What's New Robert L. Park 21 Jan 2011

WHAT=92S NEW   Robert L. Park   Friday, 21 Dec 2011   Washington, DC

1. WIRELESS: BUSINESS IS THRIVING ON ALL SIDES OF THE ISSUE.
There are today 7 billion humans living on this tiny planet.  According t=
o=20
recent figures, 5 billion of them have a cell phone (a =93mobile=94 outsi=
de the=20
US).  Few of them have any idea how these incredibly complex devices work=
,=20
making this the most attractive market on Earth. There are several ways t=
o=20
tap this incredible market without selling cell phones. You might, for=20
example, sell books warning about the dangers of cell phones. More than a=
=20
dozen books have been published in the last few years warning that the=20
population problem might be solved the hard way, as cell phone users begi=
n=20
to succumb to cancer.  When will this be?  Cell phones have been in=20
widespread use for about 10 years.  According to Devra Davis, author=20
of "Disconnect," the latency period for cell-phone cancer can be decades.=
 =20
This has revived the EMF paranoia that was set off two decades ago when t=
he=20
New Yorker ran a scientifically illiterate series by writer Paul Brodeur=20
linking power-line fields to childhood leukemia. Although books linking=20
cell phones to cancer enjoy brisk sales it does not seem to have dampened=
=20
public infatuation with the cell phone.  People can't imagine giving them=
=20
up.  It has, however, created a new industry: cell phone protection=20
technology, such as the Q-Link Diode For Cell Phone & EMF Protection.  Th=
is=20
is too depressing to continue.
=20
2. DEFORESTATION: SOMALIA IS GOING UP IN SMOKE.
Despite a ban, the charcoal trade in Somalia is booming.  One Somali=20
parliamentarian declared that deforestation in Somalia for charcoal is mo=
re=20
dangerous for the country than piracy. In nearby Northern Kenya, the=20
numbers on the verge of starvation, some 5 million people, now far exceed=
s=20
the population of the whole country less than a century ago. What brought=
=20
this about? Earth cannot sustain an advanced population of 7 billion=20
without severe degradation of the environment. The signs are everywhere:=20
global warming, peak oil, ocean garbage patches, and deforestation. =20

3. LAKE VOSTOK:  A TIME CAPSULE SEALED OFF FOR 15 MILLION YEARS.
The most exciting scientific treasure on Earth is about to be revealed. A=
=20
Russian drilling team is on the verge of reaching the surface of the lake=
,=20
1300 km from the South Pole, according to a story in yesterday's Nature. =
=20
It is the last uncharted environment on Earth. Drilling began 20 years ag=
o,=20
and they must reach the liquid water by February 6 or wait until next=20
December. They must proceed carefully to avoid contamination of the=20
untouched environment.

4.TEVATRON: HOW FAR BEYOND ITS REACH WAS THE HIGGS?
The Department of Energy announced on 10 Jan 2011 that the United States=20
will close its only particle collider, the Tevatron, located at Fermilab =
in=20
Batavia, Illinois. The decision was contrary to the recommendations of th=
e=20
US particle-physics community=92s  scientific advisory group, which belie=
ves=20
that the machine still has work to do.  There is, of course always more=20
that can be done, but resources are finite. The Tevatron learned the thin=
gs=20
it was built to learn and more; its closure should be seen as a measure o=
f=20
scientific progress.

THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND.
Opinions are the author's and not necessarily shared by the
University of Maryland, but they should be.
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