Saturday, October 30, 2010



KCPO:- Is The Market Getting Overbought ? - 11/2/2010

Last week was another week of Mexican Jumping Beans action. Even if you are in the buy side, you would still need a very strong heart to sit through all those intraday actions and openings of gaps here and there.




 

Please take note that the ADX has gone on top of the D+, this is usually a good indication that this market is overbought. Since the current trend has been an extremely strong one, I would not use the Stochastic to tell me when it is overbought. And if it starts to drop from here, it would mean a  temporary or otherwise,  end of the current bull trend. Meanwhile the MACD has also started to roll over its top.

Place stop at 3043.

 

 
The weekly remains as bullish as ever. MACD and ADX are still rising. But you should pay attention a bit as prices are getting "too far away" from the upper Bollinger Band which is a sign that the market is getting overextended, it usually come back down to hug the band again.

As the US Dollars may need some more time before it starts its path to return to its mighty throne, so I think CPO bull may still have a little more time.
FKLI:- Stay Aside And Watch - 11/2/2010



All the classic signs of a trendless market are here:- a positive and rising Stochastic and a falling negative MACD contradicting each others; a continuing falling ADX and a narrowing range between the D+ and D-; a tightening Bollinger Band - all are telling us that this is a lousy market for taking positions.

Since the Stochastic has already reached the overbought area, I would wait for it to come down and to see whether it would help the negative MACD to bring down the market. Watch 1470 as an initial signal to sell. If done , place stop at 1500 or 1509. I am placing stops at a bigger range because in a range bound market , the usual tight stops are usually taken out easily. So either you keep off the market until you are sure that there is a new trend in the market or you place stops at beyond the recent fractal highs and lows.





The weekly chart has not flash any sell signal as the ADX continues to rise with prices stay above the upper Bollinger Band. The MACD is still moving up. Putting all these together, the bull is still in control.

Other than the MACD, the D+ is also giving a bearish divergence signal. Just keep that in mind when you engage in a long position. A divergence does not mean that the market will collapse tomorrow, but it should be respected, feared and taken caution on.

Friday, October 29, 2010




It Is The Beginning Of A Wonderful Affair - Would They Gang Up On Islamists Next ?

Russia and US collaborate in Afghanistan drug raid

Map of Afghanistan

Russian and US agents have taken part in a joint operation to destroy drug laboratories in Afghanistan, the head of Russia's drug control agency says.

More than a tonne of heroin and opium was seized during the raids, which took place on Thursday close to the border with Pakistan, Viktor Ivanov announced.

Mr Ivanov said the haul had a street value of $250m (£157m) and was believed to have been destined for Central Asia.
Correspondents say it is the first time there has been such a joint operation.

Russian officials have in the past accused coalition forces in Afghanistan of doing "next to nothing" to tackle drug production, and thereby helping to sustain the estimated 2.5 million heroin addicts in Russia alone.

Much of the heroin enters the territory of the former Soviet Union through Afghanistan's northern borders with Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

It then travels westwards across Kazakhstan, before entering the central and Ural regions of Russia, where there are large numbers of addicts.

'Major hub'
 
Mr Ivanov said the operation involved about 70 personnel from both countries - including four Russian counter-narcotics agents - backed up by attack helicopters. 

Afghanistan produces 90% of the world's opium, the main ingredient in heroin
 
They were on the ground for several hours, destroying a "major hub" for the production of heroin, located in a mountainous area about 5km (three miles) from the Pakistani border near the eastern city of Jalalabad, he said.

Along with 932kg (2,055lb) of high-grade heroin and 156kg (345lb) of morphine, a large amount of technical equipment was destroyed.
Mr Ivanov said the raids were based on intelligence Russia had shared with the US, and that he wanted to increase co-operation in the fight against drug trafficking.

"We are ready and we want to send an additional number of our officers for posting to the international information centres functioning in Kabul, Bagram and Kandahar," he said.
The BBC's Richard Galpin in Moscow says the joint operation is yet another sign of Russia's growing involvement in Afghanistan.
Since the two countries decided to reset their relations, Russia has allowed its territory to be used as a supply route for US and Nato forces in Afghanistan, our correspondent says.

It is now also offering to provide military equipment for the Afghan army.
AIG's Asian IPO Just Got Shanghaied By The Two Girlfriends Of Billionaire Tycoon Joseph Lau Luen*




AIG's Asian subsidiary, AIA, begins trading tomorrow after a US$17.8 billion initial public offering.

The massive IPO was Hong Kong's biggest ever, and it may be the third biggest ever worldwide if AIA exercises an option to increase the offering to $20.5 billion.

The bizarre thing here is that nearly 100% of the retail shares were bought by the two beautiful girlfriends of Hong Kong property tycoon Joseph Lau Luen-hung, according to The Standard.

Yvonne Lui Lai-Kwan (right*) is a former Miss Hong Kong pageant semi-finalist who gave birth to Lau's daughter in 2003.

Chan Ho-wan (left*) is a former assistant who was impregnated by Lau, while he was in a relationship with Lui, and gave birth to his son in 2008.


Apparently Lau still loves both girlfriends, as everyone in Hong Kong suspects he gave them each US$722 million to buy a combined US$1.44 billion at just the right time.

港市新股 百亿认购友邦大户 刘銮雄女友爆光


新股王友邦保险 (AIA) (1299-HK) 即将挂牌,根据公司披露,在早前公开申请中,有两名超级大户合共出动逾百亿港元,入票申请最高限额的股数,亦即市场人士俗称的「顶头槌飞」。据悉,这两名 动用钜资购股的超级大户,是华人置业主席刘銮雄的女友吕丽君及陈凯韵 (甘比) ,惟今次投资是两人看好友邦前景作私人投资,与大刘和其上市旗舰华置无关。按分配比率 9.12% , 2 人各分得 5 亿元股份。

《星岛日报》报道,友邦保险招股全球瞩目,并且成为「集资王」,在国际反应非常热烈,在香港亦出现 2 两名超级大户,透过公开认购斥资 57 亿元 (港元,下同) 认购, 2 名超级大户身分即时惹起市场关注。
两名超级大户入飞数目,为公开认购额的五成,是规矩最高的上限,股民俗称这类认购到达上限的申请为「顶头槌飞」,由于友邦集 资额庞大,这张「顶头槌飞」有可能是史上最大。市场消息一度流传,这两张「顶头槌飞」是由华置主席刘銮雄申请。

星岛日报就大刘大飞申请友邦向其发言人查证,发言人表示,两张大飞不是刘生或上市公司华置申请的,其他的不便评论。

消息透露,这两张共涉资百亿元的「顶头槌飞」,申请人其实是 刘銮雄女友吕丽君和陈凯韵,但今次纯粹是两人私人投资,不涉刘銮雄名义。

今次在港上市的友邦,被喻为亚洲区内最大保险公司,在全球增长集中亚太区下,友邦前景大受基金和投资猛人看好,吕丽君和陈凯 韵身为城中超级富豪身边好友,耳濡目染下,当然有其投资眼光,但这次大手认购涉及金额惊人,令市场为之侧目。

在本周五挂牌的友邦保险,是香港历来发售额最大的新股,以招股价上限 19.68 元定价。由于认购反应不俗,因此无法达到「一人一手」,据悉要认购二手才稳夺一手,认购五手可稳夺二手、认购八手稳夺三手、认购十五手稳夺四手、以及认购 二十手稳夺五手,而暗盘价升约 1 成至 21.6 元附近。至于国际配售方面,基金反应踊跃,据悉超额认购倍数达十倍或以上。市场消息指,友邦的暗盘价较招股价大约有 1 成的升幅。

另外,今天亦有 2 支新股挂牌,而暗盘表现亦见良好,没有受昨天股市下跌打击。四环医药 (0460-HK) 昨天暗盘收市价为 5.68 元,较招股价升逾 23% ,不计手续费,每手四环医药可为投资者带来 1080 元利润。四环公开招股认购逾 474 倍,冻结资金 2750 亿元,是今年的新股「冻资王」。同在今天挂牌的环球乳业 (1007-HK) ,昨天暗盘收市价为 4.76 元,较招股价升逾 8% ,每手利润为 370 元。

劉鑾雄 (李嘉欣
前男友
)(Joseph Lau),人稱大劉,籍貫潮州,香港出生,香港商人及富豪,有「股壇狙擊手」的稱號。不少網民以 「大瘤」之名來影射他。

大劉兩條女訓身孖爆友邦,好事定壞事??

(AIA)即將掛牌,根據公司披露,在早前公開申請中,有兩名超級大戶合共出動逾百億元,入票申請最高限額的股數,亦即市場人士俗稱 的「頂頭槌飛」。據悉,這兩名動用鉅資購股的超級大戶,是華人置業
主席劉鑾雄的女友呂麗君及陳凱韻(甘比),惟今次投資是兩人看好友邦前景作私人投資,與大劉和其上市旗艦華置無關。按分配比率百分之 九點一二,二人各分得五億元股份。

友邦保險招股全球矚目,並且成為「集資王」,在國際反應非常熱烈,在香港亦出現兩名超級大戶,透過公開認購斥資五十七億元認購, 兩名超級大戶身分即時惹起市場關注。
發言人:劉鑾雄及華置沒入飛.

兩名超級大戶入飛數目,為公開認購額的五成,是規矩最高的上限,股民俗稱這類認購到達上限的申請為「頂頭槌飛」,由於友邦集資額 龐大,這張「頂頭槌飛」有可能是史上最大。市場消息一度流傳,這兩張「頂頭槌飛」是由華置主席劉鑾雄申請。

本報就大劉大飛申請友邦向其發言人查證,發言人表示,兩張大飛不是劉生或上市公司華置申請的,其他的不便評論。

據本報獲得消息,這兩張共涉資百億元的「頂頭槌飛」,申請人其實是劉鑾雄女友呂麗君和陳凱韻,但今次純粹是兩人私人投資,不涉劉 鑾雄名義。
看好友邦投資潛質

今次在港上市的友邦,被喻為亞洲區內最大保險公司,在全球增長集中亞太區下,友邦前景大受基金和投資猛人看好,呂麗君和陳凱韻身 為城中超級富豪身邊好友,耳濡目染下,當然有其投資眼光,但這次大手認購涉及金額驚人,令市場為之側目。

在本周五掛牌的友邦保險,是本港歷來發售額最大的新股,以招股價上限十九元六角八仙定價。由於認購反應不俗,因此無法達到「一人 一手」,據悉要認購二手才穩奪一手,認購五手可穩奪二手、認購八手穩奪三手、認購十五手穩奪四手、以及認購二十手穩奪五手,而暗盤價 升約一成至二十一元六角附近。至於國際配售方面,基金反應踴躍,據悉超額認購倍數達十倍或以上。市場消息指,友邦的暗盤價較招股價大 約有一成的升幅。


佢地各有2500萬股友邦喎,對友邦係好事定壞事呢?
佢地可能長線持有,街貨少左5000萬股,好事!
佢地可能即日沽,聽日一上市就有5000萬股出街,壞事!
 
 
 

Thursday, October 28, 2010


Portugal Next To Fall ?

 
It Gets Worse In Europe: Portuguese Budget Talks Break Down, As Country Follows Greece To The Brink

Just hours after Greece erupted into bond-widening chaos yet again, Portugal has joined the fray.

Negotiations on the country's budget have collapsed when the opposition party, needed because the governing Socialists do not have an outright majority, backed out, according to Reuters.

The disagreement: how to cut spending.

The spread between the German bund and 10-year Portuguese sovereign debt has widened to 332, up 20 bps on the day.

CDS on the country's sovereign debt has spiked up 20 bps to 355 bps, according to Markit.



Rare Frank Wilson 45 could fetch $100,000


.
Holy grails don’t get any holier than this, especially for Northern Soul acolytes.

Going up for auction, starting March 14, is one of only two known copies — and the only one in acceptable playing condition — of Frank Wilson’s “Do I Love You (Indeed I Do),” considered by many to be the most valuable ultra-rare 45 record in the world.

U.K. dealer John Manship, who specializes in Northern Soul rarities, expects strong interest for the piece, currently owned by Kenny Burrell. Manship is holding the auction of this prized item, which stands to fetch somewhere in the neighborhood of $40,000.

Manship thinks it may, however, go all the way to $100,000 (some think the writing on the label could lower the value, but others don’t believe it will affect it in the slightest).
A little background is necessary, although details of the story behind the record are a little fuzzy, according to Manship. Frank Wilson was a producer — well-respected in Northern Soul circles — for Motown, who, in late 1965, was hired to lead Motown’s West Coast operation in Los Angeles. Reportedly, the catch was, Wilson had to forego his recording and performing career.

However, promo copies of Wilson’s debut single for Motown (Soul 35019) had been pressed … allegedly without Berry Gordy’s blessing. Not going through proper channels was a sin at Motown. Gordy, known for his tough management style, allegedly didn’t appreciate Wilson recording the track without his OK.

“It never got out to reviewers or radio stations,” says Manship.

It is thought that six test pressings were made, and Gordy reportedly ordered them all destroyed. Two were thrown away. However, two copies did eventually surface.

One, however, is allegedly badly warped. The other, the one that’s being offered for sale in March, and which will stay up for sale for a month, is in good shape.

It first surfaced about 15 years ago, according to Manship, and was discovered by Motown sound engineer Ron Murphy in the label’s archives. It was brought to England by Martin Koppel, who acquired it from Murphy.

In 1998, the second copy was reportedly sold for £15,000, making it one of the most expensive records in history, if not the most expensive ever.

It figures to fetch that and a lot more this time around. At the time of that sale, it reportedly held a grade of Mint-Minus. There is some question as to what that grade is now, seeing as how this copy has been played somewhat frequently since then.

And, of course, how appropriate that this ultra-rare piece of Motown Tamla vinyl would go up for auction this year, the 50th anniversary of Motown. Making it even more special is how absolutely stunning a piece of music this is. Exuberant, with a big, sweeping chorus, many consider its majestic grandeur — “The drum rolls at the beginning are considered to be the best soul drumming ever,” says Manship — to be the finest Northern Soul work ever recorded, even though it never got past the test-pressing stage.

“And it’s not an indie record either,” says Manship, eagerly pointing out for emphasis that this is Motown we’re talking about after all.

Wilson’s recording first surfaced in 1977. Tom Dieperro, a Motown archivist in the mid-’70s, found a file copy of it. What happened next is a little cloudy, according to Manship, but it seems that Northern Soul collector and record producer Simon Soussan discovered it among a batch of 45 curiosities Dieperro gave him to listen to.
Because the record was so rare, it was ideal for the Northern Soul scene, where rarity is prized among DJs.
“What he did then was bootleg it,” says Manship, and somehow, it ended up with the name Eddie Foster, instead of Frank Wilson. The record was also speeded up.
The song became a hit in the scene, especially at the legendary Northern Soul venue the Wigan Casino.
According to a posting on www.barlow.force9.co.uk, written in 1998 by Kev Roberts, a former owner of the record, in 1978, the true identity of the artist behind “Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)” was revealed, and the record began changing hands. Soussan reportedly sold it for $500 to a collector named Les McCutcheon, who, as the story goes, lent it to a DJ named Russ Winstanley.

Winstanley was integral to the record’s subsequent success. Unfortunately, at the Wigan, this copy accidently developed an edge warp. McCutcheon got the disc back and sold it to Jonathan Woodliffe for a reported £250. In an exchange involving a clutch of records, Roberts wound up with it for £350.

That seems a pittance today, considering Roberts would sell that copy to Tim Brown for £5,000 — then a new world record.

Then along came a second find, Murphy’s copy, and the whole game changed. In the late ’90s, Burrell reportedly purchased it for £15,000. Wilson eventually signed the label of the record for Burrell.

Mary Wilson shares ‘Reflections’ of The Supremes’ 50th


A PAINTING OF THE SUPREMES is visible in the reflection in this photo of Mary Wilson, who was the only constant member of the group. Photo by Ian Wright
By Ian Wright and Lauren Wright

2010 marks my 50th anniversary photographing and interviewing virtually every major celebrity, political figure and royal in the world. Over the span of years, I’ve learnt many lessons about the right way to deal with the rich and famous. First and foremost — “Never be in awe of them.” For some inexplicable reason, celebrities are far more comfortable if you treat them like an ordinary person. Give them the slightest sense that you’re in awe and you will completely lose control of the interview or photo shoot. My first experience with a diva was when I was only 16, photographing Ella Fitzgerald. After cooling my heels backstage for what seemed an eternity, I was finally ushered into the presence. Miss Fitzgerald, snapped imperiously. “You have one minute to take one picture.” I felt like an annoying mosquito buzzing about her person. I reminded my wife, Lauren, of this as we drove to interview Mary Wilson about her latest CD and the 50th anniversary of The Supremes. You see, Lauren grew up in Detroit in the 1960s, idolizing

The Supremes and Miss Wilson in particular. Of all the countless famous people we’ve encountered, Lauren has retained her equanimity and remained nonplussed, always maintaining she stands in awe of only three people: The Queen, Barbra Streisand and Mary Wilson.

With this fact in mind, it was with some trepidation that I rang the doorbell of Mary Wilson’s large but elegantly understated house overlooking a private golf course near Las Vegas.

Lauren sniffed, “This is a far cry from the Brewster Projects where Mary grew up in Detroit, but I was expecting something more spectacular.”

I asked, “Were you expecting sequined walls?”

We were ushered through an entry hall where stacks of matching suitcases stood against a wall sagging under the weight of framed gold records. I wondered if Miss Wilson had just returned from a trip or is just about to leave. Past a staircase curving into the upper distance, we were seated in the comfortable dark walled living room where we waited for an hour — ample time to take in the enormous ethereal painting of The Supremes over the mantelpiece, another large unframed canvas of Diana Ross propped against the black lacquered grand piano, a vast gilt framed mirror and more suitcases. Lauren had a sort of Alice-through-the-looking-glass look in her eyes, much the same as worshipers I’d once photographed at a shrine in India — I began to worry!


Mary Wilson's Supremes painting
Also, I was getting a bit miffed at being kept waiting, remembering the last time a subject kept me waiting so long; Jimmy Carter’s national security advisor, Zbigniew Brzeziński, said his official portraits made him look like the commandant at a concentration camp so the White House invited me to take Brzezinski’s portrait for the Sunday Times of London. Brzezinski, arrived an hour late,

“Oh, f**k, I hope this isn’t going to take too long, I’ve got a speech to make on Capitol Hill in ten minutes.” he barked.

During that period, The Sunday Times was considered the best newspaper in the world, and even the Queen never kept the Times waiting. I bristled, “Do you realize I have just flown from London at your invitation?”

Knowing it was impossible to take a decent portrait of a man like Brzezinski in 10 minutes, I told my lighting crew, “Right, lads, break down all the lights — pack everything in the boxes, I think Mr. Brzezinski is going to be 10 minutes early for his speech.” I admit to being just that little bit worried when returning to the Time’s New York office without the pictures of Brzezinski, but bureau chief Bob Ducas — ever a gentleman, said, “You did quite right. Who do these buggers think they are?”


FOREVER ELEGANT, The Supremes were known being fashion-forward artists. The Story of The Supremes from The Mary Wilson Gown Collection is an exhibit that shares the group’s history via its evolution in fashion and music. Publicity photo.
As if on cue, Mary Wilson entered the room dressed in black workout clothes, vaguely apologizing for keeping us waiting, “I just got out of my yoga class. My life is like a revolving door, I do so much traveling these days, sometimes I don’t know if I’m coming or going.”

I thought to myself, “This yoga thing must work — at age 66, she’s in fantastic shape and looks gorgeous.”

Mary sat with her legs
tucked up on the opposite sofa, cuddling her Yorkshire terrier puppy, eating watermelon and chatting animatedly about the Golden Jubilee year of the world’s biggest girl band, The Supremes.
“With Florence, we founded The Primettes, which complemented Detroit’s boy band, the Primes. (Later the Temptations). Then I introduced Diane Ross, my new best friend at school, to join us. That was the beginning. I was the group’s secretary, and in the summer of 1960 arranged our first gig a talent contest in Windsor, Canada. We drove through the tunnel under the Detroit River and in minutes had made our first trip abroad. We won the competition and the prize of $15. On the return journey, as we approached the U.S. Immigrations, we saw a sign, “BLACKS ONLY LANE.”

We really embraced The Beatles when they first came to America in February 1964, and the Brits reciprocated when we toured England in March 1965. What a great experience. There was no segregation. That took a lot of getting used to. We could stay in the same hotels, eat at the same cafés, sit on the same bus or train and go to the same cinema as whites. But the British had a class thing, which to me was another form of segregation.”
Lauren launched into a story. “There was a tornado warning, and I gathered up all my most prized possessions which consisted of my Supremes scrapbook and records. The whole family trooped down to the basement where we listened to a transistor radio waiting for the all clear. I was terrified the house would blow away above our heads, but then the DJ said, ‘Here’s the latest hit from The Supremes, You Can’t Hurry Love’ and a 10-year-old’s fear just vanished. I was so excited to hear your newest song”
Mary didn’t respond, just picked up the conversation where she’d been interrupted.
“That was the first U.K. Tamla-Motown tour. The Supremes were top of the bill with Martha and the Vandellas, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, Earl Van Dyke Six and Georgie Fame and the Blueflames.”



Tamla Motown handbill
I said, “I covered that tour when it reached my part of England. I remember what a character your tour manager was. He wouldn’t allow any press pictures the night of the show.”

Mary recalled, “Oh, you mean Dick Scott, with his fancy suits and fedoras, a giant of a man at 6 feet 5, he kept us all in order. He had to — there were so many musicians on that tour bus, it was full to bursting and so easy to lose someone”

I recounted, “The morning after your April 2nd concert at The Globe Theatre in Stockton-on-Tees, I went to your hotel, The Billingham Arms, to try and set up a group picture on the steps before the tour bus left for your next stop at Newcastle, City Hall. I was greeted with utter chaos.

Dick Scott was talking to the town’s only policeman, who was busy taking notes, “Well, sir, can yer describe the gentleman who’s gone missing?” “Yeah, he’s black, age 15, 4 feet 11, weighs about 95 pounds, wearing dark glasses, a yellow jacket, black shirt and pants, white shoes and a cap.”
The Bobby standing astride his bicycle said, “Don’t yer worry, nobody else fits that description in this town. I’ll soon find him, sir.”

With that he pedaled off in search of little Stevie Wonder. As the clock ticked to the noon hour of departure, the troupe started boarding the tour bus — all a bit of a melée with everyone shouting, “Where’s Stevie?” Obviously, Dick Scott had no time for the local press, and I never got my group picture. At the stroke of noon, Stevie Wonder arrived on the scene carrying a large brown bag.

Embracing Stevie with delight, Dick Scott squashed the contents of the brown bag, and fruit ran all down the front of Stevie Wonder.

Mary quipped, “Incidentally, we have just done a tour of New Zealand and Australia with the same lineup as the ’65 tour, except for Georgie Fame. This tour had a slightly different title, “50th Anniversary Tour Of Motown.”

As Mary reflected on her life and career, I was amazed to find she has as many roles as hats, which hang on a stand in the corner of the hall.

As a diplomat, Mary was appointed Ambassador for Culture Connect by Colin Powell. As an activist, Mary continues Diana Princess Of Wales’ campaign against land mines with the Humpty Dumpty Institute. She works tirelessly for F.A.M.E (Friends Against Musical Exploitation.) She has an associate’s degree from NYU in Literary Arts and an honorary doctorate from Paine College. Mary has authored two best selling autobiographies, “Dreamgirl” and “Supreme Faith.” As a historian, Mary is curator of a traveling collection of Supremes gowns, Mary says.

“The older I get, the more I seem to be able to do,” she said. “I have just finished a two-month engagement in ‘Let The Good Times Roll!’ at the Plaza Theatre in Palm Springs. You have to be over 65 to appear in the chorus line. Some of the cast are in their late 80s. It’s an institution — sold out every night. I do these things to keep The Supremes’ music alive. I will continue to try and right a wrong in the history of pop music and put The Supremes back on top, where they belong. When Diane left the group, it was as if Motown and Berry Gordy just wanted the group to die, but I won’t let it.” (Mary always refers to Diana Ross by her given name, Diane)

“Do you know I don’t listen to music on the car radio anymore? I believe our hits were so good and so timeless, I sing them to myself while I’m driving. Even our star on Hollywood Boulevard was paid for by me and contributions from fans. Motown didn’t give one cent.”
The Supremes were the female equivalent of The Beatles, I reminded Mary.

With some heat she responded, “If we are The Beatles’ equivalent, why is their material still being repackaged commercially and ours is not? Paul and Ringo are still active and are invited to the Grammys to perform. The Supremes get nothing.”



FROM SEQUINS TO STRIPES, stylish stage wear was the calling card of The Supremes. Publicity photo
Mary brightened when I asked about her new biographical CD, “Clarity,” on which she collaborated with Brian and Eddie Holland, Angelo Bonv, Casandra Jordon and Paul Hill, which is scheduled for release on the H-D-H label in mid-August.

“Well, its taken producer Richard Davis over three years to produce it on his Motor City Works Company,” she said. “One of the reasons it took so long was my reticence to give up my private journals, which I’ve been writing every day since 1960. Eventually, Eddie and Brian Holland persuaded me. It was the only way we could compose the songs. We recorded much of the CD in our spiritual home of Detroit and mixed it in L.A. studios”
I asked Mary for a preview for the songs for our readers.

“Johnny Mae”
“My mom’s name; It’s about the hardships of growing up in the Mississippi Delta and breaking free to find a better life, moving to St. Louis and Chicago, then Detroit.”

“Home Girls”
It’s about the friendship we had in the group. I pray every day for a miracle that someday Diane and I will be together again.”

“Why Can’t We Get Along”
“The beginning of the breakup and Diane hogging the limelight, always stage front while Florence, and then Cindy and myself, were relegated to the back, just harmonizing. Diane would watch the TV monitor above her head so she could see our positions then move in place for the finale to throw her hands and arms up, deliberately covering our faces.”
Other titles include “Life’s Been Good To Me”, “Quest” and “The Need To Know.”
The afternoon wore on until it became time to do the photographs. Lauren and I set up the lights while Mary changed clothes — returning in a black and white casual ensemble. Expecting Mary to be dressed in a Supremes gown, I was appalled to hear Lauren regaling Mary with her recollection of the time she’d gone to a Supremes dinner show and given her childhood scrapbook of Supremes cuttings to the maitre d’ who took it backstage. Consequently, Mary had invited Lauren backstage, and meeting The Supremes was obviously one of Lauren’s most cherished memories — equally obviously one of Mary’s most forgettable!

Whilst this unsettling scene unfolded, I posed Mary on the piano bench looking into that vast mirror reflecting the Supremes painting across the room. My fears about showing awe for the subject were not unfounded. I asked Mary to turn her left shoulder and tilt her chin down slightly. “Close your eyes and on three — just open your eyes, and look straight at the lens,” I said.

Mary snapped, “I’ll do the maneuvers. You just snap away.”

I reminded the star, “Mary, this isn’t crash, bang, wallop, digital — this is film. I know what I’m composing through the lens, and if you want to look your best — well!” But the tense moment was evanescent. Mary apologized, and the shoot went on with no further ructions.

As we were saying goodbyes, Mary said wistfully, “The Beatles had Lennon and McCartney. We had Holland and Dozier. My Lord, you can’t get any better than that.”
A few days later, during a telephone interview with Eddie Holland who co-wrote 10 of The Supremes’ No. 1 hits, he said, “It was a real privilege for us to collaborate with Mary again after so long. After seeing her journals, I think there’s at least another two or three books she could write — if she can ever find the time.”


The Holland Brothers. Courtesy of Ian Wright
Mary Wilson can and will do anything she sets her mind to. She remains a diva of the first order, and deservedly so. Spending time in her presence is much the same as being with one of The Beatles or the Queen, The Princess of Wales, Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Peter O’Toole, Sophia Loren, or anyone who has achieved monumental worldwide fame. There’s a certain indefinable quality these people radiate. They are all polite and accommodating — yet remain aloof and self centered. If the conversation veers from themselves for a second, they are masters at maneuvering it right back. There’s never any small talk or inquiries about your own interests, health or life. It’s futile to try humor to lighten the atmosphere, for they are curiously lacking it.

They know you are a professional there to do a job, and that job is to promote their image. They remain focused on that one most important thing in their universe — their career. After all, one must be completely self focused to achieve immense success and obey the rules of a diva, “Love yourself over and above all others, and look fabulous whilst doing so.”

Read more about Mary on her Web site: www.marywilson.com.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Will The Americans Become Chinese Slave Workers?

  
You've got to hand it to whomever came up with this commercial and then put it together, it hits all the right beats - the Chinese college students laughing at the American flag!  You can just imagine the effectiveness of this imagery in certain parts of this country.

China's been an empire in ascent and decline, on and off, for centuries - their recorded history of various dynastic eras stretches back 5000 years.  America is a two-hundred-year-old infant in comparison.  I don't need to live in an empire per se but I am stirred by the message a bit myself, even if it leaves out the fact that China needs us as much as we need it.

Anyway, this is a phenomenal piece of hysteria and I predict it will work perfectly from a political standpoint this fall...


Monday, October 25, 2010

How To Define A REAL Global Power


Oil and Empire: The Great Game of Geopolitics

Written by Charles Hugh Smith   
The Great Game is afoot and no matter how we may disapprove of the Global Empire, we would be wise not to discount the cards it alone holds.

Geopolitics is not called The Great Game without reason. The game of dominating the world's resources, nation-states and alliances is like a combination of Go and chess, with the threat of military conquest or defeat always hovering over the statecraft and financial game.

I am going to present a number of statements and speculations here, most of which are at odds with the status quo thinking. I present them not to be contrarian but because they seem self-evident.

As I have noted here before, the value of "hard power" (military dominance) and "soft power" (cultural, financial, diplomatic) cannot be assessed until you don't have any.
That establishes a conundrum: one must maintain these quite different forms of global power without knowing if the cost is justified, until the moment arrives when others would pay ten times over to hold what you have in hand.

If that moment never arrives, it may be because you maintained an overwhelming advantage. Wars are launched when one side perceives a rough balance has been achieved; no nation is so suicidal that it chooses to attack a far superior power.
While I don't approve of the American Global Empire, I respect the intelligence and drive of those tasked with maintaining and expanding it--and they number in the millions.
There is only one nation-state which can project hard power: the U.S. A missile is not power-projection, because it exerts control over nothing; it is deterrence or threat, but not power that can be projected. Only aircraft carrier groups and the ability to transport an army by sea and air to any locale in the world is power projection.

The U.S. has 11 carrier groups, China has zero. The U.S. has the ability to transport a small army by air, China does not. The U.S. has the sealift capability to transport a large army by sea. China does not, and neither does Russia or the E.U.

Power projection is far more costly than defensive Armed Forces, an
d the U.S. is the only great power with true power projection because it alone has hegemony over the world's reserve currency. The U.S. skims a stupendous arbitrage profit from creating dollars and exporting them in exchange for real goods.

China and other aspiring great powers must actually make real profits. Just to put costs in context: China's huge $1.8 trillion in foreign reserves would cover the costs of global power projection for about two years.

We should also stipulate that an aircraft carrier alone is simply a sitting duck; it projects nothing but vulnerability. It is a carrier group which projects power, and that requires an enormous infrastructure: a small fleet of other vessels, satellite communications, anti-submarine capabilities, global bases to refuel/ reprovision, and so on.

When two carrier groups steam offshore, they are the largest air force in the world save a very few. The U.S. could trim its 11 carrier groups to 8 or 9 and still have the only large-scale, globally decisive 8 or 9 carrier groups in existence.

The same infrastructure is required to airlift or sealift troops: you need AWACS aircraft, global communications, global bases, and so on.

Why is all this important? because when push comes to shove, there is only nation which can project hard power in a meaningful, decisive manner: the U.S. Bankrupt, wounded, in decline, however you wish to characterize the U.S., it holds decisive dominance in hard power. And as long as the world accepts dollar hegemony, then the U.S. can afford its Empire.

As noted above: the true value of hard power cannot assessed until you don't have any.
When Canada and Australia impose restrictions on the export of natural resources to nations such as China--a move I fully expect by 2015--then exactly what is China going to do in retaliation? Virtually all of China's exports can be duplicated elsewhere. There are only three essentials (four counting fertile soil), what I call the FEW essentials: food, energy and water.

China's ability to export any of these is limited. Indeed, it is importing vast quantities of oil and food right now, even before global weather turns truly nasty.

The only leverage China really has on the global stage is its stash of rare-earth metals. As for that leverage: you can rest assured that DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) has long been funding research efforts to replace the rare-earth metals with other materials. In the meantime, mines will be reopened or other potential sources explored.

China is busy buying up Africa, which carries a number of ironies that have yet to unfold. To buy up other nations' assets is the essence of Neoliberal Global Capitalism, and in playing within that system China is now vulnerable to the same nationalist and revolutionary forces as those opposing U.S. domination.

The other irony is the "revolutionary" forces which I fully expect to take power in many African nations by 2015 will expropriate Chinese properties just as they will expropriate any other colonial powers' "property." And the Chinese will be powerless to reverse those expropriations; they possess neither the hard power to conquer and re-install pliant kleptocracies nor the soft power to do so by other means.

I doubt that any nation has that power now.

The only resource of any import (pun intended) is oil. Water, you either have within your borders or you don't, and those sharing a river will find conflicts becoming more likely with each passing year. Ditto soil--if yours has blown away in duststorms, you can't import enough to make a difference. And unless you have the ability to enforce your will via power projection, then buying up other nations' farmland is only a "solution" until they need it themselves.

Those who believe nationalism is no longer a force will be surprised in the coming decade how scarcity can fuel a fiery, unquenchable nationalism.

The supremely nationalist Chinese will come to understand nationalism from the other end: from that point of view, they are just another colonial power jockeying for someone else's wealth.

There are ironies galore in China's pride in surpassing the U.S. in auto production-- China produced 17 million vehicles last year to America's 13 million. The irony of course is that China's dependence on oil only deepens with every additional car on its roadways.
Both China and the U.S. have plentiful coal, but gasifying coal or even scrubbing the sulfur from it is costly. Having plentiful costly energy is not the same as having plentiful cheap energy, and oil remains the ultimate transportable energy and chemical feedstock.
Here is a map of the last great reserves of oil on the planet: the Mideast. Note that by some peculiar coincidence, the U.S. occupies the very heart of the oil reserves and the nation which lies between China and the oil.


If you want to control or influence the Mideast, then by all means take the center, Iraq; and if you want to extend your influence all the way to China, Pakistan, Russia and India, then take Afghanistan, too.

A cursory glance at the map offers a staggering array of strategic advantages to controlling or influencing Iraq and Afghanistan. Even to an amateur these pop off the map:
you divide troublemakers Syria and Iran, collaborators despite Syria being Sunni and Iran being Shi'ite.

-  you sit astride two great rivers in a parched landscape.
-  you can easily project military power into Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iran, Jordan and Kuwait, and threaten Russia's southern flank and Egypt.
-  you can also fill the airwaves of all these surrounding nations with disruptive ideas/propaganda like freedom of the press, individual liberty, economic opportunity, etc.-- dangerous ideas to the surrounding kleptocracies/oligarchies.
-  you sandwich Iran between Afghanistan and Iraq.
-  your land forces are within easy range of air support from the US Navy in the Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, not to mention long-range air power from bases in Europe, Diego Garcia and the U.S. mainland.
-  Afghanistan is central to "the Stans" and shares a small border with China.
-  even if you do nothing, you unsettle everyone around you because you hold the strategic aces of location, power projection, etc.


We know about the oil, but what else is in play strategically? It's about the oil, of course, but beyond that observation lies a wealth of other factors, such as denying that oil to others who you might want to influence. Just choke off the Straits of Hormuz and a world of leverage suddenly opens up.

The general assumption is that the U.S. is vulnerable to Iran shutting that chokepoint, but what happens if Iranian tankers bound for China get stopped? Who gets hurt then? Certainly not the U.S. The chokepoints work in all kinds of directions.

As I have often noted here, disrupting production and control works both ways, too. The U.S. needn't "control" Iraq; all it need do is disrupt anyone else's grand ambitions or access to the oil. Disruption is cheaper and easier than control, as the Taliban discovered in 2001 when their control of Afghanistan was fatally disrupted by homegrown resistance.
In other words: all the U.S. need do is deny others access to the oil. So China has Sudan, and the U.S. controls access to the Mideast and 80% of the world's remaining oil reserves. Which position would you choose?

Here are my geopolitical predictions. I could ramble on for pages, so let's cut to the chase.

1. As I have described many times, I expect oil to plummet to $25/barrel at some point in 2011-13 as the global economy implodes. Demand will crash and kleptocracies everywhere will pump more in a desperate attempt to keep their welfare states afloat. I call this the "Oil Head-Fake." Apparently a few other analysts are of the same mind.

2. This dramatic decline in oil revenues will trigger regime change in Venezuela, Iran and all other nations which are dependent on oil revenues for the maintenance of their welfare state/Armed Forces/Political Elites.
In effect, all the U.S. needs to do is either wait for this crash in oil prices, or nudge the Saudis into creating the crash with overproduction. The Saudis (Sunni) fear the Iranians (Shi'ite) and would not be sorry to see regime change in Iran.

3. Capital restrictions will become commonplace, as nations awaken to the fact that their sovereignty and control of their own assets will be lost if they allow uncontrolled flows of capital in and out of their economy.
 

4. That means the clock is ticking on the U.S. dollar hegemony. Capital controls are the first step in controlling foreign exchange. Either an alternative global reserve currency will be established, or nations will institute dual-currency trading: one value for real trade, another value for foreign exchange.

5. Until the U.S. loses its currency hegemony, it can outbid any other great power for any resource. The U.S. funds its Empire by selling its bonds (debt) to those who have traded goods for our dollars. Thus the cost of the Empire is largely borne by other nations as the U.S. exports inflation and its currency in exchange for cheap goods and resources.
Until China gains an equivalent advantage, then it will have to bid for resources with earned income. That means they will lose any competition for resources because their apparently substantial wealth (a few trillion dollars in reserves) is modest compared to what the U.S. can create/print.


6. Capital controls will be followed by resource controls. The export of energy, food and minerals will be controlled. The excuses given won't matter; there will be no alternative. Governments which let their own populaces starve in order to ship food overseas will be overthrown by whatever means are necessary. As Bob Marley observed, "a hungry mob is an angry mob." That's how Bastilles get torn down, brick by brick, by enraged, hungry mobs.

7. The clock is ticking on China's moment in the sun. As its costs of commodities and food skyrockets, its citizens' restive ambitions are thwarted by the limits facing all consuming nations, and its aging populace catches up with it, then China's resources will be stretched too thin to construct a Grand Empire with decisive hard and soft power.
Perhaps if Mao hadn't struck down an entire generation in the Cultural Revolution and China had started integrating its economy and ambitions 20 years earlier, that hard and soft power might have been assembled. But now it is too late; there are too many demands on China's financial resources, and its stash of $2 trillion foreign reserves looks modest compared to the demands of Empire and a populace of 1.2 billion people with expectations raised to the sky.

China's bellicose worldview that it has been the center of the world for the past 5,000 years and that dominance is its proper role is winning few friends. Its dependence on domestic credit bubbles, corruption, short-cuts and stolen intellectual property will dramatically shorten the time it has to create a sustainable domestic energy supply.
Would it be wiser for the U.S. to invest the trillions spent on controlling Mideast oil on domestic alternatives? Undoubtedly. But the wealth generated by oil far outstrips the wealth of alternatives, and until that profit flow reverses then the status quo in the U.S. will pursue Oil and Empire until the U.S. economy and dollar are no longer able to support an Empire.

Would China be wiser to pour its energies and wealth into sustainable energy? Yes, but its status quo is too wedded to corruption, easy credit, coal and delusions of global grandeur to make the kind of commitment needed to develop clean energy on the scale China needs to continue industrializing.

When competition between the U.S. and China comes up, I always ask this to settle the core issues quickly: Which nation's Power Elites have made sure their children have green cards and homes in Vancouver and/or Los Angeles?

If the U.S. Power Elites had secured Chinese citizenship for their beloved children and purchased properties in Beijing, then that would be proof that the leadership of the Empire had lost faith in the Empire's durability and future.

But it is the other way round: it is China's leadership which has moved its capital and offspring to Canada and the U.S. Indeed, having citizenship or green cards for one's children is proof of membership in the Chinese Elite.

Don't bother asking for verification of this; it is a deep, dark secret because of what it says about China, just like the secret organic farms which feed the Chinese Elites.
As much as I see the U.S. Global Empire as a tragic waste of wealth and resources, I also see very clearly that all the Empire needs to do to continue its dominance is:

1. Stop destroying the dollar with the Fed's idiotic, self-destructive Quantitative Easing.
2. Wait for the global demand for oil to decline, and then push the Saudis to increase supply, driving prices down to the point that the enemies of the U.S. and Saudi Arabia implode for domestic reasons.
3. Wait for China's inherent contradictions to fully bloom.
In other words: don't do anything foolish, just stand aside and let everyone else implode as their own reliance on ever-expanding credit and the U.S. dollar hegemony brings them to their knees.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

The Secret Currency War Series:- Has It Begun ?


It sure begin to look that way. Here are some of the major FX pairs begin to look like they are ready to collapse:-

1) GBP


 
A very nice bearish divergence on the MACD with the Stochastic gone below its 50's level. The rising D- is about to cross up the 20's. One item to watch is its ADX which has been playing around below 20's.  This is indicating there is only a smallish or no trend. But as the MACD fast falling towards its zero signal line, a strong selling trend may emerges when it crosses down below it. Take note that prices already gone below the bottom Bollinger Band which is adding to the bearishness.

There is also a bearish divergence found at the weekly Stochastic.

2) CHF

 
A bullish divergence has been forming for some times. Now with the Stochastic crossing above 50's , MACD turning positive and prices trying to close above the upper Bollinger Band. Next week's price action should either confirm a new bull or a ranging market caught within the band. But I note that this Friday closing is above prior fractal high of 0.9753.

A falling ADX from above the D- and D+ confirm the end of the prior trend.

Since CHF is smaller in value to the USD, a bull move at its chart would mean the currency is depreciating.

3) CAD

 
With the ADX has been hanging around below 20's, this currency has not been directional for the past few months. But we also do have a bullish divergence at the MACD. As at now we have the D+ above the D-, a positive MACD which may be trying to cross zero and a Stochastic already above 50's. I would need to see a closing of above its prior fractal high of 1.0372 to be more confirmed of a new bull.

The bullish divergence found at the weekly chart is really beautiful. But same as the daily chart, the ADX is also "dead'. So I need to see a little more push in order to confirm the return of a massive bull.

4) Ringgit

This one has got a bearish divergence at both its daily and weekly chart. So this is the type of market which if the divergence is to played out accordingly would mean this is the mother of all bull markets (as in CHF - bull mean this currency is depreciating) . The Stochastic has already crossed up above the 50's and MACD seems to be crossing over the zero by the coming week. Price has gone above the upper Bollinger Band and D+ is above  the D-. All are confirming the bull is back.

5) RMB

 
This is a sensitive one where the whole world has been watching it. For every American politicians, regardless whether they are from the left or right, RMB has been the poster perfect whipping boy for almost every American problem. And if you have followed the daily news of US, IMF, EU and Australian making noise on the RMB, the Chinese government would react like the perfect lap poodle and went push down its pricings.But now things have begun to change.

There is a bullish divergence formed at both the Stochastic and MACD. Price has just closed above the lower Bollinger Band which may offer its initial buy signal.The Stochastic is fast crossing up its 20's. A falling ADX of above both the D+ and D- means the prior bear trend may has ended.

All the above FX pairs seem to confirming the beginning of a global currency war.


Saturday, October 23, 2010

KCPO:- Possible Go Test 3,200's -10/25/2010


Prices have been like the Mexican Jumping Beans which have been leaping around the places. This kind of extreme volatility is usually found at the end of a market cycle. But so far the indicators have not confirm this as both the MACD and ADX are still rising and have shown no sign of weakening.  If you want to commit any trade, they should be on the buy side rather than try to go against the trend by selling.

The weekly chart continues to stay bullish as MACD is still rising and it is complimented by a rising ADX.

There may be an item to keep an eye on and that is the ADX is now at 39's. When ADX reaches such lofty level, it could be interpreted as an overbought situation. So I would not want to get too carried away by the high flying prices, especially this market's next target is at  3,200 which is not too far from its current position.
FKLI:- More Range Bounding -10/25/2010



 

As I noted last week, prices  would not go any major direction yet as ADX continues to fall. Though the Stochastic did crossed down below 80's , but the market immediately took out my stop on last Wednesday. I did not re-enter any long position because both the Stochastic and MACD did not confirm.  As the MACD  stays negative and continues to fall, I would rather wait for the next new sell signal to get back in again. One such signal would be if the coming Monday's prices go below 1486, I would re-engage new sell position. If done, place stop at 1499. But if we do get another breakup with Stochastic or MACD crossing up again, I would buy if the prior high of 1501 is taken out.

 

 
The weekly chart again favors the bulls over the bears. The MACD continues to rise , prices stay above the upper Bollinger Band, D+ is above the D- and the Stochastic still manage to hold above the 80's. Most attractive is that the ADX is still rising. So I cannot see any sell sign here yet.

As like last week, since the ADX is still falling, I think the market may just continue to range bound. The last few days  we have got some big boy coming out to say that the KLSE may be at the beginning of a new big bull cycle and then another big boy noted
"共有62%的股項依然以低於帳面價值交易". I don't know about that, but with the USD seems to be turning the corner, you should be cautious that flow of money may change soon.


這裡不是中國大陸,
是馬來西亞


 
"別笑小日本篡改教科書了。小日本身為進步的經濟大國,思想猶如未開化 小國,死要臉,不肯面對現實。中國,差不遠啦。身為海外華僑,丟臉。"

中國使館干預,劉曉波座談會延期

早前,雪華堂的頭頭在中國大使館的壓力下,竟然要腰斬講座會。後來在雪華堂內部一 些人士的力爭下,講座會延期到下星期五,10月29日,並 增加一位親中的主講者。即,馬中友好協會的秘書長,陳凱希。

這裡不是中國大陸,是馬來西亞,中國使館竟企圖影響一個民間團體改動他們的活動?太囂張了吧!或許我們應該諒解為何雪華堂低頭得 如此容易,也許雪華堂頭頭有太多在中國的商業活動?

在此,我們必須感謝雪華堂民權委員會的一眾朋友的極力爭取使這講座不至於流產,廖國華等人,都争取得很辛苦。大家可不能在罵雪華 堂時連他們也罵了。

但是,我不去了。

我杯葛的理由很簡單,如果我去的,就是隨著他們的節奏起舞。如果陳凱希是一早被安排作為主講者之一,那當然很好,因為,有不同的 意見是好的。但是現在去,就表示接受雪華堂在中國大使館壓力下的安排。原則上,是不行的。

我對於中國大使館的小家小氣感到吃驚。 其實,我不認為我們三個在當晚會有什麼激烈的反共立場,就我來說,我本來也只打算客觀的說出當前中國民主化的障礙,一些社會和體 制的問題。而且,我本身雖然不滿中共當局對劉曉波壓迫,卻總認為諾貝爾和平獎不能被這麼利用。

但是現在,我就100%支持頒這和平獎給劉曉波。他媽的,這是給他們逼出來的。現 在我明白為何挪威佬要頒這個獎。因為必須給顏色中共看啊!

中共到今天還是秉持著延安整風那一套來辦事。永遠不知道他們把朋友變為敵人。永遠用他們狹窄的眼光看世界。當年如果不是朱鎔基的 ‘警告’,和台海的飛彈演習,民進黨會否勝利還不肯定呢?人家反感了就會給你顏色看吶!

他們手段粗糙,而且格局實在小,完全沒有大國的風範。在你本身的國家你要阻止誰搞講座會,要抓誰,是你的事啦!但是在人家的國 家,就連一個只有百來人出席的講座會都會讓你如芒在背?就一定要安插你的人,經過你掃描的人,你才安心?

雪華堂這通告來得遲,我恐怕有許多有心要去的人還不知道。所以麻煩大家代為通知,講座會已經改在10月29日,下星期五。或許, 就像隆雪華堂副會長謝春榮律師在接受《當今大馬》電訪時說的,改期後的講座將‘提供一個平台讓多元能聲音得以呈現’。哈哈。

也許有人會說,嘿,你應該出席,去罵他們吶?對不起,這不是辯論會。如果我這麼做,就是跟著他們的遊戲規則跑。我是小人物,不去 微不足道,不過要帶出個訊息而已。這是對事不對人。

至于那些一生人都在用意識形態辦事的人,總要自爽,做鴕鳥,明知道有人不滿,不要緊,我聽不見就算了,有個支持我的聲音出來和諧 一下就好看多了。面子就保住了。

別笑小日本篡改教科書了。小日本身為進步的經濟大國,思想 猶如未開化小國,死要臉,不肯面對現實。中國,差不遠啦。身為海外華僑,丟臉。

陈凯希是忠的还是奸的?
from newkopitiam.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10078&sid

陈凯希传记定为《马来西亚红色企业家》 。

也好,陈凯希的一些老友称“红色企业家”的封号是空前绝后。空前是因为他是马来西亚第一个自封称号的前老左,绝后是马来西亚 的老左都已经都七老八老,陈凯希也会是最后一个有此称号的人。陈凯希要当大马的红色企业家,而不是红色资本家,还算有点自知 之明。

不过,自封为“红色企业家”,除了陈凯希,在马来西不敢做第二人想。

Friday, October 22, 2010

What Is Rare Earth ?

Rare earth that has been in the news recently obviously is not these Rare Earth :-

But because of these blue eye soul boys, I am already quite aware what is the real rare earth as early as 1971 (because I bothered to go check dictionary) . And then there was also a very famous comic character by the name of Cobalt 60 which is actually another type of rare earth.


China-Japan Dispute Shines Light on Rare Earth Metals

Rare earth oxides:-

Few people had ever heard of the natural elements known as rare earth metals before a recent dispute between China and Japan. Yet these metals are used in devices like smartphones, flat screens, hybrid car batteries, MP3 players and military equipment.

In September, Japan detained a Chinese ship captain near disputed islands in the East China Sea. China denied that it stopped exports of rare earth metals to Japan to force his release. But the incident raised concerns.
Japan is the world's biggest importer of rare earths. And China produces ninety-seven percent of the world supply.

China says it sold almost four billion dollars' worth in two thousand eight. But marketing professor George Haley at the University of New Haven in Connecticut says China has always kept prices low.

GEORGE HALEY: "So unlike other minerals, the price of rare earth elements, after the nineteen eighties when they started production, has actually fallen."

Some countries with rare earth metals no longer mine them -- including the United States. One reason is the low-cost imports from China. Another reason is concerns about environmental damage .
So what are these rare earth metals? Well, most of them are not rare; that is just their name. Several are more common than copper, lead or silver.
People who remember the periodic table of the elements from chemistry class might recognize them. Rare earths include the fifteen lanthanide metals along with yttrium and scandium.

Samuel Bader, a physicist at the Argonne National Laboratory near Chicago, says rare earths are often found together.

SAMUEL BADER: "They all have similar chemical properties.  Once you do find them, they are very difficult to separate from each other.”

But Mr. Bader explains that the same properties that make them hard to refine also make them valuable.

SAMUEL BADER: "Rare earth metals provide the world’s strongest commercial magnets. This is why they're important. It's that simple."
Rare earth magnets are lightweight and unaffected by conditions like high temperatures. So they work well in places like electric motors in hybrid vehicles or generators for wind turbines. Physicists use super-powerful magnets to speed particles and control radiation like X-rays.

And the list goes on, says George Haley, who has studied the subject.
GEORGE HALEY: "Electronics, fiber optics, you could go down the list of products important not just for the economic success of the United States, but for our defense and for our job creation here at home.”



Wednesday, October 20, 2010

This Could Be The Moment When Warren Buffert Lost His Virginity

“Omaha, 1949. I was 19 and as a late developer, yet to dip Little Warren in something sweet. Flush with cash from a summer job, my friends blindfolded me and threw me in the back of a pick-up, then dropped me off in front of the Milner family farm, which Mr. Milner had turned into an after-hours brothel earlier that year (his daughters, the milkmaids by day, also served as the “milk”-maids by night, if you catch my drift). Well I just got so excited to get my teats suckled, Becky, that I started pulling money out of my pockets and handing it to one of the girls and before I knew it we were up in the rafters, hay and whatnot flying everywhere, the whole barn is shaking, the chickens are going nuts and it wasn’t until later I found out for the price I paid I could’ve had all three of ‘em and gotten the reverse double fisted butter churn. To this day, never again have I mispriced vaginal assets.

That was transcribed from the footage of the interview left on the cutting room floor. CNBC deemed fit to print.

Columbia Reminds B-School Students To Brush Teeth  Before Interfacing With Potential Employers


   

This is the second in a two-part series from CBS re: not “acting in a socially undesirable way runs a strong risk of branding you as undesirable.” This apparently includes wearing gold (instead of the more desirable silver) watches. Next up, the person sending these memos will pick one student at random, show up at his or her apartment, forcibly shampoo and condition their hair and pick out said student’s clothes prior to the next recruiting event.

    To: ‘ibc-members@bettyblue.gsb.columbia.edu
    Cc: ibc-board@bettyblue.gsb.columbia.edu
    Subject: [IBC] Personal hygiene

    Dear 1st Year Members,

    It has come to our attention (through complaints from IBC board representing firms they are going to full time) that some of you may not have followed personal hygiene basics during recruiting events. We understand that it is an incredibly intense recruiting period, and is very hard to find time for yourself, but this is a friendly reminder on some dress code and personal hygiene basics:

    § Brush your teeth regularly, or have a mint/mouth refreshers before going to recruiting events (avoid chewing gums)

    § Carry anti-perspirant with you if you are worried about sweating. Don’t wear too much cologne/perfume

    § Carry a sewing mini-toolkit, in case your suit hems need an emergency sewing

    § Professional haircuts

    § No backpacks with you

    § Men – no tacky cufflinks or watches (with no crazy patterns, silver is preferable to gold)

    § Women – wear (preferably skin colored) hosiery and always carry an extra pair in your bag

    § Women – if it rains, do not show up in rain boots, no matter how cute you think they are

    And again, if you have ANY concerns, please do not hesitate to share with the IBC Board!
中国正在威胁马来西亚 !!!!

 
惊讶没有一份中文报章今天发布报道此消息 ?

抗议中国大使馆介入刘晓波讲座 主讲人叶子麟退出
 
NONE政治学者潘永强(左图)今天接受《当今大马》电访时,不愿正面回答是否会退出的询问。

但他表示,自己今天已跟隆雪华堂民权委员会主席廖国华“表达过自己的看法,就等他们宣布吧”。
 
对中国使馆态度“不以为然”
 
询及中国大使馆介入刘晓波座谈的问题,潘永强回应说,他对中国大使馆的态度“不以为然”。

“中国大使馆已经不是第一次影响大马民间团体和媒体的活动和操作。

中国经常说,反对外来势力干预内政,


而我们也同样的,反对外来势力干预本地华团的事务。”


针对新增的主讲人陈凯希,潘永强则表示,他对陈凯希个人没有意见,因为他对民族事业有所贡献,而且“他代表着一种观点,而这种观点在我们社会是有一定的代表性”。
 
叶子麟:不愿随其节奏起舞
 
raymond yeap blog 201010 protest china interfere liu xiaobo forum叶子麟昨天将近半夜在自己部落格贴文〈中国使馆干预,刘晓波座谈会延期〉解释,他在原则上不能够同意隆雪华堂屈服于中国的压力。

“我杯葛的理由很简单,如果我去的,就是随着他们的节奏起舞。如果陈凯希是一早被安排作为主讲者之一,那当然很好,因为,有不同的意见是好的。但是现在去,就表示接受雪华堂在中国大使馆压力下的安排原则上,是不行的。”

“如果我这么做(去演讲),就是跟着他们的游戏规则跑。我是小人物,不去微不足道,不过要带出个讯息而已。这是对事不对人。”

商业利益导致领导易屈服


也是英国谢菲尔德大学东亚学院中国研究博士毕业生的叶子麟指出,雪华堂领导由于商业利益因此容易屈服于中国的压力。

“这里不是中国大陆,是马来西亚,中国使馆竟企图影响一个民间团体改动他们的活动?太嚣张了吧!或许我们应该谅解为何雪华堂低头得如此容易,也许雪华堂头头有太多在中国的商业活动?”

不过,他却为隆雪华堂民权委会缓颊,强调他们已尽力,因此不应该为这次事件而被谴责。

“我们必须感谢雪华堂民权委员会的一众朋友的极力争取使这讲座不至于流产,廖国华等人,都争取得很辛苦。大家可不能在骂雪华堂时连他们也骂了。”

批中国使馆小家小气格局小

叶子麟也不忘抨击中国大使馆介入刘晓波讲座的做法,形容后者“手法粗糙”、“小家小气”和“格局小”,并且终将弄巧反拙。

“我对于中国大使馆的小家小气感到吃惊。其实,我不认为我们三个在当晚会有什么激烈的反共立场,就我来说,我本来也只打算客观的说出当前中国民主化的障碍,一些社会和体制的问题。”

处理手段粗糙把朋友变敌人
中共到今天还是秉持着延安整风那一套来办事。永远不知道他们把朋友变为敌人。永远用他们狭窄的眼光看世界。当年如果不是朱镕基的‘警告’,和台海的飞弹演习,民进党会否胜利还不肯定呢?人家反感了就会给你颜色看吶!”

他们手段粗糙,而且格局实在小,完全没有大国的风范。在你本身的国家你要阻止谁搞讲座会,要抓谁,是你的事啦!但是在人家的国家,就连一个只有百来人出席的讲座会都会让你如芒在背?就一定要安插你的人,经过你扫描的人,你才安心?
 
唐南发:我不会说杯葛啦

namewee forum in klscah 051208 josh hong另一方面,第三名原订主讲人唐南发(左图)在接受电访时则表示,自己仍愿意担任刘晓波讲座的主讲人,“我是OK的,我不会说杯葛啦”。

他补充说,自己之前就曾向主办单位建议过邀请陈凯希主讲,而后者如今受邀加入主讲行列,“也是好的,让不同的意见可以对话”。

唐南发认为,大使馆若关注有关其国家的事务是可以理解的,因为这就是它的职责所在,“但是不能够变成打压”。

“如变成要求取消讲座就是过分越界了。若这种情况是真的,那么它就显示中国不懂得处理其他国家对它的异议。这种粗糙手段需要改进。”
 
讲座突然延期并增加主讲人

隆雪华堂民权委员会之前在10月中宣布,订于10月20日晚上8点假隆雪华堂举办题为“刘晓波获奖:中国民主的历史机遇?”的讲座。

而原本受邀的3名主讲人是:政治学者潘永强、时事评论人唐南发,和部落客兼英国谢菲尔德大学东亚学院中国研究博士叶子麟。主持人则是民权委员余福祺。

不过,民权委员会昨天(19日)突然发表文告宣布,座谈改期10月29日,地点维持隆雪华堂,时间仍是晚上8点,但主讲人从原来的3人,增加1人,即马中友好协会秘书长陈凯希。

民权委员会文告解释,展延是“为让更多社会大众参与”,而新增一位主讲人是为了“力求让讨论角度更加多元丰富”。

而隆雪华堂副会长兼民权委员会顾问谢春荣律师昨天接受《当今大马》电访时坦承,针对刘晓波讲座,中国大使馆的确有表示不满。