In 1991 the author met Lulu, a widely respected Aboriginal elder and powerful maban (shaman) in the remote Kimberley region of Australia. He asked Greg to work with him and the Goolarabooloo people to write one book. Its purpose: enable people to view reality through the lens of original knowledge and apply it for the well-being of one another and our Whole Earth system. Total Reset is the result of the 32-year collaboration. Traditional Indigenous elders such as Lulu maintain that sapiens' original knowledge provides all people with a blueprint for living respectfully on Earth. Known by the First Australians as First Law (and by others as Earth Law or Natural Law), it operated from Day One to preserve the balance of all life. No ordinary blueprint, it is a cosmic pattern showing the elements of the whole system and their connectedness; a holistic model for our species. Part 1 of the three-part book considers how humanity's present predicament arose, provides an evidence-backed summation of our world's endangered state and then contrasts modern socio-economic settings with those of traditional Indigenous peoples. Interwoven through information-rich chapters are stories from the author's life illustrating how opening to the oneness reality positively impacts individuals and society. Part 2 explores sapiens' original knowledge of unified modes of living and being on Earth, pointing to commonalities of the structures, systems and ways of the many different societies of our world's oldest continuous cultures, those of the First Peoples of Australia. It is enriched by many true stories of Lulu and his people. When anyone looks at reality through the lens of original knowledge such as that shared in Total Reset, it opens boundless opportunities for innovative solutions to remove threats to the continuity of all life and drive a return to balance. Accordingly, Part 3 outlines some of many possible strategies at the global, national, regional/local and individual levels.
On February 15, 2003, a group of thieves broke into an allegedly airtight vault in the international diamond capital of Antwerp, Belgium and made off with over $108 million dollars worth of diamonds and other valuables. They did so without tripping an alarm or injuring a single guard in the process. Although the crime was perfect, the getaway was not. The police zeroed in on a band of professional thieves fronted by Leonardo Notarbartolo, a dapper Italian who had rented an office in the Diamond Center and clandestinely cased its vault for over two years. The "who" of the crime had been answered, but the "how" remained largely a mystery. Enter Scott Andrew Selby, a Harvard Law grad and diamond expert, and Greg Campbell, author of Blood Diamonds, who undertook a global goose chase to uncover the true story behind the daring heist. Tracking the threads of the story throughout Europe-from Belgium to Italy, in seedy cafés and sleek diamond offices-the authors sorted through an array of conflicting details, divergent opinions and incongruous theories to put together the puzzle of what actually happened that Valentine's Day weekend. This real-life Ocean's Eleven-a combination of diamond history, journalistic reportage, and riveting true-crime story-provides a thrilling in-depth study detailing the better-than-fiction heist of the century.
The smuggling of diamonds from Sierra Leone has become one of the most savage rebel campaigns in modern history. This gripping true story traces the deadly trail of these diamonds and the repercussions felt far beyond the poor and war-ridden country of Sierra Leone.
The true story of the events that inspired the feature film Blood Diamond
First discovered in 1930, the diamonds of Sierra Leone have funded one of the most savage rebel campaigns in modern history. These 'blood diamonds' are smuggled out of West Africa and sold to legitimate diamond merchants in London, Antwerp, and New York, often with the complicity of the international diamond industry. Eventually, these very diamonds find their way into the rings and necklaces of brides the world over.
Blood Diamonds is the gripping story of how diamond smuggling works, how the rebel war has effectively destroyed Sierra Leone and its people, and how the policies of the diamond industry—institutionalized in the 1880s by the De Beers cartel—have allowed it to happen. Award-winning journalist Greg Campbell traces the deadly trail of these diamonds, many of which are brought to the world market by fanatical enemies. The repercussions of diamond smuggling are felt far beyond the poor and war-ridden country of Sierra Leone, and the consequences of overlooking this African tragedy are both shockingly deadly and unquestionably global.
