A kidney disease sufferer in Taichung spent a week eating copious amount of fungi. This led to worsening of his condition and a case of gout.
A doctor commenting on the case says that mushrooms are high in protein. They are great for healthy people to consume, but the high levels of purine they contain can pose a risk for people with kidney problems or gout.
資料來源：
http://englishnews.ftv.com.tw/read.aspx?sno=12CA1DC558DB057A1FEB738CF6DE3B61
To study the canopy of Shei-Pa National Park, two 7-story aerial research platforms were created and linked together by a bridge. These form Taiwan’s first high-altitude canopy research platform.
To get to this aerial platform, you need to wear a safety helmet, a safety harness, carabiners and a safety rope. You use your hands and feet to climb this rope up into the air.
This aerial platform sits 21 meters in the air, roughly the equivalent of a 7-storey building. The two platforms can accommodate six people, and there is a 10-meter bridge between them. For those with a fear of heights, walking on this bridge, with big gaps between wooden planks, can be a hair-raising adventure.
Overseas researchers frequently use lifts or hot air balloons to research forest canopies, though Taiwan researchers have a difficult and physically strenuous task of climbing ropes high into the air.
From this tree, the view is very different. Video cameras capture squirrels eating meat and bird eggs.
Lee Chiu-fang
Shei-Pa National Park Director
Reaching the canopy at higher than 20 meters allows us to see natural ecology that we rarely see.
These aerial platforms linked by an aerial bridge may soon be open to others who want to experience the special feeling of being high up in the forest canopy.
資料來源：
http://englishnews.ftv.com.tw/read.aspx?sno=4002007AE4463FD39C9D3529C5BB86D0
Cherry blossom season is in full bloom. In Kaohsiung, one teacher of floral arranging shows you how to transform cherry blossoms into an attractive display for the home.
These beautiful cherry blossoms not only impress visiting tourists but can also be used to create terrific floral arrangements to be appreciated at home.
With 30 years of experience in floral arranging, this instructor knows how to trim cherry branches and place them in a special pot. The instructor makes the branches look as if they grew out of the pot, and even has a technique for bending branches into right angles.
Kao Hua-yang
Floral Arranger
You choose where you want to bend then slowly bend it. Arrange it so it resembles a beautiful cherry tree.
Other plants used to create floral arrangements include rapeseed and tomatoes.
Kao Hua-yang
Floral Arranger
Any vegetable can be displayed this way. For example, you can even use Chinese cabbage.
In other seasons, fruits and vegetables offer another choice for DIY projects that can be used to decorate the home.
資料來源：
http://englishnews.ftv.com.tw/read.aspx?sno=69565A491D7D6015F374A67896163933
Local universities are generating extra revenue by selling everything from clothing to soy sauce. By applying their logos to these items, the schools are able to advertise their names while boosting loyalty among students and alumni.
These workers locate merchandise and tape boxes while others receive new orders. This busy warehouse has many people packing goods and getting them ready for shipment.
This may look like a retail shop, but it’s actually the library of National Taiwan Normal University. In addition to four physical stores, the university launched an online shopping site and makes its goods available on Yahoo. Target audiences for these goods are students and alumni.
Some of the products sold on this website include a popular thermal bottle, a handbag printed with an image of a blue magpie, a dark blue jacket embroidered with the university’s name, and creative DIY products. Annual sales last year topped NT$4 million.
Huang Ching-fei
National Taiwan Normal University Press
There are basically two design directives for our products. The first is spreading the spirit of National Taiwan Normal University, and the second is promoting Taiwan-inspired products.
Local universities are attaching their names to everyday items in the hopes of boosting revenues.
資料來源：
http://englishnews.ftv.com.tw/read.aspx?sno=BEAEC77CA40779183E4FE637F862CFE0
Higher pay for caregivers in Hong Kong and better job opportunities across Southeast Asia are putting pressure on the local supply of foreign caregivers. One labor broker says she used to be able to provide clients with several applicants to choose from but now has trouble providing more than one.
This woman came from Indonesia to serve as a caregiver. She currently lives in a dormitory run by her labor broker as she awaits the move into her new employer’s home. It took more than 600 hours of class and interviews over a period of more than three months before she was ready to come to Taiwan.
Indonesian Caregiver
Compared to Malaysia, Singapore or Hong Kong, there are more formalities involved with coming to Taiwan. It takes longer.
Demand for foreign caregivers exceeds supply, as can be seen by these application papers.
Chen Mei-hsing
Labor Broker Firm GM
There wasn’t a severe worker shortage prior to April of last year. Clients could look at resumes, and for each client, we could offer four to five people to choose from. Now, however, we are only able to offer an average of one resume
A reason for the shortage could be growing labor demand in the workers’ home countries.
Chen Mei-hsing
Labor Broker Firm GM
Many foreign firms are building factories in these countries. An Indonesian worker who is able to find a job close to home will find it unnecessary to fly overseas to do this kind of work.
Taiwan’s aging society has led to increased demand for caregivers. At the same time, rising salaries for foreign laborers in Hong Kong have put packages there on a par with Taiwan. The resulting decreased supply of foreign caregivers is putting pressure on locals who need help caring for family members.
資料來源：
http://englishnews.ftv.com.tw/read.aspx?sno=8065DB3CE452C1F71D6DD60015261CD6
Chinese yuan are accepted at a growing number of places in Taiwan. From souvenir shops to night markets, the yuan can be used in many of the same places that Chinese tourists are known to frequent.
Tourists exchange Chinese yuan as they check into their hotel. This convenience carries over into tourist shops which have begun to accept yuan payments.
For example, you can pay for stinky tofu on Shenkeng Old Street with yuan.
Chinese Tourist
You can use yuan in Hong Kong, so you should be able to use it in Taiwan, too.
Yuan is accepted in craft shops and for purchases made on tour buses.
The emergence of yuan as a payment option in Taiwan benefits Chinese tourists, who enjoy the convenience, and Taiwanese merchants, who turn a profit exchanging yuan at the bank. Some merchants leave their earnings in yuan-denominated accounts, which tend to pay higher interest.
Last month there were savings of over 210 billion yuan in Taiwan bank accounts. With preferential interest rates reaching 3 percent or more, it’s no wonder that Taiwan’s tourism industry has opened its arms to the yuan.
資料來源：
http://englishnews.ftv.com.tw/read.aspx?sno=99417B961297F603FE4DDF0054065FEE
Chunghwa Post officially inaugurated direct Chinese yuan-denominated remittances today. A total of 165 post office locations throughout Taiwan will be able to perform this new service.
One of Taiwan's largest institutions is now entering the Chinese yuan remittance business.
In the past, those wanting to remit Chinese yuan, would first have to convert NT dollars into US dollars which were then remitted to a recipient in China who would need to convert the foreign currency into Chinese yuan. Now, people in Taiwan can convert NT dollars into Chinese yuan and have the funds directly remitted.
A fee of NT$250 will be charged and transactions will be capped at around NT$100,000 per remittance.
Ong Wen-chyi
Chunghwa Post Chairman
We spent at least six months ensuring that there were no problems with this remittance service and later discussed with relevant authorities how to take the next step. Logically speaking, if you make a remittance, you should also have a savings account. This involves many factors, so we needed to respect the opinions of authorities on this matter.
According to Chunghwa Post, a total of NT$1.3 billion was remitted to China by the post office last year, with the amount coming into Taiwan from China amounting to NT$400 million. The post office expects that direct yuan remittances will allow it to earn upwards of NT$10 million in transaction fees each year.
資料來源：
http://englishnews.ftv.com.tw/read.aspx?sno=8B0B7B54E229A4512B2C251C8F8440B3
Kaohsiung is trying a novel approach to market its fruit in Canada. It invited eight Canadian backpackers to work on local farms for 11 days and get a firsthand taste of Taiwan’s high-quality fruit, hoping that they will serve as fruit ambassadors when they get back home.
Kristen Fong is a Canadian nurse who is in Taiwan for the first time to experience agricultural life. She earned honors as the top performer among eight Canadian backpackers trying their hand at farming, but she wasn’t sure why.
Kristen Fong
Canadian Backpacker
I feel great. I don’t know, because I looked like I struggled the most.
Bringing Canadian backpackers and Taiwanese farmers together was an idea created by agricultural agencies to promote the country’s produce.
Chen Ying-lian
Kaohsiung Agriculture Bureau Official
We believe that having them promote our agricultural products through their perspective after coming to see the products is much better than us expending a lot of effort to promote our products. I think it’s more direct.
Having these backpackers share their experience in Taiwan through social networking sites is the Kaohsiung Agriculture Bureau’s newest attempt at marketing its products, as it tries to expand the market for Taiwan’s fruit.
資料來源：
http://englishnews.ftv.com.tw/read.aspx?sno=125B0C6162DBB0FD75EE8E6807D8B064
