NJ artist: Christopher PARKS, 1969
EINSTEIN
Logic will bring you from A to B
but
IMAGINATION will take you everywhere
TREES were the first inhabitants on EARTH
The leaves and fruits were the FOOD of many living beings—including our ancestors.
{apes as well as giraffes and elephants are leaf-eaters}
Your BODY is an accumulation of FOOD
and
FOOD tells a story: YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT
When we left the TREES—our perch—and took to the ground,
it was: ADAPT or DIE.
And we stood up.
And we walked in all directions—to the four corners of EARTH.
Moving from place to place, we got from the ground our food.
Plants that were tasty.
Other living creatures ate grass—but we couldn’t stomach it.
We liked the food growing below the ground—it was chewy.
What would life be without FIRE?
One time we saw a hurt bird on the ground, and one of us, the tallest, smashed it with a big STONE. We took the large bird to our cave near the lake. As we hovered at the campfire, a woman pulled at its feathers; we helped her with the plucking.
Then the one who had killed the bird took a sharp stone— flint—and cut its body into pieces. He took a large feather, waved it in the air and then gave it to the woman, motioning for her to fan the fire.
He took a wood stick and stuck on it a piece of flesh. When the fire was real hot, he held the stick over the flames, turning it round and round. Our noses liked the scent.
All eyes, we watched.
And then we aped him: we also made flesh-sticks.
And we all ate savory SOFT FOOD.
A little one clapped his hands and reached out for more
OUR HANDS
WHO would we BE—if we didn’t have HANDS?
We sat around the fire looking at each other when the sun was gone. It was then that a bird announced itself by exclaiming: “Oohoo! Oohoo!” And right away a big child jumped up and called out: “Oohoo-oohoo!” Our little ones clapped and repeated the “oohoos”; it became their favorite sound! One morning another bird made soft sounds; we fixed our attention on a nearby tree. She was alone, uttering: “Rookoo. . . Rookoo”. The children repeated: “Rookoo-rookoo”—they couldn’t stop—it was like a contest between them. One balmy evening another bird, a little one sitting in a flowering bush, moved its tongue so beautifully that our eyes watered and our lips quivered. Trilling their tongues at the same time, the children tried to imitate her.
The children also liked making faces at each other. Rolling his eyes and with his hands pulling his ears, a big child stuck out his tongue, and all the little ones made a spectacle by adopting his gestures. Two girls, they were sitting opposite each other, played by touching their hands and then clap. We enjoyed watching them entertain each other, and to encourage them we clapped our hands.
The men coached the children about the tongues of animals: the roar of a lion; the trumpeting of elephants, and the snort of a swine.
In the beginning:
Mothers gave their offspring “signs” what they wanted them to do. They used their heads and eyes or their lips: smacking would mean eat. And, when at the campfire, they would use their hands for directing their little ones—toddlers under age 4—and they would grunt when angry.
The men would use their hands and also grunt telling about the animals they chased. Perhaps they would even draw an image on the ground using a stick.
The children would chirp/twitter/tweet/cackle (a chorus) to amuse themselves; they developed their TONGUES—controlling the SOUNDS (sound box). {Snakes have no ear-openings and use their tongues to navigate}
So, next (on the evolutionary ladder) came SOUND for communication, developing into “a type of language”—a skill for survival— understood by all of them: it became their mother tongue.
When musical instruments were eventually invented, before the temple period, the SOUND of reed/bone FLUTES was simple but melodious—imitating bird song.
THE MAGIC FLUTE
(opera by Mozart)
Nursery rhymes/lullabies are SUNG.
And “love songs” have always been popular!
We Wanted
Fire Food
MAN THE TOOLMAKER
So the men got together. They looked—scouted—for big sticks. And they put flint on top, fastening them with strong grass: making spears. And then, between the trees, they dug a hole in the ground—a pit—and covered this with tree branches.
When the sun came, we women put stones around the campfire. The men left for the pit. Imagine: an animal was inside—trapped. They killed it with their spears. And then they took the creature to our camp. Taking a flint, the tall one took off the hair, throwing the skin over his shoulder. He cut up the body. We then put the flesh pieces on the hot stones. Our noses inhaled the scent: it was mouth-watering.
WE HAD A FEAST
Eating Meat
FOOD STORY
the
FOOD CHAIN
Grass-eating animals “convert” grass—their FOOD—into BODY/FLESH/MEAT.
So when Homo sapiens ATE MEAT—they were “consuming digested grass/grains: wild wheat, barley, and rice.
They got more calories and protein from eating meat than all day long chewing their VEGGIES. Now consuming high energy food gave our ancestors TIME to observe how other creatures behaved, and eventually, thanks to their hands, becoming “creative beings”.
Accordingly—slowly but surely: adapt or die—their digestive system (gut and intestines/enzymes) ALTERED because of their NEW LIFESTYLE.
{No greater love hath a man than this, to lay down his sirloin for a cucumber sandwich—National Post Canada 1/4/20: Is there nothing Hollywood can’t do?}
The 21st century fad of eating “plant-based burgers” as a substitute for meat proteins—will this require the digestive system to adapt again because of THIS—new LIFESTYLE?
I just read a novel-idea book THE FUTURE IS FASTER THAN YOU THINK; about colonizing “outer space”. And of course the most crucial problems would be water and food “production”. Chapter Twelve: The Future of Food.
ADAPT OR DIE==survival of the species
It is vintage-thinking that to survive we must consume real food. All the necessary components of planet Earth’s “homegrown foods” can be reconstituted as PILLS —caloric intake can be programmed so obesity will not become a problem in outer space colonies; because there’ll not be real tennis competitions nor soccer and baseball. VR will dominate. Needless to say, this will involve that our digestive system must “again” adapt; but this will not be a problem (think bariatric).
PILLS a la CARTE
EVOLUTION by HUMAN DIRECTION
WHAT CAME FIRST:
The chicken
or
the egg?
According to DNA:
When in southern Asia the sperm and ovum of two red junglefowl combined—it formed a ZYGOTE: fertilized EGG.
Small “mutations” of DNA within the zygote led to the emergence of
THE FIRST TRUE CHICKEN
Can we assume that this event happened to Lucy’s offspring, creating chromosome47? And then it happened again, becoming chromosome46—who colonized the African continent? That from there they walked in all directions: to the four corners of Earth, carrying their DNA that included chromosome47: “the” norm of the species HOMO SAPIENS.
DISCOVERING OUR ROOTS
(Genesis 3:19—for dust you are and to dust you will return)
In the Beginning Was the WORM:
Finding the Secrets of Life in a Tiny Hermaphrodite
THIS SLIM BOOK – IS FUN TO READ;
easy to understand!
The WORM is a self-fertilizing hermaphrodite. It has five pairs of “A” chromosomes and two pairs of “X” chromosomes. When one of the doubled “X”
chromosomes FAILS to separate, leaving an animal which has only one chromosome, IT is a MALE.
Recipe From
THE BOOK OF LIFE
The sequence of THREE DNA LETTERS: C – A –T or G
The WORM has a long string of DNA consisting of ONLY four elements ENDLESSLY repeated in slightly varying orders—translated into twenty amino acids which are in turn strung together to MAKE PROTEINS which in their turn COMBINE to MAKE WORMS and HUMANS, and ALL other living beings.
WORMS and HUMANS are assembled from the SAME PROTEINS
THE WORM HAS NO BRAIN
Some of the proteins that develop a worm’s VULVA are also used to develop a HUMAN BRAIN
THE HOLY GRAIL OF BIOLOGY
DNA is not life--DNA in a FERTILIZED EGG is LIFE
(John Sulston)
AFRICA
Was FEMALE CIRCUMCISION introduced when a female child sprouted a penis as well? Would the female shaman take a flint and cut off the male part to make sure that the child would no longer be considered “physically” bisexual/hermaphrodite? So as not to become a stigma/curse on those born with this affliction would this become a “sacred ritual” that included every girl? And
then the male shaman joined the female shaman and decided—before they were old enough to impregnate a female—to circumcise boys too?
As we women sat together watching the surroundings, a flock of birds came and then went down in the field. They got busy pecking at the ground. One of us went over to look. She returned, motioning with one hand “eating” while holding out her other hand to show us their FOOD: SEEDS. A child grabbed some and put the bird food on a hot stone; the scent was pleasing. We watched him put the fire seeds in his mouth and munch. He nodded his head, looking at us, and putting his hands above his head, he clapped.
From then on—we put all our food on hot stones.
A big woman came up to the camp carrying a load of tall grasses. As she put them on the ground she told us that she had been watching birds at the lake making little caves—“nests”—with these grasses.
It occurred to her that what a bird could do with its beak, she also could do—waving her hands. She wanted to make a “mat", she pointed at the grasses, and grimaced as she scratched her buttocks! We laughed and imitating her, also scratched our “fannies”.
We watched how the woman’s nimble fingers plaited—“wove”—her mat. Excited, we rushed to the field to collect grasses and make mats for ourselves.
Then someone thought of making a “grass basket”—for collecting our food! We kept busy using these grasses—making all shapes of baskets. Someone else added large leaves at the bottom as a “lining”. We got the largest leaves at the lake. The baskets were great for carrying food to the camp so we could feed the children when they were hungry.
Then a big girl called out to another girl to join her. With her nimble fingers, she parted her hair and began “braiding” the long strands. Encircling them, other girls shouted their approval, clapping their hands in unison. Of course, they all wanted the same hairdo! So the big girl showed them how to braid.
LOGIC brings you from A to B
Imagination will take you everywhere
I read that the drive of INNOVATION can be viewed as an analogue (comparable) of GENE EVOLUTION—therefore, INNOVATION would be the equivalent of “mutations” in the GENOME.
Repetition of EYE—HAND motion/practice (of nerves/muscles) became an “ingrained” habit (addiction). HOWEVER, the SKILL (of plaiting—or playing tennis) had to be LEARNED. That’s why/how children PLAY and learn (and innovate).
Imagine a world without LARGE BIRDS: The idea of wanting to FLY may not have occurred! By watching the “behavior” of DUCKS and FLAMINGOS, our ancestors got thinking of also wanting to MOVE ON WATER (boats) and TRAVEL ON AIR (planes).
In this century WE WANT to colonize other planets.
Our imagination/creativity will make it eventually happen.
When it rained it rained—and it was windy; we were stuck in the cave. Near the entrance was a hollowed tree-stump with some seeds—and, oh-golly, these had sprouted! A boy took the stump and offered it to a granny. She pulled at the greens and stuffed them in her mouth. Rolling her eyes, and smacking her lips, granny moved her behind back and forth while waving her hands and snapping her fingers. The boy grinned—and snapped his fingers! And stomping his feet, still snapping his fingers, he twirled—“danced”—around the campfire. Suddenly he stopped, shouted at the children and waved his hands. Instantly, shrieking with pleasure, they joined him, and imitating his gestures, they hippety-hopped around and around. Then a little child, warbling like a bird, grabbed the hand of an older child. Right away, they all joined hands—hobbling and chirping and DANCING in the round.
The grown-ups stood up—waved their hands and shuffled their feet. An old man took two sticks and waving them above his head made a racket banging them.
Capering around the campfire:
their “stage”—
the children and their “fans” were having such fun!
I read in the Times of India, April 20, page 8,
about VIRUSES
An article in the New Scientist, title: Origin of Organs: Thank Viruses for Your Skin and Bone was adapted for the Times article. It had an interesting section: MOTHER—CHILD LINK (the protein allowed babies to fuse to their mother).
Accordingly:—a VIRUS GENE is needed for the formation of the PLACENTA, a viral protein called SYNCYTIN that is MADE “only” by those placenta CELLS that “touch” the UTERUS. Using syncytin, the cells “fuse together” to “form a layer” that draws “nutrients” for the foetus “from the mother”.
I want to point out that in my March edition I mentioned the book: IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORM . . . worms live in soil/earth . . . and
that: worms and humans are assembled from the SAME PROTEINS. And that some of the proteins that develop a worm’s VULVA are also used to develop human BRAIN.
I also read in the Times of India, April 18, page 10,
“TREES permit human beings to exist”—
they absorb carbon and release oxygen;
that a single tree gives two humans clean air to breathe—
while forming a “home” for multiple species—
TREES are miracles of science, and of art.
When Trees Talk Through the “WOOD—WIDE WEB”
Forest trees have evolved cooperative relationships (with fungi) maintained by communication through underground networks.
Older “mother trees” with deeper roots use these networks to nurture younger saplings—the older trees send these “nutrients”, increasing supplies when detecting distress signals.
WE ARE WHAT WE EAT
The sun rises. The men stir up the fire and add wood. Everyone is ready to find food and return to the cave with more for the hot stones.
All smiles, Granny gestures at the young women to join her. They dash up, toddlers clinging to their hips—the children following their mothers. Granny grabs grass-baskets and hands them to her companions. She puts a finger at her mouth as she nods towards the men and boys walking away with their spears to the lake. The women smile and, also nodding their heads, put a finger at their mouths—they are being urged “to be sneaky”. Granny has the keen eyes of a night bird, she has experience, the old man had observed and –she has a “green thumb”.
The women get their digging sticks and the group follows their leader. The children are hungry and make noises. Granny shouts and puts her finger at her mouth. In silence they continue walking. The women are eager to find out where Granny gets her greens but most of all they want to make sure where she keeps her cache of edibles.
Granny moves slowly towards the mountains. When they get closer she stops and points her stick in the direction of some very tall trees. The women smile and nod—they “get the picture”.
As they make their way, Granny points at greens to eat. They make out some—the yellow flower that has tasty leaves and a plant with bunches of blue flowers with crunchy greens the men like. Then Granny points at another plant with a blue flower—she moves her buttocks and snaps her fingers. The children cheer! This is their favorite—the greens are very juicy—so they snatch leaves, shoving them into their mouths. Granny grins. The women pluck leaves from every plant—as they chew—adding them to their baskets.
Alaunaea fragile—our up-to-date dandelion?
Salvia merjamie—blue salvia has a soft spot in my garden!
African blue basil—today, the herb basilicum is a staple in the kitchen.
Granny shouts to get attention. She gestures towards the tall trees. They move on. Walking between shrubberies they reach the smallest tree. Granny walks up to the tree trunk. She puts a hand inside a hollow, takes out a round stone, and waves her hand—so everyone can see her tool! Then she points her stick up—the food dangles from the branches. The children cheer.
Waving her stick at the ground, Granny points out the brownish seed pods. She starts shoving them with her feet into a heap while shouting at the children to “give her a hand”.
The BOAB tree, its fruit called “monkey bread”, endures the harshest conditions. Boab trees have survived on Earth for thousands of years.
Its pulp, white fluffy stuff, tastes like citrus
The women and toddlers sit in the shade near the trunk and watch. Granny makes the children carry the food where the group sits. She then clears a patch of earth and sits, gesturing to the children to join her.
Granny takes a seed pod. She holds up her stone—“her tool”—and, eyes fixed on the job, starts banging the pod until it cracks. Grinning, she holds up the two halves—inside is white fluffy stuff. With her fingers she picks at the fluffs and puts it in her mouth. She grimaces. Then she gestures at a child to give her a basket. She takes out the children’s favorite green and holds it up for them to see. Next, she takes fluffy stuff and puts some on the leaf—that she then folds. Granny holds up her concoction for all to see, pops it in her mouth, and snaps her fingers! They all laugh; they all “get the picture”.
Granny hands her stone to a boy, gives him a seed pod, and nods her head. Eyes shining, his tongue protruding, with full force he smashes the pod—into smithereens! The children cheer! The women clap. Granny rolls her buttocks. She makes the boy crack seed pods until “he gets the hang of it”.
The children take basil leaves and stuff them with white fluffy stuff. They offer their mothers some to taste, who roll their eyes and snap their fingers. Then the women add a seed pod to their baskets—to show the new food to the men at the cave.
Granny goes to the tree.
She puts her “stone-tool” in the hollow—her secret “strongroom”.
A pebble is a collection of ATOMS of different kinds. How many ATOMS in a pebble?
The PEBBLE is truly a microcosm of the UNIVERSE
CALCULUS (pebble) is the language of the CREATOR GOD
We calculate when designing an object or project
LANGUAGE: creating SOUNDS into meaningful structures—WORDS
Language is a SKILL for transmitting SURVIVAL
We live in a linguistic universe where reality is what we construct in WORDS--(Wittgenstein)
QUID SIT IDEA–(Leibniz):If you have an “idea of something”, you must express it:
either you say it in proper WORDS or you present the IDEA SYMBOLICALLY
A PICTURE IS WORTH MORE THAN A THOUSAND WORDS
To stay alive, every living creature NEEDS TO EAT
In nature every species is in the FOOD CHAIN: to eat and be eaten
I AM THE WATERS
I AM THE FIRST BEING: I AM THE SOURCE OF THE UNIVERSE
The FIRST SIX incarnations of VISHNU—the DASAVATARA—Hindu theory of EVOLUTION:
It starts with WATER (the spirit of life) and the FISH; then the turtle; the half man-half lion; the dwarf; the perfect man, andends with practical man—inventor of FARMING.
In SUMER (Mesopotamia) seven sages taught “humanity” HOW TO GROW seeds and collect fruits FOR FOOD TO EAT.
TREES
The oldest living inhabitants on planet Earth are TREES. They release OXYGEN—and that’s why the Lord God was able to breathe into man’s nostrils “the breath of life” (Genesis 2:7). The color GREEN became associated with eternal life/reincarnation. And wherever Homo sapiens lived certain trees were worshipped. Among many clans TREES (totems) were regarded as ancestors of their tribe. Royal houses had “family trees” (genealogy). According to the Christian New Testament, Jesus, a descendant of King David, was killed (Acts 5:30) by hanging from a tree. And according to the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy (21:23), anyone who was HUNG from a TREE was under God’s CURSE.
The Christmas tree is universally acknowledged as the Holiday Tree
The Egyptian ANKH was “the symbol for the Tree of Life”—a tree trunk with canopy and the everlasting loop of life
Like a tree, our friendship has stood the test of time
We still have tree-planting ceremonies at marriages, the birth of a child, and the foundation/establishment for friendship/trade activities.
The Buddha proclaimed the ficus religiosa—the Holy Bodhi Tree—“the tree of enlightenment"
The BIBLE—book of GENESIS 9
Just as I gave you the GREEN PLANTS--for FOOD,
I now give you everything that lives and moves—also for FOOD
Our BODY is an accumulation of FOOD
and
FOOD TELLS A STORY:
WE ARE WHAT WE EAT
OBITUARY
on
AIR POLUTION
Kirk Smith (1947-2020)
He was an environmental scientist; Berkeley, Calif.
Smith was a leading researcher in open-fire cooking.
He taught that household smoke- open hearth: kitchen cooking- is the largest source of AIR POLLUTION. Worldwide, 40% of households still use wood/charcoal/coal/dried dung for cooking their food.
The African cradle of humankind
FEEDING OURSELVES:
tiller of the soil
The DAWN of HORTICULTURE
Outside large citifies horticulture still flourishes
Land is set aside for city dwellers -known as "allotments" (Brit) and as "schrebergarten" (German) and in the U.S. as "community gardens" to
GROW their own FOOD
YAM, a vegetable, is a herbaceous plant. The tubers are brown in color but the flesh is white; they are rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber
A woman comes to the cave carrying a tree stump. The children rush up. She grins, goes to the fire and puts the stump in the ashes near the fire. FIRE FOOD, she warbles, pirouetting and snapping her fingers. Now excited, everyone comes to have a look at her fire food that is inside the tree stump: floating in water is a large root (yam).
Granny cries out her approval and claps her hands. Instantly everyone claps. In tune with the clapping, the boy starts dancing. The children follow their leader: the pied piper. Granny has gone inside the cave and returns with a large feather. She goes to the stump in the ashes and starts the job of fanning the fire. All smiles, the owner of the stump rushes to the cave and returns with her feather. The two have fun tending to the fire food. When the water starts to bubble, Granny shouts to the kids to have a look at this miracle: hot water. As they all watch, gaping, steam starts to surround the yam. The children chirp as they point their fingers at the rising steam.
Then, being watched by all, the old man grins as he puts a handful of seeds in his handmade tree stump. Craning their necks, they observe the miracle of another
fire food meal
Granny goes to the wood pile and returns with a pronged stick. She pokes at the yam and lifts it from the steaming container, dumping the food on the ground. The old man points at the yam and hands her his flint. She gets the picture -and grinning broadly, cuts up the fire food into chunks. Then she points at him. Now also grinning broadly, the old man picks up a chunk and puts it into his mouth. His eyes light up as he chews and smacks. To show everyone that he "likes" it [face-book], he flicks his fingers. The children rush up: they claw for the fire food. Eyes rolling, Granny watches her savages having a feast.
The old man nudges Granny and points at his wood bowl with simmering water covering the seeds. She goes to the cave. She returns with a thick stick and hands it to the old man. He examines the stick: it has a depression at the tip. He looks at Granny, and while cackling puts the tool in his dish scooping up some seeds. Granny reaches out -her fingers grab some. Her eyes pop: this fire food sticks to her fingers! She licks and chews.
Everyone's eyes are fixed on Granny Slowly she rotates her behind as she keeps licking her fingers. The old man puts the tool to his lips and sucks up the remaining seeds.
Granny and the women get together. The yam-cook empties her basket and out roll more yams and veggies with their roots still attached. Granny claps her hands. She then arranges the food in circles, each according to their taste.
Pointing to the yam-cook, Granny says with urgency in her voice, "Soomee! Soomee! Soomee!" And then points at the circle of yams. "Yam! Yam! Yam!"
Then Granny points at the next woman. "Leelee! Leelee! Leelee!" and points at the basil patch, the children's favorite. "Coom! Coom! Coom!"
At the campfire in the evening, the men discuss the problem of animals eating their food. They collect reeds from the shores of the lake. And then everyone, children included, make mats. The men put up stakes around the plot. The women surround it with the mats, attaching them to the stakes with strong grasses.
From the cave entrance the old man's eyes scan the lake. The water had receded for some time; soon no more fish to eat. The shore line was now playing ground for the children -many children! His eyes turn to the women growing their foodstuffs. He sighs, looking toward the mountains -beyond was their animal food. Plenty of it! He shouts to get the attention of the men. He points at himself, saying "Papa-papa-papa!" They grin and pointing at him, shout "Papa!"
The boy jumps around thumping his chest shouting "Alibaba!"
Papa takes Alibaba by the hand. They all leave the cave. Then Papa stops. He claps to get attention. Using a thick stick, he starts to make a circle. Then he digs a hole in the center. He nods at Alibaba to help him. Under the watchful eyes of their retinue, the two enlarge the hole. Papa takes a pebble and holds it up. Alibaba grins - he gets the picture!
While the boys and men look for pebbles, Papa collects wood, dry grasses, and a slab of flint. All smiles, the boys and men put their pebbles into the hole. Papa takes the slab of flint and puts it in the center. Next he puts the wood and grasses on the slab and makes a fire. The men clap wildly -getting the picture! They shout "Papa! Alibaba!"
The women and a horde of children show up. They dance around their new place for their food to be cooked. Alibaba looks at a girl dancing gracefully; she has nimble fingers and is not as hairy as the others. He licks his lips. The cave is crowded. He looks towards the bushes , smiles, and whispers "Feefee... Feefee..."
The children are at the lake side beach. The older boys are throwing their spears as far as they can -competition is tough but practice makes perfect. Making faces, they shout at each other -practicing their tongues. The girls are drawing lines on the sand -using sticks and shells, they explain what's going on in their inner minds. Watched over by two women, the older babies, toddlers, are playing together peacefully.
One of the toddlers is piling up wet earth between her legs. Her nimble fingers make a ball. She looks at the ball and then, grinning, throws it in the face of the little boy across from her. Startled, he wipes his face; then he grabs some mud and throws it at her! Making a face, she throws another mud-ball at him. He cries out loud. One of the women, holding a wood bowl, comes over. She puts the bowl on the ground and picks up the boy to quiet him. The little girl's fingers make another ball, and as she looks at it, contemplating what to do, her eyes notice the wood bowl with some seeds in it. A big smile lights up her face. Her nimble fingers form the ball into - a bowl! She gets up and transfers the seeds from the wood bowl into her work of art. Panting with excitement, she walks toward the girls, showing off her creation. Chirping like birds, the girls hover over the earth bowl. They follow the toddler to where she had 'pottered' her creation. They watch carefully how her fingers form her bowl- so they can copy her -and they potter away! When they have finished, they walk, holding their creations, to the women resting at their food parcels -showing them their bowls. The women donate seeds -they got the picture!
Meemee, Leelee, and the toddler lead the women and girls in procession to the cave to show Granny/Ohmoo and Papa the acquisition to their food production.
Making cookies today
To Be Continued In November
CLIMATE CHANGE has been going on for ages -for different reasons. However, for the past 12,000 years Homo sapiens created a crisis by their changing "lifestyles" -from gathering/hunting for food to building man-made shelters, settling down to grow food themselves and creating "city-states".
Disasters were caused by those who bowed submission to the imperious commands of THE LORD -God of the Old Testament- worshiped by the Hebrews.
Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you, for THE LORD your God, who is among you, is a JEALOUS GOD (Deut. 6).
After you enter the land I am giving you as a home and you present to THE LORD offerings (from the herd or flock) made by FIRE... because the AROMA is pleasing to THE LORD (Numbers 15).
Everything that has "the breath of life" in it... I give every GREEN PLANT for FOOD (Gen. 1:30)
God blessed Noah and his sons: Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. The fear and dread of you will fall upon all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon all the fish of the sea: they are given into your hands (to rule). Everything that lives and moves will be FOOD FOR YOU. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything (Gen. 9).
THE NEW TESTAMENT
Jesus the Jew, Son of God, said: Do not think that I have come to abolish the LAW or the prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them (Matt: 6:17).
The apostle Paul said: Do not destroy the works of God for the sake of food.
NOW -ALL FOOD IS CLEAN (Romans 14:20)
[Eating pork and shrimp is okay]
[Goodbye kosher kitchen! No more bloodletting
GOSPEL of JOHN 6-
Jesus the Bread of Life
(54&55): Jesus said- Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him at the last day. For: my FLESH is real FOOD and my BLOOD is real DRINK.
Under the banner of THE LORD'S LAWS to be fruitful and increase in number, humans today are in a pickle: -overfishing; fowl-factories; farm animals munching grass/hay and maize indoors. Forests are disappearing, set on fire by agriculturists to make room for pasture, for growing palm trees producing oil and soy beans for fodder as well as for human consumption. [soy "milk"]
As a staple food (staff of life) the potato is not mentioned in the Bible. The Spaniards introduced the spud from Peru to the West; where it eventually became popular. The Industrial Age has to thank farmers for growing potatoes -a vegetable- that produce more food per acreage than wheat; farm hands turned into factory hands.
China's solution to an increasing demand for food was population control and introducing new foodstuffs to their citizens. The national dish is rice, their staple food. Cultivating rice is time-consuming and more land is needed than growing other staple foods. But most of all, rice requires WATER, a precious commodity that is becoming scarce. Today, China is the largest producer of POTATOES, a new STAPLE FOOD.
[imagine life without French fries!]
FOOD IS OUR FUEL
Returning to a green plant-based menu will definitely create a transporation crisis. Think of the super fuel demand for planes, trucks, trains and of course a spider web of road systems.
Some green plants/vegetables can be eaten raw; however that requires more effort for the digestive system. Most vegetables have to be cooked and this involves another type of "fuel" -gas or electricity.
On the US East coast in winter the land does not produce many edible green plants. All veggies -lettuce, broccoli, asparagus, parsley, etc. have to be imported from other regions; and lemons from Florida, kiwis from Oregon, avocados from California, and pineapples from Hawaii.
Our vegetarian menu will be very restricted if we adhere to local foodstuffs only -in order to "survive".
ADAPT OR DIE
THE SVALBARD GLOBAL SEED VAULT IN NORWAY
Opened in 2008
It was designed to protect crop seeds -like beans, rice and wheat- against the worst cataclysms of nuclear war or disease.
University of Chicago Press
This is the story of HOW our fruit, vegetables, and grain crops came to be far more appetizing than their wild ancestors.
The process of domestication: changes in crop plants are essentially about the tailoring of species to suit human needs. Improving upon nature is the very essence of plant breeding. Think of the monk Gregor MENDEL and his "pea-plants" -the famous Law of Inheritance.
There was a movement against meddling with creation: religious scruples.
Hybridizing is a new method of improving crops.
FOOD from genetically modified crops (GM) is no more dangerous to eat than food produced by conventional agriculture. However, the "idea" of so-called Franken-foods is distasteful to many people.
There have been attempts made to create ARTIFICIAL FOODS to taste like the real product. But toxic foodstuffs (chemical additives) will affect the liver to work overtime digesting the "foreign-fuel".
Oxford University Press
A BIJOU-BOOK
Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, N. Carolina
PLEASE... PLANT A TREE
THANK YOU!
Ohmoo and Papa are leaning against a large boulder, sitting next to each other at the cave entrance. Papa points his stick in the direction of the woody hills and says that several youngsters moved out of the cave because it was getting crowded. And all those babies crying at night; keeping them from sleeping! She admits that when one cries, they all cry. And that Feefee had told her that Alibaba gave their new cave-dwelling a name: TOOKOOL. She points a finger at a woman and child coming toward the cave.
Soomee, the yam-cook, waves her digging stick. The two join the old couple. Putting down her collecting basket, Soomee announces that the women's food-circles are not producing enough FOOD for everyone. And that she and Feefee have been wondering if Ohmoo and Papa can open their eyes so they can tell the women what TO DO about this problem.
Ohmoo whispers in Papa's ear that the group should look for greener pastures. Papa grins; he puts a finger to his mouth and winks at her.
The little boy tugs at Ohmoo's arm to get her attention. He holds up his plaything for her to look at. She wants to know what it is. He says Foobaba has given this plaything the name SLINGSHOT.
Papa holds out his hand to take the plaything and asks the boy what his name is. Smiling brightly he says: BEEBABA. Papa pulls at the string made from the gut of an animal. His keen eyes shine when he says to Soomee that Beebaba has open eyes and that Foobaba can learn from him. He holds the pebble at the string, pulls it back, then releases it...and the pebble flies in the air like a bird!
Beebaba flaps his arms and prances at the cave entrance shouting SLINGSHOT!
Ohmoo and Soomee show their approval by clapping and moving their behinds. The old woman holds out her hands, saying she wants to play with it. Papa points at Soomee's digging stick and he says that slingshot is ANOTHER TOOL for getting FOOD. And that Alibaba will make one for the men when they are looking for animals. He tells Soomee that Foobaa and Alibaba must come because he needs to talk to them about plaything SLINGSHOT.
Ohmoo gets up. Followed by Soomee and Beebaba she walks to the food circles. She had noticed the empty patches and knew about the food shortages. So she squats near one and motions Soomee to join her. Beebaba moves close to Ohmoo, his eyes wide open.
The old woman points at the meager contents of Soomee's basket and sighs. Using her hands and grimacing, Ohmoo rubs and squeezes her stomach over and over again. Beebaba starts to rub his own stomach and also grimaces. The boy got the picture. Ohmoo clasps her hands above her head and looks up at the sun. Then her fingers pull at her lower eye lids and opening her mouth starts to salivate; the saliva drips down her chin. Soomee starts to cry.
Beebaba tugs at Ohmoo's arm. She looks at him, nods, and turning around points a finger at the mountains faraway. The boy gets up and goes around in circles. He waves his arms above his head as he looks at his mother. Soomee gets up and joins him. Ohmoo smiles, knowing they got the picture that they had to leave for greener pastures.
Alone at the cave, shaking his head with admiration, Papa looks at Beebaba's invention: slingshot. He plays with it. He gets up and goes inside the cave. He returns to the entrance with his spear. He picks up the plaything and pulls at the string. He looks at the heap of pebbles nearby and then his eyes move to his spear. He stares. His jaw is moving fast as he stares in silence. He sees the larger picture and yelps: YOOREEKAH!
Alibaba and Foobaba holding hands with Beebaba arrive at the cave. Beebaba grabs his slingshot, takes a pebble and before the men can count to two the pebble flies in the air like a bird.
Papa starts to dance and clasps his hands above his head. He points at his spear and then points to the sky.
Alibaba takes the plaything and puts it next to the spear. Papa, Foobaba and the boy join him. Alibaba takes Papa's stick and draws on the ground a picture: a slingshot without the handle and the string is fastened at both ends, shaping it into a bowl. Then he draws a small version of the spear in the center of this picture. Alibaba grins when he attaches a feather at the spear.
Beebaba leaps in the air, flailing his arms like the wings of a bird, and shouts
NAME! NAME!
Papa gets hold of Beebaba’s hand and, trilling his tongue, he starts dancing around the picture. Alibaba and Foobaba join the warbling and stomping. Suddenly Papa stops. He points at the picture and says that Beebaba must NAME this plaything.
Yodeling, clapping his hands, full of enthusiasm, Beebaba jumps on the picture, shouting: FOOD-SHOOT!
Joining his clapping, in chorus the men chime FOOD-SHOOT!
Gesturing, Papa instructs Alibaba on how to make this plaything; he promises to return with this FOOD-SHOOT TOOL. Babbling with excitement, the men and Beebaba depart for their cave-tookools.
Waving her digging stick, Ohmoo walks toward the cave. Papa welcomes her with open arms. He shows her the picture, explaining that this tool is for getting food. And that Beebaba named it Food-Shoot. Winking, Papa wants to know if she advised Soomee to look for greener pastures. Ohmoo nods, pointing at the mountains faraway.
Papa trills his tongue. He grabs her hand and starts dancing around the picture. As she prances, Ohmoo looks at the food circles. Abruptly she stops. She points at the mountains and starts to salivate. Then she points at the food circles, saliva running down her chin. She waves both hands in the direction of the tookools and starts to sway. Grinning, Papa gets the picture and waves toward the settlement.
Sitting next to each other at the entrance, Ohmoo and Papa make plans for a farewell party. They will decide which couples will leave with some of their friends for greener pastures. And . . . who will stay in the tookools as well as those to stay with them in the cave: big decisions. Their future is at stake!
FUNGI
provide a key to understanding the planet on which we LIVE and the ways we THINK, FEEL, and BEHAVE.
FUNGI can alter our MINDS, heal our BODIES, and even help us resist environmental disaster.
THE WOOD WIDE WEB
It’s the brain that believes and
MEMORY is critical to belief. Dementia is loss of memory.
(Isaiah 14:11)—That maggots are your bed and worms are your blanket was unacceptable. Reality had to be sugarcoated. And so a heavenly afterlife was “envisioned”: the equivalent of a “soother”.
(Religious orientation is not congenital. It is a product of conditioning.)
Pope: Big Bang was all God’s work
Five thousand years ago, centered at the temple, “organized religion” was the glue of society because it provided their livelihood.
The TEMPLE was their GRAIN TRADE CENTER
(Wall Street-commodities. Religious institutions still dole out food to the needy.)
Shouting YOOHOO! YOOHOO! Beebaba holding hands with a child runs up to the cave. He is followed by Soomee, Feefee, Foobaba and Alibaba. Out of breath, Beebaba takes the child to Ohmoo and says this is his girlfriend SOOSEE. Papa trills his tongue. Ohmoo hugs Soosee and says to Papa that this is a good omen for their journey across the faraway mountains. Papa nods: Beebaba now has a mate.
The adults arrive. Alibaba shows his Food-Shoot. Papa and Ohmoo clap their hands and jump up and down.
From FOOD-SHOOT
to modern Archery
Papa gets down to business about their search for greener pastures and he asks the adults to sit, facing him and Ohmoo. Beebaba, eyes wide open, and Soosee huddle next to Ohmoo.
Papa puts the Food-Shoot beside him and tells Alibaba to make one for Foobaba, who will lead his family and friends across the mountains, as well as one for himself so he can show this know-how to those staying in the cave.
Papa then asks Alibaba and Foobaba to help him carry tools from the back of the cave to the entrance. Ohmoo asks Soomee and Feefee to collect the baskets and digging sticks.
The men return with axes and spears and the women with their tools.
A decision is made that Alibaba and Feefee will be joined by Meemee and her friends. Leelee and her friends will join Foobaba and Soomee. The remaining group will stay at the settlement and the cave, to look after Ohmoo and Papa.
Beebaba gets hold of Soosee’s hand and shouting YOOHOO! the couple starts to dance. Everyone claps. Ohmoo orders the women to collect as much food as they can for their farewell party. Excited, they return to their tookools.
Ohmoo tells Papa that she has hoarded food. She goes to the rear of the cave and returns with baskets. She gives some to Papa, saying they must collect her nuts. They return with brimming baskets. Papa shakes his head, wondering aloud how Ohmoo managed to keep her reserves safe from “rivals.” She cackles.
Ready for the taking when the two families and their entourage leave, Papa arranges food tools in a heap. Ohmoo adds baskets and digging sticks.
Two male cave dwellers help Papa make several fire circles; because, he says to Ohmoo, everyone wants to dance. He puts three unlit torches at the side of the entrance. Ohmoo puts her cache of nuts next to the torches.
Standing at the cave entrance, Papa and Ohmoo hold hands and stare in the direction of the tookool settlement. They wait eagerly for the arrival of their tribe.
Beebaba and Soosee run up, shouting YOOHOO! until they reach the cave. He points at the band of men and women, saying they are bringing the food. And that the two families and friends want to be alone when they say goodbye to the place where they had enjoyed life.
Ohmoo tells the troupe to put their food next to the nuts. Out of the baskets tumbles a cascade of greens and yams. Ohmoo sniffs and grins: This will be a terrific party!
Papa directs the group to several fire circles, telling them to squat and wait until the families arrive so they can start eating and dancing. All eyes are fixed at the clump of trees where the tookools are located.
Beebaba jumps up, shouts YOOHOO! and runs. Soosee is held back by Ohmoo. Papa starts to trill his tongue as he points at the families coming toward them. Beebaba returns waving his slingshot. He starts to dance, swinging in the air his precious food tool. Ohmoo gets up and claps her hands. They all get up and clap. Some stomp their feet and warbling YOOHOO! wave their hands. Papa yells to squat . . . as he puts his hands on the ground.
Order restored, the families are welcomed with open arms. Ohmoo hugs Soomee and then Feefee; the pecking order is established. Papa gives a fiver to Alibaba and then Foobaba. He tells them to take tools from the heap when they leave after sunrise. Papa then shows the group where to squat. The circle is complete.
An infant starts to cry; on cue all infants join the wailing. Instantly the mothers press them to their bosoms: Instant silence. Ohmoo utters YOOHOO!, claps her hands, and wiggles her rear.
On cue, Papa gets up. He waves at Soomee and Feefee to come. He takes them by their hands and starts to dance around the nearest fire circle. The women perform a kind of curtsy, and smiling broadly join Papa’s hippety-hop dance.
Beebaba invites Ohmoo to dance. Cackling, she jumps up and the two join the hippety-hoppers. Soosee also wants to be included and grabs Beebaba’s hand.
On cue, the mothers, their infants clinging to their breasts, get up and dance around the remaining circles. The men and teenagers eagerly join, flapping arms and stomping their feet as they trill their tongues.
Aflame with the lust for life, the men grab their object of desire and start the mating dance.
The premiere of the bacchanal is in full swing.
Satiated, the tribe looks at the senior couple for a cue. Ohmoo goes to the food section and waves. She puts her hand, stuffed with greens, to her mouth. The exercise of dancing and mating has given them a ravenous appetite and in a rush, they grope their way to the entrance.
It is buffet style so they queue. The children chirp and twitter as they stuff their mouths, the men vent their appreciation for the nuts and the mothers utter reassuring sounds to their infants.
Bellies full, they all return to their places. Soosee, still vexed having been bypassed by Beebaba, runs to Papa. All smiles, she shows him her hands and then waves them above her head. Swaying, she starts clapping in rhythm. Beebaba rushes up to join her, clapping as loud as he can. Then Soosee does a pirouette while clapping rhythmically. Feefee jumps up and gives a show of her finger-twirling. Ohmoo and Papa wave to the tribe and then clap along.
The group gives the performers a standing clapping ovation.
(This ritual of communal clapping is still practiced at Vienna’s New Year’s Concert with the Radetzky March)
The sun is setting. Papa gets up and lights one torch. He plants it in front of the entrance: Bed-time. The tribe huddles in groups for the night. Two males, watchers, sit on either side of the torch.
The first rays of the sun appear at the horizon. Feefee sneaks up to the entrance. Ohmoo wakes up and waves at her. Feefee sits at Ohmoo’s feet and wonders aloud if she should start the “Oh radiant dawn” dance. Papa, sitting next to Ohmoo, shouts from the top of his lungs: YOOHOO! YOOHOO! On cue, the infants wail. The wake-up call!
Papa and Ohmoo stand up and wave at the tribe to come. She takes charge and orders Feefee to kneel behind the first fire circle while facing the cave. Then she waves at the groups to kneel behind Feefee and the torch. She and Papa squat behind the torch. Papa shouts: YOOHOO!
Feefee starts the ritual by clasping her hands in front of her while swaying. The troupe imitates. Feefee softly trills her tongue as she opens her hands and then raises her arms high. The worshipers follow. Then Feefee turns around and faces the rising sun. She trills her tongue rapidly. The chorus sets in. It is their hymn to Dawn.
Ohmoo and Papa go to the rear and return with a bouquet of greens and a piece of meat wrapped in a leaf. They go to the fire and put their gifts near the flame, shouting: FOODY! FOODY! They turn around facing the tribe and point at Alibaba and Foobaba.
The two groups assemble at the entrance.
Papa takes the two unlit torches and stands in front of the two families. He gives Alibaba one and then it’s Foobaba’s turn. Ohmoo takes Feefee by the hand and goes with her to Alibaba. She motions that the two light their torch from the cave torch. All smiles, the couple obliges. Then Ohmoo takes Soomee by the hand and she and Foobaba light their torch.
Papa claps. The tribe claps enthusiastically. Then Papa motions Alibaba to leave with his family and points to the faraway mountains on the left. Then he motions to Foobaba and his family to leave to the faraway mountains on the right. Shouting: FOODY! FOODY! he holds his arms sideways: left and right.
The tribe shouts: FOODY! FOODY!
Hippety-hopping, the two groups emigrate
OUT OF AFRICA.
The woods would be silent if no birds sang except for those that sang best
(Henry Van Dyke)
