在臺灣執政的中國國民黨於昨日的縣市長選舉中遭逢挫敗，將競爭最激烈的其中一個縣的縣長寶座輸給了在野的民主進步黨。[1] 結果，中國國民黨主席馬英九總統誓言繼續推動「改革」。「馬總統說，政府會把握剛萌芽的經濟復甦契機，來改善人民的日常生活。」[2]

這裡說的剛萌芽的經濟復甦，如果有的話，應該是指某些都會區飆漲房價的復甦，某些公司股價的復甦，以及飆漲的汽油價格的復甦。但話說回來，這個所謂的「經濟復甦」，與多數臺灣人民的日常生活有何關係？

在大多數民主國家，尤其是臺灣，經濟始終是一個主要議題，也是候選人為了贏得勝選而對大眾提出的重要訴求。在臺灣，幾乎每一位候選人，不論來自執政黨或反對黨，皆會承諾透過經濟來改善人民的生活。

然而，經濟成長通常是用國內生產毛額的增加來衡量的，但只有資本家們與政客們能必然從中獲利。普羅百姓們並不必然從中獲利，尤其當所謂的「經濟成長」是用房地產市場、股票市場或超級市場中的價格飆漲來作代表時。

一個政府若想永續改善人民的日常生活，必需適度地監督與管制資本家們的活動，而非與他們合作。一個只重視經濟發展而非環境保護的政府，連保護其人民的生命安全都很困難，更別提改善人民的日常生活了。

The ruling Kuomintang (KMT, the Chinese Nationalist Party) of Taiwan suffered a setback in local government’s election yesterday, losing control of one of the most tightly contested counties to the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). [1] As a result, President Ma Ying-jeou, chairman of KMT, vowed to continue pushing for “reforms”. “Ma said the government will use the budding economic recovery to improve the people’s daily lives.” [2]

If any, the budding economic recovery in this context should mean the recovery of certain metropolitan area’s soaring house prices, the recovery of certain companies’ share prices, and the recovery of soaring petrol prices. But then, what do most of Taiwanese people’s daily lives have to do with this so-called “economic recovery”?

The economy has always been a major issue and an important appeal to the public to win elections in most democratic countries, especially Taiwan. In this country, almost every candidate, either from the ruling party or the opposition parties, would promise to improve people’s daily lives through economy.

However, only capitalists and politicians can certainly benefit from economic growth, which is usually measured by an increase in real gross domestic product (GDP). Proletarian people do not necessarily benefit from it, not even close when the so-called “economic growth” is represented by the soaring prices in the housing market, the share market, or the supermarket.

To sustainably improve people’s daily lives, a government needs to properly supervise and regulate the activities of capitalists, not to cooperate with them. A government which only values economic development rather than environmental protection can hardly protect its people’s lives, not to mention the improvement of their daily lives.

參照 Reference

[1] The China Post, “KMT suffers setback.” Dec. 6th, 2009. http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/national/national-news/2009/12/06/235412/KMT-suffers.htm

[2] The China Post, “Results were unsatisfactory: Ma.” Dec. 6th, 2009. http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/national/national-news/2009/12/06/235414/p1/Results-were.htm

＊片頭：2009年8月的莫拉克風災（數百位臺灣人民因氣候異常、土地開發不當與救難指揮不當而喪命） The Video Above: The Disaster of Typhoon Morakot in August 2009 (Hundreds of Taiwanese people died from it due to climate change, improper land development and inadequate rescue orders.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPDVxKCr_Qs

今年年底，長庚紀念醫院即將在臺灣的雲林縣麥寮鄉開設一家專精於癌症治療與其它相關醫療領域的分院。目前，雲林縣民罹患癌症的比率是臺灣其他縣市居民的1.7倍。

然而，此地也是台塑集團所擁有的六輕工廠所在地，而長庚紀念醫院亦為台塑集團所有。「根據研究報告，自從輕油裂解廠於1999年開始在麥寮以及鄰近的台西、東石、崙背和四湖等其它四個鄉排放揮發性有機化合物以來，這些地區居民罹患癌症的數量已經顯著增加。台西鄉的肝癌罹患率在過去九年來已經增加了30個百分比。」[1]

在資本主義的社會體制下，醫療產業通常會蓬勃發展，並且透過重工業的發展及其所帶來的壞處，例如污染，來賺取利潤。然而，一個企業集團能夠同時透過這兩個方向來賺錢則是非常罕見的。隨著歷任政府與國會的無能，資本家們能令人驚訝地同時利用當地居民的辛苦勞動與健康照護來賺取最大的利潤。

此外，「台塑集團的六輕廠每年排放六千七百五十萬噸的二氧化碳，需要三百三十四萬公頃的森林才能抵銷其影響。欲抵銷台塑集團規劃中的煉鋼廠的碳排放量，則需要七十四萬公頃的森林。這兩者的面積加起來已經超過了三百六十萬公頃的臺灣總面積。」[2]

事實上，臺灣的溫室氣體排放不需要遵守任何的國際管制，因為臺灣從未簽署任何這方面的條約，包括京都議定書。為什麼呢？因為臺灣從未被主要國家承認為一個國家，也因此從未被接受以主權國家身分來參與任何相關國際會議，而宣稱擁有臺灣的中國政府則從未對臺灣有過任何形式的實際管轄權。

With a speciality in cancer-curing and other related medical fields, a new branch of Chang Gung Memorial Hospital is opening at the end of this year in Taiwan. This branch is located in Mailiao Township of Yunlin County. In this county, residents’ cancer infliction rate is now 1.7 times higher than the average of residents in other cities and counties around Taiwan.

Nevertheless, this area is also the location of The Sixth Naphtha Cracking Plant owned by Formosa Plastics Group (FPG), which is the owner of Chang Gung Memorial Hospital as well. “According to the investigation report, cancer incidents have grown noticeably among residents in Mailiao township and four other adjacent townships of Taisi, Dongshih, Lunbei and Sihhu since the cracking plant began to emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in 1999. Infliction rates of liver cancer have grown 30 percent in Taisi township over the past nine years.” [1] 

Under the social system of capitalism, the medical industry can usually prosper and benefit from the development of heavy industry and the defects it leaves behind, such as pollution. However, it is very rare to see a corporation group making money through these two directions at the same time. With impotence of successive governments and congresses, capitalists can amazingly make the most money out of both local people’s hard labour and health care.

Moreover, “Formosa Plastics Group’s (FPG) Sixth Naphtha Cracker Plant emits 67.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year, which would require a 3,340,000 hectare forest to offset its effects. Offsetting carbon emissions from FPG’s planned steel refinery would require 740,000 hectares of forest. These two together would exceed Taiwan’s total area of 3.6 million hectares.” [2]

In fact, the green house gas emissions in Taiwan don’t need to abide by any international regulations because Taiwan has never signed any protocols in this regard, including the Kyoto Protocol. Why? Because Taiwan has never been recognised as a country by major countries and hence has never been accepted in joining any related international meetings as a sovereign state while the government of mainland China, which claims the dominion over Taiwan, has never had any de facto authority over Taiwan in any way, shape or form.

參照 Reference

[1] The China Post, “Yunlin wants FPG naphtha cracker closed on cancer fears.” June 9th, 2009. http://www.chinapost.com.tw/health/cancer/2009/06/09/211401/Yunlin-wants.htm

[2] Lee, Ken-cheng. “There is not enough land to off-set emissions.” Taipei Times. April 11th, 2008. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2008/04/11/2003408944

＊片頭：現代麥寮海邊 The Video Above: The Modern Seashore of Mailiao http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8xt43Zjajc

吃青草而非混雜飼料的放牧澳洲牛 free-range Australian cattle eating fresh grass rather than mishmash forage

就狂牛症而言，美國牛肉是極具爭議性的，即使在美國國內本身也是一樣。然而，美國政府卻以其經濟力量分別迫使南韓與臺灣於2008年與2009年進口包括特別危險部位如內臟與絞肉在內的美國牛肉，即使這兩國人民的反對聲浪高漲亦然。

為什麼這些民眾反對美國牛肉呢？下列問與答足以說明其原因。

問: 請問吃美國牛肉（包括內臟與絞肉）得到狂牛症的機率低到趨近於零嗎？
答: 錯。用來計算得病機率所依據的資料是：美國只有過三頭病牛，但這個依據不可能是正確的，因為：
1. 受到感染的牛在被檢驗出狂牛症之前就被宰殺了。感染狂牛症的牛通常要等到兩歲以後才能被檢驗出來，但是「比較年輕的牛隻是會被傳染而且具有傳染力的，然而牠們在開始出現症狀前就會被宰殺供人類食用了。」[1]
2. 美國使用錯誤的統計方法。不像日本全面檢驗每一隻牛，美國政府從未對美國牛進行全面普查，連強制性的隨機抽檢都沒有，而只檢查由業者自行採樣與提報的牛隻。[2]
3. 美國曾企圖隱匿狂牛症疫情。「Lester Friedlander先生是美國農業部的前任獸醫員， …他說，在1990年代初期，當他向美國農業部的首席病理學家提及狂牛症時，發生了下列的對話：『Lester，如果你發現了狂牛症案例，請答應我一件事情？』他被如此問道。他回問：『答應你什麼？』『答應我你不會告訴任何人。』Friedlander先生說他願意接受測謊來證實他的故事。他的結論是：『一旦我聽到他這麼說之後，我就明白了這整個牛隻檢驗作業只不過是個笑話。』」[3]

問: 請問如果我只吃30個月齡以下的美國牛肉（包括內臟與絞肉）就安全了嗎？
答: 錯。雖然感染狂牛症的牛通常要等到兩歲後才會發病，但沒有發病、看似健康的牛也會有狂牛症。美國發現的第一頭狂牛症病牛，就是一隻看似健康的牛，之所以會被送去檢測，完全是巧合，美國農業部人員還企圖阻止牧場員工爆料。[4]

問: 請問目前為止沒有任何人吃美國牛肉而感染新庫賈氏症（人類感染狂牛症導致的疾病）嗎？
答: 錯。美國第一位被證實因狂牛症致死的病患於過世前在美國住了十幾年，吃了十幾年的美國牛肉。[5] 此外，有許多美國人可能已潛伏感染狂牛症但尚未發病，或者已發病但沒有被提報，因為有學者研究指出美國可能有許多被診斷為散發性海綿狀腦症的病患其實是狂牛症所導致的，但此病極易被誤診為阿茲海默症，而且，「美國疾病管制局並沒有實施全國性的規範來要求醫師與醫院提報此病的病人。」[6]

問: 請問國際議定書可以不必經過國會或人民的同意就生效嗎？
答: 錯。例如美國在柯林頓政府時代，美國政府代表於1998年11月12日在日本簽訂的「京都議定書」（用來管制溫室氣體排放量的約定）因為被當時的美國參議院否決而沒有在美國生效。[7]

問: 請問政府實施國內的行政管制措施能阻止美國牛內臟絞肉流入市面嗎？
答: 錯。美國牛內臟絞肉不會出現在市面上，但會出現在「市面下」。一旦合法入境後，能以各種魚目混珠的方法進到消費者口中，反正潛伏期很久，消費者吃了之後，並不像急性腸胃炎會馬上發現。等過幾年發病之後，已經無法確認因果關係與追究商家責任了。

問: 請問如果我選擇不要吃美國牛肉就安全了嗎？
答: 錯。美國牛肉與別國牛肉無法輕易分辨，美國牛骨可被店家拿來熬湯，美國牛內臟絞肉更能混入各種加工食品（例如火腿、貢丸、素料等），或者被製成飼料餵食牛、豬、雞、鴨、魚進而污染食物鏈，一旦污染物質被拿來施肥則會污染土壤，連吃青菜都會有事。此外，狂牛症變性蛋白更已被證實會經由人與人之間的輸血傳染，使得整個醫療體系皆暴露在風險之中。

下列第一則影片是關於美國牛肉如何被生產出來的動畫。第二則影片是關於一位臺灣學生吃牛糞抗議美國牛肉內臟與絞肉進口的故事。

The US beef is very controversial in regard to mad cow disease even in the US itself. However, the US government has used its economical power to force South Korea and Taiwan to import its beef including particularly dangerous parts such as internal organs and mince (ground beef) respectively in 2008 and 2009, regardless of the groundswell of opposition from the people of these two countries.

Why do these people oppose the US beef? The following questions and answerings say it all.

Q: The probability of getting mad cow disease from eating the US beef (including internal organs and mince) is so low that it can be considered as zero?

A: False. The calculation of the probability is based on the data that the US has only had three cases of mad cow disease in the herd. However, the data cannot be true due to the following reasons:

1. The infected cattle are slaughtered before their disease can be detected. Usually, the mad cow disease can only be detected after the cattle are more than two years old. Nevertheless, “younger cattle could be infected and infectious, but be slaughtered for human consumption before they started showing symptoms.” [1]

2. The statistical method used by the US government is inadequate. Unlike Japan, which inspects all of their cattle, the US government has never done any census or any obligated random sampling to detect the disease. Instead, it only inspects the cattle sampled and reported by the industry itself. [2]

3. The US has intended to conceal mad cow cases. “Mr. Friedlander is a former veterinarian with the U.S. Department of Agriculture … In the early 1990s, he said he was speaking to the USDA’s chief pathologist about mad cow when the following exchange took place: ‘Lester, if you ever find mad cow disease, promise me one thing?’ he was asked. ‘What’s that?’ he responded. ‘Don’t tell anybody.’ Mr. Friedlander says he would take a lie-detector test to back up his story. ‘Once I heard that, then I knew this whole thing was a joke,’ he concluded.” [3]

Q: It will be safe as long as I only eat the US beef (including internal organs and mince) from the cattle under 30 months old?

A: False. Although the symptoms of mad cow disease usually will not show up until the infected cattle are more than two years old, the cattle without symptoms could have been infected already. In fact, the first confirmed US case of mad cow disease was “a perfectly good walking cow”. It was “just a fluke” that the cow was sent to be tested. The USDA agents even intended to stop the whistle-blowing of the cattle hand who actually killed the cow in question. [4]

Q: So far there is no one infected with Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD, the illness of human infected with mad cow disease) from eating the US beef?

A: False. The first confirmed US patient of vCJD had dwelled in the US and eaten the US beef for around ten years before she died from this disease. [5] Besides, there could be a lot of people in the US infected with this disease without showing up any symptoms yet or even died from it without being reported.  It has been pointed out by some researchers that there could be a lot of patients who were diagnosed with ‘Sporadic’ CJD but actually infected with mad cow disease. However, Sporadic CJD is particularly easy to be misdiagnosed as Alzheimer’s disease. Furthermore, “the CDC has refused to impose a national requirement that physicians and hospitals report cases of the disease.” [6]

Q: International protocols can be implemented without being ratified by Congress or citizens?

A: False. For example, in the US, when Bill Clinton was President, a Clinton Administration official signed the Kyoto Protocol (to reduce greenhouse gas emissions) on November 12, 1998. Nevertheless, the protocol was not implemented due to its failure of being ratified by the Senate. [7]

Q: The internal regulations implemented by the administration can stop the US beef (including internal organs and mince) from flowing to markets?

A: False. The US beef (including internal organs and mince) may not show up on the market but may turn up on the black market. Once it has been imported legally, it can be eaten by consumers through various concealed ways. Unlike intestinal and stomach troubles, the disease will not be found out immediately by consumers since the incubation is too long to investigate any sources or responsibilities.

Q: It will be safe as long as I don’t choose to eat the US beef?

A: False. The US beef can not be easily distinguished from other countries’ beef. The bone of the US beef can be used to simmer for soup. The internal organs and mince of the US beef can be mixed into various processed foods (such as ham, meat balls and veggie burgers) or processed into forage for cattle, pigs, chickens, ducks, and fish so as to contaminate food chains. Once the contaminants are used as fertilizer, the soil will also be contaminated and then even eating vegetables will be dangerous as well. Besides, it has also been confirmed that the variant prion protein is also transmissible through blood transfusion so that the whole medical system will be in danger as well.

The first video below is an animation about how the US beef is produced. The second video is about a Taiwanese student who ate cow dung to protest against the import of the US beef including internal organs and mince.

參照 Reference

[1] Greger, Michael. “USDA Measures Don’t Go Far Enough to Protect the American Public.” 2003. http://www.organicconsumers.org/madcow/greger123103a.cfm

[2] Food and Drug Administration. “Meeting of transmissible spongiform  encephalopathies advisory committee.” 2006.   http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/ac/06/transcripts/1006-4240t1.htm

[3] Egan, Kelly. “U.S. hiding mad cow cases: Expert.” 2005. http://www.healthcoalition.ca/usabse.pdf

[4] Bonné, Jon. “Was diseased cow indeed a ‘downer?’” 2004. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4198248

[5] Falco, Miriam. “Woman thought to have human form of mad cow disease dies.” 2004. http://edition.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/06/21/madcow.patient/

[6] Mitchell, Steve. “Mad cow causes BOTH ‘Sporadic’ CJD and vCJD.” 2003. http://www.rense.com/general47/spor.htm

[7] Antonelli, Angela and Brett D. Schaefer. “Why the Kyoto Signing Signals Disregard For Congress.” 1998. http://www.heritage.org/research/energyandenvironment/em559.cfm

臺灣東海岸的迷濛美景 The misty scenery of the east shore of Taiwan

臺灣，又稱福爾摩莎（源自葡萄牙語之”美麗(島)”），是中華民國最大的島嶼，擁有超過二千三百萬人口，位於臺灣海峽東部，亦即中國大陸東南沿海之對岸。

自從第二次世界大戰於1945年結束後，原為日本殖民地的臺灣群島便被中華民國佔領。當中華民國的執政黨，亦即中國國民黨，於1949年在國共內戰中敗給共產黨後，中華民國的中央政府便遷至臺灣，並把臺北設為首都；於此同時，共產黨則在中國大陸建立中華人民共和國。此後，中華民國（請別與中華人民共和國混淆）一直都是一個位於東亞的主權獨立國家，如今普遍被稱作臺灣。

中華民國政府過去是國際承認的中國獨裁政權，並以此做為聯合國的創始會員國之一，以及聯合國安全理事會的常務理事國之一，直到1971年被中華人民共和國取而代之。不過，由於臺灣人民自1970年代晚期以來的民主化運動，中華民國（臺灣）正從一個獨裁國家逐漸演變為一個民主國家，其總統已由人民直接選舉產生。

然而，由於中華人民共和國的興起以及其政府所施加的壓力，中華民國（臺灣）也已從一個全球普遍承認的國家逐漸演變為一個與世界大多數國家之間只具有”實務往來”關係的國家。現在國際上對這個國家的承認是非常侷限的，她也一直被拒絕以獨立國家的身分來參加大多數的國際組織（例如世界衛生組織）。

下列音樂影片是臺灣樂團閃靈於2007年發表的歌曲”無限臺灣”。

Taiwan, also known as Formosa (from Portuguese: (Ilha) Formosa, meaning “beautiful (island)”), is the largest island of the Republic of China (ROC) with a population of more than 23 million people, which is located east of the Taiwan Strait, off the southeastern coast of mainland China.

Since the end of World War II in 1945, the archipelago of Taiwan and nearby islands which used to be Japanese colonies has been occupied by the Republic of China. When the ruling party of the ROC, which is Kuomintang (KMT), the Chinese Nationalist Party, lost the civil war to the Communist Party in 1949, the ROC’s central government relocated to Taiwan and established Taipei as its capital; while the Communists founded the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in mainland China. Since then, the Republic of China (ROC, not to be confused with PRC, the People’s Republic of China) has always been an independent country (sovereign state) in East Asia, now commonly known as Taiwan.  

The ROC government used to be the internationally recognized dictatorship authority of China, and as such was a founding member of the United Nations and one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, until being replaced by the PRC in 1971. However, because of the democratization movement of Taiwanese people since late 1970s, the ROC (Taiwan) has been evolving  from a dictatorship country into a democratic country with a president elected directly by the people.

Nevertheless, due to the rising of the PRC and the pressure from its government, the ROC (Taiwan) has also evolved from a country with full global recognition into a country with only “de facto” relations with most of the countries in the world. Right now it enjoys very limited international recognition and has been rejected from joining most of the international organizations (e.g. WHO) as an independent country.

Here is a music video of a song called “Unlimited Taiwan”, which was released in 2007 by a Taiwanese band, Chthonic. 

參照 Reference:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwan

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_China

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2V3y6QxN6c