PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) -- Fans of H.P. Lovecraft's writings are trying to use the growing fame of the early 20th century fantasy-horror writer to promote Providence’s weird side.　Lovecraft so identified with Rhode Island's capital city that he wrote "I am Providence" in a letter. His headstone bears the phrase. Some of Lovecraft’s best-known works are set in Providence. 　Tuesday marked the 79th anniversary of his death. A light rain fell as about 20 people gathered where Lovecraft's childhood hou

BooksMarch 17, 2016

　Best-seller C.J. Box’s series about Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett is known for showing how environmental issues not only affect ecology, but also people, jobs and lifestyles. 　In “Off the Grid,” Box goes a bit off the grid himself by tackling the hot-button issue of terrorists and government interference, delivering an even-handed look that illustrates the perception of a situation isn't always reality. 　　“Off the Grid” isn't so much Joe’s story as it is his friend's Nate Romanowski, a war ve

BooksMarch 17, 2016

“All The Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation” 　By Rebecca Traister　Simon and Schuster (339 pages, $27)Employing the tools of social history and narrative journalism, “All The Single Ladies” paints an upbeat portrait of the unmarried life, concluding with a call for policy changes to support “the epoch of single women that's upon us.”　Rebecca Traister traces the trend of happy singlehood back through American history to its pre-Colonial roots in England. In 1563,

BooksMarch 17, 2016

Writing in 1927 for an 8-1 Supreme Court majority in Buck vs. Bell, Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes upheld a Virginia law authorizing sterilization of the “feebleminded.” 　In “Imbeciles,” Adam Cohen outlines the collision course between Carrie Buck -- a woman who was poor and unfortunate but no imbecile -- and a scion of one of Boston’s oldest families who was wrongly reputed to be liberal.　Cohen's chapters on Holmes make clear that Buck was no anomaly; Holmes was a longtime eugenicist who’d previ

BooksMarch 17, 2016

 Busan’s Haeundae Beach is set to become awash with color as the Holi Hai festival runs for the sixth time on April 3. Holi, a spring festival that formally falls on March 23, is one of India’s most popular festivals, and the Busan celebration is now one of the biggest multicultural festivals in Korea. Organizer Amit Gupta said it was the largest event organized by a foreign community here, according to data from the Busan Foundation for International Activities, the city’s support center for ex

Expat LivingMarch 17, 2016

Public backlash continues against big-time media entertainment and production companies in Korea after a number of local indie artists recently went public about their working conditions. 　The controversy first ignited when some of the artists who helped make the soundtrack to the popular TV drama “Cheese in the Trap” took to social media to vent their anger at not being paid for their work.　The outrage has spiraled throughout the local artist community, prompting the Artists Social Union -- a l

PerformanceMarch 16, 2016

Jacques Attali, one of the world’s greatest scholars, will speak at the Korea-France Leaders Forum on March 24 at The Shilla Seoul hotel.　The forum, which will serve as the opening of a year-long celebration in Korea of the 130th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, aims to discuss ways to strengthen the partnership between the two countries in various fields, including diplomacy, economy, culture and technology.　Attali, a French economist who served as the first presid

PeopleMarch 16, 2016

NEW YORK (AFP) - Mariah Carey announced Tuesday that she would star in a reality television series about her upcoming tour and marriage.　The pop diva known for her soaring five-octave range said that the E! entertainment network would follow her for an eight-part series entitled “Mariah's World.”　“Mariah is one of the most captivating pop superstars of our time and one of the rare artists whose first name alone is instantly recognized around the globe,” Jeff Olde, the network’s executive vice pr

PerformanceMarch 16, 2016

Soon-to-be released thriller “Come to See Me” revolves around the true-life story of a woman wrongly put into a psychiatric facility.　　Under current law in Korea, a person can be admitted to a mental institution with the consent of two caretakers and the diagnosis of a physician, said film director Lee Cheol-ha at a press conference in Jung-gu, Seoul. 　“I wanted to highlight how there are so many instances of this law being abused,” said the director, whose diverse filmography includes music vid

FilmMarch 16, 2016

Korea’s luxury jewelry market has become polarized in terms of price, while consumers are becoming more adventurous in their purchases when it comes to design.　Amid the lull in the global economy, the wealthy continue to invest in fineries, while those with smaller budgets still look to enjoy luxury while paying less, said Giorgio Damiani, vice president of Italian jewelry brand Damiani. 　Jewelry and luxury brands are catering to this consumption pattern by dividing their product lines, said Dam

Arts & DesignMarch 16, 2016

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- For decades, Las Vegas has loved Elvis Presley tender _ and loved him true _ but the King's presence in modern day Sin City has lately been diminishing, one impersonator at a time.　"Vegas really is, ironically, a challenging market for Elvis," said Jack Soden, CEO of Elvis Presley Enterprises, which runs the Graceland attraction in Memphis, Tennessee, and manages many of the official business deals on behalf of the estate.　The group had loaned hundreds of artifacts to a much-hy

CultureMarch 16, 2016

PUNO, Peru (AP) -- The 4 million alpacas that graze on the remote slopes of Peru's southeastern Andes wear warm coats of a silky fiber highly sought in the United States, Europe and Asia. 　Colored in one of 24 different natural tones, the fiber from this domesticated camelid smaller than a llama is processed after an annual shearing, with each alpaca producing a little more than 3.7 kilograms of fiber each year. 　The finest threads are chosen, then washed, dried, cleaned up and converted into ya

Arts & DesignMarch 16, 2016

LONDON (AFP) - The only surviving play script including William Shakespeare's handwriting, and containing a passionate speech against xenophobia, is being put online to mark the 400th anniversary of the bard’s death, the British Library announced Tuesday.　The script is a section from a controversial play that revolves around how statesman Sir Thomas More quelled a 1517 anti-foreigner uprising in London by asking the rioters to imagine themselves being banished to live abroad.　The 164-line scene

BooksMarch 16, 2016