Songs offer messages of hope at Sandy benefit show

NEW YORK (AP) ― From “Livin’ on a Prayer” to “The Living Proof,” every song Friday at NBC’s benefit concert for superstorm Sandy victims became a message song.New Jersey’s Jon Bon Jovi gave extra meaning to “Who Says You Can’t Go Home.” Billy Joel worked in a reference to Staten Island, the decimated New York City borough. The hourlong event, hosted by Matt Lauer, was heavy on stars and lyrics identified with New Jersey and the New York metropolitan area, which took the brunt of this week’s dead

Nov. 4, 2012

TV host with a passion

This is the fourth in a series about foreign entertainers who are becoming more popular in Korean entertainment. ― Ed.The first thing that stands out about British MC and freestyler Jake Pains is not his loud clothes or bleach blonde hair. It’s his infectious energy and love for Korea.After almost three years in the country, he said he still walks out his door and thinks, “Whoa! I’m in Korea?!”He said he came after finishing university because he wanted to explore Asia. He originally meant to st

Nov. 4, 2012

Age of happiness for men

A British study revealed that men feel happiest at around the age of 37.Menswear brand “Jacamo” said it is stability, routine and long term commitment that satisfies the male species. The happiest time of a man’s life is around age 37 -- when they have climbed the career ladder and started a family, a new study has found. Phillip Hodson, fellow of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy said “It would be logical to think that men would be happier when they are younger, when the

Nov. 2, 2012

Seoul Arts Center to mark 25th year with Korean World Star series

Seoul Arts Center will focus on reinterpreting classic Korean performances next year. It will also present the “Korean World Star Series” featuring world-class musicians of Korean heritage, said Mo Chul-min, president of the center, on Wednesday. Seoul Arts Center, which marks its 25th anniversary on Feb. 15, 2013, will widen public access to the arts while enhancing the quality of the facility as well as the quality of its programs, said Mo. Towol Theater, reopening after extensive remodeling,

Nov. 1, 2012

Exhibition brings public closer to Buddhism

The “Self-Made Inspiration and Laughter Exhibition” at the Sejong Museum of Art from Wednesday through Nov. 12 is tailor made for people frustrated with life but cannot spare even two hours away from the city. The exhibition is a blend of the current, past and the future ― classic with technology and silence in the midst of dynamics, all bound in the world of Buddhism. Under the theme of “Our Smiles ― Yours and Mine,” eight young artists try to show the intimate side of inner-self, trying to awa

Nov. 1, 2012

‘Temple food heals you’

It hasn’t been long since the mysterious lives of monks at Buddhist temples were unveiled ever so slightly to the outside world. But thanks to the public’s increasing appetite to go greener, fresher and humbler, the essence of temple food, food cooked for monks, has captured greater attention than ever before.According to the Korea Food Service Institute, temple food contains equal amounts of calories and high-quality protein as regular food but contains low levels of saturated fat. It also has

Oct. 31, 2012

A scholar’s book on Arirang translated into English

An English book highlighting the history and the cultural significance of the Korean folk song “Arirang” was released on Monday. The book, “The Culture of Arirang,” written by a local scholar Kim Yeoun-kab and translated into English, is expected to promote the song and Korean culture ahead of UNESCO’s general meeting in December at which the enlisting of the traditional song as an intangible cultural heritage will be discussed.The book traces the tradition of Arirang, believed to have originate

Oct. 30, 2012

Kokdu Museum embraces time honored funeral rituals

 Kokdu Museum embraces time-honored funeral rituals “Kokdu” are small figurines carved from pine wood that were traditionally used during Joseon-period funeral rituals. These wooden figurines not only decorated the funeral biers but created a means of consoling the spirit of the deceased. The figures, which average around 23 cm to 33 cm in height, were there to influence not only the dead, but also the living by providing one with the opportunity to contemplate the meaning of life, death and the

Oct. 30, 2012

Small kids may need Halloween fears eased

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (UPI) -- Parents may think children of all ages enjoy scary masks, ghostly decor and haunted houses, but a U.S. expert says some kids may find them too frightening.“Most children can‘t distinguish fantasy from reality until they are about age 4, so knocking on a stranger’s door in a clown suit can be confusing and scary for younger children,” Deborah Best, a child psychology expert and professor of psychology at Wake Forest University, said in a statement. To avoid unnecessar

Oct. 30, 2012

2,000 sheep make appearance in Madrid

The people of Madrid were treated to the rare sight of about 2,000 sheep milling through the downtown area Sunday.The herd of sheep, along with about four dozen cows and several horses, were brought into the heart of the city of more than 3 million people from Seville and Toledo by shepherds and their dogs as part of the XIX National Festival of Transhumance, the EFE news agency reported.The event, organized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment in collaboration with the city of M

Oct. 29, 2012

Case of blond girl beggar strikes nerve in Mexico

At a busy intersection, a girl with a high half ponytail looks at you as she begs for coins. There is dirt beneath her fingernails and her pink shirt looks unwashed. The image in the photo could fit thousands of impoverished Mexican children who sell gum or beg for money in the streets, but for one thing: The girl in this picture is blonde.The flurry of internet attention to the photo, and the quick way officials reacted, has renewed a debate about racism in Mexico, a nation that is proud of its

Oct. 29, 2012

Filipino woman seeking 2-way hallyu exchanges

MANILA (Yonhap News) ― Helweena Sadorra is a self-acknowledged fanatic of “hallyu,” or the Korean Wave, the popular culture from South Korea that has permeated the entire globe from Asia to America to Europe and the Middle East. So when she landed a job at the Korean Cultural Center in Manila, she had high hopes of promoting active exchanges between South Korea and her home country.She quit her job last month and says the exchanges are lopsided, and there is too much of a business side to hallyu

Oct. 28, 2012

Calendar

Exhibition“Anish Kapoor”: Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art holds the first exhibition of works by British sculptor Anish Kapoor. The first major show by Kapoor in Korea encompasses the artist’s major works from the early years of his career to the present. Some of the works include large-scale sculptors with unfathomable holes, three-dimensional monochromic paintings and stainless-steel sculptures that reflect or distort images. In the museum garden stands Kapoor’s huge stainless-steel sculptor “Tal

Oct. 26, 2012

Eyelike

Taylor Swift’s ‘Red’ lacks characterTaylor Swift“Red” (Big Machine Records)Taylor Swift’s recently released fourth album “Red” is a great buy, if you’re in junior high. The young country music star has veered away from her country roots into tracks that now have a more of a pop-rock underbelly. However, Swift’s adolescent sounding songs seem as if though they would be the perfect fit for the soundtrack of a teen drama. The album’s popular chart-topping single, “We are Never Ever Getting Back Tog

Oct. 26, 2012

Mayor Choi hopes to reinvigorate Korea’s traditional culture

GANGNEUNG, Gangwon Province ― Gangneung in Gangwon Province is located at the foot of Daegwallyeong on the east coast, making it feel somewhat isolated and remote, even in this age of air travel and high-speed trains.However, the geography that was once an obstacle for the local economy has worked magic for the preservation of traditional culture and the Korean spirit that is now reaching out to the world, said Choi Myeong-hee, mayor of the city. “In the more industrialized zones, traditions hav

Oct. 25, 2012