COMMUNICATION
Bad English signs targeted
A Facebook page set up to encourage people to look for mistakes in bilingual signs in public areas has attracted more than 1,100 fans. A total of 1,168 netizens now follow the page where people can upload photos of mistakes or improper usage of English in local signs and provide corrections to win free gifts, ranging from a Wii to an iPod. The campaign, launched in September, is an attempt to correct English mistakes on signs seen in facilities or areas under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, including railway stations, airports, and national scenic areas. To date 38 photographs have been posted on the site. The campaign will run until the end of next month.
ENVIRONMENT
Kaohsiung air quality better
The air quality in Kao-hsiung City has shown a marked improvement, with the Pollution Standard Index (PSI) decreasing to a record low of 3.76 percent as of last month, the city’s Environmental Protection Bureau said. The average PSI in the city last year was 4.9 percent — meaning that the PSI exceeded 100, a standard for unacceptable air quality, on only 4.9 percent of the days in the year. The improvement is a result of a series of air pollution control measures that have helped reduce carbon emissions, bureau director-general Lee Mu-sheng (李穆生) said. For example, the city government has encouraged residents to use public transport and has conducted thorough inspections to prevent factories, the harbor and construction sites from emitting heavy pollutants, he said. A subsidy program to promote eco-friendly electronic vehicles was also introduced as part of these efforts, Lee added.
HISTORY
Assembly hall renovated
Taipei County Government will hold a ceremony tomorrow to mark the completion of renovation work on an assembly hall that dates back to the period of Japanese colonial rule more than a century ago, the county’s Cultural Affairs Bureau said yesterday. Located in Shenkeng Elementary School, the assembly hall has undergone three renovations since 1899. The hall, which has been listed as an historical site since March 2007, now has a dome, plastic-steel windows, steel doors and concrete walls. The county government said it hoped that the renovated hall and Shenkeng Huang Yung An’s Residence — another historic heritage site in Shenkeng Township (深坑) — will help to attract more tourists to the area.
CULTURE
Academy branches to open
Two branches of the Taiwan Academy will be inaugurated in Los Angeles and Houston next month to introduce the country’s culture to the US, Minister Without Porfolio Ovid Tzeng (曾志朗) said. The opening of the branches will coincide with the beginning of the Republic of China’s centennial celebrations next month, Tzeng said. Through a collection of digital resources, the government will show Taiwan’s vigor, beauty and diversity to the US people and allow them to really “see” Taiwan, said Tzeng, who arrived in the US on Friday to promote the 100th anniversary celebrations. In response to a question on whether the Taiwan Academy was set up to counter the influence of China’s Confucius Institutes, Tzeng said the two establishments have different purposes. The Taiwan Academy will focus mainly on spreading Taiwan’s culture overseas, while the Confucius Institute teaches Mandarin to non-native speakers, he said.
FAST TRACK? Chinese spouses must renounce their Chinese citizenship and pledge allegiance to Taiwan to gain citizenship, some demonstrators said Opponents and supporters of a bill that would allow Chinese spouses to obtain Taiwanese citizenship in four years instead of six staged protests near the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday morning. Those who oppose the bill proposed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) demanded that Chinese spouses be granted citizenship only after renouncing their Chinese citizenship, passing a citizenship test and pledging allegiance to Taiwan. The demonstrators, who were protesting at a side entrance to the Legislative Yuan on Jinan Road, were mostly members of the Taiwan Association of University Professors and other organizations advocating Taiwanese independence. Supporters of the bill, led
SILENT MAJORITY: Only 1 percent of Chinese rejected all options but war to annex Taiwan, while one-third viewed war as unacceptable, a university study showed Many Chinese are more concerned with developments inside their country than with seeking unification with Taiwan, al-Jazeera reported on Friday. Although China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to annex it, by force if necessary, 23-year-old Chinese Shao Hongtian was quoted by al-Jazeera as saying that “hostilities are not the way to bring China and Taiwan together.” “I want unification to happen peacefully,” Shao said. Al-Jazeera said it changed Shao’s name to respect his wish for anonymity. If peaceful unification is not possible, Shao said he would prefer “things to remain as they are,” adding that many of his friends feel
Taiwan has “absolute air superiority” over China in its own airspace, Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) told a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee on Monday, amid concern over whether Taipei could defend itself against a military incursion by Beijing. Po made the remarks in response to a question from Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) on whether Taiwan would have partial or complete air superiority if Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) warplanes were to enter Taiwan’s airspace. Po, a retired pilot, said that the Taiwanese military has “absolute air superiority” over PLA
A shipment of basil pesto imported by Costco Wholesale Taiwan from the US in the middle of last month was intercepted at the border after testing positive for excessive pesticide residue, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. Samples taken from a shipment of the Kirkland Signature brand of basil pesto imported by Costco contained 0.1 milligrams per kilogram of ethylene oxide, exceeding the non-detectable limit. Ethylene oxide is a carcinogenic substance that can be used as a pesticide. The 674kg shipment of basil pesto would either be destroyed or returned to its country of origin, as is the procedure for all