Cabinet Secretary-General Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) took office as Economic Minister this Monday. Amid an ongoing and extended tariff negotiation with the United States, Kung acknowledged that increased tariffs could affect order blocks, but reassured that Taiwan has a path forward with strategies to respond to such changes.

This week, Hanna has invited boss lady Iris back into the studio to discuss the other side of the argument when it comes to nuclear power in Taiwan, plus the tricky matter of nuclear disarmament among the world's three biggest nuclear powers. Iris also shares a piece of her mind regarding gender representation in the newly reshuffled Cabinet.

The Reader_010925_Coltrane Program Introduction A poem for Coltrane, the melodist poet Three years ago, City Light Books published Will Alexander’s poetry collection titled “Divine Blue Light: for John Coltrane” It was a must read for fans of Coltrane and radical poetry. For Will is never the kind of poet to write for popular accessibility. He challenges and explores, just like what Coltrane exemplifies in his playing. This episode of The reader begins with a live rendition of Coltrane’s most popular Rogers and Hammerstein classic “My Favorite things”, a live recording of a performance in Belgium back in 1965; and ends with another live recording made in France the same year, one of his more progressive iconic work “Ascension”. The two pieces marked nails a paradox of human artistic desire to advance in the substantial sensibilities of art, in Coltrane’s case, modern jazz. We have included a clip of his explanatory quote on music, at the beginning of “My Favorite ...

In the final episode of Oh, I didn't know that, we continue to explore the critical situation of the Taiwanese white dolphin, a unique subspecies facing imminent extinction. Through insights from John Wang (王愈超), the leading expert who has been researching these dolphins for many years, this episode touches on the various threats these dolphins face, including habitat loss, pollution, and the impact of human activities, and also what can be done to help the dolphin population. 

Today I am joined by Thao and David, who will help me read some wonderful emails.  If you want to contact us and have your message read on air, you can send a letter to P.O. BOX 123 199 Taipei, Taiwan English@rti.org.tw or reach us on social media, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, @Rtienglish 

This week, Wanson is joined by another film enthusiast, Joanne. We dive into Flow, an Oscar-nominated animation where animals, not humans, face a world after the flood. How can this story mirror our human society? Stay tuned to find out! *Note: It wasn't a serpent-eagle in the film, but a secretarybird. Sorry for the confusion. If you would like to share your feedback, please send your words or voice notes to: wanson@rti.org.tw You can also find Wanson on Instagram (@wansonscafe) and YouTube (阿善Café/Wanson's Café)

One Formosan macaque made the headlines this week for stealing across Beitou. Finally, after a three-month chase and countless robberies, he was apprehended. Formosa Fauna is back this week to entertainingly educate you about animals both in Taiwan and abroad! Spend the next 20 minutes listening to this episode and feeding your noggin with fun facts about the animal kingdom so you can become smarter than all of your friends. On today's menu for your mind to feast on:  – Formosan macaque burglar  – Lanternfish  – Taiwan's animal-related news  – Dogs who chew too much Want to share your own story and have it read on air? Send your story (photos welcome) to tristan@rti.org.tw! See you every week for Formosa Fauna Fridays!

Did you know that Taiwan gets a good number of tropical storms and typhoons every year?  Have a blustery playlist!