Sunday, July 26, 2009
NOISE TORTURE! Assault on the Shabbat; and not only in Jerusalem...
Deafening arab music in Kiryat Arba on Shabbat; you can see how close to our homes they built their houses, ON PURPOSE ( we were here first!).
B"H
Shavuah Tov to all,
This Shabbat must have been one of the most upsetting Shabbatot I spent in memory; not because of the heat, and not because of the nine days: because of an all-out ASSAULT ON SHABBAT BY ARABS IN RAMAT-MAMRE (Givat Hacharsina ), the neighborhood of Kiryat Arba across the valley where Arabs have set up residence, building their homes closer and closer to the fence, where I live.
After a long week of hard work, Shabbat had barely descended upon our usually peaceful community; a time of great delight every week, when silence descends upon Israel; Shabbat is palpable in the air, noise stops, and we can finally breathe a little bit better, and enjoy "Oneg Shabbat".
... but not this week: barely time for Kabbalat Shabbat, and the infernal noise broadcast via loudspeaker started... and wouldn't stop until way after midnight.
Read below: this is a recurring problem during the summer: the Arabs hold very loud weddings outdoors, and they also make sure to turn on their loudspeakers full blast in our direction; they have also built their homes as close as possible to the fence, and weddings in the summer are a frequent occurrence. They usually have more than one wedding at a time, so this creates a real cacophony. For about 10 minutes a night, I don't mind a little peasant music once in a while, it is actually sort of quaint; but when they blast their loudspeakers in a most aggressive manner,specially on Shabbat, turning them on and off, louder, less loud, in an absolutely maddening way, it is not only a nuisance; it is AGGRESSION, pure and simple. Everybody knows that they do this deliberately, to make our lives impossible. Not to mention the gunshots being fired non-stop throughout the night, and the fireworks - see the report below, how a car in the Tapuach junction thought it was being shot at, and it turned out it was a 'wedding',
Yeah,'weddings'. We need to give them a little dose of "weddings" too! As I was sharing my distress with my neighbors, who were equally upset, and mentioned how it ruined their HEALTH even; and after trying without success to have a message conveyed to the local police - don't forget, it was Shabbat, so we were unable to CALL and complain, so messages had to be relayed as best we could - I finally walked over to the home of a local policeman I don't know, knocked at his door, and told his wife ( he wasn't home, being on duty that night), who is also a Shabbat observant person , that unless the police starts acting against this, I would make sure that 150 cars blare their loudspeakers on a Friday , THEIR rest day, next to their homes, starting at 6:00 AM, and going non-stop all day long, until they get the message, and beg us to stop.
And then this morning, about 8:30, heavy machinery, which is NEVER heard , was started , coming from them, again, and would not stop until the evening.
Shabbat was just maddening, and NOT RESTFUL AT ALL. I am still shaking from it all. This is real psychological - and physical- abuse; read below how noise was used against the Branch Davidians in Texas to GET THEM TO LEAVE THEIR COMPOUND. Noise is also listed as a form of torture, secretly used so as not to leave a trace. This is an abuse that cannot be allowed to continue; TIME TO USE THE CORRECT TERMINOLOGY: it has to be called by its right name; not weddings, not noisy neighbors: VIOLATION OF OUR HUMAN RIGHTS, AGGRESSION, ABUSE, HATE CRIME, EVEN TORTURE OF THE JEWS , SPECIALLY ON OUR REST DAY.
Surprisingly, somebody in the North had a similar idea on how to tackle the same problem- read below.
. And knowing the CLOSE RELATIONSHIP between Arabs, the AMERICANS, the PTB, and our government, knowing that the defense establishment routinely USES ARABS TO HURT US, I would not be surprised that this is one more weapon of the PTB to try to get us out of here. The police is not moving a finger against them, and the ABUSE CONTINUES.
IT IS A WHOLESALE ATTACK ON THE SHABBAT - NO DIFFERENT FROM THE ATTACK ON THE SHABBAT IN JERUSALEM, THAT RESULTS IN RIOTS ALMOST EVERY WEEK.
(Ynet)Beethoven to the rescue Officials at a northern Israel community found an original way to protest the unbearable noises coming from weddings in a nearby Arab village: "Bombarding" their Arab neighbors with classical music. If you happened to be in the Kfar Vradim area Thursday night you would have been able to enjoy Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Mozart's Requiem and Puccini's opera Tosca. The pieces were played at high volume in Kfar Vradim and were heard miles away. Kfar Vradim (Photo: Elad Gershgoren) Kfar Vradim's musical reaction followed numerous failed attempts to engage in dialogue with Tarshiha residents. Finally, a decision was made to set up powerful loud speakers playing classical music for several hours. A source affiliated with the council head explained why local official chose the unusual response: "We just felt we had no other choice; all of our attempts to explain that the loud music is undermining our quality of life have failed. But we have yet to despair; this week the council head scheduled a meeting with the village's dignitaries. He intends to explain to them again what his representatives have tried to explain in previous meetings: That residents of Kfar Vradim respect their neighbors' right to celebrate." "It wasn't necessarily a one-time event, but we won't necessarily do it again. Everything will depend on developments. We are taking a series of actions, including purchasing a seismograph in order to render matters clear and not up for discussion or interpretation," he said. "It's a long process which we hope to conclude successfully. However, if we are forced to play the music again we shall put the speakers closer to the neighbors' houses."
Northern residents upset at loud Arab music from nearby village respond with classical tunes
DISCUSSION:
NOISE AS INSTRUMENT OF TORTURE AND NOISE AS A WEAPON:
In a message dated 97-05-16 15:02:35 EDT, Ray Hattingh wrote:
<< Some years ago I came across the following, "About 2000 years ago the
Chinese discovered that noise can be used for torture. Criminals were
subjected to the constant ringing of bells which first drove them crazy and
then killed them." >>
I have recently been invited to have a personal discussion with
the local police chief in order to talk about noise problems.
I have heard about noise torture. Does anyone have any references
to hard copy sources about this? I would like to find an authoritative
reference I could photocopy and hand to the police chief.
....
Did anyone else happen to hear this?
-- Michael Wright
I don't have any literature on noise torture. However, I do recall that
when I was a member of Amnesty International I used to read in their
newsletter about something used in Latin America called "ablandamiento", if
my Spanish is correct, or "softening up". The prisoner would be bound and
blindfolded and have a set of headphones put on him, which would play noise
continuously for 24 hours or more.
One thinks too of the use of loud music to drive people out of strongholds
or sanctuaries, e.g. Noriega in Panama, and the Branch Davidians in Texas.
Peter Donnelly
Right to Quiet Society
http://www.islandnet.com/~skookum/quiet/
NOISE AS INSTRUMENT OF TORTURE:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torture
carried on in silence (official denial), semi-silence (known but not spoken about), or openly acknowledged in public (in order to instill fear and obedience).
In the 21st century, even when states sanction their interrogation methods, torturers often work outside the law. For this reason, some prefer methods that, while unpleasant, leave victims alive and unmarked. A victim with no visible damage may lack credibility when telling tales of torture, whereas a person missing fingernails or eyes can easily prove claims of torture. Mental torture, however can leave scars just as deep and long-lasting as physical torture.[68] Professional torturers in some countries have used techniques such as electrical shock, asphyxiation, heat, cold, noise, and sleep deprivation which leave little evidence, although in other contexts torture frequently results in horrific mutilation or death. However the most common and prevalent form of torture worldwide in both developed and under-developed countries is beating.[citation needed]
OTHER, IMPORTANT HEALTH DANGERS:
Hearing loss is bad as it is. But if you do not protect your hearing in music clubs, movie theaters or while working in the garden, you can contract tinnitus. Tinnitus that is induced by loud noise exposure is characterized as a constant sound that is only audible by yourself but not to anybody else.
Most reports fail to mention Tinnitus although it can become chronic, even the first time it occurs. And it can occur at any age. Contracting tinnitus is a life changing event for most people that are affected by it. There is no cure, only treatments that might or might not help improve the condition.
Nighttime Noise and Blood Pressure
The din of airplanes landing, motorcycles roaring or a bedmate snoring can make for patchy sleep and strained nerves. But even when you manage to slumber through a rackety night, your body still registers the noise by raising blood pressure, according to a small new study.
Volunteers living near four major European airports with night flights — in Athens, Milan, Stockholm and London — took part in the study published this week in the European Heart Journal. Study participants were outfitted with ambulatory blood pressure monitors, which were programmed to take readings at 15-min. intervals throughout the night. The volunteers' bedrooms were also equipped with an MP3 recorder and a noise-meter, which recorded all ambient noise, its timing and its volume. Researchers considered a "noise event" to have occurred if any sound, from road traffic, aircraft or a partner's snoring, exceeded 35 decibels (dB) — not a very high threshold, considering that a quiet whisper from 3 ft. away measures about 30 dB and the hum of a refrigerator logs about 40 dB. Noise levels recorded in volunteers' bedrooms fluctuated between about 30 dB or 40 dB to about 80 dB or 90 dB, roughly the volume of a food blender.
Researchers found that people's blood pressure rose reliably in response to a noise event, even when it wasn't loud enough to wake them. The response was consistent across all sources of sound, whether from the runway or the other side of the bed. Airplane noise, for example, caused an average 6.2 mmHg increase in systolic blood pressure (the pressure of blood in the artery when the heart contracts — i.e., the larger, top number) and a 7.4 mmHg increase in diastolic pressure (when the heart relaxes between beats). A snoring partner and road traffic had similar impact. And the effect was dose dependent: The louder the noise, the higher the jump in blood pressure. For every additional 5 dB in volume of aircraft noise, systolic and diastolic blood pressure rose another 0.65 mmHg each. "It's a small increase in the blood pressure, obviously, but it is significant," says co-author Dr. Lars Jarup, who specializes in environmental and occupational medicine at Imperial College London.
The new report was a corollary of a much larger study conducted by the same research group, examining the relationship between hypertension and nighttime exposure to noise near airports or daily exposure to road traffic noise. That study, which appeared online in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives last December, involved 4,861 participants, aged 45 to 70, who had lived at least five years near a major European airport. Researchers found that nighttime airport noise was linked to a significant increase in risk for hypertension; every 10 dB increase in exposure led to a corresponding 14% rise in high blood pressure risk. In addition, the study found, daily exposure to road traffic noise (at average levels above 65 dB) led to a more than 50% increased risk of hypertension — but, curiously, only among men, not women.
The new study, which included 140 middle-aged volunteers with normal blood pressure, was designed to take a closer look at the link between noise and hypertension risk — a relationship that researchers still don't fully understand. "It seems plausible that if you have a lot of these transient [blood pressure] changes during the night — if you live around the airport for many years, for example — that in the end you might get some long-term effects on your blood pressure," says Jarup, "but we don't really know." Why the body responds to nighttime noise is also somewhat mysterious. While the research in humans is new, previous lab experiments in animals have shown that they register blood pressure blips in response to noise, even during sleep or sedation. "That was the same here," says Jarup of the current study, suggesting that the human body's response may be similarly automatic. "It's not that you're annoyed and that's why your blood pressure goes up. It's something that's in the brain, and we really don't know what the mechanism is.... It could well be some kind of stress reaction, which is recorded subconsciously."
Hypertension — defined as having systolic blood pressure of 140 mmHg or diastolic pressure 90 mmHg, or higher — is known to increase risk of stroke and heart attack. Risk factors like nighttime noise are perhaps less decisive than other changeable variables like weight, exercise and alcohol intake. But, in general, says Jarup, "I would say that the main point is to reduce your risk factors — the fewer the better."
Activity | Noise Level [dB(A)] | Apparent Loudness | Typical Physical Response | new :
|
| Rocket launching | 180 | Danger level | ||
| Threshold of pain | 140 | Danger level | ||
| Military jet | 130 | 512 times as loud | Limited ability to hear amplified speech. Can damage hearing after 3.75 minutes exposure per day | |
| Car horn Propeller aircraft Air-raid siren | 120 | 256 times as loud | Can damage hearing after 7.5 minutes exposure per day | |
| Sand-blasting | 110 | Over 128 times as loud!! | Maximum vocal effort. Can damage hearing after 30 minutes exposure per day | |
| Amplified Rock Music | 110-130 | Over 128 to 512 times as loud!! | Can damage hearing after 3.75 – 30 minutes exposure per day | |
| Helicopter Motorised/power mower | 105 | Can damage hearing after 1 hour exposure per day | ||
| Jet takeoff @ 500m | 100 | 64 times as loud | Can damage hearing after 2 hours exposure per day |
LEGAL ASPECTS:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loud_music
Criminal
Many jurisdictions have laws defining loud music as a criminal offense, typically a misdemeanor. The exact definition of what constitutes a loud music violation varies by location, either at a certain volume (measured in decibels) or the distance from the source at which the music can be heard. The time of day is also often a factor in the law, with the restrictions in some places applying only to specified nighttime hours (e.g. 11 PM-7 AM). The amount of effort put forth by law enforcement members in dealing with loud music also varies by location.
The most common punishment for a conviction is a fine or some other small sanction. But on rare occasions, loud music may be grounds for imprisonment. In May 2008, a United Kingdom woman was sentenced to 90 days in jail for violating a court order not to play music that disturbed her neighbors eleven times.[1]
Police have also at times discovered other crimes, such as illegal drug usage, when investigating loud music complaints.[2]
Civil
In many settings, loud music is not tolerated by property owners, and may be grounds for certain civil actions, such as eviction from rented property.
A SOLUTION FROM A RADIO EXPERT:
This part of the article will be available to select readers only, upon proper identification and proof of need, such as being a Shabbat observer and being targeted by noise aggression.
CONCLUSION:
IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE MOATZA TO MAKE SURE THAT THE POPULATION IS NOT EXPOSED TO CHRONIC HEALTH DANGERS.
IN THIS CASE, NOISE ABUSE, NOISE AGGRESSION AT ALL TIMES OF THE DAY OR NIGHT ARE THE HEALTH DANGER MENTIONED, BOTH PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL,
IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE POLICE TO STOP CHRONIC OFFENDERS.
HEALTH CONSEQUENCES WHICH OCCUR BECAUSE OF NEGLIGENCE ON THE PART OF THE POLICE AND THE MOATZA WILL BE DEALT WITH IN THE COURT SYSTEM.
TO AVOID A LAWSUIT, THE MOATZA AND THE POLICE NEED TO TAKE ACTION IMMEDIATELY.
EVERY DAY THAT PASSES INCREASES THE DANGER TO THE POPULATION, IN PARTICULAR TO OLDER PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN AREAS TARGETED BY THE ARABS' LOUDSPEAKERS.
BESIDES LEGAL REMEDIES, ONE POSSIBLE REMEDY IS LISTED ABOVE.
ALSO TO BE NOTED IS THE CURRENT USE OF JACKHAMMERS ON A CONTINUOUS BASIS, FROM EARLY MORNING UNTIL LATE HOURS OF THE DAY, BY THE SAME ENEMY ENTITIES , IN THE PROCESS OF BUILDING A HOUSE, THE LEGALITY OF WHICH IS CERTAINLY IN QUESTION. IT IS ASKED OF THE MUNICIPALITY TO DO ITS UTMOST TO CONVINCE THE POLICE TO REDUCE THAT ASPECT OF THE NOISE LEVEL AS WELL.
THE NOISE LEVEL THAT HAS TO BE REMOVED EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY IS THE UNCONSCIONABLE AND INTOLERABLE NOISE LEVEL PERPETRATED UNDER THE EXCUSE OF WEDDINGS.
JEWS HAVE WEDDINGS TOO, BUT WE DON'T ENDANGER OUR NEIGHBORS' HEALTH IN THE PROCESS.
IT IS THE OBLIGATION OF THE AUTHORITIES TO MAKE SURE THAT ARABS DON'T ENDANGER OUR HEALTH BECAUSE OF THEIR WEDDINGS.
IT IS ALSO IMPERATIVE THAT SHABBAT LOUD MUSIC BE BANNED EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY: AFTER A WHOLE WEEK OF WORK, JEWS ARE ENTITLED TO THEIR NEEDED REST, WHETHER RELIGIOUS OR SECULAR; THIS INCESSANT CACOPHONY MAKES REST ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE.
THE CHOICE OF THE CONSEQUENCES IS IN YOUR HANDS, IF YOU NEGLECT TO HANDLE THIS, BE PREPARED TO SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES.
DAISY J. STERN, MD
KIRYAT ARBA
Somebody from Efrat comments;
Daisy,
Over here it started mamash the night of Rosh Chodesh Av, with hours and hours
of explosions and gunfire and fireworks and music blasting from all the Arab villages
from the hills surrounding us, in every direction. The fireworks seem like a cover for
machine gun training, as though they're having a wedding celebration. This happens
often enough, but since the Nine Days began, it's been crazy and out of control.
Better since Shabbat--maybe they tired out. It was almost as though they sent a
message stating that they understood the meaning of this time for us, and they were
mocking us, and flaunting their ascent, and our helplessness vis a vis Obama and
world pressure, and our own government's betrayal. Don't forget, major demolitions
of outposts and expulsions were slated at the time. In fact, the noise may have
subsided when it became clear that the expulsions were postponed. These were
my musings throughout the intense Arab noise campaign that we endured.
nik says:
yeah they should definitely do this back to them on Fridays... but what really should occur is a few guys should go over there and destroy their sound system... this is what the Israelis of old would have done... funny but they didn't have these problems back then to begin with... we have become so pacified they no longer fear us... this is the real problem and until we revert back to the jews of old we will have no peace in our land... not shabat... not ever... nik. out...
bill:
The Talmud states that it is impossible to live together with snakes.
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