September 30 Safe Tech International News and Notes
Keith: Addressing EHS w/facilities; Satya Giordano, Mining Lithium from Brine
I spoke with a number of people recently about AI, water, and energy consumption and am surprised that many people are not aware of this issue, at all….and seemingly may not have believed me, because it is incomprehensible.
There is an article below that gives an overview about how the industry mines lithium from brine, FYI.
A colleague recently wrote, “it wasn't long after APS won on the "smart" meter issue here in AZ that they came back to the Arizona Corporation Commission, the supposed government regulators, saying they had so much data that they now needed an $85M data center. "Grid modernization" dontcha know?
I think many tech debacles have devolved from not heeding details and downsides, for example, how to de-orbit all the expired SpaceX satellites, and the fact that in the case of natural disaster, connectivity will only last here on earth as long as devices and towers have power. no matter how many satellites are launched? Cell Phone Fail During Hurricane Helene Marketing promotes wireless communications for first responders even though cell phones are unreliable and fail during emergencies. |As of today approximately 90 people have been reported dead in six states due to hurricane Helene. North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and Virginia are reporting that a contributing factor to this tragedy is the failure of cell phone service. - Zero5G
“One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we’ve been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We’re no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It’s simply too painful to acknowledge, even to ourselves, that we’ve been taken. Once you give a charlatan power over you, you almost never get it back.”- Carl Sagan
Never say never.
For anyone new to the issue of RF and health harm, I highly recommend the video of the late Dr. Rea.
I appreciate being in community with deep thinkers willing to recognize deeper issues.
FEATURED:
KEITH CUTTER EMF Challenge Facilities: A Vision to Change Lives and Heal the World Strategic Initiative #1 The Vision Since the ability to sense a contrast—living with vs. without synthetic exposures—teaches us best, can we help others achieve that 'with vs. without' experience? Let's explore the concept of a medical "challenge." A medical "challenge" involves deliberately exposing patients to a substance or stimulus to observe and assess their physiological response, often to diagnose or confirm a condition. This is commonly used in allergy testing, where a patient is given a small amount of a suspected allergen under controlled conditions to see if it triggers a reaction. Challenges are also used to diagnose food intolerances, drug sensitivities, or other immune responses. The concept makes sense: exposing someone to a toxin in a controlled way helps us understand what might be harming them. However, with involuntary environmental exposures like synthetic EMF, we are continuously exposed, whether we like it or not. This brings us to another medical challenge called an elimination challenge. [] How many would discover that life is better without synthetic EMF exposure? Life on Earth is inherently linked to natural electrical activity, yet synthetic EMFs are fundamentally different and interfere with our well-being. My wife, for instance, never considered herself "electrically sensitive" until she began living in a pristine environment. Many others have shared similar experiences. The truth is, we are all electrically sensitive; it's just a matter of degree.
Keith wrote: I’ve updated EMF Challenge Facilities post with Proposed Maximum Exposure Guidelines, - in case you already read it.
See also RELATED historical work: Dr. William Rea: Keynote Address, Building Biology Conference 2011 Dr. William Rea: Keynote Address, Building Biology Conference 2011 - YouTube 1 1/2 hours where he discusses provocation studies from the 1990’s verifying sensitivities to EMF fields.
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THE POWER COUPLE Do we need to hide in a cave to escape EMF? Interview with Satya Giordano of EMF Center Satya’s journey from apprecentice to partner at EMF Center. Why creating a sleep sanctuary is paramount to health Why we need to make peace with the fact that we can’t eliminate all EMF Satya’s story as a child growing up in the low-EMF environment of Southeast India. 40 MINUTES
SEE ALSO:
FEATURED
Circadian Alignment Through Connection To Direct Current A fascinating and under-appreciated perspective on grounding Study Setup: The study took place in a bunker where people were placed in two rooms: one room was shielded from natural magnetic and electric fields, and the other room was not. [] In simple terms, the study suggests that the Earth's natural electromagnetic fields help keep our internal body clock in sync, and without these fields, our rhythms can become desynchronized. This gives us a clear indication of the power involved with native EMFs. [] Test subjects who lived for a month in an underground bunker, completely removed from exposure to natural daylight, were able to maintain an internal synchronization to a day/night rhythm even with the COMPLETE ABSENCE of sunlight. Test subjects who lived for a month in an underground bunker that was additionally shielded from the DC energy of the earth (shielding over 99% of the earth's natural EMFs) became internally desynchronized, unable to maintain a consistent day/night rhythm. In repeated experiments of 100+ test subjects, the only ones that became internally desynchronized were the ones shielded from the earth's DC energy pulse. But, never the ones that were shielded only from the sun. Yet another reason to place your bare feet on the Earth more often. SUBSTACK
NEWS AND NOTES
AI BRIAN MERCHANT BLOOD IN THE MACHINE: Silicon Valley and investors are betting that OpenAI's project is too big to fail The business is a mess. Have Sam Altman and genAI simply become inextricable from Silicon Valley's project, at least for the foreseeable future? Or is it all going to collapse next week? SUBSTACK
AI GARY MARCUS: Five reasons why OpenAI’s $150B financing might fall apart And what that might mean for Generative AI more broadly Five reasons why OpenAI’s $150B financing might fall apart (substack.com)
AI: OpenAI Pivoting From "Benefiting Humanity" to "Making Lots of Money""We can say goodbye to the original version of OpenAI that wanted to be unconstrained by financial obligations." This week, OpenAI announced that it would be ripping control away from its nonprofit arm, finally putting to bed any appearance that the company is truly committed to developing an artificial general intelligence that would "benefit all of humanity." FUTURISM
AUTOMOBILES: (EXAGERATED HEADLINE) Saltwater is making electric cars blow up Electric vehicles that have been flooded with saltwater are being treated as a potential fire hazard in the wake of Hurricane Helene. Officials are urging those who evacuated and left electric vehicles or golf carts in garages or under buildings to report them if they cannot safely access or move the vehicles. Saltwater exposure can damage the battery components in electric vehicles, potentially leading to dangerous chemical reactions that could cause the vehicle to catch fire. MSN
AUTOMOBILES: Tesla FSD Found To be Erratic and Dangerous Tesla's much-anticipated RoboTaxi event is just weeks away, but new findings from independent research firm AMCI Testing could cast a shadow over the announcement. AMCI has completed what it calls the " most extensive real-world test" of Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) software to date, running the system through over 1,000 miles of mixed driving conditions. The results are concerning: on average, FSD required human intervention at least once every 13 miles to maintain safe operation. []While Tesla markets FSD as a nearly autonomous system, AMCI found that the software's performance was erratic and, at times, dangerous. One of the most worrying takeaways from the report was that when FSD made errors, they tended to be sudden and potentially catastrophic. This leads to questions about whether Tesla's autonomous tech is really ready for prime time. MSN
CELLPHONES Hungary bans smartphones in all public schools The ban enters into effect as the new school year begins As more and more schools across the world move towards banning addictive and disruptive smartphones in school, Hungary is joining the trend, with a nationwide ban going into effect in September. Hungary is following in the footsteps of a number of countries, including England, France, Austria, Sweden, Finland, Greece, and the Netherlands, which have all introduced bans in a relatively short period of time — most in the last year. https://rmx.news/education/hungary-bans-smartphones-in-all-public-schools/ COURTESY JW
CELLPHONES: Could your mobile phone be contributing to heart disease? A new study has found a link between mobile phone use and cardiovascular disease – a finding that should concern all 8 billion-plus users. The study, by Yanjun Zhang and team, looked at data on over 444,000 people from Britain. They compared mobile phone use with various aspects of heart disease and factored in sleep and mental health problems. The researchers found that mobile phone use was, in fact, related to heart disease. https://emraustralia.com.au/blogs/news-1/could-your-mobile-phone-be-contributing-to-heart-disease
CELLPHONES PHONEGATE UPDATES: Please find below our two last Press Releases: Phonegate Alert criticizes WHO study on mobile phone risks and Phonegate: Quebec Court of Appeal Confirms Class Action Against Apple and Samsung
CELLPHONES SCHOOL VIRGINIA: Specifically, the Youngkin guidance calls for a “bell-to-bell” cellphone-free education environment. That means from the bell at the start of the school day, through lunch and recess, and until the final dismissal bell, all phones must be turned off and stored away from any possible student use. Virginia Democrats oppose this bell-to-bell approach and have introduced their own legislation in the state legislature that only bans cellphone use in the classroom. Under the Democrats’ legislation, students would still be allowed to possess and use their cellphones at lunch, during recess, and in between classes. Since his initial executive order in July, Youngkin took comments from over 6,000 Virginians, some of whom voiced this very exception. But as he explains in his order, the bell-to-bell comprehensive approach is the better one. WASHINGTON EXAMINER COURTESY D.K.
CELLPHONES SMARTPHONES: Reducing Smartphone Use Increases Work Satisfaction On average, we spend three and a quarter hours a day looking at our phones. Cutting back this time by one hour a day is not only good for our mental health, but also helps us to feel happier and more motivated at work. This was shown in a study of 278 participants conducted by a research group headed by PD Dr. Julia Brailovskaia from the German Center for Mental Health and the Mental Health Research and Treatment Center at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany. The researchers published their findings in the journal Acta Psychologica on September 14, 2024. The findings of the study are of particular interest to employers, who sometimes invest a lot of money to improve the work satisfaction and motivation of their employees. “These factors are crucial for a company’s productivity,“ explains Julia Brailovskaia. With the current study results, the researchers have identified a simple and low-threshold solution to achieve these goals and to improve the mental health and work-life balance of employees at the same time. Ruhr University Bochum
Germany
CHILDREN CELLPHONES SCHOOLS AXIOS; School cellphone bans spread nationwide More than half of U.S. states have taken steps to ban or restrict cellphone use in K-12 schools, a new analysis finds. Why it matters: Even some students admit that their phones can be hugely disruptive during class, and cyberbullying is a persistent issue — but many parents see phones as critical safety tools in the event of a shooting or other emergency. Driving the news: Seven states, including Florida, Louisiana and Virginia, have already banned or restricted school cellphone use, per a recent KFF analysis. State education departments have issued policy proposals or launched pilot programs in another six. Legislation restricting or banning cellphone use in schools has been introduced in 14 others. How it works: In some schools, students are expected to put their devices in a secure pouch they can unlock when leaving for the day, or in case of emergency. Between the lines: Many school districts are getting out ahead of their state education departments, issuing their own rules around cellphone use and access that aren't captured in the map above.What's next: The jury's still out on whether cellphone bans actually make life better for students. "Emerging research on student outcomes is mixed, with some studies suggesting improvements in student mental health and academic performance and a reduction in bullying, and others showing little to no change," per KFF. AXIOS
CHILDREN TEENS SOCIAL MEDIA DOCUMENTARY FILM: The dark revelations of a new documentary about teens and social media At the start of a new school year in August 2021, documentary filmmaker Lauren Greenfield sat in a library surrounded by a circle of more than two dozen teenagers — a diverse assembly of kids from different schools, neighborhoods, and socioeconomic and racial backgrounds in Los Angeles. To help them focus on their group discussion, all personal devices had been left outside the room. Greenfield asked a simple question: How did it feel to be without their phones? The moment is among the opening scenes of “Social Studies,” Greenfield’s new, five-part documentary series chronicling a school year in the lives of teens whose childhoods have been fundamentally shaped by social media. The show’s cast of characters agreed to screen-record their private phone activity and share intimate, vulnerable reflections with each other and Greenfield. The result is an unfiltered, firsthand view of the issues they grapple with daily: slut-shaming and cyberbullying; struggles with mental health and self image; racism; sexual assault and online predators; the turbulence of teen relationships; social missteps unfolding before vast online audiences. Social media is, as one of the teens describes it, “a lifeline and a loaded gun.” They want to be free of it; they can’t stop reaching for it. [] One thing that surprised me was almost every single kid said that if they had a choice, they would rather not have social media — that they would rather be in their parents’ generation. []I think social media is really problematic, and I think that kids are saying it’s really problematic. And it’s not that social media is the source of these issues, like eating disorders for example, but I think amplifying it, making it worse — that’s a huge problem. When I did “Thin” in 2006 [Greenfield’s feature documentary debut, about young women with eating disorders], 1 in 7 girls at that time was suffering from eating disorders. So obviously social media isn’t causing that problem. But when I started “Social Studies,” one girl said to me, “Half my friends have eating disorders from TikTok, and the other half are lying.” So the triggers are so ubiquitous now and inescapable. MSN
CHILDREN: Nearly half of Gen Zers wish TikTok ‘was never invented,’ survey finds
CHILDREN SCHOOLS RESOURCES - EHT; Fact: Children's Skulls Absorb More Radiation Than Adults' PROTECT KIDS AT SCHOOL Cell Tower at Schools Health Effects Safety FAQs - Environmental Health Trust (ehtrust.org) Educational Materials for Classrooms See also: Wi-Fi From A Tablet: Scientific Imaging of Microwave Exposure 1 1/4 minutes video
CHILDREN SOCIAL MEDIA INDUSTRY DENIAL: There’s a Core Reason Teens Are Anxious—and It’s Not Phones. In the 1800s, medical journals were concerned about “railway madness” and trains traveling so fast they would make people go crazy. In the 1920s people railed against the radio as a vapid deliverer of ads and indistinguishable jazz. And the rise of teen car culture in the 20th century led to rabid fears about promiscuity, delinquency, and moral decline. [] The truth is that we are hardwired for dissatisfaction, considering our ancestors who sat contentedly on their laurels tended not to pass on their genes. Today, some humans face genuinely dire straits. Extreme tragedy and hardship certainly exist. We face a major threat as a species: climate change. But even in the best of circumstances, most of us spend our day-to-day yearning for more, despite the general lack of predators and the abundance of supermarkets. It’s a phenomenon the Buddha identified 2,600 years ago as the first noble truth: Life is suffering. [] Though I don’t think this generation is unique in its sense of anxiety, I don’t disagree with Haidt on the fact that devices can play a role in the modern teen’s sense of unease. Smartphones can act as anxiety incubators, amplifying the sense of abundant possibility like a prism refracting light. The solution to this anxiety, though, is the same as it ever was. The Buddha suggests that we work with the fundamental dissatisfaction we feel by releasing craving, and attuning to the sensory richness of the present moment. As a seminal Harvard study showed, people are least happy when their mind is wandering, and happiest when their mind is focused on the activity they are engaging in. In other words, being a scrollbot stokes anxiety. Meditating or drawing or hiking or dancing might help mitigate it. But we’d also do well to remember that suffering is not abnormal—it’s human. Rather than pathologizing the valid feelings of the current generation, it might be wiser to normalize them. Your teen might feel dissatisfied because they spend a lot of time on their phone. But also, they might feel dissatisfied because that’s what it means to be a teen. MSN
CLIMATE- LOCAL FUTURES: The news is less rosy from Climate Week in New York, where much of the environmental movement is failing to diagnose the structural causes of ecocide and lapping up a corporate-friendly framework for 'climate action' instead. [] Climate Week, like much of the climate movement, continues to put global businesses and banks at the helm of the 'transition', and acts as a lobbying arm for highly problematic 'green' energy industries. The central program fails to mention the massive emissions from global trade and from the offshoring of industries. Carbon is seen as a tradable commodity – another way for global traders to make more money – while new top-down carbon-tracing regulations punish small businesses and local industries. Meanwhile, the carbon-tracing project feeds into energy- and mineral-intensive digitalization. As one of the world's leading climate analysts, Camila Moreno, puts it: "What we call 'decarbonization' hides a much wider process than just stopping fossil fuels. The transition that is going on is a major re-engineering of the world economy that has never been done before ... We are walking blindly into a full-blown totalitarian, digital regime." A climate of confusion (mailchi.mp)
CONSUMER PRODUCTS; Touch Screens Are Over. Even Apple Is Bringing Back Buttons. The tyranny of touch screens may be coming to an end. Companies have spent nearly two decades cramming ever more functions onto tappable, swipeable displays. Now buttons, knobs, sliders and other physical controls are making a comeback in vehicles, appliances and personal electronics. []To understand why buttons are making a comeback in a world in which any kind of controls are possible, it helps to understand how we got to the current, too-often sorry state of human-machine interfaces. Touch screens have their virtues, which explains the initial enthusiasm for them. We can do a lot more by tapping our iPhones than we ever could have with the old-school BlackBerry, however much we miss those clicky little keyboards. As soaring production drove down the price of such displays, though, they became something of a crutch for gadget designers and corporate bean counters. []Fundamentally, the problem with touch-based interfaces is that they aren’t touch-based at all, because they need us to look when using them. Think, for example, of the screen of your smartphone, which requires your undivided gaze when you press on its smooth surface. As a result, “touch screen” is a misnomer, says Rachel Plotnick, associate professor of cinema and media studies at Indiana University Bloomington, and author of the 2018 book “Power Button: A History of Pleasure, Panic, and the Politics of Pushing,” the definitive history of buttons. Such interfaces would be more accurately described as “sight-based,” she says. [] Making good physical interfaces isn’t just about the utility of engaging our sense of touch; the big button comeback is also about joy. Think of the satisfying heft of the volume knob on a hi-fi stereo, or the way a proper ergonomic keyboard can make typing seem less of a chore. [] Similarly, Apple—whose 2007 launch of the iPhone ushered in a touch-screen era—is adding a surprising variety of buttons back to devices that previously seemed on a trajectory to have none at all. MSN
DATA COLLECTION; What the FTC Learned About Social Media During the Trump Administration, the Federal Trade Commission ordered nine of the largest social media and video streaming services—Amazon, Facebook (which is now Meta), YouTube, Twitter (now known as X), Snap, ByteDance (which owns TikTok), Discord, Reddit, and WhatsApp—to provide data on how they collect, use, and present personal information, their advertising and user engagement practices, and how their practices affect children and teens. On September 19, 2024, the FTC released findings on how social media and video streaming companies harvest an enormous amount of Americans’ personal data and monetize it to the tune of billions of dollars a year. In A Look Behind the Screens Examining the Data Practices of Social Media and Video Streaming Services, the FTC shared information about how these platforms collect, track and use personal and demographic information, how they determine which ads and other content are shown to consumers, whether and how they apply algorithms or data analytics to personal and demographic information, and how their practices impact children and teens. Here we take a quick look at the FTC's major findings and recommendations around five issues: data practices, advertising, algorithms and data analytics, children and teens, and competition. BENTON SUMMARY; BENTON ARTICLE
EHS RESEARCH: Leszczynski will present at the ARPS 2024 in Coffs Harbour, NSW, Australia I will have one oral podium presentation and two poster presentations at the ARPS Conference, Coffs Harbour, NSW, Australia, 20 – 24, 10. 2024. PRESENTATIONS SHOWN AT LINK: The to-date proposed biomarkers of EHS are not known/proven to be affected by RF-EMF exposures, Poster presentation #1 The lack of diagnostic criteria for the diagnosis of electromagnetic hypersensitivity: A volunteer questionnaire study, Poster presentation #2 Twenty years later: Proteomics as a tool in search of physiological effects of exposures to wireless radiation Leszczynski will present at the ARPS 2024 in Coffs Harbour, NSW, Australia | BRHP – Between a Rock and a Hard Place (wordpress.com)
EHT RESOURCE REDUCE YOUR EXPOSURE; Low EMF Checklist Healthy Tech at Home 2023 (ehtrust.org)
ENERGY ELECTRICTY: How Germany outfitted half a million balconies with solar panels Meet balkonkraftwerk, the simple technology putting solar power in the hands of renters. Weyland is one of hundreds of thousands of people across Germany who have embraced balkonkraftwerk, or balcony solar. Unlike rooftop photovoltaics, the technology doesn’t require users to own their home, and anyone capable of plugging in an appliance can set it up. Most people buy the simple hardware online or at the supermarket for about $550 (500 euros.) [] The ease of installation and a potent mix of government policies to encourage adoption has made the wee arrays hugely popular. More than 550,000 of them dot cities and towns nationwide, half of which were installed in 2023. During the first half of this year, Germany added 200 megawatts of balcony solar. [] Germany is unique in its rabid embrace of the tech. Although increasingly popular in Austria, the Netherlands, France, and elsewhere in Europe, plug-in solar devices aren’t viable in the United States due to costly permitting requirements and other local regulations. Beyond that, most systems are designed to European electrical standards, making them incompatible with U.S. power systems. GRIST
ENERGY ‘GREEN' ENERGY; Power Grab How Green Energy Hurts Washington’s Tribes Washington said it would reduce almost all its greenhouse gasses by 2050. But what happens when the process to get there is at odds with tribal rights? series includes At Indigenous Sacred Sites, Seeing Things I’m Not Supposed to See, Washington State Solar Project Paused Amid Concern About Native Cultural Sites The decision comes after an investigation by High Country News and ProPublica found that a land survey funded by the developer omitted more than a dozen sites of archaeological or cultural significance. In a Push for Green Energy, One Federal Agency Made Tribes an Offer They Had to Refuse The Yakama Nation wanted to consult on the development of a project on sacred land. But when the tribal nation refused to disclose confidential information, the agency moved forward without tribal input. Looting and vandalism are common when information about Indigenous resources becomes public. One important mid-Columbia petroglyph, called Tsagaglalal, or She Who Watches, had to be removed from its original site because of vandalism. And recreational and commercial pickers have flooded one of Washington’s best huckleberry picking areas, called Indian Heaven Wilderness, pushing out Native families trying to stock up for the winter. The Yakama Nation feared similar outcomes if it fully participated in FERC’s consultation process over the Goldendale development. []The Yakama Nation has been outspoken in its support for renewable energy development, including solar and small-scale hydro projects. But not at Pushpum; it’s sacred to the Kah-milt-pah people, one of the bands within the Yakama Nation, who still regularly use the site. The proposal would transform this area into a facility intended to store renewable energy in a low-carbon way. Rye Development, a Florida-based company, submitted an application for permits for a “pumped hydro” system, where a pair of reservoirs connected by a tunnel store energy for future use. Washington State Is Leaving Tribal Cultural Resources at the Mercy of Solar Developers The Badger Mountain solar project reveals gaps in the state’s permitting system that tribal nations say perpetuates a legacy of “cultural genocide.”
FCC: Some Educators Urge FCC to Go Beyond Wi-Fi Hotspots LTE-enabled devices may be a more cost-effective solution for connecting students at-home. []A coalition advocating for student connectivity, along with the Los Angeles Unified School District, has urged the FCC to expand its funding options for off-campus student internet access beyond Wi-Fi hotspots. Both parties petitioned the FCC to reconsider provisions of Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel’s E-Rate Hotspot Order. Adopted in July, the ruling expanded E-Rate support to include off-premises use of Wi-Fi hotspots for school and library patrons, but limited funding to hotspot devices that are bundled with commercial wireless service. Devices without such service or non-hotspot Wi-Fi-enabled devices were excluded from support. The coalition, which includes the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition, Open Technology Institute, and Common Sense Media, argued that the FCC erred in excluding certain technologies from funding through the Hotspot Order. These exclusions force schools to purchase additional equipment, increasing program costs and making it harder for students to access the internet using devices they already have, such as LTE-enabled Chromebooks, the coalition wrote in its’ petition. LAUSD, serving over 500,000 students, echoed this in its petition Friday, urging the FCC to allow cellular broadband service to be eligible for E-Rate funding without requiring a hotspot device. The district headed by Superintendent Alberto Carvalho contended that providing students with LTE-enabled laptops or Chromebooks that connect directly to the internet via cellular broadband is a streamlined solution to home connectivity challenges, avoiding the extra costs and complications of managing hotspots.In addition, SHLB and OTI were among the commenters that provided evidence in the record that commercial mobile hotspot service can be inadequate to support remote learning, particularly indoors, in most rural areas and in many low-income urban neighborhoods where signals are not strong enough. [] Despite citing budget constraints, the FCC did not address the coalition's economic analysis, which showed that purchasing commercial mobile wireless service and hotspots would be significantly more expensive over time compared to other options. BROADBAND BREAKFAST
FCC INDUSTRY: FCC Defends Itself Against Loper Bright [] the agency is taking a strong position that it has the regulatory authority from Congress to defeat any such attempts. Interestingly, Congress always has the power to resolve any Chevron disputes. If a particularly sticky issue every arises at the FCC, Congress could cement the FCC’s authority to make a decision by passing a law that supports that FCC position. If Chevron is truly dead, then Congress might be reduced to taking these steps to implement policies that it supports. Congress has been quite happy over the years to let the experts at the FCC and many other similar agencies make the hard decisions without Congress having to dip into a host of technical issues. I’ve already read a lot of speculation that the Supreme Court ruling is not going to mean much to agencies like the FCC. The big companies regulated by the FCC already take the agency to court for practically every major ruling that it makes, and the end of the Chevron deference likely won’t mean more suits. It’s more likely that ISPs and others will tack a Chevron argument onto whatever suits they were going to file anyway. POTS AND PANS
FIRES BATTERIES: A truck full of batteries has been burning for almost a full day, shutting down ports in LA Atruck full of lithium-ion batteries is burning in Los Angeles, shutting down ports and a bridge. It’s not clear what the batteries were for — but LA’s Vincent Thomas Bridge, leading to the Port of Los Angeles and next-door Port of Long Beach, has been shut down for at least 15 hours now while local firefighters let the truck burn. State Route 47 was also closed in both directions as of a couple of hours ago. As we’ve seen with several EV battery fires, big concentrated lithium battery fires can be very difficult to put out: firefighters sometimes douse them with thousands of gallons of water only to see the fire restart as additional battery cells heat up to the point that they combust. Once a cell gets hot enough, it’s said to go into “thermal runaway,” at which point it can sometimes restart a fire. The LAFD confirms this is a case of thermal runaway. As we’ve seen with several EV battery fires, big concentrated lithium battery fires can be very difficult to put out: firefighters sometimes douse them with thousands of gallons of water only to see the fire restart as additional battery cells heat up to the point that they combust. Once a cell gets hot enough, it’s said to go into “thermal runaway,” at which point it can sometimes restart a fire. The LAFD confirms this is a case of thermal runaway. THE VERGE ON MSN
5G/6G The Impact of EM radiations from 5G & 6G devices on human body Abstract:Innovative advancements in the Telecommunication sector in form of 5G and 6G technologies have raised the issues pertaining to human health impacts by the electromagnetic waves (EMW) delivered by cell phone base transmitter stations (BTS). Present paper highlights the health issues, which might arise from EMW from the cell phone BTS. Because of super-fast speed and potential of lower latency of connectivity even in the far-flung areas, 5G and 6G technology will be exclusively relied upon for implementation in different industrial fields, research and development in the near future and will further satisfy the thorough need for bandwidth through positioning of huge number of heavily dense sited base stations working in the millimeter-wave extend. Presentation of new emission sources, working in correspondence to previously existing 2G/3G/4G versatile innovations, raises worries about surpassing the acceptable EMF exposure limits. Due to these services, cell phone clients and individuals living inside short proximity of the cell phone base stations have become progressively worried over the possible harmful effects of radiofrequency radiation generated by these devices to their health The way that this radiation is concealed, vague, and enters and leaves our bodies without our insight makes it considerably alarming. https://www.academia.edu/44477587/The_Impact_of_EM_radiations_from_5G_and_6G_devices_on_human_body
6G INDUSTRY https://www.ntia.gov/other-publication/2024/ntia-receives-43-comments-6g-policy
HAVANA/POLITICS/CUBA SANCTIONS: Exclusive: Cuba Warns US Pressure Drives Closer Ties With China and Russia In a statement shared with Newsweek, Chinese Embassy to the U.S. spokesperson Liu Pengyu described China and Cuba as "good friends, good comrades and good brothers.""China-Cuba relations are a good example of sincerity and mutual assistance between developing countries," Liu said. "China's cooperation with Cuba is done aboveboard, and does not target any third party. We certainly would not accept any deliberate vilification and smear from anyone." "The US's over 60 years of blockade and sanctions on Cuba have inflicted great suffering on the Cuban people," Liu added. "The US needs to stop interfering in Cuba's internal affairs, remove Cuba from the list of 'state sponsors of terrorism' at once, and lift the blockade and sanctions on Cuba." Rodríguez Parrilla, for his part, argued that if the U.S. was "so concerned about the geographical proximity, so is the case for our relations with Russia or other countries, well, unbelievably, the U.S. keeps a military base in Guantánamo." "We do not quite well know what this base is good for, but this is an obstacle in our bilateral relations," the Cuban foreign minister said. "Sometimes, they engage in a sort of show of force. But we have followed a very prudent policy."But Cuba has also welcomed the arrival of foreign military vessels in line with mutual agreements. This summer, a contingent of Russian warships visited Havana harbor as part of what Rodríguez Parrilla referred to as a routine "exchange." In the face of criticism by U.S. officials and lawmakers, Rodríguez Parrilla argued that "the U.S. government should take these actions in a very natural manner based on its own behavior.""It has more than 800 military bases all over the planet," he said. "They have warships and bombers present in the oceans of all latitudes, including Guantánamo Bay. Its military doctrine has been increasingly aggressive. So, I don't see why this should be a sign of alarm." The strategic partnership between Moscow and Havana dates back to the Cold War when late revolutionary leader Fidel Castro aligned with the Soviet Union in response to the U.S. embargo and later sought military protection. Growing defense ties and the deployment of Soviet nuclear weapons on the island located just 90 miles off the coast of Florida led to the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis that pushed Moscow and Washington to the brink of war. [] Cuba-Russia relations also made the news earlier this year when Latvia-based Russian-language news outlet The Insider published claims that the Russian Armed Forces General Staff Main Directorate (GRU) was behind a series of apparent energy attacks that caused health issues among staff at the U.S. Embassy in Havana. The incidents, widely referred to after they came to light in 2017 as "Havana Syndrome," sparked outrage under the Trump administration and led to a tightening of sanctions against Cuba. Uncertainties arose as similar cases were reported at U.S. official sites worldwide, even at the White House itself, yet the issue was used as one of the pretexts for the Trump administration returning Cuba to the list of state sponsors of terrorism just nine days before Biden's inauguration. Shortly after Biden took office in 2021, the administration began to refer to "unexplained health incidents" without attributing any blame. Subsequent reports issued by the U.S. intelligence community could not establish any ties between the incidents and foreign state actors. Then, late last month, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced that it would be ending its investigation into the mysterious phenomena, citing concerns over indications that some patients may have been coerced into being part of the research, though not by NIH personnel. Some patients had reportedly indicated that they were coerced by the CIA into participating in the study.In a statement shared with Newsweek responding to the claims, a CIA official declined to comment on whether or not agency officers had participated in the study, though the official stated that "we take any claim of coercion, or perceived coercion, extremely seriously and fully cooperated with NIH's review of this matter, and have offered access to any information requested." Reacting to the news of the NIH closing its probe, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova pointed out how Cuba remains designated a state sponsor of terrorism despite the connections to the incidents proving "ungrounded" during a press conference Wednesday. "They have been trying to find scientific and medical proof of the 'sonic attacks' for eight years, but to no avail," Zakharova said. "Moreover, the Americans who worked in Havana publicly mentioned coercion by U.S. security services, direct and veiled threats if they refused to 'cooperate,' and 'stretch' their testimony to suit their goals." "In short," she added, "the plan to blame Cuba, as well as Russia, of inhumane influence on the health of American foreign policy staff has turned out to be impossible to implement." Rodríguez Parrilla also ridiculed such "futuristic sagas" but warned that the accompanying "slanders generate undesirable consequences later on." "The pretext was demolished by science, with the participation of Cuban scientists, American scientists, Canadian and also European scientists," Rodríguez Parrilla said. "But this was the pretext used to apply more than 200 measures deliberately designed to bring about humanitarian damage." "So, the pretext exists no more, but the sanctions exist," he added, "as well as the humanitarian damages." Exclusive: Cuba Warns US Pressure Drives Closer Ties With China and Russia - Newsweek
HEALTH RESEARCH EHT: A Sampling of Published Scientific Evidence Associating Cell Phone Radio-frequency to Cancer CANCER STUDIES A 2020 study from Yale University, funded by the American Cancer Society, found elevated thyroid cancer risk in heavy cell phone users with specific genetic susceptibilities.
HEALTH LIGHTING CIRCADIAN CLASSROOM: The Glaring Contradiction In Centralized Dermatology This will make you think twice about the standard UV light narrative Many of you wonder why I think centralized dermatology is a joke. This article serves as a clear reminder. Centralized dermatology believes that UV light from the sun is inherently toxic, yet they use UV phototherapy in their clinics for inflammatory skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema. Centralized dermatology believes UV light from the sun causes skin cancer, yet they irradiate patients with isolated UV light for beneficial outcomes. Centralized dermatology says a tan is inherently a sign of skin damage, yet they have dedicated UV-B booths for people to walk into and use. I can’t think of a more glaring contradiction in medicine. SUBSTACK
INSPIRATION: (NOT POLITICAL OR BIASED) Does Your Mind Need to be Decolonized? Colonization goes deep. The understanding of child and human nature development was long distorted over millennia as humans took up dominator rather than partnership roles with one another and the rest of Nature. SUBSTACK
LIGHTING: Do smart light bulbs use electricity when turned off? Smart lights work by connecting to a communication network. This is the biggest difference in how they operate vs traditional bulbs or light switches. They use this communication network to allow remote control of the light, be it with voice commands, using an app on your phone, or a different method. [] Since the smart lights rely on the network connection to be controlled, this network connection is always on if the smart light has access to power, even if the light isn’t giving off light. This means that if your smart switch or smart plug is connected to power, it will be in standby mode, drawing power to allow the smart light to communicate and know when it should be turned on. This is referred to as a phantom load. []Smart lights do consume a small amount of electricity even when they are turned off. This standby power is necessary for the lights to maintain their connection to a network that allows them to communicate. This lets them respond to remote commands even when the light is turned off. The amount of energy consumed in this state is minimal when compared to their active usage. It is important for users to be aware of the slight power usage to make informed decisions about their smart home devices and their impact on electricity bills. MSN
MINING: Deja vu comes to Arkansas as lithium follows oil In the energy towns of Arkansas, the coming lithium rush is bringing with it the risk of repeating the same mistakes and inequities of the past. The petroleum industry boomed here in the 1920s and peaked again in the 1960s before declining to a steady trickle over the decades that followed. But the Smackover has more to give. The brine and bromine pooled 10,000 feet below the surface contains lithium, a critical component in the batteries needed to move beyond fossil fuels. Exxon Mobil is among at least four companies lining up to draw it from the earth. It opened a test site not far from Lewisville late last year and plans to extract enough of the metal to produce 100,000 electric vehicle batteries by 2026 and 1 million by 2030. Another company, Standard Lithium, believes its leases may hold 1.8 million metric tons of the material and will spend $1.3 billion building a processing facility to handle it all. All of this has Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders predicting that her state will become the nation’s leading lithium producer. With so much money to be made, Dunbar-Jones and other public officials find themselves being courted by extraction company executives eager to tell them what all of this could mean for the people and places they lead. So far, Dunbar-Jones and many others are optimistic. They see a looming renaissance, even as other community members acknowledge the mixed legacies of those who earn their money pulling resources from the ground. Such companies provide livelihoods, but only as long as there is something to extract, and they often leave pollution in their wake. The companies eyeing the riches buried beneath the pine forests and bayous promise plenty of jobs and opportunities, and paint themselves as responsible stewards of the environment. But drawing brine to the surface is a water-intensive process, and similar operations in Nevada aren’t expected to create more than a few hundred permanent jobs. It’s high-paying work, but often requires advanced degrees many in this region don’t possess. Looking beyond the employment question, some local residents are wary of the companies looking to lease their land for lithium. It brings to mind memories of the unscrupulous and shady dealings common during the oil boom of a century ago. []Much of the world’s lithium is blasted out of rocks or drawn from brine left to evaporate in vast pools, leaving behind toxic residue. The companies descending on Arkansas plan to use a more sustainable method called direct lithium extraction, or DLE. It seems to be a bit more ecologically friendly and much less water-intensive than the massive pit mines or vast evaporation ponds often found in South America. It essentially pumps water into the aquifer, filters the lithium from the extracted brine, then returns it to the aquifer in what advocates call a largely closed system. Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles, in a report prepared for the Nature Conservancy, said that “DLE appears to offer the lowest impacts of available extraction technologies.” Still, the technology is relatively new. According to Yale Environment 360, Arkansas provides a suitable proving ground for the approach because it has abundant water, a large concentration of lithium, and an established network of wells, pipelines, and refineries. despite repeated assurances from lithium companies that the process is safe and sustainable. []Although DLE doesn’t require as much water as brine evaporation, in which that water is lost, “it is a freshwater consumption source,” Patrick Donnelly, of the Center for Biological Diversity, said in an interview with KUAF radio in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The waste generated by the process is another concern, he said, “in particular, a solid waste stream. It’s impossible for them to extract only the lithium.” []a lithium boom in Nevada suggests it may not be all that many. Construction of the Thacker Pass mine, which could produce 80,000 metric tons of lithium annually, is expected to generate 1,500 temporary construction and other jobs — but it will only employ 300 once operational. [ Those jobs pay well, but typically require advanced training. [] Just how much money might flow into local communities remains another open question. Fossil fuel companies lease the land they drill and pay landowners royalties of 16.67 percent of their profit. So far, there is no severance tax on the metal, though the state levies a tax of $2.75 for every 1,000 barrels of the brine from which it is extracted. [] None of these things apply to lithium. So far, there is no severance tax on the metal, though the state levies a tax of $2.75 for every 1,000 barrels of the brine from which it is extracted. [] Beyond the timber companies with holdings in the region, most of the major landowners are white and wealthy, and any spoils, Henry suspects, will simply pass from one affluent family or powerful company to another [] Deja vu comes to Arkansas as lithium follows oil
NATURE EHT: Wildlife Needs Protections From Electromagnetic Radiation
POLITICS SECURITY: Congress uncovers major Secret Service failures – and urges change Among the more stunning failures identified by the Senate report, which is based on 2,800 pages of documents and a dozen transcribed interviews with U.S. Secret Service personnel: Not only were the Secret Service and local law enforcement communicating on separate radio frequencies, but their communications teams were operating out of separate locations more than 100 yards apart. That is an unusual departure from the norm of a single unified command center, and hampered quick sharing of information. []The Secret Service agent running a system for countering drones, which the shooter used to surveil the area, only had about three months of experience using that equipment. When technical problems arose, he had to call a toll-free 888 hotline, CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR
PSYCHOLOGY SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN: Milgram’s Infamous Shock Studies Still Hold Lessons for Confronting Authoritarianism Why ordinary people will follow orders to the point of hurting others remains a critical question for scientists—though some answers have emerged Milgram’s Infamous Shock Studies Still Hold Lessons for Confronting Authoritarianism | Scientific American
REGULATORY CAPTURE/POLITICS: Former CDC head condemns corporate capture of federal agencies This week, Robert Redfield, former head of the Centers for Disease Control, called out the FDA, NIH, and CDC, as well as the Department of Agriculture, as captured agencies. He focused on impacts to children and the rates of chronic disease. "Across a century-plus of cozy courtship, the federal regulators have nearly married the regulated, especially in health care. Today, private industry uses its political influence to control decision-making at regulatory agencies, law enforcement entities, and legislatures.If we do not discover the depth of our corporate capture problem and fix it, we cannot truly address chronic disease in this country. The primary role of these vital agencies is to focus on public good, not corporate interests or personal profit—and most of the public servants working there are eager to do good. https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-has-plan-make-americas-children-healthy-again-its-good-one-opinion-1957026
SPACE: Newest Starlink satellites are leaking even more radiation than their predecessors — and could soon disrupt astronomy The leaking radiation is not the only issue caused by Starlink satellites. The swarming spacecraft are also causing problems for visual astronomers by photobombing time lapse images with streaks of light. They can also be knocked out of orbit by solar storms and are responsible for over half of the close encounters between orbiting spacecraft. When the satellites reach the end of their lives and fall back to Earth, they also leave metal pollution in the atmosphere as they burn up. Some scientists even think that this metal pollution could get so bad that it could one day interfere with Earth's protective magnetic field. The Falcon 9 rockets that launch the satellites have also come under scrutiny. The reusable rockets have already been grounded by federal authorities twice this year due to explosive failures and have been known to create "ionospheric holes" when they leave or reenter the upper atmosphere. Starlink satellite launches can also create giant swirls of light in the night sky, known as "SpaceX spirals." However, these light shows pose no threat to our planet. Newest Starlink satellites are leaking even more radiation than their predecessors — and could soon disrupt astronomy
SPACE/WARFARE: In the Woomera Manual, International Law Meets Military Space Activities The law of outer space, like so much else about the exoatmospheric realm, is under stress. The prodigious growth in private-sector space activities (exemplified by SpaceX’s proliferating Starlink constellation, and other corporations following only shortly behind) is matched by an ominous surge in military space activities – most vividly, the creation of the U.S. Space Force and counterpart combat entities in rival States, the threat of Russia placing a nuclear weapon in orbit, and China and others continuing to experiment with anti-satellite weapons and potential techniques. The world is on the precipice of several new types of space races, as countries and companies bid for first-mover advantages in the highest of high ground. The Woomera Manual, International Law, and the Military in Space (justsecurity.org)
SPACEX; Regulators find further evidence of SpaceX releasing pollutants into nearby bodies of water: 'Very serious concern' The specific violations pertain to four instances between March and July of this year when SpaceX allegedly discharged industrial wastewater without a permit. The saga connects to past launches of the company's ambitious Starship rocket project and its use of an unpermitted water deluge system, according to CNBC.
SPACE: NASA Inspector Issues Warning About Growing Cracks Leaking Air From Space Station "The root cause of the leak remains unknown." [] It's an awkward realization given the space station's already limited shelf life. In 2030, NASA is planning to get help from SpaceX to deorbit the station and crash it into the Pacific Ocean. As Ars points out, NASA and Russia have yet to agree on continuing operations past 2028. FUTURISM
TOWERS AND ANTENNAS: California Community Scuttles Verizon Plan to Build Cell Tower Near Their Homes Verizon withdrew its application to build a cell tower in a residential neighborhood after residents organized against it and persuaded the local homeowners association not to lease the land to the telecom giant. CHD
WARFARE/MILITARY: ‘Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space‘ PFAS contamination in Maine & globally at US bases YOUTUBE ABOUT 30
WIFI UK Virgin Media issues broadband warning to millions of UK households - LEAVE THE ROUTER ON AT ALL TIMES, DON’T TURN OFF AT NIGHT. Virgin Media issues broadband warning to millions across UK (gbnews.com) COURTESY KH
EVENTS:
10/3 Montrealer Nick Pineault is hosting the EMF SUMMIT 2024 on the topic of electrosensitivity. Canadian scientist Dr. Magda Havas and building biologist Rob Metzinger are two of a wide range of speakers that are sure to present much interesting and relevant information on electrosensitivty. https://emfhazards.com/
10/8 Tuesday, 8 October 2024 7:30 pm ET. CANADIANS FOR SAFE TECHNOLOGY WITH Kerry Krofton Ph.D. Author of Less Screen More Green: Finding freedom with The Mindful Tech Plan™ and the powers of nature, mindfulness and true connection for a healthier tech-life balance– Revised and Updated Second Edition Paperback – July 26 2024
EMF FALL WEBINARS WITH THE POWER COUPLE: EASTERN TIME ZONE
Sep 26, 2024 07:00 PM
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Nov 14, 2024 07:00 PM
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Nov 28, 2024 07:00 PM
Dec 5, 2024 07:00 PM
Dec 12, 2024 07:00 PM
Dec 19, 2024 07:00 PM
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