WASHINGTON (AP) ― The National Archives unveiled its 715-year-old copy of Magna Carta on Thursday after a conservation effort removed old patches and repaired weak spots in the English declaration of human rights that inspired the United States’ founding documents.A $13.5 million gift from philanthropist David Rubenstein funded conservation and a new case for the only original Magna Carta in the United States. Rubenstein bought the historic document at auction in 2007 for $21.3 million and sent

   Cold winter brings ice climbing seasonWinter is at its peak in Korea, and many find it difficult to stay outside. But that’s not the case for a handful of hardcore climbers who scale frozen waterfalls and ice floes.Most of us wouldn’t want to pull ourselves up slippery ice, but these people try to climb a vertical wall of it in frigid weather and unstable conditions.“It’s just fun to get out there. Sometimes you have to push yourself to get up to the top, but it’s a lot of fun,” said Peter Je

Deodeok-saengchae is thinly ripped deodeok roots mixed with spicy and sour seasonings. Deodeok is referred to as sasam (ginseng from sand). It is high in saponin like ginseng and bellflower roots. In Oriental medicine, it is considered a health food that is good for the stomach and strengthens the lungs, intestines and kidney. Ingredients ● 300g deodeok roots, 2 cups water, 1/2 tbsp salt● Seasoning sauce: 1 tbsp sugar, 2 1/2 tsp red pepper paste, 2 tsp ground red pepper, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tbsp min

Jordan offers magical and spiritual experience for visitorsAMMAN ― No matter how many times you travel abroad, there is something about Jordan that makes it difficult for the memory to fizzle out.With unforgettable natural landscapes and historic sites including the footsteps of history’s heroes, Jordan is an awe-inspiring land.Your journey to biblical relics spotted across Jordan may be also rewarded by a spiritual experience that stirs the soul.PetraJordan’s magical experience starts at night

Film School By Steve Boman(BenBella Books)I’ve always thought of advanced degrees in filmmaking as finishing school for misfits. Brilliant misfits, some of them. But misfits just the same.Into the film school world stumbles Steve Boman, a former reporter seeking a midlife U-turn. Astoundingly, even to him, the father of three has been accepted into the graduate program at the University of Southern California’s esteemed School of Cinematic Arts, where he will compete against hipsters half his ag

The Accidental FeministBy M.G. Lord (Walker & Co.)Elizabeth Taylor was many things: a talented actress whose first star turn came at age 12 in “National Velvet”; an international celebrity whose eight husbands included her “Cleopatra” co-star Richard Burton twice; an AIDS activist long before it became fashionable; a recovering addict, diet book author and friend of Michael Jackson; and a voluptuous, violet-eyed, raven-haired beauty for the ages. But was she a feminist?In a new book published al

The Book of Korean Tea:A Guide to the History, Culture, Philosophy of Korean Tea and Tea Ceremony By Yoo Yang-seok (MyungWon Cultural Foundation) For those familiar with the well-known tea culture of India, China or Japan, it would be surprising to discover Korea’s rich history in tea ceremonies and culture. Known as “darye” in Korean, the ceremonies have been practiced by Korean people for some two thousand years since the ancient Gaya Kingdom (42-562 A.D.). For any tea lover who’d like to expl

Partway through “Higher Gossip,” the seventh and final collection of reviews and occasional pieces by the late John Updike, I began to understand the problem I’ve always had with the author’s work. It’s pleasant enough ― congenial, intelligent, fluidly written ― but only rarely is it great. As to why this is, “Higher Gossip” offers an unintended answer by revealing not so much the range of Updike’s interests as the chatty conventionality of his ideas.The title, editor Christopher Carduff notes,

Ding. Bzzzt. Bap. Beep. That’s the sound of conversation in restaurants these days. Where cellphones once posed a nuisance as people chatted loudly into them during meals, smartphones now present a whole new set of etiquette issues as entire tables disappear into the Internet via small glowing screens.Like an analog world-munching Pac-Man, the modern smartphone has morphed into instant messenger, mailbox, camera, flashlight, computer, map, dictionary, newspaper, personal assistant and social med

Hungarian wines encompass much more than sweet Tokajis. Consider this lovely dry red from J&J Eger Wine Co. in the hills 60 miles west of Tokaj. The grape is the indigenous Kekfrankos, and it’s made by the winegrower Janos Stumpf in partnership with Canadian master sommelier John Szabo (who’s of Hungarian ancestry).Similar to Blaufrankish in Austria, Kekfrankos gives a minerally nuanced red with a generous perfume. The Eged-Hegy Dulo (Eged Hill Vineyard) is dry-farmed, and the vines are 40 years