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Dear Reader,

The 11th September 2001 is by now long ago, but we will nevertheless never forget that day. Here at ag too – and for another reason too: after that dreadful event we had temporarily to stop production of our magazine. Hardly any of our twelve advertisers – in order to remain reader-friendly we never had more per issue – wanted to to continue their support. The world had changed, and with it company policy. But we needed our advertising pages in order to maintain our normal quality. Ever since we have been striving indefatigably – for more than a year – to “get back on our feet”, and at last we have succeeded. With the help of a few people and the unbelievably positive feedback from our subscribers worldwide. In the event we will for the time being be able to print ag only once per year – but this annual publication will comprise much more material than any of our previous issues. You are currently holding the first of these annual volumes, and it contains a lot more than many books! During our “enforced break” many people have shared my opinion regarding what happened on 9/11 – that there was more to it than met the eye. One Frenchman has even brought out a book demonstrating how humanity has supposedly been misled regarding the terrorist attacks. It is now an international best seller. We are told that Osama was no more than a pawn; that the videos were faked; that the 19 terrorists did not receive their payments from Moslem sources; that a totally different organisation was involved; that it was all done just for money (with somebody making billions); and much more of the like. With all sorts of evidence provided. After all, what are a few thousand human lives when so much money is involved. And are we seeing something similar at present, with war being waged on Iraq at any price? Money rules the world – or is it oil? The new ag also provides evidence – but of a quite different type. We demonstrate, in collaboration with the Tiwanaku Museum in Bolivia, that the peoples of the South American continent did not, as we are generally told, migrate there from the north (Pre-Columbian part I). That, as previewed in ag 23, there is water other than that on our planet – and probably was long before we had any on Earth (Meteorites). That the origin of some endemic Antarctic fishes is to be sought in freshwater environments. And that is not all we have for you about the sixth continent, at present once again “in fashion”: we also show you the lifeforms that live in and beneath the ice and how they make up the entire food chain. Topics that the media in general leave out of the equation. Apropos of the Antarctic, I am reminded of Sir Ernest Shackleton, who, in 1913, when planning his Antarctic expedition (a Hollywood film of which is in production) and in need of crew for his ship, placed an announcement in The Times of London saying, inter alia, “Men wanted for hazardous journey…” and “…small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, safe return doubtful…”. Whereupon more than 5,000 candidates applied! Unlike Shackleton, who later set sail with a large crew and whose ship Endurance sank on 21st November 1915 without rea¬ching her goal, our ag correspondents have travelled solo or in teams of two or at most three, and have always reached their goals. And ag expeditions and voyages of discovery are often no less risky than that of Shackleton: for example, our Swiss contributor Franco Banfi has dived in the icy Antarctic where the Endurance foundered, and returned with unique photos (p.172). Two members of the ag team have “sampled” the waters of the unexplored Rio Nhamundá in Brazil on your behalf, and were “fleeced” by the local indians in the process (p. 28); visited a fabulous island between the Australian mainland and Tasmania (Three Hummock Island); and sought out an incomparable artist in Central Asia (see centre photo) during the Afghanistan war (p. 92). One has travelled to the Amur, the most easterly river in Russia and the only one not obstructed by dams – but even so its fauna is endangered (p. 128); and another has ventured 9,000 km on the hazardous roads of Mozambique, a country left in ruins after almost 30 years of civil war (p. 212). And much, much more..… The ag team pushes onward where others turn back, to yet again bring our readers new, exclusive and previously unpublished reports andphotos, just as we have done in the past. In conclusion, I would like to take this opportunity to say a personal “Thank you” for all the many nice letters some of you have sent in, and to all those readers who have steadfastly supported ag right from the start. You have all contributed to our decision to continue. Many thanks!

Yours, as ever Heiko Bleher

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