Sun, Apr 04, 2010 page3

• Taiwan News Quick Take

  • STAFF WRITER, WITH CNA
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  ■ EDUCATION

  Books donated to US library

  The National Central Library has donated nearly 400 books to the C.V. Starr East Asian Library of Columbia University in the US, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in New York said in a statement on Friday. The donation was made at the Columbia library on Friday and was witnessed by more than 50 teachers and students from the university's Weatherhead East Asian Institute, including the institute's director, Myron Cohen. The East Asian Library's acting-director, Ria Koopmans de Bruijn, said the university has maintained friendly relations with Taiwan and that aside from its exchanges with the National Central Library, it has also exchanged books and documents preserved on microfilm with Academia Sinica. TECO Director-­General Andrew Kao (高振群) said he believed the books would help academics and students in the university gain knowledge of Taiwan and related issues and promote the visibility of Taiwanese authors.

  ■ RECREATION

  Woman gets lifetime pass

  A 68-year-old woman from Taipei County became the millionth passenger on the Sun Moon Lake cable car system yesterday, earning her a “golden passport” that entitles her to ride the system free of charge for the rest of her life. Kuo A-hsia (郭阿霞) said she was surprised when an employee gave her a wreath, as she did not know about the “millionth rider” promotional activity launched by the operator in Nantou County.From its opening on Dec. 28 through Friday, 998,311 people had taken the cable car between two of central Taiwan's most popular tourist destinations — Sun Moon Lake and the Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village amusement park, a park official said. The system handles approximately 6,000 to 8,000 passengers per day.In addition to free lifetime admission to the park and the cable car service, Kuo received a NT$14,300 gift certificate from a lakeside hotel. The 999,999th passenger, Lin Ching-tong (林慶同), of Jhongli Township, Taoyuan County, was awarded a free pass on the cable car service for one year and a NT$12,650 hotel coupon.

  ■ FESTIVALS

  Traffic jams ahead

  Tomb sweepers are encouraged to travel in the afternoon to avoid heavy morning congestion, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) said yesterday, the first day of the three-day holiday. As of yesterday, Taiwan Area National Freeway Bureau said southbound traffic on Chungshan Freeway from Taoyuan to Jhongli (中壢) was heavily jammed, with a long line of cars extending more than 3km waiting to merge into Freeway No. 5 heading south.

  ■ INSURANCE

  New rates set at 3% to 4%

  Department of Health (DOH) Minister Yaung Chih-liang (楊志良) said on Friday that premium rates for a second-generation National Health Insurance (NHI) program based on total household income would be between 3 percent and 4 percent. He said the plan would be similar to the system for paying taxes, with health insurance premiums deducted at the origin of income. Every year those insured will receive a refund or be charged additional money for the previous year. Under the new program, total household income will be defined as a tax registration household, which means that people who file their tax reports together will be counted as a household when determining premiums, Yaung said. The DOH will send its proposal to the Cabinet for review next week.
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