There was a lot of "naluwan ho haiyan" going on at the Hoping for Hoping peace festival last weekend, but the high point of the event turned out not to be Aboriginal singer Kimbo (胡德天) and was instead the usual suspects on the local rock and festival scene.
The bands who got the mountainside herb garden hopping in Kunlun, Taoyuan County, were The Deported with a hi-energy set, an artful Chicken Rice (雞腿飯) and a perfectly poised Red-I and Bukake Posse, who will perform next Thursday at Luxy's new live night out.
Earlier, when the peace circle got going around dusk, Aboriginal singers Dakanow and Family started the groove with a largely extemporized performance that lulled the crowd with melodies and made it take notice with the occasional howl.
PHOTO: JULES QUARTLY, TAIPEI TIMES
For those not acquainted with peace circles, this one involved holding hands and circling at increasing speed toward the center, as in an Aboriginal dance. The mantra "naluwan ho haiyan" was repeated as the circle got underway.
We learned from the sleevenote of Kimbo's seriously good album In a Flash that this phrase has no meaning, but is used by all indigenous Taiwanese as a musical phrase that, according to Kimbo, "is the very source of our music."
He was my pick of the bands before the event, but as it turned out he was in and off like a selfish lover, leaving you wanting more.
PHOTO: JULES QUARTLY, TAIPEI TIMES
Otherwise all was sunny in the herb garden. There were plenty of stalls to keep people amused when they weren't looking at the bands and there was a great atmosphere. The oft-repeated line was, "It's better than Spring Scream, less commercialized."
As for those cynics out there who were saying, "I bet it won't happen and they will keep all the money they make for themselves, bloody hippies," it can be revealed that around NT$85,000 in profit was made from the two days of events and this will all be going to peace related charities. Detailed accounts will be posted on the Web site hopingforhoping.com.
The other gig of note last weekend, at Fusion in Tainan, was intended to be a celebration of producer Lee Yu-huan's (李雨寰) work -- in collaboration with Taipei's DJ Edmund -- but it all turned sour when gangsters started lobbing beer bottles at the DJ booth. Apparently the organizer got fined by the police and pissed at a DJ, so the party was shut down early.
PHOTO: JULES QUARTLY, TAIPEI TIMES
Edmund, who was not in the DJ box at the time, said, "It was terrible, one of the worst gigs I have ever played. ... I will never play there again."
Safe in Taipei this weekend there will be an MoS bikini party (again, free entry for the girls wearing very little), with the first-team roster of DJs Buff Wise, Damian Saint, Andrew V, Damian Yu and Tony. Tomorrow, our local hero DJ @llen will be on the decks. Jody Wisternoff from Way Out West will be playing a DJ set next week.
At Luxy, Koncrete Jungle presents Iron DJ, plus special guest Chozie, with the monthly drum 'n' bass/breaks faceoff. Saucey and Coffey will also be playing. Tomorrow, it's back to the 2F old-skool days, with a remix party, featuring Daryl, Joe Ho, J-Six, Reason, Vertigo, and Xiao Hei.
That US assistance was a model for Taiwan’s spectacular development success was early recognized by policymakers and analysts. In a report to the US Congress for the fiscal year 1962, former President John F. Kennedy noted Taiwan’s “rapid economic growth,” was “producing a substantial net gain in living.” Kennedy had a stake in Taiwan’s achievements and the US’ official development assistance (ODA) in general: In September 1961, his entreaty to make the 1960s a “decade of development,” and an accompanying proposal for dedicated legislation to this end, had been formalized by congressional passage of the Foreign Assistance Act. Two
Despite the intense sunshine, we were hardly breaking a sweat as we cruised along the flat, dedicated bike lane, well protected from the heat by a canopy of trees. The electric assist on the bikes likely made a difference, too. Far removed from the bustle and noise of the Taichung traffic, we admired the serene rural scenery, making our way over rivers, alongside rice paddies and through pear orchards. Our route for the day covered two bike paths that connect in Fengyuan District (豐原) and are best done together. The Hou-Feng Bike Path (后豐鐵馬道) runs southward from Houli District (后里) while the
President William Lai’s (賴清德) March 13 national security speech marked a turning point. He signaled that the government was finally getting serious about a whole-of-society approach to defending the nation. The presidential office summarized his speech succinctly: “President Lai introduced 17 major strategies to respond to five major national security and united front threats Taiwan now faces: China’s threat to national sovereignty, its threats from infiltration and espionage activities targeting Taiwan’s military, its threats aimed at obscuring the national identity of the people of Taiwan, its threats from united front infiltration into Taiwanese society through cross-strait exchanges, and its threats from
March 31 to April 6 On May 13, 1950, National Taiwan University Hospital otolaryngologist Su You-peng (蘇友鵬) was summoned to the director’s office. He thought someone had complained about him practicing the violin at night, but when he entered the room, he knew something was terribly wrong. He saw several burly men who appeared to be government secret agents, and three other resident doctors: internist Hsu Chiang (許強), dermatologist Hu Pao-chen (胡寶珍) and ophthalmologist Hu Hsin-lin (胡鑫麟). They were handcuffed, herded onto two jeeps and taken to the Secrecy Bureau (保密局) for questioning. Su was still in his doctor’s robes at