December 2010 – Page 33 – Public Intelligence Blog

2010/12/09

Breeding Monsters: Forcing Living Systems to Conform to Our Tech Instead of Our Tech Conforming to Living Systems

07 Health, Technologies, Videos/Movies/Documentaries

view video clip and summary (video contains sick pig with human genes, pig w/cow skin, etc)

Film/documentary: Monster Salmon and Butterflies

We already eat GM crops and now GM Salmon, which grow faster and larger than ordinary Salmon, are soon to come onto the market. But does anyone know what effect they will have on us and our environment? This fascinating documentary follows the few independent researchers of genetic engineering as they investigate the dangers of “Monster Salmon”.

“At eighteen months old you see the enormous difference here … the Salmon as it exists now is not profitable enough”, says Andrew Kimbrell as he examines an enormous transgenic Salmon. It dwarfs its natural brother lying alongside it. His is one of the few voices questioning the fast-tracking of GM Salmon onto the marketplace.

While giant Salmon are about to land in our pots and frying pans, independent scientists are only now starting to examine the science behind it. It's a game of catch up and the early indications are worrying. “Certainly if DNA was not cleared from the organisms, if that happens, then it may be the start of a highly unwanted process with regard to health”. While researchers questions are ignored, humans are about to become guinea pigs for genetically engineered fish. There are worries that eating transgenic Salmon could weaken the immune system causing chronic illness, infertility, and even disrupt our own DNA. Yet these seem risks the pro-GM scientific community seems willing to take. However, it is not just the impact these Salmon could have on humans which is worrying scientists. There are suggestions transgenic Salmon could lead to the extinction of Salmon in the wild. While Aqua Bounty, the company looking to market transgenic Salmon, claims the Salmon will be sterile and unable to mate, scientists are contesting that their fertility will be impossible to regulate. If fertile transgenic Salmon escape to the wild the consequences will be dire. “One thing we have found is that the young don't survive as well … it is quite likely the population could go extinct”. “What could be more important than deciding on the permanent genetic future of life on Earth, but we don't vote on that”. While the questions over these Salmon remain, they will shortly be arriving on our plates and we won't be able to do anything about it. We won't even be able to tell when we're eating it.

2010/12/092010/12/09

NIGHTWATCH Extract: Japan and Search for Rare Earths (e.g. Lithium)

01 Brazil, 02 China, 03 Economy, 03 India, 08 Wild Cards, 10 Security, Strategy

Japan and the Search for Rare Earth Elements

India: The Japanese trading house Toyota Tsusho Corporation announced that it will begin construction of a rare earth processing plant in India in 2011 in an effort to secure suppliers beyond China, Kyodo reported.

The group company of Toyota Motor Corp. will build the plant in Orison State with plans to launch by the end of 2011. The plant will be constructed in collaboration with Indian Rare Earths Ltd., an affiliate of state-owned Nuclear Power Corp. of India, and with Japan's Shin-Etsu Chemical Co. Japan hopes the plant will produce and export 3,000 to 4,000 tons of rare earth elements each year beginning in 2012.

Bolivia: Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan and Bolivian President Eva Morales agreed during a meeting in Tokyo to cooperate on the development of commercial lithium extraction in Bolivia. Japan would like to help Bolivia develop its resources, Kan said.

Japanese Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Akihiro Oat said Japan was prepared to supply technology and infrastructure. Tokyo is also ready to contribute to the development of Bolivia's human resources, Oat said. Morales, who arrived in Tokyo on the 7th and Kan also confirmed their cooperation on a geothermal power plant project in Bolivia. Japan will extend loans to fund that project, Kyodo reported.

NIGHTWATCH Comment: Japan is taking long term action to reduce its dependence on Chinese supplies of rare earth elements, which China chose to manipulate for political purposes during the Senkaku Islands dispute. Japan is implementing its own version of economic colonialism in India and Bolivia to ensure secure supplies in the long run.

NIGHTWATCH KGS Home

Phi Beta Iota: While India is an obvious location poised to compete for Central Asian rare earths as well as help accelerate India's own discoveries, Bolivia is even more interesting because of its closeness to Chile, which is the only country we know of that is immediately capable of achieving infinite free energy. For Chile (and Brazil) to fail to see the importance of leveraging near-by sources of rare earths is a strategic error of substantial import.

2010/12/082010/12/08

Reference: STRATCOM KR WikiLeaks “Report”

DoD

Phi Beta Iota: 78 pages representing the “state of the art” in DoD OSINT, remarkably pedestrian, not at all what one would expect after years of multi-million dollar expenditures by STRATCOM. The “priorities” on the very last page are particularly relevatory with respect to what is and is not being done by STRATCOM, pupportedly on behalf of DoD world-wide.

2010/12/082010/12/09

Reference: The Rich are Not Hypocrites by Paul Williams

Blog Wisdom, Counter-Oppression/Counter-Dictatorship Practices, Cultural Intelligence, Power Behind-the-Scenes/Special Interests

THE RICH ARE NOT HYPOCRITES

Paul Williams

I am sick to my stomach with “progressive” and “liberal” leaders hurling the insult of “hypocrites!” at the rich.

“Hypocrite” is a word used by men in suits and ties. “Hypocrite” is even used by people who think this Obama deal on the extension of unemployment benefits is one dandy mitigating factor, in the injustice of it all.

What about our Christian (etc.) Brothers and Sisters—the “99ers”–the American human beings who have reached the 99-week limit, and are now ruthlessly spit into poverty. Millions of them, thousands every day.

“Hypocrites” is a word that is used by rich people and Progressives who think that poor people are statistics. Too bad, we can’t take care of these devastated American souls… “After all,” many of employed think secretly or not, “They should go get a job.”

Do you understand this simple fucking fact—there used to be three men on a garbage truck. Two threw in the garbage and one drove. Now there’s a driver with an expensive, giant, robotic, steel, throwing arm. Those other two guys are out of work, and, now, out of luck. Tough nuggies.

What happened to the garbage men has happened to millions of people. It is called structural unemployment. Industry got more and more efficient with better machines and cheaper labor (from wherever). The structure of how we make things has changed. We use fewer citizens and more machines. We need educated people, not public high school drop-outs. Fuck ‘em.

Continue reading “Reference: The Rich are Not Hypocrites by Paul Williams”

2010/12/08

Journal: US Internationally Illiterate

02 Diplomacy, 03 Economy, 04 Education, 10 Security, 11 Society, Civil Society, Key Players

David Del Vecchio

Owner, Idlewild Books, New York City

February 17, 2010 04:10 PM

10 Books 10 Countries: The Best Translated Books of 2009

If you're reading this, it's probably because literature matters to you, because you agree with the Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa that literature is “one of the common denominators of human experience through which human beings may recognize themselves and converse with each other, no matter how different their professions, their life plans, their geographical and cultural locations, their personal circumstances.”

Yet here in the United States, we seem to be conversing mostly with ourselves. Even among those of us who love to read, we are largely cut off from the great dialogue that connects so much of the world (and missing some damn good books) due to the fact that less than three percent of what's published in this country is translated from other languages.

Three percent is low: in France and Spain, for example, both of which produce prodigious amounts of their own literature, more than half the new books published in a given year are translated from other languages. And even among the small number of foreign-language books that do make it into  English in this country, about 300 to 400 titles in an average year, how many do you hear about?

If your main source for book news is mainstream media, the answer is: not many. Nine of the ten books on The New York Times's “Best Books of 2009” list were written by Americans (the tenth was by a Brit), as were nearly all the titles on their year-end list of 100 notable books. And very few of the books reviewed in any major American newspaper come from beyond our borders.

Read full article with list of books by country.

Phi Beta Iota: The author makes an very important point. Read the entire post to see his thoughtfully selected examples of books Americans should be but are not reading.

2010/12/08

Worth a Look: TruthOut Column on Making Government Work

Worth A Look

Introducing the “Solutions: Making Government Work” Column on Truthout

Tuesday 07 December 2010

Dina Rasor

Tomorrow, Truthout will debut my new column: “Solutions: Making Government Work.” This weekly column will be a platform for myself and others with inside experience to seek solutions to ineffectiveness, waste and ingrained problems within the federal government.

. . . . . . .

I will continue to investigate fraud in the government where I see it, but after so many years of exposes, I wanted to try to move reform in a different way by trying to find solutions to the government problems once they are exposed. Our current government has immense problems that will require big institutional changes and solutions.

. . . . . . .

I believe that it is crucial for the next generation to try to make the government effective and find ways to make it work, or the suffering and cynicism will just continue to grow and plague our national debate and the future success of our country.

Read full article that offers opportunity to submit ideas.

2010/12/08

Assisting Law Enforcement and Families Of Missing Loved Ones

07 Other Atrocities, Civil Society, Law Enforcement

Six years ago, while standing inside a Wal-Mart, Cynthia Caron realized that those passing were walking through the entrance and nobody glanced over at the huge wall frame of missing children. She felt perhaps the general population may have become “desensitized” to the “missing child” posters. She also realized that it was rare to see one for a missing adult.

Cynthia began designing unique banners of missing loved ones which are posted on Internet web pages, blogs and forums with the hopes that a missing person will be recognized. Working with various law enforcement agencies across the country, on behalf of the families, and helping to bring awareness via the media, internet and social network groups relieves the frustrations that families endure when a loved one goes missing and enables families to have peace of mind in knowing that all the necessary steps are taking place. Cynthia interacts on a daily basis with law enforcement and a number of families who are seeking missing loved ones. She also guides those members to supportive groups of other families who have the same experiences. Linking families together has proven to be a valuable and supportive tool both emotionally and physically for those beginning the steps of searching for their missing loved one and LostNMissing is with the families every step of the way.

http://twitter.com/lostnmissing

http://www.lostnmissing.com