In Cishan, a storm-ravaged town of 41,000, both road bridges had collapsed, smashing houses and taking down cars. Residents jammed a footbridge which remained standing. Rescuers used earth movers to clear mud from roads as hundreds of people cleaned homes or storefronts, heaving out water-logged possessions. My store has been closed for days because I figured no one could get to it, said Chen Chih-lu, who owns a furniture shop in Cishan. My guess is 90 percent of us are digging out of the mud. Outside Cishan, swathes of banana trees lay flat in the mud, testimony to agricultural losses totalling T$10 billion. Food prices soared by up to 50 percent and some staples were in short supply.

Techniques that have successfully identified ionic intermediates in solution have been applied to gas-phase pyrolyses.

They all went into the house, and left me feeling a precious idiot. I had been barking up the wrong tree this time.

This features a cunning blend of pop vocal harmonic construction and flailsome, fringe-rock accompaniment.