Kiwi crowds are sure to be entertained by Virat Kohli, captain of cricket’s new superpower.
Napoléon Bonaparte probably didn’t say “China is a sleeping lion” (or tiger, or dragon or giant). “Let her sleep for, when she wakes, she will shake the world.”
However, so many leader writers have decided that attributing the quote to le petit caporal lends a pleasing historical sweep to their musings about China’s rise that the Napoleonic origin has become conventional wisdom. Hence Chinese President Xi Jinping referenced Napoléon during a state visit to France in 2014 in the course of reassuring the world that, although the lion is now wide awake, she’s really just an overgrown pussy cat – “peaceful, pleasant and civilised”. No one disputed the first part of Xi’s statement.
The quotation resonates because it pithily and rather ominously evokes a momentous historical development. Sadly, as far as I can tell, no one in cricketing circles paraphrased it to predict/warn that one day India would stop punching below its weight and the reverberations would be felt wherever the game is played.
Esta historia es de la edición February 2-8, 2019 de New Zealand Listener.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición February 2-8, 2019 de New Zealand Listener.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
First-world problem
Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.
Applying intelligence to AI
I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.
Nazism rears its head
Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.
Staying ahead of the game
Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?
Grasping the nettle
Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.
Hangry? Eat breakfast
People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.
Chemical reaction
Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.
Me and my guitar
Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.
Time is on my side
Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?
The kids are not alright
Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.
