Eugenics, the abhorrent idea that the most desirable people with the best traits should breed more and the least desirable people with the worst traits bread less, was created and propagated by Charles Darwin’s cousin Sir Francis Galton
Month: October 2018
The Exportation of Skilled Labor From the Philippines
Filipinos account for 40% of the seafaring workforce as they are very cost effective to employ and speak English exceedingly well making them incredibly popular with shipping companies. At sea, Filipino workers have the opportunity to work 5x – 6x more than they would on land. Every hour, 950 Filipinos leave the Philippines to work abroad. The exportation of people is the most important and profitable industry in the Philippines. Those who embark on contracts to work abroad pay 33% of their salary to the Filipino government pouring $10,000,000,000 ($10 billion) each year into the countries economy
Firearm and Biological Warfare During the Medieval Period
Crossbows during the Medieval Age were primarily made out of yew wood as it contains both sapwood which is ideal for tension and heartwood which is ideal for compression. Crossbows were reviled by knights as it made them vulnerable to common fighters who up until that point would never have a chance to face off because of the code of chivalry and military warfare. Crossbow bolts were often dipped in animal dung to create a biological weapon which would infect the target enemy as a backup plan in case the blow did not kill or disable them immediately
The Potential of Ethanol Energy Production
Henry Ford called ethanol which is alcohol made from a variety of materials, “the fuel of the future”. John Rockefeller seen ethanol as a threat to his oil monopoly and therefore used his influence to push prohibition of alcohol. Virtually any plant can be used to create ethanol making it a readily available resource worldwide. Most vehicles of any decade require a $150.00 modification to their onboard computer system to be able to tolerate ethanol. Yellow gas caps are indicative of flex-fuel cars which are cars which are adapted to accept and effectively utilize either gasoline or ethanol. Brazil has successfully instituted laws which have made every gas station offer both gasoline and ethanol which has boosted the Brazillian economy into the trillions and allowed Brazil to pay back all foreign debts
The Armor of Impoverished Soldiers During the Medieval Era
Poorer soldiers who could not afford armor or chainmail would use a garment referred to as a “gambeson” which consisted of layers of cloth with thick wool sandwiched in between more layers of cloth, similar to the modern advent of Kevlar which is tightly woven layers stacked on top of eachother. The gambeson was sewen extremely tight making it flexible but also somewhat resistant to blows. It wasn’t as effective as armor and chainmail but it did offer moderate protection. Those who could afford it would have covered their gambeson with chainmail as an added layer of protection
The Reason Why Genetic Diseases Remain Undetected
Every human being carries 10 – 20 faulty mutated genes which if matched with another person who carries the same mutation can cause hereditary disease processes. The reason these genes stay dormant and continue to be passed along without any particular generation noticing is because they have not been synchronized with a copy of that same mutation due to two people coming together to procreate. When this does occur however, the chance of inheriting the disease jumps from 0% to 50% automatically. The human genome is akin to a book with 3,000,000,000 (3 billion) letters, therefore small changes on any level is an immensely complex process and can lead to drastic changes under the right conditions
Technological Advances of Explosives
Advances in explosive technology have made dynamite so incredibly stable that it can be cut into pieces using a knife. Dynamite is completely inert until detonated making dynamite safe to tamp down into holes which are then filled with foam which expands and hardens to keep the dynamite in place
Shipping Freighters Flying Flags of Convenience
The flags flown atop ships are also known as a “flag of convenience” as the owners of shipping companies and shipping vessels often fly a flag different from that of their own nationality or where their business is headquartered. Nations have 19 kilometers of territorial water which is considered part of their land, 322 kilometers of an exclusive economic zone in which countries can pull in ships for inspection and seize their goods or extract resources from the sea bed, and the high seas which belong to nobody. Ships are subject to the laws of the country of the flag they fly however most Greek, Japanese, Chinese, and German ships are registered in Panama, Liberia, the Marshall Islands, or Mongolia, slipping away from the laws of their country of origin, a move which can be very financially rewarding. Doing so allows companies to dodge taxes, safety standards and requirements, labor codes, and minimum wages. This method can reduce shipping costs by up to 65%. Countries promote the efficacy of flying their flag at large gatherings in an attempt to entice large shipping magnets into utilizing their flag which is a mutually beneficial endeavor as the country on the flag gets to collect taxes for its development and the company using the flag gets to save a lot of money, funds which would have been paid out in higher tax brackets had they used the flag of a wealthier nation. On top of all of these perks, most flags of convenience guarantee anonymity to their clients which helps ensure the entire industry is difficult to track and regulate
The Average Lifespan of a British Employee for the East India Company
Death was quite common among the British stationed in India, with 33% of the entire British workforce dying in a single year due to the rainy season set by the monsoon. The average lifespan of a British worker in India was said to be just two monsoons, and the East India Company regularly had shipments of blank tombstones shipped from England just to keep up with the number of dying workers each month. The East India Company tried to help decrease these numbers by shipping vast quantities of spirits and wine, in the hopes that it would help increase the overall health of the workforce but unfortunately it did not do much good
Chinese Desire For Ivory and the Devastating Effect This Has Thrust Upon Africa
China is one of the only countries in which recently acquired ivory can be sold legally, and because it is in such high demand, China’s insatiable thirst for ivory is devastating elephant populations around the world. 80% of the Chinese middle class own one or more pieces of ivory and 84% of those people intend to purchase more in the future. Trade between Africa and China between 2003 and 2013 has jumped from $6,000,000,000 ($6 billion) to over $100,000,000,000 ($100 billion). China has been investing in Africa, building roads and shipping ports as a way to streamline the trading process. Some of the most popular goods traded include turtles which are eaten, shark fins which are also ingested, rhinoceros horn which is ground up and consumed, and elephant ivory which is carved into decorations. 60,000 shipping containers enter Chinese ports each day, with less than 1% being searched, making Chinese ports a smugglers paradise. Only 16% of ivory sold in China is legally traded and can be verified to have been sourced from legally acquired sources. Kenya has achieved success with elephant protection due to private philanthropy which funds the ability to patrol Kenyan parks via helicopter and land vehicles with armed security personnel, trained guards who have been authorized to shoot to kill when poachers have been identified actively poaching or attempting to poach