Issue 15

In this issue we have a great article about the plastic bag, often called the ‘national flower’ here in South Africa! I realised when I was reading it that the whole culture of plastic, and bags in particular, mirror so perfectly the state we have got ourselves into.

We humans are certainly living at a defining moment in our history. Moreover this critical moment is being shaped by forces not generally foreseen.

Convenient, flimsy, costly, cynical, manipulative, wasteful, deadly… We’ll never forget the plastic bag!

My father was the Chief Justice in Botswana in the late sixties and early seventies and I remember walking into his chambers, as a young woman, and being concerned for the anxiety that was etched on his face. I asked if something was wrong and he showed me the court document he had on the desk in front of him.

The 5,000-year-old life science of Ayurveda still holds the power to mesmerize the world. International interest has led to a truly universal application of Ayurveda and its capacity to alleviate suffering worldwide.

13 lucky reasons to buy your veggies from a farmer’s market or your local organic shop…

By the time you reach the final page of this book you will understand its title and the fact that pediatric medicine is one of the worst things that ever happened in the world of babies and young children.

Delicious recipes from Cape Town’s leading organic deli.

The Genius Lab is a “playground for exploring the genius around you and inspiring the genius within you”, says Claire Janisch.

Lerato is a bright, pretty girl who consistently wins prizes at school for her academic progress. Like most of her fellow students, however, she comes from a very impoverished background. Her mother is unemployed and Lerato manages because of help from family members who are all in similar circumstances.

Ever since CHD (coronary heart disease) moved into first place as a major killer in the West, scientists have once again been busy concocting and testing prevention theories. In the absence of an understanding of the cause, the risk factor concept has been involved to deal with the problem: the main risk factors identified being smoking, high blood pressure, raised serum cholesterol, diabetes etc.

At the end of a recent music session with 6-7 year olds, I took out my flute and played some slow, improvised melodies in a minor key (known as a sad key). I asked how they felt after listening to this music.

I am a vegetarian. I am also an atheist and a feminist. But of the three philosophies which largely inform my thinking and determine my conduct, it is my decision not to eat wobbly-kneed calves and squint-eyed pigs which has got me into the most trouble.

The concept of a natural, diet for our pets is no new revelation. Our parents, grandparents and great grandparents, certainly would have fed our pets some delicious and nutritious meals from left overs from the table.

Save water and increase production with a new way of gardening. I first read about ‘ecocircles’ (‘circles of cultivation’) in a Land magazine dating back to 1998. The article was written by Anthony Trowbridge of Applied Natural Sciences at Technikon SA.

In 1982 I died from terminal cancer. The condition I had was inoperable, and any kind of chemotherapy they could give me would just have made me more of a vegetable and I was given six to eight months to live.