Wi-Fi: Concerns over wireless technology mount in America
Lynne Wycherley reports on new moves to counter electro-magnetic pollution. March/April 2018
Despite having no conspicuous anti-5G political movement as yet, concerns over potential health issues associated with wireless technologies are mounting in the US state of Massachusetts, with six bills presented to the state legislature for approval. State committees are due to report on whether the bills will receive a second reading followed by debate by legislators.
One bill (H2030), presented by Representative Carolyn Dykema, would seek “best practice” for wireless use in schools, prioritising pupil and staff health. Two of Dykema’s constituents have taken Fay School, Southborough to court for allegedly breaching the Americans with Disabilities Act by not allowing their son to reduce his wifi exposure. Using a device to measure microwave exposure, his doctor noted that the boy’s headaches and nausea repeatedly coincided with the school’s peak wifi output.
Two bills from Senator Donald Humason, petitioned by a constituent, are more ambitious. Bill S2080, the first of its kind, would require all medical doctors to be trained in EMF health issues. Bill S2079 would recommend cable-only internet in schools. The petitioner, Kristin Beatty, is a teacher who had to give up work due to wireless exposure symptoms, or “electrosensitivity”. A new study has found unusual features in the MRI brain scans of people who report struggling with such symptoms.
Bill S1864, presented by Senator Michael O. Moore, would award ratepayers the right to decline smart meters or to have them replaced with traditional meters that do not transmit pulsed microwaves. Expert witnesses include biochemist Professor Martin Pall, who has published papers on a key mechanism of wireless harm. He spoke of health impacts “reported to be occurring at very substantial levels” from smart meters’ high-intensity pulses, including altered heart function. (See the Ecologist articles Smart Meter Radiation and Health and Smart meters and cell damage from pulsed em radiation – our health at risk?)
Two further bills, S107 and S108, sponsored by Senator Julian Cyr, call for open display of mobile-phone manufacturers’ fine-print warnings. In a parallel development, Robert Knorr, Director of the Environmental Epidemiology Programme at Massachusetts Department of Public Health, has authorised health-precautionary handouts for the public on mobile phones, masts, and wifi.
Senator Karen E. Spilka has sponsored a fast-track Resolve, S1268, to create a commission to study EMF health effects. Crucially, it states it would “examine non-industry funded science” relating to, for example, impacts on fertility, immunity, heart function, sleep, headaches, and dementia and cancer rates.
Lynne Wycherley is a nature poet with six published collections. Working in parallel with pioneering doctors, she has been investigating non-ionising radiation for many years.
This study like the NTP subjected the animals to whole body exposure. Whole body exposure is the type of exposure from a cell tower or Wi-Fi or Smart Meters.
From Microwave News
“More than a coincidence” — Major new animal study like NTP links RF to schwannomas
by Louis Slesin, PhD
Editor, Microwave News
February 20, 2018
It’s happened again.
A second large study has found tumors in the Schwann cells –schwannomas — in the hearts of male rats exposed to cell phone radiation.
The new finding comes from the Ramazzini Institute in Bologna, Italy.
The malignant schwannomas of the heart seen in the Italian study are the same as those described by the U.S. National Toxicology Program (NTP) earlier this month as the basis for their concern that cell phone radiation can lead to cancer.
The Ramazzini paper is expected to be published within a week.
Read about this important new study and its implications here.
Information & Perspective by Warren Woodward
Sedona, Arizona ~ February 17, 2018
Would you have confidence in getting a fair trial if, on the first day, the judge opened up with, “I’ve never had a proceeding like this, I ask for everyone’s patience as we figure out how to proceed.”
“… As we figure out?” We?! Isn’t figuring out how to proceed something the judge should do before showing up?
Jane Rodda is an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) at the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC), and is the ALJ overseeing the formal complaint against Arizona Public Service (APS) regarding APS’s recent rate increase granted by the ACC. The complaint, which was brought about via a petition organized by APS customer Stacey Champion, seeks a rehearing of the rate case since, for many customers, rates are up way more than the “minimal 4.5% increase” that APS and the ACC touted.
Jane Rodda has been a lawyer for28 years and at the ACC for 23 years.
Jane Rodda is not just an ALJ. Jane Rodda heads the entire Hearing Division at the ACC. She is Chief ALJ.
Champion’s petition was filed on the 3rd of last month. On the 15th of this month, a Procedural Conference was held regarding the petition’s complaint. So Rodda had six weeks to get her act together but instead came to the Conference unprepared, admitting: “I’ve never had a proceeding like this, I ask for everyone’s patience as we figure out how to proceed.”
After 7 years of exposing incompetence (among other things!) at the ACC, I don’t know why I am amazed but I am. The ACC is just unbelievable.
I guess the good news is that she did not dismiss the case, although that’s still an option since she did not rule on APS’s Motion to Dismiss yet. My prediction is the case will proceed so that the ACC can continue its longstanding pretense of listening to the public, but Rodda will eventually conclude the case in APS’s favor so that the ACC can continue its longstanding practice of screwing the public.
As someone who signed Champion’s petition, I am a party to the case. As such, I filed a Declaration of Support last Monday. Using a screenshot from my account at the APS website, I show the monthly kWh I used and what that cost a year ago compared to the kWh I used and what that cost this past month when the so-called “minimal 4.5% rate increase” was in effect. You can see my math at the actual filing here: http://images.edocket.azcc.gov/docketpdf/0000185840.pdf
Short story even shorter: my rate increased not 4.5% but 16.8%. My usage actually decreased by 9.88%. The point is, not only am I being ripped off but there is no way I can reasonably conserve enough electricity to offset the increase. I am fortunate in that I can afford to give APS more money to waste on executive pay (e.g., CEO = $19M/yr. [$19 million per year]) and boondoggles like “smart” meters (100s of million$). However, there are many people who cannot afford to give APS more money. I don’t know how the culprits in this colossal scam can sleep at night. I guess anything’s possible without a conscience.
Back in 2016 we wrote about how Landis+Gyr, a large multinational company owned by Toshiba, completely freaked out when it discovered that documents about its smart energy meters, which the city of Seattle had contracted to use, were subject to a FOIA request. As we noted, Landis+Gyr went legal and did so in perhaps the nuttiest way possible. First it demanded the documents be taken down from Muckrock — the platform that makes it easy for journalists and others to file FOIA requests. Then it demanded that Muckrock reveal the details of anyone who might have seen the documents in question. It then sued Muckrock and somehow got a court to issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) against Muckrock for posting these public records.
Eventually, with help from EFF, Landis+Gyr agreed to a settlement that stated that these documents were (a) public records and (b) the company would no longer attempt to take down the copies that Muckrock had obtained. From the settlement agreement posted on the public docket in the case:
Plaintiffs agree that they will take no further action against Defendants Mocek, Muckrock.com, and Morisy with respect to two public records previously released by the City to Muckrock.com on behalf of Mocek and automatically published on MuckRock.com.
This all ended in the summer of 2016. And, indeed, you can still find the documents hosted on Muckrock’s website today. Here is the Managed Services Report 2015 and the Security Overview. Even though Landis+Gyr went to court over this and then agreed via its settlement that (1) these were public records that (2) could be left online, the company apparently doesn’t want you reading them.
Last week, we received a notice from DocumentCloud — which we use to host various documents as part of our reporting efforts — that it had received a DMCA notice from lawyer Heather McNay of Landis+Gyr, demanding that it take down the copies of those very same public records that we had uploaded as part of our reporting on this story. It seems fairly clear to us that our posting of these public records as part of our reporting and commentary on a dispute created by Landis+Gyr itself was quintessential fair use for news reporting. And, of course, there a number of court rulings in various locations noting that copyright law cannot be used to prohibit the copying of public records (notably, that case involves a very similar situation involving a public records request in Washington State).
Either way, given that Landis+Gyr has promised in its settlement with Muckrock not to take any actions at all against Muckrock for hosting these public records, we’ll note the incredible futility of the company then sending DMCA notices targeting those same public records, and scratch our collective heads over what the company is thinking when all it’s doing is reminding everyone that (1) these documents exist online and (2) apparently the company would prefer you not look at these public records about its own systems.
To be delivered to Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee, and Members of the International Olympic Committee
We, the undersigned citizens of the world, ask the International Olympic Committee to protect the health of athletes and the public at the Olympic Games in Pyeongchang. The world’s athletes and public at the Olympic Games are unwitting guinea pigs in a launch of “5G” microwave radiation technology.
PETITION BACKGROUND
The new 5G technology has not passed any government safety testing. There is indisputable scientific evidence that “low-level” microwave radiation can harm human health.
Action Requested:
We urge you to halt the “5G” deployment and warn both the public and athletes of this reckless and insidious experiment. We especially urge an alert to athletes who were provided “5G” enabled devices such as mobile phones and computer tablets. These devices use a harmful new “5G” beamed technology that focuses radiation from cell towers directly to the user’s device.
A product warning alert about “5G” microwave radiation will inform athletes and the public of the danger and advise them what to do if they experience immediate symptoms. It will also allow athletes to determine whether they wish to use these new “5G” electronic devices.
Additional Background:
As some of our planet’s finest young athletes, as well as residents, and visitors, gather in Pyeongchang for the Olympic Games, there is an insidious corporate experiment playing out.
Korea Telecom, together with Ericsson and Intel, are using the Olympic Games to launch the 5G network, without any government safety testing. No one knows how this new 5G-microwave radiation technology will impact the delicate bioelectrical systems of human beings, plants, and animals.
5G includes higher millimeter wave frequencies never used before for Internet and communications technology. 5G also uses phased array and beam-forming technologies making these higher millimeter wave frequencies yet more potent.
Instead of heeding the cautions of internationally respected scientists, these corporate entities are recklessly pushing to increase radiation exposure even more — putting all humanity and the environment at risk.
At the Olympic Games, unsuspecting athletes and the public have become guinea pigs for 5G phased array, microwave radiation technology. Athletes have been provided with special 5G-enabled tablets and mobile devices using a new beam-forming technology that focuses radiation from cell towers directly to the user’s device. Athletes and visitors could experience reactions such as nausea, dizziness, nosebleeds, cardiac problems, chest and head pressure, seizures, stabbing pains, and many other symptoms. More disturbing is that we already know that exposure to wireless radiation could result in harmful effects that may not surface until years later.
What is happening in Korea demonstrates a reckless disregard for the health and safety of the Olympic athletes and the public. It blatantly disregards decades of research on non-ionizing radiation, and the recent warning of over 230 peer-reviewed published scientists from 42 countries to the United Nations and to the World Health Organization urging for more caution and greater measures to protect the public from non-ionizing radiation – the kind used in all our wireless technologies and 5G.
Last year, 180 scientists, including two South Korean researchers, called upon the European Union to halt the roll-out of 5G until “potential hazards for human health and the environment have been fully investigated by scientists independent from industry.”
We think that all Olympic attendees have the right to protect themselves from this serious invisible threat to their health. We demand that a product warning alert about the risks of 5G radiation exposure be immediately sent out to athletes and to everyone attending the Olympic Games.
Links about health effects of radiofrequency/microwave radiation:
(European Academy for Environmental Medicine’s EUROPAEM Guideline 2016 for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of EMF-related health problems and illnesses)
(IRRADIATED A comprehensive compilation and analysis of the literature on radiofrequency fields and the negative biological impacts of non-ionizing electromagnetic fields (particularly radiofrequency fields) on biological organisms)
Co-written by: Anita J. Prince, Nancy Wallace, and Katherine Kheel
Posted inUncategorized|Tagged5G, Olympics, petition|Comments Off on Petitions: Warn Olympic athletes and public at Pyeongchang of “5G” microwave radiation experiment
From the Planetary Association for Clean Energy (PACE) NGO in Special Consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC)
For the attention of Esteemed Legislators and Public Servants Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Testimony in support of: Bills S.107, S.108, S.1268, S.207, S.2079, S.2080, S.1864 and H.2030
As President of the Planetary Association for Clean Energy (PACE), I wish to bring to the attention of legislators and public servants of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts considerations stemming from several decades of independent scientific research and of multi-disciplinary peer review into electromagnetic and other issues that appertain to the following bills: S. 107, S. 108, S.1268, S.207, S.2079, S.2080, S.1864 and H2030.
Our organization was founded by Senator Chesley W. Carter, while Chair of the Canadian Senate’s Standing Committee on Health, Welfare and Science as well as member of the Senate Special Committee on Science Policy. He and his colleagues considered electromagnetic field issues to be among the top 3 scientific and technological priority issues of national concern. They arranged for a comprehensive study by the National Research Council and Queens University on the biological effects of electromagnetic fields, especially microwaves, which were published in official reports between 1971 and 1972 [Ed.:including this]. Like research was done by Medical Research Council (MRC) -replaced since 2000 by Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and by other facilities.
…
This omnibus testimony is submitted, jointly, to the following joint committees and specified bills:
Joint Committee on Public Health with regards to the following 3 bills: S.1268 (Resolve creating a special commission to examine the health impacts of electromagnetic fields will look at non-industry funded science and recommend public protections); H.2030 (An Act relative to best management practices for wireless in schools and public institutions of higher education requires the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to establish wireless technology standards to protect the health and safety of public school students and staff); and, S.2079 (An Act reducing non-ionizing radiation exposure in schools).
Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure with regards to the following 2 bills: S.107 (An Act relative to disclosure of radiofrequency notifications requires manufacturer warnings be prominently displayed on product packaging of wireless radiation emitting devices); S.108 (An Act relative to the safe use of handheld devices by children requires specific language be included on product packaging, as modeled by an ordinance unanimously passed in Berkeley, California).
Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy with regards to the following bill: S.1864 (An Act relative to utilities, smart meters, and ratepayers’ rights gives utility customers the no-fee choice of retaining non-wireless radiation-emitting water, gas and electrical meters and refusing installation of “smart” utility meters).
Joint Committee on Financial Services with regards to the following bill: S.2080 (An Act increasing medical awareness and insurance coverage of non-ionizing radiation injury and reliance upon credible independent medical research).
PRINCIPAL FACTORS WARRANTING ATTENTION
Our independent collaborative network submits that there are 3 principal factors that warrant the attention of the legislators and public servants of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts:
HEALTH CONCERNS with widespread power-frequency & wireless technology: ‘There is extensive scientific evidence of adverse health effects associated with cumulative effects
SAFETY & ACCELERATED CORROSION CONCERNS with wireless technology, including smart meters: Significant problems have been attributed to smart meters, including explosions and fire
ECONOMIC/INSURANCE COVERAGE CONCERNS Utilities in Canada and the US are facing class action suits based on health claims, and standard exclusion from any liability coverage for claims (Exclusion 32, Lloyd’s of London/CFC Underwriting Limited)
Radiation levels measured were well within what the FCC considers safe exposure.
The fire station cell tower measured at 1 to 2/1000th of the allowable FCC limit of non-ionizing radiation. That means the towers could be almost 1000 times more powerful than the level the firefighters were exposed to, and still be considered within FCC guidelines. And yet even at these “low” levels of radiation, we found brain abnormalities and measurable neurological deficits. http://fearlessparent.org/cell-tower-hypocrisy-rescuing-firefighters-not-kids/
Assembly Appropriations Letter – Fire Station Exemption from SB 649
Pilot study confirms harm from allowable levels of RF radiation
By Susan Foster
August 14, 2017
Assembly Member Lorena S. Gonzalez Fletcher
Chair, Appropriations Committee State Capitol
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0080
Re: Strongly Oppose SB 649
Dear Assembly Member Gonzalez Fletcher:
I respectfully oppose SB 649. I recognize your charge as Chair of the Appropriations Committee is to evaluate the potential costs to the State. I have concerns germane to the cost issue, yet I would like to take this opportunity to address the firefighter exemption. I believe the firefighters, whose health risk from radiation the state has accommodated to an extent, are the harbingers of a substantial cost risk to the state.
Though the fire station exemption is not stated as being granted for health reasons, I can attest to the California firefighters’ fight against cell towers on their stations for over 17 years based on myriad symptoms they have experienced following activation of cell towers on or adjacent to their stations. This is relevant because we are looking at 50,000 new cell sites in California if SB 649 becomes law, and former FCC Chair Tom Wheeler has talked about “millions and millions” of new cell towers across the nation for the coming 5G build out.
In 2001 I was asked by San Diego firefighters to write appeals when cell towers were permitted for their stations. I began hearing more and more stories of firefighters who literally could not function in the job that clearly establishes firefighters as the guardians of society. Once cell towers were activated on or adjacent to their stations, they could no longer function without severe headache, inability to sleep, and foggy thinking. These are not symptoms we wish to see in our First Responders.
In 2004 I organized a SPECT brain scan pilot study of firefighters who has been exposed to a cell tower on their station for over five years. We found brain abnormalities in all firefighters tested. Enclosed is my filing with the FCC detailing this study.
In 2004 I co-authored Resolution 15 which was passed overwhelmingly by the International Association of Firefighters. Res. 15 urging a moratorium on the placement of cell towers on fire stations in the US and Canada. I then helped the Los Angeles IAFF locals as they aligned with law enforcement unions to fight FirstNET towers on their stations. I am currently following a brain tumor cluster in a California fire station with a wireless hub next door to their station.
There is a solid history of these men and women becoming ill in close proximity to cell towers. There are human and financial costs associated and the state needs to hear their story.
The symptoms experienced by the firefighters who participated in the SPECT brain scan study were similar to firefighters in other stations who live in the shadow of cell towers. Yet specific to the men we studied, it is important to note all the men had passed rigorous physical and cognitive exams prior to being hired by the fire department. Their symptoms included:
headaches
extreme fatigue
cognitive impairment
anesthesia-like sleep where the men woke up for 911 calls “as if they were drugged”
inability to sleep
depression
anxiety
unexplained anger
immune-suppression manifest in frequent colds and flu-like symptoms
Real life examples of these symptoms are best briefly characterized by:
Firefighters got lost on 911 calls in the town they grew up on several occasions.
In one instance, four firefighters sat in the rig in a stupor with the alarm sounding in the background, unable to remember how to start the engine.
A medic with 20 years of experience who had never made a mistake forgot basic CPR in the midst of resuscitating a coronary victim.
[additional details following article]
The brain scans of these six men revealed a pervasive, hyper-excitability of the neurons which suggested the exposure to RF (microwave) radiation was causing the neurons to continually fire without benefit of rest. When neurons (brain cells) cannot rest, they ultimately die.
Sudden, acute, and dramatic health reactions could occur at the South Korean Olympic and Paralympic games this month and next.
DISCLAIMER: This is not medical advice. If you need medical advice or attention, seek out a physician.
Korea Telecom together with Intel and Ericsson are rushing to launch one of the world’s first large-scale experiments with 5G – 5th generation wireless technology – at the Olympics. Special 5G-enabled tablets and mobile devices will be provided at the Olympics, using new beam-forming technologies, that focus radiation from cell tower to user’s device.[1]
Intel and Ericsson both know the public health hazards, and likely, so does Korea Telecom, but the public is kept in the dark. Over 200 scientists and physicians called for a halt to 5G last year, but they have been ignored.[2]
Researchers and physicians warn about the very serious physical reactions, including acute, sudden onset health reactions, following radiofrequency radiation (RFR) exposure that include:
skin reactions – sunburn-like area; burning, itching, tingling, or painful sensations; bruises; skin breaks; bleeding or oozing dermatitis
migraines and headaches
stabbing pains
nausea and vomiting
heart problems, such as rapid heart rate and arrhythmias
fainting
disorientation or even functional amnesia
dizziness
insomnia and sleep disturbances
difficulty breathing
chest or head pressure
hearing clicking, ringing or buzzing noises (“microwave hearing” researched by Allen Frey in the 1960s)
pain in ears or eyes
nosebleeds or bleeding from the ears
seizures
memory loss
concentration difficulties
mood disorders including unexplained depression, anxiety or panic attacks, agitation, even suicidal thoughts
miscarriage/spontaneous abortion
These reactions could occur upon first exposure, or after repeated exposures. Children may be most vulnerable to these reactions.
Reduced exposure is a recommendation by the European Academy of Environmental Medicine in their lengthy report for physicians “EUROPAEM EMF: Guideline 2016 for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of EMF-related health problems and illnesses”.[3]
It is gross negligence to roll out a technology that has known health impacts and that over 200 scientists and physicians, including South Korean scientists Kiwon Song, PhD, Professor, Department of Biochemistry, Yonsei University, Seoul, and Young Hwan Ahn, MD PhD, Professor, Department of Neurosurgery, Ajou Univeristy School of Medicine, Suwon, warn is a health hazard. It is a violation of international law to experiment on the public without their informed consent.
This 5G rollout must be stopped now.
This situation is even more perilous, because people who are ignorant of wireless hazards will not know the source of any health reactions and can blame the wrong source.
Tensions are at an all-time high between the United States and North Korea. There is constant demonization of North Korea in the international media and by politicians. Last year, the news media made a big deal about an event in Cuba that may have involved EMF weapons use, though no questions have been asked as to which country has the most motive, means, and opportunity to launch it. Operation Northwoods is important background to understand this event.
Given this situation, public health reactions could be disastrously exploited and blamed, not on Intel, Korea Telecom, and Ericsson 5G radiation, but on North Korea regardless of the facts. North Korea has made peace overtures since January, is participating in the Olympic Games and has nothing to gain. The United States, on the other hand, has been hostile and aggressive toward Korea and then North Korea since the 1800s. The U.S. has dismissed peace (including returning to the table to officially end the Korean War) and stands ready to exploit any opportunity, complete with nuclear weapons, upon the slightest excuse.
The warnings about 5G go unheeded. World leaders and technology companies, anxious to be first to cash in on the 5G “gold rush”, are rushing 5G to trial and market with no safety testing. The public is just a cash cow, a golden goose, to have its assets extracted for greater telecom profits. With issues as grave as world peace threatened by this rollout, the public must protest this dangerous experiment and call for a halt now.
—
2-9-18 Update: An outbreak of a “vomitting” illness has been reported at Olympic Village, and testing for norovirus is underway. Over 100 people have reportedly tested positive for norovirus. It is unknown how many people are suffering nausea and vomiting who do not test positive for norovirus. Lowered immunity will impair norovirus sufferers’ ability to recover.
CNN reported in January that both North and South Korea were experiencing flu outbreaks before the Olympic Games begun. So, this is a very dangerous situation for people’s health.
2-6-18 Update: There has been no response from California Sen. Kamala Harris, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, and Congressman Jimmy Panetta (the son of former Sec of Defense and former CIA Chief Leon Panetta).They have not responded to public complaints about this drill even by providing more information, despite letters and phone calls with their local office and Washington DC staff. My first letter was January 31.
———–
This reckless and irresponsible action by the Pentagon and Joint Chiefs of Staff is underway right now. Based at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada and including other facilities in the West, it will dramatically increase levels of EMF RF throughout the region, impacting public health.
Training maneuvers will impact vast portions of the Western U.S. including California, Nevada, Oregon, Wyoming, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Montana and New Mexico. FAA enroute ATC centers affected include Albuquerque (ZAB), Denver (ZDV), Los Angeles (ZLA), Salt Lake (ZLC), Oakland (ZOA) and Seattle (ZSE).
During the drill, GPS across the region will be jammed using powerful EMF emitting equipment. These harmful emissions can affect public health in a myriad of ways including heart function, cognition, immunity, and cause increased incidence of migraine or headache, seizures, heart arrhythmia, sleep disturbances, skin problems, clicking or ringing in the ears, flu-like symptoms, difficulty breathing, pain, and other health problems. This will also affect pets and wildlife.
The increased communication and radar RF used for this war drill will also increase already high levels of RF for the public.
Additional hazards from this drill include possible interference with medical devices including pacemakers, Parkinsons deep brain implants, and hospital equipment. GPS equipment in installed throughout society means impacts on the power grid and commercial aircraft.
There has been no public warning in local news media.
If you live in this region or have family and friends or simply care about impacts to the earth, contact your U.S. congressional representatives now and protest this gross violation of public health and safety.
U.S. foreign policy and conduct is in complete contrast to the mainstream media depictions. The U.S. government is no more truthful about other countries than it is about wireless hazards. Fake foreign threats and fear are used continually, like the fake WMDs in Iraq, because immense profits are dependent on continued conflicts and wars. Citizens everywhere must dig beneath the misinformation, the hype, the demonization, and the surface depictions to learn history and find the truth and then take action if you care about peace.
From Zero Hedge
January 27, 2018
USAF Largest Ever “Red Flag 18-1” Air War Drill. Prepares for Possible Conflict in Korea? Massive GPS Blackouts in the Western US
The United States Air Force is launching its largest-ever three-week premier set of air war drills, called Red Flag 18-1, starting on Friday and will conclude February 16, said the 99th Air Base Wing Public Affairs.
On January 26, the air war drill, known as Red Flag, officially kicked off at Nellis Air Force Base, 20-miles outside of Las Vegas. Base officials have warned residents of increased military aircraft activity due to aircraft departing from Nellis Air Force Base twice-a-day to conduct war drills on the Nevada Test and Training Range.
“We’re trying a few new and different things with Red Flag 18-1,” said Col Michael Mathes, 414th Combat Training Squadron commander. “It’s the largest Red Flag ever with the largest number of participants, highlighting the balance of training efficiency with mission effectiveness.”
The drill involves a variety of attack, fighter and bomber aircraft as well as participants from the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, U.S. Army, and Marine Corps. Foreign participants include Royal Australian Air Force and the Royal Air Force.
A video from the 2015 Red Flag drill is shown below.
“Red Flag 18-1 primarily is a strike package focused training venue that we integrate at a command and control level in support of joint task force operations,” said Mathes. “It’s a lot of words to say that we integrate every capability we can into strike operations that are flown out of Nellis Air Force Base.”
According to The Drive, the air war drill is the largest of its kind in the 42-year history, as the United States prepares for a possible conflict on the Korean Penisula.
Further, the USAF is going to “blackout GPS over the sprawling Nevada Test and Training Range,” said the Drive, which will provide realistic war-like conditions to challenge aircrews.
Flying.com reports the drills at the Nevada Test and Training Range will cause rolling GPS blackouts for the vast portions of the Western United States from January 26 through February 18. All GPS-equipped aircraft operating in the Western United States should be prepared for possible navigation failure in the region.
The NBAA Command Center reports the U.S. military will begin training exercises on the Nevada Test and Training Range between 0400Z until 0700Z daily. Training maneuvers will impact vast portions of the Western U.S. including California, Nevada, Oregon, Wyoming, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Montana and New Mexico. FAA enroute ATC centers affected include Albuquerque (ZAB), Denver (ZDV), Los Angeles (ZLA), Salt Lake (ZLC), Oakland (ZOA) and Seattle (ZSE). Operations in R-2508 and R-2501 may also be impacted.
“Arrivals and departures from airports within the Las Vegas area may be issued non-Rnav re-routes with the possibility of increased traffic disruption near LAS requiring airborne re-routes to the south and east of the affected area. Aircraft operating in Los Angeles (ZLA) center airspace may experience navigational disruption, including suspension of Descend-via and Climb-via procedures. Non-Rnav SIDs and STARs may be issued within ZLA airspace in the event of increased navigational disruption. Crews should expect the possibility of airborne mile-in-trail and departure mile-in-trail traffic management initiatives.”
The Drive explains why the USAF is determined to use GPS spoofing and jamming technology but offers no insight into what a GPS blackout might mean for the millions of civilians who live in the Western region of the US.
GPS denial is a becoming a huge issue for American military planners. Peer states, especially Russia, are already putting GPS spoofing and jamming tactics to work during various training events near their own borders. We have discussed this situation in great depth before, and I would suggest you read this article to understand just how deeply the loss of reliable global positioning system data can mean for the U.S. and its allies during a time of war, as well as what is being done to overcome such a monumental hurdle.
The Pentagon has mysteriously tested technology that can jam GPS over a wide area before, and it is likely that this same capability will be put to use in the Nellis Test and Training Range for this Red Flag 18-1. Line-of-sight and distance impact the way in which GPS users, especially other airplanes, operating far outside the training area will be affected. Here is an article on those tests, which emanated from Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, which is located on the western edge of the Mojave Desert in California, in June of 2016.
Below is a released image showing the impact of a GPS jammer unleashed on the Western United States in a June 2016 test:
If there is a concrete reason why the Department of Defense is quietly preparing a massive air war drill in Nevada now, while simultaneously forcing a gigantic GPS blackout for the Western part of the United States, it has not been disclosed aside from the obvious, of course.
We know one thing: this exercise will last a lengthy three weeks and could pose significant risks and threats to devices that rely on GPS signals, which according to the DHS chart below, is pretty much anything with electronics in it these days.
Let’s hope that nothing goes wrong in the Western part of the United States if so, we will know whom to blame…
Some Central Maine Power customers are outraged over their latest bills and struggling to understand why, in some cases, they’ve doubled.
The CBS 13 I-Team has received e-mails from customers and found hundreds of comments on Facebook.
“I printed this off on the 17th and almost had a stroke,” said Patti Clark, a customer in Camden.
Clark said her CMP bill took her breath away. The cost had more than doubled, from $193 dollars to nearly $500.
“It makes zero sense,” she said.
Clark said when she got CMP on the phone, they pointed to a number of possibilities, including a rate increase by her supplier.
“I said, ‘My supplier went up three cents per kilowatt hour. I understand that,'” said Clark.
Clark was prepared for a $50 to $70 increase, but said her bill also reflects a jump in usage: an average of 89 kilowatt hours per day compared to 53 the same time last year.
“We’re not doing anything differently,” she said.
Clark said her husband is on the road for work 28 out of 30 days. They use a pellet stove for heat, have no furnace, and upgraded to all new, more efficient appliances over the past year, along with a geothermal water heater.
“I’m running around shutting things off, basically sitting in the dark,” she said.
Clark said she’s tracking her usage and sees discrepencies between her mobile alerts and the meter on her home.
“Their energy alert is off 90 from what my meter says,” Clark said.
Gail Rice, a spokesperson for CMP, said the majority of customers are not complaining about their bills, and the company found no issues with meter reading or rate calculation. She said delivery prices have not changed since July of 2017.
Rice said there are a number of variables, but residential customers typically use more electricity in the winter. She said heat and hot water systems run more frequently and for longer periods, people spend more time indoors with lights and entertainment devices turned on, and the recent cold snap drove usage up for many.
She said the number of heating degree days over the period in question was 24 percent higher this year.
Clark is having her smart meter swapped out for an analog one as she anxiously awaits the next bill.
“I feel like I’m a slave going back and forth to work just to pay this bill,” she said. “I’m even thinking of having to take a second job just to pay these.”
The Maine Public Utilities Commissionisn’t getting an unusual number of complaints about CMP bills, but said the company has had some minor issues transitioning to a new billing system.
MPUC encourages customers to call their utility first to get information. They can also call the Commission’s Consumer Assistance Division for help.
PORTLAND (WGME) – Complaints are piling up about sky-high electricity bills.
Our I-Team continues to hear from customers in Southern Maine, who say their recent bills are taking their breath away.
Since our story aired Thursday night, we’ve heard from dozens of Central Maine Power customers, emailing, calling, and posting on Facebook.
Most are saying the same thing, their bills have doubled, even tripled in some cases.
One bill a customer sent us was for more than $500.
It indicates her daily usage this January more than tripled from last January.
Thursday, Patti Clark showed us her bill, showing her usage almost doubled from the previous January.
So Fridday we again talked with CMP.
Spokesperson Gail Rice says any number of factors can drive up usage, certainly this January’s severe cold snap is one of those things.
She says it’s impossible to know what’s going on inside a customer’s home, but sudden spikes in electricity use can be a sign of problems with appliances, a malfunctioning well pump, or a leaky water heater.
She also told us CMP constantly monitors the performance of its smart meters and system, and has found no issues that would cause bills to spike.
CMP says most customers are not calling about their bill, but if you have a bill you want us to see, we want to see it so we can continue to look into it.
Email us a picture of your bill right now, at: tips (at) wgme.com.
There’s plenty of buzz on social media that the increase is because of the October windstorm.
While CMP says it will try to recoup some of the cost of the storm from customers, that won’t happen until this summer at the earliest.
Smart Meter Harm 