Daily Links, May 30, 2011

Diorama effect on a river landscape (same scene, normal).

Very busy these last couple of days, apologies for the light blogging.  Meanwhile, what can you catch on the blogs this week?

BLOGS:

• Craig F has this month's lovely photo calendar.
• Michael C with good pics of riding round K-town.
• James on historical ignorance in Taiwan.
• Thoughts on women and justice in Taiwan
• ETRC passes along CEC announcement that Armageddon the election will take place Jan 14, 2012.
• J Michael points out that while Americans claim Ma has served their interests, they are not helping him out.
• The Foreigner rips The Grand Hotel for serving Beijing.
• AsiaEye under the radar news.
• My man Dom finds good food right in his backyard.
• Some polls still showing Tsai with a small lead over Ma.
• Islaformosa notes that Yahoo is being beaten by Google.
• NSB says new missile unit deployed off coast.
• Expat Angler with the target species: Giant Trevally.
• Taiwanese girls suffer from Princess Disease.
• A trip to Jiufen, with pics and narrative, from Ben at Letters from Taiwan. Get him to explain the hilarious backstory one of these days.

MEDIA:

• China interested in Brazilian farmland. How long can this last? That farmland will become an ever more valuable commodity, and local governments will be constantly tempted to nationalize it. Especially in South America. Won't it be ironic when Socialist China becomes angry at Brazil for socializing farmland?
• DPP says independent travelers from China may be a security risk.
• TSU won't run against DPP in elections. Finally!
• China Post looks at the island's political geography for the 2012 Presidential contest.
• Tsai again says DPP will work on plan to decommission Taiwan's nuke plants.
• Taiwanese fishing boat captain killed in crossfire between US and Somali pirates.
• Bosco on Japan-China relations in CSM -- fear of Beijing dominates Japan's actions so completely Tokyo couldn't even thank Taiwan for its quake donations. 
• Russell Flannery column in Forbes looks at challenges facing Taiwan businesss in China.
• Joel Atkinson at Monash with an excellent review of Taiwan's interests in the South China Sea territorial dispute. Also: a look at the budding US-China rivalry in the South China Sea. Finally, Hanoi accuses China of stoking tensions in the South China Sea as Chinese vessels harass Vietnamese ships. How long before the fighting begins? People who want the US to dump Taiwan forget that Taiwan is only one issue in Asia in which the US may become involved.
• No, the US should not clarify its One China policy. With official Washington increasingly resigned to Taiwan being annexed, now is not the time to push for clarification. This problem can be outlived; preserve the ambiguity.
• Taiwan urges China to stop blocking its websites.
• Divination blocks: every time I see something like this, I kick myself for not thinking of such an easy way to part the gullible from their cash.
• Kastner predicts Beijing will likely stand aside if Singapore and Taiwan can reach a free trade agreement that doesn't treat Taiwan like an independent state.
• Shimpua is alive and well in China today.
• Decisionmakers appear determined to destroy the earth's biosphere as 2010 sees worst ever carbon emissions. The 2C world is now an unattainable utopia. Yet this could all be stopped with current technology.

EVENTS:

• Jerome's next meetup is June 11. The Speaker is Lin Feng-jeng, graduated from Department of Law, National Taiwan University. He was Chairperson of Taiwan Association for Human Rights (2000~2003), Chairman of Radio Taiwan International (2003~2006). He is currently a lawyer of Island Taiwan Law Office and serves as Executive Director of Judicial Reform Foundation (2007~). Topic: From the Hsichih Trio to Judge Law Legislation.
• Democrats Abroad is hosting an event on.... "Tuesday, May 31st at noon -- over at Jin Shan South Road, about a block south of Xin Yi Road, at the section of the old Taihoku Prison wall near the large ChungHwa Telecom building, we will lay a wreath for the American servicemen and women who have given their lives for our country. Afterwards, we will go for lunch hosted by new DA Taiwan chair Jason Echols."

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