Brussels is full of spies

The classic espionage is not retired despite the end of the Cold War and the enormous possibilities of the new technology.

With the end of the Cold War and retirement Le Kareo Smiley seemed to be a classic forever spies retired and we still see them in the movies, read about their missions in novels or newspapers "as they used to" articles. Leaving a piece of paper under a rock, micro-films in hollow bricks, written plans and sewn in invisible ink to put winter coats - all seems so quaint and surreal in a time of technological advances that allow everyone who wishes to observe and uncalled listen in.

After all, the nude photos of the Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton are all taken from a distance of a kilometer and 300 meters with equipment worth about $ 20,000, which has any better equipped newsrooms. What you then have the possibility to have a spy organization with the sole purpose of finding out the secret of becoming "the enemy"?

How far, in time of modern diplomacy and "reset" relationship once the great powers, "employees" and espionage organization?

Judging by the statements of Alan Vinantsa, the first Belgian man counterintelligence (VSSE), spies have never been more alive than in its activities today. Only in Brussels there, he said, "not ten, not a hundred, but hundreds from all over the world." Brussels is the center not only by the EU and NATO administration, but also a place that gathers the most representative samples of cream and secret agencies of our time. For each "real spy", the guard of Belgium is the same as for the kids candy store, where simply has to be. 

Everything is like in the days of the Cold War when the international espionage - said the Vinants. - Brussels is a place with many diplomats, businessmen, international institutions with a large number of employees who are in contact with the political, economic or industry secrets.Russia, China, Iran, Vinants claims, but "friendly countries to the EU," such as Israel or the United States, have their agents in Brussels.- It would be naive to think that only some of the country's spy, and the rest just watch what happens - says the head of Belgium's espionage. - In this work, the difference between neutral, friendly and hostile agency disappears because everybody wants to get their hands on economic and scientific projects on the other. Virtually every secret service is in constant battle with his colleagues from the other camp.Spies are most commonly present themselves as diplomats, journalists, lobbyists, business people or students. And their targets are, just as in the past - people are greedy, they are in financial trouble, or with radical political ideas. Simply, people with "dark sides of personality", ideal for blackmail. Or, those who want to be as "Bond, James Bond."Recruitment is just like before - personal contacts, joint tours, receptions at embassies ... Some burn, some do not.- I stopped going to lunch with him because he was always something Interrogative, and he never said anything about himself - told the website, "EU Observer" one EU official, who apparently was on the list of suitable treatment.Regardless of the fact that in Brussels the agents of all kinds buzzing like a beehive, Vinants says that in the last six years, there was only one great example of international espionage - the case of Herman Sima, the Estonian defense ministry official in charge of the exchange of classified information with NATO and the EU. He was arrested in 2009. as a Russian spy. Sim's 3294 Moscow handed secret documents, of which 386 are related to the communications and defense systems of NATO and the EU. His relationship to man was a Russian intelligence officer who posed as a businessman from Portugal. Worthy of Le Carre.Sim is now in prison in Estonia. At the hearing, said that the Russians had only paid 1,200 euros a month, but he has promised to become an officer of high rank and salary.Experts say the modern espionage that has long ceased to recruit on the basis of ideology. Money or some other form of financial security today are the only bait.

"Domestic" espionage

Some differences in espionage in Brussels still exist. Thus, circulating among the local professionals claim that "spies from Iran not a spy on others, but their own ambassadors."  

What to do with the millions of tons of waste

The Soviets did not care about pollution of the Arctic Ocean, but today was something needed to be done.

Russian environmentalists, and other media are included alarm: coastal zone of the Arctic Ocean is full of different waste that must be cleaned as soon as possible to prevent a disaster. On the islands and the coast there are about three million barrels of oil and a variety of oils. There barrels are transported from the Soviets decades ago because of the ambitious plan to enter the North. The Kremlin then thought only of records, and the pollution of nature are not worried.

Today Russia's Arctic coast is one of the most polluted territories in the world. Of course, if you do not compare with the new country by the USSR into a nuclear testing ground and cemetery of radioactive material. Contaminated by the nuclear testing ground "Semipalatinsk" in Kazakhstan, where the Soviets performed numerous experiments. It is poor consolation that neither the American polygons are not better.

On the Russian coast of the Arctic Ocean located about four million tons of industrial and other waste materials. In Russian north has left about 20,000 units of different techniques.

During Yeltsin's "democracy-hungry" and theft, the environmental problems discussed are purely academic. Only recently did the Russian government pilot projects to clean and revive the Arctic. On Earth, Franz Joseph began cleaning the territory. This summer he appeared difficult technique and workers. That there once lived and worked as people witnessed dozens of buildings in decay.
In the metal barrels of 200 liters of oil. There are barrels made 1942nd in Germany. The war with ecologist barrels will not be easy. For those who have long been taught geography to say that Franz Joseph Land archipelago of 192 islands in the Arctic Ocean, Russia's Arkhangelsk area above.
This summer, a month workers calender 18,800 barrels. The cleaning program is the Arctic by 2020. years, but environmentalists say it would be good to be realized in three to five years, because the long-term corrosion will increase the pollution of nature.
Graham White on the island of waste is three times more. There will environmentalists and workers start to clean the 2013th year.
What threatens the Arctic region?
Countries in the region have sovereignty over the islands and the continental coast. Of a current battle for the Arctic is motivated by the knowledge that the geologists in the region is about 25 percent of global supplies of oil and gas, of which half in the Russian zone. In Russia it says more about the feasibility of northern sea transport routes over Siberia. Decades the northern waterway was transported from 23 to 25 million tons per year. The story has become interesting again, because China is interested in that route for transporting goods to Europe.
Environmentalists fear that the breakdown of the oil drilling platforms in the northern areas could be disastrous. Stop oil in such conditions it would be very difficult. Environmentalists argue that destroyed every living thing within a radius of one thousand kilometers.
Economists have their arguments as to why one should not touch that part of nature. Increase oil production by 20 to 25 percent would result in prices on the world market. It aims to benefit customers, but cheaper black gold would certainly not happy that the oil companies, especially the ones that are supposed to invest billions of dollars to create new technologies to be able to exploit oil and gas in extremely difficult conditions north. Greatest losses would have the oil companies of Russia, Canada, the U.S. and Norway.
Because of this delay the project "Shtokman" one of the largest gas deposits in the world is pleased environmentalists and even "Gazprom" is not sad.  

Technological innovation has changed the destiny of man

As the technological innovation in the last 100 years has changed the destiny of modern man. We live longer and more comfortable, but crucial questions remain unanswered.

Readers American online newspaper "The Huffington Post" recently in the online poll agreed that it was this same web of all the technological advances in the past century has brought the biggest changes in their lives. The second biggest innovation, which has enabled the first and, for them, is a transistor. In third place were commercial flights, TV on the fourth, and only after that - the genetic map of the human body. Birth control pills, pen and SAT are still found in front of so many used mobile phones by just over two percent of voters ranked the highest among the findings of the century.

Recollection of the technological advances of the last century, you might get a different order in some other parts of the world, but the majority of mankind would certainly agreed that it is difficult to imagine a time when not on the "Google" find the answers to your questions, hung over "Face" or mobile perpetuate important moments. Even those aging who remember the time without any of the ordinary household appliances today can hardly imagine life without vacuum cleaners, washing machines, refrigerators, even without the remote control, and microwave ovens are following us since the fifties ... The more technological innovation accelerated in recent decades it seems to be less and less willing to give up either of them.

Another question is how technological breakthroughs affect on humanity. Only if you look at the last decade, there has been that much innovation that improve people's lives, as did the more confused everyday life - communicating, relationships and thinking of modern man.

At the beginning of this millennium, when the U.S. Zhi-pi-es signals made ​​available to the public, the White House announced that everyone will be able to locate where you want it 10 times more accurately than before. This achievement paved the way for many other to be installed in mobile or smartphone. Tracking the movement of children, spouse, employees ... became available to everyone, but not always desirable.

Straight storm was the 2000th The proclamation of AT & T in the United States to appear text messages on mobile phones. June 2000. users have sent 12.2 million text messages per month, ten years later, that figure had jumped to 135.2 billion messages each month. Three years later he began the birth of social networks - "Frendster", "Facebook", "Twitter". Way of communicating, socializing and pursuing civil action was changed at the same time opening a new chapter in the history of alienation. 

The so-called Twitter revolution Arab world indicate the directions in which social movements could reach large global motion. Birth of the new (in) stability?
Scientists have discovered a planet outside our solar system, astronomers can identify out-solar planets by measuring gravitational effect on the stars, but the origin of the earth they are reduced to a range of theories.
Michael Brunet found the oldest human fossil in the African country of Chad. Fragments of six to seven million years old skull suggests the length of human evolution. The discovery that man has approximately 20,000 to 25,000 genes yielded a picture of genetic maps, throwing new light on diseases, new sources of energy, and many other scientific fields. Ian Vilmut added to his name the title "Sir" when he cloned the first human, sheep Dolly. The secret of life, however, is still not detected.
January 2001. it launched the first Internet encyclopedia "Wikipedia", and Larry Page and Sergey Brin are the invention of "Google" which is from 2004. became available to everyone, made a revolution in access to information. According to data from the research center, "Pew" in 2008. The half of all Internet users use this tool. The introduction of video games 2006th year not only brought a new dimension to many childhood education has helped. The company "Apple" has just been named the most valuable in history thanks to inventions such as the Ipod, Iphon or facilitating access to content from games, stock market, checking the data to find restrooms. But if the world has become enlightened, better? There is no evidence for it.
At this stage of development it is very likely that even in poverty, war and disease in sub-Saharan Africa's development indicators show positive impacts of the development of science on people's lives. The average life expectancy has increased, in the period between the 1960th and 1994, for a decade, from 39.9 to 49.9 years. Child mortality has decreased in the same period by 40 percent. Percentage of people with access to safe water has almost doubled over the past decade, GDP per capita rose. The development of computers has enabled spectacular progress in many aspects of society. The development of genetic engineering and biotechnology is the most revolutionary achievements of recent decades.
At the same time, science and ethics are connected more than ever before, opening questions the essence of life and existence, the impact of technological development in general satisfaction and well-being, or how "reduced" the world makes connections and humanity, and the world more peaceful and safer place to live. Most of the questions remain unanswered, some, such as the possibility of using nuclear weapons, create a feeling of unease.

Popularity for everyone

The emergence of "YouTube" in 2005. The many anonymous citizens turned it into a global star. This, as well as other social networks that have made ordinary people around the world, with a cheap camera, become influential.