The food the ordinary Chinese eat may sometimes consist of soy sauce made from hair sweepings, but just as in the old Soviet Union (where the Communist elite shopped in special stories while ordinary folks stood in long lines to buy toilet paper), the Chinese don’t all eat the same food–in fact, the Chinese elite eat ORGANIC!
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An immense, increasingly sophisticated illegal trade in wildlife parts conducted by organized crime, coupled with antiquated enforcement methods, are decimating the world’s most beloved species including rhinos, tigers, and elephants on a scale never before seen. Much of the trade is driven by wealthy East Asian markets that have a seemingly insatiable appetite for wildlife parts.
Organized crime syndicates using sophisticated smuggling operations have penetrated even previously secure wildlife populations. Some of the elaborate methods include hidden compartments in shipping containers, rapidly changing of smuggling routes; and the use of e-commerce whose locations are difficult to detect.
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Scientists are inserting human genes or cells into animals in order to create hybrids for use in medical research (NOTE: This is one of the books you can get from the Whitley Strieber Collection, complete with an autographed bookplate).
Genetically engineered mice containing human DNA are already used for research into new drugs for diseases like cancer. Will this lead to a new generation of "monsters?" They may eventually do things like inserting human brain cells into primates in order to create apes that can talk.
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Is China a friend or an enemy of the US? This is a country that can be dangerous–and not just because of the adulterated food and fake medicine they export. It turns out they are undertaking a massive spy operation (NOTE: Subscribers can still listen to this show).
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