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The life and times of ToddleFly
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| Notes on MKULTRA |
[Mar. 9th, 2009|12:37 am] |
So I'm now looking at making my film about Project MKULTRA, the secret CIA überproject that dealt with all things to do with the mind: mind-control, truth serums, chemical warfare, Manchurian candidates and so on. What follows are some notes to do with it and related things that I've been reading about:
- Mind control was looked into using "chemical, biological and radiological means".
- In many cases the subjects were unconsenting.
- Operation Midnight Climax: the CIA sets up fronts of brothels, hires prostitutes to lure unsuspecting citizens in and drug them, then studies their reactions. Pictures of women being whipped or tortured were on the walls.
- These, along with mental patients and prisoners, were chosen to be subjects due to their relative lack of credibility if they chose to talk.
- Those who DID volunteer tended to get the most extreme experiments, including one person who was subjected to 77 straight days of constant LSD intake.
- US Army biochemist Frank Olson threw himself out of a tenth-story window after having a major psychotic episode. He had been slipped a drugged drink (presumably by a colleague, as this kind of thing seemed to happen reasonably frequently for testing purposes before they decided to test on random civilians).
- LSD was being weaponised for use on the battlefield (to make the enemy more docile). Program director Sidney Gottlieb was ordering it in "tonnage quantities" for practical application.
- One interrogation experiment involved IV drips of barbiturates and amphetamines; the barbiturates would be fed in until the subject started to fall asleep, at which point the amphetamines would start, prompting incoherent babbling.
- "Perfect Concussion" used ultra-low frequency soundwaves to attempt to erase memory.
- Project Artichoke: explored hypnosis, and also forced addiction to and withdrawal from morphine, to produce amnesia and other vulnerable mental states...to be used as an offensive program to get people to do their bidding.
- Operation Paperclip: a program to recruit former Nazi scientists and spies (particularly experts on torture and brainwashing) for employment in this project (among others), including some who had been marked as war criminals.
- The whole thing started soon after the Nuremberg medical trials impressed upon the world the illegality of experimentation upon unknowing human subjects.
- Jonestown has been considered a possible testing site for MKULTRA.
- Sidney Gottlieb, head of the project, also hatched many schemes to assassinate Castro, including a poisoned wetsuit and an exploding conch shell.
- Gottlieb was also known to have funded research into paranormal phenomena such as remote viewing and ESP.
- He also had a club foot, but that didn't prevent him from indulging in his lifetime hobby of folk dancing.
- Dr Ewen Cameron, notorious for unconsenting ECT/drugs/lobotomy experiments, was funded and sponsored by the project, including for his "psychic driving" experiments, involving drugged and shocked patients being played tapes sixteen hours a day in an effort to dictate their "new personalities".
- Major General William Creasy, chief officer of the Army Chemical Corps, strongly advocated use of acid and other chemicals being put in water supplies as a "humane" alternative to bombs in terms of essentially nullifying a population's threat to the US.
- He was also reportedly very disappointed that the US government prohibited large-scale testing of such concepts on the American public. "It was denied on reasons that always seemed a little absurd to me."
- Ken Kesey was a subject of MKULTRA, which allegedly led directly to his promotion of LSD and his role in the birth of the hippie culture.
There are quite a few cool character/story ideas here. I don't really know where to start. I'm quite keen to centre a film around Gottlieb and/or Creasy, since they seem to be quite interesting characters potentially...and the Midnight Climax concept seems appropriately bizarre and inhumane. I don't know. Brainstorm, rarrr. |
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| Updatotron |
[Oct. 29th, 2008|02:02 am] |
Ah, LiveJournal. It's been a while.
You might well ask what I've been up to all these weeks (or is it months now?). Well, I'll tell you - in order of how much weight I give them at this particular moment in history:
1. Nearing three months with Lucy, which is (rather unimpressively, but nonetheless still awesomely) a record for both of us. We're both just ludicrously happy with each other, and all is well. Went away for a couple days last week (to Le Bons Bay out past Akaroa), which was very nice. And yeah, it's just great. I don't know how we're gonna handle her going away for 10 weeks next month. And apologies for all those who I have spurned of late in favour of hangin' with m'girl. Dave, for example, has just had to come to accept that he is just no longer the prettiest person in my life.
2. I made a film. Enjoy (many have).
3. I designed the audio-visual components to the Court's production of KISS OF THE SPIDERWOMAN, now playing in Court One. This meant that a) I got paid film work (w00t!); b) I got my picture on the wall of fame and a page in the programme (w00t!); and c) I will be working on at least three shows next year (double w00t!). Got into a good relationship with a buncha people around the Court, and even shot an audition video for the director Geraldine Brophy, which landed her a role in Sam Raimi's new TV series LEGEND OF THE SEEKER (based on Terry Goodkind's SWORD OF TRUTH series, of which I was a fan as a kid).
4. I performed in (and sort of co-produced) 3some (performing in Dave's play). It was a good 3some, with some cool scripts and cool performances, and reasonably well-attended.
5. I stepped down as Dramasoc president, succeeded by the very capable Emma Cusdin. We're planning stuff for next year, and looking for Orientation proposals currently (to be followed up by a Term One 3some).
6. I won the Madcap for Best Actor (for the Iago thing). Hells yeah (though the Madcaps were a total fiasco this year).
7. Have gotten thoroughly sick of the Science Play - partially due to the incompetent douchebag who was in the last run of it, partially just because I've done dozens of shows of the damn things and it's kinda losing its touch. However, I will still be doing it next month - I'll have to make money somehow.
8. Enrolled for summer school...doing a scriptwriting course. Yeah.
9. I have pretty much decided I'll be voting Green this election. Got a problem with that? I don't give a shit.
10. I have been, as a result of all these things, very tired a lot. I currently am in this state. So I shall...sleep. |
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| A few things |
[Aug. 4th, 2008|10:58 pm] |
Firstly: all this talk about THE DARK KNIGHT surpassing TITANIC's 600m+ domestic box office take. Ain't gonna happen. And you know why? I'll goddamn tell you why. TITANIC spent 15 weeks at the #1 spot in the box office. That sort of thing just doesn't happen nowadays (hell, it didn't even happen THEN). Its weekend grosses spent a few weeks actually going UP from week to week. THE DARK KNIGHT has behaved exactly as other blockbusters do (big opening weekend, progressively smaller subsequent weekends), albeit at a larger scale. It was only half a million or so ahead of friggin MUMMY 3 this past weekend. I'd say it'll taper off around $500m or so. It'll take out the #2 spot, but no way in hell will it top TITANIC. That said, I could be totally wrong. But it's just the fact that TITANIC made its money in a totally different way to any other film that makes me doubt the possibility of anything beating it until inflation catches up.
Secondly: have seen the following at film fest thus far - one-word reviews attached:
PERSEPOLIS - great
TO EACH HIS OWN CINEMA - mixed
NO END IN SIGHT - bleak
MAN ON WIRE - superb
THE COUNTERFEITERS - overrated
IN BRUGES - annoying
VEXILLE - gorgeous
CJ7 - charming
Tomorrow I go to RAIN OF THE CHILDREN and STRANDED; Wednesday sees me going to my first 5-film day with O'HORTEN, FROZEN RIVER, BIGGER STRONGER FASTER, PLANET B-BOY and BEN X. Ugh/awesome.
Thirdly: things are tentatively progressing on the ante-Othello anti-fallout front. I certainly hope they do - could potentially be very cool. |
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| (no subject) |
[Aug. 3rd, 2008|08:54 am] |
Othello's over.
It was a great show. Lots of fun, cool cast, fun times all round. I even managed to squeeze in a Marvel gag for final night ("Can he be angry? Thou wouldst not like him when he's angry...").
And despite only being part of the afterparty for some of it, it was the best afterparty I've yet attended. There was no Aristocrats, no Denny's mission, and no laundry cram for Andrew, but frankly I couldn't give less of a shit. Yep. |
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| It's going to need its feet |
[Aug. 19th, 2006|11:18 pm] |
Withnail & I r00lz.
I found out that I'm like two years older than the other people who work with me at the videoe shoppe today (apart from The Boss, who's considerably older than I). It was kind of depressing, until I realised that I get paid significantly more than they do. One person I called up for overdues answered with "Howdy-doody" - I shit you not. Really chipper and stuff. The unusual thing about doing repetitive telephony like that is that since you get into such a routine with what you say, you tend to either put on different personalities with each call or (in this case) emulate the person on the other end, hang up, and realise you sounded like a Complete Arse. |
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| Awwww maaannn... |
[Aug. 14th, 2006|09:59 am] |
Now I gotta get on my bike to bike to Rolleston to bus to Hornby to bus to town to get to Denny's for a script meeting for Hamish's new movie. And it's raining!
What's more, Ruboil is making this move all the more difficult to make with her emphatic claw + meow combo usage. She wants me to stay at home so I can keep her warm...the selfish brown furry thing. Unfortunately, I'd rather do that than go "out there".
Argh! |
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| Delete! Delete! |
[Aug. 10th, 2006|08:42 pm] |
Well, I'm back home now after spending most of 3 months living with Will (in my heart every day). So I say goodbye to freedom of movement (although I can always bike to Lincoln and bus to town, but I still can't stay out nights) and hello to Mum's nervous breakdowns, Gran's annoyingness and Katie's...well, she's not too bad. Unfortunately, it's also the time when I'm going to need somewhere to stay that's not at home, what with rehearsals lasting til 10pm, there being no buses then, and Mum really not wanting to pick me up all the time. So - bollocks. If the Senior Crofts had stayed just a couple more weeks in Britain/Europe, all would be well. But I'll have to make do somehow. I've got three weeks of holidays coming up (finishing, wouldn't you know it, RIGHT when Writer's Quest goes to stage) so I'll get some bloody driving lessons. At last.
Anyway, being at home tonight meant that rather than going to the Treehouse to sing and cavort, I got to watch Doctor Who, which was FANTASTIC. Probably the best so far this series. The Cybermen return, and in a very satirical, socially-commenting way at that. Looking at surveillance through technology, corporate control and so on. They've been developing Mickey's character nicely as well - good to see such a supporting role be given some decent time. The Cybermen are scary. Tennant is better this week than he has been recently. Yeah, generally pretty great stuff, and an evil as hell cliffhanger for next week.
Got email news from Kirsty that further confused the issue...I'm just taking it to mean that I can come to the next few workshops, then take a term off or however long, and come back when asked. We get comps to Scriptless until then though, which is pretty damn cool. It means we can stay in touch (which is the point). At any rate, I'm gonna continue doing stand-up if they let me, and whatever else I can do in the meantime. |
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| Full Circle |
[Jul. 30th, 2006|02:55 pm] |
I've totally come around in my opinion about Scriptless the other night. I had an awesome time of it - even the more smutty scenes. Yesterday was a knee-jerk reaction thing, I guess, just like after every show I do. So, yeah - it was a good night that I enjoyed, particularly doing two shows in a row, where you get that pleasantly exhausted feeling at the end. I honestly can't think of a better way to end (?) my tenure there than to sing in a big chorus, sans shirt:
Boys and girls, learning together
Co-educational, now and forever
Or something like that.
On an unrelated note, ( there's something uniquely pleasant about biking home from work and seeing this sort of thing going on when you arrive. ) |
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| Bullets with butterfly wings |
[Jul. 29th, 2006|11:44 pm] |
• Post-EELS drinkies were good; nice chance to just chat about the show and stuff in general in a relaxed environment. EELS was a great success, and I'm proud to have been a part of it.
• Sam Raimi has optioned Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series for production, to start work after Spidey 3 is finished.
• Video store psycho story for the week: Hostel + American XXX combination rental. Scary scary.
• Doctor Who was incredibly incredibly good this week. The best of the season so far, and better than at least half the previous one as well. I mean it had K-9 and Sarah Jane in it! But yeah, good chills and humour and everything.
• I still want to be Dr. Sanchez.
• I downloaded trailers to the three docos I'm seeing at the film festival (Road to Guantanamo, Who Killed the Electric Car, and An Inconvenient Truth). All three look very good, and I cannot frickin' wait for the festival to start. Also got a trailer for Brothers of the Head, based on the same book that I adapted for the stage (and almost got onto stage).
• I'm trying to make a "best of the Hairy Nobs" compilation, but it's really hard to balance having the *best* songs with having the funniest or geekiest songs as well, since most of the *best* songs came from "What We Make For Ourselves". Ah, whatever.
• Almost worked out a proper stand-up set. If I can get it finished rather than fucking around, it'll have a distinct theme of death and cadavers and stuff.
• Snow Crash is a great book. |
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| The Night Mare rides on |
[Jul. 26th, 2006|11:41 pm] |
More Loopen rehearsal tonight. We had to do the ole "1 to 10" emotional scale thing, but with different reactions, e.g. laughing, praying, dancing, cleaning, confessing love, vomiting, etc. I was landed with "flirting" at one point. Which is difficult, considering I don't really flirt, ever - at least, not consciously. It was kind of like the "10 grief -> 5 love" one last night at workshop. I've sort of had experience in grief, but it's hard to ramp that sort of thing up past your experienced levels without making it look hammy (which it ended up doing). As for doing "love", it's kinda hard to play if you've never, you know, *been* in love. At least with grief I had some emotional memory to draw on (yes! technical nerdy-terms!). The ironic thing was that I started doing the love thing and she was like, "I don't believe you!", then I pretended *differently* and she went "ah! yes. that's it". Ham.
Went to a student protest today. It ended with a triumphant, but anticlimactic speech from the USCA president basically saying "Yes! They agreed to all of our demands!" but neglecting to admit that the demands were pretty weak and that the fees will be increased anyway - they just won't be announced til later. Ah. Good atmosphere though, with passable live music and FREE SAUSAGES, plus some good and many crap signs made by students. Sausages.
Will was most excited because apparently, Mashies have returned to KFC. I have never had mashies ever so I don't really understand his lunatic levels of excitement. Supposedly they have "a new coating" as well. How wonderful that we live lives in which we can be excited by the coating on a fast-food outlet's processed potato food product. Otherwise we would be permanently morose. And everyone abhors moroseness. |
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