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This page is intended to bring together information about technology advances in these last days. I have begun to use a different site to share the Watchman Newsletter from December 2008 and on. Some stories will be archived there, but for the most part anything from November 2008 and before will remain here.

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Aldebaran Robotics Mini Robot

Jules the Robot


Is a 'Global Superorganism' in our Future C|Net News (November 3, 2008) - I'm catching up after a week's vacation to places which, I'm happy to report, still don't speak Internet. So pardon for being late to comment, but Kevin Kelly's latest piece, "Evidence of a Global SuperOrganism" is a must read. Kelly's post is nuanced and complex and I hesitate to reduce his thesis to a simple (and simplistic) summary. Suffice it to say, though, he posits the ultimate emergence of a global digital superorganism. His point of departure is the uncontroversial assumption that the sum of the world's connected computational devices creates what essentially is a "superorganism of computation with its own emergent behaviors."

"I define the One Machine as the emerging superorganism of computers. It is a megasupercomputer composed of billions of subcomputers. The subcomputers can compute individually on their own, and from most perspectives these units are distinct complete pieces of gear. But there is an emerging smartness in their collective that is smarter than any individual computer. We could say learning (or smartness) occurs at the level of the superorganism.

But this transformation remains a work in progress. Kelly suggests that the One Machine will pass through four developmental levels, en route from its beginnings as a "plain superorganism" into something approaching consciousness. These phases include:

  • I. A manufactured superorganism
  • II. An autonomous superorganism
  • III. An autonomous smart superorganism
  • IV. An autonomous conscious superorganism

In one respect, his argument reminded me of Ray Kurzweil's writings on how machine intelligence, represented by the totality of information-based technologies, will eventually outnumber human intelligence. The idea being a merger of our biological existence with technology. Here is how Kurzweil puts it in The Singularity is Near:

"It's a future period during which the pace of technological change will be so rapid, its impact so deep, that the human life will be irreversibly transformed...Our version 1.0 biological bodies are likewise frail and subject to a myriad of failure modes, not to mention the cumbersome maintenance rituals they require. While human intelligence is sometimes capable of soaring in its creativity and expressiveness, much human thought is derivative, petty, and circumscribed. The Singularity will allow us to transcend these limitations of our biological bodies and brains."
"We will gain power over our fates. Our mortality will be in our own hands. We will be able to live as long as we want (a subtly different statement from saying we will live forever). We will fully understand human thinking and will vastly extend and expand its reach. By the end of this century, the non-biological portion of our intelligence will be trillions of trillions of times more powerful than unaided human intelligence."

There's obviously no small amount of disagreement about the likely direction this will take. Letting your imagination go entirely, one might even construct a science fiction outcome in which the machines take control and snuff out the human race. The apocalyptic finish makes for the flashier headline but I thought Nova Spivack had as good an idea as any I've seen about where this is heading.

"Because humans are the actual witnesses and knowers of what the OM does and thinks, the function of the OM will very likely be to serve and amplify humans, rather than to replace them. It will be a system that is comprised of humans and machines working together, for human benefit, not for machine benefit. This is a very different future outlook than that of people who predict a kind of "Terminator-esque" future in which machines get smart enough to exterminate the human race. It won't happen that way. Machines will very likely not get that smart for a long time, if ever, because they are not going to be conscious. I think we should be much more afraid of humans exterminating humanity than of machines doing it."

| Technology |


Interview: EU to govern Internet of the future Euractiv (October 9, 2008) - The European Commission will roll out a range of initiatives in the coming months to promote the Internet of the Future, while remaining highly vigilant in protecting citizens and networks, Information Society Commissioner Viviane Reding told EurActiv in an interview.

The EU executive identified the following key topics to be addressed by 2009 in to prepare Europe to the new generation of the Internet: the early challenges of the Internet of Things, rolling out Next Generation Access Networks, opening radio spectrum to wireless services, broadband for all, security of critical communication infrastructure, privacy concerns related to the massive deployment of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags and Internet governance.

Speaking at the Internet of Things conference organised by the French EU Presidency in Nice on 6-7 October, Commissioner Reding outlined told EurActiv what she expected would be the main challenges ahead.

First of all, Brussels wants to pave the way for possibly the biggest revolution that the Web has ever seen: the emergence of an Internet of Things, whereby objects have a virtual identity and communicate between each other to provide services of every kind, from healthcare to transport security.

At the end of September, the Commission opened a public debate on the main issues related to the Internet of Things, publishing a position document . In November, a recommendation is expected on the privacy and security risks linked to the deployment of RFID tags, the technology at the core of the Internet of Things. Commissioner Reding wants to maintain a fair balance between the promotion of RFID and the new societal risks posed by society (EurActiv 06/10/08).

In early 2009, the EU executive is due to publish definitve guidelines for the roll-out of Next Generation Access Networks, the key infrastructure for a future Internet based on data-hungry services (EurActiv 19/09/08). A review of radio spectrum is also ongoing, so as to exploit the so-called 'digital dividend' which will result from the switch from analogue to digital TV by 2012. The target is to increase the provision of wireless and mobile Internet services and, as a result, broadband penetration in Europe.

Protection of critical online infrastructure, such as networks or key servers, is also high on the Commission's agenda. To avoid cyber-attacks such as that which hit Estonian public Internet services in 2007, the EU executive will propose concrete action at EU level in a document to be published in 2009 (EurActiv 09/04/08).

The global governance of the Internet and its next developments is also considered crucial by Brussels, with Reding explicitly aiming to challenge US control of many key elements of the Net. To read the full text of the interview, please click here.
| EU/UN / 4th Kingdom | NewWorldOrder | Technology |


European electronic ID framework gathers pace vnunet (October 9, 2008) - Further details of a new European electronic ID interoperability scheme were revealed this week at the ISSE 2008 security event in Madrid, with pilots set to go live as early as 2010. In the first public discussion of the project, meeting chair work group leader Miguel Alvarez Rodriguez claimed that the Stork framework would ultimately enable cross-border e-government services for individuals and businesses. "Our mission is to develop and test common specifications for secure and mutual recognition of national electronic ID schemes," he said. "We will try to interact with other EU institutions to maximise the usefulness of electronic ID services."

As part of the initiative, security and identity experts from some of the 13 participating member states will evaluate emerging and existing technologies, collaborate with key organisations such as the European Network and Information Security Agency, and work on process flows.

UK representative Jim Purves, head of product strategy for the Government Gateway at the Department for Work and Pensions, explained that the first live pilots for the project would be delivered over a 12-month period from June 2010 to May 2011.

The trials will focus on areas including cross-border authentication for electronic services, student mobility, and technology to enable easy changes of address across borders. "If we want to create cross-border e-government services, one of the main building blocks is the creation of an e-identity framework like this," said Rodriguez. Although the UK government's problems in implementing plans for a national ID card scheme are well documented, the first cards for foreign nationals will be rolled out from November.
| EU/UN / 4th Kingdom | Technology |


Americans Clueless About Plans to Create New Life Forms Live Science (September 30, 2008) - If you've never heard of the exciting field of synthetic biology, you're not alone, but you might want to get wise to the field's controversial promise to create life from scratch. About two-thirds of U.S. residents are clueless as well, having never heard of the synthetic biology. Only 2 percent in a new telephone survey of 1,003 adults said they have heard a lot about the work, which crosses biology with technology and promises to create forms of life that Nature never thought of.

Synthetic biologists engineer and build or redesign living organisms, such as bacteria, to carry out specific functions. The field is a scientific playground for the genetic code, where previously nonexistent DNA is formulated in test tubes. By taking genetic engineering to the extreme, synthetic biologists aim to make life in the lab.

The promise is that the novel organisms will fight disease, create alternative fuels or build living computers. Already, researchers have transplanted genetic material from one microbe species into the cellular body of another, described last year as the living "equivalent to converting a Macintosh computer to a PC by inserting a new piece of software."

"We face daunting problems of climate change, energy, health, and water resources," a group of 17 leading scientists in the field stated last year. "Synthetic biology offers solutions to these issues: microorganisms that convert plant matter to fuels or that synthesize new drugs or target and destroy rogue cells in the body."

Now you know. But why should you care? For one, the field "is potentially controversial because it raises issues of ownership, misuse, unintended consequences and accidental release," according to a report earlier this year commissioned by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council in England. In a nutshell, some fear microscopic lab freaks might escape and wreak havoc.

That in mind, scientists are concerned that the United States is falling behind other countries in many areas of science and technology and that the current administration has been downright hostile toward some fields of science. Obtaining federal funding for cutting-edge research can be challenging when the public doesn't even know what the research is about or what its benefits might be.

And as the new poll showed, we tend to fear what we don't know. Respondents were asked how they viewed the potential risks and rewards of the new technology. "Those more familiar with synthetic biology are more inclined to have a positive assessment of the tradeoff," the pollsters found.

"Early in the administration of the next president, scientists are expected to take the next major step toward the creation of synthetic forms of life," said David Rejeski, director of the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies. "Yet the results from the first U.S. telephone poll about synthetic biology show that most adults have heard just a little or nothing at all about it." The poll was conducted in August by Peter D. Hart Research Associates. The results were announced today.

Nearly half of the poll respondents said they have heard nothing at all about the broader field of nanotechnology. Again, "there is a positive association between awareness of nanotechnology and the belief that the benefits of nanotechnology will outweigh the risks," the analysts found.
| Technology | America |


Satellites track Mexico kidnap victims with chips Reuters (August 21, 2008) - Affluent Mexicans, terrified of soaring kidnapping rates, are spending thousands of dollars to implant tiny transmitters under their skin so satellites can help find them tied up in a safe house or stuffed in the trunk of a car. Kidnapping jumped almost 40 percent between 2004 and 2007 in Mexico, according to official statistics. Mexico ranks with conflict zones like Iraq and Colombia as among the worst countries for abductions. The recent kidnapping and murder of Fernando Marti, 14, the son of a well-known businessman, sparked an outcry in a country already hardened to crime. More people, including a growing number of middle-class Mexicans, are seeking out the tiny chip designed by Xega, a Mexican security firm whose sales jumped 13 percent this year. The company said it had more than 2,000 clients. Detractors say the chip is little more than a gadget that serves no real security purpose. The company injects the crystal-encased chip, the size and shape of a grain of rice, into clients' bodies with a syringe. A transmitter in the chip then sends radio signals to a larger device carried by the client with a global positioning system in it, Xega says. A satellite can then pinpoint the location of a person in distress. Cristina, 28, who did not want to give her last name, was implanted along with seven other members of her family last year as a "preventive measure." "It's not like we are wealthy people, but they'll kidnap you for a watch. ... Everyone is living in fear," she said. The chips cost $4,000 plus an annual fee of $2,200. Most kidnappings in Mexico go unreported, many of them cases of "express kidnapping" where the victim is grabbed and forced to withdraw money from automatic cash machines. more...
| Technology |

While I don't believe these chips are the mark of the beast, I do believe they work like conditioners by offering a feeling of security.


U.S. green lights anything into oil WorldNet Daily (August 13, 2008) - A Georgia company looking to solve America's energy problem has finally teamed up with the federal government, hoping to make millions of barrels of oil every day from virtually anything that grows out of the Earth. Bell Bio-Energy, Inc. says it has reached an agreement with the U.S. Defense Department to build seven test production plants, mostly on military bases, to quickly turn naturally grown material into fuel. "What this means is that with the seven pilot plants – the military likes to refer to them as demonstrations – with those being built … it gives us the real-time engineering data that we need to finish the designs for a full-scale production facility," J.C. Bell, the man behind the project, told WND today. "In 18 months or so, we will start manufacturing oil directly from waste and we will build up to about 500,000 barrels a day within two years. In another six months, we'll reach a million barrels a day." As the United States now imports about 13 million barrels of oil a day, the only obstacle then to total energy independence from foreign sources will be the money needed to develop the processing plants, he said. "Working with the USDA we've identified enough waste material around the country, we truly believe we can make the United States totally energy independent of foreign countries in about five years," he said. WND originally reported on the project in March as Bell, an agricultural researcher, confirmed he'd isolated and modified specific bacteria that will, on a very large scale, naturally and rapidly convert plant material – including the leftovers from food – into hydrocarbons to fuel cars and trucks. That means trash like corn stalks and corn cobs – even the grass clippings from suburban lawns – can be turned into oil and gasoline to run trucks, buses and cars. He said he made the discovery standing downwind from his cows at his food-production company, Bell Plantation, in Tifton, Ga. "Cows are like people that eat lots of beans. They're really, really good at making natural gas," he said. "It dawned on me that that natural gas was methane." WND also reported how the national news media more or less ignored his announcement of a potential solution to America's dependence on Middle East nations for its oil. But the U.S. military was listening. And Bell now confirms his agreement with the Department of Defense, the Defense Energy Support Center and the Army will have seven demonstration facilities built at Fort Benning and Fort Stewart in Georgia, Fort Bragg in North Carolina, Fort AP Hill in Virginia, Fort Drum in New York and Fort Lewis in Washington, as well as one more installation in San Pedro, Calif. "We should have all of the plants running within 60 days," he said. "This is a big step in our growth, from the engineering that we develop with these plants, we will be able to build our full-scale production facilities and be in full production in the next 12 to 18 months. "Everyone now accepts the fact that we can make oil through bacterial action and now it is just a matter of time and money until we are turning out one million to two million barrels per day," he said. more...
| Technology | America |


Sept launch for bid to crack secrets of universe Reuters (August 7, 2008) - The world's most powerful particle accelerator, aimed at unlocking secrets of the universe, will be launched on September 10, the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) said on Thursday. The Large Hadron Collider (LHC), housed in an underground tunnel 27 kilometers (17 miles) in circumference, will recreate conditions just after the Big Bang which many scientists believe gave birth to the universe. It will seek to collide two beams of particles at close to the speed of light. "The first attempt to circulate a beam in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) will be made on September 10," the Geneva-based CERN said in a statement. The LHC will study a new frontier of physics, producing beams with seven times more energy than any previous machine. But starting it up is not as simple as flipping a switch. Each of its eight sectors must be cooled to their operating temperature of minus 271 degrees Celsius (minus 456 degrees Fahrenheit), colder than outer space. This phase is reaching a successful conclusion but electrical testing must follow. "We're finishing a marathon with a sprint," said LHC project leader Lyn Evans. "It's been a long haul and we're all eager to get the LHC research program underway." Scientists hope the experiment will help explain fundamental questions such as how particles acquire mass. They will also probe the mysterious dark matter of the universe and investigate why there is more matter than antimatter. Some 10,000 scientists from around the world have worked on the complex 10 billion Swiss franc ($9.5 billion) apparatus since construction began in 1994, a spokesman said.
| EU/UN / 4th Kingdom | Technology |


Biometric ID bill comes under fire The Jerusalem Post (August 3, 2008) - The Association for Civil Rights in Israel came out on Sunday in opposition to the government bill that aims to establish a national biometric data bank with the fingerprints and facial lines of all citizens and residents to nearly eliminate the risk of counterfeit identity cards. The bill, initiated by the Interior and Defense Ministries, was approved by the cabinet earlier in the day. ACRI claimed that such a database would be "a dangerous step" because of the sensitivity of such information, and that there was no use of such a technology anywhere else among Western democracies, even among those that issue chip-embedded "smart" identity cards. Still, the Interior Security Ministry brushed off those concerns, saying the step was necessary for the security of Israel's citizens. "Any information in any database could potentially be dangerous," said Udi Shalvy, a spokesman for the Interior Security Ministry. "But the danger of not having the information outweighs the risks of what might happen to it," he said. "This information will be protected by the Interior Security Ministry unlike any other database," he added. But in January of 2007, Vital Population Registry information was leaked and posted on the Internet, prompting the Interior Ministry to demand an investigation into the incident. The Jerusalem Post reported then, that those data files, compiled by the Interior Ministry on all Israeli citizens, contained personal information that could potentially be used without authorization by Internet marketers and cyber-criminals. On top of the potential financial harm poised to everyday citizens as a result of that leak, the downloadable data also included particularly sensitive information, such as the addresses of senior government and security officials. The Interior Ministry, which was entrusted to protect that information issued a statement at the time, saying it had passed the data on to the political parties running for the Knesset in the last election in accordance with the law, and only then did the information show up in file sharing sites on-line. The current bill declares that the production of fake passports and identity cards is a growing phenomenon that increases illegal immigration and criminal and economic crimes and poses a serious security risk. Ordinary identity cards and passports, it says, are easy to counterfeit, and many groups are interested in such fake documents. Each phony identity card or passport sells for a few hundred to a few thousand shekels, while original cards and passports sell for much more. The Interior Ministry said that in 2007, more than 155,000 Israeli identity cards were reported stolen, lost or destroyed - more than during the previous year. Almost 59,000 residents asked twice for a new identity card to replace their old card between 2003 and 2007, while almost 8,000 asked for a replacement three times and 1,500 asked for a replacement four times during that period. Biometric markers on the face and fingerprints can bring an end to this risk, the government said, as these identification markers don't change over time, except in a few rare cases.
| Israel | Technology |

It is my belief that around the world the reasoning of security will be used to continue the advancement of the idea of some kind of database that will be accessed progressively by different technologies leading to the final one implied in scripture where nobody can buy or sell without a mark on their hand or forehead. If you've been reading the newsletter over the past few months I have mentioned the technology I see ultimately fulfilling that role being the RFID tattoo ink currently being used to track cattle, which is somewhat ironic if true as I'm sure we are little more than cattle to our common spiritual enemy. Are we at a place technologically where RFID could be implemented globally to buy and sell? I know in the West it is a reality and as time goes on technology becomes cheaper. Already  businesses, through credit card companies using technology like PayPass, are installing RFID readers for point of sale. Keep watching!


Britain okays human-pig embryo One News Now (July 9, 2008) - A license to create human-pig embryos has been granted in Great Britain. An American professor says the moral and ethical implications of that decision have not been thought out. There are moral ethics involved, says Dr. Mark Mostert of Regent University. He believes that, in this case, technology has "outstripped our thinking," and contends that the creation of human-animal embryos presents the potential for doing a great deal of harm. "...[W]e've not thought through on a moral and ethical level what this means for the future," he maintains. Plus, he points out that embryo research has not produced results. "The truth, however, is that stem cells have provided very little to this point for any kinds of diseases," says Mostert. "[W]hereas...cells from [sources other] than embryos, for example in cord blood, [have yielded] a number of successes," he notes. British law requires that the human-animal embryos be killed after 14 days, but Mostert predicts some researchers will violate that statute and let them grow even further. He emphasizes that God created man and animals separately, intending for it to stay that way. "Species were created to procreate among those of like kind, and now this takes us a step closer to essentially saying, 'well, whatever the Bible says or whatever a Christian perspective is doesn't really matter,'" he continues. "We have now completely divorced what we do in biology and in human engineering from acknowledging that we as human beings are creations of God and that other species are made by the creator. Now we're saying we are taking that role." Mostert argues that the creation of human-pig embryos will create beings that God never intended to be. He also stresses that many scientists are atheists or agnostics and care nothing about biblical ethics.
| Technology |

Did Ancient Biotechnology Create Nephilim? - "...The Book of Jasher, mentioned in the Bible in Joshua 10:13 and 2 Samuel 1:18, says, "After the fallen angels went into the daughters of men, the sons of men taught the mixture of animals of one species with the other, in order to provoke the Lord"(4:18). This clear reference to the Genesis 6 record illustrates that "animals" were included in whatever cross-species experiments were being conducted, and that this activity resulted in judgment from God. The Book of Enoch also supports this record, saying that after the fallen angels merged their DNA with women, they "began to sin against birds, and beasts, and reptiles, and fish" (7:5,6). The Old Testament contains associated reference to genetic mutations, which developed among humans following this activity, including unusual size, physical strength, six fingers, six toes, animal appetite for blood and even lion-like features among men (2 Sam 21:20; 23:20)."


Automatic License Plate Recognition Google Video - This video has some interesting implications for the future according to Bible prophecy. This may seem like just a good tool to catch criminals, but the problem lies in just who are called criminals and who is using the system to catch said criminals. Technology will be a huge tool of control and given the scenario of Bible prophecy regarding the war on the saints, those who are going through this time will find it difficult to hide with the lifestyle they probably have now. Not only will they be unable to buy or sell because of technology, but systems like this and other face recognition systems automatically acting as the intelligent eyes for whoever is in control of the system will have the ability to pick vehicles and people out of the crowd, not to mention the visible lack of the mark of the beast. What happens when it becomes criminal to not worship the beast?
| Technology |

Revelation 13:4-8
And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.


Bees 'killed by mobile phone signals' Telegraph UK (April 16, 2008) - An unusually high number of honey bee deaths in Britain this year may be caused by radiation from mobile phone signals, say experts. British beekeepers have called for further research following the release of a German study showing that radiation can interfere with bees' navigation systems. In some cases, 70 per cent of bees exposed to radiation failed to find their way back to the hive after searching for pollen and nectar, according to the research by Landau University. The researchers placed cordless-phone docking units, which emit electromagnetic radiation, into bee hives. Bee experts are struggling to determine the cause of colony collapse disorder (CCD), a mystery condition in which bees suddenly abandon their hives and disappear to die. In America, 24 states are affected and losses of 50 to 90 per cent of colonies have been recorded. CCD recently spread to Poland, Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal and last week some keepers in Britain reported losses exceeding the 10 per cent of colonies that usually die during winter. John Chapple, one of London's foremost beekeepers, said 30 of his 40 hives were empty and that other hives around London had lost up to 75 per cent of their bees. If CCD does take hold in Britain it could have far-reaching implications for farming, as bees pollinate millions of hectares of fruit trees and crops. The pollination is worth £200 million to Britain's farmers each year. The total contribution by bees to the economy is worth up to £1 billion. Brian Dennis, of the Bee Improvement and Bee Breeding Association, said: "There is so much being said about CCD in America and [radiation] hasn't been mentioned. "Until someone does a large study, it is hard to be sure."
| Technology | 3rd Seal |


'The Grid' Could Soon Make the Internet Obsolete Fox News (April 7, 2008) - The Internet could soon be made obsolete. The scientists who pioneered it have now built a lightning-fast replacement capable of downloading entire feature films within seconds. At speeds about 10,000 times faster than a typical broadband connection, “the grid” will be able to send the entire Rolling Stones back catalogue from Britain to Japan in less than two seconds. The latest spin-off from Cern, the particle physics centre that created the web, the grid could also provide the kind of power needed to transmit holographic images; allow instant online gaming with hundreds of thousands of players; and offer high-definition video telephony for the price of a local call. David Britton, professor of physics at Glasgow University and a leading figure in the grid project, believes grid technologies could “revolutionise” society. “With this kind of computing power, future generations will have the ability to collaborate and communicate in ways older people like me cannot even imagine,” he said. The power of the grid will become apparent this summer after what scientists at Cern have termed their “red button” day - the switching-on of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the new particle accelerator built to probe the origin of the universe. The grid will be activated at the same time to capture the data it generates. Cern, based near Geneva, started the grid computing project seven years ago when researchers realised the LHC would generate annual data equivalent to 56m CDs - enough to make a stack 40 miles high. This meant that scientists at Cern - where Sir Tim Berners-Lee invented the web in 1989 - would no longer be able to use his creation for fear of causing a global collapse. This is because the Internet has evolved by linking together a hotchpotch of cables and routing equipment, much of which was originally designed for telephone calls and therefore lacks the capacity for high-speed data transmission. By contrast, the grid has been built with dedicated fibre optic cables and modern routing centres, meaning there are no outdated components to slow the deluge of data. The 55,000 servers already installed are expected to rise to 200,000 within the next two years. Professor Tony Doyle, technical director of the grid project, said: “We need so much processing power, there would even be an issue about getting enough electricity to run the computers if they were all at Cern. The only answer was a new network powerful enough to send the data instantly to research centres in other countries.” That network, in effect a parallel Internet, is now built, using fibre optic cables that run from Cern to 11 centres in the United States, Canada, the Far East, Europe and around the world. One terminates at the Rutherford Appleton laboratory at Harwell in Oxfordshire. From each centre, further connections radiate out to a host of other research institutions using existing high-speed academic networks. It means Britain alone has 8,000 servers on the grid system – so that any student or academic will theoretically be able to hook up to the grid rather than the internet from this autumn. Ian Bird, project leader for Cern’s high-speed computing project, said grid technology could make the internet so fast that people would stop using desktop computers to store information and entrust it all to the internet. “It will lead to what’s known as cloud computing, where people keep all their information online and access it from anywhere,” he said. more...
| Technology
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Here are some links to CERN regarding the GRID and another story from Yahoo News - April 10 that you may also find interesting. Thank you Stefcho! As pointed out in the CERN article, Enabling Grids for E-sciencE (EGEE) is co-funded by the European Commission, sharing a common infrastructure with diverse research communities with hopes to spread to the public sector in time. While this could be very cool, it could also bring big brother to a whole other level. Maybe I'm just paranoid though...


We have created human-animal embryos already, say British team Times Online UK (April 2, 2008) - Embryos containing human and animal material have been created in Britain for the first time, a month before the House of Commons votes on new laws to regulate the research. A team at Newcastle University announced yesterday that it had successfully generated “admixed embryos” by adding human DNA to empty cow eggs in the first experiment of its kind in Britain. The Commons is to debate the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill next month. MPs have been promised a free vote on clauses in the legislation that would permit admixed embryos. But their creation is already allowed, subject to the granting of a licence from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA). The Newcastle group, led by Lyle Armstrong, was awarded one of the first two licences in January. The other went to a team at King’s College London, led by Professor Stephen Minger. The new Bill will formalise their legal status if it is passed by Parliament. Admixed embryos are widely supported by scientists and patient groups as they provide an opportunity to produce powerful stem-cell models for investigating diseases such as Parkinson’s and diabetes, and for developing new drugs. Their creation, however, has been opposed by some religious groups, particularly the Roman Catholic Church. Cardinal Keith O’Brien, the head of the Catholic Church in Scotland, described the work last month as “experiments of Frankenstein proportion”. The admixed embryos created by the Newcastle group are of a kind known as cytoplasmic hybrids, or cybrids, which are made by placing the nucleus from a human cell into an animal egg that has had its nucleus removed. The genetic material in the resulting embryos is 99.9 per cent human. The BBC reported that the Newcastle cybrids lived for three days, and that the largest grew to contain 32 cells. The ultimate aim is to grow these for six days, and then to extract embryonic stem cells for use in research. It is already illegal to culture human-animal embryos for more than 14 days, or to implant them in the womb of a woman or animal, and these prohibitions will remain in the new legislation. more...
| EU/UN
/ 4th Kingdom | Technology |

While it is illegal to culture human-animal embryos for more than 14 days, it is possible and this tinkering should not be done. The Bible doesn't go into detail about the pre-flood events that caused God to destroy the earth, but the book of Jasher and Enoch, both referred to in the Bible do.

Genesis 6:1-8
And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be a hundred and twenty years. There were giants
[Nephilim] in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bore children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

"When the Greek Septuagint was created, the Hebrew word Nephilim was translated into Greek as "gegenes." This is the same word used in Greek mythology for the "Titans," creatures created through the interbreeding of the Greek gods and human beings. The English words "genes" and "genetics" are built around the same root word as gegenes, genea meaning "breed" or "kind." Thus the choice of this word again suggests a genetic component to the creation of these giants." (Quayle, 128)

Jasher 4:18
After the fallen angels went into the daughters of men, [then] the sons of men taught the mixture of animals of one species with the other in order to provoke the Lord.

Enoch 7:5,6
they began to sin against birds, and beasts, and reptiles, and fish.

"Today, molecular biologists classify the functions of genes within native species but are unsure in many cases how a gene's coding might react from one species to another. In recombinant DNA technology, a "transgenic" organism is created when the genetic structure of one species is altered by the transfer of a gene or genes from another. This could change not only the genetic structure of the modified animal and its offspring, but its evolutionary development, sensory modalities, disease propensity, personality, behavior traits, and more." (Horn Nephilim Stargates 135,136)

Are we asking for God's wrath once again tinkering with the genetic code He created? According to Bible prophecy, God's wrath is coming and some of the bizarre descriptions of the creatures that will be unleashed may very well be a result of a more advanced form of this genetic mingling of DNA. I believe God made things right the first time and our tinkering is only going to corrupt that and degrade us even further. Messing with something you don't fully understand is not smart, especially when it involves life as we know it. Look at what happened with the genetically modified seeds in the seed vault story below.


Laser plane could destroy tanks from 10 miles Telegraph.uk (March 29, 2008) - The United States Defence Department has developed a prototype of an aircraft armed with a laser gun that could destroy tanks 10 miles away. The weapon is capable of destroying targets up to 15km (10m) away, according to Defense Update online magazine. The ten-centimetre-wide beam will heat targets almost instantly to thousands of degrees and will slice through metal even at maximum range. It is intended both for battlefield use and for missile defense. It is anticipated the beam will be adjustable, allowing the gunner to choose between, for example, targeting a vehicle's fuel tank to destroy it utterly, or slice through a tyre to bring it to a halt without injuring the driver. The laser will be housed in a rotating turret attached to the underside of the aircraft and will be aimed independently of the plane. Early tests have focused on testing the rotation of the laser housing. So far the laser itself has not been tested in flight, but first trials are expected during 2008. Tests on a laser for destroying vehicles will be carried out on the prototype based on the C-130 "Hercules" transport aircraft. A separate version of the missile will be trialled on a Boeing 747.
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China's Big RFID Market Beyond The National ID Program RFID News (March 10, 2008) - China not only boasts the "world's largest" RFID-enabled government ID card initiative, but a wide range of other RFID projects in transportation, animal-tagging, anti-counterfeiting and real-time location systems tracking. And it's a market that in 2008 will reach $1.4 billion in revenue, according to ABI Research. Perhaps the sexiest project in the works is the RFID e-ticketing apps for the upcoming 2008 Olympic Games and 2010 World EXPO (in Shanghai). "We could see more than 12 million e-tickets for the Beijing games," notes Michael Liard, ABI's RFID research director.
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Congress, watchdog probe passport security The Washington Times (March 27, 2008) - Three House leaders and the Government Printing Office's watchdog said yesterday that they are investigating security concerns about the production of electronic passports highlighted during an investigation by The Washington Times. Rep. Bennie Thompson, Mississippi Democrat and chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, criticized the GPO for using foreign components in new electronic passports. "It is just plain irresponsible to jeopardize the gold standard in document security by outsourcing production when U.S. companies ought to be able to do the same work here," said Mr. Thompson, who announced that his panel is investigating the outsourcing. Rep. John D. Dingell and Rep. Bart Stupak said they also are investigating the overseas production of electronic passports. The two Michigan Democrats said they are looking into whether profits made by the GPO through selling blank passports to the State Department may have violated the law limiting the GPO's business practices. The Times reported yesterday that the GPO chose two European computer chip makers over U.S. manufacturers to make tens of millions of electronic passports. The passports are being assembled in Thailand by one company that was a victim of Chinese economic espionage. "If true, these allegations raised in today's press reports are extremely serious not only to the integrity of our e-Passport program, but also to our national security," said Mr. Dingell, chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce. Mr. Stupak, chairman of the subcommittee on oversight and investigations, said, "Given all of the personal information contained in an e-passport, it is essential that the entire production chain be secure and free from potential tampering." Mr. Dingell and Mr. Stupak said in a letter yesterday to GPO Inspector General J. Anthony Ogden and Public Printer Robert Tapella that they are investigating the management, production and distribution of electronic passports. Mr. Thompson, commenting on a report in yesterday's editions of The Washington Times, said in a statement that the credibility of U.S. passports is "of the utmost importance to our homeland security." "Questions alone about the production and chain of custody of blank U.S. passports can send shock waves through our homeland security infrastructure," he said. "The Committee on Homeland Security will use all of the tools available to determine if American technologies are being overlooked and what implications there might be for other border security documents and technologies." Mr. Ogden earlier said his office is conducting an "end-to-end" review of the agency's production of electronic passports and will look into the outsourcing of some passport components, such as computer chips embedded in travel documents. "We do pay close attention to the issue of passport manufacturing. It is a high priority of this office," Mr. Ogden said in an interview. Mr. Ogden said his office's current work plan includes the review "to help improve the process of manufacturing passports. That's no secret." One of the companies involved in passport production in Thailand, Smartrac, charged in a court filing in the Netherlands last year that its technology was stolen by China. The company issued a statement yesterday saying its passport assembly plant was secure, CNN reported. The outsourcing has raised concerns among investigators over the security of passports. GPO and State Department officials have sought to play down security concerns and have said they conduct regular checks of overseas manufacturers. Mr. Ogden said deficiencies in passport manufacturing detailed in an Oct. 12 report cited by the paper were related to older, non-electronic passports. He declined to specify the deficiencies but said the agency has been responsive in addressing many of the problems.
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I suppose I'm not really surprised that European companies using cheaper labor in Thailand would be making our e-passports since in the end the same basic system will probably be used for tracking people through the mark of the beast.


Feds Cite Hassles if ID Law Not Followed GOP USA (March 4, 2008) - Homeland Security officials are pushing recalcitrant states to adopt stricter driver's license standards to end a standoff that could disrupt domestic air travel. States have less than a month to send a letter to the Homeland Security Department seeking an extension to comply with the Real ID law passed following the 2001 terror attacks. Some states have resisted, saying it is costly, impractical and an invasion of privacy. Four states -- Maine, Montana, New Hampshire and South Carolina -- have yet to seek an extension. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff argues that the law fixes a critical gap in security identified by the commission that investigated the 9/11 attacks: the ease of obtaining government-issued ID. It will also hinder would-be con artists and illegal immigrants, he said. Real ID-compliant driver's licenses would have several layers of new security features to prevent forgery. They would also be issued after a number of ID checks, including verification of birth certificates, Social Security numbers and immigration status. Officials acknowledge it will take years to phase in all the different security measures. To bring the states in line, Chertoff warned that any state that does not seek an extension by the end of March will find that, come May, their residents will not be able to use their licenses to board domestic flights. Chertoff's assistant secretary, Stewart Baker, sent letters to several governors Monday reminding them of the looming deadline, and urging the holdouts to seek an extension. In recent years, 17 states passed legislation or resolutions opposing Real ID, but now only a handful appear willing to challenge the government publicly. Officials in Maine and Montana insisted Monday they would not seek an extension. A spokesman for South Carolina's governor said he was still considering it. New Hampshire passed a law last year prohibiting the state from participating in the Real ID program, and Gov. John Lynch wrote Chertoff last week asking him not to impose the requirements on New Hampshire citizens. A fifth state, Delaware, has sent a letter asking for an extension, but DHS officials are still weighing whether the wording of the letter legally adds up to an extension request. If the states do not seek an extension by March 31, their residents will be subjected to secondary screening by security workers before boarding any domestic flight beginning May 11. ''We're not going to buckle under here,'' said Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer. ''My guess is the people of Montana would be proud to walk through that line.'' Schweitzer called the Real ID proposal a bureaucratic boondoggle that will cost his state a fortune and give a false sense of security without actually making ID more reliable. He has sought to rally opposition to Real ID, but the vast majority of states have decided not to test whether Washington is bluffing. As the high-stakes game of chicken continues, federal authorities are not publicly saying whether seeking an extension actually counts as complying with the law. In his recent letters, Baker said only that the 45 states that have sought extensions are ''on track toward improved security.''
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Notice how the 2001 terror attacks spawned this new Real ID? In the name of peace and security, greater restrictions are placed on freedoms and a system of international cooperation is created to allow the government to more easily track people around the world. As pointed out in the "Papers Please" blog, "There are good people with bad papers; and bad people with good papers." | Bertolt Brecht This is just a step to the ultimate goal of a global tracking system that will turn into the mark of the beast. I don't believe this is the mark of the beast since it will coincide with a pledge of allegiance to the man of sin following his declaration of being God. I do believe that the ease of faking these kind of documents will trigger the next step of RFID tattooed into the skin that will be the mark of the beast.


Why cash is no longer king Canada.com (February 25, 2008) - Inside a popular Canadian electronics store, a woman trying to pay for a DVD is being refused at the register. Her money is no good there. The snubbed customer is not a counterfeiter or a shoplifter barred from shopping in the store, she's simply a woman who wants to pay for a purchase with dollars and cents. Increasingly, cold hard cash is the victim of a digital economy that favours symbols of money -- plastic cards, electronic key fobs, and online payments -- over the real deal. Nowhere is this more evident than in the diminishing presence of automated teller machines, which in 2007 saw their biggest drop in the U.S. (nine per cent) since their debut in the 1970s. In Canada, the latest data point to a future similar to that of our American neighbours, as cash withdrawals steadily decline and shoppers prefer to pay with plastic. According to Moneris, Canada's largest processor of debit, credit and gift card transactions, one of the strongest aggressors "directly attacking cash" is technology that allows consumers to use plastic for small purchases. Examples include No Signature Required credit card programs, as well as "tap and go" key fobs. "In the past, you may have heard a heavy sigh from the person behind you in line if you pulled out your credit card for a transaction under $20," says Brian Green, senior vice-president of marketing at Moneris. "This removes the taboo of using a credit card in a small-ticket environment." The past few years have seen the cash-only lineup be supplanted by the no-cash lineup. Mr. Green says it's all part of merchants' plan to "train" Canadians to lessen their cash use. "A fast form of payment is beneficial to the quick-service operator because they can greatly increase their through-put and therefore their amount of revenue," explains Mr. Green. "And as plastic becomes more convenient, we're going to become more accustomed to using it and will draw on cash less often, which means fewer withdrawals at the ATM." After falling victim to debit-card fraud last summer, Derek Moscato swore off plastic and wrote in the Vancouver Province: "Better for that wad of hundreds to live in your pocket than the billfold of some high-tech gangster." Despite his resolve, however, his planned lifestyle change couldn't be sustained. "(Plastic) is just an easier, cleaner way to pay for things. "You're not fumbling around with bills and change and so forth," explains Mr. Moscato, a communications professional from B.C. "But I've learned there's a price to pay for that convenience." According to Canadian Interac data, the number of shared cash-dispensing transactions (money withdrawn from machines not associated with the user's bank) has plummeted, dropping from 375 million in 2001 to 285 million in 2006, the most recent year for which statistics are available. Tina Romano, public relations manager for Interac, says the decline is "likely the result of cardholders using their own banks' ABMs to avoid paying fees, as well as the fact that more Canadians are moving to electronic payments." Indeed, debit usage nationwide continues its dramatic rise. In 1998, 1.4 million Interac transactions were processed; in 2001, it was 2.2 million; and in 2006, 3.3 million Interac payments were made in Canada, making us among the highest users of debit in the world.
| NewWorldOrder | Technology |

It's not difficult to see in society today a trend away from cash. I'm sure you've seen the VISA commercials where everyone is dancing in sync around a store until some knucklehead with cash or a check tries to pay and puts a halt to the well-oiled purchasing machinery customers. Convenience is a step toward a cashless society and the fear of identity theft will be what leads to RFID technologies such as Somark's tattoo ink replacing cards. Keep watching!


Electronic tattoo display runs on blood Physorg.com (February 21, 2008) - Jim Mielke's wireless blood-fueled display is a true merging of technology and body art. At the recent Greener Gadgets Design Competition, the engineer demonstrated a subcutaneously implanted touch-screen that operates as a cell phone display, with the potential for 3G video calls that are visible just underneath the skin. The basis of the 2x4-inch "Digital Tattoo Interface" is a Bluetooth device made of thin, flexible silicon and silicone. It´s inserted through a small incision as a tightly rolled tube, and then it unfurls beneath the skin to align between skin and muscle. Through the same incision, two small tubes on the device are attached to an artery and a vein to allow the blood to flow to a coin-sized blood fuel cell that converts glucose and oxygen to electricity. After blood flows in from the artery to the fuel cell, it flows out again through the vein. On both the top and bottom surfaces of the display is a matching matrix of field-producing pixels. The top surface also enables touch-screen control through the skin. Instead of ink, the display uses tiny microscopic spheres, somewhat similar to tattoo ink. A field-sensitive material in the spheres changes their color from clear to black, aligned with the matrix fields. The tattoo display communicates wirelessly to other Bluetooth devices - both in the outside world and within the same body. Although the device is always on (as long as your blood´s flowing), the display can be turned off and on by pushing a small dot on the skin. When the phone rings, for example, an individual turns the display on, and "the tattoo comes to life as a digital video of the caller," Mielke explains. When the call ends, the tattoo disappears. Could such an invasive device have harmful biological effects? Actually, the device could offer health benefits. That´s because it also continually monitors for many blood disorders, alerting the person of a health problem. The tattoo display is still just a concept, with no word on plans for commercialization.
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Big Media and the New World Order Global Research (February 7, 2008) - For Big Media, truth is a scarce commodity and in times of war it's the first casualty, or as esteemed journalist John Pilger noted: "Journalism (not truth) is the first casualty (of war). Not only that: it('s)....a weapon of war (by its) virulent censorship....by omission (and its) power....can mean....life and death for people in faraway countries, such as Iraq." Famed journalist George Seldes put it another way by condemning the "prostitution of the press" in an earlier era when he covered WW I, the rise of fascism, and most major world and national events until his death in 1995 at age 104. He also confronted the media in books like "Lords of the Press." In it and others, he condemned their corruption, suppression of the truth, and news censorship before the television age, and said "The most sacred cow of the press is the press itself, (and the press is) the most powerful force against the general welfare of the majority of the people." Orwell also knew a thing or two about truth and said telling it is a "revolutionary act in times of universal deceit. " Much else he said applies to the man this article addresses and the state of today's media. He was at his allegorical best in "Animal Farm" where power overwhelms freedom, and "All animals are equal but some....are more equal than others." And he observed in "Nineteen Eighty-Four" that "Those who control the present control the future (and) Those who control the future control the past."  Today's media barons control the world as opinion makers. Like in Orwell's world, they're our national thought control police gatekeepers sanitizing news so only the cleansed residue portion gets through with everything people want most left out - the full truth all the time. They manipulate our minds and beliefs, program our thoughts, divert our attention, and effectively destroy the free marketplace of ideas essential to a healthy democracy they won't tolerate. None more ruthlessly than Murdoch and the info-entertainment empire he controls. Its flagship US operation is Fox News that Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) calls "the most biased name in news....with its extraordinary right-wing tilt." In response, Murdock defiantly "challenge(s) anybody to show me an example of bias in Fox News Channel" because in his world the entire political spectrum begins and ends with his views. For him and his staff, "fair and balanced," we report, you decide" means supporting the boss. Alternative views are biased, verboten and rarely aired. But they're hammered when they are as the "liberal" mainstream that's code language for CNN and other rivals at a time all media giants match the worst of Fox and are often as crude, confrontational and unprofessional. Distinguished Australian-raised journalist Bruce Page wrote the book on Murdock called "The Murdoch Archigelago." It's about a man he calls "one of the world's leading villains (and) global pirate(s)" who rampages the mediasphere putting world leaders on notice what he expects from them and what he'll offer in return. It's "let's make a deal," Murdock-style that's uncompromisingly hardball. Acquiesce or get hammered in print and on-air with scathing innuendo, misinformation and outright lies. Few politicians risk it. Others with alternative views have no choice, and world leaders like Hugo Chavez are used to this type character assassination. He mostly worries about the other kind and with good reason as long-time Latin American expert James Petras reported November 28. Four days before a crucially important constitutional reform referendum, he published an article headlined: "Venezuela's D-Day - The December 2, 2007 Constituent Referendum: Democratic Socialism or Imperial Counter-Revolution." In it, he reported that the Venezuelan government "broadcast and circulated a confidential (US embassy) memo to the CIA" revealing "clandestine operations....to destabilize (the referendum) and coordinate the civil military overthrow of the elected Chavez government." It's because independent polls predicted the referendum would pass even though they proved wrong. The dominant media readied to pounce on the results but instead went into gloat mode on a win Chavez called a "phyrric victory" but Murdock headlines trumpeted "Chavez's president-for-life-bid defeated." This is the type vintage copy Page covers with reams of examples in his book. Its central theme is that the media baron wants to privatize "a state propaganda service (and manipulate it) without scruple (or) regard for the truth." In return he wants "vast government favors such as tax breaks, regulatory relief, and monopoly" market control free from competitors having too much of what he wants solely for himself and apparently feels it's owed to him. Because of his size and media clout, he usually gets his way and mostly in places mattering most - in the biggest markets with greatest profit potential in a business where truth is off the table and partnering with government for a growing revenue stream and greater influence is all that counts. more...
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Embryos created with DNA from 3 people Associated Press (February 5, 2008) - British scientists say they have created human embryos containing DNA from two women and a man in a procedure that researchers hope might be used one day to produce embryos free of inherited diseases. Though the preliminary research has raised concerns about the possibility of genetically modified babies, the scientists say that the embryos are still only primarily the product of one man and one woman. "We are not trying to alter genes, we're just trying to swap a small proportion of the bad ones for some good ones," said Patrick Chinnery, a professor of neurogenetics at Newcastle University involved in the research. The research was presented at a scientific conference recently, but has not been published in a scientific journal. The process aims to create healthy embryos for couples to avoid passing on genes carrying diseases. The genes being replaced are the mitochondria, a cell's energy source, which are contained outside the nucleus in a normal female egg. Mistakes in the mitochondria's genetic code can result in serious diseases like muscular dystrophy, epilepsy, strokes and mental retardation. In their research, Chinnery and colleagues used normal embryos created from one man and one woman that had defective mitochondria in the woman's egg. They then transplanted that embryo into an emptied egg donated from a second woman who had healthy mitochondria. The research is being funded by the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, a British charity. Only trace amounts of a person's genes come from the mitochondria, and experts said it would be incorrect to say that the embryos have three parents. "Most of the genes that make you who you are are inside the nucleus," Chinnery said. "We're not going anywhere near that." more...
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Animal-human embryo research is approved Reuters (January 18, 2008) - Experiments to create Britain’s first embryos that combine human and animal material will begin within months after a government watchdog gave its approval yesterday to two research teams to carry out the controversial work. Scientists at King’s College London, and the University of Newcastle will inject human DNA into empty eggs from cows to create embryos known as cytoplasmic hybrids, which are 99.9 per cent human in genetic terms. The experiments are intended to provide insights into diseases such as Parkinson’s and spinal muscular atrophy by producing stem cells containing genetic defects that contribute to these conditions. These will be used as cell models for investigating new approaches to treatment, and to improve the understanding of how embryonic stem cells develop. They will not be used in therapy, and it is illegal to implant them into the womb. The decision, taken by the by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), to grant one-year licences to both teams ends more than a year of uncertainty for the researchers, who first applied for permission in the autumn of 2006. Last January the authority deferred its decision and began a consultation on the issue, which reported in September that the public was broadly supportive. In late November, it again delayed ruling because of concerns about procedures for obtaining consent from the donors of the human DNA to be used. While the HFEA was deliberating, the Government proposed a ban on the creation of human-animal embryos, also known as “cybrids”, but retreated after a revolt by scientists. The creation of human-animal embryos will be explicitly permitted by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill currently passing through Parliament, subject to HFEA licensing. An amendment that would have blocked such research was defeated in the House of Lords on Monday by a majority of 172. Stephen Minger, who leads the King’s team, said yesterday he was delighted that he would be able to start the experiments. “I am pleased that the HFEA has finally after a year and a half realised the importance that the work that we and the group from Newcastle have been licensed for,” he said. more...
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See also: What Else Is "Behind the Veil in Washington DC?" (Part 2 of 5) Excerpt: In his book, GIANTS, Genesis 6, author and researcher Steve Quayle expands, "It has, for the most part, been kept from the public. Proof of giants' existence - their skeletal remains - has been quickly secreted away in obscure museums, when not destroyed. Additionally, time has cloaked and sugar-coated these creatures' true perverse nature, the majority too vile, too demonic for bedtime stories. However, history is replete with their tales of unimaginable cruelty, sexual perversity, cannibalism and pagan rituals." So, what is the "missing" history? Is it valid? How far along is this phenomenon and what really IS the agenda?

The Nephilim are a race of giants which populated the pre and post deluge world by the manipulation of genetic material by the "Watchers," the "angels that sinned," and human women, the "daughters of men," who became a race of entities characterized by exceptional intellect, heteroclitical physical capabilities and preternatural spiritual ability. But it did not stop there. Publisher Tom Horn adds that the sin of these fallen entities was not limited to humans. "The Book of Jasher, mentioned in the Bible in Joshua 10:13 and 2 Samuel 1:18, says, "After the fallen angels went into the daughters of men, the sons of men taught the mixture of animals of one species with the other, in order to provoke the Lord."

This clear reference to the Genesis 6 record illustrates that "animals" were included in whatever cross-species experiments were being conducted, and that this activity resulted in judgment from God. The Book of Enoch also supports this record, saying that after the fallen angels merged their DNA with women, they "began to sin against birds, and beasts, and reptiles, and fish. "What if, by corrupting the species barrier in which each creature was to recreate after its "own kind," Watchers had successfully mingled human-animal DNA and combined the hereditary traits of different species into a single new mutation? An entirely new being—Nephilim—might have suddenly possessed the combined intelligence and instincts (seeing, hearing, smelling, reacting to the environment) of several life forms and in ways unfamiliar to creation."

Will modern biotechnology resurrect Nephilim? Pastor and deliverance minister Russ Dizdar believes they will. "These Nephilim led the way to massive human sacrifice and cannibalism. They seduced fallen humanity and sought to be the rulers of a grid mapped earth. When will we learn that deception always leads to destruction? We are falling to the old repainted luciferian lie of spiritual evolution…The marks, ruins, writings, objects, prophecies and 'spirituality' of the old Nephilim are all being unearthed and, so are they. "History, archeology, ancient scrolls, and the theology of the book of Enoch reveal a flashing red light of warning to modern day humanity. New agers and alien huggers will be the first to fall… Christians should be ahead of destiny with the preemptive prophecy and revelation of Scripture that the Spirit of God poured out to us again and again. We need to study what the Scriptures reveal across the board and drop the seed picker approach. The end has been foretold with precision." more... (Read Part 1 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5)

Researchers Take Step Toward Synthetic Life NY Times (January 25, 2008) - Taking a significant step toward the creation of synthetic forms of life, researchers reported Thursday that they had manufactured the entire genome of a bacterium by stitching together its chemical components. Scientists had previously constructed the complete DNA of viruses, but this is the first time it has been done for bacteria, which are far more complex. The genome is more than 10 times as long as the longest piece of DNA ever synthesized. The feat is a watershed for the emerging field called synthetic biology, which involves the design of organisms to perform particular tasks, like making biofuels. Synthetic biologists envision being able to design an organism on a computer, press the “print” button to have the necessary DNA made and then put that DNA into a cell to produce a custom-made creature. more...


AT&T and Other I.S.P.’s May Be Getting Ready to Filter NY Times (January 8, 2008) - For the last 15 years, Internet service providers have acted - to use an old cliche - as wide-open information super-highways, letting data flow uninterrupted and unimpeded between users and the Internet. But I.S.P.’s may be about to embrace a new metaphor: traffic cop. At a small panel discussion about digital piracy at NBC’s booth on the Consumer Electronics Show floor, representatives from NBC, Microsoft, several digital filtering companies and the telecom giant AT&T said discussed whether the time was right to start filtering for copyrighted content at the network level.
Such filtering for pirated material already occurs on sites like YouTube and Microsoft’s Soapbox, and on some university networks. Network-level filtering means your Internet service provider – Comcast, AT&T, EarthLink, or whoever you send that monthly check to – could soon start sniffing your digital packets, looking for material that infringes on someone’s copyright. “What we are already doing to address piracy hasn’t been working. There’s no secret there,” said James Cicconi, senior vice president, external & legal affairs for AT&T. Mr. Cicconi said that AT&T has been talking to technology companies, and members of the M.P.A.A. and R.I.A.A., for the last six months about carrying out digital fingerprinting techniques on the network level. “We are very interested in a technology based solution and we think a network-based solution is the optimal way to approach this,” he said. “We recognize we are not there yet but there are a lot of promising technologies. But we are having an open discussion with a number of content companies, including NBC Universal, to try to explore various technologies that are out there.” Internet civil rights organizations oppose network-level filtering, arguing that it amounts to Big Brother monitoring of free speech, and that such filtering could block the use of material that may fall under fair-use legal provisions — uses like parody, which enrich our culture. Rick Cotton, the general counsel of NBC Universal, who has led the company’s fights against companies like YouTube for the last three years, clearly doesn’t have much tolerance for that line of thinking. more...
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Homeland Security Department Announces Deeply Flawed Regulations for National ID System Electronic Privacy Information Center (January 11, 2008) - Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff today released the agency's final regulations for REAL ID, the national identification system. The law was passed in 2005 and will require the states to make significant changes to the state driver's license. EPIC and other civil liberties and privacy organizations have objected to the federal identification system, which will include the sensitive information of 245 million license and state ID cardholders across the country. The proposal has drawn sharp criticism from state governments, members of Congress, civil liberties advocates, and security experts. The Secretary scaled back some of the  requirements, reduced the cost, and extended the deadline for state compliance. However, Secretary Chertoff also indicated that the REAL ID card would be used for a wide variety of purposes, unrelated to the law that authorized the system, including employment verification and immigration determination. He also indicated that the agency would not prevent the use of the card by private parties for non-government purposes. As part of the cost-saving effort, Homeland Security has decided not to encrypt the data that will be stored on the card. Melissa Ngo, Director of the EPIC Identification and Surveillance Project, said, "REAL ID creates a United States where individuals are either 'approved' or 'suspect,' and that is a real danger to security and civil rights." The REAL ID proposal has been widely criticized. Seventeen states have passed legislation against REAL ID, and Congress is debating its repeal. The Department of Homeland Security has also been criticized for its own poor security practices. In May 2007, a Homeland Security office lost the personal data of 100,000 employees. According to security expert Bruce Schneier, "Measures like REAL ID have limited security benefit. Identification systems are complex, and the unforgability of the plastic card is only a small part of the security equation.  Issuance procedures, verification procedures, and the back-end database are far more vulnerable to abuse, and -- perversely -- a harder-to-forge card makes subverting the system even more valuable. Good security doesn't try to divine intentionality from identification, but instead provides for broad defenses regardless of identification." EPIC is a public interest research center in Washington, D.C. EPIC was established in 1994 to focus public attention on emerging civil liberties issues and to protect privacy, the First Amendment, and constitutional values. In 2007, EPIC led a grassroots coalition of organizations and bloggers that urged the Department of Homeland Security to withdraw the REAL ID plan.
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Papers please! Beyond the recollection of history and how this kind of system was used during WWII and elsewhere, this article brings up the issue of trust and security. Can you really trust a plastic card to be secure and applicable only to yourself? What if its stolen? With identity theft running rampant, a new system that still uniquely identifies everyone initiated into it is necessary, but a method that cannot easily be stolen will be needed. This is where I think RFID tattoo ink comes in. I think Real ID is just a stepping stone to the next level. It prepares the consciousness of the population and the need for security will cause the next step to be taken. With the issue of terrorism causing fear in those with no hope, many will be more than willing to pledge allegiance to the beast and to the global government for which he stands under Lucifer to save their mortal lives, only to lose their eternal souls. Eternity apart from God, who IS love, is not an eternity anyone really wants.

WiMax seen growing fast globally Reuters (January 8, 2008) - An emerging long-range, high-speed wireless technology is expected to spread quickly and be available globally within two years, a key backer of the so-called WiMax technology said on Tuesday. "In a year or two, we will see it in many metro zones and areas of heavy demand," Dan Eldar, head of Intel's (INTC.O) design center in Israel where the WiMax technology was being developed, told Reuters. "It will take time to reach a massive deployment." Sprint Nextel (S.N), the number three U.S. wireless carrier, said on Tuesday it was soft-launching its Xohm mobile Internet service for employees in Chicago, Baltimore and Washington D.C. ahead of a commercial WiMax launch later in 2008 in select U.S. cities. Sprint Nextel has said it will spend $5 billion by 2010 on a WiMax network using the new 802.16e standard. Smaller mobile carrier Clearwire (CLWR.O) is also planning a WiMax network. WiMax, which is expected to bring in higher revenues to the telecoms sector, allows for high-speed Internet connections in the tens of megabits per second -- far faster than the very popular WiFi, which users connect to networks over short distances. "It will enable the same type of (broadband Internet) on the road as you have at home," said Gaby Waisman, general manager of Europe for Alvarion (ALVR.O) (ALVR.TA), an Israeli maker of WiMax modems and equipment. WiMax can cover a stretch of as much as tens of kilometers, depending on the number of users. In New York City, for example, many base stations will be required around the city to meet the heavy demand, while a sparsely populated region will need fewer, Eldar noted. He said that in addition to the United States, mobile WiMax is close to being rolled out in some European and Asia-Pacific countries including Russia and Japan. "Estimates for the number of subscribers to WiMax ranges from the high tens of millions to more than 100 million in the next four, five years," Eldar said before a news conference to mark the start of a WiMax trial by Intel, Alvarion and 012 Smile.Communications (SMLC.O) in the southern city of Sderot. Sderot, which has been hit hard by rocket fire from Palestinian militants, will be the first test of WiMax in Israel. Further rollout in the country depends on the success of the trial and how quickly the Communications Ministry allocates licenses to telecoms providers. Intel, the world's largest microprocessor maker, has made a large bet that mobile WiMax will take off and is the developer of chipsets for WiMax. more...
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Trends to a New World Order: Part 1 Transnational Elites and Pernicious Globalization Old-Thinker News (January 3, 2008) 

"Countless people... will hate the new world order... and will die protesting against it... When we attempt to evaluate its promise, we have to bear in mind the distress of a generation or so of malcontents..." - H.G. Wells, The New World Order (1939) 

As we enter the new year of 2008, themes of a "global community" and a "unified global approach" are becoming more prevalent. When keeping an eye on current events and reading various think tank projections regarding the future of the world, a sobering picture begins to emerge. Forecasts are being made of a world in which a sharp divide exists between the elite and the rest of humanity. Advanced technology offers those who can afford it a means of personalized "auto-evolution". "Pernicious globalization" takes its toll on the world and global elites thrive, leaving the rest of us in the dust. Increasingly open borders, unchecked immigration and trends to world governance cause communal conflict between various groups. The middle class becomes revolutionary as economic hardship hits hard on millions of Americans. Dictators utilize life extension technologies to prolong their reign of terror. A computer simulation offers government agencies and corporations a system to test marketing strategy and psychological operations on a virtual mirror of the real world in real time. "Gen-rich" and "Gen-poor" classes emerge to form a new "biological caste system". All of this would make for a thrilling Sci-Fi novel, but these trends come not from science fiction - though science fiction has proven to be a prophetic precursor to these developments -, but from present day realities seen by the U.K. Ministry of Defense, the CIA and other prominent individuals in the fields of technology, science and government. This short two part report will attempt to answer these questions: What impact has globalization had on us and how will it effect us in the future? How do present day trends in technology, globalization, politics and government relate to the prospect of a New World Order?

The New World Order

A "New World Order" has been heralded by global elites for many years. We are told by these elites that trends to a system of world governance are only natural, that national sovereignty must be eliminated. James Paul Warburg, speaking before the US Senate in 1950, stated that, "We shall have World Government, whether or not we like it. The only question is whether World Government will be achieved by conquest or consent." Globalization and advances in technology have undoubtedly impacted our lifestyles, world-views, and lives dramatically. A "global outlook" has planted itself in our society, but more so among elites. Zbigniew Brzezinski writes of this global outlook in his 1970 book, Between Two Ages: America's Role in the Technetronic Era,

"A global human consciousness is for the first time beginning to manifest itself... we are witnessing the emergence of transnational elites... composed of international businessmen, scholars, professional men and public officials. The ties of these new elites cut across national boundaries, their perspectives are not confined by national traditions..." [1]

The dissemination and injection of globalist ideology into the collective vocabulary and consciousness of society has been a leading goal of such transnational elites. Regional governance in conjunction with regional economic systems inside a world government has also been a long term goal of globalist organizations. In order for these regional systems to operate smoothly and to be generally accepted, think tanks have undertaken projects of social engineering on a massive scale to rid the population of "outdated" ideas of national sovereignty. [2] The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars hosted a conference in 2002 which was dedicated to the development of strategies to overcome such "outdated" ideas. The political, social and economic integration of the United States, Canada, and Mexico into a union similar to the European Union was discussed. America was acknowledged by the conference panelists as being one of the largest obstacles to globalist planning. Expanding the definition of "we", framing integration in a non threatening manner and a "winner at the polls" were some of the suggested social engineering strategies. A summary of the conference states,

"Further economic, political, and social integration will depend on how citizens of the three countries define their national identities and the degree to which they are willing to cede some of their countries’ sovereignty to a larger entity." [3]

"Foreign policy... provides three things for a nation’s citizens: sovereignty, security, and identity. Sovereignty dictates that the state’s citizens and government (“we”) decide policy, identity defines “who we are” as a nation, and security protects a nation’s sovereignty and identity. Governments must convince citizens that the regional project is consistent with these three values by expanding the definition of the “we.” [4]

As we enter the new year of 2008, themes of a "global community" and a "unified global approach" are becoming more prevalent. The United Nations has recently begun an initiative to bring more into agreement with the "global consciousness" with a comic book geared towards children. Marvel Comics has teamed up with the UN to create a comic book that will teach children "...the value of international cooperation." [5] Another example comes from the London based think tank mi2g, which released a statement in late December of 2007 that stated in part,

"One world: The global community of nations is realizing that regardless of the complex global risk we wish to address, we all have to come together. The mantra of a "unified global approach" is becoming essential whether it is countering climate chaos and environmental degradation... advanced technologies -- bio, info, nano, robo & AI -- ... financial systems and systemic risk; or transhumanism and ethics..." [6]

Combating climate change with a "global unified approach" is a concept that Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, is quite familiar with. In an article carried in the Taipei times, Haass writes that sovereignty must become weaker in a globalized world faced with climate change,

"Some governments are prepared to give up elements of sovereignty to address the threat of global climate change..."

"Globalization thus implies that sovereignty is not only becoming weaker in reality, but that it needs to become weaker. States would be wise to weaken sovereignty in order to protect themselves..." [7]

more...
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