Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: The sphere of influence

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  • BenWilson, in reply to Chris Waugh,

    Government jobs are much more stable and have better welfare.

    Heh. It's an interesting take that the inhuman algorithm was the guy with the best job and perks. Social commentary right there. When the Rage Against the Machine came up at the end, did the Chinese credits accidentally list them as Sympathy For The Machine?

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10657 posts Report Reply

  • BenWilson, in reply to Sacha,

    blue pills, red pills; they’re all about to be illegal again..

    Yes, Kansas already went bye byes.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10657 posts Report Reply

  • Chris Waugh, in reply to Russell Brown,

    Well, well, well.

    Press release from Grant Robertson:

    Wow, wow, wow, this story just keeps on going like an energizer bunny trainwreck. My big questions are: Are we ever going to find out the name of this mysterious Chinese official? And if so, how is this going to hit the Chinese press? (and yes, I am looking, but haven't seen much so far....)

    Wellington • Since Jan 2007 • 2401 posts Report Reply

  • Chris Waugh, in reply to BenWilson,

    Social commentary right there.

    Ah, yes, but all applicable to a different time and place, of course, just like 1984, a perfectly legal Chinese translation of which I could pick up for you at the campus newsagent.

    Wellington • Since Jan 2007 • 2401 posts Report Reply

  • Matthew Poole, in reply to Chris Waugh,

    Are we ever going to find out the name of this mysterious Chinese official? And if so, how is this going to hit the Chinese press?

    You reckon the "food safety" angle might be enough to get over the "A corrupt border official? *yawn*" factor?

    Auckland • Since Mar 2007 • 4097 posts Report Reply

  • nzlemming, in reply to Matthew Poole,

    In the same way that Grant Robertson following the correct course of action and asking the Minister of Police about his police-officer-cum-Olympic-athlete child’s options for getting additional leave was unrelated. But nice job by the media in trying to baffle us with the false equivalence.

    Coff, Ross Robertson, unless Grant's been hiding some new skills...

    Waikanae • Since Nov 2006 • 2937 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha, in reply to Chris Waugh,

    Are we ever going to find out the name of this mysterious Chinese official?

    I'd say the Chinese govt knew a very long time ago.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Chris Waugh, in reply to Matthew Poole,

    You reckon the “food safety” angle might be enough to get over the “A corrupt border official? *yawn*” factor?

    Dunno.

    1: Yes, food safety, and foreigners are easy targets, and Oravida could easily be portrayed as a 假洋牌 (fake foreign brand) because it's owned by Chinese people and only sells in China and so isn't really an NZ brand (and yes, that is all highly problematic, but others have been tarred with that brush for those reasons).

    2: Just another corrupt official, but this administration is going after them with a vengeance, and it's extra juicy with foreigners and food safety involved. There's been lots more "so-and-so under double regulations/assisting the procurator/CDIC with their inquiries/arrested for corruption" stories in the media this year.

    So I kinda hope it does break here, it'll be fascinating to see how it's played.

    Wellington • Since Jan 2007 • 2401 posts Report Reply

  • Chris Waugh, in reply to Sacha,

    I’d say the Chinese govt knew a very long time ago.

    Trouble being the Chinese govt is very large and complex and made more large and complex by having twin govt and Party systems working side by side, so figuring out precisely who in which offices where knew what is a job I'll gladly leave to somebody else, hoping they have the time (and luck) to write it up and put it in the newspaper.

    Wellington • Since Jan 2007 • 2401 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia, in reply to "chris",

    Incidentally, and this is a pet gripe, I’m a little tired of Chinese giving me these phoney names on the pretext that I wouldn’t be able to pronounce their Chinese name

    Well, bully for you Chris. Perhaps you’d like to check that white privilege a notch or two, and consider those Anglicized names can be a more pleasant alternative than having your name offensively mispronounced on a daily basis.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Matthew Poole, in reply to nzlemming,

    Coff, Ross Robertson

    meh. Labour, Robertson, MP. Close enough :D

    Auckland • Since Mar 2007 • 4097 posts Report Reply

  • "chris", in reply to Craig Ranapia,

    Firstly Craig, what a mean spirited and somewhat misguided response.

    On a personal level, my privilege would be having lived in China for a decade and being quite capable of pronouncing the limited array of names in use and still constantly encountering people introducing themselves to me using fake names specifically because of the tone of my skin or the size of my nose, that is in between complete strangers calling out “foreigner” or what have you every time I step outside.
    If someone mispronounces my name, I’m not offended, they made an effort, I’ll correct if need be. People rarely tend to be offended by genuine mistakes, even you.

    It’s cases such as Paul Henry's mocking of Sheila Dikshit that are likely to cause offence.

    Your privilege Craig is being part of this western group, whom the Chinese education system and socialisation have portrayed as too vocally retarded to pronounce their names correctly. You seem ramped to confirm that, and going from what you’ve written above, rather than gaining more exposure to these sounds in order to assimilate and allow for greater integration in this globalized world, you’d prefer to perpetuate your *white privilege*, insinuating that mispronunciation is inevitable. Given you work in the media, that’s troubling.

    Answer me this Craig, who’s the mayor of Gisborne?

    location, location, locat… • Since Dec 2010 • 250 posts Report Reply

  • Chris Waugh,

    So poor Judith is the victim in all this:

    "It is actually a forum where people can be very abusive towards me and I'm just not doing it."

    Of course, none of the stress she is under has anything to do with her corrupt behaviour or dishonesty....

    Wellington • Since Jan 2007 • 2401 posts Report Reply

  • Chris Waugh,

    I hope this never becomes relevant in a NZ context, but it is amusing how they left it untranslated.

    Wellington • Since Jan 2007 • 2401 posts Report Reply

  • Sofie Bribiesca,

    This timeline from Mackasy shows just how Chinese change their names, whether it be the Company that was looking to buy and bought Crafar farms or Company donating to National or Company exporting Milk, Honey, Kauri, and Scampi, they all tie back to the same guy. Deyi, (Stone?), Shi and Oravida.

    Oh I see Deep Red showed this earlier. Still, I think Mackasy is onto something here.

    here and there. • Since Nov 2007 • 6796 posts Report Reply

  • "chris", in reply to Sofie Bribiesca,

    Which confuses me, following Russell’s link

    She’s attached to Wilson McKay, where she specialises in “asset protection planning and taxation trusts and wills”.

    I think I satisfied myself that the Julia Xu at Wilson McKay was for some reason named Julia (Zhu) Xu, perhaps I got confused with an actor, I deleted my history and come seem to find the page. Certainly it would seem that the Julia Xu at Wilson McKay:

    holds a Master of Common Law degree in Australia, was admitted to the bar in 2008 in New Zealand and has worked specialising in asset protection planning and taxation trusts and wills.

    But your link Sofia refers to a Julia Jiyan Xu, who:

    holds an undergraduate degree in biology and an MBA from Cornell University.

    and who on

    June 24, 2011, ReneSola Ltd today announced that its chief financial officer, Ms. Julia Xu, will resign from the Company to pursue other career interests.

    So we may have mixed up our Julia Xus

    location, location, locat… • Since Dec 2010 • 250 posts Report Reply

  • Johnny Canuck,

    This saga is becoming a major failure in media management by Key Inc. It's a bad news story that dominated the headlines for several weeks, briefly subsided, and is now reappearing for a second and still more troubling airing. It's reminiscent of the way the media narratives turned against the Clark government circa 2007, and the headlines and commentaries became "all bad news all the time". It remains to be seen whether Te Herald will go on one of its overwrought moral campaigns over this though.

    Vancouver BC • Since Feb 2013 • 25 posts Report Reply

  • Matthew Poole, in reply to Johnny Canuck,

    It remains to be seen whether Te Herald will go on one of its overwrought moral campaigns over this though.

    Having delved into the sewer that is "Your Views" (we do it so you don't have to), I was pleasantly surprised at how most of the comments were heavily skewed against National. Normally it's a National Party love-fest-in-an-echo-chamber, but there was a lot of naked vitriol going on.
    The worm appears to be turning, at least on the ground, so I'm just waiting for the polls to catch up. If they ever do, of course.

    Auckland • Since Mar 2007 • 4097 posts Report Reply

  • Bart Janssen, in reply to Craig Ranapia,

    Incidentally, and this is a pet gripe, I’m a little tired of Chinese giving me these phoney names on the pretext that I wouldn’t be able to pronounce their Chinese name

    Well, bully for you Chris. Perhaps you’d like to check that white privilege a notch or two, and consider those Anglicized names can be a more pleasant alternative than having your name offensively mispronounced on a daily basis.

    Same. My Chinese colleague at work chooses to use Luke because he is understandably unkeen to hear us butcher the name his parents gave him. We've tried and we can get reasonably close but in the end it's his choice (we've asked) to hear us say Luke correctly rather than his given name incorrectly. We have other Chinese colleagues who choose to use their given names and we do our best to get them right, as they do with our names.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report Reply

  • Sofie Bribiesca, in reply to "chris",

    So we may have mixed up our Julia Xus

    Yes, there is more than one. Considering the one who works for Oravida did work for Bankers Trust and Lehman Brothers, I'd put my money on this one ( the plot thickens :)

    here and there. • Since Nov 2007 • 6796 posts Report Reply

  • Kumara Republic, in reply to Chris Waugh,

    So poor Judith is the victim in all this:

    “It is actually a forum where people can be very abusive towards me and I’m just not doing it.”

    Of course, none of the stress she is under has anything to do with her corrupt behaviour or dishonesty….

    And to think not all that long ago she was the one scaring people on Twitter. Now that the Twitterverse is turning against her, I wonder if she’ll start calling for it to be Mubarak-ed?

    The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report Reply

  • "chris", in reply to Bart Janssen,

    he is understandably unkeen to hear us butcher the name his parents gave him.

    It’s an interesting one Bart, I wonder how he feels about native speakers of other official Chinese languages and dialects butchering the name his parents gave him and whether he requires ‘Luke’ from them too or if it’s just your *white priviledge* ;).

    location, location, locat… • Since Dec 2010 • 250 posts Report Reply

  • bob daktari, in reply to Matthew Poole,

    Your should read them more often... its been at least 18 months since national supporters were even close to the dominant voice on herald comments - either the moderation or whatever they employ with the comments have made the herald at least worth a skim, often better expressed and formed opinions presented than those the paper pays for - generally I can't say the same for Stuff, especially stuff nation

    A teacher once told me the only honest and real part of a paper were the letters to the editor... which in today would include comments on articles (or forums)

    auckland • Since Dec 2006 • 540 posts Report Reply

  • Tom Semmens,

    just... Astonishing.

    Sevilla, Espana • Since Nov 2006 • 2217 posts Report Reply

  • Andrew C, in reply to Russell Brown,

    “Oravida’s fresh milk supplier Green Valley Dairies also supplies the same two litre bottles to Guangzhou Ruima Food Limited, simply with a different label.

    “However, Guangzhou Ruima Food’s fresh milk shipment in December was rejected by China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ).

    This doesn’t seem to be correct, at least not according to the GM of Green Valley Dairies anyway:

    Meanwhile, Corrie Den Haring, general manager of Green Valley Dairies which supplies milk to both Oravida and Ruimi, said Mr Robertson's initial attack about Oravida receiving preferential treatment from Chinese authorities was wide of the mark.

    "It is not the same two-litre bottles simply with a different label," he told National Radio. Ruimi's milk was a flavoured or extra-calcium product which required extra testing at the border. Delays meant the milk was too old for sale and was destroyed.

    EDIT: put quote in to save having to click through

    Auckland • Since May 2008 • 169 posts Report Reply

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