Acronyms often signal a cul de sac of communication. Acceptability of a proposition seems to increase once a clever acronym is created to define it.One such dexterous acronym is BRIC ― standing for Brazil, Russia, India and China ― representing a proposition that these are emerging economies, the engine of the global growth, and the next fertile ground for market and investment opportunities, bar none.That’s not a simple proposition. Its complication has different dimensions, each requiring fast

Viewpoints Feb. 11, 2013

The political battle in Malaysia has given K-pop stars a money-earning opportunity. They might think that it is so easy to earn money here.Psy of “Gangnam Style” has been invited to perform at BN’s Chinese New Year open house in Penang. How much does he charge for the performance? Some said $500,000, while some others said $1 million and 5 million ringgit ($1.6 million). Penang BN leaders, however, said they spend not even a penny.Business is business. Do you believe that a global celebrity will

Viewpoints Feb. 11, 2013

Shortly before the Dec. 19 presidential election, the main opposition Democratic United Party claimed that the National Intelligence Service had been running a clandestine campaign against its candidate, Moon Jae-in. The allegation was based on suspicions that an intelligence official had been slandering Moon on the Internet.In denying the charges, the spy agency denounced the opposition party for engaging in what it called “malicious propaganda.” It claimed it was mistakenly accused of breachin

Editorial Feb. 7, 2013

Mom-and-pop stores in front of elementary schools, small eateries in rundown residential areas and other types of family-run businesses in back alleys are under the constant threat of being wiped out by large enterprises expanding into their traditional territory. Their only recourse for survival may lie in the deep nostalgia the general public holds for them.Self-employed people and those running small- and medium-sized enterprises are appealing to this public sentiment when they put pressure o

Editorial Feb. 7, 2013

The National Assembly has started deliberation on President-elect Park Geun-hye’s proposal for a sweeping government overhaul. The ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition Democratic United Party have agreed to handle the government reorganization bill by Feb. 14. The proposal is of vital importance for Park as it is much more than a simple plan for government rearrangement. It embodies her grand vision for reshaping the nation by reforming Korean society and restructuring the polarized econ

Editorial Feb. 6, 2013

Physicians have declared for the first time that they will not accept any money, directly or indirectly, from pharmaceutical companies. In a joint news conference on Monday, the Korean Medical Association and the Korean Academy of Medical Sciences said they would stamp out the deeply entrenched practice of doctors taking kickbacks from drug companies in return for prescribing their products.The two organizations pledged to create a code of ethics to strengthen disciplinary measures against membe

Editorial Feb. 6, 2013

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard is going American in a big way by setting the next national election seven months from now. The record length of the campaign is bad news for her opponent, Tony Abbott, and may be even worse for the nation’s 23 million people. Turning to a permanent campaign like that of the U.S. is shrewd politics. It puts opposition leader Abbott on the defensive, forcing him to offer more than tired conservative nostrums about the magic of lower taxes, less regulation a

Viewpoints Feb. 6, 2013

Can the Defense Department overrule the U.S. Supreme Court? Can the Boy Scouts of America? The short answer is: Of course not. But a full response turns out to be more complicated, and it offers a lesson for thinking about the relationship between constitutional law and the evolving nature of rights. Here’s the lesson. We often think that our rights are established by the Constitution and by the Supreme Court, interpreting that document. True, the Constitution is fundamental, but some of our mos

Viewpoints Feb. 6, 2013

The unrelenting smog that is still shrouding central and northern China requires the nation to take more consistent and down-to-earth measures to combat the problem.Policymakers, in particular, must make a thorough assessment of the problem before devising targeted measures to reduce the pollution.The smog, which has repeatedly hit northern cities, such as Beijing, has caused growing concern. Facing growing public complaints, the government has vowed to take measures to solve the problem.We do h

Viewpoints Feb. 6, 2013

Americans are still in the grip of a scary flu season. Who can forget the alarming headlines about the swift spread and virulence of this year’s bug? Everyone’s still on high alert should someone sneeze or cough on the bus, train, restaurant or office. Violators are dealt with harshly.Now imagine a flu strain exponentially more contagious and more deadly. Fiction? Hardly. In late 2011, a Dutch scientist announced that he had genetically tweaked one of the world’s most deadly bird flu viruses to

Viewpoints Feb. 6, 2013

PARIS ― A bipartisan group of senators has just lit a soggy fuse under the immigration debate. The statement of principles tabled by four senators from each party is such an impotent byproduct of compromise that calling it bipartisan is redundant. This manifesto of mediocrity fails to address the biggest immigration problems facing America ― starting with the question of “Why?”Does anyone ever ask WHY there are so many illegal immigrants in America? While it’s understandable that foreign citizen

Viewpoints Feb. 5, 2013