> I can't believe the number of people who think that microwaves and
> cell phones emit the same kind of radiation as uranium..

Gamma rays are the same as visible light fwiw - just "a bit more 
energetic". So the similarities are closer in some cases, depending on 
the decay mechanism involved, than in others.

And, while non-ionising/ionising is indeed a major divide, one must 
still be wary of throwing the baby out with the bathwater and missing 
some other major epidemological effects that are not so obvious. The 
jury is still out on whether these exist at all for non-ionising em 
radiation, and has been out for many decades now, but the fact that 
it's not easy to show a cleanish bill of health for non ionising emr 
suggests that there may yet be dragons lurking. The fact that major 
studies all too often variably show correlation with health problems, 
even when possible mechanisms are not obvious is not something which 
should be ignored. But often enough are. [[Just as cancer clusters at 
Sellafield are ignored because it can be shown that there is no reason 
for them to exist. Would YOU move to Sellafield with a young family or 
a pregnant family member?]].

I'm well aware that disproving something is usually impossible, but 
the too and fro results of major studies over the years, and 
especially the fact that studies sponsored by major interest groups 
tend to support the desired outcomes more consistently, suggest that 
the jury's job is not yet done.

Along the way there are interesting mechanisms proposed. While many of 
these subsequently fade from probable significance as additional 
reserach is done does not mean that every such mechanism will always 
be discredited. The fact that eg synchroton resonance and power line 
lensing of hard background radiation need careful study to refute (and 
trhe latter may still yet be valid) means that nothing should be 
dismissed out of hand just because it sounds fanciful at first gasp.

> As to jails, as a society, we're not too ok with the death penalty,
> because that makes us all murderers, but we are ok with locking them
> up.. Dosent' that by the same logic make us gay dungeonmasters?

New subject.
It has seemed to me, from a distance, that the US has purposefully 
opted for "cruel and unnatural punishment" as an integral part of its 
prison system. ie / eg the fact that homosexual rape is essentially 
taken as a major hazard of US imprisonment and the subject of numerous 
jokes and allusions when imprisonment is mentioned suggests that it is 
very much intended to be part and parcel of the system. If this is not 
the case then it's obvious from this distance that your authorities 
are doing a very very very poor job of protecting the rights of over 
1% of your citizens. The long term impact on the whole of your society 
must be severe.

Driving through Arizona in unbearably high temperature we came across 
a vast prison miles from anywhere. (Guila Bend does NOT count as 
anywhere ;-) ). If the cells were not air conditioned then the inmates 
would all be being subject to the most severe of cruel and (in this 
case) natural punishments. If all cells ARE airconditioned then the 
location is stupid - it should be built somewhere else and the power 
used to drive a LASER launcher :-).



        Russell




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