Merged US may close Cuba Embassy over 'health attacks'
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Another Thread about this in Science, Math, Med & Tech.
Sherkeu
Illuminator
I predict it will turn out to be BS, I've seen it before when people think the new carpet at work or some mold in their walls is causing a mysterious illness.
Yes, it's possible there will be something to this, I give it ~1% odds.But I'm not going to buy into it just because the news media is reporting it as if it is something more than hysteria.
I think if the FBI focuses on the first 2 people to complain, they will find that one of them has been interested in gangstalking and "Targeted Individual" material. They will find a history of complaints that 'something' is wrong with their phone and computer that needs debugging. There could be other odd complaints like for lighting, vents, or potential gas leaks. They will find that the move to Cuba was requested (these people think places like Cuba may rid them of covert 'harassment'). They will find the source to be a lower level staffer with no prospects for advancement.
The other injuries will follow knowledge of the first ones and will have been 'medically confirmed" through self-reporting. There will be no children affected. The union rep will support claims 100%.
And I think Castro knows all of this already which is why he welcomes the FBI to find the answer.
theprestige
Penultimate Amazing
See what I mean?
Skeptic Ginger
Nasty Woman
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Skeptic Ginger
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No, calling someone out as being stupid is personalizing a debate.
As for intelligent educated adults being susceptible to hysteria, it's well documented.
As for personal expertise, actually it is part of my field, occupational health. Workplace hysteria is an uncommon but not unheard of problem. Peter Sandman has done some important work in the field. Some of you may remember the outbreak of events where schools and a 911 dispatch center were not only closed but the buildings torn down over mold fears. If the initial crisis is not handled properly the hysteria cascades out of control.
Are there ever health issues with mold? Yes, but not the overreaction that occurs on a regular basis.
Skeptic Ginger
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The threads should be merged, IMO.
I predict it will turn out to be BS, I've seen it before when people think the new carpet at work or some mold in their walls is causing a mysterious illness.
Yes, it's possible there will be something to this, I give it ~1% odds.
The "news media" isn't pulling stuff out of thin air. Foreign Service officers belong to a professional association/union, and that group sounded the first alarms. Injuries like hearing loss and brain injury can be measured objectively. And there's some evidence that they were injured in their homes, not in the office. At least one Canadian diplomat was also affected.
https://www.voanews.com/a/us-diplomats-injured-cuba/4012333.html
http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/01/politics/foreign-service-cuba-sonic-attacks/index.html
There's no reason to think that this isn't real. Who's responsible is a different question.
Checkmite
Skepticifimisticalationist
That's true; but in this instance there's the added note that the sound returned when they stepped back within the immediate area of their beds.
There's also the matter of some medically-verifiable long term symptoms the alleged victims have suffered. The actual, apparently permanent, hearing degradation some of them have experienced may typically accompany tinnitus (I don't know); but it was reported that some of the alleged victims, including one of the Canadians, were diagnosed with mild traumatic brain injury (i.e., concussions, or something that presented like a concussion). I don't think tinnitus could do that a person.
It's my understanding, though, that some things which are capable of causing concussions, can also cause tinnitus.
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Well the Doctor does have a sonic screwdriver...
Problem with those types of "medical reports" is that even if we had the detail of what was in the reports we don't know whether the "changes" are outside a normal range for the population. Exploratory testing is looking for something so anything apparently unusual will be reported but it doesn't mean there is even a correlation never mind causation.
You are right, that sounds strange, but has it been confirmed (or even measured/recorded) by anybody else, or could it be a delusion?
Again, you're right, that does sound strange, but I don't know how you go about diagnosing a concussion. I do know, however, that Alzheimer is much more frequent among people who suffer loss of hearing (and I hope that I'm not one of them), so I wonder if the symptoms might be confused with those of concussion. Also, how old were the victims of this syndrome?
Yes, many things may cause tinnitus (see my link above).
I don't know this, but I suspect State employees are given thorough physicals before overseas deployment. It would be possible to document whether they developed a medical condition in Cuba that they didn't have earlier.
Probably not, but a hearing test could be a routine part of an employment physical. And the issue for many of these people is hearing loss.
TragicMonkey
Poisoned Waffles
I'm not a sciencelord, but one thing I read quoted some scientist who worked with sonic stuff and he said the only way this would happen as a result of sonic..uh, stuff...is if the victims had been underwater at the time. They said air just doesn't transmit enough to do this kind of thing.
They suggested it could be the result of radiation, though. Focused radiation beam? Perhaps it's listening devices gone bad.
They suggested it could be the result of radiation, though. Focused radiation beam? Perhaps it's listening devices gone bad.
Or a reported hearing loss after they've heard all their colleagues talking about hearing loss.
Waterbed?
I considered that one, but why choose the bed as the place to listen in on? Because the alleged Cuban spying operation calculated with the US diplomats revealing state secrets in their sleep?