Bob Park's What's New -- Friday, December 8, 2006

Friday, December 8, 2006
http://bobpark.physics.umd.edu/WN06/wn120806.html

1. NASA'S MOONDOGGLE: PLAN FOR LUNAR GOLF IS PAR FOR THE COURSE.
Perhaps hoping to recapture that moment of uh, "glory," 35 years ago
when Apollo 14 astronaut Alan Shepard hit two golf balls with a six
iron, NASA announced plans on Monday for a permanent base on the moon.
WN believes the fairway will stretch along the rim of Shackelton crater
at the south pole, which is in sunlight 70% of the time. The
announcement did not actually mention golf, but what else could
astronauts find to do on the moon? A source at JPL assured WN that by
2024, which is the date set for the base, robots will be available that
can play golf. The announcement did mentioned other objectives like
harvesting helium-3 as fuel. Are they serious? Maybe that should wait
until someone actually extracts energy from He-3. A robotic radio
observatory on the dark side would make perfect sense, but that wasn't
mentioned. Right now NASA is having trouble getting people to the ISS.

2. CELL PHONES: FIVE YEARS LATER THEY STILL DON'T CAUSE CANCER. A study
in the current issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute
found no increased cancer risk from cell phone use over a 20 year
period. This is an update of a Danish study in JNCI five years ago. The
Danes keep good records. By just going to the computer they could
compare cell phone use with the National Cancer Registry. I was invited
to write an editorial in the same issue, JNCI, Vol 93, p.166 (Feb 7,
2001). I noted that cancer agents act by breaking chemical bonds,
creating mutant strands of DNA. Microwave photons, however, aren't
energetic enough to break a bond. Predictably, fear mongers said there
must be an induction period. Still waiting. In 1993, a man whose wife
died of brain cancer was a guest on Larry King Live. Her cancer, he
said, was caused by a cell phone. The evidence? "She held it against
her head and talked on it all the time."

3. HOBBLING THE EPA: TEMPERATURE APPROACHES "FAHRENHEIT 451." It's not
book burning yet, but the president of the American Library Association
strongly protested a Bush Administration decision to dismantle the
system of regional EPA libraries under the guise of fiscal
responsibility. Meanwhile, at the suggestion of the American Petroleum
Institute, EPA changed the way it sets air pollution standards, leaving
it to political appointees and postponing the required review by
independent outside experts.

4. CSI: CSICOP CHANGES TO, "COMMITTEE FOR SKEPTICAL INQUIRY." Its
purpose remains the same. CSICOP was confusing and narrow. Besides, I
couldn't spell out what CSICOP stood for on one line. CSI publishes the
Skeptical Inquirer.

5. CONFUSION: LAST WEEK'S WN CONFUSED TWO PAUL EHRLICHS. Stanford
biologist Paul Ehrlich is the one I meant, not the one who won the 1908
Nobel Prize in Medicine. I appreciate the many readers who pointed out
several errors in last week's WN.
.

Relevant Pages

  • Cancer chief sees cell phone risks
    ... The director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute and UPMC Cancer Centers plans to issue an advisory to about 3,000 faculty and staff today about the possible health risks associated with cellular phone use. ... "Recently I have become aware of the growing body of literature linking long-term cell phone use to possible adverse health effects including cancer," Dr. Ronald Herberman said in the memorandum. ...
    (soc.culture.laos)
  • Pittsburgh cancer center warns of cell phone risks
    ... Pittsburgh cancer center warns of cell phone risks ... phone use because of the possible risk of cancer. ...
    (misc.health.alternative)
  • Cell Phones Possibly carcinogenic, W H O says
    ... that radiation from cell phones can possibly cause cancer. ... carcinogenic to humans on the basis of an increased risk ... hazards from exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields. ... and cell phone use comes from a series of Swedish studies, ...
    (soc.culture.laos)
  • Scientists warn US Congress of cancer risk for cell phone use
    ... Scientists warn US Congress of cancer risk for cell phone use ... brain tumors are outdated, had methodological concerns and did not ...
    (soc.culture.singapore)
  • Re: Cell phones... BANNED!
    ... A player in the group I was with had a mobile phone, and it rang four times in the first two holes. ... Generally, I still feel that if the call is that critical, wtf are you doing out on the golf course? ... I find cell phone usage distracting, and there is absolutely no need of it on the golf course. ... Like Alan, I too own my own business, but I differ from him in that if I want to play golf, I set the time aside for my round whether it be nine holes or 18, and do not impose on my fellow players the discourtesy of answering or making calls on the course. ...
    (rec.sport.golf)