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Trash blights Seoul's streets

Piles of garbage have appeared on a street in Jongno, downtown Seoul. A lack of trash cans leaves the streets of the city swamped with litter. / Korea Times fileGarbage piles up due to lack of trash cans By Baek Byung-yeul, Kwon Ji-youn Garosugil in Sinsa-dong, southern Seoul, is the place to be on Friday nights. It’s a shopping mecca and home to the hottest restaurants and coffee shops in Seoul. But a close look at the street reveals it’s not as hip and slick as one would think.The stores may have flashy window displays, but on street corners are piles of takeout coffee cups and stacks of flyers boasting cheap food and an endless supply of alcohol.Worst of all, there are no trash cans in sight — the only thing that comes close to resembling one is a large orange plastic bag overflowing with flyers and cups, sitting on the side of the street in plain view.Yamanaka, 27, an office worker from Tokyo, often finds herself at a loss when looking for a trash can when visiting Seoul on business.“Whenever I walk along the streets of the city, I always have tr

Apr 22, 2014
Trash blights Seoul's streets

Peanut allergy has become more common

By Jane HanIt hurts to write this, but I found out this week that one of my twin girls has a peanut allergy.I thought peanut allergies were something other kids had, not mine. So when the doctor was giving me detailed instructions on how to administer the EpiPen, a pre-filled needle I must inject into my child’s thigh in the event of a life-threatening allergic reaction, I was still thinking in my head, “Why am I listening to this?”For some reason, I just never thought I’d be a peanut-allergy mom.I knew it was becoming more common these days and have seen how tough it is on kids and parents. It just never occurred to me that my own daughter would not be able to enjoy a good old, simple yet delicious peanut butter and jelly sandwich.I was already bummed knowing that the girls are allergic to eggs, so the peanut addition really made me wonder — did I do something wrong?My husband and I both do not have any allergies, so it can’t be hereditary. So I took a moment to take a quick flashback of all the things I ate during pregnancy — Pretty much ev

Apr 18, 2014
Peanut allergy has become more common

Secrets and tips for children's growth

By Lee Sung-hunThe Ministry of Education announced early this year the average elementary school student is about 2 centimeters taller than 10 years ago.At the same time, high school students were shorter by 0.1 centimeter for boys and 0.2 centimeters for girls. It also found 15 out of 100 students in all age groups were obese with the rate on the rise.There is a tendency for many obese children to have early puberty.Early puberty comes with a growth spurt that starts earlier. But the flip side is that the spurt also stops earlier leading to a shorter average height in older children.Height is a concern of children and parents alike. In today’s column, I want to share some thoughts about encouraging children’s growth.Nurture over nature. The 2006 World Health Organization (WHO) report on child growth standards said genetic factors influence a child’s growth by about 23 percent, while environmental influences such as lifestyle, diet and exercise are a much greater factor.Parent’s height alone does not determine how tall a child will grow, but how the parents ra

Apr 18, 2014
Secrets and tips for children's growth

Right pillow brings good sleep

By Kim Sang-hyukBenjamin Franklin once said fatigue is the best pillow, meaning it enables a good night’s sleep.But a good pillow can also definitely help a good night’s sleep. Creating a comfortable sleeping environment is essential for everyone, even the insomniac.Mankind has tried countless creative ways to make the right pillow. Among those efforts, however, have been some contrived products created for commercial purposes.This article will uncover the truth behind proper pillow usage based on credible medical findings.Q: Is the pillow good for your health?A: So far, findings on the positive side are dominant.Dr. Hugh Smyth, a physician of the Toronto Rheumatic Disease Unit at University of Toronto, conducted a study on 151 patients suffering cervical syndrome with C6-7 involvement.The research found 47 percent of patients showed improvement in their conditions after eight months using a pillow. After 18 months, 63 percent of patients showed improvement.Dr. Persson and Dr. Moritz of the Department of Neurosurgery at Lund University Hospital in Sweden also found a pill

Apr 18, 2014
Right pillow brings good sleep

(276) Ferry accident with high school students on board

By Janet Shin I couldn’t sleep since last weekend. I even had a nightmare and had to call my son in Canada, crying to ask him whether everything’s alright. He of course answered nothing was wrong and asked why I was so psychologically uneasy. It was Monday morning when I contacted him in overseas at 5 a.m. Owing to the time difference, it was his evening. I cried and cried. Apparently it was an unusual incident as I have never been so nervous and emotional like that. It was caused by my dream. I had an awkward dream where I saw many high school students were in danger. I couldn’t recognize the exact clue but visited the teachers’ room wailing miserably and asking what happened. The teacher seemed very embarrassed saying that let’s hope they were fine. I was sobbing as I felt the pain and sorrow. Since then, I kept contacting my two sons every day, one in overseas, and the other working in Navy. On Wednesday morning, I was driving to an important lecture, listening to a radio broadcast about an accident near Jindo, South Jeolla Provinc

Apr 17, 2014
(276) Ferry accident with high school students on board

University student bodies lose reputation, popularity

Presidential candidates and their running mates for school council of a university in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, campaign for election at the campus entrance in this Nov. 20, 2013 file photo. University student bodiesare losing popularity and having difficulty securing enough votes, not to mention candidates./  YonhapBy Yoon Sung-won, Park Jin-haiCollege student bodies are losing their previous reputation as the champions of students’ rights, suffering from a double whammy of internal problems and students’ indifference.Back in the 1970s and '80s, when the Korean thirst for democracy was strong, university student councils stood at the forefront, paving the way. Young and intelligent, the students considered fighting for democracy and against authoritarianism a duty as well as a privilege. In the 1990s, when the strong-arm rule of authoritarian administrations started to subside, student councils had other missions such as protesting against tuition hikes and standing for students’ rights against university administrations and boards of directors. Inheriting

Apr 15, 2014
University student bodies lose reputation, popularity

HEALTH LINE

Green Cross to operate in CanadaGreen Cross said Monday that it will build a new biologics manufacturing facility in Canada as part of expanding its business to North America.According to the biopharmaceutical company, the plant will be located in Montreal, Quebec, and will be Canada’s only plasma-fractionation facility capable of producing up to 1 million liters of plasma a year.The company said it will break ground later this year and begin commercial production from 2019.Green Cross Biotherapeutics, a company subsidiary, signed an agreement with Investissement Quebec over the latter’s financial commitment to the project worth 25 million Canadian dollars.Green Cross expects the total capital expenditure on the new facility to exceed 180 million Canadian dollars over the next five years."This investment will demonstrate our long-term dedication to patients in the North American region who rely on plasma-derived medicines; and it will create hundreds of full-time positions in Montreal" said Green Cross Chairman and CEO Huh Il-sup.NMC opens trauma centerThe National Medica

Apr 11, 2014

Knee injuries lurk in springtime outdoor activities

By Song Sang-hoAs the weather gets warmer, it is an ideal time for outdoor sporting events, such as soccer, baseball and basketball.However, those activities require strenuous movements and the risk of joint injuries naturally increases, especially for the knees.The knees are prone to injuries because they have to bear excessive amounts of pressure during sports. Among potential knee problems, the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is one of the most common ones.We often see athletes sidelined after suffering an ACL injury during matches. This suggests that such injuries can occur to anybody enjoying intense sporting events or outdoor activities.The cruciate ligaments bisect each other to form a cross in the middle of the knee. The ACL is the one in a horizontal shape, connecting the knee joint to the femur (thighbone) and the tibia (shinbone).Its main functions are providing stability to the knee by preventing anterior displacement and resisting medial rotation of the tibia from the femur.Many ACL injuries occur during sports or aerobic workouts that anybody can easily engage i

Apr 11, 2014
Knee injuries lurk in springtime outdoor activities

Skin management for defying age

Song Joong-ki  Cho Ae-kyungBy Cho Ae-kyungThe standard of beauty changes along with the times, but a woman’s instinct to seek for beauty never changes.The desire for a “baby face,” looking younger than their age, has emerged as one of aesthetic phrases these days, with compliments such as, “You look younger than your age” being accepted as more flattering than “you are beautiful.”In a recent poll conducted by a community portal site and an aesthetic dermatologist, actress Jun Ji-hyun and actor Song Joong-ki were chosen as the most baby-faced Korean celebrities.Many say their elastic and fair complexion — which makes people wonder how old they really are — comes from “clean and pure” skin. Your skin condition is often regarded as whether you are baby-faced or not.With such a trend, skin management is what women who want baby faces should most care about.Aging is inevitable, but to look younger than your age, it is important to postpone the aging process by paying attention to every day skin care.Slowing aging

Apr 11, 2014
Skin management for defying age

(275) How to apply five elements - vocational aptitude

By Janet ShinCan we get a hint about how to develop our future career by saju reading?For those who are skeptical about oriental teachings in general, it would sound absurd. While many people anticipate a conjecture of their destiny by various ways of fortune telling, it can be out of their expectation to get such a specific and practical guideline by saju. he psychological traits revealed by saju are the key attributes of one’s profession, which are usually determined by the interests and innate capabilities.It certainly requires expertise to appraise the structure of saju as a whole and you should be able to judge whether it has the support of advantageous elements in hand. That way you can tell what one’s preference and pursuit of life are, and furthermore whether one can achieve the aspiration.Rather than seeking out a reliable fortune teller, which is not always easy though, you may find some refreshing clue about yourself with the aid of advanced telecommunication devices. There are various free saju applications you can download from your smart phones. As a fi

Apr 10, 2014
(275) How to apply five elements - vocational aptitude
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