Monday, August 24, 2009

Daily links, August 24, 2009


Lots of stuff packed and ready to go on the blogs this week....
MEDIA: UN team to arrive to assess situation following typhoon. They claim Beijing was not consulted. Kyodo news observes that Taiwan's Japan envoy was also on vacation in Europe when the typhoon hit. Apparently everyone the KMT appointed was on vacation when Morakot broke down our gates. Taiwan News calls on DPP to show what it is made of. Jon Adams at Gobal Post reports on the possibility that the Tsengwen Reservoir Diversion project had a hand in the burying of Siaolin village. Another globalist argument that Taiwan's banks should be privatized, in Forbes. Apparently no one has noticed that during the heyday of 8% growth, all of the local banks were state-owned. Could there be a lesson in there? Naw. DPA reports on Apple Daily reports on Thai surrogate mothers being barred from entering Taiwan since surrogacy is illegal in Taiwan. Can someone explain to me why a Council of Agriculture official is quoted for that fact? Also, Apple claims 1 in 7 Taiwanese couples are infertile. Another take on the surrogacy issue. 32 years fixing sewer pipes in Taiwan. Taiwan News on the PRC's $3 million check for aid to "aboriginal legislator" May Chin. The Taipei Times notes the foreign media focus on Ma was most unwelcome. Lenovo to spend $3.3 billion in Taiwan as our jobless rate reaches record high (Ma save us!) and our income inequality also reaches record high (Ma save us!). US agonizes over Taiwan arms sales. As nations draw closer to China, they should resist Chinese bullying, says CFR piece. Be still my beating heart: Asia Times business writer actually notes CIER simulations of ECFA that say bad things about it.

MULTIMEDIA LINKS: Pro-Taiwan economist Peter Chow on VOA (audio link at VOA good for one week, youtube six parts good for two months: one, two, three, four, five, six). Also on Youtube is this wonderful mocking of the slick election ad Ma Ying-jeou: The Strength to Change: Ma Ying-jeou: The Strength to Disappoint. Classic.

EVENTS: Formosa Betrayed screening. The movie's promoters sent this around:

As I know, many of you are eagerly awaiting information about where you can see FORMOSA BETRAYED!

Our next screening will be:
Montreal World Film Festival
Montreal, QC, Canada
Thursday, September 3rd -- 7:20PM
Friday, September 4th -- 12:20PM
Saturday, September 5th -- 2:40PM
All the screenings will be held at the Quartier Latin Cinema Complex, Venue 13.
http://www.ffm-montreal.org

Go to their website to purchase tickets and all that jazz, and if you're north of the border or have friends in the Quebecois hood, we hope to see them there!

And it gets better! Writer/Actor/Producer Will Tiao will hold a Q&A session after each screening, and one of our stars Wendy Crewson, who plays Susan Kane, an American diplomat stationed in Taiwan, will join Thursday night. Director/Producer Adam Kane will have the Q&A with Will as well after the Saturday screening.

And of course, lots of news to come at our main website, www.formosathemovie.com. Check the SCREENINGS tab there for more information as soon as it comes out.

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Don't miss the comments below! And check out my blog and its sidebars for events, links to previous posts and picture posts, and scores of links to other Taiwan blogs and forums!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Where the heck is the Taiwan screening of Formosa Betrayed??

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the "On the slide" link. One of the few encouraging things I've read recently.

SY said...

Has anyone caught this:

On August 21, an army officer on site of a disaster area told the inspecting Ma Ying-Jeou that more US assistance was needed. Ma replied by saying the following:

"(We get) Only one helicopter (from the US). I cannot do more. Even if (the US assistance were) useful, it (the US assistance) has no drastic effects (on the reescue and recovery operations)."

See section 1:31-1:49 of the news piece on YouTube (in Chinese):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efQpz5kmXto

Throughout his political life, Ma lives and breathes camera. What he says in front of camera is never unplanned and always pre-calculated.

More importantly, it seems odd to me that no one took real note of Ma's announcement that the Taiwanese armed forces will have disaster prevention and rescue as their main job from now on. The AP journalist asked him to clarify what it meant. Ma's response was a repetition of what he just announced: the strategy, the tactics, the personnel, the budget and the equipment (one by one carefully itemized by him) of the armed forces will be "re-oriented".

So far, only The Economist has caught it. No noise inside Taiwan. Hm...

Anonymous said...

I am maybe wrong, but I think that the actual silence of the ministry of health about the aftermath was deafening...

Michael Turton said...

Thanks, SY. I think they went after the Defense Minister over disagreement. Clearly they are looking for any reason to neuter the armed forces...

Dixteel said...

Yea, SY is right. It looks like not a lot of people and media attack Ma's assertion yet.

Clearly he is living in some lala land, and has lost his mind. I am sure a lot of people, including the defense minister and those in the military would agree. But so far no major critism in the media is focusing on it yet.