Driverless Electric Buses to Debut in Kaohsiung, 2017

NAVYA ARMA driverless autonomous vehicle

December 23, 2016December 23, 2016 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment electric bus, electric vehicles, Kaohsiung

Driverless electric buses will ply a route around Kaohsiung’s Hamaxing District in October next year, when Kaohsiung City hosts EcoMobility World Festival 2017. The district will be closed to private vehicles for the month of October, as Kaohsiung City, and exhibitors from around the world showcase environmental and people-friendly forms of urban transportation. The French-made NAVYA ARMA is a driverless electric vehicle that can accommodate up to 15 passengers and travel up to 45 kilometers per hour, while avoiding obstacles

Entertainment

December 13, 2016December 13, 2016 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment Kaohsiung, science and technology museum, tallest-slide-in-Asia

[Picture: National Science and Technology Museum] The National Science and Technology Museum in Kaohsiung has installed “three dimensional spiraling slide 2.0” which they claim is Asia’s tallest slide. The slide is 27 meters high, 63 meters long, and takes sliders on a 16 second ride reaching a speed of 80 kilometers per hour. Version 2.0 replaces an 18 meter high, 46 meter long slide installed in 2015. The slide takes riders from the 6th floor down to basement level. It

Marine and Fisheries

September 20, 2016 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment Kaohsiung, Kinmen, oil spill, typhoon meranti

Ships cast adrift after cables snapped during Typhoon Meranti’s onslaught in southern Taiwan and Kinmen, now pose an environmental threat as oil spills from the stranded vessels. Authorities are struggling to contain oil spills in Kaohsiung’s Xiziwan (West Bay), and on the island of Kinmen (Golden Gate). Four Seine-Net fishing vessels whose cables snapped during the typhoon ran aground in Xiziwan, and oil spilling from the boats is threatening a nearby coral ecosystem. After viewing the site on September 15,

a Formosan Macaque found dead after being poisoned on Monkey Mountain in Kaohsiung

Animals

August 31, 2016August 31, 2016 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment formosan macaque, Kaohsiung

A Toxicology report released today shows that rat poison was cause of death for 15 Formosan rock macaques that were found in Kaohsiung between August 18 and 24. The macaques were found on Shoushan, a mountain north of the Kaohsiung Harbor entrance, commonly called Monkey Mountain in English. In the 17th century Dutch sailors named the mountain ‘Ape Hill’ because of the prolific number of macaques. The toxicology tests were performed by the Bureau of Agriculture who are conducting a

Traffic Accidents

August 9, 2016August 10, 2016 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment Kaohsiung, scooter-accident

Update: A 72 year-old woman among the injured has died, and an 83 year-old man has been charged with negligent homicide. A car plowed into a group of stationary scooter riders waiting at a red light in Kaohsiung today, knocking down vehicles and riders like bowling pins and resulting in injuries to five people. At 5:30pm this evening, seven scooters were stopped at a red light at an intersection in Renwu Township, when the car careered into them from behind.

A campus guard and his canine companion pose at Sun Yat-sen University Kaohsiung

Odd News

March 22, 2016 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment dog, formosan macaque, Kaohsiung, Sun Yat-sen University

The Formosan Macaque is a wily beast who brazenly steals food. His behavior can be quite intimidating， and in the south of Taiwan he is the enemy of farmers, who sometimes resort to lethal means in order to protect their crops. At Sun Yat-sen University on the outskirts of Kaohsiung City, the campus is surrounded by forests, and the macaque has learned that a student’s breakfast or lunch can make for easy pickings. Around 5 years ago campus guards befriended

A catfish shark is seen in a net after being caught in a pond in Kaohsiung August 2015

Culture

August 5, 2015August 5, 2015 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment catfish shark, fish, Genghis Khan fish, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, temple

Staff and worshippers at a temple in Kaohsiung had long wondered why the numbers of carp and tilapia in the temple pond were on the decline. The mystery was solved when workers lowered the water level in order to make repairs. Temple staff were surprised to find three huge ‘catfish sharks’, also known as Genghis Khan fish. Not actually sharks, but a species of catfish. It is suspected that the fish were probably abandoned aquarium pets that grew to their huge size after

Taiwan police chase a woman carrying her 2 year old child on a stolen motorcyle

Drugs

July 31, 2015November 4, 2017 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment amphetamines, drugs, Kaohsiung, police-chase, social problems, stupid-drivers, Taiwan

Reading the Taiwan media every day, it’s obvious that Taiwan is in the grip of an amphetamine epidemic. Every day tales of violence and reckless, stupid behavior emerge, but are largely ignored in favor of stories about politics, celebrity gossip, and food. Today, a woman in Kaohsiung with multiple drug convictions led police on a chase for more than twelve minutes, traveling at reckless speeds, and into the path of oncoming traffic while carrying her 2 year old son. The kid was

Crime and Criminals

July 26, 2015July 26, 2015 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment car-chase, cops, crime, criminals, Kaohsiung, motorcycle-chase, news, Taiwan

An apparently habitual criminal led the police on a dangerous chase through the streets of Kaohsiung. The man had just posted bail for other offenses at the district prosecutors office. He then stole a motorcycle so he could get home. On his way he went through a red light. When police watching the intersection asked him to stop, the man who feared that his previous offenses, including burglary and DUI would show up, attempted to evade the police. A police car

A police officer holds a bag of amphetamines found concealed in the bellies of frozen tuna

Drugs

July 22, 2015December 30, 2017 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment amphetamines, crime, drug bust, drugs, Japan, Kaohsiung, narcotics, news, police, Taiwan, tuna

A huge haul of amphetamine was found in a in a refrigerated container at a wharf in Kaohsiung yesterday. 138 kilograms of the drug was concealed in the bellies of frozen tuna headed for Japan. The haul is estimated to be worth about 1.4 billion Japanese yen. Three men have been arrested in connection with the haul. Video below: Related Video

Kaohsiung

Driverless Electric Buses to Debut in Kaohsiung, 2017

National Science and Technology Museum Unveils Tallest Slide in Asia

Oil Spills Pose Environmental Threat After Typhoon

Formosan Macaques Poisoned on Monkey Mountain

Car Plows into Scooters: 5 Injured

Dog Takes Care of Monkey Business on University Campus

Giant ‘Catfish Sharks’ Found in Temple Pond

Cops and Robbers: Motorcycle Chase in Kaohsiung

Big Amphetamine bust at Kaohsiung Harbour