2009 Alabama V.S. Florida Hype Video

Candeeiro Skygarden

Candeeiro suspenso de luz directa com diversas cores exteriores disponíveis e uma porção interna com decoração em relevo, foi a forma que o designer Marcel Wanders encontrou para para reproduzir o tecto da sua antiga casa.

Encomende já / Order now:

geral@4udecor.com

Telf: 214 867 378

Lisboa / Portugal

Bits and Pieces

(Picture taken on the Taipei MRT - Obama campaign rhetoric Taiwan style)

Couple of things out there which caught my eye:

• A guy called Ed Begley Jr who apparently is an environmental TV series presented in the US went on Fox news and got in a very heated row with the presenter / interviewer. Ed loses the argument owing to his rude gesturing and talking over the presenter but the presenter's arguments are facile and his questioning of how any American could support the government banning incandescent light bulbs on the grounds that the 'government is coming into my house' is puerile to say the least. Ed has all the right arguments but his presentation sadly destroyed the effectiveness of them.

• Fascinating charts on American public opinion across a range of sensitive social issues - the patterns seem quite clear (you can actually see the bible belt)

Which would you rather lose?

283,859 people have answered

• David Villano questions if a belief in God is hurting America ... with these interesting points:

Phil Zuckerman, a sociologist at Pitzer College whose research looks at the link between religion and societal health within the developed world, agrees with that assertion. "The important thing we're seeing here is that progressive, highly functional societies can answer their problems within a framework of secularity. That's a big deal, and we should be blasting that message out loud," he contends.

In a paper posted recently on the online journal Evolutionary Psychology, independent researcher Gregory S. Paul reports a strong correlation within First World democracies between socioeconomic well-being and secularity. In short, prosperity is highest in societies where religion is practiced least.

"Popular religion," Paul proposes, "is a coping mechanism for the anxieties of a dysfunctional social and economic environment." Paul, who was criticized, mostly on statistical grounds, for a similar study published in 2005, says his new findings lend support to the belief that mass acceptance of popular religion is determined more by environmental influences and less by selective, evolutionary forces, as scholars and philosophers have long debated.

Zuckerman warns against hasty emulation of the Danes and Swedes. "We can't just say that secularity is good for society and religion is bad," he warns. "And nor can we say the opposite. The connections are very complex."

Yet in spite of his findings, and his secularist agenda, Paul stops short of proposing measures to suppress the role and influence of religion in America. Why? It's already happening, he insists. Although we remain largely a nation of believers, our faith and commitment are slipping. Religious affiliation, church attendance and belief in God are all in slow decline in the U.S. A recent Gallup poll found that two-thirds of adults believe the influence of religion in American life is waning, up from 50 percent just four years ago.

As these trends continue, he believes, policymaking will more effectively address the true needs of society, rather than the dogma of religious idealism. "People need to know that society without religion is not a bad thing," Paul says. "And we're seeing this in other countries. We don't need religion to have a thriving, prosperous nation."

• Security personnel (protecting President Ma) advised to minimise inconvenience for the public (Taiwan News)
• Taipei, Nov. 30 (CNA) Two descendants of Taiwan's indigenous Tsou tribe from a small village in China's Henan Province are currently on a roots-tracing visit to Taiwan to learn more about their tribal heritage and their clan.
• New Council for Cultural Affairs Minister Emile Sheng told lawmakers Monday he would only open offices in China if the principles of equality and respect were met. (I'll believe this when I see it happen i.e. equality and respect coming from the Chinese side)
• President Ma splashing out on the campaign trail - spending NT$3.71 million a day on campaign appearances according to the DPP.
• Another hard hitting Taiwan News editorial - quotes:

Ironically, Ma's transparent sense of urgency has led to several grave errors.

For example, Ma blatantly violated the strict ban on publication of opinion polls 10 days before an election contained in Article 53 of the Election and Recall Act Wednesday by discussing the results of a TVBS survey on the Yilan race in front of news media cameras.

After an initial attempt to excuse the blunder, KMT Secretary-General Chan Chun-po apologized on Ma's behalf the following day, but the incident displayed Ma's willingness to disregard electoral laws by taking advantage of his presidential immunity from prosecution.

This action compounded the shocking and unprecedented dressing up of National Security Bureau special service guards and military police in the campaign vests of KMT Hsinchu County commissioner candidate Chiu Ching-chun during a vote-stumping parade in an action that has sparked fears of the possible renewal of KMT political control over Taiwan's military and security agencies.

In addition, despite promises of "party reform," Ma has evidently failed to curb vote buying by KMT candidates as shown by the fact that 11 KMT mayoral or council candidates in Miaoli, Pingtung and other counties have already been indicted, detained or questioned on vote-buying charges compared to zero for the DPP.

This unattractive tally follows the annulment of the electoral victories of five KMT legislators in the January 2008 Legislative Yuan polls and subsequent KMT defeats in two of the three by-elections held so far, including the Yunlin drubbing.

Ma, whose prestige has already been hurt by his breaking of a presidential campaign promise not to take over the KMT chairmanship if elected, is now spending the bulk of his time stumping for KMT candidates and defraying unpopular measures, such as a hike in national health insurance premiums, until after Saturday's polls.

Ironically, Ma himself has turned Saturday's local polls into the first opportunity for a large portion of Taiwan voters to express their judgement on the performance of his KMT administration.

A Walk In The Mountains

Eva and I simply couldn't pass up this lovely weather we've been having in Taichung recently so we got on our bikes and rode up to Fongyuan to find some hiking. Here's some pics of a quite amazingly beautiful and generally deserted trail. Amazing weather for November.

Toomer's Last Night After Bama's 2nd Straight Victory

And Rammer Jammer:

Candeeiros FLOS já chegaram à 4UDECOR

Agora a 4UDECOR também representa a conhecida marca Flos fundada em 1962. Teve sempre como objectivo estar na vanguarda das formas, técnicas de iluminação e designs originais. Com vários artigos premiados a nível internacional. Designers tais como Starck e Patrícia Urquiola contam-se entre os inumeros parceiros da Flos. Temos a linha completa da Flos, linha consumidor domestico e a linha profissional.

Consulte-nos hoje mesmo:

geral@4udecor.com

Telf: 214 867 378

Lisboa / Portugal

Cartoon of the Week

The following is a list of the way in which China suppressed Taiwan on the international stage during the Chen Presidency. Things haven't improved greatly since Ma became President despite his claims to the contrary. Many many thanks to Άλισον for the great work in finding this.

China's Diplomatic Suppression of Taiwan 2005 - 2007

March 2005
After passing the "anti-separation law" (ASL) China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issues a diplomatic notice pressuring more than 60 countries, including Vanuatu, Tanzania, Cuba, Azerbaijan, and Madagascar, to express criticism of Taiwan and support for the ASL.

Early April 2005
The Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association (AAAA), sponsor of the AAAA Trade Show, announces that the billboard at the show entrance will feature the exhibiting countries and their flags, including the flag of Taiwan, which is to be presented side by side with those of the United States, Japan, and China. Moreover, a large banner and billboard with the word "Taiwan" will be erected at the area for Taiwan exhibitors. Chinese Consulate-General in Sydney is intensely dissatisfied and lodges a protest with the sponsor demanding that Taiwan's flag be removed from the billboard. Consulate officials also deliver a letter of protest from Consul General Qiu Shaofang to the show venue demanding that the sponsor meet with him and take responsibility for settling this matter.

Early April 2005
Vice President Yeh Ching-lung of the National Teachers' Association ROC and three others go to France to attend the “EI Conference on GATS and Education” that takes place in Paris on April 4-5, 2005. During the conference, China's representative to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) demands that the UNESCO General Conference prohibit Taiwan's representatives from entering the UN headquarters to attend the meeting. After the UNESCO secretary-general speaks on behalf of the Taiwan representatives and issues a warning, the representatives are finally able to attend the meeting.

Late April 2005
The ROC embassy to the Dominican Republic is invited to attend the opening ceremony of the Santo Domingo International Book Fair in the Dominican Republic. After the ceremony, Cai Weiquan, China's commercial representative in the Dominican Republic asks fair staff to place a PRC name plaque and tabletop PRC flag at Taiwan's exhibition booth, intending to disrupt Taiwan's participation in the activity.

May 4-6, 2005
The “World Health Organization (WHO) Conference on the Health Aspects of the Tsunami Disaster in Asia” is held in Phuket, Thailand. A six-member delegation from Taiwan, including Dr. Ming-Jer Tsai, head of the Department of Emergency Medicine at National Cheng Kung University Hospital, attends the conference in the capacity of “participants.” China places intensive pressure to prevent the Taiwanese delegates from attending the opening ceremony.

Early May 2005
Ten days before the opening of the World Health Assembly (WHA), the Chinese delegation sends an official diplomatic note to the Geneva delegations of Taiwan's allies, using untruthful language to again distort the importance and legitimacy of Taiwan's application to become a WHA observer and substantively participate in the International Health Regulations (IHR), and demands that Taiwan's allies not support the application.

May 25, 2005
Council of Labor Affairs Chairwoman Chen Chu leads a delegation to participate in the 38th WorldSkills Competition in Finland. Due to China’s deliberate suppression, the host country issues an official letter notifying that Taiwan will not be permitted to use its national flag at the competition.

Early June 2005
Under pressure from China, the World Trade Organization (WTO) Secretariat omits the official titles (such as Counselor, First Secretary, Second Secretary and Third Secretary) of the members of Taiwan's Permanent Mission to the WTO, except for the titles of the Permanent Representative and Deputy Permanent Representative, in the newly published WTO members directory. The directory entries include only the names and duties of the officials.

Late July 2005
Taiwan's ambassador to the Dominican Republic John Feng and China's Commercial Representative in the Dominican Republic Cai Weiquan are invited at the same time to attend a groundbreaking ceremony at the Chinatown district of the capital Santo Domingo. Cai's staff arrives early at the event and stubbornly occupies the seats of honor for the diplomatic corps. Event personnel try three times to vacate the seats, to no avail. The matter is finally resolved after Ambassador Feng negotiates with the sponsor to get back the seats for Taiwan's delegation members.

August 2005
According to a report in Switzerland's Neue Zurcher Zeitung, the Chinese embassy in Switzerland lodges a protest with the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs over a visit to Taiwan in August by the president of the Swiss Council of States. Wang Yanmin, the spokesperson for the Chinese embassy, expresses strong dissatisfaction to the Swiss government and states that countries maintaining diplomatic relations with China are not permitted to have any kind of contact with Taiwanese officials

August 12, 2005
China's United Nations (UN) ambassador Wang Guangya issues a letter to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan protesting motions by Taiwan's allies in support of Taiwan's bid to join the UN and a petition urging the UN to help maintain peace in the Taiwan Strait.

September 2005
In response to transit stops by President Chen Shui-bian in the United States (US) and United Arab Emirates (UAE) en route to Central America, China seriously takes up the matter with the US and UAE and expresses its strong dissatisfaction. China also clearly states its position to the Indonesian government after Typhoon Longwang forces President Chen's plane to make a provisionary stop in Bali.

Mid-September 2005
Fearing Chinese pressure, Syria refuses to provide visas for Taiwan's delegation to the 15th Conference of the Afro-Asian Rural Development Organization Conference (AARDO), of which Taiwan has been a member since 1968. The move deprives Taiwan of its participation and voting rights at the conference.

October 2005
Internet search engine Google obtains an operating license in China and at the same time declares that it identifies with Beijing's "One China" policy. Google’s Map Service entitles a map of Taiwan as a “province of China.”

October 2005
Due to intense suppression and intimidation by China, Chinese language media in Brunei, including the United Daily News, See Hua Daily News, International Times and Sin Chew Daily, are instructed by their main offices not to publish originally planned special reports on Taiwan's National Day celebrations.

In the capacity of member of the South Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO), Chinese ambassador to Papua New Guinea Li Zhengjun hosts a dinner for all SPTO members. During the dinner he emphasizes that, based on the “one China” policy, the Taiwan issue is a matter of China's internal affairs and China strongly opposes Taiwan's membership in the SPTO. At the 15th SPTO Council of Ministers, China reiterates its firm opposition to Taiwan's membership in the organization.

Mid-October 2005
Chinese ambassador to Canada Lu Shumin issues a warning to the Canadian government stating that if the Canadian parliament approves a bill to establish official economic, trade and cultural relations with Taiwan, it will destroy the basis of Sino-Canadian relations.

October 25, 2005
After having received monetary incentives from China, Senegal announces that it decides to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

October 25, 2005
At the press conference after the “Health Ministers Meeting on Global Pandemic Influenza Readiness,” Chinese Minister of Health Qiang Gao reiterates that Taiwan is not a sovereign country and therefore does not meet the regulations for membership in the World Health Organization.

November 2005
China obstructs participation by Legislative Yuan Speaker Wang Jin-pyng as representative of President Chen Shui-bian at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Informal Leaders Summit in Busan, Korea.

November 17, 2005
More than 10 overseas supporters of Taiwan carry ROC flags and vest with ROC flag designs to the venue of the First Asian Indoor Games in Bangkok to root for Taiwanese competitors. China lodges a protest with the sponsor and tries several times to interfere. However, overseas Taiwanese involved argue persuasively that they are spectators and not members of the Taiwanese delegation, ultimately preventing China from achieving its scheme to belittle Taiwan.

December 2005
The Australian government rapidly incurs the protest of the Chinese authorities over plans to send the Minister for Education, Science and Training on a visit to Taiwan at the end of 2005. China states that countries maintaining diplomatic relations with it should not send ministers or other high-ranking officials to visit Taiwan, and therefore it strongly opposes the Australian government's sending of ministers to Taiwan for visits.

Late January 2006
The Chinese government, Commission of European Union, and World Bank jointly hold the "International Ministerial Pledging Conference on Avian and Human Pandemic Influenza," attended by nearly 700 representatives from over 100 countries. Taiwan has clearly expressed interest in attending, but it is still excluded in the end.

Late January 2006
China's embassy in Indonesia demands that Indonesia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs should not violate the “one China” policy and cannot agree to Taiwan's request to allow its naval fleet to visit Indonesia.

February 13, 2006
Under China’s suppression, the sponsor of the 9th World Firefighters Games in Hong Kong prohibits Taiwanese contestants from bringing their national flag, membership flag and firefighter banners into the game venue, as contestants from other countries are allowed to do so. China also forces Taiwan’s team to change its name to "China Taipei," making it part of the Chinese delegation. Taiwan vigorously protests the move without effect and finally decides to withdraw from the contest.

China lodges two demands with the European Union (EU) to suppress Taiwan's diplomatic space: (1) It hopes that EU member countries will refuse Taiwan to hold regional coordination work report meetings and prevent Taiwan's minister of foreign affairs from presiding at the meetings; and (2) It hopes that the EU will block Taiwan's attempts to join the WHO. In other words, Taiwan should not be allowed to join international organizations open only to countries.

April 2006
Taiwan is a major supporter and board member of the International Crisis Group (ICG). However, when China is invited to join the ICG, it not only demands that Taiwan change its membership name to "Chinese Taipei," but also demands that no officials from Taiwan participate in the organization activities.

April 20, 2006
Haiti's newly elected president René Préval indicates to ROC Ambassador Yang his hope that Taiwan send less sensitive officials to attend the May 14 presidential inaugural ceremony. The request is aimed at avoiding China's obstruction at the United Nations (UN) Security Council in August 2006 to the extension of the stationing of UN peacekeeper forces in Haiti, which will affect the stability and development of Haiti.

Early May 2006
The APEC Ministerial Meeting on Avian and Influenza Pandemics is held in Vietnam. Vietnam's Ministry of Health originally agrees to the signing of a "Taiwan-Vietnam Memorandum of Cooperation on Prevention of Avian Influenza" between Vietnam's National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE) and Taiwan's Center for Disease Control under the Department of Health at the meeting. However, coercion and suppression from China prevents the two sides from completing the signing formalities.

May 2006
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) refuses to allow Taiwan to join the organization as a member. The ISO 3166 directory of names of countries and territories lists “Taiwan” as “Taiwan, Province of China” due to Chinese pressure.

May 12, 2006
Under pressure from China, the International Hospital Federation (IHF) deliberates the matter of Taiwan's membership under the name of "Taiwan Hospital Association" (THA) at a meeting of the IHF Governing Council. The IHF not only resolves to change Taiwan's membership name to “Taiwan Hospital Association, China”, but it also demands that the THA sign a memorandum that is aimed at belittling the name and position of Taiwan.

May 22, 2006
At the 59th World Health Assembly (WHA), China brazenly thwarts a motion for Taiwan's membership. Chinese Health Minister Gao Qiang also raises four principles, intentionally manipulating the illusion of helping to resolve the matter of health cooperation with Taiwan and Taiwan's participation in international health activities within the "one China" framework.

Late May 2006
The PRC chapter of the Lions Club places diplomatic pressure on Lions Clubs International to demand that the membership name of the Taiwan chapter be changed from “MD300-Taiwan” to “MD300-China Taiwan.”

July 2006
Chinese diplomatic personnel in Geneva intend to lobby the Swiss Foundation for Mine Action (FSD) not to accept financial assistance from Taiwan.

August 5, 2006
Influenced by the incentives of financial aid and military wares from China, Chad announces that it decides to sever diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

China's acting permanent representative to the United Nations (UN) issues a letter to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan protesting a motion for Taiwan's membership in the UN raised this year by Taiwan's allies. The letter states that Taiwan has been an indivisible part of China's territory since early times and that the Taiwan issue is the internal affair of China.

End of August, 2006
During the 40th International Children's Games (ICG) in Bangkok, members of the Beijing delegation team thrice wrest away the ROC flag draped on Taiwan's gold medalists.

September 2006
China forcefully obstructs Chinese Petroleum Corporation's promotion of an investment project at a petrochemical complex in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

September 2006
The International Cooperation and Development Fund (Taiwan ICDF) originally plans to publish an image advertisement in the September 2006 issue of the World Bank quarterly “Perspectives on Development.” However, the World Bank demands that the official English name and identity symbol of the fund be changed from "Taiwan ICDF" to "Chinese Taipei ICDF."

Late September 2006
International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH) President Doeke Faber explains the background of the forced cancellation of the AIPH annual meeting and the association's principles and position in handling the matter. He states that the meeting has to be canceled because of political factors related to China's demand that the name of the Taiwan Floriculture Development Association be changed and that activities sponsored by Taiwan receive the approval of the China Flower Association.

September 27, 2006
The World Economic Forum (WEF) originally refers to Taiwan as “Taiwan” in its reports. However, at a press conference on the announcement of the WEF's March 2006 "Global Information Technology Report," Ambassador Sha Zukang, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, protests the use of the name "Taiwan" in the "Country" items. In order to avoid dispute, the WEF changes Taiwan's name to "Taiwan, China" in its "Global Competitiveness Report 2006-2007," published on September 27, 2006.

November 8, 2006
The Union of International Fairs (UFI) convenes its annual session in Beijing. The Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) originally plans to send a delegation to attend the meeting. However, the sponsor sends a written reply informing that due to the demands of the host country China, TAITRA must add "China" or "Chinese" to all references to Taiwan or Taipei in the council's name and address. After lodging an ineffective protest, Taiwan withdraws from the meeting.

November 2006
Taiwan is an official member of the International Competition Network (ICN) under the name of "Taiwan." Since China has not drafted a competition law, it is unqualified to be a member in the organization. However, in order to join the ICN in 2007 as an observer, China demands that Taiwan change its membership name.

Late November 2006
Mao Rubo, director of the Environment and Resources Protection Committee of China's National People's Congress (NPC), leads an NPC delegation to visit Taiwan's ally Costa Rica and signs an environmental protection cooperation agreement.

A delegation from China's National People's Congress visits Taiwan allies Guatemala and Nicaragua and discusses cooperation plans with the civil aviation industries there.

January 2007
China seriously takes up with the United States (US) the matter of President Chen Shui-bian's transit stop in the United States en route to Nicaragua. It even pressures Mexico to disallow President Chen’s plane to fly over Mexico's flight information region.

January 2007
China pressures Korea to change the nationality on visas issued to Taiwanese exchange students to "China."

February 2007
According to a report by Japan's Sankei Shimbun, China uses its veto power to block United Nations' peacekeeping efforts in Haiti, thus causing Taiwan’s ally Haiti to issue a letter to China stating that it will no longer support Taiwan's bid to join the UN.

Tanaka Residence by Katsufumi Kubota

President Ma breaks election law

At a meeting of the KMT Central Standing Committee that was open to the public and being covered by the media, Ma inadvertently(?) mentioned poll numbers in contravention of the election law that states polls must not be mentioned 10 days before a vote. This has drawn criticism from even staunch KMT supporters such as Chiu Yi, who suggested that Ma apologise.

The Ilan Election Commission said Thursday it would write a letter to the suspect and request an interview with him. If found guilty, he would be fined between NT$500,000 to NT$5 million, regardless of his position in society, a commission spokesman said. The investigation would likely only come to a conclusion after the elections, he added.

Caught live on camera and reported instantly but the investigation would only be complete after the election ... wow the wheels of justice do move ponderously and with procedural certainty, unless your name is Chen Shui-bian of course.

Candeeiro Mikado

Candeeiro constituído por varias dezenas de pequenas ripas de madeira torcidas o que lhe confere um aspecto dinâmico e sensual. A luz por ele reflectido cria interessantes jogos de luzes e sombras, a leveza da sua estrutura confere-lhe um aspecto muito elegante. Aqui apresentamos os 5 modelos disponíveis, existem vários acabamentos possíveis. Vencedor do Prémio Design Plus em 2006, Frankfurt.

Encomende já / Order now:

geral@4udecor.com

Telf: 214 867 378

Lisboa / Portugal

Oligarch-Party-State-Police Taiwan

Today's newspaper was depressing reading. Aside from the apparent rampant vote buying (which the DPP was not exempt from) we are now seeing the police and security forces being blatantly used to constrain freedom of campaigning and movement of DPP personnel and freedom of assembly by independent media workers in areas where there are no restrictions. Add to that the already bad planning of Taichung City Government and Pro-China hawk Mayor Hu for the coming Chun Yunlin visit in December (there will be 'protest areas a la Beijing Olympics) and the misuse of the Parade and Assembly Act to criminalise public peaceful protests anywhere near the Chen talks and we have a recipe that looks increasingly like Martial Law in all but name. This is Martial Law redux though ... nothing official but a series of actions by police that have the same effect without the Government risking inciting outright revolt by making official moves to clamp down on democratic freedoms. Below is one such example of police acting ultra vires, in a manner that suggests their overt politicisation. These are troubled times for Taiwanese democracy and sovereignty indeed. The unofficial sell-off seems to be well underway and the role of the police is apparently to prevent 'provocations' from impeding the stampede of capitulation:

Meanwhile, a reporter with online news outlet Taiwan Independent Media, Clyde Kan (簡世寬), said he was considering filing a lawsuit against two police officers who he said tried to take him to the police station for no apparent reason.

He also said they twisted his arms before Ma was scheduled to visit Jhubei City with Chiu.

Kan told the Taipei Times in a telephone interview that he was playing a hand-held videogame as he awaited the arrival of Hsieh and Peng.

“A police car stopped, two plainclothes officers came out and asked to check my national ID card. I declined and told them they had no right to check my ID because I was just standing there doing nothing,” Kan said. “They responded by grabbing my hands and wanted to put me in the squad car and take me to the police station.”

Kan said he told the officers that he is a journalist and wanted to show them his press pass, but they told him not to move.

One of Kan’s colleagues recorded the argument between Kan and the police on video and posted it on the company’s Web site. The video shows the officers repeatedly trying to cover the camera with their hands while saying they had the right to detain Kan for up to three hours to check his identity and interrogate him.

The officers finally released Kan when former DPP legislator Kao Chien-chih (高建智) showed up and asked what was going on.

“It was too much — the police don’t know to respect a citizen’s basic rights,” Kan said. (This is one of the Wild Strawberry's main complaints)

“They twisted my arms when they tried to force me into the car. I will speak with my attorney to see if I should file a lawsuit against them,” Kan said.

In related news, at the request of the Presidential Office, the National Security Bureau (NSB) yesterday apologized over a controversy in which NSB special agents wore candidate campaign vests while on duty.

The special agents were spotted wearing Chiu campaign vests and baseball caps while working in Ma’s security detail during the campaign events on Tuesday night.

The DPP accused the NSB of abusing its authority.

NSB official Yang Hsiao-hua (楊小華) said he had asked the agents to wear the campaign outfits as a disguise to help them blend into the crowd while providing security.

“We just wanted to do our jobs well, but I admit that we did not realize that it would result in a misunderstanding,” NSB Chief Chi Tai-lai (冀泰來) said.

Taiwan Roundup

Several interesting items in the news today:

• Lou Qinjian, vice minister of China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology wants Taiwanese business people to bypass the Government and make their own decisions about forging closer industrial relations between Taiwan and China. A quote: "The government should leave to the individual businesses to determine whether to tap into the Chinese market," Lou said as Taiwan is mulling whether to relax restrictions on its hi-tech industry to invest in China. Speaking on the first day of the two-day Cross-Straits Forum on Industrial Standards in the Information Industry, Lou said China will seek Taiwan's cooperation on TD-SCDMA (time division synchronous code division multiple access) , flat panel displays, IPTV (Internet protocol television), and green power.Lou arrived here Monday as the head of a 100-strong Chinese delegation composed of industrial leaders and scholars for the forum. Terry Gou, founder of Foxconn Electronics, said at the forum that industrial cooperation, especially in the field of information technology, should cover not only the private sector, but also the public sector.
• Lots of vote buying before the local elections it seems. No change there then. Also, there's some tension in the air:

  Late on Tuesday, scuffles broke out in Hsinchu County as President Ma Ying-jeou and his rival in the 2008 presidential elections, Frank Hsieh, accompanied their respective candidates for county magistrate on a walkabout through the streets.

  The clashes reportedly began when security cordoned off an area where Ma and KMT candidate Chiu Ching-chun were walking, preventing Hsieh and DPP candidate Peng Shao-chin from continuing on their route ... The rest of Taiwan was apparently hit by unprecedented levels of vote buying

• Two nuclear power plants in Taiwan are very close to an expanding fault line. Talk about being a hostage to fortune. I'm sure not planning on buying any property in the north.
• Taiwan's former first family have pleaded guilty to perjury.
• Taiwan Tobacco and Liqueur (TTL) has been effectively censured by the legislature for trying to use NT$260 million to promote Taiwan Beer in China (it gave nothing to help promote the Kaohsiung world games)
  
• The Government is offering grants to help promote the Hakka dialect. This is a good move. Pity that they are at the same time doing effectively nothing to help promote the Hoklo or Aboriginal languages.
• "Taiwan plans to restrict Chinese stock investment in strategic sectors, as it seeks to keep control of its economy amid rapidly growing ties with the mainland." It might have thought about doing this in the early 1990's when businesses flooded to China. This seems more than a little like closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.

  The report was published a week after Taiwan and China signed three landmark memorandums paving the way for growing cooperation in banking, insurance and securities.

  The agreements, which will go into effect in January, will enable Chinese institutional investors to buy shares in Taiwan's stock market for the first time.

  The announcement of the signing was met with criticism that Taiwan's government had acted too fast, without ensuring proper debate about the implications of the wide-ranging pacts. (So who exactly is running Taiwan's economy and national economic policy? The President and his government or Lien Chan, Terry Gou and a small cabal of pro-China industrial oligarchs?)
  

WDI Sister Program in Slovenia off to Strong Start

Over 80 debaters, teachers and trainers from 25 countries (Singapore, Afghanistan, USA, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia, Italy, Finland, Serbia, France, Croatia, Germany, Thailand, Ukraine, Romania, Hungary, Venezuela, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Scotland, Hong Kong, Moldova, Montenegro, England, Wales and perhaps more) are having quite a time in Ormoz, Slovenia at the Seventh International Debate Academy Slovenia, a week long intensive training program that concludes with a tournament in Ljubljana.

Each day has a lecture, that is followed by exercises for everyone, divided into beginner, intermediate and advanced groups. Lectures for the advanced cover basic areas for debating, such as International Relations (Anne Valkering), Ecology (Alfred Snider), Economics (Rhydian Morgan), Law and Justice (Chris Langone) and Principle and Philosophy (Stephen Boyle). For intermediate and beginners, there is a more mundane sequence: public speaking, proposition strategy, opposition strategy, second team strategy and points of information.


Each day there are a series of electives in the afternoon that students can choose from.
Sunday:

• Style, Chris Langone
• Note taking, Alfred Snider
• Argument building, Gavin Illsley
• 13 Minutes Prep, Loke Wing Fatt
• Motion Analysis, Jens Fischer
• Debating Secessionist Movements, Maja Nenadovic
• Whip Speeches, Isa Loewe
• Basic Reasoning, Chris Langone
• How to NOT Get Last When you Don't Know Shit, Anne Valkering
• 12 Ways to Refute an Argument, Jens Fischer

Monday:

• Making Your Arguments More Important, Alfred Snider
• Persuasion Techniques, Chris Langone
• Debating Humanitarian Intervention, Isa Loewe
• Making GOOD Slippery Slope Arguments, Gavin Illsley
• Fundraising, Anne Valkering
• Rules of the WUDC Format, Loke Wing Fatt
• Preparation for Tournaments, Bojana Skrt
• Debating Turkey & the EU, Stephen Boyle
• Better Team Work, Maja Nenadovic
• Principles of International Law, Jens Fischer

Tuesday:

• Democratization, Maja Nenadovic
• Debating Law, Chris Langone
• Opposition One, Gavin Illsley
• Policy, Value & Analysis Motions, Anne Valkering
• Tabulating Competions & Using Tab Software, Jens Fischer
• International Criminal Court, Isa Loewe
• If English is NOT Your First Language, Bojana Skrt
• Debating Ecology, Alfred Snider
• Governments & Economics, Stephen Boyle

There have been some teacher and trainer sessions:

• Organizing a Debate Team, Bojana Skrt
• Training and Coaching, Loke Wing Fatt & Bojana Skrt
• Tournament Hosting and Organizing, Anne Valkering

There have been two public debates:

Student-Faculty Demonstration Debate, Saturday Night

• Faculty: Loke Wing Fatt & Gavin Illsley, Isa Loewe & Anne Valkering
• Students: Anna England Kerr & Crt Podlogar, Filip Dobranic & Maja Cimerman
• Motion: This House supports mandatory vaccinations.
• Critics: Jens Fischer & Chris Langone

World Schools Demonstration Debate, Monday Night

• Proposition: Slovenia National Team
• Opposition: Romanian National Team
• Motion: This House would deny the right to strike to workers in essential area.
• Critic: Gavin Illsley

Practice debate motions will move from easier to more difficult, prep time starts at 30 minutes and will be cut down to 15. Here are the motions for Sunday & Monday.

• This House would not negotiate with pirates.
• This House would not eat meat
• This House would pay a wage to stay at home parents
• Thisd House would legalize soft drugs.

We have had two awesome parties that lasted late into the night and had music, dancing and much frivolity.

• Sunday night - country exhibition
• Monday night - kitsch party (strange clothing, cross-dressing, unusual make up)

Our Faculty includes:

• Stephen Boyle, Ireland, Irish Times Champion, twice breaking at WUDC, now University of Vermont
• Loke Wing Fatt, Singapore, SAID, the debating monk
• Jens Fischer, Germany, President European Debating Council
• Gavin Illsley, Scotland, communication consultant
  
• Chris Langone, USA, lawyer & Cornell University
• Isa Loewe, Germany/France, European ESL Champion
• Rhydian Morgan, Wales, Stylus Communications
• Maja Nenadovic, Hungary, University of Amsterdam
• Bojana Skrt, Slovenia, ZIP
• Thepparith Senamngern, Thailand, WUDC Convener Bangkok 2008
  
• Alfred Snider, USA, University of Vermont, World Debate Institute
• Anne Valkering, Netherlands, WUDC ESL Champion 2008, Bonaparte University

At the end of the week we will be moving to Ljubljana, where a dozen or so more teams will join us for a tournament at the Faculty of Public Administration.

More news coming in a day or so.

Business not infallible - from a businessman

From Guardian today:

Lord Turner, a former director general of the CBI, attacked the current head of the employers' body for refusing to concede that parts of the City were "socially useless".

Wow! Former director of the CBI (very pro-free market UK lobby organisation) criticising the current head, something I've not seen before.

Now chairman of the Financial Services Authority, Turner criticised CBI director general Richard Lambert for arguing that politicians or regulators should not decide what parts of society are useful.

Ah, now that's more like the CBI we love to hate - rabid pro-business, 'free-market' ideology.

Turner has argued that "socially useless" parts of the City could be restrained by a Tobin tax on transactions. He admitted at the CBI conference that as head of the CBI in the late 1990s he had argued for market liberalisation and labour market flexibility. But "markets are not always wise".

This is interesting because the business community and especially 'the city' has been long against the Tobin tax or any other kind of restriction, regulation or tax incentive. It is also a break with the orthodoxy of the last 20 years that has claimed markets are always inherently wise and seeking equilibrium (if only the Government would step out of the way so the argument goes)

As he declared that the UK economy was now stabilising after a "forceful and appropriate policy response", he said it was important to analyse what had gone wrong. Banks had been allowed to operate with too much leverage, and financial innovation hid some of that leverage. Now they needed to hold more capital.

Again, criticism of the banking community, previously almost unheard of, perhaps coming as a result of the fact that much of the UK banking sector has been effectively nationalised following the financial crisis.

"But a debate about the economic value of the financial system should not focus solely on challenging potentially negative aspects of the pre-crisis financial system." Instead it should look at the "positive functions" provided by banks – savings, credit, and allocating capital to efficient use.

What? We're having a debate about the economic value of the financial system? Wow, things must be bad. Seems like business is on the defensive which may mean there are now serious cracks in the hegemony of free-market business knows best ideology for the first time in a long time. We'll see how long that lasts though ....

Residing Again Where It Belongs...See Ya'll Friday!!!

Pollution, Population and Climate destabilisation

Trawling across the net I came across a series of photos that illustrate some of environmental by-products of our (and here I mean human) desire to do business with natural resources and consume ever greater quantities of products for a rising global population. If you want to see what essentially unfettered capitalism can do the the environment, check out this site by Lu Guang (卢广) (see profile above from the People’s Republic of China. Lu won the $30,000 W. Eugene Smith Grant in Humanistic Photography for his documentary project “Pollution in China.” at the 30th annual awards on October 14th at the Asia Society in New York. (Here is a version with English translation and reams of Age of Stupid comments below - you have been warned)

I also found a series of very interesting videos on youtube about climate destabilisation. First wonderingmind42 gives us the low down on the logic of not taking a risk with the environment:



Then, he attempts to provide some solutions:









Next up is a long series of videos so I won't embed them here but suffice to say that they are worth the watch though I say that with the caveat that I do not endorse everything the professor argues but rather that he provides food for thought. Some have interpreted his comments as arguing for a crude eugenic style population control but in hearing his concerns about over population I interpret the problem as over-density of population in concentrated areas such as cities, in environments not capable of sustaining that density in the long run. Furthermore, it is the consumption rate per capita of populations that is more of a problem than simply gross population per se. For example, the average US and European citizen consumes vastly more energy per capita than their equivalent in less developed areas and the effect of this is magnified when the energy produced to meet wasteful demand is done in a manner that is itself unsustainable and polluting. The film 'Age of Stupid' demonstrates this point quite well. The solution is not forced abortions and sterilisation but perhaps the end of cities or intensive energy consumption locales of dense populations. Presented by Dr Albert A. Bartlett, professor emeritus of Physics at University of Colorado-Boulder.

Part 1,Part 2,Part 3,Part 4,Part 5,Part 6,Part 7,Part 8

Green Party Taiwan is hosting a very important meeting of the Asia Pacific Green Network in Taipei County next year featuring Vandana Shiva. Go to their website and sign up to play your part.

Candeeiro Tecto Fior

Candeeiro de tecto em vidro soprado transparente emite uma luz directa e difusa, disponível com 7 ou 13 lâmpadas.

Encomende já / Order now:

geral@4udecor.com

Telf: 214 867 378

Lisboa / Portugal

Lessening the Fallout

It seems the KMT is expecting the results of the upcoming December 5th local elections to be generally poor for the party. Currently, the opposition DPP only 'hold' three of 17 counties - Chiayi, Pingtung and Yunlin. Accordingly, leading figures in the party have been putting out 'humble' spin in an attempt to both limit post-election criticism should the DPP retain their position and gain any control of more counties. Here's some examples:

Taipei Times November 22nd

Wu said that while in the US, the midterm election is seen as a vote of confidence for the sitting president as it is held in between presidential terms, in Taiwan, candidates are selected for their connections with local factions, their personal image and whether they have competence to serve the public, all of which have little to do with the nation’s leader.

Whilst not untrue, Wu's attempt to decouple the results from the public's perception of the President and executive is unlikely to stick with voters, as MT argued yesterday.

Wu said the population of the areas in next month’s elections was about 9 million, while the five municipalities that select leaders next year have a population of more than 13 million. These are Taipei County, Taichung City and County, Tainan City and County and Kaohsiung City and County, which will be upgraded or merged into municipalities, and Taipei City.

Here Wu seems to be somewhat crudely suggesting that since a minority of total voters will engage in the elections (and the final voter turnout will be far less than 9 million) the results can not be regarded as a barometer of public support for the KMT, Ma and the Government. Again, I'm not sure that's how the media will run with it if the DPP make any gains above the three counties they already control.

Taipei Times November 23rd

Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) said yesterday the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) had little chance of making a clean sweep of the 17 seats up for grabs in the Dec. 5 elections for county commissioners and city mayors.

This reality check is designed to limit KMT supporter's anger if the party performs badly. We wont win every seat (they were unlikely to ever do so) but near enough (e.g. 75% of them) will be good enough.

Later on, during the CSC meeting, Wu said that if the KMT could hold on to Nantou, Changhua and the counties and cities north of them, the party could view that as a victory.

Ah .. the old Shilou Line ... invisible dividing line between North and South and respectively, Blue (China-centric) and Green (Taiwan-centric). Still, this is surprisingly modest for the KMT and a sign of their lack of confidence in the prospective results. Myself, I tend to find anything can happen so predictions are academic until the results come in and are confirmed.

Wu also said that he would take responsibility for any failure in the elections, as the candidates were all nominated during his tenure as part secretary-general.

Interesting. In what way will Wu 'take responsibility'? We wait and see.

Links:

• David Mitchell of the Guardian on online comments and how they are often dominated by some of the strangest and vituperative people around. Check the comments below his article for a giggle.
• A website with a witty take on such 'commenters'
• Dissident author claims 2012 will not feature natural disaster so much as political disaster for Taiwan. Many of us have been saying this since before the 2008 elections ...
• David reviews a new police drama film.
  

Talim Rutin di Mushalla dekat Kantor PATTIRO Jabar

Idayn Bertepatan dengan Hari Jum’at
Bandung, 22 November 2009


Pada setiap hari ahad ba’da subuh, mushalla dekat kantor PATTIRO Jabar selalu diadakan ta’lim rutin mingguan. Pada kesempatan kali ini (22/11), sang ustadz memberikan tausiyah yang berkaitan dengan Hari Raya Iedul Adl-ha. Berikut ringkasan yang dapat saya sampaikan kepada rekan-rekan, semoga bermanfaat dan meningkatkan kekhusyuan kita menghadapi hari yang suci ini.

Idul Adl-ha tahun ini diperkirakan jatuh pada hari Jum’at. Benarkah orang yang shalat Idul Fithri dan Idul Adl-ha pada hari Jum’at tidak wajib Jum’at? Apakah wajib Zhuhur? Bagaimana dengan orang yang tidak wajib Jum’at?



Shalat Jum’at bagi laki-laki merdeka, sehat dan dewasa adalah wajib. Hanya saja Rasulullah Saw memberi keringanan kepada orang yang telah shalat Idayn di pagi harinya.

“Dari Abu Hurairah r.a dari Rasulullah Saw, bahwa beliau bersabda, “Sungguh telah berkumpul pada harimu ini dua Id, siapa yang menghendaki shalat Id mencukupkannya dari Jum’at. Sesungguhnya kami akan melaksanakan Jum’at. (HR. Abu Dawud)

Dari Iyas bin Abi Ramlah as-Syamiy, katanya, “Saya melihat Mu’awiyah bin Abi Sufyan, Ia bertanya kepada Zaid in Arqam, katanya, “Apakah engkau pernah ikut bersama Rasulullah dua hari raya berkumpul dalam satu hari?” Katanya, “ya pernah”, katanya lagi, “bagaimana yang beliau lakukan?” katanya beliau shalat Id, kemudian memberikan keringanan, dengan sabdanya, “siapa yang hendak shalat, hendaklah Ia shalat.” (HR. Ahmad, Abu Dawud dan An-Nasaaiy).

Imam al-Bukhary, Muslim, Abu Dawud, at-Tirmidzi, an-Nassaiy, dan yang lainnya meriwayatkan dari Ubayd, Maula Ibnu Azhar bahwa Umar bin Khattab mengalami Idul Fithri atau Idul Adl-ha bertepatan dengan hari Jum’at. Mereka memberi keringanan untuk mencukupkan shalat Jum’at dengan shalat Id.

Orang yang wajib Jum’at pada hari Jum’at tidak dibenarkan melakukan shalat Zhuhur. Jika Jum’atnya sudah dicukupkan dengan shalat Id, ia pun tidak wajib Zhuhur. Sedangkan perempuan, Ia tetap wajib Zhuhur sekalipun sudah shalat Id, karena Ia tidak wajib Jum’at.

Bagi Imam yang mendapat tugas sebaiknya tidak meninggalkan Jum’at, karena membantu orang-orang yang akan shalat Jum’at atau orang-orang yang tidak sempat shalat Id di pagi harinya, sebagaimana yang dilakukan Rasulullah Saw. “Inna Mujammi’un”.

Wallahu’alam.


Ramlan Nugraha
Advokasi dan Jaringan PATTIRO Jawa Barat
Jl. Tubagus Ismail Gg. Gemini no. 20 Bandung 40314
Telp. (62-22) 2503571

4UDECOR na Happy Women

Na edição de Novembro da revista Happy Women pode encontrar o banco nº5 comercializado pela 4udecor.

Pintura Decorativa Infantil Personalizada

Em qualquer parte da sua casa é possível criar um elemento de decoração único. Através da Pintura Decorativa personalizada o único limite é a sua imaginação ou dos seus filhos. Qualquer imagem pode ser pintada numa das suas divisões. Desde um tema infantil no quarto dos mais jovens até uma paisagem ou uma pintura abstracta em qualquer outro espaço da sua casa ou empresa. Além das hipóteses serem infinitas, será sempre apresentado previamente um projecto em 3D para uma melhor visualização do resultado final. Está ao seu alcance criar um ambiente único ... A qualidade, o detalhe, a diferença ficará na memória de quem visita a sua casa.

Consulte-nos já:

geral@4udecor.com

Telf: 214 867 378

Lisboa / Portugal

Pre-election rhetoric and the culture / peace chimera

Two articles caught my eye from the papers today:

ECFA will reduce chance of war: Ma

Contrary to almost all his previous statements, President Ma now wants the public to believe that a) the KMT/ROC is not that friendly with the CCP/PRC and b) that the ECFA is not a guaranteed outcome but one that will have to pass the legislature. Here's the money quotes:

President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday defended his plan to sign an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with Beijing, saying that closer cross-strait business ties would reduce the possibility of conflict.

In the way that 'closer ties' between Germany and Austria or Germany and the USSR prevented war in those regions?

Ma said the planned ECFA was not an attempt to lean toward China, but a necessity for the development of Taiwan. Taiwan so far has signed free trade agreements (FTA) with five of its diplomatic allies, but the trade volume with those countries combined make up less than 1 percent of the country’s total trade, Ma said. “We must sign FTAs with our major trading partners,” he said while meeting leaders of the Taiwan Federation of Industry, Taiwan Provincial Industrial Association and regional industrial associations at the Presidential Office yesterday.

No protest from me there though I would add the caveat that any free trade agreement cannot be allowed to come at the cost of productive local industries, local working standards and labour rights and the health of environment.

“They are, in order of trade volume, the mainland, Japan, the US, Southeast Asian countries, the European Union, New Zealand and Australia. That is why we want to sign an ECFA with the mainland,” he said.

Again with the 'mainland'. Really, Ma seems to have an aversion to calling the PRC China' but then as anyone knows the reason is that as a staunch ROC loyalist he sees this place we all call Taiwan as China. So, to avoid confusion, China (PRC) is 'the mainland' and here is 'Taiwan region of the ROC'. This minor quibble aside, where is India in that list?

He nevertheless said he was uncertain whether other countries would sign FTAs with Taiwan after it clinched an ECFA with China.

Hold on a second. Not so long ago, Ma argued that signing the ECFA with China would facilitate FTA's with other countries but now, having heard from many academics that China is unlikely to 'allow' this even after the ECFA has been signed, Ma is backpedaling fast and saying that it is UNCERTAIN whether Taiwan could sign FTAs. Since signing of FTA's was promoted as a major side-benefit of signing an ECFA, Ma seems to be admitting that the scope of benefits ECFA will deliver for Taiwan has been radically reduced. Obviously, Ma has learnt that he can't keep promising things that he is unable to deliver upon.

“It will reduce the chance of seeing Taiwan marginalized if we sign an ECFA with the mainland,” he said. “I cannot guarantee that other countries will want to sing FTAs with us if we sign an ECFA with Beijing, but I believe we will see the abatement of obstructions and a boost to the chances of peace.”

Again, a short time ago, Ma was stating ad nauseum that not signing the ECFA would absolutely marginalise Taiwan. Now he is saying that it will reduce the chance of being marginalised. Another key promised benefit of ECFA is no longer a certainty but now only a possibility.

The more business Taiwan does with China, Ma said, the more secure cross-strait peace becomes, he said.

Rofl. Taiwan has been doing extensive business with China since the early 1990's yet this did not stop China during this time building up its missiles, maintaining its threat against Taiwan and passing the Anti-succession law. The only thing that will make the Taiwan strait more secure and peaceful will be Taiwan's utter surrender and annexation. Anything less is a deal breaker for the PRC. Again, Ma's whole position is based on conjecture and speculation.

Ma said that as bilateral trade with China amounted to US$130 billion before he took office in May last year, it was bound to put Taiwan in an adverse position if there were no framework in place to make bilateral trade and investment more efficient and fair.

Did he say he wanted trade to be fair? When in the history of the world has international trade ever been truly fair? Furthermore, how do you ensure fairness when one side has an open market with little Government intervention and that other has a market controlled almost entirely by the Government?

As the ASEAN-plus-One is set to take effect in January, Ma said there will be an ASEAN-plus-Three, an ASEAN-plus-Five or even an ASEAN-plus-Six in the future. “If we don’t sign the ECFA with China, we have to pay higher taxes for everything we export to China and it will deal a significant blow to our businesses,” he said. “It is for the good of Taiwan’s future development.”

Ma makes the mistake again of having 'China-Syndrome' or the inability to see any other countries outside of China as being potentially beneficial trade partners. If Taiwanese business people are too reliant on China it is partly because Ma and his party are encouraging them to be so, which then makes Taiwan business a hostage to fortune over changes to tax regimes. Instead of worrying about the impact of our exports to China (only one country but yes the largest Taiwan export market), ma should be rushing around frantically trying to get Taiwan to diversify their exports to other countries so as to end reliance on just the one market, as Korea did (they saw the danger of putting all their eggs in the China basket). But no, Ma keeps pushing the China or bust story.

Ma said his administration was not especially friendly to China.

This is simply laughable and a pre-election sop to help KMT candidates in central and southern Taiwan. Why is Ma's statement so obviously mendacious?:
a) numerous KMT-CCP forums and exchanges including the infamous Lien Chan 2005 sell-out
b) denying Rebiya Kadeer a visa
c) not protesting the obvious PRC govt led boycott of South Taiwan by PRC tourist orgs.
d) destroying the ROC flag to avoid upsetting Chen Yunlin
e) refusing the meet or recognise the presence of the Dalai Lama after Typhoon Morakot
f) accepting two pandas as gifts which they then effectively named 'unification'
g) rushing to sign an MOU without proper legislative oversight ... the list goes on

“Even if we are not, we still need to do business with them. It is that simple,” he said.

We don't need to do business with them. We do business with them because it is convenient. Also, note that we don't do business in China but with China - because, unlike Taiwan, doing business in China is effectively the same as doing business with the CCP/PRC Government since the PRC state controls and owns the vast majority of business in the country.

Ma said there were advantages and disadvantages in signing the planned pact, but added that his administration “will only do it when the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.”

Ah, now Ma recognises that he must admit there are disadvantages to ECFA. This is because his previous desire to overlook the possible negative consequences has been hammered by academics and is no longer valid or believed by the public. Now he is saying he will only sign ECFA is the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. This contrasts directly with his earlier position that ECFA MUST and WILL be signed, legislative approval or otherwise.

The president promised that the government would map out measures to take care of industries adversely affected by any deal, while including the “early harvest” article in the proposed pact to benefit certain businesses.

More promises. Forgive me if I don't believe them for one second. I doubt that the majority of Taiwanese who still have no idea of the content of an ECFA will believe them either.

Ma said the ECFA would be completed in a piecemeal manner, similar to the FTA signed between China and ASEAN countries, which was signed in 2002 but did not go into effect until the following year.

So that's ok then. Taiwan's economic independence will be dismantled in a piecemeal fashion.

As Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) has said, the government will only push an ECFA in line with the principle that “the country needs it, the public supports it and the legislature supervises it,” Ma said he would honor Wu’s promise.

Nice words. What will happen? Ma and supporting polls/think tanks/ academics will claim tyat the country does need it, the public does support it and the legislature will absolutely fail to properly supervise it since KMT member's selection for the next election will be dependent upon their unconditional and uncritical support for ECFA when it comes to the legislature for review.

He added that the government would make public its content “at an appropriate time, brief the legislature and let the lawmaking body review it.”

See above comment about the foregone nature of said 'review'.

“If it doesn’t pass the legislature, it will not be implemented,” he said. “We will do our best to be as transparent as possible. Please rest assured that we will take a Taiwan-centered approach while furthering the public’s interests.”

More electioneering rhetoric here. The ECFA will pass the legislature and it will be implemented. Meanwhile, the Government will do its best to be as transparent as possible. So much for democracy and oversight then.

No cross-strait peace without recognition: academic

It is key for Beijing to recognize Taiwan as a political entity before both sides can sit down and negotiate a peace agreement, an academic supporting the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) said at a cross-strait forum yesterday.

I think I can see pigs flying .. ah yes ... clear the sign of Beijing recognising Taiwan as a political entity.

Huang Kuang-kuo (黃光國), a professor of psychology at National Taiwan University, said Beijing must take into consideration Taiwan’s “face” before both sides can make an effort to create a win-win situation.

Taiwan's face? Does he actually mean the KMT's 'face'.? That's going to be difficult to achieve when for the last 60 years they've been assiduously doing exactly the opposite. How do you give face to an entity that you claim you 'own'?

“When one does not have the courage to face history, that person does not have the courage to face reality,” he said. “The two sides must face reality. With the theory that the Republic of China was subjugated in 1949 in mind, both sides are unlikely to talk about a peace agreement.”

This statement is not entirely untrue. Props for pointing this out.

As both sides have expressed the hope to jointly publish a “Greater China dictionary,” Huang dared the administration to challenge the Chinese authorities to write history together.

Not a dare I think will be taken up too quickly be Beijing.

Huang made the remarks during a forum organized by the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) in Taipei yesterday morning. The theme of the event was “Chinese culture with Taiwanese features — its meaning and impact on cross-strait relations.”

It saddens me to see this constant reiteration of 'Chinese culture with Taiwanese characteristics'. It is a crude and transparent attempt to undo recent rising identification amongst the population of Taiwan as a specific and separate country and culture. Why not say 'Taiwanese culture with Chinese features'?

Taiwan has a unique culture, Huang said, which mixes Chinese culture, Western culture and maritime culture. Despite its uniqueness and advanced character, Taiwan seems to lack self-confidence, he said.

Huang makes another good point here. This is an accurate description of of Taiwanese culture.

Huang drew a clear line between Taiwan-centered consciousness and what he called “Taiwan spirit,” which he defined as “a new power blending different cultural features.”

Not quite sure what he means here.

With the rise of China, Huang said Taiwan must keep an open mind when it comes to competing with China. “If we cannot compete with them, why don’t we cooperate with them?” he said.

Mmm .. maybe because the PRC/CCP have a different conception of the word 'cooperation' to the Taiwanese and most other nations - a conception that may actually be closer to 'subjugation'.

Chen Sheng-fu (陳勝福), chief executive officer of the Ming Hwa Yuan Foundation, said China was making aggressive efforts to catch up with Taiwan on the cultural front, in resources and budget. However, he said that such efforts were politically motivated. Describing culture as soft power and “the last line of defense,” Chen said the cultural exchanges of both sides are like marriage or friendship. “It will only be sustainable if each side can preserve and unfold its own characteristics in an equal manner,” he said. “Politics is the first priority when China engages in economic and cultural exchanges with Taiwan.”

Blessed Holy Father, we gather here today to mark the passing of a dear friend. Though the President believed in him and his creed of 'politics is separate from economics' it seemed that his was a impossible life and one that could not be sustained in these times of realpolitik. Let us learn from the sober lessons of his death and keep vigilant for those who would strive to maintain the dangerous and ultimately fatal illusions that led to his untimely demise.

Taiwan, on the other hand, is a democracy where individual groups make separate efforts and therefore decentralize their power. Chen said, urging the government to work together with the private sector to maximize their efforts. SEF spokesman Maa Shaw-chang (馬紹章), however, expressed a different opinion, saying “culture is to attack, not to defend” and that “politics is temporary and culture is forever,” to which Chen said “I do hope so.”

Except Taiwanese culture, which will be temporary so that KMT/CCP politics will be forever.

Chu Yun-han (朱雲漢), president of the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange, said the term “Chinese culture with Taiwan features” was coined by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九). Among its characteristics are the preservation of Chinese culture and integration of the cultures of Taiwan’s modern society and immigrant society.

A clear admission here that Ma's goal is to preserve Taiwan as a locus of Chinese culture rather than build upon the development of Taiwanese culture that has struggled to emerge for the last 100 odd years.

As both sides are set to move cross-strait negotiations a step forward from economic issues to cultural and educational ones, Chu proposed they remove “unnecessary man-made obstructions” and treat each other equally and reciprocally.

Equal treatment can only come if both sides respect each other as equals. Since China doesn't respect Taiwan as an equal they cannot treat Taiwan equally and reciprocally. They may sound like they do but in their actions will lie the reality.

Culture can serve as an important asset in the development of cross-strait relations, he said, adding that it is different from economic and military might and that its essence is not quantity but quality. “Taiwan has the condition and opportunity to play a significant role in the international arena,” he said. “The foundation of Taiwan’s soft power is culture.”

Again, I'm not sure what that means but it doesn;t strike me as a very strong foundation for anything.

Emphasizing that time was pressing, Chu said China was exerting itself to catch up with Taiwan at a speed faster than one could imagine. “Let’s hope Taiwan does not become the turtle and China the hare,” he said.

Erm ... haven't they got this the wrong way around. As far as I knew the tortoise won in the end.