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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Passing Through Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Apr 2018 at 5:23pm
Aren't cattle slaughtered in similar fashion here Isaac? Electrically prodded into a crush, restrained, a bolt to the head then throat slit?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Isaac soloman Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Apr 2018 at 5:24pm
you gotta say the chinese are differentThumbs Down

Live Fresh Donkey

Not so popular in all China is to eat Huo Jiao Lu (活叫驴), Live Fresh Donkey. The animal has its legs tied and its body held down, while the chef cuts its body and serves the meat immediately to costumers. Some media reported that alive raw donkey meat could be sold from peddlers in Henan and Hubei even if Chinese government banned it.

Live Fresh DonkeyLive Fresh DonkeyLive Fresh Donkey


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Carioca Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Apr 2018 at 5:29pm
Nothing to do withe meat, rendering the hide gives of something they are more interested in , you may find it Isaac .
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Isaac soloman Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Apr 2018 at 5:32pm
In Nigeria, particularly the Northern region, donkeys are used as beasts of burden, used to transport goods from one place to another. Farmers also find them useful, as their temperament is non-threatening. However, there are parts of the country, particularly the East, where it is slaughtered for consumption. Some nomadic herdsmen also breed them, as they help with moving children and luggage across distances. Even in view of the various uses of the donkey in Nigeria, it was intriguing to discover that Chinese merchants have a lot of interest in it, which is tied directly to the movement en masse of the animal from the Northern part of Nigeria, to others. 
Donkeys are not bred in large number by any major farm or organization anywhere in Nigeria, so their population are dwindling, and fast. Some experts who spoke to Daily Trust even used declared them “endangered”. One of them, Dr. Vincent Isegbe, Coordinating Director of the Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS) said a group of  foreigners approached him for a quarantine certificate, to export donkey skin from Nigeria to China, but he declined because, according to him, the animal is on the list of endangered species and not allowed for export.
Dr. Isegbe expressed concern that a lot of illegal trade is said to be going on, which is responsible for the declining population of the animal, as it is also not being bred to check the trend.
Mr. Ling Xao, a Chinese national working in the construction sector, told Daily Trust in Lafia that  donkey by-products, particularly the skin, are hot cake in China, commanding sizeable price tags. He added that it is because it is a staple in Chinese traditional medicine, particularly in anti-ageing solutions popular with women. While Xao says he has never taken the skin out of Nigeria, he confirmed that he would if given the opportunity, as it would fetch him a lot of money.
Emeka Emmanuel is a well-known buyer of donkeys at Maigatari International Cattle Market in Jigawa State and has been into the business for over 20 years now. He told Daily Trust that sometimes he buys over a million naira’s worth of donkeys from the market for onward transport to the South. “I’m into the business not only for meeting demand for the meat in the South-East where it is a delicacy for some, but for transporting the skin abroad, too. It is in high demand in China, and I’m making a killing,” he said, adding that after the meat is removed, the skin is processed and readied for export.
Saminu Haladu is a middle-man in the donkey section of the Maigatari International Cattle Market and revealed that over 5,000 donkeys are transported to South-Eastern states from the market every week. He said about 20 trailers loaded with donkeys are leaving the market to the South weekly, largely to Anambra, Enugu and Bayelsa states. He said: “We’ve heard that the skin is taken to China because of the high demand over there. But here, they highest they can buy a donkey is N35,000 or N40,000. If it is sick, then about N10,000 to N15,000.”
Haladu also said the demand for donkey’s hides in China was very high in 2015, particularly. “We learnt that the Chinese people buy the hide at the equivalent of N12,000 apiece, which has made the price of the animal rise. According to him, insurgency and exchange rate are grossly affecting the supply of donkeys to the market from neighbouring Niger Republic, which is the merchants’ major source of donkeys.
In Kano State, at Larabar Abasawa Market in Gezawa local government area, another middle-man in the donkey section, Mai-Unguwa Musa Minjibir, said clients from the South  have stopped coming to buy donkeys, because they are not getting the quantity they want. He added that in the South, the skin is treated irrespective of the size, age or health of the animal, and taken to China, where “they are crazy for it”.
A Chinese diplomatic official confirmed that donkey skin is used for medicine in China, but the embassy seems unaware of how far their nationals have penetrated trade on the commodity in Nigeria. 
An embassy official who asked not to be named told Daily Trust: “Donkey skin is a material for a type of Chinese medicine.” The official declined further comment when questioned on the impact of its patronage on trade between the two countries, or if bilateral efforts are on to facilitate easy access in view of the growing demand.
Apart from the skin, donkey milk was used up to the early 20th century as substitute for cow milk in some cultures around the world. According to Viva Woman, a Singapore-based beauty blog with focus on natural skincare, donkey milk “can promote blood circulation and increase the reproduction of cells; its beautifying effect is also much sought after by women. It is reported to have great anti-aging effects, including increasing elasticity of the skin, improving skin tone, preventing wrinkles and even eradicating pigmented spots.”
Clinical studies reported by Nova Science Publishers, New York, also demonstrated that donkey milk could substitute breast feeding in infants because it is the closest milk to human milk in biochemical composition. 
China Daily website reports that donkey skin is made into a cold appetizer and gelatin in China. The site says donkey meat is consumed widely in China’s northern provinces of Shandong, Anhui, Hebei, Shanxi and Shaanxi, and especially in Hebei. Beijing is greatly influenced by this donkey-eating culture, it adds.
Checks showed that the Chinese merchants use the skin mainly to meet a growing demand in cosmetic and pharmaceutical companies producing Gelatin. Their researchers say the quality of gelatin extracted from donkey skin is particularly high, and has properties unavailable in skins of other animals.
Gelatin is a mixture of peptides and proteins produced by partial hydrolysis of collagen extracted from the skin, bones, and connective tissues of animals, mostly domesticated ones.
In the markets in the South-East, donkey meat is called ‘Jaki’ (‘donkey’ in Hausa) and it serves to some as an alternative to beef, considered costly. Since donkey meat consumption became the vogue in Ezzamgbo in Ebonyi State, Maigatari Border Market at Agbor in Delta State and Obollo-Afo and Eha-Amufu, both in Enugu State where donkeys are given as special gifts during funeral ceremonies of affluent persons.
Dr. Mahmud Abdullahi, a Veterinary Officer in Kaduna, says though the meat has nutritional value, he is not aware of any area in Nigeria where people drink donkey milk. According to him, a 1996 census of the animal in Nigeria put their population at about 3.6 million and they are only found within the Northern states. 
Back in Jigawa, at the Maigatari International Cattle Market, another dealer, Kenneth Samuel, described the business as profitable. He told Daily Trust that he transports the donkeys to the South-East, but China is the final destination where they sell the skin at “very good prices”. He added that buyers don’t mind any type of donkey because the main concern is the skin, not the meat. Therefore, he says, “We make more gain from sick donkeys, as they cost less.”
While the Chinese go gaga over Nigerian donkeys, the awareness of the demand is creating a large market, inevitably paving way for smuggling of the animal’s in-demand skin. How long this boom of sorts continues unregulated, remains to be seen.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Passing Through Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Apr 2018 at 5:36pm
Originally posted by Carioca Carioca wrote:

Nothing to do withe meat, rendering the hide gives of something they are more interested in , you may find it Isaac .


I think there is also a thread on it here somewhere carioca
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Carioca Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Apr 2018 at 6:23pm
Interesting PT, now they have applied to the NT for land to breed these animals, they should have applied to the Fed Gov, would have been easier, after all no trouble to get the port for 99years, these bludgers have one foot in the door , two and look out!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Passing Through Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Apr 2018 at 7:00pm
Hey Isaac, all Woolies stores shut down today with a hack of their cash registers. Who do you have your money on? China, Russia, North Korea, China or China?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Isaac soloman Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Apr 2018 at 10:56am

Kangaroos killed in Chinese zoo by rock throwing visitors

CRUEL visitors to a zoo in China threw rocks at the kangaroos in order to see them do their signature hop.

AFPAPRIL 21, 20187:44AVisitors to the zoo were attempting to get the kangaroos to hop.Source:News Corp Australia

VISITORS to a zoo in southeastern China killed one kangaroo and injured another by throwing bricks at them in an attempt to get a reaction from the big marsupials, state media reported.

A 12-year-old female kangaroo suffered a severely injured foot when it was struck by bricks and concrete chunks on February 28 at the Fuzhou Zoo in Fujian province, China Central Television reported.

The kangaroo died days later and an examination by a veterinarian revealed that the cause of death was likely a ruptured kidney caused by being struck by the projectiles.

A few weeks later, a five-year-old male kangaroo at the same zoo was slightly injured in a similar way, said the report posted on the network’s website late on Thursday.

The report included pictures of the first kangaroo’s smashed and nearly severed foot, and of the animal receiving treatment via intravenous drip before it died.

Visitors to the zoo were known to try to provoke the Australia marsupials to get them to display their signature hopping mode of locomotion using their powerful hind legs.

The report did not mention whether anyone was punished over the matter, but it said the dead female would be stuffed and put on display and the zoo would look to install security cameras to deter visitors from harming animals in future.

China’s lightly regulated zoos and wildlife parks often make news for the wrong reasons, typically involving abysmal conditions in which animals are kept or insensitive actions by visitors in a country where the notion of animal rights is not deeply ingrained.Among recent examples, horrified visitors to an animal park in eastern China’s Jiangsu province last June watched as tigers killed a donkey that was released into their enclosure by investors angry over a business dispute related to the zoo, according to media reports.


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Tlazolteotl Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Apr 2018 at 11:16am
I've got to say I find the Asian treatment of animals primitive and disgusting. It's like the way the Brits treated animals in, oh, 1750 or thereabouts.

Now PT will of course try out his usual trick of equivalence, pointing out the fact that the treatment of animals in the West is disgusting. True, it's bad but light years better than in Asia, and anyone with eyes in their head can see.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Passing Through Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Apr 2018 at 11:19am
Have you been following the live livestock export threads on here tlaz? Clearly not.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Tlazolteotl Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Apr 2018 at 11:29am
Originally posted by Passing Through Passing Through wrote:

Have you been following the live livestock export threads on here tlaz? Clearly not.


The reason that is appalling is that it is not the way animals are treated in australia. Do Australians even own and operate the ships? If so they should be roasted in Hell.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Passing Through Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Apr 2018 at 11:37am
Someone else's fault Thumbs Up
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Tlazolteotl Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Apr 2018 at 11:38am
Originally posted by Passing Through Passing Through wrote:

Someone else's fault Thumbs Up


Here we go- PT's opened up his bag of rhetorical tricks.Wink
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Passing Through Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Apr 2018 at 11:38am
I am sure executions will follow when the Chinese catch the culprits. I see they shot 20 white collar criminals last week. Pretty harsh penalties for doing wrong stuff there. Not so much here.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Passing Through Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Apr 2018 at 11:58am
Originally posted by Tlazolteotl Tlazolteotl wrote:

Originally posted by Passing Through Passing Through wrote:

Someone else's fault Thumbs Up


Here we go- PT's opened up his bag of rhetorical tricks.Wink

You are the one who brought up equivalence. I find all abuse regardless of who does it, appalling. There is no good or bad abuse of animals or people.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote JudgeHolden Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Apr 2018 at 12:24pm
I think worldwide it’s more an economic than cultural thing. In a lot of countries life’s hard enough, the welfare of animals is less of a issue. You won’t find many dog grooming parlours in Zaire. They’d probably see our concern for animals as indulgent, and god knows what they’d make of some of the pampering.

Like everyone else in here I’m sickened by the abuse and thankful to live in a country that tries to stop it, but a lot of the rest of the world probably don’t share our concerns.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Passing Through Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Apr 2018 at 11:17am
Originally posted by Passing Through Passing Through wrote:

We have choices Isaac, and the first one should ne to get rid of all the compromised politicians who have taken money and jobs from large donors, then elect politicians who act in our interest, not theirs.

 We have plenty of choices who we trade with. At the moment we choose to  trade with China to sell them a lot of coal and metals but struggle to maintain a trade balance through buying their cheap goods, so we  take in a lot of students and investors who bring  in large quantities of money to buy property with that surplus they have. 

At the moment they cant get enough of our resources($30-40b a year), but that is expected to dry up in not too many years, so we can reduce our exposure to them, should we choose to. We however have an extremely unreliable partner in Washington who is making what should be easier options, very uncertain. That wont always be so. We will be back on track with more options as soon as they get rid of that uncertainty, and a more 'normal' world order is reestablished. 

Very timely article today:

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dr E Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Apr 2018 at 4:53pm
But the EU doesn't want coal, they just want wind mills (from China) ... what exactly are we trading, Muslim Refos?

I forgot, we don't need trade at all, when Bull gelatiten becomes Head of the CFMEU, I mean PM, he will create 300,000 public service jobs a year - which will be taken by immigrants ...
In reference to every post in the Trump thread ... "There may have been a tiny bit of license taken there" ... Ok, Thanks for the "heads up" PT!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dr E Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Apr 2018 at 4:56pm
I suppose that they do have a massive demand for Halal meat in most EU cities, they could be in the market for some live exports ... oh, that's right, we don't do that.
In reference to every post in the Trump thread ... "There may have been a tiny bit of license taken there" ... Ok, Thanks for the "heads up" PT!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Second Chance Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Apr 2018 at 9:23pm

Federal Government gives $6 million to boost domestic gas supply to Chinese-owned Westside Corporation

Exclusive by Mark Willacy and Alexandra Blucher, ABC Investigations

Updated about 9 hours ago

A group of people in front of Chinese and Australian flags with two signing documents.
PHOTO: Ye Cheng (L) and Mike Hughes (R) sign the Westside deal in 2014 witnessed by China's President Xi Jinping and then-prime minister Tony Abbott. (Supplied: Landbridge)
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Second Chance Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Apr 2018 at 9:27pm
Trust the absolute irony isn't lost on Isaac.  Wink
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Passing Through Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Apr 2018 at 4:48pm

Australia’s Chinese ballistic missile problem

Late last year in Australia, there was sudden interest shown in ballistic missile defence (BMD). Although the driver was North Korea’s missile testing, the real issue is China.

China’s latest ballistic missiles, combined with its new island bases, are steadily undercutting Australia’s ability to defend itself without relying on foreign combat forces. Our four decadeslongdefence policy of self-reliance is in danger. China is altering the local strategic balance, and Australia’s defence force structure may need to change in response.

Before proceeding, it must be stressed that China is not a threat, which in defence planning is defined as the sum of a nation’s military capabilities and its intent. But China is taking deliberate, long-term measures to significantly improve its military capabilities in our region, including by building six new islands in the South China Sea. Intent, of course, can change overnight.

China’s People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force is the world’s largest, with some 2000 ballistic missiles available for attacking well-defended land and maritime targets. Many are solid-fuelled missiles with road-mobile launchers, able to be readily transported by ship.

Beijing’s new South China Sea bases are some 2–3 days’ sailing time from the Chinese mainland. Three of the islands are large and include significant airfield and port facilities. As incoming US Pacific Commander Admiral Philip Davidson recently observed:

Today these forward operating bases appear complete. The only thing lacking are the deployed forces. Once occupied, China will be able to extend its influence thousands of miles to the south and project power deep into Oceania.

The main weapons of concern to Australia are the DF-21C/D medium-range and the DF-26 intermediate-range missiles. Both reportedly have land-attack and anti-ship variants.

From Chinese bases, DF-21s can reach into the Philippines and most of Malaysia, and DF-26s can extend further across the Indonesian archipelago and into West Papua. From China’s new islands in the South China Sea, DF-21s could reach Singapore, Malaysia, and most of Indonesia, while DF-26s could reach into northern Australia, including Darwin, Katherine (Tindal), and Derby (Curtin).

ADF units may be within range of DF-21 or DF-26 missiles when operating in Southeast Asia, and DF-26 missiles could reach northern Australia if deployed to the South China Sea islands.

The DF-26 is the world’s longest range conventionally armed ballistic missile (3000–4000kilometres) and can deliver a 1200–1800 kilogram payload. It has apparently been developed principally for precision attack of distant fixed-land targets, in particular the Guam airbases and port facilities.

Plans for a second DF-26 brigade were first revealed publicly in late 2015, and the commission was made in mid-April this year. It seems likely that some 44 missiles are in service, with more being built. 

The problem should not be overstated. China operates large rocket forces, but there are more important targets for them than deployed ADF units or mainland Australia. And ballistic missiles are a wasting asset. Once fired, they cannot be reused. Neither can stocks be easily replenished, given any war is likely to be short, not allowing enough time to manufacture new missiles.

Any adversary using ballistic missiles will husband them, carefully protect them from attack, and try to use them prudently. The numbers of ballistic missiles that might target ADF units is likely to be low.

However, even small numbers of these missiles could cause huge damage because they can accurately deliver a range of warheads optimised for the target being attacked, such as airbases, port facilities, or docked warships.  

There are several implications for Australia.

First, while the number of missiles that threaten northern Australia is likely to be low, they may need to be countered by Australia alone. US forces are very capable, but are limited in number and may have higher priority tasking elsewhere in a time of conflict.

Successive Australian governments since the 1970s have stressed the ability to defend the continent without relying on foreign combat forces. It seems sensible for this policy to continue even in a time when non-nuclear ballistic missile threats are emerging.

Second, there are plans to modify the Navy’s three Air Warfare Destroyers (AWDs) to carry the BMD-capable SM-6 missile by late next decade. Moreover, our nine planned Future Frigates will apparently now be fitted with a similar capability.

The SM-6 missile is capable against medium-range ballistic missiles but not against intermediate-range missiles, which are too fast. The planned BMD capability is therefore unsuitable for defending northern Australia.

Third, our AWDs (but probably not our Future Frigates) could be upgraded to use the new SM-3 Block IIA missile jointly developed by the US and Japan. This missile can engage intermediate-range ballistic missiles flying in their mid-course phase beyond the atmosphere.

However, using ships as relocatable missile defence batteries poses difficulties. While the Navy will get three AWDs, it is usually only practical to deploy one ship forward at any one time.

A lower-cost BMD alternative, easier to crew and which won’t denude the Navy of scarce sea control assets, might be to acquire the Aegis Ashore system for Darwin. Effectively an AWD on land, this system is now operational in Europe, and will be operational in Japan from 2022.

The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system is another viable option, although it offers a much smaller coverage area than Aegis Ashore. Two or more THAADs would be necessary to defend the Darwin/Tindal axis. 

Intercepting ballistic missiles may sound like science fiction, but the threat is already present across large parts of Southeast Asia. China could make such a threat real to northern Australia within a couple of weeks. China’s new islands and latest missiles have changed our regional strategic balance.

Australia’s current plans are inadequate for present circumstances, let alone for the next decade. If we start now we may have a light BMD screen in service by 2030. If we wish to maintain our self-reliant defence posture, we need to get underway as soon as possible.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Isaac soloman Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 May 2018 at 3:28pm

Peppa Pig blocked on Chinese video app after becoming a 'subculture icon'

Updated 7 minutes ago

A popular Chinese video-sharing app has blocked content related to the British animated children's program Peppa Pig, after the cartoon's main character became a "subculture icon" on social media.

Key points:

  • State media has labelled Peppa Pig a "subculture icon"
  • Social media users have been posting images of themselves with Peppa Pig tattoos
  • It is not known if the decision to block the posts was a directive from authorities

State media tabloid the Global Times reported users of the Douyin app, which allows users to upload, edit and share short videos, first noticed Peppa Pig clips had disappeared over the weekend.

Prior to the apparent ban, there were at least 30,000 videos posted to Douyin under an associated hashtag.

Peppa Pig has been very successful in China in terms of its preschool-aged target audience — there are even plans to open two Peppa Pig theme parks there, slated to begin operations next year.

But the character's growing popularity among young adults has raised eyebrows.

Peppa Pig tattoos go viral

According to the Global Times, Peppa Pig became a "subculture icon" in China in recent months after memes featuring the pink cartoon pig were shared widely on the internet.

Social media users, including some celebrities with large followings, also posted photos of themselves with Peppa Pig stick-on tattoos and wearing Peppa Pig apparel.

But not everyone was amused.

The Global Times reported Peppa Pig has come to be associated with the "shehuiren" subculture, which usually refers to people associated with organised crime, but can also refer to people who "run counter to the mainstream".

"Some experts said the popularity of the cartoon demonstrates the social psychology of hunting for novelty and spoofing, which could potentially hamper positive societal morale," the paper said.

People who fall into that category have not been having the easiest time in China of late. Earlier this year, China's broadcast regulator banned entertainers who promote hip hop culture from appearing on television.

Just last month the country's popular Sina Weibo social media platform banned all LGBT content, a move that was quickly reversed after a huge public backlash.

An icon for dejected millennials

Cyber policy analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Centre, Fergus Ryan, said while the Peppa Pig ban appears "pretty weird at first glance" it makes sense in the context of China's ever-expanding censorship regime.

"There's a top-down call from the authorities in China for there to be more positive energy in online content," he said.

"This is something that [Chinese President] Xi Jinping himself talks about, and it's sort of a way of exhorting the young people in China to in a positive way support the development of the country."

However there has been a grassroots level push-back to that directive in the form of "sang" culture, which directly translates as "funeral" culture and refers to a feeling of dejection and social marginalisation.

"[Sang] is this cultural phenomenon where young people who have grown up with high expectations are sort of hitting reality, and are being disappointed with their prospects," Mr Ryan said.

"So they are expressing this disappointment in this tongue in cheek way, and it's this kind of ironic sense of defeatism … It's this sort of rebellion from China's 380 million-odd millennials against this intense pressure to succeed."

Mr Ryan said Peppa Pig was not the first cartoon character to fall victim to Chinese internet censorship.

Netflix's Bojack Horseman was supposed to be available on a Chinese streaming site last year, but was pulled from the platform shortly after its debut.

"The character of Bojack Horseman has this sort of self-loathing cynicism attached to him, and so it sort of fed into this grassroots subculture," he said.

Details of ban still not known

Specific reasons for why Peppa Pig content was removed from Douyin remain elusive, and the social media platform has not released any statement on its decision to pull the posts.

Mr Ryan said he suspected the ban may have been the result of a directive from Chinese authorities, who have been clamping down on social media content.

Last month a joke-sharing app was shut down after China's broadcast watchdog said it had "caused strong disgust among netizens".

The company responsible for the service promised to hire an additional 4,000 censors to vet content on its other apps, bringing their total number to a whopping 10,000.

"We may see either today or in the coming days some leaks of directives that make it clear that this is actually a decision by authorities," Mr Ryan said.

"It's also a possibility that Douyin is just trying to get ahead of what they think the authorities might want to crack down on, as they see that all these other companies … are being punished essentially for not controlling the content on their apps and platforms."

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Isaac soloman Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 May 2018 at 4:12pm

China introduces artificial intelligence thought police to improve worker efficiency, military loyalty

WORRIED about the privacy implications of Facebook? Spare a thought for the Chinese. Employees there are being forced to wear special hats fitted with devices that monitor their mental state.

Jamie Seidel
News Corp Australia NetworkMAY 2, 20181:16PM

FACTORY workers. Military personnel. Train drivers. If you’re employed in China, your thoughts are not your own.

Headwear with built in sensors is being distributed through China’s state-owned companies to monitor the brain waves of their workers.

The South China Morning Post says hats and helmets with the equipment are being used to alert managers to sudden changes in the emotional states of their employees.

Details on the “emotional surveillance” device are thin.

All we know is the state of your mind as determined by the sensors in your hat is being transmitted to a central artificial intelligence algorithm intended to identify thoughts of anger, anxiety and sadness.PRODUCTIVITY TEST

The Post says the technology was introduced to a dozen military and business sites in 2014. It cites one state-owned company, State Grid Zhejiang Electric Power, reporting a $US315 million leap in profits once the sensors were fitted to its 40,000 staff.

“They thought we could read their mind. This caused some discomfort and resistance in the beginning,” Jin Jia, a professor of brain science at Ningbo University told the Post.

“After a while they got used to the device … They wore it all day at work.”

A similar set of sensors is being used in the caps of train drivers on a high-speed line between Beijing and Shanghai. It’s intended to monitor concentrations levels — and if the drivers fall asleep.

In both cases, the results were reportedly used to tailor the frequency and lengths of rest breaks — or even sending workers home — to maximise overall efficiency.SURVEILLANCE STATE

Such surveillance technology fits a growing push in China to assign every individual citizen a secret ‘loyalty score’.

If they say the wrong things on social media. If they fail to attend official functions. If their performance slips ... they get points deducted. If they’re seen to promote the Party line and be productive, they get bonus points.

RELATED: China imposes citizenship loyalty ‘score’

It’s a system already having a real life-impact in China.

One way you can discover you’re out of favour with the ruling party is to have your purchase of train or airline tickets declined.

And police are already trialling portable face-recognition software that combines with their sunglasses to detect ‘persons of interest’ in crowds.MIND GAMES

Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) doubt the ‘thought caps’ are more than an intimidation tactic.

Do they actually work?

“Yeah, probably not,” theMIT Technology Review says. “Over-the-skin brain scanning through EEG is still very limited in what it can detect, and the relationship between those signals and human emotion is not yet clear. Being able to gather enough information to somehow get a two billion yuan ($US315 million) boost in profits — which is what one firm, State Grid Zhejiang Electric Power, claims in the piece — is incredibly doubtful.”

The MIT Review states claims about the technology’s efficacy are almost certainly being embellished.

“If it’s just an attempt to talk up a technological ‘breakthrough,’ that’s one thing. But (is it) being used to reassign workers — or potentially even terminate them — because of their perceived emotions? In that case, China is indeed leading the way in workplace surveillance in a way that stands to benefit no one.”

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Passing Through Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 May 2018 at 4:23pm
Where can I buy one of those helmets Isaac?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Isaac soloman Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 May 2018 at 2:51pm

Waning trust between Australia and China may have dire consequences, experts warn

WANING trust between Australia and China is showing signs of serious consequences, and experts say there’s only one way to stop it.

news.com.auMAY 3, 20187:35AWANING trust between Australia and China may have serious consequences if we don’t find a way to engage on the issue, an expert panel has warned.

A group of Chinese-Australian experts hosted by the Lowy Institute Tuesday night examined the impact of Australia’s foreign influence debate, after Malcolm Turnbull announced Canberra would introduce legislation to combat foreign intervention in Australian politics.

Maree Ma, the General Manager of Vision Times, the largest independent Chinese-language media organisation in Australia, said the Chinese Communist Party has already proven it’s prepared to take action against Australia over the issue.

“Instead of the Chinese government saying Australia’s allegations are wrong, that they’re able to prove they have not done this, they’re instead telling Chinese people it’s actually dangerous in Australia,” Ms Ma said.

“These are the sorts of threats and consequences Australia will face. China is prepared to unleash an economic backlash. These are measures (the Chinese government) is ostensibly prepared to take.”A LOT OF EVIDENCE OF CHINESE INFLUENCE IN AUSTRALIA’

Strategic and Defence Studies Centre research Adam Ni warned that China was definitely seeking to influence countries in the Asia-Pacific, including ours.

“China is growing very powerful internationally, and one of the things it’s trying to do is influence countries in our region, including Australia,” he said. “There’s a lot of evidence of Chinese influence and interference activities here.

“We need to draw a line and say certain activities that harm democratic rights, our institutions and social harmony will not be accepted.“We have a China that is led by one party, that is hugely consequential to Australia and Australia’s role in the world ... a country that, under Xi Jinping has gone backwards on human rights and space for civil liberty.

“We need to be extremely about the activities of such a party state — in Australia and more broadly in our region.”

Mr Ni warned that if we don’t speak out and confront this, the Chinese Communist Party could have a long-term “cumulative” impact on our policies going forward.

“(The CCP’s) influence is not just in certain policy changes ... but in the evolution of how we engage with China.

“Do we speak out when the Chinese Communist Party does something wrong on the international change, like violate international law? Do we speak out when domestically it commits human rights violations? Do we stand up for these values which are in our interests — and if not, why not?

“My concern is that yes, we can say the CCP has not changed Australian policies, but over time it will have a cumulative effect that will negatively impact our ability to make independent policy ... in effect, changing who we are as a people.”THE RIGHT WAY TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE’

Sme experts have questioned whether taking a hard line, no-nonsense approach is only going to have greater consequences down the line.

Chairman of Vantage Asia Holdings Jason Li said politicians and the public alike need to work with China — not bear down on it — if they want to avoid severing ties with our largest trading partner.

“They need to be dealt with in a way that doesn’t arouse distrust and suspicion, or play to populism,” he said. “When you do that, you disenfranchise and discourage Chinese Australians from getting involved in the debate.

He said there were “so few Chinese voices” in the foreign influence debate, saying this was the “great danger” in the way the debate is unfolding.

“We need to approach this from the perspective of trust ... because if you approach it the other way, you’re actually doing it the authoritarian way.

“If you disagree with somebody, if you’re emotionally intelligent you pick the right way to say it, rather than just blowing everything up,” he said.Tensions have risen sharply between Australia and China in recent months.

Last month, it was reported China had been deferring a range of visits in order to take a political stand against Australia.

The state-run Global Times newspaper has described Australia’s behaviour in recent years as “baffling” and “repugnant”, accusing us of being an “anti-China pioneer in the last two years” and warning that Canberra “cannot afford worsening ties with China”.

Geoff Raby, our envoy to Beijing from 2007 to 2011, believes the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) has “politicised itself” and critics of its actions are dismissed as pro-China “panda huggers”.

“With China’s rise, the global order has changed and Canberra is having great difficulty coming to grips with this,” Mr Raby wrote in a post on the Pearls and Irritations blog yesterday.

He said the deterioration of our relationship is “damaging Australia’s interests”, noting that people who promote a close relationship with China and “a more constructive and balanced approach to how to respond to China’s rise and the changed international order” were attacked.

They were called “apologists for China, fellow travellers, mercenaries and panda huggers — the last is the most damning”.

“It is intended to stifle legitimate policy discussion and development. The mess that Australia’s China policy is now in attests to this.”

Last month, Mr Turnbull restated that Canberra would not back down from the foreign donation laws.

“We are taking every step that we can, with our foreign interference legislation, to ensure that Australians, and Australians only, are the ones who influence Australian political processes.”

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Isaac soloman Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 May 2018 at 2:57pm
We should be flattered, i suppose , that China would have so much commentary about us.

Unlike a lot of other countries China deals with, Australia is safe, clean, affluent(a biggy!) stable. we are also gullible and friendly, and is annoying the s**t out of poor old china thta we dont tow their line.

is it david standing up to goliath?

Hows the win/win bit going pt?

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Passing Through Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 May 2018 at 3:14pm
Why do you think Turnbull, while on his French ANZAC trip last week, went to Germany and England and this week hosted the French President Isaac?

As i said before it isn't a binary issue, we have lots of options and we look like forging stronger trade ties with EU and Britain. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Passing Through Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 May 2018 at 9:54am
Originally posted by Carioca Carioca wrote:

Originally posted by Passing Through Passing Through wrote:

Hey carioca, with the looming trade wars, the Chinese might retaliate against Trump by hitting agricultural imports from America, so if you have a bit of room on your nature strip or front yard, a crop of soy beans could be a winner Wink

Might try the chickpeas PT, ....failing that I'll try growing a beard.

Hope you got your crop in carioca. Worth a motser soon Clap

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Isaac soloman Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 May 2018 at 11:05am
china will be putting in soy crops in the countries they have bought....whether they like it or not.
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