■ Diplomacy \nGerman lawmakers arriving \nLeaders of a German parliamentary group will arrive in Taipei tomorrow, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced yesterday. Berlin-Taipei Friends Group chairman Klaus Rose and vice chairman Angelika Kruger-Leissner hope to learn more about Taiwan's political situation in the wake of the presidential election as well as the development of cross-strait relations, ministry officials said. The officials added that the Germans will meet with President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) , Control Yuan President Fredrick Chien (錢復), Foreign Affairs Minister Eugene Chien (簡又新), Vice Minister of National Defense Lin Chong-pin (林中斌) and Mainland Affairs Council Vice Chairman Huang Chieh-cheng (黃介正) before leaving on April 9. \n■ Defense \nUS defends radar sale \nThe US on Thursday defended its planned sale of advanced radar systems to Taipei, saying they were merely to safeguard Taiwan's security. China had said it wanted to seek clarification from Washington over the deal. US State Department spokesman Adam Ereli told reporters that Washington had not received any "formal demarche" from Beijing but said that the early warning radars were "inherently defensive" and to enable Taiwan "to detect and react to missile attacks." He said that the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress on Tuesday about the sale of the two long-range radars, reportedly worth nearly US$1.8 billion. "We believe it will improve the overall security and defensive capability of Taiwan and that this sale does not affect the basic military balance in the region and is consistent with the United States law and policies," Ereli said. "We will continue to assist Taiwan in meeting its legitimate self-defense needs in accordance with our obligations" under the Taiwan Relations Act, Ereli said. \n■ Education \nExams computerized \nParticipants in the national examination will now be able to get their results almost immediately after sitting the examination, thanks to the inauguration yesterday of a computerized examination center. Ministry of Examination Vice Minister Huang Ya-pang (黃雅榜), who concurrently serves as the convener of a national examination task force, said that participants in the examination will from now on answer questions on computers. Referring to concerns about anti-fraud measures employed by the computerized system, the Ministry of Examination officials said that they have taken advantage of the experience of other countries in preventing fraud when taking computerized tests for things like drivers' licenses and TOEFL certification. \n■ Science \nInter-museum show set \nThe "Rhythms of Life" exhibition from Britain's Natural History Museum will open at the National Taiwan Museum in September, Taiwanese museum officials announced yesterday at a contract-signing ceremony. The "Rhythms of Life" exhibit is a wide-ranging display of graphic illustrations, rhythmic sound effects, museum specimens and models and magic shows. It is described as an informal and fun way to introduce visitors to the idea of the mysterious clocks that run the natural world and to show how humans interrupt the natural rhythms of nature.
Netflix on Wednesday said it is to charge NT$100 more per month for each user that is not part of the same household. Under the plan, the streaming service is to limit viewership to people who live in the same household. If a member wishes to add people outside of their address, they must pay NT$100 more per person every month. No additional viewers can be added to the NT$270 per month “basic” account. “Standard” accounts (NT$330) can add one user, while “premium” (NT$390) accounts can add two users. The company has said that people in the same household would still be able
A Keelung high school on Saturday night apologized for using a picture containing a Chinese flag on the cover of the senior yearbook, adding that it has recalled the books and pledged to provide students new ones before graduation on Thursday. Of 309 Affiliated Keelung Maritime Senior High School of National Taiwan Ocean University graduates, 248 had purchased the yearbook. Some students said that the printer committed an outrageous error in including the picture, while others said that nobody would notice such a small flag on the cover. Other students said that they cared more about the photographs of classmates and what was
GOING INTERNATIONAL: Rakuten Girls squad leader Ula Shen said she was surprised that baseball fans outside of Taiwan not only knew of them, but also knew their names Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Oakland Athletics on Saturday hosted its first Taiwanese Heritage Day event at the Oakland Coliseum with a performance by Taiwanese cheerleading squad the Rakuten Girls and a video message from Vice President William Lai (賴清德). The Rakuten Girls, who are the cheerleaders for the CPBL’s Rakuten Monkeys, performed in front of a crowd of more than 2,000 people, followed by a prerecorded address by Lai about Taiwan’s baseball culture and democratic spirit. Taiwanese pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸), who was signed by the Athletics earlier this year, was also present. Mizuki Lin (林襄), considered a “baseball cheerleading goddess” by Taiwanese
WAY OF THE RUKAI: ‘Values deemed worthy often exist amid discomfort, so when people go against the flow, nature becomes entwined with our lives,’ a student said “Run, don’t walk” after your dreams, Nvidia cofounder and chief executive officer Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) told National Taiwan University (NTU) graduates yesterday, as several major universities held in-person graduation ceremonies for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. “What will you create? Whatever it is, run after it. Run, don’t walk. Remember, either you’re running for food, or you are running from becoming food. Oftentimes, you can’t tell which. Either way, run,” he said. Huang was one of several tech executives addressing graduating students at Taiwanese universities. National Chengchi University held two ceremonies, with alumnus Patrick Pan (潘先國), who is head of Taiwan
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