To combat the depressed economy — and possibly climate change as well — the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation yesterday unveiled an exhibition and workshop, calling on people to enrich their lives by turning waste into reusable resources.
“To celebrate the 43rd anniversary of Tzu Chi, we are hosting a nationwide ‘Enrich with Simplicity’ exhibition that will run until May 17,” foundation senior volunteer Josephine Lee (李憶慧) said.
Lee said that Tzu Chi spiritual leader Master Cheng Yen (證嚴法師) has told her followers that living a simple lifestyle is the best way to get through the current economic crisis.
“Tzu Chi volunteers have put together ways to live simply in the areas of dining, clothing, housing, transportation, education and leisure, so that people can learn how to maintain a simple lifestyle,” Lee said.
Exhibitions will be held in seven cities and counties throughout the nation and volunteers will be available to both guide visitors and share their own philosophies or techniques on humble living, Lee said.
For example, at Tzu Chi’s Taipei branch, volunteer Gong Xiu-chuan (龔秀絹) will teach people how to clean used plastic bags to reuse them and how to make porridge from dried out rice grains that are stuck to the bottom of rice cookers, while another volunteer, Chan Mei-mei (詹梅妹), will share her philosophy of life, which is to live modestly but to give generously, Lee said.
On top of saving money, the practices also advance environmental protection, which is also an important part of the foundation’s mission, Lee said.
“We hope that through both the exhibition and the interactive workshops, people will be inspired,” Lee said.
The Taipei exhibition will be held at Liberty Square from Friday until May 14.
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday briefed her party’s Central Standing Committee regarding her scheduled visit to the US between Monday next week and June 16, saying that her purpose would be to persuade the US that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution was a “one China” constitution that would foster stable and peaceful cross-strait relations. The ROC Constitution is the most important defense for all Taiwanese citizens, as it upholds our democracy and has contributed to our robust economy, which aligns with international and US interests, she said. “We would not be troublemakers and drag the US under,”