Georgia Asian Times Vol 9. No 8

Covering The Multicultural Asian American Community in Georgia

www.gasiantimes.com May 1-15, 2012 Vol 9. No 8

Georgia Asian Times May 1-15, 2012

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GAT Calendar of Events (For latest & updated events, visit www.gasiantimes.com)

Publisher: Li Wong Account Manager: Adrian West Contributors: Andrian Putra, May Lee, Mark Ho Photographer: Ben Hioe, Minh Doan Tel: 770.335.4593 Advertising: gat@gasiantimes.com Editorial: info@gasiantimes.com URL: www.gasiantimes.com

All Rights Reserved: including those to reproduce this printing or parts thereof in any form without permission in writing from Georgia Asian Times. Established in 2004, the Georgia Asian Times is published by Asiamax Inc. All facts, opinions, and statements appearing within this publication are those of writers and editors themseleves, and are in no way to be construed as statements, positions, endorsements by Georgia Asian Times or its officers.

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Copyright Georgia Asian Times 2004-2012

The Publisher reserves the right to reject any ad or articles submitted for publication that may not be in good taste for a free publication.

GAT welcome submission of announcement pertaining to community related events.

Please email event, date, venue, and time to gat@gasiantimes.com.

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Asian-American Heritage Foundation - Dinner & Fundraiser Date: Saturday, May 5, 2012 Time: 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm Venue: Hyatt Regency Atlanta For more info: Ani Agnihotri 678-488-2446 Business Opportunity Expo & Conference Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council (GMSDC) Date: May 15-16, 2012 Venue: 2000 Convention Center Concourse, College Park, GA 30337 For more info: www.gmsdc.org APAC 27th Annual Unity Gala Students Scholarship Award Date: Saturday, May 19, 2012 Time: 6:00 pm Venue: Atlanta Marriott Gwinnett Place Fees: $50/person, $500/table of 10 for non-profit organization, $1,000/corporate table of 10 For more info: Le Doan 770-722-8486 or varinees@yahoo.com 2012 USPAACC-SE Annual Meeting Date: Tuesday, May 22, 2012 Time: 9:30 am - 12:00 noon Venue: GE HQ, Wildwood Pkwy Atlanta For more info: www.uspaacc-se.com Savannah Asian Festival Date: Saturday, June 23, 2012 Time: 11:00 am - 5:00 pm Venue: Civic Center For more info: email Erin Seals at eseals@ savannahga.gov or call 912-651-6417

19th Asian Cultural Experience (ACE) Date: Sat-Sun; July 28-29, 2012 Time: 10:00 am-8:00 pm, 11:00 am-7:00 pm Venue: Gwinnett Center Admission: $10 (adult) $6 (students) Free (child under 5 years) For more info: www.asianculturalexpericneinga.com Hong Kong Dragon Boat - Atlanta Date: Saturday Sept 8, 2012 Time: 7:00 am Venue: Clarks Bridge Olympic Rowing Facility Lake Lanier For more info: dragonboatatlanta.com JapanFest Date: Sept 15-16, 2012 Time: 10 am -6 pm; 10 am - 5 pm Venue: Gwinnett Center For more info: www.japanfest.org Vietnamese American Community of Georgia - Mid Autumn Festival Date: Saturday Sept 29, 2012 Time: 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm Venue: Hong Kong Supermarket For more info: Trish Nguyen, 678.820.8822 8th Atlanta Asian Film Festival Date: Oct 5-20, 2012 Venues: Emory University, GPC-Dunwoody, GSU-Cinefest For more info: www.atlaff.org

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EXCLUSIVE

Presents

25 Most Influential Asian Americans in Georgia In the spirit of 2012 Asian American Heritage Month celebration, we are documenting the changing of power and the continual shifting of influence of Asian Americans in our communities.

Our seventh edition of 25 Most Influential Asian Americans in Georgia offer a listing of individuals who made an impact in arts, business, government, politics, social work, education, judiciary, and areas that influence every aspect of Georgian’s daily life. Some names are familiar as they continue to strive to make our community a better place to live. New faces are recognized for their effort and dedication to make a difference.

The list is made possible by the editorial staff and a selection committee comprises of Asian journalists who are active within the Asian American community.

Ani Agnihotri Founder/Managing Partner U.S. India Business and Research Center (USIBRC) Founder/Managing Partner of consulting firm U.S. India Business and Research Center (USIBRC), links the business interests and opportunities of the U.S. and his birth country, India.

He founded and chaired the first USA India Business Summit and is Founder/CEO of IIIrd Millennium Technologies. After studying in the U.S., he served for six years as VP and National Sales Manager of SoftPros, Inc., an Atlanta-based company specializing in offshore business development.

He is a cross-cultural trainer and an India expert for several large corporations.

Tina Dang Principal NDI Management & Development He is the Honorable Advisor to the State Government of Chattisgarh, India, and is a graduate of Leadership Atlanta.

The Festival of India, the Gandhi Awareness Week, the installation of the statues of Mahatma and Kasturba Gandhi at Morehouse College, and the India Center projects are among Agnihotri’s accomplishments during his stint as IACA president. He was the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Georgia Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (GIACC) and serves on the board for several organizations—such as Emory University, Morehouse College, Asian American Chamber of Commerce and United Way.

Serving as principal of NDI Management and Development Company, located in Norcross, Georgia, Tina Dang is responsible for acquisition, disposition, financing, and property management nationwide.

Tina Dang has been involved in the Real Estate business since 1985. During that time, she has acquired over 40 shopping centers totaling over five million square feet. She specializes in redevelopment of commercial properties.

Tina Dang has served as a founder and a member of the Board of Directors for Gwinnett Village Community Improvement District (CID). In that role, she is currently helped Gwinnett Village organize a Steering Committee of residents,

business owners, planning officials and developers to create a redevelopment plan for the two gateways known as Buford Hwy. and Jimmy Carter Blvd. Her success has allowed her to give back and support to the Asian communities in many ways, and she is also a top donor to many community organizations.

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25 Most Influential Asian Americans in Georgia Ritesh (Rick) Desai Executive Vice President Eshco International, Inc Rick is a serial entreprenuer and community activist. His group of companies conducts business in US, Israel, India, and China.

Rick recently served as National Co-chair Indian-American Coalition for Jon Huntsman for President campaign. He was also a member of Member of Putting Georgia First – a transition committee for Secretary of State Brian Kemp.

He was active with Georgia Indo American Chamber of Commerce where he had served in the capacity of President and Chairman.

His involvement with the community includes: working closely with world-wide

Tim Hur Chief Executive Officer, International Business Accelerator Broker/President, Point Honors and Associates Tim Hur is a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Systems Engineering. Immediately after graduation, Tim has had a career in real estate, previously working with the former mayor of Atlanta at his real estate firm. Currently, he runs and operates a boutique real estate firm primarily with investors and international clients.

Also representing international business clients, Tim, fluent in Korean and English and working knowledge in Spanish, currently operates two offices; one in Seoul, South Korea, and the other in Atlanta, Georgia. His extensive experience acting as a global business consultant has assisted several European and Asian companies launch their U.S. Headquarters in the United States. Tim currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the International Business Accelerator, LLC, a business incubator and consulting firm.

He is a founding member of the Gwinnett Chamber’s Young Professionals, a charter member for the Gwinnett Mosaic Rotary Club and serves on the board of the Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful. Active in

organizations such as BAPS and BAPS Charities, Inc. in which he has held several positions.

Mr. Desai has served as member of the National Media Relations Core Committee and also served as the Director of Public Relations for Atlanta.

He is also an active member of the Indian Professional Network and the Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) Atlanta. He was a member of Congressman John Lewis’ Multi Cultural Committee from 2006-2008.

Rick has also made significant strides in strengthening the Indo-Jewish relationship and was among the founding members of the Inter-Ethnic Coalition and the Indo-Jewish Coalition with the American Jewish Committee.

the Asian community, he served as a board member for the Korean American Coalition, the Korean American Scholarship Foundation, and was the Vice-President of the Next Generation Division of the Overseas Korean Trade Association (OKTA) Atlanta Chapter. He also currently serves as the Secretary of the Greater Atlanta Chapter of the Asian Real Estate Association of America as well.

He has also been elected and continues as the Assistant Secretary of the Gwinnett Place Community Improvement District.

His recent accolades include graduating from Atlanta Regional Commissions’ Regional Leadership Institute in 2010, graduating in the 2012 class of LEAD Atlanta (a division of Leadership Atlanta), nominated for Leadership Gwinnett, a finalist for the prestigious German Memorial Fellowship, named Regional Player of the Week by the Civic League for Regional Atlanta in 2012, named one of the Top 35 Under 35 in Gwinnett County in 2011 by the Gwinnett Business Journal, and was named one of the 25 Most Influential Asian Americans in Georgia by the Geor-

gia Asian Times in 2011.

Guanming Fang Partner Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, LLP A partner in Womble Carlyle’s Corporate and Securities Practice Group and the team leader of the Firm’s China Initiative.

She advises mid-market companies in their mergers and acquisitions, strategic alliances, private equity transactions, and other corporate transactions. She has represented clients across a broad range of industries, including manufacturing, distribution, service, life science, and information technology, and routinely counsels U.S. and international companies (particularly Chinese companies) on issues relating to company structure, equity holder relationships, and U.S. operations.

Guanming brings to the service of her clients her unique bi-cultural and bi-lingual background. Guanming grew up in China and is fluent in Chinese Mandarin and Cantonese, in addition to English.

Her innate understanding of the Chinese culture enables her to explain complex U.S. legal principles and business issues in a language and manner that is easy for her Chinese clients to understand.

tionship web in China. Guanming is a frequent speaker on legal issues relating to U.S.-China cross-border transactions.

Guanming is the co-founder of GeorgiaChina Alliance, a non-profit organization devoted to promoting business exchanges between the United States and China, and currently serves as its chair.

She is an active member of the Metro Atlanta Chamber Global Commerce Council and works closely with the State Department of Economic Development in recruiting Chinese investment to Georgia.

She also uses this unique background to help U.S. companies navigate the intricate political, legal, economic and rela-

Helen Kim Ho Executive Director Asian American Legal Advocacy Center (AALAC) of Georgia Helen Kim Ho is the Executive Director of the Asian American Legal Advocacy Center, the first nonprofit law center dedicated to promoting the civil, social and economic rights of Asian Americans in the Southeast. Helen leads AALAC’s public policy, legal education, and community organizing work to further its goal of increasing the civic participation of Asian Americans in Georgia and the Southeast.

Helen began her legal career as a corporate securities attorney at Shearman & Sterling in New York and Baker Botts in Houston before committing herself to fulltime public interest work. Helen worked as a staff attorney for MALDEF among others before launching AALAC. Helen has organized multiple social justice campaigns including chairing the Asian Complete Count Committee of Georgia for Census, successfully lobbying to change Atlanta’s mass transit line into

Historic Chinatown from the “Yellow” to “Gold” Line, organizing Asian Americans 3 sessions in a row to defeat an Englishonly driver license bill, and most recently leading efforts around House Bill 87 and other anti-immigrant legislation.

Helen is a graduate of Rice University and an Honors graduate of Emory University School of Law. Helen has received numerous awards and recognitions for her leadership and work on behalf of AALAC.

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25 Most Influential Asian Americans in Georgia Dr. Connie Jee Executive Director Asian American Resource Center (AARC)

“Travis” Euisuk Kim President. Automall President, The Korean American Association of Greater Atlanta Sr. Vice President, Korean American Chamber of Commerce

AARC is a non-profit organization providing emergency assistance to the poor, elderly, and those with disabling or handicapped conditions. It also helps provide assistance in transitional housing, rent and utility assistance, and a food voucher program for the underprivileged.

Dr. Jee also currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Gwinnett Coalition of Health and Human Services, and has given many years of service to numerous other faith-based and women’s organizations.

Dr. Jee has studied at the Northern Baptist Theological Seminary as well as Luther Rice Seminary where she received her Doctor of Ministry. She

Travis Kim is a businessman and a community leader. As a native South Korean, he came to US in 1983 and received BS and MS from Eastern Michigan University. After working for Johnson Controls and Coca-Cola for many years, he opened AutoUSA, an automobile dealership in 2000. He currently operates two automobile dealerships in Norcross and Duluth. received her Master of Divinity with Christian Education from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and her B.A. in Business Administration from Georgia State University.

He is actively involved with the Korean American business community by having served as Board Member, Senior VP, President and Chairman of Korean-American Chamber of Commerce of Georgia.

Tim Le Qualifying Broker Atlanta Maxim Realty International Tim began his career as a mechanical engineer for NEC Electronics USA specializing in CVD semiconductor manufacturing. After 5 1/2 years as a senior equipment engineer, he decided to become a full time entrepreneur with his main focus on real estate development and project management.

Tim is also involved with multiple professional boards and community organizations including Asian Real Estate Association of America, Atlanta Chapter of which he is the immediate Past President; Georgia Vietnamese American Chamber of Commerce, Vice Chair; Gwinnett Village Community Alliance, Board member; Gwinnett Village Community Improvement District, Executive Board member; I-85 Alternatives Analysis Study Policy Advisory Committee; member, and last but not least, Leadership Gwinnett 2011, alumni.

Travis have been active in promoting the approval of US-Korea FTA. He arranged and participated in meetings with politicians and business leaders as part of campaign to support US-Korea FTA.

He currently serves as the President of Korean American Association of Greater Atlanta (KAAGA), currently representing over 100,000 local Korean Americans for their civil rights and improvements through activities and programs in community service, culture, education, health, political participation, etc.

Reverend Z. Hrang Kam Georgia Chin Baptist Church Tim holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from California Polytechnic State University of Pomona, Engineer in Training certification from the California Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors, a California real estate license and Georgia real estate broker license.

Pastor Hrang Kam have been actively serving the Burmese Chin community since 2010. His leadership have helped newly arrived Chin refugees to resettled in the Clarkston, Dekalb County.

He also coordinated and liaised with newly arrived refugees to meet with social service agencies, hospitals, DFCS, DDS, Social Security Administration, USCIS, State and County courts, attorneys and employment agencies.

Being fluent in the dialects of Burmese

Chin language, Pastor Kam often counsel new immigrants in managing challenges associated with culture shock, war trauma, grief and loss, depression and refugee resettlement.

Pastor Kam received his Bachelor of Theology and served as assistant pastor from 1998 to 2001 at New Eden Baptist Church in Kalay myo, Burma. He later earned a Master of Missiology at Asia School of Theology in Bangalore India.

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25 Most Influential Asian Americans in Georgia Takana Miyamoto Pianist / Composer

Darren Lu President & CEO Lunex Telecom Darren Lu, the President and CEO of Lunex Group, Inc. (“Lunex”) founded Lunex less than six years ago and has expanded Lunex’s business interests from international calling services to international top-up service, money transfer, and merchant services.

By utilizing the latest technology, Darren has successfully turned Lunex into a leader in the prepaid pinless telecom market, offering numerous ways to distribute prepaid pinless products. Darren has also used the latest technology to innovate a new method of distributing telecom topups service and simplify the process for distributors to distribute such products.

Darren is experienced in marketing and establishing distribution network.

Prior to forming Lunex, Darren was a National Marketing Director for a major national firm where he helped to create successful marketing strategies and built a strong distribution network stretching across the country.

Darren holds a B.A. degree from Harvard University.

Dao Malaythong President Asian Real Estate Association of America - Atlanta Chapter Dao Malaythong was born in Laos and came to the United States in 1976 with her family of 12 siblings. She has lived in Atlanta for over 20 years. She is a passionate community activist and is involved with four Wat Lao temples in the metro Atlanta area.

Her recent work for the 2010 US Census Bureau as a Partnership Specialist Assistant has helped spread awareness of the importance of being counted in the hard to count community. Dao is also the Chair of Laotian Complete Count Committee for Census 2010.

Besides being active in the community, Dao is a broker with Atlanta Maxim Realty and Vici Real Estate.

She served on the steering committee of Georgia Asian American Pacific Islander Coalition (GAAPIC), Public Relation for Laotian American Society (LAS), a member of NAAAP Atlanta, Board Director of Asian Real Estate Association of America.

Takana Miyamoto is a multi awardwinning, internationally acclaimed concert pianist, composer and music producer. Born and raised in Japan, Takana took her first music lesson at age 4, decided to become a composer at age 14, and left Japan at age 19 to study at Berklee College of Music. After graduating with film scoring and jazz composition degrees, Takana relocated to NYC where she started her international career as a concert pianist. She holds master’s degree in music from Georgia State University, ad was awarded the US permanent residency based on her contribution to the music industry.

Takana’s mastery as a musical collaborator is known for her work with vocalists Nnenna Freelon, Rene Marie, Allan Harris, Lizz Right, TOKU, Maya Hatch and Irene Cara. Takana has also performed and/or recorded with 6 time Grammy winner Daniel Ho (Uke/guit/voc), Christian Tamburr (vibr), Marty Morell (drums), Russell Gunn (trp), Marcus Printup (trp), Wycliffe Gordon (trb), and many more great artists.

She has produced several albums Jian Ni President Chinese Business Association of Atlanta (CBAA)

She is passionate about promoting the Lao culture and heritage, especially educating others in the struggles of having come from the refugee camps and humble beginnings.

As President of AREAA, amongst her focus are assisting and educating low income Asian families on foreclosures issues, mortgage reductions, and owning their first American homes.

Jian Ni is the Chief Operating Officer at SMC LED Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Shell Electric Holdings, Ltd of Hong Kong, overseeing the overall operations of the company. SMC LED markets and sells LED lighting products for commercial and industrial markets throughout North and South America. Jian also serves as the General Manager of SMC Marketing Corporation which handles the ceiling fan business for the parent company in Americas.

Prior to joining SMC Marketing/ SMC LED, Jian worked for two telecommunication companies in Atlanta

for/with Takana Miyamoto trio/ duo/solo, Yasukazu Kano(Japanese bamboo flute), TOKU, Satsuki Iida (voc), Allan Harris, and more. As a composer, Takana has scored for ‘A Sower of Seeds ~ Minori’s Tea~’ (Japan/’12), ‘Furusatogaeri’ (Japan/’11) and Dear Willie (US/’12), as well as for other theater and film productions.

Her awards and honors include; Randy Edman Jazz Piano Competition (1st place/US/’98), ‘Atlanta’s Best Jazz Act’ (‘05 & 06 / Creative Loafing), ‘Most Influential women in GA (‘03/as a composer)’, ranking 5th in Billboard Jazz chart. (‘Promises Made’ album, co-produced with a Grammy-nominated saxophonist Kirk Whalum) serving as Director of IT and IT/Billing Manager for several years. He also worked as software engineer, database administrator, and customer service analyst in various software companies. Before moving to Atlanta from Tallahassee, Florida in 1998, Ni worked for the state government in the area of welfare data analysis and reporting.

Ni currently serves as the President of Chinese Business Association of Atlanta. He served two terms as a board member of Technology Association of Georgia (TAG)’s International Business Society.

Ni earned his undergraduate degree in English from Sun Yat-sun University in Guangzhou, China and his Master of Public Admin. from Florida State University. In 2007, he earned his MBA majoring in international business from Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University.

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25 Most Influential Asian Americans in Georgia Didi O’Connor Consultant, Harry Norman Board member, Makabayan Foundation An active, energetic, caring and helpful leader in the FilipinoAmerican community in Metro-Atlanta, Didi O’Connor has combined a successful home life, a professional academic career at Emory University, a successful business career in real estate and an active involvement in the FilipinoAmerican community in Atlanta since 1983.

Her vision to see the Filipino-American community in Atlanta recognized in the mainstream society has motivated her to work hard through many endeavors to share the Philippine heritage: history, traditions, customs, music and songs with the rest of Atlanta.

Her leadership roles in many boards and organizations is a testament to her relentless pursuit of her dreams and goals. She has been: Fil-Am Olympic Year President, Fil-Am Cultural & Social Director, Fil-Am Treasurer, Three

Trinh Pham Executive Director BPSOS Atlanta Trinh Pham came to America as a refugee in early 2000. With a passion in helping people, she volunteered to help Vietnamese seniors and families in her community. Trinh started working at BPSOS-Atlanta as a community outreach coordinator in September 2004. After two years with BPSOS, she was promoted to a national program manager for BPSOS Healthy Marriage Program. She oversees the entire BPSOS healthy marriage program implementation. Her responsibilities include supporting and managing the program staff nationally, ensuring consistency, standardizing the pro-

term President of (PACCGA) the Philippine-American Chamber of Commerce of GA. and member of (ACE) the Asian Cultural Experience.

She is the: Current PACCGA Cultural Outreach Director, Executive Board member of (AACCGA) the Asian American Chamber of Commerce of GA, member of the International Partners Council of the (MACOC) Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce of GA, member of (USPAACC-SE) the US Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce in the South East, member of (ACIR) the Advisory Council for International Relations, and a Board member of the Asian American Film Festival.

Currently she is a real estate consultant with Harry Norman, REALTORS. Retired from Emory University, she finds more time to work with the community, sharing her time, resources and experiences. Recently, with four other community leaders, she helped formalized the MAKABAYAN Georgia, Inc. a Filipino-American foundation. whose mission is to encourage and motivate the community to help themselves and others, to make a difference here in Georgia, in the Philippines and elsewhere in the world.

posed program implementation for all Assisting Refugee Couples sites, as well as planning and maintaining the annual program budget of $750,000.

Trinh was appointed as an interim branch manager for BPSOS-Atlanta and became an official branch manager in 2008. Trinh has been growing the Atlanta branch from a 2 staff to 7 staff office with more than 10 committed volunteers. Under Trinh’s leadership, BPSOS-Atlanta branch has achieved more visibility among Vietnamese community, one of the fastest growing ethnic communities in the area.

BPSOS-Atlanta has annually served thousands of Vietnamese immigrant

Sunny K. Park CEO, General Building Maintenance Vice Chairman, Georgia Ports Authority Sunny Park, USO Patriot Award recipient and one of GAT Most Influential Asian Americans in 2010, 2011 is CEO of General Building Maintenance, Global Sun Investments and founder of One Georgia Bank. Park, native of South Korea arrived in the United States in 1974 with no money who now, as an indicator of his business acumen, has successfully achieved his goal of paying $1 million in annual income tax.

General Building Maintenance, founded by Sunny in 1983, is a nationwide building maintenance services provider with branch operations in 18 major U.S. cities. Since 1986, Mr. Park’s Global Sun Investments has been investing in and developing land in Georgia and Florida for retail shopping centers, a residential subdivision, and an office complex. He successfully assisted Morgan Stanley Real Estate in investing in Asian real estate, and has also invested in Japanese real estate with Aetos Capital Fund of New York.

Sunny is vice chairman of the Georgia Ports Authority, he is a presidential elector of Georgia, as well as serving on the White House Commission on Asian Americans. He is former president

and refugee families in need with different programs and services such as healthy marriage program, Health Awareness and Prevention Program (HAPP), the BPSOS community clinic, annual health fairs, Asian Youth Empowerment Program (AYEP), Neighborhood Empowerment & Support Through Teamwork (NEST), financial literacy, assisting labor trafficking victims, workplace safety education, immigration services, human right advocacy, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA), food stamps, Medicaid, Medicare, computer literacy for seniors, ESl, citizenship classes, and Vietnamese senior and women group.

of the National Korean American Federation and chairman of the 1991 Overseas Korean Conference in Berlin, Germany. In 1996, he founded the America Korea Friendship Society to increase understanding between the two nations.

To encourage fellow immigrants to become active in community affairs, Sunny founded the Good Neighboring Foundation (GoodNeighboring.org).

With the program “If Sunny Can, I Can,” he mentors high school dropouts at National Guard’s Youth Challenge Programs (NgYcp.org) and the Youth Foundation presented him the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007. He presented the commencement speeches to Class 2006 of Kennesaw State University and Class 2007 of Berry College.

Sunny’s current board memberships include Berry College, Good Neighboring Foundation, Georgia Ports Authority, Junior Achievement of Georgia, Georgia Public Policy Foundation, National Museum of Patriotism, PBAPublic TV/Radio, Shepherd Center, and USO Council of Georgia, UNICEFUS-Southeast, Emory University and Kennesaw State University.

Sunny attended Indiana University Perdue University at Indianapolis, the Kellogg School of Management, and the U.S. Army War College National Security Seminars.

Active in her community, she also served as Co-Chair for Census 2011 Complete Count committee, board member of Partnership for Community Action, advisory board member of Vietnamese American Association of GA, and general secretary for Living Way Alliance Church.

She has a Master of Science degree in Business Management in Vietnam, and more than seven years of experience in sales and marketing planning for a world leading engineering company.

She also obtained a Bachelor of Art degree in Finance and Real Estate from Georgia University.

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25 Most Influential Asian Americans in Georgia Bryan Ramos Founder, Attorney Ramos Law Firm Bryan Ramos is the founder of the firm and is a native of Tallahassee, Florida. He is a graduate of Florida State University and earned his Juris Doctor degree at Mercer University School of Law. His legal career began as the Chief Staff Attorney for the Houston Judicial Circuit in Perry, Georgia where he served under the Honorable Judges George F. Nunn, L.A. McConnell, and Edward D. Lukemire. Shortly thereafter, Bryan joined the law

Tamara Strickley President & Chairman NAAAP Atlanta As the 2012 President and Chairman of the Board, Tamara Strickley brings her years of experience to NAAAP-Atlanta as a leader and a mentor. She joined NAAAP Atlanta after attending the 2007 NAAAP Convention here in Atlanta. Tamara volunteered on a laptop rehab project then joined the Professional Development Committee. She then filled in as the Director of Technology and later was selected as the VP of Finance and Operations. Tamara has been a member of the NAAAP Atlanta’s Dragonboat team for the past three years.

Tamara has spent most of her 27 year career with Accenture in the telecommunications industry but has worked in other industries such as products, health care and government. Her focus is process design and implementation, workflow management, data analysis and reporting. Highly versatile and adaptable,

firm of Drew, Eckl & Farnham in 2000 to specialize in civil litigation. On April 4, 2005 he opened the doors at the Ramos Law Firm where he focuses on various aspects of the workers’compensation practice.

Bryan is President of the Philippines American Chamber of Commerce in Georgia (PACCGA) and Vice President of Filipino American Association of Greater Atlanta in 2011.

Bryan currently serves as Secretary and Board member of Asian American Legal Advocacy Center.

Tamara has worked on a wide range of roles and projects from large work teams, multi-country projects and being a team of one.

She started with Arthur Andersen as a typist, but quickly moved to a technical team, implementing and supporting new technology. She then transferred to Andersen Consulting working with clients across the country to identify gaps in technical support organizations and implementing solutions. Tamara later joined the largest outsourcing deal as the technical support lead for over 2,000 people. Since then she has worked at the same client on a variety of units and roles including project management office lead, issues and risks management, financial analysis, and developing and conducting training courses. She currently leads a strategy and analysis team for mobile content delivery and billing compliance.

Shyam Reddy Regional Administrator U.S. General Services Administration Southeast Sunbelt Region Shyam K. Reddy is the Regional Administrator of the Southeast Sunbelt Region of the U.S. General Services Administration. As the Regional Administrator, Shyam is responsible for the real estate, fleet and procurement operations of the federal government in eight southeastern states, which encompasses 44M square feet of owned and leased real estate, a 44,000 vehicle fleet operation and several billion dollars of federal government procurement.

Prior to accepting this Presidential Appointment, Shyam practiced corporate law as a partner in the Atlanta office of the large and prestigious international law firm known as Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton. As an attorney, Shyam assisted a number of public and private clients with their mergers and acquisitions, procurement and technology transactions, and venture capital and private equity deals.

Varinee Sangmalee President, - Thai Association World Center - Asian Cultural Experience - Asian Pacific Council of GA Varinee is respected for her community activism in the local Asian community. Her distinguish role as President of Asian Cultural Experience (ACE), a major annual community event promoting Asian cultural, arts, and heritage.

She is also known for her tireless effort in promoting Thai heritage especially in area of Thai language, classical dance, culture, and traditions to the younger generation living in U.S. She encourage local Thai community to collaborate with each other and to volunteer their services.

Shyam has served on the Boards of Directors of the University of Georgia College of Public Health, the University of Georgia Alumni Association, and Common Cause of Georgia. Shyam is also a member of Atlanta Rotary, the 2010 Class of Leadership Atlanta and 2005 L.E.A.D. Atlanta Class of Leadership Atlanta.

In addition, he has received a number of awards, including: 2011 University of Georgia Top 40 under 40; 2005 Georgia Trend Magazine Top 40 Under 40 Georgians; 2005 Atlanta Business Chronicle Top 40 Under 40 (Up and Comers); 2005 - 2010 Atlanta Magazine Georgia Rising Stars; and 2005 Multicultural Law Mover and Shaker.

Shyam obtained his Bachelor’s Degree and his Masters in Public Health from Emory University and his law degree from The University of Georgia.

Varinee also actively involved with the Thai Association World Center, a community organization for the local Thai in metro Atlanta.

She founded Thai Chamber of Commerce of Georgia in 2007.

She is the current President of Asian Pacific Council of Georgia (APAC), a federation of Asian community organization in metro Atlanta and Georgia.

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25 Most Influential Asian Americans in Georgia Louis Tsang Assistant Chief Parole Officer, South Metro Parole Center State Board of Pardons and Paroles of Georgia Louis Tsang has been with the Georgia Parole Board since 1989 serving in various capacity ranging from parole office, fugitive criminal investigator, federal task force agent, and supervisory parole officer.

Louis has been an active volunteer and participant with the Georgia’s Asian community organizations. Actively involved with NAAAP Atlanta and OCA Georgia. He currently serves

Henry Yu Senior Vice President & Dir of Southeast, East West Bank Since joining East West Bank in August of 2011, Henry has been responsible for the bank’s business strategy, retail and commercial portfolios of the Southeast Region, which includes 5 branches in Atlanta. A veteran of 31 years in banking, Henry’s most recent affiliation included President of Shanghai Bosun Capital, Director of Business Development at Standard Chartered Bank China (2008-2010), and SunTrust Bank as Managing Director (1999-2007).

Henry is very familiar with all facets of banking-commercial, international and investment banking. His diverse experiences cover domestic and international lending, trade banking and trade finance, credit administration, structure finance (asset securitization, M&A, IPO, etc), treasury management, wealth management and global bank relationship management.

In addition to a successful banking career, Henry has an unwavering commitment of serving others. Currently he is Advisory Chair of the National Association of Chinese Americans

as Chair of OCA-Georgia Community Services.

He has always recognized that most new immigrants have an inherited dread or at least dislike of the Criminal Justice System from the native countries. In addition, Asian Pacific Islanders is the minority or a minority in law enforcement.

Louis hope that his Asian ethnicity and background can alleviate some of that fear.

Louis was born in Vietnam and was raised in Hong Kong with an Irish Catholic school education.

(NACA), Board member of Global Health Action, Member of Asian Studies of Kennesaw State University, and Foundation Board Trustee of the Georgia Perimeter College. Henry is also a 3-year (2011-2014) Advisor to China’s Federation of Overseas Chinese, and Advisors to Nanjing and Guangzhou. Other past affiliation included President of NACA (3.5 years), President of Asian American Heritage Foundation, Board member of Japan America Society of Atlanta, Board members of Kwong Tung Association of Atlanta and Chinese Community Center. Henry was also a honoree of GAT 25 Asian Americans in Georgia and one of Top 67 Asian Leaders in Southeast USA. Henry was the first and only foregin banker in 2009 and 2010 traveling with China’s Central Bank (PBOC) and Shanghai Financial Center to Asia and Europe to promote RMB Internationalization.

Henry believes in mentorship and coaching future leaders and has done many speaking engagements in China and USA.

Hadi Tresna Board member Indonesian American Chamber of Commerce Hadi serves as a board member for the Indonesian American Chamber of Commerce–U.S. and the Indonesian Community Heritage Foundation where he spends much of the time assisting the Indonesian community in dire need of various domestic and immigration issues prior to handing the matter to the Indonesian Consulate General in Houston, TX or the Indonesian Embassy in Washington, DC. He also actively involved with the Atlanta Asian Film Festival in sourcing films from Indonesia for the Festival.

In his “spare” time, he volunteers at St. Mary’s Hospital, the Athens Clarke County for the Aging Council, and the Al-Huda Mosque in Athens – all are not-for-profit organizations.

Hadi assisted the National Terrorism Preparedness Institute (“NTPI”) at St. Petersburg College in Florida in the translation/interpretation for the Indonesian core educational module material creation and development for NTPI. These consisted of military, legal, political phrases, as well as, cultural awareness geared primarily for usage by the U.S. Department of Defense and the Department of State Lani Wong Chair, National Association of Chinese Americans (NACA) Lani is widely known as a “power broker” in establishing introduction and networking for visiting Chinese officials with local political figures such as Georgia’s Governor and Atlanta’s Mayors.

She was also recognized by the Chinese government for her liaison expertise with an invitation to a major political conference that only five US citizens are invited annually.

As chair of the National Association of Chinese-Americans, Lani serves as a volunteer liaison between Atlanta business and government officials, and

personnel for them to use as an educational/ orientation course prior to the Officers and Foreign Services Officers going to Indonesia. In addition, he was also requested to analyze the Indonesian political and military environment for NTPI, as well as, responsible for assisting NTPI in creating a cultural educational video. The video is also currently utilized by the Department of Defense and the Department of State and is entitled How to do Business in Indonesia and the Indonesian Cultural Awareness videos.

Hadi also assisted a European energy optimization company as its Vice President of Business Development in their business activities here in the United States, EU Power Management Systems, LLC. Through his vast network of contacts, he was able to acquire two major contracts – for a 350-bed hospital and a yarn and textile facility. Both companies are located in Georgia.

Hadi Tresna graduated from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York and majored in Naval Architect and Marine Engineering.

their enterpriseminded Chinese equivalents.

Lani emphasize the importance of Asian immigrant in Georgia participating in the political process.

She is also advocate with 2010 Census Bureau count and encourages immigrants to become naturalized citizens.

Lani has consistently being honored as one of GAT 25 Most influential Asian Americans in Georgia since 2006.

Georgia Asian Times May 1-15, 2012

SPORTS

Kompany strikes as City down United to go top MANCHESTER, England, April 30, 2012 (AFP) – Manchester City seized control of the Premier League title race here Monday after Vincent Kompany’s first-half header powered them to a 1-0 win over bitter rivals Manchester United.

Kompany headed home from a corner on the stroke of half-time to settle a highly-charged title duel at Eastlands which saw City go top of the table by virtue of their superior goal difference.

The victory means that wins over Newcastle and Queens Park Rangers in their remaining games will almost certainly see City claim their first league crown in 44 years while United would finish the season without a trophy.

The win also capped a remarkable comeback in the league race by City, who appeared to have blown their title chances in early April after falling eight points behind United.

Kompany’s winner settled an at times ill-tempered duel which in terms of quality failed to live up to its prematch hype.

The pressure-cooker nature of the occasion was reflected by an ugly touchline bust-up involving United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and his City counterpart Roberto Mancini on 76 minutes.

A visibly enraged Ferguson had to be restrained from confronting Mancini after the Italian had marched into the technical area to complain after Nigel De Jong was booked for a cynical challenge on Danny Welbeck.

A scrappy first half saw City dominate possession and territory but struggle to create clear chances against a United side who had flooded midfield with five men, leaving Wayne Rooney as the lone striker.

The home side were also given a huge scare after only two minutes, when Michael Carrick’s shot from inside the area was blocked to safety by Kompany.

That early scare aside it was largely all City, although United’s defence were rarely troubled as the home side struggled to find their passing rhythm.

Samir Nasri brought the Eastlands crowd to their feet with a jinking run on 16 minutes which took him beyond the United defence before the France international played in Carlos Tevez, whose cutback was cleared by Phil Jones.

The fractious mood of the evening was reflected at Ferguson’s angry reaction after Kompany was booked for a clumsy challenge that poleaxed Rooney.

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May 1-15, 2012 Georgia Asian Times

SPORTS No Wie mistakes for me, vows record teen SINGAPORE, April 25, 2012 (AFP) - New Zealand’s record-breaking teen Lydia Ko vowed to avoid the mistakes of her “idol” Michelle Wie as she plots her path to professional golf -- and targets a medal at the 2016 Olympics.

“She (Wie) became pro really early and she decided to do school work at the same time, which is two hard things to do,” Ko, already the world’s top amateur, said in an interview at Tanah Merah Country Club.

“She also played a few men’s tournaments on the men’s tees as well. So she went a bit of a different direction to what I want to do, although she is my idol.”

America’s Wie, swept along by a wave of hype and endorsements, turned professional aged 15 in 2009 but has won only two tournaments since, and none for nearly two years.

The glamorous Wie, who like Ko is of South Korean background, has also flopped in her much-publicised attempts to take on the men in professional tournaments.

But Ko, while praising Wie, said she plans to turn pro in about two years on the US LPGA Tour and also wants to attend college in America, where students can leave for periods to concentrate on their sporting careers.

“I think doing school work and playing as a pro is going to be way too

On 25 minutes Sergio Aguero nearly gave his watching father-in-law Diego Maradona something to cheer about only for his volley from Joleon Lescott’s flick-on to sail over the crossbar.

The diminutive Argentinian attacker was off-target 10 minutes later, miscuing his shot wide after good work down the right once more from Nasri as City ramped up the pressure.

Ko is tipped by her handlers as a future world number one after she became the youngest amateur, male or female, to win a professional event aged 14 years and 280 days in January, breaking the mark of Japan’s Ryo Ishikawa.

But Ko, who turned 15 on Tuesday at the Queen Sirikit Cup in Singapore, said unlike Wie she was in no rush to turn pro, and wouldn’t try to juggle full-time golf with her studies. She was also cautious about competing in men’s events.

Manchester Derby

hard,” she said. “I think she’s amazing but I don’t exactly want to go the way she did.”

Team captain Libby Steele, New Zealand Golf’s performance manager, also said level-headed Ko’s career was shaping up very differently from Wie’s.

“Michelle Wie turned professional very young. It’s very difficult for someone outside the US system to do that,” said Steele.

“I don’t think Lydia has aims to do that because the negatives of that are pressures on a very young brain.

She certainly aspires to be like those people, but she doesn’t necessarily copy how they got there, and nor does her coach.”

Ko is following in the footsteps of current world number one Yani Tseng, Karrie Webb and Pak Se-Ri, who all represented their countries at the Queen Sirikit Cup amateur event involving teams from the Asia-Pacific region.

She said she was now coming to terms with the extra media attention after January’s win at the Women’s NSW Open in Sydney propelled her into the history books.

Thanks to her exploits, bespectacled Ko already has a professional ranking of 159, and will play about half-a-dozen

The moments before half-time marked City’s best spell of the match, with David De Gea needing to be alert to intercept a menacing cross from Gael Clichy before Tevez produced one surging run from inside his own half that had United scrambling back to cover. pro events in the coming months along with this year’s top amateur tournaments.

Ko’s interest in golf started at five, when she was given a putter and a seven-iron by an aunt. Four years later, aged just nine, she played the New Zealand amateur championship, and she won her first national title aged 11.

At 12, Ko finished tied seventh in the New Zealand Women’s Open, five shots behind winner Laura Davies. Last year, she missed victory at the NSW Open by a single stroke and became the youngest ever world number one amateur.

Ko now trains up to 50 hours a week in the school holidays, from sunrise to sunset, cutting down to 30-40 hours during term-time as she targets not only a professional career, but a place on New Zealand’s Olympic team.

“One of my goals is to play the Olympics in 2016. If you’re able to represent your country in the Olympics everyone will understand you as a player and not many people do get to go to the Olympics,” she said.

“I think everyone will be happy at home if I win a medal. Everyone will be off their chairs. But it’s going to be hard to get a medal, there’s quite a few players and the top players in the world.”

Yet just when it looked as if United had survived the late onslaught, City went ahead. David Silva curled in a corner from the right and Kompany leapt above Chris Smalling to power an unstoppable header past De Gea. The second half saw City again control possession, and they went close to scoring with late chances from Gael Clichy, Nasri and Aguero.

United meanwhile struggled to create any chances of note, their attempts to get back in the game foundering on a superb defensive effort from City, with Kompany and Lescott unyielding throughout.

Ko said she was unaware of China’s Guan Tianlang, who became the youngest player in a European Tour event, aged 13 years and 177 days, at last week’s Volvo China Open.

And she said while her parents, who moved from South Korea to New Zealand when she was very young, had given her unstinting support, they had never pushed her to take up golf as a career.

According to Steele, Ko’s determination and mental toughness mark her out as a future star, although her development will take careful nurturing.

“I certainly think that Lydia has the ability to be world number one,” said Steele.

“She will go a long way. She’s got an incredible work ethic, which is huge. It makes a big difference. But she’s also got an incredible mental ability to dig deep and to make great decisions.

“She’s very calm, she never panics. She can find herself in a situation where other players would roll their eyes and go, ‘this is hopeless’. And Lydia will find a way to get a good score out of it.”

Georgia Asian Times May 1-15, 2012

Page 13

FEATURE Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Key Facts and Figures: TOTAL U.S.: Population is 307 million; 13.2 percent live in poverty; 4.2 percent are unemployed; 15.0 percent haven’t graduated high school; 28.5 percent have only a high school degree; 28.8 percent have some college education; 17.50 percent have a bachelor’s degree; 10.2 percent have a graduate or professional degree.

ASIAN AMERICAN: Population is 15.5 million; 11.8 percent live in poverty; 3.5 percent are unemployed; 14.4 percent haven’t graduated high school; 16.3 percent have only a high school degree; 20.5 percent have some college education; 29.3 percent have a bachelor’s degree; 19.5 percent have a graduate or professional degree.

ASIAN INDIAN: Population is 2.73 million; 8.1 percent live in poverty; 3.6 percent are unemployed; 10.0 percent haven’t graduated high school; 10.5 percent have only a high school degree; 11.3 percent have some college education; 31.9 percent have a bachelor’s degree; 36.3 percent have a graduate or professional degree.

BANGLADESHI: Population is 107,728; 15.8 percent live in poverty; 3.7 percent are unemployed; 17.3 percent haven’t graduated high school; 17.2 percent have only a high school degree; 16.8 percent have some college education; 27.9 percent have a bachelor’s degree; 20.8 percent have a graduate or professional degree.

CAMBODIAN: Population is 240,142; 19.4 percent live in poverty; 5.9 percent are unemployed; 40.3 percent haven’t graduated high school; 24.3 percent have only a high school degree; 21.4 percent have some college education; 11.0 percent have a bachelor’s degree; 3.0 percent have a graduate or professional degree.

CHINESE: Population is 3.62 million; 11.3 percent live in poverty; 3.1 percent are unemployed; 18.9 percent haven’t graduated high school; 14.6 percent have only a high school degree; 15.3 percent have some college education; 25.8 percent have a bachelor’s degree; 25.3 percent have a graduate or professional degree.

FILIPINO: Population is 3.09 million; 6.0 percent live in poverty; 3.7 percent are unemployed; 8.2 percent haven’t gradu-

ated high school; 15.7 percent have only a high school degree; 30.0 percent have some college education; 37.5 percent have a bachelor’s degree; 8.6 percent have a graduate or professional degree.

HMONG: Population is 221,948; 23.2 percent live in poverty; 5.6 percent are unemployed; 39.6 percent haven’t graduated high school; 19.8 percent have only a high school degree; 27.2 percent have some college education; 10.7 percent have a bachelor’s degree; 2.7 percent have a graduate or professional degree.

INDONESIAN: Population is 78,999; 11.0 percent live in poverty; 4.0 percent are unemployed; 5.9 percent haven’t graduated high school; 17.0 percent have only a high school degree; 32.0 percent have some college education; 28.3 percent have a bachelor’s degree; 16.8 percent have a graduate or professional degree.

JAPANESE: Population is 1.30 million; 8.8 percent live in poverty; 2.9 percent are unemployed; 7.9 percent haven’t graduated high school; 20.2 percent have only a high school degree; 27.0 percent have some college education; 29.8 percent have a bachelor’s degree; 15.1 percent have a graduate or professional degree.

KOREAN: Population is 1.61 million; 12.6 percent live in poverty; 3.3 percent are unemployed; 10.1 percent haven’t graduated high school; 19.6 percent have only a high school degree; 21.6 percent have some college education; 32.7 percent have a bachelor’s degree; 16.0 percent have a graduate or professional degree.

LAOTIAN: Population is 217,175; 12.0 percent live in poverty; 6.3 percent are unemployed; 31.6 percent haven’t graduated high school; 30.0 percent have only a high school degree; 24.6 percent have some college education; 11.3 percent have a bachelor’s degree; 2.6 percent have a graduate or professional degree.

PAKISTANI: Population is 349,685; 15.0 percent live in poverty; 4.3 percent are unemployed; 14.6 percent haven’t graduated high school; 14.5 percent have only a high school degree; 16.0 percent have some college education; 30.4 percent have a bachelor’s degree; 24.5 percent have a graduate or professional degree.

THAI: Population is 219,943; 13.8 percent live in poverty; 4.3 percent are

May is Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month – a celebration of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. A rather broad term, AsianPacific encompasses all of the Asian continent and the Pacific islands of Melanesia.

Like most commemorative months, Asian-Pacific Heritage Month originated in a congressional bill. In June 1977, Reps. Frank Horton of New York and Norman Y. Mineta of California introduced a House resolution that called upon the president to proclaim the first ten days of May as Asian-Pacific Heritage Week. The following month, senators Daniel Inouye and Spark Matsunaga introduced a similar bill in the Senate. Both were passed. On October 5, 1978, President

unemployed; 16.6 percent haven’t graduated high school; 16.7 percent have only a high school degree; 24.2 percent have some college education; 25.6 percent have a bachelor’s degree; 17.0 percent have a graduate or professional degree.

VIETNAMESE: Population is 1.73 million; 12.6 percent live in poverty; 3.8 percent are unemployed; 26.0 percent haven’t graduated high school; 21.2 percent have only a high school degree; 23.4 percent have some college education; 20.0 percent have a bachelor’s degree; 9.4 percent have a graduate or professional degree.

POLYNESIANS: Population is 610,684; 12.4 percent live in poverty; 4.8 percent are unemployed; 10.6 percent haven’t graduated high school; 34.8 percent have only a high school degree; 37.6 percent have some college education; 11.5 percent have a bachelor’s degree; 5.6 percent have a graduate or professional degree.

NATIVE HAWAIIANS: Population is 437,590; 11.0 percent live in poverty; 4.6 percent are unemployed; 8.7 percent haven’t graduated high school; 35.0 percent have only a high school degree;

Jimmy Carter signed a Joint Resolution designating the annual celebration. Twelve years later, President George H.W. Bush signed an extension making the week-long celebration into a month-long celebration. In 1992, the official designation of May as Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month was signed into law.

The month of May was chosen to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States on May 7, 1843, and to mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869.

The majority of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants.

38.0 percent have some college education; 12.2 percent have a bachelor’s degree; 6.1 percent have a graduate or professional degree.

SAMOANS: Population is 126,194; 12.9 percent live in poverty; 4.8 percent are unemployed; 16.0 percent haven’t graduated high school; 34.8 percent have only a high school degree; 37.8 percent have some college education; 7.2 percent have a bachelor’s degree; 4.2 percent have a graduate or professional degree.

SOURCES: 2008 American Community Survey http://factfinder.census.gov; Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2008 http://www.census.gov/PressRelease/www/releases/archives/income_wealth/014227.html; Population estimates http://www.census.gov/PressRelease/www/releases/archives/population/013733.html

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May 1-15, 2012 Georgia Asian Times

Misc Asia Asia’s first Legoland to open ahead of schedule KUALA LUMPUR, April 25, 2012 (AFP) - Asia’s first Legoland theme park, dedicated to the popular toy bricks, will open in Malaysia in September, several months ahead of schedule, the company said Wednesday.

Siegfried Boerst, general manager of Legoland Malaysia, said more than 35,000 annual passes had already been sold for the park featuring more than 40 roller coasters, race cars and other attractions in southern Johor state.

Nepal’s Super Sherpa crosses the Himalayas KATHMANDU, April 25, 2012 (AFP) - Nepal’s “Super Sherpa” on Wednesday voiced amazement at the pace of change in the country’s remote Himalayan communities, as he celebrated his return from one of the world’s most difficult treks.

Apa Sherpa, 52, arrived in Kathmandu earlier this week after leading the first expedition to complete the Great Himalayan Trail, a 1,700-kilometer (1,050-mile) trek spanning the entire length of the Nepalese Himalayas.

Sherpa, who earned his nickname for scaling Mount Everest a record 21 times, said the world’s highest mountain range had undergone a “transformation”, with improved transport links, communications and education.

“I was happy to see kids going to schools and people better connected through mobile phones,” Sherpa told reporters.

“But I was saddened to see children working as porters when they should have been going to school,” he said, adding that he found many schools shut so that pupils could work as laborers.

Sherpa and three companions set off in January on the Climate Smart Celebrity Trek, an expedition promoting tourism and highlighting the effects of climate change.

The adventurers set out from the shadow of the world’s third-highest peak, Mount Kanchenjunga, in the east and finished at Nepal’s border with Tibet in the west, 20 days ahead of schedule.

Along the way they traversed some of the world’s most rugged landscapes, ascending beyond 6,000 meters (19,600 feet).

They said they received letters of support from former US vice-president Al Gore, British actress Joanna Lumley and Italian mountaineer Reinhold Messner.

Dawa Steven Sherpa, a member of the expedition who has climbed Everest twice, said the group found mountain communities that rely on subsistence farming were suffering the effects of climate change.

“The soil fertility has gone down, the rains arrive late and this is affecting the farmers,” he said.

Of those, more than one third had been sold in neighboring Singapore.

About one million people are expected to visit the 76-acre (31-hectare) park in the first year.

The park is already 75 percent complete with most of the rides and infrastructure in place. Contractors will begin next month to install the Lego models made out of more than 50 million bricks, Boerst said.

When completed, Legoland Malaysia will be the sixth of its kind in the world featuring the Danish toy bricks after those in Denmark, Britain, California, Florida and Germany.

A Legoland Hotel, also Asia’s first and the world’s fourth, is to open next to the Malaysia park in 2014. Groundwork began last month.

Legoland will be one of the main attractions of Iskandar Malaysia -- a dedicated economic development zone that plans to attract more theme parks.

The park borders Singapore, which opened Southeast Asia’s first Universal Studios entertainment complex in 2010.

But developers say the new park would complement Universal Studios Singapore rather than compete with it for customers.

WHO ‘concerned’ over deadly Vietnam mystery disease HANOI, April 23, 2012 (AFP) - The World Health Organization said Monday it was “concerned” about an outbreak of a mysterious skin disease in central Vietnam which has killed 19 people, mostly children.

More than 170 people have fallen ill with the unidentified illness, which causes stiffness in the limbs and ulcers on victims’ hands and feet that look like severe burns.

“We are concerned about this. WHO is very aware of this case,” said Wu Guogao, the organization’s chief officer in Hanoi, adding Vietnam had not asked for help with an investigation into the outbreak.

The WHO has not been given access to any official reports on the issue.

“It is difficult to say the exact cause at this stage,” he said.

The disease appears to have been

concentrated mainly in Ba To district in central Quang Ngai province and the WHO said it had not heard of similar outbreaks elsewhere in the country.

Local doctors said they were waiting for the results of a recent Ministry of Health probe.

“The results of the investigation (are) not yet available. Therefore, we don’t know anything more concerning the disease,” said doctor Dang Thi Phuong, director of Ba To district healthcare center.

“As far as I know, the Ministry intends to invite foreign experts to the area to help us know more,” she said, adding that many of the victims were under 10 years old.

Media reports said about one in 10 of those infected had developed serious liver disorders, but said the infection does not appear to be highly contagious.

Georgia Asian Times May 1-15, 2012

Misc Asia Philippine leader’s family to give up farm MANILA, April 27, 2012 (AFP) - The family of Philippine President Benigno Aquino will abide by a court ruling to have their massive ancestral sugar plantation given to thousands of farmers, a spokesman said Friday.

The 4,300-hectare (10,600-acre) Hacienda Luisita plantation, owned by the Cojuangco clan that includes the president, will be divided among almost 6,300 farmers as the court ordered, said plantation lawyer Antonio Ligon.

“The Cojuangco family guarantees its full cooperation in the expeditious completion of this process,” said Ligon.

His comments came after the Supreme Court on Wednesday affirmed its ruling that the area be redistributed in line with a land reform law passed in 1988 by Aquino’s mother, the late president Corazon Cojuangco Aquino.

Hacienda Luisita, one of the country’s largest corporate farms, spreads across several towns in the central plains north of Manila and has come to symbolize the failure of the first Aquino president’s land reform program.

The Cojuangco clan has been accused of trying to avoid giving up their land by converting parts of it to non-agricultural uses and giving its workers shares of a company controlling the farm instead.

Page 15

Words of Wisdom Flattering words will not be spoken from the mouth of an affectionate person.

Bhutanese Proverb

A turtle travels only when it sticks its neck out.

Korean Proverb

A small trash fire can burn down a palace.

Burmese Proverb

It rains gold in other lands, it rains rocks in our own. Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home.

Malay Proverb

A single word may have ten shades of meaning.

Burmese Proverb

However Ligon said the Cojuangcos had not been averse to land distribution and argued that the lengthy legal dispute had only been over the compensation they would receive for their land.

Knowledge comes from study, wealth comes form business.

Cambodian Proverb

A Supreme Court spokesman earlier said the court had ruled that the family be compensated at a lower price of about 40,000 pesos ($950) per hectare, striking down the family’s calls for about one million pesos per hectare.

If a child washes his hands he could eat with kings.

Chinese Proverb

Ligon said the division of the plantation was the “glowing legacy” of Aquino’s mother who signed the land reform bill into law even though it would likely affect her family.

Water can wear away even the hardest rock.

Filipino Proverb

Water in the mouth before eating; water in the eyes when the bill comes.

Tibetan Proverb

A frog in a well does not know the great sea.

Japanese Proverb

All chili is hot; all women are jealous.

Vietnamese Proverb

Don’t let your daughter-in-law eat your autumn eggplants.

Japanese Proverb

Good wine must drink together with good friend.

Vietnamese Proverb

However he could not say when the actual redistribution would begin as the court had not yet sent him an actual copy of the order.

The faintest ink is more powerful than the strongest memory.

Chinese Proverb

If you like what you are doing, nothing is too far and no job is too hard.

Filipino Proverb

Dalai Lama says ‘Middle Way’ still best for Tibet CHICAGO, April 25, 2012 (AFP) - The Dalai Lama, Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, said Wednesday he would not alter his non-violent quest for greater Tibetan autonomy, even after Beijing blamed him for inciting a wave of unrest.

A total of 34 Tibetans, many of them Buddhist monks and nuns, are reported to have attempted to kill themselves by setting themselves on fire in China’s Tibetan-inhabited areas since the start of 2011 in protest at Chinese rule.

Fish from the sea and tamarind from the mountain will still meet in the same pot.

Malay Proverb

Many of the protesters -- who criticize Beijing for what they see as repression of their culture -- have reportedly died from severe burns.

Beijing has repeatedly accused the Dalai Lama of inciting the self-immolations in a bid to split the vast Himalayan region from the rest of the nation, a charge he denies.

“Recently things become very, very difficult but our stand -- no change,” the Dalai Lama told the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates.

“Independence, complete independence is unrealistic -- out of (the) question,” the Dalai Lama said, saying his non-violent “Middle Way” of seeking change from Beijing still has the support of 90 percent of Tibetans.

“So we can continue,” he said in a press conference at the conclusion of the summit.

Even foul water will quench fire.

Mongolian Proverb Who cleans up the dirt washes away happiness.

Mongolian Proverb Ten tongues that spread the word are worth less than two eyes that have seen, and two eyes that have seen are worth less than one hand that feels.

Thai Proverb

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May 1-15, 2012 Georgia Asian Times

FEATURE Bin Laden theories flourish in Pakistan Abbottabad, Pakistan, April 29, 2012 (AFP) - A year after Osama bin Laden’s death, little is known about what the Pakistani authorities knew of his presence, allowing wild theories on what “really” happened to flourish.

Sitting on a rock by his garlic patch in the Bilal Town district of Abbottabad, around 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Islamabad, Zain Mohammad says he wishes people would stop calling him “bin Laden’s neighbor”.

“Bin Laden was not here. His family maybe, but not him. This is just a drama set up by Americans with the complicity of the Pakistani army, which can do anything for money, they are just beggars!” he said.

It is a popular theory in the area. A local journalist says people are simply unwilling to accept such a notorious character was living in their midst.

“The reality is they are ashamed that bin Laden was hiding there while at the same time groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda killed thousands of people all over the country with their suicide bombings,” he said.

On the morning of May 2 last year, the same shame, along with fear, was felt at the highest levels of Pakistan’s all-powerful military, a security source said, reiterating the intelligence service’s line that they knew nothing about bin Laden’s presence in Pakistan -- a theory that has cut little ice in Washington.

The nickname has stuck since last May, when a US special forces raid killed the 9/11 mastermind just a few meters from his house.

He’s not embarrassed, he says, just concerned for the truth. Like almost everyone else in this part of Abbottabad, a quiet town tucked in the foothills of the Himalayas, he doesn’t believe bin Laden was ever there.

But what about the American raid, the gunfire and explosions, the widows and children found in the house?

“I don’t think bin Laden was here.

Only innocent people, with no links with Al-Qaeda or other militant groups, lived there and were martyred,” he said.

Aurangzeb, the head of a local school, is equally confident.

“Military chiefs felt betrayed by the US, who did not tell them before the raid,” the official said.

“There was above all an element of fear among them when they realized that they were unable to control all their units and to know if some of them, linked to militants, helped bin Laden to hide there.”

In a sign of the gravity of the situation, General Shuja Pasha, head of the Inter Services Intelligence agency, made a rare admission in May when he acknowledged failings over bin Laden before parliament.

But he said little more, and the veil once again came down on the bin Laden affair.

For months the army barred all access to the Abbottabad house, before demolishing it suddenly in February,

while the Americans refused to release a single photograph of bin Laden So the rumor mill began to whir: some believe the Americans brought bin Laden alive from Afghanistan and killed him in Abbottabad to smear Pakistan’s reputation. Others insist the Saudi terror mastermind is still alive.

Mystery also surrounds bin Laden’s three widows and children who lived with him in Abbottabad and were held by the Pakistanis after the Americans left them behind.

They were deported from Pakistan to Saudi Arabia on Friday after almost a year in custody, in which they did not make a single public appearance, creating yet more wild rumors.

Last month a retired Pakistani general claimed one of bin Laden’s wives betrayed him to the Americans in a fit of jealousy over a younger wife.

And a week before the deportation, a police officer guarding the house where the family were being held said that one of the wives had given birth a few days earlier -- 11 months after the

death of the presumed father.

Will the full story of bin Laden’s time on the run in Pakistan and who knew about it ever emerge? In a country which seems to specialize in political and military mysteries, it looks unlikely.

The assassins of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, killed more than four years ago, have yet to be brought to justice and the death of military ruler General Zia-ul Haq nearly 25 years ago is still shrouded in mystery.

For the intelligence services, crazy theories serve a useful function, the security official explained.

“For the vast majority of the population, often uneducated, the army prefers to let conspiracy theories flourish instead of using transparency that could bring a greater shame, so people don’t entirely lose faith in the intelligence agencies’ ability to protect them from danger,” he said.

Georgia Asian Times May 1-15, 2012

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HEALTH Indonesia suspends some US beef imports JAKARTA, April 26, 2012 (AFP) - Indonesia suspended imports of boned meat and innards from US beef Thursday but boneless meat remained unaffected, authorities said, after a new case of mad cow disease in California.

US authorities Tuesday reported the country’s first case of mad cow disease in six years. They stressed there was no danger meat from the affected dairy cow would enter the food chain.

“We have decided to stop importing bone meal, innards and boned meat from the United States, but imports of boneless meat will continue,” deputy agriculture minister Rusman Heriawan told AFP. “The suspension starts today, but we don’t know how long it will remain in effect,” he said, adding that shipments en route will not be affected.

The United States supplies only a small volume of Indonesian beef imports, which largely come from Australia and New Zealand.

Beef innards such as liver, kidney, heart and intestines are widely used in Indonesian cuisine, but prime cut boneless meat accounts for a large part of US beef imports.

Last year Indonesia imported 100,000 tonnes of beef from around the world, local media reported, and the United States exported nearly 18,000 tonnes of beef products to Indonesia, valued at $28.2 million, according to figures from the US Meat Export Federation.

Eating berries may slow brain’s decline: study WASHINGTON, April 26, 2012 (AFP) – Women who eat plenty of blueberries and strawberries experience slower mental decline with age than women who consume fewer of the flavonoid-rich fruits, a US study said.

tory properties of berries have a beneficial role in age-related cognitive decline,” said Graham.

“I would advise all my patients, at any age, to eat more berries. Berries are an easy, nutritious and delicious way to preserve brain function.”

Based on a survey of more than 16,000 women who filled out regular questionnaires on their health habits from 1976 through 2001, the findings showed that those who ate the most berries delayed cognitive decline by up to 2.5 years.

Every two years from 1995 to 2001, researchers measured mental function in subjects over age 70, according to the study published in the Annals of Neurology.

“We provide the first epidemiologic evidence that berries may slow progression of cognitive decline in elderly women,” said Elizabeth Devore, a doctor with Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts.

“Our findings have significant public health implications as increasing berry intake is a fairly simple dietary modification to test cognition protection in older adults.”

Devore added that the findings are of particular importance to the aging population, which is on the rise.

The number of Americans aged 65 and older grew 15 percent from 2000 to 2010, according to the US Census.

Robert Graham, an internist at New York’s Lenox Hill Hospital who was not involved with the study, said eating more berries is good idea for people of any age.

“Large epidemiological studies, such as this one, add to the basic science research that the antioxidant and anti-inflamma-

Flavonoids are antioxidants that are found in berries, apples, citrus fruits, tea, red wine and onions, and previous research has shown they may reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

“The current study demonstrates that women who consumed the most flavonoids, especially berries, had a slower cognitive decline over time than women with lower intakes,” said Nancy Copperman, director of public health initiatives at North ShoreLong Island Jewish Health System in New York.

“Increasing our intakes of fruits and vegetables is one of the best ways to live a healthy life.”

US scientist claims to have found elusive G-spot WASHINGTON, April 25, 2012 (AFP) – A US gynecologist claims to have found the G-spot, a supposed pleasure center on the front interior wall of the vagina, but some critics say not so fast.

In a study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine on Wednesday, Adam Ostrzenski said he has confirmed the presence of the G-spot after extracting a tiny “well-delineated sac structure” from inside an 83-year-old cadaver.

“This study confirmed the anatomic existence of the G-spot, which may lead to a better understanding and improvement of female sexual function,” said Ostrzenski, of the Institute of Gynecology in St. Petersburg, Florida.

The journal’s editor-in-chief Irwin Goldstein said the finding “adds to the growing body of literature regarding women’s sexual anatomy and physiology.”

The G-spot, named after German gynecologist Ernst Graefenberg, who first mooted its existence in 1950, is said to be

a highly sensitive area in the vagina that, when stimulated, gives a woman a powerful orgasm.

But where the G-spot is located has been clouded by evidence that is subjective or contradictory, and some experts argue it does not exist.

Critics have cast doubt on the latest finding as well, noting that the supposed G-spot only seems to provide arousal for some women and that its importance may be overstated by sex product marketers.

“It’s a single case study involving the dissection of the body of one woman whose sexual experiences are unknown to us,” sex researcher Debby Herbenick wrote in a critique on the Daily Beast, an online magazine.

“Did she enjoy vaginal penetration? Did she find G-spot stimulation to be pleasurable or erotic or more or less likely to lead to orgasm? We don’t know.”

In 2008, the same journal published an

article by an Italian researcher who used an ultrasound to scan the vaginal area on nine women who claimed to experience vaginal orgasms and 11 who said they did not.

That study concluded that the anatomical feature exists, but that only some women have it. Critics countered that it was unclear whether the purported G-spot was a new structure or simply an extension of the clitoris.

Herbenick insists the verdict is still out, and that the latest finding in itself adds little to the research.

“We don’t know how many women (if any) have similar structures. And we certainly don’t know if the structure has anything to do with G-Spot stimulation, sexual pleasure, erotic sensations or orgasm,” she writes.

“It’s not like body parts come with pre-labeled signs indicating what they are — and calling this structure the ‘G-spot’ doesn’t make it so.”

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May 1-15, 2012 Georgia Asian Times

LIFESTYLE Top Philippine dishes emerge from junk food shadows Angeles city, Philippines, April 25, 2012 (AFP) – Claude Tayag sees himself as a food missionary, hoping to convert people at home and abroad to the secret cuisine wonders of the Philippines.

The Southeast Asian nation’s tablefare has long suffered a poor reputation internationally compared with its regional neighbors.

Across the world, Indian curry houses compete with Vietnamese noodle soup shops or Chinese dim sum restaurants in offering a taste of Asian food, but there are comparatively very few places serving Filipino dishes.

Back home, many locals also undoubtedly prefer their meals fast and cheap — in the style of their former American colonial rulers — with deepfried chicken and hamburger chains dominating the food scene.

But standing in his kitchen over a huge pot of pork bone marrow slowly simmering in a traditional adobo-style mix of vinegar, soy sauce and garlic, Tayag insists Philippine food can “wow” as much as any other in Asia.

“It’s a very misunderstood cuisine.

Firstly, Filipino cuisine is so diverse,” Tayag says as he stirs the pork that he is preparing for dozens of guests who have gathered at his home.

“You cannot explain it in one sentence. You need a whole day, a whole month to talk about it.”

Tayag, an artist, writer and chef, has turned his rustic home a couple of hours’ drive north of Manila into an informal restaurant, where diners feast on a 10-course meal that takes them on a culinary tour of the archipelago.

The lunchtime extravaganza lasts for three hours and one version of his menu starts with an eclectic trio of dips — fermented rice, crab fat and a pesto made from the native pili nut.

It ends with a Filipino version of the Italian panna cotta — made from carabao’s milk, which has a higher fat content and is thus richer than that produced by cows.

In between, grilled chicken is served after being marinated in lemongrass and a local lime-like citrus fruit called calamansi.

Throughout the afternoon diners wash down their food with jugs of icecold tea made from calamansi juice, ginger, lemongrass and honey.

A particular highlight for diners is when they crowd around Tayag to take photos as he prepares a pork dish called sisig that sizzles and pops on a frying pan.

Popular particularly among latenight beer drinkers around the Philippines, sisig is made of finely chopped pigs’ ears and cheeks. Tayag serves it with boiled chicken livers, calamansi extract, white onion, salt and chilli.

Bookings often have to be made weeks in advance for the restaurant that Tayag runs with his effervescent wife, Mary Ann, who entertains the guests as hostess with in-depth descriptions of all the dishes.

Tayag, 55, says his restaurant’s popularity is testament to a small but developing food culture in the Philippines.

“In every major province, there are people like us, working for the preservation and the propagation of slowcooked food,” Tayag says.

“And one can say there’s a rediscovery of Filipino cuisine… it’s come about slowly with the emergence of high-end Filipino restaurants in Manila, but also the cable TV travel and cooking shows. And the food bloggers.”

Indeed, 15 years ago restaurants serving top-end versions of traditional Filipino food were a rarity in Manila,

let alone in out-of-the way locations such as Tayag’s home in Angeles City.

Nowadays — propelled also by a fast-growing middle class — Filipino restaurants are starting to feature much more in the Philippines’ major cities.

Nevertheless, Tayag acknowledges that US-style junk food remains the most popular option for for most of the nearly 100 million Filipinos when they choose to dine out, particularly the poor masses who need cheap options.

“We need to create awareness. We are fast losing our traditional ways… with the onslaught of these fast foods, the malls, and all that. You know, the American lifestyle,” he says.

Tayag, who has written or co-authored three books promoting Filipino food, has won some international recognition for his efforts, with celebrity American chef Anthony Bourdain featuring him on his television show: “No Reservations”.

Bourdain appeared genuinely enthusiastic with Tayag’s varied dishes, and also with a trip to the central Philippine city of Cebu where he tasted one of the country’s favorite meals — whole roasted pig.

Raving about its crispy skin and

juicy meat, Bourdain rated the pork — known as lechon — as the best he had eaten on his many journeys around the world, ranking it just ahead of the version found in Indonesia’s Bali.

For Tayag, such recommendations are proof that the Philippines can one day rate alongside the likes of Thailand and Malaysia as one of Southeast Asia’s famed food destinations.

“You always hear why Filipino cuisine hasn’t made it internationally, like our Asian neighbors. Well basically it’s just not understood very well,” he says.

Asked to describe Filipino food, Tayag says it does not necessarily have the obviously bold, intense flavors like spicy Indian or hot Thai dishes.

“Our flavors are more nuanced… there’s a nuance of sweet, sour, salty and bitter,” he says.

Tayag then explains one of his favorite expressions to describe how people in the Philippines feel when they eat the food they love — linamnam.

Linamnam, which has no direct translation in English, refers to a thrill, an excitement, a tingling sensation.

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May 1-15, 2012 Georgia Asian Times

May Horoscope Dragon (2012 2000 1988 1976 1964 1952 1940 1928 1916 1904) Amazing changes are taking place, yet certain individuals still find the excuse to complain. Get involved in discussions and you may soon become enmeshed in their web of negativity. Challenging as ignoring them may be, perhaps it is your best strategy under the circumstances. Although the pattern is not yet fully revealed, it is increasingly clear that you and those involved will benefit from these changes. So you will want to focus exclusively on what is promising and nothing else for the time being.

Dog (2006 1994 1982 1970 1958 1946 1934 1922 1910) Avoid confrontations with others. Worries may cause mental and physical stress that will cause you to overspend. Be cautious in driving to avoid accidents. Between 4th-17th, your actions will speak louder than words when it comes to romantic or family matters. Show that you care and that you’re willing to put yourself out. The 21st’s New Moon is a brighter tide. There will be new romantic opportunities for the single, and whatever life path you’re on, you’ll get the recognition and respect you deserve.

Snake (2001 1989 1977 1965 1953 1941 1929 1917 1905) Amazing changes are taking place, yet certain individuals still find the excuse to complain. Get involved in discussions and you may soon become enmeshed in their web of negativity. Challenging as ignoring them may be, perhaps it is your best strategy under the circumstances. Although the pattern is not yet fully revealed, it is increasingly clear that you and those involved will benefit from these changes. So you will want to focus exclusively on what is promising and nothing else for the time being.

Pig (2007 1995 1983 1971 1959 1947 1935 1923 1911) Lucky star is shining upon you. Wealth, family and work are all in your favor.

Disregard gossip as this could lead to financial lost. All career Pigs will find new allies and contacts emerging. If you’re in need of fresh employment, try networking to discover opportunities. Pigs on a spiritual path will be granted fresh insight. Listen to your intuition. Remain confident when the 6th’s Full Sleepy Moon throws a few setbacks in your path.

Horse (2002 1990 1978 1966 1954 1942 1930 1918 1906) Hopefully, the range of challenging situations you are facing have convinced you to temporarily abandon your diplomacy for a far more forthright, if not confrontational approach. If you have already defined issues, just be ready to take advantage of essential developments. If not, you will have to think and talk fast, perhaps improvise as things are changing constantly. The ability to handle such scenario without impact may rely on the experience gained from previous events.

Goat (2003 1991 1979 1967 1955 1943 1931 1919 1907) This month’s keywords are inspiration and change, although you may not recognize what events are heading your way. There is a difference between recent developments, which took your plans to a whole new level and things being settled. Reliable arrangements are not just scarce, certain people are complaining. Before the end of the month, those promised changes will take place and silence those complaints.

Monkey (2004 1992 1980 1968 1956 1944 1932 1920 1908) Being quick minded, you generally organize plans swiftly. Now, not only are these refusing to come together, existing arrangements are undoing themselves. That is no surprise, since with the foundation on which they are based shifting radically and often, frequent revisions are inevitable. While frustrating, each is forcing you to explore alternate options, unexpected as they are; ultimately they prove to be exciting after all.

Rooster (2005 1993 1981 1969 1957 1945 1933 1921 1909) Ignoring unspoken issues is not easy, but you have long ago learnt the perils is saying too much or too soon. Timing is of the essence and sometimes one needs to take into consideration the art of saying things. Besides, facts on vital matters are unclear. On the other hand, this can be considered good timing, because what you learn from exploring these now will merge into a useful insight that accompanies the new era. After that, those seemingly random concepts will order themselves obediently.

Rat (2008 1996 1984 1972 1960 1948 1936 1924 1912) While you rather prefer to enjoy change, variety of spice, you want to determine the extent and challenging schedules that lie ahead. Frustratingly, events themselves are dictating, which plans do survive, and more in particular when. Hence you are lumbered with quite a difficult task to decide or select what must go and more importantly any future direction, some of them should convince that what is approaching is so exciting and saying farewell to elements of the past is no loss at all.

Ox (2009 1997 1985 1973 1961 1949 1937 1925 1913) You may not consider yourself as stubborn, until you run into situations in which you must yield to something or somebody more influential than you; as could be the case during this month. Ordinarily you would try to learn more about what is involved. Since time is limited or facts are thin on the ground, you may have limited choice but to proceed and let each day’s experience prepare you for the next. Trying in vain to counter such challenge is likely to cause more grief than finding the appropriate solution. Try you may, but not necessarily get the right answer.

Tiger (2010 1998 1986 1974 1962 1950 1938 1926 1914) If you have learnt from recent sudden changes that what is most disruptive can also end up being most productive, and then this month’s events should not worry you. Usually, you would regard going with the flow as too passive.

However exploring each event as it arises will so broaden your horizons and you will soon be considering options that previously you would have rejected outright. Just do not let personal pride stand in the way, when certain comments made by others are disturbing.

Rabbit (2011 1999 1987 1975 1963 1951 1939 1927 1915 1903) Of the twelve zodiac signs, you are benefiting the most from recent remarkable changes in activities surrounding you. Although you may be short on facts from where you are standing, but your instincts reassure you those changes are brilliant and bring more positive news. If certain timid souls disagree, thank them and then ignore them. If ever there was a time to take chances, this is the moment.

Georgia Asian Times May 1-15, 2012

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