Georgia Asian Times December 1-15, 2013

Covering The Multicultural Asian American Community in Georgia

www.atlaff.org

December 1-15, 2013 Vol 10 No 23

Amazon unveils futuristic drone delivery plan

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December 1-15, 2013 Georgia Asian Times

Georgia Asian Times December 1-15, 2013

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METROPOLITAN ATLANTA RAPID TRANSIT AUTHORITY

Public Input Meetings: Publisher: Li Wong Account Manager: Adrian West Contributors: Andrian Putra, May Lee, Mark Ho Photography: Ben Hioe, Rendy Tendean

Tel: 678-971-9388 Advertising: gat@gasiantimes.com Editorial: info@gasiantimes.com URL: www.gasiantimes.com Mailing Address: P.O. Box 4502 Suwanee GA 30024 Copyright Georgia Asian Times 2004-2013

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.

Georgia Asian Times assumes no responsibility for damages from the use of information contained in this publication or the reply to any advertisement. The Publisher will not be liable for any error in advertising to greater extent than the cost of space occupied by the error and will only be made for a single publication date.

The Publisher reserves the right to reject any ad or articles submitted for publication that may not be in good taste for a free publication.

GAT Calendar of Events (For latest & updated events, visit www.gasiantimes.com)

GAT welcome submission of announcement pertaining to community related events.

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

GAT does not guarantee insertion of event announcement and has the right to deny any posting.

Korea Southeast US Chamber of Commerce - 2013 Annual Dinner Date: Thursday, December 5, 2013 Time: 6:00 pm Venue: Kia Georgia Training Center, 900 Kia Boulevard, West Point GA 31833 For more info: Angela Levin, 404-2959443 Help Support Typhoon Haiyan Relief Efforts Organized by Happy Valley & Philippines American Chamber of Commerce Date: Thursday, December 5, 2013 Time: 7:00 pm Venue: Happy Valley Restaurant, 5495 Jimmy Carter Blvd.

For more info: Willy Blanco, 770—3319540 Korean American Chamber of Commerce of Georgia’s Annual Gala Date: Friday, December 6, 2013 Time: 6:00 pm Venue: KTN Crystal Ballroom, 4675

Rivergreen Parkway, Duluth GA 30096 For more info: laccga@gmail.com or 404-542-5950 Portfolio Show Showcasing Design, Media Arts and Fashion Presented by Art Institute of Atlanta Date: Thursday, December 12, 2013 Time: 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm Venue: 6600 Peachree Dunwoody Road, NE For more info: www.aii.edu

Proposed Title VI Policies PLEASE JOIN US! MARTA is holding public meetings to receive feedback about its proposed Title VI policies.

These policies are designed to ensure fair and equal treatment for minority and low-income groups when service or fare changes occur. MARTA wants public input in the decision-making process for all proposed policies, and coments will be shared with the MARTA Board.

Items to be discussed: • What is Title VI? • How does this affect MARTA riders?

MARTA needs and wants your input!

Please come to one of our public meetings to share your thoughts on the proposed policies.

MEETINGS ARE SCHEDULED FOR:

Monday, December 9 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.

MARTA HQ

2424 Piedmont Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30324 Riding MARTA: Lindbergh Center Station bus routes 5, 6, 27, 30, 39

Tuesday, December 10 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.

Decatur Recreation Center

231 Sycamore Street, Decatur, GA 30030 Riding MARTA: Walk two blocks east of Decatur Station.

Thusday, December 12 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

MARTA HQ

2424 Piedmont Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30324 Riding MARTA: Lindbergh Center Station bus routes 5, 6, 27, 30, 39

If you cannot attend a public meeting and want to provide comments, you may leave a message at (404 848-5299; write to MARTA’s Office of External Affairs, 2424 Piedmont Road, N.E., Atlanta, GA 30324-3330; complete an online Comment Card at www.itsmarta.com; or fax your comments no later than December 20, 2013 to (404) 848-4179.

The meeting space is accessible to people with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation (such as American Sign Language Interpreters, handouts in alternate formats, etc.) and/or language assistance to fully participate, please contact David Scarbor at 404-848-4037 or dscarbor@itsmarta.com before December 5th. Such accommodations will be provided free of charge.

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December 1-15, 2013 Georgia Asian Times

METRO ASIAN NEWS Global Winter Wonderland officially opens Atlanta, November 21, 2013 — It was a memorable night when the light switch was turn on for the opening night of the Global Winter Wonderland at Turner Field.

Free Nicotine Replacement Therapy for Georgians To Quit Smoking Atlanta, November 21, 2013 – The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) is providing help to Georgians who want to quit smoking and stop using tobacco products. With grant money from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, DPH is offering a four-week supply of free Nicotine Replacement Therapy to all Georgia tobacco users aged 18 and older, while supplies last. Along with the American Cancer Society and the Great American Smokeout, DPH is urging Georgians to quit smoking not just for the day, but for life.

More than 1.5 million Georgians aged 18 and older smoke cigarettes.

Another 317,000 adults in Georgia use some form of smokeless tobacco like chewing tobacco, snuff, or snus. And recent data shows that tobacco use is increasing among Georgia teens and young adults putting even more lives at risk for cancer. Smoking costs Georgians $1.8 billion in direct healthcare costs every year and $3.2 billion in lost productivity.

“Tobacco use is the number one preventable cause of death in Georgia,” says Jean O’Connor,Dr.PH., director of the Health Promotion & Disease Prevention section in the Georgia Department of Public Health. “Every year in

Georgia, more than 10,000 people die from smoke related illnesses – that’s more than alcohol, cocaine and heroin, AIDS, murders, suicides, auto accidents and fires combined.”

The free Nicotine Replacement Therapy medication comes in the form of patches and gum. Georgians who use tobacco and are ready to quit, can contact the Georgia Tobacco Quit Line at 1-877-270-STOP (7867) for the free therapies, while supplies last. The Georgia Tobacco Quit Line provides free and confidential, professional tobacco cessation telephone and webbased counseling to all Georgia tobacco users ages 13 and older including pregnant and postpartum women. Since 2001, the Georgia Tobacco Quit Line has helped nearly 95,000 Georgians in their attempts to stop smoking.

Georgia adults who use any form of tobacco are encouraged to speak to their healthcare provider or pharmacist for additional support and information about safe, effective and appropriate medication treatment options to assist with quitting tobacco. The Quit Line is available 24 hours a day and seven days a week.

Spectacular light show of world’s leading monuments are being display for the first time in Atlanta. The event is produced by IGO Group with the assistance of craftsmen and engineers from People’s Republic of China.

The opening night was marked with an opening ceremony with several hundreds in attendance.

Mike Plant, Braves Executive Vice President, gave the welcome remark to the audience. Carla Smith, 1st District Atlanta City Council, delivers a brief remark on behalf of the city. Honorable

Liu Guixi, Deputy Consul General of Peoples Republic of China delivers the keynote opening remark.

“This is a special event for the city of Atlanta and I hope every families in this city will come to enjoy the wonders of the world. You can enjoy the “whole world” in one visit,” said John Lin, President of Global Winter Wonderland, key organizer of the event.

The event is open to public daily from 5:00 pm to 11:00 pm. The event is also schedule to open on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year Day. Ticket buyers are encourage to use discount code “GATIMES” when buying the tickets online: http://globalwinterwonderland.com

Tips for Avoiding Money and ID-Theft Grinches

Atlanta, November 27, 2013 – There are some simple steps consumers can use to prevent giving the unwanted gift of personal information and money to scammers and identity thieves this holiday season. Here are some helpful tips from the Georgia Bankers Association: Automate Alerts: Use all the tools you have to monitor your accounts.

Take advantage of online banking. Set balance and transaction alerts to be e-mailed to you. Check your balances and transactions frequently. Call your bank ASAP if something is fishy.

Phone security: Use the password or passcode feature to lock your phone when not in use. Know how to wipe it remotely if it is lost or stolen. Know how to use GPS tracking to locate it if lost or stolen.

Give with care: Be wary of charity scams and other attempts to get your money and information. Make sure you are giving to people and organizations you know. It is never a good idea to give account numbers and personal

information over the phone to anyone.

E-mail safely: Don’t click on internet links in unsolicited e-mails from people or companies you don’t know.

Beware of “phishing” e-mails that appear to be legitimate. Real and reputable companies won’t use e-mails to ask you to verify passwords or personal account information through a link.

Secure information around the house: Thieves know you have people coming and going, packages being delivered and mail can stack up. If you’re planning an extended trip away from home, be sure to suspend mail deliveries. Also, shred for recycling any documents with personally identifying information rather than simply tossing it in the trash.

Online security: Use secure internet sites that have https in the URL address instead of http for transactions.

Be very cautious when using public WiFi sources that may not be secure for transactions or accessing bank or other financial sites.

Georgia Asian Times December 1-15, 2013

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FEATURE

Amazon unveils futuristic drone delivery plan

WASHINGTON, December 2, 2013 - Want that Amazon order in just 30 minutes? Company CEO Jeff Bezos says he hopes to soon deploy an armada of mini-drones able to drop small packages at your doorstep.

The US online retail giant’s revolutionary project still needs extra safety testing and federal approval, but Bezos believes that Amazon “Prime Air” would be up and running within four to five years.

“These are effectively drones but there’s no reason that they can’t be used as delivery vehicles,” Bezos told CBS television’s “60 Minutes” program late Sunday.

“I know this looks like science fiction.

It’s not,” he said.

“We can do half-hour delivery . . . and we can carry objects, we think, up to five pounds (2.3 kilograms), which covers 86 percent of the items that we deliver.”

A video posted on the company’s website shows a prototype drone. The body of the device is about the size of a flat-screen monitor, and it is attached

to eight small helicopter rotors and sits on four tall legs.

keep it in the air and prevent it from crashing.

The claws under the belly of the “octopeter” then latch onto a standard sized plastic bucket that rolls down a conveyer belt at Amazon’s distribution center. Inside the bucket is the order.

“The hard part here is putting in all the redundancy, all the reliability, all the systems you need to say, ‘Look, this thing can’t land on somebody’s head while they’re walking around their neighborhood,’” Bezos told CBS.

The drone lifts off and whizzes into the air like a giant mechanical insect to deliver the package just 30 minutes after clicking the “pay” button on Amazon.com. Then it buzzes back into the air and returns to base.

The mini-drones are powered by environmentally-friendly electric motors and can cover areas within a 10-mile (16-kilometer) radius of fulfillment centers, thus covering a significant portion of the population in urban areas.

The drones operate autonomously and follow the GPS coordinates they receive to drop the items off at target locations.

“It’s very green, it’s better than driving trucks around,” said Bezos.

He also claims they are safe; the prototype has redundant motors that will

Amazon said the octocopters would be “ready to enter commercial operations as soon as the necessary regulations are in place,” noting that the Federal Aviation Administration was hard at work hammering out rules for the use of unmanned aerial vehicles.

“I would love for it to be after I’m dead.”

If the plan succeeds other retailers like Wal Mart, or even the local pizza store, could also start home deliveries via drone.

Comments on Twitter about the program ranged from amazed to humorous.

“If this weren’t on the CBS website, I would think this Amazon drone thing was an Onion article,” wrote Iris Blasi, referring to the popular satirical tabloid.

Amazon projected a more optimistic timeline than Bezos himself for the project to be activated, saying the FAA’s rules could be in place as early as 2015, and that Amazon Prime Air would be ready at that time.

FAA chief Michael Huerta earlier said he expects some 7,500 small unmanned aircraft buzzing in the US skies in the next five years.

Bezos hinted that part of the motivation behind the mini-drones was to make sure Amazon remains on the cutting edge of the retail industry.

Michael Toscano, head of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), predicted that a booming market for civilian drones will lead to the creation of 100,000 jobs over the next decade.

“Companies have short life spans...

And Amazon will be disrupted one day,” he said.

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December 1-15, 2013 Georgia Asian Times

CULTURE

Dubai wins battle to host Expo 2020 PARIS, November 27, 2013 - Dubai on Wednesday beat off opposition from Brazil, Russia and Turkey to win the right to host the 2020 World Expo.

The Gulf city beat Russia’s Ekaterinberg in the final round of voting to clinch a prestigious event that is credited with delivering a huge boost to tourism and business in the host city.

Dubai, the economic and transport hub of The United Arab Emirates, won 116 votes in the third round, comfortably beating Ekaterinberg with 47.

There was one abstention.

The four candidate cities, which also included Brazil’s Sao Paulo and Turkey’s Izmir, had pulled out all the stops during 20 minute presentations before voting by the 168 member states of the International Exhibitions Bureau (BIE), which oversees the organization of the events.

The Emirates kicked off the presentations by pitching Dubai as a futuristic, glitzy city.

Emirates minister Reem Al Hashimi told the meeting that Dubai was a city “capable of hosting the world” and promised visitors an “unforgettable experience” if it won the bid.

The victory for Dubai -- home to the world’s tallest tower, largest man-made island and one of the world’s busiest airports -- means the World Expo will be hosted by an Arab country for the first time.

According to UAE officials, 40 percent of the estimated 227,000 new jobs expected to be created as a result of

Expo will be in the tourism and travel sectors.

The site chosen for the event, is spread over 438 hectares (1,082 acres) and located between the international airports of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the capital of the Emirates.

Brazil, which is already gearing up to welcome the World Cup next year and the Olympic Games in 2016, had roped in famed Brazilian composer and musician Gilberto Gil to garner votes for its candidate city, Sao Paulo.

Gil played his versions of Bob Marley’s reggae hit “No Woman No Cry” and John Lennon’s “Imagine” in a short performance during the presentation. But it was in vain as Sao Paulo failed to get past the first round.

The World Expo, a modern-day successor to the Great Exhibitions of the 19th and early 20th centuries, showcases technology, architecture and culture.

Turkish Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu described Izmir, known as Smyrna for much of its history, as “the cradle of modern medicine”.

the Ural region into a hub for technology and innovation, and attract more tourists to this lesser-visited part of the country.

Izmir, a city on Turkey’s western coast, was eliminated in the second round of voting. It had already bid for a chance to host the 2015 Expo but lost out to Milan.

Izmir emerged as a flourishing international trading post as a crossroads between Europe and Asia. The city of about four million is a major tourist attraction with a palm-lined renovated waterfront, archaeological treasures and ancient ruins and nearby golden beaches.

With a population of 1.4 million, Ekaterinburg is Russia’s fourth largest city and had hoped to capitalise on its recent endorsement by Forbes magazine as Russia’s best place to do business.

In Wednesday’s bid, Turkey showcased Izmir’s long association with medicine and healthcare, highlighting that it housed the first psychiatric hospital in ancient times.

Ekaterinberg’s pitch included a video appeal by Prime Minister Dimitry Medvedev to “give Russia a chance”.

Russia was trying to promote the industrial city as part of a bid to develop

Shanghai was the last host city and Milan is next in line in 2015. The Chinese city set a record by attracting a record 73 million victors to the event.

Georgia Asian Times December 1-15, 2013

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BUSINESS

WTO faces fight for survival at make-or-break summit JAKARTA, December 1, 2013 - The WTO meets for a crunch summit in Indonesia this week billed as a do-ordie attempt to salvage an elusive deal on global commerce and, with it, the 159-member trade body’s own relevance.

New WTO chief Roberto Azevedo will be seeking to defy the odds and push through an agreement that could lead to relaunching the “Doha Round” of talks on slashing world trade barriers.

But hopes for success are low after the WTO failed to agree on even a modest deal to put to trade ministers who will open the four-day gathering on the island of Bali on Tuesday.

At stake is the future of trade multilateralism as regional pacts are increasingly favored by major trading nations, such as the Asia-Pacific-focused Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) pushed aggressively by Washington, analysts said.

Sergio Marchi, Canada’s past trade minister and former WTO envoy, said “failure in Bali will be very unkind to the WTO after 12 years of missed deadlines and opportunities” on the Doha Round.

“There will be a high cost to its credibility and relevance,” he said.

The Doha Round, launched in Qatar in 2001, aims for a wide-ranging accord to open markets and remove trade barriers, with a focus on helping poorer countries.

Azevedo, Brazil’s former trade envoy who took the WTO helm in September, has cited some estimates saying it could provide a $1 trillion boost to global commerce.

But the talks have stalled repeatedly as rich countries, emerging powers such as China and India, and the world’s poorest nations spar over the

give and take needed to craft a deal.

The World Trade Organization’s requirement that deals be unanimously agreed by all members also has complicated matters.

Negotiators had long ruled out major progress in Bali, instead working on lower-level thematic accords that could be fed into a wider package later.

But despite an intense push by Azevedo and signs that diplomats were coming tantalizingly close on those accords, negotiations in Geneva stumbled last week over issues including food security and customs procedures.

WTO diplomats engaged in last-ditch talks on Thursday however hailed a “breakthrough” on simplifying customs measures to facilitate trade, indicating that poor countries would be given extra flexibility to implement new rules under discussion.

But other gaps remain, and analysts warn that a limited agreement in Bali might do little to resuscitate Doha anyway.

The WTO chief urged trade ministers to make a final push in Bali to get a deal “over the line” and has worked the phones in the run-up to the summit to try to bridge those gaps.

But after years of WTO failure on the Doha Round, regional pacts with fewer members are in the ascendancy.

Deals like the 12-member TPP -which has hit negotiating hurdles of its own -- have been criticized, however, for tending to leave out poorer economies, as opposed to the WTO. The US showed its low regard for the WTO last week in Geneva when it resisted an Indian proposal on food security, said Kevin Gallagher, an expert on globalization and development at Boston University.

The proposal would have allowed developing countries to subsidize grain stockpiles to help low-income farmers and consumers, but critics said such stocks could have ended up on the market, skewing trade.

“By dumping the WTO unless it accedes in full to US demands, the US -- despite all its rhetoric in favor of multilateral approaches -- makes plain its intention to focus on trade treaties like the Trans-Pacific Partnership,” Gallagher wrote in an opinion piece to be published in several emerging market newspapers.

However the Indian government may have also “hardened its stand” due to domestic concerns, making it more difficult to reach a compromise,

said Pradeep Mehta, an Indian former advisor to the WTO. The ruling Congress party, which faces general elections by May 2014, fears that any agreement reached at the WTO on the issue could interfere with a landmark food subsidy program which it views as a key vote-getter.

Failure in Bali may relegate the WTO to the role of merely settling disputes between its members, observers say.

Some such disputes could loom on the sidelines in Bali, including a bitter row between Russia and the European Union over car import duties imposed

by Moscow.

China manufacturing index steady at 19-month high BEIJING, December 1, 2013 China’s manufacturing growth in November maintained its strong pace from the previous month to stay at a 19-month high, official figures showed on Sunday.

The purchasing managers’ index (PMI) was at 51.4, unchanged from October, the National Bureau of Statistics said on its website.

It was up from 51.1 in September and the highest since reaching 53.3 in April 2012.

A reading above 50 signals expansion while a figure below indicates contraction.

The figure was a further indication that the world’s second-largest economy is gradually emerging from a growth slowdown at the start of the year, although analysts have warned that weaknesses remain.

Official data in October showed that China’s economy, an important driver of regional and global growth, expanded 7.8 percent from July to

September, snapping two quarters of slowing.

Analysts said the jump resulted largely from a government stimulus since late June that included increased rail and urban fixed-asset investment, tax cuts and looser monetary policy.

The official PMI has risen steadily from 50.1 since June of this year.

Meanwhile the preliminary PMI reading for November from HSBC, another closely watched figure, slipped to 50.4 after a seven-month rise.

It was the second-highest reading from the British banking giant since March, down from 50.9 in October.

HSBC economist Qu Hongbin in Hong Kong attributed the drop to “weak new export orders” and the “slowing pace of restocking activities”.

The bank’s final PMI reading for the month is scheduled to be released on Tuesday.

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December 1-15, 2013 Georgia Asian Times

BUSINESS

Taiwan allows more solo China tourists to offset tour fall TAIPEI, November 29, 2013 Taiwan will allow more solo Chinese tourists to offset a fall in group arrivals after Beijing outlawed forced shopping trips, which resulted in operators raising the price of package tours, officials said Friday.

From Sunday Taiwan will raise its quota for individual travelers by 1,000 to 3,000 a day, the government said in a statement after the Cabinet approved the move Thursday. The quota for group tour members remains unchanged at 5,000 a day.

Tourism officials said the move would help to reduce the impact of China’s first tourism law, which came into effect on October 1.

China enacted the law to curb unhealthy industry practices such as taking tour groups on forced shopping trips, which subsidized package prices, and unfair competition. Tour operators in China have subsequently hiked their prices as a result.

According to figures released by Taiwan’s Tourism Bureau, the number of Chinese arrivals in group tours in October plunged 33 percent from

a year ago to 3,043 a day, followed by another 24 percent year-on-year fall in November.

Overall, however, Taiwan has seen a dramatic influx of visitors from mainland China since the island’s Beijing-friendly government lifted a ban on Chinese group tourists in 2008 and further allowed in solo tourists in mid-2011.

A record 2.6 million Chinese nationals visited the island last year, up a massive 45 percent from 2011, highlighting the fast improving ties between Taipei and Beijing.

China has replaced Japan to become the biggest source of visitors to Taiwan and Chinese tourists are among the biggest shoppers on the island, spending more than Tw$85.7 billion ($2.9 billion) last year, the government data showed.

China still considers Taiwan part of its territory awaiting reunification, by force if necessary, even though the sides have been governed separately since the end of a civil war in 1949.

South Korea exports for November rise to $47.92 Billion SEOUL, December 1, 2013 - South Korea’s exports for November rose to $47.92 billion on the back of robust sales of mobile devices and ships, official data showed Sunday.

Exports, which account for about a half of the South Korean economy, increased 0.2 percent on-year while imports fell 0.6 percent to $43.11 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of $4.8 billion for last month, the trade ministry said.

It was the 22nd consecutive month that South Korea -- Asia’s fourth-largest economy -- had posted a trade surplus. It last recorded a deficit in January 2012.

The accumulated trade surplus from January to November amounts to $40.55 billion and is on course to hit an annual record in 2013, the ministry added in a statement.

The previous annual record was set in 2010 when the trade surplus reached $41.17 billion.

“Exports to China expanded thanks to robust sales of tech products including mobile devices, while exports to the US and the EU rose as economic recovery fanned demand for consumer goods,” the ministry said.

Exports to China -- the South’s largest trade partner -- rose 3.7 percent from a year ago while exports to the EU climbed 6.8 percent.

Overseas shipments of mobile devices made by companies like Samsung and LG surged 12.6 percent on-year, while exports of ships made by builders including Hyundai soared 30.5 percent.

“The shipbuilders’ exports surged after they won orders for lucrative deals involving drill ships,” the statement said.

Memory chip shipments rose 8.2 percent as growing global production of low-end and mid-range smartphones fanned demand, the ministry added.

South Korea’s economy expanded 1.1 percent in the second and third quarters of this year -- the fastest pace since the first quarter of 2011.

The government has predicted the country’s economy will grow by 2.7 percent this year and further accelerate by 3.9 percent in 2014.

Georgia Asian Times December 1-15, 2013

EVENTS

Global Winter Wonderland - Opening Night Nov 21, 2013

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December 1-15, 2013 Georgia Asian Times

Georgia Asian Times December 1-15, 2013

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LIFESTYLE

Japanese switched at birth would like to ‘roll back clock’

TOKYO, November 28, 2013 - A 60-year-old Japanese man switched at birth says he would like to “roll back the clock”, days after winning a lawsuit against the hospital that mistakenly cast him into a life of poverty.

The man told a packed Tokyo press conference that he was shell-shocked when he learnt the truth, saying his life would have been starkly different.

“I’ve wondered how on earth could this happen. I couldn’t believe it. To be honest, I didn’t want to accept it,” he told Japanese media late Wednesday. The man was not identified.

“I might have had a different life.

I want (the hospital) to roll back the clock to the day I was born.”

A Tokyo district court this week ordered the hospital to pay 38 million yen ($374,000) in damages over its 1953 blunder which saw the man switched with another baby boy who was delivered just 13 minutes later.

The court ruled that 32 million yen should go to the man and the remaining six million to his three biological brothers.

It is not clear if the hospital, which has not commented on the bizarre case, will appeal.

The man, an unmarried truck driver, would have grown up as the eldest of four brothers in a wealthy family where siblings enjoyed a lavish lifestyle including private tutors.

Instead, he was raised on welfare by his non-biological mother who also supported older siblings after her husband passed away.

The family had few frills in their one-room apartment except for a radio, according to the man who studied at night school while working in a factory.

“It was like she was born to experience hardship,” the man said of the woman he knew as his mother. She is now also dead.

The man has been helping take care of his non-biological brothers, one of whom suffered a stroke.

The decades-old mistake was uncovered when the wealthy family’s three younger brothers had DNA testing done on their oldest sibling -- who

looked nothing like them -- after their parents died.

They checked hospital records and confirmed the identity of their biological eldest brother last year.

The four are now working on building a relationship to make up for lost time.

But the man switched at birth said he cried daily for several months after learning the truth.

“As I saw pictures of my (biological) parents, I wanted to see them alive. I couldn’t hold back tears for months every time I saw their pictures.”

One of my brothers “told me that we will have 20 more years to live so we should make up for lost time”, he added.

“I was happy to hear that and I want to do it.”

The wealthy family’s non-biological eldest son runs a real-estate company while his three siblings work for major firms, media reports said.

The trio, along with their gen-

uine older brother, had asked for a much-bigger 250 million yen in damages.

The mothers in both families had seemingly suspected they had been raising the wrong babies.

“I think my foster mother might have sensed it,” the man said, noting physical differences from the siblings he grew up with.

His real brothers remember their mother saying her first baby came back from his first bath in hospital wearing the wrong clothes.

“I’ve heard mother was a person who hated to lose. I have really hated to lose since I was small and was wondering where this characteristic came from,” he said.

“When I heard about her, I thought ‘that was it’.”

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December 1-15, 2013 Georgia Asian Times

FOCUS

Communist China restores Chiang Kai-shek’s house, and image NANJING, November 29, 2013 China’s Communist authorities have reverently restored an 80-year-old house once used by Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek, as changing relations with Taiwan transform an arch enemy into a recognized historical figure.

Political differences were plastered over as Nanjing city -- once China’s capital under the Nationalist party, also known as the Kuomintang -- spent $4.9 million to renovate the three-story house at the base of a hill.

It was one of several used by Chiang and his wife Soong May-ling before they fled to Taiwan in 1949 at the end of China’s brutal civil war, which killed millions of people on both sides.

Chiang led Taiwan as president until his death 26 years later, still proclaiming himself the rightful ruler of the whole of China.

For decades, the building was kept as a state guesthouse and closed to the public but the doors were thrown open after a year-long renovation completed in October.

“This renovation has a very important use for cross-strait cultural exchanges, so we considered that,” said Liao Jinhan, deputy head of the government agency that administers the surrounding scenic area.

“Our feeling is that the house is a very important cultural heritage landmark.”

The chance discovery of an original architectural plan in a closet in the house let workers faithfully restore the building, down to the basement coal room and Chiang’s Buick car parked out front.

“We completely followed the blueprint from that time. You can see from photos of the time, it is exactly the same,” said Zhou Zhongxing, who manages the property.

The election of Ma Ying-jeou, also of the Kuomintang, as Taiwan’s president in 2008 has improved relations with Beijing, which were strained in the mid-1990s.

“The renovation is significant for cross-strait cultural contacts as it shows the mainland’s focus on preserving historical heritage related to the Kuomintang,” said Tong Liqun, a research fellow at the Shanghai Institute for International Studies.

“To take relations one step further would mean exchanges in the field of politics, and that is where the two sides are having trouble,” she said.

‘The manor is like its mistress’ The sensitivity of the history is such that officials commonly refer to the house as the “May-ling Palace” after Chiang’s wife, despite its status as the former residence of a Chinese head of state.

May-ling was one of the three Soong

sisters, who between them married two top Chinese leaders and a wealthy businessman who served as finance minister.

“The manor is like its mistress, graceful and elegant, knowing both Chinese and Western style,” a sign reads.

Few images of Chiang can be seen inside the property, although the study holds a portrait of Sun Yat-sen, Republican China’s founding father -- revered by both Communists and Nationalists, and whose tomb up the hill is visible from the house.

The former First Lady’s achievements are on display in an exhibition which praises her for building support for China in its fight against Japan in the 1930s and 1940s, and her charitable causes.

An exhibit on the couple’s lives in Taiwan is called “Years on Taiwan island”, highlighting the position that it is not a country but part of China’s territory.

The house has Chinese features, such as the curved roof, but the interior is Western in style, reflecting Soong Mayling’s education in the United States.

The building also gives subtle hints about the couple’s lifestyle.

Chiang had a separate room for sleeping off the main bedroom, reflecting his military habit of rising early, while Soong required a Western-style oven, which still survives, and kept ashtrays in the rooms for smoking -- a habit she picked up in the US. A small chapel shows the couple’s embrace of Christianity: Soong, who was Methodist, insisted her husband convert to her religion.

“She had class,” said tour guide Chen Chen. “Soong Ching-ling, the second one, was very pretty.”

The middle Soong sister, Ching-ling was Sun Yat-sen’s wife and stayed in China after the Communist takeover.

The eldest of the trio, Soong Eling, married financier H.H. Kung.

Since opening in October, tens of thousands have paid the 30 yuan ($5) ticket price to see the house but it has proved especially popular with the elderly, some of them old enough to remember Chiang’s time.

A panel in one of the exhibitions reads: “The perfect combination of traditional Chinese architectural style and modern Western construction technology puts this building in the perfect realm of architectural history in modern China.”

Georgia Asian Times December 1-15, 2013

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SPORTS

Even those who could not watch the fight seemed to feel uplifted.

In Palo town, outside of Tacloban, many people could not even listen to the clash on the radio due to the lack of electricity. Resident Neil Lagumbay, 38, said he heard about the fight’s results from a neighbour.

Pacquiao victory lifts spirits of typhoon-ravaged Philippines TACLOBAN, November 24, 2013 – The storm-battered Philippines was celebrating a much-needed victory Sunday after national boxing hero Manny Pacquiao defeated American Brandon Rios in a comeback fight he dedicated to victims of Super Typhoon Haiyan.

For a brief moment in the devastated city of Tacloban, those who lost their homes, their livelihoods and even loved ones in the storm forgot their misery as they watched a free, live broadcast of Pacquiao’s overwhelming points victory over Rios in Macau.

“I’m so happy that he won. This is a win for all Filipinos. It will surely uplift our spirits, especially the victims of typhoon (Haiyan),” said Mario Penaflor, 41, amid the joyful crowds in Tacloban.

Such was the elation that army chief Lieutenant General Noel Coballes said special military honors may be extended to Pacquiao, a reserve lieutenant colonel in the army, for his latest victory.

“We will see what we can give him when he arrives,” Coballes said.

“He brought joy to the Filipinos especially during this time of crisis,” the general added.

President Benigno Aquino’s spokesman, Herminio Coloma congratulated Pacquiao, saying: “Just like Manny, we will triumph over our current problems by working together… In the face of a tough fight, he has displayed the strength and the character of the Filipino.”

ban’s main sports stadium — which served as a major evacuation centre during the storm — to watch the clash.

Spirits were high despite the grim evidence of the storm’s destruction — the damp seats, the stadium’s ruined ceiling — that, more than two weeks on, still surrounded them.

The crowd proudly sang their national anthem as it was played in Macau, then cheered their hero on wildly through the fight.

The celebration began in the last round as Pacquiao’s victory became obvious, with the stadium filling with jubilant cheers and laughter.

Battered nation needed a Pacquiao victory

Super Typhoon Haiyan has left almost 7,000 dead and missing after its rampage through the central Philippines earlier this month.

Rainier Panquinco, 29, who lost his home in the storm, said: “It’s a super good day. For awhile, I forgot my suffering.”

The World Boxing Organisation (WBO) International welterweight title clash was broadcast in four public areas in Tacloban to lift the spirits of residents who suffered the brunt of Haiyan’s fury.

He had prayed hard for Pacquiao and did not line up for relief goods Sunday just so he could watch the fight.

Whole families, including children and the elderly, packed into Taclo-

“It will give us hope here in Tacloban, and in Leyte and Samar,” he said, referring to the two islands that suffered the worst of the typhoon.

“Of course, I’m very happy that Manny won although I expected a knock out,” he said.

“It will boost the morale of the people here.”

Haiyan was just the latest in a series of calamities to hit the Philippines this year. In October, a 7.1-magnitude quake left over 200 dead and tens of thousands displaced, while a bloody, three-week long siege in a southern city by Muslim rebels in September left at least 244 dead with over 100,000 homeless.

Pacquiao, 34, a former champion in an unprecedented eight weight divisions, had sought to redeem himself against Rios in Macau after losing his last two fights.

The boxer, who has parlayed his sports fame into election to Congress and a fortune in commercial endorsements, had previously vowed not to let his countrymen down.

“This is not about my comeback,” he said in the ring immediately after the verdict Sunday.

“This is about my people’s comeback from a natural disaster and a natural tragedy.”

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December 1-15, 2013 Georgia Asian Times

SPORTS

Maddux, Glavine among newcomers on Hall of Fame ballot NEW YORK, November 26, 2013 Former Atlanta Braves pitchers Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine, each of them 300-game winners, were among newcomers to the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot lineup announced Tuesday.

A media panel will vote on candidates to be selected to the sporting shrine in Cooperstown, New York, with former players needing at least 75 percent support to be among those named January 8 as inductees for enshrinement next July.

No players were inducted last year, the first time that had happened since 1996 and only the second time since 1971. It coincided with the first ballot appearance of US career home run Barry Bonds, Dominican slugger Sammy Sosa and pitcher Roger Clemens -- legends who were among those accused of using performance-enhancing drugs.

Maddux won 355 games, 194 coming with the Braves, while Glavine won 244 of his 305 triumphs in 17 seasons with Atlanta.

“I’m confident at some point in time it’s going to happen,” Glavine said about his Hall of Fame hopes on the Major League Baseball website.

“Whether it’s on the first ballot, I don’t know. We’ll see. There are a lot of good players eligible.”

The Expansion Era Committee will announce its selections on December

9 and among the choices in that group are four top manages -- ex-Braves bench boss Bobby Cox, the late Billy Martin of New York Yankees fame plus Joe Torre, who managed the Yankees to four World Series titles, and Tony La Russa, who guided Oakland to the 1989 World Series crown and St. Louis to titles in 2006 and 2011.

Among first-time sluggers up for the Hall of Fame are Frank Thomas, who blasted 521 homers with 1,704 runs batted in over 19 seasons while hitting .301, and Jeff Kent, who belted 377 homers in 17 seasons with six clubs, including the most homers by a second baseman at 351.

Jack Morris -- who won 254 games in 18 seasons and helped Detroit, Minnesota and Toronto win World Series titles -- is on the media ballot for the 15th and final time.

Ex-Houston second baseman Craig Biggio, who missed out last season in his first try by being named on only 68.2 percent of ballots cast, produced 3,060 hits over two decades with the Astros.

Also among those to be considered is Japanese pitcher Hideo Nomo, who spent five seasons in Japan before coming to the United States and pitching for eight different clubs over 13 seasons before retiring in 2008. He threw two no-hitters, the first in North America by a Japanese hurler.

Dominant Lee wins Hong Kong Open HONG KONG, November 24, 2013 (AFP) - Malaysian world number one Lee Chong Wei stormed to victory at the Hong Kong Open on Sunday, outclassing Indonesia’s Sony Dwi Kuncoro in straight games to win his sixth Superseries tournament of the season.

Amid raucous support at the Hong Kong Coliseum, the 31-year-old top seed needed just 34 minutes to see off the unseeded three-time Asian champion 21-13, 21-9.

Lee’s dominant display, which included 24 winning smashes, capped a superb tournament in which he did not drop a single game.

“I never thought I would do so well.

It’s a final. Sony has been doing well,” said Lee. “Six is my lucky number. I like number six,” the two-time Olympic silver medallist joked, referring to his remarkable haul of Superseries wins in 2013, in which he has won half of the 12 events.

In the women’s singles, China’s Wang Yihan was forced to toil hard for her 21-13, 16-21, 21-15 win against compatriot Wang Shixian in a gruelling match lasting one hour and 16 minutes.

The third seed took the first game easily before Wang, seeded fourth, mounted a comeback to level the match.

In the decider, the lead changed hands before it reached 11-11, when the former world champion pulled

ahead, going on to seal the match with a smash.

Wang Yihan admitted, however, that victory had not come easy.

“I am not in my best shape. I had been satisfied getting into the final,” she said, adding that she had been recovering well from a knee injury.

In the mixed doubles, British newlyweds Chris Adcock and Gabrielle White, who tied the knot in September, beat China’s Bao Yixin and Liu Cheng 21-14, 24-22, overcoming nerves in their prolonged second game.

Adcock said they would allow themselves only a short break before resuming training for next month’s BWF Superseries Finals in Kuala Lumpur.

“It’s definitely our first championship since marriage so we’re really, really happy about it,” said Adcock.

“A long flight home, a few days off and then I am going to have to get training for the finals in Malaysia,” he added.

In the all-Korean men’s doubles final, unseeded pair Lee Yong-Dae and Yoo Yeon-Seong fought back from a game down to beat fourth seeds Kim Ki-Jung and Kim Sa-Rang 12-21, 21-15, 21-18.

In the women’s doubles, fifth-seeded Chinese pair Bao Yixin and Tang Jinhua came from behind to beat their compatriots Ou Dongni and Tang Yuanting 18-21, 21-16, 21-15.

Georgia Asian Times December 1-15, 2013

Page 15

HEALTH Free Nicotine Replacement Therapy for Georgians To Quit Smoking Atlanta, November 21, 2013 – The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) is providing help to Georgians who want to quit smoking and stop using tobacco products. With grant money from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, DPH is offering a four-week supply of free Nicotine Replacement Therapy to all Georgia tobacco users aged 18 and older, while supplies last. Along with the American Cancer Society and the Great American Smokeout, DPH is urging Georgians to quit smoking not just for the day, but for life.

More than 1.5 million Georgians aged 18 and older smoke cigarettes. Another 317,000 adults in Georgia use some form of smokeless tobacco like chewing tobacco, snuff, or snus. And recent data shows that tobacco use is increasing among Georgia teens and young adults putting even more lives at risk for cancer. Smoking costs Georgians $1.8 billion in direct healthcare costs every year and $3.2 billion in lost productivity.

“Tobacco use is the number one preventable cause of death in Georgia,” says Jean O’Connor,Dr.PH., director of the Health Promotion & Disease Prevention section in the Georgia Department of Public Health.

“Every year in Georgia, more than 10,000 people die from smoke related illnesses – that’s more than alcohol, cocaine and heroin, AIDS, murders, suicides, auto accidents and fires combined.”

The free Nicotine Replacement Therapy medication comes in the form of patches and gum. Georgians who use tobacco and are ready to quit, can contact the Georgia Tobacco Quit Line at 1-877-270-STOP (7867) for the free therapies, while supplies last. The Georgia Tobacco Quit Line provides free and confidential, professional tobacco cessation telephone and web-based counseling to all Georgia tobacco users ages 13 and older including pregnant and postpartum women. Since 2001, the Georgia Tobacco Quit Line has helped nearly 95,000 Georgians in their attempts to stop smoking.

Georgia adults who use any form of tobacco are encouraged to speak to their healthcare provider or pharmacist for additional support and information about safe, effective and appropriate medication treatment options to assist with quitting tobacco. The Quit Line is available 24 hours a day and seven days a week.

US orders startup to halt DNA analysis kit sales WASHINGTON, November 25, 2013 (AFP) - US health officials have ordered a startup headed by the exwife of a Google co-founder to halt a service of DNA testing to determine health risks.

The Food and Drug Administration said in a warning letter made public Monday to the company, 23andMe, that its “saliva collection kit and personal genome service” needs to get regulatory approval.

The company was co-founded by Anne Wojcicki, who recently split with Sergey Brin, one of the co-founders of Google. The Internet giant had been an investor in the firm.

The company provides a saliva analysis kit aimed at helping customers determine their genetic risks for diseases such as diabetes, coronary heart disease, and breast cancer.

The FDA letter said that most of the uses for the kit make it a “medical device” which requires regulatory approval.

The letter said some uses of the kit

“are particularly concerning,” because of “potential health consequences” of false positive or false negative results for some conditions such as genetic predisposition for breast cancer.

“For instance, if the (genetic) risk assessment for breast or ovarian cancer reports a false positive, it could lead a patient to undergo prophylactic surgery, chemoprevention, intensive screening, or other morbidity-inducing actions, while a false negative could result in a failure to recognize an actual risk that may exist,” the letter said.

The letter noted that “even after these many interactions with 23andMe, we still do not have any assurance that the firm has analytically or clinically validated the (kit) for its intended uses.”

As a result, “23andMe must immediately discontinue marketing the (kit) until such time as it receives FDA marketing authorization for the device.”

The company describes itself as “the leading personal genetics company

dedicated to helping individuals understand their own genetic information through DNA analysis technologies and web-based interactive tools.”

It has received financial backing from Google Ventures, Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation, The Roche Venture Fund and others.

Kendra Cassillo, a spokeswoman for 23andMe, said the company had received the warning letter.

“We recognize that we have not met the FDA’s expectations regarding timeline and communication regarding our submission,” she said in an email.

“Our relationship with the FDA is extremely important to us and we are committed to fully engaging with them to address their concerns.”

There was no immediate comment from Google.

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December 1-15, 2013 Georgia Asian Times

Misc Asia “We have mixed feelings,” he said.

“Happy, because we believe we have found a lost family member, and sad, because we hear that she is sick and has been held captive for more than 30 years.”

Kamar, 69, in an interview with Britain’s Daily Telegraph published on Tuesday, described a bright and optimistic young woman. Decades-old photos published in Malaysian media pictured a smiling and fresh-faced student.

Family rejoices as Malaysian police identify ‘slave’ victim JELEBU, November 27, 2013 - Police in Kuala Lumpur said Wednesday one of three women allegedly held as slaves in London for 30 years was a Malaysian who went missing in the 1960s, prompting a joyous reaction from the long-lost woman’s sister.

Malaysia’s top police official Khalid Abu Bakar, citing information provided

by British police, confirmed the woman was Siti Aishah Abdul Wahab, The Star newspaper said in a brief report on its website.

Siti Aishah, who would now be 69, had left to study in Britain around 1968 but her family lost track of her soon after that, relatives told AFP. “I will hug her and cry if she comes back home,” Siti Aishah’s eldest sister, Hasnah Abdul Wahab, 88, said when told of the police announcement.

“I thank Allah he has realized my prayers to meet Siti Aishah before I die,” she said in the family’s hometown of Jelebu in southern Malaysia, as she held a photo of Siti Aishah as a young woman.

“I will hold a feast to thank Allah. We have been looking for her for a long, long time.”

After studying at one of Malaysia’s elite schools, she obtained a scholarship to study quantity surveying in England but is believed to have fallen under the spell of the Maoist couple.

Prominent Malaysian activist Hishamuddin Rais has been quoted by local media as saying Siti Aishah had joined several other Malaysian students in a leftist group in Britain called the “New Malayan Youth” in the 1970s.

“When my wife found out that Siti Aishah is alive and has been saved from being held as captive, she cried,” Mohamad Noh said.

The Star reported Wednesday that the country’s High Commission in London was pressing Britain for consular access to the woman.

“I am not sure if she will remember me but I am hopeful she will,” Kamar told The Malaysian Insider news portal before leaving for London.

British media have reported the Malaysian slave victim had suffered a stroke recently.

Police said the women, believed to have been living in a flat in south London, were brainwashed and had reported being beaten.

Police said Saturday the two older victims had met their male captor through a “shared political ideology” and initially lived with him as part of a collective.

Police have arrested two people identified by British media as radical Maoists for holding the three women in a case that has shocked Britain.

The three “slaves”, who also included a 57-year-old Irish woman and a 30-year-old Briton believed to have spent her life in servitude, were freed on October 25 after one of them secretly contacted a charity.

The couple, who have been released on bail, have been named by British newspapers as Indian-born Aravindan Balakrishnan and his Tanzanian wife Chanda.

British police have kept a lid on the facts of the case during investigations.

But Siti Aishah’s brother-in-law Mohamad Noh Mohamad Dom said his wife Kamar Mahtum had flown to London on Wednesday to identify her sister after a British media outlet earlier told the family the woman may be her.

Siti Aishah’s brother-in-law Mohamad Noh Mohamad Dom said his wife Kamar Mahtum had flown to London on Wednesday to identify her sister.

Georgia Asian Times December 1-15, 2013

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Misc Asia

Indian toddler with swollen head undergoes more surgery NEW DELHI, November 29, 2013 - Doctors conducted reconstructive surgery Friday on a two-year-old Indian girl to correct a rare disorder that caused her head to balloon to twice its normal size, a neurosurgeon said.

Roona Begum, whose plight attracted international sympathy, underwent several rounds of surgery in May and June when doctors drained excess fluid from her head and dramatically reduced the size of her skull.

But she returned to the same hospital near New Delhi earlier this month for what doctors hope will be a final round of surgery which will see some of the bone removed from her skull which will then be rebuilt.

“We are trying to reduce the bulk and the weight of the head so her neck muscles can become stronger,” neurosurgeon Sandeep Vaishya said after completing the latest surgery on Friday at the Fortis Memorial Research Institute.

Roona, who lives with her impoverished parents in a village in India’s remote northeast, was born with hydrocephalus, a potentially fatal condition that causes cerebrospinal fluid to build up on the brain.

Her condition caused her head to swell to a circumference of 94 centimetres (37 inches), putting pressure on her brain and making it impossible for her to sit upright.

Publication of pictures taken by an AFP photographer prompted the hospital to treat Roona for free, and the surgeries which followed saw her head circumference shrink to 58 centimetres.

She was first admitted to the hospital in April where she spent 105 days before being discharged in August.

She will undergo another procedure early next month to compress her head further.

Although Roona’s skull is likely to remain large, she has a good chance of developing normally, provided her neck muscles can grow strong enough to support her head, doctors have said.

South Korea orders changes to history textbooks SEOUL, November 29, 2013 South Korea’s Education Ministry has ordered revisions to a number of high school history textbooks, part of a long-running ideological battle over the narrative of modern Korean nationhood.

In a statement Friday, the ministry said the publishers of seven government-approved textbooks had been ordered to revise 41 instances of “obscure and unbalanced” descriptions of history.

Failure to do so would result in publication of the books being halted completely, the ministry said.

The 41 corrections demanded by the ministry involved writings on subjects ranging from civilian killings during the 1950-53 Korean War, territorial disputes with Japan and North Korean human rights abuses.

“The most important factors for determining the subjects of modification were if there are any factual errors and elements that could negatively affect students’ perspective of the right historical events,” Deputy Education Minister Na Seung-Il told reporters Friday.

The directive follows a row that was

triggered in August by protests from liberal opposition lawmakers over one particular textbook which they accused of a pronounced right-wing bias.

Ruling conservative MPs countered by challenging a perceived left-wing bias in a handful of other textbooks.

The turbulent, traumatic history of the Korean peninsula in the 20th century is something of an academic minefield.

Of particular sensitivity are the 1910-45 period of Japanese occupation, the division of the peninsula into North and South, post-Korean War military rule, the pro-democracy movement of the 1980s and 1990s, and pretty much anything to do with North Korea.

The left-right divide in South Korea still battles over the portrayal and legacy of all these subjects, which remain a critical part of the national consciousness.

High school textbooks have been a proxy battlefield for these ideological forces before, most recently in 2004 when conservatives took exception to a perceived left-leaning publication.

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December 1-15, 2013 Georgia Asian Times

TECH Smartphone app to give earthquake warning RIO DE JANEIRO, November 30, 2013 - A smartphone app designed to give early warning of earthquakes could be ready as early as next year, according to scientists at the World Science Forum in Rio de Janeiro.

Researchers from the University of California showed off the project this week at a conference on how to use technology to ward off natural disasters.

The app is based on technology used in an early warning system prepared by a team under Professor Richard Allen, director of the UC Berkeley Seismological Laboratory.

California has already embraced the concept of an early warning network, with Governor Jerry Brown signing a bill in September mandating the creation of a system.

More than a million Xbox One consoles sold on launch day SAN FRANCISCO, November 23, 2013 - Microsoft on Friday crowed that more than a million Xbox One consoles were snapped up within 24 hours in 13 countries after hitting shelves for the first time in the morning.

The US-based technology titan described it as the biggest launch in Xbox history, setting a new sales record at the company.

Xbox One consoles were sold out at most retail shops, according to Microsoft.

“We are humbled and grateful for the excitement of Xbox fans around the world,” said Xbox corporate vice president of marketing Yusuf Mehdi.

“Seeing thousands of excited fans lined up to get their Xbox One and their love for gaming was truly a special moment for everyone on the Xbox team,” he continued.

“We are working hard to create more Xbox One consoles.”

Sale of the keenly-awaited system

began in more than a dozen countries including New Zealand, Australia, France, Britain, Brazil and the United States as day dawned in respective time zones.

Xbox fans queued at consumer electronics shops to be among the first to get their hands on Microsoft’s beefedup console that extends beyond gaming to online films, music, social networking and more.

“It’s a big upgrade, a big change,” said 23-year-old Jonathan Guerrero, who staked out a spot at the front of the line at a Best Buy electronics shop in Northern California 13 hours before the consoles went on sale a minute into Friday.

“You are jumping from okay to super great.”

Hassan Ali, 34, said he queued to get an Xbox One because he has an ideal television for the rich graphics it pumps out. He described his set as a 3-D, high-definition, smart television with a 65-inch screen.

The smartphone app is capable of providing an alert between a few seconds and one minute before a tremor hits, depending on where an individual using it is in relation to the epicenter.

To do this, the app captures initial energy from the tremor, the so-called P wave or primary wave, which rarely itself causes damage.

The technology uses algorithms to detect rapidly when a quake is starting and determine its strength and location and when it is likely to reach its zenith and alert residents in potentially affected areas. The algorithms use data from regional networks monitoring seismic networks.

In the case of cell phones, those located at the actual epicenter of the quake will not

“It’s kind of amazing that you can look at the game and it looks like real life,” said Ali, who spoke of loving video games since his first Sega device in 1985.

Sony last week unleashed the PlayStation 4, its new champion in the long-running console war.

The Xbox One, successor to the Xbox 360, the top-selling console in North America, debuted at $500 while Sony’s PS4 is priced at $400.

Sony said it sold more than a million PS4 consoles in the 24 hours after its

receive the early warning.

But the tremors detected by the system will be transmitted in a chain to other receivers so that those a few kilometers (miles) away will be able to react to cloudbased data and glean more information on what is happening where and what is likely to happen next.

“All we need is a telephone at the epicenter of the quake which detects it and sends the information (saying) ‘I felt a jolt, I am in this place’ to a server,” explained Allen.

“There are many phones simultaneously doing this to enable the server to determine the site and magnitude of the quake to send people further away a warning. These warnings include (information on) how much time to the start of the tremor and also its intensity.”

The warning gives people precious time to seek out a secure place of refuge and halt industrial activity or transport, thereby reducing risk to the public at large.

The app uses various smartphone functions such as accelerometers and gyroscopes to determine movement, as well as GPS and Wi-Fi localization functions as well as a magnetometer to indicate direction.

The software makes use of the fact that there are 16 million smartphones in California alone and about one billion globally that are ever more interconnected.

The app will first be tested across a pool of several thousand users. Once it is fully rolled out it will be free via a coded access.

release on November 15 in only North America.

Both consoles boast upgrades which provide richer graphics and more immersive game play than their predecessors. Social features for online play have also been enhanced, along with the ability to share with friends.

Analyst firm Gartner forecast that the console segment of the video game market will grow from $44 billion this year to $49 billion, while that of mobile games will climb from about $13 billion to $17 billion.

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December 1-15, 2013 Georgia Asian Times

December Horoscope Snake (2013 2001 1989 1977 1965 1953 1941 1929 1917 1905) After much thought about how you could make changes in your existing routine, you are still unable to see the way forward. Setbacks in plans that mean a great deal to you have raised questions about whether you should pursue these at all. While it is worth examining both goals and how you expect to achieve them, this is more about updating your thinking than abandoning what are important objectives. Forget about planning and instead plunge in; being in the midst of these will cast both circumstances and your options in a far more constructive light.

Pig (2007 1995 1983 1971 1959 1947 1935 1923 1911) Reviewing personal financial status has been high on the agenda. Plans for the near and immediate future have developed some concerns for those with several commitments. One will be able to keep one’s head above water through careful budgeting, sacrifice and continuous industrious effort at work or business. Avoid splashing out on some extravagance for loved ones when one does not feel comfortable with it and what is the point one is trying to prove or demonstrate. One can certainly put to more meaningful use some of the cash.

Horse (2002 1990 1978 1966 1954 1942 1930 1918 1906) Certain individuals are expert at making others feel guilty. While you are usually superb at handling such matters, somebody has managed to manipulate you into making promises that are unwise. Waste no time trying to figure out a diplomatic excuse. The obstacles you are facing may seem unfair, but each will, in some way, expose a dilemma you have either been unaware of or ignored because you did not know what to do about it. While you will be able to tackle many promptly, others will take time. Still the outcome will justify the effort.

Rat (2008 1996 1984 1972 1960 1948 1936 1924 1912) Some significant changes are expected during this period; a few are planned for but most of those approaching your way will be more of a surprise if not shocking. Worrying as that may sound, both the ideas and events in question are about breakthroughs, so are bound to have a powerful impact now and in the coming near future. While you can slow the process of change these trigger, however you cannot stop it. Once you understand how you will benefit from them, you would not want to change things.

Sheep (2003 1991 1979 1967 1955 1943 1931 1919 1907) Personal financial situation should gradually improve for the better as a result of wise spending plans and an increase in earnings. However one should focus on the long term and keep one’s ears and eyes open rather than merely concentrating on what is immediately in front. For those in a career, one could encounter some promotion just before the end of the month; the management has increased confidence in the individual and will continue to provide support. Do not get carried away by the good news, one should try to resist the temptation of spending ahead to celebrate such achievement.

Ox (2009 1997 1985 1973 1961 1949 1937 1925 1913) Life will be much easier when important arrangements that involve several people are settled. While delays are eminent and understandable, everybody is uneasy and the resulting mood is gradually taking a toll. The issue is the foundation of these plans is shifting and will continue to do so for some time ahead. Rushing or forcing things in order to speed up the process is unlikely to work and certainly would not be beneficial for all those involved. Perhaps you may need to consult some consultants or experts in their profession and derive a plan. Whether as an interim measure or not, at least you have an alternative plan.

Monkey (2004 1992 1980 1968 1956 1944 1932 1920 1908) Good prosperity is gradually developing on the horizon after much productive effort. This means better prospects for the career type and improved openings for the business type. Foreign travel for business or pleasure is indicated in the very near future. One needs to take extra precautions when traveling abroad especially with personal belongings and safety aspects. If one can avoid traveling to unsafe locations, by all means do avoid them; it is always better to be safe than sorry. Planning long-term prospects and thorough research into details will certainly increase the chances of success.

Tiger (2010 1998 1986 1974 1962 1950 1938 1926 1914) Only rarely will you put money ahead of other priorities. In fact, you will often forget about what you are owed. However during this period, is about review and that means thinking of yourself first and others second. Hence it is advisable that you will need to do your sums and if others owe you, it is time to discuss it. Try not to let it drag on for too long before it turns complicated.

Even though you may feel uneasy when asking for the return of monies owed; but you have the right to get an answer one way or another.

Rooster (2005 1993 1981 1969 1957 1945 1933 1921 1909) One can easily overlook small activities when too occupied with work, neglecting loved ones or partner. Often one is more conscious of what others are feeling than they are themselves and so you should understand or pick up such atmosphere and defusing potentially troublesome situations tactfully.

You could land yourself into a manipulating act scenario and hoping to be the peacemaker for the month. Ultimately the effort is worth every drop of sweat when those affected turn around and give you a big hug or kiss.

Rabbit (2011 1999 1987 1975 1963 1951 1939 1927 1915 1903) Before one commits to plans that could substantially alter your life, one wants to know what is involved. During this period, facts could be in short supply; dire as that may sound; you have nothing to worry about. It is just that with the world around you changing rapidly, ideally a little assurance would be welcome. What you seek must flow from within. Once you have connected with your unshakeable morality, you will have the strength and courage to seize life-changing opportunities without a moment of doubt.

Dog (2006 1994 1982 1970 1958 1946 1934 1922 1910) For ages you have sensed you could have to make changes in elements of your life or work but unsure where to begin. Now events are calling your attention to certain matters but you are still unsure what to do. Perhaps the answer is to wait and watch. Decisions that will reshape both your life and others’ are pressing but when you try to make them, the actual circumstances may have changed already. The trick is to plan but in such a way that changes can be accommodated. Things will be clearer towards the end of the month.

Dragon (2012 2000 1988 1976 1964 1952 1940 1928 1916 1904) Although most Dragon sign is a master of subtlety, there are several situations in which you are becoming impatient. While you have every right to want things settled sooner rather than later, according to your intention, you are better off taking things slowly and steadily. This will allow you to explore what arises as events and their direction evolve. What is more, this allows you to make minor but crucial adjustments to both your thinking and your ultimate objectives.