Born and bred into the tawny magnificence of Africa, Saul would fight to save the vanishing world of his inheritance. Home of the wild elephants and the fiercely independent families of woodcutters, the Knysna forest is under threat from the exploitative greed of the timber merchants, and the ruthless plundering of the ivory hunters. Saul Barnard is a man with a self imposed mission - to halt the wanton destruction. For years he has protected the forest from intruders, finding a strange mystical kinship with the spirit of Old Foot, the indomitable and majestic elephant. Then when the word goes round that Old Foot is on the rampage, Saul is propelled towards a terrible confrontation that will change his future, for ever.

In Africa, a child wanders too far into the Knysna Forest. He never returns. Nine years later, two government officials, working on a census, find a white child living with a coloured family in the mountains on the other side of the forest. They take him away from the stricken Fiela, who has brought him up, and give him back to his 'original' family. Whipped into using a new name and calling strangers 'ma' and 'pa', Benjamin is so stunned that he cannot cry and waits for Fiela to reclaim him. But Fiela, powerless before authority, never comes. So Benjamin has to grow up before he can go in search of the truth.

Inspiring teachings centered on navigating our world's collective challenges with indigenous wisdom and the power of psychedelics * With contributions from Christopher Bache, Zoe Helene, Dennis McKenna, Martina Hoffmann, The Dank Duchess, Jamie Wheal, Grandmother Maria Alice, and others * Explores the immense healing intelligence of nature, the wisdom of ancient Indigenous prophecies and shamanic practices, the importance of the Divine Feminine for environmental regeneration, and the crucial role of psychedelic and entheogenic plants in initiating transformations of consciousness Exploring the way forward for humanity in the face of unprecedented crisis, more than 25 contributors show how the wisdom of Indigenous peoples and the power of psychedelics can help us enact the radical shift in consciousness necessary to navigate the collapse of the old world order and the birth of a new consciousness. We hear from psychedelic visionaries Christopher Bache, Zoe Helene, Wade Davis, Chris Kilham, Laurel Sugden, and others on the promise of psychedelic medicines for spiritual and healing work. We learn about Indigenous stories to support our transformation from Native American leader Solana Booth, ancestral memory from Grandmother Maria Alice Campos Freire, cannabis's role in world building from Minelli Eustacio-Costa, the ritual roots of talking plants from Michael Stuart Ani, and alchemy across the arc of time from shaman Ya'Acov Darling Khan. We also hear from cannabis grower The Dank Duchess; Tyson Yunkaporta, Australian Aboriginal artist and scholar; visionary artist Martina Hoffmann; activist Duane Elgin; Kohenet Rachel Kann, ordained Jewish priestess and ceremonialist; and several other wise leaders for our time. Throughout these profound essays we are reminded of the immense healing intelligence of our plant allies, of the wisdom of shamanic practices, of the importance of the Divine Feminine for environmental regeneration, and of the crucial role of entheogenic plants in initiating transformations of consciousness and healing our world's collective disconnection from Spirit.

Dennis Brutus, Jeremy Cronin, Nuruddin Farah, Nadine Gordimer, Dan Jacobson, Tahar Ben Jelloun, Doris Lessing, Gcina Mhlope, Sheila Roberts, Sipho Sepamla, Veronique Tadjo: some of Africa s greatest authors here interviewed by Stephen Gray, himself a masterful writer, respected in the USA and Europe as well as in his home country. An indaba or get-together of twenty-three interviews with a wide range of African writers some of great documentary value (Guy Butler, Fatima Dike, Doris Lessing); some reprinted widely (Nadine Gordimer, Sipho Sepamla, Veronique Tadjo) and yet others presenting haunting interpretaions of the present (Nuruddin Farah, Michele Rakotoson, Sheila Roberts). The transcripts assembled here first appeared in several journals and newspapers, ranging from Publishers Weekly to the South African Mail & Guardian."

Membranes are an energy efficient separation technology that are now the basis for many water treatment and food processing applications. However, there is the potential to improve the operating performance of these separations and to extend the application of membranes to energy production, gas separations, organic solvent-based separations, and biomedical applications through novel membrane materials. This book contains 20 chapters written by leading academic researchers on membrane fabrication and modification techniques and provides a comprehensive overview on the recent developments of membrane technology. Membranes can be manufactured from a range of materials including polymeric compounds, and ceramic materials, and both these materials are considered in the book. There are 5 chapters on water and wastewater membranes that cover the fabrication of thin film (TFC) composite membranes for nanofiltration(NF)/reverse osmosis (RO)/forward osmosis (FO) applications, stimuli responsive membranes, electrospun membranes, porous ceramic membranes, and polymeric ultrafiltration (UF) manufacture and modification. There are another 6 chapters on gas separation that consider carbon membranes, zeolite membranes, silica template and metal oxide silica membranes, TFC membranes, silica membranes, and metal organic framework (MOF) membranes. Zeolite membranes are also considered for organic solvent applications, as are solvent-resistant membranes manufactured by phase inversion, ceramic-supported composite membranes, and ceramic NF membranes. The emerging areas of membranes for energy and biomedical applications have 3 and 2 chapters, respectively. Energy applications consider ion exchange membranes for use in fuel cells, membranes for electrodialysis, and membranes for use in microbial fuel cells. For biomedical applications the chapters focus on hemodialysis membranes and redox responsive membranes.

In his introduction to this collection, Stephen Gray states that `there can be no artistic grounds on which to uphold a belief that "short" implies "lesser"'; he goes on to make the point that `Fugard seems naturally to be most at ease when working in compact dense forms'. This collection brings together all the available shorter plays by Athol Fugard not accessible to readers and performers, and demonstrates through these plays the crucial stages of Fugard's development as a great man of the theatre.

Membranes are an energy efficient separation technology that are now the basis for many water treatment and food processing applications. However, there is the potential to improve the operating performance of these separations and to extend the application of membranes to energy production, gas separations, organic solvent-based separations, and biomedical applications through novel membrane materials. This book contains 20 chapters written by leading academic researchers on membrane fabrication and modification techniques and provides a comprehensive overview on the recent developments of membrane technology. Membranes can be manufactured from a range of materials including polymeric compounds, and ceramic materials, and both these materials are considered in the book. There are 5 chapters on water and wastewater membranes that cover the fabrication of thin film (TFC) composite membranes for nanofiltration(NF)/reverse osmosis (RO)/forward osmosis (FO) applications, stimuli responsive membranes, electrospun membranes, porous ceramic membranes, and polymeric ultrafiltration (UF) manufacture and modification. There are another 6 chapters on gas separation that consider carbon membranes, zeolite membranes, silica template and metal oxide silica membranes, TFC membranes, silica membranes, and metal organic framework (MOF) membranes. Zeolite membranes are also considered for organic solvent applications, as are solvent-resistant membranes manufactured by phase inversion, ceramic-supported composite membranes, and ceramic NF membranes. The emerging areas of membranes for energy and biomedical applications have 3 and 2 chapters, respectively. Energy applications consider ion exchange membranes for use in fuel cells, membranes for electrodialysis, and membranes for use in microbial fuel cells. For biomedical applications the chapters focus on hemodialysis membranes and redox responsive membranes.

A step-by-step guide to using cannabis as a psychedelic therapy * Explains how cannabis can be used to treat trauma and emotional pain, as a profound problem-solving tool, and as a potent catalyst for self-transformation and ongoing healing work * Shares methods to minimize the unwanted effects, such as intensified anxiety and paranoia, and direct the experience to produce deep physical relaxation and, when needed, elevated healing states * Details how to blend cannabis strains for specific kinds of psychedelic experiences and how to prepare for your sessions to ensure success Despite the recent resurgence of interest in the therapeutic potential of psychedelics, Cannabis sativa as a psychedelic therapy has been completely overlooked. Yet, as psychedelic specialist Daniel McQueen reveals, when used skillfully and with intention, cannabis can be used to treat trauma and other mental health concerns just as psilocybin mushrooms and MDMA can. It can also be used as a problem-solving tool and as a potent catalyst for self-actualization and ongoing healing work. Presenting a step-by-step guide, McQueen explores how to transform cannabis into a reliable and safe psychedelic medicine. Drawing on his years of experience working with clients to release traumas and emotional pain and step into their full potential, he explains the importance of proper dose, set, setting, and intention and details how to prepare for your psychedelic cannabis sessions to ensure success. He shares methods to use cannabis in a specialized and mindful way to minimize unwanted effects, such as intensified anxiety and paranoia, and direct the experience to produce vivid psychedelic states, deep physical relaxation, and healing. Looking at the unique qualities of di erent cannabis strains, the author explores the art of making a psychedelic cannabis blend, the possibilities and hidden potentials of each strain, and how to blend strains for specific medicine experiences, ranging in similarity to MDMA, psilocybin, and even ayahuasca. Unveiling new depth to this ancient spiritual and medicinal ally, McQueen shows how consciously using cannabis as a psychedelic can help transform your trauma into resilience and shift your mindset from surviving to thriving.

A Johannesburg health activist becomes entangled with a reformatory boy called Hennie. His lady journalist partner is investigating treatment scams. The marriage of his best friend breaks up and now he decides to move in. All goes well with this improvised household until they discover a secret to keep: Hennie is a pyromaniac. That means, once he has murdered his victims, he likes to set them on fire.

Truly a medicine for body and soul, one of cannabis's greatest gifts is its remarkable potential for spiritual healing and awakening. In this authoritative guide, editor Stephen Gray and 17 other influential voices of the modern cannabis movement explore the spiritual benefits of cannabis and offer guidance on how to interact with the intelligence of this plant ally, a companion and supporter of humanity for millennia. Exploring cannabis spirituality in practice, Gray's chapters examine dosage, strains, and methods of intake; the use of cannabis to open the creative channels; how to conduct group ceremonies with cannabis; and cautions and counterindications for cannabis use. We hear from Chris Bennett on the religious and ritual use of cannabis from pre-biblical times to the present, Joan Bello on marijuana and the body-mind connection, Dee Dussault on ganja yoga, Kathleen Harrison on humanity's co-evolution with cannabis, and cannabis shaman Hamilton Souther on working with the spirit of cannabis. The contributors explore the spiritual future of this plant ally as well as the ritual use of cannabis by the Rastafarians of Jamaica and the Sadhus of India. The chapters from Brazilian ayahuasca shaman Mariano da Silva and ayahuasca apprentice Francisco present wisdom on comingling the sacramental medicines of cannabis and ayahuasca.

The sweeping action of Leaven plays out before the turn of the century in three main areas, none of which had been the subject of fiction before: the Loteni district in the Drakensberg, Pietermaritzburg the colonial capital with its rough justice, and then the gold-mines on the Reef. Two main characters thread through the sprawling cast: Bulalie, the country lad who heads for town in search of his fortune, and David Hyslop, the radical missionary unable to save even his own soul. Their stories intersect at crucial turns, leading to the inevitable tragic and bloody climax. Leaven's subtitle - A black and white story - shows that it examines race relations in a way that had never been undertaken before in fiction, and which is startlingly recognisable today.

A comprehensive look at the long tradition of psychedelic magic and religion in Western Civilization. Unbeknownst--or unacknowledged--by many, there is a long tradition of psychedelic magic and religion in Western civilization. As Thomas Hatsis reveals, the discovery of the power of psychedelics and entheogens can be traced to the very first prehistoric expressions of human creativity, with a continuing lineage of psychedelic mystery traditions from antiquity through the Renaissance to the Victorian era and beyond. Describing how, when, and why different peoples in the Western world utilized sacred psychedelic plants, Hatsis examines the full range of magical and spiritual practices that include the ingestion of substances to achieve altered states. He discusses how psychedelics facilitated divinatory dream states for our ancient Neolithic ancestors and helped them find shamanic portals to the spirit world. Exploring the mystery religions that adopted psychedelics into their occult rites, he examines the role of entheogens in the Mysteries of Eleusis in Greece, the worship of Isis in Egypt, and the psychedelic wines and spirits that accompanied the Dionysian mysteries. From ancient priestesses and Christian gnostics, to alchemists, wise-women, and Victorian magicians, Hatsis shows how psychedelic practices have been an integral part of the human experience since Neolithic times.

This book is published for those who need hope in God. It sounds too good to be true that God would reveal himself to a team of four missionarys like He did. However, it was real and was experienced by a team who were carried into God's glory. I experienced the reality of God's Glory at a meeting at Evangel Christian Fellowship, Sacramento, CA, in 2002. Missionary Stephen Gray was preaching about God's Glory and I was so immobilized by the presence and weight of God's Glory that filled the church that I stood without moving. I just reveled in God's presence and His love that surrounded and filled me. -Shelley Grimwood, RN, BSN. I will never forget, when Stephen Gray prayed for me it was like a mighty rushing wind, when the Holy Spirit literally blew in the room, filled me with the Glory of the Lord and I was changed in a moment never to be the same again. -Debbie Walters, Laurel Mississippi

On June 10th, 2002, Attorney General John Ashcroft announced that the US had captured a known terrorist who was exploring a plan to explode a "dirty bomb" on American soil. That alleged terrorist was Jose Padilla who was finally charged in 2005 with conspiracy to murder. What Ashcroft didn't talk about was how information against him was obtained - by the relentless torture of one man-- Binyam Mohamed, in the name of the United States. Arrested at Karachi Airport before Padilla's arrest on April 10, 2002, Mohamed was put on a luxury executive jet and flown to an interrogation center in Morocco. For over 18 months, he was subjected to one torture after another: Beating followed beating and, then, his guards produced razor blades and began to split the skin all over his body, including on his genitals. Since 1997, hundreds of people, many of whom have no ties to terrorist organizations, have been abducted from foreign airports or street corners on suspicions based at times on the flimsiest of evidence courtesy of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. In "Ghost Plane," Stephen Grey tells the true story of the CIA's torture program known by the euphemism "extraordinary rendition" and the airplanes that make the program run. Begun during the Clinton administration, but taking a decidedly more voracious turn after 9/11, the rendition system has seen the transfer of more than 1000 prisoners into jails stretching from Guantanamo to Syria, from Kabul to Bangkok and beyond. Grey had access to the thousands of CIA flight records and has interviewed dozens of sources from the most senior levels of the National Security Council to the CIA. In Ghost Plane, he paints a disturbing picture of the War on Terror that reaches to the highest levels of power in Washington, D.C. and exposes the extreme ethical corruption at the heart of this US government program, a program finally acknowledged by President George Bush in September 2006, undertaken in the name of the citizens of the United States.. "

NUMBER ONE EVENING STANDARD BESTSELLER BOOK OF THE YEAR - DAILY TELEGRAPH 'Exceptional. A blueprint for productive, sophisticated espionage in the age of Islamist terror' Daily Telegraph Spying has changed. In this era of email intercepts and drone strikes, spooks are expected to uncover plots buried in mountains of data. Yet this makes the need for trained field operatives who can verify facts and uncover secrets more acute than ever. The human factor endures. In The New Spymasters, the first real account of how modern espionage works, we follow riveting stories of dramatic missions and the larger-than-life characters who undertook them. These were moments when success - and ultimately life or death - depended on whether the right person was in the right place... at exactly the right time.

Seeking to overcome the chasm between church practice and theological reflection, James H. Evans Jr., a major and distinctive voice in American religion, situates theology squarely in the nexus of faith with freedom. There, with a sure touch, he uplifts revelatory aspects of black religious experience that reanimate classical areas of theology, and he creates a theology with a heart, soul, and voice that speak directly to our condition. Edited and introduced by Stephen G. Ray Jr., the second edition, published on the twentieth anniversary of the first, includes three new essays that identify the value of the book for womanist, evangelical, and black church audiences. The new edition concludes with an Afterword by the author himself.

Among the evils addressed by Christian theology, says Stephen Ray, must be the evil perpetuated by its own well-meant theologies. His important project examines the downside of the category of social sin, especially in theologians' use of destructive stereotypes that have kept Christians from realizing and engaging the most pervasive social evils of our time-racism and anti-Semitism. To make his case, Ray examines problematic ways in which several theologians describe the reality of social evil. "Theologians," he contends, "often unwittingly describe [social] sin in terms that may themselves be profoundly racist, sexist, heterosexist, anti-Semitic, and classist." He contends that they must attend more carefully to the social evils deeply embedded in their own patterns of language and thought. Ray looks specifically to the work of Reinhold Neibuhr and Dietrich Bonhoeffer to document unintended consequences of theology's oversights and then to Augustine, Luther, and Calvin to analyze the strains and strengths of traditional notions. Not only theologians and ethicists but also ministers and laity will benefit from Ray's thoughtful reconsideration of the social stance of Christian theology.