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REVIEWS ©& that originate on the farm, the village, in the forest—and even in the lab amongst scien- tists who, in times past, would have shared insights without fear of commercial confi- dentiality hindrances. Intellectual property rights (IPRs) are recognised only when knowledge and innovation generate profits; they are not designed to meet local social needs or ecological imperatives. Taking in problems including the Green and Blue revolutions, hybridisation, mono- culture, genetically modified crops, cloning and patents on life, Shiva paints a damning picture of a world that is dangerously close to self-destructing unless we have the will to change our present homogenous course. BOOKS BIOPIRACY by Vandana Shiva Publisher: Green Books, UK, 1998 ISBN: 1-870098-74-9 (143pp tpb UK); 0-89608-555-4 (148pp pb USA) Price: £7.95; USD$13.00 (pb); other orders, contact publisher Available: UK—Green Books, tel +44 01803 863260, fax 01803 863843; USA— South End Press, tel (617) 547 4002 n Biopiracy, physicist/ecologist/activist Vandana Shiva makes an impassioned yet rational plea for the protection of biological and cultural diversity from the grip of transnational corporate control. Shiva, who is director of India's Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology, is an internationally renowned commentator on environmental, women's rights and global issues. Here, she equates today's plunder of Third World biological resources by powerful Western interests with the pillage of the New World 500 years ago. Except, now, the economic imperialists are trying to colonise and propagate life itself, while denying the creativity of Nature and the fundamental know-how of tradition- al peoples who live at one with the land. Biopiracy should stun readers into re-eval- uating their perspective on what globalisa- tion really means on the ground. As Shiva warns, the biggest threat to the Third World, or any country which has an indigenous knowledge and culture, is the question of trade-related intellectual property. The effect of the TRIPs treaty in the GATT and now the WTO (see story this issue) is to exclude all kinds of ideas and innovations and cultural diversity from the grip of " : transnational corporate control. THE COPPER SCROLL DECODED How the Copper Scroll came into the : rae ia's Res by Robert Feather hands of the Essenes is part of the specula- ahi okdretrafndasResach RMHA SE ogg ety Fee waren eg Ecology, is an internationally renowned ISBN: 0-7225-3802-2 (350pp hc) 0 H be clues trom te en Eleohanti commentator on environmental, women's Price: AUD$39.95; NZD$44.95; £16.99; lana e ithe community on Elephantine rights and global issues. Here, she equates USD$43.00 inc. p&h Stand, southern Egypt, are intriguing. today's plunder of Third World biological Available: Aust/NZ— HarperCollins; TELE resources by powerful Western interests UK/USA—NEXUS UK Office, tel +44 en with the pillage of the New World 500 years (0)1342 322854, fax +44 (0)1342 324574, ti Be ago. Except, now, the economic imperialists e-mail nexus@ ukoffice.u-net.com; are trying to colonise and propagate life Europe—Enquire NEXUS office itself, while denying the creativity of Nature he Copper Scroll, a one-off among the and the fundamental know-how of tradition- Dead Sea Scrolls, was found in a cave at al peoples who live at one with the land. Qumran in 1952. Although various transla- Biopiracy should stun readers into re-eval- _ tions have been made—most notably John uating their perspective on what globalisa- Allegro's, published in 1959—they have tion really means on the ground. As Shiva been misinterpreted, says Robert Feather, a warns, the biggest threat to the Third World, _ British metallurgist with a passion for or any country which has an indigenous ancient Egyptian/Middle Eastern history. knowledge and culture, is the question of In The Copper Scroll Decoded, Feather trade-related intellectual property. The claims that neither the Essenes nor the effect of the TRIPs treaty in the GATT and Hebrews used copper, and his identification now the WTO (see story this issue) is to of the material as sourced from Egypt, circa exclude all kinds of ideas and innovations 1350 BC, is but one of many commonalities 70 * NEXUS he unearths between the two regions. The Copper Scroll—written in a square- form early Hebrew script with samplings of priestly Egyptian hieroglyphic shorthand and some Greek—did not originate at Qumran but may have been copied there, having been passed down by the Egyptian- Hebrew priesthood whose monotheistic tra- ditions can be traced to the 18th dynasty Pharaoh Akhenaten. Feather's reading, using his knowledge of ancient metrology, is that it describes 64 locations in Egypt and Israel where the treasure of Akhenaten was hidden, following his overthrow. Four out of five sites he lists are different from those given in conventional translations, and many await excavation. How the Copper Scroll came into the hands of the Essenes is part of the specula- tive tapestry Feather weaves in this engaging book. The clues from the pre-Exodus, proto-Hebrew community on Elephantine Island, southern Egypt, are intriguing. DECEMBER 1999 — JANUARY 2000