The Taiwan Earth Day organization has its eyes set for April 2020, by which time they hope to have 1 million people pledge to take part in a “green action” through their Web site, including the purchase of eco-friendly cleaning products, watching an environmental documentary and using metal straws instead of disposable ones.
There’s no better time to make your pledge than Earth Day tomorrow, with events providing many chances for action. The organization’s official event is the Green Action Market held at 44 South Village, which will include booths by a number of non-profit organizations as well as eco-friendly food, drink and craft businesses. There will be workshops teaching people how to make products such as reusable cloth sanitary pads and business card holders made from plastic bags. Live music is provided by bands Freckles (雀斑) and Anniedora (安妮朵拉).
Just a 10-minute walk away is Commune A7’s Earth Day picnic — of course, attendees are strongly encouraged to bring their own bowls and utensils. There will also be a eco-friendly and second hand market, with 15 to 50 percent of the proceeds going to environmental protection organizations. This event is also accompanied by live unplugged music.
■ Green Action Market is tomorrow and Sunday from 10am to 7pm at 44 South Village (四四南村), 54 Songqin St, Taipei City (台北市松勤街54號). Admission is free, workshops cost NT$500 each. Visit: www.facebook.com/events/1677066789257081 for more information (Chinese).
■ The Earth Day picnic is tomorrow from 11:30am to 6:30pm at Commune A7, across from ATT 4 Fun, 12, Songshou Rd, Taipei City (台北市松壽路12號). Admission is free. Visit: www.facebook.com/events/1892236984323675 for more information (Chinese).
While global attention is finally being focused on the People’s Republic of China (PRC) gray zone aggression against Philippine territory in the South China Sea, at the other end of the PRC’s infamous 9 dash line map, PRC vessels are conducting an identical campaign against Indonesia, most importantly in the Natuna Islands. The Natunas fall into a gray area: do the dashes at the end of the PRC “cow’s tongue” map include the islands? It’s not clear. Less well known is that they also fall into another gray area. Indonesia’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) claim and continental shelf claim are not
Since their leader Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and others were jailed as part of several ongoing bribery investigations, the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) has risen in the polls. Additionally, despite all the many and varied allegations against Ko and most of the top people in the party, it has held together with only a tiny number of minor figures exiting. The TPP has taken some damage, but vastly less than the New Power Party (NPP) did after it was caught up in a bribery scandal in 2020. The TPP has for years registered favorability in the thirties, and a Formosa poll
Nov. 4 to Nov. 10 Apollo magazine (文星) vowed that it wouldn’t play by the rules in its first issue — a bold statement to make in 1957, when anyone could be jailed for saying the wrong thing. However, the introduction to the inaugural Nov. 5 issue also defined the magazine as a “lifestyle, literature and art” publication, and the contents were relatively tame for the first four years, writes Tao Heng-sheng (陶恒生) in “The Apollo magazine that wouldn’t play by the rules” (不按牌理出牌的文星雜誌). In 1961, the magazine changed its mission to “thought, lifestyle and art” and adopted a more critical tone with
Chiayi County is blessed with several worthwhile upland trails, not all of which I’ve hiked. A few weeks ago, I finally got around to tackling Tanghu Historic Trail (塘湖古道), a short but unusually steep route in Jhuci Township (竹崎). According to the Web site of the Alishan National Scenic Area (阿里山國家風景區), the path climbs from 308m above sea level to an elevation of 770m in just 1.58km, an average gradient of 29 percent. And unless you arrange for someone to bring you to the starting point and collect you at the other end, there’s no way to avoid a significant amount