The Inside Straight

Genetically Modified Tobacco Plants Offer Promise as "Vaccine Factories"

It's really heartening to read stories like this: Professor Henry Daniell -an Indian-born plant biologist  at the University of Southern Florida, has developed a method of genetically altering tobacco plants to produce vaccines against a number of deadly diseases - including the dreaded Anthrax bacillus.

I first read about his research in this field a few years ago, and was intrigued-but the story "just never took off". Apart from posting a few sentences,I dropped it.

Now the story has "bounced back" : The researcher found financial backing ,and has completed preliminary tests. Take a look at where his efforts are leading.

"Professor Henry Daniell of the University of Central Florida has devised a way to produce oral vaccines at a fraction of the usual cost, making them affordable in developing countries.

Professor Daniell says: "One third of the world population, two billion people, earn less than two dollars a day. And a 26,000 to 40,000 dollar treatment is unimaginable for that population. So even though treatments are available, they're beyond their reach. And now, through oral delivery, it is possible for the world, no matter where they live, to get this treatment in an affordable manner."

Scientists first inject plants, like tobacco, lettuce or carrots, with vaccine genes.

They are then planted in a greenhouse before being crushed and put into capsules to be taken by patients.

The method skips a number of traditional processes involved in producing the therapeutic proteins needed to make vaccines thus cutting the price of the final product.

Professor Daniell adds : "By doing this you completely eliminate all the other costs associated with the therapeutic proteins. But the major unanticipated advantage of this was our ability to cure certain autoimmune diseases which has never been done before. And so that was an added benefit which came in relation to reducing the cost of the therapeutic proteins."

These oral vaccines, if approved, would be much easier to mass produce.

It is estimated just one acre of tobacco plants, for example, could produce enough Anthrax vaccine to inoculate everyone in the United States.

Next scheduled are Human trials : one of the two major obstacles to overcome.(The other obstacle is the process itself: genetically modified plants are looked upon with horror by some Europeans - and face considerable resistance from modern-day Luddites at home.)

Let's hope the resistance can be overcome , as this is research that could revolutionize the pharmaceutical industry !

Scientist Produces Radiation-Free Thermonuclear Power Device !

It has long been a dream to produce a practical thermo-nuclear energy generation device. Ideally, such a device would not produce netrons, or other damaging radiation. Now, according to the International Academy of Science, Dr. Robert W. Brussard has met that goal.

"Dr. Bussard and his team at Energy/Matter Conversion Corporation, after close to 20 years of hard work, have developed a revolutionary radiation-free fusion process that could change the world as we know it today."

"The fusion process recommended by Dr. Bussard takes boron-11 and fuses a proton to it, producing, in its excited state, a carbon-12 atom. This excited carbon-12 atom decays to beryllium-8 and helium-4. Beryllium-8 very quickly (in 10-13 s) decays into two more helium-4 atoms. This is the only nuclear-energy releasing process in the whole world that releases fusion energy and three helium atoms -- and no neutrons. This reaction is completely radiation free."

Slowly...slowly the world begins to ease away from its total dependence on fossil fuels, and - thanks to the vision and efforts of scientists like Dr. Brussard and his teammates , there really is light at the end of the tunnel !

Islamic Jihad in Seattle ?

On Friday,July 28,2006,a 30 year-old US citizen of Pakistani descent forced his way into the Jewish Federation office in Seattle and opened fire: killing one employee and wounding 5 others.

The suspect,Naveed Afzal Haq,surrendered peaceably to police: reportedly telling them he had shot the victims because he was "angry at Israel".

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Presumably,Mr. Haq's remark relates  to the Middle East conflict,where Israeli forces have been attempting to suppress the terrorist Hamas organization, and  are entering their third week of a violent military campaign to wipe out Hezbollah in neighboring Lebanon.

Both campaigns -though understandable-appear doomed to failure at best; and at worst,apt to fan long-smouldering regional tensions into an outright world war.

Mr. Haq , who has a record of one arrest for indecent exposure,does not sound like a "stable" individual;and it is to be hoped this is an isolated incident,rather than the beginnings of a jihad.

UN Employee Arrested on Drug Smuggling Charges

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A long-term UN employee has been charged with using his mailroom job,and diplomatic pouches, to help smuggle 25 tons of khat (pronounced "kot")-a popular African drug- into the United States.

Prosecutors say Mr. Osman Osman, a Somali citizen who had been employed at the United Nations for 29 years, was an important cog in the largest khat trafficking enterprise America has known. Forty-four defendants were named in yesterday's indictment, and 14 were still at large, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's office said.

The value of the drugs smuggled has been estimated at $25 million-portions of which are believed to have been shared with Somali warlords and with their Islamist opponents - as noted in this 2003 report to Congress:

The Al-Ittihad al-Islami, or AIAI, Somalia's largest militant Islamic organization, is suspected of smuggling an illegal narcotic leaf known as Khat ("cot") into the United States.

Arrests and shipment seizures indicate a sharp increase in demand for the drug. Proceeds from East African Khat sales are likely remitted to Middle Eastern banks via Hawala network and wire services. It is likely that these funds pass through the hands of suspected AIAI members and other persons with possible ties to terrorist groups.

At a press conference yesterday, an FBI agent, Mark Mershon, said law enforcement officials hoped those arrested would cooperate with efforts to track down exactly where the laundered money from the drug sales went. The U.S. Attorney in Manhattan, Michael Garcia, re-affirmed that the khat trade is a known source of funding for Somali warlords.

UN critics have long complained the sprawling NY headquarters has been used as a drug smuggling exchange point for years.One former US Secretariat member ,named Tijuan, reported watching suitcases of money and cocaine being exchanged in the parking garage,and noted his attempts to report it fell on deaf ears, because UN operations enjoy diplomatic immunity,and because the agency has enormous reluctance to impose disciplinary restrictions on its employees.

Correction: The Secretariat member's book may be found here. By the way, his CORRECT NAME is Pedro Sanjuan.(Sorry 'bout that !!)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385513194/102-3342904-5378516?v=glance&n=283155

Canadian General Suggests Bombed UN Post Was Used for Cover by Hezbollah

Canadian Major General Lewis Mackenzie (ret.) - a "regular" on CBC radio and television-told Canadian Broadcasting he had received e-mailed  information from a Canadian soldier - killed by Israeli bombing of a UN outpost in Lebanon - that Hezbollah forces had been using the outpost for "cover" as they fired on the Israelis.

According to the General :

We received emails from him a few days ago, and he was describing the fact that he was taking fire within, in one case, three meters of his position for tactical necessity, not being targeted. Now that’s veiled speech in the military. What he was telling us was Hezbollah soldiers were all over his position and the IDF were targeting them. And that’s a favorite trick by people who don’t have representation in the UN. They use the UN as shields knowing that they can’t be punished for it.

Mackenzie, according to CBC,retired after 33 years of military service-much of which was spent in "peacekeeping" operations in the Middle East,and other troubled parts of the world.

Partial confirmation of the General's statement came from UNFIL (United Nations Forces in Lebanon) itself , in the form of a press release.

Another UN position of the Ghanaian battalion in the area of Marwahin in the western sector was also directly hit by one mortar round from the Hezbollah side last night. The round did not explode, and there were no casualties or material damage. Another 5 incidents of firing close to UN positions from the Israeli side were reported yesterday. It was also reported that Hezbollah fired from the vicinity of four UN positions at Alma ash Shab, Tibnin, Brashit, and At Tiri. All UNIFIL positions remain occupied and maintained by the troops.

Here is a link to an image found on Michelle Malkin's site today,which illustrates the proximity of Hezbollah and UN facilities prior to the current conflict.(Image age is unknown.)

http://michellemalkin.com/archives/images/hezlove002.jpg

100 or More Feared Dead in India Commuter Train Bombings

Per the Associated Press:

BOMBAY, India - Seven explosions hit Bombay's commuter rail network during rush hour Tuesday evening, killing as many as 100 people, the city's police chief said. Chaos engulfed the crowded rail network in India's financial capital following the blasts that ripped apart train compartments.

Will update further as more data comes in.

AFP reports:

The sprawling city of Mumbai, which is noted for its extensive underworld, has seen several bombings in the past. It was rocked in 1993 by a series of blasts which killed some 250 people and injured over 1,000.

On March 9 two separate blasts rocked the holy Hindu city of Varanasi, leaving more than a dozen killed and scores injured.

Police have blamed Muslim underground figures or Kashmiri militants for most of the attacks.

The Hindustan Times has updated information : There may be over 100 dead. Story is headed "Mumbai under attack" -which sounds about right. (Other stories show grenade attacks in other cities-apparently by Muslim extremists.)