There are two parts to this, and usually they are done by separate agencies. The first part is to collect information (to "spy") on other countries. The other side is to watch people in the home country who might cause problems. A third activity is to defend against foreign intelligence agencies in the home country. This is called counter-intelligence, and is often done by a separate agency.
What the agencies discover is called "intelligence". It may be used to help law enforcement, security, defence and foreign policy.
The methods of information gathering are sometimes covert (hidden) and sometimes quite open. A covert method might be to steal and copy secret documents. An open method would be to read all published work on some important matter, and analyse it. Much important material is published openly in democratic countries.
To get hold of secret information, these organisations use espionage, intercept signals (tap phones, hack computers), cryptanalysis (break codes), and think about what the information means. Putting together and communicating information is known as intelligence analysis and assessment.
Some agencies have been involved in assassination, arms trafficking, coups d'état, and the placement of misinformation (propaganda) as well as other covert operations, in order to support their own or their governments' interests.
The United States has about 17 major intelligence groups, and many other smaller groups. These are the most important:
Elias Lönnrot
Elias Lönnrot (9 April 1802 – 19 March 1884) was a Finnish philologist. He collected traditional spoken poems and made a book of them. He made Finland's national epic, "Kalevala". This is a book of traditional folk stories and poems. He collected these during several journeys across Finland, Karelia, and parts of Russia and the Baltic countries.
Lönnrot, Mikael Agricola and Aleksis Kivi are regarded fathers of a national literature in Finnish.
Lönnrot also the first book about plants in Finland, "Flora Fennica" () in 1860.
He born and died in Sammatti, an old town in Uusimaa.
Tana River (Norway)
The Tana River ( or ; ; ), is a river in Sápmi area of northern Scandinavia. The river flows through Finnmark county, Norway and the Lapland region of Finland. The Sámi name means "Great River". The main tributaries of Tana are Anarjohka and Karasjohka rivers. It is one of the world's most important rivers for Atlantic salmon reproduction.
Alexander Salák
Alexander Salák (born January 5, 1987) is a Czech ice hockey goaltender. He currently plays for SKA Saint Petersburg in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).
Salák started his career playing in the SM-liiga with the TPS Turku. He played there for 2 seasons and was signed by the Florida Panthers of the NHL on May 29, 2009. He played two games with the Panthers and was sent down to their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans. Salák was loaned to Färjestads BK of the Swedish Elite League (SEL) to play in the 2010-11 season.
On February 9, 2011, the Panthers traded Salák along with Michael Frolík to the Chicago Blackhawks for Jack Skille, Hugh Jessiman, and David Pacan. The Blackhawks signed him to a two-year contract on May 31, 2011. The Blackhawks released him from his contract on June 18, 2012.
Atlantic salmon
The Atlantic salmon ("Salmo salar") is a fish in the family Salmonidae. Atlantic salmon are found in the northern Atlantic Ocean and in rivers that flow into the north Atlantic. They have also been successfully transplanted into the north Pacific Ocean. Other names for Atlantic salmon are: bay salmon, black salmon, caplin-scull salmon, Sebago salmon, silver salmon, fiddler, or outside salmon. Atlantic salmon that don't journey to sea are known as landlocked salmon or ouananiche. This can be due to human interference or natural disasters.
Most Atlantic salmon follow an life cycle. Once hatched, they are called alevins. They live off the nutrients in their yolk sac they were born with. Once they start feeding they are called fry. They grow into juveniles or parr and remain in fresh water for a number of years while growing. When they leave fresh water they are called smolts. Smolts leave the streams and move into the ocean for feeding and growth. The post-smolts change from territorial behavior to that of open ocean, possibly shoaling, fish. Their mortality rate while in the ocean is very high. The rate is from 90% to as high as 99%. After 1–5 years at sea they return to spawn in the same streams they were born in. Unlike most Pacific varieties Atlantic salmon are meaning they don't automatically die after their first spawning. But the stress of spawning, predators, or disease does kill many. The remainder return to sea to spawn again and again.
There is variety in the life cycle of Atlantic salmon. They do not require salt water. Numerous examples of fully fresh water landlocked Atlantic salmon exist throughout the Northern Hemisphere. In North America, the landlocked fish are called ouananiche. Fresh water Atlantic salmon are smaller than the (ocean-dwelling) Atlantic salmon.
Huber Matos
Huber Matos Benítez (26 November 1918 – 27 February 2014) was a Cuban dissident activist and writer from Yara, Granma Province.
He was best known as a revolutionary who assisted Fidel Castro, Che Guevara and other members of the 26th of July Movement (M-26-7) in removing the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista as part of the Cuban Revolution. He was against Batista since the general's effective coup in 1952, which he called unconstitutional, but became more critical of the movement's shift towards Marxist principles, and closing ties with leaders of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC). He was convicted of "treason and sedition" by the new Castro regime. He would spend 20 years in prison (1959–1979) before being released in 1979.
After his release, he spent his time between Miami, Florida, United States and Costa Rica. He was politically active in speaking out against the Cuban government.
Matos died from a heart attack on 27 February 2014 in Miami, Florida. He was aged 95.
Non-Stop (movie)
Non-Stop is a 2014 French-American action thriller/mystery movie directed by Jaume Collet-Serra. It was produced by Joel Silver. It stars Liam Neeson and Julianne Moore. It will be released on February 28, 2014.
Ghostbusters (1984 movie)
Ghostbusters is a American supernatural comedy movie directed by Ivan Reitman. It is about people fighting ghosts in New York City. It was written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. It stars Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Sigourney Weaver, Annie Potts, William Atherton, Ernie Hudson and Rick Moranis. The music was composed by Elmer Bernstein. It was released on June 8, 1984. It was followed by "Ghostbusters II".
Rick Moranis
Frederick Allan "Rick" Moranis (born April 18, 1953) is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter and songwriter. He was nominated for a Grammy Award two times. He was known for his role in the movie "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids". He is also known for appearing in "Ghostbusters", "The Flintstones", "Spaceballs", and in "Little Shop of Horrors".
Elmer Bernstein
Elmer Bernstein (April 4, 1922 – August 18, 2004) was an American composer and conductor. He is best known for his many movie soundtracks.
His musical career last for fifty years, he composed music for over one hundred movies and television shows. His most popular works include the scores to "The Magnificent Seven", "The Ten Commandments", "The Great Escape", "To Kill a Mockingbird", "Ghostbusters", "The Black Cauldron" and "The Rookies".
Bernstein died of cancer on August 18, 2004.
Sorel Etrog
Sorel Etrog, CM (August 29, 1933 – February 26, 2014) was a Romanian-born Canadian artist, writer and philosopher. He is best known for his work as a sculptor. In 1966, works by Etrog, Alex Colville and Yves Gaucher represented Canada at the Venice Biennale.
He died from prostate cancer in Toronto. He was aged 80.
Ernie Hudson