Merged US may close Cuba Embassy over 'health attacks'

[dann]

"All sounds used were from the original recording, the psychogenic origin refers to the Havana Syndrome. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Havana_syndrome for further details. The interesting element is the application of the various listing of potential causes and the application (by modulation and FX) of some of them within the composition.
All was edited / synchronised in Logic and some of the samples were modified by an approximation of the Havana Syndrome supposed causes. It would be tempting to add that it was recorded live at the Hotel Nacional, Havana, Cuba but was it not?"
Havana Syndrome (psychogenic origin mix) (Audioboom, March 8, 2021 - 6:45 min.)

It makes me wonder what Pink Floyd could have done with this.

 

[dann]

An article inspired by David Robson's new book, The Expectation Effect: How Your Mindset Can Change Your World:

These psychological conditions can spread between people like a form of social contagion, sometimes called mass hysteria - although this is an unfortunate name because it sounds dismissive. There are reports going back centuries of communities that see outbreaks of symptoms such as fainting or vomiting, often initially blamed on a new infection or toxin. In many such incidents, women or young people seem more susceptible.
For instance, there were outbreaks of skin rashes (a very physical symptom) in some US schools soon after 9/11, with people blaming everything from mouldy library books to bioterrorism attacks. After lengthy investigations by toxicologists, a psychological cause now seems the most likely explanation.
More recently, you may have heard of Havana syndrome, which started affecting US diplomats in Cuba in 2016. They reported symptoms such as dizziness, ear pain and tinnitus, and blamed sonic weapons being aimed at the US embassy or their houses.
But such weapons don't seem physically capable of producing this syndrome. Some neurologists who specialize in treating psychological symptoms are convinced it is a case of mass hysteria, although they tactfully try to avoid using that term.
Health Check newsletter: How our minds can affect our bodies - Placebos, nocebos and the startling effect your mindset can have on your health (New Scientist, March 7, 2022)

 

[dann]

Family reunification program still in limbo as U.S. Embassy in Havana resumes some services (Miami Herald, March 7, 2022)

 

[dann]

Intro:

I WISH that I was the type of stressed person to do something useful or delicious to cope with it, like stress-cleaning or stress-baking. Usually, I just stare at my phone until Instagram mind controls me into getting bored and confronting whatever has been bothering me. Let’s call this process “technology-assisted mindfulness.” Whatever it is, it’s a footnote in the litany of things people do to deal with being alive.
Some of these things, like the misunderstood Havana syndrome, can be frightening. In today’s Inverse Daily, you can learn the probable origin of the syndrome, how to lose weight in your sleep, and more. I hope these stories can provide a gentle (but informative!) start to your day.
This is an adapted version of the Inverse Daily newsletter for Wednesday, February 16, 2022.
You’ve Already Experienced the True Cause of Havana Syndrome (Inverse, Feb 16, 2022)

Full article: What Is Havana Syndreome, Really? (Inverse, Feb 16, 2022)

The article is based mainly on Baloh and Bartholomew's book and articles.

 

[dann]

I am not sure if this is a scam. I hope it's just a joke:

Direct Energy Weapons Agency is the new kid on the block! There is not another Agency or organization like it. The following are the positions they are looking to fill before June 2022. Visit their website for detailed information.
Help Wanted, Direct Energy Weapons Agency is growing (PR.com, March 10, 2022)

 

[dann]

Senator Shaheen continues (see post 1393) to refer to the so-called anomalous health incidents as attacks:

Taking Care of Federal Government Employees Affected by Directed Energy AttacksSenator Shaheen built on her progress to ensure that all U.S. personnel and their loved ones suffering from anomalous health incidents (AHI) – also known as Havana Syndrome – get the medical attention they deserve. The bill includes legislative language allowing the Department of Commerce and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to address the medical needs of their employees or dependents who are likely victims of these attacks.
Senate Sends Omnibus Package, Including Shaheen Priorities to Address Violence Against Women, Substance Use Disorder Crisis & More, to President’s Desk (Shaheen.senate.gov, March 11, 2022)

 

[Bob001]

I am not sure if this is a scam. I hope it's just a joke:

Note that it has an .org address, not .gov. Whatever it is or claims to be, it's not a government agency. Anybody can create a web site, and looking over this one, it sure sounds like a scam. Here's the biography of the "founder:"

Mechael at age 9 wanted to grow up to become a police woman like Angie Dickenson (police woman) & Lynda Carter (Wonder woman) but began her professional experience in Healthcare, then Food & Beverage, Retail, Non-Profit Advocate, then worked for various Business Owners and created her own. No one in her family went into politics or law enforcement but they owned & operated their own companies.

https://mechaelwh.wordpress.com/
https://dewagencyus.wordpress.com/about-us/

 

[dann]

Considering the number of people who believe that they suffer from EHS and also think that the 'Havana Syndrome' somehow validates this belief, it is no wonder that the alt. med. scene think that they have found a market open to be exploited.

And Dr. David Relman et al. even refer to "Stein, Y., and I. G. Udasin. 2020. Electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS, microwave syndrome)—review of mechanisms. Environmental Research 186:109445" in this report:

The benefits derived from purposeful short-term exposures to therapeutic neuromodulation contrast with the adverse neurologic and neuropsychiatric symptoms described by individuals exposed to electromagnetic fields (e.g., high tension electrical transmission cables) over longer periods of time (Pall, 2016) as summarized by Stein and Udasin (2020).
An Assessment of Illness in U.S. Government Employees and Their Families at Overseas Embassies (2020) (Federal News Network)

Maybe one shouldn't be surprised that he accepts the idea of a ray-gun attack based on the "adverse neurologic and neuropsychiatric symptoms described by individuals".


ETA: It's too bad that Better Call Saul is a prequel and not a sequel. I would have loved to see Chuck's reaction to 'Havana Syndrome'.

 

[dann]

It's probably safe to say that Russia doesn't have this tech, otherwise half of Ukraine would have been shot with the headache gun by now.

Others have made the same observation:

One supposed advance of technology we might have expected to see employed in Ukraine has been conspicuously absent.
(...)
If Putin has a weapon of the sort described by 60 Minutes, one cannot help but wonder why this weapon has not yet been deployed against Volodymir Zelensky.
(...)
If Putin had the means to damage Zelensky's brain and disrupt his cognitive functioning, wouldn't he have dones so already? Surely Zelensky would be at least as vulnerable to such an attack in Kyiv as American officials are at the White House. An apparently increasingly desperate Putin has played the nuclear card, putting his atomic forces on alert. Reports suggest that cluster bombs and hyperbaric weapons have been or may be employed. If Putin is willing to take these barbaric steps, why wouldn't he use the Havana weapon, if such a weapon exists?
(...)
The continuing absence of reports of incidents matching the profile of Havana syndrome in Ukraine and around the world in this time of paramount crisis for Russia should be treated as one more data-point pointing us in the direction of a psychosocial explanation for Havana syndrome.
Why no "Havana Syndrome" weapon in Ukraine? (The Times of Israel, March 12, 2022)

I can't believe that the CIA hasn't also noticed this by now.

 

[dann]

This article is from October 2021, but it deserves to be read, not least due to its summary of another case of mass psychogenic illness, the Ramirez Case (Wikipedia):

Ramirez was rushed to Riverside General Hospital in late-stage kidney failure. Several of the ER staff attending Ramirez were overcome by “fumes” emanating from her blood. A general panic ensued, during which several other staff also collapsed, many of whom had no contact with Ramirez.
The first thorough scientific investigation of the incident concluded that the staff had experienced mass hysteria. Unsurprisingly, this explanation did not please the staff. Fearing bad press and possible professional consequences for the afflicted, the Riverside Coroner’s Office sought a second opinion from a federal laboratory called Livermore. And Livermore duly produced a theory that was more palatable, but also infinitely more convoluted.
(...)
For those involved, it was preferable to accept a speculative and unprovable theory, rather than admit the possibility that a group of highly trained professional people could fall victim to a delusion.
The Salem Witch Trials, Havana Syndrome and the Politics of Hysteria (Northeast Missisippi's Online News Source, Oct 31, 2021)

Yes, ordering a new report when the first one threatens the vanity of "a group of highly trained professional people" is nothing new, although I doubt that any other case of mass hysteria has led to as many attempts to deny the first explanation as the 'Havana Syndrome'.

 

[Bob001]

Others have made the same observation:

I can't believe that the CIA hasn't also noticed this by now.

The Russians want to kill Zelensky, not just disorient him, and they have to find him first. At least three separate teams of Russian assassins have reportedly been intercepted and killed. If Russia really has some kind of microwave weapon, presumably they have to get at least as close as a sniper. If they knew where he was they'd drop a bomb on his head.
https://nypost.com/2022/03/03/ukraine-president-zelensky-survived-three-assassination-attempts/
https://www.newsweek.com/volodymyr-...n-ukraine-russia-invasion-survive-war-1684801

 

[dann]

So Zelensky survived three assassination attempts in one week. Big deal!
I'm sorry, but assassination attempts in no way exclude other attempts to destabilize political leaders. Boris Yeltsin and Donald Trump are good examples of how much confused and unbalanced leaders can weaken a country.
Fidel Castro survived more than 600 (Wikipedia) during his time in office, and yet they allegedly "also tried dusting his shoes with thallium salts — which would have made Castro's iconic beard fall out" (NBC).

But thank you for your argument against the microwave ray attacks even though we have been presented with much more absurd arguments for such attacks for the past five years. Getting as close as a sniper is feasible. That's why snipers and sniper rifles actually exist. Microwave weapons targeting the brains of White House officials defending a starcase or the brains of two sleeping adults and two children in a newly occupied hotel room are much more improbable.

There's a big difference between fact and fiction, but people can make themselves unaware of that difference when they favor imaginary explanations.

 

[dann]

A fully rationalized medical opinion on the causal relationship is not needed if the employee was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury, but an opinion from a physician is required for other conditions.
New Guidance on Havana Syndrome Workers’ Comp Claims (U.S. Department of Labor Blog, Feb 3, 2022)

What exactly does "fully rationalized medical opinion" mean in this context? It sounds to me as a way to maintain that the 'anomalous health incidents', i.e. 'Havana Syndrome', is a real thing, an actual injury, whatever may have caused it.

 

[dann]

Correction:

... White House officials defending a starcase ...

Should have been descending.

 

[dann]

As it turns out, the article mentioned in post 1410 is not the first time the Northeast Mississippi News Source has been critical of the way the authorities have handled the 'Havana Syndrome':

Following BuzzFeed‘s release of the report, the State Department released a statement suggesting they are not ready to abandon the “enemy action” hypothesis. A State Department spokesperson said, “We are grateful to the JASON Group for their insight, which while coming to no firm conclusions, has assisted us in our ongoing investigation of these incidents”. The spokesperson did not explain why they had not made the JASON report public or asked the National Academy of Science to consider it in their study.
Are crickets to blame for the mysterious Havana Syndrome? – National & International News (Northeast Mississippi News Source, Oct 10, 2021)

 

[dann]

Even though I often add words like skeptics or skepticism when I google "Havana Syndrome", this article by Robert Baloh and Robert Bartholomew somehow managed to stay hidden until now:

Havana Syndrome: a primer for skeptics in an age of alternative facts (The Skeptic - Reason with Compassion, Jan 21, 2022)

 

[dann]

Harriet Hall reviews Suzanne O'Sullivan's book The Sleeping Beauties - And Other Stories of Mystery Illness, already mentioned several times in this thread:

O’Sullivan says:
"The academic papers and public statements from the medical teams involved all toed an awkward line between admitting that they had found no proof of brain disease, while still managing to imply that an attack was a safe bet and that proof of it would come with time."
Politician Marco Rubio called the attack “a documented fact” even after the FBI said they had found no evidence for it. Havana syndrome was soon reported in China (with a different constellation of symptoms, not just in a patient but in her mother when she flew to China to support her daughter). Both were evacuated from China. Both believed their “brain injuries” were permanent. Several other members of the embassy staff reported anomalous symptoms that were attributed to Havana syndrome.
The book reports a number of other “mysterious illnesses”. The author says:
"a true mass-hysteria outbreak says much more about the society in which it occurs than it does about the individuals affected."

Conclusion: I highly recommend this book
This book is well written, well documented, and the author is a darned good storyteller. It is entertaining as well as educational. It will give readers new insights into psychosomatic illnesses and mass psychogenic illnesses.
Culture-Bound Psychosomatic Syndromes (Science-Based Medicine, Jan 18, 2022)

 

[dann]

Jin Canrong, the Deputy Dean of the Renmin University of China’s School of International Relations, claimed on a TV program in 2020, that PLA soldiers had used directed energy weapons against Indian soldiers in eastern Ladakh, as previously reported by the EurAsian Times.
When Indian soldiers were in control of the top peaks in Ladakh and could not be thwarted using conventional weaponry, Jin stated the Chinese military “made innovative use of high-power microwave weapons.”
Furthermore, the US has already declared their concerns about microwaves that they speculate was the cause behind their embassy staff being plagued with the “Havana syndrome”. China’s breakthroughs with microwave technology and its potential use in building of weapons could fluster the United States.
Directed-Energy Weapons: How China’s ‘Big Breakthrough’ In DEWs Could Pose Grave Danger To Musk’s Starlink, US Military? (The Eurasian Times, March 14, 2022)

The Chinese ray guns in the photos are not exactly discreet. I think they would be noticed - both in a hotel room or near the White House.

Essentially, the bill – if signed by President Joe Biden as part of the omnibus – would target nine areas:
(...)
Improve response to the anomalous health incidents (AHI) known as “Havana Syndrome” through an independent medical advisory board at the CIA, ensuring benefits eligibility and access to expert medical advice and facilities, and requiring protocols on testing, information safeguards, and reporting mechanisms
(...)
Intelligence Authorization Act worked into omnibus spending bill to increase Congressional oversight of U.S. Intelligence community (Homeland Preparedness News, March 15, 2022)

In the light of CIA's interim report in Jan 2022, it is funny to look back on some of the many speculations about a worldwide network of U.S. adversaries in late-2021:
‘Havana syndrome’ attacks reveal US adversaries may have dangerous intel (Jerusalem Post, Oct 17, 2021)
The imaginary attacks revealed that the USA had extremely bad intel.

 

[Planigale]

The Chinese ray guns in the photos are not exactly discreet. I think they would be noticed - both in a hotel room or near the White House.




In the light of CIA's interim report in Jan 2022, it is funny to look back on some of the many speculations about a worldwide network of U.S. adversaries in late-2021:
‘Havana syndrome’ attacks reveal US adversaries may have dangerous intel (Jerusalem Post, Oct 17, 2021)
The imaginary attacks revealed that the USA had extremely bad intel.

The British have been aware of this for many years see here for a report on the Chinese ray guns.

http://www.biggles.info/Details/08/

 

[dann]

Not bad!

On their first night, they are able to see a shining blue mountain, the effect being caused by the tremendous quantity of radium in the mountain. Attempts to approach the mountain are initially thwarted by a strange paralysing effect and giant man-eating centipedes. However, the rescue of a Scotsman called Angus McAllister gives our heroes vital information. A strange race of Chinamen called the Chungs has been holding McAllister captive. The radium in the mountain has given the Chungs weird powers, including the ability to make themselves invisible! McAllister was the Chief Engineer on a ship, captured and forced to work for the Chungs. The Chungs have the ability to use a bizarre blue ray that has a paralysing effect.

However, "giant man-eating centipedes" are no match for brain-injuring Indies short-tailed crickets!