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Wednesday, August 07, 2013

Bananas!*


I know this is long overdue, but I just got around to watching the documentary BANANAS!*.  No, not the early Woody Allen classic, but a campaigning documentary from Swedish film-maker Fredrik Gertten

A new wave of class-action lawsuits is being taken out against the Dole Food Company, which for decades used controversial chemicals on their banana plantations in Nicaragua, causing sterility among male workers. 

This documentary allows you, the viewer, to ponder the possibility that this is a lawyers' gold rush, but the employers' complacency and defensiveness tell their own story. 

It seems that US corporations may be reaping a whirlwind of litigation from developing-world communities in Latin America for years to come, and like the cigarette companies, they will fight it every step of the way. 

What a prospect.

Juan “Accidentes” Dominguez, a million-dollar personal injury lawyer in Los Angeles, is on his biggest case ever representing over 10,000 Nicaraguan banana workers claiming to be afflicted by a pesticide known as Nemagon. 


On behalf of twelve Nicaraguan banana workers he is tackling Dole Food in a ground-breaking legal battle for their use of a banned pesticide that was known by the company to cause sterility. 

Can he beat the giant, or will the corporation get away with it? 

In the suspenseful documentary BANANAS!*, filmmaker Fredrik Gertten sheds new light on the global politics of food.


One third of the production price of the average banana is used simply to cover the cost of pesticides. All over the world, banana plantation workers are suffering and dying from the effects of these pesticides. 

Byron burying his father Alberto Rosales

Another banana worker is being buried in a small northern town in Nicaragua. For his whole life, Alberto Rosales used his machete to remove weeds from below the banana plants. His son says his last years were filled with pain, a body that was itching all night — and in the end his kidneys stopped working.

Inside the church, filled with friends and family, Father Bayardo begins his sermon. It’s not about Alberto Rosales after awhile. 

It’s about pesticides. 

Father Bayardo is accusing landowners and US transnationals of immoral practices which he says cause the death and suffering of many members of his community.

Workers at a banana plantation
The whole region of Chinandega is an ecological disaster zone. The pesticide spray has left its mark everywhere. The soil, the water, the animals, the food of the people are all affected. The level of pesticides in breastmilk is 700 times higher than is acceptable. 

Some say it will take 200 years for the ground to heal itself enough to produce natural crops again.

One of the pesticides, a DBCP-based compound called Nemagon, was banned in the USA in 1977 for causing male sterility. Standard Fruit—now Dole—continued to use the pesticide in its plantations outside the USA up to 1982.

Juan Dominguez in Estelí, Nicaragua

This case has been followed by experts and companies all over the world.  If Dominguez is successful, it could rock the economic foundations of Dole and Dow, and would open the US courts to other global victims of US-based multinationals.  

It would represent a new day in international justice, and there are further cases of a similar nature coming up next in many jurisdictions.

BIG BOYS GONE BANANAS!*

What is a big corporation capable of in order to protect its brand? 

Swedish filmmaker Fredrik Gertten's experienced this recently. His previous film BANANAS!* (2009) recounts the lawsuit that 12 Nicaraguan plantation workers brought against the fruit giant Dole Food Company. 

The film was selected for competition by the Los Angeles Film Festival. Nothing wrong so far, right? But then Gertten gets a strange message: the festival removes BANANAS!* from competition. Then a scathing article appears in the Los Angeles Business Journal about the film, and Gertten subsequently receives a letter from Dole's attorney threatening him with legal action. 

What follows is an unparalleled thriller that has Gertten capturing the entire process - from DOLE attacking the producers with a defamation lawsuit, bullying scaretactics, to media-control and PR-spin. This personal film reveals precisely how a multinational will stop at nothing to get its way - freedom of speech is at stake. 

As Dole's PR company puts it,
 "It is easier to cope with a bad conscience than a bad reputation".

BANANAS!* under fire – a timeline

BANANAS!* was one of the most talked about documentary films of 2009. The interest from media and the support from audiences and fellow filmmakers has been overwhelming. Below is a brief outline of the events during the hectic months before and after the film’s premiere.

In mid-December 2008, Director Fredrik Gertten and editor Jesper Osmund finished editing the cinema version of BANANAS!*.

In April 2009, Dole claimed that all but one of eleven plaintiffs in two upcoming DBCP cases against Dole had never worked on banana plantations and that the plaintiffs were paid and coached by their attorneys. Several witnesses testified on videotape, sixteen of them were anonymous “John Doe” witnesses because they claimed that they feared for their lives for exposing the alleged fraud.

Judge Victoria Chaney ultimately dismissed the cases, and also said that the fraud may have connections with the Tellez case, which was the trial featured in BANANAS!*. But Judge Chaney did not, despite Dole’s request, determine that there was no merit to any claims against Dole. Rather, she found that the actions presented before her had been so tainted with fraud by some of the plaintiffs, that she could not allow the cases to continue. Indeed, as Judge Chaney stated during the April 23 hearing on the matter: 
We’ll never know if anybody in Nicaragua was actually injured or harmed by the alleged wrongful conduct of the defendants, and people will never have the opportunity to learn, since this fraud is so pervasive and extensive that it has forever contaminated even our own ability to ever know the truth.
In April 2009, BANANAS!* was selected to compete in the Los Angeles Film Festival to be held in June. The film was also initially accepted for Silverdocs in Washington D.C., but got rejected because the Los Angeles Film Festival did not allow the film to simultaneously participate in another festival, although other films did so, including Convention by A.J Schnack and October County by Michael Palmieri and Donal Mosher.

On May 5th 2009, the Los Angeles Film Festival arranged a press conference and announced the program. BANANAS!* was included in documentary competition, competing for a $50,000 prize. The same day, our website (www.bananasthemovie.com) opened and the BANANAS!* trailer was published on Youtube and Vimeo. The BANANAS!* team celebrated with champagne.

On May 8th, another hearing about the fraud case was held in Los Angeles Superior Court. BANANAS!* was the subject of a discussion between Judge Victoria Chaney and Dole attorney Andrea Neuman, and the trailer for the film was showed in the court room. In regard to the film, Judge Chaney stated to those present:
Just so we are clear, I am not in any way going to make, and I will not consider, any request for prior restraint on free speech. Okay? So, don’t ask me to go try and contact the film company. I don’t have jurisdiction over them. But even if I did, don’t ask me for it.” 
After the hearing, Dole’s law firm, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, sent a letter to WG Film, ITVS and all of the sponsors of the Los Angeles Film Festival. Dole did not like the trailer, nor the promo material featured on the website:
…it is clear that this film contains numerous false and defamatory statements of purported fact concerning Dole and its current and former officers and employees in connections with lawsuits brought against Dole and other defendants by plaintiffs’ attorney “Juan ‘Accidentes’ Dominguez. /…/ This letter is a formal demand that you immediately cease and desist making false and defamatory statements of purported fact regarding our clients, and that you immediately publish prominent reactions of the same. Failure to do so will subject you to legal action.”
Neither Dole nor their attorneys had seen the completed film – they had only seen the trailer. “Strange things happens in LA. Mighty forces showing arms”, Gertten twittered.

Five days later, WG Film’s U.S. lawyer, Richard J. Lee, wrote in response to Dole’s letter:
The film is a balanced documentary of a trial based on actual events. Most of the factual information contained in the film is stated by its subjects, not by the filmmaker, who is essentially acting as a reporter.
On May 11th, the global BANANAS!* team was expanded with publicist David Magdael in Los Angeles. “Conference call on Skype: Malmö, St Johns, Los Angeles, San Fransisco, Portland. Totally BANANAS!* ", Gertten twittered.

On May 14th, Dole’s lawyers sent a second “cease and desist” letter, still trying to shut down a film they had not seen. We responded by offering tickets to the LA premiere on June 20th.

May 18th, The BANANAS!* group on Facebook opened.

On June 5th, based on threats from Dole of possible legal action against the festival, the Los Angeles Film Festival moved BANANAS!* out of competition. Instead, a “special case study screening” was arranged, with a post-screening discussion with Gertten.

The same day, Dole’s lawyers sent a letter to the Swedish ambassador in Washington, asking him to stop the film: 
We respectfully ask that the Consulate General withdraw its endorsement of this defamatory film, and that the Swedish Embassy take other appropriate steps to limit its damaging impact”.
Two weeks later, on June 22, Luciano Astudillo, a member of the Swedish parliament sent a public letter to the Swedish Foreign Minister, Carl Bildt: 
Does the Minister for Foreign Affairs intend to, in an appropriate way, protest against the fact that an American transnational corporation uses Swedish government authorities to stop the screening of a Swedish documentary?
In a reply dated July 3, Bildt wrote that he did not plan to take action, since he had been informed that the Consulate General in Los Angeles supported all Swedish films in the festival and that they did not try to stop BANANAS!*.

On June 8th, the Los Angeles Business Journal published a story about BANANAS!* entitled ”The Big Slip-Up” with the sub headline “Documentary on lawyer needs fact-check.” The Los Angeles Business Journal, however, clearly did not conduct any fact-checking on its own article, let alone the film, because nobody at the Los Angeles Business Journal had seen the film. Following the article, Gertten stated in a press release: 
In answer to the question of whether my film is fraudulent, I cannot see that it is. Everything I filmed is the truth and how this all played out during this trial. The most important evidence in the case is a letter between Standard Fruit Company (now Dole) and Dow Chemicals. This is hard evidence and was not something that I made up.
On June 8th, a news team from Swedish National Television (SVT) interviewed Fredrik Gertten. Shortly after the story was broadcast, the reporter was contacted by Dole’s PR firm, Gibraltar Associates in Washington D.C. Three days later, another interview was made by the same team, now with the focus on the fraud accusations, including a telephone interview with Michael Carter, Dole’s Executive Vice President. The story was broadcast on prime time national SVT news.

On June 12th, the BANANAS!* team celebrated producer Margarete Jangård’s birthday with a tropical banana bar party in a rainy Malmö. “I just booked a film team to cover my Los Angeles totally BANANAS!* adventure. If the shit comes down, it will at least be on camera” Gertten wrote on Facebook.

On June 15th, Gertten’s twitter read “have we been slapped?” A “SLAPP” is an acronym for “Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation”, which is a lawsuit whose aim is not to legitimately pursue a grievance but, rather, to intimidate and silence critics by burdening them with the cost of a legal defense in the hopes that they will abandon their criticism or opposition.


On June 16th, we published an open letter to the international documentary community:
 “As we move forward, we hope you as our allies in the international documentary community will throw your support behind us. Dole and their counsel’s interference with us, ITVS, the Festival, and their sponsors represent a serious threat to independent documentary production.”
The same day, Gertten left for Los Angeles. ”Two interviews; radio and newspaper, whilst carrying my bag and stuff to the airport. Now a nice coffee at Copenhagen Airport”, he twittered.

On June 19th, Dole published a video response to the BANANAS!* trailer on Youtube. It was first named simply “Dole trailer” but was later renamed to “DBCP: A Conspiracy of Fraud.”

One day to go for the totally BANANAS!* experience. Meeting with the festival lawyer soon. The heat is on, how will all this end? Don’t ever take freedom of speech for granted.” Gertten on Facebook.

The festival board and its lawyer presented a proposition to Gertten and the producers: 
If you just show clips from the film tomorrow, we can provide financial support for a new film, a grand opening, and distribution in the U.S.
 We declined the offer.

June 20th – premiere day. Just hours before the screening, the Film Independent board held an internal screening, and discussed what to do. They decided to proceed, and BANANAS!* was screened at the UCLA James Bridges Theatre. In the last minute, however, BANANAS!* was pulled out from the Audience Award. 

Festival volunteers even had to re-collect the voting ballets from the sitting audience.

Before the screening, the executive director of Film Independent, Dawn Hudson, read a statement addressing why the film was removed from competition. Gertten then showed Dole’s video response to the BANANAS!* trailer and held a speech about the importance of free speech and the balance between different voices.

Dole Executive Vice President Michael C. Carter attended the screening. He left instantly after the screening, before the panel discussion and debate had even began.
Two hours and twenty minutes before the screening we got the green light from the festival board. The film was screened. At least ten people from Dole in the audience, taking notes. The audience loved the film. The debate was insane, but I loved it. Just spent 1500 dollars on the party the Swedish consulate promised to give. Before Dole started to send letters.” —Gertten on Facebook.
Before the screening, a petition for BANANAS!* was arranged by other filmmakers participating in the festival: 
We strongly feel that as artists one has the right and freedom to show their work despite how others might feel about the content. Thank you for sustaining the integrity of the Fesitval by showing BANANAS!* tonight.
June 22
Woke up with heavy intense knocks on my door. Somebody calling my name. So now the shit has hit the fan. Shall I receive the papers smiling or shall I kick them? …It was a guy from the reception, somebody was trying to call my room, and the phone didn’t work. Five minutes later I went live on Radio Kristianstad back home. Good Morning LA.”  —Gertten on Facebook.
June 23 

The film was screened again in LA. 
The drama continues. Received a new letter from Dole, where they urged us to not screen the film again. We did, and the house was sold out again. Great screening, with the same strange set up around it. When Juan Dominguez’s brother raised his voice, the room got silenced. A passionate defense for his brother, he made a few very strong points.” —Gertten on Facebook.
Dole attended the screening on June 20, and in their third letter, dated June 23, they points to several alleged “undeniable and fatal problems” in the film. They reference the free speech discussion that evolved before the screening and also provide Gertten with an idea for an alternative film version: 
The irony is that the latest developments in Judge Chaney’s courtroom provide the makings of a truly dramatic and important film: a U.S. lawyer who goes to Nicaragua, exploits poor, uneducated Nicaraguan citizens, foments political unrest against his own country as part of a massive conspiracy to manufacture false claims for billions of dollars and commit fraud on the U.S. courts. /…/ Given all of this, with some re-editing, re-writing, and re-shooting to focus on the truth, it seems you could have produced a truly compelling film
On June 24th, Dole (using the legal process still ongoing before Judge Chaney) issued subpoenas to the Los Angeles Film Festival and ITVS, demanding that they provide to Dole all business records pertaining to BANANAS!*. One week later, Gertten wrote a letter to Film Independent director Dawn Hudson, asking her not to submit to the demands of the subpoena:
 ”To cede to the demands of the subpoena without fighting them would truly hurt the integrity of the organization as the supporter of the independent filmmaker, and of free speech. Further, this could very well set a dangerous precedent in how outside parties handle legal actions toward films presented at the Los Angeles Film Festival and films associated with Film Independent.
June 26
News chopper in the air three blocks away from my hotel. King of pop is dead. So sad. Last coffee at Profeta before leaving Westwood and Los Angeles. A very special and totally BANANAS!* experience is over. Hopefully!”  —Gertten twittered.
June 29
The Mexican film "Those Who Remain" won the doc jury award. In their speech they asked everybody to toast for me and BANANAS!*  Very sweet. Viva Mexico and big thanks to the Ambulante Film Festival, amor y solidaridad”  —Gertten twittered.
On July 7th, Dole filed a civil lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court against WG Film, director Gertten and producer Margarete Jangård over the LA screenings of BANANAS!*  The lawsuit claims that the film defames Dole.

On July 9th, our lawyer Richard J. Lee issued a statement about the lawsuit, saying:
"My clients and I believe that this suit is without merit and represents the latest in a continued line of intimidating harassment by a multinational corporation aimed squarely at a small, independent film and its filmmakers.”
On July 24th, The BANANAS!* fan page on Facebook was launched.

On July 28th, we retained First Amendment specialist Lincoln Bandlow of Lathrop & Gage to defend us against Dole. In a press release, Bandlow said:
"Dole does not want the [BANANAS!*] release to happen because it wants discussion about its DBCP practices to simply go away. We are confident the court will not allow Dole to use this meritless lawsuit to accomplish that goal".
July 31 Dole’s PR firm, Gibraltar Associates, continued to send letters to Swedish journalists. The Swedish news site Realtid.se published one of them.

August 1 – 2 BANANAS!* was pre-screened two evenings in a row during the Båstad Film Festival. Both screenings sold out. Several Swedish journalists wrote what they thought about the film and the lawsuit. Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter interviewed Dole lawyer Ted Boutrous in a widely read article entitled “BANANAS!* is a lie” – a quote from Boutrous (published August 5th).

On August 7th, the website Makthavare.se published a story about Dole’s PR tactics related to BANANAS!*. In the article, several Swedish PR experts describe Dole’s actions as “a total PR failure”.

On August 13th, internationally acclaimed filmmakers Kim Longinotto, Hubert Sauper and Robert Kenner expressed their support to director Fredrik Gertten and BANANAS!* in Swedish daily Sydsvenskan. Kim Longinotto wrote in an email to Sydsvenskan:

 “I hope they don’t succeed in silencing [Gertten]. These large companies are accustomed to getting their will through. Therefore, it’s inspiring for the rest of us when someone dares to stand up and question their actions. /…/ The fact that a powerful multinational corporation is trying to discourage the filmmaker illustrates the power of this film. Fredrik has scared them.” (Our translation). Read more »
On August 23rd, a campaign aimed at raising awareness about the BANANAS!* case and to activate supporters around the Swedish premiere was launched. Join the BANANAS!* Free Speech Campaign »

On August 24th, The German Documentary Association (AG DOK) senta letter to Dole. Thomas Frickel, CEO of AG DOK strongly criticized Dole’s attempts to silence BANANAS!*  and demanded that they immediately should cease their attack on the film and the freedom of information. Otherwise, he would officially ask the 850 members of AG DOK to use their contacts and resources to produce critical films and news reports about Dole and its methods.

On August 25th, Malmö Filmdagar opened – a festival where the film industry screens their work to each other and to the press. BANANAS!* was screened twice. A press conference with lawyer Lincoln Bandlow was held using a Skype video feed. The journalists, most of them surprised and puzzled by the Dole lawsuit after seeing the film, asked questions directly to Bandlow.

On September 2nd, the Swedish division of Reporters Without Borders condemned the BANANAS!* lawsuit on their website and launched an online petition – a letter to be sent to the Dole headquarters.

On September 8th, Swedish medical journal Läkartidningen publisheda story about DBCP, the pesticide under scope in the trial portrayed in BANANAS!*  The article evaluates the studies being made about the toxic effects of DBCP, and reveals that the producers, Dow Chemicals and Shell, played down a test result from as early as 1962, where scientists had detected sperm damage in rats and recommended highly protective gear while applying the chemical. This information did not make it to the warning signs on the product labels.

On September 11th, Dole’ executive vice president, Michael Carter, was interviewed in Swedish daily Sydsvenskan. Regarding the BANANAS!* lawsuit, he was quoted saying:
 ”Let [Gertten] fight. I know what will happen here. He will lose, he will definitely lose.”
Later the same day, we responded the Dole lawsuit by filing an Anti-SLAPP Motion and a Cross-Complaint. SLAPP is an acronym for Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation and allows the court to dismiss meritless lawsuits filed for the purpose of stifling protected speech (read Wiki article »).

As set forth in the motion, Dole’s lawsuit simply seeks to “poison the fountain of free speech” by intimidating anyone who speaks out on this important issue of public concern who does not comport with Dole’s “spin” on recent events pertaining to DBCP litigation.

In addition to filing an Anti-SLAPP Motion, we also filed a Cross-Complaint against Dole, seeking to recover damages for Dole’s improper tactics in interfering with the film’s premiere and its participation in the Los Angeles Film Festival. Read more »

On September 29, an opinion piece was published in Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter, signed by chairmen of three major Swedish film organizations. Håkan Tidlund, chairman of the Swedish Film Institute was one of them. In the article, they urged Dole to withdraw their lawsuit against BANANAS!*  “The foundations of an open society are poisoned when journalists, writers, artists and filmmakers have to work under the threat of being sued every time a financially strong party is examined.” Read more »

On the same day, a letter was sent to Swedish MPs Mats Johansson (m) and Luciano Astudillo (s), who had invited director Fredrik Gertten to screen BANANAS!* in the Swedish parliament on October 1. The news about this meeting had reached Michael Carter, Executive Vice President of Dole, who sent a letter to Johansson and Astudillo. In the letter, Carter provides Dole’s perspective on BANANAS!* and “a more complete understanding, given the October 1 screening”. Read more »

On October 1, BANANAS!* was screened in a fully booked meeting room in the Swedish parliament. After the screening, MPs Mats Johansson and Luciano Astudillo launched a cross-party petition, collecting names in the Parliament. In the petition they are asking Dole to withdraw their lawsuit. The will to defend free speech was overwhelming from politicians from left to right, and the story got widely spread in Swedish media. In an interview with SVT News, Fredrik Gertten said:
 “The fact that the parliament is screening this film is an important symbolic gesture. We often take freedom of speech for granted, but obvious things must also be defined and formulated. The parliament members who took the initiative to this screening are doing just that, they are formulating why it is important to defend this movie.And I am incredibly happy about that.” Read more »
One week later, Johansson and Astudillo sent a reply to Michael Carter’s letter. They were not impressed by Dole’s PR tactics, and continued to collect names, asking Dole to withdraw their lawsut.

On October 5, the CEO of Swedish hamburger chain Max said that they had stopped selling Dole fruit salads. A blogger had informed them about the lawsuit against BANANAS!* 
 “We don’t like Dole’s actions. Suing a filmmaker instead of having a dialogue is despicable,” said Max CEO Richard Bergfors to the Realtid.se news website.
On October 6, Dagens Nyheter published a two-page Sunday story entitled “Why is Dole suing a filmmaker?”. The story was written by Dan Koeppel, who connects the suing of BANANAS!* with a century of banana industry history. Koeppel is the author of the book ”Banana. The Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World”. Read the story in english »

October 8Grandiose Gala premiere in Malmö with wine, music and speeches.Over 600 people saw BANANAS!* on Swedens largest cinema screen. Fredrik Gertten on Facebook: 
Now very very tired after the gala premiere, early morning radio tomorrow, Fair Trade panel, interview with ARTE news from Berlin and then the great premiere broadcasted to cinemas around the country. Need some sleep, will get it one day.”
The same day, The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), who represents over 600,000 journalists in 123 countries worldwide, condemned Dole’s lawsuit. "The company’s action is designed to legitimise censorship," said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary. 
"We condemn the use of law to try to evade media scrutiny and public accountability. It is an unforgiveable violation of free speech." Read more »
On October 9, BANANAS!* had its Swedish premiere. Over 20 cinemas all over Sweden screened the film simultaneously. After the screening, Fredrik Gertten was interviewed by Orvar Säfström at Spegeln Cinema in Malmö. The interview was broadcasted live, and audiences all over Sweden could send questions via SMS. Over 400 questions were received. A recording of this Q&A will be included on the BANANAS!* DVD, with planned release in December, 2009.

The same morning, reviews were published in all major Swedish newspapers. Dagens Nyheter, Sydsvenskan, Aftonbladet and Expressen all gave it 4 out of 5 stars. Read more »

On October 15, BANANAS!* was once again discussed in the Swedish parliament, this time on government level. The Swedish minister of culture, Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth, met with Fredrik Gertten, free speech lawyer Percy Bratt and MPs Mats Johansson and Luciano Astudillo to get a deeper insight into the matter.

The story about the Max hamburger boycott (see October 5) had spread to news media all over Sweden, and journalists started contacting major food grocers ICA, Coop and Axood for comments. Inan interview with Swedish news agency TT, a representative from ICA said that they had contacted Dole and demanded to have a talk about the film and the situation. In relation to the meeting with the Swedish minister of culture, Johansson and Astudillo therefore invited representatives from Coop, ICA and Axfood to an informal lunch in the parliament.

The same day, Dole withdrew their lawsuit. In a press release, Dole said they had made their decision in light of the free speech concerns being expressed in Sweden, although they continues to believe in the merits of its case. "While the filmmakers continue to show a film that is fundamentally flawed and contains many false statements we look forward to an open discussion with the filmmakers regarding the content of the film," said Michael Carter, Dole’s Executive Vice President and General Counsel. Read more »
Dole is withdrawing the lawsuit. We still don’t know the conditions. We still have a counterclaim that has to be resolved. Journalists start calling. But I’m still going to Stockholm to meet to minister of culture.”—Fredrik Gertten on Facebook
On October 29, director Fredrik Gertten, producer Margarete Jangård and WG Film withdrew their counterclaim against Dole. However, they asked the court to compel Dole to pay the fees and costs incurred to defend the lawsuit. 

In a press release, attorney Lincoln Bandlow said that 
the law is clear that Dole cannot file its action, compel defendants to incur significant expense in having to file an anti-SLAPP motion to have the case thrown out, and then just slink away with a voluntary dismissal while the motion is pending and not pay for its actions. The lawsuit should never have been filed – Dole has to pay the price for filing it. Whether Dole will have to answer for the additional and significant damage it caused the makers of the film to suffer will be a question that may get revisited some other day.”
Fredrik Gertten said: 
having successfully compelled Dole to end their legal assault on the film, we are now focusing our efforts on getting the film out to the world. Once we catch our breath from working on overcoming the harm initially caused by Dole’s tactics, we will reevaluate reinstituting our action against Dole.” Read more »
January 25, 2010After months of silence, a new plaintiffs’ lawyer in the Tellez case filed a motion in the California Superior Court which seriously contested Dole’s allegations of fraud in the Nicaraguan DBCP cases. The new lawyer, Steve Condie, writes that Judge Victoria Chaney’s dismissal of all upcoming DBCP cases was not only unfair, but also a distraction from the genuine claim involving Dole’s use of DBCP.

In the motion, Condie writes that at least four of the anonymous “John Doe” witnesses were paid by Dole and that four more had their own personal motives to slander American lawyers involved in DBCP litigation in Nicaragua. And since the “John Doe” witnesses were anonymous, it’s practically impossible to double check their statements, which is unfair.

Condie concludes that none of Dole’s evidence in the fraud case is reliable or unbiased:
 ”there is no credible evidence suggesting that any fraudulent activities engaged in Nicaragua by anyone had any impact or effect on the trial in this case“.
On February 15, Oscilloscope Laboratories, a New York based film production and theatrical distribution company, picked up the US rights to BANANAS!*  However, WG Film’s insurance company could not protect Oscilloscope from further lawsuits from Dole. WG Film’s anti-SLAPP motion was still pending in court, and the grant of the motion was necessary to clear the film and to enable full US distribution.

The grant of the anti-SLAPP motion was also important for another distributor, The Independent Television Service (ITVS). They could not provide the film to broadcasters until they were sure the insurance company could cover them.

In May 2010, Nicaraguan newspaper El Nuevo Diario published a series of articles providing alternative stories about Dole’s actions in the Tellez case. The first article starts off during a press conference in Managua, where seven former banana workers said Dole bribed or tricked them to witness against the affected plaintiffs’. Read more »

On June 15, BANANAS!* won the audience award at the Environmental Film Festival in Goiás, Brazil (FICA). Read more »

In June, director Fredrik Gertten once again travelled to Los Angeles for a special screening of BANANAS!*. The screening was held the night before the final anti-SLAPP hearing. Dole did however manage to postpone the hearing until August 19. The Anti-SLAPP statute specifically states that a hearing on an Anti-SLAPP motion should be heard no later than 30 days from filing - yet it had been nine months since the motion was filed.

In a Q&A preceding the hearing, Gertten said 
"the hearing is reduced to fight over lawyers fees and if we win the money will not reach us. It’s for the insurance company and our lawyers. But it is important for all filmmakers and journalists that the judge comes out with a clear verdict: Dole did wrong. Suing a filmmaker is an attack of freedom of speech and press /…/ Hopefully the judge will make the same conclusion". Read the full Q&A »
On October 22, the final anti-SLAPP hearing was held after a long series of postponed dates. The hearing was a success for Fredrik Gertten, Margarete Jangård and WG Film, but the written ruling was not released until one month later. 


On November 17, the written ruling was finally released. The Los Angeles Superior Court granted the anti-SLAPP motion filed by Fredrik Gertten, Margarete Jangård and WG Film, and struck the defamation complaint filed by Dole. The Court found that a “careful review of the film did not support Dole’s assertions” in the complaint. In addition to striking the lawsuit with prejudice, the Court ordered Dole to pay attorneys fees and costs in the amount of $200,000.

"The Court’s ruling is a complete vindication for my clients and their documentary" said the filmmakers’ lawyer, Lincoln Bandlow.
"The fee award is particularly gratifying because it sends a very important message - to corporations who believe they can use their unlimited wealth and the sword of litigation to squelch speech with which they disagree - that there is a price to pay for such attacks. I’m very happy to tell my Swedish clients that the First Amendment is still alive and well in America."
Directors Statement

"We are pleased that BANANAS!* can now reach a larger audience in the United States and that the important issues raised in the film such as human rights for farm workers in third world countries can continue to be discussed and debated."  —Fredrik Gertten
My dream as a filmmaker is to create a piece of work that can travel into the hearts and minds of the audience. For me, it is what is between the lines that matters the most in telling the story. Through my film, BANANAS!*, I am hopeful that viewers will see the lives of the workers who are at risk: 
 the people who are paying the price of hundred years of banana history. These are the workers, the families and the communities who are suffering from poverty and from the disaster of the chemicals left on their soil and floating in their water.  
I also want to tell the human story – one that moves the audience with a strong narrative arc. As a filmmaker, I believe in complexity and in characters that make you feel something or sometimes just make you wonder.  
Juan Dominguez, the attorney for the banana workers, is a great character. He has much at stake to win or to lose. He is also bridging the locations of the story from the poverty laden banana plantation communities in Chinandega, Nicaragua to the wealthy and corporate Los Angeles, California in the United States. 
BANANAS!* follows a historic first court case in Los Angeles Superior Court, and ends with a verdict from the jury. That verdict, however, is still under appeal.  
In April 2009, Judge Chaney - who presided over the plantation worker’s case - decided to kick out those cases represented by Juan Dominguez. This happened after the film was finished. Because of this new development, we decided to make a change with updated title cards at the film’s end reflecting Judge Chaney’s rulings. So far, Juan Dominguez has not been formally charged with anything. So basically, nothing has changed and everything remains status quo.
On May 8, 2009, Dole Foods wrote their first "cease and desist" letter to me, my producer, our production company and to the Los Angeles Film Festival. Suddenly, we the filmmakers became a part of our own film. We were transformed into the role of David – the underdog battling the corporate Goliath – Dole Foods. This legal battle continued for more than five months.  
Dole Foods filed a defamation lawsuit against us on July 8, 2009. We were forced to expend a painfully large amount of money and time to defend ourselves from these wrongful accusations.  
We continued in our fight against Dole and to gather support from around the globe and in our home country of Sweden.  
Then on October 15, 2009, we prevailed, as Dole Foods withdrew this unjustified lawsuit. And now, this film can continue to be seen by all without the threat of legal action looming over it.  
I am pleased that we can share BANANAS!* with you. 
Fredrik Gertten, October 2009 
For the first time in my movie-going history, you are witness to an odd set of "rules" which needed to be complied with in order for the film to be exhibited. An agreement between Film Independent (sponsors of the Los Angeles Film Festival) and Dole; a corporation featured in the film, forced the Festival to do three things:
1) The movie was removed from the prestigious Documentary Competition; 

2) A lengthy disclaimer was handed out to all patrons as they entered the theater; 

3) Said disclaimer had to be read aloud to the audience prior to the screening.
It was made clear by the LA Film Festival representative that they "are not eager to be sued.

In fact, Dole went to court to file an injunction to stop the film from being shown. The judge threw it out, saying that she "will not consider any request for prior restraint on free speech." 

Director Fredrik Gertten immediately declared in his impassioned introduction to the screening that he did not endorse the statement of the Festival. 

This elicited a huge cheer from the audience, even though nobody had yet seen the film.

If you have ever purchased a Dole product, you owe it to yourself to watch this documentary, and we all owe it to Mr. Fredrik Gertten, and his team, who fought an uphill battle against one of the largest multinational corporation, and won!


Boycott Dole Foods

Dole is the world's largest supplier of fruit and vegetables using the herbicide DBCP, proven to cause the plantation workers to become sterile.

Dole did everything in their power to silence the filmmaker and everyone who had anything to do with it through high pressure use of main stream media and intimidation and threats of a lawsuit.

Filmmaker Fredrik Gertten's kept pressure against Dole and their top lawyers which ultimately lead to a victory in the lawsuit for over 10,000 workers.

Many restaurants, and consumers of Dole products have officially announced an ongoing boycott of all their products to send a strong message to the huge multinational corporation; we will not continue to fatten the pockets of a company that has blatant disregard for human life.

A company that is the poster child for GREED.

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Many people who are going through the early stages of the awakening process are no longer certain what their outer purpose is. What drives the world no longer drives them. Seeing the madness of our civilization so clearly, they may feel somewhat alienated from the culture around them. Some feel that they inhabit a no-man’s-land between two worlds. They are no longer run by the ego, yet the arising awareness has not yet become fully integrated into their lives. In my spiritual transition, through knowledge I have been led to a more deliberate and purposeful life. I have been able to understand myself better and not waste energy on self defeating thoughts. But most of all, I stopped my self destructive patterns, and am deliberately making my dreams come true. With this awareness I am able to find purpose in all that happens. As it turns out what I thought was incredibly random has actually been deliberate and full of purpose. I see this more and more as I get to know myself. I have been able to overcome certain circumstances which was very difficult at the time, however, it was these sometimes difficult situations that has allowed me to observe and examine life, as it is, and as it were. I am reborn once again, arisen from the ashes of a previous life with a strong connection to everyone and everything living and everything that it is alive. — ♥


Millions of Maya currently live in Central America. They are a vibrant and humble culture whose ancestors were sophisticated mathematicians and astronomers. They offer a unique perspective of our modern times as the end of the Mayan Long Count calendar approaches. The modern Maya traditions parallel the ancient Maya traditions. Honoring the Earth and the wisdom of their ancestors and traditions such as the fire ceremony are present in their culture today, just as they were centuries ago. As there are several different lineages within the Maya culture, this Sacred Day calendar is known by 2 different names: the Yucatecan Maya call it the Tzol’kin and the Maya from the highlands, particularly in Guatemala, refer to it as the Chol’qi. The Maya approach by deeply studying the nature of fundamental cycles, as well as astronomical cycles, and their synchronicity to human events. They are aware of the role human consciousness plays in connecting to, and obtaining information from nature. They speak of a year “zero” which is the transition between epochs of creation, what the Maya refer to as the change of Suns. The beginning of a New Age. —In Lak'ech ♥



In oneself lies the whole world and if you know how to look and learn, the door is there and the key is in your hand. Nobody on earth can give you either the key or the door to open, except yourself. You must understand the whole of life, not just one little part of it. That is why you must read, that is why you must look at the skies, that is why you must sing and dance, and write poems and suffer and understand, for all that is life —J. Krishnamurti



Patterns are hidden in plain sight, you just have to know where to look. Things most people see as chaos actually follows subtle laws of behavior; galaxies, plants, sea shells... The patterns never lie. Seven billion, eighty million and 360 of us live on this tiny planet. Think about all of the different people that you come in contact with on any given day: family, friends, coworkers and strangers going about their lives

Is everything connected? Is the world a predictable set of patterns? Can one person really make a difference? —Yes


If the human has a strong will within himself and really endeavors to bestow purity on his thoughts and feelings in his search for what is higher, then he very first and foremost must look after himself, practice in self-knowledge and change in all things that control him. So, he has not found, with the will and efforts, the path to his highest goal for a long time yet, whereby everything that he wishes in his evolution is given to him. Therefore, he must continue to steadily endeavor that everything that being a true human requires is given to him. For this neither false prophets, saviors, gurus, masters, enlightened ones and lofty ones, esoteric ones, preachers, priests and parochial powers nor "spiritual scientists", etc., are needed but rather only one's own consciousness-related effort through thoughts and feelings in a seeking, searching and discerning way as well as one's own change for the better. And if the human acts in this way, then he frees himself from the pressure of all pathological brooding and from the search for the truth in false prophets, saviors and other swindlers, liars and deceivers. If the human follows the right path, which he can find only within himself, then he regains the health of his consciousness, his thoughts and feelings as well as the psyche. Billy Meier >>


Defining Truth

Truth has been put on trial and judged by people who are devoted to lies. Truth corresponds to reality or “what is.” It is real. Truth is also correspondent in nature. Truth desires to appear; truth longs to become conscious; truth strives to know itself. There is truth in the stone, for the stone is here; and no power in the world, no god, no man, no demon, can destroy its existence. There is truth in the plant and its life can expand; the plant grows and blossoms and bears fruit. Its beauty is marvelous. There is truth in the animal; it moves about and perceives its surroundings; it distinguishes and learns to choose.

In a postmodern world that denies that truth can be known, the question is more important than ever to answer. What is truth? >>


The Age Of Aquarius

The Age Of Aquarius

2012 isn't the end of time, it is the beginning of a whole new reality. The more scholars study the writings of the ancient Mayans, the more they are convinced that 2012 was not prophesied to be the end of the world, but the moment which will herald a momentous shift in human consciousness. Aquarius is the experience of individuality, and can be highly autonomous. As the Fixed Air sign of the zodiac, Aquarius expresses focused mental energy, and can show a strong level of ingenuity. Although most people think of Aquarius as progressive, it also has the capacity for fanatical attachment to an idea or ideal. Aquarius is the rebel and anarchist, but can be unselfish and altruistic, much like Uranus, which rules this sign. Symbolized by the Water-Bearer, Aquarius pours forth ideas streaming from the mind; in its highest form this is stimulated by intuitive awareness. Aquarius seeks to develop the true, unconditional love of friendship. Its cool detachment can be directed in positive ways to bring about change, but can also seem hurtful on a personal level. Where you see Aquarius in your chart, you see your need for the unconventional, and for the development of your individuality.The Aquarians - The New Era Begins >>

To most people, the "Age of Aquarius" remains a vague phrase. Mankind stands today on the threshold of a new World Age. The concept of an imminent new Age — and the concurrent idea of the approaching end of the present Age — have been popularized (and commercialized) throughout all levels of society in recent years. Nevertheless, few people consciously understand what the transition to the Age of Aquarius actually implies. Esoterically, the cycle of World Ages traces an aspect of the spiritual evolution of consciousness. It has as its astrological basis the circle of the zodiac (hence, the "Age of Pisces," the "Age of Aquarius," etc.). Humanity evolves as a whole-expanding and developing the collective consciousness of the race — at the same time that each of its members is evolving in his or her own personal way. Individual evolution, therefore, proceeds simultaneously with and complements racial evolution.A New Age Dawning >>

True to Aquarian nature, the illusions surrounding these structures have been stripped away; concurrently, we've had other illusions dispelled in our personal lives that never made the national news. The control and power that these establishments and icons of order have had over us are about to be overthrown and revised by humanity as a whole. No longer will the majority be ruled by a few select individuals. As we begin to share and expand our ideals with others, we can now expect to move our personal spiritual visions in the physical world, creating higher laws and establishing a more Universal foundation based in metaphysics, truth, peace and wholeness. Now that we have mastered the art of being responsible for ourselves as individuals, we can begin a new millennium embracing the Aquarian ideal that each one of us carries the responsibility for the collective well-being of all humanity.Aquarius and Aquarians In The New Age >>


The Zeitgeist Series

The Zeitgeist Series

Zeitgeist refers to the ethos of a select group of people, that express a particular world view which is prevalent at a particular period of socio-cultural progression. Look at the world from a more critical perspective and to understand that very often things are not what the population at large think they are. In simple terms Zeitgeist, (pronounced "Zeit" like "Kite" and "geist" like "heist") means the spirit of the time; the spirit characteristic of an age or generation.Zeitgeist, the Movie >>

Zeitgeist Addendum, attempts to locate the root causes of this pervasive social corruption, while offering a solution based on a modern, non-superstitous understanding of what we are and how we align with nature, to which we are a part. The failure of our world to resolve the issues of war, poverty, and corruption, rests within a gross ignorance about what guides human behavior to begin with. It addresses the true source of the instability in our society, while offering the only fundamental, long-term solution.Zeitgeist, the Addendum >>

Modern psychology has a word that is probably used more than any other word in psychology.

It is the word "maladjusted".

I would like to say to you today that there are some things in our society and some things in our world of which I'm proud to be maladjusted. And I call upon all men of good will to be maladjusted to these things until the good society is realized.Zeitgeist III - Moving Forward >>


A Culture In Decline

A Culture In Decline

As you stumble around this experiment we call global society, you can't help but feel an increasing sense of unease, perhaps even frustration, with respect to how we, the human family, have chosen to organize ourselves on this little planet.I am an Agent & Victim of a Culture in Decline >>

Modest preemptive actions can obviate the need of more drastic actions at a later date. You think that you've been taught things like confidence intervals in an elementary statistical course that would let you do this; but if you really studied carefully, you'd know that they don't let you do this. A really principled frequentist can't produce a probability distribution. Perhaps it's no wonder then, while even with the ongoing economic failures across the world in inequality, increasing poverty, debt collapse, bank failures, unemployment rising, very few today seem to be able to understand, let alone discuss, modern economics.Modern Economics 101 >>

Marshall McLuhan once said that the last thing a fish would ever notice in its habitat is the water. Likewise, the most obvious and powerful realities of our human culture seem to also be the most unrecognized. It is only when we take pause, often at the risk of social alienation, to question the foundational principles and ideas to which our lives are oriented does a dark truth about our supposed 'normality' become more clear. Today, we live in an ocean with enormous waves of status obsession, materialism, vanity, ego and consumerism.Consumption Vanity Disorder - CVD >>

War! We love it, —right? Blowing stuff up, watching people suffer and die. It's exciting! Violence, domination, retribution and other attributes of this competitive warring fascination clearly dominates our media with films, television and other expressions constantly glorifying and reinforcing this gesture of conflict. In fact, it has been found that by the time an average kid reaches the age of 14 in the West, he or she has visually witnessed over 8,000 depicted acts of murder. Given all of this, it might make you wonder: Does art imitate life, or does life imitate art?War On Nature >>


Don Alejandro Perez Oxlaj - Wandering Wolf

Don Alejandro Perez Oxlaj, whose Mayan name is Wakatel Utiw, Wandering Wolf, is the 13th generation in a lineage of Mayan Medicine People. He received his sacred bundle at the age of 13. He is president of the National Mayan Council of Elders of Guatemala, a body of 440 men and women elders of wisdom who represent 23 Mayan ethnic groups of Guatemala. He was instrumental in creating the reunion of Indigenous Elders and Priests of Americas and is known as the Grand Elder of the Americas. Don Alejandro holds the wisdom of the Mayan Cosmology and travels the world sharing the Mayan prophecies on the major earth changes coming in this millennium. He is a medicine man and works as a catalyst for healing on global levels. Grand Elder Grandfather Don Alejandro is regarded as the Voice of the Jungle and the Messenger of the Maya; we also know him as 'Tata' which most affectionately, 'Grandfather' in his native language. Wandering Wolf is responsible for guiding us through a prophesied evolutionary transition called the Shift of the Ages. He relays potent messages filled with hope and promise, and grave warnings about the changes we must make. He tells us we are living in the time when the ancestors, as well as men and women of wisdom, return to usher in a new era of global harmony and a new phase of human evolution.Wandering Wolf >>

Wandering Wolf mathematical provenance extends to the traditional and elegant mathematics of the Mayan Long Count Calendar, which culminates in the Mayan year “Zero,” or approximately 2012 in the Gregorian calendar. A cogent messenger, Wandering Wolf warns us that we have arrived at a critical crossroads. The message is simple and clear: we must change the way we live now.

We are here in ancient lands, where there are ancient cities. Here anthropoligists have come and called them ruins because they ruined them. They ransacked and destroyed them and now they call them ruins. But these are really ancient cities. And for us, and the world to know. In the first place, yes the Mayans are here presently. The Mayan nation starts in Mexico and goes from Arriaga to Veracruz. There are Mayans from Belize, Mayans from Guatemala, Mayans from Honduras, Mayans from El Salvador, and a small part of Nicaragua. The pyramids are here in the home of the Maya; for the nation of Maya. What we want in this, is for everyone to understand that we are not human sacraficers. These are ideas that people have gathered from books defaming the Mayan people -this isn’t the truth.Shift of the Ages >>


Carl Johan Calleman

The Mayan culture has undergone substantial changes throughout its existence. It is part of the wider context of Mesoamerican civilization that stretched from Central America into the present-day southern United States. This civilization was based on the cultivation of maize and shared the sacred 260-day calendar. It is estimated that the Maya started to cultivate maize about 5000 years ago, around the time set for the beginning of their Long Count. It is however only about the time of Christ that we can talk about the emergence of a high culture among the Maya. Especially after the beginning of the so-called Classical Period around AD 250 the city-states of the Maya emerge in their full splendor. It is in this time that a system of rule by shaman kings emerges in a literate culture with an advanced calendrical system. While most visitors will look upon these sites as "ruins" they still play a role as ceremonial sites for the contemporary descendants of the ancient Maya.Carl Johan Calleman >>

For some time now there has been a discussion going on as to what is the exact end date of the Mayan calendar. The fundamental issue at hand is not so much what is the actual end date of the Mayan calendar, but how we are to understand this calendar and its relationship to the cosmic plan. This is also why the end date question requires an open mind and even a fairly deep knowledge of Mayan calendrics to address. Those that promote the December 21, 2012 date almost invariably lack a model for understanding evolution based on the Mayan calendar and are instead placing all the importance on what will happen on one particular day; December 21, 2012. What they suggest for this date is typically an event in the sky or a pole shift, a comet that will hit the earth or some other physical or astronomical singular event. In my view the most absurd of these interpretations is probably a book that sets out to prove that this is the day when the world will come to an end because of a pole shift and there is nothing we can do about it (The Orion Prophecy). For someone who does not have a scientific training and background its purported « mathematical proof » for this may even seem impressive. The Right Date >>


Terence Mckenna

Terence Kemp McKenna (November 16, 1946 - April 3, 2000) was a writer, philosopher, psychonaut and thnobotanist. He was noted for his knowledge of the use of psychedelic, plant-based entheogens, and subjects ranging from shamanism, the theoretical origins of human consciousness, and his concept of novelty theory. Terence has been studying the ontological foundations of Shamanism and the Ethnopharmacology of spiritual transformation for the past quarter century. An innovative theoretician and spellbinding orator, Terence has emerged as a powerful voice for the psychedelic movement and the emergent societal tendency he calls The Archaic Revival. Poetically dispensing enlightened social criticism and new theories of the fractal dynamics of time.

"In the twilight of human history, McKenna's prescription for salvation is just so crazy it might work."

Terence McKenna grew up in Paonia, Colorado He was introduced to geology through his uncle and developed a hobby of solitary fossil hunting in the arroyos near his home. From this he developed a deep artistic and scientific appreciation of nature. At age 16, McKenna moved to, and attended high school in, Los Altos, California He lived with family friends because his parents in Colorado wished him to have the benefit of highly rated California public schools. He was introduced to psychedelics through The Doors of Perception by Aldous Huxley and the Village Voice.

One of his early experiences with them came through morning glory seeds (containing LSA), which he claimed showed him "that there was something there worth pursuing." Terence Mckenna >>


Alan Watts

Inability to accept the mystic experience is more than an intellectual handicap.

Lack of awareness of the basic unity of organism and environment is a serious and dangerous hallucination. For in a civilization equipped with immense technological power, the sense of alienation between man and nature leads to the use of technology in a hostile spirit---to the "conquest" of nature instead of intelligent co-operation with nature.Psychedelics and Religious Experience >>

Now, the subject of this seminar is 'Self and Other,' and this is therefore to be an exploration into the subject that interests me most, which is the problem of personal identity, man's relationship to the universe, and all the things that are connected with that. It is, for our culture at this time in history an extremely urgent problem, because of our technological power. In known history, nobody has had such capacity for altering the universe than the people of the United States of America. And nobody has gone about it in such an aggressive way.

I think sometimes that the two symbols of our present kind of technological culture are the rocket ship and the bulldozer.

The rocket as a very, very phallic symbol of compensation for the sexually inadequate male. And the bulldozer, which ruthlessly pushes down hills and forests and alters the shape of the landscape. These are two symbols of the negative aspect of our technology. I'm not going to take the position that technology is a mistake. I think that there could be a new kind of technology, using a new attitude. But the trouble is that a great deal of our power is wielded by men who I would call 'two o'clock types.' Self and Other >>

I find it a little difficult to say what the subject matter of this seminar is going to be, because it's too fundamental to give it a title. I'm going to talk about what there is. Now, the first thing, though, that we have to do is to get our perspectives with some background about the basic ideas that, as Westerners living today in the United States, influence our everyday common sense, our fundamental notions about what life is about. And there are historical origins for this, which influence us more strongly than most people realize. Ideas of the world which are built into the very nature of the language we use, and of our ideas of logic, and of what makes sense altogether.The Nature of Consciousness >>


Jiddu Krishnamurti

Jiddu Krishnamurti was born in May 1895, in a small town in South India near Madras. As the eighth child of a Brahmin family, and a boy, he was by tradition called Krishnamurti in honor of Shri Krishna, a Hindu divinity born an eighth child. His father, a civil servant, then moved to Madras with his four surviving sons. In 1911, the sixteen-year-old Krishnamurti, with his younger brother, was brought to England where he was privately educated. He began to speak along lines that broke with tradition in 1929, when he repudiated all connections with organized religions and ideology. Once he came of age, he never stayed anywhere for more than a few months and did not consider that he belonged to any country, nationality or culture. He accepted no fees for his talks or royalties on his books and recordings.

During his talks, Krishnamurti would ask of his audience to participate by listening and exploring human problems together. You cannot listen if at the same time you are comparing what is said with what you have previously read, or learned, or recorded; this prevents listening. In other words, if you are translating what is being said according to your own past knowledge or opinion, then you cannot listen. Listening implies attention of the whole being. Beyond the Mind of the Writer >>

I wonder if we really are aware of anger, sadness, happiness? Or are we aware of these things only when they are all over? Let us begin as though we know nothing about it at all and start from scratch. Let us not make any assertions, dogmatic or subtle, but let us explore this question which, if one really went into it very deeply, would reveal an extraordinary state that the mind had probably never touched, a dimension not touched by superficial awareness. Let us start from the superficial and work through.

We see with our eyes, we perceive with our senses the things about us - the colour of the flower, the humming bird over the flower the light of this Californian sun, the thousand sounds of different qualities and subtleties, the depth and the height, the shadow of the tree and the tree itself. We feel in the same way our own bodies, which are the instruments of these different kinds of superficial, sensory perceptions. If these perceptions remained at the superficial level there would be no confusion at all. That flower, that pansy, that rose, are there, and that's all there is to it. There is no preference, no comparison, no like and dislike, only the thing before us without any psychological involvement. Is all this superficial sensory perception or awareness quite clear? It can be expanded to the stars, to the depth of the seas, and to the ultimate frontiers of scientific observation, using all the instruments of modern technology. The Urgency of Change >>

So we are together observing closely, hesitantly, attentively, this movement, this tide that goes out and comes in, which is what we are, we create the world, and then by the world we are trapped. We have created this society, not each one of us, but our past generations, those and us have created this present immoral, destructive society. And we are trapped by that society. That society is made by each one of us. So we are responsible for that society. Whether it is possible, not to change society, but is it possible to radically, deeply transform our conditioning, which is, understand deeply our consciousness, which is what we are. Is it possible to transform, not into something, but to change, to bring about a mutation in the very structure and nature of our consciousness? That is the problem. That is the crisis. It is not a political crisis, economic crisis, or the crisis of war, but the crisis is in ourselves. And we apparently cannot face that crisis, or are unwilling to face it. And so we try to escape from that fact through various forms of entertainment religious, political, football, and all the rest of it. Observing Conflict >>

The sky was heavy with clouds and the day was warm, though the breeze was playing with the leaves. There was distant thunder, and a sprinkling of rain was laying the dust on the road. The parrots were flying about wildly, screeching their little heads off, and a big eagle was sitting on the topmost branch of a tree, preening itself and watching all the play that was going on down below. A small monkey was sitting on another branch, and the two of them watched each other at a safe distance. Presently a crow joined them. After its morning toilet the eagle remained very still for a while, and then flew off. Except for the human beings, it was a new day; nothing was like yesterday. The trees and the parrots were not the same; the grass and the shrubs had a wholly different quality. The remembrance of yesterday only darkens today, and comparison prevents perception. How lovely were those red and yellow flowers!

Loveliness is not of time.

We carry our burdens from day to day, and there is never a day without the shadow of many yesterdays. Our days are one continuous movement, yesterday mingling with today and tomorrow; there is never an ending. We are frightened of ending; but without ending, how can there be the new? Without death, how can there be life? And how little we know of either! One Continuous Movement >>


Pathfinders in Evolutionary Enlightenment

You’ve seen the papers. You’ve watched the TV reports. You know how the debate on evolution is always framed. Darwin vs. God. Science vs. religion. Evolution vs. creationism. Reason and rationality vs. belief and faith. That’s the evolution debate we hear about in the mass media these days, the one that is causing consternation everywhere from Kansas school boards to Pennsylvania courthouses.

But even as the culture wars rage and endless straw men are sent to their graves, we at WIE would like to suggest a different approach. Because what is portrayed about evolution in today’s media more often than not implies a false choice, an artificial polarization between two extremes. In fact, there is another evolution debate going on behind the scenes, one that is broader, deeper, subtler, and much more profound. And it’s not just a debate between science and spirituality. It’s also about what kind of science and what kind of spirituality we are talking about.Evolution Through the Lens of Science and Spirit >>

It is a very rare moment indeed when the evolutionary impulse—that mysterious urge toward unbounded freedom and our own potential for radical transformation in this life—arises in awareness, unimpeded by the endless fears and desires of the separate ego. But it is infinitely more rare that, when that impulse arises, there is a bold and fearless response that says yes and yes and yes and only yes, now and forever.

The price of radical transformation is always the same—we have to let go of fear and attachment. And, in that letting go, discover a completely different perspective on what it means to be alive. But it is these two tasks—transcending fear and attachment and being willing to embrace a new way of seeing—that most seekers find so challenging. When the spiritual experience sweeps through our entire being, spontaneously emptying us of fear and attachment and opening our inner eye to higher levels of perception, temporarily there is nothing to let go of. Temporarily, we are lifted out of our unconsciousness, and the way we perceive reality and our place in it shifts dramatically. And so it appears that a real transformation has occurred—that maybe we have indeed changed. But when the higher state of consciousness begins to recede, when the intensity of the spiritual experience becomes the simplicity of life as it is, when we discover that we have not changed as much as we thought we had, how profound is our interest in the miracle and mystery of the revelation that just descended upon us? Indeed, how much do we really want to change, even now that we have seen the yonder shore? Are we willing to pay the price of permanent transformation, when it demands everything from us? Are You Ready To Change NOW? >>

If you’ve never read anything by the French philosopher and scientist Henri Bergson (1859-1941), you are definitely missing out! Most famous for coining the term élan vital–or vital force–in his 1907 book Creative Evolution, Bergson was trying to reclaim the theory of evolution from the mechanistic and deterministic worldview that was starting to take hold in many cultural and philosophical circles by the end of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. He argued that there is a creative, living force driving the evolutionary process. And his bold claim that free will and human choice were not only real, but products of the evolution of life, won this philosopher surprising fame in the public eye. His inspired talks filled lecture halls, he won a Nobel Prize for Literature in 1925, and his writings were very popular during the first two decades of the twentieth century. Here’s an excerpt from Creative Evolution.The Revolt Against Materialism >>

The notion of evolutionary becoming, or evolutionary emergence, is a very new and unique orientation for the self. It’s hard to even conceive of how different this orientation is from the ways we have traditionally and culturally been conditioned to relate to the human experience.

With the exception of very rare individuals, throughout history our orientation has generally been toward creating security, towards carving out a safe place in which to experience comfort and pleasure. Even revolutionaries who challenge the status quo in order to gain more rights and freedoms usually do so only until those rights and freedoms are achieved, after which they tend to settle in to a new status quo. Evolutionary Becoming: A New Orientation >>


Oneness and the Illusion of Separation & The Observations of Oneness

Anything that vibrates is an Illusion of Separation within Oneness. Oneness free from Illusion is the state of total balance and stillness. Once Oneness vibrates, it becomes an Expression of its own Self, unique in its own right within the Illusion of Separation but at the same time encompassing all of Oneness in its entirety. The Separation perceived by an Expression of Oneness (and all that vibrates is an Expression of Oneness) only exists in Illusion, since energy that vibrates creates a parabolic oscillation of the One energy.Oneness and the Attachment to the Illusion of Separation >>

Over the years I have been disillusioned by public figures and institutions ‘telling lies’ or twisting the truth, in order to manipulate a people’s way of thinking. I have thought a lot about truth and lies in order to gain some peace with this common reality, and in my philosophy I separate reality into truth and illusion, equating these terms with the real and the unreal. While these are valid distinctions in themselves, they cannot apply to the in the manifest world. They are only as valid as of our perceptions.

Perceptions can either be superficial or deeply insightful; Truth is a perception of depth in which we perceive more of what is there, while illusion is a superficial perception of reality. Truth is timeless, and can only exist through love and compassion. Can We Perceive Oneness? >>

We often get impatient watching history unfold, witnessing those still caught up in the illusion as they cause suffering through serving their own selfish, fear-driven interests. But we are all like children reading a storybook together, and just because you and I are already at the end of the page doesn't mean that others are. In order for us to turn the page, we must all turn the page together. The page must be read by all before we may proceed to the next chapter. We must all come to the realization together, so that we may all choose to turn the page as One. Together We Turn the Page >>

We're all caught up in the machine, and that's why the path of the one who has awaken from the delusion seems like an uphill struggle. But the universe always unfolds as it should. Humankind is itself one conscious being trying to figure itself out. We're in our adolescent, predatory stage of development in the eyes of the universe, and we have yet to fully learn and let go of our fear-driven behavior of controlling others. The immature, egocentric mind refuses to see itself as the problem, and runs from its own shadow as it bullies others thinking that the solution lies in seeing itself separate, and thus greater than the world, rather than being equal, interdependent, and one with it. What seems as a downward plunge into oblivion is, in the eyes of the universe, merely the next stage in the collective human development. Oneness With The Machine >>

It humbles me to know that your path was destined to converge with mine. Every step we take is a step closer to our own further understanding of Self, and every person we meet is literally a reflection of our desire to understand the very nature of who we are through others. When our paths cross, not only does it mean that you subconsciously chose this particular path so that it would connect with yours. The path to self-awareness and self-understanding is receprocal and equal. Each of us learn equally of ourselves through others. No one person has greater wisdom and experience gained than the other, since everyone is an aspect of one's own Self. Therefore, I will learn as much about my Self through you as you will through me. There is no hierarchy, since that is only an Illusion that man exploits to control others less aware of this truth. Oneness Against The Machine >>

A Reflection of your hopes and dreams, your fears and your love. A Microcosm of the Universe and all there is, seen and unseen. I am no better than you, nor am I worse. I am as equally unique in my experiences as you are in yours. I humbly offer my observations of Oneness in a Self-induced and Self-perpetuating Illusion of Seperation and Suffering. Suffering exists because we believe that it is a part of our Reality. But Suffering,like all things, is an Illusion -- a vibrational frequency pattern of the One.I Am Expression of the One >>


The Destruction of America & the Grand Delusion

The Destruction of America & the Grand Delusion

Capitalism is the historical evolution of Private Property Relationship of Alienation, Exploitation and Suffering of humanity in a modality of Commodity Production for Profit in a politically manipulated Market System of artificial scarcity and manipulation, perpetuating the conditions of servitude and bondage of the Working Class in the interest of the Owning/Ruling Class.The Capitalist Conspiracy >>

Yes, I revile the American President, but also he is merely a figurehead for the real Beast. By the Democrats own words they have unleashed terror upon us and given it a face of Muslims and Arabs… for their own selfish greed. The donkey and the elephant (symbols of the two dominant political parties) are tied at the hip. Whenever they want to start wars they put the elephant (Republican party) in front. When the people get upset enough they put the donkey (Democratic party) in front. We need to untie the donkey and the elephant and put them on a reservation, and come up with some real solutions to our problems. Solutions that don’t involve imperialism, war, and oppression as its primary tools. Solutions that actually accomplish solutions to the terror issues that have been created by those who would rule over the masses.A Conspiracy of Two Parties >>

What to the American Slave is your Fourth of July? I answer, a day that reveals to him more than all other days of the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciation of tyrants, brass-fronted impudence; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all the religious parade and solemnity, are to him mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy—a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages. There is not a nation of this earth guilty of practice more shocking and bloody than are the people of these United States at this very hour. Go search where you will, roam through all the monarchies and despotisms of the Old World, travel through South America, search out every abuse and when you have found the last, lay your facts by the side of the everyday practices of this nation, and you will say with me that, for revolting barbarity and shameless hypocrisy, America reigns without a rival. Frederick Douglass - July 4, 1852 >>

We need a program of psychosurgery and political control of our society. The purpose is physical control of the mind. Everyone who deviates from the given norm can be surgically mutilated. The individual may think that the most important reality is his own existence, but this is only his personal point of view. This lacks historical perspective. Man does not have the right to develop his own mind. This kind of liberal orientation has great appeal. We must electrically control the brain. Some day armies and generals will be controlled by electrical stimulation of the brain. Congressional Record No. 26, Vol. 118, February 24, 1974 Dr. Jose Delgado >>

If it is true that American citizens are willing to work the jobs and undergo the conditions only illegal immigrants are willing to subject themselves to, then why don't I see any of our millions of unemployed and/or homeless American citizens stand side-by-side with the illegal immigrant day laborers patiently waiting to get picked up in front of your local Home Depot stores? Why don't I see our milions of unemployed and/or homeless American citizens selling oranges or mangos on street corners rather than complaining that "those damn Mexicans" have taken their jobs and opportunities away from them? Why don't I see any of our millions of unemployed and/or homeless American citizens lining up to get jobs as plantation pickers, garment district sewers, or hotel maids? When the Least of My People are Blamed - Brian Sanchez >>


Phoenix Aquua

A "placebo controlled clinical study" demonstrates that the power of belief is removed from a pharmaceutical drug test. The mind can actually dissolve a cancer tumor if that patient merely believes the swallowed pill has a drug in it, even if there is nothing in the pill.The Holographic Universe >>

According to the most well-tested theory in physics, Quantum Mechanics, your consciousness changes reality. In this theory, the phenomenon known as the collapse of the Quantum Wave Function is what brings reality into existence. This is a fancy way of saying that one's conscious observation of small unseen waves actually causes those waves to "collapse" into matter. In other words, conscious observation materializes particles into existence. We create our reality through our Focus and Intention.

We are all here perceiving through our "meat puppet" body, and interpreting everything through your receptors and making value judgments based on our life's experiences. Some elements you gloss over or ignore (even if they are important to others, but they aren't your focus, so they don't matter.)

Others you focus very strongly upon. You don't even fully acknowledge just how much you focus on them, but the intensity is so palpable that its like you are digging a groove into the fabric of reality, and you are making sure that each step in your path moves you closer and closer to your desired outcome. Sometimes things do happen in a way that seems like a miracle or magic, such as spontaneous remission from cancer, or whatever else you might feel qualifies, but mostly we just create through intention (focus) transforming energy into matter (in our minds).What the Bleep, Do We Know?! >>

Everyone does it all the time, even when you are blind, deaf, colorblind, in a sensory deprivation chamber, on drugs, drowning, etc. When we mentally focus, energy becomes matter. Everything else is just background or white noise, the "Hum of the Universe", potential. Then it becomes real (to us) because we call it forth in our mind. Science has already demonstrated how we use our body's various receptors, skin, eyes, ears, to register input which are in the form of energy waves (light, sound, etc.) which processes to our brains and is interpreted. The Biology of Belief >>

All reality happens in our minds. Always has, always will. If your "meat puppet" body, which is not you, malfunctions, things can cut off certain receptors, and thus reality changes for you to accommodate your new perception status. If you die, meaning your "meat puppet" body becomes severed from your use in perceiving this Reality anymore, then you move on into the higher realms and your journey here is over and this Reality ceases to be of primary focus. The Divine Matrix >>

So many accept what is taught when without using reason or logic. Evolution does not teach that "we descended from monkeys", it teaches that Humans, like other Primates [including Monkeys and Apes], descended from a common ancestor. And down through time, the evolutionary chain continued. And then we arrive at a species that does not seem to fit as well as the rest. Homosapian's gestation period of 9 months mimics the 3.8 billion years evolution of all life on Earth. The human embryo repeats the evolution of all species. When the sperm and egg unite, this new creation, is a single-celled organism. Within hours, this single cell divides and multiplies more rapidly than any other species. 4 weeks later, the embryo begins to develop gills mimicking aquatic life. A few weeks later it develops lungs and a tail with reptilian appearance. From there, a mammal is recognizable, and then on to a primate form. It then sheds its lacuna which is the embryonic fur. And at last, shows the characteristics of a human child. Creation >>

Ethics and morality are secular constructs, arrogated by religion.

A particular action or choice is morally RIGHT when it somehow promotes happiness, well-being or health, or it somehow minimizes unnecessary harm or suffering or both. A particular action or choice is morally WRONG when it diminishes happiness, well-being or health, or it somehow causes unnecessary harm or suffering or does both.

The 'Ethic of Reciprocity' or the Golden Rule predates Christianity by at least several thousand years, was never exclusive to Judaism, and is a fundamental moral value which simply means 'treat others as you would like to be treated.' It is arguably the most essential basis for the modern concept of human rights, though it is not without its critics. The Golden Rule was a common principle in ancient Greek philosophy as demonstrated by the writings of Pittacus, Thales, Sextus, Isocrates and Epictetus. It is also a basic tenant of Buddhists, Confusianists, Hindus, Taoists, etc.. The Golden Rule >>

Truly trust that Creation is unfolding continuously, and that all we really need to do is "allow." I sometimes forget this very important message that Abraham teaches:

We are always struggling when we resist the flow and try paddling UP-stream. But once we stop rowing and allow the oars to rest, the canoe we are riding in will turn and flow naturally to our abundance.

The energy of the Source is molding the Universe correctly, and we have come to this point in time, all together. The man-made and the Creation formed are merging and becoming one. People get upset about the New World Order (NWO), yet they don't recognize that this is pure nature at its best. This is us -evolving to an recognition that the whole planet's population is not of separate tribes, nations or even continents, but really one world.Novus Ordo Seclurum >>

I'm on a Spiritual Path unencumbered by dogma or ritual, and it is my wish for everyone to see beyond religion and intuit naturally our interconnetedness and ability to recognize our common energetic creative and eternal essence. No Heaven, No Hell, no separation.

I separate the concepts of spirituality from religion.

Religion is a form of mass mind-control, typically forged out of superstitious fear and mandates that the "believer" abandons their own ability to think rationally to blindly adhere to the dogmas of their faith, even when those dogmas seem to contradict what they sense is fundamentally true and false.

Rather, as a spiritual person, I feel we are free-flowing entities, who can tap into our spiritual nature by allowing our Imagination to open and expand our perception beyond the physical senses.

Our social and religious structures have ingrained within us that is it wrong to be playful and imaginative. Even though everything that we use to define ourselves and our societies actually sprang from our imagination: language, inventions, tools, art, music, everything.

The very fact that we are able to communicate via a computer is the result of someone tapping into imagination, and then we create shared imagery through our communication which occurs solely in our minds through imagination.

Our natural state is one of creativity, bliss and unconditional love and acceptance. Religion vs Spirituality >>

Christians have this concept of being "Created in the Image of God" all backwards. Yes, we are created in the image of the Creator, but that Creator is us. We are Created to be creators.

You see, we are the creators of our own lives, as much as we are the destroyers of the same. The "image" of god is our imagination which is the pure source energy of our ability to create. All things spring from our imagination. That is why god is imaginary.

Imagination is creation.

Sadly Christians have imagined god in their image, thus anthropomorphizing god into a petty, vindictive male figure replete with all the baser instincts stemming from superstition (resulting from a lack of knowledge).

The Bible is a book of fairytales used to manipulate and coerce people into alignment with a form of dictatorship which inhibits free imagination, hence stymies evolution and expansion, which is the antithesis of our true nature.

Your imagination is a wonderful and creative tool.

Imagine that there was indeed a spiritual aspect to living; it would be through our imagination that you would be able to gain access to it.

It is true that imagination, if wielded destructively, can cause great harm (war, weapons, hate-speech, and even religions are proof enough of that), but if wielded creatively it can achieve fantastic heights. You Are Your Savior >>

I am not an Atheist, and most definitely not religious.

I do NOT believe in some anthropomorphic god-entity, but rather that EVERYTHING that is, and even that which we do not yet comprehend or are not yet aware of, is "god." That means you and I, and everyone else is also god... not "gods", but rather just one single total god. That we are ALL connected and entangled at a quantum level, and through this we are able to exchange information, even when we are not completely conscious of it.

The way I view everything is as a Fractal. That everything at a macrocosmic level is mirrored at the microcosmic level too. We are typically only aware of our position within the fractal and the higher and lower positions are typically beyond our physical perception, but technology, like telescopes and microscopes are slowly demonstrating these greater and smaller worlds and we are acclimating to these new ways of "seeing."Spiritual Freedom >>

Today, many people become entangled in the external turmoil of the world as some humans become maimed and murdered in the name of God by religious and political fanatics with tunnel vision who have no knowledge of ‘The All’ or ‘The Spirits’ true reality. They do not seek to contribute and assist humanity in their Spiritual advancement except to destroy. Like the carnivorous beasts in nature; territorial and they lay cunningly in wait for their next victim. The beasts in nature are not blamed for following their cravings so prompted by the Laws of Nature.

But man in whom intellect has unfolded is capable of descending below the animal plane and becomes satanic in nature having sunk very low in the scale of Life while embracing the lower parts of Mental Polarity in Human Nature. These types of humans are found not only in the arena of religious and political fanaticism but in all levels of society including world commerce in the greed, theft, dishonesty, fraud, and underhandedness, of certain corporate entities of which none is a contributor to the advancement of humanity but to bring suffering and destruction to humans. An Old Axiom >>

I have a certain way in which I live, and certain rules in which I live my life. I tend to gravitate to Anyone with an open mind about the nature of reality and its spiritual aspects, but can use a fair measure of rational thinking when coming to their personal understanding of the nature of science and spirituality. Especially those who can tell the difference between spirituality & reason and that of "fear" & "faith" (coercion through religious dogma and blind submission to authority and mythology). Rules I Live By >>

The information presented here is to empower you and enhance your beliefs by finding out the deep driving meanings behind them.

These are all ways to explain the same behavior process that begins with awareness, begins with consciousness. And if you get rid of all the images and concepts in our minds, of these sayings in your head, and just try to feel the difference between the two polarities, you'll begin to notice that all of the different scenarios and possibilities that are playing out in the world, all spawn from this common origin.My Personal Message >>

Today I overheard a young woman telling a co-worker that she sometimes wakes up crying, she doesn’t know why, but she can’t help it. She recently immigrated here and she has a husband and two kids and she didn’t understand how such a seemingly perfect life that she could still spend mornings crying in the shower, before pulling herself together to send her kids off to school and heading off to work.

It wasn’t my conversation to join, but I wanted to tell her that I understand, that her pain is justified, but that she has a choice, just as we all do, just as Bill Hicks said. “between fear and love" Fear & Love >>

For the first time in the history of the world has mankind been able to document it's own evolution.

Perhaps most astounding is the time frame from 1900 to 2000 which has brought about events shaping us into the species we are today. We are a direct product of our environment. We are what we eat so to speak.

Like babies growing up, we have learned how to crawl, and we have learned to stand on our feet and walk. Technology too, has taken a steps affording us the opportunity of traveling anywhere in the world and also, the ability to communicate instantly. Knowledge and information have never before been so readily available. Awakening Is Now >>

The Maya Sacred Tzolkin Calendar (the "True count" as used by the Maya for 5000 years). Mayan Sun signs (called Sacred "Day" Signs in their Astrology) consist of 20 signs total, and based on your Date of Birth, there is also a corresponding Energy Number/Galactic Tone (1 thru 13) representing your relationship to the Galaxy!

The Mayan sacred calendar is much more than just a calendar. Thinking of the Tzolkin as only a calendar would be like thinking of your computer as only a clock. The Tzolkin is a record of the flow and combination of the solar and galactic light which creates a light frequency for each day. This frequency in turn creates the "stage" on which we act out our lives. Once a person has determined or remembered his part in the play of life, (his or her frequency), they can more easily harmonize with reality to accomplish their goals.

We human beings consider ourselves to be made up of "solid matter." Actually, our physical body is the end product so to speak, of subtle information fields, which mold our physical body as well as all physical matter. These fields are "holograms" which change in time and are outside the reach of our normal senses. This is what clairvoyants perceive as colorful egg shaped "halos" or "auras" surrounding our physical body etheric body. The etheric body is a "holographic energy template" which guides the growth and development of our physical body. We create our bodies as we create the experience of our world.Arising To Zero Point Energy >>

The most advanced Masters may acquire the powers usually attributed to the gods of men; and there are countless ranks of being, in the great hierarchy of life, whose being and power transcends even that of the highest Masters among men to a degree unthinkable by mortals.

So that even these highest Beings, whose power exceed even those attributed by men to their gods --if even these are bound by and are subservient to Law, then imagine the presumption of mortal man, of our race and grade, when he dares to consider the Laws of Nature as "unreal," visionary and illusory, because he happens to be able to grasp the truth that the Laws are mental in nature, and simply imaginary creations of 'the all.'

So long as the Universe endures, will they endure --for the Universe exists by virtue of these Laws which form its framework and which hold it together.

These laws govern how your life evolves, regardless of whether you believe in them or not. The Seven Universal Laws >>


Kind Words From My Readers

"Thanks for a wealth of light ..." -Gregory Sams, author - Son of gOd

"Thank you for your courage of presence, I do like what you are transmitting ..." -Scott Allen, reader

"I was simply not aware of this site. I am totally eager to read about all of that. Have been since 9-11-01. Am a pretty intuitive person and since i have been working my way out of the matrix, possibilities and new concience levels occur. I live far more in a universe now than simply on earth...and there is light and there is dark. I choose the first one. " - Eddy, reader

"Thank you for the contribution you are making to humanity in your writings on your blog; your writing is outstanding. I believe we have a lot to discuss, and have noticed that more and more I have been led to people and places that lead us both into new directions; I think this is another case." Thank you for being you.

True love, light everywhere, -Cullen Kowalski, Executive Director, PsychoNoetic Science Institute

"I must say that I'm with you on what you say 100%, people dont understand or dont want to see the change that is taking place. ...I, like you think, that there is a much deeper meaning to everything that sorrounds us. From a flower blossomming to a bird taking flight. I think that soon humanity will awake to this sort of deeper understanding of the world and the universe and find out that time doesnt pass us by but it is for ever one minute in time...." - David Roche, reader

“Phoenix Aquua detoxifies a ton of racist garbage and makes us less sick" “With so much small minded bigotry...it is refreshing to read a commentary that is intelligent and lovingly wise!” - Alan Scott, reader

Wow, Someone finally had the intellectual capacity to express the modern societal malaise. You deserve an Oscar.” -Anon reader

"I was so glad to find such a voice- you are truly a clear channel for these times ... Thank you for your work- we will only get thru those doors together...It is like a drink of cool water in the desert. In Love & Light -Lucinda Thomas - reader

Really.. whoever is responsible for this page.. not just parts but each subsequent note is a mirrored vision of things I've been preaching.. the way I see our development through times in cultural as well as many other ways.. just absolutely all of your understanding coincide with mine.. i feel as if whoever is responsible is in many ways carrying the same essence of soul I carry within myself. It can be rough to be an Aquarius at times, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Thank you so much for helping me to feel a sense of communion in the realization that my thoughts exist elsewhere on this planet and I'm not the only one. The burden enlightening the understanding of people the way you have is a responsibility I've cherished and have taken upon myself with zest, but to see another carrying the essence of water as such is so refreshing. I know of other Aquarians and even amongst them it is rare to find someone like myself who seems to carry the pure Aquarian ideals that lend ones character as supportive to the rooting of what it means to belong with this sign. Thank you for you brilliance. - Anon reader


My Favorite Comments

"yes no more lies, but there are still anomalies that contradict anomalies etc down the rabbot hole, and surprises. For example---I was into the No Planes Theory. Very convincing, but I hadn't seen a ATS post --seen some weeks back--of convincing footage of plane parts at the Pentagon!So whats this mean?? Over at the towers we have the thermite or super nano thermite theories versus the Dr Judy Wood theories of them--(who ARE these them??!) using secret weapons which hide the fact they have known about Free Energy for ages but dont want us to know, and have liberation from their evil shit---no they choose to use it against us in weapons. Now does that sound far fetched? These psychopaths are capable of anything." -muzuzuzus

"So you are born and come of age and then you find out that the ghrown ups who you had been led to believe were responsible people had allowed nuclear plants to be built on an island prone to earthquakes and had even been warned they were unstable and did nothing and you further learn that over these fools are a satanic cabal who PLANNED meticulously the Japanese fuk U shima disaster using weather--manipulation WMDs-- as yet another magic blood ritual as they did 9/11 etc etc etc and this you know in a plastic culture with mannikin puppets with couffered hair plastic eyes and brutal tones who spout paranoia-inducing misery into your rooms on the screens..." -muzuzuzus