LOS ANGELES (AFP) ― AIDS claimed a string of celebrity victims in its early days, from Rock Hudson to Freddie Mercury, but fellow stars have played a major role in fighting the killer disease over the years since. Elton John and Elizabeth Taylor were among leading figures who used their celebrity from the start to raise awareness and funds for research into HIV, as well as reducing the stigma of...

Rochester, New York (AP) ― At Image City Photography Gallery, Gary Thompson delights in pointing out qualities of light, contrast and clarity in one of his best-selling prints ― a winter-sunset view of Yosemite National Park’s El Capitan peak shot with a hefty Pentax film camera he bought in 1999 for $1,700. His wife, Phyllis, a latecomer to fine-art photography after they retired from teaching ...

Stainless steel appliances. They’re eye-pleasing, sleek and darned near a cliche these days. But that ubiquity means a lot of people are wrestling with the same problem: how to keep stainless steel clean, ward off scratches and keep a notoriously touchy surface factory-fresh. Deservedly or not, stainless steel has picked up a reputation as something of a dirt magnet. “It is a surface that requ...

HONG KONG (AFP) ― Cut-throat competition for exam success in Hong Kong’s high-pressure education system has spawned a new breed of teacher ― celebrity tutors with near cult-like status and millionaire lifestyles. With their glamorous photographs showing megawatt grins and flashy attire splashed across billboards and buses, the star teachers claim to transform failing students into A-grade pupils...

On first Asian trip, Michal Ajvaz talks about inspiration, nationalism in art As with other literary traditions, Czech fiction’s accessibility to Korean readers has long suffered from a lack of translation into Korean. Even with towering literary figures such as Franz Kafka among the country’s authors, it was only this March that the first anthology Czech short stories in Korean translation, “Pr...

Stabbing my walking stick into the muck and sliding my feet forward, I waded into the swamp, one eye on the lookout for alligators, the other trying to spot the elusive orchids that draw so many people to South Florida’s Fakahatchee Strand Preserve, a 100-square-mile state park that is home to one of the largest concentrations of native orchids in North America. Towering trees formed a dense tro...

Located down a hill in a wealthy neighborhood in northern Seoul, Mr. 8 (Palseonsaeng in Korean) might make customers wonder whether they have just stepped into an old tavern from a period Chinese movie. A single-story wooden house with a small front yard welcomes customers while red lights and wooden furniture such as long-legged chairs and a round table create an exotic feel. Tangsuyuk at Pals...

Wine of the Week: 2009 Domaine Faury Saint-Joseph ‘Vieilles Vignes’ The 2009 old-vines Saint-Joseph from Domaine Faury is a stunner. Classic northern Rhone Syrah in all its intricate glory, dark plums overlaid with exotic sweet spices and violet. Grapes grown on steep hillside vineyards and meticulous winemaking from Philippe Faury and his son Lionel yield a Saint-Joseph that drinks beautifully...

U.K. performers Stoke Newington International Airport have arrived to perform their experimental Live Art Speed Date concept at the Chuncheon International Mime Festival this weekend. Involving a series of four-minute one-on-one performances, or “dates,” the show that has been tried and tested from London to Tokyo will explore and celebrate the intimate exchange between artist and audience. Hig...

A rare singing contest that pitted several foreign envoys in Seoul and Koreans took place at the German ambassador’s residence in Seongbuk-dong, Seoul on Tuesday evening. Organized by Corea Image Communication Institute, the singing contest was part of the CICI logo song launch event. The seven contestants ― German Ambassador Hans Ulrich Seidt and his wife Marita Seidt, Singapore Ambassador Pete...

LOS ANGELES ― What can you say about the last days of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” when it’s all been said already. And mostly by Oprah herself. According to audience members interviewed by the Chicago Tribune after its taping, Wednesday’s finale will be a farewell address by the most famous talk show host in history, a summing up of a 25-year career in her own words. Because in case you hadn’t got...

Fewer women making R-rated comedies than 15-20 years ago In corporate America, it’s no longer a surprise to see a woman running a giant company like eBay or Hewlett-Packard. But in Hollywood, where actresses have far shorter careers than actors do, and male stars are paid far more than leading ladies, there are still mountains to climb. That’s especially true in the comedy world, which is domina...

New York-based organization plans 10 traveling exhibitions in America NEW YORK ― The Korea Society sits where the Third Avenue meets East 55th St., promoting deeper and wider understanding between the American and Korean people. A small art exhibition, “Korea Design Heritage,” currently being held at the Society is part of its dynamic efforts to help Americans get to know how Korea’s industrial...