Georgia Asian Times Vol 9 No 4

Covering The Multicultural Asian American Community in Georgia

www.gasiantimes.com February 15-28, 2013 Vol 10 No 4

Pope Benedict Resigns

Georgia Asian Times February 15-28, 2013

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

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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 678-7228486 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.

By Invitation Only.

2013 America Korea Friendship Society-Annual Banquet 2013 New American Hero of The Year Award Date: Saturday, March 2, 2013 Time: 6:00 pm Venue: Renaissance Waverly Hotel

By Invitation Only.

Indonesia Business & Investment Forum Date: Wednesday, Mar 27, 2013 Time: 9:00 am - 2:00 pm Venue: Marriott Marquis Atlanta Registration Necessary.

For more info:gat@gasiantimes. com Symposium on Asia-USA Partnership Opportunities (SAUPO) Date: Friday, April 19, 2013 Venue: St. Regis Hotel, Atlanta For more info: visit www.kennesaw.edu/saupo 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

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February 15-28, 2013 Georgia Asian Times

METRO ASIAN NEWS NACA gives 3 donation to community groups Chamblee, February 2, 2013 – National Association of Chinese Americans (NACA) hosted its annual banquet in celebration of the Lunar New Year of Snake. Guests of honor included Kaseem Reed, Mayor of Atlanta, Burrell Ellis, CEO of DeKalb County, Xu Erwen, Consul General of The People’s Republic of China-Houston. Brian Kemp, Secretary of State of Georgia, delivers a special greeting message on behalf of Governor of Georgia.

NACA officially announced its year-long mentorship program involving matching corporate mentors and NACA members as mentee. The mentorship program will be introduced at an official event at UPS on Feb 21, 2013.

Lani Wong, Chair of NACA, presented three donations to local community groups. Donation worth $6,000 was awarded to Georgia Perimeter CollegeSchool of Nursing, a $3,000 donation

to Good Shepherd Services Atlanta, and a $1,000 donation awareded to China Care Program at Emory University.

“We’re proud to support the effort of these organizations in their work. We hope the donations can help in their daily effort to make a difference in the community,” comments Lani Wong on NACA’s donations.

The evening’s banquet were highlighted by Atlanta’s Mayor Kaseem Reed and his date Ms. Eritrea Abraham. “This is the third year that I have attended the NACA Lunar New Year celebration. I wanted to show support to Lani and the NACA organization,” said Mayor Reed in his remark.

For more information on NACA, visit www.naca-atlanta.org

Chinese Community Center Welcomes New Year of Snake Atlanta, February 8, 2013 – The Chinese Community Center welcomes the Lunar New Year of Snake with the 33rd annual banquet hosted at the Westin Atlanta Perimeter.

Among the honorary guests for the evening included Ms. Anna Kao, Director General of TECO Atlanta, Mr. He Beon Kim, Consul General of South Korea, Mr. Opher Aviran, Consul General of Israel, Sue Everhart, Chairman, Georgia Republican Party, and John Eaves, Chairman, Chairman-Fulton County Commissioners.

“Our mission is to help promote diverse culture, help establish partnership with governments, business, corporations, and various community organizations,” said Dr. Ray Wang,

President of Chinese Community Center (CCC).

The evening highlight included a farewell remark by outgoing Director General of TECO Atlanta, Ms. Anna Kao. “I appreciate all the help and support given to me during my tenure at TECO Atlanta. In the spirit of Lunar New Year, I offer my best wishes for peace and happiness,” said Director General Anna Kao in her remarks to the banquet guests.

The annual banquet was presented in sponsorship partnership with Infinite Energy. The Chinese Community Center is a 501 (c ) 3 non profit organization established in 1980.

Indonesia’s Emerging Middle Class Adds To Its Appeal to Investors Atlanta, February 8, 2013 — In each of the past three years, Indonesia has had annual growth of more than 6 percent, spurring global interest in the resource-rich country that is Southeast Asia’s largest economy. Investors have been drawn by the resources, a rising middle class that’s consuming more and a young population.

During 2012, Indonesia has a robust foreign direct investment and domestic consumption. Auto sales set a new record of 1 million vehicles despite regulations requiring higher down payments. Domestic consumption, which accounts more than 50 percent of the economy, helped the country attract a record 221 trillion rupiah ($22.8 billion) in foreign direct investment last year, a 26 percent increase from 2011.

“Indonesia is on track on its economic development growth and had registered as the second fastest growing GDP behind China in 2012,” said Al Busyra Basnur, Consul General of Indonesia based in Houston, Texas.

The Consulate General of Indonesia, Houston in partnership with Georgia Asian Times have announced a oneday “Indonesia Business & Investment Forum” to be held on March 27, 2013 at Marriott Marquis in downtown Atlanta.

“The forum will introduce investment opportunities and to provide latest update on economic development in Indonesia for US businesses,” adds Consul General Basnur who is in town to finalize arrangement for the forum.

Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, Invest Atlanta, World Trade Center Atlanta, Indonesian American Chamber of Commerce of Georgia, and the office of the Mayor are partners in hosting the one-day forum, according to the Consul General.

Among the speakers of the forum is His Excellency Dr. Dino Patti Djalal, Ambassador of Indonesia to Washington DC. Participants will have opportunity to learn from challenges and experiences of US companies who have conducted business in the archipelago.

Indonesia, a member of G-20, will also be the host nation for the annual APEC Economic Leaders Summit from October 1-8, 2013 in Bali, Indonesia.

President Obama is expected to attend the summit along with country leaders from over 20 nations.

For more information on the Indonesia Business and Investment Forum, contact Georgia Asian Times at 678971-9388.

Georgia Asian Times

February 15-28, 2013

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METRO ASIAN NEWS Federal Internship Position Available for Asian Americans Undergraduate/ Grad Students Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership (CAPAL) will help place students in internships within the federal government in DC. Opportunities in regional offices, including California and Texas, may be possible.

Interns will be placed in program management, legal and finance positions.

These internship positions are suited for individuals looking to gain realworld federal government experience.

CAPAL has partnerships with Federal Agencies including Agricultural Research Services and Forest Service.

Each CAPAL intern will be awarded a $3,000 stipend to support the successful completion of their internship plus $500 for travel reimbursement.

Depending on your interests and placement, duties could vary from policy or scientific research, project coordination and management, business, law, communication, and more. Applicants are asked to specify their preferences on the application, and those selected will be placed based on their interests and skills. Agricultural knowledge is not required.

Applicants to apply online through: http://www.capal.org/programs/fed-

eral-internship-program. A complete application includes: (1) a resume; (2) a transcript; (3) personal statement; and (4) two letters of recommendation. Early decision applications must apply by February 15, 2013; the regular admission deadline is March 1, 2013.

SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM: For the Scholarship Program CAPAL is offering scholarships from $2,000-$3,000 plus a $500 travel stipend for individuals working in unpaid public service internships (nonprofit/government) this summer in the Washington, DC metropolitan region. Students will be considered based on financial need and will be required to disclose any other funding sources received.

Please have applicants apply online through our website: http://www. capal.org/programs/scholarshipprogram. A complete application includes: (1) a resume; (2) a transcript; (3) personal statement; (4) two letters of recommendation; and (5) a statement of financial need. Early decision applications must apply by February 15, 2013; the regular admission deadline is March 1, 2013.

TECO DG Anna Kao to assume important Spokesperson role in Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry Atlanta, February 13, 2013 -- Ms. Anna Kao, Director General of TECO Atlanta will be transferred to Taipei in early March. She is expected to start as the new Director General of Public Diplomacy and spokesperson for Coordinating Council, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan.

“I have enjoyed my two and half years tenure in Atlanta and have met a lot of wonderful people. I am also lucky to have a good team and colleagues at TECO Atlanta to work with me,” speaking at an exclusive interview at a farewell dinner in her honor at a restaurant in Buckhead.

Ms. Kao is most pleased with her team’s effort in establishing understanding and friendship between the southern states and Taiwan. During her tenure, she has witnessed many elected officials in the southern states including Governor Steve Beshear of Kentucky, Jon Eaves, Chairman of Atlanta Fulton County Commissioners, and Charlotte Nash, Chair of Gwinnett County Commissioners visiting Taiwan.

America Korea Friendship Society Announce 2013 New American Hero Award Atlanta, February 13, 2013 - America Korea Friendship Society have announced the 2013 New American Hero of the Year Award to Dr. Sammy Lee, first Asian American two-times Olympic Gold Medalist.

An official award presentation will be held at a dinner banquet on March 2, 2013 at Renaissance Waverly Hotel.

ancestry who has made a significant contribution to the United States.

Past recipients were Dr. Tom Kim of Knoxville, TN, who founded the Free Clinic for Working Poor and who has operated the clinic for more than twelve years and Lieutenant Colonel John Oh, medical doctor of US Army, for his heroic service at the war fields in Afghanistan.

New American Hero Award has been presented to Americans of Korean

Established in 1996, the America Korea Friendship Society (AKFS) is a

non-profit and non-political civic organization with the mission of promoting and strengthening the unique relationship between the people of the Republic of Korea and the United States of America.

For more information about the New American Hero Award, contact Joshua Lee 770-452-8039.

“Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and Savannah’s seaport provide ample partnership opportunities between Taiwanese businesses who wish to expand to this area,” explains Ms. Kao. Taipei send a full traditional Chinese orchestra to perform at Emory University in Atlanta in 2011 as part of the Atlanta-Taipei Sister City relations.

Taipei also receives a group of visiting Atlanta students as part of student exchange program in 2012.

“I will be happy to report to my superior that there are opportunity to further strengthen bilateral relations in culture, business, and academic with people in this region,” said Ms. Anna Kao with a smile in her farewell interview.

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February 15-28, 2013 Georgia Asian Times

BUSINESS

Global gold demand falls in 2012: WGC report Bank of Japan chief denies currency manipulation TOKYO, Feb 14, 2013 - The head of the Bank of Japan on Thursday hit back at claims it is manipulating the yen, saying the BoJ’s monetary easing was solely aimed at stoking economic growth at home.

The comments from Masaaki Shirakawa were the latest in a string of denials from Japanese officials who have been fending off accusations, mostly from Europe, that they had orchestrated the currency’s recent steep slide.

The issue was expected to top the agenda at a G20 meeting in Moscow that starts Friday amid talk of a “currency war” in which rival nations drive down their currencies to protect their exporters.

“Our purpose is not to guide exchange rates, but to overcome deflation in the near-term and bring about sustainable growth with price stability,” Shirakawa told a news briefing in Tokyo.

This month Shirakawa announced said he would step down from his post three weeks early, having been unable to see eye-to-eye with new Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who put intense pressure on the bank to fall into line with the government’s policies.

The BoJ held off any new policy measures at the end of a two-day policy meeting Thursday, after unveiling last month an indefinite easing program and an ambitious two-percent inflation target, which helped weaken the yen.

Tokyo has been on the defensive over its monetary policy.

The yen has lost about 17 percent against the dollar and about 25 percent to the euro since November, when Abe and his Liberal Democratic Party campaigned in national elections on a platform of big spending and aggressive monetary easing.

Abe’s party swept to power in December.

Easing tends to push down the yen, and critics have suggested Tokyo and the central bank’s policies were behind its steep decline.

On Thursday, Shirakawa said he would be pushing a message at the G20 talks that Japan was only trying to boost its limp economy, the world’s third-largest, with the yen’s fall an unintended consequence.

On Tuesday, the Group of Seven richest nations issued a statement warning over volatility in forex markets, comments widely seen as a swipe at Tokyo.

G7 Members -- Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States and Canada -- would keep fiscal and monetary policy limited to meeting “our respective domestic objectives” and “not target exchange rates”, it said.

MUMBAI, Feb 15, 2013 - Global demand for gold fell last year in its first tumble since 2009 as demand in leading market India slid, narrowing the gap with second-biggest buyer China, the World Gold Council said Thursday.

Demand for the precious metal was 4,405.5 tons for the full year, down 3.85 percent from 4,582.3 tons a year earlier, the WGC report said.

But in value terms, gold demand in 2012 increased to a record high of $236.4 billion, as the average price for the precious metal rose.

A decline in consumer demand offset an increase in demand from institutional investors and central banks, the report said.

For the full year, India’s gold demand fell 12 percent from a year earlier -- despite improved demand in the final quarter -- to 864.2 tons.

In China, demand for the full year was flat at 776.1 tons.

World jewelery demand, which accounts for 44 percent of total demand, slid by three percent in 2012 to 1,908.1 tons, hit by softer appetite in the first half of 2012, the data showed.

The team of WGC analysts, who prepared the report, forecast that gold jewelery demand could soften in 2013 in volume terms.

But investment demand is likely to exceed historical averages due to its role “as a store of wealth”, the report added.

In the October-to-December quarter, global gold demand rose only four percent year-on-year to 1,195.9 tons, worth an estimated value of $66.2 billion, WGC said.

Demand for gold in India, the world’s largest consumer and importer of the yellow metal, improved in the last quarter after being sluggish in previous quarters.

India’s fourth-quarter gold demand jumped 41 percent to 261.9 tons from a year earlier but in China it climbed just 1.45 percent to 202.5 tons, due to “the effects of slowdown in the domestic economy,” the report showed.

“The Indian market thrived during the wedding season and festive fourth quarter period,” WGC said. Indian gold purchases traditionally spike during the religious festival and wedding season.

In addition, bullion dealers stocked up, fearing a hike in the import duty on gold by the Indian government.

Last month, India raised the duty on the precious metal by 50 percent to six percent after doubling it in 2012.

India has been seeking to deter vast gold imports that are one of the main contributors to the deficit in the current account, the broadest measure of trade.

The deficit hit a record $22.3 billion, or 5.4 percent of GDP, in the July-September quarter, as imports outpaced exports.

Georgia Asian Times February 15-28, 2013

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BUSINESS

Recession-hit Japanese economy shrinks again TOKYO, Feb 14, 2013 - Japan’s economy shrank for a third quarter at the end of 2012, data showed Thursday, leaving it mired in recession owing to weak export demand, but analysts and the central bank eyed a rosier outlook.

policy announcements after last month’s unveiling of indefinite monetary easing and the adoption of a two percent inflation target. Both moves followed intense pressure from the new government.

Tokyo saw a 0.1 percent contraction in October-December from the previous three months, underlining the work ahead for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s new government as it tries to boost growth while fending off claims it is manipulating the yen to lift exports.

The BoJ’s view mirrored those of analysts, who said a better picture abroad and government spending to fuel growth were having an effect.

Financial turmoil in key market Europe, a strong yen and a diplomatic row with China have hurt Japan, frustrating hopes that it would cement a recovery from the 2011 quake-tsunami disaster that battered domestic demand and output.

The country logged modest growth of 1.9 percent for 2012 over the previous year.

Japan has seen a mixed bag of economic data lately as factory output rises while the export picture remains cloudy, with a record trade deficit for 2012.

However, the yen has weakened in recent months, which helps exporters’ competitiveness and provided a muchneeded boost to their latest earnings results.

On Thursday the Bank of Japan gave an upbeat assessment of the economy after a two-day policy meeting, saying it appeared to have stopped weakening and adding: “Exports continue to decrease, but the pace of decrease has been moderating”.

It said there were signs of a pick-up in overseas markets. “Japan’s economy is expected to level off more or less for the time being, and thereafter, it will return to a moderate recovery path,” it said.

The bank held off making any new

GM earnings jump 89 percent in fourth quarter

“While the figures were worse than expected, they aren’t too bad -- we could see it rebound in the future,” said Hideki Matsumura, senior economist at Japan Research Institute, referring to the quarterly results.

WASHINGTON, Feb 14, 2013 - General Motors’ fourth quarter earnings jumped 89 percent but were held back by $700 million in losses on its European operations, the company said Thursday.

For the full year 2012 GM reported $4.86 billion in net income -- down 36 percent from a year earlier, with special items having boosted 2011 earnings sharply and also taking nearly $500 million from 2012’s final figure.

Key to Japan’s outlook was demand in the United States and an easing in the debt crises in Europe, while some of the nation’s biggest firms have said a slump in shipments stemming from the diplomatic row with China was softening.

The top US automaker earned a net $892 million in the quarter to December 31, compared to $472 million a year earlier.

“We recorded another solid year in 2012 as we grew the business, delivered a third straight year of profitability and took significant actions to put the company on a solid path for future growth,” said Dan Akerson, chairman and chief executive.

Tokyo’s trade deficit with Beijing doubled to a record 3.52 trillion yen ($38 billion) last year, as the feud over a set of islands in the East China Sea spurred a consumer boycott of Japanese goods in China.

Tokyo’s new aggressive economic policy -- which has seen the yen tumble about 17 percent against the dollar since November -- has raised eyebrows overseas.

The unit’s steep decline has sparked criticism, particularly from Europe, that the government is engineering a devaluation to boost its exports that risks setting off a global currency war.

But Japan dismisses the charges, with BoJ chief Masaaki Shirakawa on Thursday adding his voice to the issue.

The nation’s top central banker said BoJ policies were only aimed at boosting the country’s deflation-plagued economy, not manipulating the yen’s value.

The figures were buoyed by a turnaround in South America, where the company swung from a loss in the year-earlier quarter to a $99 million gain, and in its Asia-Africa division, where earnings jumped $100 million to $473 million.

Earnings per share came in at 54 cents for the quarter, compared to 28 cents a year ago.

“Our purpose is not to guide exchange rates, but to overcome deflation in the near-term,” he told a press briefing in the Japanese capital.

Markets have cheered Abe’s strong stand, betting his administration may succeed in achieving the strong growth that eluded previous administrations.

The lower house of parliament on Thursday approved a separate extra budget worth 13.1 trillion yen ($140 billion) to help finance planned government stimulus.

“This year our priorities will be executing flawless new vehicle launches, controlling costs and delivering more vehicles to our customers at outstanding value.”

“Housing and public works investments supported the economy,” Naoki Murakami, chief economist at Tokyo brokerage Monex, said in a note.

“The economy will rise from (its) bottom with a recovery in the global economy and a turnaround in monetary policy. Growth in January-March is likely to be above one percent at an annualized rate.”

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February 15-28, 2013 Georgia Asian Times

RELIGION Pope announces shock resignation in historic move VATICAN CITY, Feb 12, 2013 - Pope Benedict XVI has announced he will resign this month because of his advancing age in a fast-changing world, becoming the first pontiff in 700 years to step down of his own free will.

The 85-year-old said he will step down on February 28 after just eight years in office, making his one of the shortest pontificates in modern history and stunning the world’s 1.1 billion Catholics.

months” that the pope was planning to resign and was “feeling the burden of his age.”

Some faithful said they hoped the move would signal a major change for the Church after a conservative pontificate marred by scandals, most notably over clerical child sex abuse.

Vatican observers have already begun speculating over who could succeed Benedict.

The German-born leader made the announcement Monday in a speech in Latin during a meeting with cardinals at Apostolic Palace residence. His frail voice was barely audible as he read the text.

Online betters tip an African pope as the most likely, but other observers say the number of voting-age cardinals from Europe and North America -- 76 out of 118 -- could sway the choice to a Western state.

“I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry,” he said.

In the period between the resignation and the election of a new pope, the Catholic Church will be governed

by Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone.

As tributes poured in from across the world, the Vatican emphasised that the former Joseph Ratzinger was not leaving due to any illness, despite speculation over his increasingly frail appearance.

Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said he expected a conclave of cardinals to be held in March within 15 or 20 days of the resignation and a new pope elected before Easter Sunday on March 31.

“The pope caught us a bit by surprise,” Lombardi admitted at a hastily arranged press conference.

The closed-door conclave of cardinals is held in the Sistine Chapel, a puff of white smoke indicating when they have decided on a successor.

The new pope is then announced immediately afterwards with the cry “Habemus Papam” and appears before the faithful gathered in St Peter’s Square.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel led tributes from political and religious leaders across the globe, hailing Benedict as “one of the most significant religious thinkers of our time.”

For Cardinal Angelo Sodano, who attended the historic meeting with the pope, the announcement came as “a bolt of lightning in a clear blue sky.”

US President Barack Obama offered “our appreciation and prayers” on behalf of all Americans. A spokesman for Ban Ki-moon said the UN chief had praised the pope’s commitment to interfaith dialogue.

Benedict’s brother Georg Ratzinger told AFP he had known for “a few

Justin Welby, spiritual leader of the world’s Anglicans, said the pope had

held his office with “great dignity, insight and courage.”

The Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel said Benedict XVI had improved ties between the two religions, helping reduce anti-Semitism around the world.

Shocked believers flocked to St Peter’s Square to express their dismay at what will be only the second formal resignation in the Catholic Church’s 2,000-year history after Celestine V in 1294.

“I love Benedict. We’re really shocked he’s resigning because he wasn’t pope for long enough. He hasn’t finished his plan,” said Sebastian Mazur, a 21-year-old trainee priest from Poland.

Gian Maria Vian, editor of the Vatican’s official daily L’Osservatore Romano, said the pope took his decision after a particularly wearying trip to Mexico and Cuba last year and only following “a repeated examination of his conscience.”

Benedict, who succeeded the late pope John Paul II in 2005, is known as a diehard traditionalist and a lightning rod for controversy. He will retire to a monastery within the Vatican walls.

His “strength of mind and body... has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognise my incapacity to adequately fulfil the ministry entrusted to me,” the pope said.

He was the Catholic Church’s doctrinal enforcer for many years, earning the nickname “God’s Rottweiler.”

An academic theologian, the pope has written numerous books, including a just completed trilogy on the life of Jesus Christ.

The guiding principle of Benedict’s papacy has been to reinvigorate the Catholic faith, particularly among young people and in parts of the world with rising levels of secularism, like Europe and North America.

He has shown a degree of openness on some moral issues, becoming the first pope ever to speak about the possibility of using contraception to avoid the spread of the AIDS virus.

But he is better known for his opposition to abortion, euthanasia and gay marriage -- as well as the abuse scandals that tainted the Church.

The US Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, highly critical of Benedict’s handling of the paedophilia scandal, called on the Church to “select a pontiff who puts child safety and victim healing first.”

He plans to step down at 8:00 pm on February 28.

Sandro Magister, a Vatican expert at L’Espresso weekly, said the resignation could set a precedent.

Benedict, who has often had to use a mobile platform to move around St Peter’s Basilica during church services, had hinted in 2010 at a possible resignation if he felt he was no longer able to carry out his duties.

“He must have evaluated the effects of the resignation on future pontificates, which will definitely not be for life but will become fixed-term,” Magister said.

The pope suffers from arthritis, had a stroke while he was still cardinal and broke a wrist when he slipped in the bath in 2009.

Marco Politi, author of a best-selling biography of Benedict, said the gesture was “very courageous and revolutionary.”

Georgia Asian Times February 15-28, 2013

Page 9

EVENTS

NACA Lunar New Year Banquet Feb 1, 2013

Burrell Ellis reading the proclamation awarded to Xu Erwen, CG of People’s Republic of China-Houston.

Large crowd attending the sold out Lunar New Year banquet.

Burrell Ellis, CEO of Dekalb County delivering a proclamation to CG Xu Erwen.

CG Xu Erwen delivers her greeting remark.

L-R: Burrell Ellis, Wills Hong, Lani Wong, and CG Xu Erwen.

L-R:Jung Mar, Xu Erwen, Kasim Reed, Lani Wong, Eritrea Abaham.

Brian Kemp delivering his remark to guest of the banquet.

Mayor Kasim Reed greeting Xu Erwen, Consul General of Republic of ChinaHouston.

Georgia Perimeter College-School of Nursing receives a $6000 donation to their program from NACA.

NACA donated $3000 to Good Shepherd Services Atlanta to assist with their outreach serving the underprivilged community.

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February 15-28, 2013 Georgia Asian Times

EVENTS Chinese Community Center-Chinese New Year Banquet Feb 8, 2013

L-R: Lily Shi, Richard Blaser, CEO, Infinite Energy, John Lu

L-R: Winston Chang, Anna Kao, Alex Wan

Eugene Yu, President, Fed of Korean Assoc (center)

Anna Kao, Director General of TECO Atlanta delivering her New Year greetings.

Georgia Asian Times February 15-28, 2013

Page 11

BOOKS

China bloggers vilify US executive’s memoirs BEIJING, Feb 12, 2013 - A Chineseborn businesswoman’s harrowing tales of gang-rape and murder in the Cultural Revolution years have come under fire from web vigilantes who accuse her of duping impressionable US readers.

Ping Fu, who went on to found US technology firm Geomagic and sits on a White House panel on innovation, has described dreadful experiences in her rags-to-riches autobiography “Bend, Not Break” and media interviews.

Born in 1958, Fu said she was gangraped and forced into child labor in a factory, and that on one occasion the Maoist Red Guards dismembered a teacher with four horses pulling on each limb to terrify her and other children.

She was jailed in the early 1980s for writing a university thesis on female infanticide due to the one-child policy, she said, only for paramount leader Deng Xiaoping to intervene. The book says she was later “quietly deported”.

“Bend, Not Break” has reached the New York Times bestseller lists, and drew rave reviews, before questions raised by a number of Chinese Internet sleuths cast doubt on key parts of Fu’s life story.

She has admitted to some exaggeration in the book but has blamed that on a faulty memory or intervention by her editors, insisting her memoirs are not a fabrication and accusing her Chinese critics of waging a “smear campaign”.

But her chief attacker Fang Zhouzi, a prominent blogger known for hunting down celebrity lies, says he will stay on the offensive.

“Fu Ping not only fabricated her tragic experiences during the Cultural Revolution, but also fabricated what she saw during the period when China

strictly enforced the family planning policy,” he wrote in his latest article.

“Because she knows clearly that apart from the Cultural Revolution, the family planning policy is another Chinese scandal that can most easily touch Americans’ nerves,” Fang said.

Fu told a US radio station last month that she personally witnessed the killings of hundreds of baby girls, and drew official ire for exposing this in her thesis.

Fang says it is incredible that she could have seen so much infanticide, and says that if Deng had intervened on her behalf when she was jailed, nobody would have dared to expel her from the country.

He has also dismissed her account of the teacher’s equine quartering as “easy to tell but hard to conduct”, adding in an email: “I will continue to write” about her.

Fang suggested that Fu -- who uses a Western word order for her name -invented the stories to enlist sympathy from US officialdom and build a grittier image of survival to embellish her credentials in the business world.

“No matter how fantastic your experiences sounded, Americans would believe them to be true. Some people told so many lies that they even started believing it themselves,” he said.

A decade after leaving China, Fu became a naturalized citizen in 1992 and was given an “Outstanding American

by Choice” award by the US government last year.

In its citation, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services agency said she “was imprisoned during college for her research into China’s history of infanticide”.

But a Chinese teacher who was on the same university course as Fu said that if she had been jailed for her thesis, none of their fellows was aware of it.

“The heroine in the story was indeed good at writing, this was a fact,” Zilanzhai Zhuren wrote last month in his own blog. “But what she wrote was mostly literary novels.”

Fu responded to some of Fang’s accusations in her blog on huffingtonpost.com, blaming media misinterpretations and a typo in her book for any misunderstanding.

But she admitted that Fang’s analysis of the dismemberment-by-horse was “more rational and accurate” than her “emotional” memory.

In interviews, she has said that the word “deport” was not in her manuscript but suggested by her editors to “attract readers”, and that “we could say that was a literary interpretation”.

But on Twitter, Fu described one of Fang’s exposes as “full of errors”. “He should fact-check,” she added, while promising to “correct and rectify imperfection” in the book’s next printing.

“I want Chinese people to know that I love China because I grew up there,” she said. “My book was attacked by people who didn’t read my book and piled on to hurt and insult me. Please support human kindness.”

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February 15-28, 2013 Georgia Asian Times

FOCUS Navy SEAL who killed bin Laden breaks his silence

WASHINGTON, Feb 11, 2013 - The Navy SEAL who killed Osama bin Laden broke his silence Monday, recounting the night he shot the Al-Qaeda leader three times and the financial anxiety he now faces as an unemployed civilian.

The commando kept his identity secret in the Esquire magazine interview, but revealed his role in the daring May 2011 raid for the first time, as well as the worries he has for his family’s security.

“He looked confused. And way taller than I was expecting,” the SEAL said of bin Laden.

When the commandos came upon bin Laden in the dark on the third floor of his hideout in the town of Abbottabad in Pakistan, the Al-Qaeda mastermind had his hands on his youngest wife’s shoulders, “pushing her ahead” and there was an AK-47 assault rifle nearby.

“I don’t know if she’s got a vest and she’s being pushed to martyr them both. He’s got a gun within reach.

He’s a threat. I need to get a head shot so he won’t have a chance to clack himself off (blow himself up),” the commando said.

security for his family, with the title: “The Man Who Killed Osama bin Laden... is Screwed.”

The lengthy magazine profile came after another Navy SEAL who took part in the raid, Matt Bissonnette, published a book last year -- “No Easy Day” -- which drew the ire of Pentagon officials who allege he broke a pledge not to disclose classified information.

Soldiers and spies, whether retired or not, are required to submit manuscripts to the Pentagon for review to ensure no sensitive information is published. But the Esquire piece was not submitted to the department for vetting beforehand, a US defense official said.

The Defense Department is now looking at the article to check if any classified material was divulged, the official said on condition of anonymity.

The Esquire article confirmed earlier accounts, including one in “No Easy Day,” describing how once bin Laden was mortally wounded and collapsed on the floor, other SEALs shot him repeatedly in the chest and legs.

“In that second, I shot him, two times in the forehead. Bap! Bap! The second time as he’s going down. He crumpled onto the floor in front of his bed and I hit him again, Bap! same place.

According to Esquire, the whole confrontation with bin Laden took only 15 seconds. But the most harrowing moment came earlier, when the shooter learned that one of the stealthy Black Hawk helicopters used in the raid had crash-landed at the compound.

“He was dead. Not moving. His tongue was out.”

“We’re never getting out of here now,” he said.

The Esquire article, which referred to the unnamed commando as “the Shooter,” focused on the Navy SEAL’s plight as an anonymous hero without a pension, health insurance or extra

“I thought we’d have to steal cars and drive to Islamabad. Because the other option was to stick around and wait for the Pakistani military to show up...

That’s when I got concerned.”

The Abbotabad compound where Bin Laden was hiding until his death in May 2011.

After the raid, back at a base in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, the shooter brought over a female CIA officer -now made famous by the Hollywood film “Zero Dark Thirty” -- to see bin Laden’s corpse.

“We looked down and I asked, ‘Is that your guy?’ She was crying,” he said.

“That’s when I took my magazine out of my gun and gave it to her as a souvenir. Twenty-seven bullets left in it. ‘I hope you have room in your backpack for this.’ That was the last time I saw her.”

The CIA officer is portrayed in the Oscar-nominated film as a relentless, dedicated agent, convinced after steadfastly monitoring the movements of a courier that bin Laden was in the Abbottabad compound.

Although he cited some details in the movie as unrealistic, the commando said the CIA character rings true.

He shared some lighter moments,

too. On the helicopter ride to bin Laden’s hideout, he badly needed to urinate and relieved himself in an empty water bottle.

“My biggest concern was having to piss really bad and then having to get off in a fight needing to pee,” he said.

“I forgot until later that when I shot bin Laden in the face, I had a bottle of piss in my pocket.”

After the operation was over, he reveled in the raid’s success in which no SEALs were killed or wounded. But by the summer of 2012, after retiring from the military, he got nervous about potential revenge attacks on his family and how to make a living as a civilian.

And because he left the US Navy after 16 years of service, he does not qualify for a pension awarded only to those who remain in uniform for at least 20 years.

“He gave so much to his country, and now it seems he’s left in the dust,” his wife said.

Georgia Asian Times February 15-28, 2013

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SPORTS

Nigeria lauds footballers after AFCON win LAGOS, Feb 11, 2013 - Nigeria’s press celebrated the country’s Africa Cup of Nations triumph on Monday, with front page headlines and photographs of the victorious Super Eagles with the trophy.

tion called the win “Nigeria’s magical hour” -- showing skipper Joseph Yobo lifting the trophy.

Nigeria ended a 19-year wait on Sunday night in Johannesburg, South Africa, when they pipped Burkina Faso 1-0 to be crowned African champions for a third time after triumphs in 1980 and 1994.

Nigeria defeated Burkina Faso following a superb late first-half goal from Sunday Mba, taking winning coach Stephen Keshi into the record books as he equalled the feat of late Egyptian Mahmoud El Gohary by winning gold medals as a player and a coach.

Leading daily The Guardian went with: “It’s Nigeria!, Super Eagles lift African Nations Cup... (President Goodluck) Jonathan, others hail new football kings.”

The independent This Day newspaper showed the Super Eagles celebrating with the trophy after the final at Soccer City in Soweto, while The Na-

The Punch newspaper simply ran a screamer headline -- “Kings of Africa”.

Among the rewards for the Super Eagles was a $1.5 million first prize and a place at the FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil, where they will face world and European champions Spain, Tahiti and Uruguay in June.

Bullying exposes sports’ military roots in Japan TOKYO, Feb 10, 2013 - The resignation of the national women’s judo coach who beat athletes with a bamboo sword was a nasty reminder of how Japan’s sporting world still draws on the traditions that led the country to war last century, experts say.

And, they say, despite the bravery of the judokas who risked their careers to bring it to light, the culture of coercion and corporal punishment is so ingrained that it will die hard.

Ryuji Sonoda quit in disgrace on February 1 after 15 of his charges accused him and his staff of slapping, kicking and beating them during training in the run up to the London Olympics.

Sonoda, 39, who doubles as a judo instructor for Tokyo police, was also heard telling members of the squad to “drop dead” during humiliating dressing downs.

His boss Kazuo Yoshimura, the technical director at the All-Japan Judo Federation, also stepped down later along with one of Sonoda’s assistant coaches.

But the women, none of whom has been named publicly, say despite the seriousness of the charges, multiple complaints were only acted on by the male-dominated federation and the Japanese Olympic Committee when the scandal was exposed by the media in late January.

“We were deeply hurt both physically and mentally. Some of us were reduced to tears and others were exhausted,” they said in a statement, adding they took a stand “for the future of women’s judo”.

The explosive case came weeks after a teenager killed himself following repeated physical abuse from his high

school basketball coach, reigniting a national debate on widespread corporal punishment in schools and sport.

Worried about negative fallout from these incidents on Tokyo’s bid for the 2020 Summer Olympics, the government announced an independent body to investigate and prevent the abuse of athletes by their coaches in all sports.

But, says Hidenori Tomozoe, a professor of sports ethics at Tokyo’s Waseda University, the problem is a systemic one.

Sonoda, the judo coach, said he had been beaten himself by coaches but “I never took it as physical punishment.”

He added he had struck his judokas “as I wished them to stay strong and overcome mental barriers”.

Physical punishment is frequently tolerated in schools -- nurturing grounds for sports in Japan -- as an effective tool to produce athletes, says Tomozoe.

He said the tradition dates to 1925 when the government started sending military officers into schools as drill instructors to provide jobs for them after World War I. This coincided with Japan’s march towards militarism and the acquisitive and brutal warring of the following two decades.

“They beat students and otherwise acted violently against them in the name of training,” he told AFP. “After the war, they were purged but the atmosphere or ethos they created has remained in school culture.

“It is like an accumulation of pus over 100 years and will be never be cured in a year or two,” he said.

A law was enacted in 1947 to prohibit the physical discipline of students by teachers. However, such practices have continued in the absence of statutory penalties for offenders.

Japan’s professional sporting world is no stranger to tales of extreme physical abuse.

In 2007, a 17-year-old sumo apprentice died after a hazing incident involving his stable master and senior wrestlers. The stable master, who struck the teen with a beer bottle, was sentenced to five years’ jail for negligence resulting in death.

Former baseball star pitcher Masumi Kuwata, 44, recalled being beaten by his seniors when he played in school teams.

“Violent coaching in sports including baseball is carrying on the legacy of wartime military education,” he said, adding that Japanese baseball adapted to spartan training and absolute obedience during the war.

“I never felt that the pain and fear of physical punishment had ever toughened me a bit,” Kuwata told a seminar on violence in coaching.

He said was impressed when he observed training in school baseball in the United States during his 2007 stint with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

“There was no angry shouting or beating at all. They played baseball freely and leisurely. Such a background produces major leaguers.”

Noriko Mizoguchi, who won a silver medal at the Barcelona Olympics and coached the French women’s judo team from 2002-2004, said the petition by the 15 women was a “turning point in Japanese thinking”.

“These women are worried they will be treated like criminals if Tokyo loses its Olympic bid,” Mizoguchi, who teaches sports science at a university, told AFP. “But I think rather they will become key players in making the bid a success because they embody the Olympic spirit that never condones discrimination and violence.”

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February 15-28, 2013 Georgia Asian Times

SPORTS Wrestling out of Olympic program for 2020 LAUSANNE, Feb 12, 2013 - The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Tuesday opted to remove wrestling from the program of sports at the 2020 Games, a spokesman said.

The decision, taken at the IOC’s executive committee meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, means wrestling now faces a fight against seven other sports for inclusion at the Games, the location of which will be decided later this year.

The sport, which includes freestyle and greco-roman wrestling, still has a slim chance of regaining its berth but, if the example of softball and baseball are anything to go by, it is unlikely to be successful.

For both of those sports were ejected in a vote in 2009 and subsequently confirmed in Berlin at the EB meeting where golf and rugby sevens were accepted for the 2016 edition in Rio de Janeiro.

There would be one last hope in that when the decision is put to all the IOC members in the Congress in Buenos Aires in September that it is rejected.

Some IOC members not on the EB could simply vote against the decision because they are annoyed that such matters are presented to them almost as a fait accompli and not debated by all the members.

Ironically softball and baseball have united this time round in order to regain its spot and will learn their fate at the EB meeting in St Petersburg, Russia, in May. Also lobbying for inclusion are squash, roller sports - who both failed in their bids in 2009 - karate, wushu, which is very popular at the Asian Games, the nautical sport wakeboard and sport climbing.

Squash and karate are generally seen to be leading the race to win the sole spot for the 2020 Games which will be held in either Tokyo, Madrid and Istanbul.

Wrestlers vow to fight Olympic removal PARIS, Feb 13, 2013 - Wrestlers around the world on Wednesday vowed to fight to save the ancient sport’s Olympic status, after the International Olympic Committee voted to drop it for the 2020 Games.

Japan and Turkey -- whose cities Tokyo and Istanbul are bidding to host the Games in seven years’ time -- led the calls for the world body to reconsider, as an online petition was organized urging a rethink and gained thousands of supporters.

The president of the Turkish wrestling federation, Hamza Yerlikaya, called the decision, taken at the IOC executive board meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Tuesday, “unfair” and a “mistake” that they would seek to overturn.

“To have the 2020 Olympics in Istanbul without wrestling is unthinkable,” said Yerlikaya, himself a double Olympic gold medallist, three-time world champion and eight-time European champion in GrecoRoman wrestling.

“We won’t allow it,” he added.

In Japan, Yerlikaya’s counterpart Tomiaki Fukuda said on his federation’s website that he was “dissatisfied and baffled”, echoing the views of the sport’s world governing body, which called the decision “an aberration”.

“I want to know the reasons why the IOC removed wrestling,” he said, adding later at a news conference: “The final verdict has yet to be made,” he later told a news conference. “It will depend on our efforts and actions hereafter.”

Wrestling will remain on the programme for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro but faces a fight against seven other sports for inclusion at the Games four years later. A final decision is to be made when all IOC members meet in September.

Members are seen as unlikely to vote against the executive board, however, raising the prospect that one of the few sports that survived from the original Olympics in ancient Greece into the modern era will disappear.

Wrestling first appeared in 708 BC and has only ever been left out of the Olympic programme once before in 1900.

The International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles (FILA) has vowed to fight the decision, while Russia -- like Turkey, another powerhouse in the sport -- has also said it hoped the IOC would backtrack.

Wrestlers themselves were dismayed, with Saori Yoshida, Japan’s undisputed wrestling queen who has won a record 13 straight Olympic and world championship gold medals over 10 years, saying: “I am so devastated that I don’t know what to do.”

Yoshida, a 55kg-class freestyle wrestler who last year received the government’s “People’s Honour Award” for her achievements, is the face of Tokyo’s campaign for the right to host the 2020 Games.

Meanwhile in India, leading wrestler Sushil Kumar, who won a bronze in Beijing and a silver in London last year, said: “I still can’t get over the news that we won’t be at the Olympics.

“All sportsmen look towards the Olympics as the pinnacle of excellence, everyone wants to take part in them. Now what do we do? Give up wrestling? I hope the IOC will reconsider this decision.”

An online petition at change.org entitled “The International Olympic Committee: Save Wrestling as an Olympic sport #SaveOlympicWrestling” has also been mounted, urging the US Senate to take up the matter.

By Wednesday morning, it had nearly 19,000 signatures.

On Twitter, one user, @WrestlersLoveUs, wrote: “Ancient Olympic wrestlers used to sometimes fight to the death. IOC better understand we’re ready to do that again. #SaveOlympicWrestling.”

Georgia Asian Times February 15-28, 2013

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HEALTH Study finds genetic cause for common heart ailment WASHINGTON, Feb 6, 2013 - A genetic variation doubles the risk of developing calcium deposits in the heart, a common condition that, in severe cases, can narrow or block the aorta, according to a study published Wednesday.

The genetic variation, found in seven percent of the population, provides important clues about how to treat the disease, researchers said in the study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

“This is an important step forward in understanding the biology of the development of aortic stenosis,” said senior author Wendy Post, from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

She added that the latest findings could lead to the development of targeted medications to slow the progression of the disease, which can cause chest pain and shortness of breath, and can in some cases require surgery.

The gene in question is involved in the production of a type of cholesterol particle called lipoprotein (a), which circulates in the blood.

“Increased levels of lipoprotein (a) have been previously associated with aortic valve disease. However, prior studies could not differentiate whether it was simply a marker or a causal factor,” said lead author Catherine Campbell, of Kaiser Permanente.

“Our results provide the first evidence for a causal relationship,” she added.

The researchers studied 2.5 million gene variants among more than 6,900 people of white European heritage, and they found that the particular variant was strongly associated with the aortic calcium deposits.

The scientists then confirmed the link in studies with three other groups -- more

than 2,000 people of Hispanic origin, about 2,500 African-Americans, and more than 700 Germans.

They also demonstrated that the gene variant was linked to a future risk of developing the heart condition, using data from nearly 40,000 people in Sweden and Denmark.

‘Light’ sodas may hike diabetes risk: study PARIS, Feb 07, 2013 - Artificially sweetened sodas have been linked to a higher risk of Type 2 diabetes for women than sodas sweetened with ordinary sugar, a French study unveiled on Thursday found.

The increased risk was about a third for those who drank up to 359 milli litres (12 US ounces) of soda per week, and more than double among those who drank up to 603 ml (20 ounces) per week.

“Contrary to conventional thinking, the risk of diabetes is higher with ‘light’ beverages compared with ‘regular’ sweetened drinks,” the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm) said.

Drinkers of light sodas had an even higher risk of diabetes compared to those who drank regular ones: 15 percent higher for consumption of 500 ml (16.9 ounces) per week, and 59 percent higher for consumption of 1.5 liters (50 ounces) per week, Inserm said.

The evidence comes from a wide-scale, long-term study, it said in a press release.

More than 66,000 French women volunteers were quizzed about their dietary habits and their health was then monitored over 14 years from 1993 to 2007.

The women were middle-aged or older when they joined the study -- born between 1925 and 1950.

Sugar-sweetened sodas have previously been linked to an increased risk of diabetes, but less is known about their artificially sweetened counterparts -- often promoted as a healthier substitute.

Researchers led by Inserm’s Francoise Clavel-Chapelon and Guy Fagherazzi dug into the data mine to look at the prevalence of diabetes among women who drank either type of soda, and those who drank only unsweetened fruit juice.

Compared with juice-drinkers, women who drank both types of soda had a higher incidence of diabetes.

The study found no increase in diabetes among women who drank only 100-percent fruit juice, compared with non-consumers.

The authors noted that women who drank “light” sodas tended to drink more of it -- 2.8 glasses a week on average compared to 1.6 glasses among women on “regular” sodas.

The findings are published in the latest issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Its authors admitted the study had limitations.

“Information on beverage consumption was not updated during the follow-up, and dietary habits may have changed over time,” the paper said.

“We cannot rule out that factors other than ASB (artificially sweetened beverages)... are responsible for the association with diabetes.”

The study took account of the women’s age and corpulence, but did not keep close track of their eating habits during the study period.

The authors also pointed out that obese people were more likely than thin ones to drink artificially sweetened drinks in the first place.

Fagherazzi told journalists on Thursday the evidence was not sufficient “to advise people to stop consumption of one or the other type of drink” -- urging further trials to prove a causal link.

The paper noted previous research which had showed that aspartame -- for long the most used artificial sweetener -- has a similar effect on blood glucose and insulin levels as the sucrose used in regular sweeteners.

According to the World Health Organization, 347 million people worldwide have diabetes, a chronic disease which occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough glucose-controlling insulin, or when the body cannot efficiently use it.

Type 2 diabetes, other than Type 1 which starts in childhood and requires insulin treatment, often results from excess body weight and physical inactivity.

Over time, the disease can damage the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, and nerves -- increasing the risk of heart disease, kidney failure, stroke and blindness.

Genetically engineered virus kills cancer: study PARIS, Feb 10, 2013 - A genetically-engineered virus tested in 30 terminally-ill liver cancer patients significantly prolonged their lives, killing tumors and inhibiting the growth of new ones, scientists reported on Sunday.

Sixteen patients given a high dose of the therapy survived for 14.1 months on average, compared to 6.7 months for the 14 who got the low dose.

“For the first time in medical history we have shown that a genetically-engineered virus can improve survival of cancer patients,” said study co-author David Kirn.

The four-week trial with the vaccine Pexa-Vec or JX-594, reported in the journal Nature Medicine, may hold prom-

ise for the treatment of advanced solid tumors.

“Despite advances in cancer treatment over the past 30 years with chemotherapy and biologics, the majority of solid tumors remain incurable once they are metastatic (have spread to other organs),” the authors wrote.

There was a need for the development of “more potent active immunotherapies”, they noted.

Pexa-Vec “is designed to multiply in and subsequently destroy cancer cells, while at the same time making the patients’ own immune defense system attack cancer cells also,” said Kirn from California-based biotherapy company Jennerex.

“The results demonstrated that PexaVec treatment at both doses resulted in a reduction of tumour size and decreased blood flow to tumors,” said a Jennerex statement.

“The data further demonstrates that Pexa-Vec treatment induced an immune response against the tumor.”

Pexa-Vec has been engineered from the vaccinia virus, which has been used as a vaccine for decades, including in the eradication of smallpox.

The trial showed Pexa-Vec to be well tolerated both at high and low doses, with flu-like symptoms lasting a day or two in all patients and severe nausea and vomiting in one.

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February 15-28, 2013 Georgia Asian Times

Misc Asia

Raucous celebrations as Asia greets Year of Snake BEIJING, Feb 10, 2013 - A billion-plus Asians ushered in the Year of the Snake on Sunday with a cacophony of fireworks, after a Chinese televised gala featuring megastars including Celine Dion kicked off a week of festivities.

From Australia to South Korea, millions of people travelled huge distances to reunite with their families for Lunar New Year -- the most important holiday of the year for many in Asia -- indulging in feasts and celebrations.

As the clock struck midnight, Beijing’s skyline lit up with color as residents braved freezing temperatures to set off fireworks, traditionally believed to ward off evil spirits -- a scene repeated across China.

But the capital’s streets were eerily quiet on Sunday, with nine million out of 20 million residents returning to their ancestral homes for the festival, according to the state-run China Daily.

This year also saw a sharp reduction in the sale of fireworks as heavy smog in recent weeks has fueled fears that Beijing’s notorious air pollution levels could touch dangerous highs during the festival.

More than 260,000 boxes of fireworks were sold in the city in the days leading up to the New Year, a 37 percent drop compared to last year’s sales, after the smog left citizens “worried”, the Beijing News reported.

State broadcaster CCTV aired its annual gala variety show during the countdown to the New Year -- which rakes in hundreds of millions of viewers -- featuring a gamut of iconic stars including Celine Dion who sang in Mandarin.

Dion performed the classic Chinese folk song “Jasmine Flower” in a duet with local idol Song Zuying, before launching into her global hit “My Heart Will Go On” from the Hollywood blockbuster Titanic.

Celebrations were also reported aboard Chinese patrol ships in waters surrounding East China Sea islands known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, which are at the centre of a bitter territorial row with Japan.

According to reports, the dispute had led to a ban on sales of fireworks labelled “Tokyo Explosion”, though a stall in southern Beijing was still offering them on Saturday.

In China the snake has traditionally been seen as a symbol of wisdom, wealth and longevity, but it is considered less auspicious than other animals in the 12-year Chinese Zodiac such as the Dragon.

Hong Kong customs discover 2,600 live snakes HONG KONG, Feb 8, 2013 - Hong Kong customs authorities investigating a shipment from Thailand marked as fruit were shocked to discover the consignment instead contained 2,600 live snakes, officials said Friday.

Customs intercepted the air cargo shipment of 2,400 common rat snakes and 200 cobras on Tuesday and returned them on Thursday, a government spokeswoman said, just days before the start of the Year of the Snake in the Chinese horoscope.

The intended fate of the snakes was not known but both species are used in southern Chinese cuisine. Snake is

Children in the North Korean capital Pyongyang celebrated the new year with kite-flying and other competitions, the official news agency reported.

with a jackpot of Tw$200 million ($6.89 million).

Displayed on most kites were messages such as “Our satellite” and “Satellite launch”, it said -- a reference to the country’s December rocket launch which put a satellite into orbit.

Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong used the occasion to exhort his compatriots to extend a baby boom in the justpassed Year of the Dragon, which saw a 7.4 rise in the birth-rate amid rising complaints over the number of foreign workers.

The UN Security Council punished the banned launch with tighter sanctions.

In Taiwan temples were thronged with the faithful seeking blessings, with President Ma Ying-jeou seen handing out traditional “red envelopes” with money (a token Tw$1) to well-wishers in Taipei.

People also rushed to lotto booths to buy special Lunar New Year lottery tickets

“We gladly welcomed more babies during the Dragon Year and hope that this continues into the Year of the Snake,” he said.

In the semi-autonomous southern Chinese city of Hong Kong, thousands of people are expected to watch the annual night parade Sunday, at which illuminated floats will be showcased in a giant outdoor party with the city’s iconic Victoria Harbor as the backdrop.

considered a delicacy, often served as a soup, and is believed to improve blood circulation and ward off illness.

Under Hong Kong law, anyone found guilty of smuggling cargo into the city faces imprisonment of up to seven years and a maximum fine of HK$2 million (US$250,000).

The latest bust comes after Hong Kong customs last month seized more than US$1 million worth of endangered seahorses and crocodile meat being smuggled into the city, believed to be for Chinese medicine and eating, respectively.

In Sydney fireworks overnight welcomed the Lunar New Year though the city’s major event, the annual Twilight Parade featuring some 3,500 performers, will not be held until next weekend.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard wished the country’s 900,000 people of Chinese ancestry a “healthy and prosperous Year of the Snake” on Twitter.

The New Year typically marks the largest annual movement of people as millions of people across China and other Asian countries squeeze into packed trains and buses to journey home to spend the season with their families.

Georgia Asian Times February 15-28, 2013

Page 17

Misc Asia Japan women, not men, throng stores for Valentines TOKYO, Feb 13, 2013 - Japanese women packed out stores on Wednesday to buy Valentine’s Day chocolates for all the men in their lives -- partners, friends and bosses -- while the men sat back with nothing expected in return.

The traffic in Japan is all one-way on February 14, with men free to sit back and wait for the boxes of goodies to pour in. A month from now, Japan celebrates White Day, when men are required to reciprocate with a white gift.

‘Ping pong diplomacy’ hero dies BEIJING, Feb 10, 2013 - Zhuang Zedong, a triple world champion table tennis star who played a crucial role in thawing relations between China and the USA has died at the age of 73, the Chinese press reported on Sunday.

His gift of a painting of the Huangshang Mountains to American player Glen Cowan in 1971 led to a US tour of China later that year, and preceded the historic visit of president Richard Nixon to the communist country in 1972.

It led to the coining of the phrase ‘ping pong diplomacy’.

Cowan’s unplanned role in the thawing of relations occurred when he was given a ride on the Chinese team’s bus after missing his lift while competing in Nagoya, Japan, which led to China inviting the US team and Nixon becoming the first American leader to visit the country.

That breakthrough led to improved relations between the two countries which had been on ice since 1949 and eventually led to normal relations being resumed in 1979.

Zhuang became a hero in the tabletennis mad country as millions tuned into his matches on radio and his triumphs at the 1961, 1963 and 1965

world championships, where his innovative penholders style and daring offensive backhand strokes took him to the peak of the game.

Zhuang - who was also subsequently to lead a Chinese table tennis delegation to the United States - reportedly ignored criticism from teammates who advised him not to approach the Americans.

He took the unprecedented step of presenting Cowan with the painting.

“Although the US government is unfriendly to China, the American people are friends of the Chinese. I give you this to mark the friendship from Chinese people to the American people.”

The event caught the attention of Chinese leader Mao Zedong who swiftly offered an invitation to the Americans.

“Zhuang Zedong not only knows good ping-pong, he knows good diplomacy too,” were Mao’s reported remarks.

The twice-married Zhuang was later jailed after Mao’s death and the fall of the Gang of Four in 1976 before being released and going on to coach table tennis in the provinces.

Chocolate has been available in Japan since at least 1797, when it was given to prostitutes by Dutch traders -- the only Europeans allowed a foothold in an otherwise closed country where traveling abroad was punishable by death.

Today, more than anywhere else, Japan’s $11 billion chocolate business is driven by special days confected by the advertising industry to get cash tills ringing. Fully half that total is spent in February, according to retailers.

“I’ll buy some for my colleagues, but we all agreed not to buy fancy chocolates, or it would cost me a fortune,” says Fumiko, a shopper who did not give her surname. “We all buy regular inexpensive chocolates.”

Even so, the 40-year-old said she expected to spend around 10,000 yen (more than

$100) on chocolates during her splurge at Takashimaya, a department store in Tokyo’s upmarket Ginza district.

Not all men are treated equally. The more expensive “honmei” (true love) chocolate is reserved for the husband or lover.

Cheaper “giri” (obligation) chocolate goes to co-workers, from the guy who brings the mail to your desk all the way up to the boss of the company.

Inventive chocolate marketers, looking to squeeze even more yen out of a shrinking population, have now started selling “tomo” chocolate -- treats that women buy for their female friends.

Takayuki Miyai, a sales manager at Takashimaya, says business was down last year in a market still depressed by the tsunami and nuclear disaster of March 2011, but this year looks a lot more promising.

Japan is the largest market for chocolate in Asia and accounts for a hefty slice of the world’s pie, which consultancy KPMG says was worth about $100 billion in 2012.

At Takashimaya, an entire floor has been dedicated to Valentine’s Day chocolates.

The exhibition, called “Amour du Chocolat”, is teeming with women eager to try the latest creations from international chocolatiers.

Sri Lanka prisoner caught by his ring tone COLOMBO, Feb 8, 2013 - A Sri Lankan prisoner who tried to hide his mobile phone during a search of his cell was caught out when guards heard ring tones from his rear-end, a hospital official said Friday.

The 58-year-old convict had to be admitted to the national hospital in Colombo where doctors later retrieved the handset from his rectum.

“The man had concealed the phone inside his person,” the official said, asking not to be named.

“Unfortunately for him, the phone rang at the wrong time and guards knew he had a phone at the wrong end.”

He said the man was in hospital for two days but was discharged and sent back to prison Friday after the mobile phone was taken out.

The prisoner is serving a 10-year term for theft at the high security Welikada jail in the capital.