Georgia Asian Times Dec 1-15, 2015

Covering The Multicultural Asian American Community in Georgia

www.gasiantimes.com December 1-15, 2015

‘Star Wars,’ the space epic no one believed in

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December 1-15, 2015 Georgia Asian Times

Georgia Asian Times December 1-15, 2015

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

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2015 NACA Christmas Party Date: Saturday, Dec 5, 2015 Time: 6:30 pm Venue: 5483 Redbark Way, Atlanta GA 30338 $5 member, $15 non-member For more info: xiaogengdeng@gmail. com 2015 Partnership Gwinnett Summit Date: December 11, 2015 Time: 7:45 am - 11:00 am Venue: Georgia Gwinnett College For more info: www.gwinnettchamber. org 2016 NACA Chinese New Year Fundraising Dinner Date: Saturday, February 6, 2016 Time: 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm Venue: Canton House, 4825 Buford Highway Admission: $40 member, $80 non-member, $2000 Corporate For more info: xiaogengdeng@gmail. com

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December 1-15, 2015 Georgia Asian Times

METRO ASIAN NEWS Gwinnett builds new morgue and new medical examiner’s office

Georgia Supreme Court’s decision to uphold minimum wage for home care workers Atlanta, November 25, 2015 -- The National Domestic Workers Alliance and its Atlanta Chapter applaud this week’s decision by the Georgia Supreme Court in Anderson et al v.

Southern Home Care Services, Inc. et al., despite assertions to the contrary by the publicly traded corporate defendants. The court’s decision allows a federal class action case brought by several homecare workers to continue against Southern Home Care Services and against Res-Care, Inc. The decision is another step forward in the longtime effort to secure basic floor protections and dignity for this important and growing workforce of home care workers.

“The decision is part of a victory that we as domestic workers have been fighting to achieve for decades,” said Precious Boston, home care worker and member of the Atlanta Chapter of NDWA. “Our work is a labor of love.

We care for senior citizens and people living with disabilities, and and make sure they get to live with dignity.

Sometimes I have to travel an hour from one client to the next just to give a 15min shower. We deserve proper compensation for all of the time that we work, and dignity and respect for the important work that we do.”

The Georgia Supreme Court’s decision is one more step towards including homecare and other domestic workers in the basic protections most other workers already enjoy.

It is one more step towards creating the most basic floor of protections for workers, and follows other recent gains for domestic workers, including the January 1, 2015 federal expansion of Fair Labor Standards Act protections to most homecare workers; and bills that passed in Connecticut and Oregon in 2015 which ensured expanded protections for domestic workers. Home care workers have long been excluded from basic worker protections. They were excluded from basic wage and hour protections under FLSA since the legislation was passed in 1938.

“As American society ages faster than ever before with more people preferring to age in their homes, the services of home care professionals are becoming increasingly more vital to the health and wellbeing of our society and economy,” said Lovette Kargbo-Thompson, Atlanta Chapter Organizer.

“The Georgia Supreme Court’s ruling is a step in the right direction, but there is still a lot more work to be done in Georgia and on a national level.

The majority of home care workers are women of color and increasingly immigrants, earning poverty wages.

In Georgia, the wages of home care workers have fallen below 133% of the Federal Poverty Level, while nationwide, one in two workers leave their jobs. This creates an additional burden to consumers and their families”

Lawrenceville, Dec. 1, 2015 – Gwinnett commissioners today approved a construction contract for a new morgue and medical examiner’s office. The 2014 SPLOST is funding the 15,000 square foot facility that will be built on 5.6 acres the County owns at 320 Hurricane Shoals Road in Lawrenceville.

McKnight Construction Company Inc. was the lowest of three pre-qualified bidders at $5.7 million. The building is designed by Precision Planning Inc. to achieve LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certification through the U.S. Green Building Council. The facility will be designed with energy and water efficient fixtures and will be built using environmentally friendly practices and materials.

The morgue space will have three state of the art autopsy stations plus a laboratory and space for evidence processing and storage. The facility will also have office space for the Medical Examiner, medical staff, investigators and administrative staff along with a family conference room and respite area.

The medical examiner conducts death investigations, including postmortem examinations of bodies, in order to determine cause and manner of death in cases that meet certain criteria as defined under state law, such as sudden or suspicious deaths.

Commission Chairman Charlotte Nash said, “Locating these two facilities together will greatly improve efficiency and provide adequate space to meet the needs of Gwinnett into the future.

Johns Creek City Council runoff elections results Atlanta, December 2, 2015 — In an official results released by Fulton County - General Municipal and Special Election runoff results on Dec 1, 2015.

Johns Creek City Council Post 2: Jay Lin won with 53% of the vote, by 1676 to Chris Coughlin 1514.

Johns Creek Special City Council Post 2 which would fill the empty seat until the end of 2015: Chris Coughlin wins with 1661 votes over Todd Burkhalter 1152 votes.

Johns Creek Special City Council Post 5: Stephanie Endres beat Nazeera Dawood with58% of the vote; winning by 1741 over 1270 votes.

Georgia Asian Times December 1-15 2015

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YOU VALUE SOLUTIONS. WE VALUE LEADERS.

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December 1-15, 2015 Georgia Asian Times

FOCUS

Travelers from visa-waiver nations will be fingerprinted under Senate Bill Washington DC, Dec 2, 2015 Travelers to the United States from “visa-waiver” nations would have to provide fingerprints and photographs under a US Senate Bill to intensify scrutiny of foreigners, one of several border-tightening measures introduced since the Paris attacks.

The measure is the latest proposed to tighten US border controls since the Nov 13 shootings and bombings in France by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) that left 130 people dead, triggering a wave of fear across the US. The Bill was introduced on Tuesday (Dec 1) by a bipartisan group of senators led by Democrat Dianne Feinstein and Republican Jeff Flake.

It would also require individuals who have visited Syria or Iraq in the last five years to get a traditional US tourist visa before heading for the US, rather than taking advantage of the “visa waiver” program.

Under that program, travelers from 38 countries, including much of Western Europe, can embark for the US without first getting a visa from a US consulate or embassy in their home country. About 20 million visitors a year enter the US under the program, which allows them to stay 90 days.

US officials privately admit that they are more worried about possible ISIS or other Europe-based militants using the visa-waiver program to enter the US than they are by the possibility that would-be attackers might hide among droves of US-bound refugees fleeing conflict in Syria and Iraq.

The Bill would also increase the fee charged by the US to visa-waiver travelers, now US$14. Travelers who get visas from US embassies or consulates now must pay a fee of US$160. The two Democrats did not say how high they wanted to raise the fee for visa-waiver travelers.

The Bill was greeted with skepticism by a travel industry representative. Mr Jonathan Grella, executive vice-president of the US Travel Association, said a pre-travel fingerprinting requirement could deter travelers.

cies such as Interpol, a US official said.

“The US travel community strongly supports sensible security enhancements to the visa-waiver program.

What we cannot support are steps that ultimately dismantle the program and set back America’s economy and our efforts to protect the homeland,” the trade organization said in a statement.

A congressional official said the fingerprinting requirement in the Bill would most directly affect first-time travelers to the United States. - Reuters

Obama administration officials said they have already taken steps to tighten scrutiny of visa-waiver travelers.

In August, the administration said it would require the use of an Interpol database containing reports of lost and stolen passports to screen passengers, and the reporting of suspected “foreign fighters” to international security agen

However, the administration has not proposed either requiring visa-waiver passengers to submit fingerprints in advance of travel or increasing fees.

Georgia Asian Times December 1-15, 2015

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LIFESTYLE

Breaking an emotional connection to food is key to losing weight Los Angeles, Dec 3 — Of the tens of millions of Americans who try to lose weight every year, only 8 per cent actually succeed, with even less keeping off the weight long term. Two out of 3 who lose 5 per cent of their body weight will eventually gain it back, and the more weight you lose, the more likely this is to happen. So where are we going wrong?

To look into the problem further and examine the possible weight loss barriers that many Americans are facing, Orlando Health commissioned a national survey of over 1000 participants, which showed that only 1 in 10 thought that an emotional connection to food was a factor in losing weight.

Neuropsychologist and Program

Director of Integrative Medicine at Orlando Health, Diane Robinson, believes this is why so many Americans are struggling with weight loss, and also weight gain: “most people focus almost entirely on the physical aspects of weight loss, like diet and exercise.

But there is an emotional component to food that the vast majority of people simply overlook and it can quickly sabotage their efforts. In order to lose weight and keep it off long term, we need to do more than just think about what we eat, we also need to understand why we’re eating.”

With nearly every holiday connected with food and even just the smell of food evoking strong emotions, Robinson believes that even if we are not aware of it, from an early age we are

conditioned to use food not only for nourishment, but also for comfort and pleasure. When we eat something pleasurable the brain releases the neurotransmitter dopamine as a response, making us feel good and strengthening the emotional connection.

tional connection to food, and help a weight loss plan, Robinson offers the following tips:

“We feel good whenever that process is activated,” said Robinson, “but when we start to put food into that equation and it becomes our reward, it can have negative consequences.” To support Robinson’s theory, previous research has already found that a higher body mass index (BMI) is linked to feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression, all of which can lead to classic ‘comfort eating’ as a coping mechanism.

- Identify foods that make you feel good and write down why you eat them. Do they evoke a happy memory, or do they help you feel calmer when stressed?

To help recognise a possible emo-

- Keep a daily diary recording your food and your mood to try and recognize any unhealthy patterns.

- Before you have any snack or meal ask yourself: Am I eating this because I’m hungry? If the answer is no, look for the root of your motive.

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December 1-15, 2015 Georgia Asian Times

BUSINESS

Thanksgiving shopping crowds subdued as online sales soar New York, Nov 27, 2015 - Retailers across the United States offered early Black Friday discounts to lure bargain-hunters on Thanksgiving eve, but crowds in brick-and-mortar stores were subdued even as online sales jumped.

“It’s still early, and from what we are seeing so far the crowds are good but not great,” said Craig Johnson, president of Customer Growth Partners.

The retail consultancy has 18 members studying customer traffic in different parts of the country.

The rush on the night of the US holiday, a month before Christmas, reflects the new normal in US holiday shopping, which was traditionally kicked off the next day, Black Friday.

In an effort to attract the most eager holiday shoppers and fend off competition from Amazon.com Inc, US retailers have increasingly extended their holiday deals by opening stores on the evening of Thanksgiving.

This hurt customer turnout on Black Friday last year, a trend analysts and consultants expect will repeat this year.

“I can wait until tomorrow but it’s more exciting today,” said Daipayan Deb, a shopper in his mid-thirties at a packed Wal-Mart super center on the outskirts of Pittsburgh. “Previously, I used to start shopping on Black Friday, but now it’s Thursday.”

Early discounts at stores and online included buy one get 50 per cent off on the second “Star Wars” toys at Target Corp , US$200 off quadcopter drones at Best Buy Co Inc, a 50-inch Samsung smart TV for US$499 at Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

Shoppers in the United States spent more than US$1 billion online, 22-per cent more than last year, between midnight and 5 pm ET yesterday, according to the Adobe Digital Index, which tracked 100 million visits to 4,500 US retail sites.

As much as 20 per cent of holiday shopping is expected to be done over the Thanksgiving weekend this year, analysts said. The four-day shopping burst will help set the tone for the rest of the season, signaling to retailers whether they need to drop prices or change promotions.

Kimberley Turner, a mother in her forties who was shopping with her young son said she found the discounts less compelling. “I actually think the deals were better last year,” she said.

Online discounts averaging 23 per cent are below last year’s 25 per cent, but prices are expected to drop as more Black Friday sales come on board, said Tamara Gaffney, principal research analyst at Adobe Digital Index.

The shopping season spanning November and December is crucial for many retailers because the two months can account for anywhere from 20 to 40 per cent of their annual sales.

Shoppers are expected to be cautious with their spending again this year. The National Retail Federation is expecting holiday sales to rise 3.7 per cent, slower than last year’s 4.1 per cent growth rate, due to stagnant wages and sluggish job growth. - Reuters

Japan’s pension fund, world’s biggest, loses US$64 billion after stock shift Tokyo, Dec 1, 2015 -- Japan’s public pension fund – the world’s biggest – lost a whopping US$64 billion in the July-September quarter, according to a new report, as global equity markets plunged this summer on fears over China’s economy.

The drop in the US$1.1 trillion Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF) – the worst quarterly fall since 2008 – came after it decided last year to double the amount of equities in its bond-heavy portfolio to generate higher returns.

The move was aimed at dealing with Japan’s soaring number of retirees who depend on the mammoth pension, but the quarterly loss highlights the risks of that strategy.

In a report on Monday, the pension fund said its total value declined by 5.6%, or 7.89 trillion yen in the three months to September, as Japanese and overseas share prices plunged due to fears over a sharp slowdown in China.

Beijing shocked equity markets worldwide in August with a devaluation of its currency, the yuan, setting off a precipitous drop on bourses across the globe.

The pension fund said its Japanese equity investments dropped 13% in the last quarter, while its international stock holdings fell 11 percent in value.

Last year, the fund announced it would move to double its stock holdings from 24% to 50%.

The fund previously had over 70% of its assets invested in lower-yielding domestic government and foreign bonds.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, the Japanese government’s top spokesman, on Monday waved off concerns about the drop, noting that shares prices have rallied since the summer.

“They (fund officials) will see some criticism for this,” Ayako Sera, a market strategist at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust, told Bloomberg News.

But “the liabilities of public pensions have an extremely long duration, so it’s best not to carve it up into three-month periods. However, from a long-term perspective, it’s necessary to continue monitoring whether the timing of last year’s allocation was good or not”.

Japan’s pension fund, equivalent to a quarter of the entire economy, towers over its nearest competitor – Norway’s US$700 billion pension plan.

Unlike some other more adventurous vehicles, it has long kept the majority of its cash in super-safe and super-low return Japanese government bonds.

But with a growing number of retirees and shrinking workforce straining government finances – and Tokyo struggling to boost the world’s number three economy – Japan’s pension fund managers are looking for ways to improve their returns.

About half of the country’s social security budget goes to pension funding, so bolstering the performance of the fund would take pressure off the public purse.

Georgia Asian Times December 1-15, 2015

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BUSINESS

Yahoo’s Board to discuss sale of web businesses, WSJ reports San Francisco, Dec 2 — Yahoo! Inc’s board will consider a potential sale of the company’s main Internet businesses in a series of meetings starting today, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

The board will discuss whether to stick to its plan to spin off the company’s stake in Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, to find a buyer for Yahoo’s Web businesses, or both, the paper reported yesterday, without naming the people.

Representatives for Sunnyvale, California-based Yahoo declined to comment.

Chief Executive Officer Marissa Mayer had planned to complete the spinoff

by January, and promised to update investors on her strategy for the rest of the ailing Web portal. Mayer is facing renewed pressure from activist investor Starboard Value, which last month threatened a proxy fight if she doesn’t make drastic changes to her plans, including selling the main search and display advertising businesses. In more than three years at the helm, Mayer has made little progress turning around the company, whose revenue is forecast to drop 8 per cent in 2015.

Yahoo shares have declined 33 per cent this year.

Most of the company’s value is tied to its stake in Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba. In a letter dated November 19, Starboard estimated that Yahoo’s enterprise value is US$31.2 billion (RM131.8 billion). Excluding the Alibaba stake, cash holdings and partial ownership of Yahoo Japan Corp, Starboard valued Yahoo’s core business at about US$2 billion.

Mayer’s efforts Mayer has been adding services for smartphones and tablets, new tools for advertisers and media content in a bid to attract audiences and marketers.

Yet Yahoo has lost advertising market share in key areas such as mobile, where rivals such as Facebook Inc and Google Inc have gained ground. In October, Yahoo said it would update shareholders with a new strategic plan for the post-Alibaba era during its next earnings call, which is expected in January.

She’s also lost several executives in recent months, including Jacqueline Reses, Yahoo’s chief development officer, who had shifted her focus this year to the Alibaba share sale. Rob Barrett, who led media strategy, also departed, Re/code reported last month, citing sources it didn’t name. Kathy Savitt,

who had been Yahoo’s chief marketing officer, left earlier this year.

Web businesses’ value Yahoo’s core business could be worth about US$1.9 billion, not including about US$5.8 billion in cash expected at the end of 2016, along with some growth assumptions, Brian Wieser, an analyst with Pivotal Research Group, wrote yesterday in a note.

“Realizing value is far from assured,” he said. “Yahoo’s core business is in seemingly permanent decline.”

The November letter from Starboard referred to “numerous conversations and meetings” held privately with Yahoo in the past year, and the activists’ growing frustration with the company’s reluctance to adapt its plans as Yahoo’s shares—and Alibaba’s—have declined.

Starboard doubled its stake in Yahoo in the third quarter, after earlier selling part of its holdings. The investor—one of the most prolific US activists—typically targets small— and mid-cap public companies it considers undervalued, pushing executives and directors for changes such as unit spinoffs and asset sales.

Spinoff plans Yahoo is planning to complete the spinoff of its Alibaba stake, now worth more than US$30 billion, by next month, Mayer said on the company’s third-quarter conference call in October — — later than a prior target of year’s end. She said the transaction would let Yahoo focus on markets where it can make an impact.

“I have very aggressive expectations for Yahoo’s core business,” Mayer said on the call. “We have the right talent, the right strategy, and the right assets to drive long-term sustainable growth for our investors.”

The prospect of the US Internal Revenue Service taxing the Alibaba transaction also has weighed on the stock. Even though the IRS declined to give Yahoo an advance ruling blessing the deal, Yahoo’s board authorised the spinoff in September. While the agency is stepping up scrutiny of such transactions, the company is going forward with the plan, which was announced in January, after the IRS indicated any decision isn’t likely to be retroactive. Bloomberg

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December 1-15, 2015 Georgia Asian Times

FASHION

New Ellie Goulding collection for MAC Models strutting their stuff online for the environment goes viral Paris, Dec 4, 2015 — The fashion world is showing its love for the environment as the COP21 takes place in Paris, by taking to the virtual runway in a new #climatecatwalk trend.

Following the cancellation of a climate rally in the French capital on November 29, Amber and Giovanni Testino have launched a digital initiative to raise awareness of the issue.

Heavyweight fashionistas including star photographer Mario Testino, supermodel Lily Aldridge and fashion bible Vogue UK have taken to Instagram to show their support for the cause.

The trend has seen the stars uploading a short video of themselves strutting their stuff along imaginary ‘catwalks’ all over the world, from beaches to photography studios to sports pitches. The clips, which aim to cumulatively create a “virtual march,” are tagged with the hashtag #climatecatwalk.

Polish model Anja Rubik was one of the first to get on board, filming herself walking barefoot in the snow with a message encouraging her 504,000 fol-

lowers to do the same. Russian model and philanthropist Natalia Vodianova has also championed the initiative, with her cute video showing that age is no barrier when it comes to supporting environmental action.

Fashion photographer and video artist Nick Knight posted an old clip from his archives, showing supermodel Karlie Kloss strutting her stuff, while Mario Testino got creative and filmed himself walking in the ‘rain’ indoors.

The acclaimed creative also challenged supermodels Lily Aldridge, Kendall Jenner, Karlie Kloss and Gigi Hadid to upload their own catwalk videos.

So far Aldridge is the only one to have taken him up on the dare — posting a video of herself looking cool in a beachside location — but with her model pals yet to upload their clips, the trend could be set to snowball over the next few days. Alridge in turn nominated singer Selena Gomez, model Joan Smalls and photographers Mert and Marcus for the challenge, so watch this space — #climatecatwalk is about to take over the internet.

LONDON, Dec 4 — Pop star Ellie Goulding’s long-awaited make-up collaboration with MAC has finally been unveiled.

The UK star has teamed up with the cosmetics giant on a romantic collection that channels her own free-spirited approach to beauty. Inspired by the “light and dark dichotomy so present in her artwork and as a performer”, the collection offers products for both a naturally pretty day vibe, and a glamorous bombshell evening look.

The comprehensive collection spans everything from base tints to false lashes to beauty brushes. Base highlights include the “Root Cream” and “Tint Cream” colour bases for various skin tones (US$44), and the powder / blush duo “I’ll Hold My Breath” (US$28).

For eyes that sparkle there are myriad frosted and matte-effect eyeshadows on offer, in romantic shades such as the pearly “Starry Eyed” and the plum-brown “Hanging on”, both US$44. The “Haute & Naughty Too Black Lash” mascara (US$22) will make peepers pop, as will the lashes, which start at US$18.

Lips are girly and subtle, with a focus on shimmer, as illustrated by the “cremesheen” lipsticks “Only You”

and “Without Your Love” (US$18), which offer mid-coral and seashell pink accents. The “Patentpolish” lip pencils in beige and peach shades (US$21) add precision to the look.

In terms of tools, the star has come up with a trio of brushes to help clients get their eyeliner, blusher and blending on point, ranging from US$21 to US$36.

The range is the latest celebrity collaboration by MAC, which is known for its work with stylish women. The brand is set to release a limited-edition lipstick with burlesque star Dita von Teese later this month, and launched its latest “Viva Glam” lip collection with singer Miley Cyrus in September.

The Ellie Goulding by MAC collection launches on December 17 in select stores and online in the US at maccosmetics.com, with the international release date set for January 2016.

Georgia Asian Times December 1-15, 2015

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SHOWBIZ

‘Star Wars,’ the space epic no one believed in LOS ANGELES, Dec 4 — It may well be one of Hollywood’s biggest success stories, but when the original “Star Wars” film was released in 1977 many people, including creator George Lucas, believed it would be a flop.

Given the budget constraints, Lucas agreed to a lower salary in exchange for full merchandising rights to the movie and any sequels—a deal that would prove brilliant and make him very, very rich.

“I don’t think anyone could have predicted what a smash hit and what a cultural phenomenon it was going to become,” said Jonathan Kuntz, professor at UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television.

Prior to the film’s release, Lucas organised a private showing to a group of film director friends and most, including Brian De Palma, gave it a thumbs down.

“As soon as anybody saw ‘Star Wars’, they were converted and they fell in love with it.”

“It was a disaster,” recalls Gary Kurtz, who produced the first two ‘Star Wars’ films.

But the early beginnings of the space epic didn’t look that rosy.

“Everyone was like ‘Oh, I don’t know, it may not work’.”

Twentieth Century Fox, the film’s distributor, hesitated over the film’s US$8 million budget and wasn’t convinced a science fiction movie would fill theatres.

The only voice of dissent came from Steven Spielberg, who rightly predicted the movie would be a hit.

Such was the lack of enthusiasm that the studio planned a limited release and had to twist the arm of some theatres to agree to show the movie.

‘It was a disaster’

Still, Lucas was so convinced the movie would flop that on May 25, the day it was released, he went on holiday to Hawaii instead of attending the premiere.

And, as everyone knows, “Star Wars” immediately became a sensation and

went on to become one of the highest grossing films of all time.

It played in theatres for one straight year, winning six Oscars and earning US$775 million at the box office.

Overall, the space epic has generated US$4.4 billion in box office revenue.

While that number is below earnings by the “James Bond” or “Harry Potter” movies, the upcoming release of the seventh instalment—”Star Wars: The Force Awakens”—as well as two planned sequels will likely make it “the undisputed champion of the box office as far as franchises go,” said Jeff Bock, of the box office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

The secret to the success of “Star Wars,” studied and analysed in universities the world over, rests primarily with its multigenerational appeal, Kurtz said.

“Audiences of all ages could identify with the characters,” he said. “Even little kids three or four years old got the basic structure of the story and enjoyed being sucked into that kind of adventure.”

‘Not total dystopia’

The space saga, inspired by the Flash Gordon movie serials of the 1930s, tells a classic story of good versus evil in a “galaxy far, far away,” and mixes in visual effects, a romantic plot and battle scenes.

“It jump-started the whole science fiction and fantasy era that we are still living in,” said Kuntz, who has given courses on the series at UCLA. “‘Star Wars’ is a non-stop action movie with goofy characters and humor and portrays so many alien worlds,” he added. “It opens the door on a fascinating new universe.”

And unlike other sci-fi hit movies like “Blade Runner” and “The Matrix,” the series also gives fans reason for optimism.

“It’s not total dystopia, there is still hope,” Kuntz said.

Still, the reason behind the stellar success “Star Wars” may never be known, said Kurtz, the producer.

“I would have never thought that 40 years after the first film was released, people would still talk about it,” he said.

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December 1-15, 2015

Georgia Asian Times

TECH

Yahoo Messenger rebuilt with eye to the future San Francisco, Dec 3 — Yahoo launched a next-generation messaging platform today in an ambitious bid to steal a march on a crowded field, as rumors swirled that the Internet pioneer is considering selling its core business.

ground-up rewrite of the platform that was completely modern and prepares Yahoo to ship really disruptive innovative features,” Yahoo Messenger senior director of product management, Austin Shoemaker, said while giving AFP a look at the platform.

New Yahoo Messenger apps were released in English for smartphones or tablets powered by Apple or Android software, as were versions of the service tailored for use on the Web or on desktop computers.

The new messaging service integrates features from Yahoo-owned Flickr, Tumblr, and Xobni, according to Shoemaker.

The updated instant messaging platform is replacing its predecessor in Yahoo’s free email service, which boasts 225 million monthly users.

Yahoo Messenger lets people quickly share large batches of high-resolution images, and taps into the library at blogging platform Tumblr to let people add animated GIFs to conversations as easily as inserting emojis.

It is the first complete remake of Yahoo Messenger since it was introduced 17 years ago and comes as smartphone lifestyles have led to a booming trend of firing off digital missives or photos at nearly any opportunity.

Yahoo is up against some well-established rivals such as WhatsApp, Snapchat, iMessenger and Facebook Messenger.

“Yahoo decided it was time to build a

Making messages vanish The ability to “unsend” comments or images was also added to Yahoo Messenger. Posts that are “unsent” vanish from conversation threads at the service.

“We are glad to be blending ephemeral messaging and persistent messaging in a novel way,” Shoemaker said.

“It’s way better than having no control at all.”

New Yahoo Messenger also lets people “mute” conversations to be spared from being bothered by notifications when they would rather focus their attention elsewhere.

Yahoo is smoothing the transition from the old to the new version of its messenger service, helping import contact lists and making sure people can connect with one another regardless of which they use.

The old version of Yahoo Messenger will be eventually phased out, according to Shoemaker.

He billed the redesigned service as a “solid foundation” for creatively weaving messaging into other Yahoo online properties, apps or services.

There were no immediate plans to monetise Yahoo Messenger. But, Shoemaker noted, such services are proven to attract and engage users, which should lead to opportunities for generating revenue.

“The messaging space has grown dramatically, yet people ultimately want a fast and easy way to communicate with each other,” said Yahoo senior vice president of engineering Jeff Bonforte.

“The new Yahoo Messenger was designed first and foremost to meet those needs”” The transformed Yahoo Messenger arrived as reports circulated that members of the board at the Silicon Valley firm are mulling whether it should sell its core business instead of its Alibaba stake.

A hedge fund with a stake in Yahoo urged the Internet giant last month to drop its planned spinoff of its stake in China’s Alibaba and instead sell the “core” search business.

The hedge fund was worried about the plan to transfer the Alibaba stake to the new company and distributing stock in what could amount to a taxable gift of US$30 billion to shareholders.

Georgia Asian Times December 1-15, 2015

Page 13

SPORTS Curry dazzles yet again as unbeaten Warriors hang on to sink Jazz LOS ANGELES, Dec 1 — Stephen Curry scored 26 points as the Golden State Warriors survived a furious late onslaught from the Utah Jazz yesterday to stretch their record-breaking unbeaten season start to 19 games.

Reigning NBA MVP Curry came to the Warriors rescue once again, producing a superb three-pointer with seconds left to put Golden State ahead 104-101 just moments after Utah had leveled.

It was yet another moment of inspiration from Curry, a talismanic figure for the reigning NBA Champions who have now edged one game closer to the Los Angeles Lakers’ all-time winning streak record of 33 games.

Curry contributed six rebounds and five assists as the Warriors held their nerve in the face of a spirited Utah performance at the Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City.

‘No timetable’ for comeback after surgery, says Tiger Woods LOS ANGELES, Dec 2 -- Former world number one Tiger Woods said yesterday he has no date for his return from back surgery, revealing that he had yet to hit a ball since undergoing two operations to alleviate pain from a pinched nerve.

Woods, speaking at the Hero World Challenge at Albany Golf Club in the Bahamas which benefits his foundation, said he was frustrated by the inability to set a date for his return.

“Therein lies the tough question and tough answer,” Woods said.

“I don’t have an answer for that. ...

There is no timetable. That’s the hardest part for me. There’s nothing I can look forward to.”

Woods once led the world ranking for a record 623 weeks but has since

fallen to 400th in the world after struggling with form and fitness in recent years.

Woods underwent microdiscectomy surgery to remove a fragment that was causing a pinched nerve in September.

He had another surgery to aid discomfort in October.

The latest procedures came after the same surgery in March 2014.

Woods played in only 11 events in 2015 because of his fitness problems, having played only seven tournaments the previous year.

“It’s different than the other surgeries,” Woods said. “For nerves, there is no timetable.”

Draymond Green and Klay Thompson were the other standouts for the Warriors, contributing 20 points each.

Green also had nine rebounds and seven assists.

The defeat saw Utah’s season record fall to 8-8.

Utah’s points came through Gordon Hayward (24) and power forward Derrick Favors (23) while center Rudy Gobert had 13 points and 11 rebounds.

Favors put Utah up by one late in the fourth quarter, only for Golden State to hit back immediately through Curry and Green.

Yesterday’s game marked the start of a demanding seven-game road trip for the Warriors, with tough assignments in Charlotte, Toronto and Indiana.

Gasol leads Bulls charge Elsewhere yesterday, Spanish star Pau Gasol inspired the Chicago Bulls with 18 points in a 92-89 win over the

San Antonio Spurs.

The Bulls victory snapped a fivegame winning streak for San Antonio, who lost for just the second time in 11 games. The Spurs are 14-4 for the season, second only to the all-conquering Warriors in the Western Conference.

Gasol was one of five Chicago players to finish in double figures as the Bulls survived late pressure from San Antonio to hang on for the win.

Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard missed a three-pointer with four seconds left. That would have put his team back in front, while a late three-point attempt from Tony Parker was blocked by the Bulls Derrick Rose to end the game.

Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg paid tribute to his team’s defensive effort.

“To hold that team to 16 fourth-quarter points was a great effort,” Hoiberg said. “They’re obviously a great team with great firepower ... It was one of those nights where everyone who stepped on the floor contributed in a big way.”

In Michigan, James Harden piled on 29 points and nine rebounds for the Houston Rockets but it was not enough to stop the Detroit Pistons from claiming a 116-105 victory.

Reggie Jackson finished with 31 points for Detroit as the Pistons surged to a 28-point first-half lead which provided the basis of victory.

The Denver Nuggets meanwhile slumped to their seventh straight defeat in a 92-74 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in Wisconsin.

Greg Monroe led the way for the Bucks with 18 points while Jabari Parker and Michael Carter-Williams chipped in with 16 points and 12 points, respectively.

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December 1-15, 2015 Georgia Asian Times

SPORTS Lakers star Bryant announces this is his final NBA season Los Angeles, Nov 30, 2015 — Kobe Bryant announced yesterday that this will be his final season, the veteran Los Angeles Lakers star walking away as one of the greatest legends in NBA history.

The five-time NBA champion, who ranks third in all-time scoring with 32,670 points, said in a first-person poem on the Players Tribune website that “this season is all I have left to give.”

The 37-year-old Bryant spent his entire 20-season career with the Lakers, the first NBA player to stay so long with the same club.

But Bryant, a member of two Olympic gold medal squads, has been nagged by injuries in recent campaigns and has struggled to find form this season, the Lakers being off to a miserable 2-13 start.

“My body knows it’s time to say goodbye,” Bryant said in a poem entitled “Dear Basketball” and meant as a love letter to the sport.

Bryant had each spectator yesterday given a “special message” printed on white paper and gold lettering at the top that read, “My love to this city, this team and for each of you will never fade. Thank you for this incredible journey.”

Bryant got off to a slow start yesterday going 1-for-7 before getting his first basket of the game 8:30 into the first quarter.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver was quick to respond to Bryant’s announcement, the signal that one of the greatest careers in the history of the sport was ending.

“With 17 NBA All-Star selections, an NBA MVP (2008), five NBA championships with the Lakers, two Olympic gold medals and a relentless work ethic, Kobe Bryant is one of the greatest players in the history of our game,” Silver said.

“Whether competing in the NBA Finals or hoisting jump shots after midnight in an empty gym, Kobe has an unconditional love for the game.

I join Kobe’s millions of fans around the world in congratulating him on an outstanding NBA career and thank him for so many thrilling memories.”

‘My body knows it’s time’ Bryant artfully crafted his goodbye to the game by hearkening back to his boyhood dreams of playing in the NBA and shooting baskets with socks rolled into a ball.

“You gave a six-year-old boy his Laker dream, And I’ll always love you for it. But I can’t love you obsessively for much longer. This season is all I have left to give,” Bryant wrote.

“My heart can take the pounding, My mind can handle the grind, But my body knows it’s time to say goodbye.

And that’s OK. I’m ready to let you go.

I want you to know now, So we both can savour every moment we have left together. The good and the bad.

We have given each other, All that we have.”

Lakers coach Byron Scott spoke Saturday with Bryant about his decision.

“I thought he at least had another year in him,” Scott said. “It kind of shocked me when he told me. Sad more than anything. Somebody I care about, have a lot of respect for, it’s always hard when greatness like Kobe decides to hang it up.”

Barring injury, Bryant’s final game would be at home against Utah on April 13.

His farewell tour begins tomorrow at Philadelphia, his hometown.

“For him to be able to go around to all these cities and them to be able to appreciate him for what he has accomplished is great,” Scott said.

Liverpool player of the season Coutinho pushing himself to become even better London, Nov 24 — Liverpool midfielder Philippe Coutinho believes he has become a more complete player and said he is always striving to make himself better after putting in a string of fine performances in recent weeks.

“I feel that I’ve grown a lot as a player (over the past year). I’ve spent time working on the areas I knew I needed to improve, like scoring more, and I still have to push myself but I’ve come a long way.

The 23-year-old Brazilian picked up the club’s player of the season award after he scored five goals and set up another seven in the Premier League last season and helped the Merseyside club to a sixth-place finish and a spot in the Europa League.

“I’m playing all the time, I’m learning and becoming stronger so this is all good for me.

Coutinho had a quiet start to the campaign but has burst into life under the stewardship of new manager Juergen Klopp, having scored four goals, including a brace in the Reds’ dismantling of champions Chelsea on October 31.

“It’s been personally a good year for me, with big moments, some good goals and receiving awards,” Coutinho, who scored in Liverpool’s 4-1 victory over Manchester City on Saturday, was quoted as saying on the club’s website. (www.liverpoolfc.com) “To be named the best player at Liverpool was an honour and not something I could’ve imagined a few years ago. I’m more complete, with more confidence and different experiences to learn from.

“Every game day is special for me. Every day is a new chance to grow, and that is what I want. Team trophies will be important. That is a main thing. I always want to be better.”

Meanwhile, skipper Jordan Henderson, who broke a bone in his foot during training, has said he is close to first-team action after being on the sidelines for more than two months.

“I’m getting there. This is one of the longest periods of time I’ve been out for and that has been tough for me.

Hopefully I’m not too far away now,” Henderson told Sky Sports.

Liverpool, who sit ninth in the league table, go into Sunday’s league game against an out-of-sorts Swansea City knowing a win could see them go as high as sixth in the table. — Reuters

Georgia Asian Times December 1-15, 2015

Page 15

HEALTH

Study shows having a dog reduces anxiety in kids A US study shines new light on the benefits that dogs bring to children and demonstrates that man’s best friend reduces anxiety levels in the young.

Dogs have once again been shown to be very good for children’s health in a new study published in the journal Preventive Chronic Disease on November 25.

Dr Anne Gadomski and her team at the Bassett Medical Center in New York discovered that the presence of a dog in a home reduced children’s anxiety.

Their study was carried out over 18 months on a sample of 643 children with an average age of 7 who came for an annual consultation to a paediatric primary care facility in New York. Of

these children, 73% had a pet, and 58% had a dog. Twenty-one percent of the children did not have a pet at home.

The researchers used DartScreen, an online test used to measure a child’s health risks. Through various questions put to the parents about the child’s physical activity, food, emotional difficulties, anxiety, behaviour, concentration, and parental depression, they sought to measure the mental health of the child.

They also included the question “Do you have a dog at home?”

Their findings showed that the children with a dog at home had lower anxiety scores than those who did not.

The researchers noted that 21% of the children who had a high DartScreen

score did not have a dog at home, whereas 12% of the children whose anxiety levels could be considered high, did have a dog.

The team noted that the anxiety score was higher for the girls, but they did not observe any difference in BMI, level of physical activity or screen time between the children who had a dog and those who did not.

By creating a bond, stimulating conversation and facilitating social interaction, a canine companion helps to increase levels of oxytocin (the hormone which plays a role in attachment and the mother-child bond) and to reduce levels of cortisol (a hormone which controls our metabolism).

to stress, say the researchers, who attempted to understand what mechanisms were behind this link.

Childhood mental illness, behavioural problems and obesity are significant public health problems in the US. One in eight children is said to suffer from anxiety.

A lot of scientific research has already demonstrated the benefits of dog ownership. The most popular pet is associated with a reduction in excess weight and asthma and it is said to have a positive impact on children with cancer by stabilising their heart rate.

This process reduces the response

Researchers find music therapy can increase well-being in patients Music therapy has been used for over 30 years to successfully ease the symptoms and suffering for patients receiving palliative care, improving the quality of life across all ages and a variety of illnesses.

However, few high quality evidence-based studies have existed to support music therapy. A recent trial by a team of researchers from Heidelberg University aims to provide solid evidence on the practice’s impact.

To test the effects of music therapy the team of researchers looked at 84 participants in palliative care. They divided the participants into two groups – one group received music therapy, while the other group was a control group who instead of music therapy underwent a relaxation programme.

During the trial, the group undergoing music therapy received two sessions of live music-based relaxation exercises while the control group listened to verbal relaxation exercises.

Before and after the sessions participants were asked about their level of relaxation, acute pain, and general well-being. Levels of relaxation and general well-being were reported as being higher for the group that underwent music therapy than for the control group who only underwent relaxation therapy, with patients’ self reports also supported by heartbeat measurements.

There was no difference between the music therapy group and control group with regards to a reduction in acute pain, however the music therapy group did report a significant reduction in fatigue compared to the control group.

Looking at the results overall, researchers concluded that music therapy is an effective treatment in promoting relaxation and increasing overall well-being in terminally ill patients undergoing palliative care.

Music therapy is now a well established practice, even with its own academic journal, the Journal of Music Therapy. It is still unknown exactly how music eases anxiety, but more research is now being done to provide evidence on its benefits in medical treatments.

A review by Brunel University, published earlier this year in The Lancet, is the first study to research the power of music on those undergoing operations.

Researchers looked at more than 7,000 patients in 70 clinical trials who listened to music before, after and during surgery. The results showed

that music could have important health benefits, with researchers finding music to be a powerful analgesic that reduced the need for painkillers and reduced levels of anxiety, even showing its effectiveness when patients were under general anaesthetic and across all types of procedures.

Another study by Northwestern University, published in January this year in the journal Pediatric Surgery, is believed to be the first randomised evaluation of music therapy as a way to manage pain in children.

The study found children listening to just 30 minutes of music by their favourite artist had reduced levels of pain after major surgery.

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December 1-15, 2015 Georgia Asian Times

Misc Asia

Rare, 25-carat pink diamond found in Imelda Marcos collection, Christie’s says Manila, Nov 24, 2015 — A rare 25-carat, barrel-shaped pink diamond has been found among the jewelry collection of former Philippine first lady Imelda Marcos, Christie’s said today after the government asked the auction house to appraise her collection of rare stones.

for sale in almost 250 years of auction history, according to Christie’s.

A large cushion-shaped, pink-hued diamond sold for US$28.55 million at the Christie’s semi-annual jewelery sale in Geneva on November 10.

The Philippine government could decide to auction the collection after Christie’s and rival Sotheby’s appraise three sets of jewelery confiscated almost three decades ago after the fall of Imelda’s husband, the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

The Philippine government had tried to auction the three sets in 2005 but Imelda Marcos contested the move, claiming ownership of only two of the sets. One was found in the presidential palace after her family’s hasty departure in 1986 and another was seized in Hawaii, where they lived in exile.

“We had an extremely exciting find,” said David Warren, director of jewelery at London-based Christie’s. “We found an old briolette-cut diamond, which is 25 carats. It has a distinct pink color.

Pink diamonds are exceedingly rare.”

Imelda Marcos, now an elected member of Congress, is best known for leaving behind more than 1,200 pairs of shoes when her family fled. She has vowed to recover her family’s seized assets.

He said the diamond could be valued at US$5 million and would significantly increase the value of the entire collection if the collection is auctioned.

The three sets in the collection were valued at US$6 million-8 million in 1991.

Ferdinand Marcos was president for nearly two decades before he was ousted in an army-backed uprising in 1986.

He was accused of amassing more than US$10 billion while in office and died in exile in 1989.

Only three pure, vivid pink diamonds of more than 10 carats have appeared

Among his assets were paintings by such masters as Monet, Picasso and Van Gogh.

The government displayed the 750 pieces in the three sets of jewelery to the media. The collection, kept in a vault at the central bank, includes Burmese rubies, Indian and South African diamonds and Colombian emeralds.

“It shows you the excesses of the Marcos regime,” said Andrew de Castro, commissioner of the state agency tasked with recovering the wealth amassed by the Marcoses and their cronies.

“At a time when people were suffering, they were collecting this set of jewellery,” he said.

Sotheby’s will appraise the collection on Thursday. — Reuters

Georgia Asian Times December 1-15, 2015

Page 17

Misc Asia Manila attacks Beijing South China Sea claims in international court The Hague, Dec 1 — The Philippines has sought to debunk China’s claims to disputed islands in the South China Sea, court officials said yesterday as an international tribunal wrapped up a five-day hearing.

Psy says ‘no chance’ of another Gangnam Style success Seoul, Nov 29, 2015 — “Gangnam Style” star Psy acknowledged today that he could never repeat the phenomenal global success of his 2012 hit, but said he was perfectly happy being “just another” K-pop artist.

The quirky South Korean singer was catapulted to unlikely international stardom after the “Gangnam Style” music video, with its invisible horse-riding dance, went viral.

The song — a satire of the luxury lifestyle of residents in Seoul’s glitzy Gangnam district — remains the mostwatched video of all time on YouTube, with more than 2.4 billion views.

The 37-year-old singer said the success of the song and the expectations that came with it had sometimes been difficult to cope with.

“The pressure and stress was simply too huge,” he told a press conference in Seoul ahead of the release on Tuesday of his new album.

Asked if he imagined another worldwide hit, Psy shook his head.

“No chance,” he said. “I don’t think something like ‘Gangnam Style’ will ever happen again.”

“The sheer weight of Gangnam was so heavy, I don’t even go to Gangnam anymore,” he joked.

Before “Gangnam Style” conquered the globe, Psy had already been an established star at home for more than a decade, famous for provocative lyrics and rambunctious stage performances.

Some fans at home felt that the singer lost his edge after travelling the world.

Psy admitted that he had found himself trying too hard to please a global audience and vowed that his new album — his seventh — marked a return to “his roots”.

“While I was writing songs, I often found myself wondering, ‘will this be as good as Gangnam Style? Or what if foreign fans don’t understand this lyric?’” he said.

“It took me a while to force such thoughts out of my mind,” he said, adding he would be perfectly content being “just another K-pop artist” for a while.

The new album, titled “Cider”, contains nine songs including the double-titles “Daddy” and “Bell Bottoms” — both dance tunes.

Although Beijing has refused to take part in the hearing before the Permanent Court of Arbitration, judges have now given China until January 1 to write a rebuttal to the case laid out by Manila in the Hague.

“We view China as a valued friend, and it is precisely to preserve that friendship that we initiated this arbitration,” Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert Ferreros del Rosario said yesterday as he closed his country’s case, according to a court statement.

Beijing claims sovereignty over almost the whole of the South China Sea on the basis of a segmented line that first appeared on Chinese maps in the 1940s, pitting it against several neighbours.

But it is also a party to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Manila has called for the tribunal, set up in 1899, to rule on the dispute, accusing Beijing of flouting the convention.

The Philippines argued “China’s claims to sovereign rights jurisdiction, and to ‘historic rights,’ with respect to the maritime areas of the South China Sea... are contrary to the Convention,” the court said in a statement issued late yesterday.

The Philippines also believes China has failed “in its duty to prevent its nationals from exploiting resources over which the Philippines has sovereign rights and has failed to respect traditional fishing rights at Scarborough Shoal,” the statement said.

Beijing had also failed to protect the marine environment by using destructive fishing methods such as cyanide and explosives, while its ships were proving a hazard in the sea.

Even after Manila launched the court proceedings, Beijing had exacerbated the tensions by “building artificial islands at nearly all of the maritime features presently under its control,” Philippine officials told the court.

The hearing was held behind closed doors. But Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam were allowed to have observers present.

Beijing has never precisely defined its claims to the strategic South China Sea, through which about a third of all the world’s traded oil passes.

The waters have become the stage for a tussle for dominance between Beijing and Washington, the world’s two largest economic and military powers.

Following a stand-off between Chinese ships and the weak Philippine Navy in 2012, China took control of the rich fishing ground called Scarborough Shoal that is within the Philippines’ claimed exclusive economic zone.

The court is now due to hand down a decision some time in 2016, even though Chinese officials did not attend.

It noted that Beijing’s consistent position was that it “has indisputable sovereignty over the South China Sea Islands and the adjacent waters.”

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December 1-15, 2015 Georgia Asian Times

TRAVEL

Prettiest European cities for getting into the Christmas mood Do you hear what we hear? Off in the distance, a faint but growing sound of jingle bells is harkening the arrival of Christmas.

With just a month to go before the holidays, here’s a look at some of the most festive Christmas markets in Europe, selected from a group of nominees that are up for the title of European Best Christmas Markets 2016.

They are cities that glow under fairytale lights, are perfumed by the smells of mulled wine and hot chocolate and, if for just a few weeks, bring out the childlike wonder in even the scroogiest of Scrooges.

itself the capital of Christmas.

Strasbourg was also voted the top Christmas market for 2015. This year’s guest country of honour is Luxembourg.

Over the course of one month, the city is illuminated by hundreds of km of Christmas lights and decorations, while about 300 winter chalets set up shop across 11 sites throughout the city.

At the centre of it all, is the Great Christmas Tree, which stands 30m tall at Kleber square. http://noel.strasbourg.eu/en/

The winners will be announced in December. Voting for the best Christmas markets opens December 1 and closes December 10.

Last year, 320,000 people cast votes across Europe.

Here’s a closer look at some of the nominees.

Strasbourg, France November 27-December 24 As the oldest Christmas market in France, with a history that dates back to 1570, and one of the biggest in Europe, Strasbourg has every right to call

London, England November 2-January 1 The British capital plays the Dickensian Christmas to the hilt, with spectacular results. Major streets like Bond, Regent and Oxford Streets are festooned with dazzling lights.

the holiday markets at Covent Garden, Belgravia, Tate Modern, Southbank Centre, and Tower Bridge. http://www.visitlondon.com/thingsto-do/whats-on/christmas Salzburg Christmas Market, Austria

60,000 visitors a year.

Highlights include demos from Michelin-starred chefs, and exhibitors like glassblowers, candle makers, origami masters and embroiders. http://www.visitberlin.de/ Stockholm, Sweden

November 19-December 26 Traditional Salzburg choirs, mulled wine, and handmade tree ornaments bring Christmas to life in the Austrian city.

Highlights also include brass concerts that take place every Saturday at Residence Square, and the Christmas market on Cathedral Square and Residence Square, which has a history dating back to the 15th century. http://www.salzburg.info/ Berlin, Germany

Visitors to Stockholm will want to head to the Old Town, where the most traditional Christmas market in the city is held.

Stalls sell traditional Swedish Christmas sweets, smoked sausages, reindeer, and elk meat, along with the Swedish version of mulled wine, glogg, and handicrafts. http://www.visitstockholm.com/ Here are all the cities nominated for this year’s edition of the European Best Christmas Markets 2016.

Earlier this month, Kylie Minogue switched on the lights at Oxford Street, strung with 445 golden baubles designed to look like falling snowflakes.

With about 60 Christmas markets around the city, there’s a market for everyone, including markets geared towards children, environmental crusaders, at-risk youth, artisans, couples and vegans.

Aachen, Berlin, Birmingham, Brussels, Colmar, Cologne, Dresden, Hasselt, Leipzig, Lille, London, Manchester, Nuremberg, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Salzburg, Stockholm, Strasbourg, Tallinn, Vienna, Zagreb

Some of the more popular holiday events in London include the ice rink and Ferris wheel at Hyde Park, and

Some of the more popular destinations include the WeihnachtsZauber at the Gendarmenmarkt, which welcomes

Voting opens December 1 to 10 at http://www.europeanbestdestinations. com/.