Dear Eva,

I first want to thank all for your patience and continued support as we move toward completing our film, Take Back Your Power.

Let me admit that I had under-estimated the time, resources and money that would be required to do a proper job of this very complex story on smart meters, combining the fine-point details and facts with some of the "story behind the story".

The breadth of technical and personal challenges I've experienced has been considerable indeed, though this can be expected with the nature of the project.  I sincerely do appreciate all of the support and positive energy coming our way.

We're gearing up for an announcement forthcoming in the next few days... stay tuned!  In the meantime, below are some key updates.

This movement we're all in - of taking a stand for basic rights in the face of seemingly perplexing unconsiousness - our movement is in fact growing worldwide.  In US alone, there are now opt-outs in 16+ states and this number is growing as more public officials are being educated.  In my province of BC, it's been reported that 250,000+ households are not on board with the smart meter program here.  This is the tip of the tip of the iceberg.

I want to encourage you all to continue to stand your ground, and share and encourage the friends, family and colleagues in your circle of influence.  Lock your meter, post signs, write your utility and - if you have a smart meter - you can have it removed.

Do not let yourself be bullied into submission, and always require any correspondence to be made in writing, from the "smart meter authorities"... whomever happens to making this claim.  As the awareness grows, help and strength will multiply.

We are all "waking up" together and coming to the awareness that this is about much more than just new wireless utility meters on your home.

Please enjoy and share these resources below.

Best wishes,
Josh del Sol
Producer & Director,
Take Back Your Power
www.ThePowerFilm.org
josh@thebigpitcher.org


2) PECO Energy suspends installations of smart meters

PECO Energy announced that it will immediately suspend installation of its new “smart” electric meters after some local fire officials attributed them to the cause of a handful of recent house fires.

In response to the safety concerns, PECO will also begin replacing some of the installed Sensus model meters with an L&G model starting Saturday to see if it performs differently, spokeswoman Cathy Engel Menendez said Wednesday. An extensive analysis of the meter data collected so far will be completed before the replacement work begins, she added.

Full article: http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/courier_times_news/peco-energy-suspends-installations-of-smart-meters/article_77a2f97c-2e21-590a-b9bb-5468b487b008.html

Watch video (Fox29 TV): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Repkcytdk-Q


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3) News: Smart meters' lack of UL or CSA approval; lack of safety testing

Research has been ongoing to try to get to the bottom of what appears to be a complete lack of both UL (or equivalent) certification, and lack of safety testing in all regions throughout North America, and possibly worldwide.

In an email, a UL engineer said:
"Today utilities have to make sure the meter itself is being type-tested under ANSI C12.1, 10 and 20 of which UL can also offer the testing certificate service without UL mark as other lab doing. ... UL has developed a standardized set of safety requirements for utility meters, including “smart” meters."

However, even though there are standards, and even though UL says utilities need to ensure testing, no utility to date (that we know of) has been able to provide evidence of any UL or CSA certification, or accredited safety testing whatsoever.

That utilities are installing a untested, unapproved device as significant as a utility meter governing all electrical usage is a major, massive safety concern to all citizens.  Further, there appears to be obfuscations and witholding of truths going on with or between UL, ANSI and each utility.

During filming, I interviewed John Horgan, NDP Energy Critic in BC, and asked him how it is remotely possible that BC Hydro is getting away with installing unapproved devices.  He responded, "I don't know... I don't know.  It's mind-numbing, isn't it?"

If anyone has further information on the current status of the lack of certification or safety testing of smart meters or other smart grid devices, please contact me atjosh@thebigpitcher.org.


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4) Smart-Meter Defiance Slows $29 Billion U.S. Grid Upgrade

(From May, this Bloomberg article outlines the start of the first wave of the no-smart-meter revolution, albeit in a somewhat biased way.)

Full article: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-08/smart-meter-defiance-slows-adoption-of-29-billion-grid.html


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5) Hawaii: Actual Smart Meter Microwave Exposure Videotaped and Measured at More Than 1300% of KIUC Claims

An electrical contractor in Kauai, HI recorded a Smart Meter pulse at a business in Kaua and shows that the microwave emissions are more than 1300% greater than KIUC's claim.  In addition, over a 24 hour period its total emissions amount to 3.2 hours of exposure to pulsed modulated microwave frequency radiation at over 2 milliwatts per square meter (mW/m2) which is 240 times greater than what the utility company claims.

Full article and video: http://stopkiuc.com/2012/06/actual-smart-meter-microwave-exposure-video-taped-kapaa-kauai/


* * *
6) Maine Supreme Court update (July 12): Court says PUC didn't resolve smart-meter health issues

PORTLAND — The Maine Public Utilities Commission failed to resolve health and safety issues related to Central Maine Power Co.’s installation of smart meters and should now do so, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court has ruled.

In a decision released today, the court sided with smart-meter opponents, who argued that utility regulators ignored their legal mandate to ensure the delivery of safe and reasonable utility services.

Full article: http://www.onlinesentinel.com/news/Law-Court-sides-with-smart-meter-health-issues.html


Naperville legal update (Aug 21): Video

(Note: The next hearing in the Federal Court case launched by the Naperville Smart Meter Awareness group was scheduled for August 28.   
However, in the late-evening hours of August 27, Judge Lee postponed the hearing to October 2.  This is the second time in two weeks that Judge Lee postponed a hearing the night before it was scheduled to take place, causing considerable questions to be raised as to the nature of this process of supposed justice.)

Video update: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIXTj1KjfTE&list=UU7yO2I_xP6ZSdlomJBY5nYQ

* * *

7) Heart and Pacemaker Disruption from Electric Meter

Louis Donovan of Carson, CA relies on both a cardiac pacemaker and a defibrillator to keep him alive.  In this video, he tells of his experience of EMR from his smart meter stopping his heart 4 times.

With the untested, unthinking installation of smart meters worldwide, people everywhere with common medical equipment such as pacemakers, defibrillators, and many other devices are actually being forced to directly contravene the strict usage guidelines (to stay out of EM fields).  This is costing an untold numbers of human lives.

Video interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRDhogkdxW4&list=UUklG6ilxW_PeYeDSpKSRGZQ


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8) List of hundreds of studies w/ links: Adverse Health Effects from Electromagnetic Fields

(Note: More than 6,000 published scientific studies dating all the way back to the 1930's have proven that low-level microwave radiation (and other frequency ranges of radiation) clearly cause significant harmful biological effects.   Below are several hundred of these studies, with abstracts linked.)

Full article: http://articlesofhealth.blogspot.ca/2012/01/adverse-health-effects-from.html


* * *

9) Papers: EMF Exposures in Womb Can Lead To Childhood Obesity, Asthma

De-Kun Li is the last man standing. Not long ago, many of the leading environmental epidemiologists in the U.S. were working on EMFs of one kind or another. They've all moved on —all except De-Kun Li, and he continues to break new ground in one study after another.

Li, a senior researcher at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, CA, has now shown that EMF exposures in the womb are linked to an increased risk of childhood obesity.

Full article: http://microwavenews.com/news-center/emf-exposures-womb-can-lead-childhood-obesity