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THE June, 2009 ISSUE IS OUT NOW!
Letter From The Publishers
"Awesome!" That was the standard adjective when alluding to just about anything cool, great, wonderful or spectacular during my high school years. It is also the word that comes to mind when describing this year's Compass Taichung International Food & Music Festival on May 23 and 24.
Co-Publisher Donovan Smith and I always approach these events (this being our sixth one) with a fair amount of trepidation and fear that, as Donovan puts it, something "horrible will go wrong", ranging from bad weather to some completely unforeseen crisis. This year, we had further cause for apprehension, as it was our first two-day event. However, as those of you who were there will testify, the weather was fine, everyone seemed to have a great time and nothing horrible happened. What made it really awesome, however, was the amazing turn-out of participants--estimated at around 20,000 total--packing the Art Museum Parkway on both days. Our official beer sponsor Taiwan Beer, sold out on both days--something unprecedented for them--and many other food/drink vendors reported the same situation. Check out the 2-page "thank you" ad in this magazine for photos and expressions of gratitude to those who helped make the Festival truly our best ever. That of course includes so many of you who came out to join us on those two days. Thank you!
Over the past month or two, this magazine has included some details about Taichung city's new "TTJ" bus system, which is being offered free to riders for six months, until Nov. 17. This fairly progressive express bus network is designed to serve as the closest thing Taichung currently has to an MRT system, with seven all-new, colored-coded bus routes running mostly in linked concentric circles outlined in a route map that looks a lot like a subway system. Importantly, the buses run on a 15-minute frequency, too. On the opening day, May 18, I joined Mayor Hu and a gaggle of reporters in front of Mitsukoshi Department Store to await the Blue 57 route bus. Even before the bus came, I was impressed by the scrolling Chinese/English LED bus stop sign which noted the current location of the incoming bus and its expected arrival time. When it arrived, we all clambered on, surprising the passengers already on board. Inside, I was pleased with the English recordings that noted each upcoming stop--again reminiscent of an MRT system.
Most city residents, myself included, have not previously made much use of the bus system for a number of reasons related to convenience and practicality.
owever, improvements such as the TTJ system should have us all reconsidering our old attitudes towards public city transportation. I am confident that Taichung will someday have a true MRT system. However, don't wait until then to leave the scooter or car at home, save some money, and reduce pollution and road congestion. Read this month's cover story for more details and jump on the TTJ!
Have a great June!
Douglas Habecker
Co-Publisher
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