The Korea Herald

[Dick Polman] Seven reasons why odds favor Obama

ViewpointsApr 14, 2011

Hey, President Obama has formally announced his re-election bid! I’ve added the exclamation mark to help ratchet up the excitement.It has been a long and difficult slog since Inauguration Day, so I’m going to assume that the looming inevitability of another presidential campaign is about as welcome as the prospect of trace radioactive elements in your milk. Still, attention must be paid. If you’re
[Brahma Chellaney] The geopolitical message from Libya’s upheaval

ViewpointsApr 14, 2011

NEW DELHI ― Will “mission creep” in the West’s intervention in Libya end up creating, inadvertently, a jihadist citadel at Europe’s southern doorstep?Of course, the Western powers must be applauded for their efforts, with the support of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, to prevent a slaughter of Libya’s civilian population. The democratic world should never stand by idly while a tyrant uses mili
Western, Arab nations say Gadhafi must go

World NewsApr 14, 2011
Spent fuel rods add to trouble at nuke plant

World NewsApr 14, 2011

High radioactivity in water may be result of damage to fuel rods and debrisTOKYO (AP) ― The operator of Japan’s tsunami-flooded nuclear power complex was seeking ways Thursday to pull damaged spent fuel rods out of a storage pool at one of its reactors, citing surging radiation and elevated temperatures as worrisome signs.The troubling signals at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex come as frust
Household goods infested with bacteria

ScienceApr 14, 2011

A great number of harmful microbes are found in fiber-made goods such as pillows, dolls by a study. (Yonhap News)Household goods made of fiber are shown to be the most ridden with bacteria, according to a study made public Tuesday by Prof. Cheon Jong-sik of the Department of Biotechnology at Seoul National University. Cheon found evidence of a greater number of harmful microbes in fiber-made goods
Rome’s bloody, art-loving emperor Nero in new show

TheaterApr 14, 2011

ROME (AFP) ― It’s safe to say that the Emperor Nero ― the subject of a major new exhibition and archaeology trail that opened in the Roman Forum this week ― has always had something of an image problem.He has gone down in the history books as the man who had his domineering mother Agrippina killed, kicked his pregnant wife Poppaea to death and ― as legend would have it ― played his lyre on a hill
Impressions of Norway at Samgakji Station

Foreign affairsApr 14, 2011

The Norwegian Embassy has opened a photo presentation at Samgakji Station that will run for three years. The images aim to offer passengers something to rest their eyes on while also promoting awareness of Norway.When asked about Norway, many people will only think of two things: it is cold, and it is expensive. “Both of which are only half true: How cold it is depends on where in Norway you go,”
Silla’s millennium story unfolds at Gyeongju World Culture Expo

TravelApr 14, 2011

During the summer and autumn, North Gyeongsang Province and Gyeongju city will host an international cultural event to tell the story of Silla Kingdom (B.C. 57-A.D. 935), one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea.Under the theme “The Story of Millennium ― Love, Light and Nature,” the 6th Gyeongju World Culture Expo will be held for 60 days from Aug. 12 to Oct. 10 at the Gyeongju World Culture Expo Park a
Royal books finally come home

CultureApr 14, 2011

Joseon-period manuscripts return to Seoul on loan 145 years after they were looted by the FrenchThe first batch of Korea’s ancient royal books, looted by the French army in the late 19th century and kept by France until recently, arrived in Seoul on Thursday afternoon, their ownership still remaining in the hands of France.The 75 books of “Uigwe,” or manuscripts for royal protocols created during
The Radio Dept. to make Korean debut

MusicApr 14, 2011

Landing fresh from a performance at California’s Coachella music festival, Swedish indie pop band The Radio Dept. are to play their first ever Korean gig next week. The band, whose music was featured in Sofia Coppola’s “Marie Antoinette,” are excited to play for their fans here, singer Johan Duncanson told The Korea Herald by phone from a recording space in Stockholm, in the midst of rehearsals fo
Tiger Woods gives golf clinic

GolfApr 14, 2011

Decked out in his patented red shirt, black slacks and black cap, Tiger Woods on Thursday treated a half-dozen South Korean junior golfers to the lesson of their lifetime.Making his first trip to South Korea since 2004, Woods offered tips on hitting drivers, long irons and wedges, and then on putting for the six young golfers at Jade Palace Golf Club here, about 85 kilometers east of Seoul. The fo
Docs choose riskier care than patients

HealthApr 14, 2011

CHICAGO (AP) ― Physicians may choose riskier treatment for themselves than they’d recommend for their patients, according to a study that highlights a need for candid discussions about patients’ preferences.The findings are important because patients faced with difficult medical decisions often ask their doctors, “What would you do?” The answer reflects the doctors’ values ― not necessarily those
U.S. FDA to review artificial colorings

HealthApr 14, 2011

Red No. 40 and other artificial dyes have increasingly become scarlet letters (and numbers) to parents who read food labels. Some believe that these common food, drug and cosmetic dyes can exacerbate behavioral disorders in children, as well as possibly contribute to allergies and cancers.The FDA, after long stating that no scientific evidence conclusively links the petroleum-based colorants to hy
Spring’s here ― don’t let the insects bug you

HealthApr 14, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) ― It’s that time of year when the bugs emerge to bug us.Some can pose real threats ― Lyme disease from tiny ticks, West Nile virus from mosquitoes, or life-threatening allergic reactions to bee stings. But most bug bites in this country are an itchy nuisance.How itchy or big the welt depends in part on your own skin, how much of the chemical histamine it harbors. Yes, some people r
Stress management

HealthApr 14, 2011

We all encounter numerous stressors in everyday life. Stress refers to our emotional and physical state as a final product from interplay between life stressors and the self. Stress is known to be an important factor in the development of many diseases, such as cancer, stroke, heart disease, functional dyspepsia, irritable bowel syndrome, rheumatic disease, pain disorder, etc. Many factors, such a