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  1. #1
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    Wilsonandson's Avatar
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    US 'to pull staff from Cuba over sonic attacks'

    29th September

    The US is to pull most of its staff from its embassy in Cuba, American media report, after reports that they suffered sonic attacks.


    About 60% are leaving in response to the attacks on diplomats, senior unnamed officials were quoted as saying.

    It is also warning Americans not to visit the country because some of the attacks occurred in hotels.
    More than 20 diplomatic staff have reported health problems.

    Cuba denies any involvement in the reported attacks.
    Last week US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said a decision whether to shut the embassy in Havana was "under evaluation".

    Diplomatic staff had suffered conditions ranging from mild brain trauma and hearing loss to dizziness and nausea, it was reported at the time.

    At least two Canadians have been affected by similar symptoms.

    Details of new 'sonic attack' emerge

    Who is leaving?

    Officials quoted by the Associated Press say the US is ordering all non-essential staff in the embassy in Havana to leave, along with all family members. Only "emergency personnel" will remain.

    They say the US is halting visa processing in Cuba indefinitely. They say the steps will remain until Cuba can assure the US its diplomats are safe.

    What do we know about the attacks?

    Despite an investigation involving the FBI, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Cuban authorities, there is still no full explanation as to the cause of the incidents since late 2016.

    The officials quoted by AP referred to "specific attacks" without saying whether they were sonic or otherwise.
    Earlier reports suggested they were indeed sonic attacks in which staff in Havana were targeted by sonic audio waves, leaving several with chronic hearing issues.
    Using an inaudible sound device for a stealth attack "is quite plausible from a technical point of view", Denis Bedat, a specialist in bio-electromagnetics, told AFP news agency this week.

    "Ultrasonic waves, beyond the acoustic capacity of humans, can be broadcast with an amplifier, and the device does not need to be large, or used inside or outside a house."

    He gave as an example the Active Denial System (ADS), an anti-riot gun used by US police forces that emits electromagnetic waves which produce a sudden unbearable burning sensation.

    What is a covert sound weapon?

    How have US relations with Cuba been?

    President Raul Castro had reportedly given his personal assurance to the then-US charge d'affaires in Havana that Cuba was not behind the attacks.

    The US reopened its embassy in Havana in 2015 following decades of frozen relations.

    In 2016 President Barack Obama became the first sitting US president to visit Cuba since Calvin Coolidge in 1928.
    In June President Donald Trump announced a partial roll-back of Mr Obama's Cuba policies but said he would not close the US embassy in Havana.

    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41446697
    Last edited by Wilsonandson; 29-09-2017 at 10:14 PM.

  2. #2
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  3. #3
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    Wasn't there a movie made about an American warship that the Americans made disappear in WW2 as an experiment using sonic boom.
    Its been done before.
    Now for the sequel, Cubans make US diplomats disappear.

  4. #4
    I am in Jail

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    I put this OP's article in the Cuba thread an hour ago.

    And I get blamed for occasionally posting a topic regarding the US and others do it and there is no bitching.

  5. #5
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    I don't think the Cubans could come up anything so advanced on their own. Sounds more like a Legionnaires type disease really.

  6. #6
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  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Grampa View Post
    I put this OP's article in the Cuba thread an hour ago.

    And I get blamed for occasionally posting a topic regarding the US and others do it and there is no bitching.
    Who's the solo bitch? Nobody else is bitching!

  8. #8
    Thailand Expat raycarey's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by uncle junior View Post
    I don't think the Cubans could come up anything so advanced on their own.
    to the best of my knowledge, the US hasn't come out and stated that they think cuba is directly responsible....which IMO is very interesting.

  9. #9
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    The movie is the "Philadelphia Experiment "

  10. #10
    I am in Jail

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    I saw this on Reuters today also: Now, regular US citizens / travelers are facing these attacks.

    Travelers to Cuba report symptoms similar to diplomats
    BY JOHN BOWDEN - 10/06/17 06:37 PM EDT
    125





    © Getty Images

    The State Department is warning U.S. citizens in Cuba to avoid two hotels in Havana after travelers reported similar symptoms to diplomats subjected to sonic-based attacks at the U.S. embassy.
    CBS News and Reuters reported that State Department officials have confirmed that some American travelers have been affected.


    US travelers to Cuba report symptoms similar to diplomats | TheHill







  11. #11
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    Wilsonandson's Avatar
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    Published on Oct 4, 2017
    Are the Cubans attacking US embassy personnel in Havana with sonic weapons? As relations continue to deteriorate despite no proof, who benefits to a return to Cold War with Cuba?


  12. #12
    Thailand Expat raycarey's Avatar
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    read this on wired the other day and it seemed plausible...

    THE 007-MEETS-THE-X-FILES ADVENTURES in Cuba continue. Last week the US Department of State recalled non-emergency personnel and families home from the embassy in Havana, citing injuries and illness among 21 people—“hearing loss, dizziness, headache, fatigue, cognitive issues, and difficulty sleeping” according to a statementfrom secretary of state Rex Tillerson.

    Those 21 people weren’t just cultural attachés. Some of the hardest-hit victims were US intelligence operatives, according to an AP story on Monday. Which is to say: Someone in Cuba has been remotely doing something mysterious to US spies’ ears and brains. Call it spook action, at a distance.

    Most of the reporting on this story so far has talked about some kind of a “sonic weapon” or “sonic attack,” maybe a side effect of a surveillance technology. The problem is, physicists and acousticians don’t know how ultrasound (high frequency) or infrasound (low frequency) could do what the State Department says happened to its people. That leaves two possibilities: a new sci-fi sound gun or something else.

    Here’s a hypothesis for the something else: poison.


    https://www.wired.com/story/us-diplo...k-ototoxicity/

  13. #13
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    So, I'll ask:

    Some posters think this is all false? A hoax?

    Government contrived thing by the US?

  14. #14
    Thailand Expat misskit's Avatar
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    Dangerous Sound? What Americans Heard in Cuba Attacks

    WASHINGTON —
    It sounds sort of like a mass of crickets. A high-pitched whine, but from what? It seems to undulate, even writhe. Listen closely: There are multiple, distinct tones that sound to some like they're colliding in a nails-on-the-chalkboard effect.


    The Associated Press has obtained a recording of what some U.S. Embassy workers heard in Havana in a series of unnerving incidents later deemed to be deliberate attacks. The recording, released Thursday by the AP, is the first disseminated publicly of the many taken in Cuba of mysterious sounds that led investigators initially to suspect a sonic weapon.


    The recordings themselves are not believed to be dangerous to those who listen. Sound experts and physicians say they know of no sound that can cause physical damage when played for short durations at normal levels through standard equipment like a cellphone or computer.


    What device produced the original sound remains unknown. Americans affected in Havana reported the sounds hit them at extreme volumes.


    Whether there's a direct relationship between the sound and the physical damage suffered by the victims is also unclear. The U.S. says that in general the attacks caused hearing, cognitive, visual, balance, sleep and other problems.


    The recordings from Havana have been sent for analysis to the U.S. Navy, which has advanced capabilities for analyzing acoustic signals, and to the intelligence services, the AP has learned. But the recordings have not significantly advanced U.S. knowledge about what is harming diplomats.


    The Navy did not respond to requests for comment on the recording. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert wouldn't comment on the tape's authenticity.


    Cuba has denied involvement or knowledge of the attacks. The U.S. hasn't blamed anyone and says it still doesn't know what or who is responsible. But the government has faulted President Raul Castro's government for failing to protect American personnel, and Nauert said Thursday that Cuba "may have more information than we are aware of right now.''


    "We believe that the Cuban government could stop the attacks on our diplomats,'' said White House chief of staff John Kelly.
    Not all Americans injured in Cuba heard sounds. Of those who did, it's not clear they heard precisely the same thing.


    Yet the AP has reviewed several recordings from Havana taken under different circumstances, and all have variations of the same high-pitched sound. Individuals who have heard the noise in Havana confirm the recordings are generally consistent with what they heard.


    "That's the sound,'' one of them said.


    The recording being released by the AP has been digitally enhanced to increase volume and reduce background noise, but has not been otherwise altered.


    The sound seemed to manifest in pulses of varying lengths — seven seconds, 12 seconds, two seconds — with some sustained periods of several minutes or more. Then there would be silence for a second, or 13 seconds, or four seconds, before the sound abruptly started again.


    A closer examination of one recording reveals it's not just a single sound. Roughly 20 or more different frequencies, or pitches, are embedded in it, the AP discovered using a spectrum analyzer, which measures a signal's frequency and amplitude.


    To the ear, the multiple frequencies can sound a bit like dissonant keys on a piano being struck all at once. Plotted on a graph, the Havana sound forms a series of "peaks'' that jump up from a baseline, like spikes or fingers on a hand.


    "What it is telling us is the sound is located between about 7,000 kHz and 8,000 kHz. There are about 20 peaks, and they seem to be equally spaced. All these peaks correspond to a different frequency,'' said Kausik Sarkar, an acoustics expert and engineering professor at The George Washington University who reviewed the recording with the AP.


    Those frequencies might be only part of the picture. Conventional recording devices and tools to measure sound may not pick up very high or low frequencies, such as those above or below what the human ear can hear. Investigators have explored whether infrasound or ultrasound might be at play in the Havana attacks.


    The recordings have been played for workers at the U.S. Embassy to teach them what to listen for, said several individuals with knowledge of the situation in Havana. Some embassy employees have also been given recording devices to turn on if they hear the sounds. The individuals weren't authorized to discuss the situation publicly and demanded anonymity.


    Cuban officials wouldn't say whether the U.S. has shared the recordings with Cuba's government.


    Another big question remains: Even if you know you're under attack, what do you do? Still dumbfounded by what's causing this, the United States has been at a loss to offer advice.


    The embassy's security officials have told staff if they believe they're being attacked, they should get up and move to a different location, because the attack is unlikely to be able to follow them, the commenting individuals said. The AP reported last month that some people experienced attacks or heard sounds that were narrowly confined to a room or parts of a room.


    At least 22 Americans are "medically confirmed'' to be affected, the State Department says, adding that the number could grow. The attacks started last year and are considered "ongoing,'' with an incident reported as recently as late August.


    Cuba has defended its "exhaustive and priority'' response, emphasizing its eagerness to assist the U.S. investigation. Cuban officials did not respond to requests for comment for this story but have complained in the past that Washington refuses to share information they say they need to fully investigate, such as medical records, technical data and timely notification of attacks.

    https://www.voanews.com/a/what-ameri...-/4068152.html

  15. #15
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    It sounds sort of like a mass of crickets.
    Tinnitus. This I have all days around.

    Tinnitus is the hearing of sound when no external sound is present.[1] While often described as a ringing, it may also sound like a clicking, hiss or roaring.[2] Rarely, unclear voices or music are heard.[3] The sound may be soft or loud, low pitched or high pitched and appear to be coming from one ear or both.[2] Most of the time, it comes on gradually.[3] In some people, the sound causes depression or anxiety and can interfere with concentration.[2]

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinnitus

    Or the real crickets? Don't they have them in Cuba?

  16. #16
    Thailand Expat misskit's Avatar
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    I lived on a houseboat in Sausalito where there was a mysterious loud hum which kept some people up at night. Turned out to be fish. https://www.csmonitor.com/1985/0812/ahum.html

    Didn't make anyone sick, though.

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by Wilsonandson View Post
    all non-essential staff in the embassy in Havana to leave,
    If they are ‘non-essential staff’, what are they doing there in the first place?

    All essential staff have been issued with ear plugs?

  18. #18
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    It maybe the sonic boom coming in from Guatanamo prison where the US torturers play load ear busting accustics to keep prisoners awake.

  19. #19
    กงเกวียนกำเกวียน HuangLao's Avatar
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    Forever, invented enemies.
    It's what makes existence worthy.

  20. #20
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    Cubans Forcefully Reject Blame for U.S.Diplomats’ Mystery Ailments

    HAVANA — In an exclusive interview with NBC News, Cuban officials forcefully denied that their government was to blame for the mysterious ailments that have afflicted two dozen American diplomats and plunged relations with the U.S. into crisis.
    President Donald Trump has publicly blamed the government in Havana for the reported symptoms, which range from hearing loss and nausea to memory problems and mild traumatic brain injury. But the Cubans leading the probe emphatically rejected that.
    "I can guarantee you that this is completely false," Col. Ramiro Ramirez, chief of diplomatic security for the Cuban Interior Ministry, told NBC News in an exclusive interview.

    U.S. officials believe some kind of sonic weapon was used to attack two dozen embassy staffers and relatives between the fall of 2016 and this August, but the Cubans claim they don't even have that technology — and U.S. experts say they don't know of technology that would produce the reported symptoms.

    of course they're going to deny it even if they did do it....but at this point i'm inclined to believe them.

    and i'd wager the US intelligence community is not sold on it being the cubans.



    https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...lments-n813581

  21. #21
    Thailand Expat raycarey's Avatar
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    curiouser and curiouser.


    Victims in mysterious Cuba attacks have brain abnormalities


    The victims of mysterious attacks on workers at the United States embassy in Havana, Cuba have "developed changes to the white matter tracts that let different parts of the brain communicate," per the AP. It's the most specific physical symptom identified amongst the victims as doctors have begun to treat their condition as a previously unforeseen illness.

    The finding provides some clarity that something tangible happened to the 24 embassy workers and family members who mysteriously fell ill in Havana. The U.S. government had previously blamed the attacks on a "sonic weapon" — though these new physical findings are not consistent with an acoustic attack — but has since avoided using that term.
    https://www.axios.com/victims-in-mys...515307190.html

  22. #22
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    probably Russian technology, or better, Alien technology

  23. #23
    RIP pseudolus's Avatar
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    Probably a load of lies and nonsense dreamt up by the merkins to start a war. Usually is the case

  24. #24
    Thailand Expat raycarey's Avatar
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    the US state department warns US citizens in china after employee suffers possible sonic attack.

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/world...=.62add70b7665



  25. #25
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    Bigly succesful foreign policy,
    Boss A nova dimplomacy

    A man who can quench stormy weather will make a cum back

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