Daily Links, Oct 31, 2008

What's being taken out of the bag on the blogs today?

Diogenes blogs on the promotion of Taipei as a place to find hot girls.

A-gu blogs on a key change in local media markets: Apple owner Jimmy Lai is buying the pro-KMT China Times and its cable news organization CTI. The media market is vicious here, and mergers and bankruptcies are probably inevitable.

Tumbling tumbles out to Sanxia with some gorgeous pictures.

The elegantly titled Memoirs of the Past Tense blogs on the 10/25 march with many pics.

Steve Crook on Yimin Temple, the Temple of the Dog.

Maddog rounds up the latest list of melamine contaminations.

David blogs on the hunger strike to get the referendum law changed.

Lief on Pu Du with lovely pics and prose.

Hiking around Taipei with Pashan.

Islaformosa on Taiwanese food.

Moshang on Taichung's hosting of a record large saxophone ensemble.

Fili goes to Heping Island, one of Taiwan's best-kept secrets.

Scott blogs on the latest webcast from Clyde Warden's China marketing podcasts, Talk of Asian Marketing.

Jerome asks what the heck does Ma mean, there will be no war?

The Bushman on the blogtoberfest

MEDIA: Former Vice Premier Chiou I-jen was arrested, another DPPer swept up in a "corruption" probe. Police bust a factory that had been faking $50 coins for a decade. As everyone knows, China negotiator Chen Yun-lin is on his way and will meet with Taipei mayor Hau over the pandas. In an apparent sop to China, the government took just nine days to indict the politician who challenged PRC hack Zhang Mingqing in Tainan. The DPP complained. Blackfaced Spoonbill season has begun. Former KMT Chairman and two-time Presidential loser Lien Chan was named envoy to APEC. China, Taiwan, set to begin talks on letting Chinese banks and other financial investments take place here. Taiwan eyes robotics market. Another excellent piece in the Asia Times Online by Cindy Sui, this one on Ma going too far, too fast. Looks like Ting-yi Tsai has a worthy successor.

DEFENSE: First, I don't have a link, but Janes Defense Weekly is reporting that China is getting 14 Su-33s [not -35s!] for training naval pilots and will apparently be purchasing these fighters. Second, the Jamestown brief has an article on the China's anti-aircraft capabilities and how they are changing things. Wendell Minnick's blog has two good pieces, one from Rupert Hammond-Chambers on the recent arms sale, and the other an article on the Bush Administration's refusal to sell Taiwan the parts it needs to make cruise missiles. Apparently the Bush Administration still hasn't got a lock on the difference between appeasement and abasement.

UPDATE: HIGHWAY 11 latest issue is out! Also:

Hello to you all. This is Brandon Shimoda, Director of Marketing at Wave Books in Seattle, USA, writing to let you know that Taiwanese poet, CHEN LI is being featured today (Tuesday, October 28th) on PoetryPolitic: A Blog in 50 Days --- (http://www.poetrypolitic.com) --- a blog running from September 15th through November 4th, 2008, presenting news from the intersection between poetry and politics. Chen Li has published seven books of poetry, as well as works of prose and translation. His poems have been translated into English, French, Dutch, Japanese and other languages.

Visit PoetryPolitic here: http://www.poetrypolitic.com.

PoetryPolitic is brought to you by Wave Books, an independent poetry press in Seattle, Washington, USA. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Wave at bshimoda@wavepoetry.com.

[Taiwan]