■ LANGUAGE
Mandarin test in LA
The Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Los Angeles said that the 2008 Test of Proficiency in Huayu (Mandarin) will be held at Pasadena City College in Los Angeles and the South Coast Chinese Culture Center on March 29 from 2pm to 4pm. Candidates who pass the test will be given a certificate indicating their ranking and level of proficiency in Mandarin. The certificate can be used when applying for enrollment at colleges, universities, and graduate institutes in Taiwan, or as proof of Mandarin ability when applying for jobs. For registration information, call TECO's Cultural Division at 213-385-0512 or send an e-mail to info@tw.org.
■ SOCIETY
Book sale to help orphans
The Taipei American School's (TAS) Orphanage Club will hold its annual book sale tomorrow from 10am to 5pm in the lobby and forecourt of the school. The club has collected thousands of books, including novels, biographies, histories and children's and young adult's fiction, English-teaching books and scores of SAT and TOEFL preparation guides. Books in Chinese and other languages are also available, as well as magazines and games. There will also be some CDs and DVDs as well as household items for sale. The club is offering a special deal: Buy three adult fiction paperbacks and get a fourth of the same price or less for free. Money raised from the sale will provide funding for orphans and other needy children in Taiwan and abroad. In case of rain, the sale will be postponed a week, to March 15. TAS is located at 800 Zhongshan N Road Sec 6, in Tianmu (天母).
A tropical depression in waters east of the Philippines could develop into a tropical storm as soon as today and bring rainfall as it approaches, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, while issuing heat warnings for 14 cities and counties. Weather model simulations show that there are still considerable differences in the path that the tropical depression is projected to take. It might pass through the Bashi Channel to the South China Sea or turn northeast and move toward the sea south of Japan, CWA forecaster Yeh Chih-chun (葉致均) said, adding that the uncertainty of its movement is still high,
TAIWANESE INNOVATION: The ‘Seawool’ fabric generates about NT$200m a year, with the bulk of it sourced by clothing brands operating in Europe and the US Growing up on Taiwan’s west coast where mollusk farming is popular, Eddie Wang saw discarded oyster shells transformed from waste to function — a memory that inspired him to create a unique and environmentally friendly fabric called “Seawool.” Wang remembered that residents of his seaside hometown of Yunlin County used discarded oyster shells that littered the streets during the harvest as insulation for their homes. “They burned the shells and painted the residue on the walls. The houses then became warm in the winter and cool in the summer,” the 42-year-old said at his factory in Tainan. “So I was
THE TOUR: Pope Francis has gone on a 12-day visit to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore. He was also invited to Taiwan The government yesterday welcomed Pope Francis to the Asia-Pacific region and said it would continue extending an invitation for him to visit Taiwan. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs made the remarks as Pope Francis began a 12-day tour of the Asia-Pacific on Monday. He is to travel about 33,000km by air to visit Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore, and would arrive back in Rome on Friday next week. It would be the longest and most challenging trip of Francis’ 11-year papacy. The 87-year-old has had health issues over the past few years and now uses a wheelchair. The ministry said
Discounted 72-hour Taipei Metro passes are to be offered to China Airlines passengers until Feb. 28 next year, the airline announced today. China Airlines passengers may present their boarding pass for a discount of up to 34 percent when buying a Taipei Metro 72-hour unlimited travel pass. The offer is available to international travelers on international flights bound for Taipei. Within seven days of arrival, travelers can present their boarding pass, passport and proof of flight payment at an EZfly counter in Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport or Taoyuan MRT Taipei Main Station to obtain the discounted passes, the airline said. One 72-hour pass
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