BIOPHILE 22 June/July 2008 R25 - Biophile Magazine

BIOPHILE 22 June/July 2008 R25 incl VAT2 29 771813 139003

ARTICLE TITLE GOES HEREinbox our readers writeLive Simply...I converted my van to run on waste vegetable oil. (I am on thelookout for more waste vegetable oil, preferably oil that has friedfish and chips. I am not fussy, but oil that has fried chicken, isthicker and clogs up the filters quicker.) I lead a mostly vegandiet, except for the odd worm that I may eat accidentally. Got theveggie patch going and my raspberry bush surprised me this yearwith bountiful sweetness.Read an article in Time magazine “51 Ways To Save YourWorld”. Majority of the mag covers a comprehensive story onglobal warming and 51 things we can do to make a difference —from running on biofuels, buying second hand clothes, just say noto plastic bags, supporting local farmers, living in a smaller house,plant a tree, become vegetarian. But the last (51) thing we cando, was best for me... live simply. Meditate. Consume less. Thinkmore. Get to know your neighbours. Borrow when you need toand lend when asked. I am trying to apply this last one more tomy life.Tony LopesDo you know thedifference between oatsand wheat?As I have an acidic body I cannot eat wheat. We do not buy ourbread in the local bakery or in the supermarket. They only sellwheat. But Benjamin the organic farmer in the nearby village isselling magnificent spelt bread in his farm shop. Spelt has no gluten,it tastes heavenly and I feel good after a meal with this bread.But for breakfast I want to eat something else but bread, like amixture of fruit, oats and soya milk.On the breakfast table stood a bag of “Toasted Oats” from acompany called “White’s”. Beatrice brought it along from the onesupermarket in our village. It was something new, she said andshe wanted to try it.The bag of “Toasted Oats” measures 25 by 20 cm. A space of 15by 9 cm on the front of that bag is covered by the words “ToastedO a t s ”.What do we expect as a customer?That the bag contains oats, right?Beatrice bought “Toasted Oats” because oats are what I want toeat for breakfast, right?But I turn the bag around and read: “SCRUMPTIOUS wholegrainoat clusters; wheat flakes, etc...”What? Wheat? I do not want wheat. I want oats. Like it says on thebag.I keep on reading and see (where it says “ingredients”) that thebag contains amongst other things: “Flaked oats...flaked wheat...toasted flaked wheat...frosted corn flakes...dessicated coconut...wheat bran flakes.”Fear is Overcome with ActionOne of the greatest surprises you’llexperience is when you discover that youcan do what you were afraid you couldn’tdo. Your obstacles will melt away,if instead of cowering before them,you make up your mind to walk boldlythrough them.Do the thing you fear and feardisappears. Confront your fears, list them,get to know them and only then willPlease send your letters toinbox@biophile.co.zapost them toPO Box 39277 Capricorn Square 7948or fax them to 021 709 0392The Star Letter wins a year’s subscriptionNuclear is not an option!We in Britain are still suffering from the Sellafield accident whichoccurred more than 12 years ago. The site is still radioactive.Recently, the British Government decided to sell their 44% shareof Nuclear Power to the public, but the money which will be 2.5billion Pound Sterling will not go to treasury — it will be used toclean up all Nuclear reactors’ waste in the country.If your government builds a nuclear reactor then they aresigning your country’s death warrant. Nuclear is not an optionin a sunny country like South Africa. Wind and solar are the bestsolutions. In the USA and in Spain several wind farms of sizes500MW and 300MW each were built and continuously are beingbuilt. One MW is enough to generate electricity (in a developedcountry) for 3000 homes. In South Africa, one MW can supplyelectricity to 5000 homes.I hope this gives you enough materials to fight your way andstop the stupid people who want nuclear.Prof. Ali SayighChairman: World Renewable Energy CongressUnderneath it finally says “Contains gluten”.Exactly the gluten I want to avoid.I do not want gluten in my food.That is why we bought “Toasted Oats” in the first place.I want to eat oats, Beatrice was buying oats and what do I get?I get wheat disguised as oats.Is that eroded language or a blatant lie?I feel cheated.I do not trust a manufacturer who sells me wheat disguised asoats.I wonder what Catherine thinks about this.What do you Anthea think about it?Next time I’ll buy oats from the organic farmer. He does not usethese tricks.Do you want to feed your dog beef?For 15 years I have been working as a professional dog listener. Ivisit dog owners and help them how to discover that their dogsare... dogs, and not furry human beings.Having worked with thousands of dog owners I know that NOTONE of them ever reads the text on the dog food bags.I do. A typical 20 kg bag of dog food measures 73 by 36 cm.The huge lettering on the front of these bags says for example“chicken” or “beef”. Years ago I started taking my glasses to thepet shop in order to read the small characters on the back of thebags. That’s how I discovered that the huge lettering BEEF usuallymeans 4 % percent beef and that the rest of the contents in thosebags is something else.What do we call that?Marketing? Blatant lies?I call it disinformation, designed to mislead.What do you think?Bruno Goffinyou be able to put them aside and moveahead.When you face the things that scare you,you open the door to freedom.The only thing you have to fear, is fearitself. [Daily Guru]2 Biophile Issue 22

Crocs MadnessFor years now I have watched theincrease in people wearing these(ugly, personal opinion) croc shoes.Sure, it is everybody’s choice whatkind of shoes to wear, but please,do not participate in this madness,these shoes are (unless recycled)a total environmental disasterliterally croccing up our landfills,beaches, landscapes and so on.In a Landfill they can survive upto 1000 years, now people worldwide are wearing these shoesand unless you live in the firstworld where you have the optionto recycle them, millions of theseshoes end up in our environment.Now you can find imitations ofcrocs (made in guess where) allover Africa where we do not havefacilities to recycle.Wow, just amazing what weare leaving behind, we should beashamed of ourselves. Please, helpus boycott companies that justhave profit in their minds, time isrunning out for capitalism, downwith profiteering for personal gain.If you want to change the world,become a critical consumer andboycott any company you want,if we all do it, they will feel it. Yeseverybody can boycott and applysanctions on any country oreorganisation, is that not wonderful.Power to the people!Use the internet as your tool tomobilise millions of people to boycottand to revolt, come on now,lets wake up, lets show that we arenot a bunch of humanoid robotsdictated by subliminal messagesbombarded at us through our TVand Computer screens.MarcIndependent inevery wayCongratulations on once againproducing a magazine prop full ofuseful information totally relevantto our South African world today.In our household here in Clovellour firm intentionis to be independentin every way. We have sofar fitted a solar geyser and a greywater system. The next step of awind / solar generator is beyondour financial limit at the moment.My daughter in Perth is nowcompletely off the grid, but shewas only able to do that becauseof the Australian Governmentsubsidy of 45% of the cost. Eskomshould learn a lesson here!Robin BeckHelp — where to find heirloom seeds?After years of dreaming about doing my part to save the planet, my husband and I have decided tosell our house in Bryanston, Johannesburg, and move to a small holding just outside the city inChartwell.We have found this 9 acre lot that has never been farmed and has its own water source, so howlucky are we? If all goes well, we hope to be starting up by the first rains.We would be most grateful if you could help us find heirloom seeds — no GM please! — for vegetables,and who do we speak to about going organic properly? We lived in the USA for 15 years andreally loved all the organics and recycling that went on there. I am planning to do organic eggs also —won’t kill the poor chickens. Any guidance and advice would be so appreciated. Just looking at whatyou have achieved is just mind blowing.Keep up the wonderful work with Biophile, we cant live without it!Mandi DoddsService is the Essence of SuccessNo one achieves successwithout being of service.Leadership is action,not position.The successful don't use others,other people use the successful.I have just read Dr Glen Barry’s essay in the 19thissue of the Biophile and feel the urge to air myviews also. Although not a writing to cheer thereader up by any measure of the imagination,what you said needs to be said and put out therefor it to sink in because these are facts calling forprompt action (no soul excluded).Please do not become too impatient and burnyourself out in your quest for sanity to prevail,we need your efforts urgently.My observations have lead me to believethat the momentum of ecologically thinkingconsciousness is picking up quickly and one canonly hope that it becomes extremely contagiousnow. It was heartening to hear Minister TrevorManual, in his fairly recent budget speech,address some ecological issues such as thequantity and type of paper his department usesin a bid to decrease there footprint on the world.Also the need to rethink the way we use transportand energy. I don’t remember exactly whathe said but I do know there were sounds goingin the right direction.Another conclusion that I have come to isthat, the more food conscious people becomethe more conscious they become of the environment.We, my wife and I are, I don’t know what theright word is, perhaps privileged enough to liveon a farm in the Waterberg foothills where presentlythe water is clear and the air is pure andwe fight vehemently to keep it that way. On theodd occasion for business and family we go toPretoria or Johannesburg.During these excursions we take a meal,mostly at a health-food restaurant and find thatalthough currently conventional type restaurantswith nicer décor abound on either side ofthe health-food restaurant, the majority goesfor the health food and that’s a good sign. I justneed to add that I think it would be prudent forAll successful people became successfulbecause they gave some talent or ability in theservice of others.No matter how small your talent,you too can contribute in some way to others.You too can become successful. [Daily Guru]The momentum is picking upsome of the health-food fraternity to loose thatalmost hippy image because some converts outthere teetering on the edge don’t need to be putoff.I farmed before in a summer rain fall areanot far from where we live now (Springbok Flatsabout 100km’s north of Pretoria) and spent mostwinters (the quieter time on the farm) buildingearth dams and water-ways in the area. Fromexperience I learnt to design these myself.It was during these years of crop farming andbuilding contoured water-ways that I developeda great love for soil and a special interest in controllingsoil-erosion.I also developed an effective and efficientmethod for constructing dam overflows whichI later also used for soil-erosion control. Thismethod necessitates the concept of spreadingwater over a large area in order to slow it therebyeliminating its erosive potential and almost accidentallymini wetlands were created.Instead of wetland this can be turned into areed-bed system to create an even more effectivenatural water purification process.The third advantage of wetland or reed-bedsystem is that excess water is given the chance topermeate down through the sub soil to restoredepleting ground water levels.I have just recently registered my new venturecalled “Soil Guardian”, and to do my part inreversing the effects of global warming I amprepared to act as a consultant for any interestedparty.I agree with you, I do think that peopleshould return to the land. I also think theyshould practice the principle of reap what yousow, in fact we should now sow more than wereap to reverse the effects of global warming.Ken Rhodes073 195 6552 or ute@mtnloaded.co.zaBiophile Issue 223

Can you help?When I moved here from England threeyears ago with my husband Al and ourthree-year-old son Lorcan, our prevailingfeeling was one of excitement to be in acountry where things are changing fast.We also felt quite strongly that it would beimpossible to live here and not be involvedsomehow with township life, we were verymoved and stricken by the abyss betweenblack and white here and the lack of commonground within the local communities.It seems most people choose fear notlove within the white communities andare terrified to even set foot in their localtownship.Personally I have only experiencedan overwhelming sense of welcome andfriendship when I go to work at the EducareDay Centre creche in Masiphumeleleeach week, I love the vibrancy of life onthe street and the energy and laughter ofpeople who may not have much materiallybut seem to be rich in community spiritand love.Us ‘whiteys’ in our bricked-up, razorwiredhouses have a lot to learn from ourneighbouring communities! It would seemthat if more people extended the hand offriendship in an empowering not patriarchalway to help with training in skills andeducation, then this country would movealong very positively indeed. Instead itseems people in general are content to ranton about crime and be more suspiciousand less friendly and shut themselvesaway more and more. Surely by becomingmore positively involved in townshiplife we all stand a chance of healing thelegacy aparteid left us with, an open soreof discontent within the black populationand huge rifts of people who never had thechance to be educated?My husband, Al, set up a wonderfulorganization called Iliso Labantu (The Eyeof the People), shortly after moving hereto teach photography skills to townshipbased photographers. He holds a weeklyphotoclub and regular workshops thatnow produce beautiful greetings cards thatsell in over 35 outlets and provide a decentincome for participants. Check out thewebsite for more info - www.ilisolabantu.STARLETTERCommunity health careis attended to throughfree access to a range ofcomplementary medicinesand treatmentsincluding aromatherapymassage, cranial sacraltreatment and homeopathyduring the weekly Wellness Morning at thePink House and Sinethemba Special Care.There is also support by volunteers at theUkhanyo Primary School where a handfulof teachers cope with teaching 80 studentsfor 7 hours a day.The vegetable garden and environmentclub are also getting off the ground. Theorg.I had to wait a bit longer to get involvedas I was having a baby and we were buildinga house. Then I heard that parentsat Lorcan's school, The Imhoff WaldorfSchool, had set up a wonderful N.P.Ocalled 'Work For Love'. Volunteers spendtime in Masiphumelele participating inongoing community programs embracingeducation and health care. Childhoodeducation is addressed through supportingarts and poetry projects in the primaryschool and assistance at the Educare DayCentre creche.Work for Love have made a commitmentwith the Imhoff Waldorf Schoolto train 3 women from Masiphumeleleand are guided by teachers at the ImhoffSchool in order to open a Waldorf Educarein Masiphumelele in January 2010.Sosebanza Youth Group is an initiativestarted by the youth of the Masiphumelelecommunity and provides a safe andhealthy environment for young people toget together in a positive way after school.Volunteers provide interesting and funactivities for the children and organize lifeskills training, including gardening andgrowing vegetables. Recovering addictsin secondary care provide stories of theirexperiences and the reality of drugs.I now work at the creche on Thursdaymornings and take my 2 year old, Dylan,with me. He loves all the fuss and attentionhe receives and is carried around likea lifesize dolly! I cannot describe whata wonderful and soulful experience thisis proving to be! I SO look forward to myweekly visit and it is such a relief to begoing into Masi regularly with a pur-4 Biophile Issue 22

INBOXpose and not just to drop my domesticworker or take her kids out. To actually beINVOLVED in the community is wonderfuland I have felt nothing but vibrancyand friendliness always. Everyone smilesand waves (more than you'd get in mostwhite areas !) and I feel very relaxed andwelcome. Especially when I walk into thecreche and those beautiful little peoplehurl themselves at me and jostle to holdmy hand, it melts my heart, they are suchspecial spirits and so full of fun and laughter.We do some basic English, sing songsand do stretching and exercise as well aswooden puzzles and stacking type toys. Wealso do some crayon drawing and sometimespainting. I leave there on a high,usually humming 'wheels on the bus' orsimilar and have enjoyed myself immensely.I can honestly say that those 2 precioushours are one of the highlights of my weekand I would like to encourage others toget more involved in their community as itreally is a most fulfilling experience and soeasy and enjoyable to do !We at Work for Love are very keen tooffer assistance and guidance in a positiveway to help the workers already at thecreche to be more motivated to do funthings with the kids, as unfortunately thereis little funding, training or motivation forthe women working there to do anythingmore than 'field' the kids. When volunteersfirst started there the children werejust lined up sat in rows in bare rooms formost of the day. There has now been somefunding to provide a good jungle gym andsandpit outside and we have some toysinside but not very much, donations wouldbe very gratefully received !To finish I would like to urge you allto choose Love not Fear - you will thenexperience the joy of observing your ownattitudes about Township life beginningto change for the better! I leave you with aquote from the late great Rudolph Steiner,a man who knew a thing or two aboutcommunity spirit: "The healthy social lifeis found when, in the mirror of each humansoul the whole community finds itsreflection and when, in the community,the virtue of each one is living".How can you help?There are many ways!Work for Love relies on the goodnessof individual people and companies whomay want to make regular donations,even R20.00 a month is very gratefullyreceived and very wisely used! Forinformation on how to set up a standingorder, please visit the website www.workforlove.co.za. The website willalso provide info on how to help withother aspects of Work for Love, or call theChairperson Nicola Nangle on 021 7891342 if you fancy gardening at the YouthCentre or doing art at the primary schoolfor example, she can put you in touchwith the right person. With regards to thecreche, you can contact me Sally Berg, ifyou have any toys, preferably wooden, orclothes to donate 021 789 0241, or sally@resolution-productions.com.Also please call me if you are interestedin becoming involved as a volunteer or canmake a pot of soup/stew a week. Even anhour in the afternoon per week to go andplay football/ sing/ paint would bring somuch sunshine to these little angels, takingyour own kids is very fulfilling as well,my 7 year old is always asking to bunk offschool to come with me ! I promise thatif you visit once you'll be hooked ! Thereis also a special Work for Love stationarydonation box at The Write Shoppe in SunValley Mall if you would like to donate anypaints, brushes and general stationary. Iwould like to take this opportunity to thankRodgers Fruit and Veg for their kind donationof fruit once a week.Sally BergSelf-Sustainable Education: can you help?I am an avid reader of your mag, big supporter of all that is eco-friendly and am now tryingto put the message out there to as many people as possible.Let me start at the beginning...I run my own drama school that has been in existence for 13 years now. I studieddrama formally but also did 9 years of independent research on Right Brain Thinking andCreative Learning. This forms the basis of my school and now that I have my own child Iam taking this even further into "self-sustainable education".But I digress...Besides teaching drama I also write and direct shows. I feel that this medium would bea great way to reach kids and teach them to love our planet. If we can educate the youngones in this regard we have a better chance of a cleaner tomorrow. I have now writtena story for a play that promotes Reducing, Recycling, Reusing and much more. It is forfoundation phase learners and I am eager to get it out there. My school has branches inJohannesburg and Cape Town so I would like to start it in these two cities but the aimwould be to take it nationwide. I have a company that will sponsor our costumes andsets. But now we still need to pay the performers fees. I would like to get the show fullysponsored so that we can take it to ALL schools and not just the ones that can afford topay us. Do you perhaps know of a company/s that would be interested in getting involvedin such a project? I would appreciate any referrals.Helen HansenKTO DRAMA SCHOOL JHBwww.kto.co.za Tel: 086 111 3361 Fax: 086 686 4300 Email: helen@kto.co.zaDesire is the Fire of LifeIf you want something badly enough,you’re sure to get it.Your desires will in time externalizethemselves into concrete fact.Obstacles don’t matter very much.Pain or other circumstances can be there.But if you want to do something badenough, you’ll find a way to get it done.Your reality forms around yourcommitment to succeed.If you’re willing to pay the price, yourcircumstances will change.You only have to love a thing greatly toget it. [Daily Guru]Looking for acommunity to connectwith...My name is Tanith and my family and I arelooking for a community to connect with that isin South Africa.I am a jeweler by trade but work very deeplyin community work with my charity Work forLove ,where I teach art,recycling ,poetry andtribal studies.I am also currently learning massageand will do treatments at the free holisticclinic in Masphumele.My partner is studying conservation viaUnisa while working as a bee keeper and sculptor.I have two children: my eldest will be startinghigh school in two years and We would reallylike to find a sustainable community to live inout the city, currently we are living in Scarboroughand my daughter Avalon goes to a localwaldorf school. We have all lived communilyand enjoy this way of life.I read you articleabout Auroville and would really like you toknow we are very interested in this project. Mypartner helped build a community in NaturesValley called Yeteni and has experience in cobhouse building and what it takes to create asustainable life.We just really want to find a secure peacefulsustainable life style here in our beauty filledmagical country.Please can you send us info? My eldest educationis a big issue on where to live.I also havethe use of building materials and could help asmy dad owns a quarry?Tanithtanithchristie@gmail.comBiophile Issue 225

A comment on the diversityof Biophile’s articles...Iam sometimes concerned that theparallel tendency toward fierce environmentalactivism and the 'out-there'spiritual concepts often promoted in themagazine would put off some peopledrawn to environmental issues but not tothe spiritual elements. It is my belief thatthe spiritual elements are as important interms of necessary exposure, and often gohand in hand with the consciousness ofenvironmental awareness, something likerain and soil in the process of growing aplant.I have also been exposed to manyteachings and have thus become somewhatblase, in that they neither bother me,nor do they particularly attract me, such asthe 'hype' around Anastasia. (Perhaps mynext letter will reveal my devotional conversion- I remain open). I always receivethe next level of info, or teaching appropriateto me, as I go along, so I just let mostof it be, unless it catches me. So manyteachings have really pointed to the sametruth after all. As dear old Eckhart wouldsay, the teachings are not the truth, theyjust point to the truth, like signposts. It isfor us to see the truth and move towardsit, not get caught staring at the sign. I amnot impressed by the number of booksself-help gurus bring out, or by how manybooks self-help fans buy. We get hooked tothe signs, hoping they will do our work forus and take us there. B.T.W. I have manybooks myself and love them.A related comment to human perceptionsof the 'new' information is the senseof conspiracy, and accompanying depressionsome of us feel. I wish to commentthat whilst the depression can be a usefultool to help transform one's life, the tendencytowards conspiracy theories, thoughpotentially true, or even just plain true, canbe damaging if one gets hooked on them.Besides the fact that conspiracy theorieslend themselves to sensationalism, theycan mislead one into creating a false impressionof the world. It is not as simple asevil, greedy, reptilian men (and women?)manipulating and controlling the rest ofthe world, under whom the rest of us arebut helpless or just really disadvantagedvictims, save perhaps for the beginningof a new age, which will bring miraculouschange and systems. Perhaps, but the newage will be but an outward manifestationof the internal change we all consciouslywork on within ourselves. The responsibilityof the current world state lies in thehands and creating minds of us all, andthose in power are perhaps the biggestvictims of all, if there even are any victimsin a 'God for God by God' creation, such aslife as we know it.Any one of us could get trapped in thegrasps of power, fear and greed, as much asa man of power and greed can see the lightand become generous, giving and lovingwith just one moment of God's always appropriategrace. (*By God I mean just thisinfinite moment, All that is, and more thananything else we can think of). All of us arein this together, we are all effected, thosemanipulating, and 'in power' are probablyjust the most afraid, most unhappy beingsof all. It cannot be a nice place, to inflictsuch harm and suffering on oneself. It isfrom a place of pain that people are cruel.People tend also to think of saving theenvironment and the whales, as though wejust want to save the whales, like some selfless,caring species, and while I love natureto its most tiny detail, let us rememberwhen fighting this fight, that inevitablywe are fighting for an environment thatsupports us all, happily, but specificallyhumans. This is about us. The Himalayansnow leopards are zen masters who willleave this world, only from our perspective,remaining eternally alive in the now, as allother things non-egoic. 'We' lose them, wefight for 'us', in this green battle, for ourappreciation of nature, and want we wantin this life to honour our mental, physicaland spiritual well-being and that of ourchildren. It is a selfish, (albeit enlightenedself), quest, and we need bio-harmony,and balance in nature to increase ourown chance of survival and happinesswithin this precious gift of life, of earth, ofconsciousness. And to win this ridiculousbattle, with joy, love and laughter, we willneed to work together, people, you andme, and that person of different colour,belief, language, the more different thebetter. Robert Mugabe is us, George Bushis us, Monsanto is us, we can fight us if wewant, but we must love us. Dick Cheney isan ass though. He can stay in hell where hebelongs, haha. Just jokes, Dick. I know yourreptilian spies are reading this. What's mypoint? Entertainment and self-catharsis.Oh, and that recycling, solar panels andveggie gardens are gonna do us a fat loadof good if the masses are ignored, the poorcontinue to starve, and the well fed continueto ignore it. This is about people, us andthe other. We are the problem. We are thesolution. We need to work with our poorcommunities, we need to practice ubuntu,now, all of us. We need to give somethingback. If you don't know where to start, lookup the Art of Living Foundation. I salutethe many brave people already loving theworld and celebrating life. It sure is beautiful.So hum!Craig CharnockUBuntu Bridgewww.learnxhosa.co.zaWhy thisobsession withtearing down?I am involved in a recycling projectfor our office complex, together withthe City of Cape Town's recyclingdepartment. After a meeting withtheir manager, I handed her a copy ofBIOPHILE (she had not yet made itsacquaintance).At our company dinner in 'Den Anker'(Waterfront) this month, I handedcopies of BIOPHILE to several peopleat the table - a professor of naval architecture,a travelling haematologist whois researching ARV's and the staff ofour Durban office (marine surveyors)who were visiting us for two days.There are so many areas of life wecan address and bring into awareness,BIOPHILE may well enjoy a longerreign than Queen Elizabeth II!Actually - good for Prince Charlesfor trying to preserve old buildings;Cape Town is not doing so well on thatscore. I watched the demolition of the'Liebenberg & Stander' building onthe Foreshore early this month. Thebuilding was only erected circa 1992-(it won the [architects'] 'Design of theYear' award that year). Barely 16 yearslater it's on its way to landfill, whilst wegrapple with a worldwide shortage ofcement.I just finished an incredible book:"Fingerprints of the Gods" by GrahamHancock (what a guy!). He explainshow, in ancient civilisations, "we" (humans)used to "stumble upon" a building,built centuries earlier and move inand RE-USE THE SAME BUILDING! Itis widely believed that at least one ofthe pyramids in Egypt is much olderthan (the accepted date) 4000 B.C.,actually more likely circa 11000 B.C.There are clear indications of it havingbeen "plastered over" (for want of abetter word) and re-used by the ancientEgyptians, but it seems another groupof people (earlier civilisation) actuallydid the original construction. Talkabout optimal utilisation of the Earth'sresources - this gives "Sustainable Development"a run for its money!!Of course, it's the complete oppositeof what' s happening on Earth today.Isn't this a story for Biophile, or one ofyour future editorials?Why can't we take a leaf out of our"ancestors'" book? Why this obsessionwith tearing down and replacing buildingsfaster than we change underwearand changing the face (and what'sbeneath) of the globe?Wendy Damerell6 Biophile Issue 22

editorialWow, I don’t know about therest of you, but I feel that Ihave been in the ‘washingmachine’ this year. . . .It has been atime of great challenges and changesand I am not going to say that I amfeeling completely out of the woods(washing machine) yet, but I do seethe light between the trees (and Ithink I am getting a little cleanerand brighter) and I feel that ultimatelywe are all being given a gift oftransformation - the end results willbe extremely positive and the lessonslearnt have been nothing short of aninitiation into a higher consciousness.I still don’t know where or what I amheaded for, but what I do know, isthat if I had not had a strong connectionwith my spiritual self andthe spiritual world, I think I wouldbe feeling very uncomfortable, andpossibly left feeling soggy and unwashedin the bottom of the machine- wondering when the next spin wascoming on.We were warned that 2008 wasgoing to be the beginning of a timeof great changes and that the earthherself would be doing some muchneeded clearing and cleaning - andI don’t know anyone that has gonethrough so far without some challengeor other - it seems that, if thereis something that needs to sorted, itis going to come at you until you acknowledgeit and do something aboutit, no time for sweeping things underthe carpet any more. I must say, thateven though there are times that Ihave not felt very comfortable, I amloving what I am learning, and best Ipay good attention and put my ‘thinkand talk’ into practice, as it comesback harder the next round. I slip upoften, but I am wiling to be humbleand try and try until my practicebecome a habit. Discipline is essentialand don’t waste anytime timehiding behind TV screens, the haze ofalcohol and tobacco, or other vacuouspursuits. Have you noticed that timehas speeded up considerably? There isno time to waste any more.I feel that the competitive attitudethat has promoted the ideathat it is ‘everyone for themselves’ isbeginning to crumble. It has fosteredand encouraged fear and greed thathas denied others their inheritancefrom Earth. Mother Earth has alwayssupplied our needs, and they weremeant to be shared amongst us andnot to profit a handful of individuals.There is ample for everyone, ifwe acknowledge and live by theUniversal Laws, probably the mostimportant being. . . .”Treat othersthe way you would like them to treatyou” - right thinking, right speechand right actions. Seeing the sacredin all and everything and live simple,sustainable lives, not taking morethan we need and if we have spare,share it, and remember the vitalingredient of ‘gratitude’, it createsmore abundance and goodwill thatwe can imagine - and especially I findthat being grateful for the things thatI don’t like is the most rewarding, forthey are the things that are reallymaking us change and grow!Groups are starting to form andpeople are starting to come together- like attracting like, and maybe weare at the dawn of a new world, thenew ‘Golden Age’ we were promisedeons ago. My friend Helmar remindedme the other day of the Hunaprinciple. . . . “Energy follows attention”,we have been told time andtime again that our thoughts createour reality, or ‘what we focus on webecome’, so we need to be mindfuland behave responsibly, realizingthat our thoughts are incrediblypowerful and not only affect our ownworld, but those that we share it with.Spending time quietly reflecting andcontacting our inner worlds is essential.I don’t think it matters how youdo it, so long as you feel comfortablewith the practice.Give up gossiping, it is probablythe most dangerous from of ‘blackmagic’ on the planet, as the energyof your thoughts and words goesout there into the morphogenic field,carried forward, on and on, causingharm and dis-ease for all.Are being led like lambs to theslaughter? Pretty much, I would say,unless we decide to take our livesinto our own hands, fully aware ofthe world we are being subjected tovicariously, through the systems setup by governments, pharmaceutical,military, nuclear, GM food and otheranti-life industries and organizations.We are headed for interesting times,and I think that many people are feelinga sense of ‘un-ease’ and urgencyas stories of recession, fuel shortages,and food crises looms. I know that Ihave not escaped the thought formsand fears that are thick in the cosmicmist, even though I expose myself aslittle as possible to the mainstreammedia ‘feel-bad’ stories. It has however,spurred me on to take moretime in nature, but with a differentconsciousness - I look and listen morecarefully. I find the more time I spendin meditation and connecting to thedivine source, and the divine sparkinside me, the more easily I am ableto go through the fears and challengesthat I personally am facing - the‘in-breath’ is needed and there arealways the gifts that come from thechallenges.The ‘food crisis’ will have somevery interesting spin offs, and whilethe process will be challengingand the hunger and death left inits wake will be devastating, I canthelp feeling that the positives willfar outweigh the negatives. Cubais an excellent example to us all - agreat way-shower that out of adversitycomes extraordinary goodnessand true brother/sisterhood. Roll onthe day when we are not reliant onthe corporations and greedy powerhungry types for our simple needson earth and roll on the day, whenwe realize that we only need simplethings to live and that happinessdoes not come from ‘things’ but fromthe peace inside of us, and the more‘things’ we have the less peaceful weare!AntheaBiophile Issue 227

Autism:a destructive inflammatorydisease process?One of the strongest links to this terrible set of disorders,was a drastic change in the vaccine program.by Dr Elizna HanekomThere are over one million autistic children in the USA alone,and the numbers continue to grow.The US State Department of Development Services hasfound that the incidence of autism more than tripled between1987 and 1999. According to the National Autistic Society, theincidence may now be higher than 1 in every 100 children..However, this may be an underestimate. One survey of children9 to 10 years old, in northeast London, found that 116 in 10,000children had autistic spectrum disorders. This equates to 1 in 86children, and strongly suggests that something new is triggeringthis epidemic.One of the strongest links to this terrible set of disorders, was adrastic change in the vaccine programs of the US, and many othercountries, which included a dramatic increase in the number ofvaccines being given at a very early age. In 1983, before the autismepidemic began, children in the USA received 10 vaccinationsbefore attending school, and the autism incidence was 1 in 10,000.Today they are receiving 23 vaccines before age 2 years, and 36 bythe time they attend school.Medical experts have provided no other explanation for thisdramatic and sudden rise in autism cases.The Centres for Disease Control (CDC), America’s healthwatchdog, has consistently refused to carry out a study comparingthe incidence of autism between vaccinated and unvaccinatedchildren.In June 2007, Generation Rescue, a self-funded group of parentswith autistic children, recruited SurveyUSA, an independentopinion-research firm, to carry out a telephone survey in 11,817households in California and Oregon. The survey included a totalof 17,674 children - 991 of whom had never been vaccinated.The study found that boys who werevaccinated were 146 percent morelikely to have autism, and 279 percentmore likely to have adhd thanunvaccinated children.The Brain’s Immune System:The brain has its own specialised immune system, that isintimately connected to the body’s immune system. The specialisedresident immune cells in the brain are called microglia. Inthe resting state, they release chemicals that support the growthand protection of brain cells and their connections (dendritesand synapses). But when activated, they secrete a number of veryharmful chemicals, including inflammatory messengers.In essence, these activated brain cells are out to kill invaders,since the body’s immune system sent an emergency message thatan invasion has occurred. With most infections, this phase of activationlasts no more than a few days to two weeks, during whichtime the immune system successfully kills off the invaders. Oncethat is accomplished, the immune system shuts down to allowthings to cool off and the brain to repair what damage was doneby its own immune system.A vaccination (such as the Hepatitis B vaccine given soonafter birth), primes the microglia. Primed (partially turned on)microglia, are in a state of high readiness. If the immune system isactivated again soon after (days, weeks, months), these microgliaexplode into action, secreting levels of their destructive chemicalsfar higher than normal, damaging brain cells and synapses.Shutting down of the microglia is very important.There is evidence that with repeated and excessive vaccinetriggeredimmune stimulation, the microglia do not shut downThe immune activation persists much longer - even for years,resulting in chronic inflammation of the brain.For the average child, receiving all of the recommended vaccines- most of them spaced within one month of each other - itwill mean the priming and activation cycle of the microglia will becontinuous.A number of studies in the neuroscience literature indicatesthat excessive, and especially repeated, immune stimulationcould result in severe disruption of brain development and evendegeneration of the nervous system.This is especially pronounced in the evolving nervous systemof a baby. In humans the most rapid period of brain developmentbegins in the 3rd semester of pregnancy and continues over thenext two years - by then brain development is 80% complete.8 Biophile Issue 22

Biophile Issue 229

AUTISMA carefully conducted study published by Vargas et al in 2005,found widespread activation of inflammatory cells (microglia andastrocytes) in the brains of autistics from age 5 years to 44 years ofage, dying without active infectious disease.This intense ongoing immune activation and inflammation isthe central mechanism in the widespread brain damage seen inall autistic cases.Vaccine Adjuvants - A Double-Edged Sword:Vaccines contain weakened “signatures” of a disease. Bythemselves they are not strong enough for the immune system tomount a response. This problem is solved by adding a “booster”compound called an adjuvant. The adjuvant initiates an inflammatoryreaction - the first step in any immune response. The ideais to get the immune system revved up so that it can see the weakeneddisease and learn what it looks like, so that if it ever sees itagain it will be more prepared to fight it.This can be done with an irritant, or a specific toxin the immunesystem is likely to recognise based on eons of exposure.In the irritant category, the most common adjuvants used inchildhood vaccines are salts of aluminium. The safety of aluminiumsalts has been called into question following the poor healthof many Gulf War Veterans who received multiple aluminiumadjuvant vaccinations. In a recent (2007) study mice were givenaluminium hydroxide at doses comparable to Gulf War soldiers.Extensive testing was done of their cognitive ability as well asanalysis of the nervous system. Analysis of brain tissue showed255% increase in inflammatory markers, along with 35% loss ofmotor neurons (brain cells).Another common adjuvant is bacterial endotoxin (the outermembrane of the cell wall of certain bacteria) also known as LPS,which sets off a powerful inflammatory immune system reaction.Nuclear Factor kappa B (NF-kB) is the “brain” residing withinevery cell of the body, including cells of the nervous system - ittells the cells how to behave depending on what is happening.When everything is running smoothly, NF-kB has its feet up onthe lawn chair in a relaxed mode of operation. Under stress NF-kBinitiates survival strategies. NF-kB is the main regulator of allinflammatory and immune responses, and is intimately involvedin the healthy function of the nervous system - the last thing youwould ever want to do is mess up NF-kB.Adjuvants, due to their intentionally inflammatory mode ofoperation, activate NF-kB. The million dollar question is: “Howmuch NF-kB activation can a child take before the NF-kB systemoverheats and sets fire in their brain - called autism?” When NFkBoverheats it generates large amounts of inflammatory immunesystem messengers and massive numbers of free radicals thatdamage nerve cells.Multiple vaccines given at one time , with multiple pro-inflammatoryadjuvants, obviously increase the risk. Giving multipleadjuvants is like playing Russian Roulette with a child’sbrain.Thimerosal:Thimerosal, an ethylmercury-containing preservative, hasbeen an ingredient of certain vaccines since the 1930s. Manyvaccine manufacturer in the USA voluntarily began producingsupposed “mercury-free” vaccines in 1999.In 2004 Health Advocacy in Public Interest (HAPI) had fourvaccines tested for heavy metals content at Doctor’s Data, an independentlab specialising in heavy metal testing. The lab resultsfrom Doctor’s Data ran counter to vaccine manufacturers’ claim -two vials contained mercury, and all four vials contained aluminium.According to Boyd Haley, PhD, Chemistry DepartmentChair University of Kentucky, mercury binds to the antigenicprotein in vaccines and cannot be completely filtered out.Mercury, in concentrations below that present in mercurycontainingvaccines, activates microglia and also lowers glutathione,the primary cellular anti-oxidant.It is important to appreciate that mercury is not the lone essentialelement in the development of autism. Combined with apre-existing or vaccine-induced immune dysfunction and excessimmune stimulation by the large “antigen load” of the clumpedvaccine schedule, thimerosal increases the brain damage.Danger of Live Virus Vaccines:A number of studies has shown that live viruses, used in vaccines,can enter the brain and reside there for a lifetime.Accepted medical wisdom has it that exposure to the “live”measles vaccine prompts a full immune reaction that clears alltraces of measles virus.This is disputed by the findings of John O’Leary, Professor ofPathology at the Trinity College in Dublin, who found persistentmeasles virus infection in the small intestines of 24 out of 25children with autism, which developed after receiving the MMR(measles, mumps, rubella ) jab. (J Clin Path Molec Path 2002).This has been confirmed by other scientists.Laboratory investigations, including spinal taps, have also uncoveredevidence of measles virus in the spinal fluid and brains ofautistic children.These findings represent evidence that, in certain children, thevirus fails to clear the body.Autism onset at 18-24 months was uncommon until thelate 1980s, when the MMR vaccine came into wide use.After that the incidence of late onset regressive autism shot up(Rimland 2000.J Nut Env Med Vol 10).Conclusion:Close examination of the evidence to date reveals major flawsin the skimpy studies used to argue against a link between autismand vaccinations - particularly the new studies considered tohave dealt a knockout blow to any possible connection.Powerful evidence, from well-conducted studies, showsthat sequential, multiple vaccinations in newborns andsmall children, during a vulnerable period in braindevelopment, maximises the inflammation in the brainand as a consequence dramatically enhances damage forprolonged periods - even years.Bibliography:Are Vaccines Safe and Effective?..... Neil Z MillerThe Danger of Excessive Vaccination during Brain Development,Russell L Blaylock M.D.www.laleva.orgVaccinations, Social Violence and Criminality, Harris Coulter PhD10 Biophile Issue 22

NatureSpirits— and what they sayWhat do we know aboutElemental Beingsand Nature Spirits?by Wisegard von OertzenIn the last few years five very unusualbooks captured my curiosity. All are inthe German language and all on thesame theme: Nature Spirits and ElementalBeings, conversations with them andworking with them.What do we know about ElementalBeings and Nature Spirits? As children wehave read fairy stories about giants, dwarfs,fairies. What is this actually? Who are they?Are they just myths, fantasies to entertainchildren?Can certain people really see and talkto them in the boundaries of our three dimensionalworld? Or do they live in otherdimensions maybe?And if they are real what are they doing…dancing at midnight and teasing somecasual spotters?Or do they perhaps have a certain taskto fulfil on earth? Oh yes – now we comecloser to the answers!Here is a word from South Africa’sCredo Mutwa:“The earth sends us hidden messages;the earth actually speaks to us,only we are too stupid, too crude tohear these messages. Who would notbe inspired by such enormity? I am!”We have also Dean Liprini in SouthAfrica who is an independent researcherand geomancer, taking enthusiastic peopleon “Sun Path Tours”, mostly along theSouthern Cape coast, to bring awarenessto those hidden messages at South Africa’ssacred sites.Just recently we had Marko Pogacnikfrom Slovenia in Cape Town. He is awell-known artist and geomancer wholeads workshops throughout the world inearth and landscape healings. In his book“Nature Spirits and Elemental Beings” (anEnglish translation is now available); hisdaughter Ajra gives us an insight into thenature of elemental beings“First, elementals can exist on two levelssimultaneously. Their bodies, unlike humanbodies, have no material substance.Instead, they take the form of an energyvortex that vibrates on a vital-energeticlevel. Secondly, they have a consciousnesswhich exists more on the emotional – orastral – level, and not on the mental levelas with human beings. Therefore theycannot be reached through thinkingprocesses, but only through a feelingconnection.”In very early times it was commonknowledge that there was active life behindor in what we see as matter – in ourthree-dimensional life experience. Andthere was communication and exchangebetween man and those invisible energeticbeings. Especially the rural folks knewsuch energies were responsible for thegrowth of all plant life and equally for thewellbeing of animals and their own goodfate, as well as regulating water, soil, air etc.This is the “hidden” force which is thedrive for a continuous flow of life on ourplanet. Just look towards Ireland for example,where we can still meet older andyounger people who tell us of their ownlively encounters, and where one can findcomplete maps which register the dwellingplaces of some invisible little folks.All over our planet we hear of more andmore young children with outstandinggifts and talents. They would talk abouttheir (for us invisible) little friends. Somechildren have difficulty adjusting in dailylife because parents reject their experiencesas lies and fantasies. The children cansee and hear into another dimensionallevel – a level most of us “normal people”lost long ago.One such “early child” is a Germanwoman, Verena Stael von Holstein.I would like to introduce you to anunusual project, which was and is the veryidea of nature spirits and elemental beingsthemselves. The book I used was “Wasdie Naturgeister uns sagen, im Interviewdirekt befragt” (now translated: “NatureSpirits and what they say, Interviews withVerena Stael von Holstein”).Wolfgang Weirauch (WW), publisher ofthe regular “Flensburger Hefte”, writes inhis foreword:“In late summer 2001... A manuscriptfrom Verena Stael von Holstein arrived inour office, entitled ‘Conversations withMiller’. It appeared that between March2000 and February 2001 she and herhusband Friedrich Pfannenschmidt hadheld conversations with nature spirits. Foralmost a year we did not touch the manuscript.But then… I got to work on the text,recognized the value of these conversationsand arranged to meet the writer … Istill had doubts, I must admit. What wouldbe waiting for me? Some kind of medium?Somebody on a huge ego trip? A dramaticspectacle?In fact… most of my doubts had alreadydisappeared, and my very last concernsvanished when I came to know the individualsand the nature spirits themselves.They live in a water mill among scenicsurroundings by a river in the LüneburgerHeide, a heathland region in NorthernGermany. I visited them three times, andover a period of four days spoke with thenature spirits myself – and those meetingswere extraordinary!”To tell you briefly about this extraordinarywoman’s biography would help, incase you might still (wrongly) imagine heras a medium:Verena was trained in hydrography asan engineer working on ships; later shedid programming. Since she was born,however, she had the gift of being able tosee these beings. As a little girl she playedwith them in a small birch forest. Herparents and her granny (who had the giftherself) were quite open to this.In the beginning there was no language.After she moved into the old mill with herhusband and with his help, Verena learnedto transform and translate the conceptions,images, formulas and ideas she receivedfrom the spirits, into her German language.It took many years before both sides couldunderstand each other.It was in the mill that these beingscarefully made contact with Verena fora “more serious” project. It was their ownwish to learn more from and about humanbeings. When the next books were readyto be published, the spirits who took partin the conversations wanted the books tobe read to them, so that they could correctprobable misunderstandings and finallyapprove of them.MILLER is the house spirit of the700-year-old mill and he knows muchabout the former inhabitants and theirlife in the mill. He says forgetting is onlyhuman, for him this kind of forgetfulnessis unknown. Miller explains he was bornin a Bavarian Forest in southern Germany.Birth of the spirit happens when the firsttiny sprout comes out of the acorn. Whensome trees in the forest were grownenough to be cut down, ‘his’ tree wastransported into the north of the countryand finally built into this mill as a beam in1306. Since then Miller became the mainspirit in the house (with many “subs”, as hesays) and watches over everything whichholds the building together. Through theirmany interviews, he now has such goodconnections with the inhabitants that hemakes them aware of something whichBiophile Issue 2211

NATURE SPIRITS — AND WHAT THEY SAY“In the beginning was the word”.Polluted air creates malicious Sylphes.They in turn bring about ill-naturedthoughts into people, like envy, meanthinking, jealousy, ill will … it is a viciouscircle.Malicious Undines come out of sick pollutedwater and can mix with the pollutedAiry Ones. Together they cause a diversityof illnesses for human beings – because weare mainly water! They create depression;no courage to live, the feeling of beingbattered and knocked down. Bad humanthoughts give a bad astral stench - remember:each thought is one being. The seriousgood and helpful nature and elementalspirits have to deal with it and this createsstress for them! (We see it in the state ofour natural environment and are astonishedand puzzled … and worried.)Besides, in another chapter we are toldthese demonic energies or beings can slipinto cavities caused by mankind’s undergroundactivities. (Here I cannot avoidthinking of Tolkien’s “empty” mines of Moria,if you remember “Lord of the Rings”.)The most powerful being is EKNATON,the FIERY ONE. He and his subs superwisenot only flames of big fires or a candle,but also warmth, which is his other aspect.He was asked about thunderstorms, whywe do have them more often and moreviolently than in past years. He says: “Becausefirstly there are certain star constellationswhich can trigger them, but mostlyit is peoples increasing bad behaviour.”WW: “Then please explain the connectionbetween bad behaviour and thosestorms?”Eknaton: “A thunderstorm is createdwhen groups of humans try to exploitother human groups – unfair trade leadsto very many of violent thunderstorms.In connection with globalisation we seemuch unfair trade by the exploitation ofthe poorer countries.”Another general question is: What doyou think of the INTERNET? This is answeredby the Fiery and the Stony One:“This equals the time spirit; the darkforces use it for their own existence. Theywant to make human beings into ‘Gods’;it means that humans should live in theillusion that they are able to know and doeverything. They want humans to thinkthat they can be masters in a wink of aneye and without the hard personal effort‘spiritual work’ requires. These reallydevilish beings are not interested in higherspiritual development of humans. Theywant to bring them – us – down to automaticbeings, acting like machines. Theywant us to believe what they say is all weneed to known and have. That means wehave to check each piece of informationcarefully!Hard to believe?More beings are coming into the mill,now that the talks are well underway andthey all want to let humans hear theirmiseries, even their despair – and theiradvice! They are all aware – and I repeatmyself here intentionally – that these talksare so important for the survival of all beingson earth. They do not want to be idolsor to be celebrated and not any more onlypleasent subjects in childrens stories. Theywant to be respected and seen as “workingpartners”. We need each other; we aredependent on each other. The elementaland nature beings want to learn from usas well.The questions the beings have askedVerena’s husband Friedrich, have beenvery challenging, shaking sometimes,but very basic too, so that he was askinghimself: “Why on earth did I never thinkof that by myself?” He sees it as his task todevelop a relationship with these spiritsand guide it into our daily life.They want to know:“What is love? What is freedom?Why can you NOT seeus? Why don’t you take up yourresponsibility? Why do you produceso many ugly things? Whydo you use up – eat up! – Earththrough production of plastic?Why do you build ugly housesand why do you pack your foodin plastic containers? Why doyou pollute light and fire?And so each of the groups has differentquestions according to their specific taskand subject.The publisher of the book WW asks:“Can elemental beings also develop spiritually?“Of course we can, especially whenwe are confronted with new challenges,which happen with these talks. This is avery big step for us – let us work together,you are always welcome!”The so-called SALT CHILD Kahine isworried that we eat too much wrong andpolluted salt: “The artificial iodine-addingis a major feat of the evil beings.Because they have been able to convinceresponsible humans to put iodineinto salt. The same has to be said aboutfluoride. Both substances make the personnumb and dull against his own innerpersonality, he cannot find his task hecame into incarnation for.Fluoride is a halogen and its propertymakes it easier for evil forces to gain accessinto the human self and occupy themind. If you let yourself occupy you haveto stand up for it one day, don’t forget this.”So says Kahine. “It is a tremendous desirein the world of the Other Ones to permanentlypossess as many humans as possible… in this way they can achieve muchmore …through posession they try to spurcertain active humans to perform harmfuldeeds. Eat sea salt, stone salt or crystal saltwithout any artificial additions.”Gnunno, THE GREEN ONE is outragedabout GENETIC MODIFICATION OFPLANTS:“Plants represent life energies. If youchange the plant life you change life ofthe whole planet. It is a violent change,because something has to be cut. Youchange the ether body of the planet. Doyou actually know what you are doing?Do you know what in future will happenthrough this changing of life?”W.W.:“No, can you say something aboutit?”His answer is: “No, I am not allowed to– it is your decision. If a person eats eatinggenetically changed plants – or even worseanimals – the same changes will happenin his ethereal layer (body. You will drawdemons into your body and illnesses of digestionand metabolism. But your body isanyway made ill because all your food hasnow much less life energy than it used tohave. WITH ARTIFICIAL CHEMICAL FER-TILIZING YOU ADD ONLY TO MATTERBUT NOT TO LIFE ENERGY. We are afraidof humans, they are so unpredictable. Weknow so little of what they want, it makesus nervous and afraid. If they would speakto us about their motives, it would help usto make things better. Honour your plants!”The SMOKE SPIRIT has much tosay – I will only mention cigarette smoke.“Tobacco was originally only a cult subjectused by the red Indians on the Americancontinent to transform the Indian deathenergies (triggered by blood extasy) intolife energies. But today each cigarettesmoke signals a death wish, a subconciouslonging for death. This is because tobaccocomes from the American continent whichhas strong killing impulses, and these havenow also gone into cigarette smoke.”The GREY SNEAKER is a being we all donot want to have as a visitor!One day Verena looked out of herwindow and saw a strange being sneakingalong the field. He looked like a long lamppost bent forward – all in grey. She turnedto Miller: “What is this all about?” He wasamazed that she saw him, before Millerwas aware of him. And he explained theyall knew the grey sneaker would comebut did not expect him so early. It is aDROUGHT BEING. And of course natureand elemental spirits do not like him particulary:he makes their life-tasks difficultfor them.The grey sneakers – the drought beings14 Biophile Issue 22

NATURE SPIRITS — AND WHAT THEY SAY- withdraw life energies from water, saysEchevit, and he goes on: “With this theydeprive also life energy from the soil, fromPlanet Earth. The connection is that humansdevelop unfortunately a wrong viewof life. These beings do not want to be seenbecause they belong to the Other Ones.Perception is detrimental for them: bringlight into darkness, and darkness vanishes.”When readers have been encouraged bythe spirits to come forward with questions– there was a Namibian Farmer (!) asking:“What is it we should do in Namibia thatthe drought beings disappear and ratherwater spirits would come in with rain?”Echevit THE WATERY ONE gave thefollowing answer:“Water beings follow the metal silver.If you can start to connect with silver,you draw the water beings in. Silver isthe metal of the moon. Try to follow themoon rhythm on your farm. Water beingsfollow the moon cycles. Because peoplein Namibia lose the subconcious connectionto these old cycles, those rhythms arequickly lost. Try to develop a conciousrelationship with the moon on your land.You will have the best chance when themoon stands before the “watery” constellationslike Pisces, Cancer and Scorpio.We mean real pictures and not those usedin Astrology. Ground water and water inclouds work also with the tides of the sea.If you try to connect your irrigation withthese global rhythms, you can expect anincrease in water appearance. It is alsomore useful to irrigate at times of high tidethan low tide. I wish you much success!”(It had probably its effect; there was somuch rain that year).THE BROWN ONE is particulary concernedwith the daily life of ANIMALS:“My main task is to explain to animalsthe strange human behaviour. Animalsare shocked – especially those in thesewell-known mass factory farms. For you itwould be like being in prison and forcedto eat unpleasant food which you are notallowed to resist. These animal souls arein such poor condition they need a beingwho is continiously giving comfort to them– just for a simple surivival until the slaughteringbegins. I speak to them and – in yourwords – sing lullabys …”The Brown One was asked about cloningan animal. His answer was equallyshocking: “The CLONED ANIMAL hasto share its soul with the ‘mother animal’,which makes it thinner. Man loads a heavyguilt onto himself, because he should givea new soul to this animal, but of coursethis is completely out of his reach. And “tofill the space”, into each cloned animal sliplittle evil ‘demons’, that is: very negativeenergies.”WW asks: “What about eating the meatof a cloned animal?” –The Brown One: “It is extremelyunhealthy, but man has to eat what hehas “created”, he has to eat his own selfproducedshame and disgrace. But donever say this is ‘old karma’ – the oppositeis true, he creates herewith his own heavynew Karma, and don’t even think that it isGod who “wants it like that” – wouldn’t itbe detrimental to God’s own work?”OAKBEENA – is a TREE spirit. She talksmuch about the European forests andhow destructive monoculture is – andeverywhere in our world! If trees are onlyplanted for financial gain, this takes thelife energies out of the forests – and theresult we see in dying trees. This goestogether with different forms of radiation,in burning whole forests, in more illnesses,a damaging beatle etc.Oakbeena tells us, each person hashis or her own personal tree, no matter ifwe know it or not. “Speak to the trees, befriends, make music, I mean real music, alittle humming tune makes them happy.Real music brings each time an angel closeto us that means a higher being. CannedMusic like from a radio and other loudspeakernoise is again a nerve-wrackinginsult to the trees – as to all other lifeenergies.Tree spirits are closer to humans thanall other spirits”, she says, “It is importantthat you create in your heart a genuinelove for trees, look at them with inner joy,they can feel it! We feel everything! Thinkof the spirit of the tree, when you look upto it.”(Why neglect another being’s feeling?We cut them relentlessly without asking,we cripple them, take off a little piece hereand there, even the whole top – the head - ,also the heart – only because they “blockour view”, isn’t it quite reckless ?)With this short extract out of sevenbooks we could only touch the surface ofthese amazing conversations with onlya few of so many different Nature andElemental Beings. Along with the readingmy astonishment was transformed into afar better understanding how ALL life isinterconnected. For the most part I usedthe contents of two books “ Was die Naturgeisteruns sagen” and “Neue Gesprächemit den Naturgeistern” (both publishedby “Flensburger Hefte”, edited by WolfgangWeirauch). The first one was translated as“Nature Spirits and what they say” (“FlorisBooks”, edited by WW)In all seven books the message isintense and convincing, spoken at greatlength and with deep-felt concern for thewellbeing of Planet Earth. With our deeds,words and thoughts, with our extensivefield of information and communicationtechnologies we are unconsciously creatingnew spiritual beings – as strange as itmay sound. In other words, we humansare directly responsible for giving life tonew negative energies which are part ofwhat is destroying our planet. We blameglobal warming, but we close our eyes toour negligence to take ownership of ourresponsibility for a holistic understandingof and approach to nature – with all thoseserious consequences!It seems clear to me that the spiritualinvisibility of our world is much more extensivethan our restricted physical visualmatter – it not only penetrates all matterbut it is the actual driving force of life itself.What we hear again and again:We do not only create our ownpersonal inevitable fate by ignoringand working against these concious lifeenergies, but we develop an even morecomplex “community guilt” if we act andthink carelessly about Earth pollutionand in no way help seriously to change it.We as individuals used to resign andsigh: What can I do – nothing, I am tooweak… But now we know: IncludingNature Spirits contiously into our dailylife already helps a little. Without them wecould not function at all. They like beautyand feel very sad about modern life’s openniches of ugliness! A clean look of ourhouse, as humble as it may be, a beautifulart work, a word of thanks for what they domakes them work better for us. And not toforget our spoken words, thoughts and eatinghabits ! Too much clutter makes themsuffer and become nervous.Etchevit, the WATERY ONE, says: “Discontentmentmakes humans vulnerablefor attacks from the OTHER ONES. Youhave to be content about what you have,and you must not allow others to influenceyou with temptation. To put it in simpleterms, if unnessesary physical wishesare put into your minds, it makes peopleunhappy and triggers violence. Thereforeyou have to make yourselves knowledgeableand act accordingly. Also to pray andseek company of people who could givegood guidance – this can protect you frombad influences.”The Nature and Elemental Beings assureus, these talks in the mill have alreadya much broader effect and greater positiveconsequences as we would ever imagine.These beings do want to understand ourlanguage, what doubt is, what feelings are… “If we do not understand your purposeof a planned action, we will not be ableto help in transforming your ideas intopractice the correct way. Which is ourtask.” They say the conversations are alsovery beneficial for their own communicationamongst themselves with differentkinds of beings, even in other countries.This new way of communication is for theNature Spirits and Elemental Beings a newbeginning to help us – if we let them!Biophile Issue 2215

Entering ourGalactic DayMayan Prophecy 2012Many of us are aware of theMayan calendar butnot many peopletruly understand what itmeans and how it works.Yes, the calendar doesend on December21, 2012, but whatdoes that mean?How does it cometo that? What istheir calendarbased off of?The Mayanshad a verypreciseunderstandingof oursolar system’scycles andbelievedthat thesecycles coincidedwithour spiritualand collectiveconsciousness.The most significantof which hasmuch to do with the2012 prophecies. Inthe following writing,we will walk through themain details of their propheciessurrounding the 2012transition. How the transition takesplace (from an astronomical perspective),what it means for us, and when thecycles take place. We’ll start with the basicprophecies and later move deeper into theexplanation of the cycles.The Mayans prophesied that from 1999we have 13 years to realize the changes inour conscious attitude to stray from thepath of self-destruction and instead moveonto a path that opens our consciousnessto integrate us with all that exists. TheMayans knew that our Sun, or Kinich-Ahau, every so often synchronized withthe enormous central galaxy. And fromthis central galaxy received a ‘spark’ oflight which causes the Sun to shine moreintensely producing what our scientistscall ‘solar flares’ as well as changes inthe Sun’s magnetic field. The Mayans saythat this happens every 5,125 years. Butalso that this causes a displacement inthe earths rotation, and because of thismovement great catastrophes would beproduced.The Mayans believed the universalprocesses, like the ‘breathing’ of the galaxy,are cycles that never change. Whatchanges is the consciousness ofman that passes through it.Always in a process towardmore perfection. Basedon their observations,the Mayans predictedthat from the initialdate of the start oftheir civilization,4 Ahau, 8 Cumkuwhich is 3113B.C., after onecycle beingcompleted5,125 years intheir future,December21st, 2012.The Sun, havingreceived apowerful rayof synchronizinglight fromthe centerof the galaxy,would changeits polarity whichwould produce agreat cosmic eventthat would propel humankind to be ready tocross into a new era, TheGolden Age.It is after this, that theMayans say we will be ready to gothrough the door that was left by them,transforming our civilization based on fearto a vibration much higher in harmony.Only from our individual efforts could weavoid the path to great cataclysm that ourplanet will suffer to start a new era, thesixth cycle of the Sun.The Mayan civilization was in the fifthcycle of the Sun, and there were four othergreat civilizations before them that weredestroyed by great natural disasters. Theybelieved that each cycle was just one stagein the collective consciousness of humanity.In the last cataclysm of the Mayans, thecivilization was destroyed by a great flood16 Biophile Issue 22

Share this information and help us all movetoward a better future, where we can thrivein a new era of positivity. It has never been soimportant.that left little survivors of which were theirdescendants. They believed that havingknown the end of their cycle, mankindwould prepare for what is to come in thefuture and it is because of this that theywould have preserved the dominant species;the human race.They say that coming changes willpermit us to make a quantum leap forwardin the evolution of our consciousness tocreate a new civilization that would manifestgreat harmony and compassion toall humankind. Their first prophecy talksabout ‘The Time of No-Time’. A period of20 years, which they call a Katún. The last20 years of the Sun’s cycle of 5,125 years.This cycle is from 1992 - 2012. I’ll explainthis in greater detail later. They predictedthat during these times, solar winds wouldbecome more intense and could be seenon the Sun.This would be a time of great realizationand great change for mankind. And itwould be our own lack of preservation andcontamination of the planet that wouldcontribute to these changes. According tothe Mayans, these changes would happenso that mankind comprehends how theuniverse works so we could advance tosuperior levels, leaving behind superficialmaterialism and liberating ourselves fromsuffering. The Mayans say, that seven yearsafter the start of Katún, which is to say1999, we would enter a time of darknesswhich would force us to confront our ownconduct.They say that this is the time when mankindwill enter ‘The Sacred Hall of Mirrors’.Where we will look at ourselves andanalyze our behaviors with ourselves, withothers, with nature and with the planet inwhich we live. A time in which all of humanity,by individual conscious decisions,decides to change and eliminate fear andlack of respect from all of our relationships.The Mayans prophesied that the startof this period would be marked by a solareclipse on August 11, 1999, known to themas 13 Ahau, 8 Cauac. And would coincidewith an unprecedented planetary alignment,the ‘Grand Cross’ alignment. Thiswould be the last 13 years of the Katónperiod. The last opportunity for ourcivilization to realize the changes that arecoming at the moment of our spiritualregeneration. For the Mayans, everythingis numbers and the time of the 13 sacrednumbers started in August 1999.They predicted that along with theeclipse, the forces of nature would act likea catalyst of changes so accelerated andwith such magnitude that mankind wouldbe powerless against them. Also,that our technologies in which werely on so much would begin tofail us. We would no longer beable to learn from our civilizationin the way that we areorganized as a society. Theysaid that our internal, spiritualdevelopment would require a betterplace along with a better way tointeract with more respect and compassion.The first prophecies were attainedby their study of our Sun. The Mayansdiscovered that the entire solar systemmoved. That even our universe has itsown cycles. Repetitive periods which beginand end like our day and night. Thesediscoveries lead to the understandingthat our solar system rotates on an ellipsethat brings our solar system closer andfurther from the center of the galaxy. Inother words, according to the Mayans, ourSun and all of its planets rotate in cyclesin relation to the center of the galaxy orHunab-Kú, the central light of the galaxy. Ittakes 25,625 years for our solar system tomake one cycle on this ellipse.One complete cycle is called a galacticday. The cycle is divided into two halvessimilar to our day and night. The half closestto the central light, is our solar system’s‘day’ and the half furthest away is its ‘night’.Each day and each night lasts 12,800years. Which is to say, the central galaxyis the Sun for our entire solar system. TheMayans discovered that every grand cyclehas its minor cycles, that carry the samecharacteristics.One galactic day of 25,625 years isdivided into five cycles of 5,125 years. Thefirst cycle is the galactic morning. Whenour solar system is just coming out of thedarkness to enter the light. The secondcycle is the mid-day. When our solar systemis closest to the central light. The thirdcycle is the afternoon. When our solarsystem begins to come out of the light. Thefourth cycle is the late-night. When oursolar system has entered its furthest cyclefrom the central light. And the fifth andlast cycle is night before dawn. When oursolar system is in its last cycle of darknessbefore starting again.This is the cycle we are currently comingout of. The Mayan prophecy tells usthat in 1999, our solar system began toleave the end of the fifth cycle whichstarted in 3113 B.C. and that we findourselves in the morning of our galacticday, exiting darkness and on the verge ofbeing in plain day of our central galaxy in2012. They say that at the beginning andend of these cycles, whichis to say, every 5,125 years,the central sun or light of thegalaxy emits a ray of light so intense andso brilliant that it illuminates the entireuniverse. It is from this burst of light thatall of the Suns and planets sync.The Mayans compare this burst to thepulse of the universe, beating once every5,125 years. It is these pulses that mark theend of one cycle and the beginning of thenext. Each pulse lasting 20 years, a Katún.So we come back to what they call ‘TheTime of No Time’. It is an evolutionaryperiod, short but intense, inside the grandcycles where great changes take place tothrust us into a new age of evolution asindividuals and as mankind. As individualswe will have to make decisions thatwill affect us all. If we continue on thisnegative path of hate, an eye for an eye,destruction of nature, of fear and egoism,we will enter straight into the time of destructionand chaos, and we will disappearas the dominant race of this planet.If we become conscious and realize thatwe all form part of a great organism, andthat we should respect one another and begrateful to our planet, then we will movedirectly into positive growth, our GoldenAge.Our planet, the Sun and the Galaxyare awaiting our decision. It is up to uswhat will happen in this time of change.Whether we go through a time of sufferingand destruction or we find ourselvesunited in one positive consciousness movingcloser to our next stage. Please noticethe events of our planet as evidence thatthe Mayan prophecies are worth listeningto and learning from.Share this information and help us allmove toward a better future, where wecan thrive in a new era of positivity. It hasnever been so important.Biophile Issue 2217

18 Biophile Issue 22

The Spiritualityof FeathersFor the Native Americans, the eagle was a mystical,mythical and magical birdCaptivated by the awe-inspiringflight and symbolism of this majesticbird, Hopkins’ emotions werenot unlike those of the Native Americanswhen watching the Bald or Golden Eagle.He celebrated the Christian redeemer,Christ. They celebrated Wakan-Tanka, thegreatest of the sacred ones.“All animals of the Plains at one timeheard and knew him, and all birds of theair heard and knew him. All things that hehad made understood him, when he spoketo them – the birds, the animals and thepeople.” (Blackfeet tradition of harmonyamong all living things and the creator.Grinnell, 1893:137)For the Native Americans, the eagle wasa mystical, mythical and magical bird. Capableof soaring into infinity, it symbolisedthe sun and the attributes of Wakan-Tanka:creation, wisdom, healing and the abilityto see hidden spiritual truths. Wakan-Tankaconsecrated this powerful creature whocould reach the sun. Everything it boreby Bruce CooperI caught this morning morning’s minion,kingdom of daylight’s dauphin,dapple-dawn-drawn Falcon, in his ridingOf the rolling level underneath him steady air, and stridingHigh there, how he rung upon the reinof a wimpling wingIn his ecstasy!then off, off forth on swing,As a skate’s heel sweeps smooth on a bow-bend:the hurl and glidingRebuffed the big wind.My heart in hidingStirred for a bird,- the achieve of;the mastery of the thing!From The Windhover by G.M. Hopkins (1844 – 1889)was sacred – especially its feathers.The resplendent head dresses worn byesteemed Native American chiefs attemptto portray the significant and marvellousplumage of the venerable bird so close toWakan-Tanka.Understandably, eagle feathers (particularlyof the Bald and Golden eagles)predominate in Native American culture,but the people collected from most birdsincluding owl, partridge, turkey and goose.There is little historical evidence to explainthe significance of feathers from the minorbirds but it is assumed they were usedlargely for adornment. The much soughtafterfeathers of the eagles were hallowedand revered.The colour of the eagle feather isdivided into two parts – one light, theother dark. To the Native Americans, thisrevealed the duality of life: winter andsummer, daylight and darkness, peace andwar, life and death, right and wrong. Lifewas a cycle of vicissitudes that had to beFeathery folklore• A feather found in a baby’s shoemeans the child is protected andblessed.• Owl feathers are sometimes associatedwith death or prophesy.• Medicinal teas are made by steepingor boiling bluejay and cardinal feathersin water.• A raven’s feather, placed in a dreamcatcher,will bring powerful and propheticdreams.• Stroking the body of an ill person,with a raven’s feather, is powerfulmedicine.• If you spot a tiny white feather inyour path, you’re on the right track.• Thinking of someone you love, whilegathering dove feathers, can magicallydraw them to you.• If you are given an eagle feather,cherish it because you are beingacknowledged with gratitude, respectand love.• The holder must ensure that anythingwhich changes one’s state ofmind (alcohol and drugs) must nevercome into contact with a sacred eaglefeather.• Only real, true human men andwomen carry the eagle feather.• A woman who is on her moon-time(menstrual), must not touch a feather.• Feathers in dreamsmean travel, or theability to move freelyin life. Whitefeathersindicate aspirituallyfreshstart.Biophile Issue 2219

THE SPIRITUALITY OF FEATHERSconfronted, and a balance foundto deal with them. Wakan-Tankaexacted severe challenges to createsteadfastness.Indian braves might spendyears collecting and accumulatingfeathers, but were preventedfrom using them until they hadperformed a brave or selfless actworthy of their tribe’s gratitudeand respect.Feathers were bestowed, onlyone at a time, by a Tribal CouncilUsing feathers at home• Obtain feathers by searching or ethicalpurchase.• Hang them above shoulder height singly, orin bunches, throughout your house. Be aware,always, of their Divine significance whateveryour conception of the Divine may be.• You may not wear them until you havedone the following: advise your family andfriends that you wish to be worthy of them byearning their respect, love and gratitude. Askthem to declare when you have performedsuch an act. Ask them every two days if theyhave noted such an act. When they sanction agood deed, you may wear one of your feathersanywhere on your person. Cherish the acquisitionof your first feather as it is an act of greatspiritual significance. When not in use hangit above shoulder height in any room that hassignificance for you. Observe this process withthe seriousness it deserves or don’t do it.• Any design is acceptable but only you mayconstruct, and wear, your own head dress. It isnot to be “tried on” by someone else.• Make a dreamcatcher from any materialand suspend it from the ceiling, about threefeet above you while sleeping. Unearned, andearned, feathers may be placed in the catcher.This helps filter out bad dreams.• If anyone is troubled, or requires healing,pass one of your feathers several timesthrough incense in the room in which theysleep. Extinguish the incense after use. Placethe feather, out of reach, above their bed andperform this act daily until the trouble haspassed.• A feather is used asa link to the GreatSpirit. When lookingat it, see itas such anduse it foranythingyou deemworthy.20 Biophile Issue 22

who considered the deed and called witnessesto testify to its authenticity. Therecipient was then required to fast forseveral days and, in constant prayer, givethanks to Wakan-Tanka for bestowing theblessing, and promise undying allegianceto Him and the tribe. Braves would rathersacrifice horse and tipi than lose theireagle feather. To be seen adorned with thefeather of an eagle meant one had earnedthe respect and love of the tribe and was aworthy bearer.As valorous deeds multiplied, a headdress was required to hold them. This wasusually leather onto which the featherswere fastened. In time, a brave warriorwould build a magnificent head dress andbe allowed to participate in the esteemedTribal Council. Eventually, if his gloriousacts continued, he could become Chief.None of this smacks of worldly ambitionbut is a perpetual supplication to please,and appease, Wakan-Tanka, the GreatSpirit.Capturing an eagle secured the spirit ofWakan-Tanka. Indian braves devised manyingenious ways of doing this including digginga pit big enough to lie down in, coveringit with leaves and branches, placing adead rabbit on top and grabbing the eaglewhen it pounced, dragging it into the pitand strangling its neck – the only permittedway of doing it as eagle blood was notallowed to be spilt. The purpose was toacquire the feathers but they could not beused until the required deeds were done.Some elders, and those pursuing NativeAmerican and shamanistic studies, maysee the modern-day use of the sacredfeather by celebrities and the public asflippant and ignorant. But they miss a significantrevelation. Those who do it, yearnfor a re-connection with their ancestraland divine roots, and this form of currenttalismanic adornment denotes a collectivephase of humanity trying desperately to regainwhat they have lost. Materialism andrampant consumerism have proved vapidand unfulfilling.Despite appearances, these souls, albeitin some instances unwittingly, want todistil as much spiritual experience as theycan from the objects they use. The use ofsacred feathers cannot be taken lightlyand, if shamanistic and Native Americanculture is anything to go by, they shouldbe looked upon as serious significators ofspiritual intent and experience.“Prophecy says it is time to share someof the sacred traditions of our culture.The four colours of man* will be comingtogether to unite and heal. The Creator hasgiven different gifts and responsibilitiesto each of the four colours. Ours is to preserveEarth for the children”. IndigenousSpiritual Leaders of the Americas.*white – air and spirit; blue – sky and water;red – fire; black – earth.No-Nuke AgeAll Over AgainIt isn’t just another Chernobyl we need to worry about—The truth behind the nuclear industry: Uranium mining,Uranium tailings, the enrichment process, the fabricationand production of weapons and Atomic Bombs,waste containment and transportation, the lifespan ofradioactive waste substances,and consider too, who benefits.by Khadija SharifeNuclear energy is about as safe, sustainable and “efficient” as Ariel Sharon neara Palestinian. God help us, but it’s chaos in the making, a complete ethniccleansing of the “other” — and in this case the other would be all of life itself— more specifically humans — who, according to pop science, have been roamingour planet for about 100 000 years.Which is precisely the minimum period of time required for radioactive waste tobecome inert …But along the path to Chernobyl (all nuclear stations have a 19% chance of going“KABLAM” due to the fragile dependence on electricity required to constantly coolreactor fuel) one is exposed to radioactive mine wastes, the daily “atmospheric”vents at nuclear plants (which happen an estimated 22-30 times per day), the releaseof lethal supercharged radioactive substances into the biosphere…Nuclear waste dependsentirely on the extraction finite radioactive resources - the mined ore, so whyis it considered as an alternative to oil, coal and other finite resources that release farless toxicity into the airNot only is nuclear not sustainable, but each processreveals how far we have plunged ourselves into the gauntlet ofenvironmental terrorism. Even the most basic questions have yetto be asked….What about the “safe” trundling of nuclear waste and fuel around the country onour roads, the lack of adequate or even basic containment facilities and the uranium“tails” — and the leftovers from the crushed rock? What about the various “expected”leaks, boiler explosions (such as happened in Pelindaba), the massive quantitiesof fossil fuels such as coal that are required to “back-up” the nuclear plants and atell-tale sign of its ‘efficiency’, the intensive water usage? What about the scientificallyproven contamination of soil, air, water aquifers and tables and ecosystems, the carcinogeniceffect of various isolated waste impacts such as Iodine-131, the high risk ofsabotage, the direct implication of nuclear weapons development?The list goes on and on and on.To begin with, the only element “depleted” in depleted uranium (DU) is the thefissionable uranium. It remains a highly toxic substance derived from natural uraniumthat has been enriched to produce nuclear reactor fuel; it’s 1,8 times as denseas lead and is a ‘free’ commodity used in the industrialised world, specifically thearms industry.Uranium is a known carcinogen and is already radioactive when mined from theground. The rock containing the uranium is carefully crushed and the uranium oreis extracted, the remaining sand is also highly radioactive and is known as uraniumtails, or tailings. This contains radon-220, polonium-210, radium-226, thorium-230,Biophile Issue 2221

The reactor disaster in Chernobyl took place on April 26, 1986. The reactor was encased as atemporary solution to secure the site for only 20-30 years.Photo Credit: Julien Behal/Chernobyl Children’s Projectradon gas and radon progeny, amongother supercharged toxic materials.Polonium-210 was allegedly used bythe Russian government to poison AlexanderLitvinenko, the ex-intelligence agentwho detailed Russia’s oppression andsubjugation of Chechens, including theexploitation of their natural resources. In amatter of days the Polonium debilitated hisbody through multi-system dysfunction.In less than 12 days, his major organs hadshut down. His skin had begun to rot andhis brain was no longer capable of cognitivefunction. Within 21 days he was dead.Litvinenko will be played by the awesomelymagnificent supra-human JohnnyDepp in the movie Johnny as AlexanderLitvinenko or some such thing.Litvinenko (Muslim) probably watchedhis funeral from heaven as it took place atthe Central London Mosque, but back tothe nuclear issue.Radon-220 is the highly cancerousradioactive gas released undergroundduring the mining and extraction process.It’s a by-product of uranium ore and analpha emitter and there is no possible wayto prevent Radon-220 from being diffusedinto the atmosphere. When inhaled, itirradiates the cells of the lungs causing aggressivemalignant cancers. Radon-220 hasa half-life of 75 000 years.Radium-226 is a calcium analogueand key component of uranium dust and isreleased into the atmosphere through themining process and the uranium tailings.It is absorbed via inhalation, water tables,air, soil and food chains, deposits itself inthe body via the GI tract or the gut and isthen circulated through to various organs,22 Biophile Issue 22

notoriously known for targeting bones andcausing highly malignant, fatal forms ofosteogenic cancer. Radium-226 has a halflifeof 1 600 years.Thorium-230 is also a member of theuranium tailings club, with a half-life of 80000 years, Thorium is another extremelytoxic substance that leaches into watertables, is absorbed and recirculated bywinds and settles into the atmosphericlevel, contaminating rain, etc.All these radioactive substances aretasteless, colorless and practically undetectableunless specifically searched forNO NUKE AGE ALL OVER AGAINand the government has yet to conductlong term studies, correlating environmentaland health degradation in regionsdirectly exposed to radioactivity.Uranium ore itself emits gamma (orhigh energy radiation) and coupled withthe by-products of uranium, the miningprocess is akin to environmental terrorism,an anathema to anyone’s vision of asafe world. It is also the heaviest naturalelement on Earth. When released from therock, uranium ore is highly unstable, unlikemost atomic particles. Marie Curie wasthe first person to discover this when shecrushed the ore and found that 85% of theradioactivity remained behind in the dust.By placing the dust substance in a beakerand experimenting with it, she discoveredtwo new radioactive by-products — radiumand polonium.The milling or refining process turnsthe uranium into yellow cake. With thewasted ore discarded, after the milling,uranium 235 is made into tiny pellets thesize of cigarette filters and stuffed into fuelrods made of zirconium; each rod contains250 pellets and is between 12 to 14 feet inlength. Radioactive gasses from the fuelrods are vented regularly each day throughcarefully constructed vents in the roof. Aminimum of 100 cubic feet is released eachday and this is extremely hazardous for theenvironment.Radioactive disintegration, as occurswith DU, changes the composition of theprevious substance, with thorium mutatinginto radium, radium becoming radongas and the resulting domino effect is whatis called uranium daughters, or progenies.Fissionability — the provocation ofalready highly unstable atoms — is causedby the enrichment process, This involves ,violently splicing the atoms into sub-atomicparticles. Each particle is superchargedby as much as 450 times the energy of theneutron. Enrichment to the value of 50%(extremely hazardous provocation) resultsin the atom bomb. Basically, we’re pissingoff the uranium in a really bad way.The bio-concentration of these substancesis multiplied by tens of thousandswhen interacting with other forms toxinsand chemicals in the streams, waterways,river, oceans and seas already afflictedwith dumped sludge, agro-chemicals, oil,etc.There is also significant risk of nuclearremobilisation — the repeated circulatoryconsequences of uranium effluent waterre-infecting waterways and seas, — resultingin greater intensification due to thepresence of salt which acts as a catalyser.Over half the world’s mined uraniumcomes from Canada (26%) Australia (18%)and Kazakhstan (12%); South Africa isbelieved to have the world’s third largestproved uranium reserves. The atomicbombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasakicame from Uranium mined in Canadaand by 1956 Uranium was Canada’s fourthlargest export.In 2007, South Africa produced “officially”only 612 TU, whilst Canadaproduced over 10 000 TU, Australia 8125TU and Kazakhstan 5947 TU; other countriesin Africa with high levels of uraniumreserves include Niger, Nigeria, Namibiaand Malawi. But the reality is that uraniummining in South Africa is largely a hiddenand secretive industry: the companyUramin Inc extracted about 1800 TU lastyear alone.Biophile Issue 2223

NO NUKE AGE ALL OVER AGAINEight companies control the UraniumMining business – Cameco (21%), Rio Tinto(19.2), Areva (mentioned below in thearticle as Eskom’s French partners 13.9%),KazAtomProm (9.2%), TVEL (8.3%), BHPBilliton (mentioned in article Energy Hoaxre: coal – at 7.9%), Navoi (5.1+) and UraniumOne (1.2+); cumulatively, they contributeover 85% of total ore extraction andenrichment. The main methods of extractionhas slowly shifted from undergroundpits to open-air pits; in Africa, althoughSouth Africa houses the only nuclear plant,uranium has been mined in Gabon, SouthAfrica, Niger, Nigeria and Namibia sincethe late 1930s.Now according to French law, radioactivesubstances are divided into two coregroups: the first is radioactive materials,which can be used as fuel and the secondas radioactive waste that cannot be used ata later date.Again, French law states that radioactivewaste, the components (hull, pipes,fittings etc used during the enrichmentprocess etc) cannot be stored in Francebeyond a certain date – ie: it can becontained via facilities and packagingsspecifically formulated for the toxicityof the substances, but it cannot be keptindefinitely.The waste is dumped back into thecountry of origin – ie: the country fromwhich it was mined. In many cases, it issent back to the Niger, where Areva minesa minimum of 5000 TU annually. Frenchlaw has a three year limit on radioactivesubstances.South Africa on the other hand acceptsand is paid to receive radioactive substances,pesticides and other toxins, not as‘dumped’ goods, but in order to ‘neutralize’the waste. We unfortunately have noneutralization capabilities nor does anycountry when it comes to radioactivewaste.France is currently in the process ofdeveloping deep geologic waste sites tostore the contained radioactive waste, butit will take many years to properly perceivethe methods by which to ‘fortify’ the wastefrom leaching into the earth.Currently, there is a process called conditioningthat analyses the compositionof the waste, reprocesses and compacts itrepeatedly, before it is stored in ‘containment’drums. The vitrified residues arethen returned to sender.DU has a minimum lifespan of 4,3-billionyears and is radiologically lethal; theuranium oxide particles are small enoughto be inhaled as up to 84% disintegratesinto a fine powdered substance, pollinatedby the winds. The half-life of the DUpermeates the ecosystem; in the humanbody it is absorbed through consumption,proximity, inhalation, low or high densityexposure, GI tract ingestion etc, inducing(cancerous) carcinogenic effects especiallyin kids who are the all more vulnerable;the presence of DU lodged in the kidneys,brain, liver and bones, increases risk ofrenal, bone and lung cancer by up to 24%.The result is the severe compromise ofthe immune system, motor and cognitivedysfunction, cancers, and encephalic, congenitallymalformed babies amongst otherillnesses. Encephalic by the way refers tokids that are born without brains. It’s allthe rage in Mexico right now where the USdumped their radioactive waste, undergroundof course, but the waste apparently‘leaked’ and got cozy, deciding to naturallyintegrate with the Biome.The enriching process is done via centrifuge,capable of creating nuclear fuel aswell as well as Nuclear A Bombs; enricheduranium is then taken to nuclear plantswhere undergoes the process of controlledfission reactions, - the aggressive andartificial process of forcibly splitting theatoms to generate mass heat which in turncreates heavy water, powering up turbinesto provide the energy. The process is extremelydangerous, the nuclear plants releasethe fumes through vents a minimumof 22 times a day into the atmosphere, miniChernobyl’s that aren’t really mentionedby the government.Its only a matter of time before thenuclear plant is capable of producing theA Bombs, enriched uranium was the rootcause of India, Pakistan, Brazil, China,Israel, the US, France, North Korea, Germany,Russia et al nuclear bombs arsenal.Nuclear ‘energy’ was the reason Israelbombed the Iraqi Osiraq plant in 1981 andthe reason why the US is currently in theprocess of peddling the Global NuclearEnergy Partnership, known as the nuclearrevolution to US client states all over theworld.Its also the very same reason why theUS and Israel are cracking down on Iranand their enriching process, lets not kidourselves by believing that Iran (as withevery other country) is keen only on theenergy side. Uranium 235 is enriched onlyby 0.8% to 3.2%, anything higher wouldrender one on the way to the developmentof nuclear weaponry, beyond a concentrationof 50% and you’ve got yourself anAtomic Bomb.Iran, as the face of Caspian Oil Basin(containing 39% of proved oil and gas reserves)is in some serious shit – the US hasmobilized their Middle Eastern allies (everycountry but Syria and Iran) to paralyseIranian defense in order to dominate andgeostrategically lock-down the resources.The Arabs of the region have ensured theirmonarchial rule solely by virtue of theUS/Israeli alliance, without the supportof the US (and their 25 country militarypresence in the ME) every Arab King andRuler and Prince would have been tossedout on their royal rear-end ages ago. TheArab ‘role’ in the ME is overemphasizedprecisely in order to ensure that the existingstate of ‘Empire’ benefitting the Arabs,Israeli, US and the client states, continueunhindered.Iran and Syria pose problems to thestatus quoDuring the enrichment process, thefissionable uranium (235) is separated theremaining substance (238) which is about99,85 ‘wasted’ — or at least, that’s whatthey say. 238 is utilised in the fabricationand production of weapons such as thoseused in Iraq and Lebanon recently.The dense, ecologically and physiologicallypyrophoric qualities are perfect forthat special “war touch”.In fact, the range of DU weapons currentlyheld in stock and in regular use by29 countries (including all members ofthe UN Security Council — the five largestarms dealers on earth and the primarymanufacturers of DU weapons) is in suchdemand, that one of the main reasons behindBush’s new nuclear revolution is thecreation of such weapons that has provenas lethal as the actual nuclear bomb, albeiton a smaller scale.In 2007, the Big Five of the UN SecurityCouncil raked in $2,7-trillion in the saleof the arms industry — nuclear energy,surprisingly, is unofficially categorised bythe US Department of Energy as apart ofthe arms industry.This may be why the USdeclares war and sanctions onany country keen to enrich theirown energy. They know full wellthe true nature of this energy, itsintent, its primary uses.The radioactive uranium tailings, thesecond toxic by-product of uranium mining— the first is the actual mining process,is often left on the sand, or harbored inreservoirs. It has the capability to penetrateany solid substance – there’s no containingit. It proliferates through isolated uraniumparticles (alpha, beta -negatively chargedelectrons, and gamma-high energy photons)travels over the long distances andembeds itself in everything from soil toair to human skin, moving from a place ofhigh concentration to low concentration.It’s a democratic little thing.The run-offs cause a biospheric “Chernobyl”— a first consequence of nuclearfall out not yet charged through theenriching process but nonetheless prettydamn toxic — emanating in a 240 000 yeardeath sentence. I’ll take coal any day andanyway — for nuclear isn’t somethingthat mankind has the capacity to handleeven in its initial mining stages. Uraniumis cheap to mine, so cheap in fact, thatthe US does still provides free DU to arms24 Biophile Issue 22

NO NUKE AGE ALL OVER AGAINmanufacturers.South Africa houses the only nuclearenergy plant on the continent. In fact,President Thabo Mbeki recently attendedSasha is one of the children at the Vesnova orphanage. Morethan five million children are living in the affected areas ofBelarus, Russia and Ukraine.Photo Credit: Julien Behal/Chernobyl Children’s Projecta function with President Nicholas Sarkozyto seal their new agreement on nuclear energybetween the Nuclear Energy Corporationof South Africa (Necsa) and Frenchnuclear firm Areva. Areva will be providingSouth Africa with technological support inthe development of our new nuclear ageand will be raking in over $19,2-Billion,because it goes without saying that SouthAfrica will be the hub of the nuclear revolutionon the African continent.Valli Moosa, the ex-minister of environmentalaffairs and tourism and the chairpersonof Eskom (which coincidentallyoperates the only nuclear plant in Africa)stated that nuclear energy was “the base ofthe 21st eco-economy”.Moosa is also the President of theworld’s largest NGO environmental organization– the World Conservation Union(IUCN) that works in parallel and concertwith many governmental bodies, the UN,the AU, variegated ‘green’ movements andthe intelligence, military, economic anddevelopment agencies, multinationals andbusinesses.Is there no conflict of interest whenthe same person who heads Eskom alsoheads the largest NGO environmentalorganisation on the planet? It’s coincidentallytimed with the discoveries that SouthAfrica houses the worlds third largest uraniumreserves, allied with the worlds largestnuclear agents – ie, France, again tiedto Eskom, who has declared unequivocallythat the recent energy shortages has forcedSouth Africa to move towards nuclearEskom, under Moosa, have stated thatSouth Africa will take the lead in the developmentof Pebble Bed Modular Reactors(PBMR), with the goal to develop “dozensand dozens”. Yet Earthlife Africa’s RichardWorthington states that Moosa ‘was oneof 100 people who acted as key barrier toeffectively tackling climate change’.The National Nuclear Regulators (NNR),established in 1999, under the mantle ofthe National Nuclear Act admitted that itwas “completely overwhelmed and understaffed”,that there were “at least fifty threecontaminated sites in South Africa”.South African journalists have beenboth brave and brilliant in their documentingof the nuclear situation.An excellent article by Dominique Gilbertarticulated the state of nuclear energyin South Africa. She regularly quotes theNNR and a few stand out.Biophile Issue 2225

“They (NNR) were ‘discontinuing’proposed rehabilitation of four sites inthe Karoo that were ‘contaminated …withradiological hazard to members of publicand to future generations’ because theDME had issued uranium prospecting permitsto new companies in that region.”“The NNR’s report also revealed theimpounding of a ship carrying uraniumthat had docked without authorisationin Durban. There were also alarmingstatistics of radioactive waste piling upat Pelindaba and Koeberg — where it isalso being poured into the Atlantic Ocean.Similar details are conspicuously missingfrom their report on Pelindaba whereNecsa is known to pour radioactive wasteinto the Crocodile River.The NNR said there had been inadequatecompliance with maintenanceprocedures and ‘operating technicalspecifications’ at Koeberg. There werealso problems with incompetence and‘sufficiency’ of Eskom’s workforce to worksafely. They mentioned the ‘suspected lossof a small quantity’ of Highly EnrichedUranium at a building at Pelindaba whereactivities were suspended and a reactorwas forced to shut down “until conditionsfor return to power were met”.Melanie Gosling for the Cape Argusdetailed the story behind the NNR’s pleasto suspend all Eskom activity on the proposedPBNR — Eskom holds 100% of thePBMR company, a subsidiary.“The Cape Times became aware of thesuspension through an article in the Platt’sinternational journal, Nucleonics Week,published on June 7. Platt’s is an internationalenergy information company.”“An official at the NNR, who did notNO NUKE AGE ALL OVER AGAINwant to be named, has confirmed that thecontents of the article are correct.”“The article says the NNR issued adirective to Eskom, as the pebble bed’slicensee, to suspend ‘all manufacturingactivities related to importing safety components’.“It quotes NNR’s programme managerfor PBAM licensing, Peter Bester, who saidthe order to stop work on safety-relatedcomponents had been issued after theNNR had learnt that manufacturing activitiesfor some of these had started 11 withoutthe necessary regulatory control.’Irma Venter for Engineering News wrotea piece highlighting Eskom’s proposed intentionsto develop PBMR, the grand totalat “R315-billion” for nuclear energy only— not to mention the nuclear industriesrequired back-ups including additionalcoal-fired power stations, one of whichMedupi, Eskom’s proposed new coal-firedpower station, will cost R70-billion for 4500 MW, or R15, 5-billion for every GWplaced onto the grid.”Eskom will be investing a furtherR202-billion into the exploration, extraction,infrastructural development of coaland other fossil fuels that nuclear energyso heavily depends on. That’s money thatshould be invested in alternative energysuch as the R200-million solar cell technologyfactories, held under license by theCentral Energy Fund, of which PhoenixEnvironmental Institute has been in contactconcerning share subscriptions andposition as market partners.For several years now, since the technologywas made available, the Germanshave held a license over our technology(the license is ex-Africa) and each timePhoenix corresponded with the companyJohanna Solar relating to the developmentof such technology with our MiddleEast-based partners, we were impressedand amazed by the professionalism andefficiency of the Germans and their dedicationto the development and maximumutilisation of this technology.The funds to create and realise Eskom’snuclear agenda will be financed and facilitatedby the taxpayer — that’s you, and me.Dr David Fig, author of the booksUranium Road: Questioning South Africa’sNuclear Direction (Jacana, 2005) andStaking their Claims: Corporate Socialand Environmental Responsibility inSouth Africa (UKZN Press, 2007), is alsochairman of the Board of BioWatch SouthAfrica, and says, ‘We need to interrogateSouth Africa’s development path and itsindustrial strategy, as well as confront theissue of democratic oversight over nationaltechnological choices.’In his book Uranium Road, as quotedby Mariette Lieferink, he writes: “Exposurebelow one sievert will probably leaveno outward signs but there is damage tointernal organs with exposures as low as0,1 sievert. Long-term effects, includinginfertility, neurological damage, cancerand birth defects, are associated withexposures as low as 0,02 sievert … Theselong term effects appear to be equallyassociated with single doseexposure or cumulativeexposure over a periodof time. Most authoritiesnow believe that anyexposure to high energyradiation carries therisk of long term health26 Biophile Issue 22

consequences.“They believe that a significant proportionof cancers, birth defects and geneticabnormalities are due to exposure toradiation, either from naturally occurringsources or human activity…The conclusionfrom this is that there is no safe levelof exposure …the safe level of exposurehas been continually adjusted downwardssince people became aware of the dangersof radiation. It is now about one tenth ofthe original figure.”The radiation spoken of is called ionisedradiation, and is dangerous because it iscarried out into our bodies unrecognisedby our systems, specifically our brain. Itis one of the main causes of cancer (otherthan agro-chemical pollution) and resultsfrom the spontaneous transformation ofexcess energy and the nucleus (ionisedatoms, in this case artificially “provoked”radioactivity).Alpha, beta and gamma refer to differenttypes of compositions, but the mosttoxic when it comes to radioactivity iscertainly gamma or dense, high energyradiation; radioactive isotopes such asuranium 238 (DU) are transmitted overlong distances via gamma radiation whichcause the ionisation of atoms as it passesthrough matter. According to the IAEA, itis a very toxic source that not only easilycrosses the blood brain barrier, deliveringheavy and significant doses of radiationto internal organs withina matter of seconds, but itdoes so in an undetectablemanner, penetrating eventhe hardiest forms of densematter, serially fortified.Thus containment is difficult,if not impossible.In the case of DU, (the99,85% left-over by productof uranium enrichment)tiny aerosolised particles arereleased and absorbed by thenucleus of the human cell,80% comprised of water.The ionized radiation, saysthe IAEA, passes throughcellular tissue, chargingthe water moleculesthereafter formingfree hydroxylradicals (OH).Free Radicals arescavengers in thebody that destabilisethe naturalmetabolism ofeach organand its internaldefences,resulting in theshutdown of theimmune system, andpermanently altering the DNA or theNO NUKE AGE ALL OVER AGAINdeoxyribonucleic acid found within that20% of the cell nucleus that controls theformulation, structure and viability of thecell, which holds the memory of the actualcomposition.The free radicals — whether from DUor heavy metal poisoning or the resultingtoxic chemical waste from pesticides— chemically reacts like a strong superchargedvirus, attacking the DNA; thedamaged DNA regenerates the alreadydangerously altered chromosomesthrough its memory bank and the processkeeps on repeating itself, resulting in eitherthe radical debilitation or slow wear-andtearof the body.This can occur via direct (intense, highexposure) chemical change or throughindirect interaction (lower concentrationsfiltrated the biosphere, food chains,ecosystems. etc) with the OH, throughwater charged molecular activity (the 80%)or through the cellular construct (20%); eitherway, the penetrable nature of ionizedradiation is extremely lethal and cannot bebiologically prevented.Dr Gordon Edwards of the CanadianCoalition for Nuclear Responsibility(CCNR) stated,“And as these [uranium] tailings are lefton the surface of the earth, they are blownby the wind, they are washed by the raininto the water systems, and they inevitablyspread. Once the mining companies closedown, who is going to look after this materialforever? How does anyone, in fact,guard 200 -million tonnes of radioactivesand safely forever, and keep it out of theenvironment?”Dr Alexandra Miller of the RadiobiologyResearch Institute (RRI) in Maryland conductedstudies on the effects of radioactivesubstances at concentrations said to be so“low” that it is classified by the governmentas non-toxic and harmless.The RRI is incidentally an armedforces centre and the study was apart ofthe investigation carried out by the USDepartment of Defence; the results weresurprising, revealing that levels previouslyconsidered “chemically and radioactivelyinert” were potent enough to cause severegenetoxicity in the organs, albeit via delayedreaction and effect.It is well known that one radiatedaltered gene can cause cancerMiller said, “You can get more than aneight-fold greater effect than you’d expect,”referring to the undamaged cells that beganto divide using damaged cell memoryof broken irradiated chromosomes.Numerous other scientists havedocumented the “invisible” mobilisationof radioactive substances throughsediments emanating from the uraniummines; dissolved uranium with high levelsof radioactive concentration makes itway through the dam/waterways of ourcountry (and every other), converging withthe uranium tails and various other toxins,such as heavy metals like mercury, leadand chromium that become radioactiveupon contact.Currently there are over 200-milliontonnes of radioactive waste to deliver backto the country of origin. There are othermethods of transportation, radioactivesubstances travel over 1 600 km each dayby the four winds, distributed to lands farand wide.The World Nuclear Association gives usthis line of bullshit on the entire subject:“Waste is a part of our every-day lives.We are constantly producing it as a resultof our activities. Industry also generateswaste as a result of its operations. Wastearises from the utilisation of nuclearenergy, from decommissioning and dismantlingnuclear installations, as well as aresult of the use of radioactive materials inmedicine, industry and research. Some ofthis waste is radioactive.”Still no sign of who or what comprisesthe world in regards to the name of theAssociation, thought its certainly not theeveryday people or even the uraniumminer: because the new limit for uraniumcasualties is ten times the value of the coaland gold mining industries in most parts ofthe world.In Australia for example, the acceptabledeath rate is one in 1250, whilst forordinary mining it is one in 20 000.Environmental terrorism consists ofa number of different scenarios and keywords,one of which is nuclear pollution:mining the uranium, refining and milling,enrichment, and finally the dumping ofradioactive waste, either through “reprocessingor burying it”.No doubt Areva is certainly grateful forFrench law that allows the CEOs to sit backwhilst the waste is returned to country oforigin.There is also no doubt that Areva ismoving aggressively into Africa using Eskomas the vehicle in which to do so.There is a helluva lot more to say on thesubject... but its already 8am on Sundaymorning) and I started writing after theFajr Salaah (which is the period betweendawn and sunrise) hence my rear end isnow very numb.Our government — everyone fromPresident Mbeki to Valli Moosa — has notgiven us any sign yet that they are ready totell Areva to go arriverderci; but one thingis clear — we are running out of time. It’sall those little minor changes that accumulateinto the snowball that catastropheslater become … if they do not say goodbyeto Areva and other financial opportunistsnow, we will very soon have to say goodbyeto them instead.Its their choice, of course.

AFRICAToxic Dump for theIndustrialised Worldby Ingela Richardson“Toxic terrorism” and “garbage imperialism”are terms that come up oftenin a resource list compiled by DeannaLewis and Ron Chepesiuk. In theirresearch, “The International Trade inToxic Waste” one African official saysthe Third World has been turned intothe industrialized world’s “outhouse”.A polite word - considering what it hasmeant for the people of Africa, where certain“recycling” facilities do not have adequatesafety or environmental standards.There is not enough protective equipmentand workers suffer lead and mercurypoisoning, increased rates of birth defectsand miscarriages, kidney disease, cancerand even death from toxic waste. To avoidnegative publicity and laws against dumpingtoxic wastes, many companies justchange the labels on their freight.And yet, South Africa is planning tolead a nuclear charge into Africa. Nuclearpower has been advertised across thecontinent as the answer to Africa’s energyneeds, which is ironic, consideringmajor security issues like the genocide inRwanda, “blood diamond” wars in SierraLeone and the illegal trade in uranium andnuclear materials.The International Atomic EnergyAgency (IAEA) seems to think that spending7 million Euros on “nuclear security”in Africa will somehow prevent an Africannuclear holocaust. According to a reporton their website, “Ghana, South Africa,Morocco and Nigeria are among the countriesthe IAEA will work with to securenuclear and radioactive materials and sitesat risk of sabotage. South Africa, Sudan,Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia are amongcountries the IAEA will assist to strengthentheir capabilities to detect and respond toillicit trafficking”.Why is the international communitynot simply investing their millions insafer renewable energy providers? Maybebecause these nations’ own nuclear powerstations require continuing supplies ofuranium that they want from Africa.What is the nuclear threat to Africa?Only last year, a gang of armed men brokeinto the Pelindaba nuclear facility. Threemen have already been condemned bySouth African courts for smuggling nuclearmaterials. And in Niger armed men attackeda uranium prospecting campmaintained by the French company Areva,killing a security guard and woundingthree other people. In the Congo, a thinbarbwire fence protects a nuclear researchreactor with an outdated control roomand unguarded radioactive waste storagebuilding. The Congo has repeatedly beenaccused of illegally selling uranium andnot preventing smuggling.According to a report on the IAEAwebsite, Congo allows the IAEA toconduct “intrusive, short-notice inspections”,but “safety conditions at the oftenchaotic Shinkolobwe mines in its unstableKatanga province have given cause forconcern”.So the IAEA has sent African memberstates on “workshops” and “courses” toimprove nuclear security. Does Africa feelsafer?French nuclear company Areva plansto build 12 nuclear reactors in South Africa.The first - Nuclear 1 - would cost N$120 billion(that’s Namibian dollars - who knowswhat Eskom’s latest number is in SouthAfrican rands?). It seems that Eskom wantsnuclear power plants of 20 000 MW totalcapacity to be built in South Africa before2025.Namibia also plans to build a nuclearreactor according to a report in “TheNamibian”, although it does not yet have aregulatory framework to govern issues likewaste. Another report states that Namibiais considering the “floating nuclear reactors”that Russia has not been able to sellto anyone else due to safety concerns.And Zimbabwe’s “Herald” said: “Zimbabwehas had plans to invest in nuclearenergy since the 1990s, and there wereplans to acquire a nuclear reactor fromArgentina to process uranium”. But alsothat: “It is widely perceived that a regionwideswitch to nuclear energy withoutqualified human resources will result in anexponential increase in the proliferationof weapons grade uranium on the globalnuclear parallel market and raise the riskof a major catastrophe with nuclear plants”.In Malawi, Keyelekera is targeted foruranium mining, despite resistance fromenvironmentalists and human rights organisations.Here, 200 tonnes of sulphuricacid would be used daily in the uraniumleaching process. Environmental expertswarned of contamination of rivers andwatercourses, and that leaks of ammoniaand sulphur-dioxide threaten more than1000 people in the area.It would be very nice to think thathighly toxic nuclear waste is “recycled” orsimply disappears. But the reality is thatno nation in the industrialized world hasany “disposal” solution. The best idea thatnuclear scientists have come up with is tobury nuclear waste in a large hole in theground - not like the one Necsa is alreadyusing at Vaalputs in Namaqualand - but ahuge tunnel that costs millions and looksmore like an underground subway station.There is no question as to the extremeexpense and toxicity of nuclear waste. Theonly question is - where the industrializedworld plans to put theirs? In Africa? Thetoxic dump of the industrialized world?Ingela Richardson is an environmentalactivist based in the Eastern Cape ofSouth Africa28 Biophile Issue 22

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Subscribe to BiophileSave Money,Save a Tree!with our newdigital subscriptionsubscribe now and save 20%off the cover priceBACK ISSUESALSO AVAILABLE AT R15. 00 each (including postage)You now have the option ofsubscribing to an digital (PDF)version of Biophile. If you have aconnection to the internet, you’llbe able to download your copydirectly from our website, or if yourconnection is too slow, you can optfor the CD subscription, in whichcase a CD containing the PDF filewill be posted to you. The PDFversion of the magazine will allowyou to search, extract articles andprint out any pages you wish, and isviewable with either Acrobat Readeror Foxit Reader, both of which arefree software.onlineFor more information, and tosubscribe, see this page on ourwebsite:biophile.co.za/subscribeSubscription rates:South Africa Neighbouring Countries6 issues: R120. 0012 issues: R240. 00R180. 00 (surface) R200. 00 (airmail)R360. 00 (surface) R400. 00 (airmail)Please post this subscription form,together with a cheque made payable to BIOPHILE:PO Box 39277, Capricorn Square 7948Or pay the amount directly into our bank accountAccount Name: Biophile cc Bank: Standard Bank ConstantiaBranch Code: 02530917 Account Number: 271 596 791and fax the form below,together with proof of payment to 021 709 0392NAME:POSTAL ADDRESS:TELEPHONE:EMAIL:I would like to subscribe for issues, starting with issue numberPlease add the following Back Issues to my order:Back Issues numbers:This is a gift subscription. Please send it to:NAME:POSTAL ADDRESS:32 Biophile Issue 22

M A T L A P E N Gplace of stone, place of prayerSUNDAY EVENTS4 HOUR ‘MUTI’ (Medicine) WALKIN INDIGINOUS BUSHVELD w/ISSAC LEKGETHO,THEREAFTER A LIGHT ORGANIC,VEGETARIAN LUNCHEON.COST R200 – MINIMUM 8 PEOPLE per TRAIL –GROUP BOOKINGS DISCOUNTBOOKINGS ESSENTIAL:072 476 7500 leana@matlapeng.co.za“TAROT-TALK” w/KALA DELPORT10H00 – 16H00 in MZILIKAZI LOUNGE-LODGEat MATLAPENG w/Tea & MuffinsBOOKING ESSENTIAL:083 688 3683 – COST R200M A T L A P E N Gplace of stone, place of prayerMatlapeng is seeking ‘CareHolders’ (shareholders) who wishto live a sustainable life within 630 acres of game-fencedindigeneous Afrikan bushveld – (located in the North WestProvince between Magaliesberg & Rustenburg) - ‘Tis notabout finding solutions to climate change & our ‘carbon-waterfootprints’ or walking in balance w/Nature – we seek to reestablishthe fabric of community in a self-sustaining manner,that will trickle to our children & our childrens children.Land-based income opportunities such as indigeneousplants/nursery, seed-collection, beehives, organics, medicinal-plantharvesting etc. can be commenced within a twomonthtime frame. Serious Seekers may contact :leana@matlapeng.co.za or 072 476 7500Prices range f/R950,000.00 – R 1,550,000.00(includes 2 bedroom strawbale adobe home, all solar powered)HIMALAYAN HEALTH SALTHimalayan salt is the purest andmost beneficial salt available.Found deep in the Himalayas,it is mined by hand and gently processedto retain its original qualities.It contains 84 minerals essential to human life:1 Re-mineralizing the body with minerals2 Replenishing electrolytes3 Balancing the body’s PH4 Improving respiratory, circulation, connectivitytissue, organ and nervous system5 Assisting in the cellular absorption of nutrients.How to use Himalayan Health SaltFine Granulated to be used on the table and in cooking andbaking or Coarse Granulated to be used in salt mill.A bath with Himalayan Course salt will activate the naturalregulatory mechanism and self-healing powers of the bodyDrinking a mixture of water and Himalayan salt is excellentfor balancing the HP, and breaking down the buildup ofheavy metals and toxins in the body.Available fromSALT HOUSEe-mail: salthouse@mweb.co.zaPO BOX 414, HENLEY-on-KLIP 1962Cell 083 459 4646Biophile Issue 2233

Roll on theFlintstones!We are the last generation who, in vast numbers, will indulgein the perversion of mass consumerism.by Kim TrollipMy constant, lifelong yearning fora palaeolithic lifestyle has alwaysmade me think I was experiencingcellular memory from a past life.Always feeling anachronistic, I recentlyrealised that it is not glimpses of a past lifeI am experiencing, but a future one, a lifethat I am about to live.What with the end of cheap oil, a collapsingworld economy and a sick planet- we are the last generation, who in vastnumbers, will indulge in the perversion ofmass consumerism.In future, the very near future - as in ourlifetimes – plentiful food, cheap energyand a “civilised” (sic) lifestyle will becomethe preserve of the elite, ultra-rich, onepercent of the population. As Ishmaelauthor Daniel Quinn said, the world cansupport a few million pharaohs, but itcan’t support six billion pharaohs.So, while many South Africans think theEskom energy crisis is unique to us, it’s not.The prevailing, unsustainable, pro-growthvalues of business people the world overis pushing the planet beyond the tippingpoint. Economic growth is finite. Theplanet is finite.Food stamps are the symbol of povertyin the US. Did I mention that the USbudget office in Washington predicts that28 million Americans will be survivingon food stamps by the end of 2008? Theyare no longer trying to hide the loomingdepression.And I can’t wait for the whole of westerncivilisation to collapse. It will. Even therising giants such as China and India cannotgrow, if no one has money to buy theirproducts. At least the animals, trees, riversand “uncivilised people” will finally have ashot at survival.Palaeolithic: a prehistoricera distinguished by thedevelopment of the first stonetools. It covers the greatestportion of humanity’s time(roughly 99% of humanhistory) on Earth, extendingfrom 2.5 million years ago,with the introduction of stonetools by hominids, to theintroduction of agricultureand the end of the Pleistocenearound 10 000 BC.34 Biophile Issue 22

So what should be the first step to lifebeyond growth and development?Shut down the smelters.When South African industry announcedrecently that some of thealuminium smelters up in Richards Baymight have to be shut down, or at leastmothballed, and that plans for a newaluminium smelter at Coega in the EasternCape could be shelved, I cheered. Notbecause people will lose their jobs, I don’twish that on anybody, unless they wish itfor themselves of course. But because wewill be forced to learn to live sustainablyonce again and because the rape of theenvironment will cease.(By the way, according to DieselWhores frontman Jaxon Rice, betweenthem the Richards Bay-based smelters andthe Mozambique smelter employ around 7000 people, but use a whopping 2 150 MWof electricity, around 5,5% of Eskom’s totalcapacity.)I am hoping that by the time Eskom’snew Medupi power station comes onlinein 2012, we will be living in a very differentworld and that we as a country will haverealised that we don’t need (sic) any newsmelters. They are dirty, expensive andthirsty. The number of jobs they produceare minimal. Besides, we need to stopdefining our humanity by our jobs.While on the subject of Coega, did youknow that Eskom (ie taxpayers, ie you andI) will be forced to pay “penalties” to Alcanif it cannot fulfill its contractual obligationsfor the Coega smelter’s electricitysupply?Yes, you heard correctly,if the Coega smelter doesnot come on stream asscheduled in 2010, you andI will pay the world’s largestaluminium producer, RioTinto Alcan, penalties!These planet-destroying multinationalshave no shame do they?Eskom believes it would be cheaper forus to pay such penalties than to build anew power station. We don’t really have achoice.But my question to Eskom is, why didyou sign that stupid agreement early in2007 in the first place? The signs werethere that you would not be able to supplythe necessary electricity for this newsmelter. You knew it would cost us moneythat could be better spent growing food,healing the environment, expandingprotected wilderness and caring for sickpeople. Here’s a lesson in civilisation 101:A contractual agreement ALWAYS favoursthe more powerful party. And if it doesn’t,they have money to buy lawyers who cantweak the system to their advantage.As a matter of interest, Eskom has previouslylocked itself into 30-year contractswith earth-eating, mining giant BHP Billiton,which runs the KZN and Mozambiquesmelters. Once again, you and I, and ourtaxes pay for these contracts when penaltiesare enforced.You think $100 a barrel oil is expensive?Look forward to that price doubling in thenext ten months. As the oil price skyrockets,less and less of us will be able to affordpetrol, diesel, gas and the multitude ofother energy sources reliant on oil. (Bythe way cooking gas or LPG comes fromoil, so don’t expect your gas stove to be theanswer to loadshedding problems.)Fuel rationing is becoming a distinctpossibility. So is the planet running outof oil? The jury is out on that one, but onething’s for sure, as the price of oil increases,the elite will buy up more and more of theblack gold, which means less and less of uswill be able to afford it.Which brings me to the slight, littleproblem of food supply. The ten millionpeople who live in Gauteng, for example,eat a lot of food brought in from across thecountry via trucks and planes, sometimesfrom as far afield as Kenya, Spain and evenSouth America. Imagine what a doublingof the oil price will do to those food prices?But even your mangoes from LimpopoProvince are about to become very muchmore expensive.There is another way to liveAre you ready to feed yourself? Can yougrow and raise, at least some, of your foodsupply? Do you even know which foodplants are suited to your environment?Rice stocks worldwide are at a modernday low, wheat prices are at an all timehistorical high. Hey and now our fabulousgovernment wants to use our agriculturalland for growing biofuels. Imagine theimpact of that one on the poor farmingcommunities of the Eastern Cape?So, having said all this, I am now readyto convert to my long-desired palaeolithiclifestyle. Once the world economy crashes,I will be freed from wage slavery and hoursand hours will be spent growing my ownfood, raising chickens and maybe evengoing out on mushroom hunts. All in theinterest of survival, just like my ancestorsdid 100 000 years ago. I can’t wait! Itsure beats sitting in this office, staring at ascreen nine hours a day!Biophile Issue 2235

DeficientOne important reason why we sufferfrom mineral deficiencies.by Eva F. SchoenfeldLong ago, human beings wereprobably more sensitive and intuitivein avoiding noxious earth fields andthey were used to live more in harmonywith nature. By choosing a place to liveit was standard procedure to call for adowser or diviner, to rely on the reactionsof house pets. Animals have betterinstincts than man, some of them areradiation seekers and others avoiders. Youdidn’t know? It’s not a choke: if your cat issleeping on your bed – you rather checkthis place regarding radiation. If the doglikes the place, you will be fine, becausethey usually avoid radiation. There aremany more examples to explain aboutthese phenomena, also with plants andtrees.To live in harmony with earth is gettingmore and more difficult today. Modernman wakes up in the morning, puts onhis slippers with plastic soles, walks ona synthetic carpet to the bathroom anddrinks water (if at all) ‘enriched’ withchlorine, herbicides and pesticides, addedbefore being run through copper pipes,which change the cluster structure of thewater. His breakfast will probably containfood preservatives.Then to drive to work, he gets into hiscar, with its electric and electromagneticcharges. In the office he sits at his desk ona plastic floor – surrounded with electric,electromagnetic and static fields - infront of his computer, which gives offradioactivity and other radiation! We areproud of all this inventions and for surenot aware about the effect they are causing- mankind calls this progress!He has been surrounded all day by allthe electrical installations and pulsatingfrequencies in the air; he then goes thesame ‘charged’ way back home. Therethe TV is waiting, and he can eat amicrowave dinner, usually with variousfood preservatives and additives. Later heretires to his bed, which probably standson a synthetic floor, right beside his headhe will have the digital cell phone, a clockradio and electrical plugs or cables. Nowhis body should relax during the nightwhat is supposed to be a regenerationphase.Maybe is lying on a metal-springmattress, which distorts the earth’smagnetic field, is electrically charged andcapable of picking up radio waves. Thebody has to fight against all this attacksof radiation the whole night! That uses anenormous amount of Tissue Salts.He may possibly also be lying over anoxious geopathic area (greek: GEOS =earth, PATHOS = suffering), like:• Waterlines: This ionised negativeradiation is related to insomnia• Geological rupture: The tectonicalpressure from shifting of earth plates isrelated to backaches, joint pains, but alsomalfunction of vital organs, headache,dizziness etc.• Earth magnetic field: also known asHartmann Lines, the intersection pointsare related to lots of illnesses• Curry-line: The intersection pointsof this diagonal net are related to organicinflammation due to too much energy orfunctional disorders and energy blockagesdue to too little energy flow in the sleepingarea.The impact of radiation in thebedroomBeing exposed to those circumstances,the body uses huge amounts of minerals(Tissue Salts), simply to protect the systemof this human being. And when the celltension is advanced, very often peopleturn up at the GP. Probably the GP is notholistically working and has not really aclue what is ‘wrong’ with this person. Hemaybe will make the person believe ofa virus and recommends to take someantibiotics - what would weaken thealready weak body even more! And herewe go straight into the vicious circle.People – living in such kind ofcircumstances (what are most of us doing)- feel usually very tired, their vitality is goneand maybe they feel sick and the bloodcount doesn’t show any deficiency orEva F. Schoenfeld was born inSwitzerland in 1945. She holds adegree in Business Managementand can look back on a successfulbusiness career with her owncompany in Event Management ofMajor Sports Events.Her own health problems thenprompted her to study the Art ofHealing and Health in Switzerland,Germany, Austria and California/USA.For a period of more that 15 years,she was actively engaged in HolisticHealing Centres in Switzerland, Germanyand Spain. She is now based inSouth Africa.She is a Facial Analyst & TissueSalt Consultant (Dr Schuessler’s Biochemistry),Jin Shin Jyutsu® Practitioner,Esalen® Massage Practitionerand Reiki Master & Teacher.disturbance - there is no medical answer!.That is the moment to ask for a FacialAnalysis to check the mineral deficiencieson a cell level as part of the entire session(1,5 to 2 hours). The Facial Analysis is ableto detect all mineral deficiencies on a celllevel - your blood count is not able toshow it - and together with administeringthe adequate combination of Tissue Salts,clients will feel already better after only afew days.Be aware about the fact that if thecause of complaints, like radiant fieldsand disturbances in the bedroom, is notremoved, all the different therapies arenot really working and thereby causingrelapses.It is one of the most important partsof my work to check the bedroom of myclients. Very often I get the answer straightaway, why my clients are suffering fromhealth complaints or disturbances. Bysimply moving the bed in a better positionor changing the metal-spring-mattressinto a healthy one, removing the electricalblanket and the TV etc., brings a solutionfor better and healthier sleep.36 Biophile Issue 22

Flora Force Arthro-Aid– take the pain out of movementBrandKey.co.za/5713/EArthro-Aid is Flora Force’s innovative, new product to support the natural treatment andrelief of musculoskeletal disorders.Like all Flora Force products, Arthro-Aid is a full spectrum product,which means that it is complete and holistic and that all the ingredientshave been included in their original composition – as they are foundin nature. None of the ingredients have been diluted and thereforeretain their full natural strength, which ensures maximum efficiency.Arthro-Aid contains a full complement of herbs, homeopathic remedies,vitamins, minerals and other nutritional substances that are traditionallyused to assist in uric acid elimination and the reduction of inflammation.As part of Flora Force’s holistic vision, itis also highly recommended to take certaindietary tips and long-term lifestyleadjustments into consideration in order toachieve effective, optimal pain reductionand improved mobility.These include:• Sulphur has been linked to bone andconnective tissue repair. Foods likeonions, garlic and asparagus have a highSulphur content.• Green leafy vegetables supply Vitamin K and Potassium, which mayprevent bone loss and osteoporosis.• Alfalfa has a high mineral content – all the minerals necessary forhealthy bone formation.• Fresh pineapple contains high levels of the enzyme bromelain,which helps to reduce inflammation.• Fibre is essential in a healthy diet. Good sources are groundflax seeds, bran or oat bran.• Sunlight helps with the synthesis of Vitamin D, necessaryfor healthy bone formation - spend time outdoors.• Regular, light exercise like cycling, walking or swimminghelps to maintain mobility.• Eat fresh fruit and vegetables such as watercress, parsley,okra, carrots, avocado, bananas and papaya daily and avoidprocessed vegetables.• Try to avoid citrus, dairy, wheat, red meat, fats, alcohol, sugar and salt.• Nightshade vegetables such as tomatoes, potatoes andeggplant contain high amounts of solanine, which can aggravatejoint conditions by interfering with enzymes in the muscles,causing pain or discomfort.Arthro-Aid is one of Flora Force’s first products to flaunt the new logoand packaging and is on shelf in pharmacies and health shops nationwide.Flora Force is committed to empowering their customers with increased knowledgeand invites enquiries at info@floraforce.co.za or www.floraforce.co.za

The Ultimate Path to Truthis through LoveAnubis was pure love, an angel in disguise,with a beautiful message for me.by Nandine HartigLast year a group of us went to Namibiain the July holidays, and spentan exceptional and priviledged weekin the Kalahari with a bushman family (afriend of ours has a very close connectionwith them andregularly telephonesthem-they live about 2km from the closestpayphone) .By night they rhythmically wove theirancient song and dance into playful patternsaround a glowing sandy bonfire, themoonlight and twinkling sky reachinginto eternity. Unfortunately they are verypoor (in material riches) and their dogsbasically have to fend for themselves. Themorning after our arrival we heard thattwo of the puppies had died during thenight due to hunger. One night sittingaround the warm fire we heard a pityfulfragile whimpering. A dog tied to a donkeycart all sad and desperately cold in the icywintery breeze!Apparently tied up because of us beingthere and her extremely efficient ability tosteal food. !my daughter, Undima (13), aspecial friend, Emile (11) and myself managedto convince the bushman chief to lether be and curl up around the fire like theother dogs (their whiskers were actuallysinged in the mornings from lying closerand closer to the smoldering coals duringthe night) . I lost my heart and a piece ofmy soul to her. Extremely skinny (like allof them) the most graceful gentle creaturewith an air of nobility unlike any other dogI have ever encountered. My dad said shelooked like she had stepped straight out ofan Egyptian tomb.Her eyes a mix of honey and ochre claygolden love with an other-worldly intelligenceand knowingness of mysteries andmagic. Not as big as a greyhound, but verysimilar in build and movement, with longsinewy limbs and particularly long pawslike a greyhound (when greeting her pawsreaching up against my chestandneck)-she had a dainty way of trotting as if shewas wearing high heels, her head lookedlike the egyptian version of a jackal, andher ears like the african basenji dog (oneof the oldest breeds of dogs). A typicallylarge white mark on her chest and the restof her body brindle in colour. And shecould catch jackals. We called her Anubis.At night I let her sleep in our tent with usunder our blankets, intent on bringing herback to South Africa. We fed her eggs, cansof tuna, milk, bread, etc. and by the end ofthe week she was actually walking aroundwith her tail happily wagging in the air asopposed to the initial miserable and listlessdrooping. Unfortunately I found outthat getting her through the border wouldbe a problem without necessary papers.I cried when we had to leave, but Ipromised her I would be back to fetch heras soon as I could. I left some money fordogfood for all the dogs (about 10), with awoman from the UK who had arrived thatweek to start an ambitious permacultureproject in the kalahari. And I sent a lot oflove to Anubis over the next two months.two months later finally arrived (septemberbreak), and a much smaller group: twokids, three adultsand a toddler, went backto fetch Anubis.It was a crazy trip. So much went wrongand we had a bizarre amount of breakdownsas well as getting stuck in the sandlate at night surrounded by more scorpionsthan Ive ever seen and they wereenormous, some pitch black with massivetails.Finally we arrived at our destination,after spending a fair amount of time tryingto find that specific little patch of sandamongst all the other patches. And therewas my Anubis!!- apparently everybodyhad been calling her Nandine’s dog sincewe had left- as skinny as ever (all the dogswere-despite the money I had paid intothe chief daughters account for food, bothfor the bushman and dogs and transportfare to get to the shops. ) -they told meshe had nearly died from some insect thathad bitten her on her ear. ! Within a dayof being there she had happily claimed usas her new owners, barking at her previousowners whenever they approachedour tent, much to their and our surprise!!The couple from the UK said she was thedog who had won the Golden Lotto ticket!:-) We took Anubis on her first road trip.She was so calm, unphased. We went tothe closest town -called Gobabis (about300km from where we had been stayingwith the bushman, only 100km tarred-therest sandy backroads) to get her necessaryshots, where the local vet estimated her tobe 2years old (amazingly getting her rabiesshot, deworming tablets, and chillout pillsfor the journey only cost an UNBELIEV-ABLE R180, inc. getting her nails clippedandweighingher. ) . She wore a dog leashand collar as if she had been born wearingthem, and wherever we went the localswould stare and some would call loudly:JAKKALS HOND. !!One woman even gave me her addresswanting a puppy when Jakkals Hondwould have a litter. more adventure, morecar breakdowns. we ended up sleepingin a guest lodge having to sneak her intoour room in a sleeping bag, with a veryinterested german shepherd guard dogsniffing around our car and sleeping allnight at our door, causing Anubis to haveto do her do on the floor in our room thatnight (even this she did gracefully. !!) . shewas truly amazing, not making a soundnot giving any of us away!!!We had manysuch tales to tell by the time we got back toSouth Africa!!!!! (to top it all I ended up inhospital with the most severe tick bite feveronce we were back. !) Most of all it wasa tale of hope and of keeping faith!! Thefirst time Anubis encountered a soft greenlawn, she immediately started eating it. Iwould love to have known what was goingthrough her mind at that moment!!! Sheslotted in unbelievably easily on our farmin South Africa (although Anubis cried realtears streaming down her face, the firsttime I went out for an evening 3days afterour arrival-my mom told me when I gotback. I felt so bad and was more carefulabout leaving her alone again until she was38 Biophile Issue 22

more settled. I would take herandmy other3dogs (airedaleand2dachshunde) on walksup the mountain where we live at the foot ofthe magaliesberg range. Soon she went from8kg to 15kg ( within two months) - even hertail picked up weight!!!. Often while she waseating she would look up at me with a lookof unbelievable gratefulness in her eyes. Iwas always telling her how much I lovedher. She was so sensitive-she would lookdesperately hurt and terribly insulted whenchased off my couch. I let her sleep in mybedroom. I bought her a new grand collar,more suited to the African Egyptian princessshe was, and had her microchipped. Allwas well and happy (except for a problemI had with her chewing herself due to fleaallergy: vet visits, frontline etc. didnt solvethis one) . Despite all my efforts, a maltesepoodleand toy pom, also living on the farm,managed to cover Anubis while she was onheat. About a month later, on 22nd Feb Itook her in to finally have her sterilised (hadbeen stalling this unpleasant process) at avet (incidentally the name of the vet I hadbeen referred to had something to do withEgypt. ) . Hours before I was meant to fetchher, the vet phoned to say they had verybad news. Anubis had died. She had had anallergic reaction to the anaesthetics (apparentlypractically unheard of in dogs), whichhad caused her to stop breathing-theyput her on a lung machine, but her heartstopped. I was devastated beyond. I also felttremendous guilt. She had been so afraidof going in to the vet (like dogs usually are)that morning, and I had had such a strongsense that I should stay with her until theyinjected her. or that maybe I should justtake her home. but I didnt.I lovingly stroked her and told her Iwould come fetch her later. I was so lookingforward all day to the time I would fetchBiophile Issue 2239

ARTICLE TITLE GOES HEREthis precious creature. I had actuallybeen impatiently counting the hours.an hour before they phoned me I hadfeltandsent such an incredible amountof love to her, but also got a great sensethat I was messing with something verysacred by having her unborn puppiesremoved and fixing her. On my wayto fetching her there was an incrediblylong and thin whirlwind next tothe road and as I passed it, it whirledacross my car. I would like to believethis was my sand dog saying goodbyeto the physical plane.I carried her to the car in a mediumsized box-she looked so small-everythingintact- she still had her babiestheonly real difference in her eyes:. itreally dawned on me then how the eyesare truly the windows to our soul andjust how precious and miraculous allof life is. I took her out of the box andput her on the front seat with her headon my lap-I had kept my promise toher that I would fetch her. We dug ahole. I carried her and we buried her inour own sacred way. we cried. I criedall weekend. I have planted flowerson her grave. I miss her so much, eventhough I believe she is still around us inessence. I am busy making a paintingof her trotting along peacefully with hergentle little smile (the way she alwaysdid when we went for walks) set inthe stillness and ancient beauty of thedesert night with its full moon, and theflowers I planted on her grave.Anubis was pure love, an angel indisguise, with a beautiful message forme: THE ULTIMATE PATH TO TRUTHIS THROUGH LOVE.I cannot begin to explain the shiftsthat have taken place in my being asa result of her. With time I may. I ambusy working on one of my dreams asa result of meetingandloving Anubisand the other dogs in the kalahari: tosomehow help the pets of Africa, howeversmall the change may be, I believethat the seeds of hopeandlove sownhave the potential to grow with time ifone is very patient and willing to dreamimpossible dreams.40 Biophile Issue 22

Life as a “farmgirl”in the Kougaby Alexa Conterio (15)It was winter 2007and we were leavingthe only home I could ever rememberliving in. I had lived in the busyseaside town of Plettenberg Bay for 14years and now I was moving to a farmin the middle of the mountains, whereI didn’t know anyone. (Not that there’svery many people to know!!) I was veryexcited as I had always wanted to live on afarm, I could imagine waking up with thesun streaming through my curtains andmy horses grazing in a field outside mywindow, their coats shining in the earlymorning sun…Then again, I could also imagine missingmy friends like crazy! All the partiesI would miss and all the adventures Iwouldn’t go on with them. I was convincedI wouldn’t get on with the other teenagershere. I thought that they would be too differentfrom me.By the time spring had arrived, I wascompletely in love with the farm and mynew way of life!Given the opportunity Iwouldn’t move back to Plett. My mindsetand way of thinking has changed alot since I’ve moved here. I used to resistchange and I only wanted to be friendswith a certain type of person. I’ve learntto accept peoples beliefs and the way theydo things, even if I think it’s really weird,by doing so I’ve met so many different andwonderful people I never would have metor even spoken to before.I have also learnt how to do many otherthings on the farm which are very valuableto me now, such as, I can plant, raiseand look after all sorts of different fruits,vegetables and plants from seedlings andit is the greatest thing to eat a vegetableor fruit that you grew yourself with yourlove and energy! (and if it’s vrot,throw itat your sister! Heehee!) I’ve started myown business giving riding lessons to afew little girls from the near by town ofJoubertina,to help pay for all our horsesmany expenses. The horses are unquestionablymy favorite part of the farm. Wealways planned on having two or three butat the last count we have seven! Three ofthem are mine, Colonel and Blue, who arebrothers and my colt, Rain Man, who wasgiven to me by a friend. Blue was the firsthorse we bought. I met him when we wentto a wedding in Graaf Reniet. He lived onthe farm we stayed at and while I was thereI rode him without a saddle or bridle. Theowners didn’t want to sell him but theirhorse trainer told them that Blue and I hada bond and that they really should. Blue ismy soul-horse. He is a part of me and canread my thoughts.One of my scariest experiences was thefirst time I saw a spider in our horses feed/tack room. It was the hugest rain spiderI’ve ever seen in my life! My shriek mostlikely shifted the mountains! I was terrifiedof going into the feed room after that,but Ihave now learnt the trick of never lookingat the walls, I open the door,throw a feedbucket in so that it makes a load crash andhopefully scares any spiders away that arewaiting to jump on my head, and then Irun in keeping my eyes on the ground,dish up the horse food and run out again,I therefore am an expert at making horsefood very, very fast!To me the Kouga is the most beautifulplace in the world and I’m extremelyhappy here!Biophile Issue 2241

The Modern Health CareSystem is the LeadingCause of Death42 Biophile Issue 22

y Gary Null PhD, Carolyn Dean MD ND, Martin Feldman MD,Debora Rasio MD, Dorothy Smith PhDNever before have the completestatistics on the multiple causes ofiatrogenesis been combined in onepaper. Medical science amasses tens ofthousands of papers annually — each onea tiny fragment of the whole picture.To look at only one piece and try tounderstand the benefits and risks is tostand one inch away from an elephant anddescribe everything about it.You have to pull back to reveal the completepicture, such as we have done here.Each specialty, each division of medicine,keeps their own records and data onmorbidity and mortality like pieces of apuzzle. But the numbers and statisticswere always hiding in plain sight. We havenow completed the painstaking work ofreviewing thousands and thousands ofstudies. Finally putting the puzzle togetherwe came up with some disturbing answers.Is Modern Medicine Working?We should be reversing disease,preventing disease, and doing minimalharm. However, careful and objectivereview shows the opposite. Because of theextraordinary narrow context of medicaltechnology through which contemporarymedicine examines the human condition,we are completely missing the full picture.Medicine is not taking into considerationthe following monumentally importantaspects of a healthy human organism:(a) Stress and how it adversely affectsthe immune system and life processes(b) Insufficient exercise(c) Excessive caloric intake(d) Highly processed and denaturedfoods grown in denatured and chemicallydamaged soil(e) Exposure to tens of thousands ofenvironmental toxins.Instead of minimizing these diseasecausingfactors, we actually cause moreillness through medical technology,diagnostic testing, overuse of medicaland surgical procedures, and overuse ofpharmaceutical drugs. The huge disserviceof this therapeutic strategy is the result oflittle effort or money being appropriatedfor preventing disease.Under-reporting of Iatrogenic EventsAs few as 5 percent and only up to 20percent of iatrogenic acts are ever reported.Thisimplies that if medical errorswere completely and accurately reported,we would have a much higher annual iatrogenicdeath rate than 783,936. Dr. Leape,in 1994, said his figure of 180,000 medicalmistakes annually was equivalent to threejumbo-jet crashes every two days.Ourreport shows that six jumbo jets are fallingout of the sky each and every day.Correcting a Compromised SystemWhat we must deduce from this reportis that medicine is in need of complete andtotal reform: from the curriculum in medicalschools to protecting patients fromexcessive medical intervention. It is quiteobvious that we can’t change anything ifwe are not honest about what needs tobe changed. This report simply shows thedegree to which change is required.We are fully aware that what stands inthe way of change are powerful pharmaceuticalcompanies, medical technologycompanies, and special interestgroups with enormous vested interestsin the business of medicine. They fundmedical research, support medical schoolsand hospitals, and advertise in medicaljournals. With deep pockets they enticescientists and academics to support theirefforts. Such funding can sway the balanceof opinion from professional caution touncritical acceptance of a new therapy ordrug.You only have to look at the number ofinvested people on hospital, medical, andgovernment health advisory boards to seeconflict of interest. The public is mostlyunaware of these interlocking interests.For example, a 2003 study found thatnearly half of medical school faculty, whoserve on Institutional Review Boards (IRB)to advise on clinical trial research, alsoserve as consultants to the pharmaceuticalindustry. The authors were concerned thatsuch representation could cause potentialconflicts of interest.A news release by Dr. Erik Campbell,the lead author, said,“Our previous research with faculty hasshown us that ties to industry can affectscientific behavior, leading to such thingsas trade secrecy and delays in publishingresearch. It’s possible that similar relationshipswith companies could affect IRBmembers’ activities and attitudes.”Medical Ethics and Conflict of Interest inScientific MedicineJonathan Quick, director of EssentialDrugs and Medicines Policy for the WorldHealth Organization (WHO) wrote in arecent WHO Bulletin:“If clinical trials become a commercialventure in which self-interest overrulespublic interest and desire overrules science,then the social contract which allowsresearch on human subjects in return formedical advances is broken.”Former editor of the New EnglandJournal of Medicine (nejm), Dr. MarciaAngell, struggled to bring the attention ofthe world to the problem of commercializingscientific research in her outgoingeditorial titled “Is Academic Medicine forSale?” Angell called for stronger restrictionson pharmaceutical stock ownershipand other financial incentives for researchers.She said that growing conflicts of interestare tainting science.She warned that,“When the boundariesbetween industry and academicmedicine become as blurredas they are now, the businessgoals of industry influence themission of medical schools inmultiple ways.”She did not discount the benefits ofresearch but said a Faustian bargain nowexisted between medical schools and thepharmaceutical industry.Angell left the nemj in June 2000. Twoyears later, in June 2002, the nemj announcedthat it would now accept biasedjournalists (those who accept money fromdrug companies) because it is too difficultto find ones who have no ties. Anotherformer editor of the journal, Dr. JeromeKassirer, said that was just not the case,that there are plenty of researchers whodon’t work for drug companies.The abc reportsaid that one measurable tie betweenpharmaceutical companies and doctorsamounts to over $2 billion a year spent forover 314,000 events that doctors attend.The abc report also noted that a surveyof clinical trials revealed that when a drugcompany funds a study, there is a 90 percentchance that the drug will be perceivedas effective whereas a non-drug companyfundedstudy will show favorable results 50percent of the time.It appears that money can’t buy youlove but it can buy you any “scientific”result you want.The only safeguard to reporting thesestudies was if the journal writers remainedunbiased. That is no longer the case.Cynthia Crossen, writer for the WallStreet Journal in 1996, publishedTainted Truth: The Manipulation of Factin America, a book about the widespreadpractice of lying with statistics. Commentingon the state of scientific research shesaid that:“The road to hell was paved with theflood of corporate research dollars thateagerly filled gaps left by slashed governmentresearch funding.”Her data on financial involvementshowed that in 1981 the drug industry“gave” $292 million to colleges and universitiesfor research. In 1991 it “gave” $2.1billion.The First Iatrogenic StudyDr. Lucian L. Leape opened medicine’sBiophile Issue 2243

THE MODERN HEALTH CARE SYSTEM IS THE LEADING CAUSE OF DEATHPandora’s box in his 1994 jama paper, “Errorin Medicine.”He began the paper by reminiscingabout Florence Nightingale’s maxim —“first do no harm.” But he found evidenceof the opposite happening in medicine. Hefound that Schimmel reported in 1964 that20 percent of hospital patients sufferediatrogenic injury, with a 20 percent fatalityrate. Steel in 1981 reported that 36 percentof hospitalized patients experiencediatrogenesis with a 25 percent fatality rateand adverse drug reactions were involvedin 50 percent of the injuries. Bedell in 1991reported that 64 percent of acute heart attacksin one hospital were preventable andwere mostly due to adverse drug reactions.However, Leape focused on his andBrennan’s “Harvard Medical PracticeStudy” published in 1991. They found thatin 1984, in New York State, there was a 4percent iatrogenic injury rate for patientswith a 14 percent fatality rate. From the98,609 patients injured and the 14 percentfatality rate, he estimated that in the wholeof the United States 180,000 people dieeach year, partly as a result of iatrogenicinjury. Leape compared these deaths tothe equivalent of three jumbo-jet crashesevery two days.Why Leape chose to use the muchlower figure of four percent injury for hisanalysis remains in question. Perhapshe wanted to tread lightly. If Leape had,instead, calculated the average rate amongthe three studies he cites (36 percent, 20percent, and 4 percent), he would havecome up with a 20 percent medical errorrate. The number of fatalities that he couldhave presented, using an average rate ofinjury and his 14 percent fatality, is anannual 1,189,576 iatrogenic deaths, or overten jumbo jets crashing every day.Leape acknowledged that the literatureon medical error is sparse and we are onlyseeing the tip of the iceberg. He said thatwhen errors are specifically sought out,reported rates are “distressingly high.” Hecited several autopsy studies with ratesas high as 35 percent to 40 percent ofmissed diagnoses causing death. He alsocommented that an intensive care unitreported an average of 1.7 errors per dayper patient, and 29 percent of those errorswere potentially serious or fatal.We wonder: what is the effect on someonewho daily gets the wrong medication,the wrong dose, the wrong procedure; howdo we measure the accumulated burdenof injury; and when the patient finally succumbsafter the tenth error that week, whatis entered on the death certificate?Leape calculated the rate of error inthe intensive care unit. First, he foundthat each patient had an average of 178“activities” (staff/procedure/medical interactions)a day, of which 1.7 were errors,which means a 1 percent failure rate. Tosome this may not seem like much, butputting this into perspective, Leape citedindustry standards where in aviation a 0.1percent failure rate would mean:• Two unsafe plane landings per day atO’Hare airport• In the U.S. mail, 16,000 pieces of lostmail every hour• In banking, 32,000 bank cheques deductedfrom the wrong bank account everyhourAnalyzing why there is so much medicalerror Leape acknowledged the lack ofreporting. Unlike a jumbo-jet crash, whichgets instant media coverage, hospitalerrors are spread out over the country inthousands of different locations. They arealso perceived as isolated and unusualevents. However, the most important reasonthat medical error is unrecognized andgrowing, according to Leape, was, and stillis, that doctors and nurses are unequippedto deal with human error, due to the cultureof medical training and practice.Doctors are taught that mistakes are unacceptable.Medical mistakes are thereforeviewed as a failure of character and anyerror equals negligence.We can see how a great deal of sweepingunder the rug takes place since nobodyis taught what to do when medical errordoes occur. Leape cited McIntyre and Popperwho said the “infallibility model” ofmedicine leads to intellectual dishonestywith a need to cover up mistakes ratherthan admit them. There are no GrandRounds on medical errors, no sharing offailures among doctors and no one to supportthem emotionally when their errorharms a patient.Leape hoped his paper would encouragemedicine “to fundamentally changethe way they think about errors and whythey occur.” It’s been almost a decadesince this groundbreaking work, but themistakes continue to soar.One year later, in 1995, a report in jamasaid that:“Over a million patients are injured inU.S. hospitals each year, and approximately280,000 die annually as a result of theseinjuries. Therefore, the iatrogenic deathrate dwarfs the annual automobile accidentmortality rate of 45,000 and accountsfor more deaths than all other accidentscombined.”At a press conference in 1997 Dr. Leapereleased a nationwide poll on patientiatrogenesis conducted by the NationalPatient Safety Foundation (npsf), whichis sponsored by the American MedicalAssociation. The survey found that morethan 100 million Americans have been impacteddirectly and indirectly by a medicalmistake. Forty-two percent were directlyaffected and a total of 84 percent personallyknew of someone who had experienceda medical mistake. Dr. Leape is a foundingmember of the npsf.Dr. Leape at this press conference alsoupdated his 1994 statistics saying thatmedical errors in inpatient hospital settingsnationwide, as of 1997, could be ashigh as 3 million and could cost as muchas $200 billion. Leape used a 14 percentfatality rate to determine a medical errordeath rate of 180,000 in 1994.16 In 1997,using Leape’s base number of 3 millionerrors, the annual deaths could be asmuch as 420,000 for inpatients alone. Thisdoes not include nursing home deaths, orpeople in the outpatient community dyingof drug side effects or as the result of medicalprocedures.Only a Fraction of Medical Errors areReportedLeape, in 1994, said that he was wellaware that medical errors were not beingreported.According to a study in twoobstetrical units in the U.K., only aboutone quarter of the adverse incidents onthe units are ever reported for reasons ofprotecting staff or preserving reputations,or fear of reprisals, including law suits.24An analysis by Wald and Shojania foundthat only 1.5 percent of all adverse eventsresult in an incident report, and only 6percent of adverse drug events are identifiedproperly.The authors learned that the AmericanCollege of Surgeons gives a very broadguess that surgical incident reports routinelycapture only 5 percent to 30 percentof adverse events. In one surgical studyonly 20 percent of surgical complicationsresulted in discussion at Morbidity andMortality Rounds. From these studies itappears that all the statistics that are gatheredmay be substantially underestimatingthe number of adverse drug and medicaltherapy incidents. It also underscores thefact that our mortality statistics are actuallyconservative figures.An article in Psychiatric Times outlinesthe stakes involved with reportingmedical errors. They found that the publicis fearful of suffering a fatal medical error,and doctors are afraid they will be sued ifthey report an error.This brings up the obvious question:who is reporting medical errors?Usually it is the patient or the patient’ssurviving family. If no one notices theerror, it is never reported. Janet Heinrich,an associate director at the U.S. GeneralAccounting Office responsible for healthfinancing and public health issues, testifyingbefore a House subcommittee aboutmedical errors, said that:“The full magnitude of their threat tothe American public is unknown.” Sheadded, “Gathering valid and useful informationabout adverse events is extremelydifficult.”She acknowledged that the fear of beingblamed, and the potential for legal liability,44 Biophile Issue 22

THE MODERN HEALTH CARE SYSTEM IS THE LEADING CAUSE OF DEATHplayed key roles in the under-reportingof errors. The Psychiatric Times notedthat the American Medical Association isstrongly opposed to mandatory reportingof medical errors. If doctors aren’treporting, what about nurses? In a surveyof nurses, they also did not report medicalmistakes for fear of retaliation.Standard medical pharmacology textsadmit that relatively few doctors everreport adverse drug reactions to the fda.The reasons range from not knowing sucha reporting system exists to fear of beingsued because they prescribed a drug thatcaused harm. However, it is this tremendouslyflawed system of voluntaryreporting from doctors that we dependon to know whether a drug or a medicalintervention is harmful.Pharmacology texts will also tell doctorshow hard it is to separate drug sideeffects from disease symptoms. Treatmentfailure is most often attributed tothe disease and not the drug or thedoctor. Doctors are warned, “Probablynowhere else in professional life aremistakes so easily hidden, even fromourselves.” It may be hard to accept, butnot difficult to understand, why only onein twenty side effects is reported to eitherhospital administrators or the FDA.If hospitals admitted to the actual numberof errors and mistakes, which is about20 times what is reported, they wouldcome under intense scrutiny.Jerry Phillips, associate director of theOffice of Post Marketing Drug Risk Assessmentat the fda, confirms this number. “Inthe broader area of adverse drug reactiondata, the 250,000 reports received annuallyprobably represent only 5 percent ofthe actual reactions that occur.”33 Dr. JayCohen, who has extensively researchedadverse drug reactions, comments thatbecause only 5 percent of adverse drugreactions are being reported, there are, inreality, 5 million medication reactionseach year.It remains that whatever figure youchoose to believe about the side effectsfrom drugs, all the experts agree that youhave to multiply that by 20 to get a moreaccurate estimate of what is really occurringin the burgeoning “field” of iatrogenicmedicine.A 2003 survey is all the more distressingbecause there seems to be no improvementin error reporting even with all theattention on this topic. Dr. Dorothea Wildsurveyed medical residents at a communityhospital in Connecticut. She found thatonly half of the residents were aware thatthe hospital had a medical error-reportingsystem, and the vast majority didn’t use itat all. Dr. Wild says this does not bode wellfor the future. If doctors don’t learn errorreporting in their training, they will neveruse it. And she adds that error reportingis the first step in finding out where thegaps in the medical system are and fixingthem. That first baby step has not evenbegun.Biophile Issue 2245

Suicide WatchPart 2, by Neil GoodwinImagine if the history of life on this planet (all 3.85 billion years ofit) could be represented by one calendar year, beginning one secondpast midnight on New Year’s Day, ending at the stroke of midnightthe following New Years’ Eve. We would have had to have waitedeleven months until November 11th (3.32 billion years later) for thatlife to have found the wherewithal to drag itself out of the primordialsoup and onto land. The continents would have begun to split aparton November 24th (400 million years ago). The dinosaurs wouldhave put in an appearance fourteen days later (December 8th) andchecked out on Christmas day.We humans would have arrived on the scene about 2 millionyears or four-and-a-half hours ago at about 7.30 pm on New Year’sEve. The last ice age would have ended 1 minute and 38 secondsago. Jesus would have walked the earth about 16.5 seconds ago.And within the last two seconds (since 1825 in fact) our populationwould have grown from 1 billion to 6.5 billion people, with a predictedrise of a further 3 billion in a split second from now.So, relatively speaking, everything you are about to read, allthese largely forgotten old acquaintances brought to mind, occurredwithin the last thirteen seconds in the final countdown to midnighton New Year’s Eve – roughly the time it takes to pour two or threeglasses of fizzy wine. Most of the facts and figures have been recycledfrom Clive Pontin’s excellent book ‘A Green History of the World’, forthe first time reorganised into a year-by-year / sixteen hundred yeartimeline.19th CENTURY“Only after the last tree has been cut down;Only after the last river has been poisoned;Only after the last fish has been caught, will youfind that money cannot be eaten.” Cree IndianProphesy1800 Wrongly believed to be a major predatorof salmon, the osprey was ruthlessly hunted toextinction. At this time the white populationof North America was about 5 million, thatof South America some 500,000 and Australia10,000. New Zealand was yet to be settled. In1800 the world output of coal was about 15million tons, by 1860 it had risen to 132 milliontons and at the end of the century it hadreached just over 700 million tons (a forty-sixfold increase). In1800 about 20 million acres of the world wasirrigated land. A century later that figure hadrisen to 100 million acres. By 1950 it was almost300 million and by 1980 it had grown to 500million acres.1801 On one estate in the Scottish county ofSutherland, 550 kingfishers were killed throughoutthe next three years.1802 The early19th century saw the last recorded sighting of awolf in Ireland.1803 In the Pacific, sealing was centred on theislands off the coast of Chile, in particular MasAfuera in the San Fernandez Islands. One accountdescribes how a single ship killed 100,000seals in one visit and there were at times fourteenships operating round the island. In justseven years between 1797 and1803 over 3 million seals were killed on this oneisland bringing the herd to the point of extinction.On the Pribilof Islands in the Bering Seathe Russians were piling up far more dead sealsthan they could sell. There was a store of 80,000skins on the islands, 700,000 of which were rottenand ended up having to be destroyed.1804 As an indication of the serious decline inwildlife, the number of furs trapped in the RedRiver area of North America fell by two-thirdsbetween 1804 and 1808.1805 An onslaught on the seal herd along theBass Strait, Australia, killed 100,000 in a singleseason.1810 Goats were introduced to the island ofSt. Helena and wiped out twenty-two of thethirty-three native plant species. On MacquarieIsland, first discovered in 1810, 180,000 sealswere killed in three years and within a decadethe herd on the island was extinct.1817 In the United States, soil exhaustion wasone of the main forces behind the constantwestward extension of the frontier as farmerssought out new land. In 1817 in North Carolinathe amount of abandoned land was equal inarea to that under cultivation. By tearing upthe grasses that covered the Great Plains, thesettlers were exposing vast areas of land to thewind and rain, and thereby setting the scenefor the terrible dust storms and environmentalcollapse of the ‘dust bowl’ era in the 1930s.1819 On just two estates in the Scottish countyof Sutherland, 295 adult and 60 young goldeneagles (plus an unknown number of eggs) weredestroyed throughout the next 7 years in an attemptto preserve fish and game for sport.1820 It is estimated that about six million furseals were killed in the early decades of the1830 European settlers began to attack the huge bison herds that Lived on the Great Plains ofCentral North America, killing about 2 million per year.46 Biophile Issue 22

nineteenth century.1821 By the 1820s a total of two-and-a-half millionseals had been killed on the Pribilof Islandsin the Bering Sea.1822 Europeans introduced honey bees toAustralia, where they soon outnumbered thenative sting-less bee.1823 The great wave of European emigrationbegan in the 1820s. Between 1820 and 1930about fifty million people emigrated fromEurope.1824 In the first quarter of the 18th centurywell over a million seals were killed on SouthGeorgia, an island in the South Atlantic. TheSouth Sheltand Islands were exhausted withintwo years — one ship killed 9,000 in threeweeks and two ships took 45,000 between themin one season.1825 THE POPULATION OF THE WORLDREACHED APPROXIMATELY 1 BILLION.1826 By the mid 1820s the seals of KerguelenIsland in the southern Indian Ocean wereextinct.1829 In the United States an average blast furnaceaccounted for the destruction of about 250acres of woodland every year. The Hopewellfurnace in Pennsylvania was using as much as750 acres a year.1830 European settlers began to attack thehuge bison herds that Lived on the Great Plainsof Central North America, killing about 2 millionper year. The practice of releasing live passengerpigeons from traps for shooting practicebegan in North America. Within forty years250,000 a year were being killed in this way. Bythe 1830s the Newfoundland sealing industrywas killing 80,000 seals a year.1831 The beaver became extinct on thenorthern Great Plains of North America. Thetonnage of steam-powered shipping in theworld rose from just 32,000 tons in 1831 to over3 million tons by the mid 1870s.1833 At one village in Lincolnshire, England,an average of 3,000 wildfowl were being killedevery year. This went on for another 35 years.1834 The first electricity generators were madein London.1838 The great bustard became extinct.1839 The prickly pear was first introducedto Australia from South America in 1839 inorder to provide hedges, it quickly went wildin Queensland and New South Wales creatingbarriers over six feet high. By 1925 over sixtymillion acres of land were affected and in halfof this area no other plants could grow. It waseventually brought under control by importingsouth American caterpillars which feed off theplant.1840 During one of his tours of working classManchester in the 1840s, Frederick Engelsdescribed the River Irk:“At the bottom the Irk flows or rather stagnates…[it]receives as well the contents ofthe adjacent sewers and privies. Below DucieBridge, on the left, one looks into piles of rubbish,the refuse, filth and decaying matter of thecourts on the steep left bank of the river. [It]…isa narrow, coal-black stinking river full of filthand garbage which it deposits on the lowerlying right bank.In dry weather, an extended series of the mostrevolting blackish green pools of slime remainstanding on this bank, out of whose depthsbubbles of miasmatic gasses constantly rise andgive forth a stench that is unbearable even onthe bridge forty or fifty feet above the level ofthe water.”A traveller, Frederick Ruxton, noted theachievements of the fur trappers: ‘Not a hole orcorner but has been ransacked by these hardymen. From the Mississippi to the mouth of theColorado of the West, from the frozen regionsof the north to… Mexico, the beaver hunter hasset his traps in every creek and stream.’ At thepeak of the whaling trade the Americans hadover 700 vessels operating in the Pacific, killingabout 700,000 a year, and every whaling groundfrom 88 degrees North to 55 degree Southwas fully occupied. The sperm whale huntingareas stretched from California to Japan, fromPeru to the Gilbert Islands, and from Chile toAustralia. When New Zealand became partof the British empire in 1840, over half thecountry was forested. By the 1870s, once thebest agricultural land had been settled, sheeppastures were extended by clearing the forests,particularly on the North Island. Within thirtyyears of its annexation by Britain there wereapproximately nine million sheep grazing theland. By the 1980s half of the country’s virginnatural forests had been destroyed. Eventually,half of the plants found in the country wouldbe of European origin, and the number ofsheep would rise to about seventy million. In1840 there were 45,000 miles of railways in theworld but the figure had risen to 228,000 milesforty years later.1841 By 1841 beaver trapping in NorthAmerica was over.1842 The great crested grebe was driven to thepoint of extinction in nineteen-century Britainbecause of the market for its down to makeladies’ muffs. The salmon catch on the RiverTweed at Berwick, Scotland climbs to 149,000per year. Thirty five years on and this haddropped to 40,000 per year. 500,000 muskratskins were sent to England from North America.1843 Seal hunting on Jan Mayen Island, insidethe Arctic Circle, began in the early 1840s andat its peak was killing 400,000 a year. In lessthan 20 years the herds were driven to extinctionand the industry collapsed.1844 The last pair of great auks, a highly vulnerableflightless seabird, once found in hugecolonies along the Atlantic coasts of Scotland,are killed in Iceland.1845 ‘Nature taken abstractly, for itself, andfixedly isolated from man, is nothing for man.’Karl Marx, Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts1847 In London, John Phillips, the engineerto the Metropolitan Commission of Sewersreported that, ‘There are…thousands of housesin the metropolis which have no drainage whatever,and the greater part of them have stinkingoverflowing cesspools. And there are hundredsof streets, courts and alleys that have nosewers…I have visited very many places wherefilth was lying scattered about the rooms, vaults,cellar areas and yards, so thick and so deep thatit was hardly possible to move for it.’1848 American economist H. C. Carey declaredthat, ‘the earth is a great machine, given toman to be fashioned for his purpose.’1850 The large copper butterfly became extinctin England due to the widespread collectionof its caterpillars. The duck billed platypuswas common in the Blue Mountains, Australiain 1815 but by 1850 had disappeared. Also inthis year, one hunter, Captain Foster Fyanslamented that in Victoria, Australia:‘Emus and kangaroos on our arrival wereplentiful in all parts…also bustards in largeflocks of…40 or perhaps more. The bustardsnow are scarce, and only met with in distantplaces. The kangaroo and emu are nearlyextinct in the district; the country is almost voidof game.’England imported 137,000 martens fromNorth America. By the mid 1880s, when itsonce vast forests had been depleted, coalbecame the principle source of energy in theUnited States. Consumption rose thirty-foldthroughout the next 50 years.1851 By the 1850s the Newfoundland sealingindustry had reached its peak killing 600,000seals a year. The introduction of large steamships,which were much more efficient at processingseals, meant that a single vessel coulddeal with 20,000 seals a day.Britain was the most urbanised country inthe world but more than sixty percent of itspopulation still lived in the countryside. Fiftyyears later and about three-quarters of the Britishpeople lived in cities and one in five of thepopulation lived in London.1852 The phenomenon of acid rain was firstidentified in Manchester, England, during the1850s, and was later explained in some detail byBritish pollution inspector, Robert Smith in hisBiophile Issue 2247

ook ‘Acid and Rain’ published in 1872.1854 Chief Seattle of the Squamish tribe wrotea letter of protest to the president of the UnitedStates against the destruction of his land andpeople: ‘What is man without the beasts? Ifall the beasts were gone, men would die fromgreat loneliness of spirit, for whatever happensto the beasts also happens to man... Teach yourchildren what we have taught our children:that the earth is their mother. Whatever befallsthe earth befalls the sons of the earth. If menspit upon the ground, they spit upon themselves.The earth does not belong to man, man belongsto the earth. Man did not weave the web of life,he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does tothe web, he does to himself.’1855 300,000 passenger pigeons a year werebeing sent to New York as a cheap source ofmeat. The exact number of these blue, longtailed,fast and graceful birds that existed at thetime when the Europeans first arrived in NorthAmerica is not known but the best guess is 5billion – about a third of all the birds in NorthAmerica at the time. Their flocks were so tightlypacked that a single shot could bring downthirty or forty birds and many were killed simplyby hitting them over the head with pieces ofwood as they flew over hilltops.1856 An exhibition to the Murray-Darling basinrecorded thirty one species of native animal. Intime, twenty two of them would become extinct.1858 During what became known as ‘The GreatStink’ the stench of sewage from the Thameswas so bad that sittings of the House of Commonshad to be abandoned.1859 Charles Darwin published ‘Origin of Species’and began to undermine the idea of divinecreation:‘Thus, from the war of nature, from famineand death, the most exalted object which weare capable of conceiving, namely, the productionof the higher animals, directly follows.There is grandeur in this view of life, with itsseveral powers, having been originally breathedinto a few forms or into one; and that, whilstthe planet has gone cycling on according to thefixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginningendless forms most beautiful and most wonderfulhave been, and are being evolved.’SUICIDE WATCH500 million. Also this year, the world’s firstcommercial oil came from the Drake well inPennsylvania, USA.1860 Due to the craze for birds in cages, 14,000goldfinches a year were being captured justfrom the area around Worthing in Sussex,England. On just one day (23 July) 235,200passenger pigeons were sent east from GrandRapids in Michigan, USA. Between 1860 and1920 across the world about one billion acresof new land was converted to agricultural use(about 40 percent of it in the United Statesmainly in the corn belt, 20 percent of it on theblack soils of Russia and another 20 percent inAsia). By the 1860s nearly every walrus in thearea of Labrador had been killed.1863 The formation of the Alkali Inspectoratein Britain in the early 1860s was a belatedattempt to deal with the extensive pollutioncaused by industrialisation.1869 The demand for exotic feathers in hatsmeant that in 1869 Brazil alone exported170,000 dead birds for their plumage. VanBuren County, in Michigan, USA, exported7,500,000 passenger pigeons east as food.1870 The lapwing was nearing extinction inthe north of England due to excessive demandsfor its eggs. Between 1870 and 1910 anotherfour million seals were killed at sea. In Indiathe area under cotton cultivation increasedfour-fold between 1870 and 1920 as the Britishintroduced production for export.1871 As their hides were first made intocommercial leather, the hunting of the hugebison herds that roamed the Great plains ofCentral North America was stepped up to 3million animals per year.1873 Despite the relentless ferocious attackby European settlers on America’s populationof passenger pigeons, on April 8 of this year,at Saginaw in Michigan, there was a reportof a continuous stream of pigeons overheadbetween 7.30 in the morning and 4 o’clock inthe afternoon. In December in London therewere about 500 deaths caused by a particularlysevere smog.1875 The first large-scale electrical lightingapplication opened at the Gare du Nord inParis. Queen Victoria complained that theammonia fumes from the local cement workswere making Osborne House, her residenceon the Isle of Wight, uninhabitable, butgovernment inspectors found that they had nopowers to close down the works.1878 In Australia, extensive soil erosion wasaffecting parts of Victoria.1879 As the right and sperm whale populationswere hunted to the edge extinction, the oncethriving Pacific whaling industry was reducedto a few areas off the coasts of Peru andAustralia.1880 Even in 1880, when the numbers ofpassenger pigeons had already been severelyreduced, 527,000 birds were still being shippedeast from Michigan. By 1880 Australia’s rabbitpopulation had reached New South Wales andwere also affecting sheep farming in partsof South Australia. A large scale eradicationcampaign was mounted but to little effect – inthe mid 1880s 1.8 million rabbits were killedin Victoria and nearly 7 million in New SouthWales. In 1880 there were 600,000 homes in thecentre of London with three-and-a-half millionThe greatest ecological disaster caused by thedeliberate introduction of a new animal beganthis year in Australia, after Thomas Austin, afarmer near Geelong in Victoria, establisheda few rabbits for game. Well known as rapidbreeders, with no natural predators, theyexcelled themselves and were soon devastatingcrops over a wide area. In less than a century,their numbers grew from a handful to aboutBy the 1860s nearly every walrus in the area of Labrador had been killed.48 Biophile Issue 22

SUICIDE WATCHfireplaces, virtually all of them burning coal. Injust three weeks in February a severe smog(smoke/fog) killed over 2,000 people.1881 The House of Commons in Londonbecame the first building to use carbonfilament lamps.1883 One of the biggest losses of the world’swetlands occurred in the Florida evergladesafter drainage started in 1883. Most of thewildlife, including 90 percent of the two-and-ahalfmillion wading birds, died out.1885 IT IS ONE SECOND TOMIDNIGHT…1886 The world’s first hydroelectric powerstation was built at Niagara Falls.1889 Such was the depletion of passengerpigeon numbers in North America, then by thelate 1880s large flocks which had once been socommon, had become a matter for commentand investigation, and most were no more thana few hundred strong. In the US Oklahoma wasopened up for white settlement and in the nextforty years about 40 million acres of virgin landwas ploughed up and cultivated, tearing outthe grassland and loosening the soils of theGreat Plains, thereby helping to set the scenefor the ‘dust bowl’ of the 1930s – one of theworld’s biggest environmental disasters.1890 By the last decade of the nineteenthcenturythe great bison herds of North America,which once numbered 60 million, were drivento the verge of extinction. In 1890, the world’sconsumption of oil was about 10 million tons.This rose ten-fold to reach 95 million tons by1920, trebled to 294 million tons by 1940 andthen doubled every decade to reach nearly2,500 million tons a year by the 1970s – overallmore than a two hundred-fold increase. InAlgeria between 1890 and 1940 about 1.2million acres of forest were destroyed by theFrench.1891 European starlings were first introducedto the United States as ornamental birds inCentral Park, New York. Some escaped and bythe 1950s flocks could be seen across the entirecontinent, where they aggressively took overthe habitats of native birds and devastated thepopulation of bluebirds and flickers.1892 By 1892 the walrus had become extincton the Pribilof Islands in the Bering Sea. Thetotal number of walruses killed during thenineteenth century is unknown but the bestestimate for the slaughter suggests a figure ofThe ‘Dust Bowl’ was one of the world’s biggest environmental disasters.about four million.1893 The introduction of fast, steam-poweredboats and the explosive harpoon (whichdetonated inside the whale), made it possibleto chase and kill the fast swimming and deepdiving rorqual whales.1896 At the end of the nineteenth-century theannual sturgeon catch stood at over one millionpounds weight per year. By 1965 it had fallento less than 4,000 pounds a year. 1898 270,000wild quail were being sold in the markets ofParis alone.1899 By the end of the century rare marsupialssuch as the hare- wallaby and the bandedhare-wallaby had become extinct in Australiadue to the pressures of hunting. In the space oftwo years (1899-1900) the world used more coalthan in the whole of the eighteenth century.“At last! Truth that has not beendistorted by dogma or someone’s ego!I might explode from emotion if I readany more! I had a hard time gettingmyself to just stand still.”- Ana, Portugal“For the first time in my life I feelaffirmed on a very deep level and feelfree to be me.”- Mary, New Zealand“The most profound work I haveever read”- Ben, Australia“I had to stop reading just to cryfor a while I was so touched with thebeauty and simplicity of Anastasia’sspirit...”- Jan, Norway“IF YOU READ ONE BOOK IN YOURLIFE… READ ANASTASIA!”- Anthea Torr, Editor BiophileR160 per bookComplete series available for onlyR1340 (Save R100)To order: Phone 021 788 9267 or SMSyour name and surname to082 553 3775 / 071 603 8046Or: email books@ringingcedars.co.zaFor more information or to orderonline visit: www.ringingcedars.co.zaBiophile Issue 2249

Lou Bognon is a spiritual healer, author,teacher, producer and presenter of The InnerVoice, an inspirational program on ChannelAfrica which is broadcast internationally inEnglish and French.www.loubognon.com or lou@loubognon.comfrom aSpiritualPerspectiveby Lou Bognonwww.loubognon.comThe Airand EarthElementsAs I watched Myanmar count its deadby the tens of thousands after being hitby a deadly cyclone, and on the otherside of the world, an ancient volcano inChile, thought to be dormant for millennia,spewing - as volcanoes usually do – hisspecial kind of fumes, I remembered thatit was time to resume my writings on theelements.And, as the time will be very markedlyaccelerated for us on earth from this point,I felt that I could write about the two elementsair and earth together as they bothare so well represented in both cyclonicand volcanic activity.Indeed if Mother Earth was to beequated with a human body – then hervolcanoes would be her entrails – the partof her that really needs to be cleaned now– almost like when we resort to colonic irrigationtreatment for a highly intoxicatedbody.We all know that when we get seriouslyill, and when we have kept all sorts of debilitatingemotions, toxins and pain insideourselves for any length of time, that ourbowel movement starts being affected ina very powerful and noisy way at first – weexperience severe cramps and bloating,often associated with abnormal activity ofthe too much or too little kind and eventuallyit all grounds to a halt till and we needto go for help.So – let us recognize these symptomsin our Beloved Mother – her entrails arestarting to get noisy and irregular – sheis bloated and uncomfortable and herbody is really – seriously – intoxicated byall of our mental, physical and materialpollution and carelessness. Her air elementis seen in her passing of winds, read:typhoons, cyclones, hurricanes and thelike. This is her way to blow away from herbody all the discomfort and in some partsthe unbearable pressure we have becometo her.Now – if you recall when I spoke aboutwater and fire – the elements we have alreadyseen very active in her body in termsof what they represented: the emotionalbody, the tears, the cleansing and the fevershe needs to heal – she has done all shecould using those two elements but it wasobviously not enough. Not enough for useither – we still did not see her pain andneither did we change our ways so as tohelp her to heal.No - we have not changed – we have notpaid any attention - we actually got worst,greedier, more disconnected and in generalbecame like suckling zombies - and toa certain degree, that has become our newnormal, when faced with information andpotential future overload, we all take thesafe road – we sort of sleep standing andgo on like zombies, as if it was none of ourbusiness or any of our doing.Only now, zombie time is over.In the sequence of disease and the waysymptoms show themselves off, fever isusually alleviated by water, the effect ofcooling and soothing, which Mother Earthhas done quite well.Now, another set of symptoms arebeing exposed and she is showing us herever increasing pain before she preparesus for some major surprises. I feel she willsoon use all of her elements all at once,resulting in some truly major upheavalsand destruction for us as humanity, but forher, in some greatly needed cleansing andhealing.In the meantime – our world hasalready changed for ever – peak oil priceis a reality driving home, as we now awaitoil at USD200 a barrel and we have entereda new cycle of who is going to drive/eat/survive first.Yes we have arrived at such a point.In less than a year, and with a few cleaningstrokes, Mother Earth took away ourfood from her skin in millions and millionsof acres of Asia, Africa, North and SouthAmerica, Australia and generally all over,anywhere she itched of dryness or overwashedof pain.As I write, we know that the lives ofsome 100 million or more of our brothersand sisters will be written off the listof who does not eat and live next. Wealso know that biofuels, now take one fullthird of our food supplies. Yes we are nownot just competing with each other andwith our animals for food we have added,believe it or not, also our cars to the bigsurvival competition.Collective Madness is the name for ourcurrent state of being.Knowing our Mother Earth, like allmothers, she will definitely fight for herlife – mothers seldom give up in the face oftheir own pain – they always – well almostalways – put their children above themselves.But how many of her children willshe choose to protect whilst needing toprotect herself?Like in a flight nearing its crash landing– how much will she breathe first beforegiving us the oxygen mask? Now that is thequestion.Sadly to this question we do not havethe answer – we have set in motion asomewhat unpredictable flight that nowcan only be allowed to crash or land itselfout.All we can do as always - is to pray - andto hope - that we are part of those whoselove for her will be noted and that in returnshe will be clement with our food fields,with the roofs over our heads and with ourlives.Again I encourage you to pray forMother Earth everyday, to treat all hercreatures with extreme care and reverenceand in your prayers send her all the loveand healing your little child’s heart canmaster – she loves to listen to children’sprayers especially when they come out ofadult lips.50 Biophile Issue 22

What are you? I'm a fire-walker!You are now standing in front of the carpet of glowing coals,you start to walk. The steps go smoothly, you are focusedon your goal and the coals feel cool beneath your feet. Suddenlyit is all over, you stand on the other-side, you turn aroundand see the coals behind you. Your feet are well and unscathed,you have done it. An overwhelming energy flows through you,joy, excitement, pride. You jump in the air punching the starrysky with your fists, shouting yes, yes, yes! I am a fire-walker!This powerful experience awaits all who seek the mysteries,challenges, intrigue, "the journey" that fire-walking presents.Walking on fire has fascinated man for centuries and hasbeen used all over the world, for healing, religious festivals andeven in preparation for battle. Since the 1980s fire walking hasbeen used more and more by our Western Culture and for differentreasons and using different techniques. The answers forhow it works have eluded even the highest academic ranks, eachclaiming to have found the answer to the secret that lies behindthe fire-walk, why don't the soles of the feet get burnt? Fleshburns when it comes into contact with 600°- 900°coals, so howis it possible to walk up to 100m without harm, will remain amystery for some time to come.One thing that is clear to those who have studied the powersof the fire-walk, is that the preparation to walk on red hotcoals creates an extremely powerful energy in the individualand group taking part. The act of walking on the coals is notnecessarily the end result but, more the proof of the knowledgeand the realization of ones own inner strength and abilitiesthat have been awakened through the preparation. One cantalk about mind over matter or setting ones mind to achievesomething but, it is only until one has walked on coals that thetrue power of these sayings is revealed. Being able to harness somuch energy, that your soles are protected from the heat of thecoals, is a wonderful revelation when one thinks of the possibleresults when this energy is used to achieve ones goals, dreams orwishes.The mind is one of the most powerful tools that we have.Each one of us has been given one and we all use it, to ourbenefit and sometimes not. As the human race progresses intechnology, so are some of the deeper secrets of the mind beingrevealed to us through Quantum Physics and Neuro LinguisticPrograming. The ability to program ones subconscious mind andthe possible effects of ones subconscious mind on a molecularlevel is where the secret lies. The powers of the mind go beyondPhysics, all possible explanations and proofs based on Physics arefutile. Physics cannot explain or come anywhere near provinghow a 100m fire-walk is possible, it is beyond Physics, it is all inthe mind, "mind over mater" or should I say "mind in mater".Why would one choose to walk on coals and to what end?The Fire Walk is one of the most powerful experiencesachievable within a reasonably short length of time. Within 3to 5 hours the energy of a group of people can be taken to suchextreme heights that the effects on that group and in each individualcan be life changing. The experience can not be comparedto the quick fix adrenaline rush that a bungy jump or shark divemight bring. The preparation for the fire walk goes much deeperand the goals and dreams of the individual or group are themain point of focus. It isn't all about walking on the coals, butmore the receiving of energy and tools to achieve ones goals.Each individual has his or her own reason for taking on thischallenge. In the business world managers and executives usethe power to achieve excellence in the work place. Sports peoplegain much from the walk to help them push through physicallimitations in an event. Couples find amazing bondage in theirrelationship after sharing the fire-walk experience together.People with health problems have found a powerful healingeffect and have often been cured of their ailments. What ever thewish or goal is of the participant, the energy that is achieved andthe amazing change in mind set that is created, opens one up forits manifestation.The techniques used to achieve this high level of energy areremarkably calm and meditative. Nothing on a spiritual level isinvolved and there is no screaming and winding each other upinto a frenzy either. The techniques are such that everyone canuse them again in their day to day lives, in the office, during anexam or in the middle of the Comrades Marathon. Participantsdo not find themselves in a strange or uncomfortable state. Eachperson experiences the exciting quiet buildup of energy thatcomes from within, which is activated through trust, knowledgeand a powerful fellowship with the other participants. The walkitself is a slow steady walk and not a run or dart across the coals,as the energy rises in the group the desire to walk again andagain is achieved, bringing with it a sense of enlightenment,power and amazing self confidence. Each person makes theirown choice to walk or not walk, it is not a must, but very hard toresist in the moment.My name is Stuart Brown, I did my fire-walk instructorscourse at the IP Institut für Persönlichkeitsentfaltung in Switzerlandand I look forward to sharing some of my experience withyou and to have you join me with a group of fun people on oneof my Power Fire-walks. The walk takes place on a field at De BosGuest Farm Montagu, in a circle of pecan nut trees with a beautifulmountain back drop under the starry sky and the full moon,there is going to be a lot of power floating around, be a part of itand fill your tank.Dates for this year’s fire-walks are 19th July,18th October and 15th November. Contact meon sdbrown@mweb.co.za , call 023 614 2532 orcheck out www.fire-walk.co.zaBiophile Issue 2251

The Last Chapterto AscensionThe Earth is going to heal, cleanse herself and go on and on.by James Gilliland, www.eceti.orgIrealized after joining the lecture circuitthat very few people were on the circuitwithout ulterior motives or let us sayless than pure intentions. After many ofmy lectures I seemed to have stepped onmany toes by just revealing the truth givento me which seemed to totally contradictsome of the others truth. Many peoplebegan with a genuine desire to assist inthe awakening and healing of humanityand the Earth yet fame, notoriety andmaterial acquisition took over as priority.They shifted from truth to half truthsand feel good messages because they sawthese messages generated the greatestcrowds.Promises of wealth, material manifestation,the manifestation of love, joy,acceptance all though people, places andthings, the outer world was a real moneymaker. They talked of heaven as a placeto go rather than a consciousness to beand some in fundamental religions evenpromised those condos in heaven, harpsand wings for a significant donation.There were those like vultures that hungaround hospital beds with pen and contractin hand urging the dying to donateand insure their place in heaven. In truthit only insured the continuation of theirdynasties on Earth.I saw incredible judgment, condemnationand competition in the UFO andspiritual communities both groups notrealizing the two were interwoven. In thebeginning I was totally naïve and surelyif people heard the message of unity consciousnessthey would get behind and supportit. It really made no sense to me foreach person had an experience, was privyto some knowledge yet each be lie ved theyhad the whole truth and all other truthswere nonsense. Even imagination is realon the level of imagination or the mentalplanes so how can we say another personsreality or creation is invalid? Do we judgesomething to be true if it manifests on thephysical level and not true if it is a nonphysical manifestation?Each experience was relative to thelimited or unlimited ability of the observerin others words their ability to perceive.Each religion was based on an experienceand people were gathered around thatexperience.There are over 11,000 religions withoffshoots each with their own image anddoctrine and in some cases each be lieving theirs is the correct and only one.Some even interpret the same doctrine differentlyand cannot get along with othersusing the very same book. The cosmic jokeis all are correct, all are creating their ownrealities according to their beliefs and allrealities exist within God which basicallysays as you wish. Why cant we allow otherstheir beliefs, their creations and the experienceor reaction to their actions?Why do we be lie ve eternal souls arevictims? How is it we are so easily motivatedby fear to do things we know in ourheart of heart do not serve us or othersnor are they aligned with our spiritualevolution? Not knowing what anothersoul needs for completion how can wejudge the creations of others good orbad? This is a very tough pill to swallowfor saviors and victims yet it is the road tofreedom. The endless savior, victim, persecutortriangle we have been playing out foreons ends with this knowledge.Personal responsibility, shifting fromreactionary mind to creationary mindand becoming the observer with lovingdetachment is the key to ascension.Every Master mastered judgment. EveryMaster stepped out of social consciousnessand became the observer. Theyfocused on love, joy and bliss until theybecame it. They took the time to collapsetime, meditated, prayed, spent long hoursin nature outside of the confusion untilthe clarity came. They saw the Creator inall Creation and the dance of Creation ineveryone and everything. They becamecentered, unshakeable in that love, joy andbliss becoming divine mirrors as to theGod within everyone and everything.The Earth was created to be an Edenwhere everyone could evolve to theirhighest potential and live in harmony witheach other and Nature.Unfortunately they mirrored everythingpeople loved and hated about themselves,sparked a lot of envy and jealousy as wellas reflected back to others all that which isnot in harmony. If one were to take stockin the world today the present civilizationfalls far short of the way of the Masterswhich is why the true Masters are deemeda threat and why so many have been doneaway with.To truly become a Master one musttranscend all cultural and religiousboundaries. All borders, divisions, andhierarchies give way to a love with noboundaries. This becomes a threat tothose maintaining the boundaries and divisionsthe greatest of which are the powerelite within religions and governments. Sonow you know the answer to why heavenis met with great resistance along with theenlightened ones who are paving the wayfor heaven on Earth.The Earth was created to be an Edenwhere everyone could evolve to theirhighest potential and live in harmonywith each other and Nature. We are in theprocess of returning to that path ushered52 Biophile Issue 22

in by a power and force no man can stop.Nature will be the greatest challengeto those who wish to stop this processalong with the awakening and empoweringof the individual which is happeningas we speak from within. The Templeis within, God is within and it is fromwithin this process is unfolding. Therewill be many methods utilized from withoutas a futile attempt to stop or inhibit thisprocess yet those involved are insuringtheir own fate which will be to experienceall of the pain, suffering or loss of freedomthey have imposed on others.Despite the arrogance of the elite thelaws of the universe will havetheir way. There is only onepath to sustainability and thatis to align with the awakeningand healing process, cooperatein the highest and best good ofhumanity and the Earth, makeyour own personal, God, Spirit,Creator connection and shiftinto service. The greatest trapis me, the illusion of separationand all that comes with it suchas greed, competition, selfishnessand the endless quest forlove, acceptance, and approvaloutside of self through outer appearancesand material acquisition.In the days to come all thatwhich no longer serves you andis a distraction to your inwardjourney will be stripped away.The empires built at the expenseof humanity and naturewill fall. Those who have beenwilling participants in theseempires will loose all ill gottengain. Despite the efforts of manthe empires of the elite will falljust as they have fallen awayfrom the universal principlesand understandings that arenecessary for a healthy societyand environment.They will be caught unawaredue to their unawareness of agreater plan within a consciousnessand energy they can nolonger access. Even the animalsknow when a great storm iscoming, a quake, even a tsunamiand they will be your greatestteachers in the days to come.Watch them, they know whatyou have forgotten. The Earthis going to heal, cleanse herselfand go on and on. The extentand severity of the process isdirectly related to the shift ofconsciousness and action as well as thedivine intervention offered to those whohave risen to the occasion.Many will continue in denial on a paththat is unsustainable with a heavy adverseimpact on nature. They will live in themoment totally unprepared and obliviousto future moments. There will be thosedelivering the half truths, feel good messagestelling people what they want to hearrather than what they need to hear. Theywill be in every walk and institution withthe media at their beckon call which willspin, twist and deny the obvious. They willmake promises they cannot keep all theChoose the upward spiral and live inharmony with each other and the Earth.while in complete denial of the changesunfolding around them.Rather than teaching personal responsibilityand awareness of the conditionof the environment, the Earths need tocleanse and heal, the condition of societywhich includes an unsustainable economyon the verge of collapse they will continueto deliver those feel good messages. Messagesof how much they care and they arehere to help yet in truth they only careabout themselves and are helping themselvesat the expense of humanity and theEarth. The religions prey on seekers usingtheir separate God with them as the gobetween and the Politicians prey on thoseliving in denial desiring to be told thestatus quo shall go uninterrupted. It willbe greatly interrupted for it is the statusquo, social consciousness which needsthe greatest reality check of all. There willbe a great split between the upward spiralin evolution which will go on to the nextadventure align with and create a world inwhich people live in harmony with eachother and Nature. This group will take aquantum leap in evolution, join the rest ofthe universe in peace, experience health,longevity, and technologies beyond yourwildest dreams.There will be the downward spiralwhere those who wish to continue thein the separative elitist attitudes and lustfor power and wealth at any expense willcontinue in the wars, diseases and eventuallyexperience the social, economic andenvironmental collapse. They will takewith them all those who align with themas willing participants. That is the way itis now seen and it is all a matter of choice,choosing to step out of the confusion andchaos to tap into a consciousness that willsupport and inspire the upward spiral. Forthose in complete denial of the messageson high Nature is going to push you, shakeyou, get your attention any and every waypossible to reevaluate your path. Whateverit takes to get your attention.The experiences that validate that quietvoice within that gave you the feelingahead of time something is coming, achange is in the wind, I need to listen andact on that voice will manifest and sooneveryone will come to listen. Those still inthe physical body and those who crossedover in their light review will say, dam I feltsomething coming, I need to be a betterlistener and act on the inner guidance. Inmeditation I was told it is time to move offthe coasts, simplify and become sovereign.Choose the upward spiral and live inharmony with each other and the Earth.Know thyself not the programmed personalityand move out of social consciousnessand into Christ Consciousness. Release thepast for there will be a division of worlds.The days of the beast are coming to a close.Become your own prophet.Biophile Issue 2253

get active!EnvironmentalJustice NetworkForumEstablished to servicethe common interestsof participating SouthAfrican non-governmentaland community-basedorganizations on mattersconcerning environmentaljustice and sustainabledevelopment.Tel: +27 (0)11 403 8978Fax: +27 (0)11 339 3859Web: www.ejnf.org.zaEarthlife AfricaA membershipdrivenorganization ofenvironmental and socialjustice activists, founded tomobilize civil society aroundenvironmental issues inrelation to people.Web: www.earthlife.org.zaFullCycleFriendly suppliers ofrecycling gadgets, worms andworm farms.Web: www.fullcycle.co.zaFight Monsanto!For millennia, farmers have saved seeds from seasonto season. But when Monsanto developed GM seedsthat would resist its own herbicide, Roundup, Monsantopatented the seeds. For nearly all of its historythe United States Patent and Trademark Office refusedto grant patents on seeds, viewing them as lifeformswith too many variables to be patented. But in1980 the U.S. Supreme Court allowed for seed patentsin a five-to-four decision, laying the groundwork for ahandful of corporations to begin taking control of theworld’s food supply.Since the 1980s, Monsanto has become the worldleader in genetic modification of seeds and has won674 biotechnology patents, more than any othercompany. Farmers who buy Monsanto’s RoundupReady seeds are required to sign an agreementpromising not to save the seed produced after eachharvest for re-planting, or to sell the seed to otherfarmers. This means that farmers must buy new seedevery year.Monsanto puts pressure on farmers, farmers’ coops,seed dealers, and anyone else it suspects mayhave infringed its patents of genetically modifiedseeds. To do this, Monsanto relies on a shadowy armyof private investigators and agents. They secretly videotapeand photograph farmers, store owners, andco-ops. They infiltrate community meetings. Theygather information from informants about farmingactivities.Some Monsanto agents pretend to be surveyors.Others confront farmers on their land and try topressure them to sign papers giving Monsanto accessto their private records. Farmers call them the“seed police” and use words such as “Gestapo” and“Mafia” to describe their tactics.BiowatchSouth African NGO publicising, monitoring andresearching issues of biological diversity,geneticengineering and sustainable livelihoods.Tel: +27 0(21) 447 5939Email: biowatch@mweb.co.zaWeb: www.biowatch.org.zaTAKE ACTION WITHEARTHLIFE AFRICAWho Is Earthlife Africa?Earthlife Africa (ELA) is a membership drivenorganization of environmental and social justiceactivists, founded to mobilize civil societyaround environmental issues in relation topeople.What does Earthlife Africa do?Earthlife Africa’s main activities are campaignrelated. This includes lobbying andadvocacy, building campaigns at communitylevel through sharing information and skills,engaging with environmental impact assessments,engaging the media, and researchingand producing information materials.We work to promote ecologically sound alternatives,like renewable energy and efficiency,organic farming and adopting the ‘Zero Waste’approach to industrial pollution and wastemanagement.Where is Earthlife Africa?ELA Johannesburg (Jhb) branch was establishedin August 1988 as the first branch of theorganization. Since then, ELA has expandedto include branches in Cape Town, eThekwini(formerly Durban) and Tshwane (formerly Pretoria),as well as one in Windhoek, Namibia.How can you get involved withEarthlife Africa Cape Town?Earthlife Africa Cape Town is involved ina wide range of environmental justice issuesincluding;-anti-nuclear campaigning-ethical consumerism-sustainable transportation campaigning-anti-GM campaigning-pro-renewable energy campaigning-climate change activism-zero waste approachEarthlife Africa Cape Town has a place foranybody with an environmental consciencewho has enthusiasm that they want to share.There are many activities to get involved inincluding;-activism-journalism-design-financial/marketing-ITFOR MORE INFO, OR TO JOIN EARTHLIFEAFRICA CAPE TOWN, PLEASE VISITwww.earthlife-ct.org.zaor call: 021 447 4912 orEmail: coordinator@earthlife-ct.org.za54 Biophile Issue 22 21

what you can doANIMAL RIGHTS AFRICAIn 2006 three of the most effective animalorganisations in South Africa, namely Justicefor Animals, Xwe African Wildlife andSouth Africans for the Abolition of Vivisection,decided to join forces in an unprecedentedand historic move to advance acommon mission by pooling their resources,expertise and commitment and operateas one legal entity. Animal Rights Africa isthe only broad-based animal rights organisationon the African continent.www.animalrightsafrica.orgBox 3018 Honeydew 2040Tel/Fax: 011 472 2380ANIMAL VOICE:COMPASSION IN WORLD FARMINGAnimal Voice is a magazine published by the HumaneEducation Trust in South Africa. The HET is an organisationdedicated to rekindling the spirit of care and respect forall life, and is the official mouthpiece in South Africa ofCompassion in World Farming.www.www.animal-voice.orgPO Box 825 Somerset West 7129Telephone: 021 852 8160Fax: 021 852 8160GO VEGAN NOWWe all make choices throughoutthe day that have enormous impacton others whether we realize it ornot.Every time we chose what toeat, buy, and wear, our decisioncan support unfathomableviolence and brutalitytowards animals.We know that by choosing Veganfood we not only make a deliciousand nutritious choice, we make aPeaceful Choice.We choose not to support crueltyto animals.We choose to try theendless and exciting possibilitiesthat a Vegetarian diet has to offer.We choose not to support environmentallydestructive animal agribusiness.We choose to be aware of what weeat, not who we eat.We choose to be healthy, educated,and compassionate consumers.www.govegannow.comCANE: Coalition Against Nuclear Energy South AfricaCANE has been formed as an umbrella group comprisingcommunity organisations, residents’ associations, NGOs,academics, professionals, unionists, environmentalists andordinary citizens now grappling with the spectre of nucleardevelopments in their back yards. They represent a groundswellof ordinary people who want government to act democraticallyin seeking alternative energy crisis and climate changesolutions.www.cane.org.zaBiophile Issue 2255

ooksto change yourlifeThe Awakening Clanby Nadine MayThis book inspired me to realise thatthe life long dream of so many of us toexperience a true Cosmic Romance mightactually be possible. The writing is veryplot driven, keeping your attention rightthrough to the end conveying the idea thatdespite the daily barrage of negative newsthere is reason for hope. We might notafter all have lost our cherished dream ofGoing Home to that state of Bliss seeminglyless and less attainable as the chaos oftoday’s world impacts us more and more.Of course the story does include somenegative events which can be scary suchas violence and hi-jacking that we in SouthAfrica are well aware of, but the overallmessage is that we can get past theseevents in our lives and achieve a remarkableawakening to full consciousnessincluding such abilities as telepathic skills,healing abilities and remote viewing. Altogetherthis is an inspiring read and wellworth revisiting, re-reading and making ita part of our lives.Kima Global Publishers ISBN978-0-9802561-5-4 R150.00The Role of Evil inHuman Evolutionby David AshThis is one of those brave and courageousbooks that give us fresh insights intothe hard facts of today’s world, such aseconomic meltdowns, false flag operations,wars and mayhem. Somehow taking alook at the hidden reasons for these eventspressed upon us daily by the media andlife around us, is extremely liberating. It isfull of Aha moments. Truth brings clarityand fear then dissipates into nothing.As a scientist David Ash is meticulous inhis research, and builds a convincing casefor the damage done by the three major religionsfounded on the demi-god Jehovahand the control exercised in our lives. Thisis the sort of book one wants to immediatelypass on to all those you care about!Kima Global Publishers ISBN978-0-9802561-3-0 R150.00Rising out of Chaosby Simon Peter FullerWritten seven years ago, the message ofthis book is as fresh and vital as the day itwas published. I can’t believe it has takenme seven years to discover this book. Mr.Fuller’s story of pioneering work in healingthe planet is inspiring and of immensevalue in ushering in a New Age of understandingand compassion for all sentientbeings.There is more to this book than Mr.Fuller’s story though. He succinctly summariseswhat this New Age is really about,and presents a clear perspective of theChrist Consciousness and what it means toeach and every human being on the planet.I was especially impressed with his presentationof the Third Book of the Apocalypse- the eight missing chapters of St. John’sbook of Revelation. The story of how itcame to be released and what it has to sayabout our future is a wonderfully positivebalance to the typical doomsday interpretationof Biblical Revelations. I applaudMr. Fuller for his courage in bringing thisinformation to the world and recommendthis highly readable book for all seriousthinkers on the spiritual path.Kima Global PublishersISBN0-9584065-4-5 R150.00The Language of Lightby Nadine MayPractical and inspiring, this workbooktakes the reader into new understandingsof their Inner Nature through whatthe author calls Mind Drawing. This is ofwhat we do when we doodle, and allowsthe busy mind to be quietly cut out sothat our Higher Self can be reached. Therevelations achieved in this way are trulyenlightening and allow one to truly knowoneself.This includes aspects such as numerology,the five stages of manifestation, thechakras, psychic awareness, emotionalintelligence, enneagram values etc. Importantlyalso includes instructions andtechniques to make your 27 Language ofLight cards which allow you to developsoul qualities to get you to the next level ofawareness. This is indeed a book to workwith if you want to improve your life. Theauthor also offers workshops in cyberspacethrough her web site.Kima Global Publishers ISBN0-9584493-3-3 R160.0056 Biophile Issue 22

“I think I’m going to steal andreinvent the word ‘G-spot’That sweet spot. Deep in yourheart where your inner grannyresides. A place of deep self care.”Jena’sHand in it Allby jena Griffithswww.handanalysisonline.comHoveringGranniesDid you have the privilege of ‘owning’ atleast one granny while you were growingup? A real time hovering (or is thathoovering!) guardian angel? That oneperson who was 100% there for you nomatter what; a safety net between castlesin the sky and the fast approaching, hardhitting ground.If you didn’t, let me tell you the goodnews first. It’s never too late to have ahovering granny! I’ll tell you how you canget one of your own later but first let’sexplore why.What makes a granny so special?Mine had a blue rinse. Hair stackedlike soft cumulus clouds, she was my softlanding between a rock and a hard place.Her face folded and creased, eyes allknowing.Grannies always have time to listen.They see what other adults are too busy tosee. Grannies are there with a tissue whenno-one else even knew you needed one.When you fall, Grannies pick you up,soak the grit out of your knees and brushaway the tears. And say meaninglessthings that express infinite meaning, like‘there there, dear!’Grannies tell you long beautiful storiesand listen to yours with all ears and heartand never complain even though theirshoes pinch and their ankles throb andtheir lives probably have deeper shadowsthan those you imagine scratching onyour window at night.Grannies let you lick the bowl whenthey are baking. Mine made deliciousscones and Cornish pasties and richhomemade ice-cream. They never expectanything in return except to know you arehappy.Grannies knit socks untiringly. In athousands different shades of blue or greythat never quite match if you mix them upor lose one. This is their way of teachingyou about life’s little irritations!Grannies are both angels and dragonsat the same time.When I had nightmares and was toofrozen with fear to dash the distance tomy parents’ room, my granny would comeand fetch me. She’d hold me tight andtuck me under the blankets of her narrowbed where I could lie between the coldhard wall and her soft warm body. Herthin papery skin was an invincible shield.It needed to be that thin to wake thesleeping dragon inside her so no shadowscould pass.A granny is someone you can easilytake for granted because she is alwaysthere. Sometimes she seems to be partof the furniture. Maybe, like me, youcriticised her because she didn’t seem tohave a life of her own. Maybe it’ll take halfa lifetime to realise the gift she gave you.The gift of being present, the real presentin our lives.Discovering your inner G.I think I’m going to steal and reinventthe word ‘G-spot’That sweet spot. Deep in your heartwhere your inner granny resides. A placeof deep self care.This is a secret. Can you keep it? HowI silenced the inner critic; that sadist whohas had me by the throat much of my life.I set my granny on him! Do you rememberthe rabbit in Monty Python whoprotected the cave full of treasure in placeof a dragon?Grannies look harmless but they canbe real dragons when they need to be!Just throw a crooked look at one of theirgrandchildren to see what I mean! Suddenlyyou’ll see flames coming out of theirnostrils that can melt steel.So, how do grannies neutralise the innercritic, that Mr Not Enough who keepstelling you everything you do is crap?Their technique is ‘the pin popping theballoon’.They say, ‘just ignore him dear. He’sonly a silly old fart. Do you know, he’s actuallytrying to help you. It’s the only wayhe knows how!’And, do you know what? …it works likea charm!So each time your inner critic lifts hishead and you spot him, pat yourself onthe back for seeing him dart behind thecurtain.He’ll say what do you know anyway?You’ll never get it right!And your inner G will say, watch outdear, he’s up to his tricks again… musthave his tampon in crooked.What do you mean men don’t weartampons? No wonder the world is such amess!Jena Griffiths is anIIHA certified handanalyst and life purposesupport coach.She also has BA, Bscand Bsc(hons) degreesand post graduatediplomas in psychologyand education.Jena grew up inSouth Africa and wasSouth Africa triathlonchamp in 1989 andSouth Africa’s top cyclistin the late 80s and early 90s. She pioneeredwomen’s cycling in South Africa. 10 years agoshe left South Africa to ‘go sailing’ and hassailed around the world, one third of it with achild onboard.Jena lives in Switzerland where she doesprivate consultations in hand analysis and LifePurpose Support counselling in Sternenbergand downtown Winterthur (Canton Zürich).She also consults worldwide by telephone or byskype.Biophile Issue 2257

Greening the Webwithurban sprout is a blog-stylegreen website that is fanatical aboutthe environment, sustainability andbuying organic. With daily greennews and opinion, a directorythat lists organic and eco-friendlyproducts, and a focus on greenissues: organic food, globalwarming, sustainable lifestyles andenvironmental justice — we’re a sitefor ethical consumers.www.urbansprout.co.zaIf you haven’t already switchedover to being green, living in amore environmentally-friendlyway, cutting your carbonfootprint and shopping moreethically then here are a fewsites that can help you makethe change to going green.Big Green Switchwww.biggreenswitch.co.ukThis is a fun, easy guide to green up yourlifestyle by making small, simple everydaychanges. Every day has a top tip like- “switch appliances with power packs oradapters off at the plug” – and the siteprovides some really quick ways to getstarted with 15 simple suggestions at yourfingertips and a handy carbon calculator.Project 90x2030www.project90x2030.org.zaWhilst mentioning carbon calculators,don’t forget to check out the latest SouthAfrican carbon calculator by the ClimateAction Partnership and available on theProject 90x2030 website (scroll down – thedownload link is at the bottom of the page).Project 90x2030 has the ambitious butcritical task of convincing South Africansto reduce their household carbon emissionsby 90% by the year 2030 and isstarting exciting carbon reduction clubsaround the country.Freecyclewww.freecycle.orgIf you haven’t yet heard about Freecycle,then here’s the moment. The FreecycleNetwork already has 4, 368 groups aroundthe globe who are giving (and getting) stufffor free in their own towns. The basic ideais that Freecycle pairs people with stuff –and keeps it out of landfill. So, if you’ve anold bookcase, pair of roller skates, guitaretc sitting in your shed waiting for a newhome, get on to freecycle. A simple emailis used to match people who have thingsthey want to get rid of with people who canuse them. There are now groups in CapeTown, Pietermaritzburg, Potchefstroom,Port Elizabeth, Ladysmith, Knysna, Pretoria,Durban, Bloemfontein, Johannesburgand East London.Green DrinksInternationalwww.greendrinks.orgVery simply, these guys meet around theworld for informal sessions over a drinkknown as Green Drinks. These events areorganic and self-organising, but manypeople have found employment, madefriends, developed new ideas, done dealsand had moments of serendipity. It’s aforce for the good and they’d like to helpit spread to other cities. Jo’burg, PE andStellenbosch are already ‘doing their thang’to catch up with other green, like-mindedpeople. Everyone invites someone elsealong, so there’s always a different crowd.Interested? Start a group in your city.58 Biophile Issue 22

Confessionsof aConvertedCarrot Cruncherby Patricia Glyn“...the animal kingdom aboundswith examples of pre-meditatedefforts to screw, chew or eschewthe chaps next door.”Do animals lie?That is the question at issue in this issue.And it’s a question that has occupied a fairamount of my attention in the past coupleof months. Like many humanoids, whenmy faith in Homo sapiens has been profoundlydisappointed, I tend to seek solacein what I perceive to be the honesty andunconditional loyalty of my animal friends.But am I delusional in hoping that thenon-humans in my life are also motivatedby nothing but self-interest?It has been my great misfortune in thismost horribilis of anni to share my destinywith two members of that renowned huntingfraternity – The Great White Liars. Ofcourse, the purveyors of ‘The Secret’ andits ilk would have it that I’ve attracted thesemost skilled stalkers into my realm, andwhile I don’t deny that Gullible Gertie herehad something important to learn fromthem, I say ‘bah humbug!’ to the notionthat I unconsciously (but deliberately)sought them out.And as I lick my wounds and pick theirbird-shot from my heart and my professionalreputation, I wonder if other lifeformson earth are designed to feign andfeint their way through existence – drivenby the great rewards that deception oftenbrings.So I turn to the literature and I find,to my further disillusionment, that theanimal kingdom abounds with examplesof pre-meditated efforts to screw, chewor eschew the chaps next door. Sighting apredator on the horizon, a springbok, forinstance, will break into maniacal pronkingand other displays of athleticism. Onlyin part is this a manifestation of fear. Nor isit an altruistic attempt to take the heat anddraw attention away from his clan. Quitethe opposite in fact - he’s trying to showhow difficult he would be to kill.“Choose my buddy for lunch” he’s saying,“I’ll give you no end of trouble if youtake me on.”Similarly, a fledgling has been shown tosquawk as loudly and vociferously when itsbelly is full as when it’s empty - just to drawits parent’s attention away from its siblings.In the rough-and-tumble survival race ofthe fittest it seems that not even those whoshare the same genes will escape beingnailed. Sort of gives new meaning to childhoodscraps with my sister – clearly on adeeply darkly level, I actually wanted herdead!Some more examples of manipulativeor disingenuous behaviour in theplanet’s life-forms:Squirrels, having accumulated a tastypile of nuts for the winter, will deliberatelyforage far from their larder in orderto divert attention from its location. Thecloser their muckers get to the secret stash,the more frenzied the owner’s apparentinterest in a nut-less piece of undergrowth.The tropical waters off Panama are hostto tiny crustaceans called mantis shrimpsand they make their homes in rock andreef cavities. Not having an RDP schemeto provide for the homeless down there,house-owning shrimps have to defendtheir chalets from frequent attack and attemptedtakeovers.So they place themselves at the mouthof their caves and puff out every appendagethey own in order to look large andmenacing. But at times when the shrimpsmoult, these appendages are soft andpliable – and of as little use to them as aSouth African identity document in theface of a rampaging xenophobic mob. Theyknow this. They know it’s all a bluff - andthey also know that he who bluffs best,wins.Much closer to home, I have anecdotalevidence of dog duplicity. One ofmy beloved canines, Mpho, has a habit ofsneaking out of the bedroom during thenight to snack on cat food. But near thedoor there’s a floorboard that creaks loudlywhen she steps onto it. The sound wakesme without fail and I put an end to hermidnight feast with a gruff “You’re busted,kid, back to bed!”Very recently, however, it occurred tome that the cat biscuits were still beingsubjected to nocturnal raids but that I wassleeping soundly through them. And then,quite by chance, I saw my little girl niftilyside-stepping the give-away floorboard.Now that’s clever. That’s a mighty cleverassociation between cause and effect,and that it’s motivated by self-interest (orgreed) takes nothing away from its admirability.I can hear the animal behaviourists bayingfor my blood by now (well stand in line,guys, there are plenty more out there!) Ofcourse the mantis shrimps don’t ‘know’ allthis in a conscious sense.And of course the little birdies, squirrelkies,springbokkies and Mphokies don’t‘lie’ in the sense that they view what theyare doing as transgressions of a moralcode. But they are deliberately deceivingthe creatures around them in the geneticallyhard-wired, tried-and-tested ‘knowledge’that this is the ticket to more food,better shelter, the best babe and a higherposition in the social hierarchy.What blows my mind is that even themost basic of organisms, such as mantisshrimps, can predict (or at least wageron) an outcome based on a set of actions.For my money, that’s an appreciation ofconsequence, an unmistakeable sign ofintelligence – however simple in origin orexecution. It’s one of the many reasonswhy I don’t eat shrimps, or fish, or animals,or birds – even if they are a bunch of lyingthugs!It’s also the reason why I should quitbleating about the bipedal liars in my life,when they are simply representative ofa whole planet-full of Pinocchios. Andultimately, as a comparatively successfulmember of a dog-cheat-dog society, I mustask myself how I have managed to getthis far. Could it be that it’s because of theodd… um … fib?!Biophile Issue 2259

soilforlifeDon’t fret when thelights go out —cook your foodwith the sun!by Pat FeatherstoneSoil for Life is a Cape Town-basedNGO which teaches people to growtheir own food. For more informationabout Soil for Life membership,and organic methods for growingvegetables, herbs and fruit, pleasephone Pat on (021) 794 4982The food crisis is here. We knew it wascoming. We chose to ignore the warnings.What now?In a recent edition of The SundayIndependent, Jeremy Gordin presented anarticle entitled: ‘Rumbles from a hungryworld: Food prices are being drivenbeyond the reach of many by the inabilityof farmers to produce enough for all.’ Hewrote: ‘It looks as though it’s time to digup the garden – if you have one – andplant some veggies and maize. But itmight not be as easy as that to fill yourstomach and those of your loved ones.’ HeAn example of a crop rotationcontinued by saying that ‘the world is facinga food crisis because of soaring prices.In some places, especially in Africa, thecrisis has already translated into deathsand riots.’ You are no doubt aware of someof the reasons for this. Crops have beendestroyed in many parts of the world bybad weather; farmers are cutting back onsowing maize and wheat and are lookingat better returns promised by plantingcrops for biofuel production; the marketin Asia has increasingly demanded socalled‘better food’ in the form of proteinricheggs, meat and chicken, all of whichrequire massive amounts of grain feed fortheir production.It was Jonathon Porrit (environmentaljournalist) who wrote in the late ‘90’son the implications of China wanting todouble the average egg consumption ofits citizens from one egg to two eggs perperson per day. The grain required to feedthe chickens to produce 263 billion eggs tofeed 1.3 billion Chinese would take up theentire grain production from the secondlargest grain producing country in theworld. What then?And that’s not all. As fuel prices areincreased with alarming frequency, sodo our stress levels as we re-consider ourbudgets each month and look at ways ofspending what money we have in the mostcost-effective way to make ends meet.Purchasing good food is perhaps oneof the biggest expenses in everybody’smonthly budget. Each shopping expeditionis more costly than the one before,and we’re in for more nasty surprises asinflation is set to soar before the end of theyear.There is, however, a simple way of cuttingone of the costliest components ofone’s monthly spending and that is to growyour own fresh fruit and vegetables. Notonly does it cost you very little to put theseessential items on your dinner table everynight, but with food grown in your ownback (or front) yard in fertile soil, usingvery little water and no agro-chemicals,your physical and mental health willimprove beyond measure. Furthermore, ifeverybody was doing the same, imaginethe healing effect it would have on thismagnificent planet that is straining to dealwith the damage we are inflicting on thesoil, the waterbodies and theatmosphere.To all whomust eat to live,there is hope:grow your ownfood! It’s thesimplest (andcheapest) way togood health, andwealth.If you’re feelingthe pinch, go foodgardening. DigSoil for Liferuns monthly workshops in CapeTown on all aspects of organicgardening.Check their websitewww.soilforlife.co.zafor details of these workshops.Book early to avoiddisappointment!60 Biophile Issue 22

up your back lawn ( or sheet mulch it andsave your energy for other things), interplantyour flower beds with vegetables andherbs, and plant fruit and nut trees thatwill give you seasonal harvests, protectionfrom the sun and wind, and providehomes for birds and insects that will helpto keep your garden free of pests.In previous editions of Biophile we haveconsidered a variety of ways of building afertile soil, shaping garden beds and plantingthem up. We have also given informationon planting food trees. In the lastedition, there was some advice on growingand harvesting popular vegetables foryour raw food kitchen. This time aroundwe’re going to consider the legumes (orpod plants) which are an important partof our diets as they provide body-buildingprotein. Alfafa (lucerne) peas, beans,broad beans, lentils, chick peas and soyabeans are all examples with which you’reprobably familiar.But first, legumes are great soil-improvers.The small nodules on their roots are‘fertiliser factories’ which fix atmosphericnitrogen and produce the nitrates forplant nourishment and soil enrichment.Legumes are very necessary in any gardenand, especially, in your vegetable gardenwhere they must be included in your croprotation to replace the nutrients that areused up by the heavy-feeding leaf and fruitcrops.Crop rotation is an extremely importantpractice in a vegetable garden. Quiteapart from the fact that the cycling of cropsas shown in the diagram gives the soiltime to re-establish its nutrient regime, itis a valuable gardening tool for controllingpests and diseases without the use ofpoisons.Before we take a look at growing somepopular legumes, let’s first look at anothergardening phenomenon; green manuringusing legumes. This simply means that yougrow a crop and then dig it into the groundwhilst it still young, to decompose andenrich the soil for the next crop. It is a verysimple way of boosting the level of organicmatter in your soil. Part of the rationalebehind this is that deep-rooted plants, likemany of the legume family, have greateraccess to the mineral wealth in the subsoil.When these plants are then tilled underand decompose, the minerals that theyhave accumulated become available to thenext crop that you plant. Poor soils benefitenormously from this practice, particularlythe sandy and heavy clay soils, and thelong tap roots provide good aeration anddrainage at the same time.There are many examples of non-legumeplants that can also be used as greenmanure crops. For example, barley, oats,buckwheat, millet and weeds (where theydon’t compete with your other crops).A few tips for using greenmanure crops:· Turn the green manure crop underwhen it is young; for example, it is best todig lucerne in when it is about 10cm inheight, while the leaves, stems and rootsare succulent and tender and will, therefore,rot down quickly to release valuablenutrients.· Never allow your green manure plantsto go to flower and go to seed, otherwiseyou create ‘weed’ problems for yourself.Having said all that, let’s take a look at:How to grow… PeasOne of the most deliciously nutritiouscrops, especially when eaten raw,straight off the bush, peas are packed withvitamins (A, B3 or Niacin, and C) and are agood source of calcium, iron, phosphorusand iron.Unlike beans, peas are a cool weathercrop and will grow in almost any soil typeproviding that it is not too acid (pH ofabout 6.5 is good). They like to be keptmoist so good soil preparation is essentialso that there is plenty of humus to hold thewater. Trench beds are ideal for your crop.Peas do not need nitrogen so plantingthem in a bed that was previously compostedfor heavy feeding crops like cabbagesand broccoli is ideal. They like plenty ofpotash (from wood ash) and phosphorus.Sowing peas.Sow the seeds 3 to 5 cm deep and about5 cm apart in rows which are 25 cm apart.As you plant, place a twiggy stick or smallbranch next to each seed to give supportto the plants as they grow. The supportsalso make it easier to cultivate between theplants, to water below the leaves to avoiddiseases and to more easily harvest thepods. The supports also keep the ripeningpeas off the ground.Cut-off toilet roll tubes around the baseof the seedlings as they germinate will preventattacks by the nocturnal cutworm.Mulch does wonders with peas as itkeeps the ground moist when the hot, dryBerg winds of the Cape blow. However,peas do not like wet feet and they easilysuccumb to fungal diseases. So plant themonly where there is good drainage.To speed up the rate at which your peaseeds germinate, soak them overnight inclean, luke warm water.Large seeds (peas, beans, broad beans,mealies, pumpkin, gem squash, marrowsand butternut) take a long time to take upsufficient water from the soil in which youplant them. So try doing this for all of them.You’ll be amazed at the results. Just makeText Box: A rule-of-thumb for successfulsowing of seed • Seeds must be sown at adepth of three times their own size. • If aBiophile Issue 2261

SOIL FOR LIFEA rule-of-thumb for successfulsowing of seedSeeds must be sown at a depth of threetimes their own size.If a seed is put in too shallow it is likely thatit will dry out.If it is put in too deep, it will not haveenough energy to come out.Always try to put a seed at the right depthaccording to its size.seed is put in too shallow it is likely that itwill dry out. • If it is put in too deep, it willnot have enough energy to come out. •Always try to put a seed at the right depthaccording to its size. sure that you don’tleave them for too long before puttingthem in the soil.The seedlings that grow from these largeseeds develop large tap roots very quicklyand it is, therefore, advisable to plant themdirectly into the spot in which they are togrow, and not to transplant them.Birds can be a nuisancewhen you sow your peacrop.Pigeons, doves and Guinea fowl like toeat the seeds (and then you wonder whynone come up) and the seedlings. You’lleven find that sparrows rip at the ripeningpea pods on the vines in an effort toget at the succulent peas. Shiny objects- old CD’ s, shredded chip packets andtin cans - suspended from branches andtwigs and scarecrows can scare off someof our undiscerning feathered friends, butperhaps the most effective way of keepingthem at bay is to cover the beds with shadenetting made out of plastic mesh vegetablebags sewn together, or to criss-cross wiresor strings across the bed as shown in thedrawing.Harvesting. Do not pull them off thevines and this injures the plant and maycause it to stop bearing. Rather cut thepods off with a pair of scissors. Pick themyoung to eat raw in salads. For stir-friesand steaming, pick them when the podsare tightly packed. The more you pick, themore you get, and the sooner you eat themafter picking the tastier and sweeter theywill be, otherwise the sugar changes intostarch.And don’t forget to save some seeds fornext year. Leave the pods on the lower partof the plant to mature and dry. Removethem when you take the plants out at theend of the season and store the dry pods ina brown paper packet in a cool, dry place.It is always better to store the seeds in thepods.Have you ever triedplanting (and eating)broad beans?They also thrive in cold conditions,and can survive some quite heavy frost,although you need to do a few calculationsas to when to sow them to avoid the flowersbeing affected by frost. They’re a littleGrey Water SystemsMike Bekink of Grey Water Systems hasdeveloped a simple and cost effectivesolution that filters and distributes yourwater that would otherwise be wastedinto your garden.Most average households use between300 to 400 litres of water per day.With water shortages being part of ourlives it is imperative that we recycle asmuch of our resources as possible.The advantages of Grey Water useare numerous, such as• Lower fresh water use• Less stain on septic tanks• Grey water has effective nutrients forplant life• Ground water recharge• Avoid penalties on water restrictions• Connects to existing irrigationsystemsGrey Water Systems also does repairsand maintenance on existing irrigationsystems and pumps, installation of fullyautomated irrigation systems and rainwater tanks.Help save water and our environmentand give Mike a call for a freeconsultation and quote on 0796736240more tender than the leaves. Floweringtakes place about four months after sowingthe seed in autumn and right throughto late winter.Broad beans grow well in most soils,particularly clayey soils; they enjoy a lightsprinkling of lime before planting and adash of untreated wood ash about threemonths later. Don’t give them any nitrogen(and avoid planting them after otherleguminous crops – why?) as this will giveyou lots of leaves and very few pods.When the plants are about one metrehigh, pick off the top 15 to 20cm to encourageside growth and the production ofmore beans.The tastiest beans are those that youpick when they are young and succulent;you can even eat the young pods. Rememberthat the more you pick, the more youget. So keep harvesting right through theseason and look for recipes that will showyou how to use them in all sorts of differentways.And just a little added extra: the flowersare quite beautiful – white with blackmarkings – and have a delightful smellwhich attracts bees.A few ideas for preparing, and eating,broad beans:* Cook the young broad beans – pod and62 Biophile Issue 22 21

all – just like ordinary green beans. Steamthem lightly. Do not add salt to the cookingwater.* Once the beans are about 20cm long,shell the beans and steam them. Add thepods to your compost heap, or use them asa mulch in your garden.* Older pods will give you large beansfor drying for winter soups and stews, andsome of them should be stored for plantingnext winter.* Aphids occasionally attack the younggrowing points. To avoid this, and toencourage bushiness, nip out these pointsand add them to salds, or steam themlightly and eat like spinach, or toss into astir-fry.Use your harvest to prepare some tastywinter fare:News and Inspiration Soil for Life has been working with a group of tenwomen from Mitchells Plain, Driftsands and Vrygrond to perfect a small range of jams, chutneys andpickles which were launched at the recent Good Food and Wine Show in Cape Town. Every effort hasbeen made to use organically-grown produce from community gardens, certified organic sugar andcider vinegar. The aim is to develop a cottage industry that will help these women to become selfsufficient.Who know, they may even be able to develop this initiative into a small business employingother people from the communities in which they live.Broad beans with cheese sauceToo divine for words. The sauce isequally good over cauliflower, broccoli orsteamed spinach stalks6 cups shelled broad beans, lightlysteamed2 tablespoons butter, or olive oil2 tablespoons stone-ground flour¼ teaspoon dry mustardSalt to taste1 cup milk1 cup grated cheddar cheese1 tablespoon grated lemon rind1 teaspoon lemon juiceMelt the butter in a saucepan, stir inthe flour, mustard and salt and cook untilbubbling, stirring constantly. Removefrom the heat and gradually stir in the milk.Bring back to the boil, stirring constantly.Remove from the heat, stir in the gratedcheese until it has melted, and then stir inthe lemon juice and rind.Serve hot over the broad beans.Cold (or hot) pea soup8 cups fresh sugar snap peas in pods3 tablespoons butter1 tablespoon vegetable oil1 onion, finely chopped2 medium potatoes, peeled and dicedsalt and pepper to taste20 chopped mint leaves2 teaspoons sugar4 cups vegetable stock½ cup milk½ cup plain yoghurtMelt the butter in a saucepan and addthe onion, peas and potato. Cover witha lid and cook for 5 minutes. Add theremainder of the ingredients, except themint leaves, milk and yoghurt and simmerfor 10 minutes. Add the milk and yoghurt.Serve with a sprinkling of chopped mint.And since winter is also nettle time...Nettle soupNettles (Brandnetel) are very high invitamins (A and C) and minerals (particularlyphosphorus, sulphur, potassium andsilica with traces of iron) and make an excellentaddition to one’s diet. Many peoplein the Cape use it as a vegetable, but mostpeople regard it as a weed.4 cups of young stinging nettle leaves –chopped3 cups homemade vegetable stock2 tablespoons butter or margarine3 tablespoons flour1 cup chopped chives or spring onionssalt and pepper to tasteSimmer nettle leaves and chives or springonions for 5 to 10 minutes in water. Strain,and save the liquid. Puree leaves and onionsin liquidiser or push them through asieve to give a creamy paste. Melt the butter,add flour and mix well, cooking overlow heat. Gradually add the nettle waterand nettle puree. Simmer 3-4 minutes.Add salt and pepper to taste.Enjoy!Biophile Issue 2263

People talk to animals, trees and lovedones “on the other side,” send smses,emails and leave voice mail but thesimple act of real communication is lostin a sea of technology. Business, dating,connecting to friends and loved ones isconducted in cyberspace. People whoswore they would never use cell phonesand emails have succumbed, leaving thelast of the stalwarts almost isolated, ordisadvantaged.English as a language is abbreviated tothe degree that misunderstandings are rife.Communication of a business, private orserious nature occurs whilst driving or innoisy surrounds. Face to face connectionswhere communication happens on multilevels, which include eye contact and bodylanguage, in the absence of constant cybertechnology interruptions, is rare. June2008 should be declared “Communicationmonth”The new moon on the evening of 3rdof June is in a superb alignment of 4planets, including Mercury, the planet ofcommunication, promising great resultsto those who are willing to communicateclearly and without willful opinions.Mercury is in a strong position being inits ruling sign. There is a small nuisancefactor to this otherwise delightful lineup ofplanets. Mercury is once again in apparentretrograde motion, and a bigger blight tothis is a challenge from Uranus, the planetthat governs all technology, from electricsand electronics to cyberspace. So, Hear ye!Hear ye! Hear ye!Back up all computer information,do not rely on modern communicationdevices for important arrangements, cybernetworks and service providers that wehave come to take for granted, are notinfallible. Be aware of the potential forcomputer viruses. Electrical and electronicequipment may seem to have a mind oftheir own at this time. The heavenly messagefrom the stars at this time is to openthe heart and connect the brain beforeopening the mouth.Words spoken in haste can cause adversereactions. Some important communicationneeds more that 144 characters inabbreviated English to make a meaningfulpoint. Be clear.If you are prepared to make the timefor some old fashioned one on one time,you could achieve great things; listening,sharing, and connecting with others andcommunicating. There can be problemsolving, the birth of new ideas, establishmentof friendships and conflict resolution,especially if you keep the mind open andstrong personal opinions to a minimum.CosmicDirectionsBernadette Medderof Cosmic DirectionsConsultant and Teachersince 1993021 794 4150 orcosmicdirections@icon.co.zaJune:CommunicationmonthThis caution starts gently at the time ofthe new moon and builds up to a peak atthe time of the full moon on the eveningof 18th June when the energy is clearlydiscordant. Those working with spiritual orhealing energies have cosmic support andadded power to balance this disharmony,especially as we approach the solsticejust days after the full moon. The importantfact to remember is that this healingshould be for the good and benefit of all.This is a quietly powerful time for deepsoul level healing. Mars in dramatic andego oriented Leo and conjunct the southnode, (also known as the dragon’s tail)may add an unhealthy competitive egoaspect and dissipate the powerful healingenergy. Taking this into consideration,group healing will be more powerful thanindividual.We awaken to a new moon in the earlyhours of the morning on 3rd July, with aclose connection to Venus in the nurturinghome and family sign of Cancer, enhancingthe qualities of sound values, homeand love, which includes the romantickind. Jupiter appears in opposition to thiscozy trio of planets adding a dimensionof no limits, excess and exaggeration. Thiswill highlight areas where moderationneeds to be addressed. People who needto take heed are those who are strugglingwith high mortgage bonds generatedwhen the borrowing rate was low and nowstretched to the limit and those who havemaxed out credit cards.Mercury is still in contact with Uranusas it was in June, with a potential for mentalagitation and jumping to conclusions,but is also connected to the inspirationaland spiritual Neptune. Choices and decisionsthat need to be made will appearclearer after sleeping, or meditating on theproblem, try to avoid knee jerk reactions.Saturn first entered Virgo towards theend of 2007 and will journey through thesign, taking 2 ½ years. During this time,Saturn will highlight whatever requiresattention, where we need to take responsibilityand there will be an emphasis on allthings governed by Virgo.With Astrology merely being a tool toobserve the heavens for indications ofearth activity, (as above so below) it wasinteresting to read reports of a lack ofrice and problems with regulations in thebread industry. With Virgo ruling grainsand wheat, this is not surprising.This is a particularly important time fortaking responsibility for health and wellbeing,both physical and mental. This bringstwo major issues into focus, the healthindustry including health services and thefood industry.This brings environmental issues underthe spotlight. Saturn as a karmic planetintroduces the concept of reaping whatyou sow and as the ruler of time, when thetime is right. That time would be now.For almost the whole month of July butwith a particular focus on the 10th and11th July and a few days around this period,Mars joins Saturn. With Saturn being themaster of restraint, and Mars being anagitator for activity, we have 2 opposingarchetypal energies working against eachother, and fighting for dominion. Thismeans we are likely to have uncomfortableactivity around this time.By the time of the full moon in themorning of the 18th July, whatever theissue, it should be out in the open. Saturn’skarmic nature means that any action takennow will have implications and consequences.The only way to make this difficultenergy work for you is to work with it.Take responsibility, work with purpose,don’t expect quick fix results ortake shortcuts.Virgos, Pisces, Sagittarians and Gemini,especially those whose birthdays are at thebeginning of the sign, within a few days ofthe 27th , 28th of the month, are personallyinvolved in having to deal with thisdynamic.Globally food and health issues will predominate.Read information such as foundin Biophile, take note and take responsibility.64 Biophile Issue 22

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