When singer Lwo Da-you
(羅大佑) took the stage at last Saturday's pan-blue rally to address the crowd of several hundred thousand, Pop Stop sat back and waited for the fireworks. Lwo is known for his unrestrained political commentary almost as much as he is for his sappy pop tunes, and this time even before he'd opened his mouth, several veins on his forehead were visibly bulging. Throughout the previous week he'd been all over the gossip pages ranting about how a recount in the March 20 election would "definitely" reverse the result and about how the assassination attempt on Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) was a giant fraud.
So, with a captive crowd larger than any that would pay to hear his music, he bust loose with one of the day's most indignant diatribes, equating the president (in English) to a terrorist. It was an impressive display. Now the question is what effect his characteristically loud participation at the rally will have on his concerts at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall April 23 and April 24.
PHOTO: TAIPEI TIMES
As if Lwo wasn't proof enough that these are dangerous times for stars to be displaying their political colors, ardent pan-blue supporters and participants in last week's rallies Little S (小S) and Darkie (黑人) have been taking constant flak in Internet chat rooms, with people vowing to boycott their shows. Then, this week, Jackie Chan (成龍) of all people, stepped on the unification-independence landmine when on Sunday he said: "The Chinese people will only be strong when they are united." This line of thought may have a lot of currency in China where he made the remark, but it went over like a lead balloon in Taiwan. As a result, chat rooms in Taiwanese Web sites have been alight this week with some fairly sharp vitriol aimed at Hong Kong's poster boy. As of press time, he was still out of contact with the media, apparently to avoid questions about the issue.
The Golden Melody Awards list of nominees was released this week and though it hasn't triggered any mass protests, the VP of Warner Music's Taiwan branch expressed his dissatisfaction to the Apple Daily (蘋果日報) that three of the label's major artists Sun Yanzi (孫燕姿), A-mei (阿妹) and Machi (麻吉弟弟) didn't even make the first cut. "I don't know what the judges are thinking," he was quoted as saying.
Aside from these three, the nominees this year are the lineup of usual suspects, with David Tao, Eason Chan (陳奕迅), Lee Hom Wang (王力宏), Sky Wu (伍思凱) and Jay Chou (周杰倫) competing for best male singer honors and Penny Tai (戴佩妮), Tanya Tsai (蔡健雅), Jasmine Leong (梁靜茹), Jolin Tsai (蔡依林) and Faye Wong (王菲) going toe-to-toe in the women's category. The best group category looks like it will be the most competitive, with Shin (信樂團), Mayday (五月天), Backquarter (四分位), Tizzy Bac and the Bobin and the Mantra (波賓樂團) up against each other. Pop Stop is putting its money on Tizzy Bac.
PHOTO: TAIPEI TIMES
This Sunday everyone will get a chance to see Mayday at Ximending's Red House Theater for a rare free short concert and autograph session. The event starts at 1pm.
In 2012, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) heroically seized residences belonging to the family of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), “purchased with the proceeds of alleged bribes,” the DOJ announcement said. “Alleged” was enough. Strangely, the DOJ remains unmoved by the any of the extensive illegality of the two Leninist authoritarian parties that held power in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Taiwan. If only Chen had run a one-party state that imprisoned, tortured and murdered its opponents, his property would have been completely safe from DOJ action. I must also note two things in the interests of completeness.
Taiwan is especially vulnerable to climate change. The surrounding seas are rising at twice the global rate, extreme heat is becoming a serious problem in the country’s cities, and typhoons are growing less frequent (resulting in droughts) but more destructive. Yet young Taiwanese, according to interviewees who often discuss such issues with this demographic, seldom show signs of climate anxiety, despite their teachers being convinced that humanity has a great deal to worry about. Climate anxiety or eco-anxiety isn’t a psychological disorder recognized by diagnostic manuals, but that doesn’t make it any less real to those who have a chronic and
When Bilahari Kausikan defines Singapore as a small country “whose ability to influence events outside its borders is always limited but never completely non-existent,” we wish we could say the same about Taiwan. In a little book called The Myth of the Asian Century, he demolishes a number of preconceived ideas that shackle Taiwan’s self-confidence in its own agency. Kausikan worked for almost 40 years at Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reaching the position of permanent secretary: saying that he knows what he is talking about is an understatement. He was in charge of foreign affairs in a pivotal place in
Just far enough out of reach to keep big crowds away, but not so far as to make a day-trip an exhausting affair, Jinhuang Hot Spring (近黃溫泉) is a nice winter escape for your next visit to Taitung County. The pools are numerous, the water is the perfect temperature and the walk in is not too challenging, though you will have to get your feet wet. The adventure starts in the county’s Jinlun Village (金崙), which is accessible by train, but you’ll want to have your own car, scooter or bicycle for this trip. If you arrive by train, walk up
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