Protesters Disrupt UCLA Smart Grid Conference

Posted on November 25, 2013 by Josh Hart

Posted in California, Citizen rebellion, Democracy, Electro-Hyper-Sensitivity, Los Angeles, neighborhood organizing, radio-frequency radiation, SCE, Smart Grid | Leave a comment

Mission, BC ‘Smart’ Meter Burns Family Home to the Ground

Posted on November 15, 2013 by Josh Hart

This video was tweeted to us last night by the sister of the woman whose house burned down 2 years ago.  The fire started the day after the meter was installed, exactly like the case of Larry Nikkel of Vacaville who perished in a smart meter blaze in July 2010.   Hundreds- perhaps thousands of fires have been started by smart meters and our friends at EMF Safety Network have been tracking them here.

In this case, BC Hydro refused to compensate the family, saying that it was the home’s wiring that caused the fire.  Yeah, right.   This lying and evasion has prompted the sister to rename the utility “BS Hydro.”

Posted in Canada, Fires | 6 Comments

What is that “Smartphone” Really Costing You and Your Family?

Posted on November 13, 2013 by Josh Hart

Technology is distracting us from the people and relationships that mean the most in our lives. If you are addicted to your phone- there is help.

Meters aren’t the only “smart” things to be introduced in the last several years that are harming the health of our communities.  Addiction to ‘smart’ phones is a growing problem- not only because of cancer risk and overall health problems related to microwave radiation, but also from the subtle yet pervasive alienation that results from mass ‘smart’ phone use in public spaces- a subject that- as this recent excellent article on Alternet points out- is rarely discussed.

Following is a compilation by safe technology advocate Amy O’Hair (author of the Primer on FCC Guidelines) of what ‘smart’ phone addiction really costs us- both individually and as communities.   A thriving street space- where kids can play safely, and social exchange can happen- is crucial to healthy communities.  We’ve seen how the automobile can obliterate the numbers of local friends people have.  Now the smartphone risks damaging what remains of the social fabric.

What is that “Smartphone” Really Costing You and Your Family?

By Amy O’Hair

☠ It’s costing you irreplaceable, meaningful time with your kids—or your date—or your lover—or even with yourself. http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-smartphone-nearby-1-in-10-use-during-sex-20130711,0,6002103.story

☠ It’s costing you relaxation and rest: now your boss expects more from you, 24/7. http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-10-31/were-all-addicted

☠ It’s costing you the real pleasures of travel and adventure. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/14/iphone-ad_n_4096997.html

☠ It’s costing your health in the long term. You wouldn’t volunteer to suck on a tailpipe or lick lead paint or drink pesticide, but those are all in the same cancer-making category as the RF radiation from your phone. http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/5-ways-your-cell-phone-is-harming-you

☠ It’s costing your brain: 4G cellphone radiation alters your brain activity in clearly measurable ways. There was never any long-term testing on the safety of your phone or the cell network. http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/30-minutes-exposure-4g-cell-phone-radiation-affects-brain-activity-new-study

☠ It’s costing your health in so many ways: you’re at risk for future cognitive impairment, immune disorders, neurological damage, stress response, disrupted sleep, fertility and reproductive problems, DNA damage, and finally tumors and cancers. http://www.opencenter.org/heads-up-cell-phones-and-wifi-do-we-need-to-be-concerned/

☠ It’s costing you high-quality, health-giving sleep—even hours after you get away from the screen.  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/05/tablet-light-sleep-melatonin-e-reader-_n_1847889.html And http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/23/sleep-habits_n_4145681.html

☠ It’s costing your child’s normal mental development. http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/between-rock-and-hard-place/2013/nov/3/parents-be-smart-do-not-give-your-kid-smart-phone/

☠ It’s costing your child his health, now and into the future: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/17/teens-on-screens_n_4101758.html And http://www.saferemr.com/2013/09/american-academy-of-pediatrics-demands.html

☠ It’s costing your teen her well-being. http://www.ehjournal.net/content/12/1/90/abstract

☠ It’s costing your baby a normal neurological development during pregnancy. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/02/23/should-pregnant-women-avoid-using-cell-phones.aspx And http://electromagnetichealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Children%E2%80%99s-Health-Panel-Summary-10-31-13.pdf

☠ It’s costing your fertility—or that of your child, in the future. There are many studies showing how RF radiation damages sperm and testicles, and fetuses during pregnancy. Here’s just one. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22465825

☠ It’s costing you and your child a sense of empathy and connection. http://vimeo.com/71749330 And http://billmoyers.com/segment/sherry-turkle-on-being-alone-together/

☠ It’s costing you your common sense: Are you one of the many who “couldn’t live without their phone”? Do you like that? http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-10-31/were-all-addicted

☠ It’s costing all of us the environment: that vaunted “cloud” is a greenhouse-gaseous energy-sucking behemoth. http://www.electronicsnews.com.au/features/sorry-the-wireless-cloud-isn-t-green-it-s-an-energ

☠ It’s costing all of us basic public safety and awareness: a whole train full of device-entranced people don’t even notice a man waving a gun—till he shoots someone. http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Absorbed-device-users-oblivious-to-danger-4876709.php

☠ It can cost you the phone itself. Half of all robberies include a smartphone … thieves take phones like taking candy from a stupefied baby. A candidate, returning from meeting about community crime, distracted by a call, is robbed of his phone at gunpoint, in front of his own home. http://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/whats-driving-oaklands-robbery-epidemic/Content?oid=3750763

==============================

WHAT CAN YOU DO?
How you can make your phone less costly to your health and to your life:

–Use it less. Turn it off. Can’t get simpler than that.

–Need more? The essential 5 tips: http://www.ewg.org/cellphoneradiation/5-Safety-Tips : Speakerphone or earpiece. Text, text, text. Hold it away from body during use. Only when signal is strong. NOT in your pocket, not under your pillow, ever.

–Yet more? Here’s a list of 10 tips: http://centerforsaferwireless.org/10-Tips-for-Safer-Cell-Phone-Use.php

–Are you addicted? Some excellent tips for getting a handle on your smartphone addiction and taking back your life: http://dotcomplicated.co/content/2013/07/addicted-smartphone/

Posted in Cell phones, Citizen rebellion, Democracy | 2 Comments

AAEM Calls for Moratorium on Smart Meters: New Research “Clearly Demonstrates Adverse Health Effects”

Posted on November 11, 2013 by Josh Hart

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The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) has adopted a position statement calling for a moratorium on any further installations of ‘smart’ meters, after reviewing compelling research showing a clear pattern of health problems following deployment in the Australian state of Victoria.

The research- by Dr. Federica Lamech, MBBS, Self-Reporting of Symptom Development from Exposure to Wireless Smart Meters’ Radiofrequency Fields in Victoria, is in the process of being published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal, and is not public yet. However, Stop Smart Meters! has had a chance to review it in advance, and this is indeed groundbreaking research.   We agree with the AAEM that the study is scientifically valid.  Its findings are also consistent with the thousands of cases reported to us over the last three and a half years.

Many utility commissions and industry representatives claim that there has been no research connecting smart meters to adverse health impacts.   This study- when it is released- appears to provide just that, further undermining the smart grid industry’s shaky claims of safety.

You can download the AAEM’s letter in pdf format by clicking here, and the text of the statement is also below in full.

AAEM Letter on the Smart Meter Case Study Research

Founded in 1965 as a non-profit medical association, the American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) is an international organization of physician and scientists interested in the complex relationship between the environment and health.

AAEM physicians and physicians world-wide are treating patients who report adverse, debilitating health effects following the installation of smart meters, which emit electromagnetic frequencies (EMF) and radiofrequencies (RF).

The peer reviewed, scientific literature demonstrates the correlation between EMF/RF exposure and neurological, cardiac, and pulmonary disease as well as reproductive disorders, immune dysfunction, cancer and other health conditions. The evidence is irrefutable. Despite this research, claims have been made that studies correlating smart meter emissions with adverse health effects do not exist.

The AAEM has received a case series submitted by Dr. Federica Lamech, MBBS, Self-Reporting of Symptom Development from Exposure to Wireless Smart Meters’ Radiofrequency Fields in Victoria. AAEM supports this research. It is a well documented 92 case series that is scientifically valid. It clearly demonstrates adverse health effects in the human population from smart meter emissions.

The symptoms reported in this case series closely correlate not only with the clinical findings of environmental physicians, but also with the scientific literature. Many of the symptoms reported including fatigue, headaches, heart palpitations, dizziness and other symptoms have been shown to be triggered by electromagnetic field exposure under double blind, placebo controlled conditions. Symptoms in this case series also correlate with the Austrian Medical Association’s Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of EMF Related Health Problems.

It is critically important to note that the data in this case series indicates that the “vast majority of cases” were not electromagnetically hypersensitive until after installation of smart meters. Dr. Lamech concludes that smart meters “may have unique characteristics that lower people’s threshold for symptom development”.

This research is the first of its kind, clearly demonstrating the correlation between smart meters and adverse health effects.

Based on the findings of this case series, AAEM calls for:

· Further research regarding smart meter health effects

· Accommodation for health considerations regarding smart meters.

· Avoidance of smart meter EMF/RF emissions based on health considerations, including the option to maintain analog meters.

· A moratorium on smart meters and implementation of safer technology

· Physicians and health care providers to consider the role of EMF and RF in the disease process, diagnosis and treatment of patients.

Passed by the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Environmental Medicine October 23, 2013

Please note: Smart Meter case series research to be released upon publication

Posted in AAEM, Australia, Cancer, Electro-Hyper-Sensitivity, health effects, Health studies, Physicians, Smart Grid | 4 Comments

Take Back Your Power Screening/ Public Meeting in Quincy, CA

Posted on November 8, 2013 by Josh Hart

Stop Smart Meters! is organizing a screening of the film Take Back Your Power in Quincy, CA on Tuesday, November 19th at 7pm.  There will be a Q&A with SSM! Director Josh Hart and a community meeting afterwards to discuss local implications of the film.  There is a  $3 recommended donation but no one will be turned away for lack of funds. To find out about screenings in your area, check the Take Back Your Power screening page.  To adapt this poster to your own local event, contact Josh del Sol at josh@thebigpitcher.org. 

If you’d like to watch the film, you can rent it online for $2.99 or purchase a DVD from our online store.

Hope to see you in Quincy!

To download the other side of this 2-sided flyer please click on the following link which will download a pdf:  TBYP-flyer-page2

Posted in California, Canada, Citizen rebellion, Democracy, Smart Grid | 2 Comments