Sex Scandal In UK Government and Music and Movie

   

Profumo affair's Mandy Rice-Davies dies at the age of 70

A look at Mandy Rice-Davies' role in the Profumo affair

  Britain's blue eye soul diva Dusty Springfield made a strong comeback with her "Reputation" album into the top 20 chart with help from the Pets Shop Boys writing and producing. The LP is the soundtrack for the movie "Scandal" which was based on Profumo affairs. Of course Dusty and The Pets Shop Boys brought another height to disco music !

In private



Nothing Has Been Proved


Former model Mandy Rice-Davies, one of the main figures in the 1960s Profumo affair, has died from cancer at the age of 70, her publicist has said.


She - along with her friend Christine Keeler - was at the centre of the scandal which threatened to bring down Harold Macmillan's government.

Rice-Davies lived with Keeler, whose affair with war minister John Profumo prompted his resignation in 1963.

However, she never met the politician herself.

Keeler was also said to be having a relationship with Soviet defence attache Yevgeny Ivanov, although Profumo denied in the House of Commons having an affair with her.

Mandy Rice-Davies and Christine Keeler Mandy Rice-Davies and Christine Keeler Mandy Rice-Davies (l) met Christine Keeler (r) at a Soho nightclub where she worked as a dancer

Mandy Rice-Davies leaving court Mandy Rice-Davies leaving court She appeared in a high-profile trial and gained notoriety for claiming to have had an affair with Lord Astor

Rice-Davies testified at the high-profile trial of Stephen Ward, an osteopath who was charged with living off the immoral earnings of her and Keeler, which exposed a web of intrigue involving the upper echelons of society.


    "The Profumo affair was a sinister cocktail of high-society vice, drugs, race and espionage. It spilled onto the floor of the Commons and mortally wounded a prime minister”

    A classic Westminster scandal

Ward took an overdose the night before a guilty verdict was returned, and died days later.

She became notorious for claiming to have had an affair with Lord Astor and for dismissing his denial when in the witness box during the trial at the Old Bailey.


When told he had denied the affair, she famously retorted: "Well he would, wouldn't he?" (as in Dusty's song)

The quote was later added to the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations.

'Fight misconception'

After the scandal died down, Rice-Davies continued to live the high life and later flatly denied that she had lied about her involvement with Lord Astor.


"Me? Excuse me? What was Bill [Lord Astor] doing? I didn't seduce Bill. I didn't even flutter an eyelash at him. I wasn't a temptress. He seduced me. In those days women did not leap upon men."

Mandy Rice-Davies Mandy Rice-Davies She later published a book about the Profumo affair, called The Mandy Report

Many Rice-DaviesMany Rice-Davies Rice-Davies - who was known by her married name of Marilyn Foreman - died after a short battle with cancer

She also later regretted that the events of 1963 had ever happened and continued to deny that she had acted immorally.

"The only reason I still want to talk about it is that I have to fight the misconception that I was a prostitute. I don't want that to be passed on to my grandchildren. There is still a stigma."

She also insisted that she had no secrets to take to the grave.

In later years, interest in Keeler and Rice-Davies and the notorious scandal persisted, with Andrew Lloyd Webber penning a short-lived musical about Stephen Ward, which she collaborated on.

Keeler had no part in the project. Rice-Davies said the pair had not spoken for decades, saying: "I don't think she likes me."

Rice-Davies later wrote her autobiography and a novel, and also appeared on screen in a number of films and TV shows including Absolutely Fabulous.

She was played by Bridget Fonda in a 1989 movie about the Profumo affair, Scandal.

Lord Lloyd Webber said he was "deeply sad" to hear of the news of her death.

"Mandy was enormously well-read and intelligent," he said. "I will always remember discussing with her over dinner subjects as varied as Thomas Cromwell's dissolution of the monasteries and the influence of the artist Stanley Spencer on Lucian Freud.

"With a different throw of the dice, Mandy might have been head of the Royal Academy or even running the country. She became a dear friend and I will miss her."

She married three times, tying the knot with her third husband, businessman Ken Foreman, in 1988.

小日本 Unfriend" 伟大祖国

 

 

日本人对华感情再 恶化 日本内阁府周六（12月20日）傍晚发表的今年《外交舆论调查》说明，日本人被访者 对中国和韩国“没亲近感”的比率都刷新有统计以来的最高记录。 其 中 “对中国没亲近感”的被访者有83.1%，比去年增加2.4%；“有亲近感”和“算是有亲近感”的被访者合计为14.8%。 “对韩国没亲近感”和“算是没亲近感”的被访者合计有66.4%，比去年增加8.4%%，虽然感情恶化幅度比对中国更大，但“有亲近感” 的被 访者仍有31.5%。 40年的调查 内阁府1975年开始每年实施《外交舆论调查》，通常在12月前后发表结果。今 年的 调查在10月16日至26日期间实施，调查对象是3000名20岁以上的成年人，结果得到6成人答复。 日本外务省周六承认调查结果“反映了调查期间国民的感情”，而立场亲中的大报《朝日新闻》则强调“调查后的11月日本首相安倍晋三与中国 国家 主席习近平举行了时隔两年半的会谈”。 不过在日本，习近平与安倍11月握手时的态度看来并不会增加日本国民对中国的好感，BBC记者一个多月来在日本听到对习安会的评论，无论 是公 开还是私下、无论是研究中国的专家还是升斗市民的反应全是负面。 不难想像，如果调查在习安会后实施，结果可能更糟。 恶感的由来 内阁府的《外交舆论调查》显示日本人被访者对中国显著没亲近感是从2008年开始。 当年中国石家庄天洋食品厂出口日本的冷冻水饺含毒的事件发生后，中国公安部与河北省政府再三在记者会上指责投毒地点在日本，否认日本警方 的调 查结果。 后来因同样产品在中国也发生中毒事件，中国才破案并逮捕了投毒者，但日本对中国 的处 事方式印象已坏。 此后该调查随着中国反日示威中愤青的打砸行为、因中国国内发生毒奶粉等毒案、因中国政府在海洋主权争端中的行动，日本人“对中国没亲近 感”的 恶化趋势，几乎每年刷新记录。 今年9月中国英文《中国日报》与日本“言论NPO”组织宣布每年分别在两国做的民意调查结果，说明日本对中国印象不佳的被访者刷新了 93%的 最高记录，当时该调查还公布了理由，其中最多的理由是“中国不遵守国际规则”。 周六内阁府公布的调查结果虽说并不出人意料，但主流日媒还是广泛报道。 Click here to Reply or Forward 1.46 GB (9%) of 15 GB used Manage ©2014 Google - Terms - Privacy Last account activity: 35 minutes ago Details

FCPO - This Market Is Still Waiting -12/22/2014


 

The market continues to stay "dead" for the past week. Price went above the middle band briefly and then went down below the bottom band, also briefly. The Stochastic also went to touch its 50's signal line for a day and then back off down again. The MACD tried to turn positive but was unable to do so. The DMI continues to be negative with the ADX staying flat at a lowly 14's. Of course the low flat ADX is confirming the current listless state of the market.

There is an interesting item here at the DMI, please take note that the peaks of the D- has been going lower and lower. This is a powerful sign that the sellers have really been getting weaker and weaker. This is adding some points to my earlier held bullish views on this market. 


 

Price continues to get squeezed between the top and bottom band and the band has been tightening. With the ADX staying flat at 23's for the fourth week; the MACD stays positive and continues to climb toward the zero signal line but the Stochastic is negative and falling. All these are confirming the current listless mode.

I continue to stay a bit bullish biased due to the subtle signals but we would need to see a solid buy signal first.

FKLI - A Technical Rebound ? Maybe. 12/22/2014

 
Last week I wrote that I expected some retracement due to extremity reading , the market seems to have hit a temporary bottom and staged a strong rebound by riding on the American markets. Price went back above the bottom band which stopped out my shorts position. The MACD is trying to turn around but remain negative. But as it is still relatively "far" from its zero signal line, I would not bother much even it can get a so called "golden cross" next. The Stochastic stays below the oversold zone, but it seems to be trying to rise above its 20's signal line soon. If it can do that, then with price above the bottom band, it would flash an initial buy signal.  The DMI remains negative with the ADX at 35's and has turned flat. The flatness means the prior trend has stopped, at least temporarily. 


 

There is nothing much to hint for anything remotely bullish except for the Japanese Candlestick which is long legged Doji. It is usually read as a possible bullish reversal type. Of course I would need price to close above last week's high of 1719 in order to get excited. Maybe another item to point at a possible reversal will be the D- which has reached its extremity, it is not uncommon that the market may do a technical rebound from a recent massive sell off. But it is still difficult to talk about the bull as all the indicators are still falling and stayed negative. The MACD is still falling and it is below the zero signal line and the ADX is still rising which mean the trend is intact. Price is still so "far" away from the lower band, so this is confirming the current bearish cycle is still firmly in place.

Summarily, we may expect a small technical rebound but there is absolutely nothing in the charts to tell us that the bear has gone away. In fact I firmly believe we are just at the beginning of a major bear cycle that may last for months , if not years. So if you are still holding equities, properties and Ringgit, make good use of any rebound to get out.

中国可与否赢得一场战争？

 

“一 二三四把手”都能卖官 中国官职买卖有潜规则

 中央巡视工作领导小组办公室副主任张本平近日接受访谈时透露，

巡视中发现一些地方买官卖官、带病提拔的问题时有发生。

据《京华时报》报道，一名多年从事纪检工作的基层干部告诉媒体，买官者一般为三类人：第一类为“升职型”，即副职想转为正职或往上提一级。第二类 为“平调型”，即从穷单位调到富单位，从经济欠发达地区调到发达地区。第三类为“入仕型”，即非政府等行政领域的想当官者或政府，普通工作人员想 进入领导层者。

这名干部说，卖官者一般为两类人：第一类是“一把手卖官”，主要是党政一把手，在干部人选上有决定权。

第二类是“二三四把手等卖官”，主要是分管组织工作的领导、组织部长或者能为买官者提供帮助的党政干部。

“换届选举”浑水摸鱼

陕西省一名曾经挂职基层的干部告诉记者，买官卖官的发生主要集中在两个时期。一个是“换届选举”时，即地方党委或政府换届时，干部提拔多，一些买 官者浑水摸鱼，伺机买官。

另一个是“上任离任”时，即领导干部上任后会调整领导干部，买官者自会前来投石问路。领导干部要离任时，着急处理一些遗留问题以免留下后患，卖官 者会增多。

买卖相互依存恐“劣官驱良官”

一名反腐专家说，买官者的资金来源主要分为四种，一是借钱买；二是贷款买；三是拉赞助买，即让一些 民营企业大老板帮忙掏钱买官；四是挪用公款买。

买官行为主要分为三种，一是放长线钓大鱼，隔一段时间会向领导表示，不达目的不罢休。二是雪中送炭，当领导干部家遭遇病灾，领导子女出国等， 买官者便会慷慨解囊。三是猛烈攻击，短时期投入巨资买官。

这名专家认为，“买官”之风助长了“卖官”之风。这种歪风邪气一旦形成，势必会出现“劣官驱逐良官”的现象。所以，若买官行为得不到严厉的惩处， 卖官现象必然猖獗，买卖相互依存、密不可分。

文工团淫乱 令军队腐败

军队文工团（歌舞团）原是为激励军人士气、鼓舞战斗精神而设，在战争年代中共此招确能起到一定作用，但和平年代文工团越来越变为军队淫乐大本营； 特别是经济及崇尚美色时代，文工团甚至成为军队堕落催化剂。

海军原副司令员王守业包养多名军队文工团女演员，因情妇勾心斗角，导致王要贪污数亿元摆平。

早在中共建政初期，中共高层就好文工团女兵，中央警卫局甚至下令各地为 中南海文工团“选美”，供毛泽东等跳舞作伴，所选女兵“必须面貌清秀、体态端正”。时任国防部长彭德怀从朝鲜前线回京述职，见状曾大闹中南海。

习近平上台后，盛传军队改革要大裁文艺兵，撤掉文工团。但最近消息显示当局对这些“精神战斗力”或网开一面。

中国消息透露，北京军区战友歌舞团团长、著名男高音歌唱家刘斌，近日被中央军纪委拘查。这是中共反贪狂潮中首个落马的大军区文工团长。

有消息指刘出事除涉贪外，还与生活腐化有关，与歌舞团众多美女乱搞，被指是“军中大淫虫（色情狂）”。

他还是女歌星汤灿的伯乐，一手将汤调入麾下，捧成“军中妖姬”，再将汤当“礼物”献给时 任中央军委副主席徐才厚等。

汤灿公开感谢知遇之恩

有京城网民爆料指：“十几年前就听战友文工团（即歌舞团）的人说，刘斌乱搞男女关系，认舞蹈队的女孩为义女，一大群，他老婆天天去舞蹈队长家闹。 现在终于事发。不是不报，时候未到！”

刘斌更出名的事件，是把女歌手汤灿纳入麾下培养。

1995年汤灿从武汉音乐学院毕业后，一直想从军，第一个报考的就是北京军区战友歌舞团，但被时任团长拒绝，她搭上当时开始走红的该团歌手刘斌。

2010年刘出任团长，对汤“记忆犹新”，在上级授意恩准下专门将 汤挖到麾下。

汤曾公开说：“非常感谢刘斌团长知遇之恩，他让我的演唱之路翻开新篇章。”2011年底汤灿被当局拘查后，一度传刘也“难脱关系”。

曾获江泽民赞赏

徐才厚也于今年3月因涉贪腐落马，月前已被移送军事检察院。

56岁的刘斌1984年从军，其歌喉嘹亮、有震撼力，1994年以一首《当兵的人》唱红神州，获时任军委主席江泽民接见，江握着刘的手说：“你这 首歌把我们部队的精神，把军人的气魄全唱出来了！”

这首歌后获总政治部特别奖、全军战士最喜爱军旅歌曲特别奖。

How American Cultural Imperialism is Attacking Great Mother Country

星火燎原



亲民主示威者星期四在旺角街头举高3只手指，模仿电影《饥饿游 戏》 中的起义手势。

The Chinese Economy Is Facing A $6.8 Trillion Nightmare That Could Get Worse

REUTERS/David Gray
Empty apartment buildings litter Ordos, one of the “ghost cities” that have characterised China’s wasteful investment.

The Chinese economy has wasted $6.8 trillion (£4.3 trillion) in investment during the last four years.

Six point eight trillion dollars.

That’s according to a report from China’s  National Development and Reform Commission and the Academy of Macroeconomic Research, written up here in the Financial Times. The report says that amount has been “ineffective investment”


$6.8 trillion is a difficult figure to imagine. That’s two years of output for the entire German economy. It’s more than four times as much as is invested in S&P 500 index funds. 

Even in the enormous Chinese economy, that’s practically half of the investment between 2009 and 2013, the period covered by the investigation. This is likely to have pretty grim effects on Chinese economic growth in the years ahead.

Investment of whatever variety initially shows us up in GDP figures. For example, the spending on building a bridge. Initially, the bridge construction will boost GDP simply due to the spending needed to finish it.

But after that, the economic effect of the bridge depends on a lot: where is it from? Where does it lead to? If it’s a useful investment, it could keep boosting spending by making consumers’ journey to a city less arduous, and allowing them to go to the shops more often. If it’s a bridge to nowhere, it’s not likely to have that effect, and will simply be a waste of resources without any positive growth effect in the future. 

China seems to have built the equivalent of $6.8 trillion in bridges to nowhere.

According to the FT, the authors are blaming the investment on low interest rates and other forms of government stimulus, suggesting that there’s been a sort of malinvestment. The country’s deserted ghost cities are probably the ultimate symbol of this wasted investment.

And if that’s the case, it’s not likely to be the last of it: the People’s Bank of China just slashed interest rates, and it looks like there’s probably more coming in the near future. The economy has slowed significantly in recent years: the government now targets a growth rate of 7.5%, well down from the double-digit rates seen before the crisis, and many analysts believe they will struggle to even reach that. 

That’s not all: the problem is exacerbated by graft and corruption among the country’s autocratic elite, which skims off the investment whether it’s wasteful or not. If the report’s authors are correct about the causes, don’t expect to see an improvement in the quality of China’s investment any time soon.