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“天 上没打雷”“地上没地雷”“上海地铁居然追尾”-
我们广东人果真烨 !!!!
今日广东《新快报》头版大幅揶揄
“天 上没打雷”“地上没地雷”“上海地铁居然追尾” 。
出故障的信号系统还用 于广州六号线。
Friday, September 30, 2011
Contrary To What The "Experts" Have Been Telling You - Gold Is Horrible In A Market Crisis
For awhile it looked like the performance of gold might make for one major difference between 2011 and 2008.
In 2008, gold got destroyed as the market tumbled.
Gold, meanwhile, was at 1900/oz. just a few days ago.
Now gold is getting put through the meat grinder with everything else. Pretty much only US Treasuries, the dollar, and the yen are doing well.
What's the problem with gold? Quite simply, nobody has debts or bills to pay in gold.
Think of a financial crisis as basically a period in which everyone is scrambling to raise money to pay their debts. Mostly people have debt in dollars. A lot of people in Europe have debt in euros. There's a ton of yen-denominated debt out there. There's basically no gold-denominated debt (as far we know). Thus gold is a really great thing to sell (to raise cash). Very few people have an acute need to own more of it.
When growth is bad, and interest rates are ultra-low, there's a case for holding gold. When things are getting really ugly though, cash re-becomes king.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
又一个噴糞小丑左派偷偷舔
網曝央視主持芮成鋼早 在06年已獲得美國綠卡
央視主持芮 成鋼乾脆 單刀直入，在達沃斯論壇上提問駱大使：「聽說您是坐經濟艙來的， 這是 否在提醒大家，美國欠中國的錢？」如此噴糞， 形同小丑， 一副暴發土財主的家奴嘴臉。
駱家輝卻侃侃而答：「作為政府官員，不管是我們領事館官員還是大
央視名主持芮成鋼已經獲得美國綠卡，目前尚不知真假。該消息稱，
還有消息指稱，這兩天「很火」的芮成鋼經查美國大使館官方證實，
文章取自世界各大新聞媒體和網站論壇 !
一夜暴紅 央視主持芮成鋼pm笑痛肚皮
日前，在2011年世界經濟論壇新領軍者年會上，
●
●你們領導不包二奶是否因為身體素質太差？
●你們不吃地溝油是不是造不出來？
●你們存款不是負利率，是不是老百姓賠不起？
●你們貪官太少是不是因為太窮沒有什麼可貪？
●你們領導不喝茅台是不是因為酒量不行？
●你們領導一點官架子都沒有是不是因為你們領導沒有群眾威信？
●你們的領導那麼瘦我們的僕人那麼胖是不是說明你們窮？
●你們副總統副州長副校長那麼好，是不是沒錢給他們配專車？
●你們紐約的市長坐地鐵是不是因為你們連公車也買不起？
●你們美國官不坐專列，
●
●
●你們美國沒有芮大嘴這樣的二B記者，
●你們貓王當不了將軍是不是因為群眾不擁護？
●你們不收過路、過橋費是不是人手不夠？
●你們的收費公路少是不是因為沒有錢修？
●你們油價太低是不是因為稅率不高？
●你們國民可以持槍，是不是法律不健全？
●你們GDP增長慢，是不是房價太低？
●你們慈善基金不養情人，是不是美國人不願意捐錢？
●你們國會老吵架，是不是因為沒有河蟹意識？
●你們四年選一次總統，是不是閑得蛋疼？
●你們不會唱紅歌是不是因為不懂音樂？
●美國不唱紅歌，是不是沒有音樂家？
●你們校車那麼多是不是因為學生家長窮？買不起私家車！
●你們沒有自己刺十一刀自殺的，是不是你們美國人都怕死
●你們沒有強拆是不是你們城管硬功不高？
●你們不隨便冤枉人是不是因為你們美國沒有李剛？
●你們證監會老是打擊內幕交易和操縱股價去保護百姓的利益，
●你們不造高鐵是不是美國老百姓膽子太小，覺悟不高，不敢死？
●你們存款不是負利率，是不是老百姓賠不起？
●你長得沒我傻是不是因為美國不許你喝三鹿？
●你們不吃地溝油是不是造不出來？
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
谁去救救杭州名妓若小
因文采优美而走红、被中国网友誉为“最有文化的妓女”
网上流传她7年间接客多达3000人次，
有网民周日凌晨贴文称，若小安因于微博发表“接客日记”，
她在微博上与网友分享生活及情感，粉丝人数已突破17万人。
其被扣查消息传出后，瞬即引起网民广泛关注，
當局遭諷「防嫖客名單官員教授曝 光」
接客3千文采吸睛
年僅22歲的若小安今年8月起在微博上暴紅。她坦承自 己是「失足婦女」（性工作者），但喜歡讀書寫作，若小安還說：「不管多少人路過我的身體，
有網友指稱，若小安的恩客逾3000人，
「警方先下手為強」
網友對於若小安被捕議論紛紛，有人認為警方想藉著她手 中的嫖客名單來掃黃。但也有網友認為，若小安小檔 案
年齡：22歲（1989年生）居住地：浙江杭州
學歷：初中畢業
職業：性工作者，7年與逾3000名客人發生過性關係
走紅過程：今年8月在微博走紅，粉絲逾17萬人
「首長隨行」
近日內地甚為火爆的一條微博─「在北京官場，
別的不論，單說下屆「雙核心」習近平和李克強，
而今二奶村已過氣，把二奶放到大洋彼岸，
既有裸體做官，必有裸體陪官。開封市委組織部長李森林「
論官場之齷齪，「陰毛傳奇」並非孤本，
怯懦的中國儒家文化
「九一一」十年，重溫了許多奮勇捐軀的美國人事蹟，包括撞世貿的其中一架飛機，機上一位華裔空姐及時警報地勤， 對話曝光。
英國觀察家周刊前主編陳思萊（ A. Chancellor）說美國人的性格：「美國人視怯懦為原罪中最卑劣者」（ Americans regard cowardice as the most despicable of sins.）
不但美國人，英語世界都視「怯懦」（ Cowardice）為最下賤的罪惡。香港有錢人把小孩送英美貴族名校，校園裏有欖球，冰上曲棍球，有登山攀石露營之類的風險戶外活動，校舍裏還有一點點 高年級學生的欺凌，校長和教師故意不管。這邊的家長很擔心，投訴不得要領，因為他們不明白，英美貴族學校的教育，除了考試和書本知識，令小孩 克服懦弱，是很重要的主題。
「九一一」有那麼多壯烈的故事。美國人並無特別要當烈士的意識，飛機快要撞到國防部了，機上有 人大喊： Let's roll，就領幾個人與恐怖份子拚命，這是平時鄙視怯懦的教育影響，把怯懦視為原罪中最下等，所以 每有恐怖襲擊，首相和美國總統聲明譴責，都會說這是「懦夫行為」（ Cowardly）。
以 Coward責人，在英語的意識裏，用字份量極重，香港男人想溝鬼妹，注意了：一旦鬼妹說你是 Coward。那麼這段關係就完了，全無挽回的餘地。文化的差異。許多非英語的人不完全聽懂這個字的極度羞辱： You coward，比罵你祖宗十八代王八蛋更為蔑視。
因為中國儒家文化雖也講捨生取義的大勇，書本上講，「民間智慧」卻相反：「螻蟻尚且偷生」、 「好死不如歹活」、「留得青山在，不怕沒柴燒」，中國文化對於俠勇之道，有許多言談，對於怯懦，多般藉口維護， 反有更深刻的現實哲學。
C for Cowrad。對於中國民間，尤其「香港仔」，無所謂懦夫，只有識走位的精仔，這是所謂「中美兩國人民」絕不可能真正「文化交流」、「相互了解」的一大盲 點，
英國觀察家周刊前主編陳思萊（ A. Chancellor）說美國人的性格：「美國人視怯懦為原罪中最卑劣者」（ Americans regard cowardice as the most despicable of sins.）
不但美國人，英語世界都視「怯懦」（ Cowardice）為最下賤的罪惡。香港有錢人把小孩送英美貴族名校，校園裏有欖球，冰上曲棍球，有登山攀石露營之類的風險戶外活動，校舍裏還有一點點 高年級學生的欺凌，校長和教師故意不管。這邊的家長很擔心，投訴不得要領，因為他們不明白，英美貴族學校的教育，除了考試和書本知識，令小孩 克服懦弱，是很重要的主題。
「九一一」有那麼多壯烈的故事。美國人並無特別要當烈士的意識，飛機快要撞到國防部了，機上有 人大喊： Let's roll，就領幾個人與恐怖份子拚命，這是平時鄙視怯懦的教育影響，把怯懦視為原罪中最下等，所以 每有恐怖襲擊，首相和美國總統聲明譴責，都會說這是「懦夫行為」（ Cowardly）。
以 Coward責人，在英語的意識裏，用字份量極重，香港男人想溝鬼妹，注意了：一旦鬼妹說你是 Coward。那麼這段關係就完了，全無挽回的餘地。文化的差異。許多非英語的人不完全聽懂這個字的極度羞辱： You coward，比罵你祖宗十八代王八蛋更為蔑視。
因為中國儒家文化雖也講捨生取義的大勇，書本上講，「民間智慧」卻相反：「螻蟻尚且偷生」、 「好死不如歹活」、「留得青山在，不怕沒柴燒」，中國文化對於俠勇之道，有許多言談，對於怯懦，多般藉口維護， 反有更深刻的現實哲學。
C for Cowrad。對於中國民間，尤其「香港仔」，無所謂懦夫，只有識走位的精仔，這是所謂「中美兩國人民」絕不可能真正「文化交流」、「相互了解」的一大盲 點，
中國人看美國人笨，但不了解為什麼美國人這樣笨，他建立的國家，九一一之後「衰落」 十年，還有那麼多自以為精伶的人想混一張綠卡。
Jazz Club – Jazz Loves Marvin Gaye
Jazz loves Marvin Gaye – and we do too! Guess that makes us the perfect folks to rave about how wonderful this set is – a killer collection of 70s jazz funk numbers that pays homage to the great one – offering up instrumental versions of grooves originally recorded by Marvin for Motown – taking the tunes way past their original renderings with loads of sweet instrumental touches! There's still plenty of soul in the mix – given that most numbers here are done in an electrified fusion mode – and a few even feature some slight chorus vocals, too. Titles include "You Sure Love To Ball" by The JBs, "What's Going On" by Quincy Jones, "I Want You" by Gato Barbieri, "Distant Lover" by David Newman, "Don't Mess With Mr T" by Regina Carter, "When Did You Stop Loving Me" by Mongo Santamaria, "Inner City Blues" by Phil Upchurch, and "Trouble Man" by Grover Washington Jr.
CD available at http://www.dustygroove.com/
Funk legend Sly Stone homeless and living in a van in LA
In his heyday, he lived at 783 Bel Air Road, a four-bedroom, 5,432-square-foot Beverly Hills mansion that once belonged to John Phillips of The Mamas & the Papas.
The Tudor-style house was tricked out in his signature funky black, white and red color scheme. Shag carpet. Tiffany lamps in every room. A round water bed in the master bedroom. There were parties where Stevie Wonder, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Miles Davis would drop by, where Etta James would break into “At Last” by the bar.
Just four years ago, he resided in a Napa Valley house so large it could only be described as a “compound,” with a vineyard out back and multiple cars in the driveway.
But those days are gone.
Today, Sly Stone -- one of the greatest figures in soul-music history -- is homeless, his fortune stolen by a lethal combination of excess, substance abuse and financial mismanagement. He lays his head inside a white camper van ironically stamped with the words “Pleasure Way” on the side. The van is parked on a residential street in Crenshaw, the rough Los Angeles neighborhood where “Boyz n the Hood” was set. A retired couple makes sure he eats once a day, and Stone showers at their house. The couple’s son serves as his assistant and driver.
Inside the van, the former mastermind of Sly & the Family Stone, now 68, continues to record music with the help of a laptop computer.
“I like my small camper,” he says, his voice raspy with age and years of hard living. “I just do not want to return to a fixed home. I cannot stand being in one place. I must keep moving.”
Stone has been difficult to pin down for years. In the last two decades, he’s become one of music’s most enigmatic figures, bordering on reclusive. You’d be forgiven for assuming he’s dead. He rarely appears in public, and just getting him in a room requires hours or years of detective work, middlemen and, of course, making peace with the likelihood that he just won’t show up.
There was a time when Sly was difficult to escape. Stone, whose real name is Sylvester Stewart, was one of the most visible, flamboyant figures of the late 1960s and early 1970s.
The multiracial, multi-gender band that Stone assembled fused funk, soul and psychedelic rock and became one of the most influential acts ever. The San Fran-based group released a string of hits beginning with the 1968 album “Dance to the Music,” followed by “Everyday People,” “Family Affair,” “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)” and “Stand!”
The group’s costumes and showmanship were just as memorable. The members favored giant afros, flashy capes, Beatle boots, neon vests and leopard-print jumpsuits.
Stone learned to sing in church as a child. He grew up in a middle-class, Christian household in Vallejo, Calif., and he and three of his siblings sang in a gospel group. As a young man, he studied music at a local junior college and worked as a soul disc jockey at a local radio station. He played in several bands with his brother, Fred, a guitarist.
The lineup of Sly & the Family Stone, which included Fred and sister Vet, solidified in 1966. The band’s energetic live shows, positive lyrics and diverse membership earned it buzz in the Bay Area, and the Family was signed by CBS Records.
Appearances on shows like “Music Scene” and “The Ed Sullivan Show” soon followed, and in the summer of ’69, at the peak of their power, they managed to turn what should have been a snoozy middle-of-the-night slot at Woodstock into one of the highlights of the festival. As the band began to play, tens of thousands of people creeped out of their sleeping bags to watch. They left the stage with the audience still roaring, “Higher!”
And then the inevitable cracks began to appear. Sly moved to Los Angeles while the rest of the band remained in the Bay Area. He started hanging around with unsavory characters. There were whispers of cocaine and PCP abuse, Mafia connections and guns being pulled on people.
Things got dark. Stone started missing rehearsals and even performances. In 1970, he failed to show up at 26 of the band’s 80 gigs and quickly developed a reputation as mercurial.
“There were these people that say I had to pay a $50,000 bond, so if I’m late, they keep the money, right?” Stone says. “It seemed that people saw to it that I was gonna be late, and I get there, and this promoter ran out and started shouting, ‘You gonna be late again? F--k you! We don’t need that s--t, man!’ I’m thinking about music, and the only time when I can play is when I am happy. So I just leave.”
Sly & the Family Stone began to fall apart. Drummer Greg Errico and bassist Larry Graham (who’s credited with creating the much-imitated slap-bass sound) bolted in the early 1970s, and by 1975 the group called it quits.
Drugs took a tighter hold. One night close to Christmas, Stone headed out to buy presents for his young son, Sylvester, whom he had with Kathy Silva, a model he married on stage at Madison Square Garden in 1974.
“I had about $2,500 to spend,” Stone recalls. “By the time I get [to the store], I had spent it all on drugs. Yes, I did. And when I getting close to little Syl’s house, I thought, ‘Oooh, man. I never should have done that.’ When I saw him, I said, ‘I spent your money up on drugs. I spend it up on dope.’ ”
Over the years, Stone has dropped tens of thousands of dollars on his other hobby: automobiles. In his early days, he drove a Jaguar XKE he painted purple. There were Hummers, a London taxi and a beloved Studebaker, which Stone asked to have painted in exchange for this interview. (The Post declined.) A few years ago, he would cruise around LA on a bright-yellow, custom three-wheel chopper. He was known to give cars to friends.
By 1980, the group’s popularity had declined enormously from its heyday. Stone appeared on an episode of “The Mike Douglas Show” and promised, “I’m going to do one more album real quick, and if it’s not instantly platinum, bye-bye.” Sly & the Family Stone’s 10th and final album, 1982’s “Ain’t But the One Way,” flopped.
Stone kept his word and mostly vanished. He was arrested a few times in the 1980s for cocaine possession and performed sporadically, but his days of sold-out shows and magazine covers were gone. A 1987 performance would prove to be his last for 19 years.
He finally reappeared during a 2006 Grammy tribute, shuffling on stage, his posture hunched and his neck bent as a result of a fall he suffered at his home. He arrived midway through a medley of his classic hits, played the keyboard and sang for a few bars, waved, then inexplicably left the stage before the song concluded.
Today, Sly is disheveled, paranoid -- the FBI is after him; his enemies have hired hit men. He refuses to let The Post into his camper, but, ever the showman, poses flamboyantly with a silver military helmet and a Taser in front of his Studebaker.
The singer claims his money troubles escalated in 2009, when his royalty payments stopped flowing after Stone accused his manager, Jerry Goldstein, of fraud. Stone says he was tricked into signing a rotten contract with Goldstein in 1989, giving the manager control of his finances in exchange for a weekly paycheck.
Last year, Stone sued Goldstein for $50 million, alleging fraud and 20 years of stolen royalty payments. (Contributing to the singer’s dire financial situation, he foolishly sold his valuable music-publishing rights to Michael Jackson for a reported $1 million in 1984.)
Goldstein did not return calls seeking comment.
The performer’s cash-flow problems forced him out of his Napa Valley house that he rented with money from a 2007 European tour and into cheap hotels and the van in 2009. Stone hopes to soon put the lawsuit and his other woes behind him.
“My music is a format that will encourage you to have a song you won’t forget. That’s why I got so much money, that there are so many people around, and that’s why I am in court. Millions of dollars!” Stone says. “But now please tell everybody, please, to give me a job, play my music. I’m tired of all this s--t, man.”
Earlier this year, Stone released an album of his hits re-recorded with other artists. Stone has new songs, but he no longer trusts record companies or managers and is wary about making a deal to release another album. He works constantly on new music, often staying up for two days straight, then sleeping for the next two. (In a nice piece of symmetry, some of his 1971 album, “There’s a Riot Goin’ On,” was recorded in a Winnebago.) He has hundreds of new tracks recorded in his van that he keeps for himself. For now, at least.
“But, with new energy, it will feel good to step on stage,” he says. “I see all the guys playing those old songs. Let these guys know, like Lady Gaga, let me come in, just let me come in and pay me if you like it.”
William Alkema is the director of the Sly & the Family Stone documentary, “Dance to the Music,” to be re-released this year.
By WILLEM ALKEMA and REED TUCKERMonday, September 26, 2011
李光耀： 中国越成功就越傲慢
“回中国”属痴心幻想
他 们口口声声对我们说，国家不分大小，人人平等，说他们“不称霸”
针对中国越来越强，新加坡年轻华人或会对中国会生起“憧憬”之心，前新加坡内阁资政李光耀说，那种一厢情愿要回到“祖 国”怀抱的浪漫情怀，是痴心幻想。
“如果你常到中国，就会知道你所说的是错的。你可以随时去看，他们越是成功，就越不把你放在眼 里，对你的态度也会更傲慢。
《海峡时报》新闻工作者访问前内阁资政李光耀，畅谈新加坡政治制度未来的发展、新加坡与邻国的关系、移民问题、中国与印度的崛起等系列课题， 诸篇章在今年1月结集出版《李光耀：新加坡赖以生存的硬道理》，中文版《硬道理》已面世。
年轻人勿一厢情愿
其中一个问题是，随着中国逐渐发挥软实力，可想象自己作为一个在新加坡长大的年轻华人，可能也会很自然地开始留意起中国来？李光耀的回答很直 接：“那种一厢情愿要回到祖国怀抱的浪漫情怀，是痴心幻想。我们已变得很不一样了，就是这么简单。”
老狮城人是浪漫主义者
以下是摘录自《李光耀：新加坡赖以生存的硬道理》谈华人华语的部分。
◆问：在之前的访谈中，你曾提到，自己对身为华人这事，是很清楚的。你是华族，但不是中国大陆的华人。
◇答：是的。
◆问：不知道其他华族新加坡人是否也有这方面的认知。
◇答：老一辈新加坡华人是浪漫主义者，就如我姨丈；他说：“把我的尸骨葬在中国。”他的说法简 直荒谬。姨丈去世后，葬在吉隆坡。对我而言，根本毫无疑问，先辈的这块祖地只是让我来到这世界——那里并没有我立足之地。
留在新加坡很幸运
“我很感激曾祖母当年没跟随丈夫回老家去。这也就是为什么我会在这里。我是个幸运儿。是的，你我一样，都很幸运。
◆问：中国人对新加坡的态度是否会随着自己越来越强大、越来越有影响力，而有所改变？
◇答：那是当然的。他们会期望我们更尊重他们——你必须尊重我。他们口口声声对我 们说，国家不分大小，人人平等，说他们“不称霸”。但 只要我们做不合他们心意的事，他们就会说，看吧，你们让13亿人不高兴。“13亿”。要是反过 来，他们让我们不高兴呢？我们也只不过“百万”，让几百万人不高兴而已。所以，请弄清楚自己的定位。
The Best of the Temptations on
the Ed Sullivan Show
The Temptations began their musical life in Detroit in the early sixties. With their flashy suits, distinctive harmonies and precise, split-second choreography, they popularized a refined style of performance that made them a household name. Not only did the vocal quintet become one of Motown’s most successful acts, but was the first Motown act to score a Grammy Award and became known as one of the most successful music groups of all time. Starting to make appearances around the same time as the Supreme’s on mainstream television, the band was also instrumental in the crossover success of soul groups in the 60s.
The Temptations frequented television shows like American Bandstand but made their very first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show in May 1967 performing a medley of hits including “My Girl” and “(I Know) I’m Losing You.” In subsequent visits to the show, the group performed the group’s No. 1 hit “I Can’t Get Next to You,” a playful version of “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy,” the Top Ten hit “Psychedelic Shack,” and the 1969 hit single “Runaway Child, Running Wild” with Dennis Edwards replacing David Ruffin.
To get these defining performance on DVD for you get The Best of The Temptations on the Ed Sullivan Show.
Motown Publicist Al Abrams' New Book With Rare Photos, Letters & Clippings
As publicity director for Motown Records in the 1960s, Al Abrams stockpiled a massive collection of photos, promotional fare and internal documents as the label rose from obscurity to international success with artists such as the Supremes, Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye. Abrams' new book, "Hype & Soul," assembles hundreds of those rarely seen items for a peek behind the scenes of Motown's buzz machine. Here's an exclusive sampling.
'Hype & Soul: Behind the Scenes at Motown'
By Al AbramsTempleStreet Publishing 288 pages
Online ordering info: soulvation.biz or amazon.co.uk
Also available at Dearborn Music and Street
We're talking right here, where you're looking, in the pages of this newspaper.
It was 52 years ago that an 18-year-old Abrams became the first hire for Berry Gordy Jr. and rose to become publicity director for Motown Records, charged with landing headlines for the label and its artists.
For the next eight years, Abrams was in the front seat as Motown conquered first Detroit, then America and finally the globe, a journey chronicled in his delightful new book, "Hype & Soul: Behind the Scenes at Motown" (TempleStreet Publishing).
Abrams wasn't just a PR man -- snappy, sunny and inspired by Tony Curtis' press-agent character in "Sweet Smell of Success." He was a pack rat, and his book is brimming with rare photos, press releases, letters and other well-worn documents that help reveal how Motown was packaged, presented and spun for public consumption.
"You can still see the Scotch tape marks where I had stuck them in scrapbooks. If it had my name on it, I felt compelled to take it home," he says. "I'm not going to claim I knew this would all become as big as it turned out. But I did always feel that one day this stuff may really matter."
While the glossy, full-color book makes a fun browse for casual fans, its real thrills are geared to the Motown diehards, including the healthy legion overseas.
They'll find telegrams and postcards and Abrams' hand-scrawled pitches for promotions that never came off, like a proposal for Detroit Mayor Jerome Cavanaugh to rename the city "Motown" for a day in '64, and a record deal for 17-year-old first daughter Luci Johnson that year.
There are the letters buttering up reporters, and the loads of press clippings they produced -- including what Abrams says is Motown's first-ever media mention: a 1959 Windsor Star profile of the long-forgotten singer Mike Powers.
And then there are the reams of press releases ("MARVELETTES FLY TO LONDON," "MARVIN GAYE RETURNS TO 20 GRAND") -- often pecked out by Abrams with one finger on a typewriter and rushed to a mail drop where he'd wait to ensure they were picked up.
Alongside Abrams' own anecdotes and candid snapshots of artists such as the Supremes and Stevie Wonder, it makes for a brisk and bustling jaunt through a bygone era.
"You wind up with a day-by-day chronicle of what really happened at Motown," Abrams says. "What are today's publicists going to have down the road -- a book of Twitter posts?"
In the pre-Rolling Stone era, pop-music journalism was still taking shape, often the province of teen-beat cub writers and castoff coverage, with writers and press reps inventing the standards as they went.
But in Detroit, the Motown story was more than just a hit-parade tale. It was a business and cultural phenomenon, and Abrams' go-to outlet was the Free Press, where he hobnobbed regularly with now-iconic Freep figures such as Van Sauter and Bettelou Peterson. Former editor Mort Persky, who oversaw the 1960s equivalent of the Sunday section you're reading, provides a foreword in the book, recounting the coverage of Motown acts as "Abrams shoved them into our consciousness."
The world certainly isn't short of Motown books, though many were criticized for sloppy reporting and slippery agendas. But a book of raw materials is its own fact-checker, and Abrams says he and his team -- including the English journalist Neil Rushton -- aimed to "tell the story that a lot of people had forgotten or overlooked."
Many of the documents are drawn from the hefty collection of memorabilia Abrams donated to the University of Michigan in the late '80s, when his wife finally convinced him to liberate their closet. He'd declined opportunities to sell to collectors such as the Hard Rock Cafe.
"I kept picturing this stuff in a frame with spaghetti sauce splattered on it," he says. "I realized it had value for historians, and a university archive would make it available to scholars."
Abrams, a Detroit native who today lives in Findley, Ohio, chuckles at some of the "grandiose PR ideas" he concocted during his Motown tenure -- which ended when he took up with the competing Stax Records label in 1967. He lays claim, for instance, to the famous quote attributed to Bob Dylan describing Smokey Robinson as "America's greatest living poet" -- a plug Abrams says he concocted with Dylan pal Al Aronowitz.
But he's also proud of his time at Motown, where he warmly recalls "being this young Jewish kid welcomed in like one of the Gordy family."
His efforts produced more than column inches and record sales for Detroit's biggest entertainment company, Abrams says. They also supplied powerful social fuel.
"When the Supremes got the cover of (the nationally syndicated) TV Magazine in 1965, that really jump-started things," he says. "It really opened the doors everywhere else -- 'Hey, we can put black people on a cover that will sit in people's living rooms for a week, and they won't cancel their subscriptions.'
"So we saw every magazine cover, every front-page article, not just as a breakthrough for the Supremes or the Temptations or whoever, but as a breakthrough in the civil-rights struggle."
It was 52 years ago that an 18-year-old Abrams became the first hire for Berry Gordy Jr. and rose to become publicity director for Motown Records, charged with landing headlines for the label and its artists.
For the next eight years, Abrams was in the front seat as Motown conquered first Detroit, then America and finally the globe, a journey chronicled in his delightful new book, "Hype & Soul: Behind the Scenes at Motown" (TempleStreet Publishing).
Abrams wasn't just a PR man -- snappy, sunny and inspired by Tony Curtis' press-agent character in "Sweet Smell of Success." He was a pack rat, and his book is brimming with rare photos, press releases, letters and other well-worn documents that help reveal how Motown was packaged, presented and spun for public consumption.
"You can still see the Scotch tape marks where I had stuck them in scrapbooks. If it had my name on it, I felt compelled to take it home," he says. "I'm not going to claim I knew this would all become as big as it turned out. But I did always feel that one day this stuff may really matter."
While the glossy, full-color book makes a fun browse for casual fans, its real thrills are geared to the Motown diehards, including the healthy legion overseas.
They'll find telegrams and postcards and Abrams' hand-scrawled pitches for promotions that never came off, like a proposal for Detroit Mayor Jerome Cavanaugh to rename the city "Motown" for a day in '64, and a record deal for 17-year-old first daughter Luci Johnson that year.
There are the letters buttering up reporters, and the loads of press clippings they produced -- including what Abrams says is Motown's first-ever media mention: a 1959 Windsor Star profile of the long-forgotten singer Mike Powers.
And then there are the reams of press releases ("MARVELETTES FLY TO LONDON," "MARVIN GAYE RETURNS TO 20 GRAND") -- often pecked out by Abrams with one finger on a typewriter and rushed to a mail drop where he'd wait to ensure they were picked up.
Alongside Abrams' own anecdotes and candid snapshots of artists such as the Supremes and Stevie Wonder, it makes for a brisk and bustling jaunt through a bygone era.
"You wind up with a day-by-day chronicle of what really happened at Motown," Abrams says. "What are today's publicists going to have down the road -- a book of Twitter posts?"
In the pre-Rolling Stone era, pop-music journalism was still taking shape, often the province of teen-beat cub writers and castoff coverage, with writers and press reps inventing the standards as they went.
But in Detroit, the Motown story was more than just a hit-parade tale. It was a business and cultural phenomenon, and Abrams' go-to outlet was the Free Press, where he hobnobbed regularly with now-iconic Freep figures such as Van Sauter and Bettelou Peterson. Former editor Mort Persky, who oversaw the 1960s equivalent of the Sunday section you're reading, provides a foreword in the book, recounting the coverage of Motown acts as "Abrams shoved them into our consciousness."
The world certainly isn't short of Motown books, though many were criticized for sloppy reporting and slippery agendas. But a book of raw materials is its own fact-checker, and Abrams says he and his team -- including the English journalist Neil Rushton -- aimed to "tell the story that a lot of people had forgotten or overlooked."
Many of the documents are drawn from the hefty collection of memorabilia Abrams donated to the University of Michigan in the late '80s, when his wife finally convinced him to liberate their closet. He'd declined opportunities to sell to collectors such as the Hard Rock Cafe.
"I kept picturing this stuff in a frame with spaghetti sauce splattered on it," he says. "I realized it had value for historians, and a university archive would make it available to scholars."
Abrams, a Detroit native who today lives in Findley, Ohio, chuckles at some of the "grandiose PR ideas" he concocted during his Motown tenure -- which ended when he took up with the competing Stax Records label in 1967. He lays claim, for instance, to the famous quote attributed to Bob Dylan describing Smokey Robinson as "America's greatest living poet" -- a plug Abrams says he concocted with Dylan pal Al Aronowitz.
But he's also proud of his time at Motown, where he warmly recalls "being this young Jewish kid welcomed in like one of the Gordy family."
His efforts produced more than column inches and record sales for Detroit's biggest entertainment company, Abrams says. They also supplied powerful social fuel.
"When the Supremes got the cover of (the nationally syndicated) TV Magazine in 1965, that really jump-started things," he says. "It really opened the doors everywhere else -- 'Hey, we can put black people on a cover that will sit in people's living rooms for a week, and they won't cancel their subscriptions.'
"So we saw every magazine cover, every front-page article, not just as a breakthrough for the Supremes or the Temptations or whoever, but as a breakthrough in the civil-rights struggle."
Who Owns the World’s Sovereign Debt?
This monster graphic comes from the IMF.
It's loaded with interesting factoids about who owns how much of each country's debt. Global Macro Monitor points out
the fact that "47% of the US$14.7 trillion U.S. federal government debt is held by the Federal Reserve and the government itself, such as the Social Security trust fund." (not China)
Those graphs with the biggest red color portion are in trouble:-
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Gold Collapses As Crowd Rushes For Nuke Shelter
It never is different, especially when the crowd does the same thing…. Gold collapses USD 100+ with a double tops chart formation.同時，黃金價格因投資者恐慌情緒，
與此同時，因投資者繼續逃離貴金屬市場，導致黃金期貨價格大挫。
基於上述原因，芝加哥商業交易所控股公司表示，將上調黃金、
其中，
| Contract | Last | Change | Open | High | Low | Previous | Volume | Time | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GCY00 (Cash) | 1,656.10 | -84.10 | 1,740.10 | 1,754.79 | 1,628.99 | 1,740.20 | 0 | 09/23/11 | ||||||
| GCU11 (Sep '11) | 1,637.5s | -101.7 | 1,737.3 | 1,737.3 | 1,637.5 | 1,739.2 | 81 | 09/23/11 | ||||||
| GCV11 (Oct '11) | 1,637.7s | -101.7 | 1,739.9 | 1,755.2 | 1,629.5 | 1,739.4 | 10,023 | 09/23/11 | ||||||
| GCX11 (Nov '11) | 1,638.6s | -102.1 | 1,746.0 | 1,748.7 | 1,630.4 | 1,740.7 | 289 | 09/23/11 | ||||||
| GCZ11 (Dec '11) | 1,639.8s | -101.9 | 1,739.0 | 1,757.9 | 1,631.7 | 1,741.7 | 340,358 | 09/23/11 | ||||||
| GCG12 (Feb '12) | 1,641.5s | -102.0 | 1,743.0 | 1,759.5 | 1,633.3 | 1,743.5 | 3,757 | 09/23/11 | ||||||
| GCJ12 (Apr '12) | 1,643.0s | -102.1 | 1,746.1 | 1,760.6 | 1,635.7 | 1,745.1 | 451 | 09/23/11 | ||||||
| GCM12 (Jun '12) | 1,644.6s | -102.3 | 1,746.0 | 1,753.5 | 1,641.4 | 1,746.9 | 469 | 09/23/11 | ||||||
| GCQ12 (Aug '12) | 1,646.3s | -102.5 | 1,702.2 | 1,710.2 | 1,646.3 | 1,748.8 | 192 | 09/23/11 | ||||||
| GCV12 (Oct '12) | 1,648.0s | -102.8 | 1,702.1 | 1,704.5 | 1,647.0 | 1,750.8 | 93 | 09/23/11 | ||||||
| GCZ12 (Dec '12) | 1,649.8s | -103.1 | 1,759.2 | 1,765.0 | 1,642.4 | 1,752.9 |
FKLI - Maybe, Just Maybe We Have Reached A Temporary Bottom ? -9/26/2011
The dim possibility of a double bottoms formation got trashed last week when the support failed to hold. The market crashed down another 58 points. The shorts stay intact as stop was not challenged. I would suggest placing stop at 2 days prior high plus 2 points as the bottom Bollinger Band is now too far away. If Stochastic is able to turn up above its 20's signal line, then you should tighten the stop further.
The MACD continues to dive and DMI remains negative which mean the bears are in firm control. I cannot call Stochastic as oversold purely because it is under 20's. It was already in its below 20's zone last week but it does not stop the market from losing another 50+ points. In a strong trending market situation, the Stochastic may remain "oversold" and yet keep falling to one new low from another. But at the moment the Stochastic is displaying some interesting muted divergence and the ADX has been above the DMI, these are tell tale signs that the market may be oversold. Last Friday's candlestick was a long bodied with close higher than open. All these 3 items are pointing at a possible rebound. But these are merely hints and they are NOT telling you to "buy low".I would still need confirmations before engaging new long trades. (like Stochastic crossing up the 20's line or price close above the lower band etc)
I do not think we are at the end of the dark tunnel yet as the rising ADX is confirming this observation but I think the coming week if we do see a up move, we should treat it as a temporary technical rebound .
There is nothing remotely bullish at the weekly chart. The Stochastic, MACD and DMI are negative and the ADX continues to rise while prices stay below the bottom Bollinger Band. All these are confirming the bears remain solidly in control. As the DJIA has just broken one of its strong support, their down moves may continue to "inspire" our bears to act further.
The latest piece of XXX bad news coming from the Euroland is that cash rich corporations and high net worth clients have started to move their cash out from some French banks. I take this as a sign of "smart money" starting a run on the weaker banks. (try think our own local versions back in 1998/1984 when depositors lining up in front of their banks to withdraw all ) How soon would the smaller clients start to move out theirs ? Talking about smart money, one of my friends think Malaysian money are smarter as many have been moving out from KL property bubble and starting to buy Australian and London properties. By the way, have you notice their developers have been putting up marketing show every week in KL ? To me, I think by using fast deteriorating AUD or GBP buying into a property market that is about to collapse big time is hardly a "smart" move. The buyer would suffer losses both in the currencies and depressing property prices. Yes, I do not think Australia is "safe" and if Euroland continues to fall apart, I think we may hear bad news from the Aussies soon, especially their property sector.
FCPO - Would CPO Follow Other Commodities And Fall Like A Rock ? - 9/26/2011
The indicators have turned from last week's positive to the current's negative. With the previous week's MACD, DMI and Stochastic are went positive in unison, but market hardly move up. Currently all the indicators have gone negative in unison, would it go further down ? The ADX is really like shit at 13's, I would not place too much faith in the bear yet unless prices solidly break down below the support (the bottom horizontal line), I would still of opinion that this market is still caught in a listless situation.
The weekly chart's Stochastic continue to rise and MACD is turning around but remain negative. But price is giving a contradicting signal as it has again closed below the lower Bollinger Band and the ADX has also resume its rises. All these are giving us contradicting signals.
Fundamentally, most of the commodities market are collapsing last week. Their demises challenge many of the " experts" market hypes - like gold as the ultimate safe haven in a troubled financial market (gold fell USD 100+ on Friday and 300 from its recent high - the result of a double tops formation) Silver followed on a similar pattern. All the so called "safe haven" currencies also fell like rock and the much talked down US Dollar is the only currency that shines. So, would the "fundamentals" bring down the CPO market ? If purely chart wise , I would call the market listless at the present but since the bullish divergence remains intact, so I would remain very bullish about the market. That is until the divergence is erased.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Will French Banks
Collapse Next ?
This is not helping French bank stocks today.
PIMCO's Mohammed El-Erian has a dramatic post up at FT on the various signs of trouble in French bank land.
You have reports of banks not trading with French banks. You have equity prices at 50-% of books, and stories about CEOs going around the world for cash.
Here's the money quote:
These are all signs of an institutional run on French banks. If it persists, the banks would have no choice but to delever their balance sheets in a very drastic and disorderly fashion. Retail depositors would get edgy and be tempted to follow trading and institutional clients through the exit doors. Europe would thus be thrown into a full-blown banking crisis that aggravates the sovereign debt trap, renders certain another economic recession, and significantly worsens the outlook for the global economy.
If Europe doesn't fix this fast, all hell could break loose.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
文革珍邮以天价成交创
香港邮 票拍卖史新高
数量甚少，故极为珍贵 - ，邮电发行局向各省、市、自治区邮电管理局发出“
If you have read George Orwell's "1984" , you would be familiar with the big brothers are forever tearing out/re-editing/blanking out disgraced former leaders.
Such is real life example here.
Such is real life example here.
中国邮品拍卖随着经济好转再创佳绩。存世仅余32枚俗称“
其中，中国十大珍邮“文五珍”系列备受瞩目，尤以“
这次推出的中国邮票，以近年大热的“文革”系列的邮票最注目，
该套带厂铭的四方连邮票，设计是身穿蓝灰色中 山装的毛泽东主席在天安门城楼上向群众挥手、手持《毛语录》
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
要滅美國，先滅駱家輝
駱家輝賣弄美國價值觀太囂張了，故而官媒光明網發表討伐檄文《
駱家輝卻侃侃而答：「作為政府官員，
反觀天朝，別看汶川和曲舟時下還有許多災民住在簡易房，
央視主持芮成鋼想必覺得，自己的鐵嘴銅牙還未足以折辱駱家輝，
Kill Smoking ? Be Careful What You Wish For
After Tobacco, a new book by economic researchers Peter Bearman, Kathryn Neckerman and Leslie Wright, tries to put together what would happen if the 46 million Americans who smoke all decided to quit cold turkey.
Obviously cigarettes are huge industry in the U.S., so a total collapse of domestic demand would have serious effect on our economy. And then there's how it would impact public health, of course.
Here's a quick run down of what the book says would happen via The Washington Post:
If everyone stopped smoking in 2006, 2.8 million premature deaths would be avoided between then and 2025. During the same time, healthcare spending would decrease by $211 billion-- but that's only 1.25%.
States would have decreased Medicaid costs, but would also lose the revenue they get from cigarette excise taxes, that was $13.75 billion in 2006, an overall of 1.4%.
The end of cigarettes would lead to a small increase in social security as well (about 1.58%, the book estimates) as workers would be living longer, but retiring later.
And then there's philanthropy. Tobacco manufacturers gave $143 billion away between 1997 and 2005-- 42% of which went to public health and community development programs. That money would probably disappear. Nationally, though, that's only about 3% of corporate giving.
BONUS: This isn't in the book, but according to a paper by the NBER, Americans will get fatter if they stop smoking as well.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Why Clint Eastwood Isn’t a Republican Anymore
The below is from a larger discussion between Clint Eastwood, Leonardo DiCaprio and GQ Magazine from the October 2011 issue. Leo is playing J Edgar Hoover for the biopic Clint is directing. Here's the straight dope on what's wrong with the GOP circa 2011 from one of the last Real American Men still ticking.
- JB
***
GQ: [To Eastwood] You've described yourself as a social libertarian. What does that mean to you?
Clint Eastwood: I was an Eisenhower Republican when I started out at 21, because he promised to get us out of the Korean War. And over the years, I realized there was a Republican philosophy that I liked. And then they lost it. And libertarians had more of it. Because what I really believe is, let's spend a little more time leaving everybody alone. These people who are making a big deal out of gay marriage? I don't give a fuck about who wants to get married to anybody else! Why not?! We're making a big deal out of things we shouldn't be making a deal out of.
Leonardo Dicaprio: That's the most infuriating thing—watching people focus on these things. Meanwhile, there's the onset of global warming and—
Clint Eastwood: Exactly!
Leonardo Dicaprio: —and these incredibly scary and menacing things with the future of our economy. Our relationship to the rest of the world. And here we are focusing on this?
Clint Eastwood: They go on and on with all this bullshit about "sanctity"—don't give me that sanctity crap! Just give everybody the chance to have the life they want.
Leonardo Dicaprio: It's the great diversion. Politicians are masters at getting you to be on their side so that you don't look at how big business—
Clint Eastwood: I love big business! [They both laugh.] Clint Eastwood: I love big business if it hires everybody and does all the right things, and if they get off track then they'll have to deal with whatever—
Leonardo Dicaprio: But they often do get off track, unfortunately. See, now you've got us in a political debate!
李光耀：大陸「既沒能力、也無意願」援歐
在歐債問題岌岌可危之際，北京高層不斷釋出善意，表示願伸出援手，擴大對歐投資，甚至購買債務問題嚴重國家的債 券。大陸成為歐債危機「救世主」的說法近期炒得沸沸揚揚。不過，前新加坡總理李光耀表示，大 陸「既沒能力、也無意願」拯救歐洲，歐元區遲早會垮掉。
此外，被視為下任中國人民銀行（大陸央行）行長熱門人選的中國建設銀行董事長郭樹清也強調，歐美經濟短期劇烈波動不可避免，但大陸經濟自身存 在各種問題；外界似乎高估了大陸援救世界的能力。
低接歐債 想賺更多
他舉例說，如果將大陸農村人口全部統計在內，實際失業率並不會比美國低。 因此，大陸不可能單獨「托起」全球經濟。
歐債危機頻拉警報，日前甚至傳出債務持續高漲的義大利向大陸求救，希望大陸能購買其公債。大陸國務院總理溫家寶14日重申，大陸願意伸出援 手，擴大投資歐洲。大陸國家主席胡錦濤日前在會見法國總統薩柯齊時也說，大陸將繼續以歐洲作為主要投資市場之一。
此外，巴西財政部長曼特加透露，金磚五國考慮聯合購買歐債。不少輿論認為，擁有巨額外匯存底的金磚國家不但有望成為歐洲國家的「金主」、更可 能成為阻止全球經濟二次衰退的「救世主」。
但與北京高層關係密切的李光耀卻認為，即使大陸大舉購買歐債，也無法幫助歐洲脫離困境。更何況，大陸也沒有能力和意願解救歐洲，大陸可能只是 想趁機低價收購歐債以獲取良好回報。新加坡也無投資歐債的意願。
結構性問題 難化解
李光耀大膽預言，歐元區目前是情況是「要求體質和條件都不一樣的歐元區27國，以相同步調前進」，希望希臘和德國一樣，這本來就不切實際。歐 盟如果繼續抱著這種心態，不可能解決問題。歐元區遲早瓦解，歐洲最終可能出現擁有 2、3個層級的共同體。
針對金磚五國聯合購買歐債的構想，國際貨幣基金（IMF）總裁拉嘉德表示，這非常有意思，因為金磚五國以往多購買德、英等「低風險」公債為 主，盼日後能擴大購買「次安全債券」。IMF副總裁朱民認為，購買歐債只能解決流動性問題，無法解決結構性問題。
The Most Notorious Rogue Traders In History
Kweku Adoboli, 31, was arrested by police in London for his alleged rogue trading scheme that lost UBS a whopping $2 billion.
Adoboli might be joining a group of other rogue traders who've lost their firms a lot of money.
Adoboli might be joining a group of other rogue traders who've lost their firms a lot of money.
Jerome Kerviel lost $6.7 billion for Société Générale.
In October 2010, he was sentenced to three years in prison.
He's planning to appeal.
Nick Leeson lost $1.3 billion for Barings Bank.
This eventually led to the collapse of the oldest U.K. investment bank.
Leeson moved to Singapore where he enjoyed a lavish lifestyle and made plenty of money for a few months.
For a time, he was able to hide his mounting losses in a special account known as the "five eights" account.
He was eventually caught and sentenced to five years in a Singapore prison in 1995. In prison, he acquired cancer and his wife left him.
He was released in 1999 and now does keynote speeches.
Yang Yanming lost $9.52 million for the China Great Wall Trust and Investment Corporation.
Yang Yanming, a former securities trader and head of China Great Wall Trust and Investment Corporation, was sentenced to death by a Chinese high court in late 2005 for embezzling millions of dollars.
He was the first finance executive to receive the death penalty in China.
Jonathan Bunn lost $3.91 million for Lewis Charles Securities.
Bunn shorted 7 million HSBC shares using Lewis Charles Securities money. His accumulated losses were $3.91 million.
As a result, Bunn was banned from the industry by the Financial Services Authority.
In addition, Lewis Charles laid off some of its employees.
John Rusnack lost $691 million for Allfirst Bank.
Brian Hunter lost $6.6 billion for hedge fund Amaranth.
Toshihide Iguchi lost $1.1 billion for Japan's Daiwa Bank.
He was imprisoned in 1996.
Robert Citron lost $2 billion Orange County, California.
As treasurer, Citron used a series of highly-leveraged deals that included repurchase agreements and floating rate notes. At one point he was able to achieve leverage 292%.
The funds he managed were worth around $8 billion, but he was counting on interest rates remaining low or else he stood to lose big time.
Interest rates did rise and as a result, Orange County losses amounted to $2 billion and the county was forced into Chapter 9 bankruptcy.
Yasuo Hamanaka lost $2.6 billion for Sumitomo.
As a result of his rogue trade, Hamakana was sentenced to eight years in prison in 1988. He was released in July 2005, a year before his sentence was supposed to end.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
What Berlusconi Actually Said About Angela ?
Not even her position as the world’s most powerful woman has prevented German Chancellor Angela Merkel from becoming the victim of playboy premier Silvio Berlusconi’s sexist language. The gaffe-prone tycoon has been overheard referring to the German leader as an “unfuckable lard-arse”, according to wiretaps reported by Italian newspapers.
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