"Rube Goldberg gets his think tank working and evolves the simplified pencil sharpener: Open window (A) and fly kite (B). String (C) lifts small door (D) allowing moths (E) to escape and eat red flannel shirt (F). As weight of shirt becomes less, shoe (G) steps on switch (H) which heats electric iron (I) and burns hole in pants (J). Smoke (K) enters hole in tree (L), smoking out opossum (M) which jumps into basket (N), pulling rope (O) and lifting cage (P), allowing woodpecker (Q) to chew wood from pencil (R), exposing lead."
There is a cartoon that illustrates this "solution" to pencil sharpening. Use your mind's eye to envision it. The cartoonist who created this, and many similar, solutions to practical problems was Rube Goldberg (1883-1970).
Goldberg was a Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist born in San Francisco. His most famous work was the cartoon series "Inventions," an example of which opened this article. The "Invention" cartoon always used a string of outlandish tools, people, plants and animals to accomplish everyday simple tasks in the most complicated ways. Goldberg was a master at discovering harder ways to achieve easy results.
Goldberg would have made an excellent presidential advisor, much better than Lee Yuan-tseh
Whether we should or should not have the plant is not the issue of this commentary -- it is the Goldberg approach that has been taken towards that subject and others. I would hope that the phrase "Rube Goldberg" enters local political analysis because it is a very apt, very useful phrase to describe Taiwan political "reasoning." I should mention that the phrase "Rube Goldberg" is in most American dictionaries.
It is an unfortunate reality that politics here is largely one huge Rube Goldberg "solution" after another. What is funny in a cartoon strip is not so funny in real life. Such "solutions" in Taiwan get people killed, waste huge amounts of money and reduce the strength, vitality and competitiveness of this nation.
It is a never ending source of amazement to me how the Taiwanese political structure can find the most convoluted solution to the most mundane task. That "ability" extends from the president down to the lowest level clerk in this country. If this nation intends to remain competitive internationally, if it intends to further progress towards being a modern democracy, if it intends to avoid just becoming a forgotten backwater somewhere in Asia; then this nation would do well to stop relying on a Rube Goldberg approach to problem solving.
As for the fourth plant, here is a solution. After spending millions of dollars in previous years (A), the president makes a campaign promise to stop construction (B). After the election, the president cancels construction (C), the Legislative Yuan demands reversal of decision (D), the Council of Grand Justices takes case under review (E), gives nonsense, non-reply (F). The Legislative and Executive Yuans duke it out (G). In a reversal, the president offers to mediate (H). There is talk of a referendum (I). The president tries to sell his party on idea of restarting construction (J) ... to be continued.
Ah, if Rube Goldberg were still alive he could draw a great cartoon out of this.
Brian Kennedy is an attorney who writes and teaches on criminal justice and human rights issues.
I came to Taiwan to pursue my degree thinking that Taiwanese are “friendly,” but I was welcomed by Taiwanese classmates laughing at my friend’s name, Maria (瑪莉亞). At the time, I could not understand why they were mocking the name of Jesus’ mother. Later, I learned that “Maria” had become a stereotype — a shorthand for Filipino migrant workers. That was because many Filipino women in Taiwan, especially those who became house helpers, happen to have that name. With the rapidly increasing number of foreigners coming to Taiwan to work or study, more Taiwanese are interacting, socializing and forming relationships with
Whether in terms of market commonality or resource similarity, South Korea’s Samsung Electronics Co is the biggest competitor of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC). The two companies have agreed to set up factories in the US and are also recipients of subsidies from the US CHIPS and Science Act, which was signed into law by former US president Joe Biden. However, changes in the market competitiveness of the two companies clearly reveal the context behind TSMC’s investments in the US. As US semiconductor giant Intel Corp has faced continuous delays developing its advanced processes, the world’s two major wafer foundries, TSMC and
Earlier signs suggest that US President Donald Trump’s policy on Taiwan is set to move in a more resolute direction, as his administration begins to take a tougher approach toward America’s main challenger at the global level, China. Despite its deepening economic woes, China continues to flex its muscles, including conducting provocative military drills off Taiwan, Australia and Vietnam recently. A recent Trump-signed memorandum on America’s investment policy was more about the China threat than about anything else. Singling out the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as a foreign adversary directing investments in American companies to obtain cutting-edge technologies, it said
The recent termination of Tibetan-language broadcasts by Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA) is a significant setback for Tibetans both in Tibet and across the global diaspora. The broadcasts have long served as a vital lifeline, providing uncensored news, cultural preservation and a sense of connection for a community often isolated by geopolitical realities. For Tibetans living under Chinese rule, access to independent information is severely restricted. The Chinese government tightly controls media and censors content that challenges its narrative. VOA and RFA broadcasts have been among the few sources of uncensored news available to Tibetans, offering insights
RSS