Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Twu Shiing-jer’s (涂醒哲) necktie, which has cartoon pictures of condoms on it, has often been a point of discussion for his fellow legislators.
Few people know about Twu’s condom collection, which he calls his hobby.
In the 15 years since he started his collection, he has collected hundreds of types of condoms.
Twu started collecting condoms when he was a doctor at the Department of Health hospital in Taoyuan.
He was the first doctor in Taiwan to see a patient infected with candidiasis, commonly known as yeast infection, from the throat all the way down to the esophagus, he said.
In 1992, he was one of the doctors who established the first civic group for AIDS prevention and began his work fighting AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.
His outpatient clinical service at a center for prevention of sexually transmitted diseases also made him realize the importance of prevention in fighting AIDS, he said.
The biannual International AIDS Conference is an important event for Twu, where he trades useful information, as well as condoms, with other health experts.
Among his collection, Twu boasts of condoms in the shape of omamori, or traditional good-luck charms, with words of blessing that say: “Safe sex ensures peace for future generations.”
Fruit-flavored condoms are also part of Twu’s collection.
Aside from collecting condoms, Twu also wears his condom necktie whenever he attends AIDS-related events, so that he can start a conversation with people about the importance of safe sex.
Twu has also been known to hand out gifts to the media containing condoms and small candies.
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
RSS