A sense of transformation has been in the air in Greater Kaohsiung ever since the World Games were held there in 2009. Residents have stopped focusing on issues such as labor movements, industrial migration, or the relocation of Chinese Petroleum Corp. Instead, they are talking about going to concerts at the Kaohsiung Arena, attending lawn concerts of the Kaohsiung Spring Arts Festival, visiting the Kaohsiung Design Exhibition at the Pier-2 Art Center, and getting early-bird tickets for the Kaohsiung Film Festival. The vibrant cultural and arts scene is giving the younger generation cause to believe that the city is getting ever closer to its goal of being the city of happiness.
According to Kaohsiung Bureau of Cultural Affairs Director-General Shih Che, a survey showed that people in the 20 to 29 age bracket are under the greatest pressure from work, compared to those from all other age groups. These people — mostly recent graduates or newbie parents — have high hopes for their future, but are also discovering that this is the toughest time in terms of developing their careers. People in this age group, however, tend to know what they are about, and are often outspoken critics of the government. If these people are satisfied with what the city government is doing, then it shows that they are happy with the food, fashion, housing, transport, entertainment, and leisure facilities in the city.
The survey serves as confirmation that the city government’s efforts are paying off, and is very encouraging to local performing arts groups such as the Kaohsiung City Ballet, Spring Wind Art Theater, Taiwan Drama Performance, Sun Hope Taiwanese Opera Troupe, Counterpoint Chamber Music, Fan Mei Dance Company, Firefly Theatre, and others, all of which have been seeing much larger audiences and higher box office takings in recent years.
Photo: Yang Ching-ching, Taipei Times
照片：自由時報記者楊菁菁
International-level exhibitions on view at the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts have included works by Andy Warhol, Pixar Animation, the Bauhaus movement, Amedeo Modigliani, and Alfons Mucha. These exhibitions have achieved the most successful attendance records in the museum’s history. The Pier-2 Art Center draws a huge crowd, especially during winter and summer vacations, but also on other holidays. Greater Kaohsiung’s burgeoning development not only attracts visitors from abroad, it also provides a model for other cities and counties in Taiwan to follow.
(LIBERTY TIMES, TRANSLATED BY LIN YA-TI)
高雄從二○○九世界運動會開始嗅到蛻變氣息！民眾話題不再鎖定勞工運動、產業外移或是中油遷廠等，而是討論著高雄巨蛋聽演唱會、春天藝術節草地音樂會、駁二特區設計展、高雄電影節早鳥票等。豐富多元的藝文展演，讓新世代深刻感受到高雄朝著幸福城市生活目標邁進。
文化局長史哲表示，一份問卷調查顯示，二十至二十九歲年齡層是人生面臨工作壓力最大的階段，多半是社會新鮮人或新手爸媽，對人生期許很高，但也是最打拚艱苦的期間。這個年齡層相對主張自我，會對施政有諸多批評。因此這群人對於市府團隊滿意度高，顯示高雄城市生活品質獲得肯定，食、衣、住、行、娛樂、休閒各方面需求獲得滿足。
Photo: Chang Chung-yi, Taipei Times
照片：自由時報記者張忠義
這項問卷調查肯定市府團隊努力，也鼓舞高雄藝文展演團體信心，高雄城市芭蕾舞團、南風劇團、台灣戲劇表演家、尚和歌仔戲、對位室內樂團、汎美舞蹈團、螢火蟲劇團等表演藝術團體，也感受到這幾年來觀眾群增加及市場票房熱潮。
美術館幾檔國際特展：安迪‧沃荷、皮克斯動畫、包浩斯、亞美迪歐‧莫迪里亞尼、阿爾豐斯‧慕夏也創下開館來新高，駁二特區寒暑假及假日強強滾的人潮。高雄迅速發展的經驗不僅吸引國內外旅客到訪，更成為外縣市取經的範本。
（自由時報記者楊菁菁）
Photo: Chang Chung-yi, Taipei Times
照片：自由時報記者張忠義
Monosodium glutamate (MSG) has been used in cooking for over a century to enhance flavor. It is often found in Chinese dishes and many other cuisines. Despite its common use, many people misunderstand the safety of MSG. The bad __1__ of MSG started in the late 1960s, when a letter to the New England Journal of Medicine described symptoms like a racing heart, weakness, and numbness after the writer ate Northern Chinese food. While no specific cause was __2__, a series of questionable studies in 1968 began to point the finger at MSG. In one such study, neurologist Herbert Schaumburg and
A: The World Expo 2025 is set to open in Osaka, Japan, on Sunday, with 158 countries and regions and nine international organizations participating in the event. B: Wow, what’s the theme this time? A: The theme is “Designing Future Society for Our Lives.” B: Do you want to go? How long will it last? A: It’ll run for 184 days, until Oct. 13. Maybe we can go to Osaka during summer vacation. A: 2025年世界博覽會預計週日將在日本大阪開幕，158個國家或地區及9大國際組織將參與盛會！ B: 哇這次的主題是什麼？ A: 主題是：「創造閃耀生命光輝的未來社會」。 B: 你想要去嗎？展出多久啊？ A: 世博會共展出184天到10月13日，或許我們暑假時可以去大阪玩。 （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪）
A: The World Expo 2025 is about to open in Osaka. Is Taiwan going to participate in the event too? B: Sure, the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) will launch a Taiwan pavilion named “Tech World.” A: That sounds cool, and it can showcase our national strength in technology. B: The theme is “Connecting the world to create better future lives together.” The pavilion aims to attract over one million visitors. A: I hope humans can really create better future lives through this year’s fair. A: 2025年世博會即將開幕，這次台灣也會參加嗎？ B: 當然啦，外貿協會的台灣館將以「Tech World」名義參展！ A: 聽起來蠻酷的，應該是想強調台灣的科技實力。 B: 策展主題則是：「連結世界，共創未來美好生活」，希望能吸引到100萬人次參訪。 A: 希望藉由這次世博會，人類真的能共創美好生活。 （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪）
The study had several issues. Small sample sizes made it hard to draw __7__ conclusions. Additionally, taking a __8__ like pure MSG on an empty stomach is likely to make a person ill in any case. Choosing individuals who already had a history of the symptoms could have created a bias because they were likely to __9__ the reactions again. When real scientific research on the effects of MSG was eventually done, many of the myths surrounding it were proven __10__. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other global organizations have found MSG safe to eat. Today, MSG
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