Looks like protesters in NY will need to bring ear plugs

[Swamp Rat]

How can these bastards get away with this? 150 decibels? This will cause permanent hearing loss to thousands, not to mention babies that will be there with their parents. If the U.S. military can call this a weapon, to be used in Iraq, can we say that they PLAN to ATTACK Americans in Manhattan?

Watch FOX News/CNN etc. call this "Show Down in Manhattan."

Who's going and who's bringing camcorders? Folks need to bring decibel measuring devices too so we can have the largest class action law suit against Bush, the GOP and their brown shirts in U.S. history. If they do it, now we have proof it was premeditated.

Authorities to turn up the volume for GOP convention _ a 150-decibel 'megaphone'
TOM HAYS, Associated Press Writer
Thursday, August 19, 2004
08-19) 12:57 PDT NEW YORK (AP) --

Forget the megaphones. Police will have a much more high-tech -- and louder -- option to make themselves heard over the din of Manhattan traffic and noisy protesters outside the Republican National Convention.

It's called the Long Range Acoustic Device, developed for the military and capable of blasting warnings, orders or anything else at an ear-splitting 150 decibels.

Authorities on Thursday unveiled a mini-arsenal of devices and counterterrorism equipment they're getting ready for the convention, which opens a week from Monday.

The sound machines are being tested at an airfield in a remote section of Brooklyn along with other devices such as hand-held radiation detectors -- for a possible "dirty bomb" -- and mechanical barriers strong enough to stop a moving vehicle in its tracks.

(snip)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/08/19/politics1557EDT0636.DTL

edited to add the pic:

[Eric J in MN]

1. How does 150 decibels compare to other noises? nt

nt

[LifeDuringWartime]

4. if memory serves

180 is around a jet taking off

[PeaceForever]

6. Close. Actually, 150 is a jet taking off.

Check out http://www.lhh.org/noise/decibel.htm

"Noise levels above 140dBA can cause damage to hearing after just one exposure. . . .

#

120 chain saw, hammer on nail
#

120 pneumatic drills, heavy machine
#

120 jet plane (at ramp)
#

120 ambulance siren
#

125 chain saw
#

130 jackhammer, power drill
#

130 air raid
#

130 percussion section at symphony
#

140 airplane taking off
#

150 jet engine taking off
#

150 artillery fire at 500 feet "

[Swamp Rat]

9. Gibson SG and a Marshall stack that goes to 11 = 150 db+

I already have hearing loss in my right ear from 150 db., ear-splitting Hendrix jams.

[LifeDuringWartime]

14. thats why i bought decent earplugs

www.etymotic.com

i find it amusing when guitarists talk of 100 watt amps...my bass amp is 830!

somebody should sell amps with a curved wattage rating, so that the volume of a 100 watt guitar amp = the volume of a 100 watt bass amp

[Swamp Rat]

22. Great earplugs!

Thanks for the link!

[chromotone]

10. Here's some more...

Decibel Levels in the Real World
140-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pain Shotgun blast; jet taking off 100 ft. away
Firecrackers; severe thunder; pneumatic jackhammer
120-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Uncomfortably Rock Music; hockey crowd
loud Concorde jet or 707 jet landing 370 ft. away
100-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Loud 707 jet taking off 1000 ft. away, gas lawn mower 3 ft. away
Diesel truck 50 ft. away; food blender or garbage disposal 3 ft. away
80-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Moderately 747 jet taking off 1000 ft. away, vacuum cleaner 10 ft. away
loud Commercial area; normal speech 3 ft. away; quiet typewriter
60-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quiet Quiet urban daytime streets, dishwasher in next room
Quiet urban nightime streets, household refrigerator
40-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Very Quiet suburban nighttime streets, library, average home
quiet Quiet rural areas or bedroom at night
20-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Just Rustling leaves, whisper
audible Threshold for acute hearing
0-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sources: FAA; Bolt, Beranek and Newman Inc.; "Industrial Noise and Hearing Conversation" by J.B. Olishifiski and E.R. Hartford

http://www.americansweeper.com/v2n1/v2n1decibels.html

[K-W]

5. From a New York magazine article

Times Square: 80 decibles
A subway train passing: 100 decibles

for a frame of reference, 150 is well past hearing damage.

[OneTwentyoNine]

7. Holy CRAP...Tornado siren is "only" about 120-125db @100 feet

If you ever been anywhere near one of those when they fire up you'll know how ear splitting loud 120 db can be.

150db could cause permanent hearing damage IMO,depending on how close you happened to be. Holy shit.....


David

[tom_paine]

2. Imperial Amerika will attack it's citizens like ANY Totalitarian Nation

You expect Amerika to behave as if it belonged to the Free World?

That's pretty funny, and pretty sad.

Expecting Amerika to act like a Free World Nation is like asking Syria to do so.

Thank God, the Trickle-Down Tyranny hasn't reached us yet, and we still live sort-of-free lives where pretending we are actually free is still possible.

[Hobarticus]

3. Welcome to the new Four-Year Reich

Using a device specifically designed as a military weapon on its citizens...

[Dover]

8. Oh for crying outloud! They just keep provoking violent responses

They'd love nothing better than to try out their new toyz on the populace. TOYZ-R-U.S.



I still say that NYC's best and most effective device would be to pull a Gandhi trick...

New Yorkers should just close up shop and abandon the area completely...all cabbies, tourist shops, delis, hotel workers, etc. should simply not go to work in that area of the city. And I certainly wish the NYPD would join in. Just leave the evilGOPers to do their own heavy lifting.

[glitch]

11. Would love that but most people can't afford to lose a week business nt

[gatorboy]

12. Those guys would love to provoke us.

They want nothing more then a fight. A group to test their new military toys on.
One freeper guy I have talked to has volunteered with the police during the convention just to get his chance to "play" with the protestors...

[Swamp Rat]

13. Yes, I've heard people talk that way.

Some people WANT to hurt others and are looking for any excuse. If I hear ANYONE say that, I'll make a note of it in case the police and their hired brown shirts actually do cause violence. I once had a musician friend (we had a band) that became a police officer. He said, "now I can legally shoot niggers." I NEVER spoke to him again.

Yes, there are Americans that want to hurt other Americans just to get their rocks off.

[LifeDuringWartime]

15. what instrument did he play?

just curious...thats pretty sickening any way you look at it

[Swamp Rat]

17. Guitar... he used to butcher Rush songs a lot.

I played bass, but I'm really a guitarist that has turned to (Brazilian) percussion in the last few years. I visited your website (what did program did you use?). I like "Max - drums, bad ideas." HAHA!! I just listened to some of your tunes... reminds me of Hawkwind in a weird way, though they were 30 years ago.

This facist ex-friend no longer plays music as far as I know. Good! I never want to cross paths with him ever again!

[LifeDuringWartime]

19. thanks for going to the site!

i used dreamweaver MX

[Dover]

18. "volunteer with the police"....I would be very surprised if that was true.

You can volunteer with the fire dept., but the police is another matter.

[gatorboy]

21. He had said that he was going to be part of an Emergency Response Unit

and from what I was able to look up, some of these groups do take volunteers but mostly they are made up of police. It's possible he's already a policeman (yikes), but he didn't go into detail.

[arbusto_baboso]

16. So, what will they do if confronted with large groups of deaf protesters?

[LifeDuringWartime]

20. probably crank it up!

but the physical sound waves would still hurt the rest of your body