Digest Number 1265

[Guest guest]

Namaste group,

I just joined after attending my 4th consecutive RI retreat and desiring to

maintain my heightened state of devotion... I am glad to have found this group.

 

I was quite interested when the sister asked about Coke and Hershey. I have

been aware of the lack of integrity of these companies for a while. At first I

was disappointed with Mothers response, but then I realized that she cannot

take on all the woes of the world herself. She clearly said: "If you think they

are bad, stop buying them!" As her children, she has delegated this job to us.

So what may be wrong with these companies you wonder> Well, much of the

chocolate sold in the market places is harvested by child slave laborers in

Africa.

Just put "child slave chocolate" into your google and then spend a half a day

reading up on the subject.

 

As for Coca-Cola, I have heard a report on Democracy Now! radio show about

very unsavory practices at a bottling plant in Columbia. Here's the link for

that story:

 

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=04/04/27/1435213&mode=thread&tid=25

 

Additionally, I ran across the following account at the same website, which

hits a little closer to home for all of us as the incident happened in the

backyard of Amma's beloved Amritapuri. It is an excerpt from a talk given by

Vandana Shiva, the famous Indian scientist and environmentalist, one of the

world's

leading critics of corporate globalization and the international financial

institutions, such as the World Bank. She is the author of many books, including

Water Wars: Pollution, Profits and Privatization. She spoke recently in

Northampton, Massachusetts.

 

"Kerala is the state with no lack of water - abundant water. But in a village

called Platimada, Coca-Cola set up a plant to start extracting ground water

for its bottling plant and bottled water. One million liters a day. Within a

year, the water levels went down from ten feet to 100 feet. In an area of radius

of about three miles, not a well, not a tank, not a stream has any water

left, and the women – the tribal women of that region have been sitting in

front

of the Coca-Cola plant asking for its closure. The local authorities have asked

for its closure. The movements are usually -- they were talking about 20,000

people wanting to come – asking me to come down and support them. And we have

a huge buildup of a boycott because after this whole movement became big,

Coca-Cola tried to quiet this protest by giving them so-called free fertilizer.

So

a few farmers started to use it, and it turned out to be the toxic sludge

from the industry, with very high levels of cadmium arsenic lead. Coke and Pepsi

were found contaminated two weeks ago, full of pesticides. And we have had

actions across the country asking for the closure. The parliament banned the

sale."

 

I have not partaken of that beverage for many years (and avoid Dasani water,

bottled by Coca-Cola). I do however drink these young green coconuts that

Mother mentioned (as the preferred drink of the students at her college) and I

can

attest that they are divine nectar from mother nature herself. Pure,

delicious, filled with minerals and electrolytes and so nourishing and healing

for the

body temple. One can find them at markets in Asian neighborhoods, imported

from Thailand, as well as many health food store the country over. They have

been trimmed down, so the outside is white, not green, and can be opened with a

kitchen knife. They run about 1 ~ $2 a piece. In India, they cost about 10

rupees. I live in Hawaii where I harvest them myself, so they are FREE.

 

Well, I didn't mean to be so political on my first introduction into the

group, but I feel it's important to stay informed, and a lot of people seemed to

be annoyed or confused by the breaching of the topic in Rhode Island.

 

OM AMRITESWARYAI NAMAH

 

Sarah

 

 

 

> Message: 6

> Thu, 5 Aug 2004 06:01:02 -0700 (PDT)

> Mike Brooker <patria1818

> Re: A comment on coca cola asked Amma in Rhode Island

>

> > A question was asked to Amma about Coca Cola and

> > if I am not

> > mistaken in my recollection as to why it should be

> > sold there and/or

> > have anything to do with it.

> > The answer basically that was given was that we

> > have choices and

> > that She has nothing to do with Coca Cola.

> > Like a knife itself which can be used by a

> > surgeon to save a life

> > or by one to kill someone so it is with Coca Cola.

> >

>

> As I recall from previous RI retreats, there were Coke

> machines all over the Bryant campus. So why not sell

> Thums Up - the national soda of India - at Amma's

> programs? It's horrible stuff! Tastes like a cross

> between Sprite and Mountain Dew. There is also an

> Indian soda called Limca Cola, which I think was sold

> as a poor substitute for Coke and Pepsi during the

> years after Independence until the 1980s, when

> virtually all foreign products were banned in India.

>

> I was really craving Diet Coke while in India. Maybe

> they have it there now, but they sure didn't back in

> '95. I had no trouble getting Coke Classic, Pepsi,

> and of course Thumbs Up, but there wasn't a Diet Coke

> to be found anywhere in Bharat Mata!

>

> I've never heard of anyone being killed by Coca Cola,

> though a broken Coke bottle (if they still come in

> glass) can be a deadly weapon!

>