Promoting the recreational use of marijuana hit a new high in the media this week with further reports of raids on celebrities suspected of endorsing the drug. The stars' homes and companies were searched, urine was collected, hairs were plucked for evidence of illegal drug use and alleged drug paraphernalia was carted away for further investigation.
The sorry saga began at the end of last year when a luxury apartment in Taipei was busted and found to be a marijuana-growing farm for stars. Police trawled phone records and as a result picked up the "Prince of Nightclubs" Tuo Tsung-kang (庹宗康), TV host Chu Chung-heng (屈中恆), singer Suzanne Hsiao (蕭淑慎) and others. Tuo and Chu are currently doing time in a drying out center, while Hsiao (who claimed the positive test for cocaine and ketamine was the result of medication due to cosmetic surgery) is on clucker's row.
PHOTO: TAIPEI TIMES
Since the "first wave" of celebrity arrests, prosecutors have been dropping hints about a "second wave" and the media, naturally enough, has been in a frenzy speculating who these stars are. Finally, at the beginning of this week, Chang Chen-yue (張震嶽) revealed he was on the list and we later learned that 13 to 20 showbiz people were raided last week.
While others kept quiet, Chang and taike impresario Landy Chang (張培仁) declared their innocence. A declaration of blamelessness is mandatory in these cases, but usually means the opposite. For instance, when the glabrous former Channel V presenter Jason Tang (唐志中) recently said he was not guilty it turned out that pubic hair samples showed he was a ketamine user.
Chang said he had taken a drugs test at a private clinic as a precautionary measure, in case he was falsely accused of enjoying a bowl of the sacred sinsemilla. Then he issued a joint statement with Landy saying, "we have a clear conscience, Earth people will know where we're coming from." Hello? Earth calling Chang. What the hell does that mean? Meanwhile, bouffant-styled entertainer Zhang Fei (張菲) — who does not need to smoke pot, he's already gone there — was scandalized by the whole situation and likened it to a pogrom. "First wave, second wave, what next? How can we live under this pressure?" he was quoted as saying in the United Daily News.
No doubt, the prosecutor's case is that drug testing celebrities will send a message that illegal consumption will not be tolerated, but experience would suggest otherwise. Adverts work by associating celebrities with a product. The advertiser hopes the recognition factor of the star will have a halo effect on the product. Simply put, star quality is transferred to the product. So, all the kids who wanna be taike like Chang Chen-yue will now be thinking, "Where do I score some weed?"
Finally, have you seen the latest Taiwan Mobile Co (台灣大哥大) adverts for its 3G service, with hounds standing on two legs and making imaginary phone calls with their paws? In the beagle ad a pixilated penis can still be made out jiggling away. In another ad, there is a kind of red cone where the phallus should be. Odd adverts. You can imagine the amount of brainpower that went into them.
"Should we get rid of the dick?"
"Nah, that would be cruel."
"Shall we just pixilate it, or put a cone on it?"
"Nah that will look stupid."
"It might look stupid, but we will also look responsible."
"Yeah, lets look stupid but responsible."
Pop Stop is now convinced of the need for a 3G phone and will be filing next week's story by mobile. You can read it on your phone. Clearly, advertising works. Pass the Dutchy.
In the March 9 edition of the Taipei Times a piece by Ninon Godefroy ran with the headine “The quiet, gentle rhythm of Taiwan.” It started with the line “Taiwan is a small, humble place. There is no Eiffel Tower, no pyramids — no singular attraction that draws the world’s attention.” I laughed out loud at that. This was out of no disrespect for the author or the piece, which made some interesting analogies and good points about how both Din Tai Fung’s and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) meticulous attention to detail and quality are not quite up to
April 28 to May 4 During 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 students who were previously barred from secondary education, it was the only high school in town. Former principal Hideo Azukisawa threatened to quit when the government in 1922 attempted to transfer the “first” designation to a new local high school for Japanese students, leading to this unusual situation. Prior to the Taichung First
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 the KMT. What he did not see coming was Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (將萬安) tripping him up out of the gate. In spite of Chu being the most consequential and successful KMT chairman since the early 2010s — arguably saving the party from financial ruin and restoring its electoral viability —
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, laptops and wearables devices — for safekeeping during school hours, unless they are being used for educational purposes. For Chang Fong-ching (張鳳琴), the ban will have a positive impact. “It’s a good move,” says the professor in the department of
RSS