Last Friday's legislative chaos may have helped the Democratic Progressive Party block the Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) bid to restructure the Central Election Commission (CEC) in its favor, but the behavior of lawmakers on both sides, but particularly in the pan-green camp, has done yet more damage to the nation's image overseas and, more importantly, the quest for legislative harmony.

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By Leif-Eric Easley
Japan and China are upgrading defense postures in ways that will change the contour, if not the shape of East Asia's security landscape. Such change involves uncertainty and raises concerns about conflict.

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By Chang Mao-kuei 張茂桂
Recently the Chinese Nation-alist Party (KMT) proposed amendments to the Statute Governing the Reconstruction of Weathered Military Communities (國家老舊眷村改建條例) that would compensate veterans who had been promised housing support by the Ministry of Defense (MOD) but never received it. Once again, politicians and the media have distorted and dramatized what could have been a topic for rational discussion into a Taiwanese tornado of blue versus green, Mainlander versus localized Taiwanese.

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After US researchers found `dramatic new proof' that tobacco companies are putting larger amounts of the drug in cigarettes, Democrats hope to pass new laws to regulate the industry
By Gardiner Harris
Harvard study concluding that cigarette makers have for years deliberately increased nicotine levels in cigarettes to make them more addictive led to renewed calls on Thursday for greater oversight of the industry by the US federal government.

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During an economy boom that has yet to benefit the average American, the US is experiencing another `gilded age' of concentrated wealth and luxury
A booming US economy has led to an explosion in the ranks of the wealthy unseen in a century, creating a surging market for luxury goods as well as a new era of philanthropy, researchers said.

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Both good news and bad news await Ban Ki-moon, as chances for conflict among the world's major powers are low but the probabilty of other disputes high
By Richard Haass
The good news for Ban Ki-moon is that he has become secretary-general of the UN at a time when the prospects for conflict between or among the world's great powers -- the US, China, Japan, Russia, Europe, and India -- are remote. The bad news is that the prospects for just about every other sort of conflict are high and the international agenda is both crowded and demanding.

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By John Stewien
The issue of Taiwanese independence has become one of world interest. However, the manner in which the story has been developing gives the

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By Frances Huang
Starting at an early age, most men are taught to behave like a so-called "real man." For some men, this image is an easy one to assimilate, given that they are born with that temperament. Such individuals are usually less open about expressing their emotions and affection. On the other hand, there are those who find that such behavior is a constraint on their expression and a obstacle in the path to self-realization.

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