Georgia Asian Times Vol 9 No 18

www.gasiantimes.comOctober1-15,2012Vol9.No18Covering The Multicultural Asian American Community in Georgia

Cash-rich Macau looks to lure movie makers .. Pg 9

Publisher: Li WongAccount Manager: Adrian WestContributors: Andrian Putra, May Lee, Mark Ho Photographer: Ben Hioe, Rendy Tendean

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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 [email protected].

GAT does not guarantee insertion of event announcement and has the right to deny any posting.

8th Atlanta Asian Film FestivalDate: Oct 5-20, 2012Tickets: $8 per admissionVenues: Emory University, GSU-Cinef-est For more info: www.atlaff.org

8th Atlanta Asian Film Festival Premiere Night GalaDate: Friday Oct 5Time: 6:30 pm Venue: Spring HallFor more info: www.atlaff.org

Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) National Day Cel-ebrationDate: Friday, Oct 5 Time: 6:00 pm Venue: Westin Perimeter

Ferst Center Presents KEIKO MATSUI Contemporary Jazz pianist Date: Friday Oct 5 Time: 8:00 pmVenue: GA Tech Ferst Center For more info: ferstcenter.org

2012 USPAACC-SE Annual Meet-ingDate: Thursday Oct 11Time: 8:30 am - 4:00 pmVenue: UPS HeadquartersFor more info: 678-327-7687

CBAA Fall Business ExpoDate: Saturday Oct 20Time: 10:00 am -4:00 pmVenue: Doraville Arena3037 Pleasant Valley Drive, DoravilleFor more info: [email protected]

Georgia Asian Times October 1-15, 2012 Page 3

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Page 4 October 1-15, 2012 Georgia Asian Times

METRO ASIAN NEWS

Atlanta, September 20, 2012 — Asian Pacific American law enforcement officers are being honored for their contribution and dedication to the Georgia com-munity by OCA-Georgia and local Asian American community lead-ers at UPS Headquarters.

Over 40 officers from diverse background including Korean, Chinese, Asian Indian, Filipino, Vietnamese, Laotian, Thai attend-ed the dinner ceremony. Amongst the officers that attended is Officer Dipa Patel, the first Asian Indian Police Officer in Cobb County and the first Asian Indian Female Of-ficer in metro Atlanta.

Mr Brian Kemp, Secretary of State of Georgia and Rep. Pedro Marin, Gwinnett (District 96) de-livered greetings and remarks on behalf of the Georgia government and legislators.

Chief John King, Police Chief of City of Doraville delivered the keynote address. The evening program was emceed by Patty Pan of Fox 5 News.

Highlight of the evening includ-ing presentation of 2012 APA Heroes and Advocates to Captain Jerry Quan of Cobb County, who is honored as Asian Pacific Ameri-can Law Enforcement Officer of the Year. Ken Lee, OCA National President is being honored as Asian Pacific American of the Year.

Officer were treated to a buffet dinner and dance presentation by VariAsian Dance Group.

OCA Georgia Honors Asian Pacific American Law Enforcement Officials

Atlanta, October 1, 2012 -- The organizing committee have con-firmed the official lineup of this year’s festival featuring several award winning films from the Asia Pacific region and the US.

“This year’s festival is much smaller in scale but it still main-tains the highest quality and film integrity,” said Li Wong, founder and organizing committee chair of the festival.

AAFF Premiere Night Gala is scheduled for Friday, October 5 at Spring Hall. Consuls from several Asian countries, leading com-munity leaders, film makers, and corporate sponsors are amongst the invited guests.

Emcees for the evening are Mark Winne of WSB TV and Ms. Caroline Diaz, Miss Manila 1994.

Busong (Philippines), The Recipe (South Korea), Norwegian Woods (Japan), Seediq Bale (Taiwan), Mr Cao Goes to Washington (USA/Vietnam) and Cinta (Indonesia) are the featured films for this year’s festival.

Tickets are available for sale on-line at $8.00 per admission and All Access Screening Pass are $20.00 per person.

For more info: visit www.atlaff.org

8th Atlanta Asian Film Festival Features Award Winning Films



BUSINESSUS auto sales roar ahead in September

CHICAGO, Oct 2, 2012 (AFP) - US auto sales roared ahead in September, gaining 13 percent from a year earlier and post-ing the best sales pace since March 2008, industry data showed Tuesday.

Asian automakers were the big winners in September as Toyota and Honda’s sales continue to rebound from last year’s supply shortages caused by the Japanese quake and tsunami. Chrysler also managed to post a double digit gain.

General Motors and Ford both saw their market share slip by about two points as their sales stalled in September, but the two largest automakers expressed optimism for future growth.

“Auto sales will continue to be a bright spot for the US economy, which is particu-larly good news for GM as we walk into an even stronger cadence of new products in 2013 and 2014,” said Kurt McNeil, head of GM’s US sales.

He forecast that “slow, gradual growth” will continue for the overall industry while GM is set to gain from “significant un-tapped potential” as it unleashes a major product offensive.

The US auto giant said it has “moved aggressively to replace existing vehicles with better designs, more technology and improved fuel economy” which means 70 percent of its nameplates will be all new or redesigned in 2012 and 2013.

Chrysler also forecast a strong perfor-mance going forward after September sales rose 12 percent to 142,041 vehicles.

“Last month marked our 30th consecu-tive month of year-over-year sales increases and our strongest September in five years,” Reid Bigland, Chrysler’s head of US sales, said in a statement.

“Going forward with our current prod-uct lineup, record low interest rates and a stable US economy, we remain optimistic about the health of the US new vehicle sales industry and our position in it.”

Ford economist Ellen Hughes-Cromwick said the outlook for the overall economy is improving and forecast that total auto sales will come in between 14.5 million and 15 million this year.

“The economic fundamentals are still pointing towards modest economic growth but there are now signs of a better housing

recovery ahead,” she said in a conference call.

“Consumer confidence picked up, house prices are up, house sales are growing, employment’s up about 1.4% over a year ago.”

Total industry sales came in significantly higher than expected in September at a sea-sonally adjusted, annualized rate of 14.94 million units, according to Autodata.

That’s up from a pace of 14.52 million in August and 14.09 million in July.

Ford’s sales slipped 0.1 percent in Sep-tember to 174,976 vehicles as truck sales fell eight percent. But the second largest US automaker hailed the fact that sales of its small cars jumped 73 percent to a decade-high.

“Fuel economy remains one of the most important features customers want most today, and Ford is answering the call with five vehicles that deliver 40 mpg or better -- with another three on the way by year-end,” said Ken Czubay, head of US sales at Ford.

Toyota came within just a few thousand vehicles of overtaking Ford for the num-ber two spot in the US market as its sales jumped 42 percent to 171,910 vehicles and its market share grew to 14.4 percent from 11.5 percent a year ago.

“We don’t really have anyone else on our radar screen,” Bill Fay, general manager of the Toyota Division, said in a conference call.

Fay said Toyota has made “good prog-ress” in “slowly gaining back some of what we lost over the last year or two” and expects “we’ll continue to be able to make some progress in the fourth quarter.”

Honda sales jumped 31 percent to of 117,211 vehicles, while Korean automakers Hyundai and Kia saw their sales rise 15.3 percent to 60,025 vehicles and 35 percent to 48,105 vehicles respectively.

Nissan, which did not have significant supply disruptions last year, saw its sales fall 1.1 percent to 91,907 vehicles.

Volkswagen extended its gains following an aggressive expansion in the US market as sales rose 34 percent to 36,663 vehicles in September.

Nissan wants to offer Datsun at $3,000: report

TOKYO, Oct 2, 2012 (AFP) - Nissan chief executive Carlos Ghosn wants to relaunch retro-brand Datsun with a price tag as low as $3,000 when it hits the road in 2014, a report said.

The company will target drivers in developing nations -- India, Indonesia and Russia -- offering the barebones model at prices that put it well below current Nis-san offerings, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The paper, citing interviews with Ghosn and other executives, said Nissan is aiming for six Datsun models at between $3,000 and $5,000, a price that only a handful of Indian- and Chinese-made cars could compete with.

To cut costs, the company will source parts almost entirely from the country in which the finished product is to be made and sold.

And the absence of rigorous safety standards that would be applied to models aimed at the US or European markets will also help keep the price down, the paper reported.

“If you go to the US, it’s not going to end up being $3,000,” Ghosn told the paper in an article published Monday.

The Brazilian-born Ghosn said a future Datsun would be “modern and fresh” and had to appeal to buyers in developing mar-kets because it would make “them feel good and is in their budget”.

He said the new brand will be one of Nissan’s primary “accelerators of growth”, in the campaign to grab eight percent of the world market by 2016, up from six percent at present.

All of which means boosting sales in emerging economies, which the company expects will account for three-fifths of all sales five years from now, compared with 43 percent now.

The resurrection of Datsun marks the return of a car with something of a cult following, more than three decades after it was phased out.

Datsun -- the first set of wheels for many adolescents -- was a big seller especially in the United States where its sporty, two-door hatchbacks became synonymous with fuel-efficiency during the 1970s oil crisis.

Analysts have said the plan to reanimate the brand could help Nissan get around the problem of producing vehicles cheap enough to compete in emerging markets without polluting existing -- more expen-sive -- marques.

Nissan’s move underscores the grow-ing importance of emerging economies, a key battlefield among global carmakers as growth in developed markets stagnates.


BUSINESSMicrosoft stores to ‘pop up’ on October 26

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct 2, 2012 (AFP) - Scores of real-world Microsoft stores will “pop up” in the United States and Canada on October 26 to showcase the technology giant’s latest gadgets including the new Surface tablet computer.

Microsoft websites on Tuesday promised that temporary, holiday-season shops with a “curated collection of Microsoft’s coolest products” would open their doors on the date.

“Microsoft is excited to expand on its existing retail footprint to deliver an assort-ment of best-in-class products and a pre-mium retail experience to new locations,” the US tech giant said in a statement when the shops were announced.

“The holiday stores continue to offer customers the opportunity to learn new technology skills and get the most out of their Microsoft-enabled devices.”

The list of more than 60 locations for the shops -- known as pop-ups because they

have short or seasonal commercial leases -- included in New York, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Vancouver and Toronto.

The company, which has been in the process of opening permanent retail stores in several US cities, is seeking to break into the competitive market for tablet comput-ers with Surface, set to be released October 26.

Surface tablets are powered by new gen-eration Windows 8 software set for release at the same time. Microsoft shops are likely to feature arrays of Windows 8 devices made by hardware partners.

Surface, which will compete against the market-leading iPad and others, features a flip-out rear “kickstand” to prop it up like a picture frame and a cover that, when opened, acts as a keypad so tablets could be switched into “desktop” mode for work tasks.

Suu Kyi party hails US easing of Myanmar import ban

YANGON, Sept 27, 2012 (AFP) - The political party of Myanmar’s democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi on Thurs-day welcomed US moves to ease a ban on imports from the long-isolated nation, hailing it as a positive long term step.

The move to lift the last major trade sanctions on Myanmar came after “tri-partite” talks involving Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Myanmar President Thein Sein and Suu Kyi, according to a spokes-man for the Nobel laureate’s party.

“We welcome the lifting of import bans, although of course the people cannot get an immediate benefit from it,” said Ohn Kyaing, of the National League for De-mocracy (NLD). “But we do think it will be good in the long term.”

The international community began dis-mantling its embargoes against Myanmar this year in response to reforms including the new quasi-civilian government’s ea-gerness to welcome Suu Kyi and her party into mainstream politics and the freeing of hundreds of political prisoners.

Washington’s ban on imports from Myanmar, also known as Burma, was imposed under a 2003 act by Congress, although trade had already slowed to a trickle, with America mostly importing some hardwoods and gems, and some garments.

US officials will now have to examine each sector with Congress and decide how best to go about easing the sanctions.

Sanctions on US investment in Myan-mar were lifted in July, enabling a major US trade delegation to visit the country just a few days later amid rapidly thawing ties with the southeast Asian nation as it emerges from decades of military rule.

Myanmar, left impoverished by the junta’s economic mismanagement, is now seen as the next major frontier economy in the region, with its strategic location between China and India and abundant natural resources.

Global corporate giants from Coca-Cola to General Electric have already begun to vie for a share of an expected economic boom.

But many are awaiting the outcome of an eagerly-anticipated foreign investment

bill, which was sent back to parliament for amendment by the Myanmar leader this week.

Local firms, which have had few oppor-tunities under junta rule, are also eyeing the changes with interest.

Myat Thin Aung, vice chairman of Yoma bank and a member of the Union of Myan-mar Federation of Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said garment exporters benefited from US tax breaks in the late 1990s when they were heavily reliant on the American market.

“We welcome the lifting of the US im-port ban as it can benefit the country,” he said, adding that there would be “more job opportunities for garment factories work-ers” after the move.

US adds Taiwan to visa waiver program

LAS VEGAS, Nevada, Oct 2, 2012 (AFP) - The US government has added Taiwan to its visa waiver program as part of a strategy to expand tourism to the United States, the White House said Tuesday.

The move will allow Taiwanese visitors to enter the United States for 90 days without visas, a privilege already extended to people of 36 nations.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had linked up to designate “Taiwan as the newest member of the visa waiver program,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said.

The move was a logical development in the “close security, economic and people-to-people relationship between the US and Taiwan,” he said.

China regards Taiwan as a renegade province and the two have been ruled sepa-rately since the end of a civil war in 1949.

But Beijing still claims sovereignty over the island and has threatened to invade should it declare formal independence.

In one remark that may anger China, Carney briefly mistakenly referred to

Taiwan as “the latest country to join this program” although earlier in his briefing here referred to the island as a “member.”

He also insisted that no message was being sent to any other country, implying China, with the move.

“It is simply a new development in the visa waiver program, another member of the program, Taiwan,” Carney said.

The European Union granted visa-free travel to visitors from Taiwan in 2010, even though like Washington, it does not recog-nize the island as a sovereign state.

A senior official at the US State Depart-ment said the addition of Taiwan to the visa waiver program “did not, from our perspec-tive, require any kind of a special commu-nication or interaction with Beijing.”

“They were very much aware of this be-cause (Clinton) had made a designation late last year. So no, we did not engage with the Chinese government,” the official said.

“The visa waiver program decision is consistent with our commitment to have robust unofficial relations with Taiwan.”


ARTS

Busan festival puts Asian film in spotlight

HONG KONG, Oct 1, 2012 (AFP) - Asia’s largest film festival rolls out the red carpet in South Korea on Thursday, offering a window into the region’s cinema landscape and a rare screening of a North Korean film.

Organizers of the 17th Busan In-ternational Film Festival (BIFF) have stressed the importance of the event in terms of promoting Asia’s film industry, within which South Korea’s booming domestic market is a current bright spot.

Much attention is expected to be focused on North Korea’s romantic comedy “Comrade Kim Goes Fly-ing”, with its filmmakers having been invited to the screening.

It is the first time such an invitation has been extended to the North and Busan organizers say they are await-ing a reply.

“We are proud to say that we have played our part in the cultural ex-change between North and South Korea,” said festival director Lee Yong-kwan.

Lee said one of the main aims of the event was to support and introduce to a wider audience lesser-known works and those of smaller production com-panies from across Asia.

“The likeliness of these films being presented at other internationally prestigious film festivals is low,” he

said, highlighting the importance of the Busan festival.

To that end, the 10-day event will close with the world premiere of Bangladeshi director Mostofa Sarwar Farooki’s humor-laced drama “Televi-sion”.

Farooki said the attention his film would attract after being screened at this year’s festival would draw global attention to his country’s nascent film industry. Last year’s event welcomed more than 182,000 film fans.

“I believe it will inspire a whole generation of younger filmmakers to believe in themselves and dream even bigger,” said the director.

This year Busan will showcase a special sidebar devoted to Afghani films saved from the Taliban by the Afghanistan National Film Archive, while the Window on Asian Cinema section features 49 films from 11 countries across the region, including 13 world premieres.

The festival, which has previously featured international stars and Acad-emy Award winners including director Oliver Stone and French actress Ju-liette Binoche, will this year put Asian talent in the spotlight, with Chinese actresses Zhang Ziyi and Tang Wei making appearances.

Forming the backdrop to a festival screening 304 movies from 75 coun-

tries is a domestic industry enjoying unprecedented box office returns in what has so far been a stellar year for Korean productions.

The Korean Film Council recently announced around 120 million cin-ema tickets had been sold across the country by the end of August, a year-on-year rise of around 20 percent.

Art-house maverick Kim Ki-duk became the first Korean to win the prestigious Golden Lion at the Venice film festival with his tale of revenge “Pieta” earlier this month, and local films have topped box office charts.

Among them is casino caper “The Thieves”, the second most successful Korean film in history, with admis-sions of more than 12.5 million.

A joint Korean and Chinese produc-tion directed by Choi Dong-Hun, it boasts Korean stars Lee Jung-jae and Jun Ji-hyun and will screen as part of the Open Cinema program at BIFF.

Festival organizer Lee said one of the main roles of the festival was to support and promote such collabora-tions within the Asian film industry through its market and film fund programs.

“This is where BIFF distinguishes itself from American film festivals or film markets where the focus is on worldwide cinema,” he said.

The main competition of the event -- the New Currents Award for debut or second-time Asian filmmakers -- offers two prizes of $30,000 and has this year attracted a field of 10 pro-ductions from eight countries, includ-ing Lebanon and Iraq.

The winner will be announced on October 14, the last day of the event.

This year’s Asian Filmmaker of the Year award will go to the Japanese veteran Koji Wakamatsu, 72, who produced the controversial “In The Realm of the Senses” (1976) and has directed three films in the past 12 months.

BIFF begins Thursday with the world premiere of the Hong Kong thriller “Cold War” starring Aaron Kwok and Tony Leung Ka-fai.


FEATURE

HONG KONG, Oct 2, 2012 (AFP) - Six years since Macau beat Las Vegas at its own game and took over as the gam-bling capital of the world, the cashed-up southern Chinese enclave is now aiming to emulate the US city’s role in film.

Boasting annual casino takings of US$33.5 billion -- around five times those of Las Vegas -- Macau is looking to establish itself as a set for major film and television productions.

In doing so officials hope it will become as much a character in films as Las Vegas has been through the years.

“We hope that coverage of movies and TV series in magazines and newspapers as well as on other TV programs will help to generate more interest in Macau,” said Lew Hwan-kyu of the Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) in South Korea.

“It is an indirect but effective approach in promoting the city.”

Macau served as the backdrop for the recent big-budget blockbuster “The Thieves”, the second-most successful South Korean film in history after 2006’s “The Host”. The enclave hopes to attract more productions in the film’s wake.

Watched by more than 12.9 million people in its homeland, “The Thieves” fol-lows the trail of Korean and Chinese gangs as they plot a diamond theft.

The $9 million budget film has so far taken an estimated $82.6 million at the box office.

Directed by Choi Dong-hun, the film has been labelled “Korea’s Ocean’s 11” after the 1960 Hollywood hit starring Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, which triggered a slew of Las Vegas productions including its 2001 remake starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt.

For the people behind “The Thieves”,

the bright lights and massive casino resorts of Macau offered an extra touch of realism to a caper boasting a line-up of Asian stars including Korean heart-throbs Lee Jung-jae (“The Housemaid”), Jeon Ji-hyun (“My Sassy Girl”) and veteran Hong Kong star Simon Yam (“Election”).

“Macau was chosen for its cinematic and exotic atmosphere,” said producer Ahn Soo-hyun, adding that the contrasts between its newly-built casinos and the city’s dim-lit and outdated buildings added to the film’s tone.

She added that the geography helped drive the script. “It was nice to have a natural path, where Korean and Chinese thieves gather up in Hong Kong, go to Macau for the job, and after the failed at-tempt, come to Korea for revenge.”

Surging visitor numbers

More than 28 million people visited Macau last year, a record for the city that is home to just 600,000 people.

This year visitor numbers are set to eclipse that figure, reaching beyond 30 million, as casino resort developments continue to expand to meet demand.

Last month saw the opening of the 4,000-room Sheraton Macau, which was followed by news that developer Sands China would add a further 2,000 rooms to the “Cotai Strip” area of the city by 2016.

Macau now boasts more than 30 casino resorts, among then the 3,000-room Ve-netian Macao-Resort-Hotel and the City of Dreams complex, which offers a combined 1,400 rooms across three hotels.

While the majority of visitors to Macau are drawn from “Greater China” -- main-land China, Hong Kong and Taiwan accounted for 89.1 per cent of last year’s total -- it is increasingly looking to draw more international tourists.

Last year visitors from South Korea were up 20.2 per cent (to 398,807), while “the Americas” accounted for 310,608 visitors, a rise of 4.5 per cent, according to the MGTO.

“South Korea has strong cultural influ-ences across the world nowadays,” said Lew, adding that the Macau government has promoted the enclave through Korean TV dramas such as “Princess Hours” (2006) and “East of Eden” (2008).

In the past month “The Thieves” has opened across Indonesia, Hong Kong, and Singapore with other Asian territories to follow.

Last week North American rights for the film were picked up by the Well Go USA company, which will release the film in that market on October 12, while there are hopes for a wider international release after the film screens this week at Asia’s largest film event, the Busan International Film Festival in South Korea.

Domestic support lacking

One problem facing international film-makers is that Macau has little in the way of a domestic film industry to support visiting productions.

The former Portuguese-administered city has recently been the focus of a series of films from that country, including director Joao Pedro Rodrigues’ “The Last Time I Saw Macao” (2012).

Hong Kong veteran Johnnie To has used the city to great effect in his critically acclaimed thrillers “Exiled” (2006) and “Vengeance” (2009), but when it comes to other international productions the city has had a somewhat chequered past.

Hollywood first came calling back in 1952, shooting stock scenes for the Robert Mitchum-Jane Russell vehicle “Macao”, while the visit of future Oscar-winner Sean Penn in the early 1980s for the shooting of “Shanghai Surprise” (1986) -- alongside then wife Madonna -- became infamous in the movie world.

Penn later claimed he was arrested for the attempted murder of a photographer while in the city, saying he had dangled the man off the balcony of his hotel, but had escaped custody and jumped on a jet foil to Hong Kong.

The actor said in interviews for his biog-raphy, “Sean Penn: His Life and Times”, that he was later pardoned by the then-ruling Portuguese administration.

Management at the massive City of Dreams casino-resort complex which features prominently in “The Thieves” said allowing the film-makers to use their property was part of a concerted effort to increase its international exposure.

“The enormous success of the movie helps promote City of Dreams to a wider international audience,” said Sunny Yu, Senior Vice President, Entertainment and Projects, Melco Crown Entertainment Limited.

Korean producer Ahn said she expects more international film-makers to follow suit.

“Macau definitely has its unique colors, and film-makers who are looking for that sort of uniqueness will continue to head to the city,” she said.

Cash-rich Macau looks to lure movie makers


LIFESTYLE

BEIJING, Sept 30, 2012 (AFP) - When Wu Rui’s 12-year-old daughter died she lost not just the only child she would ever have but also her source of security and support in old age.

Today the 55-year-old takes care of herself and her own elderly parents on a paltry pension in a ramshackle two-room home, living in fear of medical emergencies she has no way to pay for.

China’s one-child policy normally leaves four grandparents and two parents relying on a single caretaker for old age -- and bereaved families with none.

An estimated one million fami-lies nationwide have lost their sole descendant since the measure took effect in 1980, and another four to seven million are expected to do so in the next 20 to 30 years.

Many, like Wu, will have no one to help them through the frailties or medical costs of old age.

“If I have a big illness then I prob-ably won’t have enough,” she says quietly. “For sure there will be dif-ficulties.”

Wu divorced in 1994 and lost her daughter Zhang Weina one year later after a long struggle with epilepsy.

She now spends much of her time at home, knitting sweaters and preparing food in a cramped kitchen -- which doubles as her 76-year-old mother’s bedroom.

Her 80-year-old father, his hearing failing, sits one bed over in the nar-row room they share. Two light bulbs dangle from a rope and cracked paint covers the walls.

Aside from ill health, Wu’s biggest

fear is that their dingy but inexpen-sive home will soon be demolished, as many old Beijing residences have been.

The other half of their centrally located neighbourhood has already been replaced by modern towers, and if their alleyway is next they may be moved to an apartment that costs more than her monthly pension of 2,000 yuan ($310).

One-child limit creating old-age bubble

Since 2001 national law has re-quired local governments to provide “the necessary help” to families who lose their only child, but does not define what that entails.

Regulations vary by area, with Sichuan province allowing families to apply to have another child while Shanghai stipulates a one-time pay-ment of an unspecified amount.

Some local governments provide small stipends, according to state news agency Xinhua, while a Beijing official told local media the capital of-fers 200 yuan a month and “spiritual” support in the form of visits from young people.

“The rule has always been there but I don’t think it’s very meaningful,” says Yi Fuxian, a US-based academic and author of “Big Country in an Empty Nest”, which criticises China’s family-planning policy.

Some 4.63 percent of China’s 218 million-plus single-child families are expected to lose their son or daughter by the time they reach the age of 25, he says, citing official statistics.

That would mean more than 10 million couples outliving their only child in the next two to three decades,

Bereaved China elderly suffer under one-child norm

minus a fraction who give birth again.

Yi and other demographers argue that China must not only provide for these families but also abolish the one-child limit immediately.

Its defenders say it has helped prevent over-population and lift vast numbers of Chinese out of poverty.

But it is also creating instead an old-age bubble -- by 2050 30 percent of Chinese will be 60 or over, the UN estimates, versus 20 percent world-wide and 10 percent in China in 2000.

Without more young people, China will not have enough grandchildren to provide for their elders or workers to pay into a social security system the government is trying to build.

“Endless pain”

The country can now absorb a higher birth rate without risking over-population, say Yi and others.

But the head of the State Population and Family Planning Commission Li Bin told Xinhua last year that China intended to “maintain and improve” existing measures, while understand-ing the need to address its ageing population.

For now certain families receive exemptions from the one-child rule, including some farmers who give birth to a girl, couples who belong to ethnic minorities and parents who are both only children themselves.

The authorities increasingly recog-nize the problems the one-child policy created now that its first generation of parents is entering old age, says Gu Baochang, a professor at Beijing’s Renmin University.

But they should have acted years ago as demographic dangers will only swell with time, he warns. “The later they do this, the greater the pain, the bigger the costs, and the greater the number of families who lose their only child.”

Families like Wu’s face not only un-certain futures but also an unshake-able sense of loss in a culture that emphasizes family, Gu points out.

One bereaved mother shares her grief on an online forum for parents like her: “All beauty has been pulled away, the darkness of the clouds and night conceal my endless pain.”

Another parent wrote on the forum: “We responded to the call and only had one child. And where is the care and concern for us? There is none. Cancer, heart and brain disease, depression and other serious ailments keep coming knocking.

“There is no institution facing up to our existence, let alone any de-partment that sympathizes with our sorrow.

“We have fallen into lonely, bitter, tragic circumstances with no one to rely on.”


FOCUS

Cambodians fight malaria with the push of a button

PAILIN, Cambodia, Sept 17, 2012 (AFP) - Cambodian villagers armed with a little medical know-how -- and their mobile telephones -- are the nation’s new foot soldiers in the fight against drug-resistant malaria.

In the small village of Phnom Dam-bang near the Thai border, locals know that early detection and treatment is crucial to containing the virulent strain of the mosquito-borne disease that is blighting the region.

“The malaria here... can kill people in a short period of time if we don’t have the right treatment,” said Long Vuthy, whose home doubles as a walk-in clinic. The village is dotted with bright yellow signs emblazoned with pictures of mosquitoes, warning that the dis-ease is prevalent in the area.

Vuthy, 41, who is also the chief of the village in Pailin province -- considered to be at the epicentre of drug-resistant malaria in Cambodia -- is one of more than 3,000 volunteer malaria workers in the country.

They diagnose the disease with a quick blood test and provide treat-ment, free of charge, in remote parts of the impoverished nation, where access to health services can be difficult.

Under a new pilot project, he is now also using a dedicated text message service to report new cases, allowing health experts to monitor and respond to patients’ needs in real time.

“It’s a very good way to help the com-munity,” said Vuthy, who was taught how to use the mobile phone service two months ago by the Malaria Consor-tium, a non-profit group working with the government and the World Health Organisation (WHO) to eradicate ma-laria from the country by 2025.

Cambodia has already had success tackling malaria. In 2011, it reported over 108,000 cases, of which 96 were fatal, compared to 102,473 cases and 154 deaths the year before and over 600 deaths in 2000, according to gov-ernment statistics.

But the prevalence of the drug-resis-tant strain has caused concern.

Malaria resistant to regular forms of treatment was confirmed in western Cambodia eight years ago, likely as a result of patients taking an incorrect or incomplete course of anti-malarial drugs.

Alert system

To control the spread of this drug-tolerant form, health workers must catch cases early and ensure patients strictly follow the right treatment plan.

The alert system is simple. If Vuthy’s diagnosis test shows a person has malaria, he immediately starts them on medication and composes a message with the patient’s age, sex, location and the type of malaria.

Using a toll-free number, the text is sent instantly to the district health centre, provincial health officials and a national malaria database in the capital Phnom Penh -- a process that used to take a month.

The information is also fed into Google Earth to create a map of re-ported cases and of potential hotspots of resistance.

Together, the data helps officials track each case and make sure the right treatment is available or that more medication is supplied when stocks are running low.

“I think this system is very impor-tant in eliminating malaria in Cam-bodia because it provides information very fast,” said Pengby Ngor from the Malaria Consortium, which developed the database. “In this way there can be intervention and the patient can get treatment quickly.”

Malaria killed an estimated 655,000 people worldwide in 2010, although mortality rates have fallen sharply over the past decades, according to the WHO.

Researchers attribute this decline largely to the increased use of artemis-inin drugs, seen as the most effective treatment, and the widening use of insecticide-treated bed nets -- which have also been distributed by the Cam-bodian government.

Goal to eradicate malaria

Comprehensive data on resistance in the country is unavailable, although a study by international scientists published in The Lancet this year found that between 2007 and 2010, 42 percent of falciparum malaria cases, the most severe form of the disease, in western Cambodia were drug tolerant.

Resistance does not mean the dis-ease will be fatal, but it typically takes longer to be cured using a combination of drugs.

Meas Tha, deputy director of the National Centre for Parasitology, Entomology and Malaria Control, said

the mobile pilot scheme was a “tool that could help us to achieve our 2025 goal” to eradicate malaria, alongside other key efforts such as education on prevention and medication.

It is part of a national malaria containment project on which the Global Fund, supported by The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, has spent some $30 million since 2010.

The system, using SIM cards provid-ed free by Cambodian telecommunica-tions firm Mobitel, was launched in three other provinces last year before coming to Pailin in July.

Some 230 volunteers have used the mobile phone service so far and there are plans to eventually include all vol-unteers in the project.

Vuthy knows that close monitoring of severe malaria cases is essential in his part of the country.

He makes sure his patients take their pills correctly and he carries out follow-up tests to check their blood is parasite-free after three days. If not, it could be a sign of drug tolerance, requiring further treatment.

Here too the text message alert ser-vice comes in handy, sending remind-ers to check on patients on set days. “It makes my job easier,” Vuthy said.


TECHNOLOGY

‘MindMeld’ app anticipates people’s needs

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct 1, 2012 (AFP) - A voice calls application called MindMeld to be available this month promises to know what iPad users want before they do.

The application, named for the way the character Spock melded minds with other beings in hit classic science fiction television series “Star Trek,” analyzes con-versations in real-time to antici-pate speakers’ desires.

“It is the first voice and video calling app for iPad that can actu-ally understand what you say and find relevant information so that you have it at your fingertips,” Expect co-founder Timothy Tuttle told AFP.

“This stuff seems like science fiction but it can happen fairly well today and five to 10 years from now it will be standard in just about every phone call or real-time communication application.”

Calls made using MindMeld are routed through Expect technology that recognizes what people say and finds online information that might be relevant to conversations.

“At any point in a conversation when you hear something interest-ing you can pull in more informa-tion” on the iPad screen, Tuttle said.

“A lot of complex things are taking place on the back end to be able to predict from the last 10 minutes of a conversation what you need in the next ten seconds.”

For example if a friend on a call suggests a new restaurant, Mind-Meld readies a map and informa-tion such as the menu or reviews.

Mentioning a medical treatment could trigger news stories about the treatment, while talk of a vaca-tion could prompt online video

of mentioned venues along with insights from Facebook friends.

Engineers school at venues such as Carnegie Mellon University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology built what the startup called an anticipatory computing engine.

“All of us spent most of our careers making machines more intelligent,” Tuttle said.

“Five or ten years from now computers will be with you; listen-ing and seeing things that will be the input used to get information.”

The trend has gained importance with the lifestyle shift to smart phones, tablets and other mobile devices without keyboards for typing queries for online searches, according to Tuttle.

Expect Labs founders Moninder Jheeta and Tuttle met while

specializing in extracting mean-ing from audio, video and other streaming data at Truveo before the company was bought by AOL in 2006.

Expect Labs planned to add group video calling to the appli-cation by the end of the year and subsequently open the platform to developers interested in building the technology into other pro-grams.

Tuttle did not disclose the price for the application at launch but said that the goal was to eventu-ally make it available for free and make money from premium features.


SPORTSOlazabal never gave up on Ryder Cup CHICAGO, Illinois, Sept 30,

2012 (AFP) - Europe’s victorious Ryder Cup captain Jose Maria Olazabal said he never gave up hope for his side even when they were 10-4 down with just two of Saturday’s four balls remaining.

His side won both of those to pull within four points of the United States at 6-10 down and that, he felt, was within range for Sunday’s closing 12 singles.

“Unbelievable day, one that will go down in history,” he said after his men had retained the trophy by defeating the United States 14 1/2 to 13 1/2.

“It’s hard to express it in words. I knew it was going to be difficult but, at the same time, I truly believed we could do it.

“When I looked at those matches, the matches were pretty much even, well-balanced. I said to them I believed we could change things around.”

Olazabal, a European Ryder Cup hero, especially for his partnership with the late Seve Ballesteros, had been under fire for some of his deci-sions at Medinah Country Club this week,

He notably was slammed for leaving Ian Poulter out of the Friday after-noon four balls after the Ryder Cup favorite had teamed up with Justin Rose to win in the morning four-somes.

And then he took some stick for a flat showing from most of his team during the first two days in contrast to the high emotion shown by the Ameri-can players under US counterpart Davis Love.

It had been, he admitted hard-going at times.

“Well, it’s been a tough week. The first two days nothing went our way.

We struggled on the greens, and this morning I felt a little change in that regard, and we started to make a few putts,” he said.

“The Americans just started to miss them. And winning those few match-es, that was key. I’ve been under pres-sure hitting shots, but today tops that.

“I cannot explain today, the guys did a wonderful job. Maybe they knew how much it meant to me.

“Last night in the meeting I told them that I really believed they could do it. The pairings were well balanced and they just believed in themselves. That’s why we are here as winners.

“Those first five matches today were close and key. We managed to win those.

Olazabal also said that the Ballester-os factor had been important with the European team going out clad in the dark blue and white colors that the late Ryder Cup legend had favored.

“Seve will always be present with this team,” he said.

“He was a big factor for this event, for the European side, and last night when we were having that meeting, I think the boys understood that believ-ing was the most important thing, and I think they did.”

Formula One: Lauda reveals role in Hamilton’s move to Mercedes LONDON, Sept 30, 2012 (AFP)

- Niki Lauda revealed on Sunday his role in luring Lewis Hamilton from McLaren to Mercedes for whom the Formula One legend acts as a non-ex-ecutive chairman.

On Thursday Mercedes announced that Hamnilton would replace Michael Schumacher next season, bringing to an end the Briton’s 14-year association with the British team.

Lauda, 63, told BBC Radio Five: “I spoke to him (Hamilton) a couple of times, but I didn’t have to convince him much.

“He had a clear plan and I didn’t have to convince him of anything.

“I can honestly say I was impressed with his approach to things - very pragmatic, no emotions whatsoever. The real discussion was, ‘why should I leave a competitive car where my life is easier in the future?’

“My argument was, ‘if you’re looking for a new challenge then frankly the Mercedes team is one’. Thinking the other way round, if Michael Schum-acher could not get the Mercedes team - for three years running - up front and you next year are doing much better, this makes a huge impact on your per-sonality and people will rate you much higher than you are rated now.”

Lauda continued: “The money discussion I was not really involved in. The money was not really the case. The offer was very close to the one of McLaren. In the end it was that he looks for a new challenge.

“I understand him because if you drive six years for same the team and for the same people you get used to each other. It works for him because he won one championship and he is winning races, but nevertheless a new challenge with new people... you learn different things and different approaches - it’s something that for a competitive guy like Lewis was very interesting.”

Lauda has no doubt about the 27-year-old’s speed and quality, but in-sisted there was no number one driver in the Mercedes team.

“I think he is, (even) in a bad car, the best driver in the world because he’s unbelievably quick,” Lauda said. “He makes no compromise. So if Hamilton would join the team next year, which he is, I can tell you he will make a big move forward on speed.”

He added: “There’s no number one and number two. There’s enough mon-ey for Mercedes that they can prepare two cars exactly the same way.

“And what I really look forward to is that Hamilton will push Nico Rosberg to go quicker and Nico will push Ham-ilton to go quicker - and this is really all you need in a team.”

Lauda also dismissed as “absolute nonsense” any suggestion that seven-time former champion Schumacher was at 43 too old to cut it in F1.

“He failed in a car that was never competitive,” Lauda explained in a separate interview with German weekly Frankfurter Allgemeine.


SPORTS

RIO DE JANEIRO, Sept 24, 2012 (AFP) - With sales of exclusive prod-ucts, online games and contests about who has the greatest number of fans on social networks, Brazilian soccer clubs are battling it out on the Web to reap the bonanza of online marketing.

In this huge, soccer-mad country, which won five World Cup trophies and will host the 2014 edition, more than 83 million people have access to the Internet and some teams have up to 25 million fans.

First division clubs therefore, in addition to having an Internet site, also have a Facebook page, a Twitter account, online television or even a smartphone application.

“The connection with the fan has changed. With the new technologies, clubs are in daily contact with their fans, not just when they go to the sta-dium,” explained Guilherme Costa, of the Maquina de Esporte website, which specializes in sport marketing.

Sao Paulo’s Corinthians club went so far as to create a “Corinthians People’s Republic” with 190,000 “citizens” fans, its own currency, embassy and identity papers.

This online concept, created in 2010, was elected “idea of the Year” by Worldwide Creative Board, a contest among advertisers.

“The goal is not to have the largest number of fans on Facebook, but to transform them into consumers,” said Marcus Duarte, head of marketing at Rio’s Flamengo club. Three of the 13 members of his staff are assigned exclusively to giving the team visibility on the Web.

“The Corinthians online store sells as many products as 15 physical stores and reach consumers wherever they may be in Brazil,” said Eduardo Gen-eroso, head of sports projects at ESM,

an online marketing agency for several first division clubs.

“With fans’ online memberships, sales of sports paraphernalia, sales of advertising space on their sites and Web-TV, clubs can earn on average one million reais (390,000 euros) per month,” he added.

The Internet can also be used to conduct permanent marketing surveys. According to the Ibope institute, 86 percent of Brazilians who have ac-cess to the web use social networks, a percentage much higher than in other countries.

The ESM agency was able to draw up a data base on one million of Corinthi-ans fans, including names, age and sex but sometimes also their consuming habits as detailed on Facebook or from their online purchasing history.

“That’s how we noticed that they like to travel. The club therefore set up a partnership with an agency and now sells them trips to Japan where the team will play at the end of the year,” said Generoso.

According to Guilherme Costa, the Internet also highlights the popularity of the players among fans.

“Clubs then use that to negoti-ate advertising contracts with brand companies which use the image of their players,” he noted.

On Vasco’s Facebook page, the lat-est contest rewards fans who will best promote a real estate company, which is a partner of the club.

“We still have a lot to learn from abroad regarding online marketing, but we are beginning to reach cruise control,” said Marcus Duarte, Flamen-go’s marketing chief.

Internet: strong marketing tool for Brazilian soccer clubs

Cluj-Napoca, Romania, Oct 1, 2012 (AFP) - Patrice Evra has warned Manchester United’s stars to rediscover their killer instinct or risk humiliation in Tuesday’s Champions League clash against Romanian minnows CFR Cluj.

United travel to Transylvania, the sup-posedly vampire-filled setting of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, for their second Group H fixture on the back of a disappointing 3-2 home defeat against Tottenham on Saturday that left them four points behind Premier League leaders Chelsea.

It was United’s first loss to Spurs at Old Trafford for 23 years and their first Premier League defeat against the north London club in 23 meetings, but far more concern-ing was the sloppy manner of the defending by Alex Ferguson’s side.

Not for the first time this season, United’s lack of pace at the back proved fatal, with Gareth Bale repeatedly exposing the aging Rio Ferdinand.

Of their six matches so far, United have been behind in five, while they have kept just one clean sheet and conceded nine goals, leading French left-back Evra to fear his team could suffer even greater embar-rassment against Cluj unless they show more mental strength.

“The game is 90 minutes long and we deserved to lose because we only played for 45. To concede three goals at Old Trafford is not good enough,” Evra said.

“The problem is in our heads. It looked like we stayed in the hotel. The first 45 min-utes had no speed, no focus, we didn’t win a lot of challenges and we conceded some silly goals.

“Maybe I am hard with myself and the team but we only showed the United face in the second half.

“We still have a lot to do, but we have to forget that first half against Spurs.

“I hope it was just an accident and we can get back the winning mentality that we showed in the second half in our first Champions League game against Galatasa-ray.”

On paper United’s encounter with the Romanian champions looks exactly the kind of undemanding fixture that should allow Ferguson’s side to restore their equi-librium with a morale-boosting win.

But United were knocked out at the group stage of the Champions League last season after underestimating supposedly inferior opponents.

Cluj shocked Portuguese side Braga with a 2-0 win in their opening group fixture and Ferguson has shown them respect by revealing he is unlikely to rest too many key players.

“There’s no chance I’ll be going with kids in this one. We will play the experienced players,” he said.

“Cluj knocked out Basle over two legs in the qualifier -- that shows where they are.

“To win in Braga takes some doing. It’s not an easy place to go. We are taking it seriously. They think they can qualify now.”

Although United were unconvincing in that 1-0 win over Galatasaray at Old Traf-ford two weeks ago, a similiar result on Tuesday would put them firmly on course for the last 16.

However, Ferguson has a defensive inju-ry crisis after Northern Ireland centre-back Jonny Evans hobbled off the pitch with a dead leg at full-time on Saturday.

Ferguson hopes Evans will recover in time for the Cluj clash, but if he doesn’t young defender Scott Wootton could make his European debut as Nemanja Vidic, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones are already sidelined.

United goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard has no doubts Wootton would be up to the challenge after seeing him in action in the reserves.

Evra warns United to show vampire kill instinct

WASHINGTON, Sept 26, 2012 (AFP) - The number of West Nile virus deaths and infections continued to rise in the United States last week, but at a slower pace, health authorities said Wednesday.

As of Tuesday, 3,545 cases of the mos-quito-borne disease were reported this year, including 147 fatalities, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.

This compares to 3,142 reported the pre-vious week, a 13 percent increase compared to a 30 percent rise earlier in September.

It is “the highest number of West Nile virus disease cases reported ... through the last week in September since 2003,” the CDC said.

The bulk of the cases -- 70 percent -- were reported in eight states: Texas, Missis-

sippi, South Dakota, Michigan, California, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Illinois. Thirty-eight percent of all cases were reported in Texas.

The 147 deaths during the week ended September 25 marked an increase of 9.7 percent compared to 134 deaths the previ-ous week.

Since the West Nile virus was first ob-served in the United States in 1999, more than 30,000 people have been infected with the virus, which can cause life altering disease.

This year, the soaring number could be due to a relatively mild winter, an early spring and a hot summer.

Other factors potentially contributing to the outbreak are birds transporting the vi-rus and an exploding mosquito population.

First identified in Uganda in 1937, the vi-rus manifests itself in a number of different ways and 80 percent of the time does not spark serious symptoms.

However, it can also cause potentially fatal complications such as meningitis or encephalitis.

About one in 150 people infected will develop severe illness with symptoms that include high fever, convulsions, vision loss, numbness, coma and can cause permanent paralysis and neurological damage.

Eighty percent of those infected will not show any symptoms at all and milder symptoms range from headaches to skin rashes, the CDC said.

HEALTH

TOKYO, Oct 1, 2012 (AFP) - Gov-ernments around the world must work out how to cope with ageing, a UN report said Monday, warning developing economies with lots of young workers may one day find their populations a drag.

The study by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and private group HelpAge International also urged countries to improve medical provi-sion to extend the years of health that older people can enjoy.

The report, which was released to coincide with International Day of Older Persons, says that of the seven billion people who live on the planet, 893 million or 12.8 percent are elderly -- older than 60.

In just one decade, the elderly population will swell by 200 million taking it well beyond one billion peo-ple, and potentially putting a greater strain on welfare and medical systems around the world, the report said.

The report was accompanied by a symposium on aging in Japan, the world’s fastest-greying country, where around a quarter of the population is over 65 already, a proportion the government forecasts will rise to 40 percent within half a century.

“People everywhere must age with dignity and security, enjoying life through the full realization of all hu-man rights and fundamental free-doms,” said Babatunde Osotimehin, UNFPA executive director.

By 2050, the report said, some 80 percent of the world’s older people will live in developing countries, many of which currently have young popu-lations where there are many more workers than pensioners.

“In many developing countries with large populations of young people, for example, the challenge is that govern-ments have not put policies and prac-tices in place to support their current older populations or made enough

preparations for 2050,” the groups said in a joint statement.

The report warned that the skills and knowledge older people possess are going to waste, with many elderly under-employed and vulnerable to discrimination, abuse and violence at work and in the home.

The agencies are calling for govern-ments and the public to end “these destructive practices and to invest in older people”.

“We must commit to ending the widespread mismanagement of aging,” said Richard Blewitt, chief executive officer of HelpAge Interna-tional.

“Global and national action plans are needed to create a pathway (so) people over 60... become growth driv-ers and value creators,” he said.

World must work out how to grey gracefully: UN


New mystery virus not easily transmitted: WHO

GENEVA, Sept 28, 2012 (AFP) - A new mysterious respiratory virus that has killed at least one person and left another in critical condition does not appear very contagious, the World Health Organization said Friday.

“From the information available thus far, it appears that the novel coronavirus cannot be easily transmitted from person to person,” the WHO said in a statement.

WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl told reporters in Geneva that rapid progress was being made in characterizing the disease and developing diagnostic tests, which would be made available as quickly as pos-sible.

The origin of the new virus was still un-known, he said.

The UN health agency has previously confirmed that the new illness was in the coronavirus family, which also includes the deadly SARS virus as well as the common cold.

The new virus however is different from SARS, especially in that it causes rapid kidney failure.

The new virus has caused the death of a Saudi national and has also left a Qatari man seriously ill in a London hospital after he was transferred there from Doha earlier this month, the WHO previously reported, adding that he had also been in Saudi Arabia.

The two known cases surfaced three months apart and there was no clear con-nection between the two men.

“Given the severity of the two laboratory confirmed cases, WHO is continuing to monitor the situation in order to provide the appropriate response, expertise and support to its member states,” Friday’s statement said.

WHO said that tests for the new vi-rus were currently available at some of its partner laboratories for patients under investigation.

With pilgrims already arriving in Saudi Arabia for the upcoming Hajj pilgrimage, the WHO reiterated Friday that it was not yet recommending travel or trade restric-tions for the Saudi kingdom or Qatar.

US West Nile deaths, infections rise at slower pace


Misc Asia

NEW DELHI, Oct 2, 2012 (AFP) - An Indian cabinet minister landed himself in hot water Tuesday after claiming that wives lose their appeal with age.

Speaking at a Hindi-language poetry meeting in the northern city of Kan-pur on Monday night, Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal had said: “An old victory, like a wife of many years, loses its charm over time”.

After footage of his comments was aired on news channels, women’s groups and opposition parties laid into Jaiswal who is from the ruling Con-gress party.

The main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party demanded an apology from the minister for making a “sexist remark” and labelled him as an “insen-sitive” man.

The chairwoman of the National

Commission for Women, Mamta Sharma, called the minister’s com-ments “very unfortunate”.

“We will write a letter to the prime minister. We demand an apology,” she told reporters.

The comments also sparked outrage on Twitter. “Sriprakash Jaiswal is definitely gonna be slapped by some-one,” tweeted one user called Dhanya Rajendran.

Jaiswal on Tuesday said he had been quoted out of context and had not meant to cause offence.

“I don’t want to insult women. My statement was just a joke,” he told reporters.

Indian minister under fire over sexist remark

Self-study ‘fake’ Japan Doctor examined 2,300 TOKYO, Sept 24, 2012 (AFP) -

Japanese police on Monday arrested a man who posed as a doctor to earn cash, examining 2,300 people with little more than a few hours of self-study to back it up, police and media said.

Miyabi Kuroki, 43, had no experi-ence of medical school and passed himself off as a qualified doctor after finding the identity of a legitimate physician on the Internet, Jiji Press reported.

He was dispatched by an employ-ment agency to a Tokyo hospital where he conducted medical inter-views, examined electrocardiograms and explained check-up results to more than 2,300 people, local media said.

He was undone when a medical exam study school where he had “taught” became suspicious and con-tacted the hospital.

Police in Tokyo said Monday they had arrested Kuroki on suspicion of forging a medical license in 2009 and earning 2.62 million yen ($34,000) by illegally working part time as a doctor at a hospital in Tokyo in 2010 and 2011.

The suspect reportedly admitted the wrongdoing, telling investigators: “I wanted money to pay child care and living expenses.”

The hospital where he worked has apologized for the incident and asked all those seen by him to go back for re-testing.

Apple maps disaster may solve China-Japan islands rowTOKYO, Sept 22, 2012 (AFP) - Ap-

ple’s new iPhone 5 may have been criti-cised for its glitch-ridden new maps program, but it may have inadvertently provided a diplomatic solution to China and Japan’s ongoing row over disputed islands.

The new smartphone, which has dumped Google Maps in favour of its own version, has been ridiculed for misplacing major landmarks, shifting towns and even creating a new airport.

But amid a row over an outcrop of islands claimed by both Tokyo and Beijing, Apple’s new iO6 software has provided a resolution of sorts.

When a user searches for the Tokyo-controlled Senkaku islands in the East China Sea, claimed by Beijing under

the name Diaoyu, two sets of the is-lands appear alongside each other.

“The map has one set of islands for each coun-try. Is this a message from Apple that we civilians must not get engaged in a pointless dispute?” one Japanese blog-ger wrote.

The new mapping program was released this week as part of Apple’s

updated mobile operating system soft-ware, which powers the new iPhone 5, released Friday, and can be installed as an upgrade on other Apple devices.

To the chagrin of many, the new op-

erating system replaces Google Maps, which had been the default mapping system in Apple devices until now.

As of yet there is no stand-alone Google Maps app available for the iPhone, although some reports say this is coming.

The East China Sea islands, strategi-cally coveted outcrops, have been the focus of a territorial dispute between Tokyo and Beijing, with tensions esca-lating dramatically after the Japanese government bought three of them from their private owners.

Tens of thousands of anti-Japanese demonstrators rallied across China, with some vandalizing Japanese shops and factories, forcing firms to shut or scale back production.

Words of WisdomMisc AsiaGeorgia Asian Times October 1-15, 2012 Page 17

Captains held after 38 die in Hong Kong ferry crash

HONG KONG, Oct 2, 2012 (AFP) - The captains of a ferry and a pleasure boat that collided in Hong Kong, killing 38 people in the city’s worst maritime disaster in decades, were arrested Tuesday with five other crew, officials said.

More than 120 passengers and crew were on a Hong Kong Electric company vessel to watch a huge National Day fireworks dis-play in Victoria Harbour Monday evening when the collision occurred near Lamma island.

Scores of people were thrown into the choppy water from the company boat, which sank within minutes, leaving only its bow protruding from the waves.

The stricken ferry Sea Smooth limped to Lamma where its shaken but relatively unharmed passengers disembarked.

“There was not enough time to put on a lifejacket, no time to fasten it. We tried to hold onto something above but we had no luck and we slipped,” one emotional woman from the Hong Kong Electric vessel told reporters.

Another survivor, clearly overwhelmed, said he had yet to hear any news of his children.

“My two children are missing and I don’t know where they are,” he said.

Survivors were taken by boat to Hong Kong island, some three kilometres (two miles) to the east, where a fleet of ambu-lances whisked them to hospital.

It was the deadliest maritime accident in the territory since 1971, when a Hong Kong-Macau ferry sank during a typhoon leaving 88 people dead.

Officials said the captain and three other personnel from the ferry had been arrested, along with the captain of the company ves-sel and two of its crew, for “endangering the safety of others at sea”.

Six of the detainees were released on bail, and the ferry captain was to be released on bail later, they added.

Police chief Tsang Wai-hung said the suspects “did not exercise the care required of them by law to ensure the safety of the vessels they were operating and the people on board”.

Lamma resident Clare Kirkman, who was returning home from Hong Kong island aboard the public ferry, described scenes of panic and confusion as the craft started to take on water.

“People at the front started screaming and saying there was water coming in, and the boat was tilting to the side,” said the 43-year-old Briton.

“Nobody had a clue what we had hit. There was complete panic. Nobody ex-plained anything... The crew was terrible, useless.”

Authorities said 30 people were certified dead at the scene and eight were pro-nounced dead on arrival at various hospi-tals. More than 100 others were injured.

Hong Kong chief executive Leung Chun-ying said he would set up a high-level enquiry into the incident but dismissed suggestions the city needed to overhaul its maritime rules to cope with its growth as a global trade and travel hub.

“This is definitely an isolated incident. The marine territory of Hong Kong is safe,” he said.

The Beijing-backed leader, whose new government has been rocked by scandals and protests against unpopular policies, declared three days of mourning starting Thursday.

The Hong Kong Electric vessel was packed with staff and their families hoping to enjoy a night out on the water watching the fireworks against the city’s glittering skyline. Five children were among the dead, officials said.

Rescue teams in boats and helicopters spent the night scouring the sea around the site of the accident for bodies or signs of survivors, while dive teams entered the sunken boat.

“The low visibility and many obstacles on board... made it difficult for rescue,” the Fire Services Department said in a state-ment.

The National Day holiday brought thou-sands of extra visitors to Lamma, which is the third-largest island in the southern Chinese territory but has a population of only around 5,000 people.

If you tell the truth, people are not happy; if beaten with a stick, dogs are not happy.Bhutanese Proverb

A hero only appears once the tiger is dead.Burmese Proverb

Wants the horse to be good and at the same time want the horse not to eat hay.Chinese Proverb

Over a long distance, you learn about the strength of your horse; over a long time, you learn about the character of your friend.Chinese Proverb

A brave man will face a situation no matter how dreadful.Filipino Proverb

A year’s care, a minute’s ruin.Filipino Proverb

One pomegranate is all there is, and a hundred men are sick trying to get it.Indian Proverb

A wise man to the rest of the world, but a nobody at home.Indian Proverb

Don’t stay long when the husband is not at home.Japanese Proverb

The go-between wears out a thousand sandals.Japanese Proverb

Better in the grave than be a slave.Korean Proverb

Aim high in your career but stay humble in your heart.Korean Proverb

Don’t use an axe to embroider.Malay Proverb Fear to let fall a drop and you will spill a lot.Malay Proverb

He who drinks, dies; he who does not drink, dies as well.Mongolian Proverb

A cat likes to eat fresh fish but it will not go into the water.Mongolian Proverb

The one who is guilty has the higher voice.Nepalese Proverb

The elephant got in but its tail is stuck.Nepalese Proverb

A chicken sees the snake’s foot and a snake sees the chicken’s breast.Thai Proverb

Confused like a chick with shattered eyes.Thai Proverb

The moon grows darker as it gets nearer to the sun.Tibetan Proverb

My enemy’s liver is the sheath of my sword.Tibetan Proverb

The sense of the dead is that of the final.Vietnamese Proverb

Adversity brings wisdom.Vietnamese Proverb


TECH

NEW YORK, Sept 28, 2012 (AFP) - Apple apologized Friday for its glitch-ridden maps application in the new operating system used by the iPhone 5 and urged customers to use rival pro-grams while improvements are made.

“At Apple, we strive to make world-class products that deliver the best experience possible to our customers. With the launch of our new Maps last week, we fell short on this commit-ment,” chief executive Tim Cook said in an open letter.

“We are extremely sorry for the frus-tration this has caused our customers and we are doing everything we can to make Maps better.”

Apple developed its own mapping program included in its new mobile iOS 6 operating system, and in doing so booted off Google Maps, which had been the default program for Apple devices.

But the new Apple program imme-diately drew scorn for omitting key landmarks and cities, failing to identify correct locations and distorting views from its images.

Cook encouraged customers to use

alternatives, including Google, as Apple works out its bugs.

“The more our customers use our Maps, the better it will get, and we greatly appreciate all of the feedback we have received from you,” he said.

“While we’re improving Maps, you can try alternatives by downloading map apps from the App Store like Bing, MapQuest and Waze, or use Google or Nokia maps by going to their websites and creating an icon on your home screen to their Web app.”

Although the maps application does not generate revenues directly, it often links to searches, and keeps users in the company’s “ecosystem,” which can be important over the long term.

The apology came as Apple was launching its new iPhone in 22 addi-tional countries, a week after a rollout in nine. The device, which sold more than five million in its launch weekend, is set to be available in 100 countries by year’s end.

The new iOS 6 operating system ac-cording to Apple, has been downloaded for more than 100 million devices, in-cluding previous versions of the iPhone

and the iPad tablet,

But the maps glitches have tarnished the reputation of the iconic US firm, and some analysts have suggested the problems could drive customers away from the iPhone.

Google has been silent so far on whether it will produce a new maps app for iOS 6, but the Google Maps program can be accessed through Web browsers on Apple devices.

Forrester Research analyst Kerry Bodine said the foul-up suggests Apple is steering away from the tradition imposed by the late co-founder Steve Jobs of ensuring quality even when it hurts the bottom line.

“Jobs always put the customer expe-rience first,” she said.

“If he were alive today, I’m positive he would have made the tough decision to prioritize the user experience over the urgency to include Apple Maps in iOS 6.

“The decision to move forward with a not-ready-for-primetime mapping app has the potential to erode the trust that Jobs built, and the Apple brand right

along with it.”

Roger Kay, analyst with Endpoint Technologies Associates, offered a similar view.

“Apple’s own maps app, clearly infe-rior now, will likely improve over time, reducing the current irritant,” Kay said. “But this is the first time that I can recall when Apple made a decision to sacrifice user experience for competi-tive positioning.”

Many of the map miscues were high-lighted on social media sites, including a Tumblr page titled “Those Amazing iOS 6 Maps.”

One user posted an image from the maps program, saying, “The Helsinki Central Railway Station has magically turned into a park.”

Another posting said, “Apparently Belgrade, Serbia has no rivers.”

Apple shares fell 2.09 percent to close at $667.10, after topping $700 last week.

Apple CEO sorry for maps shortcomings


Chinese Astrology - October 2012

Rat (1996 1984 1972 1960 1948 1936 1924 1912)Be nice with your parents, especially if they are elderly; try not to be aggres-sive in words. You’ll be surrounded with affection and happy to be amidst your beloved ones. Beware of calumny and of those who try to sow discord between you and your friends. Dazzling successes in your work, but it would be difficult to avert the jealousy of your colleagues. Stop leading your partner by the nose!

Ox (1997 1985 1973 1961 1949 1937 1925 1913)There’ll be sudden changes in your projects and utterly remarkable strokes of luck. You can count on sympathies and spontaneous helps which will facilitate to progress. This month will be favorable to all those who must go through admission or promotion. Your tonicity will be on the increase. Your family life will bring you profound gratifications; your spouse will know how to encourage and support you; with your children, there’ll be beautiful complicity.

Tiger (1998 1986 1974 1962 1950 1938 1926 1914)You’ll feel quite well physically. Enthusiastic, active persons will stimulate you. Your performance in your work will reach its peak. Moreover, you’ll be the subject of all attentions. Your household may be endangered if you can’t succeed in freeing it from the hold of a relative. Couples in difficulty may this time decide on a separation; singles, on the contrary, will have strong chances to cross someone with whom to construct or reconstruct their lives.

Rabbit (1999 1987 1975 1963 1951 1939 1927 1915 1903)You’ll tie new friendship bonds that will prove very beneficial later on.You’ll be decided not to worry about problems without real gravity. This month will be favorable to students and intellectual workers. By learning to manage your priorities better, you’ll achieve beautiful feats. Beware on the amorous plane: you’ll see everything as rosy in spite of all common sense; disillusion will be rapid and painful.

Dragon (2000 1988 1976 1964 1952 1940 1928 1916 1904)Show tactfulness, don’t try to force people and things. You’ll have great chances to taste amorous happiness; an excellent month to legalize one’s sen-timental relationships. The lunar influences will be rather harrowing for your nerves. You’ll be well surrounded and receive moral support from your close ones. Think more of taking care of your health; follow a diet program before it’s too late; organize yourself in such a way as to live less under pressure, more relaxed, and to profit by life’s pleasures.

Snake (2001 1989 1977 1965 1953 1941 1929 1917 1905)Increased vitality, which will be at the origin of your greater self-confidence and your more optimistic vision of life. In your work, target your projects, avoid trying to do two things at once. With your children, take time to con-trol their notes and to help them in their homework. In love, you’ll be more expansive than usual. Because you have spent your money without count-ing and moreover for gadgets the usefulness of which is doubtful, you’ll now find yourself in a very difficult financial situation and feel very painful remorse.

Horse (2002 1990 1978 1966 1954 1942 1930 1918 1906)The taste for risk, which always exists well within yourself, will come to the surface this time; try to remain reasonable. Love should burst into your life, even if you decided to close the doors of your heart for good. Don’t let yourself be tempted by business deals which promise great profits but which in actuality offer few guaranties. Your latent anxiety will manifest itself once more!

Goat (2003 1991 1979 1967 1955 1943 1931 1919 1907)Don’t give up your present stable job under the pretext that it doesn’t suit you. If your parents are elderly, they’ll give you some concern; be under-standing and tolerant with them. You’ll need some solitude and calm in order to see more clearly in yourself. Don’t get into a difficult situation by spend-ing too much. Think of having a more wholesome and better balanced diet; and also doing daily exercises.

Monkey (1992 1980 1968 1956 1944 1932 1920 1908)An amorous relation will become a friendly relation. You’ll be in excellent health, of excellent humor and high spirits. Your personality will have an opportunity to bloom. Your material aspirations and your desire for expan-sion will allow you to achieve some beautiful successes. Good management of your finances. You’ll have so much charm and will so well know how to maneuver your close ones that they will all accept to work in your place; in return, you’ll offer them your gaiety, your good humor, and your joy of living.

Rooster (1993 1981 1969 1957 1945 1933 1921 1909)Love life, it will be necessary to have the courage to put an end to a union which proves inconvenient or which offers no possibility of an improvement. In your work, act instead of reacting. Free yourself from your tensions by practicing yoga or sport. It’s praiseworthy to try to expand one’s limits, but don’t overrate yourself. Successful friendship relations thanks to the interests you share; encounters and unusual experiences which will enchant you; on the contrary, some difficulties of contact with your family entourage.

Dog (1994 1982 1970 1958 1946 1934 1922 1910)You’ll have much ambition and enthusiasm, which will allow you to achieve good things. Your mental and intellectual faculties will be increased, and you can understand what seemed obscure to you before. Beware of misunder-standings and confusion in your relationships; don’t believe all that people will tell you. The dynamism that pervades you during this month will force admiration, for it will allow you to do a huge work which has chances to be rewarded with substantial bonuses.

Pig (1995 1983 1971 1959 1947 1935 1923 1911)You’ll be strongly tempted to conquer hearts, and you’ll have many success-es. You’ll make important encounters which will allow you to exploit your hidden talents. There is job promotion this month. Beware of overwork and stress. Some friends may do harm to you. You’ll keep the family reins firmly and you won’ t bear that one of your close relatives challenge your authority; however, if you adopt the soft way, you’ll get much better results.


Documents

Georgia Asian Times Vol 9 No 18