December 29-30 Safe Tech International News and Notes

Headlights, Data vs. Appliances: Power Quality, Base Stations vs Antioxidant & Oxidant Serum Levels; Is the digital revolution ruining the future for us and our children?

In a fascinating development, mainstream news is reporting that data center impacts on the grid may be harming appliances, but still no connection to health…yet.

Reminder: Substack auto-formats to a cellphone screen in your email. To view a wider format for easier scanning and better for your eyes, click on the title within the email. It’s a hyperlink to an on-line version. Substack also automatically bolds the smaller font but you don’t need to read all the details unless they are of interest.

I’ll be back in 2025! bless bless and thanks for all you do.

Images courtesy Global 5G Protest for Freedom 21/22 December and Pittsfield Cell Tower Concerned Citizens

Quotes:

"Like Santa, wireless technology sees you when you're sleeping and knows when you're awake, it knows if you've been bad or good. Unless people become aware of the perils of wireless electromagnetic communications, they'd better be good for goodness sake as defined by the United Nations, the World Economic Forum and Artificial Intelligence. He who controls the algorithms will be making a list, checking it twice, and gonna find out who's naughty and nice." John Weigel, Ireland

“As an expert of communication, I am sure that the use of social media, but also of Internet, is detrimental to brain development because of the characteristic of the means: "The media is the message" is still true. Social media are designed to capture the audience with high conflict content: strong polarization of truth and a continuous confirmation of the world that we know because the content is targeted to the research that each of us do. So we continue to see the world as we know it. The brain of the social network user has to make very simple choices and this seems to be one of the main causes of the loss of the complexity of language and in the lowering of IQ in technological societies.” - Francesca Romana Amica, Italy

Are chatbots destroying your home appliances? What happens when AI companies set up huge energy-sucking data centers near your home? Guess what—they disrupt your own energy sources. And with unpleasant consequences. According to Bloomberg: AI data centers are multiplying across the US and sucking up huge amounts of power. New evidence shows they may also be distorting the normal flow of electricity for millions of Americans…. The problem is threatening billions in damage to home appliances and aging power equipment, especially in areas like Chicago and "data center alley" in Northern Virginia, where distorted power readings are above recommended levels. If you live within 20 miles of a data center, there’s a fifty percent chance that you’re impacted by its power use. - Ted Gioia The Honest Broker Substack

FEATURED EUROPE: Is the digital revolution ruining the future for us and our children?

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The current video lecture (Nov. 2024) by neurobiologist Prof. Dr. Dr. Gertraud Teuchert-Noodt ‘Is the digital revolution ruining the future for us and our children?’ is available on the diagnose:funk homepage and YouTube. More info and news links here: https://www.diagnose-funk.org/aktuelles/artikel-archiv/detail&newsid=2159 (The site will automatically translate to English when prompted.)

Teuchert-Noodt headed the Institute of Neuroanatomy and Human Biology at the University of Bielefeld (Germany). In her lecture, Teuchert-Noodt explains why the smartphone acts like a drug on the developing brain of children. The sensory overload triggers the reward system and prevents the frontal lobe from maturing, thus hindering the development of intelligence. She explains this mechanism in brain metabolism that she has researched with scientific findings. Digital media affect brain development through three gateways: movement, emotion and cognition. We can see their effect everywhere: children and young people chained to their smartphones on the tram, in the playground and in the pub, and not least in the PISA results. Teuchert - Noodt takes us on a journey through the exciting history of brain research on learning since the 1950s (she still worked with Prof. Konrad Lorenz in Seewiesen), vividly explains the importance of Hebb's learning synapse, the compensation theory of Wolff and explains why children need to have many experiences through play, physical activity and social contact with others, which are stored in the brain and gradually lead to reason and ‘adulthood’. She appeals that pedagogy must make the findings of neurobiology the basis of educational concepts. She is harshly critical of ‘digital education’ and the introduction of tablets in kindergartens. COURTESY Peter Hensinger, M.A. via NINA

NEWS AND NOTES

AI: BLOOMBERG AI Needs So Much Power, It’s Making Yours Worse AI data centers are multiplying across the US and sucking up huge amounts of power. New evidence shows they may also be distorting the normal flow of electricity for millions of Americans. This map shows readings from about 770,000 home sensors, with red zones indicating areas with the most distorted power. Every day, Americans reach into their refrigerators or turn on their dishwashers without much thought given to the electricity flowing through their homes. But a hidden problem now threatens these seemingly mundane tasks: distorted power supplies. The term for the issue is “bad harmonics.” It may seem a bit esoteric, but you can think of it like the static that can be heard when a speaker’s volume is jacked up higher than it can handle. Electricity travels across high-voltage lines in waves, and when those wave patterns deviate from what’s considered ideal, it distorts the power that flows into homes. Bad harmonics can force home electronics to run hot, or even cause the motors in refrigerators and air conditioners to rattle. It’s an issue that can add up to billions of dollars in total damage. More importantly, bad harmonics are symptomatic of much deeper problems that are engulfing the US grid. []Dharmawardena compared bad harmonics to trash in the middle of the road, which can impact all drivers in the area. And the Whisker Labs data, he said, gives you a sense of “the overall condition of the road itself.” “Embedded in your contract with your utility is the right to receive a certain quality of power,” he said. “We need to make sure we measure it, and that our consumers get the power quality that they deserve.”

also Read More: AI Is Already Wreaking Havoc on Global Power Systems

Caution Blomberg uses the profoundly unhealthy white text on black background that is extremely stressful for the eyes.

Reminder: Sam Milham spoke about the impact of smart meters on power quality and on human health HERE. Dr. Samuel Milham: “Smart meters are a public health hazard.” | Smart Grid Awareness, Industry standards for residences are insufficient and ineffective.

APPLE: Apple pulls remaining Lightning-based devices from European stores Apple is no longer selling its iPhone SE and iPhone 14 series in Europe — the last phone models with Apple’s proprietary Lightning charging port — as the EU shifts to a common charging solution built around USB-C. EU Directive 2022/2380 goes into force today in an effort to reduce e-waste and solve market fragmentation. A spot check by The Verge shows the iPhone SE, iPhone 14 and 14 Plus, and the Lightning-based Magic Keyboard have been pulled from stores in The Netherlands, France, and Germany. Those same devices are still for sale in the US and other countries outside the EU’s 27 member states. A new iPhone SE with USB-C and other upgrades like an OLED display is rumored for 2025. In addition to requiring a USB-C port on a wide range of devices sold in the EU from December 28th, 2024, the Directive also requires devices that support fast charging to support the USB PD standard, allows for the unbundling of charging bricks from retail devices, and helps consumers to better understand the power requirements of the devices they’re buying through improved labeling. https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/shopping/apple-pulls-remaining-lightning-based-devices-from-european-stores/ar-AA1wC0QX

CELLULAR PHONE TASK FORCE/ARTHUR F. UPDATE: Smart meters, my new book, and expanded team The Earth And I

CHILDREN SCREEN DEEP: childrenandscreens.org If you’ve missed these seven compelling episodes, now’s your chance to catch up and start 2025 with the knowledge and tools you need to help children lead healthy lives in today’s digital world. Here’s what you’ll discover in Season 1:

The impact of screens on early childhood development with Dimitri Christakis, MD, MPH;

How screen time affects sleep patterns with Lauren Hale, PhD;

The connection between adolescent brain development and social media use with Eva Telzer, PhD;

The neuroscience behind digital and behavioral addictions in teens with Marc Potenza, MD, PhD;

How “technoference” from parent media use affects children and relationships with Brandon McDaniel, PhD;

Insights into attention, learning and screen use in young children with Heather Kirkorian, PhD; and

The effects of digital media use on adolescent body image with Jason Nagata, MD, MSc.

Screen Deep is your ultimate guide to decoding young minds in the digital age.

CHILDREN: Emma and Matt Willis challenge a group of Year 8 pupils at the Stanway School in Colchester to give up their smartphones completely for 21 days https://www.channel4.com/programmes/swiped-the-school-that-banned-smartphones

CONFLICT MINERALS MINING: Apple suspends mineral purchases from DRC amid criminal complaint

The DRC is endowed with large deposits of coltan, tin, tantalum and tungsten which are used for making components of smartphones and other electronic devices. Several armed groups have been fighting over the control of the mining sites in the country’s east. In May, the M23 rebels seized the mining town of Rubaya after defeating government forces in a battle in North Kivu province. The United Nations released a report saying the rebels were generating $300 000 US dollars every month from the mines. Lawyers representing the DRC have welcomed Apple’s decision to stop getting minerals sourced from the east of the country but said they will go ahead with the cases against Apple’s European subsidiaries.

DATA CENTERS: The Data-Center Boom Eats Up a Lot of Land. Atlanta Says It’s Gone Too Far.

ENERGY APPLE PODCAST: Humanity's Blind Spots | Olivia Lazard Entangled World (JUNE) (2 HOURS)

Olivia is a research fellow at Carnegie Europe where her research involves investigating how to support a move towards regenerative foreign and security policy within the European Union. She also leads projects at the University of Exeter on the ecological costs of the energy transition. Essentially, Olivia works on the geopolitics of climate-disrupted futures and ecological breakdown. With a background in conflict resolution, and deep field experience in some of the world's most fragile contexts, she now focuses on preventing and mitigating the risks associated with a global competition over specific renewable and non-renewable resources. Her work tackles the decarbonisation-regeneration nexus, the core pillar for the future of global security and peace.

In this conversation, Olivia and I discuss the major “blind spots” of the energy transition and how competitive resource extraction is likely to lead to conflict, violence, ecological destabilization, and the dangerous potential of simultaneously compromising multiple major ecosystems for the sake of resource extraction. She describes how COVID and the Ukraine War revealed some important vulnerabilities in our interconnected systems and how resources can be powerfully weaponized by those who control them. She puts the Ukraine-Russia conflict in context as part of a larger story that has major implications for the future; a possible future in which Russia may be able to use its control over energy, critical minerals, agriculture, and other natural resources to threaten the stability of other increasingly dependent, destabilized nations. We also talk about how China has perfected the verticalization of supply chains for several critical minerals needed for the advanced tech revolution, particularly the development of AI. China has become not only an industrial heavyweight leading in manufacturing but also a technological heavyweight, which has massive geopolitical implications for the global balance of power We explore the rationality behind different realms of human conquest throughout history, from colonialism to the nuclear age, highlighting how these revolutions came about in response to needs and threats in key historical moments. We discuss historical cycles of attempts to control, extract, expand, and conquer, and the resulting long-term consequences. In other words, how our current problem-solving approaches works to solve narrow goals while externalizing harm in other places.

Olivia Lazard’s Links & Resources: https://carnegieendowment.org/people/olivia-lazard?lang=en

The Blind Spots of the Green Energy Transition | Olivia Lazard | TED

https://www.iwm.at/europes-futures/fellow/olivia-lazard

https://x.com/OliviaLazard?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

https://muckrack.com/olivia-lazard/articles

ENERGY - WIND: The problem with Europe’s ageing wind farms

About a fifth of the continent’s roughly 90,000 onshore turbines are at least 15 years old — and the normal lifespan of a wind farm with minimal maintenance is 20 years. In Spain, a pioneer of wind power in the 1990s along with Germany and Denmark, wind parks aged 15 or older are half of the total — the highest proportion in the EU, according to trade body WindEurope.

The end-of-life choices made by turbine owners, who must weigh up whether to invest more or walk away, have broader consequences. Their decisions will help determine how much progress the EU makes towards its goal of fostering energy independence and reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. [] That is why Madrid, and the EU, are pushing for what experts call repowering: taking down the oldest turbines and using the same sites to erect cutting-edge new windmills, which are taller, more efficient and pump out more electricity. But the shift can be a costly, complicated process. [] The key players in many legal battles are birds. The taller turbines become, the greater the collision threat they pose. Their blades may appear to move slowly, but the tips can be flying at nearly 300km an hour, says José Antonio Sarrión, an ornithologist, or bird expert, who has worked for wind developers in Tarifa. “When a blade hits a vulture, the bird is often split in half,” he adds. Acciona Energía recorded 800 bird and bat deaths at its 168 Spanish wind farms in 2023, including 10 endangered creatures. Ten is “a meaningful number,” says Entrecanales. “But it’s not huge.”

ENERGY CANADA: Why Is Alberta Falling for Kevin O’Leary’s AI Data Centre Stunt? - DeSmog

HAVANA ARTICLE LINKS; CNN: Senate Intelligence Committee criticizes CIA’s treatment of ‘Havana syndrome’ patients GUARDIAN: US Senate report finds CIA mishandled employee cases of Havana syndrome Workers who reported symptoms of the illness often faced delayed or denied care and struggled to access benefits REUTERS: Senate intelligence panel criticizes CIA response to Havana syndrome NEWSWEEK: CIA 'Greatly Complicated' Havana Syndrome Treatment: Senate

HEALTH: Neuroimaging uncovers brain connectivity patterns linked to online shopping addiction

HEALTH: Scientists say your brain suddenly ages at 57, 70, and 78. Here are 5 ways to curb mental decline. Eat lots of protein and leafy greens, Move often, See your friends AND 13 proteins tied to brain aging seem to spike at ages 57, 70 and 78

HEALTH DR. MERCOLA: Biohacking 2024: My Strategies to Reverse Chronic Disease and Restore Health Three major factors negatively impacting cellular health include excess linoleic acid intake, estrogen exposure from sources like microplastics, and electromagnetic field (EMF) exposure. I’m launching a health clinic and app using AI and personalized recommendations to address health issues and provide an alternative to conventional health care models. (yes contradictory, I am not endorsing this)

HEALTH NOT HEALTH: ITU What Is Body Area Network (BAN)?

Definition: Body Area Network (BAN) A Body Area Network (BAN) is a network of wearable computing devices. BANs are primarily used for medical monitoring and healthcare delivery, enabling wireless communication between sensors and computing devices attached to the human body. Body Area Networks (BANs) are an emerging technology designed to facilitate the communication between various sensors and devices worn on or implanted in the body. The term encompasses a broad range of devices that monitor physiological data, transmit information, and even provide therapeutic functions. BANs are part of the broader Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem, which focuses on connecting devices to collect and exchange data.

HEALTH/NOT HEALTH: Two new health features could turn your AirPods into the next Apple Watch According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman in the most recent Power On newsletter, Apple is working on bringing health features to next-gen AirPods, including heart-rate monitoring, temperature sensing, and tech that can track "a slew of physiological measures."

HEALTH RESEARCH: Effect of Mobile Phone Base Stations on Antioxidant and Oxidant Serum Levels: Possible Impact on Cancer Development "This study finding suggests that proximity to mobile phone base stations may negatively influence oxidative stress & liver function leading to cancer" https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Effect-of-Mobile-Phone-Base-Stations-on-Antioxidant-Hadhod-Fajer/53999f80343717114f7d60616c72916d9cdb6cbd

HEALTH: Tess Lawrie, MBBCh, PhD​ from A Better Way with Dr Tess Lawrie Are People Around You Getting Ill? This is what I do to stay healthy. (MORE AT LINK, FYI MENTIONS AVOIDING VAX)

HOUSING: Pittsfield Cell Tower Concerned Citizens Living in this space is better than living next to a cell tower. This is Amelia's room away from the cell tower at the deferred maintenance cottage we fled to. It also has no drywalls, floor, heat or a door. It also has no radiofrequency (RF) radiation. Amelia has a beautiful, warm, finished room in a beautiful home, but sadly it is uninhabitable due to the cell tower. Thank you for your love, care, compassion and for working to get Amelia and all of our impacted neighbors safe at home for the holidays.

Read more backstory: EMF/RF/5G/IOUT Solstice 2021: Amelia's Night(mare) Before Christmas and Amelia’s story “5G Earth Day Countdown: Children — Amelia’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Cell Tower Days” has been translated into multiple languages, and she has been contacted by other children and young people who have also experienced harm caused by wireless exposures. Her mom, Courtney, also told her story as part of the Mother’s Day series at Natural Blaze, where she encouraged parents to “Fight like a Mother.” She is still fighting.

HOUSING: Hazardous Effects of EM Radiation from Siting Mobile Phone Masts Close to Residential Houses and Schools (2010) https://www.academia.edu/71313368/Hazardous_Effects_of_EM_Radiation_from_Siting_Mobile_Phone_Masts_Close_to_Residential_Houses_and_Schools

INSPIRATION: Catherine Price & How to Feel Alive How to Get Your Life Together (or at Least Exhale a Little) A conversation with organizing expert and bestselling author Shira Gill

Too much-ness" is the condition of being constantly inundated—physically, mentally, and emotionally. It’s the overflowing inbox, the jam-packed calendar, the endless to-do list, and the feeling of never doing—or being—enough. Our brains weren’t built for this level of nonstop input: notifications, errands, meetings, emails, and, of course, deciding what’s for dinner. It leads to chronic stress, decision fatigue, and full-blown burnout. And it’s not just mental—it takes a toll physically, too, keeping your body locked in fight-or-flight mode. Hello, sleepless nights and mysterious headaches.

INSPIRATION The Power Couple: Roman S Shapoval and Bohdanna Diduch Why we're grateful for 2025 Practicing loving-kindness now and today 23 MINUTES

INSPIRATION ALTERNATIVE: APPLE PODCAST: Quartet - Drones, Disclosure, and Global Change In this new Quartet John, Penny Kelly and Gregg Bradden explore the rise of unexplained aerial phenomena (UAPs) globally and their potential implications, blending manufactured technology, extraterrestrial possibilities, and government operations. The discussion examines strategic agendas, societal shifts, and looming global changes, urging audiences to prepare calmly for disruptions, maintain community ties, and uphold human values during this transformative era. APPLE PODCAST LINK 50 minutes here is the itunes podcast version (low data) for the Quartet talk which is mp3 and can be downloaded.

Gregg Braden mentions the release of the quantum chip named "Willow" reports that were published, its not just a supercomputer, able to solve a complex problem in 5 minutes, take 10 septillion years (24 zeros), longer than our universe has been in existence for conventional super computers to solve - has huge implications for national security, personal security, not commercially available, but a big deal. https://www.businessinsider.com/google-unveiled-quantum-computer-chip-willow-2024-12 "The company said the new chip, called Willow, can perform a standard benchmark computation in under five minutes. The same task would take the current fastest supercomputers 10 septillion years, longer than the universe had existed."

LIGHTING: Blinding LED Headlights: The Biggest Blunder of Modern Science by M. Nisa Khan dives into one of the most frustrating issues of modern life—blinding LED vehicle headlights.

Despite their widespread use, these headlights have caused discomfort for millions, with surveys showing that 88% of Americans would prefer a return to halogen lights. How did modern science, backed by prestigious academia and powerful industries, allow such a glaring mistake? This eye-opening book explores the failure of science and technology to address the fundamental needs of people when it comes to lighting. It uncovers how regulatory bodies like the FDA have fallen short in ensuring public safety and questions the direction science has taken in recent years. More than just a critique of LED headlights, the book raises broader questions: How has science, once trusted to improve lives, created so many controversies? Why are well-known scientists now turning to spirituality and alternative ideas? Can we rebuild trust in science by returning to common sense and practical solutions? Written for anyone concerned about the direction of modern science, this book challenges readers to think critically and question what they’ve been told. It offers hope that by rejecting unnecessary complications and embracing practical reasoning, we can find solutions that serve the common good. The Kindle version is now available from Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Blinding-LED-Headlights-Biggest-Blunder-ebook/dp/B0DR6BHGFD The book will be available from Barnes and Noble and Apple books in January. People may also purchase the printed paperback and hardcover copies from Nisa. M. Nisa Khan, Ph.D. President IEM LED Lighting Technologies (A Scientific Research, Development, and Engineering Company)

PEERS NEWS UPDATE: 9-min Video | Killer Robots and AI, Militarization of Big Tech, The Inspiring Wake-Up Call for Humanity, More This week we've summarized key news articles on: the rise of killer robots and AI in warfare, the US now talking openly about fighting war in space, the Pentagon's plan for the next drone war, the CIA’s longstanding role in Syria's collapse and the loss of 300,000 lives, a study finding that 96% of children in Gaza feel that their death is imminent, research with "mirror life" microbes creating an unprecedented risk to life on Earth, the opportunity to drastically reduce waste, fraud, and abuse in military budgets with the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE.) a secret US nuclear base deep below the ice in Greenland, the rise of neuroweapons and neurowarfare.

POLITICS INTERNATIONAL THE GUARDIAN: The rise and rise of Maye Musk: China’s love affair with Elon Musk’s mother The 76-year-old is part of a trend of ‘silver influencers’ whose success in the face of adversity resonates strongly. Could she be Elon’s secret weapon in China?

SECURITY ROBOT DOGS: San Francisco intended purchase of robot dogs https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/07/sfpds-intended-purchase-robot-dog-triggers-board-supervisors-oversight-obligations AND Who needs the terminator when you can have robot dogs? https://www.washingtonian.com/2024/11/13/are-robot-dogs-the-future-of-white-house-security/ If robot dogs do play a role in surveillance around the White House, they won’t take over completely for Secret Service officers. AND Thermonator is the first-ever flamethrower-wielding robot dog. This quadruped is coupled with the ARC Flamethrower to deliver on-demand fire anywhere https://throwflame.com/products/thermonator-robodog/patr

SMART METERS UK: Smart meters to be FORCED into EVERY home?! | 'Most people get smart meters because they're BULLIED' 6 MINUTES VIDEO

SPACE What Is Kessler Syndrome And Is It Already In Motion? Experts Raise Alarm Over Space Debris Crisis

SPACE: Kessler syndrome: How crowded satellite orbits could lead to a runaway space debris problem

SPACE: TIME Kessler Syndrome: How Our Own Satellites Could Trap Humans on Earth

SPACE: Military satellite breakup unleashes debris in Earth's orbit 515 miles above Earth, a catastrophe occurred as reported by the United States Space Force. The military weather satellite DMSP-5D2 F14 broke apart, littering our planet's orbit with dozens of debris fragments. The incident was recorded on December 18 at 8:00 AM ET by both the USSF (United States Space Force) and private entities like LeoLabs and Slingshot Aerospace. Although reports on the exact time of the orbital catastrophe vary, its source is undisputed. DMSP-5D2 F14 satelliteThe DMSP-5D2 F14 satellite is a remnant of the military, initially secret, space program Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP), launched in the 1960s. It was an alternative program for building a space network of weather satellites, operating in sun-synchronous orbits, with a purpose similar to a civilian initiative. Their task was to provide weather information essential for conducting military operations.

SPACE: NASA Is Watching a Vast, Growing Anomaly in Earth's Magnetic Field NASA has been monitoring a strange anomaly in Earth's magnetic field: a giant region of lower magnetic intensity in the skies above the planet, stretching out between South America and southwest Africa. This vast, developing phenomenon, called the South Atlantic Anomaly, has intrigued and concerned scientists for years, and perhaps none more so than NASA researchers. The space agency's satellites and spacecraft are particularly vulnerable to the weakened magnetic field strength within the anomaly, and the resulting exposure to charged particles from the Sun. The South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) – likened by NASA to a 'dent' in Earth's magnetic field, or a kind of 'pothole in space' – generally doesn't affect life on Earth, but the same can't be said for orbital spacecraft (including the International Space Station), which pass directly through the anomaly as they loop around the planet at low-Earth orbit altitudes. During these encounters, the reduced magnetic field strength inside the anomaly means technological systems onboard satellites can short-circuit and malfunction if they become struck by high-energy protons emanating from the Sun. AND https://www.sciencealert.com/nasa-is-watching-a-vast-growing-anomaly-in-earths-magnetic-field

TOWERS AND ANTENNAS: Thank you Berkshire Eagle for calling for updated regulatory guidelines around cell towers. "Cell tower spat underscores need to back up local officials with modern regulatory framework”

First Pittsfield, then Lenox and now Sheffield. Heated debates over the safety of cell towers are igniting in communities across the Berkshires. As the “fifth-generation” buildout of wireless communication facilities continues — and many Berkshire towns try to catch up to previous generations’ cell reception standards — these debates will keep popping up. Even as we view the more strident cell tower health concerns with skepticism, this status quo is unfair to concerned citizens and unhelpful for the local officials trying to do right by those constituents. As with any matter with a lot of data to sift through and more heat than light shed on it, updating and expanding this regulatory guidance is a big ask. But it’s one that the feds owe local officials who are going to keep running into this wall as wireless network expectations expand and more powerful towers are cited. The wireless communications industry won’t be thrilled with a closer and overdue examination of their operations, while some cell tower opponents are dug in enough that no amount of contrary evidence will be enough to move them. But when it comes to questions like these at the intersection of technological development and public health, the government owes citizens and local officials alike a closer look at the truth to be found somewhere between these poles. Now: As we predicted, towns like Great Barrington and Sheffield are at odds with the state over their local efforts to regulate 5G wireless installations. The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office notified the towns that their bylaws run counter to Federal Communications Commission regulations and Massachusetts law, which prohibits towns and cities from barring wireless equipment if it meets town regulations. These debates and conflicts seem bound to proliferate unless local officials and concerned citizens are given updated state and federal regulations regarding the known safety record of modern wireless technology and a clearer scope of what local regulations can and should accomplish. Until then, we foresee the same controversies extending and more piling on in communities across the Berkshires." Berkshire Eagle courtesy Pittsfield Cell Tower Concerned Citizens

“All across America people are protesting infrastructure too close to homes. No one wants to live next to a documented radiofrequency emitting health hazard.”

WARFARE: “Interdisciplinary research project to explore the potential for developing non-lethal weapons based on radiofrequency/microwave bioeffects.” Our research is to lay the foundation for developing non-lethal stunning/immobilizing weaponry based on radiofrequency (RF)/microwave(MW) radiation. We are focusing specifically on identifying RF/MW parameters potentially capable of selectively altering exocytosis, the process underlying neurotransmitter release and hence nervous system functioning. Major accomplishments included 1) assembling, characterizing and optimizing a free-space MW exposure system for assessing effects of exposures in the 1-6 GHz frequency range on exocytosis, using neurosecretory adrenal chromaffin cells as an in vitro model. Other accomplishments included implementing complementary experimental approaches that will allow us to distinguish between non-thermal versus thermal effects of the exposures. The research has been presented at one international meeting and has culminated in one manuscript that is under review. Personnel involved in the project included a neurobiologist and an electrical engineer as principal investigators, an associate engineer, one research assistant and two graduate students. The research has been transitioned into AFOSR grant FA9550-05-1- 0308 - COURTESY ZEROG

From the Recent Day of Action/Global Protest, France

REPOSTING:

Two and a half years ago, Safe Tech International and other groups expressed concern about the IOUT- Internet of Underwater Things. As we approach the turning of the year, I hope the images of the whales, the music, and Amber’s narration soothes and inspires you, and, we’re in for a wild ride.