Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Is there such a thing as different races in the human species? Or are we just one race – the human race?

I found this article: The K9 Comparison—What Dogs Tell Us About Humans

The article describes a scientist Dr Freedman who himself is in a bi-racial marriage, perform tests on different dog breeds to determine the effect of breed on behaviour.

Dog breeds provide the classic case study of within-species differentiation. Those who would dismiss race and race differences regularly point out that DNA differences between races are minimal. But, as Vincent Sarich demonstrated in Race: The Reality of Human Differences (pp. 170 – 173) human racial differences in morphology are greater than in any non-domesticated species. They are around ten times the difference between the sexes within each race and larger than the differences that distinguish the two species of chimpanzee. Despite minimal genetic differences, human physical racial differences are clearly observable.

(Studies show that humans share 98.4% of genetic information with Chimpanzees, so it only takes a little to change phenotypical differences in nature).

He submitted the paper on racial differences in neonate behavior to Science, the most prestigious scientific journal in the U.S. It had published his study behavioral differences in pups of different dog breeds without any problem or controversy. The paper on race differences, however, was rejected by a split vote of the reviewers. Interesting!

Freedman then submitted it to Nature, the British analogue to Science. It again received a split decision from the judges. Fortunately, the editor broke the deadlock by casting his deciding vote in favor of publication. [Behavioural Differences between Chinese–American and European–American Newborns D. G. Freedman & Nina Chinn Freedman, Nature December 20, 1969]

The following are the interesting scientific points to note to suggest there are different races, with different characteristics inherent in their genes.


New born babies were studied by neurologists using a maneuver called the "defense reaction", the baby's nose was briefly pressed with a cloth, forcing him to breathe with his mouth. Most Caucasian and black babies fight the maneuver by immediately turning away or swiping at the cloth with their hands. Not surprisingly, this is listed in Western pediatric textbooks as the normal, expected response.

But not so for the average Chinese babies in the study. They simply lay on their back, breathing from the mouth, "accepting" the cloth without a fight.

There were other more subtle differences. While both Chinese and Caucasian infants would start to cry at about the same point in the examination, especially when they were being undressed, Chinese babies stopped crying immediately, while Caucasian babies quieted only gradually.
The conclusions found that white babies started to cry more easily, and once they started, they were more difficult to console. Chinese babies adapted to almost any position in which they were placed. When placed face down in their cribs, they tended to keep their faces buried in the sheets rather than immediately turning to one side, as did the Whites.

Another scientific field that recognises racial difference is pharmacogenetics for example, the study of genetic differences in the tolerance and effectiveness of medicinal drugs. African American patients, on average, do not benefit as much as whites from ACE (Angiotensin Converting Enzyme) inhibitors, a standard treatment for heart failure. This is probably because of race differences in nitric oxide, which is produced by the cells that line our blood vessels and dampens contraction of the muscle cells, relaxing the vessels and lowering blood pressure. Blacks are more likely than whites to have nitric oxide insufficiency. Why, no one currently knows.

I would like to see this study conducted on children from bi-racial parents where the offspring are “pure” in their appearance of either being black/ asian/white to see if the mixed offspring will give the same response.

For example the image is of the “Hodgson twins” , where both the parents are bi-racial. They have twin daughters, one appears traditionally “black” while the other, with blonde hair and blue eyes appears “white”. To have one white offspring and one black offspring as twins is statisically a 1 in a million chance!

I’d like to see the results of the study done on these sorts of children, and the effects of mixed-race.

Genetics – interesting, no?

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Recommended reading and music List

The reading lists are for insight into the hegemony we are living in today, while the music is meant to inspire political activism. enjoy.

1984 - George Orwell
Genre(s): Dystopian, Political Novel
Publisher: Secker and Warburg (London)
Publication date: 8 June, 1949
ISBN 0-452-28423-6 (Paperback edition)

"War is Peace"
"Freedom is Slavery"
"Ignorance is Strength"
Need I say more?


Brave New World - Aldrous Huxley

Genre(s):Utopian novel
Publisher: Chatto and Windus (London)
Publication date:1932
ISBN 0-06-080983-3

Babies aren't grown anymore, they're harvested and cloned by the thousands. If you liked the movie Gattaca, you'll enjoy this book.


Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury

Genre(s): Dystopian novel
Publisher:Ballantine Books
Publication date:1953
ISBN 978-0-7432-4722-1 (current hardcover edition)

Books are banned and burned in this literary masterpiece




This Perfect Day - Ira Levin
Genre(s): Science fiction
Publisher: Random House
Publication date: 1970
ISBN: 0394448588

All the races of men are eugenically merged into one race with one language and one world controlled by UniComp. Everyone is medicated to be sheeple, and euthanized at 62. This is THE BEST dysotopian novel I've ever come across.


Christ, Marx, Wood and Wei, Led us to this perfect day.
Marx, Wood, Wei and Christ, All but Wei were sacrificed.
Wood, Wei, Christ and Marx, Gave us lovely schools and parks.
Wei, Christ, Marx and Wood, Made us humble, made us good.




Battlefield Earth - L.Ron Hubbard

Genre(s):Science fiction
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication date: 1982
ISBN 1-59212-007-5

Johnnie Goodboy Tyler tries to unite the last remaining tribes on Earth in a final showdown with the Alien suppressors. Great for learning subversive military tactics in the presence of an occupying force. The movie was sacrilege, read the book.



Inferno - Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle

Genre(s):Science fiction novel
Publisher:Pocket Books
Publication date :1976
ISBN 0-671-80490-1

Dante Alighieri's divine comedy in a modern day science fiction novel. It's a wild ride through the 12 circles of hell. Hold on tight, because you never know where you might end up.



The New Testament
books Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Revelations.
Jesus; he was a revolutionary, a hippie, and an all round nice guy. He gives new meaning to the concept of passive resistance.


Stand My Ground - Traveling Wilburys
Dixie Chicks - Not ready to make nice
Edwin Star - War, what is it good for?
Pink - Dear Mr President
Pink Floyd - Another brick in the wall
Greenday - American Idiot
Greenday - Minority
The Verve - Bittersweet Symphony
Get Up, Stand Up - Bob Marley
Do the Evolution - Pearl Jam
Rage against the machine - Killing in the name of
Rage against the machine - Testify

Send me your picks to add to the music and reading list for Political Activists (ideology non-specific).

Your Choices
Music
Working Class Hero - John Lennon
The 4th Branch - Immortal Technique
Take the Power Back - Rage Against the Machine
Prayer of the Refugee - Rise Against
Shakedown -Behind Crimson Eyes
The Good Soldier- Nine Inch Nails
Black Masks and Gasoline - Rise Against
A Perfect Circle's "Emotive" album - they covered a bunch of protest songs like, 'Gimme Gimme Gimme', 'Imagine' and 'People are People'
Capital G - Nine Inch Nails
Suvivalism - Nine Inch Nails

Books
One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest by Ken Kessey
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

The Best Activist Song of All Time

Stand My Ground by the Traveling Wilburys

Regardless of which side of politics you're on - left or right, it doesn't matter. This song is for anyone who gave a damn about anything!

TRIVIA: You'll notice the drummer is Ringo Star from the Beatles, who is also the voice of Thomas the Tank Engine, and Tom Petty is the lead vocalist on guitar.

Friday, March 7, 2008

A visit by ASIO (Australian Securities Intelligence Organisation)

A comrade recently had a visit by the big "A", so i figured it's probably time for an expose' on some practical anarchy when dealing with ASIO/ NSA, and of course what to expect.
1. What to expect
Firstly, if you've paid attention to the news you would know that discussing killing the now ex-prime minister on the phone is not the smartest thing you could do. Let's face it, who hasn't thought of "boning" Jonnie anyway? But as we know, ASIO's recruitment program has grown exponentially over the past few years, and they do need to justify those inflated budgets somehow!

If you do appear to be important enough to be on their radar, the first stage is monitoring. You become flagged for surveillance if you have an association with someone who is being monitored.

You can then become a medium level threat - when your involvement in a suspected group is a low level threat and you meet other specified criteria (like access to weapons or chemicals in your job or you are one of the main activists in the flagged group), in which case you just might warrant a visit. That's when it gets really exciting.

They always come in pairs, and will generally visit your home, rather than your work place to maintain a low profile. Questions will be asked about why you belong to specific groups, your ideology, and your associations with other monitored people. Finally, they will demand that you sign a confidentially agreement. (more on that later).

All of your associations are then monitored as well - your friends and family to determine what threat level they possess. In most instances, your family is monitored purely for leverage and secondly as a weak link - hoping that under pressure they will divulge all of your dirty seditious secrets.

In a lot of cases, I believe the ASIO visit is just to let people know that they are being watched, therefore hoping to prevent any escalation of seditious behaviour; to "put the scares in em". In other instances, they are intentionally obtuse, thrusting warrants and injunctions around like confetti.

2. How to deal with them
The first visit is to touch base with you, but their contract of confidentiality certainly has chutzpah. They will demand that you have no right, no authority and no choice but to abide by their rules, sign the agreement and say nothing about their visitation. Their aim is gentling - to break your psyche like a horse into accepting what they say as gospel. They will tell you that signing the agreement does not mean that you agree to the terms and conditions, but that you MUST sign it with various B.S reasons.

Technically they are right, and signing a document doesn't mean that you have agreed to the terms and conditions. However, legally in signing a document you are BOUND by the terms and conditions. Once you sign it, it is a legal contract where your signature will be upheld in a court of law. So if you sign a confidentiality agreement and then tell others about your story, you will be held accountable.

You have the right to NOT sign the document!

You have the right to retain the document and have a lawyer look at it!

You have the right to disagree with everything that they say to you!

You have the right NOT to meet them!

You have the right NOT to answer any questions!

You have the right NOT to let them into your home or office (unless they have a warrant)!

You have the right to read the warrant BEFORE letting them into your home or office!

above all You have the right to REFUSE!

Their game is to break your psychological resolve, by applying pressure. Keep your cool, don't get angry. Once you loose your cool, games' over.

When they have a warrant there isn't a lot you can do, but you do have the right to be present in the house to "assist". I've heard from other comrades stories about how ASIO officers provided a warrant to search the guys house (lets call him Joe for the sake of argument). The warrant was requesting specific information which Joe was happy to hand over, but begged them to let him hand over the stuff when he got home, which they agreed. Suffice it to say, Joe didn't believe them and went home anyway to find them rifling through every facet of his home leaving as much mess as they could.

This is an intimidation technique, where anyone with an ego trip consciously makes your life difficult for no other reason that they can. Put it another way, destruction of property is just in a days job in securing the nation, so, say goodbye to the perfect and prized couch, which is obviously hiding illicit documents.

Above all, it's important to remain friendly, calm and if possible document as much of the event as you can through any medium that you can (photographs, recordings or just take notes, about time, location, names of agents, what they did). Take photos of how they left the property after they've gone. Remember, in a war of information, it pays to collect your own.

After a visit make sure you don't have any conversations on the phone that can be taken out of context (like offing the prime minister). When you do meet up with other monitored people, don't take your phone, and if you do, take the battery out. They can only track you when the cell phone is on.

Finally, if you still haven't had a visit by ASIO and you want one, I'd call up all your friends and talk about all the bombs you're going to make, head off to bunnings and buy as much fertilizer as you possibly can, and call as many chemical companies asking about how you can get your hands on some much needed Uranium. So if you're not being monitored now, its only a matter of time before every conversation you have is recorded.

Fortunately, I'm still waiting for my visit....

For more information on YOUR rights when visited by ASIO:
http://www.activistrights.org.au/cb_pages/asio_visit.php

and above all KNOW YOUR RIGHTS!