Anti-global warming actions may trigger the butterfly effect: By switching off lights that are not in use, one may help decrease the speed with which polar bears disappear from the earth, Erica Chang (張心威), a finalist in the government-sponsored Carbon Reduction Promotion Poster Design Contest, said yesterday.
Chang's poster was one of 32 that made the final round in the competition hosted by the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) aimed at raising public awareness of anti-global warming efforts.
Chang, a graphic designer, said she had entered the competition because she had always been concerned about the topic of global warming and wished to make it known to more people.
"People tend to focus on the short-term and link carbon reduction with products that are more expensive, or to the economic downsizing of markets," Chang said.
"However, humans need to keep in mind that there are more lasting issues than the economy -- the sustainable living of mankind, for one, and the survival of other living creatures on this planet, for another," she said.
In keeping with the name, theme and objective of the poster competition, from its planning to execution, the competition was entirely paperless, said Wu Yi-lin (吳奕霖) the bureau's senior environmental specialist.
"The competition was promoted solely online, contestants sent in their projects via email, and the judges reviewed all of the poster submissions electronically," he said.
The finalists were selected from more than 300 entries, and the age of the contestants ranged from children to adults, he said.
The winner will be selected by a panel of six judges, including 2004 Grammy award winner for Best Record Packaging [album cover], Xiao Qingyang (
"We have not decided whether the winning poster will be printed," Wu said. "However, the copyright will be free to all who wish to use it online."
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
HORROR STORIES: One victim recounted not realizing they had been stabbed and seeing people bleeding, while another recalled breaking down in tears after fleeing A man on Friday died after he tried to fight the knife-wielding suspect who went on a stabbing spree near two of Taipei’s busiest metro stations, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. The 57-year-old man, identified by his family name, Yu (余), encountered the suspect at Exit M7 of Taipei Main Station and immediately tried to stop him, but was fatally wounded and later died, Chiang said, calling the incident “heartbreaking.” Yu’s family would receive at least NT$5 million (US$158,584) in compensation through the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp’s (TRTC) insurance coverage, he said after convening an emergency security response meeting yesterday morning. National
PLANNED: The suspect visited the crime scene before the killings, seeking information on how to access the roof, and had extensively researched a 2014 stabbing incident The suspect in a stabbing attack that killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei on Friday had planned the assault and set fires at other locations earlier in the day, law enforcement officials said yesterday. National Police Agency (NPA) Director-General Chang Jung-hsin (張榮興) said the suspect, a 27-year-old man named Chang Wen (張文), began the attacks at 3:40pm, first setting off smoke bombs on a road, damaging cars and motorbikes. Earlier, Chang Wen set fire to a rental room where he was staying on Gongyuan Road in Zhongzheng District (中正), Chang Jung-hsin said. The suspect later threw smoke grenades near two exits
The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency yesterday launched a gift box to market honey “certified by a Formosan black bear” in appreciation of a beekeeper’s amicable interaction with a honey-thieving bear. Beekeeper Chih Ming-chen (池明鎮) in January inspected his bee farm in Hualien County’s Jhuosi Township (卓溪) and found that more than 20 beehives had been destroyed and many hives were eaten, with bear droppings and paw prints near the destroyed hives, the agency said. Chih returned to the farm to move the remaining beehives away that evening when he encountered a Formosan black bear only 20m away, the agency said. The bear