Not to minimize or justify any of Bloomberg’s abuses but the use of NDAs to silence employees who accept a settlement is standard practice at all big companies. Not just for sexual harassment, if you take an early termination payment you typically have to sign a confidentiality agreement.
I’d bet it would be impossible to find even one Fortune 500 company that has not paid off employees who complained of sexual harassment and required them to sign an NDA in return. Lawyers love these things and they run the show.
Following the Money: Inside Family Assets of Incoming Chinese President Xi Jinping
June 29th, 2012
Earlier today Bloomberg News posted a detailed look at the financials of Xi Jinping and his extended family. Xi, the man in line to be China’s next President, has publicly warned his colleagues in government against graft: “Rein in your spouses, children, relatives, friends and staff, and vow not to use power for personal gain.” Despite this warning, however, Xi’s extended family has to date accumulated over hundreds of millions of dollars, most of which are held by Xi’s sister Qi Qiaoqiao, her husband Deng Jiagui and Xi’s brother-in-law Wu Long.
The article tracks Qi’s rise to fortune, as first a daughter and “princeling” of Xi Zhongxun, a revolutionary fighter who helped Mao Zedong win control of China in 1949. Her investments increased steadily in real estate, from owning multiple properties to becoming a developer in her own right. Her fortunes correlated with the booming real estate market in China, which grew so quickly that Wen Jiabao, the current Chinese premier, at one time commented that prices were “far from a reasonable level.” Qi’s husband’s holdings were also incredibly timely, such as his investment in a rare earth company based in Shanghai. China holds a near-monopoly over the world’s rare earth production, and around the time of Deng’s investment, the government tightened controls over its production, leading to a fourfold increase in price for some rare earths.
Xi’s brother-in-law’s fortunes have been almost as good. His company New Postcom won a share to supply handsets to China Mobile, China’s biggest phone company, despite bids from far more established competitors, most notably Motorola. “People were expecting Motorola to get a big part of that device contract,” notes BDA Chairman Duncan Clark, “and then a no-name company just appeared at the top of the list.”
NPR is reporting actual news? What’s going on here?
“Comrades!” he cried. “You do not imagine, I hope, that we pigs are doing this in a spirit of selfishness and privilege? Many of us actually dislike milk and apples. I dislike them myself! Our sole object in taking these things is to preserve our health. Milk and apples (and this has been proved by Science, comrades) contain substances absolutely necessary to the well-being of a pig. We pigs are brain-workers. The whole management and organization of this farm depend on us. Day and night we are watching over your welfare. It is for your sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples. Do you know what would happen if we pigs failed in our duty? Jones would come back! Yes, Jones would come back! Surely, comrades,” cried Squealer almost pleadingly, skipping from side to side and whisking his tail, “surely there is no one among you who wants to see Jones come back?”
Sleep with communists, you have to lie because they do.
Thanks for sharing.