Random musings about Taiwan
So there's been a lot to process in these few weeks that I've been in Taiwan, but before I get it all clear and perfect I've just got to write about some things I found particularly interesting. First off is the fact that the media can be just as biased as Fox News is. Example: a while back there was an incident where there were snipers situated in various buildings around the location for protection while then-President Chen was speaking or something. Seems to me rather standard for a head of state speech. It was reported in some papers roughly in this manner, "The people in the gunsights". (槍口對準人民)
On the other hand, when recently there were similar precautions taken for President Ma, it was reported roughly as, "Protecting Taiwan's future".
It reminds me of this old joke about newspaper spin: Back in the days of the Cold War when the USSR and the USA were duking it out, Russia managed to get into space first successfully. Here's how it would have been reported by Fox News, "In the race for space, the United States secured second place while the Soviet Union finished second to last."
On an equally depressing note, 8 days into the Ma Presidency gas 1has leaped some more - 4.1 NT, basically the USD equivalent of roughly 12 cents per liter, which is 45 cents per gallon. Yeah, no wonder people are freaking out. The effects of this have been pretty dramatic - hugeass lines around gas stations, with people trying to get as much gas as early as possible before it jumps some more - of course, the government had already (wisely or not, depending on who you're talking to) pre-empted the people because it originally had said the price hike wouldn't be until June. At any rate, think of long lines outside of gas stations combined with rush hour. Commuting is absolutely horrible. In addition, you've got people trying to get and store extra gas, which means that in our cities in Taiwan we've basically got potential bombs all over the place.
Good times, huh?
On a side note, gas prices are also making fundraising for Xining even more difficult, since obviously it affects airline tickets dramatically. More than 3000 USD left to raise, gogogo!
On the other hand, when recently there were similar precautions taken for President Ma, it was reported roughly as, "Protecting Taiwan's future".
It reminds me of this old joke about newspaper spin: Back in the days of the Cold War when the USSR and the USA were duking it out, Russia managed to get into space first successfully. Here's how it would have been reported by Fox News, "In the race for space, the United States secured second place while the Soviet Union finished second to last."
On an equally depressing note, 8 days into the Ma Presidency gas 1has leaped some more - 4.1 NT, basically the USD equivalent of roughly 12 cents per liter, which is 45 cents per gallon. Yeah, no wonder people are freaking out. The effects of this have been pretty dramatic - hugeass lines around gas stations, with people trying to get as much gas as early as possible before it jumps some more - of course, the government had already (wisely or not, depending on who you're talking to) pre-empted the people because it originally had said the price hike wouldn't be until June. At any rate, think of long lines outside of gas stations combined with rush hour. Commuting is absolutely horrible. In addition, you've got people trying to get and store extra gas, which means that in our cities in Taiwan we've basically got potential bombs all over the place.
Good times, huh?
On a side note, gas prices are also making fundraising for Xining even more difficult, since obviously it affects airline tickets dramatically. More than 3000 USD left to raise, gogogo!
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