Bloomberg (December 14)
Under the leadership of Masahiko Kuroda, the Bank of Japan’s “policies have indeed been bold — bolder than anything Abe himself has been willing to attempt. But the BOJ’s policies are allowing the government to sidestep its responsibility. That must stop if Abenomics is to come off life support. On Friday, Kuroda should begin nudging Abe to do something with his popular mandate for change. Anything.”
Tags: Abe, Abenomics, BOJ, Bold, Change, Government, Kuroda, Mandate, Responsibility, Sidestep
Los Angeles Times (October 26)
“North Korea is, by all accounts, on the brink of enormous change. It is a failed state, isolated and mostly reliant on foreign aid. It exists in an ideological reality that is anachronistic and contradictory. Discontent is growing.” Yet those of us in the west often remain ignorant of how deep the discontent runs because the media presents an inaccurate picture of the hermit kingdom.
Tags: Anachronistic, Change, Contradictory, Discontent, Failed state, Foreign aid, Hermit kingdom, Isolated, Media, North Korea
The Economist (June 14)
In China, golf is “a barometer of change.” Banned under Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping allowed a few golf courses for foreign investors. Then, with rising affluence, “more locals wanted to try the sport. Suddenly more golf courses were being built in China than anywhere else, despite the fact that their construction was technically illegal.”
Tags: Affluence, Barometer, Change, China, Construction, Deng Xiaoping, Golf, Golf courses, Illegal, Investors, Mao Zedong, Sport
Washington Post (April 4)
Prime Minister Abe is not the only one worried about empowering women. Companies should be just as worried. Equal Pay Day falls on Tuesday, April 8, symbolizing how far into 2014 women must work to earn what men earned in 2013. “Lip service isn’t enough. Corporate policy matters, too. As long as firms are resistant to changes that will help attract and retain female talent—like more flexible work arrangements, which can actually boost worker productivity—they will be limiting their own potential as well as that of female workers.
Tags: Abe, Attract, Change, Companies, Corporate policy, Equal Pay Day, Flexible work arrangements, Lip service, Potential, Retain, Talent, Women, Worker productivity
Wall Street Journal (September 3)
At age 64, Diana Nyad succeeded in swimming 177 km from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage, something she’s been trying to do since 1978. She overcame jelly fish, sharks and strong currents to accomplish her inspiring 53-hour feat. “Enduring such hardships takes extraordinary perseverance, even a touch of fanaticism. Yet by such commitment do human beings change the world, explore new heights, or stretch the boundaries of physical endurance.”
Tags: Boundaries, Change, Commitment, Cuba, Currents, Diana Nyad, Endurance, Florida, Hardships, Jelly fish, Perseverance, Sharks, Swimming, U.S.
Time (December 10)
“The Middle East today is a complex region that is changing fast. Grand generalizations about it are likely to be undone by events. But it is a more vibrant, energetic and democratic place than it was a generation ago.”
“The Middle East today is a complex region that is changing fast. Grand generalizations about it are likely to be undone by events. But it is a more vibrant, energetic and democratic place than it was a generation ago.”
Tags: Change, Democratic, Events, Generalizations, Middle East
The Economist (August 11)
How much has changed in North Korea? “If the young Kim really is his country’s Gorbachev, then the West should seize every opportunity to help him go further. If it is merely another charade, then more pressure needs to be applied to the world’s ugliest regime. So far there seems to be room for (very) limited encouragement.”
How much has changed in North Korea? “If the young Kim really is his country’s Gorbachev, then the West should seize every opportunity to help him go further. If it is merely another charade, then more pressure needs to be applied to the world’s ugliest regime. So far there seems to be room for (very) limited encouragement.”
Tags: Change, Gorbachev, Kim, North Korea, Regime
Washington Post (May 8)
“Nicolas Sarkozy is merely the latest leader felled by Europe’s economic crisis and the lassitude of its citizens. His flamboyant, hyperkinetic persona had grown jarringly dissonant with the grayness of the times and undermined his demands for belt-tightening and sacrifice by his countrymen.” France’s new president Francois Hollande will bring a change in tone. Blasé, rather than flamboyant, Hollande “has made clear that he will be less compliant than Sarkozy in the face of Germany’s demands.” Still, Hollande is more likely to bring “changes around the margins” than radical change, excepting his obvious change in demeanor.
“Nicolas Sarkozy is merely the latest leader felled by Europe’s economic crisis and the lassitude of its citizens. His flamboyant, hyperkinetic persona had grown jarringly dissonant with the grayness of the times and undermined his demands for belt-tightening and sacrifice by his countrymen.” France’s new president Francois Hollande will bring a change in tone. Blasé, rather than flamboyant, Hollande “has made clear that he will be less compliant than Sarkozy in the face of Germany’s demands.” Still, rather than radical change, Hollande is likely to bring “changes around the margins,” in addition to his more obvious changes in demeanor.
Economist (March 25)
Japan’s multi-front disaster reveals “a crisis of leadership.” Even with exceptions for the disaster’s massive scope, “some of the suffering is avoidable.” The Government’s response has been muddled, hampering relief efforts. While the stoicism of the disaster victims is admirable, it is “time for the Japanese to unleash some righteous anger on a system that has let them down.”
Tags: Change, Disaster, Government, Japan, Stoicism
