TresSugar

Front Page: Taiwan Arrests Its Former Leader

CitizenSugar — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 08:00:06 -0800

The ex-president of Taiwan was detained by his country's police on charges of corruption and money laundering today. The defiant Chen Shui-bian raised his handcuffed hands above his head while shouting “Long live Taiwanese independence."- New York Times
In his White House meeting with Barack Obama, President Bush indicated that he would support another economic stimulus package, which includes aid to the auto industry, if the Democrats stopped opposing the Colombian free-trade agreement. - International Herald Tribune
Somalian pirates captured a Philippines chemical tanker, carrying 23 crew members, marking the 83rd hijack in Somalian waters this year. - Associated Press

After the Mars Lander ran out of batteries last week thanks to a dust storm, NASA announced that the mission has ended. - CNN
The surrogate grandmother in Ohio that gave birth to her triplet grandchildren last month, told Good Morning America that she is feeling fine, and was happy to serve as his daughter's surrogate at the age of 56. - Associated Press

Front Page: Late Rallies Hope to Push Voters to Morning Polls

LibertySugar — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 07:30:00 -0800

Last night the candidates wrapped up two years of campaigning. Barack Obama saved his biggest Virginia rally for last - a jam-packed event in Manassas with 90,000 people reportedly in attendance. Meanwhile, a fired-up John McCain told supporters to "be strong and fight" in an election eve rally Monday, his last before voters in swing state Nevada weigh in. - Huffington Post
Long lines formed when polls opened in Eastern states. Barack Obama's bid to become the first black president faces the final test of his remarkable two-year journey, while Republican John McCain presses for an Election Day upset. - MSNBC
A report released on Monday by a state board found that Gov. Sarah Palin did not apply improper pressure to try to dismiss a state trooper who was her former brother-in-law and did not violate state ethics laws in the firing of her public safety commissioner. The report by the Alaska Personnel Board contradicts the conclusions last month of a separate inquiry into the matter overseen by a bipartisan legislative panel. - New York Times

Taiwan and China set aside decades of hostilities today, agreeing to expand flights and allow shipping links across the Taiwan Strait, a hotspot that has long threatened to become a war zone. - Associated Press
Iran's parliament sacked its interior minister after he admitted a degree he said he obtained from Oxford University was a forgery. It is a setback for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad eight months before he faces presidential elections. - BBC News

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Two Air Force Leaders Ousted For Nuclear Mishap

LibertySugar — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 15:45:27 -0700

Two US Air Force leaders must resign due to their involvement in the accidental sending of four nuclear warhead fuses to Taiwan, in place of helicopter batteries.

The ousting of Air Force secretary Michael W. Wynne, as well as the force's chief of staff, Gen. T. Michael Moseley, come after a still classified report leveled serious allegations against the two.

America, which has criticized Russia for its management of nuclear weapons and material, seems to be having trouble of its own. Irresponsible handling of dangerous weapons impedes the US's ability to make the case that countries like Iran and North Korea should be halted from developing nuclear power. When the US cannot keep track of its nuclear program, it appears dangerous as well.

Meanwhile, Iran has threatened to sue Western states. To see why, read more.

Iran accuses the West of damaging Iran's reputation and pressuring the UN Security Council to meddle in its civilian nuclear program. Iran is also accusing the US of basing its obsession with Iran's nuclear program on false evidence that claims Iran has tried to make nuclear weapons.

Does the recent news - that the US sent nuclear weapon material to Taiwan on accident - make you think the US is all talk and no walk when it comes to nuclear proliferation issues? Or does the fact that the top brass were asked to leave mean America is still a legitimate leader in the quest to make the world safe?

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Headline: Taiwan Elects Pro-China President

CitizenSugar — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 09:46:04 -0700

Taiwan has just elected Ma Ying-jeou - a Harvard-educated lawyer and former Taipei mayor - as president. Ma Ying-jeou ran his campaign seeking greater economic ties to China. His opponent warned that the current situation in Tibet is possible in Taiwan if China is given greater authority. But today Ma said he was convinced that Taiwan’s economic survival depended on closer ties to Beijing. He said, “if we don’t get into China’s market, we are locked into our own country."

Also up for vote were two controversial referendums - one regarding Taiwan applying for membership in the United Nations - fell well short of passage. China is strongly opposed to United Nations membership for Taiwan, which it regards as a breakaway province. The United States and China had both denounced the UN referendum as provocative because it specifically called for the island to apply as Taiwan and not use its legal name, the Republic of China.

Well over a majority of the island's citizens got "I Voted" stickers. Voter turnout was 75.7 percent.

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Front Page: No Return to Talks, China Increases Military, Kenya

CitizenSugar — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 07:02:34 -0800

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas refused yesterday to officially commit to restarting the suspended peace talks with Israel. Condoleezza Rice met with Abbas hoping to encourage a return to the table. Some Bush administration officials contend that his refusal gives Hamas, the militant Islamist organization, a victory by allowing it to stop Arab-Israeli peace negotiations. Meanwhile, fighting between Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Israel continues. Palestinian medical officials said a girl less than a month old was killed in the crossfire.
China has increased its military budget by a substantial amount for the second time in as many years. The new budget is 17.6 percent higher than last year, at $59 billion. The Pentagon raised questions about the spike that came just weeks before a presidential election in Taiwan, the self-governed island where China claims sovereignty. A spokesman for the Chinese legislature said the build up does "not pose a threat to any country," but warned that the island of Taiwan would "surely pay a dear price" if they were to take steps China viewed as a declaration of independence.
More evidence has emerged linking the Kenyan government to the violence that erupted after December's elections. Kenya's current president, who is a member of the Kikuyu tribe, met in his home with members of the banned Kikuyu militia. Witnesses spoke of non-Kikuyu homes being marked, apparently by the militia, then gangs with machetes attacked people who were from other ethnic groups. The Kenyan government is now trying to establish a coalition leadership to ease violence.

No Gold: Visits to China Down in 2008 Despite Olympics

CitizenSugar — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 00:05:50 -0800

The number of visitors to China dropped by two million last year to 130 million, despite the enormous fanfare and draw of the 2008 Olympics. It was the first decline in visitor numbers since 2003, when an outbreak of SARS knocked the country off desired vacay location lists.

The slump has been attributed to the weak economy, which hasn't been kind to the tourism industry as a whole, stricter visa restrictions before the Beijing Olympics, as well as a May earthquake in the southwest of the country.

Only 389,000 foreign tourists visited Beijing the month of the games, including travelers from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, according to the Beijing tourism bureau. That number is much smaller than the 500,000 the bureau expected. China built the world's largest airport terminal before the Olympics and most of the major hotels in Beijing underwent costly renovations and changes from top to bottom.

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Gold Medal in Censorship? China Reblocks Websites

LibertySugar — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 13:00:36 -0800

Now that the Olympics are long gone, and the world has its eyes off of China, the country's government has returned to keeping an eye on what its 250 million Internet users can access. It appears China, which has the most web users in the world, only made superficial advances in freedom of the press during the games. In other words: censorship is back!

So which sites can you no longer visit in China? Chinese language versions of international sites like BBC, Voice of America, and Human Rights Watch have been rebanned, along with some Hong Kong-based sites, because they refer to Taiwan as an independent country and not part of China.

A spokesperson for China's foreign ministry said China had the right to censor material deemed illegal, just like other governments do. For example, the US criminalizes online technology that can be used to violate copyright protections.

Are you surprised the legacy of the Beijing Olympics probably won't include expanded freedom?

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Front Page: Bailout Goes to House Vote, Abducted Tourists Freed, Floods Kill 41 in Vietnam

CitizenSugar — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 07:00:34 -0700

Bailout Goes to House Vote:
The US House will vote on the Wall Street bailout bill today. President Bush spoke this morning urging the House to pass the measure. He said, "I'm confident that this rescue plan, along with other measures taken by the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve, will begin to restore strength and stability to America's financial system and overall economy." Both candidates cautiously support the measure.

Abducted Tourists Freed:
A group of Italian and German hostages, abducted 10 days ago in Egypt, have been freed and are on their way to a military base in Cairo. No ransom was paid though the German government had been negotiating with them. Few details are known about the conditions of their release, though the Egyptian defense minister said half of the captors had been "eliminated."
Floods Kill 41 in Vietnam:
Typhoon Hagupit has triggered flooding in Vietnam killing 41 and injuring 60 more according to disaster officials. The typhoon made landfall last week and has caused severe landslides in mountainous provinces. The damages so far have been estimated at $60 million. An additional typhoon in Taiwan has killed two and injured 58 as well as forcing the closing of schools and the financial market.

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Games Off? Should We Boycott the Beijing Olympics?

CitizenSugar — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 16:00:36 -0700

Well sports fans, it might be time to make some Olympian-sized decisions regarding the upcoming games in China. The torch began its big journey today amid protests, and it's probably just a taste of what's to come. As the venues near completion and the situation in Tibet keeps China in the news and on the defensive, more countries are giving the games careful consideration.

Today, a poll in France shows that a majority want government officials to boycott the opening ceremonies, and almost the same amount supported some kind of protest by French athletes at the Games against China's human-rights record. The president of the European Parliament echoed this by saying that Europe "should not rule out a boycott of the Olympic Games in Beijing."

Germans however have already packed their bags, the Olympics are on according to their Olympic committee. They said of the decision, "Sport is not a suitable tool to be used to apply political pressure." President Bush issued a similar statement over the weekend through his press secretary who added, “One of the things the president has said, also, in regards to this is that any country who’s going to be hosting the Olympics will have a bright light shined upon it and it is a chance for that country to put its best face forward.”

Critics of the games point to these issues:

China's presence in Tibet and the recent crackdown on dissenters there
The suppression of the Falun Gong spiritual movement in China
China's policies related to Burma and the Darfur region of Sudan
China's policies toward Taiwan
General lack of freedoms in China, such as expression, assembly, and the press
Will China take advantage of this bright light? Should the international community use the games as a political issue?

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Games Off? Should We Boycott the Beijing Olympics?
Yes. The Olympics are an honor we should not bestow on undeserving countries.

It's an option we shouldn't rule out, but I worry that it punishes the atheletes.

No. The decision was made knowing all of the issues. Now the games must proceed.

Other. It's a decathlon-style issue. I'll tell you my opinions in the comments.

Who cares. I'm with Bush - I'm just a sports fan. Games on!

Toilet Themed Restaurant

GiggleSugar — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 09:45:00 -0700

Imagine, if you will, a restaurant in which the seat you sit on and the bowl you eat out of are...toilet bowls. (I know--I'd rather not, either.) The brainchild of a financial whiz who used to sell ice cream in tiny commodes instead of cones, the Marton Theme Restaurant ("matong" means toilet) in Taiwan not only exists but flourishes. Hey, think of it this way, you can eat your lunch and lose your lunch all in the same place! Blech!

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