Covering The Multicultural Asian American Community in Georgia
www.gasiantimes.com November 1-15, 2012 Vol 9. No 20
US General Election Tuesday Nov 6
Georgia Asian Times November 1-15, 2012
Publisher: Li Wong Account Manager: Adrian West Contributors: Andrian Putra, May Lee, Mark Ho Photographer: Ben Hioe, Rendy Tendean Tel: 770.335.4593 Advertising: gat@gasiantimes.com Editorial: info@gasiantimes.com URL: www.gasiantimes.com Mailing Address: P.O. Box 922348 Norcross, GA 30010-2348
Copyright Georgia Asian Times 2004-2012
All Rights Reserved: including those to reproduce this printing or parts thereof in any form without permission in writing from Georgia Asian Times. Established in 2004, the Georgia Asian Times is published by Asiamax Inc. All facts, opinions, and statements appearing within this publication are those of writers and editors themseleves, and are in no way to be construed as statements, positions, endorsements by Georgia Asian Times or its officers. Georgia Asian Times assumes no responsibility for damages from the use of information contained in this publication or the reply to any advertisement. The Publisher will not be liable for any error in advertising to greater extent than the cost of space occupied by the error and will only be made for a single publication date. The Publisher reserves the right to reject any ad or articles submitted for publication that may not be in good taste for a free publication.
GAT Calendar of Events (For latest & updated events, visit www.gasiantimes.com)
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.
US Presidential & General Elections Vote & Be Counted! Date: Tuesday, Nov 6 Time: 6:00 am - 7:00 pm Global Korea: Perspectives on Kpop, Culture, Politics, Business, and Education Date: Thursday, November 15 Time: 12:00 pm Venue: Speakers Auditorium, GSU Student Center Moderator: Dr. Kim Reimann, Director of Asian Studies Center and Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science Open to students, faculty, staff and the community. For more information: www.gsu.edu/iew
BPSOS-Atlanta Walkathon to raise awareness about breast cancer Date: Saturday, Nov 17 Time: 9:30 am - 12:00 pm Venue: BPSOS-Atlanta office For more info: 770-458-6700
Happy Thanksgiving Holiday Date: Thursday, Nov 22
Page 3
Page 4
November 1-15, 2012 Georgia Asian Times
METRO ASIAN NEWS Shark Tank … the popular reality series is coming to Atlanta! A select group of ambitious entrepreneurs will be given a unique opportunity present their breakthrough business concepts to group of millionaires from all corners of the business world. Do you have big ideas and dreams to take their business to the next level? These millionaires are looking to invest their professional expertise and money to make your dreams a reality.
Inauguration of the new Consulate General of India in Atlanta Atlanta, October 23, 2012 — His Excellency Nirupama Rao, Ambassador of India to the United States of America inaugurated the new Consulate General of India in Atlanta on October, 22, 2012. The Consulate is located at 5549 Glenridge Drive NE, Atlanta, GA-30342. The inauguration was attended by Mayor of Sandy Springs, Eva Galambos, Congressman Rob Woodall, Chairman of the Democratic Party of Georgia, Michael Berlon, several leaders of the IndianAmerican community and media. After the inauguration, a reception was held at the Heritage Hall in Sandy Springs, which was addressed by Ambassador Rao and Mayor Galambos. Dean and several members of the Consular Corps, Michael Berlon, President of the University of the West Georgia, Dr. Beheruz Sethna,
President of the University of Columbus State University, Dr. Timothy S. Mescon, Professor Jagdish N. Sheth, Goizueta Business School, leaders of the Indian-American community, captains of Industry, representatives of chambers of commerce, media and over 250 persons attended the reception. Ambassador Rao called on the Governor of the State of Georgia, Hon’ble Mr. Nathan Deal on 23rd October, 2012 and discussed matters of mutual interest to improve relations between India and Georgia. From 1st October, 2012 the new Consulate General of India in Atlanta has started Passport and Miscellaneous Consular Services at 5549 Glenridge Drive NE, Atlanta, GA30342. For these services, the consular jurisdiction of the Consulate will be Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virgin Islands. Detailed information is available on the website: http://www. indianconsulateatlata. org
This event is scheduled on Thursday, December 6, 2012. There will be only fifteen (15) business will be given a opportunity to present their business. The registration deadline is November 15, 2012. Go to www.sharktankatlanta.com, to learn more and reserve your company’s spot. Questions or need additional information about the event, contact 404.691.0169.
But there is one stipulation-this group of millionaires and investment companies are successful because they are known as sharks in their industry so these ambitious entrepreneurs must swim with these sharks!
MARTA to Conduct Annual Emergency Training Exercises on Nov 3 and 4 MARTA will conduct its annual emergency training exercise involving a staged emergency incident at Five Points Station from 11 p.m. on Saturday, November 3 to 5 a.m. on Sunday, November 4. These annual training exercises and drills provide the opportunity for the MARTA Police Department (MPD), MARTA staff and other emergency response agencies to address simulated incidents such as terrorist attacks, pandemics or natural disasters in real-life settings. During this time, the exercise will have a minimal impact on regular service. Rail service will be single tracked at Five Points Station from 10 p.m. to the end of service that evening and will resume normal service the next day. Rail customers may experience very slight delays. Street closures will take effect approximately one hour before the end of normal service. These closures are listed below. Residents in the area should expect to hear loud noises during the exercise between 1:30 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. Emergency response vehicles will use flashing lights, but no sirens, in and
around the Five Points Station. “The work we do year after year during these exercises with our local and federal partners ensures that we hone our response skills and are thoroughly prepared to execute in the unlikely event of an emergency incident on our system,” said MARTA Police Chief Wanda Dunham. Street Closures: • Broad Street / Mitchell • Peachtree Street/MLK •
MLK/Broad Street
•
MLK/Forsyth Street
•
Forsyth Street/Alabama Street
• Forsyth Street/Marietta Street • Marietta Street/Upper Broad Street • Marietta Street/Peachtree Street • Peachtree Street/Alabama Street • Pryor Street/Wall Street
Page 6
November 1-15, 2012 Georgia Asian Times
BUSINESS
Myanmar MPs approve businessfriendly investment law YANGON, Nov 1, 2012 (AFP) Myanmar’s parliament on Thursday approved a revised, more businessfriendly foreign investment bill aimed at boosting the struggling economy as it emerges from decades of junta rule, lawmakers said.
India’s Wipro demerges non-IT businesses
“The law became more flexible for foreign investors. The former version had many restrictions,” said Myat Nyana Soe, a lawmaker with Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy opposition party.
MUMBAI, Nov 1, 2012 (AFP) - Indian outsourcing giant Wipro on Thursday announced that all its non-technology operations would be separated into a new firm, allowing it to focus on its core information technology business.
The bill is expected to be signed into law within days by reformist President Thein Sein, who sent an earlier draft back to parliament amid concerns that it was too protectionist.
The move comes as global corporate giants from Coca-Cola to General Electric line up to enter the impoverished but resource-rich nation, which is emerging from decades of military rule and international isolation.
The Bangalore-based company said that its consumer care, lighting, furniture, infrastructure and medical businesses would become part of a new unit called Wipro Enterprises.
“I think the law will be quite flexible and easier for foreign investors,” Zaw Htay, an official at the presidential office, said by telephone.
One of the major complaints of businesses eager to enter the country formerly known as Burma has been the lack of a clear legal framework.
“The previous law had restrictions which could be barriers. Even some foreign experts described it as the ‘No Investment Law’,” he said.
Myanmar is seen by many investors as the next regional frontier market as businesses eye its huge natural resources, large population and strategic location between China and India.
An earlier limit of 50 percent for a foreign investor’s stake in a joint venture has been dropped at Thein Sein’s request, and the new version allows the investment ratio to be decided by the foreign and local partners, MPs said. More detailed rules for each sector will be drawn up by the Myanmar Investment Commission.
President Thein Sein has vowed to put the economy at the centre of a new series of reforms, following dramatic political changes since almost half a century of outright military rule ended last year.
China’s urban-rural wealth gap narrowing: Beijing BEIJING, Nov 1, 2012 (AFP) - Incomes for China’s farmers grew rapidly this year, state media said Thursday, helping to close a wealth gap with city workers which is a key issue for a government obsessed with social stability. It was the third consecutive year that the gap has narrowed, according to a Ministry of Agriculture report cited by Xinhua news agency. Rural residents’ per capita cash income was 6,778 yuan ($1,075) in the first nine months of this year, up 12.3 percent yearon-year, the ministry said.
The increase was 2.5 percentage points higher than that of urban residents, it said, and reduced the urban-rural income ratio from 2.77 to 1 to 2.72 to 1. Income inequalities are a major concern for authorities eager to avoid public discontent and possible unrest in the rapidly developing country of 1.3 billion people. A report by the state-linked Centre for Chinese Rural Studies said in August that inequality within rural areas was nearing “danger” levels as hundreds of millions shun farming for better-paid city work, causing a widening wealth gap.
Wipro itself will then concentrate on information technology, which contributed 86 percent of its revenues in the fiscal year to March 2012. Its shares jumped as much as 6.8 percent to a high of 375 rupees after the announcement. Wipro, which is also listed on the New York Stock Exchange, competes with India’s top software firms Tata Consultancy Services and Infosys Ltd for IT services, consultancy and outsourcing.
The new firm will be unlisted, Wipro said in a statement. “The demerger will enhance value for our shareholders and provide fresh momentum for growth,” said Wipro chairman Azim Premji, who has transformed an inherited cooking oil company into a software giant. Premji, 67, known for his philanthropic activity, is India’s third-richest man, according to Forbes magazine. “Wipro is sending a strong signal to the market that it is serious about its core IT business,” said Jagannadham Thunuguntla, head of research with SMC Global Securities. Wipro is set to announce earnings for its fiscal second quarter from July to September on Friday.
Indonesia inflation rises to 4.61% in October JAKARTA, Nov 1, 2012 (AFP) - Indonesia said Thursday that inflation in Southeast Asia’s biggest economy edged up in October as the price of processed food, drinks and tobacco increased. The consumer price index (CPI) rose 4.61 percent from a year earlier, up from a 4.31-percent rise in September, the Central Statistics Agency said. The price of processed food -- defined in Indonesia as any food that is prepared before being sold -- drinks and tobacco rose 0.38 percent, while the price of gold jewellery was up 2.48 percent. Month-on-month inflation was recorded at 0.16 percent, from a 0.01 percent increase in September.
“These figures show that people’s purchasing power is going up, and further causing non-food consumption to increase as well,” said chief economist at Bank Internasional Indonesia, Juniman, who goes by one name. Core inflation, which excludes volatile food prices, reached 4.59 percent, up from 4.12 percent in September. The inflation rate is still within the central bank’s target range of 3.5 to 5.5 percent, allowing the bank room to keep its benchmark interest rate at a recordlow 5.75 percent, where it has been since February.
Georgia Asian Times
November 1-15, 2012
Page 7
BUSINESS
Japan’s electronics sector warns of dire outlook TOKYO, Nov 1, 2012 (AFP) - Warnings from Panasonic and Sharp that they will post a combined annual loss of more than $15 billion has reignited fears about the increasingly dire outlook for Japan’s oncemighty electronics giants. Only PlayStation maker Sony offered a glimmer of hope for the hard-hit sector, saying Thursday that it shrank its first-half net loss while keeping its pledge to turn an annual profit, after four years in the red. Sony’s announcement came as Sharp nearly doubled its loss forecast to a record $5.6 billion and just a day after Panasonic said it would lose an eye-watering $9.6 billion in the year to March. The latest results reflect how a strong yen, fierce overseas competition, a diplomatic dispute with China and the slowing global economy have all weighed on an industry that many see as having lost its way. The trio have announced massive corporate overhauls that include tens of thousands of job cuts to rescue their bleeding balance sheets, news that has been met with credit rating downgrades and plunges in their share prices. This summer, Sony’s stock tumbled below 1,000 yen for the first time since 1980 and the era of the Walkman. Sharp, meanwhile, said it would put up real estate -- including its Osaka headquarters -- as collateral for bank loans crucial to keeping the century-old firm alive. Panasonic, in the wake of its latest loss forecast, said shareholders would not get dividend payments this year -- the first time in decades. Among the myriad challenges is the once-stable television business where South Korean and Taiwanese rivals are leading the battle for global domination. Sony has resisted calls to abandon the TV business, despite razor-thin profit margins and falling prices. On Thursday, Sony’s chief financial officer Masaru Kato told reporters the firm still hopes to break even or even turn a profit from its Bravia-brand televisions during the next fiscal year.
“Japanese electronics firms need to sift through their businesses, taking what’s good and leaving what’s bad,” said Masahiko Hashimoto, economist at Daiwa Institute of Research in Tokyo. So far, they have been unable to keep pace with rival firms including South Korea’s hugely-profitable Samsung Electronics, which is setting the pace in the lucrative global smartphone market. And now Japanese firms are fighting on their home turf as consumers scoop up Apple’s iPad and Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones. Daiwa’s Hashimoto said firms once admired for their innovation need to recalibrate with products that are not unmatched -- or outdone -- by their rivals. “Having said that, Japanese companies still need to use their technologies to offer customers what they want -- they won’t have much success with talking vacuum cleaners,” he said, referring to Japan Inc.’s sometimes quirky products. However, other challenges will prove difficult to overcome, such as Japan’s high labour costs and a persistently strong yen which has dug into profits by making exports more expensive overseas, while eroding the value of repatriated foreignearned income. A slowing global economy, last year’s quake-tsunami disaster and weak demand in Europe -- a key market for everything from Japanese televisions and mobile phones to vehicles and electronics parts -- has also dented results. This week, Panasonic, Sharp and Sony pointed to yet another unwanted problem: Tokyo’s diplomatic spat with China over a disputed East China Sea island chain. The row over the archipelago, which Tokyo nationalized in mid-September, sparked huge demonstrations in China and a tumble in demand among consumers for Japan-branded exports. “We only hope the situation will calm down as soon as possible,” Sony’s Kato said.
Philippines recalls South Korean noodles MANILA, Nov 2, 2012 (AFP) - Philippine authorities have ordered the recall of six brands of South Korean noodles from local shops after they were reported to contain a cancercausing chemical. The Food and Drug Administration said in a statement dated Thursday that the noodles made by Nongshim Co, “will be off the shelves immediately”, and called on the public to report if they were still being sold. “The government is also undertaking inspection, collection and testing of other brands of noodles not currently identified to be contaminated as a precaution,” the statement on the agency’s website said.
The Philippine agency said its South Korean counterpart had found that the six brands contained “benzopyrene, a chemical with carcinogenic potential” in its tests. The statement did not say if the Philippine agency had tested the Nongshim brands itself. Spokesmen of the local FDA could not be contacted for comment. China, Taiwan and Vietnam have all reportedly had similar recalls of the same brands of South Korean noodles over similar health fears.
AirAsia X offers 790 million shares in Malaysian IPO KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 2, 2012 (AFP) - The long-haul arm of budget carrier AirAsia is offering 790 million shares in an initial public offering (IPO) next year to raise funds and expand its fleet, a draft prospectus showed Friday. Malaysia-based AirAsia X said in the document that 685.6 million shares would be offered to institutional investors and 104.4 million units to retail buyers, making up a third of the company’s enlarged capital. AirAsia officials refused to confirm the value of the IPO. But an industry source, speaking under the condition of anonymity, said it plans to raise about $250 million. The company, controlled by Malaysian tycoon Tony Fernandes, said in the prospectus that it plans to increase routes and expand its fleet to 32 planes by 2016. It was reported last month that the listing is part of a trio of IPOs planned by Fernandes, which include the Indo-
nesian unit of AirAsia and his insurance firm. The plan comes as Fernandes tries to tap the Kuala Lumpur exchange’s popularity as a centre to launch IPOs, which has seen it rise to fourth globally despite the global slowdown. A source who asked to remain unnamed said that the three listings were worth between $400 million and $550 million in total. AirAsia chairman Aziz Bakar said in October that work was in progress for the triple IPOs but declined to provide any details. Fernandes, who also owns Formula One team Caterham and London-based English Premiership football club Queens Park Rangers, could not be reached for comment. The former record industry executive stepped down in June as chief executive officer of the Malaysian-listed AirAsia and shifted his office to Jakarta to concentrate on regional growth.
Page 8
November 1-15, 2012 Georgia Asian Times
ARTS
Bruce Lee’s Hong Kong home to go on sale
Hong Kong, Oct 24, 2012 (AFP) - Kung fu legend Bruce Lee’s former residence in Hong Kong will be put up for sale after a plan to turn the property into a museum dedicated to the icon failed, a report said Wednesday. Philanthropist Yu Panglin, who owns the mansion, which became a rundown ‘love hotel’, said he was planning to sell the property for HK$180 million ($23 million) after talks with the government for the museum collapsed last year. “I’m no longer considering (the museum plan) since the government is not supportive,” the 90-year-old billionaire told Hong Kong’s Chineselanguage Singtao Daily in an interview.
mainstream with classic kung fu films such as “Fists of Fury” (1971) and “Enter the Dragon” (1973). However they were left disappoint-
ed after the Hong Kong government shelved the museum plan in June last year, saying it failed to reach a consensus with Yu following two years of negotiations, without giving details. Yu told Singtao Daily the government rejected his proposal to expand the mansion -- Lee’s last residence -- by adding three floors to include a cinema, library and martial arts training centre, which were his conditions to donate the property.
“I’m running out of patience, I don’t want to wait anymore,” he said, adding that the hotel owner had failed to pay rent for two years due to poor business, with the property in urgent need of refurbishment.
The 5,000 squarefoot (460 square-meter) two-story house in Hong Kong’s upscale residential district of Kowloon Tong was turned into a short-stay hotel with rooms rented for as little as US$25 an hour, usually to amorous couples.
Lee’s legions of fans have longdemanded a significant hometown tribute to the Chinese-American star, who died in 1973 at the age of 32 after helping to bring martial arts to the
Yu could not be reached Wednesday for comment but Lee’s fans urged the billionaire to reconsider his plan.
“If the house is sold and re-developed or demolished later, I think the Hong Kong people and Bruce Lee fans worldwide will be very disappointed,” said Wong Yiu-keung, chairman of the Bruce Lee Fan Club in Hong Kong. “We hope the government can try to persuade Yu again,” he added. The star died in Hong Kong after a severe reaction to medication. His fans have criticized the lack of a larger memorial to their hero in his hometown, except for a statue on the waterfront Avenue of Stars. Authorities said in October last year a gallery would be set up in Lee’s honor at the government-run Hong Kong Heritage Museum.
Georgia Asian Times November 1-15, 2012
Page 9
FOCUS
For Indonesian Obama impersonator, work is slow
JAKARTA, Nov 2, 2012 (AFP) - Ilham Anas concedes work is slow four years after he found fame impersonating Barack Obama in Indonesia, when the US president’s childhood home went wild for its long-lost son. With his wide smile and protruding ears, the shy photographer’s striking resemblance to Obama transformed him into an overnight sensation in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country. But as Americans decide whether to hand Obama a new term as president in a closely fought election on Tuesday, the steady stream of appearances for Anas on TV shows and films across the region has dried up. “I still get Obama work sometimes, but of course, it’s not like it was before. Back then the whole world had their eyes on Obama,” the 38-year-old told AFP, adding he has been forced to return to doing more photography work. Nevertheless, Anas, who used his success as an Obama double to found a lookalike agency, is still loyal to the president. “If he wins, I’ll get more work, so of course he has my vote,” he laughed. Indonesia erupted in joy when Obama, who is remembered by his former Jakarta elementary schoolmates as a chubby kid named Barry, became the most powerful person in the world.
Obama moved to the city in 1967 with his mother and Indonesian step-father. He returned to live in Hawaii four years later. But compared to 2008, Indonesians’ fervour towards their favourite American son has worn off somewhat. “Last time it was new, the question really was could a kid from (the central district of) Menteng, somebody who had lived here, actually get that American dream, become president,” said Democrats Abroad Indonesia chairman Arian Ardie. “I think it’s perhaps more of a temperature than a fever this time around.” Food vendors who named their best dishes and chilli sauces after the president are using generic names again, while a bar
dedicated to Obama fans in the capital has become a little-visited nightspot. Even Obama’s former nanny, a transgender named Turdi, whose story of living in hardship in a tiny single room caught the attention of the international media earlier this year, says that interest in his story is not what it was. “I had journalists from all over the world come to visit me. From America, France, Australia, England. They would give me a little money,” said the 67-yearold, “but they no longer come”. A “deeply moved” Obama returned to Jakarta for a brief visit in November 2010. But Turdi’s appeals for “Little Barry” to get back in touch have so far fallen on deaf ears.
But while the euphoria surrounding Obama’s election victory in 2008 has waned, a recent poll suggests that in Indonesia, as in many countries outside the United States, his support remains strong. According to a BBC survey released last week, if Obama were running for president in Indonesia, he would win a landslide victory with 59 percent backing him against only three percent for Republican rival Mitt Romney. That result reflects a global pattern. The survey, for which pollster GlobeScan/PIPA quizzed 21,797 people in 21 countries, showed 50 percent supporting Obama against nine percent for Romney. Indonesians such as Nilam Mira Lentika, a 20-year-old student of international relations, have applauded Obama’s efforts to reach out to the Muslim world and his “pivot” towards Asia. “I think Obama has tried to engage Muslims, including in Indonesia, and that’s sent a message to the world that there can be dialogue in this area,” she said.
Page 10
November 1-15, 2012 Georgia Asian Times
LIFESTYLE Hajj enters final stages with stoning ritual MINA, Saudi Arabia, Oct 27, 2012 (AFP) - Hundreds of thousands of Muslim pilgrims from all over the world, grouped by nationality, stoned the devil in Saudi Arabia’s Mina valley on Saturday, as the hajj reached its final stages. Men, women and children from 189 countries, many of whom had saved for years to make the trip, hurled pebbles at three vast stone pillars representing Satan, shouting “Allahu akbar (God is Greatest).” They moved from one pillar to the next in groups by nationality, carrying their countries’ flags in order not to be separated in the sea of humanity. As pilgrims prayed after and during the stoning, others took pictures on their mobile phones of themselves next to the pillars. This was criticized by members of the security forces who said through loudspeakers: “How are you people stoning Satan and taking pictures with him at the same time?” Afghan pilgrim Aysha Mohammed, 77, sat down, panting. “There’s a sweet feeling about getting tired during hajj” which Muslims must perform at least once in their lifetime. “Ever since I was a child I had dreamt of standing on the Mount of Mercy in Arafat,” where the Prophet Mohammed is said to have given his last sermon, she said with a smile. “They were purely spiritual moments.” “The trip to perform the hajj has cost me all the money I had,” she told AFP. “I had been saving small amounts for over 15 years and I finally sold all my jewellery to reach this place.”
Not everyone was satisfied, however. Walking wearily towards the pillars, an exhausted 63-year-old Egyptian said bluntly: “My trip has been bad.” Abdullah Jad, as he identified himself, said a company he paid to organise his pilgrimage took four years of savings and provided nothing in return, leaving him without accommodation and penniless in Saudi Arabia. “An office took the money and told me they will have everything ready for me here,” he said. But “upon my arrival, I found out that I had been fooled and that I had no transport and nowhere to stay,” said Jad, still wearing his traditional white pilgrimage robes and carrying an umbrella advertising a local telecoms company. His voice quivered as he said that he had been sleeping at the Grand Mosque in Mecca and did not have enough money to eat. Drenched in sweat, Jad said the trip had cost him around 25,000 Egyptian pounds (nearly $4,000).
Security, first aid on high alert Nearby, many pilgrims struggled to reach a parked truck offering free food and water. Security forces were heavily deployed in the stoning area and first aid teams remained on high alert at the pillars. The ritual, in the usually deserted Mina valley that comes to life only during the pilgrimage, began on Friday with the Muslim Eid al-Adha
holiday as the faithful stoned the largest pillar, Jamrat al-Aqaba. Early on Saturday, plastic bags of meat were gathered and sent to camps in Mina. On Eid al-Adha -- the feast of sacrifice -- sheep are slaughtered and the meat is distributed to needy Muslims.
been expanded to avoid overcrowding. Saudi authorities have built a five-level structure around the three stoning sites, allowing for a smooth flow of pilgrims who are allowed to move in only one direction to prevent congestion.
The rite represents Abraham preparing to sacrifice his son before God provided a lamb in the boy’s place at the last moment.
The ritual recalls Abraham’s stoning of the devil at the three spots where it is said Satan tried to dissuade the biblical patriarch from obeying God’s order to sacrifice his son, Ishmael.
Piles of rubbish littered Mina’s streets after pilgrims spent the night there.
Groups of pilgrims were allocated specific times of day to perform the ritual.
Motorbikes replaced cars to become a luxury mode of transport amid the massive throngs, transporting pilgrims around Mina for between 150 and 200 riyals ($40-$53).
According to the authorities, 168,000 police officers and civil defense personnel were mobilized for this year’s hajj.
The stoning in Mina used to be the most dangerous phase of the hajj and the most problematic for the authorities, marred at times by deadly stampedes as well as fires in tent camps. Now tents have been fire-proofed and gas canisters and cooking are banned. The stoning area has also
More than three million registered pilgrims are performing the rituals which end officially on Monday. Many pilgrims, however, conclude their pilgrimage on Sunday.
Georgia Asian Times November 1-15, 2012
Page 11
FOCUS
Meet Mr Happy: French geneticist turned Tibetan monk UPPER DOLPA, Nepal, Oct 29, 2012 (AFP) - As he grins serenely and his burgundy robes billow in the fresh Himalayan wind, it is not difficult to see why scientists declared Matthieu Ricard the happiest man they had ever tested.
around, most of Paris intellectual life. We had all the French painters and I was myself interested in classical music so I met a lot of musicians,” he said. “At lunch we’d have three Nobel Prize winners eating with us. It was fantastic... Some of them were wonderful but some could be difficult.”
The monk, molecular geneticist and confidant of the Dalai Lama, is passionately setting out why meditation can alter the brain and improve people’s happiness in the same way that lifting weights puts on muscle. “It’s a wonderful area of research because it shows that meditation is not just blissing out under a mango tree but it completely changes your brain and therefore changes what you are,” said the Frenchman.
known as “neuroplasticity”, is in its infancy and Ricard has been at the forefront of ground-breaking experiments along with other leading scientists across the world.
Ricard, a globe-trotting polymath who left everything behind to become a Tibetan Buddhist in a Himalayan hermitage, says anyone can be happy if they only train their brain.
“We have been looking for 12 years at the effect of short and long-term mind-training through meditation on attention, on compassion, on emotional balance,” he said.
Neuroscientist Richard Davidson wired up Ricard’s skull with 256 sensors at the University of Wisconsin four years ago as part of research on hundreds of advanced practitioners of meditation.
“We’ve found remarkable results with long-term practitioners who did 50,000 rounds of meditation, but also with three weeks of 20 minutes a day, which of course is more applicable to our modern times.”
The scans showed that when meditating on compassion, Ricard’s brain produces a level of gamma waves -- those linked to consciousness, attention, learning and memory -- “never reported before in the neuroscience literature”, Davidson said.
The 66-year-old, accompanying other senior Tibetan monks at a festival in the remote Nepalese Himalayan region of Upper Dolpa, has become a globally respected Buddhist and is one of the religion’s leading western scholars.
The scans also showed excessive activity in his brain’s left prefrontal cortex compared to its right counterpart, giving him an abnormally large capacity for happiness and a reduced propensity towards negativity, researchers believe. Research into the phenomenon,
But he has not always been on the path to enlightenment. Ricard grew up among the Paris intellectual elite as the son of celebrated French libertarian philosopher JeanFrancois Revel and abstract water color painter Yahne Le Toumelin. “All these people used to come
By the time he got his PhD in cell genetics from the Institut Pasteur in Paris in 1972 he had become disillusioned with the dinner party debates and had already begun to journey to Darjeeling in India during his holidays. Eschewing intimate relationships and a career, he moved to India to study Buddhism and emerged 26 years later as something of celebrity thanks to “The Monk And The Philosopher”, a dialogue on the meaning of life he wrote with his father. “That was the end of my quiet time because it was a bestseller. Suddenly I was projected into the western world. Then I did more dialogues with scientists and the whole thing started to spin off out of control. “I got really involved in science re-
search and the science of meditation.” A prominent monk in Kathmandu’s Shechen Monastery, Ricard divides his year between isolated meditation, scientific research and accompanying the Dalai Lama as his adviser on trips to French-speaking countries and science conferences. He addressed the World Economic Forum in Davos at the height of the financial crisis in 2009 to tell gathered heads of state and business leaders it was time to give up greed in favor of “enlightened altruism”. His other works include “Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life’s Most Important Skill” and several collections of photographs of the landscape, people and spiritual masters of the Himalayas. Ricard donates all proceeds of his books to 110 humanitarian projects which have built schools for 21,000 children and provide healthcare for 100,000 patients a year. He was awarded the French National Order of Merit for his work in preserving Himalayan culture but it is his work on the science of happiness which perhaps defines him best. Ricard sees living a good life, and showing compassion, not as a religious edict revealed from on high, but as a practical route to happiness. “Try sincerely to check, to investigate,” he said. “That’s what Buddhism has been trying to unravel -- the mechanism of happiness and suffering. It is a science of the mind.”
Page 12
November 1-15, 2012 Georgia Asian Times
TECHNOLOGY Windows 8 phones out to stand apart from rivals SAN FRANCISCO, Oct 29, 2012 (AFP) - Microsoft on Monday set out to win over iPhone and Android gadget devotees with Windows 8 smartphones, new devices that emphasize individualism and unify digital lives in the Internet cloud.
Google unveils large tablet, revamped Nexus lineup NEW YORK, Oct 29, 2012 (AFP) - Google on Monday unveiled a largeformat tablet computer to compete against the original iPad as part of a revamped line of its Nexus devices, and touted a new music service for Europe. Google said on its blog that its Nexus 10, a rival to the market-leading iPad, would be “the highest resolution tablet on the planet” and would offer settings for multiple user accounts. The Nexus 10 appeared to be the firm’s entry into the 10-inch (26 centimeter) screen tablet market pioneered by Apple, which last week unveiled a smaller seven-inch iPad mini to be sold alongside its 10-inch original iPad Google also said it would be selling its Nexus 7, which has a seven-inch screen, with mobile access for GSM networks worldwide. And Google unveiled its Nexus 4, a smartphone with a 4.7-inch screen manufactured with South Korea’s LG. “A Nexus device is much more than simply a phone or tablet. It’s your connection to the best of Google
-- all of your stuff and entertainment, everywhere you go with no hassle,” Google’s Andy Rubin wrote in a blog post. “Now you have three new Nexus devices, a new improved version of (Android operating system) Jelly Bean and more entertainment than ever before -- all available in Google Play. The playground is open.” Google said the music offerings on Google Play, the firm’s online store, would be launched in Europe on November 13, with a new feature to allow music in a customer’s online collection to be automatically uploaded to the cloud. It will be offered in Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. “We’ll scan your music collection and any song we match against the Google Play catalog will be automatically added to your online library without needing to upload it, saving you time,” Google said. “This will be available in Europe at launch on November 13 and is coming to the US soon after. This will all be for free -- free storage of your music,
The global rollout of Windows 8 phones, set to begin in Europe this weekend, is the final piece in a Microsoft operating system transformation aimed at harmonizing the technology titan’s software and hardware for mobile lifestyles. “It has been for us an exciting and energizing few days,” Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer said while unveiling the slick new smartphones at a media event in San Francisco. “Windows PCs (personal computers) really are the best PCs ever and today we are bringing phones into the Windows family with Windows 8.” Microsoft on Friday launched its latest generation Windows operating system, hit the market with Surface tablet computers and opened scores of temporary “pop-up” stores that have drawn crowds interested in Windows 8 devices. “The lines we’ve seen at Microsoft stores have been heartening,” Ballmer said. free matching, free syncing across your devices and free listening.” Google had scheduled a news conference in New York for the announcement but canceled the event due to Hurricane Sandy. The entry-level Nexus 10 will be sold at $399, or about $100 less than the least expensive iPad, starting November 13 in the US, Britain, Australia, France, Germany, Spain, Canada and Japan.
Windows Phone 8 is the final component in Microsoft’s new equation and shares a user interfaced based on “tiles” that can be personalized with people’s pictures, applications, games, music and more. Microsoft corporate vice president Joe Belfiore said that Microsoft was out to “re-invent” a smartphone experience that has for years basically consisted of a locked screen that opens to rows of icons. “We decided not use that tired old metaphor and came up with our own way that puts people at the center of the experience,” Belfiore said with a slight jab at iPhone. Microsoft’s online shop is stocked with more than 120,000 applications tailored for Windows 8 phones and the number is growing, according to Belfiore. Analysts have long contended that hip, fun, or functional “apps” are crucial to the success of smartphones. Microsoft partnered with Facebook to optimize a Windows 8 version of the leading social network’s application that includes serving up slide shows of personal pictures to handset lockscreens.
Nexus 7, which was launched earlier this year, is available in the same countries, and the version with mobile data will go on sale November 13 in those countries except for Japan. Nexus 4 will be offered in the US through T-Mobile and unlocked in Britain, Australia, France, Germany, Spain and Canada.
Georgia Asian Times November 1-15, 2012
Page 13
SPORTS
Formula One: We need three perfect races, say Red Bull NEW DELHI, Oct 29, 2012 (AFP) - Red Bull need three “perfect” race weekends to ensure a third straight drivers’ and constructors’ world championship double after Sebastian Vettel’s victory in India, says team chief Christian Horner. Germany’s Vettel, winner of the title in 2010 and 2011, cruised to his fourth consecutive victory on Sunday, leading the Indian Grand Prix from start to finish in a dominant display. The 26th win of his career gives Vettel a 13-point lead over his nearest challenger, Fernando Alonso of Ferrari, who finished second at the Buddh International Circuit after starting fifth on the grid. Red Bull enjoy a healthy 91-point lead in the constructors’ championship over Ferrari. But speaking after Vettel’s consummate triumph in the heat and dust of New Delhi, Horner warned against complacency as he looked forward to the final three races of the season in Abu Dhabi, the United States and Brazil. “We certainly cannot afford to be complacent because Fernando Alonso keeps turning up,” said Horner, after Vettel and his Red Bull team-mate Australian Mark Webber sandwiched the Spanish driver in second place. “He (Alonso) drove a strong race today and it was a shame we couldn’t keep Mark (Webber) ahead of him, as he had a KERS issue from lap 20. “We have got a great lead now in the constructors’ championship, but it is only 13 points in the drivers’.... We have managed to eke out a gap and, considering where we came from four races ago, it is impressive. “But we have to keep that momentum going. It is the first time Seb has won four races in succession and it was an incredible performance from
him this weekend. “With 75 points available from three races, it is going to be crucial for us to have perfect weekends now.” Horner was unfazed by Alonso’s bullish talk that he will win at Interlagos in Sao Paulo on November 25 to take his third world championship crown. “Talk is cheap at the end of the day,” he said, when reminded that Alonso has said he is “100 per cent convinced” he will win the championship again this year. “I think it is down to what you do on the track,” said Horner. “We can all prophesy but it is a question of our focus now being on Abu Dhabi to extract the most out of the car, the drivers, the strategy, and the reliability that we can. “It is going to be a question of having three perfect weekends.” Horner said Red Bull would have to be at their best to deny Alonso and his Ferrari team. “Fernando is a quality driver and Ferrari are a quality team and they are doing a strong job,” he said. “He is remarkably consistent and we are going to have to perform at our very, very best if we are going to maintain our lead ahead of him. “We have worked hard to get into this position and there is a real determination within the team to carry this momentum into the remaining three races.” “We need more from the car, more performance,” Horner said. “We have had good speed here, now we need more handling with the car. There are three races to go and I believe we will do it.”
Fan frenzy engulfs Woods and McIlroy in China ZHENGZHOU, China, Oct 29, 2012 (AFP) - Rory McIlroy beat Tiger Woods by a single shot Monday in a big-money 18-hole showdown between the world’s top two before a frenzied Chinese audience whose enthusiasm literally knew no bounds. Crowd etiquette crumbled as the golfers played out their “Duel at Jinsha Lake” for a prize pot reportedly worth $2 million. Fans jumped the ropes, stole balls and clogged up the fairways to get a better vantage for photographs. World number one McIlroy and 14 times major winner Woods had both flown in late Sunday for the one-day event after playing elsewhere -- McIlroy having come second at the BMW Masters in Shanghai, and Woods finishing fourth at the CIMB Classic in sweltering Malaysia. But the players had any tiredness quickly extinguished by a surreal and lavish opening ceremony in Zhengzhou, in China’s inland east. They were greeted by drum majorettes, fireworks and speeches from local dignitaries before clanging a cer-
emonial Chinese gong and having their handprints and autographs immortalised in clay. McIlroy carded a five under par 67 on the 7,039-yard, par-72 layout at the Jinsha Lake Golf Club, and world number two Woods registered a 68. It was remarkable scoring given the chaotic crowds constantly taking photos, letting their phones ring and refusing to stand still or be quiet even as the players were swinging. Leisure helicopters were parked alongside putting greens, models in revealing evening gowns stood on tees, and enthusiastic spectators were tackled to the ground as they attempted to out-sprint security guards. McIlroy grabbed an immediate birdie at the first hole, after struggling to keep a straight face in posing for photos as he tried to stare Woods down, boxingstyle. He was never headed, thus gaining a modicum of revenge for his sevenstroke defeat when the pair last met in Turkey two weeks ago.
Page 14
November 1-15, 2012 Georgia Asian Times
SPORTS Premier League on trial over racism’s return LONDON, Oct 29, 2012 (AFP) - Racism, a problem that English football thought it had solved, has returned to haunt the country that gave birth to the game, with the Premier League’s global popularity on the line after a succession of scandals. With Luis Suarez and John Terry having already earned bans for racist abuse, the issue lurched into new territory on Sunday when top flight referee Mark Clattenburg was accused of racially abusing Chelsea’s John Mikel Obi. It came after a match between Chelsea and Manchester United that had been a memorable encounter, full of incident and intrigue, but when the accusations against Clattenburg emerged a few hours later, the mood soured. The seriousness of the claims was not lost on commentators on Monday. “If a match official has used racial insults or language to a player, then he’s for the high jump,” former Premier League referee Jeff Winter told BBC radio. “It’d probably be the end of his career, if proven.” The allegations are being seen as all the more shocking because English football was supposed to have banished the monkey chants and banana-throwing of the 1970s and 1980s during the period of aggressive gentrification heralded by the launch of the Premier League in 1992, as ticket prices and television exposure soared. England came to be seen as a safe haven for black footballers and by 2002, Arsenal were fielding teams containing as many as nine black or mixed race players. When English teams have found themselves the target of racial abuse, it has been portrayed in the national media as a problem that now belongs to other parts of the world. After footage emerged of England’s
Danny Rose being taunted with monkey noises by fans during an under-21 match in Serbia earlier this month, the shock reflected the fact that such scenes have not been witnessed in England for decades. When Uruguayan striker Suarez was accused of racially abusing United’s Patrice Evra last season, meanwhile, it was held that he was simply unprepared for the sensitivities of life in a multi-cultural society. The Suarez case, though, proved to be the tip of the iceberg. The Liverpool striker was banned for eight matches but it was followed by the Terry-Anton Ferdinand affair, several accusations of racial abuse by fans towards players on social media, and now the claim that Clattenburg used a racist insult against Nigerian midfielder Mikel at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. But if racism now seems to be back on the agenda in English football, John Barnes -- a target of the banana-throwers of the 1980s -- says that it never went away. “It’s very easy to call it social injustice when it affects us -- with Danny Rose, with Anton, with Luis Suarez -- but what about the social injustices that go on for black people every day?” the former Liverpool winger asked talkSPORT radio last week.
Continue from Page 13
Woods-McIlroy Duel “I got off to a good start,” the Northern Irishman said. “And just tried to keep my nose in front.” Woods told reporters that it was a “great match”. The American added: “It was a lot of fun and a great exhibition. I think everyone enjoyed it.” China is seen as the next frontier for golf and the fans clearly love it, though are mostly oblivious to norms of behaviour, as shown when they broke through the ropes and invaded the driving range as McIlroy and Woods warmed up. Soon after there were comical scenes as spectators sprinted on and purloined all the expensive golf balls as the players attempted to leave. The melee continued as the players stood on the first tee, with stewards and security men trying and failing to stop the boisterous crowds bursting through the ropes. “This is certainly not like most Mondays,” Woods said afterwards, smiling. “It’s been a different one, hasn’t it?” “I wouldn’t say it was crazy out there. The word I would use is ‘enthusiastic’,” McIlroy said. “It’s good to see so many people out there. So many people that follow golf and want to watch us play. I hope that continues.”
The sheer decadence of the occasion, coinciding with the launch of multimillion-dollar “Golf Villas” to be built around the golf course, was in vivid contrast to the stark industrial conurbation of Zhengzhou just a few kilometres down the road. It is home to around 10 million people, capital of Henan province and one of the eight ancient capitals of China. But the line-up of luxury cars parked around the clubhouse -- including Rolls-Royces, Bentleys, Ferraris, Aston Martins and Maseratis -- was pure Monaco. A luxury yacht even sailed serenely across a lake in front of Woods as he played an approach shot. Away from the hoopla of the madein-China event, South African Ernie Els said the McIlroy-Woods rivalry was shaping up into a fascinating duel. “Tiger’s got all the experience in the world and Rory’s got all the power in the world right now, he’s got all the momentum,” the four-time major champion said at an event in Hong Kong. “They’re really stirring the pot between the two of them and I think it’s good for golf,” Els said.
“There’s no way we can get rid of racism in football if it exists in society.” The Premier League is a worldwide marketing phenomenon, but the sponsors and fans may find it hard to remain loyal if the flagship of the English game comes to be seen as a place where discrimination is allowed to fester. Leading black players have already made their feelings known, with Reading striker Jason Roberts leading a boycott of the “Kick It Out” T-shirt
campaign that prompted the Professional Footballers’ Association to issue an anti-racism action plan. That Chelsea -- a club scarred by racism allegations after their captain, Terry, was banned for abusing Anton Ferdinand -- should make such claims against Clattenburg suggests they have full confidence in their case.
After receiving criticism over its handling of the Suarez and Terry affairs, the Football Association has no choice but to investigate Chelsea’s complaint with the utmost speed and transparency.
Georgia Asian Times November 1-15, 2012
Page 15
HEALTH UN pinpoints climate-linked health risks GENEVA, Oct 29, 2012 (AFP) - Two UN agencies on Monday presented a new tool to map health risks linked to climate change and extreme weather conditions, enabling authorities to give advance warnings and act to prevent “climate-sensitive” diseases from spreading. The World Metrological Organization and the World Health Organization presented their first joint “Atlas of Health and Climate,” which pinpoints health problems like diarhoea, malaria, dengue and meningitis that follow in the wake of sudden, but often foreseeable shifts in climate. Using graphs, charts and bullet points, the atlas can be used as a guide for decision makers on how to prevent such diseases, WHO Secretary General Margaret Chan told reporters in Geneva, speaking alongside WMO chief Michel Jarraud. The report “can help policy makers to make decisions,” she said, pointing for instance to the more than 20 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa affected by bacterial meningitis, brought each year with a hot and dusty wind that blows across the socalled meningitis belt. “In advance of the coming of the wind, ... this kind of information, allows us to do early warning” and provide vaccines before the winds and the disease arrive, she said. Jarraud meanwhile stressed how climate change was making advance warning ever more important in the cases of severe heat waves like the one that hit Western Europe in 2003 and the one that hit Russia two years ago, which he described as “unprecedented”. “These unprecedented heat waves, at the end of this century, might happen every five or every 10 years,” he said, stressing that alerting the public, caring for the vulnerable and informing people how to act could save many lives in such situations. Advance warning is also imperative in getting people out of harm’s way in the cases of massive storms like Hurricane Sandy, which is currently threatening the East Coast of the United States, Jarraud said.
Cancer drug helps MS patients, trials show PARIS, Nov 01, 2012 (AFP) - A drug initially developed to treat some types of cancer now appears to help people suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS), a study said Thursday. The drug, alemtuzumab, proved effective in patient trials at reducing relapses -- a key feature of MS which sees symptoms appear sporadically. In one trial, patients who received the drug “were nearly half as likely to relapse within two years than those who received interferon”, the most commonly-used MS drug, said a statement by The Lancet medical journal which published the research. A second trial had similar results. The outcome “offers the prospect of substantial improvement in quality of life and a better future for thousands of people with MS,” said Alastair Compston from the University of Cambridge, principal investigator on both studies. Many MS patients already use alemtuzumab, even though it has not been
licensed for this purpose. Both trials were Phase III, which is the final testing stage in a process to vet a new drug. Together, the two involved some 1,400 patients. About 100,000 people in Britain and about 400,000 in the United States are believed to suffer from MS, which sees the immune system attacking the body’s own nerve fibres. This affects vision, movement, balance, sensation, bladder control and eventually also memory and thinking.
appeared to increase the risk of certain auto-immune disorders, particularly those affecting the thyroid, but said these could be treated effectively. The Lancet, in an editorial, said the results were encouraging but added that there were concerns that licensing the drug for MS may lead to a rise in cost. “More effective, affordable, evidence-based treatments with longterm benefits are desperately needed,” it said.
About 85 percent of patients start with a form of the disease known as “relapsing remitting” MS, with symptoms appearing sporadically (a relapse) before fading away again.
“Finding promising treatments such as alemtuzumab is important. But so is keeping alemtuzumab accessible and affordable if its early success in these trials proves to be of enduring value.”
There is no cure, and existing drugs seek to reduce symptoms, said the statement. Success of a drug is measured by a reduction in the frequency of relapses.
Regulatory authorities in the US and Europe are likely to approve the drug for MS use during the course of 2013, according to University of Cambridge spokeswoman Genevieve Maul.
The researchers found that alemtuzumab, licensed to treat leukaemia,
New fight needed against killer malaria in Asia SYDNEY, Nov 2, 2012 (AFP) - Asia accounts for 88 percent of all malaria cases and most of the 46,000 annual deaths occurring outside Africa, a new report shows Friday as experts demand more urgency in fighting the deadly disease. Leading scientists and health experts meeting in Sydney this week at the “Malaria 2012: Saving Lives in the Asia-Pacific” conference also want tougher political leadership and regional coordination. Most international efforts to defeat malaria have so far focused on Africa, where the majority of deaths occur. But out of the 3.3 billion people at risk from the mosquito-borne disease, 2.5 billion live outside the African region. Fatoumata Nafo-Traore, director of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, the global framework for coordinated action against the disease, called for that to change. “Asia accounts for the second highest
burden of malaria, second only to Africa,” she said. “In the face of persistent economic uncertainty and profound changes in the landscape of global development aid, the region needs strong political leadership. “It also needs to develop financing strategies that include substantive and sustained domestic investment, traditional multilateral and bilateral aid and truly innovative sources of funding.” She was speaking at the launch of a new report, “Defeating Malaria in Asia, the Pacific, Americas, Middle East and Europe”, a joint initiative with the World Health Organization. It showed that the parasite threatens more than two billion people each year in the Asia-Pacific region, while smaller numbers are at risk in the Americas (160 million) and Middle East (250 million). According to the report, there were some
34 million cases of malaria outside Africa in 2010, claiming the lives of an estimated 46,000 people. The Asia-Pacific, which includes 20 malaria-endemic countries, accounted for 88 percent, or 30 million, of these cases and 91 percent, or 42,000, of the deaths. India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Myanmar and Papua New Guinea were hardest hit. Outside Asia, there were 1.1 million cases in the Americas and 1,200 deaths and 2.9 million cases in the Middle East and the Caucasus with 3,100 deaths. The three-day Sydney conference focused on growing resistance to the drug used everywhere to cure the life-threatening disease -- artemisinin, which is central to the efficacy of anti-malarial treatment. Resistance has been detected in Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, and Vietnam and the report said it stood to “unravel the hard-won gains of recent years”.
Page 16
November 1-15, 2012 Georgia Asian Times
Misc Asia Brit in China breaks wine glass handling record BEIJING, HKG, Oct 27, 2012 (AFP) A British sommelier Saturday smashed the world record for the number of wine glasses held in one hand, according to organizers of the event, handling 51 glasses to surpass the previous record of 39.
cally with two glasses per setting I had got 280 glasses to put out with a very short amount of time,” said Osenton. “You have a lot of pressure to get the room ready.”
Philip Osenton, a 43-year-old wine consultant based in Beijing, began handling dozens of glasses at a time early in his career working at major London hotels the Ritz and Savoy, which he said laid the groundwork for the feat. “The carrying of glasses is a sommelier thing. When I was head sommelier at the Ritz hotel, I’ve had a 140-cover restaurant to set up in the morning between breakfast and lunch, so basi-
In his first attempt Osenton managed 45 glasses in one go, but made it to 51 on a second try, stacking the glasses on their side on top of each other in his left hand. The previous record of 39 glasses was made in 2007 by a Filipino man in a Barcelona restaurant, according to Jim Boyce, founder of the China wine blog grapewallofchina.com.
iPhone’s ‘Siri’ directs Chinese to brothels: media BEIJING, Oct 29, 2012 (AFP) - Concerns that the Chinese version of the Apple iPhone’s new voice-activated assistant “Siri” directs users to brothels has been raised by netizens and lawyers, state media said Monday. Users of the recently released Mandarin version of Siri were given several options for finding prostitutes upon request, but could not verify if the listings were accurate, the staterun China Daily said. It cited a lawyer as saying the information supplied by Siri had “affected the public order and had a negative influence”. Prostitution is banned in China, which retains a largely conservative attitude to sex. Nearly nine million users of Sina Weibo, China’s version of Twitter, commented on the function, making it one of the hottest topics early Monday. One suspected Apple of providing
the service intentionally, while another noted how efficient it was at finding brothels, rather than restaurants that serve typically Chinese dishes. “When I ask Siri about beef noodle soup or hotpot, she has no idea,” the netizen said. Another message said Siri’s detailed knowledge of brothels puts Chinese law enforcement to shame. “A mobile phone can know all this while the police do not?” The service appeared to have been blocked by Monday, as Siri replied to variously worded attempts to find prostitutes with non-answers like: “There seems to have been a mistake” and “I didn’t find anybody by that name”. China is the second-biggest market for Apple after the United States. An Apple spokesperson could not be immediately reached for comment.
Zookeepers hunt fugitive flamingo in Japan TOKYO, Oct 29, 2012 (AFP) - Zookeepers in northern Japan are racing against nature to catch a fugitive flamingo before it freezes or migrates south for the winter. Bird experts have tried to net the escapee on the lake it has made home using captive flamingos as bait, and have even donned diving gear to sneak up on the pink-feathered bird from underwater. But every time they get anywhere near it takes to the skies, said Akihisa Kato from Asahiyama Zoo, on the northernmost island of Hokkaido. “We want to capture it ourselves if possible. But if we don’t, it can survive the winter if it flies south to warmer
places with migratory birds such as swans and geese,” he said by telephone.
“We guess the flamingo will make some kind of move before the lake freezes,” Kato said.
“But if it goes to the main island of Honshu, it will be difficult to continue our hunt because of the costs involved.”
The hunt began in July -- an altogether more pleasant time of the year to be out and about in Hokkaido -when the metre- (three-feet) high bird, hopped a fence at its enclosure.
The bird, a member of the greater flamingo species, usually found in northern Africa and Mediterranean Europe, is currently surviving on a diet of plankton and seaweed. But with the mercury falling in Hokkaido, where winter temperatures regularly reach minus 10 degrees Celsius (14 Fahrenheit), the bird’s options are narrowing.
After initially flying south, the creature -- which was never given a name by keepers -- made its home on a brackish-water lake by the Sea of Okhotsk, some 130 kilometres (80 miles) east of the zoo, among a flock of less colourful herons. One attempt to recapture the bird saw the zoo’s director put on a wetsuit and snorkel in a bid to approach
without being seen, said Kato, adding that his boss had only managed to get within 100 metres (yards) before the entire flock took fright. Earlier this year the escape of a penguin from a zoo in Tokyo captured worldwide attention. Humboldt penguin No. 337 spent 82 days at large in and around Tokyo Bay after bolting his enclosure and evading aquarium staff, an army of public onlookers and even Japan’s wellequipped coastguard.
Georgia Asian Times November 1-15, 2012
Misc Asia
Words of Wisdom
Singaporean female teacher jailed for sex with student SINGAPORE, Oct 29, 2012 (AFP) - A 32-year-old female Singaporean teacher was sentenced to a year in jail on Monday for having sex with a 15year-old boy in her school, local media reported. The teacher, who was married with two children, started a relationship with the student last year after she started counseling him, the Straits Times daily reported on its website. Their names were withheld to protect the minor’s identity. The court was told that she wooed the boy with gifts including a copy of the bestselling book “Eat, Pray, Love”, which dealt with a divorced American woman’s adventures and was made into a film starring Julia Roberts in 2010. The two continued their relationship for more than a month, during which
Page 17
they had consensual sex at the teacher’s flat before the student’s parents found out about the affair and reported her to the school. In passing sentence, district judge Eugene Teo warned those who viewed schools “as acceptable venues for such illicit pursuits, and our students as acceptable partners in lust” will be punished, the Straits Times reported. Another news portal, channelnewsasia.com, said the judge noted that psychiatrists found “no predatory paedophilic tendencies” in the teacher, which led to the comparatively light sentence. Under Singapore law, an adult found guilty of engaging sexual intercourse with anyone under the age of 16 -- even if it’s consensual -- faces up to 10 years’ imprisonment, a fine or both.
You can pull back your leg, but not your committed word. Burmese Proverb
There are no nuts when one has teeth and there are no teeth when there are nuts. Indian Proverb
One can’t die if he’s brave. Even when he die his name lasts forever. Burmese Proverb
Brevity is the soul of wit. Japanese Proverb
A fire should be extinguished when it is small; an enemy should be subdued while young. Bhutanese Proverb Words coming from far away are always half true, half false. Bhutanese Proverb Prison and keys are something to which thieves gave birth; medicinal remedies are born from germs; sleep is born from feelings of sleepiness; people in the world are born from karma. Cambodian Proverb Running out of ideas will put you in the dark until death. Cambodian Proverb No one knows a son better than the father. Chinese Proverb Men should worry about fame just as pigs about being fat. Chinese Proverb
Cambodia to deport Chinese woman over royal photos PHNOM PENH, Oct 23, 2012 (AFP) - A Cambodian court Tuesday ordered the deportation of a Chinese factory manager who nearly caused a riot among workers by ripping up photographs of recently deceased former king Norodom Sihanouk. Wang Zia Chao, 43, was also handed a one-year suspended sentence for “intentionally damaging the photos” of the revered royal and told to pay a two million riel ($500) fine, judge Seng Neang at Phnom Penh municipal court said. Wang expressed remorse for destroying the two photos on Monday after becoming annoyed that staff at the Top
What does a monkey know of the taste of ginger? Indian Proverb
“If I had known... I would not have done it. I feel regret for the mistake and I would like to say sorry for everything,” Wang said. Monday’s incident so infuriated the factory workers that police had to be called in to calm down a 1,000strong crowd. World garment factory had interrupted work to look at them, but she told the court she was unaware who was depicted in the images.
Wang was handcuffed and forced to make a public apology at a shrine to the revered royal. She was also fired from her job as chief
Love is blind; pimple become dimple. Japanese Proverb The widower knows the widow’s circumstances. Korean Proverb When it’s ten years, even the rivers and mountains change. Korean Proverb On which soil we stand on, that is where we carry the weight of the sky. Malay Proverb Bit by bit, in the end it becomes a hill. Malay Proverb One who acts tough is really a coward. Filipino Proverb An intelligent monkey can still be outsmarted. Filipino Proverb Eat in a house then excrete on the roof. Thai Proverb A dead elephant cannot be covered by a lotus leaf. Thai Proverb
of a production unit. Unlike neighboring Thailand, Cambodia does not have strict legislation against insulting the monarchy and prosecutions are extremely rare. Sihanouk, who steered Cambodia through decades marked by independence from France, civil war, the murderous Khmer Rouge regime and finally peace, died of a heart attack on October 15 aged 89.
Page 18
November 1-15, 2012 Georgia Asian Times
TECH
Disney buys Lucasfilm, new ‘Star Wars’ film set
Continue from Page 12 A “live apps” feature allows for sports scores, messages, images or other data to be streamed to an ever-changing lock-page on phones, a demonstration showed. A Twitter application was also tailored with Windows 8, and a specially designed Skype “app” is in the works, according to Belfiore. Data Sense lets users easily control how much information is flying across telecom networks in order to avoid potentially punishing overage charges from carriers. Belfiore brought his three young children on stage to demonstrate Kid’s Corner, the ability to create a playground on a smartphone where wee ones can tinker. “I think it’s awesome,” actress Jessica Alba said of Kid’s Corner. “You’re kid is not going to get into your stuff and do what they do best, which is create chaos, good chaos, but chaos.” She shared a story of her daughter at age two playing with her mobile phone and sending a gibberish message to Alba’s millions of Twitter followers. “I love that I can curate the content,” said Alba, who told of switching from an iPhone to a Windows 8 phone. “It is a clutch feature. My daughter is totally into it.”
Ballmer touted the ability to personalize Windows 8 phone screens with apps, images and data to make devices “uniquely yours” by “pinning” tiles. He also highlighted how people Microsoft’s Internet “cloud” storage service SkyDrive could be used to synch everything from Word documents to music across phones, personal computers, and Xbox 360 videogame consoles. “They all share the same iconic look and feel, and they will update as the world around you changes,” Ballmer said. Ballmer also provided glimpses at “killer hardware” that included Nokia, Samsung and HTC handsets with big screens and sleek lines. Windows 8 smartphones will roll out around the world in November and December. “My phone is really an extension of me as a person,” Alba said. “From work that I do to music I like to listen to, it is really personal on the Windows phones. My phone is different from everyone else’s, and I like that.”
LOS ANGELES, Oct 30, 2012 (AFP) - Disney is to buy George Lucas’s renowned film studio including his “Star Wars” franchise, the entertainment giant said Tuesday, announcing plans for more films in the legendary sci-fi series. “Star Wars 7” will be released in 2015, “with more feature films expected to continue the Star Wars saga and grow the franchise well into the future,” said the Walt Disney Co, announcing the deal worth over $4 billion for Lucasfilm. The deal “combines a world-class portfolio of content including Star Wars, one of the greatest family entertainment franchises of all time, with Disney’s unique and unparalleled creativity,” said Disney chief Robert Iger.
sures has been to see Star Wars passed from one generation to the next. “It’s now time for me to pass Star Wars on to a new generation of filmmakers. I’ve always believed that Star Wars could live beyond me, and I thought it was important to set up the transition during my lifetime.” The first “Star Wars” film came out in 1977, and there have been two trilogies -- three films from 1977-1983 and three prequels from 1999-2005 -- while the brand has expanded into theme parks and a huge merchandising arm. Lucas will be succeeded as head of Lucasfilm by his current co-chairman, Kathleen Kennedy, who will report to Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn, said the Disney statement.
“Lucasfilm reflects the extraordinary passion, vision, and storytelling of its founder, George Lucas,” said Iger, head of global entertainment giant Disney, which is headquartered in Burbank, just outside Los Angeles.
“I’m confident that with Lucasfilm under the leadership of Kathleen Kennedy, and having a new home within the Disney organization, Star Wars will certainly live on and flourish for many generations to come,” said Lucas.
The transaction is valued at $4.05 billion -- based on current stock value -- with Disney paying about half in cash and issuing approximately 40 million shares at closing. Lucasfilm is 100 percent owned by Lucas.
“Disney’s reach and experience give Lucasfilm the opportunity to blaze new trails in film, television, interactive media, theme parks, live entertainment, and consumer products,” he added.
Lucas, who runs his company from its San Francisco base, added: “For the past 35 years, one of my greatest plea-
Page 19
November 1-15, 2012 E Georgia Asian Times
November - Chinese Horoscope Rat (2008 1996 1984 1972 1960 1948 1936 1924 1912)
While away from home and office, there is some hidden danger around you. Be extra nice to people around you and it will dissolve lots of difficult situations. The pettiness and hurtful words of your neighbors won’t succeed in troubling your equanimity; however, some family concerns will perturb you. Stay calm and success will be on your side this month!
Ox (2009 1997 1985 1973 1961 1949 1937 1925 1913)
Good time to travel for your business or pleasure. Watch out for your daily safety and especially while traveling. May attend memorial service away from home. Gaiety will reign in your home, under the protective wings of the stars. You’ll put your optimism and enthusiasm at the service of your family entourage; you’ll respect the freedom of everyone. If you must make an important purchase, from an apartment to a car or a freezer, this will be the moment or never to do it.
Tiger (1998 1986 1974 1962 1950 1938 1926 1914)
Tiger is best relationship with Pig month. Watch out for your daily safety and especially while traveling. Single Tigers could found a relationship or to be married. Beware of excess acid in the stomach that, if not controlled, may lead to ulcers. Also keep a watch on your liver and intestines. Intestinal disorders, constipation or diarrhea, can be a result of repeated bad digestion. You will organize your small life well and everything will go well.
Rabbit (1999 1987 1975 1963 1951 1939 1927 1915 1903)
Misfortune will be overcome with Three Harmonies. You are walking in a wide and smooth path and have many chances to travel. You can expect to achieve pending plans right now, for a small material chance and very good intuition granted by the stars will allow you to bring them to a successful conclusion in record time. This will also be an opportunity to discover different milieus which will render you more open and more tolerant.
Dragon (2000 1988 1976 1964 1952 1940 1928 1916 1904) There are many opportunities for career advancement. Possible relocation due to work. Self-discipline and good deeds will pay off this month. For many of you natives, sentimental life will be intense; it’ll often be great love; but sometimes one can be a victim of the illusion that one’s mate deserves that one devote oneself entirely to him/her.
Snake (2001 1989 1977 1965 1953 1941 1929 1917 1905) Don’t make any unnecessary changes at work or at home. There is a possibility of a lawsuit. Stay calm and seek legal advice. You’ll be tense, anxious, and a little too nervous; you could even suffer from some digestive problems or from flatulence. All this because you’ll revolt when things don’t go the way you wish.
Horse (2002 1990 1978 1966 1954 1942 1930 1918 1906)
Pay more attention in your traveling plans. Watch out for safety while traveling. Life holds too much temptation. Stay away from drinking and drug. Try to dismiss definitely certain misunderstandings which have infested your relations with your near ones. Satisfactions in family life; your spouse will show himself/herself tender and attentive; an ambience of détente with your children. You won’t be very conscious of your own drawbacks; you’ll be somewhat like an eye, which sees everything but doesn’t see itself!
Goat (2003 1991 1979 1967 1955 1943 1931 1919 1907)
Don’t start any new plans or businesses. It is more benefit to work within limits of law and be extra careful while driving. You’ll notice intrigues in your entourage and will have a painful feeling of frustration about it; it will be a harsh lesson which, however, will have the merit of making you know human nature better. If despite your good will, you’ll still feel the irresistible need to smoke, limit yourself to less than ten cigarettes every twenty-four hours.
Monkey (2004 1992 1980 1968 1956 1944 1932 1920 1908)
Just don’t make any risky investments, or you will lose more than your profit. Be more patient and humble among friends and acquaintances. Anger may cause you many difficulties this month, in your private life as well as in your work; self-control will prove more necessary to you than ever. You’ll have difficulties falling asleep; ask yourself if your dinners are not too copious or too late; in any case, refrain from coffee or tea in the evening meal.
Rooster (2005 1993 1981 1969 1957 1945 1933 1921 1909)
Time is the essence of everything. Act quickly before losing your chances. You’ll need romantic outbursts so as to feel satisfied. Be particularly cautious in all that concerns the financial domain, where your judgment won’t always be excellent. Avoid committing too important sums of money in such business deals as you’re not absolutely sure of the outcome. Your capacity for adaptation will be increased; it will considerably help you in your various undertakings.
Dog (2006 1994 1982 1970 1958 1946 1934 1922 1910)
Budget yourself so that you will spend within your means. When traveling, be careful, especially while driving, as you may cause an accident. You’ll need to see new faces and to widen your horizons; a trip abroad would do you worlds of good. You’ll be less inclined to combativeness and virulence than lately; you’ll now prefer to wait, to calm down the game, to do whatever is necessary in order to preserve your tranquility.
Pig (2007 1995 1983 1971 1959 1947 1935 1923 1911)
You feel that you are without support from family or friends. Watch out for extra-martial affairs. This will create lots of turbulence in your life. Pay more attention to your spouse. The comportment of the person who loves you will appear to you very disconcerting, capricious, incoherent; you’ll sometimes ask yourself if you’re actually loved by the other one. The only danger that’s lying in wait for you will be exhilaration that could make you to misjudge people and situations.
Georgia Asian Times November 1-15, 2012
Page 20