Elizabeth Warren’s ninth book is a campaign biography with a twist.Warren, who emerged as a national figure during the early days of the financial crisis, rapidly became a star of the Democratic Party’s liberal-populist wing. Her 2012 Senate campaign in Massachusetts attracted so much money and attention that admirers began talking her up as a presidential candidate even before she won.“A Fighting Chance” could easily fit as the next step toward that goal. It weaves her life story and political

Russian Roulette: How British Spies Thwarted Lenin’s Plot for Global RevolutionBy Giles Milton (Bloomsbury Press, N.Y.)If you want some wonderful spy stories, and a lesson in 20th century revolution, try “Russian Roulette” by Giles Milton.Just under a century ago, Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov ― better known today as Lenin ― returned to Russia and swept away the old Czarist regime. His first speech to his followers was at a train station on April 16, 1917, and was monitored by three British spies.Only

If ever a performer came along at just the right time, it was Shirley Temple. The cherubic face and unbreakable spirit she displayed in her cinematic confections of the 1930s were the perfect spoonfuls of sugar to help the bitter medicine of the Depression go down easier for millions of Americans.The timing also couldn’t be better for John F. Kasson’s “The Little Girl Who Fought the Great Depression,” which arrives just two months after Temple’s death at age 85. The book is a wonderful epilogue

Kim Eui-joon, former chief of the Korea National Opera, took office Wednesday as CEO of Lotte Hall, a classical concert hall being built in Jamsil, Seoul, by the eponymous conglomerate. Kim, 64, filled a seat left vacated for nearly a year by the death of Kim Joo-ho last May. “On May 7, Kim officially began his term as CEO of Lotte Hall,” Lotte Group said in a statement.“Lotte Group will set up a non-profit cultural foundation which will be tasked with the hall’s management,” it said. Kim has 30

LOS ANGELES ― He grew up on the sea. So maybe it’s only natural that Dillon Griffith still has some salt water in his blood.It would help explain why the 82-year-old retired heavy-duty mechanic has spent the last 37 years ― miles from the ocean ― meticulously assembling a 64-foot boat in the backyard of his Los Angeles home.“The Mystic Rose” has slowly taken shape on quiet Arminta Street, a project so ambitious that it has passed through the generations with his children, in-laws, grandchildren

MINNEAPOLIS ― When Natasha Cronen got married last September, she knew exactly what her bridal bouquet would look like, down to the petal.That’s because she’d made it herself, two days earlier, along with all the other flowers for her wedding.Cronen, of Woodbury, Minn., and her bridesmaids gathered at Market Flowers near the Minneapolis Farmers Market to craft coral and white roses into bouquets, centerpieces, corsages for the bride and groom’s mothers and grandmothers as well as boutonnieres fo

AKRON, Ohio ― It was bound to happen ― you’ve found your first gray hair. It may remind you that the internal clock is ticking. You make a mental note to call the hairdresser for a dye job.Or do you?Silver or gray is trending now in fashion, accessories and home decor. And while some local stylists say going gray naturally may be a trend, others say it can make a woman look 10 years older.Before you squeeze that tube of Vidal Sassoon on your locks, examine your shade of gray.“I have one client w

Kim In-su, a longtime photo editor of The Korea Herald and The Herald Business, died Monday in Bangkok, Thailand. He was 58. He died of a heart attack in the Thai capital, where he was visiting family who live in the country. He had a chronic heart problem and had undergone heart surgery a few years ago. A native of Jinhae, South Gyeongsang Province, Kim joined Herald Corp., publisher of The Korea Herald and vernacular daily Herald Business, in 1989 as a photo journalist. For nearly a decade fro

Most spinal stenosis patients were found to be older women, with the prevalence increasing in recent years, a report showed Thursday. According to 2012 data released by the state-run National Health Insurance Service, 60 percent of spinal stenosis cases ― 615,000 ― occurred in women over age 50. Spinal stenosis is an abnormal narrowing of the spinal canal, which causes severe pain by compressing the nerves.Normally, there is enough space in the spinal canal to accommodate the nerve fibers branch

Yellow dust is of particular concern for children who are active outdoors and have weaker immune systems than adults, and those who suffer from allergies or respiratory conditions. Yellow dust travels from the Gobi Desert in Mongolia and China, so we cannot escape it. Therefore, people need to take appropriate action to combat the harmful effects of yellow dust. Yellow dust causes various conditions and can worsen preexisting ones. The main diseases include respiratory, eye and skin conditions.R

Italian cruise operator Costa Cruise has launched a round-trip cruise for tourists in South Korea.According to Lotte Tour in Seoul on Friday, the tour package will take tourists to Japanese sights. It is available twice this month.The Italian cruise ship, the Costa Victoria, can accommodate 2,349 passengers and 790 crew members. The vessel is as high as a 14-story building, and is 253 meters long and 32.5 meters wide and weighs 75,166 tons.The ship is equipped with a casino, restaurants, bars, d

NEW YORK (AP) ― Old-style glamour ― especially in black and white ― ruled the night air as stars of Hollywood and the fashion world converged on the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Monday evening for the annual Costume Institute gala, the biggest event on the New York fashion calendar.This year, the glamour quotient was raised a notch: Whereas last year’s theme was punk, this time women were focusing on flowing gowns, and men were asked to dress in white tie ― full evening dress, including tails,

Menswear moves away from traditional suit pairings to more casual vibe