The Korea Times

Man cages his head to quit smoking

Ibrahim YucelA Turkish man, Ibrahim Yucel, crafted a medieval-style head cage to quit smoking, according to the Huffington Post. Every morning, he locks his head in the cage and gives the key to his wife so he won't give in to his addiction at work.The 42-year-old from Kutahya says on a YouTube video posted July 2 that he's been trying to quit since his father died of lung cancer. He's been smoking two packs a day for more than 20 years. But he kept failing in his attempts to kick the habit, according to the International Business Times.He came up with the idea to cage his head after he saw a motorcycle helmet, and used more than 130 feet of copper wire to fashion the contraption. In the video.Yucel swears an oath to his family, Allah and the Qur'an to quit smoking. His wife says she was initially embarrassed by the idea, but now supports him because he's serious about the project.Yucel can breathe and see, but he can't get his hands anywhere near his head, the New York Daily News reported. He is also able to eat crackers and sip water through the wires. 

Jul 10, 2013By Lee Kyung-min

Others

Return to Hyde Park

M i c k Jagger of Rolling Stones performs at British Summer Time at Hyde Park in London, Saturday./ AP-Yonhap

Jul 8, 2013By Lee Kyung-min

World

'Evil spirit' scam plagues Asian Immigrants in US

A group of Chinese in the U.S. fell victim to self-proclaimed spiritual healers’ scam, according to the New York Police. They allegedly preyed on the fear and superstition. “Your son will die in a car accident. He is cursed,” some of them said.Many Chinese women gave money after the ominous comment. Reasons varied. To ward off evil spirits, or to bring good luck to the family or to heal a sick child.  Money was the ultimate cure-all, they insisted. New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne said their know-how to play to their emotional vulnerability was the core of the grafts."They know the culture, they know how to talk to these victims to get them to listen," he said. The “healer” then convinced the victim saying that “to ward off impending evil, she must hand over valuables in a bag to be blessed,” according to the police investigation.Similar scams occurred in other places in the U.S. with large Asian communities, such as Boston, Seattle, Chicago, and in Hawaii. Police there called the scams an organized crime ring.The distric

Jul 8, 2013By Lee Kyung-min

'Evil spirit' scam plagues Asian Immigrants in US

Tech & Science

Chocolates to be possible cancer detectors

Chocolate, fizzy drinks and other sugar-laden foods could soon be used to detect cancer, reported Daily Mail. Scientists have developed a technique that identifies the disease by tracking how sugar is absorbed by the body. Malignant tumors consume much more glucose – a simple sugar – than healthy tissues in order to feed their rapid growth.By adjusting an MRI scanner to look for glucose uptake, researchers at University College London discovered tumors glowed brightly during imaging, after something sweet had been consumed. The breakthrough provides a safer and simpler alternative to standard radioactive techniques, and could be available in as little as 18 months. Due to the need for radiation, the current method of scanning is not recommended for pregnant women and children, and only available at a limited number of larger hospitals and specialist centers. In contrast, MRI facilities are commonplace, meaning less travel for patients. And as there are no adverse effects from the technique, it can be used on a frequent basis to track whether a cancer is responding to ther

Jul 8, 2013By Lee Kyung-min

Chocolates to be possible cancer detectors

World

Man put heroin in baby's bottle to calm him down, killing him

A Philadelphia man charged with putting heroin and methadone in his infant son's bottle to quiet him, which killed him, was convicted Tuesday of third-degree murder, reported The Huffington Post.Orlando Rosado, 46, did not testify at the one-day trial, but the defense said Rosado accidentally put the drugs in the baby's bottle during a heroin relapse.His son, Christopher, died two days shy of his first birthday in May 2012.Common Pleas Judge Barbara McDermott said she based her verdict in the nonjury trial partly on Rosado's conduct afterward, when he gave changing statements to the police, including an attempt to blame the death on his 5-year-old daughter."I was appalled when I heard that," McDermott said. Yet McDermott says she knows Rosado regrets his actions.He told the police his son was "his heart and soul." Medical records show Christopher was healthy, if small for his age, and there was no evidence of prior abuse or neglect.Photographs show the house was neatly kept, and the boy's mother said Rosado handled overnight feedings and boiled water to make the formula. And a friend

Jul 5, 2013By Lee Kyung-min

World

Recorded evidence saves a man from sex offender stigma

Mohammed Asif A man saved himself from sex offender suspicion with recorded evidence in London. Mohammed Asif, 34, offset the claim of Astria Berwick, 27, that he sexually harassed her at knifepoint in his cab.After her claim, he was arrested with handcuffs at his home. He spent a day in a cell until the police discovered her lies. She is now in a jail with 16-month-term. Asif said that without the Samsung Galaxy S2’s voice recorder he would have been the one in jail.The father of two said, “I was crying in the cell. I told them there was a recording on my phone.” The police played the file, and let him go free. He finds her sentence too short for the emotional distress he’s suffered. “My son is 14 and my daughter is 8. They were crying, and asked me why I had been arrested. She should have had three or four years at the very least. Now I am terrified if I see a lady customer.”He suspects that Berwick got mad over the taxi fare. He said that she argued £17 (29,000 won) was too expensive. At the destination, she went to ATM to withdr

Jul 5, 2013By Lee Kyung-min

Recorded evidence saves a man from sex offender stigma

South Korea

Hit-and-run suspects arrested

By Lee Kyung-min The police have arrested hit-and-run suspects who rendered a pedestrian a cripple.A woman, surnamed Yoo, 20, just had her brand-new driver’s license, and was driving with her boyfriend next to her on May 5.She hit a drunken man who was sitting on the street in Jeongneung in Seoul around 3 a.m.The victim was dragged 20 meters caught between the front wheel and the chassis, according to the police.The couple got out of the car, and saw the man unconscious. Fearing for the punishment, they fled the scene.The victim was left there with a good pound of his arm and leg gone, and his rib broken.Another pedestrian found the victim and hurried him to the hospital. He didn’t die but was pronounced disabled, the police said.Police found an s-shaped plastic initial at the scene. They went through CCTV (closed circuit television) footage and concluded that a 1998-SM5 was the car model.Visiting every 198 registered SM5s near the area led to the successful conclusion of the case. It took them 50 days.Although the driver and her boyfriend admitted to their crimes, t

Jul 5, 2013By Lee Kyung-min

World

Drinking Mirror app to deter drinking

Before and after photos of women who used mobile app Drinking Mirror.By Lee Kyung-minThe Scottish Government launched a free mobile app Drinking Mirror to curb excessive alcohol consumption and worsening health problems.The Drinking Mirror app illustrates how fast people might get old by alcohol consumption. The new app comes as part of a Drop a Glass Size in 2013 Campaign Upon entering a drinking habit and their current photo, an image pops up simulating what they might look in ten years. The photo details forehead wrinkles, bloodshot eyes, and saggy jowls. This app might work as a major deterrent to women who fear old-looking since they see how drinking compromises their beauty, experts say. “Alcohol undoubtedly has an effect on our appearance in the short and long-term.  As well as causing bloating and dark circles under your eyes, alcohol dries out skin and can lead to wrinkles and premature aging,” said Dr. Samantha Robson. “Many people forget that alcohol also affects their sleep, which doesn’t do skin any favors.

Jul 4, 2013By Lee Kyung-min

South Korea

National pension will be depleted by 2050

By Lee Kyung-minNational pension will be depleted by 2050, according to a report released on Tuesday.The estimated profit margin was overrated since the committee’s calculation based itself on an overestimated target rate, according to Prof. Won Seung-yeon at Myongji University.He presented his findings yesterday in a forum discussing and assessing pension fund management at the National Assembly Hall.“Based on the new calculation, the money will be gone faster than expected,” he added.To meet the target profit margin, the fund would have to risk the loss, which will infuriate subscribers depending on the money to be collected after retirement.“Risky management is a choice. Whatever decision the committee makes, it shouldn’t cause confusion or distrust among the people,” he added.However, the pension management committee differs. “In a long-term perspective, he is too pessimistic if he estimates the profit margin stays only around one percent, barely offsetting the national growth rate and inflation,” said an official from the committee

Jul 3, 2013By Lee Kyung-min

South Korea

Public school part-timers less driven

Incentives to become regular employees motivate part-time school instructors, a study showed Monday.In a report by the Korean Economic Association, researcher Cho Hyun-gook compared test scores of part-timers at 41 public schools and 50 private ones. He came to these conclusions.Private schools select their employees on their own and part-timers knew that. Working hard and proving their ability could be the gateway to their job stability. They had full incentives to make the effort. Driven teachers’ work bore out high scores in students’ tests.However, cases for public schools were the opposite. The education office assigns teachers, so whatever job they do in public schools doesn’t reflect on the possibility of becoming regular employees. They lacked motivation, and students’ score didn’t change.He said a one-percentage-point increase in the number of part-time instructors meant a 0.6-percentage-point decrease in English test scores in public schools but a 0.2-percentage-point increase in private schools.“Unlike language, math scores don’t s

Jul 3, 2013By Lee Kyung-min

Lee Kyung-min

Read more

Man cages his head to quit smoking

Return to Hyde Park

'Evil spirit' scam plagues Asian Immigrants in US

Chocolates to be possible cancer detectors

Man put heroin in baby's bottle to calm him down, killing him

Recorded evidence saves a man from sex offender stigma

Hit-and-run suspects arrested

Drinking Mirror app to deter drinking

National pension will be depleted by 2050

Public school part-timers less driven

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