HISTORY
Two hundred years ago, Tippu Sultan ruled Palakad District of Keralam. He built the fort in the town, now a tourist attraction. The Hanuman temple there, attracts thousands of devotees evey day. It is believed to be there, even when Tippu captured the town. He did not demolish it.
Our village was on the opposite bank of the river, which was conneted to the Palakad town by an old road, via Pazhayannur. Fearing harassment by the Muslim soldiers of Tippu, the  village was shifted to the present location. As there was no road on this side of the river, the Brahmins there felt secure; the pooja at the Shiva temple, which is very, very old, was resumed, after the Brahmins, who had fled elsewhere, returned to the new CS puram village. 
Until the land reforms act of 1975 totally ruined them, the villagers were prosperous land lords. Each house had a big wooden chamber, to store paddy received as rent of the land, leased to the tenants. It is said that one Sankaracharya of Kanchi Kamakodi, with all his paraphernalia, stayed there for almost a month, and all expenses  were met by the villagers, who had their own carpenter, blacksmith, barber, washermen, farm labour etc. etc.
Every year, Sastapreethi is celebrated with all pomp and show. The festival lasts for three days, with elephants parade, drum beating, fire works etc. We do not cook food for these days. All eat at the Shiva temple, where special arrangements are made for acommodating guest Brahmins coming from neighbouring agrahara villages, for which no invitation is required. We will wait till the guests are served.
All our villagers working outside, make it a point to attend this function, for which compulsory donations are extracted from all of us residents. Visiters also donate liberally. For us living in metropolitan cities, it may be a real, enjoyable surprise, to be a guest there.

There are very many such Brahmin villages at Palakad. The rath or chariot is similar to the one we see at Puri.
There is a warium family for the temple. When  we first settled there, the old warriar was stll alive. He was always grumbling and cursing all. The film song “oh! blind gods, mere clay creatures! “he wold sing aloud. His son, a young man who had no issues and was an asthmatic patient, wold curse him in low voice, and the whole atmosphere at the Shiva temple, where I would be the lone devotee in  the evenings, giving company and comfort to Murugan, the  poojary, in darkness, often visited by snakes, as the whole temple is infested with rats, was gloomy. I would repeat the mantra “ohm namah! Shivayah!,”thound and eight times, morning and evening, after darshan of Shiva, Ganesha and Devi, all in the same building, and return with Murugan. We became fast friends. He had seen the world, was at Jamshedpur earlier, was only an employee there and woud ask repeatedly: are you comfortable among these aiyers here?, myself being a namboodiri.
One day, I placed a bundle of notes, Rs. 5000, at the entrance to the sanctum of Shiva temple, as is normally done by the devotees, who want to give Him the money. Murugan could have taken it; he didn’t. Instead, it was handed over to the manager, who asked me whether I had any particular object in mind. I mentioned the difficulty in approaching the Shiva temple, a few hundred yards away from the last house of the village, partially submerged in slush in the rain, dark at night. Could something be done?

He nodded yes.

My government professor basically told me I am a perfect student. I am so pleased with myself. Me and government, of course. Yesterday an old english professor told me that she would write me a “glowing letter of recommendation” for UC Santa Cruz. Awesome. I am talking like I am already accepted into the program, even though they only accept 2% of all applicants and it happens to be a Ph.D. program. It’s O.K.. I got this.

Anyway, I’m feeling really good about today. I am about to sit down and write a nice long letter about the history of literary criticism class I am about to drop out of, and then I am going to read the rest of Franny and Zooey.

Aaron, Emma, Charlie and I went for a walk. It was nice. We found places we have never been to before.

The sun is out, the bills are paid and I’m healthy. Everything is fine. Also, I got Aaron to take pictures with me. He hates cameras. I had to settle though, he only likes pictures in which funny faces are made.

Happy Wednesday, my friends.

Como já deu pra perceber, o blog está meio parado ultimamente, mas nós não desistimos. Felizmente conseguimos um membro novo para a staff, meu amigo Rafael

Então, seguindo a linha de posts dele, com curiosidades sobre música e animê, venho postar mais um fato curioso envolvendo os dois assuntos. Apesar de eu não gostar de Rap (único rapper que eu consigo ouvir é o Eminem), curto bastante Naruto, como todos já sabem.

O rapper americana chamado Eddie Rath decidiu lançar um álbum em homenagem ao ninja loiro, que se chama Naruto 2009. As músicas são todas baseadas no anime Naruto.

Capa do Cd "Naruto 2009"

Caso queiram conferir, há um clipe no Youtube:

Não vou criticar se está bom ou não, já que não gosto do estilo. Quer dar sua opinião? Deixe um comentário.

Update flood incoming!

*Pant* Well.. After three weeks of fighting dragons and Network forces, we’ve won! Ryuusei is once more at work, using the power of one his new toys on a dragon named Rath. What follows? Read on..

Monke.. Er, Dragons in Space! (Shearhide Attacks!)

About

This week brought us another dragon war, but not the ones we’re used to. This one was unique in multiple ways.

A Darkness dragon by the name of Rath has sought out the expertise of none other than Ryuusei Cartwright for a special task. Rath wishes to extend the dominance of dragons beyond Lore, to the very stars above! However, since many dragons rely on magic for the bulk of their power, he is unable to sate his hunger for control. However, Ryuusei has a solution. Using a small orb called the Astromorph Device (Which more closely resembles a child’s toy), Ryuusei is able to convert all of Rath’s dragon magic into pure physical power! With a stronger body, cooler looks, and a weakened mind, Rath is the perfect beast to fight in even the vacuum of space. Now, with an army of  dragons and (Interestingly enough) Network forces, he begins his conquest on both Lore and space.

He's a mean (If cool-looking) looking buggah, ain't he?

This brings me to one of the greatest things about his event: It is a crossover war with WF. Since both games are tied to the sam servers, the war count in one was the same as that in the other, and all waves in both contributed to the overall war effort. Truly a great thing.

After the 2,000,000 waves of Shearhide’s army were bested by the heros on and above Lore, it came time to face the beast himself. Shearhide is a tough opponent, sporting heavy physical attacks as well as the ability to discharge large amounts of power in a devastating attack. However, with a little ingenuity, you’ll be able to easily defeat him and head after your next goal: Ryuusei.

The devious man in the red suit plays coy, as he always does. He explains that he had no evil intention at all, and that he did not even really create Shearhide. It was the thoughts and desires of the dragon that had turned him into the creature he became. All Ryuusei was doing was testing out the power of the Astramorphic Device. He explains that he received some of an element from a distant star called ‘Mysterium’ from an alien called The Finder. How could he resist trying it out? Then Ryuusei, kind man that he is, offers to sell you one of your own. He can always have more made, apparently..

The Astromorphic Device can transform you into Shearhide, a very nice thing indeed. When you transform, all of your Intelligence stat is moved to other areas. It will boost your offensive stats t0 a certain point, then move on to another. It’s amazing to see all of your offensive areas boosted by so much, making this a very unique and powerful reward, perfect for Hybrids (Oh yeah baby! )

Pros

Needless to say, this event was very well done.

The tie-in with WF was an excellent idea, letting players experience the war on two fronts, and definitely got a lot of activity up on WF. It was great to see just what is possible in the future between AQ and WF. Events like this will not only be a lot of fun, but also be a great way to advance the storyline in both.

The story was fantastic for this war. AE has done a great job lately of tying every new release into the main story arcs in some way. Seeing Ryuusei “Push pieces around the board” as he put it, was a great way to get an appreciation for his new, devious role. Is he evil, with a great ulterior motive? Is he doing all he can to harm those who stripped him of his rank? Or is he, like he said, simply wandering and looking for some purpose? Only time (And the Bizarre Fleck saga) will tell. The dragon war concept was taken and fully used. Shearhide proved to be a terrifying (If somewhat stupid) foe, and had incredible artwork.

And of course, the rewards. It would have been a shame to let the beautiful artwork of Shearhide disappear, and it’s great to see it live on in such a great armor. The armor itself is powerful, both defensively and offensively, and rippling with plenty of effects, detailed above. Awesome!

Cons

Yes, there are cons to this one as well.

My first gripe against this war was the ending. Well, we fought through the 2,000,000 enemies, and defeated Shearhide. Now we get to question Ryuusei on stuff, right?

Well.. No, actually. While we did find out a little of Ryuusei’s motives, we did not get near the amount of information an event like this could have given. We saw Ryuusei morph a deadly dragon into a physically powerful beast, but many questions were left unanswered. When Ryuusei mentioned payment from Rath, what did he mean? What could be valuable enough to pay for the talents of one of the most powerful and bloodthirty men in AQ? Why does Shearhide have Network forces fighting for him? Does Ryuusei still hold some sway over the Network, or what? While this event did give us a glimpse into Ryuusei’s seemingly new life, it still left too many questions unanswered, and didn;t take advantage of what it could have.

Finally, the number of war waves itself was a bit of overkill. WF, on average, has about 1000 players online (And taht’s being generous). I’m not insulting numbers since it’s only been out a short time, but that’s not my point. The vast majority of new wars have 700k or so enemies, since the Sweep has made participation in wars somewhat more difficult through harder enemies. But how can just justify the addition of 1.3 Million enemies, when we only have 1000 or so more players to help? It makes very little sense to me. Unless this event was designed to take a while, which is, I suppose, possible.

Final Grade of Release

Well, while this war did have a few holes in it, it was an overall great experience. The rewards were great, the storyline excellent, and the tie-in with WF a great sign of future events. All in all, not a bad week, I must say. I give this week’s release 9 Astramorphed and Prickly Dragons, out of 10.

AJMER: Uttar Paschim Railway Majdoor Sangh on Saturday protested after Garib Rath, the train running between Mumbai and Ajmer, was extended to Sarai Roilla in Delhi. About a hundred employees in uniform gathered on the railway station on Saturday evening and shouted slogan against the railway authorities, demanding that the staff in the train be from Ajmer division only.

According to secretary of the union R P Sharma, “The Garib Rath train was running between Mumbai Central and Ajmer but has been extended to Sarai Roilla. Now the problem is the running staff including ticket collector and guards will be either from Mumbai or from Delhi. The staff which was in duty on one side in the train was from Ajmer and now they will not get the chance to be on duty.”

He said the reduction of Ajmer staff in the train would result in slashing of posts in Ajmer division. This would also lessen the chance of the running staff of getting promotions as it depends on the travelling trips, added Sharma.

The union members raised slogans against the railway minister and the general manager of the North-Western Railway. As the protest started, passengers had a tough time to exit as the platform was jammed with the protesters. “I was waiting to receive my guest and with this madding crowd, I am not sure whether I would be able to find him out,” said Sukhbinder Singh.

Meanwhile, the union has given an ultimatum to the railway administration that if their demands are not fulfilled at the earliest they will go on strike.

“The divisional railway manager assured us that our demand will be fulfilled by September 9. But if he fails to keep his promise, we will convey our protest to railway minister Mamata Banerjee, who is scheduled to visit Ajmer on September 12,” added Sharma.

The union has also submitted a memorandum to the DRM asking him to depute more local running staff in the train.

Puri : July 5th 09.

Spectacular display of fireworks and chanting of  “Jai Jagannath” and “Haribol” marked the return of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra.

They were taken to the sanctum sanctorum of the Main Temple in a “Pahandi” procession by the servitors.

Early this morning, priests conducted daily chores of the deities with observance of “Mangal Arati” , “Abakash” and offered fruits as Bhog.

After installation of the deities on the “Ratna Simhasana” of the sanctum sanctorum of the Main temple, regular priests and servitors resumed normal daily rituals starting with Mahasnan (the Grand Bath) followed by a fresh set of rituals concluding with Badasinghar (night dress) and Pahada (sleeping). This home coming ceremony of the deities is known as Niladree Bije.

Puri Rath Yatra is a mega procession that is organized at Puri, the temple town of Orissa. It is held every year in the month of June-July and lasts for about ten days. During the procession, the idols of lord Jagannatha, Balabhadra and goddess Subhadra, the deities of the Sri Mandira, are taken out. Thousands of devotees transfer the deities in their respective chariots from the Jagannath Temple to the Gundicha Temple. For seven days, the deities stay at the Gundicha Temple and then return to Sri Mandira.

The Rath Yatra of Puri is also popular as Gundicha Yatra, Navadina Yatra, Ghosa Yatra, Dasavatara Yatra and so on. The Jagannath Rath Yatra holds much significance for the devotees. A glimpse of lord Jagannath on the chariot is considered very auspicious. It is also believed that if one gets an opportunity to touch the chariot, or even the ropes, then that person is absolved of sacrament for ages. The three deities are given a ritual bath on the Snan Vedi (an open platform), almost a fortnight before the Rath Yatra. Three chariots are decorated and lined on the day before the procession. On the day of the procession, the priests take out the festooned idols to the chariots. The first deity to come out is Lord Balabhadra, then Goddess Subhadra and the last and most-awaited Lord Jagannath. After the ceremony, Gajapati (the ceremonial king of Puri) comes and expresses his humility before God. With a golden broom, he cleans the chariots and showers holy water on them. After that, the procession of three deities towards the Gundicha Temple starts.

Rath Yatra – The Divine Journey

It won’t be wrong to call this ‘Festival of Chariot’ the grandest festival to take place in India. Held at Puri every year in the month of July, it is one of the most important and awaited festival of Hindus. Full of colors and spectacle, the nine day festival never fails to mesmerize all who witness it. During the festival, Lord Jagannatha, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra, who are the main deities of the Jagannatha Temple, are taken out on three gigantic chariots to Gundicha Mandir. This probably the only time when the main idols of deities are taken out of temple anywhere in India. Since the time the festival has started, it has amused not only Indians but foreigners as well. It is said that when Britishers first observed Rath Yatra, they were so intrigued by its atmosphere and energy, that they termed it ‘Juggernaut’. Even today, people from all over the world, both Hindus and Non-Hindus, visit Puri to be one among the millions standing on the sidelines and behold the magnificent event.

Significance of Rath Yatra

‘Rath’ means chariot and ‘Yatra’ means procession or travel. There are many legends related as to why Rath Yatra is celebrated. Some say that Lord Jagannatha desired that he wants to visit his birthplace, Gundicha Ghar, once every year. Another story goes that, Lord Jagannatha once took his sister, Goddess Subhadra to show the beauty of Dwarka in a chariot, and this day is celebrated as Rath Yatra. There is one more legend according to which, Lord Krishna and his brother Lord Balabhadra went to Mathura on a chariot, accepting the invitation of his Uncle Kamsa. It is said that, one who sees the deities in the chariot will attain salvation.

Celebrations of Rath Yatra

The energy and enthusiasm with which Rath Yatra is celebrated is simply outstanding. It all starts when the idols of the three deities, Lord Jagannatha, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra, are taken out in a procession. Listen to the sudden increase in the prayer chants of the people as the idols are brought to the three magnificent chariots waiting outside the temple. The chariots themselves are one of the main attractions of the festival. Humongous in size, the chariots are decorated extravagantly. Chariot carrying Lord Jagannatha is called Nandighosh Rath, chariot carrying Lord Balabhadra is called Taladvaja Rath, and chariot carrying Goddess Subhadra is named Padmadhvaja Rath. The chariots are not similar in build either. The number of wheels and the size of the chariots differ.

After seating all the idols, which itself takes hours, the traditional king sweeps the chariot with a golden broom. With this starts the pulling of the chariots by thousands of devotees. The chariots are taken to Gundicha Mandir which is located 3 km from Jagannatha Temple. All along the way, the devotees stand wherever they can find space, to get a glimpse of the deities. The atmosphere is simply magical and will take you deep into the feeling of devotion. After 8 days, the images of the deities are taken back to Jagannatha Temple from Gundicha Mandir in the same way they were brought here.

Tourist Information

Commuting to Puri during the festival time is not easy. Book yourself a ticket way in advance as crowd coming into the city is huge. Same is the case with accommodation as well. Most of the hotels would be full during the season. So it is better to make arrangements as early as possible.

Rath Yatra is one of the few festivals that beckon devotees from across the continents. The excitement and enthusiasm of the event is something that has to be witnessed to be felt completely. So become a part of this unique celebrations that will definitely be the most enthralling experience of your life.
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Rath Yatra 2009 Has Been Celebrated Worldwide on 24th June 2009. Large number of Devotees gathered to Celebrate the much anticipated Rath Yatra – Chariot Festival – Car Festival – Ghosa Jatra of Lord Jagannath. The scorching heat also could not stop the people from pulling the Chariots. Different Cultural programs were also performed along with Prasad Sevan at several places Worldwide.

Dream Odisha offers her Puspanjali at the Lotus Feet of Lord Jagannath.

Jay Jagannath.

Zastupitelé Kutné Hory dnes schválili převod městské nemocnice na Středočeský kraj. Ukončili tak několikaměsíční diskusi o osudu zdravotnického zařízení, které se dostalo do kritické ekonomické a personální situace. Zastupitelé zároveň souhlasili s tím, že si město vezme úvěr 30 milionů korun na hrazení aktuálních dluhů nemocnice.
“Ze Středočeského kraje máme harmonogram postupu, s tím, že srpen byl nejzazší termín, kdy by zastupitelstvo mělo rozhodnout o tom, jestli kraji nemocnici daruje či nedaruje. Takže tento bod jsme splnili,” řekl starosta Ivo Šalátek (ODS). Celý proces převodu by mohl být podle něj ukončen v říjnu či listopadu s tím, že by pod Středočeským krajem začala nemocnice fungovat od 1. ledna příštího roku.
Nemocnice se dostala do finančních problémů a v současnosti má neuhrazené faktury řádově za 30 milionů korun. Schválení úvěru na uhrazení dluhu zažehnalo vyhlášení insolvenčního řízení na nemocnici, řekl dnes na zastupitelstvu její jednatel Martin Suchánek.
Hejtman David Rath (ČSSD) dnes připomněl, že Středočeský kraj několikrát městu nabízel, že nemocnici převezme. Pokud se tak stane, řešil by nynější personální krizi v kutnohorském zařízení zřejmě s pomocí lékařů a sester z kolínské nemocnice.
Kvůli nejisté budoucnosti kutnohorské nemocnice vyhlásili její zaměstnanci v pondělí stávkovou pohotovost. Chtěli tak přimět zastupitele, aby urychleně rozhodli o osudu zdravotnického zařízení. “Zatím nevím, jak budeme na vzniklou situaci reagovat,” řekla k dnešnímu rozhodnutí zastupitelstva mluvčí stávkového výboru Stanislava Müllerová. S kolegy o tom bude jednat ve středu.
Záměr převést nemocnici na kraj schválili kutnohorští zastupitelé už v březnu. Na květnovém jednání ale nakonec bezúplatný převod neschválili. Přijali pouze podmínky, za nichž jsou ochotni na transakci přistoupit. Je mezi nimi zejména zachování péče v akutních oborech interna, chirurgie, JIP a dalších souvisejících provozech. Rath už dříve řekl, že pokud město nemocnici na kraj převede, kraj v ní garantuje zachování základních oborů akutní péče. Na podobě smlouvy se ale oba partneři zatím nedohodli.
Kutnohorskou nemocnici do začátku března provozovala společnost Medistyl-Pharma, která měla také zájem o její koupi. Na začátku roku ale městu nabídl Středočeský kraj, že zdravotnické zařízení převezme. Medistyl-Pharma se kvůli tomu začala obávat o další podnikání v Kutné Hoře a nemocnici městu vrátila.
Středočeský kraj by chtěl převzít i nymburskou nemocnici. Město Nymburk ale zatím s převodem pod kraj nesouhlasí. Podle starosty Ladislava Kutíka činila nabídka kraje zhruba 87 milionů korun. “To jsme nemohli přijmout. Do toho zařízení jsme investovali mnohem více,” řekl již dříve Kutík. Město sice nemocnici získalo právě za 87 milionů korun, ale z rozpočtu splácí například milionové dluhy, se kterými nemocnice koupilo. Asi 20 milionů chce Nymburk také investovat do nového stravovacího zařízení. O osudu nemocnice však bude vedení města ještě jednat.

Today the June 24th 2009 is Celebrated As Rath Yatra or The Car Festival or The Chariot Festival of Lord Jagannath.

Ratha Yatra (Oriya: ରଥ ଜାତ୍ରା) is a major Hindu festival associated with Lord Jagannath held at Puri in the state of Orissa, India during the months of June or July (Rainy Season). Most of the city’s society is based around the worship of Jagannath (Krishna) with the ancient temple being the fulcrum of the area. The festival commemorates Krishna’s return to his home in Vrindavan after a long period of separation from the people there.

The festival:
The Rath Yatra in the Grand Avenue at the Jagannath Temple,Puri

Usually the deities – Jagannath (Krishna) Baladeva, and Subhadra are worshipped within the temple, but on the day of the Rath festival they are taken through the streets so that everyone can have the fortune of seeing them. Three richly decorated chariots, resembling temple structures, are pulled through the streets of Puri. This commemorates the annual journey of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and their sister Subhadra to their aunt’ s temple, the Gundicha Temple which is situated at a distance of 2 km from their temple. New chariots are built every year. This is the only day when devotees who are not allowed in the temple premises such as non-Hindus and foreigners, can get their glimpse of the deities.In 2008 more than 10 million people attended the Rath yatra in Puri. During the festival, devotees from all over the World go to Puri with an earnest desire to touch the rope of the chariot. They consider this a pious deed and risk their lives in the huge crowd. The huge processions accompanying the chariots play devotional songs with drums, tambourines, etc. Children line the streets through which the chariot will pass and add to the mass chorus. The Rath carts themselves are some approximately 45 feet (14 m) high and are pulled by the thousands of pilgrims who turn up for the event. Millions of devotees congregate at Puri for this annual event from all over the country and abroad. It is also telecasted live on many Indian channels and International channels.

Etymology:
A child enjoying a miniature “rath”

Rath Yatra consists of two words: rath, meaning a chariot; and yatra, which means a pilgrimage, a journey or a procession. Accordingly, rath yatra describes a procession of chariots, generally drawn by horses. Vedic scripture speaks of Rath in various contexts, and in the epic wars of the Mahabarath, Rathas formed a major means of movement of warriors. There were many famous Rath Yatras in Hindu legend.

The English word “juggernaut” originates from the Jaganath Rath Yatra.

The Rath Yatra in Puri:

The Rath Yatra is the biggest festival celebrated each year in Puri – one of India’s holiest cities located on the eastern coast in the state of Orissa. The word rath means ‘chariot’ while yatra means ‘pilgrimage’ or ‘journey’. Every year, Lord Jagannath makes the journey along with his brother Lord Balabhadra and his sister Devi Subhadra, from their home at the Jagannath temple to the Gundicha temple three kilometres away where they visit their aunt for nine days.

Elaborate preparations start months before the festival day. 150 carpenters work for a two-month period on building the three huge chariots – one for each of the three deities. 20 sculptors then create the intricate wood carvings which decorate the chariots. The chariots are painted in bright colours and decorated with appliqué work. A whopping 8 million rupees (145,000EUR / 210,000CAD / 198,000USD) are spent on the preparations for the event.

A Brief Look:

Every year on the auspicious day of Ashadh Sud 2, in early July, Hindus celebrate the Rath Yatra festival. Rath means chariot, Yatra – a pilgrimage or procession. Though this festival is celebrated all over India, it originated in Jagannath Puri on the eastern coast. Every year the deities of Jagannath Mandir – Lord Krishna, Balaram and Subhadra – are traditionally installed on huge chariots. Devotees pull the chariots in a yatra (procession) through the streets. The local king used to serve by humbly sweeping the road ahead with a golden broom.

A look at the several stories associated with its origins throws light on the sentiments underlying the festival:

1. Kamsa, the maternal uncle of Lord Krishna, invited Krishna and Balram to Mathura with the malicious intention of killing them. The evil Kamsa sent Akrur with a chariot to Gokul. Lord Krishna and Balram climbed onto the chariot with Akrur, taking leave of the Gopis to proceed to Mathura. This day of departure is celebrated by the devotees as Rath Yatra.

2. Jubilant devotees celebrated the day when Lord Krishna, having vanquished the evil Kamsa, gave them darshan in Mathura in a chariot with his brother, Balaram.

3. Devotees in Dwarika celebrated the day when Lord Krishna, accompanied by Balaram, took Subhadra – his sister, for a ride on a chariot to show the city’s beauty.

4. Once in Dwarka, Lord Krishna’s eight queens requested mother Rohini to narrate the divine episodes of Lord Krishna with the Gopis while he was in Vraj. For a while Rohini dithered. Finally, after a lot of insistence she relented. However, considering it unbecoming of Subhadra to hear such episodes (Leela), she sent her to guard the palace doorway. Yet the Vrajkatha soon absorbed Subhadra. Soon, Lord Shri Krishna and Balaram arrived at the doorway. With arms wide apart, she stood between the two, preventing them from entering. However, from where they stood, Rohini’s katha soon engrossed them all! Just then sage Narad arrived. Seeing the siblings standing together like murtis, he humbly prayed, “May the three of you grant darshan in this manner forever.” The Lord granted the boon. And the three eternally reside in the Jagannath Mandir in Puri.

5. There is an interesting story of Lord Krishna becoming the Sarathi – driver of Arjuna’s chariot, during the eighteen-day battle of the Mahabharat.

6. Finally, a story which has been passed on from mouth to mouth, concerns about what happened after the cremation of Lord Krishna’s mortal body.

When Shri Krishna was being cremated in Dwarika, Balaram, overcome with grief, dashed into the ocean with Shri Krishna’s partially cremated body. Subhadra too, followed both the brothers. At the same time, on the eastern shore of India, King Indradyumna of Jagannath Puri had a dream that the Lord’s body would float up to the shores of Puri. He should build a huge mandir in the city and consecrate the wooden murtis of Shri Krishna, Balaram and Subhadra. The bones (asthi) of Lord Krishna’s body should be placed in the hollow in the back of the murti. The dream came true. He found the splinters of bone (asthi) and took them. But the question was who would carve the murtis. It is said that the architect of the gods – Vishwakarma – arrived as an old carpenter. He stipulated that while carving the murtis nobody should disturb him and if anybody did, he would stop work and leave. A few months elapsed. Driven with impatience, Indradyumna opened the door of Vishwakarma’s room, who vanished instantly as he had stipulated. Despite the incomplete murtis, the king consecrated them, placing the holy cinders of Lord Krishna in the hollow of the murti and installed them in the mandir. Every year a grand procession is carried out with the murtis of Lord Krishna, Balaram and Subhadra in three gigantic floats. The floats are pulled by devotees from Janakpur to the mandir in Jagannath Puri. The murtis are changed every twelve years, the new ones being incomplete too.

The Jagannath Mandir in Jagannath Puri is one of the four most sacred mandirs in the four directions of the Indian sub – continent. The other three are: Rameshwar in South, Dwarka in West and Badrinath in the Himalayas. Probably the mandir in Jagannath Puri is the only mandir in the world housing murtis of three deities who are siblings – Lord Krishna, Balaram and Subhadra.

There are several Raths mentioned in the Hindu scriptures:

Katha Upanishad (1/3/3-4) – the Body Rath
Yama, the Lord of Hell reveals to young Natchiketa the Rath with which one can attain Brahma-vidya – knowledge of Brahman.

Shloka:
Atmanam rathinam viddhi shareeram rathameva tu,
Buddhim tu sarathim viddhi manaha pragrahameva tu.
Indriyani hayanyahur vishayansteshu gocharan,

(Translation):
The atman is Rathi – owner of the `chariot’ – the body,
The intellect is the Sarathi – driver,
The mind is the rein,
The senses are the horses, and
The Panch Vishayas – material objects of the five senses – are
the fields of pasture for the horses.

i.e. The person whose Sarathi – intellect – is wise, whose mind fully controls the senses, can traverse Samsara to reach the desired goal – the Lord’s abode.

Ramayana – The Samsara Rath:
Lord Ramachandra describes his chariot to Vibhishan, with which he is always victorious:

Courage and tenacity are its wheels,
Immutable truth and character are its flags,
Strength, discrimination, self-control and charity are its horses,
Forgiveness, mercy and equanimity are the reins, and
Devotion to the Lord is its Sarathi.

With such a chariot one can surely traverse Samsara.

Mahabharat- The Life Rath:
Shri Krishna becomes his devotee, Arjun’s Sarathi, leading him and the Pandavas to victory.

Shri Krishna says in the Gita (18/78) that, where there is Krishna and Arjuna, there’s wealth, victory, power and immutable morality. This was borne out during the battle when the mighty warrior Bhishma vowed to kill Arjuna on the tenth day. Lord Krishna anxiously searched for Arjuna and found him asleep. Bewildered, Lord Krishna asked him how he could sleep with such a pledge looming over his life. To his astonishment Arjuna answered, “Because you are awake!”

The ultimate essence of the chariot stories is that the Jiva should unwarrantedly surrender to the supreme Sarathi – God or the God-realised Sadhu, if he wishes to successfully traverse the yatra of life, Samsara.

Rath Yatra Festival in Gujarat:
In many cities of Gujarat like Amdavad, Surat, Bhavnagar, etc, glorious processions are carried out annually with devotional fevour and joy. The Jagannath Mandir in Amdavad organises a yatra through the walled areas of the city. People make kaleidoscopic Raths and floats of various materials mounted on trucks. This year many youth and religious organizations in the city of Amdavad constructed ninety-eight Raths, which followed the Jagannath Mandir’s fifteen decorated elephants. Onlookers and devotees thronged the narrow alleys, buildings and balconies, patiently awaiting up to three hours for the 5-km-long colorful procession to pass by at a sedate pace. When the chariots with the murtis arrived, people ritually sprinkled rice and gulal powder as a form of puja. The participants sitting in these raths liberally handed out fistfuls of prasadam of raw, sprouted mung beans. Children were given sweets and confectionary. Finally, at the rear were three raths of Subhadra, Balaram and Lord Krishna. These were all hand-drawn and pushed by devotees. The flurry and festive excitement was enhanced by the jubilant chanting of `Jai Ranchhod Makhan Chor’. Indra, the god of rain, too arrived to participate! It has been noted that sometime during the Rath Yatra, usually late afternoon or early evening, he sprinkles a light shower, never a heavy downpour, sanctifying the occasion.

The festival of Rath Yatra is celebrated at all the Swaminarayan Mandirs of the BAPS. Every year the center in Calcutta celebrates it on a large scale with colorful floats pulled by devotees and dignitaries. This year the Satsang center in Surat carried out a procession of eight floats with 15,000 devotees joyously chanting the Lord’s name. The 1.5 km long procession inspired reverence and devotion in thousands of bystanders and pedestrians.

The Rath Yatra is a festival suffused with devotional sentiments for the Lord. For over five thousand years, Hindus have celebrated this spectacular festival. Gathering together, they earnestly pray to the Lord to steer the chariots of their mundane lives through the vicissitudes of Samsara.

Interesting Rath Yatra Facts:
The Rath Yatra or Festival of Chariots is one of the greatest Indian festivals. Many interesting facts are related to this unique festival. Here we present you with some of the most exciting facts tied in to Rath Yatra and Rath Yatra celebrations.

At Baripada in Mayurbhanj district of Orissa, only women are allowed to pull the rath (chariot) of Subhadra. The unique tradition started in 1975 when the district administration proclaimed on the occasion of International Women’s day that henceforth, only women were to pull Subhadra’s rath.

Every year, thousands of women jostle to hold the sacred rope to pull the chariot. Women devotees from across the state annually pour in at Baripada to avail the opportunity and take great pride in pulling the rath from Jagannath temple in Baripada to Mausui Maa temple located nearby. The Baripada Ratha Yatra is significant because nowhere else in India are women given this special privilege to pull the chariot. The participation of women in the festivities is what has made the Ratha Yatra at Baripada an extremely popular event.

On 16 July 2007, the villagers in Paikamal block of Orissa’s Bargarh district observed Ratha Yatra in a unique, environment-friendly way. The whole idea of the Rath Yatra was to tell people to treat trees and forests as god and save the depleting forest wealth and environment. The idols of the gods were replaced by herbal plants and saplings of other useful plants. This unique Rath Yatra, dubbed by the media as Green Rath Yatra, was organised by the Manav Adhikar Seva Samiti (MASS), a social organisation and Pragati Mahasangh of Paikmal. The three chariots, meant for the sojourn and journey of the gods, were decorated with different plants and taken through some 15 villages of Paikmal to spread awareness among the villagers about the various plants that are grown in the nearby Gandhamardan hills. Thousands of saplings were planted during this Green Rath Yatra. Meetings and seminars were also organised at many villages to discuss various aspects of environment and forests. These meetings were attended by the local forest officials, block officials and staff of the Government Ayurvedic College of Paikmal who participated in the programs to educate the people.

The chariot carrying Lord Jagganath is called the Nandighosh, which is 45-foot high with 16 wheels each having a diameter of 2.13 metres. Balabhadra’s carriage Taladhwaja is a foot less in height with 14 wheels, while Subhadra travels on the Padmadhwaja that stands 43 feet tall and has 12 wheels. Each of the chariots have four wooden horses attached to them.

Three new wooden chariots are made every year in Orissa for the journey of the three deities from the local Jagannath temple. The three chariots for each of the deities resemble a temple structure and are pulled by a rope by enthusiastic devotees and pilgrims. A team of approximately 14 to 15 tailors are engaged in stitching up the covers for the chariots that require nearly 1200 meters of cloth.

Unlike the chariots, which are mended every year since they lie out in the open, the idols of Jagannath Mandir are not remade every year. The idols are replaced with new ones only in a year which has two Ashad months. This happens every 12 to 19 years. This event is known as Nav Kalevar (meaning “new body”). The idols are designed exactly as the original and also painted in the same manner.
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Al parecer esta fotografía salió en un diario Tailandés (ThaiRath), que de hecho ahora ya provocó que la familia de David Carradine los demande por publicarla. Muestra la manera en que la policía encontró el cadaver del actor de Kill Bill, colgado y aparentemente sin color en la parte media del cuerpo, aunque yo tengo mis dudas, pero pues ustedes juzguen, ¿será o no será?

Political events in recent days have heated to the point where a break-up of the coalition government is possible after Transport Minister Sohpon Zarum of the Bhumjaithai Party declared on Tuesday that the long-delayed NGV bus leasing project must be submitted to the cabinet for consideration on Wednesday and if it was not approved, the cabinet and prime minister must explain why, noted a Thai Rath editorial. Transport Minister Sohpon Zarum’s bus project is undergoing an independent study as he has failed to provide sufficient facts about costs and obligations. The public ultimatum by Mr Sohpon, with the unanimous support of Bhumjaithai ministers, one day before the cabinet meeting raised questions among the public as to why the minister was trying to rush this project through.

It had already been delayed for over a year and this was not the first time it had been stopped by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. Previous prime ministers including Samak Sundaravej and Somchai Wongsawat had also delayed the project. The editorial mentioned that the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority’s (BMTA) lease of 4,000 NGV buses would cost almost 70 billion baht over 10 years – a huge sum of money. Even though the BMTA and Transport Ministry have explained the project would not cost the government or taxpayers a single baht, they failed to clarify what would happen if the project did not succeed and ticket revenue could not cover rental and operating costs.

Who would foot the bill? Taxpayers are already footing the bill for BMTA debt to the tune of 3 billion baht a year. For this reason, such a big project affecting taxpayers must be considered carefully. Public opinion must be sought. Mr Sohpon claims the critics only refer to the expense of the project, not the benefits to the public. But this is because Mr Sohpon and the BMTA have failed to explain how the public will benefit in the face of the project’s obvious huge costs, which are several times higher than buying the buses outright.

The Thai Rath editorial noted that it was not true, as alleged by the Bhumjaithai Party’s spokesman, that those who opposed the project are private bus operators who operate routes in Bangkok, paying the BMTA a concession fee. There are many opponents of the project, including the media and senators such as consumer protection advocate Rosana Tositrakul and former finance minister MR Pridiyathorn Devakula. The pressure being exerted by Bhumjaithai Party means that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva could either approve the project to prolong the survival of the coalition government at the expense of his clean image and the risk of the entire cabinet being impeached by the Senate, or he could insist on protecting the nation’s interests by postponing the project again but run the risk of being abandoned by the Bhumjaithai Party. On Wednesday, the cabinet decided to delay the project again by asking the National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) to study it and report back in one month on its practicality.

Price deflation It was quite worrying that the Commerce Ministry announced an inflation figure for May of minus 3.3%, the fifth month in a row that inflation was in negative territory, noted a Post Today writer. Even though the average price of goods and services fell in May, the inflation figure was unwelcome because it reflected a decline in the public’s purchasing power. Economic theory states that whenever the economy is in recession with a lot of unemployment, it is quite normal for the price of goods and services to decline - a state known as “deflation”.

The government has tried to downplay the deflation figure because it knows full well this is harder to tackle than inflation. It needs strong fiscal and monetary medicine. On the monetary front, the Bank of Thailand may engineer the baht so it loses value to make it easier to export goods while the government at the same time uses fiscal spending to stimulate local demand. A good economic environment is one with about 2-3% inflation, which means there is enough demand from consumers and producers are earning reasonable profits on production costs which are not too high.

This encourages production expansion. According to the Fiscal Policy Office, the main reason for the fifth consecutive month of price deflation was the steep decline in education expenditure. Spending on education is down as much as 20% because of the government’s 15-year free education policy. Another reason is the unusually high inflation rate during the middle of last year, when inflation reached 9.2% in July.

This was mainly because of global oil prices shooting up to more than $100 a barrel, which saw local retail oil prices top 40 baht a litre. The high inflation figure last year did not reflect real economic conditions. For this reason, the deflation figure for last month could also be interpreted as not reflecting real economic conditions. This is why most economists are predicting continued deflation for the next few months before a return to positive territory again in August.

The Post Today writer noted that the government’s first round stimulus policy, which involved a 2,000 baht handout to a large section of the taxpaying public, a 500 baht monthly pension for senior citizens and a salary increase for health volunteers, had helped cushion the effect of the deflation. What is needed is a second round stimulus under the 400 billion baht spending scheme using money borrowed under the executive decree approved by the Constitution Court on Wednesday. The Thai economy is expected to recover by the third and fourth quarter this year. It will not fall into the deflation trap as feared by some economists, concluded Post Today.

Study tour, a waste of taxpayers’ money House committee chairmen were surprised when told by Deputy Speaker Samart Kaewmeechai that Speaker Chai Chidchob had issued an instruction forbidding committee members from the usual practice of going abroad for study tours during the current House recess. The order was issued because the government was worried there might not be a quorum during the extraordinary House session from June 15-25, noted a Matichon editorial. What was surprising was that Mr Chai issued the order while still in Australia on a presumed study tour. So the editorial asked Mr Chai to explain to MPs and taxpayers whether he was invited officially by Australia or he went on a private visit, and at whose expense.

Mr Chai earlier barred House committee members from going abroad on Dec 15, 2008, allegedly to control numbers as a vote was scheduled for that day to sound out a new prime minister after Somchai Wongsawat was barred from politics by the Constitution Court. However, one committee could go ahead with its planned overseas study tour by submitting an old leave request. But this was irregular and the Office of the House of Representatives is in the process of recalling the tour expenses paid to these MPs. Overseas study tours are a regular practice among MPs and senators during the annual parliamentary recess, spending taxpayers’ money as granted by the annual budget. Most study groups go to Europe, the US, China, South Korea, Japan or Australia.

This year, each House committee received 3 million baht, or a total of 105 million baht for all 35 working committees. This does not include a few million baht in expenses incurred by the Senate committees. If the MPs and senators are forbidden from undertaking overseas study tours, they could argue the country is the loser because the experience would be used to solve Thailand’s problems. However, as representatives of the people, MPs and senators should be satisfied the House speaker has halted the study tours as it will save money at a time of severe economic recession and the government is running out of funds.

This is the reason why the extraordinary House meeting was scheduled to debate the government’s executive decree to authorise the Finance Ministry to borrow 400 billion baht to stimulate the economy now that the Constitution Court on Wednesday gave a verdict that the proposed executive decree is constitutional. Apart from the executive decree, both the House and the Senate will have to consider next year’s budget bill. The wasteful spending on study tours is also inappropriate during the country’s current severe economic slowdown.

There is daily bad news of economic hardship, such as a man killing himself and his family to escape a heavy debt burden, and a laid-off woman in Ayutthaya stealing two baht of ornamental gold in order to feed her 8-month-old baby while she is seven months pregnant. She did so because her husband left her and she no longer had any income to feed herself and her baby. Under such hardship faced by millions of Thais, MPs and senators should think long and hard about whether it is right to spend people’s money wastefully.

Matichon’s editorial did not believe that MPs and senators could gain much from overseas study tours to benefit the country. It was only a pretext to enjoy touring abroad at the expense of taxpayers. If the study tours were really beneficial, Thailand would not be cast as a country riddled with corruption and constant bickering among coalition partners to take control of the so-called Grade A ministries with a lot of projects spending huge sums of public money. It’s high time that MPs and senators came out and declared they will not waste the people’s money by going abroad on the pretext of a study tour, concluded Matichon.

Esteemed opinion link: link

LOS ANGELES (AP) – David Carradine’s family members, dissatisfied with Thai investigators and “profoundly disturbed” by the publication of a forensics photo in a Bangkok tabloid, are seeking help from the FBI and an independent pathologist and have threatened legal action against any media outlet that reprints images of the actor in death. Keith Carradine has filed reports with the FBI that could lead to the agency’s involvement, said Mark Geragos, attorney for the “Kung Fu” actor’s half-brother. The FBI confirmed that Carradine’s family had contacted the agency. The family will also seek an independent autopsy by famed forensic pathologist Dr.

Michael Baden to determine whether another person could have been involved, Geragos said. Results of an autopsy performed Friday in Bangkok were not expected for at least three weeks. A chambermaid found Carradine’s body Thursday at Bangkok’s Swissotel Nai Lert Park Hotel. Thai authorities said they have all but ruled out foul play, based on surveillance footage and interviews with hotel staff that indicate no one was in Carradine’s room before he died, said Col.

Somprasong Yenthuam, who is heading the investigation. A grainy photo published on the Saturday cover of the tabloid Thai Rath shows a naked body suspended from a clothes bar in a hotel closet, hands apparently bound together above the head and feet on the floor. The face is blacked out and other areas are obscured.

The paper did not indicate the source of the image, but Thai police said they believed it was a picture of Carradine’s body taken by a forensics team. Keith Carradine said in a statement that the family was “profoundly disturbed by the release in Thailand of photographs taken at the scene of David Carradine’s death,” and threatened legal action against further distribution. “The family wants it understood that, per attorney Mark Geragos, any persons, publications or media outlets will be fully prosecuted for invasion of privacy and causing severe emotional distress if the photos are published,” the statement read.

The actor’s family hopes the body will arrive in Los Angeles by Monday, Geragos said, but he did not give specifics. Geragos said the family decided to intervene because of conflicting information about Carradine’s death and a lack of direct information from Thai authorities. “All we really know is not much more than what the public knows, and that’s disturbing,” Geragos said.

Agents were checking with the FBI’s legal attache at the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok to see if Thai authorities “are requesting or would welcome FBI assistance in this matter.” FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said the agency generally only gets involved in death investigations overseas if a crime is suspected. Investigators initially said Carradine’s body was found “naked, hanging in a closet,” causing them to suspect he had taken his own life.

But his family, friends and representatives have said they doubt the 72-year-old actor would have killed himself. Police later said the actor may have died from accidental suffocation or heart failure after revealing that he was found with a rope tied around his wrist, neck and genitals – leading to speculation that Carradine may have engaged in a dangerous form of sex play known as auto-erotic asphyxiation. But Geragos said he expects the examination by the New York-based Baden, a celebrity among forensic pathologists who frequently consults on high-profile cases, will clear up many unanswered questions.

“It’s an amazing thing what a good pathologist can accomplish,” Geragos said. Carradine flew to Thailand last week and began work on a film titled “Stretch” two days before his death. His friends and associates told CNN’s Larry King he had a happy marriage, recently bought a new car, and had several films lined up after he finished work in Bangkok.

A martial arts practitioner himself, Carradine was best known for the U.S. TV series “Kung Fu,” which aired from 1972-75. He played Kwai Chang Caine, an orphan who was raised by Shaolin monks and fled China for the American West after killing the emperor’s nephew in retaliation for the murder of his kung fu master. Carradine also appeared in more than 100 feature films with such directors as Martin Scorsese, Ingmar Bergman and Hal Ashby.

He returned to the top in recent years as the title character in Quentin Tarantino’s two-part saga “Kill Bill.” Funeral arrangements have not been announced. ___ AP writer Michael Casey in Bangkok contributed to this report.

Honoured article: read there

Phase III: 

Half bent, weak and on the verge of collapse !

(The red machindranath did eventually break down, also bringing down with it – the “red” government. The Myth lives on!!)

Phase II – The chariot runs around the old city.

Aneb jak hejtmanoposlanec Rath uhodil hřebíček na hlavičku, aniž by to sám zamýšlel.

Zajisté si pamatujete na aférku jistého předběžného opatření, které (dočasně) znemožnilo středočeskému kraji obcházet zákon o regulačních poplatcích v lékárnách a nemocnicích. Hejtman tohoto kraje reagoval v nepochybně ješitné a odvetné pohnutce zveřejněním jména a pracoviště soudkyně, která zákaz vydala. Prý se na ni mají lidé obrátit s případnými dotazy a žádostmi o vysvětlení.

Předem bych rád konstatoval, že osobně tento krok považuji za jasný nátlak a útok na nezávislost soudu. Snad ne ani formou, jako spíše pohnutkou, která má opravdu blíže politice nežli běžnému chování.

Panu hejtmanovi se ovšem nechtěně podařilo šlápnout na kuří oko současné české justice. Totiž na ignoranci dalekosáhlosti některých rozhodnutí na občany. Souhlasím se soudkyní v tom, že obcházení zákona je nepřípustné. A zvláště tehdy, má-li člověk zákon obcházející zároveň zákonodárnou funkci. Co však nedokáži pochopit, je, že o vydání tohoto předběžného opatření se občané dozvěděli ex post poté, co nabylo platnosti. U českých státních orgánu prostě platí, že pokud k něčemu nemají povinnost… Tak aby je člověk k činu dokopal okovanou botou! A zde je problém.

Já vím, že soud nemá povinnost se k procesům vyjadřovat veřejně. Já vím, že se snaží věci zbytečně nemedializovat. Ale, kurník, výše popsaný problém se má řešit veřejně. Co “má”, on se přímo musí řešit veřejně. Když soud zasahuje do veřejného života, mělo by být samozřejmostí, že své výroky dokáže bez problémů veřejnosti vysvětlit. Pokud tak nečiní a chová se jako typický český úředník, dobrovolně se vystavuje pomluvám o justiční mafii. Soudy by si měly uvědomit, že nejsou pouhé úřední orgány, ale že v případě problému mají de facto vždy rozhodující slovo. S touto mocí přichází i odpovědnost. Právo je vědou argumentační. Není rozhodující, kdo má skutečnou pravdu, ale kdo má pro svoji pravdu lepší argumenty (a to samozřejmě neplatí jen pro strany sporu, ale zároveň také pro soudce vynášející rozsudek). Veřejnost právním argumentům většinou nerozumí a proto by jim soudy (resp. alespoň jejich tisková oddělení) měly tyto argumenty přeložit a vysvětlit.

Kdyby se paní soudkyně (či jen soud) k vydání předběžka vyjádřila v televizi a upozornila na protiprávní jednání středočeského kraje, nebo dokonce vysvětlila občanům princip fungování právního státu, uštědřila by panu hejtmanoposlanci velmi tvrdou ránu, na kterou by jen těžko hledal ústavně konformní protiargumenty. Takto z boje vyšel Rath jako vítěz srdcí občanů, když se postavil proti “zlé” samosoudkyni (která rozhodla tak, jak prostě rozhodnout musela). On je nakonec ten mravní Jasoň a ona Drsoň nerozumějící hlasu lidu. Inu, promarněná příležitost.

Ale abych nevypadal, že jenom kritizuji, uvedu jeden případ, kdy soud konal nad rámec svých povinností a vyšel jako morální autorita. Oním případem je případ Dělnické strany, přesněji návrhu na její zrušení, kterým se zabýval Nejvyšší správní soud (dále NSS). Abychom pochopili podstatu případu, koukněme se na pravděpodobný sled událostí:

Vláda ČR se dostala do situace, kdy musela nějak zareagovat na nátlak veřejnosti a známých osobností. Trnem v patě byla Dělnická strana se svými značně morálně závadnými “nápady”. Tuto situaci se vláda rozhodla řešit tak, že bude aktivitu alespoň předstírat. Zadala úkol vyplodit hadr, který se hodí do schránky NSS. Tento hadr byl natolik “kvalitní”, že byste na základě podobné argumentace neodsoudili ani Usámu bin Ládina a to ani přímo u tribunálu v místě památníku WTC v NYC. Ono to přece nějak dopadne!

Teoreticky vláda nemohla prohrát: buď NSS ustoupí veřejnému tlaku a stranu rozpustí – a oni budou borci, co dokázali zlikvidovat DS – nebo neustoupí a návrh zamítne – a potom budou oni ti, co se snažili DS zrušit a “zlí” soudci jim to pokazili. Jenže při tom počítali s obvyklým scénářem, totiž že bude vynesen typicky nijaký rozsudek typu “návrh se zamítá, protože jsme jej neshledali oprávněným”.

JENŽE! NSS se postavil k problému jako chytrá horákyně a velmi dobře využil mediálního zájmu. Návrh zamítl a – což je důležité – oznámil zemi, že neměl jinou možnost, protože návrh byl lajdácky zpracovaný. Navíc zdůraznil, že se několikrát marně snažil na nedostatky upozornit.

V tomto případě vyšel z ošemetné situace NSS jako právně a morálně nezávadná instituce, která měří všem stejně a respektuje zákony. Naproti tomu Vláda vyšla z boje jako lajdácký úřednický šiml (kterým ona samozřejmě je). Dokazuje to i fakt, že u NSS se dveře díky novinářům netrhly, zatímco mluvčí (mluvkové?) z vlády a ministerstev se omezovali na krátkou frázi o tom, že jim ještě nebyl nález soudu doručen.

Pointa celého tohoto příspěvku je jednoduchá: pánové soudci a soudkyně, vezměte si příklad z Nejvyššího správního soudu a pamatujte, že politikům je nějaké právo ukradené. Jde jim o voliče. Tudíž pokud chcete s politiky bojovat v zájmu práva, bojujte s nimi také na poli veřejného mínění.

Nomen omen est…

Matthias Rat(h), a mega vitamin salesman who claims that his pills can cure diseases such as cancer and aids, is without a doubt one of the biggest and most ruthless quacks of our time. Mr Rath usually harassess his critics into silence by filing libel suits against them.  

But on 12 September 2008, Matthias Rath dropped a year-long libel action against the Guardian and Ben Goldacre and was ordered to pay costs. Rath sued over three Guardian articles that condemned his promotional activities among Aids sufferers in South African townships.

At the time, Goldacre was writing his book ”Bad Science.” There was to be a chapter on Matthias Rath, but because Rath was suing Goldacre, the chapter could not be published. Goldacre has now published the missing chapter on his website Bad Science.

(a compendium of queer words for the modern fag with a passion for the Middle Ages added hebdomadally on the Sabbath day)

74.) Rath
-noun singular

a.) A prehistoric hill fort.

b.) A faerie fort or dwelling place.*

[Origin: From the Old Irish rath meaning "a plain" or "a cleared spot."]

*The earliest Irish ringforts, tumuli, or faeire raths, were believed to be ancient underground portals to faerieland, and have been places of much superstition throughout the ages.