■FILM
‘KATZ Fun’ debuts in US
The Taiwan-made 3D animated cartoon KATZ Fun has made its debut on TV channels in the US and will air for three months in its first season, a manager of Bright Ideas Design said yesterday. “Season one of this cartoon series, comprising 13 episodes, will be broadcast on TV channels in 17 states in the US,” international marketing manager Erica Lee said. The company had spent four years and NT$60 million (US$1.88 million) to develop the cartoon. “KATZ Fun is the story of a mystical tiger named Katz who helps children develop their potential talents,” Lee said. Bright Ideas Design is a digital content development company in Taiwan. It stepped into the field of animated cartoons after cooperating with the National Palace Museum to combine art and humanities with digital technology to show the beauty of art. Lee said the company was also in final talks with potential buyers from Southeast Asia. Some representatives of TV channels from South Africa and Europe have also expressed interest in the animation, she said.
■EDUCATION
Ministry adds calligraphy
Chinese calligraphy lessons will be integrated into the curriculums for people training to be Mandarin teachers in elementary and junior high schools in Taiwan within three years, Yang Chang-yu (楊昌裕), director of the Ministry of Education’s Department of Elementary Education said yesterday. Yang said the ministry decided to require teachers to learn calligraphy skills because no higher education institution in Taiwan maintains a calligraphy department and few teachers know the skill, and therefore are unable to teach it to students. The ministry will also study the possibility of making Chinese calligraphy part of the school curricula, Yang said.
■DEFENSE
MND donates fighter jet
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) said yesterday that it has donated a retired F-5 fighter jet to the Yanks Air Museum in Los Angeles. The museum held a ceremony to mark the donation of the aircraft, with the chief of the nation’s Defense Mission to the US, Major General Po Hung-hui (伯鴻輝), representing the MND at the ceremony. In December 2008 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs asked the MND to donate a retired combat aircraft and two retired jet engines to the museum. The aircraft was freshly painted before leaving Taitung air base for the US. The fighter, with the two engines, left Keelung in November and arrived in Los Angeles in January, the MND said.
■TRAVEL
Kaohsiung welcomes ship
The luxury cruise liner Europa moored in Kaohsiung Harbor yesterday, bringing more than 300 tourists — mostly from Germany. Welcomed by drummers on the wharf, the 338 tourists disembarked for a one-day tour of the city. Tony Wu (巫宗霖), director of the Tourist Service Center at Kaohsiung International Airport, said the government’s goal was to attract more tourists like these to stay in the country for more than one day. The global market for ocean cruises is growing and seems to have been unaffected by the global financial crisis, Wu said. Last year, Taiwan hosted more than 30 liners, each of which had thousands of passengers on board, he said. To persuade cruise operators to put Taiwan on their itineraries, the Tourism Bureau has been promoting Taiwan overseas and offers mooring discounts, he said. Each tourist on the Europa spent an average of around NT$2,000 in Kaohsiung, he said.
Aftershocks from a magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck off Yilan County at 3:45pm yesterday could reach a magnitude of 5 to 5.5, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Seismological Center technical officer Chiu Chun-ta (邱俊達) told a news conference that the epicenter of the temblor was more than 100km from Taiwan. Although predicted to measure between magnitude 5 and 5.5, the aftershocks would reach an intensity of 1 on Taiwan’s 7-tier scale, which gauges the actual effect of an earthquake, he said. The earthquake lasted longer in Taipei because the city is in a basin, he said. The quake’s epicenter was about 128.9km east-southeast
GENSLER SURVEY: ‘Economic infrastructure is not enough. A city needs to inspire pride, offer moments of joy and foster a sense of belonging,’ the company said Taipei was named the city with the “highest staying power” in the world by US-based design and architecture firm Gensler. The Taiwanese capital earned the top spot among 65 cities across six continents with 64 percent of Taipei respondents in a survey of 33,000 people saying they wanted to stay in the city. Rounding out the top five were Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City (61 percent), Singapore (59 percent), Sydney (58 percent) and Berlin (51 percent). Sixth to 10th place went to Monterrey, Mexico; Munich, Germany; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Vancouver; and Seoul. Cities in the US were ranked separately, with Minneapolis first at
The New Taipei City Government today warned about the often-overlooked dangers of playing in water, and recommended safe swimming destinations to cool off from the summer heat. The following locations in the city as safe and fun for those looking to enjoy the water: Chienshuiwan (淺水灣), Baishawan (白沙灣), Jhongjiao Bay (中角灣), Fulong Beach Resort (福隆海水浴場) and Sansia District’s (三峽) Dabao River (大豹溪), New Taipei City Tourism and Travel Department Director-General Yang Tsung-min (楊宗珉) said. Outdoor bodies of water have variables outside of human control, such as changing currents, differing elevations and environmental hazards, all of which can lead to accidents, Yang said. Sudden
Tropical Storm Podul has formed over waters north-northeast of Guam and is expected to approach the seas southeast of Taiwan next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. The 11th Pacific storm of the year developed at 2am over waters about 2,660km east of Oluanpi (歐鑾鼻), Pingtung County — Taiwan's southernmost tip. It is projected to move westward and could have its most significant impact on Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday next week, the CWA said. The agency did not rule out the possibility of issuing a sea warning at that time. According to the CWA's latest update, Podul is drifting west-northwest
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