AN ELEGANT EVENING at Shiva Artistic Collections, 115 W. Grand Ave., Escondido, 760-745-7835. On Thursday, Nov. 3, at 6:30 p.m., view hand-dyed, spun and knitted shawls, scarves and ponchos by artist Michelle Hoffe and handmade jewelry by Gretchen Fleet. Free.

* BIG TOYS FOR BIG BOYS at the O'Brien Hall at Del Mar Fairgrounds, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd. 858-793-5555 or 858-755-1161. On...

BANGKOK, Thailand -- A kamikaze suicide pilot fell in love with imprisoned "comfort woman" Lee Yong Soo, but that did nothing to stop the atrocity of her being raped by hundreds of Japanese soldiers during World War II.

Up to 200,000 females -- mostly teenagers -- were enslaved for rape by Japan's military in China, Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore, acco...

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'I'm alive,' Prince Charles says in low-key White House arrival

WASHINGTON -- Prince Charles dryly pronounced himself "still here" and "alive" Wednesday on his arrival at the White House for a visit showing off his new bride, Camilla. The Duchess of Cornwall, hoping to impress American Diana-philes on her first overseas trip a...

After the Taipei City Government criminalized prostitution in 1997 the brothels along Gueisuei Street closed. But paid-for sex remains big business in Taiwan, with Wang estimating the industry to be worth at least NT$1 trillion (US$30 billion) per year. Rather than solve the problem, the ban has driven it underground, she said.

Licensed brothels were also legal in other parts of the natio...

Joseph Simmons, a k a Rev Run, at home in his kitchen in Saddle River, N.J.

A FEW things you should know about Rev Run, the rapper and minister and dad who stars in the new MTV reality show "Run's House."

The basketball court in his home is not a full court; it i...

While for years mainstream computer makers such as IBM, HP and Dellhave been professing their love for alternatives to Microsoft Windows,the overwhelming majority of open-source-powered machines are businessservers and high-priced workstations.

Finding an entry-level homePC that doesn't have a Windows XP sticker on it requires consumers tosearch through a maze of Web sites. If they try c...

few years ago I had a Moslem player on my Newton Youth Soccer team. As it is a religious obligation of any practicing Moslem, he fasted during the month of Ramadan, which happened to coincide in part with our season. He came to every practice and every game, suited up to play, with no benefit of water or food from sunrise to sunset during the entire lunar month. I admired his sense of self and...

BEIJING (Reuters) - China has declared war on scams using mobile phone short messages that promise everything from fake cash prizes to sexual services to contract killings.

Laws governing China's mobile phone market have fallen behind its explosive growth, which has generated huge profits for short message service providers.

The new campaign is an extension of a crackdown started l...

Dark Room Theatre, 2263 Mission; 517-3581, www.darkroomsf.com. $13. Opens Fri/4, 8pm. Runs Fri-Sat, 8pm. Through Nov 26. Tech Slave Productions presents this performance subtitled From Those That Barely Remember.

Exit on Taylor, 277 Taylor; 386-2373, theatreabydos@aol.com. $18-25. Previews Fri/4, 8pm. Opens Sat/5, 8pm. Runs Fri-Sat, 8pm (no shows Nov 25-26). Through Dec 17. Abydos Theater...

Nine scams by one group -- a drop in the bucket of the nationwide problem -- tricked victims out of more than 1 million yuan ($124,000) in less than 20 days, Wu said.

Wu said his ministry would work with the Ministry of Information Industry and the China Banking Regulatory Commission to stamp out messages that duped people into turning over personal account information or involved prostit...