The filmmaker Andrew Ahn grew up in what he calls “a Blockbuster Video family.” They would rent three or four movies every weekend. When Ahn was 8, his mom rented the VHS for Ang Lee’s (李安) The Wedding Banquet.“She was like, ‘It’s this Asian movie that white people are talking about,’” Ahn remembers
Humans have long glamorized suffering, hailing it as an essential ingredient of growth. In the ancient Greek tragedy Elektra, Sophocles wrote: “Nothing truly succeeds without pain.” In the 1980s, the actor and aerobics instructor Jane Fonda told people: “No pain, no gain.”But when it comes to workou
At the end of the “Battle Dictatorship” rally on Saturday, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) delivered a fiery speech and thanked the KMT heavyweights for their support. He then strode off the stage into the fired-up crowd like a conquering hero surrounded by adoring fans. Desp
Reclining on sofas at a South Korean cafe, customers sip iced americanos as they gaze past barbed wire fences and watchtowers at the mountains of North Korea.Daonsoop cafe is so close to the North Korean border that to obtain the building permit, its owners had to construct the property with a bunke
When the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon fell to the North Vietnamese forces 50 years ago this week, it prompted a mass exodus of some 2 million people — hundreds of thousands fleeing perilously on small boats across open water to escape the communist regime.Many ultimately settled in Southern Ca
You may be familiar with the ghoti, the shiny animal with fins that lives in the water; perhaps you even have your own ghoti tank. Ghotis evolved long ago, but they didn’t get their name until the 19th century, when jokesters noted that, thanks to the weirdness of English spelling, the word “fish” m
President William Lai (賴清德) is determined to make Taiwan Asia’s “AI Island” — not just in terms of chips and hardware, but also in terms of Taiwan’s traditional weakness: research and software. With its innovative and entrepreneurial use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Taipei Medical University (TM
Steve Chen had never been in love. Last spring though, it happened. The 25-year-old met his first girlfriend in a way he couldn’t have imagined before: a livestreamed video chat.Frustrated with traditional dating and using the apps, Chen jumped on a new trend among young, single people in China. Tho
On April 17, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) launched a bold campaign to revive and revitalize the KMT base by calling for an impromptu rally at the Taipei prosecutor’s offices to protest recent arrests of KMT recall campaigners over allegations of forgery and fraud involving
Consuming large amounts of ultra-processed food (UPF) increases the risk of an early death, according to a international study that has reignited calls for a crackdown on UPF.Each 10 percent extra intake of UPF, such as bread, cakes and ready meals, increases someone’s risk of dying before they reac
Article 2 of the Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China (中華民國憲法增修條文) stipulates that upon a vote of no confidence in the premier, the president can dissolve the legislature within 10 days. If the legislature is dissolved, a new legislative election must be held within 60 da
April 28 to May 4During the Japanese colonial era, a city’s “first” high school typically served Japanese students, while Taiwanese attended the “second” high school. Only in Taichung was this reversed.That’s because when Taichung First High School opened its doors on May 1, 1915 to serve Taiwanese
The Ministry of Education last month proposed a nationwide ban on mobile devices in schools, aiming to curb concerns over student phone addiction.Under the revised regulation, which will take effect in August, teachers and schools will be required to collect mobile devices — including phones, laptop
Thousands of people are gathering in New Mexico for a celebration showcasing Native American and Indigenous dancers, musicians and artisans from around the world.Billed by organizers as the largest powwow in North America, the annual Gathering of Nations festival kicked off yesterday with a colorful
Toward the outside edge of Taichung City, in Wufeng District (霧峰去), sits a sprawling collection of single-story buildings with tiled roofs belonging to the Wufeng Lin (霧峰林家) family, who rose to prominence through success in military, commercial, and artistic endeavors in the 19th century.Most of the
Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland ’s Warfare is more defined by what it isn’t than what it is.In their Iraq War-set film, there’s never any description of a wider strategy. There are no backstories to the American Navy SEALs whom we follow on an unspectacular mission. There’s not a short monologue about
In a small church tucked into a side street in northern China’s Hebei province, a group of around 10 people gathered for their weekly meeting, the day after Pope Francis died aged 88.The Vatican on Monday announced the death of the Argentine pontiff, who inspired devotion but riled traditionalists d
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) hatched a bold plan to charge forward and seize the initiative when he held a protest in front of the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office. Though risky, because illegal, its success would help tackle at least six problems facing both himself and th
Dogs are not simply “fur babies” or best friend but a blend of both, researchers have found in a study they say highlights the special status of pets.The study suggests owners rate their relationship with their dogs as being as satisfying or more satisfying than their closest human relationships. Ho
RSS