Georgia Asian Times: April 15-30, 2016

Covering The Multicultural Asian American Community in Georgia

www.gasiantimes.com

April 15-30, 2016

Exploring Korean cuisine in Gwinnett

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April 15-30, 2016 Georgia Asian Times

Georgia Asian Times April 15-30, 2016

Publisher: Li Wong Account Manager: Adrian West Contributors: Andrian Putra, May Lee, Mark Ho, Helen Nguyen Photographer: Ben Hioe

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All Rights Reserved: including those to reproduce this printing or parts thereof in any form without permission in writing from Georgia Asian Times. Established in 2004, the Georgia Asian Times is published by Asiamax Inc. All facts, opinions, and statements appearing within this publication are those of writers and editors themseleves, and are in no way to be construed as statements, positions, endorsements by Georgia Asian Times or its officers.

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GAT Calendar of Events GAT welcome submission of announcement pertaining to community related events.

Please email event, date, venue, and time to gat@gasiantimes.com.

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Asian/Pacific American Council of Georgia (APAC) Annual Gala Date: Saturday, May 7, 2016 Time: 6:00 pm Venue: Sonesta Gwinnett Place

Asian/Pacific American Council of Georgia (APAC) Annual Gala Date: Saturday, May 7, 2016 Time: 6:00 pm Venue: Sonesta Gwinnett Place

Symposium on Asia-USA Partnership Opportunities (SAUPO) Date: Friday, April 22, 2016 Time: 7:00 am - 6:00 pm Venue: Renaissance Atlanta Waverly Hotel, 2450 Cobb Galleria Parkway, Atlanta, GA Registration: $199.00 (early bird by April 1) For more info: www.kennesaw.edu/ saupo/

“Think Asia, Think Hong Kong�

Guest Speaker: Ralph Chow, Regional Director, Americas of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council Presented by Hong Kong Association, Atlanta Date: June 1, 2016 Time: 3:30 pm - 6:15 pm Venue: City Club of Buckhead, 3343 Peachtree Road, Suite 1850, Atlanta GA 30326 For more info: www.hongkongatlanta. com RSVP required by May 25, 2016

Gwinnett Multicultural Festival Date: Saturday, April 30, 2016 Time: 11:00 am - 3:00 pm Venue: Gwinnett Place Mall, 2100 Pleasant Hill Road (Between JC Penney and Belk) For more info: Nicole Love Hendrickson 770.822.8877

GAT 25 Most Influential Asian Americans in Georgia - Awards Gala Date: Tuesday, July 12, 2016 Time: 6:30 pm Venue: Sonesta Gwinnett Place For sponsorship & registration, please email: gat@gasiantimes.com

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April 15-30, 2016 Georgia Asian Times

METRO ASIAN NEWS

College students in Georgia will not face tuition increase in 2016-2017 academic year Atlanta, April 13, 2016 — All University System of Georgia (USG) students will pay the same tuition for the 20162017 academic year as the current 2015-2016 academic year tuition rates for each USG institution.

The Board of Regents has approved plans announced earlier this year for no tuition increases.

“We are committed to making college affordable for Georgians,” said Chancellor Hank Huckaby. “As part of our commitment, we are pleased to announce the Board of Regents has unanimously voted for a zero percent tuition increase for all USG institutions for the 2016-2017 academic year.”

Additionally, the Board approved a 20 percent decrease in the cost of eMajor credit hours for the 2016-2017 academic year, from $250 per credit hour to $199 per credit hour. The USG’s eMajor initiative allows students to enroll and to complete specific associate’s and bachelor’s degrees through on-line learning programs. This decrease in certain on-line course tuition is another step the Board is taking to reduce the cost of online education and further support students in earning their degrees.

The University System already provides free, open-source, on-line e-textbooks through the Affordable Learning Georgia initiative, which is estimated to save USG students more than $15 million in the current academic year.

“The Board’s action today demonstrates the importance the University System places on providing quality, public higher education, while keeping costs down for students and their families,” said Shelley Nickel, Vice Chancellor for Fiscal Affairs and Planning.

Georgia’s University System remains ranked the seventh lowest in tuition and fees, for four-year institutions, out of the 16 states that make up the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB).

Indonesia is considering plans to join TPP Atlanta, April 14, 2016 — Indonesia is considering its plans to join the U.S. led Trans Pacific Trade Partnership (TPP) in the coming years, said Honorable Henk Edward Saroinsong, Consul General of Republic of Indonesia, Houston. He was speaking at a half-day forum on Trade, Tourism, and Investment Promotion Forum held in downtown Atlanta.

“U.S. is an important market for Indonesian products and commodities.

We are currently the world’s third biggest coffee producing countries,” adds the Consul General, who also attended the Specialty Coffee Association of America Expo in Atlanta.

“Indonesia is making tremendous progress in its deregulation and infrastructure developments. With such development, it has simplify business investment criteria for foreign investor seeking to invest in Indonesia,” said Consul General Saroinsong.

Local business representatives and executives attended the half-day Indonesian forum.

Participants at the forum were briefed on the latest tax incentives, economic policies and economic incentives to invest in Indonesia.

Georgia Asian Times April 15-30, 2016

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April 15-30, 2016 Georgia Asian Times

BUSINESS

China records 6.7 percent Q1 GDP growth, slowest since 2009 Shanghai, April 12, 2016 — Economists say that China grew at its slowest pace since the financial crisis in the first quarter, highlighting continued downward pressure on the world’s second largest economy despite some tentative recent signs of stabilization.

Growth in first quarter gross domestic product (GDP) likely slowed to 6.7 per cent from the same period last year, down from 6.8 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2015, according to a Reuters poll of 64 economists.

That would be the weakest pace of expansion since the first quarter of 2009, when growth fell to 6.2 per cent.

China’s economy grew 6.9 per cent in 2015, its slowest rate in more than two decades.

Forecasts for annual growth in the first quarter ranged from 5.8 per cent to 7.2 per cent, with a median of 6.7 per cent.

Hopeful signs While downdrafts from uneven global demand, over-investment in several

key sectors and weakening productivity among state-owned firms remain, recent signs of a tentative pick-up in real estate and industry provide some reasons for optimism.

Annual growth in fixed asset investment quickened to 10.2 per cent in January and February combined from 10 per cent in the whole of 2015, while industrial profits during those two months unexpectedly rose by 4.8 per cent from a year earlier, ending a seven-month streak of declines.

During those two months — China combined their data to account for the shifting dates for the long Lunar New Year holiday — industrial profits unexpectedly rose by 4.8 per cent from a year earlier, ending a seven-month streak of declines.

Other recent indicators including factory purchasing managers’ indexes and China’s producer price index have also hinted at some initial signs of stabilization.

“In Q1, we saw some stabilization in March for the real part of the economy,

and property investment also rebounded in January and February, so it shows that the hard core activity seems to have slightly picked up,” said Yang Zhao, chief China economist at Nomura in Hong Kong.

“But in terms of the contribution of financial sector in Q1, it’s going to have significantly retreated. That’s why we think the overall GDP will continue to slow down from the last Q4,” he said.

Analysts said that despite some signs of green shoots and an uptick in consumer price inflation (CPI), the central bank was likely to keep monetary policy accommodative to hit money supply and growth targets, and aid heavily indebted industrial firms to refinance expensive debt.

“CPI inflation is already higher than the one-year deposit rate, meaning the room for additional rate cuts is limited,” said Ding Shuang, head of Greater China economic research at Standard Chartered in Hong Kong.

“But bank required reserve ratio cuts will continue as they will be necessary to achieve the 13 per cent money supply growth target this year,” he said.

China’s bank has been engaged in an extended easing campaign since late 2014, most recently releasing an estimated US$100 billion for lending by cutting bank reserve ratios on Feb. 29. Policymakers have also said they intend to ramp up fiscal support for the economy in 2016, boosting the fiscal deficit to 3 per cent of GDP. Monthly indicators A raft of monthly indicators will be released with the GDP data on April 15, and analysts will be looking for additional evidence of tentative economic improvement.

Industrial output likely grew 5.9 per cent in March from a year earlier, slightly up from February’s 5.4 per cent figure while urban fixed asset investment, a crucial driver of China’s economy, likely accelerated to 10.3 per cent in the first quarter as a whole, from 10.2 per cent in January and February.

Annual retail sales growth was seen at 10.4 per cent in March, rising slightly from the previous month’s 10.2 per cent. — Reuters

Georgia Asian Times April 15-30, 2016

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BUSINESS

Japan quake rattles markets as factories shut; survivors queue for food Tokyo, April 18, 2016 — The Japanese share market fell more than 3 percent on Monday after a series of earthquakes measuring up to 7.3 magnitude struck a southern manufacturing hub, killing at least 42 people and forcing major companies to close factories.

About 30,000 rescue workers were scouring the rubble for survivors and handing out food to those unable to return to their homes following the quakes which struck Kyushu island from Thursday. The biggest hit near Kumamoto city early on Saturday.

“There are still missing people. We want to make further efforts to rescue and save people and prioritize human lives,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told parliament, adding he aimed to declare the region a disaster zone to free up reconstruction funds.

The Nikkei stock index ended 3.4 percent lower, hit by a stronger yen and as investors weighed the impact of the disaster on manufacturers’ supply chains and insurers.

Factories for major manufacturers including Toyota, Sony and Honda were closed, disrupting supply chains around the country.

Japan’s atomic regulator declared three nuclear plants in the region safe, giving a degree of comfort to a country deeply scarred by the Fukushima nuclear disaster of 2011 that was sparked by an earthquake and tsunami.

All commercial flights to the damaged Kumamoto airport were canceled and the bullet train service to the region was suspended.

Food was in short supply as roads re-

mained cut off by landslides. Evacuees made an SOS signal out of chairs at a school playground, hoping to catch the attention of supply helicopters, Japanese media reported.

“Yesterday, I ate just one piece of tofu and a rice ball,” said the mayor of one of the areas affected. “What we’re most worried about now is food.”

Of more than 500 quakes hitting Kyushu since Thursday, more than 70 have been at least a four on Japan’s intensity scale, strong enough to shake buildings.

The Kumamoto region is an important manufacturing hub and home to Japan’s only operating nuclear station.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the government would “take all the necessary measures” to support companies affected by the disaster and the economy more broadly, including tapping into reserve funds of 350 billion yen.

Abe said a sales tax increase next year would go ahead barring a financial crisis or major natural disaster, without elaborating on whether the quakes qualified as such a disaster.

On the stock market, Sony Corp and Toyota Motor led the sharp falls among manufacturers, dropping 6.8 percent and 4.8 percent respectively. Nissan Motor and Honda Motor both lost about 3 percent. Insurers and utilities were also sold, with nuclear plant operator Kyushu Electric Power slumping nearly 8 percent.

Toyota said it would suspend production at plants across Japan after the quakes disrupted its supply chain.

Electronics giant Sony said its Kumamoto image sensors plant would remain suspended. One of the company’s major customers for the sensors is Apple. Honda said production at its motorcycle plant in southern Japan would remain suspended through Friday.

Numerous aftershocks have rattled the region with one of 5.8 magnitude on Monday evening. There were no immediate reports of new damage or injuries.

Automotive chipmaker Renesas Electronics said earlier the aftershocks were keeping it from installing replacement equipment at a quake-hit plant.

The Kumamoto government said 42 people had been killed and nine were missing.

Thirty three people have been confirmed dead in Saturday’s quake and nine in the smaller tremor just over 24 hours earlier. The government said about 190 of the injured were in serious condition and some 110,000 people had been displaced.

Rescuers digging with their bare hands dragged some elderly survivors, still in pyjamas, out of the rubble and onto makeshift stretchers made of tatami mats.

“We can’t take a bath, we don’t have any clothes to change into – we just have what we ran out in,” a woman at one evacuation center told TBS television.

Public broadcaster NHK showed footage of forests and rice fields torn apart by the quake, saying one 50 km (31 miles) strip shifted almost 2 meters (6 feet) sideways.

Quakes are common in Japan, part of the seismically active “Ring of Fire” which sweeps from the South Pacific islands, up through Indonesia, Japan, across to Alaska and down the west coast of North, Central and South America.

At the other end of the ring this weekend, Ecuador’s biggest earthquake in decades killed at least 262 people, caused devastation in coastal towns and left an unknown number trapped in ruins.

A 9 magnitude quake and tsunami in northern Japan in March 2011 caused the worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl in 1986, shutting down the nuclear industry for safety checks and sending radiation spewing across the countryside.

Nearly 20,000 people were killed in the 2011 tsunami. - Reuters

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April 15-30, 2016 Georgia Asian Times

EAT OUT steamed rice with meat or kimchi. Itís rich, savory, flavorful, and we love it.”

Exploring Korean Food in Gwinnett ~ A window to the rich Korean culture A large platter of Korean fried chickens, large plates of noodles, a variety of rice cakes, large cuts of fried vegetables, and various other exotic Korean dishes came to the table. The guests swarm in with smart phones and expensive cameras, snapping photos from different angles. All around me, thumbs are busy posting and updating social media, #koreanfood, #instafood, #exploregwinnett, #seoulofthesouth, #foodtour.

I’m sitting in a corner booth in Harue Food & Cafe off of Peachtree Industrial Blvd. Around me are notable food writers, bloggers, social media specialists, and local foodies. Up until 30 minutes ago, most of us did not know each other. Now, weíre passing plates, chatting, laughing and finding one anotherís Twitterís handle. Without doubt, we all share a common obsession of food.

The team of Explore Gwinnett had organized this event, creatively called Seoul of the South, a Korean food tour in Gwinnett. Guided by Sarah Park, International Marketing Coordinator of Explore Gwinnett and the animated colleagues, we ventured through Duluth in a small charming tour trolley.

Park grew up in America, but was born in Korea. She is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to Korean food

and culture, having been back to her home country a few times and having frequented the majority of the Korean restaurants in town. Park thought Harue Food & Cafe is a fitting first stop for our tour, as these are quick snacks and small bites, food of enjoyments.

The hosts of Harue Food & Cafe kindly greeted and welcomed us. They brought out specialty dishes and explained each one in details. A personal favorite was the Spicy Rice Cake with Noodles. To only sample a few items became a challenge, as everything was so addictingly delicious.

On to the trolley again as we ventured to Pleasant Hill Road, unofficially known as K-Town. Explore Gwinnett introduced us to The Stone Grill, where generous selections of meat were grilled before our eyes. Condiments such as Napa cabbage kimchi, pickled radish, salad with spicy dressing accommodated our meal. The servers busied themselves between tables, flipping meats on the grill and filled everyoneís plate with mounts of juicy cuts.

“This is what we eat at home, whether for breakfast, lunch, or dinner,” Park said. “There is no Pop-Tarts or cereal here, we eat spicy tofu soup, or

With full and very satisfied bellies, we walked over to Tree Story – a rustic, beautiful Korean bakery. The air is filled with the scent of fresh baked breads, coffee, and sweets. A large display of cakes, pastries, and cookies set before us. Oohs and Ahhs were sound as more photos were taken of the breathtaking sight. We sipped Korean coffee, tea, and Yujacha, a traditional Korean tea made from the citrus fruit yuzu. I got a chance to speak with Sarah Parkís husband, Michael Park. Being a fellow foodie, Michael had volunteered his time to help with the tour. “I feel like it is up to us, the second generation immigrants, to educate and share our culture with other communities,” he said. “Our parents have worked hard to open these businesses, so we can experience our culture away from the original homeland. Now it is time to share that with the rest of the world, and what better way to pave that road than through the likes of food. We all eat, and we all can appreciate food.”

Our tour comes to an end, but not without a final feast. Our trolley pulled up to the lot of Breakers, famous for taking Korean BBQ to a more elevating level. Breakers owner Bobby Kim strive to deliver a higher quality dining experience in Korean cuisine. From very well trained staff members, to utilizing modern technology such as smart watches for servers to be noti-

fied when guests need service, to more desirable cuts of meat, Kim has set a high standard for fine Asian dining. In fact, Breakers was just ranked the best restaurant in Atlanta by Atlanta Eats.

Along with marinated beef, or bulgogi, and fatty pork belly, or ogyeopsal, we were also treated with soju, a popular Korean alcoholic drink. What a great way to end the afternoon.

Rave reviews must be given to the Explore Gwinnett team. We hope more tours will be offered, whether in food or other cultural experiences. Being one of the most diverse counties in Georgia, we are proud of what Gwinnett has to offer and cannot wait to see what Explore Gwinnett has in store in the near future.

Georgia Asian Times April 15-30, 2016

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LIFESTYLE

Myanmar’s “long-necked” women hope to turn tourism into homecoming Panpet, Myanmar — Wearing a stack of bronze neck coils — a sign of beauty for her Kayan tribe — Mu Par dreams of a time when all “long-necked” women can return to Myanmar from Thailand where they are a tourist attraction.

For years Kayan women and girls have been driven across the border by poverty and conflict to earn money posing in holiday makers’ pictures in purpose-built Thai villages decried by rights campaigners as “human zoos”.

more ethical window into their unique culture.

Lining up a neat row of handmade “long-neck dolls” at a new craft market, Mu Par hopes to entice tourists to her eastern Myanmar homeland, and provide for her four children, aged between four and 15.

“In Myanmar my children can attend school and also I am happy to be among my relatives,” said the 33-yearold, as a handful of tourists milled through the area.

Now several have returned to their remote native Panpet area in Kayah state, Myanmar, with an entrepreneurial plan to reverse the flow of departures as their once junta-ruled homeland emerges from decades of solitude.

Once the preserve of intrepid travelers as it languished under junta rule, Myanmar is now a hot new tourist draw.

Mu Par came home just a few months ago having saved enough money after 14 years working in Thailand.

Arrivals have doubled in the past five years and numbers are expected to surge under a new government led

by Aung San Suu Kyi’s pro-democracy party.

She now runs one of a dozen neat little shacks selling locally-made wooden dolls, scarves and individual bronze neck rings — giving tourists a

Much of tiny Kayah state was off limits to foreigners until recently.

Authorities now hope the region’s emerald hills and languid waterways will become the country’s next top travel destination.

their heads in a bid to ward off tiger ambushes, according to local people, although the practice has since died out.

Mu Par and her neighbors from Panpet’s cluster of five hamlets grouped together to build the market.

Fewer women now wear the coils, which force them to keep looking straight ahead.

They share the profits from the 5,000 kyat ($4) visitor entrance fee.

Families often cannot afford the costly, handcrafted rings, while many young girls feel they are an impediment to getting a job outside of their region.

The women can remove their rings with the help of a specialist and their shoulders and collarbones can eventually return to normal, depending on the age when they are taken off.

“If we can get many tourists here, we want all the Kayan girls in Thailand to come back,” she said.

Controversy and culture From as young as five years old, Kayan girls are given up to ten neck rings to wear, they then add a new one approximately every year until adulthood.

The practice, which gives them a giraffe-like appearance, painfully compresses their shoulders and collarbones, rather than actually stretching their necks.

A grown woman can wear as many as 25 rings, weighing a total of five kilos (11 pounds).

One local legend suggests women began wearing the rings to protect themselves against tigers, who once roamed the region in large numbers and bite the necks of their prey.

Men in the village also used to wear face-shaped masks on the backs of

Several dozen women and girls still wear the traditional bands, including those at the new handicraft market in Panpet.

Until recently they spent much of the year in Thailand, earning around 3,000 baht ($90) a month in the tourist attraction villages, where most of the money goes to Thai tour agents.

“Asking them to pose for photographs for money is acting like they are in a human zoo,” said Phyoe Wai Yar Zar a Myanmar tourism official.

“Instead (in their home villages) people can buy their products like food, handmade crafts and souvenirs to support them.”

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April 15-30, 2016 Georgia Asian Times

FOCUS

U.S. to give Philippines eye in the sky to track South China Sea activities Manila — The United States will transfer an observation blimp to the Philippines to help it track maritime activity and guard its borders amid rising tensions in the South China Sea, a US diplomat said on Monday.

Philip Goldberg, US ambassador to the Philippines, said Washington would give Manila, its oldest Asia-Pacific security ally, $42 million worth of sensors, radar and communications equipment.

“We will add to its capability to put sensors on ships and put an aerostat blimp in the air to see into the maritime space,” Goldberg said in an interview with CNN Philippines, The blimp is a balloon-borne radar to collect information and detect

movements in the South China Sea, a Philippine military official said.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, believed to have huge deposits of oil and gas. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims to parts of the waters, through which about $5 trillion in trade is shipped every year.

US Defense Secretary Ash Carter visited the Philippines last week to reaffirm Washington’s “ironclad” commitment to defend Manila under a 1951 security treaty.

China has been expanding its presence on its seven artificial islands in the Spratly archipelago and on Monday landed a military plane for the first time on one of them, Fiery Cross Reef.

It comes ahead of a planned US freedom of navigation patrol this month near the Spratlys.

Carter’s visit also signals the start of US military deployment in the Philippines, with 75 soldiers to be rotated in and out of an air base north of Manila.

Goldberg said the two allies had agreed to set up a system for “secure and classified communications” as part of a five-year, $425 million security initiative by Washington in Southeast Asia.

Manila will receive some $120 million in US military aid this year, the largest sum since 2000 when the American military returned to the Philippines for training and exercises after an eight-year hiatus.

They signed a new deal in 2013 allowing increased US military presence on a rotational basis and storage of supplies and equipment for maritime security and humanitarian missions. – Reuters

Georgia Asian Times April 15-30, 2016

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ENTERTAINMENT “After watching the first episode, I could not help but chase it,” said Susan Yuen, a 30-year-old clerk, adding that waiting for the latest episode upload had become a weekly routine for her and many colleagues in her office.

Korean dramas normally begin airing before later episodes are filmed — allowing for ratings-boosting script adjustments.

Risky marketing strategy

Asia falls for South Korean military romance Seoul, April 11, 2016 -- Millions across Asia will sit down this week for the finale of a hit South Korean drama series that has triggered relationship health warnings in China, a thumbsup review from Thailand’s junta chief and a trans-regional passion for its two young stars.

“Descendants of the Sun” tells the story of an army captain sent on a peacekeeping mission to a fictional war-torn country, Uruk, where he meets and falls in love with a surgeon working with a medical NGO. The 16-episode show has garnered impressive domestic ratings for broadcaster KBS, but its real success has been overseas and the series has been hailed for reviving the so-called “Hallyu” (Korean Wave) of k-pop and k-drama that started spreading across Asia in the early 2000s.

It has proved particularly popular in China, where it has been simulcast on the video-streaming site iQiyi.com and has notched up more than 2.0 billion accumulated views, while becoming one of the top-ranked search and discussion topics on Weibo, China’s version of Twitter.

“Will I be able to find an acceptable

husband if I keep watching K-dramas?” said one Weibo user, describing herself as “totally in love” with lead actor Song Joong-Ki’s character.

‘Song Joong-Ki sickness’

But “Descendants of the Sun” was pre-recorded in its entirety — a major “risk”, according to its South Korean producer Next Entertainment World (NEW).

“None of the pre-recorded dramas have been successful in the past,” said a spokeswoman for NEW .

“But it was necessary to pass Beijing’s censorship rules for our first simulcast in China.”

Such obsessive yearnings triggered a tongue-in-cheek warning from China’s Public Security Ministry about thousands of women who were suffering from “Song Joong-Ki sickness.”

Censors did make some changes to the Chinese-version of the drama, including deleting a fight between South and North Korean soldiers in the first episode.

“When chasing male or female stars, do not become too infatuated with them, because sometimes your casual words could end up hurting those who really care for you,” the ministry advised on its own Weibo account.

Pre-recording paid off by allowing a strong pre-broadcast marketing strategy that included airing movie-like teasers in South Korea and China three months in advance.

And it is not just China.

In Singapore, advertising executive Jamayne Lam, who described Song as “every girl’s dream,” confessed to getting hooked on the drama after just 10 minutes and binge-watching all 11 available episodes in two days.

In Hong Kong, where it’s shown on Viu TV — a free-to-air channel that also has an online portal — the series is popular with commuters who like to view it on their smartphones while travelling to and from work.

The drama has now been sold to 32 countries, including non-Asian broadcasters in the United States, England, France and Russia.

Its success is built on the same staples that have made k-dramas a lucrative cultural export: attractive lead actors, melodrama and romance.

What sets it apart, experts say, is its modern-day setting of military peace-keeping, upbeat patriotism and, perhaps most crucially, the fact that it’s a k-drama that isn’t “too Korean.”

“At a time when Asia has seen scores of natural disasters like tsunamis and earthquakes, the series projects a sense of universal humanity,” said Yun SukJin, professor of Korean Literature at Chungnam National University.

“And because it is set overseas rather than in Korea, it appeals more to international viewers,” Yun said.

Popular export It has spawned a mini industry, with Chinese fans snapping up cosmetics, clothes and fashion accessories favoured by the show’s stars — especially the female lead Song Hye-Kyo — and sold on iQiyi.com’s online shopping site.

The South Korean city of Taebaek — the location for the military barracks in the drama — is opening the film set to the public after President Park GeunHye told senior officials that the drama could fuel a boost in tourism.

Park was just one of a number of political leaders to applaud the drama for helping to “instill a sense of patriotism among young people.”

In Thailand, former army chiefturned-Prime Minister Prayut Chan-OCha praised the series for its sense of sacrifice, obedience and duty.

“So please watch it and if anyone wants to make such a drama I will financially sponsor it to make people love government officials,” Prayut told delegates at a government function in Bangkok.

His only criticism was that Song Joong-ki was possibly too young and handsome.

“In real life a captain must shoulder a lot of burden and would look older,” he suggested.

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April 15-30, 2016

Georgia Asian Times

LIFESTYLE

Rich may outlive poor by 15 years in U.S., says study New York, April 12, 2016 - The richest Americans tend to outlive the poorest by almost 15 years, and that gap has grown since 2001, said a major study of income and life expectancy this week.

The findings, published Sunday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, were based on more than one billion tax records from 1999 to 2014, as well as government mortality statistics.

The gap in life expectancy between the richest one per cent and the poorest one per cent was 14.6 years for men and 10.1 years for women, said the study led by Raj Chetty, an economics researcher at Stanford University.

“For example, men in the bottom one per cent of the income distribution at the age of 40 years in the United States have life expectancies similar to the mean life expectancy for 40-year-old men in Sudan and Pakistan.”

The inequality in life expectancy also increased over time.

“There was a larger increase in life expectancy for higher income groups during the 2000s,” said the study.

The rich tended to live even longer - by more than two years for men and almost three years for women between 2001 and 2014.

“Life expectancy did not change for individuals in the bottom five per cent of the income distribution,” it said.

Researchers said factors found to affect life expectancy among the poor included smoking and obesity.

Where people lived also made a difference.

The shortest life expectancies in the lowest income groups were seen in Nevada, Indiana and Oklahoma - 77.9 years - while the longest-lived among the poorest Americans were in New York, California and Vermont - 80.6 years.

The average life expectancy in the United States is 78.8 - 81 for women and 76 for men, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Gucci to Unify Men’s and Women’s Collections from 2017 Italian luxury brand Gucci announced on Tuesday it will unify its women’s and men’s collections starting from next year in an effort to simplify the designer’s business.

The first show combining womenswear and menswear will be at Gucci’s new Milan headquarters, President and Chief Executive Marco Bizzarri said in a company statement.

It did not specify when the show will be scheduled, but a source close to Gucci told Reuters it was likely to be during the women’s Fashion Week, the one receiving most attention from both media and buyers.

The decision comes amid a growing debate in the fashion industry over the need to combine collections, condense dates for shows as well as putting items on sale immediately after the catwalk presentations..

The Florence-based brand, part of the Kering group, is following in the steps of Britain’s Burberry group, which said last November that it would bring its collections under a single brand.

Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele, who was promoted to the job in January last year, said it was a “natural” step but “not necessarily an easy path and will certainly present some challenges”.

The company, however, said it will maintain the ‘see now, buy later’ schedule by which collections do not land in shops immediately after shows, “respecting the necessities of the creative and production process in luxury fashion.”

Bizzarri said that the separate dates for the two collections was “a result of tradition rather than practicality” and that the brand would work with the Italian Chamber of Fashion to define the new calendar of dates.

Georgia Asian Times April 15-30, 2016

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SPORTS

Hat-trick king Ronaldo silences big game critics Madrid, April 13 — “Goals are in my DNA,” concluded Cristiano Ronaldo after spearheading a famous Real Madrid comeback with a hat-trick to see off Wolfsburg and reach the Champions League semi-finals for a record sixth straight season.

There was no holding back in the Madrid press’ displays of affection for Ronaldo on today’s front pages.

“How great you are,” ran sports daily Marca.

The three-time World Player of the Year’s self-appraisals are rarely humble.

Meanwhile, AS led with “how am I not going to love you,” alongside a picture of Ronaldo celebrating his third.

It is just six weeks since he called out his teammates for not matching his standards in a 1-0 defeat to local rivals Atletico Madrid.

“Little-by-little you are valuing me,” Ronaldo responded when asked why despite 359 goals in just 342 games to streak ahead as the top scorer in Madrid’s history, he still isn’t universally loved in a season where he has even been whistled by his own fans.

Yet, it was hard to argue with Ronaldo’s logic as he snapped back at critics that his barrel load of goals haven’t come when Real have needed them most.

On the night coach Zinedine Zidane’s admitted Madrid’s season was “on the line”, Ronaldo’s treble overturned a 2-0 first leg deficit in a 3-0 win over the Germans.

“Considering this has been a bad season for me it has not been that bad,” he added after taking his tally for the season in all competitions to 46.

“People can criticise me, but I just keep on going and the numbers are there for all to see.”

The numbers are indeed spectacular.

Ronaldo has now scored at least 45 goals in his last six seasons for Madrid.

Three more against Wolfsburg yesterday made him the first player ever to score three hat-tricks in the same Champions League season.

And he is now just one goal away from matching his own record of 17 in a Champions League season when Madrid ended a 12-year wait to win their 10th European Cup two years ago.

“I am used to criticism. In Spain it is like this and it doesn’t affect me.

“I am still young, but these things don’t affect me at 31.”

Having moved the wrong side of 30 there has been plenty of speculation that Madrid may consider cashing in on their biggest asset before his valuation plummets towards the end of his contract in 2018.

Yet, for those still in need of reminding, Ronaldo left another indelible night for his legacy with a new first as Madrid overturned a first leg deficit in the Champions League for the first time in 12 years.

“Cristiano deserved a magic night,” said Madrid captain Sergio Ramos.

“He showed what he is, which is the best player in the world,” added Zidane.

The debate over whether Ronaldo or Barcelona rival Lionel Messi deserves the title of the world’s best has raged for a decade.

Superb De Bruyne shows anything still possible for City Manchester, April 13 — Manchester City’s season began to unravel when Kevin de Bruyne missed 10 matches with a knee injury but as he showed when he scored against Paris St Germain yesterday, anything is possible with him back in the team.

like something of a bargain with his third goal in four matches — including one in the first leg against PSG last week — since returning to the side earlier this month after two months out, de Bruyne sent out a defiant message to everyone, including Guardiola.

The 24-year-old Belgium international forward scored with a brilliantly-manufactured 76th minute curling shot from the edge of the box to give City a 1-0 win over the French champions to reach the Champions League semi-finals for the first time.

“We are not done yet. It is two games to the final, so we will be doing everything we can to get through,” he said.

The goal secured their 3-2 aggregate success, sent the Etihad Stadium crazy with delight and earned him the headlines this morning with the Manchester Evening News anointing him “King Kev”, while the Daily Mail hailed him as “Special K”.

There has only been one “King Kev” in English soccer — former European Footballer of the Year Kevin Keegan back in the 1970s and 1980s — but if De Bruyne achieves anything like the success Keegan enjoyed, he will deserve that title.

The Belgian turned down PSG to join City for a club record fee of £55 million from VfL Wolfsburg last August, and is one of the gifts waiting to be unwrapped when Pep Guardiola takes over as City coach from Manuel Pellegrini next season.

Guardiola, whose Bayern Munich side could yet face City in this season’s competition, is expected to re-shape and overhaul the squad when he arrives, but the ever-improving De Bruyne will doubtless be central to the new coach’s plans.

Defiant message After making that transfer fee look

“This has been a season of ups and downs but in the Champions League we have gone from down to up. The performances have been good and hopefully we can go all the way.”

Both City and PSG have been enriched by Arab billions in the last few years and both sides have come to the fore in their domestic leagues following massive investment after decades of under-achievement.

Although City have already won the League Cup this season and are in fourth place in the Premier League, their ageing side fell away badly in the title race while De Bruyne was out.

Before he was injured City were second, three points behind Leicester City, but while he was sidelined they won only two of the seven league games without him and are now 15 points behind Leicester with no realistic chance of catching them.

Although the Premier League title has gone, the greater prize of European glory remains and Pellegrini praised the player who kept that dream alive after the match.

“Kevin is a very important player for us. He is a very dangerous player, he does not need much space to get his shots in and good players always make a difference.”

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April 15-30, 2016 Georgia Asian Times

SPORTS

Willett wins Masters after stunning Spieth meltdown Augusta, April 11, 2016 — Englishman Danny Willett took advantage of a stunning meltdown by defending champion and runaway leader Jordan Spieth after the turn to win his first major title by three shots at the Masters yesterday.

Three strokes behind the pacesetting Spieth going into the final round at Augusta National, an ice-cool Willett closed with a five-under-par 67 to end a 17-year title drought by European golfers at the year’s opening major.

Willett, a four-time winner on the European Tour competing in his second Masters, birdied three of the last six holes to cap off a bogey-free display in sun-bathed but cool conditions and post a five-under total of 283.

He became only the second Englishman to win the coveted Green Jacket, following three-times champion Nick Faldo, and ended a barren title run by Europeans dating back to Spaniard Jose Maria Olazabal’s second victory here in 1999.

Spieth, bidding for a second consecutive wire-to-wire win at the Masters and a third major title, had to settle for a share of second place after carding an adventurous one-over 73 that included a quadruple bogey and seven birdies.

The American world number two had stormed five strokes in front with nine holes to play and victory seemingly assured when he bogeyed the 10th and 11th before running up a nightmare seven at the par-three 12th.

Finishing level with Spieth at two under was England’s former world number Lee Westwood who, still seeking a first major title after recording 17 top-10 finishes during a stellar career, returned a 69. — Reuters

LeBron in top form as Cleveland Cavaliers wrap up home advantage Los Angeles, April 12 - LeBron James scored 34 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers assured themselves of homecourt advantage through the Eastern Conference playoffs with a 109-94 defeat of the Atlanta Hawks yesterday.

James produced a dominant performance in the first three quarters before sitting out the final quarter as Cleveland lay down a marker for the postseason with an impressive win that guarantees them top spot.

James scored 19 of his 34 points in the third quarter to help Cleveland take a 90-75 lead before team-mate Kyrie Irving led the Cavaliers home with 35 points.

Irving reeled off 11 of Cleveland’s first 12 points in the final period, leaving James safely with his feet up and already contemplating the playoffs.

Kevin Love chipped in with 10 points and 14 rebounds while Matthew Dellavedova also scored 10 points off the bench.

Kent Bazemore topscored for the Hawks with 23 points but was restrict-

ed to just two points in the second half as Cleveland took control.

The defeat left Atlanta at 48-33, firmly entrenched in a tight battle for the third, fourth and fifth seedings in the East with the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat.

The form of James left Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue purring as the Cavs prepare for the playoff challenges ahead.

James has averaged 28.4 points per game in his past 10 games while shooting at 63 percent. He is also averaging 52 percent from three-point range over the same stretch, a sharp improvement on a poor season average.

“I think when he’s taking shots in rhythm, catching and shooting it with confidence ... percentages go up,” Lue said.

“The best thing for him is just the shot selection, taking the great shots, the open shots, and then just live with the results.”

Georgia Asian Times April 15-30, 2016

Page 15

HEALTH Study finds vitamin D can help damaged hearts Chicago, April 7, 2016 — Following a five-year research project, a team of scientists has found that vitamin D3 can be beneficial to patients with chronic heart failure. The findings were presented at the American College of Cardiology 65th Annual Scientific Session and Expo in Chicago. health.vitaminsScientists from the University of Leeds, UK, have found that taking a vitamin D supplement can improve the pumping action of the heart in patients with heart muscle weakness. The majority of such patients are aged 75 and over and produce less vitamin D naturally from

exposure to sunlight than younger people.

The team studied 160 patients who were already following treatments for heart failure, such as beta-blockers (which regulate heart rate), ACE-inhibitors (which improve heart function and keep blood pressure down) and pacemakers.

The study found that in the 80 patients who took vitamin D3 every day for a year, the heart’s pumping function increased from 26 per cent to 34 per cent. Those who took a placebo saw no improvement in heart func-

tion. Note that the patients were given non-calcium based supplements to avoid further complications.

The cardiologists evaluated heart function by measuring what’s known as the ejection fraction — the amount of blood pumped by the heart with each heartbeat. For a healthy person, this is usually between 60 per cent and 70 per cent. For patients in the study, the average ejection fraction was 26 per cent.

In conclusion, the researchers consider that heart failure patients may be able to start taking a vitamin D3 sup-

plement on a regular basis. This may reduce the need for fitting implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) in certain patients. This costly operation implants a device that detects irregular heart rhythms and shocks the heart to restore a normal rhythm.

Heart failure affects 23 million people worldwide and more than half of sufferers are aged 75 or older.

Natural sources of vitamin D include eggs, dairy products, oily fish (sardines, mackerel), calf’s liver and cod liver oil.

Marriage is good for cancer patients Married people with cancer have better survival odds than their single peers – and not for money reasons, a US study suggests.

Unmarried men were 27 percent more likely to die of their tumors, and single women were 19 percent more likely, the study found.

Married people generally had better health insurance and lived in better neighborhoods, but single patients still fared worse even after accounting for these financial reasons for the marriage advantage.

“It seems that the major contributing factor is greater social support, and less social isolation, among married patients,” said study leader Scarlett Lin Gomez of the University of California, San Diego.

cer in California from 2000 through 2009, including about 387,000 who had died by 2012.

They focused on patients with invasive malignancies and their 10 most common causes of cancer deaths.

Once researchers adjusted for insurance status and neighborhood socioeconomic status, unmarried men were 22 percent more likely to die than their peers who had tied the knot, and single women were 15 percent more likely to die.

At the start of the study, 70 percent of the men and 51 percent of the women were married, and nearly all patients had some type of health insurance.

“Having a strong support system can have meaningful impacts on the odds of survival after a cancer diagnosis,” Lin added by email.

Unmarried patients were more likely to be black, live in low-income neighborhoods, be uninsured or have government insurance, be diagnosed at a later stage of disease, and not receive any surgery or radiation.

The research team studied nearly 783,000 patients diagnosed with can-

Uninsured men and women had about 25 percent higher odds of death

than people with private health insurance.

The findings don’t prove single life causes death from cancer, however. It’s also possible that certain characteristics that lead people to marry, such as being physically or emotionally healthier than people who don’t find mates, might influence patients’ survival odds, the authors note in the journal Cancer.

The results also don’t make cancer death a foregone conclusion for single people, study coauthor Maria Elena Martinez of the University of California, San Diego added by email.

“Single patients should take advantage of their support networks, even if they do not necessarily have spouses or children to turn to during a cancer diagnosis,” Martinez said. “This is particularly important for male patients.”

That’s because research suggests that men benefit more socially from marriage, said Catherine Powers-James, a psychology researcher at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

“Although both men and women may think they are being a burden on others when they ask for help, women are more inclined to reach out to others for emotional support and for assistance,” Powers-James, who wasn’t involved in the study, said by email.

Single patients who don’t have close friends might consider seeking professional help from a therapist, Powers-James added.

Not all marriages are the same, or equally strong in times of crisis. But the findings suggest it’s worth investigating what aspects of these long-term relationships may be most responsible for better survival odds, since money clearly isn’t the only thing in play.

“To the extent that the US will be seeing a greater number of cancer patients and survivors due to the aging of our population, coupled with a rising proportion of unmarried individuals, we can look further into the possible ways that being married translates into improved cancer survival so that we can use the information to help all patients,” Martinez said.

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April 15-30, 2016 Georgia Asian Times

Misc Asia

Thai festival kicks off despite junta call to water down party Bangkok, April 13, 2016 -- Thais and tourists took to the streets today to drench each other in a mass water fight marking the country’s new year, as authorities attempted to crack down on alcohol, topless dancers and other “indecencies”.

The three-day Songkran festival is traditionally celebrated across the country by paying respects to elders and visiting temples to sprinkle water over Buddha figures.

This time merrymakers also faced threats from police to arrest scantily clad women and ban alcohol from the raucous street bashes, in an effort to return the festival to its traditional roots.

The clean-up crusade was ordered by junta chief Prayuth Chan-Ocha, whose military government has launched a streak of public morality campaigns since seizing power in a 2014 coup.

But the holiday, which takes place at the peak of Thailand’s sweltering dry season, is also known as one of the world’s biggest water fights.

After surveying Bangkok’s downtown Silom district othis afternoon, the city’s police chief Sanit Mahathavorn reported the scene of some 30,000 party-goers to be “orderly”.

Every year massive crowds of revelers descend on the streets to battle each other with brightly-colored plastic water guns and douse passers-by.

“We tend to compromise on the little things,” he said, adding that 430 officers had been deployed to monitor the area.

Journalist witnessed police detain several bikini-clad women taking part in the water warfare.

The police chief stressed that any “lewd acts”, including the topless dancing that has been a feature of previous Songkran parties, would be punished severely.

“We will indict every case because it is destroying our country’s image,” he told reporters.

more traditional celebrations.

The Thai junta has also ramped up a campaign this year to crack down on drunk driving, which soars during the Songkran week and sees hundreds killed every year.

It is one of two periods dubbed the “Seven Deadly Days” by the Thai government and press — the other being Western New Year.

Authorities have also urged the public to spray water more sparingly this year, as the country is currently in the grip of the worst drought in decades.

Officials said 116 people have been killed and nearly 1,000 injured over the past two days on Thailand’s roads, which are among the world’s most dangerous.

But efforts to block the deluge in Bangkok appeared largely fruitless, with water-soaked street parties in full swing across the capital city by midday.

The junta said today that authorities had arrested more than 20,000 motorists accused of drunk driving since Saturday.

Hoses and buckets were also out in neighboring Myanmar, one of several other Buddhist countries in the region to celebrate the festival, despite similar calls to curb water waste and return to

Georgia Asian Times April 15-30, 2016

Page 17

Misc Asia

U.S. Navy officer charged with spying, possibly for China, Taiwan Washington DC, April 11, 2016 - A U.S. Navy officer with access to sensitive U.S. intelligence faces espionage charges over accusations he passed state secrets, possibly to China and Taiwan, a U.S. official told Reuters on Sunday.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, identified the suspect as Lieutenant Commander Edward Lin, who was born in Taiwan and later became a naturalized U.S. citizen, according a Navy profile article written about him in 2008.

Taiwan were possible but stressed the investigation was still going on.

The suspect was also accused of engaging in prostitution and adultery. He has been held in pre-trial confinement for the past eight months or so, the official added.

USNI News, which first reported Lin’s identity, said he spoke fluent Mandarin and managed the collection of electronic signals from the EP3-E Aries II signals intelligence aircraft.

A redacted Navy charge sheet said the suspect was assigned to the headquarters for the Navy’s Patrol and Reconnaissance Group, which oversees intelligence collection activities.

The U.S. Navy profiled Lin in a 2008 article that focused on his naturalization to the United States, saying his family left Taiwan when he was 14 and stayed in different countries before coming to America.

The charge sheet redacted out the name of the suspect and the Navy declined to provide details on his identity.

“I always dreamt about coming to America, the ‘promised land’,” he said.

“I grew up believing that all the roads in America lead to Disneyland.”

It accused him twice of communicating secret information and three times of attempting to do so to a representative of a foreign government “with intent or reason to believe it would be used to the advantage of a foreign nation.”

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said he was not aware of the details of the case. He did not elaborate. China’s Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The document did not identify what foreign country or countries were involved.

The U.S. official said both China and

Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said it had no information on the case.

Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry declined to comment. - Reuters

India, US ‘agree in principle’ on sharing military logistics New Delhi, April 12, 2016 — India and the United States have agreed in principle to share military logistics, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said today, as both sides seek to counter the growing maritime assertiveness of China.

Washington has been urging New Delhi to sign the Logistics Support Agreement that allows the two militaries to use each other’s land, air and naval bases for resupplies, repair and rest.

But after years of dithering, the two sides said an agreement was in hand, although not yet ready for signing.

“We have agreed in principle that all the issues are resolved. We now need to finalize the draft,” Carter said after talks with his Indian counterpart, Manohar Parrikar.

New Delhi has had concerns that the logistics agreement will draw it into a military alliance with the United States

and undermine its traditional autonomy.

But Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration, faced with an assertive China expanding its influence in the South China Sea and into the Indian Ocean, has signaled its desire to draw closer to the United States. China is also a close ally of India’s arch rival, Pakistan.

New Delhi is keen to access US technology for Modi’s “Make in India” plans to build a domestic defense industrial base and cut expensive arms imports.

Carter said the two countries would also soon conclude a commercial shipping information exchange agreement.

— Reuters

Page 18

April 15-30, 2016 Georgia Asian Times

TECH

HTC unveils new HTC 10 flagship phone Seoul, April 12 — A combination of high-spec internal components, intelligent features and a truly premium metallic shell could make HTC’s latest handset a true challenger to the Samsung Galaxy S7 and help the company find its feet again.

Unveiled at a special event in New York today, the HTC 10 ticks every box when it comes to processors, screen resolution and the imaging capabilities consumers now expect from an Android flagship.

So there’s a Snapdragon 820 chip and 4GB of RAM making everything happen, up to 64GB of internal storage (plus up to 2TB more via microSD slot), a glorious quad HD 5.2-inch display and a 12 ultrapixel rear-facing camera complete with laser autofocus.

It will also automatically upscale compressed audio to 24-bit high-definition sound.

Six new ninja emojis available exclusively to Windows 10

But it’s how the tech has been packaged that will make the handset stand out. The premium metal construction has been shaped and curved so that it literally follows the shape of the average person’s hand.

San Francisco, April 12, 2016 -- After Microsoft unveiled new Windows 10 emojis last week, Emojipedia has reported that Microsoft has made available six new ninja cat emojis, exclusive to Windows 10 users.

The icing on the cake is the lack of bloatware and annoying imposed apps and features. HTC has scaled back pre-loaded apps to what it describes as simply the best it and Google have to offer. What’s more, how those apps are presented on the screen is completely down to the owner, who can drag and drop them wherever he or she sees fit.

According to Emojipedia, those with the Windows 10 Anniversary Update can find the six new ninja cats by combining the existing cat emoji with other emojis, with the website listing further instructions on the combinations to use for each of the six ninja cats.

The HTC 10 will go on sale directly from the company or via network carriers from May. An unlocked handset, direct from HTC will cost from US$699

With the right combination users will reveal ninja cat, ninja cat flying, ninja cat at a computer, ninja cat riding a T-Rex, ninja cat drinking coffee, and ninja cat in space.

Ninja cat was first discovered a year ago and has proved to be a popular emoji among Windows users.

Not only has he been turned into a meme by fans, but Microsoft have also built on this popularity, hiding ninja cat in event invites, and even handing out out stickers promoting ninja cat.