World-News

SCRAM NEEDS YOU!

SCRAM CHARITABLE TRUST registered charity number 1111385

A John Dimbleby style open public meeting will be held at Sutton Coldfield Town Hall

On 21st April, doors open 6.30pm Formal meeting to start about 7pm

Come Listen, Learn and ask Questions

SCRAM is now entering its fifth year of campaigning for safer mobile phones/masts. The campaign has gone from strength to strength and awareness has grown; thanks to help from the many local, national and International campaigners, scientists and the media.

The phone industry are unelected officials who forcefully and undemocratically ignore the wishes and concerns of local communities. With the advent of lamp post masts everyone may be affected in some way with the authorities having less power to turn down planning applications. The Industry has found a loop hole as they do not need to pay rent for pavements and grass verges.

A court decision in February 2004

Thomas and Jacob ruled in the supreme court of judicature court of appeal that mobile phone operators are commercial companies and must therefore declare and pay business rates on masts. So why hasn’t this happened?

Due to the tremendous success and awareness the campaign has developed and we need your help in order to survive. Be part of our campaign which will be remembered in history by future generations for helping create awareness and helping to open up the lock to new discoveries in science. Electro-Sensitivity has now been recognised and many more secrets are about to be exposed!!!

Dignified silence could cost you your life!!!

Quote taken from Professor Magda Havas, Canada:

“I expect there will still be many who will have a hard time changing their views on this subject. But it will eventually come. Just as we no longer view the world as flat, we can no longer accept that this form of energy is not biologically active. How can it not be since we are bio-electro-magnetic beings!”

SCRAM (Seriously Concerned Residents Against Masts)
http://www.scram.uk.com
PO Box 11329, Sutton Coldfield B76 9ZS


Inspirational Quotes from Sir Winston Churchill

So much owed by so many to so few

Never Give In

Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat

Be Ye Men of Valour

War of unknown warriors

Up with which I will not put

This is not the end


Message from Eileen O'Connor

Bruxelles rappelle à l'ordre le Gouvernement Français.

- La revue de Presse.
- Le 118 Les Principaux Tarifs
-Libération : Free renseigne gratis

http://www.next-up.org/main.php?param=nouvellesdumonde41

By Citizen reporter

A phone mast application by T-Mobile has been rejected by planning bosses at Preston City Council.

The application for the antenna on the corner of Black Bull Lane and Boys Lane in Fulwood, was knocked back by officers on March 21 because it was considered too obtrusive. T-Mobile have six months to appeal the decision.

Another application for a mast in St Vincent's Road, Fulwood, will be considered by planning officers in a delegated decision later this month.

10:04am today

© Copyright 2001-2006 Newsquest Media Group

http://www.prestoncitizen.co.uk/display.var.724869.0.phone_mast_plan_rejected.php

Apr 5 2006

By Judith Clay

A WAR of words has erupted between the BBC and Bracknell Forest Borough Council after the Beeb named and shamed the worst local authorities for tackling where phone masts can be put up.

The report claimed that borough council blunders let six cases slip through the net - making it one of the top offenders in southern England.

Planning rules stipulate that if the mobile phone operator is not contacted within 56 days, permission is automatically granted regardless of any objection.

The masts pinpointed are in Buckhurst Moors and London Road in Binfield, near the Horse and Groom pub on Bagshot Road, behind Somerfield in Crowthorne High Street, Bracknell College and next to 224 College Road in Sandhurst.

But Bracknell Forest Borough Council fiercely defended itself. Steve Loudoun, assistant director of environment and leisure for the borough council, said: "The council has not made any errors.There were six sites between 1999 and 2002 where following an assessment by planners it was decided additional information was not required from the developer.

"Under the 'deemed consent' rules the operator was then able to put up the masts as already agreed by the council."

However, the BBC are sticking to their guns.

A BBC South spokes-woman said that legislation states that a council should contact the phone operator within the 56 days whether it approves or not.

She said: "BBC South states this clearly in the story and includes comment from Bracknell Forest Borough Council. As such the story is correct and will remain on the website."

Protesters are also not convinced. David Little, of the Martins Heron and The Warren Residents Association, believes the legal loophole leaves the policy open to exploitation.

He said: "Based on the current system it would seem perfectly possible for such events to occur. Surely it is the local residents' views that should dictate the course of events and guide the planning process accordingly."

Protest groups are also calling for policy reform. Sian Meredith, spokes-woman for Mast Sanity, said: "These blunders do occur and there is no excuse whatsoever. It's just outrageous and shocking.

"There are so many cases of this and it needs to be properly investigated. "

Are there too many phone masts? Do you know of a really bad example of allowing one to be installed? E-mail letters@bracknellnews.co.uk

© owned by or licensed to Trinity Mirror Plc 2006

http://tinyurl.com/gmj4f

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Steve Loudoun, assistant director of environment and leisure at Bracknell
ought to resign forthwith. His assertion is not 'spin'; it is utterly
spurious and if he does not know this, then he is unfit for his appointment.

David Baron


From Mast Sanity/Mast Network

Mobile phone company O2 has threatened to take Bognor Regis golfers to court. The firm said it would take legal action if the sportsmen and women wanted it to remove the Tetra mast from their land.

The prospect of an potentially expensive encounter in front of a judge caused the golf club to back down.

The actions by O2's subsidiary, Airwave, to protect its mast on the first fairway at its site off Downview Road in Felpham, close to Downview Primary School, have been condemned by protestors against the mast.

Alan Taylor, of Felpham Residents Against Tetra, said: "This does appear to be a case of a large multi-national company using its financial clout to ride roughshod over local concerns and interests. This is aided and abetted by our government – particularly the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister."

He said nearby residents were grateful the club had tried to force O2 Airwave to take down the mast. "There is no dispute between us and the golf club," he stated, "But I can't see a way out of this situation."

Full report in the March 30 issue of the Bognor Regis Observer

06 April 2006

All rights reserved © 2006 Johnston Press Digital Publishing.

http://www.chichestertoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=450&ArticleID=1409275

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Read the e-mail below from David Baron with regards to 02 trying to take court action with the Golf Club, how can they be allowed to get away with this? They continue to hide behind ICNIRP, WHO and the UK Government. They need to get out and meet people and see them suffering and face up to the truth.

I've just returned from visiting a lady who is suicidal due to the phone masts 100 metres from her home, she can't sleep and is suffering with EHS problems, many of her neighbours are also ill.

The housing Association want to terminate the 10 year contract with Orange, the contract is due to finish, however Orange are claiming special powers and rights over the Landlord and said they can only terminate the contract if they can find a new location which is virtually impossible in Sutton Coldfield. How can they be allowed to do this? If you sign a rented agreement with a tenant, surly you have the right to claim your property back when that agreement has finished, they wouldn't be allowed to dictate to you and say I'll leave if I find somewhere else to live and that looks impossible so I'm staying.

It's so awful, I've only been there for three hours and can feel the effects of radiation, I had to leave this poor woman who is living there 24/7, its heartbreaking.

Something must be done, this is an emergency situation.

I will follow up soon with a report about my visit to the deaf centre in Liverpool and the awful situation in Sefton. I visited last week with Dr Walker and took some readings, they are within ICNIRP but people are still suffering.

Eileen O'Connor

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What this report doesn't say is that the golf club was attempting to exercise a 5-year option in the lease agreement. Airwave had to accept this legally but through its lawyers, Lawrence Graham, threatened court action unless the club agreed to negotiate a 'new' lease. As I am sure most are aware, an operator may apply to the court to force landlords to accept installations. The first step is to use threats and intimidation.

David Baron


From Mast Sanity/Mast Network

Disney gives parents cellphone control
http://www.finanznachrichten.de/ext/goto.asp?id=6246241

S. Korean mobile phone makers to supply 'kid phones' to Disney Mobile
http://www.finanznachrichten.de/ext/goto.asp?id=6246211

Disney to launch wireless phone service targeted at families
http://www.finanznachrichten.de/nachrichten-2006-04/artikel-6245283.asp

Mobile Magic for Families: Walt Disney Company Unveils Breakthrough Wireless Service Specifically Designed for Families
http://www.finanznachrichten.de/nachrichten-2006-04/artikel-6245171.asp

Disney Focuses On Parental Control In New Disney Mobile
http://www.finanznachrichten.de/ext/goto.asp?id=6245123

Disney offers teen-tracker mobile
http://www.finanznachrichten.de/ext/goto.asp?id=6242983

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The phone that can show you where to find your children

Now the technology that helped track omagh bombers can help worried parents

By Linda McKee
06 April 2006

Mobile phone technology similar to that used to track the Omagh bombers could soon help Ulster parents to keep tabs on their kids.

An Irish security firm is offering a service that will allow parents to follow their children's movements through mobile phones.

Top Security, based in Dublin, is planning to launch the service early next month.

The company has already been surveying parents in the Republic to gauge how often they ring their children to check their whereabouts.

They said the service would offer parents "peace of mind in knowing where their children are without bothering them with telephone calls".

This latest service is a commercial alternative to phone surveillance which is often used by police to locate suspects in criminal cases. The phones are tracked by telecommunications base stations as soon as they are switched on.

A similar technique was used to convict Colm Murphy of plotting the Omagh bombing that took the lives of 29 people and two unborn children.

A mobile phone mast sited at Omagh College of Further Education picked up six calls to and from Murphy's mobile phone on the day of the blast.

The evidence helped to convict the 49-year-old, from Jordan's Corner, Ravensdale, Co Louth, but a retrial has since been ordered.

Parents who sign up to the new Toplocate system will be able to use a password to access a website. This will allow them to find their child's phone on a map, pinpointing it to within metres of the phone's location.

In order to use the Toplocate service, parents will have to inform their children that they are being monitored.

Children will also receive regular text messages from the company informing them that their phone is part of the location service for parents.

However, the child will not know when or how often their location is tracked on the internet.

Details of the exact service are as yet unclear, and the company has declined to offer extensive information until the official launch next month.

There are now more phones than people in Ireland, north and south, with several people owning multiple handsets. In the 12 to 18-year-old age group, over 90% own mobile phones.

© 2006 Independent News and Media (NI) a division of Independent News & media (UK) Ltd

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=685779

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As most children are not criminals, I wonder if it is against their Human Rights for them to carry mobile phones in order to be tracked. Also, regarding the tracking company - if their staff were not fully vetted for criminal records as are other people who work with children, it would seem a further risk to the children?

Best wishes
Jane



Below is a copy of a news item announcing the introduction of a Disney Mobile Phone network aimed at families in the UK.

Dennis Cannon


Disney to launch UK mobile phone service

LONDON (Reuters) - Walt Disney Co said on Thursday it plans to launch its own family-focused mobile phone service in Britain later this year, which will use capacity on O2's network.

The move follows the launch of similar services by Disney in the United States. An increasing number of companies, known as MVNOs, or mobile virtual network operators, are renting space on mobile phone networks.

Other MVNOs in Britain include retailer Tesco and Virgin Mobile.

Disney said the service will be targeted at families, with multiple handsets, entertainment content and parental controls.

"Increasing numbers of parents are choosing to buy mobile phones for their children as a way of keeping in touch and they are looking for a responsible service offering provided by a trusted brand," said Attila Gazdag, managing director of Disney's European Internet group.

O2 is owned by Spain's Telefonica.


From Mast Sanity/Mast Network

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From Chris Doyle: Disney launches phone package aimed at children despite radiation fears Source: Daily Mail Date: 28/04/2006 Sean Poulter in the Daily Mail reports that Disney is trying to encourage younger children to use mobile phones, ignoring fears about the potential health dangers. The company is introducing a family mobile phone package that gives up to three children in the household their own handsets. The Department of Health, concerned about the effects of radiation, has warned that children under 16 should only use mobiles when essential. It is believed that up to 30% of those aged between five and nine years of age already have their own phones, with the figure rising to 64% for those aged between ten and fifteen. Alistair Philips of the campaigning group Powerwatch said 'There is research from Sweden showing that if you use a mobile phone for ten years the risk of malignant brain tumours rises significantly'. Disney has said that parents believe the benefits of being able to reach a child at any time are more important than any possible health risks. [someone is begging to be sued here].


Informant: Iris Atzmon

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Children and mobile phones
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/1063256/

Long mobile phone use raises brain tumor risk http://omega.twoday.net/search?q=brain+cancer+

A CITY councillor has called for clearer guidelines to be provided on the issue of mobile phone masts after two separate applications were made by communications companies to erect a mast on Roxboro Shopping Centre.

"Two communications companies have tried to develop masts in the heart of a densely populated area,” said Cllr Ger Fahy (FG). "It is the view of people of this area that these masts are totally unsuitable because of genuine health fears for the health of their children and that of the residents at large.”

Cllr Fahy noted that a high number of people worked and shopped in the vicinity of Roxboro Shopping Centre. He also noted the nearby communities of Janesboro, Carew Park and Kennedy Park and cited two schools which are located within a 200 metre radius of the Roxboro centre.

He said that mobile phone masts should not be approved for such an area until it was proved conclusively that they involved no health risks.

Cllr Fahy added that the fact that both Vodafone and O2 had appealed the decisions made by Limerick City Council showed the "scant disregard that such communications companies have for the people of the Roxboro community”.

Cllr Fahy proposed that the council write to the government on guidelines for construction of such masts and stated that clear laws were needed in relation to the matter.

"There are inconsistencies in the issue and clear guidelines are needed to prevent communications companies from building masts in high density population areas.” Cllr Fahy said.

There was, however, no mention of a planning application that has been granted to mobile and fixed communications provider 3G for the same building. Permission for 3G to attach antennas and point-to-point dishes with associated equipment and cables was granted on January 7th last year.

Labour Cllr John Ryan raised the issue of a similar proposal for Villier’s school.

He referred to the recent incompleted application made by 3G for planning permission for a 5 metre white flagpole with antennas together with equipment cabinets for 3G’s broadband network to be erected on the roof of the North Circular Road school.

Cllr Ryan said that if there was any doubt over health and safety issues, especially in the case of a school, that no risks should be taken - this despite the fact that Villiers is one of the two schools within 200 metres of the proposed mast.

Communications company O2 applied for permission to erect 3 antennas, an aerial link dish and associated equipment units at Roxboro Shopping Centre at the beginning of last year. The application was denied on April 20 2005.

Months later rival Vodafone applied for permission to erect a 20 metre high monopole for the same building within metres of the original application.

Although both companies appealed the refusals they were also denied planning permission by An Bord Pleanala.

© Limerick Post Newspapers 2006

http://www.limerickpost.ie/dailynews.elive?id=7228&category=Daily-Wed

By Glenn Ebrey

FUMING residents have been left with an "ugly" phone mast on their doorstep, because the council left it too late to block the proposal.

Lewisham Council had 56 days to refuse the application by phone company T-Mobile, to build a mast disguised as a lamppost, in Whitefoot Lane, Catford.

But the mast has now been put up, because the council registered its objections after 57 days one day outside the permitted time frame.

The council is now taking its case to the Government, as it considers taking action against T-Mobile.

But residents still want to know the answer to one question "why did you leave it so late to respond?".

Lewisham Council claims the case was determined within 56 days, because it counts the day it received the application as day zero in the objection process.

T-Mobile has exploited a legal loophole however, by arguing the day of receipt is day one, meaning Lewisham was too late with its objections.

Work to put up the mast has now started but residents are furious it has reached this stage.

Linda Connors, of Downderry Road, said: "The council should not have left it to the last minute to respond."

The 46-year-old added: "Everyone has mobile phones these days but there are already plenty of masts. Why put up another one?

"You hear lots of stories about the health impacts of these things. It is a definite worry for us."

Elaine Parr, of Verdant Lane, leads the users' group at nearby Forster Park.

She said: "Why did the council not respond earlier? This is what we all want to know.

"The last we heard was this was not going ahead, then it suddenly appears.

"The mast looks appalling and none of us have any idea about the health risks involved."

Mrs Parr says she is also concerned about the health risks posed by the mast, with an under-fives' play centre nearby.

Whitefoot ward councillor Daniel Houghton says the council must adopt an "urgent change of policy", to ensure similar cases do not arise in the future.

He added: "It is madness for the council to determine applications on the last possible day."

Lewisham Council says it is waiting to hear from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister but believes "recent guidelines" support its view of events.

A spokesman added the council is exploring whether it can take action against T-Mobile.

Nobody from T-Mobile was available for comment at the time of going to press.

10:06am today

© Copyright 2001-2006 Newsquest Media Group

http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/lewgreennews/display.var.723667.0.too_late_to_stop_mast.php

Please see enclosed information in New Scientist with regards to excessive radiation in train carriages etc from use of mobile phones; I wonder what levels are reached in pop concerts and football grounds with tens of thousands of people using mobile phones. I attended a Paul McCartney concert in Birmingham; he was encouraging the crowd to text a message to the screen on the stage, the limits must have exceeded ICNIRP as we all know ICNIRP does not offer protection in the first place.

Eileen O'Connor


Cellphone radiation "trapped" in train carriages

02 May 2002
New Scientist (Print Edition )
Ian Sample

Passengers on packed trains could unwittingly be exposed to electromagnetic fields far higher than those recommended under international guidelines. The problem? Hordes of commuters all using their mobile phones at the same time. Tsuyoshi Hondou, a physicist from Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan, who is currently working at the Curie Institute in Paris, says Japanese commuter trains are often packed with people surfing the web on their mobile phones.

The trend spurred him to find out what effect this had on the electromagnetic radiation in a train carriage.

Starting with plans of a typical train carriage acquired from a Japanese train operator, Hondou worked out the ratio of window area to structural metal for a typical carriage. He then used this to work out what proportion of the microwave radiation from the cellphones would be transmitted out of a carriage through the windows and how much would be reflected back inside. Hondou then calculated how microwaves from mobile phones distributed throughout a train carriage would add together, much like light from different lamps would increase the overall illumination in a room.

He found that when both reflection and the cumulative effect of the radio waves were taken into consideration, the resulting electromagnetic field in a train carriage could exceed the maximum exposure level recommended by the International Committee for Non-Ionising Radiation (ICNIRP). "It's possible even if the train is not crowded," Hondou told New Scientist.

Buses and elevators For a standard train carriage, with a carrying capacity of 151 people, Hondou's calculations show that it is possible to exceed ICNIRP exposure limits if 30 people, each with a mobile phone that emits radio waves at a power of 0.4 watts, all use their phones at the same time. The peak power a mobile phone is allowed to produce is two watts.

Hondou says his findings point to what could become a new environmental issue, especially as new wireless devices and laptop "connections" come onto the market. He suggests train operators should take notice. "At the moment, we have no regulation on the use of mobile phones in areas where many people are together," he says. The problem could also arise on buses and in some types of lifts (elevators), he adds.

Les Barclay, a radio engineering consultant who was part of the British government's Stewart enquiry into mobile phones and health risks, is cautious over Hondou's findings. While he concedes microwaves will bounce around inside carriages and boost field levels, the increase should be minimal, because power drops off a short distance away from each phone, he says.

But Hondou counters that the drop-off Barclay refers to is only realistic if the radio waves are not strongly reflected by the train's walls.

Journal reference: Journal of the Physical Society of Japan (vol 71, p 432)
Physics, Tohoku University E-mail:kuramoto@cmpt.phys.tohoku.ac.jp


Also see:

Infant death link to low serotonin
New Scientist. Issue 2453,
18th March 2006
p21

Infant death link to low seratonin Seratonin is thought to activate pacemaker cells to prompt a suffocating baby to gasp. Lack of seratonin means no gasping. Supports other findings.

Jan-Marino Ramirez at the university of Chicago
Journal of Neuroscience vol 6, p 2623

Site worth looking at: This links to an item on Mercola e-news about a DVD called "Public Exposure" showing the dangers to health from pulsed microwaves.

Protect Your Family From the Real Dangers of the "Wireless Revolution"
http://www.mercola.com/display/router.aspx?docid=30432