~e; Electromagnetic News & Views #146
From
brian carroll <human@electronetwork.org>
Date
Mon, 20 Sep 2004 21:32:52 -0500
===================================================
Electromagnetic News & Views -- #146
===================================================
00) Electronetwork.org Commentary (9/20/2004)
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--
* if there are microwaves, may 'nanowaves' also exist, or other
scales of waves smaller than the smallest known waves, and larger
than the largest known wavelengths?
===================================================
01) --top stories--
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U.S. Push for More Scrutiny of Iran Nuclear Program Fails
<http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/17/international/europe/17CND-NUKE.html>
'Iran's nuclear program dates from the late 1960's, when it began
developing nuclear energy on the advice of the United States, which
argued that the country should sell its oil rather than burn it to
generate electricity. Iran eventually contracted Germany's Siemens AG
to build a 1,000-megawatt nuclear power plant in the port of Busheir.'
.. 'But construction of the plant was stopped during the Islamic
revolution of 1979, and Iran soon became an international pariah. As a
result, the country asserts, it was forced to rely on the black market
to save its nuclear program, in which it had already invested billions
of dollars. It bought centrifuge designs from Pakistan and imported
technology from a secret network of suppliers that spanned the globe.'
.. 'In 1995, Iran signed a contract with Russia to resume work on the
Busheir plant and soon began assembling centrifuges, which are used to
concentrate uranium's unstable 235 isotope at levels necessary for a
nuclear reaction. Iran will need uranium with 3.5 percent of the
isotope to fuel its Busheir plant. But the same centrifuges can be used
to enrich uranium to the higher levels — 80 percent on up to nearly
pure — needed for nuclear weapons.' .. 'Under the Nonproliferation
Treaty, Iran has the right to enrich uranium for use in nuclear power
plants, but failure to disclose the enrichment program was a clear
breach of its obligations under the treaty. The program was disclosed
by a group of Iranian dissidents in August 2002.' .... '... the United
States remains certain that inconsistencies in the [.IR nuclear]
program and other clues point to a secret weapons program.'
// question: how will going to the Security Council (as said by Mr. J.
Bolton)
// end up with .RU and .CN and others wanting to sanction their own
companies?
[and] Iran Refuses UN Uranium Demand, Is Rebuked by U.S. // sunday
<http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/
news?pid=10000087&sid=a6rUUjyzjlvs&refer=home>
'``Iran will drag out negotiations with the IAEA and the Europeans,
who are unlikely to agree to sanctions because of their oil interests
in Iran,'' Youssef Ibrahim, managing director of the Dubai, United Arab
Emirated-based Strategic Energy Investment Group, said in a telephone
interview.' .. 'The U.S. says Iran, site of the world's second-biggest
oil reserves, is hiding a nuclear-weapons program and wants UN
sanctions imposed on the country. New sanctions may force European oil
companies such Royal Dutch/Shell Group to stop working in Iran.' ....
'Total SA, Europe's third-largest oil company, OAO Lukoil, Russia's top
oil producer, and Norway's Norsk Hydro ASA are among other
international oil companies working in Iran. The country is the
second-largest oil producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting
Countries after Saudi Arabia.' .... 'Iran's suspension of its
uranium-enrichment program since October 2003 was voluntary and could
be extended, Rowhani said.' .. '``Only dialogue can stop us from
resuming (uranium- enrichment) activities,'' Rowhani said.'
[and] Poll: possible second war worries voters // oil, war, nuclear
related...
<http://www.salon.com/news/wire/2004/09/19/poll/>
[or]
<http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=694&u=/ap/20040919/
ap_on_el_pr/more_war_4&printer=1>
'"So the talk that you hear within the conservative community about
perhaps taking strong measures against Iran or North Korea would be
feasible if it were confined to air strikes," Carpenter said. "Those
who are concerned that a second Bush presidency might go down that path
might have some foundation for their concerns."' .. 'Some fear the
United States could provoke a war -- even if it did not fire the first
shot -- by focusing on tough talk and actions, rather than
negotiations.'
[see] Quick exit from Iraq is likely // *** oil, war, nuclear, chaos,
etc.
<http://www.suntimes.com/output/novak/cst-edt-novak20.html>
[now] U.N. Official: 40 Nations Can Make Nukes // ***
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4502391,00.html>
'Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic
Energy Agency, suggested in a keynote address to the IAEA general
conference that it was time to tighten world policing of nuclear
activities and to stop relying on information volunteered by
countries.' .... 'ElBaradei did not name the countries capable of
quickly turning peaceful nuclear activities into weapons programs. But
more than a dozen European countries with either power-producing
nuclear reactors or large-scale research reactors are among them, as
well as Canada, and countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America.'
---------------------------------------------------
02-- electromagnetic health & safety
---------------------------------------------------
Why Give a Dead Man a Body Scan? // via wired.com
<http://www.popsci.com/popsci/medicine/article/0,12543,698478,00.html>
'Thali calls the technique “virtopsy,” or virtual autopsy.
Specifically, his research team has adapted the twin medical- imaging
technologies of computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging
(MRI) to create three-dimensional, high-resolution computer images of a
crime victim’s internal organs. Thali pours these digitized blood and
guts into a hollow-man replica of the victim. The result is a
head-to-toe cybercorpse that a pathologist can view—wounds and all—from
any depth and angle, including inside out.' .... 'The equipment
required for a virtual autopsy includes an MRI machine costing upward
of $1 million, a CT scanner priced at about $500,000, and 3-D
surface-scanning equipment worth more than $100,000.' .... 'Already
Department of Defense medical examiners use a conveyor-belt scanner,
similar to those used to screen baggage in airports, to look into
soldiers’ bodies for bullets, shrapnel and unexploded ordnance...'
---------------------------------------------------
03-- electromagnetic trash & treasure
---------------------------------------------------
BURNING tires for electricity not cost-effective
Daytona Beach News-Journal - Daytona,FL,USA
Radioactivity gets fast-forward // potentially incredible...
A radioactive element's rate of decay has been speeded up.
<http://www.nature.com/news/2004/040913/full/040913-24.html>
'In principle, the result suggests that we might be able to neutralize
nuclear waste faster.'
---------------------------------------------------
04-- electromagnetic security & surveillance
---------------------------------------------------
Los Alamos to Remove Nukes // weapons-grade nuclear material...
<http://www.wired.com/news/privacy/0,1848,65012,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_7>
'Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham has said he is committed to moving
the nuclear materials out of the research center because the area is
difficult to defend and vulnerable to terrorist attack...'
Navy pulls plug on embattled ELF site // .US, 28 mile antenna
<http://www.waow.com/news/
full_story.php?id=35739&waow=878ebd2fb1a535a05b731d44763fbe68>
'The ELF project began as a testing facility for submarine
communications in the mid-1960s at Clam Lake in Ashland County under
the name Project Sanguine.' .. 'In the late 1970s the Navy proposed
using the site in the Chequamegon National Forest with the underlying
granite bedrock as an antenna for transmitting low-frequency signals to
submerged submarines.' .. 'The plans called for building a 56-mile
antenna system in the Gwinn-Republic area of Michigan, linked to a
28-mile antenna system at Clam Lake.' .. 'The Navy said the system
would allow American submarines to operate continuously at considerable
depths. At the time submarines could receive messages only by
surfacing, or by operating near the surface using trailing antennas
that were miles long.'
[and] U.S. navy says it will shut down controversial sub communication
centres
<http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/
story.html?id=958a526b-8f9d-4505-a6ba-e2f58b11ea13>
'It could take the navy up to three years to close down the sites
permanently, said Steven Davis, a spokesman for the navy's Space and
Navy Warfare Systems Command in San Diego, Calif. Each transmitter
consists of an antenna strung on 600 12-metre poles across dozens of
kilometres of forest.' .. 'The navy has used the "extremely low
frequency" transmitters to maintain secure communications with
submarines at sea but now will use 12 "very low frequency" transmitters
located worldwide, Davis said.'
---------------------------------------------------
05-- electromagnetic power & energy
---------------------------------------------------
BULGARIA Liberalizes Electricity Market
Novinite - Bulgaria
STEELMAKERS face higher electricity costs, industry report finds
Hamilton Mountain News - Hamilton,Ontario,Canada
60 percent of Puerto Rico still lacks electricity
Kansas City Star (subscription) - Kansas City,MO,United States
NEARLY all now have electricity
Sun-Sentinel.com - Fort Lauderdale,FL,USA
PANHANDLE Could Be Without Electricity For Several Weeks
News4Jax.com - Jacksonville,FL,USA
Southern, Duke Say 700,000 Without Power; Bush Visits Southeast
Bloomberg
GAS And Electricity Bills Increase
Ananova - England,UK
RISE in electricity tariffs faces review
Fiji Times - Fiji
‘ELECTRICITY for all by 2012’
Hindustan Times - New Delhi,India
Nigerian Oil Pipeline Blast // microstory
<http://7am.com/cgi-bin/wires02.cgi?1000_2004091705.htm>
Yukos Said to Halt Some Exports to China
<http://www.forbes.com/business/feeds/ap/2004/09/19/ap1550346.html>
---------------------------------------------------
06-- Electromagnetic current & human affairs
---------------------------------------------------
The Actifier, silicone sucking // hi-tech suckling trainer...
<http://www.engadget.com/entry/1657755998719633/>
Embargo threatens Sudan oil gains
The draft of the UN Security Council resolution on Darfur carries the
threat
of sanctions being taken by the international community against Sudan.
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3669326.stm>
'The threat aims to pressurise Sudan into complying with its
commitment to end the waves of murder, rape and violence in the western
state of Darfur.'
[headline] TV Pastor Turns Gifts Into Empire // LA Times
[headline] CHENEY galvanizes GOP base by attacking Kerry, extolling Bush
---------------------------------------------------
07-- electromagnetic transport & communication
---------------------------------------------------
9 out of 10 cats prefer CDs to downloads // audiovisual archive
<http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/09/17/92percent_prefer_cds/>
India launches world's first education satellite // em-arch
<http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99996423>
'But EDUSAT's dedicated function will substantially improve the
service provided. It will use the virtual classroom concept to offer
education to children in remote villages, quality higher education to
students in areas without access to good technical institutes, adult
literacy programmes and training modules for teachers.' .. '“It is a
unique mission and we are happy to have achieved it,” Nair says. H P
Dixit, vice chancellor of Indira Gandhi Open University, added: “It
will revolutionise education in our country."' .. 'EDUSAT carries six
KU-band transponders and six extended C-band transponders. All but one
of the KU-band transponders will be dedicated to specific regions of
India, while the rest of the transponders will provide blanket coverage
for the country.' .. 'The satellite will utilise an antenna with a
1.2-metre reflector to direct the KU-band spot beams towards their
intended regions. This will enable information to be broadcast in
relevant local languages - India has 18 official languages and over 400
dialects. The educational programmes can be viewed on any television
set through a simple low-cost receiver costing about $65, Nair says.'
Sketch-a-Move // toy car prototype. via engadet.com (.mov)
<http://www.lwk.dk/sketch_a_move/sketch_content.html#>
---------------------------------------------------
08-- electromagnetic matter & information
---------------------------------------------------
From: Wordsmith wordsmith.org
To: linguaphile at wordsmith.org
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--levin
levin (LEV-in) noun
Lightning; a bright light.
[From Middle English levene. Ultimately from Indo-European root leuk-
(light) that's resulted in other words such as lunar, lunatic, light,
lightning, lucid, illuminate, illustrate, translucent, lux, and lynx,]
[headlline] U.S. and Iran Disagree on Satellite Imagery
Microsoft Expands Sharing of Source Code
<http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=738&e=1&u=/ap/
20040920/ap_on_hi_te/microsoft_source_code>
---------------------------------------------------
09-- electromagnetic trends & inventions
---------------------------------------------------
// it would seem that this device, if able to capture light, turn it
into
// electrical charge, and store it in a capacitor is somewhat like a
plant
// and photosynthesis, if the technique could cover an area as a
material;
Light-wave antenna invented // photosynthesis vs. solarcell battery
Device could be used in solar cells or futuristic TVs
<http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6029947/>
Optical Fibers And A Theory Of Things That Go Bump In The Light
<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/09/040915111845.htm>
---------------------------------------------------
10-- electromagnetic weaponry & warfare
---------------------------------------------------
Bush Scraps Most U.S. Sanctions on Libya
<http://olympics.reuters.com/
newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=6283131>
'Bush formally revoked the four underlying executive orders that had
barred most trade with Libya, restricted U.S.-Libyan aviation, froze
Libyan government assets in the United States and prevented the
importation of Libyan oil.'
Russians Stop Car [Electrically] Wired With Explosives
<http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-russia-car-
bomb,0,3586578.story?coll=sns-ap-world-headlines>
'After the man in the first car was stopped, police questioned him and
found two land mines and seven ounces of TNT in the car. The mines were
connected with wires and had an antenna attached to them.'
// excerpted in full from Steven Aftergood's Secrecy News...
DEFENDING AGAINST CLANDESTINE NUCLEAR ATTACK (DSB)
<http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/secrecy/index.html>
[begin excerpt] A recently completed Defense Science Board study
calls for a new defense initiative to confront the threat of
clandestine nuclear attack.
"The [DSB] Task Force addresses the threat of nuclear or radiological
attack, by anyone for any purpose in any scenario, against the United
States or U.S. military operations, delivered by any means other than
missiles or aircraft. In effect, this means hidden/smuggled nuclear
weapons, devices, or materials," according to the cover memo from DSB
Chairman William Schneider Jr.
"The Task Force finds that this threat is serious enough, and that
there are sufficient indications that effective means of preventing
successful attack might be developed over the long term, to warrant
starting a DoD effort to develop comprehensive capabilities in DoD's
areas of responsibility."
Defense against such attacks "should warrant national and DoD attention
that is as serious as that devoted to missile defense," the DSB said.
A copy of the Report of the Defense Science Board Task Force on
Preventing and Defending Against Clandestine Nuclear Attack, dated
June 2004, is now available here:
http://www.fas.org/irp/agency/dod/dsb/attack.pdf
[end excerpt]
[headline] Nuclear monitors return to Seoul // South Korea...
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3669946.stm>
'North Korea says it will not return to talks on its own nuclear
programme until the US drops its double standards on nuclear
proliferation in the region.' .... 'South Korea has admitted its
scientists conducted tests in 1982 and again four years ago to extract
plutonium and to enrich uranium, two separate routes to an atomic
bomb.' .... 'Many questions remain unanswered.'
---------------------------------------------------
11-- electromagnetic business & economics
---------------------------------------------------
[headline] Oil Surges on Storm, Supply Concerns // weather/hurricane...
[and] Crude Oil Soars to 4-Week High on Storm-Related Shutdowns // NYT
[and] Storm blows oil price back above $45 US
---------------------------------------------------
12-- electromagnetic artworks & artifacts
---------------------------------------------------
modified gaming headphones // funny. via engadget.com
<http://www.creativemods.com/forums/
viewtopic.php?t=1859&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=&sid=224
a5ab4764b97914faeb8c04587f84b>
How video art keeps on moving // Five key moments. via artsjournal
<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2004/09/18/
bfvid18.xml&sSheet=/arts/2004/09/18/ixartright.html>
Real Life Architecture // great essay. relevant to em-architecture &
'reality'
<http://www.axiomatic.net/ragnar/reallife.html>
---------------------------------------------------
* please forward to your friends and colleagues *
---------------------------------------------------
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