NEWARK, New Jersey (AP) ― As “Back to the Future” celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, there’s a legal tussle over the futuristic car that provided the guts for the flying time machine used by Michael J. Fox in the classic 1985 film.Maverick automaker John DeLorean’s eponymous creation costarred in the 1985 movie as it transported Marty McFly back to the 1950s to engineer his parents’ meeting ― and, in a 1989 sequel, to a 2015 world that featured flying skateboards, automated dog-walkers a

PARIS (AFP) ― Women want to settle down while men prefer to play the field, right? Not quite, said a study Wednesday that challenged long-held views of sexual selection.It turns out the dynamics of sex are partly driven by the law of supply and demand: a man’s fidelity depends to a large degree on the number of available women.“When women are rare, men respond by desiring long-term committed relationships with a single partner,” University of Utah anthropologist and study lead author Ryan Schach

PASADENA, California (AP) ― Charlie Sheen left “Two and a Half Men” amid great drama. Whether he’ll return for the show’s last episode is a mystery.CBS entertainment chief Nina Tassler ducked the question when pressed at a meeting Monday of the Television Critics Association.“I can promise you there will be a lot of surprises,” Tassler said. Series executive producer Chuck Lorre has promised to deliver “what he’s calling a ‘mystery sandwich,’” she added.“Two and a Half Men,” which once reigned a

With images of the North and South Poles becoming cliche through overuse in environmental documentaries, artist Han Sung-pil’s photographs of the Arctic and Antarctica offer a different view of these vulnerable regions. He focuses on the history of human exploitation in the world’s least explored places since the time when early European explorers discovered the lands and their rich natural resources. He made several trips to the Arctic and Antarctica from 2013 to 2014 searching for traces of ex

Riding the popularity of K-pop, the new Korean fashion brand Nonagon has landed in major multi-fashion stores in Asia and the fashion hub of Milan within six months of its launch in September last year.The huge early success is the result of a collaboration between YG Entertainment, which represents major K-pop stars including Big Bang and 2NE1, and the textile company Cheil Industries, an affiliate of Samsung Group. The two joined hands to create a line of bomber jackets, sweatshirts, minidress

VERBANIA, Italy ― Serendipity and a chance encounter on my recent trip to this Mediterranean country led me to the very best lunch I’ve ever eaten ― anywhere.It began back in September as I sat exhausted on a stone garden bench at Villa Della Porta Bozzolo in Casalzuigno in Northern Italy.Eight days into a 10-day tour of Italian gardens and villas and all the travel had finally caught up to me. I took a break from my tour and sat outside with Anna Maria Massimi, who was guiding another group tra

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ― Two men are roughly halfway through what has been called the hardest rock climb in the world: a free climb of an 900-meter section of exposed granite in California’s Yosemite National Park.Tom Evans, a climber and photographer, has been chronicling Kevin Jorgeson, 30, of Santa Rosa, California, and Tommy Caldwell, 36, of Estes Park, Colorado, as they scale the wall using only their hands and feet.El Capitan, the largest monolith of granite in the world, rises more than 900 m

A strong smell strikes viewers as they open the heavy curtain in the exhibition hall of the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea. Inside hangs a huge damp cloth with a brown urine stain, emitting the ammonia-like odor. This year’s Young Korean Artists exhibition of the MMCA is full of artistic experiments embedded with the anxiety of and satire toward modern Korean society. It features eight Korean artists in their 20s and 30s living through the crisis of Korea’s young generation, depriv

Another holiday season has passed, and with it the marathon cooking and baking sessions. The hours spent using every kitchen appliance and inch of counter space had a potential benefit more lasting than a good meal: When we really use our kitchens, we discover what does and doesn’t work in this very important room.Remodeling a kitchen can be expensive and challenging, but you can make substantial cosmetic changes with just the help of a painter and electrician, says interior designer Betsy Burnh

More than 700 pieces of Korean art in possession of the Smithsonian Museum are now available to view online as the Washington-based museum released some 40,000 digitized images of ancient Asian art on its website (open.asia.si.edu). The Korean collection includes celadon of the Goryeo period (918-1392), Buddhist paintings, folding screen paintings, porcelain and a lacquered wood box inlaid with mother-of-pearls that date back to the Joseon period (1392-1910).  A Buddhist painting dating to the G

With the positive New Year remarks by the leaders of North and South Korea setting up the possibility of a thaw in inter-Korean relations, South Koreans this year will be able to see more exhibitions with North Korean elements than ever before. The Seoul Museum of Art is preparing a North Korea-themed exhibit to mark the 70th year of the division of Korea. The exhibition, scheduled to open in July, is expected to present a broad range of contemporary North Korean art and offer interesting South

The Busan Tourism Organization announced it would offer a tour of spots featured in the movie “Ode to My Father.” The movie is about Koreans living in the poverty-stricken 1950s and ’60s who leave the country to work overseas. The movie takes place in Busan and shows major sites including Nampo-dong; PIFF Plaza; food alleys; Bupyeong Market, also known as Kkangtong (Tin Can) Market; and Yongdusan Park. The tour takes two hours and will include old stories about Busan told by local people. For mo

Stay for half price at Conrad SeoulConrad Seoul is offering an accommodation and breakfast package for the New Year that enables guests to stay at a Grand King Corner Suite and receive a 50 percent discount on breakfast if they book for more than two nights in January. The Grand King Corner Suite, which measures 96 square meters, is the hotel’s largest room. Situated on the highest floor of the hotel, it offers a breathtaking panoramic view of the capital city and Hangang River. It features a li

“Children of Spring” by Lee Jung-seop (Gallery Hyundai)During the Korean War (1950-53), when art materials such as paper ― not to mention canvas ― were scarce, Korean painter Lee Jung-seop (1916-56) drew and painted on the foil linings of cigarette packs.His three small silver foil drawings, first purchased by Arthur McTaggart, director of the U.S. Culture Center in Korea in 1955, and donated to the Museum of Modern Art New York a year later, will be on view in Seoul for the first time since the

South Korea has become the third most popular destination for mainland Chinese tourists after Hong Kong and Macau. The number of Chinese tourists to Korea has seen double-digit growth over the past couple of years. The figure is expected to reach 6.1 million by the end of this year, up about 40.9 percent from 2013. The number grew 51.5 percent from 2012 to 2013. Korea benefits from the growing number of mainland Chinese travelers, which is expected to exceed 100 million by the end of this year.

Korea has seen brisk discussion of feminism and improvement in the status of women over the past decades. In Korea’s patriarchal society, securing women’s rights was a victory and promised a balanced development of society. For several years, though, men have been complaining about their weakening rights and positions in family and society. The shrinking dominance of males has been ridiculed and satirized on a comedy show that created the so-called “Committee for the Restoration of Male Human Ri

Looking for the perfect spot to watch the sunset and sunrise that is not too far from Seoul? Incheon, situated on the west coast, recommends eight top places to watch sunset and sunrise for the New Year. The Incheon Development and Tourism Corporation suggests four great places to bid farewell to 2014: Jeongseojin, Mount Seoksan in Songdo, Sunset Village in Janghwa-ri, Ganghwa and Wangsan Beach. Jeongseojin, located at the starting point of the Gyeongin Ara waterway, is known for a beautiful sun

Starwood Hotels and Resorts announced that it would offer free standard in-room Internet access to members of Starwood Preferred Guest who book through Starwood’s digital channels during their stay at all Starwood chain hotels in Korea and participating hotels worldwide. From Feb. 2, free Internet access will be available to SPG members who book their hotel stays through the company’s corporate and brand websites and mobile sites, including the SPG app.“With the seismic shift towards digital, pa

Celebration of French cuisine at Grand Hyatt IncheonGrand Hyatt Incheon’s Restaurant 8 presents French course menus during the month of January as part of the restaurant’s promotion for each different global cuisine. The French Café offers a five-course lunch and dinner, featuring luxury ingredients such as caviar, truffles and foie gras, paired with fine French wines. The lunch is 66,000 won and the dinner is 88,000 won. In February, grill chefs will present traditional Korean Lunar New Year me

A painting displayed in the lobby of The Ritz-Carlton, Seoul (The Ritz-Carlton, Seoul)Hotel / Luxury The Ritz-Carlton, SEOULNext year, The Ritz-Carlton, Seoul will celebrate the 20th anniversary of its opening and its luxury hospitality service that has left a lasting impression on foreign and Korean guests since 1995. The hotel, one of the first foreign luxury hotel chains in Korea, has become an ideal destination for business and leisure travelers and a frequent home for world stars, includin