Grandparents raising grandkids describe joy

ORLANDO, Florida ― Teresa Apgar once envisioned her senior years as a time of globe-trotting travel and a busy social life. Instead, she’s chauffeuring an 8-year-old to taekwondo, learning about attention-deficit disorder and supervising math homework.“Look, I’m 58. My husband is 67. This is not where we’d planned on being at this stage in life,” the DeLand, Florida, resident said. “Everything in our lives revolves around the school schedule. It’s not like you can just dash off to Vegas.”Like 2.

Oct. 22, 2014

Activist dives in dumpsters across U.S. to raise awareness of food waste

CLEVELAND ― Rob Greenfield is standing barefoot and shirtless in a dumpster when he finds the strawberries.He’s ravenous after bicycling more than 60 miles, so he stops rummaging through bags and boxes to open the container of strawberries and pop one into his mouth. He seems not to notice the stench of rotten food wafting up into the Ohio night, or the grime lining the rim of the dumpster. But then again, it’s nighttime and he’s hungry.“Oh, gosh, there’s not even a moldy one in this box,” he sa

Oct. 22, 2014

What do jeans mean to you?

Many people are probably familiar with the history of blue jeans ― how denim pants moved from work clothes for California gold miners in the 19th century to a must-have item for rebellious youngsters in the 1950s and ’60s to street wear that can be found in almost everybody’s wardrobe. An exhibition that opened in Seoul last week offers a rare glimpse into how the garment became part of the Korean wardrobe and how Korean wearers came to love its individuality and intimacy. “Jeans have become a u

Oct. 20, 2014

[Weekender] Orchestras for all

When the different notes and timbres of as many as 100 instruments combine into a glorious harmony, it is not only those in the audience who feel moved. The musicians and the conductor too feel overwhelmed with the sense of belonging and pride, as well as the spiritual richness of the classical music. This is what the people interviewed by The Korea Herald all said when asked what was it about playing in orchestras that they loved so much. “I have been running my own business. Looking back at al

Oct. 17, 2014

Calendar

FestivalTen Million Chrysanthemum Festival: Iksan, North Jeolla Province, invites visitors to one of the biggest chrysanthemum festivals in Korea. At the festival, arrangements of more than 120,000 flowers will be exhibited in a 35,000-square-meter garden in Iksan Central Park and Iksan Jewelry Museum from Oct. 24 to Nov. 2. Crafts and culinary programs will offer a chance to make bracelets and paper crafts and to cook pancakes and cookies using chrysanthemums. For more information, call (063) 8

Oct. 17, 2014

Church officials struggle to assist mental patients

David Mandani heard voices telling him to kill himself. He was paranoid. He saw things others didn’t.He was spiraling out of control.Mandani was hospitalized but ran away. Family members found him in a park and asked police for help. He was put in an ambulance, tied down and taken to a psychiatric lockdown facility where he spent several weeks strapped to his bed. His condition was diagnosed as schizophrenia.Medication and counseling helped clear up the voices and irrational beliefs. Still, he r

Oct. 15, 2014

[Herald Review] ‘Frankenstein’ goes beyond throw-away questions

Should mankind be allowed to create life artificially? Why, in the first place, do we need to create life? These themes are explored in a new play directed by Korean playwright Cho Kwang-hwa at Seoul Arts Center ― “Frankenstein.”Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel has been retold and adapted in various forms, including films, stage musicals, theater plays and even children’s books. The classic Gothic tale of a creature that is innocent at heart, but grotesque in form has moved many around the world. In Ko

Oct. 14, 2014

A guide to musical theater in fall, winter

Seoul’s musical theaters, scattered across the city, are offering a wide spectrum of shows this season. From a gay-themed show getting its first off-Broadway run in Korea to a set of original Korean works based on gugak, traditional Korean music, here’s a look into some of the most anticipated musicals of the fall-winter season. ‘Marie Antoinette’ The EMK Musical Company, which started the European musical boom in Seoul, is presenting in November its most ambitious production this year ― “Marie

Oct. 13, 2014

Calendar

Theater“On Golden Pond”: Based on American playwright Ernest Thompson, “On Golden Pond” will be staged with veteran actors and actresses including Lee Soon-jae, Na Moon-hee and Shin Goo. The play is about aging couple Ethel and Norman, who spend each summer at their vacation home on Golden Pond in Maine. As they are visited by their daughter Chelsea, whom they haven’t seen for years, and her fiance, Norman tries hard to mend his strained relationship with Chelsea while preparing for his death. T

Oct. 10, 2014

Somerset Palace offers Georgian wine tasting

Somerset Palace Seoul held a special tasting event featuring food and wine from Georgia in its rooftop garden Tuesday with the sponsorship of the Georgian Embassy.Georgia, located on the Black Sea, has been making wine for more than 6,000 years and is thought to have been the world’s first wine producer. In particular, it is known for its unique wine jars, which were buried to harness the same principles as Korea’s kimchi. Georgian Ambassador Nikoloz Apkhazava and more than 100 guests of the Geo

Oct. 9, 2014

Korea’s oldest hotel celebrates centenary

Today marks an important milestone in Korean hotel history as The Chosun Hotel (currently ‘The Westin Chosun Seoul’) celebrates the 100th anniversary of the opening of its doors on Oct. 10, 1914.As the country’s oldest hotel, the establishment is one of the most iconic structures in the local hospitality industry and represents a long line of pioneering efforts to create fine luxury hotels in the country.  The construction of the Gyeongbu railway line in 1905 led to an increase in freight and pa

Oct. 9, 2014

[Herald Review] Herald Phil’s debut concert befits its mission

The famous trumpet fanfare of “Triumphal March” from Verdi’s opera “Aida” opened the debut concert on Wednesday night of Herald Philharmonic Orchestra, an ensemble founded by Herald Corp., the publisher of The Korea Herald.Befitting its mission of making classical music more accessible, the concert was filled with proven crowd pleasers, each accompanied by witty introductions from the orchestra’s music director and conductor Kim Bong-mee.“Like the orchestra members who rehearsed for hours for th

Oct. 9, 2014

Guessing game ahead of Nobel literature prize

STOCKHOLM (AFP) ― Amid fevered speculation over who will get the Nobel literature prize this year, punters and experts are considering language, geography, genre and even age to try and pin down the winner.As Stockholm’s literary circles try to draw up an “identikit” of the successor of last year’s winner, Canadian Alice Munro, several much-cited names were considered to be in the running.They range from Japan’s Haruki Murakami via Adonis from Syria to Kenyan Ngugi wa Thiong’o and Czech-born Mil

Oct. 8, 2014

Celebrating the beauty of Hangeul

Hangeul, the writing system for the Korean language, has always been a source of pride for Koreans. So much so that they mark Oct. 9 as Hangeul Day, a national holiday celebrating its creation more than 500 years ago. Efforts to cherish King Sejong’s great gift to the people went further this year, resulting in a brand new museum dedicated solely to the alphabet. Hangeul museum The National Hangeul Museum opens to the public Thursday, with the stated mission of raising the public’s understanding

Oct. 8, 2014

Seattle women create dating app to filter out creepy guys

SEATTLE ― In her years of dating, Sarah Z. Wexler, a Portland writer who edited the book “Awful First Dates: Hysterical, True, and Heartbreakingly Bad,” has been the recipient of crude, overtly sexual opening lines. “I couldn’t believe that was the first contact this man initiated with me ― to think that that would ever work.”Surprise. It didn’t. But that doesn’t stop thousands of men from inundating women with messages in dating apps ― today’s virtual version of a singles bar ― that are by turn

Oct. 8, 2014

Sentimental old owners laud new owners’ redo of family home in struggling mill town

PITTSBURGH ― In the Pittsburgh area, it’s common to have a house in one family for multiple generations. What isn’t common is for a family member to write a letter to the newspaper praising what the new owners have done to the family home.“The transformation of the property, in a before and after sense, is amazing,” wrote Jack Ciciarelli. “This is an excellent example of what can be accomplished with a typical house on a typical street in any one of our local struggling mill towns that have seen

Oct. 8, 2014

When changgeuk meets Greek tragedy

Euripedes’ epic Greek tragedy “Medea” is downright terrifying and brutal. The ill-fated Medea, a princess of Colchis, takes revenge upon her husband Jason for cheating on her by killing the people around him, including their children, one by one. The tale of Medea’s cold-hearted retaliation was told recently through changgeuk, a Korean traditional opera which is performed like a play in pansori (Korean folk narrative) style. The changgeuk version, which explores Medea’s side of the story depicts

Oct. 6, 2014