Daily Links, Monday, Dec 12, 2012

Gaomei Wetlands outside Taichung city, always a pleasant experience.

I'd like to show you the CNA story on the piggy bank event in Taipei on Saturday, but a friend of mine pointed out to me: What did the Central News Agency say about the DPP's Saturday event when tens of thousands showed up to donate piggy banks to the Tsai Ing-wen campaign? (Focus Taiwan, CNA Taiwan political headlines). They reported on Soong promise to visit China if elected, which will never happen, and on Ma's promise to subsidize taxi drivers.... but on a major, signature campaign event in the capital?

Nothing.

If this is not merely slowness in getting the story out, then I expect we will see the CNA becoming more open in its plugging of Ma as election day nears.

Your sturdy blogger is in a double funk, with winter and SAD nigh and his camera in the shop for repairs for the third week. Must medicate with alcohol..... meanwhile what's out there on the blogs?

ELECTION (blogs and media):

• President Ma promises subsidy of $30,000 for taxi drivers who want to replace their old cabs. Tsai meanwhile promises to establish a religious affairs department.
• PFP claims that its phone call firm was pressured to drop the Soong campaign.
• Police to crackdown on election gambling.
• Frozen Garlic on who owns the corruption issue and on the Yu Chang scandal smear. The timing of the release, FG argues, was to give it time to sink in. I suspect that in fact it is backfiring by showing the KMT's desperation. 
• John Tkacik points out that AIT has great things to say about Tsai. Not so much about Ma.
• Jakarta Post, Oman paper, on the piggies, election
• Taiwan Thinktank has Ma and Tsai in dead heat.

BLOGS:

• Craig on textures in photography. A couple of nice pics there too.
• KMT councillor in Taoyuan has calendar made, shows PRC rules China after 1949. Oops.
• How the KMT is using biking to get out the vote.
• ERTC Group on Taiwan's first BOP deficit as foreign investors took money out of stocks and bonds
• Drew rounds up travel posts.
• Steve Crook with a new tourist book on K-town.
• AsiaEye with under the radar news.
• US-Taiwan Defense Command is looking for the US father of a woman born in 1967.
• Flashmob vid at Taipei Train station is internet hit.
• James walks with the monkeys in Wufeng
• A foreigner with no mandarin visits Tainan.
• Lao Ren Cha with a long meditation on childlessness. My advice now is always: don't have'em. There are more than enough H. sapiens on earth, and with the constant failure of climate talks to produce real progress, it is likely that after 2040 or so life on earth will become....difficult. 

MEDIA:

• Rutgers senior wages campaign for Taiwan independence. Go Jenny Wang!
• The Diplomat interviews the ROC Ambassador to the US.
• Holmes and Yoshihara again on Chinese sea power
• The Diplomat: if China's property bubble bursts.
• New bridge opens between Pingtung and K-town. Much needed! With bike lane too!
• Peter Lee at Asia Times reviews the story about tunnels and nukes in China.
• China responds to Obama's "Pacific President" drive. 
• Taiwan exports to China fall slightly, though not as much as exports to US, Japan, and Europe.
• China Post on the gender imbalance in Taiwan
• Taiwan universities too homogenized.
• IBM to set up internet of things research center in Taiwan. The internet of things is the next big wave.
• China's dam building frenzy

EVENTS:

• The documentary Hand in Hand, about the Taiwan democracy movement, with English subtitles. See their blog for times and dates. Taipei Times review.
• See sidebar for more events -- Taiwanderful's blog award voting is now open!

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[Taiwan] 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! Delenda est, baby.