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Thursday, October 18, 2012
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Psy mends rift; U.S. No. 1 proves elusive
 |
| Entertainers Kim Jang-hoon (left) and Psy publicly rekindle their friendship at the “Night of the Stars 2012” concert on Wednesday after a recent plagiarism dispute between the two. (Yonhap News) |
For the third consecutive week Maroon 5 has kept Psy from topping the U.S. Billboard charts, and with “Gangnam Style” beginning to lose ground, it is beginning to look as though Psy will have to keep his shirt on.
Last week Maroon 5 bested Psy by less than 500 overall chart points. This week, however, the gap widened to a 700-point separation between Maroon 5’s “One More Night” and “Gangnam Style.” Although “One More Night” increased by less than one percent in overall points, “Gangnam Style” saw a decline of one percent. On the digital songs chart, “Gangnam Style” also fell 13 percent, slipping from the number two spot to number four.
Friendship reaffirmed
Meanwhile, as Psy was performing at the “Night of the Stars 2012” concert in Seoul, fellow entertainer Kim Jang-hoon made a surprise visit and publicly apologized on the stage for the recent conflict between the two performers.
Kim apologized to Psy for all the misunderstandings saying, “I felt bad that I was getting in the way of my loving brother’s prosperous path.” Psy also apologized for all the worry that he had caused. The two then took a “love shot” of soju and embraced one another in a demonstration of friendship.
The bad blood between the two singers started with accusations of Psy plagiarizing Kim’s stage production technique and performances. Kim had previously posted distressing messages on his me2day page that were later seen as being directed toward Psy, causing tension between the two.
MOGEF ban lifted
After recently updating its music censorship policies, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family announced that it lifted the restrictions on Psy’s 2010 hit song “Right Now.”
The song was originally deemed unfit for minors because of the lyrics which include the line “Life is a strong alcohol.” Under previous MOGEF regulations, all songs featuring words concerning drinking and smoking could not be sold to those under the age of 19 and could not be aired until after a certain hour.
The ministry lifted the restrictions on around 300 songs, including 2pm’s “Hands Up” and Jang Hye-jin’s “Drinking.”
By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)
US deficit tops $1 trillion for fourth year
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. budget deficit has topped $1 trillion for a fourth
straight year, but a modest improvement in economic growth helped narrow the gap
by $207 billion compared with last year.
The Treasury Department said Friday the deficit for the 2012 budget year totaled $1.1 trillion. Tax revenue rose 6.4 percent from last year to more than $2.4 trillion, helping contain the deficit.
The government's revenue rose as more people got jobs and received income. Corporations also contributed more tax revenue than in 2011.
Government spending fell 1.7 percent to $3.5 trillion. The decline reflected, in part, less defense spending as U.S. military involvement in Iraq was winding down.
Barack Obama's presidency has now coincided with four straight $1 trillion-plus annual budget deficits _ the first in history and an issue in an election campaign that ends in Nov. 6.
Obama's Republican challenger, Mitt Romney, contends that Obama failed to achieve a pledge to halve the deficit he inherited by the end of his first term.
When Obama took office in January 2009, the Congressional Budget Office forecast that the deficit for that year would total $1.2 trillion. It ended up at a record $1.41 trillion.
The increase was due, in part, to higher government spending to fight the worst recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s Tax cuts enacted under President George W. Bush and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan contributed to the deficits.
The budget gaps in 2010 and 2011 were slightly lower than the 2009 deficit as a gradually strengthening economy generated more tax revenue. But the deficits still exceeded $1 trillion.
Obama is campaigning for a second term with a pledge to cut deficits by $4 trillion over the next decade. He says he would do so by ending the Bush-era income tax cuts for higher-income Americans and by restraining the growth of spending.
Romney has said he would cut spending growth to help narrow the budget gap. He would cap spending at 20 percent of the economy by 2016. Spending in 2012 accounted for about 23 percent of the economy.
The government borrowed about 31 cents of every dollar it spent in 2012. The string of $1 trillion-plus deficits has driven the national debt above $16 trillion. The magnitude of that figure has intensified debate in Congress over spending and taxes but little movement toward compromise.
Many fear the budget deadlock will send the economy over a ``fiscal cliff'' next year, when tax increases and deep spending cuts will take effect unless a budget deal is reached.
Obama wants to eliminate the income tax cuts for families that make more than $250,000.
Republicans in Congress and Romney have resisted. They argue that with the economy still weak, the government should not be raising anyone's taxes.
Congress may address the budget crisis during a lame-duck session of Congress after the November elections.
(AP)
US deficit tops $1 trillion for fourth year
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. budget deficit has topped $1 trillion for a fourth straight year, but a modest improvement in economic growth helped narrow the gap by $207 billion compared with last year.
The Treasury Department said Friday the deficit for the 2012 budget year totaled $1.1 trillion. Tax revenue rose 6.4 percent from last year to more than $2.4 trillion, helping contain the deficit.
The government's revenue rose as more people got jobs and received income. Corporations also contributed more tax revenue than in 2011.
Government spending fell 1.7 percent to $3.5 trillion. The decline reflected, in part, less defense spending as U.S. military involvement in Iraq was winding down.
Barack Obama's presidency has now coincided with four straight $1 trillion-plus annual budget deficits _ the first in history and an issue in an election campaign that ends in Nov. 6.
Obama's Republican challenger, Mitt Romney, contends that Obama failed to achieve a pledge to halve the deficit he inherited by the end of his first term.
When Obama took office in January 2009, the Congressional Budget Office forecast that the deficit for that year would total $1.2 trillion. It ended up at a record $1.41 trillion.
The increase was due, in part, to higher government spending to fight the worst recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s Tax cuts enacted under President George W. Bush and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan contributed to the deficits.
The budget gaps in 2010 and 2011 were slightly lower than the 2009 deficit as a gradually strengthening economy generated more tax revenue. But the deficits still exceeded $1 trillion.
Obama is campaigning for a second term with a pledge to cut deficits by $4 trillion over the next decade. He says he would do so by ending the Bush-era income tax cuts for higher-income Americans and by restraining the growth of spending.
Romney has said he would cut spending growth to help narrow the budget gap. He would cap spending at 20 percent of the economy by 2016. Spending in 2012 accounted for about 23 percent of the economy.
The government borrowed about 31 cents of every dollar it spent in 2012. The string of $1 trillion-plus deficits has driven the national debt above $16 trillion. The magnitude of that figure has intensified debate in Congress over spending and taxes but little movement toward compromise.
Many fear the budget deadlock will send the economy over a ``fiscal cliff'' next year, when tax increases and deep spending cuts will take effect unless a budget deal is reached.
Obama wants to eliminate the income tax cuts for families that make more than $250,000.
Republicans in Congress and Romney have resisted. They argue that with the economy still weak, the government should not be raising anyone's taxes.
Congress may address the budget crisis during a lame-duck session of Congress after the November elections.
(AP)
The Treasury Department said Friday the deficit for the 2012 budget year totaled $1.1 trillion. Tax revenue rose 6.4 percent from last year to more than $2.4 trillion, helping contain the deficit.
The government's revenue rose as more people got jobs and received income. Corporations also contributed more tax revenue than in 2011.
Government spending fell 1.7 percent to $3.5 trillion. The decline reflected, in part, less defense spending as U.S. military involvement in Iraq was winding down.
Barack Obama's presidency has now coincided with four straight $1 trillion-plus annual budget deficits _ the first in history and an issue in an election campaign that ends in Nov. 6.
Obama's Republican challenger, Mitt Romney, contends that Obama failed to achieve a pledge to halve the deficit he inherited by the end of his first term.
When Obama took office in January 2009, the Congressional Budget Office forecast that the deficit for that year would total $1.2 trillion. It ended up at a record $1.41 trillion.
The increase was due, in part, to higher government spending to fight the worst recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s Tax cuts enacted under President George W. Bush and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan contributed to the deficits.
The budget gaps in 2010 and 2011 were slightly lower than the 2009 deficit as a gradually strengthening economy generated more tax revenue. But the deficits still exceeded $1 trillion.
Obama is campaigning for a second term with a pledge to cut deficits by $4 trillion over the next decade. He says he would do so by ending the Bush-era income tax cuts for higher-income Americans and by restraining the growth of spending.
Romney has said he would cut spending growth to help narrow the budget gap. He would cap spending at 20 percent of the economy by 2016. Spending in 2012 accounted for about 23 percent of the economy.
The government borrowed about 31 cents of every dollar it spent in 2012. The string of $1 trillion-plus deficits has driven the national debt above $16 trillion. The magnitude of that figure has intensified debate in Congress over spending and taxes but little movement toward compromise.
Many fear the budget deadlock will send the economy over a ``fiscal cliff'' next year, when tax increases and deep spending cuts will take effect unless a budget deal is reached.
Obama wants to eliminate the income tax cuts for families that make more than $250,000.
Republicans in Congress and Romney have resisted. They argue that with the economy still weak, the government should not be raising anyone's taxes.
Congress may address the budget crisis during a lame-duck session of Congress after the November elections.
(AP)
US deficit tops $1 trillion for fourth year
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. budget deficit has topped $1 trillion for a fourth straight year, but a modest improvement in economic growth helped narrow the gap by $207 billion compared with last year.
The Treasury Department said Friday the deficit for the 2012 budget year totaled $1.1 trillion. Tax revenue rose 6.4 percent from last year to more than $2.4 trillion, helping contain the deficit.
The government's revenue rose as more people got jobs and received income. Corporations also contributed more tax revenue than in 2011.
Government spending fell 1.7 percent to $3.5 trillion. The decline reflected, in part, less defense spending as U.S. military involvement in Iraq was winding down.
Barack Obama's presidency has now coincided with four straight $1 trillion-plus annual budget deficits _ the first in history and an issue in an election campaign that ends in Nov. 6.
Obama's Republican challenger, Mitt Romney, contends that Obama failed to achieve a pledge to halve the deficit he inherited by the end of his first term.
When Obama took office in January 2009, the Congressional Budget Office forecast that the deficit for that year would total $1.2 trillion. It ended up at a record $1.41 trillion.
The increase was due, in part, to higher government spending to fight the worst recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s Tax cuts enacted under President George W. Bush and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan contributed to the deficits.
The budget gaps in 2010 and 2011 were slightly lower than the 2009 deficit as a gradually strengthening economy generated more tax revenue. But the deficits still exceeded $1 trillion.
Obama is campaigning for a second term with a pledge to cut deficits by $4 trillion over the next decade. He says he would do so by ending the Bush-era income tax cuts for higher-income Americans and by restraining the growth of spending.
Romney has said he would cut spending growth to help narrow the budget gap. He would cap spending at 20 percent of the economy by 2016. Spending in 2012 accounted for about 23 percent of the economy.
The government borrowed about 31 cents of every dollar it spent in 2012. The string of $1 trillion-plus deficits has driven the national debt above $16 trillion. The magnitude of that figure has intensified debate in Congress over spending and taxes but little movement toward compromise.
Many fear the budget deadlock will send the economy over a ``fiscal cliff'' next year, when tax increases and deep spending cuts will take effect unless a budget deal is reached.
Obama wants to eliminate the income tax cuts for families that make more than $250,000.
Republicans in Congress and Romney have resisted. They argue that with the economy still weak, the government should not be raising anyone's taxes.
Congress may address the budget crisis during a lame-duck session of Congress after the November elections.
(AP)
Monday, October 8, 2012
Chavez wins re-election, electoral council says
 |
| Accompanied by his daughter Rosa Virginia, left, Venezuela`s President Hugo Chavez gestures to supporters as he leaves the polling station after voting in the presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday. (AP-Yonhap News) |
President Hugo Chavez won re-election Sunday, defeating challenger Henrique Capriles and gaining six more years to cement his legacy and press ahead with his crusade for socialism in Venezuela.
With about 90 percent of votes counted, Chavez had more than 54 percent of the vote, and Capriles had 45 percent, National Electoral Council president Tibisay Lucena said. She said 81 percent of the nearly 19 million registered voters cast ballots, one of the largest turnouts in years.
It was Chavez's third re-election victory in nearly 14 years in office, though by a smaller margin than in 2006, when he won 63 percent of the votes.
Fireworks exploded in downtown Caracas, and Chavez's supporters celebrated waving flags and jumping for joy outside the presidential palace.
Chavez won more than 7.4 million votes, beating Capriles by more than 1.2 million votes, Lucena said.
Capriles congratulated Chavez and told his supporters not to feel defeated.
“We have planted many seeds across Venezuela and I know that these seeds are going to produce many trees,” he told supporters in a speech late Sunday.
Chavez spent heavily in the months before the vote, building public housing and bankrolling expanded social programs providing benefits to poor families.
Capriles, a youthful state governor, became a strong challenger after winning a February primary and rallied an opposition that grew more united and better organized than in the past. But in the end, it was no match for Chavez's electoral prowess.
Just as polls closed on Sunday night, hundreds of young red-shirted Chavistas took to the streets on motorcycles and said they were ready to begin celebrating.
“Let them accept defeat,” Kleiver Gutierrez said of the opposition.
People holding posters of Chavez shouted to passing cars outside the Miraflores presidential palace.
One pro-Chavez voter, private bodyguard Carlos Julio Silva, said that whatever his faults, Chavez deserved to win for spreading the nation's oil wealth to the poor with free medical care, public housing and other government largess. The country has the world's largest proven oil reserves.
“There is corruption, there's plenty of bureaucracy, but the people have never had a leader who cared about this country,” Silva said after voting for Chavez at a school in the Caracas slum of Petare. “That's why the people are going to re-elect Hugo Rafael Chavez Frias.”
At many polling places, voters began lining up hours before polls opened at dawn, some snaking for blocks in the baking Caribbean sun. Some shaded themselves with umbrellas. Vendors grilled meat and some people drank beer.
Maria Leonis was selling CDs of Chavez's campaign theme music on a sidewalk next to a polling center. “Today I've sold about 100 CDs, just Chavez's song,” Leonis said, adding that she supported Chavez because “I want to keep seeing change.”
Chavez's critics say the president has inflamed divisions by labeling his opponents “fascists,” `'Yankees” and “neo-Nazis,” and it's likely hard for many of his opponents to stomach another six years of the loquacious and conflictive leader.
Some said before the vote that they'd consider leaving the country if Chavez won.
Gino Caso, an auto mechanic, said Chavez is power-hungry and out of touch with problems such as crime. He said his son had been robbed, as had neighboring shops.
“I don't know what planet he lives on,” Caso said, gesturing with hands blackened with grease. “He wants to be like Fidel Castro _ end up with everything, take control of the country.”
The 40-year-old Capriles, a wiry former governor affectionately called “Skinny” by supporters, infused the opposition with new optimism, and opinion polls pointed to him giving Chavez his closest election contest ever.
Chavez spoke little during the campaign about his fight with cancer, which since June 2011 has included surgery to remove tumors from his pelvic region as well as chemotherapy and radiation treatment. He has said his most recent tests showed no sign of illness. (AP)
Foxconn workers return to iPhone production after stoppage
Foxconn Technology Group workers returned
to the assembly line in Zhengzhou, China, that makes Apple Inc.’s iPhone 5 after
walking off their jobs Saturday, advocacy group China Labor Watch said.
A dispute occurred between the production and quality teams at the factory and that was resolved by Saturday afternoon, Simon Hsing, a spokesman for Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Foxconn’s flagship unit, said in a phone interview.
“Three to four thousand” production employees walked off the job at the plant Saturday, and they returned to work Sunday after the management said they’d be fired for a failure to turn up, Executive Director Li Qiang said.
The workers action happened after they were being made to work through a holiday week and being subject to “overly strict” product-quality demands without adequate training, the group said in a press release dated Oct. 5. The walkout was the result of demands placed by Apple on its manufacturer to improve the quality of the iPhone 5 after customers complained that the company’s latest handset had scratches, China Labor Watch said.
“What’s important is the implication,” said Daniel Chang, an analyst with Macquarie Securities Ltd. in Taipei. “At a time when China’s wage level is rising it’s creating big challenges for assembly plants like Foxconn.”
Louis Woo, a spokesman for Foxconn, denied there had been 4,000 workers involved in a strike or work stoppage, speaking in a phone interview.
The issue adds to the labor woes Taiwan-based Foxconn has faced in the past two years, after a fight among 2,000 workers at another plant in China resulted in a production stoppage last month.
Foxconn raised overly strict demands on product quality without providing worker training for the corresponding skills, China Labor Watch wrote. This led to products that did not meet standards and ultimately put a tremendous amount of pressure on workers, it said. (Bloomberg)
A dispute occurred between the production and quality teams at the factory and that was resolved by Saturday afternoon, Simon Hsing, a spokesman for Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Foxconn’s flagship unit, said in a phone interview.
“Three to four thousand” production employees walked off the job at the plant Saturday, and they returned to work Sunday after the management said they’d be fired for a failure to turn up, Executive Director Li Qiang said.
 |
| Workers walk outside a Foxconn plant in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China. (Bloomberg) |
The workers action happened after they were being made to work through a holiday week and being subject to “overly strict” product-quality demands without adequate training, the group said in a press release dated Oct. 5. The walkout was the result of demands placed by Apple on its manufacturer to improve the quality of the iPhone 5 after customers complained that the company’s latest handset had scratches, China Labor Watch said.
“What’s important is the implication,” said Daniel Chang, an analyst with Macquarie Securities Ltd. in Taipei. “At a time when China’s wage level is rising it’s creating big challenges for assembly plants like Foxconn.”
Louis Woo, a spokesman for Foxconn, denied there had been 4,000 workers involved in a strike or work stoppage, speaking in a phone interview.
The issue adds to the labor woes Taiwan-based Foxconn has faced in the past two years, after a fight among 2,000 workers at another plant in China resulted in a production stoppage last month.
Foxconn raised overly strict demands on product quality without providing worker training for the corresponding skills, China Labor Watch wrote. This led to products that did not meet standards and ultimately put a tremendous amount of pressure on workers, it said. (Bloomberg)
Psy tops Chinese online music chart
South Korean rapper-singer Psy has topped a Chinese online music chart, as
the popularity of his global hit "Gangnam Style" spills over into the world's
most populous country, a Web site showed Monday.
"Gangnam Style" ranked No. 1 on the music search service of China's largest search engine, Baidu.
The song has caught on with fans in China after Psy's popularity spread from the United States, where the single first went viral, to Europe and Latin America.
"Gangnam Style" became a global sensation just a few months after its debut, with the music video for it spawning numerous copycat videos and parodies on the Internet.
The video features the singer's trademark quirky style that amuses audiences of all ages, combined with a signature "horse-riding" dance.
Psy, whose given Korean name is Park Jae-sang, topped the iTunes Chart last month with his latest single, making him the first Korean artist to reach No. 1 on the U.S. online chart.
On the Billboard chart, Psy ranked second for the second consecutive week, according to Billboard.com. The song jumped to No. 1 on the British Official Singles Chart last week.
Although the song has few English-language lyrics, its music is familiar to Western listeners with its catchy pop melodies mixed with electronic dance beats.
Psy's combination of light music with his good-natured humor, easy-to-learn dance moves and the catchy chorus, "Oppan Gangnam Style," has created a worldwide phenomenon.
Renowned U.S. magazine New Yorker said the cultural impact Gangnam Style has made on the global audience drew envy from China.
"In China, the Gangnam phenomenon carries a special pique. It has left people asking, 'Why couldn't we come up with that?'" wrote Evan Osonos, Beijing-based writer for New Yorker, on the magazine's blog.
Chinese political leaders have been stressing China's need to boost its "soft power" in a bid to remake the country's international image, which is more inclined toward the "hard power"
of politics and economic size.
In 2007, Chinese President Hu Jintao defined "soft power"
development as a key national strategy.
Confucius Institutes, which promote Chinese language and culture across the world, were seen as one such initiative for advancing China's cultural influence internationally. (Yonhap News)
"Gangnam Style" ranked No. 1 on the music search service of China's largest search engine, Baidu.
The song has caught on with fans in China after Psy's popularity spread from the United States, where the single first went viral, to Europe and Latin America.
"Gangnam Style" became a global sensation just a few months after its debut, with the music video for it spawning numerous copycat videos and parodies on the Internet.
The video features the singer's trademark quirky style that amuses audiences of all ages, combined with a signature "horse-riding" dance.
Psy, whose given Korean name is Park Jae-sang, topped the iTunes Chart last month with his latest single, making him the first Korean artist to reach No. 1 on the U.S. online chart.
On the Billboard chart, Psy ranked second for the second consecutive week, according to Billboard.com. The song jumped to No. 1 on the British Official Singles Chart last week.
Although the song has few English-language lyrics, its music is familiar to Western listeners with its catchy pop melodies mixed with electronic dance beats.
Psy's combination of light music with his good-natured humor, easy-to-learn dance moves and the catchy chorus, "Oppan Gangnam Style," has created a worldwide phenomenon.
Renowned U.S. magazine New Yorker said the cultural impact Gangnam Style has made on the global audience drew envy from China.
"In China, the Gangnam phenomenon carries a special pique. It has left people asking, 'Why couldn't we come up with that?'" wrote Evan Osonos, Beijing-based writer for New Yorker, on the magazine's blog.
Chinese political leaders have been stressing China's need to boost its "soft power" in a bid to remake the country's international image, which is more inclined toward the "hard power"
of politics and economic size.
In 2007, Chinese President Hu Jintao defined "soft power"
development as a key national strategy.
Confucius Institutes, which promote Chinese language and culture across the world, were seen as one such initiative for advancing China's cultural influence internationally. (Yonhap News)
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Psy offers bridge across world
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