After the global revolution and prior to the great destruction much of the internet was preserved by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST). Sounds and visions from planet Earth were cherished on long excursions aboard Laurasia. Especially as a sleep aid, but also for entertainment. This - is Anthrax.
Museum
Selections of art taken from Chris Lehrer's Lyceum under the heading: Window to the Past.
Listen to Soma FM streaming radio, a favorite of the space station Laurasia since the global revolution. You may or may not have to download the free Winamp or Real audio player.
Our medically controlled Health Boards cook up fake epidemics, create panics for profit, such as the ones in Kansas City in 1921, Pittsburgh in 1924, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington in 1925. An effort was also made to create a panic in New York in 1925, but due to the open fight against it by the New York Evening Graphic, the Commissioner of Health called it off. - Herbert Shelton
We need to increase public understanding of the need for medical countermeasures such as a pan-coronavirus vaccine. A key driver is the media and the economics will follow the hype. We need to use that hype to our advantage to get to the real issues. Investors will respond if they see profit at the end of the process. - Peter Daszak, Eco-Health Alliance (Published February 12th 2016)
“Devil Bill” and the Rise of the Snake Oil Salesman
William Avery Rockefeller, better known as “Devil Bill,” was a colorful figure whose dubious enterprises left a lasting mark on American history. A lumberman turned traveling salesman, Bill descended from German immigrants who arrived in America from Neuwied in 1723. Under the alias Dr. Bill Livingston, Celebrated Cancer Specialist, he peddled elixirs like his “Rock Oil” tonic—a concoction of laxative and petroleum—across New England towns. Despite his grandiose title, Bill was neither a doctor nor a cancer specialist, and his real name wasn’t Livingston. His true hustle, however, extended beyond selling sham remedies. As a “botanic physician,” he scoured the countryside, lending money to farmers unlikely to repay, allowing him to foreclose on their properties and seize their land. In short, Devil Bill was a quintessential snake oil salesman.
The term “snake oil” likely originated with Chinese railroad laborers during the construction of the first transcontinental railroad in the 1860s. Traditional Chinese medicine used oil from Chinese water snakes, rich in omega-3 fatty acids, to treat ailments like fever and joint pain. However, it was Clark Stanley, self-styled “The Rattlesnake King,” who popularized the term at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. Unlike the mildly beneficial Chinese snake oil, Stanley’s rattlesnake-derived product offered no therapeutic value, cementing the phrase “snake oil salesman” as a synonym for quackery. While Stanley was the first to earn this moniker, the practice of quackery—derived from the medieval term “quack” (to shout) and Middle Dutch “quacsalven” (hawker of salve)—had flourished in Britain and its North American colonies since the 17th century. By the 19th century, medicine shows, like those of Devil Bill and Stanley, were a staple of American entertainment.
Bill’s personal life was as scandalous as his business ventures. Married to Eliza, with whom he had six children, he also fathered two children with his housekeeper and mistress, Nancy Brown. In 1849, Bill faced indictment for raping Ann Vanderbeak, a household employee, prompting him to flee to Canada, adopt the Livingston alias, and marry Margaret Allen in Norwich, Ontario, while still legally wed to Eliza. Despite his reprehensible behavior, Bill took pride in teaching his sons to be “sharp,” boasting, “I cheat my boys every chance I get.” His eldest son, John Davison Rockefeller, absorbed these lessons, eventually becoming the world’s wealthiest man and a titan of the medical and oil industries.
Petroleum, known since ancient times, has a storied history. The Bible references its forms—pitch (zepheth), bitumen (chemar), and tar (kopher)—used to coat Noah’s ark (Genesis 6:14) and the basket carrying baby Moses (Exodus 2:3). The Valley of Siddim near Sodom and Gomorrah was dotted with asphalt pits (Genesis 14:10), and ancient Greek historians like Herodotus noted its use in constructing Babylon’s walls. Egyptians and Persians employed it for embalming, while the Seneca of Western Pennsylvania skimmed asphalt for lamps and healing lotions. In 1848, chemist James Young began refining crude oil, and in 1856, Ignacy Łukasiewicz built the world’s first oil refinery, pioneered kerosene distillation, and invented the modern kerosene lamp.
By the early 20th century, petroleum and vegetable oils began replacing whale oil in lamps, soaps, and margarine, likely saving whales from extinction. However, primitive oil extraction methods were inefficient for the demands of the Second Industrial Revolution, which petroleum would power, much as steam had fueled the first. Enter Edwin Drake, a New York native turned railroad worker in Connecticut. Illness sidelined him in 1857, but his conductor privileges granted free rail travel, a perk that proved invaluable when Seneca Oil—a spinoff of the Pennsylvania Rock Oil Company—hired him to investigate oil seeps in Titusville, Pennsylvania. The company’s founders, George Bissell and Jonathan Eveleth, dubbed him “Colonel” to impress locals, and with a modest $1,000 annual salary, Drake set to work.
Drake adapted salt-mining drilling techniques, using a steam-powered rig, but progress was slow. At 16 feet, collapsing borehole walls threatened the project, prompting Drake to devise a drive pipe with 10-foot joints to stabilize the hole. When the drill hit bedrock, progress slowed to mere feet per day, earning the project the derisive nickname “Drake’s Folly.” Facing financial ruin, Drake borrowed $500 to continue. On August 27, 1859, at 69.5 feet, his drill struck a crevice, sparking the Titusville oil boom along Oil Creek. Despite this breakthrough, Drake’s lack of business acumen led to ruin. He failed to patent his drilling innovation, lost his fortune in oil speculation by 1863, and died impoverished in 1880, even as his well produced 16,000 barrels daily by 1872.
Watching Drake’s oil boom was John D. Rockefeller, Devil Bill’s shrewd eldest son. At 16, John began as an assistant bookkeeper, earning $16 monthly, doubling his pay within a year and reaching $58 by his third year. At 20, with $800 in savings and a $1,000 loan from his father (at 9% interest), he partnered with brothers Maurice, James, and Richard Clark in a produce commission business. By 1860, the firm generated $500,000, netting Rockefeller $17,000 in profit. The Civil War boosted his fortunes further, as oil prices soared from under 50 cents to nearly $14 per barrel by 1863. To avoid conscription, Rockefeller hired substitute soldiers, preserving his burgeoning business.
Recognizing the oil industry’s potential, Rockefeller avoided the speculative frenzy that ruined many, including Drake. He saw that with $1,000–$1,500 and a small crew, a refinery could yield $5–$8 profit per barrel at $13. Unlike competitors who discarded 40% of crude oil as waste, Rockefeller envisioned using gasoline to fuel refineries and selling byproducts like lubricating oil, grease, and paraffin wax. In 1863, with chemist Samuel Andrews and the Clark brothers, he built a refinery in Cleveland’s industrial Flats, crafting their own barrels and hiring plumbers to cut costs. In 1865, he bought out the Clarks for $72,500, forming Rockefeller & Andrews. With postwar prosperity and railroad expansion, he reinvested profits, borrowing strategically to adapt to market shifts. In 1866, he partnered with his brother William, who had his own refinery, and in 1867, Henry Flagler joined, founding Rockefeller, Andrews, and Flagler in 1868.
John D. Rockefeller’s disciplined approach transformed the chaotic oil industry, laying the foundation for Standard Oil and his unprecedented wealth. While Devil Bill’s dubious legacy shaped his cunning, John’s vision and efficiency redefined the oiligarchy, cementing his place as a titan of the Second Industrial Revolution.
The Flexner Report and Allopathic Dominance
Rockefeller's influence extended beyond oil into medicine, where philanthropy masked a strategic capture of healthcare. In 1910, the Carnegie Foundation, funded by Rockefeller's rival but aligned interests, published the Flexner Report, authored by Abraham Flexner. This document, ostensibly a survey of American medical education, recommended standardizing training around allopathic (drug-based) medicine, effectively shutting down about ~80% of U.S. medical schools, particularly those teaching homeopathy, naturopathy, and other alternatives. By 1920, only 66 schools remained, all aligned with pharmaceutical models.
Rockefeller's General Education Board poured ~$100 million into compliant institutions, creating a monopoly on medical education. The report dismissed non-allopathic practices as "quackery," echoing Devil Bill's snake oil era, while promoting patented drugs over natural remedies. This shift marginalized holistic approaches, tying medicine to petrochemical-derived pharmaceuticals (e.g., aspirin from coal tar). The American Medical Association (AMA), empowered by Flexner, became a gatekeeper, licensing only allopathic doctors and suppressing competition. By 1930, ~90% of U.S. doctors were allopathic, with Rockefeller's influence extending to global standards through the Rockefeller Foundation's funding of international medical programs.
The Flexner Report's legacy was eugenics integration. Rockefeller-funded institutions like Johns Hopkins promoted population control, linking medicine to social engineering. The 1910 report's emphasis on "scientific" medicine facilitated eugenics research, with Rockefeller grants supporting sterilization programs in the 1920s, influencing Nazi policies. This corporate capture turned healthcare into a profit-driven system, where ~70% of U.S. drugs by 1950 were petrochemical-based, per industry data, embedding Big Oil's reach into human health.
The Hidden Agenda
Rockefeller's philanthropy extended to eugenics, funding the Eugenics Records Office (ERO, 1910) under Charles Davenport, which cataloged "undesirables" for sterilization. By 1920, the ERO influenced ~30 U.S. states' laws, sterilizing ~60,000 by 1970, per historical records. The 1927 Buck v. Bell Supreme Court decision, upholding Virginia's law, was backed by Rockefeller interests, with Justice Holmes stating, "Three generations of imbeciles are enough."
Internationally, Rockefeller grants (~$4 million, 1920s) supported the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute in Germany, aiding Nazi eugenics. Post-WWII, the Rockefeller Foundation rebranded eugenics as "population control," funding the Population Council (1952) under John D. Rockefeller III. This shifted to environmentalism, with the 1972 Stockholm Conference (organized by Rockefeller-linked Maurice Strong) linking overpopulation to resource depletion, leading to UN programs targeting ~2 billion in "developing" nations by 2000.
The 1973 oil crisis, orchestrated at Bilderberg (Rockefeller-hosted), quadrupled prices, creating petrodollars and funding eugenics under "sustainable development." By 1980, Rockefeller initiatives influenced ~50% of global family planning, per UN data, embedding corporate control in health and reproduction.
The Modern Oiligarchy
The oiligarchy's influence evolved into technocracy, with Rockefeller funding the Technocracy Movement (~1930s), promoting energy-based economics. Howard Scott's Technocracy Inc. advocated "energy certificates" over money, aligning with Big Oil's control. Post-WWII, the Rockefeller Foundation backed molecular biology, rebranding eugenics as genetics, with ~$100 million in grants by 1960.
The environmental turn came in the 1970s, with Rockefeller's Club of Rome (1972) report Limits to Growth warning of resource collapse, pushing carbon taxes and population control. Maurice Strong, Rockefeller protégé, chaired the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, establishing the Global Environment Facility (~$1 billion initial funding), controlled by oil-linked banks like Chase Manhattan.
By 2025, this legacy persists in "green" initiatives, with Rockefeller-backed ESG investments (~$40 trillion) enforcing technocratic control. The oiligarchy's conquest—from snake oil to sustainable development—redefined power, turning energy, medicine, and population into tools for global dominance.
Rockefeller's empire, born from Devil Bill's fraud, conquered oil, medicine, and eugenics, shaping a world where corporate philanthropy masks control. The Flexner Report's reforms, while standardizing care, suppressed alternatives, leading to a $4 trillion pharmaceutical industry by 2025. Eugenics, rebranded as environmentalism, influences policies affecting ~8 billion people. The oiligarchy's tactics—monopoly, philanthropy, and narrative control—provoke revolutions, as seen in resistance movements. This legacy warns of unchecked power, urging a return to ethical stewardship in energy, health, and society.
Summary: Rockefeller's oiligarchy exploited labor and resources, using philanthropy to monopolize medicine via Flexner Report, embedding corporate greed and eugenics that marginalized the vulnerable for elite control.
Summary: Rockefeller's innovations drove industrial growth but masked monopolistic tactics, with philanthropy reforming medicine through Flexner while raising ethical concerns about corporate influence on health and society.
Summary: Rockefeller's enterprise preserved economic order and advanced philanthropy, like Flexner reforms, fostering progress in oil and medicine while upholding values of stewardship and innovation for societal benefit.
Lyceum
Welcome to Space Station Laurasia! All passengers and crew members receive a personal device called a Lyceum, which serves as a journal to record and share information with family and friends via neutrionic mobile or desktop devices back on Earth’s surface. This is the Lyceum of Raymond Sheen.
Animations: Dragonset, Matters of Grave Concern, The Pillars of Barad-Dur, Heart of Stone, Golden Leaves, Gravity, and Dragons in Moonlight, by Steven David Bennett
Inspired by James Corbett at The Corbett Report. Detailed transcriptions with sources of the videos below availabe in the link.
Quo Vadis? [Latin] - Where Are You Going?
You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own, and you know what you know. And you are the guy who'll decide where to go. - Dr. Seuss
