The Korea Herald

T.S. Eliot’s widow Valerie Eliot dies

BooksNov 12, 2012

LONDON (AP) ― Valerie Eliot, the widow of T.S. Eliot and zealous guardian of the poet’s literary legacy for almost half a century, has died. She was 86.In a statement Sunday, the Eliot estate said Valerie Eliot died two days before at her London home after a short illness.Born Valerie Fletcher in Leeds, northern England, on Aug. 17, 1926, Eliot was the second wife of the U.S.-born Nobel literature laureate. She met him at London publisher Faber & Faber, where he was a director and she a star-str
Archaeologists explore site on Syria-Turkey border

CultureNov 12, 2012

ISTANBUL (AP) ― Few archaeological sites seem as entwined with conflict, ancient and modern, as the city of Karkemish.The scene of a battle mentioned in the Bible, it lies smack on the border between Turkey and Syria, where civil war rages today. Twenty-first century Turkish sentries occupy an acropolis dating back more than 5,000 years, and the ruins were recently demined. Visible from crumbling, earthen ramparts, a Syrian rebel flag flies in a town that regime forces fled just months ago.A Tur
Kochon Prize goes to South African TB center

PeopleNov 12, 2012

The Kochon Foundation, established by Lee Chong-kun, the late chairman and founder of Korean pharmaceutical firm Chong Kun Dang in 1973, announced Desmond Tutu TB Center in South Africa as the 7th Kochon Prize winner Tuesday.Officials said that the prize recognizes contributions by the tuberculosis research institute to public heath and the medical environment in South Africa by leading its drive to build systematic health systems and educate its people about the prevention of the disease.The aw
National Pension Service chief to lecture at Harvard

PeopleNov 12, 2012

National Pension Service chairman and CEO Jun Kwang-woo will give a lecture on economy and finance at Harvard Business School in the United States Wednesday.He is also scheduled to discuss economic and financial investment issues with the school faculty.The former World Bank senior economist, who also served as chairman of the Financial Supervisory Commission, has been invited to speak at Harvard Business School under its distinguished speakers series, officials said. They added that global pens
Park tapped as space arbitrator

PeopleNov 12, 2012

Professor Park Won-hwa of Korea Aerospace University has been tapped as an arbitrator by the Permanent Court of Arbitration based in The Hague, the Netherlands, the university announced on Monday.Park, 61, a professor of the department of air and space law at KAU, was recently named among 14 arbitrators for space-related disputes by the international organization, according to the university.Established in 1899 with an aim of facilitating arbitration and other forms of dispute resolution between
Major U.S. distributor to release Bong Joon-ho's English debut film

CultureNov 12, 2012

South Korean director Bong Joon-ho's English-language directorial debut film is likely to be released in North America and other English-speaking countries.The Weinstein Company, a major U.S. distributor, recently picked up the English-language rights to "Snow Piercer" from South Korea's CJ Entertainment, an investor, distributor and production company, CJ said in a release Monday.Under the deal reached at this year's American Film Market, the American company will distribute the thriller in Nor
Second woman named in Petraeus probe

PeopleNov 12, 2012

A Florida woman was named Sunday as the recipient of allegedly harassing emails from former CIA Director David Petraeus' female biographer.Petraeus, 60, resigned this week after admitting he "showed extremely poor judgment by engaging in an extramarital affair" with his 40-year-old biographer, Paula Broadwell, who is married to a doctor and has two children.The Los Angeles Times reported Jill Kelley of Tampa, who it described as a State Department liaison to the military's Joint Special Operatio
Eating late linked to weight gain

HealthNov 12, 2012

A study on mice has suggested that eating at night can affect metabolism and cause weight gain.“A relatively modest shift in food consumption into what is normally the rest period for mice can favor energy storage,” said Georgios Paschos from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, who participated in the research.According to the study, mice that had the “clock gene” ARNTL removed from them tend to eat in the daytime instead of at night, which is unusual because mice
Pope Benedict XVI to join Twitter

PeopleNov 11, 2012

VATICAN CITY (AFP) ― Pope Benedict XVI will have an official Twitter account and will send regular tweets for his followers around the world by the end of the year, Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said Friday.The Jesuit priest said the pope’s Twitter handle will be announced officially at a later time, although one likely candidate, @BenedictusPPXVI, registered this year already has 2,900 followers without having any tweets.There are already several fake Twitter accounts set up in the pope’s
German TV celebrity boosts K-pop

PeopleNov 11, 2012

A Korean-German TV celebrity and model, whose social media networks helped exemplify the viral power of K-pop, said she is “the only Korean personality in the German market” to further promote Korean culture.Nela Panghy-Lee was the most powerful Twitter user in Europe in spreading K-pop news as of the end of August, according to a report by Park Han-woo, associate professor in Yeungnam University’s media and communication department.The 32-year-old, working for the Germany’s largest TV network P
French first lady seeks damages over love triangle claim

PeopleNov 11, 2012

PARIS (AFP) ― Valerie Trierweiler, the girlfriend of French President Francois Hollande, is seeking 85,000 euros (108,000) in damages from the authors and editor of a book that claims she two-timed the Socialist leader with a prominent right-winger.Trierweiler has sued the authors of “La Frondeuse” (The Rebel) for defamation and infringement of her right to privacy.The book, written by television journalists Christophe Jakubyszyn and Alix Bouilhaguet, claims Trierweiler had an affair with former
Self-interest without feeling guilty makes people happier

HealthNov 11, 2012

People are happier when a self-benefiting option is imposed upon them because it frees them from having to take responsibility for the outcome, U.S. psychologists have found. Jonathan Bermand and Debrah Small of The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania speculated that removing an individuals’ sense of agency would remove their feeling of responsibility for an outcome, leaving them free to enjoy their own interests without feeling selfish.The two scientists conducted a laboratory stud
Some microwaves may not cook food enough

Food&BeverageNov 11, 2012

People who use some lower-wattage microwaves may not be cooking food long enough, a U.S. official warns.Kathy Bernard, of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service, said it is important to know the wattage of your microwave oven.“To find it, look on the inside of the oven door or in the owner‘s manual, or you can test how long it takes to boil a glass of water. If it takes 2 minutes or less it’s a very high-wattage oven, around 1,100 watts. Four minutes or longer it‘s
Calendar

CultureNov 9, 2012

Dance“Swan Lake”: Internationally acclaimed ballet company Mariinsky Ballet will be in Korea to stage the Tchaikovsky classic “Swan Lake.” The famous ballet tells the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer’s curse. She tries to break the curse with her love interest prince Siegfried, but fails when the prince is tricked by the sorcerer. The Russian troupe was founded in the 18th century and is now considered one of the world’s greatest ballet companies. The show runs
KORAIL introduces train package to Suncheon

TravelNov 9, 2012

The Korea Railroad Corporation has released a two-day train package to Suncheon in South Jeolla Province.The train package features a farming experience and tour to local tourist attractions. Tourists can also participate in making local products such as tofu and harvesting potatoes. Each trip is limited to 30 people and runs three times ― Nov. 15, 24 and 29. The ticket price for a weekend trip is 59,600 won from Gwangmyeong Station and 60,400 won from Yongsan Station. For reservations, visit ww