US planned nerve gas tests on Aussies

From news.com.au:

• US wanted nerve gas tests done on Australians
• Request caused consternation in PM's office
• 200 troops would have been sprayed with chemicals

IT'S been revealed that the US military planned to test deadly nerve gas on Australian soldiers in far north Queensland during the Cold War.

Newly declassified Defence and Prime Minister's office files show that the US was strongly pushing then prime minister Harold Holt's government in the 1960s to allow tests of two of the deadliest chemical weapons ever developed - VX and GB, better known as Sarin nerve gas.

The revelation will air this morning on the Nine Network's Sunday program.

It says the top secret plan involved allowing 200 mainly Australian combat troops to be aerially bombed and sprayed with the chemical weapons.

It's understood the Iron Range rainforest near Lockhart River in far north Queensland was the likely location for the tests.

Peter Bailey, a former senior official with Mr Holt, tells the program the request caused consternation in Canberra, and as far as he knows the tests never went ahead.

But he says planning was very advanced in the US, which wanted the operation to be kept secret because the weapons were illegal under international law.

Harold Holt disappeared while swimming in the 60s. The big rumour was that a Chinese submarine came and took him (not terribly likely). On those some lines, maybe it was the CIA!

And the US authorities at the time probably thought that the Australian Government would go for this, as in the past (same party in power) they were convinced by the British to have nuclear tests on our own soil! Never mind that at the Maralinga test local Aboriginals weren't either advised or moved, but left to die (they cleaned up the bodies later).

That upsets me greatly, and these plans, likewise.

Dreams

I've been remembering my dreams more lately. In the last week I've had the following dreams:

• A repeat of a 20 year old dream where I find a "persona" hidden in a chest.
• A post apocalypse scenario that took place in an area that seemed a mix of "Dream Perth" and Second Life, which flowed into a cartoon/comic contest in which the dream was all in line art.
• A tiny fragment which I remember directly inspired by a web comic about Second Life.
• A dream where I'm driving around in a combi van as a "mobile accountant" and general trouble shooter, notable for the fact that Ebony turns up in the van!
• A two part epic. In the first part detectives are driving around to refineries and factories trying to determine how the villain was poisoned, which morphs into a vampire sage; followed by a dream of post cards in which the current but one Doctor makes an predicted appearance.

Odd but cool. I like remembering my dreams.

At the Bus Stop

Funny think happened at the bus stop in Jesmond on Friday - this guy comes up and starts talking to me about pregnant men!

I thought initially that he'd "read" me as trans, but later he asked if I'd had any children and accepted my (little white lie) of having miscarriages. He seemed a little drunk and raved on about different forms of "atomic medicine" and House. When I left on the bus he said goodbye and kissed my hand!

Very odd.

Restored (again?)

From the Metropolis Wikipedia Page:

On July 1, 2008, Berlin film experts announced that a 16mm reduction negative of the original cut of the film, which runs over 210 minutes in length, had been discovered in the archives of the film museum Museo del Cine in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The find has been authenticated by film experts working for ZEITmagazin. The print is badly scratched and will require considerable restoration before it is viewable. British Broadcasting Corporation's teletext service reported on July 4-5, 2008 that the only copy of the film had now received its first viewing.

Apparently the film will be released by Kino. I had a look at their page for it, and the description reads (in part):

Now, restored in Germany with state-of-the-art digital technology, under the supervision of the Murnau Foundation, and with the original 1927 orchestral score by Gottfried Huppertz added, Metropolis can be appreciated in its full glory. It is, as A. O. Scott of The New York Times declared, "A fever dream of the future. At last we have the movie every would-be cinematic visionary has been trying to make since 1927." (my emphasis) 

This may be referring to their 2001 restoration though, and new footage may have to be inserted still. Having seen at least two previous "restored" versions (and yes, I liked Moroder's version except it's score) I'll wait and see.

The version I have on my shelf was bought for $2 at Go-Lo, and there's no telling which version it is.

Dr Who Tonight (no spoilers)

Partners in Crime - you bewdy!

And, they're showing Dr Who Confidential now as well.

Jenn's status

I visited Jenny on Friday.

Went to the nursing home only to find that the old section of it was now vacant and that she (and everybody else) had been moved into the brand new section. Jenn was still pretty grumpy and upset, but was looking healthier than before, and less distressed. I visited for just over two hours and even fed her lunch.

She is still upset with her situation, and with her mother, but that was the case before she went in to the nursing home. Her mother and step-father stripped the flat and either disposed or stored the stuff from it. I had conflicting reports about the circumstances around that and what Jenn told me did not appear to be the whole truth. I might be getting a student chair and DVD burner back that was on permanent loan but I doubt it. Her mother sold her Fridge and Washing machine to her aunty for a fifth of the price Jenny paid for them.

On the bright side, she did manage to get her own room with en suite, and they are going to install a flat screen TV and DVD player on the wall. Jenny prised her DVD collection highly, and I always enjoyed watching videos with her, so in a way this will restore that possibility. She may also get her own electric wheelchair soon. Probably won't get a pc and net connection as she seems to have much less use of her left arm, which was the only one still functioning (what use the net if you can use a keyboard or mouse?).

I'll visit her gain sometime this week. I've missed her.