Rain Still Falling in California After Major Storm Breaks Records

A major Pacific storm that broke records across Southern California and delivered a small measure of relief to the drought-stricken state brought more rain on Wednesday but the danger of major mudslides in wildfire-scarred areas appeared to have passed, officials said.

The sub-tropical storm, which originated in the Pacific Ocean south of Hawaii, was the strongest to hit Southern California since at least February and poured at least an inch (2.5 cm) of rain across a wide swath of the region, and up to four inches (10 cm) in some mountain and foothill areas.

Rainfall records for Dec. 2 dating to the 1960s were broken in downtown Los Angeles, Los Angeles International Airport, Long Beach Airport and communities such as Antelope Valley, Palmdale and Camarillo, National Weather Service meteorologist Eric Boldt said.

The storm also brought much-needed snow to area mountains.

Residents walk past sandbags as rain begins to fall in Glendora, California on Dec. 2, 2014. /Reuters

Boldt said mudslides and flash floods that officials feared in areas where wildfires had left hillsides nearly barren did not materialize because rainfall rates generally remained below the half-inch-per-hour threshold that usually triggers them.

Evacuation orders that were issued for the wildfire areas were largely lifted by early on Wednesday.

California has been in the grip of a record-shattering, multi-year drought that has forced officials to sharply reduce water supplies to farms and prompted drastic conservation measures statewide.

Prior to Tuesday's storm, downtown Los Angeles had recorded a total of only 5.89 inches of rain for 2014, compared to the 15 inches the region receives in a typical year.

Boldt said the storm, the first of California's winter season that typically begins in December, was of some help in long-parched areas but would not be nearly enough on its own to ameliorate the drought.

"Every storm is going to help us but one storm is not going to get us out of the drought," Boldt said. "If we have 10-20 more storms like this one we're going to be looking much better on the drought."

The National Weather Service said the storm was expected to move out of Southern California to the east by the end of Wednesday, although a second, smaller system might bring showers to parts of the state on Thursday.

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Yum Jung-ah Breaks New Ground in Film About Social Issues

Yum Jung-ah

Out of Korea's 18.78 million wage earners in Korea, 6 million are non-regular or contract workers. Now the movie "Cart" by director Boo Ji-young which opened in theaters last week, deals with the plight of supermarket contract workers who face being laid off.

The movie touches on a sensitive topic as big businesses seek to minimize labor costs. Contract workers get lower pay than full-time staff, no job security and fewer or no benefits.

Yum Jung-ah, who plays the lead, has been praised for her portrayal of an ordinary woman. "I hope that this is a chance for others to pay attention to the voices of non-regular workers," she said.

Yum quoted Kim Kang-woo, who plays a supporting part, as saying, "This is the first time that I actually cried watching a movie that I was in." Yum added, "I was one of those people who looked at striking contract workers and wondered why they were protesting so loudly. But when I practically became one of them for a few months, I could understand their anger and frustration."

"Now I can see how difficult it is to be treated unfairly while no one wants to listen to your plight," she said. "I started to look at them from a whole new perspective."

Yum, who is usually cast in glamorous parts, said it wasn't very difficult for her to put herself in the shoes of a housewife in a low-paying job.

When asked how she feels about being in a movie that tackles a hot potato, Yum said, "I had no problems with that. It was other people who seemed to worry. I always listen to my husband, and while he doesn't like me being in movies or soaps with a lot of smooching, he was really supportive this time."

She said she was thankful to see the movie drawing so much attention to the issue of contract workers. "My hope is that viewers will feel compelled to take a closer look at the issue. I hope that my choice to be in the movie will pay off."

View the original article here

Yum Jung-ah Breaks New Ground in Film About Social Issues

Yum Jung-ah

Out of Korea's 18.78 million wage earners in Korea, 6 million are non-regular or contract workers. Now the movie "Cart" by director Boo Ji-young which opened in theaters last week, deals with the plight of supermarket contract workers who face being laid off.

The movie touches on a sensitive topic as big businesses seek to minimize labor costs. Contract workers get lower pay than full-time staff, no job security and fewer or no benefits.

Yum Jung-ah, who plays the lead, has been praised for her portrayal of an ordinary woman. "I hope that this is a chance for others to pay attention to the voices of non-regular workers," she said.

Yum quoted Kim Kang-woo, who plays a supporting part, as saying, "This is the first time that I actually cried watching a movie that I was in." Yum added, "I was one of those people who looked at striking contract workers and wondered why they were protesting so loudly. But when I practically became one of them for a few months, I could understand their anger and frustration."

"Now I can see how difficult it is to be treated unfairly while no one wants to listen to your plight," she said. "I started to look at them from a whole new perspective."

Yum, who is usually cast in glamorous parts, said it wasn't very difficult for her to put herself in the shoes of a housewife in a low-paying job.

When asked how she feels about being in a movie that tackles a hot potato, Yum said, "I had no problems with that. It was other people who seemed to worry. I always listen to my husband, and while he doesn't like me being in movies or soaps with a lot of smooching, he was really supportive this time."

She said she was thankful to see the movie drawing so much attention to the issue of contract workers. "My hope is that viewers will feel compelled to take a closer look at the issue. I hope that my choice to be in the movie will pay off."

View the original article here