Not Necessarily News July 2000

Posted: 07/2000

Overheard …

… at the Association of Communications

Enterprises (www.ascent.org) Spring Conference & Exhibition, May 9, in Philadelphia …

“Communications is a major aid to
civilizing the world–a point we haven’t reached yet.”

–Media icon Walter Cronkite delivering the keynote address

Move Over WWF …

Wrestling is going online–Web Word Wrestling that is. Introduced by Insight Software Solutions Inc.
(www.wintools.com), the fast-paced word game pits players against one another over the Internet. Players connect the letters to form as many words as possible within the amount of time specified. The advertising-supported game is free if it is downloaded from Insight’s website,
www.puzzleconnection.com.

Cancer, Cell Phone Use Relinked

A team of Swedish medical investigators has raised renewed concerns about links between brain tumors and handheld cellular phones. Statistical analysis indicated an increase in associated risk for tumors in areas of the brain that received the highest doses of microwaves. All but one of the 13 individuals with malignant or benign tumors relied on
the older analog technology with greater power output.

“The study reaffirms that this issue requires further investigation, in spite of recent reports downplaying the association between cell phone use and brain tumors, and the lower-power output associated with newer digital phones,” says Dr. George D. Lundberg, editor-in-chief of the online medical journal, Medscape General Medicine, where the report is published. “With the proliferation of cell phones–and the fact that many older higher-power output phones are still in use–it is important to adequately assess the risks in larger, ongoing studies.”

View the study at
www.medscape.com/medgenmed/braintumors.

Illustration: Alternate Channel