Taiwan's pride and joy, supermodel Lin Chih-ling (
Also appearing at the same awards ceremony was another Taiwanese beauty, Stephanie Hsiao (
The two beauty queens may look cozy together in the press photos and may have swapped niceties, but reading between the lines there is the inevitable
PHOTO: TAIPEI TIMES
competition.
For film director Tsai Ming-liang (蔡明亮), this past week has been a a big success. Box-office receipts of his latest work, The Wayward Cloud (天邊一朵雲), reached NT$7 million just two-and-a-half days after it hit the big screen. It is an amazing commercial achievement for the Taiwanese film industry since most Taiwanese films ticket sales are usually under NT$1 million. The subject matter of the film has drawn all kinds of audience members to try out the art-house experience. For example, many middle-aged, weird-looking men have reportedly emerged from nowhere to invade the theaters located in age-discriminatory, trendy districts. Tsai was said to welcome such new fans, believing it's a sign of greater acceptance of his work.
Family values and baby talk are still hot this week. Actress Lee Chien-rong (李蒨蓉) made her first public appearance yesterday after confirming the news of her second pregnancy. Lee proudly showed off her baby-bearing belly at Fendi's 2005 spring collection fashion show and couldn't stop her baby talk throughout the show. Singer Shun Zi (順子) is getting chubbier these days. When asked if she got pregnant before her November wedding, Shun Zi modestly replied that she wouldn't do something like ``get on the bus before buying a ticket.''
PHOTO: TAIPEI TIMES
Even though the gossip-generating couple, Jay Chou (
PHOTO: TAIPEI TIMES
That US assistance was a model for Taiwan’s spectacular development success was early recognized by policymakers and analysts. In a report to the US Congress for the fiscal year 1962, former President John F. Kennedy noted Taiwan’s “rapid economic growth,” was “producing a substantial net gain in living.” Kennedy had a stake in Taiwan’s achievements and the US’ official development assistance (ODA) in general: In September 1961, his entreaty to make the 1960s a “decade of development,” and an accompanying proposal for dedicated legislation to this end, had been formalized by congressional passage of the Foreign Assistance Act. Two
President William Lai’s (賴清德) March 13 national security speech marked a turning point. He signaled that the government was finally getting serious about a whole-of-society approach to defending the nation. The presidential office summarized his speech succinctly: “President Lai introduced 17 major strategies to respond to five major national security and united front threats Taiwan now faces: China’s threat to national sovereignty, its threats from infiltration and espionage activities targeting Taiwan’s military, its threats aimed at obscuring the national identity of the people of Taiwan, its threats from united front infiltration into Taiwanese society through cross-strait exchanges, and its threats from
Despite the intense sunshine, we were hardly breaking a sweat as we cruised along the flat, dedicated bike lane, well protected from the heat by a canopy of trees. The electric assist on the bikes likely made a difference, too. Far removed from the bustle and noise of the Taichung traffic, we admired the serene rural scenery, making our way over rivers, alongside rice paddies and through pear orchards. Our route for the day covered two bike paths that connect in Fengyuan District (豐原) and are best done together. The Hou-Feng Bike Path (后豐鐵馬道) runs southward from Houli District (后里) while the
March 31 to April 6 On May 13, 1950, National Taiwan University Hospital otolaryngologist Su You-peng (蘇友鵬) was summoned to the director’s office. He thought someone had complained about him practicing the violin at night, but when he entered the room, he knew something was terribly wrong. He saw several burly men who appeared to be government secret agents, and three other resident doctors: internist Hsu Chiang (許強), dermatologist Hu Pao-chen (胡寶珍) and ophthalmologist Hu Hsin-lin (胡鑫麟). They were handcuffed, herded onto two jeeps and taken to the Secrecy Bureau (保密局) for questioning. Su was still in his doctor’s robes at
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