A few weeks ago, placards with colored block letters appeared at the front and rear gates of my apartment complex: “Congratulations (for) Passing the Precision Safety Checkup for Reconstruction!” Similar signs on large white sheets were also posted on the walls and fences of nearby apartments. It is not clear who posted them but security guards say that the apartment management office did the advertising. Of course, I know what the placards mean and why the landlords felt justified spending mone

How would you define “air force pilot?” One might respond that an air force pilot is a soldier in the cockpit of a jet fighter flying through enemy airspace, under attack from surface-to-air missiles and antiaircraft guns. The advent of the drone age is now changing the definition and has also brought forth new questions. Air force operators of drones (officially dubbed “Unmanned Aerial Vehicles”) are now being categorized by some countries, including the United States since 2009, as military pi

When the issues of responsibility and failure become the primary concern of our society, the memory of the tragic Sewol disaster will surely haunt us. Even though our beloved young children who died in that ill-fated ferry forgive us and take us in, we cannot ever forget our unbearable guilt. Indeed, the enormous gulf of guilt cannot be bridged, no matter how hard we try to atone. Even though we are grief-stricken, we will soon forget the disaster as usual because we have an incredibly short mem

WASHINGTON ― In the chess game that is the Ukraine crisis, it’s increasingly clear that Russian President Vladimir Putin hasn’t thought his way through to the endgame. He’s aggressive in his moves, but also calculating. He wants success, but not at any cost. This complex picture of Putin is emerging as analysts study his latest contradictory moves in eastern Ukraine. After several weeks of encouraging Russian-speaking separatists there, Putin said Wednesday that he wanted them to delay a referen

NEW YORK ― Last month, a remarkable gathering occurred in Medellin, Colombia. Some 22,000 people came together to attend the World Urban Forum and discuss the future of cities. The focus was on creating “cities for life” ― that is, on promoting equitable development in the urban environments in which a majority of the world’s citizens already live, and in which two thirds will reside by the year 2050.The location itself was symbolic: Once notorious for its drug gangs, Medellin now has a well-des

Even though French economist Thomas Piketty has made an airtight case that we’re heading toward levels of inequality not seen since the days of the 19th-century robber barons, right-wing conservatives haven’t stopped lying about what’s happening and what to do about it.Herewith, the four biggest right-wing lies about inequality, followed by the truth.Lie No. 1: The rich and CEOs are America’s job creators. So we dare not tax them.The truth is, the middle class and poor are the job creators throu