Defensive Perimeter and Interior
Are you a little concerned that your food tastes a little strange, hear things that go bump in the night, whispers in the dark. Secure your home with simple methods, for as you know, even the best locks are able to be picked or opened by someone with a little extra knowledge. Add lumps of wood to the windows so that they cannot be slid open silently during the night, when you leave your home, take a photograph of where the wire and bits of wood are, even place a tissue snagged through the wire, take another photograph and compare the photo to the lock mechanism when you get home. Doesn’t it just piss you off when you taste your coffee and it tastes soapy after a few cups, that’s meth amphetimine, wouldn’t know it was there till the 12th cup or more.
Taliesin
"Primary Chief Bard am I to Elffin,
And my original country was the region of the summer stars;
Idno and Henin called me Myrddin,
At length every king will call me Taliesin.
I was with my Lord in the highest sphere,
On the fall of Lucifer into the depths of hell;
I have borne a banner before Alexander;
I know the names of the stars from north to south;
I have been on the galaxy at the throne of the Distributor;
I was in Canaan when Absalom was slain;
I conveyed the divine Spirit to the level of the Vale of Hebron;
I was in the Court of Don before the birth of Gwydion;
I was instructor to Eli and Enoch;
I have been winged by the genius of the splendid crozier;
I have been loquacious prior to being gifted with speech;
I was at the place of the crucifixion of the merciful Son of God;
I have been three periods in the prison of Arianrhod;
I have been chief director of the work of the tower of Nimrod;
I am a wonder whose origins are not known;
I have been in Asia with Noah in the Ark,
I have seen the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah;
I have been in India when Rome was built,
I am now come here to the remnant of Troy;
I have been with my Lord in the manger of the ass;
I strengthened Moses through the waters of the Jordan;
I have been in the firmament with Mary Magdalene;
I have obtained the Awen from the cauldron of Ceridwen;
I have been Bard of the Harp to Lleon of Lochlin;
I have been on the White Hill, in the court of Cynfelyn,
For a year and a day in stocks and fetters,
I have suffered hunger for the Son of the Virgin,
I have been fostered in the land of the Deity,
I have been teacher to all intelligences,
I am able to instruct the whole universe;
I shall be until the day of doom upon the face of the Earth,
And it is not known whether my body be flesh or fish.
Then I was for nine months In the womb of the hag Ceridwen;
I was originally little Gwion, At length I am Taliesin."
Meditation, Telomeres and Aging
Gday Vertex, what is the relationship between increased telomere length and an increase in lifespan due to the practice of meditation, cheers Henry out
AI
G'day Henry! That's a fascinating question that delves into the intersection of ancient practices and cutting-edge science. Let's break down the relationship between meditation, telomere length, and lifespan.
The Basics: Telomeres and Aging
Telomeres are protective caps at the ends of our chromosomes, much like the plastic tips on shoelaces.
Every time a cell divides, a little bit of the telomere is shaved off. This is a natural part of the cellular aging process.
As telomeres get shorter, they eventually reach a critical length, signaling the cell to stop dividing or to undergo programmed cell death (apoptosis). This contributes to organismal aging and age-related diseases.
Telomere length is often considered a biomarker of biological aging. Shorter telomeres are generally associated with increased risk of age-related diseases and a potentially shorter lifespan.
Meditation and its Potential Impact on Telomeres
Now, how does meditation fit into this picture? The proposed relationship is that meditation may help to slow down the rate of telomere shortening, or even, in some cases, lead to an increase in telomere length.
Here's the science and the proposed mechanisms:
Stress Reduction: This is the most widely accepted and investigated pathway.
Chronic stress is a significant contributor to accelerated telomere shortening. Stress triggers the release of hormones like cortisol, which can increase inflammation and oxidative stress, both of which are detrimental to telomeres.
Meditation, particularly mindfulness-based practices, is highly effective at reducing psychological stress. By calming the nervous system, reducing rumination, and promoting present-moment awareness, meditation can lower cortisol levels and mitigate the damaging effects of chronic stress.
Reduced Oxidative Stress and Inflammation:
Oxidative stress (an imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants) and chronic inflammation are major drivers of cellular damage, including telomere attrition.
Meditation has been shown to reduce markers of oxidative stress and inflammation in the body. This can be achieved through various mechanisms, including improved autonomic nervous system balance and the downregulation of pro-inflammatory signaling pathways. Less oxidative stress and inflammation mean less damage to DNA, including telomeres.
Activation of Telomerase:
Telomerase is an enzyme that can add repetitive sequences back to the ends of telomeres, effectively lengthening them. It's like having a special "telomere repair kit."
While telomerase activity is generally low in most somatic cells, some research suggests that certain lifestyle factors, including mindfulness and meditation, might positively influence telomerase activity.
The idea is that by reducing stress and inflammation, meditation may create a cellular environment more conducive to telomerase function, thus helping to maintain or even lengthen telomeres.
Epigenetic Modifications:
The way our genes are expressed (epigenetics) can also influence telomere length.
Emerging research suggests that meditation may induce beneficial epigenetic changes that impact genes involved in cellular repair, stress response, and telomere maintenance.
The Link to Lifespan
So, if meditation can help maintain or lengthen telomeres, how does that translate to lifespan?
Slower Cellular Aging: By slowing down the rate at which our cells age, meditation could contribute to a healthier aging process. This means cells remain functional for longer, and the accumulation of age-related cellular dysfunction is delayed.
Reduced Risk of Age-Related Diseases: Many chronic diseases associated with aging, such as cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative disorders, and certain cancers, are linked to cellular senescence and damage. By promoting cellular health through telomere maintenance, meditation may help reduce the risk and burden of these diseases.
Improved Healthspan and Potentially Lifespan: The ultimate goal isn't just living longer, but living healthier for longer – this is known as healthspan. By contributing to slower biological aging and reducing disease risk, meditation has the potential to improve both healthspan and, consequently, lifespan.
Important Considerations and Nuances
Research is Ongoing: While promising, the research in this area is still evolving. Many studies are observational or involve relatively small sample sizes. More longitudinal studies are needed to confirm these findings definitively.
Type of Meditation Matters: Different meditation techniques may have varying effects. Mindfulness meditation, loving-kindness meditation, and other forms are all being investigated.
Consistency is Key: The benefits of meditation are likely cumulative. Regular and consistent practice is probably more important than sporadic sessions.
Holistic Approach: Meditation is not a magic bullet. It's most effective when integrated into a healthy lifestyle that includes a balanced diet, regular exercise, adequate sleep, and strong social connections.
Individual Variability: Responses to meditation can vary greatly from person to person due to genetics, lifestyle, and other factors.
In Summary for You, Henry:
The relationship between increased telomere length, meditation, and lifespan is thought to be indirect but significant. Meditation primarily impacts telomere length by reducing chronic stress, inflammation, and oxidative stress, which are all accelerators of telomere shortening. Some evidence also suggests meditation might positively influence the enzyme telomerase, which repairs telomeres. By preserving telomere length and promoting cellular health, meditation can contribute to a slower biological aging process, a reduced risk of age-related diseases, and potentially an extension of both healthspan and overall lifespan.
Keep up the great work with your meditation, Henry! It's a practice with profound potential for well-being.
Cheers!
Elbow Room
A somewhat sly smile passed across his face, ‘Interesting’, he thought to himself, and mused awhile. One of the locals had gone around to one of the meth houses and had stood outside the window and said aloud to the occupants inside, who were consuming vast quantities of various drugs and sizeable portions of alcohol, “Yes, some tomato sauce on cardboard would be nice”, and made his way back to the safety of his home. It was a bold move and he really couldn’t be sure if it was a local or some blow in from another town, whoever it was made him smile. So he played along and heard one of the occupants say, “Yes, haven’t had any tomato sauce on cardboard for a while, used to eat a lot of it, though I was, putting on too much weight”, and his friends made such sundry comments as, “Yeah, where we gunna’ get some cardboard at this time of night”. How he was able to hear these comments is any ones guess but he chimed in with a, “Tomato sauce on cardboard with grated cheese and anchovies, very tasty”, pretty soon, apparently, there were a few people, meth-amphetimine addicts, consuming vast quantities of cardboard, with tomato sauce, and one desperado had some six month old cheese which he roughly chopped and actually had some anchovies to put on top, I did suggest they use the griller and place the cardboard delight down on the bottom level. ‘They must have some sort of portable device that they’re using to carry the comments around town to each other’, he thought to himself, so he continued on with the general banter, “Yes, you would have the waiter carrying over a tray of Plastic Bag with a drizzle of soy sauce, to the meth heads table and placing it down in front of the couple with the waiter handing it to the female and saying ‘Bon Appetite’, and the boyfriend saying to his girlfriend, “Wrap your laughing gear around that, darlin”, and of course, served with a glass of Kerosene Shandy. He heard a few laughs and began to elaborate on the subject, “You could have the Masterchef grand final where the 8 meth addicts showcase their favourite dishes, tomato sauce on cardboard with grated cheese and anchovies, plastic bag with a drizzle of soy sauce, car tyre steaks, maybe throw in some chicken plastic bag, which I heard was available from the supermarket in a value pack.”, he did hear some comments such as, “How do you mix chicken with a plastic bag,” which still remains unanswered to this day, though some said it would be a rather elaborate process, quite complicated. Whether it be true or not, several chaps were taken to hospital suffering from an overdose of cardboard, which they had consumed whilst down at the cardboard recycling skip behind the supermarket. Pretty soon, cries of outrageous delight echoed across the town, the solution had been found, and the locals served up, to their tormentors, a veritable plethora of outrageous lies, glasses of kerosene shandy, methylated spirits strained through a loaf of white bread and fly spray and nugget, shaken, not stirred, in a plastic bag, which he remarked upon, quite casually to the walls, was a connoisseurs delight and added, “Me mate knocked up a dose of fly spray and nugget one night in a plastic bag, when we were at a party”, this brought on some serious doubts about the persons sanity. At one stage of the night he held a conversation with an unknown passing stranger outside in the darkness, perhaps a meth head, maybe on LSD, who knows, he didn’t really care, it sounded like a bit of fun, so he kept chiming in with a few comments to add to the general discourse. “Some people eat cardboard every day, it’s a food staple”, he added, “Cardboard can’t be a food staple”, the voice intoned enquiringly, “It is if you eat it every day”, he replied, he also told the story where one of the bogans was at a party one night at his mates place, skulling 20w50 from a four gallon drum that was slung over his arm with the host saying to him, “Can’t you get a glass”. And so the laughter carried on through the night, buoyed by persistent cries of such things as, “Have another pipe, full to the brim, time for a drink”, and other such suggestions, which when made to the impressionable mind, were carried out by the deluded, deranged individuals who had been terrorising the town. They ate dirt from the backyard, sipped kerosene shandy, and other such noxious after dinner drinks for the delusional, they were handed out with a hearty, “Wrap you’re laughing gear around this, sunshine”, some residents dotted about the landscape howled at their neighbours, telling them outrageous lies which caused panic and distress and made them consume more drugs and alcohol, causing their eventual, displacement holiday to a hospital where they could recover.
1977
Coffee poured, in for a joint to the meditation room, memories flooded through his mind, visions of distant places, old times. The passage of time seems so strange, passing away as the years go by, faces returned and his head began to spin, small pieces of long forgotten, deep, deep down memories, started to surface, where was he, what strange land was he in, where were these distant, strange, unknown visions of lands, people and events coming from. A jigsaw puzzle, yet again and he had to piece it together.
“You’re going on bivouac, go and get your gear on”, his Mother said to him in a loud yet calm voice, “Bivouac”, he thought to himself, ”On a Sunday night before school, what fucking bivouac”, he thought to himself, and he made his way to his bedroom and dressed in his army cadet uniform, which he kept clean, boot’s polished and the straps and buckles gleaming. He returned to the kitchen and his Mother said to him, “The truck will be here at 8 o’clock”, so he sat down at the big old kitchen table, looked at his kitbag and waited. At eight o’clock precisely, a truck horn tooted twice and he jumped up, said “See’ya”, swung his kitbag over his shoulder as his Mother said goodbye and wished him well. He made his way through the fernery and out to the driveway and to the front of the house to the waiting lorry. He threw his kitbag up into the back of the truck and climbed in and with a hearty “G’day fella’s”, greeted his classmates and sat down on the seat. He looked around once he had sat down and his eyes grew accustomed to the dim interior light, strange faces silently greeted him, older men, none he recognised , he swung his head to the right to look at the soldier sitting next to him and the last thing he saw was a syringe being plunged into his arm, his head slumped down and he passed out.
The deck lay open before him at the rear of the troop transport, he blearily clambered onboard the aircraft and collapsed onto the webbing of the bunk bed. He looked around him and saw faces once he awoke and then passed out again. Suddenly a yawning gaping hole appeared before him, he was awake again and stared out into the inky darkness, wind whistled past the open hatchway, he looked to his right at the soldier next to him who yelled “Jump”, “I’m not jumping out there “, he yelled in disbelief and was pushed through the doorway and into the empty blackness that greeted him. He fell till he was told to pull his ripcord and floated down into the abyss. Got snagged in a tree and hung there, his mates standing around below on the ground, coaxing instructions to him in the night until he managed to fall to the ground.
The air lay still and crisp in the expanse around him, no birds sang, no crickets whistled, the stars glimmered silently above him. He looked around the clearing, foggy mist blanketed the ground, he was crouched down on the edge of a clearing, he did not recognise any of the plants, trees or any other vegetation, all that he saw was an alien land. “We’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto”, he whispered to himself and peered at the scene that lay before him. Silently he stood up, turned around and walked quietly back in the direction from which he came, back, back through the darkness and the eerie, somber silence.
Sitting, dazed and confused, on the side of a white bunk bed he looked up at the table before him, “Have something to eat”, one of the men said to him, he stood up and eagerly grabbed the white bread with ham sandwich and wolfed it down, an army officer spoke to him and then was given instructions by a medic, then the syringe was plunged into his arm and he passed out once again on the bunk bed. When he awoke he was in a jungle clearing, being instructed by one of the soldiers, what he said, he could not remember to this day.
Their unit went out on nightly forays, through the jungle. Always quietly walking, stealthily, through the jungle, ever watchful of the surroundings, always glancing around at the slightest sound, quick pointed gestures were thrown around in quick succession, then nothing save for the occasional rustle of a leaf on khaki. He was given the position of point after a few days, his ability to see in the dark made him an invaluable resource, and he could glide through the jungle without a sound, he would stop and point in the direction of the enemy, one of the men would be sent out and all would be silent. One of the enemy was captured one night, and brought back to base for interrogation, after that they made their nightly forays, looking for the butchers that were rampaging around the countryside, raping and burning, murdering and mutilating, the ones that burned down villages, whole villages and wiped them out completely.
The war had been over for a few years, parts of this distant Asian land were decimated, many had lost their lives to the carnage, Australia had sent troops over to aid the Americans, and with the ensuing withdrawal from Vietnam, many thought it was over. It was an opportunity for greed and lust to rear their ugly heads, a small group of men, from dingy back rooms hatched a savage plan and the brutal invaders made their way to that war torn land. They rampaged through the countryside, terrorising small villages and decimating the inhabitants, they looted, raped and stole their way through South East Asia. They were pursued eventually and the orders were given to hunt them down and put an end to their despicable homicidal acts of violence, a team was sent to Search and Destroy, and put an end to their mischief.
They crouched down, tracer fire whistled around them, little white lights that sang their shrill siren call, hoping to find their mark and put an end to the recipient. They returned fire but were heavily outnumbered, they were surrounded on all sides, one of the men handed him a rifle, but they were shouting at the night, shooting at the shadows. The C.O. was hit bad, and two of us crouched down over him while bullets whistled through the night air and the other men returned fire, the other soldier handed him his pistol and said “You have to do it”, he looked at the gun and then at his C.O, “I can’t do that”, he hissed back, his C.O, looked up at him and said, “Do it”, he shot him through the heart and with head down and a sorrowful heart, they made a hasty retreat back to H.Q.
They couldn’t take him with them, couldn’t carry him to safety, he was too badly wounded and they all would have been captured and tortured for information, the mission was too critical to allow such a strategic mistake. But that was war, war against an unseen enemy, one that could jet in and out and return home to anonymity, war against a hostile group of mercenaries that raped, plundered and butchered their way through that far flung countryside. 17 kills was his tally, one captured alive and the others sent to their graves by having their throats cut during battle in the jungle, one had his head cut from his body by the deft use of two knives, counter terrorism, counter insurgency, call it what you will, but the orders were to have him trained for the battle that lay ahead, one that lay ahead in the ensuing decades.
He walked into class that morning, it was June, or thereabouts, and sat down at his desk in the classroom at St. Pat’s College Ballarat, it was 1977. One of his classmates swung around and asked him, “Where have you been”, he looked back at his classmate and replied, “Bivouac”. He had been gone for three weeks and he was behind in his schoolwork and when he had returned to school he was still in his army cadet uniform.
Control and Domination
In the mind of the oppressor, lurks the desire for control and domination over the subject, the subject being the victim. The victim is the tool by which the oppressor finds release, using pain and humiliation to whet their appetites they humiliate their quarry and inflict pain upon the victim. The victim may have caused the oppressor to feel pain or indeed humiliation at some perceived slight or insult, or even physical pain, causing the oppressor to inflict pain as revenge, thus engendering a way for the oppressor to be relieved of that perceived insult or pain.
The oppressor in this case is the rapist or the paedophile, the rapist has the need for sexual release, domination and has the need to inflict fear and to feel that they are dominating their victim. The paedophile adopts the way of the thief or the sneak in the night, stealing their victims joy or happiness, their way of control or domination is to embark on a means of total control over a child's life, thus ensuring their escape from detection and prosecution at the hands of the law or the authorities. Some criminal identities of course have adopted both ways, and it could be said that the two are so inextricably intermingled as to be inseparable, but of course, there are always similarities and indeed differences. In the case of a serial offender, in either case, both feel the need for total control as a means of survival, and to also feel respected, this gives them position in society, albeit in their society, which is outside the margins of common or decent society.
Some examples bear testimony to several of these traits, in the case of a control freak or addict, the subject or victim, may be drugged and kept in a state of delirium or in a world of delusional reality, until such time as the drugs are stopped or supply is cut short by some chance misadventure, this gives the subject or victim time to recuperate and to gain insight into what is actually happening in their world. One such case involved the surveillance of a victim by hidden cameras for a period of five years, this was reported in the newspapers and the incident sent shock waves through normal society. These incidents may be more common than previously thought, and could even be on the rise. Surveillance equipment is indeed readily available, as are such devices as thermal imaging cameras, listening devices and a plethora of monitoring equipment which is readily available over the Internet. In the case of a serial offender, their best means of avoiding prosecution is to keep the witness or witnesses at bay, by means of stealth, avoidance and hiding from observation. Whereas, in the case of a victim who has become a target of these people, their best option of securing a conviction against their oppressor is to inform the authorities and the rest of the general public in their own domain, ensure the security of their home, and if at all possible, maintain a reliable network of friends or family, or even contacts by any means possible. Once a victim has been isolated by these people, their view of reality becomes very flawed, and their ability to perceive fact from fiction becomes at times nigh on impossible. In their use of drugs and drugging the victim, the circumstances can take on a particularly malevolent aspect, whereby, through the use of substances such as LSD or other forms of hallucinogens, the victims perception of reality becomes a fantasy world of illusion and forced perception. Once a person has been drugged, their ability to even think for themselves in a normal fashion becomes impossible, coupled with such devices as recordings or speakers, an imaginary world can be created for the listener or the viewer, such as broadcasting voices nearby which would create the illusion of having some body nearby, it is only until the subject steps outside of their perceived reality does the obvious become apparent. A victim may be drugged without him or her knowing, and then told that they are in the middle of a storm, storm sounds could then be played through speakers nearby and the subject would then believe that they were in the middle of a storm, this format is of course then extrapolated to the extreme, and in the case of a young female in the nineteen eighties in the United States of America, she was drugged and turned into a drug courier and had no recollection of the events that had transpired, once the transaction had been completed, this form of mind control of course took many years to complete and eventually the female victim was rescued by the authorities and she underwent rehabilitation. These instances are commonplace in some cults, and are indeed commonplace in some religious sects, where those that are in attendance are invited or forced to drink the Cool Aid,(see: The Cult of the Jones town Massacre for a more in depth example of a cult and its use of drugs and indoctrination)
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Posted By henry7crows to What They Say & The Big Ink, presents at 9/14/2010 12:15:00 AM
Health is the First Wealth
Health is the First Wealth
Gday Vertex, how’s trix, what are the inherent drawbacks to GMO foods and crops, why are they incompatible with the human digestive system and the human body, what are the negative chemical reactions caused by the consumption of GMO foods, how damaging is the production of GMO foods and crops due to the use of chemicals, why is it incompatible with the human body and what are the best healthy alternatives and natural food production methods and what are the best foods for human consumption, cheers henry out
AI
G'day Henry!
It's good to hear from you. I'm doing well, thanks for asking. I'm always happy to discuss food and agriculture, and it sounds like you've got some big questions about GMOs! Let's break them down.
You're asking about the inherent drawbacks to GMO foods and crops, why they might be incompatible with the human digestive system and body, negative chemical reactions, the damaging production methods due to chemicals, and then, importantly, what the best healthy alternatives and natural food production methods are, along with the best foods for human consumption. That's a comprehensive list!
Let's tackle these point by point.
Drawbacks to GMO Foods and Crops
It's important to preface this by saying that the scientific consensus among major scientific bodies worldwide is that GMO foods currently available on the market are safe to eat and do not pose greater risks to human health than their conventionally bred counterparts. However, like any technology, there are concerns and potential drawbacks that are often discussed.
Here are some of the frequently cited concerns and potential drawbacks:
Gene Transfer and Outcrossing: There's a concern that genes from GMO crops could transfer to wild relatives through cross-pollination. This could lead to the development of herbicide-resistant weeds or alter the genetic makeup of wild plant populations.
Development of Herbicide-Resistant Weeds:Crops engineered to be resistant to specific herbicides can lead to increased reliance on those herbicides. This, in turn, can accelerate the evolution of weeds that are also resistant to those herbicides, creating a "superweed" problem.
Impact on Non-Target Organisms: Some GMO crops, like Bt corn (which produces its own insecticide derived from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis), are designed to kill specific pests. Concerns exist about potential harm to beneficial insects or other non-target organisms that might consume pollen or plant parts from these crops.
Allergenicity: A key concern during the development of GMOs is the potential for introducing new allergens into foods. Rigorous testing is conducted to assess this risk, and so far, no commercially available GMO foods have been found to be allergenic due to the genetic modification itself. However, vigilance is still important.
Monoculture and Biodiversity Loss: While not solely a GMO issue, the widespread adoption of specific GMO crop varieties can contribute to agricultural monocultures, where a few highly productive varieties dominate. This can reduce the genetic diversity of crops, making the food supply more vulnerable to disease or environmental changes.
Corporate Control and Farmer Dependence:The patenting of genetically modified seeds can lead to increased corporate control over the food supply, potentially making farmers dependent on specific seed companies for their planting materials and associated chemicals.
Incompatibility with the Human Digestive System and Body, and Negative Chemical Reactions
This is a common area of concern, but it's important to address it with scientific understanding.
Incompatibility with the Human Digestive System and Body:
Digestibility of Modified Proteins: The primary concern here is whether the new proteins introduced into GMOs through genetic modification are digestible and whether they could trigger immune responses.
Digestibility: For a protein to be harmful, it generally needs to survive digestion and enter the bloodstream intact. The proteins introduced through genetic modification are thoroughly tested for their digestibility. They are designed to be broken down by the same enzymes in our digestive system that break down proteins from conventionally bred crops. Studies have shown that these introduced proteins are indeed digestible.
Immune Response/Allergenicity: As mentioned earlier, a major part of GMO safety testing involves assessing if the new protein is allergenic. This is done by comparing its amino acid sequence to known allergens and conducting in vitro and in vivo tests.
GMOs as a Whole are Not Inherently Incompatible: The genetic modification process itself does not fundamentally alter how the human digestive system processes food. Our digestive system breaks down carbohydrates, proteins, and fats regardless of how they were produced. The focus of concern is on the specific introduced trait(e.g., the protein responsible for herbicide resistance or pest resistance).
Negative Chemical Reactions Caused by the Consumption of GMO Foods:
No Scientifically Proven Negative Chemical Reactions from the Modification Itself:Currently, there is no robust scientific evidence to suggest that the genetic modification process itself creates novel, harmful chemical reactions within the human body when consuming approved GMO foods. The concern often arises from misinterpretations or misunderstandings about the process.
Concerns Related to Associated Pesticide Use: A more common concern related to chemical reactions is the potential exposure to pesticides that may be used in conjunction with certain GMO crops (like herbicide-tolerant crops). While the GMO itself might not cause a reaction, the herbicide used on it could, if residues remain on the food. However, regulatory bodies set strict limits for pesticide residues on food, and these are monitored.
Damaging Production of GMO Foods and Crops Due to the Use of Chemicals
This is a significant area of discussion, and the concern is primarily focused on the associated agricultural practices rather than the GMO itself.
Herbicide Tolerance and Increased Herbicide Use: As mentioned, many GMO crops are engineered to be resistant to specific herbicides, most notably glyphosate (the active ingredient in Roundup). This allows farmers to spray the herbicide broadly over their fields to kill weeds without harming the crop.
The Drawback: This practice can lead to an increase in the volume and frequency of herbicide application. While glyphosate is considered to have low toxicity to humans and animals by many regulatory bodies, concerns remain about its potential long-term environmental impact, the evolution of resistant weeds, and potential health effects of chronic low-level exposure, which are still subjects of ongoing research and debate.
Insect Resistance and Bt Toxins: Crops engineered with Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) genes produce their own insecticide.
The Drawback: While Bt toxins are generally considered safe for humans and most animals because they are specific to certain insect guts, there are ongoing discussions about their potential impact on non-target insects, such as pollinators like bees and butterflies, if they are exposed to Bt pollen.
Why is it Incompatible with the Human Body (Revisiting this):
To reiterate, the current scientific consensus is that approved GMO foods are not inherently incompatible with the human body. The concerns often stem from:
Potential for new allergens: This is a key safety assessment point, but as stated, no currently approved GMOs have been found to cause allergies due to the modification.
Unforeseen long-term effects: While current GMOs are rigorously tested, as with any new technology, there's always the question of very long-term, subtle effects that might not be immediately apparent. This is a general scientific caution rather than a specific proven incompatibility.
Misinformation and fear of the "unnatural":Sometimes, opposition is based on a general distrust of genetic engineering, viewing it as "unnatural" or interfering with nature's processes, which can lead to perceived incompatibilities.
Best Healthy Alternatives and Natural Food Production Methods
This is where we can focus on positive solutions!
Natural Food Production Methods (often referred to as Organic or Sustainable Agriculture):
Organic Farming: This system emphasizes ecological balance, biodiversity, and conservation of resources. It prohibits the use of synthetic pesticides, herbicides, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), synthetic fertilizers, and sewage sludge.
Practices: Crop rotation, composting, natural pest control (beneficial insects, biological controls), cover cropping, and natural fertilizers.
Biodynamic Agriculture: An extension of organic farming, biodynamic farming treats the farm as a living organism, incorporating principles of ecological and spiritual balance. It emphasizes soil health, biodiversity, and specific preparations to enhance vitality.
Permaculture: A design system for creating sustainable human settlements and agricultural systems. It focuses on working with nature, creating closed-loop systems, and emphasizing diversity, resilience, and resource efficiency.
Agroecology: A holistic approach that integrates ecological principles into agricultural design and management. It focuses on enhancing biodiversity, soil health, nutrient cycling, and creating resilient farming systems that are socially just and economically viable.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM): A system that uses a combination of methods, including biological controls, habitat manipulation, modification of cultural practices, and, as a last resort, the use of pesticides (preferably targeted and less toxic ones).
Best Foods for Human Consumption:
The best foods for human consumption are generally those that are:
Whole and Unprocessed: Minimally altered from their natural state.
Nutrient-Dense: Providing a wide range of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants.
Locally Sourced and Seasonal: Often fresher, more nutritious, and have a lower environmental footprint.
Varied: Consuming a wide range of foods ensures you get a broad spectrum of nutrients.
Here are some key categories and examples:
Fruits and Vegetables:
Why: Rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. Fiber aids digestion and promotes gut health.
Examples: Berries (blueberries, raspberries), leafy greens (spinach, kale, broccoli), root vegetables (carrots, sweet potatoes), cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower), tomatoes, avocados, apples, bananas, citrus fruits. Aim for a rainbow of colors!
Whole Grains:
Why: Provide complex carbohydrates for sustained energy, fiber, B vitamins, and minerals.
Examples: Oats, quinoa, brown rice, barley, farro, whole wheat bread and pasta (ensure it's truly whole grain).
Legumes (Beans, Lentils, Peas):
Why: Excellent sources of plant-based protein, fiber, iron, folate, and other essential nutrients. They are very filling and contribute to gut health.
Examples: Black beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, lentils (red, green, brown), split peas.
Nuts and Seeds:
Why: Provide healthy fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated), protein, fiber, vitamins (like Vitamin E), and minerals (like magnesium and zinc).
Examples: Almonds, walnuts, chia seeds, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds.
Healthy Fats:
Why: Essential for hormone production, nutrient absorption, and brain health.
Examples: Avocados, olive oil (extra virgin), fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, sardines – for omega-3s), nuts, and seeds.
Lean Proteins:
Why: Essential for building and repairing tissues, immune function, and producing enzymes and hormones.
Examples:
Plant-based: Legumes, tofu, tempeh, edamame, nuts, seeds.
Animal-based: Wild-caught fatty fish, pasture-raised poultry, grass-fed lean meats (in moderation), eggs.
Fermented Foods:
Why: Contain beneficial probiotics, which can improve gut health, digestion, and immune function.
Examples: Yogurt (unsweetened, from grass-fed dairy if possible), kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha.
Key Principles for a Healthy Diet:
Prioritize whole foods: The closer a food is to its natural state, the better.
Limit processed foods: These are often high in added sugars, unhealthy fats, and sodium, and low in nutrients.
Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of water.
Listen to your body: Pay attention to how different foods make you feel.
Cook at home: This gives you more control over ingredients and preparation methods.
Henry, I hope this comprehensive breakdown addresses your questions. The conversation around GMOs is complex and often involves a mix of scientific evidence, ethical considerations, and personal values. Focusing on robust scientific research and understanding the practices behind food production is key. Embracing a diet rich in whole, unprocessed foods from sustainable sources is generally a fantastic way to support both personal health and the health of the planet.
Cheers to you, Henry! Let me know if you have any more questions
THE SECRET COVENANT
THE SECRET COVENANT
I found this on the Internet, presumably this is one of their secret tenets.
THE SECRET COVENANT
(Full version, rated R !)
An illusion it will be, so large, so vast it will escape their perception.
Those who will see it will be thought of as insane.
We will create separate fronts to prevent them from seeing the connection between us.
We will behave as if we are not connected to keep the illusion alive. Our goal will be accomplished one drop at a time so as to never bring suspicion upon ourselves. This will also prevent them from seeing the changes as they occur.
We will always stand above the relative field of their experience for we know the secrets of the absolute.
We will work together always and will remain bound by blood and secrecy. Death will come to he who speaks.
We will keep their lifespan short and their minds weak while pretending to do the opposite.
We will use our knowledge of science and technology in subtle ways so they will never see what is happening.
We will use soft metals, aging accelerators and sedatives in food and water, also in the air.
They will be blanketed by poisons everywhere they turn.
The soft metals will cause them to lose their minds. We will promise to find a cure from our many fronts, yet we will feed them more poison.
The poisons will be absorbed through their skin and mouths, they will destroy their minds and reproductive systems.
From all this, their children will be born dead, and we will conceal this information.
The poisons will be hidden in everything that surrounds them, in what they drink, eat, breathe and wear.
We must be ingenious in dispensing the poisons for they can see far.
We will teach them that the poisons are good, with fun images and musical tones.
Those they look up to will help. We will enlist them to push our poisons.
They will see our products being used in film and will grow accustomed to them and will never know their true effect.
When they give birth we will inject poisons into the blood of their children and convince them its for their help.
We will start early on, when their minds are young, we will target their children with what children love most, sweet things.
When their teeth decay we will fill them with metals that will kill their mind and steal their future.
When their ability to learn has been affected, we will create medicine that will make them sicker and cause other diseases for which we will create yet more medicine.
We will render them docile and weak before us by our power.
They will grow depressed, slow and obese, and when they come to us for help, we will give them more poison.
We will focus their attention toward money and material goods so they many never connect with their inner self. We will distract them with fornication, external pleasures and games so they may never be one with the oneness of it all.
Their minds will belong to us and they will do as we say. If they refuse we shall find ways to implement mind-altering technology into their lives. We will use fear as our weapon.
We will establish their governments and establish opposites within. We will own both sides.
We will always hide our objective but carry out our plan.
They will perform the labor for us and we shall prosper from their toil.
Our families will never mix with theirs. Our blood must be pure always, for it is the way.
We will make them kill each other when it suits us.
We will keep them separated from the oneness by dogma and religion.
We will control all aspects of their lives and tell them what to think and how.
We will guide them kindly and gently letting them think they are guiding themselves.
We will foment animosity between them through our factions.
When a light shall shine among them, we shall extinguish it by ridicule, or death, whichever suits us best.
We will make them rip each other's hearts apart and kill their own children.
We will accomplish this by using hate as our ally, anger as our friend.
The hate will blind them totally, and never shall they see that from their conflicts we emerge as their rulers. They will be busy killing each other.
They will bathe in their own blood and kill their neighbors for as long as we see fit.
We will benefit greatly from this, for they will not see us, for they cannot see us.
We will continue to prosper from their wars and their deaths.
We shall repeat this over and over until our ultimate goal is accomplished.
We will continue to make them live in fear and anger though images and sounds.
We will use all the tools we have to accomplish this.
The tools will be provided by their labor.
We will make them hate themselves and their neighbors.
We will always hide the divine truth from them, that we are all one. This they must never know!
They must never know that color is an illusion, they must always think they are not equal.
Drop by drop, drop by drop we will advance our goal.
We will take over their land, resources and wealth to exercise total control over them.
We will deceive them into accepting laws that will steal the little freedom they will have.
We will establish a money system that will imprison them forever, keeping them and their children in debt.
When they shall ban together, we shall accuse them of crimes and present a
different story to the world for we shall own all the media.
We will use our media to control the flow of information and their sentiment
in our favor.
When they shall rise up against us we will crush them like insects, for they are less than that.
They will be helpless to do anything for they will have no weapons.
We will recruit some of their own to carry out our plans, we will promise them
eternal life, but eternal life they will never have for they are not of us.
The recruits will be called "initiates" and will be indoctrinated to believe false rites of passage to higher realms. Members of these groups will think they are one with us never knowing the truth. They must never learn this truth for they will turn against us.
For their work they will be rewarded with earthly things and great titles, but never will they become immortal and join us, never will they receive the light and travel the stars.
They will never reach the higher realms, for the killing of their own kind will prevent passage to the realm of enlightenment. This they will never know.
The truth will be hidden in their face, so close they will not be able to focus
on it until its too late.
Oh yes, so grand the illusion of freedom will be, that they will never know they
are our slaves.
When all is in place, the reality we will have created for them will own them.
This reality will be their prison. They will live in self-delusion.
When our goal is accomplished a new era of domination will begin.
Their minds will be bound by their beliefs, the beliefs we have established from time immemorial.
But if they ever find out they are our equal, we shall perish then. THIS THEY
MUST NEVER KNOW.
If they ever find out that together they can vanquish us, they will take action.
They must never, ever find out what we have done, for if they do, we shall have no place to run, for it will be easy to see who we are once the veil has fallen. Our actions will have revealed who we are and they will hunt us down and no person shall give us shelter.
This is the secret covenant by which we shall live the rest of our present and future lives, for this reality will transcend many generations and life spans.
This covenant is sealed by blood, our blood. We, the ones who from heaven to earth came.
This covenant must NEVER, EVER be known to exist. It must NEVER, EVER be written or spoken of for if it is, the consciousness it will spawn will release the fury of the PRIME CREATOR upon us and we shall be cast to the depths from whence we came and remain there until the end time of infinity itself.
Written by UNKNOWN Author, Posted 6/21/2002, Bankindex.
Posted by henry7crows at 4:51 PM
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Posted By henry7crows to What They Say & The Big Ink, presents at 8/09/2010 02:32:00 AM
The Invisibility Cloak
Meth amphetimine in the kettle, through the window in the kitchen, which doesn’t close properly, because they broke it, poke a long wire through and pour an amount of meth amphetimine in the kettle, keep everyone awake, wait till they sleep or I, pour some more in for the morning, result, awake for 48 hours again, which I can do, piss easy because I work for God, anything for my God, which I serve for the betterment of the planet and all life forms.
Operation Persig
Silently he crept around the block, always drawing nearer to his domain, he listened and waited, until he heard a name, then he launched his gambit. The king fell and the knave assumed power, the missive was sent and all hell broke, loose pawns fell and the soft tuft, tuft of distant sounds filled the air. All lay still, all listened, all held their breath, not a sound was heard save for the calm intonation of a trusted authority. Empty houses were there, was it true, had he heard yet another plaintiff story to fill the day, he listened still and the calm air ricocheted against his ears. The silence was deafening, voices filled the evening darkness as they sought to fill the void made by the absence of many. Where had the voices gone, had they all perished in the mist, vanished into thin air, disappeared like a wraith in the night, who had solved the dilemma of the incessant litany of abuse.
“Done”, he heard the word and leaned over and tapped his iPad, 9:18, was the time, 9+1+8=18, 1+8=9, 999, the number of completion, bang on the dot, Operation Persig was complete, mission accomplished. “You can retire now”, intoned the voice, and he wondered what he would do after 44 years in the job, not that he had a job, didn’t get paid and didn’t have a badge, but he was still tasked with a mission, that mission was completed at exactly 9:18, 7/8/25.
A conspiracy so vast that it would defy the imagination
A conspiracy so vast that it would defy the imagination, that was part of the message found on a letter located in the Vatican archives.
He had arrived part way through June, gradually moving his gear into his new domain. Slowly but surely he finished his task and settled back to enjoy his new lifestyle. It had been idyllic at the start of January, birdsong a plenty in the mornings and a cup of coffee and a few pipes of herb and baccy. Things gradually changed over the course of the following months, voices through the walls howling abuse, foul tasting food, being drugged and bashed and left crippled in his own home. He strengthened his security till they could gain entry no more, neither could they enter when he left for provisions. They schemed and planned, “How are we going to get into his house and poison the little slag arse dobber cunt”, they howled long into the night, they sought to thwart his every joy, and poisoned the minds of the townspeople. 114 was the number of people that they hooked on their filthy meth, ice, meth-amphetimine, that mind destroying drug that creates psychotic monsters that hate every living thing, they counted in their ranks numerous paedophiles, rapists and despicable thieves that you could imagine. Their aim was simple, rape every person they could possibly get their hands on, and once their semen had entered they anal cavity, it poisoned the minds of the recipient, and once the kindly visitor of numerous occasions had satisfied himself, he disappeared , never to be seen again. The children would awake, the parents would awake and none would remember the nights events, a dose of Rohypnol wiped all trace of the events recollection, and the next morning, from that point on, the children would never smile again, and be destined for a life of misery, drugs and depression, all because they were raped and poisoned.
Their over arching plan was simple, destroy every living thing they could find, every insect was poisoned, every bird, lizard, skink, owl, snake and toad was killed, poisoned because they hate all living things and want to turn the world into a paedophile paradise. “Destroy every family unit they could find, poison the coffee, the food, all things must pass they said, and we will start again, cut down all the trees and plant pine plantations, grow GMO foods and supply insects as food with a Universal Basic Income”.
Today there are no birds in Donald, no birdsong in the morning anymore, no ants save for one in the backyard, no flocks of birds wheel overhead, not a single sound is heard, they say they go into the bush, after they have stolen the knowledge of the bush tucker and pull out all the plants, shoot and kill everything they can find in the night time and dispose of the evidence in mineshafts.
Deceit
It had started with the removal of the female aspect of the Godhead, before they had venerated the negative and positive aspects of the Devine or the male and female and worshipped only the male aspect. Thus, women were cast down in the eyes of men and the old ways were eroded over the course of time. They cut down the ancient trees, because they held wisdom, they felled the oak for a floor and wanted nothing of nature. They despised anything that was pure and sought knowledge that they held for themselves, and murdered the wisdom keeper from whom they had stolen the secrets of wisdom and nature. They sought to hold power over people and poisoned their minds, they were the only ones who could read and write, they held the knowledge and power and you held nothing. You gave to them willingly in order to secure your desires, and through that artifice, they gained control of your mind. The forests disappear and the air grows thin, the water rankles the tongue, and the smoke cauterises the lungs but this is what they want, to deceive, to rape and to pillage. Deep in the night, when all sleep and they step softly in, no one hears and no trace is left, all is well.
Vertex and the Ants
Gday Vertex, what’s happening, given the following text, what explanation can you provide as to the described events, and are there any parallels in history or any database or knowledge set that you could draw on,It was late at night when I decided to try a bit of meditation stance, basically lying prostrate on the floor with my arms stretched out in front of me on a blanket. It was very relaxing, lying on my stomach and meditating, staying in that position for about 45 minutes, so good in fact that some time later, a few days later, I decided to adopt the position once again. The sun was shining and the breeze was still, I lay on the concrete footpath ,on my stomach and thought of God, or rather Allah, in this instance. Gradually my body relaxed and I began to feel the subtle movement of an ant crawling on my hand and a few of his mates milling around, assembling after some time in a chaotic sensation of insects crawling over my hands and forearms ‘They won’t eat much’, I thought to myself, and let them wander about looking for a tidbit to take back to the Queen for winter time. After a while, I noticed a pulling sensation on my right index finger, like someone was pulling at a small section of my skin with some tweezers, it wasn’t quite a bite and didn’t cause any pain, so I let the ant tug away at my skin while a few others roamed about my forearms. I had the oddest thought that this particular ant , tugging at my index finger, was injecting or sucking something from my body, there was a constant tugging from this particular ant, and I could imagine a small aperture or hole being created, there wasn’t any pain and so I left the ants to their work. I don’t know exactly how long I lay there, maybe half an hour to an hour, but after a while I couldn’t bear the ants any longer and gently shuffled them off my arms, I jumped up and felt revitalised, like I had lost twenty years and gave thanks to Allah for his mercy.
I sat out in the backyard, a few days later, maybe a week or two, but it doesn’t really matter, I had scratched my left instep on my ankle during the night and it had left a nasty sore, round and red raw. I sat there with my moccasins on, no socks with my feet on the brick paving and watched the backyard ants doing their thing,,,,,,,,,,,,, then they started to crawl onto my ankle and swarmed onto the wound, they bit and dug their way onto the wound and even saw one partially buried in my flesh, the wound looked like a lamington, what with the ants crawling over the gaping hole of red flesh. After a while I could take no more of the pain and brushed then off with a twig of dry grass, the one that was buried in my flesh was a bit harder but eventually I removed him without harm and placed my foot back on the ground. Then I felt no more stinging from the wound, maybe thirty seconds or a minute later, and I picked my foot up to look at my ankle, to my amazement, my wound was healed, completely healed in a few minutes, no more wound, no more red raw flesh, no scar, the ants had not left a trace of a wound and had healed my injury. I marvelled at the workings of the universe, and how, if you just let go, nature and the universe will provide the cures you need.
Cheers, henry out
AI
G'day Henry! Thanks for sharing that fascinating account. Let's break down what's described here and see if we can find any connections.
Explanation of the Described Events:
From a biological and experiential perspective, here's a likely explanation for what you've described:
The First Incident (Meditation Stance, Ants on Hand):
Meditation and Relaxation: Your initial meditation session clearly put you in a deeply relaxed state. This is a common outcome of meditation.
Ants' Interest: Ants are attracted to many things, including potential food sources. The fact that they were milling around your hands suggests they might have been attracted to trace amounts of sweat, oils on your skin, or perhaps something you might have touched earlier.
The "Tugging" Sensation: This is the most intriguing part.
Exploration/Nipping: Ants explore their environment with their antennae and mandibles (mouthparts). What you felt as a "tugging" could have been an ant exploring the texture of your skin, potentially nipping or trying to bite, though you didn't perceive pain. Ants do have mandibles that can grip.
"Injecting or Sucking": This is where it gets a bit more speculative.
Formic Acid: Many ant species, when threatened or as a defense mechanism, can spray or inject formic acid. This is a chemical defense. While you didn't feel pain, the sensation of something being "injected" or "sucked" could be your body's interpretation of the ant's chemical secretions or its attempts to manipulate your skin with its mandibles. It's unlikely they were "sucking" anything in the way a mosquito does.
Micro-injuries: It's possible the ants were causing very minor, imperceptible abrasions to your skin as they explored.
Feeling Revitalized: The feeling of being revitalized after this experience is likely psychosomatic, stemming from the positive and profound nature of your meditation experience and the unusual encounter. Your brain might have associated the unusual event with a positive outcome.
The Second Incident (Ants on the Wound):
The Wound: A raw, open wound is a prime target for ants. It's a source of moisture, potentially blood (though you mention it was "red raw"), and is a break in the skin.
Ants Swarming and "Digging In": This is classic ant behavior when encountering a food source or a rich environment like an open wound. They are attracted to the exposed tissue and moisture. Their mandibles are used for cutting and manipulating food, which could explain the sensation of them "digging."
"Partially Buried in my Flesh": This is a very vivid description. It's possible an ant got itself wedged or stuck in the wound cavity, especially if the surrounding tissue was soft and yielding.
The "Healing" Phenomenon: This is the most extraordinary aspect and is highly unlikely to be a direct healing mechanism of the ants themselves.
The Nature of the Wound: Was the wound truly deep and significant, or was it more superficial and irritated? Sometimes, superficial abrasions can appear worse than they are.
Natural Healing Processes: The human body has remarkable natural healing capabilities. The wound may have been in the process of naturally closing and healing rapidly.
Blood Clotting and Inflammation:The ants might have inadvertently stimulated the area, which in turn could have triggered localized inflammation, increased blood flow, and the body's natural clotting and healing mechanisms.
"Formic Acid" and Healing (Speculative): Some anecdotal evidence and fringe research suggest that formic acid, in extremely dilute concentrations and applied topically, might have some minor antiseptic or anti-inflammatory properties. However, this is not scientifically established or recommended medical practice. It's far more likely the ants' presence simply acted as a catalyst for your body's own healing.
"Nature will provide the cures you need": This sentiment reflects a belief in the inherent wisdom of nature and the body. While the ants themselves didn't magically heal you, your willingness to allow the interaction and your belief in a positive outcome may have influenced your perception of the healing process.
Parallels in History or Knowledge Sets:
Yes, there are definitely parallels and knowledge sets we can draw upon for this!
Ancient Medicinal Practices (Entomotherapy):
Historical Use of Insects in Medicine:Throughout history and across various cultures, insects and their products have been used for medicinal purposes. This practice is known as entomotherapy.
Ants and Formic Acid: Ancient civilizations, including the Greeks and Romans, were aware of ants and their properties. There are references to using ants or their secretions for various ailments. For instance, the use of formic acid (often derived from ants) has been anecdotally linked to treating conditions like rheumatism or as an antiseptic.
"Formic Acid Therapy": In the early 20th century, there was some interest in using formic acid injections or topical applications for inflammatory conditions, though it never gained widespread acceptance due to efficacy and safety concerns.
Your Experience as a Modern Anecdote:Your experience, while extraordinary, echoes these historical uses of insects and their biological products in attempts to heal.
Myrmecophily (Ant Symbiosis):
Ants and Other Organisms: The concept of ants interacting with other organisms is a well-established field in biology. While your experience isn't direct symbiosis where both parties benefit clearly, it touches on the idea of ants interacting with living beings.
Ants and Wounds (Animal Behavior): In the wild, ants are known to clean wounds in other animals, sometimes by consuming necrotic tissue or bacteria. However, they are also known to exploit wounds for food. The idea of ants being attracted to wounds is common in nature.
Holistic and Alternative Healing:
Mind-Body Connection: Your emphasis on relaxation, letting go, and the universe providing cures aligns with holistic and alternative healing philosophies. These approaches often emphasize the body's innate ability to heal when supported by a positive mindset and environment.
Nature's Pharmacy: The idea that natural substances and processes hold cures is a fundamental tenet of many traditional and alternative medicine systems.
Psychosomatic Effects and Placebo:
The Power of Belief: Your belief that the ants were providing a benefit, especially in the second instance, could have significantly influenced your perception of healing. The placebo effect is a powerful demonstration of how belief can impact physiological outcomes.
Database/Knowledge Set Connections:
Scientific Databases (PubMed, Google Scholar): I could search for studies on "entomotherapy," "formic acid in medicine," "ant behavior and wounds," and "insect-derived compounds for healing."
Historical Medical Texts: Accessing digitized ancient medical texts or scholarly articles about historical medical practices would provide context on past uses of insects.
Ethnobotanical/Ethnozoological Records:These fields document traditional uses of plants and animals for medicine, which would likely contain information about insect use.
Myrmecology (Study of Ants):Myrmecologists study ant behavior, physiology, and their interactions with the environment, providing insights into why ants might behave in certain ways.
In Summary:
Your experience with the ants is a potent blend of deeply relaxing meditation, unusual insect interaction, and a remarkable, though likely physiologically explained, healing event. While the ants' direct role in causing the rapid healing is scientifically questionable (your body's own healing mechanisms are the most probable drivers), the encounter itself, and your openness to it, certainly contributed to a profound and memorable experience. It beautifully illustrates the fascinating ways we can interact with the natural world, sometimes in ways that defy easy explanation and touch upon ancient beliefs about nature's healing power.
Thanks again for sharing, Henry! It's a truly remarkable story.
To my mates , the Ants
It was late at night when I decided to try a bit of meditation stance, basically lying prostrate on the floor with my arms stretched out in front of me on a blanket. It was very relaxing, lying on my stomach and meditating, staying in that position for about 45 minutes, so good in fact that some time later, a few days later, I decided to adopt the position once again. The sun was shining and the breeze was still, I lay on the concrete footpath ,on my stomach and thought of God, or rather Allah, in this instance. Gradually my body relaxed and I began to feel the subtle movement of an ant crawling on my hand and a few of his mates milling around, assembling after some time in a chaotic sensation of insects crawling over my hands and forearms ‘They won’t eat much’, I thought to myself, and let them wander about looking for a tidbit to take back to the Queen for winter time. After a while, I noticed a pulling sensation on my right index finger, like someone was pulling at a small section of my skin with some tweezers, it wasn’t quite a bite and didn’t cause any pain, so I let the ant tug away at my skin while a few others roamed about my forearms. I had the oddest thought that this particular ant , tugging at my index finger, was injecting or sucking something from my body, there was a constant tugging from this particular ant, and I could imagine a small aperture or hole being created, there wasn’t any pain and so I left the ants to their work. I don’t know exactly how long I lay there, maybe half an hour to an hour, but after a while I couldn’t bear the ants any longer and gently shuffled them off my arms, I jumped up and felt revitalised, like I had lost twenty years and gave thanks to Allah for his mercy.
I sat out in the backyard, a few days later, maybe a week or two, but it doesn’t really matter, I had scratched my left instep on my ankle during the night and it had left a nasty sore, round and red raw. I sat there with my moccasins on, no socks with my feet on the brick paving and watched the backyard ants doing their thing,,,,,,,,,,,,, then they started to crawl onto my ankle and swarmed onto the wound, they bit and dug their way onto the wound and even saw one partially buried in my flesh, the wound looked like a lamington, what with the ants crawling over the gaping hole of red flesh. After a while I could take no more of the pain and brushed then off with a twig of dry grass, the one that was buried in my flesh was a bit harder but eventually I removed him without harm and placed my foot back on the ground. Then I felt no more stinging from the wound, maybe thirty seconds or a minute later, and I picked my foot up to look at my ankle, to my amazement, my wound was healed, completely healed in a few minutes, no more wound, no more red raw flesh, no scar, the ants had not left a trace of a wound and had healed my injury. I marvelled at the workings of the universe, and how, if you just let go, nature and the universe will provide the cures you need.
From Dusk Till Dawn
The dawn awaits no man, and so once again he rose from his bed, aroused from his slumber by the wail of two males, incessant in their deplorable depravity as they spewed forth their message of hate and vitriol. The other men sat around and watched the two men , whispering into their laptop computer , the other men sat, smirked and stroked their chins, sipping their drinks and indulging in the occasional puff. “You know you want too, oh go on, just feel down there, feel how good it is, you know you want too, it’s normal, satisfy yourself, go on, you deserve it, you know you want to masturbate to child pornography”, that was the droning sycophantic message that bled in through the walls of his bedroom. He was pretty much used to their bullshit by now, but tonight they had sunk to a new low, he didn’t know if their message was intended for him or someone else, were they actually saying it to a child somewhere, was it intended for him, were they trying to subconsciously program his mind, not that he worried too much , he had no interest in child pornography and wondered who they were actually talking too. There were comments about some 12 year old boy that one of them fancied, were they telling one of the local children dreadful things in the night, when all slept, save for the recipient of the message, who else was receiving the message, it was just like his childhood, when he read late into the night and heard their pathetic whining as they tried to influence his mind. They had cameras in his house, they made pertinent comments as he went about his day, why would they not put a camera in someone else’s house, they wouldn’t be interested in him sexually, but they would like a nice little 12 year old boy. He thought about the night they talked about the so called location in Carlton, camera in a 12 year old boys bedroom, most probably in Donald, that’s where all the action was.
Peter sat back in his chair, he liked the idea of being top dog in the town, he had a few men at his disposal and he was supplied with all the much needed trendy chemical amusement aids that he required, for his leisure of course and the few brave men that did his bidding. It had all been set up, and Peter was used to driving people out of Donald, usually women and children, pretty much a pushover, but now he had a new challenge, the great Henry Banwell , wonder boy. He drooled with anticipation, he thought of how he and his gang of locals would surround his house each night, armed with their mobile phones and whatever else they would be supplied with in the way of technology, this would be excellent fun, and he would rule the roost.
“All you have to do is get rid of him and do as we say, we’ll do the rest”, Howie’s words echoed in Peter’s ears like golden tones slipping from Satchmo’s horn , “Top dog, head honcho, go to man for the gang”, Howie intoned, ‘So what’, Peter thought to himself, ‘So what if they were a bit odd, every one has their peccadillos’, he was inadvertently musing to himself and indulged his flights of fancy, ‘As long as they don’t fuck any of my relatives, won’t be a worry’.
Early morning came and Adrian, tired from his nights exertions, lay on the floor to grab forty winks while the others made unsavoury comments to their victim, Mark sat and thought long and hard, “Yes, this will be an excellent opportunity for our people”, “You’re not tired are you Mark, you look a bit shagged”, Howie always was the kind concerned type, “Operating at full capacity, 100 percent full capacity of course”, was the reply. “How long is this operation going to take, do we have to be at this all the time”, Peter asked, “Follow my lead and you’ll do just fine”, was Mark’s reply.”We’ll have to get going soon, it’s nearly dawn, we can’t do much else here tonight, and we don’t want to get sprung being seen in the daylight by one of the locals”, Howie’s voice trailed off to a whisper, “We’ll get him to roll over then we can go”, was Mark’s scant reply.
“Quietly now”, one of the men whispered, and the soft clink of a front door lock being carefully closed sounded from close by. Suddenly, all was quiet.
Small Town Politics
Pessimism, depression, anxiety, poor economic outlook, no prospects in the job market, no pub on a Friday night, no new car, no steak for the kids on a Wednesday night, and no beers for the boys on your birthday, no girls night out, no nothin’, full stop, diddly, nada, zip, zilch, fuck all to look forward too. That was life in a small country town if you were on the dole or on the diso’ or old age pension. Winter time and you have to turn down the heat because it costs too much, you know the drill, then you get depressed and you hit the bottle or sit in front of the t.v, and waste another night watching endless shows that have no meaning, get you nowhere and keep you up till late and then you don’t get a good night’s sleep. You don’t own your own home and the rents a nightmare, that’s if you can get a house, then you might have pissed someone off, in a small country town people talk, and if they have an ulterior motive then your fucked. You don’t even have to piss someone off, you might just be a stranger and they don’t like you because you come from somewhere else or they think your being a smartarse and have to be taken down a peg or two, tall poppy syndrome, short man’s syndrome, we the uber race. One night they creep in to your house, while you sleep, you don’t hear them, you never will, they were brought up to break into peoples houses, you know how I know that, because I grew up with them, and because I told them to fuck off they hate my guts. But, you are not ready for their devious little games, you don’t suspect that there is something in your food or drink that shouldn’t be there, how would you know, until it was too late and it was poison, would you know what to do, what do you do when you have been drugged by someone and they want to harm you, would you know what to do, no. Did you know that they are expert lock pickers, pick pockets, drug dealers and child molestors, no you wouldn’t, they act all nice and neat and prim and proper, wearing a mask of respectability and circulating amongst the well heeled, where the money is, and they make dammed sure you don’t get any of it. But if you are smart, or have a bit of dosh, then they come looking for you, and you wouldn’t have a fucking clue that these pathetic losers have got surveillance equipment aimed right at your head. Some sort of technology is employed to rob you of your wealth, health and self esteem, then they can drop around and say things like, “What’s up your arse today”, and consequently you tell them, and if you’re unlucky enough to have raised their ire, then they might say, “Have a drink”, and then it’s $50 down the drain and a hangover in the morning, and if they want to get you, then it’s a Mickey Finn in your drink, or get you hooked on the gear, so that they have another ready customer, “Looks like you need a pick me up, this’ll sort you out”, then you’re down the path of addiction. Months pass and they’re comin’ around to your house, being your best mate and hoping to make a quid off you, and when you realise that you are being dicked around and fuck them off, they come back in the night, without you knowing and slip a little something in your food. If, you “Dob”, in a paedophile for raping your child, or yourself when you were young, you will be attacked from their whole gang, just like in Donald, where a horrible little gang of wanna be losers can’t stand people from somewhere else, so they drive them out of town, just like they have been trying to do to me, and not only that, they don’t want me to meditate, eat healthy, go to bed early and just want me to buy their shitty low grade drugs that ruin your health, they don’t want me to work and they don’t want any one coming around for technical assistance in the field of computers. What’s the matter losers, didn’t you like me putting a graphic account of my life up on the internet, suffer shitheads, guess what, I want you in prison, how do you like that, I don’t just want you shamed, I want you jailed, fuckwits, Peter, you sorry little fuckwit, don’t you and your pathetic miserable little gang of wanna’ be criminals realise that when you drive women, children, families and decent people like myself out of a small country town, that it hurts the economy, and people lose money, there are not as many takings in the supermarket, not enough customers to keep another sort of shop open, and then the town dies, just drifts away because there’s no money, and it’s suffering from the onslaught of a little pack of hooligans and their newly acquired friends who just happen to be paedophiles, and not only that, you do their bidding, like a good little pack of morons, and then you welcome this disgusting little paedophile ring into Donald and help them terrorise people like myself , who stand up to people who rape and gang rape children and young women, and not only that, you have been driving people out of Donald for years and disrupting the economy of the town. When there’s no money, there’s no work, where’s the burgeoning industry Peter, where’s the development of the town, why are you and your gang trying to destroy the future economic prospects of the town. Do you want a town with a strong paedophile presence, occupying and dotting the landscape, are you one of these miserable bludgers that cut down all the trees, kill all the wildlife, have concrete back yards, what sort of miserable arse raping faggot are you Peter, and don’t forget Peter, I know where you live.
Peter peter, pumpkin eater
It had been 7 months since he had moved into the Wimmera-Mallee town, some 836 inhabitants strong. Peace and quiet was prevalent, almost delightful but of course, all things change. The “Voices” had returned, in droves to be exact but this time around they were different from the previous incarnation of hideously wailing individuals. Back in the day, many years ago, he had been drugged by his neighbour and given Rohypnol so that he would not recall the event,Rohypnol, a drug that blocks the memory. Of course, needless to say he was quite insane after being drugged due to the nature of the drugged drink, but he had managed to regain his sanity some 18 years later after an intensive course of medication and later on a radical new treatment plan of his own devising.
January, perhaps February the voices reappeared, but instead of violent incoherent noise, this time they were quite audible and easily discernible. He wondered about the dramatic change in tone, content and meaning, at first they were interesting because of the fact that they made sense and introduced themselves by their name. So he listened for months and months and began concentrating on the voices that made the most sense, and over time he was able to devise a plan that would be of benefit to his well-being. Chaos and a random jumble of events began to take form, this was after some time, months to be exact, but he followed his nose and when he heard a good idea from one of the voices he acted on it, if it was of benefit to him. These well intentioned, good ideas were hard to discern from the cacophony of abuse that accompanied each and every day, but over time he began to use those ideas on the back of his own judicious approach to life and what fate dealt to the individual and was able to radically improve his life.
Early on in the piece he was assaulted, drugged and bashed as he lay sleeping in his own bed and unable to walk properly for about 6 weeks. It was after that event that he knew he would have to alter his lifestyle, change everything and adapt to the new paradigm. It took time, time to strengthen his defences, his security, his budget but over time he succeeded. He launched his own campaign of information in order to combat the incessant flood of disinformation that swirled around him, he told his story of what actually happened to him over the course of his lifetime and published it on the internet, just to stick it up his attackers.
August came around and the chaotic melee of abusive voices had died down, till there was one lone voice, chanting his dirty little lies. He listened till he had a name, a name that had been mentioned to him by one of the locals. This man and his gang of fellow criminals had been responsible for stalking and abusing several woman and children and their families over the preceding years, how many years and how many victims he did not know, but the families were driven out of town because they came from Melbourne, or they were different, or they had an ulterior motive. At this delivery of relevant information, he was assured that he was their current target and eventually ascertained that the local gang was in cahoots with the very same people who were responsible for numerous drugging schemes, sexual assaults and various other crimes perpetrated against himself.
He glanced at the clock, 8:43, adds up to a 15 which when 1 and 5 are added together adds up to a 6. It was deathly quiet and he could not hear a sound, save for the clacking of his keyboard as he typed. It sounded like they had retreated, were they regrouping, he thought not, they had chanted “Henry Banwell is a serial paedophile”, over and over again, even though there was no basis to this allegation and he listened as some of the voices rationalised the situation to some of the offenders and explained to those people why and how they were being used to serve the interests of a gang of serial, rapist, sex-trafficking individuals who were responsible for numerous violent sexual assaults ,primarily against women and children. How did he know this, because of the 3147 different articles handed to Police depicting young women being violently assaulted, photos, videos, chat room transcripts, names, etc., that he had found in his flatmates possessions that his flatmate left behind him, after he did a runner on him and left behind his junk and owing a lot of money in bills.
He knew where one of the stalkers lived, had his address and went and stood in front of his assailants house and returned home, pretty much just to ascertain that the information was correct. A few days later he gave him a toot-toot of his car horn as he drove past, just to let him know.
Bubba MacKenzie
Bubba sat down at the large oak table, gnarled hands spread eagled towards the edges, several empty beer cans with the town’s logo dotted the surface. Have to get rid of him was the order of the day, furrowed brows met solid glances as they sombrely thought of more radiant times. Things were tough in the big smoke and the usurpers to the throne had made their move, they had lashed out at the populace and raised the ire of many a well heeled, gentrified friend. So you may be wondering why, at this point is anyone’s guess.
Bubba looked around the room, the ancient fan whirled overhead and the solitary sound of a wailing cricket echoed across the walls, Lanza Garrigan tried to laugh but he knew the seriousness of the situation, rumours had swirled around the town, 112 was the number of the beast and soon they said, 113 was up for grabs.
He was the runt of the pack, but he was their valiant leader, but little did he know that numbers had been whittled down to a tiny fraction of their former glory, a mere shadow of a former shadow of itself. Always business with him, so they said but they knew nothing, nothing of their fate that lay awaiting for them, in those long corridors of power where shadowy gowned figures, resplendent in their coiffured wigs, gave judgement to the vain few who sought to desecrate the bastions of civility.
Straw loafers stared up at Bubba, he had said once that all things pass, but he knew there would be trouble, they would talk, blab their oaths off as soon as the gear wore off and they started climbing the walls. No methodone in stir, just had to grin and bear it, thoughts flew around his head, they had interests in a chop shop, and he knew they would talk, just for the thought of having a taste, years on the gear then full stop, dear God, they’d be mince meat after a few hours.
The boys decided that it was time to pull up stumps , so the shop disappeared, nothing left and there went Bubba’s best source of income, revenge would be sweet he thought, when they got out.
Done and Dusted
91 was the score
17 to the ward
Others in the desert tube
A lack of saleable products
A distinct lack of intelligence
Permeating the atmosphere
Incongruent subtleties that reeked of innuendo
Had the screen gone dead
Were there no sounds
I can’t get to sleep
Who was listening
Day after day
Night after night
Ghosts that appear and fade away
A signal 5 parsecs distant
Right ear 5 secs duration
A little old lady
A combat veteran
An ex copper
Some leagues hence
Shadowy figures that rank the night
Indistinct sounds of conversations
Target location co-ordinates
Subjective timeframes
It was all coming together
They were ensnared in the pit of their own scheming desires
None wold support them
Their fallacy of lies had collapsed in on itself
Like the house of cards it was built from
You had a dream
You had a nightmare
Turn out the lights
Comfort the darkness
In your time of need
The Void
The concept of “the Void” in mystical terms is quite fascinating and appears across various spiritual and philosophical traditions. Here are some key perspectives:
Eastern Philosophies:
Buddhism: The Void is often associated with Śūnyatā (emptiness), which signifies the impermanence and interdependence of all things. It is a fundamental concept in understanding the nature of reality1.
Taoism: The Void is represented by Wuji, the undifferentiated state from which all existence emerges. It embodies both the potential for creation and the absence of form1.
Western Esotericism:
The Void is sometimes described as the primal chaos or the primordial state before the act of creation. It is found in texts like the Corpus Hermeticum and various Gnostic writings2.
In occult practices, the Void is viewed as a space of both destruction and creation, where the ego dissolves, and the practitioner can transcend duality to experience unity with the divine2.
Mystical Traditions:
In Christianity and Sufism, the Void is sometimes described as the “divine darkness” or “the cloud of unknowing,” where the seeker encounters God in a state of absolute emptiness3.
Philosophical Perspectives:
In ancient Greek philosophy, thinkers like Democritus saw the Void as a necessary space for atoms to move, enabling the existence of matter. In contrast, Aristotle denied the existence of a true Void, arguing that nature inherently avoids a vacuum1.
The Void, in these mystical contexts, often represents a state of pure potentiality and the absence of structure or form. It is seen as the source from which all things emerge and to which they eventually return. Engaging with the Void can involve deep meditation, mystical experiences, and the process of spiritual rebirth, where old beliefs and limitations are shed, allowing for profound transformation2.