Baristas with mental disabilities brew their way to a brighter futureIn Seoul, a cafe is always within walking distance, offering coffee lovers all kinds of specialties, themes, shapes and sizes, but for the most part the baristas are your average Joe.Sure there may be one or two barista champs or some coffee connoisseurs who brought back the world’s greatest beans from his recent trip to the Amaz

WASHINGTON ― One consequence of the early “war on terror” years was that the lines between CIA and military activities got blurred. The Pentagon moved into clandestine areas that had traditionally been the province of the CIA. Special Forces began operating secretly abroad in ways that worried the CIA, the State Department and foreign governments. The Obama administration is now finishing an effor

BERKELEY ― In the mid-2000s, the United States had a construction boom. From 2003-06, annual construction spending rose to a level well above its long-run trend. Thus, by the start of 2007, the U.S. was, in essence, overbuilt: about $300 billion in excess of the long-run trend in construction spending.When these buildings were constructed, they were expected to more than pay for themselves. But th

Egyptian protesters carry national flags and banners as they call for the replacement of the ruling Armed Forces Council by a civilian council during a rally in the port city of Alexandria, Egypt, May 27, 2011. (Xinhua-Yonhap News)CAIRO (AP) ― Activists and bloggers are pressing Egypt’s military rulers to investigate accusations of serious abuses against protesters, including claims that soldiers

NEW YORK (AP) ― Sarah Palin and Donald Trump exchanged words of admiration Tuesday after a brief meeting at the real estate magnate’s penthouse in a Manhattan skyscraper bearing his name.Palin, the former Republican vice presidential nominee, said she and Trump shared similar ideas for improving the U.S. economy, while Trump called Palin a “terrific woman and a terrific friend” whom he hoped would

LOS ANGELES ― Jeffrey Katzenberg was visiting the University of Southern California recently when a faculty member stopped to chat with him. As the two parted ways, the DreamWorks Animation chief urged him: “Just keep sending me magicians.”The magicians Katzenberg seeks are animators, in high demand as the art form has exploded not only in movies and video games but also arenas such as medical res

Defector makes first movie based on his early life in N. KoreaWhen he was growing up, death was not shocking but ordinary. He saw dead bodies in the street, people being executed in public, and people dying of hunger.North Korean defector Kim Gyoo-min, who has been living in South Korea since 2001, is debuting as a film director with “Winter Butterfly.”Based on a true tragic incident that Kim had

Actor Lee Chun-hee and child actress Kim Sae-ron have been appointed as promotional ambassadors for the 13th Seoul International Youth Film Festival, which begins July 7.The festival has been a venue for youngsters to share their culture through films and media education since 1999. This year, a total of 143 films from 37 countries, featuring stories of youth, children and growing up will be scree

Songwriter Priscilla Ahn says new album written during period of reflectionFolk singer-songwriter Priscilla Ahn has stayed busy since she debuted in 2008 with album “A Good Day” under EMI’s jazz music label Blue Note Records.Often compared with jazz vocalist Norah Jones, who also debuted with the Blue Note Records, Ahn’s beautiful but not-too-pretty tone, unique lyrics and simple acoustic guitar w

NEW YORK (AP) ― Forget the pear-vs.-apple and curvy-vs.-curveless shape charts for a minute. There’s another divide in the two-piece swimwear discussion: What if you actually have to get up and move around instead of lying on the chaise with a cool drink in hand?The runway swimsuits and magazine-shoot bikinis, with their thin straps, triangle bottoms, decorative hardware and high ratio of white fa