Their first visit to Taiwan may be short, but four former NBA stars will be left with beautiful memories of the country, LA Lakers shooter Glen Rice said yesterday.
“It’s all about the people — we love them and they love us,” Rice said.
Six-time NBA champion Scottie Pippen, however, was more interested in Taipei’s “karaoke” culture, saying that he had already tried singing at a KTV twice while in Taipei and “drank a lot.”
The four basketball players held their first press conference in Taipei yesterday morning — following their arrival earlier this week — though not on a basketball court; it was held at the Ta Shee Golf and Country Club instead.
Pippen, a former Chicago Bulls forward, jokingly told reporters that his level of golf was probably the same as that of world No. 1 player Tiger Woods, or “maybe better.”
He did not say how good he was, opting to keep his handicap a secret. There was no telling when the four players finished their 18 holes under the scorching sun, as no official scores were kept.
Pippen and Rice said they were having a great time on their first visit to Taiwan, and that they were overwhelmed by the hospitality and enthusiasm of the people.
Pippen and Rice, along with Clyde Drexler of the Rockets and B.J. Armstrong of the Bulls, are in Taipei on the 2008 NBA Madness Taiwan Tour, which will feature two exhibition matches in Taipei and Hsinchu County today and tomorrow respectively.
Twenty-four Republican members of the US House of Representatives yesterday introduced a concurrent resolution calling on the US government to abolish the “one China” policy and restore formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Led by US representatives Tom Tiffany and Scott Perry, the resolution calls for not only re-establishing formal relations, but also urges the US Trade Representative to negotiate a free-trade agreement (FTA) with Taiwan and for US officials to advocate for Taiwan’s full membership in the UN and other international organizations. In a news release announcing the resolution, Tiffany, who represents a Wisconsin district, called the “one China” policy “outdated, counterproductive
Actress Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛) has “returned home” to Taiwan, and there are no plans to hold a funeral for the TV star who died in Japan from influenza- induced pneumonia, her family said in a statement Wednesday night. The statement was released after local media outlets reported that Barbie Hsu’s ashes were brought back Taiwan on board a private jet, which arrived at Taipei Songshan Airport around 3 p.m. on Wednesday. To the reporters waiting at the airport, the statement issued by the family read “[we] appreciate friends working in the media for waiting in the cold weather.” “She has safely returned home.
ON PAROLE: The 73-year-old suspect has a criminal record of rape committed when he was serving in the military, as well as robbery and theft, police said The Kaohsiung District Court yesterday approved the detention of a 73-year-old man for allegedly murdering three women. The suspect, surnamed Chang (張), was arrested on Wednesday evening in connection with the death of a 71-year-old woman surnamed Chao (趙). The Kaohsiung City Police Department yesterday also unveiled the identities of two other possible victims in the serial killing case, a 75-year-old woman surnamed Huang (黃), the suspect’s sister-in-law, and a 75-year-old woman surnamed Chang (張), who is not related to the suspect. The case came to light when Chao disappeared after taking the suspect back to his residence on Sunday. Police, upon reviewing CCTV
TRUMP ERA: The change has sparked speculation on whether it was related to the new US president’s plan to dismiss more than 1,000 Joe Biden-era appointees The US government has declined to comment on a post that indicated the departure of Laura Rosenberger as chair of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT). Neither the US Department of State nor the AIT has responded to the Central News Agency’s questions on the matter, after Rosenberger was listed as a former chair on the AIT’s official Web site, with her tenure marked as 2023 to this year. US officials have said previously that they usually do not comment on personnel changes within the government. Rosenberger was appointed head of the AIT in 2023, during the administration of former US president Joe