Daily Links, Oct 19, 2009

Getting massaged in a park in Fengyuan. What's being rolled around on the blogs today?

• Taiwan Dolphin researcher wins international award
• Jim goes walking in Changhua. Sorry, no cute Amber pics this time.
• A-gu talks about my claim that the closer we move to China, the farther we're going to get from democracy, and runs down the KMT's factional problems for the year-end elections
• Taiwan Air Blog on the replica of CCK airbase in China, used for training
• Hear in Taiwan on a lesbian film set in Hamburg and Taiwan, starring Taichung mayor Jason Hu's lovely daughter.
• Clauda jean rips the new policy of preferential education for children of Chinese spouses in Taiwan
• David on Dan's What Woodstock means to Taiwan
• Expanded opportunities for Chinese espionage in Taiwan
• Lao Ren Cha with great pics of the King Boat Festival
• Michella visits the Ita Thao for their New Year celebration. With pics and bilingual transcript.
• Save the Taiwan Humpback Dolphins blogs on the Central Taiwan Science Park waste disposal "plan" mess, with protest pics
• Stocks and Politics reviews the Founding of a Republic

PHOTOS: Holly found this unusual ad. Take a close look at the O in Oh

MEDIA: CSIS Pacific Forum with many articles containing overviews of US relations with other nations. Chinese spy ops in the US underscored in recent case: "The U.S. Embassy in Beijing had a backlog of over 1,200 cases … [in March 2008], and their single Commerce Department export control investigator … could only close 12 cases a month. Commerce later said they had 'doubled' their investigators in China, meaning, going from one to two". Introducing Critical Han Studies. Joe Hung of the China Post criticizes Japan for reviving the Greater East Asia C0-prosperity Sphere. Since this is exactly what China is currently attempting to do, Hung is simply engaging in that favorite KMT pastime of accusing others of doing what you yourself are doing. Taiwanese universities move to attract Chinese students even though legal permission has yet to be enacted. Saying sex is power, NTU student gives away free condoms and lubricant. Taiwan asks China not to punish Kaohsiung. Guys, give'em the middle finger and move on -- don't beg favors from bullies. Meanwhile President Ma says the KMT-controlled legislature will review the ECFA pact, which will be signed in 2010. Trade between Taiwan and China fell over the first three quarters compared to 2008, says Xinhua, though stock market is at 16 month high. Taiwan bans internet games in government offices as Facebook's farm game lowers government productivity. Central Bank Governor says foreign investors have $15.5 billion in funds sitting in Taiwan doing nothing, and fears speculation on the NT. If any of those investors want to give that unemployed money to me, I will put it to good use. Economic crisis hurts Taiwan worse than South Korea. Chinese tourists deliberately prevented from going to southern Taiwan? But tourism numbers have been in decline since May: Chinese citizens have been allowed to go on sightseeing tours of Taiwan since July. Taiwan in principle allows no more than 3,000 Chinese nationals to visit Taiwan per day. In April, an average of 3,280 Chinese tourists entered Taiwan per day. That number fell to 1,500 per day in May and has averaged about 1,000 since, Tourism Bureau statistics showed.

SPECIAL: FEER on Chinese attempts to impose censorship on other countries. Many thanks for Christopher Walker and Sarah Cook for an excellent and timely article.

CONGRATULATIONS are due to one of the best human beings I am privileged to know and call a friend, Anthony van Dyck of Forumosa fame, now the proud father of daughter Isabel, born last week.
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