Issue - Biophile Magazine

WELCOMEin this issueBIOPHILE – Issue 2 – 2005SPECIAL FEATURE: WATER10 RUNNING LOW ON H 2OAll 6 billion of us humans and the rest of life onEarth have to make do with less than one percentof all the water available.12 THIRST FOR CONTROLPrivatising the world’s water supplies meansthat millions of people are losing access to analready scarce resource.16 HOW TO SAVE WATERPractical information from the SustainableLiving Centre: save water, save money, save theplanet...18 MORE MESSAGES FROM WATERReiko Myamoto Dewey interviews Dr. MasaruEmoto, author of Messages From Water.YOUR HEALTH22 THE SWEETEST POISON OF ALLWilliam Dufty explains why sugar is highlytoxic in this extract from his book Sugar Blues.46 READ THE LABEL!Ingredients in your cosmetics: what are theydoing to you?40 FORBIDDEN CURESMany alternative healing therapies work sowell and cost so little that Organized Medicinewould rather you not know about them.ACTIVISM33 LET THE BOYCOTT BEGIN!It is the US that depends on the people of theworld – on their land, their oil, their skills andlabour, their buying power and good will – notthe people of the world who depend on the US.50 ORGANISE TO WINPart Two of the Grassroots Organiser’s Handbook.OUR CHILDREN34 SOMETHING’S GONE WRONGDr. Elaine Lee explores the crisis in our educationsystem.36 THE NEW CHILDRENLady Guinevere, through Michelle Eloff, bringsa message on the new children being born intoour world.ETHICAL CONSUMERISM30 EATING FOR PEACEA talk by the Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanhon the issues surrounding the eating of flesh andmindful consumption.Invocation to WaterI take this,the water of Life,I declare itthe water of Light.As I bring it within my body,it allows my body to glow.I take this water,the water of Light,I declare itthe water of the Divine.I AM a Master in all that I AM.Archangel Arielchannelled by Tashira Tachi-renBy using this invocation over our water andfood we will absorb more pure light frequenciesinto our bodies.44 ALL FOR THE SAKE OF A TUNA STEAKSea turtles have inhabited the Earth for over 100million years. Now these gentle ocean dwellersmay only have 10 years left.GLOBALISATION31 EATING JUNK WHILE THINKING YOU’REIN HEAVENAn interview with Vandana Shiva on McDonalds,exploitation and the global economy.REDUCE - REUSE - RECYCLE47 THE 3 Rs – IN SIMPLE STEPSTips to help you easily put the catchphrase “reduce,reuse and recycle” into practice.GREEN GARDENING52 SOIL FOR LIFEWithout the soil and its legions of microbes, therewould be no life on our planet.53 WATER-WISE GARDENING TIPSA look at the principles of water-wise gardening.REGULARS02 INBOX03 FROM THE EDITOR04 THE BIOFILES39 READ THE LABEL!48 EVOLUTION...54 MAKING A DIFFERENCE55 REVIEWS56 THE BACK PAGES60 ASK ANRITA62 GREEN ALTERNATIVES64 SUBSCRIPTION OFFERMission StatementOur mission is to impart knowledgewith truth and integrity for thehighest good of all, therebyassisting all living beings with theirjourney back to source. BIOPHILEis not linked to any religious,political or philosophical ideologyor organisation. The ethos behindBIOPHILE is one of co-operationand sharing. We therefore activelyencourage you to reproduceand disseminate the informationcontained in this magazine, butplease contact us first to confirmthe origination and availability ofthe material you wish to use.The TeamEditor: Anthea Torranthea@biophile.co.zaCo-Editor: Steve Ventersteve@biophile.co.zaAdvertising: Bev Bordalobev@biophile.co.zaAssistants:Des du Plooy, Coral McCallumContact usTel: (021) 706 6749Fax: (021) 706 7642PO Box 817 Constantia 7848info@biophile.co.zawww.biophile.co.zaContributorsGlenn Ashton, Michelle Eloff, TrevorSteyn, Geoffrey Lotz, Dr. ElaineLee, Susan Bryce, Reiko Myamoto,William Dufty, Colleen Huber, PaulRockwell, Ken Adachi, ElizabethArzouni, Anthea Torr, Steve VenterDisclaimerNo guarantee is made concerningthe validity of the informationin this publication and noresponsibility will be acceptedfor any errors or omissions, orcomments made by contributors.CopyLeft BIOPHILE ccAll of the information in thismagazine has been freed bycopyleft. Unless otherwisenoted, you are free to copy andredistribute the copylefted work.All you have to do is be honest– by clearly crediting the authorand source, and only redistributingaccurate copies of the original.PRINTED WITHLEAD-FREE INKS ON 100%RECYCLED PAPER–––MIN. 10% OF PROFITS DONATED TO ECO-CHARITIESBIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za 1

NEWS AND VIEWSinboxSEND US YOUR NEWS, VIEWS AND COMMENTS: editor@biophile.co.za or PO Box 317, Constantia, 7848 or fax 021 706 7642Do somethingabout the cover!Congratulations on a fabulousnew publication – may it go fromstrength to strength.Just one thing: when I first sawBiophile in a shop I declined tobuy it: at first glance it looked likean edition of the Jehovah’s WitnessWatchtower.I only got to read it when a friendpassed it on after seeing the valueof the content. But please do somethingabout the cover! This is notjust my opinion but that of othersI have spoken to. It deserves a cool,clean, green, almost “zeni-ish” cover,to match the quality of the content.I’m sure you could come up withsomething stunning and not thismisleading garish image.Hope you don’t mind the comments!Warm wishesDeni BrownWe hope you like this issue’s cover!Thanks for taking the time to write,all views are valid.AntheaObservations andsuggestionsWhat a wonderful, wonderfulsurprise it was to see your lovelymagazine on sale at my local healthshop!I am very impressed with thebeautiful publication you havebrought into being, and wish youevery success.May I make a few observationsand suggestions?The magazine is truly a thing ofbeauty, but may I suggest that youinclude more information of a localnature? Specifically about eventsand initiatives that are taking placearound South Africa?I found the “Biofiles” pages to bevery interesting: perhaps you couldinclude more local informationhere, or devote a whole new sectionto local environmental news?I noticed that your magazine hadvery few adverts, and I hope thatthis is simply because it was yourfirst issue: I would love to see whichcompanies are supporting you andthe ideals you espouse; I wouldalso like to find out where I can buyorganic foods, shop for cruelty-freeclothing and so on.I wish you great success, and lookforward to seeing what the next issuehas in store for us!With my best wishesJoanne WhyteThank you for your lovely, warmand heart-felt encouragement andfor taking the time to send us yourthoughts.I agree that having more local informationis vital, and I hope that you’llbe pleased with what we’ve managedto include in this issue.AntheaCautiouscongratulationsHow badly I want to enthusiasticallyrave at discovering your first volumein Exclusive Books (Nelspruit,nogal!!).But something urges caution...So, slowly and with consideration:Very, very well done at bringing theidea this far. I can only imagine atthe sweat, worry and effort that havegone into the project to bring it toa pile at my feet in a bookstore wayacross the country from where youare.I bought it on impulse because I feelto my soul that we need publicationslike Biophile to create and maintainthe awareness necessary to makemanifest the changes we want to see.I bought it because it ‘felt right ‘ inmy hands – the paper, the stiffnessand the weight of it.I have been reading it in bites sinceSunday, it’s a good read. Well doneagain!!Yes, I would buy it again if I saw itagain.Here is the crux of my concern– sustainability.I so badly want you to succeed, butI really worry about the readiness ofthe SA market for a magazine likethis.People who would buy it are essentiallyin the know about many ofthe topics you can write about andlove the Web for that; people whoshould buy it haven’t felt enough ofa squeeze yet to want to learn moreand so couldn’t be bothered yet...If you haven’t had to borrow toomuch to get it to this point, maybeyou have a good chance of surviving.I hope so. Getting the ignorantto buy it is something to be workedon.PeakOil, politics, world economics,the death of democracy and theconvergence of these, and globalwarming are my areas of particularinterest. All is connected.Here’s to you – cautious congratulationsfrom Nelspruit!RegardsGeoff LotzYou sound like a Thom Hartmann(“The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight”etc.) fan!I especially liked your reference tothe “feel” of the magazine – there isnothing like recycled paper – it is just“different” and feels so good.There must be enough in circulationnow to recycle and not to have totouch another of our precious trees– and not to have to plant anotherplantation of alien, mono-culturetrees to satisfy the hollow needs of theconsumer to “look good” regardlessof the devastating chain of events toget it.You will like this from the Sn’goi Aboriginesin Malaysia: “When you cutthe forest, and plant one tree, you cangrow only that one tree. After that thesoil is dead”As you have so rightly intuited thispublication has come from ourhearts... and from sweat, tears, joy,laughter, trepidation, and (I hate toadmit it!) occasionally terror, to mentiona few of the many emotions – butmostly, a deep desire to get people totake responsibility for their actions byknowing what their choices are.We do realise that the road ahead isgoing to be a challenge, but SA needsit. In the UK and US there are quitea few similar publications which arehard hitting and to the point.To answer your question: the overheadsare low. No fancy offices, cars,hats or carpets! We will do our bestto keep the ball rolling; we don’t giveup easily!Spread the word, and send usanything that may be of interest– especially local content!AntheaCompulsoryreading!A magazine like this has been longoverdue, and should be consideredcompulsory reading in every SouthAfrican school, corporation andgovernment institution.It’s been well-laid out/designed, easyon the eye and very valuable in itscontent. It’s sad that nothing of asimilar nature had been publishedbefore, and exciting to see that hisgap has finally been closed.Well done, Anthea, Steve and theteam! Keep up the good work!HelmarThanks for your kind words Helmar,and even though we put the magtogether, we agree that it should becompulsory reading.From all accounts, the majority ofthe South African people are sluggishand prefer to bury their heads in thesand when information such as this– which is hardly new! – is presentedto them. Even though the evidenceis often so blatantly obvious, peoplehate the thought of change.It seems that the only thing that willjog people out of their apathy is a crisis,and we are on a collision coursewith a crisis looming.It’s a time for action and time forchange across the board!The people hiding behind corporationsand Governments need tobecome accountable for their actionsand pay for the clean-up of theplanet, and we the people must insiston this happening, by jumping off thebandwagon.We must look closely at all thedysfunctional systems that governour lives and make the changes inour own homes with our day to daychoices.Anthea.2 BIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za

FROM THE EDITORthank youby michael copleyThank youis like soft rainfalling on your soulThank you’s eyesalwaysshine gentlyThank youis the heart’snatural stateThank youis your prayer comingback to you with wingsThank youis love’s releaseto the unknownThank youis the energyof sharingThank youcomes beforeand after the lessonThank youis the celebrationof lifeThis poem can be found onMichael Copley’s CD of poems,prayers and meditationscalled MESSAGES FROMTREES, available at WIZARDSBOOKS in Cape Town,Johannesburg and Durban.Or emailmcopley@lantic.net to order a copy.Dear reader,Well… here we are with the second issue! If we take into account the challengeswe faced, it was accomplished with amazing ease and grace. Getting advertisers(whose goods or services we would be happy to promote) to support us, has been aninteresting challenge in itself. We have managed to secure a few adverts, together withlots of promises and interest for the next issue.While we are on this topic, I would like to mention, with huge gratitude andappreciation, Denise Maidment of Veridian (S.A.) who courageously supported us byplacing an advert in our first issue and who has done so again this time. It is an amazingexperience dealing with Denise, as her motivation comes very much from her heart andnot from her ego.Also on the subject of heart, I would like to thank all the incredible people who havehelped me put this magazine together, and made the dream a reality. Firstly Steve, theother half of the equation, who beats the same drum and feels the same feelings. Thehand fits the glove so well, it never ceases to amaze me how little needs to be said!Bev as also joined us on the sales and marketing side and her passion and enthusiamare wonderful to feel. Then the people in the Enchantrix office, Des, Coral and Shahied,who help so willingly and lovingly, because they work from their hearts and care. Thenthere are all the people who contribute, some who are regular and some once off. Theirpayment comes from being able to help others in the field that they are passionateabout. It is such an awesome experience working with all these incredible people. Thankyou!As you will see this time round we have gone for more pages (64) and recycled, qualitynewsprint paper. There are a number of reasons for this: firstly we needed more pages aswe have so much information we want to get out to people – somehow there seems tobe a sense of urgency about it.Secondly, it is not possible for us financially to continue using recycled Reviva paper.Reviva is almost twice the price of virgin paper, and try and buy it for the office/homefrom a stationary shop? It’s just about impossible. Why I wonder? Something we aregoing to investigate shortly so we can bring you the story, and can all understand whathas gone wrong with the system.And thirdly, we want to demonstrate that recycled newsprint paper does a greatjob, and it is not hurting anybeing in the process: no land is being cleared to plant amonoculture of alien fast growing trees, that are then killed when they are still in stagesof infancy, and then turned into paper with the use of some toxic chemicals to satisfysome hollow need created by the “glamour consciousness” thrust upon humanity by thepeople who make money out of it. What better way than to lead by example.I phoned up the re-cycling department of Nampac the other day to get someinformation and was told that they were turning away paper at the moment. I didn’tmanage to get the full story of what is going wrong, but we will be following up.I was reading an article the other day by Drunvalo on the Spirit of Maat website(spiritofmaat.com) and a sentence jumped out at me that seemed to sum up soelegantly what we are all trying to reach:”As long as mind and ego control the direction of creating, there will always beproblems in the outer world, for the ego thinks only of itself and lies in duality.But when the heart is in control, everything comes back into balance, for the heartfeels and knows only the Oneness of Life.”It just makes so much sense to direct all our energy to making decisions in life thatcome from the heart and not the ego. We all know that we are not perfect yet, or weprobably wouldn’t be here, but imagine what sort of world we could have if we thoughtcarefully before we acted or spoke, and got into the habit of doing it from the feelingsthat comes from our heart? No more competition, jealousy, violence, hatred or lack, onlycompassion, consideration, co-operation, kindness and love, and not just for humanbeings but for all life!Thank you to all the people who have phoned and written with comments andencouragement and to those who have taken out subscriptions. One person liked themagazine so much that she sent through subscriptions for all her friends and family forChristmas! That was exciting!May we all be wise in our actions, balanced in our emotions and peaceful in our minds.Anthea TorrBIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za 3

NEWS AND VIEWSthe biofilesNEWS AND VIEWS FROM AROUND OUR WORLDBirds in big troubleBy the end of the century, 10percent of all extant bird speciesmay be extinct, with another 15percent on the brink, accordingto a comprehensive new study.The analysis, reported in Proceedingsof the National Academy of Sciences,considered the fate of 9 787living bird species, modeling the effectsof habitat loss, invasive species,and climate change. The grim 10percent figure is actually a conservativeestimate; the study’s worst-casescenario bumps the number up toabout 17 percent, or one in six species.Birds, the study authors stress,play unique roles in ecosystems andtheir loss can have unexpected anddevastating effects on humans, aswhen the sharp decline of vulturespecies in India led to an increasein feral dogs and rats (feeding oncarcasses), which in turn yielded30,000 cases of rabies in 1997 alone.“Birds are excellent environmentalindicators,” said Stuart Butchart ofBirdlife International, “and whatthey are telling us is that there isa fundamental malaise in the waywe treat our environment.”SOURCE: USA TodayStudy findsmercury in 20% ofwomenA new Greenpeace-commissionedstudy on the correlation betweenfish consumption and levelsof mercury in the body hasproduced interim results, andthey may cause you to think twiceabout your next order of a tunasaladsandwich.The study analyzed hair samplessent in by people, many of whomread about the study on the internet,who also reported on their averagemonthly consumption of cannedtuna, locally caught fish, and freshor frozen fish sold in stores andrestaurants. Hair samples fromsome 1 449 people were analyzed forthe interim results; eventually thenumber will reach 5000. Roughly20 percent of participating womenof child-bearing age had mercurylevels exceeding US EPA recommendations,as did one-third ofthose who consumed canned tunaat least four times a week.Mercury is a neurotoxin that doesbad, bad things to foetuses andyoung children.Coal burning power plants arethe USA’s biggest mercury polluter,releasing 41 percent of the country’sindustrial mercury pollution. Mercuryfrom these dirty power plantsand other sources falls into lakes,streams and oceans, concentratingin fish and shellfish, which are thenconsumed by people.“In the samples we analyzed, thegreatest single factor influencingmercury exposure was the frequencyof fish consumption,” said Dr.Richard Maas, Co-director of EQIand author of the report. “We saw adirect relationship between people’smercury levels and the amountof store-bought fish, canned tunafish or locally caught fish peopleconsumed.”“We need a President who willcut mercury pollution and moveus away from dirty fossil fuelsby investing in clean, renewableenergy.”SOURCE: Greenpeace InternationalActivists work toform Green Party inRussiaA group of environmentalactivists and scientists is seekingto create a Green political partyin Russia, expressing high hopesdespite considerable hurdles.Since the fall of the Soviet Union,Russia’s environmental situation hasgone from bad to worse.Environmental standards areamong the world’s lowest, the countryis a dumping ground for nuclearwaste, and male life expectancy isnow below 60. The mover behindthe nascent party is AlexanderNikitin, who has butted up againstthe federal government in the pastover his publication of a report onnuclear pollution.Most of the nation’s citizens areconcerned about the environment,despite Putin’s near-exclusive focuson terrorism, says Nikitin: “Noteverybody thinks there’s a terroristhiding behind every tree.” The groupfaces an uphill climb, however, as Putinhas been moving in a decisivelyanti-democratic direction, puttingin place new legislation consolidatinghis control and raising furtherbarriers for new parties.SOURCE: Grist MagazineGreen light forenvironmentallysmart PackagingIn a first for the UK retailsector, Environment Minister,Elliot Morley MP, has launcheda groundbreaking £8 millionInnovation Fund to stimulateinnovative packaging design.With the aim of significantlyreducing post-consumer householdfood and packaging waste, theWaste Minimisation InnovationFund will see WRAP (the Waste& Resources Action Programme),which developed and manages thefund, working closely with majorretail partners and their supplychains to deliver real change.Research undertaken by WRAPshows thatover 40% of household wastewhich ultimately ends up inlandfill, originates from purchasesfrom retail supermarketsand convenience stores.The aim of the Innovation Fundis to reduce this waste by 310 000tonnes by March 2006. To put thischallenging target into context,this is approximately equivalentto the total amount of householdwaste collected from the streets ofBirmingham annually.Jennie Price, Chief Executive ofWRAP, said: “Many consumers arebecoming more aware of how muchrubbish they are generating. Theyare recycling more and more, butthere is relatively little they can doto control how the goods they buyare presented and packaged.Supermarkets and their supplychains have a major influence onwhat ends up in the householddustbin. WRAP is looking forwardto working with them to developinnovative products and packagingto reduce waste.”SOURCE: BBC News WebsiteCanadian provincemoves toward100% electricityfrom windThe Canadian province of PrinceEdward Island (PEI) plans tointroduce renewable tariffs laterthis year, the first jurisdictionto do so in North America. Thetariffs will be used to developcommunity-owned windgeneration on the island.The renewable tariffs are part of acomprehensive proposal to produce100% of the island’s electricity withwind energy by 2015. Wind turbinesat North Cape currently produce 5%of Prince Edward Island’s electricity,the highest percentage of windgeneration within a province inCanada.Prince Edward Island’s renewabletariffs are patterned after those usedfor nearly two decades in Denmark.Germany used renewable tariffs until2000 when it introduced a moreadvanced tariff program.Spain also uses renewable tariffs.The three countries are the world’sleading manufacturers and usersof wind turbines. Collectively theyemploy nearly 80 000 in the windindustry. OSEA has proposedrenewable tariffs, similar to thoseplanned on Prince Edward Island,for farmer-owned and communityownedwind turbines in Ontario.PEI is Canada’s smallest province;Ontario it’s most populous. Relativeto the land area in southern Ontario,the province would have to install 12000 MW of wind turbines by 2015to rival PEI – nearly 1 000 timesthe capacity currently operating inOntario.SOURCE: Grist Magazine4 BIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za

IS KYOTO THE ANSWER?GLOBAL WARMINGby Norm Dixon – Green Left WeeklyThousands of delegates from almost 200 governments around theworld converged on Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, on6-17 December 2004 for the latest in the seemingly interminablerounds of talks aimed at implementing the 1997 Kyoto Protocol,the international treaty that aims to reduce emissions of the gaseslargely responsible for human-induced global warming.The treaty, which has been stalled for seven years, will finally comeinto legal effect on 16 February 2005 following the decision by the Russiangovernment to ratify it. The treaty’s main significance lies in thefact that it recognises that legally binding international action to tackleglobal warming is required, by reducing the release of “greenhousegases” into the atmosphere. There is now no doubt thatsuch action is urgently needed, and is becoming morenecessary by the day.CounterproductiveThe news that Russia had decided to sign on toKyoto has raised hopes among the world’s peoplethat governments are now finally going to uniteto take meaningful action to prevent this globalenvironmental catastrophe. Is the Kyoto treatyreally the answer to the looming crisis? Unfortunately,not only are the treaty’s formal greenhousegas emission reduction targets minuscule comparedto what is required, the corporate-friendly, marketbasedmechanisms contained in the treaty to achievethese cuts are counterproductive.Under the treaty, industrialised countries (referredto in the treaty as Annex One countries), the majoremitters of CO 2 , are required to cut their greenhouse gasemissions on average to just 5.2% below their 1990 levels.They have until 2012 to achieve this modest task. However,despite the need to achieve a 60-80% reduction in emissionsby 2050, no further reduction targets or timetables are yet establishedfor beyond 2012. The treaty’s “flexible mechanisms”provide plenty of scope for rich-country governments to engage in“creative accounting”. These devices allow governments to claim reductionsin their country’s overall greenhouse gas emissions eventhough no actual reductions may have taken place. It is even possiblethat a country could increase its greenhouse gas emissions and still becredited with a reduction.Annex One countries that have reduced their greenhouse gas emissionsbelow that required under their own Kyoto targets are allowed tosell their remaining “right to pollute” credits to countries that cannot ordon’t want to keep their Kyoto promises. While this might make somesense if the countries selling credits had genuinely reduced emissions,it should be remembered that the Kyoto baseline of 1990 convenientlyignores the fact that after 1990-91, the economies of the Soviet Unionand Eastern Europe collapsed, resulting in a 40% reduction in emissionsfrom those countries. Russia and Ukraine will soon be able to sell otherindustrialised countries the right to increase their greenhouse gas emissionsby that amount.Individual corporations will also be allowed to buy and sell the rightto pollute when European carbon markets begin official operations inJanuary.“Carbon colonialism”The treaty’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) will allow AnnexOne governments and corporations to earn emission credits for investingin projects that claim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in underdevelopedcountries. For example, a CDM project might allow the NewZealand government to finance a factory producing energy-efficient appliancesin India, but not do it in NZ; or BHP Billiton might constructwind generators in Mozambique but continue to pump CO 2 into the atmospherefrom its operations in Australia and South Africa.Another favourite will be for the rich countries to plant fast-growing,environmentally suspect tree plantations in poor countries and thencount the CO 2 absorbed towards their emissions “reductions”.A further likely result of the CDM will be that rich country governmentsand corporations will dump obsolete technology on the poorcountries as the First World introduces new energy-generation plantand equipment. Because this out-of-date technology may be “cleaner”than existing Third World factories and power plants, the FirstWorld will be awarded greenhouse credits, while the ThirdWorld will be stuck with obsolete (and uncompetitive)infrastructure considered too dirty to use in the richcountries.As Belen Balanya from the Corporate EuropeObservatory campaign group, note: “These policieswould effectively turn greenhouse gasesinto commodities, locking-in existing North-South inequities in the use of natural resourcesand opening-up many new and harmful profitmakingopportunities for transnational corporations— essentially creating a new market outof thin air. Through these schemes, corporationsand Northern governments will be entitled to buycountless cheap emission credits from the South,through projects of an often exploitative nature,thereby imposing on the South what the India-basedCentre for Science and Environment refers to as ‘carboncolonialism’. Furthermore, all of the ‘low-hanging fruit’, orcheap credits, will have been harvested by the North when itcomes time for Southern countries to reduce their own emissions,saddling them with only the most expensive options forany future reduction commitments they might make.”Another accounting scam is the provision that allows AnnexOne countries to avoid making genuine industrial emissions cuts isthat they are allowed to count CO 2 absorbed by domestic “carbon sinks”— from reduced land clearing, increased natural forest cover, new treeplanting and soil conservation methods — towards reduction targets.However, ways to accurately quantify and verify exactly how much CO 2is removed from the atmosphere through these mechanisms are extremelyunreliable. The sad irony is that these measures were includedin Kyoto largely at the insistence of the US and Australian governmentsas the price for their participation in the treaty’s negotiation,but then both governments refused to sign the protocol after delayingits final emergence for almost a decade. The refusal of the US, by farthe world’s largest greenhouse gas polluter, to sign Kyoto leaves a gapinghole in the treaty’s coverage.Emissions still increasingIt is unlikely that most Annex One countries will genuinely meet theirmeagre Kyoto commitments without making extensive use of these accountingtricks. As Joke Waller-Hunter, executive secretary of the UNFramework Convention on Climate Change, conceded in his December6 opening speech to the Buenos Aires meeting, since 1990 annual greenhousegas emissions from the “highly industrialised countries” have increasedby “more than 7%”.The European Environment Agency reported in May 2003 that emissionsof greenhouse gases from the European Union had increased in2000 and 2001. Under Kyoto, the EU must reduce emissions by 8%.However, total EU CO 2emissions jumped 1.6% in 2001, while totalgreenhouse gas emissions increased 1%.BIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za 5

NEWS AND VIEWSthe biofilesBangladesh : tigerpopulation increaseIn a press conference, theEnvironment and Forest Ministerrevealed that the number oftigers in Bangladesh’s mangroveswamps has risen by more than50 to 419 in the last decade,thanks to the government’sefforts to sustain the endangeredspecies.“The number of tigers in the Sundarbanshas risen to 419 from 362a decade ago,” Tariqul Islam said,announcing the result of a census inthe mangroves.The Sundarbans, as the mangroveswamps are known, stretches intoIndia’s eastern state of West Bengal,is about 400 km southwest of Dhakaand is home to a wide variety ofwildlife, but its chief attraction is thetiger. It forms a fragile ecosystemthat is being ravaged by the pressuresof population and the weak enforcementof environmental regulations.Forest officials said greater surveillanceagainst poachers and reducedhuman interference with wildlifehad helped the tiger population torecover.Islam said census takers hadscoured the 6 000-sq km wetlandsand collected 1,546 tiger paw printsto fix the numbers of the big cats.They said the tiger population fell toabout 362 in 1993 from 450 in 1982because of deforestation caused bypoachers and illegal loggers.SOURCE: Grist MagazineRural Tibet makesthe move to cleanenergyIn rural Tibet, solar energyconverters are replacingconventional fuel and havebecome fashionable consumercommodities.Though Tibetans – who considerthemselves “sons and daughters ofthe sun” because the region aboundsin sunlight – relied on conventionafueluntil recently, the trend ischanging, reports Xinhua (ChinesePress Agency).Take the case of Purbu, a nativeof Nyima county who travelled toLhasa to buy a solar energy converteras dowry for his younger sister.“It’s fashionable, pollution-free,and I’m sure my sister will love it,”said Purbu, who spent over 2 000yuan ($240) on the gift.For a long time, Tibetans had reliedon straw, firewood, cattle dungfor fuel, and ghee, a kind of clarifiedbutter, for lighting, and shunned usingsolar energy despite the fact thatTibet, also known as “roof of theworld,” abounds in sunlight, whichlasts for 3,400 hours a year here.Some sun-worshiping Tibetanswere reluctant, until recently, touse state-subsidized solar ovens forcooking. Five years ago, Zhoima,an elderly Tibetan woman fromDongjiao village of Gyangze county,insisted her daughter return thesolar oven to the shop as she fearedthe sun god might “get tired out”.A region-wide “sunlight scheme”was launched in Tibet in 1990 andanother “electricity to townshipprogramme” was kicked off in 2002to make good use of solar energyresources and protect local environment.Wang Haijiang, deputy head ofTibet Solar Energy Research andDemonstration Centre, said thatunder the sunlight scheme Tibetanswould get a subsidy of 50 yuan tobuy a solar energy oven costing 300yuan. Each solar energy oven canhelp save about 750 kg of straw andfirewood a year. Over the past 14years, workers with Wang’s centrehave helped Tibetan farmers andherdsmen install 110 000 solarenergy ovens at their homes.COURTESY & COPYLEFT REBELGRAPHICS.ORGSince 2002, the state has alsoconstructed 300 solar energy powergeneratingstations across Tibet,with the aggregate installed capacityamounting to 8 000 kw.Dainzin Wangja, head of a villagecommittee, said 247 households inhis area had built solar energy ovensand solar energy greenhouses.Zhoima, the elderly woman, nowhas one solar oven fixed at herhome for cooking. “Solar energyresources will be wasted in vain if wedon’t use them,” she said. “The mostimportant thing is that solar energyis free of charge, pollution-free, andwe can use it to grow vegetables ingreenhouses and cook and heat.”SOURCE: Science TodayWorld’s first largescaleecofriendlytourism schemelaunchedWork will begin over the nextfew months on the 6000-house,€1billion scheme in Mata deSesimbra, just south of Lisbon.The development is part of anoverall project that covers an areaof 5300 hectares and brings togethersustainable housing, nature conservation,reforestation and ecofriendlytransport.The development, which replacesa proposal to build a conventionaltourist resort, will be completelypowered by renewable energy,dramatically reduce waste to landfill— to just 5 per cent of the Portu-US EnvironmentalCampaign TargetsVictoria’s SecretA campaign has been launched inthe USA against Victoria’s Secretfor their leading role in forestdestruction.San Francisco-based ForestEthicsis directing actions and demonstrationsby grassroots environmentalgroups across the USA, and has alsolaunched an advertising campaignand a website which challengesthe comapny to use recycled andsustainably-harvested paper, and tostop using paper from the world’slast remaining endangered forests.Victoria’s Secret prints 395million catalogs each year, overone million catalogs every day,predominately on virgin paperfrom these endangered forests.“The naked truth is that the onemillion catalogs mailed daily byVictoria’s Secret are destroyingsome of the world’s last remainingold growth forests and threateningendangered species,” said TzeporahBerman of ForestEthics. “We’recalling on Victoria’s Secret to dramaticallyincrease its use of recycledfiber and stop buying paper fromendangered forests.”Two years of investigative researchhas revealed a direct link betweenVictoria’s Secret catalogs and the destructionof old growth and endangeredforests in the Canadian Boreal,the third largest forest wilderness inthe world. Victoria’s Secret’s paperusage is also contributing to thedemise of endangered forests acrossthe Southern United States, a regionthat now supplies over 15% of theworld’s paper.SOURCE: ForestEthicsWHAT AREYOU DOING?Contact the companieswhich send you junk mail,and tell them to STOP!Get together with yourneighbours and friends tocollect the junk mail youreceive, and drop it offat the companies’ offices– then demand that theystop sending it to you.6 BIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za

NEWS AND VIEWSthe biofilesguese national average — and userainwater collection and waste waterrecycling systems to achieve hugecuts in domestic water consumptionand irrigation. More than half thefood served in tourist facilities willcome from local sources.There are also plans to createa sustainable transport network,featuring shared and non-petrolvehicles and a cycle route encompassingthe entire site. The aim is toeliminate the need for private cars inthe area.The project includes a 4 800-hectarenature reserve in which habitatcorridors, linking surrounding protectedareas will create safe havensfor vulnerable nesting birds such asBonelli’s eagle.The site will also be home to one ofEurope’s biggest privately financedforest restoration projects whichaims to recreate native indigenouswoodland — mainly cork oak andumbrella pine — replacing theexisting eucalyptus and non nativepine forest.The Mata de Sesimbra projectis the first of a series of ambitioussustainable development schemes tobe launched by One Planet Living, ajoint initiative of WWF and BioRegional.The initiative aims to set up“One Planet” living communities ofsome 5 000 people in the US, China,South Africa, Australia, and otherEuropean countries, such as France.SOURCE: WWFAirlines startcutting emissionsand raisingefficiencyOnce considered burdensomeheadaches, techniques to cutpollution and increase efficiencyare now being embraced by manylarge airlines.Why?“It turns out that good environmentalbehavior is also cost-effective,”said Bengt-Olov Nas ofNorway’s Scandinavian AirlinesSystem.The principal driver is rising fuelcosts: The price of refined jet kerosenehas risen by about 60 percentsince January, eroding airlines’already-slim profit margins.In response, airlines are pushingto increase fuel efficiency and takinga number of steps to decrease waste:polishing planes to reduce scratchesthat increase drag, painting planeslighter colors to reduce heat absorption,and reducing weight via lighterseats and less onboard water andfuel.Also, various airlines are lobbyingfor more direct flight paths andthe opening of some military flightspace, and trying to reduce taxiingand in-flight delays.Unlike other cost-cutting measures– like, say, firing people – thesemeasures are supported by justabout everybody, including passengersand unions.SOURCE: Grist MagazineTransform yourhouse into awindmillA Welsh inventor has come upwith what he thinks is the perfectway to harness wind powerwithout the need for hideousturbines.Leighton Evans, from Maesteg,has already patented a door securitydevice used in hotels in Britain andAmerica. Now he claims his systemof “power mills” could help supplyour future energy needs.His invention combines the useof tidal energy power mills withsmall windmills placed on the roofof every home. He also proposes theerection of relatively inconspicuouswindmills on farming land.His plan involves:Parallel rows of water power millssited along rivers and tidal flowswithout causing any environmentalor visual impact;Large numbers of wind powermills similar in size and appearanceto farm buildings that could be builtin environmentally acceptable areasfitted with screens to protect birdsand animals, andChimney-size rooftop powermills fitted with screens to minimisevisual impact and protect gardenbirds from the rotary blades.“Wind farms cannot be consideredas the main source of energy becausewind is erratic and unpredictable.They will not reduce the need fora 100% back-up of power, makingthem pointless and unnecessary.“Wind could be used as a sourceof energy to provide supplementarypower, and by installing a smallchimney-size power mill on everyrooftop throughout the country, thedemand for electricity for domesticuse would reduce by 30%.”Most farmers would benefit financiallyby building power mills to thesize and appearance of farm buildingsthat blend into the countryside,fitted with screens to protect birdsand other wildlife from the bladesand reduce the visual impact.SOURCE: Grist MagazineGlobal warmingto make Arctic“unrecognizable”Global warming has disruptedthe lives of dozens of types ofanimals, birds and insects in theUnited States and will soon makethe Arctic nearly unrecognizable,according to two reports releasedin November 2004.The reports document sweeping“you-can-see-them-with-yourown-eyes”ecological changesunderway and offer dire predictionsof massive species extinctions, anelevation of sea level by 1 meter andwidespread disruptions to Earth’slife-support systems.Half of the approximately 150wild plants, animals and insectsthe scientists examined have beenaffected by global warming. Manywild plants and animals are goingextinct in the southern edges oftheir ranges, but doing better at thenorthern edge. Edith’s checkerspotbutterfly, for example, is in sharpdecline near the Mexico-Californiaborder where it has become toowarm and dry. But its numbers areexpanding in British Columbia,which used to be too cold for thebutterfly.In a similar fashion, the red foxis heading north and can now befound in Arctic regions where wintershave become less severe. That’sbad news for the cold-hardy arcticfox, because it can’t compete with itslarger, more aggressive cousin.But it could get much worse: asmuch as a third of all species will beextinct by 2050 by some estimates.Entire ecosystems are being affected,which could disrupt soil creation,plant pollination and the naturalcleaning of water and air.Climatechange has the potential to affect allthose benefits that we get for free.The reports also warns that polarbears, walruses and some seals areon their way to extinction. Summersea ice may disappear entirely and,combined with a rapidly meltingGreenland ice sheet, will likely helpraise the world’s sea levels 1 meterby 2100, swamping homes fromFlorida to Bangladesh.SOURCE: Galbraith EnvironmentalGreenpeace: 2million hectares ofAmazon saved!The Brazilian government hasstood up to the powerful forcesof illegal loggers and greedy soyaand beef barons in the Amazonby creating two massive reserves.This means increased sustainableuse of the forest by local people andadded protection against environmentaldevastation. Greenpeacehas been working with the localcommunities of Para State for fouryears for the formation of the VerdePara Sempre Extractive Reserve.This is part of their work to stop thedeforestation led by cattle and soyafarming.Last year Greenpeace had two shipsin the area where local communitiesand forest are being destroyed forprofit at any cost. It is a lawless frontierwhere greed, corruption, slaveryand even murder are common placeas loggers and ranchers trash theforest for short term profits. Alongwith local people, Greenpeace confrontedthe powerful forces behindthe destruction such as mayors ofthe region who also own loggingcompanies. Realities such as thismean unsustainable developmentand environmental destruction gohand in hand with human rightsabuses and the total disregard forlaw and order.SOURCE: Greenpeace International8 BIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za

Sounds pretty cool but its not. It’s the de-oxygenationof water due to algal and plant planktongrowth, and usually signals a virtual death knellfor the ecosystem. This is why phosphorous andeutrophication are BAD. Biologically activatingdestructors.Eutrophication occurs naturally but on muchsmaller scale than the events now being triggeredby human intervention. This is because of highphosphorus soaps, nutrient loads (fertilisers– including phosphorus but also manure andother fertilisers) as well as from the impacts ofoutflows from water treatment plants and otherpoint pollution.It really is time for our big brands to clean uptheir act and remove all phosphates from theirsoaps and cleaning products. In fact, considerthis the start of a concerted campaign to banphosphates from soaps in South Africa for ever.And you dear readers are amongst the first activists,each in your own small way. Buy smart.Phosphates are concentrated during the treatmentof water in conventional sewage plants.When this wastewater is discharged it inevitablyimpacts on areas it is in contact with.In many coastal areas, particularly CapeTown, we simply pump our untreated wastestraight into the sea. Phosphate load in the seais also bad. Pooh in the sea is worse.We should not be wasting one drop ofwater in South Africa.All of the water we use should be recycledand redirected toward either agricultural use orcleaned properly and reused for drinking. Thishas been done in Windhoek since the 1960s andnow happens in many places around the world.Another problem is that we have destroyedmany of our wetland systems in South Africa.Wetlands are essential cleansers of our water. Inorder to restore the balance, we must see to it thatall industries which generate water pollution aspart of the manufacturing process use wetlandbased reclamation projects to cleanse the waterbefore it is either reused or discharged. In thisway we both rehabilitate wetlands and cleanse thewater, taking responsibility for the full life-cycle.This is of course a simplistic prescription but itis the principle that underlies it that is important.The value of wetlands is over R100, 000 per hectareper year in water saving, cleaning, ecosystemmaintenance and the likes.Surely business can write this account offagainst tax? Environmental services are not freebut they become part of business. Water is precious;we are water, every living contains waterat some stage of its life. Were water readily availableon Mars, there would probably be life there;bacteria and amoeba live on earth in similarextremes of temperature but generally rely onwater to provide a stable environment.Even on Earth, our fragile Gaia, our beautifulwater, water,everywhere...25 liters of water, on average,go down the drain if you leave thetap running while you brush yourteeth135 liters of water, on average,go down the drain if you leave thetap running while you wash dishes225 liters of water per day canbe wasted by a small tap leak675 liters of water, on average,are used to wash a car with a hose14% of the water consumedin the average home is used tooperate a washing machine75% of the water consumedin the average home is used in thebathroom1462 liters of water areconsumed per person per day inLas Vegas, possibly more than inany other city in the worldblue spaceship that whizzes around the sun atover 10 000 kilometers per hour, we do have waterwater everywhere but with only one percent availableto drink. It is exclusively through the miracleof ecosystem distillation, otherwise known as thewater cycle (evaporation, condensation as clouds,rain, snow, ice, hail and sleet growing to rivers,lakes re-entering the sea and evaporating again,so on ad infinitum) that we have any fresh wateron this planet.Water has a profound importance to every livingthing on earth. Without we go the same wayas Mars. Let’s do something about using it wisely.Together. If you have comments, suggestions or feedbackplease drop me a line: ekogaia@iafrica.comFACTFILE:Water in South AfricaSouth Africa is extraordinarily rich innatural resources – except for water.Water is a vital, but scarce resource, distributedunevenly in time (frequent droughtsalternate with periods of good rainfall) andspace (the eastern half of the country ismarkedly wetter than the western half). Increasingdemand for water, and decreasingwater quality, make careful water managementa priority in our country.RainfallOur average rainfall is less than 500 mma year, with the driest part of the countryreceiving less than 200mm/year and thewettest receiving more than 2 500mm/year!Rain does not always fall where it is mostneeded, and some areas of high demand,such as Gauteng, receive less water thanthey need. Most rain falls in the narrow beltalong the eastern and southern coasts. Therest of the country receives only 27% ofSouth Africa’s total rainfall.RiversThere are few natural lakes in South Africa.We depend on rivers, dams and undergroundwater for our water supply. Approximately75% of the water flowing from SouthAfrica into the sea occurs along the easternand southern seaboards where many shortrivers occur. Flowing from east to west isthe largest river in the country, the OrangeRiver, which drains most of the rest of thecountry. Its water comes from sources inthe Drakensberg and Maluti Mountains,and it flows into the Atlantic ocean on thewest coast.River catchmentsEstuaries are silting up, inlandwetlands are disappearing, someperennial rivers are drying up, andrivers, lakes and dams are polluted!Water bodies in southern Africa clearly sufferfrom many problems – all of which arelinked to the way in which the catchmentarea of each is used.The river catchment, or drainage basin, isall the land from mountain top to seashore,that is drained by a single river and its tributaries.Catchments are separated from eachother by watersheds. The characteristics ofany river (physical, chemical, biological) aredetermined by the nature of the catchmentand the activities, both human and natural,that take place in it.Catchment areas vary greatly in size – a bigriver may have a catchment area of severalBIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za 11

SPECIAL FEATURE: WATERa thirst for controlThis article by Susan Bryce examines the unbelievable reductionist thinking, social ruthlessness, arrogant ignoranceand alienating mindset of a group of elite planners and transnational corporations spearheading the drive to commodifyour water.There once was a time when water fell freelyfrom the clouds in the sky and bubbled from thesprings in the hills... when the rivers, streamsand lakes were full to the brim... when ancientunderground aquifers flowed like great veinsbeneath the continents... when water nurturedour people, like babes sustained by their mother’smilk.Today, water has become a scarce resource. Climatechange has wreaked havoc with the weather,and the clouds no longer pour their tears of lifeupon our great forests. Vast agricultural landssuck rivers and streams dry. Our lakes are chokedwith dead fish which have been suffocated by industrialpollutants. The bowels of the Earth areconstantly relieved of their waters, millions ofyears old. Experts predict that by the year 2025our world will be suffering from the dramatic effectsof hydrological poverty. There will be greatdisputes and even wars over water. “Failure to actcould damage the planet irreversibly, unleashinga spiral of increased hunger, deprivation, diseaseand squalor.” Thankfully, action has been taken– at the highest level – to avert this apocalypticnightmare. By declaring water a commodity – aneconomic good, to be measured, apportioned andregulated by corporations – the tide of disasterwill be stemmed. This momentous decision hasbeen made for us by a handful of transnationalcorporations and members of the United Nationssystem of organisations. This self-appointedgroup have mandated themselves the custodiansof the world’s water resources. They concedethat the full-cost pricing of water, for domestic,agricultural and industrial use, will be a painfuladjustment for humanity. But they argue that thisis a small price to pay for water security, for theirguardianship of our most precious resource.With the blessing of national governments,a vigorous and dynamic agenda to privatisethe world’s water supplies is being pursued.Traditional and indigenous rights are acknowledged,then cast aside. National sovereigntyis affirmed, then eroded. Access to water – aGod-given or a human right – is recognised,then suspended.The old economy has been fuelled by oil. Thenew economy will be fuelled by hydrodollars. Aglobalised trade in water is being created and we,the people, are to become the consumers in thismulti-trillion-dollar market.1.1 billion – the number of peopleworldwide who lack an adequate andsafe supply of water for their daily needs;approximately one in five5 million – the number of people, mostlychildren, who die each year (that’s almost15 000 every day!) from illnesses caused bypoor-quality water supplies1 – the minimum number of liters of waterneeded to meet a person’s daily needs,according to the World Health Organization24 million – the number of people inBangladesh estimated to be drinking waterfrom arsenic-tainted shallow wells50 – the percentage of people in Africa whosuffer from water-related diseases such ascholera and infant diarrhea20 – the percentage of the world’s freshwatersupply that is in Canada, which recentlybanned bulk exports of water2 – the number of people who strippednaked during the opening ceremonies of therecent World Water Forum, to protest theconstruction of a dam in SpainThe zero hour for waterAcademics, scientists, politicians and hydrologicalexperts are today in agreement that theworld faces a grave water crisis. Using mathematicalmodelling, they have been able to predictthat by 2025 at least 40 per cent of the projectedworld population of 7.2 billion may face seriousproblems with agriculture, industry or humanhealth if they rely solely on natural endowmentsof fresh water. Severe water shortages could strikeparticular regions of water-rich countries such asthe USA and China.Already, 26 countries have more people thantheir water supplies can adequately support.Tensions are mounting over scarce water in theMiddle East and could ignite during this decade.Competition for water is intensifying betweencity dwellers and farmers around Beijing, NewDelhi, Phoenix and other water-short areas.All the evidence points to the first quarter ofthe 21st century being the “zero hour” for waterin some parts of the world. The possibility of awater scarcity has been raised before, but onlyin the last few years has the language of crisisbecome all-pervading.International discussions about the world’swater supplies began in 1977 when the UnitedNations held the first World Water Conferencein Mar del Plata, Argentina. The Conferencedeclared the 1980s to be the “UN InternationalDrinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade”.The altruistic goal was to ensure all people in theworld had access to adequate water supplies andsanitation within a decade.Ten years later, the Brundtland Commissiontold the world that our approach to developmentwas unsustainable – but it had little to say aboutwater. Then, in 1992, the Rio Conference onEnvironment and Development, in its “Agendafor the 21st Century” (known as “Agenda 21”),addressed fresh water in chapter 18 of its report.In 1996, the World Water Council, a privatethink-tank, was formed. The founding memberswere Egypt’s Ministry of Public Works and WaterResources, the Canadian International DevelopmentAgency and the French transnational watercorporation Suez Lyonnaise des Eaux.The World Water Council set about developingits vision for our future: a comprehensivedocument, The Long Term Vision for Water, Lifeand Environment, better known by its subtitle:World Water Vision, Making Water Everybody’sBusiness.At a 1998 meeting held in Washington, DC,the World Water Council appointed a group ofcommissioners to turn the World Water Visioninto reality.Crisis or business opportunity?Awareness of the impending water crisis has12 BIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za

Let’s say you take a shower every day… And your showers average seven minutes… and the flow rate throughyour shower head is 10 liters per minute… You would use, at that rate 25 550 liters of water to shower everyday for a year. When you compare that figure, to the amount of water used in the production of every poundof California beef (11 200 liters) you realize something extraordinary: In California today, you may save morewater by not eating a pound of beef than you would by not showering for six entire months.John Robbins – The Food Revolution: How Your Diet Can Help Save Your Life and the WorldFACTFILE: Water inSouth Africabeen heightened due to the international WorldWater Forums, the triennial public meetings ofthe World Water Council. A number of agreementsand principles from the Forums havebecome the basis upon which corporate controlof water is being effected.More than 4 000 luminaries from around theworld attended the World Water Forum at TheHague in March 2000. Scientists, water experts,government and business leaders and greenwashorganisations were on hand. The World WaterVision was formally presented to the Forum byMikhail Gorbachev’s organisation, Green CrossInternational.The six-day meeting concluded with 130government representatives issuing “The MinisterialDeclaration of the Hague”, a four-pagedocument calling for all relevant organisationsto get involved in “integrated water resourcesmanagement” to ensure “that every person hasaccess to enough safe water at an affordable cost”.Hidden among the warm, fuzzy, double-speak ofthe Declaration was the real agenda:Valuing water: to manage water in a way thatreflects its economic, social, environmentaland cultural values for all its uses, and to movetowards pricing water services to reflect the costof their provision.The March 2000 Forum was presented to theworld as part of a democratic participativeprocess for water management, when in factthe process was designed by powerful multinationalsand elites without taking into accountthe basic needs of the people.The world’s top transnational corporations werewell represented, and they released a three-pagespecial joint CEO Statement during the Forum.Nestlé and Unilever (the world’s first and thirdlargest food corporations respectively) joinedforces with Heineken, ITT and the global watercompanies DVH, Azurix, CH2M Hill and SuezLyonnaise des Eaux to declare:Water is an economic good and its economicvalue should be recognised in the allocation ofscarce water resources to competing uses. Whilethis should not prevent people from meetingtheir basic needs for water services at affordableprices, the price for water must be set at a levelthat encourages conservation and wise use.Water is already a US$400-billion global business,yet privatised water so far only accountsfor 10 per cent of the world’s water utilities. TheWorld Water Commission argues that only privatefirms can provide the enormous capital, which itestimates at US$180 billion a year, needed to fixthe world’s water problems. This entails eliminatinggeneralised subsidies for water and replacingthem with prices which offer an attractive returnon investment.The world bank: “a world full of poverty”Several years ago, Dr Ismail Serageldin, Vice-President of the World Bank, said that the wars ofthe 21st century will be about water. To respondto the escalating crisis, the World Bank hasadopted a policy of water privatisation and fullcostwater pricing. The basis of the Bank’s policiesare outlined in the 1992 paper “Improving WaterResources Management”, which discusses theimportance of pricing and other incentives whichencourage consumers to adopt efficient water usepractices based upon the relative value of thewater:Charging fees for domestic and industrialwater supplies is generally straightforward. Inmost cases, use can be metered and fees can becharged according to the volume and reliabilityof water used.Economic efficiency would be obtained by settingwater charges equal to the opportunity costof water. However, immediate adoption of suchprices often proves to be politically difficult. Thus,given the low level of cost recovery at present andthe extent of underpricing, fees that establish thewater entity’s financial autonomy would be a goodstarting point to ensure the entity’s independenceand the sustainability of operations. Both publicand private entities should pay for the costs of thewater and sanitation services they receive.The World Bank believes that making wateravailable at no cost, or low cost, does not providethe right incentive to consumers. Its research andexperience indicate that:“...when water services are reliable, the poor arewilling to pay for them, and that when service isnot reliable, the poor pay more for less, typicallyfrom street vendors. “As pointed out in the World DevelopmentReport 1992, the poor need to be provided witha wider range of options so they can choose thelevel of water services for which they are willingto pay, thereby giving suppliers a financial stakein meeting the needs of the poor. Fee schedulescan be structured so that consumers receive alimited amount of water at a low cost and pay ahigher fee for additional water.Fees set in this manner can correspond to efficiencyprices for incremental consumption, evenas they provide low base rates that benefit thepoor. However, the schedule in aggregate shouldprovide for full-cost recovery; otherwise, the financialviability of the water entity is endangered.thousand square kilometres, whereas asmaller tributary will have a catchmentarea of only a few hectares.DamsAbout half of South Africa’s annual rainfallis stored in dams. We have 550 governmentdams in South Africa, with a total capacityof 37 000 million square metres.Dams have both positive and negativeecological impacts. They can be beneficialin that they regulate the flow of a river,reducing flood damage, and contributingto a perrenial rather than seasonal flow. Inaddition, sediment is deposited in a dam,and the growth of aquatic plants meansthat excess nutrients are removed fromthe water. Thus water leaving a dam mightbe cleaner than water entering it. Negativeecological impacts include a reduction instrong water flow, which reduces the river’sscouring ability. This, in turn, can lead tosilting of estuaries.South Africa’s landscape is not well suitedto dams. There are few deep valleys andgorges, with the result that most dams areshallow with a large surface area. Togetherwith the hot, dry, climate, this results inmuch water evaporating from dams. Inaddition, the high silt load (a result of anarid climate, steep river gradients andpoor farming methods) of our rivers meansthat the capacity of South Africa’s dams isquickly reduced as they become silted. Therivers of the western Cape are an exception,and carry relatively little silt.Water abstractionA growing problem for South Africa’s riversis a lack of water. Reduction in river flow,owing to abstraction, (removal), and damming,has affected many of our rivers, forexample, those flowing through the KrugerNational Park.Intercatchment transferThis involves the movement of water fromcatchments with good supplies and low demand,to those where demand is high andsupply poor. There are seven intercatchmenttransfer schemes in operation, anda further eight are under construction orproposed. The largest operational schemeBIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za 13

SPECIAL FEATURE: WATERa thirst for controlAnother form of subsidy to the poor, which maybe handled through one-time budgetary transactions,is a subsidy for connecting householdsto the water supply and sanitationnetwork.The World Bank’s matter-of-factapproach tothe full-cost pricing ofwater is a testamentto its grandioseillusions, bloatedbudget and questfor control ofpeople andtheir resources.Apart fromits funding tosupport waterprivatisation,the Bank is theworld’s greatestsingle source offunds for large damconstruction. It hasprovided more than US$50billion (1992 dollars) for theconstruction of more than 500 largedams in 92 countries. The importance of theWorld Bank in major dam schemes is illustratedby the fact that it has directly funded four of thefive most significant dam projects in developingcountries outside China, three of the five largestreservoirs in these countries, and three of the fivelargest hydro-electric plants.Engineering crops to be less thirstyIn the early 1970s, there was a global surge inirrigation development. Irrigation was the leadfactor in the Green Revolution, which resultedin the high-yield rice, wheat and maize varietieswhich are dependent upon the liberal use ofinorganic fertilisers. The new crops of the GreenRevolution displaced local foods, and the diets ofmany people in the world became dangerouslylow in iron, zinc, vitamin A and other micronutrients.Transnational chemical companies whichsupplied the petrochemical-based fertilisers,pesticides and herbicides that fuelled the GreenRevolution expanded their control and influencein the agricultural sector.Today, 70 per cent of the world’s water is usedfor crop irrigation. As the population grows,irrigated land is expected to become increasinglysignificant in feeding people.But the impending water crisis will push manycroplands to the brink of disaster, as there willbe insufficient water to irrigate our food crops.Compounding the problem is the fact that furtherexpansion of agricultural lands cannot besustained due to the effects of agrichemicals (soilerosion, salinity, poisoning of water, etc.).Over the last 10 years, agrichemical companieshave been shifting their interests from chemicalsto the life sciences, where the future profits lie.The revolution in biotechnology has beendubbed the “Double Green Revolution”by its advocates, whoMexico City is sinking– in some areas, by as muchas 30cm a year, and altogether by about10m over the past 100 years. The sprawling,smoggy metropolis – more than double the sizeof greater London – has been depleting the aquiferon which it was built, and that aquifer is now collapsing.To meet current demand for 10.5 million gallons ofwater a day, the city pumps water from two nearby riverbasins at a cost of some $50 000 a day for water rightsalone. The sinking city also puts massive stress on thenetwork of water distribution and drainage systems thatspiderweb beneath it, which routinely crack, leading toa loss of around 40 percent of potable water. The citymust also now pump its sewage uphill before it canclaim that it will notonly provide morefood for morepeople (the sameargument thatfuelled theo r i g i n a lG r e e nRevolution),be drained into the Gulf of Mexico. The smogshroudedcity’s water troubles are a signof things to come for the world’smetastasizing megacities.but thatseeds can begeneticallyengineeredto be lessthirsty.This is a criticald e v e l o p m e n twhich will seecorporations turn thecrisis of pollution anddepletion of water resources(which they helped create in thefirst place) into a business opportunity, as controlof the world’s seed stock and water resourcesbecomes the new frontier for private investors.The chemical giant Monsanto has alreadypositioned itself as a major player in the lifesciences via its control over seed, the first linkin the food chain.In a report for the organisation CorporateWatch, Dr Vandana Shiva describes Monsanto’snew interest: water. She cites a Monsanto strategypaper which outlines the company’s plan forcorporate control of water:First, we believe that discontinuities(either major policychanges or major trendlinebreaks in resourcequality or quantity)are likely, particularlyin the areaof water, andwe will be wellpositioned viathese businessesto profiteven moresignificantlywhen thesediscontinuitiesoccur. Second,we are exploringthe potential ofnon - c onvent ionalfinancing (NGOs, WorldBank, USDA, etc.) that maylower our investment or providelocal country business-building resources.For Monsanto, “sustainable development”means the conversion of an ecologicalcrisis into a market of scarce resources:The business logic of sustainable developmentis that population growth and economicdevelopment will apply increasing pressure onnatural resource markets. These pressures andthe world’s desire to prevent the consequencesof these pressures if unabated will create vasteconomic opportunity.When we look at the world through the lens ofsustainability, we are in a position to see currentand foresee impending resource market trendsand imbalances that create market needs. Wehave further focussed this lens on the resourcemarket of water and land.Monsanto projects revenues of $420 millionand net income of $63 million by 2008 fromwater resource developments in India andMexico alone. The Monsanto paper states: Weare particularly enthusiastic about the potentialof partnering with the International FinanceCorporation (IFC) of the World Bank to jointventureprojects in developing markets. The IFCis eager to work with Monsanto to commercializesustainability opportunities and would bring bothinvestment capital and on the ground capabilitiesto our efforts.The perils of privatisationAccording to Maude Barlow, author of BlueGold: The Global Water Crisis and the Commodificationof the World’s Water Supply: “Theprivatisation of municipal water services has aterrible record that is well documented. Customerrates are doubled or tripled; corporate profits riseas much as 700 per cent; corruption and briberyare rampant; water quality standardsdrop, sometimes dramatically;On March 20, 2000,a group of monkeys, drivenmad with thirst, clashed with desperatevillagers over drinking water in a smalloutpost in northern Kenya near the border withSudan. Eight monkeys were killed and 10 villagersinjured in what was described as a “fierce two-hourmelee.” The fight erupted when relief workers arrivedand began dispensing water from a tanker truck. Localsclaimed that a prolonged drought had forced animalsto roam out of their natural habitats to seek life-givingwater in human settlements. The monkeys were lateridentified as generally harmless vervets. The world’sdeepening freshwater crisis—currently affecting 2.3billion people—has already pitted farmers againstcity dwellers, industry against agriculture,water-rich state against water-poor state,county against county, neighboragainst neighbor.overuse is promoted to makemoney; and customerswho can’t pay are cutoff...When privatisationhits theThird World,those whocan’t pay willdie.”This briefs u m m a r ydemonstratesthe extent ofcommodificationso far, andhighlights someof the failures.Developing WorldPrograms which transferexisting government-managed14 BIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za

The standard diet of a person in the USA requires 20 000 liters of water per day (for animals’ drinking water,irrigation of crops, processing, washing, cooking etc.) A person on a vegan diet requires only 1350 liters a day.Richard H Schwartz in Judaism and Vegetarinismwater systems to private firms, financiallyautonomous utilities and water userassociations are being implementedin Latin America (Argentina,Colombia, and Mexico); Asia(Bangladesh, Indonesia,Nepal, Pakistan, The Philippinesand Sri Lanka); Africa(Côte d’lvoire, Madagascar,Morocco, Niger, Senegaland Tunisia); and EasternEurope (Hungary).In some countries, suchas Indonesia, Nepal, TheNetherlands and Sri Lanka,the tradition of farmer-managedwater service systems iscenturies old.ArgentinaThe state-run water companyObras Sanitarias de la Nación was soldto Aguas Argentinas, a private companyowned by Suez- Lyonnaise des Eaux of France.Aguas Argentinas expanded the water networkto 600 000 new residents. Aguas Argentinas haspromised to cut prices by 27 per cent and to investUS$4 billion in improving services over a 30-yearperiod. The International Finance Corporation (asubsidiary of the World Bank) provided a $172.5million loan to Aguas Argentinas in 1994.Some people in the centre of Buenos Aireshave benefited from the privatisation, but thoseoutside the capital say water is more expensiveand the service has not improved.“On many days there is no water,” says MarceloPaoletti, an activist from an Argentine groupcalled the Ecologist Workshop. He lives in Rosario,the country’s second largest city. Paoletti’sbills add up to 24 pesos (R140.00) a month, morethan when the water supply was publicly managed.Aguas Argentinas has also been criticiseda number of times by the state regulatory authoritiesfor corporate misconduct and failure toprovide acceptable service standards.BoliviaAs Maude Barlow explains, in 1998 the WorldBank: “...refused to guarantee a US$25-millionloan to refinance water services in Cochabamba,Bolivia’s third-largest city, unless the governmentsold the public water system to the private sectorand passed on the costs to consumers. Onlyone bid was considered, and the utility wasturned over to a subsidiary of a conglomerateled by Bechtel – the giant engineering companyimplicated in the infamous Three Gorges Dam inChina, which has caused the forced relocation of1.3 million people.“In January 1999, before it had even hung up itsshingle, the company announced the doubling ofA new report warnsthat businesses should startpreparing for severe water shortages,and warning their shareholders of the risksuch shortages pose to their operations. The report– from independent California-based think tank PacificInstitute for Studies in Development, Environment, andSecurity – focused on businesses that depend on high-volumewater use. That group includes the makers of soft drinksand microchips. Pepsi and Coca-Cola both had major factoriesshut down in southwest India last year due to drought. Amongthe report’s recommendations are working more closelywith local communities, carefully measuring water use, andaccounting for water availability at proposed factory sites.Meanwhile, in August 2004, scientists at the World WaterWeek conference in Stockholm warned that an increasingglobal population and widespread complacencyare making wars over water moreand more likely; they recommended adoubling of investment in waterinfrastructure.water prices. For mostBolivians, this meant that water would now costmore than food; for those on a minimum wage orunemployed, water bills suddenly accounted forclose to half their monthly budgets.To add insult, the World Bank granted monopoliesto private water concessionaires, announcedits support for full-cost water pricing, peggedthe cost of water to the US dollar, and declaredthat none of its loan could be used to subsidizethe poor for water services. All water, even fromcommunity wells, required permits to access,and peasants and small farmers even had to buypermits to gather rainwater on their property.”On 10 April 2000, hundreds of thousandsmarched to Cochabamba in an anti-governmentprotest. The government backed down, orderedBechtel out of Bolivia, and revoked its waterprivatisation legislation.Developed Nations:AustraliaA report, A Vision for Australia’s Water Resources2025, was prepared for the World WaterForum 2000 by Integrated Resource ManagementLtd under contract from UNESCO. The Australianreport recommends water pricing related tovolume and timing, as well as the elimination ofsubsidies.Australia has already undertaken a program offar-reaching changes in the way the water sectoris organised and managed, with an increasingrole for the private sector.In 1994, the Council of Australian Governments(COAG) declared that “business as usual”in the rural water industry was not a viable optionfor irrigators – or the environment.They are now implementing changes whichwill affect pricing, water allocations, institutionalFACTFILE: Water inSouth Africais the Orange-Fish River scheme wherewater gravitates from the Orange River atthe Verwoerd Dam, and is piped throughtunnels and canals to the Sundays andthen the Fish Rivers in the eastern Cape.Tentative plans have been put forward tobuy water from neighbouring states, e.g.from the Okavango River in Botswana andthe Zambezi River in Zimbabwe.As yet, little research has been carried outto establish the ecological consequences ofintercatchment transfer.Water pollutionIndustrial and agricultural pollutantscommon in South Africa are: agriculturalfertilizers, animal farming waste, householdcleaning products, silt, toxic metals,litter, hot water, and pesticides. However,some of the most common pollutants comefrom urban waste water, particularly frominformal settlements which lack sewageand water purification facilities.The future: recyclingand desalinationSome large industries, such as Sasol andEskom, already recycle water for use intheir plants. Regional water suppliersrecycle limited amounts of water e.g. watersupplied by the Rand Water Board containsless than 2% recycled water, but this is likelyto increase as the demand for increases.Desalination, currently too costly and thusnot practised in South Africa, is an optionfor the future.How we affect water quality:Informal settlementsThe constant rise in the number of peoplewho live in the areas around streams andother water sources places an increasingpressure on these water sources, especiallywhen people use the river for washing andbathing.When latrines are placed on the banksof rivers, human faeces can contaminatethe water. This gives rise to water-bornediseases such as cholera, gastro-enteritis,hepatitis, dysentery and typhoid.AgricultureWater quality can be affected when farmersspray their crops with chemical pesticidesand hormonal chemicals. These chemicalsseep into the ground water and eventuallyBIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za 15

SPECIAL FEATURE: WATERa thirst for control“The very future of humanity on Earth has been gravelyimperilled by greedy, dishonest, power-hungry politicians andcorporations. They have succeeded in reducing every compnentarrangements and environmental management.These reforms are to be implemented together, asa package, this year.The reform package includes a COAG agreementto introduce full-cost recovery pricing inrural areas by 2001. This means current pricespaid for water are likely to rise. In some cases,prices have escalated already. Many local governmentsin Australia have made rainwater tanksand recycling of grey water illegal.BritainSince the privatisation of water services inBritain during the Thatcher Government, pricesskyrocketed by up to 450 per cent, averaging anincrease of 67 per cent. Thousands of people, unableto pay their bill, had their water service cut.As a result, dysentery increased sixfold, leadingthe British Medical Association to condemnprivatisation because of the related health risks.While the companies are hugely profitable andexecutive incomes soar, no effort has been sparedin maximising revenues. In one instance, a watercompany began billing a rural resident who wasserviced by a well. The company argued that therain falling on the resident’s property was makingits way into the storm drainage system andtherefore the resident should pay a fee.CanadaWater is becoming a commodity to be tradedand sold. Pressures within Canada to privatisecontrol of municipal water services and treatwater resources as an export commodity areincreasing. French and British companies arevying with American firms to control Canada’swater services. Many municipalities have enteredinto “partnerships” with private organisations.Moncton, for example, has entered into a 20-yearagreement that will see the city’s water filtrationplant maintained and operated privately.The company, US Filter, will build the plant andsell it to the city upon completion, in exchangefor a guarantee that it will have exclusive rights tosell Moncton its drinking water. The company hassought status as a municipality for tax purposes,arguing that it should be exempt from GST.FranceIn France, private companies have beenprosecuted for providing water that’s pollutedand unfit to drink. A French Government reportrevealed more than 5.2 million citizens received“bacterially unacceptable” water.Corruption is also rampant, with water-relatedbribery schemes resulting in convictionsof municipal officials and water company boardmembers under investigation.French cities with private water charge 30 percent more than cities with public water. In Franceas well as Germany and the Czech Republic, municipalitiesguarantee payments to companies ifconsumption or prices are not sufficient to ensurea profit.USAIn the past five years, privatisation of waterutilities in the US has expanded. The major utilities,Consumers Water Co., Dominguez Services,how to save waterIt is surprisingly easy (and cost-effective) for households to reduce waterconsumption by between 30% and 60%.Why save water?South Africa is generally a water-scarce country, and it is predicted that demandfor water will exceed supply within the next 15 to 20 years. It is inevitablethat we will need to be more efficient in our water use. In addition,providing water for households is expensive and environmentally damaging(e.g. involving changing natural water systems, depleting groundwaterAnnual savings estimates for different water savings measuresKilolitres ofwater used permonth20% water usereduction *55% water usereduction **80% water usereduction andwater heatingelectricity savings***12 kl R144 R396 R78624 kl R288 R792 R146736 kl 432 R1188 R214848 kl R576 R1584 R293460 kl R720 R1980 R3720* e.g. by installing more efficient toilet flushing mechanisms** e.g. by efficient toilet flushing devices and greywater recycling*** e.g. by efficient toilet flushing, greywater recycling, low-flow showerheads and kitchen tap aeratorsAssumes water cost of R5.00/kl on average, and 50% of water heating electricity saved from low-flow showerheads.reserves, using resources in huge dam and pipeline construction, and consumingenergy for pumping water). If effort was put into water saving ratherthan accommodating increased consumption, all the energy, resources andmoney that goes into developing such mass supply water systems could besaved, and natural water systems left intact.How to save waterStudies show that an average suburban house can reduce their water consumptionby 30-40% without sacrificing any comforts (from about 250 l/person/day to 150 l/person/day). In addition, if grey wateris recycled for garden use, household water use can be reducedby an astounding 60% or more with ease.1. Reduce the toilet flush volume – this alone can save you20% of your total water consumption with no reduction inconvenience. Older toilets have cisterns of around 11 litres,where in fact only half of this water volume is ever necessary.Modern toilets have more sensible cisterns of around6 litres, and even this is unnecessarily wasteful for flushingliquids - you can save a lot of water by installing a dualflushor multi-flush device in your toilet. The dual flushdevice has two fixed settings – a light setting for urine and aheavier one for solids. The multi-flush device lets you flushany amount you want – just lift the handle back up and theflush stops. To reduce the flush volume without any newinstallations, you can put a displacement container in thecistern - try a 2 litre coke bottle filled with water, and a littlesand as ballast.2. Recycle grey water to the garden – By installing a systemto pump grey water (i.e. from the washing machine,basins, shower and bath) to the garden, most householdswill eliminate the need for any additional garden watering.This alone will reduce your consumption by 35%. These16 BIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za

of Nature to an economic commodity. They have haveabrogated the ethics and spirit of life preservation andreplaced them with the values of corporate consumerism.”Southwest Water, Connecticut Waterand E’Town Corp have seenreturns of more than 20 per cent forinvestors.World water nightmareThe very future of humanity onEarth has been gravely imperilledby greedy, dishonest, power-hungrypoliticians and corporations.They have succeeded in reducingevery component of Nature to aneconomic commodity. They haveabrogated the ethics and spiritof life preservation and replacedthem with the values of corporateconsumerism.The commodification of water...genetic engineering and patentingof traditional seed stock... controlwater, control food, control people...A truly dark age is upon us. systems cost around R4500 installed,but will pay themselves back in watersavings in one or two years.3. Use a low-flow showerhead – fittingsuch showerheads will reduceshower water used by 50 - 75%.Showering is in any case more waterefficientthan bathing, even withoutthese showerheads (unless you takelong showers, or share your bath).4. Install tap aerators – these simpledevices reduce the flow in kitchentaps by around 50-75%. Normally,much water from these taps flowsstraight down the sink without beingused.Remember that reducing hot wateruseage through more efficientshowering also saves on the electricityrequired to heat the water – itis estimated that a water-efficienthouse would save well over R1000per year in reduced water and electricitycosts.5. Check for, and fix leaks - a drippingtap could waste about 10 000litres per year, a leaking toilet canwaste as much as 300 000 litres peryear! Source: Info Sheet: Water Saving, by theSUSTAINABLE LIVING CENTRE,www.sustainable.co.zaFACTFILE: Water inSouth Africaflow into streams and rivers.When heavy rains fall on overgrazed lands,the rich top soil in which plants grow iswashed away into rivers.Domestic animals such as cows, goats andsheep can also contaminate water withtheir faeces.Wetland destructionWetlands absorb, filter and store largequantities of rainwater, then slowly feed itinto groundwater and streams during driertimes.By changing the course of rivers through thebuilding of farm dams and channels or byinterfering with the ecology of the wetlands,these important areas can dry up, seriouslyaffecting the quantity and quality of wateravailable to replenish groundwater andfeed our rivers and streams.Commercial forestryPlanting exotic trees in large numbers canbe a drain on the water supplies in the area.Pine trees, for example, can each absorbabout 200 litres of water a day. Therefore,planting forests near wetlands and streamscan result in the water flow being restrictedand eventually drying up.LitteringRubbish, like plastic bags, bottles, paperand tins, which is carelessly thrown onthe ground in the city or in the country cancause pollution when it is blown into riversor washed down storm-water drains.Oil/chemicals/medicineChemicals, medicines and oil (both cookingand vehicle) should never be flushed downthe toilet or poured down a drain, as theycontaminate water and make it costlier totreat.These products should be taken to a depotwhich can dispose of them in the correctway.IndustrySome industries are allowed to dischargetheir effluent into nearby streams. However,there are some industries which do notadhere to the standards set or which havenot obtained permission to discharge intothe river.Where necessary, those companies whichpollute the river are prosecuted, but by thenit is usually too late and the damage to thewater has already been done. Source: UMGENI WATERBIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za 17

SPECIAL FEATURE: WATERmore messagesfrom waterREIKO MYAMOTO DEWEY INTERVIEWS DR. MASARU EMOTO, AUTHOR OF MESSAGES FROM WATERREIKO: You mentioned in your book TheMessage from Water how you would type outwords on a piece of paper and paste these writtenwords onto a bottle, and see how the waterreacted to the words – what kind of crystalswere formed from the words.From your research, are you able to discernwhether the reaction of the water came fromthe vibration of the actual words that werepasted onto the bottles, or whether the intentionof the person who was pasting the wordsonto the bottle influenced the experiment inany way?DR. EMOTO: This is one of the more difficultareas to clarify. However, from continuing theseexperiments we have come to the conclusion thatthe water is reacting to the actual words.For example, for our trip to Europe we triedusing the words “thank you’’ and “you fool’’ inwater. We have not yet tried further experimentsfrom a long distance.However, my feeling is that distance would notmake much of a difference. What would make adifference is the purity of intent of the person doingthe praying. The higher the purity of intent,the less of a difference the distance itself wouldmake.REIKO: Have you seen any difference betweenone person praying over water versus awhole group of people praying over water?DR. EMOTO: Since the water reflects thecomposite energy of what is being sent to it, thecrystalline structure reflects the composite vibrationsof the group. So one person praying reflectsthe energy or intention of that one person. Interms of how powerful the effect can be, if youhave one person praying with a deep sense ofDR. EMOTO: In these cases we would freezethe water right away, so we could say that thewater is changed instantaneously.REIKO: Have you ever tested other humanbody fluids, such as saliva, blood, urine etc?DR. EMOTO: Yes, we certainly have. However,fluids with other elements in them, like seawater,blood and urine, do not form crystals. However,we can dilute them with distilled water to somethinglike 10 to the power of -12 or -20 or so. Thisdilutes the component of other elements in thefluid to the point where we can freeze the sampleand obtain crystals.REIKO: Could you then see the effect thatenergetic healing or prayer has on a person bylooking at the crystals formed by their bloodor urine?“Beautiful words have beautiful, clear vibrations. But negative words put out ugly,incoherent vibrations... Language is not something artificial, but rather is somethingthat exists naturally. I believe that language is created by nature.”German.The people on our team who took the actualphotographs of the water crystals did not understandthe German for “you fool,’’ and yet we wereable to obtain exactly the same kind of resultsin the different crystal formations based on thewords used.REIKO: Have you found that distance madeany difference when people were praying overwater? For example, if people in Japan were topray over water in Russia, would this be differentfrom people praying over water that is rightin front of them?DR. EMOTO: We have only experimentedonce with that in the book. But from that experiment,distance did not seem to matter. The intentionand prayers of the person still influenced theclarity and purity, the crystalline structure will beclear and pure. And even though you may have alarge group of people, if their intention as a groupis not cohesive, you end up with an incohesivestructure in the water. However, if everyone isunited together, you will find a clear, beautifulcrystal, like one created by the prayer of a singleperson of deep purity.In one of our experiments, we had some wateron a table, and 17 participants all stood in acircle around a table holding hands. Then eachof the participants spoke a beautiful word of theirchoice to the water. Words like unity, love, andfriendship. We took before-and-after shots andwere able to obtain some beautiful crystallinestructures as a result of this.REIKO: Is the water influenced immediately,or is there a time lag?DR. EMOTO: As far as experiments relatedto the human body are concerned, there are alot of subtle influences that also need to be takeninto consideration. So although we are looking atthis, we have not publicized any information yet.However, you can look forward to hearing aboutour findings on this in the futureREIKO: If we could imbue water with theenergy of various words, for example, with theword, “health,’’ could we then use the water thathas that vibration in it and use it to do thingslike grow food, water plants, etc?DR. EMOTO: We have not tried this, but somepeople who have read the book are experimentingwith bottling tap water and taping words like“love’’ and “appreciation’’ on the bottle and using18 BIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za

“Love needs to be based in gratitude, and gratitudeneeds to be based in love. These two words togethercreate the most important vibration. And it is evenmore important that we understand the value of thesewords.”that water to water their plants, or to put cutflowers in. They are finding that their cut flowersare lasting much longer, and that the plants in thegarden are much more radiant.REIKO: Once a certain vibration is introducedto the water, how long does the water“remember’’ that crystalline structure?DR. EMOTO: This will be different dependingon the original structure of the water itself. Tapwater will lose its memory quickly. We refer tothe crystalline structure of water as “clusters.’’The smaller the clusters, the longer the waterwill retain its memory. If there is too much spacebetween the clusters, other information couldeasily infiltrate this space, making it hard for theclusters to hold the integrity of the information.Other microorganisms could also enter this space.A tight bonding structure is best for maintainingthe integrity of information.REIKO: What kind of words would createsmaller clusters and what kind of words wouldcreate larger clusters?DR. EMOTO: Slang words like “you fool’’destroy clusters. You would not see any crystalsin these cases. Negative phrases and words createlarge clusters or will not form clusters, andpositive, beautiful words and phrases createsmall, tight clusters.REIKO: You say that some negatives do notform clusters, but we see from your photos thatthey do still form characteristic patterns. Howwould you classify these patterns?DR. EMOTO: Think of it in terms of vibration.It’s easy to understand that language – the spokenword – has a vibration. Well, written words alsohave a vibration. Anything in existence has avibration.If I were to draw a circle, the vibration of acircle would be created. Drawing a cross wouldcreate the vibration of a cross. So if I write theletters L O V E, then these letters put out thevibration of love. Water can be imprinted withthese vibrations.Beautiful words have beautiful, clear vibrations.But negative words put out ugly, incoherent vibrationswhich do not form clusters. Language is notsomething artificial, but rather is something thatexists naturally. I believe that language is createdby nature.REIKO: Does that mean that every word hasits own signature vibration or cluster that isunique to itself?DR. EMOTO: Yes. During our evolution,we learned what sounds were dangerous, whatsounds were soothing and safe, and what soundswere pleasurable, and so on. We slowly learnedabout various vibrations of the laws of nature. Welearned this through instinct and through experience.We accumulated this information over time.We started out with some simple sounds like “a’’or “u’’ or “e,’’ which evolved into more complexsounds like “love.’’ And these positive words create“natural’’ crystalline structures – which are allbased on the hexagon.In fact, the structure of all evolution in nature,from an informational perspective, is based onthe hexagon. The reason hexagons are formed hasto do with the chemical reaction of the benzenering.I believe that anything that lacks this basichexagonal structure is out of accord with the lawsof nature and holds a destructive vibration. Sowhen we look at things that do not exist naturally– things that have been created artificially – manyof them lack this hexagonal structure and so theyhave, I believe, a destructive vibration.This principle is what I think makes swearingand slang words destructive. These words are notin accordance with the laws of nature.So, for example, I think you would probablyfind higher rates of violent crime in areas wherea lot of negative language is being used. Just asthe Bible says, first there was the Word, and Godcreated all of Creation from the Word.So words actually convert the vibrations of natureinto sound. And each language is different.Japanese has its own set of vibrations that differsfrom American. Nature in America is differentfrom nature in Japan.An American cedar is different from a Japanesecedar, so the vibrations coming from these wordsare different.In this way, nothing else holds the same vibrationsas the word arigato. In Japanese, arigatoFrom top to bottom:The crystal formed by waterexposed to:– music by Bach– traditional Japanese music.– heavy metal “music.”BIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za 19

SPECIAL FEATURE: WATERmore messages from watermeans “thank you.’’ But even when there is thismutual underlying meaning, arigato and thankyou create different crystalline structures.Every word in every language is unique andexists only in that language.REIKO: Have you come across a particularword or phrase in your research that you havefound to be most helpful in cleaning up thenatural waters of the world?DR. EMOTO: I think that would be a wonderfulthing, and for the sake of preserving MotherNature it is the direction that we need to go.However, since water is the mirror reflecting ourlevel of consciousness, a large percentage of thepeople on the planet, at least 10 percent of thepeople, need to have the love and the kan-shaawareness.When they do, then the time will come whenwater can be used to replace gasoline. And thereason I say 10 percent is that this ratio is mirroredin nature. When we look at the world ofon Earth to be the caretakers for this Creation ofGod. I believe that water held the consciousnessof God until then, but that after the caretakerswere placed on Earth, water became an emptyvessel to mirror and reflect what was in the heart.It became a container to carry energy and information.Therefore, since this time, I think water hastaken on the quality of simply reflecting the energiesand thoughts that it is exposed to; that it nolonger has its own consciousness. Water reflectsthe consciousness of the human race.“I believe that prior to Adam and Eve water itself held the consciousness of God– that God’s intention was put into the medium of water, and that this was used inthe creation of Earth and Nature. In other words, all of the information needed forGod’s Creation was reflected in the water. ”DR. EMOTO: Yes. There is a special combinationthat seems to be perfect for this, which is loveplus the combination of thanks and appreciationreflected in the English word gratitude. Just oneof these is not enough.Love needs to be based in gratitude, and gratitudeneeds to be based in love. These two wordstogether create the most important vibration. Andit is even more important that we understand thevalue of these words.For example, we know that water is describedas H 2 O. If we were to look at love and gratitude asa pair, gratitude is the H and love is the O.Water is the basis that not only supports but alsoallows the existence of life. In my understandingof the concept of yin and yang, in the same waythat there is one O and two Hs, we also need onepart yang/love to two parts yin/gratitude, in orderto come to a place of balance in the equation.Love is an active word and gratitude is passive.When you think of gratitude – a combinationof appreciation and thankfulness – there is anapologetic quality.The Japanese word for gratitude is kan-sha,consisting of two Chinese characters: kan, whichmeans feeling, and sha, apology. It’s coming froma reverential space, taking a step or two back.I believe that love coming from this space isoptimal love, and may even lead to an end to thewars and conflicts in the world. Kan-sha is inherentin the substance H 2 O – an essential elementfor life.REIKO: So if we were to develop a car thatcould run on water instead of gasoline, andreturn the water to the atmosphere and subsequentlyback into space in this way, would thatbe one way of fulfilling our task?bacteria, for example, there are 10 percent goodbacteria, 10 percent bad, and a majority of 80percent opportunistic bacteria that could goeither way.In looking at the various environmental issueswe are faced with, and the tasks that we need tofulfill for the planet, if we could get more than10 percent of the people consciously aware, thanI believe we could pull the 80 percent in thatdirection, too.And so I believe that the people who are followinga spiritual path are promoting peace forthe planet and for other people. If we could onlyunite on this level of consciousness, then we willbe there.I feel that my book The Message From Waterhas given birth to a convincing message througha common language for the whole world. Not becauseI wrote it, but because I know it was birthedthrough kan-sha toward mankind.I think this is why so many people from othercountries want to interview me about the book.REIKO: Do you believe that water itself isconscious and is reacting to the words?DR. EMOTO: I understand that many of yourreaders are people interested in spiritual matters,and I would like to answer this question fromthat perspective. I believe that prior to Adam andEve water itself held the consciousness of God– that God’s intention was put into the mediumof water, and that this was used in the creation ofEarth and Nature.In other words, all of the information neededfor God’s Creation was reflected in the water.And then we – Adam and Eve – were placedREIKO: Would you tell us your philosophicalthoughts about what you believe these watercrystals really are?DR. EMOTO: After the book was published,I was wondering about this, and I came to therealization that these crystals are spirits. Thereare many parallels.When ice melts, the crystalline structurebecomes an illusion. It’s there – and yet it’s notthere, because you can no longer see it.Similarly, when a person dies their body losesseveral grams of weight – what some people thinkof this as the weight of the soul. But then we canoften visually see them.I think that the soul has mass, and that itreturns to water molecules. And because it hasmass, it is affected by the gravitational pull of theearth. And so sometimes the soul cannot transitionover to the other side.In Buddhism, we talk about attaining sattori,or reaching enlightenment. People who attainsattori do not become ghosts. They are able toachieve a certain stage of development at the soullevel and return to God for a while before theymove on to their next assignmentWe traveled here to Earth on the water crystalsof spheres of ice. Earth is not our native home.There was nothing here. So these souls can returnto their native homes for awhile. That is sattori, orenlightenment.However, most people on the planet are notable to attain enlightenment. To reach enlightenmentmeans to be able to completely let go of theego and our worldly attachments.In the past 100 years the world’s population hasincreased from 1 billion to 6 billion. During these20 BIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za

“Love needs to be based in gratitude, and gratitude needs to be based in love.These two words together create the most important vibration. And it is even moreimportant that we understand the value of these words.”100 years, war and capitalism has dominated theplanet.Rather than being able to detach from ourdesires, the opposite has been true. Our desireshave grown and grown.Very few people have been able to attainenlightenment in this environment. Few soulshave been able to go “home’’ and I believe theyhave remained on Earth in the form of water.This connects into the concept of reincarnation,where these spirits keep falling back to Earth andneed to redo their lives here.REIKO: So when a person dies, if they areunable to attain sattori at that time, their soulremains on this planet as water?DR. EMOTO: That is what I believe, yes. TheJapanese character for spirit is a combination ofthe words “rain’’ and “soul.’’People who have seen ghosts report seeingthem in water or in places where there is a lot ofhumidity. It’s as if the imprint of the soul, whichis in the form of water, suddenly takes form whensurrounded by water or moisture – much like amirage.And so, looking at the pictures of the watercrystals and the impact they are having, I cameto the realization that these themselves areghosts. Up until now, I had thought of ghosts assomething to be frightened of, something that wecould do nothing about.But watching these crystals, I realized that bysimply projecting beautiful music and words ontothem, the crystals or ghosts become beautiful.If that’s the case, there’s nothing to befrightened of. We need to let everybody knowabout this, and all use beautiful words andoffer beautiful music, and create beauty in theenvironment.By receiving beautiful thoughts and feelingsand words and music, our ancestral spirits getlighter and are now able to make the transition“home.’’When we consider this, we can see the importanceof traditions like Obon [a Japanese summertradition where ancestral spirits are invited backto spend time with the family, and the ancestorsare taken care of and respected].When we are alive, the human body is atapproximately 36 degrees Celsius. This is thetemperature of the fluids in the body.When we die and go to the other side, crossingthe river, we are no longer able to move ourbodies.But the crystalline structure of our soulemerges. It’s like water. When water turns to ice,the crystalline structure becomes visible, but italso becomes immobile.So “crystal’’ equals “spirit.’’ Dr. Emoto’s most recent book, The HiddenMessages in Water, is available onour website: www.biophile.co.za/booksBIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za 21

YOUR HEALTHthesweetestpoison of all22 BIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.zaIn 1957, Dr. William CodaMartin tried to answer thequestion:When is a food a foodand when is it a poison?His working definition of“poison” was:“Medically: Any substanceapplied to the body, ingestedor developed within thebody, which causes or maycause disease.Physically: Any substancewhich inhibits the activityof a catalyst which is aminor substance, chemicalor enzyme that activates areaction.”The dictionary gives aneven broader definition for“poison”: “to exert a harmfulinfluence on, or to pervert”.Dr. Martin classified refinedsugar as a poison because ithas been depleted of its lifeforces, vitamins and minerals.

“What is left consists of pure, refined carbohydrates.The body cannot utilize this refined starchand carbohydrate unless the depleted proteins,vitamins and minerals are present. Nature suppliesthese elements in each plant in quantitiessufficient to metabolize the carbohydrate in thatparticular plant. There is no excess for otheradded carbohydrates. Incomplete carbohydratemetabolism results in the formation of ‘toxicmetabolite’ such as pyruvic acid and abnormalsugars containing five carbon atoms. Pyruvic acidaccumulates in the brain and nervous system andthe abnormal sugars in the red blood cells. Thesetoxic metabolites interfere with the respirationof the cells. They cannot get sufficient oxygen tosurvive and function normally. In time, some ofthe cells die. This interferes with the function ofa part of the body and is the beginning of degenerativedisease.”Refined sugar is lethal when ingested by humansbecause it provides only that which nutritionistsdescribe as “empty” or “naked” calories. It lacksthe natural minerals which are present in thesugar beet or cane.In addition, sugar is worse than nothing becauseit drains and leaches the body of preciousvitamins and minerals through the demand itsdigestion, detoxification and elimination makesupon one’s entire system. So essential is balanceto our bodies that we have many ways to provideagainst the sudden shock of a heavy intake ofsugar. Minerals such as sodium (from salt),potassium and magnesium (from vegetables),and calcium (from the bones) are mobilized andused in chemical transmutation; neutral acidsare produced which attempt to return the acidalkalinebalance factor of the blood to a morenormal state.Sugar taken every day produces a continuouslyoveracid condition, and more and more mineralsare required from deep in the body in the attemptto rectify the imbalance. Finally, in orderto protect the blood, so much calcium is takenfrom the bones and teeth that decay and generalweakening begin. Excess sugar eventually affectsevery organ in the body. Initially, it is stored inthe liver in the form of glucose (glycogen). Sincethe liver’s capacity is limited, a daily intake ofrefined sugar (above the required amount ofnatural sugar) soon makes the liver expand like aballoon. When the liver is filled to its maximumcapacity, the excess glycogen is returned to theblood in the form of fatty acids. These are takento every part of the body and stored in the mostinactive areas: the belly, the buttocks, the breastsand the thighs.When these comparatively harmless places arecompletely filled, fatty acids are then distributedamong active organs, such as the heart and kidneys.These begin to slow down; finally their tissuesdegenerate and turn to fat. The whole bodyis affected by their reduced ability, and abnormalblood pressure is created. The parasympatheticnervous system is affected; and organs governedby it, such as the small brain, become inactiveor paralyzed. (Normal brain function is rarelythought of as being as biologic as digestion.) Thecirculatory and lymphatic systems are invaded,and the quality of the red corpuscles starts tochange. An overabundance of white cells occurs,and the creation of tissue becomes slower. Ourbody’s tolerance and immunizing power becomesmore limited, so we cannot respond properlyto extreme attacks, whether they be cold, heat,mosquitoes or microbes.Excessive sugar has a strong mal-effect onthe functioning of the brain. The key to orderlybrain function is glutamic acid, a vital compoundfound in many vegetables. The B vitamins playa major role in dividing glutamic acid intoantagonistic-complementary compounds whichproduce a “proceed” or “control” response inthe brain. B vitamins are also manufactured bysymbiotic bacteria which live in our intestines.“...sugar is lethal when ingested by humans because itdrains and leaches the body of precious vitamins andminerals...”When refined sugar is taken daily, these bacteriawither and die, and our stock of B vitamins getsvery low. Too much sugar makes one sleepy; ourability to calculate and remember is lost.Sugar: harmful to humans and animalsShipwrecked sailors who ate and drank nothingbut sugar and rum for nine days surely wentthrough some of this trauma; the tales they hadto tell created a big public relations problem forthe sugar pushers. This incident occurred when avessel carrying a cargo of sugar was shipwreckedin 1793. The five surviving sailors were finallyrescued after being marooned for nine days. Theywere in a wasted condition due to starvation,having consumed nothing but sugar and rum.The eminent French physiologist F. Magendiewas inspired by that incident to conduct a seriesof experiments with animals, the results of whichhe published in 1816. In the experiments, hefed dogs a diet of sugar and water. All the dogswasted away and died.The shipwrecked sailors and the Frenchphysiologist’s experimental dogs proved the samepoint. As a steady diet, sugar is worse than nothing.Plain water can keep you alive for quite sometime. Sugar and water can kill you. Humans [andanimals] are “unable to subsist on a diet of sugar”.The dead dogs in Professor Magendie’s laboratoryalerted the sugar industry to the hazards offree scientific inquiry. From that day to this, thesugar industry has invested millions of dollars inbehind-the-scenes, subsidized science. The bestscientific names that money could buy have beenhired, in the hope that they could one day comeup with something at least pseudoscientific in theThis articleis extracted and editedfrom the bookSugar Blues by William Dufty.Natural SweetenersThe array of products in the sweetener aisleof your health food store might seem rathermystifying to the natural foods novice, butwith a little help, sweeteners like rice syrup,barley malt syrup, and date sugar, amongothers, can be used with great effect inbaked goods of all kinds.While the detrimental effects of refinedsweeteners such as white sugar and cornsyrup are still being debated, there’s littledoubt that we consume far too much of it.While natural sweeteners aren’t nutritionalbell ringers, they are generally consideredto produce less of a shock to the body’sblood sugar level because among thenutrients found in whole food sugars arenecessary minerals that help with sugarmetabolism.From a culinary standpoint, natural sweetenersoffer bolder, more complex flavorsthan sugar, adding delectably different dimensionsto baked goods and other treats.Barley Malt: Dark, sticky and boldlyflavored, barely malt sugar is nonethelessneither as assertive as blackstrap molassesnor as sweet as honey.Primarily maltose, a complex sugar thatenters the bloodstream slowly.This sweetener offers trace amounts ofeight vitamins and several minerals. Barleymalt syrup is a wonderful addition tosquash and pumpkin breads, bran muffins,and hearty rye or pumpernickel breads.Use it to glaze sweet potatoes and to makewinter “malteds” combined with bananasand soy milk.Date Sugar: Not actually a sugar in theconventional sense, date sugar is groundfrom dehydrated dates. What a great sourceof sweetness.Dates are high in fiber, and rich in a widevariety of vitamins and minerals. Date sugarcan be exchanged measure for measurefor sugar in baking, for cakes, muffins, andquick breads.Use it in place of brown sugar to makecrumb toppings for pies and fruit crisps.It can’t be used to sweeten beverages,BIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za 23

YOUR HEALTHthe costs of scientific inquiry. We have no rightto be surprised when we read the introduction toMcCollum’s A History of Nutrition and find that“The author and publishers are indebted to TheNutrition Foundation, Inc., for a grant providedto meet a portion of the cost of publication ofthis book”. What, you might ask, is The NutritionFoundation, Inc.? The author and the publishersdon’t tell you. It happens to be a front organizationfor the leading sugar-pushing conglomeratesin the food business, including the AmericanSugar Refining Company, Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Cola,Curtis Candy Co., General Foods, General Mills,Nestlé Co., Pet Milk Co. and Sunshine Biscuitsthesweetest poison of allway of glad tidings about sugar.It has been proved, however, that (1) sugaris a major factor in dental decay; (2) sugar ina person’s diet does cause overweight; (3) removalof sugar from diets has cured symptomsof crippling, worldwide diseases such as diabetes,cancer and heart illnesses. Sir Frederick Banting,the codiscoverer of insulin, noticed in 1929 inPanama that, among sugar plantation ownerswho ate large amounts of their refined stuff,diabetes was common. Among native canecutters,who only got to chew the raw cane,he saw no diabetes. However, the story of thepublic relations attempts on the part of the sugarmanufacturers began in Britain in 1808 when theCommittee of West India reported to the Houseof Commons that a prize of twenty-five guineashad been offered to anyone who could come upwith the most “satisfactory” experiments to provethat unrefined sugar was good for feeding andfattening oxen, cows, hogs and sheep.Food for animals is often seasonal, alwaysexpensive. Sugar, by then, was dirt cheap. Peopleweren’t eating it fast enough. Naturally, the attemptto feed livestock with sugar and molassesin England in 1808 was a disaster. When theCommittee on West India made its fourth reportto the House of Commons, one Member ofParliament, John Curwin, reported that he hadtried to feed sugar and molasses to calves withoutsuccess. He suggested that perhaps someoneshould try again by sneaking sugar and molassesinto skimmed milk. Had anything come of that,you can be sure the West Indian sugar merchantswould have spread the news around the world.After this singular lack of success in pushingsugar in cow pastures, the West Indian sugarmerchants gave up.With undaunted zeal for increasing the marketdemand for the most important agriculturalproduct of the West Indies, the Committee ofWest India was reduced to a tactic that has servedthe sugar pushers for almost 200 years: irrelevantand transparently silly testimonials from faraway,inaccessible people with some kind of “scientific”credentials. While preparing his epochalvolume, A History of Nutrition, published in1957, Professor E. V. McCollum (Johns Hopkinsuniversity), sometimes called America’s foremostnutritionist and certainly a pioneer in the field,reviewed approximately 200 000 publishedscientific papers, recording experiments withfood, their properties, their utilization and theireffects on animals and men. The material coveredthe period from the mid-18th century to 1940.From this great repository of scientific inquiry,McCollum selected those experiments whichhe regarded as significant “to relate the story ofprogress in discovering human error in this segmentof science [of nutrition]”.Professor McCollum failed to record asingle controlled scientific experiment withsugar between 1816 and 1940. unhappily, wemust remind ourselves that scientists today, andalways, accomplish little without a sponsor. Theprotocols of modern science have compoundedPOLIO LINKED TO SUGARPolio outbreaks are associated with the consumptionof refined sugar. According to oneresearcher, a substance produced during thesugar refining process, such as deoxysugars,may be responsible for polio. Further, poliovirusmay be present in a population but maynot occur unless large quantities of refinedsugar are consumed.Polio is often described as a “disease of the fitand well-fed,” and at one time shifted from asporadic disease to an epidemic disease. Accordingto the researcher, sugar consumptioncan explain both anomalies. People who arewell-nourished are more likely to eat sugarrichdiets, and the shift from a sporadic to anepidemic disease corresponds to the globalincrease in consumption of refined sugar.Medical Hypotheses March, 1992;37(3):171-8QUITTING SUGAR IN 3 STEPS By Colleen Huber, Naturopathyworks.com2Giving up sugar can be even harder than giving up tobacco. The biggestproblem is that most people are sugar-addicted and there is nostrong aroma that causes others to chase sugar eaters outdoors, ashappens with smokers.This makes eating sweets easy, clean and socially feasible in the homeand in public places. Further, the social isolation of smokers has forcedthem to acknowledge their addiction and the difficulties that tobaccocreates in a smoker’s life. This acknowledgement is a crucial thresholdto cross in their healing journey.The showering of sugar on our children and an almost universal addictionto sugar allows a comfortable blanket of denial to settle overour minds and lifestyles. This denial blinds us to the growing problemsaccumulating in our arteries, heart, nervous system, kidneys and otherinternal organs. Sugar is not seen as a public health problem, althoughit is the most entrenched, widespread and relentless one.1Substituting whole grain bread for white bread, steel-cut oats forother cereals, sweets with protein for sweets alone and similarsubstitutions makes the important first step of taking the sugar addictfrom the volatile glucose-insulin roller coaster of extreme highs andlows to a more moderate fluctuation of biochemicals and hence moods,cravings and sensations.After these transitional foods, and once in the more moderaterhythm of blood analytes, the dieter is in a much stronger positionto handle a reduction, then elimination of simple sugars.3The final step of giving up sugar with the help of chromium supplementationhas been established as beneficial.1 It is also usefulfor the dieter to understand which other nutrients are affected by highsugar states and low sugar states (both of which are visited by the sugaraddict on a daily basis), and to know how to substitute healthier foodsthat contain those same needed nutrients.r example, sugar cravings and sugar rebound involve deficien-of the following nutrients:FociesChromium, which may be found in broccoli, cheese, dried beans, calfliver and chicken .Carbon, which is found in fresh fruits.Phosphorus, which is found in chicken, beef, liver, poultry, fish, eggs,dairy, nuts and legumes.Sulphur, which is found in onions, cranberries, horseradish and cruciferousvegetables.Tryptophan, which is found in cheese, liver, lamb and spinach. In thecase of chocolate cravings, magnesium is often also deficient, and maybe found in raw nuts, seeds, legumes and fruits.24 BIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za

about 45 such companies in all. Perhaps the mostsignificant thing about McCollum’s 1957 historywas what he left out: a monumental earlier workdescribed by an eminent Harvard professor as“one of those epochal pieces of research whichmakes every other investigator desirous of kickinghimself because he never thought of doingthe same thing”.In the 1930s, a research dentist from Cleveland,Ohio, Dr. Weston A. Price, traveled all over theworld-from the lands of the Eskimos to theSouth Sea Islands, from Africa to New Zealand.His Nutrition and Physical Degeneration: AComparison of Primitive and Modern Diets andTheir Effects, which is illustrated with hundredsof photographs, was first published in 1939. Dr.Price took the whole world as his laboratory.His devastating conclusion, recorded in horrifyingdetail in area after area, was simple. Peoplewho live under so-called backward primitiveconditions had excellent teeth and wonderfulgeneral health. They ate natural, unrefined foodfrom their own locale. As soon as refined, sugaredfoods were imported as a result of contactwith “civilization,” physical degeneration beganin a way that was definitely observable within asingle generation. Any credibility the sugar pushershave is based on our ignorance of works likethat of Dr. Price.Sugar manufacturers keep trying, hopingand contributing generous research grants tocolleges and universities; but the research laboratoriesnever come up with anything solid themanufacturers can use. Invariably, the researchresults are bad news. “Let us go to the ignorantsavage, consider his way of eating and be wise,”Harvard professor Ernest Hooten said in Apes,Men, and Morons. “Let us cease pretendingthat toothbrushes and toothpaste are any moreimportant than shoe brushes and shoe polish. Itis store food that has given us store teeth.” Whenthe researchers bite the hands that feed them, andthe news gets out, it’s embarrassing all around. In1958, Time magazine reported that a Harvardbiochemist and his assistants had worked withmyriads of mice for more than ten years, bankrolledby the Sugar Research Foundation, Inc. tothe tune of $57 000, to find out how sugar causesdental cavities and how to prevent this. It tookthem ten years to discover that there was no wayto prevent sugar causing dental decay. When theresearchers reported their findings in the DentalAssociation Journal, their source of money driedup. The Sugar Research Foundation withdrewits support. The more that the scientists disappointedthem, the more the sugar pushers had torely on the ad men.Sucrose: “pure” energy at a priceWhen honey is labeled pure, this means that itis in its natural state (stolen directly from the beeswho made it), with no adulteration with sucroseto stretch it and no harmful chemical residueswhich may have been sprayed on the flowers.It does not mean that the honey is free fromminerals like iodine, iron, calcium, phosphorusor multiple vitamins. So effective is the purificationprocess which sugar cane and beets undergoin the refineries that sugar ends up as chemicallypure as the morphine or the heroin a chemist hason the laboratory shelves.What nutritional virtue this abstract chemicalpurity represents, the sugar pushersnever tell us.Beginning with World War I, the sugar pusherscoated their propaganda with a preparednesspitch.“Dietitians have known the high food valueof sugar for a long time,” said an industry tractof the 1920s. “But it took World War I to bringthis home. The energy-building power of sugarreaches the muscles in minutes and it was of valueto soldiers as a ration given them just before anattack was launched.”The sugar pushers have been harping on theenergy-building power of sucrose for yearsbecause it contains nothing else. Caloric energyand habit-forming taste: that’s what sucrose has,and nothing else.The “quick” energy claim the sugar pushers talkabout, which drives reluctant doughboys over thetop and drives children up the wall, is based onthe fact that refined sucrose is not digested in themouth or the stomach but passes directly to thelower intestines and thence to the bloodstream.The extra speed with which sucrose entersthe bloodstream does more harm thangood.Much of the public confusion about refinedsugar is compounded by language. Sugars areclassified by chemists as “carbohydrates”. Thismanufactured word means “a substance containingcarbon with oxygen and hydrogen”.If chemists want to use these hermetic terms intheir laboratories when they talk to one another,fine. The use of the word “carbohydrate” outsidethe laboratory-especially in food labeling andadvertising lingo-to describe both natural, completecereal grains (which have been a principalfood of mankind for thousands of years) andman-refined sugar (which is a manufactureddrug and principal poison of mankind for only afew hundred years) is demonstrably wicked. Thiskind of confusion makes possible the flimflampracticed by sugar pushers to confound anxiousmothers into thinking kiddies need sugar tosurvive.The use of the word “carbohydrate” todescribe sugar is deliberately misleading.Since the improved labeling of nutritional propertieswas required on packages and cans, refinedNATURALSWEETENERSthough, as the tiny pieces won’t dissolve.Fruit Juice Concentrates: Made from thejuice of fruit that has been reduced aboutone quarter by slow cooking. Note thatsome commercial fruit juice concentrateshave been stripped of flavor and nutritionalvalue.Granular Fruit Sweeteners: White grapejuice and grain sweeteners that have beendehydrated and granulated.Honey: A whole food made by bees fromflower nectar.Maltose: Sprouted grains and cooked rice,heated and fermented until starch turns tosugar. Available in Chinese markets.Maple Syrup: Boiled-down sap of mapletrees. It takes 40 liters of sap to make oneliter of syrup. Maple syrup has twice asmuch calcium as milk. Not all maple syrupis pure; some contains traces of formaldehyde,a carcinogen, so it is best to buyorganic maple syrup.Molasses: Unsulphured molasses is madefrom the juice of sun-ripened cane; sulfuredmolasses is a byproduct of refined sugar;blackstrap molasses is the residue of thecane syrup after the sugar crystals havebeen separated. It is very nutritious, withhigh levels of calcium, iron, and potassium.Natural and Organic Sugar: These sweetenersare minimally processed sugar cane.The syrup is dehydrated, then milled into apowder.Rice Syrup: A traditional Asian sweetener,brown rice syrup is made from rice starchconverted into maltose, a complex sugar.Rice syrup is the mildest-flavored of the liquidsweeteners and contains trace amountsof B vitamins and minerals.Use it interchangeably with honey in cookingand baking, to sweeten hot or coldbeverages and cereals, or as a spread forfresh breads.Stevia: Stevia is derived from an herb nativeto Paraguay. It is extremely sweet, anda little goes a very long way.This herb is controversial as a sweetener,The FDA has approved it as a dietary sup-BIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za 25

YOUR HEALTHthe sweetest poison of allcarbohydrates like sugar are lumped togetherwith those carbohydrates which may or may notbe refined. The several types of carbohydrates areadded together for an overall carbohydrate total.Thus, the effect of the label is to hide the sugarcontent from the unwary buyer.Chemists add to the confusion by using theword “sugar” to describe an entire group of substancesthat are similar but not identical. Glucoseis a sugar found usually with other sugars, infruits and vegetables. It is a key material in themetabolism of all plants and animals.Many of our principal foods are converted intoglucose in our bodies.Glucose is always present in our bloodstream,and it is often called “blood sugar”.Dextrose, also called “corn sugar”, is derivedsynthetically from starch.Fructose is fruit sugar.Maltose is malt sugar.Lactose is milk sugar.Sucrose is refined sugar made from sugar caneand sugar beet.To use the word “sugar” to describe two substanceswhich are far from being identical, whichhave different chemical structures and whichaffect the body in profoundly different wayscompounds confusion. It makes possible moreflimflam from the sugar pushers who tell us howimportant sugar is as an essential component ofthe human body, how it is oxidized to produceenergy, how it is metabolized to produce warmth,and so on. They’re talking about glucose, ofcourse, which is manufactured in our bodies.However, one is led to believe that the manufacturersare talking about the sucrose which ismade in their refineries. When the word “sugar”can mean the glucose in your blood as well as thesucrose in your Coca-Cola, it’s great for the sugarpushers but it’s rough on everybody else.People have been bamboozled into thinkingof their bodies the way they think oftheir check accounts.If they suspect they have low blood sugar, theyare programmed to snack on vending machinecandies and sodas in order to raise their bloodsugar level. Actually, this is the worst thing to do.The level of glucose in their blood is apt to below because they are addicted to sucrose. Peoplewho kick sucrose addiction and stay off sucrosefind that the glucose level of their blood returnsto normal and stays there. Since the late 1960s,millions of Americans have returned to naturalfood. A new type of store, the natural food store,has encouraged many to become dropouts fromthe supermarket. Natural food can be instrumentalin restoring health. Many people, therefore,have come to equate the word “natural” with“healthy”.So the sugar pushers have begun to pervertthe word “natural” in order to misleadthe public.“Made from natural ingredients”, the televisionsugar-pushers tell us about product after product.The word “from” is not accepted on television.It should be. Even refined sugar is made fromnatural ingredients. There is nothing new aboutthat. The natural ingredients are cane and beets.But that four-letter word “from” hardly suggeststhat 90 per cent of the cane and beet have beenremoved.Heroin, too, could be advertised as being madefrom natural ingredients. The opium poppy is asnatural as the sugar beet. It’s what man does withit that tells the story. If you want to avoid sugarin the supermarket, there is only one sure way.Don’t buy anything unless it says on the labelprominently, in plain English: “No sugar added”.use of the word “carbohydrate” as a “scientific”word for sugar has become a standard defensestrategy with sugar pushers and many of theirmedical apologists. It’s their security blanket.Correct food combiningWhether it’s sugared cereal or pastry and blackcoffee for breakfast, whether it’s hamburgers andCANCER LINKED TO SUGARAccording to a study, women who consume ahigh dietary glycemic load may increase theirrisk of colorectal (colon) cancer. Glycemicload is a measure of how quickly a food’scarbohydrates are turned into sugars by thebody (glycemic index) in relation to theamount of carbohydrates per serving of thatfood.The study consisted of 38, 451 women whowere followed for almost eight years. Theparticipants filled out questionnaires abouttheir eating habits, so researchers couldexamine the associations of dietary glycemicload, overall dietary glycemic index, carbohydrate,fiber, non-fiber carbohydrate, sucrose,and fructose with the subsequent developmentof colon cancer. Researchers found thatwomen who ate the most high-glycemic-loadfoods were nearly three times more likely todevelop colon cancer.This study shows that not only can a diet richin sugar boost the risk of type 2 diabetes andcontribute to obesity, but it may also lead tocolon cancer.Journal of the National Cancer InstituteFebruary 4, 2004;96(3):229-233Coca-Cola for lunch or the full “gourmet” dinnerin the evening, chemically the average Americandiet is a formula that guarantees bubble, bubble,stomach trouble. unless you’ve taken too muchinsulin and, in a state of insulin shock, need sugaras an antidote, hardly anyone ever has cause totake sugar alone. Humans need sugar as muchas they need the nicotine in tobacco. Crave it isone thing-need it is another.From the days of the Persian Empire to ourown, sugar has usually been used to hop up theflavor of other food and drink, as an ingredientin the kitchen or as a condiment at the table. Letus leave aside for the moment the known effect ofsugar (long-term and short-term) on the entiresystem and concentrate on the effect of sugartaken in combination with other daily foods.THE DANGERS OF ASPARTAMEThe dangers of aspartame poisoning have been a well guarded secretsince the 1980s. Aspartame is a dangerous chemical food additive,and its use during pregnancy and by children is one of the greatestmodern tragedies of all.Why haven’t you heard about aspartame poisoning before? Partlybecause the diet industry is worth billions of American dollars tocorporations, and they want to protect their profits by keeping thetruth behind aspartame’s dangers hidden from the public.After more than twenty years of aspartame use, the number of itsvictims is rapidly piling up, and people are figuring out for themselvesthat aspartame is at the root of their health problems.There are over 92 different health side effects associated with aspartameconsumption. It seems surreal, but true. How can one chemicalcreate such chaos?Aspartame dissolves into solution and can therefore travel throughoutthe body and deposit within any tissue. The body digests aspartameunlike saccharin, which does not break down within humans.Source: Dr Janet Hull, author of 10 Steps To DetoxificationFor a lot more information on aspartame, other sweeteners and thedangers of refined sugar, please visit our website:http://biophile.co.za26 BIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za

When Grandma warned that sugared cookiesbefore meals “will spoil your supper”,she knew what she was talking about.Her explanation might not have satisfied achemist but, as with many traditional axiomsfrom the Mosaic law on kosher food and separationin the kitchen, such rules are based on yearsof trial and error and are apt to be right on thebutton. Most modern research in combining foodis a labored discovery of the things Grandma tookfor granted. Any diet or regimen undertaken forthe single purpose of losing weight is dangerous,by definition. Obesity is talked about and treatedas a disease in 20th-century America. Obesityis not a disease. It is only a symptom, a sign, awarning that your body is out of order. Dietingto lose weight is as silly and dangerous as takingaspirin to relieve a headache before you know thereason for the headache.Getting rid of a symptom is like turning off analarm. It leaves the basic cause untouched. Anydiet or regimen undertaken with any objectiveshort of restoration of total health of your bodyis dangerous. Many overweight people areundernourished. (Dr. H. Curtis Wood stressesthis point in his 1971 book, Overfed But Undernourished.)Eating less can aggravate this condition, unlessone is concerned with the quality of the foodinstead of just its quantity. Many people-doctorsincluded-assume that if weight is lost, fat islost. This is not necessarily so. Any diet whichlumps all carbohydrates together is dangerous.Any diet which does not consider the quality ofcarbohydrates and makes the crucial life-anddeathdistinction between natural, unrefinedcarbohydrates like whole grains and vegetablesand man-refined carbohydrates like sugar andwhite flour is dangerous.Any diet which includes refined sugar andwhite flour, no matter what “scientific” nameis applied to them, is dangerous.Kicking sugar and white flour and substitutingwhole grains, vegetables and natural fruits in season,is the core of any sensible natural regimen.Changing the quality of your carbohydrates canchange the quality of your health and life. If youeat natural food of good quality, quantity tends totake care of itself. Nobody is going to eat a halfdozensugar beets or a whole case of sugar cane.Even if they do, it will be less dangerous than afew ounces of sugar.Sugar of all kinds-natural sugars, such as thosein honey and fruit (fructose), as well as the refinedwhite stuff (sucrose)-tends to arrest the secretionof gastric juices and have an inhibiting effect onthe stomach’s natural ability to move. Sugars arenot digested in the mouth, like cereals, or in thestomach, like animal flesh. When taken alone,they pass quickly through the stomach into thesmall intestine. When sugars are eaten with otherfoods-perhaps meat and bread in a sandwichtheyare held up in the stomach for a while.The sugar in the bread and the Coke sit therewith the hamburger and the bun waiting forthem to be digested. While the stomach is workingon the animal protein and the refined starchin the bread, the addition of the sugar practicallyguarantees rapid acid fermentation under theconditions of warmth and moisture existing inthe stomach. One lump of sugar in your coffeeafter a sandwich is enough to turn your stomachinto a fermenter. One soda with a hamburger isenough to turn your stomach into a still. Sugaron cereal-whether you buy it already sugared ina box or add it yourself-almost guarantees acidfermentation.Since the beginning of time, natural lawswere observed, in both senses of that word,when it came to eating foods in combination.Birds have been observed eating insects at oneperiod in the day and seeds at another. Otheranimals tend to eat one food at a time.Flesh-eating animals take their protein rawand straight. In the Orient, it is traditional to eatyang before yin. Miso soup (fermented soybeanprotein, yang) for breakfast; raw fish (more yangprotein) at the beginning of the meal; afterwardscomes the rice (which is less yang than the misoand fish); and then the vegetables which are yin.If you ever eat with a traditional Japanese familyand you violate this order, the Orientals (if yourfriends) will correct you courteously but firmly.The law observed by Orthodox Jews prohibitsmany combinations at the same meal, especiallyflesh and dairy products. Special utensils for thedairy meal and different utensils for the fleshmeal reinforce that taboo at the food’s source inthe kitchen.Man learned very early in the game whatimproper combinations of food could do to thehuman system. When he got a stomach achefrom combining raw fruit with grain, or honeywith porridge, he didn’t reach for an antacidtablet. He learned not to eat that way.When gluttony and excess became widespread,religious codes and commandments were invokedagainst it. Gluttony is a capital sin in most religions;but there are no specific religious warningsor commandments against refined sugar becausesugar abuse-like drug abuse-did not appear onthe world scene until centuries after holy bookshad gone to press.“Why must we accept as normal what we find ina race of sick and weakened human beings?” Dr.Herbert M. Shelton asks. “Must we always takeit for granted that the present eating practicesof civilized men are normal?... Foul stools, loosestools, impacted stools, pebbly stools, much foulgas, colitis, hemorrhoids, bleeding with stools,the need for toilet paper are swept into the orbitNATURALSWEETENERSplement, but not as a sweetener. Availableas a greenish or white powder, Steviaimparts a powerful sweetness with anherbal undertone. As sweeteners go, it isquite expensive, though a little goes a very,very long way.NOTE: Aspartame (brands Nutrasweet orEqual), and saccharin, are artificial sweeteners.A significant body of evidence suggeststhat artificial sweeteners can causehealth problems. Many doctors now warmpregnant women to avoid any productscontaining Aspartame.Sweetener Equivalents for 1/2 Cup ofSugarBarley Malt: 1 1/2 cupDate Sugar: 1 cupFruit Juice Concentrate: equal to sugarGranular Fruit Sweeteners: equal to sugarHoney: 1/3 cupMaltose (from sprouted grains): 1 1/4 cupMaple Syrup: equal to sugarMolasses: 1/3 cupRice Syrup: 1 1/4 cupSorghum Syrup: 1/3 cupSucanat: equal to sugarOrganic sugar: equal to sugarTips for the TradeoffWhen a recipe doesn’t call for any liquid,such as for cookies, choose a dry, granularsweetener such as date sugar, or the cookieswill be too bread-like from the additionalflour needed for proper consistency.When you substitute liquid sweeteners fordry, you will need to reduce or eliminatethe liquid content of the recipe, and increasethe flour.For breads and pies, flavorful fruit juiceconcentrates and other liquid sweetenerswork wonderfully well.of the normal.”When starches and complex sugars (like thosein honey and fruits) are digested, they are brokendown into simple sugars called “monosaccharides”,which are usable substances-nutriments.When starches and sugars are taken together andundergo fermentation, they are broken down intocarbon dioxide, acetic acid, alcohol and water.With the exception of the water, all these areunusable substances-poisons. When proteins aredigested, they are broken down into amino acids,which are usable substances-nutriments. Whenproteins are taken with sugar, they putrefy; theyBIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za 27

YOUR HEALTHthe sweetest poison of allare broken down into a variety of ptomaines andleucomaines, which are nonusable substancespoisons.Enzymic digestion of foods preparesthem for use by our body. Bacterial decompositionmakes them unfit for use by our body. Thefirst process gives us nutrients; the second givesus poisons.Sugar and mental healthToday, pioneers of orthomolecular psychiatry,such as Dr. Abram Hoffer, Dr. Allan Cott, Dr.A. Cherkin as well as Dr. Linus Pauling, haveconfirmed that mental illness is a myth and thatemotional disturbance can be merely the firstsymptom of the obvious inability of the humansystem to handle the stress of sugar dependency.In Orthomolecular Psychiatry, Dr. Paulingwrites: “The functioning of the brain and nervoustissue is more sensitively dependent on the rate ofchemical reactions than the functioning of otherorgans and tissues.I believe that mental disease is for the most part“Why must we accept as normal what wefind in a race of sick and weakened humanbeings?”caused by abnormal reaction rates, as determinedby genetic constitution and diet, and by abnormalmolecular concentrations of essential substances.Selection of food (and drugs) in a world that isundergoing rapid scientific and technologicalchange may often be far from the best.”In Megavitamin B3 Therapy for Schizophrenia,Dr. Abram Hoffer notes: “Patients are alsoadvised to follow a good nutritional programwith restriction of sucrose and sucrose-richfoods.” Clinical research with hyperactive andpsychotic children, as well as those with braininjuries and learning disabilities, has shown:“An abnormally high family history of diabetesthatis, parents and grandparents who cannothandle sugar; an abnormally high incidence oflow blood glucose, or functional hypoglycemiain the children themselves, which indicates thattheir systems cannot handle sugar; dependenceon a high level of sugar in the diets of the verychildren who cannot handle it.“Inquiry into the dietary history of patientsdiagnosed as schizophrenic reveals the diet oftheir choice is rich in sweets, candy, cakes, coffee,caffeinated beverages, and foods prepared withsugar. These foods, which stimulate the adrenals,should be eliminated or severely restricted.”“In more than twenty years of psychiatricwork,” writes DR Thomas Szasz, “I have neverknown a clinical psychologist to report, on thebasis of a projective test, that the subject is anormal, mentally healthy person. While somewitches may have survived dunking, no ‘madman’survives psychological testing... there is nobehavior or person that a modern psychiatristcannot plausibly diagnose as abnormal or ill.”In the 1940s, DR John Tintera rediscoveredthe vital importance ofthe endocrine system,especially the adrenalglands. In 200 casesunder treatment forhypoadrenocorticism(the lack of adequateadrenal cortical hormone production or imbalanceamong these hormones), he discovered thatthe chief complaints of his patients were oftensimilar to those found in persons whose systemswere unable to handle sugar: fatigue, nervousness,depression, apprehension, craving for sweets, inabilityto handle alcohol, inability to concentrate,allergies, low blood pressure. Sugar blues!Dr Tintera finally insisted that all his patientssubmit to a four-hour glucose tolerance test(GTT) to find out whether or not they couldhandle sugar. The results were so startling thatthe laboratories double-checked their techniques,then apologized for what they believed to beincorrect readings. What mystified them wasSUGAR CAUSESENVIRONMENTALCATASTROPHESA high-sugar diet is slowly fattening andsickening us, but we’re getting off easy: itturns out that sugarr is killing endangeredFlorida panthers, not to mention the ecosystemin which they live. Almost 700 000 acresof the Florida Everglades have been drainedto create the Everglades Agricultural Area,about 80% of which is used by the state’spowerful sugar industry to grow cane. Phosphorusand nitrates from fertilizers drainfrom farms into the Everglades, causinggrasses to grow rapidly and choke out wadingbirds, keeping them from feeding while alsoaltering water chemistry so that algae – thebase of the food chain – can no longer supportspecies that feed on it.The Great Barrier Reef suffers similar effectsfrom Australia’s sugar industry. Fertilizercauses massive growths of plankton whichsupport an increase in species that competewith coral for space on the ocean floor. Addin the up to 150 tons per acre of topsoil thatcan wash from the cane fields into waterways,and sugar looks like the main ingredientin a recipe for disaster.SOURCE: Grist Magazinethe low, flat curves derived from disturbed, earlyadolescents.These conditions might seem to arise or becomeaggravated at puberty, but probing into thepatient’s past will frequently reveal indicationswhich were present at birth, during the first yearof life, and through the preschool and grammarschool years. Each of these periods has its owncharacteristic clinical picture.This picture becomes more marked at pubescenceand often causes school officialsto complain of juvenile delinquency orunderachievement.FRUCTOSE: NOT THE ANSWERIf you consider fructose a safe, natural sugar,think again. You’ve been had by one of the biggestnutritional bait-and-switch ploys in years. Fructoseand high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) havebeen aggressively promoted as natural sugars.“Fructose is not from fruit. It’s a commercial, refinedsugar,” asserts Robin Rogosin, research coordinatorat Mrs. Gooch’s Natural Foods Marketin Beverly Hills.“People should avoid fructose,” urges John Yudkin,M.D., Ph.D., professor emeritus at QueenElizabeth College, London, and an expert on thehealth effects of sugar.FRUCTOSE FACTS• Fructose has no enzymes, vitamins, and mineralsand robs the body of its micronutrient treasuresin order to assimilate itself for physiologicaluse.• Fructose interacts with oral contraceptives andelevates insulin levels in women on “the pill.”• Fructose-fed subjects lose minerals. They hadhigher faecal excretions of iron and magnesiumthan did subjects fed sucrose.• Fructose converts to fat more than any othersugar.• Fructose inhibits copper metabolism. A deficiencyin copper leads to bone fragility, anemia,defects of the connective tissue, arteries, andbone, infertility, heart arrhythmias, high cholesterollevels, heart attacks, and an inability to controlblood sugar levels.Reprinted from www.nancyappleton.com.Dr. Appleton is a clinical nutritionist, researcher, lecturer,and author of Lick the Sugar, Healthy Bones, HealYourself With Natural Foods and her new book Lick theSugar Habit.28 BIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za

A birthday party for a 4-year old... without sugarBy Colleen HuberNow that my son is four, he is old enough to have figured out that hemust have a birthday party and invite his friends over.A Happy Healthy Birthday Treat1.5 kg fresh fruit, especially berries or peaches, cut into chunks.3 Granny Smith or other tart apples, peeled and diced (to providepectin for thickening)Simmer all the fruit together over medium heat for about 50 minutesor until boiled down. While the fruit is cooking, stir often to avoidburning the bottom of the pan and be sure to mash the fruit chunks.The apple will need extra mashing to combine thoroughly.Cool thoroughly before using.To layer the cake, take a salad bowl or serving bowl and spreadabout a 1.5cm thick layer of mousse (boiled sweet potatoes mashedtogether with just enough carob powder to darken it) on the bottom.Then, layer about a half-inch of the cooled preserves.Then, top with another layer of mousse. Finally, layer thin bananaslices for the last layer. Next, put a serving plate on top of the bowland turn the whole thing over. With a knife, gently ease the moussecake away from the sides and bottom of the bowl.Once the bowl is free, use the knife to smooth any rough edges onthe cake caused by the transfer.You could decorate the top with more banana slices or berries.The finished product holds candles well.Summer SubstitutesFor a summer-time birthday party for children you could make watermelon-onlypopsicles. These are made by stuffing small chunks ofwatermelon into popsicle molds and freezing for a couple of hours.Peach and plum chunks also work well.A Peaceful Party With Four and Five-Year OldsThe eaters ate quickly. The small-quantity eaters considered eating.The fidgeters fidgeted. But, when presents were announced, all foodwas quickly forgotten about as the five boys rushed into the livingroom. Most parents have seen once sweet and obedient childrenturn into cranky misbehaved rascals after eating sugar, but this partywas quite different. It started at 5 pm, and ended around 8 pm, withonly one incident of tears after too much roughhousing and onecase of sleepiness.The last hour was actually the most peaceful time, as the childrenquietly worked together completing a big floor puzzle.Parents Can Have Fun TooMost of us have been a part of a social event that was brought to ahalt when a kids’ behavior became intolerable to the point of havingto remove them from the party. However, the good behaviordisplayed by all the children at my son’s birthday party was enoughto make one think, “Gee, if kids can act this good without sugar, thenmaybe they should never have it at all!”A glucose tolerance test at any of these periodscould alert parents and physicians and couldsave innumerable hours and small fortunes spentin looking into the child’s psyche and homeenvironment for maladjustments of questionablesignificance in the emotional development of theaverage child.The negativism, hyperactivity and obstinate resentmentof discipline are absolute indications forat least the minimum laboratory tests: urinalysis,complete bloodcount, PBI determination, andthe five-hour glucose tolerance test.A GTT can be performed on a young child bythe micro-method without undue trauma to thepatient. As a matter of fact, I have been urgingthat these four tests be routine for all patients,even before a history or physical examination isundertaken.In almost all discussions on drug addiction,alcoholism and schizophrenia, it is claimed thatthere is no definite constitutional type that fallsprey to these afflictions.While Egas Moniz of Portugal was receiving aNobel Prize for devising the lobotomy operationfor the treatment of schizophrenia, Tintera’s rewardwas to be harassment and hounding by thepundits of organized medicine. While Tintera’ssweeping implication of sugar as a cause of whatwas called “schizophrenia” could be confined tomedical journals, he was let alone, ignored.He could be tolerated-if he stayed in his as-signed territory, endocrinology. Even when hesuggested that alcoholism was related to adrenalsthat had been whipped by sugar abuse, they lethim alone; because the medicos had decidedthere was nothing in alcoholism for them exceptaggravation, they were satisfied to abandon it toAlcoholics Anonymous.However, when Tintera dared to suggest in amagazine of general circulation that “it is ridiculousto talk of kinds of allergies when there is onlyone kind, which is adrenal glands impaired...bysugar”, he could no longer be ignored.The allergists had a great racket going forthemselves. Allergic souls had been entertainingeach other for years with tall tales of exotic allergies-everythingfrom horse feathers to lobstertails. Along comes someone who says none ofthis matters: take them off sugar and keep themoff it. Perhaps Tintera’s untimely death in 1969 atthe age of fifty-seven made it easier for the medicalprofession to accept discoveries that had onceseemed as far out as the simple oriental medicalthesis of genetics and diet, yin and yang.Today, doctors all over the world are repeatingwhat Tintera announced years ago:nobody, but nobody, should ever be allowedto begin what is called “psychiatric treatment”,anyplace, anywhere, unless and until they havehad a glucose tolerance test to discover if theycan handle sugar.So-called preventive medicine goes further andsuggests that since we only think we can handlesugar because we initially have strong adrenals,why wait until they give us signs and signals thatthey’re worn out?Take the load off now by eliminating sugarin all forms and guises, starting with that fizzydrink you have in your hand. The mind trulyboggles when one glances over what passes formedical history.Through the centuries, troubled souls havebeen barbecued for bewitchment, exorcisedfor possession, locked up for insanity, torturedfor masturbatory madness, psychiatrised forpsychosis, lobotomised for schizophrenia.How many patients would have listened if thelocal healer had told them that the only thingailing them was sugar blues? VISIT OUR WEBSITEfor links to much moreinformation on the dangersof refined sugar, and healthyalternatives:www.biophile.co.zaBIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za 29

MINDFUL CONSUMPTIONA TALK BY THE BUDDHIST TEACHER THICH NHAT HANHAll things need food to be alive and to grow,including our love or our hate. Love is a livingthing, hate is a living thing. If you do notnourish your love, it will die. If you cut thesource of nutriment for your violence, yourviolence will also die. That is why the pathshown by the Buddha is the path of mindfulconsumption.The Buddha told the following story:There was a couple who wanted to cross thedesert to go to another country in order to seekfreedom. They brought with them their littleboy and a quantity of food and water. But theydid not calculate well, and that is why halfwaythrough the desert they ran out of food, and theyknew that they were going to die. So after a lot ofanguish, they decided to eat the little boy so thatthey could survive and go to the other country,and that’s what they did. And every time they atea piece of flesh from their son, they cried.The Buddha asked his monks, “My dear friends:Do you think that the couple enjoyed eating theflesh of their son?” The Buddha said, “It is impossibleto enjoy eating the flesh of our son. If youdo not eat mindfully, you are eating the flesh ofyour son and daughter, you are eating the fleshof your parent.”If we look deeply, we will see that eating canbe extremely violent. UNESCO tells us thatevery day, forty thousand children in the worlddie because of a lack of food. The grain thatwe grow in the West is mostly used to feed ourcattle. Eighty percent of the corn grown is usedto feed cattle to make meat. Ninety-five percentof the oats produced in the USA is not for us toeat, but for the animals raised for food. Of all theagricultural land in the US, 87 percent is used toraise animals for food.More than half of all the water consumedin the US whole purpose is to raise animalsfor food.It takes 25 000 liters of water to produce akilogram of meat, but only 200 liters to producea kilogram of wheat. A totally vegetarian dietrequires 1500 liters of water per day, while ameat-eating diet requires more than 20 000 litersof water per day.Raising animals for food causes more waterpollution than any other industry in the USAbecause animals raised for food produce onehundred thirty times the excrement of the entirehuman population. It means 40 000 kilogramsper second. Much of the waste from factoryfarms and slaughter houses flows into streamsand rivers, contaminating water sources.We are eating our country, we are eatingour earth, we are eating our children.And I have learned that more than half thepeople in the USA overeat.Mindful eating can help maintain compassionwithin our heart. A person withoutcompassion cannot be happy, cannot relate toother human beings and to other living beings.And eating the flesh of our own son is what isgoing on in the world, because we do not practicemindful eating.The Buddha spoke about the second kind offood that we consume every day – sense impressions– the kind of food that we take in by the wayof the eyes, the ears, the tongue, the body, and themind. When we read a magazine, we consume.When you watch television, you consume. Whenyou listen to a conversation, you consume. Andthese items can be highly toxic. There may bea lot of poisons, like craving, like violence, likeanger, and despair. We allow ourselves to be intoxicatedby what we consume in terms of senseimpressions. We allow our children to intoxicatethemselves because of these products. That iswhy it is very important to look deeply into ourill-being, into the nature of our ill-being, in orderto recognize the sources of nutriment we haveused to bring it into us and into our society.The Buddha had this to say: “What has cometo be – if you know how to look deeply into itsnature and identify its source of nutriment, youare already on the path of emancipation.” Whathas come to be is our illness, our ill-being, oursuffering, our violence, our despair. And if youpractice looking deeply, meditation, you’ll be ableto identify the sources of nutriments, of food,that has brought it into us.Therefore the whole world has to practicelooking deeply into the nature of what weconsume every day.And consuming mindfully is the only way toprotect our world, ourselves, and our society.We have to learn how to consume mindfully as afamily, as a city, as a nation. We have to learn whatto produce and what not to produce in order toprovide our people with only the items that arenourishing and healing. We have to refrain fromproducing the kinds of items that bring war anddespair into our body, into our consciousness,and into the collective body and consciousness ofour nation, our society.Nowadays, I enjoy places where people do notsmoke. There are nonsmoking flights that you canenjoy. Ten years ago they did not exist, nonsmokingflights. And on every box of cigarettes there isthe message: “Beware: Smoking can be hazardousto your health.” That is a bell of mindfulness. Thatis the practice of mindful consumption. You donot say that you are practicing mindfulness, butyou are really practicing mindfulness. Mindfulnessof smoking is what allowed you to see thatsmoking is not healthy.Many people are very aware of the food they eat.They want every package of food to be labelled sothat they can know what is in it. They don’t wanteating forpeaceto eat the kind of food that will bring toxins andpoisons into their bodies. This is the practice ofmindful eating.But we can go further. We can do better, asparents, as teachers, as artists and as politicians.If you are a teacher, you can contribute a lotin awakening people of the need for mindfulconsumption, because that is the way to realemancipation. If you are a journalist, you havethe means to educate people, to wake people upto the nature of our situation. Every one of uscan transform himself or herself into a bodhisattvadoing the work of awakening. Because onlyawakening can help us to stop the course we aretaking, the course of destruction. Then we willknow in which direction we should go to makethe earth a safe place for us, for our children, andfor their children. Thich Nhat Hanh (pronounced Tick-Naught-Han) is a Vietnamese Buddhistmonk. During the war in Vietnam, heworked tirelessly for reconciliation betweenNorth and South Vietnam.His lifelong efforts to generate peacemoved Martin Luther King, Jr. to nominatehim for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967.He lives in exile in a small community inFrance where he teaches, writes, gardens,and works to help refugees worldwide.He has conducted many mindfulnessretreats in Europe and North Americahelping veterans, children, environmentalists,psychotherapists, artists and manythousands of individuals seeking peacein their hearts, and in their world.30 BIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za

GLOBALISATIONeating junkwhile thinking you’re in heavenDr. Vandana Shiva is thefounder and Director of TheResearch Foundation for Science,Technology and NaturalResource Policy, a networkof researchers specialising insustainable agriculture anddevelopment.She is also Ecology Adviserto the Third World Network,which aims to bring about agreater voice for people in theThird World, a fair and ecologicallysustainable distribution ofworld resources.Her books include:• Water Wars: Privatization,Pollution, and Profit• Stolen Harvest, theHijacking of the GlobalFood Supply• The Violence of the GreenRevolution: Third WorldAgriculture, Ecology andPolitics• Biopiracy: The Plunder ofNature and Knowledgeand many others.QYou are a leading opponentof fast food chains’expansion into India. What is thepresent situation?V.S.Pepsi subsidiary KentuckyFried Chicken issupposed to by now have opened30 outlets. They have only managedto have 2 running for a short whilebecause both – the one in Bangaloreand the one in Delhi – faced longtermprotests from people.The way Kentucky Fried Chickenmanaged to get its outlets opendespite the protests, was throughchanging standards, getting theGovernment of India to changethose standards and the permissiblelevel on MSG – Mono-sodiumGlutamate – which is now recognisedworldwide to be a healthhazard and which has wronglybeen called a food additive whenit is really a drug – which fools usby sending signals to our brain thatthere is taste in the food when thereis none. We are definitely going tocontinue our campaign against KFCand McDonald’s. I think they arewaiting for the feeling with KFC– the chicken is not as sacred as thecow in India so they thought that ifKentucky Fried Chicken can spreadthen they’ll come in behind.They have recently signed a contractwith the largest slaughterhouse inIndia, which has been facing protestbecause of the slaughter of cattle, theexport of meat – the conversion ofIndia from a culture of sacred andliving cows to being an exporter ofcattle meat.McDonalds, signing up this contract,will face not just the old protestsagainst junk food chains, but willalso face the campaigns against theslaughterhouse, and we are basicallyplanning to have very major roadblockades – liberating the cattleon their way to the slaughterhouse– ensuring that we really articulatethe campaign around the freedom ofanimals and the freedom of people,and not just the freedom for capitalthe way it is currently.QWill McDonald’s be able,through advertising, to sellthe “McDonald’s Experience” inIndia?V.S.VANDANA SHIVA ON MCDONALD’S, EXPLOITATION AND THE GLOBAL ECONOMYThe McDonald’s experience,which is really theexperience of eating junk whilethinking you are in heaven, becauseof the golden arches, which is supposedI guess to suggest that youenter heaven, and the clown RonaldMcDonald, are experiences that themajority of the Indian populationwould reject – I think that ourpeople are too earthy.First of all it would be too expensivefor the ordinary Indian – for thepeasant, or the person in the slums– it’s an experience that a very tinyelite would engage in, and most ofthat elite – which knows what goodfood is about – would not fall for.We do have one of the largest,most diverse food cultures – a verysophisticated food culture.But there is a small middle class anda tiny elite section that I believe feelsinferior about what they are, that hasbeen so subjected to the pressuresof Westernisation that they feelsecond-rate Westerners, and peoplewould go in for the experience notbecause of what the experience is,but for what it symbolises.There will definitely be a tiny, tinyfragment in our population, butsince we have a large population itwill be a large market which is whyMcDonald’s want to enter it.QV.S.Do you think the McLibelcase in the UK has widesignificance?I think the case is a very,very significant case – notjust because of the unaccountabiltiyof chains like McDonald’s, thatmisuse and exploit labour, misuseand exploit the environment, andmisuse and exploit consumers.I think it’s also important becausethere are new structures of unaccountabilitybeing created.For instance I used the McLibelcase in evidence I was giving to ourParliament on the formulation ofnew trade-mark laws, which actuallyhad clauses – because they werewritten under the pressure of GATTand free trade and the protection ofcapital – that actually had clausesthat said that if anyone was to use thename or the symbol of any companythat had a protected trade-mark inways that could hurt the image andthe product of that company thenit would be treated as a trademarkinfringement, and under the newversion of law would be treated asa criminal act – as an act allowingarrest without warrant.And I cited the case of the McLibelsuit to show that what is now anopening that people have in termsof challenging a company wouldnot be an opening if these new lawswere created.And we can’t afford it, because indemocracy unless citizens have theright to bring systems of accountabilityinto the relationship of corporationswith people, democracy isa farce – it is empty.QIs the information that iscoming out through theMcLibel case useful to your campaigning?The information that hasV.S. been made available tothe world by a handful of activists,making transparent the workings ofa globally-operating corporation likeMcDonald’s, is extremely importantbecause the advertising.The golden arches advertisingmakes it look as if here is a wonderfulsystem coming to your doorstep,superior to anything you have had– superior to your food, superior toyour production, superior to yourculture, your economy – and theMcLibel campaign has actuallybrought out to the front the undersideof the workings of a fast-foodchain like McDonald’s, the workingconditions under which people operate,the hazards people face – thehealth hazards.I think it is a particularly importantcase, in today’s time where withfree trade there is a lot of talk abouthow labour is exploited in the ThirdWorld, about child labour makingcarpets in India.I think it is very important to seethat McDonald’s is probably themost important exploiter of childlabour in the world.BIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za 31

GLOBALISATIONeating junk while thinking you’re in heavenQWhat do you see as theconnections betweenthe use of resources bymultinationals and Third Worldpoverty?V.S.The takeover of theglobal economy by globalcorporations based on wastefulproduction and based on actuallydestruction of livelihoods and jobs,is definitely becoming a very verymajor threat to the peoples of India.If we just take the case of the companieswho will supply the meatto McDonald’s – just by buying upcattle and leading to a slaughter ofthe living economy of cattle-basedagriculture, where cattle pull theploughs, provide the energy, providethe organic manure – are literallythe support base of sustainable agriculture.Within a few years we’ve had thedestruction of 300 000 livelihoods,with peasants losing their onlysource of economic survival. That’sa very direct attack on the survivalof people.But there’s a second level of attackon the survival of people, which isthe fact that food which today goestowards feeding the poor and thehungry in India will get diverted tofeed the animals which will then gointo fast food chains to feed, in Indiadefinitely, the elite.There is a third component relatedto it – that the land and water thattoday meets the survival needs ofthe people of India will get divertedto factory farms, will get diverted toproducing the meat base for thesechains.We are declaring that the resourcesof India are for the sustenance of theIndian people and not for the profitsof irresponsible corporations.QAt the Beijing Conferencein 1996 there was an anti-McDonald’s demonstration. Canyou tell us about it?V.S.If someone was toask me what was thehighlight of Beijing, I would definitelynot say it was Hillary Clinton’sspeech.I would say it was the demonstrationof the women against the McDonald’soutlet at the NGO Forum, andthe protest really was an initiativeof the younger women at a lecture Iwas giving on how the control overthe food system is shifting, throughvarious mechanisms, into the handsof a few corporations.And one of the young women stoodup and said: ‘Did you know thatRonald McDonald is here withouta visa? Do you think he should behere?’ I said well if they can makesuch a fuss about the Tibetans notgetting visas I think we should makea lot of fuss about Ronald McDonaldhere without the permission of theNGO Forum – after all McDonald’sis not an NGO! What’s it doing inthe NGO Forum? The youngerwomen started the march and askedif I would join and I was only toohappy to join.QWhat do you mean whenyou say that McDonald’s isthe most important exploiter ofchild labour in the world?V.S.There’s so much fussin the world about theexploitation of child labour and Ithink it would be helpful if Westerncountries focused as much on theexploitation of child labour byMcDonald’s as they do on the carpetindustry of India – where of coursethere should be no child labour andwe are absolutely determined thatit should end – that child labourshould also end in McDonald’soutlets.I have met with people who startedtheir community organising indifferent parts of the world, aroundthe way McDonald’s hires schoolchildrenat below wage levels – theystart doing badly in school, they ofcourse don’t make enough money“The way McDonald’s works sounds so much like thepre-perestroika Soviet Union to me, except that the wholeworld was outraged by the centralised control of communistregimes – we don’t get so outraged with the authoritarianismof corporations which have no accountability.”– and has introduced a culture ofdisplacing adult workers – gettingaway from labour laws – whiledestroying children’s educationalopportunities.And at every level – the way theywork without minimum wages,without labour standards, showshow unaccountable the corporateworld is becoming.I don’t think we should worry asmuch about applying labour standardsto governments of the world– we need to be thinking about howto apply labour standards to thecorporations of the world.QV.S.What strategies mightMcDonald’s use in India tosuppress criticism of themselves?I think the way new intellectualproperty rightsregimes – like the trade-mark laws– are evolving, where they are wideningbeyond infringement in termsof competitive production – usingnames and symbols in a deceptiveway – into an encroachment intocriminalisation of civil liberties, aresome of the new mechanisms thatcorporations like McDonalds couldactually use to suppress criticism.And I think that corporations, likeMcDonald’s, who are on the onehand destroying entire food culturesof the world and on the otherhand not giving safe and healthyfood to people, there is going to bean inevitable outcry against theiroperations and they know it.Therefore to maintain business inthe face of deception they have tocontrol dissent in all kinds of ways.As long as operations like this exist– coercive measures, authoritarianmeasures, using the legal system,against people will be inevitable.The way McDonald’s works soundsso much like the pre-perestroikaSoviet Union to me, except thatthe whole world was outraged bythe centralised control of communistregimes – we don’t get sooutraged with the authoritarianismof corporations which have no accountability.I really think that citizens havestarted to recognise that thefreedom of citizens is inconsistentwith the freedom of corporationslike McDonald’s have of using legalmeans in irresponsible ways.QDo you think McDonald’sexpansion into India willhave an adverse effect on people’sdiet and health?V.S.I think across theworld the evidence isso strong that any society that shiftedits eating patterns to meat-basedfast-food chains has had problems– Singapore is having to set up newobesity clinics, Japan has had a 70%increase in food-related illnessesbecause of the kind of problemsfast food chains like McDonald’s arebringing.I was recently reading a New Scientistarticle which says the biggestsource of epidemics and disease isnow the hamburger, including allthe backward chains into Mad CowDisease, beef and the rest – howfactory farming and the processingjointly combine such a potenthealth hazard for people.I think that the evidence is clearacross cultures and across races– McDonald’s is doing no good topeople’s health, and in a country likeIndia where first of all we are nota meat culture, and therefore oursystems are ill-adapted to meat inthe first place, and where people arepoorer – shifting to a diet like thiswill have an enormous impact. 32 BIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za

ACTIVISMlet the boycott begin!By Paul RockwellThe US election is simply unacceptable.No president, no matterhow large the vote, has any authorityto commit war crimes, to destroycities from the air, to createinhuman prison systems beyondthe rule of law, to violate the sovereigntyof states.No franchise anywhere entitlesany leader to subjugate foreign peoples,or to violate international law.Far from being a democratic “mandate”for Bush, the 2004 US electionwas a mandate for world-wideresistance.No country is more market-driven,more intertwined with foreigncommerce and trade, more dependenton the good will of workers andconsumers, than the United States.Its war machine depends on partsproduced in foreign countries, andthere is growing feeling throughoutthe world that farmers, entrepreneurs,workers and consumersshould do unto the US what the USdoes unto others.As peace organizations formulatestrategy and co-ordinate actions,the teachings of Arundhati Roy, themost visionary and sagacious strategiston the world stage, take on immediatesignificance.In her address at the World SocialForum in Porte Allegre, Brazil,in 2003, Roy put out a call fora new strategy of non-cooperation.Steeped in the traditions of Gandhi,Roy’s books and speeches emphasizethe economic vulnerability ofthe US empire.“The US economy,” she writes,“is strung out across the globe. It’seconomic outposts are exposed andvulnerable. Our strategy must be toisolate Empire’s working parts anddisable them one by one. No targetis too small. No victory too insignificant.”“We could reverse the idea of economicsanctions imposed on poorcountries by Empire and its Allies.We could impose a regime of People’sSanctions on every corporationthat has been awarded a contractin post-war Iraq. Each one ofthem should be named, exposedand boycotted-forced out of business.It would be a great start.”Weekend protests, Roy tells us, arenot enough. “What we need to discussurgently are strategies of resistance...Gandhi’ssalt march was notjust political theatre.In a simple act of defiance, thousandsof Indians marched to the seaand made their own salt. It was a directstrike at the economic underpinningof the British Empire.”“The Internet is buzzing withelaborate lists of American andBritish government products andcompanies that should be boycotted...Theycould become a practicalguide that directs and channels theamorphous but growing fury in theworld.”The Pending WorldwideBoycottAll over the world, peace andanti-globalization movements arepreparing to put Roy’s conceptsinto practice. They are calling for anew kind of strategy to end the occupationof Iraq: a well-organized,sustained boycott of US and Britishgoods.In its range and scope, the comingboycott (including divestmentfrom US corporations) could resemblethe historic boycott of SouthAfrican apartheid.The theme of the boycott, unencumberedby riders or secondarydemands, is clear and simple: endthe heinous occupation of Iraq.The boycott will not subside untilall US and British troops are withdrawnfrom the sovereign soil ofIraq; until all US military bases aredismantled; until all US corporationson Iraqi soil are closed down.Spontaneous BoycottsAre already HappeningSporadic and spontaneous boycotts,local in form, have been takingplace in cities throughout theglobe. National Public Radio (US)reports that thousands of Europeans,repulsed by the election ofBush, are refusing to buy Americangoods. One placard in a Paris windowsays: “Promote peace. Don’tbuy American.”According to Pulitzer Prize-winningjournalist Seymour Hersh,Europe is simmering. “You’re goingto see American profits disappear.American corporations are going tobe in big trouble. It’s going to be amantra not to buy American. All ourmajor manufacturers are reportingmajor slowdowns in Europe. You’regoing to see the dollar disappear.”The boycott is spreading.Greenpeace is already involved ina boycott against Exxon-Esso andMobil Oil.Fermiamo La Guerre, a coalitionof peace groups in Italy, called for aboycott of Esso when the US invasioncommenced.Sales of Pepsi and Coca Cola haveplummeted in the Mideast duringthe occupation, and Islamic nationsare creating alternative cola drinkscalled Zam Zam and Mecca Cola.Iran banned ads for US-manufacturedgoods.South African protesters in CapeTown demanded that Denel, aSouth African contractor, cancelall its contracts to supply militarycomponents to the US war machine.The people of South Africaare well aware of the power of boycotts.As South Africa’s Indymedia putit: We must “take aim at the onlything that can bring Bush to hisknees – the American economy.”Fast-food chains-Pizza Hut andKentucky Fried Chicken – are undera boycott in Pakistan. As onemember of the Islamist Party said:“We must stop buying anythingAmerican or British. We must hurtAmerican interests as much as possible.”The Myth of US InvincibilityMussolini once said there is nogreater sin than looking weak. Allempires sustain themselves througha mystique of invincibility. The USis no exception. Its leaders nowchoose their words – “Shock andAwe,” “Operation Iron Hammer”– to cow the timid.But all of its nuclear weapons, allof its attack helicopters and B-52s,its power to turn mosques, hospitalsand cities into rubble; all of itstanks, cluster bombs, computers anddepleted uranium, cannot protectthe US empire from the ubiquityand power of non-cooperation.The US may post soldiers at itsforeign bases. It may continue tobribe foreign officials, to blackmailforeign governments.But its economic outposts, fromStarbucks to Disneyland, from Hollywoodfilms to corporations thatadvertise on Fox “News,” are openand vulnerable.It is the US that depends on thepeople of the world – on their land,their oil, their skills and labour,their buying power and good will– not the people of the world whodepend on the US. BIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za 33

CHILDRENsomething’sgonewrongWhat do we want from our educationalsystem? A reasonable guess at an answerwould be that we want our children’s talentsto be developed; we want them to knowsomething about the world they will moveinto as they mature, and we want them tohave the skills to cope with that world: wewant them to learn to ‘think’: to reason,analyse and evaluate. We want them to comeout with a good school-leaving certificate.What do we expect our children to learn?The usual curriculum contains subjects,languages and the sciences and humanities, butcareful reading of the syllabi shows that schoolingis intended to develop far more than contentknowledge. Children should be developing thethinking skills.What are we actually getting?Very little of any of the above. Something hasgone horribly wrong.Children are bored out of their minds (literally– hence the epidemic of the so-called AttentionDeficit Disorder!) My son asked me why hehad to go to school, it was so boring. He was inGrade 3! This results in a rapid loss of interest inlearning. How many teachers leave the professionbecause of their disillusionment with ‘the system’,because of the conflict in the classroom?Children in Grade 0 are being put on mindalteringdrugs to make them ‘concentrate’ – don’twe learn best when we are having fun? Childrenin Grade 1 are being told to repeat so that theycan cope with the ‘rigours’ of Grade 2. They aregiven homework, and tests. They live in fear offailure.stops the normal neural processing there, so thanbrain cells (neurons) can no longer make their‘connections’. Why? Because we are not supposedto fight and philosophize at the same time! So we‘forget’ what we have learned. Then we say, “I’mstupid; I have a poor memory. I’m really no goodat maths/science/afrikaans (whatever).” Once wehave said this, it becomes true!The emphasis has been so left-brained thatwe forget that children have right brains as well.The young genius learns to walk, talk, (and manipulateadults) by exploring the environment,and using all the senses: everything is touched,tasted, smelled – and repeated ad infinitum untilmastered! The baby is learning by having fun.When did your child last have fun at school?Instead of developing the mind, it would appearthat we are doing the reverse. A research projectin the UK found that children aged 6 are severalpoints higher on the IQ scale than children tenyears back – but this declines over the next tenyears! It then goes up several points when theyreach their 20s. What does this tell us about theeffectivity of schooling?Schools have your child for most of the day– and then give piles of homework, which furtherdepletes ‘free’ time, and leads to conflict withMom and Dad. More stress is created withinfamilies by this than any other cause! Yet howmuch learning is actually taking place during theschool hours? Many of the youngsters brought tome with educational ‘problems’ admit that theycan sit in a class and not hear a single one of the‘words of wisdom’. Some can emerge from theby Dr. Elaine LeeElaine has taught at a number of schoolsand institutions over the past 30 years,including lecturing at Wits University, JCEand Promat colleges. She has an Honoursdegree in History, and a Ph.D from LondonUniversity; an M.Ed. from Wits, and an H.Dip.Ed (Post-Grad) from UNISA.In addition she has studied AcceleratedLearning, Photo-reading, Educational Kinesiology,NLP, PNI and Reiki. She has writtenmany articles on educational issues, and hasworked as an independent Education Consultantsince 1994. She works extensivelywith Indigo and Crystal children.system barely literate, with a hatred of reading.Why?There are so many pressures on the averageteacher that real relationships with their‘learners’ (is that an appropriate term under thecircumstances?) do not develop. It’s frighteningto think how many of us went into teachingbecause we wanted to help in some way, only tofind that we were stuck in a nightmare situationwhere we teach subjects, not people! We “have toget them through the syllabus”. In my first year ofteaching, I covered the syllabus – but not many ofthe children in my classes did.Today’s children are different.You and I, we more-or-less tolerated the longhours in the classroom. Some of the ‘new’children are less discreet, less tactful, and lesstolerant. If they are bored, they tend to say so!They do not give automatic ‘respect’ to theirelders, if they feel it is not deserved. These forthrightyoungsters are punished, but with no apparenteffect. We risk turning them into real rebels.These are the children described as “indigo”.There are other children who are less obstreperous,but who rebel in quieter ways. Theyare the “crystal” children. Given sympatheticFear is a real biochemical event: it’s calledthe ‘fight or flight’ syndrome.Your thalamus and hypothalamus senseanxiety and assume there is some real physicaldanger present, hence respond with adrenalin,to give you the ability to cope physically. In addition,lactic acids go to your stomach, in orderto slow the digestive process, so the child (andmany adults) develop “butterflies”, or stomachcramps – even spastic colon. Later: ulcers. Athird chemical, cortisol, floods the brain, and34 BIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za

An open letter to doctors,teachers and educatorsAllan Wohrnitz (BSc), National Coordinator, The Rights of Children Project in Educationcircumstances, these youngsters are centred, andspiritually-attuned.I have heard teachers deny that there is anychange in children, but after more years than Icare to remember of being involved in education,teacher-training, and helping these youngsters,oh yes, there is a change!These are innovators, they have enormousleadership potential, they are not here to becomesheep, and learn to conform in institutions thatare more akin to the military than anything else.What do they need?They need enthusiastic teachers who are passionateabout education and the subjects theyteach, and passionate about using methods thatwill result in interest, hence success.I have not ‘taught’ if my students have not‘learned’!They need more flexible time-tables whichallow for the brain’s natural rhythm – we CAN-NOT ‘concentrate’ for hours on end!The brain’s rhythm is a 90 minute cycle, alternatingbetween left and right hemispheres, andmoving between alpha and beta every 45 minutes.So, they in fact need much more time ‘out’– to allow new information to soak in! Parentstoo need to know that it is not possible to studyeffectively for hours on end without a break, ortwo, or three...NLP practitioners know that we have a preferencefor one learning mode above others, andmost children are kinesthetic/visual rather thanauditory learners. They NEED to fidget, to move.They are not designed to ‘sit still and listen’.Talking is not teaching. If only more ‘teachers’knew that!They need to discuss life, spiritual and otherissues. They need to explore the complexities ofrelationships. They need love and acceptance.They also sometimes need to question and challenge– and we should not be threatened by this!Therefore, to refer back to the questionsinitially posed: to get the benefits you expect foryour child, you are going to have to change theexisting system!We have begun a series of learning centreswhich use the approaches sketched above. Thesewill remain small and personalized, to avoid the‘military’ approach of ranked age groups. We payattention to body, mind and spirit.We teach the three R’s – respect for self, respectfor others, and responsibility.Hey, we also teach them to pass exams successfully!For further information, or to start a similarcentre in your area, contact Dr Elaine Lee at011 783 5661, or email: melee@global.co.zaAfter 2 years of thorough research, I havediscovered that the problem of childrenbeing prescribed mind-altering and addictivedrugs because they are inattentive orhyperactive is being allowed to continuebecause no one has stood up to make thetruth known about learning and behaviorproblems.Parents have been led to believe that learningproblems (like ADHD) are genetically inheritedneurological problems and that medication isthe correct treatment. The medication commonlyused is methylphenidate (trade name:Ritalin).Here are some facts to consider before attemptingto suspect, diagnose and prescribemind-bending drugs for ADHD.ADHD is not a disease.It has been invented by psychiatrists andvoted into existence in 1987. One cannot diagnoseADHD from a psychological assessment. Apsychologist or whoever does those tests is nottrained and qualified to diagnose neurologicaldiseases, not even a GP or paediatrician.If a doctor uses the assessment results as thebasis of diagnosis, he is not doing his job as adoctor.If there is a suspicion of a disorder or disease,the doctor is bound by the health act to followvery specific procedures of diagnosis beforeeven suggesting drugs as a treatment. Heeven has to advise the patient that there existoptions of other treatments before the patientcan consent to any treatment he/she chooses.The child must also have the risks (and treatmentoptions available to it) clearly explained.ADHD is not a neurological disease.There are no valid tests to prove the diseaseexists. There is only speculation that there areneurotransmitter imbalances, but these cannotbe measured and cannot be shown how muchand what are the correct neurotransmitterbalances.For a neurological disease to exist, only aneurologist is trained to diagnose such diseasesand this he does by accepted physical tests ofthe nervous system and will identify defects inthe nervous system. If he cannot show physicaldefects, then by definition there is no disease:no disease = no treatment.Methylphenidate has the same chemicalstructure as the street drug speed. It has highlyaddictive properties and UN reports publishedin 1971 carried warnings of its highly addictiveproperties and high abuse potential. Atthat time it became classified as a schedule iidrug (in the same class as amphetamines andcocaine).ADHD is not genetic.To show a genetic problem or identify agene, one has to show and demonstrate the“sequence of nucleotides (codons) that is tiedto a specific behavior”. To date, no-one hascome up with any specifics. The conclusionthat ADHD is genetic is based on speculationeven though it has now become a “well-knownfact” that ADHD is “80% genetic”. And yet nocodons have been identified!Advocating such as “facts” is misleading thepublic.In holland it is forbidden to promote ADHDas a brain disease due to inadequate evidenceof the existence of such a “disease”.At the ADHD consensus conference innovember 18, 1998, the panel, in its finalstatement announced: “... we do not have anindependent, valid test for ADHD, and thereare no data to indicate that ADHD is due to abrain malfunction.”Therefore, to promote the “fact” that ADHDis a disease and suggesting, recommending orprescribing drugs for this non-existent diseasecan be construed as negligence in legal termsand anyone found doing so could be committinga criminal offense.I urge you to treat this open letter withseriousness and responsibility. The majority ofparents do not want to drug their children. Themajority of teachers want to be able to educatethe children.But if any are encountering problems withchildren, there exist drug free solutions thatcan handle the condition. One does not haveto accept or cope with the problem. Theproblem can be handled. If a parent refuses todrug their child, one can look to the drug freeoptions available.The rights of children project in educationhas found solutions in the area of nutrition,study skills, tutoring, morals and parentingwhich anyone can reach for and use. Those solutionsare being used by thousands of peoplewith outstanding results.It is time to acknowledge that using mind-altering,highly-addictive drugs to treat childrenis a very dangerous option and a high risk.We need to advocate and promote the use ofworkable drug-free options. Recommendingdrugs as treatment can also be a violation ofthe child’s and parents human rights.Visit the website www.childrensrights.co.za or get a copy of the book “The RightsOf Children In Education” to find out the drugfree options.A practitioner is bound by the law to let thepatient know of available options. Parents whodo not wish to use drugs on their children astreatment should be advised to get a copy ofthe above mentioned book to find the optionsthat they feel will be best for their child.Drug free solutions work – know them anduse them. BIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za 35

CHILDRENI am Guinevere, Lady of Camelot, and Icome to bring to you the understandingand the message of the new children. Therehave been a number of new children comingto the Earth plane over the last 25 years,approximately. All of these souls bring lightand new energy to your planet. These childrenhave been named many different things.Some of them are called Indigo children. Theothers are named Crystal children, and thenew ones are called the Golden children.Their names are derived from the colours thatswirl in their energy fields. The Indigo childrencame first. They are the forerunners in the greatThose who do not understand the energy ofthe new children – Indigo, Crystal, as well asGolden children – have adopted a label for thesechildren, and they are labelled either as hyperactive,or what you may be familiar with – AttenthenewchildrenLady Guinevere,through Michelle Eloffchange. They have come to break certain systemsthat do not support the awakening of consciousness.They have come to break the systems offear and control. Some have labelled them the“system-busters” of your realm.These children – many of them adults now– have had to deal with very intense experiences.Their experience has allowed them to bring newconsciousness, as they have broken away fromthe old ways, shifting paradigms at an acceleratedrate.The Indigo children are here to assist the Goldenchildren who are arriving in their droves. TheCrystal children also have a very special and verypowerful vibration. Their task here is to awakenthe mind – to stretch it beyond the parametersthat society has become accustomed to. They areadjusting energy at an accelerated rate, forcingthe mind to accept concepts that were previouslynot even spoken of.A combination of the Indigo and the Crystalchildren is evident in the breakthrough of a lot ofwisdom being utilised to carry messages throughyour media. It has been very inspiring to see howthe media are using words and texts that havebeen brought by the wise sages and masters ofyour world.The Crystal children hold the frequencythat forces one, in a way, to move out ofvictim consciousness – to break out ofdenial.They are not very tolerant of “stories” in thesense of not telling them the truth of your feelings;of not being clear in your intentions or ofthe motivations behind your actions. The Goldenchildren are the ones we have come to speakabout specifically this evening. These souls comein service to support the grounding and full comingof the Golden Age. And Kuthumi has saidthat children do not have blueprints as you knowit; they have “goldprints”.Their task here is of vital importance, becausemany of the Golden children are highly evolved,ascended beings, taking human form once moreto support Gaia on her journey of transformation.And this journey of transformation is part of yourplan – part of what you have come to experiencein order to further evolve, and to understand theworld that will be left behind when you choose tomove forward.Your children have all chosen you for specificpurposes – not only your qualities as a soul oryour characteristics as a person, but for yourgenetic coding. As these children choose to comeinto form, they also support their parents-to-bein the intense processes of reconstructing thegenetic programmes with which you came intothis life.These souls have very specific plans. Therefore,they need a very solid foundation fromwhich to build the structure of their own lives.36 BIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za

tion Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or AttentionDeficit Disorder. We can safely say that at least92% of these children have been misdiagnosed.Their energy is so different to what the oldergeneration is accustomed to that they are beingtotally misunderstood.This has caused severe disruptions in theirenergy fields.However, there is always method in madness,and these souls are also offering the gift ofenlightenment to humanity by showing themthat they are not dysfunctional, but are, in truth,simply different.They have come to show the world that anew way needs to be found – must be found15 to 25 years gap in age; and in time, believe me,this is a very small gap.The new children are already – many of them– speaking words quite clearly before they are 18months old. Their ability to conceptualise ideas isquite phenomenal. Their motor skills are highlydeveloped, and their senses even more acute.These children are so in touch with who they arethat they do not allow others in their environmentto deny their own truth.Those of you who are parents to these childrenwill notice that your child will show youexactly when you are denying your own truth.society looks upon street children. Through theinfluence of their energy, many people will beinspired and motivated to erect centres wherethese children can be brought in and supportedin truly understanding the science of life, to healthemselves, and find the divine qualities withinto sustain their lives and to make a future forthemselves.These children are here to change the masses,and are being born all over the world.However, there are a number of them comingin to South Africa at this time, as well as the UK.It is part of the process of supporting the basechakra and the crown chakra. The ancient story“these children... emit very pure vibrations of light and of energy,and their capacity to love is beyond what you could imagine.”– for the consciousness of humanity to survivethe changes that you are all facing at this time.These children have very strong wills, especiallythe Golden children. They come into this worldknowing precisely who they are and why they arehere. The next time you are in the company ofa small child – a baby or a toddler – take sometime to connect visually with this child. Lookdeeply into his or her eyes, and make the contact.You will be amazed at what you see within thesechildren’s eyes: their wisdom, their wholeness,their confidence, and of course, their power.The Golden children are here to close thedoor on the old age; to take the whole ofhumanity into the new age – the Golden Age.All of you present in this room, besides thechildren, have prepared for these children tocome – the Indigos, the Crystals, and the Goldenchildren. It has been a very difficult path formany of you, especially where you have beenraised in homes where there has been darknesswith regard to religious beliefs.However, it has been worth the effort, and it isdue to your efforts – the efforts of your generationto survive – that these souls are coming intheir numbers, connected as they are.As more of these children come to your Earth,the more energy you are able to observe. They emitvery pure vibrations of light and of energy, andtheir capacity to love is beyond what you couldimagine. These children are far more advancedthat you were at the same age, and the Crystaland Golden children are observed to be evenmore advanced than the Indigos were – and thatis not a very big difference in age – approximatelyTheir tantrums and their moods are not onlybecause they may be uncomfortable or sad; theywill act out what you are not. They will show youwhat you have forgotten about yourselves, andremind you of the truth of the divine plan thatyou agreed to – to come in service.And as each day passes, you move closer toeven further awakening. And these souls arecoming in, quite “unexpectedly” to many of theirparents-to-be.In truth, no form of contraceptive can stopthese souls from coming in.There have even been accounts of mothersconceiving after their husbands have had a vasectomy,or their own tubes have been tied. Thereare even cases that have been recorded in yourmedical journals: one case, specifically, where awoman conceived without even having ovaries.She did not conceive only one child – she conceivedthree on separate occasions. This showsyou the determination of these souls.There is also an incident in Mexico City. Anearthquake tore down a hospital. In this hospitalwas a maternity ward with a number of newbornbabies. The search party searched for days onend.Eight days later, they gained access to what wasthe maternity ward, and removed 19 babies fromthe rubble – alive.Their power – their will to survive, to be here,is an example to the rest of the world on what ablessing the gift of life is.The Golden children will also be activating awhole new consciousness with regard to howof Camelot is being reactivated within the consciousnessof humanity, and these new childrenare connected to the time of Camelot, and manyof them had incarnations at that time, or were insome way involved in the creation of the energy,and still hold many of those templates of truthencodings of the systems of light within theirbodies. The reason for this is that King Arthurallowed humanity at that time to explore life – tofind their truth and to live their truth without anyjudgement; without anyone imposing their willupon another. And this honourable system needsto be rebirthed again.Everybody needs to be honoured in their truthof who they are and what they believe. The killingsthat take place as a result of what one doesor does not believe in must come to an end, andjust as thousands upon thousands of people losttheir lives during the time of Camelot and itsfall, hundreds of thousands of people are stilllosing their lives because of religious intolerance;because egos are threatened by those truths.The Golden children are showing the GoldenWay, and that the Golden Way is the way ofall truths – not just one.Whatever your truth is, is in truth, at one withthe Universal truth. So, many people speak differentlanguages, yet speak the same language. TheGolden children will bring this to the consciousrealisation of humanity. They are here to turneverything around. They are the future leadersof the world, and they need to be supported in avery different way to what you were used to. TheIndigo children prepared many people for this,and as the Crystal and the Golden children moveBIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za 37

CHILDRENthe new childrentogether hand in hand, so the systems can nowfinally change for once and for all.Many of these children have offered themselvesto science in order to show humanity what theold systems have done, and we’ll touch briefly onsome of these. The human body is a miracle. Itperforms magic every single day.These souls are showing humanity that their innertechnology has also evolved, and that whichwas used in the old days can no longer be used,and many of these children’s bodies are rejectingthese substances. Inoculations are one of them.It has been shown that certain after-effects ofinoculations are quite lethal, and certain cancershave been traced back to vaccinations.As your world has grown and become faster, sopeople have come to indulge in fast foods. Thisis also detrimental to the systems of these newchildren, because their constitution is so sensitivethat they cannot tolerate the amount of chemicalsand preservatives in the foods that you adults areable to consume.I would like to add that many of you who havebeen on your path for some time now are findingyour own bodies rejecting certain substances thatpreviously you could consume in vast quantities.This is as a result of the development of the energysystems of your bodies, and of the energy that isaccompanying these magnificent souls into yourworld.These children need to be honoured, andneed to be respected.If you expect these children to respect you, youhave to lead by example. This is the only way thatthese children can be disciplined.Discipline – as Kuthumi has explained onnumerous occasions – is not punishment. It isteaching. And if you want to teach your child howto value himself, you have to value your self. Theboundaries that you set need to be honoured, andyou need to ensure that the souls to which youhave been assigned to act as guardians respectthese boundaries.These children will test your boundaries– pushing them to the very limit, because theyneed to understand exactly what you are allabout. They cannot feel safe in their world withyou if they do not know you. So be prepared forthis. Be firm. Always be truthful, and above all,always be loving in your families.Children need boundaries to develop a strongsense of self. This allows them to explore theworld and themselves in a safe environment.These children are very in touch with theworlds beyond the one that you are in, and theywill come with ideas and experiences that willreally stretch your imagination.But please – do not be so hasty to shut them out.Allow them to share their world with you. Adultsare very quick to impose the adult world andexperience onto children. Adults have becomemiserable and closed because they have forgottenthe magic of being a child. They have forgottenthe reality of a child’s world and get caught up inthe adult illusion.When you honour a child’s truth, you beginto honour your own inner child’s truth, andyour world transforms.healthy diet = good behaviourImagine a high school werestudents actually behave– no discipline problems, noacting out, no violence tospeak of.Now imagine a high school werestudents actually concentrate ontheir schoolwork. Though it seemsimpossible, such is the case at oneWisconsin high school, and thereis only one factor separating themfrom other high schools in thecountry – diet.In 1997 the school instituted ahealthy lunch program. No longerwere the cafeterias filled with fastfoodnachos and French fries; insteadthey were filled with freshsalads, whole grain bread and fruit.At the same time, vending machineswere removed and good drinkingwater added.The program is based on work donesome 30 years ago by Dr. Feingold.He recommended that eliminatingsynthetic colors, synthetic flavors,and the preservatives BHA, BHT,and TBHQ, would be beneficialto health, learning and behaviorproblems in children. However, hisfindings were not accepted by mostmedical professionals at that time.Now that the healthier diet has beenin effect for close to five years, theschool shows amazing results. Inannual state reports, the school’s incidenceof dropouts, expulsion, druguse, weapons and suicide is zero. Ontop of this, reports say that gradeshave improved. This from a schoolthat previously reported having disciplineproblems and students carryingweapons.Critics have argued that healthymeal programs are too expensive formost high schools. However, costsfor vandalism, litter, and high securityhave gone down at the Wisconsinhigh school, which offsets costsof the nutritional meals.The healthy lunch program is catchingon, and a Wisconsin middleschool has already reported favorableresults. This scenario representsa real solution, one that could potentiallywipe out, or at least decrease,many of the behavior, violence, andlearning problems associated withthe common high school. 38 BIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za

“These children will test your boundaries – pushing them to thevery limit, because they need to understand exactly what youare all about. They cannot feel safe in their world with you ifthey do not know you. So be prepared for this. Be firm. Alwaysbe truthful, and above all, always be loving in your families.”This allows you to find a new truth whichautomatically changes your old so-called reality,and you recognise the illusion that you have beenliving in. And as your truth continues to change,so you move from one illusion into a new reality.That reality then becomes another illusion, andso you move into a new reality.The Golden children speed up this process,and bring new cycles within cycles.They have come to change the medical world;they have come to change religion into spirituality;they have come to show the world that a newsystem of education is imperative, and that learningyour ABC and divisions and fractions is notthe beginning and end of everything.These souls come to teach that a certain qualityof life must be experienced in order for a certainconsciousness to be present, and this is why youare finding that these children are having learningdifficulties. Many of them are also being labelleddyslexic, or perhaps they spell phonetically.The reason for this is that the old educationsystems have never been balanced.They are showing a new way through theirresponses to the old systems. It is vital that youhonour this. Because they are in a smaller bodythan your own does not mean for one minutethat they are less intelligent than you are.They are still in touch with so much of theirtruth that, in fact, many of them do know morethan you do, and they have more Earth wisdom.And they certainly have far more soul wisdom– which is sorely lacking in this arena.This is not a judgment; this is a fact – due tothe systems that you have been raised in.And we celebrate the opportunity for this tochange. Put your pride aside and let them showyou a new way. The children are even choosingnew systems in birthing their physical bodies,and this has become more common. More andmore people are choosing to give birth to theirbabies at home.More and more women are insisting on havingmidwifes present at the birth, using yoga andbreathing techniques to ease the pain of labourand childbirth.All of this are signs that things have alreadychanged, and are changing even more. As adultconsciousness merges with the consciousness ofthese new children, especially the Crystal andGolden children, you will find that the wholeis turned upside down, but in a very beneficialmanner.You will be amazed at how different yourworld looks when you are standing on yourhead, and you will realise that there arethings to see that you have never noticedbefore.The little one is quite amused at getting you tobe on your head and seeing the world from a newperspective. Or perhaps your little one will haveyou running around in circles that will have youso dizzy that you will realise that the world willnot stop for you. And as you head spins, so thenew insight comes.The story of Harry Potter is a powerful one.The woman who has written these stories haschannelled wonderful information, showingMichelle Eloff is Founder/Director of TheLightweaver & The Lightweaver ChildrensFund [www.thelightweaver.co.za] and isa well-known metaphysician, lecturer,clairvoyant, teacher, trance voice channel,author, counsellor, conflict managementmediator.Michelle can be contacted on 083 478-6777or michelle@thelightweaver.co.zathe world their potential; showing the worldhow easy it is to change one’s reality simply byimplementing a different truth, leaving the worldof illusion behind that most call the world ofnormality and reality, and venturing into a newsystem, and seeing what that world holds.There are a number of people who also believethat I, Guinevere, Lady of Camelot, King Arthurand all the knights are simply a myth, a marvellousstory that someone conjured up. Lord Merlinis a part of you.Many would be horrified to hear me say thatMerlin, Jesus, Maitreya, God – are all the same“people”. You don’t have to believe this; this is myexperience. You can feel this for yourself.The energy that these new children are bringingis being drawn from Sirius and from thegreat Central Sun.Many of them are drawing in energy from Venus,Andromeda, and Cassiopeia. These energysystems of light synchronise in the reconstructingof the genetic grid of Mother Earth.As you have a genetic system, so does she, andas she has chosen to change her consciousness, sothat is shifting and changing. The Sirian energyis being held by the dolphin kingdom presently,and this is why so many people are being drawnto these creatures, and more and more childrenwant to connect with dolphins.They recognise the dolphins as their brothersand sisters of the Star realm that they are sofamiliar with. By being able to interact with theirdolphin family, they are able to build their ownenergy in a more subtle way. They are also able toaccess codings that have been dormant until suchtime as they connect with the dolphins. So if yourchildren ask you to take them to the dolphins,honour this.If you are inspired to take children to dolphins,follow your heart – please. They need this. Thenew children are able to telepathically communicatewith these creatures, and could tell youstories if you would listen to them.They will allow the world to reunite with thenature kingdoms of animal, mineral and plant,and re-educate humanity in how to live in perfectharmony with the Earth. BIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za 39

YOUR HEALTHPART ONEforbidden curesThere are a number of alternative healing therapies that work so well and cost so little (compared to conventional treatment),that Organized Medicine, the Food & Drug Administration, and their overlords in the Pharmaceutical Industry (The BigThree) would rather the public not know about them.The Big Three have collectively engaged ina medical conspiracy for the better part of 70years to influence legislative bodies on boththe state and federal level to create regulationsthat promote the use of drug medicine whilesimultaneously creating restrictive, controllingmechanisms (licencing, government approval,etc) designed to limit and stifle the availability ofnon-drug, alternative modalities.The conspiracy to limit and eliminatecompetition from non-drug therapiesbegan with the Flexner Report of 1910.Abraham Flexner was engaged by John D.Rockefeller to run around the country and‘evaluate’ the effectiveness of therapies taughtin medical schools and other institutions of thehealing arts. Rockefeller wanted to dominatecontrol over petrolem, petrochemicals, andpharmaceuticals (which are derived from ‘coaltars’ or crude oil). He arranged for his company,Standard Oil of New Jersey to obtain a controllinginterest in a huge German drug cartel called I. G.Farben. He pulled in his stronger competitorslike Andrew Carnegie and JP Morgan as partners,while making other, less powerful players,stockholders in Standard Oil. Those who wouldnot come into the fold “were crushed” accordingto a Rockefeller biographer (W. Hoffman, David:Report on a Rockefeller {New York:Lyle Stuart,Inc., 1971}page 24.)The report Flexner submitted to The CarnegieFoundation was titled “Medical Education in theUnited States and Canada”. Page 22 of the reportsaid: “the privileges of the medical school canno longer be open to casual strollers from thehighway. It is necessary to install a doorkeeperwho will, by critical scrutiny, ascertain the fitnessof the applicant, a necessity suggested, in the firstplace, but consideration for the candidate, whosetime and talents will serve him better in someother vocation, if he be unfit for this, and in thesecond, by consideration for a public entitled toprotection from those whom the very boldnessof modern medical strategy equips with instrumentsthat, tremendously effective for good whenrightly used, are all the more terrible for harm ifignorantly or incompetently employed”.All too often, politicians are prepared toenact laws that rob citizens of yet anotherconstitutional freedom under the bannerof “public protection”.Needless to say, congress swallowed theTHE REASON IS OBVIOUS:alternative, non-toxic therapiesrepresent a potential loss of billions topharmaceutical companies.By Ken Adachirecommendations of this report hook, line, andsinker. It was decided that the American MedicalAssociation (AMA), would be the “doorkeeper”.The AMA was now empowered to certify or decertifyany medical school in the country on thegrounds of whether that school met the AMA’sstandards of “approved” medicine.The AMA came into existence in 1847. It isa private organization of allopathic physicianswhich serves the interests of its members, especiallywhen it comes to influencing favorablelegislation. It functions in every sense of theword as a union, although its members wearwhite collars instead of blue. Giving the AMA thepower over the certification of medical schools isthe equivalent of giving the Teamsters Union theexclusive right to decide on the laws of interstatecommerce and transportation. Is it any wonderthat the total number of medical schools in theUnited States went from 160 in 1906 (before theFlexner Report) to 85 in 1920 and further downto 69 schools in 1944? A little like putting the foxin charge of the hen house, no?Not surprisingly, Flexner ‘found’ that anydiscipline that didn’t use drugs to help curethe patient was tantamount to quackeryand charlatanism.Medical schools that offered courses inbioelectric Medicine, Homeopathy or EasternMedicine, for example, were told to either dropthese courses from their curriculum or lose theiraccreditation and underwriting support. A fewschools resisted for a time, but eventually mostschools cooperated (or were closed down). Asimilar scenario was played out in Canada. It wasattempted in England against Homeopathy, butit failed due to the personal intervention of theRoyal Family who had received much relief andhealing at the hands of Homeopathic healers inthe 19th century. By the way, the AMA was foundguilty of conspiracy against chiropractors in 1987by a federal judge and fined a couple of milliondollars. Here in America, a relentless campaignof misinformation, fraud, deception, and suppressionof alternative therapies and healers hasbeen in place for the better part of this century inorder to keep highly effective alternative therapiesfrom reaching any significant plateau of publicawareness. Control is exerted through “newsitems” and propaganda from pro-establishmentorganizations like The American Medical Association,The American Cancer Society, TheDiabetes Foundation, etc.; local medical boards;and government agencies like the FDA, TheNational Institute of Health (NIH), and TheNational Cancer Institute (NCI), The NationalAcademy of Science, etc. with the full cooperationof main-stream media of course .Over the past decades, hundreds of caring,concerned, and conscientious alternativehealers have been jailed and abused likecommon criminals for the “crime” of curingpeople of life-threatening diseases in an“unapproved” manner by heavy-handedgovernment agents who swoop down onclinics with drawn guns, flax jackets, andGestapo manners.All the while, these same agents and agenciesposture themselves before TV cameras and thepublic under the ludicrous pretense of beingservants of the people and protectors of the commongood.The medico-drug cartel was summed up byJ.W Hodge, M.D., of Niagara Falls, N.Y., in thesewords: ‘The medical monopoly or medical trust,euphemistically called the American MedicalAssociation, is not merely the meanest monopolyever organized, but the most arrogant, dangerousand despotic organization which ever manageda free people in this or any other age. Any andall methods of healing the sick by means of safe,simple and natural remedies are sure to be assailedand denounced by the arrogant leaders of theAMA doctors’ trust as fakes, frauds and humbugsEvery practioner of the healing art who does notally himself with the medical trust is denouncedas a ‘dangerous quack’ and impostor by the predatorytrust doctors. Every sanitarian who attemptsto restore the sick to a state of health by naturalmeans without resort to the knife or poisonousdrugs, disease imparting serums, deadly toxinsor vaccines, is at once pounced upon by thesemedical tyrants and fanatics, bitterly denounced,vilified and persecuted to the fullest extent.’(see The Drug Story for more revelations aboutthe AMA, the House of Rockefeller and thepharmaceutical industry)At long last, however, the public’s consciousnessseems to have finally reached a critical massand is now beginning to seriously question the40 BIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za

Non-cooperation with evil is as much a responsibilityas co-operation with good.Mahatma Gandhiefficacy and appropriateness of using orthodoxtherapies and allopathic medicine in general.Thank God. It’s been too long overdue.Understanding the Nature of Ill Health andDiseaseThe entire approach and foundation of OrthodoxMedicine is based on Luis Pasteur’s GermTheory, a flawed concept. A disease conditionis viewed by the orthodoxy as an isolated event,confined to the area in which it manifests itself(E.g. an ear infection, eye infection, gum infection,lung cancer, skin cancer, etc. ). Under thistheory, for unknown reasons, microbes or tumorsindiscriminately grow in the patient and must becut (surgery), burned (radiation), or poisoned(drugs) out of the body. In the orthodox model,the solution is sought through mechanical andchemical means. Seeking to understand WHYthe infection or disease condition appeared in thefirst place, is not seriously explored. The quickfix with a prescription for drugs to smother thesymptoms is the typical orthodox ‘answer’.A contemporary of Pasteur, Antoine Beauchamp,had a different opinion as to why diseaseconditions ‘took hold’. Beauchamp felt that theENVIRONMENT, or the ECOLOGY of theblood played the critical role in deciding whetherdisease conditions would manifest or not.Alternative medicine explores the stressors(environmental, biological, chemical, psychological,and emotional) in a patient’s life that cause aweakening of a particular energy field; which inturn allows the manifestation of a disease conditionin a weakened area. In order to maintain astate of health, all energy systems within the bodyneed to exist in a state of balance or equilibrium.Imbalance leads to conditions of discomfort (disease)which eventually spirals into ill health if notcorrected. The Chinese and Indians (Ayurvedicmedicine) had worked all of this out thousandsof years ago.Orthodox or Allopathic Medicine utilizespoisonous substances (drugs) in non-lethaldosages in order to suppress symptoms inan affected area.This approach neither addresses the cause of thedisease condition, nor is it responsible for healingthe patient. Rather, the use of drugs often willtemporarily mask the outer manifestations of themalady, while at the same time, drive the diseasedeeper into the body...only to reappear at a laterdate, as a more serious, and chronic health threat.One of the many flaws of the orthodox approachis that it focuses on the disease condition itself,rather than the patient. The term wholistic (orholistic) originally sprang up to distinguish thosephysicians whose diagnostic gestalt considers allof the physical, emotional, and spiritual energiesinteracting with the patient.Do not assume that the only differencebetween allopathic and alternative medicine,however, is an honest difference of opinion in thephilosophies and views on the origin of diseasestates. Hardly!. There is, in truth, a concerted,organized agenda -concocted, planned, andcontrived by the international pharmaceuticalcompanies and organized medicine to suppressany and every alternative, non-drug therapy thatWORKS. Why?Because they want people to keep oncoming back for more treatments and moredrugs.A cured patient is a lost source of income. Asick patient who is marginally “improved” is amanageable patient.Managing patients means routine office visitsand renewing of drug prescriptions. Therefore,a manageable patient is a continuing source ofincome; a cash cow if you will. Multiply that bya few hundred million people and you get anidea why this deceit is being put upon you. Theprofits from the so called “health-care” industryare staggering!The thrust of the orthodox pharmaceuticalagenda is to provide temporary relief, while neveraddressing the cause of the disease condition.This agenda insures regular visits to the doctor’soffice and requires the patient to routinely returnto the pharmacy to refill his prescriptions. This iswhat the game is all about folks, plain and simple.Deny it or Deal with it,...Stick with it or Get Outof it! ... your choice.Natural HealingThe patient’s immune system and the immunesystem alone is responsible for healing andrecovery from ill health. The use of drugs andvaccines represents an assault on the immunesystem. In some cases, the use of a particulardrug might be a wise choice to speed healing andrecovery for the patient, but the use of natural,orthomolecular therapies and substances (substancesnormally found in Nature) that can moreeffectively address the cause of the disease shouldbe considered first because natural substanceswork in harmony with Nature. They aid andstimulate the body to truly cure itself, without theterrible millstone of drug side-effects.The human body is predisposed to heal itselfand to exist as a healthy, thriving organism. Weinhibit that process by ingesting unhealthy foods,fouling our inner environment with toxins,and relying upon poisonous substances to treatdisease conditions.Unlike ‘miracle drugs’ and other ‘drug breakthroughs’,you will never see or hear anythingfrom mainstream media about most of thetherapies described here. The Big Three see tothat, but you can still glean this information fromthe alternative health press, books, web sites, andat health expos.Some of these alternative therapies requirehigh-tech equipment and specialized knowledge,but many, many others can be done at homewithout third party intervention or supervision.It’s amazing, but true, that many of the mosteffective healing therapies (even for grave, lifethreateningdisease conditions) are simple thingsthat you can do for yourself at home. You simplyhave to educate yourself and take responsibilityfor your own health.The following is a brief overview of somealternative therapies that have demonstratedthemselves to be effective and readily obtainable,usually at a low to modest cost.This list is far from complete. As time permits,the description and scope of these and othertherapies will be added to, and expanded upon.Oxygen TherapiesHyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT)Oxygen therapies encompass more than the applicationof regular oxygen (O2), although regularoxygen can speed and assist healing; especiallywhen used in higher-than-normal concentrationsand under pressure, such as used in HyperbaricOxygen Chambers. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy(HBOT) has been traditionally used for rapiddetoxification in acute situations, but it also hasshown to be extremely efficacious for new strokevictims. It has been found that almost all of theusual conditions (paralysis, slurred/ no speech,etc.) associated with a stroke can be minimizedor eliminated entirely by subjecting the patientto a hyperbaric oxygen treatment within the first36 hours of a stroke. The quicker the patient canbe treated from the onset of the stroke, the betterthe results. Even cases started a few days oreven weeks after a stoke have shown remarkableresults. HBOT has also proven helpful in casesinvolving other forms of brain damage as well.Singlet Oxygen TherapiesOxygen atoms can be configured into certainquasi-stable arrangements that will allow a singleoxygen atom to be released. This atom is called asinglet oxygen (O1).For therapeutic purposes, single atoms ofoxygen can be released from hydrogen peroxide(H2O2) which breaks down to water (H2O)and a singlet oxygen (O1), and also from ozone(O3), which reduces to oxygen (O2) and a singletoxygen . When a singlet oxygen atom is releasedwithin the body, it is highly reactive and willBIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za 41

YOUR HEALTHforbidden curesoxidize (reduce or break down) the molecularstructure of undesirable and harmful organisms(bacteria, foreign proteins, etc.) and diseasedtissue (e.g. cancer cells).This high-energy form of oxygen (O 1 ) possessesa greatly enhanced healing capacity thanthat exhibited by regular oxygen (O 2 ).show increassed stomach cancers from ingestingH 2 O 2 . By promoting this ‘study’, the cartelwants you to draw the conclusion that you willget stomach cancer from injesting hydrogenperozide without actually saying it. No additionaldetails such as the concentration of the peroxideadministered, frequency of dosage, quantity givenbe ingested as often as desired. The effects ofdrinking ozonated water on a regular basis canbe very healthful. People with serious diseaseconditions will notice more-pronounced effectsin a shorter space of time than those who are ingood health, but the benefits of ozonated waterare realized by all who use it, whether you have a“Like most cheap, unpatentable natural solutions, thepharmaceutical/organized medicine cartel will try tofrighten you off with scare stories of exaggerated dangers, theomission of relevant data and misleading statements.”Hydrogen PeroxideA bottle of 3½ % Hydrogen Peroxide is availablein any pharmacy for very little and can beused daily to keep the mouth and gums germfree(always use full strength and try to retainin the mouth as long as possible). It shouldalso be conscientiously applied to disinfect anytype of oral infection, cut, sore, or wound thatone may encounter. For external use, the drugstore variety of hydrogen peroxide is OK, but itdoes have some low levels of contaminants init. For internal use, it’s wiser to use Food-gradehydrogen peroxide. You can make your own 3½% hydrogen peroxide by diluting 35% food-gradehydrogen peroxide by a ratio of 10:1 with distilledwater. However, that should not stop you fromusing pharmacy-grade hydrogen peroxide externally-if you are in normal health. People tryingto recover from serious diseases such as AIDS orcancer need to be more concerned about ingestingcontaminants. 35% Food-Grade HydrogenPeroxide is available at many farm supply outletsand by mail order. Since it’s more concentrated,35% hydrogen peroxide can produce spectacularresults when intelligently applied. Hydrogenperoxide can also be applied either internally asinjections (directly into a cancerous tumor forexample) or intravenously into the blood stream.If properly diluted, hydrogen peroxide can alsobe ingested.Medical Cartel Sponsored ‘Studies’Of course, you have to know what you’re doing.At higher concentrations, H 2 O 2 is powerful andcan burn tissue, but look to the alternative healthpress for information from practitioners who areactually using this therapy. Don’t expect on anhonest accessment from the allopathic crowd.Like most cheap, unpatentable natural solutions,the pharmaceutical/organized medicinecartel will try to frighten you off with scare storiesof exaggerated dangers, the omission of relevantdata and misleading statements.For example, they will point to rat studies thatvis a vis body weight etc., are provided about the‘study’ in these press reports-only the bottom lineconclusion:.Of course, most knowledgeable researchersknow that rat studies don’t equate to people studies.Rat studies, in fact, have an extremely limitedrange of applicability for purposes of human extrapolation.In addition, most studies are fundedby pharmaceuticals or government agencies andthey have an agenda that has nothing to do withsincere scientific inquiry. Ralph Moss and LinusPauling are two individuals who come to mindwho looked at different cartel sponsored ‘studies’and clearly demonstrated that the Big Boys canand will skew a ‘study’ in any direction they wishit to go. Scientific honesty among cartel sponsoredinvestigative groups is a myth. All medicalschools, teaching universities, and governmenthealth organizations such as the National Instituteof Health (NIH), National Cancer Institute,National Academy of Science, etc., are all underthe cartel’s propaganda umbrella.OzoneOzone (O 3 ) is composed of three atoms of oxygenlightly bound together. One of those atomscan easily break away and form regular oxygen(O 2 ) and a singlet oxygen atom (O1). Throughoxidation, the singlet oxygen atom is capable ofproducing amazing healing results. Ozone can beproduced with a hot or “cold” spark, with ultravioletlight, or with a method invented by NikolaTesla called cold plasma ozone production.The cold plasma method produces much largerquantities of ozone and is the preferred meansof production for therapeutic purposes. Larger,cold plasma ozone machines can only be legallypurchased outside of the United States, but thereare underground ‘suitcase’ size units being manufacturedclandestinely in the US. Smaller coldplasma ozone generators, however, are legallyavailable in the USas water pruifiers.All cold plasma ozone generators can easilyproduce high quality Ozonated Water, which canserious health concern or not.The ozone from the ozonated water passes intothe bloodstream via the stomach/small intestinesand provides the benefits of ozone without theneed for expensive equipment. Some peoplenotice a very slight sensation of light headednessthe first time they drink ozone water. It’s temporaryand usually only happens the first time- if atall. The reaction is due to slightly more oxygenreaching the brain than normal. Ingested daily,ozone water will progressively send ozone intodeeper tissues of the body, oxidizing non organicdrug residues and hidden, dormant pathogens.You might be surprised to learn that the virusthat gave you chicken pox as a child or herpes asa young adult is still hidden deep within the bodysuch as in the nerve ganglion at the base of thespine. Your immune system developed antibodieswhich normally hold these residual bugs incheck, but that doesn’t mean that the bugs aregone, as any person who suffers recurrent boutsof herpes will attest. But if you hit them longenough and hard enough with ozone (or certainother alternative therapies), they will be gone-forgood.Another useful product that can be appliedtopically is called Ozonated Olive Oil. It ismade by bubbling ozone through olive oil fora considerable period of time (weeks) until theolive oil eventually becomes saturated with theozone molecules and becomes much thicker.Afterwards, the product can be applied as a balmto infected areas and will often greatly promoteand/or speed healing.Methods of Ozone ApplicationMedically, ozone can be applied in differentways. One of the oldest methods, used in Germanyfor over 60 years, is called Autohemotherapy.This technique involves removeing about a pintof blood, ozonating it, and return it intravenouslyto the patient. It works, but it’s rather limited inthe amount of ozone applied.Another method has the patient hooked up to a42 BIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za

dialysis type machine with blood coming out onearm, going through the machine for ozonation,and returned via tubes hooked up to the otherarm. You get a lot more ozone into the body withthis technique, but the pumping mechnaismsused to push the blood around can damage themembranes of the red blood cells somewhat.A third technique is called Ozone Injection.Like its name implies, the ozone is carefullyand slowly injected into the patient. Ozone, remember,is composed of oxygen atoms. Oxygendissolves into the blood; it does not form bubblesin the bloodstream like air, which is composed ofoxygen and 80% nitrogen.Bioelectro MedicineThere are a number of devices that use specializedelectric fields to alter the function or conditionof targeted tissue, organisms, or cells withinthe body. These electric fields can be programmedto promote the healing of healthy tissue or inhibitthe growth of undesired organisms.Where there are electric fields , there are alsomagnetic fields, usually rotated at 90 degressto each other. The interplay of the electric andmagnetic fields play a role in this therapy, but thefrequency, the shape of the wave, the durationand polarity of the pulse, etc., all play into themix and can make the difference between successor failure depending on the care and attentiongiven to these parameters.This is not necessarily a new technology. At theturn of the 19th century, Nikola Tesla patentedmany Electro-inventions that demonstratedincredible health-promoting attributes; someof them based on the use of his high frequency,high voltage DC pulse generator circuits whichproduced a new ether-derived form of energycalled Radiant Energy. Tesla had even patenteda highly efficient cold plasma ozone generator by1893.Dr. Royal RifeIn the late 20s and early 1930s, Dr. RoyalRaymond Rife from San Diego, California,developed a high powered microscope which heused in conjunction with a frequency generator.Using special UV light, Rife’s mircroscope wascapable of 60 000x magnification! This degreeof magnification allowed him to observe LIVEvirus and bacteria organisms while he applied theMOR (Mortal Oscillatory Resonance) frequencyfrom his frequency generator via plasma tuberadiation of the energy. He was able to destroy allmanner of disease organisms (including cancerrelated organisms) by merely ‘tuning’ the generatorto the correct resonant frequency of theseorganisms and applying the oscillating electricfields via the plasma driven, “Beam Ray Tube”.Everything in the universe, living or dead, and itsown resonant frequency. If you apply this exactresonant frequency to the object or organism, itwill begin vibrating until it literally shatters itself.You’ve all seen the wine glass and the opera singerdemonstration. Same deal for microbes.60 000x magnifications is an unheard of degreeof magnification in a light microscope, even bytoday’s technical standards. Today’s electronmicroscope can deliver high magnification, butit can only view DEAD organisms. The abilityto view micro organims in a LIVING state is ofgreat importance to diagnostic and therapeuticgoals. This is an extremely important point tounderstand.Rife’s microscope played no role in the actualdestruction of the pathogenic organisms, but itallowed him to view the effects of the electricfields from the Beam Ray Tube upon the organismitself. As Rife adjusted and tuned hisfrequency generator to the correct frequency,he was able to observe the disintegration of thebacteria, parasite, or virii under the influence ofthe resonant electro-magnetic fields exerted bythe Beam Ray Tube.At first, Rife’s enormous accomplishments wereballyhooed in the press. He was feted and hostedby the local medical elites of the day who werehoping to climb onto the Glory Bandwagon withhim and get their mug published in the newspaperas a supporter and cohort of the “man whocould finally end cancer”.But the Big Boys finally caught up with him.I’m referring to the string pullers in organizedmedicine and the pharmaceutical industry.Needless to say, once word of Rife’s success beganto spread too wide, he was quickly ‘neutralized’by organized medicine and demoralized intoobscurity (unending court litigation, charges ofquakery, intimidation of financial supporters, theburning down of laboratories, etc... the “usual’routine).His principle persecutor was the head of theAmerican Medical Association and chief editorof the Journal of the American Medical Association.His name was Dr. Morris Fishbein and henever treated a patient in his life. He was motivatedmore by an unmitigated lust for greed andpower, and less by a desire to save lives. Failingto convince Rife to sell him the exclusive rightsto his technique and therapy, Fishbein set outto crush Rife with a vengence. The outrageousinjustices against Rife by Fishbein and the medicalestablishment are explained in great depth ina book by Barry Lynes called The Cancer CureThat Worked.Fortunately, we have physicist Gary Wade, aspecialist in Rife technology, available to readersof this web site. He will explain to you exactlyhow Rife achieved his amazing results and howYOU can learn how to apply Rife’s hard earnedtechnology yourself. You should waste no timein examing Gary’s extraordinay and generouslyshared insights in Rife technology. Some of thebest books about Rife were written by BarryLynes (E.g. The Cancer Cure That Worked).Geroges LakhovskyAnother brilliant observer and thinker wasthe Russian-born engineer, Georges Lakhovsky.Lakhovsky theorized that the genetic filamentsstands within the nucleus of a living cell acted asa coil and exhibited all the properties propertiesrequired of an oscillator; namely: inductance,capacitance, and resistance.Lakhovsky postulated that all living cells,including disease organisms, could act as bothan emitter and receiver of very high frequencyoscillations.According to his theory, a state of health ordisease was dependent on whether the oscillationsfrom healthy cells were maintained (a stateof equilibrium) or were overtaken by the oscillationsof disease-causing cells (disequilibrium).He found that he could boost the oscillatorylevel of weakened cells and overcome disease byattaching a simple coil-shaped ‘antennae’ to theaffected area and leaving it in place. Lakhovskyreferred to these antennae as oscillating circuitsand they were worn by people as collars, belts, orbracelets. He claimed that his ‘antennae’ capturedand focused sympathetic waves from the cosmos(cosmic waves) which resonated with harmonicsof the fundamental frequency at which theweakened cell oscillated.Whenever additional oscillating energy(from cosmic waves), of the same frequency orharmonics of that frequency, are introducedinto an oscillating circuit (the nucleus of thecell), the oscillations within that cell will bestrengthened through a phenomena of physicscalled resonance. According to Lakhovsky, thenow-strengthened oscillations emanating fromthe formerly weakened human cell could nowovertake the oscillations of the disease-causingorganisms and cause them to diminish instrength and subsequently die off.Lakhovsky conducted an experiment withplants in 1924 to establish the validity of histheory. He inoculated ten potted geranium plantswith a plant disease that causes cancerous tumors.Coiled around the stem of one of the geraniums,he affixed an open ended coil of thick copperwire about 30 cm in diameter. It was held in placeby an ebonite stake stuck into the pot. Whilethe other nine inoculated geraniums quicklysuccumbed to the cancerous disease, the onegeranium with the attached coil (the ‘antennae)sloughed off the cancerous growth and thrivedinto a robust and healthy plant. Lakhovsky hadsimilar success when these antennae coils (the‘oscillating circuits ‘ mentioned above) were usedwith people and animals. He later expanded hisresearch with the development of the Multi-WaveOscillator.>>> CONTINUED IN THE NEXT ISSUEBIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za 43

ETHICAL CONSUMERISMSea turtles have inhabited the Earth for over100 million years. Now, as a result of harmfulfishing practices, these gentle ocean dwellers mayonly have 10 years left.Sea turtles are often swept up in nets with tuna,swordfish, shark, tilefish and king mackerel, allof which contain a high methyl mercury level.Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that can causenervous system and brain damage in developingfetuses, infants and young children.The exploitation of ocean resources anddestructive industrial fishing technology hascreated severe and irreversible effects on the seaturtle population. When long line fishing occursin areas where sea turtles migrate with tuna andother targeted fish, they are often hooked as well.“Six out of the seven species of sea turtles areendangered or threatened. The primary reason is80 000 in the 1990s. The leatherback is only oneof the six endangered sea turtle species. Ovetzfeels the turtle is a striking example of the carelessnessof human actions. STRP is committed topreventing further devastation to sea turtles andocean ecosystems.“Sea turtles are really an indicator of the stateof the health of our oceans, and how we treatour oceans, and we’re seeing a dramatic declinein their survival,” said Dr. Overtz. “Primarilybecause we’ve intensified our effort to exploit theocean and, as our world population grows, there’san increasing demand for seafood to supplementother sources of protein.”The bait on long-line fishing hooks sometimestempts sea turtles. In turn, they get caught, andatunasteakall for the sake ofBy Elizabeth Arzounithen drown. By the time the lines are pulled up,they are already dead.Destruction of habitat, the poaching of theireggs and the negligence to protect our marineresources are factors leading to extinction of theirpopulation as well.Dr. Ovetz identifies the problem as under-recognitionof the importance of ocean resources.“There are six main countries that use long-linefishing in the pacific that are the most destructive,”he said, in reference to the United States,Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Chile, and Spain.“Each of these countries has very large industriallong-line fishing fleets and is causing the largestthreat to our survival.”There will always be a call for help somewherefrom industrial fishing in which they get caughton the hooks trying to eat the bait,” said Dr. RobertOvertz, a marine species campaigner for theUSA’s Sea Turtle Restoration Project (STRP).“Or they’re caught by accident, which is the casewith the leatherback sea turtle.”Worldwide, the leatherback sea turtle populationfaces the largest threat of extinction sincesuffering a 95 percent decline in 1980, and nownesting females number only 3 000 – down fromand Dr. Ovetz found his call from the ocean. As amarine species campaigner, his passion is aimedat protecting the livelihood of the leatherback seaturtle.“I have a very strong spiritual connection withthe oceans and I’ve always had a very strong connectionwith turtles,” he said. “The majesty of theway they move and their sense of time and howthey walk lightly on the earth has always beensomething that’s really inspired me.” 44 BIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za

100 million yearsold...10 YEARS TOLIVE?More than 250 000 loggerhead and60 000 leatherback turtles are estimatedto be inadvertently snared each year bycommercial longline fishing, with up totens of thousands dying, according to thefirst global assessment of the problem lastyear.Named for its smooth, leathery skin, theleatherback has graced ocean waters fromthe tropics to the Arctic since the time ofthe dinosaurs more than 100 million yearsago. Leatherbacks are the oldest, largest, andwidest-ranging marine animals ever to swimthrough our global ocean. 3 meters long, 2meters wide, and weighing almost a ton, theydive as deep as 800 meters.Scientists have documented a precipitousdecline of the Pacific leatherback in the pasttwo decades.“On land, the canary in the coal minewarns humans of impending environmentaldanger,” said Roderic Mast, ConservationInternational Vice President and President ofthe International Sea Turtle Society. “Sea turtlesact as our warning mechanism for thehealth of the ocean, and what they’re tellingus is quite alarming. Their plummetingnumbers are, unfortunately, symptomaticof the ocean as a whole.”Leatherback sea turtles are declining rapidly– especially in the Pacific Ocean – and are theworld’s most endangered sea turtle. There areprobably fewer than 3000 nesting femalesleft.Although the leatherback may be the world’sbest-known sea turtle, five of the other six seaturtle species are also at risk of extinction. TheKemp’s ridley and hawksbill turtles are classifiedby the IUCN Red List as Critically Endangered,as is the leatherback. The green, oliveridley and loggerhead turtles are all consideredEndangered.Sea turtles face threats ranging from destructivefishing practices such as long-lining andthe poaching of turtle eggs, which somecultures regard as a delicacy. Long-lining is apractice in which ships extend up to 150 kmof fishing line with as many as 8 000 hooks,many of which unintentionally capture andkill sea turtles instead of their intended targetsof fish.Source: Conservation International• According to a US government advisory panel,pregnant women who include too much tunain their diet may expose their unborn babies’brains to possibly harmful levels of methyl mercury,a toxic compound long known to disruptthe nervous system in children and the unborn.Source: Oceanic Resource Foundation• Mercury is a well-known neurological poisonthat causes all the symptoms of ADHD, such ashyperactivity and poor concentration. Ironically,tuna contains essential fatty acids that arecrucial for proper brain function – deficienciesof omega-3 fatty acids have been linked withADHD. Yet, in a catch-22, an increase in fishconsumption may lead to brain damage frommercury poisoning.Source: Oceanic Resource Foundation•“...what gets killed alongside the tuna that findsitself in your tin?Let’s start with the turtles, asthose are the most endangered. There was a fullhouse of the ocean-going turtles, loggerhead,green sea turtle, leatherback, hawksbill andgulf ridley. Then there were the whales: minke,humpback and one the observer could notidentify...Then we come to the fish. There was quite a list,topped by the great white shark, which is nowofficially recognised as vulnerable.Canned (purse-seined) tuna is scary for two reasons– the fact that it may contain endangeredbigeye and involves an awesome, but unquantifiedby-catch. We urgently need to know moreabout how much by-catch there is and whetherit can be avoided... Until then, there is reason tofeel deeply uncomfortable about eating a tunatuna is healthy& dolphinfriendly,soit’s OK to eatit, right?wrong!sandwich. There is no reason to feel any happierthat your can is marked dolphin-friendly.Long-lining for tuna may have an even worseby-catch of endangered and slow-growing speciesthan purse-seining. There again it may not- the evaluations do not exist. One thing is forsure, it kills a heck of a lot of sharks and turtles.”Source: Environment Editor of The Daily Telegraph,Charles Clover in his book The End ofthe Line (Random House). BIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za 45

READ THE LABEL!ingredients inyour cosmeticsWHAT ARE THEY DOING TO YOU?by Trevor SteynBy their very nature, preservatives are designedto kill cells or prevent them from multiplying.They are, therefore, potentially harmfulcosmetic ingredients and the vast majority ofpreservatives have restrictions on their use.Parabens are a group of preservatives that areused in more than 90% of personal care productson the market. They kill the microorganisms thatwould proliferate in these products if they werenot preserved.In late 1998 John Sumpter’s group at BrunelUniversity, UK, published a paper that showedthat parabens mimic the hormone estrogen in thebody with butyl paraben being the most potent*.Estrogen is a hormone that is essential fornormal sexual development and functioning offemale organs like the ovaries and uterus. Thebody uses it to regulate breast development andthe timing of menstrual cycles.According to an article in The Independent, aBritish publication, Professor Sumpter believesthat the results of the paraben study could besignificant due to the widespread use of parabensover several decades in the cosmetic industry.Professor Sumpter has concerns that spermcounts have been falling by half over the past50 years and breast cancer cases have increasedby more than 30% since 1980. These chemicalpreservatives could be playing a role. In 2004, DrPhilippa Darbre of Reading University publisheda paper in the Journal of Applied Toxicology,showing that parabens were present in tumoursamples taken from womenwith breast cancer. Themajority of breast tumoursdepend on the hormoneoestrogen for growth.Estrogen mimics havealso been linked to breastcancer, uterine cancer,fibrocystic breast disease,ovarian cysts, endometriosis,premature sexualdevelopment and uterinefibromas. Some researchindicates that a mother’sexposure during pregnancycould affect her male child’sfertility later in life. Earlyonset of puberty is also aconcern. In 1971, 1 percentof 8-year-old girls showedsigns of puberty (eitherbreast development or signsof pubic hair or both). Lastyear a similar study foundthat 1 percent of 3-year-old girls are showingsigns of puberty.The industry response has been that thesechemicals have been cleared for use by the relevantauthorities (FDA and ECC) and have beenused for decades. The effect of daily exposure tothese hormone disrupters for long periods is noteasily determined. Research into this has just begun and it will be many years before we see anyresolution on this issue. In the interim there is astrong consumer demand for products that don’tcontain paraben preservatives. *Edwin J. Routledge, Joanne Parker, Jenny Odum, JohnAshby, and John P. Sumpter. “Some Alkyl Hydroxy BenzoatePreservatives (Parabens) Are Estrogenic.” Toxicology And AppliedPharmacology Vol 153, (1998), pp. 12 – 19.46 BIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za

the three Rsin simple stepsFirst: reduceThis critical first step has been overshadowed by a focuson recycling.• Simplify your life as much as possible. Only keepbelongings that you use or enjoy on a regular basis. Bymaking the effort to reduce what you own, you will naturallypurchase less and create less waste in the future.• Switch from disposable to reusable products: foodand beverage containers, cups, plates, writing pens, razors,nappies, towels, shopping bags, etc.• As much as possible, create a tree-free home:– replace paper napkins with cloth napkins– replace paper towels with a special set of cloth towels/napkinswhich you can wash and reuse– purchase bleach-free toilet paper that is made fromthe highest post-consumer waste content you can find– if you print documents, print on once-used paperand/or bleach-free, recycled paper with the highestpost-consumer waste content available (or hemp/alternative-sourcepaper, if you can find it)– leave messages for family members/roommates on areusable message board– if you will be doing construction on your house,search out alternatives to using new wood:– straw bale, bamboo, previously used wood, cob etc.• In general, think before you buy any product: do youreally need it? How did the production of this productimpact the environment and what further impacts willthere be with the disposal of the product (and associatedpackaging materials)?When you are thinking about buying something, trythe 30-Day Rule: wait 30 days after the first time youdecide you want a product to really make your decision.This will eliminate impulse buying.• Avoid products that are packaged for single use(drinks, school lunches, candy, cat and dog food, salads,etc.). Instead, buy in bulk and transfer the productsto your own reusable containers.• Instead of buying these items new, save and reuseall: bags (plastic and paper), rubber bands, twisties,boxes, and packaging material.• Buy products in bulk to save on packaging. Manyhealth food stores have bulk bins where they sell everythingfrom grains to cereal to cleaning products.• Avoid creating trash wherever possible: when orderingfood, avoid receiving any unnecessary plasticutensils, straws, etc. (ask in advance specifically not tobe given these items), buy ice cream in a cone insteadof a cup, don’t accept “free” promotional products, buyproducts with the least amount of packaging. Every littlebit of trash avoided does make a difference!• When shopping, always bring your own shoppingbag.Second: reuseThe media has done a wonderful job of selling us onthe attractiveness and benefits of buying “new”, “improved”,“special”, etc. products. However, we alreadycollectively own so much that we could all survive forSOURCE: Global Stewardquite a while on the existing products – if we just reusedthem a few times!• Shop at and hold garage sales – this is a great way toreuse products.• Donate your old clothes, furniture and other productsto charity.• Donate your old computer equipment to needyschools and organisations.• Donate your old eyeglasses to the local Lions Club.• Organize a community swap program.• Buy products that will last and take care of them.• Teach your children the value of thrift.• Be creative about how to reuse products.• Create and use note pads from once-used paper andmake your own cards/letters from once-used productsor handmade paper.• Buy second-hand books from your local library orused book store.• Join in with neighbors to purchase infrequentlyused products such as lawn mowers, ladders, etc.Third: recycle• Learn about the recycling centres in your area.Check your local phone directory and the Biophilewebsite: www.biophile.co.za• Create designated holding “bins” for each type ofrecycled product and place in convenient locations inyour home/garage.• Create a fact sheet on recycling centers in your areafor yourself and interested neighbors. Find out whereyou can recycle newspapers, glass, styrofoam, corrugatedpaper, plastic, aluminum, paper, cardboard, tincans, scrap metal, junk mail, and alkaline batteries.• In general, try to buy products/containers madefrom recycled material as often as possible to supportthe recycled product market. When purchasingpaper products (toilet paper, etc,), look for paper thathas been recycled using a minimum of 50% post-consumerwaste. Also, purchase from companies that donot use chlorine to bleach their paper products (whichcreates dioxin waste).• Tell your local retailers you want them to stockmore products made from recycled materials• Leave grass clippings on the lawn as fertilizer.• Start a compost pile with garden trimmings andkitchen waste.• Purchase rechargeable batteries and a battery recharger(some battery rechargers will also rechargeregular alkaline batteries).• When you buy new tires, ask if your old tires willbe recycled – if not find out if there is a tire recyclingcenter in your area.• If you are travelling and no recycle bins are available,take your recyclables home with you wheneverpossible. For more information on reducing, reusing andrecycling, and for a list of recycling centres in yourarea, please visit our website: www.biophile.co.zaREDUCE – REUSE –RECYCLEWhy ReusingBeats RecyclingReusing is often confused withrecycling, but they are really quitedifferent. Reusing in the broadestsense means any activity that lengthensthe life of an item. Recycling, on theother hand, is the reprocessing of anitem into a new raw material for use ina new product – for example grindinga tire and incorporating it into a roadsurfacingcompound.Reusing is nothingnew. What is new is the need to reuse.Reusing is accomplished throughmany different methods: purchasingdurable goods, buying and sellingin the used marketplace, borrowing,renting, subscribing to business wasteexchanges and making or receivingcharitable transfers. It is also achievedby attending to maintenance and repair,as well as by designing in relationto reuse. This may mean developingproducts that are reusable, long-lived,capable of being remanufactured orcreatively refashioning used items.Why is reusing so important? Becauseat the same time that it confronts thechallenges of waste reduction, reusingalso sustains a comfortable quality oflife and supports a productive economy.With few exceptions reusing accomplishesthese goals more effectively thanrecycling, and it does so in the followingways:• Reusing keeps goods and materialsout of the waste stream• Reusing advances source reduction• Reusing preserves the “embodiedenergy” that was originally used tomanufacture an item• Reusing reduces the strain on valuableresources, such as fuel, forests andwater supplies, and helps safeguardwildlife habitats• Reusing creates less air and waterpollution than making a new item orrecycling• Reusing results in less hazardouswaste• Reusing saves money in purchasesand disposal costs• Reusing generates new businessand employment opportunities forboth small entrepreneurs and largeenterprises• Reusing creates an affordable supplyof goods that are often of excellentquality.• Unique to reusing is that it alsobrings resources to individuals andorganizations that might otherwise beunable to acquire them.Adapted from Choose to Reuse, byNikki & David Goldbeck.BIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za 47

EVOLUTION...In the last issue we looked at how we must engage with thosewho are responsible for threatening the safety and integrityof our world and its inherent support systems. It is essentialto remember that when we do this we must bear in mind ourcommon humanity and work from a position of empathy andunderstanding.The temptation to get into a scrap, be it literal or figurative, withthose who transgress the goodness of our world, who despoil itsbeauty, is sometimes immense. George “the imbecile” Bush hasCertainly we face some serious challenges with four moreyears of that misbehavin’ Bush boy. But the neo-conservative corporatepillaging of the US economy for their own narrow ends mayjust backfire and cause the whole system to come tumbling downaround their ears. As a US commentator, Charley Reese, recentlywrote, he ‘sees a storm a-coming’. In order to protect yourself heurges that you get out of debt and stay out of debt. This would beequally good advice for those who are trying to run an empire underfalse pretences, but lets not tell them, okay?The US leadership is in a real bind, even if all the indications areby Glenn AshtonDirector: Ekogaia Foundationekogaia@iafrica.comlivingconsciouslybeen re-elected, much to the disgust of almost everyone outsidethe US of A. Bush is the neo-conservative choice of leader, sympatheticto corporate interests, but not to the personal interests ofhumankind. He is enough to tempt any sane person to want to raphim about the head, but this is clearly the wrong way to deal withthis challenge. We must empathise with the others in order to understandthem.The leader of the world’s richest and most powerful nationhas already clearly indicated in his previous four years that he is nobiophile. But it is not our place to hate him; it is for us to find waysto minimise the damage he and his minions seek to wreak. It is forus to build a better system from the bottom up, just as we mustsimultaneously work to make redundant the destructive system heand his wish to impose upon us.You see, as soon as we let this get personal we diminish our ownhumanity and our own personal integrity. And once we give thatup, we have nothing left. More importantly we lower ourselves tothe same level as our opponent. We use the same primitive, violentmale energy.In order to transcend this we have to move away from theenergy that is both causing and perpetuating the problems and tensionsthat manifest in the world. In order to properly interface withthe world we have to restore the balance between male and femaleenergy. This has been lacking since the demise of the cult of thegoddess, some 8000 years ago, in western civilisation.In order to deal with the massive problems we face, we have to turnthings around. Instead of opposition and power, we move towardflexibility and inclusiveness; instead of violence and aggression weshift our focus toward peace and understanding. By so doing wedisarm and undermine the very aspects of power that the presentimbalance perpetuates. We create spaces to move ahead in far morecreative, innovative ways.that they utterly fail to perceive the hole into which they have dugthemselves. It is not just the war in Iraq and against any other axisof evil; it is more that the US economy and its people are mired indebt like never before. The global, US led economic system is teeteringon a precipice that it may or may not fall into.If the system does crash it could put 1932 and the great depressionto shame. But it may just be necessary to have to endure thecollective hardship of such a fall in order to redeem our collectivehumanity and to rebuild a co-operative future. Perhaps this couldprovide a catalyst to re-establish our links with the natural systemsto which we are intrinsically linked. It may be one of the only waysavailable to save ourselves from ourselves.But this is all mere speculation; if it fails to happen, what other optionsare open to us? How do we deal with our present challenges?Short of relying on cliché and homilies, a great place to start is towork on the maxim of think global, act local. And it’s not just a matterof talking about the problem, something we do an awful lot of inSouth Africa. It’s about putting concepts and ideas into action.Many problems we face lie at the global level of governance.The Washington consensus, the WTO, World Bank and other undemocraticmultilateral organisations all conspire against the publicinterests, despite vague statements to the contrary. The US, theUK, the EU as a whole, the entire Organisation of Economic Democracy,the so called First World Nations, the rich of the world;all of these wish to only enter into agreements that stand to furtherbenefit themselves in monetary or economic terms. It therefore followsthat they wish to ensure our part of the world never reachesits full potential, so that it maintains its dismal and unequal statusquo.The developing world is the producer and supplier of cheapraw products and it has historically been prevented from adding48 BIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za

sufficient value to dig itself out of its hole. For instance: Britaindestroyed India’s burgeoning textile industry in the 19th Century,when it was challenging Britain’s own. Although most of the worldscocoa is produced in West Africa, not a single globally recognisedbrand of chocolate has facilities based in that region.Coffee producers around the world get less than the price ofa cup of coffee on Mainstreet USA for each kilogram of beans theyproduce. Most of the profit goes to the multinationals; Nescafe andNestle are prime examples in coffee and cocoa respectively. Thisand institutions, so we can see what is being agreed in our collectivenames.We must watch out for symptoms of corporate take-over of, forinstance, our water services, of transport infrastructure, of governmentsupply and of public and private services by transnationalcorporations. If we look at what happened to an estimated 10 000jobs at Telkom and more at Iscor when they were sold off to privateinterests, we can see the potential for further hardship.These two companies, built on the sweat and taxes of our people,now monopolistically charge the maximum rates that they can for Buy food that is grownorganically and preferablylocally; food miles causemassive amounts of pollutionin transport around the world. Buy food that is grownin a healthy way, using lesschemicals or pesticides forinstance; organic may costmore sometimes but it has farmore goodness in it. Grow your own food; it’shealthy, fun and provides agood use for your old bathwater! When you buy clothes,think about how your clotheswere made and who madethem; were they made in asweatshop or by a fair tradeemployer? Car pool; share yourwheels if you have them! Usepublic transport if you can. Ride a bicycle. Instead of watching TV,which tells you to buy, buy,buy, read a book on howyou can save the world; speakabout it with your family. Get areal life and turn the TV off! Recycle whatever you can;don’t buy things that have lotsof packaging. Buy things thatare made using sustainableresources wherever possible. Put a solar panel on yourroof; it saves the same amountof CO 2 every year that a smallcar produces. When you want exercise,walk, climb a mountain, rundown the beach, go surfing;these are much better thansitting in a room and sweating,unless of course you are amasochist and actually wantto go to gym! Make compost, even ifyou have a flat! Adopt a treearound the corner or evenbetter plant some more in theparks around you or along theroads on wherever there is aspace! Plant lots of trees everyyear.Swiss based multinational is the worlds biggest food company; thisfrom a nation that is too small to produce much at all as far as feedingthe world goes. Instead it relies on skewed international tradingagreements to cut its cloth.It is essential that the developed world produce and marketproducts that add sufficient value to keep us ahead in the tradegame. Why should we be buying milk from a Swiss company, for instance?Is there something wrong with our own milk? If we do notchange this, we are destined to remain nothing more than a cheapsupplier of goods and services for the already rich, with no end insight of emerging into the light and warmth of our collective sun, ofshaking off the chains of debt that continue to enslave us all.The first step to rectifying this imbalance and correcting theproportion of wealth that stays in developed nations is to instituteproper democracy, on a global level. George Monbiot, in hid recentbook ‘The Age of Consent’ clearly sets out a path to achieve thisend. He explains in detail how we can regain the global, individualdemocracy that has been usurped by the worlds monetarist powers,like the WTO, the World Bank and the International MonetaryFund, as well as by transnational corporations.Monbiot points out how what passes for modern democracy is reallya sham. Conspiracy theories aside, it appears from all accountsthat there was a lot wrong with the most recent US election. Globally,things are no better; for any attempt by a dissenting nationto try to break the pattern of dominance and neo-colonialism isswiftly crushed by well-funded interests.We must also demand transparency. When, for instance,our government enters into bilateral and multilateral agreementswith other nations and trading blocs, we must demand public oversightof those documents. Such important agreements cannot bekept secret and must be commented on by knowledgeable peopletheir products. This is not in our collective, national interest. We areallowing ourselves to be robbed twice, in each of these examples.And things could get worse if we do not remain vigilant.And this leads to another major problem. That the majority of ushave urgent matters of survival to deal with on a daily basis. We feelthat we lack any capacity to become as involved as we should withthese complex and apparently far-removed realities.We are constantly made to feel that we cannot do anything aboutthe reality we are in, usually by the very institutions that have it intheir interest to maintain the status quo. But we can become thechange we want to see.We make choices every day about what we purchase, what wedo, eat, listen to and consume. By making each and every of ourdecisions about how we interact with the world a conscious one, weare going some way to living as aware, responsible members of aninterdependent society.For instance, we may choose to buy something we need for pricealone. But it is incumbent upon us to decide, firstly if we really needthe product and our purchase is going to have damaging consequenceson the world.And secondly, whether it would not be a wiser choice to pay a premiumto purchase an alternative product that has less of an impact,that may last twice as long or may be made in such a way that thebenefits are more fairly distributed.We can make a difference. But we can only make a difference if weare aware of what we do. To be an activist it is critical that we liveconsciously. Only by realising our impact on the world and only bytaking active steps to reduce that impact can we embark on a saneand rational path toward becoming better planetary citizens.This is a heavy burden, certainly. But it is one we should bearwith joy, with hope for the future and for our children. We canchange the future; determined people are the only creaturesthat ever have. BIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za 49

ACTIVISMorganise to winPART TWO OF THE GRASSROOTS ORGANISER’S HANDBOOKDecide on the goal of your campaign.Identify the goal of your campaign. Put it inwriting. Know and state the specific relief youseek.For example:• Agency X must withdraw proposal Y.• A deadline should be extended to another date.• Don’t cut those fifty trees.• A zoning change must be denied, etc.Every person who deals with people who areofficially “complaining”, from customer servicerepresentatives to personnel officers, will tell youthat people who present grievances and complaintsalmost never state the exact relief theyseek. Being very specific about your goal helpseverybody understand what you want – includingyour own volunteers.Decide at the beginning of the campaignexactly what outcome you seek. It is often notenough to just be against something. You mayalso need to present an alternative, for example:we do not want an industrial park there; we wanta nature preserve.Choose one person to be your spokesperson.Deciding on the exact relief you seek alsohelps solve the “Who will be our spokesperson?”problem.A campaign without a spokesperson is justa well-intentioned mob. Select one person torepresent your campaign. Don’t have two or threedifferent people tripping over each other andcontradicting themselves with different stories,positions and opinions.In any campaign, the politics and facts of thesituation change constantly. What may be a soundstrategy on Monday may require revision onFriday. Serious problems arise when one persondecides to change a strategy without informingothers. This can lead to bad feelings and publicconfusion. And when the public gets confusedabout your issue, your campaign and credibilitybecome muddled. Changes in strategy must becleared with the group.The same dynamics that make it difficult tochoose a single spokesperson at the beginningof a campaign, may make it impossible to do solater. It may be hard to choose a spokespersonwhen your campaign is just a half-dozen folkssitting around doing planning. But that’s nothingcompared to choosing one when the pressure ofthe media, demands for witnesses at hearings,offers to compromise, actions of groups organizedto oppose you, or other fast-breaking eventsdemand clear and concise reactions from yourcampaign. If you ignore the vital step of choosingone spokesperson, your group may find itself, asothers have, at a public hearing where two alliestake totally different public positions on yourissue.Do your homework.Before you begin lobbying against the substanceof any project, master the details of the administrativeprocesses it must proceed through. Collectpaper copies of all relevant laws, regulations, andplanning documents. Mastering the process willallow you to monitor the administrative processesfrom beginning to end. If possible, perform yourlegal “scoping” before you have openly declaredyour opposition. Agency staff may be very forthcomingabout the details and mechanics of theiradministrative processes until they know you areopposing their project.Do not fail to take appropriate action, filedocuments, testify, lodge objections, etc. at everypoint. Discover all the approvals, permits, andprocesses an agency, commission or developerhas to go through.All private or public projects, whether to cutdown forests or build industrial parks, musttake place on an actual, physical piece of land.All land, and anything to do with it includingany projects built upon it, is governed by someregulatory process(es) open to the public. Theexact processes will depend on who owns theland, where it is located, and where the financingcomes from. But all actions involving land willhave formal processes that create public recordsthat provide one or more entry points for activistintervention.The vast majority of bad projects proceed successfullyonly because no one shows up to objectat key points in the permit process where projectsare the most vulnerable. Often a single citizensimply filing or voicing an objection can stop ordelay a project for months or years.In general the more public funds are involved,the easier it is to stop a project. Public fundsare increasingly being used to finance privatedevelopment schemes and hybrids like private/public partnerships on public and quasi-publicland are becoming the norm. Usually the moreenvironmentally flaky a project is, the moreeconomically risky it is, and so unfortunately themore public funds are involved. This is becauseinvestors hate to put their own money in riskyprojects. The rules and laws have been made verysimple for developers to operate successfully. Theunderlying premise of most public processes is:“If no one formally objects, then there must notbe any problems.”Or: “If there had been any problems, certainlywe would have heard.” If you do your homework,learn the rules and laws, and show up for meetings,foiling bad schemes can be a whole lot easierthan you might think.Find an angle that motivates people totake action.Every campaign is unique. No two campaignsare exactly the same. What worked in a pastcampaign may not work in the next. Decide whatmakes your campaign special and find a creativeangle or insight that encapsulates it. Reducethat insight to a metaphor, a slogan, a graphicor a memorable phrase with a creative slant thatpeople will be able to remember.For example, if your mayor refuses to considerevidence from biologists who prove an industrialpark will destroy a wetland and increase air pollutionnear a school, you could take a variety ofdifferent approaches. You could make a graphicof a group of small children playing in a schoolyardwearing gas masks. You might create acartoon caricaturizing the mayor as the monkeythat heard, saw, and spoke no evil. If a largecorporation was behind the industrial park, youcould do a “Don’t let XYZ Corporation decideour future.” campaign. If the wetland containeda rare endangered lily, you could get garden clubsinvolved to launch a “Don’t Destroy The LastLily!” campaign.The ways you can slant into an issue, or “position”a bad project is limited only by your imaginationand creativity. Create your campaign tocraft an angle to motivate, engage, and enrage thetarget audience. Amuse, amaze and confound.Humor, caricature, and exaggeration all havetheir place in any effective campaign.But remember, a campaign theme that mightwork in a rural area with 15% unemployment andlots of open space, may not work in a large city. A“don’t let government ram this down our throats”campaign might work in a rural conservativecommunity, while before and after picturesshowing how a beautiful place will be reduced toasphalt might work best in an urban area. Do yourhomework. Understand your target audience andthe ecological, political, and demographic realitiesof your community and what will and won’tresonate with them. Don’t be afraid to change orabandon your message or tactics if the ones youinitially choose don’t work.Know who owns the land.If you want to oppose over-development andsprawl, your chances of success will improvedif you determine first exactly who and what youare up against. This requires some special kindsof research and data gathering, including determiningwho owns the land where the proposeddevelopment will occur. Fortunately, it is oftenvery easy to find out who owns the land, whenthey bought it, and the purchase price.Checking public records of land ownership canalso alert you to conflicts of interest within your50 BIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za

All successful environmental campaigns resemble one another.All unsuccessful ones fail in their own unique way.own organization. Once I was shocked to findthe underlying mortgages on land involved ina project we were opposing were held by a coremember of our own group.Always know what and who you are dealingwith before you begin any campaign, but particularlycampaigns that involve private land anddevelopment.Assume that whenever you are dealing withany arm of local government, or any planningor economic development agency, that you areinvolved with a real estate speculator supportgroup.Build your campaign on a soundfoundation.A. Create a file.Every campaign begins with someone openinga file. This is a repository for your original correspondence,names and addresses of supporters,political contacts and resources, copies of newspaperstories, position papers, and chronologicalnotes summarizing reports of conversations.B. Inventory your human resources.Create a list of your supporters. Include thename and phone number of every person whoagrees to do anything. Your goal is to get ahandle on the people available and how they cancontribute to your campaign. You want to be ableto tap, at a moment’s notice, those who can writeletters, go to meetings, make phone calls, andcontribute money.As your campaign progresses these lists canbecome lengthy. Annotate your contact’s namewith any unique or identifying information aboutthat person and what their particular assets mightbe. Later when you use your lists, you will findthat these short remarks have added considerablevalue.C. Raise some initial seed money.Out-of-pocket expenses must be covered. If youhave a good cause and need money, people willalways give it to you, but only if you ask. Askingfor money to protect and defend a communityis NOT like asking for money for yourself. Findsomeone who understands this (most peopledon’t) and make that person your fund-raisingcaptain. Simply ask every one of your early supportersto put in some money for photocopying,phone calls, etc. Give receipts. Keep track of whogave what. Later you can hold bake sales, raffles,and make direct appeals.D. Create an organization.Give it a name and put the name on a letterhead.Call it Friends of the XYZ Forest (orwhatever your cause may be), Save the Whales(or whatever you wish to save), etc. Letters on anorganization’s letterhead to local elected officialsor agencies are taken far more seriously thanone from a citizen. A name shows there is a realorganization behind the campaign.E. Ladies First!Get women – particularly mothers – involvedto the maximum possible extent. Motivatedwomen make the best organizers and activists.F. Canvass.If you need to build community-wide support,gather your forces and do a door-to-door canvass.Hand out your materials, ask for support,and record the names of those who are interestedin helping in any way. Use the good leads youget to create a data base to invite these peopleto public meetings and recruit them to becomeactive volunteers.Do not let people canvass alone. For securityand moral support it is best to work in pairs. Stayon the doorstep. DO NOT go inside a house. Youwill waste too much time, get bogged down, andexpose yourself to potential security problems.Wait until after 1pm on Sunday as people willbe in church (or wonder why you are not). Neveruse hippies or folks with dreadlocks for canvassersas they may turn conservative people off.There are far more people than you may thinkwho are simply waiting for somebody – anybody– to ask them to become involved or show themhow they can do something useful. Canvassingprovides connections for such people to becomeinvolved. No matter how long you have lived in aplace or how well you think you understand it, theonly way to fully understand a community andwhat the people there really think is to perform adoor-to-door canvass of every single house.G. Tabling.Organize a basic table to display pictures,flyers, petitions, and written materials. Tables atsupermarkets, fairs, and public events are alwayseffective in getting your message out. Sometimesnational or regional environmental groups haveconferences where you can display and handout your literature. Use these opportunities toeducate, collect signatures on petitions, solicitdonations, and find new volunteers. Working atable will strengthen and deepen the commitmentof your volunteers and alert you to theirhidden talents.Create a well-designed one-page Alert.Every campaign needs a basic call to action thatclearly and dramatically summarizes your issue.You cannot have a serious campaign withoutone. Your alert must be compelling, well-written,accurate, and persuasive. It must contain a wealthof information condensed into one page.Your alert should give a brief backgroundexplaining what you want people to do so anyonewith no prior knowledge of the issue has enoughinformation to:grasp the issue.know why it is important that they act.understand what specific action you wantthem to take: phone, write, fax, email, attenda meeting etc.Your alert should include names, addresses andphone numbers so people know where to writeand who to call.The best brains in your campaign must beinvolved in crafting your alert because presentationis important. Once created, it can be revisedslightly to serve a variety of needs: a press release,a meeting handout, or a poster to announcepublic meetings. If possible, get someone withgraphic artist capabilities to choose the fonts anddo the layout. It should be in black and white so itcan be photocopied.A good alert takes data and converts it intoinformation, then takes that information andpresents it as interesting information. Alertshighlight, from all the things there are in theworld,the one thing you want people to pay attentionto and then it shows them how to thinkabout that one thing. The principles governingthe creation of an alert are like those of flowerarranging: the final product is elegant, it standsalone, complete, and needs nothing else to beunderstood.Seize unexpected opportunities.Attacks on the environment by developers andextractors can be wonderful new opportunitiesto do things that would not have been possibleabsent the threat in the first place.A successful campaign may not just defeat abad proposal, it may provide an opportunity toachieve new goals and environmental protectionsthat would never have happened if thethreat never arose. I remember one timber saleappeal where, after the Forest Service withdrewthe sale, the activists asked for the land to bereclassified and withdrawn from the timber baseand the Forest Service agreed. Not only was thesale stopped, but the reclassification of the landmeant that a sale in that area would probablynever be attempted again.If I had to distill everything I have learnedabout environmental activism into one sentence,it would be this: Never think Mother Natureloves you, but when you do her work, she doeshers, and will never fail to provide you with thestrength and courage to cope with anything oranybody, anywhere. BIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za 51

GREEN GARDENINGsoil for lifeBUILD THE SOIL, HARVEST THE PLANTS, FEED THE PEOPLE, HEAL THE PLANETThe astronauts who first circled the Earth in their spacecraft likened our planet to a blue pearl in space. The living world, orbiosphere, forms a fragile film over the planet, separating the surface from the vacuum of space, and the living soil forms thefoundation of the biosphere. It covers about one third of our planet’s land surface and is one of our most precious naturalresources. Without the soil and its legions of microbes, there would be no life. How many of us understand its critical role in ourhealth and well-being, and in the very future of life as we know it on Earth?In Southern Africa our soils are under severehuman pressure; soil erosion is one of our mostserious environmental problems. Our annual lossof soil is estimated at 300 to 400 million tonnes.Under natural conditions soil is formed at a rateof 0,2 to 0,3 tonnes per hectare per year, or 1 mmof soil per hectare per one hundred to four hundredyears.If the vegetation cover is damaged byhuman activities, agriculture or natural disasters,the rate of soil loss can be accelerated to as muchas 30 tonnes per hectare per year.Soil is a vital support system, since the bulk ofall food production depends on it.In South Africa less than 14% of the land surfaceis suitable for agriculture, and much of thisland has been severely degraded by soil erosion.The ever-thinning layers of soil that cover thelandmasses are in a sorry state. Alexis Carrel– Nobel Prize winner and author of the classicMan, the Unknown – warned in 1912 of theconsequences to our health of growing our foodon tired and depleted soils; overworked by pooragricultural practices and the extensive use ofartificial fertilisers and poisonous chemicals toboost crop production.Directly, or indirectly, all food comes from thesoil. All of life will be healthy, or unhealthy, accordingto the fertility of the soil, he said.In other words, healthy soil, healthy plants,healthy people.Many scientific studies, done to disprove theclaims of organic farmers that their producehas a higher nutritional value, have proved theworth of eating food grown in healthy soils. Eventhe guinea pigs at the German Federal Institutefor Consumer Health Protection, when givena choice of conventional and organic carrots,would only consume the organic product!On a spiritual level, it was Rudolf Steinerwho said that so long as we feed on food fromunhealthy soil, our spirit will lack the stamina tofree itself from the prison of the body.These are sobering thoughts, and, for thosewho extend their minds a little further, itleaves one feeling somewhat vulnerable havingto rely on other people and dwindlingsoil resources to produce our most basicneeds.For many of us the rising cost ofall foods, especially vegetables,makes it difficult to eat somethingfresh and green every day.So the best way of cutting costs,and taking responsibility for onesown diet is to spend a few rands onseeds and a spade, and to reap thebenefits of a variety of crisp, safe and“Many scientific studies, done to disprove theclaims of organic farmers that their producehas a higher nutritional value, have proved theworth of eating food grown in healthy soils.”nutritious produce from your own home garden.Even with a very small piece of land one can growa variety of vegetables by following the simple,low-cost methods that will be appearing in thiscolumn.You will slowly become aware of the rubbishthat your household generates.Roughly half of it is actually food for the soil, andcan be turned into beautiful rich humus whichnot only helps to conserve soil water, but alsoholds soil particles together preventing erosionby wind and water, and actively promotes healthyplant growth. Other household waste can be reusedby fashioning it into simple garden tools andequipment, or recycled. Landfill sites around ourcities are groaning under the massive amounts ofurban waste; many are nearing exhaustion. Whatthen?Set a trend in your area: join the food-growingculture.Instead of a visit to the gym for muscle-toningand aerobic exercise, pick up your spade and aTo all who must eatto live, there is hope:GROWYOUR OWNFOOD.It’s the simplest(and cheapest) wayto good health.Soil For Lifeis a Cape Town-basedNGO which teachespeople to grow theirown organic food.For more information aboutSoil for Life membership,and organic methods forgrowing vegetables, herbsand fruit, please phonePat on (021)794 4982.52 BIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za

Water-wiseGardening Tipsbucket, and head for the garden. An hour or sooutdoors gives you plenty of fresh air, sunshineand exercise to boost your immune system andkeep you trim.It takes your mind off all those pressures in life;gardening is a great stress-releaser. Not only this,you will have something to brag about when yougrow the biggest ‘cauli’ in the street, and you mayeven make a whole batch of new and interestingfriends. Ooh, don’t forget, you’ll always havesomething good and tasty to eat, even in themiddle of the month.WHAT YOU NEED TO START A FOODGARDENThe most important things are free...• Lots of enthusiasm and, in the beginning,some hard work.• A small piece of ground - from as little astwenty square metres to provide your familywith something fresh to eat everyday. If you donot have this space, speak to the people who livearound you, find some vacant land and start acommunity garden. And, if this is not possible,you can try growing vegetables in containers onyour balcony, or outside the kitchen door. A littlebit of fresh food is better than none at all.• Plenty of sunshine, water and fresh air.Some things that you can share or borrow…• A spade, a garden fork and a rake. If your soilis very hard you may need a pickSome things just lie around waiting to be used.You can save a lot of money by using rubbish tocreate what you need in the garden.• Watering cans made out of jam tins or plasticbottles with small holes punched in the bottom.• Shadecloth made by cutting open plasticmesh bags (the type that vegetables are sold in)and sewing them together to form protectivecovers for your vegetable beds• A wheel-less barrow, made from a drum cutin half lengthwise and nailed to two pieces ofwood• Old kitchen forks and spoons for transplantingseedlings• Hard plastic bottles used for spray bottles, orcut to make scoops for compost.• A measuring stick made from a straight pieceof wood – one metre long and about 3cm inBecause gardens are often so water-intensive,it is important to look at the principlesof water-wise gardening.Water-wise gardens are also lower maintenancethan normal gardens.The following tips are taken from Water-wisegardening (Department of Water Affairs andForestry and National Botanical Institute,1998).• Grow water-wise plants – generally thebest suited plants are those indigenous tothe area, as they seldom need additionalwatering.• Group plants according to their waterneeds – this avoids wasting water on plantsthat don’t need it.• Consider the quality and type of yourlawn. Lawns guzzle water, so consider reducingyour lawn area. At least use tougher,low-water lawn types such as Buffalo (coastalareas) or Kweek (inland) rather than Kikuyu.width. Make lines across it with spacings of 5cm,10cm, 20cm, 30cm, 40cm and 50cm.This stick can be used to measure out thelength and width of a bed and to mark out therows for seeds and seedlings. If you do not havea measuring stick, use your spade, which is aboutone metre long• A dibber which is used to transplant seedlingsand to plant big seeds. You can make your ownfrom a broken spade or fork handle, or a piece ofstick, cut to 30cm and the end shaved to a point• A garden line is used for marking lines andareas for digging. It is made of two sticks and alength of string.Other things that are good to have but are notreally necessary, and they’re expensive…• Hose pipe, watering can, wheelbarrowA little bit of effort and imagination will giveyou large rewards and loads of fun. Your vegetablegarden could be the start of a great new lifefor you and your family.YOU WILL ALSO NEED LOADS OFPLANT FOODFeed your soil well, and you will be well fedGrowing plants take food from the soil and thesoil becomes poorer. Therefore the plant foodmust be replaced before growing another crop.• Maintain your garden – remove unwantedplants, plant more perennials than summerannuals, as they have deeper root systemsand so need less watering.• Improve the soil and mulch. Soil waterholdingcapacity is improved by higherorganic matter content. Mulching (coveringthe soil with a thick layer of bark, compost,straw etc) keeps the soil much more moist.• Plant in the right season – For winter rainfallareas this is in autumn and early winterso the plants have a chance to developtheir root systems before the dry season. Insummer rainfall areas it is spring and earlysummer for the same reason.• Water correctly – avoid watering during theheat of the day or in windy conditions.• The best irrigation system is drip irrigation– it uses 25% of water used by normal irrigationsystems with the same effect, and caneven be placed under lawns.All waste that comes from living things shouldbe put into the soil to replace this lost food. Thiskind of waste is called organic waste.Where does it come from?• Your kitchen’s vegetable waste - cabbage leaves,banana skins, orange peels, squash skins. Thingslike turnip, radish and carrot tops and beetrootleaves should never be thrown away as they makedelicious and nutritious additions to the soupand stew pot. Turnip leaves are the richest sourceof Vitamin A of all the green vegetables.• Garden waste – dead branches, weeds, remainsof harvested plants, fallen leaves, dead flowers• Feathers, bones, egg shells, egg boxes, cottonand wool rags, cardboard, paper, manure, oldleatherOrganic waste is free, and can be found easily.Don’t ever throw it away. Nature turns all wasteinto food. So ...• Start collecting as much organic waste aspossible. Ask your neighbours, your family andyour friends to save their waste for your garden.They may think you’re crazy, but just wait till theysee what comes out of your well-fed soil. They’llturn green with envy, and want to know how youdid it.• Examine your rubbish with new eyes, anddesign your own garden equipment. NEXT ISSUE:Choosing a site, planning your garden, diggingand preparing the beds for planting.BIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za 53

MAKING A DIFFERENCESheila Hofmeyr“If you reallybelieve insomethingand areprepared towork hardand get yourhands dirty(literally)you canget a wholecommunitybehind youto make adifference!”Sheila Hofmeyr,Kronendal RecyclingCentre VolunteerCoordinatorSouth Africans produce 566 million tons of waste per year and more than 90% of this is disposed of inlandfill sites. The growing population of the City of Cape Town alone produces roughly 1.8 million tonsof waste a year – about 4 500 tons of waste every day.Sheila Hofmeyr is helping to tackle the problem, byfacilitating the recycling of waste in Hout Bay.Sheila took over as coordinator of the Kronendal RecyclingCentre in 1997. At the time, the Centre wasbeing run by parents of Kronendal Primary School,and collected recyclables brought to the school by thelearners and school parents, in order to raise fundsfor the school.Sheila started out driving around Hout Bay herself,collecting recyclable rubbish – tons of it – andthrough her hard work, dedication and heart-centeredbelief in the project, the amount of waste collectedhas grown from 173 tons to 755 tons everyyear! She has got the whole community behind herand between them they make it work.With the increase in refuse levies in Hout Bay, localbusinesses had been looking for alternative methodsof reducing waste. Sheila has built up relationshipswith these local businesses as well as housing estatesand provides them with a solution to their high levycosts.Sheila has a few simple “sorting at source”tips for businesses:• Ensure that there are two dustbins standing side byside. Sorting is less successful when people have towalk from one side of the room to the other in orderto put things in the correct bin.• Ensure that clear and simple signs are visible aboveboth dustbins (“wet waste only” and “dry waste only”– signs can have more detail e.g. plastic, bottles, paper)• A staff meeting must be called in order to discussthe new system and to provide staff with an understandingof how recycling benefits the environmentand creates employment.• When the dustbins are taken outside it is importantto keep bags of wet waste and the bags of dry wasteseparate. Note that some organizations do not usebags for the dry waste which is another cost saving.Using different color bags for different types of wasteis an effective method.• Ensure that the recyclable products are not put withthe municipal waste as the municipal collection staffoften removes the recyclable products for dumpingat the landfill.Visit our website to view a short video documentaryof the work Sheila Hofmeyr is doing in Hout Bay.Providing employmentThe Centre now collects recyclables from over 75 businessesand housing estates in Hout Bay and also hasaround 100 “regulars” – people who drop off their wastepaper, cardboard, plastic and bottles every week.As the recycling program has grown, Sheila has had tohire people to sort the materials. Currently, the Centreprovides permanent jobs for 13 people.Since Sheila took over, the centre has raised nearly R 165000 for the school and saved over 2800 tons of paper,plastic, glass and cans from landfills (about 15.7 tonsevery week). Half of the Centre’s income comes fromrecycling competition prizes, and the other half fromprofits made by sorting and selling the raw materialsthey collect.Thinking outside the box: the Swap ShopSheila, in conjunction with Imagine Hout Bay, has alsostarted a Swap Shop at the Centre. The Swap Shop encourageschildren from disadvantaged areas to pick uprecyclable litter, and families who are better-off to donateschool stationary, toiletries, non-perishable foods, usedclothing or household goods.The children are paid for the waste they deliver to theCentre with tokens, which they can then use to buy anyof the donated goods in the Swap Shop. Sheila can be contacted via email: sandmhofmeyr@iafrica.com54 BIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za

REVIEWSBOOK: Wild Law: Protecting Biological and Cultural DiversityAuthor: Cormac CullinanPublisher: Green BooksISBN: 1903998352“Wild Law is a stimulating, eminently readable response to ourgovernance crisis. “ Dr Vandana ShivaWe are rapidly destroying our only habitat, Earth. It is becoming clear that many of the treaties,laws and policies concluded in recent years have failed to slow down, let alone halt or reverse,this process. Cormac Cullinan shows that the survival of the community of life on Earth (includinghumans) requires us to alter fundamentally our understanding of the nature and purpose of lawand governance, rather than merely changing laws. In describing what this new ‘Earth governance’and ‘Earth jurisprudence’ might look like, he also gives practical guidance on how to begin movingtowards it.Wild Law fuses politics, legal theory, quantum physics and ancient wisdom into a fascinating andeminently readable story. It is an inspiring and stimulating book for anyone who cares about Earthand is concerned about the direction in which the human species is moving.BOOK: Thirsty Planet: Strategies for Sustainable Water ManagementAuthor: Constance Elizabeth HuntPublisher: Zed BooksISBN: 1842772430By the year 2025, nearly 2 billion people will live in regions or countries with absolute water scarcity.Given this global water crisis, how should the planet’s water be used and managed? Currentinternational water policy sees nature competing with human use: the task for humanity is to dividethe planet’s water between human needs and protecting the environment.Hunt takes issue with this perspective. She suggests that nature is the source of water and onlyby making the conservation of nature an absolute priority will we have water in the future toapply to human uses. It is essential to manage water in ways that maintain the water cycle and theecosystems that support it.This book looks at the complexity of the problem and provides a wide array of ideas, information,case studies and ecological knowledge - often from the remote corners of the developing world- that could provide an alternative vision for water use and mangement at this critical time.GAME: Mahakala Destiny Cards & GamePublisher: Findhorn PressISBN: 01844090434Mahakala Destiny, originally called the Destiny Cards and Game, were created by four friends whowere guided by a vision to create a card game that would bring illumination to those who played.The vision came in the form of an instruction to make ancient wisdom accessible to all and a pictureof four people playing a card game, surrounded by a halo of golden light. Seventy two teacherspresent their wisdom for contemplation on the 72 Mahakala Destiny cards. The cards have beenarranged according to the aspects we tend to divide the content of our lives into; Spirit, Love, Sex,Work and Money. Each card has a name, as listed below, and the words on the cards resonate withthe number, suit and graphic. There are many ways of using the cards on your own and with others.When we contemplate a question by referring to one card, we concentrate on one aspect of thequestion. When we draw a number of cards we contemplate our question through the aspectspresented by all these cards.We are being asked to make choices in all aspects of our lives. To fulfil our potential, our reasonfor being and our purpose in life it is vital to make each step of our journey count. When we livethoughtfully we realise that for every action there is a reaction, for every cause an effect and foreach person a destiny. We create the world in our thoughts, words and deeds. Mahakala Destinyserves as a clear reflection of what we are called to do on our own and with others.The cards were created in South Africa, published by Findhorn Press (Scotland) and distributed byNew Horizon Distributors (Cape Town).THESE BOOKS – and many more– are available for purchase on ourwebsite: www.biophile.co.zaYou could win a Mahakala Destiny Cards & Game set by subscribing to our free email newsletter.Visit www.biophile.co.za/newsletter for more information.BIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za 55

TOUCH • CONNECT • EVOLVEthe back pagesHeal Yourself, Heal Our WorldStep-by Step Guideto ImagingThe belief that your imaginationcan help cure your ills isn’t a newone.Imagery has been considered ahealing tool in virtually all of theworld’s cultures and is an integralpart of many religions. NavajoIndians, for example, practice anelaborate form of imagery thatencourages a person to “see” himselfas healthy.Ancient Egyptians and Greeks,including Aristotle and Hippocrates,the father of modern medicine,believed that images release spiritsin the brain that arouse the heartand other parts of the body. Theyalso thought that a strong imageof a disease is enough to cause itssymptoms.The power of the mind toinfluence the body is quiteremarkable.Although it isn’t always curative,imagery can be helpful in 90 percentof the problems that people bring tothe attention of their primary carephysicians, says Martin L. Rossman,M.D., author of Healing Yourself:A Step-by-Step Program for BetterHealth through Imagery.Imagery became more popularin the United States when O. CarlSimonton, M.D., a radiation oncologistin Los Angeles, began usingit in the early 1970s to help cancerpatients. Dr. Simonton claimed thatactivity of the immune system couldbe boosted by visualizing strongwhite blood cells attacking weakcancer cells. Those in the study livedtwice as long as those who receivedmedical care alone.Step-by-step Guide* Take a few moments to relax.Studies indicate that imagery worksbest when it is used in conjunctionwith a relaxation technique.* Loosen your clothing, takeoff your shoes, lie down or sit in acomfortable chair and, if you’d like,dim the lights.* Close your eyes and take afew deep breaths. Picture yourselfdescending an imaginary staircase.With each step, notice that you feelmore and more relaxed.* When you feel totally relaxed,imagine a favorite scene. It couldbe a beach, a mountain slope or aparticularly enjoyable moment withfriends or family. Try to go to thisscene each time you practice yourimagery.* Once you feel comfortable inyour favorite scene, gradually directyour mind toward the ailment you’reconcerned about.* If several images come to mind,choose one and stick with it for thatsession. Let the image become morevivid and in focus. Don’t worry if itseems to fade in and out.* If several images come to mind,choose one and stick with it for thatsession.* If no images come to mind, tryfocussing on a different sensation.For instance, imagine hearing fishfrying in a skillet or smelling wildflowersin a meadow.* If all else fails, think about howyou feel at the moment.Angry?Frustrated?What color is that anger?What image is evoked?Use these feelings to forge images.* Each time you do this, imaginethat your ailment is completelycured at the end of the session. “Thatcreates an internal blueprint thatyour body can follow to help healyou,” says Patricia Norris, Ph.D.* At the end of your session, takea few more deep breaths and pictureyourself climbing the imaginarystaircase and gradually becomingaware of your surroundings. Openyour eyes, stretch, smile and go onwith your day.* In the beginning, practice thisimagery exercise for 15 to 20 minutesat least once a day.As you become more skilled, youwill probably be able to do it at willfor just a few moments at a timeseveral times a day and still receivethe benefits.Adapted from New Choices in NaturalHealing, by Bill Gottlieb.Twelve Tips toStretch a Tank ofPetrolWe can conserve petrol withsome basic car maintenance.For example, we can get 6 to 20percent higher mile per gallon(mpg) with a properly tuned engine.Keeping a mileage record will tellus when our gas mileage is slipping,which is a signal for a tune-up.Here are 12 more tips to stretch atank of petrol.* You can easily take care of a fewitems without going to a service station.One of them is the air filter. Aclogged air filter leaves your enginegasping for breath and means you’reprobably running with a “rich”mixture, that is, more gas and lessair. Many department and autostores carry air filters, and they aresimple to change. A clogged air filtercan cost you 1 mpg. Replace your airfilter regularly.* Dirty oil cuts back engine efficiency,so make sure your oil ischanged according tot he car manufacturer’srecommended schedule.You can change your own, and buyingyour own oil is much cheaper.There’s a drain plug under yourengine that will come out readilywith a wrench. Have a bucket readyto catch the dirty oil, and rememberto dispose of it safely.* If your fan belt is too tight, yourengine is working too hard andwasting gas. The belt should givea little to finger pressure when theengine is not running. if it doesn’t,you can easily adjust the tensionwith a wrench.* Badly worn spark plugs can costyou as much as 2 mpg. This is probablya job for a trained technician.* The car has been a way of life formost Americans. There are alternatives.These include mass transit,bike paths, and car pools.* Heavier cars are more costlyto run. A reduction of 200 poundsin automotive weight typicallyimproves fuel economy by nearly 5percent.* Use the air conditioner in yourcar as little as possible. It uses a lotof gas. Roll down the windows andget some fresh air!* Using cruise control can savegas. If you drive on the open roadoften, staying at a constant speedwill save fuel.* If you are taking a trip, start earlyin the day while traffic is light. Planto stop for meals at times when trafficis heavy.* Don’t let your car idle for a longtime to warm it up. Also, don’t letyour car idle for more than a minuteafter it is warmed up – this idlingwastes more gas than restartingyour car.* Do not rev the engine and thenquickly shut your car off. This wastesgas. It also pumps raw gasoline intothe cylinder walls. This can washaway a film of oil that protects thecylinders and will increase enginewear.* Check your tires. Your owner’smanual has important informationon your tires, including the correctair pressure that should be in them.Underinflation of your tires can costyou as much as 1 mpg. Radial tireshave 50 percent less road resistance,so they give you 3 to 19 percentbetter mpg.Adapted from 547 Ways to be Fuel Smart,by Roger Albright.Nail Polish Risk:Harming UnbornBoysA chemical known to harm themale reproductive system isfound in many nail and cosmeticproducts.The plasticizer, dibutyl phthalate(DBP), causes birth defects oftesticular atrophy, reduced spermcount, and defects in the structureof the penis.Not just a powerful reproductivetoxicant but causing developmentalproblems as well, DBP was foundin every single person tested bythe Centers for Disease Controland Prevention (CDC) in October,2000. The findings also showedthe disturbing fact that womenof childbearing age have 20 times56 BIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za

more exposure to DBP than the restof the population. CDC researchersspeculate this is because of theirhigher use of cosmetics and beautyproducts. Whatever the cause,pregnant women are exposing theirfetuses to DBP in utero.The Environmental WorkingGroup’s (EWG) powerful new report,“Beauty Secrets: Does A CommonChemical In Nail Polish PoseRisks to Human Health?” by JaneHoulihan and Richard Wiles, namesbrands of 37 nail products includingpolishes, enamels, hardeners, andcolors, that contain DBP. Theseinclude Chanel Nail Colour, MaxFactor Diamond Hard Nail Enamel,Maybelline Ultimate Wear, and Oilof Olay Nail Lacquer.After finding DBP in so manycosmetic products, the EWG recommendsthat all pregnant womenavoid all personal care products withthe word phthalate on the label.Artificial Nails a Fire HazardIf, after reading this, you arethinking of switching to artificialfingernails, beware of open flames!Long artificial fingernails are a firehazard. In a study at Lamar Universityin Beaumont, Texas, 87 percentof the sample nails tested ignited inone second or less. All of the syntheticnails burned completely.Common ways for nails to catchon fire is from open flames such litbirthday candles, lighting cigarettes,and open gas flames on stoves or inchemistry labs.Purity Test forEssential OilsEssential oils, used foreverything from insect repellentsto aromatherapy and fragrance,are very strong and need to beused with care, but they can causeenvironmental health problemsif the brand doesn’t provide pureoils.Some oils have petroleum-basedsolvents added, which can be verytoxic. Petroleum-based solvents areoften long-lasting in the environment,are stored in our fat, and are asource of volatile organic chemicals(VOCs) that negatively affect indoorair quality.Do an easy blotting paper test tosee if your oils are pure. Put a fewsample drops of your oils on a blottingpaper. Pure essential oils willnot leave any residue once they haveevaporated, whereas petroleumsolvents will.by Annie Berthold-Bond, Care2.comProducer, Green Living ChannelsHomemade TigerBalmIn most modern cities inThailand today, traditionalcosmetic recipes enjoy morepopularity than the latest brandnameitems.People there easily see the benefitsof using homemade naturalremedies instead of mass-producedchemical alternatives. Herbs arecommonly used for their naturaltonifying, rejuvenative, and antibacterialproperties, and the people inThailand seem to understand this ina way that many Westerners don’t.A favorite topical application forsoothing sore muscles, Tiger Balmis also great for colds, congestion,and sinusitis, when applied to thechest and throat. Try out this pureand totally n/atural recipe:Ingredients10 drops peppermint essential oil10 drops eucalyptus essential oil5 drops clove essential oil60ml extra-virgin olive oil15g beeswaxHeat the olive oil and beeswax ina double-boiler over low heat. Stiruntil wax is melted. Remove fromheat. Stir in essential oils, and pourinto small glass or metal containersto cool.Note that commercial Tiger Balmis available in several strengths, andthat you may adjust quantities of essentialoils in this recipe. This recipecalls for essential oils, but extremelystrong decoctions of fresh herbsmay be used as well by following thedirections here:Combine fresh herbs in a pan witha pint of water; boil to reduce water.Strain. Combine liquid with oil andwax, and continue cooking over lowheat until water has evaporated,making sure not to boil the oil. Removefrom heat and cool in glass ormetal container.Adapted from A Thai Herbal, by C. PierceSalguero (Findhorn Press, 2003)Tips for NaturalMouth CareDentistry may not seem to fallunder the realm of organic selftreatment,but there are plenty ofnatural ways to get your mouth ingood condition.Tea tree toothpaste, for example,is one of the best antiseptics– promoting healthy teeth and cleanbreath. The taste is strong, but if youpersevere, you’ll eventually get usedto it.Propolis is a sticky, resinous substancegathered by bees, and it hasremarkable antibiotic qualities – it isby far and away the best treatmentI know for mouth ulcers – and hasbeen used as a healing agent forthousands of years. It is generallyeffective for any infections of themouth or throat. You can find it inmost good health-food stores.Certain herbs are more prevalentthan others in natural toothpastes:horsetail, which contains silica(a mineral that is vital for healthyteeth); echinacea, which fights infections;myrrh, which is very usefulfor gum infections; and sage, whichstimulates the mucous membranesand the gums. In the Middle Ages,women used to rub fresh sage leaveson their teeth tomake them whiterand improve their gums. Followtheir example and put a sage plantin your window box.To counter bad breath, chewmint leaves, parsley, tarragon, orfennel – all of which can be grownorganically in your own garden orin pots on your windowsill. Or chewcardamon pods or cumin seeds toclear your palate.Mouth Treatments* For an effective mouth disinfectant,add 3 to 4 drops of tinctureof myrrh (which you can find inhealth-food stores) to a glass ofwater. Be prepared: It is very bitter.* To make a tea tree mouthwash,add 3 to 4 drops of tea tree oil to 6ounces of water and swish gentlyaround your mouth before spittingout.* Make your own sage or horsetailtoothpowder by crushing 2 teaspoonsof fresh leaves in a pestle andmortar and putting them in a smallovenproof dish with a tablespoon ofsea salt. Put the dish in a warm ovenuntiil the leaves are crisp and dry,and then grind them to a powder.Make a batch and keep it in anairtight container.Excerpted from Organic Living, by MichaelVan StratenThe NaturalManicureSteps 1-4File, wash and soak nails, softencuticles, clean and shape cuticlesFile in one direction only, andalways do this when your nails aredry. Wash your hands and soak inwarm water or a fruit acid solutionsuch as buttermilk or organic applecider vinegar, before applying acold-pressed fruit or nut oil into thecuticle area near the half-moon atthe base of the nail. Use the bluntend of an orangewood manicurestick to gently push the cuticles backfrom the nails.Step 5Sand and buff nailsDry your hands completely. Sandand polish the top of each nail witha fine pumice-stone sand stick toremove any ridges.Do the same thing with a fine-gritblock. Once the ridges are removed,smooth the top of the nail with asmoothing file and a buffing chamois.You’d be amazed at how shinyyour nails will look following thesesteps, almost as if you were wearinga clear polish. You can choose amore natural, less-shiny matte finishif preferred, by not using the finestgrade buffing files.BIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za 57

TOUCH • CONNECT • EVOLVEthe back pagesStep 6MoisturizeMassage your hands with a moisturizingcream or lotion.Homemade DogBonesBy making your own dog bonesyou are providing your pet withwholesome food and are assuredthat you are not feeding themanimal byproducts of unknownorigin.Keep your eyes out for dog bonecookie cutters; they are frequentlysold in kitchen supply stores.2 cups whole wheat flour1/3 cup corn meal1/2 cup soy flour1/2 cup ground seeds1/2 teaspoon salt1 tablespoon linseed oil (availablein health food stores)1 tablespoon vegetable oil1/4 cup unsulfured molasses2 eggs1/4 cup milkCombine dry ingredients in abowl. Mix to blend. Add the liquidingredients. Stir, adding more milk ifnecessary to make a ball that can bekneaded and rolled out on a cuttingboard. Roll out dough, and cut outdog bone shapes using a cookie cutteror knife. Place on a well-greasedbaking pan, and bake at 350 F for 25to 35 minutes, or until browned.Adapted from Rodale’s Book of PracticalFormulasHow Color Feels inthe HomeIt helps to choose the colors youplan to live with in your homewith awareness of how differentcolors affect your emotional andphysical states. Every color has aunique vibration all of its own,and this can significantly affecthow you feel in a room.Using this simple chart, you canchoose a room’s color to be in balanceand harmony with the role youwant a room to have in your andyour family’s life:Red A room that is painted redwill energize, inspire activityand movement, help passion, bepowerful and stimulating. A redroom can also be exhausting andoverpowering, and stressful forthose who are anxious. Pink isless demanding. Choosing a redbedroom would not be restful,although some red can be used toenhance sensuality. A red exerciseroom would be energizing! In FengShui red means luck.Orange rooms encourage happy,joyful, social gatherings. Whilean orange dining room or familyroom can stimulate the appetite, itis a great choice for such gatheringplaces. Orange enhances parties,communication, positive feelings,and general good cheer.Yellow rooms inspire intellectualclarity, organization, clear headedarticulate thinking, and happyenergy. Yellow is considered acolor for the logical left side of thebrain. Yellow is also very bright andsomewhat energizing, so one needsto choose its placement with care. Ayellow office might be intellectuallybeneficial, but not allow restfuldowntime, for example, so onemight want to choose to includeyellow accents instead of paintingeach wall yellow.Green rooms are very restful butcombine with an energizing quality.Green is the color of outdoors,calm and active at the same time.Green brings balance and harmony,healing, and rejuvenation to aroom, and can be used as a calmingplace for people who are troubledor in need of refreshment.Blue rooms are often chosen forbedrooms and meditation roomsbecause its cool energy is verycalming, restful, peaceful, andspiritual.Blue helps inspire a quietmeditative quality, and colortherapy with blue has been found toreduce blood pressure. Blue is alsouseful to soothe one to sleep.Purple/Indigo is very comforting,protective, spiritual, and calming.It is a rich color which inspiresfaith, intuition and trust. Entirerooms painted purple could beoverpowering, but a light violetcould provide a very healing andcalming atmosphere.White rooms work anywherecombined with accent colors.White is very purifying, upliftingand cleansing, although toomuch white can reflect a sterile,isolating quality. White ceilings arerecommended because they reflectlight and brighten any room.by Annie Berthold-BondTake a MedicineWalkOne of the oldest ways thathuman beings have soughtinsight and self-awareness isby turning to the living world.The medicine walk is a simpletechnique to help you do thesame.Traditionally, the medicine walkmight last a full day or longer andinclude fasting from food in orderto increase personal clarity. But youcan learn the process in a muchshorter time – even under an hour– and get satisfying results. And youcan always consider doing a moreextensive version in the future.Learn the simple principles of themedicine walk, here:1. Place. For your medicinewalk, go to a natural area that feelsstrongly inviting. It’s better to beaway from human activity as muchas possible, but if that isn’t possible,do what you can. Before you begin,take some time to get centered andaligned both inside yourself andwith your surroundings. Focus yourintention by following your breathuntil you feel quiet and ready. Tunein to the energy of the place andask it – verbally or silently – if itwould be willing to help you. Thepositive feeling you get in responsewill be your sign to continue. If youhave any doubt about the response,choose another place that feels reallygood.2. Intention. The most importantpart of your medicine walk is theclarity of your intention. To set yourintention clearly, think of a questionaround which you’d like insight. ITcould relate to any area of your life.The more specific you make yourquestion, the clearer the answeryou’ll get.When you’ve chosen your question,turn your attention back tothe living environment around you.Either aloud or silently, ask thisplace and the creatures within it tohelp you gain insight around yourquestion. Say the question aloud,at least once, to help yourself be asclear as possible.3. Listen. When you feel ready,start to walk. Take all the time youlike. Keeping silent will help you tomaintain your focus on the question.As you walk, release any expectationsabout what you think youshould find. Follow your impulsesand let them guide you to whatevercalls you. When something attractsyour attention, sit with it. See whatit has to share with you about yourquestion. How do you feel whenyou’re with it? What insights cometo you?The medicine walk draws onyour imagination and symbolicawareness. The answers you receiveprobably won’t come verbally orliterally. Instead, approach this communicationas you might approacha dream of a painting. Let it speakto the intuitive, nonverbal parts ofyour awareness.Example: Randy talked aboutthe trees: “The trees all felt so selfcontained.None of them seemedto have any question about whetherthey were doing things right orwhether they had a right to be there.I realized I might try to be that waymyself and just do what feels rightinstead of worrying what people sayall the time.”4. Gratitude. When you feel completewith your medicine walk, takea few moments to thank the placefor the insights you’ve received. Ifyou like, use a simple, symbolic gestureto communicate your gratitude.This helps to complete your processand lets you return to the rest ofyour life with greater clarity. Breatheconsciously and take a few momentsto re-center yourself before youreturn to normal awareness.58 BIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za

If you’ve received answers, writethem into your Nature journal. Ifyour experience was less focused,record it anyway. In either case, allowyourself to stay open. Sometimes,the most dramatic insights come topeople after they’ve completed theirmedicine walk – either in dreams orat other times.Adapted from The Findhorn Book ofConnecting with Nature, by John R. Stowe(Findhorn Books, 2003)Are Your BeliefsLimiting You?Most of us have very rigid ideasof who we are and how life is forus; this is our drama. When ourview of life is distorted by thesenarrow perceptions, the freedomand opportunities we have canbecome very restricted.Stop for a moment and considerthe wide and vast array of potentialexperiences that you have availablein your life. Think about how eachnew experience you have ever hadhas opened the door to even morenew experiences and opportunities.Now consider the immense range oflikes and dislikes, wants and don’twants, can and can’t dos, that youcarry within you. Which, if any, ofthese beliefs would you be willing toquestion and possibly give up? Whoare you? Ask yourself the following10 questions:1. What kind of a person do youbelieve yourself to be?2. Are you good-looking, ugly, orsomewhere in the middle?3. Are you too skinny, too fat, orjust right?4. Are you smart, dumb, or average?5. Are you a very hard worker, ordo you think of yourself as generallyunfocused?6. Are you capable of great things,or pretty average in your potential?7. Is life unfair or good to you?8. Are you receiving all that youdeserve from life?9. Are people in your life generallytrustworthy?10. Do you ”fit in” when in socialsituations or are you an outsider?Take a moment and consider this:Any answer you gave was a belief. Itwas based solely on your perceptionof yourself and on your drama. Howmight your beliefs limit you? If anyof those beliefs were to change, howcould that improve your life? Whatwoud it take to begin to let go ofthose beliefs?Adapted from Present Moment Awareness,by Shannon Duncan (New World Library,2003).Make Your FridgeEfficientThe refrigerator is likely to be thelargest single power-user in yourhome aside from air conditioningand water heating.Here is a checklist of things thatwill help any fridge do its job moreeasily, and more efficiently:• Cover liquids and wrap foodstored in the fridge. Uncoveredfoods release moisture (and getdried out), which makes the compressorwork harder.• Clean the door gasket and sealingsurface on the fridge. Replacethe gasket if damaged. You cancheck to see if you are getting agood seal by closing the refrigeratordoor on a dollar bill. If you can pullit out without resistance, replace thegasket. On new fridges with magneticseals, put a flashlight insidethe fridge some evening, turn offthe room lights, and check for lightleaking through the seal.• Unplug the extra fridge or freezerin the garage. The electricity thefridge is using costs you far morethan the six-pack or two you’ve gotstashed there. Take the door off, ordisable the latch so kids can’t possiblyget stuck inside!• Move your fridge out from thewall and vacuum its condensercoils at least once a year. Somemodels have the coils under thefridge. With clean coils the wasteheat is carried off faster, and thefridge runs shorter cycles. Leaveabout 15cm of space between thecoils and the wall for air circulation.• Check to see if you have a powersavingswitch or a summer-winterswitch. Many refrigerators have asmall heater (yes, a heater!) insidethe walls to prevent condensationbuild-up on the fridge walls. If yoursdoes, switch it to the power-saving(winter) mode.• Defrost your fridge if significantfrost has built up.• Turn of your automatic ice maker.It’s more efficient to make an ice inice trays.• If you can, move the fridge awayfrom any stove, dishwasher, ordirect sunlight.• Set your refrigerator’s temperaturebetween 38 F and 42 F, andyour freezer between 10 F and 15F. Use a real thermometer for this,as the temperature dial on the fridgedoesn’t tell real temperature.• Keep cold air in. Open the fridgedoor as infrequently and briefly aspossible. Know what you’re lookingfor. Label frozen leftovers.• Keep the fridge full. An emptyfridge cycles frequently without anymass to hold the cold. Plain water inold milk jugs works well.Excerpted from Real Goods Solar LivingSource Book, edited by Doug PrattFind Therapy in theKitchenMaybe you already know howtherapeutic kitchens can be: afterall, cooking is a soothing andsoul-fortifying act for many ofus.But anybody – even the cookingchallenged– can learn these funand sometimes wacky ways to feelbetter by acting out in the kitchen.Find out how these simple (andsometimes silly) kitchen activitiescan help you if you’re sad or mad,spacey or scared, or wanting to feelmore peaceful, right here:To Feel More PeacefulNothing beats slow stirring tocalm you down. Try making a risottoor a slow-cooked soup or stew:the steamy fragrance is soothingand the languid, repetitive stirringmotion will help you to unwind.If You’re AngryMy favorite method for dealingwith anger is the Samurai Chefapproach: hold a large knife in onehand, resting the flat of the blade ona clove of garlic.Whap the flat of the blade withyour other fist and shout Hi-YAH!This is a great way to peel a cloveof garlic and let out some pent-upaggression all at the same time – butit‘s hard to stay seriously angry whenyou do it!If You’re SadWish you could have a good cry?Chop some onions. When the tearsstart to flow, make exaggerated cryingnoises. This will probably end upmaking you giggle, which is always agood thing.Need More Energy?Put on some loud salsa music,pour the ingredients for salad dressingin a lidded jar, and then shakeshake shake – jar, hips, everything.Shedding Old Stuff?When you’re ready to let go of old,outworn ways of being, try peelingroot vegetables (which is a goodidea if they’re not organic). As youpeel away the dry, dead-lookingouter skin, imagine your life emergingas fresh and new as the fleshunderneath the peel.If You’re Feeling Spacey orConfusedIf you’re feeling a little out-ofcontrolor over your head, cleaningout kitchen cabinets and drawersis a great way to feel more focused.You could also try playing withyour food: make patterns with thechopped vegetables on your chopboard. See what images emerge.When You’re Scared or StressedPut some warm soapy water inyour sink. (Please be sure to use allnaturalsoap so you don’t add morestress to your body or the environmentwith toxic chemicals!) Sendcalming and supportive thoughtsinto the water. Now put your handsinto the water and gently wash them.When you’re ready, pull the plugand imagine your fear and stressslowly going down the drain. Rinseyour hands with fresh water.Inspired by Witch in the Kitchen, by CaitJohnson (Inner Traditions, 2001).VISIT OURWEBSITEfor much more informationon healing yourself & healingour planet:www.biophile.co.zaBIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za 59

YOUR TOUCH QUESTIONS • CONNECT ANSWERED• EVOLVEask AnritaA ROUGH GUIDE TO PLANET EARTHYour conditions are worsened onwindy days due to the south easterlywind, which brings with it positiveions, disturbing the natural ionflow within the body.The north westerly wind brings therain, and negative ions, which is whywe generally feel really revitalizedafter a good downpour, walking alongthe beach, swimming in the sea, andso on.Ideally, the body should have abalance of both negative and positiveions, with more negative ions.The effects of low frequencyelectromagnetic energies such ascomputers, televisions, cell phonesand so on, will also disturb the body’snatural energetic balance. In the workenvironment, this often leads to theso-called “office syndrome”, particularlyif there is no natural ventilation,?and the re-circling of the stale air iscaused by air conditioning units. Torestore a balanced energy flow to thebody, face approximately north (truenorth), and exercise for a few minutes,then face approximately south,and repeat this exercise, preferablein good weather. Exercise vigorouslyfor a few minutes in each direction,jumping up and down, or using arebounder, which is also very stimulatingfor the lymphatic system. Thetheory behind this is that the mineralmagnesium flows along in a northerndirection, and enhances negative ions,and phosphorous flows in a southernI suffer from allergies, particularly hayfever, and feel worse on awindy day. Is there anything I can do to alleviate my symptoms?Gail S.direction, stimulating the positiveions. In the home environment, youcan also consider wetting the netcurtains, which acts as a shield to theeffects of the positive ions. Bathingin sea salt and bicarbonate of sodaassists in balancing the energy levels,and correcting atmospheric staticwithin and around the body.An office environment, with all thecomputers, cell phones, pollutants,incorrect lighting, and unbalancedenergies may also cause you to feelenergetically unwell. A radar device,found at most superstores, healthstores, and so on, will offer someelectromagnetic protection, and isuseful for computers and cell phonesin particular.Another technique, particularly ifusing a computer or watching TV,is to visualize a satellite dish aboveyour head in a concave shape, witha royal blue colour on the inside ofthe satellite dish, and a silver colouron the outside of the dish. This is apsycho-energetic technique, whichI have found very useful to alleviatethe effects of electromagneticfrequencies.Also, if you work behind a computerfor long hours, look at investing ina negative ionizer. ?It is a good idea for any house to becleansed, preferably on a regularbasis, and particularly when youmove in, or leave the house, soyou can create an environment ofwarmth and nurturing.The ritual of a house warmingwhen moving in, should also be aboutacknowledging the house, and land,and inviting the Deva of the property,the Angelic presence overshadowingthe property to be welcomed intoyour new home. So, the first thingwould be to give the property aname, and to welcome in the Devaand other nature spirit intelligenceworking with the garden and land.You can energetically tune into thisNature Intelligence, and thank it forits presence and protection.In terms of house clearing, thereare several energy techniques you cando. The first is very common, usingsage or dried lavender leaves bundledWe recently feel in love with, and bought a beautiful old house inthe country. The problem is I haven’t felt well in the house, andwondered if I should consider cleansing my house, or if there waspossibly negative energy lines affecting the house and the land.Can you give me any suggestions? Sue C.together, which you light, and thengo from room to room, clearing theenergy and inviting in new energiesto create a sacred space. There arealso some wonderful energetic fengshui techniques, such as visualizinga white sheet coming up throughthe property, and tying it in a bundleabove the property, taking with itany disharmonious energies thatneed to be released. Surroundingthe property in a violet flame is verypowerful in transmuting negativeor lower frequencies into neutralfrequencies. Sound is very magicaland healing, and getting togetherwith some friends, having an eveningof drumming, singing, and so on, canreally shift the energies in a home.You never mentioned what yourphysical symptoms were, but a feelingof general unwellness may becaused by geopathic stress. This termcovers both manmade and naturalproblems within our environment,such as underground watercourses,oil deposits, the intersections of theHartmann and Curry grids, powerlines, satellite dishes, microwavetransmitters and so on. The mostcommon problem seems to be undergroundwatercourses, which canextend diagonally through an entirehouse and property. A water divineror dowser will obviously be able toassist you in checking this, but if youwould like to do something yourself,the first step would be to inactivateany harmful vibrations of modernbuildings and toxic manmade substances.In other words, you will needto first inactivate the furniture in thehouse, and then following this, lookat inactivating the underground watercourse.Fill a clear plastic bag withhalf a kilogram of organic wheatbran,and a heaped tablespoon of calciumascorbate, making sure that you securelyfasten the bag. Move acrossthe room, swinging the bag overall furniture, fittings and so on todeactivate any toxin chemicals. Oncethis is done, dowse or use kinesiologyto find out if you have cleared allnegative and toxic energies, and/or ifyou have a watercourse beneath thehouse. An underground watercourseis usually a metre wide. If you needto continue, move the furniturefree of this disturbance, and place atablespoon of calcium ascorbate onthe energy layer or layers. Then takethe calcium ascorbate and place it ina jar, sealing it tightly. Now bury thejar in the garden outside the houseand in line with the undergroundwatercourse. The theory behindthis is that Vitamin C has beenscientifically proven to be sensitiveto energy transfer, as it is involved inthe electron transfer of the cell. Thismay sound pretty complicated, butfollowing your intuition will guideyou in the right direction. Even if youare unsure, these powerful energytechniques will greatly assist you inclearing negative energies and feelingmuch better in your home. As a generalrule, get a diviner to come to theproperty prior to purchasing, so youknow what you may be in for! 60 BIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za

?Pendulum dowsing is a methodof testing that has been used forcenturies to access knowledge orinformation through the universalmind.It can be considered a divinationtool that if used wisely will allowaccess to information that is beyondthe rational mind.The scientific theory is that dowsingworks with the tiny magnetic crystalsin the brain, (magnetite crystals, alsofound in dolphins and whales) anda connection to the pineal gland,which receives Light from Source.The pineal gland also influences theelectromagnetic field and the hencethe nervous system.Dowsing can be used for anything,and is usually only limited by ourbelief systems. We can dowse forfood intolerances, supplement deficiencies,to find leylines or geopathicstress lines, and so on.In order to dowse, you need apendulum. A pendulum is any smallweighted object suspended on theend of a string or chain by the fingerand thumb. Pendulums can be madefrom various materials includingwood, glass, metal or quartz.If you want to try this now, andyou don’t have a pendulum, makeone with a ring and some thread. Putthe string through the ring so it hangsdown at a length of five to six inches.Hold the string between the thumband forefingers, with the fingerspointing down. The heavier theobject, the longer the string.You now need to determine a“search”, a “yes” and a “no” positionor response of your pendulum. The“search” response indicates that thependulum is ready to be used andfor most people this is indicated by astationery position. A “yes” responseI have heard of dowsing, but am notvery familiar with the technique.Can you tell me more?Paul J.usually has the pendulum swinging ina vertical or clockwise direction andthe pendulum swinging in a horizontalor counter clockwise directionindicates a “no” response.If you are using a pendulum for thefirst time, the easiest way to defineyour test positions is to program thisinformation into your pendulum.Keeping the pendulum in a stationeryposition let it know “this is mysearch position, I am ready to use thependulum”. Now swing it in a verticalmanner or in a clockwise directionand say “ this is my yes position”.Next, swing the pendulum in ahorizontal manner or in a counterclockwise direction and say “this ismy no position”.Practice this a few times until thependulum is swinging in a verticalor clockwise direction for “yes” andhorizontally or counter clockwise for“no” and remaining motionless forthe “search” position.Now hold the pendulum in thesearch position and say “show me myyes” and “show me my no”. It shouldmove vertically or clockwise for “yes”and horizontally or counter clockwisefor “no” respectively. If it doesnot happen at first, keep trying.When using dowsing rods, whichare bent at right angles to one another,hold the rods out in front, withthe horizontal arm of the rod parallelto the ground.The rods will move in one directionfor a “yes” answer, and in anotherdirection for a “no” answer, and willgenerally be unique to each person,so play around for a while to get thebest response. Questions can only beof a “yes” or “no” nature.Please remember to only ask questionsthat are for your own highergood and of the highest integrity. Do you have a question in search of an answer?Email it to anrita@biophile.co.zaSeven NativeAmerican TruthsWe may not always have control over what happens to us, butwe always have a choice over what happens inside us. Theseclear and simple truths illuminate the values underlying theCherokee vision of the Full Circle, and they can help us beginliving our lives in more connected, healed, and whole ways.We are our own best experts.1. No one knows us better than us. Nobody but us hasseen with our eyes the things we’ve seen, and most importantly,no one but us has experienced our lives in quite the sameway that we have. What others do know of us, they know onlythrough what they see and what we tell them. It is our choicewhether or not to invite others to see with our eyes or walk inour shoes; it is their choice whether or not to do so.2.We are our own worst enemies.No one does a better job of deceiving us or treatingourselves badly than we do. No one can do a better job offinding ways to ignore our innermost thoughts and fears thanwe can. Certainly, other people may try to make us feel badly,or want us to be different than we are; however, their successdepends on our willingness to let them succeed in doingso. Our success in doing ourselves wrong depends solely onintention.3.The worst thing about having many choicesis having to choose.No one can say for sure who is truly worse off: the one who isforced to do something and wishes she or he could do somethingentirely different, or the one who freely chooses to dosomething and later regrets it.Imagination is the one true measure of4. freedom.It’s not a matter of what you can or cannot do, but what youthink you can or cannot do that matters. Inevitably, the restwill follow in time. Being open to experience or the possibilitiesof every situation reflects the inner strength of one whohas established harmony within oneself.Wisdom is having more questions than5. answers.The one who has found all the answers to his or her questionshas run out of questions. The one who has run out of questionshas run out of learning. A person who ceases to learnhas also ceased to experience. And a person who has run out6.of experience cannot be wise.Search long and hard enough for somethingand you’ll surely find it.Sometimes we look for something when there is nothing.However, if we keep looking for it to be there, almost miraculouslyit will be – this is especially true of limitations. Moreover,the harder we look for a certain quality of limitation, themore likely it is to appear before our very eyes. At the sametime, if you look too hard for something you might miss it7.altogether.Sometimes we try so hard to be what we’renot that we may forget who we are.Our nature provides us with opportunities for becomingsomething much greater than ourselves. However, if a circletries to bend by ignoring its center, it’s no longer a circle. Adapted from The Cherokee Full Circle, by J.T. Garrett and Michael TlanustaGarrett (Inner Traditions, 2002)BIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za 61

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www.biophile.co.za/vegetarianIt takes 25 000 litersof water to producea kilogram of meat,but only 200 liters toproduce a kilogram ofwheat.A totally vegetariandiet requires 1500liters of water per day,while a meat-eatingdiet requires morethan 20 000 liters ofwater per day.”All you need to know aboutgoing vegetarian, includingrecipes: www.biophile.co.za/vegetarianBIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za 63

SUBSCRIPTION OFFERJOIN US ON OUR JOURNEYsave 20% off thecover price!and you could get free gifts*!Subscription rates:6 issues: R95.95 (normal price: R119.70)12 issues: R191.90 (normal price R239.40)Please post the form below(make a photocopy if you’d rather not cut it out),together with a cheque made payable to BIOPHILIA:Biophile Subscriptions, PO Box 817, Constantia 7848Or pay the amountdirectly into our bank accountAccount Name: BIOPHILIABank: Standard Bank ConstantiaBranch Code: 02530917Account Number: 271 596 791and fax the form below,together with proof of payment to: 021 706 7642Name:________________________________Address:________________________________________________________________________________________________Tel:________________________________Email:________________________________I would like to subscribe for: 6 12 issuesThis is a gift subscription; please post the magazine to:Name:________________________________Address:________________________________________________________________________________________________* The first 10 new subscriptions received qualify for the free gifts.See page 21 for more information.64 BIOPHILE – Issue 2 – www.biophile.co.za02/05Sentient BeingsAre Numberless;I Vow To Save ThemThis is the first of the four Great Vows, aset of paradoxes that embody the spiritof Mahayana Buddhism, the school ofBuddhism whose traditional home is Tibet,China, Vietnam, Korea, and Japan.For Buddhists concerned aboutenvironmental decline, the first Great Vow istaking on a sadder and sadder resonance.Tens of thousands of ecies are going extinctevery year as a result of human aivities. Weare living at a unique moment in the historyof our ecies. From a Buddhist perective,you could say that the single greatest issue ofour times is: how shall we interpret the firstGreat Vow?THE FOUR GREAT VOWS• Sentient beings are numberless;I vow to save them.• Desires are inexhaustile;I vow to put an end to them.• The Dharmas* are boundless;I vow to master them.• The Buddha Way is unattainale;I vow to attain it.*Buddhist teachings