South Korea

Korean Kids Get Kicked Out of McDonald's for $250 Fry Fracas

McDonald's locations in Japan and South Korea recently dramatically reduced the cost of a large order of fries. The result? French fry parties where hordes of teenagers descend on the golden arches with cash and a desire to create some low-grade mayhem. See Also: --In-N-Out Burger, McDonald's Fries ... More >>

Godzilla and Flowers: The Films of Kim Jong-il

The 10 Most WTF Moments of 2012

Election years tend to carry more chaos then normal ones, but there was something else going on in 2012. Maybe it's the aura of apocalypse made people a little stranger this year. We had the Syrian Civil War, the Aurora Shooting, Israel being dicks to Gaza and vice versa, Mitt Romney was treated l ... More >>

Your Past Lives Probably Didn't Love Cloud Atlas Either

John McCain and Jon Kyl Named Among the "Worst of the Worst" for America's Middle Class

According to a group that calls itself a "strategy center for the progressive movement," Senators John McCain and Jon Kyl are the worst for the proverbial middle class.They're actually in a 19-way tie among Senators for being the "worst of the worst," which, as you can imagine coming from a progress ... More >>

Tastemaker No. 1

From now 'til we publish the 2012 edition of Best of Phoenix, New Times and Chow Bella present 100 Tastemakers -- Valley residents who make the cut in our culinary scene. Some you'll know; for others, it'll be a first introduction (but likely not the last). While you're here, check out our 100 Creat ... More >>

Tong Soo Chung, Prominent Korean Lawyer, Behind Matinee Energy Solar-Power Fraud in Arizona, Lawsuit Says; Matinee Also Faces 2nd Suit by Chinese Panel Maker

Tong Soo Chung, a prominent South Korean lawyer and former public official, is behind an alleged fraud committed by Tucson's Matinee Energy solar company, a lawsuit states. Our April 12 feature article on Matinee Energy explained why its highly touted plans to build a major solar-panel farm in Bens ... More >>

In Celebration of the Best Metal Documentaries

See also: Metallica at Outside Lands: The Five Best Parts of the Band's Fiery San Francisco Show See also: The 10 Most Ridiculous Claims Made By Dave Mustaine of Megadeth See also: Lamb of God's Randy Blythe Set Free; Five Finger Death Punch Weighs InHeavy metal fans are a tenacious bunch. Plenty o ... More >>

We Spoke to Lamb of God's Chris Adler Before the Band's Future Was Up in the Air

Like any band, Lamb of God has had their ups and downs: Drugs, booze, strife, you know, rock 'n' roll. In 2012 Virginia metal titans released their seventh studio album, Resolution, to great reviews. The band announced that it was shooting a tour document as they supported the album on the road, ... More >>

Johnny Tapia, Tortured Professional Boxer Beloved To Many, Died This Weekend

It was October 1989 when we went to the Arizona State Fair for a boxing card that included our friend Michael Carbajal, then an up-and-comer straight from the Olympic Games in South Korea one year earlier. On the undercard was a 22-year-old from Albuquerque who weighed in at 115 pounds, about ten ... More >>

More Combat Veterans Are Falling Prey to Gambling Addictions

Solar Firm Matinee Energy is Full of Hot Air

Matinee Energy Distances Itself From Shady Founder, but Questions Remain in Plans to Build Several Large Solar-Power Plants in Arizona

Matinee Energy, a company with plans to build several large solar-power plants in Arizona, says a founder who once ran a bogus gold-mining scheme no longer has a role in the firm. Yet many questions remain about the mystery company, which reportedly has contracts with Hyundai Heavy and KEPCO KDN, t ... More >>

Keep Drawing

One new idea for every day in 2011. We're talking big, small, local, international, in action, and on the drawing board. Here's today's -- what's yours?​Just for a minute (and 20 seconds), forget the crumpled papers in the trash bin and torn pages from your sketch book and press play o ... More >>

What the Heck is Bibim Bap?

​Tired of the same old tired orange chicken and California rolls? Want to venture beyond the standard suburban-stale take-out? Here comes Chop PHX, with the Valley's rarer Asian offerings. This Week: Bibim Bap from Hodori 1116 S. Dobson, Mesa. Bibim Bap the Culinary Ambassador of Korea: We revie ... More >>

Eastbound & Down: 13 Killer Songs Featured in Season Two

"If at first you don't succeed then maybe you just suck."​ I hated Eastbound & Down when I first started watching it. The show's protagonist, Kenny Powers, portrayed by Danny McBride, was just so utterly unlikable. I couldn't get behind him, even as an anti-hero. He was just too racist, sexist ... More >>

How Natalie Morris Went to Italy and Came Back a Vegetarian

We knew that last year's Big Brain award winner, Natalie Morris, was back in town but she recently shared with us a little secret that we almost couldn't believe. After eating her way around the world -- trying foods like Tibetan yak cheese and Icelandic preserved shark -- she came back from Italy o ... More >>

Ask a Mexican on Mexico's Bottom-Rung First World Status and the Nation's Own Manifest Destiny

Ask the Cook: Where Can I Buy Black Garlic?

This week's question: Where can I find Black Garlic? Black garlic has been touted as a top food trend and a super health food, and it's been featured on Top Chef and Iron Chef episodes. Yet it remains an obscure ingredient, not easily sourced even at specialty food stores or Asian markets in Ph ... More >>

Dlubak Recycling Company Violates Standards in Yuma, Spreads Lead, Says DEQ; E-Waste Going to South Korea, Not Philippines

  Lead-contaminated glass at the Yuma location of Dlubak Glass recycling company is being shipped to South Korea, not the Philippines, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality now reports. Mark Shaffer, spokesman for the agency, tells us state officials named the wrong ... More >>

Get Ready for Red Mango Frozen Yogurt

Tangy non-fat frozen yogurt, a trend spawned by food-savvy South Koreans, has flourished here for a couple of years, but I've always found it odd that some of the big-name fro-yo companies (Pinkberry, for example) haven't entered the Arizona market. We have a five-month-long ... More >>

Sweet 17

Valley rockers Colorstore provide more than a dozen reasons why they won't be closing up shop anytime soon

The Soaring Soviet Sweetie

Hail Marry

In any language, this upbeat musical means “’80s pop”

Frozen yogurt makes its cultural comeback

17 Reasons Why Valley Rockers Colorstore Won't Be Closing Up Shop Anytime Soon

Korean Score

Iraq's Cinema of Longing

A conversation with director James Longley

Thai Me Up

Siam what Siam

Caught on Disc

Finding ultraviolence on DVD, and old-school punk on CD

Seoul Survivors

Lemons picks his hypothetical "last meal"

Savory Seoul

Beef-a-licious BBQ, Korean-style

The World According to Kim

Korean director transforms social philosophy into visual poetry

Kreator

The German band comes to the Valley

Pod Squad

Korean artist Lee Bul's karaoke pods will make you feel like you're in orbit

I'll take care of your kids!

For troubled 'tweens, forget the parents: Nothing beats the hip techie uncle with the PC room

Where the Heart Isn't

The Way Home is paved with canned sentiment

For the Love of Jamie

Cheryl Moore expected a healthy baby to come off the plane from Korea. She got Jamie instead. And then she and her family made a surprising choice.

Russian Roulette

The Western Pacific gray whale, once thought extinct, clings to life in a remote Siberian sea. Biologists fear their research is providing cover for massive oil drilling that threatens to wipe out this lost tribe once and for all.

Posse Galore

Staking out Maricopa County's wildest political race -- to unseat Sheriff Joe Arpaio

Bordering on Exploitation

A couple hours from Phoenix, tens of thousands of Mexicans work on maquiladora assembly lines for $1 an hour, making the toys and tools of American convenience. Critics say the maquila system lets U.S. corporations maximize profits on the backs of Third W

The Asia Consent

A Long Day's Journey

As a promising amateur boxer, Michael Carbajal set lofty but simple goals. Ten years later, he's achieved them. What makes him fight on?

What's the Mig Deal?

A Valley company finds a thriving market for used Soviet-bloc fighter jets

Putting at Windmills

Lifestyles of the rich and famous (of miniature golf)

FUN IN THE 122 DEGREE SIGN SUN

ULYSSES SANCHEZ WANTS TO TAKE PHOENIX FOR A RIDE. AND HIS DREAM OF A $200 MILLION THEME PARK IN THE DESERT MAY NOT BE AS CRAZY AS IT SOUNDS.

CART IN THE ACT

LOOK HOMEWARD ANGELCYCLE ICON SONNY BARGER KICK-STARTS LIFE AS A FREE MAN BY VIOLATING PAROLE

FROM RUSSIA WITH GLOVE

RUDY USED TO BE A RED ARMY PARATROOPER NOW HE AND HIS COMRADES ARE MAKING BASEBALL HISTORY IN MESA.

WHY JAPAN DOES IT BETTER