Today we finally log in some heavyweight material:

Landslides near Mt. Kailash washed away the entire village of Malpa in the Himalayas. 200 persons have disappeared including 60 pilgrims on their way to Mt. Kailash, bringing new definition to the term "Merging with Siva." Much mourned is the missing Protima Bedi, one of the pilgrims who had formed an innovative, back-to-the-land dance school/community in South India several years ago.

The gall and greed of big companies continues to inspire on-going "Bio-piracy" with patents on such natural plants as neem and turmeric facing storms of controversy. US, Japanese and German companies are the reputed worst offenders. The latest attempts to appropriate what belongs to all humanity are by Nestle India, which recently filed process patent claims for vegetable pulao, parboiled rice and cooked cereal! Unbelievable, but true. Watch out ladies. . .if you cook rice today and give it to a friend tomorrow you could be thrown in jail!

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