The Korea Herald

Benikea gives away free accommodation

TravelNov 11, 2011

The Korea Tourism Organization said Benikea, the mid- to low-priced hotel chain, will hold an online event “What is YOUR Best Night in Korea?” on its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/benikea through Dec. 6. At the site, participants can upload their best picture of the night scenery in Korea and leave comments on why it is the best. Those who win first prize will receive a roundtrip flight to Korea and accommodations at a hotel affiliated with Benikea. Five second-prize winners will get hotel a
Amid flood catastrophe, Thais begin festival

TravelNov 11, 2011

BANGKOK (AP) ― Every year when the moon is full and the rainy season draws to an end, Thailand’s waterways fill with millions of floating lotus-shaped lanterns ― a symbolic, centuries-old gesture once meant to placate the country’s goddess of water.Today, many Thais still believe the candlelit boats launched during Loy Krathong can carry misfortune away with them, allowing past sins to be cleansed and life to begin anew.This year, flood-ravaged Thailand has plenty of reason to pray for rebirth ―
Arches National Park an overlooked winter escape

TravelNov 11, 2011

ARCHES NATIONAL PARK, Utah ― I spent six hours scrambling across the frosted red rock, eyeing the endless blue above and surrendering to the quiet that commands this place in late January, when the obvious was finally put to me.“What are you doing out here ― in winter?”The question came from Kenna Chandler, 31, whom I encountered in the midst of a seven-mile hike through Devils Garden. I’d passed nearly a dozen of the park’s 2,000 red sandstone arches, carved from hundreds of thousands of years
New Books

BooksNov 11, 2011

Laurie writes absorbing memoirLearning to Live Out Loud: A MemoirBy Piper Laurie (Crown Archetype)Rosetta Jacobs was a bright and thoughtful child but struggled to express herself. Only after she was a teenager and theater marquees began carrying her new name — Piper Laurie — did the quiet girl from Detroit begin to find the strength to speak up.It would take time and heartache for her to reach a full-throated freedom.“Learning to Live Out Loud” is Laurie‘s absorbing memoir about that personal t
Thompson’s novel ‘Rum Diary’ displays his forming thoughts before fame arrived

BooksNov 11, 2011

Toward the end of “The Rum Diary,” the film based on the Hunter S. Thompson novel, there’s a scene that appears to come straight from the author’s vintage work.Two journalists are sitting around a derelict San Juan, Puerto Rico, apartment, having just ingested an unknown hallucinogen. Nothing happens until one of them ― a Thompson stand-in named Paul Kemp, played by Johnny Depp ― sees the other’s tongue start to grow out of his mouth like some tubular pink snake.Depp humps and haws, his manneris
Gov't bans humidifier sterilizers for causing mysterious lung disease

HealthNov 11, 2011

The government on Friday banned the sale of six types of sterilizers used in household humidifiers because they may have caused the mysterious hardening of lung tissue that killed nine people this year. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said detaile
Serosugil establishing itself as a gourmet getaway

Food&BeverageNov 11, 2011

Garosugil ― the tree-lined, shop-packed street in Sinsa-dong, Seoul ― has been a hotspot for years. After the initial wave of businesses set up shop on the main thoroughfare, a profusion of establishments, boutiques and other businesses branched out into neighboring streets flanking both sides of the main street. At first, the whole mass was referred to as Garosugil, then it got so big that the side streets took on a name of their own ― Serosugil. With practically every nook and cranny taken up
Beer to try: Rodenbach Grand Cru

Food&BeverageNov 11, 2011

Rodenbach Grand Cru is a Flanders red ale, a Belgian style that is lighter-bodied but deeply complex. Despite its relative lightness, a well-executed Flanders red is sweet, sour, fruity, dry, rich and clean all at once.Little wonder that an almost 200-year-old Belgian label like Rodenbach would be a definitive take on one of the country’s signature styles. In standard Rodenbach, 25 percent of the batch is aged for two years, then blended with an unaged version. The Grand Cru changes the ratio to
Platter up! Cheese makes for easy entertaining

Food&BeverageNov 11, 2011

A cheese platter is a staple of home entertaining, but spending a little extra time at the cheese shop can help you create a board that rises above the average lump of cheddar.Cheese is probably the easiest appetizer to serve because it requires no preparation and is universally enjoyed. (There’s a reason why you see it at every party.)When putting together a cheese platter, there are no rules, but there are a few guidelines that can help make the presentation both tasty and interesting.First, c
Billy Crystal returning to host the Oscars

PeopleNov 11, 2011

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― Billy Crystal, a veteran Oscar host, said Thursday on Twitter that he has agreed to host the Feb. 26, 2012, Academy Awards. It will be his ninth such stint.“Some of the best moments of my career have happened on the Oscar stage,” said Crystal in a later statement from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. “I am thrilled to be back there.”Academy president Tom Sherak added: “I’m thrilled to welcome Billy back to the Oscar stage. He’s a comic legend and Oscar icon, an
EEG scan helped contact patients in vegetative state

HealthNov 11, 2011

Electro-encephalography (EEG) helped doctors realize that several patients diagnosed as being in a permanently vegetative state were in fact aware, according to a study published on Thursday in The Lancet.The technique could be developed as a portable, cheaper way of helping doctors make more accura
Medical staff struggle to help traumatized Yeonpyeong islanders

PeopleNov 10, 2011

North Korea’s shelling of Yeonpyeongdo last year left its residents shocked and in fear. But the four doctors and two nurses at the public health care center on the island have had no time to give in to anxiety.Lim Yeon-jeong, an administrative nurse at the center, and her colleague Jung Yi-sun were at the center when the shelling broke out. Lim and a doctor were looking after a patient who needed stitching. It was just Jung’s second month into her work on the island. Neither had expected anythi
Han Bi-ya excited about new U.N. job, still loves to travel

TravelNov 10, 2011

JEJU ― Han Bi-ya, a popular travel writer and newly appointed advisor to the UN Central Emergency Response Fund, is excited about her new job and proud of her accomplishments. “My job is to aid underfunded emergencies around the world, and make sure the victims get the help they need,” Han told reporters during a press conference on Jeju, Tuesday. “I am very excited and will do my best for the next three years.”The 53-year-old, who is known for her best-selling travel books and emergency relief
Brains, guts, glitz are honored at Glamour fest

PeopleNov 10, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) ― His wife couldn’t be there herself to accept her honor. So Mark Kelly, husband of recovering congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, spoke on her behalf. But, he made clear, his wife was still running the show.“We went over my remarks very carefully,” Kelly said at Glamour’s Women of the Year awards on Monday. “She’s still in charge.”Giffords was one of 11 women honored at the Carnegie Hall ceremony, the 21st time the awards have been presented. As always, the assembled group was a for
Alert issued against arterial embolism

HealthNov 10, 2011

The Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service on Thursday issued a warning over arterial embolisms, which have increased 34 percent in the past five years. The U.S. National Library of Medicine defines an arterial embolism as a sudden interruption of blood flow to an organ or body part due to a clot (embolus). The clots often occur in the legs and feet. Some may occur in the brain, causing a stroke, or in the heart, causing a heart attack. Less common sites include the kidneys, intestines,