Animal rights groups are furious over an experiment in the U.K where cats’ eyes were sewn up to find out how the brain responds to sensory deprivation. More than 20 kittens were raised in darkness for up to 12 weeks and another five had their eyes sewn closed for up to a week. The test was funded by British taxpayers and conducted by researchers at Cardiff University who insist the procedure is...

An online video showed a huge killer whale thrashing his trainer for 15 minutes at a U.S. theme park SeaWorld. The 2006 video was released as part of the on-going litigation against SeaWorld by the U.S. Secretary of Labor. The government says SeaWorld has endangered its trainers by exposing them to the dangerous whales. Killer whale Kasatka's attack on San Diego trainer Ken Peters has been put ...

The Cultural Heritage Administration said Tuesday it has designated the Danoje Festival held in Beopseongpo in South Jeolla Province as Important Intangible Cultural Asset No. 123. The Beopseongpo Danoje is one of the major Dano festivals held in Korea along with Gangneung Danoje, a UNESCO-designated world cultural heritage. Programs include ritual offerings to the Dragon King for the sake of sa...

A sense of humor and self-confidence are the most irresistible traits in a potential love interest, not physical traits, a U.S. survey indicates. A survey by Tango.com, a Web-based source for love and relationships, indicated 89 percent of respondents agreed that when one or both partners in a couple has poor self-confidence, relationship problems ensue. "Conventional wisdom holds that attracti...

LONDON (AP) ― The athletes and the Olympic torch have arrived in London ― and so has the party. For those keener on celebrity-spotting or dancing the night away than medal counting, the British host city has plenty of action to offer during games time. Away from the track and field, Hollywood royalty such as Brangelina and Nicole Kidman will be rubbing shoulders with diplomats and businessmen at...

Hannah, 2, awaiting groundbreaking procedure for windpipe The sight of Lee Young-mi leading her nearly 2-year-old daughter Hannah along a hallway in Seoul National University Hospital might not sound too unusual. But when The Korea Herald visited her about one year ago, she could do nothing but lie on her back. Hannah can now walk if she holds on to her parents’ hands, though she can’t go far. ...

World-renowned story-teller Robert McKee says appealing to human nature matters most How to best produce hit dramas and movies based on traditional Korean culture is an important question for the government as it tries to promote the country’s heritage abroad. Robert McKee, a world-renowned teacher of story-writing and story-telling, said a strategy that focuses on cultural uniqueness is likely...

Korea’s mecenat council urges National Assembly to pass bill that offers tax deduction to companies supporting the arts The total amount Korean companies gave to the arts and spent on their culture-related activities last year decreased 6.2 percent from the previous year, as businesses have begun to feel the pressure from Europe’s fiscal crisis, the country’s mecenat council said on Tuesday. Ac...

LIMA (AFP) ― Archeologists said Friday they have discovered a tomb about 1,200 years old, from the pre-Inca Sican era, in northern Peru. Human remains and jewelry were found July 4 along with the tomb, likely that of a member of the aristocracy of the Sican or Lambayeque elite, head researcher Carlos Wester La Torre told AFP. A gold earflap, a silver-plated crown, and some 120 silver and copper...

Ahn Chi-wook, a 26-year-old university student, said he uses both a mobile diary application and a traditional diary; the former for short memos, and the latter for long memos, drawings and stickers “in his own style.” While various applications for drawing and painting are available for Android and at Apple’s App Store, people still stick to drawing by hand. Lee Jeong-eun, a 36-year-old banker...