W.E.E.P. News

Wireless Electrical and Electromagnetic Pollution News

20 February 2011

Peculiar geese deaths baffle wildlife officials

Ailment afflicting birds around Lake Erie

By TOM HENRY BLADE STAFF WRITER

http://beta.toledoblade.com/local/2011/02/18/Peculiar-geese-deaths-baffle-wildlife-officials.html

Sick birds have been taken to area facilities that try to rehabilitate wildlife. Some birds got better; most did not. The Blade/Jeremy Wadsworth

Several dozen Canada geese along western Lake Erie's shoreline have recently died or are presumed dead while others have become so sick they cannot hold up their heads, fly, or maintain control of their motor functions.

State wildlife investigators are stumped, awaiting word on tests that a national wildlife laboratory in Wisconsin has been doing on some of the dead birds.

"They will fall out of the sky and have trouble staying upright," said Dave Sherman, a biologist at the Crane Creek Wildlife Research Station the Ohio Department of Natural Resources operates in Ottawa County.

Symptoms began manifesting themselves first with mallards about two or three weeks ago.

"Now, it's mostly geese we're seeing," he said.

The bulk of the problem appears to be in the Oregon area, Mr. Sherman said, in the vicinity of open water near FirstEnergy Corp.'s coal-fired Bay Shore power plant, where birds typically congregate this time of year.

The plant's warm-water discharge often keeps that part of the lake from freezing.

But the problems are not limited to that area.

Mr. Sherman said some of the sick or dead geese have been found as far east as Vermilion, Ohio, which is halfway between Sandusky and Cleveland.

Four were recently found on a thawed part of the Maumee River near downtown Perrysburg.

Cody Klima, Ohio DNR wildlife officer, said he has picked up about two dozen goose carcasses over the past couple of weeks.

He also said he's taken that many sick birds or more to Nature's Nursery in Whitehouse and Back to the Wild in Castalia, Ohio, two facilities that attempt to rehabilitate injured wildlife.

Officials at those facilities have not had much success with this outbreak.

Many of the sick, injured, or dead geese are inaccessible because warming temperatures have made the ice too dangerous to traverse.

"I'm guessing some of them are drowning," Mr. Klima said. "They lose their coordination and flip upside down."

He said he has been getting about a dozen calls a day from area residents reporting new sightings or seeking answers about birds they've seen.

"They're throwing their heads back. They're losing all balance and literally almost all back-somersault and have a seizure," according to Laura Zitzelberger, operations director at Nature's Nursery. At least eight or nine of about a dozen geese that were brought to Nature's Nursery either died or had to be euthanized.

Two ducks and one of the geese that exhibited symptoms appear to have recovered. Another goose is struggling, she said.

At Back to the Wild, 18 of 23 geese dropped off for treatment have died, nearly all within the past three days, said Sarah Langdon, Back to the Wild supervisor.

Of the remaining five, three are "acting like normal geese again" and may be released soon, she said.

Seventeen of those 23 injured birds were brought in from the Bay Shore plant area, she said.

Chris Barry, a Perrysburg engineer, said he has seen three carcasses and a sick goose on the Perrysburg side of the Maumee River since Saturday. He said they were only 20 to 30 feet from the shore, but the ice was too dangerous to walk on.

"They're at the edge of the ice," Mr. Barry said, referring to an area near Water and Pine streets in Perrysburg.

The sick bird "was floating in a tiny patch of open water," Mr. Barry said.

"It didn't have much strength left," he said.

Anyone who sees geese acting strangely can contact the Crane Creek Wildlife Research Station at 419-898-0960 or the ODNR office in Findlay.

Contact Tom Henry at: thenry@theblade.com or 419-724-6079.

David

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East Vancouver residents voice concerns about cell towers

http://www.straight.com/article-375868/vancouver/east-vancouver-residents-voice-concerns-about-cell-towers

By Matthew Burrows, February 18, 2011

Vancouver residents concerned about cellular network towers springing up in residential areas will voice their concerns on Sunday (February 20) at the Kiwassa Neighbourhood House (2425 Oxford Street) in Hastings-Sunrise.

Vancouver-Hastings NDP MLA Shane Simpson and Vancouver East NDP MP Libby Davies are organizing the community meeting, which will take place from 1 to 3 p.m.

In a December letter, Davies raised constituents' concerns about cell towers in their neighbourhood with Industry Minister Tony Clement and Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq.

In an e-mail to fellow residents earlier this month, Janice Evans noted that a 15-metre tall tower was installed in November near the corner of Nanaimo and McGill streets.

"This is the first time a telecom took the liberty to install a cell tower in a residential neighborhood without seeking city approval," the e-mail states. "Rogers is arguing that cell towers are federally regulated and that the federal regulations state that if a tower is under 15 metres in height they do not have to consult the City."

On February 15, Vision Vancouver councillor Raymond Louie, who lives a few blocks south of the tower referred to by Evans, introduced a motion, asking that council direct the city manager to "ensure citizen and industry concerns are identified and integrated into a coherent approach to this issue".

Louie also proposed city staff "continue to work with telecommunications companies, federal agencies, and Vancouver Coastal Health in a collaborative process to develop clear protocols and guidelines for the installation of all antennas in the city that balance citizen, industry and city needs in addressing current challenges in regards to permitting, public process and urban design issues".

For local resident Kara Ardan, Louie's motion is a bit unclear.

Ardan said, instead of looking to the municipal level for solutions, she is convinced a Canada-wide solution is the only way to guarantee sufficient oversight and safety.

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To the best of my knowledge, this is the FIRST time since summer of 2008 that the Georgia Straight has published a story about a cell tower controversy.

I wonder if it has something to do with all the full page ads they run for wireless providers?

Carl

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Cell signaling

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell_signaling

Cell signaling is part of a complex system of communication that governs basic cellular activities and coordinates cell actions. The ability of cells to perceive and correctly respond to their microenvironment is the basis of development, tissue repair, and immunity as well as normal tissue homeostasis. Errors in cellular information processing are responsible for diseases such as cancer, autoimmunity, and diabetes. By understanding cell signaling, diseases may be treated effectively and, theoretically, artificial tissues may be created.

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What causes these errors in cellular information?

Is it electro magnetic radiation interfering with our body?

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Area woman sues Oncor over smart meter installation

http://isurfgeorgetown.com/news/local/6119-area-woman-sues-oncor-over-smart-meter-installation.html

A Bell County woman is taking legal action to stop Oncor Electric Delivery from installing a smart meter at her home.

Cynthia Johnson has refused to allow representatives from Oncor Electric Delivery to install a smart meter onto her mobile home out of concern that the machines give inaccurate electrical readings and can spark fires.

She filed a lawsuit in December to ban the company from installing the meter in what is thought to be the first lawsuit against the company opposing the rollout of the smart meters.

But in its countersuit, Oncor stated that third-party testing has disputed claims that the meters are unreliable, arguing that Johnson's allegations are based on an "unscientific review of Internet postings."

A hearing will be held Friday in 146th District Court in Belton to decide whether Johnson will be awarded a temporary injunction that bars Oncor from installing the meter until a court determines if she has the right to refuse the device.

Johnson's request for a temporary restraining order against the electric company already has been denied.

Oncor is seeking a permanent injunction that would prevent Johnson from blocking future attempts to install the smart meter.

Johnson is representing herself in the case because she is not working and cannot afford an attorney.

An advanced smart meter is an electronic meter that transmits electrical usage data wirelessly. Older meters require a person to take the readings.

The smart meters are designed to give customers more accurate electrical information and improved account management.

Johnson said one of her main concerns is that the smart meter could spark a fire and destroy her mobile home, a claim Oncor denies in its written response to the lawsuit. Johnson said she learned that smart meters were partially the cause of several home fires in Arlington.

"A house fire is just scary to anybody, I think," Johnson said. "I live in a pretty old house made of materials that would burn very quickly. . . . I don't see any way to prevent it other than to sit and stare at the meter 24 hours a day, and that's just impossible."

Oncor spokesman Chris Schein said the company hasn't had any reports that indicate the smart meters have caused fires.

"The fundamental aspect about the smart meter, versus the old meter, is that it still plugs in the same way as the old meters," Schein said. "So if the old meters didn't cause fires, then the new meters shouldn't cause fires."

Johnson said she also is concerned the meters may not be accurate and could cause her to be billed for more electricity than she actually uses.

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Sunday, February 20, 2011