NEW YORK (AP) ― The customized Captain America chopper Peter Fonda rode in “Easy Rider” has come to symbolize the counterculture of the 1960s. Now it’s for sale. The auction house Profiles in History told The Associated Press that it estimates the Harley-Davidson will bring $1 million to $1.2 million at its Oct. 18 sale being held online and at its galleries in Calabasas, California. The seller is Michael Eisenberg, a California businessman who once co-owned a Los Angeles motorcycle-themed resta

Busan, Korea’s second-largest city, nestled on the fascinating southern coast, has various attractions that beckon tourists all year round. They range from beautiful beaches and fresh local seafood to ultraconvenient mega shopping centers. But if you happen to be a big fan of movies, fine art or computer games, or just want to explore the city’s charms on a crisp, sunny day, fall is the best time to visit Busan. Here are the reasons why: Busan International Film Festival In Busan, the arrival of

Foreign Correspondent: A MemoirBy H.D.S. Greenway(Simon & Schuster)A memoir is defined as a written account in which someone describes past experiences. Longtime journalist David Greenway certainly does that in “Foreign Correspondent: A Memoir.” Working for Time, The Washington Post and others, he covered nearly every significant historical conflict during the past half-century from Vietnam and Israel to Afghanistan and Iraq. Greenway’s book serves as an excellent primer to America’s history of

The image of the genteel, benevolent Southern slave owner was the creation of early 20th century artists and writers like D.W. Griffith and Margaret Mitchell. Life on the antebellum plantation, they led us to believe, was as languid as a slow-moving river winding through magnolia trees.At about the same time, American historians were writing the first analyses of slave-centered Southern society. Slavery was an economically inefficient institution, they argued. For slave owners, profit was a seco

Hold the DarkBy William Giraldi (Liveright) If dark, violent novels aren’t usually my cup of tea, why did “Hold the Dark” exert such a hold over me, right from the start? “Hold the Dark” begins simply enough ― wolves have taken three children from a tiny Alaska hamlet. Medora Slone, mother of the most recent missing child, beckons Russell Core, a nature writer who has become a wolf expert after living with them for a year in Yellowstone, to her village that is so far off the grid that it doesn’t

Tokyo KillBy Barry Lancet (Simon & Schuster)Art, social issues, culture and, yes, war ― all the things that make or break a society ― converge in Barry Lancet’s exciting second novel about antiques dealer Jim Brodie, who inherited his father’s Tokyo-based private investigation and personal protection firm. Lancet delves deep to illustrate the intricacies of Asian culture in “Tokyo Kill,” while also delivering a believable, action-packed plot. The combination of Brodie’s occupations might seem od

Robert B. Parker’s Blind SpotBy Reed Farrel Coleman (Putnam)Although Robert B. Parker died in 2010, stories about iconic Boston private eye Spenser have continued through novels by Ace Atkins. Now award-winning author Reed Farrel Coleman takes up the mantle by continuing the Jesse Stone novels with “Robert B. Parker’s Blind Spot.” In his first outing with Jesse Stone, Coleman deftly captures the nuances of this character who Parker introduced in 1997 and featured in nine novels. Parker was caref

Author Daisy Lee Yang speaks about inspiration and thoughts behind her new book

NEW YORK (Bloomberg) ― A pair of Chinese porcelain vases sold Monday for $1.2 million at Doyle New York, soaring 120 times past its low estimate. The two 16-inch tall glazed vases, painted with branches of blooming peonies on a turquoise background, each had a Qianlong-era seal on its base, referring to the reign of the Qianlong Emperor from 1736 to 1795. Estimated at $10,000 to $15,000, they were part of Doyle’s “Asian Works of Art” sale in New York. The price includes buyer’s commission.  A pa

Nine-day festival puts Seoul’s royal palaces back into cultural limelight

The original personal shopper, Betty Halbreich, continues to help customers of all shapes, sizes and bank accounts with their wardrobes. Working at Bergdorf Goodman in New York City since 1976, she is appreciated by many and feared by some for her candor; she is incapable of selling for the sake of the sale. The 86-year-old has attracted the attention of “Girls” creator and star Lena Dunham, who is working to put together a show for HBO based on her life. She has followed her first book, “Secret

BERLIN (AFP) ― With her blotted red lipstick, perky coiffed curls and fitted 1940s skirt suit, Constanze Pelzer looks like she’s stepped off a World War II film set.From head to toe, the 49-year-old German is the picture of 1940s elegance ― from the little glasses and striking jewelry to her red sling-backs, her entire outfit is authentic.But it isn’t a costume.Despite bringing to mind a painful chapter of German history, Pelzer admires 1940s fashion so much that she wears originals from the era

Seoul Players will hold its 10-Minute Play Festival and Competition this weekend, with 16 plays competing in the opening round. The plays, whittled down from over 150 submissions from Korea and overseas, will be performed over two nights, with audiences casting ballots on which four of the eight plays on each night will go through to the final, voted on by a panel.“Our inbox was absolutely flooded with submissions this year,” said Seoul Players’ artistic director, Barri Tsavaris. “Every year, we

Adding to a growing range of local craft beers in Korea, the Hand and Malt Brewing Co. has entered the market with three new beers.The three new brews are The Hand and Malt Extra Special Ale, Mocha Stout and Blanche De Hwado.Korean-American Bryan Do set up the company in Namyang-ju, Gyeonggi Province, in April to meet the increasing demand for small-batch beers. Do started brewing when he came to Korea after graduating in the 1990s, but says he had to give up because of a lack of resources at th