(v2.0)
(v2.0)
Section 2 of 3: Brief comments
Alas, this is China and its people are imbued with a dark (but humorous) cynicism about what is show to them. What can these inquiring minds discern from this photo? First of all, there is a white Haier flag in the middle -- was this photo a product-placement advertisement for that company? Secondly, the right hand of the female police officer is holding the hands of two men? But the best comment of the day goes to this one:
What do mean by civilian/police cooperation? This photo clearly shows "Jing Jing" (refers to the cartoon female police figure at Chinese websites) and "Cha Cha" (refers to the cartoon male police figure at Chinese websites) with a plainclothes policeman between them!
(Three Gorges Online) The clothing of the Italian brand Kappa can be seen at various Chinese stores, especially their line of clothing for different countries in the world. When Italy won the World Cup in 2006, the blue Italian jackets were popular. In Milan, a Chinese netizen saw and took photos of a Kappa "Free Tibet" jacket, with the Snow Lion flag in front and a Buddhist figure in the back. This item could also be found at online store. The price of the jacket is listed at 150 Euros.
(Ming Pao)
In China, the Kappa representative is China Dongxian. On May 6, China Dongxian issued a statement that emphasized that the Free Tibet jacket was designed, produced and sold by the original trademark holder Basicnet. As such, China Dongxiang was not involved in any way whatsoever. China Dongxian said that it obtained the trademark rights to the Kappa brands in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau in May 2006 and it produces and sell all its own products in China. The Free Tibet jacket has never been produced or sold in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau. China Dongxian says that it has asked Basicnet to withdraw this item from the market. As of now, the item is no longer listed at the online store. China Dongxian said in its statement: We will never do anything that damage the national interests or hurt the feelings of the people."
(SCMP) 'What's wearing a bikini got to do with Tibet or human rights?'
In the past week, newspapers and netizens have made private photographs of her public, including shots of her in a bikini, enjoying herself at bars and nightclubs, and kissing companions. Her body measurements were taken from her modelling-agency profile and circulated, and there has been commentary about her dress sense and relationships. She appeared on the cover of a popular tabloid magazine and more than 100 posts with her name were made on the Hong Kong-based popular forum Discuss.com.hk. A post with a collection of Ms Chan's private pictures had been viewed more than 23,000 times since it was uploaded on Monday. A similar search on another popular site, Hong Kong Golden, hit 140 results from April 28 to Thursday.
...
"I don't see how me wearing a bikini has anything to do with Tibet or human rights," she said. "I haven't done anything I'm ashamed of, but I just think it's regrettable that my friends have to be involved in this. Obviously, they have been asked about this by their families and friends and that type of thing."
Lui Tai-lok, a sociology professor at Chinese University, said criticism of the mainland's policies on Tibet was not new and therefore not newsworthy. "The focus is less on the issue itself, but on personalities, focusing on an individual and picking up whatever you can get from him or her," Professor Lui said. "The sad part of it is, after a week or so, who cares about any of it? But that's the media ecology these days." Professor Lui said that while Ms Chan may have wanted to capture attention by being different, it was always hard to manage what the media would be interested in or what path the publicity would take." "You cannot direct or control everything unless you are really good at manufacturing news. And you need to have someone who represents David and Victoria Beckham to do that," he said. "Nowadays, with the internet, it's easy to dig up information. Pictures of you in a nightclub with guys you are not supposed to hang around with are available."
A senior media observer said Ms Chan represented a fresh new angle "who got results" with her protests using the Tibetan flag. "That means a lot for the media," she said. "She's become a cover story. She has all the elements of novelty, that's why she has all the attention. "In the coverage, there is 1 per cent about her campaign, and the rest is about her. But for anyone who wants to sustain this type of exposure, she has to have a very strong campaign, but we don't know her platform or what she is advocating."
The tabloid magazine mentioned is EastWeek:
Since EastWeek appears on newsstands on Tuesday, Next Weekly could not have Christina Chan on the front page on Wednesday. But there was still a story with some photos that drew netizen comments:
MTR message: "Eating and drinking is not allowed on the platform or train."
(入閘後及車箱內嚴禁飲食)
See discusion of Christina Chan's panties at Hong Kong GoldenMissing is any discussion of Tibet independence, which the so-called "Tibet Independence Girl" does not even advocate.
(New York Daily News) CNN sued for Cafferty's comments. By Thomas Zambito. April 25, 2008.
Two women upset with anti-Chinese comments CNN anchor Jack Cafferty made on the air filed a $1.3 billion defamation lawsuit in Manhattan Thursday, seeking $1 for every Chinese national they say was offended. Retired Beijing elementary school teacher Li Lan Li and Flushing beautician Lydia Leung say Cafferty's comments disgraced Chinese worldwide on the eve of the Summer Olympic Games, a historic moment in the country's 5,000-year history. The lawsuit cites two offending comments Cafferty made on April 9. "They're basically the same bunch of goons and thugs they've been for the last 50 years," Cafferty said, according to the lawsuit. He also referred to Chinese imports as "junk with the lead paint on them and the poisoned pet food."
(Duowei) According to the 'human flesh search engines,' here is the information uncovered by Chinese netizens about the case.
From the Department of Justice dockets,
Li et al v. Cable News Network et al
Plaintiffs: Li Lan Li and Lydia Leung
Defandants: Cable News Network and Jack Cafferty
Case Number: :2008cv03867
Filed: April 24, 2008
Court: New York Southern District Court
Office: Foley Square Office
County: New York
Presiding Judge: Judge Denny Chin
Nature of Suit: Torts - Injury - Assault, Libel, and Slander
Cause: 28:1332 Diversity-Personal Injury
Jurisdiction: Diversity
Jury Demanded by: Plaintiff
Amount Demanded: $9,999,000.00Thus, the amount is not USD 1.3 billion as announced to the press.
From the corporate name database Manta, the law firm "Ming Hai" has this information:
Law Office Of Ming Hai Pc
3609 Main St Ste 7b, Flushing, NY 11354-6504, United States
Phone: (718) 445-9111
SIC:Legal Services
Line of Business:Legal Services Office
Year Started:N/A
State of Incorporation:N/A
URL:N/A
Location Type: Single Location
Stock Symbol:N/A
Stock Exchange:N/A
Also Does Business As:N/A
NAICS:N/A
SIC #Code:
Est. Annual Sales:
Est. Employees:2
Est. Employees at Location:2
Contact Name:Ming Hai
Contact Title:OwnerThus, this is a small firm with two employees (lawyer and secretary?) at a single location.
(Duowei) The following letter was purported sent by David C. Vigilante (Vice President - Legal, CNN) to Ming Hai.
Mr. Ming Hai
Law Office of Ming Hai, PC
36-09 Main Street Suite 7B
Flushing, NY 11354Re: Li vs. CNN
As you may know, Jack Cafferty recently gave an interview to Bill Press, a nationally syndicated political commentator in the United States. During that interview he was asked about his recent remarks that have been controversy in China and the United States. Mr. Cafferty responded: Änd the one thing that I regret was that some Chinese citizens in China and Chinese-Americans in this country felt like maybe I was insulting them. And that was never my intention. And I am sorry for that ...
I hope this clarifies matters for you.
Sincerely,
David C. Vigilante.(World Journal) CNN Apologizes Under Lawsuit. May 9, 2008.
Acting under a lawsuit filed by Chinese and Chinese American citizens, CNN issued an apology Wednesday for their employee Jack Caffery’s insulting comment about Chinese people, reported the World Journal. The plaintiff's attorney said he considers the words “regret” and “sorry” in the statement from CNN’s Vice President David Vigilante an apology. The plaintiffs said the statement is almost the same as one issued by CNN April 15 – with little sincerity. They are deciding on next steps. CNN’s public relations person Nigel Pritchard said there would be no other response from the network.
(Ta Kung Pao) May 10, 2008.
At just after 3pm on May 9, the Ming Hai law firm faxed the media to announce that the lawsuit against CNN has been withdrawn. The fax said: "Our law firm apologizes to all those who have supported this case ... Finally, please understand that it is not enough for one lawyer and one retired person to win respect for the Chinese. We want everybody to continue to work hard as Sun Yat-sen once said: 'The revolution has not yet succeeded, so the comrades must continue to work hard.
Our reporter called Ming Hai and asked, "You said before that you will withdraw the case only after you receive an apology from CNN that the Chinese around the world is satisfied with. Does this mean that the Chinese are satisfied."
Ming Hai did not offer more explanation. He said, "People have different standards of being satisfied. I have recently been subjected some pressure. Many business clients have come to me to handle their cases, and I have to take care of them. The public opinion support on the other side of the world, but I have to consider the situation in New York because my business is mainly here. I believe that to get the status and respect for the Chinese people, the Chinese all over the world must work continuously to enhance the power of China, elevate the quality of the citizens and maintain the internal unity of the Chinese. There should not be too much hope for this case. This problem cannot be solved by one lawsuit, and it cannot be solved by one lawyer."
The best known comparison is with "being disappeared." (Wikipedia)
In the case of forced disappearance the word disappear, which is properly an intransitive verb, becomes transitive. Victims, who are those who have disappeared, or the disappeared, are said to have been disappeared, rather than the more usual have disappeared. The perpetrators have disappeared them, rather than made them disappear. Of course in these circumstances both the formal expressions "was made to disappear" or "was caused to disappear" and the informal transitive usage are euphemisms: these people have presumably been tortured and murdered; they have indeed disappeared, but forever. ... Both the English noun phrase the disappeared and the Spanish los desaparecidos are often understood nowadays to refer to victims of state terror.
(Daqi)
In China, a currently popular phrase is "being suicided." It originally appeared in Tianya Forum post titled: "The Latest Development In The Case Of Tan Jing: Four Korans expose the shocking truth about the case of Tan Jing falling to her death." It has been adopted by netizens for other cases, such as the "whistleblower in the 'White House' government scandal of Fuyang (Anhui) being suicided."
The term "being suicided" refers to cases in which people die of unknown causes but the experts determined these to be suicides. The usage changes the use from the intransitive case to transitive. Instead of saying "So-and-so committed suicide according to the medical examiner," the description is "So-and-so was suicided." Just like 'being disappeared,' 'being suicided' is a compact and evocative term that is destined to be a popular Internet term.
Previous brief comments, see Brief Comments Archive
Section 3 of 3: Blog posts
(May 9, 2008) The Olympic Torch Relay Inside China The crowds were enthusiastic as shown in these photos, which also exposed the poor civic quality of some Chinese citizens.
(May 7, 2008) The Duke University Witchhunt Scott Savitt publishes an opinion piece in the Duke University Chronicle about the matter of Chinese student Grace Wang, and promptly gets tripped up in a minor detail over who picked up Grace Wang when she first arrived.
(May 1, 2008) Huangfu Ping On Tibet The 9,000 plus word essay by Huangfu Ping is translated here in full. This essay is 'hot' at this time.
(April 30, 2008) How The Western Media And The Tibetan Elite Hijacked The Tibet Issue A Chinese blogger reacts to the New York Times article about Chinese students in the United States.
(April 28, 2008) Crisis Management At Carrefour Translation of a China Business report on the thirteen days of public relations crisis management at Carrefour.
(April 26, 2008) Carrefour in Hefei: A Photo Play Photos of the demonstration outside the Carrefour store in Hefei city (Anhui province) on April 19, 2008.
(April 25, 2008) Why Is CNN Patriotic? Chinese blogger Yang Hengjun analyzes the background, history and strategies over Jack Cafferty's gaffe at CNN about the Chinese 'goons and thugs.'
(April 24, 2008) Unexpected 'Readers' of Free Newspapers in Hong Kong Free market in operation: In Hong Kong, senior citizens earn extra money by picking up the free newspapers and selling them for recycling.
(April 23, 2008) Grace Wang's Essay in Washington Post A Chinese blogger gives a detailed reading of the essay by Duke University student Grace Wang published in the Washington Post.
(April 15, 2008) Kitty Shelley versus France Translation of a Southern Metropolis Daily story on the brewing boycott of Carrefour.
(April 10, 2008) The Olympic Torch Tour As Public Relations Disaster A public relations disaster for whom? Read the story about Olympic torch bearer Jin Jing in Paris.
(April 8, 2008) Interview with Frank Sieren Translation of an interview of German writer/film producer Frank Sieren by Freitag magazine. The title of the interview is "The West has ceased to impress China a long time ago."
(April 7, 2008) The Bilingual Eileen Chang, Part 1: A Return To The Frontier This is the story about the publication of the newly discovered Eileen Chang travelogue about her visit to Taiwan and Hong Kong in 1961. Previously, this was published in English but now an expanded Chinese version has just been published.
(April 6, 2008) How To Find The Truth About Lhasa? An opinion column about Tibet in Southern Metropolis Daily drew condemnations from nationalistic populists about high treason.
(April 5, 2008) The Enemy of My Enemy A Chinese blogger declines to equate the Tibet uprising with the struggle for freedom and democracy.
(April 4, 2008) Even Jogging Is A Crime Post-March 14 Western media reported more disturbances in Lhasa, but there is the local report by a Han blogger.
(April 3, 2008) Encounters With A German A Chinese overseas student reports on an encounter with a German co-worker.
(March 30, 2008) A Photograph From Lhasa, March 14 Was the rioter wielding a knife in a famous iconic photograph actually a Chinese policeman playing a role for the camera?
(March 26, 2008) Chinese Netizens versus Western Media The Chinese netizens rise up against the western media for their coverage of the events in Tibet through a slideshow on YouTube. What do I think?
(March 23, 2008) How Can I Forget Lhasa, March 14? A Han woman from Shenzhen working at a Lhasa eyeglass store blogs about her experiences on March 14.
(March 22, 2008) Most Wanted In Tibet The Lhasa public security bureau issued photos of the most wanted criminal suspects taken from surveillance videos. Should websites publish those photos and should civilian photographers publish their photos?
(March 22, 2008) Phoenix TV Reporter In Lhasa Phoenix TV reporter Chen Lin was dispatched to Lhasa after the March 14 disturbance and she blogged about what she saw and heard.
(March 21, 2008) Give Us A Politician Translation of an article by Lung Ying-tai about the kind of president that the Taiwan people want.
(March 21, 2008) Right Time, Right Place, Wrong Reporter? This page collects the works by The Economist's James Miles. For ten days, Miles was the king of the journalists by being the lone foreign reporter in Lhasa during the disturbances. This page also contains an analysis of a Miles report by a Chinese blogger.
(March 20, 2008) Confessions of Veteran Photojournalists Veteran Chinese photographs dig out their archives and explained on their personal blogs how they had directed and altered their previous works.
(March 15, 2008) March 14, 2008, Lhasa Translation of the observations of a Han Chinese blogger during the March 14, 2008 disturbances in Lhasa, Tibet.
(March 14, 2008) Banning Exit Polls in Hong Kong The democrats are calling for exit polls to be banned because the process favors those political parties laden with money and manpwoer.
(March 13, 2008) Fear of Red China Translation of an essay by Hong Kong politico-cultural critic Leung Man-tao on relationships between Hong Kong and mainland China.
(March 11, 2008) In Search of Eyewitnesses for CZ6901 Incident A Southern Weekend reporter used his own blog to locate an eyewitness to an airborne terrorist attempt for a story that was never published.
Many, many more previous blog posts in the Blog Post Archive ...
