Georgia Asian Times June 1-15, 2015

Covering The Multicultural Asian American Community in Georgia

www.gasiantimes.com

AREAA Builds Community Day

June 1-15, 2015

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June 1-15, 2015 Georgia Asian Times

Georgia Asian Times June 1-15, 2015

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

Tel: 678-971-9388 Advertising: gat@gasiantimes.com Editorial: info@gasiantimes.com URL: www.gasiantimes.com Mailing Address: P.O. Box 4502 Suwanee GA 30024 Copyright Georgia Asian Times 2004-2015

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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Kalayaan Family Fun Day Date: June 6, 2015 Time: 9:00 am Venue: Clayton County Inter’l Park 2300 Highway 138 SE, Jonesboro, GA 117th Anniversary Philippines Independence Date: Friday, June 12, 2015 Time: 6:30 pm -11:30 pm Venue: Marriott Evergreen Hotel, 4021 Lakeview Drive, Stone Mountain Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Summit Organized by US Dept of Commerce Date: June 8-9, 2015 Time: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm Venue: Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center, 800 Spring St., NW GAT 25 Most Influential Asian Americans in Georgia - Awards Banquet Date: Friday, July 17, 2015 Time: 6:30 pm Venue: Sonesta Gwinnett Place For more info: 678.971.9388

10th Annual Laotian American Society Gala Date: Saturday, July 18, 2015 Time: 6:00 pm Venue: Premier Event Halls, 3520 Breckinridge Blvd, Duluth For more info: www.lasga.org Asian Cultural Experience (ACE) Date: Saturday-Sunday, Aug 8-9, 2015 Time: 11:00 am - 8:00 pm Sat; 11:00 am-6:00 pm Sun Venue: Gwinnett Center For more info: www.asianculturalexperienceinga.com 20th Annivesary Hong Kong Dragon Boat-Atlanta Date: Saturday, Sept 12, 2015 Time: 7:00 am - 6:00 pm Venue: Clarks Bridge Olympic Kayaking-Lake Lanier, Gainesville, Georgia For info: dragonboatatlanta.com 2015 Atlanta Asian Film Festival Date: October 2-10, 2015 For more info: www.atlaff.org

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June 1-15, 2015 Georgia Asian Times

METRO ASIAN NEWS

Jeju Sauna employees arrested by Gwinnett Police for compliance issue Duluth, May 21, 2015 — Gwinnett County Police arrested five massage therapists and a manager of JeJu Sauna for practicing without official licenses at the popular Duluth Korean bath house last week, according to reports by Gwinnett Daily Post.

This was the third arrest that Gwinnett Police conducted at the spa and similar arrests were made in April and July last year.

AREAA partners with Habitat for Humanity to build home Atlanta, May 30, 2015 — A group of volunteers from Asian Real Estate Association of America (AREAA) Atlanta chapter participated in building a home with Habitat for Humanity as part of “AREAA Builds Community Day” campaign.

“We are pleased to give back to the community and this project reflects on our continuos effort to help improve the community that we belongs to,” said Christian Pak, a member of AREAA Atlanta chapter and lead volunteer.

Over twenty volunteers participated in building a home in the southwest of Atlanta for homeowner, Chandra Williams.

AREAA plans to make it an annual partnerships with Habitat for Humanity to build more homes in the community.

“AREAA Builds a Community Day” is part of community service initiative by AREAA across 37 chapters in U.S. and Canada.

Manager David Barkdoll, massage therapists Shuyan Wen, Xiangshun Chengdu, Zengyong Xiao, Ren Xu, and Juan Li were listed among the recent arrest.

“We’re working closely with Gwinnett County Police Department and making sure we’re in full compliance in the future,” owner Carl Wheat said.

“Everything, as of Friday, has been corrected.”

Georgia Asian Times June 1-15, 2015

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MANY PATHS. ONE GOAL. THAT’S ARMY STRONG.

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BOOK REVIEW

June 1-15, 2015 Georgia Asian Times

Sisters of Heart and Snow

by Margaret Dilloway

Estranged sisters, forced together by family tragedy, learn that sisterhood knows no limits in this poignant novel.

Reviewed by Helen Nguyen There is rarely a bond stronger than those of sisterhood. Take Angela and Sarah Grimke, who were early abolitionists and fought together for the rights of American slaves. In the Far East, the Vietnamese Trung Sisters were an unstoppable force that led their own armies to slay the Chinese oppressors. Greek mythology has the Graeae sisters, the three evil witches that not only shared one blood stream but also one eye and one tooth. To this date, their unity and witchcraft haunt many children’s fairytales worldwide.

While these witches were fictional, to a small extent they have impacted the European history. Modern day has Venus and Serena Williams, a tennis team not to be underestimated.

The bond of sisterhood does not limit to women who shares common ancestry. Mary Todd Lincoln, wife of Abraham Lincoln, were said to be best friends with her former slave and dressmaker, Elizabeth Keckler. Susan

B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, two close friends who were the ideal feminist team, relying on each other’s strength and knowledge to fight women’s suppression. Stanton once wrote about Anthony: “No power in heaven, hell or earth can separate us, for our hearts are eternally wedded together.” In her new novel, Sisters of the Heart and Snow, author Margaret Dilloway calls such sacred bonds “sisters of hearts.”

Sisters of Heart and Snow takes place in historical Japan, portraying the unlikely companionship of Tomeo Gozen, a female warrior of her time, and Yamabuki, the wife of Gozen’s general and lover. Their stories are slowly unveiled through Rachel and Drew Snow, who are current time estranged sisters, struggling to reunite and rekindle the affection they used to share with one another. Like most sisterhood, there are unspoken love, unconditional sacrifices, and there are

also jealousy, pain, and a hurt so deep that only those who are your soulmates can reach. The strength of relationship in four women is tested in their own obstacles and life struggles. They each had their own path, and they soon discover that they cannot be whole without their sisters of hearts.

Dilloway carries her readers to a part of society that most Asian Americans can relate to. That is, the very tussle in a clash of culture between East and West, old versus new. Old fashioned, traditional Asian principles are teachings of obedient, respects, and submission. There is an invisible ladder of reverence and honor that every must follows. Women are the wallpapers of society, meant to obey and serve.

Modern American women are powerful, opinionated, and are groomed to believe that they can challenge their opposing sex in any matter. The differences are night and day. The Snow

sisters grew up in an American home, were raised as modern Western women. Their whole lives, they questioned their Asian mother, they regarded her in distaste, and never fully understood her willingness to be an invisible background to their dominant Caucasian father. It was not until Rachel and Drew were older, and discovered the story of Tomeo and Yamabuki, that they understood the mystery that is their mother.

Helen Nguyen is an avid writer, foodie, and blogger. She writes regularly at her blog: www.srirachareligion.com

Georgia Asian Times June 1-15, 2015

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FEATURE

US hits China over sea reclamation, vows more patrols

Singapore, May 30, 3015 — The United States on Saturday called for an immediate end to China’s intensifying reclamation works in the South China Sea and vowed to continue sending military aircraft and ships to the tense region.

US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter told a high-level security conference in Singapore that Beijing was behaving “out of step” with international norms.

“First, we want a peaceful resolution of all disputes. To that end, there should be an immediate and lasting halt to land reclamation by all claimants,” Carter said at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue on security with a high-level Chinese military delegation in the audience.

“We also oppose any further militarization of disputed features,” he said.

He acknowledged that other claimants have developed outposts of differing scope and degree, including Vietnam with 48, the Philippines with eight, Malaysia with five and Taiwan with one.

“Yet, one country has gone much farther and much faster than any other.

“China has reclaimed over 2,000 acres, more than all other claimants combined and more than in the entire history of the region. And China did so in only the last 18 months,” Carter said.

“It is unclear how much farther China will go. That is why this stretch of water has become the source of tension in the region and front-page news around the world.”

Chinese actions ‘reasonable and justified’

During a question and answer session after Carter’s speech, a Chinese military official said the criticism was “groundless and not constructive”.

“Freedom of navigation in the South China Sea is not at all an issue because the freedom has never been affected,” said Senior Colonel Zhao Xiaozhuo from China’s Academy of Military Science.

Chinese delegation head Admiral Sun Jianguo, deputy chief of the general staff department at the People’s Liberation Army, is scheduled to address the forum on Sunday.

Sun and Carter spoke cordially on the sidelines before a luncheon at the forum.

“Freedom of navigation should be for the benefits of economic development, rather than sending military aircraft and vessels everywhere,” said director of Foreign Affairs Office of China’s National Defense Ministry Rear Admiral Guan Youfei in response to Carter’s comments, according to China’s state news agency Xinhua.

While in an interview released over the weekend by the Wall Street Journal, China’s ambassador to the United States, Cui Tiankai, questioned the US’s actions, saying “what the US is doing has given rise to a lot of questions in China.”

Last week the Chinese military ordered a US Navy P-8 Poseidon surveillance aircraft to leave an area above the heavily disputed Spratly Islands.

But the American plane ignored the demand.

“There should be no mistake: the United States will fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows, as

US forces do all around the world,” Carter said in Singapore.

“After all, turning an underwater rock into an airfield simply does not afford the rights of sovereignty or permit restrictions on international air or maritime transit.”

China insists it has sovereignty over nearly all of the South China Sea, a major global shipping route believed to be home to oil and gas reserves.

Code of conduct In his speech, Carter urged China and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations to adopt a “code of conduct” in the disputed waters this year.

ASEAN members the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei claim parts of the sea, along with Taiwan.

In a speech at the forum, Malaysian defense minister Hishammuddin Hussein said if claimant countries did not exercise restraint, the territorial

dispute “could escalate into one of the deadliest conflicts of our time, if not history”.

Washington on Friday accused China of deploying two artillery pieces on one of its artificial islands in the South China Sea. The heavy weapons, since removed, posed no security threat but their positioning — within range of territory claimed by Vietnam — underscored Washington’s concerns that China is pursuing a massive island-building project for military purposes, US officials said.

Carter said in Singapore that his country “will support the right of claimants to pursue international legal arbitration and other peaceful means to resolve these disputes”.

The Philippines infuriated China when it filed a formal complaint to the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague in March 2014. China has so far refused to recognize the process.

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June 1-15, 2015 Georgia Asian Times

BUSINESS Strong sales could shift Ford, GM to higher gear New York, May 30, 3015 - Shares of U.S. automakers may finally be able to accelerate.

Investors are closely awaiting next week’s May sales data, expected to come in near record levels. Meeting those forecasts could be enough to lift the sector - among the cheapest in the market - putting the sting of product recalls and tepid recent growth in the rear view mirror.

Estimated sales of 1.6 million new cars and trucks in May would make for a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of 17.4 million vehicles, according to Edmunds.com, a car buying platform.

Google unveils Android Pay in fresh challenge to Apple San Francisco, May 27, 2015 -- Google on Thursday unveiled its pay-witha-phone system for Android devices, ramping up its challenge to Apple in mobile payments.

Android Pay, unveiled at the Google Developers conference in San Francisco, brings together mobile carriers, payment networks, banks and retailers to allow smartphone users to use their handsets instead of payment cards.

Google engineering vice president Dave Bruke said Android Pay would work in more than 700,000 US retail outlets that accept contactless payments.

“We are at the start of an exciting journey, we are working closely with payment networks, banks and developers,” he said.

A Google blog post said the system was in partnership with the major credit card firms including Visa and Mastercard and payment processing firms including Braintree, CyberSource, First Data, Stripe and Vantiv.

Similar to the Apple Pay system unveiled last year, Android Pay will allow consumers to store their credit card

information on their handsets along with loyalty cards and other data.

For extra security, Android Pay will generate a one-time “token” or virtual account number so the actual credit card data is not revealed in a transaction.

“Users can simply and safely use their Android phone to pay in stores where you see an Android Pay logo,” Burke said.

“We are focused on simplicity, security and choice.”

Google said in February it was teaming up with the mobile phone payment firm Softcard to ramp up its efforts in the emerging sector.

This will allow Google Wallet to become a pre-installed “tap to pay” app on Android smartphones.

No date was announced for Android Pay but the Google statement said it would be “available on Google Play for download soon.”

“This is going to be one of the best months ever,” said David Kudla, chief investment strategist of Mainstay Capital Management in Grand Blanc, Michigan. Kudla sees May sales approaching US$40 billion, not far from the US$40.3 billion record in August 2014.

Weak auto results contributed to flat overall retail sales in April, but May is expected to represent a rebound.

Lower gas prices could boost demand for sports utility vehicles and trucks, which have higher price tags and better margins.

There is also pent-up demand for new vehicles as consumers have been holding on to their cars for longer since the financial crisis. The average age of U.S. cars is now between 10 and 11 years, Kudla said.

The timing of the Memorial Day holiday also helped May sales, according to Jessica Caldwell, senior analyst at Edmunds.com in Santa Monica, California.

“Because there was a full week of May after the holiday weekend, shoppers had plenty of time to take advantage of the deals being widely communicated in dealer and automaker marketing messages,” Caldwell said.

Credit for auto loans is expanding, a positive sign for the sector, noted Jack Ablin, chief investment officer at BMO Private Bank in Chicago.

“The strong dollar created a headwind, and GM had some high-profile product recalls, but given current trends, I would expect sales growth to continue.”

Both GM and Ford appear undervalued at current levels. GM’s forward price-to-earnings ratio is 7.62, well below the S&P 500’s 17.4 ratio, while Ford’s P/E is 8.77, according to Thomson Reuters data.

Both also rank among the cheapest S&P 500 stocks per StarMine’s intrinsic value, which looks at anticipated growth over the next decade. GM is the fourth-cheapest stock in the S&P by this metric, with StarMine estimating that shares should trade at US$81.69, more than twice its Thursday closing price of US$36.39. StarMine calculates that Ford is the 10th cheapest stock in the S&P, and that it would need to rise 79 percent to meet its intrinsic value.

Despite that, shares of Ford are down 1.7 percent in 2015, underperforming the S&P’s 2.6 percent rise. GM is up 3 percent on the year, thanks largely to a US$5 billion stock buyback program announced in March.

While auto stocks could rally if the sales come in as expected, it could spell bad news for the broader market, as any sign of consumer strength could nudge the U.S. Federal Reserve into raising interest rates more quickly that is currently anticipated. Most analysts expect the first rate hike to come later this year, but opinions are split on whether it will occur in September or December.

“Good data would make the Fed raise rates sooner. I believe the stock market would sell off (on strong auto data) because it would shorten that timeline,” said Battle who expects a rate hike in the fall.

Georgia Asian Times June 1-15, 2015

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BUSINESS

Daimler and Qualcomm to develop in-car tech, wireless charging Frankfurt, May 25, 2015 -- Carmaker Daimler on Saturday announced a partnership with mobile technologies company Qualcomm Inc. to explore wireless recharging of mobile phones in cars as well as recharging of electric cars without cables.

The move forms part of a broader push by Daimler, parent company of Mercedes-Benz, as well as rival German carmakers BMW and Audi to build their expertise in software and telecommunications to bolster their status as high-tech carmakers in an era when tightening emission rules force them to downsize engines, once a mainstay of profit.

In a joint statement, Daimler and Qualcomm said they were assessing the application of wireless technology to charge their electric vehicles (EV) and plug-in hybrid EVs without ever having to plug them in.

The companies are also exploring technologies that will enable customers to wirelessly charge devices such as mobile phones while driving in their car, as well as ways to enhance in-car experience through high-speed 3G/4G connectivity.

“It’s important that we remain on the cutting edge of technology and continue to deliver unparalleled experiences to our customers,” Daimler’s board member for research and development Thomas Weber, said.

“With this in mind, we are eager to jointly explore possible fields of future cooperation with an internationally leading tech firm like Qualcomm,” Weber said in a statement.

Intel close to deal to buy Altera for $16 billion: Sources New York, May 29, 2015 -- Intel Corp has resumed negotiations to buy smaller chip maker Altera Corp and is close to a $16 billion acquisition agreement, people familiar with the matter said on Friday.

The price for Altera could be as much as $54 per share, a 15 percent premium over its Thursday closing price of $46.97. That would value Altera at more than $16 billion, according to one of the people.

Altera shares were up 4.2 percent at $48.96 during Friday morning trading in New York.

The deal could be reached in the coming days, the sources said, cautioning that no agreement was certain and asking not to be identified because the negotiations are confidential. Intel and Altera did not respond to requests for comment.

In April, Altera rejected an unsolicited $54 per share offer from Intel following months of negotiations, sources told Reuters at the time.

Earlier this year, Intel signed a standstill agreement with Altera that expires on June 1, giving the world’s largest chipmaker the option to launch a hostile bid after that, Reuters reported in April.

Avago Technologies Ltd agreed on Thursday to buy Broadcom Corp for $37 billion, in the largest merger of chipmakers ever.

The New York Post first reported late Thursday that Intel and Altera had restarted talks.

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June 1-15, 2015 Georgia Asian Times

EAT OUT Thai Pad & Coco Sweets ~ A colorful restaurant that comes up short

By Helen Nguyen Friday night on Pleasant Hill Road of suburban Atlanta, the streets are buzzing with dinner goers narrowing their selection for a weekend celebratory meal. Bright restaurant lights in every corner compete with one another to win over local foodies. Unofficially known as the ultimate street for Far East cuisine, Pleasant Hill Road rarely disappoints when it comes to Asian delicacies. However, once in a while, we find new restaurants that could use a tweak or two.

Shyly standing in the corner of a dark, outdated shopping center near Great Wall Supermarket is the new restaurant Thai Pad & Coco Sweets.

Its green and purple neon sign timidly calls in hungry passersby from the main road, which seems like a football field of parking spaces away. Not even Google Map wanted to partake, as it directly me to the better half of the shopping center, where it was well lit and has more foot traffic.

For those who are familiar with the area, Thai Pad & Coco Sweet takes over the old resident of Taste of Pho. The new owner also acquired the next door

building, had his fun with a wrecking ball and combined the two properties, separated by large entrances and glass windows. The result is a very generous size restaurant that could be the love child of a Pink Berry yogurt shop and a public school cafeteria.

Lime green walls surround rows and rows of polished white tables, plastic chairs that are almost hip, and long booths that go from one end of the building to another. Two couches sit comfortably on the back corner, complete with its own coffee table. Two young girls hover over their dinner and a pile of school work. One would guess that these two girls are fine examples of the restaurant’s target market: young students looking for a cool hangout place after school, oh and they’re also happen to be hungry for Thai food.

Another group of young Asian sat at the extra dining room where the owner had purchased as an extension.

The space seems so isolated from the rest of the restaurants, even though they are conjoined twins. The rest of the restaurant’s guests are older in age, eating at their table, accessing the

food and quietly passing judgements among each other. Maroon 5 and Meghan Trainer belch out their tunes in the background, adding to the mix of confusion.

Noodle Soup. To satisfy my curiosity, I also ordered the Pho. Our name was called a few minutes later and we brought back our food in small white trays.

Although the execution could use a little makeover, the idea is clear, this is a modern kink to traditional Thai restaurants. There are no servers in their custom made sarongs, no gold paintings of temples and gods on the wall, no orchid petals and tea light candles at your table. As you come in, a waitress from the “order here” counter instruct you to grab a large laminated menu from a rack, order and sit where you choose. When your food is ready, the man from the “pick up here” counter echoes your name to the hollow dining room and you come collect your meal. Behind them, a few slushie machines spin in continuous hypnotic circles to advertise the drinks. An open cooler of colorful desserts hint at treats to be had after the meal.

First, we tried the Thai Egg Rolls.

Two very nicely fried egg rolls that contain ground chicken, cabbage, vermicelli, onions, cilantro with house sweet chili sauce. There were no carrots like the menu had promised. We dipped the rolls in the house chili sauce. If there was ever an injection for instant diabetes, I have found it. The house chili sauce was a very dense simple syrup, sickeningly sweet and an unfit pairing with the spring rolls. Sweet tooth is meant for desserts, not appetizers.

Peculiarly, the very first item on the House Specialty section of the menu is Pho Bo, or beef noodle soup that is the Vietnamese national dish. When did Pho got its dual citizenship? The rest of the menu contains most traditional Thai dishes that have been introduced in similar restaurants. The prices are reasonable for a casual eatery. We opted for Thai Egg Rolls, Laap, Mango Salad, Lemongrass Wings, and Curry

Next, the Laap. Laap is my go-to item for every Thai restaurant. I enjoy this low carb dish as it contains many of my favorite ingredients. From the menu’s description, Thai Pad & Sweet Coco’s Laap has ground beef, tripe, rice powder, mint, red onions, green onions, cilantro, lemongrass and lime juice. The Laap I received lacks rice powder, lemongrass, and lime juice, but had an unannounced addition of very spicy Thai chili peppers. Usually, my favorite part of a Laap is the citrus juice, which enhances the flavors of all the other ingredients. I was highly disappointed that my salad was missing that little kick. Not only so, I now have numbed lips from the spicy peppers.

Georgia Asian Times June 1-15, 2015

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Our next dish is the Lemongrass Wings. The golden fried wings were crunchy, juicy, and have an obvious taste of lemongrass. Unfortunately, inside that layer of crunchy shell, our wings were raw. I understand that when frying wings, heat control is very important. If the heat was too high, the skin will brown extremely fast, but the inner meat will not get their chance to cook completely. This is a rookie mistake that I’m guilty of on many occasions when cooking at home.

I imagined that I was part of another Kitchen Nightmare show, where Gordon Ramsay is in the back kitchen as I’m eating, filming the next episode of his save-the-sucky-restaurants mission. Ramsay would shake his head in frustration at my wings.

The typical Laap comes with a wedge of cabbage or lettuce to use as a wrap for the meat. My wedge of cabbage was so thin and sparing that it was useless to be anything other than an unattractive garnish.

tenderloin, and roasted pork. Yes, roasted pork. Somewhere, a Vietnamese grandmother is crying over the treasured recipe that has been well preserved for hundreds of years, now botched by a Thai restaurant.

I surrendered the Laap and moved on to my Pho. The aromatic broth, in its rich beefy color, soothingly warms my throat. It was tasty but it was not the traditional Pho that I am used to.

Being Vietnamese, I have had countless bowls of Pho in my life. This, by far, was the sweetest in taste. Unlike the sugary chili sauce, the sweetness in my Pho was bearable, fragrant, and reminded me of ramen noodles. No, not the restaurant ramen broth from Umaido or Shoya, but the broth from a ramen noodle package, that are so loved by college students everywhere.

My Pho toppings were meatballs, beef

Besides the wonderful people of India, Thai cooks know their curry.

The creaminess and balance of spices are delectable, rich, and comforting – unless you were given lukewarm curry broth. In our bowl of Coconut Curry, tiny bubbles of fat and coconut cream consciously uncoupling themselves from one another due to lack of heat, making a depressing bowl of curry vermicelli even more unappetizing.

The vegetables that accompanied this dish sadly also have lost their prime, for they were dehydrated, limp, and brown.

We moved on to the Mango Salad, scouting for one last hope of a decent dinner. Fresh green mango were sliced and mixed with dried shrimp, red onions, herbs, and pomelo in lime dressing. Overall it was a very refreshing, well-seasoned salad. Considering the rest of my dinner, this was the star of the show. Thank goodness and well done, whoever was in charge of Mango Salads.

Since we had better luck with the mangoes, so we continued with two of the restaurant’s specialty drinks, Mango Tango and Coco Mango. Both drinks were very similar, except the Coco Mango also contained pandan jelly.

The drinks were velvety from the coconut cream, sweet and refreshing from the ripe mangoes. The drinks should be the restaurant’s shining focus, not the food. Sticking to their theme of a casual after school joint, perhaps light snacks and drinks would be more appropriate for Thai Pad & Coco Sweets’ menu.

I thought about this review very hard before my submission. Being married to a restauranteur, I understand the stress and difficulties of operating a fresh new restaurant. The kitchen flow can completely alter simply with absent cooks, malfunctioned equipment, vendor failures, and countless other unexpected issues that can go wrong in a commercial kitchen. My goal is to return to Thai Pad & Sweet Coco again in the near future, and I hope to deliver a more gratifying review next time. I hope you find my criticism constructive and beneficial. Best of luck to Thai Pad & Coco Sweets!

Helen Nguyen is an avid writer, cook, foodie, and food blogger. You can find more of her writings at her blog: www.SrirachaReligion.com Thai Pad & Coco Sweets 2180 Pleasant Hill Road Suite B Duluth, GA 30096 Tel 770.476.9898

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June 1-15, 2015

Georgia Asian Times

LIFESTYLE brothers and including Jake Gyllenhaal nodded to different perplexing real-world issues.

A Hungarian movie taking viewers inside Auschwitz, “Son of Saul”, picked up the runner-up Grand Prize for its narrow but powerful look at the Holocaust.

And the best actor trophy went to Vincent Lindon, the star of another French movie, “The Measure of a Man”, which presents a jobless man struggling to maintain his dignity.

Intense experience Joel Coen, sitting next to his brother Ethan in a post-awards press conference, said of the jury duty: “Any experience as intense as this changes your life and your perspective.”

Gyllenhaal explained the appeal “Dheepan” held for him.

Cannes film festival winner spotlight on refugees issues on big screen Cannes, May 25, 2015 — The debate around the world about what to do with growing waves of desperate migrants will be spurred by a Cannes Film Festival triumph for a movie that looks at the plight of a refugee hero.

“Dheepan”, a French movie about a Sri Lankan former soldier’s struggles in a Paris ghetto in the grip of narco-gangs, didn’t set out to tackle that wider thorny issue.

But the fact that the film’s win comes as refugee boats set off across Asian waters and the Mediterranean — the same sea lapping at glittering Cannes and its super-yachts — inevitably means it will figure in that context.

“It’s important to reflect on the situation,” the movie’s director, Jacques Audiard, admitted to reporters insistently raising the question.

But he stressed, “I started writing the

screenplay four or five years ago and the situation wasn’t as critical as it is now”.

Nevertheless, “if it helps the situation, then so much the better”.

Authenticity in role The movie won’t begin its release in cinemas for another three months.

Its Cannes win will no doubt take it to countries that might otherwise have not seen it.

Some of those countries are ones grappling with the problem of immigrants.

Europe is experiencing a huge surge, particularly from Syrians fleeing the vicious four-year-old war in their country. States bordering Syria — Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon — are already saturated with refugees.

Thousands of Bangladeshis and ethnic Rohingya leaving Myanmar are also posing a challenge for Asian nations, especially after a Thai crackdown early this month on human trafficking threw the illicit trade into chaos.

“Dheepan” keeps its action centred on its central character, a former Tamil Tiger fighter who escaped the mayhem of his war-ravaged homeland and teamed up with two strangers, a woman and a girl, to pretend to be a family to win refugee status in France.

The actor, Anthonythasan Jesuthasan, brought authenticity to the role, having actually been a teen fighter for the Tamil Tigers who escaped to Thailand, made his way to France in 1993 and eventually got political asylum.

The character, he said, is “50 per cent” himself. Presumably the part of the movie where he uses his battle skills to explosively confront the Paris drug gangs is the other, fictional half.

Some of the other awards handed out at Cannes by a jury headed by the Coen

“We watch three strangers, forced to travel to a foreign land, essentially learn to love each other, which is something I’ve never really seen done in the way it is in that film,” he said.

The third-placed movie was “The Lobster”, a Greek-directed dark comedy set in southern Ireland and starring Colin Farrell that imagined a society in which single people must find a mate or be transformed into animals.

The best actress award was something of an upset, confounding critics who had thought Australian star Cate Blanchett was untouchable for her turn in an American period lesbian drama, “Carol”.

Instead Blanchett’s co-star, Rooney Mara, and an actress in a French relationship drama called “Mon Roi”, Emmanuelle Bercot, ended up sharing the trophy.

Georgia Asian Times June 1-15, 2015

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SPORTS

Platini demands FIFA change after Blatter victory

Zurich, May 30, 2015 -- Michel Platini has insisted football’s governing body must change in the wake of Sepp Blatter’s re-election as FIFA president for a fifth and final term on Friday.

Blatter fell seven votes short of the required 140 majority in the first round of voting, but was handed victory when his challenger Prince Ali bin al Hussein withdrew just before a scheduled second round.

Blatter, 79, has been FIFA’s president since 1998 and had defied Platini’s calls to stand down as corruption scandals tarnish the multi-billion dollar body’s image.

Platini, the president of European football’s governing body UEFA, said change was still crucial after seven senior FIFA officials were arrested in Zurich on Wednesday on charges of corruption.

“I am proud that UEFA has defended and supported a movement for change at FIFA,” said Platini, who had backed Prince Ali’s failed bid.

“Change which in my opinion is crucial if this organisation is to regain its credibility.

“I congratulate my friend Prince Ali

for his admirable campaign and I take the opportunity to thank all the national associations who supported him.”

One of FIFA’s main sponsors Coca-Cola urged Blatter to use the chance to win back some of the lost trust in his organisation.

“FIFA must now seize the opportunity to begin winning back the trust it has lost,” said the soft drinks giant in a statement.

“We urge FIFA to take concrete actions to fully address all of the issues that have been raised, in a swift and transparent manner.”

‘Meaningful change’ Wolfgang Niersbach, president of the German Football Association (DFB), who had also supported the Jordanian prince, said senior European figures had hoped for a change of leadership within FIFA. “After the events of last week, a headwind had been felt, but at the end it wasn’t strong enough to bring about the desired change amongst us,” said Niersbach, who was voted onto FIFA’s executive committee on Friday.

“There was a prevailing impression

within UEFA that Prince Ali had a chance.”

The German boss said he did not expect Blatter to change his leadership style despite promises to hand football’s governing body over in a ‘stronger’ position when he steps down in 2019.

“At 79 years of age, you have already developed your style,” said Niersbach dryly.

“My biggest worry is that we won’t manage to bring some calm.

“We need FIFA to be strong, but that will be unbelievably difficult.”

And USA Soccer president Sunil Gulati said his organisation will continue the push for change within FIFA. “While we are disappointed in the result of the election, we will continue to push for meaningful change within FIFA,” said Gulati.

“Our goal is for governance of FIFA that is responsible, accountable, transparent and focused solely on the best interests of the game.

“This is what FIFA needs and deserves, and what the people who love our game around the world demand.

“We congratulate President Blatter and it is our hope he will make reform his number one priority to ensure the integrity of the sport across the world.”

Greg Dyke, the chairman of the English Football Association, said Blatter had been given a fright by Prince Ali’s challenge.

“Blatter’s had a shock today. This hasn’t happened to him for 16 years,” said the FA boss.

“A third of the delegates said we don’t want Blatter to continue.

“They’ve said ‘we’ve had enough of you, we’ve had enough of corruption’.

“This is a fundamentally corrupt organisation and Sepp Blatter is not the man to change that. This needs root and branch reform.

“Prince Ali has done quite well. I don’t think this is the end of it, we’re only halfway through.”

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June 1-15, 2015 Georgia Asian Times

SPORTS

Real Madrid fire coach Ancelotti Madrid, May 26, 2015 -- Real Madrid fired their coach Carlo Ancelotti on Monday as the popular Italian paid for a disappointing season without a major trophy.

Ancelotti, 55, had lead Real to their 10th elite European title last season but was sacked after the club finished runners-up to Barcelona in La Liga and lost to Juventus in the semi-finals of this year’s Champions League.

Club president Florentino Perez told a news conference at the club’s Santiago Bernabeu stadium that the services of the former AC Milan, Chelsea and Paris St Germain coach were no longer required.

“The board of directors has taken the decision to relieve Carlo Ancelotti of his duties as coach of Real Madrid,” Perez said.

“It has been a very hard decision… but Real Madrid is extremely demanding and we believe it is time to give a new impulse” to the club, Perez continued.

“The time has come for a change of direction that will allow us to win more titles and reach our peak competitive level ahead of a new era,” said the straight-talking Perez, who explained that Real Madrid was a worldwide reference and no-one who worked there could expect an easy time.

‘Two fantastic years’ The mild-mannered Ancelotti took to Twitter immediately after the announcement to thank the players and fans for the memories.

“What remains for me is the memory of two fantastic years at Real Madrid,” he said. “Thanks to the club, to the fans and to my players.”

Ancelotti, who succeed Jose Mourinho as Real boss in June 2013, leaves Madrid having failed to convert a record run of victories last year into silverware at the end of this season.

Madrid had won the Club World Cup on a streak of 22 consecutive wins between September and December to add to the Copa del Rey and UEFA Super Cup in a record four-trophy haul in 2014.

back the coach after Saturday’s season-ending 7-3 demolition of Getafe: “Great coach and amazing person.

Hope we work together next season.”

But they were beaten to the Spanish league title by a treble-seeking Barcelona and eliminated by city rivals Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey.

Madrid however are now preparing to welcome a new coach with media reporting that Napoli’s Spanish coach Rafael Benitez is among the favourites.

Ancelotti’s last chance of keeping his job was ended when one of his former clubs, Juventus, knocked Real out of the Champions League earlier this month to progress to the final.

“It would be very good if he speaks Spanish,” said Perez, indicating that an announcement would be made next week.

That was too much for the club’s management, despite Ancelotti’s popularity with fans and players.

World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo had even taken to Twitter to

Spanish speaker

Ancelotti, meanwhile, has said that his future remains in coaching although he suggested he would take a year out and have back surgery if he was dismissed.

“My future is clear in my head,”

Ancelotti said at the weekend. “I will continue here at Real Madrid or I will stop for a year.”

“I must have a back operation because of spinal stenosis that for some time creates a tingle in my hands,” he told Italian newspaper Il Giornale.

“I don’t know how long the period of recovery will be,” he added. “I can assure you that I’ve had plenty of offers from Italy, England, Germany.”

“This is football, especially at a club like Real Madrid it is normal to be questioned after part of the season didn’t go well.

“I continue to have confidence in my ability because I like to coach.”

Georgia Asian Times June 1-15, 2015

Page 15

HEALTH Study reveals more reasons to take your vitamin E Boston, May 24, 2015 - Long established as a powerful antioxidant, vitamin E is important for the membrane that envelops your muscle cells, promoting proper healing from the natural tears that take place when you work out, according to a new study.

“Every cell in your body has a plasma membrane, and every membrane can be torn,” says corresponding author Dr. Paul L. McNeil, cell biologist at the Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Regents University.

The study, which was published in the journal Free Radical Biology and Medicine, has implications for muscular dystrophy, traumatic brain injury, common diabetes-related muscle weakness and — of course — body builders.

“Part of how we build muscle is a more natural tearing and repair process — that is the no pain, no gain portion — but if that repair doesn’t oc-

urally occurring vitamin E had been filtered out, or a diet lacking in vitamin E save for a synthetic supplement.

Vitamin E deficient rats had trouble running compared to their healthy counterparts and were more likely to visit a rest area despite receiving a mild electric shock upon doing so.

cur, what you get is muscle cell death,” says McNeil. “If that occurs over a long period of time, what you get is muscle-wasting disease.”

Working with rats, McNeil and his team established their natural ability to run downhill on a treadmill, a challenging exercise called eccentric contraction and it helps lengthen muscles, according to the study.

Next, they fed them either normal rodent chow, chow in which the nat-

The research team administered a colorant that they believed was incapable of passing through the muscle cells’ plasma membranes, yet it did so in the vitamin E deficient rats.

When comparing the quadriceps muscle fibers of the rats fed normal chow against those of the rats that had been fed vitamin E supplemented chow, the research team found little difference.

Dry roasted sunflower seeds, almonds, cooked spinach and safflower oil are all examples of foods rich in vitamin E, according to the Harvard School of Public Health.

What’s more, overdoing vitamin E is not the same health concern that excess of other vitamins can be, according to a 2013 study from Oregon State University in the US. “Toxic levels of vitamin E in the body simply do not occur,” says author Maret Traber of OSU, an internationally recognized expert on vitamin E. “Unlike some other fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamins A and D, it’s not possible for toxic levels of vitamin E to accumulate in the liver or other tissues.”

The important thigh muscle fibers in the vitamin E deficient rats were smaller and inflamed compared to those in the two other groups.

Smokers more likely to think cancer is a death sentence London, May 24, 2015 — Smokers have more pessimistic attitudes about cancer and may be more likely to delay getting screened, according to a new survey from the UK. Smokers are less likely to engage in cancer screening programs and are less engaged with health services overall, senior author Jane Wardle told Reuters Health in an email.

“We wanted to investigate why, by exploring whether this could be partly due to excessively negative beliefs about cancer,” said Wardle, the director of the Health Behavior Research Center at University College London.

The researchers used data from a survey of adults over the age of 50 in six countries, but focused on responses from nearly 7,000 people in the UK. The survey asked participants several questions, including whether or not

they perceived cancer as a death sentence and if they would want to know if they had cancer. They were asked how screening affects the chance of survival. They were also asked about the manageability of cancer and its treatments.

The survey also asked participants about reasons they may avoid cancer screenings, such as being too busy or embarrassed.

The results showed that current smokers had more pessimistic attitudes about cancer outcomes than former or non-smokers. The biggest difference was over the statement that a ‘cancer diagnosis is a death sentence,’ with 34 percent of smokers agreeing, compared to 24 percent of former smokers and non-smokers.

About 18 percent of current smokers would not want to know if they had cancer, compared with 11 percent of

both former and non-smokers, according to the results in the British Journal of Cancer.

Smokers were also less likely to believe that cancer can often be cured and that people with cancer can continue to lead normal lives.

People who smoke were also more likely to say that being ‘worried about what the doctor might find’ could make them delay going to the doctor.

“In the case of smokers, the greater their perception of risk for smoking, the greater their psychological aversion to having their worries confirmed by a doctor,” said Omid Fotuhi, a psychology researcher at Stanford University in California.

Fotuhi, who was not involved with the new study, told Reuters Health by email that this may be especially true for the older sample of smokers in

this study, as they may be less likely to believe that they can quit.

Wardle noted that these avoidant behaviors can have serious health consequences, because cancer treatment is more likely to be effective when administered early on. She added that some screening programs may even prevent cancer by identifying pre-cancerous lesions.

By delaying or avoiding cancer screening, “smokers are therefore increasing their risk of cancer death over and above the risk due to smoking,” Wardle said.

“Cancer outcomes are improving,” she said. “If you have worries or doubts about whether screening is right for you or need any support, your doctor can help, and will be happy to talk you through everything before you make a decision.” - Reuters

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June 1-15, 2015 Georgia Asian Times

Misc Asia

Taiwan’s Hou Hsiao-hsien wins best director award at Cannes film festival Cannes, May 25, 2015 — Taiwan’s Hou Hsiao-hsien has scooped the best director award at the Cannes Film Festival for his slow-burning minimalist drama The Assassin.

international film prizes, including the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival for City of Sadness in 1989 and the 1993 Cannes Film Festival third-place prize for The Puppetmaster.

The film is set in 9th-century China at the end of the Tang dynasty, with Asian megastar Shu Qi playing a highly trained woman assassin who fails in a mission and is sent back to her home province to kill its governor, the man she also loves.

Born in Guangdong province in 1947, Hou moved to Taiwan with his family the following year to escape the civil war on the mainland.

Despite its action-packed premise, the film is a study in lingering, contemplative art from director Hou, who continues a similar aesthetic from his previous films Millennium Mambo and The Puppetmaster.

Speaking through an interpreter, Hou kept his acceptance speech short and sweet, saying: “It’s difficult to make cinema, to find financing. I want to thank all my crew and cast.”

Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou sent his congratulations to Hou. “The innovation and its colourful way of telling the story has inspired a new trend in the art of film and shone in international skies, vying for glory for Taiwan,” he said.

The 68-year-old is one of the most recognisable names in Taiwan’s “New Wave” cinema, having won a string of

He started working in the film industry in 1973 after graduating from college with a film degree and shot his first feature film, the romantic comedy Lovable You (1981).

Hou is best known for lingering camera shots and minimalist dramas depicting the upheavals in Taiwan in the 20th century.

His autobiographical movie A Time To Live, A Time To Die (1985) told the story of a family that fled to Taiwan from the mainland in the 1950s.

City of Sadness, which won him international recognition, touched on a taboo, the February 28, 1947 massacre by nationalist Kuomintang troops that took over Taiwan from the Japanese colonial power after the second world war, and a family caught up in the political turmoil. Three Times portrayed three love stories set in three different periods and competed for the Cannes film festival’s Palme d’Or in 2005.

Robert De Niro opens Asia’s 1st Nobu Hotel in Philippines Manila, May 19, 2015 - - Robert de Niro and his business partners formally opened Asia’s first Nobu Hotel in Manila on Monday as the luxury brand gears up for global expansion.

The 321-room hotel within the bayside casino and entertainment City of Dreams complex opened to the beat of traditional drums and shower of gold and silver confetti.

De Niro and his Nobu Hospitality partners, renowned chef Nobu Matsuhisa and Hollywood producer Meir Teper, led the ribbon cutting with Australian billionaire James Packer and Macau tycoon Lawrence Ho, co-chairmen of the complex operator Melco Crown Entertainment.

The Oscar-winning actor says he is not only lending his name to the project but is personally involved in it.

“I’ve looked at what everything is, I am aware very much about the design, and so on and if there’s anything I don’t like I say it,” de Niro said in an interview.

“To me you have to do more than lend your name, you gotta be there in order to just be more a part of it and really believe in it,” he added.

Nobu Hospitality will open eight other Nobu city hotels in the next two years, said Trevor Horwell, chief executive officer.

The first Nobu Hotel opened in Las Vegas in 2013 in a venture that evolved from Nobu Restaurants.

De Niro said the hotel was part of a vision sold to him and his partners by Ho and Packer. He said it’s going to draw people and eventually help the Philippines. “(Ho and Packer) are both great visionaries so we felt very comfortable they looked very carefully at the market,” Horwell added.

The hotels planned in the next two years are in North America, the Middle East and London. Nobu wants to grow more in Asia, but will do it selectively, he said.

Georgia Asian Times June 1-15, 2015

Page 17

Misc Asia

Past Reuters investigations have shown ransoms demands ranging from $1,200 to $1,800, a fortune for impoverished migrants used to living on a dollar or two a day.

On Monday evening, police had removed a badly decomposed body found unburied in a shack at one of the camps. Police said the unidentified person had been dead around two or three weeks.

“The victim could have died and the syndicate did not have time to bury the body as they were rushing to leave the camp,” Bernama quoted local district police chief Rizani Che Ismail as saying.

Malaysian police begin exhuming bodies at jungle camps Wang Kelian, May 26, 2015 — Malaysian police forensic teams, digging with hoes and shovels, began the grim task on Tuesday of exhuming the bodies of dozens of suspected victims of human traffickers found buried around jungle camps near the Thai border.

Authorities believe at least two of the camps where they have found nearly 140 graves were abandoned in the last two to three weeks, around the time that Thailand launched a crackdown on people smugglers.

The dense forests of southern Thailand and northern Malaysia have been a major stop-off point for smugglers bringing people to Southeast Asia by boat from Myanmar, most of them Rohingya Muslims who say they are fleeing persecution, and Bangladesh.

On Tuesday authorities took a group of journalists to one of the camps, nestled in a gully in thick jungle up a steep, well-worn path about an hour’s walk from the nearest road.

Apparently abandoned in haste by the traffickers, what remained of the camp was little more than a tangle of bamboo and tarpaulin, but one police official, who did not want to be identified, said it could have housed up to 400 people.

Malaysian authorities said on Monday they had found 139 graves, some containing more than one body, around 28 camps scattered along a 50km (30 mile) stretch of the border in the northern state of Perlis.

The grisly discoveries in Malaysia followed the uncovering of shallow graves on the Thai side of the border at the beginning of May, which helped trigger a regional crisis. The find led to a crackdown on the camps by Thai authorities, after which traffickers abandoned thousands of migrants in overloaded boats in the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea. State news agency Bernama quoted

Malaysia’s police chief, Inspector General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar, as saying that the camps were thought to have been occupied since 2013, and two were “only abandoned between two and three weeks ago”.

Khalid told reporters on Monday that police had been “shocked by the cruelty” of the fenced camps, where he said there were signs of torture.

Body bags

One of the grave sites was just 100 meters or so from the site where twenty-six bodies were exhumed in Thailand’s Songkhla province in early May, national police chief Khalid said on Monday.

“We don’t know if there is a link between the Thai camps and Malaysia camps,” Phuttichart Ekachan, deputy chief of Thailand’s Provincial Police Region 9, told Reuters.

A large plastic water tank could be seen at the camp visited by Reuters reporters on Tuesday, suggesting a degree of permanence. A call to Muslim prayers could be heard drifting from a nearby settlement.

“It is possible that because of the Thai crackdown some of the camps moved and some of them (migrants) then walked over or escaped to the Thai side. It is possible but it isn’t something we have been able to confirm.”

An official said 37 graves had been found at the site, a few hundred meters for the Thai border. As the police teams began to dig, a large supply of body bags and white cotton shrouds was piled on the ground.

Residents in the town of Wang Kelian, on the Malaysian side of the border, said they were used to seeing migrants in the area.

Thousands of Rohingya Muslims are ferried by traffickers through southern Thailand each year, and in recent years it has been common for them to be held in remote camps along the border with Malaysia until a ransom is paid for their freedom.

“They are often starving, not eaten for weeks,” said Abdul Rahman Mahmud, a resident who runs a small hostel. “They eat seeds or leaves or whatever they can find. It’s a real pity and it’s sad to see this.”

- Reuters

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June 1-15, 2015 Georgia Asian Times

LIFESTYLE

Paris to break hearts with removal of a million “love locks” Paris, May 29, 2015 - Too much love can be a bad thing: Paris city officials, exasperated with lovers sealing their passion by clipping padlocks all over the city, are set to remove 45 tonnes of the locks next week.

Starry-eyed tourists from all over the world flock to the Pont des Arts bridge spanning the Seine River to attach a lock representing their eternal love, and throw the key into the river.

But the now-iconic bridge is buckling under the weight of such devotion, and authorities are desperate to stop the craze.

Last year police hurriedly ushered tourists off the Pont des Arts when a section of the footbridge collapsed under the weight of the locks covering the 155-metre-(509-foot-)long bridge.

Plastic panels were put up in places

to deter lovebirds and authorities launched a drive to get tourists to upload selfies instead of attaching a lock.

But nothing stands in the way of true love, and tourists have kept piling the locks on the bridge and elsewhere.

The Pont de l’Archeveche bridge in front of the Notre Dame cathedral is now as inundated with locks, while stray locks can often be spotted around the city.

Deploring “destruction of heritage” and a security risk for tourists on the overloaded Pont des Arts, Paris officials have decided enough is enough and will remove all locks from Monday.

“We will remove nearly one million padlocks, or 45 tons,” said city official Bruno Julliard, criticizing the “ugliness” of the locks on some of Paris’s

most beautiful bridges.

The metal grills of the bridge will be replaced with works of art over the summer, and will later be replaced with clear panels.

“We want Paris to remain the capital of love and romance,” Julliard said, adding a campaign encouraging lovers to express their love in different ways — such as the selfie initiative — would get underway soon.

The city of love Jean, 57, a tourist from the south of France who was walking arm in arm with Marion, 42, his “mistress”, said the city’s plans were “stupid and a pity.”

“It is symbolic to seal your love by attaching a lock to this bridge, here in Paris, the city of love,” he said.

Guillermo, 33, from Argentina, who was about to clamp his lock on the bridge to show his feelings for his new girlfriend he hopes to marry one day,

suggests collecting all the locks “to make a sort of statue or monument.”

The city’s move has also annoyed tour guide Vincent Jouaneau, who had accompanied two Philippine couples to the bridge.

“It is out of question to stop groups” from coming to attach locks to the bridge, he said, adding he would just take future tourists one bridge up to the Pont Neuf.

But the municipality is one step ahead, and is also planning to remove the metal grills from the other targeted bridges.

While the trend of attaching locks to the Pont des Arts began in 2008, the problem is not unique to Paris.

It is unclear where the idea of using the lock ritual to symbolize love originated, but the padlocks bearing lovers’ initials have spread from European capitals, to as far as Marrakech or China.