Small things can mean a lot, and all revolutions start somewhere. So it is that the humble pocket, a repository for small things and once a minor consideration in clothes design, has become big news.A growing movement decrying the lack of proper pockets in women’s clothing has begun to find disciple
People who work remotely all the time produce less than half the greenhouse gas emissions of office workers, according to a new study.Employees in the US who worked from home all the time were predicted to reduce their emissions by 54 percent, compared with workers in an office, the study found. But
After three years, the Taipei Poetry Festival (臺北詩歌節) is once more able to invite resident poets from abroad to spend time and create in Taiwan’s capital. Mumbai-based Bina Sarkar Ellias, who will spend 17 days here, is also a designer and founded in 1997 the award-winning International Gallerie, an
How old is Dorothy? How about Susan, Tyler or Jayden?These names were popular in the 1920s, 1950s, 1990s and 2010s, respectively, so it’s easy to guess the answer. The past few years have been overrun with tiny Olivias and Elijahs, and many parents are choosing names that wouldn’t have been out of p
The battle against climate change is increasingly being fought in the courtroom, as national governments, specific laws and individual companies are targeted for their roles in the crisis.The cases have sometimes resulted in successfully influencing policy — an outcome hoped for by the six Portugues
The US will spend more than US$750 billion over the next decade to revamp nearly every part of its aging nuclear defenses. Officials say they simply can’t wait any longer — some systems and parts are more than 50 years old.For now, it’s up to young military troops and government technicians across t
A London restaurant is exploring whether eating invasive species such as grey squirrel, American Signal crayfish and Japanese knotweed could help fight their spread, but scientists remain skeptical. The idea behind several “invasive species supper clubs,” the last of which was served on Tuesday at “
In winter 2022, at a hideaway in St Barts, Rupert Murdoch directed “sudden fury” at Donald Trump, who he thought would lose the 2024 Republican presidential primary to Ron DeSantis, but who the media mogul also said was likely to cost him “fifty million dollars,” through a lawsuit regarding Trump’s
As Vladimir Nabokov revised his autobiography, Speak, Memory, he found himself in a strange psychological state. He had first written the book in English, published in 1951. A few years later, a New York publisher asked him to translate it back into Russian for the emigre community. The use of his m
Tainan Art Museum has put together an exhibition as part of its efforts to promote local artists. “Focus” features works by painters Hung Tung (洪通), Chang Ping-tang (張炳堂), Tsai Tsao-Ju (蔡草如) and photographer Hsu Yuan-fu (許淵富).The collection of Chang’s works focus on the theme of temples, showcasing
At the Brics summit in South Africa in August, Xi Jinping (習近平) made headlines when he failed to appear at a leaders’ meeting to deliver a scheduled speech. Another scene also did the rounds: a Chinese aide hurrying to catch up with Xi, only to be body slammed by security guards and held back, flail
A recent report by TaiwanPlus presented a widely believed factoid about solar photovoltaic (PV) power farms: “they take precious land away from agriculture.” Similarly, a Reuters piece from August last year contends that agricultural land in Taiwan is precious and that “there is little room for spra
For more than four decades, all students in Taiwan, up to the university level, were mandated to take “Sun Yat-sen Thought” (國父思想) classes. Based on the Republic of China founder’s Three Principles of the People political ideology, they also contained anti-communist sentiments and patriotic Chinese
A vista of rolling hills rise gently to form a range of snow-capped mountains; every ridge, cliff and rock face contoured by stark light and deep shadows. This scenery is not from Taiwan’s Central Mountain range: It is the work of Japanese artist Atsushi Mizutani, part of the “Glory of Mighty Mounta
Using a Soviet-era planer, Rene Reyes smooths the panel of an old cedar door that he will transform into a humidor — an ornate, handmade box used to preserve Cuba’s famous cigars. In a corner of the workshop lies a hodge-podge of discarded wooden beams, doors and furniture, all used to make the ciga
When Japan’s military got word about Operation Causeway, an all-out invasion of Taiwan the Americans were considering in 1944, they set about preparing their defenses. In one location in the south, an enormous complex of bunkers, tunnels, pillboxes and command posts was dug into a mountain overlooki
“Don’t take being remembered for granted,” director Hsu Tzu-jou (徐紫柔) narrates in one scene of her documentary, Zombie Film with Grandpas and Grandmas (邀阿公阿嬤拍B級殭屍片). The wacky title and hilarious antics of the mostly elderly actors cannot hide the heartbreaking fact that the star of the show, Hsu’s
Cats, owners will attest, are natural born killers and for most of their evolutionary history have enjoyed an almost entirely meat-based diet. However, new research has suggested that a vegan diet is not only safe for pet cats, but may have health benefits.The study found that owners of cats fed veg
When she first moved to the Chinese tech hub of Shenzhen after graduating from college, Marguerite Wang imagined she would spend her career working hard in a big city. Instead, she’s living with her parents in her hometown in northeastern China.A record of more than one in five young Chinese are out
Joe Biden has Air Force One; Rishi Sunak a fleet of RAF jets and helicopters. But when Kim Jong-un makes one of his rare journeys outside North Korea, he has an armoured train in which to while away the hours.The North Korean leader’s dark green train crossed the Russian border on Tuesday in advance