Extinction Level Event

by Jose Pino Johansson

FAO Headquarters, Rome, Italy

  The Viale Delle Terme di Caracalla in Rome, Italy may be translated to “Road of Caracalla’s Spas”. Visitors, however, may take less note of the ruins of Caracalla’s Roman Baths than of the massive concrete office building opposite the old Roman ruins. The huge rectangular nine-story building of the “international power style” of architecture clearly dwarfs the ruins built two thousand years ago by the Roman Emperor Caracalla. This is only fitting; for as the baths were for meant for the betterment of the people of the Roman Empire, the Headquarters of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization were designed for the needs of the entire world.

  The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations primary mandate is raise global levels of nutrition and standards of living, improve and modernize agricultural productivity, and better the conditions of rural populations. What the US Department of Agriculture is mandated to do within the boundaries of the United States, FAO is mandated to do across the world. The wide range of activities that FAO is involved in are crucial for continually improving world agriculture and feeding the world’s people.

  FAO assists developing countries by providing improved seeds and fertilizers, soil conservation and water-resource management techniques, advise on government policy and planning. It aids international crop protection activities, works to reduce reliance on pesticides, and aims to improve household food security and rural family nutrition. FAO also has programs to conserve and sustain crucial plant and animal genetic resources. Finally, the Food and Agriculture Organization acts as a neutral forum for the discussion of all worldwide food and agricultural issues.

  Every year FAO must be prepared to deal with more and more problems to global agriculture and the global food supply than the previous year. With world population increasing at a phenomenal rate, many projections by FAO, the World Bank, World Health Organization, and World Resources Institute estimate that the world would grow by over 34% from 2009, to reach a staggering population of 8-10.5 billion people by 2050. The FAO is entrusted with the burdensome duty to of making sure that all the people on Earth have a good standard and safe and healthy food to eat. For this very reason, the FAO is the largest United Nations agency and is allotted a budget of over $1 billion US dollars annually.

  So naturally when mistakes are made the blame will generally act opposite of gravity and consequently levitate upwards. This “rule of bureaucracies” may make the position of Deputy Director-General unenviable for many. However, for Trevor “Trip” Manjak, it is simply his job. Having served the United Nations in this capacity for the past six years, Trip Manjak has gotten accustomed to not only Rome and its people and customs, but to an increasingly demanding work schedule that would routinely take up both day and some nights. Of course, ultimately responsibility for FAO rests with the Director- General and not the Deputy, but for Trip this is a trivial distinction. He performs his job as if he were the Director-General and not the Deputy, for if he were to make mistakes surely the outcome would be as harmful to him as to the organization itself. That is why mistakes are to be avoided.

  Every six years the Director-General is elected by the Conference of Member States, the governing body of the FAO. The Conference is composed of 169 member states, one associate member, and one member organization (the European Union). Every two years the Conference meets to review the work done by FAO within the intervening period and to approve a Program of Work and Budget for the next biennium. This year is one such year. Within three months the next Conference meeting will be held, first to review the work FAO has accomplished over the last two years and then to elect the Director-General for the next six years. Trip had little doubt that the incumbent, the Frenchman Maurice, would be selected again, and in any case, he had little interest in putting the burden on himself. No reason to promote yourself just yet. Too much work, too little family time, and too much heckling. I am content with what I am already tasked to do. And besides, within another 10 years I’ll find myself a quiet little desk job with few responsibilities before finally retiring. Reading over another report, Manjak ponders in the quiet solitude of his office.

  Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania to a Serbian immigrant father and an American mother of Italian descent, Manjak had always had a purpose in life: To improve people’s lives. I’ve always wanted to help others. In high school he was senior class vice president, part of a community service organization, and played in the school band. In college, he decided to pursue a most fundamental drive in human beings. Food. Before shelter, mating, and certainly before fire comes the need for food. Humans need energy to live and food provides those crucial calories that allow us to move around, thrive, breed, enjoy life and evolve. Trip was curious about where all the food came from, how it was produced, how it was transported, how production could be maximized, and many other questions related to food. He was also always hungry back in those days. Trip subsequently decided to pursue a degree in agricultural science. Graduating Magna cum Laude, he transferred to New Mexico State University to receive his Ph.D. After that achievement he started working for the US Department of Agriculture as a field operative for Food Safety and Inspection Service. Soon afterwards he transferred to the Farm Service Agency, before being promoted to National Agriculture Statistics Service and then the Agricultural Research Service. After that job he started working for the United Nations FAO. It was always hard getting an American to high level positions in the UN, due to a perceived notion that the US already has excess power and advantage in the organization, mostly from providing a significant portion of its funding. Nonetheless, he managed; and now having spent over fifteen years with FAO now, he slowly rose to the position of deputy Director-General by being known not as an orator, or a visionary, but simply as a man who could get the job done. If there was any task that needed attention, any job that needed completion, or any project that needed oversight, Trip Manjak made and maintained a reputation to get it done and within a timely schedule.

  What a timely schedule really meant is- if a project was estimated to be completed in two months, it would actually take eight months to complete without proper supervision. Once Trip arrived on the scene, it would take a mere four months to get the work done. That was the nature of the job, and one had to accept inevitability’s silent yet powerful hand in the work. No matter what scenario the FAO got into, no matter how bright the outcome, during his tenure Manjak noted that Murphy’s Law would always creep in and deploy some twisted derivative that would determine the nature and course of the project.

  Life isn’t always as cynical as Edward Murphy may have been when he invented “his” law. Manjak also met his wife during his tenure at the USDA, during a personnel exchange program with Colombia. Even though Sofia was a Colombian from Medellin, Manjak secretly loved that she didn’t insist on Spanish food too often and that her Colombian accent wasn’t very noticeable when she spoke English. However, ever since the couple had moved to Italy such trivial matters and “Americanisms”, didn’t actually matter. They also brought their two twins Isabel and Max over. The twins are both currently enrolled in the American Overseas School of Rome. Both are 17, in their final high school year. Sofia retired for a while, as she did not want to continue to be in a similar agency as Trip, and take care of the kids in the meantime. The circumstances would sometimes lend themselves as funny, other times they would be only tenuously comical. All the better, for then she had all the time in the world to walk and shop in Rome, take care of the kids, and try to have a break. With the kids reaching adult age soon, she had recently rededicated herself to international work.

  Trip looked at the report again. The report was from Jean-Marie Dupont, Emergency Coordinator of relief efforts in Zimbabwe. In 2009 FAO started a major operation in Zimbabwe to provide vulnerable Zimbabwean farmers with seeds and fertilizers. The program ensures that each farmer will receive enough maize or sorghum seed and fertilizer to plant a 0.5 hectare crop. The plan also aimed to provide extens
ive services and training to the farmers. After the first year of the project, Dupont reported that results were as good as anticipated and that farmer’s production rose 96%, almost double the output of the previous year. The second year of the project the output increased by 54%, but by the third year output increased only 3%. Manjak believed that they were hitting a glass ceiling, and that the project had sufficiently increased the original output for the time being. The increase from three years ago has been nearly 200%!! You cannot go on increasing output indefinitely without some sort of backlash eventually. The Zimbabwean situation is complicated by the fact that the President of Zimbabwe, Bobby Ebagum, has been reluctant to have UN operations in the country within the first place. For the past several years there have been tensions in the country as the UN increased operations to help out the poor, and some suspected, neglected population of the country. While the country has had elections every four years, Ebagum has been the victor in every single election for over 5 terms now, leading some to speculate that elections are fraud. The Ebagum administration first struck down the two-term rule after his first term in office and has expanded their direct control over every aspect of the country since then. Now, airports, cargo ports, foreign business, and city streets are under tighter restrictions and surveillance than ever before, as well as under heavier guard.

  However, at the moment there was nothing that could be done. The United Nations has much more pressing concerns than the tirades and irrational maneuvers of yet another third-world leader. Although once again, the country’s administration is getting in the way of United Nations aid programs to the people of his country. This particular program is funded by the European Union, under a multi-billion euro plan to respond to rising hunger around the world. The so-called EU Food Facility aims to bridge the gap between emergency aid and long-term developmental aid. It is done on a year-by-year basis, as opposed to either quick aid to relieve emergency problems or a long-term strategic plan.

  Manjak signed. There was so much work to be done. The FAO would be getting more overwhelmed with work with each passing year, as resources on the planet grow scarcer and the population increases. Funding for such a massive undertaking, despite being generous, is nowhere nearly adequate to deal with the large stresses that the FAO and UN will have to be facing by 2020, let alone 2030. Unless significant and powerful leaders were made aware of this, and soon, the United Nations would be facing major crises sooner than expected. That is why he suggested that FAO host a second World Food Security Summit this year. The last Food Security Summit had been in November of 2009. While many ideas and proposals had been floated about by the various politicians, experts, scientists, and heads of state, at the end no real consensus had been reached. Very few new programs came out of the Summit, and Manjak had to note that it had been a diplomatic success but a pragmatic failure. The Director-General approved the idea, agreeing with Manjak that the time was overdue for another in-depth discussion on world food security.

  Beep Beep! Trip picks up the phone. It's his head secretary, Maria Pereira. Her English, mastered at a Brazilian university, would still never lose her Brazilian, Carioca accent. “Hello?” “Your visitor from the Bangladesh mission is here, sir”. “Excellent, send him in please”, Trip puts down the phone. At least I got my own secretary. A short, dark and swarthy man walked into the room. Zahir Mohammed of Dhaka, Bangladesh used to be in charge of operations in Bangladesh. A small, monsoon-riden country in southeast Asia, Bangladesh had as severe food shortages as any country in the third world. Trip had known Zahir for several years, although they hadn’t had many assigments where they worked together and subsequently Trip didn’t know Zahir as well as he would have liked.

  Trip stood and extended his hand to his acquaintance. “Zahir!. I haven’t seen you in a while. How are things in Dhaka? They treating you well?” Grasping his hand and shaking it warmly, Zahir quickly replied. “Trip. Good to see you. The question is, how have you been treating me?” The two men laugh quickly at the joke. Trip sits back down in his executive chair and motions for Zahir to sit as well. Zahir sits down, starting his commentary, “Trip. As much as it is good to see you again, of course I’m not here for that alone”. A brief smile wavers across the shorter man’s face. “I need to talk to you administrators about the Bangladesh project in person. The funding for what we’re trying to accomplish simply isn’t there. And you know it.” Zahir pauses for a moment, letting the sharp comment sink in. “We have a rapidly increasing population, soon to be far too large for that land area. Coupled with the corruption in the local government agencies, and the lack of new technological breakthroughs. . . . food security is rather flimsy at best. And impossible at the worst, when it comes to that”. Mohammed leaned back in his chair, hands raised in gestures trying to help convey his message to Trip. “Every year the proportion of people that are under-nourished decreases, but the absolute number remains the same. It goes down from 26% to 25% to 24%, yet the number seems to always hover at forty million. Forty million!! And in addition, over 40% of the country lives in poverty. Do you think my $12 million budget is adequate to deal with this?? Hardly, my friend.” With that, Zahir paused and looked directly into Trip’s eyes. “Do you think the Conference will approve an increase? If only maybe another three, four million? We need the money.”

  This was a difficult dilemma. Trip knew that what Zahir was saying was legitimate. But unfortunately, he couldn’t make exceptions simply because Zahir knew him personally. There were many programs throughout FAO that were significantly under-funded, or that had suffered cuts in the last two years. Do you think my financial supply is limitless Zahir? Sorry to disappoint, but it's not. I would give you if I could. Zahir, thought had to know better than that. He should know this already. Or maybe he’s here for something else? Trip eyed the smaller man closely as he spoke. “Zahir, you know that I don’t have the authority to do that. You’ll have to talk to the Director-General. He has more sway with the Conference and the Budget Committee than I do”. Trip paused. “We are all hoping that someone finally sees the light this year and the G8 and G20 can open their coffers a little more. Unfortunately, again due to recent economic times, I don’t see them digging too deeply into their pocketbooks. What I can do, is I can make a note of it in my report to the conference and let them have a look at it. Send me a letter that I can attach to my report that I will present to the Conference, and I will assure you it will be given more weight”. Trip finished the last word heavily, silently telling Zahir that this would be a favor. A large push from the Deputy Director, but one that Trip realized would be necessary for the organization. A good push every here and now can topple a whole pyramid of blocks. Then we can rebuild things from scratch.

  Zahir took a moment to think the proposal through in his head. “I should still speak to the Director-General”, he said after a second’s pause. “Perhaps. But you know that he may not be as willing to take this as seriously as I do. You know this as much as I do.” “Yes, but such things are always worth a try. Surely he will at least remember the details I tell him.” “Hmm. You should try. That’s for sure”. Zahir stood, ready to leave. “It's been a pleasure seeing you again Zahir”, said Trip, only semi-formally. “The pleasure has been mine, Trip”. After another exchange of handshakes, Zahir turned and left the office. Trip escorted him to the door, opened it, and after Zahir had left returned to his desk.

  Picking up his phone, Trip dials his secretary. Perreira answered immediately, “Yes, sir?” “Hey, Maria, what’s my schedule look like today? Anything out of the ordinary?” “Well, sir, you have an appointment with the East Asia Fisheries Supervisor at 2:00pm, and a meeting with Latin American Food Security Board at 4:00pm”. “Thanks, Maria”. Hanging up the phone, Trip decided the best thing to do right now was make the most of the time. What was Zahir thinking? Thoughts about the quick meeting flashed through Manjak’s head. I understand that my help would give him leverage in this situation. Especially with the Conferen
ce of Member States Meeting coming up soon.. He really cares for his program, and that’s understandable, but. . . why would he come now? And not tell me until yesterday?

  Discarding the intrusive thoughts out of his head, Trip shifted focus to his computer screen. He was already quite aware that the fisheries in East Asia, especially several key fisheries around the Sea of Japan, the East China sea, and the South China Sea, had a high degree of fish depopulation due to excessive fishing. China alone has more than 70% of the world’s aquaculture and fish farms, since it has already depleted natural sources of fish. Over-fishing is a heated debate between Non-governmental organizations, governments, fisheries, and local fishermen and due to many political deadlocks it is often difficult to reach compromises on this issue, anywhere in the world. When the area in question has over one-third of the world’s population, then the question becomes even more profound and the solution less tangible. Such problems. Always getting worse, harder to compromise. Every year the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI) updates its Fishery Resources Monitoring System and its Fishery Statistical System. These two systems, amongst others, help FAO improve regional cooperation in improving data and information on the status and trends of fisheries. The combined system, known as FIGIS (Fisheries Global Information System) allows the UN to collect information on a global scale that would help developing countries build inland fisheries on regional and local scales. A consensus by the Committee on Fisheries has made the development of sustainable fisheries in developing countries a major goal of the FAO Fisheries and Agriculture Department. So far, that goal has only been accomplished to a limited extent, and many countries are wondering how much attention FAO is really giving the project. FAO is giving all the attention we can give. Well, there have been a few problems here and there. But ultimately, Zahir is right. It is a question of funding, and whether they are willing to give it. This will be a major theme at the upcoming Conference of Member States.

  Realizing he was thinking abstractly again, Trip got back to his computer intent on finishing the remaining reports before the meeting began.

  University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas

  The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) is a large health care complex comprising seven hospitals, a medical library, and three institutes for advanced research located in Galveston, Florida. The facility includes over 2,400 graduate students and residents, 1,200 faculty, 11,000 personnel and a $1.5 billion dollar budget. The campus is located approximately fifty miles, or eighty kilometers, away from the busy hub of downtown Houston. The campus’s buildings range in artistic décor from drab, concrete and glass multi-story boxes to the ornate, Romanesque architecture of the Ashbel Smith Building, also known as “Old Red”. The building, completed in 1891 and designed by architect Nicholas Clayton, sits at the center of the UTMB campus. Built out of bright red bricks, the building is also noted for its Texas granite columns and sandstone capitals and ornamentation1. The building breathes new life into the campus, whose other buildings display a small flare of pueblo style architecture but for the most part are large, concrete boxes with windows.

  Yet, despite the existence of “Old Red” on the campus UTMB it is not its presence that attracts top medical students from across the United States, but rather the presence of prestigious and vital projects such as the Center for Bio-defense and Emerging Infectious Diseases (CBEID). The Center was created in 2002 with the merging of the Center of Tropical Diseases and the Center for bio-defense, with a twofold purpose: first, to reduce the vulnerability of the U.S. and other nations to the use of biological weapons; and secondly, to alleviate suffering from tropical infectious diseases through the combination and application of field research and education. The Center has subsequently attracted a large amount of expertise and talent in the growing fields of bio-defense and emerging infectious disease. It has put this to good use by working on developing knowledge of basic biology of viral warfare agents, and pursuing cutting-edge research in immunology, pathogenesis, vaccine development, antimicrobial drug development, and diagnostics.

  Dr. V.K. Krishnan, M.D., is one of the twelve hundred faculty who work at the CBEID. A full Professor and member of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, this is his fifth job at a major virology oriented program. Like many of his colleagues, Krishnan had an interest in helping others since childhood. Studying hard in order to receive a scholarship from a good American school, Krishnan managed to be accepted at UCLA and pursued a B.S. in Biology. From there he transferred to Harvard Medical School and received his M.D. after six years of residency. Receiving nearly perfect scores on many of his tests, Krishnan knew that what he wanted most was to return to his native Mumbai, India and help set up better hospitals and healthcare programs. An opportunity arose several months after graduation, when a position with the World Health Organization opened in Mumbai. Krishnan decided to travel back to India, where he spent the next decade working for the WHO. It was during this time that he became familiar with one of his favorite fields, that of arboviruses. “Arboviruses” is a name used to describe arthropod-borne viral diseases, such as West Nile Virus, Equine Encephalitis virus, Yellow Fever virus, Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever virus, and other similar viruses. Arboviruses specialize in using wild animals as hosts before “spilling over”; meaning they adapt to use humans and domestic animals as amplification hosts. Krishnan spent years developing vaccines and helping spread awareness of diseases such as Yellow Fever, Malaria, Japanese Encephalitis, and Hepatitis A & B. Now, after more than thirty years in the field, Krishnan is a world-renowned expert in immuno-biology, virology, and human disease. Over the years, he has written numerous journal articles, two medical books, lectured at his alma mater of Harvard as well as other universities, and appeared on news channels during disease outbreaks, talking to reporters and journalists about the progress of preventative treatments and in general assuring the public that the outbreak would be contained. After several years through the WHO ranks, Krishnan eventually decided to expand his base and joined the faculty at Harvard Medical School. After a year, he applied and gained US Citizenship while transferring to John Hopkins Hospital; while equally challenging and stimulating, he missed his old university. Heading back to Harvard, he became somewhat of a minor media celebrity, through numerous TV talk shows, interviews, and televised campus speeches on healthcare and global pandemics.

  V.K. decided that a job with CBEID would be the final glory moment before a peaceful, private, and well deserved retirement. After a demanding yet exciting life in the medical world, he decided that he needed time for himself and his family. While he did meet his wife at Harvard, and one of his grown kids was attending the school as well, he did not feel that Harvard, or any other university for that matter, would play a big role in his life anymore. CBEID took most of his time that he had left, and after another two or three years in this job he intended to return to his summer residence in Mumbai and spend time with his extended family.

  There was another bright side to his fame, intellect, ability, and good fortune. His lab in the CBEID building was very large for a laboratory, with two Assistant Professors, and a dozen medical and microbiology graduate students to work under him. Also, he was given the title of Associate Director of CBEID and is a part of the institution’s leadership. The laboratory is equipped with the latest technologies that a lab would want, including one of the most advanced microscopes in the world, a Titan 80-300 Cubed. The instrument, which cost $15 million, has an incredible resolution of 15,000,000x magnification2. It is undoubted to say that the instrument is the costliest in his laboratory, as well as being the most prized. It is also the most coveted for use by other agencies and individuals.

  Krishnan, now promoted to Director, currently has several projects running, but the one that has been occupying his attention for the last several months has been the study of the H5N2 virus, also known as the “Advanced Avian Flu”. Flu-related viruses are all named in alphabetical order,
categorized by scientists and medical doctors who name the virus yet do not even understand the origin or nature of the virus at the time of the christening. Like the H1N1 virus that caused the “Swine Flu Epidemic” in 2009, H5H2 is a version of Influenza A that is found in birds, primarily in poultry such as chickens. However, cases have been reported of H5N2 in other birds such as ostriches, flamingoes, and even falcons. H5N2 is less contagious than its more notorious cousin H5N1 but has the ability to mutate like any virus, and must therefore be closely monitored. The worst case of H5N2 so far has been a case in Japan’s Ibaraki Province, where 6 million birds were killed to prevent the spread of the virus in 2005. Since then no major problems have risen from H5N2, but Krishnan believes that it is only a matter of time before another related influenza outbreak occurs.

  Emerging infectious diseases are only half of the worry that Krishnan and the rest of his colleagues have to deal with. The other is the weaponization of diseases. Diseases such as smallpox, anthrax, plague, and many others have been used throughout history as weapons. In the modern age, guarding against such weapons is an increasing problem, and CBEID is one of the key institutions in the US working to find viable defenses against biological warfare. While bio-defense has in general not been as much to his liking as emerging diseases, over the years Krishnan has accumulated a lot of experience in the field through his work at CBEID. Krishnan studied anthrax, encephalitis, hemorrhagic fever, Marburg virus, and other similar diseases through various programs on viruses deemed to be suitable for “weaponization”. The only known samples of the world’s deadliest diseases are kept in quarantine at the Center for Disease Control’s headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia.

  Krishnan considers himself to be well aware of the risks involved in such safekeeping. Extremely dangerous samples are kept in quarantine by both the CDC and by other countries around the world. Other dangerous experiments have also highlighted some of the real problems posed by biodefense research. Krishnan remembered the first time such a dangerous breakthrough occurred- in 2005, the Center for Disease Control replicated the 1918 Spanish Influenza Virus3. For the first time ever a dangerous virus that had already caused a global epidemic, killing millions in the process;- had been replicated intentionally. Ten vials were created, each which contained 10 million infectious virus particles. According to the CDC, the virus samples were re-created in order to be studied at secure labs throughout the country. However, in order to reach the labs, of which only a select few would receive the virus itself, the samples would have to be shipped to the lab. Oftentimes the transportation methods for such dangerous chemicals were ordinary transportation means such as Federal Express or DHL. Krishnan often wondered why they didn’t think some better mode of transportation couldn’t be used. Of course, the highly sensitive packages were packaged with extreme caution according to federal guidelines and safety regulations, but of course the risk was real: the packages could be lost, misplaced, or stolen. Despite all the safeguards, including tracking devices, nothing could done with certainty. The risk was forever present.

  To more closely monitor such activities throughout the country, and to better coordinate national biodefense research, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security created the National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center (NBACC) in 2002. The organization is based in the sprawling new research laboratory in the U.S. Army’s Fort Detrick, Maryland4. Over 150 scientists work in the lab researching biological prevention and containment methods for use in the event of a bio-terrorist attack. The $143 million 160,000 square foot building houses a forensic testing center, as well as a Biothreat Characterization Center which will help to predict nature of attacks and aid the development of countermeasures. The facility’s labs range from BioSafety Levels 1-4, with labs designated as “BSL-4” used to experiment and quarantine the most dangerous agents, such as the Ebola virus. With all this power at its disposal, it can be safely assumed that the NBACC is the most advanced biodefense facility of its kind anywhere in the world.

  Many of the research projects assigned to CBEID come directly from the Department of Homeland Security, and some are collaborative work with NBACC. As such, Krishnan traveled to the NBACC complex on two occasions. First, as a member of the NBACC Oversight and Supervisory Committee, it was his duty to inspect the lab when it was first opened. On his first visit he was taken aback by the scale of the laboratory, the massive concrete walls and the sheer quantities of cutting-edge technology and research space in the building. The second visit was for the oversight a classified project involving encephalitis countermeasures. Krishnan has never worked inside one of the laboratories, even though he has toured the entire building and knows the capabilities of NBACC. The NBACC represented a resources-input increase of over 1000% for the United States in the field of biodefense and biological weapons technology when it first opened. Such a massive project naturally brought criticism from many parties. One of the most stinging, yet potent criticism was the accusation that the construction and funding of NBACC violated the 1972 Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BWC). The US government acknowledged that the lab constituted a “legal gray zone”, but re-stated its position that it is fully legal within the parameters of the BWC and is purely defensive in nature.

  When the debate broke out, Krishnan remained neutral. It was not his role to either criticize or support the NBACC. He understood the reasons why it was built, but silently acknowledged to himself that the US Administration was demonstrating its paranoia by constructed the NBACC. Nonetheless, he suspected that he would get access due to his long history of involvement with government agencies, his expertise, his international renown, and his extensive resume. Of course, his U.S. citizenship and high security clearance didn’t hurt either. The chance to be able to work in the NBACC’s labs, or even use them for his research, was too good to pass. Before the NBACC came into operation Krishnan had the fortune of being appointed to the Oversight and Supervisory Committee through his connections to insiders in the Homeland Security Department. One of the few naturalized citizens working on this most secretive project. The exclusivity of the project always made Krishnan feel lucky and privileged to be involved, especially considering the number of applicants that were rejected for posts and positions at the lab.

  Krishnan got out of his laboratory at 5:03pm. He was going home early today to see his old friend from UCLA, Viktor Konovalov. Viktor. . .he would most certainly not get the post that I have, what coming from Moscow and studying two years at Moscow State University during the cold war. . . . At UCLA Krishnan and Konovalov had been roommates since sophomore year. Both had graduated Summa cum Laude in Biology, and both had gone on to pursue Ph.D’s and become respected scientists in their fields. Konovalov is one of the few people in the world that Krishnan has a truly great deal of respect for. After college, however, their paths divulged: Krishnan went into microbiology, while Konovalov had gone into genetics. Konovalov studied at Baylor College in Houston, Texas. Afterwards he choose to make his residency in Texas as well. Konovalov was equally as adept in genetics as he himself was in virology and microbiology. Viktor had written numerous journal articles, done groundbreaking research, received many public honors, and in general was known as a maverick in the field.

  Konovalov’s most important, and publicized project, has been the mapping of the human genome for the U.S. Human Genome Project. Konovalov created new methods for rapid gene discovery during his first years at the Genome Project. Later, he founded his own genetics research division, the Genetics Research Institute of Texas. There, he and his team decoded and sequenced genomes from hundreds of organisms and kept the newly decoded genomes in the Institute’s databanks. In recent years Konovalov’s research has focused on environmental genomics and synthetic genomics. Synthetic genomics is a relatively new field where geneticists genetically modify existing organisms to produce a new strain or mutative organism with specific qualities or behavior. Environmental genomics is the study of genetic material fr
om environmental samples. Viktor entered the two emerging fields with the intent of creating new novel genetic organisms, primarily bacteria, that could be used as alternative fuels and biochemicals. Krishnan grunted. As long as there is no Society for the Protection of Bacteria, of course, Victor should be able to do as he sees fit. . . . but here in the U.S., anything is possible.

  Viktor has written over a hundred journal articles and made himself a millionaire through his private research company, GeneZTech, headquartered at the Genetics Research Institute. In later years the company moved to a private lot on the outskirts of Houston. Well, I may not be a millionaire like dear Viktor, but I’m by no means doing badly. I haven’t seen him in months though, now is a good time to catch up. The reason Krishnan was getting out of work early today was exactly that- catch up time with his ex-roommate. Even though both were well aware of the other’s accomplishments, and had a high degree of mutual respect for one another, their jobs and families kept them from communicating as much as they would have. As best friends since college, it was traditional to meet at least several times a year and chat. Now that Krishnan was working full-time in Texas, it was much easier for them to see each other during weekends and other holidays. It was a Friday, usually the kind of day that Krishnan would stay in the lab until 9:00pm. Today, Krishnan is heading to Panera for a healthy fast food dinner with his old college friend. The only problem is that CBACC is a hour away from Dallas, while Konovalov’s company is located near downtown Houston.

  The drive is about four hours, which is why Konovalov will be staying tonight as his apartment. The kids and wife are in Boston, Massachusetts for the kids' studies. That leaves the apartment alone for the two men to play cards together the entire night, gambling using fake bills as currency while discussing some of humanity’s most advanced biotechnology and medical advances. Most people would get lost in the conversation after ten minutes of cards. Krishnan goes to his car planning a deep, insightful conversation with the of the world’s leading geneticists and scientists. He also plans on making Konovalov pay for dinner, since he ends up winning most of the card games anyway. . . .

  2:02pm Bakersfield, California

  The white van with the letters marked ‘APHIS- Agency of the US Department of Agriculture’ on the side sped down Interstate 5 before exiting onto Route 58. Mark was at the wheel, since it was his turn for a two-hour driving shift. The three team members had stopped briefly to eat lunch an hour ago at a diner before continuing on their way to Bakersfield. Now, Mark was focused on driving through the traffic on the two-lane road on their way to the site of the reported contamination. Mike was prepared for anything, including staying several nights at a motel if the situation required it. The traffic on the road was rather light for California, but normal for a mid-afternoon weekday. Driving during rush hour is generally considered a nightmare, all the more so more so in California; and the closer that one is to downtown Los Angeles, the more nightmarish the traffic seems to be. Luckily the site was at least two hours from LA, and that meant that moving along the side roads wouldn’t be a big problem.

  “What’s the address again?”, Mark asked Mike. Mike, sitting in the middle seat between Mark and Laurie, was scanning a large map of California in front of him. “The address? Uhh, it's on 6 Lake Road. You’ll want to make a right about 14 miles from here, and then continue. I’ll tell you where to turn”. Mark grunts, focusing on the road ahead. Mike folds the map until it fits neatly in his hands, and throws a glance out to his right. Laurie is busy reading a scientific journal. Outside the window, McCarthy sees vast tracts of farmland stretching as far out as the eye could see. As one of the more important stretches of farmland in the United States, California’s central valley is a breathtaking flat landscape dotted with farmhouses and massive plots of green and yellow agricultural land. The air is of a pristine, blue quality with occasional white cumulus clouds that one will rarely see in the cities of Los Angeles or San Francisco. From this distance, the Sierra Nevada mountain range to the west is not visible to the naked eye. Mike shifts his gaze back to the front of the vehicle. Flatland, flatland, and when we get there- more flatland! While the air quality is nearly pristine, ignoring the methane from the cattle farms and some gasoline fumes, the ground quality of the central valley does not receive such high commendation from visitors as the air quality. Fertilizers, pesticides, farm run-off have caused extensive problems in the groundwater, and the soil starts to become depleted after constant usage. There is nothing natural in the valley, as most of the previous natural rock formations and natural species have been removed through farming and town building. It is a large, flat, and man-made landscape.

  After making the right turn, Mike turned back to the map. Directing Mark through the dispersed country roads, the team arrived at the site of the reported contamination at 2:42pm. Mark pulled into the long, dusty driveway of the farm and drove up to the large, red farmhouse at the end of the driveway before shutting down the engine. Two men were waiting for them outside the farmhouse, sitting at a table on the patio while drinking beverages. The first is a grizzled, sunburned man in farmer’s trousers, the other a thin balding man in work-casual clothing. Laurie, Mark, and Mike get out of the truck and walk over to the two men. The balding man extends his hand, first going over to Mike. “Peter LaJoy. I work with the Department of Agriculture LA office”. “How’s it going? Michael McCarthy. We’re with APHIS from Stockton.” “Greg Miles, how you doing? I own the place.” “Mark McGregor”. “Laurie Weisman, please to meet you”. After the quick introductions everyone got right down to business. McCarthy spoke directly to LaJoy and Miles, while Laurie and Mark listened as everyone gathered around the table. “Alright. The APHIS office received your report. Sorry we couldn’t get here earlier but it’s a long trip down”. Mike turns to Miles, “you stated that your worms died after you used the herbicide Groundup Superpower?”. “Yeah, exactly”, replies Miles sternly. “May we take a look?” “Sure. Let’s go.”

  Miles lead the four USDA inspectors through his farmland, showing them the damage allegedly caused by his use of the new herbicide. The team took quick note of the dead worms all over the soil; thousands of little dead bodies spread across the farm, under bushels of corn, next to potato tubules, and around strawberry plants. Mark kneels down to scoop some up in his hand, turning the worm over looking for any outward signs for the cause of this unexpected mass death. “We’ll need to bring the equipment in, start taking samples, running tests”, he states morosely. Mike nodded his head in reply. This is really weird. Although we should be prepared for anything. “I’ve never seen anything like this before. “Well, sometimes we get these pesticides that kill a certain species of bug but this is odd. Earthworms?” Mark and Laurie turn and head for the van. Peter LaJoy turns around, giving Mike a knowing-kind of look. “That’s exactly what I said when I got here. Do you think we should quarantine the area?” Hearing that statement, an alarmed expression comes over Miles’ face. “Quarantine?? You don’t really need to. I mean, it's just a herbicide. If it's in the water already, there’s nothing you can do about it. C’mon, you don’t need to quarantine”. “That depends”, replies LaJoy. Mike looks carefully at the two men before replying. “We’ll see what we find. If there is any indication that this could spread, though, we should definitely quarantine. Although- If you used Groundup SuperPower, I’m assuming you’re not the only one who used it?” LaJoy replied, pointing a finger to the east, “Actually no. There’s this lady over there who also has this problem. She said she used the same herbicide for her home garden.”

  Mike thought for a moment. “Are you saying the worms are dying because of the herbicide? We could have this problem everywhere if that is the case! If everyone starts using this herbicide, this could be really messy. We have to make sure that is the cause of this problem though, before we can take any other action. We need conclusive evidence”. “I agree. I’ll send our LA office this information, keep them updated on our situation.
You three, meanwhile, start digging." Laurie comes walking back across the field, handing Mike a pair of latex gloves and a box with equipment. Mike sees Mark collecting worms and putting them into plastic zip-lock bags. “We’ll need soil samples as well”, Laurie tells Miles. “Sure. Do whatever you need to. Just tell me that it'll be over soon.” Laurie starts taking soil matter and placing it into plastic containers. Mark cuts off a small stud from a strawberry plant, which looks like a dark green leafy shrub with strawberries growing in the middle, and places the stud in a bag. “No usual lesions or marks on the plants, they seem fine”. “I don’t see anything unusual on the worms either. Again, no lesions, contusions, cuts, bruises, anything really”. “There has to be something. Keep looking”. Mark cuts a bushel of corn with a large pair of garden scissors and puts it into a seal-able plastic wrap. Mike comments to Greg and Peter, “Well, so far it seems your plants should be fine, at least on the outside. Try not to raise hopes too high though, we need to confirm that”.

  “Did you advise LA that we believe Groundup is the cause of the worm die-out? Until we proof otherwise, we’ll stick to that- but it's only a hypothesis.” “I told them. I also advised them to have a full quarantine team ready in case we need it”. “That should be fine”. Mike walks over to the van to find Laurie in the small mobile laboratory in the van’s cargo compartment. “So, what’ve we got?” Laurie has placed little bits of various crops around the lab table, and is starting to add solutions to one of them. “Well, nothing conclusive yet. No plant diseases that I see.” Turning over a kernel of corn and putting it in Mike’s hand, Laurie continues, “No leaf blight, corn rust, stalk rot, or any bacterial disease that I see. Again, on the strawberries there is no slime, no rot, no leaf spots, no powder; I don’t see any connection to the worms from these plant crops”. “But the plants were all treated with the herbicide. So we’re going to assume that the herbicide either has no effect on the plants, or the effect hasn’t taken effect yet. Literally”. “It’s the best we can do at the moment. Are we getting a quarantine team in?”

  “Not yet. I don’t think it is warranted just yet”, replies Mike. “Until we find the agent that is causing the worms to die, I don’t think we should quarantine”. Thinking of Miles and his farm, Mike continues, “Quarantine should be our last resort. Otherwise it would be harmful to community”. Laurie nods, and continues working. Mark enters the truck carrying bags of dead worms in his gloved hands. Placing four bags in a freezer in the front of the passenger compartment, he places another two bags on the large examining table. Taking off his gloves and throwing them out, Mark grabs another two pairs of latex gloves and gives a pair to Mike. “Lets see what this baby has to tell us”, grunts Mark to Mike. Mike nods before coming up besides Mark next to the table. The two men each put on a pair of safety goggles. Mark takes out a few worms using a pair of forceps and places them on a glass plate.

  Taking a magnifying lens Mark peers through the thick glass at the dead annelids. “How much do you know about annelid anatomy?”, he asks Mike. “Not much. But that’s what we have the laptop for. Once we connect to an online database, we'll have that info.” Mark proceeds to turn on the laptop and take out an entomology dissection kit from one of the boxes. Opening the kid, he takes out a piece of micro-tape and tapes a worm onto a glass microscope slide. Once taped tightly to the slide, he carefully holds the worm in place with a forceps while using a scalpel to cut it open. The worm peels apart like a banana, allowing Mark to carefully uses the forceps to peel back the outer layer of hardened exoskeletal skin. The worm’s yellowish-gray internal organs are now open for Mark and Mike to see. An Earthworm’s internal body structure is dominated by digestive system, a long connected tube composed of several organs that run throughout the length of the body. Mark begins to explain the anatomy to Mike while he pins down the worm’s skin segments. “Near the worm’s head here lies the esophagus, followed by the crop which is bulkier that the rest of the tube. Behind the crop is the gizzard, and then the intestine leading to the anus. In front of the crop lie two large whitish seminal vesicles, whose function is to secrete fluids such as proteins, fructose, vitamin C, and enzymes. These fluids are then used in the production of spermatozoa. The worm’s crop is part of the digestive system, where food is stored prior to digestion in the gizzard. The gizzard is an organ, similar to a human stomach, that will digest food through the use of acids. The strong muscular walls of the gizzard allow the worm to grind tough foods”. “You know Mark, that’s fascinating, but how does that help us?”

  Mark looks closely at the worm. “We should test the worm’s stomach cavities and gizzard for traces of Cleanup”. Mike turns around quizzically. “Make sure that your test runs for Groundup SuperPower only. You know there’s a whole line of those products, ever since the seventies. SuperPower is the latest. There should be a trace difference in composition between SuperPower and other lines, for example PowerMax”. “Right”. With a click Mike’s laptop whirs to action as Mike starts to surf the web for information on Groundup products. Mike simultaneously turns to Mark telling him, “Call headquarters, and tell them to e-mail me any information they can send me on MalSanto’s Groundup Products. Specifically, Groundup SuperPower”. Mark opens up his wire-thin Nokia iphone to make the call to the USDA Los Angeles office, while Mike searches the web for useful information on the new herbicide. “Lets see, what is Groundup composed of? Well, that should be easy”. Immediately after putting the words into a search engine, Mike sees the screen show hundreds of thousands of hits. Many sport headlines such as “Weed Killer kills Human Cells”, “Is Groundup safe?”, and “Is Groundup Carcinogenic?”. Mike signs. If there is any slight indication that whatever we find in those earthworms is indeed carcinogenic, we’re going to have a major media problem on our hands. Let’s hope that that’s not the case. Ahh, finally. The ingredients list. Some ingredients listed on the website included Isopropylamine glyphosate salt, water, glyphosate organic acids, isopropylamine, polyoxyethylene alkalymine, and FD& C Blue No. 1. But those are for older products, such as Super Concentrate or PowerMax. Mike keeps surfing.

  Mark comes up to Mike as he’s typing. “Hey, LA says that they are sending all the information they have to your e-mail. Also, they are sending their own team here”. Mike stops his typing, looking up at Mark nondescriptly. “I thought we were alone on this one. I don’t know whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing. Lets assume it’s a good thing and that we can use the help. So the files are on my-email?” “Yes. They will of course be copied to John at Stockton. But we’ll have them here within a few minutes”. “Mark, did you tell them I need a list of SuperPower’s active ingredients?” “Yes, that should be included in the file. Any new herbicide or pesticide is listed in our database before it goes into the market”. “Don’t forget, we should also look at the inactive ingredients. They are just as notorious for causing problems, and you know that”. Mike gives Mark a quick friendly glare before grimacing, “Yes, don’t think that I’ve forgotten those previous episodes with Cleanup. Remember when those French researchers claimed that Cleanup’s inert ingredients were harmful to human cells5? I believe they said that even diluted concentrations of the inert ingredients had toxic effects on embryonic and umbilical cord cells. That was a hell of a case”.

  “It was true though”, replied Mark astutely from his laptop. The researchers, from the University of Caen, stated that polyethoxylated tallowamine, or POEA, is more harmful to humans than the herbicide itself. Frankly, I doubt that any active ingredient in SuperPower will be causing the earthworms to die. It must be one of the inert chemicals”. “We shouldn’t simply assume that. All of the ingredients will have to be tested” “I know that. Cleanup’s primary active ingredient has always been Glyphosate. But even Glyphosate, with all its many critics, has been tested repeatedly by MalSanto itself, the USDA, the EPA, just about everyone. The EPA classifies Glyphosate as a group E chemical, trust me – we already know it's not carcinogenic”
.

  “Carcinogenic for you, or the worms?”, replies Mike. “Besides, you forgot the other aspects of that case. There have been incidences of cancer and birth defects in Argentina allegedly due to Glyphosate. Specifically people living near areas that were crop-dusted. In addition, there were links reported between glyphosate and genetic abnormalities in amphibians. Honestly, we have no idea what the new versions of these chemicals will do to individual species. And don’t forget, MalSanto, Dupont, all these corporations make money by creating new ones every month”. Laurie walks into the back of the van, giving each man a cursory glance, “guys, what are we up to? Discussing active and inert agents?”. Mark shifts in his seat to face her. “Look Laurie, it's like this. We have a hunch that SuperPower is responsible for this right? The thing is- every single active ingredient in every Groundup product that comes out is tested repeatedly. Tested for defects, genetic abnormalities, mutations, anything that it could produce that would interfere with other organisms and the environment. We already know that those chemicals are safe. We should focus on the inert chemicals”. Mark finishes his sentence, and Mike immediately steps in. “Well, the point is, everything including the active ingredients should be tested. The decision is final. And in any case, the LA office will call the shots once they get here”.

  Taking a step back, Laurie reasons with Mike and Mark. “Well, all of us know that there are many risks involved with genetically modified organisms. MalSanto’s Groundup ready crops are specifically designed to be resistant to glyphosate. That way the plants don’t die when sprayed with the herbicide”. Mark grumbles, “Right. A statement of the obvious, Laurie. What else?” “What I’m trying to say, is this-we need to take every component into account here. How are they resistant to glyphosate? The plant cells of the crop in question are injected with bacteria that have a natural immunity to glyphosate. This bacterial-corn DNA recombination is used in any seed that needs to be glyphosate resistant. Don’t forget, the plants will reject foreign DNA. In some cases the techniques used to implant this new DNA damage the cell plants during the gene-manipulation process. Also, what about the promoter genes used to activate the newly introduced DNA strands? We should determine if this bacterial DNA, or if any other chemicals used in this process, are harming the worms. So, we should focus not only on the inert chemicals or the active ingredients, but also on the biological agents added to the crops themselves”. Mike picks up on the cue. “We should ask Mr. Miles if he uses Cleanup-Ready crop seeds. Also, what effect is SuperPower having on those seeds? Could it be a catalyst for some negative reaction on the plants themselves?” “I don’t know Mike. But ask you said, let's ask Mr. Miles”.

  Mike goes out of the van to the farmhouse patio, about 100 feet away. Greg Miles is lounging in a hammock, smoking a cigarette while reading his newspaper. “Got nothing better to do, you people are taking up most of my day. What else?” “We need to know, Mr. Miles, everything you could tell us. I hope you understand that.” “Sure, why wouldn’t I understand that?”, Greg Miles retorts cynically, taking his cigarette out of his mouth and blowing a puff of smoke out. “First, do you use Cleanup-ready crop seeds?”, asks Mike. “’Course I do! How do you think all that Groundupwill work if I didn’t? They’ll kill all my crops and I’d lose a hell of a lot of money. That’s not the only point though”. Greg leans over his hammock towards Mike, motioning him closer with two fingers. Mike comes a little closer. “These people. They ‘course, figure they need to make a buck too. So guess what? They make them little seeds so that they can’t reproduce. And so us farmers have to buy more and more every year, on no-till soil. That’s right, new seeds every year. Lots of herbicide from them every year. Course I’m not gonna complain since my farm’s been fairly good, but seriously. Load of crap”.

  Mike is, of course, already quite aware of this little marketing twist on behalf of the companies, but decides not to say anything. Miles continues to rant, “The best part is, that’s not the only part. See everyone uses their herbicides on them’ farms. Ok. But then, after years and years, the plants evolve. Not our plants, of course not. The weeds. I heard stories- in Utah, Colorado, what not. All these weeds get used to these mass-produced herbicides and change! Later, they can’t use their herbicides no more, and have to make new ones! Terrible for farmers, cause we get invaded with superweeds. Of course, the companies just make a new product and then we forced to buy it”.

  Listening patiently, Mike gives Miles a quick break before resuming with his questions for the man. “I understand, Mr. Miles. But we cannot do anything about that right now, and we believe that those problems had nothing to do with this week’s worm catastrophe. However, did you have any previous record of any plant or animal disease outbreak on your farm?” Miles pauses, scratching his head. “Did you?”. “No! Of course not”, answers Miles sternly. “Between all the vaccines for the cattle and the herbicides for the crops, I never had any major problem here. No plant diseases, no animal diseases. All good, until two days ago. Then this craziness started happening”. Taking notes on a notepad, Mike looks up at Miles, responding, “Very well, Mr. Miles. Thanks again for your time. If we need anything else we can find you here, right?” “Sure, no problem Inspector. I’m always right here”. “You could call me Mike”. “Sure, Mike”. Mike returns to the APHIS van in the driveway.

  Mark turns around in the van, catching Mike’s eye before he can get into the van’s cargo compartment. “Hey Mike, LA just called in. They say that two other locations have recently called their office, citing cases similar to ours. One of them is located at another farm, and the other at a private house. This is in addition to the private home that called earlier. They would like for us to check them all out. Their team will also be here shortly” “Fine. We head over to the private residence that LaJoy visited earlier on today. I’ll tell Miles that we’re leaving and that he is to expect a team from LA over here soon”. Mike gets out, once again walks over to Miles who is still swinging in his hammock. After telling him that they are leaving and that a team from LA should arrive within the hour, McCarthy returns to the van. “Of course he uses Cleanup-ready seeds, what else would he use if he uses Groundup products? And according to him, no past history of disease or infections on his farm. The private residence is what, 0.6 miles from here?”. “Yes”, replies Laurie. Mike pulls the van out of the driveway and begins driving along Lake Road. Within five minutes the APHIS team members pull into the Williams’ driveway.

  As soon as Mike turns off the engine a couple emerges from the house, attracted by the engine noise. Mark, Laurie, and Mike get out quickly to greet them, with a few pleasant surprises. “Mike”. “Mike”. “I guess that makes this easier”, replies McCarthy with a smile. “We’re only going to be here a short while. Just collect some samples and leave”. Michelle replies, “Not a problem. Would anyone like some drinks?”. “No thanks, Ma’am. Again we’re only here to take some samples, nothing more”. With that, the team disperses throughout the grounds. With a semi- grin, Mark asks the McCarthy’s, “You don’t mind me digging up your garden a little?” “Only a small bit!”, comes the quick and equally jesting reply. Mark gets down on his knees and starts taking soil samples. Mike comes up to the other Mike asking for the Groundup SuperPower container that was used just days ago. “Sure, no problem. Actually ,we were gonna give it to you anyways- kind of an early Christmas present!”. Grinning at the disastrous attempt at humor, McCarthy happily obliges and takes the container and places it in the back of the truck. After several pounds of soil and a pound of worms have been collected from the premises, the team packs up and leaves. With a quick flurry of handshakes and promises that the problem will be resolved, the APHIS team is back on the road heading to the next location.

  While Mark drives the van, Mike turns to Laurie. “Both of these cases involved the use of SuperPower. We still need to confirm that, but I think it should be taken off the shelves. Could you call LA and tell them that?” “Sure”. Laurie takes
out her cell phone and dials. “Oh, also. Tell them we need to get a worm ecology expert down here to assess the damage that these properties are going to get. And a worm biologist wouldn’t hurt either”. Laurie nods, as she gets a connection. “Hi, this is Laurie Weisman from APHIS Stockton. We have strong reason to believe that the worm die-out cases near Bakersfield are related to the new herbicide Groundup SuperPower. We strongly recommend that it be pulled off the shelves immediately”. A short pause ensues as LA responds to Laurie’s recommendation. Mike does not hear anything from the other side of the phone line. “We also need a worm ecology expert, and a worm biologist to be at the site near Bakersfield as soon as possible”. After getting a response from LA, Laurie disconnects and folds the phone. “They said that they will pass your recommendation, but cannot of course enact it. That has to be done by the Feds. And in order to do that, they will need definitive evidence for the correlation.” “I thought they would say that. How predictable.”

  Mike takes out his cell phone just as Laurie places hers in her jeans pocket. “What do you need that for? I just made the call.” “Not that, of course! We’ll need a motel, we might as well find one now. Two rooms?” “Two rooms would be fine. Wait-what about Mr. LaJoy?” “He’s going back to Los Angeles right now. He told me he lives there, so it shouldn’t be a problem for him.” Laurie sits back trying to enjoy the ride while Mike searches his iphone for motels near Bakersfield. Something fairly comfortable and cheap. Hmmm, maybe not too cheap. USDA foots the bill; but that’s only to a certain limit. Mike decides that any ordinary motel nearby should be fine. After finding a suitable motel using Google Maps, including one covered by USDA expenses policy, Mike dialed the motel and reserved two rooms. With that done, Mike turns to Mark. “How far away is this site?” Laurie answers, “about forty-six miles from here. It’s a private residence, located on Browning Road in McFarland. The address is 36 Browning Road”. “I already knew that. Traffic is getting worse, its nearing rush hour”, adds Mark, observing cars slowing down ahead of them. Traffic slows down to twenty miles an hour on a forty-mile per hour limit zone. Everyone looks at each other, Laurie rolls her eyes. “We should have seen this coming”. “It was coming”, answered Mark. “We could have left either earlier or later. Just now isn’t the best time”.

  “Obviously.” Silence once again reigns in the van as the traffic slowly waddles down the two-lane road. After twenty minutes of crawling along, the team pass a crashed vehicle surrounded by three police cruisers. One uniformed officer is directing traffic. Following his instructions, the van takes the right lane and traffic speeds up again past the crash site. Unfortunately for the team, traffic was diverted on a side road detour, thus adding yet another twenty minutes to the already monotonous journey. Upon arriving on McFarland Road the scenery changes from the flatlands of golden-green crops to a small patch work of tightly-knit suburban homes. “Welcome back to suburbia”, exclaims Mark. “So we are going to. . . 36 Browning Road”. A number of cul-de-sacs extend out of Browning Road and form small private communities along the main road. Each cul-de-sac has approximately ten driveways leading away, each one to a typical Californian orange-white ranch-style home. Mark pulls into the first cul-de-sac, parks the van to the side of the large paved circle, and shuts down the engine.

  The team members exit the vehicle and gather in front. “36 is. . . that one”, Mike points at one of the houses around the cul-de-sac. The three APHIS officials walk over to the house and ring the doorbell. Hearing footsteps approach, the team take a step back as a woman in her forties answers the door. “Hi! You must be from the Department of Agriculture. You have to see this!”, she exclaims in a slightly accented voice. “I am Carmen Ibarez”, extending her hand to the team. After introducing themselves quickly, Carmen leads the team members through the house’s Spanish-style interior to the backyard. As she leads them, she continues the conversation. If anyone expected this conversation to be any different than the previous ones the APHIS team had during their day, they were disappointed. Laurie, Mark, and Mike quickly realize that everything Mrs. Ibarez is describing matches the same pattern that they have seen on both the Miles’ Farm and the Williams’ property. “And you see, then we got all the worms coming out of the tierra??. . ground? When they come out of the ground, they go around after two hours they die. Very strange, no? All the worms dead quickly, after only an hour, maybe two.”

  “Mrs. Ibarez, this is similar to another case that we have had recently. We are working on the problem as fast as we can. Can you tell us if you used Groundup products for your house garden?”. “Cleanup? I use a. . .herbicide? Yes, a herbicide?” “Groundup is the name of the herbicide in question. Could you please show us your herbicide?” “Yes, of course. I’ll be back in one moment please”. Mrs. Ibarez leaves the team standing in the backyard while she scuttles back into the home. Within a minute, she is back outside with a large pump-can of Groundup SuperPower. “This is the herbicide. My husband bought it a few days ago. He’s sleeping now, though. . . you don’t need him for anything?”, she asks in her slightly high-pitched voice. “Not really”, replies Laurie. With a quick smile she adds, “You don’t need to wake him up just for us”. Mrs. Ibarez nods before continuing, “Very well. I’ll be in the house. But if you need anything, please tell me!”. With that, she goes back in through the sliding door, leaving the team members to start their work. “Alright, you all know the procedure. Let's get those samples and get out of here as soon as possible”. As if on cue, Laurie and Mark take out kits and equipment out of their bags while putting on the latex gloves. Forgot to ask if we can dig up the garden. Let me see. Mike knocks on the door’s glass pane before opening the door and entering the house. Seeing Mrs. Ibarez in the kitchen, Mike goes over. “Excuse me, Mrs. Ibarez. Can we take soil out of your garden?” Carmen Ibarez turns around and faces Mike. “Ok. I think that should be ok. No problem with me". That means go. Mike returns to the backyard and picks up the pump-can of Groundup SuperPower, only to see Mrs. Ibarez coming out of the sliding doorway. “Mr. McCarthy, I forgot something. Two of my neighbors were over here earlier. They wanted to use some of our herbicide, and I said that would be ok. Maybe you should check their homes as well?” Mike thinks it through. “Yes, that would be a great idea. Thank you for telling us. Can we get their names and addresses?” “Absolutely.”

  Mrs. Ibarez returns a few minutes later with a sheet of folded paper in her hands. “Here. I’ve written down the addresses of our neighbors, but let me point them out”. Motioning for him to follow, Mrs. Ibarez walks towards the front of the house. Once outside the front door, she beckons with her hand, “That is the Hoffman’s house, the first on the list. The second is on the other cul-de-sac over there, behind ours.” Mike graciously takes the paper and puts it in his jacket pocket. “Can you call them and tell them that we are USDA officials and we would like a look at their property? Please tell them we’ll be over in about ten minutes”. “Ok. I’ll see if they’re home. They should be home I think.” Mike walks through the house to the backyard, where Laurie and Mark are wrapping up the collection of soil and earthworm samples. “Hey guys. Are you finished? We need to walk over to another house on the block. They may have the same problem soon enough. Mrs. Ibarez here informed me that they used Groundup SuperPower today”. Mark eyes light up, as if he had just had an incredible idea. “If they used the herbicide today, and only a few hours ago, then their worms are probably still alive. We need those samples immediately”. Laurie finishes packing the equipment and samples into carry-all bags which are then taken up by the three team members. After saying farewell and thanks to Mrs. Ibarez, who did in fact tell the Hoffman neighbors that the APHIS team will arrive shortly, the three team members leave the Ibarez house and walk across the cul-de-sac to the Hoffman house. Walking up, Mike rings the doorbell.

  The door is opened by a man in his late sixties. After introducing themselves, the man, whose name is Walter Hoffman, shows the team to his garden. Alon
g the way they hear the story that they expected to hear- Mr. Hoffman had borrowed Mrs. Ibanez’s SuperPower Groundup herbicide earlier during the day to use on his plants. The neighbors regularly exchanged small favors, and this was one of those favors. He said he wasn’t a big fan of herbicides, but he needed to keep his garden clean of pests and insects. Mike digested the information quickly, before proceeding to ask the man all the usual questions- history of plant disease, insect infestations, frequency of herbicide use, etc. The team goes into his garden ready to take live samples. When they enter through another sliding door, all they see are dead worms. How is this possible? I thought the effect takes days, not hours! Mrs. Ibanez used it several days ago. This guy used this only what, six hours ago at the most? Looking around him, Mike notices equal expressions of surprise on both Laurie’s and Mark’s faces. They both expected the same result as I did: worms coming out of the ground en masse, but still alive. Why are they all already dead? Mike thinks to himself, while helping Laurie unpack the bag and get the containers for the samples out. The three work together quickly, collecting the usual samples and placing the zip-loc bags into containers. Mike voices his thoughts for the rest of the day. “It is getting late. We should take these samples and head for the motel. Spend a few hours today getting some results from every sample that we collected.” “I concur”, agrees Mark. Laurie nods her head affirmatively in response. With the acknowledgement of all three, Mike shoulders the bag and heads through the house to the van with Laurie and Mark behind him. They thank Mr. Hoffman for his time and brief hospitality before leaving the premises.

  In five minutes the team members are back on the road to their motel, this time with Mike at the driving wheel. It will be a thirty minute drive back to the motel for the night, and Laurie and Mark sit back in their seats trying to get some rest. It has been a long day, but all three know that it isn’t over yet. They can still work in the van’s makeshift lab in the back, trying to put some notion behind the events of the past day. Mark opens up his laptop and states that he’s sending John an update on their progress. He then sends the same update to the Los Angeles USDA office. Since it is already past 7:00pm, the traffic on the roadways has subsided significantly. Mike is only glad that it is mid-summer, and that there is still plenty of sunlight to see with on the road. The team makes it to the roadside motel and park in a peripheral parking place. Mike goes in to get their room keys while Laurie and Mark enter the cargo compartment lab to start work on the day’s collected samples.

  Mike returns a few minutes later with the keys to the two rooms. Upon entering the lab compartment he hands one to Laurie and keeps the other one for himself. “Of course, you get to keep our keys”, comments Mark jokingly. “What did you expect, lock-combination that recognizes your fingerprint?” “Nah. Just hoping for two sets of keys.” “For what, mid-night round to the local strip-club?” “Ha ha.” “That was a forced laugh.” “No joke”, says Mark. To move the conversation along, Mike finally gets down to business. “Anything out of the ordinary on those worms? Particularly the ones from the Hoffman residence?” “Other than the fact that they’re all dead as posts, nothing yet”. Mark peers at a dissected worm through a laboratory microscope. “There are no relevant traces of toxic elements in the worms’ bodies”, states Mark. “Also, I don’t see any elements of rot in the worms’ bodies. So it's not a disease, as far as I can tell. What is toxic to worms? P-99 is toxic, but that’s because of the soil’s low pH. We need to run tests on the soil’s solubility and pH levels. If the soil concentration of P-99 is over 0.4 parts per million, then it is toxic to worms.” “So you’re saying we might have a lead spill? You think P-99 is responsible?” “Only if we find significant ppm levels in the soil.” “I guess that’s a start”, concludes Mike as he takes grabs one of the sample soil bags. This will be a long day.

  New York City, New York, USA

  Alitalia Business Class doesn’t compare the most favorably with better-rated airlines such as Singapore. Nonetheless, for a mere eight-hour flight from Rome to New York City it scores much higher points for comfort than the sardine like arrangements reserved for economy class. Moreover, Alitalia provides its business class customers with VIP lounges and preferential security lanes. This helps avoid long queues that can develop at Rome-Fiumicino during busy travel days. The business class seat also offers passengers more legroom and plenty of space for a laptop, which is exactly what Manjak usually entertains himself with on long-haul flights. While other passengers may take a nap or listen to music on their headphones, Trip uses the opportunity to go through reports, documents, and get work done in general. When the work becomes tedious after many hours, or sleep is missing from a long day before, a nap would solve the problem, barring turbulence. The plane also provides a welcome break from otherwise constant phone calls, as cell phone usage is prohibited on-board.

  As the captain announces the beginning of their descent to Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York Manjak packs up his laptop and stows it in the overhead compartment. Within two hours Manjak expects to be in the United Nations Headquarters preparing his work for a meeting with the Secratariat and his Senior Management Group. The Senior Management Group is the central policy planning body of the United Nations and one of the major groups overseeing FAO’s overall strategy and organization. While some issues can be left to video-conferencing, sometimes it is better to have the meeting face-to-face, which is the reason why Manjak has decided to fly to New York. An elderly woman sitting next to Manjak with whom he had a conversation the first hour of the flight shifts into an upright position while tightening her seatbelt. “Good Afternoon, this is the captain, once again”, announces the in-flight speaker system. “We expect to be arriving at Kennedy airport within 30-35 minutes. Weather in the area is clear, slight winds from the northeast and temperature of 29 Celsius. For all passengers with connecting flights, there will be attendants at the gate ready to help you to your connection.” Chairs are shifted into the upright position and trays stowed away after the captain makes the announcement. Fifteen minutes later Manjak notices the flight attendants go up the aisle checking the passengers’ seatbelts.

  The plane makes an arcing left turn after flying over Long Island’s north shore. Manjak sees the rows upon rows of identical suburban houses typical of Nassau county before the airplane touches down on Kennedy’s runway 22R. After a brief taxi the plane arrives at the gate allowing Manjak and the rest of the passengers to disembark. Going through passport control with his United Nations Laissez-Faire, which allows him to travel to any country on official United Nations missions, Manjak heads down to the Terminal 4 baggage claims area. After taking his suitcase he hails a taxi and soon is traveling across the Long Island Expressway on his way to the Millennium UN Plaza, his hotel of choice in New York City. Oftentimes Manjak wonders if he could stay at his cousins’ house in White Plains, but that would only complicate the commute to the Headquarters. However, not only does Manjak find staying at his cousins annoying (which he did once), but the Millennium UN Plaza is located directly across the street from the UN headquarters. This makes its location ideal for not only Manjak, but for a multitude of other UN officials as well.

  He checks into the hotel and leaves his suitcase in his suite. After taking out a few essential living items, notably the toothbrush and shampoo, he takes out his zip-up folder out of his smaller second bag and places it on the ornate nightstand next to the bed. His cell phone rings immediately, reminding him that he is once again back in the phone-zone. Honestly, cell phones are either the worst or the best invention we’ve ever had. With the possible exception of the internet. “Trip Manjak, FAO deputy secretary speaking.” “Trip! This is Bao Feng. I take it your plane arrived earlier?” “How’d you know? What’s new?”, asks Trip lightly. “Trip. We have so much to go over before you go to the Secretary-General. I was wondering if you could get to my office by 7:00pm today?” “Yes, I can definitely do that. I actually just arrived at the Mil
lennium Plaza, so I’ll see you in a little bit.” “Thanks Trip. See you soon.” With that the line goes dead. Manjak already senses that he will have to talk to many of the management staff beforehand, to get their opinions on various situations, their recommendations. Then he will have his scheduled appointment with Secretary-General Albert Hartaagnaan the day after tomorrow. At that meeting Manjak expects to be presenting FAOs strategic plan for the next two years. Hopefully he will gain the approval of the Senior Management, as they have a lot of influence with the Conference of Member States.

  Trip takes his briefcase and takes out his laptop, placing it on the small desk provided in the hotel room. Replacing the laptop with documents and files, he closes the briefcase and heads out of the room for the meeting with Feng Bao, the Executive Director of the World Food Programme. Manjak had heard of her even before she received her latest post, but since then they had worked together on many overlapping problems and crisis. From dealing with losses of agricultural land in Indonesia to coordinating efforts at delivering food aid to hurricane victims in Haiti, much of the field work done by FAO overlaps with missions being done by the World Food Programme. Feng, a native of China’s Guandong Province, had risen through the ranks of the United Nations both on credentials as a reputable leader and her ability to connect quickly with many of the East Asian leaders, an important trait when a quarter of the world’s population is concerned.

  Exiting the blue glass quadrilateral known as the Millennium Plaza, Manjak hurries out across FDR Drive to the United Nations Headquarters building. Gazing at the flags of the 192 member states fluttering in the early evening breeze, Manjak ponders if the UN could get a better looking building at some point in the future. Ha. At some point they are going to realize that the current building is getting too small, too old, and too ugly for the purpose it has to serve. Then we’ll get a new building. Manjak knew that ground had been broken on a new headquarters building for the UN, but construction on that project had barely started and it would be years before the new headquarters would be in any way ready to begin its function. The UN had been expanding the headquarters complex instead over the years, working to create larger, greener, and more comfortable office space for the hundreds of UN employees who work there daily.

  After going through the routine security check at the checkpoint, Trip hurries into the headquarters building and up into the Secretariat Tower. Slipping into one of the elevators he heads for the 22nd Floor. Once there, he walks down the length of the central corridor, which is mostly empty as it is almost 7:20pm, before turning right into Feng’s office. The World Food Programme office is spacious, with numerous cubicles, terminals, and offices for the many administrative staff on site. At the end, behind a glass wall, is Bao’s own office. Feng Bao is the only one there at the moment. “Bao!”, calls out Trip. Feng Bao looks up from her monitor and catches Trip’s eye.

  Bao is her usual self as Manjak remembers her, wearing a black executive dress while keeping her long black hair straight. She is also wearing her trademark black glasses that she always has on; it is very rare that she would wear contacts. “Trip! Good to see you again so soon! How are things in Rome? How is the family?” “Rome is fine. The family is doing well. Isabel and Max are doing great in school. They’re happy they’re not being forced to learn Italian; although I have to say that their Italian is better than mine”. Bao and Trip share a laugh at the joke. “So what’s so important that you need to talk to me right after I get off a red-eye flight?” “Right down to business as usual, huh Trip? It's about the inquiries that you will be facing with the Senior Managers. You are aware of the many scandals we have been facing recently, ranging from sexual abuse to fraud and corruption. I want to tell you that we should not bring these issues up at the meeting. It is not the right place or time.” Manjak leans back in slight surprise at her words. Now I know she’s always looked at practicality more as more important than finesse point of morality, but this? “What do you mean? It is a senior management meeting, and we should definitely bring these points to the table. Ever since the Food-for-Oil scandal under Kofi Annan we have been plagued with criticisms of corruption, all the time. Some of it true. It is time to start dealing with it.”

  “Deal with it? Trip, what you are talking about could very effectively be your resignation! None of us want that. We have had some problems, not so much with the World Food Programme so much as other, more clandestine programs.” “What clandestine programs?” “The Population Fund, the World Bank, UNESCO, some others. But you’re not a part of any of those.” “I wasn’t aware of such loss of integrity in those programs. But you are right, Bao. I am here to present our strategic plan for FAO. If FAO is drawn into this so-called web of corruption, however, I will look into this further.” I will look into this further regardless. “I’m not surprised you know more about this than I do, but it is odd that you’re telling me now. So, why is it?” “Come on, Trip. We all have a great deal of respect for you, for all the work you have been doing. Everyone relating to food and agriculture will testify to your spirit and ability. I just don’t want to see you fall for something like this. You would have prevented the Food-for-Oil scandal from every happening if you were in your position then. All I will say is this: you can deal with the Secretary-General’s office. But keep an eye out on his Senior Management group.” “Does that include you?” “This isn’t a joke, Manjak.”

  Trip gets the cue and pauses before responding to Feng’s last statement. “Very well. Thanks for the update. What is the schedule tomorrow?” “Well, we will be going over food prices and commodities. I’ve been working on increasing the International Emergency Food Reserve to 2 million metric tons. Right now our commodities are valued at about $679 million. It would be ideal if our reserves of cereals and non-cereal reserves have a value of over $1 billion. But that is, as you like to say, wishful thinking.” “We all have moments of wishful thinking, Bao. I had one about five minutes ago, remember? The important thing is that you are still heading in the direction you want to go.” “How true. Another thing I wanted to ask you- you should stop by our food finance meeting tomorrow. It starts at 9:00am. You would definitely do well to be there tomorrow. The Population Fund, Economic and Social Affairs, and Safety and Security chairs will all be there for the meeting.” “I’ll be there. I noticed it in the itinerary, not to mention several e-mails. Anyone else to be there that I should know about?” “Well, of course there will be representatives from the World Bank, since it is a financial issue that many countries will have concerns with. And the Deputy Secretary-General should be there as well.” “Zihgneg Nahk? I haven’t met him yet, surprisingly. Maybe I’ll meet him tomorrow. Do you know him well?” “I haven’t had much time to talk with him as much as I would like. He seems competent for the most part. Albert is really in charge of things though; make no mistake”. “I have every confidence in Albert, provided he dig out the weeds that have grown in his garden”, replies Trip. “So. I’ll be leaving. How long are you staying here?” “Only another half an hour. Then I’m out.” “Fine. Nice talking to you Bao, as always. Have a great evening, see you tomorrow!” Shaking hands with familiarity, Trip leaves Feng Bao's office and heads towards the elevators.

  Something fishy is going on, but I don’t know what. I need more info. Vowing to himself that he will not be left uninformed about the suspicious activities that Bao had mentioned, Manjak takes a brief moment of comfort riding in the exceedingly fast elevator ride down the twenty-two stories to the ground. Speed walking through the corridors Trip passes the security checkpoint and exits the Headquarters building. Trip goes over the information Bao gave him during the meeting while enjoying the sights and sounds of the city that never sleeps. Trip always enjoyed his trips to New York, and for that reason he is going to get a sizzling New York-style pizza now before heading back to his hotel room. After that he intends to go straight to bed catching up with sleep, before heading back for the meetings tomorrow morning.
r />   Crossing Roosevelt Avenue swarming with buses, minivans, cars and the famous yellow taxis Manjak opens his cell phone to see about a dozen messages waiting for him. Reading the messages as he walks slowly along the Roosevelt Drive next to the East River, he texts back his secretary Maria Pereira his latest information so that he could keep track of things. Reading the latest messages, including one from Jean-Marie Dupont, he eventually closes the cell phone and walks into a pizza parlor. After buying the pizza, he walks back to the Millennium UN Plaza.