Nexus - 1601 - New Times Magazine-pages

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The Search for the Bidest American Civilization 76 ¢ NEXUS REVIEWS = THE AXIS OF THE WORLD seafaring skills but figured out the by Igor Witkowski spherical nature of the planet. Perhaps Adventures Unlimited Press, IL, 2008 their task was not as difficult as_ ISBN 978-1-931882-81-1 (238pp tpb) —_ imagined, suggests Witkowski, in a Available: Aust/NZ—NEXUS offices; world with much lower sea levels. Europe—www.frontierbookshop.nl/ Island-hopping would have been easier whois_en.html; USA—www.adventures and the older cultural knowledge could unlimitedpress.com have spread across the Pacific into South America, undergoing further development there. The signs are there to be seen, he assures us from his own travels to these regions. Many photos The Search for the and maps aid in contemplating this Ghieet American Ghiiization fascinating ancient history. AUSTRALIAN CRYPTOZOOLOGY by Gary Opit Self-published by Gary Opit, 2008 ISBN n/a (115pp spiral bound) Available: Gary Opit, PO Box 383, Brunswick Heads, NSW 2483, Australia, email garyopit@bigpond.com A‘ is home to unique fauna but also to creatures so elusive that mainstream scientists discount any evidence for their existence. Biologist : : Dr Gary Opit has made cryptozoology Biers for the existence of a great his pet subject and has walked the hard civilisation with a global reach in yards in trying to confirm the reality of antediluvial times is uncovered here by the yowie (giant and small species), Polish researcher Igor Witkowski (more bunyip, marsupial lion and thylacine or used to writing books about World War "Tasmanian tiger" (which he maintains II history). : Informing him are is not extinct, even on the mainland). archaeological, anthropological and For his guide to Australian crypto- geological findings, cultural and creatures, Dr Opit draws on Aboriginal linguistic studies and genetics data. Witkowski's cue comes from Polish professor Benon Z. Szalek, who by the early 1970s was noting commonalities among the Finno-Ugric language groups (including Basque, Hungarian, Japanese and Tamil) and developing his notion of a "supercivilisation". He theorised that the Indus Valley culture of Mohenjo Daro successfully preserved its older heritage; later migrations then spread this "proto-Dravidian" influence. It turns out that the world's oldest script, from Mohenjo Daro, is strikingly like the Rongo Rongo script of Easter Island, and these two places are at almost opposite ends of the globe. It's like an axis of the world, Prof. Szalek claimed, and its near-midpoint is Nan Madol in Micronesia, site of megalithic basalt structures and strange scripts. These ancients not only must have had "dreaming" tales and published historical sources as well as accounts from latter-day eyewitnesses, and his conclusions are compelling. Fellow researcher Pixie Byrnes adds her perspective, along with her illustrations, on the reclusive yowie, one species of which is akin to the legendary "Bigfoot" or Sasquatch of North America and the yeti of the Himalaya mountains. Dr Opit thrills the reader with stories of close encounters with mysterious creatures, although it must be said he's dedicated to scientific enquiry, not sensationalism. Regular readers will recall his articles in NEXUS (6/05, 9/01), and some of this material is reproduced for this compendium. Even in this modern world, it's heartening to know there are some wild things "out there" that have not been made extinct seafaring skills but figured out the spherical nature of the planet. Perhaps their task was not as difficult as imagined, suggests Witkowski, in a world with much lower sea levels. Island-hopping would have been easier and the older cultural knowledge could have spread across the Pacific into South America, undergoing further development there. The signs are there to be seen, he assures us from his own travels to these regions. Many photos and maps aid in contemplating this fascinating ancient history. AUSTRALIAN CRYPTOZOOLOGY by Gary Opit Self-published by Gary Opit, 2008 ISBN n/a (115pp spiral bound) Available: Gary Opit, PO Box 383, Brunswick Heads, NSW 2483, Australia, email garyopit@bigpond.com A‘ is home to unique fauna but also to creatures so elusive that mainstream scientists discount any evidence for their existence. Biologist Dr Gary Opit has made cryptozoology his pet subject and has walked the hard yards in trying to confirm the reality of the yowie (giant and small species), bunyip, marsupial lion and thylacine or "Tasmanian tiger" (which he maintains is not extinct, even on the mainland). For his guide to Australian crypto- creatures, Dr Opit draws on Aboriginal "dreaming" tales and published historical sources as well as accounts from latter-day eyewitnesses, and his conclusions are compelling. Fellow researcher Pixie Byrnes adds her perspective, along with her illustrations, on the reclusive yowie, one species of which is akin to the legendary "Bigfoot" or Sasquatch of North America and the yeti of the Himalaya mountains. Dr Opit thrills the reader with stories of close encounters with mysterious creatures, although it must be said he's dedicated to scientific enquiry, not sensationalism. Regular readers will recall his articles in NEXUS (6/05, 9/01), and some of this material is reproduced for this compendium. Even in this modern world, it's heartening to know there are some wild things "out there" that have not been made extinct www.nexusmagazine.com DECEMBER 2008 — JANUARY 2009