Love Is a CanoeBy Ben Schrank(Sarah Crichton Books/Farrar, Straus and Giroux)Good love is a quilt ― light as feathers and strong as iron.A good marriage is a canoe ― it needs care and isn’t meant to hold too much ― no more than two adults and a few kids.These pearls of wisdom come from a fictional self-help book titled “Marriage Is a Canoe,” written 40 years ago by Peter Herman, a one-hit wonder now stumbling through his golden years in upstate New York, widowed, drinking, dating a woman he does

Abraham Lincoln is history’s most scrutinized American. Nearly every facet of his life ― his political accomplishments, ethics, religion, marriage, even his sexual orientation ― has been explored in the 148 years since his assassination. What could a new Lincoln biography offer?For author David Von Drehle of “Rise to Greatness,” the answer lies in tracing Lincoln’s transformation from inexperienced new president of a crumbling country to steady-willed leader who saved the Union in its most vulne

LONDON (AFP) ― British pop star Elton John and his partner David Furnish have become parents for a second time, they confirmed on Wednesday.The couple told Hello! magazine that they were “overwhelmed with happiness” at the birth of their son Elijah Joseph Daniel Furnish-John, who was born in Los Angeles on Friday to a surrogate mother.“Both of us have longed to have children, but the reality that we now have two sons is almost unbelievable,” they said.The couple’s first son Zachary was also born

BEIJING (AP) ― Yang Baibing, a veteran Chinese revolutionary and strong proponent of economic liberalization, has died. He was 92. Along with his more famous half-brother, former Chinese president Yang Shangkun, Yang had been among the most powerful leaders in China. However, he was forced into retirement in 1992 and his supporters were purged from the officer corps by former paramount leader Deng Xiaoping, who feared the Yang brothers were accumulating too much power. Yang joined the Chinese Co

For young people who are ready to “fly” with music, studying applied music will provide a new wave of energy, according to Chae Hee-ho, dean of the applied music department at Kwangshin University.At the department launched in March last year, Chae has focused on communication and appreciation through music by looking for “the connecting point between the player and the audience.”“We are teaching rules and freedom, capability and emotions all together to get closer to the public,” he said. The a

Certain qualities that allow a person to become a leader can be inherited, according to a recent study.“We have identified a genotype, called rs4950, which appears to be associated with the passing of leadership ability down through generations,” said the study’s lead author Jan-Emmanuel De Neve from University College London.De Neve, with colleagues from Harvard University, New York University and the University of California, analyzed genetic samples of about 4,000 individuals and found signif

Psychiatric disorders are prevalent among inmates, and mental-health treatment could help former inmates reintegrate into society, U.S. researchers say.Study co-author Jason Schnittker of the University of Pennsylvania, Michael Massoglia of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Christopher Uggen of the University of Minnesota said most common psychiatric disorders found among former inmates, including impulse control disorders, emerge in childhood and adolescence and, therefore, predate incarc

A plate of crispy battered shrimp, mushrooms, tomato and arugula tossed with spaghettini and a cream sauce took the cake Wednesday as the most calorie-rich chain restaurant dish in America.Packing a whopping 3,120 calories, the Cheesecake Factory's Bistro Shrimp Pasta, which sells in Washington for $17.95, loomed large over other gut-busting menu items on this year's Xtreme Eating Awards list.The countdown of high-calorie entrees and desserts is put out by the Center for Science in the Public I

A large study concluded that it is safer for pregnant mothers to be vaccinated during pregnancy. According to the journal from scientists at the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, vaccination during pregnancy reduces the risk of fetal death by 25 percent. 　The study had a sample of 113,331 mothers who had been pregnant between spring 2009 and fall 2010, when the influenza A (H1N1) pandemic was in full swing. The study result shows that there were 492

The effectiveness of cancer treatment depends on the patient’s willingness to survive and physical condition rather than their age, a recent survey showed. Professor Lee Sang-hyub from Seoul National University Bundang Hospital conducted a study on 531 patients diagnosed with biliary tract cancer from 2003 to 2011. The average survival period for 205 patients over 65 and 326 patients under 65 was 15 months and 11 months, respectively. The study, published in Journal of the American Geriatrics So

Sheraton Incheon Hotel is offering a green getaway for readers of The Korea Herald. The “eco-friendly package,” which includes two consecutive nights’ stay on Saturday and Sunday with breakfast as well as food and beverage equivalent to 100,000 won in value during the stay, will be upgraded exclusively for readers of The Korea Herald, with a free upgrade to the Park View Deluxe Room that offers panoramic views of Central Park in Songdo and Incheon Bridge. The package is priced at 460,000 won, ex