Covering The Multicultural Asian American Community in Georgia
JapanFest 2019
www.gasiantimes.com October 1-15, 2019
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October 1-15, 2019 Georgia Asian Times
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GAT Calendar of Events
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Atlanta International Night Market Date: Friday, Saturday, Sunday / Oct 4-6, 2019 Time: Fri-Sat 5:00 pm- 12:00 am; Sunday 3:00 pm-9:00 pm Venue: North Point Mall, Alpharetta 15th Atlanta Asian Film Festival Date: Oct 11-26, 2019 Venues: GSU Dunwoody For more info: www.ATLaff.org 15th Annual Together Empowering Asian Americans (TEA) Walk Date: Saturday, Oct 12, 2019 Time: 9:00 am - 1:00 pm Venue: CPACS For more info: www.teawalk.org
2019 Korean American Coalition National Convention Date: Oct 25-27, 2019 Venue: Georgia Tech Hotel For more info: www.kacatl.org
OCTOBER 11 - 26, 2019
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October 1-15, 2019 Georgia Asian Times
METRO ASIAN NEWS Federal judge rejects claim Harvard discriminates against Asian-American applicants Boston, October 1, 2019 — Harvard University’s undergraduate admissions program does not discriminate against Asian-American applicants, a federal judge ruled on Tuesday, rejecting a lawsuit brought by opponents of affirmative action and backed by the Trump administration. The lawsuit was brought by a group hoping to eventually overturn U.S. Supreme Court precedents that allow colleges to consider race as one factor in admissions, so long as quotas are not involved. U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs in Boston concluded that Harvard’s program survived strict legal scrutiny, and advanced the Ivy League school’s interest in having a diverse student body. “The court will not dismantle a very fine admissions program that passes constitutional muster, solely because it could do better,” Burroughs, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, wrote in a 130page decision.
conservative majority, could use it to bar or more strictly limit affirmative action in college admissions. The court has endorsed affirmative action in several decisions, including its landmark 1978 ruling in Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, which allowed race to be considered in college admissions. ‘NOT THERE YET’ SFFA had contended that while Asian-American applicants to Harvard often outperformed on academic measures, stereotyping caused many to receive low scores on “personal” ratings. Those ratings are designed to reflect admission officers’ assessments of how applicants might contribute to the Harvard community. Harvard denied the charge, saying its use of race in admissions was not a factor in the personal ratings.
Students for Fair Admissions, a group founded by affirmative action opponent Edward Blum, had brought the lawsuit, accusing Harvard of engaging in illegal racial balancing.
The U.S. Department of Justice sided with SFFA, saying Harvard significantly disadvantaged Asian-Americans and had not seriously considered race-neutral approaches to admissions.
SFFA said Harvard’s policies limited Asian-Americans to 20% of incoming classes, and left them less likely to be admitted than white, black and Hispanic applicants with comparable qualifications.
It has also probed whether another Ivy League school, Yale University, also discriminates against Asian-Americans.
Blum said SFFA was disappointed with Burroughs’ decision, will ask the federal appeals court in Boston to reverse it, and if necessary will seek Supreme Court review. “The documents, emails, data analysis and depositions SFFA presented at trial compellingly revealed Harvard’s systematic discrimination against Asian-American applicants,” he said. In an open letter, Harvard President Lawrence Bacow praised students who took part in the case and made “vividly clear” the benefits of a diverse student body. “Today we reaffirm the importance of diversity – and everything it represents to the world,” he said. If the case reached the Supreme Court, that body, which now has a five-member
Burroughs, who ruled nearly a year after a non-jury trial, agreed with Harvard that the university had no “workable and available race-neutral alternatives” to ensure a diverse student body while preserving its high academic standards. She also said Harvard’s program was not perfect, and that the school could improved bias training for admissions officers, maintain clear guidelines on using race in admissions, and do a better job of flagging race-related disparities in its ratings. The judge concluded by noting Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s prediction in a 2003 decision upholding an affirmative action program at the University of Michigan that such policies would likely not be needed within 25 years.
Conservatives have often criticized that prediction.
Four new awards honoring women at inaugural GAT Asian Women Leaders Forum Peachtree Corners, Sept 20, 2019 — The inaugural GAT Asian Women Leaders Forum draw an audience of women participants representing business, technology, legal, community services, and arts. Audience were treated to an inspiring in-depth discussion by a Fireside Chat panelist consisted of Judge Carla Wong McMillian of Georgia Court of Appeals, Victoria Huynh of Vice President of CPACS, Jacqui Chew of Managing Director of iFusion and TEDX-Atlanta franchise, and Kayla Dang, CEO of GMI Group. Kimberly Liemkeo moderated the all women panel discussion. Four new awards honoring Asian-women leaders from Georgia who has contributed and and greatly enhances the community were presented at the Forum. The Valiant Award was presented to Mary Dioise Ramos, PhD, MAN, RN, Kennesaw State University. The award honors a young professional under
forty who is making a huge impact or “disrupt” the status quo. The Gratitude Award was presented to Shandry Law, who who sacrifice her time, talent, or resources for the better of others and the community. The Amazing Award was presented to Pabs Raghava, who leads a successful women-owned by setting new standards and demonstrate excellence. The Impact Award was presented to Cheryl Pe, honoring a woman leader who is making her mark in a field or who is a trail blazer in her profession. Vince Bailey, who is the master of ceremony, moderated a lively and entertaining session for the Forum audience and participants.
Georgia Asian Times October 1-15, 2019
WHY EXPERIENCE ATLANTA INTERNATIONAL NIGHT MARKET?
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Join the largest and most diverse NIGHT MARKET in the United States! With more than 75 nationalities represented in Metro Atlanta, this event showcases one of the greatest international communities in the world! Enjoy delicious food from all over the world, exciting cultural performances, a fun and festive Kids Zone, a vast retail/shopping area with local artisans, a cooking demonstration tent, a full bar, an educational International Village, and more! From Japan to Thailand to Germany to Colombia, Atlanta International Night Market will feature a cornucopia of tastes and flavors from different countries. Just like night markets around the world, there will be unique and exciting products from over 50 vendors including clothing, cosmetics, curios and dĂŠcor. Local makers and craftspeople will present their handmade items at the artisan market. The International Village will feature different countries each day for hands-on educational experiences. Learn about countries, languages, cultural games and travel.
Learn more at awesomealpharetta.com!
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October 1-15, 2019 Georgia Asian Times
BUSINESS Investors keep their faith in Hong Kong markets despite protests
Hong Kong, October 3, 2019 - As anti-government protesters fought pitched battles with police in Hong Kong streets last week, a group of bankers in another part of the city were busy taking in billions for the public float of the Asia unit of the world’s largest brewer. After a freeze during months of sometimes violent protests, Asia’s top financial hub looks to be back in business. The stock market is off its lows, Hong Kong’s love affair with property is undimmed and companies are forging ahead with listing plans. Budweiser Brewing Company APAC raised about $5 billion in its initial public offering on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, making it the second largest IPO in the world this year. Bankers say at least three more major companies are set to list in Hong Kong this month, selling more than $3 billion worth of new shares. Hong Kong’s status as a gateway for global capital flowing into and out of China, the world’s second-largest economy, has seen many global banks and fund managers make its towering skyscrapers their regional homes. “How does this (unrest) affect you buying exposure to a good asset that has presence in China, and is growing? None of those things have any correlation with the Hong Kong protests,” said a senior banker with a global investment bank. “I don’t think I have received even one phone call saying ‘we shouldn’t be doing this IPO because of what’s happening in Hong Kong’,” said the banker, declining to be named due to sensitivity of the issue. Companies raised $15 billion in new listings in Hong Kong in the first nine
months of 2019, second only to New York, according to Refinitiv data. While the protests have hurt tourism and retail sectors, threatening to send Hong Kong into its first recession in a decade, its proximity to the massive Chinese market and locally listed firms’ presence there are more important, bankers and analysts say. Already, the Hong Kong stock market has shown signs of steadying after initial falls as equity investors look for bargain hunting opportunities, they said. The benchmark Hang Seng stock index rallied about 1.4% last month, but is still down 6.1% since mid-June when the unrest began. “I think people are getting used to the weekly events,” Steven Leung, executive director for institutional sales at brokerage UOB Kay Hian, said of the protests. “The impact was seen in the initial one to two months in share prices, and mostly in retail, property and tourism,” he said. “(But) the index mostly reflects onshore Chinese market and economy. Hong Kong companies’ share is not that big.” FUNDRAISING NEEDS What started as protests over a now-withdrawn extradition bill that would have allowed criminal suspects to be sent to mainland China for trial have evolved into broader calls for greater democracy, among other demands in Hong Kong. Demonstrators are frustrated at what they see as Beijing’s tightening grip over the former British colony, which returned to China in 1997 under a “one country, two systems” formula intend-
ed to guarantee freedoms not enjoyed on the mainland. After the initial nervousness about the unrest, things are looking up again in the financial markets, partly aided by hopes that Beijing would not take any step that would imperil the prospects of its only offshore financial center, analysts said. “The question is whether people think there is a replacement. Hong Kong still has quite a big investor pool,” said Gary Ng, an economist at Natixis. As many as 40 companies have filed IPO applications with the Hong Kong stock exchange in September, according to information available on its website, the highest pace of filing since March this year. In addition to the Budweiser APAC IPO, Topsports International Holdings, the sportswear business of Chinese footwear retailer Belle International, last week launched a Hong Kong IPO of up to $1.2 billion. Companies expected to launch Hong Kong IPOs within a month include ESR Cayman Ltd, a developer and manager of logistics facilities, planning to raise about $1 billion, and a $1 billion-plus float of Prague-based consumer lender Home Credit. ESR and Home Credit declined to comment. “A deal can always get done if the price is right, no matter what the market conditions are,” said James Wang, co-head of equity capital markets in Asia ex-Japan, at Goldman Sachs, referring to the broader IPO market. “An IPO’s timetable is driven more by the company’s need to raise capital so in most cases, market conditions have to be severe to override that need and delay a deal.” SOLID DEMAND Investors including sovereign wealth funds and large global funds that invested in recent offerings are enthused by the lower valuations as well as long
term business prospects, bankers said. Budweiser, which relaunched its IPO last month after cancelling plans for a bigger float in July, priced the offering at the low end of the indicative range. E-commerce giant Alibaba Group in August also delayed plans for a $15 billion listing in Hong Kong because of the political turmoil. But such caution has not badly dented the demand for new and listed stocks. In another sign of solid demand, net purchases on southbound stock connect that allows mainland-based investors to buy Hong Kong stocks reached $8 billion in August, the most since January 2018. Other markets in Hong Kong are also holding up. Demand from homebuyers in the world’s most expensive property market has shown little signs of weakening due to the protests. Property firm Wheelock sold 80% of its 816 flats in the development since late August, lower than sales at other launches this year, but “still good” given the current environment, property agents said. Still, other factors including the U.S.-Sino trade war and slowing global growth have been affecting financial markets and asset prices in Hong Kong, as they have elsewhere. Sean Taylor, APAC chief investment officer at fund manager DWS said Hong Kong could benefit more than most if China and the United States reach an agreement on trade. In the meantime, investors needed to be patient. “You’ve got to accept the situation that tourism levels are down, retail sales are down, property prices may
come down a bit – you’re going to be in a slow environment for a while,” Taylor said. - Reuters
Georgia Asian Times October 1-15, 2019
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BUSINESS
Southeast Asia’s Internet economy to hit $100 billion this year: report Singapore, October 3, 2019 Southeast Asia’s Internet economy was forecast to grow 39% this year to $100 billion as millions of people in region went online to shop for the first time and ride-share firms grew in popularity, an industry report showed on Thursday. The annual report by Google, Singapore’s state investor Temasek Holdings and global business consultants Bain & Company also lifted its forecast for the region’s growth through 2025 to $300 billion, from $240 billion previously. The region’s online industry has more than tripled in the past four years alone as young users turn to their phones to do everything from banking, playing games and purchasing plane tickets. “This pace of growth has exceeded all expectations,” the 64-page report, which was first produced in 2016, said. “Internet access is now affordable for large segments of the population and consumer trust in digital services has improved significantly.” More than $37 billion has been
invested in Southeast Asian online companies over the last four years with the majority going into e-Commerce firms like Zilingo and ride-hailing Unicorns such Grab and Gojek, the report found. Ride-hailing alone was worth $13 billion, quadrupling in value since 2015, and expected to reach $40 billion by 2025 when food delivery will be worth as much as transport. Southeast Asia’s average growth rate of 5% per year since 2014 puts it far ahead of the global average and makes it an attractive investment destination as the Chinese economy is hobbled by the Sino-United States trade war. There are 360 million Internet users across the countries covered in the report - Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore and the Philippines - up from 260 million four years earlier. -Reuters
PayPal to enter China market through local acquisition Hong Kong, Sept 30, 2019 — US digital money transfer pla, tform PayPal Holdings Inc has obtained Beijing’s approval to buy a controlling stake in a domestic payments firm, which would make PayPal the first foreign firm to enter China’s payment services market. Gopay Information Technology, PayPal’s acquisition target, has received approval from China’s central bank to sell a 70 per cent stake to PayPal, both companies said today. Gopay has licences for mobile, online and cross-border yuan payment services, the Chinese company said in its statement.
PayPal will make the acquisition through a subsidiary in Shanghai. No financial terms were disclosed. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2019 and is subject to customary closing conditions, PayPal said. Early last year, China’s central bank announced that it was opening the country’s domestic market to foreign third-party electronic payment firms, a move intended to promote competition in the retail payments industry. — Reuters
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October 1-15, 2019 Georgia Asian Times
SCIENCE
Groundwater pumping could ‘devastate’ river systems Paris, Oct 3, 2019 ― Rampant and unsustainable extraction of groundwater reserves crucial for food production will “critically impact” rivers, lakes and wetlands in half of Earth’s drainage basins by mid-century, researchers warned yesterday.
An international team of researchers studied the rate at which existing groundwater was feeding into rivers, lakes and wetlands across the planet and how pumping for farming effected that process, known as streamflow.
Found underground in cracks in soil, sand and rock, groundwater is the largest useable source of freshwater on the planet and more than two billion people rely on it to drink or irrigate crops.
They found that in around 20 percent of drainage basins the tipping point had already been reached where extraction outpaced streamflow.
But reserves are already under pressure as the global population explodes and crop production rises in tandem.
They also used climate change models to predict how streamflow will diminish in future and found that between 42 and 79 per cent of the world’s groundwater sites will be unable to sustain aquatic ecosystems by 2050.
Inge de Graaf, chair of environmental hydrological systems at the University of Freiburg, Germany, said this could have a devastating impact. “It’s pretty clear that if there’s no water in your stream anymore that your fish and plants are going to die,” said de Graaf. “About half of irrigated crops rely on groundwater. That’s a lot (to lose).” The study, published in Nature, said regions heavily reliant on groundwater for crop production, including Mexico and the Ganges and Indus basins, were already experiencing declining river and stream flows due to overextraction. And as the demand for groundwater increases, areas of Africa and southern Europe will also see severe water disruption
in the decades to come, the team predicted. In August the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued a major assessment on how land can be used to fight global warming, arguing for more sustainable water use in agriculture as the world’s population ticks towards 10 billion by 2050. De Graaf said some farming techniques showed promise in reducing groundwater use, such as parts of the Mekong Delta in southeast Asia, where coconut palms are replacing water-intense rice fields in several pilot projects. British researchers this year warned that future generations faced a groundwater “time bomb” as underground systems would take decades to replenish.
Georgia Asian Times October 1-15, 2019
EVENTS
GAT Asian Women Leaders Inaugural Award - Sept 20, 2019 Atlanta Tech Park
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EVENT
October 1-15, 2018 Georgia Asian Times
JapanFest Sept 21-22, 2019 Infinite Energy Center
Georgia Asian Times
October 1-15, 2019
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ART
Art collection of Ron and Diane Disney Miller to hit the auction block
Gauguin, Gauguin, Gone — Tahiti painting to be auctioned in Paris in December Paris, Oct 3, 2019 — A painting by French post-impressionist painter Paul Gauguin is to be sold in Paris in December in an auction expected to fetch at least €5 million (US$5.48 million).
Out of the nine paintings of the Tahiti series, “Te Bourao II” stands as the only work still in private hands, the others hanging on the walls of prestigious museums around the globe.
The oil on canvas titled “Te Bourao II” and believed to have been created in 1897 when Gauguin was living in Tahiti, French Polynesia, is one of a series of nine paintings produced by the artist while working on a much larger scale project later titled: “Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?”
“I think high-level institutions and art collectors will be interested in this painting. Why? Because there are very few works of Gauguin from his ‘Tahitian period’ on the market,” Bruno Jaubert, a director with auction house Artcurial, told Reuters.
The current owner of “Te Bourao II”, whose name is not public, loaned the painting to the Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City between 2007 and 2017.
Born in Paris in 1848 and gaining in fame after his death in 1903, Gauguin was influential in the symbolist movement as a painter, sculptor and ceramist. He also influenced artists like Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse. — Reuters
New York, Oct 3 ― The collection of Ron and Diane Disney Miller, daughter of Walt Disney, will be offered across a series of sales at Christie’s in November.
course, the Earth’s skin itself had ‘presence’ ― I mean, it was all like a flat design ― and everything was usually in the form of an irregular grid,” he said.
Although the auction house did not disclose how many lots will be auctioned, the Ron and Diane Disney Miller Collection includes a group of paintings, drawings, works on paper and sculpture.
Among the highlights of the Ron and Diane Disney Miller Collection is Diebenkorn’s “Ocean Park #108”. This canvas belongs to a series of “Ocean Park” paintings that the artist made in his studio in the Ocean Park neighbourhood of Santa Monica over 20 years.
Among them are pieces by artists such as Richard Diebenkorn, Milton Avery and Wayne Thiebaud, who were associated with the Walt Disney Company. In the late 1940s, Thiebaud, who is widely known for his colourful still lifes of food and cosmetics, apprenticed at Walt Disney Studios as an animator drawing characters such as Goofy, Pinocchio and Jiminy Cricket.
It is expected to sell for between US$7 million) and US$9 million at Christie’s Post-War & Contemporary Art evening sale on November 14. Andrew Wyeth’s “Oliver’s Cap,” which is estimated between US$3 million and US$5 million, is another standout piece from the Ron and Diane Disney Miller Collection.
In addition, Diebenkorn worked in cartography alongside Walt Disney-trained animators during World War II, where he learned to translate three-dimensional imagery onto a two-dimensional plane.
The enigmatic painting will go under the hammer on November 20 as part of Christie’s American Art sale, alongside a group of works on paper by American landscape painter Winslow Homer.
This experience played a significant role in his own practice, as he explained years later.
Meanwhile, Thiebaud’s “Mickey Mouse,” which depicts Disney’s iconic cartoon character, will be offered during the auction house’s Post-War & Contemporary Art morning session on November 13.
“One thing I know has influenced me a lot is looking at landscape from the air... Of
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October 1-15, 2019 Georgia Asian Times
LIFESTYLE
Paralyzed man walks again with brain-controlled exoskeleton Paris, Oct 4 , 2019— A French man paralysed in a night club accident can walk again thanks to a brain-controlled exoskeleton in what scientists said Wednesday was a breakthrough providing hope to tetraplegics seeking to regain movement. The patient trained for months, harnessing his brain signals to control a computer-simulated avatar to perform basic movements before using the robot device to walk. Doctors who conducted the trial cautioned that the device is years away from being publicly available but stressed that it had “the potential to improve patients’ quality of life and autonomy”. The man involved, identified only as Thibault, a 28-year-old from Lyon, said the technology had given him a new lease of life. Four years ago that life changed forever when he fell 12 metres from a balcony while on a night out, severing his spinal cord and leaving him paralysed from the shoulders down.
“When you’re in my position, when you can’t do anything with your body... I wanted to do something with my brain,” said Thibault. Training on a video-game avatar system for months to acquire the skills needed to operate the exoskeleton, he said he had to “relearn” natural movements from scratch.
of Grenoble Alpes, biomedical firm Cinatech and the CEA research centre stared by implanting two recording devices either side of Thibault’s head, between the brain and the skin. These read his sensorimotor cortex — the area that controls motor function.
“I can’t go home tomorrow in my exoskeleton, but I’ve got to a point where I can walk. I walk when I want and I stop when I want.”
Each decoder transmits the brain signals which are then translated by an algorithm into the movements the patient thought about. It is this system that sends physical commands that the exoskeleton executes.
Cervical spinal cord injury leaves around 20 per cent of patients paralysed in all four limbs and is the most severe injury of its kind.
Thibault used the avatar and video game to think about performing basic physical tasks such as walking, and reaching out to touch objects.
“The brain is still capable of generating commands that would normally move the arms and legs, there’s just nothing to carry them out,” said Alim-Louis Benabid, professor emeritus at Grenoble and lead author of the study published in The Lancet Neurology.
Using the avatar, video game and exoskeleton combined, he was able to cover the length of one and a half football pitches over the course of many sessions.
A team of experts from the Hospital
‘Repaired not augmented man’ Several previous studies have used implants to stimulate muscles in
patients’ own bodies, but the Grenoble study is the first to use brain signals to control a robot exoskeleton. Experts involved in the research say it could potentially lead to brain-controlled wheelchairs for paralysed patients. “This isn’t about turning man into machine but about responding to a medical problem,” said Benabid. “We’re talking about ‘repaired man’, not ‘augmented man’. In a comment piece on the study, Tom Shakespeare from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said the exoskeleton system was “a long way from usable clinical possibility.” But Thibault said the trial offered a “message of hope to people like me.” “This is possible, even with our handicap.”
Georgia Asian Times October 1-15, 2019
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SPORTS
Hamilton: Mercedes one-two win down to teamwork Sochi, Sept 30, 2019 — Lewis Hamilton paid tribute today to the respect and team-work that enabled Mercedes to secure him victory in an unexpected one-two for the Silver Arrows in the Russian Grand Prix. In stark contrast to the radio feuds, claims of a broken drivers’ agreement and reliability problems that undid rivals Ferrari’s bid for a fourth consecutive victory in yesterday’s race, the champions rediscovered their unity and sense of purpose to take full advantage. Referring to his relationship with team-mate Valtteri Bottas, the defending five-time champion said: “We work together so it’s all about respect, having respect and, I think that respect has been there since day one. “We talk about scenarios very openly. Valtteri has always been
respectful in those scenarios and I think it’s vital that we are both acting accordingly, which we do, I think.” Hamilton was responding to reporters’ questions after yesterday’s race at the Sochi Autodrom where a radio feud, over a perceived broken agreement, between Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel upset their bid for a victory to end Mercedes six-year dominance of the Russian race. Respectful Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff, who managed a strained relationship between Hamilton and his former team-mate Nico Rosberg, the 2016, champion, said he understood and sympathised with the position of Ferrari counterpart Mattia Binotto.
“It shows a few things, I think,” he said. “It is very difficult to manage drivers that have the aspiration to win the race and we have had that in the past –- and we still have it. “That’s why we still have to discuss all the scenarios and be aware of how the driver functions and respect it.” Wolff added that he did not believe Ferrari’s self-inflicted problems with their drivers had contributed to Hamilton seizing his first win in four races since the European summer break. “No, I don’t think that won us the race,” he said. “I think it’s a side-story... But, in the end, it was something that needed to be covered from the management side.” Bottas agreed with Hamilton, confirming that their relationship
was respectful and professional despite the Briton sometimes gaining favour in tight racing situations. He pointed out, however, that Mercedes’ one-two triumph owed most to the timing of a Virtual Safety Car (VSC) deployment when Vettel’s car had an engine failure. “I think the team did all the right things — starting on mediums to go long in the first stint — but Ferrari had a strong car and were very quick so we were hoping for a VSC or Safety Car to come — and when it did, it was like a miracle.” Wolff conceded that ‘with my half-empty glass’ Ferrari were quicker in qualifying and in the race, but added: “The result shows you should never give up even if you are not the quickest.” - Reuters
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October 1-15, 2019 Georgia Asian Times
SPORTS
World Cup host Qatar sees climate-controlled stadiums as the future Doha, October 3, 2019 - On a late September evening in Qatar a persistent 35 degree Celsius heat hung outside the 2022 World Cup host’s newly-built Al Janoub stadium, but down on the pitch the temperature was a cool 21 degrees. Qatar, a tiny Gulf state known for its scorching desert climate, says it has designed an energy-efficient cooling system that can make its open-air stadiums usable even in summer temperatures that soar well into the 40s. Soccer’s next global showpiece tournament was moved to November and December to avoid Doha’s intense summer heat, but Qatar decided to stick with the chilled stadiums in order to have future venues that would be usable year-round. Al Janoub, a 40,000-seat venue made to resemble the sail of a dhow, or traditional wooden sailboat, was opened last May and is the first to showcase the new cooling system.
“You’re living inside a micro, climate-controlled bubble,” said Saud Abdul-Ghani, a Qatar University mechanical engineering professor who led the design, as he waved a bright orange thermometer to demonstrate the roughly 14-degree drop. The stadium was the first of seven in Qatar to be completed ahead of the tournament. The other six are slated to be ready by the end of 2020 and an eighth, Khalifa International Stadium, was renovated and opened in 2017. Along the pitch dozens of soccer ball-sized nozzles blow out chilled air, while tiny angular ducts beneath the seats keep the stands at 24-26 degrees. Sensors around the stadium keep track of different zones and adjust the flow from a control room. When asked the price tag of the cooling system, Abdul-Ghani said: “a good amount of money”, without providing a figure.
Doha has put the tournament at the center of a national development plan aimed at diversifying its energy economy and projecting itself on to the world stage through sport. Qatar World Cup organizing committee officials have said the country is spending $6.5-7 billion on all stadiums and training facilities combined. Thani Khalifa Al Zarraa, the project manager for Al Janoub Stadium, said the cooling system increased the cost of construction by two to three times, to around $6,000-7,000 per seat, suggesting a stadium cost of about $240280 million. CLIMATE SOLUTION Despite the chilled stadiums, Qatar has said its World Cup will have the smallest carbon footprint of any before it. Nasser Al Khater, CEO for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, said Doha’s compact tournament will eliminate the need for domestic flights and a new metro system will further cut emissions.
Abdul-Ghani said the system, which has been left unpatented for others to adopt, requires about a fifth of the energy typical to cool spaces of the same size, such as airport terminals or closed baseball fields, because it continuously recycles air into small zones. “The Americans, Mexicans and Canadians will surely look at this because of thermal stress on players,” Abdul-Ghani said, referring to the host nations of the 2026 World Cup. The 2026 tournament will be expanded to 48 teams as opposed to 32 and matches will be played across the United States, Canada and Mexico. Candidate cities include Miami, Atlanta, Orlando, Dallas, Houston and others which are notoriously hot and humid in the summer. “With global warming, Paris was 40 plus, the U.K. 35 plus, so even the Europeans need to look at this carefully,” Abdul-Ghani added, referring to this summer’s heat-wave. - Reuters
Georgia Asian Times October 1-15, 2019
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HEALTH
CDC recommends against using vapes with marijuana ingredient Atlanta, Sept 27, 2019 -- People should stop using e-cigarettes, especially those with marijuana ingredient tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), U.S. public health officials recommended on Friday, as an investigation into illnesses and deaths related to vaping deepens. E-cigarettes have been marketed as tools to help smokers quit, but rising use among youth in the United States and a spate of severe lung illnesses tied to the devices have triggered a backlash and heightened regulatory scrutiny. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has in the past advised consumers to avoid the devices, but the latest recommendation focused on THC products follows nationwide data that pointed to a large number of cases related to the use of the high-inducing component of marijuana. The CDC and state health officials, along with other health agencies, are investigating 805 confirmed and probable cases and 12 deaths so far from a mysterious respiratory illness tied to vaping, as of the latest update on Thursday. According to the research published by CDC on Friday, 514 of the 805 patients knew about substances used in their vaping products, with nearly 77% using THC-containing vapes. However, this does not narrow the focus of the investigation as some users have also reported using e-cigarettes with just nicotine, CDC’s principal
deputy director Anne Schuchat told reporters on Friday. The data showed that 56.8% used nicotine in their vapes, while 16% used vapes containing just nicotine in the 30 days preceding their symptoms. “We do not know yet what exactly is making people sick, for example, whether particular solvents or adulterants are leading to lung injury, or whether cases stem from a single supplier or multiple ones,” Schuchat said. Separate data from Wisconsin and Illinois showed that although no single brand name was reported by all patients, two-thirds of consumers reported using a prefilled THC cartridge under the brand name “Dank Vapes”. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine earlier this month found that more than half of lung illness patients extensively interviewed in Wisconsin and Illinois reported having used the “Dank Vapes” brand. - Reuters
American women surgery trend: Treatment to fix ‘resting bitch face’ New York, September 20, 2019 A certified New York-based plastic surgeon claims that women are increasingly seeking botox and fillers to cure their “resting bitch” face in a new surgery trend. For the uninitiated, resting bitch face, also known as RBF, is a predominantly female phenomenon that took over the internet in 2013, fueled by a hilarious viral mock-public service announcement video titled Bitchy Resting Face.
doctors would inject fillers, sometimes botox into the face. The procedure usually takes about 10 to 20 minutes and can cost between US$500 and US$5,000 depending on the surgeon carrying out the work and the number of injections used. Although the term RBF entered the cultural dictionary about six years ago, Dr Shafer said requests for the procedure have more than doubled over the last year.
The term entered the cultural lexicon and quickly became an easy way of describing people with facial expression that unintentionally appears as if the person is annoyed, irritated or angry, particularly when the individual is relaxed or not expressing any particular emotion.
Dr Shafer added that selfies are also a factor as it forces people to look down at their phone, which accentuates the resting bitch face.
American women are reportedly increasingly the decision to get plastic surgery to change their resting bitch face and melding it into a more approachable look.
New Jersey resident Hope Davis who was unhappy with her unapproachable look and “joker smile” decided to go for the procedure recently to get a more desired look.
Double board-certified plastic surgeon and medical director of Midtown’s Shafer Plastic Surgery and Laser Centre Dr David Shafer told the New York Post it is a common request from his patients.
Describing her experience, Davis said a tiny bit of bruising and swelling can occur near the mouth and lips, but it’s barely noticeable.
“They may not always use the words ‘resting bitch face,’ but if I mention RBF, they say, exactly.” To achieve the desired look, medical experts contacted by the Post said
“It’s because of a public shift in focus from the upper to lower face popularised by the Kardashians,” he said.
“Nobody can quite put their finger on it, but they notice something’s different. “People have definitely complimented me saying, ‘Oh you look so pretty and cute today’,” she added.
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October 1-15, 2019 Georgia Asian Times
Misc Asia
No kidding: Japan airlines offer seat maps to avoid tots Tokyo, Sept 27 — Fed up with finding yourself next to a screaming child on a long-haul flight? On some Japanese airlines a seat map will warn you where potentially bawling babies are sitting. The facility, offered as part of Japan Airlines’ “Smile Support” travel service for those with infants, is not new, but lit up the internet after a Twitter user praised it. “Thank you, @JAL_Official_jp for warnings me about where babies plan to scream and yell during a 13 hour trip. This really ought to be mandatory across the board,” venture capitalist Rahat Ahmed tweeted.
A somewhat bemused JAL spokeswoman confirmed the feature, pointing out it was not a novel offering. At least one other Japanese airline does the same: All Nippon Airways (ANA), where a spokeswoman confirmed its seat maps have shown where children are sitting “for a while.” JAL’s maps indicate where infants under two are sitting, with a child icon to let “other passengers know.” The relevation caused an internet firestorm, with supporters and naysayers battling it out.
“Answered prayers”, airline specialist site The Points Guy titled a post on the subject. “Nice. But how long before we get upcharged for seats away from said babies?” one user asked. Another called the map an unnecessary offering. “Japan Airlines seat map helps avoid screaming babies. Why not just have noise cancelling headphones?!” And some pointed out that babies aren’t the only troublesome travellers. “Can we use the same software to
avoid people who eat noisily instead?” one Twitter user asked. “Will airlines also have maps for obnoxious passengers that drink too much, remove their shoes, hog the armrest or recline in my lap?” added another. Ahmed reported today that he had arrived in New York after his JAL flight. “Ironically chose to sat next to several babies on my two flights: Some great, some loud. It happens. Some adults were worse,” he tweeted.
Georgia Asian Times October 1-15, 2019
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Misc Asia
Cambodia’s first gay dance troupe upends centuries of tradition PHNOM PENH, Sept 29 — Gold jewellery glistening, six male dancers from Cambodia’s first gay “Apsara” troupe swirl in unison on a dimly lit stage, their production a radical shake-up of a ballet form performed by women for more than a thousand years. “Some people say LGBTQ people are born abnormal,” 23-year-old dancer Chan Sory tells AFP during a rehearsal in Phnom Penh. “So our goal is to use art to change their mindset.” He is part of Prumsodum Ok & Natyarasa, an all-male Apsara company trying to alter perceptions of the gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community in Cambodia — which is still plagued by prejudice.
Bare-chested men wearing crowns and traditional sarongs glide through the slow, graceful movements of the Khmer dance, arching their hands back in poses normally performed by young women in golden dresses. The soulful pop of Britain’s Sam Smith, who recently came out as non-binary, is interwoven with traditional Khmer melodies. Apsara is a celebrated part of Khmer culture — dancers are engraved on the walls of the Angkorian empire’s surviving temples in Siem Reap — and founder Prumsodum Ok says some people are angry he is breaking with convention. “But once they see the quality of the dancing... they can see our love and devotion for the tradition,” explains Prumsodun, a Cambodi-
an-American choreographer. Buddhist-majority Cambodia does not criminalise same-sex relations, but rights groups say the community still faces prejudices linking them to drug use and sex work and they are often caricatured on popular television shows. “My goal is to create a more dignified and realistic image of what it means to be LGBTQ and do it in a way where we don’t become pigeonholed,” said Prumsodun, who is also gay. The child of refugees who fled the murderous Khmer Rouge regime, Prumsodun — now 32 — grew up in California. He moved to Phnom Penh in 2015 to work on a dance project exploring the role of sexuality in
Apsara, but stayed on once he saw young gay Cambodians’ need for “a role model”. The company is already making strides, and was even invited to perform at Cambodia’s Ministry of Culture, which company members hope is a sign of changing times. “Just the fact that they allow us to do what we do is a gift already,” said Prumsodun. Troupe member Dy Puthik tells AFP he joined first because of his love of dance, which he did not have to opportunity to indulge while growing up. “Generally LGBTQ people have not been given value,” he said. “I now realise that I am doing an important thing.”
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October 1=15, 2019 Georgia Asian Times
TRAVEL
High-tech 130th anniversary exhibit takes visitors into Eiffel Tower’s past and future Paris, Sept 28 — Repaint the Eiffel Tower, walk across a ‘void,’ replace the Iron Lady with the Great Pyramid of Giza... An exhibition for the Parisian monument’s 130th anniversary uses giant screens to give visitors a range of immersive experiences as they retrace the tower’s history and imagine the future. Along with a treasure huntstyle adventure game, concerts and a tribute book (coming out early 2020 in English), the festivities for the Eiffel Tower’s 130th anniversary include a free exhibit that will open on its forecourt on September 28. SETE, the company which runs the Eiffel Tower, has partnered with LG for its technological expertise to allow
viewers to experience the fun and educational displays on an immersive level. Visitors of all ages will be able to get an idea of the dizzying heights experienced by the workers who built the tower by walking on a beam surrounded by screens. Visitors will also be able to test the monument’s sturdiness in the wind by blowing on screens. The objective? See its ability to flex by up to 18 centimetres! Clever youngsters will no doubt enjoy replacing the Eiffel Tower with the world’s tallest tower, Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, or with Giza’s Great Pyramid via touchscreen. It’s part of an installation at the beginning of the exhibit that illustrates the tower’s evolution.
The exhibit makes note of the 106 other projects in the running for the 1889 World’s Fair as well as the flood of complaints marking the monument’s beginnings. Audio recordings reveal that in its early days some called the tower a “giant without beauty or style,” “a Tower of Babel,” even a “pock-marked suppository”! The tower was built fairly rapidly, in two years, two months, and five days. The construction required the use of 2.5 million rivets and 18,038 pieces of iron. In a section dedicated to “the conquest of the sky,” visitors learn that its metal came from France’s Lorraine region and was assembled in Levallois-Perret, near Paris.
As the Eiffel Tower was originally red, Parisians and tourists are invited to repaint the tower in any colour, evoking the seven shades it has worn throughout its history. The brownish shade we recognize today was adopted in 1968. The exhibition notes that the sparkling lights illuminating the Tower every hour from nightfall have existed only since the year 2000. To present visitors with futuristic projections, the presentation also examines the various technological considerations Gustave Eiffel would face if he were a contemporary engineer. An integral part of the celebrations of the Tower’s 130th anniversary, the exhibit is free and open on the forecourt from 10 am until 8pm, September 28 - November 24.