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I turned my son into Optimus Prime 我把兒子變成大黃蜂了

Pingtung City’s Chienkuo Elementary School threw a costume party at

Ku Yu-kai, a kindergarten student, puts on his Optimus Prime suit in his living room in Pingtung on Dec. 25 last year. 幼兒園學童辜昱愷去年十二月二十五日在屏東家中客廳穿上大黃蜂套裝。 Photo courtesy of Ku Hsin-wei 照片：辜鑫緯提供

Christmas last year, and Ku Yu-kai, a kindergarten student, drew everybody’s attention by transforming himself into Optimus Prime, a Transformers character. His smart suit was tailor-made by his father, Ku Hsin-wei, who spent three months on the production with ivory board, cardboard and foam. It cost him less than NT$1,000 to get it done.

Ku Hsin-wei says both he and his son loved the Transformers, but since the elegant party costumes on the market were pricey and none of the transformer suits fit his son, he decided to make one himself. After the decision was made, he started to search for relevant information on the Internet.

“We had to put up with the mess in the house,” said Ku Hsin-wei, smilingly. The production process required constant modification; as a result, scraps of paper were constantly flying around in the house. Having his family endure the messy living environment was the most challenging part of making the Optimus Prime outfit.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan’s ‘first millet discovery’ yields archeology award and benefits research

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 08, 2016
By: Chen Wei-han  /  Staff reporter

Academia Sinica researchers received an international award for an

A skeleton excavated at Tainan Science Park is pictured in an undated photograph. Photo provided by Tsang Cheng-hwa

A skeleton excavated at Tainan Science Park is pictured in an undated photograph. Photo provided by Tsang Cheng-hwa

archeological project conducted at the Tainan Science Park, which led to the discovery of “the first millet in Taiwan” and furthered understanding of the origin of Austronesian people.

The project, hosted by Academia Sinica research fellows Tsang Cheng-hwa (臧振華) and Li Kuang-ti (李匡悌), won the Field Discovery Award at the Second Shanghai Archeology Forum last month for preserving archeological heritage, the researchers said at a news conference on Tuesday.

“It is an honorable award and our nomination means Taiwanese archeology has been internationally recognized. More archeologists should be nurtured to prevent a talent gap in Taiwan’s academia,” Tsang said.     [FULL  STORY]

Ko lays out budget draft for public housing blueprint

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-01-07
By: Ko Lin, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je was met with less than 10 attending councilors as he

Ko lays out budget draft for public housing blueprint.

Ko lays out budget draft for public housing blueprint.

prepared to deliver his fiscal budget draft to the city council on Thursday.

“I assume the ones that showed up have different opinions about the draft, the rest that didn’t come have no comments to make,” Ko responded sarcastically.

Prior to giving his drafted budget for the city’s public housing blueprints, the mayor was hoping to canvass support from each individual DPP city councilor before the interpellation.

However, due to the party’s busy campaign itinerary, a majority of its councilors were unable to attend the morning session, all except for Taipei City councilors Wang Hsiao-wei, Tung Chung-yen, Juan Chao-hsiung, Lee Chien-chang, Huang Hsiang-wei, Lin Shih-tsung, and Chou Po-ya.     [FULL  STORY]

Wuling Farm to set visitor limits for flower season

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/01/07
By: Lee Hsin-Yin

Taipei, Jan. 7 (CNA) A recreational farm in central Taiwan, known for its

(CNA file photo)

(CNA file photo)

cherry blossoms, said Thursday it will allow a maximum of 6,000 visitors per day when the flower season starts next month.

The daily quota, comprised of 1,800 overnight visitors and 4,200 day-trippers, will be instituted Feb. 6-22, Wuling Farm said.

Among the 4,200 slots for day-trippers, 1,000 will be allocated to group tourists, with the remainder reserved for independent travelers, it said, adding that all are required to take public transportation to the park.     [FULL  STORY]

THSR Nangang Station set for July inauguration

Taiwan Today
Date: January 7, 2016

Taiwan High Speed Rail’s Nangang Station is scheduled to commence

The THSR extension to Nangang is set to spur the pace of urban development in the eastern district of Taipei City. (CNA)

The THSR extension to Nangang is set to spur the pace of urban development in the eastern district of Taipei City. (CNA)

operations in mid-July, furthering the north-south reach of the network to 350 kilometers, according to THSR Corp. Jan. 6.

Doubling as a transfer hub for Taiwan Railways Administration and Taipei Metro lines, the new facility is expected to enhance operational flexibility through assuming THSR terminus functions from the smaller Taipei Main Station.

Premier Mao Chi-kuo said the rapid progress of construction work at Nangang is in keeping with the government’s commitment to developing public transportation services, citing last month’s inauguration of three additional THSR stops in Changhua, Miaoli and Yunlin Counties.

“This is good news for travelers commuting between the northern and southern regions of Taiwan,” Mao said during an inspection of the station. “With more platforms and tracks in place, Nangang is set to expand THSR’s passenger capacity while lightening the load on Taipei Main.”     [FULL  STORY]

Sampan shipwrighting preserved at Cijin center

Taipei Times
Date:  Jan 08, 2016
By: Huang Liang-chieh, Hung Tin-hung and Jonathan Chin  /  Staff reporters, with staff writer

Kaohsiung’s Cijin Center for Preserving Sampan Boats, dedicated to Cijin

Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kuan Pi-ling, third left, looks at a sampan at the Cijin Center for Preserving Sampan Boats in Kaohsiung’s Cijin District on Dec. 31 last year. Photo: Huang Liang-chieh, Taipei Times

Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kuan Pi-ling, third left, looks at a sampan at the Cijin Center for Preserving Sampan Boats in Kaohsiung’s Cijin District on Dec. 31 last year. Photo: Huang Liang-chieh, Taipei Times

District’s (旗津) traditional craft, on Dec. 30 invited students from the Municipal Cijin Elementary School to learn shipbuilding, marking the center’s participation in the city’s cultural heritage educational program.

About 150 students from the school participated in a do-it-yourself demonstration of building the wooden boats.

Kaohsiung Bureau of Education Director Fan Sun-lu (范巽綠) and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) also attended the event.

The center, formerly a dormitory compound for naval technicians, was established by National Sun Yat-sen University’s Department of Sociology and received funding from the education department and the Urban Development Bureau, with Kuan playing an important role as the project’s chief promoter.     [FULL  STORY]

Many veg & fruit imports fail border checks due to pesticide residue

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-01-06
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Taiwan’s Food and Drug Administration revealed Wednesday that fresh and

Many veg & fruit imports fail checks in 2015.

Many veg & fruit imports fail checks in 2015.

frozen vegetables accounted for the most of all cases that failed checks and inspections at Taiwan borders in 2015 due to excessive pesticide residue.

According to results provided by the FDA, there were a total of 888 nonconforming cases from inspections of imported products at the border from January 2015 to December 8, 2015.

FDA director Chiang Yu-mei said the top four nonconforming items were in the order of “fresh and frozen vegetables” with 213 cases (23.9%),” “eating utensils” with 191 cases (21.5%), “tea” with 118 cases (13.3%) and “fresh and frozen fruits” with 116 cases (13.1%).    [FULL  STORY]

Avian flu outbreak escalating in Taiwan: COA

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/01/06
By: Yang Shu-min and Elizabeth Hsu

Taipei, Jan. 6 (CNA) An avian flu outbreak on poultry farms in Taiwan has

CNA file photo

CNA file photo

intensified over the past few weeks as the weather turned cooler, the Council of Agriculture (COA) said Wednesday.

It said that in the period from Dec. 4 last year to Jan. 4, avian flu hit 22 farms in Taiwan, escalating from one or two farms per week since last autumn.

Over the past three weeks, four to five poultry farms per week have been reporting infections, according to the COA’s Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine.

Shih Tai-hua (施泰華), deputy chief of the bureau, said 10 of the 22 farms confirmed to have been infected in the one-month period from Dec. 4 last year were hit by the highly pathogenic H5N2 virus, a new strain that has been discovered in Taiwan for the first time.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan to trial mainland Chinese transit stop program

Taiwan Today
Date: January 6, 2016

A limited mainland Chinese transit stop program is soon to be trialed in

Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport is ready to welcome more mainland Chinese travelers arriving under a trial transit stop program expected to commence shortly. (Staff photo / Chang Su-ching)

Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport is ready to welcome more mainland Chinese travelers arriving under a trial transit stop program expected to commence shortly. (Staff photo / Chang Su-ching)

Taiwan, paving the way for further development of the local aviation industry and strengthening of cross-strait relations.

Travelers flying from Chongqing, Kunming and Nanchang in mainland China will be able to transit through Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to third destinations. Boasting a combined population of more than 100 million, the cities are projected to boost TTIA’s passenger traffic by 180,000.

Lin Chu-chia, deputy minister of the Mainland Affairs Council, said Jan. 5 that the undertaking is a concrete result of the historic meeting last November in Singapore between ROC President Ma Ying-jeou and mainland Chinese leader Xi Jinping.     [FULL  STORY]

Ministry, NIA blasted for ‘lapse in national security’

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 07, 2016
By: Chen Yu-fu and Jake Chung  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

Loose regulations governing customs, immigration, quarantine and security

Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) caucus whip Lai Chen-chang, center, and TSU Legislator Chou Ni-an yesterday hold a press conference at the Legislative Yuan to highlight the flawed management of foreign yachts. Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times

Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) caucus whip Lai Chen-chang, center, and TSU Legislator Chou Ni-an yesterday hold a press conference at the Legislative Yuan to highlight the flawed management of foreign yachts. Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times

(CIQS) procedures for yachts have proven to be a security liability, the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) said yesterday.

TSU caucus convener Lai Chen-chang (賴振昌) criticized the Ministry of Transportation and Communications and the National Immigration Agency (NIA) for dereliction of duty, citing a discrepancy in immigration data from both agencies.

The ministry data showed 97 foreign yachts entered Taiwanese ports from the start of 2014 to the end of last year, Lai said, adding that the NIA data showed 210 vessels, carrying 1,347 individuals, entered the nation.     [FULL  STORY]