Duane: My artistic photography projects are doing fine. I have captured many nearby old farm houses and barns on canvas wrapped prints -- and have sold quite a few over the last two years. I hope to create several large panoramic scenes and waterfall views of the Blue Ridge area later this Spring. If only the economy would wake up and smell the many opportunities that exist, perhaps I could actually make some serious income with these print projects. Just visit my www.therealmgallery.com website and see the many images I have taken over the years.
Reporter 2: Speaking of the economy and income, do you have any thoughts as to how the Atlantean Maritime Kingdom was once able to control global trade with -- say, a monetary unit like the dollar? In other words, do you believe there once existed prehistoric money and if so, what could represent a common valuable unit of trade in antediluvian times?
Duane: Interesting set of questions... Well, at first thought, there could have once been durable chunks of metal like gold that may have had a common unit weight which were used to measure a value of trade -- but that view would have to match the durable value of tradable items like gemstones and other rare similar articles. My guess is that the Atlantean Maritime Kingdom once used a durable type of money that could be cashed into nutritional food anytime when needed -- like say the cacao bean.
In fact, the monetary term "bean counter" probably originated from the practice of ancient traders who once counted the trade value of cacao beans in weight and number -- and that value was assigned to other tradable items much like the dollar is used today. So, to answer your question about what could have been used as common money in antediluvian times -- I would say cacao beans.
Of course, the market value of cacao beans back then could have varied overtime like the value does today, but the pound weight of the beans must have had a unit value much like the dollar does today. I should also note that because cacao beans are native to the Caribbean, similar beans native to the Mediterranean -- as in carob beans, were used as prehistoric money in that part of the world.
Reporter 2: So you believe that cacao beans may have once been used as prehistoric money. One would think that a more durable material like gold was used as a standard of value in trading items. Do you believe that modern trading nations should use a durable material like gold as a standard of trade instead of paper money like the dollar?
Duane: No -- no I don't. As a matter of fact, I would like to see the value of gold drop considerably because, although the element is a really neat material, it represents a huge chunk of fear to people who hoard it.
First, let me elaborate how wonderful gold is. It's very durable -- especially when mixed with silver. Gold is very malleable -- a little gold goes a long way in coating things. And when chelated within a diet in very very small amounts, it may even help in health and longevity
But way too much of it sits in vaults around the world and will never see the light of day because it represents a type of secure energy for many who believe it gives them financial control over their lives and others.
Imagine if the "gold bubble" popped like the recent Internet and home market bubbles popped during the last decade and gold investors transferred their wealth energy into more useful things like -- say homes and information companies.
What if -- say, the value of gold were to fall substantually over the next several months for some reason and investors redirected all that financial energy that is locked up in the stuff into new markets and new venues to improve the global economy. That kind of event could truly help the public recover from the recent financial crash by removing the fear and worry about a sad future which made the situation worse than it was.
There are market corrections all the time -- and a substantual amount of greed was involved, but when the financial bears teamed up with some harping news media services, fear is what really brought the global markets to their knees.
And speaking of fear, there exist a recent concept found in a popular DVD program called the "The Secret" that reveals a universal concept known as "The Law of Attraction" principal -- which suggest negative feelings like fear "attract" negative events. This "Law of Attraction" principal also suggest that positive feelings like love "attract" positive events.
If negative feelings like fear can be replaced with positive feelings like love, then perhaps this simple universal concept principle can be used to "attract" some needed positive events around the globe.
So again, no -- I do not believe that there should be a "gold standard" where all global trade is tied to the weight or volume value of some element like gold. To do so would be limiting the imagination of how humans can create wealth through other material investment opportunities.
Reporter 3: What do you make of the popular prediction that, according to the Mayan Calendar end cycle of 2012 A.D., the world will end as we know it?
Duane: That end of the world theory is a load of "bull-loney". First, according to my interpretation of the Mayan Calendar long count system, no such end cycle exist. Second, because modern historians have misunderstood how the Mayans counted time since they were recognized as a civilization over sixteen decades ago, any new fictional time theory about how the Mayans were capable of counting time -- let alone predicting future events, is absolute total fiction.
And thirdly, for those people who are always looking for end of the world scenarios, they should put down the sign that says "the end is near" and start focusing on ways to improve reality before they succumb to their own misunderstanding of science and history.
I am aware that many first time readers of my work can easily get lost in my rambling theories and miss some very important concepts like the following perspective regarding the Mayan Calendar. Without getting too involved in how I believe the Mayans counted time at this time, let me give a very quick overview of the Mayan count system.
The first of five unit glyph symbols used by the Mayans to count time and the largest was the 80-year "Baktun" unit -- which is a glyph symbol expressing two eastern sunrises on twin maps of the Yucatan Peninsula in Central America.
The 80-year "Baktun" unit glyph symbol marked the 20-unit count of the second place symbol unit known as the "Katun" -- which represented a 4-year leap day event count. The third place unit glyph symbol in line was the "Tun" -- which represented the four seasons and a year-day event count. The Mayans also used a fourth place 20-day working month count known as the "Uinal" and a fifth place day count symbol known as the "Kin" system -- but let's focus on the largest year count of the "Baktun" for the moment.
Because the earliest recorded "Baktun" glyph symbol count found in Central America begins at a value of seven and the last recorded unit found ends at a value of nine, the Mayans only kept annual records for at least 160 years -- and perhaps a decade or so beyond that value before they collapse as a government.
In any case, there exist no end cycle to how the Mayans kept count of time -- and any attempt to suggest that Mayan timekeepers predicted any year date in the future as a date when time and the world ends is very misleading and should be ignored. For those who care to study my new interpretation of the Mayan Calendar long count system, I have much more to say about it in the Appendixes of my Spirit Of Atlantis book project.
Reporter 3: Wait a minute... Where do you get the ideas that the Mayans once counted time using seasons with a year day event? And what's with the idea that a 4-year leap day event was ever used by Mayan timekeepers?
Duane: You need to review more of my book project and study the details as to how the Mayans counted time. Some of the following data I beleive I covered in the March '02 Interview but I have recently updated and corrected some Mayan Calendar data that may help better understand the information.
According to the book "Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas and Yucatan" by John L. Stephens, many primitive pyramids in Central America were based on four primary levels. The larger pyramids contained 91-steps from the base to the top platform step on each side. If steps of pyramids can be thought as units of time, then markers could be placed on steps that could be moved up the pyramid over time. When the marker reached the top level, the local community -- especially the farmers, could see the "time monument" count like a government clock and plan accordingly.
As my theory goes, the Mayans -- which are the direct local decedents of the Atlanteans, would count the seasonal 91-day steps up to the top of the pyramid and on the morning of the last day they would mark or announce the end of the season using a "steam whistle boiler tank" device that looks like the "Katun" and the "Tun" time unit glyph symbol.
After marking and announcing the four seasons four times a year for a total of 364 days, Mayan timekeepers would then mark or announce a day-long ceremonial event the day after the last day of the fourth season as a "year day" or "passover day" by blowing the whistle again which totaled 365-days a year. So, the mornings of the last two days of the year, the whistle would blow and sound was used to mark and synchronize the year throughout the region.
Because Mayan timekeepers knew that a true solar year consist of more than 365-days a year, a "leap-day" or "super passover day" was needed to correct the calendar.
So, another day-long ceremonial event was "inserted" into the calendar by Mayan timekeepers in which after four years of counting time or a total of 20 whistle blowing events, the whistle would blow again on the morning of the event and mark the "Katun" time count. The Mayan public would know that 4-years had elapsed when three consecutive days of whistle blowing at the top of the local time monument pyramid had the value of "four years".
This day long "Katun" event made the Mayan Calendar equal 365.25 days a year which kept the calendar from "creeping" out of time.
Reporter 2: Do you ever see the Atlantean Maritime Kingdom ever being reborn again?
Duane: Well, on one hand, a common set of democratic principals adopted as a charter or global constitution by all nations seems like a good idea. This concept would have many political and enforcement problems to overcome.
However -- on the other hand, if a dynasty kingdom that was Atlantis was recreated again today, it would probably create an undemocratic imperial empire type of government which could lead to a world not so friendly to human rights.
So, no -- I don't see such a global kingdom like Atlantis again.
There will always be those who believe that a single global government system will conspire to restrict the freedoms of human liberty. And they are probably right because as the old saying goes, "absolute power corrupts absolutely". Too much governmental control is not good for the human spirit and great care must be taken in developing a government that gives good justice to the public.
Because the love or hate of governmental control in any political process is a never ending endeavor to seek justice, a true democracy with proper voting rules and rights is the best form over all other forms of governments.
According to Plato, the first true democratic concept of voting is found in the last part of his Critias Dialogue wherein he writes that "No king could take the life of any fellow king without the approval of more than half of the ten". This statement reveals that the ten kings of Atlantis practiced the most basic form of democracy -- which is voting.
But a problem in the voting process keeps appearing around the world when a leader or leaders corrupt the voting process in such a way that the public is not receiving true democracy. That's when leaders stay in office far beyond than they should and become dictators. In time, the public gets wise to the corruption of justice and overthrows the government.
So again, I don't see such a global kingdom like Atlantis again because too much governmental power in this day and age could lead to a "Global Dictator" type of government.
I should add though that proper efforts to "streamline" existing global governments into better management systems would be nice to see happen. By that statement I mean -- for example, the purging of old taxing concepts that were made complicated over the years by private and public institutions seeking unnecessary control of our lives.
If the Constitution and the Bill of Rights of the United States of America -- which is the greatest democracy in the world, were to be adopted by all other nations, there would be no need for a global government.
Reporter 1: What does your wife and family think of your Atlantean research work?
Duane: Cynthia, bless her heart, has never shown much interest in history or science and therefore shows little if any interest in my Atlantean research work. She does proof read some work I've done but considers the work as a hobby and not a job.
My father once seemed interested -- but since I have never made any real money from my research work, he has lost interest. My brothers, like my father, may show interest someday if only the research would pay some financial reward. Perhaps one day some aspect of my Atlantean research will pay off -- until then, all I can afford to do is to keep publishing my theories on the Internet and hope for the best.
Reporter 1: Do you have any pets?
Duane: Yes -- my wife and I have two cats. Although she says they are mine, we both take care of them and they make our house a home. The older cat is a "tuxedo cat" with white paws who showed up on our porch about four years ago and has a sweet attitude for a cat about nine years old. I call him "kitty-cat" and he now has a little brother which is a Siamese mix.
We picked up "Zing" last summer at the humane society when he was about six-weeks old. He was so cute and would just fit in the palm of your hand. He is now exploring the outside world with his older brother. Zing was chosen as a companion for the older cat and both are a joy to watch playing together. Life is good...
END 25th INTERVIEW 3/11
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