Page Three

EPA touts air sampling vehicles

THE LATEST THING:The EPA has new equipment to monitor and sample air quality that provide fast results that are also more comprehensive than current technologies

Taipei Times
Date: Jul 16, 2015
By: Sean Lin  /  Staff reporter

The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) debuted an upgraded version of its

An Environmental Protection Administration official in Penghu on June 22 holds up a portable spectrometer for detecting air pollutants. Photo: Sean Lin, Taipei Times

An Environmental Protection Administration official in Penghu on June 22 holds up a portable spectrometer for detecting air pollutants. Photo: Sean Lin, Taipei Times

environmental survey vehicle and its high-altitude air sampling technology on the outlying islands of Penghu County.

EPA Environmental Analysis Laboratory Acting Director Yen Chun-lan (顏春蘭) said the vehicle, donated by Delta Electronics last year, uses a soft chemical ionization proton transfer reaction time-of-flight spectrometer, which can monitor more than 300 gaseous pollutants that have the ability to bind with oxonium ions using.

The pollutants include volatile organic compounds, inorganic gases and a range of odorous substances, which make up the majority of gaseous pollutants, she said.

The vehicle also boasts quick sample analysis — capable of yielding results in less than 10 minutes — and can detect pollutants with concentrations as low as 0.01 parts per billion, Yen said.     [FULL  STORY]

Hau slams brakes on Keelung plans

Taiwan News
Date: 2015-07-14
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Former Taipei City Mayor Hau Lung-bin was slowing down his plans to run for a legislative seat in Keelung City after negative reactions from local Kuomintang members, reports said Tuesday.

The party vice chairman announced last week he was considering to run in the harbor city for a seat in the January 16 elections to help it hang on to an absolute majority, but local party workers reportedly criticized his plans. The KMT should nominate a native politician instead of “parachuting” a major personality in from outside Keelung, the critics said.

Hau reportedly suggested that the candidate for the Keelung seat should not be drafted from the top but that local opinions should be respected. Observers interpreted that the nomination of a candidate would not happen at this Wednesday’s regular KMT Central Standing Committee meeting, but might occur after this weekend’s July 19 party congress.     [FULL  STORY]

Japanese actor concludes four-day visit to Taiwan

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/07/14
By: C.W. Cheng, H.W. Lo and Lillian Lin

Taipei, July 14 (CNA) Japanese actor Takuya Kimura concluded a four-day visit to 201507140028t0001Taiwan after completing the shooting of a commercial by Taiwan’s Tourism Bureau at scenic spots around Taipei.

The 42-year-old Kimura is one of the most popular Japanese entertainers in Taiwan, and his first public visit to Taiwan attracted thousands of fans.

However, unlike his arrival, when a large crowd showed up at the airport to meet him, only around 40 fans managed to find out his departure schedule and waited at the airport to get a five-second glimpse of the star as he stepped out of a car and made his way to a VIP room of EVA Air.

The Tourism Bureau invited Kimura to present the unique features of Taiwan in the commercial directed by Hollywood director John Woo, hoping that the production will attract more Japanese tourists.     [FULL  STORY]

Leading Cancer Clinic in Taiwan Replaces Paper Charts with An All-Electronic Clinical Process And Enhanced Patient Safety Features

PR Newswire
Date: 2015-07-12

TAIPEI CITY, Taiwan, July 12, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — The Koo Foundation Sun Yat-Sen Cancer Center (KF-SYSCC) has established an entirely paperless and filmless clinical process in radiation oncology, designed to enhance patient safety as well as operational efficiency.  Using the ARIA® oncology information system from Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR), the clinical team has automated essential tasks, built in safety-checks, and centralized patient information for easier access by staff members.

ARIA combines a comprehensive, oncology-specific patient electronic medical record (EMR) with numerous tools for managing clinical, administrative and financial operations in multidisciplinary cancer care settings.

“We were using both Varian and Siemens information management software, but we standardized on Varian’s ARIA platform.  Within three months we had removed all paper charts from the department,” said Yeh-Chi Lo, Ph.D., chief of the Department of Medical Physics.  “Varian and its local agent, Cooperative C.L. Enterprise Co., provided us with valuable assistance, helping us to configure the ARIA software to manage different types of treatment, and to reflect our preferences in terms of clinical work flow.  The software is set up to interrupt the clinical workflow at critical junctures unless specific safety checks have been completed and documented.”

“Conversion to an electronic process actually made our workflow more efficient, and potentially safer due to careful automation of essential steps,” added Skye Hung-Chun Cheng M.D., chief of the Department of Radiation Oncology.  “Our goal was to become a fully paperless and filmless department. ARIA has also enhanced the communication between our clinical team members.”

The KF-SYSCC Radiation Therapy Department is a mixed-vendor environment, treating patients on three Varian linear accelerators including a TrueBeam® system plus a Primus-M machine from Siemens.     [FULL  STORY]

“Needlessly cool” Evangelion-esque typhoon forecast from Taiwan amuses Net

Rocket News 24
July 13, 2015

If you’ve seen a weather report in the last couple of days, you probably know that the

Screen Shot 2015-07-13 at 1.02.28 PM

Pacific is currently chock-a-block with typhoons. Across Asia, people are watching the forecasts to see whether a monster storm is going to come swirling their way, and the news stations are doing their best to give them up-to-date and easy-to-understand information.

In Taiwan, the Next TV presentation led one viewer to wonder if the graphics team weren’t perhaps Evangelion fans.

@dorabmon, a Taiwanese who tweets in Japanese, posted this picture while watching the weather. It reads, “As usual, Next TV’s Evangelion typhoon graphics are needlessly cool.”

To be honest, the first thing I thought of was a giant flying pizza, but then pepperoni is

screen-shot-2015-07-13-at-1-02-28-pm

closer to my heart than anime. True fans of the popular series thought the comparison was on point though, and the picture has been picked up a host of discussion sites and message boards.

That last commenter has a point, since the Japanese weather graphics tend towards the annoyingly cutesy.

Get on it, Japan!

Shanghai Kitchen unveils lobster gourmet on Father’s Day

Taiwan News
Date: 2015-07-13
By: Taiwan News, Staff Writer

How you ever mulled over what to give on Father’s Day? Besides gifts, the best present 6689006would be to spend quality time with family and your loved ones. In order to accentuate this special day, Shanghai Kitchen will launch the “Lobster Gourmet Set” from July 15 to August 16 for just NT$8,800!

Shanghai Kitchen has been specializing in Zhejiang cuisine for 33 years, and it understands the preferred cuisine of Taiwanese fathers. There is no doubt the gratifying meal will light up the ambiance on Father’s Day, a day of celebration complemented by the combination of fresh seafood and delicious delicacies offered in a healthy twist.     [FULL  STORY]

Producer fined for selling adulterated rice

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/07/13
By: Yang Shu-min and S.C. Chang

Taipei, July 13 (CNA) A Yunlin County rice producer was fined NT$4.03 million

Vietnamese long-grained rice.

Vietnamese long-grained rice.

(US$129,800) on Monday for mixing Vietnamese rice into two products sold as “Taiwanese rice” to a Taoyuan manufacturer and for refusing to cooperate with investigators.

The producer, known in Chinese as Chang’s Agricultural Processing Factory (張農產加工廠), was suspected of using Vietnamese rice in the long-grained and round-grained glutinous “Made in Taiwan” rice it sold to Chia Ho Rice Factory (嘉禾碾米廠) in Taoyuan.

The Agriculture and Food Agency (AFA) under the Council of Agriculture began investigating the case on June 10, and it asked the owner of the rice processing company, Chang Hsin-chieh (張信傑), to provide an explanation to the agency’s central Taiwan office in Taichung by 6:15 p.m. on June 18.

Chang did not appear until 8 p.m. that day and insisted that everything he sold to the Taoyuan company was supplied by upstream Taiwanese vendors. He then demanded that the AFA re-check its findings.     [FULL  STORY]

Meinung Reservoir project ‘no longer an issue’: Tsai

Taipei Times
Date: Jul 14, 2015
By: Sean Lin  /  Staff reporter

The controversial Meinung Reservoir project is “no longer an issue,” Democratic

Democratic Progressive Party Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen, right, smiles at the Yellow Butterfly Festival in Kaohsiung’s Meinung Township on Sunday. Photo: Chen You-cheng, Taipei Times

Democratic Progressive Party Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen, right, smiles at the Yellow Butterfly Festival in Kaohsiung’s Meinung Township on Sunday. Photo: Chen You-cheng, Taipei Times

Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said on Sunday, as she pledged to protect the environment in the predominantly Hakka community.

Tsai made the remarks during a visit to Kaohsiung to attend the Yellow Butterfly Festival in Meinung Township (美濃).

Now in its 20th year, the festival was originally launched amid public opposition to the reservoir project, whose proposed site allegedly lies on the Jhutoushan Fault (竹頭山斷層).

The project’s detractors say the proposed reservoir would flood the habitat of the lemon emigrant butterfly (Catopsilia pomona) and a range of animal species native to Meinung.

In a speech, Tsai spoke out against the contentious project.     [FULL  STORY]

Ma arrives in Santo Domingo on Sunday, expects to meet DR president

Taiwan News
Date: 2015-07-13
By: Ko Lin, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

President Ma Ying-jeou has arrived in the Dominican Republic’s capital Santo Domingo

Ma expects to meet DR president after arrival. - Central News Agency (2015-07-13 12:03:32)

Ma expects to meet DR president after arrival. – Central News Agency (2015-07-13 12:03:32)

on Sunday morning following a short stopover in Boston where he visited his alma mater Harvard University, reports said Monday.

Surrounded by groups of children, Ma paid a visit to the city’s Centro de Atención Integral para la Discapacidad (CAID), which is a care center devoted to helping children of special needs.

Accompanied by First Lady of the Dominican Republic, Cándida Montilla, Ma learned of the love and dedication put into the institution, where he also handed out baseball caps and gear as donations.

After exchanging a few pitches, the president also received in return a greeting card from children of the center wishing the victims of the June 27 Formosa water park dust explosion a speedy recovery.     [FULL  STORY]

AIT Washington’s Donovan praises small agreements

Taipei Times
Date:  Jul 13, 2015
By: William Lowther  /  Staff reporter in WASHINGTON

About 100 little-known agreements are the “glue that binds America and Taiwan together,” American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Washington Office Managing Director Joe Donovan said.

Speaking at the 46th annual East Coast Taiwanese American Conference, Donovan said that among the areas in which the US and Taiwan cooperate were space exploration, weather forecasting, fighting infectious diseases, combatting global terrorism and global warming.

“It’s the secret behind a great success story,” he said, adding that working under the auspices of the agreements, the US collaborates closely with Taiwan “in ways that benefit both.”     [FULL  STORY]