Tag Archives: Australia

Bans on Cell Phones in Classroom Growing Worldwide

Bans on Cell Phones in Classroom Growing Worldwide

November 9, 2019

by Kim Goldberg

An increasing number of cities, states and entire nations are banning student use of cell phones at school, with Israel being the most recent addition to the list.

On November 6, 2019, the Israeli Ministry of Education announced a ban on cell phone use in the nation’s elementary schools. Students will be required to leave their phones in their bags in class and during breaks.

In September 2019, the Canadian province of Ontario implemented a cell phone ban in classrooms province-wide.

In June 2019, the Australian state of Victoria announced a ban on cell phones in classrooms for both primary and secondary students. The ban takes effect in early 2020. “Students will be required to switch off their phones and store them securely in lockers from the start of the school day until the final bell. When emergencies occur, parents or guardians can reach their child by calling the school,” the statement from the government of Victoria said.

In 2018, Australia’s largest state, New South Wales, banned cell phones in primary schools.

Also in 2018, France banned school use of smartphones and other internet-connected devices such as tablets nationwide for all students between 3 and 15 years old. An earlier French law in 2010 had already banned the use of smartphones during all teaching activity, making France an early leader in recognizing the problem of cell phone use in schools. Additionally, France banned Wi-Fi in all nursery schools in 2015 in a law that also requires Wi-Fi to be turned off in elementary schools unless it is in use for teaching.

Beyond these cases of national and state lawmaking against school use of cell phones, a growing numbers of individual schools, school districts and teachers worldwide are establishing a “no cell phone” rule in the classroom. In most cases, the reason given for these bans is to curb student distraction and cyber-bullying, and to increase student focus and academic performance.

EHS Refuge in Australia: People Needed

by Kim Goldberg
September 21, 2014 

Bruce's land in King Valley (Wangaratta, Victoria Australia) where he plans to create an EHS Refuge as soon as people come join him.

Bruce’s land in King Valley (Wangaratta, Victoria Australia) where he plans to create an EHS Refuge as soon as people come join him.

April 28, 2016 Update: This sanctuary is on hold for now. You can contact Bruce directly at admin@radiationrefuge.com or visit his website: http://radiationrefuge.com/ for a worldwide list of EMF-safe accommodations and locations.

September 28, 2014 Update: In the one week since I posted this story, Bruce has been flooded with emails. He is working his way through all  emails, and he is responding to everyone by email or phone. He is also trying to defend his cottage from being bulldozed by the government, as described in the article below. So if you have not received a reply, please be patient. He does plan to reply to everyone. 

ORIGINAL ARTICLE:
September 21, 2014
© Kim Goldberg

Bruce Evans is man on a mission. And he is looking for other people with Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity to join him in creating an EHS refuge in southeast Australia, on land outside of Wangaratta, Victoria in the King Valley. 

The land is available for occupancy right now for anyone who can come with a van, tent or caravan. Those who arrive first may be able to have one of the bedrooms in Bruce’s cottage.

People who want to visit the land for a temporary “holiday” from wireless radiation are welcome. But Bruce is also looking for electrosensitive people who want to stay long-term, build their own cottages on his family’s land, participate in the farm and help create a community safe from electropollution. 

If you are interested in this opportunity, or would like more information, contact Bruce here: radiationrefuge@abuconga.com 

You can read and download Bruce’s full statement here:
Bruce Evans-Australia EHS Refuge

There is an urgency to Bruce’s mission. The land his cottage is on is government land. It has been used by his family for more than 150 years, and it adjoins a vast tract of land that his family owns outright. The government is now threatening to seize the small portion of government land and demolish Bruce’s cottage, despite an existing contract that would (in theory) prevent such action. The showdown with the government could happen next month, in early October 2014. 

Bruce Evans, a 49-year-old web designer with EHS, wants people to come join him on his rural farm in southeast Australia to create an EHS Refuge.

Bruce Evans, a 49-year-old web designer with EHS, wants people to come join him on his rural farm in southeast Australia to create an EHS Refuge.

“I want to bring lots of people with the same condition as me to this property and declare it a sanctuary for EHS sufferers,” says Bruce. “I want this area declared as a sanctuary where the telcos cannot infringe, where we can be left alone and not be irradiated.” 

The nearest town is 30 kilometres away, and according to Bruce the radiation is minimal at one end of the town. “You can sit in the street and have a coffee, no problem,” says Bruce. “There is also an abundance of wineries and cheese factories with free tasting on the other side of the mountain. There are very picturesque valleys and farms everywhere here.”

Bruce is 49 years old and works as a web designer. It is a profession he has been able to relocate to his rural cottage in King Valley, since the work is largely done online. He says other electrosensitive people with similar web-based businesses could do likewise on this property. 

Life in city “unbearable”

“I have severe EHS and cannot live in the city, as it is unbearable,” he says. “I am a prisoner in my own home there and cannot go outside for longer than half an hour. And even then, I have to run like a rat in a maze to avoid the phone tower locations. I was lucky that my father had this cottage in the hills that has no, or extremely limited, phone coverage. I can live here without any problems from phone towers.” 

A heard of goats from the goat farm across the road is fond of grazing in Bruce's yard.

A herd of goats from the goat farm across the road is fond of grazing in Bruce’s yard.

Bruce says he would be devastated if the government bulldozes the cottage that has become his own safe haven, and one that could shelter a few other EHS people as well. However, it won’t be the end of his sanctuary plans, since his family owns a much larger block of land two kilometres away. 

“We have vast tracts of land that are completely owned by us and cannot be taken away,” says Bruce “It is a beautiful countryside with plenty of trees and much scope for secluded living. My father is willing to let people come here and build their own cottages, grow their own food and put in a little bit of farm work to earn their keep. There is some work in the surrounding districts with various farms and vineyards. There may be some work for people who have website or IT experience,” he adds. 

In addition to the family farm on the property, Bruce is interested in developing communal facilities for the EHS refuge such as a communal kitchen, internet hub and gym suitable for yoga, martial arts and more. People with internet-based businesses could run their business from the property. Healing businesses such as meditation, yoga or massage would also be quite feasible and welcome. 

“We need people here now, today, this week,” says Bruce. “Even if you can only come for a couple of days or a week to have a look around. This is very beautiful country, and I aim to keep it radiation free.”

King Valley is located midway between Moyhu and Whitfield. See map below, or download map here: Map of Wangaratta Area.

See the land on Google Maps here.

Wangaratta Map

Launched! International Gallery of Electro-Aware Art

Kim Goldberg

May 31, 2014 

Great news! The online International Gallery of Electro-Aware Artists is now live on my Refugium website. 

Please visit the gallery here: https://electroplague.com/electro-aware-artists/ .

Heads Up On Cell Towers © Mardel Sanzotta

Heads Up On Cell Towers © Mardel Sanzotta

The first four Electro-Aware Artists in this online exhibition to raise awareness about the perils of electro-pollution and the ordeal of Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity (EHS) are:

My thanks to each of them for contributing work to this project that seeks to make the invisible world of frequencies and electropollution visible through art. 

I am looking for more Electro-Aware Artists to add to this gallery. If you have visual art that addresses the theme of electro-pollution, please send a hi-res jpeg plus a brief Artist Statement about your thoughts and experiences with electro-pollution and Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity to goldberg@ncf.ca

All styles of visual art welcome—paintings, drawings, photography, graffiti, collage, mixed media, computer-generated, comic strips, fabric/fibre art, or 3D art that you can photograph such as sculpture or installation art.

Steve Weller: Dispelling Misconceptions about EHS

By Kim Goldberg

May 13, 2014

Steve Weller, Vice President of Stop Smart Meters Australia, and author of the report: “Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity (EHS): A Personal Case Study”.

Steve Weller, Vice President of Stop Smart Meters Australia, and author of the report: “Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity (EHS): A Personal Case Study”.

Australian Steve Weller was 32 years old when he first determined in 2001 that he was sensitive to wireless radiation. He had used computers his entire adult life. He also worked in the IT (Information Technology) industry, and describes himself as an early adopter of technology.

“I was looking forward to the freedom [wireless technology] would afford me,” Steve recalls. “No more wires cluttering the desk, free to do my work on my laptop at the kitchen table while I had breakfast.”

Being technically savvy, Steve decided to buy the most powerful Wi-Fi router that was available at the time. His subsequent discovery that he was being sickened by the hardware of his life and work was not easy news to absorb. But he could not ignore the alarming effects this technology was having on his body.

“On first using my wireless router, I began to feel pressure in my head, pressure in my chest, and tingling sensations in my hands and face within a few minutes of use,” Steve says. “I also noted (and so did my wife) that my temperament changed from my normally relaxed manner to being more agitated and short tempered when using my Wi-Fi enabled router.”

With more prolonged use, Steve’s symptoms expanded to include a burning sensation in his intestines, chest pressure, irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia) followed by thumping heartbeats “like my heart was trying to jump out of my chest,” Steve recalls.

“I soon realised that a consistent pattern was developing when using my wireless router… It was at this point that I made a conscious decision to not use a wireless network to connect to the internet,” he says.

Today, 13 years later, Steve still uses computers, he still works in IT, and he is still electrosensitive. But he has, through much research and reading (and relocation), learned how to reduce his exposure and thereby keep the worst of his symptoms at bay—at least until wireless smart meters were introduced to his neighbourhood in 2011.

Although Steve managed to keep a smart meter off his own home in Melbourne, he was severely affected by his neighbours’ two smart meters that were installed three meters away from his bedroom.

“I found I was waking at specific times every night,” Steve recounts. “It felt like someone had taken a long, sharp needle and quickly pushed it into my head.” Steve found he could no longer use the front areas of his house that received the biggest dose from his neighbours’ smart meters. He has recently moved from Melbourne to Queensland, a city that has not been fitted up with smart meters.

Since moving from Melbourne to Queensland, where there are no wireless smart meters yet,  Steve Weller now has a safe haven in his backyard... for the time being.

Since moving from Melbourne to Queensland, where there are no wireless smart meters yet, Steve Weller now has a safe haven in his backyard… for the time being.

Steve, who holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry and Microbiology from Monash University in Australia, is now the Vice President of Stop Smart Meters Australia.

And in an effort to educate politicians, scientists, and the general public on the under-recognized health crisis of electrosensitivity, Steve has documented his own case, along with much scientific research, in an 18-page brief titled “Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity (EHS): A Personal Case Study”.

Read and download Steve Weller’s complete case study here: Steve Weller Case Study. 

What needs to happen next…

From the final pages of Steve Weller’s well-researched and thoroughly annotated brief on EHS:

“First and foremost, governments need to recognise that EHS is real and can be a serious health impairment, like Sweden does. Furthermore, medical professionals need to be educated on what EHS is, how to diagnose it and how to treat it. Education programs need to be established at Universities that cover this topic. The public also needs to be educated and informed of the risks of using wireless devices clearly and without prejudice or unwanted influence from those who market these devices. The media often portrays those who are suffering in a poor light, leading to hurtful comments and ridicule from uninformed members of the public. This needs to change. Scientists often weigh in on the argument, suggesting that EHS is a psychosomatic illness based on what I believe to be faulty scientific studies that use only the provocation test as the basis for their claims. Further research maybe required, but those who are suffering should not be held hostage by wrangling scientists and politicians as they argue the validity of EHS and testing techniques. The symptomology and causative factors of EHS are known and have been known for years.”

September 21, 2014 Update: Steve is now exploring the possibility of creating a safe haven somewhere in Australia for people with EHS. He has written a summary outlining some of the many logistical considerations for bringing a community of electrosensitive people together for this purpose. It is a document that may be useful to other people elsewhere who are trying to establish EHS refuges. 

Read and download Steve’s Safe Haven Brief here: Safe Haven Brief by Steve Weller.