~e; Electromagnetic News & Views #111
From
brian carroll <human@electronetwork.org>
Date
Wed, 26 May 2004 19:58:42 -0500
===================================================
Electromagnetic News & Views -- #111
===================================================
00) Electronetwork.org Commentary (5/26/2004)
01) Top Stories of Electromagnetism
02) Electromagnetic health & safety
03) Electromagnetic trash & treasure
04) Electromagnetic security & surveillance
05) Electromagnetic power & energy
06) Electromagnetic current & human affairs
07) Electromagnetic transport & communication
08) Electromagnetic matter & information
09) Electromagnetic trends & inventions
10) Electromagnetic weaponry & warfare
11) Electromagnetic business & economics
12) Electromagnetic artworks & artifacts
===================================================
00) --commentary-- (all things nuclear)
===================================================
01) --top stories--
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Nuclear jet crash 'could kill millions'
<http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99995036>
'Fears that the UK's nuclear plants are vulnerable to a 9/11-style
attack or accident are growing. Evidence is emerging that the no-fly
zones around nuclear plants are regularly breached by both military and
civilian aircraft. And a report for the UK parliament leaked to New
Scientist says that such an attack might kill millions.' .. 'Since the
2001 attacks on New York and Washington DC, the area of the ban has
been doubled to cover a radius of two nautical miles (3.7 kilometres).
Planes also have to stay above a certain height, which varies for
different sites.'
[and] U.S. Nuclear Plants State-by-State Interactive Map
<http://www.nei.org/doc.asp?catnum=2&catid=93>
// curiously missing from these maps are Israel's nuclear powerplants...
[and] Maps of Nuclear Power Reactors: WORLD MAP
<http://www.insc.anl.gov/pwrmaps/map/world_map.php>
Maps of Nuclear Power Reactors: NORTH AMERICA // %
<http://www.insc.anl.gov/pwrmaps/map/
north_america.php?PHPSESSID=dff99a508e19cc22097d1de1f37a3253>
Maps of Nuclear Power Reactors: EUROPE // %
<http://www.insc.anl.gov/pwrmaps/map/
europe.php?PHPSESSID=dff99a508e19cc22097d1de1f37a3253>
Maps of Nuclear Power Reactors: EAST ASIA // %
<http://www.insc.anl.gov/pwrmaps/map/
east_asia.php?PHPSESSID=dff99a508e19cc22097d1de1f37a3253>
Maps of Nuclear Power Reactors: ASIA
<http://www.insc.anl.gov/pwrmaps/map/
asia.php?PHPSESSID=dff99a508e19cc22097d1de1f37a3253>
Maps of Nuclear Power Reactors: AFRICA
<http://www.insc.anl.gov/pwrmaps/map/
africa.php?PHPSESSID=dff99a508e19cc22097d1de1f37a3253>
Maps of Nuclear Power Reactors: SOUTH AMERICA
<http://www.insc.anl.gov/pwrmaps/map/
south_america.php?PHPSESSID=dff99a508e19cc22097d1de1f37a3253>
Maps of Nuclear Power Reactors: RUSSIA
<http://www.insc.anl.gov/pwrmaps/map/
russia.php?PHPSESSID=dff99a508e19cc22097d1de1f37a3253>
// there is an interesting 'tax' aspect to this, in that to add a 'gas
tax'
// would be to lesson 'income' taxes, in return, which is shifting the
basis
// for taxation to energy consumption, not work itself but possibly a
type of
// efficiency of working, getting things done economically. not having
great
// understandign of the in-depth issues or arguments, this alone is
intriguing
// in that legitimate issues about taxation are included, and reflect
an idea
// also referred to by a type of energy accounting, that 'the cost' of
goods
// needs to be related to what it costs, energy-wise, to produce and
consume
// them, to give some accurate indication of the cost/benefit of the
exchange.
// this would change the old equation of earth's resources are
boundless, with
// one that says they cost something more than their extraction, and
even the
// afterlife of goods may be part of the cost when one purchases a
goodstuff.
The 50¢-a-Gallon Solution By GREGG EASTERBROOK
<http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/25/opinion/25EAST.html>
'... Had federal gas taxes gone up 50 cents a gallon 10 years ago,
several things might not have happened or would have had far less
impact.' .. 'The S.U.V. and pickup-truck crazes would not have
occurred, or at least these vehicles would be much less popular;
highway deaths would have been fewer; and gasoline demands would be
lower as would oil imports. To continue, the world price of oil
would have been lower, since petroleum demand in the United States
is the first factor in oil markets; greenhouse-gas emissions in this
country would be lower; Persian Gulf oil states would have less
influence on the global economy and less significance to American
foreign policy; fewer dollars would have flowed to the oil sheiks; and
the trade deficit balance for the United States would be smaller.' ..
'Don't all those things sound pretty good? And if higher gasoline
taxes had moderated the ever-growing national thirst for oil, fuel at
the pump still would have become more expensive — but Americans would
be sending the extra money to Washington rather than Riyadh.'
cartoon: Marconi has a premonition...
<http://www.toonville.com/content1/strangebrew/brw052404.jpg>
Ship carrying 4000 cars hits oil tanker, sinks // symbolic.
drudgereport.com
<http://www.smh.com.au/text/articles/2004/05/23/1085250864321.html>
---------------------------------------------------
02-- electromagnetic health & safety
---------------------------------------------------
FIRES AT REFUELING SITES THAT APPEAR TO BE STATIC RELATED // via
romenesko
<http://www.pei.org/static/fire_reports.htm>
<http://www.pei.org/static/fire_summary.htm>
Full Moon Exerts No Pull On Frequency Of Epileptic Seizures
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/05/040526065332.htm>
'The researchers divided the seizures into epileptic seizures, those
caused by electrical disruptions in the brain, and psychogenic
nonepileptic seizures, those that are not caused by brain electrical
disruptions and tend to be emotional. The most epileptic seizures, 152,
were recorded in the moon's last quarter. The researchers found
epileptic seizures decreased to their lowest number, 94, during the
full moon.'
---------------------------------------------------
03-- electromagnetic trash & treasure
---------------------------------------------------
Bacteria thrive in radioactive soil // see EM warfare section
nuclear-issues...
Study could result in new methods for toxic cleanup
<http://msnbc.msn.com/id/5067905/>
'The team of scientists has identified more than 100 different species
of bacteria in a mixture of sand, silt and clay extracted from beneath
several underground Hanford tanks, which were built in 1953 to hold
highly radioactive waste produced from the recovery of plutonium from
irradiated nuclear reactor fuel rods.' .. 'About 53 million gallons of
radioactive liquid, sludge and other material are stored in the 177
underground tanks. Some of the tanks, which are less than 10 miles from
the Columbia River, have leaked into the groundwater, exposing the
sediment for decades to very high radioactivity.' .. 'Scientists
cultured bacteria from the sediment and analyzed their DNA to try to
identify them.' .. '"The proteins we found were quite dissimilar to
what’s already in the international databases," Brockman said. "It's
telling us that these organisms just haven’t been studied much
before."' .. 'The findings also could be important to further study
into using organisms to clean contaminated sites.' ... 'Hanford was an
important site for the top-secret Manhattan Project to build the atomic
bomb during World War II. For 40 years, it processed plutonium for the
nation’s nuclear weapons arsenal. Today, work there centers on a $50
billion to $60 billion cleanup, to be finished by 2035.'
---------------------------------------------------
04-- electromagnetic security & surveillance
---------------------------------------------------
DoD denies ban on camera phones
<http://rcrnews.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?newsId=18255>
Spooks, Sleuths, and Data Sharing // via wired.com
Against long odds, a new federal group called the TTIC now has
14 key networks, including the CIA's and FBI's, linked together
<http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/may2004/
tc20040525_9955_tc148.htm>
Will code check tools yield worm-proof software? // .biz
<http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105_2-5220488.html>
// in case there is any cross-over between computer & biological
virii...
Researchers Reveal That Microbes Have Stolen Some Of Our Genes
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/05/040526070821.htm>
---------------------------------------------------
05-- electromagnetic power & energy
---------------------------------------------------
Launch of rooftop wind turbine pilot // photo. via ae-l
<http://www.scotland.gov.uk/pages/news/2004/05/SEel336a.aspx>
'The revolutionary Swift turbine has been developed by Edinburgh
company Renewable Devices Limited, and is at the cutting edge of global
renewables technology.' ... 'Each turbine can generate up to 4000 kW
hours of green electricity each year, saving up to 1720kg carbon
dioxide, the main greenhouse gas and cutting the school’s energy bill
by up to £284. They generate minimal vibration.'
In Belize, electricity vs. tourism-- A $30 million dam, due to be
completed
next year, will generate needed power, but could turn off ecotravelers.
<http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0524/p06s01-woam.html>
'The Macal has always been central to life here, providing drinking
water, food, and the primary means of commerce - initially to transport
goods, now as a main attraction for the nature- loving tourists on
which the local economy depends. But today the river is also at the
center of a roiling, four-year battle over the construction of a new
dam in one of Central America's last undisturbed forests.' ..
'Environmentalists and local residents say the dam will harm the
surrounding environment. The Canadian company building it says it will
have minimal ecological impact while making the country more
self-sufficient. The project highlights the dilemma faced by many poor
nations, especially those whose economies rely primarily on ecotourism:
how to bring economic development while maintaining the reason that
travelers - and their tourist dollars - go there.'
---------------------------------------------------
06-- electromagnetic current & human affairs
---------------------------------------------------
[General Electric CEO] Jack Welch: Cheney May Step Down // via
googlenewsalerts
<http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2004/5/24/171109.shtml>
Israeli Nuclear Spy Appears in Court // lives in a church...
<http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-israel-
vanunu,0,7286545.story?coll=sns-ap-world-headlines>
---------------------------------------------------
07-- electromagnetic transport & communication
---------------------------------------------------
New Technology Shows The Brain's Axons Are
Extremely Sensitive To Directional Cues
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/05/040524060425.htm>
'Similar to connecting your PC, monitor, mouse and printer correctly
to make all computer parts work, the developing brain needs a series of
critical wiring connections to be made for it to function properly.
But, unlike computers that come with a user and troubleshooting manual,
nerve fibers called axons must follow molecular cues to find the right
targets.'
Lucent to acquire Internet phone service provider Telica // VoIP
<http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-05/25/content_1488574.htm>
EM-quote from: Space suit switch complicates spacewalk
<http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99995034>
'The 4.5-hour spacewalk is needed to fix an earlier glitch with the
station itself. On April 21, a power controller failed, shutting off
power to one of the three gyroscopes that control the station's
alignment. The two remaining gyros can keep the station in place, but
any further gyro failures would require firing on-board thrusters to
keep the station properly aligned.'
---------------------------------------------------
08-- electromagnetic matter & information
---------------------------------------------------
Small world networks key to memory // via NewsScan...
<http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99995012>
'This simple network behaved in a simple way: an activating pulse
travelled through the network and then disappeared at the fringes. They
then added short cuts to connect distant parts of the network: the key
to a small world.' .. 'They found that when 10 to 20 per cent of the
neurons participated in short cuts, the network formed self-sustaining
loops of activity. For example, region A would activate B through a
short cut that would similarly trigger C. Finally, a short cut from C
sparked A again, completing the loop. Intriguingly, a second strong
activating pulse would shut the whole system down again. "So we get
bistability," says Solla.'
Second Newport Student Is Accused of Hacking, Then Changing Grades
<http://www.latimes.com/news/custom/showcase/la-me-hack20may20.story>
Researchers Reveal That Microbes Have Stolen Some Of Our Genes
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/05/040526070821.htm>
Magnetic Forces May Turn Some Nanotubes Into Metals
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/05/040521073051.htm>
'Kono said the discovery could lead to novel new experiments on
one-dimensional magneto-excitons, quantum pairings that are interesting
to researchers studying quantum computing, nonlinear optics and quantum
optics. Kono said it's too early to predict what types of applied
science might flow from the discovery.'
---------------------------------------------------
09-- electromagnetic trends & inventions
---------------------------------------------------
Low-carb Energy Diet, Using 33 Percent Less Hydrocarbons, Would Trim
U.S. Consumer Fuel Costs By $438 Billion, Cornell Ecologists Claim
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/05/040525055938.htm>
---------------------------------------------------
10-- electromagnetic weaponry & warfare
---------------------------------------------------
Russian contractors to quit Iraq
A Russian company helping to rebuild power facilities in Iraq is to
withdraw
all its workers from the country following a fatal attack on its staff.
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3748645.stm>
'Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Yakovenko said the
contractors were on their way to work at the al-Dawra power station.'
.. 'They were fired on by masked gunmen as they approached the gates of
the compound, Russian TV said.' .. 'Some of the wounded are thought to
be in a critical condition.' .. 'Russia is not part of the US-led
coalition, but has many workers in Iraq trying to restore the energy
sector.' .. 'Correspondents say Russian experts have played a major
role in reviving the Iraqi energy industry and other infrastructure.'
.. 'But last month Moscow evacuated some 365 citizens of ex-Soviet
countries after a spate of kidnappings of foreign nationals.'
// important article to read about nuclear powerplants and nuclear
weaponry,
// with an issue of using 'atoms for peace' as cover for weapons
building. it
// is curious how all the nuclear waste which _must be dealt with will
be dealt
// with over a period of decades. ultimately, it could become a much
larger and
// more complex liability, even with citizenries (if they have a say)
because of
// the vast risks associated with storing such nuclear waste-streams.
in the .US
// even the most advanced attempts are deeply disputed (Yucca Mountain)
for the
// ability to safely store the waste-- so what if countries without
some similar
// level of investment becomes less safe because of a defenseless
stockpile of
// waste that could destroy the landscape and people through nuclear
toxicity.
// from a simple perspective of human beings, it would seem the more
open this
// issue is capable of being, the more secure everyone may be, with
transparency
// even if it is not ideal. because of other options, a surprise mass
dispersal
// of radioactive waste inside a country, by its own hand, would be
devastating.
// much money is needed to deal with these waste steams, which used to
be buried
// and, if not mistaken, were part of 'brownfields' of polluted sites-
in which
// billions and billions of dollars are still being used to
decontaminate. what
// if the ecomonics of cheap nuclear power actually cost more, in
secret, with
// the long-term effects which need to addressed up-front to not go
bankrupt.
// though even international goals of addressing these issues from the
cold war
// were put by the wayside and are today unresolved, to the peril of
all, and
// this habit-of-20th-century-industry could continue to a country's
own demise
// and those located around them, which would be effected in
fundamental ways.
// (through war, waste streams, toxic clouds, contaminated goods, or
terrorism).
// an issue of 'self-reliance' could also be an important factor, which
if not
// dealt with openly, could lead to a nuclear desert, 'the wasteland'
of lore.
Nuclear Weapons in Iran: Plowshare or Sword? //*** virtual weapons
states/status
<http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/25/science/25nucl.html>
'The Iranian crisis, and related ones simmering in North Korea and
also around Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, the Pakistani expert who recently
confessed to running nuclear black markets, are giving new urgency to
limiting proliferation, a central danger of the atomic era.' ...
[nature of nuclear dual-use] 'The development of such arsenals is often
hard to hide, because it takes place in large industrial complexes
where nuclear power and nuclear weapons are joined at the hip - using
technologies that are often identical, or nearly so. Today, with what
seems like relative ease, scientists can divert an ostensibly peaceful
program to make not only electricity but also highly pure uranium or
plutonium, both excellent bomb fuels.' ... 'The central compact of the
nuclear age - what critics call a deal with the devil - is that
countries can get help from other nations in developing nuclear power
if they pledge to renounce nuclear arms. That principle was codified in
the 1968 treaty and has produced a vast apparatus of the International
Atomic Energy Agency that not only helps nations go peacefully nuclear
but also monitors them for cheating.'
[and] Keeping Track of Uranium
<http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0525/p08s02-comv.html>
'Tacked onto the defense authorization bill is an amendment approved
by the Senate that prompts this reaction: You mean the US isn't doing
this already?'
[and] Iran Bars UN from Military Sites - Diplomats
<http://www.reuters.com/
newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=5240122>
'The United States says Iran has two nuclear programs -- a public one
it has declared to the U.N. and a secret one aimed at developing
atomic weapons. Tehran rejects this charge, saying its plans are
limited to the peaceful generation of electricity.' .. 'Iran's
ambassador to the United Nations in Vienna, Pirooz Hosseini, denied
that the IAEA was facing access problems.' .. '"This is not correct
information ... from these unnamed diplomats," Hosseini told Reuters,
adding that there were "discussions" between Tehran and the United
Nations about site access.' .. '"They're not problems. (The IAEA) will
have access to the sites they want to visit. Everything is going in a
smooth way."' .. 'IAEA officials declined comment.' ... '"There's a
general hardening of opinion" against Iran on the 35-nation IAEA
governing board, the second diplomat said. "The pattern of behavior
suggests they're trying to hide something."' .. 'However, he
acknowledged there was no hard evidence that Iran was concealing
anything, just suspicions.'
[and] U.S., Russia to Sign Fuel Retrieval Deal
<http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2004/05/27/013.html>
'Russia and the United States will clinch a deal Thursday to retrieve
highly enriched uranium from inadequately guarded research reactors in
former Soviet republics and satellites in what should help prevent
terrorists from assembling crude nuclear devices, officials said.' ...
'The deal, which does not require ratification, envisions all highly
enriched Russian uranium being returned to Russia by the end of 2005
and all spent nuclear fuel being brought back by 2010, according to
Reuters.'
---------------------------------------------------
11-- electromagnetic business & economics
---------------------------------------------------
Chinese TV makers moving overseas // interesting account of global
trade.
<http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-05/24/content_1487584.htm>
'Facing the rising challenge of dumping accusations, Chinese TV set
manufacturers are expanding their overseas production bases to detour
trade barriers.'
Massive tax bill threatens Yukos
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3751273.stm>
---------------------------------------------------
12-- electromagnetic artworks & artifacts
---------------------------------------------------
Architecture event: One Land, Two Systems -
Beyond the division lines in Israeli spatial planning
Announcement, One Land, Two Systems, 25 May 2004 // thanks to
archnewsnow.com
<http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article2750.shtml>
'The project One Land, Two Systems brings together architects,
planners, photographers, lawyers, writers, human rights activists to
design and show alternatives and to bring these into the publice
debate. The FAST initiative (Foundation for Achieving a Seamless
Territory) does not only aim at an
international audience, but tries to stimulate the public debate in
Israel proper. With this design competition the international
professional engages the spatial planning in Israel.'
Computer Aided Architectural Design in Asia: THE FIRST CALL FOR PAPERS
CAADRIA 2005 > Digital Opportunities-- Education, Processes, Innovation
<http://www.caadria2005.org>
<http://www.caadria2005.org/site/CallForPapers>
<http://www.caadria2005.org/site/img/caadria.2005.call.for.papers.pdf>
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