The Korea Herald

Review of studies casts doubt on benefits of omega-3 supplements

HealthSept 13, 2012

LOS ANGELES ― Is there something fishy going on with omega-3 fatty acids?For years, major health and medical organizations have recommended fish oil supplements rich in omega-3s to reduce the threat of heart disease. In Europe, where support is particularly enthusiastic, a doctor’s failure to recommend the supplements is viewed by some as bordering on malpractice.But several recent studies have raised questions about the benefits of fish oil, sparking no small amount of confusion. A report being
Reaching for a box of tissues? Tips for runny noses in autumn

HealthSept 13, 2012

For people with allergic problems, the arrival of cool, breezy autumn days is not so pleasant. Temperature fluctuations and low humidity during fall months often cause sneezing, itchy and runny nose, and lots of discomfort, just like in springtime. Pollen from trees, grass and weeds that floats around in the air trigger allergic reactions, along with mold and dust mites. “Allergic rhinitis, often mistaken for a cold, goes untreated for a long time,” said Choi Seung-yong, a doctor at Hamsoa Child
Naomi Wolf pens paean to good sex

BooksSept 13, 2012

“Vagina: A New Biography’’ (Ecco), by Naomi WolfWe have a pinched nerve to thank for the latest book from Naomi Wolf, author of the best-selling “The Beauty Myth,’’ about the fashion industry’s oppression of women.At 46, Wolf began to suffer from a spinal nerve compression that diminished her pleasure during sexual intercourse, draining it of its “poetic dimension.’’X-rays revealed that damaged vertebrae were exerting pressure on her pelvic nerve, which branches out from the base of the spine to
Women talk about booze

BooksSept 13, 2012

Drinking Diaries: Women Serve Their Stories Straight UpEdited by Leah Odze Epstein and Caren Osten Gerszberg(Seal Press)Everyone, it seems, has a drinking story, even teetotalers, and in this anthology of essays, 28 women tell theirs.“Drinking Diaries: Women Serve Their Stories Straight Up,” edited by Leah Odze Epstein and Caren Osten Gerszberg (Seal Press, 268 pages, $16), is wide-ranging, with women musing about their own drinking, their parents’ drinking and their good-for-nothing boyfriends’
‘ROTC Kills’ finds poet looking back

BooksSept 13, 2012

ROTC Kills: PoemsBy John Koethe (Harper Perennial)In his new collection, John Koethe opens by contemplating “the impossible world from which I’m absent” with a “sudden stab of fear,” aware that the “never-ending sentences” he creates will one day actually end.At 66, Koethe has earned his moments of dread, as well as his right to look back in anger, disappointment and bitterness. “ROTC Kills” takes its provocative title from a Harvard student strike poster of 1969, whose countercultural idealism
If you like to read, you’ll want to ‘Read This!’

BooksSept 13, 2012

Last fall, Chris Fischbach suggested to Hans Weyandt that his blog might make a good book. Weyandt only laughed.Fischbach was on his way to Germany to attend the Frankfurt Book Fair, and Weyandt joked, “If you bring me back some gummy bears, we’ll call it a deal.”A week or two later, Fischbach showed up again, jet-lagged, perhaps, but persistent, and holding a sticky bag of gummy bears.That is the short version of how Weyandt’s blog, “Mr. Micawber Enters the Internets,” turned into “Read This! H
Literary giants talk about life, literature in Gyeongju

BooksSept 13, 2012

Nobel Literature Prize laureates Wole Soyinka and Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio met with South Korean poet Ko Un for a literary forum in Gyeongju, an ancient city southeast of Seoul.Soyinka, Clezio and Ko cited rage, self-satisfaction and condolence, respectively, as the origin of their literary world during the forum held Wednesday as part of the 78th PEN International Congress.The Nigeria-born writer Soyinka opened the talk, saying that writing always makes him happy but entails pain. The pain
Art fair highlights Latin American art

CultureSept 13, 2012

Latin American art is the highlight of this year’s Korea International Art Fair featuring a large number of Latin American artists and art galleries. The Latin American art exhibition also celebrates the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Latin American countries. The fair, being held at COEX in Samseong-dong, Seoul, from Sept. 13-17, features the works of 84 Latin American artists including some big names such as Fernando Botero, Carlos Cruz-Diez and Jesus Rafael S
Images say more than words

Arts&DesignSept 13, 2012

Innovative ideas and good designs make powerful adsThe following is the eighth in a series of articles on design prepared in anticipation of the Herald Design Forum on Sept. 19-21. ― Ed.An armed soldier aims his gun at someone. The end of the muzzle, however, is headed right back toward him, pointing at the back of his head. Wrapped around poles and pillars in the streets of New York, the anti-war campaign posters delivered a clear message about the war against Iraq at the time, that “What goes
Singer Kim plans ad project for Korean victims of Japan’s sex slavery

PeopleSept 13, 2012

Singer Kim Jang-hoon announced through his social networking channel that he is planning to release advertisements in European media in November requesting a public apology and compensation from the Japanese government to the victims of Japan’s wartime military sex slavery. “Japan released advertisements claiming their sovereignty over Dokdo in about 70 newspapers and I think it’s a revival of militarism,” said Kim on Me2Day, a Korean SNS platform. “I am planning the biggest advertisement projec
Former 007 Roger Moore ‘beaten up by first two wives’

PeopleSept 13, 2012

LONDON (AFP) ― Former James Bond actor Roger Moore has claimed he was a victim of domestic violence during his first two marriages, it emerged on Wednesday.The 84-year-old British star, who first played agent 007 in 1973’s “Live and Let Die,” said his former wives Doorn Van Steyn and Dorothy Squires subjected him to a string of attacks in both of their doomed marriages.Van Steyn, an ice skater who married Moore when he was 19, once threw a teapot at him, he told television presenter Piers Morgan
Tallest ever dog revealed in new Guinness Book of Records

CultureSept 13, 2012

A Great Dane who towers 2.2 meters on his hind legs is named the tallest dog ever recorded in the latest Guinness Book of World Records launched on Thursday.The giant canine from Michigan in the United States eats an entire 14-kilogram bag of food every day and weighs in at 70.3 kilograms, the 57th edition of the global records book says.Measuring 1.12 meters from paw to withers -- the point betwe
Foreign cosmetic products sold at relatively high prices in Korea

FashionSept 13, 2012

Foreign-branded cosmetic products are more expensive in South Korea than other countries, a report showed Thursday, suggesting that a distorted distribution system here may be to blame.According to the report by the YWCA, which analyzed the average consumer prices of 18 types of foreign cosmetic products, they turned out to be sold in department stores here at relatively higher prices than the other seven countries it surveyed.The countries include the U.S., Japan, Italy, Germany and France, and
Omega 3 supplements may not help heart

HealthSept 13, 2012

IOANNINA (UPI) -- Taking omega-3 supplements was not associated with a lower risk of all-cause death, cardiac death, sudden death, heart attack or stroke, Greek researchers say.Dr. Evangelos C. Rizos of the University Hospital of Ioannina in Greece and colleagues performed systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the association between omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and major cardiovascular outcomes.Twenty studies were identified, which involved 68,680 randomized patients and 7,044
Woman finds ex from 12 years ago in attic

PeopleSept 13, 2012

(123rf)A South Carolina woman said she was shocked to discover her ex-boyfriend from 12 years ago has been living in her attic.The Rock Hill mother of five, who identified herself as Tracy, said her one-year relationship with the 44-year-old man, whose name was not released, ended 12 years ago due to his drug use and conviction for robbing a flower shop, The Charlotte (N.C.) Observer reported Tues