February 17, 2010
The
Portland Observer Black History Month
IN S ID E
B lack H istory M
onth
Page 3
Unhealthy Wireless Signals
Filmmaker points
to cancer risks
J ake T homas
T he P ortland O bserver
by
When C ongress enacted the
Telecom m unications Act o f 1996,
it lifted many regulatory barriers
that allowed cell phones and wire­
less Internet to becom e integral
parts o f daily lives.
But since then, some scientists
have begun wondering out loud if
there isn ’t an additional cost to
these new technologies beside
the monthly bill. A growing mound
o f studies are suggest that bath­
ing ourselves in w ireless frequen­
cies 24-7 might bring on an epi­
demic o f health problem s, includ­
ing cancer, that put children in
particular at risk.
“Full Signal” a documentary by
Talal Jabari, a Palestinian film ­
m aker who cut his teeth during
the Second Intifada, looks at some
o f the potential risks o f a technol­
ogy that has revolutionized how
people com m unicate.
Jabari recently sat down with
the Portland Observer. His re­
marks have been edited for clarity
and brevity. A fuller version o f
this interview can be found on
w w w .portlandobserver.com .
Talal Jabari
law that prohibits us from talking
about the health impact o f this
technology.
What prohibits us from talk-
ingabout this technology?
and by this technology
I mean your cell phone,
y o u r W i-F i, y o u r
cordless phone at home.
These are things people
tak e for g ran te d b e ­
cause they love the tech­
nology and the ease o f
using it. But there are
some steps you can take.
I would elim inate the
wireless phone at home.
T h a t’s a c o n tin u o u s
signal that is being sent
throughout your home.
W i-Fias well: eliminate
it, especially if you have
young children. C er­
tainly turn it o ff while
y o u ’re asleep, there is
no need for it to be run­
n in g , and y o u r c ell
phone: use it as sparingly as pos­
sible. I think it’s only a m atter o f
time before the cell phone conun­
drum is actually solved and shown
to have a definitive impact on a
p e rso n ’s health. W ireless cell
phone antennas are a little more
difficult. But your cell phone, use
it as sparingly as possible. D on’t
give it to your children, they are at
the biggest risk again. If you use
it, use a hands-free device that is
wired. D on’t use a Bluetooth be­
cause it is even more dangerous
because people put it in their ears
and they leave it there all day long
and it’s transm itting all the time.
Well essentially, the T elecom ­
m unications Act o f 1996 clearly
states that the placem ent o f this
technology cannot be challenged
for its environm ental effects, and
health being one o f those envi­
ronm ental effects, which means
you c a n ’t ask that essentia, ques­
tion o f what is this doing to my
What is the central thrust of health, and why does this need to
“Full Signal’’?
be so close to me and my children
The bottom line is there is more and their school, for example. This
and more science that is showing is the essential prem ise that the
Do you own a cell phone?
there are risks associated with wireless industry use to place their
I own a cell phone, yes. Be­
w ireless technology, and we have antennas w herever they want.
cause o f the nature o f my jo b and
to take precautions, not ju st on an
How about the personal part of the nature o f m any other peoples’
individual level, but on a com m u­ avoiding this technology?
jo b s we need to be in touch. But I
nity level, and also in term s o f
We have to realize that there is
continued
on page 22
governm ent to try and change the a risk to us using this technology,
Activist Quoted in College Text
F ood
Skip Osbome, a local civil rights
activist, was recently included as a
contributor in a leading college text
on law enforcement.
Speaking before a criminal ju s­
tice class at Portland Community
College’s Cascade campus in north
Portland, Osbome said it was a genu­
ine honor to be included in the fifth
edition o f “Multicultural Law En­
forcement: Strategies for Peacekeep­
ing in a Diverse Society.”
Osbome, who was a former head
o f the local NAACP and currently
heads the civil rights-oriented orga­
nization Truth and Justice for All, is
among the many experts quoted in
the widely-used book that includes
noted academic and activists.
“It’s just an honor to be quoted
in a text book,” said Osbome, who
was accompanied by the college’s
president, Algie Gatewood, and
Aaron Olson, who helped write the
book and teaches at PCC.
Osborne’s contribution to the
book deals with police community
relations- a particularly hot topic
photo by J ake
T homas /T he P ortland O bserver
Algie Gatewood, president of the Cascade Campus of Portland
Community College, holds a copy of the new edition of
Multicultural Law Enforcement, with two of the book’s contribu­
tors: Campus professor and book co-author Aaron Olson (right)
and Skip Osborne a local civil rights activist.
right now.
“The police must meet with the
community on a regular basis- not
when there is a crisis but before
there is a crisis,” Osbome is quoted
as saying in the book.