Swenson's Breakfast Club -- Saturday, May 6

Jerome Keating sent this around about the Breakfast Club in Taipei:

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A set of announcements:

First, our May meeting will be on the first Saturday, May 6th, at the same place Swensen's on Keelung Road, at 9:30 am. [MT: ADDRESS 9:30 am at the same place as last month; Swensen's #81 Keelung Rd. Sec. 2, Taipei.]You will get a second reminder of this in the week before the meeting, but this is to help you plan ahead.

Our speaker will be member Syd Goldsmith and he will talk on "Impressions of Taiwan both personal and from the perspective of the American Presence in Taiwan"

Syd first came to Taiwan as a language student in 1968 and from 1970 to 74 he served as Taiwanese Political Officer for the American Embassy (remember this was before the USA switiched its Embassy to Beijing). During this time numerous things were going on; Peng Ming-min escaped. Peng once a darling of the KMT had been arrested and imprisoned in 1964 for a manifesto calling for a democratic constitution and Formosan self-determination. It was later when he was under house arrest that he escaped. During this time Kissinger began his secret meetings in Beijing which led to Nixon's visit and the Shanghai Communique. Interesting times.

Syd returned to Taiwan in 1985 and served as head of AIT (no longer the embassy here because of Carter). This was the time after the Kaohsiung Incident and when Martial Law was lifted in 1987. Syd has since pretty well lived the remaining time in Taipei. Covering such a wide ranging period, this should be beneficial particularly for those whose experience is limited to Taiwan's democratic period. The talk will probably focus more on the period of 60's and 70's but have the benefit of hindsight and change.

Syd's novel, Jade Phoenix, which many of us have, takes place in this era. If anyone wishes to purchase a copy of it, I will tell Syd to bring some extras to the meeting. [MT: There's a review and link on my sidebar]

Second, for those that missed Jeffrey Martin's presentation last month on the Police in Taiwan, (subject of his Doctoral Dissertation at the University of Chicago), Michael Turton did an excellent job in writing it up on his blog; go there and look in the Archives for April 4th, 2006. [MT: Jeff Martin's Presentation on the Police]

Third, www.taiwanho.com has provided the Breakfast Club a space where members can learn about each other, and the organizations and associations they represent and/or support, place their profiles, blogs etc. as well as pass on information that members might be interested in. Contact Malcom at breakfast@taiwanho.com
The site is http://www.taiwanho.com/breakfast

Fourth, don't despair I am going to post the listings of books that have influenced our lives that people may get a better idea of where people are coming from in our discussions. This will be done as soon as I get my sh** (delete that word) together; I am working on it. For those who have not given me their top books that changed or influenced your lives, be thinking on it.

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