The inflation report released last week by the government showed that consumer prices rose 3.89 percent last month from a year ago, following an increase of 2.96 percent in January. The report was a clear message that rising commodity prices will remain a concern after the presidential election.

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By Lin Cho-shui 林濁水
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) looks over its decades of governing and the so-called "Taiwan miracle" -- the transformation into a strong economy and democracy -- and pats itself on the back.

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By Louis Liu 劉志宏
In the first televised election debate, the presidential candidates outlined their financial and economic platforms, both of which lacked vision and an understanding of economic theory.

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By Margot Chen 陳麗菊
The referendums on applying for UN membership face a difficult fate. If neither referendum passes, they will naturally become a tool for Beijing in its mission to undermine Taiwan's independence. Knowing this, it's not surprising that the fate of these two referendums are on the minds of many people.

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Fine art and Las Vegas do not seem to be a likely mix, but MGM Mirage is trying to change that perception among artists and the public
By Steve Friess
In a boisterous town legendary for shining the spotlight on Elvis, Frank Sinatra and Celine Dion, it's a safe bet that few could have envisioned these names as Strip attractions: Maya Lin, Henry Moore, Frank Stella, Jenny Holzer, Nancy Rubins.

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Stavanger experienced a klondike-like boom as the oil industry took off in the 1970s. but as oil reserves fall, the town is promoting culture as a drawing card
By Nina Larson
Long considered the oil capital of Norway, the small southwestern town of Stavanger has begun hunting for a new image that will keep the money flowing in even after the oil wells dry up.

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By Seth Schiesel
Deep in the woods, a lonely boy with thick glasses grew up without siblings, without television and without the Internet. But he had books, and in the tomes of a new sort of game called Dungeons & Dragons he discovered a fantastic world of sorcerers, maidens and trolls. He discovered loyalty and betrayal, cowardice and courage. In those books he realized that his mind had the power to transport him beyond barriers of class and religion, race and income. In those books, he realized he could be anyone.

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