• Japanese artist sculpts space with sound and light
• UK: Royal party and read-a-thon mark big day for Dickens
• Pakistani and Indian chefs and musicians compete on reality television

• 'The joy of quiet' - New York Times

• Netherlands: Archive of classical Indian music and dance concert now available online
• What I know for sure: Oprah writes about her visit to 'TM Town', Fairfield, Iowa, USA

• Corruption scandal shakes Vatican as internal letters leaked
• Cyberbullying a problem around the globe: poll
• US: Cell phones, devices biggest driving distractions

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Positive Trends
10 Short Summaries of Top Stories

Japanese artist sculpts space with sound and light
4 February 2012 - A white room filled with a single wave of sound contrasts with a dark room that is pierced by a cone of light in the first German solo exhibition of Japanese artist Ryoji Ikeda. 'You can't see music or touch the light, but it fills the whole space,' he told Reuters in an interview. 'I made the space extreme, to open you up.' (more)

UK: Royal party and read-a-thon mark big day for Dickens
4 February 2012 - Queen Elizabeth is throwing a star-studded party for him at Buckingham Palace and in Buenos Aires, leading cultural figures will gather in an old orphanage to read from his works. Charles Dickens may have died in 1870, but legions of fans around the world unite next Tuesday and beyond to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of a titan of English fiction. (more)

Pakistani and Indian chefs and musicians compete on reality television
31 January 2012 - For decades, archenemies Pakistan and India have engaged in a dangerous nuclear arms race. Now they're also competing in a more cheerful forum. The outcome will be mouthwatering curries and soothing ballads, not violent conflict. The fractious neighbours are going head-to-head in a pair of reality television shows that pit chefs and musicians against each other. Producers hope the contests will help bridge the gulf between two nations. The television shows do not try to hide or brush over the painful history of the two countries who have fought three major wars. They make light of it. (more)

Thailand Straw Bird Festival: A major cultural event in Chai Nat
31 January 2012 - Known as an important rice bowl of Thailand, Chai Nat province in the central region will organize a Straw Bird Festival to promote local tourism and preserve local culture. The 10-day event will take place from 3-12 February 2012 at the stadium in front of the Chai Nat Town Hall. One of the highlights will be spectacular processions of gigantic birds fashioned out of rice straw. (more)

UK: Enjoy London's Olympic spirit without a ticket
30 January 2012 - You don't need a ticket to the 2012 Olympics to enjoy the games and many marvelous event in London this summer. From live Olympic screenings in Hyde Park, Trafalgar Square, and Victoria Park to world music performances by the River Thames, a huge list of free and affordable events promises that visitors -- sports fans or not -- can get a taste of Olympic excitement without spending a fortune. Tourism officials have planned dozens of free arts and culture events to coincide with the Olympics. Most of London's top museums have free permanent collections to suit all interests, while many historic churches around London organize free lunchtime concerts on a weekly basis. London is also a fine walking city; and if yearning for a moment of quiet away from all the activity, one can enjoy London's superb green spaces. (more)

US: New Orleans celebrates anniversary of steamboat
27 January 2012 - Two hundred years ago, the first steamboat meandered down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, taking more than four months to reach New Orleans. The steamboat New Orleans successfully sailed into the city it was named for, revolutionizing business for the port, and opening up America's Midwest to economic growth. (more)

Man to make Viet Nam's first online encyclopedia
25 January 2012 - Since 1997, Hanoi artist Le Van Thao has worked tirelessly to realize his biggest dream: to create a once-in-a-lifetime book, which has through the years evolved into a sophisticated digital encyclopedia. Now, after 15 years, Le Van Thao's 'dream' book project has turned into a huge online encyclopedia about Viet Nam, detailing its culture, history, geography, transportation, and heritage. (more)

UK: Haj show seeks to lift veil on key Islamic ritual
25 January 2012 - Billed as the first major exhibition devoted to the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, 'Hajj: journey at the heart of Islam' at the British Museum aims to lift the veil on a ritual that is a mystery to many in the non-Muslim world. Qaisra Khan, co-curator of the exhibition, believes that its message of peace is particularly important because the outside world's image of the Middle East had been associated in recent years with violence and upheaval. 'I think what the exhibition does is to talk about the one facet of Islam we don't know much about and that it's very much about peace.' (more)

Canadians shoppers prop up economy in Q4
24 January 2012 - Consumers look set to be the main drivers of Canada's economic growth after a report on Friday showed retail sales continued to surpass expectations in November and climb for the fourth straight month. (more)

In Pakistan's urban badland, soccer offers hope
24 January 2012 - In the heart of one of Pakistan's most dangerous neighbourhoods in the teeming city of Karachi, soccer pitches are keeping vulnerable teenagers from joining abundant gangs, kidnappers, and extortion rackets. in Lyari, a densely populated area in Karachi with dilapidated buildings, soccer has become a big hit. During the last soccer World Cup, violence dropped sharply in Lyari, where residents gathered in the evening to watch matches on projector screens. (more)

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Success of Maharishi's Programmes
10 Short Summaries of Top Stories

'The joy of quiet' - New York Times

23 January 2012 - A wonderful recent essay in the New York Times--'The Joy of Quiet'--speaks to the importance and enjoyment of 'quiet time', a time apart from the frenetic world, including the Internet. Neurologist Gary Kaplan explains how the Transcendental Meditation Technique brings 'the joy of quiet' in the state of profound physiological rest, EEG brain coherence, and deep inner bliss during the practice--as well as outside of meditation as these effects begin to be seen in the midst of dynamic activity. (more)

Netherlands: Archive of classical Indian music and dance concert now available online
22 January 2012 - The video archive of the MERU Concert 2012 is now online for people around the world to enjoy. The live concert was performed 8 January at the famed TheaterHotel de Oranjerie in Roermond, the Netherlands, and featured beautiful performances by virtuosos of Indian classical music and dance. (more)

What I know for sure: Oprah writes about her visit to 'TM Town', Fairfield, Iowa, USA
20 January 2012 - Her recent visit to 'TM Town' -- Fairfield, Iowa, USA -- is the focus of Oprah Winfrey's column, 'What I know for sure', in the February issue of O, the Oprah Magazine. She explains that she came to Fairfield to film segments for her Next Chapter show on her OWN network. During one very full day there, she joined a group of women -- 'housewives, shop clerks, engineers, waitresses, lawyers, moms, single ladies, and me' -- for a late-afternoon session of Transcendental Meditation, which she had learned several months before. (more)

Donovan practises Transcendental Meditation since 1968 - Salt Lake Tribune
18 January 2012 - Renowned singer-songwriter Donovan has practiced Transcendental Meditation ''ever since his now-legendary 1968 trip that he and the Beatles took'' to study with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in Rishikesh, India, writes David Burger. During the Sundance Film Festival this January in Utah--the largest independent film festival in the United States--Donovan will headline the annual ''BMI Snowball'' event. (more)

Emily Dickinson: ''The soul's superior instants''
16 January 2012 - Emily Dickinson is acclaimed today as one of America's greatest poets. In a number of poems she appears to describe spontaneous experiences of the mind settling down and experiencing consciousness in its pure state. This 'finite infinity' she describes sounds very similar to the experience of transcendental consciousness, when consciousness is aware of itself alone, during the Transcendental Meditation Technique--a state identified by scientific research as a fourth major state of consciousness, distinct from waking, dreaming, and sleeping. (more)

Can meditation improve Gross National Happiness?
8 January 2012 - Teaching at-risk children the Transcendental Meditation Technique, says David Lynch Foundation teacher Jeanne Ball, is 'one of the most valuable tools you can give a young person. They grow in self worth and inner happiness as they daily meditate and transcend the stress and superficia­lity of life.' Hopefully the growing trend to measure Gross National Happiness will help everyone focus on 'deeper, more meaningful aspects of life', she writes. (more)

Maharishi Vastu website translated into Turkish
7 January 2012 - One of the first fully translated versions of the MaharishiVastu.org (Vedic architecture) website has just been completed in Turkish. (more)

Oprah and Transcendental Meditation
7 January 2012 - Oprah Winfrey, American media proprietor, businesswoman, talk show host, producer, and philanthropist is 'the' woman that comes to mind when one thinks of influential and inspirational women. Recently Oprah spoke with Dr Mehmet Oz about the benefits she is experiencing with the Transcendental Meditation Technique, which she has been practising for several months. (more)

Article shines light on England's Maharishi Garden Village
29 December 2011 - The monthly magazine Spirit and Destiny featured a housing development built according to Maharishi Vastu architecture. The article, entitled 'Estate of Mind', explored the successful Maharishi Garden Village in Suffolk and interviews several residents there. (more)

Many in Britain agree: Transcendental Meditation improves family dynamics
29 December 2011 - Interviews for a new video about Transcendental Meditation in the UK highlighted its positive effect on family life. 'The effect of TM on my family has just been amazing,' said Tarsem Bains, a pharmaceuticals account manager. Several other interviewees remarked on the increased harmony they noticed in their family relationships. (more)

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Flops
10 Short Summaries of Top Stories

Corruption scandal shakes Vatican as internal letters leaked
26 January 2012 - The Vatican was shaken by a corruption scandalafter an Italian television investigation said a former top official had been transferred against his will after complaining about irregularities in awarding contracts. The show 'The Untouchables' showed what it said were several letters that Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, who was then deputy-governor of Vatican City, sent to superiors, including Pope Benedict, in 2011 about the corruption. Vigano, currently the Vatican's ambassador in Washington, said in the letters that when he took the job in 2009 he discovered a web of corruption, nepotism, and cronyism linked to the awarding of contracts to outside companies at inflated prices. In one letter, Vigano tells the pope of a smear campaign against him (Vigano) by other Vatican officials who wanted him transferred because they were upset that he had taken drastic steps to save the Vatican money by cleaning up its procedures. Despite his appeals to the pope that a transfer 'would be a defeat difficult for me to accept', Vigano was named ambassador to Washington in October of last year. (more)

Cyberbullying a problem around the globe: poll
11 January 2012 - More than 10 per cent of parents around the world say their child has been cyberbullied and nearly one-fourth know a youngster who has been a victim, according to a new Ipsos/Reuters poll. And more than three-quarters of people questioned in the global survey thought cyberbullying differed from other types of harassment and warranted special attention and efforts from parents and schools. 'The key to this study is that it measures parental awareness of cyberbullying, not actual rates of the behaviour,' said Keren Gottfried, of the global research firm Ipsos. 'While we can't speculate on what actually happens, it is quite possible that the proportion of children actually being cyberbullied is in fact understated, since we are speaking with the parents, not the kids.' (more)

US: Cell phones, devices biggest driving distractions
7 July 2011 - Driving distractions, primarily by cell phones and other electronic devices, are associated with up to 25 per cent of US car crashes, according to a report released in June. The study by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), a nonprofit group that works to improve traffic safety, assessed research from more than 350 scientific papers published since 2000. It showed that drivers are distracted up to half the time and that crashes caused by distractions range from minor damage to fatal injury. Cell phone use raises the risk of crashing, but texting is likely to increase crash risk more than cell phone use. (more)

Poll: Many Romanian teens rampantly intolerant
13 April 2011 - Teenagers in Romania are widely intolerant of Gypsies, gays, and people with AIDS, according to a new poll that called the results 'extremely worrisome'. The findings published late Tuesday came from a poll paid for by the Soros Foundation and conducted in November. The report says the results show a large number of Romanian teenagers could be described as racist and anti-Semitic. The poll also showed that 42 per cent are opposed to having a Muslim neighbour, and 34 per cent opposed to a Jewish neighbour. The findings showed that while children from more educated families were generally less intolerant, they were more intolerant of Gypsies, or Roma. In Romania, home to an estimated 1.5 million Roma, there is widespread prejudice against the minority. (more)

Russian traditional art, culture, withers away
10 April 2011 - Centuries-old Russian craft-making, such as the varnished boxes of Palekh -- which before the Soviet era bore pictures of religious icons -- and other famous Russian village handicrafts -- wooden toys from Bogorodsk, blue majolica ceramics from Gzhel, iron trays from Zhostovo, to name a few -- may soon become history. Artisans blame the decline in Russian crafts largely on an industrial recession in a country where plants and factories can compete neither with the sophistication of Western technologies nor the cheapness of Chinese manufacturing. (more)

Thousands rally in Pakistan for blasphemy laws
9 January 2011 - Tens of thousands of demonstrators marched in Pakistan's largest city on Sunday to oppose any change to national blasphemy laws and to praise a man charged with murdering a provincial governor who had campaigned against the divisive legislation. The rally of up to 50,000 people in downtown Karachi was one of the largest demonstrations of support for the laws, which make insulting Islam a capital offence. It was organized before the governor of Punjab province, Salman Taseer, was shot dead on Tuesday in Islamabad by a bodyguard who told a court he considered Taseer a blasphemer. Muslim groups have praised the bodyguard, Mumtaz Qadri, and have used Taseer's death to warn others not to speak out against the much-derided laws. The size of the Karachi rally, which was large even by the standards of the city of 16 million, showed how bitter the argument is over the decades-old laws. (more)

Facebook hurting Thai language
23 July 2010 - Facebook and Twitter are causing deteriorating language skills among Thai students and authorities want them to return to the bygone tradition of letter-writing, the Culture Ministry said Friday. A national survey conducted by the ministry found that four out of 10 Thai youths think 'proper Thai' should only be used on formal occasions. Roughly a third of Thai youths are not concerned about misspellings, abbreviations, and grammatical mistakes that are common in text messaging and social media conversations. 'Excessive use of Facebook, Twitter and mobile phone messages distorts the language. But we can't stop people from communicating,' Culture Minister Nipit Intarasombut told The Associated Press on Friday, a day after releasing results of the survey. (more)

Pakistan: 'The river has been stolen from us'
4 July 2010 - Once scattered all along the River Indus, the nomadic Kihals can now be found between the Chashma Barrage near Dera Ismail Khan and the Taunsa Barrage some 300km further south along the river in the Punjab, but are mostly concentrated in an area stretching 30km south of Dera Ismail Khan. Little data exists on this indigenous population but the Kihals, who say they are Muslim, face discrimination similar to that of other religious minorities -- such as the Ahmadis whose situation has been more extensively documented. The community has limited access to schooling, health care and adequate shelter -- living for the most part in huts that they move from place to place. As a people who have for centuries lived off the Indus river, the livelihoods of the Kihals are increasingly under threat because of commercial logging, the construction of big dams and corporate agricultural farming, according to a 2003 study by international NGO Minority Rights Group International. The system of contract fishing awarded by the government on the Indus means they cannot fish any longer, while increased pollution of the river has also reduced the fish population. The expanded cultivation of land by farmers along the banks of the Indus means the reed-like plants used by the Kihal to weave baskets have vanished. (more)

Japan's children population at new record low
5 May 2010 - Japan had fewer youngsters celebrating Children's Day for the 29th straight year Wednesday, highlighting concerns that the country may face difficulty finding enough workers and taxpayers to support a rapidly aging population. The proportion of children in Japan has kept declining for 36 straight years to about 13 per cent of the country's population of 127 million. The elderly population is rapidly swelling. Japan has the lowest percentage of children among 27 countries with populations of more than 40 million. (more)

India IT hub Hyderabad hit by new religious clashes
30 March 2010 - Riot police fired rubber bullets and used teargas to disperse clashes between Hindus and Muslims that injured dozens in the Indian IT hub of Hyderabad on Tuesday, police said. Two people have been killed and 110 people arrested in connection with the violence, which started on Saturday when a Hindu group replaced Muslim flags with Hindu ones on the streets during a festival. The city has already been hit by months of sporadic unrest over the proposed creation of a separate Indian state, carved out of Andhra Pradesh. (more)