Political cartoonists yesterday lamented newspapers' declining interest in their craft, which has forced some to switch careers.
"Since the Democratic Progressive Party [DPP] came to power in 2000, more local political cartoonists have had a hard time finding a job," said graphic artist Lin Kuei-yu (
Lin, who works in both the animation picture business and architecture, made the remark while meeting with Vice President Annette Lu (
He was one of eight political cartoonists invited by Lu to a tea party at the Presidential Office yesterday afternoon.
Lin attributed the decline of interest in political cartoons to artists' reluctance to criticize the DPP administration because they were good friends to DPP officials during the dangwai ("outside the KMT") period.
Echoing Lin's opinions, Peng Jin-yang (
"I sincerely hope the administration and media owners recognize the unfavorable situation local political cartoonists are facing and give them more encouragement, support and room," he said.
Lu said she still thinks there is a market for political cartoons, because Taiwan is a free and democratic society where the media can chasten the nation's leaders and politicians.
Lu then said she was curious to know who had likened her to a "deserted concubine left in the harem of despair," since she had never called herself that.
Tong Jin-mao (
Both Tong and Ling Chun (
Ling also called on the government to listen more to the people's voice and spend more energy improving their livelihood rather than continue their political maneuvering.
Lo Ching-chong (羅慶忠), better known as L.C.C., showed off a caricature of Lu he did in 2001. In the black-and-white drawing, Lu sports a bird's nest-like hairdo, with a bird perched in it.
Lo yesterday said that seeing Lu in person inspired him.
Chen Chih-lung (陳至隆), popularly known as Hunter (獵人) and one of the few practicing political cartoonists today, proposed that Lu help them publish a book in which the nation's political cartoonists could show off their talent.
Lu, however, said she didn't think she was powerful enough to fulfill their request, and instead invited the guests to work together on the project.
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
More than half of the bamboo vipers captured in Tainan in the past few years were found in the city’s Sinhua District (新化), while other districts had smaller catches or none at all. Every year, Tainan captures about 6,000 snakes which have made their way into people’s homes. Of the six major venomous snakes in Taiwan, the cobra, the many-banded krait, the brown-spotted pit viper and the bamboo viper are the most frequently captured. The high concentration of bamboo vipers captured in Sinhua District is puzzling. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Forestry and Nature Conservation Division head Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) earlier this week said that the
The first bluefin tuna of the season, brought to shore in Pingtung County and weighing 190kg, was yesterday auctioned for NT$10,600 (US$333.5) per kilogram, setting a record high for the local market. The auction was held at the fish market in Donggang Fishing Harbor, where the Siaoliouciou Island-registered fishing vessel Fu Yu Ching No. 2 delivered the “Pingtung First Tuna” it had caught for bidding. Bidding was intense, and the tuna was ultimately jointly purchased by a local restaurant and a local company for NT$10,600 per kilogram — NT$300 ,more than last year — for a total of NT$2.014 million. The 67-year-old skipper
BREACH OF CONTRACT: The bus operators would seek compensation and have demanded that the manufacturer replace the chips with ones that meet regulations Two bus operators found to be using buses with China-made chips are to demand that the original manufacturers replace the systems and provide compensation for breach of contract, the Veterans Affairs Council said yesterday. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) yesterday said that Da Nan Bus Co and Shin-Shin Bus Co Ltd have fielded a total of 82 buses that are using Chinese chips. The bus models were made by Tron-E, while the systems provider was CYE Electronics, Lin said. Lin alleged that the buses were using chips manufactured by Huawei subsidiary HiSilicon Co, which presents a national security risk if the
RSS