Merged: US may close Cuba Embassy over 'health attacks'

[Random person]

Your obsession and daily repetitions must be observed by diagnostic personnel in order for a correct diagnosis to be made.

Cuba si

[dann]

[dann]

Even after the CIA interim report last year in January, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen continued to claim that the 'Havana Syndrome' had been caused by Directed Energy Attacks (see post 1,406):

Quote:

Taking Care of Federal Government Employees Affected by Directed Energy Attacks
Senator 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)

She still hadn't changed her mind about this in December of 2022:

Quote:

1. Support for Americans Affected by Domestic Energy Attacks by Securing Provisions that Improve Access to Medical Care, Help Investigate AHIs and Improve Interagency Coordination:
“For years, I’ve worked to secure medical benefits for victims of anomalous health incidents and ensure a whole-of-government response to identify the cause of these attacks.
(...)
In FY2022 government funding legislation signed into law, Shaheen added language to allow 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. Absent this language, neither the Department of Commerce nor the FBI would be permitted to provide funding to assist their employees who are AHI victims. Senator Shaheen has been a leader in supporting American public servants who have incurred brain injuries likely from directed energy attacks. In October 2021, the President signed legislation Shaheen helped lead, the Helping American Victims Afflicted by Neurological Attacks (HAVANA Act), into law.
Shaheen Statement on Senate Passage of FY 2023 Defense Bill (Shaheen.senate.gov, Dec 15, 2022)

I don't know if she is one of the people who got a personal call from CIA's Mr. Burns, but now, after the ODNI report, she seems to have stopped referring to the 'syndrome' as anything other than "anomalous health incidents (AHI)":

Quote:

Those recovering from anomalous health incidents (AHI) while serving our country deserve the medical care they need to get well. Full stop. I asked Dr. Lester Martínez-López & @DHADirector to commit to this & will keep pushing other admin officials to do the same.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (on Twitter, March 7, 2023 - + video, 2 min.)

[dann]

This should be interesting! I'm nowhere near California on April 19, but I hope that I'll be able to watch it on Zoom:

Quote:

April 19, 2023 1:00p.m. - 2:00p.m. Online (pre-registration required) Robert Baloh, MD, Professor (Emeritus) of Neurology and Head and Neck Surgery, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA

In one of the most extraordinary cases in the history of science, the mating calls of insects were mistaken for a “sonic weapon” that led to a major diplomatic row. The lecture will trace the origins of the syndrome, the response of the U.S. government, the results of scientific investigations and opinions, the evolution of the syndrome over time and similar phenomena that have occurred in the past.
REGISTER: https://uci.zoom.us/webinar/register...Tf-B_gOZSPJI8g

The Havana Syndrome: A Disorder of Neuropolitics? (University of California, School of Social Sciences)

[dann]

* See post 1,789.

Mark Zaid retweets:

Quote:

FOIA litigation ⁦@MarkSZaidEsq⁩ and I led brought about the release of this report.
Exclusive: Declassified report suggests "Havana syndrome" could result from energy weapon | http://Salon.com

Quote:

Exclusive: Declassified report suggests "Havana syndrome" could result from energy weapon Full intelligence report contradicts official claims that strange cluster of ailments wasn't caused by attack

Bradley P. Moss (on Twitter, Mar 30, 2023)

Exclusive: Declassified report suggests "Havana syndrome" could result from energy weapon (Salon, Mar 29, 2023)

This is the report:
ANOMALOUS HEALTH INCIDENTS Analysis of Potential Causal Mechanisms - IC EXPERTS PANEL (Sep 2022)
I assume that it is David Relman's group (it's called the "Expert Panel"), but Appendix C: Panelist Biographies has been extensively redacted.

Based only on the Executive Summary, p. V to VIII, it appears to be an attempt to discredit "Psychosocial factors alone":

Quote:

Psychosocial factors alone cannot account for the core characteristics, although they may explain some other reported incidents or contribute to long-term signs and symptoms. No known psychosocial factors explain the core characteristics, and incidents exhibiting these characteristics do not fit the majority of criteria used to discern mass sociogenic illness. However, psychosocial factors may compound some of the incidents with core characteristics. Incidents that do not possess all or some of the core characteristics could be due to hypervigilance and normal human reactions to stress and ambiguity, particularly within a workforce that is attuned to its surroundings and trained to think about security. Some of these reactions could lead to functional neurological disorders or worsen the effects of existing conditions.

And rule in the ray guns:

Quote:

Electromagnetic energy, particularly pulsed signals in the radiofrequency range, plausibly explains the core characteristics, although information gaps exist. There are several plausible pathways involving forms of electromagnetic energy, each with its own requirements, limitations, and unknowns. For all the pathways, sources exist that could generate the required stimuli, are concealable, and have moderate power requirements. Using nonstandard [REDACTED]—antennas and techniques, the signals could be propagated with low loss through air for tens to hundreds of meters, and, with some loss, through most building materials. [REDACTED]

+ ultrasound (again!):

Quote:

Ultrasound also plausibly explains the core characteristics, but only in close-access scenarios and with information gaps. The required energy can be generated by ultrasonic arrays that are [REDACTED] portable, and produce a tight beam. Ultrasound propagates poorly through air and building materials, restricting its applicability to scenarios in which the source is near the target, [REDACTED] It could couple to the body through the external auditory canal, interstitial spaces, or the vestibular apparatus of the inner ear. Ultrasound is used to open the blood-brain barrier in medical procedures, and ultrasonic stimulation of the aforementioned anatomical areas could produce symptoms consistent with AHIs. Studies of “ultrasound sickness” and related audio- vestibular symptoms have reached mixed conclusions, but the Panel was presented with independent accounts in which individuals were exposed to high-power ultrasound beams and subsequently experienced the core characteristics.

It seems strange to give credence to independent accounts over actual studies of the phenomenon. And I wonder if the Expert Panel ever witnessed a medical procedure using ultrasound to open the blood-brain barrier. There's a photo (scroll down) of the procedure in this article: Ultrasound pries open brain's protective barrier for first time (NewScientist, Nov 10, 2015). The procedure seems to require a minimum of three foreign adversaries. And I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have stayed in a hotel room with one of those things. That contraption doesn't look like a trouser press at all!

As for the ray guns, I would have liked to see more about those information gaps, limitations and unknowns, but that has probably been redacted.

Appendix I could be the reason why the DoD started the ferret-brain experiment in Sep 2022:

Quote:

There is no published work on the plausible causal mechanisms of cases with the core characteristics (e.g., pulsed radiofrequency electromagnetic energy and ultrasound) and the type of brain injury that would result from such exposure. Hence, there is no information about potential biomarkers beyond those used for traumatic brain injury, and it will be important to search for biomarkers in studies of animals exposed to different energy sources.

I think the weak spot of the report is its attempts to define the core characteristics of the 'syndrome':

Quote:

Four “core characteristics” were prominent among these AHIs: (1) the acute onset of audio- vestibular sensory phenomena, including sound and/or pressure, sometimes in only one ear or on one side of the head; (2) other nearly simultaneous signs and symptoms such as vertigo, loss of balance, and ear pain; (3) a strong sense of locality or directionality; and (4) the absence of known environmental or medical conditions that could explain the reported signs and symptoms.

1) Thanks to the recordings made by the 'syndrome' victims themselves, the audio phenomena have been identified as the sound of crickets. If it was only in one ear, it was probably tinnitus.

2) Vertigo, loss of balance: MPI: Common symptoms (Wikipedia)

3) What exactly is a "strong sense of locality or directionality" supposed to mean? When you hear a sound, you usually sense the direction it's coming from. At least one of the embassy employees in Havana went out on the porch to record the crickets. Was a "strong sense of locality or directionality" ever described by people who experienced the Frey effect? The only reason why this is part of the core characteristics is to give credence to the idea of a directed attack. We already know that David Relman has no idea how sound behaves. (See post 1,306.)

4) Environmental: crickets (i.e. the trigger); medical: ordinary hearing loss and headaches are common. So is tinnitus. That modern medicine doesn't refer to hearing cricket sounds as a medical condition is because it isn't one. However, modern medicine does describe mass psychogenic illness, which wraps the whole thing up. The symptoms that had other causes, for instance tinnitus, hearing loss and retinal bleeding* (which figured so prominently in Nicky Woolf's podcast series), were interpreted as having been caused by the cricket sounds (i.e. the imaginary attack allegedly resulting in "combat injury" in the case of Polymeropoulos).

The syndrome is fiction. Same as it ever was.

*Retinal bleeding isn't mentioned in the (unredacted) text. I wonder why. Eye movements are mentioned.

[dann]

Originally Posted by dann

I assume that it is David Relman's group (it's called the "Expert Panel")

Yes, that's the one:

Quote:

It had previously been reported that the panel’s findings supported the notion that electromagnetic energy may have been the culprit, but the full findings of the report have not been made public until now.
Newly Declassified Report Contradicts Officials, Suggests Havana Syndrome Might Be Caused by Directed Energy (Gizmodo, Mar 30, 2023)

[dann]

It just occurred to me: Take a look at "four "core characteristics"."
Do you notice that one symptom is missing?

Originally Posted by dann

I think the weak spot of the report is its attempts to define the core characteristics of the 'syndrome':

Quote:

Four “core characteristics” were prominent among these AHIs: (1) the acute onset of audio- vestibular sensory phenomena, including sound and/or pressure, sometimes in only one ear or on one side of the head; (2) other nearly simultaneous signs and symptoms such as vertigo, loss of balance, and ear pain; (3) a strong sense of locality or directionality; and (4) the absence of known environmental or medical conditions that could explain the reported signs and symptoms.

Let me give you a hint: What do ?

[dann]

Originally Posted by dann

Appendix I could be the reason why the DoD started the ferret-brain experiment in Sep 2022:

Quote:

There is no published work on the plausible causal mechanisms of cases with the core characteristics (e.g., pulsed radiofrequency electromagnetic energy and ultrasound) and the type of brain injury that would result from such exposure. Hence, there is no information about potential biomarkers beyond those used for traumatic brain injury, and it will be important to search for biomarkers in studies of animals exposed to different energy sources.

And this would be the reason why they need to fry monkey brains, too:

Quote:

Animal Models
[REDACTED] Given the knowledge gaps in AHI-associated causal mechanisms, using animal models to inform biomarker discovery should be a priority. Animal models cannot take into account the unique structure of the human skull and brain and thus may not be a good mimic of the type of injury that will take place in humans, but using such models is likely to provide valuable information and to inform studies with nonhuman primates. Discovery phase nonhuman primate studies could thus provide a focus for some expected biomarkers.

So the DoD experiment seems to serve the purpose of keeping the 'syndrome' on life support at least until September.
I am sure that Marc Rubio and his ilk will appreciate the effort.

[dann]

A thread at Democratic Underground about the article made public by Salon:
Declassified report suggests "Havana Syndrome" could result from energy weapon (Mar 29 to 30, 2023)

[dann]

From post 1,724 about the ODNI report on March 2:

Quote:

Since US officials first reported AHIs in Havana, Cuba in late 2016, the IC has sought to understand whether these events can be attributed to a foreign actor and a deliberate external mechanism. The IC pursued three separate lines of inquiry: the first encompassed work determining whether available data points to the involvement of a foreign adversary in the incidents; the second focused on the feasibility and existence of deliberate mechanisms that an adversary might use against US personnel to cause AHIs; and the third evaluated whether medical analysis can help determine if an outside actor is involved in the broad range of phenomena and symptoms associated with AHIs. Based on the results of these three lines of inquiry, most IC agencies have concluded that it is “very unlikely” a foreign adversary is responsible for the reported AHIs. IC agencies have varying confidence levels, with two agencies at moderate-to-high confidence while three are at moderate confidence. Two agencies judge it is “unlikely” an adversary was responsible for AHIs and they do so with low confidence based on collection gaps and their review of the same evidence.
Updated Assessment of Anomalous Health Incidents (National Intelligence Council, March 1, 2023)

In a new podcast with Nicky Woolf, he claims that "several (!) said they had low confidence." I know that an interview is not the same thing as sitting at your computer with access to the internet and thus (at least for some people) to facts, but this comes on top of an awful lot of other inaccuracies and mistakes in his podcast series. There's method in't.

The new podcast I'm talking about is this one:

Quote:

Journalist Nicky Woolf discusses his podcast "The Sound: Mystery of Havana Syndrome." What really caused the strange symptoms afflicting American diplomats in Cuba? What, if anything, do loud crickets have to do with it? Is the whole thing simply a mass delusion? And why hasn't Biden acted to undo the damage Trump did to Cuba?
Recorded March 17, 2023
The Mystery of Havana Syndrome (Aryeh Cohen-Wade & Nicky Woolf) (Culturally Determined (on Apple Podcasts) - 38 min.)

It was made after the ODNI report but before the report released by Salon yesterday. (See post 1,845.)

So has Nicky Woolf learned anything since his podcast series?

Well, he seems to have entirely given up on retinal bleeding and jerky eye movements as evidence against mass psychogenic illness. And he goes along with the interviewer's suggestion that the 'syndrome' wasn't a deliberate attack but surveillance gone wrong, that it possibly was not used to mess with embassy staff's brains but to disrupt communication, i.e. the idea that his own podcast suggested in the final episode. But it isn't true, and he delivered no piece of evidence for the idea in the podcast other than the story of an FBI agent who couldn't access the internet, was told that it was being disrupted by a foreign adversary, and when he later developed 'syndrome-like' symptoms, he blamed in on the RF energy that had been used his internet connection, which, in his opinion, might have caused brain damage inadvertently, but it wasn't backed up by anything other than the anecdote itself.

Kudos Woolf for mentioning that members of the Trump administration were well aware that Cuba wouldn't have been behind the 'Havana Syndrome' because the country had neither motive nor the capability. I don't remember who told him. Probably Bolton.

But he still claims that it couldn't have been MPI because "something happened". Indeed. I don't know why everybody seems to think that MPI means that nothing happened.

Woolf has nothing but his own story to back up the idea that "something" must have been caused by a foreign adversary. He claims that he didn't "come to it lightly" and that he used "Occam's razor" to decide that there's "a thing that's out there," which makes him insist that there was some kind of attack in the "four major clusters": Havana, Guangzhou, Hanoi and Vienna because they are places with "many spies".
They probably are

He heard the crickets when he was in Havana, and he is aware that the sound couldn't possibly damage anybody's brains. But his conclusion is that the cricket sounds must have been entirely unrelated to the whole thing. A kind of coincidence even though it was the thing that got the whole thing going, i.e. all the dramatic stories about sinister attacks and the fears caused (or exacerbated) by those stories.

Towards the end, he at least considers MPI as a possibility: "... and even if this entirely was a massive and absolute unprecedentedly huge mass psychogenic event triggered by, you know, extreme stress ..."
But he nevertheless insists that it can't have been MPI: "... even the proponents of the psychogenic theory will say that usually it will fade over time with reduction of the stress environment ...... we weren't seeing that, you know. We were seeing people who were permanently devastated by this."

He seems to be unaware that MPI usually fades over time only when people understand what has happened. When they realize that they weren't attacked, aren't suffering from 5G radiation, and that what they may or may not have smelled wasn't poisonous gas, and what they heard wasn't the Frey effect.

But that is not what happened in the case of the 'Havana Syndrome' victims, on the contrary. Their delusions have been backed up (and sometimes probably started!) by zealous members of the medical establishment. David Relman, Michael Hoffer, James Giordano, Beatrice Golomb and many more. And the media, guys like Nicky Woolf, Adam Entous and Jon Lee Andersen, have been the useful idiots for doctors, politicians and intelligence agencies selling the attack idea to the public as well as to the 'attack' victims.

It is actually much worse than that the 'syndrome' didn't fade over time. It got worse! See the Jon Stone quotation from post 1,788!

Quote:

And it becomes very harmful to [patients] if they’re caught in a legal system or in the medical system that’s telling them this is all brain damage. Because essentially what that means is this is the way you’re going to be forever. There’s no possibility of improvement. Your brain is damaged. Now, it’s very validating for the patient. But if they do have a functional disorder, it’s potentially very harmful because you’re denying them the opportunity to consider treatment of their condition through other means.

The 'Havana syndrome' patients, who started out with minor everyday symptoms, were then told that their jerky eye movements or retinal bleeding were symptoms of brain damage caused by directed energy attacks, and they have now ended up suffering from EHS! But this is not the proof against their illness being psychosomatic like Nicky Woolf thinks.

On April 19, he gets another chance to listen to Robert Baloh, whom he dismissed so offhandedly in his podcast series. I hope he'll make use of the opportunity! See post 1,844.

[dann]

The Hill has picked up Salon's story, but gets it wrong:

Quote:

The conclusion that the health incidents could plausibly be the results of some type of electromagnetic energy devices comes after (!) the U.S. intelligence community concluded earlier this month that the health incidents were unlikely to be the result of interference by a foreign government.
The report from the intelligence community said it was unlikely that a foreign power had a weapon that was capable of inflicting such effects.
The newly released report, however, said that “sources exist that could generate the required stimuli, are concealable, and have moderate power requirements.”
‘Havana syndrome’ could be the result of electromagnetic weapon: declassified report (The Hill, Mar 30, 2023)

The newly released report (see post 1,845)is actually older, 6-7 months older, than the new report earlier this month (see post 1,724). And there is no reason to assume that the authors of the new report, the ODNI report, weren't familiar with the old report when they dismissed its claims about directed energy weapons.

The allegedly existing concealable etc. sources are imaginary, and the current ferret experiment is supposed to render it at least plausible that they could exist.

[dann]

It is no surprise that anti-communist BabaluBlow would get the time line wrong, too. The communists must be behind this because they are communists, right?

Quote:

With the Biden administration apparently working on Cuba Thaw 2.0 and a return to Obama’s failed Cuba policy of appeasing the Castro dictatorship, it’s hard to dismiss a U.S. intelligence report dismissing any foreign involvement in the injuries suffered by Americans in Cuba and elsewhere as a coincidence. To admit there was foreign involvement in these “sonic attacks” would undeniably imply the involvement of the Castro dictatorship. As a totalitarian dictatorship with an extensive and sophisticated intelligence and counterintelligence apparatus that constantly surveils foreign diplomats and is aware of everything they do, the regime does not have the luxury to claim ignorance.
Declassified report says ‘Havana Syndrome’ likely caused by directed energy weapon (BabaluBlog, Mar 30, 2023)

Unlike totalitarian dictatorships, the USA would never dream of surveilling foreign diplomats so as to be aware of everything they do, right?!. Foreign diplomats in Washington are allowed to roam free and do whatever they want, unsurveilled, because ... well, isn't that what a freedom-loving democracy is all about?

Why would Cuba claim ignorance in this question? On the contrary, Cuba claimed knowledge. It had good reason to do so. The country's top scientists cooperated with the FBI and the JASON group to get to the bottom of the 'syndrome', and without having access to the medical reports about the alleged attack victims, Cuba soon figured out what was going on and told anybody who cared to listen. (Not many!)

I have been following this story closely, and so far I haven't seen a single lie about this in Cuban media or in Cuban reports about the 'syndrome'. (See post 1,707)
That's communism!

[dann]

From the last post yesterday:

Originally Posted by dann

I have been following this story closely, and so far I haven't seen a single lie about this in Cuban media or in Cuban reports about the 'syndrome'. (See post 1,707)
That's communism!

My link was to a post about the zika virus in Cuba:

Originally Posted by dann

Sherkeu, this is mostly wrong for so many reasons:

Originally Posted by Sherkeu

All of this is right around spraying for Zika virus at a time that , like China, Cuba was not admitting to any crisis.
eg: "Sure out neighbors have it, but we are in control!!"

Yes, Cuba was spraying for Zika virus at the time.
But no, Cuba wasn't denying anything, on the contrary. They didn't even try to hide facts from potential tourists:

Cuba issues early warning on spread of Zika virus (Granma.cu, Feb 10, 2016) With photo of Cuban fumigator.
First imported case of Zika virus detected in Cuba (Granma.cu, March 2, 2016)
Second imported case of Zika virus detected in Cuba (Granma.cu, March 4, 2016)
Third imported case of Zika virus detected in Cuba (Granma.cu, March 9, 2016)
First case of autochthonous transmission of the Zika virus reported in Cuba (Granma.cu, March 16, 2016)
Ninth imported case of Zika virus confirmed (Granma.cu, April 13, 2016)
Dos nuevos casos autóctonos de Zika en Cuba (Trabajadores.cu, August 3, 2016)

Quote:

Este año, agregó la especialista, se aprecia una disminución tanto de los casos de síndromes febriles sospechosos como los confirmados de Dengue y Zika. «Hoy solamente tenemos en transmisión activa del virus Zika dos municipios, en la provincia de La Habana: Regla y Arroyo Naranjo», acotó.
Confiarnos es el mayor de los riesgos (Granma.cu, May 6, 2017)

Quote:

The congresses provided an “opportunity to debate, exchange and update our knowledge,” according to President of the Cuban Microbiology and Parasitology Society, Dr. María Guadalupe Guzmán Tirado, who went on to note that participants discussed key issues “including the epidemiological situation regarding dengue, chikungunya and Zika, which continues to affect us to date,” and highlighted the historic work of the IPK investigating and treating infectious diseases in the country.
Physical rehabilitation, microbiology and parasitology debated in Cuba (Granma.cu, Dec 12, 2017)

Quote:

In mid-December, Zika transmission was reported in 18 municipalities of the country, with a continued decline in cases.
Health indicators improve and life expectancy increases (Granma.cu, Dec 29, 2017)

Please don't make up stuff about Cuba just because one can always rely on the ignorance of most people about Cuba and thus expect to be believed. Stop posting fake news! Cuba deserves better than that! They may occasionally overestimate how much in control they are, but as the current pandemic has shown, they tend to have more control over contagious diseases than most countries, and that includes Western industrialized countries! That many Westerners remain ignorant of the fact, even many who ought to know better, should make you consider claims about Cuba carefully before you start spreading them.

My post was longer. I have only copied the most relevant part of it. When I mentioned hiding facts from tourists, it was because it is easy to imagine that Cuba might have done so, right?! Cuba's economy depends on tourism, and lying to tourists is what we have seen the mayor do in the movie Jaws (Wikipedia). A play by Henrik Ibsen is even more on the nose since it is actually about an epidemic: An Enemy of the People (Wikipedia).
But Cuba isn't [i]Florida.[i] Cubans actually take pandemics seriously.

But it occurred to me that I wrote another post only three weeks ago specifically about what Cuba has been telling the world about the 'Havana Syndrome':

Originally Posted by dann

Originally Posted by Roger Ramjets

Hmm. Who you gonna believe - Donald Trump, or Cuba?

There is really no comparison. Trump lies about everything, and I haven't seen a single Cuban lie about the 'syndrome'. People in Western countries would trust Cuba if it weren't for all the lies they've been told and believed - often because they trust the authorities telling those lies. Otherwise, why wouldn't you trust Cuba?!

The 10 most common lies about alleged health incidents affecting U.S. diplomats in Cuba (Granma.cu, April 26, 2018)
No scientific evidence to prove alleged attacks on U.S. diplomats (Granma.cu, Oct 4, 2018)
No scientific evidence to support allegations of sonic attacks (Granma.cu, Mar 4, 2020)
U.S. deception syndrome to discredit adversaries (Granma.cu, May 14, 2021)
No Attacks ever Occurred against US Diplomats in Cuba] (ACN.cu, March 3, 2023)
Expert Report: An Assessment of the Health Complaints during Sojourns in Havana of Foreign Government Employees and their Families (Granma.cu, Sep 2021)

(Since I have already mentioned trust in authorities and used the pandemic as an example: I also haven't seen Cuba lie about the pandemic. Why do you think Cubans trust the authorities so much that everybody gets vaccinated? The stories we hear, especially when there was a riot in July 2021 ('We love those, don't we, folks?' as Trump would say), is that all Cubans hate the government because it is a brutal regime keeping them down. And yet Cubans don't seem to fear that there are communist microchips in the syringe. So let me add Cuba's death toll to Covid-19 deaths in the Nordics + Cuba since Jan 1, 2022) There is another thread for most things Cuban, but beware of the lie in the OP.

Just to avoid a potential misunderstanding: Roger Ramjets doesn't appear to be a MAGA fan!

[dann]

See post 1,845.

Quote:

* A newly declassified study of ‘Havana Syndrome’ is being touted as evidence of a government coverup; instead, it is evidence of poor science.
* Claims that mass psychogenic illness did not play a major role in ‘Havana Syndrome’ show a lack of understanding of mass psychology.
* When in doubt, follow the mainstream science.
(...)
There are two main types of mass psychogenic illness. The first involves the sudden exposure to a perceived harmful agent, most commonly an unfamiliar odor, in an atmosphere that is devoid of pre-existing group tension. The victims typically experience headache, nausea, and dizziness, and usually make a rapid recovery within a few hours. However, the second most common type of mass psychogenic illness is consistent with what was reported in Cuba. It is incubated in an atmosphere of prolonged stress and is typified by brain anomalies that are induced by stress. A 2019 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found brain anomalies in a small cohort of American patients who had served in Havana. While this was widely reported in the media as brain damage, they are not equivalent. In fact, the anomalies were so minor, even the authors admitted that they could have resulted from individual variation. Furthermore, the anomalies were consistent with the brain scans of people who had been exposed to long-term stress—the exact situation in Cuba.
Don’t Be Misled by the ‘New’ Havana Syndrome Claims (Psychology Today, Mar 31, 2023)

[dann]

Bloomberg Law writes about the previously mentioned Mark Lenze settlement (see post 1,829):

Quote:

* Engineer sued for discrimination after being passed over for jobs
* Intelligence services believe syndrome caused by local factors
(...)
Mark Lenzi and the State Department filed a joint notice of settlement Tuesday with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
State Dept., Employee Settle Havana Syndrome Disability Suit (Bloomberg, Mar 22, 2023)

[dann]

'Syndrome' & Sanctions:

Quote:

Though the Cuban government and many independent experts rejected the claims [of directed energy attacks in Havana], which were not backed by hard evidence, the Trump administration cited the purported attacks as a partial justification for its decision to shutter the US embassy in Havana and tighten sanctions against Cuba.
(...)
Pressed on the issue by Florida Republicans during a recent congressional hearing, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the administration has no immediate plans to end the designation [of Cuba as a State Sponsor of Terrorism].
(...)
Also this month, a bipartisan group of senators — Klobuchar, Moran, Murphy, Marshall, and Warren — introduced legislation to end the US trade embargo on Cuba, citing the benefits of trade not only to the Cuban people, but also to US exporters. While the bill would not end all US sanctions against the island, and is highly unlikely to pass, it is a significant marker of the shifting debate. Similarly, Democratic senators Van Hollen and Wyden, and Republican senator Lummis, sent a letter to President Biden remarking: “The U.S. embargo against Cuba has failed,” and calling for a partial lifting of broad sanctions for the benefit of small, private-sector Cuban businesses.
justification for its decision to shutter the US embassy in Havana and tighten sanctions against Cuba.
CEPR Sanctions Watch: Cuba (CEPR Sanctions Watch, Mar 31, 2023)

[dann]

Quote:

In the series "Exposure to Havana Syndrome," 2020-, the artist subjected herself to a re-creation of what ostensibly composes this "sonic weapon" at England's University of Nottingham and had the resulting magnetic-resonance images (MRIs) laser-engraved into prison-issue steel mirrors. Some were rendered in a militaristic camouflage colorway; others were barely perceptible line-drawing abstractions.
ALTERNATIVE INVESTMENTS - Catherine Quan Damman on Sung Tieu and the art of derivative critique (Art Forum, April 2023)

Why doesn't the DoD buy those magnetic-resonance images instead of microwaving ferret brains?
I bet the ones rendered in a militaristic camouflage colorway would look good on a wall at the Pentagon.

[Gord_in_Toronto]

Originally Posted by dann

See post 1,845.

Also reported by Skeptic Magazine here: Newly Declassified Report on ‘Havana Syndrome’ Used the Wrong Criteria!

Quote:

The report, which was headed by Stanford Microbiologist David Relman, was finalized in September 2022, and was created by a panel of so-called experts who concluded that the condition is real and represents a serious threat. Zaid points out that the findings differ from “previous statements from the intelligence community” and is adamant that ‘Havana Syndrome’ was “perpetrated either by foreign actors, or it is an experiment gone horribly wrong.”3 Since the report’s release on March 28th, some people have viewed it as a major new development in this longstanding saga.

It is nothing of the sort. It is an example of junk science.

(Bolding mine.)

[dann]

Yes, I assume that Skeptical Inquirer will be next.

Many news outlets have copied news about the declassified report, which was obtained by Mark Zaid and Salon. (See post 1,845.)

But it's worth looking at the ones that haven't even mentioned it. Many seemed to lose interest in the story after the ODNI report revealed that there never was an energy weapon, a hostile perpetrator or any kind of attack. I assume that their sources have assured them that the report from September 2022 doesn't change that.
NBC and MSNBC don't mention the declassified report. Neither does CBS - in spite of their 60 Minutes show resurrecting the 'syndrome' in February 2022. I wonder if there will be an episode of 60 Minutes to correct that mistake. CNN doesn't mention it - in spite of Sanjay Gupta. Neither does the New York Times - in spite of Adam Entous. And not only was the Washington Post the first paper to tell us about the ODNI report. The next day it also ran Faye Flam's article from Bloomberg. (See post 1,824.)

From that article, it's worth noticing what Flam learned from neurologist Suzanne O’Sullivan:

Quote:

she said it’s not uncommon for what she calls psychogenic illness to cause paralysis, even put people into comas.
She also thinks Havana Syndrome is a real disorder. It’s not about being crazy, she said. It’s known that the mind can help influence the experience of pain and other symptoms.
Doctors can influence the mind’s effect on an illness. If they tell you your illness is common and many others find ways to function normally with it, it’s a lot easier to work toward recovery than if they say the condition is rare or unique and debilitating.

Mark Zaid was probably hoping for more response from the established media. He retweets this:

Quote:

I hope journalists interested in Havana Syndrome (and the very confusing govt flip flops) dive into the just declassified 150 plus page DNI Experts Panel report. Thanks to @MarkSZaidEsq and @BradMossEsq for their tireless work on this. https://media.salon.com/pdf/22-cv-67...%20Package.pdf
Marc Polymeropoulos (on Twitter, March 31, 2023)

Some journalists appear to have been confused by the declassified report from September 2022 appearing after the ODNI report on March 1, 2023 (see post 1,851), but many of them seem to be able to tell the difference between the old dismissed report and the new one.

The confused journalists probably didn't read or notice this from the ODNI report:

Quote:

A review of intelligence reporting, open-source information, and scientific and medical literature about foreign weapons and research programs, as well as engagement with researchers inside and outside the US Government have led IC agencies to judge that there is no credible evidence that a foreign adversary has a weapon or collection device that is causing AHIs. As a result, most agencies assess that deliberate causal mechanisms are very unlikely to have caused the sensory phenomena and adverse symptoms associated with AHIs but with varying confidence levels. Two agencies have high confidence in this judgment while three agencies have moderate confidence. Two agencies judge that deliberate causal mechanisms are unlikely to have caused AHIs and have low confidence because they judge that radiofrequency (RF) energy is a plausible cause for AHIs, based in part on the findings of the IC Expert Panel and the results of research by some US laboratories. All agencies acknowledge the value of additional research on potential adversary capabilities in the RF field, in part because
Updated Assessment of Anomalous Health Incidents (National Intelligence Council, Mar 1, 2023)

So the two agencies - I assume one of them is the DoD - that only "have low confidence" based on the findings of Relman's group, i.e. "the IC Expert Panel," i.e. the group behind the report obtained by Salon and Mark Zaid, nevertheless still "judge that deliberate causal mechanisms are unlikely to have caused AHIs."

The DoD's microwave experiment on ferret and monkey brains seems to be the only thing still standing in the way of pulling the plug of the Havana syndrome's ventilator.

[dann]

In post 1,829, I mentioned a short interview with Marc Polymeropoulos in the Wall Street Journal. In an almost one-hour-long interview on Spanish-language AmericaTeVe, he repeats some of the same mistakes and makes some new ones:

Quote:

AméricaTeVé es una estación de TV independiente en Español basada en Miami, con distribución de aire en los mercados de Miami, New York y Puerto Rico.
Síndrome de La Habana: Marc Polymeropoulos | Havana Syndrome, Marc Polymeropoulos: The Interview (AmericaTeVe Miami, April 2, 2023)

YouTube Video This video is not hosted by the ISF. The ISF can not be held responsible for the suitability or legality of this material. By clicking the link below you agree to view content from an external website.

I AGREE

1) Cherry picking the places (see post 1,829) where the 'syndrome' has occurred, i.e. forgetting about places like Paris, Geneva, Vienna, London, Berlin, Bogota because ... well, they just don't fit his narrative that it only took place in nations that the USA considers to be adversarial.

2) Referring to his loss of long-distance vision (see post 1,829) as proof positive that he was attacked, but in the new interview adding that he had turned 50 when the alleged attack occurred, which nobody appears to have told him could be related to the loss of long-distance vision. (And he has talked to an awful lot of doctors in recent years who ought to have made him aware of the connection.)

3) And one of the oldies but goodies: that there had allegedly been no communication between members of the original group of CIA operators who came down with the 'syndrome' in Havana, which we know isn't true.

4) He claims that the imaginary weapon would be perfect for removing people from the 'battle field' in places like Havana, and yet he doesn't see in as a contradiction in terms when he immediately after claims when the 'anomalous health attacks' stopped after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, it is more or less proof positive that Russia must have been the perpetrator. It doesn't occur to his interviewers to ask him, why Putin wouldn't use this perfect imaginary weapon in Ukraine ...

5) He thinks that the fact that he got health care and a settlement as part of a HAVANA Act contribution "proved that I had a brain injury suffered in the line of duty." No, it didn't - unless you're talking about ordinary stress in the line of duty.

6) He describes Havana as a place where the Cuban government was in complete control of everything, and yet he thinks that a rogue faction of Cuban intelligence was behind the imaginary attacks.

7) He claims that "it just doesn't make any sense" that the ODNI report, on the one hand, shows that no kind of attack by any kind of foreign adversary took place, but that it, on the other hand, acknowledges that "American were hurt." He seems to be incapable of understanding that people can be hurt by other things than attacks, which goes hand in hand with his own insistence that he can only have been the victim of a "combat injury" (see post 1,659).

8) It doesn't occur to him that the treatment he has received, which is directed at improving his sleep habits, nutrition, by using exercise, deep breathing and yoga, which he acknowledges has led to to some healing for the AHI victims, it doesn't occur to him that this treatment works because it is the kind of treatment that is given to victims of stress.

9) Finally he tells us that when the ODNI report came out, the Walter Reed doctors told him: Ignore that (!), just take care of yourself.

So apparently Walter Reed wants the 'syndrome' sufferers to cling to the delusion that will continue to hurt them until they give it up.
From my most recent post:

Quote:

Quote:

Doctors can influence the mind’s effect on an illness. If they tell you your illness is common and many others find ways to function normally with it, it’s a lot easier to work toward recovery than if they say the condition is rare or unique and debilitating.

[dann]

I have mentioned Len Ber MD a couple of times, most recently in post 1,831.

It was clear that he would be upset by the ODNI report (see post 1,746) and feel vindicated by the declassified 'Expert Panel' report from September 2022, recently obtained by lawyer Mark Zaid and Salon (see post 1,845). He also isn't happy with Robert Barthomew's most recent article in Skeptic Magazine, Newly Declassified Report on ‘Havana Syndrome’ Used the Wrong Criteria! (Mar 31, 2023), but kudos for linking to the article that he criticizes.

We have already seen Len Ber describe himself as "scientifically minded" and as "a man of evidence" (see post 1,752), so it shouldn't come as a surprise that he also considers himself to be "the biggest skeptic of all":

Quote:

I love being a skeptic. I am the biggest skeptic of all. But I don’t engage in skepticism for the sake of skepticism. The latter is a religion, a belief that Occam’s Razor coupled with superfluous assessment of data merits the most reasonable explanation. It’s a mental trick, but it’s not the scientific method.
Dr. Bartholomew: "When in Doubt - Follow the Mainstream Science" (Len Ber MD on Havana Syndrome, on Substack, April 3, 2023)

I think most skeptics appreciate assessment of data when trying to find out the truth about something, which is why we don't usually complain about it being superfluous, whatever that's supposed to mean in this context. And in the case of the 'Havana Syndrome', it has been a drag that guys like David Relman have dismissed other people's analyses with the argument that they themselves had access to patient data that others, i.e. their critics or the Cubans, weren't allowed to see.
It is obvious that Len Ber first of all wants to be believed and thus hates to be contradicted and loves any kind of confirmation, which are attitudes that don't get along with skepticism.

Len Ber quotes the "Four Core Characteristics of Anomalous Health Incidents" from the declassified report - as did I in post 1,845):

Quote:

1. The acute onset of audio-vestibular sensory phenomena, including sound and/or pressure, sometimes in just one ear or one side of the head.
2. Other nearly simultaneous signs and symptoms such as vertigo, loss of balance, and ear pain.
3. A strong sense of locality or directionality.
4. The absence of known environmental or medical conditions that could have caused the reported signs and symptoms.

And Len Ber adds:

Quote:

Moreover, transient rather than sustained elevation of biomarkers called neurofilament light chain (NfL) protein, and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) is indicative of acute disruption of blood-brain barrier in a fashion similar to brain injury caused by concussion. These proteins leak from the brain into the blood, where they are detected.

Earlier on (in Nicky Woolf's podcast series), it was claimed that retinal bleeding could only be caused by concussions, which wasn't true. Wikipedia told us about several non-violent and fairly common causes (see post 1,661). So it's worth looking up what else, besides concussion, may cause disruption of the blood-brain barrier, and it turns out that many other things do:

Quote:

Vascular factors (stroke, hypertension, diabetes, etc.) and genetic factors (such as APOE4) cause defects in the vascular system leading to blood–brain barrier (BBB) impairment and oligemia (reduced cerebral blood flow), which finally correlate with dementia and neuronal degeneration.
Blood–Brain Barrier Breakdown: An Emerging Biomarker of Cognitive Impairment in Normal Aging and Dementia (Frontiers in Neuroscience/PubMed, Aug 19, 2021)

In other words, there is no need for 'immaculate concussions' to explain the phenomenon. I commented on the four core characteristics of anomalous health incidents in post 1,845, but let us take a closer look at #4, the absence of known environmental or medical conditions that could have caused the reported signs and symptoms, because it has one very obvious thing in common with mass psychogenic illness (MPI): "Qualities of MPI outbreaks often include: symptoms that have no plausible organic basis" (Wikipedia: Mass psychogenic illness: Causes)
The three other core characteristics are all explained by either hearing crickets (1 & 3) or very common, everyday symptoms "vertigo, loss of balance, and ear pain," and when dismissing mass psychogenic illness, it is worth noticing that "Dizziness or light-headedness" is #2 on the list of Mass psychogenic illness: Common symptoms (Wikipedia).

Len Ber's argument for dismissing MPI is as follows:

Quote:

Is psychogenic illness the best explanation for these core characteristics when they appear together, plus the evidence of acute blood-brain barrier disruption? They say extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. Likewise, extraordinary findings require extraordinary explanation. And these ARE extraordinary findings that taken together are “distinctly unusual”.

No, these are NOT extraordinary findings. The only thing that's extraordinary is that a whole group of people came down with this in Havana, but it has already become obvious that they came down with it because they were scared 1) by crickets and 2) by doctors telling them that they suffered from 'immaculate concussion' caused by a directed energy attack.

If Michael Hoffer is the one who convinced Len Ber that he suffers from 'immaculate concussion' as a result of having been attacked with microwaves, he should at least get his money back.

[dann]

Len Ber MD complaining to Michael Shermer:

Quote:

Conflating mechanisms and attribution is not a good look, Michael
Len Ber MD (on Twitter, April 3, 2023)

[dann]

Quote:

The docuseries based on The Sound: Mystery of Havana Syndrome podcast is moving a step closer to fruition.
XTR, the non-fiction studio behind Apple’s They Call Me Magic and Oscar-nominated Ascension, has boarded the project, which comes from Project Brazen.
Deadline revealed in January that Project Brazen, which was launched by Pulitzer finalists Tom Wright and Bradley Hope, were launching the podcast, hosted by Nicky Woolf, who hosted Audible’s Qanon podcast Finding Q.
At the time, Project Brazen was also developing it as a docuseries with PRX and XTR will now co-produce. PRX is no longer involved.
XTR Boards Project Brazen’s Havana Syndrome Docuseries (Deadline, April 3, 2023)

I guess there's a chance they'll get it right this time ...
But I don't know what to think about this: “We’re so excited to adapt Project Brazen’s incredible podcast into a genre mashup of a spy thriller, medical mystery, and horror documentary series.”
How about a tragidocuhorrorcomedy?!

[dann]

The very short version. CIA Director William Burns:

Quote:

The inteligence community across the board, you know, made public some preliminary findings. The broadest was that we don't assess that a foreign player, or the Russians or anyone else, is behind or is responsible for a sustained global campaign on the scale of what has been reported to harm U.S. personnel with a weapon or some kind of external device.
We further stated publicly several months ago that in the majority of incidents - and we've, you know, investigated each one as thoroughly as we possibly can, and we're still working on a number of them - that, you know, you could find reasonable alternative explanations, whether it was other environmental factors or preexisting medical conditions or other kinds of medical explanations.
'Havana syndrome' was made up (@KawsachunNews on YouTube - 1 min.)

There is no date, but I think it's from the autumn of 2022, i.e. after the CIA interim report on Jan 20, 2022, but before the ODNI report on Mar 1, 2023.

[dann]

Mark Lenzi's case was most recently mentioned in post 1,855. Here with more details:

Quote:

Following medical evacuation from China, Government and private physicians determined that Mr. Lenzi had suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury from external exposure.
Steptoe Reaches Settlement for Pro Bono Client in Havana Syndrome Disability Discrimination and Retaliation Case (Steptoe, Mar 29, 2023)

I wonder what the external exposure is supposed to have been in this case. Exposure to what exactly? But maybe it's not important to the case, which seems to have been about something else:

Quote:

In his lawsuit, Mr. Lenzi alleged that the State Department retaliated and discriminated against him by denying him the overseas positions for which applied. On March 20, Mr. Lenzi and his lawyers at Steptoe and Johnson LLP reached a favorable settlement with the State Department, which will permit him to resume his overseas career in the Foreign Service.

[dann]

The headline of this article already makes it clear which report it considers to be the final word on the 'syndrome' even though it is six or seven months old and was dismissed by the ODNI report last month:

Quote:

The report is in stark contrast to the conclusion of the US intelligence community, which said earlier this month the health incidents were unlikely to be the result of interference by a foreign government.
Nothing to see here. Move along, in other words.
The newly released report, however, states clearly “sources exist that could generate the required stimuli, are concealable, and have moderate power requirements.”
In all probability, Havana syndrome could very well be the result of a new diplomatic surveillance weapon, gone awry. Intentionally, or, unintentionally.
Who exactly is enabling this weapon, still remains a mystery. But we now know, it is possible. Very possible.
And five will get you 10, it involves a certain fellow in the Kremlin.
All it will take is one defection to get to the bottom of it. It’s only a matter of time.
MAKICHUK: Cuba's Communists really do cloud your head, says report (Western Standard, April 4, 2023)

Hoping for defectors to reveal the kind of 'truth' that Western Standard so desires will be in vain. Consider this quotation from post 1,732:

Quote:

Most of the cases investigated appear to have different causes, from environmental factors to undiagnosed illnesses, said the officials, who say they have not found a single explanation for most or all of the reports.
Instead, officials say, there is evidence that foreign countries were not involved. In some cases, the U.S. detected among adversarial governments confusion about the allegations and suspicions that Havana syndrome was an American plot. And investigators found “no credible evidence” that any adversary had obtained a weapon that could cause the reported symptoms or a listening device that might inadvertently injure people.
Intel agencies: No sign adversaries behind 'Havana syndrome' (Washington Post, March 1, 2023)

Those potential defectors were confused by the 'syndrome' because they didn't understand why the USA was accusing them of having a sophisticated weapon that they knew they didn't have, so they suspected it to be another WMD invented by the USA as an excuse for war. America's own spies in Russia and China would have been aware of this.

[dann]

One of the infights we have had in this thread started with the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine report (sometimes referred to as the NAS report, sometimes as the NASEM report), which I wrote about in post 726 (Dec 6, 2020), in which I wondered "how many of the committee members were directly appointed by the Trump administration and its State Department."

The NASEM report was the one that made CNN begin to talk about "documented attacks" (see post 726) even though not a single attack has ever been documented. It was also what made Wikipedia's (until then quite sensible) page about the 'syndrome' shift to claiming that it was "likely (!) caused by directed microwaves" (see post 728). In the meantime, Wikipedia's page has switched back to embracing actual science about the 'syndrome'.

The very next day (see post 733), I was chastised for "flippantly dismissing" the NAS/NASEM report because "the NAS collectively has a combination of expertise, achievement, and experience that makes what they have to say worth seriously considering."

At the time (see post 736), I warned against appeals to authority (and to false authority, in particular), not least because that same year I had witnessed how appeals to false authority in Sweden had caused thousands of premature deaths to COVID-19. And I think it is worth remembering that the tightening of the U.S. blockade against Cuba, justified by means of false U.S. 'expert' reports, contributed to killing thousands of Cubans in the summer of 2021.

In the light of this, I think it's worth looking at what the recent article in Scientific American (see post 1,760) said about the NASEM report:

Quote:

The U.S. National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) convened a panel of scientific experts in 2020 to assess AHIs comprehensively. The final panel report had at least two serious problems. First, it sidelined the arguments of scientists who considered an attack with directed energy weapons unrealistic. Second, it concluded that pulsed microwaves were the "most plausible" (readily confused with "most probable" in news accounts) explanation for the neurological symptoms, a conclusion which flew against the evidence carefully reviewed in the body of the report itself. The NASEM report discounted the reported neuroimaging findings, neuropsychological tests and most of the lab exams of U.S. diplomats used to claim existence of a new syndrome. Evidence for microwave weapons in AHI was nonexistent in the NASEM report. Some researchers who first explained a microwave effect cited in the report (who did not attend the panel) later disagreed that microwaves could explain the AHI. Furthermore, a careful and extensive review by the JASON group (a long-standing scientific advisory board to the U.S. government) had already concluded it 2018 that "directed energy sources" were an implausible cause of AHIs. This report was shelved by the U.S. State Department, the NASEM report sponsor, who did not share it with their panel, and was only made public three years later.
How 'Anomalous Health Incidents' in Cuba Sidelined Science (Scientific American, Mar 6, 2023)

By the way, when I mentioned the article in Scientific American the first time, I didn't notice who the author of this article was.
I only now realized that it is none other than Mitchell J. Valdés-Sosa, "director of the Cuban Center for Neuroscience and a member of the Cuban Academy of Sciences. He was one of the authors of the 2021 Cuban Academy of Sciences Report on anomalous health incidents."

Right on, Mitchell!

[dann]

Reading Wikipedia's page about Chapo Trap House, I get the impression that it ought to be right down my alley, but somehow it isn't:

Quote:

Chapo Trap House is an American left-wing political podcast founded in March 2016 and hosted by Will Menaker, Matt Christman and Felix Biederman with Amber A'Lee Frost as a recurring co-host. The show is produced by Chris Wade and formerly by Brendan James. The podcast is aligned with the dirtbag left, a style of contentious left-wing political discourse that eschews civility in favor of a more casual—and often vulgar—speaking style.
(...)
The Chapo hosts and producers identify with radical left-wing politics and frequently deride conservative, neoliberal, moderate, and liberal pundits.
Chapo Trap House (Wikipedia)

Unfortunately, it's neither funny nor educational. It replaces knowledge and criticism with mere disrespectful attitude much like Trump's many nicknames to his opponents. Coming up with them requires no knowledge at all, and they don't even have to be apt, just demeaning. One of the hosts reads from the WP article about the ODNI report, and the others come up with lame jokes that require no insight into what the 'Havana syndrome' actually is, politically, medically or scientifically. It is supposed to be really funny to claim that the alleged victims just came up with it to get free health care, and that it's the same thing as calling in sick when you have a hangover.

No matter how ignorant about the 'syndrome' people are, the only thing they'll learn is from the few paragraphs they hear being read aloud from WP. You could read the whole article faster than that, and the jokes are of the kind that will serve to make you more stupid if you put in the effort to persuade yourself that they are funny.

Quote:

For the full episode, subscribe at https://www.patreon.com/chapotraphouse
CLIP from Episode 711 - Bayesian Prior Movers feat. Jacob Bacharach (3/3/23)
CIA Admits Havana Syndrome Isn't Real (Chapo Trap House on YouTube, April 4, 2023 - 9:30 min.)

YouTube Video This video is not hosted by the ISF. The ISF can not be held responsible for the suitability or legality of this material. By clicking the link below you agree to view content from an external website.

I AGREE

[dann]

In Nicky Woolf's podcast series, the cases of Karen Coats and Kate Husband (see post 1,666) were used as proof that 'Havana syndrome' wasn't mass psychogenic illness but a directed energy attack.

The Norwegian Supreme Court recently dismissed a case where EHS sufferers (Wikipedia) complained about AMS/AMR readers being installed in people's houses. In case you don't know what AMR is:

Quote:

Smart and AMR meters are the new generation of energy meters which provide many benefits, including improved billing accuracy, better visibility of energy consumption and an end to manual meter reads.
Going Smart: The Future of Metering in the Energy Industry (TotalEnergies Gas & Power)

But now, Einar Flydal (Folkets Strålevern, Aug 21, 2015), who appears to be some kind of spokesperson for the Norwegian community of EHS sufferers, feels vindicated by the recently declassified report about the 'Havana Syndrome', the one from David Relman's 'expert panel' (see post 1,845):

«Havana-mysteriet»: Også USAs hemmelige tjenester går god for el-overfølsomhet (Einar Flydal, April 5, 2023)
The "Havana mystery": The US secret services also recognize electromagnetic hypersensitivity

Besides AMR meters, Einar Flydal (Wikipedia) also objects to Wi-Fi, 5G and skitten strøm, i.e. dirty electricity (Nature, Mar 24, 2010).
Trump would love this guy. He would tell us how power from windmills is particularly dirty but gets much cleaner if you wash it in bleach and hydroxychloroquine before ingestion.

[dann]

Apropos of Norwegian EHS sufferers, a podcast from Conspiracy Clearinghouse about Gangstalking, Targeted Individuals & Havana Syndrome reminded me of what is probably the most prominent Norwegian case, former prime minister Gro Harlem Brundtland:

Quote:

Let me tell you how I became electrically sensitive. In my case, it was an accident with a microwave oven. While making lunch for my husband and myself, I placed some food in the microwave oven on a plate that had blue flowers. The plate began to spark, and foolishly, I went closer to have a look. My eyes were damaged and I was blinded for one year. I still have poor eyesight. It turned out that the flowers were made of cobalt blue paint and we know not to put metal into a microwave oven. This happened only two months after I become Director-General of the World Health Organization. I had researched before putting a microwave oven in my home and had convinced myself that it would not be dangerous—which was not correct.
Gro Harlem Brundtland talks at the University of Waterloo (DR. Magda Havas, Thursday April 19, 2012 on the occasion of the Opening for the new School of Public Health and Health Systems at the University of Waterloo.)

I wonder if any of this is real. (And, as always, I don't doubt her symptoms, which I assume are real to her.) Was she actually physiologically "blinded for one year" or was it the conversion disorder that used to be called hysterical blindness, in this case triggered by the sparking plate and maybe her fear of microwaves? (Researching safety issues before buying a microwave oven.)
She will be 84 this month, so I'm not surprised that she "still" has "poor eyesight".

The 'Havana syndrome' takes up only a few minutes of the podcast, which is mainly about all things related to the current TIs and the gangstalking delusion and historical precedents. The 'syndrome' isn't mentioned until 36:00, but I found the historical cases very interesting. The idea seems to be as old as the discovery of actual invisible rays.

Quote:

Targeted individuals, who are either suffering a psychotic break, have schizophrenia, or have done something to royally piss off some very powerful people who possess technology so advanced, it borders on magic.
Paranoia, the Destroyer – Gangstalking, Targeted Individuals & Havana Syndrome (Conspiracy Clearinghouse on Apple Podcasts, July 10, 2022 - 48:30 min.)

Also on YouTube:

YouTube Video This video is not hosted by the ISF. The ISF can not be held responsible for the suitability or legality of this material. By clicking the link below you agree to view content from an external website.

I AGREE

[Roger Ramjets]

Originally Posted by dann

Also on YouTube:

YouTube Video This video is not hosted by the ISF. The ISF can not be held responsible for the suitability or legality of this material. By clicking the link below you agree to view content from an external website.

I AGREE

"Sometimes I wake up, usually, exactly one hour after falling asleep."

OMG, that happens to me all the time! Could it just be because I'm 65? Or...

[Roger Ramjets]

Originally Posted by dann

Apropos of Norwegian EHS sufferers, a podcast from Conspiracy Clearinghouse about Gangstalking, Targeted Individuals & Havana Syndrome reminded me of what is probably the most prominent Norwegian case, former prime minister Gro Harlem Brundtland:

Quote:

Let me tell you how I became electrically sensitive. In my case, it was an accident with a microwave oven. While making lunch for my husband and myself, I placed some food in the microwave oven on a plate that had blue flowers. The plate began to spark, and foolishly, I went closer to have a look. My eyes were damaged and I was blinded for one year. I still have poor eyesight. It turned out that the flowers were made of cobalt blue paint and we know not to put metal into a microwave oven. This happened only two months after I become Director-General of the World Health Organization. I had researched before putting a microwave oven in my home and had convinced myself that it would not be dangerous—which was not correct.

Well that sucks. Imagine buying a microwave oven and the instruction manual not saying anything about only using approved cookware? I hope she doesn't put plastic containers in the conventional oven...

Maybe if she watched for long enough her retinas could have been burned, though this would be a really stupid thing to do. Anyway she probably wasn't completely blinded, just suffered temporary blindness from the bright light and then attributed subsequent poor eyesight to it.

How this equates to being electrically sensitive is unclear. But this is what humans do. Where there's an effect there must be a cause, and it will be whatever 'anomaly' is noticed or imagined at the time - whether it's actually responsible or not. Sometimes this saves our bacon, other times it leads to a lifetime of avoiding things for no reason.

Once the brain latches onto a 'cause', it can be very hard to dismiss it. And it may not even be under conscious control. I used to love deep-fried oysters. One day I ate an oyster which had a bit of shell left in it. From that day on I couldn't look at one without wanting to throw up. I knew it was silly, but my stomach wasn't listening to reason.

[dann]

I think I could have done that, i.e. "placed some food in the microwave oven on a plate that had blue flowers", without considering that the "flowers were made of cobalt blue paint." I know that you shouldn't put metal in a microwave oven, but I would not have considered the relevance of paint.

As for "How this equates to being electrically sensitive," the Conspiracy Clearinghouse podcast mentions that it is not uncommon for TIs to develop EHS. It is weird that the doctors Nicky Woolf talked to let him continue to think that the EHS of Karen Coats and Kate Husband was caused by a microwave attack instead of being the next step in the paranoia that they themselves (i.e. the doctors) had instilled into them.

[dann]

Podcast with transcript, based on the Entous & Anderson's VICE series.

Quote:

This episode is built from reporting for an eight-part VICE World News podcast series by the same name.
The reporters begin by tracking down one of the first people to report Havana syndrome symptoms, a CIA officer working in Cuba. This “patient zero” explains the ways Cuban intelligence surveil and harass American spies working on the island and his own experience of suddenly being struck with a mysterious, painful condition. When he reports the illness to his bosses at the CIA, he learns that other U.S. officials on the island are experiencing the same thing.
(...)
Transcript
Reveal transcripts are produced by a third-party transcription service and may contain errors. Please be aware that the official record for Reveal’s radio stories is the audio.
Havana Syndrome (RevealNews, April 8, 2023 - 50:45)

This would be one of the more obvious errors:

Quote:

During the Cold War, Russia had spent a lot of time and energy working with Cuban officials to improve their trade craft despise, but since then, Cuban intelligence was said to become so good that they had outgrown their KGB trainers.

My guess is that it should have been: "... to improve their trade craft, their spies, but since then ..."

Still, I really appreciate even slightly flawed transcripts, and there were a couple of things that I didn't notice when I was listening to all the VICE episodes. This one's important:

Quote:

Adam Entous: Tony [= Patient Zero] is there for about two months when he experiences something new, and frankly, terrifying on December 29th, 2016.
Speaker 9: We were on a skeleton crew at the embassy as a whole because everyone had cleared off for the holidays and for New Years. And I’d come home and my pattern was to come home and then go to the gym and I would usually come home and watch a few episodes of a downloaded show or something. I’m just laying on my bed with my laptop next to me and I’m watching this show. I’m in my dress clothes, I’m in a shirt and my suit. And then, all of the dogs in the neighborhood started barking. They would bark periodically, but I’d never heard them all go off at once, and I think that struck me immediately as unusual. And then this loud sound just blasted into my bedroom. I guess my gut reaction was that it was LRAD.

We already know that it was the sound of crickets, and that he recorded it and played played it for his colleagues at the embassy on New Year's Eve (see post 1,741). From that point on, New Year's 2016-17, all U.S. embassy employees can be assumed to have been aware of the 'sonic attack'.

[dann]

Quote:

An imprint of Simon & Schuster has won the rights to publish a book about the "Havana Syndrome," a mysterious illness that has affected US diplomats and intelligence officers in various locations around the world. The book, titled "Soldier of Havana Syndrome," is written by an anonymous author who claims to have experienced the illness firsthand while working for the US government in Cuba. The author's account will provide an inside look at the events surrounding the illness and the government's response.
johnnysantiabo (on Reddit, April 10, 2023)

Quote:

A lot going on here in this coming memoir of a military intelligence official who doesn't remember his time in the Air Force and claims to have cured his Havana Syndrome through "remote viewing."
Heidi N. Moore (on Twitter, April 10, 2023)

Quote:

As he sought more information about his health, Andrews came across a file compiled for him by his late father. It contained records from a past he did not remember, including documents indicating he was removed from school for weeks every year, from the first through 12th grades. The records also contained a shocker, that he received an honorable discharge from the U.S Air Force and worked in space intelligence communications as a minor. Andrews maintains he has no memory of having served in the U.S Air Force.
(...)
Soon after connecting with the doctor, Andrews says he experienced symptoms associated with the Havana Syndrome, a phenomenon first reported by military personnel working at the U.S. Embassy in Havana, Cuba, in 2016.
Simon & Schuster Imprint Wins Bidding War For Twist-Filled Memoir By U.S. Intelligence Officer Tangled Up In Mysterious Military Program (Deadline, April 10, 2023)

The comments give me the impression that people are beginning to understand that it is nonsense.

[dann]

In post 1,808, I mentioned this article by Robert Skvarla: The U.S. is spending millions on ‘Havana Syndrome’ research – but it’s not clear if it exists (GeoPolitical Economy, Mar 17, 2023).


Since the article, he has filed this request:

Quote:

Robert Skvarla, Jr. filed this request with the Defense Intelligence Agency of the United States of America.
Submitted March 23, 2023
Due April 20, 2023

You are receiving this correspondence as a request under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. subsection 552. I am requesting the following:
All Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) records for an Anomalous Health Incident (AHI) Program, referenced in a Statement of Work (SOW) published by the DIA's Virginia Contracting Activity (VACA) on sam.gov. You can find the SOW attached in PDF format; however, I am also including a link here for your convenience:
https://sam.gov/opp/14da5e59d1274116...classification
The SOW, dated January 2023, identifies a contracting opportunity for a 26-person team to work with the DIA on the AHI Program, to include: 2 credentialed physician assistants; 2 credentialed registered nurses; 2 certified industrial hygienists; 2 credentialed psychologists; 2 credentialed epidemiologists; 2 credentialed physicians; 2 medical technicians; 2 AHI lead case managers; and 10 AHI case managers.
An earlier RFI on the same sam.gov listing is dated for October 2019 and includes a request for a smaller 10-person team to assist the Office of the Surgeon General on the AHI Program. My request includes all records generated by the DIA and VACA during preparation for or consultation on this earlier version of the program.
(...)
However, there is no consensus within the scientific community if anomalous health incidents exist;
AHI Program 3.23.23 (MuckRock)

[dann]

At first glance, this "research article" looks legit, but I found it strange for a number of reasons:
Havana Syndrome: New Recommendations and Enrollment Criteria for a Shared Study of Possible Cases (European Society of Medicine (ESMED), March 31, 2023)

One of the reasons was that I couldn't find a Wikipedia article about ESMED. As it turns out, it's probably a scam:

Quote:

European Society of Medicine (ESMED) Congresses and Events
It is not obvious what the "European Society of Medicine" is. It might be a creation of the alleged predatory publisher Knowledge Enterprises, Inc. (KEI).

BEST COMMENTS RECEIVED
Financial complaints
January 26, 2021: Seeing that COVID was going to keep the border closed ... , I wrote Dr. Osman and asked for my $849 USD back. Still asking. He asked me to present virtually and I'm not interested. Still waiting for my money.
May 10, 2021: Unfortunately I paid $271.00. I then got an email saying that the bank had cancelled my payment and asking me to repay. ... I checked with the bank. There was no cancellation of payment. Unfortunately my 271 is gone. ... I should have been smarter.
July 16, 2021: [i] contracted AMEX to dispute the registration charge. Within minutes, I got a response from AMEX: "We're writing to let you know that, as a result of our investigation, we've credited your account for $699.00, which will appear on your next statement." Clearly, AMEX is aware of the scam!
European Society of Medicine (ESMED) Congresses and Events (Flaky Academic Conferences, Nov 27, 2020)

Quote:

Similar to Research Review Requests, solicitations to submit research to the "European Society of Medicine" and/or present at its General Assembly could result in lost money or time, as reported on Flaky Academic Conferences. The site notes that "It is not obvious what the "European Society of Medicine" is. It might be a creation of the alleged predatory publisher Knowledge Enterprises, Inc. (KEI)." These kinds of solicitations have also been reported by ResearchGate and the University of Groningen.
We recommend that if you receive such a request, forward it to the Phish Bowl and then mark the email as phishing (open the message in a browser, click on the stack of three dots to the right of the REPLY button and select "Report phishing").
European Society of Medicine solicitations (Brown University, Office of Information Technology, Oct 26, 2021)

[dann]

This article doesn't mention the 'Havana syndrome' at all. It also doesn't mention mass psychogenic illness (MPI). It only popped up in a Google search because it links to two Bartholomew articles about the 'syndrome' and MPI.

Quote:

The impact of the media coverage was sudden. In the five weeks after the first news report in August 2021, the reporting rate of chest discomfort had increased by 190 percent
(...)
Research shows that knowing about the nocebo effect means you are less likely to experience it, so you’ve protected yourself from unnecessary side effects just by reading this article.
Protect yourself from side effects just by reading this article (Newsroom.co.nz, April 16, 2023)

The article is mainly about Covid vaccinations and the nocebo effect, but it should accompany every statement saying that the symptoms of 'Havana syndrome' are real even though the foreign adversaries with rayguns aren't. The 'syndrome' symptoms are real the same way self-reported myocarditis symptoms after Covid vaccinations are real.

[dann]

19 of the Strangest Unsolved Mysteries of All Times (Reader's Digest, Feb 10, 2023)
I wonder how many of the other 18 alleged mysteries are neither mysterious nor unsolved.

[dann]

Remember to sign up for the online lecture tomorrow, April 19.
I assume that it will be at a much more convenient hour of the day (apparently 1:00p.m. - 2:00p.m.) if you are closer to California than I am:

Quote:

Center for Neuropolitics Lecture Series
Date & Time Apr 20, 2023 02:00 AM in Copenhagen
Description The Havana Syndrome: A Disorder of Neuropolitics

Featured Speakers:
Robert W. Baloh, MD
Professor of Neurology (Emeritus), UCLA

In one of the most extraordinary cases in the history of science, the mating calls of insects were mistaken for a “sonic weapon” that led to a major diplomatic row. The lecture will trace the origins of the syndrome, the response of the U.S. government, the results of scientific investigations and opinions, the evolution of the syndrome over time and similar phenomena that have occurred in the past.

Robert W. Baloh, MD is Professor of Neurology and Head and Neck Surgery (Emeritus) at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Author of 14 books and more than 350 articles in peer reviewed journals, he is a pioneer in the study of the vestibular system and clinical neurotology. He has a recent book on Havana Syndrome co-authored with Robert Bartholomew, a sociologist from New Zealand. Two other recent books are: “Medically Unexplained Symptoms” and “Exercise and the Brain”.

For more information, please visit: https://sites.uci.edu/centerforneuropolitics/
The Havana Syndrome: A Disorder of Neuropolitics (UCI Center for Neuropolitics)