A charming look at the elementsPeriodic Tales: A Cultural History of the Elements, From Arsenic to ZincBy Hugh Aldersey-Williams(Ecco, $25)Some people collect coins or baseball cards. Others collect stamps or Pez dispensers. Hugh Aldersey-Williams collects the building blocks of the universe.Aldersey-Williams has been trying to collect pure samples of every element known to humankind -- from the c

Abby Sunderland is sitting barefoot aboard her brother’s boat in Marina del Rey on a recent morning, her blond hair fluttering in the light breeze. The only physical evidence of the five months she traveled by herself at sea before her sailboat rolled over, ripping off her mast and soaking everything on board, is a simple rope bracelet.The knotted white band on her left wrist was a gift from one o

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (AP) ― Marketing executive Peggy Noe Stevens sticks to basics when savoring Kentucky bourbon ― no splash of water, just ice, stacked.For the uninitiated, that’s one ice cube at a time, followed by equal shots of bourbon. Then she lets the whiskey settle before sipping.Stevens, a former whiskey industry executive, is a bourbon aficionado and founder of a new group called Bourbo

Oakwood Premier Coex Center SeoulThe hotel’s Genesis Business Center on the fifth floor offers the “All-day Meeting Room” package until May 31. The package includes complimentary coffee and cookies, a beam projector and the Internet. There are three meeting places at the Genesis Business Center. Meeting Room 1 is available for up to six people, Meeting Room 2, up to 18 people, and the Boardroom, u

Carrot cake and banana bread for the sentimental sweet-fiendCertain desserts hearken back to the hearth. One bite stirs up childhood memories, like the cream cheese frosting over a slab of carrot cake, or that moist, dense crumb off a freshly-baked wedge of banana bread that mom packed for school. “I went for what I ate often,” Holly Sorim Yang, owner of The Cheesecake, explained why she put carro

Its international clinic aims to be the top in world for expertise, servicesThis article the first part of a series of articles on international clinics for foreigners at medical centers in Korea. ― Ed.Samsung Medical Center’s international clinic has been praised for its latest medical techniques and for having some of the most sophisticated services. Located on the second floor of the annex buil

Lee Eun-chul, the 1992 Olympic gold medalist in men’s 50m rifle prone, has qualified as an international shooting referee. Lee Eun-chulLast month he completed an international refereeing course in Korea and passed the final examination. Lee will referee in domestic competitions for the rest of this year, and take to international meets from next year.The 44-year-old former shooter studied computer

Actor Jang Keun-suk has donated 10.1 million yen ($121,000) in proceeds from his recent charity event for its earthquake and tsunami victims to the Japanese Red Cross. Jang Keun-sukHis management agency Tree J Company said on Wednesday that the 24-year-old actor raised the funds by selling wristbands, cards and other items with well-wishing messages for Japan at his Japanese fan site from March 17

Former Soviet veteran astonished that modern South Korea recalls conflictIn a Seoul coffee shop, his jacket jangling with medals, the 79-year-old man grew animated as he recalled the war of his youth. Like many other veterans of the conflict, he was astonished by modern South Korea, but also saddened that the 1950-53 Korean War is virtually unknown back home.This veteran was not, however, a member

During the summer and autumn, North Gyeongsang Province and Gyeongju city will host an international cultural event to tell the story of Silla Kingdom (B.C. 57-A.D. 935), one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea.Under the theme “The Story of Millennium ― Love, Light and Nature,” the 6th Gyeongju World Culture Expo will be held for 60 days from Aug. 12 to Oct. 10 at the Gyeongju World Culture Expo Park a

Joseon-period manuscripts return to Seoul on loan 145 years after they were looted by the FrenchThe first batch of Korea’s ancient royal books, looted by the French army in the late 19th century and kept by France until recently, arrived in Seoul on Thursday afternoon, their ownership still remaining in the hands of France.The 75 books of “Uigwe,” or manuscripts for royal protocols created during

Red No. 40 and other artificial dyes have increasingly become scarlet letters (and numbers) to parents who read food labels. Some believe that these common food, drug and cosmetic dyes can exacerbate behavioral disorders in children, as well as possibly contribute to allergies and cancers.The FDA, after long stating that no scientific evidence conclusively links the petroleum-based colorants to hy

WASHINGTON (AP) ― It’s that time of year when the bugs emerge to bug us.Some can pose real threats ― Lyme disease from tiny ticks, West Nile virus from mosquitoes, or life-threatening allergic reactions to bee stings. But most bug bites in this country are an itchy nuisance.How itchy or big the welt depends in part on your own skin, how much of the chemical histamine it harbors. Yes, some people r