Driver’s test offered in several languages
Taipei City’s Motor Vehicles Office is offering its written test in several languages to accommodate expatriates and new immigrants. The office offers written tests in Mandarin, English, Japanese, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Thai and Cambodian. To allow alternative testing, the office also built a database of pre-recorded spoken questions in different languages. The alternative testing is available in Mandarin, Taiwanese, Hakka, English, Japanese, and Vietnamese, Indonesian, Thai and Cambodian. Details about the English-language test are available at: www.mvo.taipei.gov.tw/cgi-bin/SM_themePro?page=461d9c5e. A list of sample questions from the foreign language testing database is available at www.mvo.taipei.gov.tw/cgi-bin/SM_themePro?page=461f1ead.
More information about the exam is available from the 1999 Citizen Call Center at (02) 2720-8889.
Mykonos founder dies
Long-time Taipei resident Michael Stephen Waldor, who brought Greek food to Taipei with a string of Mykonos restaurants beginning in 1993, died in Pattaya, Thailand, where he had a second home, on Oct. 10. The 61-year-old Waldor, known as Mickey or Mike Waldorf to his loyal clientele, had been battling pancreatic cancer since being diagnosed on Oct. 8 last year. The New York native first came to Taipei in April 1985 to work for Asia World Hotel after working on cruise liners and passenger ships for 22 years, mostly in the Mediterranean area, as a catering manager. Those years at sea served as an inspiration when he decided to leave the hotel industry to run his own restaurant, Mykonos, which he opened in a lane off Anhe Road in November 1993. Mykonos moved from its first location to the other side of Anhe and then to Lishui Road and is now in its fourth incarnation in a lane off Siwei Road. Waldorf also owned a Chinese restaurant in Athens for several years and the Cruise Ship Restaurant, which opened on Anhe in December 2003. He was famous for his authentic spanakopita and New York cheesecake, for his sense of humor and for always encouraging people to travel to Greece or try a cruise. He is survived by his partner of 23 years, Gino Lin.
TAS holds flea market, rummage for orphanage
Taipei American School’s (TAS) Orphanage Club will hold a Flea Market and Rummage Sale in the school’s lobby on Saturday, rain or shine. Items offered at the sale include clothing, household items, electronic appliances and furniture, TAS said in a press release. “The proceeds from the Flea Market will go to the Orphanage Club to provide funding for needy children and orphans in Taiwan [and] overseas,” it said. TAS is located at 800 Zhongshan N Road Sec 6, in Tianmu (天母). For more information, contact Richard Arnold at (02) 2873-9900 ext. 239, or Ms Koh at (02) 2874-0902.
AIT sponsors democracy challenge
The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) has invited all budding filmmakers, democracy advocates and the general public to participate in the inaugural Democracy Video Challenge. Winners will enjoy an all-expenses paid trip to the US to meet prominent figures in the movie industry and democracy advocates. “We expect this competition will be well received and lively in Taiwan, not only because of Taiwan’s vibrant democracy, but also because of Taiwan’s creativity in filmmaking,” AIT Chief of Public Affairs Thomas Hodges said. The three-minute film must complete the phrase “democracy is.” Three semi-finalists from Taiwan will be chosen to compete in the regional finals and the ultimate winners will be selected by YouTube viewers worldwide. For more information on the contest rules, visit www.videochallenge.america.gov. All videos will be judged on artistic content, promotion of democracy and production values.
Grand Hyatt hosts St Andrew’s Ball on Saturday
The British Chamber of Commerce will be hosting the annual St Andrew’s Ball at the Grand Hyatt Taipei on Saturday. Traditionally a Scottish evening, the event is now held in more than 200 cities around the world. The ball in Taipei features a wine reception starting at 6pm, a seven-course dinner of traditional Scottish Fayre and a dance to Scottish music, followed by breakfast at 1am and “carriages” at 3am. The fee is NT$4,600 per seat and NT$44,000 per table of 10. More information is available on the British Chamber of Commerce Taipei Web site at www.bcctaipei.com/Events/20081101_SAB.htm, by e-mail at aurora.chien@bcctaipei.com or telephone on (02) 2547 1199.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique