September 12 Safe Tech International News and Notes
MICROWAVE NEWS re: WHO STUDY, TINY HOUSE, UNMACHINING, SCREENS AND SCHOOLS (not just cellphones), Screens and Attachment,
“I think, at two most basic levels: one is it corrupts our relationships, and two, it corrupts our attention, and both of those go together.” - UNMACHINING
SOME NOT HIDDEN ‘EASTER EGGS’ - On Sept 11, T mobile announced that it conducted an emergency alert via satellite from space, invokes CA fires - as if everyone in rural areas wants to be tethered to a cellphone, and as if old-school sirens don’t exist?; A former gaming addict describes his successful transition to the U.S. military and his new skillset.
Questioning children’s wellbeing is extending to other screen use, not just cellphones in schools. The tipping point is approaching,,,,,
I recommend the 40-minute interview Devices at School: Have we gone too far? (with Chris McKenna) by Scrolling to Death - A Podcast for Parents
Worried About Social Media
FEATURED:
KEITH, EMF REMEDY Tiny House, Portable Protection Electromagnetic Survival Strategy A tiny house, designed with robust EMF countermeasures, can enable remarkable opportunities for those suffering from electromagnetic poisoning. [] I’ve come to truly appreciate the versatility of the tiny house form. Its key advantages include strong resilience to dirty electricity (DE), electric fields (EF), and radio frequency (RF) radiation, along with the portability to relocate when environmental RF exposures make a location unlivable.
FEATURED:
MICROWAVE NEWS Old Wine in New Bottles Decoding New WHO–ICNIRP Cancer Review Game Over? Likely Not An international team of researchers, many with close ties to ICNIRP, is trying to put to rest the very possibility that RF radiation can lead to brain cancer —and, by extension, any type of cancer. On August 30, they published a detailed systematic review of RF and cell phone epidemiological studies, which concludes that there is little evidence to justify continued concern over a possible cancer link. The review, commissioned by the World Health Organization‘s (WHO) EMF Project, appears in the journal Environment International. A few days later, Ken Karipidis, the lead author, posted a short summary to serve as a press release for the journal manuscript, which takes up 52 typeset pages of the journal. []There’s a lot of history here, including bitter disagreements and lingering grudges between opposing factions. In short, the new systematic review is an ICNIRP production. []The paper certainly qualifies as big. It covers 52 pages of Environment International —that’s a lot for any journal. In addition, there are hundreds more pages online in various annexes, appendixes and supplemental tables. The reason the paper is so long because it’s actually two papers in one. Nested within the systematic review is a new meta-analysis—that’s when data from past studies are combined to improve statistical confidence. It’s often difficult to disentangle the review from the meta-analysis. Adding to the muddle is that “meta-analysis” is not in the title of the paper. []Resurrecting the Danish Cohort Study Among the additional studies included in the systematic review is Karipidis’s own Australian brain tumor study —the one that came under heavy fire in 2019. The Karipidis review was commissioned by the WHO as part of its long-running reassessment of RF health effects, known as an Environmental Health Criteria (EHC) monograph. The document will likely guide worldwide exposure policies for a generation. The last update came out in 1993. But the stakes here are even higher. The no-risk faction will likely use the new review to justify dialing back IARC’s possible cancer risk designation. [] Missing from all the coverage and commentary is the elephant in the room: The $30 million NTP animal study which found “clear evidence” that RF radiation caused malignant tumors in rats. There is also the Ramazzini study, which complement the NTP results. Many say that the strongest evidence for a cancer risk is now the animal work —no longer the epidemiology. The WHO systematic review on RF and cancer in animals has yet to be published. There’s more to come. Stay tuned. MICROWAVE NEWS
NEWS AND NOTES
AI: INTERNATIONAL CRACKDOWN ON AI: As Artificial Intelligence (AI) reshapes the digital landscape, regulators are becoming increasingly aware of the risks. This week, 3 countries have taken action to protect the privacy and rights of social media users. Following a demand from Brazil’s data protection watchdog, Meta will inform Brazilian users how it intends to use their personal data to train generative AI, and give users the opportunity to reject the use of their data for such purposes. Meanwhile, Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC) has ended court proceedings against X after the platform agreed to permanently limit its use of personal data from EU users for AI training. In South Korea, authorities are working to address the role of social media in distributing harmful AI-generated content, with police beginning an investigation into encrypted messaging platform Telegram, to determine whether the platform has been complicit in the distribution of sexually explicit deepfake content. Experts in the country have urged policymakers to impose stronger regulation on AI suppliers to combat deepfake sexual crimes after explicit images of female university students and teenagers were reportedly shared in Telegram chat rooms with thousands of members. Telegram did not immediately respond to journalists’ request for comment. BUSINESS AND HUMAN RIGHTS
AI: What will the candidates say about AI in tonight’s debate? AI policy *should* be front and center Sure, there will be comments on immigration, foreign policy, and inflation; insults will be hurled. Both candidates will probably stumble at some point; evasions are guaranteed. But what you should really be watching for are the candidate’s comments on AI, which after all, is likely to change the world in coming years, affecting virtually every aspect of society, from employment to education to healthcare to national defense. You should be watching to see what the candidates plan to do about fraud and disinformation, as AI contributes to escalation in both. And how the candidates plan to deal with a likely rise in market manipulation using AI-generated misinformation. And what they plan to do about covert racism in AI. And you should be watching to see what they plan to do about the growing problem of nonconsensual deep fake porn, and especially how that might affect the already vulnerable population of teenage girls, who have been hard by social media. GARY MARCUS SUBSTACK
AI APPLE: You Can Soon Use Your AirPods as Hearing Aids And more from Apple's latest product showcase NEWSWER
AI: EFF Americans Are Uncomfortable with Automated Decision-Making
AI SNAKE OIL BOOK: Starting reading the AI Snake Oil book online today The first chapter of the AI snake oil book is now available online. It is 30 pages long and summarizes the book’s main arguments. The book will be published on September 24
BROADBAND INDUSTRY: NTIA Responds to GAO Report: ‘Alignment Can Be Challenging’ NTIA outlined several recommendations in its response to the government watchdog agency. WASHINGTON, September 9, 2024 – The federal government is taking steps to address inefficiencies in its more than 100 broadband expansion programs following a Government Accountability Office report that called for improved coordination. In response to the GAO on Friday, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration identified key obstacles preventing efficient alignment among the 15 federal agencies managing broadband expansion efforts, and proposed legislative solutions. BROADBAND BREAKFAST
BROADBAND INDUSTRY POTS AND PANS; CNET Survey of Broadband Rates Joey Supan wrote an article for CNET with the headline of Internet in the US Costs $63 a Month. I think the difference between my surveys and the results of the CNET article is that a lot of folks are willing to accept slower speeds, and inferior broadband performance to save money. The CNET price assumes that people buy the best broadband available to them. This article also shows what most other analysis shows – people in rural areas pay more for broadband than people in towns and cities. In many counties Starlink has done well, but they are more expensive than other broadband. Subscriptions to high-orbit satellites or cellular hotspots are also incredibly expensive due to overage charges due to low data caps – something this study couldn’t quantify from a rate sheet. POTS AND PANS
BROADBAND INDUSTRY: Comcast views FWA as a 'new overbuilder Comcast is taking a measured response to FWA with products that hit on aspects of fixed wireless that consumers find appealing—namely, low pricing with enough speed to handle most of their day-to-day needs. Comcast is pairing that strategy with one focused on network upgrades, including an emerging DOCSIS 4.0 platform that enables symmetrical, multi-gigabit speeds across its widely-deployed hybrid fiber/coax (HFC) network. BENTON
BROADBAND INDUSTRY: Is Broadband Reaching All Americans? On September 6, 2024, the Federal Communications Commission launched its latest (and 18th overall, if you're scoring at home) inquiry into the state of broadband in the United States. In the Telecommunications Act of 1996, Congress instructed the FCC (also known as "the Commission" to friends) to annually conduct an inquiry “concerning the availability of advanced telecommunications capability to all Americans (including, in particular, elementary and secondary schools and classrooms)” as part of an effort to “determine whether advanced telecommunications capability is being deployed to all Americans in a reasonable and timely fashion.” In August 2022, the FCC released the Report on the Future of the Universal Service Fund and adopted the "goals of universal deployment, affordability, adoption, availability, and equitable access to broadband throughout the United States as the Commission’s universal service goals for broadband." Earlier this year, the FCC found "that these universal service goals, which are not limited to the narrow question of physical deployment of service, are consistent with those adopted in the Report on the Future of the Universal Service Fund (Future of USF Report), and accurate indicators of whether [broadband] is universally available." The September 6 Notice of Inquiry marks the first proceeding after the FCC's findings on affordability, adoption, availability, and equitable access. Here we look at the questions the FCC is asking now about broadband availability. BENTON
BUILDING BIOLOGY ON-LINE COURSE IBE 215 2024 Healthy Design & Community Planning Natural, Healthy Building/Remodeling (buildingbiologyinstitute.org)
CANADIAN UPDATE: UPDATE 2024-09-09 re another BC tower RSVP before Sep. 12th & huge GPS proposal INCLUDES: Flooding Nigeria and every living species there with RF (as a current example). https://www.telecoms.com/satellite/starlink-hooks-up-over-100-rural-base-stations-in-nigeria AND https://nextnav.com/nextnav-files-comments-to-support-creation-of-complement-and-backup-to-gps/
and the company’s 63-page submission to FCC https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/10416238018537/1
CANADIAN UPDATE: UPDATE 2024-09-11 Essentials Havana, “Electromagnetic fields” is in Prevent Cancer Now’s recent submission to the Government of Canada’s Parliamentary Health Committee (HESA), which is studying “Cancer treatment and prevention.” More AT LINK ABOVE
CELLPHONES: Your phone is why you don't feel sexy Eros, desire, instinct, eternity Scrolling on our phones is killing us. This is a statement of fact that needs no citation (besides, research isn’t really my thing). The massive suck of our phones and the never-ending, algorithmically-driven internet has been covered at greater length by better-informed writers. We all know our phones are destroying our attention spans, our dopamine reward systems, our relationships. We know they’re numbing our feelings and experiences. That’s all I’ll say about the general badness of phones and the internet. But I want to talk about a very specific kind of badness: our phones are also killing our ability to feel sexy. Our phones undermine our instincts and confidence … and our appetite for risk. On a lighter note, aren’t we all so sick of looking stuff up? You know what, maybe I go to a restaurant and it’s bad. Maybe I don’t know what’s good on the menu before I get there. Maybe I throw caution to the wind and put something in the dishwasher without googling if it’s dishwasher safe. Maybe I get a flip phone and get comfortable saying, “I don't know.” While you’re looking down at Google Maps, the love of your life is walking past you on the street. To feel sexy, we need risk and spontaneity. Our phones kill both. Eternity is not a sexy concept. We need to remember that everything of this world has a beginning and an end (especially the sexy things). We can’t escape the normal ups and downs of life or the passage of time. We need to allow ourselves to be restless and bored, to be less preoccupied with the opinions of others, and to look honestly within ourselves. We need to get off of our phones and hear the gravel crunching under our feet. Our phones promise us something eternal and infinite, but we should be extremely skeptical of anything that claims it can go on forever. Remember this the next time you fall asleep to a TikTok playing on an endless loop: one day your heart will stop beating. The only thing that’s eternal is love. SUBSTACK
CELLPHONES SCHOOLS: Georgia school shooting highlights fears about classroom cellphone bans The moves to restrict phone use in schools have been driven by concerns about the impact screentime has on children’s mental health and complaints from teachers that cellphones have become a constant distraction in the classroom. But those opposed to the bans say they cut off a lifeline parents have to make sure their children are safe during school shootings or other emergencies. [] Nationally, 77% of U.S. schools say they prohibit cellphones at school for non-academic use, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. But that number is misleading. It does not mean students are following those bans or all those schools are enforcing them. The restrictions have been trumpeted by both Republican and Democratic governors who rarely agree on other issues. [] But advocates of school phone restrictions warn that allowing access to phones during shootings or other emergencies could put students in even more danger. AP NEWS
CELLPHONES BAN SCHOOLS BACKLASH: 'So many things that could go wrong' | Walnut Hills student petitions to ban new phone pouch policy The Cincinnati Public Schools student has concerns about tardiness, health emergencies and potential school shootings Walnut Hills student petitions to ban new CPS phone pouch policy (wcpo.com)
CHILDREN SCREENS: Teen Brains Aged Faster During Lockdowns — and It Was Worse for Girls A study published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that accelerated brain maturation during the COVID-19 lockdowns was particularly pronounced in teenage girls. The teenagers’ brains demonstrated signs of cortical thinning — described by The Telegraph as “a natural process that happens with age and [that] can be accelerated by stress.” According to the study, MRIs performed on participants’ brains showed that, in girls, all eight lobes sustained accelerated maturation, while significant cortical thinning was noted in 30 distinct regions. Teenage boys showed cortical thinning in just two regions. CHD ARTICLE STUDY https://www.washington.edu/news/2024/09/09/covid-19-lockdowns-prematurely-aged-teenage-brains-uw-study-shows/
CELLPHONES SCHOOLS: The Battle to Ban Screens From School Now Includes Chromebooks and Tablets After working to ban phones in the classroom, parents are now seeking a return to pencil and paper WALL STREET JOURNAL PAYWALLED
CHILDREN SCHOOLS: Devices at School: Have we gone too far? (with Chris McKenna) Show Notes 40 MINUTES VIDEO - “More faith-based schools are taking a conservative approach to tech- but this is rare.” Are our kids digital superlearners, or did we just complete a decades-long hardware dump on an entire generation with no research to support that kids will actually benefit from over-integration of tech at school? This is what I explore in today's episode with special guest, Chris McKenna of Protect Young Eyes. We dive into the research related to the educational benefit of screens and global test scores, in addition to the distractions and privacy issues associated with school-issued tech.Resources mentioned in the episode:
Chris McKenna, founder of Protect Young Eyes and Executive Director of the PYE Foundation, is a leading advocate for digital safety. His efforts, including influential testimony before the US Senate and co-authoring the Child Device Protection Bill, have led to significant legislative movement. Chris also advises global tech companies, spoke at the World Economic Forum, and was featured in Childhood 2.0, while his organization educates parents and schools worldwide on digital safety. SCROLLING TO DEATH 40 MINUTE VIDEO WATCH OR LISTEN
CHILDREN SCHOOLS: Australia Plans to Ban Kids From Social Media
Nation will test an age minimum for accounts BARRONS
CHILDREN SCHOOLS: New poll finds 50% of parents believe too much time on technology keeps kids from forming connections in the classroom [] a new national poll from The Kids Mental Health Foundation, conducted by Ipsos, finds half of parents believe that spending too much time on technology and social media keeps children from making meaningful connections as they head into the upcoming school year. The poll highlights top reported challenges for kids in forming classroom connections. According to more than 1,000 parents surveyed across the United States, the top challenges are: Too much time with technology (50%) Bullying (30%) Social impact of the pandemic (22%) Differences in culture and background can also be a factor, with about one in five parents (19%) reporting that children struggle to make connections at school because they don't feel like they fit in because of their race, ethnicity, culture, socioeconomic status, or gender identity. [] The survey also finds that connection-based concerns for kids include fitting in (14%), making new friends in class (17%), being bullied or excluded (13%), and making new friends in sports and extracurricular activities (5%). MSN
CHILDREN: Holistic Psychiatry The Many Factors That Can Disrupt Attachment Why Love is Not Enough, Cultural Differences, Nazi Parenting Manual, Cycle of Abuse, Narcissistic Family Dynamic, Family Stress, Poor Quality Day Care, Screen Media The more time infants and toddlers spend in front of a screen, the less time they spend interacting with others and exploring and manipulating their environment.
The American Psychiatric Association’s recommends:
0-12 months - no screen time except video chatting with family and friends
Younger than 18 months: 18-24 months - only high-quality educational media with parietal engagement
2-5 yrs: no more than 1 hour a day
Most children today under 5 watch more screen time than is recommended. We are only starting to see the impacts of screen media on early development and attachment.
Children who watched any TV or DVDs at 12 months were twice as likely by 36 months to experience “atypical sensory processing.” This could look like sensitivity to loud noises, bright lights, and problems with certain clothing because of a sensitivity to certain textures, among other differences
Parental absorption in media was found to significantly predict attachment insecurity.
When it comes to attachment, there will never be perfection. There can, however, be more education and greater value placed on the first three years of life. With secure attachment comes greater resiliency, stress tolerance, autonomy, connection, emotional regulation, contentment, and cognitive functioning. The Many Factors That Can Disrupt Attachment (substack.com)
CHILDREN SCREENAGERS: I am over the moon jazzed to introduce the trailer for our new film, Screenagers: Elementary School Edition! So much work has gone into this film. My team and I wanted it to be attention-worthy and, above all, exceedingly useful. Screen time seeps into the lives of younger and younger kids. Parents struggle with what to do. How much time is okay for entertainment screen time? How to set limits? How to handle meltdowns? What does science tell us about why and how to safeguard sleep in our digital age? And so much more.
CHILDREN SOCIAL MEDIA 42 state attorneys general demand a Surgeon General warning label for social media apps. Their letter echoed much of what Surgeon General Vivek Murthy outlined in a scathing New York Times op-ed in June, that drew a direct comparison between the apps — TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and others — to cancer causing cigarettes. Letter to Congress: https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/letters/social-warning-label-letter.pdf and CNN BUSINESS: A Surgeon General warning label must appear on social media apps, 42 state attorneys general demand | CNN Business
CHILDREN YOUNG ADULTS: Video Games Almost Stole My Future Read ScreenStrong’s founding story, told by Adam himself Many of you know that ScreenStrong’s mission is deeply personal to me. A little over ten years ago now, my bright son Adam dropped out of college due to his video game addiction. It was something neither my husband nor I ever saw coming. To us, video games were harmless—after all, the word “game” is in the name! But after Adam dropped out, I did the research. I met with health experts across the country, and I learned the truth: these “games” are damaging to children’s minds. That’s why I started ScreenStrong: to share my story, the science behind all screen addictions, and the solutions that I learned in the wake of this family crisis. But today, I want to share Adam’s side of the story. For any parent of a gamer, I think it provides incredible insight into what your child is thinking and feeling right now and how you can help find a better way. There is hope. “You will never be able to achieve anything truly great if you spend all of your time playing video games.” (If you want to share Adam’s story with your gamer, send them this Substack or have them watch Adam’s YouTube video. If gaming or other screen use is interfering with your child’s family life, school life, or overall well-being, please consider a screen detox. You can find it at ScreenStrong.org in our free Connect group. It helped my son, Adam, and thousands of other teens and tweens take the first step towards a healthier, more connected life that’s based right here in the real world.)
DATA CENTERS Data centres as vital as NHS and power grid, government says "But environmental concerns about data centres and their demand on resources remain - they are energy-hungry and can require large quantities of water for cooling. The chief executive of the National Grid said in March that data centre power use in the UK would increase six-fold in the next decade."https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c23ljy4z05mo COURTESY TANJA
ED TECH TAKE-AWAYS: The 2024 State EdTech Trends survey and report tracks insights on the top edtech priorities as identified in SETDA’s survey of state policy-makers including state edtech directors, state superintendents and commissioners of education and CIOs. The report includes four key findings: State agencies are stepping up to meet the demand for more support on the responsible adoption of AI in education. For the second year in a row, cybersecurity is the top edtech priority among state leaders, but fewer state leaders believe their state is providing sufficient funding to support cybersecurity. Anxiety about funding appears to increase as federal pandemic funds expire this fall, while home connectivity and access remain the top unmet need across states. New survey questions reveal opportunities for state education leaders to support the effective and equitable use of edtech as states appear to invest more in their own capacity. BENTON
EMERGENCY ALERT: T-Mobile Conducts the First Ever Wireless Emergency Alert Via Satellite September 11, 2024 T-Mobile Starlink satellite-to-smartphone technology to bring critical emergency alerts to 500,000+ square miles of land currently unreachable with earth-based cell towers. Emergency alerts will work for everyone – even Verizon, AT&T and other wireless provider customers will receive critical emergency alerts At 5:13 PM PT on Thursday, September 5th, T-Mobile initiated a test alert for a hypothetical evacuation notice. The alert was sent 217 miles into space where it was received by one of the more than 175 Starlink direct-to-smartphone satellites currently in low earth orbit that effectively function as cell towers in space. The alert was then broadcast to a geographic area impacted by the hypothetical evacuation notice and received by a T-Mobile smartphone. In total, it took emergency operators just seconds to queue up an emergency message and deliver that message via Starlink satellites to users on the ground. The life-saving benefits of satellite-enabled WEAs are immense. Take the 2018 Camp Fire in Northern California as an example. The fire, which ultimately burned more than 150,000 acres, forced the evacuation of 52,000 people, destroyed 19,000 structures including most of the city of Paradise and, most devastatingly, took 86 lives, erupted in the rural Sierra Nevada mountains. Those who lived, worked or played off the cellular network grid - relatively common in lightly populated areas with significant elevation changes - had no access to emergency alerts due to lack of wireless service coverage. The fire also took out a reported 17 cell towers on the first day of the fire and 66 total during the first two weeks of the blaze making communications - with first responders or loved ones - nearly impossible for many. T-Mobile and Starlink, with more than 175 direct-to-smartphone satellites currently in low-earth orbit, are currently testing satellite-to-smartphone service. Additional SpaceX launches are scheduled over the coming months to add more satellites to the current constellation, further blanketing the country with wireless coverage. As that happens, T-Mobile intends to beta test the service before launching it commercially. T MOBILE
ENVIRONMENT: Mass Die-Off in Bats Across US Linked to Over 1,000 Human Infant Deaths (RF not mentioned) In 2006, people found bats in New York’s Howe Cave that had a peculiar, fuzzy white substance growing on their snouts. This was the first sighting of white-nose syndrome, a fungal disease that has devastated bat populations across the US. Now, a new study has found more than 1,000 human infant deaths resulted from the loss of bats in North America – which led to increased pesticide use, a grim reminder of how vital this much-maligned mammal is to our wellbeing. “Bats have gained a bad reputation as being something to fear, especially after reports of a possible linkage with the origins [of] COVID-19,” says the study’s author Eyal Frank, an ecological economist at the University of Chicago. “But bats do add value to society in their role as natural pesticides, and this study shows that their decline can be harmful to humans.” ARTICLE STUDY: The economic impacts of ecosystem disruptions: Costs from substituting biological pest control (No mention of RF inpacting the insect/food supply for bats or impacting bat’s radar)
5G INDUSTRY: Forging the 5G future: Strategic imperatives for the US and its allies 5G technology is a critical pillar of U.S. national security, economic prosperity, and geopolitical influence in the twenty-first century. As the backbone of the next generation of digital infrastructure, 5G enables faster, more reliable communication networks that are essential for national competitiveness, from military operations to economic benefits. As China rapidly emerges as the global leader in 5G tech, it is critical for the United States to regain its historical technological edge in the critical communications field. The stakes are high, as nations that lead in 5G development and deployment will shape global standards, secure strategic advantages, and potentially influence the global digital landscape for decades. Courtesy Tom Valovic.: “This article shows how 5G is not just a telecom company initiative but is being pushed at the highest levels of government as an essential technology in our competition with China” Atlantic Council
5G INDUSTRY CTIA: Data consumption of 100.1 trillion MB was up from 73.7 trillion MB in 2022, the CTIA revealed in the latest edition of an annual survey for the wireless sector. The CTIA stated more than 40 per cent of wireless connections in 2023 were 5G and in excess of 330 million citizens were covered by one or more 5G networks. Nearly 40 per cent of all wireless devices had a 5G connection, a 34 per cent increase over 2022. The CTIA stated the total number of wireless connections reached 558 million, more than 1.6 for every US resident. It stated $30 billion was invested in the sector in 2023 and total outlay on spectrum in auctions topped $233 billion across an unspecified timeframe US 5G data consumption tops 100 trillion MB
5G INDUSTRY: T-Mobile grabbed the 5G wave and it’s epic: Ewaldsson In the U.S., T-Mobile wasn’t successful until it hit upon 5G, For a lot of operators, the best of 5G is yet to come, Is 5G good or bad? Depends on who you ask Criticism of 5G investments usually goes something like this: Operators spent billions on spectrum and equipment and with the exception of perhaps fixed wireless access (FWA), they’re still looking for the big payback years after deploying the technology. [] In wireless, hype tends to precede every big “G” that comes along, and people are bound to be disappointed. Remember that 3G was supposed to deliver mobile TV in a big way? Some folks joke that “every other G” is successful, so where 4G LTE brought ride-sharing apps and GPS routing, 5G still needs to find its footing. FIERCE NETWORK
5G; UK An article about how 5G will help mitigate "climate change" COP26: How 5G can help to achieve net zero targets Trials have included using 5G connectivity to monitor wind turbines to maximise energy production; improving recycling by optimising waste flows; and helping residents to reduce their energy consumption with real-time data. COP26: How 5G can help to achieve net zero targets (telecomstechnews.com)
HEALTH: thank you to N.B. for transcribing the instagram post about airpods: Video, "airpods, bluetooth decrease life expectancy This interview with Dr. David Erb DC was included here: https://patriciaburke.substack.com/p/september-9-safe-tech-international Transcript: "iPhones when most people put it up to their head, up to 2 hours later, half to three-quarters of an inch into the brain tissue is still heated from using the phone against your ear. And when you repeatedly heat those things, then tissue actually starts to become neoplastic.We have a pair of surgeons here in town in Dallas. They're busy 5 days a week, booked every single day all day, taking out parotid gland tumors from people having airpods,, bluetooth devices because it's actually causing neoplastic activity.So EMFs absolutely decrease life expectancy."
INSPIRATION: Beatrice Institute Podcast- Unmachining: Reclaiming a Grounded Life- kitchen table conversation with Grant Martsolf You look at World War II, and Nazis who just obeyed orders. You look at the Milgram experiments where people were shocking innocent people, giving them electric shocks during a cognitive task. And they take those shocks to quite a high level, to fatal levels. I think, sad to say in reality, most people, their eyes aren't opened. I think that's the danger we face when their eyes do become open, because that does happen sometimes, outside of literature in the real world. It reminds me of Mattias Desmet ; he wrote a book called The Psychology of Totalitarianism. In it, he talks about how when you're trying to deal with a population that's been heavily propagandized, and they're really closed off to any counter narrative, the solution is not to just try to argue strongly against them because that will just put up their defenses, right? They'll just reject that. What you need to do is very gently present information to them, and just quietly seed things around them, and hope that some of that will take. UNMACHINING
MINING: MINING STANDARDS UNDER SCRUTINY: The International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) is facing criticism from Indigenous rights organisations and NGOs over its new Indigenous Peoples and Mining Position Statement. While the policy acknowledges Indigenous Peoples' right to self-determination and the principle of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent, rights groups argue that the policy's ambiguous language and weak interpretation of the principle would allow communities’ decisions to withhold consent to be overridden by companies or the state. In a parallel development, 25 civil society organisations, unions, and NGOs have expressed concerns over the Consolidated Mining Standard Initiative - an industry-led certification scheme developed by major mining bodies. In a letter addressed to ICMM, the Mining Association of Canada, The Copper Mark, and the World Gold Council, the groups argue that the initiative lacks meaningful input from affected communities and does not meet rigorous environmental or social standards. In a letter responding to the criticism, the companies stated public consultation would begin in ‘the next couple of months’. The concerns come amid deadly attacks on environmental defenders around the world, many of whom are targeted as a result of their opposition to mining projects. A new Global Witness report into the killings of 196 environmental defenders in 2023 finds that mining is the leading industry driver behind the killings, with 25 defenders killed after opposing mining operations in 2023. BUSINESS AND HUMAN RIGHTS
NEURALINK: Neuralink's grand vision isn't scientifically supported Controlling a computer with your mind is the same as with your hands, I'm not against the company's existence, since it actually does help people, and I'm not against the research itself, which might one day be significant. But I am against the outside perception that both: (a) Something very new is occurring here (researchers have come up with ways for people to control computer games with just their minds for over 20 years). (b) That Neuralink will develop as Elon Musk thinks it will, toward some sort of device that allows for “telepathy” between us and machines (a rather useless product given the research showing humans are limited to—no matter the medium—inputting and outputting information around talking speed, ~10 bits per second). We seem to be innately bottlenecked by biology, rather than merely inconvenienced. The Intrinsic Perspective SUBSTACK PAYWALLED
SATELLITES: Flooding Nigeria and every living species there with RF (as a current example). https://www.telecoms.com/satellite/starlink-hooks-up-over-100-rural-base-stations-in-nigeria
SPACE: A space company is headed to Mars this fall. No, it's not SpaceX. During a solar storm, the sun unleashes a torrent of radiation into space. If you're on Earth, the planet's atmosphere and magnetic field shield you against the most harmful health impacts. But if you were on Mars some 140 million miles away, how those gusts of energy would affect you and the rest of the Red Planet are less clear. []Scientists know Mars once had a much thicker atmosphere, perhaps one capable of supporting life. But the planet's climate has changed dramatically over billions of years, from an Earth-like world bathed in lakes and rivers to an arid desert. The question is where did the atmosphere go? A new NASA-funded science mission will get to the bottom of how solar radiation strips away the tattered Martian atmosphere, and it doesn't involve the usual cast of contractors. The company at the center of this mission is Rocket Lab, started in New Zealand in 2006. Of all the new space ventures, that name might come as a surprise, given how relatively unknown the company is to the general public — and how obsessed its competitor SpaceX, or rather its founder Elon Musk, is with getting to Mars. "I always joke that we're the only non-billionaire led space company right now," Peter Beck, CEO of Rocket Lab, told Mashable. "Our two biggest competitors are the two wealthiest people on the planet, and — most unfortunate for our PR and comms department — I'm probably a really boring kind of CEO. I don't post controversial things and don't do crazy stuff. I'm just trying to build rockets." []While legacy NASA contractors usually work under a cost-plus-fixed-fee deal, which means if they have to spend more money, the space agency foots more money, Rocket Lab provided the probes at a fixed price. []The Escapade spacecraft will travel for about 11 months before reaching Mars. Both will adjust their orbits over several months before beginning their primary science mission in April 2026. []In addition to their instruments, the probes will be equipped with cameras to take the first global snapshots of Martian auroras. The United Arab Emirates' orbiter Hope has obtained images in ultraviolet light, and NASA's Perseverance rover just detected the first aurora from the planet's surface in March following a particularly strong solar flare. But Blue and Gold could be the first to capture overviews of auroras in visible light — likely glowing in shades of ruby and emerald. MSN
SPACE NASA; Experts Find NASA Is in Major Trouble "One tends to neglect the probably less glamorous thing." Clocking in at roughly 200 pages, the report features committees comprised of dozens of experts from both public and private entities including SpaceX, the Planetary Society, and a number of universities to issue recommendations. As WaPo notes, the overwhelming consensus reached by these assembled luminaries is that NASA is too focused on the short term to plan strategically for the future. FUTURISM
SPACE: SPACEX; SpaceX says regulators will keep Starship grounded until at least November SpaceX blames the regulatory delay on "issues ranging from the frivolous to the patently absurd." ARS TECHNICA
TOWERS AND ANTENNAS: Arroyo Grande seniors protest proposed cell tower Lowy added that building the tower so close to the community would result in a loss of property value for Sunrise Terrace residents, money they are hoping to make last for residential care later. Resident Shirley Daniels agreed with Lowy and said that this could even be seen as a case of discrimination against the elderly. "We probably won't be around for 10 or 15 years; the impact on us and maybe our whining and crying won't affect you," she said. "However, there's also a subdivision across the street from us that's low-income. So why is this site chosen for impact? Regardless of what minimal impact it is." After 31 speakers took to the public comment mic on Feb. 6, the Planning Commission denied the project due to findings that the project was inconsistent with telecommunication requirements and the city's general plan. https://www.newtimesslo.com/news/arroyo-grande-seniors-protest-proposed-cell-tower-15609293
EVENTS:
TREVOR KING How I protect my own family from EMF's Thursday, September 12th
- 4pm Eastern - 1pm Pacific - 9pm GMT 90 MINUTES, REGISTER (I do not know the group or the speakers)
The National Call registration link, Friday September 13, 2024, 1-3pm ET Here is the registration link for Friday's National Call for Safe Technology: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUkdeGgrDgrH9LuJPktyEU2uGs3klqtYuwB*After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Wednesday, September 25, 11 AM Pacific, Health Hazards of Wireless Technologies: What Do We Know Now? Webinar with Dr. Joel Moskowitz Register at: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_lTLtFG0IR7S3v33c76C0uQ#/registration
CHE is sponsoring a free webinar, "Health Hazards of Wireless Technologies: What do we know now?," on Wednesday September 25th at 11:00am Pacific/2:00pm Eastern. RSVP here
In this webinar, Dr. Joel Moskowitz will provide a brief overview of selected recent studies on health hazards of wireless technologies. He will briefly discuss a meta-analysis of case-control studies of cell phone use and tumor risk, as well as the state of the evidence on tumor risk and other health hazards. He will also address the World Health Organization's recent efforts to assure the public that wireless radiation exposure is safe by commissioning biased reviews.
Wireless technologies, including cell phones, wireless internet, and Bluetooth devices, have become ubiquitous in our lives. Most adults in the US own a cell phone, and cell phone use is widespread among children and adolescents. New cell antenna sites are being deployed widely. Wireless technologies and equipment designs also change rapidly.
The preponderance of scientific evidence shows adverse biological and health effects from the radiofrequency (RF) radiation, or electromagnetic fields (EMFs), used and generated by these devices. A number of studies have considered the mechanisms of biological harm from RF radiation, and federal studies have documented increased incidence of certain tumors in laboratory animals associated with RF exposure. Epidemiological studies have found increased risk of certain tumors associated with long-term use of wireless phones.Â
Joel M. Moskowitz, PhD is the Director of the Center for Family and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Moskowitz has conducted research on disease prevention programs and policies for more than 40 years, most recently focusing on adverse health effects of cell phone and wireless radiation. In 2009 he served as the senior author on a hallmark paper reviewing research on mobile phone use and increased brain tumor risk that was updated in 2020. He has disseminated research related to wireless technology, public health, and policy since 2009. He is a member of the International Commission on the Biological Effects of Electromagnetic Fields (ICBE-EMF) and an advisor to the International EMF Scientist Appeal signed by more than 250 scientists who published peer-reviewed research on EMF and biology or health. His Electromagnetic Radiation Safety website is a valuable resource for scientists, journalists, and the public.
Click here to register.
Thanks for the update on T-mobile.