[Vision2020] Plant Rights

[Bruce and Jean Livingston]

I am still laughing at Bob Dickow's "Egad!" line about the napalming of forests in "Apocalypse Now."  Perhaps Nick meant this book:
The Secret Life of Plants
by Peter Tompkins & Christopher Bird
Authors of Secrets of the Soil
Exploring the world of plants and its relation to mankind as revealed by the latest discoveries of scientists. The Secret Life of Plants includes remarkable information about plants as lie detectors and plants as ecological sentinels; it describes their ability to adapt to human wishes, their response to music, their curative powers, and their ability to communicate with man. Authors Peter Tompkins end Christopher Bird suggest that the most far-reaching revolution of the twentieth century-one that could awe or destroy the planet--may come from the bottom of your garden.

"Almost incredible. . . bristles with plenty of hard facts and astounding scientific and practical lore."
--S. K. Oberbeck, Newsweek

"This fascinating book roams. . . over that marvelous no man's land of mystical glimmerings into the nature of science and life itself"
--Henry Mitchell, Washington Post Book World

"If I can't 'get inside a plant' or feel emanations' from a plant and don't know anyone else who can, that doesn't detract one whit from the possibility that some people can and do... According to The Secret Life of Plants, plants and men do interrelate, with plant, exhibiting empathetic and spiritual relationships and showing reaction interpreted as demonstrating physicalforce connections with men. As my students say, 'hey, wow!'"
--Richard M. Klein, Professor of Botany,
University of Vermont (in Smithsonian)  http://www.earthpulse.com/products/secret.html

And while we're on this topic, could we slam Stevie Wonder for this, his worst effort:

Journey Through The Secret Life Of Plants (1979)
 - Slammed on its original release, now revered by critics looking for an argument (as someone once said about Dylan's 1970 Self Portrait). This double album about plants (the soundtrack to a never-released film) is Stevie's attempt at a pop symphony. It doesn't quite come off, but there's great music here, from "Send One Your Love" to "Power Flower" to "Come Back As A Flower" to "Venus Fly-Trap And The Bug." (DBW)
 - When this record's good, it's mind-blowingly good. Still, it's loaded with ethereal experiments, many of them sound-effect laden instrumentals and dull intercultural experiments ("Voyage To India"). It's all so gently arranged that it might put you to sleep. Plus "Send One Your Love" and other tunes get recycled all over the place, and there's a nine-minute disco number that really gets on my nerves ("Race Babbling"). So the album's a tough nut to crack, but well worth the effort.(JA)

Except for "Plants," Stevie was good, but as Keely knows, he wasn't any Sly and the Family Stone.  


----- Original Message ----- 
From: <nickgier at adelphia.net>
To: <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Sent: Saturday, September 09, 2006 10:40 AM
Subject: [Vision2020] Plant Rights


> Greetings:
> 
> I would just like to thank my friend and faculty union goon Bob Dickow for sticking up for plant rights in such a clever way. 
> 
> When my daughter came home from elementary school each day, she would immediately begin a school for her stuff animals.  It was a good way for her to transfer the bossing around she got at school to some other beings.
> 
> She found some AFT membershp cards on my desk, and she made each of her fellow teachers members of the Animal Federation of Teachers.  Bob, it looks as if we are going to have to amend our constitution to include plants as well.
> 
> The best book (that does not mean convincing)  I've read on this topic is "The Secret Rights of Plants."  I loaned my copy to a student many years ago and I've not seen it since.
> 
> I've not chosen to engage in the most recent debate, because I wrote everything that I know in an extensive debate on abortion on this list about a year ago.  A revised statement can be found at www.class.uidaho.edu/ngier/abortion.htm.
> 
> Nick Gier
> 
> =======================================================
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>               http://www.fsr.net                       
>          mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
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