Wednesday, April 27, 2011

WTF !



 

Sometimes back I was watching a talk show on the Phoenix TV, the very famous petite pretty hostess was interviewing an old gentleman who was one of those party veteran who was completely trashed and destroyed by Fatty Mao's greatest Cultural Revolution. The gentleman was weeping when he recounted those dark days. And guess what ? The pretty hostess was apologizing profusely. She just repeating "对不起"  I was asking myself in front of the TV, who or what the fuck was she apologizing for ? Was she representing the Chinese Communist Party ?

As for this 鳳凰衛視時事評論員 here, I am wondering when he was
評論時事, did he speak out the truth ? Or was he just following his party's line and twist and turn everything like everybody else ? I often wonder for all those China ass kissers , if any of their family get trashed by CCP, would they still fly the China's flag so high?



中國文化大革命的時候,很多異議份子都被揪去批鬥,批鬥的方式是把那些反動份子一一的捉去遊街示眾。犯人頸上掛著一個牌 子,寫上自己的姓名,和所犯的「罪狀」,但是,很多時候這些「罪狀」都是莫須有的,強加上去。然後就挨家挨戶的去叩頭認錯,發誓自己必定悔 改,等等。

這種冤屈你能受得了嗎?很多自尊心強的知識分子,都忍受不了這種恥辱,自殺了,跳樓的跳樓,跳河的跳河,還有一些上吊自盡。

一位有相當具知名度的鳳凰衛視前時事評論員, 上個月在大馬的講壇上,回憶起這段往事時,這麼說道:「當時我大概是十歲左右吧!記得紅衛兵來抄我家時,我和父母親,一家人正在吃著 晚飯,大門被敲得轟轟作響;我父親被嚇得亂了方寸,驚慌失措之下,什麼也不管,就往窗外躥。跟著大門就被踢開,衝進來三位紅衛兵,兩 個就去追我父親,另外一個就抱起我,用手摸了摸我的頭,笑著說:「不要怕,你還小,還可以再教育。」而當時的他,人還 小,不知天高地厚,世間悲涼,還笑笑的慶辛自己能夠跟父親「劃清界線」。

就在這時,他聽到物體重重地摔在地上的聲音,是他的父親失足跌下,他家住在七樓,他父親 從七樓跌下,當場斃命。結尾時,他以一種冷漠平淡,但聽起來,會令人心里發寒的語調說,他還記得摸他頭的那位紅衛兵,是一位漂 亮的年青姑娘!

他雖然是目光呆滯的,以平淡的語氣把他這段經歷緩緩道來,卻不知怎生地,叫人聽了、看了,會有一種很沉重,很沉重,很沉 重的傷感!其實我們都看得出,他是強忍著滿腔的悲痛,在作出無聲的控訴!

他在責問著人們,為什麼會這麼善忘,把這一段曾經發生過的,慘絕人寰的大悲劇,當作未曾發生過的事情;他要求當局,要求我們,身為人的一份 子,給他一個交代,起碼做到反省這段悲涼的歷史,給世人討一個公道。但是,偏偏就是這麼一點合理的要求,當局作不到。

這時,突然響起一陣刺耳的哭泣聲,每個聽眾都嚇了一跳,很愕然地四處張望,尋找哭泣聲的 來處,原來就在我右邊的前席座位處,一位婦女用隨身帶來的外套,掩著臉,在傷心的抽哭著。

這個時候全場寂靜無聲,耳邊只聽到那婦女哀傷的哭泣聲。不一會兒,她也安靜下來了。我們不禁要問,人,為什麼可以會這麼冷血?是生存 的壓力促成的嗎?是只追求功利,扭曲的社會所造成的嗎?還是人本身基因里就潛伏著這種殘忍的本性?

散會時,我本想要和那為中國來的時事評論員聊幾句,當我靠近他時,看到他一臉麻木無表情的樣子,我楞了一楞,心里想:「這是一個心靈 上,曾經遭受過極大打擊的人。」我再也不忍心看下去,掉轉頭,快步地離開會場。
我爱李冰冰


" 王晶的个人喜好榜中两个位置,“也不免两个给了内地女星”。“第一个是周迅,


另一个是李冰冰,打破我的不是《风 声》,而是较早的《云水谣》。


那一场她与陈坤成亲,遥向徐若瑄敬酒的戏,真是荡气回肠,真情流露。"




王晶直指:“李冰冰的演技好,但是她的五官太强,因此她选角色时会受到一些限制,有一些角色她扮演起来说服力不强,比如那种 很软弱的人。”

Phoebe Snow Recalled

'Poetry Man' singer Phoebe Snow dies at age 60

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Phoebe Snow, the bluesy singer-songwriter known for her song "Poetry Man," died on Tuesday at age 60 of complications from a stroke she suffered last year, her manager said.
Snow released 16 albums, composed more than 100 songs and was nominated for a best new artist Grammy Award in 1975.
The New Jersey-born singer's "Poetry Man," about her infatuation with a man, was released on a self-titled 1974 album and was her first big hit. It led to her landing on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.

Snow also had a hit song with another track, "Harpo's Blues," from the same album.

Soon after, Snow put her career on hold to care for her daughter, Valerie, who was born with a brain injury. Valerie died at age 31 in 2007, and Snow considered caring for her daughter to be her greatest accomplishment, her manager Sue Cameron said.

When Snow suffered a stroke in January 2010, she had just finished recording a collection of songs and was rehearsing with her band in anticipation of performing weekly shows at a winery in New York, according to her management firm.

But she never emerged from a coma after the stroke.

"Our treasured icon heroically fought for almost a year-and-a-half to come back, enduring bouts of blood clots, pneumonia and congestive heart failure ... until her body finally could take it no more," Cameron said in a statement.

Over the years, Snow performed with the likes of Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Chaka Khan and Jackson Browne.

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton also was a fan, and Snow performed several times for him, including at private family retreats at Camp David. Snow could sing in a variety of styles, from R&B to opera.

Snow is survived by her sister, Julie Laub, her uncle Bob Laub and several cousins. A memorial concert is expected to be announced shortly.
Motownopoly !!!!

 

Product Description

MOTOWNOPOLY celebrates the achievements of Classic Motown. It's a property game that allows you to own Motown???s all time greatest hits ??" and listen while you play! So roll the dice and advance to SPIN. Who knows! You may become the new president of Motown???or you may be going on tour with the Motown Revue! TOWNOPOLY celebrates the achievements of Classic Motown. It's a property game that allows you to own Motown's all time greatest hits - and listen while you play! So roll the dice and advance to SPIN. Who knows! You may become the new president of Motown...or you may be going on tour with the Motown Revue! Are you looking for a fun way to experience Motown? Here it is! MOTOWNOPOLY! Collect recording studios,trade your studios for a Gold Record. Sounds easy enough - but lose your voice, get dropped from your group, or have your record fall from the charts, and it becomes a little more difficult and a lot more fun! You can also Listen While You Play to the included 6-track CD of Motown hits! This special Motownopoly edition includes: ??? Game board ??? Title deeds ??? 32 Studios ??? 12 Gold Records ??? Contingency and Big Hit cards t ??? Six Collectible tokens

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #150681 in Toys & Games
  • Brand: Lateforthesky

Features

  • MOTOWNOPOLY celebrates the achievements of Classic Motown.
  • You can also Listen While You Play to the included 6-track CD of Motown hits!
  • Ages: 8+; 2-6 players.

And you can this from Amazon.com


Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Marvin Gaye biopic 'Sexual Healing' runs into trouble





Marvin-Gaye-biopic-Sexual-Healing-runs-into-trouble 
When Jess L. Martin left his long-running role on TV's Law and Order, it was to work on other projects including the biopic of Marvin Gaye that he was producing with the Soprano's James Gandolfini and hoped to star.

Martin had a career on Broadway prior to Law & Order, most notably in the original cast of Rent (he also appeared in the movie) so playing and performing as Gaye was well within his wheelhouse, but there have been a myriad of problems in bringing the movie to the screen including getting permission to use Gaye's music.

In February of this year, director Julian Temple came in to take over the production from Cameron Crowe and F. Gary Grey, but Martin told the World Entertainment News Network that he has doubts about the future of the film. "I just sort of threw that one up to the universe and said, 'If it's meant to be, it'll be', but it seems impossible to put together, it really does. It just hasn't happened."

Martin says that they aren't the only ones having trouble with the Gaye estate. There are four or five other films in development on Gaye that are having the same problem. "I don't know what it is, but we're gonna have to change tactics and do it on stage, or something like that. That would actually be a great idea! So we'll see, we'll see."

VVN Music 




Larry of No:10, Downing Street ponders on Middle East Crisis





Monday, April 25, 2011

Temple University Invites Kim Weston

Former Motown star recalls career, historic theater


Philadelphia— When singer Kim Weston recalls the Uptown Theater, she remembers making a stunning entrance in a beautiful skintight gown that brought the crowd to a frenzy in the early 1960s.
"I started singing behind the curtain," said Weston, who had hit records on the emerging Motown label.

"When they finally opened up the curtains, somebody in the audience yelled, 'Oh my God, how much for the dress?'" Weston said. "That young man and I grew to be good friends."
Weston, who in 1966 recorded the iconic hit duet "It Takes Two" with Marvin Gaye and had solo records as well, was sharing her recollections Thursday with students in a Temple University class devoted to the historic Uptown and another class focused on Motown Records.
The singer spoke to about 50 people, mostly students — some young, others old enough to be grandparents — inside the Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection at Temple's Sullivan Hall.


Weston, 71, one of the less visible stars at Motown during its heyday, told the audience about her triumphs in the music business despite being overshadowed by other divas such as Diana Ross, Mary Wells, and Martha Reeves.
Wearing wire-rimmed glasses and a painted denim jacket adorned with rhinestones and glitter, Weston captivated the crowd with wit and irony.

"They told me there was going to be a bunch of little kids here," Weston joked. "Isn't it wonderful, people come to class early?"

Weston recorded singles such as "Helpless" and 1963's "Love Me All the Way." Her top solo record was 1965's "Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While)."


"I was in the second Motown Review when I played the Uptown," Weston said. "I loved the Uptown."
She said she also loved the city. "Philadelphia has always been very special," said Weston, who lives in Detroit. "Philly and New York are very close as far as the audiences and their response."

Weston recalled meeting the late Georgie Woods, who produced many of the famous R&B shows at the Uptown, in the 2200 block of North Broad Street.

She also remembered meeting disc jockeys Jimmy Bishop, Jocko Hender
son, Hy Lit, and Jerry Blavat, "the Geator with the Heater."

"It was a time when DJs played the records they liked and got paid for it," Weston said.
She said Blavat was just coming into his own and was "like a water boy."

"One of the biggest compliments I ever had was from Jerry Blavat when he told me that I treated him like a human being instead of a gofer," Weston said.


Weston said Martha and the Vandellas' 1964 anthem "Dancing in the Streets" was actually written for her. Her then-husband, William "Mickey" Stevenson, an A&R man for Motown, wrote it. They later divorced.

She said that at Motown, the artist who had the prior hit record would get the next great song, noting that Martha and the Vandellas had previously released "(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave."

"Martha had had 'Heat Wave,' which was a big hit and so everyone was vying for the next record by her," Weston said.

"So my ex-husband took the record that I was doing and gave it to Martha. She sang it line for line, note for note. ... The next time I heard 'Dancing in the Streets,' Martha was singing it on the air."

Weston said she and Stevenson left Motown in the late 1960s. She recorded with MGM and other labels but never regained her Motown luster.
Bryant Simon, a professor of history and director of American studies at Temple who developed the three-credit course, "Sounds of Revolution: Rhythm and Blues as Heard and Experienced at the Uptown Theater, 1959 to 1970," hailed Weston's visit.

"Almost point for point, she was making points we made in class about the product of Motown," Simon said. "It was great. People were listening.

Weston's comments about the Uptown were spot-on, he said. "She was telling them all the stuff we were talking about in class."

Linda Richardson, president of the nonprofit Uptown Entertainment and Development Corp., said work to restore the theater was continuing, as was fund-raising.
"We're planning to develop a partnership with an entertainment organization to run the theater based on our vision of providing entertainment for youth in the community," Richardson said in a telephone interview. She said information about the theater restoration can be found at www.philadelphiauptowntheater.org
 
Weston said she is still making music. She performed recently in England, but said her career was slowed when she was struck by a shuttle bus in Burbank, Calif., in 2000. "It knocked me 15 feet in the air," she said.

Weston said one of the highlights of her career came in 1970, when she recorded a cover of "Lift Every Voice and Sing," also known as the Black National Anthem.

But it wasn't for Motown.

"Motown never got into political issues," she said. Berry Gordy Jr., the founder of Motown, "didn't want to get into that."

Vernon Clark / The Philadelphia Inquirer

Embracing vinyl

Young people with old souls prefer records to CDs.

IN most ways, Sarah McCarthy is your average high schooler. She has a job, college plans, but also a peculiar passion for a 16-year-old: she’s a vinyl junkie.

That’s right, analogue. And none of that hipster new stuff or a USB-ready turntable from Urban Outfitters.

To this senior from Centreville, Maryland, there’s nothing like the raw crackle, the depth of sound from the dusty stash of records she found in her grandfather’s basement – yes, grandfather.

“He gave me his receiver and speaker system and told me to listen to it the way it was made to be listened to,” said McCarthy. “I’ve turned a lot of my friends on to it. They come over a lot to listen with me.”

Like anthropologists: Sarah McCarthy, 16, and her boyfriend Jack Carroll, 19, at KA-CHUNK!! Records in Annapolis, Maryland.

At a time when parents feel positively prehistoric as they explain how to use plastic ice-cube trays or speak of phones with cords and dials, this teen knows what a record is. Not only that, she knows the difference between a 45 and an LP. She met her boyfriend in a record shop and now works there!

Sure, she has an iPod, but she also has a vinyl collection of 250 records and counting. Sure, there’s a broader 1970s renaissance in the air, but buying bell-bottoms doesn’t touch the commitment of teens unearthing old turntables and records, then convincing friends to listen, too, like a pack of crazy little anthropologists.

“Listening to old music remastered to a newer format is almost comical,” she added. “They weren’t meant to be digitalised. Listening to Jimi Hendrix on my iPod doesn’t capture his endlessly deep guitar solos quite like a 33 LP of Blues does.”
This girl’s in love with vinyl, and she’s not the only member of Generation Digital with an ear for analogue.

“My dad always had these old records in the garage and I never got to use them until just recently, when my uncle let me have his old record player,” said 14-year-old Nick Spates, a Los Angeles eighth grader who plays guitar and piano.

What’d he find in his dad’s two milk crates?

A lot of George Clinton – “He’s a genius. I swear,” declared Spates. And Funkadelic. Of the band’s Eddie Hazel: “Maggot Brain is like my favourite song ever. The original is a 10-minute guitar solo.” There was also Spiral by The Crusaders. “It has a lot of horns. I love horns.” And Carmel by Joe Sample, Hendrix on Voodoo Child and a trove of Stanley Clarke.

“My friends think it’s cool,” he said. “Before I had the vinyls I used to Google older musicians and see what songs they made, and I’d look for them on YouTube. We’re all musicians and old music is like our favourite stuff in the world.”

Way back when, he said, the message of the music was “definitely more to benefit society and people’s knowledge and what’s going on in the world.” Now, he said, “It’s more about what rappers have.”

Jeremy Robinson, co-owner of the plantation-size Ditch Records & CDs in Victoria, British Columbia, has up to 20,000 records in stock – half old and half new pressings from reissue labels and indie bands.

“Our vinyl sales have probably doubled in the last couple of years,” he said. “The bulk of that has been young people, the iPod generation. They want to collect things, own things, which is the opposite of digital culture. They want to belong to the past.”

The uptick in interest over several years includes nostalgic “nerdy superfans” looking for a way around the more sanitised sound of digital, he said, but also savvy young people with Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Fleetwood Mac, Iron Maiden and a host of obscure post-punk music on their minds.

“The younger kids that come in the store know what they want,” said Robinson. “They usually want the best albums by the best classic bands.”
Matt Melvin, a 22-year-old college senior in Orlando, Florida, began taking vinyl seriously when he was 17 and still in high school. His interest was fed by buddies in search of pressings from new artistes but also his dad’s collection of old staples like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Dylan.

“With vinyl, one is forced to slow down and take in an album as a whole piece of work as the artist intended,” he said.

Melvin’s constantly on the hunt for exclusive, hard-to-find tracks like special B-sides or limited-edition colour pressings. The White Stripes, for example, released a series of singles on vinyl from their last album with acoustic and Spanish versions on B-sides. A vinyl version of Radiohead’s latest album can be ordered from its website.

But he’s interested in older music, too.

“Going through the countless stacks of different record stores, my eyes usually get caught by old funk and jazz records that I would have otherwise had little exposure to had it not been for their eccentric and colourful cover art.”

While the recording industry dukes it out over downloads and mourns the CD, 2.5 million vinyl LPs were sold in 2009, up 33% from the year before. Vinyl sales are a blip among total revenue from US music sales and licensing, but that’s a healthy increase in its own right.

“Young people are leading the way back to analogue through vinyl and turntables,” said Melvin. “I think young people are demanding a product that is more tangible, the thrill of hunting through a store for that perfect record, the simple satisfaction of turning that record over.” – AP 

 LEANNE ITALIE


The Great Dusty Springfield


The ’60s were a pretty magical decade for Dusty Springfield. In the space of about seven years, she went from modest folk singer to a pop sensation who ruled the pop charts, helped bring Motown artists to the U.K. and was a near-ubiquitous presence on British television. And, by the end of the decade, she was considered by many to be a peer to her soul singing idols.
 
Dusty Springfield was born Mary O’Brien on this day in 1939. She and her older brother Dion were raised by middle-class parents who were fond of music. In fact, Dusty’s father would often tap out musical rhythms on the back of her hand, and have her guess which song it was. She also loved playing soccer in the street with the neighborhood boys, and the tomboy nature helped earn Mary the nickname Dusty.
 
After finishing school, in 1958, Dusty joined a vocal group, named the Lana Sisters, learned how to harmonize and did her first recording and TV show appearances. Two years later, she left the group to form her own act – a folk-pop trio with her brother Dion and Reshad Field. They Christened themselves the Springfields and so, Mary O’Brien’s official stage name became Dusty Springfield. 
 
The group had some pretty successful singles in early ’60s England, but the big moment for Dusty came when they traveled to Nashville, Tennessee, to record an album and hopefully capture an “American” sound. During the trip, Dusty heard tons of American pop songs, and she became less interested in folk tunes and more interested in the Motown sound and other R&B-inflected girl group music.
 
In the fall of ’63, the left the group and went solo. Her first solo single, written and arranged by Ivor Raymonde, copped the “wall of sound” production style Dusty had so fallen in love with. It turned out that music fans on both sides of the Atlantic loved Dusty, too. “I Only Want to Be with You” proved a debut smash, and launched Dusty into a very fruitful ’64, during which she was considered one of the stars of the British Invasion alongside The Beatles. She had a bevy of hits that year, including the U.K. smash “I Just Don’t Know What to Do with Myself” and the U.S. Top 10 hit “Wishin’ and Hopin’” (both penned by the Burt Bacharach/Hal David team). Springfield set herself apart from the many other female singers of the time because of her white soul (or blue-eyed soul) sound. Dusty’s breathy delivery seemed to hint at a strong sexuality. In fact, many listeners thought she was a black, American performer upon hearing her records.
 
At the end of ’64, Springfield courted controversy – but only for the best of reasons. The singer was deported from South Africa for performing in front of a racially integrated crowd, which was forbidden in the country at that time (and for some time after). The incident only enhanced her “cool” standing, and she remained an enormously popular star.
In 1965, Springfield entered the Italian Song Festival. Although she didn’t make the final, the experience proved fruitful for other reasons. During her time in Italy, she heard the song “Io Che Non Vivo (Senza Te),” and thought the tune was remarkable. She commissioned her friend Vicki Wickham and future manager Simon Napier-Bell to write English words to the melody and the result was “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me.” It became her biggest hit at home and abroad, even though she later called it “good old schmaltz.”
 
That year was another important one for Dusty, and not just because of hit singles and albums, such as Ev’rything’s Coming Up Dusty. In the spring of ’65, she took on the role of presenter and influencer when she facilitated the U.K. TV debut of a bunch of Motown acts. In April, Springfield opened a special episode of Ready Steady Go! that featured performances by The Temptations, The Supremes, The Miracles, Stevie Wonder and Martha Reeves and the Vandellas (not to mention Motown’s house band, The Funk Brothers, who backed everyone up). Dusty wasn’t just a singing star, she was a huge tastemaker in British popular music.
 
Obviously, the BBC recognized her potential in this arena and began having her host her own show. In a few years time, she would have her own programs on both the BBC and ITV. Also, by the end of the decade, she would have made and released what nearly everyone considers her masterpiece.
 
As the ’60s progressed, the music culture changed and Dusty’s brand of pop became increasingly uncool to many music fans – who began to prefer works with an avant-garde leaning, harder rock albums and more emotionally wrenching R&B songs. The latter certainly appealed to Springfield, who signed to Atlantic Records (due to Aretha Franklin’s association with the label) and planned to record her next album in Memphis, Tennessee. Atlantic all-star producers Jerry Wexler, Tom Dowd and Arif Mardin signed on and made an instant change in Dusty’s sound. Instead of placing her voice in the midst of layers of orchestration, they pushed her singing up front in the mix, spotlighting her expressive and sultry delivery.
 
Yet, the Memphis sessions were not all that productive – as far as Springfield was concerned. The backing tracks were laid down, but Dusty (having never worked this way) was uncomfortable and wasn’t singing at her best. In fact, the most lucrative thing for Atlantic to come out of the sessions was Dusty’s suggestion that the label sign the newly formed Led Zeppelin to a contract. Springfield was friends with bassist John Paul Jones, who had played in her band in concert. Based on Dusty’s recommendation, Atlantic brought them aboard.
 
Strangely enough, Dusty in Memphis only features vocal tracks that Springfield recorded after the Memphis sessions, in New York. Released in January of 1969, the album was a critical smash, praised effusively by the likes of Greil Marcus. Commercially, it didn’t fare as well – although the single “Son of a Preacher Man” was a Top 10 chart hit in England and America. Over time, the record’s reputation would grow to such a point that it is now considered a pinnacle of blue-eyed soul and one of the best albums ever made.
The following decades were harder on Dusty, both professionally and personally, with lagging sales and battles with alcoholism. She became a controversial figure for some and a heroine to others because of statements she made in 1970 indicating she was bisexual.
Out of virtually nowhere, Springfield returned to the spotlight in 1987 when she sang on the Pet Shop Boys’ hit “What Have I Done to Deserve This?” – a #2 hit in the U.K. and U.S. For the next decade she was considered more or less a living legend, revered for her soulful vocal talents and ’60s hits. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999, the same year she succumbed to a five-year battle with breast cancer. In his induction speech, Elton John called her “the greatest white singer there has ever been.” Given how much she idolized and was inspired by African-American musicians, Dusty would have taken that as the highest compliment.
 
 

Meanwhile The Boys Continue To Make Fun On S&P



Paul Krugman has something interesting to say about the S&P report.

    OK, so Standard and Poors has warned that it might downgrade the US one of these days. At first read, what it says doesn’t seem too silly: it lays stress, rightly, on political gridlock. The point should be that the US is perfectly capable both of running large deficits now and getting its fiscal house in order over time; but not if the parties cannot agree on any kind of solution. What we do to spending this year or next is irrelevant.

  
That said, it’s worth remembering that S&P downgraded Japan in 2002 ...

    Japanese bonds became known as the “trade of death”, because people kept betting on an interest rate rise, and it kept not happening.

    So, no big deal.


From Dave Lindorff later in the day:

    At least one economist burst out laughing on hearing about the S&P announcement. “They did what?” exclaimed James Galbraith, a professor of economics at the University of Texas in Austin, who formerly served as executive director of the Congressional Joint Economic Committee. “This is remarkable! It certainly will confirm the suspicions of those who have questioned S&P’s competence after its performance on the mortgage debacle.

    S&P, as well as the other two big ratings firms, all notoriously failed completely to spot the looming disaster of the banking collapse and financial crisis, and famously issued A ratings to mortgage-backed securities that later proved to be virtually worthless paper, as well as to the banks that had loaded up on the financial wreck.

    As Galbraith explains it, “US debt consists of bonds issued in US dollars, which I assume the S&P analysts know (such Sarcasm) . How can the US possibly default on its own currency? The obligation is in nominal dollars, which is to say when the bond retires, the US issues a check in dollars to cover it.”

    Since the US prints its own currency (or actually just issues electronic payments to create new money) whenever it needs it, as Galbraith puts it, “As long as there is diesel fuel to power up the back-up generators that run the government’s computers, they will have the money to back their own bonds.”

 
Anticipating such a criticism, S&P issued a FAQ sheet about its decision, and in answer to the question of how a country could default on bonds issued in its own currency, writes, “We consider having the world's reserve currency to be a strength to the U.S. government's credit profile. However, there can be reserve asset demand for the currency of a sovereign that is experiencing a weakening of its credit profile, as in the case of Japan (AA-/Stable/A-1+), which Standard & Poor's downgraded most recently in January 2011.”

    This however, just dodges the question, because after all, the Japanese Yen is not a reserve currency. Oil, for example, is not priced in Yen, it is priced in dollars. Third world countries, when they issue debt not in their own local currency, generally use dollars, not Yen, except for instance when they are funding a project involving Japanese companies.

    So what’s going on here?

    There would seem to be only two possibilities:

    Either S&P has been pressured by powerful Republicans and/or Wall Street Bankers to issue this warning, in order to add to national hysteria about the national debt and win more drastic cuts in social programs, or S&P is simply blowing it again.

    “Political shenanigans cannot be ruled out,” says Galbraith. “That’s what lawyers would call the ‘rebuttable presumption.’ After all, who benefits? The Republicans and perhaps the banks. But of course the other possibility is that S&P doesn’t know what it’s talking about, and after their disastrous missing of the mortgage bubble, that’s quite possibly what it is.”

Richard Koo of Nomura has written before that ratings agencies don't understand how government debt functions in a deleveraging cycle, or a balance sheet recession.

From Richard Koo:

What Japanese market participants understand that Western rating agencies do not is that fiscal deficits generated during a balance sheet recession are the result of economic weakness triggered by private-sector deleveraging, and that the private savings needed to finance those deficits are by definition made available at the same time.

In other words, such conditions lead to a substantial surplus of savings in the private sector. What makes an economy under such conditions fundamentally different from an ordinary economy (i.e., one that is not in a balance sheet recession) is that those savings are plentiful enough to finance the government’s deficits.

Corporate savings (and personal savings to a lesser extent) have boomed since the recession, and it's that excess cash the U.S. government can continue to make use of while the country is deleveraging to keep the economy from shrinking.


And ratings agencies, failing to understand this situation, have got their downgrades wrong every time in Japan. Koo has compared ratings agencies to a "doctor who cannot even identify his disease."

The S&P may have just kicked off the beginning of a U.S. debt downgrade round that will put pressure on the government to cut spending when the economy is weak. We've already seen how that's working out for the UK.
Dr. Who Returns !!!!


Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a mysterious and eccentric time lord known as the Doctor who travels through time and space in his time machine, the TARDIS (an acronym for Time And Relative Dimension(s) In Space), which normally appears from the exterior to be a blue 1950s British police box. With his companions, he explores time and space, faces a variety of foes and saves civilizations, helping people and righting wrongs.

The programme is listed in Guinness World Records as the longest-running science fiction television show in the world, and as the "most successful" science fiction series of all time

New Doctor Who  series opener watched by 6.5m

Doctor Who:
        The Impossible Astronaut The Impossible Astronaut was followed by a tribute to late Doctor Who actress Elisabeth Sladen on CBBC
The first episode in the new series of Doctor Who was watched by an average audience of 6.5 million viewers, according to overnight viewing figures.
On a sunny day in parts of the UK, that was down from the eight million recorded by overnight figures on Matt Smith's show debut in April 2010.
The Impossible Astronaut had an average audience share of 36.7%. Figures peaked at seven million.
The episode featured aliens partly inspired by Edvard Munch's The Scream.
BBC One viewers watched as Smith's Doctor was reunited with Karen Gillan's Amy Pond, Arthur Darvill's Rory Williams and Alex Kingston's River Song in 1960s America.
While final consolidated viewing figures - which include playback on recording devices - will push ratings higher, The Impossible Astronaut is likely to be the least watched series opener since Doctor Who was relaunched in 2005.
The new episode was described by the Daily Telegraph as a "wordy episode which concentrated more on atmosphere than pace and visual thrills".

Doctor Who series openers since 2005

  • 9.6m - The Eleventh Hour - 3/4/2010 (Matt Smith)
  • 9.1m - Partners in Crime - 5/4/2008 (David Tennant)
  • 8.7m - Smith and Jones - 31/3/2007 (DT)
  • 8.6m - New Earth - 15/4/2006 (DT)
  • 10.8m - Rose - 26/3/2005 (Christopher Ecclestone)
Source: Barb consolidated figures
Thanks, in part to "fizzing dialogue" and "a great concept" for a new monster, it was "a cracking start" to the new series, the paper added.
The Los Angeles Times, reviewing the programme because it is shown on BBC America, said Smith had "screwed into this role good and tight", praising his Doctor as "an ancient child, an unstable mix of authority and impulsiveness".
But Kevin O'Sullivan, writing in the Sunday Mirror, said the episode was called The Impossible Astronaut because it was "impossible to understand" complaining that "this ball of all-round confusion was no way to start a series".
The episode had been written for "strictly sci-fi nerds only", he added.
Elisabeth
        Sladen and Tom Baker Sladen starred as Sarah Jane Smith opposite Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker, pictured, in Doctor Who
Saturday's episode began with a dedication to the memory of the late Doctor Who actress Elisabeth Sladen who died of cancer this week at the age of 63.
The actress also appeared in four series of spin-off show The Sarah Jane Adventures on children's channel CBBC, which began in 2007.
At the end of the The Impossible Astronaut, a tribute to Sladen - who starred opposite Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker as the Doctor's assistant between 1973 and 1976 - was screened on CBBC.
Saturday night's tribute featured Smith as well as his Doctor Who predecessor David Tennant.
Will Chines Rails Bring Down
Their Banks ?


China’s expanding network of ultramodern high-speed trains has come under growing scrutiny here over costs and because of concerns that builders ignored safety standards in the quest to build faster trains in record time.

The trains, a symbol of the country’s rapid development, have drawn praise from President Obama. But what began in February with the firing and detention of the country’s top railway official has spiraled into a corruption investigation that has raised questions about the project’s future.


Last week, the new leadership at the Railways Ministry announced that to enhance safety, the top speed of all trains was being decreased from about 218 mph to 186. Without elaborating, the ministry called the safety situation “severe” and said it was launching safety checks along the entire network of tracks.

The ministry also announced it would reduce ticket prices to boost lagging ridership and would slow construction of high-speed lines to avoid outpacing public demand.

With the latest revelations, the shining new emblem of China’s modernization looks more like an example of many of the country’s interlinking problems: top-level corruption, concerns about construction quality and a lack of public input into the planning of large-scale projects.

Questions have also arisen about whether costs and public needs are too often overlooked as the leadership pursues grandiose projects, which some critics say are for vanity or to engender national pride but which are also seen as an effort to pump up growth through massive public works spending.

China’s expanding network of ultramodern high-speed trains has come under growing scrutiny here over costs and because of concerns that builders ignored safety standards in the quest to build faster trains in record time.

The trains, a symbol of the country’s rapid development, have drawn praise from President Obama. But what began in February with the firing and detention of the country’s top railway official has spiraled into a corruption investigation that has raised questions about the project’s future.


Last week, the new leadership at the Railways Ministry announced that to enhance safety, the top speed of all trains was being decreased from about 218 mph to 186. Without elaborating, the ministry called the safety situation “severe” and said it was launching safety checks along the entire network of tracks.

The ministry also announced it would reduce ticket prices to boost lagging ridership and would slow construction of high-speed lines to avoid outpacing public demand.

With the latest revelations, the shining new emblem of China’s modernization looks more like an example of many of the country’s interlinking problems: top-level corruption, concerns about construction quality and a lack of public input into the planning of large-scale projects.

Questions have also arisen about whether costs and public needs are too often overlooked as the leadership pursues grandiose projects, which some critics say are for vanity or to engender national pride but which are also seen as an effort to pump up growth through massive public works spending.

China’s expanding network of ultramodern high-speed trains has come under growing scrutiny here over costs and because of concerns that builders ignored safety standards in the quest to build faster trains in record time.

The trains, a symbol of the country’s rapid development, have drawn praise from President Obama. But what began in February with the firing and detention of the country’s top railway official has spiraled into a corruption investigation that has raised questions about the project’s future.


Last week, the new leadership at the Railways Ministry announced that to enhance safety, the top speed of all trains was being decreased from about 218 mph to 186. Without elaborating, the ministry called the safety situation “severe” and said it was launching safety checks along the entire network of tracks.

The ministry also announced it would reduce ticket prices to boost lagging ridership and would slow construction of high-speed lines to avoid outpacing public demand.

With the latest revelations, the shining new emblem of China’s modernization looks more like an example of many of the country’s interlinking problems: top-level corruption, concerns about construction quality and a lack of public input into the planning of large-scale projects.

Questions have also arisen about whether costs and public needs are too often overlooked as the leadership pursues grandiose projects, which some critics say are for vanity or to engender national pride but which are also seen as an effort to pump up growth through massive public works spending.

China’s expanding network of ultramodern high-speed trains has come under growing scrutiny here over costs and because of concerns that builders ignored safety standards in the quest to build faster trains in record time.

The trains, a symbol of the country’s rapid development, have drawn praise from President Obama. But what began in February with the firing and detention of the country’s top railway official has spiraled into a corruption investigation that has raised questions about the project’s future.


Last week, the new leadership at the Railways Ministry announced that to enhance safety, the top speed of all trains was being decreased from about 218 mph to 186. Without elaborating, the ministry called the safety situation “severe” and said it was launching safety checks along the entire network of tracks.

The ministry also announced it would reduce ticket prices to boost lagging ridership and would slow construction of high-speed lines to avoid outpacing public demand.

With the latest revelations, the shining new emblem of China’s modernization looks more like an example of many of the country’s interlinking problems: top-level corruption, concerns about construction quality and a lack of public input into the planning of large-scale projects.

Questions have also arisen about whether costs and public needs are too often overlooked as the leadership pursues grandiose projects, which some critics say are for vanity or to engender national pride but which are also seen as an effort to pump up growth through massive public works spending.

The Finance Ministry said last week that the Railways Ministry continued to lose money in the first quarter of this year. The ministry’s debt stands at $276 billion, almost all borrowed from Chinese banks.

“They’ve taken on a massive amount of debt to build it,” said Patrick Chovanec, who teaches at Tsinghua University. He said China accelerated construction of the high-speed rail network — including 295 sleek glass-and-marble train stations — as part of the country’s stimulus spending in response to the 2008 global financial crisis.

Zhao Jian, a professor at Beijing Jiaotong University and a longtime critic of high-speed rail, said he worries that the cost of the project might have created a hidden debt bomb that threatens China’s banking system.

“In China, we will have a debt crisis — a high-speed rail debt crisis,” he said. “I think it is more serious than your subprime mortgage crisis. You can always leave a house or use it. The rail system is there. It’s a burden. You must operate the rail system, and when you operate it, the cost is very high.”

Part of the cost problem has been that each segment of the system has been far more expensive to build than initially estimated, which many trace directly to the alleged corruption being uncovered, including a flawed bidding process.

After the railway official, Liu Zhijun, was detained by the Communist Party’s disciplinary committee, stories began trickling out about how a businesswoman in Shanxi province set up an investment company that took kickbacks from firms awarded contracts on the project.
庚 子遺夢 義和團事件110年祭




During my high school days I remember the leftist crowd threatened to fire bomb the local  Odeon Cinema if they dare to show the movie "55 days In Peking". The show did come on and I remember police had to be stationed around the cinema. If Hollywood is to make another film based on the same historic episode tomorrow, I am quite sure the Chinese will probably react the same:-




1977 年,一齣由中國京劇院四團演出的京劇名震全國──《紅燈照》,它幾乎是文革後第一齣新編劇目。它創作的背景是發生在1900 年的義和團事件。

查遍大陸所有的官方媒體, 關於義和團的定義都是「反帝的」、「愛國的」。似乎在「反帝愛國」的大旗下,什麼都可以幹, 什麼都可以不在乎。這正是今天大陸那些高喊「抵制日貨」、「砸爛家樂福」的「愛國憤青」們的邏輯。這種邏輯來自他們從小受到的教育。

近代中國的民族主義第一次真正意義上的出現, 正是在義和團事件中。由這個事件開始, 民族主義成為中國社會的主燃力, 並逐漸取代其他, 躍動成中國近現代史的主題。

對於很多外國人來說,正是從那時他們開始關注中國,並形成了至今仍無法改變的中國觀。他們發現, 義和團事件的很多特質日後不斷地在中國的運動中重複上演:憤怒、抗爭、自卑、愚昧與粗魯。

我覺得用「悲劇」來形容這一切並不過分。今天的歷史和110 年前如此相似。悲劇的舞台還在,演員們只是換上了不同的服裝, 我們瞭解它, 將為我們持續觀看它的新版上演提供重要的視角。

神助拳、義和團,只因鬼子鬧中原

1891 年,山東東昌府知府洪用舟接到一紙訴狀,是一起土地糾紛,原來梨園屯的教民分得村裏位於玉皇廟的地產三畝,教民將地獻於當地德國教會,教會隨後將玉皇廟拆 毀,蓋起了教堂。村民們希望索回土地,重蓋玉皇廟。

按理說知府洪用舟應該把土地判給教會,但一定會激起民憤。玉皇大帝乃國人尊崇的萬神之神,拆玉皇廟實屬人神共憤之舉,天地不容。最終,洪用舟 宣判:土地歸教會使用。為平息衆怒,他令冠縣從自己的財政中拿出銀二百、京錢一千串贊助村民們另闢土地,蓋玉皇廟。

平心而論,當時官員的執政水平比當下要高。但沒想到,怒火中燒的村民圍攻教堂,然後又有閻書琴、高小麻等十八人號稱「十八魁」,號召大家焚燒 教堂。官府一見不妙,趕緊派兵保護。「十八魁」率衆赴後繼與之抗爭。為了消除人們的恐懼心理,他們自稱得有神助,有「紅燈照」、「藍燈照」等 法術,能避炮火,並自名為「義和團」。

這是「義和團」一詞第一次出現在史書上。

關於義和團的起源,很多人認為來自白蓮教。實際上,它和白蓮教無關。白蓮教是以顛覆政權為目的的地下幫會。義和團從誕生之初就是官方認可的合 法組織。它來自太平天國之亂時,各地自辦的團練。團練的宗旨是:「保身家,防禦盜賊,守望相助」。義和團最初叫「義和拳」,「拳」字出自 「拳腳第一」的說法,「義」和「和」字來自義勇有三氣:「正氣」、「義氣」、「和氣」。這個組織是官方認可的民兵組織。

十九世紀末,對於普通中國農民來說,是個不幸的時代。

1895 年,甲午戰爭中國敗於日本,戰爭賠款很快就轉嫁到了民衆身上。稅負逐年增加。維繫中國經濟的兩大行業 ── 紡織和茶葉在外部競爭下也逐漸蕭條。茶葉面臨着印度和日本的挑戰;絲綢和土布面臨着物美價廉的洋紗的競爭。

火車、輪船和電線觸怒天神

直隸和山東的繁榮,百年來依靠的是京杭大運河的物流。但自外國人的輪船和火車出現後,海運和鐵路取代了漕運。大運河兩岸的城鎮隨即凋零。山東 受影響最大:船戶、水手大都失業。

不僅如此,自光緒二十一年(1895年)到光緒二十四年(1898 年),連年河決,一年數報。光緒二十五年秋,直隸、山西、山東遭遇大旱,直至次年春,滴雨未下,「一望赤土,不見寸草」。民衆們相信,洋人的火車、輪船和 電線觸怒了天神,只有平天怒,才能風調雨順。

西方教會因為很難爭取到皈依者,所以便轉而為信衆提供補助金,並保護他們免受官方或非官方的侮辱。很多社會上的癟三、流氓這時開始利用教會的 保護傘,橫行鄉里。普通民衆蔑稱他們為「吃教」。義和拳當時有一首歌謠,其中有這樣的詞句:

神助拳 義和團 只因鬼子鬧中原如不信 仔細觀 鬼子眼珠俱發藍天無雨 地焦旱 全是教堂止住天

天災、失業、迷信、對外公憤終於導致了1900 年大規模的排外暴亂。

官方慫恿

1900 年1 月24 日,慈禧太后突然宣布立溥儁為大阿哥,並準備讓光緒皇帝行讓位禮,改元「保慶」。歷史上稱之為「己亥立儲」。這次立儲激起了外國使節和國內輿論的一片譁 然。慈禧為何急着給年輕的光緒找接班人呢?

1898 年,光緒皇帝因受甲午戰敗的刺激,決定學習日本明治維新,主持了「戊戌變法」。此時,中國已經歷三十多年的改革開放(「洋務運動」,或叫「自強運動」), 雖在軍事和經濟上學習了一些西方皮毛,但在政治制度上一如既往地專制、低效、自閉。光緒企圖在幹部人事制度、新式教育改革等方面有所建樹,但 毫無行政經驗的改革派太過心急,短短百天時間就把同情變法者和保守者同時推到了「改革」的對立面。

1898 年的戊戌政變翻轉了整個權力結構,不但「新法」盡廢,而且漢人激進派(康有為、梁啟超)和溫和派的勢力也被削弱。反動的滿人重新佔據了中央要職。光緒的政 治生命在中南海瀛台結束了 ──光緒除了政治上「太右」,還是個性無能者,沒有生育能力 ── 慈禧太后立儲,一是現實需要,二是試探西人的態度。新的接班人是慈禧弟弟桂祥的女兒的孩子溥儁。

大阿哥溥儁的生父載漪算是光緒的堂兄弟。他是一個非常典型的高幹子弟,沒什麼政治理想,也沒有野心,自幼好武,入滿洲親貴主持的首都戍部隊 ──「神機營」;慈禧將自己弟弟桂祥的三女兒許配給載漪後,他便成了「端郡王」。戊戌變法時期,端郡王曾哭着跪求慈禧出山,挽救國家。慈禧覺 得他「講政治」。端郡王此前從未參與過政治核心的決策,此時卻一人得道雞犬升天。

朝庭中「新左派」抬頭

據說,冊封消息公布後,北京的端郡王府立時賓客盈門,載漪準備了大型酒宴,特接待外使來賀,但,同情光緒變法的外國公使們誰也沒來;端郡王自 此對洋人恨之入骨。就在此時,義和團來到了端郡王眼前。他很喜歡拳民們身上的那股「仇外」的味道。他迅速成為希望利用義和團的朝中「新左派」 力量的代言人。

1899 年12 月31 日,英國聖公會傳教士卜克斯在山東參加完妹妹的婚禮,回教堂途中被義和團殺死,並被肢解。卜克斯是一個善良的人,只有22 歲。他的遇害激起了北京外交圈的憤怒。英國公使竇納樂給清政府以嚴重警告。

清政府於1900 年1 月4 日懲治了殺死英國傳教士卜克斯的拳民,事態似乎出現了轉機,但1 月11 日,清政府突然發表上諭,稱政府對拳民「一視同仁」,只看「匪不匪」,不看「會不會」也 ──「會」指的是幫會 ── 這等於是在鼓勵仇外行為。1 月16 日仇外的山東巡撫毓賢覲見慈禧,慈禧親賜「福」字,這是又一次鼓勵。一向對華比較友好的美國公使康格提出強烈的書面抗議,大清中央為息事寧人,以袁世凱頂 替毓賢出任山東巡撫。

袁世凱是當時朝廷中的「知洋派」,因訓練出中國第一支西式武裝的陸軍而被重用。他不拒絕外來事務,更不迷信。據說,袁一到山東,就請義和團的 幾個「大師哥」赴宴,席上問他們義和拳的「刀槍不入」神話是否果有其效,幾個大師哥信誓旦旦地說「有,有。」袁突然叫兵沖他們放槍,然後對信 衆說:「看,他們撒謊。他們不是死了嗎?怎麼會『刀槍不入』?」

但袁世凱對義和團的彈壓立刻遭到了朝臣們的非議。御史高熙上奏說:「風聞袁世凱到東之後,立議先剿後撫,殊不知會民雖不相安,猶是朝廷赤 子。」

袁雖痛恨拳民愚昧誤國,但又不能不顧及朝廷對拳民的好感,他於是採取了光幹不說的政策,暗中向義和團施壓,趕他們出山東。義和團離開山東後, 開始向直隸北京蔓延。

對於義和團的發展動向, 北京的外交圈反應很慢。多數洋人把它看成一種已經習以為常的中國式「折騰」。他們沒有停止周末在東交民巷海關總署舉辦的舞會。只有一個人意識到了威脅。他 就是在中國已經工作了半個世紀之久的大清洋僱員──大清海關總稅務司英國人赫德爵士。

中國的「非洲化」 列強虎爪印遍全國

這位中國通曾提醒東交民巷那些養尊處優的公使們:「中國人歷經兩千年來的馴化,熱血早已冷卻,不過我認為這些日子以來的絕望,會使熱血以最狂 暴的方式沸騰,屆時我們這些洋人會被趕出北京。」

十九世紀末,中國的運氣實在不好。隨着德國、意大利的統一和俄國、日本的崛起,列強在遠東的競爭開始白熱化。十九世紀九十年代末,過去那些熱 愛中國文化的「知華派」西方外交家紛紛離任,接替他們的是那些熱愛你死我活的國際鬥爭、喜歡在非洲用尺子為別人畫國界、對當地文明漠不關心的 冷酷的政治高手們。後來死於拳亂的德國公使克林德便是典型的例子。

克林德是波茨坦貴族,當過軍人,他說:「對於中國來說,最好的結局就是被列強當做一根德國香腸,切碎,再吞掉。」

新任的駐華公使們並不像他們的前任一樣尊重中國的文化和傳統,他們希望把中國變成非洲,直接切割。德國佔膠東灣後,激起了連鎖反應,英國租威 海;俄國佔旅順;日本向福建伸出了手;法國強佔廣州灣。

1895 年之前,中國雖然屢戰屢敗,但普通民衆幾乎毫無知覺。直到1895 年的甲午慘敗,中國知識精英們才覺醒;而隨之而來的瓜分狂潮則觸動了中國人的自尊心。

1898 年,法國海軍強佔廣州灣後,直隸大名府四壁竟貼上了告示,文稱:「各省愛國志士,睹西人無法無天之行為,已決於四月十五集合,屠戮西人,焚毀其居。其不與 我同心一致者,男盜女娼。閱此告示,而不為傳播者,亦如之。完了。」

「人民愛國團體」大開殺戒

對於義和團,慈禧並非不知道實情,她只是利用民意向西方施壓。在其默許下,1900 年春天,義和團作為「人民愛國團體」大舉進入北京,人數高達十萬之眾。

義和團的仇外行為表現在毀洋物,殺洋人。他們稱外國人為「大毛子」,一律殺無赦。中國人教徒是「二毛子」;其他通洋學、懂洋語、以至用洋貨 者,被稱「三毛子」以至「十毛子」。時人記載:「曾有學生六人倉皇避亂,因身邊隨帶鉛筆一支,洋紙一張,途遇團匪搜出,亂刀並下,皆死非 命。」甚至有一家有一枚火柴,而八口同戮。

前門大柵欄曾有一家「老德記」西藥房,因沾「洋邊」,義和團大師兄下令燒毀。周邊商戶苦苦哀求,擔心殃及池魚。

但大師兄說:「我有法術,可控制火勢。」結果,法術失效,大火延燒了三天,繁華的前門一帶被付之一炬,正陽門城樓也受殃及。作為北京當時的 CBD (CentralBusiness District),京城的24 家鑄銀爐廠都集中於大柵欄,結果全部被毀,北京的金融秩序大亂,工商業陷入完全癱瘓。

殺紅了眼的義和團們,開始衝擊政府機構和官員。戒備森嚴的紫禁城內,也出現了義和團的壇口,太監們紛紛入壇。

義和團發出了對「一龍二虎」的截殺令,「一龍」就是光緒皇帝,「二虎」便是改革派的「李鴻章、奕劻」。團民還企圖衝入宮中,抓拿光緒。幸虧慈 禧攔下。這背後閃動着的,正是保守派端郡王「搶班奪權」的如意算盤。

1900 年5 月28 日,克林德在北京公使團的會議上提出:「中國即將崩潰,公使團不應該為如何保護外交人員安全這種小事爭論不休,而更應該認真考慮如何瓜分中國。」法國參贊 當都阿回憶說,克林德甚至明確地提出了「剝奪太后的權力」。

兩個外交官的非正常死亡

1900 年6 月11 日,日本公使館書記官杉山彬前往永定門觀察事態,被駐守的甘軍所殺,理由僅僅是「小小書記員,怎敢坐紅帷馬車?」對此,日本政府採取了冷處理,只是要求退 還屍體。但屍體的四肢已被甘軍剁下,行為令人髮指。

慈禧很震怒,她將甘軍首領董福祥招來痛責,董辯稱「絕無此事」,並說:「即使有,斬奴才無妨,如斬甘軍一人,定然生變。」慈禧太后聽後,「默 然良久」,她自己深知「生變」這個詞是衝自己說的。實際上,甘軍中不少士兵已經加入了義和團。甘軍首領董福祥還暗中與義和團首領李來中結拜了 兄弟。董福祥從慈禧那兒出來,端郡王載漪撫其背,伸拇指讚美他:「你真是條漢子;如果都像你,洋人能不平嗎?」

慈禧發現自己的權力在一點點流失:它並沒有流失給自己所擔心的光緒等改革派,而是流失給了自己信任的滿洲權貴們。杉山彬的遇害加劇了公使們對 清廷的不信任,由此,他們堅定地相信,要想獲得安全,就必須依靠自己的軍隊。西方人從大沽口的軍艦上派出了一支兩千人的遠征軍,由英國海軍司 令西摩爾率領,他們本來計劃一天從天津到北京,但他們低估了義和團和清軍的能力。

鐵路已經被破毀,遠征軍到了廊坊即遭到清軍聶士成部的阻擊,損失慘重,勉強退回天津。第一次對使館的解圍行動失敗了。

中外雙方的不信任感在不斷加重,德國公使克林德的不理智更加劇了本已惡化的局勢。他先是不聽清政府溫和的官員們的勸告,擅自處死一名被懷疑是 義和團成員的12 歲少年,然後又指使守使館的奧地利士兵向被懷疑是前來攻打使館的民衆開槍──實際上,這些百姓是來前門和東交民巷一帶哄搶焚後遺留的物資的,幸好奧地利 兵緊張中將子彈打到了天上,未傷及一人。這更使民衆相信,義和團「刀槍不入」的神話不是吹噓。

限洋人二十四小時離京

鑒於局勢的惡化,總理衙門6 月19日召會各國駐華使節,「限二十四點鐘內各國一切人等均需離京」。當天晚上,公使團緊急會議,認為離京途中無法保障安全,要求緩期,並要求總理衙門次 日九時前給予答覆。召會發出後,一直沒有等到答覆,英國公使竇納樂回憶道:「絕大多數公使決定再等,因為到總署去坐等有失我們的尊嚴,但德國 公使克林德大怒,用拳頭猛擊桌面。」克林德決定自己獨自前往總理衙門,當一行來到東單牌樓距東堂子胡同時,遭遇了正在巡邏的甘軍,甘軍將克林 德一槍打死。

有趣的是,在克林德死前六天,英文報紙《北華捷報》就刊登出了他的死訊,這一精准無比的死亡預告,似乎證明了克林德死於中國人有計劃有預謀的 暗殺。日後審判兇手甘軍士兵恩海時,他也招供,長官事前許諾的銀子事後並未兌現。

公使被殺後,最高興的是德國皇帝,這等於給了德國最好的出兵藉口。1900 年7 月27 日,在德國不萊梅軍港,德皇威廉二世號召七千名準備侵華的德軍官兵,以一千年前入侵歐洲的匈奴人為榜樣,對待敵人要像寒冬般的冷酷無情,「要讓中國人在一 千年後提到德國還在顫抖」。

這篇臭名昭著的「德皇匈奴演說」在很多年後還被人提起。希特勒進攻蘇聯當天,英國首相邱吉爾在電台發表演說時,劈頭就提到它,他說:「現在德 國人的匈奴本性又暴露出來了。」

宣戰慈禧:戰亦亡,不戰亦亡,不如一戰。

慈禧對義和團的態度決定性改變的時日是一九○ ○年六月十七日。這一天, 她收到匿名情報: 外國人要求她歸政於光緒。據說, 太后覽報後, 熱淚橫流,悲憤交集。後人懷疑,正是端郡王載漪集團炮製了它。慈禧緊急召開了「御前會議」。當她連哭帶說把「情報」宣佈時,端郡王以下親貴二 十餘人,竟相擁哭成一片。太后最後說,既然戰亦亡,不戰亦亡,不如一戰。

6 月21 日,也就是克林德遇害次日,清政府以光緒的名義,向英、美、法、德、意、日、俄、西、比、荷、奧等十一國同時「宣戰」,詔書稱十一國為「彼等」。這是中國 第一次對外宣戰,雖然打過兩次鴉片戰爭、中法戰爭、甲午戰爭,但大清都沒宣過戰。軟禁中的光緒聽說宣戰的消息後大哭,道:「一國都打不過,如 何與十一國打?」

湖廣總督張之洞得知宣戰消息後,寫奏摺說:「從古無一國與各強國開釁之理,況中國兵力甚弱,豈可激衆怒召速禍。查拳匪乃亂民妖術,無械無紀, 斷不能禦洋矣。京師時論云,不戰必亡,戰尚可不速亡,怪極。利害看翻,大病根在此;病根不去,無藥可醫。不戰可以不亡。」

張之洞曾經也是「愛國憤青」,但中法戰爭讓他清醒了。之後,他興洋務、辦教育。但他的奏摺對於已被「左派」把持的朝廷來說只是「逆耳之言」。

義和團大舉進入北京內城,燒毀王府井東堂、西直門內西堂、宣武門南堂等十一所教堂。清廷開始懸賞捕殺洋人,規定「殺一洋人賞五十;洋婦四十 ;洋孩三十」。

有三千二百名天主教徒逃入西什庫北堂,二千多名基督教徒逃入東交民巷的使館區。北京使館區的面積約四平方里,內有十一國公使、西方男女四百七 十餘人,中國教民二千餘人。而擔任防的洋兵僅四百五十人。中國教民被組織起來挖壕溝,堆掩體。使館隊組織了多條防線。

圍攻使館區的中國人包括三萬義和團拳民、董福祥的甘軍及榮祿手中的首都戍部隊 ── 武中軍。甘軍首領董福祥以為五天內即可將使館區夷為平地。但五十五天後,使館仍安然無恙。甘軍武器落後,榮祿掌下的武中軍裝備最好,有德國克虜伯製落 地開花大炮,但榮祿是個明白人,他知道太后現在把自己、載漪這些人擺在前面和洋人拚命,她躲在後面,如果將來輸了,她便以「妾在深宮哪得知」 為名,把他們幾個推出來,像潑髒水一樣潑出去;他故意將德國大炮棄而不用。載漪見董福祥猛攻使館十數日不下,便命「調德國炮!」榮祿對自己的 部下說:「橫豎炮聲一響,裏邊是聽得見的。」這是典型的中國式「柔術」,榮祿說的「裏面」指的是「宮裏」。部下心領神會,衆炮齊發,轟了一天 一夜,炮彈都打到了使館後面的泥地裏。

使館區被圍近兩個月,對於被困人員來說,每天都在生死線上。美國傳教士瑪麗.安德魯斯1900 年6 月20 日躲入了英國公使館;她每天靠寫信 ── 寄不出去的信 ── 來打發時光:「6 月26 日 在過去的兩夜,午夜敵人從四處發動了一場猛烈而頑強的攻擊,似乎地域中的衆魔壓向了我們。但是,我們仍奇蹟般地處在上帝的手中。」「我們過的是一種奇怪的 生活,沒有人知道如何結束這種生活,我們總是盼望外國軍隊的到來,但還是沒有來。我們對城中的事務一無所知,不知政府是否還存在。我們與世隔 絕。食物定量,用水也要節約,除了特別為打仗的男人們保留的幾罐罐頭外,我們沒有肉,直到昨天才打死一匹馬,我們才吃了兩天肉。」

值得一提的是,瑪麗.安德魯斯沒有忘記自己的中國教民:「我們又度過了一個可怕的夜晚,一個多為禱告的夜晚。因為我們又面臨着那種可怕的可能 性,即把所有這些親愛的中國教民們留下等待被殺或是更壞的事情。好像我們就不能這樣做,比起丟下他們聽天由命,同他們一起死去會更容易些。」

西報誤傳北京洋人遭大屠殺

由於通訊斷絕,西方各國的媒體無從得知使館區內外交人員的生死。另一方面,消息的斷絕給他們提供了造謠的絕佳機會。

7 月17 日英國《每日郵報》說:「北京的外國團體遭到大屠殺」:「他們死得其所,沒有給我們丟臉,他們為那些毫無自之力的婦女兒童戰鬥到最後一刻……」所有女人 都「無愧她們的丈夫,盡節而亡」。

實際上,7 月14 開始,義和團和清軍突然停止對公使館進攻。榮祿給使館區送信說:希望洋人們停止武力對峙,清軍會保護他們進入總理衙門,待局勢稍穩,送他們去天津。各國公 使覆信:停火必須是雙方的,使館區從未主動開槍,最多是還擊。一個文明的國家應該保護外交人員。他們拒絕前往總理衙門,決定繼續自。

7 月20 日和26 日,總理衙門分兩次給公使館送了幾車的蔬菜、西瓜、大米和麵粉。公使們發現,送來的食品上都有寫着「奉旨」兩字的字條。但他們怕食品有毒,沒有發放。

慈禧日後這樣解釋自己前後矛盾的決定:「我本來執定不同洋人破臉的,中間一段時期,因洋人欺負太甚了,也不免有些動氣。雖是沒攔阻他們(義和 團),始終總沒叫他們十分盡意的胡鬧。火氣一過,我也就回轉頭來,處處都留着餘地。我若由他們盡意的鬧,難道一個使館有攻不下來的道理?」

東南互保 留東南三大帥以救社稷蒼生

一九○○年六月,慈禧太后向十一列強發布宣戰詔書後,通電全國, 要求地方籌款調兵, 勤王抗敵, 共度難關。這時, 時任大清電報局督辦的盛宣懷近水樓台, 在上海最先看到了電令。令人吃驚的是,盛竟把電報扣了下來,隨即給被貶到廣東的李鴻章發去了自己的電報, 說朝廷宣戰理虧, 義和團不足信任, 南方各省督撫最好權衡一二,力圖保住各自的疆土安定。

李鴻章此時身在廣州,他因中日甲午戰敗,背負罵名,又因同情康梁變法,被朝中的保守派排擠。李在接到盛的電報後毅然覆電說:「此亂命也,粵不 奉詔。」

自古以來,帝國官場決不允許抗旨,朝廷之令即使再荒謬不堪,也須不折不扣地完成。「亂命」,是李鴻章精心選擇的一個政治術語,把朝廷之「旨」 定為不真實的「僞詔亂命」,自己便無抗旨之責。李鴻章一生從未這樣不加掩飾地與朝廷分庭抗禮過。

接到李鴻章的覆電,盛宣懷心裏踏實了很多。幾天前,他接到英國駐上海總領事華倫的通知,說英國政府欲派海軍進入長江,幫助中國鎮壓拳匪。盛宣 懷知道,英國人幫忙是假,侵略是真。盛趕忙給兩江總督劉坤一發去電報,說如果英國人出兵,其他各國也會出兵,大局勢將糜爛,唯一的辦法,我們 東南各省互保,不要外國人干預。

劉坤一深表同意,並致電湖廣總督張之洞。張也同意讓盛宣懷仲介互保之事。6 月24 日,盛宣懷寫了一封重要的電報,同時發給劉坤一、李鴻章和張之洞,建議:與各國領事訂約,上海租界准歸各國保護,長江內地均歸督撫保護,兩不相擾,以保全 商民人命產業為主。北事不久必壞,留東南三大帥以救社稷蒼生。

並強調「萬勿聲張」。

南方督撫與洋人簽定互保條約

不久,兩江、湖廣與列國領事達成了互保協定;《東南互保章程》共有九款,主要內容是南方督撫絕不支援義和團滅洋之舉動,不奉北京政府對各國的 宣戰之詔,並且努力保護洋人在華的安全和利益。作為交換,洋人不得在南方各省進行軍事活動和其他過激行為。

章程草案議妥後,「互保」的區域迅速地增加到十三省。當一個國家的中央政府已經對外宣戰,地方當局仍獨自行動,與「敵人」成立「兩不相擾」的 中立協定,等於獨立。

東南互保達成之際還有一個插曲。李鴻章的親信劉學詢與同鄉孫中山在香港密談:孫中山提出利用亂局將兩廣獨立,成立共和國,李鴻章做總統,他做 總理。此事當然沒成。

從天津到北京

第一次解救外交人員──也就是西摩爾的遠征軍──失敗後,八國聯軍在天津外海組成,聯軍開始了第二次嘗試。6 月16 日聯軍向大沽口炮台中國守軍下達最後通牒,要求交出炮台,遭到清軍拒絕。6 月17 日凌晨12 點50 分,大沽口的中國守軍率先向停泊在白河入海口的聯軍軍艦開炮。此時離最後通牒的最後時刻還有七十分鐘。

中國守軍在大沽口打得很英勇,攻擊大沽口炮台的聯軍軍艦有37 艘,但戰鬥打響後,美國人退出了。拳亂爆發後,美國認為自己參與八國聯軍的目的,是協助中國政府平叛,是「警察行動」,而非打擊中國政府的「軍事行動」。 十九世紀中後期,美國的戰略思路是控制太平洋,為了達到這個戰略,他們認為必須與地大物博、歷史悠久的中國結盟,它可以高度容忍中國的混亂、 封閉和腐朽,這種思路一直持續到1949 年。

大沽口炮台的戰鬥持續了七個小時,6 月17 日早七點,聯軍全面控制了炮台。7 月13 日,聯軍對天津發動了攻城戰役。天津保戰幾乎是中國軍隊自1840 年以來第一次有效的城市保戰,聯軍損失慘重,最終是靠日軍的毒氣彈才登上了天津城的。天津攻防戰中,英軍中的威海中國軍團展現了卓越的戰鬥力,得到了 西方媒體的一致好評,他們認為中國人不乏好戰士,他們忠於僱主,即使在英國國旗之下對抗自己的同胞也能打得非常英勇,中國是一個偉大的民族。 這樣的讚美肯定會讓很多人很苦澀。

援兵來了

天津城7 月14 日淪陷後,聯軍一路向北京挺進,清軍一觸即撒,幾乎沒有抵抗。「愛國憤青」李秉衡在北京城外自殺。8 月15 日,北京東交民巷使館內被困的人們聽到了遠處傳來的機關槍聲。人們意識到,援兵來了,因為中國軍隊沒有機槍。使館內被圍人員最先看到的是英軍中的印度部 隊。他們由哈德門旁的水門鑽入,延玉河直抵使館。

由於提前聽到聯軍到來的消息,使館內的外交人員全部盛裝出迎。歷經戰鬥、滿身灰塵的聯軍士兵進入時大吃一驚,看上去他們過得很好,自己好像並 不是來解救這些人的,而是闖入了一個盛大的宴會。

東交民巷的使館被圍困了五十五天,奇蹟般地屹立不動,避難人員傷亡二百餘人,而圍攻的甘軍和義和團則死傷千餘。在北城的西什庫教堂,有三千五 百人避難,他們僅有四十一條槍,卻奇蹟般地堅守了近兩個月。最後幾天由於食品短缺,衆人殺掉了最後幾匹馱運物資的驢子……解圍時,有三名傳教 士和十一名兵戰死,四百個中國教民被殺,八十名婦女病死或餓死,一百二十個嬰兒全部被餓死。被圍人員中的很多人日後寫下了見聞或回憶錄,這 些書籍帶給幾代西方人關於中國的「殘暴印象」。

劫後「居民四面逃遁,兄弟妻子離散,面目慘澹。」

1900 年8 月15 日清晨六點, 載瀾飛馳入宮,說夷兵已攻至東華門。慈禧知道事情已到最後關頭,她要跳水自殺,載瀾拉住她衣服說:「不如且避之,徐為後計。」太后哭着走出來,頭都沒梳, 和光緒換上百姓的衣服,與皇后隆裕、瑾妃及大阿哥等由景山西街出地安門西行,上午八時逃出西直門,逃向西安。

慈禧一行一路風餐露宿,當來到懷來縣時,驚魂略定的她對前來迎接的知縣吳永哭訴禍亂經過:「連日歷行數百里,……不得飲食,既冷且餓。……昨 夜我與皇帝僅得一板凳相與貼背而坐,仰望達旦」。

9 月7 日,逃難途中清廷發布上諭,稱「此案初起,義和團實為肇禍之由,今欲拔本塞源,非痛加剷除不可」,要絞殺義和團。

由於聯軍迫近京畿時,滿族親貴載漪、載勳等人把九門緊閉,致使城內居民無法疏散。城破之日,北京每一戶都有懸梁和服毒自盡者,很多旗人舉火自 焚。大學士徐桐滿門自殺,其中婦女十八口,包括還不會說話的孩子。在「失節事大」的宗法時代,婦女為賊所污,則生不如死。洋兵入城後發現,每 一口井內都有幾具女屍。

這也是這座城市在短短的半個世紀中第二次淪陷。1860 年,英法聯軍佔領北京,郭廷以先生在《近代中國史綱》中說,那一次「約十八天,為害尚不甚巨。此次大為不同,為時長達十三個月,採取報復性的、有系統的搶 殺。」

八國聯軍「特許軍隊公開搶劫三日」,西什庫教堂的法國人主教樊國梁發出「布告」:容許教徒三天之內搶奪生活必需品。時人報道說,各國洋兵「俱 以捕拿義和團為名,三五成,身跨洋槍,手持利刃,在各街巷挨戶踹門而入。臥房密室,無處不至,翻箱倒櫃,無處不搜。凡銀錢鐘錶細軟值錢之 物,劫擄一空,謂之擾城。稍有攔阻,即被戕害。」

日本人植松良二之現場報道說:「居民四面逃遁,兄弟妻子離散,面目慘澹。貨財任人掠奪者有之,婦女任人凌辱者有之。」

北京自1644 年被李自成攻陷後,從未遭受過如此塗炭。8 月23 日,德軍主力姍姍來遲,屠殺和搶劫達到了高潮。弔詭的是,聯軍司令、德國人瓦德西寫信給德皇,說應該儘快結束這次遠征,因為「我們的士兵已經沾染了中國人 那種漠視生命的惡習。」

當時八國聯軍分區佔領北京,其中紀律比較嚴明的是美軍和日軍。時人記載:「俄軍界內,存者惟狗而已;法、意軍界內『觸目蕭條,幾無人迹』;德 軍界內,慘況倍之;英軍界內,『雖有人煙,亦甚寥寥』;日軍界內『熙熙攘攘,往來如市』,而美軍界內『安堵如故,市肆全開,人心靜謐』。」

俄國也出兵十七萬分路進攻東北全境,東北第一次淪陷。俄兵極為殘忍,搶掠、焚殺、姦淫不斷。

戰敗與庚款

四萬萬五千萬賠款,中國人每人罰銀一。

李鴻章是在朝廷恢復了自己所有的名譽和待遇後才決定北上的。李鴻章為大清國找了一個開脫的理由,他把義和團說成是叛亂,八國聯軍就變成了幫助 清政府來鎮壓叛亂的友軍,這樣,中國由交戰國變成了受害國。如果各國認可這一邏輯,則中國只有對助剿各國付軍費的義務,而絕沒有割地的可能。 只賠款不割地,大清國就不會被瓜分了。

在美國的勸說下,各國原則上同意了李鴻章對這次戰事的解釋,但列強提出,中國首先要懲辦支援義和團的官員、並以此作為議和的先決條件,慈禧立 刻拋出了幾十個官員斬首,以謝天下。

李鴻章來了

10 月11 日在俄兵的護送下,李鴻章來到北京,簽訂了《辛丑合約》。條約規定,中國為拳亂賠償各國損失四萬萬五千萬,這是對目無上帝的異端 ── 四萬萬五千萬中國人的懲罰,每人罰銀一,這個數目相當於中國五年的收入。賠款的百分之八十六歸於各國政府,餘為對民間補償。各國所得大致在實際「損失」 的十倍到二十倍之間。

當只「賠款」不「割地」的消息傳到西安時,慈禧鳳顏大悅,她說出一句著名的話:「量中華之物力,結與國之歡心。」

李鴻章在簽字回來後,大口大口地吐血;在病榻上他上奏朝廷:「臣等伏查近數十年內,每有一次構釁,必多一次吃虧。上年事變之來尤為倉促,創深 痛劇,薄海驚心。今議和已成,大局稍定,仍希朝廷堅持定見,外修和好,內圖富強,或可漸有轉機。」

在七十八歲的李鴻章辭世前的幾小時,俄國公使一直站在一旁,逼他在出賣東北的條約上畫押。李鴻章閉目拒絕。臨終前,李鴻章知道大限已到,他掙 扎着全部氣力,作詩一首:

勞勞車馬未離鞍,臨事方知一死難。三百年來傷國步,八千里外弔民殘。秋風寶劍孤臣淚,落日旌旗大將壇。海外塵氛猶未了,請君莫作等閒看。

後續與庚款

義和團之亂隨着《辛丑合約》的簽訂落下帷幕。義和團拳民和保守派官員紛紛人頭落地,端郡王載漪到底沒有保住兒子的大阿哥,父子被發配新疆。四 萬萬五千萬中國人背上了沉重的戰爭賠款。而身為禍首的慈禧卻因禍得福,江山無恙,歸政免談,重新掌握了幾乎被權貴們挾持的權力。

當她乘着當時世界上最豪華的專列火車,自保定直駛京郊馬家堡時,李鴻章的接班人袁世凱率文武百官和中國第一支軍樂隊,排班恭迎。太后下車,樂 聲大作。

1902 年1 月7 日,慈禧回京後為了示好洋人,她讓榮祿致書各國公使,對他們保護故宮致謝,同時讓光緒正式在乾清宮接見。慈禧本人則接見了各國公使夫人。這是慈禧第一次直 面洋人。野史記載,慈禧拉着美國公使康格夫人的手,哭泣道:攻擊洋人並非自己所願,實在是迫不得已。康格夫人安慰她說:「一切都過去了。」這 次接見被西方媒體稱為義和團之亂後中國最具改革意義的事件。

慈禧頒布了改革詔令,要「取外國之長」,「去中國之短」,開始實行「新政」,所謂「新政」就是恢復被扼殺的維新變法;開國會、暢言論、廢科 舉、行立憲。中國重新啓動了政治體制改革的航程。但這一改革也被心急的國人們中斷了,辛亥革命爆發了。

1900 年的悲劇帶給我們很多教訓。首先,對於政權的管理者來說,林則徐說的「民氣可用」並不可取。隨便利用「民氣」可能會引火燒身 ── 這種「民氣」,你叫它「民族主義」也好,「愛國主義」也好。

其次,對於中國這樣一個龐大的農業國家來說,任何改革都不能忽視農民的根本利益。洋務運動三十多年,雖然為中國建立了沿海口岸和數個近代化大 都市,為中國培養了一批新式的工商人才和知識階層,但這些近代化活動與廣袤的農村幾乎沒有關係,如果說有一點關係的話,那就是漠視他們,剝削 他們。這種分化造成的心理落差會迅速地轉變為憤怒,以最狂暴的方式發作。到時,呈現出的將不再是中國農民的逆來順受,而是嗜血、愚昧和無所顧 忌。

中國人的敵人不是外國人

最為重要的一點是,在中國沒有完成近代化啓蒙,沒有建立起現代教育系統時── 這種教育不是把人培養成為國家服務的零件,而是培養成有獨立思想,對自己的行為和社會負責任的公民 ── 任何改革都是紙上談兵。可惜,最先意識到這點的是義和團事件中最初的受害者 ── 西方傳教士和外國人。英國牧師李提摩太認為,中國人的敵人不是外國人,而是人類共同的敵人 ── 愚昧。他利用庚款在山西創辦山西大學,為山西培養了一代人才,使山西在民國時期一躍成為模範省。

1908 年5 月25 日美國國會通過議案,將庚款中超出美國實際損失的部分退還中國,資助中國青年赴美留學。庚款生中,出現了胡適、趙元任、竺可楨等著名學者。此後十多年間, 留美學生多達千人。英國隨後也退還了庚款多餘部分。退還庚款導致了大規模的留學潮,對中國全面走向現代化起到了積極的作用,據統計,上世紀中 葉,代表中國最高科學水準的中央研究院院士和中國科學院學部委員中,近半數為庚款留學生。

那些在歐美完成了系統而完整的現代教育的青年,與那些混迹在日本野雞學校和妓院、熱衷街頭運動的留日學生不可同日而語,他們提出,用科學和民 主作為新秩序的基礎,重新評價中國的傳統,完成啓蒙走向未來。民國時期,中國出現了自戰國以來從未有過的「百家爭鳴」的局面;社會的寬容風氣 空前絕後。中國現代教育體系到1940 年代幾乎完成,高等學府在世界上名列前茅。一批新的知識階層、專業人才伴隨着「黃金十年」(1927 年 ──1937 年的高速經濟增長)出現。可惜,中共領導的農民暴動又一次打斷了這一進程。

城鄉差別毀滅了中國

民國初期的一切優點 ── 言論自由、寬容之風、議會政治、新的西化生活方式── 中國農民都感受不到;一切缺點 ──政治混亂、軍閥混戰、自然災害、失業與破產 ── 農民都感同身受,而知識分子們正相反。城鄉差別再一次毀滅了中國。

義和團作為一個起點,它的精神特質一再出現在日後的抗爭中:感到被忽視、被歧視,反對現代文明,反抗傳統束縛,要砸爛一切……從國共領導的歷 次革命、運動,直到文革和今天的「憤青」身上,我們都可以看到這種精神特質。它並非憑空而來,也不會憑空而去。這是我們的國民基礎,是沒有經 過啓蒙的人的特質。

我們每遇危機都會迅速地將其歸咎於外來者的到來,而不是我們自身的貪腐、混亂、麻木、粗心大意、專制、墮落和喜歡折騰;於是,我們近乎神經質 地不停地為自己量身訂造侵略者 ── 從「帝國主義」到「封建主義」到「四大家族」到「修正主義」,從「美帝」到「日寇」到「蘇修」。有時這個侵略者是有些無辜的;有時,我們竟拉住一個侵略者 做朋友。

今天,我們這些為生逢「盛世」而歡呼的城市人又走到了歷史的輪迴處,你是否能聞到從遠處傳來的那股散發自中國農民身上的、夾雜着不滿和血腥的 氣味呢?

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Somali Pirates Raise a Venture Fund

It's nice to see the spirit of venture capitalism take root all over the world, even on the war-torn coasts of Somalia.  But on the Arabian Sea and in the Gulf of Eden, we're not so much talking about social media start ups - in this case we're talking kidnapping and theft...but fine, it's a start.

From Forbes:

    The first quarter of 2011 has seen piracy-at-sea hit an all time high with 142 attacks worldwide and 97 of the East coast of Somalia, up from 35 a year ago, a report by the IMB Piracy Reporting Center says.  As ransom-payouts increase exponentially, more sophisticated piracy syndicates are even selling shares in planned attacks to villagers in order to finance their operations, according to the head of the U.S. Navy.

There's always a bull market somewhere.  In this case, it's in jacking vessels and ransoming their crews and contents.  It's nice to see that the villagers are able to get in on the action, I wonder if the pirates first verify whether or not they're accredited before taking their funds.  Is a Somali Red Herring prospectus actually red with blood?  Will the Captain ring the opening bell of trade when the ransom loot arrives for trading?

Read Agustino Fontevecchia's entire piece, you will be inspired (or revolted) by the fact that the whole world's gone Venture Crazy!

如果孔子生活今日中国



天安門孔子像「消失」,學者:儒家牴觸馬列

位於中國北京天安門廣場東北角的孔子雕像,放置100天後,周四突然被移入博物館內,引發外界揣測。有學者認為,孔子思想與中國共產黨推 崇的馬列主義不一致,孔子像放置天安門附近,與官方意識形態衝突。

這尊孔子像由青銅製成,原本面向長安街,望著天安門、故宮方向,站立目視遠方,表情「溫而 厲,威而不猛,恭而安」,雙手合於胸前,身佩一把寶劍。雕像上「孔子」2字由香港著名國學家饒宗頤題寫。

據報導,原本放置孔子像的地方,周三晚11時開始拆卸,到了週四則被一層藍色鐵板包圍,裏面只剩一堆碎石和一台切割機,保安禁止人群靠 近。

國家博物館回應稱,根據擴建工程設計,孔子像本屬館內的雕塑園,此前因庭院工程未完工,才暫時放在博物館門前。雕塑園近日竣工,孔子像移 入園內。

香港媒體引述北京理工大學教授胡星斗分析說,北京當初設孔子像,是因當前道德滑坡、思想真空,需要核心思想來引導思潮,「但儒家思想不一定適合中國的未來價值」

淪為政治工具

胡星斗說,,孔子思想與中共所推崇的馬列主義不一致。孔子宣導的是和諧、仁義; 而馬列主義更多在於鬥爭、暴力革命。將孔子像放置天安門,意含恢復傳統價值,但與官方意識形態衝突, 如今移回博物館,對當局來說更加可以接受。

中國文化學者吳祚來在新浪微博(微型部落格)上稱,孔子雕像高9.5公尺,代表傳統文化中「九五至尊」之意,古人稱孔子「素王」,「如果 孔子是王者的話,應該面南而不是面北,這個孔子形象,有點上訪者的樣子,似乎在等著見一個君王」。

民眾則對孔子雕像「來去匆匆」頗有微詞,批評當局朝令夕改,孔子淪為政治工具。

還有網友稱,「最可憐的中國男人一定是孔子。說尊孔就尊孔,說批孔就批孔,說樹 立塑像就樹立塑像,說失蹤就失蹤。死了多年,又被迫向瑞典人諾貝爾叫板」。暗指孔子淪為政治工具,包括以「孔子和平獎」對抗諾貝 爾和平獎等。


朱鎔基揶揄中央電視台


朱鎔基當天除了炮轟教育制度、官媒不說真話,更當眾揶揄稱,他每晚7 時至7時30分必看中央電視台(CCTV),

「看它胡說些什 麼」.

我絕對冇強姦隻豬 !




中共早前利用所謂網上傳聞,無中生有地抹黑艾未未,A早前看到有關報道,即時想起周星馳《九品芝麻官》劇情,周扮演的包龍星被屈入獄,尚未審 訊已被到死刑,當時扮演他姪兒的吳孟達這樣說:「係呀!佢地話你勾結江洋大盜,推阿婆落海,販 賣軍火,強姦隻豬!」當時周立即憤憤反駁:「我絕對冇強姦隻豬!」A說中共對艾的末黑,如同「老屈」他「強姦隻豬」沒有分 別,只是中共較清朝貪官厲害,連給你反駁「我絕對冇強姦隻豬!」機會也沒有,人間蒸發,「被失蹤」掉。

不過,艾未未不能揭破中共「企圖人格謀殺艾未未」,卻不代表其他人不會挺身而出,指證中共陰謀,生果報報道,長期在北京工作的外籍傳媒人理 查.伯格( Richard Burger)在他博客中揭露,《環球時報》總編輯胡錫曾 召集報社裏所有中方工作人員,到大會議室閉門開會,會上胡錫進下達直接的命令,「要求他們回去之後要四處尋找關於艾未未被關押一事的 所有中文評論,包括在中國各個論壇、門戶網站以及博客上的討論,然後按照黨的路線對他加以批駁。也就是說,要把艾描述為一個自封的獨 行俠、一個被西方敵對勢」,即是說,一切對艾未未的指控,其實是中共在背後策劃的宣傳戰,要用傳媒人格謀殺艾 未未。

不過最令我感到無奈的是,Richard Burger在文中,引述他和一位《環球時報》高級篇輯討論艾未未事件時,對方似乎真心認同中共做法,令他十分吃驚:

“Why doesn’t the West see that we do things our way in China? We have 1.3 billion people, all those mouths to feed and to protect through a harmonious society. You don’t have this situation. You are developed and your populations are small. Human rights doesn’t mean to the West what it means in China. Most Chinese support Ai Weiwei’s detention. They support Liu Xiaobo’s detention. He is a criminal trying to impose Western-style government on a society that doesn’t want it. Why won’t the West understand how humiliating it was to award the Nobel Prize to someone we put in jail, a man who is a criminal to the Chinese? How should we feel? How should we react?”

這種將中共任何打壓合理化的言論,我聽過不少,今天,中共還未剝奪你的權利,甚至令你有不少好處,你可以對其他人被打壓、剝奪言論自由視若無 睹,可是正如A說,今天老虎對人承諾,他只吃森林中的,只要人不作聲,他不但不會吃人,還可以幫人捉其他動物作糧食,這一刻森林的人因此可以 有更多糧食、吃得更飽,甚至不斷為老虎濫殺辯護,可是那些人有沒有想過,當某天老虎胃口越來越大,所有動物也被他貪得無厭地吃光之時,人,真 的可以不成為老虎大餐嗎?

那些支持中共的知識份子及新聞工作者,我真的希望他們深思這個問題



 
KCPO:- Maybe The Beginning of A new Bull Phase ? -4/25/2011



 


My last sell trade turned out to be just another short lived play as ADX stays dead. Market took out my previous high plus 3 again on Wednesday and triggered another new buy on the next day when the Stochastic turned positive again. Again I would not get too carried away because of the lousy ADX. I would place stop on previous day low minus 3.

Both the Stochastic and MACD have turned positive , I would like to see price closes above the upper Bollinger Band and the MACD goes back above its zero line before getting a bit more excited. Of course the currently 'dead' ADX needs to get its head up. With no new trend in this market yet, I would watch its previous high of 3454 as its immediate target.







The weekly's falling ADX seems to be telling us that this market is going nowhere. Prices seem to be getting support at 3210's level. I would like to see a clear break down from there in order to get a confirmation on the bear cycle. Meanwhile I am also keeping an eye on the the Stochastic which seems to be trying to turn around.

Summary: the daily chart may be doing a short term up move while the weekly chart is still undecided. If prices can go and stay above 3454, maybe  we can see new bull phase in this market.




FKLI:- No Direction But Watch The Hidden Bear - 4/25/2011




The bottom Bollinger Band did provide some kind of support as prices bounded off that level and went back to retest there on last Tuesday after the great S&P downgrade on US debts idiocy. The continuing falling ADX provide confirmation that this market is caught in another range. Please take note the ADX is now at 14's. Just as the contradicting positive Stochastic and negative MACD is also confirming a lack of direction. I have drawn 2 horizontal lines to mark out its recent range, any violation beyond them should point us to its next direction.





The weekly chart is also displaying all the classic signs of a trend less market. The ADX is still falling and now it is at 14's. The MACD is negative while the Stochastic is positive and continues to rise. Prices is caught inside the lower and upper band.

As both the daily and weekly chart are displaying all the classic signs of a trend less market, so maybe you should take a rest and stand aside to wait out for 1-2 weeks to watch out for some new clearer signals before deciding to buy/sell. But as  mentioned in my last few essays, because of the presence of a bearish divergence, I would be more biased toward a bear market over a bull. Even a new upmove happens again, it would probably just another stale bull's attempt.




Friday, April 22, 2011

亞洲國家含 淚挺美債


(北京20日訊)標普(S&P)調降美國債信展望,並警告可能調降美國債信評等,觸動美債主要持有國的敏感神 經,包括中國日本在內的亞洲國家因為早已滿手美債,紛紛公開力挺美債,但俄羅斯可能考慮減碼。

亞洲國家已累積數兆美元美債,當然會設法維持美債價值,亞洲官員更急於淡化美債風險。

中國做出措辭謹慎的回應﹐呼籲華盛頓採取「負責任的」措 施來保護美國國債持有人﹐反映出北京作為美國最大債權國的 尷尬身份。

中國外交部發言人洪磊週二晚間在外交部網站上表示﹐美國國債是美國政府的信用反映﹐是美國國內和國際機構投資者的重要投資品種,並希望美國政 府切實採取負責任的政策措施﹐以保障投資者的利益。

日本財務大臣野田佳彥19日說:「美國正以各種方式解決財政問題,因此我還是認為,美債基本上仍是具有吸引力的投資標的。」

據悉印度央行也不考慮分散對美債的投資,原因是缺乏可靠的替代品。該行目前持有的國外資產中有六成以上是美債,約三成是歐元。

俄羅斯或會減持

Troika Dialog公司首席經濟學家蓋夫羅可夫則表示,俄羅斯可能因為擔心華府預算赤字擴大和政府債務水平不健康而減持

截至3月底,日本外匯儲備達1.12兆美元,其中很大部分是美國公債。中國外匯儲備也高達3兆美元,據信也是有很大部分是美債。其他持有龐大 美債的包括英國、中東產油國、巴西、香港、俄羅斯、台灣和加拿大。