A boy’s reservations from the ‘rez’

If I Ever Get Out of HereBy Eric Gansworth (Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic)“If I Ever Get Out of Here,” Eric Gansworth’s first novel for young people, rings true with a sophisticated look at what it’s like to be an outsider and what it takes to be a true friend.Lewis Blake has precious little going for him in school; he’s smart, sure. But he’s super skinny, essentially friendless, his family is dirt poor, and he’s from the “rez” in an area that routinely treats his Tuscarora Reservation community w

BooksAug. 22, 2013

Debut novel chronicles expats in Prague

“Prague doesn‘t let go,” Franz Kafka once wrote of his hometown. “This little mother has claws.”That line neatly summarizes the tension in Caleb Crain’s elegant and intellectually robust debut novel, “Necessary Errors.” Its hero, Jacob, is a 20-something American navigating familiar 20-something crises: love versus lust, accomplishment versus slackerdom. Tales of such post-collegiate expats are usually thin studies in privileged narcissism. But Crain complicates the story, using the Prague setti

BooksAug. 22, 2013

A man, a mike, a karaoke machine

Rob Sheffield is the kind of true-blue music nerd who’ll pause his latest memoir ― one with a subtitle promising a book about “the rituals of love & karaoke” ― to address the topic of Rod Stewart.Not how much he loves Rod Stewart, exactly, nor which of Stewart’s songs is the most fun to sing at karaoke. (Duh: “Love Touch.”) Rather, Sheffield’s chapter on the singer, called “Hot Legs,” examines in great detail Stewart’s merry progression from “a rambling rock & roll rogue” to “an L.A. roue trappe

BooksAug. 22, 2013

Seo Taiji, Lee Eun-sung secretly wed in June

Singer Seo Taiji tied the knot with actress Lee Eun-sung in a secret marriage ceremony almost three months ago, it was revealed Wednesday. Seo announced the news on his official website saying, “We recently gathered our family and held a meaningful wedding ceremony.” The couple reportedly invited a few of their closest friends for a housewarming party after the wedding on June 26 and “had a good time.”  He also talked about married life so far, how there were many good aspects to being married a

PeopleAug. 22, 2013

Picasso murals at heart of debate after Breivik bombing

OSLO (AFP) ― Five Picasso murals that survived Anders Behring Breivik’s bombing of an Oslo government block in 2011 are now at the heart of a divisive debate in Norway on the buildings’ fate.The murals drawn by the Spanish master in the late 1950s and 1960s ― “The Beach,” “The Seagull,” “Satyr and Faun” and two versions of “The Fishermen” ― risk being removed from the location for which they were conceived if the damaged buildings are torn down.The government is currently mulling whether to demo

PerformanceAug. 21, 2013

Turkish fans of Korean cinema get festival treatment

The first-ever Korea-Turkey film festival will be held in Istanbul next month as part of the upcoming Istanbul-Gyeongju World Culture Expo 2013.Internationally acclaimed Korean director Kim Ki-duk, known for his award-winning films such as “Pieta,” “Arirang” and “Samaritan Girl,” as well as actresses Han Ga-in, Kang Soo-yeon and Ye Ji-won, actor Park Joong-hoon and other notables in the Korean film industry are slated to attend the film fest.  The Korea-Turkey Movie Week in Istanbul will highlig

CultureAug. 21, 2013

YG Entertainment to debut new boy band

Reality television is old stomping ground for K-pop mogul Yang Hyun-suk. Yang tapped into the now-popular formula to debut boy band Big Bang in 2006 and then kept viewers abreast on his follow-up act, the girl group 2NE1, with three reality shows. Most recently, the prominent YG Entertainment founder and main producer proved his knack for judging as well on SBS’ music reality competition “K-Pop Star,” from whence new YG solo artist, Season 1 runner-up Lee Hi, hails.  Now, Yang is turning to the

TelevisionAug. 21, 2013

Korea’s longest walking trail reveals beauty of east coast

YEONGDEOK, North Gyeongsang Province ― Set to be the country’s longest walking trail stretching 770 kilometers along Korea’s east coast, the Haeparang Road trail offers some of the nation’s most diverse and scenic walking and hiking experiences. Starting in the south from Busan and heading north all the way toward the demilitarized zone in northern Gangwon Province, “Haeparang Road” allows walkers to venture days on end through more than 15 cities and counties on one long, uninterrupted trail. “

TravelAug. 21, 2013

Author Elmore Leonard dies

DETROIT (AP) ― Elmore Leonard, a former adman who later became one of America’s foremost crime writers, died Tuesday. He was 87. His researcher, Gregg Sutter, said Leonard died from complications from a stroke he suffered a few weeks ago. Leonard won an honorary National Book Award in 2012. His more than 40 novels were populated by pathetic schemers, clever con men and casual killers. Many of the novels ― notably “Out of Sight,” “Get Shorty” and “Be Cool” ― were made into films. Critics adored h

PeopleAug. 21, 2013

Richest U.S. Congressman worth at least $355 million

WASHINGTON (AFP) ― Republican Darrell Issa of California was 2012’s richest member of Congress, worth at least $355 million, according to a ranking published Tuesday.The congressman, who made his fortune in car security systems, topped the annual list of the 50 wealthiest lawmakers published by The Hill newspaper, a trade publication about Washington politics.A large portion of Issa’s assets come from investment funds and properties valued in the millions. The rankings were based on financial di

PeopleAug. 21, 2013

Tongmyong Univ. to confer doctorate to Indian envoy

Indian Ambassador to South Korea Vishnu Prakash will receive an honorary Ph.D. in business administration from Tongmyong University on Thursday, the school in Busan said.It is uncommon for a foreign ambassador in Korea to get an honorary doctorate from a local university. Prakash is the first foreign envoy to receive such an honorary degree from Tongmyong.Prakash organized an Indian film festival in cooperation with the university and Busan City from April 26-28 as an event to commemorate the 40

PeopleAug. 21, 2013

U.N. chief’s childhood house in Chungju restored

The old house where U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon lived in Chungju, North Chungcheong Province, has been restored. Born on June 13, 1944, he lived in the house for 20 years from 1950 to 1970. The municipal government of Chungju said Wednesday that it had completed the restoration work, which began in 2011 and cost 330 million won ($295,000). The owner of the house is said to have handed over the ownership readily to city authorities for its project to turn it into a memorable place. Ban att

PeopleAug. 21, 2013

Gaelic football set for Saturday finale

The Korean Gaelic League will hold its final round on what promises to be a baking hot Saturday in Ansan.The league has five teams playing in both men’s and women’s competitions ― two each from Seoul Gaels and Laochra Busan and one from Daegu na Fianna, with all teams playing each other once in each round and the overall winner chosen in a conventional league format.Seoul Gaels A leads the men’s competition, while Laochra Busan A leads the women’s league. Gaelic football has been in Korea for mo

Expat LivingAug. 20, 2013