Georgia Asian Times May 1-15, 2015

Covering The Multicultural Asian American Community in Georgia

www.gasiantimes.com

May 1-15, 2015

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month May 2015

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May 1-15, 2015 Georgia Asian Times

Georgia Asian Times May 1-15, 2015

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May 1-15, 2015 Georgia Asian Times Amy Chomthakham President, Laotian American Society-Georgia

25 Most Influential Asian Americans in Georgia

Amy was born in Laos and came to the U.S. at a young age with her siblings. Amy lost her mother in Laos and then lost her father in Thailand.

She is humble by overcoming many hardships in life and is proud of her upbringings. She came to this country when she was in fourth grade.

Amy always knew that education was important and that education was the only way for her to succeed in life. She vividly remembers her father always remind her that knowledge was the only thing that no one could steal from you — but that you must share it in order to grow.

Amy attended Northern Illinois University. She has been involved in LAS since its inception and was appointed the Treasurer in 2013.

She was elected as Vice President in 2014.

Amy has been with Bank of America for almost twenty years in management role. She is responsible

Estrella Cramer Director, Corporate Supplier Diversity, UPS

In the spirit of 2015 Asian American Heritage Month celebration, we are documenting the changing of power and the continual shifting of influence of Asian Americans in our communities.

This year’s offer 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.

Some names are familiar as they continue to strive to make our community a better place to live. New faces are recognized for their effort and dedication to make a difference in the community.

The list is made possible by the editorial staff and a selection committee comprises of community, civic, and media representatives.

Estrella Cramer has more than 26 years of service across the different business units/functions in UPS including Finance, Procurement, Marketing, Product Development and Supply Chain. She was the Asia Pac Sarbanes Oxley Audit Coordinator for all UPS locations in Asia in 2004.

Estrella is the Chairperson of the UPS Asian Business Resource Group Community Connections Committee.

She serves in several organizations as Board Chair and VP of Finance for the US-Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce Southeast Chapter, Certification Committee for Greater Women’s Business Council, Corporate Mentor in the Georgia Mentor Protégé

for developing and retaining employees, coaching associates and building a team of happy employees.

She’s volunteered with Habitat for Humanity; Feed the Hungry, Aids walk, Susan G Komen Walk, United Way as well as many activities such as angel trees. Besides being a very busy mother, she is the CEO of her own company since 2004. Even through Amy has a full time career, she’s very involved in daily operations of her business.

Amy is a member of Women Own, Atlanta League for Women, Atlanta Asian Leadership Network, Bank of America community volunteers, Asian Real Estate Association of America, Multicultural Leadership Network, and Administrative Professional Network.

Connections program, Advisory Council for the Georgia Indo-American Chamber of Commerce and the Asian-American Peace Officers of Georgia; Executive VP for the Organization of Chinese Americans Atlanta Chapter and board member for the Philippine Chamber of Commerce of Georgia.

She is the recipient of numerous awards, including 2014 Corporate Women of Achievement from YWCA, 2013-14 Top 25 Most Influential Asian American in Georgia by Georgia Asian Times, 2014 OCA National Corporate and Community Achievement Award and Outstanding Georgia Citizen by the Secretary of State.

Estrella graduated Cum Laude from the University of St. Thomas in Manila Philippines and pursued an MBA degree in Iona College, New York.

Georgia Asian Times May 1-15, 2015

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25 Most Influential Asian Americans in Georgia Kim Hanh Dang President, Vietnamese Community of Georgia Kim is a successful real estate broker with Atlanta Maxim International Realty. Kim led the effort to establish the first Vietnamese Community Center in Georgia. The center provided a wide range of community services ranging from youth tutoring, after school program, English & Vietnamese language, and computer literacy class. It also provide free Tai chi class, ballroom dancing, and a monthly social gathering event to promote the Vietnamese heritage.

She organized an annual free health fair and a summer picnic with more than 1000 attendees each year. Kim also organizes the Viet-

Ritesh Desai Principal, Eshco Investment

namese TET Lunar New Year event that attracted more than five thousand attendees and a Mid-Autumn Moon Festival with more than several attendees every year. She also formed a senior citizen group that meets every month with social activities that encourages physical and mental health.

Tim Hur Managing Broker, Point Honors & Associates

Tim was also elected as the 2013 and 2014 President of the Atlanta Chapter of the Asian Real Estate Association of America and currently

Rick served as the past President and Chairman of the Georgia IndoAmerican Chamber of Commerce.

He has also served on the Transition Committee for Secretary of State Brian Kemp and as the Co-Chair of the Economic Development Committee under the Asian-American Commission for a New Georgia under Governor Sonny Perdue. Desai has been

Hugh Hu President, Tech Comm Business Communications

Tim Hur currently runs and is the managing broker of Point Honors and Associates, REALTORS, a boutique real estate firm focused on residential and commercial clients. An active member of the Metro Atlanta community, he serves on several boards and dedicates his time to his community.

He was a founding member of the Gwinnett Chamber’s Young Professionals, the President-Elect and a charter member for the Gwinnett Mosaic Rotary, a board member for the Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful and the Gwinnett Place Community Improvement District, and is a trustee for the Gwinnett County Public School Foundation.

Rick is a serial entrepreneur and a passionate community leader. He is a successful businessman with operations in the US and China. Rick was recently appointed by Governor Deal as a member of the Board for the Equal Opportunities Commission in Georgia. He also serves as the Director of Public Relations for BAPS Atlanta and is the Co-Chair of the International Festival in Lilburn, Georgia.

Hugh Hu is the President of Tech Comm Business Communications, Inc. , which specializes in providing telecommunications services to large corporations. Currently, his largest customer is on the Fortune 500 chart of 260’s.

serves as the 2015 National Policy Chairman. He has been appointed by the 2013, 2014, and 2015 Presidents of the National Association of REALTORS® to serve as their President Liaison for South Korea.

He is a graduate of LEAD Atlanta, Leadership Gwinnett, Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies’ National Leadership Academy and is expected to complete his fellowship with the University of Southern California’s NetKAL program in June 2015.

He graduated from the National Taiwan University with a BS degree in Electrical Engineering and from the University of Virginia with the MS degree in EE. He majored in Telecommunications at both schools.

Prior to founding Tech Comm, Inc. in 1995, he had worked for MCI’s and Sprint’s National Account Marketing for many years in senior management positions. While working for these companies, he had been invited to be speakers at regional and national conferences such as Comdex Show in Chicago, Seattle Telecommunications

the recipient of many Community awards including Top 25 Most Influential Georgians by Georgia Asian Times, recognition for Outstanding Community Service by Congressman John Lewis, Indian Professionals network Award and the Indian American Cultural Association Award.

Rick earned a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Associations in Seattle and Georgia Telecommunications Association in Atlanta.

He had been four times President’s Club winner with Sprint. Hu also served as “expert witness” at numerous rate cases while working for the Public Staff, Utilities Commission of North Carolina.

Hu has also been active in various organizations. He is the past president of OCA- Georgia Chapter, past president of Alumni Association of National Taiwan University, Southeastern US, a past National Vice President of the Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce of North America, a past Board Member of Sprint’s Partner’s Program Advisory Committee, a member of Pho-Psi Society – IOTA Chapter, Washington DC.

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May 1-15, 2015 Georgia Asian Times

25 Most Influential Asian Americans in Georgia Victoria Huynh Vice President, Center for Pan Asian Community Services (CPACS)

Bora Lam Manager, UPS Co-Founder, Cambodian-American Association of Georgia

Victoria Huynh is an employee the Center for Pan Asian Community Services, Inc. (CPACS), the first largest and longest standing Asian American and Pacific Islander organization serving the immigrant, refugee, and unprivileged communities in the South.

Born to Vietnamese refugee parents, Ms. Huynh maintained her language and became a bilingual volunteer with CPACS starting at age 14. As the youngest senior staff, Ms. Huynh now leads the development and implementation of CPACS’ Social Services and Advocacy department as the Vice President. She currently serves and advocates on various local and state community Boards/Coalitions/ Committees including the Immigrant Hope-Atlanta (Board), Delta Phi Lambda Sorority (Alumni), Georgia Coalition of Refugee Stakeholders (Co-

Chair), Gwinnett Multicultural Advisory Committee (Co-Chair), Gwinnett Neighborhood Leadership Institute (Board), Georgia AAPI Community Coalition (Chair), Georgia SNAP Steering and LEP Subcommittee (Co-Chair), National Aim for Equity Coalition (Co-Chair), ARC Millennial Advisory Panel, etc.

In 2014, Ms. Huynh was named Outstanding Georgia Citizen by the Secretary of State.

Noy Lounnarath-Bozarth President, Asian/Pacific Council of Georgia (APAC) Noy Lounnarath-Bozarth works at The UPS Foundation as the Global Grants and Training Manager. She is responsible for the local grants program with the training and communication of the UPS Foundation signature programs, philanthropic focus areas, guidelines, and procedures.

Noy has 20 years of UPS logistics experience including her recent assignment to The UPS Foundation. She has held many different managerial roles throughout her UPS career, and has been a UPS ambassador on multiple internal and external leadership development initiatives.

Noy is a past board member of the Laotian American Society, having served as President, Vice President, and Treasurer. Noy continues to gain

Bora Lam has been with Big Brown for over 20 years. Relocated from New Jersey in 2001. Co-founded CAAG about four years ago. Its mission is to help preserve and bridge Khmer heritage. Khmer is often refers to the people of Cambodia or its heritage. The organization’s mission is to unite the community diaspora.

It is his heartfelt belief that his fellow US citizens should not play the victim game, by continuing to label themselves as ‘REFUGEES’, even after living here for more than three decades. His mantra, “Don’t let the past pull you down, but be optimistic and invest in the future to pull you up.

Stay hungry and stay humble.”

Kim Liemko Board of Director, Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival, Atlanta Kim was born in Savannaket, Laos and immigrated to the US with her family in 1978 to escape the Communist rule. As a young child in a foreign country she witnessed first-hand the tough struggle and obstacles her parents and older brothers endured. She vowed to be a bridge to assist immigrants for an easier transition to the New World.

personal leadership skills through her volunteering and networking efforts at UPS and within the Asian community. She has been recognized as one of the 25 Most Influential Asian Americans in Georgia by Georgia Asian Times in 2014.

Noy holds a Bachelor of Science in Management from Shorter University in Georgia.

A graduate of Ithaca High School in New York. He earned a BS from SUNY College at Brockport and Executive MBA from Georgia Tech.

In the mid 1980s, Kim’s family settled in Louisiana, a south easterner paradise. The warm climate along with plenty of natural resources lured new immigrants from all over the US. A bottleneck emerged and the Catholic Diocese of Lafayette stepped in to assist with influx of immigrants.

Kim tagged along with her father to help the center to translate and educate new immigrants. She began to tutor Laotian adults on driver’s education and US citizenship test. She continued to give an array of classes at the local temple throughout her high school and college years.

Kim is a graduate from University of Louisiana with a major in Business Administration and a minor in Risk Management.

Kim is also heavily involved with the Hong Kong Dragon Boat’s organizing committee since 2009. She has served as the Southeast Asian Team Coordinator to help facilitate a smooth practice and registration up to race day. Her array of teams from Laos to Cambodian brings vibrant chanting and drum beats to a different arena. Kim serves on the Board of Director for Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival and is currently the Entertainment Director.

Georgia Asian Times May 1-15, 2015

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25 Most Influential Asian Americans in Georgia Judge Meng Lim Superior Court Judge Tallapoosa Judical Court

Shandry Law Entreprenuer Farmer’s Basket Restaurant

Judge Lim’s family are Cambodian Chinese who escaped the genocides in Cambodia in early 1980s and have successfully resettled in Bremen, Georgia as refugees with the help of Jewish organization.

Shandry Law and her husband Goodwin Law, are both successful entrepreneurs in the restaurant industry. They are the founders and operators of the famous Farmer’s Basket Restaurant, a mall-based food court restaurant chain that serves great fresh Southern comfort food with retail stores located in major malls in Atlanta, including Lenox Square, Cumberland Mall, Perimeter Mall, Peachtree Center Mall, North Point Mall, Mall of Georgia, Southlake Mall, Town Center and Riverchase Galleria in Alabama.

Judge Lim graduated with a BA in History from Emory University and a law degree for Mercer University Law School in Macon.

After gaining experience by clerking with several prominent judges, Judge Lim opened his own law practice in 2000. He has also been serving as the county attorney for Haralson County for the past nine years.

been very good to me and my family.

I was taught the “Southern” values and I would like to give back to the community by serving the citizens of Tallapoosa Judicial Court.”

Judge Lim won the run off for the position of Superior Court Judge, Tallapoosa Judical Court. He became the first Asian American superior court judge in the State of Georgia.

“The people of this community have

Judge Carla Wong McMillian Appellate Judge Georgia Court of Appeals Judge Carla Wong McMillian was appointed to the Georgia Court of Appeals by Governor Nathan Deal, taking office on January 24, 2013. Born and raised in Augusta, Georgia, she is the first Asian Pacific American state appellate judge ever to be appointed in the Southeast. Upon her election in May 2014, Judge McMillian became the first Asian Pacific American to be elected to a statewide office in Georgia.

Judge McMillian has also served as the State Court Judge for Fayette County, a position to which she was appointed by Governor Sonny Perdue in 2010 and which she subsequently retained upon winning a contested election.

Before her appointment to the bench, Judge McMillian was a partner in the litigation group of Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP. Judge Mc-

munity organizations and is a Board Member in CCC (Chinese Community Center), CBAA (Chinese Business Association of Atlanta), Kwong Tung Association of Atlanta and the Chair of the Board of CACPG (Chinese American Cultural Performing Group).

Shandry Law is an active philanthrophist in the Chinese community in metro Atlanta and Georgia. She supports various Chinese Com-

Jenny Nguyen President, - Georgia Vietnamese American Chamber of Commerce - Georgia Vietnamese American Bar Association

Millian also has had the privilege of starting her legal career as a federal law clerk for the Honorable William C. O’Kelley of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.

Judge McMillian attended law school as a Woodruff Scholar at the University of Georgia School of Law. She also graduated with high honors from Duke University.

Jenny Nguyen was born in Vietnam and immigrated to the United States at the age of nine. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in real estate from Georgia State University.

Through hard work and dedication, she received both her Juris Doctorate and Master of Business Administration with Honors from St. Thomas University, a Catholic University in Miami, in just two and a half years.

During law school, she worked parttime as a research assistant for one of her professors.

Prior to co-founding Nguyen Stephen PC, she practices general law with an emphasis on deportation defense, real estate, business, and bankruptcy matters. She takes pride in her work as a zealous advocate for her clients in all areas of practice. In each and every case, she strives to

achieve the desired result as quickly as possible while providing high quality representation and maintaining the highest level of professionalism.

Jenny is currently the founding president of the Vietnamese American Bar Association of Georgia (VABA-GA) and president of the Georgia Vietnamese American Chamber of Commerce (GVACC).

She was named “Successful Vietnamese-American Woman” on Viet LifeStyles Magazine in early 2014.

She was a panelist on deportation/ removal at the annual conference held in 2014 in Orlando by the National Conference of Vietnamese American Attorneys (NCVAA).

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May 1-15, 2015 Georgia Asian Times

25 Most Influential Asian Americans in Georgia Chhoueng Nem President, Cambodia Town of Georgia

Amy Phuong Commissioner, Atlanta Parks & Recreation

Nem persistently strive to align his academic and professional endeavors for a life of exploration, immersion, and service. He attended Strayer University, focusing on International Business Administration, Economics, and Political Science.

Nem’s personal goal is to embrace the diverse and growing interests of young Cambodian-Americans while maintaining a rich awareness of Cambodian heritage. He hopes to see inter-generational bridges become stronger within the community and also to help nourish young people into strong community leaders.

Nem co-founded Cambodia Town of Georgia to empower Cambodian American entrepreneurs and businesses to foster economic development in their community. He is also instrumental in the passing of Cambodian American Heritage Day resolution by both Houses of chambers at the state Capitol on February 12, 2015.

Eleanor Mae Pascual President, Philippines American Chamber of Commerce of Georgia Eleanor Mae Pascual, a native of the Philippines, has been a Georgia resident for more than thirty-five years. She is employed as a paralegal with the Corporate Law Department of State Farm Insurance Companies in Atlanta. A familiar face in the Asian-American community, Eleanor is an active and tireless volunteer for AAPI causes, especially in outreach activities that positively impact the underserved and disadvantaged groups in her community.

Eleanor is a longtime active member of the Filipino-American Association of Greater Atlanta (Fil-Am), having served in several leadership roles and as its 2007 president. She began her involvement by sharing much of her time, talent, and resources in activities that promote and celebrate Filipino cultural heritage. She is a founding member and vocalist with the Kayumanggi Alliance for Culture and Performing Arts. A musician by avocation, she has served for many years in music ministry - as a soloist, choir member, organist/pianist, worship leader, and choral director.

Eleanor currently serves as president of the Philippine American Chamber of Commerce of Georgia, Inc. (PACCGA). She is also Community Affairs Director of Makabayan Georgia, Inc., a 501(c)(3) Filipino-American foundation, and a board member of the Philippine American Center of Georgia, Inc. (PACG).

Outside her own Filipino-American community, Eleanor serves on the board of various nonprofit organizations, including: Asian/Pacific American Council of Georgia (APAC) - Vice-President; Georgia Asian Pacific Islander Community Coalition (GAAPICC) - Steering Committee; Asian Cultural Experience in Georgia - Organizing Committee; and as a member of the Atlanta Council on International Relations (ACIR).

Amy Phuong, Commissioner of Parks and Recreation for the City of Atlanta, is one of Mayor Kasim Reed’s youngest Cabinet member, joining the Administration in 2010. Prior to her appointment, Amy served as Chief Service Officer for the City of Atlanta. For more than a decade, Amy has served as a leader of numerous civic and philanthropic organizations dedicated to improving Atlanta.

She has deep relationships with Atlanta’s arts, culture, civic and academic communities. Amy formerly worked as an Operations Manager at McMaster-Carr Supply Company, a supplier of over 480,000 products to industrial and commercial facilities. As a double-graduate of Georgia Tech, Amy received her Masters in Business Administration, with a concentration in Technology, and Bachelors of Science in International Affairs, with Honors, and a Minor in Economics. She also served as Student Body President in her senior undergraduate year.

Her current community volunteer activities include board positions with Dad’s Garage Theatre, The Children’s Museum of Atlanta, FLUX Projects, The Leadership Council for Woodruff Arts Center’s Arts for Learning, and Outstanding Atlanta (trustee). She is also a Partner of the Truman National Security Project and serves on the Georgia Statewide Afterschool Network Leadership Council. Previously, she has served on the Red Clay Democrats Board of Governors, the Southeastern Regional Advisory Board of the National Church Residences, the Quality of Life Advisory Committee for the Fort McPherson Redevelopment Project,

Keep Atlanta Beautiful Board, The United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta’s Cole Society Advisory Board, The Youth Channel Board (President), the Campaign for Atlanta, and the Georgia Teen Institute Youth Advisory Group.

In 2009, Amy was selected among ten individuals into Outstanding Atlanta for professional and civic accomplishments, and subsequently served as President and VP Selections of Outstanding Atlanta. She is a Class of 2009 graduate of LEAD Atlanta, and a 2012 graduate of the Annie E. Casey Foundation inaugural leadership program, “Atlanta Leaders for Results.” In 2013, she was one of 18 national participants on the “Albright Challenge” through M.I.T. Amy was honored with the 2013 Georgia’s Diversity Council’s “Most Powerful & Influential Women” Award, the 2012 “Rising Star” Award from the Young & Powerful for Obama Group, the 2011 Apex Society’s “Power 30 Under 30” Award, and the Secretary of State Award for “Excellence in Citizenship.”

Georgia Asian Times May 1-15, 2015

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25 Most Influential Asian Americans in Georgia Victor E. Romero Community volunteer, Filipino American Association of Greater Atlanta

Mimi Tan Co-founder, Indonesian Community Heritage Foundation

A long time resident in Atlanta, Vic is a man of quiet unassuming demeanor who does not call attention to himself but ever willing to help others.

Mimi Tan is a senior executive at AccuSentry, Inc., a technology company that delivers automatic inspection solutions with production intelligence to manufacturers worldwide. As Director of Business Operations, she is responsible for human resources, company policies, and operational metrics. Her roles have helped build a solid foundation for the company’s growth since 2006.

Working with the Fil-Am community every Christmas for over 30 years now, he led and taught Filipino Christmas carols, bringing the tradition of singing Filipino carols to homes yearly.

Attesting to his passion for helping young Filipino professionals establish themselves in Atlanta to live are the different batches of young engineers who come to work and live in Atlanta, eventually bringing their families with them.

He is an avid photographer, musician and writer. He is currently finishing a book on the history of the

Philippines.

Vic has previously served as President of APAC in 1993 and two terms as President of Filipino American Association of Greater Atlanta in 1992 and 2002.

Vic was honored with the Consular award in 2012. He was recognized as an outstanding Filipino community leader by the office of the Honorary Philippine Consul General in Atlanta.

Dr. P. Ravi Sharma Indian American Cultural Association

He is a Life member of IACA, Telugu Association of Metro Atlanta, (TAMA)

Mimi graduated from Georgia State University with a B.A. in Marketing and a M.Sc. in Management.

Jeong-Hwa Lee “June” Towery is a partner in Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP’s Atlanta office where she practices in the areas of corporate law, foreign investment, immigration, and international law.

From medicine to philanthropy and from education to arts, Dr. Ravi Sarma impact many lives in the community.

Dr. Sarma was Chairman of the Board of Directors of Indian American Cultural Association (IACA) in 1983, and editor of IACA magazine, Voice of India from 1987-1991. He served as President of the Hindu Temple of Atlanta in 2007-2008.

He is also working with organizing relief efforts for Bhutanese Refugee Families in the Atlanta area.

Mimi is also active in the Indonesian community. She co-founded the Indonesian Community Heritage Foundation (ICHF), a 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to promote Indonesian culture while maintaining racial harmony and cultivate the

June Towery Partner, Nelson, Mullins, Riley & Scarborough LLP

Dr. Ravi Sarma is a hematologist / oncologist based in Snellville, Georgia. Dr. Sarma is a cancer specialist trained in blood disorders and the medical treatment of malignancies.

He also started the Indian American scholarship fund (IASF), assisting students with scholarships.

Prior to joining AccuSentry, she spent twelve years at Delta Air Lines as a Senior Analyst working to develop and implement international corporate rewards programs.

community through various forms of education. She is currently active in Indonesian Diaspora Network (IDN) as a liaison, serving to facilitate communication between IDN-GA and IDN-USA and IDN-Global. IDN’s mission is to connect Indonesian communities worldwide in order to empower them to implement concrete initiatives. In addition, she supports Indonesian American Chambers of Commerce (IACC) and Indonesian Community Church (ICC).

and Georgia Association of Physicians of Indian origin (GAPI). He was founder member of GASCO, the state medical oncology society. Member of MAG, the state physicians’ organization, Member of ASCO, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Fellow, the American College of Physicians, FACP. Ravi has played a big role in humanitarian efforts to help Bhutanese refugees settle down in Atlanta, Georgia.

A native of Korea, Ms. Towery came to the U.S. at age 21, where she began her professional career as a schoolteacher. She earned her Juris Doctor at the University of Georgia and has established a legal career assisting Korean companies locate and operate in the U.S. She is often the first person Korean companies consult when they are considering U.S. locations.

She is immediate past president of the Korea-Southeast U.S. Chamber of Commerce and a former

founding president of the Korean American Bar Association of Georgia.

She serves on the boards of Gwinnett Place Community Improvement District, Sisters by Choice, Council of Korean Americans, and International Association of Korean Lawyers. She is passionate about mentoring minority professionals.

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May 1-15, 2015 Georgia Asian Times

25 Most Influential Asian Americans in Georgia Ben Vo Co-owner Hong Kong Supermarket

Duong Vo Vice President Georgia Vietnamese American Chamber of Commerce (GVACC)

Ben is co-owner of Hong Kong Supermarket, the largest Asian supermarket in Norcross, Georgia. Hong Kong Supermarket offer premier quality groceries and has been serving the Atlanta communities for several years.

He graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles. From the first experience with grocery store management in 1978 at Safeway, Inc. to the corporate world at IBM Corporation in 1984 to brokering commercial real estate to purchasing multiple grocery stores in 2006, Ben Vo has done it all.

Today, Ben is responsible for the daily operations for Hong Kong Supermarket. He is cur-

rently developing a second grocery supermarket, City Farmers Market located at 5000 Buford Hwy., Chamblee, Georgia. Grand opening is scheduled for the Summer of 2015.

In addition, he is also managing partner of Millennium Partners Investment Group, LLC., a real estate investment and management company in Atlanta, Georgia.

Hong Wills Division General Counsel Global Payments Inc. Hong S. Wills is Division General Counsel at Global Payments Inc., a Fortune 1000 Company headquartered in Atlanta, a leading worldwide provider of payment technology services with merchants and partners in 29 countries. As Division General Counsel, Hong advises the company’s Asia-Pacific businesses and subsidiaries in 13 countries.

During law school, she served as President of the Immigrant Assistant Project, a law school student organization. She served as a member of the board of directors of the Georgia Asian Pacific American Bar Association for over 10 years from 2003 to 2014. She has been serving as a member of the board of directors of the National Association of Chinese Americans (NACA) since 2005 and was the President of NACA during the 2013-2014 term. She also served as a director of the Association of Chinese Professionals from 2003 to 2007.

She was a member of L.E.A.D. Atlanta Class of 2006. She was also a

Duong Vo was involved in social work since 2006 to the position of vice-president of Quang Nam Da Nang Organization. After two years, he became council president of Quang Nam Da Nang Organization and served for four years with high devotion, and brings positive results as well as a significant achievement for the association and its members.

He is also a Sunday school teacher at Gainesville First Baptist church and active in the social sphere as well as religion.

Duong graduated from four years of college with a degree in Computer networking, but he decided to go into the insurance industry as it present opportunities to help others. He is founder and owner of Duong Vo Agency Insurance –American Family Insurance branch located in Duluth, Georgia.

Currently he is a vice-president of Georgia Vietnamese American Chamber of Commerce; he is also a third-year student of Theology at the University of Tennessee Temple.

Duong is actively engaged to promote the engagement of Vietnamese community in the local community especially in the cultural, political, and economic development area. He is also the current Vice Chair of the Vietnamese American Leadership Summit - a conference to promote Vietnamese youth leadership and future generation leaders.

Lani Wong Chair National Association of Chinese Americans (NACA)

member of the Georgia Association for Corporate Growth and served on the Georgia Fast 40 Committee for 2013 and 2014.

She received her Master’s Degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology and was a member of the National Gamma Beta Phi Honor Society as a result of her academic achievement.

She earned her J.D. degree with honors from Emory University School of Law and is a member of the Order of the Coif (an honorary scholastic society recognizing those who have attained a high grade of scholarship), graduating in the top 10% of her law school class.

Lani is a recognized community leader at the local, national, and international level. She has been at the forefront of community service and community leadership for over 30 years.

Lani is a true pioneer in her vision and foresight in promoting U.S.-China relations, excellence in education, participation of Asian Americans in the American political process, and the importance of charitable organizations to serve the greater needs of the community.

Currently, she serves as Secretary on the DeKalb County Economic Development Authority and serves as a member on the Delta Air Lines Global Diversity Alliance Board of Directors, Georgia Perimeter College Foundation’s Board of Trustees, the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Com-

merce Global Business Council; the Atlanta Women’s Foundation Board of Directors; and is a Charter Board of Directors for the Georgia Women’s Institute. She also served on Public Broadcasting of Atlanta Board of Directors.

Lani has served on Mayor Kasim Reed’s Transition Team, on the Leadership Atlanta Foundation Board of Trustee for the past 4 years, she serve as a member of the Coca-Cola Scholars National Selection Committee for 3 years, a Trustee on the Saint Joseph Hospital Health System Board for 4 years, and a member of the Presidential Search Committee for the new President of Georgia Perimeter College.

Georgia Asian Times May 1-15, 2015

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ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH About Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month May is Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month – a celebration of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. A rather broad term, Asian-Pacific encompasses all of the Asian continent and the Pacific islands of Melanesia (New Guinea, New Caledonia, Vanuatu,

Fiji and the Solomon Islands), Micronesia (Marianas, Guam, Wake Island, Palau, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru and the Federated States of Micronesia) and Polynesia (New Zealand, Hawaiian Islands, Rotuma, Midway Islands, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Cook Islands, French Polynesia and Easter Island).

Like most commemorative months, Asian-Pacific Heritage Month originated in a congressional bill. In June 1977, Reps.

Frank Horton of New York and Norman Y. Mineta of California

introduced a House resolution that called upon the president to proclaim the first ten days of May as Asian-Pacific Heritage Week.

The following month, senators Daniel Inouye and Spark Matsunaga introduced a similar bill in the Senate. Both were passed.

On October 5, 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed a Joint Resolution designating the annual celebration. Twelve years later, President George H.W. Bush signed an extension making the week-long celebration into a month-long celebration.

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In 1992, the official designation of May as Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month was signed into law.

The month of May was chosen to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States on May 7, 1843, and to mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. The majority of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants.

Y E A R S O F S E R V I C E T O G E O R G I A A S I A N A M E R I C A N C O M M U N I T Y

Saturday, May 2nd, 2015 S O N E S TA G W I N N E T T P L A C E AT L A N TA 1775 Pleasant Hill Rd, Duluth GA 30096

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

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May 1-15, 2015 Georgia Asian Times

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30th Annual Unity Gala - Asian Pacific American Council of Georgia Date: Saturday, May 2, 2015 Time: 6:00 pm Venue: Sonesta Gwinnett Place For more info: www.apacga.org

Mekong Masquerade Unveiling the Past / 10th annual LAS Gala Organized by Laotian American Society Date: Saturday, July 18, 2015 Time: 6:00 pm For more info: www.lasga.org

GAPABA 2nd Annual Gala Date: Thursday, May 14, 2015 Time: 6:00 pm Venue: Fernbank Museum of Natural History For more info: www.gapaba.org/gala

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

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

20th Annivesary Hong Kong Dragon Boat-Atlanta Date: Saturday, Sept 12, 2015 Time: 7:00 am - 6:00 pm Venue: Clarks Bridge Olympic Venue, Gainesville, Georgia For info: dragonboatatlanta.com

Georgia Asian Times May 1-15, 2015

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month How are you celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage Month?

What does APA heritage month mean to you? Asians and Pacific Islanders in America are a complex group of people, including Georgia and the Southeast. Although many of us are from the continent of Asia and its surrounding islands, we come from all over the U.S. and the world. Indeed many of our younger generations are born in the United States.

We come from diverse circumstances. Some arrived as refugees.

Some immigrated after receiving the best education and training from world-class universities. Many arrived poor. Most struggled mightily. Not just with our livelihood— but with the language, culture and traditions of this country.

For me, one of the most memorable experiences as a child was watching my parents learning how to drive an automobile and passing their English written and road tests.

It pains me just to think about it.

There is no question that our parents sacrificed much for us and for them to have the opportunities we have today.

And, what an opportunity we all have by being in America and being Americans.

It amazes me what Asians and Pacific Islanders in Georgia have done in just a few decades. We certainly have a rich culture, history and traditions of our own while we adapt and assimilate into our new home here in America.

I hope we all take a moment to reflect on our heritage and to be thankful for the freedom and opportunity we have in Georgia and in the U.S. As always, freedom is not free.

Not only have all of us struggled and sacrificed in America, our soldiers and military personnel have sacrificed their lives for us to have the opportunities we have. It is fitting that Memorial Day and Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month are both in May. I encourage all of us to show our pride and appreciation by committing to vote in every election and teach our children, families and friends to do the same.

-- Honorable Judge Meng Lim, Superior Court Judge of Tallapoosa Judicial Court.

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May 1-15, 2015 Georgia Asian Times

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Asian American First ...

Asian-American Firsts in Georgia Georgia Court of Appeals: Carla Wong McMillian, taking office on January 2013. She is the first Asian American state appellate judge ever to be appointed and re-elected in the Southeast.

Superior Court: Meng Lim, first Cambodian-American elected Superior Court judge in Georgia. He was elected in November 2014 and serving the Tallapoosa Judicial Court.

DeKalb County Judge: Alvin T. Wong was elected Judge of the State Court of DeKalb County, Georgia’s third largest county, in 1998. He was the first Asian Pacific American to run for public office in metro Atlanta and is the first APA to be elected judge in the Southeast.

Atlanta City Council: Alex Wan, is the first Asian American member of the Atlanta City Council, elected to the position for District 6 in November 2009.

Morrow City Council: Hang Tran, first Vietnamese-American elected to office in the state of Georgia.

President of University: Dr. Beheruz N. Sethna, first Indian American to head a major university in the United States and the first Asian American to head up a major education institution in Georgia. He officially retires as President of University of West Georgia on June 30, 2013 after 19 years of service.

State House Representative: BJ Pak, elected as Georgia House District 108 representative on November 2010. He is the first Asian American Republican elected to any State Legislature in the Southeastern United States.

Asian-American Firsts: Government U.S. representative: Dalip Singh Saund, 1956, representative from California.

The first female Asian American elected to Congress was Patsy Takemoto Mink, elected in 1964 as a representative from Hawaii.

U.S. senator: Hiram Fong, 1959, one of Hawaii’s first two senators.

U.S. female senator: Mazie Hirono,2013, was elected to the U.S. Senate from Hawaii, making her the first Asian American female senator. Also the country’s first Asian-American woman elected to the Senate. In addition, she’s the first U.S. senator born in Japan-and the second woman of color to serve in the Senate.

Federal court judge: Herbert Choy, 1971, appointed to the U.S. court of appeals for the ninth circuit.

U.S. ambassador: Julia Chang Bloch, 1989, appointed ambassador to the Kingdom of Nepal.

State legislator: Wing F. Ong, 1946, elected to the Arizona House of Representatives.

Governor: George R. Ariyoshi, 1974, governor of Hawaii. The first on the mainland was Gary Locke, elected governor of Washington in 1996.

Mayor of a major U.S. city: Norman Yoshio Mineta, 1971, in San Jose, California.

Member of presidential cabinet: Norman Yoshio Mineta, 2000, appointed secretary of commerce. In 2001, he became the first cabinet member to switch directly from a Democratic to Republican cabinet—becoming secretary of transportation—and the only Democrat in George W. Bush’s cabinet. The first female Asian-American cabinet member was Elaine Chao, appointed secretary of labor in 2001.

Vietnamese-American member of Congress: Anh Cao won a special election for a seat in the House of Representatives, representing New Orleans, Louisiana, in December 2008.

Asian-American Firsts: Aviation Female aviator: Katherine Sui Fun Cheung, licensed in 1932.

Astronaut (in space): Ellison Onizuka, first spaceflight in 1985. Died in the 1986 Challenger disaster.

Asian-American Firsts: Science and Medicine Isolated epinephrine (adrenaline) from the suprarenal gland: Jokichi Takamine, 1901.

Invented pulse transfer controlling device leading to magnetic core memory: An Wang, 1949.

Cloned the AIDS virus: Flossie Wong-Staal, 1984.

Asian-American Firsts: Film and Television Movie star: Anna May Wong, who starred in the 1921 film Bits of Life and many other movies.

Academy Award winner: Haing Ngor, Best Supporting Actor of 1984 for his role in The Killing Fields Host of own network TV series: Anna May Wong, 1951, The Gallery of Madame Liu Tsong Star of own network sitcom: Pat Morita, 1976, Mr. T and Tina Asian-American Firsts: News Reporting First network news reporters: Ken Kashiwahara and Connie Chung, 1974.

In 1993, Chung became the first Asian American to be a nightly news anchor for a major network (CBS).

First anchor of a national radio program: Emil Guillermo, 1989, host of NPR’s All Things Considered.

Asian-American Firsts: Other First to command a combat battalion: Young Oak Kim, of the 100th Infantry Battalion, 1943.

First selected in the first round of NFL draft: Eugene Chung, 1992, selected by New England.

Georgia Asian Times May 1-15, 2015

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METRO ASIAN NEWS

Indonesia’s new Consul General paid his first official visit to Atlanta Atlanta, April 17, 2015 — Indonesian new Consul General’s Honorable Henk E. Saroinsong was in town for his first official visit to Atlanta. Consul General Saroinsong met with local Indonesian diaspora and community leaders, state officials, and Indonesian students at Georgia Institute of Technology.

Consul General Saroinsong started his posting assignment on October 16, 2014 in Houston when he arrived from Jakarta. His previous role was the Director of Senior Diplomatic Training, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia. Consul General Saroinsong is a senior diplomat having served in overseas postings in Mindanao, Philippines, Perth, Western Australia, Sophia, Bulgaria, and The Hague, Netherlands.

“Georgia is an important state in our jurisdiction. It has over 7,000 Indonesians living in this state — and our mission is to provide them with good consular services,” said Consul General Saroinsong.

The Consulate General of Republic of Indonesia in Houston has jurisdiction covering ten states including Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Florida, and Georgia and two U.S. self governing commonwealths, U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

“In addition to consular services, our mission is also to promote economic, diplomatic, trade, and tourism along with increasing social and cultural understanding between the U.S. states and Indonesia.”

“Since the inauguration of President Joko Widodo, the Indonesian government is working hard to uplift the ‘peoples’ economy, protecting Indonesian maritime and borders,” adds Consul General Saroinsong.

During his tenure in Houston, Consul General Saroinsong also plan to work with U.S. multinational corporations to raise their graduate scholarship offerings to Indonesian students studying in U.S. “Indonesia is investing heavily in the ‘creative industries’. We need talents and creative manpower. We want more Indonesian graduate students to head to U.S. for their post graduate studies,” adds Consul General Saroinsong.

During his brief visit to Atlanta, Consul General Saroinsong attended a “meet and greet” reception in his honor

by Indonesians students at Georgia Tech.

“I am encouraged by the enthusiasm of Indonesian diaspora in Atlanta and I hope to visit here regularly to be better connected with the people,” said Consul General.

Carter Center to Host Major U.S.- China Meeting Atlanta, April 21, 2015 — The Carter Center today announced plans for a major forum May 6 and 7 on China’s wide-ranging domestic and international reforms and their implications for U.S.-China relations.

Carter_CenterThe Atlanta symposium, which is open to the public and the press, is the sixth in the “World Forum on China Studies” series and the first to be held outside of China.

The Carter Center and the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences are co-organizers of the program.

More than 30 respected Chinese and American scholars and policy researchers will exchange views on China’s current reforms and future prospects in the political, economic, social, international affairs, and cultural sectors.

U.S.-China relations will figure prominently in the exchanges. Renowned Chinese international economist Justin Yifu Lin and veteran diplomat Zhaoxing Li, who served as Beijing’s ambassador to Washington and as China’s foreign minister, will offer special addresses at the meeting.

On the U.S. side, influential U.S.-China analysts David M. Lampton of the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and Douglas Paal of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace will provide solo presentations.

Ambassador (Ret.) Mary Ann Peters, CEO of The Carter Center, and Madame Cui Yuying, vice minister of China’s State Council Information Office, will offer welcoming remarks.

“At the heart of the Carter Center’s China Program is the constant exploration of our shared concerns, acknowledged differences, and the intellectual foundations of our nations’ policies,” Peters said. “We are delighted to cooperate with our friends at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences to bring this impressive roster of thinkers and policy advisors together at the Center to continue that vital discussion.”

Forum details, including a detailed agenda, are available at http://forums.uscnpm.org/.

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May 1-15, 2015 Georgia Asian Times

BUSINESS

Top U.S. chicken producer to stop antibiotic use New York, April 29, 2015 – The largest chicken producer in the United States said Tuesday that it planned to stop giving its birds the same antibiotics doctors use to treat sick patients.

Tyson Foods said it aimed to stop using human antibiotics in its flocks by 2017.

The move came in response to the statements of health experts and consumer advocates that the practice is contributing to the growing number of antibiotic-resistant infections.

For decades, farmers have fed livestock small, regular doses of antibiotics. The drugs help the animals grow faster, and they prevent illness in confined flocks and herds.

But bacteria living in and on the animals eventually become immune to the antibiotics. And resistant bacteria can find their way into people, making infections harder, more expensive or even impossible to treat.

The meat industry has long downplayed the contribution it may be making to the problem. But in a statement announcing the company’s decision, Tyson President and CEO Donnie Smith took ownership of the issue.

“We want to do our part to responsibly reduce human antibiotics on the farm so these medicines can continue working when they’re needed to treat illness,” he said.

Tyson is the latest chicken producer to announce it will scale back antibiotic use. The second-largest producer, Pilgrim’s Pride, said it would aim to make a quarter of its flock antibiotic-free by 2019. Perdue, the No. 3 company, said 95 percent of its birds never receive antibiotics.

“This is a tipping point for the industry,” said Sasha Stashwick, a food policy analyst with the National Resources Defense Council, an envi-

ronmental group. “When we do the math, we’re seeing that over a third of the industry at this point either has eliminated the use of medically important antibiotics in its production or has made a public commitment to do so within the next few years.”

Tyson said it planned to reduce antibiotic use in its global chicken operations but has not set a timeframe.

The company does business in some 130 countries.

It also said it intended to consider reducing antibiotic use in its cattle, hogs and turkeys.

While antibiotic use in livestock is losing favor in the U.S. and Europe, it is expected to grow in the developing world. As demand for meat increases and production practices intensify, farmers worldwide will use twothirds more antibiotics by 2030 than they did in 2010, according to recent research.

But the announcement from Tyson “sends a very strong signal that it is possible to produce chicken at large scale without using antibiotics that are medically important in humans,”

said study co-author Ramanan Laxminarayan, director of the Washington-based Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy.

Laxminarayan said in countries that are fairly new to large-scale production, antibiotics can help farmers bring their chickens to market about 15 percent faster.

“That’s not trivial,” he added. “It certainly can be a make-or-break situation for many producers.”

But cleaner living conditions and better nutrition can practically wipe out that advantage, he said.

Producers are unlikely to make changes without the pressure from consumers that drove changes in the U.S., Laxminarayan noted.

Just a few years ago, U.S. consumers “were not aware of the scale at which antibiotics were being used in their meat,” he said. “And today, consumers really know this, and they’re able to mentally connect the link with that use to resistant pathogens that keep their loved ones in hospitals for longer.”

Georgia Asian Times May 1-15, 2015

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LIFESTYLE

Apple Watch goes on sale worldwide San Francisco, April 24, 2015 — The Apple Watch goes on sale around the world today, the final stage of a protracted launch of Apple Inc Chief Executive Tim Cook’s first new product, capping months of publicity and a frenetic two weeks of pre-orders.

Buyers can take the smart watch home from a handful of upscale boutiques and department stores, such as The Corner in Berlin, Maxfield in Los Angeles and Dover Street Market in Tokyo and London, which Apple courted to help position the watch as a fashion item.

But the watch will not be sold at Apple stores today. The company is directing people to order online, which should prevent the lines around stores that generally greet new iPhone and iPad launches.

The lack of queues at Apple stores will make it hard to judge popular demand for the Apple Watch, which comes in 38 variations with prices ranging from US$349 for the Sport version to US$10,000 and more for the gold Edition.

Apple has not released any numbers since it opened for pre-orders on April 10, but many buyers were told their

watches would not arrive for a month or more as supply appeared to dry up.

Wall Street estimates of Apple Watch sales vary widely. FBR Capital Markets analyst Daniel Ives raised his sales estimate this week to 20 million watches from 17 million, based in part on online order backlogs.

“There was a question over whether the trajectory and demand for wearables in the Apple ecosystem was there and real,” said Ives. “But it’s a resounding yes.”

NEW YORK, April 30 — “Furious 7” director James Wan is reportedly close to closing a deal with Sony Pictures to direct its next blockbuster, “Robotech.”

Wan, whose star has been on the rise lately, is in early discussions with Sony Pictures to direct “Robotech,” the feature adaptation of the 1980s anime series, according to Deadline.

Gianni Nunnari and Mark Canton are producing the project, which takes us forward to a time on Earth when

technology found on an alien spacecraft must be used by mankind to fend off a series of alien attacks.

Wan’s latest directorial offering — “Furious 7,” starring Vin Diesel and the late Paul Walker — has grossed US$1.3 billion so far in the worldwide box office, and he is also apparently wanted for other projects including DC Comics’ “Aquaman” and the next installment in the Furious franchise.

Apple itself said on Wednesday that some customers will get watches faster than promised.

“Our team is working to fill orders as quickly as possible based on the available supply and the order in which they were received,” Apple said in a statement.

The Cupertino, California company previously predicted that demand would exceed supply at product launch.

— Reuters

James Wan is scheduled to direct the next Robotech movie.

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May 1-15, 2015 Georgia Asian Times

HEALTH Mother’s weight during pregnancy may result in childhood diabetes Stockholm, April 28, 2015 — Women who are obese while pregnant may put their offspring at risk of childhood diabetes, a condition that requires lifelong insulin therapy, Swedish researchers said today.

study.

A study of more than 1.2 million children born in Sweden between 1992 and 2004 and monitored for several years, found a 33-per cent higher risk for the disease among children whose mothers were obese during the first trimester of pregnancy, but were not diabetic themselves.

Obesity, too, is soaring, having more than doubled worldwide since 1980. By 2014, more than 1.9 billion adults were overweight, of whom 600 million were obese, according to the World Health Organisation.

“Maternal overweight and obesity in early pregnancy were associated with increased risk of type 1 diabetes in the offspring of parents without diabetes,” a team wrote in Diabetologia, the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes.

The highest risk was still for children of parents who had diabetes themselves, the study found.

People with a BMI (body weight index, a ratio of weight to height) of 25 and higher are classified overweight, and 30 and over obese.

There was no additional risk for children of mothers who were obese on top of having diabetes.

Over 5,700 children from the study group were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes by 2009.

Type 1 diabetes is usually found in children and young people — a chronic

condition caused when the pancreas does not produce insulin to control blood sugar levels. It requires lifelong insulin treatment, and constitutes about 10 per cent of all diabetes cases — though the number is growing.

Type 2 diabetes is much more common than type 1, and is believed to be caused by lifestyle factors, and controlled through healthy diet, exercise and medication.

“Prevention of overweight and obesity in women of reproductive age may contribute to a decreased incidence of type 1 diabetes,” the study concluded.

And the increase “may partly be explained by increasing prevalence of maternal overweight/obesity,” said the

MRI imaging study show babies feel pain similar to adults London, April 21, 2015 — The brains of babies “light up” in a similar way to adults when exposed to the same painful stimulus, suggesting they feel pain much like adults do, researchers said today.

In the first of its kind study using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), scientists from Britain’s Oxford University found that 18 of the 20 brain regions active in adults experiencing pain were also active in babies.

Brain scans of the sleeping infants while they were subjected to mild pokes on the bottom of their feet with a special rod—creating a sensation “like being poked with a pencil”—also

showed their brains had the same response to a slighter “poke” as adults did to a stimulus four times as strong, suggesting babies have a much lower pain threshold.

“Obviously babies can’t tell us about their experience of pain and it is difficult to infer pain from visual observations,” said Rebeccah Slater, a doctor at Oxford’s paediatrics department who led the study.

“In fact some people have argued that babies’ brains are not developed enough for them to really feel pain… (yet) our study provides the first really strong evidence this is not the case.”

Even as recently as the 1980s it was common practice for babies undergoing surgery to be given neuromuscular blocks but no pain relief medication.

Last year, a review of neonatal pain management in intensive care found that although these babies experience an average of 11 painful procedures per day, 60 per cent do not receive any kind of pain medication.

“Our study suggests that not only do babies experience pain but they may be more sensitive to it than adults,” Slater said. “If we would provide pain relief for an older child undergoing a procedure, then we should look at giving pain relief to an infant.”

The research looked at 10 healthy babies aged between one and six days and 10 healthy adults aged 23 to 36. During the study the babies, accompanied by their parents and by doctors, were put in an MRI scanner where most of them fell asleep.

MRI brain scans were then taken as the babies were poked on the bottom of their feet, and compared with scans of adults exposed to the same stimulus. The findings were published in the journal eLife

Georgia Asian Times May 1-15, 2015

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SPORTS India considers becoming Olympics host New Delhi, April 28 , 2015— India is serious about hosting an Olympics but is not planning a late bid for the 2024 Summer Games, International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach said yesterday.

He is seriously looking into an Olympic candidature but wants to have this well-prepared,” Bach said on his first visit to India since becoming the IOC president.

The German’s meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi fuelled speculation about a possible Indian bid for the 2024 Games.

“He also considers that building such a successful candidature from now to Sept. 15 is maybe a little bit difficult. So we will stay in contact for the future but for 2024, we share the same opinion.”

“We were aware of this speculation and quite frankly, we were a little bit surprised because, for different reasons, we think it maybe a little bit too quick now for India to have a successful Olympic Games in 2024,” Bach told reporters.

Boston, Hamburg and Rome have launched bids for the 2024 Games while Paris is expected to join them before the mid-September deadline.

The host City will be selected in 2017.

“We were very happy to see the Prime Minister is sharing the opinion.

Three-times host of the 50-over cricket World Cup, India staged the Asian Games in 1951 and 1982 in New Delhi.

The Indian capital also hosted the 2010 Commonwealth Games, which was marred by charges of corruption and construction delays.

Bach said he and Modi agreed India should now focus on their athletes performing better in Olympics.

“India is a sleeping giant and we were then at length discussing how we can wake up this sleeping giant.

“We are more than happy to assist because we think that 1.2 billion people with about 80 million young people have a huge potential, not only in sports but in particular in sports. India could be a powerhouse in sports.”

Once a hockey powerhouse who won the event in eight summer Games, cricket-mad India remains an Olympic under-achiever and had to wait until 2008 for its first individual gold medal.

“Sought @Olympics President Mr. Bach’s support in making India a hub for sports infrastructure & technology,” Modi tweeted.

Barcelona vs Bayern Munich & Real Madrid vs Juventus for Champions Leagues semis London, April 24, 2015 – Barcelona will have the chance to avenge their 2013 humbling by Bayern Munich after being paired with the Germans again in the Champions League semi-final draw on Friday which also pitted holders Real Madrid against Juventus.

Bayern thrashed Barcelona 7-0 on aggregate two years ago before going on to beat Borussia Dortmund to win their fifth European Cup. Former Barca coach Pep Guardiola was on a year’s sabbatical at the time but will doubtless enjoy the challenge of trying to repeat that achievement on his first return to the Nou Camp since taking over at Bayern.

Bayern, who play the second leg at home, will go into the tie on a high after their 6-1 quarter-final second-leg demolition of Porto but Barcelona were similarly impressive in dispatching a powerful Paris St Germain side 5-1 on aggregate.

“On Tuesday we played one of the best halfs in the history of the Champions League (when they scored five against Porto to wipe out a 3-1 first-leg deficit),” said Paul Breitner, Bayern’s representative at the draw.

“We have to do that over the entire two games against Barcelona.”

Jordi Mestre, Barcelona vice-pres-

ident, said: “Guardiola obviously knows us well but we also know him and his way of playing, while Luis Enrique and Guardiola know each other very well and it is another element to the game.”

Real, seeking a record-extending 11th title, will be at home in the second leg against a Juventus side making their first appearance in the semis since 2003 when they beat the Spaniards en route to losing the final to AC Milan on penalties.

Juventus are flying on all fronts as they are firmly on course to win the Serie A title and have reached the Italian Cup final.

“It will be a very tough semi,” former Real striker and current club ambassador Emilio Butragueno said of the repeat of the 1998 final in Amsterdam which Real won 1-0.

“Congratulations to Juventus and it will be an honor for Madrid as well. If we get some players back from injury it will be better but it will be a tough semi-final nevertheless.”

The semi-finals will take place on May 5/6 and 12/13 with the final in Berlin on June 6.