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EPISODE · Mar 12, 2024 · 3 MIN

PROFUMO

from Poetry · host Steven Richardson

In the swinging sixties a sexpionage spy scandal took place called the Profumo Affaire unfortunately two of its players were amateurs and didn't know what the rules of their spy games were ; one was sacrificed as a scapegoat and the other Christine Keeler lived life under a long dark cloud until she died and all because they were enlisted by MI5 into taking part in a Russian honey trap for Queen and country which went dramatically wrong ; Dr Steven Ward a brilliant osteopath and gifted portrait artist was demonised and double crossed to the point where he took his own life with an overdose of sleeping tablets the poison chalice , Baron Profumo who was the cause of it all retired in disgrace cleaning toilets and working for a charity where he was eventually awarded an OBE to pin next to the MBE and bronze star that he'd won as a military hero in the war . A wax statue still stands of Steven Ward in the house of horrors at Madame Tussauds a terribly cruel homage to say he was only doing what the British secret service ask or doubtless ordered him to do . The scandal also brought an Iron Curtain crashing down on the conservative government of Harold Macmillan .

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Mar 12, 2024

In the swinging sixties a sexpionage spy scandal took place called the Profumo Affaire unfortunately two of its players were amateurs and didn't know what the rules of their spy games were ; one was sacrificed as a scapegoat and the other Christine Keeler lived life under a long dark cloud until she died and all because they were enlisted by MI5 into taking part in a Russian honey trap for Queen and country which went dramatically wrong ; Dr Steven Ward a brilliant osteopath and gifted portrait artist was demonised and double crossed to the point where he took his own life with an overdose of sleeping tablets the poison chalice , Baron Profumo who was the cause of it all retired in disgrace cleaning toilets and working for a charity where he was eventually awarded an OBE to pin next to the MBE and bronze star that he'd won as a military hero in the war . A wax statue still stands of Steven Ward in the house of horrors at Madame Tussauds a terribly cruel homage to say he was only doing what the British secret service ask or doubtless ordered him to do . The scandal also brought an Iron Curtain crashing down on the conservative government of Harold Macmillan .

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Song Against Songs, The by G. K. Chesterton (1874 - 1936) LibriVox LibriVox volunteers bring you 9 recordings of The Song Against Songs by G. K. Chesterton. This was the Fortnightly Poetry project for October 16, 2011.Chesterton was a large man, standing 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) and weighing around 21 stone (130 kg; 290 lb). His girth gave rise to a famous anecdote. During World War I a lady in London asked why he was not 'out at the Front'; he replied, 'If you go round to the side, you will see that I am.' On another occasion he remarked to his friend George Bernard Shaw: "To look at you, anyone would think a famine had struck England". Shaw retorted, "To look at you, anyone would think you have caused it". P. G. Wodehouse once described a very loud crash as "a sound like Chesterton falling onto a sheet of tin."( Summary from Wikipedia ) The History of China Podcast Ibnul Jaif Farabi / Light Knot Studios What does the world's oldest continuous civilization, with over 3,000 years of recorded history, have to teach us about power, philosophy, innovation, and human nature? "The History of China Podcast" delivers the epic saga of China in accessible, daily chapters, transforming a vast and complex past into a compelling narrative you can absorb in just minutes a day.This show chronicles the full sweep of China's story, from the mythical Xia Dynasty to the rise of the modern superpower. We explore the dazzling heights of Tang poetry and Song technology, the brutal calculus of Legalist statecraft, and the quiet wisdom of Daoist sages. Each episode focuses on a pivotal event, a transformative figure, or a defining idea—whether it's the construction of the Great Wall, the mind of Empress Wu, or the invention of paper money—weaving them into the grand tapestry of the dynastic cycle. The tone is authoritative yet vividly human, making emperors, poets, and peasants alike feel immediate and real. Meter meterdaydreamingnetwork Capturing the Moments! With poets from around the world, take this moment for yourself to explore your mind with the endless power of poetry. To find the endless possibilities of this world. Crann na beatha Stories and Poetry T. O'Domhnaill A weekly podcast where I read fictional stories and poetry I gather from Medium.com and Substack.com writers from around the world. I add in sound effects, a little Gaelic and Irish music to make it feel more like an Irish seanchai telling stories under the village oak tree. This show is now available to listen to at 11 pm Monday nights on Wreaths Across America Radio at www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/radio, which itself available in these podcast apps. iHeart Radio, Audacy and TuneIn. Tune in to help support veterans and veterans organizations.

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In the swinging sixties a sexpionage spy scandal took place called the Profumo Affaire unfortunately two of its players were amateurs and didn't know what the rules of their spy games were ; one was sacrificed as a scapegoat and the other Christine...

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