Human composting could be the future of deathcare
But now people are being urged to consider human composting and other environmentally friendly “deathcare” options. But we can still look for new alternatives.”Washington recently became the first US state to legalize human composting and UK funeral directors are reporting a surge in requests for green burials and other more sustainable alternatives to burial and cremation. Carpenter-Boggs, who also acts as scientific adviser to Recompose, a Seattle-based company that plans to open the world’s first human composting facility next year, presented data from a pilot project in which six bodies were composted to test the safety and effectiveness of the approach. The process, known as natural organic reduction, turns a corpse into two wheelbarrows’ worth of soil in four to six weeks. Burial can also be problematic: embalming fluids can leech into groundwater and coffins use up natural resources such as wood and metal.
Source:Taipei Times
February 17, 2020 15:56 UTC
Virus outbreak: Subtle approach credited for lifting of Philippine’s ban
Staff writer, with CNAA clearer picture emerged on Saturday of the roles played by the government, and business and labor groups to convince the Philippines to lift its travel ban on Taiwan on Friday. “Healthcare should be beyond the realm of politics,” Banayo wrote, adding that COVID-19 is “well-controlled and effectively managed” in Taiwan. The travel ban also received significant pushback from commercial and labor groups. Taiwan is the fifth-largest source of tourists for the Philippines and the nation’s inclusion in the travel ban was met with apprehension over lost revenue. Manila on Friday announced that it was lifting the travel ban on Taiwan following a risk assessment, a decision based on the “strict measures ... and protocols” Taiwan’s government has implemented to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Source:Taipei Times
February 17, 2020 15:56 UTC
US reveals warship that transited Taiwan Strait
Staff writer, with CNAThe US warship that sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Saturday was likely the USS Chancellorsville. However, it did not specify when the transit was made and if it was made via the Strait. The information was made public after the Ministry of National Defense said on Saturday that a US warship sailed through the Strait earlier that day, but did not identify the vessel. It was the second time this year that a US warship has sailed through the Strait. On Monday, a number of Chinese planes briefly crossed the Taiwan Strait median line and entered Taiwan’s airspace, but retreated to the western side of the line after Taiwan scrambled F-16s and other military aircraft and issued radio warnings, the ministry said.
Source:Taipei Times
February 16, 2020 15:56 UTC
Raw material shortages may disrupt tech sector
Staff writer, with CNAThe nation’s electronics sector could face disruptions in raw material supplies as early as next month due to the COVID-19 outbreak in China, the Taipei-based Chinese National Federation of Industries (CNFI, 全國工業總會) said on Saturday. The CNFI said that the electronics sector has been severely affected by the city lockdowns. As for the biotech industry, many drug manufacturers in Taiwan are expected to soon face raw material supply shortages from China as their inventories run out, CNFI said. The outbreak has also hurt private consumption in China, which would affect Taiwanese makers of consumer electronics items, such as chip and optoelectronic products, it said. Many businesses are hoping the government would help them negotiate with banks to resolve possible funding issues, it added.
Source:Taipei Times
February 16, 2020 15:56 UTC
Virus Outbreak: Philippines requires travel history for visas for Taiwanese
Staff writer, with CNAPeople who enter the Philippines on a Republic of China passport are required to present a travel history when applying for a visa, despite Manila lifting a travel ban it imposed on Taiwanese amid the COVID-19 outbreak, the Manila Economic and Cultural Office said yesterday. The ban on Taiwan was lifted on Friday by the Philippines’ Inter-agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases after it was determined that Taiwan had implemented strict travel protocols. This is part of its protocol to safeguard the Philippines from the coronavirus and one of the major factors considered by the inter-agency taskforce before it lifted the travel ban on Taiwan, De Belen said. Failure to submit an Entry and Exit Record might result in the denial of a visa application without a refund of the processing fee, the advisory says. For other foreign applicants for Philippine visas, office staff would check the entry and exit stamps in their passports to ensure compliance with the Philippines’ travel ban, the office said.
Source:Taipei Times
February 16, 2020 15:56 UTC
God save the pub: Britons rescue local watering holes
AFP, RYTON, EnglandIn the heart of picturesque old Ryton village in northeast England, pub regulars banded together to save their favorite watering hole in a cutthroat sector where competition is fierce. After months of campaigning, pub regulars raised about ￡150,000 (US$195,707 at the current exchange rate) from more than 300 local people who became shareholders. The pub has also been boosted by a total of ￡100,000 in a mixture of grants and bank loans. Volunteer Richard held aloft a pint of lager after tidying the pub floor, which doubles as a yoga venue. As well as yoga, the pub has also become a venue for local knitting groups, film shows and other activities, all aimed at raising cash donations to keep the place running.
Source:Taipei Times
February 16, 2020 15:56 UTC
Derrick Jones Jr wins slam dunk contest
AP, CHICAGOMiami Heat forward Derrick Jones Jr celebrated his 23rd birthday by winning the All-Star slam dunk contest, edging Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon in a memorable showdown that required two tiebreaker jams. Jones and Gordon each got a perfect 50 on their two dunks in the final, then they got two more perfect scores on their first jam in the dunk-off. He then took the ball from Fall’s hands on his way to a thunderous dunk. The United Center gasped as the courtside NBA stars celebrated, but Gordon was awarded a 47, giving the victory to Jones. The NBA has renamed its All-Star most valuable player award in honor of Kobe Bryant.
Source:Taipei Times
February 16, 2020 15:56 UTC
Taiwan’s Jason Jung falls in semi-final in New York
AP, UNIONDALE, New YorkAndreas Seppi defeated Jason Jung 6-3, 6-2 at the New York Open on Saturday to end the title hopes of the US-born Taiwanese player. 3 seed Reilly Opelka, the tournament’s two champions, to make his first career semi-final after qualifying just to make the main draw. Jung thanked his supporters in a video he posted to Facebook yesterday. “Just my resilience I think in the end proved a little too much,” Edmund said. Edmund reached his lone Grand Slam semi-final at the Australian Open in 2018 and won his only title near the end of that season in Antwerp, Belgium.
Source:Taipei Times
February 16, 2020 15:56 UTC
Obama panel touts stars’ work
“It’s so much bigger than basketball,” Love said. “Part of the reason I wanted to convene these three, in addition to being amazing athletes, they’re good people and each of them are at different stages in their careers,” Obama said. This event, in his hometown of Chicago, was his second official event during NBA All-Star weekend after one with children, and first and second-year players on Friday. “All I know is, people gave to me,” Antetokounmpo said. “I’ve got to give back.”
Source:Taipei Times
February 16, 2020 15:56 UTC
Dortmund’s ‘Yellow Wall’ awaits PSG
AFP, DORTMUND, GermanyPacked with passionate home fans, Borussia Dortmund’s imposing south stand — dubbed “The Yellow Wall” — is the “gigantic monster” lurking to test Paris Saint-Germain stars such as Neymar and Kylian Mbappe in their round of 16, first-leg Champions League encounter tomorrow. The 19-year-old has bagged nine goals since Dortmund snapped him up for 20 million euros (US$22 million) from Austrian club Red Bull Salzburg. Liverpool are coasting towards a first Premier League title in 30 years having dropped just two points all season and are likely to be crowned English champions before the Champions League quarter-finals commence in early April. Klopp on Saturday described his team’s 25-point lead at the top of the Premier League as “insane,” after Sadio Mane struck to give them a 1-0 win against Norwich City. In the other Premier League match on Saturday, Burnley beat Southhampton 2-1.
Source:Taipei Times
February 16, 2020 15:56 UTC
Virus Outbreak: Taiwan to evacuate cruise passengers
By Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThe government is negotiating with Japanese officials to arrange the evacuation of Taiwanese passengers quarantined on a cruise ship off the coast of Yokohama, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said yesterday. Confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection on the ship have been rapidly increasing since then. Two Taiwanese passengers who had been confirmed to have been infected with COVID-19 were hospitalized in Japan for treatment, it said. “We have been discussing evacuation plans with Japanese authorities,” said Chen, who heads the CECC. The move is in response to the spread of the virus in the two countries, the CECC said.
Source:Taipei Times
February 15, 2020 15:56 UTC
Virus Outbreak: France reports first death as China toll passes 1,500
AFP, BEIJINGThe death toll from the COVID-19 outbreak yesterday surpassed 1,500 in China as France reported the first fatality outside Asia. In France, an 80-year-old Chinese tourist died from the disease, French Minister of Solidarity and Health Agnes Buzyn said. The death toll in China yesterday rose to 1,523 after 143 more people died in the country, mostly in Hubei Province. The Chinese National Health Commission yesterday reported 2,641 new cases of the COVID-19 strain, with the vast majority in Hubei. The number of new confirmed cases has been steadily falling outside Hubei, with 221 infections reported yesterday.
Source:Taipei Times
February 15, 2020 15:56 UTC
North Korea enhancing nukes, illicit trade: UN report
The panel stressed the link between North Korea’s nuclear program and its illegal exports, especially of coal. The panel said that North Korea also continues to violate UN resolutions through its illicit import of refined petroleum products through ship-to-ship transfers and direct deliveries by foreign-flagged vessels. These vessels sail directly into Nampo, the main North Korean port for petroleum deliveries, it said. They said that Russia reported exporting 30,886 tonnes of refined petroleum products to North Korea during the first 11 months of last year and China reported exporting 22,739 tonnes during the year. The panel said it calculated that the total of Russian and Chinese export amounts would equal 408,576 barrels of refined petroleum products — below the annual limit.
Source:Taipei Times
February 15, 2020 15:56 UTC
TAIEX rises, but gains capped
The TAIEX on Friday closed up 23.92 points, or 0.2 percent, at 11,815.70, after moving between 11,788.87 and 11,840.79. As buying on the local main board accelerated, the TAIEX edged past 11,800 points, reaching close to 11,900 at one point, they said. Driven by ample liquidity, the uptrend continued until profit-taking emerged, which offset the gains to some extent by the end of the session, they added. Although the gains of some tech heavyweights such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) petered out, interest in certain electronic component stocks remained solid, helping the tech sector steam ahead, Huang said. Among the the large tech stocks that failed to sustain their earlier gains, TSMC, the most heavily weighted stock on the local market, closed unchanged at NT$335 after hitting a high of NT$337.
Source:Taipei Times
February 15, 2020 15:56 UTC
EDITORIAL: Beware closing doors to free speech
An independence advocate was found guilty on Feb. 7 of inciting others to burn the national flag, in a ruling that overturned a previous acquittal. The issue of an individual’s right to “insult” national symbols has drawn attention in the sports world. Since August 2016, some NFL players have knelt during the US national anthem out of protest against police violence toward African-Americans. There is no definitive answer as to whether people should be allowed to desecrate national symbols, but not everyone adheres to the same imagined communities or same values espoused by those communities. If citizens are prohibited from protesting a nation through destroying its symbols, it risks opening the floodgates for further suppression of free expression.
Source:Taipei Times
February 15, 2020 15:56 UTC