by Eleanor Lin
The Birth and Purpose of Political Cartoons A political cartoon is a kind of caricature that focuses on criticizing and satirizing domestic or foreign political problems and events. Political cartoons developed early and have had tremendous influence. Ironic cartoons targeted at current events developed during the nineteenth century. The first series was published in Punch in 1841, and in the late nineteenth century other series began to be published in Europe. Newspapers have played a key role, with cartoons reflecting current events and public opinion. In the early 1900’s, comic strips were included and steadily increased in popularity. Other kinds of cartoons sprang up and have shaped the comic industry we know today.
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by Vickie Wang
“ For thousands of years, artists have been vulnerable when they present their artwork to viewers…But today, Taiwanese artists are facing threats they’ve never experienced before.” - Association of the Visual Arts in Taiwan, December 2009. December 10, 2009, on the eve of the thirtieth anniversary of the Formosa Incident,[1] Chia-Chun Chen(陳嘉君), the wife of a former political victim Ming-teh Shih (施明徳), intruded into contemporary artist Wen-Fu Yu's(游文富) outdoor exhibition, Outside the Wall (牆外), and destroyed some of the artwork during the opening press conference at the Jingmei Human Rights Memorial Park (景美人權園區). The incident was immediately captured by reporters. Meanwhile, the artist, overwhelmed with grief, cried uncontrollably and nearly collapsed on the spot. by Grace Chen
On February 28, a group of people gathered outside an old theater. They stood in a long line in the cold wind, waiting to see the last movie to be played there. Some clutched cameras, trying to capture the final glimpses of a theater that had accompanied them for 27 years. “Thanks and Good bye” were written in big characters on a red banner on the wall, since from that day on the theater would be officially closed down. Its name is Changchun, which means everlasting spring; however, it has failed to survive the coldest winter in Taiwan’s cultural industry. By Tina Lee
“When I was a child, giving speeches totally freaked me out! But that’s what I do everyday now.” “If you asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, the job I’m now doing wouldn’t even have crossed my mind.“ It was hard to believe that these words came out of the man sitting in front of me, who has been the beloved vice mayor of Taichung for the past nine years. The name Chia-chi Hsiao shouldn’t be unfamiliar to you, and due to the combining of Taichung city and Taichung county he’s been in the news a lot lately. But what lies behind all the official jargon? Mr. Hsiao paused to tell me about his life as a politician. by Prairie Lin
Can it be possible to enjoy the arts without charge? This question emerges frequently. Constrained by limited wealth, we have to be careful with money and get our priorities straight. Therefore, art entertainment is usually considered a luxury, certainly not as necessary as our daily bread. Although there are some free events occasionally, we tend to evaluate them according to their price: zero. But is this just a misunderstanding? by Tomomi Tsuchiya
Dear NTU students, Put your pen down and close your textbook. Relax and think about something fun like traveling! In this article, you will find some helpful (perhaps summer) travel ideas. This is a special guidebook for you based on a survey of sixty Taiwanese students at NTU. According to the results, the top three countries to visit are Japan, the USA, and France. I asked some international students from these three countries to offer useful local information which we usually wouldn’t be able to find in published guidebooks. Check them out! How to Pretend You Care About What Other People Are Saying When You Are Stuck in a Conversation Where The Topic Is Something You Don’t Really Care About But Want to Be Polite
by Arthur Chou Yes! You Can Do It Too! Ever find yourself completely uninterested in what other people are saying? Here is just one case out from the files of the new book written by Dick Bird. Take A Free Look Inside! Excerpt from Chapter 3: Make Other People Think You Are Listening Scientific studies have shown that 70.89% of our communication derives from our body language. Therefore it’s important that you give others the impression that you are listening by means of detailed gestures. These gestures convey most of your message. Fortunately these gestures can be mechanically replicated because most people are lonely, vulnerable, and sad. Therefore you can always get away with it. But like everything else in this book, it takes time and effort to perfect the techniques. In the beginning, always look at speakers directly in the eye to let them know they have your attention. Don’t try to hypnotize them though. The goal here is to gain eye contact. Once your eyes are locked, slightly nod your head about 15 degrees as if you agree with what they are saying. Increase the speed little by little. You want to trick your speaker into thinking they’ve finally found someone who cares about them. Try blinking very fast occasionally. It means you are not only listening, but also processing what is being said. Don’t do it too fast or too often though, or else they might think you have a disease and then pity you instead. Frown a little when they pause to find the right words. They’ll think you are trying to understand them and want to know more about the subject. It can also be interpreted that you are on their side and sympathize with them competely. Once you have reached this point successfully, you can basically stop listening to the speaker and start to daydream about whatever. Let your imagination soar. It’s different with everybody. I, for one, love to think about monster trucks, red cactuses, unicorns, lamps, Patrick the Starfish, Jupiter, and Lady Gaga music videos. What if every once in a while they expect you to respond? Don’t panic. This happens all the time. Just repeat the end of their last sentence but turn it into the form of a question. Dialogue 1: Scientist: …then I got interested in interfacial chemistry, especially in physical adsorption from the gas and liquid phases on microporous and mesoporous solids. You: Microporous and mesoporous solids? Scientist: (Proudly) Exactly! (Continues) Did you know that… Also, memorize the six golden phrases. The six golden phrases are: Uh-huh… / Really? / No Way! / That’s impossible / Wow! / What do you mean? Apply these after any sentence as they can pretty much fit any situation. The possibilities are infinite. Feel free to experiment with these phrases in different tones and pronunciations. One way of practicing them would be to participate in conversations and just drop in these words randomly. It won’t be long until everyone thinks you’re the nicest listener ever. See what other readers think!! Harry Chest: A few months ago I was at a party where I saw a good opportunity to strike up a conversation with a rather attractive young girl. The beginning of the exchange was very exciting. We had the following agreements: 1. The party was cool. 2. The weather was good. 3. The cocktails were alright. Up to that point I thought I was doing really well. After all we were agreeing on three things already. Then tragedy stuck when she started to talk about her favorite subject – green beans. She was intrigued by the reproduction process and biological experiments she had with them, the health aspect and how delicious they could be. I wasn’t. And after 20 minutes I realized that maybe I wasn’t so intrigued by her either. Thank god for How to Pretend You Care About What Other People Are Saying When You Are Stuck in a Conversation Where The Topic Is Something You Don’t Really Care About But Want to Be Polite. Otherwise I would never have come out of it alive! For your free sample copy contact Arthur Chou at Pretend You Care Publishing Co. Ltd. Available at better bookstores everywhere. by Elisa Chang
According to a survey of 2068 students, 61 percent took part in some form of academic dishonesty. In this survey, academic dishonesty includes plagiarism, providing peers with answers to homework when instructed not to do so, taking answers from others, as well as copying off tests. While the statistics provided in this survey may not illustrate exactly the amount of cheating prevalent across institutions in Taiwan, this study does bring up some questions educators ought to consider. That being the case, what are the educational goals of our schools, and are we succeeding? by Kavir Tseng
After the government lifted the newspaper ban in its quest for democracy, people in Taiwan have more ways to express different thoughts and opinions. Many people relied on newspapers as their main or their only source of information. However, thanks to the rapid development of technology, we now turn to television and the internet to get news as well. Newspaper readers have been declining day by day, and the downturn of the newspaper business is no longer something new. Some suggest it’s time to say goodbye to newspapers while others argue that they should exist because they can’t imagine their lives without holding newspapers in their hands. by LYLA XUAN HUANG
The long hand passed seven and he was supposed to show up thirty-something minutes ago. It’s always hard not to get antsy when you are waiting for Dr. Yanwing Leung. After all, he has to get away from tons of meetings, the number of which has increased more rapidly after he became Chair of DFLL. “I couldn’t find any parking space,” he said when he finally arrived, with a can-you-believe–this-is-happening grin, “So how are things doing?” This is a typical Yanwing Leung style – he always warmly greets you as if you were a friend he hasn’t met for a long time. |
Authors
The Taida Student Journal has been active since 1995 with an ever-changing roster of student journalists at NTU. Click the above link to read about the authors Archives
May 2024
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