I have finally stopped using being in China as an excuse not to blog. It's shameful really, hiding behind the firewall as if it can't be circumnavigated with two extra clicks through a proxy website.
Still, I will now update this blog periodically with thoughts on my time in the 21st Century What's News? Room. I intend to make the focus of this blog a look at the differences in the way China and the West reports the same news events. Hopefully, this will allow for a reasoned assessment of what's really going on.
First up we have the attached gem from the New York Times. That towns' officials are wont to beat the living daylights of people filming them beating the living daylights out of other people is no surprise. Nor does it surprise that the subsequent backlash was whipped up through Internet-based hysteria. A big focus of the Western press on China is the rising power of the Internet as a voice of local democracy and medium through which public pressure can be exerted on officialdom:
"The episode is the latest in which bloggers and others have used the Internet to force Chinese authorities to investigate beatings and other abuses by government officials."
Route this neatly through the Tianmen director of publicity...
"We’ve already solved the problem,” the director of publicity in Tianmen said Thursday by telephone. “You can read Xinhua’s articles. There’s no more news about it.”
And you end up with the China Daily line, which this morning reads: "More than 100 city officials from across the country have condemned city administrators in Hubei province for beating a man to death earlier this month..."
So as NYT would have it, the irresistible force of the Internet forced officials' hands, whereas CD reckons it was the system correcting itself. Ho hum.
NYT does not carry an update noting the officials' response and CD does not acknowledge the role bloggers played in highlighting the case. Somewhere in the middle is the whole truth, which might read something like this, if I were to write it:
More than 100 city officials from across China issued a statement condemning city administrators for beating a man to death for filming a dispute between the administrators and villagers in Hubei province. The statement came in response to mounting pressure from bloggers, who were anxious to ensure the killers of the dead man, Wei Wenhua, did not escape justice.
Monday, 21 January 2008
Wednesday, 18 July 2007
An Olympic Legacy?
When Lord Coe launched London’s bid for the 2012 Olympics he said: “The Games must offer more than 17 days of world class sport and celebration.” He went on to say that he believes London has given more thought to delivering a lasting sporting legacy than any previous Olympics. Critics are now trying to ensure that organisers of the Games deliver on this legacy promise, one that would see an increase in participation in sport at grassroots level and a consequent improvement in the nation’s health and fitness.
This is primarily because there cannot yet be an informed discussion over London’s delivery of the Games, five years before the first athlete sets foot on a track in a stadium that is yet to be built. The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has the responsibility of ensuring that London’s bid remains on track, yet there is no body solely responsible for overseeing the delivery of the sporting legacy.
London would do well learn to the lessons of Athens 2004. There, the body equivalent to the ODA, the General Secretariat for the Olympic Games, was given the responsibility of ensuring that the Olympic facilities were properly utilised. However, this responsibility was entrusted to them, along with a new title, only after the Games had finished. Fani Petralia, the deputy Culture Minister and Greece’s top Olympic official admits this was a significant oversight: “We did not have a reliable post-Olympic plan in Greece. Many venues were designed without their post-Olympic use in mind.”
Now, according to Sophia Tassopoulou of the Hellenic Olympic Committee, “Many of Athens’ Olympic stadia, including OAKA Park, are underused and there has been criticism from anti-Olympic campaigners that the public spaces upon which they were built would have better served the people if they had been left alone.”
A parallel can be drawn with the current situation in London. For instance, there is no plan for the Olympic Stadium’s use after the Games is over. Some of the fears appeared to have been eased when it was suggested West Ham might move into the stadium, but this has now been ruled out. Adrian Bassett, press officer at the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), says: “We have not ruled out the possibility of a smaller [football] club coming in but the priority at the moment is to get the stadium ready. The ODA’s priority us to get the land cleared ready for building in the next few years.”
It is exactly this kind of short-termism that angers campaigners like Kevin Doolin, who oversees the running of the Hackney and Leyton Sunday League on Hackney Marshes. Fourteen football pitches and two rugby pitches are earmarked for development and Doolin is worried he is going to lose the marshes permanently. He says: “We are very sceptical. They promised not to touch the marshes, and now they are going to tarmac it all and put a car park in. There’s never been another space that’s been concreted and then returned as a sporting surface.”
If there is supposed to be a focus on community participation, it is hard to see how the Olympic organisers can justify the removal of a public space as big as Hackney’s East marsh. Yet the marshes are not the only sports facilities that will disappear before the Games begin. Cyclists have already lost a mountain bike track at Eastway, having been promised a comparable replacement as part of the Olympic development. Now, that promise has been scaled back, leaving a community of active cyclists without a track on which to ride and the knowledge that the replacement facility will not only be significantly smaller, at 900m, but also situated seven miles away from the previous site.
Lord Coe has said that “Medallists and world champions do more to drive participation [in sport] than anything else.” Yet if existing facilities are already being reduced, where are the future champions supposed to train? Alan Storey, British Athletics endurance coach, agrees that the best incentive to get ordinary people involved with sport is a successful British Olympic team. However, he maintains that “At the moment, the evidence is that participation in athletics is dropping. It takes around eight years to train an athlete to Olympic standard. Unless this is reversed we will have a less successful athletics team in 2012 than we do now. If the performances at the Games aren’t adequate, we won’t see an increase in participation.“
James Stibbs, press officer at the Central Council of Physical Recreation (CCPR), an umbrella organisation for some 270 sports, is adamant that not is enough is being done to fund an uptake in community sports participation of the kind likely to see new people attracted to athletics. He says: “It’s all been about cost, it’s not about cost. Our concern is that DCMS need to speak up. We really need a plan to improve participation in sport. In other Olympics it hasn’t happened and we can’t just assume that it will happen here.
“Sport England are responsible for delivering this but they need the resources and they need government backing. It’s a concern that passed 2012 there have been no targets set for increased involvement in sport. It’s up to government to demonstrate that they have a plan in place so that after 2012 we can go to government and hold them to account.”
Sport England has recently had to hand over £340 million to the ODA for spending on Olympic venues. This money is derived from lottery funding and would normally be used to sponsor local sports clubs. Stibbs fears the Olympics will be a drain on this valuable source of funding in the future.
“Lord Coe was quite open about it when he started the job – if there’s hard decisions to be made they will concentrate on delivering a successful Games. There is a lot of doubt over whether the legacy will be sustained. We have to think about how the stadiums will be used in 20 years time. If the demand is there, that’s ok, but there has been no thought on how to ensure that it is.”
The CCPR appear a lone voice in the woods precisely because the Olympic organisers have not appointed a body specifically responsible for overseeing the legacy. Sport England is best suited for the role but it is likely that it will be called upon to provide more funding for delivering the Olympics and less for encouraging the community sport participation that may ensure a successful Olympic legacy.
Having approached London 2012, it is evident that they do not have a clear idea of the revenue the event is likely to generate, in terms of tourist income, money generated from new jobs or housing Olympic teams in London and its satellite cities. In any case, with the budget currently set at a daunting £9.3 billion, it is unlikely the revenue generated by the Games will be enough to meet the spiralling costs.
With arguments over cost consequently based only on conjecture and hearsay, the true test for the Games and its organisers is the delivery of a lasting legacy of improved sporting facilities and an increase in sports participation, not, as many would have it, whether Britain can stage a successful event. While the Olympics is undoubtedly going to be a fillip for national pride and an enjoyable event in itself, London needs to ensure it is not left in the same position as Athens after the Games have finished. According to the organisers, London is ahead of schedule. The people who live in the capital will have to hope that delivery concerns will be solved in time to allow organisers to properly focus on delivering an Olympic legacy.
ENDS
This is primarily because there cannot yet be an informed discussion over London’s delivery of the Games, five years before the first athlete sets foot on a track in a stadium that is yet to be built. The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has the responsibility of ensuring that London’s bid remains on track, yet there is no body solely responsible for overseeing the delivery of the sporting legacy.
London would do well learn to the lessons of Athens 2004. There, the body equivalent to the ODA, the General Secretariat for the Olympic Games, was given the responsibility of ensuring that the Olympic facilities were properly utilised. However, this responsibility was entrusted to them, along with a new title, only after the Games had finished. Fani Petralia, the deputy Culture Minister and Greece’s top Olympic official admits this was a significant oversight: “We did not have a reliable post-Olympic plan in Greece. Many venues were designed without their post-Olympic use in mind.”
Now, according to Sophia Tassopoulou of the Hellenic Olympic Committee, “Many of Athens’ Olympic stadia, including OAKA Park, are underused and there has been criticism from anti-Olympic campaigners that the public spaces upon which they were built would have better served the people if they had been left alone.”
A parallel can be drawn with the current situation in London. For instance, there is no plan for the Olympic Stadium’s use after the Games is over. Some of the fears appeared to have been eased when it was suggested West Ham might move into the stadium, but this has now been ruled out. Adrian Bassett, press officer at the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), says: “We have not ruled out the possibility of a smaller [football] club coming in but the priority at the moment is to get the stadium ready. The ODA’s priority us to get the land cleared ready for building in the next few years.”
It is exactly this kind of short-termism that angers campaigners like Kevin Doolin, who oversees the running of the Hackney and Leyton Sunday League on Hackney Marshes. Fourteen football pitches and two rugby pitches are earmarked for development and Doolin is worried he is going to lose the marshes permanently. He says: “We are very sceptical. They promised not to touch the marshes, and now they are going to tarmac it all and put a car park in. There’s never been another space that’s been concreted and then returned as a sporting surface.”
If there is supposed to be a focus on community participation, it is hard to see how the Olympic organisers can justify the removal of a public space as big as Hackney’s East marsh. Yet the marshes are not the only sports facilities that will disappear before the Games begin. Cyclists have already lost a mountain bike track at Eastway, having been promised a comparable replacement as part of the Olympic development. Now, that promise has been scaled back, leaving a community of active cyclists without a track on which to ride and the knowledge that the replacement facility will not only be significantly smaller, at 900m, but also situated seven miles away from the previous site.
Lord Coe has said that “Medallists and world champions do more to drive participation [in sport] than anything else.” Yet if existing facilities are already being reduced, where are the future champions supposed to train? Alan Storey, British Athletics endurance coach, agrees that the best incentive to get ordinary people involved with sport is a successful British Olympic team. However, he maintains that “At the moment, the evidence is that participation in athletics is dropping. It takes around eight years to train an athlete to Olympic standard. Unless this is reversed we will have a less successful athletics team in 2012 than we do now. If the performances at the Games aren’t adequate, we won’t see an increase in participation.“
James Stibbs, press officer at the Central Council of Physical Recreation (CCPR), an umbrella organisation for some 270 sports, is adamant that not is enough is being done to fund an uptake in community sports participation of the kind likely to see new people attracted to athletics. He says: “It’s all been about cost, it’s not about cost. Our concern is that DCMS need to speak up. We really need a plan to improve participation in sport. In other Olympics it hasn’t happened and we can’t just assume that it will happen here.
“Sport England are responsible for delivering this but they need the resources and they need government backing. It’s a concern that passed 2012 there have been no targets set for increased involvement in sport. It’s up to government to demonstrate that they have a plan in place so that after 2012 we can go to government and hold them to account.”
Sport England has recently had to hand over £340 million to the ODA for spending on Olympic venues. This money is derived from lottery funding and would normally be used to sponsor local sports clubs. Stibbs fears the Olympics will be a drain on this valuable source of funding in the future.
“Lord Coe was quite open about it when he started the job – if there’s hard decisions to be made they will concentrate on delivering a successful Games. There is a lot of doubt over whether the legacy will be sustained. We have to think about how the stadiums will be used in 20 years time. If the demand is there, that’s ok, but there has been no thought on how to ensure that it is.”
The CCPR appear a lone voice in the woods precisely because the Olympic organisers have not appointed a body specifically responsible for overseeing the legacy. Sport England is best suited for the role but it is likely that it will be called upon to provide more funding for delivering the Olympics and less for encouraging the community sport participation that may ensure a successful Olympic legacy.
Having approached London 2012, it is evident that they do not have a clear idea of the revenue the event is likely to generate, in terms of tourist income, money generated from new jobs or housing Olympic teams in London and its satellite cities. In any case, with the budget currently set at a daunting £9.3 billion, it is unlikely the revenue generated by the Games will be enough to meet the spiralling costs.
With arguments over cost consequently based only on conjecture and hearsay, the true test for the Games and its organisers is the delivery of a lasting legacy of improved sporting facilities and an increase in sports participation, not, as many would have it, whether Britain can stage a successful event. While the Olympics is undoubtedly going to be a fillip for national pride and an enjoyable event in itself, London needs to ensure it is not left in the same position as Athens after the Games have finished. According to the organisers, London is ahead of schedule. The people who live in the capital will have to hope that delivery concerns will be solved in time to allow organisers to properly focus on delivering an Olympic legacy.
ENDS
Tuesday, 8 May 2007
West Ham vs Bolton match report
LONDON (AFP) - Carlos Tevez had Alan Curbishley dreaming of a great escape after his double strike destroyed Bolton and lifted West Ham out of the relegation zone.
Argentina striker Tevez scored two goals, a fantastic free kick and a well-worked tap-in, before providing a killer pass for Mark Noble as the Hammers stormed to a crucial 3-1 win at Upton Park on Saturday.
Curbishley's side have their fate in their own hands for the first time in months and he has told his players they must grab their unlikely relegation lifeline.
That may prove easier said than done however as West Ham, who have won six of their last eight games, are only guaranteed to survive if they become just the second away team to taste victory in a league match at Manchester United this season.
Curbishley will be hoping United are already crowned champions by then and he said: "We find ourselves out of the bottom three for the first time. It's in our hands and we have given ourselves a chance, the question is - can we grab it?
"No one can quite work out how it's going to fall but if we can go to Old Trafford and take anything we have done our bit."
Wigan chairman Dave Whelan, will not have been pleased by the afternoon's results. While Whelan was rallying his counterparts to bring legal action against the Premier League for not deducting points from West Ham, the player whose transfer from Corinthians sparked the controversy was scoring the goals that have taken the Hammers above Wigan in the relegation fight.
With Wigan losing by a goal to nil at home to Middlesbrough, the Latics could slip into the Championship instead of West Ham.
Tevez's two and his hand in the third will certainly be worth more than the 5.5 million pounds West Ham were fined if West Ham do manage to avoid the drop. Premiership survival is currently valued at 40 million pounds.
Asked whether the turmoil surrounding Tevez had been an inspiration, Curbishley added "Not so much. The inspiration is to stay in the Premiership."
While Curbishley was a model of calm, the disappointment was evident all over debut manager Sammy Lee's face. He conceded Bolton's defeat had left them with it all to do in the last game of the season, next week at home to Aston Villa, if his side are to secure their second UEFA Cup spot in three years.
Lee said: "[The UEFA Cup] matters because it showed that we are taking it a stage further. We did it two seasons ago and everyone enjoyed that tour, it's whetted everybody's appetite.
"We try to get as high as possible every season and by getting to UEFA that would be a vindication of everything we are trying to do."
Lee's first game in charge was a difficult one, with a number of first team regulars, including El-Hadji Diouf and Tal Ben Haim, still out through injury.
Lee said of his first experience as manager: "It's different and I've learned a lot about myself today. In the first half there was so much going on and I was thinking about how to change it. It's been a great education for me."
Bolton's improved second half performance had much to do with Lee's decision to substitute David Thompson just after half time.
This allowed Ivan Campo to move out of rightback, where he had been brutally exposed for pace and skill by Tevez and Bobby Zamora, into his more familiar holding midfield role.
With Campo shutting down West Ham in midfield, Bolton soon began to play some decent football.
The culmination of this spell occurred in the 66th minute as Nicolas Anelka fed Gary Speed from wide on the right hand side, the Wales midfielder allowing the ball to run across him before slotting a left foot shot beyond Robert Green. But it was too little, too late for Lee and company.
Argentina striker Tevez scored two goals, a fantastic free kick and a well-worked tap-in, before providing a killer pass for Mark Noble as the Hammers stormed to a crucial 3-1 win at Upton Park on Saturday.
Curbishley's side have their fate in their own hands for the first time in months and he has told his players they must grab their unlikely relegation lifeline.
That may prove easier said than done however as West Ham, who have won six of their last eight games, are only guaranteed to survive if they become just the second away team to taste victory in a league match at Manchester United this season.
Curbishley will be hoping United are already crowned champions by then and he said: "We find ourselves out of the bottom three for the first time. It's in our hands and we have given ourselves a chance, the question is - can we grab it?
"No one can quite work out how it's going to fall but if we can go to Old Trafford and take anything we have done our bit."
Wigan chairman Dave Whelan, will not have been pleased by the afternoon's results. While Whelan was rallying his counterparts to bring legal action against the Premier League for not deducting points from West Ham, the player whose transfer from Corinthians sparked the controversy was scoring the goals that have taken the Hammers above Wigan in the relegation fight.
With Wigan losing by a goal to nil at home to Middlesbrough, the Latics could slip into the Championship instead of West Ham.
Tevez's two and his hand in the third will certainly be worth more than the 5.5 million pounds West Ham were fined if West Ham do manage to avoid the drop. Premiership survival is currently valued at 40 million pounds.
Asked whether the turmoil surrounding Tevez had been an inspiration, Curbishley added "Not so much. The inspiration is to stay in the Premiership."
While Curbishley was a model of calm, the disappointment was evident all over debut manager Sammy Lee's face. He conceded Bolton's defeat had left them with it all to do in the last game of the season, next week at home to Aston Villa, if his side are to secure their second UEFA Cup spot in three years.
Lee said: "[The UEFA Cup] matters because it showed that we are taking it a stage further. We did it two seasons ago and everyone enjoyed that tour, it's whetted everybody's appetite.
"We try to get as high as possible every season and by getting to UEFA that would be a vindication of everything we are trying to do."
Lee's first game in charge was a difficult one, with a number of first team regulars, including El-Hadji Diouf and Tal Ben Haim, still out through injury.
Lee said of his first experience as manager: "It's different and I've learned a lot about myself today. In the first half there was so much going on and I was thinking about how to change it. It's been a great education for me."
Bolton's improved second half performance had much to do with Lee's decision to substitute David Thompson just after half time.
This allowed Ivan Campo to move out of rightback, where he had been brutally exposed for pace and skill by Tevez and Bobby Zamora, into his more familiar holding midfield role.
With Campo shutting down West Ham in midfield, Bolton soon began to play some decent football.
The culmination of this spell occurred in the 66th minute as Nicolas Anelka fed Gary Speed from wide on the right hand side, the Wales midfielder allowing the ball to run across him before slotting a left foot shot beyond Robert Green. But it was too little, too late for Lee and company.
Monday, 7 May 2007
Boxing article for City
As soon as you enter the newly repainted Islington Boxing Club on Hazellville Road, you are greeted by a somehow familiar soundtrack of skipping ropes flicking, bags being pounded and pain being endured.
That, and the smell of graft and sweat.
The odour has had a good 25 years to settle into the mats, during which time boxing luminaries such as Commonwealth gold medallist Courtney Fry, WBU titleholder Colin Dunne and Olympic gold medallist Audley Harrison have graced the club’s floors.
Yet the cliché goes you’re only as good as you’re last fight, and they have all had theirs, whatever the noises emanating from the Harrison camp about a proposed comeback.
Garv Krasniqi is the future, and the board that sits next to the gym’s practice ring suggests that at 16 years old he is “ready” to fight.
On April 1st at Bethnal Green’s York Hall arena, Krasniqi will fight in the ABA London Championships, with an eye on progressing to the national finals if he wins both his quarter and semi-final.
Krasniqi trains everyday, three nights a week at the Islington club, Tuesday evenings at the Angel Amateur Boxing Club, with the other days filled with running and gym work.
He does all this while attending La Swap Sixth Form College.
Asked when he gets time to do the normal things people of his age do, Krasniqi smiles wryly – “I guess in the afternoons I have time to watch films, listen to music and play football, but most of my free time I spend here.”
It’s obvious that his coach, Paul McMahon, has instilled the right ethos of discipline and ambition in the youngman’s mind. Watching Krasniqi train is like watching a big cat on the hunt, he moves from bag-to-bag with a grace and power remarkable for one so young, and his eyes retain a palpable hunger as he works his routine.
“I started boxing to get fit but then moved onto contact. Boxing is good for your self-respect and for learning to respect your elders and other people. I’m one of the youngest here, the others are a bit older, 18-20, but the age goes up to 30.”
Oner Avara, the 34-year-old coordinator of the club, says “He’s got a good chance of progressing. From our experience, when you look into their eyes you can more or less tell straight away if they will box, if they will keep coming and the effort they will make when training.”
Krasniqi has been training with Avara for two years and it’s a long process to get someone newly through the door into the ring and boxing competitively.
“We start them out running and then do a bit more pad work before moving onto sparring. Once they do the sparring that’s when they realise whether they will box or not,” says Avara.
Now the club has three amateurs it considers ready to get in the ring out of a roster 31 seniors: Krasniqi, Reece Shagourie and Carlos Moreno, all youngsters based in the area around the club.
Krasniqi says “Islington is a good club. It’s got good coaches who are friendly and do a good job of training you hard.”
Even though Krasniqi will be the only one actually boxing on April 1st, Avara is insistent that the rest of the club will be at York Hall to support him.
“These guys have been working hard for this and of course all the other kids will go down to support. It encourages others to compete when they see their mate doing so well and getting so much attention.”
Yet boxing is about more than being the best and keeping fit. Avara stresses the other aspects of the sport. “In terms of self-discipline, this is the best sport I have ever seen. Because you don’t want to get hurt you don’t need anyone to tell you to go training, you don’t want to lose. Life is full of competition and this is a smaller scale competition that will help you prepare for the rest of your life, when you go outside you know how to compete with other people and not lose your self-control.”
Krasniqi will see how much self-control he can retain when he steps in the ring on April 1st.
That, and the smell of graft and sweat.
The odour has had a good 25 years to settle into the mats, during which time boxing luminaries such as Commonwealth gold medallist Courtney Fry, WBU titleholder Colin Dunne and Olympic gold medallist Audley Harrison have graced the club’s floors.
Yet the cliché goes you’re only as good as you’re last fight, and they have all had theirs, whatever the noises emanating from the Harrison camp about a proposed comeback.
Garv Krasniqi is the future, and the board that sits next to the gym’s practice ring suggests that at 16 years old he is “ready” to fight.
On April 1st at Bethnal Green’s York Hall arena, Krasniqi will fight in the ABA London Championships, with an eye on progressing to the national finals if he wins both his quarter and semi-final.
Krasniqi trains everyday, three nights a week at the Islington club, Tuesday evenings at the Angel Amateur Boxing Club, with the other days filled with running and gym work.
He does all this while attending La Swap Sixth Form College.
Asked when he gets time to do the normal things people of his age do, Krasniqi smiles wryly – “I guess in the afternoons I have time to watch films, listen to music and play football, but most of my free time I spend here.”
It’s obvious that his coach, Paul McMahon, has instilled the right ethos of discipline and ambition in the youngman’s mind. Watching Krasniqi train is like watching a big cat on the hunt, he moves from bag-to-bag with a grace and power remarkable for one so young, and his eyes retain a palpable hunger as he works his routine.
“I started boxing to get fit but then moved onto contact. Boxing is good for your self-respect and for learning to respect your elders and other people. I’m one of the youngest here, the others are a bit older, 18-20, but the age goes up to 30.”
Oner Avara, the 34-year-old coordinator of the club, says “He’s got a good chance of progressing. From our experience, when you look into their eyes you can more or less tell straight away if they will box, if they will keep coming and the effort they will make when training.”
Krasniqi has been training with Avara for two years and it’s a long process to get someone newly through the door into the ring and boxing competitively.
“We start them out running and then do a bit more pad work before moving onto sparring. Once they do the sparring that’s when they realise whether they will box or not,” says Avara.
Now the club has three amateurs it considers ready to get in the ring out of a roster 31 seniors: Krasniqi, Reece Shagourie and Carlos Moreno, all youngsters based in the area around the club.
Krasniqi says “Islington is a good club. It’s got good coaches who are friendly and do a good job of training you hard.”
Even though Krasniqi will be the only one actually boxing on April 1st, Avara is insistent that the rest of the club will be at York Hall to support him.
“These guys have been working hard for this and of course all the other kids will go down to support. It encourages others to compete when they see their mate doing so well and getting so much attention.”
Yet boxing is about more than being the best and keeping fit. Avara stresses the other aspects of the sport. “In terms of self-discipline, this is the best sport I have ever seen. Because you don’t want to get hurt you don’t need anyone to tell you to go training, you don’t want to lose. Life is full of competition and this is a smaller scale competition that will help you prepare for the rest of your life, when you go outside you know how to compete with other people and not lose your self-control.”
Krasniqi will see how much self-control he can retain when he steps in the ring on April 1st.
Taiwan - when can I return!?
From
May 3, 2007
Made in Taiwan
With its numerous English-language teaching opportunities, great salaries and low living costs, Taiwan has much to offer cash-strapped British graduates, writes David Green
Look at the back of many consumer products - toys, electronic goods or sports equipment - and you will be met with the familiar phrase “made in Taiwan”. Those goods contribute to the island’s £10 billion trade surplus, a remarkable achievement for a country with only 23 million inhabitants.
The good news for British students is that the Taiwanese government knows that sustaining its export-led economy requires a continual stream of fluent English speakers who can conduct business and foster trade relations abroad. As such, Taiwan’s drive to make English its second language (Mandarin is its first) provides a golden opportunity for British graduates to teach English and pay off their student debt.
As many graduates know, it is near impossible to save money on a starting wage in many of the UK’s cities. In Taiwan, the situation is markedly different. Opportunities to teach abound: in kindergartens, chain schools and universities. Native speakers of English are not required to have a TEFL certificate, just a degree in order to start teaching, although some kind of teacher training or experience is recommended. Contracts that include health insurance start at £10,000 a year - an income that can be neatly supplemented by teaching privately at a rate of £10 an hour or more.
It may not sound like much, but when you consider a nice apartment in the capital, Taipei, can be rented for as little as £75 a month and living costs are significantly lower than at home, the benefits soon become apparent. It may also be helpful to know that large bottles of beer cost under a pound.
Barry Goertzen, a 25-year-old Canadian now living in Taipei, went to Taiwan on a whim after he graduated in journalism in 2004 and has remained there ever since. “If you’re on a budget, have a steady job and perhaps some private lessons, you can save a decent amount every month," he says. "I think what surprises people is how long it takes to get going here. Flying over, getting an apartment and buying all the stuff that comes with it...it all takes money. But once you've been here for a while and are on a budget, things can go really well.”
Steph Weston, 30, from Derby, lived in Taiwan for three years and reaped the benefits of high wages and low living costs. “I was earning £1500 a month working from eight until six," she recalls. It was pretty hard graft but with rent at about £100, bills £20 and £1.50 a week going on petrol for my scooter, I was saving £800 a month. Now I’m back home and debt-free, the sense of freedom is amazing. I just bought a new laptop, made in Taiwan, something I would never have done before.”
Yet Taiwan has more to offer than just good pay and opportunities to teach. Taipei is determined to become the world’s first ‘cyber city’, with wireless web access now available across 90 per cent of the capital, making it easy to do business and keep in touch with friends. It is also an excellent place to study Mandarin, with exchange options and private tuition widely available at institutes across the country. Those graduates with an eye on the future would do well to learn the language of the 1.3 billion people who live in China, the world’s fastest growing major economy.
The country also has a strong sense of national identity and this is even reflected in the language, the mainland using simplified Chinese characters while Taiwan retains the more complicated traditional versions. The Taiwanese are stoical in their attitude to relations with China. Taiwan will not declare formal independence for fear of reprisals but holds its own elections, a foremost factor in which is the candidates’ stance on independence.
Yet the island will do whatever is can to assert its right to independence in other ways, most recently by rejecting Beijing’s plan to include the country as part of the Olympic torch’s route, pointing out that the torch’s subsequent destinations, Hong Kong and Macao, imply that Taiwan is part of mainland China. The political identity of Taiwan’s students is almost entirely informed by the apparent stalemate between the two countries. For an island such as Taiwan, other international concerns fade into insignificance in the face of such future uncertainty and teachers would do well to remember this when teaching older students more complicated topics.
Taiwan’s close relations with the United States mean the country is welcoming to westerners and can rightfully be called a bridge between east and west. The island is home to a vibrant and multicultural expat community, well-served by English signage in the more popular areas. The people are also some of the friendliest around, only too happy to show the way, even if it means riding a bus they later tell you took them in completely the wrong direction. Crime, for a westerner, soon becomes a distant memory. It is remarkable how this sense of safety can relieve an underlying stress that you become accustomed to in the UK, its presence noticeable only after you return having experienced something different.
The curious cultural quirks can be delightful too. Strains of Beethoven’s Für Elise drift over Taipei during the evening, a source of puzzlement until you move into a place of your own and realise the music is a cue for residents to gather in the streets and throw out their rubbish. Taiwan travels by scooter and while the metro is cheap and efficient, getting your own wheels and riding pell-mell through the capital’s narrow alleys during a pre-typhoon storm is one of the most exhilarating experiences around.
Away from the cities, Taiwan’s countryside offers a reminder of why Portuguese explorers named the island Formosa, from the Latin for beautiful. A spectacular marble gorge runs the length of Taroko, the country’s most prestigious national park, and a spine of towering peaks runs down the middle of the island, both of which are easily reachable by train, car or scooter. You may also like to travel to picturesque Green Island off the south-east coast where scuba diving is the major pastime.
For those who relish the challenge of working abroad and are keen to learn new language skills, pay off their debt and experience a different culture that is warm and welcoming, Taiwan is most definitely the place to go.
Know before you go:
Check the visa situation. Visa requirements change regularly and at short notice. While a tourist visa is reasonably easy to obtain, it can be difficult to get a teaching visa first off, especially without a job lined up.
Do your research. The web has an abundance of material on teaching in Taiwan. Teaching English and Living in Taiwan is an excellent first port of call and has information on jobs, accommodation, friends, sports clubs, scooter rental and equipment exchange. It’s also worth checking the classified section in the China Post and Taipei Times for jobs.
English in Taiwan offers advice on teaching materials and also information on the legalities of teaching. Many foreigners teach without the appropriate visa and it can also be illegal to teach children under a certain age, so get your facts straight before you go.
Bikefarm is the best resource for renting a scooter in Taipei.
Taipei Language Institute is a good place to start looking for Mandarin lessons.
Understand the culture. The Taiwanese attribute a large degree of importance to not losing face. It is a cultural issue that often confuses foreigners when they first arrive. Never insult, embarrass or otherwise demean a Taiwanese person. While this may seem obvious, the issue often raises its head when negotiating wages. While the Taiwanese will often agree to an arrangement, do not be surprised if they later renege on the deal because rejecting your proposal would have resulted in them losing face. Take a look at this blog for an overview of Taiwanese culture and other matters. Alternatively, The Peking Duck offers intelligent insights into political and cultural matters in both China and Taiwan.
AFP News brief
Tevez puts Hammers on brink of safety
by Dave GreenCarlos Tevez fired West Ham to the verge of a remarkable and controversial 'great escape' from relegation by scoring twice and making his side's third goal in a 3-1 win over Bolton on Saturday.
The three points lifted the Hammers out of the relegation zone at the expense of Wigan, who were beaten at Middlesbrough and now look certain to take legal action over the Premier League's failure to impose a points penalty on West Ham for the serious rule breaches involved in the signing of Tevez and his Argentina team-mate Javier Mascherano last August.
West Ham's player of the season produced a virtuoso performance, scoring a fantastic freekick and a well-taken tap in, as well as supplying a great cross for the Hammers' third.
Three goals in the first half an hour were enough to see off a disappointing Bolton and Gary Speed's second-half consolation goal will do little to ease new manager Sammy Lee's fears his side may miss out on UEFA Cup football next season.
The Hammers' opener came after Bolton's Abdoulaye Meite brought down Tevez just outside the area. The Argentina international stepped up to take the freekick and curled the ball beyond Jussi Jaaskelainen into the top left hand corner of the goal.
West Ham's second typified the renewed vigour apparent in the side since Premiership survival became more than an impossible dream.
Captain Nigel Reo-Coker lost the ball in midfield but battled back to win it and release George McCartney down the left. McCartney fed Luis Boa Morte, running down the inside left channel between Campo and Meite, for the midfielder to slide the ball into the feet of Tevez, who slipped the ball under Jaaskelainen.
The third came with Bolton still reeling, Tevez's cross from the left being met with a great right-foot volley by the unmarked Noble at the back post.
Bolton's performance in the first half was tepid at best as their moves were snuffed out by a resolute Hammers' defence. James Collins was particularly hard to beat in the air, ensuring Campo's lofted freekicks, Bolton's primary outlet, rarely reached another Bolton player.
West Ham initially continued to make the running after the break but Bolton finally began to press when Nicolas Anelka's shot from the edge of the penalty area was tipped just wide by Robert Green.
With just under quarter of an hour left, Speed capitalised on poor defending to fire a left foot shot under the advancing Green but Bolton never looked likely to stem the home supporters' chants of "We are staying up."
Carlos Tevez, seen here in action in December 2006, fired West Ham to the verge of a remarkable and controversial 'great escape' from relegation by scoring twice and making his side's third goal in a 3-1 win over Bolton on Saturday.
© 2007 AFP - Andrew Yates
Tuesday, 1 May 2007
Puppet masters
In an age when the faces of many human actors are made obdurate and expressionless by over-liberal injections of botox, Gregory Doran’s puppet version of Shakespeare’s little known tragic poem is a refreshingly natural change.
The hour-long collaboration between the Little Angel Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company is a fusion of Elizabethan myth and Japanese bunraku puppet theatre, its seamless realisation a testament both to the production team’s hard graft and the seemingly infinite adaptability of the Bard’s work.
The tale of the goddess Venus’ unrequited and obsessive love for the beautiful yet callow Adonis captivates the audience from the moment Venus first appears riding in her golden conch chariot, deftly manipulated from above by an array of strings.
Narrator Harriet Walter masterfully invigorates the marionettes, her command of the language ensuring you soon lose any sense of reality and start looking into the puppets’ huge eyes, searching for signs of life.
A guitarist sits opposite her to the left of the proscenium stage, providing unobtrusive accompaniment to the action as five black-clad puppeteers do their work, three of them working a puppet at one time to ensure the movement flows naturally.
Adonis’ stubborn refusal to engage with Venus’ amorous play is comically rendered, the puppets flirting like modern lovers: Adonis stamps his foot in righteous indignation at Venus’ unceasing advances, she steals a kiss or an inappropriate touch whenever his guard is down.
Director of Puppetry, Steve Tiplady, has paid attention to the language - Venus’ hand movements leaving little to the imagination as Walter intones: “Graze on my lips; and if those hills be dry, stray lower, where the pleasant fountains lie.”
The two leads are supported by a cast of animal puppets that cavort around in front of the stage, as well as through the intimate theatre’s aisles, the half life- size horses’ lovemaking intent an ironic counterpoint to Adonis’ frigidity.
These bestial interruptions ensure the production retains a decent pace as the action takes a more melancholy turn, Adonis refusing to heed Venus’ prophecy of his impending death should he hunt the bristling boar.
Rob Jones’ stage proves as adaptable as the puppets themselves as, in an astonishing climax, death rears his rictal face from atop the golden arch above the stage and casts out his skeletal arms to transport Venus high above the boards.
Although the, mostly elderly, audience really enjoyed the show, you cannot help but think it a shame the sex scenes were deemed too risqué to show to under fourteens – they would have loved it.
The hour-long collaboration between the Little Angel Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company is a fusion of Elizabethan myth and Japanese bunraku puppet theatre, its seamless realisation a testament both to the production team’s hard graft and the seemingly infinite adaptability of the Bard’s work.
The tale of the goddess Venus’ unrequited and obsessive love for the beautiful yet callow Adonis captivates the audience from the moment Venus first appears riding in her golden conch chariot, deftly manipulated from above by an array of strings.
Narrator Harriet Walter masterfully invigorates the marionettes, her command of the language ensuring you soon lose any sense of reality and start looking into the puppets’ huge eyes, searching for signs of life.
A guitarist sits opposite her to the left of the proscenium stage, providing unobtrusive accompaniment to the action as five black-clad puppeteers do their work, three of them working a puppet at one time to ensure the movement flows naturally.
Adonis’ stubborn refusal to engage with Venus’ amorous play is comically rendered, the puppets flirting like modern lovers: Adonis stamps his foot in righteous indignation at Venus’ unceasing advances, she steals a kiss or an inappropriate touch whenever his guard is down.
Director of Puppetry, Steve Tiplady, has paid attention to the language - Venus’ hand movements leaving little to the imagination as Walter intones: “Graze on my lips; and if those hills be dry, stray lower, where the pleasant fountains lie.”
The two leads are supported by a cast of animal puppets that cavort around in front of the stage, as well as through the intimate theatre’s aisles, the half life- size horses’ lovemaking intent an ironic counterpoint to Adonis’ frigidity.
These bestial interruptions ensure the production retains a decent pace as the action takes a more melancholy turn, Adonis refusing to heed Venus’ prophecy of his impending death should he hunt the bristling boar.
Rob Jones’ stage proves as adaptable as the puppets themselves as, in an astonishing climax, death rears his rictal face from atop the golden arch above the stage and casts out his skeletal arms to transport Venus high above the boards.
Although the, mostly elderly, audience really enjoyed the show, you cannot help but think it a shame the sex scenes were deemed too risqué to show to under fourteens – they would have loved it.
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