John J. Tkacik On Taiwan: Taiwan’s ‘new normal’ diplomacyTaiwan’s status in the world community is experiencing something really different; it’s being treated like a normal country. It is a new attitude, weighing Taiwan’s democracy against China’s lack of it. Title 18 of the United States Code (sec. According to press reports, the Chinese side requested the meeting with Mr. Pompeo, whom they habitually revile in the most vituperative terms. In his prepared remarks, Mr. Pompeo avoided mentioning Taiwan at all.

The number of years that Taiwanese spend in poor health is increasing slowly, but steadily, rising by 0.46 years, or five-and-a-half months, between 2012 and 2018, Department of Statistics Lee Chiu-yen (李秋嬿) said. It also highlights the dual problem of people generally having an “irresponsible” attitude toward their health and the authorities not allocating enough funds under the National Health Insurance (NHI) system for education about maintaining good health, Chiou said. The NHI system emphasizes treatment and is neglecting public health at large, he said. Some people do not take their medicine on time and develop a protracted period of poor health, while others started an unhealthy lifestyle early on, he added. Chen Ying-jen (陳英仁), a geriatric specialist at Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, said the nation’s universal healthcare and quality caregivers means that people are living longer in poor health.

Taoyuan sand dunes are ‘must see,’ mayor saysTOURIST ATTRACTION: The Caota Sand Dunes cover an 8.1km strip of the Taoyuan coast and have been listed as the city’s first geological parkBy Cheng Shu-ting and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Caota Sand Dunes (草漯沙丘) in Taoyuan’s Guanyin District (觀音) is a site that “everyone must visit once in their lifetime,” Taoyuan Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) has said. The Caota dunes are up to 15m tall and extend 8.1km along the coast in a northeast-southwest direction. The sun sets over the Caota Sand Dunes in Taoyuan’s Guanyin District on Saturday. Photo: Cheng Shu-ting, Taipei TimesEnvironmental conservation group the Taiwan Environmental Information Association has listed the dunes as one of nine coastal sites nationwide that warrant preservation. Recognition as a geological park would help conserve a 284 hectare section of Taoyuan’s coastline between Guanyin and Dayuan (大園) districts, Cheng said.

Interview: Constitution needs to change, foundation boss saysBy Huang Tai-lin / Staff reporterA constitution — be it codified or not — is an expression of sovereignty that reflects a country’s political principles and its people’s collective values. Among those critics is Taiwan New Constitution Foundation executive director Lin Yi-cheng (林宜正), whose foundation envisions a new constitution for the nation. The ROC Constitution has been amended seven times since 1996. For a constitution to be a good constitution, it needs be dealt with as a whole fundamentally, not through a patchwork of fragmented provisions,” Lin said. “The ‘one China’ Constitution is the straitjacket keeping Taiwan restrained,” Lin said, referring to the ROC Constitution, which states that China, called the “Mainland Area,” and Taiwan, called the “Taiwan Area,” are territories of the ROC.

People advised to limit ‘zongzi’ to one per mealBy Lo Chi / Staff reporterPeople should avoid eating too many zongzi (粽子, glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaves), as consuming several in one meal could cause indigestion, bloating, gastric acid reflux, heartburn and other stomach ailments, a doctor said on Saturday. Zongzi is a traditional delicacy for the Dragon Boat Festival, which was on Thursday. Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei TimesHsiao recently bought a bag of zongzi and ate several in one sitting, Chu said. He advised people not to eat too many zongzi, as the slowdown of digestion would lead to gas buildup and other discomfort, which would exacerbate conditions such as diabetes. People with diabetes should get the disease under control, and take medication to improve stomach and bowel movement, and reduce bloating, Chu said.

All caucuses to discuss naming issuesCOMMOTION: KMT lawmakers yesterday broke into the legislative chamber, demanding that the president withdraw her nomination of Chen Chu as Control Yuan presidentBy Huang Hsin-po / Staff reporterAll legislative caucuses have said that they are open to discussing naming issues concerning the national carrier China Airlines (CAL) and the nation’s passport cover at cross-caucus negotiations today to set the agenda for the next provisional legislative session. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators push through a police line at the entrance to the legislative chamber in Taipei yesterday afternoon. However, the KMT caucus has a open mind and is willing to discuss the issues, Lin added. Taiwan People’s Party caucus whip Lai Hsiang-ling (賴香伶) said that her caucus supports changing China Airlines’ name, but would require negotiations between all parties on how to go about it and what new name to use. Outside the Legislative Yuan, a crowd of KMT supporters also gathered to lend their support.

Photo: Chung Li-hua, Taipei TimesThe MAC yesterday asked the Hong Kong council to “not misinterpret” the government’s intentions. The two Taiwan-Hong Kong councils were established in 2010 to facilitate economic and cultural exchanges. It “strongly demanded” that the Taiwan council not do anything that “does not conform with” its purpose, it added. The MAC said that Taiwan’s concerns about the situation in Hong Kong echoed those of the international community. The Hong Kong government should not, on the basis of unreasonable political considerations, interfere with the Taiwan council’s operations, it said.

Lin drives Lions to win over MonkeysSTANDINGS: The Uni-President Lions’ victory pushed the CTBC Brothers to first place after they won their third straight game, beating the Fubon Guardians 6-3By Jason Pan / Staff reporterThe big bats of the Uni-President Lions were on fire in the CPBL yesterday as they crushed the Rakuten Monkeys 21-5 in Taoyuan, with outfielder Lin An-ko driving in seven runs on five hits and two homers. It was a highlight reel for the Taiwanese-Argentinian star Lin, who drilled two homers amid a heated home-run race between himself, now on 16 for the season, and Lions teammate Su Chih-chieh, who is on 18. Lin An-ko of the Uni-President Lions, center, high-fives teammates in yesterday’s game against the Rakuten Monkeys at the Taoyuan International Baseball Stadium. Brothers starting pitcher Huang Shih-en chalked up his fourth win of the season, tossing seven innings to strike out 11 and yielding five hits. Working quickly to contain the damage, Hu and star outfielder Lin Che-hsuan were demoted to a farm team on Friday.

Taipei’s population falls and bigger exodus expectedBy Huang Hsin-po and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerThere was a net reduction last year in the number of Taipei residents and this year is expected to set a 23-year high for population decline in the city, Ministry of the Interior statistics released yesterday showed. The First MacArthur Bridge, right, and the Second MacArthur Bridge, center, over the Keelung River are pictured in Taipei on June 7. Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei TimesThe data are consistent with a trend over the past five years, with Taipei’s population decreasing by 110,038 people since 2014. From January to last month, 7,574 people registered new addresses in New Taipei City and 4,888 people registered new addresses in Taoyuan, household registration office statistics in the cities showed. Hsinchu County recorded a net increase of 2,579 new residents over the period, a 4.6 percent rise in its population from January, its office said.

Perfume sachets might cause rash: doctorTRADITION: Sachets made with herbal medicine tend to be safer than those with artificial fragrances, the dermatologist said, adding that allergic reactions appear slowlyBy Lo chi and Dennis Xie / Staff reporter, with staff writerXiangbao (香包), or perfume sachets, could cause some people to develop an allergic rash, as most perfume sachets on the market are made using chemical fragrances, a dermatologist said on Friday. Wearing perfume sachets is traditional during the Dragon Boat Festival, which fell on Thursday this year, but some people could develop contact dermatitis after touching them due to their ingredients, Cathay General Hospital dermatologist Yu Yu (俞佑) said. Mild contact dermatitis is characterized by redness or spots, as well as itchy and flaky skin, while severe contact dermatitis can result in oozing blisters and burning skin, Yu said. Most cases of contact dermatitis caused by contact with perfume sachets are an allergic reaction, the symptoms of which usually appear days after initial contact, he said. People found to have contact dermatitis should immediately get rid of all suspected allergens, he said, adding that applying topical corticosteroids helps.

The peppered roach goes through six separate chrysalis stages and takes nine months to reach full maturity. Hung Ting-yang displays three peppered roaches on April 25. He was introduced to peppered roaches when he was visiting an exhibition overseas, Hung said. “Raising the peppered roach’s larvae is more like raising stag beetles. You observe their every little movement, arrange better environments for them and enjoy watching them become a chrysalis,” Hung said.

US issues warrants for three TaiwaneseEXTRADITION DEAL? Photo: Hung You-fang, Taipei TimesA federal magistrate judge in San Francisco issued the warrants on Wednesday after the three men failed to show up for their arraignments. “The appropriate thing to do, and what the government requests, is a warrant for each of the individual defendants.”UMC and Fujian Jinhua have pleaded not guilty. UMC said it cannot comment on the arrest warrants on its employees. UMC was developing DRAM chip manufacturing technologies in collaboration with Fujian Jinhua through a Chinese subsidiary.

Exhibition focused on HK protests opens in TaipeiStaff Writer, with CNAAn exhibition featuring scenes and memorabilia from pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong opened on Wednesday in Taipei, featuring work by artists from Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Australia and other nations. Some of the 66 participating artists, including 45 from Hong Kong, used posters, the front pages of newspapers and other items to recreate scenes from the Hong Kong protests, which started in June last year. Among the 100-plus exhibits is a drawing by Hong Kong artist Kay Wong, which shows two photojournalists wearing helmets, on the otherwise blank front page of Apple Daily’s Hong Kong edition on July 4 last year. A man stands next to barriers in front of a replica of the Hong Kong police headquarters facade on Wednesday at an exhibition at Taipei Comic Base in Taipei. The exhibition is open from Tuesday to Sunday, from 10am to 9pm, through July 26.

Designing ‘green’ and healthy ice creamEco-friendly, all-natural ice cream maker shines at the A. Miky Wu is the founder of 1982 de glacee, which produces eco-friendly and additive-free ice cream using organic ingredients. “We took apart ingredients that appear in local dishes and reconstructed them in ice cream,” Wu says. She’s even created a savory ice cream using edamame beans, seasoned with black pepper and olive oil. And in recent years, she’s also been coming up with ways to add color to the ice cream using whole ingredients such as dragonfruit.

The criticism came after drivers, especially those on the Chiang Wei-shui Memorial Freeway (Freeway No. Vehicles line up in congested traffic on the northbound lanes of the Chiang Wei-shui Memorial Freeway (Freeway No. Photo: Lin Ching-lun, Taipei TimesThe KMT said that traffic diversion measures are obviously lacking, but Lin showed an arrogant attitude in responding to the issue. Traffic conditions tomorrow, the last day of the holiday and when many people will be returning home, must improve, the KMT said. KMT Legislator Lu Ming-che (魯明哲), a member of the Legislative Yuan’s Transportation Committee, yesterday said that the congestion on Freeway No.