Covering The Multicultural Asian American Community in Georgia
www.gasiantimes.com
May 15-31, 2016
Asian entrepreneurs living their dreams with craft beer venture
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May 15-31, 2016 Georgia Asian Times
Georgia Asian Times May 15-31, 2016
Publisher: Li Wong Account Manager: Adrian West Contributors: Andrian Putra, May Lee, Mark Ho, Helen Nguyen Photographer: Ben Hioe
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GAT Calendar of Events GAT welcome submission of announcement pertaining to community related events. Please email event, date, venue, and time to gat@gasiantimes.com. GAT does not guarantee insertion of event announcement and has the right to deny any posting.
“CelebrAsian 2016” USPAACC National Procurement Conference Date: May 31, 2016 Venue: Hyatt Regency Atlanta For more info: www.celebrasianconference.com “Think Asia, Think Hong Kong” Guest Speaker: Ralph Chow, Regional Director, Americas of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council Presented by Hong Kong Association, Atlanta Date: June 1, 2016 Time: 3:30 pm - 6:15 pm Venue: City Club of Buckhead, 3343 Peachtree Road, Suite 1850, Atlanta GA 30326 For more info: www.hongkongatlanta. com RSVP required by May 25, 2016 GAT 25 Most Influential Asian Americans in Georgia - Awards Gala Date: Tuesday, July 12, 2016
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Time: 6:30 pm Venue: Sonesta Gwinnett Place For sponsorship & registration, please email: gat@gasiantimes.com 21st Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival Date: Saturday, Sept 10, 2016 Time: 7:00 am-6:00 pm Venue: Lake Laneir Olympic Kayak Facility, Gainesville For more info: dragonboatatlanta.com 12th Atlanta Asian Film Festival Date: Oct 7-22, 2016 Venues: KSU, GPC Dunwoody, UWG, Plaza Theatre For more info: atlaff.org
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May 15-31, 2016 Georgia Asian Times
METRO ASIAN NEWS Bonnie Youn sentenced to probation in immigration fraud case Atlanta, May 3, 2016 — Bonnie Monique Youn has been sentenced to two years on probation for her role in submitting a false application to adjust status on behalf of a Korean citizen to the Citizenship and Immigration Services. Youn is an immigration attorney and has a thorough familiarity with immigration rules yet she advised an alien to fraudulently file an application with immigration services claiming to be employed by an entity she controlled,” said U. S. Attorney John Horn. “Her sentence and prohibition to practice law for two years are appropriate punishment for submitting false information to United States Immigration authorities.”
President Dan Papp to retire from Kennesaw State University effective June 30 Kennesaw, May 10, 2016 — President Dan Papp of Kennesaw State University announced his retirement from Kennesaw State University effective June 30 in a memo to the staff at the university. ksu.campus1President Papp has served as President for the pat 10 years and has been with the University System of Georgia for 43 years. Under his tenure, Kennesaw State University was recognized as a doctoral university in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Learning. He also oversaw the successful merger with Southern Polytechnic State University.
Kennesaw State University currently has an enrollment of over 33,000 students. The university also undergone physical transformation with the addition of multi-million dollar state of the art buildings on campus.
“Immigration fraud presents a serious threat to the national security of our country,” said Special Agent in Charge of ICE Homeland Security Investigations Atlanta Nick S. Annan. “Illegal schemes like this not only undermine the integrity of our nation’s legal immigration system, but they create potential security vulnerabilities while also cheating deserving immigrants of benefits they rightfully deserve.” According to U.S. Attorney Horn, the charges and other information presented in court: Youn filed an application to adjust status based upon employment on behalf of her client, C.O.M.P. The application stated that C.O.M.P. worked for the Asian American Educational Foundation of Georgia (AAEFG) as an accountant in 2006-07 and again in 2010. The application included wage and tax and payroll records that would appear to support the representation that C.O.M.P. had worked for AAEFG. In September 2011, federal agents interviewed C.O.M.P. at the hair products business that she and her husband ran near Baton Rouge, Louisiana. C.O.M.P. initially told the agents that she worked for AAEFG in
2006-07 and 2010. As the interview progressed, however, the agents noticed that C.O.M.P., who was standing behind a counter, appeared to be looking down at something before she would answer their questions. When confronted, C.O.M.P. admitted that she was referring to notes that Youn and Youn’s paralegal helped her prepare in the event that she was interviewed by federal agents about her alleged employment at AAEFG. C.O.M.P. admitted that she never worked for AAEFG and that she never lived in Georgia. She also admitted that she would send money to AAEFG and that AAEFG would in turn send her payroll checks. The false payroll scheme involving C.O.M.P. began when AAEFG was controlled by Youn. Youn instructed C.O.M.P. to obtain a Georgia driver’s license to use as proof of her residency in the state during the time that she allegedly worked for AAEFG. Although C.O.M.P. never lived in Georgia, she obtained the state driver’s license with the intent to use it to prove that she lived in Georgia and worked at AAEFG in the event she was ever questioned about her alleged employment at AAEFG. Bonnie Monique Youn, 46, of Tucker, Georgia, was sentenced to two years on probation by U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg, and was ordered to pay a $5,245 fine. Pursuant to her plea agreement with the United States, Youn closed her law office on March 31, 2016. As part of her sentence, Youn is prohibited from practicing law until April 1, 2018. Youn pleaded guilty on Jan. 20, 2016, to a negotiated plea. This case was investigated by Special Agents with Homeland Security Investigations and the Office of the Inspector General for the United States Department of Labor.
Georgia Asian Times May 15-31, 2016
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BUSINESS
Apple invests $1 billion in Chinese ride-hailing service Didi Chuxing Beijing, May 13, 2016 — Apple Inc said on Thursday it has invested $1 billion in Chinese ride-hailing service Didi Chuxing, a move that Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook said would help the company better understand the critical Chinese market. The tech giant’s rare investment gives it a stake in two burgeoning waves of technology – the sharing economy and car technology – as the iPhone business that propelled it to record profitability shows signs of maturing. Apple is trying to reinvigorate sales in China, where it has come under greater pressure from regulators, and Cook is traveling to the country this month. The move aligns Apple with Uber Technologies Inc’s chief rival in China, as automakers and technology companies forge new alliances and make cross investments. General Motors, for example, recently bought autonomous driving technology company Cruise Automation and has also taken a stake in U.S. ride-sharing company Lyft.
Didi Chuxing, formerly known as Didi Kuaidi, said in a statement that this was the single largest investment it has ever received. The company, which previously raised several billion dollars, dominates the ride-sharing market in China. The company said it completes more than 11 million rides a day, with more than 87 percent of the market for private car-hailing in China. Though Didi Chuxing is valued at upwards of $20 billion, according to a person familiar with its ongoing funding round, the company has been losing billions in a costly battle with Uber for market share in China. “CONFIDENCE IN CHINA” Analysts say the deal offers a glimpse of how Apple may diversify its business as sales of the iPhone level off. Apple has emphasized its burgeoning revenue from services such as Apple Music and mobile payment Apple Pay, a strategy that the ride-sharing investment appears to reinforce, said analyst Patrick Moorhead of Moor Insights & Strategy.
Cook said in an interview that he saw opportunities for Apple and Didi Chuxing to collaborate in the future.
“After all the hints about the service business and what they would like to do in the future, it’s all starting to fit together,” he said.
“We are making the investment for a number of strategic reasons, including a chance to learn more about certain segments of the China market,” he said. “Of course, we believe it will deliver a strong return for our invested capital over time as well.”
Investors are eagerly watching to see whether Apple will enter the automotive business. Apple has hired a wide range of automotive experts, and the company is exploring building a self-driving car, sources have told Reuters.
Cook said Apple remained focused on the in-car experience with its CarPlay system, which links smartphones to vehicle infotainment systems. “That is what we do today in the car business, so we will have to see what the future holds,” he said. Although Apple’s sales in China have slumped amid slowing economic growth there, Cook stressed he remained confident in the market. “(The deal) reflects our excitement about their growing business … and also our continued confidence in the long term in China’s economy,” Cook said. Apple has enjoyed warmer relations with the Chinese government than some American tech companies, but regulators recently shut down its online book and film services, triggering concerns among investors. The true value of Apple’s investment in Didi might be in shoring up that relationship, said analyst Ben Bajarin of Creative Strategies.
“This is as much about sending signals about their seriousness in that country as it is about helping Didi build a ride-sharing platform,” he said. Didi Chuxing is a poster child for Chinese technology, a critical sector in Beijing’s goal to shift the economy toward higher-value services. Didi Chuxing executives have met with some of China’s top leaders, including President Xi Jinping last December. Jean Liu, Didi’s president, is the daughter of Liu Chuanzhi, the politically connected founder of Chinese computer maker Lenovo Group Ltd. “There’s a lot of things we can work on together,” she said when asked whether Didi Chuxing would help Apple’s government relations in China. -Reuters
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May 15-31, 2016 Georgia Asian Times
BUSINESS
Chinese pouring billions into US real estate Washington DC, May 16, 2016 — Chinese nationals became the largest foreign buyers of US homes last year as they pour billions into American real estate, seeking safe offshore assets, according to a new study. A huge surge in Chinese buying of both residential and commercial real estate last year took their five-year investment total to more than $110 billion, according to the study from the Asia Society and Rosen Consulting Group. The sheer size of that total has helped the real estate market recover from the crash that began in 2006 and precipitated the 2008 economic crisis, they said. And despite a slowdown due to Beijing’s clampdown on capital outflows, the figure for the second half of this decade is likely to double to $218 billion, the study said. “What makes China different and noteworthy is the combination of the high volume of investment (and) the breadth of its participation across all
real estate categories,” including a “somewhat unique entry into residential purchases,” the study said. The authors of the study said their numbers, based on public and real estate industry data, understate the total. They necessarily miss purchases made by front companies and trusts that don’t identify the sources of the funds. While big deals, like the Anbang insurance group’s $2.0 billion purchase of the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York last year, and its failed $14 billion offer for the Starwood group in March, make headlines, the study said Chinese buying of US homes far outpaces its investment in commercial land and buildings. Buying most expensive markets Between 2010 and 2015, Chinese buyers put more than $17 billion into US commercial real estate, with half of that spent last year alone. But during the same period at least $93 billion went into US homes. And in the 12 months to March 2015,
the latest period for which relatively comprehensive data could be gathered, home purchases totaled $28.5 billion. That put the Chinese past Canadians, who have long been the biggest foreign buyers of US residential real estate. Geographically, Chinese buyers are concentrated in the most expensive markets: New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle. But Chicago, Miami and Las Vegas have also drawn buyers. That focus means they pay well above the average US home price: last year, Chinese buyers paid on average about $832,000 per home in the United States, compared to the average for all foreign purchases of $499,600. The motivations are broad: some are buying second homes, some are buying as they move to the United States on EB-5 investor visas; some are investing for rental and resale. Most of the money in US homes, the study noted, is private wealth, not corporate. “This familiarity of utilizing real
estate as an investment or wealth preservation tool is more prevalent in China and reflects the broader comfort of purchasing second homes in the United States by Chinese individuals and families,” the study noted. Since last year, there has also been the motivation to get money outside China and into dollar assets amid worry about the continued fall in the yuan, which was devalued slightly against the dollar in August. The study says it expects a lot more commercial real estate buys in the United States by Chinese companies. Last month, Chinese conglomerate HNA announced it would buy the 1,400-hotel group Carlson Hotels, owner of the Radisson brand. “Anbang is not the only firm looking at these assets. Other Chinese entities were originally interested in acquiring Starwood in 2015 before Marriott reached an initial deal, including Jin Jiang Hotel Group, which had already acquired a European hotel chain in 2015, and CIC, the sovereign wealth fund,” the study said.
Georgia Asian Times May 15-31, 2016
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BUSINESS
Can Buffett-backed bid unlock Yahoo growth where others failed? San Francisco, May 15, 2016 — Warren Buffett struck media gold with a 2012 investment in debt-laden Media General Inc. Now the famed investor may try to reprise that success by supporting a bid for Yahoo Inc’s Internet assets.
In the case of Media General, Buffett bought a majority of the company’s newspapers, making him one of the largest publishers in the United States as the industry struggled with plummeting advertising and subscription revenue.
The Berkshire Hathaway Inc chairman is backing a consortium that includes Quicken Loans Inc founder Dan Gilbert, that is seeking to buy Yahoo’s online portfolio, Reuters reported on Friday.
Buffett also provided nearly US$450 million in debt relief to Media General, whose remaining business focused on dozens of local US television stations and related websites, in return for a stake of nearly 20 per cent in the company. The day the transaction was announced, Media General’s shares jumped 30 per cent. The stock closed Friday at US$17.12, up from US$3.32 in May 2012.
The consortium is in the second round of bidding in the auction for Yahoo’s assets, people familiar with the matter said. Buffett is helping to finance the offer, one of the people added. If they succeed, the investment would be a relatively rare foray into digital media for Buffett, whose portfolio is heavily weighted toward US insurers, industrial companies and major consumer brands. Yahoo, once the world’s largest consumer email service, has struggled in recent years to compete with Alphabet Inc’s Google and Facebook Inc for digital advertising market share. In February, CEO Marissa Mayer announced the company would auction off its Internet business and cut 15 per cent of its workforce. It is also selling US$1 billion to US$3 billion in noncore assets such as patents and property. Poynter Institute media business analyst Rick Edmonds said Buffett’s history of betting on struggling companies that maintain a large consumer base could work in Yahoo’s favor.
“It’s kind of consistent with Buffett’s pattern of buying things that are out of favor, undervalued and have a big customer base,” Edmonds said. The paradox is Yahoo’s huge, it remains huge, and it’s got a lot of customers. It’s not the case customers are fleeing them right and left, it’s just that no one can get a good pattern of growth.”
Decker said last month on CNBC that the next owner should “create a distinction in consumers’ minds about why they love Yahoo still.” She said that plan would be helped if Yahoo is “private or part of a much larger corporation.”
Pivotal Research Analyst Brian Wieser agreed the move would be a familiar one for Buffett.
During a CNBC interview earlier this month Buffett said that Yahoo’s business has “continuously slipped” but did not mention a bid or a specific turnaround strategy.
“He is known for having a lot of assets that have a lot of potential that for a host of reasons have not realized that potential,” he said. Former Yahoo president and chief financial officer Susan Decker is now a director on Berkshire’s board. Wieser said that Buffett, with Decker’s input, might consider bringing back former Yahoo executives, such as interim CEO Ross Levinsohn, who was a candidate for the top job before Mayer was appointed.
Buffett and Dan Gilbert have been close friends since 2012, when Gilbert joined the Giving Pledge, an initiative created by Buffett and Bill Gates to encourage billionaires to give away at least half of their wealth during their lifetime or at death. Berkshire Hathaway provided insurance on a US$1 billion prize offered by Quicken Loans to anyone who completed a perfect bracket in the 2014 National Collegiate Athletic Association
men’s basketball tournament. No one pulled off the feat. “There could well be more business relationships in the future, but beyond that it’s a friendship,” Buffett said, referring to Gilbert, in a telephone interview with Reuters on April 5. Part of the consortium’s interest may lie in Yahoo Finance. Gilbert has shown strong interest in that unit, according to a source who asked not to be identified. Buffett has credited Yahoo with doing a “terrific” job during live streaming of Berkshire’s April 30 shareholders conference. At that meeting he also admitted that Berkshire had been slow to adapt to new technology as far as its investments were concerned. — Reuters
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May 15-31, 2016 Georgia Asian Times
FEATURE Asian entrepreneurs living their dreams with craft beer venture Gainesville’s first microbrewery is a result of perseverance and entrepreneurship between two close friends who shares a passion for quality craft beers. Nilanjan Datta and Ashesh Banerjea left their successful careers in technology consulting and financial services to pursue their dream in craft beer business. Their venture started in 2013 as a Georgia corporation with a unique catchy name, “Left Nut Brewing Company.” left.nut.partners1“The name epitomizes the willingness to give up something of extreme value to do something or create something unique,” said Nilanjan Datta, one of the founders in an exclusive interview with Georgia Asian Times at their new brewery in Gainesville. The brewery name was controversial from the start as it was hold up in a trademark dispute with U.S. Patent Office. The U.S. Patent office consider the brewery’s trademark name as “vulgar, scandalous, immoral based on urban dictionary.”
Eventually, it was settled by a Federal panel of three judges who voted in favor of the the brewery. The verdict considers “Left Nut Brewery is slightly scandalous but it is not vulgar by any standard.” The precedent case has since been major headlines in legal journals and blogs. It also turned up as case studies in several law and business schools. “Our name has given us good dividends,” said partner Ashesh Banerjea with a smile referring to the free publicity generated by the patent controversy. Left Nut Brewing Company’s brewery is located at a former Johnson & Johnson textile mill building at the historic Chicopee Mill Village. The historic building was constructed in 1927 and was retrofitted to house the brewery’s state of the art brewing production system. In addition to beer production, the 19,000 sf brewery also feature a large tasting room with a spectacular view of the rustic facility. The brewery has already started production and generating weekly volume between 60-120 barrels. Existing sales are generated through authorized distributors channels in Georgia. Inspired by Belgian Tripels and West Coast IPAs, the brewery has been producing its own “Lappland Blonde” a European blonde ale, “Banyan Double IPA” a robust India Pale Ale with a citrus, grapefruit, and pine flavors, and “Shade Tail Nutty Pecan Ale” a brown ale
with twist of Georgia pecan flavors. Although the brewery has not officially opens to the public, beer aficionados could order their beers at Gainesville area restaurant such as Tap it Growler Shop, Wild Wing Cafe, The Monkey Barrel and Downtown Drafts. Both partners are also actively marketing their beers through beer festivals across the metro Atlanta and Georgia. Both partners overcome major challenges such as financial cash flow, alcohol ordinances, and regulatory permitting and zoning in launching their business.
“We are glad to be in Gainesville as the local Gainesville City Council, Chamber of Commerce, Hall County, and the Mayor has been incredibly supportive of our venture,” said Datta. Both partners are enthusiastic about their new venture and optimistic that the brewery is scheduled to officially open by early Summer 2016. With their Asian heritage, both partners are eager to promote their beers and to support various Asian culturally related events such as the annual Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in Gainesville and the Atlanta Asian Film Festival in the Fall.
Georgia Asian Times May 15-31, 2016
EVENTS
Asian Pacific Council of Georgia - Unity Gala, May 7, 2016, Sonesta Gwinnett Place
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EVENTS
May 15-31, 2016 Georgia Asian Times
Georgia Asian Times May 15-31, 2016
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ENTERTAINMENT
Striking Singapore death penalty film stirs emotions at Cannes Cannes, May 16, 2016 — Before he made his new film about the death penalty, Boo Junfeng sat down to tea with some of Singapore’s retired hangmen. He also talked to the priests and imams who helped condemned prisoners make their last walk to the gallows. And most difficult of all, the young filmmaker spent years trying to reach through the curtain of shame to families who had lost fathers and sons to the hangman’s rope. But it was only after Boo, whose film premieres at the Cannes film festival today, met one particularly “humane” executioner that he had an epiphany. He realised that no movie has ever dealt with the whole horrible business from the perspective of the man who pulls the lever. “I had already started to write (the film) but after I met the first hangman I couldn’t write for three months. What completely threw me was how much I enjoyed his company,” said Boo. “He was not like I thought. He was likeable, charismatic, grandfatherly jocular and open about what he did. He took pride in the almost caring way
he looked after the prisoners trying to make it as humane as he could, and I realised how difficult that was.
So Boo took his film — which he toiled over for five years — one step further.
The execution of seven foreigners in Bali last year—including two Australians and a mentally ill Brazilian — sparked an international outcry, and several others, including a British woman and a Frenchman, are still on death row there.
For Apprentice has a shocking twist. It is the story of a young man who ended up learning the executioner’s trade from the man who opened the trapdoor on his own father.
Boo said he began his research with the book Once a Jolly Hangman which features Darshan Singh, Singapore’s chief executioner for nearly 50 years who once executed 18 men in one day.
“He really shook up my ideas and forced me to rethink everything.”
‘Jolly hangman’ More surprising still is the intensity of the almost father-son relationship that develops between the young prison guard and the hangman. “He is in some ways searching for his father,” Boo said. “And in doing that he finds this man. What I was going for was human truth. I didn’t want to make it an activist film.” The death penalty is nevertheless a hot political issue in Singapore and in neighbouring Indonesia, particularly when foreigners have fallen foul of strict anti-drug smuggling laws.
Author jailed Its British author Alan Shadrake was arrested the morning after the book’s Singapore launch in 2010 and was held for a month in Changi prison for insulting the country’s judiciary. He had criticised the way he claimed the death penalty was disproportionately applied to the poor, while well-connected criminals and wealthy foreigners escaped the noose. Boo shot the prison scenes in disused prisons in Australia to avoid controversy in the tiny city state, where an estimated 95 per cent of the population still support the death penalty.
“It would have been easy to make a film about the death penalty itself, but it’s much bigger than that. I learned so much about the value of human life” from making the movie. Boo, 32, one of a new wave of talented Singapore filmmakers, said his friends who are against the death penalty “may be disappointed by the film”, which is showing in the Certain Regard section at Cannes. “I took myself out of the comfort zone to address the issue from a different point of view. I don’t have a view myself (in the film). Because the humanity behind the issue is so much more complex,” said Boo, whose semi-autobiographical first feature Sandcastle was a hit at the French festival in 2009. “Apprentice took so long because I had so much to learn, so many things were beyond my experience and very few people really knew (about this world)... And unfortunately almost of them are not around” to tell the tale.
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May 15-31 2016
Georgia Asian Times
LIFESTYLE
‘Regrets, I’ve had a few’... and that tattoo may be one Los Angeles, May 15, 2016 — You’re love-struck and can’t wait to have your partner’s name or face etched onto your skin for eternity. Or you’ve just turned 18, and your first rebellious act upon reaching the age of majority is to have a dragon tattooed on your chest. Well, you may want to think twice before rushing to the tattoo parlour. Although studies show that more and more Americans are sporting tattoos (one out of every five adults according to one poll), they also point to an increasing number who end up regretting getting one, leading to a boom in the tattoo removal industry. “In the last five years, we have seen a marked uptick in the number of people seeking to have tattoos removed,” said Dan Mills, president of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS). According to ASAPS, more than 46,500 Americans underwent tattoo removal in 2015, a 39.4 percent increase over the previous year. Most — 45.9 per cent — were between the ages of 19 and 34, closely followed by 35-50 year-olds, with 37.9 per cent. ‘Young and stupid’
“I see a lot of people having them taken off because they don’t want their children to see them and then go get a tattoo,” said Mills, who is based in the Los Angeles area, considered America’s tattoo hub. “And some people take them off because a lot of employers won’t hire somebody with a visible tattoo.” A Harris Poll conducted last fall found that nearly a quarter of people who get tattoos end up remorseful, up from 14 per cent in 2012. The main reasons mentioned for their change of heart, the poll found, are lifestyle or career changes, the breakup of a relationship, a poorly done tattoo or, as said one woman, “being young and stupid” when they had it done. “You don’t think about the rest of your life at that age,” said Gill Crenshaw, 43, an actress, as she waited recently at the Dr Tattoff clinic in Beverly Hills to have two overlaying tattoos on her right arm removed. “I got it when I was 24 and then as I got older, I realised I was looking in the mirror everyday and just hating it.” Los Angeles-area realtor Janica Polmanteer, 33, got her “tramp stamp” — or tattoo on her lower back — the very day she turned 18, and has lived to regret it.
“I did it because I could, because I was 18 and... I have been covering it for years,” she said. “It cost me US$150 to get it done and it’s costing me US$1,400 to have it removed.”
“It burns, but by tonight it will be like it never happened,” she said, adding that she looked forward to having clear skin by December — three years after she began the treatment.
Corey Ordoyne, the director of clinical operations at Dr Tattoff’s four clinics in the Los Angeles area, said improvements in laser technology have been accompanied by an uptick in the number of patients seeking tattoo removals.
Depending on the size of the tattoo and its colour, the removal process can take a few months or years.
“We have patients ranging in age from 16 to 70 years old but our largest age group is adult men and women between 25 and 40 years old,” Ordoyne said.
For Teddy Joe Hayes, 37, his appointment later this month to have his ex-wife’s face removed from his arm can’t come soon enough. “We were together for 10 years and for her birthday — almost a year ago — I had her portrait done on my arm to show her my commitment to us as a family,” recounted Hayes, himself a tattoo artist.
Tattoo regrets A session typically consists of numbing the area to be treated with anaesthetic cream and then using a laser that breaks up the pigment colours of a tattoo with a high-intensity light beam that allows the body to absorb the ink. Crenshaw winced and writhed in pain as she sat in for one of her tattoo removal sessions. Each one lasts just a few minutes. Once she was done, aloe vera cream was applied on the tiny blisters on her arm, which was then wrapped in gauze and an ice pack.
Only two months later, Hayes said, he discovered that his wife was cheating on him. “I was like ‘I just got this woman’s face tattooed on my arm and now every day I have to look in the mirror and see the face of the person who betrayed my trust,’“ he said. His advice to clients? “If it ain’t your kid, if it ain’t your mum or your dad or a close friend, don’t put somebody’s name or face on you,” he said. “Those are the tattoos that you regret.”
Georgia Asian Times May 15-31 2016
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SPORTS
Benitez’s future up for grabs as Pochettino sticks with Spurs Newcastle, May 13, 2016 — While Rafael Benitez’s future at Newcastle United remains uncertain, Mauricio Pochettino confirmed his commitment to Tottenham Hotspur this week by agreeing a new deal that will keep him at the club until 2021. The two managers meet at St James’ Park this weekend when Pochettino will attempt to cap a fine season by seeing his side confirmed as runners-up behind Premier League champions Leicester City, while Benitez’s target is to ensure Newcastle restore at least some pride before dropping down into the Championship. Pochettino sparked some concerns among Spurs’ fans when he was spotted leaving a restaurant with Alex Ferguson, the former Manchester United manager, earlier this week. But the Argentinian confirmed Ferguson was not attempting to persuade him to move to Old Trafford and stressed he was now focused on making sure Tottenham finish above north London rivals Arsenal for the first time in over 20 years. “When I was young, when I started my career as a manager, he (Ferguson) was always my inspiration, my reference and when you can share two hours with a person who, for me, was the greatest manager in the world, the history of football, only you can enjoy,” said Pochettino. “Did he ask about Manchester United? No. If you know Sir Alex Ferguson, he is a person we can all
learn from because he has a fantastic history about football and about life.” Turning to the table, Pochettino said: “I can understand it, for our supporters it’s special to be above Arsenal, but I want to be second not because we’ll be above our enemy, our opponent, but because we are ambitious. “Maybe one day Arsenal finish eighth, we finish seventh, yes we’re above but it’s not a success for us.” Too late Newcastle are set for further talks with Benitez in an effort to persuade the Spaniard to remain as manager. After initial talks on Thursday, Benitez will meet Newcastle managing director Lee Charnley again early next week, with the club hoping those discussions will see the 56-year-old stay in place to lead the north-east club’s efforts to return to the Premier League at the first attempt. Benitez, who failed to prevent the club falling into the Championship for the second time in seven seasons after taking charge for the final 10 games, has a relegation release clause in his current short-term deal. But he could well agree to remain at St James’ Park, providing he receives assurances about the transfer budget available, and the amount of control he will have at his disposal. The former Liverpool manager is said to be open to an approach from
his old club’s local rivals Everton regarding their vacant manager’s role, but Newcastle hope to tie him down to a long-term deal. Despite their relegation fate being sealed by north-east neighbours Sunderland’s 3-0 victory over the Toffees in midweek, Benitez will resist the temptation to make sweeping changes for the final top flight game at St James’ Park for at least 15 months. Newcastle are unbeaten in five games, but can still be overtaken for 18th place by Norwich. Benitez is aware his side need to give a good account of themselves given Arsenal can still overtake Tottenham to finish runners-up should Newcastle win tomorrow.
Fabricio Coloccini is again set to miss out with a calf injury that has kept the Argentina defender out since February. The Newcastle skipper believes Benitez, who replaced Steve McClaren in March, could have saved the club from the drop had he been given more time. “He’s changed things in the right way, but maybe it was too late and that’s why we’re in this position,” said Coloccini.
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May 15-31, 2016 Georgia Asian Times
SPORTS
Leicester’s Ranieri returns to Chelsea with reputation restored London, May 13, 2016 — Claudio Ranieri believes Leicester City’s shock title triumph has restored his reputation in the minds of his critics ahead of an emotional return to former club Chelsea this Sunday. The 64-year-old’s appointment last July was heavily criticised by pundits and former players alike, but the Italian’s side have since undergone an extraordinary transformation from relegation favourites to Premier League champions. Sacked at Chelsea by owner Roman Abramovich in 2004 after failing to deliver the title and replaced by Jose Mourinho, Ranieri insisted he didn’t covet acclaim from his former employers following his achievements with Leicester. “Now I have won the Premier League, maybe everyone looks more positively at what I did,” Ranieri said Friday ahead of Leicester’s match against last season’s Premier League champions.
“It changed not my mind but maybe other minds. I was so happy before because I know very well how I work and what I achieve before,” he added. “It is not important for to me to have credit, it was so important to bring another team (to the top), to show my passion to the team. I think life is full of opportunity, I think it is important to take the right opportunity.” Ranieri said his return to west London, where he spent four moderately successful years at Stamford Bridge, would be an “emotional” occasion.
Hollywood As Chelsea drew 2-2 with Tottenham Hotspur just under a fortnight ago, a result which confirmed Leicester had won the first top-tier title in the Midlands club’s 132-year history, home supporters were heard chanting the affable Ranieri’s name throughout. “It is amazing. I have been back there with Juventus in the Champi-
ons League but this time is different because this time it is with Leicester, another English club,” said Ranieri. “It is emotional, I hope my old fans are happy. When I came here I said ‘the last match is at Chelsea wow’. Now I come back as a champion. It’s a good story.” Before the club’s annual summer trip to Thailand, the homeland of Leicester owners Vichai and Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, Ranieri will join an open-top bus parade through the city centre with crowds of 60,000 expected to pour onto the streets. “I expect a lot of people on the street to enjoy with us and we can say thank you to our fans. Everybody wants to stay with us because the fairytale was for everybody,” said Ranieri. “Now football fans believe, maybe they think: ‘No we don’t go down, we can win’. “Amazing. You remember I said the Hollywood fairytale always finishes well and for us too. We won and now we enjoy, recharge the batteries for next season. It will be harder but we will be ready.”
In the immediate future, however, Ranieri has the task of persuading Professional Footballers Association Player of the Year Riyad Mahrez and midfield engine N’Golo Kante to sign new contracts at the King Power Stadium. Both players have been linked with moves to Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain in recent weeks but the Leicester owners have expressed confidence that the pair will stay. Meanwhile, When quizzed on who his scouting team will be looking at in the off-season, Ranieri was typically evasive. “We are watching, of course, we want to build a very good team. We want to keep our stars, it is a fantastic group. It will be important to find the right players, with the right mentality we want fighters.”
Georgia Asian Times May 15-31, 2016
Page 15
HEALTH High fruit intake during teen years associated with lower breast cancer London, May 13, 2016 — A largescale study published in The BMJ this week that followed tens of thousands of women over two decades has found that high consumption of fruit during adolescence could help lower the risk of breast cancer in later life. Although many previous studies have hypothesised that fruit and vegetables could help protect against cancer, results have been mixed, and many previous studies have focused only on fruit intake during mid- and later life, which may be after the period when breast tissue is most vulnerable to cancer. In this new study a team of US researchers looked at a possible association between between fruit and vegetable consumption during teenage years and a future risk of breast cancer.
The team questioned 90,476 premenopausal women aged 27-44 on their diet in early adulthood every four years for a period of 22 years. During the study 44,223 of these women also answered another questionnaire about their diet during adolescence between the ages of 13-18. The results showed that a higher consumption of fruit during adolescence — 2.9 servings per day — was associated with around a 25 per cent lower risk of breast cancer in middle age than a low consumption of fruit — 0.5 servings per day. In addition, the results also suggested that two servings per week of apples, bananas and grapes during adolescence was significantly associated with a reduced breast cancer risk, as was two servings per week of oranges
and kale during early adulthood. However there was no association between breast cancer risk and total vegetable intake in adolescence, or total fruit or vegetable intake in early adulthood. Fruit juice intake in either adolescence or early adulthood was also not associated with a decreased risk. As an observational study the researchers caution against drawing any firm cause and effect conclusions from the data as the results may be influenced by other factors, with University of Oxford researchers commenting in a linked editorial that “much more evidence is needed before we can draw conclusions on the reported protective association between adolescent fruit intake and breast cancer risk.” However, they also added that these foods
“have well known beneficial effects on health, and efforts should continue to increase intake of both fruit and vegetables at all ages.” The study’s researchers also pointed out that their findings are also in line with current cancer presentation advice on the benefits of eating more fruits and vegetables, and that the food choices made during adolescence could play a particularly important role in influencing health in later life.
Yoga and meditation can help reduce cognitive impairment, says study Adelaide, May 13 , 2016 — New research suggests that yoga and meditation may not only give you a flexible body and inner peace but that a combination of the two could also help improve cognitive function. The study, led by a team of researchers from UCLA and Australia’s University of Adelaide, is the first to compare yoga and meditation against memory training, which has often been considered the best way to manage mild cognitive impairment.
Participants were split into two groups. Eleven participants attended memory enhancement training and practiced memory exercises daily, while the other 14 participants attended classes of Kundalini yoga and practiced 20 minutes of Kirtan Kriya meditation daily, which involves chanting, hand movements and visualisation of light, and has already has been practiced in India for hundreds of years as a way to prevent cognitive decline in older adults.
The team followed a group of 25 participants all aged 55 and over during a three-month course of either yoga and meditation or memory training.
All participants received brain scans and completed memory tests at both the beginning and end of the threemonths.
Participants had all shown signs of mild cognitive impairment, reporting problems with their memory such as easily misplacing things, or forgetting names, faces or appointments.
The results showed that although all participants demonstrated similar improvements in verbal memory skills, the skills that are needed for remembering names, it was the participants
in the group who practiced yoga and meditation that showed better improvements in visual-spatial memory skills, which help with recalling locations and navigating. In addition, participants in the yoga and meditation group also showed bigger improvements in levels of depression, anxiety, coping skills and resilience to stress, all of which are especially important when coming to terms with the onset of cognitive impairment. Commenting on the significance of the results Harris Eyre, the study’s lead author, said, “Historically and anecdotally, yoga has been thought to be beneficial in aging well, but this is the scientific demonstration of that benefit. We’re converting historical wisdom into the high level of evidence required for doctors to recommend therapy to their patients.”
Senior author Helen Lavretsky added, “If you or your relatives are trying to improve your memory or offset the risk for developing memory loss or dementia, a regular practice of yoga and meditation could be a simple, safe and low-cost solution to improving your brain fitness.” The study was published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.
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May 15-31, 2016 Georgia Asian Times
Misc Asia
with the ruling class over its failure to reduce poverty and inequality despite several years of robust economic growth. SOUTH CHINA SEA TALKS Duterte’s vows to restore law and order also resonated with voters. But his incendiary rhetoric and advocacy of extrajudicial killings to stamp out crime and drugs have alarmed many who hear echoes of the country’s authoritarian past.
Philippines’ election victor Duterte plans government overhaul Manila, May 10, 2016 — The Philippines’ president-elect, roughtalking city mayor Rodrigo Duterte, announced plans on Tuesday for an overhaul of the country’s system of government that would devolve power from “imperial Manila” to long-neglected provinces. Duterte’s win in Monday’s poll has not been confirmed, but an unofficial count of votes by an election commission-accredited watchdog showed he had a huge lead over his two closest rivals, both of whom conceded defeat. By Tuesday afternoon, the ballot count showed Duterte had almost 39 percent of votes cast. He was more than 6 million votes ahead of the second-placed candidate with 92 percent of votes counted from an electorate of 54 million. It is not clear when Duterte’s victory will be officially declared but he is expected to take office on June 30. Votes were also cast on Monday for vice-president. One day on, counting showed the outgoing administration’s candidate, Maria Leonor Robredo, ahead of the son and namesake of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific Daniel Russel told reporters in Vietnam that Washington respected the choice of the Philippine people and “will gladly work with the leader that they select”.
Duterte’s spokesman, Peter Lavina, told a news conference that the new president would seek a national consensus for a revision of the constitution which would switch from a unitary form of government to a parliamentary and federal model.
Duterte made a succession of winding, bellicose and at-times comical remarks late on Monday as the votes were being counted, venting over corruption and bad governance and telling anecdotes from his 22 years as mayor of Davao city.
The proposal to devolve power from Manila fits with Duterte’s challenge as a political outsider to the country’s establishment, which he has slammed as self-serving and corrupt.
Wearing a casual checked shirt and slouched in a chair, he said corrupt officials should “retire or die” and reiterated his support for police to use deadly force against criminals.
“The powerful elites in Manila who will be affected by this system will definitely oppose this proposal,” said Earl Parreno, an analyst at the Institute for Political and Electoral Reforms.
“I’ll behave if I become president,” he said, adding that he would not make state visits to countries with cold weather.
Duterte’s spokesman said he would also seek peace agreements with rebel groups in the south of the archipelago, where the outgoing government has been using force to quell militancy. The 71-year-old’s truculent defiance of political tradition has drawn comparisons with U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, as have his references to his libido. That tapped into popular disgust
In an early indication of his unorthodoxy, Duterte told reporters on Monday that if he became president he would seek multilateral talks to resolve disputes over the South China Sea. The outgoing administration of President Benigno Aquino has asked a court of arbitration in The Hague to recognize its right to exploit waters in the South China Sea, a case it hoped could bolster claims by other countries against China in the resource-rich waters.
Duterte said negotiations should include Japan, Australia and the United States, which is traditionally the region’s dominant security player and contests China’s development of islands and rocky outcrops in the sea. The influential Chinese state-run tabloid the Global Times, said that Beijing would not be naive enough to believe that a new president would bring a solution to the South China Sea disputes. FIGHTING THE ESTABLISHMENT Duterte’s entertaining and profanity-loaded speeches have shed little light on his policies beyond going after gangsters and drug pushers. He has been vague on what he would do to spur an economy that has averaged growth at around 6 percent under Aquino. Duterte said on Monday he had been criticized for not discussing policy but would “hire the best economic minds”. One of his advisers told Reuters spending on education would be lifted to benefit “disadvantaged regions” and rural development will be prioritized to spread wealth more evenly across the country. “Everything seems to be in imperial Manila,” said Ernesto Pernia, professor emeritus of economics at the University of the Philippines. “He wants to give more attention to the lagging, the backward regions.” Pernia said the pursuit of tax evaders and corrupt officials should bolster government revenues to fund extra spending. – Reuters
Georgia Asian Times May 15-31, 2016
Page 17
Misc Asia
Hong Kong is most connected country in the world, according to latest survey Hong Kong, May 11, 2016 — Hong Kong boasts the most connected population the world in a new ranking that compares connectivity rates around the globe.
Driving growth in developed markets such as Western Europe and North America are developments in wearable technology, connected cars and smart home technology.
According to the GfK Connected Consumer Index, of the 78 countries examined, consumers living in Hong Kong and North America are the most connected.
Here are the top 10 most connected populations: 1. Hong Kong 2. North America
That means they are among the technologically savviest and most likely to make smart devices a part of their daily lives, such as smartphones, tablets, mobile PC, desktop PC, wearables, smart TV, TV set-top box, video game console, e-reader, connected car and smart home.
3. UAE 4; Norway 5. Germany 6. Saudi Arabia
The report also showed, however, that consumers in the United Arab Emirates have been quickly closing the gap, leap-frogging from eighth to third place in just a year.
7. Britain
Switzerland is another notable mover, overtaking Denmark and Sweden to take eighth place this year.
10. Sweden
8. Switzerland 9. Denmark
Obama to make historic Hiroshima visit, highlight nuclear security Washington DC, May 10, 2016 — President Barack Obama will visit Hiroshima later this month and become the first sitting U.S. president to do so since World War Two, but will not offer an apology for the United States’ use of an atomic bomb on the city, the White House said on Tuesday. The May 27 visit to the site alongside Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe instead aims “to highlight his continued commitment to pursuing the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons,” the White House said in a statement. “He will not revisit the decision to use the atomic bomb at the end of World War II. Instead, he will offer a forward-looking vision focused on our shared future,” Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes wrote in a separate blog.
Obama’s visit comes as part of a visit May 20-28 to Japan to attend a Group of Seven summit as well as Vietnam, his 10th to the region that has played a large role in the president’s strategic “pivot” toward Asia. A U.S. warplane dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima 71 years ago at the end of World War Two, and there have been concerns that a U.S. presidential visit would be controversial in the United States if it were seen as an apology. The bomb dropped on Aug. 6, 1945 killed thousands of people instantly and about 140,000 by the end of that year. Nagasaki was bombed on Aug. 9, 1945, and Japan surrendered six days later. – Reuters
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May 15-31, 2016 Georgia Asian Times
TECH
Mobile browsers see an average order value of US$92, while it is US$100 for desktops and US$102 for apps.
In SE Asia, e-commerce is largely going to be mobile, Criteo says Kuala Lumpur, May 13, 2016 — Many people in the emerging markets of South-east Asia are getting their first taste of the Internet through their mobile devices, so no surprise: Mobile is going to dominate the region’s e-commerce landscape too. In the fourth quarter of 2015, the global average of transactions on mobile was 35 per cent; in South-east Asia it was 38.5 per cent, according to Criteo’s South-east Asia managing director Yuko Saito. The New York-based digital advertising company publishes a quarterly State of Mobile Commerce Report with data from over 10,000 advertisers.
“There is a huge opportunity to grow further, and every month there are lots of people coming online — but they are not coming online with a desktop… these markets are switching to smartphones,” she added. Apps leading the charge The app is the main platform for mobile-commerce, according to Criteo’s findings: 48 per cent of mobile transactions take place through an app; 39 per cent through mobile browsers on smartphones and only 13 per cent on tablets.
South-east Asia is ahead of the mobile curve, driven by the region’s emerging markets.
The app is winning the race because it has the best user experience, argued Saito. Globally, the conversion from viewing to actual purchase is much higher on an app.
“Countries like Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam are mobile-first; the penetration of the Internet population is still pretty low,” Saito told Digital News Asia (DNA) in Singapore recently.
“What’s really interesting is that the average value per order has now surpassed the desktop, which is a big leap because nine months ago this would not been the case,” she said.
“When apps were still relatively new, people felt more comfortable buying high order value stuff on the desktop, while mobile was for lower-order value stuff,” said Saito.
There are some essential areas to take note of, with the first being cross-device use. “Cross-device is essential – you need to have a user-centric approach to marketing and distribution,” said Saito. Then there are the user interface and app setup issues.
“As users started to get used to conducting transactions on apps, and as they found out how user-friendly it can be, we saw the average order value surpass the desktop.
“Particularly for apps, you have to remember the user experience has to be good — because it’s a smaller screen, any bad user experience will be amplified.
“We see this as pretty key, and this trend will continue,” she added.
“Monetisation tactics, deep linking, feed optimisation, SDK (software development kit) analytics — these are very crucial,” she added.
Cross-device transactions are also going up, even in emerging markets. About 50 per cent of users, when they purchase, will go through different devices or browsers. Globally, tablets (47 per cent) lead the way as the final device for booking, with smartphones a close second at 43 per cent and desktops the last at 39 per cent. However in South-east Asia, where tablets are not as common, the smartphone percentage is higher, according to Saito, although she gave no specific figure. Trends to build success So what do companies need to do?
In-app retargeting is also one trend to take note of, in an age of app overload. “Today, most advertisers focus on number of installs, but it’s going to be more important to focus on bringing users back — we already know that after three days of downloading an app, it becomes inactive or is deleted,” said Saito. “In-app retargeting is important to bring users back,” she added. Finally, there is the need for an indepth personalisation strategy, where the connection is with people and not devices. — Digital News Asia