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"Rapprochement" - U.S. and P.R.C.

The admission of the Chinese President a few days ago that human rights in P.R.C. need to be more closely looked at is a sign of hope that “capitalism with Chinese characteristics” has an official aim, at least in part in its attempts at attaining primacy in world society, of giving lip service to such issues and their importance within the P.R.C. and its international position as well.  The intent of the statement on human rights by Chinese officials to pay more attention to human rights might just be to assuage the egos of western officials who see many faults in the Chinese regime, as well as its competitive successes as facilitated by opprobrium of anyone within its territory espousing western ideas and political doctrines, or other “counter – revolutionary” principles.  It is entirely possible an additional legacy of Mao has been to keep the country on a commercial footing with military discipline and military sanctions that the great helmsman believed would realize the dreams of many Chinese cadres to demand and command more respect in the world and at home.  The Asiatic approach to capitalism that calls for many constraints on the lives of workers and industrial managers, and this without necessarily rewarding everyone for their work as they would be rewarded in the West, is a matter that remains to be resolved, in its justification and implementation within China itself.  Coolie and other types of labor have always been relatively cheap in P.R.C. and previously in imperial China, and this has long been perceived as perilous to western business, and even more so now that Chinese goods are produced at a discount to production in alternative areas and apparently with the same quality as they might be, for example, in U.K., or even other Asian countries. 

The human rights issue has in all appearances found linkage with commercial and business issues, as Chinese officials mentioned human rights in a dialogue with U.S. officials, including the U.S. President, connected to trade and technology issues, that without a doubt included renewed discussion of intellectual property.  Unrelated to the human rights discussion as viewed by the press, was probably some discussion around abating software piracy in China where most of the software from western countries, including that of large and important software developers, is illegally copied.  The tone of the human rights announcement also makes obvious the compromises P.R.C. has made in furthering its economic interests and the necessarily public “sturm und drang” of Chinese international relations with the West and the compromises it has for both East and West.  It becomes clear that P.R.C., as it produces many discounted goods sold in other countries throughout the world, in fact as the largest Asian economic “Tiger,” does have the perception still that its exports have not made as many consumers as dependent upon Chinese goods as it would wish.  The Great Helmsman would view this as unfortunate as discounted Chinese products truly have saturated international markets, and P.R.C. is a large emitter of carbon and hydrocarbon gases along with its industrial might for consumer goods production.  The statement about human rights as linked to commercial talks with the U.S. might be an indirect admission the aim of the P.R.C. to get a grip on the western consumer has not worked so well, and that some giving – in has to take place in order to prime up additional demand for Chinese goods – one of the apparent promises of the P.R.C. – form of capitalism.  

THS

another book review ... (2009)

CALL ME TED, BY TED TURNER.

This very eventful text, which is couched in ordinary language, is a classic portrait of a hands – on business person who came of age during the 1980’s, and who apparently eschewed the grandstanding of some of his colleagues and only lately did publish his remarkable story:  Born in Ohio to very enterprising parents, probably as people needed to be at the time, Ted Turner attended school in Tennessee and served in the Coast Guard.  He took over his Dad’s billboard advertising business in his 20’s after a bitter business battle with a then corporate raider.  He worked diligently in the billboards business and built it up to where he was bidding and bargaining for radio stations, classically dependent upon the advertising business, and then to television stations; all this just bit by bit, staring in the early 1960’s.  The distinguishing point of his crowning achievement, CNN, was he was already quite well – to – do in the television broadcasting business when cable television came around and he had decided to wager upon it.  The risks with CNN were quite serious and when one thinks of such a network as it was or is, one thinks of glitzy steel – and – glass high – rise structures in a concrete jungle, but the founding building was in a brickwork structure in Atlanta, Georgia.  

CNN went through various iterations depending upon the trends in the media – from Cable News Network, to CCN2, to others including ESPN and its related programming.  Unlike some of the staid productions from Hollywood and what appears to be the established image of network television, the CNN networks had a wild ride from the beginning.  Despite that many television viewers still preferred the networks when cable came along, CNN and Turner Broadcasting offered and delivered extremely entertaining programming and informative news and with a pay – per – view accent on everything, practically from the beginning.  Mr. Turner was also responsible for many pay – view athletic contests and their quality broadcasts and the creation and materialising of HBO, as well as popularizing satellite T.V.  He was sued several times by hickety – pickety television personalities and production companies who felt he was treading on their network television territories, including major networks.  He made a serious and era – changing bid to purchase CBS, and at the time continued to add to his already exhaustible corporate film and video production libraries.  Unmistakably, the apogee of CNN in the old television format without integration of the internet for the public was the coverage of the first Gulf War:  Policy – makers and commentators alike, when asked about the progress of the war as prosecuted, simply referred everyone to the CNN coverage of the conflict.  Now television is almost completely internet savvy and centers around the world wide web with integrated satellite know - how.

Turner was / is also an avid sailboat helmsman, and continued his sailing hobby throughout his career; participating in and winning major sailing races.  He also, and through the eyeglass (hourglass) of success, has become a generous philanthropist and funded many United Nations programs.  He has five children. 

What is so distinguishing about the text is the biographer (about himself) does not attempt to appear flawless, nor does he attempt as many have in their own way at righteous indignation at the vicissitudes of life.  The humanness and dignity with which he treated people during his rise to become a household term are remarkable, too, and remarkable as well is his technical comprehension of the business of advertising and working stellarly in the media business where new technologies have been de jure for some time.