Georgia Asian Times Vol 10. No 3

Covering The Multicultural Asian American Community in Georgia

www.gasiantimes.com February 1-15, 2013 Vol 10 No 3

Happy Lunar New Year of Snake

Special Section Inside

Georgia Asian Times February 1-15, 2013

Page 3

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

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

Tel: 770.335.4593 Advertising: gat@gasiantimes.com Editorial: info@gasiantimes.com URL: www.gasiantimes.com Mailing Address: P.O. Box 922348 Norcross, GA 30010-2348

Copyright Georgia Asian Times 2004-2012

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.

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

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

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

NACA Chinese New Year Banquet Date: Saturday, February 2, 2013 Time: 6:00 pm Venue: Canton House, Buford Hwy For more info: www.naca-atlanta.org 33rd Annual Lunar New Year Celebration Organized by Chinese Community Center Date: Friday, February 8, 2013 Time: 6:30 pm- 7:30 pm Venue: Westin Atlanta Perimieter North For more info: 678-670-2881 Chinese Lunar New Year Festival Culture. Food. Fun. Celebration Date: February 9-10 (Sat. & Sun.), 2013 Time: 10:00 A.M.-4:00 P.M. Venue: 5377 New Peachtree Road, Chamblee, GA 30341 For more info: FaceBook | Atlanta Chinese Lunar New Year Festival 2013 Lunar New Year of Snake Date: Sunday, Feb 10, 2013 Lunar Tet New Year Festival 2013 Vietnamese Community of Georgia Date: Sunday, Feb 10, 2013 Time: 11:00 am -8:00 pm Venue: Grand Ballroom, 6100 Live Oak Pkwy, Norcross GA 30093 For info: Kim Hanh 678-849-6470

“Love From Beijing” - New Year Gala Performance Organized by Association of Chinese Professionals (ACP) Date: Monday, February 11, 2013 Time: 7:30 pm Venue: Perimeter Church, 9500 Medlock Bridge Road, Duluth Tet Vietnamese New Year 2013 Vietnamese American Community of Georgia Date: Sunday, Feb 17, 2013 Time: 11:00 am Venue: Grand Ballroom, 6100 Live Oak Parkway, Norcross For more info: Le Doan 678-722-8486 Spring Reception-Year of Snake Hong Kong Econ & Trade Office New York Date: Monday Feb 25, 2013 Time: 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm Venue: Carter Center, 453 Freedom Pkwy Indonesia Friendly Golf Tournament Organized by Consul General Indonesia Date: Sunday April 21, 2013 Tee Time: 1:00 pm Venue: Hamilton Mill Golf Club - Canongate Golf Club

Page 4

February 1-15, 2013 Georgia Asian Times

METRO ASIAN NEWS TECO Director-General Leaving Post in March Atlanta, January 28, 2013 - Recent report confirmed that Taipei Economic and Cultural office (TECO) Director General Anna Kao will be leaving her post by later part of March 2013.

She started the Director General position back in November 2010 and will be posted back to the Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Director General Kao took a proactive role in her diplomatic work during her tenure overseeing six southeastern states. She promotes exchanges and cooperation between the various overseas Taiwanese and mainstream American community.

Gwinnett County Public Library to Offer Center for Puppetry Arts Museum Pass Gwinnett families can now pay a free visit to Big Bird, the Fraggles, Wayland Flowers’ Madame, and a host of other popular puppet characters by using a library card.

Thanks to a new partnership between the Center for Puppetry Arts and Georgia’s Public Libraries, citizens with valid library cards can check out the Center’s new “Passport to Puppetry” at any participating public library in all 159 Georgia counties, including Gwinnett.

The “Passport to Puppetry” is valid for up to four free museum admissions — a potential savings of up to $33 per family. Parties with children must include at least one adult. The museum provides educational fun with more than 350 puppets from around the world, highlighting the fact that every civilization on our planet has its own unique form of puppetry tradition. By examining and learning more about the cultural traditions of other countries, one gains a greater understanding of our shared histories and values.

“We strive to be accessible to anyone who wishes to avail themselves of our programming and welcome this opportunity to partner with the Georgia Public Library Service,” said Vincent Anthony, the Center’s founding Ex-

ecutive Director. “Whether you’re an elementary, high, or college student; parent, toddler, or senior citizen, we endeavor to provide access to many different activities thereby gaining a greater understanding of our shared cultural heritage. After a visit, we hope that you understand that puppetry is not just for kids: it’s for everyone.”

The museum at the Center for Puppetry Arts is open Tuesdays through Sundays with hours varying upon day and programming. In addition to four free admissions, the “Passport to Puppetry” also entitles library patrons to attend a performance at the Center and/or participate in a Create-a-Puppet Workshop at a 25% discount, when space is available. Complete details, including valid dates, show times, hours of operation, and reservation information are available online at www. puppet.org.

Visit www.puppet.org/museum/galibrarypassport.shtml orwww.georgialibraries.org for full details on accessing, list of participating branches, and details on how to use the “Passport to Puppetry” or visit www.gwinnettpl. org for more information.

Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) Launches Redesigned Website Atlanta, January 15, 2013 - Department of Driver Services (DDS) officially the launch of its redesigned agency website at www.dds.ga.gov. The website has a new, modern look and is easier for customers to navigate while locating valuable driver’s licensing information. In addition, there is more functionality including an interactive map for Customer Service Center (CSC) locations and the ability to compare each location’s wait time history.

“We consistently urge customers to check the DDS website for the latest information before calling or visiting a licensing CSC,” said DDS Commissioner Rob Mikell.

“As more people rely on our website for information and to complete licensing transactions, we knew we needed a substantial upgrade,” he added.

Website enhancements also include clarifying content and adding consistent navigation at each page header. In addition, the new format is compatible with smartphones and tablets.

Popular DDS Online Services continue to remain easily accessible from the homepage such as checking the status of a driver’s license and creating a customer account to manage all licensing transactions.

Check out the redesigned website at www.dds.ga.gov

Georgia’s Pre-K Program Prepares Young Learners Atlanta, January 28, 2013 - Early reports from researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill show that Georgia’s pre-kindergarten program is producing good results. More than 500 Georgia Pre-K students were tested in 100 classrooms during the 2011-2012 school year, and all of them showed significant gains in language, literacy, math, general knowledge and behavioral skills.

These results endorse the concept of a universal Pre-K program available to all children, regardless of income or other factors. Bobby Cagle, commissioner of Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL), said that these findings remove “any doubts about Pre-K being ‘glorified babysitting,’” and affirm that Georgia’s Pre-K Program is preparing students for the K-12 program, placing them on a successful trajectory to high school graduation and on to college or a career.

Governor Nathan Deal emphasized the importance of Georgia’s Pre-K Program during his State of the State address earlier this month, and last week, during meetings with Joint Appropriations Committees to discuss the state budget, Governor Deal proposed adding 10 days of instruction to the school calendar, returning the Pre-K Program to 180 days of instruction.

Georgia’s Pre-K Program was established over 20 years ago, after voters approved the creation of the Georgia Lottery for Education to support college scholarships and a voluntary pre-K program. Georgia’s program has also been ranked by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) as one of the top state programs in the nation based on quality standards, teacher qualifications and enrollment.

Source: www.georgia.gov

Georgia Asian Times

February 1-15, 2013

Page 5

HEADLINE

Clinton says goodbye in global TV interview WASHINGTON, Jan 29, 2013 – Despite being grounded on doctor’s orders after a bout of ill health, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Tuesday took a virtual roundthe-world trip to say a final farewell.

Using satellites and the Internet, she hooked into some of the world’s major television networks to answer questions from local anchors and audiences in what was billed as a “Global Townterview” by the State Department.

Clinton, who has traveled almost a million miles, apparently held 1,700 meetings with world leaders and suffered some 570 airplane meals, never moved from her seat in the Washington-based Newseum during the hour-long interview.

It was one of her last public events before she steps down on Friday after four years as America’s top diplomat and hands over to Senator John Kerry, who was confirmed as the next secretary of state by 94 votes to three on Tuesday.

Taking questions from every continent and cities from Beirut to Tokyo, London to New Delhi, and on to Bogota via Lagos, Clinton was quizzed on the burning issues of the day.

There was even a question sent by email from a Chilean scientist working in the Antarctic, asking about America’s future position on mineral resources there. The answer was “we are working on that.”

Clinton was thrilled to get the question though, saying: “It’s the one continent I haven’t been to, so I’m very jealous that you’re down there.”

With the threat of Islamic extremism topping the headlines, Clinton agreed with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s anchor Leigh Sales that “historically” not enough focus has been given to North Africa.

Yet, in the wake of the Arab Spring, she said “it’s also exciting to see people in North Africa after so many decades of oppression looking to find their own way forward democratically.”

On the Middle East peace process, the outgoing secretary of state said she believed the recent election in Israel “opens doors, not nails them shut.”

Clinton said one of her biggest regrets

was the death of four Americans killed in an attack on the US mission in Benghazi in September.

Later as she did the rounds of the US television networks with back-to-back interviews, she told CNN that despite being aware of the increasing threat in the Libyan city, “no one — not the ambassador, security professionals, the intelligence community — ever recommended closing that mission.”

But in both the town hall event and the later interviews, the questions kept coming back — what is Clinton, a former first lady and New York senator, planning to do next?

There’s definitely another memoir in the works, and she promised at the town hall that she’ll keep working for women’s rights.

“This has been the cause of my life and will continue to be as I leave the secretary of state’s office because we are hurting ourselves,” she said.

But as usual, she deftly side-stepped the question of whether she’ll run for president in the 2016 elections, even as the first political action committee to raise funds for a possible campaign was officially launched by a bunch of fans.

“I have absolutely no plans to run,” she told CNN, but admitted that suddenly waking up with no job to go to would be a shock.

“It’s been my whole life. I mean, I’ve had a job ever since I was 13 years old. When I wasn’t in school, I was working.

“When I wake up, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, to have the luxury of nowhere to go, nothing to do, no frantic call about calling some leader about some impending crisis, I’m actually interested to see how that goes,” she told CNN. It was possible she might work together with the Clinton Global Initiative founded by her husband, former president Bill Clinton, as well as with her daughter Chelsea.

“We’re going to look to see how we can join our efforts together,” she said.

But she also insisted on NBC News that her recent health scare, when she suffered a concussion and a blood clot, would not “factor in at all” in any decision-making about whether to make one more bid for the White House.

US Senate confirms Kerry as next secretary of state WASHINGTON, Jan 29, 2013 – The US Senate on Tuesday confirmed Senator John Kerry will be the next secretary of state, approving President Barack Obama’s pick to replace Hillary Clinton as America’s top diplomat.

Kerry — a senator from Massachusetts best known outside the United States for his unsuccessful 2004 presidential campaign — was nominated last month to take over the foreign affairs portfolio in Obama’s second term team.

that she is looking forward to some rest after four grueling years.

At his confirmation hearing last week, Kerry called for “fresh thinking” as he outlined his foreign policy agenda and plans for relations with Iran, China and the Middle East.

“American foreign policy is not defined by drones and deployments alone,” he told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

The Senate voted 94-3 in favor of the veteran Democratic lawmaker after the chamber’s Foreign Relations Committee, which Kerry chairs, approved the nomination earlier in the day.

“We cannot allow the extraordinary good that we do to save and change lives to be eclipsed entirely by the role that we have had to play since September 11th, a role that was thrust upon us,” he said.

His nomination was pushed through the Senate in a matter of days, given the clear bipartisan support for the 69year-old veteran Democratic lawmaker, who spent 28 years in the Senate and has allies on both sides of the aisle.

The decorated Vietnam veteran turned anti-war activist built strong credentials in the Senate. He has sat down with Syrian President Bashar alAssad, soothed nerves in Pakistan and visited the Gaza Strip.

He is known to have long coveted the job, but almost lost out to US ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice, seen as Obama’s first choice.

But he will face a number of significant challenges in the months and years to come, as the United States tries to extricate itself from war in Afghanistan and rebuild ties in the Middle East in the wake of the Arab Spring revolts.

Rice withdrew from consideration for the post under Republican fire over the administration’s confused public response to the September 11 attack on a US mission in Libya that left four Americans dead.

Earlier, Kerry said he was “humbled” and gratified by the support from his colleagues on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who voted unanimously in his favor.

“His whole life has prepared him for this job,” Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut, said on the Senate floor.

With Kerry’s more-or-less painless approval out of the way, Obama faces a tougher political battle winning senatorial support for his pick to replace Leon Panetta as defense secretary — Chuck Hagel.

“They’ve been wonderful, they’ve been really superb,” he said of his fellow committee members, adding that he was a little sad to leave the august chamber. “I’m very wistful about it, it’s not easy,” he said.

Despite being a moderate former Republican senator and a decorated Vietnam War veteran, Hagel has run afoul of critics who accuse him of being soft on Iran and lukewarm in his support of key US ally Israel.

Clinton, 65, is expected to leave her post Friday, amid speculation about whether she will run for the presidency in 2016. For now, she has said only

these concerns and his Senate confirmation hearing is set for Thursday.

Hagel and his supporters have mounted a vigorous lobbying effort in a bid to allay

Page 6

February 1-15, 2013 Georgia Asian Times

FEATURE

Obama: ‘the time is now’ for immigration reform LAS VEGAS, Nevada, Jan 29, 2013 – President Barack Obama said Tuesday that long-sought reforms to a “broken” immigration system were within America’s grasp, seeking to lock in rare momentum towards a major cross-party compromise.

he would send up his own bill and demand a vote.

Reactions to the speech reflected hopeful caution that change could be at hand.

Senator John McCain, a key Republican player, said he appreciated Obama’s support for the Senate plans, and stressed that border security enforcement was particularly important.

Obama laid out his principles on the divisive issue, which would nudge 11 million illegal immigrants slowly towards citizenship within stronger US borders and allow prized foreign students to stay on after graduation to boost the US economy.

“The question now is simple. Do we have the resolve as a people, as a country, as a government, to finally put this issue behind us? I believe that we do,” Obama said, during a lightning stop in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“I believe we are finally at a moment where comprehensive reform is within our grasp,” Obama said, at a time when Republicans are seeking to mitigate Democratic primacy among Hispanic voters, for whom immigration is a key issue.

“Now is the time. Now is the time.

Now is the time,” Obama said.

The president sought to harness signs of unusual consensus in sharply divided Washington over immigration reform, six years after the last attempt to overhaul the system ended in a spectacular and politically toxic failure.

His speech came a day after a bipartisan group of senators unveiled their own guidelines for legislation on an issue that would represent a major legacy achievement for Obama at the start of his final White House term.

The president noted that his immigration plan, first unveiled in detail in 2011, covered similar ground as the Senate approach.

Both plans would broadly:

Fellow Arizona Senator Jeff Flake warned Obama that the enforcement trigger was necessary to getting immigration reform through Congress.

– Offer illegal immigrants a long path to permanent residency and citizenship, requiring them to pay back taxes, learn English, have background checks and demonstrate familiarity with US culture – Include efforts to strengthen US borders and visa systems and speed a path out of limbo by young people brought to the country illegally by their parents.

– Improve worker verification systems that deter illegal immigration and dismantle barriers to highly skilled foreign workers entering America to catalyze future economic growth.

But there are some major and politically problematic differences: – The Senate plan makes the scheme offering a route to citizenship contingent on the completion of certain enforcement measures. Obama’s would not.

– The president’s plan also treats same sex couples the same as straight ones — ie, a US citizen’s same sex partner would have the same rights to

come to America as another person’s straight spouse.

Both differences are a possible irritant as the White House and Republicans seek a compromise, both sides hope, by later this year.

One prominent Republican, rising star Marco Rubio — who may run for president in 2016 — said Tuesday he would not back any bill that did not include a “trigger mechanism” for enforcement.

“If this endeavor becomes a bidding war to see who can come up with the easiest, quickest and cheapest pathway to a green card possible, this thing is not going to go well, folks,” Rubio said.

Republicans are sensitive to any claims by their conservative base voters that the path to citizenship equates in any way to “amnesty,” an explosive charge which contributed to the failure of immigration reform in 2007.

While reflecting hope, Obama displayed his customary impatience with the inertia that often descends on Congress, promising that if lawmakers did not act within a “timely” manner,

Brendan Buck, a spokesman for Republican House Speaker John Boehner, advised Obama not to “drag the debate to the left,” in a sign that the party leadership faces a tough sell on immigration reform to some of its members.

Key Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer complimented the president for handling the issue “perfectly” by stressing urgency while allowing both sides space to form a coalition.

Treacherous politics dashed similar reform efforts under president George W. Bush, but the rising muscle of Hispanic voters has shifted political calculations and created the most favorable climate for reform in years.

Obama repeatedly promised during his first term to push immigration reform and successfully laid the blame on gridlock on Republicans who paid a heavy price as Hispanic voters flocked to the president last November.

Lunar New Year Special Section

Happy & Prosperous Lunar New Year of Snake

Georgia Asian Times

Lunar New Year of Snake

The Snake Personality POLITICAL wizard, philosopher, wily financier or theologian – the Snake person is the deepest thinker of the Chinese zodiac. Those born in the Year of the Snake are complex, unusually intense and very deep. Graceful and soft spoken, these people love good books, music, food and the ­theatre. They will gravitate toward all the finer things in life.

Being the enigma of the cycle, the Snake person can either be deeply religious or totally hedonistic.

The Snake people are secretive by nature – they treasure their privacy and will have many secrets locked up within them.

They also have insatiable lust for money and power, and they usually lead dangerous lives full of intrigue and excitement. The snake has always been regarded as the supernatural creature by the ­Chinese.

In fact, many of the world’s most powerful heroes and most beautiful women were born in the Year of the Snake. Among the famous Snake people are Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Mao ­Zedong, Mahatma Gandhi, John F. Kennedy, Brook Shields, Audrey Hepburn and Jackie Onassis.

The Male Snake Most male Snakes are powerful. Their power ­combined with their ­intelligence and charm allow them to succeed in any field they dedicate themselves to. Attactive and irresistable, the Snake man is ­usually very influential on the people around him. Snake men do not communicate well with others and he relies only on his own judgment. He does not like to indulge in useless small talk or frivolities.

The lucky Snake man can be quite generous with money, but he is also well-known for being ruthless when he wants to attain an important objective. This merciless man will not hesitate to eliminate anyone who stands in his way. Being one of the most ­tenacious signs, it is never safe for you to draw a line and predict that this is how far the Snake man will go. In relation

ships, the Snake man is romantic and passionate but also very possessive.

No matter how powerful or rich her man is, she will be his ­biggest asset after they are married.

The Female Snake Born in the beauty of the cycle, the Snake lady is the femme fatale.

She is not only beautiful, but her ­serene, cool and classic beauty will mesmerise those around her.

The Snake Child The Snake child is a complex ­personality. Intelligent and alert, he has a quiet nature and is inclined to be particular. This hardworking child will be all too aware of his charms and likely to be the teacher’s pet.

Sophisticated, confident and collected, the Snake woman loves luxury. She disdains costume jewellery and instead goes for real gems. Her taste and style are undeniable. As a shrewd thinker, she gives great advice and solutions and knows just how to help you get out of sticky ­situations.

Born with a sixth sense, her mysterious psychic feelings are ­usually right. Determined and ­thoughtful, the Snake woman takes failure personally and will not forget how others mistreat her. Her love for money and power is overbearing.

Being the worrying type, he will take a pensive outlook on life, usually sulky, ­temperamental and vindictive when things do not go his way. Although he may be secretive and brooding by nature, he displays a strong sense of discipline. He is attentive and careful, and knows how to keep out of ­trouble.

He is also interested in solving problems life throws at him. Realistic, unrelenting and persistent, he sticks to a task until he masters or completes it. This little Snake is destined for fame and fortune.

Lunar New Year of Snake

Georgia Asian Times

Predictions for the Snake Year Snake (1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013)

An average year as the animal has self affliction which would cause misfortune of many kind. However, one need not worry as the problems would resolve on their own but you will feel very emotional and people would be spreading malicious rumors about you, which will make you react sharply.

Avoid impulsive reactions and keep cool with your tongue in check. Carrying a jade monkey or wearing amazonite will help tide over troubles.

Horse (1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002)

A year which will make you focus more on your health hence, follow a good diet regime with attention paid to minor health issues. A good year for relationships with luck in romance, and a good time for celebrations too. Prudent planning will help you sail smoothly at work. Wearing tourmaline will help you maintain good health and balance the energies.

Goat (1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003)

A good year with lots of travel and changes coming your way. Months of May and November would see more travel possibilities. Still, conflicts may arise. On the health front, pay attention to the elderly in the family.

Quarrels may disrupt domestic harmony and relationships, hence, wearing amethyst may help to tide over this situation.

Rat (1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008) A good year with many opportunities coming your way although you have many obstacles to overcome in your path to success. Be cautious of investments and handle money with care and avoid entering business partnerships. Pay attention to health and have adequate sleep and rest. Rose quartz beads can help you smoothen relationship luck.

Ox (1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009) A year filled with good luck and there are plenty of beneficial star energies bringing in financial gains. However, be cautious of legal entanglements and conflicts. Calm yourself as you may feel frustrated and agitated often. Arguments may crop up in domestic relationships but maintain a calm approach. Wearing or carrying aquamarine will help.

Tiger (1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010) A year when you can succeed and have great financial gains. Time to act swiftly and gain more success. However, be wary of dishonest people who may try to cheat you. Pay attention to health and circulatory system. A year of great romance luck where singles can find a partner. Wearing shades of orange, red and white gold will help and natural earthen beads can further strengthen the health.

Monkey (1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004)

Rabbit (1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011) A year of changes and movement with a lot of travel can be expected. Pay attention to health as you are prone to sickness, and delay in all that you pursue. Remain humble and think before you act. Placing natural crystals can stabilise the energies and displaying a pair of swans in bedroom can harmonise relationships.

Rooster (1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005)

Dragon (1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012) A bright year with lots of positivity. A year filled with celebrations and romance would see an overall smooth year although you will have bouts of sick spells. Don’t think too much which will affect your health, and look for opportunities in every crisis you face. Wearing or carrying amber stones will help you to move ahead.

A year of harmony and stability. However, do not be complacent. Pay attention to health and ensure you have ample sleep and rest. This would be a very busy year with career growth indicated along with increments. Relationship luck is good and singles may find their ideal partner too. Wearing lapis beads will help in enhancing the luck.

A smooth year so start proper planning and preparations to enjoy benefits of a good year. You may tend to neglect your health due to many things happening around you, hence be cautious. Due to work and career success, you may ignore your relationship and partner, so take more time off to restore the balance. Tourmaline or jasper will aid in balancing your inner chi.

Dog (1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006) A very auspicious year with many good happenings and celebrations expected. Focus on your dietary habits and maintain your exercise regime and do not be complacent where your health is concerned. Good wealth luck is indicated, along with harmonious relationship luck. Wearing citrine can boost your energies and give you strength to face and meet all the challenges that you will face this year.

Pig (1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007) A year where you will be spending more than you desire and one where your patience will be put to the test. At the work front, many challenges will surface. However, you should not give up as success is achievable if you can reflect on your mistakes and make amends. Pay attention to health as you may feel drained due to work load. Displaying a pair of swans will boost relationship luck and wearing the tiger eye will help in wealth luck.

National Association of Chinese-Americans s

NACA gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the following sponsors and friends:

Who We Are

A non-profit community organization dedicated to 1) promoting deeper understanding and closer cultural, educational, scientific and business relations between the U.S. and China, 2) providing leadership training, educational and scholarship funding, and engaging in humanitarian endeavors, and 3) encouraging Chinese-Americans to participate in the American political process while preserving the Chinese heritage.

NACA wishes everyone a Happy New Year in 2013, the Year of the Snake!

What We Do

全美华人协会 恭祝各位朋友蛇年大吉!

NACA 5483 Redbark Way Dunwoody, GA 30338 Phone: 770.394.6542 Fax: 770.394.9911 E-mail: laniwong@comcast.net Web: www.naca-atlanta.org

Atlanta Hawks | DeKalb County Economic Development Authority | East West Bank | GSU Confucius Institute | General Trucking | Georgia Perimeter College | KPMG | Smith, Gambrell & Russell LLP Asian American Heritage Foundation | Atlanta Regional Commission | Chinese Business Association of Atlanta | Hong Kong Association of Atlanta Aqua Bistro | Canton House Restaurant | Crown Import LLC | General Wholesale | Georgia Power | Lin’s Chinese Restaurant | Liu Fu Chinese Restaurant | Mercedes-Benz of Buckhead | New Orleans Marriot | Oriental Pearl | Royal China Restaurant | Sichuan House Restaurant | The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead | The Sole Spa | Tiffany & Co. | Yeung At Art Studio

Bridging Cultures – Hosting various delegations between the U.S. and China, and taking on projects that promote business, economics, trade, culture, and education exchanges between China and Georgia.

Building Leaders – Providing leadership opportunities and mentoring for college and high school students, and young professionals.

Benefiting Communities – Co-hosting and supporting community activities, donating to other non-profit organizations to support their cause, and partnering with and providing scholarship funding to local community colleges and schools.

Bridging Cultures | Building Leaders | Benefiting Communities

Lunar New Year of Snake

Georgia Asian Times

Customs & Traditions Chinese New Year, also called Lunar New Year because celebrations begin on the first new moon of the northern hemisphere spring, is celebrated by cultures all over the world. Festivities last until the full moon rises 15 days later.

Your behavior on New Year’s Day will set the tone for the year to follow – so behave well and wear your best outfit on the first day of the New Year!

• Decorate your house with apricot and peach blossom, symbolic of new beginnings and sold during Vietnamese Tet. • Settle all debts before New Year, and do not borrow or lend money over New Year.

• Share a New Year’s feast with family and friends and enjoy uncut noodles – a symbol of longevity

– and fish and chicken, symbols of prosperity.

• For good health and a long life eat oranges and tangerines and for happiness and wealth eat persimmons.

• Do not cut your hair or use sharp knives or scissors on New Year’s Day as you may cut off good fortune.

• Wear red to scare away evil spirits and bad fortune.

There are many different traditions observed over the New Year period, here are some of our favorites:

• At midnight on New Year open all the doors and windows in your house to let go of the old year

• Clean your house before New Year to get rid of any bad luck from the previous year and to make room for good luck.

• Give red envelopes to friends and family for good luck and prosperity.

• And finally, when you meet people you should greet them with “Happy New Year” to bring good fortune and prosperity, here’s how: • Kung Hei Fat Choy – Cantonese • Gong Xi Far Tsai – Mandarin • Sae Hae Bok Manee Badusaeyo – Korean • Chúc Mong Năm Moi – Vietnamese

3 Common Lunar New Year Traditions 1. Making Dumplings

On the eve of the Chinese New Year, family members spend time together making meat filled dumplings called ‘jiao zi’ or filled steamed buns called ‘bao zi’. They will spend hours making these by hand, often having to remake them if mom says that they are imperfect! These foods will not be cooked or eaten until after midnight when the new year arrives. There will be far more dumplings than can realistically be eaten so that the family may always have enough to eat throughout the new year. Dumplings or steamed

bread won’t be the only food eaten though. Mom will cook up a huge feast of meats and vegetables for this special day. Maybe a sweet porridge or date filled steamed breads will also be made.

2. Family Gatherings

It is a custom of the Chinese New Year for couples and their children to return to the home of the husband (father) for the New Years festivities. Only on the third day, for a short period, may they go to the wife’s (mother’s) parent’s home. It is because once married, women

are said to be “outsiders”. Legend has it that the deceased ancestors will return during the Chinese New Year and would be offended if any “outsiders” were present during such a special time. For those who are far from family, they will go to the husband’s family home.

3. Red Envelopes

Bright red envelopes with golden Chinese characters are given to children during the Chinese New Year as a gift. Parents, grandparent, aunts, uncles and friends buy special envelopes and fill them with

money (often between 100 and 1000 yuan or $15-120+). Children do not have to send the customary “thank you notes” that western children send out, but parents are expected to remember which person gave their child money and exactly how much so that next year, they can give back that amount.

Children are allowed to spend some of the money as pocket money, buying toys and snacks, but parents are usually pretty strict about putting most of the money in the bank to save for their future education.

May The Lunar New Year Bring All Happiness and Success Taiwan looks forward to this year with hope and confidence, committed to cooperating with our American and international allies to make the world a better place for us all.

Ꭷ ⺾ 㜩 ▒

‫ ڠ‬ᩋഴ ऻ ᝺ᠰ គ ᩨ⤵ 䕏 䲘ᘢ

ೈ⧊ ၙᶇ TAIPEI ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL OFFICE IN ATLANTA http://www.taiwanembassy.org/US/ATL

͜ 㤞 ᭔⅀ ఺

ワ 102 ⺌Ꭳ ⺾

Lunar New year of Snake

Georgia Asian Times

Shopping is in high gear for the Lunar New Year of Snake

Colorful decorative items available for sale at Hong Kong Supermarket.

“Fu� - the ever popular Chinese charactor symbolizes wealth.

Tasty snacks and tidbits are on sale for the Lunar New Year.

Georgia Asian Times February 1-15, 2013

Page 7

BUSINESS

World Bank lender pledges $2 mln for Myanmar microfinance YANGON, Jan 23, 2013 - A World Bank development lender said Wednesday it would provide $2 million for a new micro finance bank that aims to help small businesses in impoverished Myanmar.

International Finance Corporation (IFC) said in a statement that the loan would be its first investment in the country also known as Burma, which is wooing foreign donors as it emerges from decades of military rule.

It said it would work with German and French partners, as well as Cambodia’s ACLEDA Bank, to help the micro-lender -- to be called ACLEDA MFI Myanmar -- begin operations this year.

“Our investment in a micro finance institution is a good start to our support for Myanmar’s economic reforms in order to improve access to finance, create more jobs and reduce poverty for its people,” said IFC East Asia and the Pacific director Sergio Pimenta.

Thai tycoon completing F&N takeover

SINGAPORE, Jan 22, 2013 - A Thai tycoon on Tuesday mopped up more shares of Fraser and Neave (F&N) to complete its takeover of the Singapore conglomerate after an Indonesian rival backed out of a bidding war.

Micro finance initiatives, which provide small, low-cost loans to the poor, are seen by experts as a way to help alleviate poverty in Myanmar, one of the world’s least-developed countries.

Billionaire Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi’s vehicle TCC Assets is offering to buy F&N shares it does not already own at Sg$9.55 ($7.80) apiece until February 4, valuing the company at Sg$13.75 billion.

The World Bank said in November that it would inject $245 million of aid into Myanmar to support its reform drive, resuming assistance for the former pariah nation after a quartercentury absence.

TCC Assets said in a statement shortly before noon (0400 GMT) on Tuesday that additional purchases had raised its stake in F&N to 42.50 percent excluding acceptances, bringing it closer to obtaining majority support.

The offer becomes unconditional once shareholder acceptances reach more than 50 percent, according to trading rules.

IFC said Myanmar’s banking sector was one of the world’s most underdeveloped financial services industries “as a result of the country’s decades of isolation”.

Singapore’s Straits Times newspaper

said if the takeover pushes through, it will be the biggest in the city-state’s corporate history.

F&N became a takeover target after it sold off its most prized asset, Tiger Beer maker Asia Pacific Breweries, to Dutch giant Heineken in September.

It still has lucrative beverages, property and publishing operations.

TCC Assets’ rival, property firm Overseas Union Enterprise (OUE), gave up the fight when it said after a final auction process was launched Monday that it was not revising its Sg$13.1 billion bid tabled in mid-November.

OUE is linked to Indonesian tycoon Mochtar Riady.

“With no other competing offer, investors are likely to accept TCC’s Sg$9.55 offer,” Japanese brokerage Nomura said in a market note.

World’s tea producers brew up a plan to raise prices COLOMBO, Jan 23, 2013 - The price of a cup of tea could rise after the world’s biggest producers agreed to join forces to boost profits, a Sri Lankan minister announced Wednesday.

After two days of talks in Colombo between Sri Lanka, India, Kenya, Indonesia, Malawi and Rwanda, which account for more than 50 percent of global production, the nations announced the formation of the International Tea Producers’ Forum.

Sri Lanka’s Plantations Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said exporting nations had been trying to establish a forum for 80 years. “In that context, what we have just achieved is a historic land mark in the tea industry,” he said.

Efforts will initially focus on sharing knowledge and boosting demand for tea to raise prices, but he suggested more sophisticated -- and controversial -- methods such as supply controls would be raised in the future.

“Price stability is one of the objectves to improve the livelihoods of tea small holders (farmers owning small plots of tea),” he said. “Another objective is to ensure high quality standards.”

Sri Lanka’s tea promotion chief Janaki Kuruppu said prices were much lower compared to other beverages and noted there was room to increase the price of a cup of tea.

Production quotas “are not part of the objectives listed in the constitution, but I am sure these are matters which will be discussed some time in the future,” he added.

Samarasinghe explained that unity among producers was “very important from a variety of aspects like foreign exchange earnings, income generation, employment opportunities and several other very useful aspects.”

“People can pay a little more for tea,” Kuruppu said. “In Sri Lanka, tea is cheaper than bottled water.”

In 1994, Colombo proposed a tea cartel on the lines of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the crude oil cartel dominated

by Saudi Arabia, but there was no unity among producing nations at the time.

Global tea prices are around $2.5 a kilo, down from about $2.84 a year earlier, while world-wide consumption is set to rise marginally over one percent this year, Sri Lanka tea officials said.

China and Iran, two of the big consumer nations, have been invited to be observers to the Forum. China is also the world’s biggest producer of green tea.

Page 8

February 1-15, 2013 Georgia Asian Times

BUSINESS Vietnam Signed a $9 Billion Oil Refinery Deal HANOI, Jan 27, 2013 - Vietnam on Sunday inked a deal with firms from Japan and Kuwait to build an oil refinery complex worth nearly $9 billion as part of efforts to meet its growing energy needs.

The Nghi Son refinery, which is due to start operating by 2017 in Thanh Hoa province, about 200 kilometres (125 miles) south of Hanoi, will turn Kuwaiti oil into petrol and other petroleum products.

It will be able to process 10 million tonnes of crude oil a year, the government said.

State-owned PetroVietnam will own a 25.1-percent stake in the joint venture while Japan’s Idemitsu Kosan and Kuwait Petroleum International will each hold 35.1 percent. Mitsui Chemicals of Japan will own the remaining 4.7 percent.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung hailed the project as “very important” for the communist country’s economic and social development, according to a government statement.

Vietnam has offshore oil reserves but still spends several billion dollars each year to import petroleum products to feed its growing economy.

A ground-breaking ceremony for the Nghi Son refinery was held in May 2008 but the project has suffered a number of delays.

It is still unclear when construction will start, an official from PetroVietnam told AFP, asking not to be named.

The country’s first refinery Dung Quat -- which cost around $2.5 billion and has a capacity of 6.5 million tonnes of crude a year -- opened in central Vietnam in 2009 after lengthy delays.

PetroVietnam has said that it hopes the two refineries would satisfy 65 percent of the nation’s oil and gas needs. It is also preparing for a third refinery project in southern Ba RiaVung Tau province.

Japan eases restrictions on US beef WASHINGTON, Jan 28, 2013 (AFP) - The United States on Monday welcomed news that Japan has eased restrictions on beef imposed due to concerns over mad cow disease, easing a decade-long row between the allies.

US officials said that Japan -- formerly the largest buyer of US beef -- had agreed to allow the import of the meat from cattle slaughtered at up to 30 months old, higher than the earlier safety limit of 20 months.

Norihisa Tamura, Japan’s health, labor and welfare minister, announced last week that Tokyo planned to raise the age limit for beef subject to final approval from a council of the ministry.

Japan had been the largest buyer of US beef until 2003, when like several Asian nations it stopped all imports after mad cow disease was detected in an American herd.

The easing of restrictions will lead to “hundreds of millions of dollars” in expanded US beef exports to Japan in the coming years, US Trade Representative Ron Kirk’s office said in a statement.

The issue quickly became a top item on the agenda between the United States and Japan, with US lawmakers from US farm states demanding that the close ally open up its market.

“This represents a significant and historic step in expanding US beef trade with Japan and growing American exports and jobs here at home. We welcome Japan’s action,” he said.

The United States has pursued quieter diplomacy on the issue since 2006 when Japan, seeking to ease US concerns, agreed to allow beef from cattle under 20 months.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who unlike Kirk plans to stay in office for President Barack Obama’s second term, called the deal “another successful effort by the Obama administration that boosts the bottom line” for farmers.

Australia has since replaced the United States as the largest source of beef in Japan, with some retailers highlighting to consumers that they do not buy from the United States.

Apple, Android have smartphone ‘duopoly’: survey WASHINGTON, Jan 28, 2013 - Android and Apple smartphones captured a whopping 92 percent of global sales in the fourth quarter, giving the two systems an effective duopoly, a research firm said Monday.

Strategy Analytics said global smartphone shipments grew 38 percent annually to reach 217 million units in the fourth quarter, to bring annual sales to 700 million.

Android, the free operating system developed by Google, grabbed 70 percent of the market in the final three months of the year, while Apple’s iOS used on its iPhone held 22 percent.

The news bodes ill for rivals like BlackBerry maker Research in Motion, which is launching its new platform this year, and Microsoft, which is pushing its Windows Phone system.

“Android is clearly the undisputed volume leader of the smartphone industry at the present time,” said Strategy Analytics executive director Neil Mawston.

“Android’s challenge for 2013 will be to defend its leadership, not only

The survey noted that global shipment growth slowed from 64 percent in 2011 to 43 percent in 2012, as regions such as North America and Western Europe matured.

Scott Bicheno, analyst at Strategy Analytics, said the latest trends showed “the worldwide smartphone industry has effectively become a duopoly as consumer demand has polarized around mass-market Android models and premium Apple designs.” against Apple, but also against an emerging wave of hungry challengers that includes Microsoft, Blackberry, Firefox and Tizen.”

Georgia Asian Times February 1-15, 2013

Page 9

CUISINE

Vietnamese noodles: a cultural pho-nomenon

By Cat Barton HANOI, Jan 24, 2013 - In Hanoi, it is a truth universally acknowledged that the best pho noodle soup is found in the grimiest restaurants, where the staff are rude, the queues long, and the surroundings spartan at best.

Pho, a simple soup of beef broth, herbs, spices and rice noodles, emerged some 100 years ago in north Vietnam and has since acquired a global following, beloved

by French celebrity chefs and cashstrapped American students alike.

But in Vietnam eating pho is akin to a religious ritual -- as the late writer Nguyen Tuan said -- and the humble dish, which can be found on every street corner in the capital Hanoi, is integral to people’s daily lives.

“I have been eating here for more than 20 years,” Tran Van Hung said as he stood shivering in Hanoi’s damp winter chill in the queue at the Pho Thin restaurant.

“The staff here is always rude to me. I’m used to it. I don’t care,” the 39-year-old said, adding that he was raised on the noodles from the unassuming yet renowned establishment on Hanoi’s Lo Duc street.

Pho is a Vietnamese staple. While traditionally a breakfast food, it is now served at all times of day and eaten regularly by rich and poor alike, usually at the same establishments, where it costs around a dollar a bowl.

“Pho is purely Vietnamese, the most unique, distinctive dish in our cuisine,” said chef Pham Anh Tuyet.

The noodles must be handmade, the perfect size and no more than four hours old; the ginger must be chargrilled; the broth of beef bones and oriental spices must have bubbled gently for at least eight hours over coals, she said.

“The fragrant perfume of the pho is part

of the beauty of the dish,” said Tuyet, who is famed for her mastery of traditional cooking.

“No other country can make anything like pho -- one of the secrets is the broth, the clear, aromatic broth,” she said at her tiny restaurant, tucked away on the top floor of a wood-fronted house in Hanoi’s Old Quarter.

Controversy obscures origins The exact origins of pho are obscure and highly controversial in Vietnam.

It is traditionally made with beef broth, but chicken has also been used since the 1940s when the Japanese occupation resulted in a scarcity of beef.

Beef was not common in Vietnamese cooking at the turn of the century -- cattle were valuable working beasts -- but with the arrival of the steak-eating French colonialists, bones and other scraps became available for the soup pot.

Some experts, such as Didier Corlou, the former head chef at Hanoi’s Metropole Hotel who has expounded pho’s virtues to international gourmands for decades, argue the dish is “Vietnamese with French influence”.

“The name ‘pho’ could have come from ‘pot au feu’ -- the French dish,” said Corlou, pointing out similarities between the dishes, including the grilled onion in the French dish and the grilled shallot in pho.

Another theory, Corlou said, is that as pho was first sold by roving hawkers carrying a pot and an earthenware stove -- a “coffre-feu” in French -- the name comes from the shouts of “feu?” “feu!” to establish if noodles were available.

Yet another argument suggests pho originated from a talented cook in Nam

Dinh city -- once Vietnam’s largest colonial textile centre, where both French and Vietnamese workers toiled -- who thought up a soup to please both nationalities.

Many Vietnamese strongly deny any French influence on their national dish, arguing it pre-dates the colonial period and is uniquely northern Vietnamese.

But whatever the real story, “pho is one of the world’s best soups,” Corlou said.

“For me Vietnamese cuisine is the best in the world.”

Pho au fois gras?

Corlou said that while the main ingredients of pho stay constant, the dish must evolve.

At his three Hanoi restaurants, for example, he offers a salmon pho as well as a pho au fois gras priced at $10 a bowl -- “you cannot put pho in a museum,” he said.

In the last decade, new local versions of that classic -- including fresh rolls made from unsliced pho rice noodle sheets -- have also emerged.

And as Vietnam has grown richer, more expensive pho -- including a reported $40 kobe beef version -- has appeared.

But beyond adding more meat, there is not much you can do to improve the dish, said Hanoi-based chef and cuisine expert Tracey

Lister, who thinks the Vietnamese deserve the credit for their acclaimed noodle soup.

“It is the great dish, the celebrated dish, and I think we’ve got to let Vietnam have that one,” Lister, the director of the Hanoi Cooking Center, said.

“Pho truly represents Vietnamese cuisine. It’s a simple dish yet sophisticated. It is a very elegant dish. It’s just a classic.”

Page 10

February 1-15, 2013 Georgia Asian Times

CUISINE Hong Kong: home of world’s cheapest Michelin restaurants HONG KONG, Jan 28, 2013 - After queuing on the street, diners are sat next to strangers in the cramped Hong Kong restaurant before rinsing their own cutlery. Welcome to the world’s cheapest Michelin-starred experience.

Ho Hung Kee (Ho Hung’s restaurant) was first awarded a coveted star in 2011 and on any given day is packed with local and foreign diners ordering bowls of wonton or fried flat noodles with beef for around HK$35 -- less than US$5.

Wontons, a traditional dish served in Hong Kong and in China’s southeastern province of Guangdong, are similar to dumplings but their skin uses less dough, into which succulent shrimp and pork servings are wrapped.

Like hundreds of other Hong Kong “tea restaurants” or “Cha chaan teng” in the Cantonese dialect, Ho Hung Kee also serves quick, simple dishes ranging from congee and fried rice to a selection of Western-style sandwiches.

Squeezing onto tables with strangers is a normal dining experience in the cramped restaurant that seats about 50, nestled between towers of retail in the teeming shopping district of Causeway Bay. Chefs start from 7:00 am to batter shrimp and wrap wontons for the roughly 1,000 customers served daily at the family-run restaurant, which

began life as a humble street stall in the 1940s before it opened up as a full shop in 1964.

Patty Ho, the daughter-in-law of the restaurant’s founders and its current owner, said she has stuck to original recipes because she wants customers to experience a “traditional eating culture”.

“More modern restaurants have already changed the culture of making wontons, where they only use shrimp, but we have continued to use our original recipe which includes pork, which preserves the meaty flavor,” said Ho. She believes that staying true to tradition was one of the reasons Ho Hung Kee was awarded a star.

“They must have recognized our methods,” she said of the anonymous Michelin inspectors. “The fact that such a local shop was awarded a Michelin star, it is a recognition of Hong Kong’s dining culture.”

Taiwanese diner Jerry Lin, 55, arrived at the restaurant early to avoid the lunchtime crowds.

“I have tried other Michelin restaurants in Shanghai, but this is a restaurant that is very accessible for normal people, we really like it,” he said.

“The price is great for a Michelinstarred restaurant and the taste is really good,” 45-year-old Riamida Ichsami from Indonesia said, while waiting outside Ho Hung Kee with her family five minutes after it opened.

Michelin guide’s international director Michael Ellis said it was a surprise for diners to discover inexpensive starred restaurants in the Asian financial hub, which is better known for its courting of expensive luxury experiences.

“To have a one-star experience for around HK$50 is something unique to Hong Kong,” said Ellis. “You do have, at extremely affordable prices, just some absolutely stunning food.

“Obviously it’s going to be cramped quarters, you’re going to be waiting in line, you’ll rinse your eating utensils with hot tea before you eat.”

Ellis was speaking after Michelin awarded 10 new restaurants with a one-star rating in the fifth edition of its guide for Hong Kong and Macau for 2013, where the cachet of the star continues to carry allure for diners.

Ho Hung Kee, along with dim sum restaurant Tim Ho Wan and Pang’s Kitchen, a new addition to the list, make up “the least expensive, most affordable starred experience” in the world, Ellis said, with dishes for as little as HK$30 to HK$60.

Tim Ho Wan is famous for its steamed dumplings and its barbecue pork bun, all staple dim sum selections, while Pang’s Kitchen serves home-style renditions of Cantonese cuisine with specialties including baked fish intestines in a clay pot and seasonal snake soup.

However, the guide is not without its critics, who question whether the most deserving eateries have been recognised or if the food quality of Hong Kong’s cheaper restaurants can compare to ones in Europe despite the price difference.

“I’ve eaten at the one-star Benoit in Paris, and it’s on another level, in terms of quality of food, service and ambience, to Tim Ho Wan,” wrote the South China Morning Post’s food and wine editor, Susan Jung, soon after the 2013 guide was launched in December.

The Michelin guide has for more than a century recommended restaurants throughout Europe and now covers 23 countries across three continents.

It gives one star for “a very good restaurant in its category”, two for “excellent cooking, worth a detour”, and the top three stars for “exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey”. Hong Kong has four three-star restaurants.

“After our restaurant got one Michelin star, we have seen a lot more people come in, not just people from Southeast Asia, but people from Europe and the US have also increased,” Patty Ho said.

Ho Hung Kee has braved the city’s notoriously high rents to open a second branch in a gleaming shopping mall to handle the influx of customers who discovered the restaurant through the guidebook. The new branch offers a wider selection but at the same price range.

“We hope that by increasing the selection, customers will spend more,” she said.

Georgia Asian Times February 1-15, 2013

Page 11

EAT OUT

SEDAP: Value & Delicious Malaysian Dishes A friend suggested that I checked out a new Malaysian food court eatery a couple of weeks ago. I was hesitant due to past disappointments by several past Malaysian eatery in town.

Nevertheless, I decided to went along with a friend to the food court at Assi Plaza on Pleasant Hill Road.

Service is friendly and courteous.

Working behind the counter is the owner Mr Paul Wong, who takes care of customer orders while his wife Connie cooks in the small kitchen. Both are originally from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah and recently relocated to Atlanta from Orlando, Florida.

Upon entry to the food court, I immediately noticed a long line of customers waiting to order at the Malaysian outlet. Other operators at the food court are visually empty and begging for customers.

Prices range from $5.99 for daily specials to most expensive entree $12.99 . SEDAP offers a variety of Malaysian dishes from Nasi Lemak, Rendang, Sambal Eggs, Char Kway Teow, Mee Goreng, Wa Than Hor, Penang Laksa, Curry Laksa, Hokkien Mee, Phad Thai and Udang Mee. Wa Than Hor ($7.99) is a classic stir fry rice noodles with egg gravy dish - widely popular with Malaysian Chinese back home. The egg gravy is wisely balanced in taste and creaminess. Along with the soft rice noodles, the aromatic gravy delivers a delicious taste. I strongly recommend this dish for any newcomers to Sedap.

Nasi Lemak ($7.99) is the most popular dish sold here. Comes with anchovies, eggs, spicy sambal and rice.

The fruit Rojak ($4.99) is served with authentic shrimp paste sauce with pineapples, star fruit (belimbing), cucumbers, and crushed peanuts.

Ketayap ($1.50 per piece) is soft and filled with grated toasted coconut stuffing with a hint of pandan flavor.

This outlet has garnered a lot of attention in the past few weeks in the community. Along with reasonably prices and tasty food, it generates a buzz among food lovers.

SEDAP - a Malaysian food court outlet at Assi Plaza

Given the current economic condition, Paul and Connie are striving for good and cheap eats for their customers.

Come early on the weekends are the place is filled with regular customers.

Weekdays lunch hours are busy with office workers seeking low budget alternatives.

Do not expect too much of an ambiance in the food court environment.

The emphasis here is the quality and uniqueness of taste from Connie cooking.

SEDAP - Malaysian and Thai Cuisine 1630 Pleasant Hill Road, Duluth, GA 30096 (Assi Plaza Food Court) Tel 770-931-1818 Business Hours: Monday-Sun day 10:00 am - 10:00 pm overall: A+ food: A atmosphere: B+ service: A pluses: Value & authentic meals.

Best wa-than-hor in town. minuses: Limited seating on weekends at food court.

Wa Than Hor

Fruit Rojak

Ketayap

Page 12

February 1-15, 2013 Georgia Asian Times

LIFESTYLE Syringes, surgery and slaps: Thais suffer for beauty

BANGKOK, Jan 24, 2013 - From breast-slapping and gold thread face-lifts, to vaginal whitening soaps and olive oil penis enlargements, image obsessed Thais are going to ever increasing extremes in the quest for beauty.

The colourful self-proclaimed pioneer of breast-slapping says her unusual technique allows clients to boost their bust by at least one bra size without surgery.

“This is the beauty by nature -- one million percent guaranteed,” said the eccentric 46-year-old, who has changed her name to Khunyingtobnom or Madam breast-slapper.

Her work is also extremely lucrative, charging $600 for two 15 minute sessions covering one breast each and a premium face-slapping service -which she claims can induce slimness -- costing about $1,000.

Having slapped her customers for 28 years, Khunyingtobnom said that her own small breasts prompted her late-grandmother to pass on the littleknown art, which she applies to about 20 customers each day.

In a country where ideals of beauty carry particular weight, even in notoriously image-conscious Asia, it is not only women who are seeking to enhance what nature has provided.

Alarmingly high numbers of Thai men inject olive oil, beeswax, silicone and even paraffin into their genitals, in a misguided bid to enlarge their penises, according to one Bangkok urologist.

Skin lesions or serious infections are commonly the result, said Surat Kittisupaporn of the Police General Hospital, which sees up to 300 patients a month after botched penis treatments.

“The body reacts to the foreign substances. When there is chronic irritation or infection, it’ll be very hard to cure... it’ll be hard to even walk or take a shower,” he said, making surgery inevitable.

In the worst case, Surat was forced to remove a 50-year-old man’s genitals in November after he repeatedly injected olive oil into his penis.

The pursuit of an ideal beauty has a long history in the nation, according to Professor Suwirakorn Ophaswongse, of the Dermatological Society of Thailand.

“It starts from the belief that aristocrats should have white skin and people with dark skin are lower class,” she said.

The influence of Korean pop culture has hastened the pace -- and boosted the numbers -- of those dashing to the cosmetic surgeon, she said, as Thais now seek to recreate the surgically enhanced, doll-like appeal of their ‘K-pop’ idols.

Illegal, backstreet cosmetic surgery clinics are cashing-in on that desire and increasing the risks.

A product promoter, or a so-called “pretty”, died in October when a gellike filler meant to make her buttocks more shapely was injected into her bloodstream.

Her friend and fellow “pretty”, Nutchanunt Angkuttarothum, 25, said the tragedy had not deterred her from further surgery to add to a litany of procedures, including a nose job she has already undergone.

“We have to always take care of ourselves and look good, otherwise we wouldn’t look different from others”, she said after pouting for the cameras at a recent motorcycle launch event in Bangkok.

For women, the quest for bigger eyes, noses, breasts and bums is just one step in a wider bid to transform themselves.

Off-the-shelf skin whitening creams, including vaginal bleaching soaps, abound in the kingdom with many believing that a lighter skin reflects higher status and is more attractive to the opposite sex.

It is an image of desirability reinforced by the legions of models and actors who adorn Bangkok’s billboards and star in the country’s wildly popular television dramas.

For the city’s strutting elite, known as Hi-Sos (High Society), more upmarket treatments are widely available, for the right price.

Anywhere between $13,000 and $200,000 will pay for gold thread face implants, a tradition apparently stretching back to ancient Egypt which its adherents believe tightens and brightens the skin.

Speaking at a upmarket Bangkok clinic, husband and wife Patcharat and Itsaraporn Rattanasuthaphaboon said they have both undergone the costly procedure.

“I used to have wrinkles and dry skin under my eyes but it has been a lot better since I did it last time,” said 51-year-old Itsaraporn.

“It’s okay by me,” her husband said.

“I just want my wife to look good.”

The treatment involves strips of near-pure gold being sewn into the skin forming a mesh which stimulates the body to produce collagen, thus keeping the skin supple, says Maciej Lichaj, a Polish gold thread aesthetician at the clinic.

“People in Asia love gold... they want to have gold outside and inside”, he explained, adding the results can be seen within months.

But not everyone is convinced by the scramble to be young, fair-skinned and beautiful.

“People don’t have to be white to be beautiful -- good personality, having knowledge and other capacities are much more important,” Professor Suwirakorn said. “It’s better to have beauty from within.”

Georgia Asian Times February 1-15, 2013

Page 13

SPORTS

Arena says Donovan will play in 2013 LOS ANGELES, Jan 22, 2013 - Los Angeles Galaxy captain Landon Donovan will return to the defending Major League Soccer champions in 2013, coach Bruce Arena says, even though the US striker has missed early workouts with the club.

Lee trounces Kuncoro to lift crown

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 20, 2013 - World number one Lee Chong Wei trounced Indonesia’s Sony Dwi Kuncoro 21-7, 21-8 to win a record nine Malaysia Badminton Open singles title on Sunday.

Lee dominated the court with flawless net play, strokes and lethal smashes and has now set his eyes on victory at the March All-England Superseries Premier.

The Malaysian has won his home country event every year since 2004, apart from in 2007 when victory went to Denmark’s Peter Gade.

The 30-year-old Lee was in top form, outfoxing three-time Asian champion Kuncoro time and again at the net.

The energetic Lee dominated his opponent from the start, sending the 29-year-old bronze medallist in the 2004 Athens Olympics scurrying to all four corners of the court.

But Lee reserved some praise for Kuncoro.

“The pressure was very high on me to win the ninth title. The scoreline makes it look easy but it was tough.

Sony was relentless, I had to keep lifting his shots, read his game before I can find the openings,” he told reporters.

The home favorite’s leaping smashes and controlled net play eventually gave him a one-sided victory over Kuncoro in just 32 minutes.

Lee said he would now concentrate on the upcoming All-England in Birmingham.

In the women’s singles final, 18year-old Tai Tzu Ying of Taiwan outfought China’s Yao Xue 21-17, 21-14.

The men’s and women’s singles champions earned $30,000 while the runner-up walked away with US$15,200.

There was some joy for Europe as second seeded Danish pair Joachim Fischer Nielsen/Christinna Pedersen upset top seeded Malaysians Chan Peng Soon/Goh Liu Ying 21-13, 21-18 in the mixed doubles.

“We’ve given him a little more time off,” Arena said. “He is definitely playing this year, but we’re just working out a return date that makes sense for all of us. We’re working that out soon.”

No timetable has been set and there is no word if Donovan plans to return to the US national team for this year’s North American final qualifying for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Arena met with Donovan last weekend and said that the US veteran feels well.

got a couple of years that have taken their toll and he needs a little bit more time.”

The Galaxy open the MLS season in 40 days. For now, making that opener would not be a fitness concern for Donovan, although Arena said that could come if Donovan’s absence lingers.

“The longer that he takes off, it will take him longer to be ready to play,” Arena said. “Generally, we would like to see some players get three or four weeks to bring their fitness along.”

The Americans open World Cup qualifying on February 6 in Honduras but Donovan is not expected to play in that match as he ponders his future.

The next US qualifying match will be in suburban Denver against Costa Rica on March 22.

“I think he just needs a little bit more of an extended leave of absence. He has

The Danes were a delight to watch as they dominated the young Malaysians at the front of the court.

“Malaysia is a lucky place for me.

I won the women’s doubles here last year (with Kamilla Rytter Juhl) and this year it is the mixed doubles,” said Pedersen.

South Korean defender Yun to join QPR

In other finals, Indonesia’s Mohammad Ahsan/Hendra Setiawan defeated South Korea’s Ko Sung Hyun/Lee Yong Dae 21-15, 21-13, to win the men’s doubles crown, while China’s Bao Yixin/Tian Qing outplayed Matsutomo Misaki/Takahashi Ayaka of Japan 21-16, 21-14 to take home the women’s doubles title.

SEOUL, Jan 24, 2013 - South Korean national team defender Yun Suk-Young is to join English Premier League side Queens Park Rangers, his K-league club said Thursday.

All the doubles champions walked away with US$31,600 while the runners-up pocketed US$15,200.

“He is expected to sign a contract with the QPR if he passes the test,” it said in a statement, without disclosing details of the contract.

Chunnam Dragons said Yun would soon leave his team’s training camp in Thailand for a medical in London.

Yun would be the 11th South Korean player to join the Premier League.

South Korean veteran Park Ji-Sung is already with QPR. Yun, 22, played 86 games in four seasons for the Dragons. He was an integral member of South Korea’s Olympic squad that won the bronze medal in London last year.

He made his senior national team debut last October against Iran during the Asian qualifying tournament for the 2014 World Cup.

Page 14

February1-15, 2013 Georgia Asian Times

SPORTS National side sets scoring record in Pro Bowl romp HONOLULU, Hawaii, Jan 27, 2013 - Seattle’s Russell Wilson threw three touchdown passes to lead the National Conference over the American Conference 62-35 in the 43rd National Football League Pro Bowl all-star game on Sunday.

Rio mayor braced for a ‘good nightmare’ RIO DE JANEIRO, Jan 23, 2013 - As Rio gears up to host a Papal visit in July, the football World Cup next year and the 2016 summer Olympics, the city’s mayor Eduardo Paes might be forgiven if he was dreading the next few years.

But instead the 43-year-old said the high-profile events were a “good nightmare” that he hopes will change the face of his beloved city and transform attitudes across Brazil about “how to set deadlines so things are done and delivered on time”.

In an exclusive interview, Paes denied that too heavy a burden was being placed on the city, with the World Cup the first to be held in the country since 1950 and South America having never hosted the summer Olympics before.

“It is both a dream and a nightmare, but a good nightmare,” he said. “It is like dreaming of running a four-year marathon and breaking a sweat on the finish line.

Obviously it is a huge responsibility, but I think these events are complementary.”

Paes, who received the Olympic flag from London mayor Boris Johnson in August, said the quadrennial event posed the greatest challenge and luckily will be held last.

“Rio is not going to turn into a paradise and all the problems won’t be solved, but the city is going through a very intense process of change,” he added.

“Many things are still missing, but everything has been set in motion, within deadlines, which is the most important.”

The development of mass transit projects, the modernization of the city’s port

area and the construction of the Olympic village are all viewed as a source of concern, as the clock ticks down to the start of the sporting events.

But the mayor, who was re-elected for another four-year term last October, said he was inspired by the example of the Spanish city of Barcelona, which staged the 1992 summer Olympics.

“The Barcelona Games fundamentally transformed the city. Here, we are also going to change the quality of life for Cariocas (Rio residents),” he said.

“Today, less than 20 percent of them have access to modern transportation. The others spend their lives in buses stuck in traffic jams.

“Four years from now, more than 60 percent of Cariocas will have access to high-capacity mass transit (train, subway, express bus lanes).”

Concern has also been expressed about Rio’s hotel capacity and its ageing airport.

“There is a problem of supply but we are working on it,” acknowledged Paes. “We have an additional 16,000 beds, or double what we pledged to the International Olympic Committee. We will even use love motels,” he quipped.

The airport will also be privatized “but the most important is not the events. That can work for the 15 days of the Olympics or the month-long World Cup. My concern is what happens later, (when the Games are over).”

Paes meanwhile played down concern

The National Conference, which now leads the all-time rivalry 22-21, set a oneteam Pro Bowl scoring record, breaking the mark of 59 set by the American Conference in an 18-point victory over the Nationals last year.

Wilson, a rookie quarterback who helped the Seahawks reach the playoffs, flipped a 28-yard touchdown pass to Doug Martin, a nine-yard touchdown pass to Larry Fitzgerald and a five-yard touchdown pass to Vincent Jackson.

All three came in the third quarter after the Nationals had taken a 31-14 half-time lead and Wilson’s burst sealed the American squad’s fate.

“Everybody played hard,” Wilson said. “It was a great week and a fun time.”

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell had threatened to end the Pro Bowl after last year if players failed to make a greater effort in the contest, but Wilson hopes others have the chance he did to meet and work alongside older NFL stars.

“I hope they keep the Pro Bowl,” Wilson said. “It’s special. It really means something.”

about security during the events, pointing to a police drive launched five years ago to wrest control of most city favelas or shanty towns from notorious drug trafficking gangs.

“Tourists should not fear strolling on Copacabana, Ipanema (beaches), in favelas of the southern district and some in the north... I would not have said that five years ago,” he said.

“But they should be cautious in the periphery where they may face attacks.”

Paes meanwhile dismissed criticism that the Rio’s iconic Maracana stadium -- where a staggering 200,000 people watched the 1950 World Cup hosts lose the final to Uruguay -- has lost its soul since it has been thoroughly renovated.

Players for the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens, who meet in next Sunday’s Super Bowl, did not take part in the Pro Bowl.

Each player on the winning team made $50,000, while each man on the losing side took home $25,000.

Denver’s Peyton Manning, selected to the Pro Bowl for a record 12th time, threw a touchdown for the American side while his brother Eli of the 2012 Super Bowl champion New York Giants threw two touchdown passes for the Nationals.

Cincinnati’s A.J. Green caught three touchdown passes for the American Conference and made seven receptions overall for 119 yards.

“I just came out and had fun,” Green said. “It’s an honor. I go out and work hard and do the best I can.”

Minnesota tight end Kyle Rudolph of the Nationals was named the Pro Bowl Most

Valuable Player. He made five catches for 122 yards, including a three-yard touchdown catch from Eli Manning to end the first half.

The National Conference’s Jackson caught a 36-yard touchdown toss from Drew Brees in addition to the last of Wilson’s scoring throws.

“I, too, love nostalgia, nostalgia for the Rio of the 1950s. I have attended games at Maracana all my life. But it (the stadium) did not have adequate security and comfort for spectators. We did preserve its main feature, the external structure.”

As both a Roman Catholic and a football fan, Paes said he looks forward to Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to the city overlooked by the giant Christ the Redeemer statue in July and to Brazil lifting the World Cup trophy for the sixth time in 2014.

“Brazil must absolutely win this (2014) Cup,” he insisted.

Georgia Asian Times February 1-15, 2013

Page 15

HEALTH Obese likelier to die in car accidents: study PARIS, Jan 21, 2013 - Obese people face a much higher risk -- of up to 80 percent -- of dying in a car collision compared with people of normal weight, researchers reported Monday in a specialist journal.

The cause could be that safety in cars is engineered for people of normal weight, not for the obese, they said.

Transport safety scientists Thomas Rice of the University of California at Berkeley and Motao Zhu of the University of West Virginia delved into a US databank on road accidents, the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS).

They dug out data from 1996 to 2008, covering more than 57,000 collisions that involved two cars. This was whittled down to cases in which both parties involved in the collision had been driving vehicles of similar size and types.

The team then compared the risk of fatality against the victim’s estimated body mass index (BMI), a benchmark of fat, which is calculated by taking one’s weight in kilogrammes and dividing it by one’s height in metres squared.

An adult with a BMI of between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered of normal weight. Below this is considered underweight. Between 25.0 and 29.9 is considered overweight; and 30.0 or above is obese.

The researchers found an increase in risk of 19 percent for underweight drivers compared with counterparts of normal weight.

For those with BMI of 30 to 34.9, the increased risk was 21 percent; for BMI of 35-39.9, it was 51 percent; and for the extremely obese, with BMI of 40.0 or above, it was 80 percent.

Obese women were at even greater risk.

Among those in the 35-39.9 BMI category, the risk of death was double compared with people of normal weight.

The estimates were made after potentially confounding factors -- age and alcohol use, for instance -- were taken into account.

Further work is needed to explain the big differences, but the researchers noted that obese people suffer different injuries from normal-weight individuals in car accidents.

US flu epidemic worsens, 29 children dead WASHINGTON, Jan 18, 2013 - A flu epidemic gripping the United States is more severe than usual, striking the elderly especially hard, health authorities said Friday as they also announced 29 child victims.

There is no national reporting system for flu-related deaths among adults, but the CDC said that 8.3 percent of deaths reported through the 122 Cities Mortality Reporting System were due to pneumonia and influenza.

With the nation only about halfway through the season, complications are likely to worsen for those who caught the flu, said Tom Frieden, chief of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

That exceeds the epidemic threshold of 7.2 percent. The rate of flu- and pneumonia-linked deaths the week before was 7.3 percent.

“We expect to see both the number and rates of hospitalization and deaths to rise further,” Frieden told reporters.

The CDC said 30 states and New York City are reporting high influenza rates, up from 24 states last week.

And more than 5,000 people have required hospitalization to treat their flu symptoms. New York has declared a state of emergency over the crisis.

Widespread geographic flu activity was also reported in 48 states for the week ending January 12, up from 47 states the previous week.

Nationwide, influenza rates dropped slightly to 4.6 percent, down from 4.8 percent the previous week.

Nine children died last week alone, bringing the total to 29 since the season began in early December. The flu kills an average of about a hundred children in the United States each year. The toll was 34 in 2011-2012.

“It’s shaping up to be a worse than average season and a bad season particularly for the elderly,” Frieden said, stressing that there was still time to get vaccinated and that early treatment was “critically important.”

He predicted that hospitalizations and deaths would continue to rise as the flu epidemic spreads further.

The severity of the symptoms this year may be explained by the season experiencing a dominant strain of influenza A(H3N2), historically blamed for more serious cases of the virus.

So far, about half of confirmed flu cases concern people aged 65 and older, with a high hospitalization rate of 82 per 100,000.

People older than 65 usually account for about 90 percent of the 36,000 annual flu deaths around the country.

Flu strikes every year across the United States, bringing chills, fever, coughing and achy misery to millions.

Health officials said the flu vaccine is a good match for the strain of influenza circulating around the nation, and confers about 62 percent protection against the illness this season.

The CDC recommends that everyone older than six months get vaccinated, particularly those who are at risk for serious complications, such as babies, senior citizens, pregnant women and those with chronic health issues including asthma, diabetes or lung disease.

In addition to being inoculated against the flu, health officials recommend such basic prophylactic measures as frequent hand washing, and coughing or sneezing into one’s sleeve to keep the illness at bay.

Flu shots pose no extra risk of pregnancy loss: study WASHINGTON, Jan 17, 2013 Pregnant women in Norway who got vaccinated against the swine flu virus that caused the 2009-2010 pandemic showed no increased risk of pregnancy loss, contrary to popular belief, says a study released Thursday.

Pregnant women who came down with the flu did however have increased risk of miscarriage and still birth, said the study carried out in Norway.

Scientists at the US National Institutes of Health and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health published their

findings online in the New England Journal of Medicine.

During the H1N1 flu pandemic, Norway urged pregnant women to get vaccinated. But some expectant mothers shied from this after news reports of pregnancy losses after flu shots.

The researchers said their study suggested that influenza infection may increase the risk of fetal loss.

They reached their conclusion by analyzing Norway’s well-kept archives of registries and medical records.

The risk of pregnancy loss can be multiplied by a factor of two if a pregnant woman catches the flu, while vaccination reduced this risk.

“Most important is that vaccinations protect pregnant women against influenza illness, which could be harmful for both the mother and the baby,” said Allen Wilcox of the NIH, co-author of the study.

Page 16

February 1-15, 2013 Georgia Asian Times

Misc Asia

Singapore boosts ‘baby bonus’ scheme SINGAPORE, Jan 21, 2013 - Singapore on Monday announced increased cash bonuses for parents of newborn babies and introduced paternity leave as part of a package of measures to boost population and reduce dependence on foreigners.

Parents of Singaporean babies born since August 26 last year will receive a cash gift of Sg$6,000 ($4,900) -- a rise of 50 percent, which applies to each of a couple’s first two children.

The financial incentive will rise to Sg$8,000 for a couple’s third and fourth babies, as the government attempts to offset the high cost of raising a family -- one of the gripes often aired by young couples in the city-state.

At least one parent must be a Singapore citizen to be eligible for the handout.

The government will subsidize one week of paternity leave for fathers of babies born from May 1 this year, the National Population and Talent Division (NPTD) agency also announced in a press release.

In addition, new fathers will be eligible to stay off work for a second week by taking a chunk of the standard 16week maternity leave granted to their wives, it added.

Housing issues were also addressed in the Sg$2 billion ($1.63 billion) Marriage and Parenthood Package.

Beijing vows efforts to fight pollution: state media

Couples with at least one child below 16 will be given priority to buy government-built apartments, where most Singaporeans live. Many couples keep their families small until they get their own flats.

BEIJING, Jan 22, 2013 - China’s capital Beijing will strengthen measures to combat pollution, state media reported Tuesday, amid public anger over the dangerous air quality in the sprawling metropolis.

“We hope that the enhanced marriage and parenthood measures will help create a more conducive environment for Singaporeans to set up families,” Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean said in the press release.

Acting mayor Wang Anshun told the city’s legislature that steps will include removing old vehicles from roads, shutting down coal-fired plants and planting more greenery, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

Singapore’s birth rate of 1.20 children per woman, according to 2011 figures, is well below the 2.1 figure needed to sustain the native population.

“Beijing will complete afforestation of 66,000 hectares (163,020 acres) to make the city’s forest coverage hit 40 percent or above” over the next five years, Wang said.

The low rate has forced the city-state to bring in more immigrants in recent years. But the numbers were reduced following a social backlash, with foreigners blamed for problems including overcrowding, straining public services and driving up housing costs.

Singapore, which relies on foreign labour to power its economic growth, now has a population of 5.3 million, of whom only 3.3 million are citizens.

By 2030, 20 percent of Singaporeans are forecast to be 65 years or older, according to official statistics.

“Its total emissions of major pollutants will continue to be reduced.”

Wang’s comments came after dense smog engulfed large areas of northern China, including the capital, earlier this month, sparking public anger and media criticism.

At the height of the pollution, Beijing authorities said readings for PM2.5 -- particles small enough deeply to penetrate the lungs -- hit 993 micrograms per cubic meter, almost 40 times the World Health Organization’s safe limit.

Experts quoted by state media blamed weak winds, saying fog had mixed with pollutants from vehicles and factories and had been trapped by mountains north and west of Beijing.

Coal burning in winter was also a factor.

Wang said Beijing would retire 180,000 old vehicles and encourage the use of clean-energy autos in government departments.

The city would replace heating systems in 44,000 old, single-story homes and coal-burning boilers with clean energy alternatives as well as control dust in construction, Wang said.

Beijing plans to close about 450 plants that spew large amounts of pollution, the report quoted municipal authorities as saying.

“The core issue with Beijing’s air quality is the growing population,” Xinhua quoted Jiang Yi, director of the Energy Saving Studies Centre at Tsinghua University, as saying.

“Currently, the population burden on Beijing’s environment has reached maximum levels,” Jiang said. “Pollution treatment cannot go on without population control.”

Beijing’s population stood at 20.69 million people at the end of 2012, an increase of half a million from the previous year, Xinhua said, citing the Beijing Municipal Statistics Bureau.

A total of 16.33 million people lived in Beijing in early 2008, it said.

Georgia Asian Times February 1-15, 2013

Page 17

Misc Asia

Words of Wisdom

Taiwan nixes brand bid by US First Lady’s dress designer TAIPEI, Jan 22, 2013 - An attempt by fashion designer Jason Wu to register a brand in his native Taiwan was rejected on the same day Michelle Obama appeared at a Washington inaugural ball wearing one of his creations.

New York-based Wu, who also designed the gown worn by the US First Lady at her husband’s first inauguration in 2009, was told by Taiwan’s Intellectual Property Court on Monday that his brand -- “Miss Wu” -- was not special enough.

“Even though he is a celebrity, the problem still needs to be looked at from a legal point of view,” Lee Tehtsao, spokesman for the court, told reporters Tuesday.

Lee explained that Wu is a common surname in Taiwan and therefore could not become a copyrightprotected brand.

The ruling sparked uproar in the local fashion industry, with designer Chen Sun-hua calling it “absurd” and “rude to the fashion sector.”

But Wang Mei-hua, director of the Intellectual Property Office, suggested Wu may get approval if he files an application again later.

“Approval is likely if he tries again this year with more evidence showing ‘Miss Wu’ has been accepted as a brand by local consumers,” she said.

Ang Lee mulls directing historical epic ‘Cleopatra’ TAIPEI, Jan 19, 2013 – Oscar-winning director Ang Lee said Saturday he will “probably” accept an offer to direct historical epic “Cleopatra” starring Angelina Jolie, after the Hollywood actress wrote to him asking him to come on board.

Lee, whose 3D adventure “Life of Pi” has earned 11 Oscar nominations, said he would read the script before making a decision but the project was “very attractive”.

“Sony has asked me to shoot the movie and Angelina Jolie wrote to me to express her wishes to collaborate.

We admire each other… the project looks very attractive,” the TaiwaneseAmerican told reporters in Taipei.

One without learning has to carry others’ burden.

Burmese Proverb

You cannot strike a face that is smiling.

Korean Proverb

Without wealth, be not excessive in eating.

Burmese Proverb

Dare because you are in the right; fear because you are in the wrong.

Malay Proverb

Failure is not falling down but refusing to get up.

Chinese Proverb

If you speak in the daytime, look around; if you speak at night, listen carefully.

Malay Proverb

Smiles make one younger; worries make one older.

Chinese Proverb Don’t trust in fortune until you are in heaven.

Filipino Proverb Woman without man is like a field without seed.

Filipino Proverb It is the same life whether we spend it crying or laughing.

Japanese Proverb You can know ten things by learning one.

Japanese Proverb A stranger nearby is better than a faraway relative.

Korean Proverb

The movie, based on the novel by Yann Martel about about an Indian boy cast adrift with a Bengal tiger, has become Lee’s highest-grossing film ever with more than $450 in global box office sales, according to 20th Century Fox.

“It’s a big-budget movie so I am carefully evaluating it … this is a rare opportunity and I will probably take it.”

Lee returned to his birth place over the weekend to celebrate after “Life of Pie” earned 11 Oscar nominations, including best picture and best director.

About 70 percent of the movie was shot in Taiwan, including at a nowabandoned airport in the centre of the country where Lee’s team built a specially designed wave-generating tank.

Asked if he plans to cast his son Mason Lee, who starred in “The Hangover Part II”, in his future projects, Lee joked that he would rather not “torture” his kin.

Forgore the sour for the sweet.

Thai Proverb A dog jealously guarding a fishbone.

Thai Proverb One good punch on your enemy’s nose, gives more pleasure than hearing well-meaning advice from your elders.

Tibetan Proverb Master and servant -- both have the same body odor.

Tibetan Proverb If you want to gather a lot of knowledge, act as if you are ignorant.

Vietnamese Proverb One often gets what one disdains.

Vietnamese Proverb

“He likes acting and I give him my blessings… I am tough on actors but it’s difficult to be tough on your own son and it’d be an unnecessary torture for us. I’d rather torture other people’s kids.”

The filmmaker, who is based in New York, was hailed as the “glory of Taiwan” after becoming the first Asian to win a best director Oscar for his gay cowboy drama “Brokeback Mountain” in 2007.

Page 18

February 1-15, 2013 Georgia Asian Times

TECH ‘Digital health’ movement in focus at tech show LAS VEGAS, Jan 9, 2013 - With an app, a game or a gadget, technology startups and major companies across all sectors are trying to tackle some of the thorniest problems in health and medicine.

The Consumer Electronics Show is filled with new gadgets to monitor fitness, detect problems and find solutions to health issues ranging from obesity to diabetes to rare medical conditions.

One trend is “gamification,” which uses a model from the video game industry to offer points and rewards to boost health and reduce costs.

At CES, the world’s biggest technology show, UnitedHealthcare unveiled a joint effort with Konami Digital Entertainment to reduce childhood obesity through a new dance game that challenges youngsters while monitoring things like body mass index and caloric burn rate.

The program “adds game mechanics and game psychology to make the experience more engaging and immersing,” said Arianne Hoyland, game producer for the insurance giant.

Hoyland said the company has other programs such as using mobile apps to provide rewards to pregnant women to encourage prenatal visits. The women are given a gift certificate but if they receive the right care, “we can offset those costs and keep them healthier,” she said.

“It turns out gamification of health really works,” said James McQuivey, analyst at Forrester Research.

“People have a competitive urge, and this can bring new people into something. People want peer recognition, they want to outdo other people.”

James Fujimoto of the ANT+ Alliance, which includes some 350 firms that use low-power devices for fitness devices, including many wearable ones,

said gamification has grown into a “very big initiative that is very popular for training.

Another gamification example comes from HealthyWage.com, which partners with firms to offer a weight loss challenge for a group with a reward of $10,000.

“This past year alone, we’ve seen a surge in businesses, healthcare companies and school districts seeking to offer weight loss programs that will better engage and excite the staff and, ultimately, more successfully achieve health and overriding fiscal program goals,” HealthyWage CEO David Roddenberry said in a statement.

Other firms are finding ways to use mobile apps to improve health care.

The business software giant SAP has developed an app called “Care Circles” that allows a parent or other individual to manage health care with a multitude of specialists and others.

The program, which has not yet been publicly marketed but is available for free, was developed by an SAP employee to coordinate care among several specialists for a child with a rare medical condition.

“This gets around privacy concerns because the care is controlled by the guardian or individual,” said Rishi Diwan, a product manager at SAP who showed the app to CES visitors.

to track factors such as heart rates, or real-time monitoring of blood sugar for persons with diabetes. Another showed a digital fork that monitors caloric intake and vibrates if its user is eating too much too fast.

Although he could write down his readings, the wireless app “makes it easier” and provides extra motivation by being part of a community battling the same disease.

Some use low-power Bluetooth-connected patches to transmit data to a smartphone, a godsend for Bastian Hauck, a competitive sailor with type 1 diabetes who attended CES to promote the Continua Health Alliance for mobile wellness.

NFL quarterback Matt Hasselbeck showed CES a new skullcap from a company called MC10 that can fit under the helmet of a football player or other athlete and measure the impact of a collision, in an effort to better deal with concussions and similar injuries.

Hauck said the Bluetooth patch he wears transmits to a smartphone and enables him to monitor glucose in real time, helping him determine the best eating and insulin intakes. He shares that information with other diabetics.

“In the NFL, you get hit in the head a lot,” he said, adding that this is a major concern not only for professionals but for youth sports.

Treating diabetes, Hauck said, “is like a guessing game. You have to do it 24/7. There is no rest.”

“This doesn’t prevent a concussion but it’s another set of eyes on the athlete,” Hasselbeck added. “Our hope is that we can change the culture.”

Diwan said the app can help people with special needs, and that the company is working with the Alzheimer’s Association and Breast Cancer Foundation to generate interest in the platform.

As of now, the app is not part of any effort to generate revenue but “we are thinking about ways to work on electronic medical records,” he said.

Other exhibitors at CES showed exercise arm bands and other gadgets

Trying out the HAPIfork

Page 19

February 1-15, 2013 Georgia Asian Times

February Horoscope Snake (2013 2001 1989 1977 1965 1953 1941 1929 1917 1905) Wise and well-meaning souls may be encouraging you to plan ahead about your career, business, study, or relocating to a new place. However, there are several vital questions that you need to raise about the entire objective; your time is best invested in considering whether what and who was once important to you or still is. While this may mean conducting a serious edit of your pursuits and even certain lasting alliances, it will clear the way for new and remarkably fascinating activities.

Horse (2002 1990 1978 1966 1954 1942 1930 1918 1906) Having tried to accommodate others’ demands, some sensible, many less so and a few ridiculous, you have had enough. However, you have yet more of this nonsense to deal with during this period. What option is available? Do the absolute minimum and no doubt initially you may worry that this will cause hurt or upset. True, some might moan but only for a while and you will have learnt an important lesson about not to spoil those you love or care.

Sheep (2003 1991 1979 1967 1955 1943 1931 1919 1907) Setbacks you have encountered could make you think your recent streak of good fortune has come to an end. It has not. However, the unsettling events you are facing are designed to call attention to plans you have organized that seemed worthwhile but proved impractical. It is unlike you to make a plan and then forget about it. Yet it would appear that in several situations that is what you will need to do. When you first conceived of those plans, the path ahead was free of obstacles. A lot has changed, so much you will want to reconsider things through.

Monkey (2004 1992 1980 1968 1956 1944 1932 1920 1908) The good news is this month brings a much needed fresh perspective on several perplexing areas of your life. Less good is the fact that you are unlikely to be able to implement these ideas into action promptly and some may have to wait until the Chinese New Year. Exasperating as that seems at the moment, with both circumstances and your priorities shifting considerably between now and then, you will be relieved that you did so little.

Rooster (2005 1993 1981 1969 1957 1945 1933 1921 1909) Few things worry you more than being forced by circumstances to reveal private, business or financial matters to those you neither know nor trust. Not only must you do exactly that, you are likely to be astonished at the insights you are offered. While you may be hesitant about taking their suggestions, discussions alone are bound to be profitable. And you might even change your mind about certain vital matters.

Dog (2006 1994 1982 1970 1958 1946 1934 1922 1910) Little is more anxiety-inducing than living with uncertainty about potential life changing experiences. While these have been discussed at length over the past weeks and much is promising – commitment is another matter. Be patient for things are unlikely to come together promptly. Review details or options and what surfaces could make you extremely relieved that you have ample time to refine your thinking and life ahead.

Pig (2007 1995 1983 1971 1959 1947 1935 1923 1911) It is not so much that you have been putting off dealing with life-changing decisions or complex practical or financial matters. Rather, you have felt ill-equipped to make them, so have been gathering information and seeking advice, enough to provide you with the confidence to proceed. Perhaps this may be wise, events are about to force your hand. Commit but in a way that gives you room to alter arrangements or maneuvers as you learn from experience. the party. Bearing in mind, you may need to restrict the conversation to light gossip and keep your plans strictly to yourself.

Rat (2008 1996 1984 1972 1960 1948 1936 1924 1912) For those in a career, one could encounter some promotion just before the end of the year; the management has confidence in the individual and will continue to provide support. However do not get carried away by the excellent news, one should try to resist the temptation of premature spending ahead to celebrate such achievement. For those dealing in business, one might need to reduce unnecessary overheads in order to maximize profits, this may be workable in the short term but one could suffer consequences over the long term.

Ox (2009 1997 1985 1973 1961 1949 1937 1925 1913) Teamwork is imperative and likely to contribute to success for those working in the construction industry, medical industry, food manufacturing or research. Just beware and avoid confrontation with superiors or clients, which could lead to frustration at work due to discrepancies. Be patient and consider it as another learning curve. Sometimes trying to bulldoze through a solid wall is not a wise choice. Calm down and think of an alternative way to get round the problem. All is not lost as long as one manages to reach a solution in the end. You do not need to prove a point for the outcome will speak for itself.

Tiger (2010 1998 1986 1974 1962 1950 1938 1926 1914) Instead of adopting your usual determination to overcome challenges, investigate the source of the problems. Obviously this could take a longer route or time. However you will begin a relatively new approach of exploration that hopes to disclose far more than the reason behind the difficulties you are facing. Some may involve changes in circumstances, which you should be prepared to adapt; do not wait for others to make you realize you could be fighting for something of great importance to you or loved ones.

Rabbit (2011 1999 1987 1975 1963 1951 1939 1927 1915 1903) Time and again you will downplay transformations because you know how much certain individuals would be upset by an open or strange encounter.

Now, however you must be both particular and forthright or risk either misunderstandings or worse, being taken advantage of. This is particularly vital because it will have shifted to accent money and your resources and you will want several questions about who owes what to whom firmly dealt with.

Dragon (2012 2000 1988 1976 1964 1952 1940 1928 1916 1904) At this present moment, it seems that everything you do and every conversation you have leads you to something intriguing and challenging. What you learn and who you meet could add to existing financial plans, making them more exciting or worthwhile. Or it may be that you are hesitant or reluctant to take these to the next stage, so are actually seeking distractions. Focus on those original plans and there will be more than enough changes to keep you occupied.