0228-Granddad wants to free boy from parents’ protective bubble

DEAR ABBY: When my 9-month-old grandson, “Eli,” comes to visit, I become frustrated to the point of leaving the room, if not my house. Not only must we put away things he shouldn’t get into, we must tape shut every drawer and cabinet, block access behind couches and chairs to keep Eli from electrical cords, then constantly be on guard for the “unexpected.”

Eli is never restricted in any way, and would never be confined to an "inhumane" playpen for even a few minutes. At the slightest whimper, he is picked up. He’s walked to sleep (or taken on car rides to “soothe” him), and his parents literally run to him whenever he awakens. I’m reluctant to criticize because I know they’ll be offended, but I’m aching to suggest they teach the child about limits and restrictions and correct him when he misbehaves. 

Let him experience being in his playpen or even allow him to whine a little before jumping at his every whim. We’re not allowed to say “no-no” ― the preferred response being to distract Eli and let him go about doing as he pleases. By the way, both parents are professional psycho-babble people. Am I unreasonable to think my grandson is capable of learning limits with a simple “no-no” and, perhaps, a little smack on his hand? Or should I keep my mouth shut? 
WELL-MEANING GRANDPA

DEAR GRANDPA: Well-meaning as you are, I doubt that you will be able to convince two “professional psycho-babble people” that by not giving their little one limits, they’re creating a monster. Rather than allow his visits to upset you, I suggest you visit this family in their own home. 

0227-[AP] Westwood champions Assange on catwalk

LONDON (AP) ― Few designers so consistently mix fashion with politics, or manage to secure her fans’ adoration with the same looks almost every season. But Vivienne Westwood is not any designer.

The flame-haired grand dame of British fashion on Sunday sent her models marching down the catwalk in her signature tight-fitting dresses and nipped-in jackets, then in the finale joined them wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with a giant image of her own face and a slogan that reads “I’m Julian Assange.”

Westwood, 71, has been selling the Assange T-shirts to raise funds and

support for the WikiLeaks founder, who is living in Ecuador’s embassy in London and trying to avoid extradition to Sweden to face sexual assault questions. The designer recently wore the shirt when she visited Assange in October.

As always, Westwood was less interested in talking about her designs than about climate change, a subject she has long campaigned about.

“There’s no latest thing, it’s all rubbish,” she said, brushing off questions about fashion. Instead, she patiently explained to reporters why she feels so passionately about her climate change campaign.

“Every small thing you do can really change your life,” she said. “And the first thing they must do is inform themselves, believe the scientists ... then they’ll stop being consumers and start being more interested in the world.”

It’s anyone’s guess how many people attending the Vivienne Westwood Red Label autumn collection shared her enthusiasm, but the crowds clearly appreciated the designs shown on the catwalk, which was set up at the Saatchi Gallery.

Although the makeup was startling ― chalky white faces paired with eyes and lips outlined in stark, cartoonish lines ― the clothes lived up to her legendary fame.

Jackets and blazers were beautifully tailored to accentuate the waist and hips, and dresses were draped in all the right places to draw the eye to the curves. The palette included a delicious plum, teals, and metallics.

There were dramatic pieces, for sure: a metallic zebra-stripe was printed on coats and a striking prom style dress with stiff underskirts, and an iridescent foil-like tight biker jacket that shimmered purple and green was paired with harem pants dripping in sequins.

Westwood isn’t the first influential figure in the entertainment and fashion industries to declare their support for Assange. Pop singer Lady Gaga also paid a visit to the activist at Ecuador’s embassy in London last year, though the pair didn’t disclose what they discussed.

0226-[AP] Buffett dips into $23 bil. Heinz ketchup deal

NEW YORK (AP) ― Billionaire Warren Buffett is dipping into the ketchup business as part of a $23.3 billion deal to buy H.J. Heinz Co., uniting a legend of American investing with a mainstay of grocery store shelves.

It’s the largest deal ever in the food industry and is intended to help Heinz accelerate its transformation into a global business. The company, based in Pittsburgh, also makes Classico pasta sauces, Ore-Ida potatoes and Smart Ones frozen meals.

Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway and its partner on the deal ― 3G Capital, the investment firm that bought Burger King in 2010 ― say Heinz will remain headquartered in Pittsburgh.

Heinz CEO William Johnson said at a news conference that taking the company private would give Heinz the flexibility to make decisions more quickly, without the burden of having to report quarterly earnings.

Heinz was founded by Henry John Heinz and his neighbor L. Clarence Noble in 1869. Their first product was grated horseradish, bottled in a clear glass to showcase its purity. The first ketchup was introduced in 1876; the company says it was the country’s first commercial grade ketchup.

Last year, Heinz had sales of $11.6 billion, with ketchup and sauces accounting for just under half of that. Given the saturated North American market, it has increasingly been looking overseas for growth. In 2010, for example, the company bought Foodstar, which makes Master brand soy sauce and fermented bean curd in China. Heinz expects emerging markets to account for a quarter of the company’s sales this year.

At a press conference following the announcement, Johnson said the deal got under way eight weeks ago when managing partners from 3G Capital visited him for lunch. The men were familiar with each other because Heinz is a supplier for Burger King.

“We did not solicit this,” Johnson noted. “They came to me.”

Buffett said on CNBC this morning that 3G’s billionaire co-founder Jorge Lemann approached him about the Heinz deal on a plane they were on in early December.

Johnson stressed that Heinz would remain in Pittsburgh, noting that the condition that was part of the deal. He said the only changes the city should see as a result would be that Heinz would no longer be listed in the stock pages of newspapers.

As for management changes, including his own tenure, Johnson said there hadn’t yet been any discussions.

Although 3G Capital has a record of aggressively cutting costs at businesses it acquires, managing partner Alex Behring noted at the press conference that Heinz is different because the business is healthy and has been growing its core sales.

*mainstay 주축, 중심

*flexibility 유연성(= the ability to change or be changed easily to suit a different situation)

*fermented 발효(= If a food, drink, or other natural substance ferments, or if it is fermented, a chemical change takes place in it so that alcohol is produced)

0225-Park Geun-hye's people

Appointments turn popular expectations into concerns

Even before she takes office, President-elect Park Geun-hye is backing off from her welfare pledges citing financial reasons. Voters are suppressing their disappointment for the nation’s long-term fiscal health.

It is an area that has nothing to do with money where Park made the biggest breach of election promises, however: personnel appointment. That is cutting short the already brief honeymoon not only with her political opponents but with the public, even including her supporters.

This is hardly a good start for Korea’s first female President _ and the country she will govern for the next five years.

While campaigning, Park put national unity ahead of all else, hinting that she would pick people with various regional, school and vocational backgrounds. She has just completed the appointment of Cabinet ministers and Cheong Wa Dae staff, but people are seeing results diagonally opposite to her pledges.

Park not only selected nominees for her prime minister and chief of staff from her home province of Gyeongsang, for the first time in recent history, but also filled four major secretariat posts from among graduates of the same university, also an unprecedented move. Only two were from the rival Jeolla province and another two were women, dashing cold water on widespread expectations on the first woman leader.

The President-elect also vowed to give substantive power to the prime minister and Cabinet ministers, but a look at the lineup shows most of them are bureaucrats and academics who are good at following “orders from above” rather than taking policy initiatives and taking responsibility for their decisions. The nominee for prime minister said his job is “to best assist the President,” while the designate for chief of staff asked, “Isn’t a secretary someone who has ears but no mouth?”

What all this leads up to is quite clear: the entire administration will be like a pyramid with President at the top, which allows neither the No. 2 person nor much dissenting voices from within, essentially similar to the 1960s and ’70s when Park’s father ruled Korea. Little wonder Park pushed ahead with appointing nominees to new ministries that have yet to be approved by the National Assembly, neglecting the parliament’s legislative authority power and crushing opposition parties’ proposed revision for the governmental reorganization plan.

For a newly-elected President who needs bipartisan support for both legislation and appointment, Park’s move is unimaginable, all but forcing the opposition party to become obstructionists.

Not only do many of her nominees have ethical problems in accumulating personal properties and fulfilling national duties but also they do not simply fit their boss’s self-professed philosophy. Park’s pick for her economic czar, for instance, is a person who has shown little interest in Park’s main slogan of “economic democratization” based on greater welfare, more equitable distribution and supporting smaller companies instead of large business groups. We are left to wonder whether the President-elect has forgotten what she said just a few months ago. 

Opposition lawmakers are determined, rightly, to thoroughly vet the nominees. Any administrative vacuum is not desirable but Park laid all this up on herself. A late start is better than a bad start.

0215-Qualification of nominees

Pick right people first before blaming screening system

At this rate, President-elect Park Geun-hye will likely be unable to form her Cabinet until she takes office on Feb. 25.

Frustrated with failures to pass parliamentary and media screenings by the people she nominated, directly or indirectly, Park complained about the confirmation hearing process. “Our system focuses on nominees’ personal problems instead of discussing their abilities and qualifications,” Park said. “Let’s consider revising rules to model the U.S. system.”

We agree, but are afraid few, if any, nominees will be able to even sit in the candidate’s chair at the National Assembly if Korea introduces the U.S. process.

The three-phase U.S. system requires nominees to pass strict ethical screening by the White House, FBI and IRS, and they must have a good reputation among people surrounding them before standing before the relevant Senate committees and undergoing a Congressional hearing. Even the hiring of an illegal alien for a housemaid several years ago can be checked in this process, which usually takes months.

It is such a thorough and lengthy preliminary screening and various backup systems that enables Americans to conduct the first two stages in a closed session. In Korea where the entire process ends in 20 days amid loose verification, the closed-door screenings are like no screenings at all.

Park herself has shown the superficiality of the Korean confirmation hearing system in almost all nominations she has made since her election, starting from her chief spokesman to her first prime-minister candidate. Most egregious of them all was Lee Dong-heub, nominated by President Lee Myung-bak and endorsed by Park as head of the Constitutional Court, who lied at the hearing but was not disciplined for it. President Lee could even push ahead with his appointment in the worst-case scenario, as the Assembly’s vetoes have no binding force.

The confirmation hearing system needs to be strengthened, not weakened as Park seems to want, in view of the extremely loose ethical standards in this country where asset-swelling through irregular means, academic plagiarism, and avoidance of taxes and military duty are not the exceptions but the norms among the establishment in the name of “established” practices. As are the leaders, so are the people; Koreans admit their country is the “Republic of Corruption.”

The President-elect asks how she could recruit government workers if people apply such strict ethical standards. There will always be officials with ability and integrity if, and that’s a very big if, Park tries to find talent regardless of where they come from and what ideological views they have.

What’s restricting the already narrow pool of candidates is her regional and ideological bias. Add to this the “Park Geun-hye style” _ the President-elect’s needlessly secretive and reclusive way of handling matters, ranging from personnel appointments to administrative decisions, then Koreans will likely have their most uncommunicative _ and undemocratic _ leader in decades. Even Park’s closest aides complain they are afraid of recommending talent for fear of infringing on her exclusive domain.

There is no need for haste. People would prefer major posts to remain vacant than being occupied by unethical, incompetent officials.

0214-Comedy and reality

Not many TV viewers know it, but “Gag Concert,” a Sunday night comedy show on KBS 2, recently received a warning from regulators. The reason: rudely addressing President-elect Park Geun-hye.

In one of the 100-minute show’s most popular segments, “Brave Fellas,” a comedian said, “Listen well, Madam Park. You’d better fulfill your numerous promised policies for workers, students and businesses. But don’t do one thing _ comedy. Never try to make people laugh,’cause it’s our job.”

The Korea Communication Standards Commission took issue with the man for using impolite language, “debasing the broadcaster” and “breaking the rules of courtesy” for viewers. “It was also bad to politically satirize a leader who has yet to begin her tenure,” it added.

Did the state agency want to say that the comedian talked to the next leader too rudely and slighted her?

If so, the gag, according to KCSC version, should have been rephrased to something like, “If you don’t mind, let us say some words to you, Madam President-elect. Please try to keep your word with voters. But you don’t have to be concerned with making people laugh, let us humble fellows do the job …”

When officials become anxious about showing their loyalties to those in power, comedy sometimes becomes reality, and vice versa. It is no coincidence the current KCSC head was a former prosecutor specializing in maintaining public security, an ideological hard-liner. 

People might as well laugh away the KCSC move as providing material for Gag Concert. However, there are reasons why they can’t easily do this: this society seems to be going back to the days of Park’s father when Koreans would dare not even dream of making fun of their august leader. 

And too many people are already recognizing the traits of former President Park Chung-hee in his daughter. The junior Park is needlessly secretive and reclusive when making important decisions, while not embracing different views among her entourage when implementing them.

In a society where comedy is hard to do, real life can’t help but become the most painful form of comedy, tragicomedy. 

0213-Team Korea to Start Training for WBC 2013

Anchor: Professional baseball in South Korea is enjoying its heyday as the country’s representative cultural item after Team Korea won gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, finished runner-up in the 2009 World Baseball Classic, and came in fourth in the 2006 WBC. The team met up on Monday ahead of the World Baseball Classic next month. Jang Souie tells us about the team’s aspirations for the top international baseball tournament.

Report: South Korea’s national baseball team led by Head Coach Ryu Joong-il gathered at a hotel in Seoul Monday, the last day of the Lunar New Year holiday. The team will fly to Taiwan on Tuesday to prepare for the first round of the 2013 World Baseball Classic.

Critics have dismissed the team’s prospects for a successful run, considering South Korea is without aces Choo Shin-soo, Ryu Hyun-jin, Kim Kwang-hyun and Bong Jung-keun this year. 

But Samsung Lions power hitter Lee Seung-yeop will be swinging for Team Korea this tournament, and he discussed his hopes for the team during its launching ceremony last month.

[Sound bite: Lee Seung-yeop, WBC national team player]
“Although a few good players will not be able to play on the national team, I will try my best to work a miracle as I believe we can be the strongest when people say we are weak.”

Head coach Ryu Joong-il is also determined to win the tournament.

[Sound bite: Ryu Joong-il, WBC national team head coach]
“I will try to fill the country with the sound of the people’s heartbeat and applause.”

Team Korea will unpack in Chiayi County, Taiwan on Tuesday where it will adapt to the local environment and start training for two weeks. The national team will also hold two practice games with South Korean professional baseball team the NC Dinos to gear up for the tournament.

After training ends, Team Korea will travel to Taichung for the World Baseball Classic. South Korea will play in Group B with host country Taiwan, as well as the Netherlands and Australia for the first round of the main tournament.

The national team will compete against the Netherlands on March second, followed by a match against Australia and Taiwan. The top two teams will advance to the second round of the main tournament. 

0211-Each Korean spends 933,531 won for Seollal

Each person spends more than 900,000 won on preparing for the Lunar New Year holidays, according to a recent survey.

The survey of 371 adult residents in Seoul shows that celebrating Seollal, one of the biggest traditional holidays, costs every person an average of 933,531 won ($852).

The poll was conducted by the Korea Consumer Affairs Institute.

According to the survey, the respondents spend 244,980 won on average on gifts for their family members, relatives and acquaints.

They also set aside 227,951 won on average to give pocket money to their parents, while spending 150,539 won on average to purchase clothes for children and give them pocket money.

The respondents were also found to earmark 141,590 won for ancestral rites and foods.

As for the gifts, fruits and other agricultural products are popular among the surveyed who said they spend 60,000 won to 100,000 won on these items.

0208-British Gov't Apologizes over Deaths at Hospital Resulting from Neglect

The British government has issued an apology over an incident in which up to 12-hundred people died unnecessarily between 2005 and 2009 at a hospital due to neglect and shoddy care. 

British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Wednesday that he “would like to apologize to the families of all those who suffered from the way the system allowed this horrific abuse to go unchecked and unchallenged for so long” at the Stafford Hospital managed by the National Health Service. 

Cameron vowed to actively overhaul the way the National Health Service is managed and to introduce a new chief inspector of hospitals post in the wake of the latest scandal. 

A public inquiry that unearthed the recent findings said in a report that the hospital’s managers focused on meeting government targets and cutting costs which resulted in neglect of patient care. The inquiry said the hospital’s action was a violation of medical ethics.

0207 - Over 90% of Small Exporters Affected by Falling Exchange Rate

Anchor: Nine out of every ten small- and mid-sized exporters in South Korea say they have been hit hard by the falling exchange rate. Analysts say the dropping price competitiveness of Korean-made goods against Japanese products is to blame.
Jang Souie reports.

Report: According to a survey conducted by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry on 300 smaller exporters and their losses due to the falling exchange rate, 93 percent of respondents said they experienced financial losses.

This is up 40 percentage points compared to November, when only 53 percent of the respondents said they were affected.

All responding companies in the home appliances and auto parts sectors said they saw losses, while over 90 percent of rubber and plastic goods manufacturers, shipbuilders and plant constructors said they were affected negatively.

Meanwhile, around 85 percent of firms in the petrochemical industry, which benefited from a dip in production costs thanks to the strengthening won, said they still were still hit by financial losses.

The chamber said that the main reason was the falling price competitiveness of products made by Korean companies against Japanese goods as the won strengthened while the yen weakened.

The majority of respondents, at 68 percent, said that they were affected due to foreign exchange losses incurred after signing deals with foreign buyers.

Thirty percent of the respondents said that they have no countermeasure in check against the falling exchange rate. Meanwhile, 47 percent said that it is impossible to reflect the falling rate in their export prices.

0206-Samsung trails Google in M&As

Samsung trails Google in M&As

Samsung is following in Google’s footsteps with its mergers and acquisitions (M&A) strategy in a bid to develop new technologies and diverse new growth engines.

Simply put, the company has shifted its sights to buying small, technology-oriented firms for organic growth by copying from Google’s know-how on small deals. The U.S. firm’s M&A success rate is estimated at around 70 percent.

``Google’s M&A strategy is ideal as Samsung is now pursuing organic growth by acquiring small firms with patented technologies in select areas, not seeking just external growth by expanding its business size,’’ a Samsung official identified only as Park told The Korea Times.

Google signed 47 deals in 2010 and 79 in 2011. The largest acquisition was Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion in August 2011.

``As expansion is no longer the key word for Samsung’s M&A strategy, we are focusing on smaller deals in strategic areas such as mobile, video, bio and even chip sectors. We need more patents in business areas that we’re already involved in or that we will be engaged in,’’ said the official, asking not to be identified.

Google is a well-known for acquiring small companies with low brand awareness but having patented technologies. The U.S. software giant has found new growth engines using its small deal strategy.

The world’s biggest smartphone maker, the strongest ally for Google’s Android operating system, said it is now in the middle of working-level discussions with the U.S. company on various issues. “Google gives advice and technical assistance on M&A strategies,” the Samsung official said.

As memory chips and flat screens ― which are highly volatile and cyclically dependent upon the macroeconomic situation ― are Samsung’s critical businesses, the Suwon-based outfit has not been aggressive in the global M&A market.

In 1994, Samsung bought U.S.-based PC manufacturer AST Research, the world’s sixth-biggest computer maker at that time, for $540 million. However, the acquisition failed to generate synergy because most research staff left AST.

Since 1994, Samsung has carried out just two acquisitions ― Israeli logic chip designer TransChip in 2007 and Poland’s Amica in 2009.

``Money is not an issue for Samsung but we don’t want to repeat the same failures. That’s why we are closely watching Google’s M&A strategy, which has been very successful. Google’s Motorola Mobility acquisition was a real shock. It motivated us to pursue more M&As for patents,’’ said the official.

The company hinted that it is willing to do more deals to acquire necessary technologies this year.

Samsung has ample cash to invest in both facilities and M&As. It had cash or cash equivalents of 37.45 trillion won at the end of the fourth quarter of last year, according to the company.

Samsung Electronics’ Investor Relations Office head Robert Yi said the company will spend more on research and development for more patents, raising the possibility that Samsung will strike more acquisitions this year.

It recently launched an Open Innovation Center and explained that it will entirely manage the firm’s acquisitions-related strategies.

Samsung recently bought 5 percent of Wacom, an attempt to equip its tablets and smartphones with a high-quality stylus.

Wacom specializes in interactive pen displays and digital drawing tablets.

Samsung’s 5 percent cost $58.2 million, allowing it to couple its styluses with devices like its Galaxy Notes.