In NYC, Pussy Riot slams conditions in Russia

NEW YORK (AP) ― Americans who will be at the Winter Olympics should look beyond the facilities created for the games and take a hard look at the host country itself, two members of the Russian protest punk band Pussy Riot said Tuesday. Maria Alekhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova made their first public appearance in the United States, arriving to take part in Amnesty International’s “Bringing Human Rights Home” concert on Wednesday in Brooklyn, where they will be introduced by Madonna. The women w

PerformanceFeb. 5, 2014

Oh Kimchi founders keep Korean traditions alive

AUSTIN, Texas ― Even though her mother is from South Korea, Abigail Lunde didn’t really like kimchi growing up.“My mom would put a little bowl of water next to my plate and wash it off for me,” says Abigail Lunde, now 28, of the fermented side dish that almost every Korean (well, 95 percent, according to a recent survey) eats at least once a day. “My mom wanted me to be Americanized,” Lunde says. “We would go back (to South Korea) every few years to visit, but I didn’t understand the culture. I

FoodFeb. 5, 2014

Philippine priests swap sermons for ‘selfies’

MANILA (AFP) ― For some of the Philippines’ most powerful clergymen, stepping off the pulpit and into cyberspace felt impossibly daunting until they took their first “selfies” and posted them on Facebook. Their initial forays into the brave new virtual world took place in a groundbreaking class for 50 of the Philippines’ top bishops and monsignors in Manila earlier last month, part of the Catholic Church’s strategy to remain relevant in the digital age.Sean-Patrick Lovett, a program director wit

CultureFeb. 5, 2014

Pro gamers enjoy celebrity, income from heeding the ‘Call’

CHICAGO ― Matt Haag used to be just another suburban kid going to high school, working at McDonald’s and aggravating his parents by spending endless hours on his Xbox. Today the lanky, dark-eyed 21-year-old is a global celebrity to an enormous number of young people, very few of whom know him as Matt. They call him Nadeshot, master of the virtual submachine gun, a guy who makes a six-figure living playing the video game “Call of Duty.” Haag is among a handful of Chicago-area men who have found a

CultureFeb. 5, 2014

[Photo News] Shared growth

PeopleFeb. 5, 2014

Gender divides into our nightmares

A study has found that women are more likely to dream of interpersonal disputes, while men tend to face war or calamities, the Guardian reported.Antonio Zadra and Genevieve Robert of the University of Montreal collected 9,796 dream reports, written by 572 participants over the course of two to five weeks.They found that interpersonal conflict was twice as frequent in women’s nightmares as men’s. Men were much more likely to report nightmares involving disaster or calamity, such as floods, earthq

Life&CultureFeb. 5, 2014

Scientists develop new technology to curb hair loss

Hair loss or baldness has been a tricky problem for both men and women to tackle since there are only a few choices. (OSEN)The ways are namely hair implant surgery, which is too costly and prone to side effects, and medication, which only slows the process of hair loss.However, a new technology that would allow completely new hair follicle to be formed out of donor dermal cells has been developed by a group of scientists in Taiwan, according to foreign news reports. Scientists have been experime

Life&CultureFeb. 5, 2014

[Graphic News] Domestic tourism in need of a shot in the arm

Domestic tourism remains sluggish a decade after Korea introduced a five-day workweek system, once billed as a golden opportunity for the leisure and tourism sector. Outbound travel, meanwhile, has grown steadily, data from the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sports show. According to the data reported to President Park Geun-hye during a meeting on tourism policies on Monday, the aggregate days that Koreans spent on domestic travel for all of 2012 were 360 million days, little changed from 350

TravelFeb. 4, 2014

Sending money abroad the easy way

For foreigners living in Korea, banking can be easy or an incredibly frustrating experience. And when it comes to sending money overseas, while commission fees on transactions made at the bank vary little, not all Korean banks are the same. On top of this, shopping around is not simple ― a person is only allowed one designated bank for overseas remittances and must go through a transfer process to change to another.But major Korean banks usually offer discounts on remittance services via ATM and

Expat LivingFeb. 4, 2014

Daegu Softball League seeks new players

The Daegu Softball League is seeking new members for its 2014 season. The league was founded by Douglas Karalius, Chris Bolger and Jason Yantorn in 2007.“This is the most fun you will find on an afternoon in Daegu,” Karalius said. “You will make new friends, and have rivalries to talk about all week while you wait for the next game.”The season consists of 10-11 games, depending on the number of participants, and the games will be held each Sunday. The season will run from the end of March until

Expat LivingFeb. 4, 2014

Ringopop Swing jives into social dancing

Ringopop Swing is launching dance lessons this week in Seoul. The name “Ringopop” is based on the bar where the classes will be held, said Omar Myers, the host and instructor of the dance classes.He started the club with Korean cofounder “TZ” to contribute to what he said was a diverse swing community in one of the biggest swing dance scenes in the world. “At the dance lessons, we give people the tools to have fun on the dance floor and through this we enable them to get in touch with a lot of l

Expat LivingFeb. 4, 2014

Looking into ‘Another Way’

For 15 years, poet-turned-photographer Park No-hae roamed alone around uncharted villages and remote settlements in Asia and the Middle East, carrying just a fountain pen and a rusty camera. Now he seeks to share his encounters and revelations with the modernized populace and redefine humanity’s true values.Titled, “Another Way,” Park’s new photo exhibit of 120 carefully selected pictures taken in six countries ― each photo accompanied by a short poem-like caption written by the poet-photographe

CultureFeb. 4, 2014

Movies bring princesses to life on silver screen

The world’s most beloved princesses are coming back to life on the silver screen, played by two Australian actresses who are in fact best friends in real-life: Nicole Kidman and Naomi Watts.Nicole Kidman plays the legendary Grace Kelly (1929-1982) ― the glamorous American movie star who later became Princess of Monaco as the wife of Prince Rainier III ― while Naomi Watts stars as the iconic British princess Diana (1961-1997) who died in a tragic car crash in Paris. Both films, “Grace of Monaco”

FilmFeb. 4, 2014

Spanish theater a crumbling symbol of Tangiers’ rich past

TANGIERS, Morocco (AFP) ― A century after it was built, the Cervantes theater in Tangiers, once a symbol of the famed Moroccan city’s cultural vibrancy, is derelict and risks disappearing altogether, eclipsed by flashy new developments. The 1,400-seat playhouse, just a short distance from the old port, is a masterpiece of early 20th-century Spanish architecture in the once-international city that in its heyday hosted a wealth of colorful characters and communities. But today the blue and yellow

CultureFeb. 4, 2014

Scottish rockers Mogwai to light up Seoul this month

With nearly two decades in the rock music scene, the members of the Glasgow-based post-rock band Mogwai have made a return with their first album in three years and will be performing live in Seoul. The band recently released its eighth studio album, “Rave Tapes,” last month and in its first week, the 10-track album landed at No. 10 on the U.K. Album Charts and No. 2 on the Scottish Album Charts. To follow up their latest release, Mogwai has embarked on a worldwide tour that will bring them to K

PerformanceFeb. 4, 2014

Actor’s death spotlights heroin epidemic

NEW YORK (AFP) ― The shocking death of Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman from a suspected drug overdose has spotlighted a growing epidemic of heroin use across the United States, officials warn.Hoffman, a 46-year-old father of three who was considered one of the finest character actors of his generation, was found lying on his apartment bathroom floor with a needle still stuck in his arm.Empty and full bags of heroin were found in the apartment and while the autopsy will confirm the pre

FilmFeb. 4, 2014