Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Is Alcoholism Inherited?

By Bae Ji-sook Staff Reporter When a father is an alcoholic, are his sons likely to end up being an alcoholic too? Yes, some experts say. According to Prof. Kim Dae-jin of Catholic University and Prof. Choi In-keun of Hallym University, there is a certain genetic predisposition that can induce alcoholism at a rate of more than 90 times that of other people. The team found that about 87 percent of alcoholics had the genetic predisposition. Kim said the alcoholism has to do with how the body reacts to the alcohol drunk. When alcohol gets into the body, the ADH enzyme converts it into acetate. However, the team said about 25 percent of Koreans lack this enzyme, and so their bodies cannot process alcohol well. These percent can easily fall into alcoholism, Kim said. ``If there is an alcoholic person in the family and one enjoys drinking alcohol, then the chances are high that they will be addicted to alcohol,'' he added. Of course having few glasses of alcohol about twice a week is no problem, but if you experience excessive hangovers or blackouts the day after drinkin

Jan 27, 2008

Lesson 131: Popular Openings (2)

By Nam Chi-hyung The Kobayashi Opening has been one of the most widely played opening formations from the 1980s to the present. Due to its popularity, the innovations and transformations of this opening can dramatically illustrate the alterations and changes in the players' way of thinking over time. Seeing its continuing development will help you become sensitive to evaluating the positions on the board. Diagram 1 Out of the two pincers, the high at A and the low at Black 1, the latter was preferred at first. When White pushes up with 2, two answers are most common for Black, B and 3. Out of those two, Black 3 was tried first. Diagram 2 (B14 is at W5) White's bending with 1 and Black's cutting with 2 is the sequence mostly agreed upon as soon as Black bends at 3 in Diagram1. The sequence from 3 to 14 is also inevitable. Diagram 3 Continued from Diagram 2, the resulting position up to Black 6 here is regarded as being unfavorable for Black. As you see, Black stones are forming a big bulk on the right and the △-marked Black stone is

Jan 17, 2008

Foreigners Invited to Turtle Marathon

By Kwon Mee-yoo Staff Reporter Those who want some fresh winter air are invited to participate in the 366th Turtle Marathon this Sunday. Take a refreshing morning walk through the Mount Namsan area. For those new or not quite familiar with Seoul yet, the ``marathon'' is a great opportunity to meet Seoulites as well as 2007 Miss Korea finalists. Also, Oh Jee-chul, CEO of the Korea Tourism Organization, will walk the scenic seven-kilometer route around Mount Namsan with other participants. Organized by The Korea Times' sister company, the Hankook Ilbo, the Turtle Marathon has been held once a month since 1978. After the walk, comedian Lee Sang-yong will host a closing show. Green tea and snacks from the Nongshim food company will be distributed to participants and raffle-winners will receive gifts such as bicycles and kitchen goods. Certification for two hours of volunteer work will be given to middle and high school students who participate in beautifying the environment on the day. The Turtle Marathon is free. When: January 20, meet at 7:40 a.m. (w

Jan 15, 2008

‘Doctor Fish’ Degraded to Quack

By Bae Ji-sook Staff Reporter The ``doctor fish,'' is a small fish that allegedly eats dead skin off people's feet. The fish, as its name implies, is famous for the healing effect it supposedly has on skin diseases. But experts are raising questions about its efficacy. Some even warn of the fish spreading disease rather than healing. The new fad started last summer with a lot of people showing fascination for the creature. At a number of places people rolled up their pants and let the fish feast on the dead skin on their feet. The owners of these thriving places argue that the fish not only removes unwanted material from the feet but also has a massaging effect as well as treating atopic skin disease as well as psoriasis. However, most of the fish in Korea are reportedly fake and even the real ones can do some harm, say some experts. The fish, known as Garra rufa, is allegedly imported from Turkey. Its action raised the name ``doctor fish.'' The fish is reportedly also used in Germany, Austria and Switzerland as an alternative medical option. According to Dr. Martin Gr

Jan 13, 2008

Lesson 130: Popular Openings (1)

By Nam Chi-hyung During one of my classes, my students and I compared baduk to other board games such as chess, backgammon, checkers, etc. For your information, most of the students were strong baduk players at high dan levels. One student stated his opinion that the opening of baduk was easier than that of other games. The reason was that there were innumerable choices of moves and formations that a player can freely choose from, and there was no need to memorize opening sequences in order not to lose quickly. This view immediately gave rise to a lot of opposition. Other students said the freedom of choice actually made the opening of baduk more difficult, and because there were so many things you have to consider in the opening it's almost impossible to count on memory. The difficulty of the opening stage is not the issue of this lesson, of course. Both standpoints have their own truths. I think the difference in opinion is caused by the degree of how serious the players are about their game. At least for professional players, there is no end to the study about the openi

Jan 10, 2008

Enrich Your Health With Colored Food

By Bae Ji-sook Staff Reporter If you have never heard of the colored food diet or therapy, then look at your dinner table. If the dishes are filled with at least three colors, then you are already having it. Color food became popular in Western society where they started a ``5-A-Day'' campaign, a plan to encourage people to eat about five to nine vegetables or fruits a day with at least five colors. According to GrowingKids, those foods are loaded with the vitamins, minerals, fiber, and phytochemicals that your body needs to maintain good health. Pop princess Christina Aguilera openly praise her color food diet that maintains her body fit as well as giving satisfaction to her eyes. Anyone who wants to have a slender body like her or is tired of looking at monotone dishes may want to change their menu right away using these color foods. Red: Lycopene and anthocyanin are abundant in red colored foods. They are related to your heart and prevent cancer. In oriental medicine, they say the redness purifies your blood and increases your appetite. The foods are good for hyper

Jan 6, 2008

Lesson 129: Opening Evolution (5)

By Nam Chi-hyung As mentioned before, the main reason behind Black playing the Mini Chinese Opening is not to enclose the lower right corner himself, but to make White approach toward it. Even if it turns out that the bait failed to attract White, as already shown in the previous lesson, Black cannot take the bait himself. Diagram 1 Therefore, from now on, Black's main object is to make his territory in the lower right corner as big as possible without enclosing with A. Black 1 here shows this intention pretty clearly. Diagram 2 In the 1990s, White 1 was the usual answer for this situation. However, because Black 4 is a good move, the resulting position up to Black 6 is unfavorable to White. White's defending move 5 is almost inevitable. If White avoids it, Black will intrude at A, which makes White unable to answer. Diagram 3 White's first innovation is the low knight's move with 1, which was especially favored by Japanese professionals during the mid-90s. Because there is a potential for White to peep with A, forcing Black to connect at B, and the

Jan 3, 2008

Watch Out Calories of Winter Snacks

By Bae Ji-sook Staff Reporter Winter is a time to curl up with book and wait for the freezing season to go by. It is also a time for snacks. Unlike summer, where ice creams or cold sodas make up most of the snacks we consume, winter has variety of steamy snacks sold at street venders and convenient stores that help warm up the cold winter nights. However, experts say these snacks are quite high in calorie content and careless consumption may lead to easily putting on several kilograms. Kim Ha-jin, a diet expert, said winter is a perfect time to gain weight and worsen you health status. ``People tend to not eat as much fruit and vegetables or drink as much water during this time. Green tea and foods that are abundant in fiber and vitamins will help balance the body,'' he said. But still, a snack of red bean buns, broiled rice cake with red pepper sauce, or a cup of cocoa is a risky temptation. You may want to calculate snack calories when you eat popular winter snacks in Korea. Around this time of the year, streets are filled with venders baking hot bread snacks ― on

Dec 30, 2007

Lesson 128: Opening Evolution (4)

By Nam Chi-hyung All the moves in an opening have specific meaning, but some of them are more important than others. Perhaps we can say that these moves express the principle of the opening. The underlying principles of already-existing openings often serve as hints for generating new openings. The relationship between the Chinese Opening and the Mini Chinese Opening shows how the former served as an inspiration to the latter. Diagram 1 Black 1 to 5 is the famous Chinese Opening (high). Its main idea is to make it difficult for White to approach at A or B. Because these approaches are quite dangerous, it is more common for White to approach with 6, and develop the upper and the left sides first. Diagram 2 However, Black's framework on the right and the lower sides is too huge to be ignored, and there is nowhere White can build a framework as big as Black's with a single move. Even though approaching toward the lower right corner has the risk of attack, it would be too late if White loses the chance to approach now. The question is how to approach, and White 1 here i

Dec 27, 2007

Want to Be Mr. Good Bar Again?

By Park Min-sun . Contributing Writer A powerful erection early in the morning is an important indicator of healthy men. Not only unsatisfactory copulation but also erectile problems in the morning are very disappointing and make men worry about aging and one's potency. Erectile dysfunction is a widespread condition that is increasing globally. Erectile dysfunction is indicative of underlying vasculopathy and is also a predictor of more serious cardiovascular disorders. Understanding the aetiology of erectile dysfunction may therefore provide invaluable pointers to the pathobiology of other cardiovascular diseases and syndromes. Then, it follows, too, that therapeutic interventions that are successful in treating erectile dysfunction may, ipso facto, be effective in treating the early stages of conditions that include atherosclerosis, angina, plaque rupture and diabetic angiopathy. One common pathological denominator in both cardiovascular disorders and erectile dysfunction is oxidative stress, that is, the overproduction of free radicals. Free radicals are a chemical

Dec 23, 2007

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