Daily Archive

A lot of people accuse me of being ‘Americanised’ or ‘less worldly’ than I should be due to all my posts on U.S. politics. Not so, I say to them. Not so at all. You accusers want evidence? Well, here you go. A rundown of the soon-to-be-help presidential election in the Republic of China.

On the 22nd of March, the Republic of China(1) (commonly, and incorrectly, known as Taiwan among less worldly people) is going to hold their presidential elections. A good friend of mine, Ma Ying-jeou, running for the centre-right Kuomintang (KMT) party, with running mate Vincent Siew is expected to win the election by a healthy margin ahead of the centre-left Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and their candidate Frank Hsieh, with running mate Su Tseng-chan.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. Yes, there does seem to be some racial division here. The man with the least Western name is winning in the opinion polling, and expected to win the election in 2 days. I think Ma Ying-jeou played his cards right in appealing to both the ‘pro-West name’ demographic here, and the ‘anti-West name’ demographic name, by including Vincent Siew on ticket. This way, the ‘anti-West namers’ get ‘their man’ in charge of the country, and the ‘pro-West namers’ have their man second-in-charge. It’s a complicated set of demographics there, so I won’t bore you with any more details.

Unlike in America where you get bland nicknames for politicians like ‘Dubbya‘ Bush, ‘Slick Willy‘ Clinton, ‘Anti-Christ‘ Obama, or Australia with ‘King of the Caveats‘ Rudd(2), in the RoC, they know how to give a ‘polly’ a nickname. We have ‘Smiling’ Siew, who seems to be consistently smiling - whether he is talking about his children or the reunification with mainland China. And then we have ‘Teflon pot’ Ying-jeou. Why? Because no matter how many “scandals”(3) he went through, nothing stuck and he came out squeaky clean.

Sure, there might be allegations of bribery, preferential contracts, awful infrastructure planning and investment, financial illegalities, shutting down hospitals, misuse of special expenses, embezzling money (and get indited for it), and have his loyalty to his country called into question (by the left-leaning party of all groups!), floating around. Anyone can have these sorts of things casting a shadow over their name on the Internet and Wikipedia, but the good voters of the RoC know the real deal - that the left is secretly pushing their agenda with each of these allegations.

Something else that’s ‘Big Trouble in Little China’ is that there is something like 4 political parties running around. If Italy has taught us anything(4) its that having many political parties running a country is a recipe of disaster(5). What the RoC should do is take a leaf from countries like the United States or Australia who only have 2 serious parties to fight over the voters. Better yet, take a page out of ‘Big China’s’ book and have only 1 political party.

To avoid some of the problems that having many political parties brings to the front, there’s now 2 coalitions that will govern the country as a majority (if need be). There is the proud and masculine Pan-Blue Coalition, of which the KMT is part of with the People First Party, and the New Party, neither of which will field a candidate for the election, but have stated (repeatedly) that they will support the KMT’s candidate.

On the other side, we have the wussy, liberal, socially-corrosive Pan-Green Coalition, which is the DPP in some sort of relationship, that, no doubt, should be banned, with the Taiwan Solidarity Union. Just like Lenin, Trotsky, and Stalin couldn’t get in the same communist bed(6), neither can these two parties. The chairman of the TSU, Shu Chin-Chiang, even met with Ma Ying-jeou, and declared him ‘president-to-be’. Newsflash: Stalin never endorsed FDR during the election!

The issues are surprisingly many and complex for a country as small as the RoC. You might think that their economic debates revolve around whether they should export cheap plastic kangaroos or cheap plastic koalas to Australia. You’d be wrong. The main issue for the economy is whether to create a ’single market’ with China. The forward thinking Ying-jeou advocates this, while Hsieh cites toxic paint as a reason to not do this. If the Republic of China wants to be a true democracy, they will allow their citizens to decide for themselves if they want to give their kids toxic lead painted toys or not.

National independence is a raging issue that separates the two parties. I’m a bit miffed as to why the right-minded KMT want to unify with raging-communist mainland China, yet the left-minded dissidents of the DPP want to stay independent. But apparently that’s the case. I wouldn’t discount the theory that it’s a secret left agenda to get what they want whether the right party wins or the left party wins. Either way, you could get communism!

Now, to finish up this post, a brief rundown of the polls. Since January, 2007, consistent polling has been conducted. And … the KMT has won them all. And, in a pretty consistent trend, the undecided vote outnumbered the DPP vote. The biggest margin of victory for the KMT was 42% (60% to 18% with a 22% undecided vote). However, as the election has entered the final 10 days, I had to contact my bookie to find out the latest polling.

You see, the most reliable polling in the final 10 days comes by way of gambling circuits and syndicates. My connection in that neck of the woods, Hstang Wang(7), said that the best bet to get on was “Ma wins by 200,000 votes”, and to not touch the “Ma wins by 500,000 votes”, as the recent incident of 4 Pan-Blue members walking into Hsieh’s office, accused him of getting free office space from the government, then started a fist-fight with other Pan-Green members, has hurt Ying-jeou’s chances slightly. He is expected to win still, so my $280 bet( on Ying-jeou is looking like a sound investment.

Thomas.

Notes:

(1) Not to be confused with the crazy red menace People’s Republic of China
(2) Thanks Latham!
(3) Left-wing conspiracies to bring down their opponent
(4) Other than foundations for building should be sound and solid
(5) But not as tasty a recipe as pizza
(6) Or should that be under the same communist bed?
(7) No Western names for my made-up Asian bookies - just like the KMT would want
( That’s TWD$280 (or New Taiwan Dollars for the uneducated)

There’s not a whole lot I could say about a speech made by Barack Obama today. It’s not something that can be cut into sound-bites, or sections copied. But it is something that everyone should listen to. Here’s the link. It’s long, but it is worth every second.

If anyone has ever wondered what the ‘change’ is that Obama talks about, it’s in that speech. If anyone has ever wanted to see a politician grapple the most toughest of issues that float around U.S. politics, it’s in that speech. If you ever wanted to see something inspiring, honest, true, challenging, and thoughtful, it’s in that speech. It verges on perfection.

I listened to it, and as an Australian listening to a U.S. politics speech, it shouldn’t have spoken to me as much as it did. It shouldn’t have found a place in my mind. A mere speech in a primary race which has little bearing on me. But it was incredible. It was something you listen to and it sends tingles up your back.

There were no placards, no ‘Obama’ signs, no banners. There were American flags behind him as he spoke. Because he was speaking about an American issue, speaking to all Americans, appealing to the minds and hearts of American citizens. That speech was presidential. It was beyond anything we’ve heard this race, and probably we will never hear anything like it in a primary election again.

Just watch that speech and think how far America can soar under the presidency of Barack Obama. Just think of where the country has gone in the past 7 years, and then imagine where the U.S. could end up with Barack Obama as president. What he said in that speech proves that he is more qualified than Hillary Clinton or John McCain to be president. The job isn’t about military service, or years in office, of legislation moved, or playing the political game - it’s about looking at things and not settling for change. Not being content with what you have. It’s about looking ahead, inspiring people, making the better change, and serving for the people that need it.

You can bet that Hillary Clinton and John McCain watched this speech. And you can bet that both campaigns are in panic mode. Obama is a renowned orator, and everyone knew it. And he had made some impressive speeches to date - but nothing this big. And nothing this good. This was his big gun. This was a speech that, even if he were to lose the primary race, or the general election, will put him into history books. This speech has cemented his place in U.S. politics and in their society’s mind.

I really do recommend watching that speech.

Thomas.

As anyone who knows me would expect, I demand only the best and the finest of eating establishments when I am to sit down to a meal. To help everyone else understand this side of Thomas, I’m going to blog about my lunch today. A boring topic? Not so, and you’ll soon find out.

I only had an hours worth of lectures today, so I could afford the extra time to find a place to sit and eat at my own pace. The restaurant that I found with the most convenience and ease was one by the name of ‘CityRail Train Carriage’. I must say that the decor left much to be desired, and the other patrons, well, they weren’t to my taste. I was rather surprised at the quality of other diners, as there was a cover-charge (of $4.20) to even get in. The whole feel of the restaurant was very post-modern - for example, you aren’t even guaranteed a seat with the cover-charge, and you have to bring your own food.

My selection for the day was a ham, cheese, and lettuce sandwich(1), on white bread, with butter (none of that margarine for me). I also had a side of chips - well, Sakata Chicken Minis(2) to be precise - and for dessert, a Nestle Space Food Stick. In terms of beverages, I made quite a few selections. To first quench my thirst, a nice and refreshing Uni-President MineShine(3) (the ‘finest quality milk tea’ from Taiwan, by way of Sefton, NSW), while accompany my sandwich would be a bottle of Cottees Apple Kiwi cordial, and to go with my side of chips, an ‘08 blend of Vanilla Coke.

The sweat I had worked up getting to the restaurant was immense. The heat, distance, and speed at which I had walked all helped this out. But the ‘pleasure’ and ‘flavorful experience’ I got from my MineShine washed all that away in no time. I certainly tasted the ‘high quality tea leaves’. Soon I was refreshed and relaxed, and ready to start my main course.

The sandwich was rather good. That might be because the chef (affectionately known to her customers as ‘Mum’) had quite a bit of experience (16 or so years) with this particular menu item. The accompanying Apple Kiwi cordial was a very nice drink. I had chosen that especially, as I have been consuming it by the gallon of late. It’s one of my favourite drinks. It’s not a common sight to adults drinking green drinks (Gatorade, etc.) that aren’t playing some sort of sport (like rugby, cricket, syncronised diving, etc.) but I don’t mind the stares. It was a quality combination that I was glad I had put much thought into.

Next, I ate my Minis, and enjoyed the ‘intriguingly smooth’ taste that only Vanilla Coke has. The Chicken crisps were much like my last encounter with this particular brand (though different flavour) - an enjoyable experience. But this time, I had a full-body Vanilla Coke to accentuate and enhance the flavours and experience. This was a very smart combination - perhaps better than the sandwich/Apple Kiwi combination. I made a note about this for myself later.

Finally, dessert. The Space Food Stick, of the chocolate race, was a welcome treat. It had been some time since I had had one of these, after going through primary school having one every day with lunch. I had had them so often in the past that I hadn’t wanted another one until recent times. After I started eating this one for my lunch, I remembered why I liked them so much. They are almost like a lolly - certainly with the same sugar content - in that they are chewy and tasty. Much like the fat on a piece of meat too. I guess you could call them all lollies then.

While I was used to the caramel type of Space Food Stick, the chocolate was just as good. Nestle seem to have out-done them self in this department.

Once I had finished dessert, I sat around for some tie (half hour), passing time until I was free to go home. I resumed reading my copy of I Am American (And So Can You!), and laughed quite a few times. A very good read. Finally, I got up and left to go home. While I probably wouldn’t normally go back to a restaurant the very next day, I expect that I’ll be back there tomorrow. The service there was a little rough, and their grey and black uniforms leave much to be desired (so too them checking to see if you have paid the cover-charge). I wouldn’t eat if I had to share a table, or tried this new way of dining - standing around or leaning on a wall. But I think I’ll be back to dine if I can get a seat again. Probably tomorrow for an afternoon meal.

Thomas.

Notes:

(1) - This is frozen bread. It is most likely what my sandwich looked like before it was made.
(2) - If you want to see know how ‘mini’ these Minis are, I’m providing a scale reference here: metric/Imperial
(3) -  For my less-worldly readers who can’t read Taiwanese, here’s an English translated version (conveniently located on the other side of the bottle).