WEEP News

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Strange in apple land / Wi-Fi Router combo / EHS TV News / Yucaipa Planners / Critics blast Wi Fi plan

W.E.E.P. News

Wireless Electrical and Electromagnetic Pollution News

25 June 2010

Something is ...strange in Apple land

The new iPhone 4 - ( notice that 4G is not there ) Is released. It's making waves all over the internet but not good ones. Steve jobs is telling the world not to hold the phone!

If you don't hold the phone in your hand you will have better reception. If you hold the phone in a certain way that shorts out the new aerial - you will loose your connection!

http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/24/apple-responds-over-iphone-4-reception-issues-youre-holding-th/

The people at apple could not be that DUMB. Perhaps Apple is coming out to show the world that you can't hold the phone because the radiation will go right into your body. A perfect demonstration.

Make them addicted to the devise and then tell them NOT to touch the aerial. Show it too them. Don't hide it inside the phone any longer. And they dropped the WIMAX part of the phone. There is no G4 and that's WIMAX.

Could it be that Steve is going to set new health standards by showing that you can't hold the phone. That you have to use a headset to get it to work properly?

And no G4? Rogers said that it is not going to invest into G4 networks.

Submitted by Robert W

Steve Jobs solves iPhone 4 reception problems: 'don't hold it that way'

Antenna design on new iPhone is acknowledged as source of poor connectivity - but Apple says problem is inevitable and advises different grip. Or you could try duct tape...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2010/jun/25/iphone-reception-problems-solved

Apple has issued official guidance - and its chief executive Steve Jobs has issued unofficial guidance - on how to avoid the widely-noted reception problems with the new iPhone 4 when held from below: don't hold it that way.

The cause has been narrowed down to a circuit being formed when the skin bridges the gap between the left and bottom antennas that form the phone's outer stainless steel bezel: depending on the conductance of the skin, it can make the phone reception drop off dramatically.

Emailed by the website Ars Technica about the problem, Jobs responded in his normal terse manner: "Just avoid holding it in that way," he wrote - a response from Jobs that was received by a number of gadget review sites and customers in the US.

Or, in Apple's official statement - which is only being passed out to news organisations which ask for a statement on the problem, rather than sent out (as happens with iPad or iPhone sales figures): "Gripping any phone will result in some attenuation of its antenna performance with certain places being worse than others depending on the placement of the antennas. This is a fact of life for every wireless phone. If you ever experience this on your Phone 4, avoid gripping it in the lower left corner in a way that covers both sides of the black strip in the metal band, or simply use one of many available cases."

The problem emerged within hours of the first iPhone 4 devices being delivered to customers in the US, with dozens posting videos to YouTube showing mobile reception dropping off dramatically when they picked up the phone. Some users wondered why Apple had not spotted the problem during its testing of the iPhone 4 before its launch, and wondered whether the £25 "bumpers" that Apple sells to go around the casing - and protect the metal antennas - was an implicit acknowledgement of the problem. Apple had no comment on Friday on whether it had discovered the problem during testing, or only after the phone went on sale.

Spencer Web, an antenna engineer with Antennasys, notes in a blog post that antennas for mobile phones are generally placed at the bottom of the phone, in order to keep the radiative parts of the phone as far away from the user's head as possible. In the US the Federal Communications Commission measures the output of a phone, and the amount of non-ionising radiation given off, in specific tests - but Web says that those would not have picked up the problem: "when the FCC tests are run, the head is required to be in the vicinity of the phone. But, the hand is not!"

He added: "The antenna structure for the cell phone is still down at the bottom (I won't address the WiFi nor GPS antennas in this blog entry). The iPhone 4 has two symmetrical slots in the stainless frame. If you short these slots, or cover them with your hand, the antenna performance will suffer (see this video I found on YouTube). There is no way around this, it's a design compromise that is forced by the requirements of the FCC, AT&T, Apple's marketing department and Apple's industrial designers, to name a few."

There is some speculation that the problem only occurs on some phones because the antennas are usually covered with a clear finishing solution; if the finish did not cover them properly the phone might be more liable to the problem.

Meanwhile iPhone 4 users are developing their own solutions - which range from the use of duct or masking tape on the bottom edge, painting clear nail varnish over the gap, buying cases to cover the sides of the phone, or - the most expensive option - buying Apple's "bumpers" which cover the edge of the phone.

Meanwhile another problem has appeared on some of the new models: yellow discoloration under the screen. According to one suggestion, this is due to a chemical used in the fixing process that joins the touchscreen to the glass above it and will fade in a few days. That remains to be seen.

----------------------------------

It turns out the new 4G iPhone has an antenna that surrounds the phone and if you hold it in your hand it interferes with reception. Is this a huge technical flaw or a clever way to ensure that you don't hold your cell phone?

Apple recommends that you keep the phone at least 5/8th of an inch away from your body and that includes your hand. Could it be that Apple and cell phone activists are converging on the proper use of cell phones? Place the phone on a table and use it in speaker mode or with an airtube headset Could it be that Steve Jobs is trying to get people to use the iPhone safely? Now isn't this an interesting way of viewing things?

Critics blast plan to introduce wireless Internet at local public schools

http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2640130

The public school board's plan to put wireless internet in all elementary and high schools has Peterborough parent Teri Strain worried that exposure to radiation could lead to cancer in children.

Before the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board goes forward with the proposed multi-million-dollar instructional technology plan, Strain said trustees should do a little more research on the adverse health effects.

Strain was one of six delegates who spoke against wireless Internet in schools at Thursday night's public school board meeting.

Exposure to wireless Internet can lead to nausea, dizziness and weakness, she said.

"These symptoms all go away on the weekend when the kids are no longer in school," she said. "I'm not against technology, but if one child has a nut allergy, peanuts are banned.

"I urge the board to take precautions on this."

Jackie Donaldson, a Peterborough parent of two children, said radiation can affect the body in harmful ways.

"Exposure can result in damaged cells, and this is day in and day out exposure during children's most vulnerable period," she said. "Don't put our children at risk."

Donaldson said damaged cells can lead to cancer.

The longer people are exposed to electromagnetic fields, the more sensitive they become, said Magda Havas, an associate professor at Trent University who has been conducting electromagnetic research for 20 years.

"Children are more sensitive to environmental contaminants and that includes microwave radiation," she told the board.

Havas said 3% of adults experience "electro-hyper-sensitivity," which is described as having adverse effects to electromagnetic frequencies.

"The percentage among children is much higher," she said. "An accurate estimate would be about 1,000 across the board."

Charlene Creelman, a Peterborough grandmother, said she is electro-hyper-sensitive.

She experiences chronic fatigue, memory loss and headaches, she said.

"I don't want radiation in my body," she said. "And I don't want my grandchildren exposed to it. I don't give my consent to this."

Creelman suggested labelling the areas in schools with clearly marked signs warning everyone that wireless Internet is used.

"This board should be protecting students, teachers and staff," she said.

Board chairwoman Diane Lloyd said the board will look further into the issue and rely on information from Health Canada.

"We are certainly interested in student safety at all times," she said.

Wireless Internet is already used throughout the public school board offices on Fisher Dr. and in some schools, she said.

"I'm not aware of any school that's totally wireless at this point," she said. "We have a very ambitious technology plan we would like to implement, but wireless is only one piece of that."

Trustee Gordon Gilchrist, who took a moment to discuss the issue further with Havas and Strain, said the board plans to investigate the research.

"We're looking into it," he said. "It's the right thing to do."

In March, some Simcoe County parents brought similar concerns to their local school board, saying their children have experienced adverse health effects as a result of wireless Internet.

ahouston@peterboroughexaminer.com

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W.E.E.P. – The Canadian initiative to stop Wireless Electrical and Electromagnetic Pollution

Friday, June 25, 2010

Further Harm from Smart Meters / Cruelty and Death of Siberian Tigers by Radio Collars? / "Rapid response" to the original BMJ article

W.E.E.P. News

Wireless Electrical and Electromagnetic Pollution News

25 June 2010

Hi Martin, Yes, please feel free to send my letter.

I was unaware of the dangers of Smart Meters until one was put on my house. I was wary of cell phones but I had NO physical symptoms from cell phones, wi-fi or cell towers that I was aware of. I had been using a cell phone (with a headset, because early on I had heard Dr. George Carlo on the radio) and we had wi-fi in our house. I had not been avoiding EMR.

Now it all makes me sick.

It has been both a nightmare and an awakening.

This is a documentation that I wrote about my experiences-

March 30, 2010

Dear Sir/Madam:

In June 2009 Con Edison installed a new digital electric meter on my house and a new digital gas meter in my basement in Hastings on Hudson, New York. Con Edison told me that the new meters were being used so that it could read the meters with electronic devices from the street. The electric meter is as follows:

Electric Meter CENTRON

0716701200 CL200 240V 3W TYPE C1SRP 30TA 1.okh Ca 0.5 FM 2s 60Hz A72AQ 7978929. 59689 345

In about late September I began to notice I was having some odd symptoms, including the following:

*Agitation

*Memory loss

*Inability to concentrate

*Nervousness

*Inability to get my work done

*Interrupted sleep

I felt as if I were becoming unhinged.

During the time between September and earlier this month my husband and son seemed agitated too. My husbandʼs blood pressure rose and he had to begin taking blood pressure medication. He was also experiencing sleep disruptions.

On February 25th and 26th there was a huge snowstorm here. During the storm I spent many hours in my living room, near my fireplace, about five feet away from the electric meter, which is installed outside my living room window. My right ear was facing the meter. My husband was traveling and my son was not at home for the same length of time that I was. The electricity went on and off several times during those two days. At one point I heard a piercing sound along with pressure in my ears. Along with the symptoms I had previously experienced, I began to develop worse symptoms, including the following:

*Heart palpitations

*A buzzing-pulsing sound, especially in my right ear

*Agitation

*Interrupted sleep with nightmares of being attacked

*Accelerated heartbeat

I was afraid that I would have a heart attack. The symptoms would lessen when I went outside. It seemed that there was something wrong inside my home, perhaps with the electricity.

Through research and talking to electricians, I began to realize that my symptoms might be traceable to something relating to the meters. They were the only recently installed appliances in our home with radio frequencies.

After many desperate phone calls to Con Edison, it removed the digital meters, but only after I presented a note from my doctor, upon which Con Edison insisted. In place of the electric meter Con Edison installed another electric, digital meter that it assured me emitted NO radio frequency. It was as follows:

Electric Meter- Schlumberger Centron

CL200 120V 3W Type CN15 30TA 1.okh Ca. 0.5 FM 25S 60Hz HF5006914736AAV* 71BQ 6914736 25 440 021

Con Edison also told me that I would need in the future to provide it with meter readings. Con Edison told me that both my doctor and I would be receiving a follow up communication from its health department, which we never did.

Whether the people at Con Edison lied or did not know what they were talking about is a question that needs to be answered. This meter also had a radio frequency (Note the FM25S.) I realized this when my symptoms got worse.

I was truly afraid that I would have a heart attack. I became terrified in my own home and could not find a comfortable place to sleep, because the buzzing pulsing sound in my ear was so disturbing. Before all of this started I was a healthy 51 year old.

Again, after making many more calls to Con Edison, on March 4 they removed that meter from my house and replaced it with an analog meter (this is the same type of meter Con Edison had initially removed in June 2009).

My immediate responses were so remarkable that I recorded them.

*Tingling in arms

*Legs felt very heavy

*The buzzing-pulsing became quieter.

*I felt as if my body was weighted down with exhaustion

Within hours I began feeling better. The loud buzzing-pulsing sound quieted down and my thoughts were less scrambled.

But my difficulties continued. In our home we have lived with wireless appliances, cell phones and fluorescent light bulbs for at least three years, and to my knowledge they have never been a problem for me. Now I cannot be near any of these things because I get a buzzing in my ears and my heart starts to race. The only possible cause for this change is that Con Edison placed meters emitting radio frequencies on and in my home in June.

Since Con Edison removed the digital meters and replaced them with an analog meter I am feeling better, but some of the symptoms have not gone away completely.

I have learned from my research that the digital meters with radio frequencies were never properly tested on human beings.

http://www.electricalpollution.com/smartmeters.html

http://emfsafetynetwork.org/?page_id=872

http://www.smartmeterdangers.com

http://www.ncil.org/resources/radiofrequencyarticle.html

When I asked the Con Edison "Meter Relations" department (212-460-4111) if I could see a copy of the test results for human exposure to the frequencies in the meters, I was told that I must obtain a subpoena to acquire that information.

Con Edison also told me that the FCC had approved the meters. When I called the FCC, I was told that it does not address human health issues, but only with regulating frequencies, and the person with whom I was speaking hung up on me.

This could be a very dangerous situation. These meters are being used across New York State and the country. People might become sick from them and not know what is happening to them.

I am requesting that the meter replacement program be stopped immediately and that home owners be given the right to opt-out of receiving these meters if they do not want them, until further testing is done to learn the effects of the frequencies they emit, especially in combination with other frequencies to which we are already being exposed.

Thank you.

Michele Hertz

62 Euclid Avenue

Hastings on Hudson, New York 10706

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Cruelty and Death of Siberian Tigers by Radio Collars?

The headline on the story below should probably be - Are Siberian Tigers being killed by radio frequency (or microwave) radiation from the radio collars they are forced to wear?

Any intelligent researcher using radiofrequency collars on animals should be aware of the health effects of electro magnetic radiation and should strongly consider that, as the cause of their illnesses.

Whatever happened to investigative reporters? Are there no reporters or editorial staff at The Observer who are aware about the health effects of electro magnetic radiation on people and on animals?

Martin Weatherall

------------------------------------------

Siberian tiger threatened by mystery disease

Conservationists say an epidemic is destroying the big cats' ability to hunt and turning them into potential man-eaters

Patrick Evans
The Observer, Sunday 20 June 2010
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/20/siberian-tiger-mystery-disease-extinction

The number of Siberian tigers has fallen 40% in five years. Photograph: Grant Faint/Getty Images

A mystery disease is driving the Siberian tiger to the edge of extinction and has led to the last animal tagged by conservationists being shot dead in the far east of Russia because of the danger it posed to people.

The 10-year-old tigress, known to researchers as Galya, is the fourth animal that has had a radio collar attached to it for tracking to die in the past 10 months. All had been in contact with a male tiger suspected of carrying an unidentified disease that impaired the ability to hunt. "We may be witnessing an epidemic in the Amur tiger population," said Dr Dale Miquelle, the Wildlife Conservation Society's (WCS) Russia director.

Galya had recently abandoned a three-week-old litter of cubs and come into the town of Terney looking for an easy meal. Following a series of all-night vigils by researchers, attempts to scare the tigress away failed. She was reported to the Primorsky State Wildlife Department as an official "conflict tiger", and a state wildlife inspector was called in to destroy her earlier this month.

"This tiger had lost its fear of humans – typically Amur tigers will never expose themselves for observation. It was like seeing someone you know turn into a vampire," Miquelle said.

Scientists are attempting to understand what compromised the tigress's ability to capture wild prey, which she had lived upon almost exclusively since birth. Her cubs, which were subsequently found dead at the den, are likely to have had their mother's disease transmitted to them through the placenta. "Initial necropsy results show an empty digestive tract, which is highly unusual. We're still waiting for results of further tests, but the abnormal behaviour suggests disease, possibly neurological," said Miquelle. "We are extremely concerned about the possibility of an epidemic that could be sweeping through this region. Animals we have studied extensively, and known well, have demonstrated radically changed behaviour, which is extremely disconcerting."

Weighing only 91kg at death – down from an estimated 140kg at full health – the tigress's death represents the end of an 11-year lineage of related "study" tigers, and leaves the WCS's Siberian Tiger Project with no radio-collared animals for the first time in 18 years. WCS Russia has tracked more than 60 tigers since inception in 1992.

In March this year, Miquelle raised the prospect of disease as a potential threat to an already endangered Siberian tiger population. The Siberian Tiger Monitoring Program reported in October 2009 a possible 40% decline in numbers since the last full survey in 2005, from 428 to as little as 252 adult tigers. The tiger's range has been reduced to a small pocket in the corner of the country within the region of Primorsky Krai.

Speaking at a conference in Vladivostok, Miquelle said that anything above a 15% mortality rate in adult females could kill off all Amur tigers. With around 150 adult females in the population, any more than 22 deaths of adult females per year may wipe out the species. Poaching accounts for about 75% of all Amur tiger deaths, with 12 to 16 adult females killed annually. "We're in a new era where disease could seriously affect the Amur tiger."

The Russian draft federal tiger conservation strategy has recently been amended to take account of disease, including a section on vaccination against canine distemper, a viral disease which is common in the Russian far east in domestic dogs and cats.

"The addition of disease-related deaths to existing sources of mortality could push this population over a tipping point," said Miquelle.

The federal strategy, which is being designed by a number of scientific groups including WCS Russia, is being prepared for the first global Tiger Summit due to take place in St Petersburg this September. Along with World Bank president Robert Zoellick, Vladimir Putin is due to preside over the conference.

WCS Russia hopes to recommence the capture of study tigers in September. "We aim to change the focus of why we study tigers, with a new emphasis on disease," said Miquelle. "The only consolation in this grisly process is that, for once, a serious threat is not originating from human actions, although even that, for now, is open to debate."

• This article was amended on 24 June 2010 to correct the source of figures on tiger decline from Wildlife Conservation Society, Russia to The Siberian Tiger Monitoring Program.

Submitted by Anna

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Rapid response" to the original BMJ article

You can find my "rapid response" to the original BMJ article below

or at: -

http://www.bmj.com/cgi/eletters/340/jun22_1/c3015

Best wishes

Andrew

Andrew Goldsworthy,
Lecturer in Biology - retired
Home London W5 1JD

Send response to journal:
Re: Doesn't prove anything I'm afraid

The choice of 700 metres as the radius of the sample may be misleading. If, as many people believe, the bulk of the biological effects occur within 400 metres of the mast, increasing the radius of the sample to 700 metres will dilute it with people who are relatively unaffected.

Insofar as the area of the circle around the mast (and presumably the number of people living in it) increases with the square of the radius, this means that the sample around the mast will contain approximately twice as many "unexposed" as "exposed" people. If the cancer cases are more tightly bunched around the mast, this error becomes even greater.

Also, if the people concerned were regular mobile phone users, the exposure to the signal from their own phone would be greater with increasing distance, which would confound the experiment and make any result appear less significant.

Also, it takes no account of other sources of radiation, which would also make it more difficult to disentangle the effects of the mast.

Lastly, in this day and age, where do you find unexposed controls? Picking people at random from a register certainly won't do it.

While the intentions of the study might have been to reassure the general public that living close to mobile phone masts will not harm them, it was not well designed and the results are virtually meaningless.

I'm afraid no one can take comfort from it.

Competing interests: None declared

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W.E.E.P. – The Canadian initiative to stop Wireless Electrical and Electromagnetic Pollution

WEEP News

by: Martin Weatherall

As a Canadian independent foundation, WEEP acts as an umbrella organization and focuses on progressive initiatives that bring increased awareness, policy change, and entrepreneurial activity around the issues of safe Electro Magnetic emissions.

WEEP News is a service provided by WEEP to keep those interested in and affected by Wireless, Electric, & Electromagnetic Pollution, informed on a daily basis, of all the current issues and initiatives in the world today.

weepinitiative.org

The opinions expressed in the WEEP news are not necessarily those of WEEP and its members.

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