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The amber gleam of yakgwa, South Korea’s “it” cookie

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:17 GMT

By Eric Kim, The New York TimesOnce, when chef Junghyun Park was young, his cousin brought a piece of fresh honeycomb over to his house in Seoul.Park’s mother cherished it, as fresh honey was coveted for its health properties in South Korea, and doled it out only when someone got sick. Stirred into a mug of hot water with a little ginger, the honey made fine tea. “We were drinking it almost like medicine,” Park said.Perhaps no Korean dish represents the value of honey more than the ancient dessert yakgwa, a deep-fried honey cookie soaked in syrup. Yakgwa (“yak” means medicine and “gwa” means confection) is more than a vessel for coveted sweetness. It connects generations and tells the story of Korea’s reverence for tradition and optimism for the future.Enjoyed since the Goryeo dynasty (918-1392), these treats have seen a resurgence in popularity in South Korea and beyond, thanks in part to videos on YouTube and TikTok, and Korean dramas like the Netflix series “Alchemy of Souls.”Sou...

European Parliament meeting: MEPs called for stricter policies on Iranian regime & support for Iranian people’s uprising

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:17 GMT

Today (21 September), members of the European Parliament from various political groups held a meeting titled, “One year after Mahsa Amini's death: the situation in Iran.” Participants called for stricter policies on the Iranian regime, including blacklisting of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and imposing comprehensive sanctions to force the Iranian regime to stop its ongoing crimes against Iranian protesters, its export of terrorism, missiles and drones and its nuclear ambitions. The meeting held at the European Parliament, in Brussels marking the 1st anniversary of the protests in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini, provided a platform to discuss the ongoing struggle for freedom and women's rights in Iran.It was organized by The Parliament Magazine and focused on the EU's role in supporting the Iranian people, particularly women, addressing the destructive activities of Iranian intelligence services in Europe and discussing the ongoing uprising in Iran.The panel...

Massage parlor patron shoots robber during holdup

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:17 GMT

A would-be robber was shot while trying to steal from employees and customers of a massage parlor in Riverside Wednesday night.At about 9:45 p.m., two robbers entered a massage business in the 10400 block of Magnolia Avenue, according to Officer Ryan Railsback of the Riverside Police Department.The pair tried to rob employees and customers, but one patron opened fire, hitting one of the thieves, Railsback said. A handgun could be seen in the parking lot just outside the parlor's entrance.The two then fled, though the wounded robber was found nearby suffering from a gunshot wound and was taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition.The other robber is still outstanding, police said.No injuries were reported at the business.Nancy Fontan contributed to this report.

Clippers going all-in on local talent

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:17 GMT

Los Angeles is not just part of the Clippers’ name, it’s also a philosophy.Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, and now veteran Russell Westbrook are among the key players whose roots are firmly planted in the L.A. area. KTLA’s David Pingalore looks at how these stars see SoCal chemistry as essential to their success this season. Aired Sept. 21, 2023.

CA orders bottled water company to stop drawing from some San Bernardino Mountain springs

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:17 GMT

California regulators on Tuesday ordered the company that owns Arrowhead bottled water to stop using some of the natural springs it has relied on for more than a century, a victory for community groups who have said for years that the practice has drained an important creek that is a habitat for wildlife and helps protect the area from wildfires.Arrowhead bottled water traces its roots to a hotel at the base of the San Bernardino Mountains that first opened in 1885 and began selling bottled spring water from its basement in 1906. But environmental and community groups say the company has never had permission to take water from the springs, which flow through the San Bernardino National Forest on public lands.On Tuesday, after eight years of wrangling that included dozens of hearings, the State Water Resources Control Board agreed that BlueTriton — the company that owns the Arrowhead brand — does not have permission to use the water and ordered them to stop. The order does not ban th...

Steve Martin and Jimmy Kimmel cancel shows due to COVID-19

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:17 GMT

Some big names were set to perform in Las Vegas before some unfortunate medical news sidelined plans. Steve Martin and Martin Short were scheduled to perform a high-profile showroom gig at the Wynn Las Vegas this weekend. However, Martin revealed the duo had to cancel due to some crewmembers testing positive for COVID-19. Steve Martin, left, and Martin Short at the 74th Emmy Awards on Sept. 12, 2022 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. (Photo by Al Seib/Invision for the Television Academy/AP Images)"Dear fans and enemies," the comedian posted to X, formerly Twitter. "Unfortunately, our sold-out shows at the Wynn in Las Vegas this Friday and Saturday has to be postponed because of rampant COVID in our crew and one other essential guy."The show has been rescheduled to mid-December, according to Martin. He said fans' tickets would be honored and jokingly wrote that a $9,000 "date-moving tax" would be tacked on.COVID-19 has also affected another group of comedians. Strikeforce 3, th...

Books: Barbara Browning’s The Miniaturists Contains Tiny Multitudes

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:17 GMT

The Miniaturists, a book by the scholar, novelist, and multimedia artist Barbara Browning, orbits tiny things and the people who study or make them — from the forensic dollhouses of Frances Glessner Lee to the termite studies of William Morton Wheeler to the miniature literary creations of Jonathan Swift and Lewis Carroll. About the size of a hand-sewn face mask, the book marries academic rigor and a highly individuated sense of playful intelligence. Even though The Miniaturists is not a “fictocritical” novel — a term for works that smudge the boundaries between fiction, critical theory, and autobiography — or a transdisciplinary project on the scale of her earlier novels, such as I’m Trying to Reach You or The Gift, it is continuous with those works in its exploration of queerness and interpersonal intimacies.In The Gift, Browning’s breakout, semi-autobiographical novel, the narrator speculates that queer writing is less about mapping “non-normative sex acts or the people who engag...

The nearly 500 Californians killed in the 1928 St. Francis Dam disaster might finally get a memorial

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:17 GMT

Phillip Cesena transferred to San Franciscquito Canyon in February 1928 to work as a ranch hand, mucking out stalls and exercising ranch animals.Phillip Cesena, 15, showing off his trick riding he learned while working on a ranch in San Francisquito Canyon in early March 1928. (historical photo courtesy of Dianne Erskine-Hellrigel) The 15-year-old had just lost his father, Leonardo, and wanted to support his mother, Erolinda, and his 12 brothers and sisters by learning how to break horses and perform trick riding for Hollywood westerns.A month later, Cesena’s fate was sealed.The St. Francis Dam burst, sending 12.6 billion gallons of water 15 stories high racing through Santa Clarita, Saugus, Saticoy, Piru, Fillmore and Santa Paula.The water wiped out villages and killed about 450 people before reaching the ocean near Oxnard some 54 miles away.Cesena is buried in an unmarked grave near the dam site, next to his mother.Like so many others who perished when the dam collapsed on Ma...

Melo’s Pizza owners open new Italian restaurant in Walnut Creek

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:17 GMT

The doors of a new Italian eatery offering pizza, pasta, cocktails and more in Walnut Creek are now open.Melo’s Italian Table, by the same family business that operates four Melo’s Pizza and Pasta locations in Pleasant Hill, Brentwood, Livermore and Danville, officially opened Sept. 18.Founder Gaetano Piccolo hails from the Calabria region of southern Italy, where he was born and lived until he was 6 years old, when his family immigrated to the U.S. His family was always in the restaurant business, he explains. He and his brother, Carmelo, opened their first Melo’s Pizza and Pasta location in Pleasant Hill in 1971, and Piccolo took on the business a decade later, expanding it to what is now four additional locations.The new Walnut Creek restaurant, located at 1360 Locust St., offers a full bar with Italian craft cocktails, plus a selection of appetizers, salads, sandwiches, white and red sauce-based pizzas, pastas and desserts.Melo’s Italian Table takes over ...

How 49ers fans in the Bay Area can watch tonight’s game on TV

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:17 GMT

For most Thursday Night Football games this season, Bay Area NFL fans will need Amazon Prime in order to stream the game.But with the 49ers set to host the New York Giants, tonight’s game will be on regular television, too.In the San Francisco television market, KTVU (FOX, Ch. 2) will simulcast the 49ers’ home opener, with coverage starting on the network at 5 p.m. and kickoff set for 5:15 p.m.KTVU won’t show Amazon’s pregame coverage but will have a postgame show. Fans looking for a pregame show can turn to NBC Sports Bay Area, which will broadcast its weekly “49ers Pregame” show from 4-5 p.m.NBC Sports Bay Area’s usual “49ers Postgame” show will be televised live on NBC Sports Bay Area Plus after the game because the Giants-Dodgers game will be airing on the main channel. The “49ers Postgame” show replayed on the main channel after Giants coverage ends.The game against the New York Giants will be the first of two Thursday games for the 49ers this season. The next one will ta...