~e; Electromagnetic News & Views #114
From
brian carroll <human@electronetwork.org>
Date
Sat, 5 Jun 2004 14:24:35 -0500
===================================================
Electromagnetic News & Views -- #114
===================================================
00) Electronetwork.org Commentary (6/05/2004)
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
13) Electrostatic amber & EM civilization
===================================================
00) --commentary-- (Cheney, Nuclear, Corruption, Investigation,
Terrorism, Oil, War)
Special section on amber at the end... The assumption is that it is
one of the bases for the 'common' (science-technological) civilization
around the world today, oftentimes in the form of 'electronics' and
'electricity' and 'oil' issues though also the cultural aspects of
trade, knowledge needed for today's development, etc. And, thus as with
magnetite and magnetism, it forms a critical foundation for relating
across current paths, geographies, and geopolitics. It is, if in terms
of electromagnetism, of common interest as it is a part of the human
story of how these properties were realized in nature, in material form.
===================================================
01) --top stories--
---------------------------------------------------
// related to nuclear, thus electromagnetic, WMD (weapons of mass
destruction)
// and the outing of a WMD spy after a forged Uranium (nuclear)
document said
// to be the need for an invasion of Iraq, was declared insufficient
evidence.
// note: Bush has openly sought counsel. though, it is unknown if
Cheney has.
// note: for someone to not swear under oath-- and who so loves
Machiavelli--
// ...the grand jury is still out (of course, not Scalia) on their
accounting.
Cheney Reportedly Interviewed in Leak of C.I.A. Officer's Name // ***
blingo.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/05/politics/05LEAK.html>
'It was not clear how Mr. Cheney responded to the prosecutors'
questions.' .... 'On Friday, a spokesman for Mr. Cheney declined to
comment on the case. The spokesman, Kevin Kellems, referred questions
about the vice president to Mr. Fitzgerald, whose office has declined
to comment on the investigation. A telephone call to Terrence
O'Donnell, the vice president's private lawyer, was not returned.' ....
'Mr. Bush is not thought to be a focus of the grand jury inquiry. On
Thursday, Mr. Bush said he did not object to the prosecutors' inquiry.'
.. '"I've told our administration that we'll fully cooperate with their
investigation," Mr. Bush said. "I want to know the truth, and I'm
willing to cooperate myself. And you need to refer your questions to
them.....' .... 'The decision by Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney to seek
private legal counsel is routine for high-level officials when they
become involved, even tangentially, in legal issues unrelated to their
official duties.'
The resolute wrongness of Cheney, by David Sarasohn. // *** bingo.
<http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/david_sarasohn/index.ssf?/
base/editorial/1086350358285980.xml>
'The tapes released this week, with language that could melt the
plastic, could actually remind you of the Nixon tapes.' .. 'Or, maybe,
music to write utility checks by.' .... 'Of course, the tapes could
also remind you what else we heard on the subject at the time.' .. '"We
get politicians who want to go out and blame somebody and allege there
is some kind of conspiracy," Vice President Dick Cheney warned firmly
on "Meet the Press" in May 2001, "whether it's the oil companies or
whoever it might be, instead of dealing with the real issues."' .. 'At
the time, Cheney knew that it couldn't be the fault of the energy
companies because he'd spent the entire spring meeting with them in
planning the new Bush administration energy strategy, including six
meetings with Enron head Ken Lay. So California was just going to have
to take what was coming to it, meaning a summer of blackouts, and
nobody should think there would be much to gain from conservation,
which Cheney sneered at as a "private virtue" that would have no effect
on California's problems.' .... 'Was the vice president having a big
spring, or what?' .. 'In a few weeks, Cheney went directly from
endorsement of Ken Lay to alliance with Ahmad Chalabi.'
TELLTALE E-MAIL -- Bureaucratic effluvium or tampering by Cheney
<http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/editorial/2606166>
'A Defense Department spokesman said it is standard procedure to
inform the White House when huge contracts are about to be awarded. He
said the e-mail was about the contract's announcement, not the decision
to award it.' .. 'But that does not explain the e-mail's reference to
the vice president's office. If the vice president shouldn't be
involved, neither should his staff. The e-mail went so far as to
suggest that, since the contract was OK with Cheney, it would be OK
with the president.'
// what people need to do in response to a dirty-bomb attack is
necessary
// to know in advance, however vague (if cases differ by type of
material).
// should they leave the site, will there be a quarantine, should they
eat
// or not eat, take pills, drive, panic, go to the hospital, vanish from
// the scene possibly covered in radioactive dust which could be
spread...
// an economical approach may be a neighborhood-watch-like distribution
of
// basic common sense instructions, so everyone has the same
information,
// and also a downloadable .PDF graphic/instructions: 'in the event
of...'
// fire, police, hospitals, and libraries could have advice printed
out...
Risk of radioactive "dirty bomb" growing // *** radiological terrorism
<http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99995061>
'The [UN] IAEA's records, which it has released to New Scientist ,
show a dramatic rise in the level of smuggling of radiological
materials, defined as radioactive sources that could be used in dirty
bombs but not nuclear bombs.' .. 'In 1996 there were just eight of
these incidents but last year there were 51. ... Smugglers target the
radioactive materials used in factories, hospitals and research
laboratories, which are not guarded as securely as those used by the
nuclear industry.' .... '...according to the IAEA there are more than
10,000 sources designed for radiotherapy, each containing 1000 pellets
of cobalt-60. Each pellet emits 100 gigabecquerels of radioactivity,
enough to put somebody over their annual safety limit in two minutes.'
.. 'There are also tens of thousands of large radiation sources used by
industry as gauges, sterilisers and metal irradiators. The IAEA has
expressed particular concern about the security of hundreds of
thermo-generators made in Russia and the US, in which the heat produced
by radioactive decay drives a generator to provide power in remote
areas. Just one of them can contain as much strontium-90 as was
released by the notorious Chernobyl accident in 1986.'
Matthew Bunn and Anthony Wier, Securing the Bomb: An Agenda for Action,
May 24, 2004 (offsite) // excerpt from .pdf file below via cryptome.org
<http://www.nti.org/e_research/analysis_cnwmupdate_052404.pdf>
<http://cryptome.org/>
'An attack using an actual nuclear explosive—either a stolen nuclear
weapon or an improvised terrorist bomb made from stolen nuclear
material—would be among the most difficult types of attack for
terrorists to accomplish. But the danger is real. This report debunks
in detail a series of myths, listed below, that have led policy-makers
around the world to downplay the danger. The facts are that the amount
of inadequately secured bomb material in the world today is enough to
make thousands of nuclear weapons; that terrorists are actively seeking
to get it; and that with such material in hand, a capable and
well-organized terrorist group plausibly could make, deliver, and
detonate at least a crude nuclear bomb capable of incinerating the
heart of any major city in the world. Securing the vast stockpiles of
nuclear weapons and materials around the world is an essential
priority—for nonproliferation, for counter-terrorism, and for homeland
security. If the world’s existing stockpiles of nuclear weapons and
weapons-usable nuclear materials can be reliably secured, nuclear
terrorism can be reliably prevented: no terrorist access to material
means no bomb.'
Once seen as an alarmist fear, // ***
an attack on key Saudi oil terminal could destabilise west
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/oil/story/0,11319,1230311,00.html>
'"I cannot think of any more logical target for terrorists. It [Ras
Tanura] is the nerve centre for the Saudi oil trade but also for global
exports. If you can blow up the Pentagon in broad daylight, then it
cannot be impossible to fly a plane into Ras Tanura - and then you are
talking $100 [per barrel] oil," [Mr Gheit] says.' .... 'Not only is Ras
Tanura or the refining centre of Abqaiq dangerously exposed to being
knocked out of action by militants, but Mr Gheit also believes regime
change in Saudi to a more hostile Islamic government is as inevitable
as it was in Iran a quarter of a century ago. "It's only a matter of
time," he claims.' .. 'But this is no headline-grabbing polemicist. The
Egyptian-born American is employed by investment house Oppenheimer & Co
to provide sober assessments of future oil supply and demand to
investors sitting on billions of dollars worth of Wall Street financial
funds.' .... 'The US has close to 700m barrels of oil in its strategic
petroleum reserves while many European countries, plus Japan and South
Korea, have similar stocks. Britain is still a net exporter, so in
theory is self-sufficient but even if the direct impact of a loss of
Saudi oil was not felt directly for say half a year, the shock would
produce serious disruption and probable economic recession.' .. 'And if
an extreme Saudi regime produced oil but refused to sell it to the
west? Mr Lee suggests an invasion by America could not be ruled out but
seems pretty unlikely given the difficulties in Iraq.' ..... 'Saudi
exports would be sucked up by China, Asia and others but in turn a lack
of demand for non-Saudi supplies from those nations could then be
passed on to the west, he argues. But that is not to say there would
not be a problem even if Russia, Angola and the Caspian nations are all
busy providing new sources of crude.'
[and] Al Qaeda Seen Unlikely to Topple Saudi Royal Family
<http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/reuters20040603_228.html>
'But independent analysts, Western diplomats and Saudi officials agree
that foreigners are not the real target.' .. 'The main aim of
Saudi-born Osama bin Laden and his followers is to undermine the Saudi
government, which they loathe for allying itself with America -- "the
enemy of God."' .. 'The challenge is serious, but the royal family has
endured worse in the kingdom's seven-decade history. "Nobody has made
money betting on the House of Saud falling. But they face enormous
pressures on this one," a Western diplomat said.'
---------------------------------------------------
02-- electromagnetic health & safety
---------------------------------------------------
// having unscrewed a few things electronic, and tried to fix an old
radio,
// one thing has become apparent. what is either old and dusty or sleek
and
// new technology on the outside is, on the inside, a deadly brew of
stuff.
// then, to imagine how most 'recycling' is done today, such as
throwing of
// a simple broken electronics device (radio) away, to imagine that
this is
// going to be decomposing along with lots of other similarly toxic
junk, is
// quite unbelievable to imagine this leaching back into the water
supply...
Is the dust on your computer toxic? // yes.
According to new research into chemical residue found in the dust
collecting
on computers and other electronics devices, the PC that you're using to
read this story could pose a long-term threat to your health.
<http://news.com.com/Is+the+dust+on+your+computer+toxic%3F/2100-1041-
5225799.html?part=dtx&tag=ntop>
[and] Your Computer Is Bad for You // more on toxic dust
<http://www.wired.com/news/technology/
0,1282,63717,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_8>
'Independent researchers who reviewed the new study say consumers
shouldn't throw out their computers, and they needn't wear special
gloves or minimize exposure to computer monitors. There's no known way
to remove dust-born PBDEs, so special wipes or sprays wouldn't reduce
chemical exposure.'
Garden Roof Enlisted in Fight for Environment // via energynewsbriefs
<http://www.edcmag.com/CDA/ArticleInformation/features/
BNP__Features__Item/0,4120,124684,00.html>
'As a result of land-use practices, Atlanta suffers from the urban
heat island effect, and has erosion, sedimentation and stormwater
management problems. Specifically, from 1988 to 1998, the area lost
approximately 190,000 acres of tree cover to development. The
temperature in downtown Atlanta is often 10 degrees Fahrenheit warmer
than the surrounding outlying areas. Moreover, the Environmental
Protection Agency has classified the 13 counties in the metro Atlanta
region as "serious" nonattainment areas for ground-level ozone.' .. 'To
combat these problems, according to Taube, the city of Atlanta along
with the EPA, the Department of Energy and the Georgia Environmental
Facilities Authority came together to discuss the benefits of
incorporating green roofs into the urban landscape. Through the
resulting green roof project, Atlanta hopes to generate reliable
technical data on green roof performance in areas such as energy
efficiency, cooling benefits, stormwater retention, the extension of
roof membrane life span and plant survival. An added goal to foster an
increased awareness of green roof technology among citizens and design
and construction professionals.' .... 'Kramer sees Atlanta as a
"hotbed" for green roof design. "We're the second largest architectural
market behind New York," he says. "We've got firms competing for all
the top design opportunities in the world. They've all put green
building design at the forefront. There was a big interest before this
project came along, and it has done nothing but bring more attention
and generate more interest."'
---------------------------------------------------
03-- electromagnetic trash & treasure
---------------------------------------------------
Check out How Ozone Pollution Works:
<http://science.howstuffworks.com/ozone-pollution.htm>
300 Tons of Oil Removed From Spain Tanker
<http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-spain-
sunken-oil-tanker,0,6043545.story?coll=sns-ap-world-headlines>
'The project is considered one of the most difficult cleanup
operations ever attempted because the tanker, the Prestige, is resting
2.5 miles beneath the ocean surface.'
---------------------------------------------------
04-- electromagnetic security & surveillance
---------------------------------------------------
GAO, Technology Assessment: Cybersecurity for Critical Infrastructure
Protection
May 28, 2004 (offsite) // excerpted from .pdf document by
cryptome.org...
<http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d04321.pdf> & <http://cryptome.org/>
'Many cybersecurity technologies that can be used to protect critical
infrastructures from cyber attack are currently available, while other
technologies are still being researched and developed. These
technologies, including access control technologies, system integrity
technologies, cryptography, audit and monitoring tools, and
configuration management and assurance technologies, can help to
protect information that is being processed, stored, and transmitted in
the networked computer systems that are prevalent in critical
infrastructures.' .. 'Although many cybersecurity technologies are
available, experts feel that these technologies are not being purchased
or implemented to the fullest extent.'
Chalabi 'tipped off Iran about spy codes' // prophylactic.gov
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1229619,00.html>
'The US officials were quoted claiming that Mr Chalabi had told the
Baghdad chief of the Iranian spy service that the United States was
reading its communications.' .. 'It is alleged that the Iranian spy
then described the conversation in a message to Tehran, which was
subsequently intercepted by US intelligence.'
[and] Coded Cable In 1995 Used Chalabi's Name
Intercepted Iranian Message Involved Plot to Kill Hussein // reg.req
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A14020-2004Jun3.html>
'To prove to the Iranians he had Washington's support to go after
Hussein, Chalabi forged a letter on U.S. National Security Council
stationery that asked him to contact the Iranian government for help,
Baer wrote. The letter said Washington had dispatched to northern Iraq
an "NSC team" headed by Robert Pope, a fictitious name.' .. 'In a
meeting with Iranian intelligence officers, Chalabi left the letter on
his desk while he took a phone call in another room, knowing the
Iranians would read it, Baer wrote.' .. 'What happened next has not
been previously reported.' .. 'The Iranian intelligence officers sent
an encrypted message to Tehran about Chalabi's supposed plot, officials
said yesterday. The United States intercepted the transmission. U.S.
intelligence had broken Iran's secret communications codes during that
period as well.' .... 'Taken together, the intercept and the foiled
revolt marked a turning point in the CIA's relationship with Chalabi,
the intelligence official said.'
How to Break a Code, Ever Since the Days of the Sphinx
<http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/03/politics/03CODE.html>
'A former Clinton administration official involved with encryption
matters said that it would be surprising if the Iranian government used
an outmoded or easy-to-crack system for scrambling messages that
allowed users to read the traffic with, say, a single numeric key. "It
would be unlikely that we would have the equivalent of a skeleton key,"
he said. Instead, he said, if the kind of equipment that another nation
uses is known, American intelligence agencies will build
special-purpose computer equipment to crack those messages, and even
then use the routing information to pick and choose among messages to
find the ones that are likeliest to contain valuable information.' ..
'So instead of expending the resources and time to crack encrypted
messages, Mr. Bamford said, "the much easier way of doing it is bribing
a code clerk or an employee of the Iranian Embassy in Baghdad," he
said. "The idea would be to get a bug into the system," attached to the
keyboard, screen or even the power cord of a target computer.'
[and] em-quote: Bye, George - It's been a bad week for the Bushies.
<http://slate.msn.com/id/2101705/>
'If the stories are true, Chalabi could be charged with espionage , a
crime that carries a sentence of life in prison or—under certain
circumstances—the death penalty. One of those circumstances is if the
accused has passed along "communications intelligence or cryptographic
information"—in other words, any secrets pertaining to intercepts.'
.... 'As for the U.S. official who reportedly told Chalabi about the
intercept, the feds wrote a special law to handle his type. Within the
statute dealing with the "disclosure of classified information," there
is a separate clause for those who leak—not just to foreign powers but
to any "unauthorized person"—information "concerning the communications
intelligence activities of the United States." Those found guilty are
heavily fined and sentenced to prison for up to 10 years.' ....
'Communications intercepts are something like the crown jewels.'
---------------------------------------------------
05-- electromagnetic power & energy
---------------------------------------------------
How Power Grids Work // helpful overview with photos.
<http://science.howstuffworks.com/power.htm>
[and] How Blackouts Work // map of U.S. electric control area operators
(CAO).
<http://science.howstuffworks.com/blackout.htm>
Electricity still cheap, survey finds
<http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/06/02/1086058915728.html>
'The highest-cost power producer on the table was Italy, at US10.97¢
per KWh, followed by Germany on US9.26¢. The US came in at No. 7, with
average prices of US7.56¢ per KWh, and Britain at No. 8, at US6.7¢.'
// wonder if, given the oil market, more such investments may take
place.
// .AZ is bordered by Russia, Georgia, Armenia, Iran, and the Caspian
Sea...
Azerbaijan Announces $3.4B Oil Investment
<http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-azerbaijan-
oil,0,7533713.story?coll=sns-ap-world-headlines>
[and] US and UK call for oil production boost // OPEC.
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/oil/story/0,11319,1229809,00.html>
'Many in Opec argue that political tensions and heavy speculative
trading on futures markets have driven prices far beyond what actual
demand for oil would seem to justify.'
Future of Oil: Discussion // video from PBS Newshour...
The recent rise in gas prices has refueled debate over the
long-term use of oil as an affordable energy source.
<http://www.pbs.org/newshour/video/index.html#>
Lack of electricity causes run on dry ice
<http://www.dfw.com/mld/startelegram/news/local/8827013.htm?1c>
'"It's 55 cents per pound" and "30 pounds for the freezer and 10 for
the fridge for a 24-hour period," he replied over and over.'
ELECTRICITY and Competition laws under discussion
Voice of Viet Nam - Hanoi,Vietnam
6/4/04 About 21,000 homes without electricity in Lufkin, ...
Lufkin Daily News - Lufkin,TX,USA
ELECTRICITY customers post record use
Palm Beach Post - Palm Beach,FL,USA
ELECTRICITY restored at cancer clinic, lab
Fort Worth Star Telegram (subscription) - Fort Worth,TX,USA
STATE: Electricity supply-demand in balance -- barely
Sacramento Business Journal - Sacramento,CA,USA
---------------------------------------------------
06-- electromagnetic current & human affairs
---------------------------------------------------
Wife's phone bills spell divorce-- A Jordanian man has divorced his wife
for the third time because she spent hours talking on the telephone.
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3769609.stm>
'He said the final straw came when his wife began using the family
telephone line to make international calls to take part in Arab
satellite channel competitions.' .. '"The phone bills represented
threefold my salary," Abu Sami said, saying this led to his first
divorce.'
Nation-Building in Saudi Arabia // oil-state governance...
<http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0603/p08s03-comv.html>
'The few Saudi reforms promised in late 2003 - such as possible
elections of local councils or changes in bigoted textbooks - are
simply too weak or not yet implemented. Last month, Saudi Arabia's
religious authorities made an edict against the viewing of Al Jazeera
satellite television, which often airs the views of Saudi political
dissidents. Such a semiofficial repressive move signals a possible
hard-line backlash against reforms within the secretive and often
divided royal family.'
---------------------------------------------------
07-- electromagnetic transport & communication
---------------------------------------------------
// learning radio skills has been and could be a great way to learn
about
// basic electronics, too, in developing community radio stations.
plus, it
// seems possible with computers that much of it could be 'canned' or
pre-
// packaged, such that a radio-net could do some of the technical work
to
// enable 'personal' low-power radio stations as with personal
computers.
// this could help 'radio' itself out of the monopolist paradigm and
into
// one of data delivery via wireless to devices (trade-off for spectrum
and
// 'public service' aspect) to deliver weather, emergency, news, to
watches,
// radios, computers, pdas, phones, etc. radio content is ripe for
changes...
Senators Back Low-Power Radio // ** democratizing infra-cultural
development...
<http://www.wired.com/news/politics/
0,1283,63731,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_2>
'Sens. John McCain (R-Arizona), chairman of the Commerce, Science and
Transportation Committee, and Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), the ranking
member on the Judiciary Committee, introduced the measure, which they
hope will lead to the introduction of hundreds of community radio
stations that can reach listeners up to 3.5 miles away.' .... '"I look
forward to hearing more local artists, local news, local public-affairs
programming and community-based programming on low-power FM radio
stations throughout the country," McCain said.' .. 'McCain has been a
longtime proponent of low-power radio stations and has fought against
increasing media consolidation rules.' .... 'McCain drafted the Low
Power Radio Act of 2004....' ... 'Community radio activists hope the
bill will eventually lead to a flowering of small broadcasters in urban
areas where the radio spectrum is dominated by large commercial
stations.'
Flights resuming after disruption // computer...
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3772663.stm>
'Nats' Flight Data Processing System failed at around 0600BST for an
hour, after overnight testing of an upgrade.'
Cops Dress in Camouflage to Nab Speeders // via drudgereport.com
<http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040603/ap_on_fe_st/
catching_speeders_1>
[and] Motorola Camouflage Cordless Phone // cabella's catalog
advertisement...
<http://www.action-direct.com/mo56429.html>
'10 Wilderness Ring Tone include:Duck Quack, Bear Growl, Turkey,
Cougar Growl, Elk Bugle, Canada Goose, Coyote Howl, Red Tail Hawk, Owl
Hoots , Loon Wail...'
// never considered this before, though if a solar array could charge an
// electric vehicle (EV) instead of grid-based electricity, the reason
for
// inefficiency (powerplant pollution) may be decreased (minus
batteries)...
Cute, Clean, Quiet and Legal (in Most States) // EV
<http://nytimes.com/2004/06/04/automobiles/04GEM.html>
'GEM stands for Global Electric Motorcar, and since 2000, when it
bought the company, DaimlerChrysler has turned out thousands of them at
a shiny factory in Fargo, N.D. A tiny insect-like electric with a
stripped-down, surprisingly tall body on which even doors are optional,
the GEM looks like an outsized Happy Meal toy....' .. 'But it is a real
automobile — all 5 horsepower and 48 volts of it — legal in 30 states,
including New York, Florida, Michigan and California....' .... 'At the
early stages, components like disc brakes and the G.E. engine, which
spins backward to charge the battery during braking or coasting, were
bolted to a tubular steel frame. Soon came the windshield and six
lead-acid batteries, rechargeable through 3,500 to 5,000 miles. Toward
the end of the line, cars picked up options like doors, a pickup truck
bed, a plastic trunk or a clip-in carrier for golf bags.' .... 'Off for
a ride with four people aboard, the little GEM surged forward,
creating a pleasant whirring hum. Like any electric, it produces
prodigious torque, which gets it up to speed in a hurry, yet it rides
smoothly. There is no shifting of gears or engine smoke, just pure,
quiet energy. At speed, it was at once reminiscent of a golf cart and a
small sports car.' .. 'With this little car, suited to the short trips
that are most common for Americans, Daimler is staying in a business
others have left....'
---------------------------------------------------
08-- electromagnetic matter & information
---------------------------------------------------
[joke?] Hackers found evidence of US Vice President Dick Cheney"s
corruption
<http://english.pravda.ru/world/20/91/368/13002_Cheney.html>
Labels to dampen CD burning? // or: how to stop CD archiving of any &
all data?
<http://news.com.com/Labels+to+dampen+CD+burning%3F/2100-1027-
5224090.html?part=dtx&tag=ntop>
---------------------------------------------------
09-- electromagnetic trends & inventions
---------------------------------------------------
// surprising to read the shakeout of Sony from the PDA market yet it
// may not spell the doom for PDAs themselves. that is, if the actual
// computation was important and not everything but software. they are
// unique in form factor for a small computer because, like a pocket-
// calculator, they are able to be a general utility and many things
// can and could be done with them that to date, has not been explored.
// instead focusing on .mp3, telephone, wi-fi, photographs, gps, yet the
// ability to program a small device such as a PDA basically could bring
// language translation, dictionaries, calculators, add-on devices for
// classes (oscilloscope, midi music, etc), sound recorder and wireless
// access into a collaborative learning device, in an economical way.
Sony Leaves U.S. PDA Market
<http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=24346>
---------------------------------------------------
10-- electromagnetic weaponry & warfare
---------------------------------------------------
Oil tank blown up at Russian refinery // bombed...
<http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/
apeurope_story.asp?category=1103&slug=Russia%20Refinery%20Explosion>
// another thought on a major drawback to any clandestine nuclear
weapons
// programs arose-- quality control. in the .EU, .RU, the .US and
elsewhere
// there have been enormous resources that went into - not only
building a
// nuclear weapon - but also in testing, and importantly _maintaining
the
// weapons with a shelf-life of decades, or less, which then need to be
// tested or destroyed in some manner in order to avert mistakes, or so
it
// would seem that having nuclear weapons, in a closed society, risks
the
// need to maintain these weapons which, if not kept up, could (it would
// seem) detonate through deterioration, by accident, or through
less-than-
// well understood designs (copies of copies) so that the shelf life and
// stability may not be decades but maybe even less. if such a thing
were
// indeed possible, it would be another reason a treaty and open
accounting
// of nuclear weapons stockpiles could be dealt with collaborative, so
as to
// assure that even disasters due to testing and maintainance do not
occur,
// as these would be negative for all involved, should a weapon
detonate by
// accident or due to dysfunctional diplomacy which may ignore a real
threat.
U.S. to Make Deep Cuts in Stockpile of A-Arms // this could be great
news...
<http://nytimes.com/2004/06/04/politics/04weapons.html>
'The United States will reduce its stockpile of nuclear weapons by
nearly half over the next eight years, the Energy Department said
Thursday.' .... 'But that announcement did not commit the United States
to reduce the total number of weapons in its inventory, only the number
of strategic weapons that were ready to use immediately.' ..... 'Mr.
Cochran, at the Natural Resources Defense Council, agreed that the
reduction was significant. But he said: "These cuts are over eight
years. That's two presidential administrations. This is not a
fast-paced reduction."'
Iran Challenges U.S. to Prove Nuclear Bomb Charge
<http://www.reuters.com/
newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=5326164>
'The confidential IAEA report, obtained by Reuters on Tuesday, said
there were two major issues to be resolved.' .. 'The first was the
origin of enriched uranium traces found at sites in Iran that some
diplomats on the IAEA board say raised concerns Tehran was secretly
enriching uranium for use in arms.' .. 'The second was Iran's
centrifuge program, especially its interest in advanced P2 enrichment
centrifuges capable of making bomb-grade uranium.' .. 'The report said
Iran had admitted importing P2 parts and may have had interest in
parts for thousands of centrifuges -- contrary to what Tehran had
previously said.'
[em-quote] U.S. military attacked in Saudi capital
<http://www.salon.com/news/wire/2004/06/02/saudi/>
'In Lebanon Wednesday, Saudi Oil Minister Ali Naimi said his country
was taking adequate steps to safeguard its most important facilities.'
.. '"The illusion that terrorism threatens petroleum facilities in the
world is not true. I assure you that installations in the kingdom of
Saudi Arabia are secure because they are under intensive protection to
prevent such acts," he said.'
IAEA to press for inspections of Israel's nuclear facility // via
drudge...
<http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/breaking_2.html>
Retrofit and launch of .US nuclear submarine Jimmy Carter
<http://cryptome.org/jimmy-carter.htm>
---------------------------------------------------
11-- electromagnetic business & economics
---------------------------------------------------
// a possibly unanswered question is, what if output is raised and then
// any shortages exacerbate the losses through extra-losses, thus it
could
// be a greater fall if massive production failure hit, as the reliance
is
// not adjusting (the demand) to the new situation. or, because of the
new
// outputs, that it may lead to higher permanent costs because of
demand...
Opec's oil price dilemma // ~fear factor. see fever chart.
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3772479.stm>
[see] Oil prices unmoved by Opec deal
Members of oil producers' cartel Opec have agreed to raise output but
the
move has failed to have an immediate cooling effect on high oil prices.
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3771939.stm>
'Saudi oil minister Ali al-Naimi has said Opec should strive to
stabilise oil prices within its official target range of $22-28 a
barrel.' .. '"Today's prices have nothing to do with the fundamentals
of the oil market," he said on Wednesday.' .. '"Increasing production
will not necessarily solve the problem, but we need to reverse the
perception (of shortages), and this is what we will work for."'
[em-quote] Globalisation and its pitfalls for regionalism // via
archnewsnow.com
<http://nation.ittefaq.com/artman/publish/article_9566.shtml>
'2. Urban issues -- Flawed priorities and planning : No two cities are
alike. Despite this, high-visibility showpiece inner city and suburb
images of prosperity of the West, and often their dated relics, are
copied without the less visible essential infrastructure and without
regard to their appropriateness for other situations due to
preoccupation with duplicating prosperity...'
The ENRON Tapes and "Grandma Millie" // via cursor.org
<http://seetheforest.blogspot.com/
2004_06_01_seetheforest_archive.html#108614388137782026>
---------------------------------------------------
12-- electromagnetic artworks & artifacts
---------------------------------------------------
The K chronicles: Magnetic Poetry offa My Fridge... // free-day-pass...
<http://www.salon.com/comics/knig/2004/06/02/knig/story.gif>
[quote] Crumbling edifice of the UN // em-infrastructure,
archaeo-architecture
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3769089.stm>
'The tour starts up on the mechanical floor where the heating,
ventilation and cooling systems for 10 other floors are based.' ..
'Huge pipes snake along the ceiling and floors next to a panel of old
dials and meters which would look more at home in a museum. Along the
corridor, behind padlocked metal doors with warning signs, there are
high voltage transformers, which these days are no longer found inside
buildings.' .. 'The rooms on the floor directly below the transformers
are empty. No one wants to work there because of the potential danger
from the electromagnetic rays.' .... 'In another windowless room, Tony
Raymond, general foreman for the Mechanical Maintenance Unit, adjusts
the temperature in the building through a bank of switches.' .. 'He
describes how they use water from the East River to cool down the
machines with unexpected benefits.' .. '"We have a place in the
basement where we filter the water coming in. When we empty this for
maintenance, at the bottom we find crabs, fish and eels," he said.''
---------------------------------------------------
13-- electrostatic amber and EM civilization
---------------------------------------------------
THE BALTS AND THE AMBER
<http://www.pgm.lt/Gintaras/Jovaisa.en.htm>
'In the Bronze Age the Balts used amber as the main object to barter
for copper alloys. Its considerable quantities are located in the zones
of copper mines in Middle and Southeastern Europe. To emphasize the
importance of amber trade, the researchers of prehistory coined a
special term - “Amber route”. The Bronze Age saw a number of its
ramifications. The principal amber route began from the Baltic coast
and led to the lower Vistula. Using the Warta and the upper Oder or
their coastlines the amber route crossed Bohemia, Moravia and reached
the Danube. From there the route forked: one branch went to Greece,
Peloponnesus and Crete (amber beads excavated in the burial grounds of
the Mycenae culture are dated to the period between 1600 and 1500 B.
C.). Through the passes of the Alps, the second branch went down to
northern Italy. Another amber route from the Baltic shores travelled
overland up to the Dnieper, then up its mouth to the Caucasus, the
eastern regions of the Black Sea and the southwestern areas of the
Caspian Sea (1). Amber objects are found in Ossetia, Middle Caucasus.
Interregional amber traffic also reached Asia Minor. In the burial
grounds of Sernai (near Klaipeda, Lithuania) was discovered a bronze
statuette (dated to 1500-1000 B. C.) resembling a Canaanite god from
Syria - Palestine (2).' .... 'The old traditions of amber trade are
described by classical Greek authors and researchers. Amber is
mentioned in Homer's "Iliad" and "Odyssey", Herodotus' (490-480-425 B.
C.) works.....' .... 'The ramifications of the "Amber route" and the
importance of trade between the Balts and the barbarian cultures to the
Baltic, German and Slavic societies have been analysed and discussed by
different researchers from different countries.' .... 'During the first
and third centuries A. D. the "Amber route", to put it in modern terms,
was an entire industry.'
[and] Amber Trail Greenway : Linking Nature, Tradition and People
<http://www.epce.org.pl/ang_1/gw_ang/amber_trail_greenway/
greenways_amber_trail.htm>
'For centuries, merchants traveled along the ancient Amber Trail
exchanging goods and ideas. These precious commodities linked people of
different nations and cultures. Today, a new Amber Trail Greenway
connects heritage places and environmental initiatives in Poland,
Slovakia and Hungary of revitalized Central Europe.' .... 'The Amber
Trail Greenway resonates with the numerous roles played by trade routes
in earlier times -- economic, communication, religious, military,
diplomacy, cultural exchange and social interaction. Trade relations
were always accompanied by exchange of information for building local
understanding about the wider world in terms of social, intellectual,
religious, cultural and economic issues.'
[and] AMBER ROAD
<http://www.ancientroute.com/HeadrFtr/amberoad.htm>
'As demand for amber grew, Rome became more interested in cutting out
the middlemen and dealing direct with the source, where-ever that was.
Emperor Nero sent a small exploration party up the amber trail with
orders to seek out the source, one assumes so that Rome may take
control. When the soldiers returned, they carried with them a hugh load
of amber, and the news that the source was so far away that Rome could
never protect those sent to take it.'
[map] The Amber Route
<http://www.cichw.net/amber.html>
A Brief History of Amber in Gdansk // incredible artifacts...
<http://www.gdansk.pl/en/article.php?category=453&article=924&history=>
'Amber is sometimes referred to as the "gold of the north". Its
origins are traced back to 40 million years ago. The scientists cannot
agree as to which tree species was the source of the resin that became
fossilised in the sea waters millions of years ago. The Greek, Roman,
and Chinese cultures played a significant role in the ancient history
of amber. In those days the mineral was obviously sought for its
decorative values. Furthermore, however, it was ascribed magical,
symbolic, and cult features. Alongside, its curing properties were also
discovered. The importance of the amber route for Europe went beyond
the economic aspects. It paved the way for spreading learning and
culture.'
Amber Museum // see pop-up photograph of 'black amber'
<http://www.ambergallery.lt/english/muziejus-spalvos.htm>
Mythical Plants of the Middle Ages: The Amber Tree // image...
<http://www.godecookery.com/mythical/mythic05.htm>
'Amber, which we now know is the aging resin of several different
trees and shrubs, was of unknown origin to the ancients, who revered it
as a great element in magic and used it often as a talisman.' ..
'Because it was found most frequently on the shores of streams, in old
lake beds, or in the sea, it was often thought to be the product of a
fish that was called, appropriately, the amberfish. Others believed it
came from seafoam that had crystallized, or from resin put forth by
certain trees. So when the artist of the Hortus Sanitatis , published
in 1491 by Jacob Meydenbach, was required to portray amber, he cleverly
composed all these legends and produced a foaming ocean in which an
amberfish swims under an amber tree growing out of the waters. The look
of doubt expressed in the glance of the fish perhaps says it best.'
[and] Amber tree: size large // artifact
<http://www.balticshop.com/
item.msql?item=10218&cat=0911&title=Amber_souvenirs>
[ex.] Amber and Jet // wicca...
<http://www.ladybridget.com/w/amberjet.html>
'The "magical marriage" of amber and jet dates from ancient times. The
combination may be derived from the primal union of sunlight and
darkness, day and night, God and Goddess, life and death. It evokes the
original union of Gaia/Rhea and Saturn/Chronos, to whom the stones are
respectively sacred. Both are the fossilized remains of ancient trees,
one of the earliest objects of reverence, especially to the Druids. An
amber and jet necklace is often worn by Third-Degree witches of the
Gardnerian tradition during rituals. Most importantly, it is believed
by many magicians to be the only combination of stones that gives a
full spectrum of electrical charges, from positive to negative.' ....
'Jet, known in folklore as "black amber" or "witch's amber," was also
used in jewelry, in magic and incense, and is believed to be a potent
protective and grounding agent. Jet jewelry should not be loaned out,
as it is said to be so absorptive that its owner can be vulnerable to
negative magic if it falls into the wrong hands. Both the Romans and
the Chinese believed that jet is simply a more ancient form of amber.'
Amber (city) // ruined city of India...
<http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Amber%20%28city%29>
THE FLUORESCENT MINERALS // amber glows with both blacklight and
ultra-violet...
<http://mineral.galleries.com/minerals/property/fluoresc.htm>
'The fluorescent minerals are minerals that emit visible light when
activated by invisible ultraviolet light (UV), X-rays and/or electron
beams. Certain electrons in the mineral absorb the energy from
these sources and jump to a higher energy state. The fluorescent light
is emitted when those electrons jump down to a lower energy state and
emit a light of their own.'
[and] Ken's Fluorescent Minerals // amber...
<http://users.rcn.com/kenx/>
<http://users.rcn.com/kenx/amber.htm>
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