’s curriculum in November 2010 and will continue until February 2011.

Now in its fifteenth year, the annual youth festival bus tour around North America kicked off an exciting two months of travel, started on the 23rd of June. Over the summer, there will various exciting ISKCON youth programs throughout the world.

June is the month for road-side stands, farmer's market deliciousness, and red berry gathering in gardens across the world. Strawberries can increase a hormone that stimulates metabolism, suppresses appetite, and controls blood sugar after starchy meals while inhibiting inflammation.

The connection between animal abuse and other criminal behaviors was recognized long before the evolution of the social sciences and institutions with which we now address such behaviors.