Thursday, May 27, 2004
NYTimes about the coverage of the Iraq War
Times: But we have found a number of instances of coverage that was not as rigorous as it should have been. Another Exchange between Gordon and Massing.
Tuesday, May 25, 2004
Not that theory
In this NYT piece, "Gadsden is the only majority-black county in Florida and one of the poorest, with high unemployment and illiteracy rates and, in 2000, an outmoded voting system that had been in place for decades. Its demographics are similar to parts of Duval, Palm Beach, Miami-Dade and other counties that had high rates of ballot spoilage: an investigation by The Miami Herald and USA Today found that 83 of the 100 precincts with the largest numbers of discarded ballots were majority black."
In Taiwan, the toughening of the valid vote standard results in high rates of ballot spoilage in high illiteracy rate area, such as Yunlin(雲林).
In Taiwan, the toughening of the valid vote standard results in high rates of ballot spoilage in high illiteracy rate area, such as Yunlin(雲林).
Political Engagment in Campus?
An intriguing discussion about discussing politics in campuses.
Thursday, May 20, 2004
A Thought-provoking Read
About mediation and divorce (New York Times, Untying the Knot August 24, 2003) and the responses from the readers
Tuesday, May 18, 2004
101: MyCity
The first impression when entering the Taipei 101 
(the T-shape sub-building, main floors won't open till the year end) is the fresh air. Or oxymoron, "natural and recycled" air. You feel like a different person inside. The building is so new, you feel like you're entering a giant brand-new car and can't stop sniffing the permeating aroma. It is a bit un-Taiwan. Or I mean, the 101 should fit perfectly to Taipei. (pretentious, international, bourgeois, neatness freakish, me-too-ism and so on) You feel like a better person inside. Rarely anyone litters. Grown-up refrains from turning heads when a pseudo-super-model passes by. The toddlers are warned they would get expelled if misbehaves. Window shopping is a painful experience. It seems all high-class boutique stores inside employ overdressed, heavenly beautiful and helplessly helpful people to serve.
It feels like a giant, directionless casino. Inside, you are on a different time-zone. You overhear different languages. It’s so sparkling bright here. Maybe a pair of sunglasses should be mandatory upon entering. There is no traditional “ding dong dong dong” department store canned announcement. Everyone behaves like as in Versailles Palace.
Maybe the food court downstairs reminds you it’s still in Taiwan. The KFC sits not far from chicken feet and pig intestine gourmet.
Like the Sears Tower in Chicago, I believe, The Taipei 101 deserves its own zip-code. Any suggestion for the lucky number?
(the T-shape sub-building, main floors won't open till the year end) is the fresh air. Or oxymoron, "natural and recycled" air. You feel like a different person inside. The building is so new, you feel like you're entering a giant brand-new car and can't stop sniffing the permeating aroma. It is a bit un-Taiwan. Or I mean, the 101 should fit perfectly to Taipei. (pretentious, international, bourgeois, neatness freakish, me-too-ism and so on) You feel like a better person inside. Rarely anyone litters. Grown-up refrains from turning heads when a pseudo-super-model passes by. The toddlers are warned they would get expelled if misbehaves. Window shopping is a painful experience. It seems all high-class boutique stores inside employ overdressed, heavenly beautiful and helplessly helpful people to serve.
It feels like a giant, directionless casino. Inside, you are on a different time-zone. You overhear different languages. It’s so sparkling bright here. Maybe a pair of sunglasses should be mandatory upon entering. There is no traditional “ding dong dong dong” department store canned announcement. Everyone behaves like as in Versailles Palace.
Maybe the food court downstairs reminds you it’s still in Taiwan. The KFC sits not far from chicken feet and pig intestine gourmet.
Like the Sears Tower in Chicago, I believe, The Taipei 101 deserves its own zip-code. Any suggestion for the lucky number?
Who said that on Meet the Press
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3032608/
Who said that on Meet the Press...
Look, the Kuomintang cannot count on the failure of Chen Shui-bian for the success of the Kuomintang and because--and the Taiwanese people, including this senator, want Chen to succeed because Chen's success is Taiwan's success. Chen's failure is Taiwan's failure.
Replace (Taiwan,Kuomintang, Chen) with (U.S.,Democrats, Bush) respectively, you got (drum rolling)
Senator Joseph Biden, D-DEhttp://msnbc.msn.com/id/3032608/
Who said that on Meet the Press...
Look, the Kuomintang cannot count on the failure of Chen Shui-bian for the success of the Kuomintang and because--and the Taiwanese people, including this senator, want Chen to succeed because Chen's success is Taiwan's success. Chen's failure is Taiwan's failure.
Replace (Taiwan,Kuomintang, Chen) with (U.S.,Democrats, Bush) respectively, you got (drum rolling)
Senator Joseph Biden, D-DEhttp://msnbc.msn.com/id/3032608/
Sunday, May 16, 2004
Network Projection
About the 2004 election night TV coverage in Taiwan, according to the latest issue of the Con-temporary magazine, every news channels except San-li engaged in fabricating the vote-counting process after the polls were closed.
Though shockingly sadden by this shameless and unethical manipulation by the already notorious TV media in Taiwan, here, I want to offer my observation of projecting the winner during the honest (that was my, and everyone’s I think, hope), gavel-to-gavel coverage of the election night.
Given the final result is so close (about 0.23% percentage points difference), if the official result from the (official) Central Election Committee already included 50% of the all polling places’ results, the margin of the error for projecting each candidate’s final standing will be
2 * sqrt (0.5 * 0.5 / 6,000,000) = 0.04%
Therefore, though the razor-thin margin, it’s still prudent to predict that Mr. Chen Shui-bian as the projected winner half way through the vote-counting process. The margin of the error in sampling, 0.04%, means, in 19 of 20 cases the percentage point difference between the two camps during only 50% votes were already counted will not exceed 0.08%. So the margin of 0.23% is large enough to be reliable.
Though shockingly sadden by this shameless and unethical manipulation by the already notorious TV media in Taiwan, here, I want to offer my observation of projecting the winner during the honest (that was my, and everyone’s I think, hope), gavel-to-gavel coverage of the election night.
Given the final result is so close (about 0.23% percentage points difference), if the official result from the (official) Central Election Committee already included 50% of the all polling places’ results, the margin of the error for projecting each candidate’s final standing will be
2 * sqrt (0.5 * 0.5 / 6,000,000) = 0.04%
Therefore, though the razor-thin margin, it’s still prudent to predict that Mr. Chen Shui-bian as the projected winner half way through the vote-counting process. The margin of the error in sampling, 0.04%, means, in 19 of 20 cases the percentage point difference between the two camps during only 50% votes were already counted will not exceed 0.08%. So the margin of 0.23% is large enough to be reliable.
No pun intended
I went to the Taipei 101, full of most beautiful people in Taipei. The Sogo department store inside shows a promo video of no strip bras. Three nubile are jumping up and down with only the hi-tech clothes on to demo this novelty. No one stops and watches it except me. If they show some accidental failure of these bras, so-called wardrobe malfunction in the western civilization, in the tape, probably will attract some crowd. I think that’s the “selling point” 賣點 (in Chinese). Oh, no puns intended. That is 此點非彼點.
Up to the fourth floor, the gargantuan bookstore, the Page One. Another place for renaissance in the 21st century of Taipei, at least on paper. Again no puns intended. I spotted two French speaking. Overheard their dialogue.
tel est le bilan des victimes irakiennes des ce gon gon le.
I only got about 80% of what they conversed. Guess they were discussed Gong Li’s attire in Cannes, don’t know. (I am kidding, making up their dialogues)
Up to the fourth floor, the gargantuan bookstore, the Page One. Another place for renaissance in the 21st century of Taipei, at least on paper. Again no puns intended. I spotted two French speaking. Overheard their dialogue.
tel est le bilan des victimes irakiennes des ce gon gon le.
I only got about 80% of what they conversed. Guess they were discussed Gong Li’s attire in Cannes, don’t know. (I am kidding, making up their dialogues)
Saturday, May 15, 2004
So far away from God, so close to Taiwan's pan-blue group
The classic definition of chutzpah is said to kill your parents and plead for clemency in front of the judge for the reason of becoming orphanage.
So close. The opposition alliance (pan-blue) in Taiwan just practices.
They ridicule President Chen Shui-bian of hiding behind the
bullet-proof glass and the fortified (by barricade) Presidential Place. This is how it began. Without substantiated evidence, they accused Mr. Chen of staging the shooting incidence happened 24 hours prior to the voting day. Then use inflammatory accusation to doubt-guess his trustworthiness. Even tolerate (or some says encourage) openly assassinating Mr. Chen threat.
Right after the shooting happened, pan-blue blames him for the security laps by not wearing a bullet-proof vet during public rally (only this one seems reasonable, but in hidsight, for Taiwan has been witnessed any major gun-related crime involved major high-level officials).
After Chen's safety is complicated by these assassination threat, hostility from the opposition along with from the deeply polarized society. What is more convenient (or can we say, chutzpah) than laughing at him for the possibility of hiding behind the barricade probably the rest of his next-term.
So close. The opposition alliance (pan-blue) in Taiwan just practices.
They ridicule President Chen Shui-bian of hiding behind the
bullet-proof glass and the fortified (by barricade) Presidential Place. This is how it began. Without substantiated evidence, they accused Mr. Chen of staging the shooting incidence happened 24 hours prior to the voting day. Then use inflammatory accusation to doubt-guess his trustworthiness. Even tolerate (or some says encourage) openly assassinating Mr. Chen threat.
Right after the shooting happened, pan-blue blames him for the security laps by not wearing a bullet-proof vet during public rally (only this one seems reasonable, but in hidsight, for Taiwan has been witnessed any major gun-related crime involved major high-level officials).
After Chen's safety is complicated by these assassination threat, hostility from the opposition along with from the deeply polarized society. What is more convenient (or can we say, chutzpah) than laughing at him for the possibility of hiding behind the barricade probably the rest of his next-term.
Friday, May 14, 2004
Louvre. The mind is its own place, and in itself.
http://home.so-net.net.tw/laurentlin/03all/s1.htm
# posted by Laurent Lin : 1:40 PM
Thursday, May 13, 2004
Recount, recounted
Some thoughts for current 16 millions ballot recount in Taiwan. For those, partially (vaguely) marked ballots -- remind me the Florida hanging or pregnant chads -- waiting to be "divined" by the higher court before May 20th, why don't they be categorized and scanned into computer, so the final rule (lax or strict) can apply to all. Better, can also make these scanned image without any candidate's label (even mirror the image), so it can be, indeed, "blind reviewed." Technically, it is not difficult. It is fair and square.
Think of this scenario, that on the eve of March 20th (decision day), the next president goes to the Lien-Soong ticket by the same razor-thin margin. During the recounting, find out more than 100,000 invalid ballots would have been on the Chen-Lu ticket if the rule for invalid votes had not been relaxed.
Think of this scenario, that on the eve of March 20th (decision day), the next president goes to the Lien-Soong ticket by the same razor-thin margin. During the recounting, find out more than 100,000 invalid ballots would have been on the Chen-Lu ticket if the rule for invalid votes had not been relaxed.
Wednesday, May 12, 2004
Blue States, Green States, The 2004 Presidential Election Result in Taiwan
The difference in percentage between two candidates
p.s. Kinmen & Matsu excluded.
藍藍藍 綠綠綠
Blue States Green States
=========================
澎湖縣 1.1%
南投縣 2.5%
3.6% 台中縣
4.5% 彰化縣
台中市 5.3%
台北縣 6.1%
新竹市 10.2%
桃園縣 10.6%
11.3% 高雄市
12.1% 嘉義市
台北市 13.1%
15.4% 宜蘭縣
15.5% 台南市
16.2% 屏東縣
16.8% 高雄縣
基隆市 18.9%
20.6% 雲林縣
苗栗縣 21.5%
25.6% 嘉義縣
新竹縣 28.1%
29.6% 台南縣
台東縣 31.0%
花蓮縣 40.4%
p.s. Kinmen & Matsu excluded.
One of my deja vu moments
The best columnist in taiwan, hands-down IMHO
To start my blog politically,
The historic recount of the 2004 Presidential election just begins in Taiwan. IMHO, the best columnist in Taiwan is, hands-down, Laurence Eyton. (contender: Jin Heng-wei 金恆煒(in Chinese Big-5 encoding)).
The historic recount of the 2004 Presidential election just begins in Taiwan. IMHO, the best columnist in Taiwan is, hands-down, Laurence Eyton. (contender: Jin Heng-wei 金恆煒(in Chinese Big-5 encoding)).
