NASA aircraft thrill aviation buffs in Southern Taiwan

NASA aircraft thrill aviation buffs in Southern Taiwan

2024-03-13

NASA sent two research aircraft over the skies of Taiwan on Wednesday, as part of an Asia air quality study. One aircraft the DC-8 dropped to just 15 meters above ground when flying over Tainan and Chiayi. The sight was a thrill for aviation fans, who flocked to the south to take photos. One ardent fan even took the high-speed rail from Hsinchu to capture the event.

Aviation fan
I came down this morning from Hsinchu on the high-speed rail, and then I rented a scooter. This is such a rare event, and the aircraft flew at quite a low altitude. It was really something.

Shu Hsiao-huang
Institute for National Defense and Security Research analyst
Because the aircraft is so old, its condition is problematic. That’s why two of its flights were canceled previously. Today was its last flight before decommissioning. It had to be near the airport before it could drop its altitude. Right next to the airport, it could drop to a lower altitude to take very clear pictures. The plane is equipped with precise instruments that require low altitudes to take accurate measurements. When it’s flying high, the air quality measurements are completely different from those taken on the ground.

NASA’s DC-8 research aircraft flew between Tainan and Pingtung on Wednesday, measuring changes in air quality. Its data will be used to study the effects of atmospheric circulation, pollutants, and topography on air quality. Also on Wednesday, NASA’s second aircraft, the G-III, flew at a higher altitude over southwestern Taiwan.

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NASA兩架科研機來台! 低空飛西南部上空航空迷搶拍

2024-03-13

環境部跟美國太空總署合作七海計畫高屏3D空品實驗，NASA科研機DC-8及G-III都經過台灣，其中低空飛行任務的DC-8，飛越台南跟嘉義時，降到大約15公尺高度，讓航空迷們能拍個過癮，甚至有人特地從新竹南下拍攝。

[[航空迷]]
“從新竹早上坐高鐵，然後來這邊再租個摩托車，很少見，還蠻近的，而且飛蠻低的，就剛好他飛得低，就還不錯這樣子”

[[國防安全研究院副研究員舒孝煌]]
“因為它這架飛機很老，他機務的狀況其實有問題，所以他前面已經取消了兩次，今天這是最後一趟，飛完之後它就會除役。它的航線要接近機場它才能夠降低高度，你在機場旁邊的話，就比較低的高度就能夠拍到非常清楚的畫面，飛機上面有比較精密的儀器，要在比較低的高度才能夠進行偵測，如果飛很高的話，空氣品質跟地面上是完全不同的”

這部飛機，就是科研機DC-8，透過貼近地面的飛行，量測空氣汙染物變化，以了解大氣環流、汙染源及地形等對空氣品質的影響。而另外一架G-III飛行高度約2800英尺高度，所以無法像DC-8拍攝的這麼清晰。

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2024-03-13

Tsai urges businesses to improve salaries and benefits

Top politicians turned out for the General Chamber of Commerce’s Spring Festival banquet on Tuesday. President Tsai Ing-wen, Premier Chen Chien-jen and former Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng of the opposition KMT made a rare joint appearance. In her address to the chamber, President Tsai touted her efforts to promote free trade. She also called on employers to raise wages and benefits.

At the General Chamber of Commerce’s Spring Festival banquet, some 650 professionals turned out. In her speech at the event, President Tsai Ing-wen emphasized her efforts to promote free trade so that Taiwan industry can go global. She called on companies to improve wages and benefits for employees.

Tsai Ing-wen
President
I would like to take this occasion to ask industry leaders to support our minimum wage hike policy by increasing wages and benefits for employees. Doing so can help with talent retention and stabilize business operations. In this upcoming year, let us continue to work together to overcome challenges and reach new heights for Taiwan’s economy.

Speaking on Taiwan’s net-zero transition and global inflation, Tsai said her government was fully prepared to tackle these challenges. As for Taipower’s financial losses, the electricity price review committee is expected to decide on April rates this week. Sources say the Executive Yuan plans to subsidize rates by NT$150 billion. But business leaders say the amount needs to be higher.

Paul Hsu
General Chamber of Commerce
Although there is a plan for making adjustments, Taipower won’t be making a profit straight away. So there’s also that period of time you have to consider. Taipower has more than NT$300 billion in debt. Unless you provide NT$200 billion, it will have a hard time getting by.

Wang Mei-hua
Economics minister
The Executive Yuan is still calculating how much it can allocate to the subsidy program. Also to be considered are issues related to resource distribution. So it’s true that no conclusion was reached today.

Present at the banquet were Premier Chen Chien-jen, Presidential Office Secretary-General Lin Chia-lung and former Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng, in a rare joint appearance. There was also Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu, who arrived after group photos were taken.

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2024-03-13

The City of Lightning: Chiayi is Taiwan’s most electric place

Do you know which region of Taiwan is the most electric? A report by a weather risk firm shows that in 2023, you were most likely to see lightning strike in Chiayi City. The city saw 167 lightning strikes per square kilometer last year. We spoke to a climate expert in Chiayi to find out the science of why the southern city attracts thunder and lightning. And we spoke to a local religious representative, to hear what lightning traditionally means for those working on the land.

An inky sky is lit up by series of flashes. It’s a common sight in Chiayi City.

Chang Jui-cheng
Chiayi Weather Station official
It’s mainly because of the geography. Chiayi City sits at the foot of both the Alishan Range and Yushan. The southwest monsoon rains bring in a lot of air moisture. When it hits the mountains it creates a thermodynamic effect.

A weather risk analysis firm has collated data from lightning monitoring stations. A staggering 10.5 million lightning strikes hit Taiwan last year. If we look at the density of lightning strikes per square kilometer, we see lighting was most likely to strike Chiayi City, with 167 strikes per square kilometer in 2023. Next was Taipei City at 110 strikes per square kilometer, then Hsinchu City at 96, Chiayi County at 92 and Yunlin County at 86. Lightning is a very frequent visitor at midday in summertime in Chiayi, where convection currents are most common and create the special effects.

Chang Jui-cheng
Chiayi Weather Station official
Mountain regions tend to heat up after midday, which leads them to produce afternoon convection cells. They form and then spread out into the flat land, and Chiayi City is in the perfect place to get hit by them.

In September, the frequent lightning strikes in Chiayi even damaged electrical equipment at Lantan Reservoir, including environmental monitoring systems, and cut off a musical fountain show.

As you would expect of such an electric area, Chiayi has its own important lightning god. Lei Gong Temple in Dongshi Township, is dedicated to the Duke of Thunder. Lightning is important for local farming communities.

Liu Chia-hsiang
Dongshi Lei Gong Temple supporter
The lightning season begins in March and continues until fall, more or less. Chiayi is a great farming county, and farms need lightning to wake up all living things on earth.

As an old saying goes, “Every living being comes back to life when the spring thunder rumbles.” A lightning storm heralds the return of spring for farmers here. Now news of their exceptional electricity is making rumbles around the country.

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2024-03-13

Taipei Rose Festival held till the end of March

Flower lovers, take note! The 2024 Taipei Rose Show is back in action in Taipei’s Xinsheng Park. The festival features over 800 varieties and more than 5,000 roses from around the world. On weekends, there will also be a series of activities and food trucks at the venue. FTV reporter Stephany Yang takes us in for a look!

There are roses in a variety of colors like red, orange, pink, and white. Many visitors brought their cameras and paintbrushes to take photos and paint the beautiful roses.

Member of public
Each flower has a different appearance, and when drawn on the canvas, you can highlight the differences.

Member of public
The rose garden here is very beautiful. There are many varieties, and the shape of the flowers is very beautiful. If you take pictures of flowers with a little oblique backlight, the flowers will appear more three-dimensional.

This year’s Taipei Rose Festival features a total of six exhibition areas with more than 800 varieties and 5,000 potted roses. Visitors can enjoy live music as they stroll through the garden. The Taipei Rose Garden is the only rose garden in Taipei that grows roses year-round. You can enjoy the different styles of roses in all four seasons.

Yang Ping-che
Taipei’s Parks and Street Lights Office
The main characteristic exhibition area of Taipei Rose Garden is the "Sea of Flowers Area." The Sea of Flowers Area mainly contains classical roses that existed before 1867. These are rarely planted internationally or here in Taiwan. The Taipei Rose Garden is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Roses are a temperate plant, so its best flowering period is usually around November to May every year. We estimate that the best flowering period at our Taipei Rose Festival is around mid-to-late March. This year, the Taipei Rose Festival will provide food trucks during the weekend, flower-related vendors, and also shuttle buses at Yuanshan MRT Station.

During the festival period, a series of activities and food trucks are at the venue. The Taipei Rose Festival will be held till March 31 at Xinsheng Park in Taipei.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

2024-03-13

Taiwan closes up 13 points after volatile trade

Taiwan shares broke past 20,000 points in Wednesday’s trading session, led by tech shares. TSMC shares soared NT$15 right after opening, with MediaTek and Hon Hai also surging. But after hitting a new high of 20,112 points, the market stumbled on profit-taking, falling below the 20,000-point mark. The day ended with a modest gain of 13 points, at 19,928. An analyst warns that many small- and mid-cap shares have started to trend down, so investors should beware of chasing highs.

Nvidia and TSMC American depositary receipts soared on Tuesday, driving momentum on Wall Street. On Wednesday, Taiwan shares made gains led by TSMC, which opened up NT$15 and hit an intraday high of NT$785. Hon Hai, MediaTek, and United Microelectronics also soared, lifting the Taiex past the 20,000-point mark. Taiwan shares peaked at 20,112 points, pushing total market value past NT$63 trillion, a record high. But the surge set off panic selling, sending the market below 20,000 points once again, with total fluctuation exceeding 220 points.

Huang Wen-ching
Analyst
Many small- and mid-cap stocks have begun trending down and have weakened significantly. We saw this situation today. What this means is that investors have become increasingly cautious amid the current trends and they think it’s a good moment to cash in. But the market still managed to close higher, because key stocks are propping it up.

The recent rally on Wall Street and in exchange-traded funds has driven up both lagging and high-yield stocks. In addition, interest in artificial intelligence has set off an investment craze. As the Taiex repeatedly breaks past the 20,000-point barrier, the question is arising: Are Taiwan shares set to hit new highs?

Huang Wen-ching
Analyst
Investor sentiment is overly optimistic. For instance, maintenance margins have seen a significant increase and have reached high rates. That is a warning sign. There could be short-term opportunities for lagging stocks that are catching up, or for companies announcing dividends and high-dividend stocks. But over the short term, you have to watch out for the pullback from an overheating market.

The analyst says the index could reach new highs in the short term, but investors should be wary of overheating. He said that eventually, all stock prices return to the fundamentals.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
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2024-03-13

E. Sun Securities ends new subscriptions for 00940 ETF amid buying frenzy

A frenzy for ETFs, or exchange traded funds, is taking hold in Taiwan. The prospect of high dividends and low buy-in prices has attracted many investors. Recently, Uni-President Asset Management launched the 00939 ETF, pricing it at NT$15 per share. Even cheaper is the 00940 ETF, which Yuanta Funds will launch on April 1 at NT$10 per share. The latter fund has reportedly raised more than NT$170 billion in subscriptions, although Yuanta Funds says the figure is not official.

During a lull at work, she studies a catalogue of financial products, preparing to go on a shopping spree. Amid an ETF craze, Yuanta Funds’ 00940 ETF is set to hit the market on April 1. Investors are in a frenzy to buy in.

Member of public
It’s very appealing, because NT$10 is really not a lot.

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I have a friend who sold off Quanta shares for NT$1 million, so he could play around with ETFs.

Investors are flocking to buy the ETF, which comes with the prospect of high dividends and monthly payouts for the low price of just NT$10 per share. The ETF reportedly raised NT$170 billion in subscriptions in just three days. In a statement, E. Sun Securities said that, due to high demand for the 00940, it would no longer accept new subscriptions, to ensure that existing buyers could make inquiries and payments. In a rare move, Yuanta Funds also released a statement, saying that rumors regarding sales did not contain official figures. It stressed that Yuanta Funds had not provided financial advice to any individual investors. It said potential buyers should fully understand the product’s features and evaluate their risk tolerance, before making a financial decision.

Li Fang-kuo
Uni-President Asset Management
Of course, if everyone is going crazy buying ETFs, it could lead to a crowding out. If active funds, individual investors, and institutional investors shift their assets in that direction, it could bring about changes to the ecosystem of Taiwan’s stock market.

Previously Uni-President Asset Management launched the 00939 ETF, pricing it at NT$15 per share. Its low price also caused a sensation in Taiwan. Amid concerns of irrational buying triggered by high-yield ETFs, the Financial Supervisory Commission is reportedly planning measures to cool the market. The FSC may conduct financial inspections on ETFs, to remind investors to be sensible when managing their finances.

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2024-03-13

US immigrant raises awareness of self-defense skills

A new immigrant from the U.S. is raising awareness of self-defense skills in Taiwan. Robert Wayne Hipple Jr. grew up in the U.S., inspired by martial arts movies from Hong Kong and Taiwan. Along with his wife, he now teaches self-defense classes to all comers. They hope to teach people how to get away safely from a dangerous encounter.

Early morning on a cold winter’s day, and students are already hard at work in the gym. But this is no ordinary fitness class. It’s a self-defense class.

The coach demonstrates a dangerous situation that might occur, and teaches students how to escape.

American immigrant Robert Wayne Hipple Jr. has lived in Taiwan for 12 years. His day job is in technology, but martial arts and self-defense are a passion he’s nurtured since childhood.

Robert Wayne Hipple Jr.
Self-defense teacher and US immigrant
We used to watch all of the martial arts films, from out of Hong Kong and such… a few from Taiwan as well! Of course, as a young person, you find it quite interesting and exciting. And through that, it led to reading books on the subject, and joining classes, as well, that were available in our small town.

Hipple loves sports and fitness, and studied boxing and judo for many years. He’s gradually developed a combination of sports and self-defense techniques. When he first arrived in Taiwan, he taught free classes at Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall. Violent crime is not a big problem in Taiwan, and Hipple is impressed by the warm and good-naturedness of the Taiwanese. Even so, he believes self-defense skills have universal value.

Robert Wayne Hipple Jr.
Self-defense teacher and US immigrant
Will you likely ever need to use this skill in your lifetime? Honestly, I hope not. But it’s those few times where something happens, unfortunately, that we need it, and we’re so happy when we have it.

Hipple’s wife Peggy is his best sparring partner. She’s been studying self-defense for 10 years, and is a vital demo assistant in class.

Peggy
Wife of Robert Wayne Hipple Jr.
We’ve had couples come to the class together before. They are hoping that the wife or the girlfriend will know how to protect herself when she’s alone. It’s the same for Robert, actually. So he’s quite strict on me in class, but within a range that is okay for me.

Robert Wayne Hipple Jr.
Self-defense teacher and US immigrant
She’s one of the tough young ladies! If I had to say, I’m probably more afraid of her than she is of me!

The two have a tight rapport and see self-defense the same way. As a pair, they will continue to spread self-defense skills and understanding for many years to come.

This story was provided by the program "We Are Family"
Funded by New Immigrant Development Fund

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2024-03-13

Cold front brings surprises to Central Taiwan’s mountains

A powerful cold front is sweeping south, and it has brought out beautiful surprises in the natural landscape. At Taichung’s Wuling Farm, sub-freezing temperatures created a crystal wonderland Wednesday morning. Meanwhile on Nantou’s Dalun Mountain, a sea of clouds formed around an iconic local landmark.

A wisteria garden glistens like a crystal. Its purple flowers are encased in ice, and they shimmer bright under the sun. Ice has also formed on the plum blossoms, making their yellow stamens especially striking.

Member of public
When I got up this morning, it was minus 0.6 degrees. We saw a landscape that was like a crystal palace, and another that was like a dreamcatcher. They were both stunning.

Early morning Wednesday at Wuling Farm, temperatures plunged to minus 0.6 degrees Celsius, transforming the gardens into a “crystal palace.” Not only did ice form over flower petals, it also created a delicate web that resembled a dreamcatcher. Overhead, tiny icicles hung from the cables like lanterns.

Chang Fang-chi
Wuling Farm deputy head
To keep the water pipes from freezing, we turned them on in the wisteria garden last night. Due to the effects of radiative cooling, ice was able to form this morning.

With a cold front upon us, surprises were also in store at Nantou’s Dalun Mountain. At high altitudes, white clouds and mist stacked up in layers, creating a magnificent sea of clouds. Even the Xiaobantian bridge was engulfed.

Member of public
It’s spectacular. The swirling mist makes you feel like you’re in a fairyland.

Meanwhile, the mountain’s gingko trees have woken from dormancy, sprouting emerald green leaves.

Lin Chien-hsing
Tea farmer on Dalun Mountain
There’s been more moisture these days. Here on Dalun Mountain, our gingko trees are starting to bud, about 15 days earlier than last year.

The cold front is moving moisture southward, creating sharp temperature swings between day and night. That’s brought out the stunning natural beauty of the high mountains. Surrounded by a sea of clouds, gingko leaves are emerging from the bud, announcing the advent of spring.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

2024-03-13