Cheng I-fen is 27 years old and lives in Taitung County. When she was 25, she was involved in a traffic accident on the way home to prepare for a family funeral. Cheng, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, suffered multiple serious injuries, but the biggest shock for her was that the accident caused serious damage to her thoracic and lumbar spine, causing her to lose sensation and mobility from the chest down.
Cheng’s story is not an isolated case. Data compiled by the Spinal Cord Injury Foundation reveals that 4,000 to 5,000 people suffer spinal cord injuries in Taiwan each year, with traffic accidents accounting for the largest number at 56 percent. Other causes include falls (15 percent), occupational injuries (12 percent), disease (7 percent) and sports injuries (5 percent).
If we examine the age, social groups and areas in which accidents occur, the rate of occurrence among young people aged 15 to 19 is markedly higher than other age groups, and social groups with relatively poor economic conditions and status are at higher risk. Higher rates of spinal cord injury are seen in southern and eastern parts of Taiwan. A young male from a medium to low-income family in eastern areas is at a 20 times higher risk than the average person.
Photo: Lin Yen-tung, Liberty Times
照片:自由時報記者林彥彤
Cheng is no longer as despondent about her situation as she was in the initial stages following the accident. On the occasion of World Spinal Cord Injury Day on Sept. 5, she encouraged other spinal injury sufferers to venture out into society. By taking courses offered by the foundation and other organizations, they can learn how to live independently, and the foundation can also help find jobs for them. One thing that makes Cheng happy is that she has relearned how to drive a car, which allows her to travel all over Taiwan.
(Liberty Times, translated by Julian Clegg)
今年二十七歲,家住台東縣的鄭怡芬,在二十五歲那年於回家奔喪的途中發生車禍,當時人坐在副駕駛座的她,身受多處重傷,但最令她意外的是,這場車禍竟造成她胸腰椎嚴重受損,導致她胸部以下失去知覺與行動能力。
Photo: Lin Yen-tung, Liberty Times
照片:自由時報記者林彥彤
鄭怡芬的故事並不是個案,根據脊髓損傷社會福利基金會資料顯示,台灣每年發生脊髓損傷的人數約為四到五千人,其中交通事故占最多(達百分之五十六)、其他則有高處摔下(百分之十五)、職業傷害(百分之十二)、病變(百分之七)、運動傷害(百分之五)等。
觀察事故發生的年齡、組群以和地區,十五到十九歲發生率明顯高於其他年齡層,且社經條件地位較低的族群是高危險群,脊髓損傷發生率以台灣南區和東區較高。如果是住在東區、中低收入家庭的男性青少年,其風險是一般人的二十倍。
現在鄭怡芬已從難過沮喪中走出來,響應九月五日「國際脊髓損傷日」,她勉勵其他脊傷傷者一定要走回社會,透過諸如基金會提供的課程,學會生活自主,基金會也會協助媒合工作。她自己覺得最開心的是,她可以重新學會開車、全台到處跑。
(自由時報記者林彥彤)
The strongest earthquake to hit Taiwan in 25 years killed at least 16 people and damaged dozens of buildings, but the destruction was largely contained thanks to decades of preparedness work. Taiwan sits on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of intense seismic activity along the Pacific Rim, and — much like neighboring Japan — has a long history of catastrophic quakes. How does April 3 compare with other recent quakes? The April 3 earthquake, which measured 7.4 on the moment magnitude scale, was felt across Taiwan. It was the most severe since a 7.6 magnitude quake in 1999 killed
A: Artificial intelligence technology has been causing controversy lately: a student was caught cheating with AI to win the grand prize in an art contest. B: That’s so absurd. Does this mean that AI paints better than humans? A: Maybe. Luckily, the student was later disqualified. B: And more absurdly, it’s becoming more and more popular to use AI technology to “resurrect” people. A: Yeah, some netizens even posted videos featuring the late singer CoCo Lee, who was “resurrected” by them with AI software. A: 人工智慧的爭議不斷,有學生違規使用AI參加美術展,甚至贏得首獎。 B: 真誇張,這是不是代表AI比人類還強大? A: 或許吧,幸好得獎資格被取消。 B: 還有更誇張的︰讓死者重現的「AI復活」技術越來越熱門。 A: 對啊,還有網友製作已故歌后李玟「復活」的影片呢! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
Around the time of the Dragon Boat Festival in June, the streets of Taiwan are filled with the delightful aroma of zongzi, a traditional snack made of sticky rice wrapped in leaves. The leaves are folded into a cone and then filled with sticky rice and other ingredients such as braised pork belly, peanuts and salted duck egg yolks. The filled leaves are then tightly tied with kitchen twine and ready for cooking. 每到六月端午時節,街頭巷尾就會飄出粽子的香氣。粽子是將糯米包進粽葉的傳統美食,先將粽葉折成圓錐狀塞入糯米,以及紅燒肉、花生、鹹鴨蛋黃等配料,用棉線綁緊後即可烹煮。 Dragon Boat Festival (n. phr.) 端午節 aroma
It’s another school day with the same ritual. You wake up to your smartphone’s alarm, scroll through messages during your commute, and listen to your favorite playlist with your wireless earbuds between classes. These devices, integrated smoothly into your daily routine, certainly make life more convenient. However, where do these devices end up after you replace them? In fact, the issue of electronic waste is a growing global concern. According to the United Nations, in 2019 alone, we generated an astonishing 53.6 million tons of e-waste—an average of 7.3kg per person. Projections hint at the figure soaring to 110