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Massive Animal Sacrifice Celebrates Hindu Goddess Gadhimai
Up to a million Hindu devotees gathered in a village in Nepal last November to witness the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of animals in a mass sacrifice that has drawn widespread criticism. Worshippers travelled long distances, many coming from India, to attend the two-day Gadhimai festival, which honours the Hindu goddess of power and takes place once every five years in southern Nepal. The ceremony began with prayers in a temple by tens of thousands of Hindus before dawn. Then it shifted to a corral, where in the cold morning mist, scores of butchers wielding curved swords began hacking off the heads of buffalo calves. While cows are sacred and protected by law in Nepal, animal sacrifice has a long history in this overwhelmingly Hindu country and parts of neighbouring India. "This is a very special day for Hindu devotees," head priest Mangal Chaudhary Tharu told AFP as the Gadhimai festival began. "All the people who came here to worship Gadhimai have been waiting a long time for this day. I am very proud to be part of this event," added Tharu, the fourth generation of his family to serve as a priest at the temple. An AFP reporter at the scene said up to a million devotees were crammed into the area for the festival. Many were from India, where some states have banned animal slaughter for religious purposes. Nepal's government has refused to put a stop to what it says is a centuries-old religious tradition, despite a vocal opposition campaign from local animal rights activists who say the slaughter is needless cruelty. At one point police used batons to disperse the crowds and prevent a stampede, an AFP reporter witnessed, but there were no casualties and the event appeared mainly peaceful. Nepal's government has provided 4.5 million rupees ($105,510) in funding for the festival, a lucrative event for organisers, who sell the hides to contractors after the slaughter. The meat is distributed among local people, some of whom set up stalls selling sweets and drinks. By Deepesh Shrestha AFP
Source: AFP	2009-12-09

Inuit Paradox: High Fat Diet, Rare Heart Disease
The health of the Inuit (hardy dwellers of frigid climates) poses a medical paradox, writes nutritional product developer and chiropractic health coach, Dr. Gerry Boheimier. Their traditional diet consists primarily of seal meat, fat and blubber with few or no greens, fruits or grain fiber. Yet cardiovascular disease (CVD) is rare. The paradox is…If high fat, high cholesterol diets cause CVD, what factors protect the Inuit against the disease? Boheimier believes it is the surprising amount of Omega-3 fats in seal and whale blubber and the unrecognized high content of Vitamins C, E, A, D and selenium in these foods. The essential Omega-3 fatty acids, EPA DHA, and DPA, in whale and blubber products prevent plaque, fight inflammation and normalize blood and tissue triglycerides. Omega-6 fats, prominent in Western diets, do not have these balancing ingredients. Omega-6 oils convert to Arachidonic Acid, a precursor to inflammatory processes in cells, explains Bohemier. Without sufficient Omega-3 oils to balance Omega-6 intake, the result will be increased inflammatory degenerative diseases such as CVD, asthma and arthritis. Seal meat, especially blubber, are found to be high in Vitamins A, D, E and selenium. Ordinary fish oils don’t have the same potency. The Inuit diet approaches an ideal 1:1 ratio of Omega-3 oils to Omega-6 oils, reports Bohemier. The typical Western diet ratio is about 20:1. In addition to eating more fish, Bohemier recommends taking 3 to 4 grams of seal oil per day. While Boheimier’s work has contributed valuable information on fish oils, research shows other factors implicated in cardiovascular disease, such as stress, lack of exercise and inadequate or negative human companionship. A holistic approach to optimal health seeks to balance all of these factors, researchers say.
Source: Natural News	2008-04-03