SOCIETY
‘Thriller’ in Changhua
A rice farmer is trying an off-the-wall way to get hungry birds to beat it at harvest time: scarecrows dressed like “King of Pop” Michael Jackson. One scarecrow wears white sequined gloves, a black fedora hat and black brogues, while the other is decked out in a red Thriller jacket and trousers. They are set in the fields in different poses copied from the singer’s signature dance moves. They are the idea of a 30-year old salesman and Jackson fan surnamed Lee (李), who is now making a third one for his father’s farm in Changhua County. “During harvest, my dad would go to the fields every day and chase the birds away,” Lee said. “And I thought, since Michael is good at ‘grabbing his bird,’ I’m inviting him to grab ours.” But not everyone in the family thinks the scarecrow idea is a thriller. “I was yelled at by my grandfather, who said Jackson’s spirit could come and haunt us,” Lee said. “But I think it would be nice if Michael could come over.”
EDUCATION
School eyes military dorms
A private university in Taipei is planning to lease and renovate 20 former US military dormitories on Yangmingshan as part of preparations to accommodate students from China. Chinese Culture University president Wu Wann-yih (吳萬益) said the school planned to rent the buildings from the state-run Bank of Taiwan at a cost of NT$50,000 per building per month. Each of the dormitories will be able to house about 20 students after renovation, Wu said, adding that Chinese students would be required to pay the same housing fee — about NT$2,500 per month — as their Taiwanese counterparts. The military dormitories, which were built during the Korean War in the 1950s, have been vacant for years. Local historical preservation groups have urged the Taipei City Department of Cultural Affairs to preserve them.
SOCIETY
Designer Wu returns home
A Taiwan-born fashion designer who rose to global fame last year after US first lady Michelle Obama wore one of his designs to her husband’s inaugural ball returned to Taipei early yesterday. “I’m very excited [to return home],” said Jason Wu (吳季剛), speaking to reporters upon his arrival at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. Though Wu returned mainly to attend his brother’s wedding, the designer said he would also meet President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and the media to share his experiences as a designer. The one-shouldered gown he designed for Michelle Obama has already become a museum piece. It was donated to the National Museum of American History, joining the museum’s collection of 24 other gowns worn by US first ladies.
POLITICS
Koo calls for Chen’s release
Former presidential adviser Koo Kwang-ming (辜寬敏) yesterday said he wanted to see President Ma serve 1,200 days in jail, saying Ma was responsible for former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) continued detention. “Chen’s case is not a legal issue, it is a political issue,” he said, together with other pro-independence advocates and members of Chen’s legal team at a press conference in Taipei. With Chen’s detention nearing its second year, calls for his release have been mounting among supporters. On Saturday, up to 30 pro-independence groups are expected to converge at the Taipei Detention Center to celebrate Chen’s 60th birthday. The groups are expected to continue lobbying for the lifting of Chen’s detention when his current term comes up for review on Oct. 18.
INFRASTRUCTURE: Work on the second segment, from Kaohsiung to Pingtung, is expected to begin in 2028 and be completed by 2039, the railway bureau said Planned high-speed rail (HSR) extensions would blanket Taiwan proper in four 90-minute commute blocs to facilitate regional economic and livelihood integration, Railway Bureau Deputy Director-General Yang Cheng-chun (楊正君) said in an interview published yesterday. A project to extend the high-speed rail from Zuoying Station in Kaohsiung to Pingtung County’s Lioukuaicuo Township (六塊厝) is the first part of the bureau’s greater plan to expand rail coverage, he told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times). The bureau’s long-term plan is to build a loop to circle Taiwan proper that would consist of four sections running from Taipei to Hualien, Hualien to
A relatively large earthquake may strike within the next two weeks, following a magnitude 5.2 temblor that shook Taitung County this morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. An earthquake struck at 8:18am today 10.2km west of Taitung County Hall in Taitung City at a relatively shallow depth of 6.5km, CWA data showed. The largest intensity of 4 was felt in Taitung and Pingtung counties, which received an alert notice, while areas north of Taichung did not feel any shaking, the CWA said. The earthquake was the result of the collision between the Philippine Plate and the Eurasian Plate, the agency said, adding
Snow fell in the mountainous areas of northern, central and eastern Taiwan in the early hours of yesterday, as cold air currents moved south. In the northern municipality of Taoyuan, snow started falling at about 6am in Fusing District (復興), district head Su Tso-hsi (蘇佐璽) said. By 10am, Lalashan National Forest Recreation Area, as well as Hualing (華陵), Sanguang (三光) and Gaoyi (高義) boroughs had seen snowfall, Su said. In central Taiwan, Shei-Pa National Park in Miaoli County and Hehuanshan National Forest Recreation Area in Nantou County saw snowfall of 5cm and 6cm respectively, by 10am, staff at the parks said. It began snowing
The 2025 Kaohsiung Wonderland–Winter Amusement Park event has teamed up with the Japanese manga series Chiikawa this year for its opening at Love River Bay yesterday, attracting more than 10,000 visitors, the city government said. Following the success of the “2024 Kaohsiung Wonderland” collaboration with a giant inflatable yellow duck installation designed by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, this year the Kaohsiung Tourism Bureau collaborated with Chiikawa by Japanese illustrator Nagano to present two giant inflatable characters. Two inflatable floats — the main character, Chiikwa, a white bear-like creature with round ears, and Hachiware, a white cat with a blue-tipped tail
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