Monday, October 16, 2006

TVBS



One of the biggest most popular TV stations here is called "TVBS". Hahahahahaha. I love it when they try to use English, and actually, it's OK, or grammatically correct, but has a funny or bad connotation in English. Reciprically, I found out that "LP" (sounds innocent enough right?) has a bad connotation in Chinese, so it works both ways.

Sunday, October 15, 2006

Hooray for Keith Olberman

I have noticed recently that Keith Olberman at MSNBC has been doing a great job on Bush. His writing is thoughful, coherent, and strongly anti-Bush, but with really good evidence. See it here.
He has made many relevant points that the mainstream media miss, and all this from a former Sportcenter anchor! Who knew?

Thursday, October 12, 2006

Worst Line Ever



I didn't really intend this site to be used for movie reviews but here goes. This is a good movie, violent, but what did you expect? Anyways I saw it here in Taiwan and it has the worst line ever (as comic book guy would say) at least if you are in Taiwan. *Note- If you still haven't seen it this does not give away anything critical to the plot* Jack Nicholson is a gansgter and he is trying to sell computer chips to Chinese gangsters and some Chinese official, and these can apparently be used to fire missles. They are not sure of the deal, so Jack says "If you chinks wanna nuke Taiwan anytime this century, you gotta talk to me!". Oi vey, or as they say here aiyo. I cringed. This is just about the worst thing you could possibly say here in many ways. In America probably nobody would notice, but being in Taiwan... To combine a racial epithet, along with the Chinese threat of attack, and on top of that to make it a nuclear threat (which nobody here even contemplates, they just think of regular missles or a ground/sea invasion). Just about the worst thing you can say. My girlfriend tells me that the subtitles were not edited, in Chinese they said the same thing. I wonder if this movie is playing in the mainland?

Monday, October 09, 2006

Transport


Taiwan is scooter heaven. If you don't have a scooter it's like you don't exist. Unfortunately I do not yet own one. There are some motorcycles, but mostly scooters (although my students don't know the difference in English). They cost between $300 for a used one to $2,000 (US). Lucky I live near the train station, so I can take the train to town in five minutes (cost $0.50 US). The train is OK, but the problem is walking around town after that. It is not pedestrian friendly. Scooters rule, which means they may kill you at any moment if you are walking. Add to that the fact the sidewalks are almost non-existent and you see my problem. A Taxi costs $4, but that is the same cost to fill up the tank on your scooter. So for now, I don't go out too much. My girlfriend lives an hour away, so she drove her scooter up this weekend, so we could go out.
When I get paid, get my ARC, and get my driver's license, I can get a scooter, so we are looking at late Nov. I'll lay low until then. I walk to school anyways. It's only 10-15 min and I listen to my Ipod. Without the Ipod it is rather cruel, with the Chinese, the traffic, the pollution ( I tried to wear a mask like people do when they ride scooters but it was too hot and hard to breathe), the people staring at me ( I always stand out as a foreigner, and they never let me forget it, this really bothers me because when in a new place I like to try to blend in with the locals, in Poland I could sometimes do this, but here it is impossible, this is another benefit of the scooter, the mask, helmet and sunglasses help me blend in), but with the IPOD on, it is a funny cartoon world like manga or something. Maybe that doesn't make sense, but it does to me.

Taiwan Nazi party





Yes, Taiwan has a Nazi party, but its not as bad as it seems.
On holiday with my girlfriend I came across this sign. She translated and told me that it is just a finger wax sculpture making tent. People dip there fingers in wax and get a little mold. Apparently the Chinese word for this sounds similar to thr Chinese word for the Nazi Party, thus the tranlation. Innocent enough, but also scary. Ignorance can be a dangerous thing. If only my Chinese was better, I could tranlate! Arrgghh! (Hahaha, yeah in ten years). The other disturbing thing is the reverse swastika symbol, which is all over Taiwan. It is an ancient Buddhist symbol that the nazis stole, but is entrenched in my mind and (most westerners) as the Nazi symbol. That one I will just have to learn to live with.

Taiwan Politics - Now


Photos- Chen (left) and Shih (right)
So tomorrow is National Day (like July 4). There is a guy named Shih Ming-teh who some call the "Nelson Mandela of Taiwan" because he spent 25 years in jail under Chiang for protesting for democracy. In the last few months he has been running a campaign against President Chen (DPP) for charges of corruption. Now Shih used to be a DPP member but now he is attacking it. He says he is not on either side but he has major backers in the KMT (not surprisingly since he is trying to take down their enemy). Shih is using his name to rally the people against Chen. He has been holding nonstop rallies of thousands of people outside the Presidential palace. He accuses Chen of corruption. Chen's son was found to have made an insider trading deal worth a lot of money, and his wife was accused (but recently cleared) of using influence to get thousands of dollars in coupons for a department store. Chen himself is accused of no crime, only of allowing these things to happen on his watch. The problem is for the KMT to call Chen corrupt is really the pot calling the kettle black. The KMT is probably one of the most corrupt parties to ever exist in government. When Chiang needed to get control of Shanghai during the war, he made a deal with the largest drug and arms dealer gangster in Shanghai to harass and drive out the commies. Chiang recieved $2 billion in US gold bullion during the war. The US commanders called him "cash my check". Then in Taiwan the KMT simply took whatever they wanted under the martial law period. Ma, the KMT mayor of Taipei, and likely the next presdient, was recently charged with using his personal sluch fund for his dog. His reply was that he only had to show receipts for half of it. This is true of all government officials in Taiwan. Talk about corruption! It doesn't matter who rules, the problem is 1) that officials even have slush funds (outside of the regular salary) in the first place, 2) that they only have to show receipts for half od this money. As long as this system continues, corruption will continue, whoever rules.
Anyway Shih's protest is supposed to have a big show for National day. They have been wearing red to show their anger at Chen, but this is scary because red means the commies, and that was not allowed in Taiwan for a long time. It seems that Shih and his KMT backers may have Mainlander money and support. This is bad news if the KMT wins because then China can have a soft power takeover like they have long wanted. Anyways what really gets me is the idea of comparing this to the situation in the US. I mean what Chen did (or may have allowed) is so minor compared to George Bush who has lied, maipulated the media, stripped citizens of their freedom, spyed, tortured, invaded two countries, stole the 2000 election, probably committed what would be condired war crimes according to the Hague and the Geneva convention, continues to let a moron named Rumsfeld run the war, allowed millions of African babies to die by forcing US aid money to be tied to an abstinence only program (not condoms) increased American babies rate of autism tenfold by allowing big Pharma to put mercury in innoculations, etc ect etc etc I'm sure you all can add to the list. Where are the protestors? Where is the Shih of America? Now Shih is saying that he wants Chen recalled. He wants the DPP legislators recalled becuase they will protect Chen, and he may be able to pull this off (maybe not) but he is trying. Now the thing is Chen won two elections, so he is the choice of the people, but so was Bush, and Bush manipulated the hell out of those elections, partly by controlling the press. The KMT controls the press here. Now I only wish that someone with power in the US had the balls to say that 2 million people need to come out on July 4 and tell Bush he has to go, and if he won't step down we will have recall elections to recall every Republican because we know that they will protect your sorry ass. Can you even comprehend someone saying that in America, let alone doing it? Imagine.

Taiwan Politics - Background

(Photo of Chiang Kai Shek "The Generalissimo"
For many of you who are unaware of the situation in Taiwan, I will first give some background to the Political scene in Taiwan. There are basically two political parties, the KMT (Blue) and the DPP (Green). The KMT represent the Chiang Kai Shek crowd that fought for the Sun Yat Sen
idea of a Nationalist China after the fall of the Empire (1911) . They still commemorate this date and actually base their whole calendar on it, so it is not 2006 in Taiwan it is 95. Which is kinda cool because in 1995 we never said 1995 we said 95 so it is like going back to the future. 95 was a good year for me (ahh the good old days). Anyways, of course the KMT was OK when they were fighting the Commies in WWII but Chiang was an opportunist and a bit too soft on his enemies, he incorporated known gangsters into his outfit and tolerated corruption. The man himself was not corrupt, but he did not crack down on it hard enough. So when he lost and came to Taiwan in 1949 he really cracked down to establish himself. In 1949 people of Chinese heritage already lived here along with Native Islander peoples. Chiang and the Nationalists he brought with him from the mainland imposed martial law in the fear that Mao would attack (a reasonable fear at the time). When Chiang died in 1975 this was less likely. His son allowed some freedoms. By 1990 free elections were allowed for the first time and the DPP emerged as the main oppositon party to the KMT. The DPP stood for the local people of Taiwan (those who did not come over in 1949). They want Taiwan to be called Taiwan not the Republic of China, have a UN seat, and basically be independent. This is already true in fact but not in name. However addressing the truth is not communists strong suit, and China won't allow this. So some say if you live next to an angry dragon it's best not to make him angry. Others say Taiwan is independent and should be recognized as such. The average person in Taiwan probably would go for the former, but the DPP pushes the latter (which also makes the US angry who want to maintain the status quo). Anyways in 2000 the DPP won the election and again in 2004. However they don't have a majority in "the legislature" (nobody is sure if it is a congress or a parliament or what). So they can't push their agenda and the KMT votes against them at every turn. Gridlock. Sound familiar?

Friday, October 06, 2006

Temples in Tainan

Still being poor, I do not yet have a scooter. However, my girlfriend rode her scooter up here Kaohsiung this weekend for the Holiday (Autumn moon festival) so we went out and took some pictures of Temples. Tainan has many great temples compared with other places in Taiwan. The detailed artwork is especially intiguing. Although as a Westerner who has studied Buddhism, I find all the rituals dissapointing. Burn incense and pray to Buddha. Isn't it really the same as praying
to Jesus or any other "God"? Buddha specifically says "do not worhip me like a God". Anyways,
after seeing the mundane, often ugly architecture, and street chaos in Taiwan, the temples
are a refreshing sight.

Kaiyuan Temple, with high rises behind. Notice any contrast?


I wasn't the only person interested in taking photos today. It made me feel a little better.
It's always a good sign if the locals are doing it I am not horribly desecrating the temple by taking pics.


Some interesting writings. My girlfriend tells me this says the temple has been here foe over 100 years.
















This tree is also 100 years old









The front gate of the temple















Your fearless author, practicing Tai Chi with the Gods.




My girlfriend poses with our jolly green friend.


















The Nazis stole the swastika symbol from the Buddhists. It is thousands of years old and symbolizes the turning of the seasons, or the wheel of life. Unfortunately it is still disturbing to see it, because in the west we are so conditioned to associate it with the Nazis.









Some cool dragons go at it.

A sign in English! I wish I could read the poems on the wall that it is talking about.










A Lion protects the entrance to the gate.




The entrance to an interior temple. Taiwanese people will go inside and donate money,
burn incense, and pray for a bit, asking for success in business, marriage, etc.














A lucky lion. In the future I will visit more places so stay tuned!