Selling more than coffee, cafes double as community-focused cultural hubsYri Cafe co-owner Kim Sang-woo relaxes behind the counter of his joint, exuding the laidback ease of someone who is in his element. Wearing a frayed T-shirt like a uniform, his nonchalant, proprietary slouch makes it evident he runs the place. At one of the tables, a guy dozes off, head down. Another group studies in silence. A slight breeze filters in through the floor-length, antique-style windows. The lowkey vibe suits t

Lamenting thus aloud, Miss Felicia Chin recently called local young men materialistic and shallow. Surprisingly, the actress’ barbs did not elicit much of a furor. In a pro-marriage culture, perhaps her unattached status at 27 is moving her, on this issue at least, nearer to a persona non grata zone. To the degree that marital domesticity is highly valued in a culture, singlehood may be correspondingly disvalued. Because we are brought up in and naturalized to such a world view, we tend to assum

SEATTLE ― One afternoon not long ago, a friend and I were talking at her dining-room table, and I’ll admit it, we were feeling a bit self-righteous.We’d gone bowling with her parents, and we both noticed her mom could barely roll the lightest ball down the alley. She struggled with a lot of other tasks, too. We didn’t think of her as an elderly person. But there she was, looking feeble.“Well,” my friend said, shaking her head, “she doesn’t really exercise.” I nodded knowingly.The way my friend a

Many people worry they have had a stroke when they suddenly experience facial palsy. Unlike a stroke, which is caused by blocked or ruptured blood vessels in the brain, facial palsy (also known as Bell’s palsy) occurs when the nerves of the face muscles become paralyzed. Most cases have benign progress and resolve spontaneously without any treatment.Facial palsy usually takes approximately three to four days to develop and can take up to several weeks or months to recover, but most people recove

The health hazard of diesel engines has long been speculated, but has not yet been an official agenda on scientists’ tables. However, a recent World Health Organization’s decision to name diesel fume a grade-1 cancer-causing substance has shed light on the fuel. According to the WHO International Agency for Research on Cancer, diesel fumes could potentially be as big a public health threat as secondhand smoke, increasing the chances of lung cancer and bladder cancer. “We have studied bus and tax

This image was taken from the 2009 thriller movie Law Abiding Citizen where a father takes revenge for losing his wife and daughter.A young Texas father who beat to death with his fists a man molesting his 5-year-old daughter will not be charged, authorities said Tuesday as they released a dramatic emergency call tape of the dad frantically pleading for help before the hired ranch helper died.A La

Veterinarians at a North Carolina zoo say they are crossing their fingers as a pair of jumbo contact lenses are made for one of their elephants.C’sar nearly went blind at the N.C. Zoo in Asheboro, but cataract surgery saved the day and has the 38-year-old bull African elephant pretty much back to normal after some harrowing months of bumping into things and being unable to eat.　The next step is to fit C’sar with a custom-made set of soft contacts that will not only protect his eyes but also comp

A British woman who stole from her boss to pay for her expensive wedding has been sentenced to 20 months in prison, according to news reports.Kirsty Lane, a 30-year-old newly-wed, swindled over 200,000 pounds (360 million won) from her company which she used on her wedding last year. The wedding spared absolutely no expense, providing matching designer boots for the bridal party and a harpist at the reception, and finishing with a fireworks display.“It was an amazing event, face painting, firewo

Principal of the Roger Clap School Justin Vernon dressed as Lady Gaga.The principal of a Massachusetts elementary school said he dressed as Lady Gaga to make good on a deal with students to read a total of 10,000 books.Justin Vernon, principal of the Roger Clapp School in Dorchester, said he bet his kindergarten through fifth grade students at the start of the school year he would dress as Lady Ga

Korean steel giant POSCO said Wednesday that its late founder and honorary chairman, Park Tae-joon, has been inducted into the American Metal Market’s “Steel Hall of Fame.”Park was recognized with seven other deceased industry leaders at a ceremony on Tuesday at the Sheraton New York Hotel in Manhattan, local time, during the 27th Steel Success Strategies Conference. Also known as the “Steel King,” Park is widely credited for helping his Pohang-based company grow into one of the world’s leading

Chinese singer Li Yuchun was named a goodwill ambassador for the Korea Tourism Organization on Wednesday. According to the KTO, Li will visit famous tourist spots in Korea through Saturday this week as her first mission to promote Korean tourism to the Chinese people. The trip will be filmed and broadcast by Hunan Provinces’ Entertainment Channel. It will also be broadcast live on Weibo, a Chinese equivalent to Twitter, and the KTO’s website introducing Korea’s famous tourist attractions at www.

PARIS (AP) ― It may be the Renaissance equivalent of a royal flush.A hairpin belonging to 16th century French Queen Catherine de Medici has been discovered at a royal residence outside Paris. What has conservators scratching their heads is exactly where it was found: down a communal toilet.Officials said it’s the first time in modern history that a possession of the Renaissance royal has been found at Fontainebleau Palace.Though the queen was renowned across Europe for her lavish jewelry, much o