The Korea Times

Apollo 15 joystick sells for $610,000

By Ko Dong-hwan The rotational hand controller of Apollo 15, which landed on the moon in 1971, has been sold for $610,063 to an unnamed online bidder.This is believed to be the most paid for a piece of NASA memorabilia at a public auction, according to CNET.Robert Pearlman, an editor and founder of space history website CollectSpace.com, said, “We all can imagine what it must have been like to land on the moon, but to have the chance to grab hold of the very joystick that accomplished that feat is a priceless experience."Apollo 15 was launched from the Kennedy Space Center on July 26, 1971. After its lunar mission, it returned safely on August 7, 1971, splashing down in the northern Pacific Ocean.

May 26, 2014By Ko Dong-hwan

Others

Clinic responsible for brain-damaged baby, court rules

By Ko Dong-hwan A court has ruled that a clinic is partially responsible for a baby that suffered brain damage and further complications through a postponed cesarean birth.Seoul Eastern District Court ruled Monday that the clinic must pay 329 million won to the plaintiffs ― a boy, 4, and his mother, 41.The woman gave birth at a Seoul gynecology clinic on June 24, 2010. Doctors tried to induce the baby, but decided on a cesarean after eight hours because the baby’s heart rate kept dropping.The baby’s cry was weak and he showed symptoms of cyanosis ― blueness or lividness of skin caused by imperfectly oxygenated blood.The boy is now severely handicapped, unable to move on his own and suffering brain damage and hydrocephalus.   The court ruled that the hospital should have used more discretion and proceeded with a cesarean birth earlier.However, the court took into account the possibility that the baby’s brain had already been prematurely developed inside the uterus, assigning the hospital 40 percent of prosecutable responsibility.    &nbs

May 26, 2014By Ko Dong-hwan

World

I love sex, says prostitute granny, 85

By Ko Dong-hwanSheila Vogel-CoupeSheila Vogel-Coupe is a prostitute working in Britain. She earns 250 pounds an hour. And she is living proof that age is just a number: she is an 85-year-old grandmother. The Daily Mirror reported on Tuesday, that Coupe has been a prostitute for four years. But she recently had to take a break to recover from bowel cancer. The passionate sex-lover says she is eager to return to her work.Coupe turned to prostitution partly to overcome loneliness after her husband died. "But the most important reason is because I love sex,” she said. “Even thinking about it makes me feel better."Coupe has three daughters, three grandchildren and two great grandsons.

May 26, 2014By Ko Dong-hwan

World

Doctor broadcasts surgery through Google Glass

Doctor Shafi Ahmed with his Google Glass onBy Ko Dong-hwan             A British surgeon broadcast an operation by wearing Google Glass, the wearable mobile Internet device, the Telegraph reported.Shafi Ahmed from The Royal London Hospital removed cancer cells from the liver and bowel of a patient, 78. The operation was streamed live to 13,000 medical students in 115 countries via a computer.After the surgery, Ahmen held a question-and-answer session with his online pupils. The questions were also delivered through Google Glass.“I am delighted that by using Google Glasses technology we are transporting our future surgeons directly into the operating theatre,” Ahmen said.“Using this technology will help us to deliver high-quality and safe care now and into the future.’’ 

May 26, 2014By Ko Dong-hwan

Others

Sewol divers furious over pay-per-body

By Ko Dong-hwan Civilian divers still retrieving bodies from sunken Sewol ferry are enraged over presidential spokesman Min Kyung-wook’s alleged comment about how much they are being paid.In his comment, reportedly made at a lunch with journalists on Saturday and which national wires reported on Sunday, he claimed that the divers agreed with the government to be paid 1 million won daily plus 5 million for each body they retrieved.The divers blasted the comment as a lie, “humbug” and “insulting,” while the victims’ families are incredulous.Bae Hui-cheol, a lawyer representing the family emergency committee in Jindo, South Jeolla Province, refused to comment on the controversy. 

May 26, 2014By Ko Dong-hwan

World

Fat soldiers increasing headache for US military

By Ko Dong-hwanObesity is becoming an increasing problem for American soldiers, according to CNBC.The reasons are two-fold ― fast food chains such as Taco Bell and Burger King, which have been opening their stores in the military bases, appear to be influencing soldiers’ eating habits significantly.The U.S. military also greatly depends on advanced machinery and weapons in these regions of tension such as Iraq and Afghanistan and this seems to have reduced the need for soldiers to stay in shape all the time.About 2,000 soldiers were discharged from the U.S. military in the past 10 months because they were measured as too obese. Two-thousand represents a 15-fold increase from the matching period of five years ago, according to the report.The U.S. military reported in 2010 that more than five percent of its entire personnel have experienced health problems involving obesity. About 75 percent of Americans aged between 17 and 24 are obese and thus unfit for enlistment. This is bad news for the U.S. military, which needs to recruit 57,000 new soldiers every year. 

May 25, 2014By Ko Dong-hwan

Fat soldiers increasing headache for US military

Others

Candidates exploiting ferry disaster

By Ko Dong-hwan Candidates for the June 4 local elections are frequently seen at Jindo, South Jeolla Province, which was the scene of last month’s ferry disaster that left more than 300 dead or missing.The candidates made it clear they were at the scene just for the exposure, with their speeches and campaign songs blaring from the amps, disturbing family members of the victims who are still waiting for divers to find the bodies of their loved ones.“It’s very inconsiderate and tasteless of them to create a circus in a county devastated by the worst maritime tragedy in years. As a voter, I would never support these candidates,’’ said one Jindo resident.An election official from Jindo admitted that candidates in the region have been competing to use the ferry incident to their advantage and said aggressive campaigns would be regulated if complaints continue. 

May 23, 2014By Ko Dong-hwan

Others

News viewers trust JTBC most

By Ko Dong-hwan Cable channel JTBC is the country’s most trusted provider of television news, according to a survey of 1,000 adults by Research View.JTBC got a 27.9 percent rating, followed by state-controlled KBS (20.6 percent). SBS (11 percent) finished third, followed by MBC (10.5 percent.)The survey found that most Koreans find JTBC to be the most reliable news source in terms of transparency.Conducted by a polling agency Research View, the survey quizzed 1,000 mobile phone users over 19 using a random digit dialing method.The rank also included TV Chosun (7.1 percent), MBN (4.7 percent) and Channel A (3.4 percent).

May 23, 2014By Ko Dong-hwan

World

Sex restrictions take hold as World Cup nears

By Ko Dong-hwanBrazilian star Neymar With the Brazil World Cup kicking off in a month, teams are busy creating rules to dictate their players’ sexual behavior.While no one has ever proved that a player’s performance in a football tournament has any relations to what he does in bed (or how frequently he does it), teams seem to be worried that too much sex could be a distraction.The entire Mexican team has already declared they will not have sex at all during the tournament. Coach Miguel Herrera, 46, argued, “Those who can’t celibate from 20 days to a month don’t deserve their national football team spots.”Brazil, the hosts, allowed its players to have sex, but only in “normal’’ positions. Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, 66, worries that difficult sex positions put players at the risk of injury. It remains unclear whether the team will ever be able to confirm if a player tries something other than missionary.Bosnia and Herzegovina is another team that banned sex. Coach Safet Susic, 59, imagined that his players would be masturbating

May 23, 2014By Ko Dong-hwan

World

Facebook's new audio function comes with privacy worries

By Ko Dong-hwanSecurity experts are raising concern over an upcoming function on Facebook, which recognizes sounds from television, radio and other sources and provides the information to users.The new service is expected to be included in Facebook’s future smartphone applications for mobile users in the U.S. Facebook believes that devices capable of recognizing the names of pop songs and television shows could open another advertisement goldmine.However, critics are concerned that the new feature might tempt users to eavesdrop on the conversations of others.In a seething article in its online version, Washington Post claimed that the new feature unscrupulously reminds people they are never free from online surveillance.Facebook downplays such concerns, saying that its technology is incapable of analyzing noises other than recorded music or broadcast audio. 

May 23, 2014By Ko Dong-hwan

Ko Dong-hwan

Read more

Apollo 15 joystick sells for $610,000

Clinic responsible for brain-damaged baby, court rules

I love sex, says prostitute granny, 85

Doctor broadcasts surgery through Google Glass

Sewol divers furious over pay-per-body

Fat soldiers increasing headache for US military

Candidates exploiting ferry disaster

News viewers trust JTBC most

Sex restrictions take hold as World Cup nears

Facebook's new audio function comes with privacy worries

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