THE ARTS
Local illustrators honored
Eight Taiwanese graphic illustrators were among 77 selected to participate in the 55th Illustrators Exhibition to be held online during the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in June, the Taiwan Creative Content Agency said on Thursday. This year, 3,235 participants from 68 countries and regions submitted work for the exhibition, with 226 illustrators selected in the first round, including 24 Taiwanese. In the second and final round, 77 illustrators were selected, including eight Taiwanese, the agency said. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the exhibition is to be held online from June 14 to 17, it added. To help promote the illustrators, the agency said that it would team up with the Animation and Visual Effects Association to produce animated short films introducing each one.
SOCIETY
Taipei dog park launched
On Wednesday, Taipei opened its latest dog park at a fenced-off grassy area inside Guting Riverside Park (古亭河濱公園), next to the shores of the Sindian River (新店溪). The city’s eighth dog park, it totals 703m2, complete with a wash basin, a dispenser of bags for dog droppings and benches for the dogs’ human companions, Taipei City Animal Protection Office officials told the opening event. Officially designated the “Guting Dog Off-Leash Area,” the park cost NT$1.8 million (US$64,826), and was built with mixed playing areas for large and small dogs, Taipei Deputy Mayor Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) said.
TOURISM
Blue Cave safely seen via VR
The Penghu County Government has launched a virtual reality (VR) experience that gives people the opportunity to stay in the safe environment of the Penghu Marine Geopark in Magong City while enjoying the potentially treacherous “Blue Cave.” Located on the coast of the uninhabited Siji Islet (西吉嶼), the Blue Cave was created by natural erosion and is part of the South Penghu Marine National Park, the county’s Tourism Department said. Because of accidents involving visitors to the cave being swept away by unpredictable sea currents, all visitors are now required to apply for a permit to go to the islet, the department said. Given the difficulty of visiting the islet, the county government designed a VR Blue Cave experience in part of the geopark’s visitor center that is decorated with images and lights to recreate the cave’s surroundings, it said.
LEISURE
Zoo has leopard cat kittens
A rescued leopard cat kept at the Taipei Zoo gave birth to three kittens on Tuesday, the first such births for the zoo in 20 years, zoo officials said. Leopard cat Ping Ping (平平) gave birth at 5:43pm, 6pm and 6:20pm, officials said, adding that mating behavior was recorded in December last year between Ping Ping and Hsiao Yu (小魚), another rescued leopard cat kept at the zoo. To keep Ping Ping calm and fully rested, she has been separated from the kittens, whose sex remains undetermined, zoo spokesman Eric Tsao (曹先紹) said. Kittens continue growing away from their mother after 45 days, become independent at six months and reach sexual maturity at one-and-a-half years, Tsao said. Visitors would be allowed to see the kittens after they are 45 days old, at the earliest, he said, adding that the public would have the chance to vote on names for the felines. Ping Ping previously gave birth to An An (安安), but that cat died when it was released into the wild and ate a poisoned mouse, Tsao said.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
US climber Alex Honnold left Taiwan this morning a day after completing a free-solo ascent of Taipei 101, a feat that drew cheers from onlookers and gained widespread international attention. Honnold yesterday scaled the 101-story skyscraper without a rope or safety harness. The climb — the highest urban free-solo ascent ever attempted — took just more than 90 minutes and was streamed live on Netflix. It was covered by major international news outlets including CNN, the New York Times, the Guardian and the Wall Street Journal. As Honnold prepared to leave Taiwan today, he attracted a crowd when he and his wife, Sanni,
Taiwanese and US defense groups are collaborating to introduce deployable, semi-autonomous manufacturing systems for drones and components in a boost to the nation’s supply chain resilience. Taiwan’s G-Tech Optroelectronics Corp subsidiary GTOC and the US’ Aerkomm Inc on Friday announced an agreement with fellow US-based Firestorm Lab to adopt the latter’s xCell, a technology featuring 3D printers fitted in 6.1m container units. The systems enable aerial platforms and parts to be produced in high volumes from dispersed nodes capable of rapid redeployment, to minimize the risk of enemy strikes and to meet field requirements, they said. Firestorm chief technology officer Ian Muceus said
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