also wanted to mention that there's a controversy amongst SETI and METI personnel, involving
some of them quitting over policy issues, because they apparently can't agree who is authorised
to broadcast messages from this planet to other planets.  some of them think they've got powerful
enough radio arrays that they can do this (they're wrong), hence they're trying it.  the ones who
object wanna be in charge, and they're saying that earth should remain hidden from aliens until
they know more.  currently they know nothing, as the aliens can't contact us, either.

however, there's no cause for concern, as their radio emissions are so weak that it's like trying to
see the hawking radiation emitted from the edge of a black hole.  the background radiation is
several orders of magnitude stronger than anything they can produce, when viewed from the
average distance (50 - 150 lt.yrs) separating inhabited planets IMVHO.