~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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