Cover photo by Takashi Okamoto

- Pages 4 and 28

Celebrating Science

... And Innovation

- Kyoyo Style

Message from the Publishers

I t’s been more than 40 years since an Asian American from

San Diego held major political offi ce. That last offi ce holder was

Tom Hom, the fi rst minority in San Diego elected to the City

Council and later elected to the California Assembly.

Since leaving offi ce in the early 1970s, there has not been

another Asian American of such stature holding political offi ce.

The time is overdue for change.

On Saturday, March 31, CEPA NET, a community partner-

ship, will host the fi rst in a series of workshops to inspire the next

generation of APIs to become leaders in public service.

The Civic Education & Policy Advocacy Network (CEPA

NET) is a joint project of the Southwest Center for Asian

Pacifi c American Law and the Council of Philippine American

Organizations. The event is also sponsored by the Asian Pacifi c

American Political Affairs Associaiton (APAPA).

Heading the list of speakers at the event, to be held at the

Jacobs Center, 404 Euclid Ave., in Southeast San Diego, begin-

ning at 9:30 a.m. and lasting to noon, is Tom Hom, who also led

a similar forum two years ago with the Asian Heritage Society

and this publication.

The workshop, according to organizer and attorney Palma

Hooper, is also intended to get young people involved in the po-

litical process as a means toward participating in public appoint-

ments. The workshop is free and includes lunch.

“Anyone who is, or may in the future be, interested in public

service, getting appointed to a board or commission, running for

elected offi ce, working for an elected offi ce holder or who is just

interested in how the process works should attend this work-

shop,” said Hooper.

A panel of public service leaders will share their experiences

of why they became involved in public service and what factors

led to their success.

In addition to Hom, they include Peter Yao, former Claremont

City Council member; Mitz Lee, former San Diego School

Board member. All were successful in their election campaigns.

Other speakers will include Gil Ontai, who was appointed to

the San Diego Plan-

ning Commission, and

Ralph Dimarucut, a

graduate of San Diego

State University and

young staffer to As-

semblymember Marty

Block and former As-

sembly member Mary

Salas.

Yao and Ontai are

currently Commission-

ers on the State Citizens

Redistricting Commis-

sion.

The audience is en-

couraged to ask plenty

of questions. Seating is

limited so anyone plan-

ning to attend is asked to

RSVP to info@scapal.

org, phooper@qhlawyers.com, or ebaparis@gmail.com.

In other activity, Dr. Caroline Kim Hatton, a former pharma-

cist turned author, was honored by the Vietnamese American

Medical Research Foundation recently in Westminster, Orange

County, California. The event was the 2012 Annual Award Night

of the foundation.

Dr. Hatton joined Dr. Si Nguyen, vice president of the Viet-

namese American Medical Association, in receiving the group’s

Special Recognition Award.

Dr. Hatton was the associate director of the UCLA Olympic

Laboratory for more than ten years and is the author of several

children’s books, including “Surprise Moon,” the recipient of

several major awards. One of her loves is to instill the love of

science in school children, much like the annual EXPO DAY sci-

ence fair held last weekend at Petco Park. A photographic look at

that event is on page 41 this issue.

2 ASIA

Workshops challengeyoung Asian Americansto get politically involved

Published by Asia Media America /619-683-7822/ editorial@asiamediainc.com

Associate Editors: Regina Ip, Jane Dann/ Correspondents: Gloria Tierney, Binh Tran

Dr. Caroline Kim Hatton

TABLE OF CONTENTS

COVER: — page 4

HEALTH: Suicides Among Korean

Americans — page 9

Birthing Centers for

‘Dragon Year’ Babies

— page 10

BOOST-IE: pages 20-31

MONEY: Jason Alderman — page 32

LOVE: Betty Guy-Wills — page 33

FENG SHUI: Alice Inoue on Feng Shui — pages 34-35

FAMILY MATTERS: Ray Wong on xxx— page 37

WAYNE’S WORLD: Wayne Chan on — page 38

MILITARY: Soldiers Miss Out on Linsanity — page 36

THE END: Opening the door to China

40 years ago — page 44

SOCIAL: Science and Achievement — pages 40-41

ASIA 3

Vol. 11, Issue No. 3

March. 26 to April 16, 2012

4 ASIA

It’s not diffi cult for one 61-year-old man to play leading

female roles and even more, to give such outstanding

performances that merit a Kyoto Prize.

Japanese actor Tamasaburo Bando V received the 2011

Kyoto Prize for his contributions in arts and philosphy

to society. After receiving the award in November of last

year, Bando reconvened with fellow laureates in San Diego

from March 20 to 22 for the eleventh annual Kyoto Prize

Symposium.

The Inamori Foundation—a nonprofi t organization that

founded the private international awards program in 1985—

recognized Bando as an artist who innovatively established

his own realm of traditional Kabuki theater and also

contributed to many other genres of performing arts.

“He has delivered acclaimed performances in onnagata

(Kabuki female roles), establishing himself as a tate oyama,

or leading actor of female roles, in the contemporary Kabuki

scene. Tamasaburo has devoted his life to the craft from

childhood, making his stage debut at the age of seven,”

Spokesperson Stephanie Kellems said in a statement.

When Bando was 19 years old, he was selected to play

the role of Princess Shiranui in the Kabuki drama, “Chinsetsu

Yumiharizuki (The Moon Like a Drawn Bow).”

In addition to the world of Kabuki theater, Bando has

been featured by the Metropolitan Opera and performed with

various renowned artists around the world.

His fi lms include “Gekashitsu (The Operating Room),”

which he co-wrote and directed, and Andrzej Wajda’s

“Nastasja.”

“Tamasaburo’s artistry makes a multifaceted world come

alive in numerous different performing arts and continues to

hold audiences spellbound.”

Kabuki Theater Master Creates Unique World

TAMASABURO BANDO V

CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

WHAT IS KABUKI THEATER?

ASIA 5

COVER STORY

6 ASIA

Other rewards presented at the 27th Annual Kyoto Prizes,

which are considered Japan’s highest private awards for

lifetime achievements, include advanced technology and basic

sciences.

Each laureate received a diploma, a 20-karat gold Kyoto

Prize medal and a cash gift of 50 million yen—which is about

$640,000 in U.S. dollars.

Dr. John W. Cahn is the awardee for the advanced

technology 2011 Kyoto Prize. The American 83-year-old is

a material scientist who

serves as an emeritus

senior fellow at the U.S.

National Institute of

Standards and Technology,

as well as an affi liate

professor at University of

Washington.

Cahn established

the theory of three-

dimensional spinodal

decomposition, which

plays a critical role in

materials science and

engineering. The process

engineers alloy materials for

highly specifi c structural and

functional features.

The theory has comprehens ive application in the

design and production of better-performing metals, glass,

semiconductors, polymers and thermal materials that require

unique properties. Properties include extreme strength,

thermal conductivity, pore permeability, heat resistance, and

magnetism.

Furthermore, such research fi ndings have laid the

foundation for the phase-fi eld method, one of the most

popular research topics in in the fi eld materials sciences.

His work gave way to research in the fi elds of metallurgy,

physics, mathematics, chemistry, engineering, economics and

demography.

The 2011 Kyoto Prize in “Basic Sciences” was presented

to Dr. Rashid Sunyaev, a 68-year-old astrophysicist with

citizenship in Russia and Germany.

Sunyaev serves as

director of the Max Planck

Institute for Astrophysics

and chief scientist at the

Space Research Institute,

Russian Academy of

Sciences.

His work discovered that

cosmic acoustic oscillations

from the beginning of

time can be observed in

today’s cosmic microwave

background radiation

(CMBR).

CMBR fl uctuations

can be used as a method to

explore the expanding universe. Sunyaev has also contributed

signifi cantly to high-energy astronomy.

His theories serve both as fundamental elements for

structural research on celestial objects and for characterizing

black holes, protostars and active galactic nuclei.

As a result, Sunyaev’s research ranks among the most

often-cited original research in the fi eld of astronomy.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4

Dr.John W. CahnDr.Rashid Sumyaev

ASIA 7

8 ASIA

SAN FRANCISCO -- Jean Yoo’s friends

and co-workers all said nothing seemed to be

amiss with the 36-year-old media personality,

well known among Los Angeles’ Korean

community as the anchor for Prime News.

Which explains why so many were shocked by

word of her suicide last month, one of a recent

number to strike the city’s sizable Korean

community.

Korean media reports show that last

month there were four suicides and another

murder-suicide involving either Koreans or

Korean Americans in the greater Los Angeles

area. Nationwide, there were some 21

Korean-related suicides this year, according

to a report in the Korean-language Sunday

Journal in Los Angeles.

Investigators say they are still looking into

the possible motive behind Yoo’s death, which

was followed days later by that of a marketing

director with Radio Korea, identifi ed by his

surname, Choi.

Choi’s body was found in the offi ce

lavatory, where he hanged himself after

leaving a note apologizing for his decision.

No explanation was offered, however, though

co-workers told local Korean media that

the 56-year-old had struggled with bouts of

depression.

According to Christine Kim, who runs

counseling services at the Korean American

Family Service Center in Los Angeles, despite

the risks, “issues of mental health or depression

are rarely discussed” within the community.

“Koreans tend to be very concerned with

physical health,” explained Kim, “though the

topic of mental health often remains taboo.”

Accurate data on rates of depression and

other mental health-related ailments among

fi rst and second generation Korean Americans

are diffi cult to ascertain. Part of the problem

is that the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention (CDC), which is responsible for

collecting such information, only does so for

Asian Americans as a whole, without parsing

out data on specifi c ethnicities.

South Korea, however, has consistently

ranked at or near the top among developed

nations in terms of annual suicides, based on

reports from the Organization for Economic

Cooperation and Development (OECD).

In 2009, the country topped the 30-nation

list with 28 suicides per 100,000 people,

compared to 17 for the U.S. A government

report from 2010 also noted that suicide

was the leading cause of death among South

Koreans under the age of 40, though a number

of older Koreans -- including one former

president and scores of disgraced business

execs -- have also taken their own lives in

recent years.

The factors behind such numbers may or

may not bear a direct connection to Koreans

in this country, though cultural similarities

abound, particularly the emphasis on success.

For immigrant families, such pressure becomes

even more acute and is captured in the oft-heard

expression, “Return home clothed in gold.”

“There is less tolerance [among Asian

immigrants] for things that are not higher

achieving,” said Dr. Russell Lim, who teaches

health science at the University of California,

Davis and is a staff psychiatrist at the nearby

Adult Psychiatric Support Services Clinic.

“These attitudes,” he added, “often get passed

on to the second generation.”

Lim, who has researched culturally

appropriate treatments for mental illness

among Asian Americans, noted that suicide

ranks among the top 10 leading causes of death

for the group, while Asian women between the

ages of 15 and 24 account for more suicides

than all women in the country, according to the

Department of Health and Human Services.

But, Lim acknowledged, “Asian Americans

just don’t want to see a psychiatrist.”

Those that do, often come to that point

“well after they’ve reached a crisis stage,” said

Kim with the Family Services Center, making

treatment all the more diffi cult and time

consuming. Kim noted, however, that there has

been a 10-15 percent increase in the number

of Koreans coming to the center for treatment

compared to last year, and speculates the rise

may have something to do with the dreary

economic climate.

Reports have shown that the fi nancial

and economic crisis that began in 2008 has

struck minority communities with particular

force. For many Korean Americans, a high

percentage of whom are small business

owners, times have indeed become

challenging. Jin Lee is a crisis line shift

supervisor with the Didi Hirsch Suicide

Prevention Center in Los Angeles. She said

that while specifi c numbers for Koreans aren’t

available, the center did install a tracking

system to account for the number of calls

coming in related to fi nancial distress, currently

a disturbing 16 percent.

She also noted the center received a $6.5

million grant in September from the state-run

California Mental Health Services Authority

(CalMHSA), part of which will go toward

hiring more Korean-speaking line operators

and to enhance outreach programs to the

community.

“We get invited to churches, schools and

public events,” said Lee, adding that in such

venues participants are more willing to admit

there is a problem. But, she said, in some cases

outreach workers have to tailor their language.

“Suicide as a word can be harsh for some

people,” explained Lee, and can “close the

door” to further dialogue.

As for Jean Yoo, it remains unclear what

motivated the successful and talented news

anchor to take her own life. Calls to Prime

News went unanswered, though comments

on Facebook refl ect the dismay felt by her

audience.

“I remember watching her on t.v. and

thinking, she’s young, she’s pretty, she’s smart,

wow, she must have everything going for her...

and this news? really surprised....,” wrote

Kathy Park.

Such signs were clearly visible in the years

and months leading up to the murder-suicide

of 55-year-old Ok-hwa Yang, an ethnic Korean

from China who last month was shot in the

head by her husband, Won-dal Jin.

In a note posted to a popular Korean-

language blog site shortly before his death,

Jin complained about having lost all his

possessions and described his recent divorce.

Five days later, Jin shot and killed his

former wife when she returned to their Los

Angeles apartment to collect her clothing. He

then turned the gun on himself.

— Peter Schurmann and Aruna Lee of New

Second Generation Korean Americans Face Mental Health Issues

HEALTH/BEAUTY

Second Generation Korean Americans Second Generation Korean Americans Face Mental Health IssuesFace Mental Health Issues

ASIA 9

‘There is less tolerance

[among Asian immigrants]

for things that are not

higher achieving, These

attitudes,often get

passed on to the second

generation.’

SAN FRANCISCO – The Year of the Dragon is an auspicious time for Chinese parents, so much so that offi cials in Beijing predict a spike in the number of babies born this year. Expectant mothers, however, are rushing to Hong Kong to give birth so their children will have access to the island’s more modern schools and healthcare facilities.

But as hospitals in Hong Kong approach capacity, and as disgruntled locals gripe about the infl ux of mainlanders, many soon-to-be mothers in China are increasingly turning their eyes to this country.

According to a report in the Chinese-language World Journal, local “birthing centers” are sprouting up in cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco catering to such women and offering packages that include air travel and accommodation, as well as medical and delivery expenses at the hospital before and after labor.

The cost: anywhere from $20,000 to $30,000.

“The Dragon is fortune,” says Taiwanese-native Marvis Lin, a recent graduate of San Francisco Academy of Art University. Two months pregnant, she had planned to return home but recently applied for an OPT (Occupational Practical Training) visa allowing her to remain in the country.

“My husband and I chose this year as the best year to have a baby,” she says, adding she’s eager for her child to have United States citizenship.

Lin says she looked into local birthing centers, which offer everything from midwife and nanny services to traditional foods thought benefi cial for pregnant or new mothers.

“I contacted one place in San Jose. The agency charges between $2,600 and $3,300 per month for a 24-hour nanny… it also offers a 50 percent discount on hotels in San Jose if I prefer to stay in a hotel with a live-in nanny.”

Birthing centers fi rst emerged in the United States in the 1970s as an alternative to the increasingly high-tech maternity wards found at most hospitals. Ones in the Chinese community are modeled on similar centers in China, where new mothers spend anywhere form a month recuperating on a strict diet and other rules meant to secure future health.

The Los Angeles Times reported in March of last year on the closure of several such centers in Southern California, described in the report as a “hub” of birthing tourism.

Rather than closing up shop, however, operators simply stopped housing clients, instead turning into pseudo-travel agents by offering hotel bookings and earning a commission on the hourly wages paid to nannies hired through them.

The industry has indeed gotten a boost from Chinese eager for so-called “Dragon babies” believed to have lifelong good fortune. One of twelve animals in the Chinese zodiac, the dragon is a symbol of royalty and is widely viewed as the harbinger of wealth, wisdom, courage and power.

China’s state run Xinhua News Agency reported recently that such beliefs have led offi cials there to predict the number of births this year will climb by 5 percent from 2011, when the rate stood at just over 12 births per 1000 people.

Couples are thought to have until about May 2 to conceive in order for their

child to be born before the Year of the Dragon ends next February.

For those who can make the trip, giving birth outside the mainland also allows mothers pregnant with a second or third child to avoid the now 30-year-old One Child Policy restriction. Such factors, according to the Sing Tao Daily, have prompted authorities in Hong Kong to consider drastically drawing down the quota on non-resident births, currently set at 35,000.

The report also cited the growing frustration of local Hong Kong residents, who complain their hospitals are “fi lling up” with pregnant mothers from the mainland, many having arrived on tourist visas long since expired.

Mrs. Wang is four months pregnant. While she lives in Beijing, she told the World Journal that both her and her husband lack the residential permit known in Chinese as a “hukou,” without which her child will not be allowed to enroll in the local public school system.

“Beijing’s international schools offer better quality and cheaper tuition than private schools,” Wang was quoted as saying. “However, students enrolled in international school are required to hold a foreign passport.”

That’s why she says she’s spent the past several weeks looking into birthing centers here in the United States, in either New York or California.

“I’m coming to the United States to look for better educational opportunities for my kid,” she said.

With any luck, this year she just may fi nd them.

— Summer Chiang of News American Media, March 1, 2012.

Birthing Centers Cater to Expectant ‘Dragon Year’ Mothers

10 ASIA

ASIA 11

12 ASIA

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U.S. creates snag for China’s solar cells ! e United States Commerce Department is imposing duties on solar cells and panels imported from China, a move that has been pushed by US solar companies that have ac-cused China of subsidizing its counterparts. ! e decision issued a preliminary duty of 2.9 percent on Wuxi-based Suntech Power Holdings, the world’s biggest manufacturer of PV solar panels, and a preliminary duty of 4.73 percent on Changzhou-based Trina Solar, another major Chinese producer. All other Chinese solar panel producers and exporters received a duty rate of 3.61 percent. Shares in Chinese solar companies, such as Sun-Tech, Trina Solar and Yingli Green Energy, quickly surged on the New York Stock Exchange a" er the announcement, a sign that investors are taking the tari# rates as relatively low.Both Suntech and Trina are active players in the US market and have operations in the US. “! is initial decision re$ ects the reality

that Suntech’s global success is based on free and fair competition. Nonetheless, unilateral trade barriers, large or small, will further delay our transition away from fossil fuels at a time when the majority of Americans demand cleaner and more secure energy such as solar,” said Andrew Beebe, Suntech’s chief commer-cial o% cer, in a statement. “Regardless whether tari# s are imposed on solar cells from China, we can provide our customers in the US with hundreds of megawatts of high-quality and a# ordable solar products that are not subject to tari# s. As a local manufacturer with production in Arizona, we will continue to remain an ac-tive member of the American solar industry and maintain focus on making solar energy a# ordable for everyone, everywhere,” Beebe added. According to JA Solar marketing director Zhang Xiaofeng, the tari# is much less than

what was anticipated, which was about 20 percent to 30 percent. ! ey will move forward in the US market if there is no additional in-crease in duties when preliminary antidump-ing tari# s are released in May, she said. ! is decision is another step following last fall’s trade petition from SolarWorld and a group of American solar manufacturers claiming Chinese subsidized solar panel producers have pushed their American counterparts out of jobs. But other industry players don’t share this view. ! ey say low prices o# ered by Chinese solar panel makers bene& t American custom-ers as well as help create installation jobs in the US. Mark Kingsley, chief commercial o% cer at Trina Solar, said what the US has done will only create a “lose-lose” situation in the end, and it is “a sad disconnect from the truth.”

- China Daily

ASIA 13

From New America Media

It has been months since

Le Thi Nu has had breakfast. A

street vendor who travels around

Ha Noi on a bicycle selling

plastic slippers, high prices have

forced her to cut spending on

eating, even though a baguette

would cost as 15 cents.

Standing outside a crowded

restaurant on Quan Su Street,

where a bowl of soup would

cost more than half her monthly

income, she fi nds it diffi cult to

come to terms with the spending

of the rich.

“The money they spend on

a meal here may be enough for

my family live on for a month,”

she said.

Cao Huy Binh and his

friends, on the other hand, are

unfazed by the high prices as

they enter the crowded restau-

rant. They order beer, grilled

shrimp, fried cuttlefi sh and

chicken hotpot after fi nding

the only empty table near the

window.In the hot and crowded

kitchen, a chef pours more sauce

into a big wok full of appetizing

beef chunks.

Dining out has become an

indispensable activity for many

urban middle-income people.

Binh, who has made it to the

restaurant after being stuck for

nearly an hour in a traffi c jam in

light drizzle, says he meets and

eats with his friends at such res-

taurants every Friday evening.

“It is a way of relaxing after

a week of hard work. If I do not

dine out with them, I would do

it with my wife and children,”

he said.

Binh, the director of a trading

company, also often invites his

business partners to restaurants

to enjoy a meal and discuss

work. “I could not cut back on

dining out, even if everything is

more expensive,” he said.

With a basic monthly salary

of $1,000 in a country where

the annual per capita income is

$1,200, Binh and his friends do

not mind that their dinner costs

nearly $200.

This is good news for restau-

rants, and shows why they have

been able to take infl ation and

recession very lightly, especially

in big cities like Ha Noi and Sai

Gon. According to the Gen-

eral Statistics Offi ce, consumer

prices, which increased 18.58

percent in 2011, climbed 16.44

percent in February from a year

earlier. However, there are no

signs of gloom in the food and

beverage market in Viet Nam.

Luxury restaurants serving

choice French baguettes, Italian

pizza and pasta, Japanese sushi

or Thai curries are crowded with

customers, especially during

weekends or other holidays. The

representative of a fi ve-star ho-

tel in Ha Noi said, “We are not

fi nding that people are spending

less. They are spending more.

“Vietnamese people are very

rich. It is nothing for them to

splurge $1,000 to $2,000 for a

feast for several people,” she

said. “On Valentine’s Day, all

of our restaurants were full,

and most of the customers were

Vietnamese.”

Over half of her hotel’s

food and beverage customers

are Vietnamese, who are often

businesspeople or those with

well-paid jobs in foreign com-

panies or powerful state-owned

enterprises in banking, fi nance,

information technology and

insurance sectors. Foreign cus-

tomers often come here to work

and they don’t want to spend

much money on food, she said.

The higher earnings from

food and beverage help offset

the reduction of room bookings

because of a lower number of

foreign visitors amid the global

economic recession. Food and

beverage revenues account for

30 percent of her hotel’s turn-

over, she said.

Explaining big spending on

dining out amid high infl ation,

economist Nguyen Minh Phong

of the Ha Noi Socioeconomic

Research Institute said whether

it is infl ation, war or some other

crisis, there are still people who

are not affected and even earn

much money in such situa-

tions. These people still have a

demand for consumption, and

particularly for dining out.

“The state does not ban it,

so their spending is legal,” he

said. “This is also a sign of the

expanding middle class.”

Good meals and the good life come to Vietnam

Photo: Tim Hall, Getty Images

14 ASIA14 ASIA14 ASIA

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ASIA 17

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22 ASIA

B usiness

Understanding

the difference

between needs

and wants

Satisfying business wants and buyer needs are two very different things

By Leonard Novarro

From “The Timeless Principles of

Successful Business Strategy

ASIA 23

For any business, customers are vital. No one would

disagree. Customers feed, sustain and grow a business

and in many ways are as important as those governing

and toiling in the workplace.

However, few businesses give the customer credit

for growing and making a business profi table. As often

the case, it is the customer and not the boss who is

responsible for the growth. Somehow, this seems to be

lost on many businesses, especially in the service sector.

How often have you faced and tolerated ill and rude

behavior by someone behind the counter of an estab-

lishment you are patronizing? How often, when trying

to resolve an issue over the phone with a high tech com-

pany’s service personnel, are you made to feel dumb,

or, in the very least, incompetent? Yet, if we are not

buying that product or service, and others do the same,

how long will that company operate?

Not long.

The more customers but, according to business con-

sultant Eric Viardot, author of “The Timeless Principles

of Successful Business Strategy,” increased customer

buying not only allows a company to be competitive, it

allows a company to far exceed the competition.

“At the same time customers allow the fi rm to

achieve economies of scale, building upon profi tabil-

ity or allowing price cuts to reach new buyers,” says

Viardot. “Finally, regular customers constitute a key asset to

ensure corporate sustainability. First, by defi nition, loyal cus-

tomers will return in repeated intervals to the same merchant.

They typically spend more than average, buy more often and

promote the company’s offer to their friends and loved ones,

who may potentially become new customers. Having loyal

customers as capital ensures long-term revenues, market share

and profi tability, all the essential conditions to grow sustain-

ably.”

Yet, while a customer’s decision to but a product is the

decision of one person – the customer – buying by a business

is a different matter. Other than small businesses, it is rare for

a single person to make that decision. Often, the decision to

buy is made by several people, including the purchaser, the

fi nance department, the department in need and, perhaps, a

major executive. Unlike customers, buying by impulse is rare.

Consumers often buy for emotional reasons and are often

loyal to brands, even whether another product is better. Busi-

nesses can’t afford to do that. Decisions, instead, are based on

effi ciency, performance, or proven profi tability. Often, appear-

ance has nothing to do with it.

Businesses are also more demanding about the quality of

service after a sale, especially if what they are buying will

affect the bottom line. So, what happens is that companies end

up serving two entities, the consumer and they businesses they

supply, and each have different expectations, Viardot points

out.

How does a company distinguish the two?

Says Viardot: “It may sound easy, yet many companies do

not know how to do it. Some have ruined their business-to-

business distribution channels by selling to private consumers

identical solutions at lower prices. Their industrial customers

bought directly from retailers instead of their usual specialty

distributor.

“On the other hand, some mass consumption businesses

failed to maintain its presence in industrial markets even

though they succeeded in distributing their consumer product

to the general public. Normally, this occurs when they fail to

adapt to demands of other businesses.”

This is where one has to distinguish between a need and

a want. A need comes from craving, such as being thirsty or

hungry, while a want “corresponds to how customers wish to

meet their needs,” explains Viardot.

“For example, faced with the need to drink, an individual

may choose betweenan alcoholic or non-alcoholic drink; if he

opts for the latter, he may prefer drinking fruit juice, soft drink

or water; if he wants water, it can be still or sparkling

water, etc. Facing one same need—in this case, to be thirsty—

the different wants generated will belong to different groups

of customers depending on what they want to drink.”

Identifying these two segments of customers, consumer

and business, is essential.

24 ASIA

O rganization

Strategy earns Chinese company foothold in the U.S.

A China Daily News Report

When Yuan Ning came to

the United States to lead the

local operation of the China

State Construction Engineer-

ing Corporation in 2001, he

made a big decision on how the

company should navigate the

U.S. market.

“We should stay on the

general contracting side and be

practical about our operations

in the U.S. market,” said Yuan,

47, sitting in his offi ce at China

Construction America head-

quarters in Jersey City, N.J.

This decision led the wholly

owned subsidiary of its Chinese

parent, China’s largest State-

owned construction company, to

becoming one of the most com-

petitive construction companies

in the U.S. market.

Most recently, China Con-

struction America was awarded

a contract with the New York

State Department of Transpor

tation and kicked off the recon-

struction of the Staten Island

expressway and bus/high-occu-

pancy vehicle lane extension.

The $109 million deal was

the fi rst China Construction

America won as an independent

contractor in New York State,

Yuan said.

“It’s a milestone for us

because we always worked

jointly with local companies

on other projects in New York.

It’s understandable - we are

a Chinese company, as you

know,” the China Construction

America president said, indicat-

ing Chinese companies are still

not fully accepted by some in

the local construction market.

Back in China, more than 66

construction projects carried out

by the Chinese parent company

received the Lu Ban Award - the

highest award in Chinese con-

struction. Its construction port-

folio includes the headquarters

for China Central Television,

the tallest skyscraper in Beijing,

and the Beijing National Aquat-

ics Center, or the Water Cube,

which was used for swimming

races during the 2008 Beijing

Olympics.

China State Construction

Engineering Corporation estab-

lished its presence in the United

States in 1985. But the road for

the company to reach where it is

today has been a bumpy one.

“We entered the U.S. market

with ‘ambitious goals’ and

invested in more than 70 resi-

dential projects across the U.S.

back then,” Yuan recalled.

Real estate investment has

been a major focus for China

State Construction Engineer-

ing Corporation in China and

the company thought it had the

advantage to invest in the same

area in the United States. The

results, however, turned out to

be somewhat unexpected. It

eventually took the company

about 15 years to wrap up the

projects and it paid a big fi nan-

cial price, which Yuan didn’t

disclose.

In 2001, the company had to

move itheadquarters from the

World Trade Center to Jersey

City after the Sept 11, 2001,

terrorist attacks.

But 2001 was also a turning

point for the American subsid-

iary’s business in the United

States. It won its fi rst public

works contract in the nation to

build the Santee High School

and Technology Center in

South Carolina, after shifting its

focus and becoming a general

contractor. Since then, it has

completed about 100 projects

all over the United States, and

is currently undertaking about

10 projects in New York, South

Carolina, Washington, D.C. and

the Bahamas.

After all this time, China

Construction America has grad-

ually established its reputation

and is no longer a newcomer to

the U.S. construction market.

In New York State alone, it won

bids for projects including the

renovation of the Alexander

Hamilton Bridge (between

Manhattan and the Bronx),

construction of the ventilation

shafts for the No 7 Subway line

extension in New York (a $57

million deal), and the Yankee

Stadium Station. The list just

goes on.

The $407 million deal for

renovating the Alexander Ham-

ilton Bridge is currently its larg-

est project in the United States.

It will help create nearly 10,000

jobs, including construction

workers, suppliers and subcon-

tractors, throughout the whole

project, which is to be complete

by December 2013.

“We feel big responsibilities

for this project because a lot of

planning work needs to be done

for the renovation work of the

bridge. We work mostly at night

and have to make sure the traf-

fi c is smooth during the day,”

Yuan Ning showing

off his work

ASIA 25

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26 ASIA

O pportunity

FROM GINNY GRIMLEY

With seven million Americans receiving

unemployment benefi ts, and many counting

the years – instead of months – since their

layoff, author Darlene Quinn says now is a

goodtime to reinvent yourself.

Quinn is an author and journalist from

Long Beach, Calif., whose novels about

deceit, intrigue and glamour in the retail

fashion industry were inspired by her years

with Bullocks Wilshire Specialty depart-

ment stores. Her newest, Webs of Fate, won

the 2011 Reader’s Favorites Award before it

hit the bookshelves.

It provides the back story for the char-

acters in the fi rst two novels in the series:

Webs of Power, winner of a 2009 National

Indie Excellence Award, and Twisted Webs,

winner of 2011 International Book Award

for General Fiction and the 011 National In-

die Excellence Awards for General Fiction.

Quinn cites James Sherk, a senior policy

analyst for the Heritage Foundation, who

says the jobs people held two or three years

ago often simply aren’t there anymore.

“People are trying to fi nd jobs similar to

what they had previously, when those jobs

completely don’t exist,” he told Reuters

recently. “So they will spend a good portion

of their period unemployed looking for jobs

that they are unlikely to fi nd.”

Quinn is a master of personal reinven-

tion. She started her career as a teacher,

then became a contractor, developing

self-improvement and modeling programs

for hospitals and a store. That segued into

a position as a top executive at Bullocks

Wilshire department store and “retirement”

as a freelance journalist.

And now, the 74-year-old is an award-

winning novelist. She published her third

book, Webs of Fate (www.darlenequinn.net),

this fall, continuing her series about deceit

and intrigue in the high-end retail industry.

She says she was always a story-teller; she

just never thought about putting her stories

on paper.

“Being a victim of the short- lived edu-

cational phenomenon called sight-reading,

which did not include phonics, I had always

been intimidated by the written word,” she

said.

“Somehow none of my teachers appreci-

ated my creativity when it came to spell-

ing. Therefore, my creative writing efforts

were sprinkled with so many red marks,

they appeared to have broken out with the

measles.”

Maybe, she added, she just needed a

great story to tell and a passion to tell it that

was stronger than her fear.

Quinn became a schoolteacher after earn-

ing a bachelor’s at San Jose State Univer-

sity. Much later in life, while working as a

department store executive during a time of

tremendous upheaval in the retail fashion

industry, she found her story. But before she

tried to tell it, she fi rst sharpened her wit and

her pen by writing articles for trade journals,

magazines and newspapers.

That led to her being drafted by ac-

tor Buddy Ebsen to help him with his fi rst

novel, a love story called Kelly’s Quest.

Ebsen was working on a second, a mystery

based on his popular TV persona detec-

tive Barnaby Jones, when he died in 2003.

His widow asked Quinn to fi nish the book,

Sizzling Cold Case, which was published in

2006.

By now, Quinn was ready for her own tale.

“I felt compelled to tell the story of our

vanishing department stores,” she said.

“Instead of writing a dour tell-all about the

business, I decided to chronicle my experi-

ences in one of my fi ctional worlds and I

fi lled that landscape with the realistic and

dynamic characters that inhabited my daily

life.

“The age of computers with spell-checking

software helped me get over my fear of a

red-inked manuscript.”

By 2008, Quinn had fi nished her

story of intrigue in the retail fashion busi-

ness. Webs of Power won a 2009 National

Indie Excellence Award the following year.

Twisted Webs followed in 2010.

“One thing I’ve learned in my life is that

things change,” Quinn said. “People change

and, sometimes, their dreams have to

change with them. “To be releasing my third

novel at age 74 is the fulfi llment of a dream

I never knew I had. Until now.”

For author Darlene Quinn, it was never too late to seize the moment

ASIA 27

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28 ASIA

S cience Technology&

By Leonard Novarro

John Werner Cahn strives

on setbacks.

His fi rst began at the age

of 11 when he was forced to

fl ee Nazi Germany with his

parents. The family ended up

emigrating to America, where

he ended up earning a doctor-

ate in physical chemistry from

the University of California at

Berkeley.

Cahn envisioned his future

in academia, but that didn’t

work out after he lost a teach-

ing position. On a lark, he

joined General Electric’s labs

in Schenectady, N.Y. in the

1950s, where his role became

one of researcher. At 83 today,

it defi nes who he is.

For his series of research

and discoveries in the fi eld of

materials science, Dr. John

Cahn was last year awarded

the Kyoto Prize in advanced

technologies. Cahn and the

two other 2011 Kyoto recipi-

ents, Dr. Rashid Sumyaev in

basic sciences and Tamasa-

buro Bondo in arts and letters,

were honored by the Inamori

Foundation in San Diego last

week during a three-day gala

and symposium in which they

presented their work.

As a result of the shift in

career, Cahn’s work at G.E.

earned him a reputation of

being the foremost author-

ity on thermodynamics. His

subsequent work there and at

the former National Bureau

of Standards in the 1970s and

1980s has had a profound infl u-

ence on mathematical formulas

leading to the creation of stron-

ger and lighter alloys used in a

wide array of products, includ-

ing cell phones and other elec-

tronic devices. His work is also

credited with the production of

better-performing metals, glass,

polymers and semiconductors

used throughout everyday life.

Finally, his research, along

with others, including Israeli

physicist Dan Shechtman, of a

quasi-periodic solid known as

a “quasicrystals” has cemented

his reputation as a pioneer in

a somewhat esoteric but im-

portant fi eld of science. None

of it would have been possible

without failure, he contends.

“If everything goes smoothly,

there is no challenge,” he said

ASIA 29

in an interview during his ap-

pearance and brief vacation

in San Diego before return-

ing to his home in Seattle.

Setbacks are transforma-

tional.

When something goes

wrong with what you expect

and “with what you’ve been

taught, this fosters aware-

ness,” he said. “We are in

a fi eld where we still don’t

know the rules.” Setbacks

“wake you up. They perk me

up. That’s when I become

really interested.”

His greatest challenge, the

research into quasicrystals,

introduced an entire new way

of thinking, taking seven

years and “a math the com-

munity didn’t have,” making

it “the most diffi cult thing I

have ever done,” he added.

Quasicrystals are a metal-

lic alloy that behave like a

crystal but are characterized

by a “forbidden” fi vefold

symmetry, unlike typical

crystals, which are com-

posed of a three-dimensional

arrangement of atoms that re-

peat themselves in an orderly

fashion. Unlike traditional

crystals with threefold and

fourfold symmetries, quasi-

crystals include pentagons

or fi vefold shapes, meaning

they can’t fi t together like

squares or triangles, thereby

leaving gaps. Nature, in turn,

fi lls those gaps with other

atomic shapes. Signifi cantly,

this research has led to

further discoveries on the

strengthening of metals.

While at G.E., Cahn,

along with John Hilliard

contributed some of his more

signifi cant work, focusing on

metallurgy. Together, they

developed the Cahn-Hilliard

equation, which enabled

designers to specify the prop-

erties required of a metal.

Prior to that, the only way to

do that was by trial and error.

At the National Institute of

Standards and Technology

(formerly the Bureau of

Standards), his contribution

included a fundamental the-

ory describing the behavior

of mixed materials and how

they separate, which led to

the discovery of new alloys.

“John’s developments in

the theory and models of ma-

terials have given scientists

tools to understand and make

new materials ranging from

metals to plastics to ceram-

ics and glass,” said Institute

metallurgist Frank Gayle.

“For instance, your smart

phone or laptop computer

might contain 100 different

materials and John’s work

has probably infl uenced the

understanding and develop-

ment of half of these,” added

Gayle.

Corporate culture, unlike

the culture of G.E. and the

Institute of Standards, is

“very different,” said Cahn.

Now, “opportunity is man-

aged by corporate types and

not scientists,” as it was in

the past. In essence, today

researchers have to rely on

their own initiative.

His advice to people enter-

ing the fi eld is to “learn how

to learn on your own because

the fi elds work so fast.” Oth-

erwise, he said, “you will be

obsolete in no time.” If you

are in the forefront of some-

thing, he added, “there is

nobody who can teach you.

There is nobody but you.”

“If everything goes

smoothly, there is no

challenge.”

30 ASIA

Can ocean-produced energy be the way to go?

From Craig Shields

As the name suggests, Ocean Thermal

Energy Corporation, which I visited on my

last trip back to the East Coast, is one of the

leaders in the development of OTEC (ocean

thermal energy conversion), a technology

with huge potential to change the world

energy picture. Best of all, these folks, while

they’re true business professionals and

leading scientists, are acutely aware of the

environmental benefi ts at stake here.

More than one billion people live in

the tropics, close to oceans that store vast

amounts of energy in their warm surface

waters that can be cleanly converted to

electricity, or used in desalination, providing

potable drinking water to large and growing

populations where this commodity is scarce.

The company’s website contains a wonder-

ful section called “Common Ground” which

begins with an excerpt from the writings of

Amy Maddox: “Underneath We’re All the

Same.” It goes like this:

He prayed, it wasn’t my religion.

He ate, it wasn’t what I ate.

He spoke, it wasn’t my language.

He dressed, it wasn’t what I wore.

He took my hand, it wasn’t the color of

mine.

But when he laughed, it was how I

laughed, and when he cried, it was how I

cried.

That’s what I love about what all of us

clean energy folks are doing here. We really

are bringing about a reduction in ecological-

ly damaging processes and doing something

good for mankind and all life forms; we

actually are making a difference. For once,

the good guys are going to win one.

And here’s a company that’s going to make

a considerable profi t in the process, with

signifi cant committed projects, both in the

Pacifi c Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.

Here’s something you may fi nd inter-

esting: In order to build these projects,

OTECorporation is looking for another

round of investment. This happens to be

one of those opportunities that I favor – for

a few reasons.For one, it’s only a matter

of time before someone makes a killing in

OTEC. The costs have come down, the effi -

ciencies have improved, the cost of competi-

tive approaches is rising, and the potential

exists where, at scale, OTEC can produce

electricity very inexpensively — even less

than coal. Exactly how far that day lies in

our future is open to argument, but there is

no doubt that this technology can – and will

– scale.

Why not choose the obvious leader, and

place a bet that they will continue to per-

form, as this technology matures and comes

to achieve the prominence everyone expects

it to achieve?

Another thing I like here is the team. In

addition to the executive roster, which is

impressive in its own right, listed fi rst on the

company’s board of advisors is Ed Rendell,

governor of Pennsylvania from 2003 – 2011.

I’ve heard Mr. Rendell speak at length

on clean energy generally; in fact, he gave

the keynote at last year’s Renewable Energy

Finance Forum that I attended last fall in

New York City. He certainly approaches the

subject with a level of passion and sincerity

that is sadly rare among politicians.

His presence here, I would think, will

provide a great deal of comfort to investors

who may be concerned that OTEC will be

marginalized as a component of the world’s

grid-mix, or that they might be backing the

wrong horse in the race.

nnovationI

ASIA 31

E ntrepreneurship

This baby boomer and mother of two daugh-

ters also stays physically fi t.

Legal fi ght makes

talk show host

turn author

From Betty Guy-Wills

Rose Colombo author extraordinaire, has written a book that every

woman and also men should have for reference. She walked into court

wealthy and walked out poor even being represented by her own, well-

paid attorney.

Very few women can claim the title of “Brains plus Beauty,” espe-

cially in the literary fi eld involving the law. Rose Colombo is this brand

of woman, and author of her fi rst book Fight Back Legal Abuse, a book

how to protect yourself from your own attorney. It’s a dynamic book the

reader will not be able to put down from beginning to end and includes

her claim that was sold out and even received sexual overtures from her

lawyer, who was married.

Colombo has produced and hosted radio talk shows along with cable

T.V. entitled” Women Fight Back” and “Issues of the Day.” Her 25 years

of experience is invaluable for anyone who is innocent of the law and

who can end up as a victim of legal abuse. Her self-help group,

the fi rst in the U.S., aids victims of legal abuse to become survivors.

Some of the chapter titles -”Women After Divorce,” “Prison Statis-

tics” and “Justice for Sum and for Some,” to name a few, make this book

exciting and informative, especially for women worldwide.

Colombo is a baby boomer of Italian and Spanish background and a

woman who has maintained her beauty throughout the years. She is the

mother of two also beautiful adult daughters and believes in daily walk-

ing, stretching and dancing to keep physically fi t.

Her diet includes three meals daily with plenty of veggies, fruit, fi sh,

chicken and turkey with added multiple vitamin and mineral supple-

ments, plus she takes an assortment of herbs for healing. Her favorite

beverages are a variety of teas.

Colombo believes that when a person looks good she will feel good. So

her daily shower with an all over exfoliation followed by a body and face

moisture is a must do. She applies the correct enhancing make-up for her

skin type for day and an anti-aging treatment at night.

Rose is now working towards her goal of creating an on-line workshop

for women who have no source or place to go for advice and help on le-

gal abuse. She has worled on producing a pro-justice summit and is work-

ing on her second book focusing on her lifestyle with her children during

those troubled years. This fi rst book has been featured in The Daily Law

Journal and on talk on KRLA and KABC, as well as Chuck Wilder ‘s “

Talk Back Show.”

“Fight Back Legal Abuse” is a book that every man and woman should

own not only for the devastating detailed events of Rose Colombo’s win-

ning fi ght but for the reference and valuable information that we all may

need in our lives. For more, go to www.fi ghtbacklegalabuse.com

FINANCE/BUSINESS

Getting paid to go shopping may sound like a dream job, but buyer beware: For each legitimate mystery or secret shopper opportunity, probably hundreds more are scams. In fact, the National Consumers League (NCL) says complaints regarding fraudulent mystery shopper and work-at-home schemes were up nearly 9 percent during the past six months.

Why the increase? It’s due in part to our nation’s high unemployment rates and how desperate people are to earn money while seeking full-time employment. Plus, many people are lured by offers that sound too good to be true (and are).

Here are tips for spotting bogus mystery shopper programs:

Many retailers hire marketing research companies to gauge their employees’ quality of customer service. Those companies in turn hire mystery shoppers to make purchases anonymously and fill out questionnaires documenting their experience.

Many research firms belong to the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (www.mysteryshop.org), a trade organization that links businesses with mystery shopping providers. (MSPA also provides a search engine where people can register for mystery shopping assignments.)

Unfortunately, scammers increasingly are using newspaper and Internet job ads, emails and phone calls to snare unsuspecting consumers with promises of quick, easy money for minimal effort. Here’s how a typical mystery shopping scam might work:

You answer an ad and are “hired” as a mystery shopper to evaluate its clients’ businesses. The company sends an official-looking employment packet containing the business evaluation forms you’ll supposedly use. But first, you’ll be required to complete a so-called training assignment to make sure you’re a suitable employee. That’s where the fraud comes in:

1. The company claims it’s evaluating a money transfer service like Western Union.

2. They send you a large check with instructions to deposit it in your personal checking account.

3. You are told to keep a certain amount as your fee and then to pose as a customer by wiring the balance to a third party – usually within 48 hours.

4. You then submit a report about your customer experience.

What you may not realize is that the original check was fake. Scammers know that by law, banks generally must make deposited funds under $5,000 available within a few days. They count on your completing the transaction before the check has been cleared by the issuing bank, which may take several weeks. Once your bank discovers the fraud, it will bounce the

check and you are on the hook for the whole amount you wired – plus your wasted time.

Common red flags include:1. Legitimate companies will never ask you to send a

money transfer for any purpose. 2. Legitimate companies don’t charge shoppers a fee

to work for them. 3. Be suspicious if you’re hired on the basis of

an email or phone call without any interview or background checks.

4. Companies that promise you can make a lot of money as a mystery shopper are almost certainly scams

5. If mystery shoppers are asked to make purchases, it’s usually for very small amounts for which they will be reimbursed.

6. Mystery shoppers are paid after completing their assignments and returning the questionnaires. Shoppers never receive checks upfront.

Good resources to learn more about bogus mystery shopper and other fake check scams, include the FBI (www.fabi.gov/scams-safety), the Federal Trade Commission (www.ftc.gov), the Consumer Federation of America (www.consumerfed.org), and the National Consumers League (www.fakechecks.org/index2.html).

— Jason Alderman directs Visa’s financial education programs.

Paid to shop? It could be a scam

32 ASIA

Your Money Matters

by Jason Alderman

I know you have heard many times “I don’t have time for love-making”, “I’m too tired, “I’m too involved” or “Got to catch up on my work, sleep, studies, etc.” That feeling of fl oating on air when you fall in love is more than a dream. It is a biological fact.

Through the great connections between mind and body; love heightens all the body processes. The nerves and the endocrine glands send their electrifying message to every organ and muscle, and the blood carries the happy news to every body cell. When you’re in love, a bright glow illuminates your face and eyes. Love creates your good looks from within. And if love is fortunate, and fi nds its natural sexual fulfi llment, then all of your good looks and beauty is constantly renewed.

The healthy act of love is nature’s perfect mechanism for release from tension, all types of tension, whether they are in the mind, the muscles, or the nerves. Sexual fulfi llment frees all the energies from the ugly prison of tension. The most beautifying of all is the knowledge of being loved, that someone fi nds you attractive and desirable. Through those loving eyes a person can see oneself as good looking and they begin to feel and act as if they were attractive. And that is an important step to” looking good/ looking younger- longer”

It is true, that not all of us are so fortunate as to fi nd this marvelous, beauty-giving love. Perhaps life seems to withhold this most precious gift. But when love comes, it does not come by accident. Before you can discover love, you must learn to love yourself. Self-love is not the same as selfi shness. And it is not the same as vanity.

Selfi shness and vanity are the weaknesses of people who do not truly love and value themselves. Selfi sh, vain people are people who, in the depths of their hearts, do not believe themselves worthy of love. That’s the reason why they demand so

much for themselves. They are forever in need of reassurance that they are worthy of love. They feed on admiration, a poor substitute for love.

To love yourself means to value yourself, and if you value yourself you are not afraid to give of yourself to others. You are not afraid to love, and to make time for it. And what a better time for it, than at Valentines Day! To love yourself, also means that you consider yourself worthy of your own care and development. You do not condemn yourself because you are not perfect-instead you value your goodness and fi nd it worthwhile to struggle with your weaknesses.

Also, if you love yourself, you can look in your mirror without hating yourself for the imperfections you see there. You can contemplate your image and make the most of your possibilities, your Good Looks and Beauty Potential.

Cultivate Love! If you don’t have time for love now, when will you have the time? Life can seem over whelming at times, and you may think you’re the busiest person on earth. Having the time for a loving relationship isn’t about having the time, but for you to fi nd the time! If you have a free moment, and your Honey is tied up, you can still devote the time to him/her, by sending a poem, or emailing a sensual note.

The solution is to prioritize like; meeting at the last minute, negotiate time, and stay up later than usual for a little “lovin”. Making time for love can start right now! You’ll be happy that you did, and, of course, much healthier!

— Betty Guy-Wills. She is an author/columnist, beauty counsellier and motivational speaker specializing in anti-aging and age-retarding. You may write her at P.O. Box 10713 Beverly Hills CA 90213. Please include a stamped/self-addressed envelope.

Make Time for Love — It’s Healthy

ASIA 33

Do you sometimes wish that wealth

and prosperity would fl ow into your

life more effortlessly? If so, implement

some basic feng shui concepts to

energize your home and attract

increased “wealth” energy.

When it comes to our state of

wealth, I see both ends of the spectrum.

Some people have no trouble at all

with their fi nances while others never

seem to have enough. If you spend

money faster than it comes in or if you

fi nd that you desire things but have

insuffi cient money to pay for them,

enhancing your wealth with feng shui

may be the key.

What story is your home telling

you?

Our homes communicate to us in

symbols. Everything around us tells

a story about our lives. Keep items in

your surroundings that symbolize what

you want to create in your life. What story is your home

telling? Do you have anything

around you that speaks of blessings,

wealth and abundance?

Have the space in your space

You may have auspicious

symbols that enhance wealth, but

do you have the space for them? If

you have meaningful items in your

home amidst clutter and excess, you

lose their effect and ability to work

for you.

Most people hate to hear this

but clearing out as much excess as

you can is powerful. Afterward,

anything you do to enhance your

wealth will have a more potent

effect. Clearing your space

is energizing and magnetizes

your environment to wealth and

abundance.

Find your home’s “wealth”

corner

Discover your wealth

at home

CONTINUED ON PAGE 35

34 ASIA

Feng Shui

by Alice Inoue

When standing at the front door of your home, facing

in, the wealth area is in the far left corner. Do not be

too concerned about where the wealth corner ends and

begins, just note that that area of your home resonates

with wealth. The architectural front

door of your home is always where you

determine your main wealth area from,

even if you usually use the garage door

or side door.

If you have an irregularly shaped

home and are unclear about exactly

where your wealth corner is, you can

fi nd one in each room has one as well.

You determine where it is by standing

in the doorway of the room and looking

toward the far left corner.

No matter what though, using these

wealth-enhancing ideas anywhere in

your home will still be effective. Set

your intention and enhance your wealth

by using the following suggestions.

When addressing your wealth

corner, fi rst think purple, a strong color

that is associated with wealth, but also

consider red, green, and gold. Use

an assortment of items, ranging from

stones (purple amethyst, for example)

to bedspreads, table runners, curtains,

wall hangings, or anything with these

colors to help put energy into wealth

manifestation.

Have things in your home that symbolically remind

you of wealth—real or imitation currency, a piggy bank,

change holder, jewelry box, or gold coins, (chocolate gold

coins, for example). What symbolizes wealth to you?

Photos of luxury homes, exotic locations or a dream car

may give you wealthy thoughts.

Water is associated with movement and fi nances and

is a way to get things “fl owing,” so in your wealth corner,

place items that are symbolic of water—a fountain,

photos of water, or even a fi sh bowl. If you use a

fountain, be sure the water fl ows toward the center of the

room. Avoid excess water in the bedroom though, as it

can overstimulate emotions.

Important notes

Do you have broken or non-functioning items in

your home? If so, fi x them or remove them from your

environment. Placing

non-functioning items

anywhere in your home

represents a block to the

fl ow of energy. Get rid of

them in order to get your

wealth working for you

again.

To help lift the energy

of your home, make

sure the wealth corner

is well lit, and avoid or

remove dust, dirt, grime,

disorganization, and dead

or dying plants.

It’s not all about

money

Most people associate

wealth with fi nances,

but wealth is a much

broader concept. It is also

related to the blessings

we receive in our lives,

even in the midst of

challenges. It is about

experiencing “profi t” in

the form of health, good

news, opportunities, or a

positive turn of events.

Where are you already wealthy and abundant in your life?

Appreciation and gratitude for what already exists helps

bring continued fl ow.

— Alice Inoue. She is a life guide that uses the

modalities of feng shui, astrology and spirituality in

her work. Her offerings include award-winning, mind-

body-spirit themed books, as well as a series of feng shui

instructional DVD’s. For more information visit www.

aliceinspired.com. Sign up for her newsletter to receive

monthly articles on feng shui, astrology and life wisdom.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 34

ASIA 35

From Dr. George Koo, New America Media

On a recent Sunday morning, I was glued to the boob tube

watching a professional basketball game from opening jump ball to

the last waning second. Haven’t done this for years, but suddenly I

too have been swept up by the global phenomenon of linsanity.

By now, everybody knows linsanity refers to Jeremy Lin, the

basketball star from Harvard who was passed up as a draft pick, later

warming the bench for two other professional teams before coming

off the bench for the NY Knicks in an act of desperation by the

coach. Lin promptly led his team to a win, the fi rst of nine in eleven

games.

He became the toast of New York, and an instant worldwide

sensation.

When the Knicks took on the Dallas Mavericks -- last year’s NBA

champ -- I saw the real deal. Lin drove through a forest of opponents

for layups or passed to wide-open teammates. He sank long-range

three pointers in crucial moments or drew defenders, allowing his

teammates to go unimpeded as they threw in three-point bombs. He

was fearless and physical as the game dictated.

In the post game analysis, the great Magic Johnson unequivocally

declared that Lin’s star presence would be in the NBA for a long

time. None of his fellow panelists disagreed.

Lin’s heroics on the court immediately drew a following from

members of Asian communities around the world, individuals

heretofore thought too small, too short and too frail to compete in

this high-contact sport. But they also call for refl ection on the tragic

fate of Danny Chen and Harry Lew, two American soldiers who

recently took their own lives in Afghanistan.

Both Chen and Lew faced unrelated yet disturbingly brutal bouts

of hazing by their fellow soldiers. Sadly the misery they experienced

led both to the fateful decision that their young lives were no longer

worth living.

These incidents – the awe surrounding Lin’s rise and the deaths

of Chen and Lew -- refl ect a failure of American values: The former

because America continues to regard people of Asian ancestry as not

American; the latter because the military not only failed to prevent

such racism in their ranks but also to impose an appropriate penalty

on those behind the hate crimes.

Make no mistake. That is what they were. Yet when perpetrated

against African Americans, for example, they evoke high decibel

outcries. Not so when the victim is Asian American.

It will be up to the Asian American community to make noise

in order to rectify these wrongs. During the fi rst Gulf War, friendly

missiles shot down two American helicopters. The pilots who pulled

the trigger were exonerated but not Captain Jim Wang of the Awac

fl ying surveillance.

The late Sam Chu Lin, a mainstream media star who became a

voice of conscience, rallied the Chinese American community and

with the help of the Committee of 100 made sure that Captain Wang

had proper defense counsel leading to dismissal of all charges against

him.

Wen Ho Lee was the designated scapegoat and sacrifi cial lamb

in the political struggle between a Republican-led Congress and

Democratic President Bill Clinton. Lee would have rotted in jail as

a spy for China had the Asian American community not come to his

support. Sam played an active role in this case as well.

In Lee’s case, the American public took no pains to make the

distinction as to whether the Taiwan-native was Chinese or not. To

this day, some still consider him a spy though the court cleared him

of all espionage charges. Those that still accuse Lee of spying have

also forgotten that the court did fi nd that the FBI was lying under

oath.Maybe Jeremy Lin with his continued success will erase some

of the prejudices that reside in America against Asians.

Perhaps linsanity, had it occurred a couple of years earlier, might

have blunted some of the bias that led American soldiers to regard

ethnic Asians in their ranks as more gook and less fellow soldiers.

But we can’t count on Jeremy Lin to carry the entire load for

racial equality on his shoulders, broad as they may be. We, the Asian

American community, must stand up and demand our rights as full

fl edged, tax paying, law abiding citizens to all the respect pertaining

thereto.

For two servicemen, Linsanity came too late

36 ASIA

GUEST COLUMN

I’m not familiar with the music of

Taylor Swift, but I know she’s famous.

I read a recent article that makes me

want to know more about her. There’s

an 18-year-old named, Kevin McGuire,

in Somerdale, New Jersey. McGuire

fi rst battled leukemia at the age of 13.

Now he’s going through a relapse with

leukemia.

McGuire admires Taylor Swift, and

he shared with his sister, Victoria Mc-

Guire, that he didn’t feel anyone would

want to go to prom with someone fi ght-

ing leukemia. Victoria came up with

the idea to invite Taylor Swift to be his

prom date and set about promoting this

via Facebook.

Swift responded via Facebook by

inviting Kevin McGuire to attend the

Academy of Country Music Awards

as her date in April. McGuire read the

post from his hospital bed at Children’s

Hospital of Philadelphia. If he’s feeling

well enough to attend, he will be Tay-

lor Swift’s date at the awards.

I’m not familiar with the music of

Taylor Swift, but I know she’s famous.

After reading the article about Swift,

I can tell you that I admire her com-

passion and kindness, and that goes

beyond her music or fame.

I am the father of two children. Kevin

is 10 and Kristie is 8. If they grow

up with the kind of values embodied

by Taylor Swift, I will be one proud

daddy.

A star in more ways than one

ASIA 37

Family Matters

by Ray Wong

My wife and I watched the Hunger

Games at the theatre this week, and

it was a good movie in more ways

than one. It was an adrenalin rush and

featured an outstanding and nuanced

performance by Jennifer Lawrence as

Katniss Everdeen. The fi lm, based on

the bestselling young adult book, “The

Hunger Games,” by Suzanne Collins,

has a unique premise – in the future,

reality entertainment has evolved (or

perhaps devolved is the more accurate

term) to watching children from the

country’s 12 districts fi ght to the death

in an Olympic game of survival.

The movie is intense and absorbing,

but it’s not only entertainment. It pokes

at our society’s fascination with the

voyeuristic reality shows prevalent on

our TV screens. Taken to the extreme,

reality TV ends up being “The Hun-

ger Games,” just a notch ratcheted up

from “Ultimate Fighting.” It isn’t hard

to imagine our society getting to this

point.

The fi lm also exposes some redeem

ing values in the face of the senseless

bloodshed. Katniss Everdeen volun-

teers to be a “tribute” or participant in

the games, when her 12-year-old sister,

Primrose, is selected as tribute. Katniss

is willing to sacrifi ce her very life to

save her sister.

“The Hunger Games” also shows

the value of friendship when Katniss

befriends a tribute from District 11, a

12-year-old girl named Rue. Even in

a competition of winner takes all with

the highest possible stakes, friendship

has meaning.

And when the rules are revised to

highlight the romantic angle of enter-

tainment for the viewers by allowing a

pairing from the same district to be de-

clared winners, and then changed at the

last minute to heighten the suspense,

Katniss and her District companion

Peeta remain true to their humanity.

They refuse to conduct more killing.

Katniss Everdeen is a strong and

independent teenager, a girl who holds

to the values of family and friendship

in the face of unrelenting pressure.

She is kind, intelligent, and loyal. She

is a role model for what is best in our

society amidst the most depraved kind

of violence serving the appetite for

entertainment.

Family tip: Take the PG 13 rating seri-

ously. Though this movie is brilliantly

done and the violence isn’t gratuitous,

the movie is still violent by necessity.

Family quote: “Daddy, people have

two liters of blood and if we take too

many blood tests, we’re going to lose

all our blood.” 10-year-old, Kevin.

(Send comments to ray@raywong.

info or through my site: www.raywong.

info. )

And a role model of a different kind

38 ASIA

From here to eternity

One of the joys of writing my column is the

ability I have to let all my terrifi c followers

live vicariously through my own globe trotting

adventures. For those of you at home who want to

know more of what it’s like to be me - you’re very, very

welcome.

As a matter of fact, I am writing you now straight

from an airport restaurant in Shanghai’s Pudong airport.

It’s 7:46 am and my fl ight takes off at 8:20 am and I

haven’t even gotten through customs yet.

Some of you may be thinking…shouldn’t I be

clamoring my way over to customs and get over to

my gate? To any of you thinking that, I say, “Take a

chill pill! I’ve totally got it covered!” After all, I’m an

experienced globe travelling professional!

With my fl ight being at 8:20 in the morning and with

the airport about an hour away from my hotel, I got up at

5:00 am sharp, having packed most of my clothes away

the night before, and I calmly checked out of my hotel

and quickly got into my reserved taxi waiting at the curb

of the hotel.

Being so early and prepared, I actually arrive at the

airport 15 minutes early, and I proceed to United Airline’s

ticket counter to check in my carefully packed luggage.

As I arrive at United’s counter, I see that I’m so early

that there’s no one waiting in line and in fact, the United

personnel isn’t even at the desk. Well, I fi gure, United

probably isn’t used to the idea of traveler’s as supremely

organized as I am, so I fi gure I’ll have to wait another

15 minutes before they are scheduled to arrive.

Except…

Twenty minutes goes by…no one’s there, no

passengers, no fl ight crew. So, while I was waiting, I

went to United’s computer kiosk and checked in and

even got my boarding pass. The fl ight was still on

schedule and yet, even 90 minutes before the fl ight is

scheduled to take off…no one.

There must be some logical explanation…

maybe United’s counter was moved somewhere else

temporarily?

I walk past a number of airlines, trying to fi nd

United’s temporary front counter, and fi nally come upon

theairport’s information desk. Somewhat irritated by

what is becoming an annoyance for someone who prides

himself on being exceptionally gifted and savvy when

it comes to international travel, I ask the attendant there

where my United fl ight was?

She tells me the fi rst fl ight for United isn’t scheduled

until 10:30 a.m. I gaze over her with an air of

confi dence and diplomatically correct her by explaining

that I have a boarding pass that shows that my fl ight

is set to take off at 8:30 am, and I proudly wave the

boarding pass in front of her to emphatically prove my

point.

While my Chinese isn’t perfect, I understood her

response perfectly. Through what appeared to be an

uncontrolled spasm of laughter, she said, “Your fl ight

isn’t set to take off until 8:30 PM sir”.

I am, therefore, thirteen hours early for my fl ight. I

am, as it turns out, a complete and utter dork.

Trying to salvage the situation, I walk around the

terminal, trying to fi nd something, anything, that I can

while away the next 12 hours before I really need to

be ready. Maybe there’s an airport massage company

where I can get a ten-hour massage? Perhaps Shanghai

has become so advanced it now has a movie theater for

wayward passengers? No, and no.

I walk briskly around the airport frantically looking

for something I can do. It’s almost like I’m trying to

justify my time here so in my mind, I am not quite the

dork I appear to be. I mean, after all, if I could watch

two movies and get a four-hour massage, alls well that

ends well, right?

I can’t go back to the hotel – it’s an hour away and

what am I going to do, rent it for half a day and come

back? That would only magnify my mistake and add to

the utter dorkage of the day.

So, in the end, I am sitting in a relatively comfy

arm chair at a airport restaurant, and I will likely order

everything on the menu before I get on that plane, which

takes off later today, which is Saturday. My fl ight home

is on Saturday. Wait, today is Saturday, right?

Give me a minute. I’ll be right back.

How I spent my 12 hours

in a Shanghai airportWayne’s World

by Wayne Chan

ASIA 39

40 ASIA

Celebrating Science

Navy Capt. Cynthia

Macri, left, is swamped

by students as she dem-

onstrates a robotic device

at the recent MESA

competition at Cal State

Los Angeles. The college’s

program helps disadvan-

taged youth prepare for

colege programs in math,

science and engineering.

Right, she discusses col-

lege preparation.

American school children have the reputation of lacking science profi ciency.

You’d never know it if you attended last weekend’s annual EXPO DAY at

Petco Park San Diego, where more than 100 interactive exhibits attracted

27,000 visitors - most of them kids. Above, right, Licong Jiang of Vertex

Pharmaceuticals Inc. explains her exhibit while co-workers Cindy Song, left,

and Sanghee Yoo, below, display company material. Bottom row: Boy, left,

reassembles a cardboard skeleton, Professor Jaye Van Kirk of Mesa College,

middle, welcomes visitors and Bandy Yiu, right, of San Diego’s Hong Kong

Association, shares in the fun. Photos on both pages by Rosalynn Carmen

“The Changing Roles of Women in the Military” was the

topic of a talk by Navy Commander Shanti R. Sethi, left, during

the annual Women’s Day celebration at Alliant International

University. Organized by Alliant professor of education Dr.

Estela Matriano, behind her, the event included a brief history

of women’s accomplishments in the last 50 years. Commander

Sethi, who is Indian American, discussed her career as well as her

attitude toward leadership, pointing out that she can’t change

the fact that she is a woman, Asian Indian and a female, so she

learned to be “the smartest person in the room.” One of her

fondest memories, she said, was when she encountered a tour of

young elementary school girls of her ship. One of the girls asked

her: “Are you really the captain?” to which she replied, “Yes, I

am.” The young girl looked up to her and said, “It is good to

know that women can be anything.”

ASIA 41

Celebrating Achievement

The Inamori Foundation and the Kyoto Symposium Organization

kicked off San Diego’s eleventh annual Kyoto Prize Symposium

with a gala honoring its most recent honorees, Dr. John Cahn,

Dr. Rashid Sunyaev and Tamasaburo Bando V. Above, Inamore

welcomes guests. Later, honorees, including Cahn, above, left,

discussed their achievements. Guests included, above, Susan Lew,

left, former San Diego port commissioner, Dr. Lilly Cheng, direc-

tor of SDSU’s Confucius Institute, and, photo left, Yen Tu, former

executive director of the Asian Business Association of San Diego.

This year’s scholarship winners - some shown middle left - were

introduced at a press conference earlier in the day.

new game console

new smartphone

a good chunk of rent

What would you do with the $522 you could save with Esurance?*

Call 1-877-558-2838 to get your fast, free car insurance quote.

*National average annual savings based on data from customers who reported savings by switching to Esurance between 1/1/10 and 5/19/10.

42 ASIA

This contest is open to customers of the cities of San Diego and Escondido, Helix Water District,

Olivenhain Municipal Water District, Otay Water District, Padre Dam Municipal Water District, San

Dieguito Water District, Santa Fe Irrigation District, Sweetwater Authority, Vallecitos Water

District, Vista Irrigation District, and California American Water.

For official contest rules and anapplication form, visit: www.landscapecontest.com. For questions,

contact Mike Ismail with the City of San Diego at (619) 533-5312 or your local water agency.

For ideas, expert advice, exhibits and classes, visit the Water Conservation Garden, located at

1212 Cuyamaca College Drive West in El Cajon, or go to www.thegarden.org.

information on those programs, contact (619) 533-7572 or visit www.sandiego.gov/water/recycled or

www.purewatersd.org.

ASIA 43

Both China and the U.S. recently celebrated the 40th anniversary of President Richard Nixon’s visit to China, which reestablished relations between both countries dur-ing the height of the Cold War.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton spoke at the White House celebraiton, which commemorated the 40th anniversary of that famous trip.

“The events of that remarkable week in 1972 have been studied, analyzed, debated, reenacted on stage and screen, even commemorated in song. And yet, there is still more to be said about that journey to Beijing and the relationship it set into motion—and how we, who are the great benefi ciaries of that work 40 years ago, are cultivating the relationship so it meets the challenges and seizes the opportunities of this time,” Clinton said.

Clinton then spoke about how China was incredibly isolated and had widespread poverty after the Cultural Revolution occurrred. But in a few secades, China has become the second largest economy in the world. The only connection between China and the U.S. was one member of government speaking with another.

“There is no doubt that the China of today is a very different country from the China of 1972. Now that transformation is due, fi rst and foremost, to the hard work and determination of the Chinese people and their leaders. It was encouraged, however, by people around the world who supported and invested in their progress,” Clinton said.

The U.S.-China project was often interpreted as a strategic diplomatic action in the context of the Cold War. The two countries continue suspicion about military intentions, particularly as China continues to rise in international power.

Clinton then responded the debates on the economic rise of China by quoting from a “Spiderman” movie: “With great power comes great responsibility.”

As economic partner with China, the U.S. said they

want to engage in more trade and investment because there are benefi ts that come with greater economic activity and healthy competition, which Clinton defi nes as fair, rules-based and transparent.

Clinton asked if China could meet its obligations to protect universal human rights. She said there are continuing disagreements, which could be solved with reforms to give people a bigger voice in legislations to reach peaceful relations/ Then she talked about continued efforts to strengthen our ties throughout the Asia Pacifi c. She ended on the importance of partnerships to solve global issues.

China and the United States cannot solve all the problems of the world together,” Clinton said. But without China and the United States, I doubt that any of our global problems can be solved. We want China to be a full stakeholder, embracing its role as a major global player, to helping strengthen the international system that makes its own and our success possible.”

Open Door Policy:The visit that changed a world

44 ASIA

President Nixon and wife Patwere greeted by China Premier Chou En-Lai. Then Secretary of State Henry

Kissinger, above, who was instrumental in arranging the visit. attended the celebration.

44 ASIA