Before, the winter vacation was puncuated by both joy and stress for local school kids. They had time off finally, but they also were shouldered with mountains of homework to keep them busy.
However, corresponding to the rapidly diversifying classes now being offered at elementary schools, "alternative" vacation homework of a much lighter nature has replaced the traditional, tedious written exercises this year.
Among other schemes, children are being allowed to produce family photo albums, write New Year's couplets, videotape vacation trips, search the Internet for their favorite Web sites, or join basketball camps to burn off the excessive caloric intake during Chinese New Year feasting.
In addition, since English courses are now being offered in elementary schools, teachers are encouraging children to write essays in English or collect objects bearing English words.
We only hope kids don't look to some night markets items to learn English. The teacher may find fault with the grammar of a t-shirt reading "I love you, kill you therefore I do."
Stock up on garlic, get fined
It happens with alarming frequency. And the government is, according to reports, concerned. The problem? Garlic hoarding. Taiwan is short of it again, and prices in the lead-up to the Chinese New Year are soaring.
The domestic price of garlic bulbs has skyrocketed from NT$120 per kg to NT$350 per kg in central and southern Taiwan over the last two days.
Officials said yesterday that the price surge before the Lunar New Year is definitely a result of hoarding.
It is such a big problem that in order to "thwart illegal hoarders," the Council of Agriculture is pondering importing garlic from China.
The council imported 4,000 tons of garlic last year, which helped control retail prices.
Meanwhile, officials from the Fair Trade Commission called for businessmen and garlic farmers not to hoard produce, warning that hoarders face fines of between NT$50,000 and NT$25 million.
Repeat offenders face fines of up to NT$50 million, and owners of garlic-supplying operations could face jail terms of up to three years or fines of up to NT$100 million.
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