EDITORIAL: Disaster response and propaganda
EDITORIAL: Disaster response and propagandaTyphoon Doksuri hit China’s southeastern provinces late last month and made its way north to Hebei Province. Chinese state media on Friday said at least 29 people had died, while 16 were missing and more than 1.75 million people had been relocated. While the floods in Taiwan and China occurred just a few days apart, people from both countries have posted online about the stark differences in disaster response measures. From Saturday last week, Chinese state media started publishing long propaganda reports touting Xi’s “strong and powerful” response to the severe floods in Beijing, saying that he had given important instructions regarding flood prevention and rescue measures early last month. Taiwanese people must remain aware of Chinese propaganda in its many forms, including false disaster news, which is only expected to increase before the presidential and legislative elections in January next year.
Source:Taipei Times
August 12, 2023 16:49 UTC
ChatGPT fever spreads to workplace, sounding alarm for some
Anecdotal examples of people using ChatGPT to help with their day-to-day work include drafting e-mails, summarizing documents and doing preliminary research. High school student Richard Erkhov is in March reflected on a screen of “Alnstein,” a robot powered with ChatGPT, in Pascal school in Nicosia, Cyprus. ‘HARMLESS TASKS’A US-based employee of Tinder said workers at the dating app used ChatGPT for “harmless tasks” like writing e-mails even though the company does not officially allow it. Reuters was not able independently to confirm whether employees at P&G were unable to use ChatGPT. Paul Lewis, chief information security officer at cyber security firm Nominet, said firms were right to be wary.
Source:Taipei Times
August 11, 2023 21:40 UTC
Ko’s comments just empty talk
During a visit to southern Taiwan, Ko met a 35-year-old man who is making a monthly salary of about NT$40,000, he said. With a house rent of NT$5,000, the young man had intended to apply for rent subsidies, but was prevented from doing so by the landlord. Ko did not follow up the question of annual salaries, which reveals his ignorance of the salary structure of the private sector. From mayor to chairman, Ko’s Achilles’ heel has always been raising issues without offering any solutions. Ko, who is all talk and no action, is the last person anyone can count on to “save” Taiwan, least of all young people.
Source:Taipei Times
August 11, 2023 21:38 UTC
Indian PM lambasts opposition, survives no-confidence vote
Indian PM lambasts opposition, survives no-confidence voteAFP, NEW DELHIThe government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday defeated a no-confidence motion in parliament after a fiery speech by Modi at the climax of a three-day debate. The no-confidence vote was dismissed by the government ahead of the vote as a headline-grabbing gimmick ahead of a general election next year. “They have been launching the same failed product again and again, but the launch fails every time.”Gandhi, 53, is the son, grandson and great-grandson of three former Indian prime ministers. Gandhi was in March sentenced to two years in prison in a cast that critics flagged as an effort to stifle political opposition. Modi’s party has been repeatedly accused by political opponents and rights groups of fomenting religious divisions for electoral purposes.
Source:Taipei Times
August 11, 2023 17:45 UTC
India’s Pro Panja League creates arm-wrestling stars
India’s Pro Panja League creates arm-wrestling starsAFP, NEW DELHIAthletes flex biceps before going hand-to-hand in a newly televised arm-wrestling league seeking to take the sporting spotlight in India with a glitzy Bollywood-style makeover. Contestants fight under bright studio lights with a cheering audience as opponents push down the other person’s arm in the Pro Panja League at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi Stadium. Farheen Dehalvi of the Baroda Badshahs, left, and Kashmiri Kashyap of the Ludhiana Lions compete in an arm-wrestling bout at the Pro Panja League in New Delhi on Aug. 2. Tawheed Shaikh of Ludhiana Lions, left, and Harman Mann of the Baroda Badshahs prepare for an arm-wrestling match at the Pro Panja League in New Delhi on Aug. 2. “People watch me on TV back home and it has inspired them to go to the gyms and I tell them to come to Pro Panja.”
Source:Taipei Times
August 11, 2023 17:43 UTC
Saving soil is all gain for Taiwan
For several years the government has been projecting a concern with environmental protection, sustainability and energy saving, focused on photovoltaic green energy. The question is, are photovoltaic solar panels as good as what the government’s messaging suggests? Second, to install solar panels, farmland must be covered with cement, and the ground must be compacted using machines, which would substantially affects drainage. The government also deems agricultural land allocated to the green energy special zone as having “low soil fertility,” meaning that it is unsuitable for agricultural production. The development of the solar photovoltaic industry has brought about numerous disadvantages, and the government should reconsider its policy approach.
Source:Taipei Times
August 10, 2023 21:41 UTC
Woman dies of brain-eating amoeba: CDC
Woman dies of brain-eating amoeba: CDCBy Lin Hui-chin and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writerA woman in northern Taiwan has died from a rare brain-eating amoeba, marking the nation’s first death from Naegleria fowleri in 12 years, health authorities said on Wednesday. Experts urged against public alarm, saying the amoeba is susceptible to chlorine and does not spread easily. Traces of Naegleria fowleri were found in the woman who died of meningitis, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Deputy Director-General Tseng Shu-huai (曾淑慧) told a news briefing in Taipei. An indoor water park in New Taipei City that the woman had visited is being tested for Naegleria fowleri, she said. Hwang Kao-pin (黃高彬), deputy head of the infectious disease department at China Medical University in Taichung, yesterday told a news conference that the threat from Naegleria fowleri is limited.
Source:Taipei Times
August 10, 2023 21:37 UTC
Soaked books make writers weep
Soaked books make writers weepBy Bai Zhao 白兆When Typhoon Doksuri reached northern China at the end of last month, several days of torrential rains in and around Beijing caused disastrous flooding in the region. Zhuozhou is one of China’s most important centers for book publishing, warehousing and logistics. There are specific reasons why China’s book industry has hardly any insurance. China’s paper media and publishing industry were already struggling to get by, relying on the passion of writers and artists. People can even buy hardcover books for 10 to 20 yuan and paperbacks for less than 10 yuan.
Source:Taipei Times
August 10, 2023 17:35 UTC
University students break up via text
University students break up via textVIOLENCE RISK: Breakups can lead to violent outcomes if not handled well, a foundation member warned, as 18 percent of respondents said they would retaliateBy Kayleigh Madjar / Staff writer, with CNAMost university students break up with a partner over text message, while both sides tend to evade communication, a survey by the Good Shepherd Welfare Foundation found yesterday, as it warned that improper communication increases the chance of conflict. The foundation administered two separate surveys — one to people who initiated a breakup and another to those who were broken up with. Among initiators, 41 percent broke the news by texting, while 32 percent met face-to-face, the foundation said in a news release. Triggered by the stressful situation, it is common for one side to avoid while the other pursues answers, Ting said. First, couples should take stock of their feelings and reasoning to ease any feelings of shock or panic, she said.
Source:Taipei Times
August 10, 2023 06:41 UTC
Fishermen use smartphones to map a vanishing way of life
So now the fishermen of southern India are learning a whole new skill: mapping their ancient land by app — plot by precious plot — to stop industry from swallowing life on the lagoon. He pointed out the holes left by the government’s latest coastal maps, blank spaces he said are villages brimming with life. With a new government zoning map three months off, Raji fears his industry and whole way of life will become the next black hole of Lake Pulicat. Around the creek, wooden boats and loinclothed fishermen wade through sludgy waters surrounded by foundries, thermal power plants and ship yards. Watching the sun set over Pulicat lake, fisherman Dayalan D is a convert to new technology to preserve his old way of life.
Source:Taipei Times
August 09, 2023 21:36 UTC
Soldier hiked 3km to reach parents sheltering at a hut
Soldier hiked 3km to reach parents sheltering at a hutStaff writer, with cnaA soldier in Nantou County hiked through landslides and flooding to bring supplies to his parents who had been sheltering at a mountain hut since Typhoon Khanun closed roads in the area. Shih Chih-wei (施芷崴) and his special forces associates trekked 3km to reach the hut in rural Renai Township (仁愛), the Military News Agency said. Shih’s parents, who are farmers living in an indigenous community, were harvesting crops when Typhoon Khanun brought rain to the area, the agency said. Army soldier Shih Chih-wei, right, poses for a photograph with his father on Tuesday. With Shih’s parents now well-stocked with supplies, the rescue team decided it would be safer for the two farmers to continue sheltering at the hut until the roads open again, the reports said.
Source:Taipei Times
August 09, 2023 18:52 UTC
Trump is bad news for Taiwan
Trump is bad news for TaiwanBy Linus Chiou 邱士哲Despite the three criminal indictments he is facing, former US president Donald Trump is actively campaigning for the presidency: By all accounts, his campaign is going well in parts of the Republican base. A New York Times poll published on July 31 found that 54 percent of Republican voters would support Trump if the election for the party’s presidential nominee were held today. For instance, in an interview with Fox News, Trump accused Taiwan of taking away semiconductor business from the US and said that Washington should have imposed tariffs on Taiwan. Nevertheless, some Republicans remain skeptical about supporting Kyiv, seeing the Ukraine war as a result of NATO’s expansionism. Trump believes that he could end the war in one day by pressuring Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to the negotiation table.
Source:Taipei Times
August 09, 2023 16:46 UTC
The KMT, Ukraine and stories of elephants
The KMT, Ukraine and stories of elephantsBy Teng Hon-yuan 鄧鴻源In the jungle of a southeast Asian country, an elephant calf fell into a deep well. The mother elephant was deeply upset and agitated. The mother elephant was afraid they would drown, so she got into the well and held the baby elephants above the water. The KMT also said that some Taiwanese were stupid enough to support Ukraine. If Taiwanese had not offered Ukraine assistance, who would help when it is in trouble?
Source:Taipei Times
August 08, 2023 21:45 UTC
TTL raises the prices of Taiwan Beer, cigarettes
TTL raises the prices of Taiwan Beer, cigarettesStaff writer, with CNATaiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corp (TTL) yesterday said that it has increased the recommended retail price of Taiwan Beer and its own-brand cigarettes due to rising raw material costs. TTL said it had raised the recommended retail price of Taiwan Beer products — Gold Label, Classic and 18 Days Draft — by NT$5 (US$0.16) per bottle or can, effective from Tuesday last week. In addition, the recommended retail price of TTL cigarettes has been raised by between NT$5 and NT$10 per pack, the state-owned company said. Cans of Classic Taiwan Beer are pictured in Taichung in an undated photograph. The latest price hike comes two months after TTL raised the price of kegs and bottles of Taiwan Beer products by 1 to 2 percent for large wholesalers and by 3 to 7 percent for small wholesalers.
Source:Taipei Times
August 08, 2023 18:36 UTC
July officially hottest month on record
July officially hottest month on recordbreaking point: The concern is not how hot it was last month, but that the record would soon be broken, and people have yet to adapt to this type of life, a scientist saidAPNow that July’s sizzling numbers are all in, the European climate monitoring organization made it official: Last month was Earth’s hottest month on record by a wide margin. It was so warm that Copernicus and the World Meteorological Organization made the unusual early announcement that it was likely the hottest month days before it ended. “It’s a stunning record and makes it quite clearly the warmest month on Earth in 10,000 years,” said Stefan Rahmstorf, a climate scientist at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Research in Germany. And before the Holocene started there was an ice age, so it would be logical to even say this is the warmest record for 120,000 years, he said. “We should not care about July because it’s a record, but because it won’t be a record for long,” Imperial College of London climate scientist Friederike Otto said.
Source:Taipei Times
August 08, 2023 16:59 UTC