The iconic “Lost Bear” (迷失的小熊) symbolizing direct civic discontent with the government-backed Taoyuan Aerotropolis project is to be exhibited in Miaoli County from April 11, the Youth Alliance for Miaoli said on Wednesday.
Standing 8m tall, the “Lost Bear” is a symbol for the anti-Aerotropolis movement, which has criticized the project for allowing corporations to raise land prices via speculation and directly infringing on residents’ right of education, because of the necessitated relocation of several schools.
Designed by Lu Wen-chung (呂文忠), whose father, Lu A-yun (呂阿雲), committed suicide due to the Aerotropolis project, the bear was both a way for Lu Wen-chung to commemorate his father and also raise awareness of the government allowing corporations to rampantly develop land, Youth Alliance member Chen Kuan-yu (陳冠宇) said.
Lu A-yun, concerned that the family’s ancestral grave was on a plot of land to be expropriated for the project, committed suicide by ingesting pesticide in November 2013.
The Lu family said that one-third of its land had already been expropriated by the government for the building of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport when Lu A-yun was younger.
Chen said the organization requires a significant number of volunteers to help out with what is estimated to be a three-month-long exhibition.
More information regarding volunteering assistance for the exhibition is to be made available on the organization’s page on Facebook, Chen said.
Thousands of netizens have already liked the Facebook page “Of things small and large in Houlong [Township]” after news of the “Lost Bear” exhibition going to Miaoli was posted.
Many have also posted messages offering to volunteer and help set up the event.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
US climber Alex Honnold left Taiwan this morning a day after completing a free-solo ascent of Taipei 101, a feat that drew cheers from onlookers and gained widespread international attention. Honnold yesterday scaled the 101-story skyscraper without a rope or safety harness. The climb — the highest urban free-solo ascent ever attempted — took just more than 90 minutes and was streamed live on Netflix. It was covered by major international news outlets including CNN, the New York Times, the Guardian and the Wall Street Journal. As Honnold prepared to leave Taiwan today, he attracted a crowd when he and his wife, Sanni,
Taiwanese and US defense groups are collaborating to introduce deployable, semi-autonomous manufacturing systems for drones and components in a boost to the nation’s supply chain resilience. Taiwan’s G-Tech Optroelectronics Corp subsidiary GTOC and the US’ Aerkomm Inc on Friday announced an agreement with fellow US-based Firestorm Lab to adopt the latter’s xCell, a technology featuring 3D printers fitted in 6.1m container units. The systems enable aerial platforms and parts to be produced in high volumes from dispersed nodes capable of rapid redeployment, to minimize the risk of enemy strikes and to meet field requirements, they said. Firestorm chief technology officer Ian Muceus said