Momo used to be a mangy stray dog that roamed the streets of Taiwan. However, the golden retriever, now fit and healthy with a smooth and shiny coat of fur, is preparing to begin a new life in the US.
Momo and three other former street dogs flew to Los Angeles on Monday, where they were picked up by volunteers from the Golden Retriever Club of Greater Los Angeles Rescue, a non-profit organization devoted to rescuing stray golden retrievers and finding them new loving owners.
Taiwanese street dogs are popular in Los Angeles, the club’s chairperson, Sandy Diamond, said, adding that she herself adopted a stray from Taiwan.
According to Diamond, dogs from Taiwan have a reputation for having good personalities.
“Gary is fantastic,” said Paul Schettles, a volunteer at the club.
Schettles adopted Gary from Taiwan more than three months ago. He had no plan to adopt Gary at first, intending to keep the dog for one night while the club searched for a foster family. However, Gary stole his heart right away, Schettles said.
Thanks to Project Taiwan, initiated by the club in late 2008 along with two dog lovers from Taiwan, Rita and M.J., many street dogs have found their home sweet home in the US.
It all started when they were alerted by an e-mail from Rita to the problems facing unwanted golden retrievers in Taiwan, Diamond said. Rita described Taiwan as being very densely populated, which meant it was difficult to find new owners for rescued large-breed dogs.
According to Rita, unwanted dogs either ended up in a shelter and often euthanized after seven days, or were left on the street.
Since Project Taiwan began, the club has helped 86 abandoned dogs find new owners in the US, and the number is still increasing, Diamond said.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Many Japanese couples are coming to Taiwan to obtain donated sperm or eggs for fertility treatment due to conservatism in their home country, Taiwan’s high standards and low costs, doctors said. One in every six couples in Japan is receiving infertility treatment, Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare data show. About 70,000 children are born in Japan every year through in vitro fertilization (IVF), or about one in every 11 children born. Few people accept donated reproductive cells in Japan due to a lack of clear regulations, leaving treatment in a “gray zone,” Taichung Nuwa Fertility Center medical director Wang Huai-ling (王懷麟)
PROXIMITY: Prague is closer to Dresden than Berlin is, so Taiwanese firms are expected to take advantage of the Czech capital’s location, the Executive Yuan official said Taiwan plans to boost cooperation with the Czech Republic in semiconductor development due to Prague’s pivotal role in the European IC industry, Executive Yuan Secretary-General Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) said. With Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) building a wafer fab in the German city of Dresden, a Germany-Czech Republic-Poland “silicon triangle” is forming, Kung said in a media interview on the weekend after returning from a visit to Prague. “Prague is closer to Dresden than Berlin is, so Taiwanese firms are expected to take advantage of the Czech capital’s location,” he said. “Taiwan and Prague have already launched direct flights and it is
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