INDIANAPOLIS ― Every year on Memorial Day weekend, a city lives, breathes, then seems to die ― a cycle that comes to a head in about four hours.That’s the approximate time it takes to run the Indianapolis 500 in this formerly ho-hum-hamlet-turned-real-city. It’s this last bit that’s surprising, because for some time, it wasn’t like that.But if you’ve been sleeping on Indy, know that it’s now prett

SALINA ISLAND, Italy (AP) ― As I watch the sun set from my terrace on the west coast of Salina, one of Italy’s Aeolian Islands, I marvel again that the stone headrest I am lying against is so inexplicably comfortable.Its effect is like so much else on this harsh volcanic island, located in the clearest Mediterranean waters: Salina’s very starkness soothingly lulls you into contemplating its simple

Review: Under the spell of ‘The Sandalwood Tree’“The Sandalwood Tree”  (Atria Books),  by Elle NewmarkIf you like your love stories sweeping and wrapped in history, “The Sandalwood Tree” by Elle Newmark has it all.The narrative switches between India in two generations, the mid-19th century and post-World War II. The 1947 narrator is Evie, an American whose marriage is on the rocks after her husba

I’ve outgrown J.D. Salinger, and I don’t know where that leaves me.I was 10 when my father handed me “The Catcher in the Rye,” and I found not just a voice for all the wild despair and sudden inexplicable elation of adolescence but an acknowledgement that these feelings did not occur in a vacuum. Salinger reached into the “vale of tears” catechism of my Irish Catholic upbringing and lifted me out

LOS ANGELES ― Shortly before Daniel Hernandez moved from Los Angeles to Mexico to write a book about its roiling capital, a friend gave him an order. “I don’t want to see you back from Mexico City until it’s physically altered you, until you are different,” Hernandez was told.The Western Hemisphere’s largest metropolitan area, with about 22 million people, has its existential challenges: toxic air

Lotte Hotel SeoulThe hotel’s buffet restaurant La Seine is offering a “Very Special Culture Package” to 100 guests, on a first-come first-served basis, until May 31. Priced at 300,000 won, the package includes buffet dining for two (worth 180,000 won), two VIP seat tickets to the musical “Mozart” (260,000 won), one bottle of premium wine (150,000 won) and two tickets to the Karsh exhibition. The h

Cocktails and nosh for urban bar-hoppersBalmy weather takes nightlife up a notch, bringing the crowds into watering holes throughout the city. Beer, wine and soju are tip-top staples for the thirsty party-goer. For the pub crawler in the mood for a sip, cocktails are where it’s at. Here’s a quick look at a couple of places worth checking out for a tasty tipple or two. The Timber House If you’re lo

World’s leading writers will discuss globalization and its effectInternational literary events can be a great opportunity for writers not only to market their work to new readers, but also to foster creative ideas across borders, languages and cultures. This year’s Seoul International Forum for Literature is such an event, with writers from across the globe, including Nobel Prize winners Jean-Mari

Women tend to think that breast cancer is their biggest health threat. While it is important, heart disease remains the No. 1 killer of women, even young women.The risk of heart disease in women increases with age. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in women over 40 years old, especially after menopause. Every year, more than 500,000 U.S. women die of heart disease. This translates to app

DETROIT ― Johanne Erickson could handle two to three hot flashes a week when her perimenopause symptoms began two years ago, when she was 44.But by February, 40 to 50 hot flashes a day plagued the Oxford, Michigan, woman.Erickson, a human resources manager for an automotive supplier, turned into the office joke. Friends bought her a cache of fans.“At some point you either have to laugh about it an

Cho Jung-goo interprets hanok in contemporary ways, while respecting traditionThe following is the final story in a series of articles on the contemporizing of Korean culture ― Ed.The area nestled between Seoul’s Gyeongbokgung to the west and Changdeokgung to the east, known as Bukchon, is a little gem of a place where time seems to stand still.The neighborhood where myriad alleys and “hanok,” or

Minister Choung says hotels without should not be granted ‘five-star’ gradeCulture Minister Choung Byoung-gug said on Tuesday local hotels should not be granted a “five-star” rank if they do not have a restaurant specializing in Korean cuisine. Korean hotels are rated differently from those in the West, being rated by the number of mugunghwa, or Rose of Sharon they are awarded. Top hotels in Korea