Georgia Asian Times January 15-31, 2015

Covering The Multicultural Asian American Community in Georgia

www.gasiantimes.com

January 15-31, 2015

Georgia’s first Asian American Superior Court Judge makes history

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January 15-31, 2015 Georgia Asian Times

Georgia Asian Times January 15-31, 2015

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

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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.

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

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

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

Masquerade Ball Presented by Georgia Vietnamese American Chamber of Commerce Date: Saturday, February 7, 2015 Time: 6:30 pm - 1:00 am Venue: Sonesta Gwinnett For more info: www.gvacc.org Chinese New Year Banquet Organized by National Association of Chinese Americans (NACA) Date: Saturday, Feb 21, 2015 Time: 6:00 pm Venue: Canton House, Buford Hwy Admission: Members $38; Non-members $80; Corporate table $1800 For more info: www.naca-atlanta.org 2015 Atlanta Chinese Lunar New Year Festival Date: Sat- Sun, Feb 21-22, 2015 Time: 10 am – 4 pm Venue: Culture Center of Taipei Economic & Cultural Office in Atlanta 5377 New Peachtree Road, Chamblee, GA 30341 Ticket: $5 per person. Free admission for children under 3 1/2 ft.

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Hong Kong Spring-Lunar New Year Celebration Organized by Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office New York Date: March 11, 2015 Time: 6:00 pm Venue: Carter Center Strictly by invitation only Greater Gwinnett Championship - Golf Champions Tour Date: April 13-19, 2015 Venue: TPC Sugarloaf For more info: www.greatergwinnettchampionship.com 2015 Symposium on Asia-USA Partnership Opportunities (SAUPO) Largest Asian business conference in the South Date: Friday, April 17, 2015 Time: 7:00 am - 6:00 pm Venue: St. Regis Hotel, Atlanta, GA For more info: www.kennesaw.edu/ saupo/home.php

Nomination for GAT 25 Most Influential Asian Americans in Georgia (2015 edition) is now open Georgia Asian Times celebrates 25 Most Influential Asian Americans in Georgia — a listing of individuals who made an impact in arts, business, government, politics, social work, education, judiciary, and areas that influence every aspect of Georgian’s daily life.

The list of 25 honorees will be published in GAT Digital Edition in conjunction with the Asian American Heritage Month Celebration in May 2015.

Please limit 2 nominations per submission. Enclosed submission with biographical data, color photo, and list of respective accomplishments of nominee.

Nominee must displayed contributions and dedication to benefit Asian Americans community in Georgia.

All nominations will be finalized and reviewed by GAT editorial board, local Asian journalists, and a selection committee.

There is no guarantee that submitted nominees will be picked for the final selection.

An awards banquet in honor of the GAT 25 will be held on July 2015.

Submit your nomination by March 21, 2015 via email to gat25@ gasiantimes.com.

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January 15-31, 2015 Georgia Asian Times

METRO ASIAN NEWS

Judge Meng Lim sworn-in as Superior Court Judge Tallapoosa Circuit JASG seeking 4 students as Junior Ambassadors for International Children Convention Atlanta, January 6, 2015 — The Japan American Society of Georgia (JASG) is offering students born between Sept 1, 2003 and Aug 31, 2004 (10 and 11 years old children) to travel to Fukuoka, Japan for the 27th Annual Asian-Pacific Children Convention from Thursday, July 9, 2015 to Wednesday, July 22, 2015.

Four students (2 boys and 2 girls) will be picked from Georgia to participate in the fully funded exchange program.

Students who meets the participation criteria and eligibility requirements detailed in this letter submit an essay, no more than two pages (either handwritten or typed), on why they would make a good Junior Ambassador and representative of Georgia.

Interested student should also submit a single drawing on an 8 ½” x 11” piece of white paper that represents the theme of the convention. In addition, the student should provide a confidential letter of recommendation (meaning that the letter was written and placed

Atlanta, January 15, 2015 -- Meng H. Lim was officially sworn-in as Superior Court Judge of Tallapoosa Circuit

by Chief Justice Hugh P. Thompson, Presiding Supreme Court of Georgia Coourtroom at Georgia Supreme Court courtroom.

in a sealed envelope before being given to the student for submission) from the student’s teacher or another adult who is not the student’s parent and/or guardian.

Lim made history by becoming the first Asian American Superior Court judge in Georgia. He was elected when he won a run off election by 62 percent of the vote.

In addition, the student should complete and submit an application form, which is available on the APCC page of the JASG’s website at www.jasgeorgia. org. The deadline for submission is February 4, 2015.

Originally from Chinese Cambodian background, he immigrated with his parents as refugees to Georgia when he was nine years old.

Georgia’s four students will join more than 300 other “Junior Ambassadors” from around the world for two weeks of culture and language exchange, home stays, sightseeing, and sporting events.

Georgia will also send a chaperone to facilitate between the students and the convention. This person will be able to supervise and provide assistance for the Junior Ambassadors during the entire schedule.

In an emotional remark, Judge Lim was referring to his late brother who had served in the U.S. Navy as his inspiration to serve.

“People don’t have much faith in the judicial system. I hope to be able to change the perception about the court system,” said Judge Lim. “Let’s start with how we treat the public and how we treat each other.”

The courtroom with standing room only, was filled with family members, friends, and supporters from the Asian American community.

Georgia State University to merge with Georgia Perimeter College Atlanta, January 6, 2015 — Georgia State University and Georgia Perimeter College is expected to merge according to plans submitted to Georgia’s state Board of Regents.

The move will create the largest university in the state of Georgia and one of the largest in the nation.

GSU currently has 32,556 and GPC has 21,371 enrollments in the Fall schedule. The combined colleges 53,927 enrollment will surpasses University of Georgia’s fall enrollment of 35,197.

The latest merger will surpasses recent merger of Kennesaw State University and Southern Polytechnic State University.

Georgia Asian Times January 15-31, 2015

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METRO ASIAN NEWS Older Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders remains uninsured at high rates, according to AARP report Georgia Chamber Kicks Off Legislative Session at Eggs & Issues Breakfast Governor Deal, Lt. Governor Cagle, and House Speaker Ralston Address a Crowd of 2,200 at the Georgia World Congress Center

Atlanta, January 14, 2015 -- The Georgia Chamber hosted its 2015 Eggs & Issues Breakfast Tuesday morning at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. More than 2,200 Georgia business leaders and elected officials attended the event, which is held each year at the start of the Georgia General Assembly session.

Featured speakers included Governor Nathan Deal, Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle and House Speaker David Ralston. Senator Johnny Isakson joined the event through a video message sharing some of the most critical pieces of upcoming federal legislation from his office in D.C. Common themes discussed by all of the elected officials included improving education and transportation in Georgia.

With the start of the 153rd Georgia General Assembly, the Chamber shared its 2015 state legislative priorities at the breakfast, aiming to increase Georgia’s economic competitiveness, foster job creation and preserve quality of life.

“The Georgia Chamber is focused on keeping our state number one in the nation for business,” said Georgia Chamber President and CEO Chris Clark. “We look forward to working with Governor Deal and members of the General Assembly to ensure that we are making progress on our top legislative priorities in 2015.”

2015 Georgia Chamber state legislative priorities include:

Economic Development & Taxation · Ensure Georgia is able to grow its economy and maintain its reputation as a leader for global commerce · Continue to build an attractive statewide ecosystem for venture and seed capital through support for Invest Georgia and other programs · Support ongoing examination of the current tax base, tax rates and compliance requirements to ensure a Georgia business environment that is fair and competitive – not only for the state’s current businesses but also for businesses considering relocating here Education · Ensure K-12 education funds are invested more efficiently and effectively to improve student outcomes and increase transparency · Improve college and career-ready standards in K-12 public education to promote a more globally competitive workforce Employment · Preserve Georgia’s employment-at-will doctrine and strengthen the state’s right-to-work status · Continue to make substantive changes to the workers’ compensation system that promote balance for employers and employees Energy & Natural Resources · Protect statewide access to sustainable, reliable and affordable energy supplies · Enhance access to high-quality,

Washington DC, January 14, 2015 – AARP released a new report revealing that Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) age 50 and older lack health insurance and access to quality, affordable health care compared to other Americans the same age.

“Given the cultural and socioeconomic diversity among AAPI groups, understanding the unique needs of each community is the first step in ensuring their health needs are met,” said Daphne Kwok, AARP Vice President of Multicultural Markets and Engagement for the Asian American and Pacific Islander Audience. “Our goal is to help reduce ethnic health disparities by closing the gaps in knowledge about this underserved community.”

“The Health and Healthcare of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders: An AARP Report” is the last of a threepart series of reports by AARP about key advocacy areas that impact AAPIs age 50 and older. The report, available for free download at www.AARP.org/ AAPI, reveals that:

affordable water supplies; promote investment in critical infrastructure; and ensure future water supply security for communities and businesses across the state Health Care · Ensure the viability of our rural health system through improving access and affordability · Promote cost containment with respect to employer-sponsored health insurance Legal Reform · Continue to support, preserve and strengthen civil justice reform · Improve balance in the state’s civil

- 14% of AAPIs age 50 and older do not have health insurance (compared with 9% of the total U.S. population of the same age) - 20% of AAPIs age 50-64 are uninsured (compared with 15% of the total U.S. population of the same age) - 6% of AAPIs age 65 and older are uninsured (compared with 1% of total U.S. population of the same age) - 33% of AAPIs age 65 and older have private health insurance (compared with 52% of U.S. population of the same age) The main reason for non-coverage among AAPIs is cost. Employers and employee unions are the primary vehicles for health insurance coverage in the U.S. Because many AAPIs are self-employed or run small businesses, access and cost makes health insurance out of reach. Among those age 65 and older, a greater proportion of AAPIs do not have Medicare coverage, to some extent because of ineligibility for Medicare among some immigrants.

justice system by: creating a judicial process for handling electronic discovery requests; updating rules of civil procedure with respect to pre-dismissal; and curbing third party financing of the litigation process Transportation · Improve Georgia’s infrastructure through maximizing current revenue sources and increasing overall funding for transportation · Protect the Transportation Investment Act to ensure the benefits of law as passed are not diluted

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January 15-31, 2015 Georgia Asian Times

BUSINESS

World Bank lowers growth projection for 2015 Washington DC, January 15, 2015 - Global economy is expected to grow by 3 percent this year, down from a projection of 3.4 percent in June, despite an improving U.S. economy and low fuel prices as recovery has been sputtering in the Euro Area and Japan as legacies of the financial crisis linger, the World Bank stated in its latest report.

After growing by an estimated 2.6 percent in 2014, the global economy is projected to expand by 3 percent this year, 3.3 percent in 2016 and 3.2 percent in 2017, predicts the World Bank’s twice-yearly flagship Global Economic Prospects (GEP) report released Tuesday.

Underneath the fragile global recovery lie increasingly divergent trends with significant implications for global growth.

The report adds to signs of a growing disparity between the U.S. and other major economies while tempering any optimism that a plunge in oil prices will boost output.

It points out that while activity in the United States and the United Kingdom is gathering momentum as labor markets heal and monetary policy remains extremely accommodative, yet risks to the outlook remain tilted to the downside due to persistently weak global trade.

There is possibility of financial market volatility as interest rates in major economies rise on varying timelines.

The extent to which low oil prices may strain balance sheets in oil-producing countries is still not known.

There is also the risk of a prolonged period of stagnation or deflation in the Euro Area or Japan.

“The global economy today is much larger than what it used to be, so it’s a case of a larger train being pulled by a single engine, the American one,” World Bank Chief Economist Kaushik Basu told reporters on a conference call Wednesday.

“This does not make for a rosy outlook for the world.”

The Washington-based lender upgraded its forecast for U.S. growth to 3.2 percent this year from a 3 percent estimate given in June. It reduced its projections for the euro area and Japan, citing lingering effects from the financial crisis and “structural bottlenecks.”

It also cut its forecast for China, saying the world’s second-biggest economy was undergoing a “managed slowdown.” China is expected to expand 7.1 percent, down from the 7.2 percent pace the bank projected in October and a 7.5 percent estimate in June.

Japan will expand at a 1.2 percent clip, down from the 1.3 percent projected in June, according to the bank.

The World Bank is the latest institution to lower its global estimate amid a recovery that has repeatedly disappointed policymakers.

The IMF trimmed its 2015 outlook in October to 3.8 percent, citing weak demand and residual debt from the financial crisis. It plans to update its global forecast next week.

The 19-nation euro area is projected by the World Bank to grow 1.1 percent in 2015, down from a June estimate of 1.8 percent.

It also cut its forecast for global growth in 2016 to 3.3 percent from 3.5 percent.

The bank sees average oil prices falling 32 percent this year, a decline that is historically associated with a boost to global GDP of about 0.5 percent.

Yet the impact on growth may be smaller in 2015 and 2016 because of other headwinds, including weak confidence that encourages saving rather than spending, and a “significant” income shift from oil-producing countries to those that are net consumers, the World Bank said.

“It is as challenging a moment as it gets for economic forecasting,” Basu said. “While lower oil prices are good overall for the global economy, the process of falling creates uncertainty, winners and losers.”

Georgia Asian Times January 15-31, 2015

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BUSINESS

Bitstamp suspends Bitcoin trading after security hack

Oil heads for seventh weekly loss as supply glut drags Singapore, January 9, 2015 — Oil prices were heading for a seventh weekly loss on Friday, with key producers showing no signs of cutting output in the face of a global supply glut.

“Without any changes to fundamentals, selling appears largely to be jittery investors looking for supply-demand equilibrium,” ANZ analysts said in a note.

>Oil prices are at a two-year high, after a jump of more than 20 per cent in three months, prompting traders to look for OPEC’s signal on when it might begin pumping more crude.

Brent and U.S. crude futures both hit their lowest since 2009 this week and are down more than 50 percent from June, although they inched up on Friday after robust U.S. economic data brightened the outlook for demand.

Traders were wary of calling a floor price at $50 in the overwhelmingly bearish oil markets.

Brent crude had climbed 21 cents to $51.17 a barrel. U.S. crude for February delivery was at US$49.13, up 34 cents.

BNP Paribas has cut price forecasts for Brent and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude by more than $10 per barrel.

But supply concerns remained as Saudi Arabia and its Gulf OPEC allies are showing no sign of considering cutting output to boost oil prices even as demand slowed globally.

Meanwhile, annual consumer inflation in China remained near the lowest in five years, signaling persistent weakness in the world’s largest energy consumer.

“We’ve seen oil hovering at around $60, but it fell way below,” an Asian oil trader said.

Supply is piling up with some of the world’s largest oil traders hiring supertankers this week to store crude at sea.

It expects Brent to average at $60 per barrel this year, down $17 from its previous forecast in November. The 2015 WTI average has been revised down to $55 from $70.

“Supply issues will dominate demand in terms of fundamental factors, with the market focusing on how the current supply surplus will ultimately resolve itself,” BNP said.- Reuters

New York, Jan 6, 2015 — Bitstamp, one of the largest exchanges for trading the digital bitcoin currency, said it has temporarily suspended service after “some” of its “operational wallets were compromised” on Sunday, resulting in loss of about 19,000 bitcoins. bitcoinsThe breach represented “a small fraction” of its total bitcoin reserve and the majority was held in secure offline cold storage systems, Bitstamp posted on its website today..

The Slovenia-based firm – which said on Monday it believed one of its operational wallets had been compromised – did not give further details on the breach.

Bitstamp said today it had notified all customers after learning of the breach, requesting them not to make any deposits to previously issued bitcoin deposit addresses.

“We would like to reassure all Bitstamp customers that their balances held prior to our temporary suspension of services will not be affected and will be honored in full,” the exchange said.

Bitcoin, the best-known virtual currency, started circulating in 2009.

Unlike conventional money, bitcoin is generated by computers and is independent of control or backing by any government.

In February, Bitstamp claimed that developers had come up with a solution to thwart cyber attacks against its platform after Mt. Gox, once the world’s biggest bitcoin exchange, lost an estimated US$650 million worth of customer bitcoin when its faulty computer system was hacked. — Reuters

Dish Network offers low cost $20 web streaming service Las Vegas, January 5, 2015 — Dish Network announced at Consumer Electronics Show that their new “Sling TV” will offer service aimed at millennial who don’t have cable or satellite tv service. dishSling TV includes over a dozen channels including ESPN, CNN, Travel Channel, HGTV, Cartoon Network, etc.

It will not include broadcast channels such as ABC, CBS, Fox or NBC. It costs $20 per month and will be

launched the first quarter of 2015.

Sling TV will come packaged with Amazon Fire TV, Google Nexus Player, some LG and Samsung TVs and Microsoft’s Xbox One, as well as iOS- and Android-powered smartphones and tablets.

The service requires no long term contract and no installers are involved.

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January 15-31, 2015 Georgia Asian Times

FEATURE Being able to take printers to a war zone promises a radical shake-up of combat and the defense industry, says Peter W Singer, an expert in future warfare at the New America Foundation.

How 3D printing could revolutionize war and foreign policy Boston, January 5, 2015 - For many, 3D printing still looks like a gimmick, used for printing useless plastic figurines and not much else.

But with key patents running out this year, new printers that use metal, wood and fabric are set to become much more widely available – putting the engineering world on the cusp of major historical change.

The billion-dollar defense industry is at the bleeding edge of this innovation, with the US military already investing heavily in efforts to print uniforms, synthetic skin to treat battle wounds, and even food, said Alex Chausovsky, an analyst at IHS Technology.

Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have already invented “4D printing” – creating materials that change when they come into contact with elements such as water.

One day, that could mean things like

printed uniforms that change colour depending on their environment.

In the real world, the baby steps are already being taken.

Late last year, British defense firm BAE Systems put the first printed metal part in a Tornado jet fighter.

The company recently put out an animated video showing where they think such humble beginnings could one day lead.

It imagined a plane printing another plane inside itself and then launching it from its undercarriage.

“It’s long term, but it’s certainly our end goal to manufacture an aerial vehicle in its entirety using 3D printing technology,” said Matt Stevens, who heads BAE’s 3D printing division.

But the real revolution of 3D printing is less about the things you can make and more about where you make them.

But all of that may pale in comparison to the security risks that 3D printing could trigger by revolutionizing economies.

“Defense contractors want to sell you an item but also want to own the supply chain for 50 years,” he says.

If anyone can print retail goods, economies that rely on cheap factory labour to make things like clothes and toys may find themselves in deep trouble – with all the security consequences that go with that.

“But now you’ll have soldiers in an austere outpost in somewhere like Afghanistan who can pull down the software for a spare part, tweak the design and print it out.”

“If you want to know where the big threat of 3D printing is, think about how reliant China is on its low-cost merchandising sector,” says Chausovsky.

This could lead militaries to cut out private defense companies altogether.

And by combining 3D printing with assembly line robotics, those that remain will be enormously streamlined.

3D printing – invented in the 1980s – is much older than many realize.

That sort of disruption carries huge political implications in places like the United States where defense firms are purposefully spread around the country and support millions of jobs.

“The Pentagon and defense industry have an incredibly tough time with innovation, but you don’t want to wait to lose a major battle before you do it,” says Singer.

3D printing could even change foreign policy, for instance by undermining sanctions.

“The US has sanctioned everything from fighter jet spare parts to oil equipment. 3D printing could turn sanctions – which have been a crucial part of foreign policy for a generation or more – into an antiquated notion,” says Singer.

Then there are the scarier prospects that come with reducing the barriers to arms manufacturing.

“Think of master bomb makers in the Middle East making new designs that look like everyday products or a lone wolf operator printing a plastic gun he can get past security at the White House,” says Chausovsky.

The recent upsurge in interest is tied to the fact that patents on the original technology are expiring – opening the way for competition that will drive up quality and push down prices.

The first major patents to run out were in 2009 for a system that used plastics known as “fused deposition modeling”.

But the next big ones, that expired in the first half of 2014, are related to “selective laser syntering” that prints metals such as aluminium, copper and steel, and with much greater definition.

And rather than working with solid lumps of metal, engineers can create complex new shapes that use much less material without losing any strength.

“You can’t drill a curved hole,” says Chausovsky. “With 3D printing, you’re creating products that would never be possible with traditional methods.

The full implications are still hard to imagine.

“It’s the first time in a very long time that there’s been such a radical shake up in industrial engineering,” says Stevens at BAE. “We’re not just improving things – we’re re-writing the rule book.”

Georgia Asian Times January 15-31, 2015

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ART

Film series brings major art exhibitions to U.S. theaters Filmmakers are bringing major art exhibitions featuring the works of Henri Matisse, Vincent van Gogh and Rembrandt from museums around the globe to U.S. theaters with a series of movies that will take audiences on a guided tour of the shows.

The first film, “Matisse from MoMA and Tate Modern,” will be screened up to 350 selected theaters across the United States on Tuesday. It details the acclaimed “Henri Matisse: The CutOuts,” exhibition, which attracted more than 560,000 visitors to London’s Tate Modern, making it the museum’s most popular show ever.

With 100 works from private and public collections, drawings, textiles and stained glass made during the final years of Matisse’s life, the exhibition transferred to New York’s Museum of

Modern Art (MoMA), where it will run through early February Like performances by New York’s Metropolitan Opera broadcast live to movie theaters, the art films are designed to bring the exhibitions to a larger audience.

“For the 95 percent of our audience that can’t get to the exhibition, we want to give them the next best thing,” said Phil Grabsky of UK-based Seventh Art Productions, the producer of the “Exhibition on Screen” series.

“We also want to show them, behind the scenes, how these things are put together. It is fascinating to be with the curators when they are deciding how to hang the works, what color the walls should be,” he added in an interview.

The 80-minute film, directed by Grabsky, includes a tour of the exhibition, biographical information, commentary and interviews with the curators and a former assistant to Matisse.

It will be followed in the series by “Rembrandt from the National Gallery, London, & Rijksmuseum Amsterdam,” which will be screened on Feb. 24, and “Vincent van Gogh - A New Way of Seeing from the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam,” on April 14.

Other films will focus on Johannes Vermeer’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring,” and treasures from the Mauritshuis museum in The Hague as well as Impressionist works from the Musée du Luxembourg in Paris, National Gallery in London and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Both of those films will be screened during the summer.

“We want to encourage people to go to the exhibition if they can. More to the point, we want to encourage people to go to their local gallery, no matter how big or small, and to look at any artwork,” Grabsky added.

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EVENTS

January 15-31, 2015 Georgia Asian Times

Swearing-in ceremony of Judge Meng Lim, Superior Court of Tallapoosa Circuit Jan 15, 2015

Judge Meng Lim was officially sworn in as Judge of the Superior Court, Tallapoosa Circuit by Chief Justice Hugh P. Thompson, Presiding Supreme Court of Georgia Courtroom.

Georgia Asian Times December 15-31, 2015

EAT OUT

COM MAI - A place to satisfy your Vietnamese food cravings

Com Mai is a hole-in-one restaurant located at a shopping strip on Pleasant Hill Road. Located adjacent to Guitar Center — an easy landmark to help find the restaurant. It has reincarnated from the former Red Garlic Thai Restaurant.

Com Mai has a steady stream of Vietnamese customers, mainstream customers have yet to discover this restaurant. Its menu serves a wide variety of selections from bunh-mi, rice plates to pho.

I decided to try Bun Mam — a classic bowl of rice noodles served in a fishy stock of vegetables, squid, shrimp and fish.

I was pleasantly surprised by its rich broth. In fact, the taste surpassed the famous Bun Mam served at former Quan Ba 9 Restaurant on Buford Highway.

Ingredients used are fresh — especially the meat, fish, shrimp and vegetables. The serving portions here are generous compared to other restaurants.

The service are friendly and attentive.

Another recommended dish is Bun Bo Hue — spicy vermicelli noodle

soup. The dish serves here had a balance of spicy, sour, salty and sweet flavors that is predominantly lemon grass.

Thin slices of marinated beef shank and knuckles made up most of the dish protein. It also comes with a variety of vegetables including cabbage, mint, basil, bean sprouts, coriander and green onions.

The decor at Com Mai is basic and no-frills. The restaurant is clean and well-maintained despite the place has gone through several ownership changes in the past five years.

Com Mai provides a great value for its dishes. It is not overly expensive and yet affordable for the consuming public.

Check out this restaurant before it becomes a hipster place — when the service and food goes downhill.

Com Mai 1445 Pleasant Hill Road #603 Lawrenceville GA 3004 Tel 770.564.2292 Business Hours: Mon-Sat 10:00 am - 10:00 pm Sunday 9:00 am - 9:00 pm Closed on Wednesday

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Page 12 January 15-31, 2015 Georgia Asian Times

LIFESTYLE Rather predictable: Sri Lanka ex-president’s defeat sends fortune adviser packing Colombo, Jan 13, 2015 — As a defeated Mahinda Rajapakse slunk out of Sri Lanka’s presidential palace, the astrologer who counseled him to call a disastrous early election was gloomily packing his bags on the other side of town.

to desert him.

“Not all of Nostradamus’ predictions have come true either,” said Sumanadasa Abeygunawardena as he reflected both on the fate of his vanquished boss and his own reputation as a seer.

Abeygunawardena said he had tried to console Rajapakse after the outcome became clear in the early hours of Friday, before his old boss made his pre-dawn departure from his official residence in Colombo.

“There was only so much I could do to help him win, maybe five per cent.

But you must have luck to be the president.”

The 63-year-old Abeygunawardena has been avoiding the media since last Thursday’s election, his reputation having taken a pounding from veteran leader Rajapakse’s defeat to his rival Maithripala Sirisena.

During his increasingly authoritarian rule, the president became hugely reliant on his astrologer’s counsel and even timed the announcement of the snap election after consulting Abeygunawardena. On voting day, Rajapakse appeared oblivious to his impending demise by declaring he was headed for “a resounding victory.”

While the outcome spelt the end of Rajapakse’s decade in power, it was also a disaster for Abeygunawardena who had been lavishly rewarded by the man he calls “Our Sir” after advising him for 32 years.

In an interview, the normally ebullient Abeygunawardena admitted he was trying to keep a low profile for the moment while confident that the setback would not lead all his followers

“I am avoiding talking to people, especially the media, but I have a big following and they will not abandon me,” he said in a phone interview from his home in the coastal city of Galle.

As Rajapakse made his exit, Abeygunawardena had to hand in the keys to a grace-and-favour bungalow in another part of the city. He also lost his limousine, chauffeur and vacated his seat on the board of a state-run bank.

Powerful horoscope Back in Galle, Abeygunawardena tried to put a brave face on his demise, insisting that he always knew Rajapakse was doomed to lose — but didn’t have the heart to tell him. “If I did not tell him he was going to win, he would have been psychologically shattered. His defeat would have been much worse,” he said, saying the outcome had been written in the stars.

“In this case, the opponent’s horoscope is more powerful than that of Our Sir.” Such foreboding was not in evidence at 1.04pm on November 20 when Rajapakse signed the decree for an election after Abeygunawardena had advised that it was a particularly auspicious moment.

The election did not have to be held for another two years although conventional wisdom at the time was that Rajapakse was likely to cruise to victory over a divided opposition.

But Rajapakse was blindsided by his

then health minister Sirisena’s sudden defection to the ranks of the combined opposition, only hours after the two men dined together.

Abeygunawardena became tearful when pressed on the outcome, saying he carried out traditional rituals to ensure Rajapakse voted at the right time while looking towards the chosen direction to ensure victory.

Even though he claims to also be a friend of Sirisena, Abeygunawardena admitted that he had not seen the defection coming.

If Abeygunawardena did indeed foresee Rajapakse’s defeat, his reluctance to break the bad news might have stemmed from the fate of one of his colleagues who was arrested and thrown in jail in 2009 after publicly predicting that the president would lose the following year’s election.

Abeygunawardena is swift to claim credit for predicting Rajapakse’s victories in both the 2005 and 2010 elections but says no astrologer can

ever be 100 percent right, even the 16th century French seer Nostradamus.

Margin of error “It is just not possible, otherwise I could just pay the 75,000 rupees deposit to run for president as an independent and go on to win the presidency,” he said.

“You have to give us at least a five per cent margin of error.” And Abeygunawardena denied simply telling Rajapakse what he wanted to hear, claiming that he had warned him not to accept the chair in office of the 53-member Commonwealth whose summit he hosted in Colombo in 2013.

The last chairman before Rajapakse was Julia Gillard who was unseated as Australia’s premier after hosting the same event in 2011.

“That office is a crown with thorns.

I told him not to take it,” Abeygunawardena said. “See what happened to Gillard? The same thing happened to Our Sir.”

Georgia Asian Times January 15-31, 2015

Page 13

SPORTS

Ronaldo wins Ballon d’Or award for second time Berne, January 13, 2015 - Cristiano Ronaldo won the FIFA Ballon d’Or award for the second year running and the third overall on Monday and said he wanted to become “one of the greatest players of all time.”

The Real Madrid forward polled more than double the number of votes as his bitter rival Lionel Messi who only just edged Bayern Munich and Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer into third place.

Joachim Loew won the Coach of the Year of the award after leading Germany to the World Cup title in Brazil, finishing ahead of Real Madrid’s Carlo Ancelotti and Atletico Madrid’s Diego Simeone in the poll.

Colombia’s James Rodriguez won the Puskas award for the best goal, a spectacular volley on the turn for Colombia in their World Cup match against Uruguay. Nadine Kessler of VfL Wolfsburg and Germany won the women’s Player of the Year award.

Ronaldo was forgiven for a disappointing World Cup, with Portugal going out in the first round.

Instead, the voters - the coaches and captains of the 209 national teams plus one journalist for each country were swayed by his prolific goal-scoring and trophy-laden year with Real Madrid, where he has flourished under Ancelotti.

“I never thought that I would bring this trophy back home on three occasions and I want to win it again.

I want to become one of the greatest players of all time,” Ronaldo told the audience after a ceremony which lasted nearly two hours.

This year’s race had turned into something of a numbers game between Ronaldo and Messi.

tionally, helping Argentina reach their first World Cup final since 1990 where they lost 1-0 to Germany.

Ronaldo netted 51 goals in 47 appearances last season as Real secured a record-extending 10th Champions League title and won the King’s Cup.

Neuer was a key figure for Germany and redefined the goalkeeper’s role by often coming out of his area to clear attacks, almost in a sweeper’s role.

His tally included 17 goals in the Champions League, a record for a single edition of a Europe’s elite club competition

“Sometimes, he likes to think he’s a midfield player,” said Loew.

Ronaldo, who has made a point of displaying his rippling muscles in his goal celebrations, then bellowed “Sim” (yes) into the microphone, somewhat startling the ceremony presenter.

Since then, he has scored a stunning 26 goals in 17 La Liga matches and looks set to looks set to smash the biggest total for a season in Spain’s top flight of 50 scored by Messi in 201112. He also became Portugal’s leading scorer with 52 goals.

The award has turned almost turned into a personal duel between Ronaldo -- who topped the voting in 2008, 2013 and 2014 -- and Messi.

Messi, meanwhile, became the alltime leading scorer in La Liga and the Champions League with two hattricks in the space of four days.

Messi won four years in a row from 2009 to 2012, with Ronaldo finishing second on three occasions. Only Andres Iniesta, runner-up in 2010, has managed to break the duopoly.

Three goals against Sevilla took his La Liga total to 253, before a treble against APOEL Nicosia set a Champions League scoring record of 74 goals.

Messi was more prominent interna-

Ronaldo won 37.66 percent of the vote, compared to 15.76 for Messi and 15.72 for Neuer.

Neither Ronaldo nor Messi, captains of their respective teams, voted for each other.

Messi chose compatriot Angel di Maria and Barcelona team mates Andres Iniesta and Javier Mascherano while Ronaldo plumped for Sergio Ramos, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema, all team mates at Real Madrid.

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January 15-31, 2015 Georgia Asian Times

SPORTS

Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams top seeds at Australian Open MELBOURNE, Jan 14 — World number ones Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams were named the top seeds today for next week’s Australian Open, but two-time champion Victoria Azarenka did not make the top 32.

Pacquiao agrees to long awaited Mayweather showdown, according to ESPN Manila, Jan 14, 2015 — Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao has laid out the terms under which he would fight Floyd Mayweather, although a deal for the long awaited mega-fight isn’t done, ESPN.com reported.

Carl Moretti, vice president of Pacquiao promoters Top Rank, told ESPN. com that it remains to be seen if Mayweather would agree terms for a May 2 bout in Las Vegas.

“Top Rank and Manny have agreed to the terms on our side. I don’t know about the other side,” Moretti told the sports website.

Top Rank chairman Bob Arum told Yahoo Sports that Pacquiao had agreed to terms for the fight, which is one boxing fans have long clamored for.

Citing an unnamed source involved in the negotiations, ESPN reported Pacquiao has agreed to a 40 per cent cut of the revenue, leaving Mayweather with the remaining 60 per cent of a fight widely expected to shatter all box-office and television revenue records.

According ESPN, Pacquiao has agreed not only to a purse split but also to the gloves to be used and to a drug testing protocol.

Drug testing was one of the issues that caused a Pacquiao-Mayweather showdown to fall through when it was being negotiated in 2009 and early 2010.

Moretti told ESPN that Pacquiao has agreed to be tested by the US Anti-Doping Agency, a sign of his eagerness to make the fight.

The eyes of the boxing world have long been on a showdown between the unbeaten American Mayweather (47-0, 26 knockouts) and eight-division world champion Pacquiao (57-5-2, 38 knockouts) two of the greatest boxers of their generation.

Talk of the super-fight gained steam in December, when Mayweather proposed the May 2 date and Pacquiao vowed to chase him into submission.

“This fight is about legacy, this is about making the fans happy and, above all, this is for the good of boxing,” Pacquiao said last month.

Djokovic is bidding for a fifth title at Melbourne Park after crashing in the quarter-finals last year to eventual champion Stan Wawrinka, while Williams is gunning for a sixth Australian crown.

Evergreen Roger Federer, who has a record 17 Grand Slam titles, is the second seed ahead of injury-plagued Rafael Nadal, Wawrinka and Japan’s Kei Nishikori.

Maria Sharapova, who won the Brisbane International last weekend, takes the number two seeding among the women, ahead of Simona Halep, Petra Kvitova and Ana Ivanovic.

Last year’s champion Li Na has retired.

Azarenka ended 2014 ranked 32 in the world, but a first-round loss at the Brisbane International saw her drop to 41, outside the cut-off for seedings at Melbourne Park.

The Belarussian won back-to-back Australian Open titles in 2012 and 2013, but battled a string of fitness and personal issues last year.

Men: 1. Novak Djokovic (SRB), 2. Roger Federer (SUI), 3. Rafael Nadal (ESP), 4. Stan Wawrinka (SUI), 5. Kei Nishikori (JPN), 6. Andy Murray (GBR), 7.

Tomas Berdych (CZE), 8. Milos Raonic (CAN), 9. David Ferrer (ESP), 10. Grigor Dimitrov (BUL), 11. Ernests Gulbis (LAT), 12. Feliciano Lopez (ESP), 13.

Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP), 14. Kevin Anderson (RSA), 15. Tommy Robredo (ESP), 16. Fabio Fognini (ITA), 17. Gael Monfils (FRA), 18. Gilles Simon (FRA), 19. John Isner (USA), 20. David Goffin (BEL), 21. Alexandr Dolgopolov (UKR), 22. Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER), 23. Ivo Karlovic (CRO), 24. Richard Gasquet (FRA), 25. Julien Benneteau (FRA), 26. Leonardo Mayer (ARG), 27.

Pablo Cuevas (URU), 28. Lukas Rosol (CZE), 29. Jeremy Chardy (FRA), 30.

Santiago Giraldo (COL), 31. Fernando Verdasco (ESP), 32. Martin Klizan (SVK) Women: 1. Serena Williams (USA), 2. Maria Sharapova (RUS), 3. Simona Halep (ROM), 4. Petra Kvitova (CZE), 5. Ana Ivanovic (SRB), 6. Agnieszka Radwanska (POL), 7. Eugenie Bouchard (CAN), 8. Caroline Wozniacki (DEN), 9. Angelique Kerber (GER), 10. Ekaterina Makarova (RUS), 11. Dominika Cibulkova (SVK), 12. Flavia Pennetta (ITA), 13.

Andrea Petkovic (GER), 14. Sara Errani (ITA), 15. Jelena Jankovic (SRB), 16.

Lucie Safarova (CZE), 17. Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP), 18. Venus Williams (USA), 19. Alize Cornet (FRA), 20.

Samantha Stosur (AUS), 21. Peng Shuai (CHN), 22. Karolina Pliskova (CZE), 23. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS), 24. Garbine Muguruza (ESP), 25. Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (CZE), 26. Elina Svitolina (UKR), 27. Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS), 28. Sabine Lisicki (GER), 29. Casey Dellacqua (AUS), 30.

Varvara Lepchenko (USA), 31. Zarina Diyas (KAZ), 32. Belinda Bencic (SUI)

Georgia Asian Times January 15-31, 2015

Page 15

HEALTH

CDC reports middle-aged Americans more likely to die from binge drinking Atlanta, January 7, 2015 — It’s not college students or teenagers but rather middle-aged Americans who are most likely to die from drinking too much alcohol too quickly, according to a study released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention yesterday. alcohol.abuseAn average of six people die each day in the United States from alcohol poisoning or excessively high levels of alcohol in the blood, which is typically caused by binge drinking, the federal study found.

Three out of four of those who died were between the ages of 35 and 64, the study found, countering the

popular perception that young people are more likely than their elders to die from binge drinking.

Only 5.1 per cent of the deaths were drinkers between the ages of 15 and 24, the study found.

“Contrary to conventional wisdom, there is a lot of binge drinking going on by people who are post college-age,” the study’s co-author, Robert Brewer, told reporters. “We were surprised by these findings.”

The CDC defines binge drinking as consuming four or more drinks for women or five or more drinks for men on a single occasion.

Fewer than a third of the people who died of alcohol poisoning were considered alcoholics, the study found.

Analyzing death certificate data from 2010 through 2012, researchers found that an average of 2,200 people, more than half of them white males, died from alcohol poisoning each year.

“Living in geographically isolated rural areas might increase the likelihood that a person with alcohol poisoning will not be found before death or that timely emergency medical services will not be available,” the researchers wrote. — Reuters

State death rates ranged from a low of 5.3 deaths per million residents in Alabama to a high of 46.5 deaths per million residents in Alaska. The regions with the highest death rates were the Great Plains, the West and New England.

Plain old bad luck is the cause of cancer, not heredity or smoking Washington DC, January 2, 2015 — Plain old bad luck plays a major role in determining who gets cancer and who does not, according to researchers who found that two-thirds of cancer incidence of various types can be blamed on random mutations and not heredity or risky habits like smoking. health-us-cancerThe researchers said on Thursday random DNA mutations accumulating in various parts of the body during ordinary cell division are the prime culprits behind many cancer types.

They looked at 31 cancer types and found that 22 of them, including leukemia and pancreatic, bone, testicular, ovarian and brain cancer, could be explained largely by these random mutations – essentially biological bad luck.

The other nine types, including colorectal cancer, skin cancer known as basal cell carcinoma and smoking-related lung cancer, were more heavily influenced by heredity and environmental factors like risky behavior or exposure to carcinogens.

Overall, they attributed 65 percent of cancer incidence to random mutations in genes that can drive cancer growth.

“When someone gets cancer, immediately people want to know why,” said oncologist Dr. Bert Vogelstein of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, who conducted the study published in the journal Science with Johns Hopkins biomathematician Cristian Tomasetti.

“They like to believe there’s a reason.

And the real reason in many cases is not because you didn’t behave well or were exposed to some bad environmental influence, it’s just because that person was unlucky. It’s losing the lottery.”

The researchers charted the cumulative number of lifetime divisions in the stem cells of a given tissue – for example, lungs or colon – and compared that to the lifetime cancer risk in that tissue.

Tomasetti said harmful mutations occur for “no particular reason other than randomness” as the body’s master cells, called stem cells, divide in various tissues.

Generally speaking, tissues that undergo more divisions – thus increasing the probability of random mutations – were more prone to tumors.

Tomasetti said the study indicates that changing one’s lifestyle and habits like smoking to avoid cancer risks may help prevent certain cancers, but may not be as effective for others.

The study did not cover all cancer types. Breast and prostate cancer were excluded because the researchers were unable to ascertain reliable stem cell division rates. – Reuters

“Thus, we should focus more research and resources on finding ways to detect such cancers at early, curable stages,” Tomasetti added.

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January 15-31, 2015 Georgia Asian Times

Misc Asia

Jackie Chan’s son gets six months in jail over drug offense Beijing, January 9, 2015 — Jaycee Chan, son of Chinese kung fu star Jackie Chan, was sentenced to six months in prison on Friday for drug offenses by the Dongcheng District People’s Court in Beijing.

The movie star said that he had not used his connections to help Jaycee.

“I hope that he can learn from this and perhaps, in the future, become a spokesman and share his experience with young people.”

The court also fined Jaycee 2,000 yuan (US$326) for providing a venue for drug users.

Jaycee is not the only Chinese actor to have been caught up in drug scandals.

Jaycee, who arrived at court dressed in sportswear, pleading guilty to allowing others to take drugs four times in his home between 2012 and 2014.

In 2014, more than 10 celebrities, mostly actors, were detained by the Beijing Police over drug offenses.

“I broke the law. I deserve to be punished,” said Jaycee at court. He said he would not become a recidivist after release, and appealed to the public to forgive him.

On August 14, 2014, Beijing police arrested Sun, a suspected drug user, at a foot massage parlor and brought in three others for questioning, including Jaycee and Taiwan movie star Ko Chen-tung, who were with Sun at the time of his arrest.

Jaycee and Ko tested positive for marijuana and both admitted to having used the drug. Police discovered 117.7 grams of marijuana in a bedroom at Jaycee’s house.

Jackie Chan was not present at the court, but in an interview with Xinhua last month, he said he was ashamed by his son’s behavior.

Some of the shamed celebrities blamed their drug use on career pressures or the need to be “inspired”.

“Their living environment and social circles are issues for some stars who suddenly become famous,” said Pu Cunxin, a Chinese actor and anti-drug ambassador, in a previous interview with Xinhua.

Drug abuse has infected many levels of society, with many drug users living “empty lives” and lacking moral values, according to the Beijing Police drug department.

Currently, Beijing has 26,000 registered drug users, and this is seeing an annual 10 percent rise.

By the end of November 2014, there were 2.87 million registered drug users nationwide, up 18.7 percent from the same period last year. Source – Xinhua News

Free pass to visit Confucius birthplace if able to recite five quotes from Analects Jinan, Dec. 26, 2014-- Foreigners who can recite five famous quotes of Confucius will be given free tours to his birthplace, according to a new policy

by China’s Qufu City aimed at promoting the wisdom of the ancient philosopher.

The city in east China’s Shandong Province says from Friday foreigners can get free tickets for its three Confucius-related UNESCO World Heritage Sites if they can recite five sentences from the Analects, or the Analects of Confucius.

The Analects is a collection of famous sayings of Confucius, a philosopher and educator during the Spring and Autumn Period (770 BC - 476 BC) whose thinking has greatly influenced Chinese cultures.

The sentences can be recited in Chinese, English or other native languages

of applicants. Successful challengers will be issued a certificate of honor that will exempt them of the ticket fees at the Temple of Confucius, the Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion.

The three sites receive 150,000 foreign visitors annually, and the free-ticket policy is meant to enhance the interaction between foreign visitors and the Confucian culture, said an official with the Qufu’s cultural heritage administration.

The city rolled out the policy for Chinese tourists in 2013. Since then, 170,000 people have joined the test, about 65 percent of whom passed. Xinhua News

Georgia Asian Times January 15-31, 2015

Page 17

Misc Asia Sri Lanka elects new President Colombo, January 9, 2015 — Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa today lost his bid for a third term, ending a decade of rule that critics say had become increasingly authoritarian and marred by nepotism and corruption. maithripala_SirisenaOpposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena, a onetime ally of Rajapaksa who defected in November and derailed what the president thought would be an easy win, took 51.3 per cent of the votes polled in the election yesterday. Rajapaksa got 47.6 per cent, according to the Election Department.

Celebratory firecrackers were set off in the capital, Colombo, after Rajapaksa conceded defeat to Sirisena, who has vowed to root out corruption and bring constitutional reforms to weaken the power of the presidency.

Sri Lanka’s stock market climbed to its highest in nearly four years.

“We expect a life without fear,” said Fathima Farhana, a 27-year-old Muslim woman in Colombo. “I voted for him because he said he will create equal opportunities for all,” she said of Sirisena, a soft-spoken 63-year-old from the rice-growing hinterlands of the Indian Ocean island state.

Like Rajapaksa, Sirisena is from the majority Sinhala Buddhist community, but he has reached out to ethnic minority Tamils and Muslims and has the support of several small parties.

His allies say he will rebalance the country’s foreign policy, which tilted heavily towards China in recent years as Rajapaksa fell out with the West over human rights and allegations of war crimes committed at the end of a drawn-out conflict with Tamil separatists in 2009.

US Secretary of State John Kerry was quick to welcome the successful election and commended Rajapaksa for accepting the verdict of the nation’s 15 million voters.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi telephoned Sirisena to congratulate the new leader of “a close friend and neighbour”.

Sri Lanka is just off India’s southern coast and has historically had mixed ties with its much larger neighbour.

Rajapaksa had cold-shouldered New Delhi in recent years but Sirisena told an Indian newspaper this week that “we will revert to the old, non-aligned policy”.

“India is our first, main concern. But we are not against Chinese investment either. We will maintain good relations with China too,” he told the Hindustan Times.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Beijing believed the new government would maintain a friendly policy towards China and support investment projects already agreed.

Motley coalition Sirisena was sworn in at Colombo’s Independence Square at 6 pm local time.

The results showed Rajapaksa remained popular among Sinhala Buddhists, who account for about 70 per cent of the country’s 21 million people, but Sirisena earned his lead with the support of the ethnic Tamil-dominated former war zone in the north and Muslim-dominated areas.

Rajapaksa won handsomely in the last election in 2010, surfing a wave of popularity months after the defeat of the Tamil Tiger rebels.

But critics say he had become increasingly authoritarian, with several members of his family holding powerful positions. Although the economy had blossomed since the end of the war, voters complained of the high cost of living.

Rajapaksa had called this election two years early, confident that the usually fractured opposition would fail to come up with a credible candidate. But he did not anticipate the emergence of Sirisena, who shared a traditional Sri Lankan dinner with him one evening and turned on him the next day.

Sirisena will lead a motley coalition of ethnic, religious, Marxist and centre-right parties, which analysts say could hamper economic reform and encourage populist policies.

“The opposition’s coalition parties have not agreed on a common approach to economic policy and, in our view, were mainly united by the desire to unseat Rajapaksa,” Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services said in a statement.

Sirisena has pledged to abolish within 100 days the executive presidency that gave Rajapaksa unprecedented power and hold a fresh parliamentary election.

He has also promised a crackdown on corruption, which would include investigations into big infrastructure projects such as a US$1.5 billion (RM5.3 billion) deal with China Communications Construction Co Ltd to build a port city.

It is not clear if the port, to be built on land reclaimed from the sea in Colombo, will be cancelled.

However, Sirisena’s backers have said a casino license given to Australian gambling tycoon James Packer’s Crown Resorts Ltd will be withdrawn.

— Reuters

“Policy differences are likely to surface.”

Taiwan envoy admits U.S. kept in the dark over controversial flag raising Taipei, January 7, 2015 – Taiwan’s top envoy to the U.S. on Wednesday said that Taiwan did not let U.S. officials know about a flag-raising ceremony on American soil, indicating that by leaving the U.S. in the dark it would give Washington deniability about the controversial matter with China.

Taiwan’s de facto embassy in Washington hoisted a Taiwanese flag on New Year’s Day, which local media reported was the first such flag-raising since the U.S. switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to Beijing in 1979.

China and Taiwan have been ruled separately since defeated Nationalist forces fled to the island at the end of a civil war with the Communists in 1949.

On Monday, China angrily protested to the United States, Taiwan’s biggest political ally, about the matter.

The U.S. State Department said it

was not told in advance about the ceremony and that it was inconsistent with U.S. policy.

Shen Lyushun, the representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States, told a Taiwanese parliamentary session on Wednesday that Taiwan deliberately did not let Washington know about the flag ceremony.

“We especially did not let them (the U.S.) know. It was a goodwill gesture,” Shen said. “If China protests, you can say you didn’t know.”

Mainland China deems Taiwan a renegade province and has never ruled out the use of force to take it back, particularly if the island makes a move towards independence. Beijing is sensitive about matters, such as the raising of a national flag, that might give Taiwan official sovereign status.

– Reuters

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Janaury 15-31, 2015 Georgia Asian Times

SCIENCE

Recycling a rocket: SpaceX fails in landmark bid Miami, Jan 11, 2015 — SpaceX said yesterday it failed in a landmark attempt to recycle its Falcon 9 rocket, after the equipment collided with an ocean platform and broke to pieces.

Still, the California-based company said the test was a step forward toward one day transforming the aerospace industry and making rockets reusable much the same as airplanes.

“Rocket made it to drone spaceport ship but landed hard,” SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wrote on Twitter.

“Close but no cigar this time. Bodes well for the future tho.”

Musk, a billionaire entrepreneur who co-founded PayPal and runs Tesla Motors, wants to be able to reuse rockets much the way commercial airlines fly the same planes again and again.

SpaceX hopes its efforts will open a new era in modern rocketry, which wastes millions of dollars after each

launch when pieces of the rocket are left to fall into the ocean after blastoff.

Yesterday’s experiment involved firing the rocket’s engine three times to guide the first stage to a landing spot 322 kilometres off the coast of northern Florida.

The landing site for the Falcon 9 was a powered barge floating in the ocean near the city of Jacksonville, Florida.

This “autonomous spaceport drone ship” measures 90 by 30 metres, with wings that extend its width to 52 metres.

Since the launch took place in the dark, Musk said the team did not get good video images of the landing and impact.

“Ship itself is fine. Some of the support equipment will need to be replaced,” he wrote on Twitter.

“Didn’t get good landing/impact

video. Pitch dark and foggy. Will piece it together from telemetry and... actual pieces.”

SpaceX has had some success with two previous attempts to make a controlled landing of the Falcon 9 in the ocean, slowing it to a hover before it splashed down.

Cargo on its way

The cargo ship is carrying more than 5,000 pounds (2,268 kilograms) of supplies to the astronauts living in orbit.

“Up to this point we have a 100 per cent successful mission under way,” said NASA commentator George Diller after the spacecraft’s solar arrays were deployed.

The launch’s primary mission was to send the unmanned Dragon cargo ship to orbit, and that went smoothly after two delays in recent weeks due to rocket problems.

Cargo trips have become routine for SpaceX, and this marks the fifth mission as part of a US$1.6 billion contract with Nasa to supply the ISS over a dozen trips.

The gleaming white Falcon 9 rocket launched in the predawn darkness from Cape Canaveral, Florida, propelling the cargo ship toward the International Space Station with supplies and food for the six astronauts aboard.

SpaceX’s success is especially critical because its competitor, Orbital Sciences, which has a US$1.9 billion contract with NASA to supply the space station, suffered a catastrophic rocket failure in October, forcing an end to its supply missions until further notice.

The Dragon cargo vessel should arrive at the space station at 6:12 am (1112 GMT) on Monday, NASA said.