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= REVIEWS THE LIFE CYCLE OF CIVILIZATIONS charts can be used to make predictions about by Stephen Blaha the future of civilisations—and can even Pingree-Hill Publishing, USA, 2003 plot the influence of an advanced ET cul- ISBN 0-9720795-8-0 (270pp tpb) ture. He sees Japan's breakdown cycle : Availability: Pingree-Hill Publishing, PO —_ beginning around now, the West declining Box 368, Auburn, NH 03032, USA, tel towards a low point around 2050, and the (603) 6261 566; Barnes & Noble, ’ Muslim nations, China and India on a roll http:/Avww.b&n.com till roughly 2084. A rather sobering theory! INTO THE BUZZSAW edited by Kristina Borjesson Prometheus Books, USA, 2002 ISBN 1-57392-972-7 (392pp hc) Availability: Prometheus Books, website http://www.prometheusbooks.com ad investigative reporter Kristina Borjesson not been assigned to investi- gate the crash of TWA Flight 800 in July 1996 and later been fired by the CBS net- work, this book may never have been writ- ten. But she was not alone in experiencing "the buzzsaw" —concerted corporate or gov- ernment efforts to kill controversial stories and put their investigators out of the picture. lowing on where historian Arnold For this compilation of essays, introduced Toynbee left off with his theory of civili- by Gore Vidal, Borjesson has collaborated sations, US physicist, computer scientist and with 17 award-winning print/radio/TV jour- historian Dr Stephen Blaha has devised a nalists and producers who all have their own mathematical model that attempts to explain _take on the parlous state of today's investiga- the rise and fall of civilisations. While tive journalism and corporate media culture Toynbee believed mankind has survived where self-censorship has become rife. In through at least 26 civilisations since "pre- explaining how the Fourth Estate has historic" times, Blaha suggests at least 41 by become a lapdog rather than a watchdog, his model, which also factors in changes due __ these journalists weave in their personal sto- to climate change and "barbarian" invasion. _ ries with details of the crime, corruption and His Life Cycle of Civilizations is anew edi- _ conspiracy they're trying to expose. There's tion of his 2002 The Rhythms of History. Gerard Colby on how his book on the The timeline extends back 40,000 years DuPont family was "privished" so it would when a genetic mutation occurred, as con- sink without trace; reporter Jane Akre's run- firmed in new findings (Ding et al., 2002). in with Fox TV over her exposé on This allowed for the Upper Palaeolithic Monsanto and its GE bovine growth hor- explosion in human culture where a "cre- mone; and trans-Atlantic print/TV journalist ative minority" was able to emerge and pro- _ Greg Palast's dealings with the American vide leadership for the development of civil- _ media and their cover-up of Presidential isation—though it was only after the Ice vote—fixing in Florida. NY-based columnist Age ended 10,000 years ago that the first Philip Weiss laments the cultural change in true civilisations were possible due to more —_ journalism in the 1990s that ensured that the favourable environmental conditions. bigger stories behind Bill Clinton's time as Dr Blaha has developed equations which Arkansas Governor or the FBI's suppression when calculated can be converted to graphic —_ of evidence from Ruby Ridge, Waco and form to show peaks and troughs of civilisa- OKC never made it to the mainstream press. tions following a four-generational, "three There are contributions from former AP and a half beat" cyclic pattern, not unlike the news journalist J. Robert Port, whose team "damped harmonic oscillator" of physics was the first to write about US massacres of which describes the cyclic motion of pendu- South Korean civilians in the early days of lums and bells. It's uncanny how the model _ the Korean War; ex-DEA agent Michael fits the historical records. Common to all Levine, on the mainstream media as the drug civilisations is the start-up phase, which typ- _ war's "shills" designed to distract our atten- ically lasts 133.5 years before the first tion; and former San Jose Mercury reporter breakdown commences due to the interplay | Gary Webb's exposé on the CIA supplying of internal human social dynamics, after crack to black LA neighbourhoods to fund a which there are several routs and rallies over Central American regime. These revelations the next 800 years and then disintegration. make this a disturbing read, but the book is Dr Blaha believes that his equation and so rivetting it's hard to put down. [lowing on where historian Arnold Toynbee left off with his theory of civili- sations, US physicist, computer scientist and historian Dr Stephen Blaha has devised a mathematical model that attempts to explain the rise and fall of civilisations. While Toynbee believed mankind has survived through at least 26 civilisations since "pre- historic" times, Blaha suggests at least 41 by his model, which also factors in changes due to climate change and "barbarian" invasion. His Life Cycle of Civilizations is a new edi- tion of his 2002 The Rhythms of History. The timeline extends back 40,000 years when a genetic mutation occurred, as con- firmed in new findings (Ding et al., 2002). This allowed for the Upper Palaeolithic explosion in human culture where a "cre- ative minority" was able to emerge and pro- vide leadership for the development of civil- isation—though it was only after the Ice Age ended 10,000 years ago that the first true civilisations were possible due to more favourable environmental conditions. Dr Blaha has developed equations which when calculated can be converted to graphic form to show peaks and troughs of civilisa- tions following a four-generational, "three and a half beat" cyclic pattern, not unlike the "damped harmonic oscillator" of physics which describes the cyclic motion of pendu- lums and bells. It's uncanny how the model fits the historical records. Common to all civilisations is the start-up phase, which typ- ically lasts 133.5 years before the first breakdown commences due to the interplay of internal human social dynamics, after which there are several routs and rallies over the next 800 years and then disintegration. Dr Blaha believes that his equation and NEXUS ¢ 71 AUGUST — SEPTEMBER 2003 www.nexusmagazine.com