The good folks at the Samsung Economic Research Institute are back with more pearls of wisdom (registration required). To wit, four pitfalls that CEOs should avoid:
– “Overemphasis on immediate results”
– “Mediocre and trouble-avoiding leadership”
– “Avoidance of decision-making and responsibilities”
– “Focusing on own market value”
Of course, Samsung’s own leadership has not been guilty of any of these. But we might add a few pitfalls that are more relevant to the company’s own experience, in light of the indictment of Chairman Lee Kun-hee and several other leaders of Samsung group companies. Such as:
– “Committing fraud”
– “Bribing politicians”
– “Using creative accounting”
– “Undermining the interests of minority shareholders”
A porno crew was busted trying to film a blue movie in the middle of a Saitama McDonald’s, courtesy of Mainichi. The jig was up when a customer realized that the female star was way too hot for the losers she was with: “She came into the restaurant holding hands with Ochiai. But Ochiai didn’t look the type good enough to pick up a woman like her, so I thought something fishy was going on.”
The Hindu reports on a spunky youngster with a special talent: Limbo skating. Just seven years old, Aniket Chindak of Belgaum, Karnataka, skated under 81 SUVs in 53.02 seconds. And no wonder, since he is the product of the prestigious Belgaum Roller Skating Academy. “‘I could do this because of the blessings of my parents and guidance of my coach,’ he told the cheering crowd.”
Patriotic Chinese women are drooling over their new pin-up, one of the “sacred flame guardians” — otherwise known as the thugs and goons dispatched to push foreigners around if they get too close to the Olympic torch relay. As Thomas Crampton reports, the policeman nicknamed 右二哥哥, or “Second Right Brother” based on his position in the security detail, is the Lei Feng for the Web 2.0 era.
Indian moralists are up in arms at the Washington Redskins cheerleaders, who performed recently at an Indian Premier League cricket match in Bombay, according to this Hollywood Reporter article. The police say they will prosecute the organizers for the “indecent” show, but many can’t see what the fuss is about, since Bollywood dancers often wear less and perform more provocative moves.
Japanese suicide Web sites are promoting a new way of offing oneself, according to this CNN story. Just close the door and combine some commonly available detergent and liquid cleanser. The result is a chemical reaction producing hydrogen sulfide, the gas responsible for the odor in flatulence, which is lethal at higher concentrations. It might be less messy than stepping in front of a commuter train, another Japanese favorite, but it can still inconvenience the neighbors when the building has to be evacuated. But it does introduce a handy new excuse instead of blaming the dog….
The Free Tibet movement has been outsourcing production of its “snow lion flag” to Guangdong, according to this Ming Pao story. Unfortunately, that hasn’t gone over well with the authorities, who have detained a hapless factory owner for aiding the forces of “splittism.” For a discussion of the Tibetan flag go here. (Thanks to Nicholas Frisch)
Cambodians have been running scared of their cell phones in the wake of a rumor that a red number was appearing on screens and killing phone users, according to a Nation report. Sounds like this could be the plot of the next Japanese ghost movie. It fell to Posts and Telecommunications Minister So Khun to pooh-pooh the rumor: “In a moment we will hear that fish will grow legs and run away.”
There can be no worse crime in Hong Kong than letting a fat sum of money get away. Two fishermen caught a giant yellow croaker and sold it for HK$20,000. The fish was eventually resold to a restaurant for more than $1 million, Reuters reports. Gao cho a!
Japan must still rank as one of the safest countries in the world, aided by the police practice of torturing suspects into confessing their crimes. Proof that torture is working: The authorities have nothing better to do than enlist public help in tracking down a tulip destroyer, as reported by Mainichi.
Update: The pansy-basher of Saitama has been caught. But is he the tulip murderer? Marigolds have also been going missing….
Chinese dialects are inherently funny, as every fan of xiangsheng knows. Add to the mix a foreigner speaking a dialect and you’ve got something very special. Especially when, as in the case of Jonathan Kott, he’s getting shut down by Sichuan “la mei.” Maybe he just needs a haircut.
We just ran across a captivating new manga about a bald superhero. No, it’s not a Shaolin monk or the X-men’s Prof. Xavier. Make way for “Mark Mobius: An Illustrated Biography of the Father of Emerging Markets Funds.” Share the thrill of victory, as Mobius’s bet on tapioca stocks pays off after the Asian Financial Crises, as well as the agony of defeat, as he takes a bath on forged Turkish securities. You even find out why Mobius has no hair! But will Mobius ever get the girl? Stay tuned!
The Hong Kong American Chamber of Commerce has come out with the results of its survey of members’ experiences getting (or rather not getting) China visas, and the results are, basically, universal frustration and anger. An April 18 letter from Amcham’s President Richard Vuylsteke to the Foreign Ministry commissioner in Hong Kong concludes:
“Business people need stability to operate and the Hong Kong business community has been thrown into great turmoil as a result of the new and largely misunderstood visa policies. Hong Kong businesses rely upon ease of passage across the world’s busiest border crossing at Lowu and others from Hong Kong into China to earn their livelihoods and to sustain the enormous wealth creation for both China and Hong Kong they have achieved over the past thirty years, since modernization. These recent changes and, even more so, the way in which they have been implemented is a significant step backwards in that regard.”
Normally, TT doesn’t like to talk about the SCMP, since once you start critiquing the paper it’s hard to stop. Nevertheless, today’s front page was breathtaking even by the standards of CK “The Chicken” Lau’s editorship. If one of the core functions of a newspaper is to help you understand what everybody else is talking about, Hong Kong’s supposed paper of record fails miserably.
First there is the lead story on “artiste” Isabella Leong’s bid to get out of her contract with Emperor Entertainment Group. Twenty column inches and it fails to mention the most important reason the Chinese press has been buzzing about the story for weeks — 19-year-old Isabella is romantically linked to Li Ka-shing’s son Richard Li (who also has a few businesses of his own). This makes an unprecedented legal challenge to EEG more understandable.
Second, we learn at the bottom of the front page that CNN anchor journalist Richard Quest was arrested in New York’s Central Park with a bag of methamphetamine in his pocket. Never mind that, as the New York Post reports, the police observed a rope tied around his genitals and a sex toy in his boot, which certainly puts an entirely different cast on a night-time saunter through the park.
Yes, one expects more of a great city newspaper than simply gossipy details. But when front-page stories leave out such details that help the reader understand the story, one has to wonder at the editor’s news judgment.
One of our favorite travel writers, Chris Taylor, has weighed in here on the controversy over at least one Lonely Planet writer researching guidebooks without visiting the areas he was writing about. Thomas Kohnstamm’s forthcoming book “Do Travel Writers Go to Hell?” promises the inside scoop on how Lonely Planet writers cut corners. We know Chris was not one of those fraudsters, and he suggests that things have gone downhill at LP since he worked there, largely because its pay rates have been cut to a level where the writers cannot do the level of legwork needed to produce a reliable guide.
Chris, who has been living in Dali, has this damning comment on the latest LP guide to China:
“When the May 2007 edition of China came out, the reaction in Dali — and the neighbouring Tibetan tourist town of Zhongdian, re-branded in recent years as Shangri La — was initially shock. Not one of the six foreign-run and very popular bars in Dali rated a mention; but the Yunnan Cafe (which I first wrote up in 1991) did — despite the fact it had closed in 2000. In Shangri La, neither of the destination’s immensely popular Indian restaurants (run by Tibetan returnees from the sub-continent) or the town’s most popular bar, run by a British-American couple who are a mine of information on the region, got a mention.”
And finally, an anecdote on how travel writing can go badly wrong:
“I spent a very pleasurable evening over beers in China with a fellow guidebook writer perhaps a year ago. We swapped amusing guidebook disaster stories for hours to the horror of a group of backpackers who shared the bar with us. Finally, he confided in me how, on one particular rush job for a guidebook publisher I won’t name, he briefly visited a large lake in the far north of China. ‘I wrote in the book, ‘Nice lake, take a walk around it,’ ‘ he told me. ‘Problem was, half of it turned out to be in North Korea, and the first person who did, ended up in prison.’”
The American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong sent a rather plaintive “urgent notice” to its members yesterday, explaining that it has been receiving, surprise surprise, complaints from members who can’t get their usual business visas to go to the mainland. It seems the barbarian handlers at the Foreign Ministry are taking no chances that Merrill Lynch bankers might decide to unfurl Free Tibet banners in Tiananmen Square. Meanwhile they deny that the visa policy has changed.
You can see the problem: Amcham exists to represent its members, but it is hesitant to call the Foreign Ministry a bunch of liars. It’s patently obvious what is going on from our Wanchai window — the line of angry laowais outside the visa office is curling around the China Resources Building. Americans can count themselves lucky that they can still get single-entry visas after filling in a form documenting their entire life story, genealogy and exactly where they will be during their stay in the people’s paradise — other nationalities have apparently been completely banished.
So Amcham’s diplomatic response is to seek more evidence from its members. The new President Richard Vuylsteke writes: “To break through what appears to be confusion and perhaps a great wall of silence around a new visa policy, we need your anecdotes.” Perhaps readers can Blackberry him from the visa line.
The Phuket Gazette reported today on the opening of temple complex Wat Chalong’s new “three-million-baht restrooms.” Touted by the Thailand Office of Tourism Development as the “first international-standard public toilets” in Thailand, the lavish lavatories were built to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the death of monk Luang Por Chaem. Luang is best remembered for treating those injured during the Angyee Rebellion of Chinese miners. Undoubtedly he would be surprised to learn that part of his legacy would be to make more comfortable the 8,000 visits tourists make to the temple complex’s bathrooms each day.
The Jiaozhuanghu Tunnel Warfare Heritage Site is a fascinating piece of history 60 kilometers northeast of Beijing, where farmers built a network of tunnels to fight against the invading Japanese during World War II. As this China Daily article from 2005 explains, the curators are now trying to provide an authentic flavor of the period, instead of the usual Chinese approach to history of renovating everything until it looks brand new. However, the picture below suggests they may be taking this a little too far. (Thanks to Nicholas Frisch)
Your average American confusing Tibet and Nepal might be the basis for yet another amusing report on how pathetic Americans are at geography. But when National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley does so, it’s a little scary. Here’s a report on how Mr. Hadley repeatedly confused the two on one of the Sunday morning talk shows.
The Tibetans lost their country, now are they to lose even the clothes off their backs? A recent China Daily rant against the Tibetan Youth Congress employed some imagery that is over the top even by CCP propaganda standards:
“It’s hard — because that’s something I never thought of before — peeling off the clothes of someone else. I’m taking the risk of being charged as a suspect in a “sexual harassment” case and I can see the troubles there. Hah. However, currently, I have no fear and feel self-assured and rational. Now, we can use an equation to rip off the camouflage of the Tibetan Youth Congress.”
For those residents of Hong Kong who just can’t wait until the torch comes, the Hong Kong government has released the Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay game here. Players navigate a route that is curiously free of protesters, and pick up extra points by running over little balls on the road.
How long it will be before the game is hacked by either Free Tibet supporters or Beijing loyalists remains to be seen, but we fully expect to see a version in which the torch bearer is tackled straight out of the gate in Tsimshatsui, or runs down marauding splittists. As this recent Wired article notes, there seems to be little the Chinese hacker can’t accomplish when sufficiently motivated.
Jason Hu, the mayor of Taichung, has found a way to put those annoying young guys in white shirts and black nametags to work. According to this story, he’s got the Mormon missionaries helping to translate street signs into English so the city can attract more foreign visitors.
Scientists recently discovered that a rare species of frog in Borneo has no lungs. Sorry guys, but China had it first. The proof is the frog’s striking resemblance to batrachian former President Jiang Zemin.
Lungless frog
Jiang Zemin
It has been pointed out to us, however, that Mr. Jiang’s lineage may lie in a different part of the amphibean world. The web site Worth 1000 may be on to something in morphing the former leader with “crazy frog.” It would certainly explain his fondness for cheesy music.
Sometimes a toothpaste is just a toothpaste. But when that toothpaste is named “Oral Me,” the makers shouldn’t be surprised when consumers complain it has pornographic connotations.
Malaysians are up in arms about the saucy new brand, according to this New Straits Times article. As one shopper said, “It’s crude. It sounds like a statement more than anything else.”
The Japanese government is imposing mandatory “fat checks” on its citizens over the age of 40, and if you don’t lose that belly you may lose your job. That’s according to this Bloomberg story, which explains that the exams starting this month will be used to require companies to reduce their proportion of fatties, or else pay a fine. It might be outrageous, but then mandatory fitness is the logical result of socialized medicine. Orwell may yet be proved right, we will end up doing morning calisthenics in front of the telescreen.
TT is not in favor of a competition laws, on the grounds that they don’t promote competition, but rather government interference in the economy. Nevertheless, you would think that if a government were determined to enact such a law, it would at least be smart enough to entrust the drafting of it to somebody without a vested interest.
Not in Hong Kong. Today we learned that the government has commissioned a HK$16 million (US$2 million) study on anti-monopoly legislation from the law firm headed by Ronald Arculli. Mr. Arculli is a respectable gent, but among the many hats he wears are chairmanships at the Hong Kong Jockey Club, a licensed monopoly for gambling, and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, which has the monopoly on financial trading. We’d hazard that these august institutions will be given exemptions from any antitrust measures when the final legislation is announced. Which will prove our point about competition laws, they always end up being used by the politically well-connected to protect their own interests.
Here’s a roundup of enlightening videos recently discovered by Japundit. Taken together they show how Japanese culture maintains traditional values while assimilating foreign influences, or something like that:
TT’s favorite podcast is Learn Hindi From Bollywood Movies. Not for the Hindi instruction, mind you — we’re still stuck at the beginner level. But Arun’s wacky humor is a big part of the appeal (at least we think he’s trying to be funny), as well the cheesy dialogue, explained “line by line.” And the main draw is the music. Just you try not to bust a move when you hear those great dance numbers from yesteryear.
No wonder Japan’s population is shrinking!
CNN has a new report on the latest must-have accessory for affluent Japanese women: a toy boy. Sporting the androgynous looks of Korean soap opera stars, the men dress up and shower their paid dates with compliments. It’s companionship without the trouble of marriage, children, housework, etc.
So what are men up to? Self gratification mainly, if this report from Asia Times is to be believed. As one 35-year-old put it, “Sex is just way too much trouble.”
The Wall Street Journal just changed its style in all editions to remove the use of the words “today,” “tomorrow” and “yesterday,” to be replaced with references to the day of the week, or a specific date. The rationale is that since the Journal is a global and online publication, it can be confusing for readers (and editors) in different time zones to keep track of what day “today” is referring to.
A sign of the times, perhaps, but actually this is nothing new. When TT started as a junior editor at The Asian Wall Street Journal in 1994, words like “today” were also verboten — but for a very different reason. In those days, many of our readers around Asia received the newspaper the next day (and sometimes the next week). In just over a decade, Asia has gone from accepting news that was a day old to expecting news that is up to the minute.
India’s disinterest in the Olympics is refreshing — why should the pride of a nation be linked to how many medals its athletes win? But it does seem a shame how the country’s marksmen have had their dreams of gold dashed. As Reuters reports, the government long supplied the shooters with ammunition, but a couple years ago suddenly stopped the flow of bullets, which are difficult to import. As a result, the coach is claiming there’s not much point in sending the poorly prepared team to the Beijing games. Contrast that with China’s massive state sports apparatus, which selects young children to undergo years of government-sponsored training. Perhaps India’s athletes should just give up on sports and concentrate on earning a living.
The standard of living in Japan is depressingly low considering its affluence, what with long hours of work, small apartments and high prices. But worst of all may be the fact that by the time they reach middle age, one-third of the population isn’t getting any. According to this report, the Japan Society of Sexual Science found that almost 38% of couples in their 50s are in “sexless marriages,” meaning they haven’t had sex in the last year and don’t expect things to change.
Meanwhile, the Mainichi newspaper is trying to help couples enjoy sex better with this column describing how the shape of the woman’s anatomy favors certain positions. The headline says it all: “When It Comes to Sex Positions, Tight Is Right.”
One of our favorite stores in New York is Maxilla & Mandible, where you can buy many kinds of bones — once including the human variety, although it seems they are not in that business anymore. The traditional source of human bones has long been India, where corpses are fished out of the rivers, or even stolen from graves, the flesh stripped off and then sold on mostly for use in medical schools for learning anatomy. But the Indian authorities have begun cracking down on the ghoulish trade. As this fascinating Wired article details, it’s big business in some parts, given that a skeleton goes for about US$3,000.
A Japanese kid pushes a stranger in front of a train for the heck of it, via Mainichi, with a hat tip to Japundit. He said he wanted to go to prison. Looks like he will get his wish.
