More than 700 expatriates, as well as local residents, climbed the world's tallest building, Taipei 101, for the second year yesterday to raise funds for the 2007 Taiwan Youni International Climbathon for Charity.
Although tired, most climbers enjoyed the experience.
"[I'm] exhausted," said Marcus Bauder of the Shangri-La Hotel Taipei team when asked how he felt after climbing the 91 floors.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE GARDEN OF HOPE FOUNDATION
"But I'm feeling good right now ? It's fun, and it's for charity," he said.
There were also climbers who came well prepared.
"I went through an intense training regime during the past two weeks, climbing up to my third-floor office, I'm well-prepared," said Brandon Williams, an American who has been working in Taiwan for two-and-a-half years.
Some participants also expressed the hope that events such as this could increase understanding between Taiwanese and the expatriate community.
"It's really great to see both the locals and the foreign community participating in something like this together," said Elias Ek, a Swede who started his own business in Taipei five years ago. "Most of the time, the foreign community is just not visible."
Altogether, 750 climbers raised NT$1.8 million (US$54,100) for charities, said Mary Chua, director of the Community Services Center (CSC), one of the event organizers, along with ICRT, Taiwan's English-language radio station.
The Garden of Hope Foundation is one of the main beneficiaries.
Many firms, including the Taipei Times, also helped sponsor and organize teams for the event.
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
SECURITY: Starlink owner Elon Musk has taken pro-Beijing positions, and allowing pro-China companies to control Taiwan’s critical infrastructure is risky, a legislator said Starlink was reluctant to offer services in Taiwan because of the nation’s extremely high penetration rates in 4G and 5G services, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said yesterday. The ministry made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, which reviewed amendments to Article 36 of the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法). Article 36 bans foreigners from holding more than 49 percent of shares in public telecommunications networks, while shares foreigners directly and indirectly hold are also capped at 60 percent of the total, unless specified otherwise by law. The amendments, sponsored by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
RSS