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Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Iran and the Recurring Bad Dream

Whiskey & Gunpowder
by Jeffrey Tucker

April 4, 2012
Auburn, Alabama, U.S.A.

Maybe U.S. energy independence isn't such a great thing after all. Some years ago, when the American political class was whooping it up for war with China, what stopped the push were the American commercial interests who essentially said, "What, are you crazy? This is bad for business. We need China, and China needs us. You can't do business during a shooting war."
In contrast, an isolated Iran is a dispensable Iran. And an energy-independent U.S. is a warlike U.S., presuming to tell nations such as Japan, Turkey and Spain where they can buy their own from, at what quantities, and under what terms. How does the U.S. get away with this? Take a look at the U.S. military bases around the world and see. The U.S. may be an empire in decline but until that decline turns to fall, we are going to continue to see this repeat performance of sanctions followed by war.
Between Israel's daily threats against Iran and Obama's absurd claims that wind and sun can easily replace internal combustion, we have to rely on the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to make any sense in this world. He said that an Israeli attack on Iran would be disastrous for the entire region. It is certain to embroil the U.S. in a war that would be equally disastrous for the U.S. as a whole (but probably beneficial in some way for the U.S. government).
If there was ever a clear exhibit that government learns nothing from its past -- nothing from its long record of fiascos, waste, destruction, and pointless killing -- the pressure against Iran now mounting day by day is it. This repeat performance is going to turn out as bad or worse than the Iraqi mess.
Americans who have paid no attention to the saber rattling against Iran shouldn't feel so bad. It's like watching old reruns on television. It was interesting the first time, perhaps, but you can watch a second time only if there is nothing else on. Or perhaps America's leaders are cynically counting on short memories: Who cares about the past?
The plotline seems the same as Iraq (and only one letter difference). The truth is that most Americans can't tell Iran from Iraq in any case. All the elements are there. Iran is headed by a guy the U.S. doesn't like. It is said, without evidence, that Iran "may" be "researching" nuclear technology, which Iran denies has anything to do with "weapons of mass destruction," but the U.S. knows better than to believe this line.
Step one is the path of sanctions. Step two is to observe that the sanctions didn't work to turn foreign leaders into compliant lambs. Step three is to make daily crazy claims that can be neither confirmed nor credibly refuted. Finally, another war.
The U.S. doesn't buy any Iranian oil, but the U.S. is leading a global campaign to stop anyone else from doing so. Iran has the fourth-largest oil reserves in the world. They export to China, which takes 22% of Iran's crude oil exports. Japan (14%) and India (13%) are next. Then the European Union imports 18% of Iran's total exports, and that's mainly Italy and Spain. South Korea (10%) and Turkey (7%) are also sizeable importers.
Of all these countries, only China has not yet bowed to U.S. pressure to cut and curb imports of Iranian oil. Meanwhile, Iran's oil business has been growing like crazy in the last 10 years, increasing by nine times the dollar value from 2000 to today. It is now the fourth-largest exporter behind Saudi Arabia, Russia and the U.S. And there's vast untapped reserves in Iran; the country is well positioned to move up the rankings in the years ahead.
Meanwhile, despite all of Obama's latest talk about the U.S. moving away from U.S. oil consumption and production, it is very obvious, at this point, that the U.S. in an a better position to achieve the great dream of "energy independence" than at any point since the 1970s. As Robert Samuelson writes, "in 2011, oil imports fell to 45% of consumption, the sixth year of decline." Moreover, if you consider total domestic resources, the "proved reserves" are only a drop in the bucket.
What does it all mean? It means that there are perceived low risks for the U.S. in badgering Iran, and even going down the path to war. It could be knocking out a big competitor to the U.S.' regime friends in the region, such as Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, and have no serious consequence for the U.S. (beyond risking property and lives, but since when has the government cared about that?).
The White House has said as much: "There currently appears to be sufficient supply of non-Iranian oil to permit foreign countries to significantly reduce their import of Iranian oil," said a White House press release. "In fact, many purchasers of Iranian crude oil have already reduced their purchases or announced they are in productive discussions with alternative suppliers."
For this reason, the U.S. keeps tightening the noose more and more. It's like the 1990s with Iraq. Same damn thing. Incredible. And all based on a public rationale that is completely unproven, namely that Iran is secretly developing a nuclear program toward developing WMDs, even though there is absolutely no evidence at all that this is the case.
Just as with Iraq, the official rationale for the belligerence has nothing to do with the actual driving dynamics, which all come down to the matter of oil production, supply, trade and competition. We are supposed to believe that the U.S. is only making the world a safer place by batting down crazy world leaders who want nuclear weapons; the reality is that the U.S is fomenting war solely to advance what it sees as the economic interests of the government, its favored producers and its regime friends around the world.
Thomas Jefferson summed up the best case against all this frenzied pressure against Iran: "The state of peace is that which most improves the manners and morals, the prosperity and happiness of mankind." Sanctions and war do exactly the opposite.
Regards,
Jeffrey Tucker
Executive editor, Laissez Faire Books

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Bill Gates and Foundation Corporate Takeover of Global Agriculture

It is amazing what money will do to normal human beings... perverting their judgment, causing them to want more power and control over others.  The food issue, globally, is one of the greatest threats to human survival there is.  Unless we become educated about these threats and take steps to educate others, we will all be in trouble in the near future.  Help us to get the word out about this developing war, and to bring agricultural freedom to the world... transitionearth.com
__________________________________________________________________

Bill Gates, Monsanto, and eugenics: How

 one of the world's wealthiest men is

 actively promoting a corporate takeover

 of global agriculture

Wednesday, February 29, 2012 by: Ethan A. Huff, staff writer (NaturalNews) http://www.naturalnews.com/035105_Bill_Gates_Monsanto_eugenics.html#ixzz1r0KCMHmJ

After it was exposed that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the philanthropic brainchild of Microsoft founder Bill Gates, purchased 500,000 shares in Monsanto back in 2010 valued at more than $23 million, it became abundantly clear that this so-called benevolent charity is up to something other than eradicating disease and feeding the world's poor (http://www.guardian.co.uk). It turns out that the Gates family legacy has long been one of trying to dominate and control the world's systems, including in the areas of technology, medicine, and now agriculture.

The Gates Foundation, aka the tax-exempt Gates Family Trust, is currently in the process of spending billions of dollars in the name of humanitarianism to establish a global food monopoly dominated by genetically-modified (GM) crops and seeds. And based on the Gates family's history of involvement in world affairs, it appears that one of its main goals besides simply establishing corporate control of the world's food supply is to reduce the world's population by a significant amount in the process.

William H. Gates Sr., former head of

 eugenics group Planned Parenthood

Bill Gates' father, William H. Gates Sr., has long been involved with the eugenics group Planned Parenthood, a rebranded organization birthed out of the American Eugenics Society. In a 2003 interview with PBS' Bill Moyers, Bill Gates admitted that his father used to be the head of Planned Parenthood, which was founded on the concept that most human beings are just 'reckless breeders' and 'human weeds' in need of culling (http://www.pbs.org/now/transcript/transcript_gates.html).

Gates also admitted during the interview that his family's involvement in reproductive issues throughout the years has been extensive, referencing his own prior adherence to the beliefs of eugenicist Thomas Robert Malthus, who believed that populations of the world need to be controlled through reproductive restrictions. Though Gates claims he now holds a different view, it appears as though his foundation's initiatives are just a modified Malthusian approach that much more discreetly reduces populations through vaccines and GMOs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Robert_Malthus).

Gates Foundation has invested heavily

 in converting Asian, African agricultural

 systems to GMOs

William Gates Sr.'s association with Planned Parenthood and continued influence in the realm of 'population and reproductive health' is significant because Gates Sr. is co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (http://www.gatesfoundation.org/leadership/Pages/william-gates-sr.aspx). This long-time eugenicist 'guides the vision and strategic direction' of the Gates Foundation, which is currently heavily focused on forcing GMOs on Africa via its financing of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA).

The Gates Foundation has admittedly given at least $264.5 million in grant commitments to AGRA (www.gatesfoundation.org/about/Documents/BMGFFactSheet.pdf), and also reportedly hired Dr. Robert Horsch, a former Monsanto executive for 25 years who developed Roundup, to head up AGRA back in 2006. According to a report published in La Via Campesina back in 2010, 70 percent of AGRA's grantees in Kenya work directly with Monsanto, and nearly 80 percent of the Gates Foundation funding is devoted to biotechnology (http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_21606.cfm).

The same report explains that the Gates Foundation pledged $880 million in April 2010 to create the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP), which is a heavy promoter of GMOs.  GAFSP, of course, was responsible for providing $35 million in 'aid' to earthquake-shattered Haiti to be used for implementing GMO agricultural systems and technologies.

Back in 2003, the Gates Foundation invested $25 million in 'GM (genetically modified) research to develop vitamin and protein-enriched seeds for the world's poor,' a move that many international charities and farmers groups vehemently opposed (http://healthfreedoms.org). And in 2008, the Gates Foundation awarded $26.8 million to Cornell University to research GM wheat, which is the next major food crop in the crosshairs of Monsanto's GM food crop pipeline (http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_21606.cfm
).
 

If you control agriculture, you control

 the populations of the world

The Gates Foundation's ties with Monsanto and corporate agriculture in general speak volumes about its real agenda, which is to create a monopolistic system of world control in every area of human life. Vaccines, pharmaceuticals, GMOs, reproductive control, weather manipulation, global warming -- these and many other points of entry are the means by which the Gates Foundation is making great strides to control the world by pretending to help improve and save it.

Rather than promote real food sovereignty and address the underlying political and economic issues that breed poverty, Gates and Co. has instead embraced the promotion of corporately-owned and controlled agriculture and medicine paradigms that will only further enslave the world's most impoverished. It is abundantly evident that GMOs have ravished already-impoverished people groups by destroying their native agricultural systems, as has been seen in India (
http://www.naturalnews.com/030913_Monsanto_suicides.html).

Some may say Gates' endeavors are all about the money, while others may say they are about power and control. Perhaps it is a combination of both, where Gates is still in the business of promoting his own commercial investments, which includes buying shares in Monsanto while simultaneously investing in programs to promote Monsanto.

Whatever the case may be, there is simply no denying that Gates now has a direct interest in seeing Monsanto succeed in spreading GMOs around the world. And since Gates is openly facilitating Monsanto's growth into new markets through his 'humanitarian' efforts, it is clear that the Gates family is in bed with Monsanto.

'Although Bill Gates might try to say that the Foundation is not linked to his business, all it proves is the opposite: most of their donations end up favoring the commercial investments of the tycoon, not really 'donating' anything, but instead of paying taxes to state coffers, he invests his profits in where it is favorable to him economically, including propaganda from their supposed good intentions,' wrote Silvia Ribeiro in the Mexican news source La Jornada back in 2010.

'On the contrary, their 'donations' finance projects as destructive as geoengineering or replacement of natural community medicines for high-tech patented medicines in the poorest areas of the world ... Gates is also engaged in trying to destroy rural farming worldwide, mainly through the 'Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa' (AGRA). It works as a Trojan horse to deprive poor African farmers of their traditional seeds, replacing them with the seeds of their companies first, finally by genetically modified (GM).'
 

Friday, March 30, 2012

This Makes Everything Obsolete 50,000x thinner than a human hair... 230x more powerful than silicon... 200x stronger than steel…





Nick Hodge's Early Advantage









This Makes Everything Obsolete


       50,000x thinner than a human hair...
230x more powerful than silicon...
200x stronger than steel


New"miracle materialpromises breakthroughs 
in everything from batteries and medical science...
to oil exploration and defense systems...


Here's your chance to be first in line for 300% gains.

Hello. I'm Nick Hodge.


I want to welcome and thank you for joining me for this very special briefing.

As you know, it's very rare for one resource to define an entire era of human history — and change everything about the way we live, work, and create.

The widespread use of copper heralded the Bronze Age with its advances in metallurgy. 

Centuries later, steel swept us into the Iron Age with cheaper tools and greater food production.

Many would say the Industrial Revolution brought us the "Oil Age," and that our own era could be defined as the "Silicon Age."

Yet what very few understand is that another age is just beginning to dawn…


One that promises top-to-bottom breakthroughs affecting everything from the blood cells in your veins and the neurons in your brain to military defense systems, the manufacture and powering of electronic devices, and so much more...

And it's all because of one microscopic substance, isolated for the first time in 2004.

In fact, its potential is so breathtaking that its discovery won two scientists a Nobel Prize six years later.

And now, more than 200 of the world's biggest companies and governments are spending tens of billions of dollars researching it.

Before I get into how this substance was discovered, let me tell you a little bit about it...

This "miracle material" is not only 200x stronger than steel, it's also tougher than diamonds — making it the strongest substance on earth. pic1In fact, one sheet of it no thicker than Saran Wrap can support a fully-grown elephant!


And yet, it's also the world's most elastic substance. You can bend, twist and fold it into any shape you like. Imagine rolling up your iPhone and wearing it behind your ear...

As you'll soon see, that day is closer than you think.

This material is also extremely thin — 50,000x thinner than a human hair — meaning you could soon be watching movies on a television no thicker than wallpaper.

Yet even more exciting is what this substance can actually do.


Here's just one example: It conducts electronic information 230% faster than silicon, making it possible to download 3-D movies and charge your iPhone in just seconds.

Small wonder why the BBC calls it "a wonder material waiting to happen" that "could spell the end for silicon and change the future of computers and other devices forever."

Or why the Huffington Post said: "Nothing and no one will be safe from becoming obsolete."

Quite a startling claim — and as you'll see, a true one.

But first, let me show you the incredible story behind this mind-blowing discovery. It's almost too simple to be believed.

Here's what happened...


Late one Friday night in 2004, two professors at Manchester University in Britain used a piece of Scotch tape to strip away flakes of graphite from a lead pencil.

Next, they dissolved the tape with acetone and placed the remaining graphite on a silicon wafer.

Then, with the aid of an ordinary microscope, they found it: a single sheet of carbon one atom thick.

picture2.3712That's right: one atom thick — the thinnest material ever discovered...

And, as they realized, the strongest, most elastic and most conductive material on earth.


The two scientists called it graphene.

As you can imagine, it wasn't long before something this powerful began attracting attention from the very powerful...

So much attention, in fact, that in 2010 the Nobel Committee awarded Professors Konstantin Novoselov and Andre Geim a Nobel Prize in Physics for their discovery.

Now, it might seem strange that something as abundant as carbon atoms could cause such a stir, or promise so much.

But when you remember how carbon serves as the building block of all organic molecules and all life on earth, only then does it make sense why carbon's own "building blocks" — atoms — hold the key to enriching our lives in so many ways.


Now, with the discovery of graphene, we finally have a way to harness them.

So get ready... because as you'll see with graphene, the future is here — right now.


"No Intrinsic Limits"

In February 2010, IBM announced it had created the world's tiniest transistor, made not from silicon... but from graphene.


And when I say tiny, I'm talking tiny — no larger than a grain of salt. Even more importantly, it's also the world's fastest transistor, handling frequencies up to 155GHz.

To give you an idea of what this means, silicon can operate at a speed of "only" 40GHz...

Meaning that just one tiny clump of graphene transmits electrical information 230% faster than a silicon wafer!


picture3.3712Stunning as this sounds, it's really just the beginning.

As IBM researcher Dr. Yu-ming Lin says: "In terms of the speed of the transistor, we currently see no intrinsic limits into how fast it can go."


That's right: no intrinsic limits.

So what does this mean for you?

Forget broadband — get ready for extremeband, as huge chunks of data that once took you minutes (or hours) to download now arrive in just seconds.

And you can forget about waiting hours (or even minutes!) for your iPhone to fully charge...

With much higher frequencies, you'll never have to worry about losing a call every time you enter an elevator or parking garage...

The military and police will be able to detect concealed weapons...


Your doctor can conduct medical imaging without exposing you to dangerous radiation from X-rays...

As Walt de Heer, a professor at Georgia Tech's School of Physics said, "We're not trying to do something cheaper or better; we're going to do things that can't be done at all with silicon."


Now, I might be getting a little bit ahead of myself here, so let me show you just one of the ways graphene is revolutionizing electronics...

E-lastics

Ever wonder why iPhones crack and break so easily?

They're made with indium tin oxide (ITO). Not only is it brittle, but at over $700,000 per ton, ITO is extremely expensive.

Two years ago, researchers at Rice University experimenting with graphene came up with a solution...

Using graphene-based compounds, they created the world's first paper-thin touch screen. And not only is it the world's thinnest touchscreen... it's also the most transparent, absorbing 400% less light than ITO.


But here's the fun part: As you'll recall, graphene isn't just the thinnest or most conductive substance on earth, it's also the strongest and most elastic. 

Not only will you never have to worry about dropping and breaking your computer or smartphone; you'll soon be wearing it around your wrist!

Now, if this sounds like something a little too far off to get excited about, consider this...

picture4

Nokia and Samsung unveiled their own ultra-thin, flexible electronics (the Kinetic and Galaxy Skin) in 2011.

Samsung promises to start shipping the Galaxy Skin during the first half of this year.


That's what we're looking at right now: lightning-fast, elastic, ultra-thin, transparent and unbreakable electronics.

It seems with graphene, the future just keeps happening faster and faster — and not just with consumer electronics. Graphene will have near limitless uses in the energy field as well...

It's already been shown to increase the capacity and recharge speed of lithium-ion batteries by as much as 10x.

It even extends the batteries' life by erasing the limitations of common graphite anodes.

This will make solar and wind more competitive and allow electric cars to drive much further on each charge.

But graphene's uses aren't limited to clean energy. It could also usher in...

 

A New Era in Oil Exploration


Graphene could be a key component in uncovering large pockets of oil and natural gas hidden deep with the earth.

Let me explain.

One popular method of exploration uses small wireless sensors to wander deep within tiny cracks and crevices, from where they send data on any discoveries back to the surface. It's a wonderfully safe and cost-efficient technology.

Wrap-around Solar Panels

In the December 2010 issue of Nanotechnology, MIT scientists Jing Kong and Vladimir Buloviae showed how graphene can replace the expensive silicon and brittle indium-tin oxide now used in solar panels.

They found that with its superior conductivity, graphene can gather many more electrons from solar cells, creating a much stronger current.

And because it absorbs just 2.3% of light, graphene's electrodes can be applied to organic solar cells without blocking the sun — meaning you could soon have solar panels in place of glass windows!

Even more surreal, its elasticity would also make for much easier installation, allowing you to just wrap the solar panels around corners on the roof and walls of your house.



The problem is sensors powered by conventional batteries can be made only so small.

And that means the tiniest cracks and crevices are still off-limits to exploration. 

But not for long...

That's because researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute discovered they could generate small amounts of electricity just by letting water and other fluids flow over materials coated with graphene.

In fact, their tests demonstrated that one sheet of graphene just .03 millimeters by .015 millimeters can generate 85 nanowatts of power...


Which means that by using graphene as a “smart skin,” tiny, self-powered microsensors could soon find oil and gas in previously undiscovered locations.

The oil and natural gas shale boom currently under way could grow several times over because of previously undetected reserves now able to be found with graphene technology.

Yet, as excited as I am about all of this, it's really just the tip of the iceberg...

We've only scratched the surface of how graphene will impact the electronics and energy industries.

Now let's see what it can do for modern medicine.


A
Cochlear Implantfor Your Brain


Graphene promises not only to make the world more fun and exciting; it could also bring long hoped-for relief to millions of people suffering from Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, blindness, epilepsy, paralysis, and other neurological disorders.

Who Cares about Graphene?

Discovered just eight years ago, more than 200 corporations, universities, and governments are now spending tens of billions of dollars researching graphene – including:

Air Force Office of Scientific Research



Chinese Academy of Sciences

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)

Georgia Tech

IBM

Juelich Research Center, Germany

Lockheed Martin

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)


Nankai University, China

NASA

National Science Foundation

NEUROCARE

Nokia

Office of Naval Research

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Samsung

Sungkyunkwan University, South Korea


Swedish Defense Material Administration

Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Germany

University of Cambridge, UK

University of Manchester, UK

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

University of Southern California

University of Trieste, Italy

U.S. Department of Energy

Vision Institute


Walter Schottky Institut at Technical University of Munich

Wayne State University





Here's how...

One major way scientists have been trying to repair or restore damaged nervous systems is by implanting electrodes in the brain that stimulate the nerves. The neural signals are then recorded by prosthetic devices, allowing patients to perform functions and movements they couldn't otherwise.

It's an exciting new age in neuroprosthetics.

The problem doctors face right now is the "noise" caused by the platinum and iridium oxide in these electrodes, which often makes it difficult to record neural signals...


Plus making the electrodes small enough to implant reduces the charge they can carry.

Enter: graphene.

Scientists in Europe and the United States believe with its vastly superior conductivity, graphene alone holds the key to greater nerve stimulation and stronger neural signals...

Dr. Laura Ballerini, professor of physiology at Trieste University in Italy, says:

"Our findings show that carbon nanotubes [rolled-up sheets of graphene], like the nervous cells of our brain, are excellent electrical signal conductors and form intimate mechanical contacts with cellular membranes, thereby establishing a functional link to neuronal structures." 


Researcher Jose Antonio Garrido at the Walter Schottky Institut at Technical University of Munich says graphene is:

"… a very promising material which could enable important breakthroughs in the field of bioelectronics and neural prosthesis in a not too far future."

And Dr. Mark-Ming Cheng at Wayne State University says graphene:

"enables a larger electrical charge and can be made smaller than previous electrodes, yet still big enough to do the job. The smaller size and higher conductivity also decreases impedance, enabling clearer readings of neural activity."

In fact, Dr. Cheng believes graphene electrodes could soon give undreamt-of mobility to "more than 200,000 patients with full or partial paralysis" in America alone.

Keep in mind that the cost of care for these patients right now is well over $200 billion a year.


If graphene is successful in relieving the agony of just one group of patients suffering from crushing disabilities, the benefits to one and all would be staggering.

And it gets even better — because graphene's explosive potential doesn't end with helping people suffering from neurological disorders... far from it!

Some of the other medical miracles graphene is set to deliver include:


  • Killing Cancer, Not Healthy Cells: It's no secret that many anti-cancer drugs  while effective can also produce terrible side effects such as nerve and liver damage. Scientists at Nankai University in China have found a way around this with a delivery system using graphene oxide as the drug carrier. Because graphene oxide has a very high surface area, it can transport larger amounts of anti-cancer drugs. And since cancer cells are more acidic than healthy ones, this carrier releases the drugs only when pH decreases! This could soon allow doctors to use more anti-cancer drugs with much less harm to healthy cells meaning both much more effective treatments and greatly reduced side effects for patients. 
  • Synthetic Blood: When a trauma victim is losing lots of blood, there's no time to worry about shortages, rare blood types, or tainted supplies... Fortunately, these worries could   soon be a relic of the past with the creation of HBOC-201, a "blood substitute" that  restores the hemoglobin that carries oxygen. To maintain blood flow and prevent clots from forming, HBOC-201 also contains heparina key ingredient of which is graphene. HBOC-201 has already proved to  be a resounding success after Australian doctors used it to save the life of 33-year-old woman who suffered major blood loss from a car accident.
  • Super-Strong Muscles: By spinning densely-packed graphene nanoribbons into a tight yarn, researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas created artificial muscle fibers that exert 100x the force of natural muscles and can rotate objects 2000x their own weight.  Aside from the staggering potential this holds for machines and artificial limbs, doctors also believe it could make possible nanorobots strong enough to propel throughout the  bloodstream delivering drugs, removing parasites, and much more.
  • New Human Tissue: Researchers at the Air Force Laboratory in Ohio are using graphene to grow new human tissue after watching how cells proliferate when attached to surfaces coated with graphene oxide. Researcher Oscar Ruiz says, "A material that allows faster and more efficient growth of cells would indeed find many applications in the fields of biomedicine and biotechnology" such as "tissue engineering or to grow structures that could help heal wounds." And Dr. Daniil Stolyarov at Graphene Labs says he is now "exploring the possibility of using graphene as a membrane in the next generation of artificial kidneys. "

At this point, one might ask if there's any stunning breakthrough graphene won't be responsible for bringing us...

 

The Battlefield of the Future


Because if there's any substance that can do the impossible, graphene seems to be it.

Even if the "impossible" includes making entire objects invisible.

You read that correctly. For the very first time, The Invisible Man might no longer be a work of fantastical fiction...

Here's why:

Scientists at UT Dallas discovered that with sufficient electrical stimulation, a sheet of graphene heats up so much that the difference in temperature between it and the surrounding area causes light rays to bend, cloaking objects right behind the graphene.


As just one possibility, imagine what this could mean for tomorrow's battlefield... as invisible tanks and fighter jets quickly overwhelm their bewildered enemies.tearsheet1.31512

If you think this sounds too far out, consider this... 

A company called Nanoflight has taken this discovery to the next level by creating a graphene aerogel for the Israeli army to "paint" on their missiles.

In tests, they discovered this aerogel actually absorbs radio waves emitted from radar systems and scatters them as heat...

Making the missiles invisible!

Eli Shaldag, an Israeli Air Force official, says:

 "This is a breakthrough with the potential to change the rules of the game in the battlefield," and that, "We are only at the beginning and are discovering new worlds every day."


 

4,000% Increase in Demand Since 2010

Whether by powering and unleashing entirely new kinds of electronics and medical breakthroughs, or just making entire objects invisible...

Absolutely nothing holds a candle to graphene in its potential to enrich our lives.


That's why BCC Research believes commercial sales of graphene are set to explode from $67 million in 2015 to $675 million by 2020...

And why, according to Futures Inc., demand for graphene-based ink, photodiodes, high-frequency transistors, and conductive coatings has already increased 4,000% since 2010...

And why graphene producer CVD Equipment (CVV) has soared 300% in less than two years:

CVD chartDemand for their graphene-based products is now so high, in fact, that CVD experienced a record 376% backlog last year!

There's no question about it... The future of electronics, energy, medicine, and defense all belong to graphene — meaning trillions of dollars in opportunities are about to harvested.


 

Profit Right from the Source

So how can you best position yourself to profit from this astonishing mega-trend?

Surprisingly enough, it's not with graphene producers or distributors...

Don't get me wrong; I believe investors who pick the right ones will do very well.


But the truth is the money behind the money lies with the source.

Because without graphite, there is no graphene.

It's that simple.

Now, many people simply assume graphite is as common as the rock from which it's mined. And that assumption was right for a long time...

While commodities like copper gold, silver, and even corn and wheat have been surging higher for a decade, graphite was one of the last commodities to respond — and prices were actually in the tank from 1990 through 2005.


There was plenty of spare capacity from China, which still dominates graphite mining to this day.

But gradually, growth in automobile and steel demand began to eat up that spare capacity and prices began to rise, growing steadily through 2008.

The discovery of graphene has pushed demand even higher.

Today, the startling truth is that it's mined in only five countries. 

One of these countries is North Korea.

Another is China, which produces 70%-80% of the world's graphite.

That puts graphite in a rare earth-type situation, in that China has a near stranglehold on the market — and is already adding export and Value Added Taxes (VAT) as graphite's dominant future creeps closer and closer.


Like with rare earths, China sold its abundant resources on the cheap when demand was low, and then when demand rose, the Chinese manipulated the market to sell what was left at much higher prices.

That's what set off the rare earth boom of 2009 and 2010, sending any company with access to rare earths outside of China soaring thousands of percent:

Quantum rare earth chartAnd it's exactly what's happening with graphite right now.

China's production facilities and mines are old and may be nearing depletion. And they're trying to get top dollar for what they do have left.

The situation has led Industrial Minerals Magazine to declare: "the days of cheap, abundant graphite from China are over."

"The days of cheap, abundant graphite from China are over."
— Industrial
Minerals Magazine, May 2011



And the small supply that comes from outside China is typically used in full by the country where it's mined for traditional steel and automotive applications.

The situation has become so alarming, the British Geological Survey included graphite along with rare earth metals as resources at risk of a global supply disruption.


And both the EU and U.S. have declared it a critical supply mineral.

As you can see, all of this has had quite an impact on the price of carbon-rich sources of graphite:

industrialmineralsmag2Prices are up 300% in the last five years, giving a long-abandoned Canadian graphite mine the chance to be developed at a huge profit.

Back in the 1980s, a mining company found a large graphite deposit a few hours northwest of Ottawa in the middle of thousands of acres of Crown Land.

It ordered a full study on the property, known as a 43-101, and the engineering firm confirmed it was one of the largest graphite deposits the world had ever seen.

Unfortunately for that mining company (but very fortunately for you and the rest of the world), the price of graphite fell off a cliff.

The company built a processing facility and blasted for about a month, but it was soon out of business. And the entire operation — over a million tonnes of graphite — has been left idle...


Until now.

But with graphene's endless potential and Chinese manipulation pushing graphite prices higher and higher, one man has decided to bring this mine back to life...

Graphite Worth 31x its Current Share Price

I recently flew to Canada to meet him...

And we had plenty to talk about on the two-hour ride from Ottawa to the mine. 

With the official resource study complete, all that's left to do is a bankable feasibility study and permitting — both of which are currently under way. The mine is being built right now, and will be fully operational early next year.

Now when it comes to graphite, not all deposits are created equal. It's all about the size of the flakes and the carbon they contain.

I'll give you the firsthand info I got from the CEO...


University testing has confirmed the graphite at this site is superior to China's in terms of flake size, higher conductivity, and greater transparency. You can see how big the flakes are in this sample I found laying right on the ground:

Large Graphite Flakes

And with an extremely high carbon content of 98%, the 1.37 million tonnes of graphite this mine contains are ideal for producing unfathomable amounts of graphene for generations to come.

The bottom line: With carbon-rich graphite now at $2,500 to $3,000 per ton, this little miner is sitting on a $3.37 billion fortune!

And that's at the lower end of that price range, with only increases to come.

With a current market cap around $100 million, the graphite in the ground is worth at least 30 times what this company is trading for.


That's why I'm glad you're here with me today — because with this miner now in the final stages of permitting and production set to begin shortly, it's only a matter of time before the full value of the graphite it posses is applied to the share price.

The good news is that you can still scoop up as much of it as you want for less than $3.00...

I've prepared all of the details for you in a special private briefing, "The Money Behind the Money: How to Quadruple Your Wealth from Graphene's Rise."


And I want you to have it — free of charge — when you join me and thousands of other investors risk-free at Nick Hodge's Early Advantage.

Early Advantage is the resource for big profits from little-known breakthroughs and disruptive technologies in energy, electronics, technology, agriculture, and more...


No sector is off limits.

In just the past few years, my top-level research and market insights have led investors to massive triple-digit gains like:  


  •  119% on Cree (3-4 months)
  •  159% on Xethanol Inc. (2-3 months)
  •  316% on Akeena Solar (15 months)
  •  101% on JA Solar (14 months)
  •  391% on BYD Company (3 months)
  •  426% on Alternate Energy Holdings (3 months)
  •  110% on Solarfun Power (5 months)

Of course, those are just from some of my biggest gains...

"Smaller" ones include:


  • 33% on GS Agrifuels (1 day)
  • 28% on Arise Technologies (1 day)
  • 73% on World Energy Solutions (2 days)
  • 41% on Ener1, Inc. (1 day)
  • 82% on Capstone Turbine (7 months)
  • 32% on Akeena Solar (1 month)
  • 25% on Trina Solar (2 weeks)
  • 26% on Xantrex Technologies (12 days)
  • 30% on JA Solar (2 days)
  • 47% on SunPower (6 weeks)
  • 43% on GT Solar (1 month)
  • 54% on Yingli Green Energy (2 months)
  • 24% on ReneSola (6 days)
  • 40% on A-Power Energy (1 month)
  • 40% on Greenko (6-7 months)
  • 62% on Maxwell Technologies (3 months)
  • 32% on ABB (3 months)
  • 52% on Nevada Geothermal (6 months)
  • 42% on First Trust Global Wind Energy (8 months)
  • 35% on Ultra DJ-AIG (3 weeks)
  • 59% on American Superconductor (6-7 months)
  • 78% on PowerSave Energy (3 months)
  • 39% on Echelon (4 months)

There are hundreds of double-digit wins I could list from my performance over the past five years.

Nick Hodge



Nick Hodge is managing editor of Energy & Capital and investment director for the advisory Early Advantage.


He's been in the investment publishing business since graduating Loyola University in 2006.

Known for a "call it like you see it" approach to money and policy, his insights have led to numerous appearances on television and in various outlets on the Web – including the Business News Network and Yahoo!'s Daily Ticker.

Co-author of a bestselling book on energy investing, Nick has led tens of thousands of investors to ten triple-digit wins and over 220 double-digit wins in the space.


He's also passionate about public policy, population, agriculture, water, and raw materials.

His expertise ranges far beyond stocks...

In Early Advantage, Nick shows readers how to make money as well as protect and spend it.

When he's not writing, investing, or flying around the world to meet with company executives, Nick can usually be found either in a boat on the Eastern Seaboard or an on a Maryland farm pursuing the outdoor activities he grew up with and continues to love.

As you can imagine, spotting winners like these time and again isn't easy...

Hours and hours of research go into making sure that every single play has what it takes to put money in your hands.

Very often, it means taking long treks to desolate patches of land no one in their right mind would set foot in to grill CEOs and take a close, hard look at the true promise of every project... from chatting with startups based in Silicon Valley... to meeting and working with farmers... to inspecting mines in Alberta and Ontario...

You'll get the real boots-on-the-ground research most analysts just don't feel like

doing: obscure conferences and trade shows, site visits, private one-on-one interviews — all in the name of getting the early advantage on any money-making opportunity out there. 


Sometimes, of course, the promise doesn't jive with the fundamentals, and so a company ends up being left out of Early Advantage...

But whenever a company or fund does make the grade, you can be certain that readers of Early Advantage will be the first to know.

And the early advantage doesn't only apply to stocks. You'll get my musings on productivity, taxes, saving money, leisure, and more.


I share the same strategies, techniques, and habits I employ successfully in my own life. 

And that's why I keep receiving letters like these:

tearsheet.3.final

tearsheet.3.31512
tearsheet.3.3612 tearsheet.4.31512 tearsheet.5.31512 

You can join them today without risking a single penny.

Your Ultimate Resource for Big Energy Riches


When you test-drive Early Advantage for 60 days, you'll have exclusive access to the same kinds of little-known plays that have already delivered double- and triple-digit gains time and again... often in just a few days, weeks, or months.

So how much does it cost to receive Early Advantage for an entire year?

Well, when you consider the hours and hours of research required to investigate each possible play… the mountains of data that must be sifted through… and the extensive traveling often required… I think you'll agree I'd be well justified in charging at least a few thousand dollars for this kind of service.


The truth is, it would be really hard to put a price tag on all of this hard-won intel. You can be sure any Wall Street broker would eagerly charge thousands of dollars...

Of course, the last thing I am is a Wall Street broker.

So you won't pay anywhere near this much. 

That's why one full year of Early Advantage costs just $699.

Remember, we're talking about what could be life-changing riches from some of the world's most exciting energy and technology stocks... the kind most investors won't hear of until it's far too late.

I'd say that's quite a bargain.


Still, I think it could be even better...


Pay $200 Less than Regular Subscribers

For this special offer only, I'm slashing $200 off the regular price — so you can get an entire year of Early Advantage for only $499.


Keep in mind you're not buying anything right now...

All you're agreeing to do is test-drive Early Advantage to see if it's right for you.

And if it's not, you won't pay a single penny. Period.

And it gets even better: If you ever become unsatisfied for any (or no) reason at all, just let me know any time and I'll send you a refund for the balance of your subscription.

It can't get much fairer than that.

So let me show you exactly what you'll get as soon as you join us:


  • Confidential Early Advantage Alerts – Complete details on the newest ways to make money in the energy and technology markets as fast as I can uncover them.
  • Clear and concise trading instructions – My service is so easy to follow, you can simply read the plays verbatim over the phone to your broker, or do them yourself in just minutes online.
  • Private access to the Early Advantage Members-Only Website – Here you'll have password-protected access to all my Special Reports, Alerts, and my entire Portfolio... every play I've ever made in the history of the service.
  • Outstanding Customer Support – If you ever have any questions or concerns, just call our Customer Support staff and get immediate live help anytime between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. (EST).

When you join me, you'll have immediate access to the following reports:


  • "The Money Behind the Money: How to Quadruple Your Wealth from Graphene's Rise"
  • Bonus Report #1: "Make 744x Your Money from the World's 'Forever Mine'"
  • Bonus Report #2: "Preventing the Meltdown: How Beryllium Could Revolutionize the Energy Industry"
  • Bonus Report #3: "323% Gains from the 'Other' Lithium"

The intel in just one of these special briefings could easily pay for your membership many times over...

And they're yours to keep, no matter what your final decision is.

But you must act fast...


All of the opportunities I've mentioned here are extremely time-sensitive.

They might be dirt cheap now — but this could change overnight, the second that word gets out to other investors...

Remember, you risk absolutely nothing by taking advantage of this spectacular opportunity.

Please don't let it slip through your fingers.

Best Regards,

Nick Hodge Signature

Nick Hodge
Editor, Early Advantage


Graphene - What Companies to Buy.....Graphene Discussion on Web Success Forum Finance Direc tory





Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Will the College Bubble Wreck America? The Great Student Loan Debt Default

Whiskey & Gunpowder
by Mac Slavo

March 28, 2012
The Great Student Loan Debt Default
Like the housing bubble, which was predicated on easy money and rising prices, student loan lending has increased to unprecedented levels over the last decade.
There is some $1 Trillion in outstanding student loan debt in the United States, the majority of it borrowed by individuals who were sold the idea that they could go to college, party with their buddies at fraternity and sorority houses for four years, get a piece of paper that says they've received higher education, and then land a job paying $100,000 a year right out of school.
Somewhere along the way, however, things changed. When these highly educated young adults finally received their degrees, it turned out that all of those hundred thousand dollar jobs they were promised were either exported to countries where laborers are paid a fraction of the cost to do the same work, or they simply evaporated as demand for goods and services in America and around the world collapsed.
With no jobs, no way to pay for their own livings expenses, and a mountain of debt an alarming 85% of 2011 college graduates were forced to move back in with mom and dad after they got out of school.
Now, though full-blown economic recovery is touted as being just around the corner, millions of debt laden graduates are still finding it difficult, if not impossible, to find any meaningful labor, especially the kind of labor that would make it possible for them to pay off those expensive loans.
In September of 2011 college loan default rates had approached 15%. Six months later, things have gotten much, much worse. According to the Federal Reserve, those rates are rising and fully 27% of all outstanding college loans are now 30 days or more past due:
"In other words at least $270 billion in student loans are no longer current. That this is happening with interest rates at record lows is quite stunning and a loud wake up call that it is not rates that determine affordability and sustainability: it is general economic conditions, deplorable as they may be, which have made the popping of the student loan bubble inevitable.
"It also means that if the rise in interest rate continues, then the student loan bubble will pop that much faster, and bring another $1 trillion in unintended consequences on the shoulders of the US taxpayer who once again will be left footing the bill.
"From Fitch:
"‘Fitch believes most student loan asset-backed securities (ABS) transactions remain well protected due to the government guarantee on Family Federal Education Program (FFELP) loans. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York recently reported that as many as 27% of all student loan borrowers are more than 30 days past due. Recent estimates mark outstanding student loans at $900 billion- $1 trillion. Fitch believes that the recent increase in past-due and defaulted student loans presents a risk to investors in private student loan ABS, but not those in ABS trusts backed by FFELP loans.
"Why is the bubble starting to pop now?
"‘Several macroeconomic factors are putting pressure on student loan borrowers. The main ones are unemployment and underemployment. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the current unemployment rate for people 20 to 24 years old at nearly 14% and for those 25 to 34 years old, 8.7%. Underemployment is difficult to measure for these demographics, but it is likely having a negative impact.
"Actually, no: the unemployment for 18-24 year olds is 46%. Yup: 46%.
Source: Zero Hedge
One in four college graduates can't make good on their student loans. These are massive numbers, folks.
Those default rates have nowhere to go but up – and yes, we're going to refer to them as ‘default rates', because even though the borrowers have yet to technically default, the odds of those back payments ever being made are virtually nil. There are simply no jobs out there for college graduates, as evidenced by the 46% unemployment rate among that age group.
In October of 2010 we warned of the popping of the college loan bubble:
"For college grads, it gets even worse. Not only can they not find a job, but they are putting financial pressure on their parents, who will now have to continue providing a home, food, and utilities until such time that their boomerang kid can get some meaningful work and contribute financially to the household. On top of that, they are debt laden with an average debt of over $23,000 once they graduate college. Considering that up until the recession, the average graduate made just $30,000 per year in an entry level position, and the fact that those types of jobs are now few and far between, we can see the potential for a new round of debt-defaults in the near future.
"Can anyone say College Loan and Education Bubble?
"The theory of ‘biflation,' one that we have presented to our readers in the past, suggests that there is a possibility of price deflation in debt based assets such as homes, and price inflation in essential goods such as food and energy. We'd mark college education as a debt-based asset, because these days most students depend on loans to pay costly tuition fees.This, like home prices, is simply not sustainable.The very same bubble that was created by easy Fed lending policies has led to a similar situation in college education. As credit became loose, and everyone with a pulse applied for a college loan and got one, the price of college education rose sharply".
It's safe to say that we are now seeing the college education bubble collapse right before our eyes.
That $270 billion is only the beginning. Remember, there are simply no jobs out there to offset these loans, so we can fully expect that the majority of these college loans will never be repaid (at least not by those who borrowed the money). The borrowers simply have no means of repaying them.
This is yet another too-big-to-fail that will end up coming out of the pockets of the US taxpayer.
Regards,
Mac Slavo
SHTFplan.com