FIREFIGHTERS
Factory offers tribute liquor
Photo: Wu Cheng-ting, Taipei Times
The Kinmen Ceramics Factory yesterday said that all professional firefighters, volunteer firefighters members of disaster-prevention organizations can present their ID at the store to purchase its fire hydrant-themed liquor, originally priced at NT$1,380, for a special promotional price of NT$1,190. The bottle is shaped like a fire hydrant, it said, combining fired ceramic craftsmanship with the idea of safety and protection, vigilance and guardianship, while serving as a reminder to extinguish anger. “This is not just a product; it is a heartfelt tribute to the artisan spirit and those who protect our safety.” Due to limited quantity, purchases are limited to one per person, it said.
RAILWAYS
Couple jumps on tracks
A man surnamed Yan (岩) and his wife, surnamed Chen (陳), jumped onto the tracks at Taichung Railway Station on Saturday, resulting in a fine under the Railway Act (鐵路法), police said yesterday. On Saturday at about 9pm, Yan, appearing intoxicated, got into an argument with Chen, before they both jumped onto the tracks, startling passengers, witnesses said. Railway police were notified and intervened, pulling the couple back onto the platform. Upon investigation, police found that Yan’s backpack and Chen’s phone had fallen onto the tracks as the two argued, leading to their attempt to retrieve the items. Jumping onto the tracks is in breach of the Railway Act, with a fine between NT$10,000 and NT$50,000, the Railway Police Bureau said. The bureau cautions that pedestrians and vehicles must not enter railway tracks, bridges, tunnels or areas within stations that are not designated for public access. Violators are fined, it said, adding that if assistance is needed, people can contact railway personnel or the police for help.
SEISMOLOGY
Earthquake strikes Yilan
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off eastern Taiwan at 4:47pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter of the temblor was at sea, about 45.4km south of Yilan County Hall at a depth of 5.9km, according to the agency. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in several townships in Yilan and neighboring Hualien County, where it measured 4 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale, the CWA said. The quake measured an intensity of 2 in Taipei, New Taipei City, Taichung and Nantou County, CWA data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
SOCIETY
Racers enjoy fishy finish
About 2,300 people took part in a Penghu County race yesterday that offered a 1kg grouper to every runner who crossed the finish line. The “Run in Penghu” started at 8am by the Penghu County Government Building in Magong City, with Penghu County Commissioner Chen Kuang-fu (陳光復) and other local officials sending the runners on their way. According to the county government, participants were able to sign up for a full 11km race or a more leisurely 5km route for adults and children. Each competitor who finished the race was eligible to claim a free 1kg frozen grouper or a voucher for a grouper-related meal, the county government said. The Run in Penghu race is held annually with the goal of boosting wintertime tourism in the outlying county.
LOUD AND PROUD Taiwan might have taken a drubbing against Australia and Japan, but you might not know it from the enthusiasm and numbers of the fans Taiwan might not be expected to win the World Baseball Classic (WBC) but their fans are making their presence felt in Tokyo, with tens of thousands decked out in the team’s blue, blowing horns and singing songs. Taiwanese fans have packed out the Tokyo Dome for all three of their games so far and even threatened to drown out home team supporters when their team played Japan on Friday. They blew trumpets, chanted for their favorite players and had their own cheerleading squad who dance on a stage during the game. The team struggled to match that exuberance on the field, with
Taiwanese paleontologists have discovered fossil evidence that pythons up to 4m long inhabited Taiwan during the Pleistocene epoch, reporting their findings in the international scientific journal Historical Biology. National Taiwan University (NTU) Institute of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology associate professor Tsai Cheng-hsiu (蔡政修) led the team that discovered the largest snake fossil ever found in Taiwan. The single trunk vertebra was discovered in Tainan at the Chiting Formation, dated to between 400,000 and 800,000 years ago in the Middle Pleistocene, the paper said. The area also produced Taiwan’s first avian fossil, as well as crocodile, mammoth, saber-toothed cat and rhinoceros fossils, it said. Discoveries
Taiwanese paleontologists have discovered fossil evidence that pythons up to 4m long inhabited Taiwan during the Pleistocene epoch, reporting their findings in the international scientific journal Historical Biology. National Taiwan University (NTU) Institute of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology associate professor Tsai Cheng-hsiu (蔡政修) led the team that discovered the largest snake fossil ever found in Taiwan. A single trunk vertebra was discovered in Tainan at the Chiting Formation, dated to between 800,000 to 400,000 years ago in the Middle Pleistocene, the paper said. The area also produced Taiwan’s first avian fossil, as well as crocodile, mammoth, sabre-toothed cat and rhinoceros fossils, it said. Discoveries
Whether Japan would help defend Taiwan in case of a cross-strait conflict would depend on the US and the extent to which Japan would be allowed to act under the US-Japan Security Treaty, former Japanese minister of defense Satoshi Morimoto said. As China has not given up on the idea of invading Taiwan by force, to what extent Japan could support US military action would hinge on Washington’s intention and its negotiation with Tokyo, Morimoto said in an interview with the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) yesterday. There has to be sufficient mutual recognition of how Japan could provide
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