The new semester has started, and its time once again for another round up of the Taiwan blogs. Enjoy the good weather because a cold front is due later in the week! Lots of doings on the political front lately.
Ma, in apparent ignorance of how much of a fool he'd already made of himself, was quoted by the Saturday edition of the Taipei Times spouting this nonsense -- just 3 days after the BBC interview was shown -- about his party's so-called lack of involvement in the 228 Incident of 1947:Tim also reports that Chiu Yi, one of those politicians that foreign newspapers always describe as "colorful", was given 18 months in the slammer for his part in the fake riot following the news that Chen Shui-bian had defeated the KMT once again in the 2004 Presidential Election. Jason at Wandering to Tamshui also blogged on this news that has definitely helped clear the path for Pasuya Yao, the former GIO head, to become the biggest nincompoop in Taiwan. Ni Howdy got political with its own excellent take on the Ma interview:"Although the KMT was the then-ruling party, it was not directly involved in the event ... The decision to send troops to suppress the riot was made by the government."Let's see now. The KMT was a party-state. There was no opposition party. "[T]he government" to which he refers consisted solely of the KMT, the KMT, and -- oh, yeah -- the KMT.
Good job, Chairman Ma(o)! Keep flapping your lips!
Watch the video and ponder:
- When did Mayor Ma stop singing for Roxy Music?
- The Taiwan Anti-Secession (中國反分裂法) law was not anything new, no big deal, except he had to loudly protest publicly, but still it's nothing. No! Yes! No! Yes! No times infinity!
- Around minute 13:20 he calls twice-failed presidential candidate Lian Zhan "President Lian Zhan." Correct?
- International space ( China's belief that there is only one China and that Taiwan is part of that, I believe, is what he means) is the naughtiest issue we (Taiwan) face. Naughtiest? Oooh! Watch out China! He's gonna call a time-out and send you to your room.
The host, Stephen Sackur, never really gets hard, maybe just functionally firm, with Ma. I think that Ma's planting of his feet firmly on both sides of the fence would just further obfuscate the already confusing Taiwan issue for those who do not actively follow it. If you are one of the aforementioned, watch the video and let me know if it helped you understand the issue.
Jerome Keating, a longtime Ma watcher, also took in the Ma Shuffle of one step forward, and two steps to opposite sides at the same time:
Interestingly enough, Ma had this out and he didn't choose it. The KMT had already published an ad that implied the people could choose to remain where they are, democratic and independent or they could choose unification. Ma could have said that the KMT is in full support of democracy while it also believes that the best interests of the country may (note I use the word may) lie in a future choice of unification with the PRC.
Ma did not state that democracy is a sine qua non for the KMT. He rejected all other choices. Instead he affirmed that the KMT is dedicated to working toward one goal, unification. Perhaps he had to please a certain group in the party; perhaps he will change his mind as he has in the past, but stating it in that way he is confirming that the KMT are waishengren. They are wandering waishengren longing to be united with their former home.
Why are they wandering? Ma does not seem to realize that the thinking in Taiwan is not that of benshengren; it is the thinking of democratic people that are already free and independent. This distinction may be subtle to some but it is real. When put this way, perhaps we should speak of the KMT in Taiwan not as waishengren but as waigworen.
Bourdeiu Boy wrote up a good article for an Aussie paper:
But in his European speeches, Ma has been quite clear in stating his caution regarding Taiwan’s future with China. Ma is broadly practical and conciliatory in tone, welcoming the booming trade and movement of people across the straits and proposing confidence-building measures, but he also says that it is impossible to discuss unification under China’s present political conditions. He has explicitly rejected the Hong Kong model of “One Country Two Systems” saying that a settlement process between Taiwan and China needs Chinese democracy and that any possible agreement must have the popular support of the Taiwanese people.
So despite their different styles, Ma is making just as powerful an appeal as Chen Shui-bian to democratic ideals and Taiwanese self-determination. In London in both his public statements and private comments he consistently expressed the belief that Taiwan can only have a Chinese future with a democratic mainland China which the Taiwanese themselves willingly choose.
Such rhetoric is a challenge to Australia’s political leaders, who have either explicitly or by omission been unwilling to publicly endorse the need for political reform in China and the legitimacy of self-determination for Taiwan. Statements by the foreign minister and opposition leader betray a disquieting lack of understanding of the necessity for public support among the Taiwanese for a successful cross-straits agreement and for the achievement of long-term regional security. The endorsement by Labor’s foreign affairs spokesman of the One Country Two Systems scheme puts him out of step with even the Chinese government, which has notably dropped mention of it with respect to Taiwan over the last year and a half.
At Mayor Ma’s major public appearance in London he was mobbed like a pop star and significantly the majority of those wanting to hear him were young mainland Chinese students. From their sentiments, if Ma was running for president of the People’s Republic of China, he would be a shoo-in.
I think BB is too kind by half to Ma.My own take on the Ma Ying-jeou interview on BBC: A tissue of lies?
All in all, although Ma looked terrible at times, he did manage to hold his own in a couple of places. He was able to conduct the interview successfully in English, present the KMT line and stay on-message throughout, and get a few lies past the interviewer without being called on them. It is doubtful that locals will recognize the lies he told; instead, they will note with approval that he is good-looking and speaks English well, and appeared on the BBC like any serious politician. I think that despite the preparation of the interviewer, who knew his stuff, Ma came away looking pretty good. I wouldn't rate this a great victory for Chairman Ma of the KMT, but it was, all in all, a qualified success.
Jason at Wandering to Tamshui had by far the funniest commentary on the Ma Shuffle:
Ma clenches his mouth and grinds his teeth in annoyance at a question: 1 shotROFL!
Ma refers to China as "the Mainland": 1 shot
Ma lamely attempts to explain away the Chinese missile threat: 1 shot
Ma dismisses the interviewer's perfectly good question about his varying positions on unification because he "doesn't understand Chinese and Taiwanese affairs": 2 shots and punch the wall in anger.
Ma tries to interrupt the interviewer by raising his voice and saying "No" over and over: 3 shot
Ma looks like he's holding in an enormous fart when the interviewer catches him in a contradiction about China's military threat (A good example can be seen at the 4:00 mark): 5 shots
Ma pats himself on the back for being the FIRST government leader to oppose the Anti-Secession law: 1 shot and a lozenge to get that taste of horseshit out of your mouth
Ma lamely denies that the KMT's position is the same as China's by merely saying "we're opposed to the Anti-Secession law": 5 Shots
Ma declares that the majority of Taiwanese support any method of attaining peace with China: 2 shots (1 at the 13:50 mark and another one immediately after the first one shoots out of your nose when you hear him say it.)
Ma takes a veiled swipe at James Soong by declaring "Lien Chan was the only opposition leader who wouldn't sell out Taiwan": get on your knees with tears in your eyes and drink 2 shots.
Ma says the Chinese mistook Lien during his trip as "a person in power": 1 shot as you say to yourself "Yeah, Lien made the same mistake himself"
Ma displays his trademark false modesty when asked if he'll be the presidential nominee in '08: 1 shot
The host throws Ma under the bus by enumerating all of China's misdeeds, and then asking "are you telling me that Beijing is the kind of government you can do business with?" Guzzle what you're drinking, flatten the can against your forehead and proceed directly to primal scream therapy.
One small piece of news this week was the announcement that Taiwan might eliminate yet another vestige of the ROC regime, the ridiculous ROC year system. While rest of you have a toe in the 21st century, here in the ROC we're only in 95, Domitian is Emperor, the sundial is high tech, and Flavius Josephus has just published the Greek version of his history of the backwater province of Judea. David on Formosa has a good review of the issues and links to other blogs:
Pinyin News and Michael Turton both blogged on Premier Su's recent remarks that Taiwan may consider abandoning the ROC calendar and use only the Gregorian calendar. The story was reported in the Taipei Times and China Post yesterday.
Both blogs comment on the differences between the reports in the two papers. The Taipei Times is known for favouring the DPP and Taiwan independence while the China Post staunchly backs the KMT and "reunification". Mark of Pinyin News has some less than favourable comments about the China Post on Michael Turton's blog.I recommend that people go through an issue of the China Post to see for themselves what is original to that paper. (Let's not even bother to wonder which, if any, ideas there are original.)
So, get a copy of the China Post. Cross out everything by "China Post staff." Then cross out all the articles by AP, Reuters, CNA, DPA, Agence France-Presse, and the other news agencies. Then cross out all the ad copy that's printed to resemble stories. Then cross out all the other ads.
Then, if you like, see more of what a newspaper it is by crossing out all the remaining pieces that are not actually news but simply puff pieces on restaurants or celebrities.
Quite likely all that will be left are the editorials.
David adds:
It seems that one of the greatest obstacles to better government in Taiwan is the polarisation of politics into pro-reunification and pro-independence camps. The issue of romanisation and the use of Hanyu Pinyin has also failed to get the consideration that it deserves as a result of this. These issues should, in a rational world, not be political. Alas, it is not the case in Taiwan.
Pinyin News also comments on the issue. My own report on the slanted media presentations is at One Story, two points of view.Wandering to Tamshui has an extensive set of comments:
Mucking around with calendar systems has traditionally been the provenance of empires (as in the case of Japan), or dictatorships (like North Korea's juche calendar). Taiwan has managed to move past both, so why continue to insist on using a system that at best reminds one of a bygone era?
Trashing the min guo system would only be a start. If the DPP does manage to get rid of this system, there will undoubtedly be no shortage of celebratory self-fellation among the rank-and-file, but they'd be wrong to think the move will suddenly make the country a better place to live. Premier Su's remarks about the government's fumbling steps toward "internationalization" inadvertently sum the problem up best:Su said that updating calendar and national language conventions are important aspects of internationalization. This was why the official right-to-left writing system was changed to left-to-right, he said.Internationalization. Yes... because so many Chinese-reading foreigners in Taiwan just couldn't get over having to read right-to-left. How about starting by adopting a pinyin system that the rest of the world recognizes so the majority of foreigners in Taiwan who don't read Chinese have a prayer of getting around without a GPS receiver? Would that really be such a bad thing?
Not in our lifetimes, I'm afraid.
Kerim Friedman settles into his new post at Donghwa University:
My Chinese name is Fu Ke-en (傅可恩). My efforts to get people to call me Ke-en generally fail. Generally, I end up getting called either “Mr. Fu” (傅先生）or "teacher Fu” (傅老師). The best I can do now that I am a college professor is to insist on the less formal “teacher” as opposed to “professor” (教授). So, that is how I normally introduce myself: “teacher fu.”
Today, when a colleague introduced me to the owner of her favorite bubble tea stand, the owner asked me how she should address me. I replied, as usual, “teacher Fu” (傅老師). To which she replied: “Oh, Professor Fu. Too bad, you’ll never become a full professor!” The joke being that “Professor Fu” sounds exactly like the term for “associate professor” (副教授). That’s what you get for ordering bubble tea near a university!
Kerim mentions that the level of paperwork is ridiculous and that he had to set up a forwarding account to handle all the mails the university sends around. Although I've been begging my department for four years to reduce the flow of email or at least set up two lists, so that department and university business can be let through and the garbage announcements be shunted into the ether, I'm unhappy to report no progress so far.
David at jujuflop blogs on constitutional change in Taiwan, a desperate need:
I am a big fan of Chen Shui-bian’s plans for constitutional change - the fact that noone can give a straight answer as to whether Taiwan is a presidential or parliamentary system, the constant battles between the legislature and executive over who has the power to do anything, and the whole “how many branches of government does a country really need?” question all point to the need for a new (or updated) constitution.
the leaky pen had a couple of great posts this week on 2-28 responsibility this week. First he notes that Chiang's Grandson is Suing Authors of 2-28 Report:
Three authors of the 2-28 report I blogged on last week, all of them respected academics, are being sued by Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek's grandson, John Chiang. According to the China Times (which we don't ordinarily read because of its lies), John Chiang wants an apology and NT$5 billion for the slander of his ancestor. Three authors, needless to say, did not apologize for accusing the Eternal Leader (Chiang) of being responsible for the 2-28 Massacre:"Huang Chien-chang, [a] member of the Academia Sinica, said the special report is "totally wrong" in attributing the guilt to Chiang Kai-shek. [...] As the head of state, Chiang had no alternative but to send the troops to drive out Hsieh Hsueh-hung and her armed supporters from Taichung and relieve a small garrison at the Chiayi airport besieged by an overwhelming mob," said Huang.Note that the big gun from Academia Sinica, Huang (whose specialty is Chinese), does not dispute that Chiang Kai-shek ordered the invasion and crackdown. Instead, he says the attack was aimed at "Hsieh's armed supporters"--i.e., the Taiwanese Communist Party led by the female revolutionary Hsieh Hsueh Hong, based in Taichung. Actually, Hsieh's fledgling group of Marxists was but one element of the vast anti-KMT uprising that took place on 2-28. Indeed, the 3-4000 Taiwanese that Chen Yi executed by the end of March, 1947, almost certainly outweighed the numbers of the group led by Hsieh, and the overall number of victims--at least 30,000 according to the report--were definitely not all "commies."
For those who do not know, the revolutionary Hsieh led a rag-tag army that was eventually defeated. She escaped back to China, where the grateful Communist party executed her for supporting Taiwan independence about a decade later. tlp also blogged previously on this report, concluding:
There were no Nueremberg trials of KMT generals, not even public tribunals or open convictions for wrong-doing, as there were after S. Korea's fascist president, General Chun Doo-Hwan, was removed from power. It's time for a just reckoning, I say, and an end to the silence about the Chinese Nationalist Party's (Kuomintang) guilt in killing over 10,000 innocent Taiwanese citizens.
The Gentle Rant blogged on the shooting death of an innocent bystander in a police shoot-out last week:
The suspect, Chen, had a knife, not a gun. The girl and her mother heard two shots fired and the girl goes out on the balcony to see what's going on, and gets hit by what would be the third, not first, out of twenty four bullets fired, eight of which ended up in crazy Mr Chen. If there was a warning shot, it was likely what drew her out onto the balcony in the first place. Doesn't it seem more plausible that she was hit by one of the 23 other shots that was fired?
Why did it take twenty four shots to take down a knife wielding old man? Why do the Taiwanese police feel the need to completely unload their weapons into suspects. It's like they feel that the magazine is a single serving.
A sad incident. The Chinese papers reported that the police are not allowed to shoot for the body, but had to shoot at the hands and feet, which accounts for the poor marksmanship. Additionally, they reported that the mother had initially claimed the daughter was in the living room, not on the balcony. Apparently Mom wanted a few more dollars from the police department. You can hardly blame her, with compensation here so low.
Pinyin News blogs on a perennial problem of the The Beautiful Isle: Taiwan has way too many Romanization systems.
See the article PN cites. One comment noted that this is kind of scary -- the government might be tempted to come up with yet another Romanization system.Groups favoring the promotion of Taiwanese (also called Hokkien, Hoklo, Minnan, and all sorts of other names) are urging Taiwan’s Ministry of Education to come to a consensus on what phonetic system should be used to teach it, according to an article in the Taipei Times.
The article, however, is a bit confused in its facts, so I’m presenting it for what it’s worth and hoping commenters here can help set matters straight. Certainly, though, the variety of systems — and for some of these I use the word loosely — being used in textbooks is a hindrance to effective teaching of the language.
Some might be surprised to know that Tongyong Pinyin is not Taiwan’s official romanization system for Taiwanese, though its schemes were approved for Mandarin and Hakka. I tend to think of Tongyong for Mandarin as more of a nationalist marketing scheme than a romanization. I know there are more than a few people who hold the same view of Tongyong for Taiwanese.
As long as I’m on the subject, I’d like to remind people that, despite the misinformation that has been spread by some of its supporters, Tongyong is not one system that covers all the languages of Taiwan.
The Taipei Kid was one of many bloggers across the world blogosphere who thought it was absolutely comic that President Chen compared the US-Taiwan relationship to Brokeback Mountain:
President Chen somehow likened Taiwan and U.S. relations to the characters in Brokeback Mountain at the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei's annual Hsieh Nian Fan dinner last night. The banquet is held annually by the American business community to thank Taiwan.
Edit: It gets even better: According to the Taipei Times, "(Am Cham president Tom) Johnson said that Chen's Brokeback Mountain analogy demonstrates the value of cooperation."
Maybe Chen was simply intimating Taiwan's ultimate fate -- death in the end.
The Lost Spaceman blogs on the problem of students who can't stay awake.
The average thirteen year old requires eight and a half hours of sleep every night in order to function normally. The average student in Taiwan (if my students are a glimpse into the average) seems to be about five to six hours per night. Due to the pressure placed on them by parents and teachers they are forced to attend classes as late as ten o'clock on weeknight before even thinking about tackling their homework and the studying required for their daily tests. They often yawn in class, drift off to sleep or else they simply cannot concentrate on my lessons and stared into space with a glazed over look that I used to get when I used to wake up for work (back in the day).
I can't even begin to imagine the biological damage done to someone who is still growing to be deprived of so much sleep for such a long time. I can't even function if I don't get at least six hours in a night, and I'm thirty. If Iris is any indication, Taiwanese spend the rest of their lives catching up on sleep.
I often ask my students do things, like think for themselves and be creative, but it's too complicated for an exhausted mind to understand. They simply can't do it. If I ask: "write a paragraph about your hobby," They will all ask me: "What is my hobby?" or "I don't have any hobbies." If I, stupidly, retort, "what do you do in your free time?" They universally say: "Sleep." Of course. Assignments have to be as simple as painting by numbers if you want them done with any semblance of pride. As for creativity, forget about it. Independent Studay? About as foreign as Martian glue.
Perhaps Taiwanese students could take a lesson from Julio Franco. He's 47 years old and just signed a two year 2.2 million dollar contract to play for the Mets. He attributes his longevity to going to bed as early as 8 p.m. Think of all the episodes of Friends this guy missed! But at least he has a hobby.
I read last year that adolescents have erratic biological clocks and have trouble sleeping at the proper times. Apparently the clock does not settle down until one has reached the early 20s. Most of the kids in my daughter's class are asleep all morning.
This week ESWN, the popular China blog, and I got in a spat over his unmitigated contempt for Taiwan and its democracy, and his use of a foreign-owned tabloid rag to "represent democracy in Taiwan." I fired the first shot with this post on ESWN, Apple Daily, and Taiwan when ESWN first made the claim that Apple Daily represents Taiwan democracy......
At first glance this makes a kind of sense – we can study the democratic development of Taiwan by studying its best selling newspaper, which happens to be a sensationalist rag filled with lies (speaking of lies, Roland, did you correct that lying story about macking in Taiwan that you got from Apple Daily yet, that you thought was true? Didn’t think so). It is only when you start thinking about Taiwan's democratic development, which I have spent most of my adult life observing, that you realize how stupid this idea is. ESWN is just engaging in another subtle slam of Taiwan. Some people just can't abide our democracy here, it seems.
Just stop and think about what democratic development means for Taiwan. The changes here that I have seen in the last 15 years have been profound. On a hike on the East Coast last year I saw locals picking up their trash after they had eaten. The trail itself was cared for by a volunteer historical organization. Both of those are results of the rising civic culture and democracy in Taiwan -- in fact, a little noticed but tremendous advance due to the arrival of democracy was the shortening of the work week from six days to five, which means that people now have a day off to engage in activities like hiking, blogging, and political rallies. One could go on all day listing representative changes that range from better government service, better care for the environment, clean elections, privatization of bloated government firms, unrestricted travel abroad, and above all, the free speech that Apple Daily exploits. Any of these things could be chosen to represent Taiwan's democratization, although no one thing could (a point neglected by ESWN). It is also worth mentioning that this sensationalization of the news is not a Taiwan development -- it was introduced from elsewhere. So when you choose a foreign tabloid that sensationalizes the news to "represent" Taiwan's democratic development, what are you really trying to do? I submit the question answers itself
He backed it up with a standard authoritarian article which I went on and dismantled. This triggered a series of defenses of his positions that amounted to "I'm popular so shut up."
The Legal Alien had a post on a Korean comfort woman who was sent to Taiwan:
"There was a 'comfort station' in Taiwan where I then received pilots who belonged to the kamikaze, a special suicide brigade."
One of Japanese kamikaze pilots, who repeatedly raped her in Taiwan, told Ms. Lee that she was his first love.
"That Japanese soldier gave me a Japanese nick-name, 'Toshiko'. And the kamikaze pilot taught me a song. He made up a song, because he was afraid he would die when he finally had to fly.
"It's in Japanese," Ms. Lee said, and then she softly sang the lilting tune which she never forgot.
A little-known rite of passage for foreigners in Taiwan is the encounter with the insane Mormon missionary (mine here). Ed and Karen blog on theirs:
The blonde headed Mormon caught up with me again at the next light. I have to admit, I was starting to like this guy. He was red-faced and winded by our third meeting and was catching his breath while trying to convert me. I heard a little more about John and the Indians before I was off again. Yet another red light and the little fella had cought me again. This time he pulled up even more out of breath and barely able to speak. It was all I could stand, I asked him if there was some kind of spiritual commission that he gained from these sorts of things, as he was definitely working his ass off. If he had of been selling stereos instead of eternal salvation I probably would have bought two! I told him to save his breath and his energy, as he was not going to convert me to Mormonism or whatever they call it. I did tell him I liked his gumption, and out of all the Mormons I had ever spoken to he was my favorite. I assured him he did a good job, and if there was ever a chance of converting me, he had the first crack at it. I bid him goodbye and at the next red light I ran it, just to be safe. I don’t think they are allowed to run red lights.
One of my students, the very beautiful and intelligent Grace, has a blog that she posts to quite regularly, with lots of pictures.
Red envelopes are very important for children in Chinese New Year. I always look forward to receiving a lot of red envelopes. However, the older I grow, the fewer red envelopes I receive. Because I am twenty-one years old now. Oh! No!This year I receive five red envelopes. First is from my grandmother who is eighty-nine years old. May she can live a hundred years! Second is from my father. Its total is usually the highest of all red envelopes I received. Third is from my mother. Forth is from my another grandmother. The last one is from my father's friend. I always hope that I am just twelve years old when the New Year comes. Ha ha ha!!! I think maybe next year will be my last chance to receive red envelopes. > <"
I started the kids on blogging in a business writing class, mostly to enable them to get over their fear of using computers for something other than chatting and playing online games. Out of my 60 kids in last year's class, only one had any experience building on the web.
The New Hampshire Bushman has a fantastic post on using GPS to get around in Taiwan, with images and commentary.
You can always tell the field men. They don't have devices, machines, or even equipment. No, they have gear.
I've always been the kind of person to modify my gear to suit my needs. This is especially true of computers and electronic gear. I do this with pretty much everything I own. My TV audio has a custom-equalized setting that I created. My Nikon digital camera has a completely custom program. All my ham gear was modded to death. My bicycle is customized. So, naturally nothing about the operation of my GPS is stock. This model GPS is very highly customizable, enabling the user to not only select what screens of information are available, but to even select the information displayed in virtually every data field per screen. Since I have been using GPS units since 1994, and have extensive experience using Garmin units, I know exactly what I want displayed and under what conditions. I will attempt to show you a little about how this model functions and how I have the difference screens and data files set up in mine. Pressing a button on the GPS scrolls through all the pages, in sequence.
Navigation among the pages and menus is accomplished by a 5-way joystick, very similar to the control you find on many mobile phones. You move up/down, left/right, and push down on the button to select.
The most prominent aspect of this GPS is its ability to display a moving map of your location. In addition, the GPS is capable of routing a path between points and draw the route on the map for you. It also alerts the use to upcoming turns and names streets.
SHORTS: Who is Majorie Bly? Jonathan Benda tells us who Marjorie Bly of Penghu is. Doubting to Shuo reviews the venerable Far East Chinese-English Dictionary. Mind of Mike makes two commercials for Jordan Commercial and Berlitz Germany. Taiwanonymous discovers some toilet humor in a bathroom in Neiwan. A Raven Crows runs down the top party places in Taipei. Great photos from a bike club outing in Taiwan here and here. Peking Duck has a great tradition of threads for discussion, and now they've opened a new forum on all things Chinese, the Duck Pond. Dive in! Don't miss the podcasting at Getting a Leg Up, The Bluesman's Killing Floor, Misadventures in Taiwan, Ugly Expat, The Formosa Diaries, and What's Up in Taiwan. As always, great photos at 35togo, Unplugged, the forgetful's photo gallery, the forgetful's photo gallery, amateur commune, andres, Clarke vs Matt, Cat Piano, T_C at Fotolog, battphotos, Fotologging Taiwan, Photoactionboy, leftmind, MaMaHuHu, Everything Visible is Empty, Roger in Taiwan, Love Songs (Are for Losers), Photoblogging Taiwan, Eight Diagrams, Tagging Taichung, Finding the Rabbit, and The New Hampshire Bushman in Taiwan and The World. Also, Waiguoren Project wants your stories.
NEW BLOGS ON THE ROLL:
Nikki in Taiwan
Chocolate Pussy
Report from Taipei
Adventures in Taipei
there is no 'i' in buddhism
Me -- One of A Kind
meet meh here
PERSONAL NOTE: For those of you who wonder, it took me two hours and 50 minutes to compile this round-up.
[Taiwan] [US] [China] [Asia] [Asian Blogs] [DPP] [English] [ESL in Taiwan] [PFP] [KMT] [Taichung] [Taiwan Blogs] [US Foreign Policy] [Ma Ying-jeou] [photography]
That's Bourdeiu Boy. He's very insightful, smart. I guess he can't just come out and point out that Ma's democratic credentials are suspect.
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