Of the main causes that lead to obesity in those living in poverty, a poor diet is the most instrumental. In Loretta Shwartz-Nobel’s article “America’s Wandering Families”, Schwartz Nobel interviews two homeless mothers about their current impoverished situation and their eating habits. One homeless mother of one is quoted saying, “I bought a lot of rice and beans and Bisquick mix…bags of cereal…and powdered milk because it is cheaper and it lasts longer” (Schwartz-Nobel 257) while the other single parent describes how her meals consist of “potatoes and some macaroni and cheese, the cheep things to go with dinner” (260). These desperate mothers only eat such unhealthy and unbalanced meals because, due to their impoverished state, it is all they can afford. Diets such as these, which include high calories and fat, are the main causes of childhood obesity that, in most cases, is carried into adulthood.

Nobel is not alone in her discovery of poor quality in diet among those living in poverty. In Kristen Wiig Dammann and Chery Smith’s article on the research of obesity in low-income women, “Factors Affecting Low-Income Women’s Food Choices and the Perceived Impact of Dietary Intake and Socioeconomic Status on their Health and Weight”, Dammann and Smith state, “Research has suggested that because diets high in refined grains, added sugars, and added fats generally cost less than healthful diets composed of lean meats and fresh fruits,… the poorer segment of the population has greater exposure to an unhealthful diet” (Dammann and Smith 242). The authors believe that due to the poorer population’s lack of income, they are exposed to more unhealthy foods because much healthier foods, such as fruit and lean meats, are more expensive and unappealing to a consumer with a small budget. This is not to say that the impoverished have a blurred view of healthy and non-healthy foods. Dammann and Smith quote a subject of their research who says, “I can’t set myself aside and get all the right, proper, $3 tomatoes and broccoli and cauliflower…I don’t have the money for it, and yes I do know what I’m supposed to eat” (248). These struggling parents have a great understanding of the healthy foods that they and their families need, but a problem that one family after another runs into is that they cannot afford the healthy foods required for a balanced diet. This leads to the parents as well as the children to become overweight or even obese.

One could easily assume that these low-income or homeless overweight families are not trying hard enough to handle their problems, that it is not the food that is the problem but the lifestyle of which these Americans live. In the article “The Wages of Sin” by Francine Prose, Prose describes how studies of the overweight often misconstrue their lifestyles, causing false information to be spread. Prose goes on to say, “Such prejudice has been found to derive from the widely accepted notion that fat people are at fault, responsible for their weight and appearance, that they are…lacking in the equalities of self-denial and impulse control that our society values” (Prose 198). The majority of people believe that the overweight are at fault for their own unhealthy lifestyle and that all the blame should be placed on them. People that accuse with these beliefs are ignorant to the many different factors and issues that the poor and overweight must cope with on a daily basis.

Physical activity can be considered the best way to lose weight and stay healthy. When applied to the overweight living in poverty, living a physical active lifestyle is hard to accomplish. In their article, “Diet, nutrition and the prevention of excess weight gain and obesity”, authors Swinburn, Caterson, Seidell, and James believe, “Poorer neighborhoods tend to have fewer recreation amenities, be less safe, and have a higher concentration of fast food outlets” (Swinburn, Caterson, Seidell, and James 133). Those living in such poverty-stricken neighborhoods not only have nowhere to be physically active, but are also surrounded by nutrition lacking restaurants that only increase their obesity. In Russel Lopez and Patricia Hynes’s article “Obesity, Physical Activity, and the Urban Environment: Public Health Research Needs”, Lopez and Hynes believe the root of this problem is due to lack of awareness. When describing a research hypothesis on physical activity in suburban and urban settings, the authors explain, “the resultant findings were largely suburban in focus, [and]…research on overweight, physical activity and the urban built environment…of inner cities has yet to be done” (Lopez and Hynes 170). What is happening is that a lack of attention is being paid towards low income neighborhoods who are suffering due to their inability to be physically active. With the focus being centered on populations with a lacking obesity problem, the overweight living in low income, urban areas are suffering. In her article “Deprivation Amplification Revisited”, Sally Macintyre provides a different reason for a lack of recreational amenities. Macintyre states, “Differences between areas are solely due to differences in the personal characteristics of the residents” (Macintyre 33). Macintyre is implying that suburban residents and urban residents live their lifestyles because of who they are. She believes suburban residents are hard workers rewarded with a wealthy community while urban residents are lazy and ignorant, thus their economic status is just another symptom of their personality. What is not taken into consideration is to the countless families that are born into their current situation of wealth or poverty and how many have no choice but to live unhealthy lifestyles. This leads to the unfortunate impoverished to have no access to nice fitness facilities or grocery stores stocked with the healthiest foods. Instead they are left with fast food restaurants and corner stores that only sell chips and soda.

By Shambhu Sharan

Ever since the dawn of human history till these modern times, the search for the individual self in relation to the larger universe and the meaning and purpose of existence, and how the self relates to a “Higher Self”, “God”, “Supreme Being”, and other such similar terms, has absorbed much of our time, energy, and resources. Several major religions and more minor ones have resulted, and although some of their founders, practitioners and followers were sincere in their search for deeper meaning, purpose, self-knowledge and God, I found that today, after thousands of years in the development of these religions, so many problems still abound in the religious sphere, that one wonders if humanity is on the right track in relation to religions.

I see today that humans are divided along religious lines, there is fundamentalist, narrow-minded attitude of religionists, rampant lack of tolerance for other religious paths—“My way is the only way!” And so conflicts and wars based on religious differences abound on this Earth.

If people love God they love also God’s creation. People can call water in English, H2O as chemical formulae and Pani in Hindi. Water is not going to change. Same thing with God whatever I tell God is not going to change.

I found a viable alternative to the various religions of today which are not giving hope and an enlightened vision to humankind. I shall call this alternative “Dharma”. Dharma means characteristics of a human being. A characteristic of a human being is expansion, happiness, service and merge with consciousness.

The religions inject fear complex, such as a fear of committing sin leading one to end up in the fires of so-called hell, in the minds and hearts of the followers. They also instilled inferiority complex-this was/is done apparently to keep them in line, to control their thinking and lives so that the leaders of the religion may obtain maximum benefits, material and otherwise for their own vested interests.

The religions say if you commit sin you will go to hell, and if you believe in their messengers you will go to heaven or paradise. The so-called absolvement of sins committed by an intermediary like a priest, “savior”-without whom the disciples cannot get rid of their sins to reach a good afterlife-is heavily promoted for the same purposes as above.

Religions propagate irrational superstitions not in accordance with logical thinking and scientific discoveries and are advocated and form an important part of the teachings and doctrines. Similar illogical rituals are also propagated. An Indian philosopher P.R. Sarkar defines dogma as “Ideas that imprison human consciousness within four walls….that does not allow the mind to expand and be liberated.– such as “My God is the one and only true God, all others are false!” are hammered into the followers’ minds. This creates narrow-mindedness and irrational fundamentalist thinking and behavior, which is very dangerous and can lead to violence and worse towards other so-called non-believers as we have seen in history and today.”

Some people think religions are created by God. I believe that religions are created by human beings. God cannot create another God. God cannot hate anybody because it is His creation.

On the other hand, Dharma has the positive features. It has no place of sin, fear complex, inferiority complex, illogical and irrational rituals are never focused upon, entertained or taught as part of its teachings. Spirituality doesn’t propagate dogmas that limit human thinking and expansion of consciousness. Spirituality accepts and encourages logical and rational thinking in

line with science. The spirituality advocates universal outlook, broadmindedness and openness.

Sincere spiritual-seekers promote systematic and scientific practices for well-being and progress in all spheres of life, physical, mental and spiritual instead of mindless rituals and religious practices.  A spiritual person practice spirituality without following dogmas. This removes the dependence on intermediaries like priests and “saviors” as gate-keepers of one’s own spiritual advancement, and takes away the possibility of religious exploitation.

Comparing the characteristics listed above for both religions and Dharma, spirituality, is substitute the English term true practical spirituality based on the nature of human beings for self-realization and God-realization, I make a good case for the replacement and propagation of spirituality versus outdated religions. The principles and practices of spirituality are disseminated and taught all over the world, we can imagine what genuine freedom and rationality in human consciousness based on universal, broadminded outlook can prevail on this Earth. Humanity can finally breathe a sigh of relief, breaking the chains of the suffocation that millennia of religious dogmas have imposed on us, and true spiritual progress can be achieved.

By Shambhu Sharan

The recent economic downturn hurt many university students. The students, who graduated or are graduating soon, face difficulties paying their different bills.  Most students have jobs. However, the international students have many more problems. The University of Texas at Arlington’s international students makes up 10 percent of the student body. The university offers scholarships, research grants, teaching assistantship, research funding to pay tuition and bills for qualified international students.

The graduate international students have to keep their GPAs high. Physics graduate Kunal Tiwari said he lost the university’s tuition assistance last semester because his GPA dropped below 3.00. UTA’s education quality is much better than Indian universities. The only thing is education is more expensive here compared to India. International students pay 40-50 percent more tuition compare to in-state tuition.

International students cannot get students loans and are legally not permitted to work off campus jobs. They cannot get a social security numbers unless they have an on-campus job. The SSN is the basic requirement to get cell phone connections and other essential things. The students cannot work more than 20 hours each week, and the average on-campus job pays $7 an hour.

Undergraduate and master’s international students who have no scholarships and grants work and study hard to keep their GPA up to stay in the university.

Business Administration graduate student Prashant Dwivedi said the medical care here is expensive compared to the Southeast Asia. He spends $18,000 per year for all his expenses. He took a loan from a bank in India. He received scholarship for a semester that was the great help for him.

“It is very hard to get medical treatment when I become sick,” Dwivedi said. “Most cases, I can’t get an appointment same day at the University’s Health Service Center. The health insurance doesn’t cover the alternative medicine.”

Job market is looking for experts to employ them. Considering the job market, those who graduated are having hard time to find a job. H-1 visa has made stricter to get jobs for the international students.

Besides financial problems, most international students use public transportation to buy groceries and go off the campus. The University provides shuttle service on Saturday and Sunday from the campus to Wal-Mart.

Most Indian students like to eat cooked food at home. Due to busy schedules, they don’t find time every day to cook.

There is a scarcity of on-campus apartments because the university is demolishing the Legacy Height apartments. The landlords have increased the apartment rent.

After getting a university degree if students do not get hired in their field, they are compelled to work in low paying jobs like restaurants, gas stations and supermarkets.

I think university’s international students have many difficulties and challenges. The university administration and the government should try to solve some of the problems.

From my childhood, I had many questions. Who am I? What is the goal of my life? What is the nature of this world? Who created this universe? I used to ask many people, but I did not get any satisfactory answer.

I was born and raised in India. I noticed that some people were suffering from poverty and others from family problems.

My primary goal was to take care of my own family members. I received a scholarship and got admitted into a very good high school. I studied hard and passed my high school exams. I wanted to study biology to become a doctor, but my parents wanted me to study math so that I could earn more money by becoming an engineer. Finally I listened to my parents and studied for two-years in an intermediate college.

I learned meditation from a spiritual teacher and monk when I was 8-years-old from the Ananda Marga ( “Path of Bliss” ) organization, and I started practicing. I was a very emotional person before I learned meditation. I got angry if my mother was not serving me food or water quickly. After practicing meditation regularly, my mind got expanded. I started to feel how my actions caused my mother pain. So I started doing my own chores. I did not allow my mother to wash my clothes or to serve me food.

Instead of expecting and receiving help, I started helping others. I felt many people suffer from so many problems without anyone to help them. I thought if I became an engineer I could earn good money and take care of my own family.

I was very much concerned with many problems in society. I saw that many people were not satisfied even when they had a lot of money. Matter is limited, but the mind is not. It is subtle. I was not running after money or material gain. I wanted to attain peace and happiness in my life.

I read several books about great personalities and felt that people remember them because they did good works for the society. Many people come into this world but very few are remembered. I thought I should live a glorious life.

I started following moral and ethical principles strictly. My meditation got better and better. I felt very happy, and wanted to give happiness to others by teaching meditation. I decided to become a monk and yoga teacher of Ananda Marga.

When I was leaving for the training center, my parents objected and did not allow me to go. I was not yet 18. I left home and went to Kolkata, India, but parents brought me back home twice. So the third time I left home without telling anyone. I completed my training, passed the exams and became a monk and spiritual teacher.

It was very painful for me to leave my parents for the first time ever. My goal was to attain self-realization and to do service to humanity. My goals were high and noble, so I decided to dedicate my whole time to help others by becoming a monk.

My first posting after graduating as a monk was as principal of a primary school in India run by Ananda Marga. After working three months there, I received a higher responsibility and I started to travel. I worked nine months with very little funds. I taught yoga asanas and meditation and gave workshops on those topics for about 10 years to thousands of people in India before I came to the U.S.

I had some health problems which I cured by practicing yoga asanas regularly and eating healthier food prescribed by my guru Shrii Shrii Anandamurti. I learned that particular asanas and alkaline food can cure constipation, acidity and leucoderma. I also had emotional problems like anger, fear, vanity and jealousy. Meditation helped me to control these negative tendencies.

My mind was also very restless, and daily practice of meditation calmed me. I could reach deep inside and access at will a vast reservoir of positive energy, creativity and peace.

By becoming a monk I volunteered my time and served others. I taught yoga free of charge. I felt happy to see that people got benefited by changing their bad behavior. I cured many people’s diseases by teaching yoga.

When I came to the U.S. in 1998, I continued my practice. I traveled the entire country and tried to help people. I visited Canada and Mexico and gave seminars, workshops and personal counseling. I helped with the relief efforts by serving food with the Salvation Army during the Hurricane Katrina. I also served food and helped with cleaning efforts with the Red Cross during the Hurricanes Katrina, Ike and Gustav at the Dallas Convention Center.

As a monk and yoga teacher I still teach meditation and asanas. I visit different places to give seminars and workshops on meditation and spiritual philosophies. I volunteer my time and money with the social service organizations for doing relief work. I will continue my service in future. I receive donations from people to serve others.

I am happy by being a monk. I left my small family, but now I have a bigger family. I have a bigger responsibility now to take care of my universal family. As a monk I don’t have to think about myself. The concept of a monk in my mission is very different from the usual concept of a religious monk. I am dedicated to everyone. I don’t call myself Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, Jewish or Muslim. I am a human being and my duty is to serve all without any discrimination.

Health care is something we believe must be available to everyone at a cost that they can afford.  However, the recently passed healthcare bills are a classic example of democracy gone wild.  The miracle of the bills is not that they passed at all, but that there is something in them for everyone to hate.  It’s government by equal opportunity dissatisfaction.

Those who wanted the “public option” of a government run health insurance didn’t like the bill because the public option wasn’t included.  Those who wanted to keep their existing plans didn’t like the bill because they fear the mandates for business coverage will cause their employers to cut back on coverage or increase their contributions.

Those who wanted the removal of pre-existing condition exclusions or denials were disappointed also.  While the bill prohibits insurers from denying claims due to pre-existing conditions, it does not prohibit them from refusing to sell new coverage due to pre-existing conditions or charging more to cover them.

Seniors who participate in Medicare Advantage, a private insurance program under Medicare, don’t like the bill because of a cut in funding to the Advantage program.

Those who have been angry at private insurers controlling their medical decisions are angry with the bill because the bill doesn’t change this.  Rather, it provides a windfall to the private insurance industry by mandating that millions of Americans without health insurance buy new health insurance from private insurers.

Those who wanted to see the costs of health insurance curbed were disappointed that the bills do nothing to regulate the cost of the plans that insurers provide so that there is every reason to believe that health insurance costs will continue to rise.  Contributing to this is the anti-trust exemption that the health care insurers have which was not removed in the new bills.

While the included reforms to student financial aid was a positive step in controlling the high costs of student financial aid which private banks have been unnecessarily profiting from, these financial aid reforms had no place in a health care bill and unnecessarily complicated an already complicated legislation.

A somewhat overlooked provision of the health care bills allows states to set up their own government run health insurance programs should they care to do so after 2014.  But there is no guarantee that states that don’t already have these programs will do this.

Still many questions remain unanswered with the current healthcare reform bill, which passed on March 22.

The public option, government-run health insurance, was not included in the final bill and most of the items in the bill don’t take effect until 2014.

In 2014 the bill allows health insurance “exchanges” to be set up, which will allow for private insurance companies to compete under close government regulation. Currently, there are no standards in health insurance so when shopping for health insurance plans it is impossible to compare them. The exchanges, when they go into effect, will require plans to conform to government guidelines while still allowing insurance companies to offer less regulated plans in the private market.

There will be a phased in penalty for those individuals who don’t buy the insurance. Small businesses will get a temporary rebate to help pay for the coverage they will be required to provide. However, part-time employees will still not be covered.

Health care also requires people to purchase health insurance from private insurers but doesn’t provide any control on prices. In the past, private health insurance companies have had an exemption from anti-trust laws that has allowed them to share information and fix prices, but the new law does not remove the exemption.

People who have no money to buy insurance will see this new bill as a tax, though the bill provides subsidies for low income people and small businesses to help pay for their insurance.

The bill raises many objections regarding cutting costs to Americans for health insurance. The bill’s supporters acknowledge that the main purpose of the bill is to make health insurance available to many more people.  But the controversial measures needed to curb costs to consumers were not included in the bill.  In fact, after the deregulation frenzy of the Reagan administration, it has been a rare occasion that congress has placed restraints on the operations of major corporations.

The one major step forward in the health care debate is that it has been finally acknowledged that the goal is to provide affordable health care to all.  We aren’t there yet, but maybe this is just a small step in that direction.

Though I have a bachelor’s degree in Economics, working on my Masters in Business Administration, it was difficult for me to digest the PROUT philosophy in the beginning. I have tried to remain open and keep my patience through my initial studies of PROUT, which contradicted many of the ideas I’ve been learning in the University. After a few months I began to open my mind and imagine how a PROUT world would be. However, the compassion of the PROUT philosophy did not seem practical in today’s world. There are so many realities to overcome, no matter what economic system we follow. And I still am not confident to say that I completely comprehend PROUT. 

It so happened that Ravi Batra was speaking at a seminar held for PROUT’s 50th anniversary in 2009. This came at the time that the world was facing a deep economic crisis during the past year. The goal of this seminar was to review the course of the crisis: past, present and especially the near future. Do we have solutions to deal with it? Do we have a chance to put PROUT ideas into these solutions?

The participants divided into three main groups: Expert professors in each field, NGO’s, and the public. The course of the seminar was divided into two main sections. The first section was a conversation with economist Dr. Ravi Batra involving subjects relevant to the current economic crisis. In the second section the three groups discussed all kinds of current local economic issues and phenomenon, relating PROUT ideas to the situation. Predictably a big clash was generated while explaining and further discussing the meaning of PROUT. We argued about the definition and individual interpretations every time PROUT was mentioned. However, the seminar ended in a good flow and most participants agreed with the main points of PROUT. We made friends who were new to the ideas of PROUT, but wanted to work to promote the PROUT ideas to the public. Some of them were still disheartened about the tremendous, ugly beasts created by capitalism and have little confidence in winning against them. Still they believe it is their duty to fight for what isright, even though it seems an impossible task. My belief is that we anticipate and create the world we envision and we enjoy and suffer at the same time.

It has now been three months from the time I attended the seminar. However, I still remember the flow of that day. I wonder whether this economic crisis has given people a chance to review the way we make money and the insecure, out of control money markets we have created. From what I observe, probably not so much. People still use the same ways to grasp all the money and security they can. No persuasive economic solution has arisen to convince people that our economy will improve. Even so, I still believe the most important goal of the seminar is to grow PROUT seeds in each and every participant and hope that those seeds will sprout sooner or later. I believe we’ll see more and more people working for the ideals of PROUT in this world.  After all, we do rely on the collective social flow to realize PROUT. In time it will raise the human spirit to an even higher standard.

“Learn how to be happy here in the present and even happier when you get out,” he saysover the loud speaker.

Louis Allen, a Durham man who is in prison for the third time, walks in. “At first I was real hesitant
because I thought it was a girl thing. And I didn’t want that family, being away from your friends, the
anxiety of reentering society, the current situation right now in the world with the economy, the joblessness,
all that plays a part in an individual who has a strike against him. So the anxiety tends to build,” said
Wesley Moliere, an inmate who has attended the classes for about three months. “You get a sense of calm and
relaxation through it. And in a situation like this, calm and relaxation doesn’t come easy,” he added.

Dr. Landau says yoga accomplishes something that other prison programs don’t. “The data shows, from other
studies, that simply giving them the skills of reading, writing, arithmetic, air conditioning, GED, does not
improve their recidivism rate. It does not improve the rate at which they come back. But shifting the
personality does,” he said. Landau did a study that shows that inmates who took his yoga class more than four
times had an eight percent chance of returning to prison within two years. The inmates who attended less than
four times had a 25 percent chance of going back to prison. Louis Allen says the class has taught him to think
before he acts. “Once you learn to deal with your mental thoughts and control them better, it’s a lot easier
in life. And as far as going out, I don’t think I’ll have no problem staying out this time,” he said. That is
Dr. Landau’s hope. “To give people the opportunity of changing the mind so that they can exit back into society
as a free person and actually be a free person,” he said.

Large businesses import goods from the other countries in large quantities at a lower price, but the small businesses buy their products locally, which are more expensive. That has impacted small businesses.

The current economic downturn has hurt small businesses in the U.S. and also across the Metroplex.

Southern Methodist University economics professor and author Ravi Batra said that small businesses have been hurt by the higher taxes.

“A small business owner pays 10-15 percent income tax, 8 percent sales tax and 15.6 percent self-employment tax, which represent a large part of small businesses overall income,” Batra said.

Larger businesses import goods in large quantities at lower prices from developing countries than small business can.

“Large businesses import goods from China, India and Africa, where labor costs are lower than in the United States,” Batra said. “They import in a large quantity and try to stock their shelves with almost every conceivable item. That’s because people would like to buy all their consumer goods at one place to save money and time,”

Batra said if the government reduced the self-employment tax on small business owners, it would help them grow. Then, they could invest their savings in their businesses.

“During the recession, many people lost their savings and investments,” Batra said.

“They have less buying power.”

Plano’s Precious Beginning Montessori Academy teacher Uma Srinivasan said the smaller grocery stores are expensive and located far from her home.

“I used to shop in smaller stores, but now I shop in the supermarkets such as Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club and Kroger,” Shrinivasan said. “I get almost all the items at the Sprouts cheaper except wheat flour and few kinds of lentils.”

Srinivasan maintains the habit of consuming healthy foods. Many stores like Sprouts, Albertsons, Kroger and Whole Foods have a superior quality of organic products for better prices. These stores also accept consumer coupons, which are a cost effective for the buyers in this recession period.

“Indian and Asian grocery stores are forced to raise their price because of the high export costs, but they do not provide better quality,” Srinivasan said. “The larger stores are competitive with quality and cost.”

Baldev Singh, President of Subji Mandi, an Indian store, started his store in November 2003 in Garland. His store suffered lower sells since last year due to competitive supermarkets.

“When gas prices went up, the prices of imported rice, wheat flours and spices went up,” Singh said. “When value of the dollar goes down his prices go up.”

Singh said the prices of lentils and masoori rice are high because India stopped exporting these goods. He imports these items from Kenya, Australia and Mexico by paying higher prices.

An Indian shopper Gursharan Singh Bagli buys in the Indian store because he finds most of his desired goods in the store.

Ike Theo, a Chinese shopper from Richardson, said he prefers to buy in Fiesta because it is cheaper and he finds most of his groceries in the store.

“Indian stores have no tofu and very less fresh vegetables and fruits available,” Theo said. “I find more varieties of fruits and vegetables in the Fiesta.”

Marc Friedland was the founder and owner of Talley’s Green Grocery, a natural foods store in Charlotte, N.C., from 1991 to 2008. Friedland said he closed his business because big supermarkets opened near his store and he couldn’t compete against them.

Friedland said the failure of small businesses can cause more long-term harm to the economy than the high profile failures in the financial sector.

“In 2007 small businesses accounted for 78.9 percent of all new jobs,” Friedman said.  “But when the recession hit, the government bailed out the banks and large corporations – not small businesses.”

Moreover, with all the federal money being thrown out to businesses “too big to fail,” small businesses have received almost nothing, he said.

“When the small business fails, it is one of the neighbors that get hurt.  Additionally, the employees of that business are out of work,” Friedman said.