My wife and I today went on the Jungfrau (“Top of Europe“). Since the Jungfrau Railways now offer free birthday trips till the end of the month, we used the occasion of my birthday for this “pause” (see the sign on the post van in Grindelwald…). It was a beautiful sunny day, relaxing and full of a clear winter air. Quite a lot of tourists from all over the world were going into the same direction – Chinese, Japanese and Indian travellers, Buddhist monks in ocher colours and a Jew in a traditional dress, skiers – and also a number of “normal” Swiss people…

The air at the top (3450 m or 11333 ft) was rather thin and made us breathe consciously and walk snowly. Here are some impressions of the journey.

A “pause” in Grindelwald – good sign for the day

Radiant sunshine above the Jungfrau, at the “Top of Europe” (3450m)

Object of an art exposition at the Jungfrau of Housi Knecht.

A daw above the “Mönch” (Monk) mountain

Icy winds blowing over the Jungfraujoch

The 11th moon phase at the Eiger North Face

An alphorn at a chalet on the wayside

The valley of Lauterbrunnen at the foot of the Jungfrau on the way back

I today came across a site, (Eco-friendly living tips from Pocono Records, from Northeast Pennsylvania), about the ecological and economical effects of plastic bags. An impressive presentation:

Many countries world-wide have banned plastic bags due to their disastrous effects on the oeco-system: Between 500 billion and 1 trillion plastic bags were produced annually and less than a per cent recycled. Innumerable bags land in nature, in the oceans they float from Arctics to Antarctics, killing animals and polluting the environment.

Have a look at the presentation and draw your conclusions…

A “forgotten” TV in the forest, near Berne, October 08

Friday a friend sent me an e-mail with a story about elephants marching through a hotel in Zambia, which was built on their migration trail. They just go into the lobby and walk through the hotel to get to their favorite mango trees in October-November, when the fruits are ripe. I found it while googling, and also a video with the elephants on YouTube.

A beautiful story about the power of habit, which is also very strong in human lives, as you can read in the related Lunar Messenger.

Not an African, but and Indian temple elephant in Pondicherry, January 06

A friend sent me today a very beautiful powerpoint presentation about “The Moon”, with great photos and Beethoven’s Moonshine Sonata. Enjoy.

A friend sent me a beautiful powerpoint presentation about “Foodscapes” (see also as PDF). In the text it says:

“The British photgrapher Carl Warner created a series of landscape images utilizing basic food ingredients found in a typical kitchen. The images “Foodscapes” (made up of the words Food and Landscapes) show scenes including, caverns, submarines, forests, beaches etc. using fruits, legumes, cheeses, pastas, breads among others.

The photographer is known in his neighborhood of Kent in England, as he spends hours in stores looking for the best pieces of broccoli, peppers, fruits etc. to compose the landscape scenes. To achieve depth, to give a realistic three-dimensional feel to the photographs, each still life is composed on a table measuring 8ft by 4ft. The foreground is only about 2ft across.  In addition, they are taken in stages so the fresh foods do not get wilted or stale before the photo is finished.

“I like to the way small aspects of nature look a lot like the larger counterparts. “, says  Carl Warner. He also confesses that up to now, he has not been able to convince his four kids to eat their vegetables.  “At least I cannot say that they enjoy eating fruits and vegetables as much as I do”, says Carl.

The photographs will be used for a and advertisement campaign for supermarket chain in England. Warner also plans to put these together in a coffee table book to promote healthy eating for children.”

Carl’s Website , go to: >website>fotographics. Or to the site print sales.

Not a foodscape, but a landscape-photo of Montserrat, Spain, by a friend.

An Indian friend living in the States just sent me the following text:

Absolutely amazing!

1 x 8 + 1 = 9
12 x 8 + 2 = 98
123 x 8 + 3 = 987
1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876
12345 x 8 + 5 = 98765
123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654
1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543
12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432
123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321

1 x 9 + 2 = 11
12 x 9 + 3 = 111
123 x 9 + 4 = 1111
1234 x 9 + 5 = 11111
12345 x 9 + 6 = 111111
123456 x 9 + 7 = 1111111
1234567 x 9 + 8 = 11111111
12345678 x 9 + 9 = 111111111
123456789 x 9 +10= 1111111111

9 x 9 + 7 = 88
98 x 9 + 6 = 888
987 x 9 + 5 = 8888
9876 x 9 + 4 = 88888
98765 x 9 + 3 = 888888
987654 x 9 + 2 = 8888888
9876543 x 9 + 1 = 88888888
98765432 x 9 + 0 = 888888888

Brilliant, isn’t it? And look at this symmetry:

1 x 1 = 1
11 x 11 = 121
111 x 111 = 12321
1111 x 1111 = 1234321
11111 x 11111 = 123454321
111111 x 111111 = 12345654321
1111111 x 1111111 = 1234567654321
11111111 x 11111111 = 123456787654321
111111111 x 111111111 = 12345678987654321

Now, take a look at this…

101%
From a strictly mathematical viewpoint:

What Equals 100%?
What does it mean to give MORE than 100%?

Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%?
We have all been in situations where someone wants you to GIVE OVER 100%.
How about ACHIEVING 101%?
What equals 100% in life?

Here’s a little mathematical formula that might help
answer these questions:

If:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Is represented as:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.

If:
H-A-R-D-W-O-R-K
8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%

And:
K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E
11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%

But:
A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E
1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%

THEN, look how far the love of God will take you:

L-O-V-E- O-F- G-O-D
12+15+22+5+15+6+7+15+4 = 101%

Therefore, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that:

While Hard Work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will
get you there, It’s the Love of God that will put you over the top!

Precision and divine beauty also in other fields of nature

The autumn days are growing shorter with a great pace, and some storms have swept the trees and covered the streets with a wet, slippery foliage. Like the vital force of the trees is withdrawing inside, the mood of the time is also turning more inside. A time for more subjective work, to counter-balance the outgoing tide.

There are still a lot of faint green and golden yellow leaves on the branches, but you virtually feel that the pulse of life is receding. At work, it doesn’t seem to be be so, for the waves of activity are running high, though the peak in the project I’m managing seems to be over now.

In the morning when driving to my office the lights of the cars and the street lamps create mosaics of  specks of light, especially when it is raining. At the moment, however, the autumn sun is shedding golden rays through a blue sky. The photos show scenes from my way to the office of last Thursday.

A street light overgrown with ivy – a synthesis of nature and technology…

A play of light and darkness – street light at the entrance of the seat of the South Corean ambassador in Berne.

A friend from Canada sent me today a link to a page of The Boston Globe with 38 beautiful photos of an exposition called Earth from Above, by the photographer Yann Arhus-Bertrand. With his pictures he wants to inspire people to think globally about sustainable living. Next year May 1 to June 28 there will be an outdoor exposition of 150 large photographs in New York City and 2010 in California. Awe-inspiring impressions of Mother Earth!

The Earth seen from above – but not from the exposition. Photo of the Mont Blanc in the setting sun, Sept. 2007.

Some days ago I came across a news about a brain stimulating thinking cap. I first thought it was a hoax, for there were so many quotes in blogs and online magazines of the gossip type. And when I found the website of the scientist of Sydney university (Center for the Mind), it still didn’t look like inspiring confidence at the first sight. Nevertheless, thoug the professor Allan Snyder seems to be a bit grumpy, he has done a lot of research and publications on “What Makes a Champion” or a genius.

Entrance of the site of the Center of the Mind, Sydney.

They have established a state of the art mind laboratory (MindLab), with magnetic pulse stimulation (TMS) and brainwave sensing (EEG) apparatus. Therer they have developed a device that works with magnetic impulses, which by swifting on and of over or under-active parts of the brain, thereby unlocking its hidden potential. Wearing the hairnet-like cap for a few minutes is said to have improved artistic ability and proofreading skills. Once perfected, the device could be marketed as a cap slipped on to boost creativity and intellectual capacity.

No wonder that all the media is crazy about it. The professor was in many TV shows, won famous prizes for his study with autistic savants and geniuses, and he even had talks, together with the Dalai Lama and many others… In Bejing, during the Olympics, they helt a What Makes A Champion? forum which was opened by former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair and other celebrities, and they got a global media coverage.

In spite of all the publicity the hope seems to be a bit airy – to discover the magic wand in order to open up the hidden genius of man. No tedious exercises for spiritual evolution, but just a magnetic cap, and then the brain functions at its optimum. Inner transformation work for refining the brain, to reflect the soul? No need, materialistic science dreams of finding the clue. The only thing they forget that there is no shortcut way on the path of evolution. Transformation work needs refining the personality through culturing the character. If you don’t tackle the fundamentals, the development will stand of feet of clay.

Man’s potential cannot be unfolded through a technical trick. Even a crystal skull isn’t enlightened but from an outer source of light. Photo of a friend from an exposition in Paris.

For most of us it is so normal to have electricity coming out of the wall outlet that we hardly can imagine living without. But for people living far away from the network of technical industrialization it does not at all go without saying. In third world countries, especially in rural areas, having access to electricity is often great step ahead – and be it just to charge a mobile.

A group of African Harvard undergraduates and university scientists, have created a social enterprise working in off-grid energy delivery and lighting technology in Tanzania. They call it “Lebônê“, pronounced [La – bo – ney], a Northern Sotho word for light, lamp, or candle.

They “combine efficient lighting technology with a simple energy source readily available to all Africans in the form of microbial fuel cells. These inexpensive fuel cells run on animal and plant waste and naturally occurring soil microbes, and are framed around a flexible substrate (wood, steel, etc) that can vary by geographic availability. This is truly electricity right out of the ground. These fuel cells are used to charge a battery or cheap supercapacitor, which in turn will be used to power a high-efficiency efficient LED or PLED lamp.”

To reach the target group of people they combine their innovative technologies with an innovative implementation strategy that will promote local entrepreneurship and youth involvement.

Another very innovative approach is the initiatve of a retired Swiss journalist in Kenia, Peter Baumgartner. He has realised a magazine for sustainable agriculture called “The Organic Farmer“. They are publishing “relevant, reliable and ecologically sound information which is both, appropriate as well as applicable for farmers in Africa.” It is monthly magazine with 18’000 copies, distributed nation-wide in Kenya and reaches around 100’000 readers. The electronic version can be accessed free of charge and has been used so far by farmers and researchers in over 20 tropical countries. Since end of August 08 they are also on the radio in Kiswahili and they offer the programs as MP3-files. They are supported by different sponsors, among others the Swiss government and www.infonet-biovision.org, an information platform for ecological control of plant pests and disease transmitters.

Their initiative has a very strong resonance, with more than 150 e-mails, sms and phone calls after every emission. People are asking questions about pests or other kinds of information. They have a team of specialists. One strength of the magazine is the intelligent distribution structure via farmer groups, church organisations and schools. So they can spread the knowledge of a gentle biological farming with a minimum of chemicals. The journal with 8 to 12 pages per month has also spread to neighbour countries. Each copy is read by about 7 – 9 persons in the average.

A very inspiring initiative for supporting local farmers by sharing know-how – good will in action.

A meadow in Switzerland – biological farming is also an important factor here.