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Eastern Mind
27 October 2010, 12:11 PM
Vannakkam: I was browsing and came upon this:

http://www.essaytown.com/topics/hindu_essays_papers.html

it seems you can buy an essay or term paper on any subject these days. But would that not be somewhat adharmic, purchasing something that is a view on dharma itself. Anyone else see the odd irony here?

I hope by providing this link I don't get anyone into trouble who is here on HDF to study because of some university or high school religion course. Of course there may be some karmic destiny in you getting caught.

Aum Namasivaya

Arjuni
27 October 2010, 12:52 PM
Hmm, they have "vast information on every conceivable Hindus term paper topic," do they? I am tempted to buy paper on "Hindu," but one would hope that the paper has better use of adjective-noun agreement than the crappy fill-in-the-blank webpage coding, yes?

What would be even more ironic is if the student learned about dharma from the paper, realised the adharmic nature of their purchase, wrote a paper on why purchasing papers is wrong, and then sold it to that site for other students to purchase...

Indraneela
===
"I wait the power of one like thee, O Indra, gifts of a Helper such as thou art, Hero.
Strong, Mighty God, dwell with me now and ever."
Om Indrāya Namaḥ.
Om Namaḥ Śivāya.

Eastern Mind
27 October 2010, 01:34 PM
What would be even more ironic is if the student learned about dharma from the paper, realised the adharmic nature of their purchase, wrote a paper on why purchasing papers is wrong, and then sold it to that site for other students to purchase...


Vannakkam: And the title is "How adharma led me to dharma, but not really."

Aum Namasivaya

Eastern Mind
27 October 2010, 01:36 PM
Vannakkam Indraleela: Canadian? No wonder you have wit. I'm in Edmonton. You're probably in the center of the universe, TO? (Don't say if you don't want to.) Only a couple of other Canucks on here that I know of.

Aum Namasivaya

Arjuni
27 October 2010, 04:27 PM
Vannakkam, EM,

(And there I've just shown off my entire Tamil vocabulary, outside of terms we learn in dance class.)

I'm a Canadian resident, not-yet-citizen, originally from New Orleans and now in Winnipeg. The only "centre of the universe" acknowledged in this city is the downtown Tim Horton's...Never been to Edmonton, but I do have a good friend there, and since this is Canada we obviously all know each other. (I don't know Jimmy, Sally, or Suzy, though...)

I'll write my own paper for that website, on the topic of "Winterproofing Yajñás with Napalm, and Other Tips for Canadian Hindus," otherwise entitled "Following Dharma, Trying to Stay Warm-a."

Indraneela
===
"I wait the power of one like thee, O Indra, gifts of a Helper such as thou art, Hero.
Strong, Mighty God, dwell with me now and ever."
Om Indrāya Namaḥ.
Om Namaḥ Śivāya.

saidevo
27 October 2010, 08:46 PM
namaste IL and EM.

Looks like the homework-doing services offered on the Net to lazy and rich kids. When entire Hindu books are available for less than 10-30 USD, a 947-words paper on 'The Hindu Sound Om/Aum' costs around 34 USD, crazy! And there is an essay on 'Hindu Fundamentalism' at 4780 words costing 123 USD! No wonder it is expensive because there is no concept or practice of Hindu fundamentalism, except in the mind of the media and academics.

Who are the authors of these Hindu papers? An item in the FAQ says:

"Our contracted staff of talented researchers includes over 200 former college professors (PhD-level), magazine columnists (Master- and Undergraduate-level), and newspaper editors (Master- and Undergraduate-level)."

I was afraid that some of the modern Net-savvy 'Hindu sages' might be a part of the authors group. Or are they?

Check these interesting items in the FAQ:
Why are your papers so inexpensive compared to all other American sites?
When will I receive the paper?
Will the paper be emailed to me?
How can I be sure you will email the paper after I pay?

I wonder what our friend TTA has to say on this?

Eastern Mind
27 October 2010, 09:06 PM
Vannakkam Saidevo: I think its funny and sad at the same time. The idea of buying a degree... well, George Bush the 2nd must have. Thank goodness doctors have to do a practical internship!http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/images/icons/icon7.gif Imagine some rich kid doctor/surgeon having his knife at some poor bloke when he just bought his license. Funny form of bribery it is.

I guess if tuition is $5000 per course, a mere 30 more bucks is very little. Surprised outsourcing hasn't made them cheaper.

I really should order one, maybe the cheapest, and see how much BS it actually contains.

Fortunately, most universities have programmers in their IT departments who watch for such sites, and people do get caught and booted.

Aum Namasivaya

Eastern Mind
27 October 2010, 09:08 PM
I wonder what our friend TTA has to say on this?

TTA probably owns the site. He is in California in IT isn't he? And he knows something of Hinduism, doesn't he? Put two and two together.
http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/images/icons/icon12.gif
Aum Namasivaya

saidevo
27 October 2010, 10:01 PM
namaste EM.

How I wish that some knowledgeable Hindus who can discuss the Hindu topics with the right amount of academic, religious and spiritual perception team together and start a free Web service to counter such expensive nonsense! Perhaps we can do something by way of discussion of the very same Hindu subjects here at HDF. I am sure we can do much better than any such 'dispensation of knowledge' for money.

Arjuni
28 October 2010, 01:02 AM
It's hard for me to imagine how a student could pass a university degree program after buying papers throughout. There are still the tests, quizzes, and other classroom measures of knowledge; of course, there are ways to cheat for those, I suppose.

Higher learning is a privilege. It's a shame that a bachelor's degree is now considered "the new high school diploma," making people who honestly don't want the education attend anyway, for fear of being unemployable.

I'm glad I'm not affiliated with that site. My instinct is to write and submit a very academic-sounding paper that contains very few actual facts.

The Vedas were first inscribed approximately two thousand years ago by Rig Sama, the Great Sage of Atharva, who etched them with bone tools and pigments onto cave walls. While irrelevant to modern Hindu practices and currently considered to be quaint historical documents with little spiritual meaning, the Vedas do offer a rich picture of early Indian life.

Vedic faith reflected a touching belief that no small detail was overlooked by the gods, or 'Divas' as they were called. Indra, King of Gods, was also known as the great protector of hairdressers, rhubarb farmers, and morris dancers, and had a legendary fondness for Soma, a strong painkiller that quelled the agony of rulership (and is still available on the market today). Agni was the lord of fire, patron of arsonists and napalm, and was often called upon to bear witness in cases involving goat-theft; he is occasionally invoked by modern devotees who seek socks lost in the heat of the modern clothes-dryer! Varuna, wise Diva of the waters, served to remind his worshippers that nothing lasts forever, even cold November rain.

That has to be at least a hundred words already. How hard could another 800 be?

Indraneela
===
"I wait the power of one like thee, O Indra, gifts of a Helper such as thou art, Hero.
Strong, Mighty God, dwell with me now and ever."
Om Indrāya Namaḥ.
Om Namaḥ Śivāya.

sunyata07
28 October 2010, 01:36 PM
That's pretty ironic, actually, EM. I remember seeing those type of websites all the time when browsing around journals and articles online for some citations to use in college essays. I'd be amazed if I could ever meet someone who would seriously consider purchasing a pre-written essay. I've no doubt that if any respectable educational instutition ever got wind that one of their students submitted work that was bought from another source, there'd be a lot of trouble - maybe even expulsion from the college itself. Are students becoming lazier, or are small-time companies like this just better at coming up with ideas to make money? Personally, I can't see how any college student would be able to afford these essays, even if it their assignments were due to be handed in the next day.

Indraneela, I'd also be tempted to do something similar, just for kicks. I wonder if anyone on the site proofreading the essays would even notice anything out of the ordinary.

Eastern Mind
28 October 2010, 02:07 PM
, rhubarb farmers

Vannakkam: Hey I grew up near a pioneer rhubarb farmer's old plot! Father said it was used in moonshine. Nasty stuff. We still have an old plant by the temple's priest residence. Nice looking leaves.

Aum Namasivaya

Arjuni
28 October 2010, 04:48 PM
Nowadays, the drug carisoprodol mimics the "wild ecstasy of Soma," but the Vedic Soma was actually fermented rhubarb pulp, pressed between colourful rhubarb leaves and then mixed generously with elephant urine, castor oil, and gold dust. Modern attempts at this recipe have mostly been reviewed as "nasty stuff."

This 'scholar' thing is, like, super-easy!

{Term paper from random website: $39.99
Glossy report cover to hand it in: $2.49
Summa cum laude graduation from Yale: Priceless.

There are some things money can't buy. For everything else, there's dishonour, adharma, and MasterCard.}

Indraneela, who needs to stop now for having too much fun. :P
===
"I wait the power of one like thee, O Indra, gifts of a Helper such as thou art, Hero.
Strong, Mighty God, dwell with me now and ever."
Om Indrāya Namaḥ.
Om Namaḥ Śivāya.

Eastern Mind
28 October 2010, 06:03 PM
Vannakkam:

"But occasionally the seers of old would dry such rhubarb, upon the ancient granite outcrops, and the resulting mixture would be smoked, inducing the seer/mystic into trance-like euphoric states through which lasting yogic aphorisms would be communicated to the sadhaks gathered around. Usually these rare but auspicious moments would happen on the full moon nights and continue three full days or more beyond until such time as the active ingredients, (rhudiazepam), would wear off. Unfortunately such wisdom of has been lost or come down through misguided oral traditions. Some lore pronounces that such knowledge is retained in the cavernous crystal caves within Arunachala Mountain. Others claim it is within Mount Kailas. Archeolists are divided.

Aum Namasivaya

Arjuni
29 October 2010, 12:32 AM
Quality Control at Adharma Central:

"Hey, Bob?"

"Yeah, Joe?"

"You ever heard of Mount...Kai-lass?"

"Where's that? Andes or somethin'?"

"Mebbe, I dunno. What about roo-dye-ay-zuh-pam?"

"That's a lotta syllables."

"Don' I know it. Somebody just sent us a term paper about 'Vedas.' Talks about rain and drugs and stuff."

"No way, huh? Veda...Veda...oh! Wikipedia says that's part of 'Hindu.'"

"Well, put it in the 'Hindu' section then, let the kids figure it out."

"Standard 39.99?"

"Yeah." :musing: "I might like to try that Soma stuff sometime. You got any rhubarb?"

Get writing, folks. HDF is presented with an invaluable fund-raising opportunity here... :P

Seriously - Saidevo, you mention knowledgeable folks banding together to present actual information for free, to combat this sort of thing; HDF does a beautiful job of this. Posts from this forum showed up in Google searches for me, hence that I found you all.
I joke a lot, but it's actually amazing how much Sanatana Dharma information is freely available, and the huge amounts of text and bandwidth that devotees - for knowledge and love, not money - are making available to others. It's so very inspiring, and quite helpful besides!

Indraneela
===
"I wait the power of one like thee, O Indra, gifts of a Helper such as thou art, Hero.
Strong, Mighty God, dwell with me now and ever."
Om Indrāya Namaḥ.
Om Namaḥ Śivāya.

saidevo
29 October 2010, 09:57 AM
namaste Indraneela.

How can Hindu Dharma be sanAtana--universal and eternal, if its knowledge is not offered free as the rain, sunshine and air? Even water can be bottled up and sold as holy water, but such avarice does not work with air and sunshine.

sunyata07
30 October 2010, 05:42 AM
Indeed, Saidevo. What price can be put on Satya, on Ultimate Knowledge? Personal effort and willingness to learn is all that any of us need. Makes the website and those essays look all the more ridiculous for it.

Om namah Shivaya

TatTvamAsi
30 October 2010, 07:49 PM
TTA probably owns the site. He is in California in IT isn't he? And he knows something of Hinduism, doesn't he? Put two and two together.
http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/images/icons/icon12.gif
Aum Namasivaya

EM,

I thought you have more confidence in me than that. Plus, that site looks like garbage.

It was probably made in the 1990s with Geocities and looks as bland as jesus.

And way to go with the stereotyping of Indian male in America. LOL.. I'm not in IT. I'm in business and I hire the locals (whites)! ;) Partly why it ticks me off when whites think we Indians "take your jobs" when Indians like myself are the ones giving you jobs! :)

TatTvamAsi
30 October 2010, 07:54 PM
namaste Indraneela.

How can Hindu Dharma be sanAtana--universal and eternal, if its knowledge is not offered free as the rain, sunshine and air? Even water can be bottled up and sold as holy water, but such avarice does not work with air and sunshine.

Namaste Saidevo,

Welcome to the West where everything is bartered for money. The dollar is their god and that is all they respect.

The funny thing is, Yogasana is a victim of this, should I say, avarice. Partly why America is America is because anything and everything can be made into a business for the sake of profit and nothing else. Indians like Deepak Chopra and Bikram Choudhury are to blame as well but there are many more westerners, especially so-called authors, who write absolute nonsense about India/Hinduism under the guise of "education" to make money.

Namaskar.

Eastern Mind
30 October 2010, 09:15 PM
Namaste Saidevo,

Welcome to the West where everything is bartered for money. The dollar is their god and that is all they respect.

Namaskar.

Vannakkam TTA: You mean like this: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/health/Yoga+proves+popular+even+doggies+doing/3716262/story.html

How low can it go?

Aum Namasivaya

Eastern Mind
30 October 2010, 09:19 PM
And way to go with the stereotyping of Indian male in America. LOL.. I'm not in IT. I'm in business and I hire the locals (whites)! ;) Partly why it ticks me off when whites think we Indians "take your jobs" when Indians like myself are the ones giving you jobs! :)

Vannakkam: Hey, I was just waiting for your response. need something to liven up the evening. http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/images/icons/icon7.gifAnd here in Canada we have 200 000 workers from across the seas (not just India) on sorry but sad temporary worker visas because we can't find locals to do these jobs. Then the feds complain and jail 400 honest Tamils on a boat. Some of this stuff is plain sickening.
http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

So you have a job for me if I come down there?
Aum Namasivaya

Arjuni
30 October 2010, 11:19 PM
I'm vaguely amused that my first thought earlier, when TatTvamAsi was being jokingly postulated as the website's author, was, "Are you kidding? No self-respecting IT person would create such a wretched webpage." I'm pleased to know there's general agreement on that front...

Doga. Dog yoga. Really.

REALLY.

My reactions on seeing that article were, in order:
1. HahahahahaWHUT.
2. Buh?
3. How? Huh? Who--the...huh...
4. WHY?!?!?

I wonder what the reaction to "Stations of the Cross" fitness classes would be. "Stretch out your arms! Now, HOLD! That's right! You've got it! Just feel those muscles working!" Because if yoga has been distorted so far as to be a fun and effective workout for Western canines, then perhaps Western religion should start providing its fair share of motivational spiritual/physical exercise routines to the East.

Oh, Soma, where art thou...

Indraneela
===
"I wait the power of one like thee, O Indra, gifts of a Helper such as thou art, Hero.
Strong, Mighty God, dwell with me now and ever."
Om Indrāya Namaḥ.
Om Namaḥ Śivāya.

TatTvamAsi
31 October 2010, 12:32 PM
So you have a job for me if I come down there?
Aum Namasivaya

LOL! Depends on your qualifications. If you're experienced in marketing and sales, shoot, send me an email and we'll chat!

I might have to pay you in idlis though! Who knows? If you do really well, I'll throw in a bowl of sambar at the end of the year as bonus! :D

Eastern Mind
31 October 2010, 01:40 PM
If you're experienced in marketing and sales, shoot, send me an email and we'll chat!


Vannakkam: Sell? I can't sell a good idea to my wife. I could never sell a car or a house to anyone because the first thing I'd do is tell them all the bad things, and that they could get a better deal elsewhere.

Besides, I think I'd get sick of only idlis. The occasional dosa would have to be tossed in.
http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Aum Namasivaya