The Witches Digest

From household solar panels to thermal generators big enough to power a town, sun power has enjoyed explosive growth around the world.

Everywhere, that is, except on the sun-drenched continent of Africa.

With an average daily dose of five-to-seven kilowatts per hour (kWh) for every square metre (10 square feet), Africa has more potential for producing energy from the sun than almost anywhere on Earth, with the possible exception of northern Australia or the Arabian peninsula.

Yet the continent accounts for only a miniscule percentage of the world’s solar energy output. And most of what it does generate is produced in one country, South Africa.

“In Africa, there is a growing awareness of the potential benefits of solar, especially as the conventional grid continues to prove unreliable. Lots of people are looking for alternatives,” said Lawrence Agbemabiese, a Paris-based energy expert at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

And the need for energy could hardly be more urgent: in sub-Saharan Africa barely one person out of four has access to grid electricity. And in the region’s rural areas, this falls to just a tenth.

At the micro scale, grassroots groups are pushing solar through simple, low-tech applications. One such example is the solar cooker, in which a polished concave dish focuses sunbeams onto a pot, slowly heating water.

But on a macro scale, solar power is almost untapped. Why so?

Most reasons boil down to money.

Solar panels, or photovoltaic systems, use semiconductors to generate electricity, and can be used for individual buildings or villages. Another solar source, but in a collective role, is solar thermal, which uses the sun to create steam that turns a turbine to generate electricity.

Both technologies are sprouting across wealthier economies, but only thanks to tax breaks and discounts that remain beyond the reach of the planet’s poorest continent.

“The photovoltaic boom in Europe and Japan depend on a very generous pricing structure. It is a policy found only in rich countries,” explained Yves Bruno Civel, head of France’s Renewable Energy Observatory, based in Paris.

“One has to be realistic: Africa will not be able to surf on the current wave. That will happen when economies of scale result in a drop in prices,” said Agbemabiese.

Beyond financial constraints, solar technologies suffer from an image problem in parts of Africa, because they usually operate on a small scale and in isolation.

Indeed, some rural areas continue to resist solar energy out of fear that it will preclude later access to national or regional electricity networks.

But there is a silver lining: in the same way that cell phones are a cost-efficient alternative to laying telephone lines, the very fact that solar panels can be installed in the remotest of regions can make them a more affordable solution than connecting to existing power grids.

There can be hidden costs of depending on a centralised source of energy, explained Agbemabiese.

For rural hospitals, for example, an eight-hour power cut by the electricity grid can destroy thousands of dollars’ worth of medicine, he said.

Some governments have initiated policies to promote use of solar energy at village level.

In west Africa, for example, Burkina Faso offers state-backed micro-credit loans, paid back over two or three years, that make it possible for a family to purchase a solar panel. Ghana is also looking at how to set up a system of financial incentives.

The continent is also making its first tentative steps towards large-scale solar generators big enough to power an entire region.

A “solar plan” sketched by the newly-minted Union for the Mediterranean — a grouping of European Union (EU) nations and non-EU countries — aims to create gargantuan thermodynamic generators in the middle of the Sahara Desert.

With a projected output of 100 gigawatts by 2050, a project initiated by Middle Eastern and North African nations called “Desertec” could not only help power large swathes of northern Africa, but parts of Europe as well via trans-Mediterranean cables.

One gigawatt is enough to power a city the size of San Francisco.

Concerns about soaring oil costs, dependence on Russian natural gas, and climate change have made some EU nations keen to push the project forward.

But sub-Saharan Africa — far from Europe, lacking infrastructure and in some places prone to chronic instability — will have a hard time attracting such investments, experts say.

Technorati Tags: environment, solar energy

Nepal’s new Maoist-led government has appointed a 6-year-old girl as a “living goddess” in a town near Kathmandu, for the first time snapping the link between the ancient ritual and the ousted monarchy.

For centuries, the head priest of the Nepali monarchy appointed the “Kumaris” in several towns in the Kathmandu valley. But with the abolition of the monarchy in May, that position has also disappeared.

Instead, officials at the state-run Trust Corporation overseeing cultural affairs appointed Shreeya Bajracharya as the new Kumari of the temple-town of Bhaktapur near Kathmandu, Deepak Bahadur Pandey, a senior official of the agency said.

“The government authorised us to appoint the Kumari and we have done that for the first time,” Pandey said.

The Himalayan nation abolished the 239-year-old monarchy and became a republic in May, following elections in April that saw the country’s Maoist former rebels emerge as the biggest political party in the 601-seat constituent assembly.

The Maoists now head the new government.

Shreeya was enthroned on Sunday amid prayers by Buddhist priests and will be worshipped by devout Hindus and Buddhists until reaching puberty, the girl’s caretaker Nhuchhe Ratna Shakya said, adding: “She is pretty and nice.”

Shreeya replaces her controversial predecessor, Sajani Shakya, who retired earlier this year, after nine years in the divine role.

Sajani made international headlines in 2007 after she visited the United States to promote a film by a British company about the Kumari system.

Some religious authorities criticised the trip, saying it was against tradition. She retired at the request of her family.

Under the Kumari tradition, girls selected from Buddhist Newar families through a rigorous cultural process become the “living goddesses.”

The Kumaris are a major tourist attraction and are considered by many as incarnations of the goddess Kali and are revered until they menstruate, after which they return to the family and a new one is chosen.

Nepal’s Supreme Court ordered the government last month to safeguard the Kumaris human rights after complains that the practice went against the child living a normal life.

Technorati Tags: goddess, kali, nepal, pagan, wicca

2 cup flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons shortening
1/2 cup apples, peeled, chopped fine
1/2 cup raisins
4 tablespoons cold apple juice or water

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a bowl combine the dry ingredients.
Cut in the shortening as you would for a pie crust.Stir in the apples
And the raisins. Add enough juice to make a stiff dough.On a floured
Surface, roll the dough approximately 1/2 inch thick.Cut into triangles
And bake on a cookie sheet for 10 minutes, or until light brown.

Makes: 18

Technorati Tags: harvest recipe, pagan, scone recipe, wicca

1 bar unscented glycerin soap — (4 oz.)
Metal cheese grater with large holes
1 Medium microwave safe glass bowl
9 drops Lavender essential oil
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 bottle with pump dispenser — (5 oz.)
tap water — measuring cup,
large metal mixing spoon, microwave

Grate the glycerin soap into the glass bowl.Add 1 cup tap water and
stir.
Microwave the soap and water for 1 minute on high heat.
Remove and stir.
Heat for another 30 seconds, then remove and stir again.
If the soap is not completely liquefied, continue to heat at 10 second intervals until
it is.
Stir in the olive and essential oil.All the mixture to cool slightly,
then pour into the bottle.Variation: Instead of using olive oil, you
can use lighter oils, such as coconut, vitamin E, apricot or jojoba.

Technorati Tags: craft ideas, lavender soap, soap making

The Environment Agency has warned against building new coal-fired power stations without the technology to trap and store the carbon emissions they create.

The Government body’s concerns follows warnings from green groups, scientists and other organisations against “unabated” coal power plants because of their impact on the environment.

The Environment Agency wants to see faster progress on proving carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology can work on a commercial scale.

In its response to the Government’s consultation on CCS, the agency said it was not enough simply to build power stations which could be fitted with the technology once it is available.

Lord Chris Smith, chairman of the Environment Agency, said: “Building a new generation of coal fired power stations without capturing the carbon emissions would lock the UK into using high carbon technology for decades to come - this is not an environmentally sustainable way of generating power given the challenges we face with climate change.”

He said new coal power stations should be required to help demonstrate CCS, and should only be allowed to continue to run after a set amount of time if the technology is fully deployed.

The Environment Agency’s comments come amid increasing concern from the environmental lobby about the role coal will play in future energy supplies - and in cutting carbon emissions to tackle climate change.

The debate has focused in particular on Kingsnorth, Kent, where energy company E.ON wants to build what could be the first of a new generation of coal-fired power stations.

Protesters have condemned the plans, which they say would derail attempts by the UK to cut its greenhouse gas emissions.

An Egyptian Muslim scholar has called for an end to risible religious edicts after a Saudi cleric said Mickey Mouse was an agent of Satan who should die.

Sheikh Mohamed al-Munajid, a cleric who often appears on Saudi television and who is also a former Saudi diplomat in the United States, said last week that mice were “agents of Satan” and should be killed.

“Sharia (Islamic law) calls for the extermination of all mice. That includes the rodents as well as ‘the famous cartoon mouse’,” he said.

He blamed Mickey Mouse for causing people to become soft on mice.

However, Suad Saleh, a woman preacher who hosts a popular television programme on fatwas, or religious edicts, told the English-language daily Egyptian Gazette that Munajid’s ruling “tarnishes Islam’s image.”

“An edict should be based on knowledge, logic and reason,” she said. “Yes, mice should be killed when seen according to Islam’s teachings. But it is illogical to deal with a cartoon character as a live mouse and kill it.”

In 2005, the former dean of Egypt’s Al-Azhar University, the world’s oldest Islamic seat of learning, said in a widely criticised ruling that nudity during sex annuls a couple’s marriage.

Saleh said Muslim clerics should learn to become more media savvy.

Earlier this month, another Saudi cleric said owners of satellite television channels that broadcast “immoral” content deserved to die.

Mabon 2008

Last night was spectacular. Rarely has the Autumn Equinox been celebrated with such style, panache, excitement and fun. All thanks to Nick who masterminded the whole occasion.

Over 20 of us arrived at the car park in the farmer’s yard when dusk was just turning into night. Nick had gone ahead with our visitors from Australia who helped set up under the ancient tree whilst the rest of us arrived and stood waiting for the others.

From the farmyard it is possible to see the cars arriving down the bumpy lane, headlights flashing in recognition as they catch sight of us. The doors opened and out came the occupants, mostly in twos and threes, each carrying things for the night.

Car boots disgorged contents of baskets, working tools, tea lights and candles and lots of juicy fruits and nuts of the harvest.

Old friends greeted each other and newcomers were made to feel very welcome. It was lovely to see Amy again, our Australian friend who is spending a couple of years working in the UK. We enjoyed her company at Beltane and this time she brought with her a couple of friends too, all belong to the same Pagan Coven in Australia.

We began our journey across the meadows on what was an unseasonably warm evening, or was it that we had just got used to the cold weather of the passing summer? As a group we enjoyed the walk and the talk as we caught up with each others news, but it was not so much what was said that mattered. It was the anticipation of the night ahead that filled all our minds.

When we had crossed the two meadows, dotted with ancient high trees covered with mistletoe, we went through the kissing gates and congregated at the end of the beech avenue. Here we enjoyed a drink of apple juice provided by Janice as Anna went ahead to the tree to help Nick with the final preparations.

Rod gave us a short talk on the meaning of the Autumn Equinox for us and for our Pagan forebears which really got us in the mood. The atmosphere was building.

Just after 8 o’clock, we formed a procession and to the sound of the drums beating, we slowly walked to the tree. Candles and torches showing us our path ahead through the woods.

Before we entered under the branches of the tree we were challenged with the following

Gatekeeper: “What do you seek in this place?”
Attendee: “I come to mingle and attune with the old Gods and seek protection for the tree.”
Gatekeeper: “If that is so tell me the law of our Goddess”
Attendee: “Love unto all Beings”
Gatekeeper: “Only in that spirit you may enter.”

Each person was smudged by Chelsea (her first ritual with us) and one by one we entered the sacred space.

The entire space under the branches of the tree looks like a large room with the trunk in the middle. The side we usually go to has an ancient log in it and this is the altar. The thick branches come right down to the ground and with the tea lights forming a perfect circle around us, we shut out the night and everything worldly.

I was the first to go into the space and it looked quite magical. The tea lights and candles decorated the altar and incense was burning all around us. We import our own brand of incense from the States - we helped to blend it and it even has our own label on it ‘The Circle of Ankerwycke’ The fragrance as always, is perfect for the night.

One by one we walked into the space, subdued now and keen for the evening to start.

We created our circle with much noise and used our voices to create the invisible shield around us. The evening was perfect as each element of the ritual was enjoyed by us all. One by one we presented our offerings at the altar and contemplated the year leading up to the final harvest. We considered what we had personally harvested and what we still wished to achieve before Samhain.

The altar was so beautiful with all the fruit, bread and other personal gifts, all illuminated by the candles and tea lights. On the odd moments when the group was silent and contemplative, the leaves could be heard rustling around us as the first oak leaves began fluttering to the ground. We were warm and safe underneath the Yew and even the breezes that shook the leaves didn’t reach us.

Becky and I were the first to leave as each of us had an early morning start. We left them all to their feasting and drinking of wine and mead and began our walk along the beech avenue, torches aloft to light our way.

Just about 40 yards along the lane we heard muted laughter coming from behind us and stopped for a while to look. Through the thick branches of the tree came a sort of glow. It was not possible to see individual tea lights and even the voices raised in laughter were softened by the tree’s ‘walls’. We wondered what a passer by would make of it all.

We are so lucky to have our own space outside to celebrate the turning of the wheel of the year. It is outside that the turning is most obvious to us all and can be felt most acutely.

Sleep took a long time coming when I got home and it took me a while to realise I was far from grounded. Too lazy to get out of bed, I visualised a grounding exercise instead
and it seemed to work as I drifted off with thoughts of the Samhain and then the Yule ritual ahead.

As I get older, the wheel seems to turn ever faster!

by Ankerwytch

Technorati Tags: autumn equinox, goddess, mabon, pagan, yule

The estimated cost of policing a week-long protest against climate change stands at just under £6 million, it has been disclosed.

Around £5.9 million has been spent policing the Camp for Climate Action event which was held last month close to Kingsnorth Power Station near Hoo, Kent.

The money, revealed to BBC South East following a Freedom of Information Act request, was spent on officers, accommodation, air support and planning.

But Kent Police expect the figure to rise further as invoices are still to be received from some suppliers, along with overtime claims from some officers.

The force said there are other potential costs to consider, arising from any litigation or other claims, that may take time to resolve.

A police spokesman said it was in negotiations with the Home Office about its contribution to the total cost, which is expected to be finalised in the next few weeks.

Of 100 people arrested during the gathering, 46 were charged, 22 were cautioned, three people were bound over to keep the peace and one person was found to be in breach of bail.

There were some 1,400 police officers from 26 forces deployed to the camp, according to Kent Police assistant chief constable Gary Beautridge.

The protest aimed to highlight opposition to a proposal to site Britain’s first coal-fired power station in more than 30 years at Kingsnorth.

It culminated in a mass day of action where attempts were made to shut down the plant, owned by energy company E.ON. The firm said protesters had not affected its power output.

Technorati Tags: conservation, green energy, protest

When a gipsy told Ann Henry she would soon win the lottery she smiled politely and thought nothing more of it.

Yet her mind raced back to the encounter when her numbers came up in Saturday’s draw, scooping her £4.5million.

The gipsy made the prediction two weeks ago after dropping into the burger bar Mrs Henry, pictured with husband Gary, runs on an industrial estate in County Durham.

‘The weather was awful,’ the 50-year-old mother-of-three said on Tuesday. ‘This old lady came in and was soaking wet so I offered her a cup of tea and a sandwich.

‘We got chatting and she told me a she was a true gipsy and could predict the future, and I thought ‘Oh yeah’ because we get a lot come in here saying that.

‘She then said, ‘You’re going to win on the lottery. I can see a four but I don’t know how many zeros’.’
Mrs Henry’s husband Gary, a 47- year- old builder, bought the winning ticket an hour before the draw.

‘We’ve been getting up at 5.30am to prepare the snack bar, six days a week for the past 10 years,’ she said.

‘So we’re looking forward to someone else making the tea and butties.

The gipsy then told Mrs Henry a great deal about her family.

She named the number of her children and said one son was at college, and the other was not happy in his job.

‘It was all true,’ Mrs Henry said.

‘Then she said she’d be back at Christmas to see what has happened.

‘I do believe in that kind of stuff but I did not really take much notice of her; Gipsies always say you are going to come into good luck.

‘But amazingly, everything she has said has come true.’

After the gipsy woman finished her cuppa and the sandwich she walked back out into the rain - and vanished.

‘She walked away from the snack bar and I went outside to see which way she went, but she’d gone. There was no sign of her,’ Mrs Henry said.

‘I’d like to say thanks,’ said Mr Henry, who is a plasterer and joiner and does building work during the day, while his wife runs the catering business from a converted container on the Roman Way Industrial Estate in Bishop Auckland, County Durham.

‘We have no idea who she was, though I hope we meet her again. I expect she’ll be back at Christmas, with a wheelbarrow.’

The couple said the win had not really sunk in yet.

The winning lotto numbers were 5, 15, 20, 22, 24, and 47, which are a combination of the couple’s children’s birthdays and Mr Henry’s age.

Mr Henry bought the ticket at 7.30pm on Saturday - just minutes from the cut-off - from the Spar in Wolsingham, close to their home in Coronation, in the County Durham countryside.

‘When I realised we’d won, after checking the ticket on Teletext, I put the ticket under the mattress and went to sleep on it,’ Mr Henry said. ‘I woke up at 3am thinking I’d imagined it all but checked under the mattress and the ticket - and Ann - were both still there.’

The win means the couple can build their dream home - a luxury bungalow of their own design, and Mr Henry said he planned to have electric windows fitted to the family car - a £12,000 Ford Cadet van.

They plan to give the snack bar to their two sons so they can keep the family business going.

The win was tinged with sadness as Mrs Henry’s brother Jeff Smith, a retired soldier and father of two, died of liver cancer aged 59 on Saturday morning.

‘We went from sadness to joy; I felt a little guilty about wanting to celebrate but happy that I could,’ said Mrs Henry. ‘But my brother being my brother would have wanted us to celebrate. I think he was our guiding star.’

The couple have opened a private bank account for their winnings, which will earn £230,000 a year - or £19,000 a month after tax - in interest.

Technorati Tags: fortune teller, gypsy, prediction

Bees and other pollinating insects are worth 153 billion euros (220 billion dollars) a year, thanks to their help in growing fruit, vegetables, oil crops, coffee, cocao and spices, a French study has found.

Pollinators account for 9.5 percent of the value of worldwide agricultural production, according to France’s National Institute for Agricultural Research (Inra).

Its paper is published in the journal Ecological Economics.

The research coincides with mounting concern in Europe and the United States about devastating losses to bee colonies.

If bees were wiped out, the impact for the consumer would be between 190 billion and 310 billion euros (273 and 446 billion dollars), expressed in higher prices as a result of lower production, the study says.

These estimates do not take into account indirect environmental impacts deriving from bee extinction.

Technorati Tags: bees, disappearing bees, pollination