Content about Punctuation

There is diabolical cunning behind the alarming idea that 10,000 demonstrators should band together to “Occupy Central” in July 2014. May I ask where else could a mass of 10,000 “Occupy Central” other than Statue Square? It is the only open space available there, and, for the mob, has the added advantage that once it is fully “occupied”, a choke-hold would be applied to the CBD’s windpipe.

Why are first ladies so important in the United States despite the fact that they are unpaid and have no official responsibilities? There are several reasons, but the most important reason is that they are role models for other women in the US.

Theodore Roosevelt called the White House the “bully pulpit”, as he believed it was the perfect platform for promoting social causes and ideals. All the first ladies since “Lady Bird” Johnson in the 1960s have used the bully pulpit to advance social causes.

What are the limits to China’s industrial revolution? How much more can the economy grow before it reaches its absolute maximum, when arguably its exponential growth will halt from inertia? And, if that happens, will the next step be downward? If we assume that growth such as China’s must inevitably reach a pinnacle, how much longer will it be before its industrial expansion reaches its utmost limit?

“I’ve always been asked how important literary prizes are, and I must shamelessly say they are bloody important,” said Tan Twan Eng, on stage at a black-tie prize dinner in Hong Kong, surprising his audience.

The Malaysian lawyer-turned-writer has won the 2012 Man Asian Literary Prize, the region’s most prestigious literary award, for his second novel The Garden of Evening Mists, a story set in the aftermath of the Japanese occupation of Malaya.

Jin Changhua puts down his phone with visible irritation, his good mood exorcized. That was the landlord — backing out of their deal. He told Jin he doesn’t trust fresh mainland graduates, just beginning — it’s a year’s rent up front, or the deal’s off.

“It’s OK,” he says tautly. “We have a second choice ready to go. Always have a second choice. It’s one of the things we learnt.”

People will see Tsang Kin-ping as an unfortunate, unlucky man. Consigned by unkind Fate to live in darkness, Tsang traveled a long and often lonely road for years. He experienced times of terror. Yet many years along his path, he doesn’t consider himself unlucky. Through a wish fulfilled, he’s found a new light and today thinks of himself as a lucky man.

Vice-Premier Zhang Dejiang has quashed speculation that Hong Kong’s autonomy will be reduced and that the central government will tighten its policies towards Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions.

Zhang, who is also a member of the Party’s top decision-making body, told National People’s Congress deputies from the two SARs in Beijing on Thursday that the “One Country, Two Systems” principle will not change.

Most people want a healthy, quality democratic system for Hong Kong. But we must guard against attempts by ill-motivated parties to exploit popular goodwill for personal benefit at the expense of genuine democratic reform.

Sydney has the distinction of hosting one of the biggest Chinese New Year festivals outside China and will be one of the key destinations for more than 80,000 Chinese who are expected to make their way Down Under to ring in the Lunar New Year.

This year promises to be the biggest yet with more than 3,500 people taking part in the Twilight Parade on Feb 17 that will weave its way through the city and finish in Sydney’s historic Chinatown.

Festival director Gill Minervini says she expects more than 100,000 people to watch this year’s parade.

The progress in women’s issues in the past few decades notwithstanding, Asian women are still not well represented in the corporate world.

The Singapore Board Diversity Report 2012: The Female Factor says Asia still lags behind Europe and America in boardroom gender diversity. In Europe, while Norway has the best score with women making up about 40 percent on boards, the global average for women is 11.1 percent.

Even Singapore falls short with only 7.3 percent women board members in 2011 despite a small increase from the 2010 figure of 6.9 percent.

Investors remain optimistic that real estate in Asia will be a good hedge against inflation while keeping an eye on frontier markets.

In times of uncertainty in the global economy — the eurozone crisis, slowdown in China and a wobbly US recovery — property is a safe bet. Asia seems no exception to this age-old rule.