Georgia Asian Times December 15-31, 2017

Covering The Multicultural Asian American Community in Georgia

www.gasiantimes.com December 15-31, 2017

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December 15-31, 2017 Georgia Asian Times

Georgia Asian Times December 15-31, 2017

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

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

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

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

Chinese Business Association of Atlanta and Chinese New Year Gala Date: Sunday Jan 14, 2018 Time: 3:00 pm Venue: Woodruff Arts Center For more info: Richard Li 678.488.0085

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December 15-31, 2017 Georgia Asian Times

METRO ASIAN NEWS

Power restored to Atlanta airport after daylong outage paralyzes travel Atlanta, Dec 18, 2017 — One of the heaviest travel weeks of the year began with the cancellation of more than 1,000 flights on Sunday at the world’s busiest airport in Atlanta, where a power outage that lasted nearly 11 hours left passengers stranded in darkened terminals or in aircraft idling on tarmacs.

The early afternoon outage paralyzed operations at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport before power was finally restored at 11:45 p.m.

Sunday for flight operations, wreaking havoc on holiday travel plans for thousands of people hit by airline cancellations extending into Monday.

Delta said it was cancelling about 300 flights on Monday, on top of the 900 Sunday cancellations as a result of the Atlanta outage. United Air Lines also warned on social media that travel on Monday may be affected.

The incident on Sunday led the Federal Aviation Administration to ground flights bound for Atlanta. American Airlines and Southwest Airlines were also among the major carriers that suspended operations at the airport on Sunday. Southwest canceled 70 departures on Sunday.

partial darkness inside crowded terminals. Some said they sat on planes for hours.

Georgia Power, the utility that provides electricity to the sprawling airport, said the failure was linked to a fire in an underground facility that damaged substations serving Hartsfield. The blaze, possibly started when a piece of gear failed, damaged access to a backup system, the company said.

The FAA said earlier that it was staffed to handle the expected resumption of commercial traffic on Monday.

All passengers had safely disembarked from aircraft by approximately 10 p.m., or nine hours after the outage began, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said on Twitter.

Photo and videos posted on social media showed passengers huddled in

“Stuck on a plane at Atlanta Airport as the power is out there … bedlam inside and boredom out here!” Jack Harris wrote on Twitter.

Some stranded passengers found lodging in local hotels, and the city was providing shelter at the Georgia International Convention Center. By early Monday, airport officials said on social media that they had served more than 5,000 meals for passengers. ”We’re just focusing on the comfort of our passengers,“ Reed told a news conference on Sunday. ”We know they have had a very, very long and difficult day.

Delta, hit hard because of its hub in Atlanta, said customers flying to or from the airport could make a one-time change to travel plans within certain guidelines. Other airlines also offered waiver for flight changes. Delta said its flight schedule in Atlanta was expected to return to normal by Monday afternoon.

For all carriers, more than 1,170 flights in or out of Hartsfield were scratched Sunday, airline tracking service FlightAware said.

The airport serves on average about 275,000 passengers each day, according to its website. – Reuters

Georgia Asian Times December 15-31, 2017

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NATION “If not, most likely we’ll sign it in the first week of the new year,” Cohn said.

BUSINESS FRIENDLY In addition to cutting the U.S. corporate income tax rate, the debt-financed legislation gives other business owners a new 20 percent deduction on business income and reshapes how the government taxes multinational corporations along the lines that the country’s largest businesses have recommended for years.

House gives final approval to tax bill, delivering victory to Trump Washington DC, Dec 20, 2017 - The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives gave final approval on Wednesday to the biggest overhaul of the U.S. tax code in 30 years, sending a sweeping $1.5 trillion tax bill to President Donald Trump for his signature.

In sealing Trump’s first major legislative victory since he took office in January, Republicans steamrolled opposition from Democrats to pass a bill that slashes taxes for corporations and the wealthy while giving mixed, temporary tax relief to middle-class Americans.

The House approved the measure by 224-201, passing it for the second time in two days after a procedural foul-up forced another vote on Wednesday.

The Republican-led Senate had passed it 51-48 in the early hours of Wednesday.

“We are making America great again,” Trump said, echoing his campaign slogan at a White House

celebration with Republican lawmakers. “Ultimately what does it mean? It means jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs.”

Trump, who emphasized a tax cut for middle-class Americans during his 2016 campaign, said at an earlier Cabinet meeting that lowering the corporate tax rate to 21 percent from 35 percent was “probably the biggest factor in this plan.”

It was uncertain when the bill would be signed. White House economic adviser Gary Cohn said the timing depended on whether automatic spending cuts triggered by the legislation could be waived.

The administration expects the waiver to be included in a spending resolution Congress will pass later this week, a White House official told reporters. Cohn told Fox News Channel on Wednesday night that Trump could sign the bill as soon as Friday if the resolution was passed by then.

Wall Street’s main indexes were little changed on Wednesday, taking a breather after a month-long rally ahead of the long-anticipated tax vote. The S&P 500 has climbed about 4.5 percent since mid-November, led by a rally in sectors such as transport, banks and others that are expected to benefit the most from lower taxes.

Under the bill, millions of Americans would stop itemizing deductions, putting tax breaks that incentivize home ownership and charitable donations out of their reach, but also making tax returns somewhat simpler and shorter.

The bill keeps the existing number of tax brackets but adjusts many of the rates and income levels for each one.

The top tax rate for high earners is reduced. The estate tax on inheritances is changed so far fewer people will pay.

Once signed, taxpayers likely would see the first changes to their paycheck tax withholdings in February. Most households will not see the full effect of the tax plan on their income until they file their 2018 taxes in early 2019.

In two provisions added to secure needed Republican votes, the legislation also allows oil drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and removes a tax penalty under the Obamacare health law for Americans who do not obtain health insurance.

“We have essentially repealed Obamacare and we’ll come up with something that will be much better,” Trump said.

Democrats were united in opposition to the tax legislation, calling it a giveaway to the wealthy that will widen the income gap between rich and poor, while adding $1.5 trillion over the next decade to the $20 trillion national debt. Trump promised during the campaign that he would eliminate the national debt.

‘PILLAGING’ “Today the Republicans take their victory lap for successfully pillaging the American middle class to benefit the powerful and the privileged,” House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said.

Opinion polls show the tax bill is unpopular with the public and Democrats promised to make Republicans pay for their vote during next year’s congressional elections, when all 435 House seats and 34 of the 100 Senate seats will be up for grabs.

“Republicans will rue the day they passed this bill,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer told reporters.

“We are going to continue hammering away about why this bill is so unpopular.”

U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan defended the bill, saying support would grow for after it passes and Americans felt relief. “I think minds are going to change,” Ryan said on ABC’s “Good Morning America” television program.

- Reuters

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December 15-31, 2017 Georgia Asian Times

FEATURE

U.S. economy grows at fastest pace in more than two years Washington DC, Dec 21, 2017 – The U.S. economy grew at its fastest pace in more than two years in the third quarter, powered by robust business spending, and is poised for what could be a modest lift next year from sweeping tax cuts passed by Congress this week.

aggregate economic growth will be modest, in the range of onetenth to two-tenths of a percent,” said Anne Van Praagh, managing director of global credit strategy and research at Moody’s Investors Service in New York.

While other data on Thursday showed a jump in the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits last week, the underlying trend in jobless claims remained consistent with a tightening labor market.

“We do not believe that the corporate tax cuts will meaningfully increase business investment spending.”

The strong economy and tight jobs market has led many analysts to question the need for the $1.5 trillion tax cut package.

“We’ve never seen a Congress in history serve up tax cuts on a platter to businesses and individuals unless the economy was in recession,” said Chris Rupkey, chief economist at MUFG in New York. “Better buckle up … it could be a wild ride in 2018.”

Gross domestic product expanded at a 3.2 percent annualized rate last quarter, the Commerce Department said in its third GDP estimate for the period.

Although that was slightly down from the 3.3 percent reported last month, it was the quickest pace since the first quarter of 2015 and was a pickup from the second quarter’s 3.1 percent growth rate.

It also was the first time since 2014 that the economy enjoyed growth of 3 percent or more for two straight quarters. Retail sales, labor market and housing data as well as other reports have suggested the economy maintained its solid momentum in the fourth quarter.

Republicans in Congress this week approved the largest overhaul of the tax code in 30 years, handing President Donald Trump a major legislative victory. Trump is expected to sign the legislation soon.

The Trump administration has portrayed the tax bill as key to boosting economic growth and creating jobs.

Economists are forecasting a modest economic boost from the tax changes, which include slashing the corporate income tax rate to 21 percent from 35 percent. Many of them believe the lower tax regime will lead to share buybacks and debt repayment rather than a boost in business investment.

With income tax cuts for individuals skewed toward higher-income households, economists also forecast only a marginal lift to consumer spending.

“The contribution of the tax cuts to

The fiscal stimulus is expected to come when the economy is at full employment, which raises the risk of it overheating.

Economists, as a result, see a faster pace of interest rate increases from the Federal Reserve than currently anticipated. The U.S. central bank raised interest rates last week for a third time this year and has forecast three rate hikes for 2018.

U.S. stocks were trading higher as investors continued to cheer the tax cuts. Prices for shorter-dated U.S. Treasuries fell, while the dollar .DXY was little changed against a basket of currencies.

NEAR FULL EMPLOYMENT The growth in the third quarter, however, likely overstated the economy’s health. An alternate measure of growth, gross domestic income, rose at a 2.0 percent rate in the period.

GDI was previously reported to have increased at a 2.5 percent rate.

The average of GDP and GDI, also referred to as gross domestic output and considered a better measure of economic activity, increased at a 2.6 percent rate in the third quarter instead of the previously reported 2.9 percent.

The pace of growth in business investment in equipment was raised to 10.8 percent, the fastest in three years, from the previously reported 10.4 percent. There were also upward revisions to government spending and residential construction.

Growth in consumer spending, which accounts for more than two-thirds of the U.S. economy, was trimmed by one-tenth of a percentage point to a 2.2 percent rate in the third quarter.

Investment in inventories was lowered slightly.

In a separate report, the Labor Department said initial claims for state unemployment benefits rose 20,000 to a seasonally adjusted 245,000 for the week ended Dec. 16. – Reuters

Georgia Asian Times December 15-31, 2017

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BUSINESS

H&M says to close more stores as customers go online Stockholm, Dec 15, 2017 -- Swedish clothing giant Hennes & Mauritz on Friday said sales fell below expectations in the fourth quarter and it would close more stores as customers increasingly prefer to shop online.

H&M CEO Karl-Johan Persson said in a statement that the company’s “online sales and sales of the group’s other brands continued to develop well” but that physical stores “were negatively affected by a continued challenging market situation with reduced footfall to stores due to the ongoing shift in the industry”.

Sales between September and November dropped by four percent compared to the same period last year to 50.4 billion kronor (5 billion euros, $5.9 billion). In local currencies, sales fell by two percent.

“The numbers are really, really bad,” Joakim Bornold, an economist at the investment bank Nordnet, told the daily Svenska Dagbladet.

“I can’t remember when H&M had a quarter in which the sales fell,” he added.

“In order to respond even quicker to customers’ fast-changing behaviour the company’s ongoing transformation journey is being accelerated,” Persson said.

“This includes continued integration of the physical and digital stores, and intensifying the optimisation of the H&M brand’s store portfolio -– leading to more store closures and fewer openings,” he added.

The group did not specify exactly how many stores would be closed and where.

H&M had announced earlier this year that it would open physical stores around the world to compensate for the downturn due to fierce competition from online sales platforms.

H&M group, which owns other popular brands such as COS, Monki and Weekday, has 4,553 physical stores around the world as of August 31.

Apple confirms deal to buy music discovery app Shazam San Francisco, Dec 12, 2017 -- Apple Inc on Monday confirmed it had reached a deal to acquire Shazam Entertainment Ltd, the UK-based app that lets users identify songs by pointing a smart phone at the audio source.

the world, across multiple platforms.

Apple did not give a price for the acquisition. Technology news website TechCrunch reported the deal on Friday with a price of as much as US$400 million, far short of the most recent US$1 billion valuation for privately held Shazam.

Apple did not elaborate on its plans, but the company will not be able to make any major changes to Shazam until it secures regulatory approval.

Apple said Shazam would be a “natural fit” with its Apple Music streaming service and it would help users discover new songs. Apple Music has 27 million users and competes against Spotify Ltd, which has 60 million users. Apple said Shazam’s team would be joining the Cupertino company.

In a statement, Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr said Shazam “is used by hundreds of millions of people around

… We have exciting plans in store, and we look forward to combining with Shazam upon approval of today’s agreement.”

Shazam is also available on Android-based devices, but Apple did not say whether it would keep the Android version available. Shazam ended support for a version of its software that runs on Microsoft Corp’s Windows PCs earlier this year.

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December 15-31, 2017 Georgia Asian Times

BUSINESS Disney to buy Fox film, TV businesses for US$52B Los Angeles, Dec 15, 2017 -- Walt Disney Co has struck a deal to buy film, television and international businesses from Rupert Murdoch’s Twenty-First Century Fox Inc for US$52.4 billion in stock, giving the world’s largest entertainment company an arsenal of shows and movies to combat growing digital rivals Netflix Inc and Amazon.com Inc. The deal brings to a close more than half a century of expansion by Murdoch, 86, who turned a single Australian newspaper he inherited from his father at the age of 21 into one of the world’s most important global news and film conglomerates. The new, slimmed down Fox will focus on TV news and sport.

Shares of Fox, which have surged more than 30% since talk of the deal surfaced in early November, climbed 3.2% in early trading.

Disney shares edged slightly higher after the company said it expects to buy up to US$20 billion of its own shares to offset dilution from the allstock deal.

Fox stockholders will receive 0.2745 Disney shares for each share held and will end up owning about a quarter of Disney.

Under the deal, expected to close in 12 to 18 months, Disney acquires 21st Century Fox’s film and television studios, its cable entertainment networks and international TV businesses.

The Fox deal brings marquee franchises like “Avatar” and “The Simpsons” inside the Mouse House, on top of Iger’s previous purchases, including Pixar Animation Studios, Marvel Entertainment and “Star Wars” producer Lucasfilm.

“This will be a growth company, centered on live news and sports brands and the strength of the Fox network,” 21st Century Fox executive chairman Murdoch told investors. He said Fox was not retreating, rather “pivoting at a pivotal moment”.

Disney’s global footprint also expands with the acquisition of Fox’s international satellite assets, including Star TV network in India and a stake in European pay-TV provider Sky Plc .

Disney chief executive Bob Iger, 66, will extend his tenure through the end of 2021 to oversee the integration of the Fox businesses.

The new pipeline of shows and movies will help Disney battle technology companies spending billions of dollars on programming shown online that is siphoning audiences away from traditional TV networks.

He has already postponed his retirement from Disney three times, saying in March he was committed to leaving the company in July 2019. If Iger sees out his new term, that would rule out a presidential bid in 2020, which had been the subject of some speculation.

“The deal illustrates the huge strategic challenge traditional media companies face and how they need to reinvent their business models to compete with digital, online competitors such as Netflix, Google and Amazon,” said Nick Jones, partner and head of technology at Cavendish Corporate Finance. “(It) helps Disney dramatically reduce its reliance on traditional television, a business that has declined over the last two decades.”

‘New’ Fox Immediately before the acquisition, Fox will separate the Fox Broadcasting network and stations, Fox News Channel, Fox Business Network, its sports channels FS1, FS2 and the Big Ten Network, into a newly listed company that it will spin off to its shareholders.

“This gives us the ability to marry the great content of Fox with the great content of Disney, it gives us a much larger international footprint, and it enables us to use cutting-edge technology to reach consumers in far more compelling ways,” Iger told ABC’s “Good Morning America” programme.

Iger said new technology would be necessary to meet the demands of viewers who want to access content anytime. Direct-to-consumer service is a top company priority, he added.

Disney has been struggling to bolster its TV business as cancellation of cable subscriptions is pressuring its biggest network, sports channel ESPN. The company plans to launch its own streaming service in 2019, a calculated gamble that it can generate more profit

in the long run from its own subscription service rather than renting out movies to services like Netflix.

It is not clear who will head the new Fox. Iger said current Fox CEO James Murdoch, Rupert’s younger son, will help with the transition and that the two will discuss whether he will have a longer-term role at Disney.

Sky’s future Through Fox’s stake in the Hulu video streaming service, Disney would assume majority control of one of Netflix’s main competitors. Hulu is also partially owned by Comcast Corp and Time Warner Inc. It is unclear whether the deal will meet the same resistance in Washington that AT&T Corp’s bid to acquire Time Warner Inc has met.

A majority of antitrust experts contacted by Reuters said the deal would likely win approval from US antitrust authorities, although the US Department of Justice may require asset sales or conditions, they said.

Disney will also assume about US$13.7 billion of Fox’s net debt in the deal.

Fox also said it remained committed to buying the 61% of Sky it does not already own and expects to win regulatory approval from Britain and to close the deal by the end of June, 2018.

Britain’s Takeover Panel said Disney had informed the watchdog that should it only buy 39% of the company – if Murdoch fails to buy the rest of Sky – it did not think it should be forced to make a full bid for the company. The statement prompted Sky’s stock to fall by 1%.

Georgia Asian Times December 15-31, 2017

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TECHNOLOGY

function of having decided a long time ago to focus on that niche within semiconductors,” says Andrew Daniels, a Tokyo-based managing director at Indus Capital, an investment management firm. He declined to say whether his fund owns Sony shares.

Saved by sensors, Sony aims to expand their use in robotics, self-driving cars TOKYO, Dec 21 — Sony Corp is poised to report its highest-ever profit this year on strong sales of image sensors after years of losing ground in consumer electronics and hopes to develop the technology for use in robotics and self-driving cars as competition heats up.

The results will mark a significant turnaround for the conglomerate, once famed for leading the world in consumer gadgets such as its Walkman music player, but now finding a new focus on image sensors and gaming.

Sony forecasts that operating profit in the year through March will more than double to ¥630 billion (RM22.8 billion) compared with the year earlier and expects the chips division, most of which is made up of the image sensors business, to be the conglomerate’s biggest growth driver.

Executives say a technological breakthrough in image sensors and seachange in the company’s

thinking are behind the success.

The breakthrough, creating a sensor that captures more light to produce sharper images, coincided with soaring consumer demand for better smartphone cameras for sharing photos on social media.

The breakthrough, which involved reconfiguring the sensor layout and known as backside illumination, allowed Sony to grab nearly half of the market for image sensors.

“We knew we wouldn’t be able to win if we did what our rivals were doing,” said Teruo Hirayama, technology chief of Sony’s chip business, recalling initial scepticism around the technology that is now used widely.

Japanese names such as Hitachi Ltd, NEC Corp and Fujitsu Ltd, which dominated mainstream chips through the late 1980s, have lost business to Asian rivals such as Samsung Electronics.

Sony’s success “is really a

“The process technology is very much that kind of takumi-no-waza,” he said, using a Japanese phrase for the pursuit of manufacturing perfection.

Outsider The sensor business was also helped by being an “outsider” within the company. By selling to companies outside Sony, it was insulated from declining sales of the company’s own smartphones and other consumer electronics.

The sensors, for example, were first sold to All Nippon Airways, which used them to broadcast views from the cockpit to passengers.

“Sony used to be obsessed with the idea that its technologies should be kept within the group for use only in its own products,” said Atsushi Osanai, professor at Waseda University’s business school. “Selling components outside the firm was out of line with Sony’s traditional business model.”

The sensor business also got a boost from a shake-up initiated

by Chief Executive Kazuo Hirai, who called for each division to

be more independent and profitable on its own.

“It was a great help for us to be told that we should operate independently,” Terushi Shimizu, the chief of Sony’s chip division, said, “rather than just belong to Sony.”

Reinvention But the company is already bracing for intensifying competition in sensors as rivals, such as Samsung and OmniVision Technologies, step up their game, and is developing new sensor technologies for use in robotics and self-driving cars.

Investors say Sony still has a technological advantage that will take time for others to replicate.

“Sony has been trying to be ahead, but could face a turning point in a year or two,” said Kun Soo Lee, senior principal analyst with IHS Markit in Tokyo.

It is developing sensor technologies that can quickly measure distances or detect invisible light that are expected to be used in autonomous driving, factory automation and robotics, they said.

“Time-of-flight” sensors, for example, calculate distances by measuring the time it takes for light to reflect from an object and could be used in drones or robotics for gesture and object recognition.

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EVENT

December 15-31, 2017 Georgia Asian Times

Asian American Real Estate Association (Atlanta Chapter) Xmas Party Dec 21, 2017

Georgia Asian Times December15-31, 2017

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LIFESTYLE

Self-discovery Chinese millennials’ unique take on monkhood grabbed attention online after a popular public account on the WeChat messaging app, called “Ways of the 21st Century”, described various types of Buddhist Youths in detail.

A “Buddhist Passenger” is someone who chooses to walk to their DiDi (China’s equivalent of Uber) rather than explain their exact location to their driver.

A “Buddhist Online Shopper” is someone who buys the things they like but does not return the things they don’t like.

Keep calm and be average: China’s unambitious millennials Beijing, Dec 29, 2017 — While their country’s leader has encouraged citizens to work harder and dream big, some Chinese millennials are declaring their allegiance to the art of being average.

Nicknamed “Buddhist Youth”, these young people have embraced a laissez-faire approach to life which has more to do with being chilled out than reading sutras.

“Life is quite tiring,” said 23-year-old Guo Jia, who believes being a Buddhist Youth means “accepting the things you cannot change and going with the flow”.

As a viral Chinese social media post outlined this month, behaviours associated with the largely irreligious Buddhist Youth include eating the same food every day, allowing one’s romantic partner to make all the decisions and being devoid of strong feelings about virtually everything.

They are the latest in a string of subcultures to achieve online fame in China — with labels like “greasy uncles”, a type of pompous yet slovenly middle-aged man, to “cultured youth”, the Chinese equivalent of a hipster.

Some of these labels have been condemned by authorities, but Buddhist Youth have been greeted — appropriately — with indifference.

When Guo first arrived in Beijing, everything — from working at his finance job to riding the subway — made him anxious. Like many of the nation’s young strivers, he came to the capital eager to meet the high expectations he had set for himself.

But more than a year later, he has found peace in letting things be.

“I haven’t been able to stop caring about everything,” Guo said, “but these days I am generally calm and unperturbed. It is enough to just be content with life.”

Such declarations are curious in Xi Jinping’s China, where the president has endeavoured to rally young people in particular around the notion of the “Chinese Dream”.

“A nation will be prosperous if its young generation is ambitious and reliable,” Xi said in 2013.

And a “Buddhist Employee” is one who desires nothing more than to “arrive at work peacefully and leave work quietly”.

A Buddhist Youth wants nothing because she or he expects nothing — win or lose, adversity or good fortune, they accept it all.

Lin Kexin, a 20-year-old student in eastern Fujian province, said she began to identify more as a Buddhist Youth after acting too impulsively on a romantic crush.

“That was tiring,” she said.

The trend has even caught the attention of the People’s Daily, the official paper of the ruling Communist Party, which published two articles on Buddhist Youth last week.

“This may just be a way for young people to explore their position in society,” the daily said, acknowledging that the identity was a reaction to “life’s quick rhythms”.

The assessment is positive compared to the government’s reaction to “sang” culture, another Chinese millennial attitude that has cropped up in recent years.

In contrast to Buddhist Youths, who pledge to maintain a neutral outlook, the “sang” lifestyle is characterised by

unrelenting, sardonic despondency — an approach the People’s Daily called “pessimistic and hopeless”.

‘I have no dreams’ Years of a strict one-child policy and a rapidly developing economy have placed great pressure on young people to succeed academically and get ahead professionally.

Now, some of them are happily resigned to being ordinary.

“I am just average in everything I do,” said Wang Zhaoyue, a 24-year-old master’s graduate.

Wang works for an architectural urban planning firm in Beijing, and thinks she could achieve more if it were not for her Buddhist Youth philosophies.

“I always did okay in school, but never great. If I underperformed on an exam, I would just tell myself it was because I didn’t care enough to give more than half my effort, which was fine in itself,” she said.

“I can’t really relate when my friends tell me about their goals and ambitions. As for me, I don’t have any dreams.”

On the surface, they live ordinary lives, eating lunch with co-workers and playing sports over the weekend. But Buddhist Youths are always wary of overdoing it.

Guo said he had a sudden urge to improve himself a few months ago.

He started regularly going to the gym, playing tennis and studying for a business school exam.

A month later, he fell ill with a headache and runny nose.

“I immediately went back to eating whatever I want and exercising only when I feel like it,” Guo said. “It’s all too tiring otherwise.”

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December 15-31, 2017 Georgia Asian Times

ENTERTAINMENT

Chilled music: performer makes instruments out of ice London, Dec 20, 2017 -- While most musicians seek to avoid a frosty reception at concerts, for Norwegian composer and performer Terje Isungset, a chilly feeling is nothing to fear: he performs with instruments he makes himself out of ice.

A recent performance at London’s Royal Festival Hall featured a set including ice horns, ice drums and an ‘iceofone’ – an ice xylophone – accompanied by the vocal stylings of singer Maria Skranes.

He sees his work as being about more than making music, since he also aims to display the beauty and fragility of ice.

“I see it as a part of something bigger. It’s not me and my project and my ego – it’s the elements,” he told Reuters.

The Norwegian, equipped with a background in traditional Scandinavian music and jazz, makes his instruments using chainsaws and pickaxes.

Founder of an ice music festival in Norway, Isungset plays at about 50 festivals and concerts a year, many in the cold conditions of Norway, Canada, and Russia.

At concerts in warmer climates, however, hotter temperatures can pose difficulties, as spending any more than 50 minutes at room temperature could damage the instruments.

All of the instruments for the London show were made in Norway and shipped over in special containers, highlighting the fact that, when it comes to making ice instruments, not any old water will do.

“If ice is from polluted water it doesn’t sound that good. If it’s from tap water it doesn’t work because there’s some chemicals in it,” he said. The best ice, he said, was from 2003 in the north of Sweden, adding that he was “very interested in that ice.”

Nick Cheung to star in Alan Mak’s new movie Hong Kong, 29 Dec, 2017 — Now that he has finished filming his third directorial effort, Hong Kong actor Nick Cheung is coming out of the dark to star in the new movie, ICAC Storm (working title).

As reported on Oriental Daily, the actor, who hasn’t done any movie in 2017 except for his directorial project, is set to star in the movie alongside Sean Lau and Karena Lam. According to director Alan Mak, he wanted no one else except for Nick for the role of a tragic man who lost his daughter and was happy that the actor said yes to the project.

Nick is currently preparing for his role and will begin filming his scenes after the Lunar New Year.

The upcoming movie, to be produced

by Felix Chong, will take around three and a half months to shoot and may be filmed on location in Australia.

“It will be my first collaboration with both Nick and Karena, and I hope that it will be a lot of fun,” said the director.

Georgia Asian Times December 15-31, 2017

Page 13

SPORTS

From Cruyff to Cristiano – the boot deal bonanza Paris, Dec 23, 2017 -- Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and the rest of the world’s top footballers may earn eye-popping salaries but the sums they make from long-running boot deals can be equally astounding.

In July 2017 the new face of French football, Kylian Mbappe, pursued by Europe’s elite clubs, caused a frenzy of excitement by announcing on Twitter he had a big announcement to make.

Would he choose Real Madrid? Paris Saint-Germain?

Harnessing Instagram The aim of sportswear companies is clear — raising visibility for their product, and they believe paying millions is worth it.

“The sportswear companies are investing more and more money and they want a return,” explains Kevin Geoffroy from Footpack.fr, a sportswear news site.

France and Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba recently signing a muti-year deal with Adidas worth a reported 40 million euros.

David Beckham retired in 2013, but continues to plug Adidas products and his celebrity lifestyle plays perfectly into the current sportswear trends. So out with the football boots, in with the black Adidas tracksuits for the arrival lounge at Los Angeles’ LAX airport.

Using footballers to promote products is nothing new. In the 1930s Andre Abegglen, the Swiss centre-forward at French club Sochaux, launched his own footwear brand with the slogan: “For a good worker, good tools, to a good footballer, good boots.”

There have always been clashes of interest too.

Dutch great Johan Cruyff would only play for his national side if they took off one of the three Adidas stripes from his shirt as he had signed with French brand Le Coq Sportif.

But what the 19-year-old actually had to announce was that he was extending a deal he first signed with Nike at the age of 13.

And within weeks he had moved on loan from Monaco to PSG, who are also sponsored by Nike.

He would later sign with Puma, and picked up one of his Ballon d’Or awards with the brand’s logo emblazoned on the pocket of his dinner jacket.

It’s not just a case of lacing up the customised boots and picking up the fat cheques though — the high earners are brand ambassadors and have stringent public relations commitments.

“It’s not like having a job and being an employee working for an employer,” explains image rights specialist Frank Hocquemiller.

So Twitter, Instagram or Snapchat accounts of the stars are harnessed by the sportswear giants to push their product.

“But with a sponsorship deal there come certain obligations. If you have signed a deal with Adidas, Nike or Puma, it means they have bought your image rights.

Arsenal and Germany midfielder Mesut Ozil recently advertised Adidas on his Instagram account, where he pointed out he had a paid relationship with the German brand. That pay is reportedly in the region of £3.7 million (4.19 million euros) a year.

“It comes with a certain amount of public relations requirements and social network management.”

and starts since, it is doubtful he still earns anywhere near that sum.

Cruyff fine line

Most top players have similar deals.

No prizes for guessing that Real Madrid’s Ronaldo enjoys the most lucrative soccer boot deal in history, with his contract with Nike thought to be worth £6.2 million a year.

To give an idea of the bidding war that pushes up the value of these contracts, the current Nice and former Manchester City and Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli put pen to paper with Puma ahead of the 2014 World Cup for a rumoured £5.1 million per year. The Italian’s career has had so many stops

In France’s 1998 World Cup win, coach Aime Jacquet narrowly avoided a players’ strike from disgruntled players baulking at wearing Adidas boots for the national team because of their own private deals. The players won that World Cup wearing Adidas, but ever since they have been able to wear what they want.

Another anecdote from the France set-up suggests however that for the 2014 official World Cup team photo, regardless of height, only players wearing Nike boots were allowed to sit in the front row — because Les Bleus’ shirts are made by the US giant.

Page 14

December 15-31, 2017 Georgia Asian Times

SPORTS

How has Guardiola transformed Man City?

Manchester, December 20, 2017 -- Eleven points clear atop the Premier League and on an unprecedented 16-game winning run, Manchester City have produced one of the most stupendous half-seasons in English football history.

At the same stage last season, City were seven points below eventual champions Chelsea in third place and finished the campaign 15 points off the pace.

We look at what manager Pep Guardiola has done to turn City from also-rans into world-beaters.

Finding the right goalkeeper The boldest move Guardiola made in his maiden season at the Etihad Stadium — axing long-serving goalkeeper Joe Hart — proved his least successful.

Hart’s replacement, Chile international Claudio Bravo, proved ill-suited to the unforgiving cut and thrust of the English game and his error-strewn displays cost City multiple points.

Guardiola took a punt in the close season, authorising a £35 million ($46.8 million, 39.6 million euros) move to sign uncapped Brazilian goalkeeper Ederson from Benfica, but it has been a masterstroke.

The 23-year-old is a sturdy presence between the posts and, perhaps more importantly, his superb distribution

has enhanced City’s capacity to play out from the back.

Making an ally of adversity After City shelled out close to £100 million to sign Kyle Walker and Benjamin Mendy, Guardiola began testing out systems in which the width in his team was provided by the full-backs.

But when Mendy ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in a 5-0 win over Crystal Palace in late September, he had to change tack.

Guardiola recalibrated his team by deploying Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane wide on each flank and the pair have responded with some scintillating performances.

Mendy’s misfortune has also opened the door to Fabian Delph, who has excelled in an unfamiliar left-back role.

Having faith in his methods In a prophetic remark from the end of last season, Guardiola said: “The team understands the ideas clearer now and next season we will go all out.”

His first season in England was a gruelling experience as he finished a campaign without silverware for the first time in his managerial career.

One-sided mid-season defeats against Leicester City (4-2) and Ever-

ton (4-0) exposed City’s shortcomings and Guardiola was mocked for saying he was “not a coach for the tackles”.

A less storied coach might have gone back to the drawing board, but Guardiola responded by going further in the same direction, convinced City could succeed playing his kind of football.

His conviction has paid off spectacularly.

City’s dazzling possession-based approach, orchestrated by the brilliant David Silva and the peerless Kevin De Bruyne, has yielded some huge wins and a staggering 56 league goals.

Improving key players John Stones endured a difficult first season at City, but Guardiola stood by the elegant centre-back, defending his right to take risks in possession and praising his courage on the ball.

Guardiola’s faith has been rewarded this term as Stones has blossomed into one of the finest defenders in the Premier League, decisive in the tackle and authoritative in possession.

Nicolas Otamendi, long derided for his propensity for going to ground too easily, has prospered alongside him, meaning Vincent Kompany’s ongoing injury problems have not unduly affected the team.

Sterling, meanwhile, is belatedly ful-

filling his vast potential, his new-found effectiveness in front of goal making him City’s top scorer with 15 goals.

Instilling belief City’s football over the season’s first three months was jaw-dropping and when they lost momentum, the players’ belief in Guardiola’s methods allowed them to continue grinding out results.

Between late November and early December they eked out four 2-1 wins in succession, with three of those secured by goals scored in the 83rd minute or later.

“The most important thing within this team is probably the belief in the dressing room,” Sterling told the BBC recently.

“The manager sets a plan for each game. He gives us the blueprint. Then you can see everyone else buying into it. Everyone is on board.”

Georgia Asian Times December 15-31, 2017

Page 15

HEALTH

Three natural options for a vitamin C boost

Antioxidant supplements after exercise could be a waste of time New research published in the Cochrane Library this week has found that taking antioxidant supplements before or after exercise to reduce muscle soreness could be ineffective.

Carried out by the University of Portsmouth and Sheffield Hallam University, the new review looked at 50 studies that compared the effect of taking high-dose antioxidant supplements with taking a placebo.

The studies included a total of 1,089 participants, nearly nine out of ten male, and who all engaged in strenuous exercise which was sufficient to cause muscle soreness.

Many people take antioxidant supplements such as vitamin C and/or E or antioxidant-enriched foods before and after exercise in the hope that they will help reduce this soreness.

However, the team found although those taking a high dose antioxidant supplementation — more than the recommended daily dose — showed a slight difference in the average pain scores compared with those taking placebos, the difference was so small that it may not be considered important, or even noticeable.

They also found that the supplements did not appear to reduce muscle soreness after exercise or one, two, three or four days later.

“Delayed-onset muscle soreness, or ‘DOMS’, affects many people after exercise and can impair future athletic performance. It usually peaks one to four days after exercise,” explained researcher Dr. Joe Costello, “Taking antioxidant supplements is one of the commonest strategies used by people who hope to reduce the risk of DOMS after engaging in strenuous physical activities.”

Pomegranate juice has been shown in previous studies to have a beneficial effect on muscle function, with antioxidant rich juices such as tart Montmorency cherry juice also found to have other health benefits such as lowering blood pressure.

However, Dr. Costello concluded from the new research that, “The findings from this review indicate that antioxidant supplementation does not appear to reduce muscle soreness at one, two, three or four days after exercise. These findings have important implications for athletes who use, or are considering using antioxidant supplementation.”

In winter, anyone who is stressed, overworked, smokes, does a lot of exercise or is exposed to pollution can see their vitamin C requirements exceed their regular dietary intake. Here are a few natural solutions to help you start the year on top form.

Acerola Most people are familiar with the name of this small red fruit from South America. Acerola is often sold in chemists’ and organic food stores in tablet form as a natural alternative to synthetic vitamin C. The fruit promises 100 times more vitamin C than lemon, 20 times more than guava and 10 times more than blackberries. Ask your pharmacists for the simplest possible product with no additives, sweeteners or other supplements that might disturb sleep.

The recommended dose is 500 milligrams per day for passing periods of tiredness. Exercise enthusiasts practicing endurance sports can take up to one gram. Finally, if you have a cold, you can take up to two grams, three times a day, but for no more than three days.

Pomegranate Thanks to its antioxidant and vitamin C content, this fruit is the latest star superfood, boosting brain and immune system functions. To enjoy the benefits of the fruit’s fiber and save money, it is better to eat fresh pomegranate than to buy pre-prepared juices, which can be expensive. Other fruits with high vitamin C content are guava, blackcurrants, kiwis, oranges and lemons.

Rosehip The orange fruit of the dog rose is particularly rich in vitamin C, offering 20 times more than citrus fruits. It also contains B vitamins and provitamin A, as well as mineral salts. Plus, it is reputed to help combat weakness and weariness.

In Sweden, rosehip is made into soups or in jams, which are also popular in the Netherlands. Because of its characteristic hairs, extracting the rosehip fruit is a long and delicate process. Its benefits are therefore more commonly enjoyed in herbal teas and decoctions. The fruit is often sold in powdered form or as a dry extract in organic food stores.

Page 16

December 15-31, 2017 Georgia Asian Times

Misc Asia

Thai street food chef feels heat of Michelin fame Bangkok, Dec 22, 2017 - Wearing her trademark ski goggles for protection from flying sparks, Thai cook Jay Fai hunches over two sizzling woks as tourists from around the world line up in three-hour-long queues at h Thai street food chef feels heat of Michelin fame er modest street side eatery.

The 72-year-old’s crab-stuffed omelettes have always been popular among local gourmands, but her eponymous restaurant shot to global fame overnight after it was awarded a Michelin star this month at the launch of Bangkok’s first guide.

While she is proud of the achievement, former dressmaker Jay Fai is still adjusting to the media frenzy that has stormed into her open-air kitchen in Bangkok’s old quarter.

“There are advantages and disadvantages,” she said as she flung ingredients into a wok, explaining she did not have time for a formal interview.

“The downside is being exhausted …

Also, the government wants me to promote Thailand. I feel like I don’t have a choice,” she added.

She has been asked to appear at the seaside town of Hua Hin for an international tennis tournament this weekend, where she will teach topranked players to make her signature crab omelette and the Thai soup dish Tom Yum Kung.

“I will not be selling for two days,” she said ruefully, adding that she would even consider handing back the coveted star if it meant returning to her normal routine.

Any distraction from work means a loss of business for Jay Fai, whose spirited cooking style is one of the main attractions for customers clustered around tables that spill out onto the pavement.

Her supersized portions of seafood — from chunks of crab to jumbo prawns — are also part of the draw, though the dishes are far pricier than the city’s average street vendor at up to $20 a pop.

The unflashy eatery, which has partial indoor seating, was the only street side venue among the 17 Bangkok restaurants awarded stars on December 6, when Michelin unveiled its first guide for the Thai capital.

Michelin only awards stars to establishments with fixed addresses, leaving many of Bangkok’s famous roadside stalls out of the running at a time when the city is attempting to move them off the pavements and into indoor markets.

Jay Fai had heard of the brand name Michelin but was not aware that the French tyre company had anything to do with cooking.

She is not the first chef to feel the

heat over the flood of attention that comes with a Michelin star.

In September a chef in southern France with three stars said he wanted to be stripped of the award because of the “huge pressure” to meet its standards on a daily basis.

But Jay Fai’s colleagues are not worried about her.

“She’s quite strong. She never gets ill,” said Kung, an assistant who has worked there for 10 years.

Georgia Asian Times December 15-31, 2017

Page 17

Misc Asia

K-pop stars carry suicide singer’s coffin Seoul, Dec 21, 2017 -- Six of K-pop’s biggest stars carried the coffin of fellow singer Kim Jong-Hyun to a hearse Thursday, after he died leaving behind a suicide note that spoke of his battle with loneliness and depression.

Kim’s body was taken to his funeral from the Asan Medical Centre in Seoul where it had been lying at rest.

The procession was led by one of Kim’s bandmates from SHINee — among the country’s top boy bands — dressed in black bearing a plaque topped by a crucifix and reading “Kim Jong-Hyun, believer”.

His sister followed, tears coursing down her cheeks as she carried a picture of Kim in a dark wooden frame, smiling at the camera with his hair dyed a light brown.

The coffin was carried by the three other surviving SHINee band members and three from Super Junior, another boyband managed by the same agency, SM Entertainment, which dominates the industry.

Dozens of members of prominent

K-pop acts were present, including Girls’ Generation, EXO and Red Velvet, bowing their heads and praying, while people at the back sang Christian hymns.

Despite harsh winter weather, weeping fans in jackets, hats, scarves and masks waited outside for the hearse to leave, crying even harder as the black Lincoln limousine passed them by.

The coffin was taken to a private ceremony at an undisclosed location.

It was not clear whether Kim’s remains would be buried or cremated.

SHINee were among the groups that led the “Korean Wave” which saw South Korean pop culture develop a fan base across Asia and beyond.

But Kim, 27, was found in a hotel room in Seoul on Monday in what police said was suicide.

A coal briquette was burning on a frying pan — a common method of self-killing in South Korea, an ultra-competitive society with one of the world’s highest suicide rates.

Kim’s close friend, musician Nine9,

released his suicide note on her Instagram account, saying he had asked her to publish the message in the event of his death.

“I am broken from inside. The depression that gnawed on me slowly has finally engulfed me entirely,” it said.

“I was so alone,” he went on. “Please tell me I did a good job,” he implored.

Pop idol Known for peppy songs and carefully-choreographed dance numbers performed with military precision, five-member SHINee made their debut in 2008 and have released five albums that swept charts at home and abroad, with some reaching Number 1 on the US Billboard World Albums chart.

Kim’s death sent shockwaves across the lucrative yet ultra-competitive K-pop industry, where stars bemoan a lack of privacy, online bullying and relentless public pressure to maintain a wholesome image at all times.

Kim was seen as a exemplary celeb-

rity with flawless singing and dancing skills, who rarely made headlines for the drink-driving, drug use, or other perceived misbehaviours that have derailed the careers of many K-pop stars.

“You were such a model idol who worked so hard and never got into trouble,” one online user said.

“It breaks my heart to just think that we fans didn’t know how much pain and suffering you hid behind the always-smiling face.”

Another fan posted: “This is just so devastating… I hope you will rest in peace now, Jonghyun, no longer in pain.”

Page 18

December 15-31, 2017 Georgia Asian Times

TRAVEL

Tokyo airport to be ‘scattered’ with robots for 2020 Olympics US tops the list of New Year’s destinations New York, Dec 21, 2017 ― Airbnb has an estimated three million people with stays booked via the platform for December 31, as revelers from around the world head off to see in 2018 in a different country. According to recently published data from the accommodation platform, the USA ― and New York, in particular ― is the most popular destination for NYE. More than 200 countries will welcome guests celebrating New Year’s away from home. They hail from over 210 countries and territories, including Togo, Tajikistan, Surinam and the Faroe Islands.

This year, revelers are first and foremost heading to the USA, according to the bookings made on Airbnb. France is the second most popular destination, followed by Brazil, Mexico and Canada. In terms of cities, New York comes top of the list for NYE getaways, with Paris second and London third, ahead of Tokyo and Sydney.

Airbnb has also seen bookings up in cities in Ecuador, Colombia and Nicaragua for NYE festivities. These three destinations have seen the strongest growth in reservations.

In France, and more specifically in Paris, the Champs-Elysées is likely to host visitors from all around the world this New Year’s. Londoners lead the way, booking the most trips to the City of Light for the occasion. Revelers will also come from New York, Seoul, Los Angeles, Sydney, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Amsterdam and Melbourne. - Reuters

Tokyo, Dec 13, 2017 — Visitors to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics can expect to arrive at an airport “scattered” with robots to help them, an official said yesterday as he unveiled seven new machines to perform tasks from helping with luggage to language assistance.

Among the seven robots on show was a fluffy cat mascot that can carry out simultaneous interpretation in four different languages.

Visitors speak into a furry microphone, and translations appear instantly on a smart screen.

Travelers may also be approached by a small white humanoid robot, Cinnamon, asking if they need its help.

The sleek white robot can converse with visitors through its AI system and give directions.

Another robot on display can carry luggage through the airport alongside the traveller.

Yutaka Kuratomi, a representative from the Japan Airport Terminal, hopes that by 2020, the terminals will

be “scattered with robots”, and it will be “normal” to see visitors communicating with machines.

They are also aimed especially at foreign visitors, who already have high expectations that Japan will show off its world-beating technology in the upcoming Tokyo Olympics.

“We want foreign tourists to think that the Japanese people are cool when they come here,” said Kuratomi.

The launch of the robots also comes as Japan grapples with a labour shortage against the backdrop of an aging population.

With Tokyo hosting the 2020 Olympics, Haneda Airport is bracing for a sharp increase in visitors from abroad and hopes robots can compensate for a lack of staff.

The robots will be on a trial for a month at Haneda from January 9. Reuters