Daily Links, April 30, 2012

A juvenile Malaysian night heron, a common sight around Taiwan.

A friend sent this from the China Times around: "A ship carrying pesticides and herbicides manufactured in Africa and China ran aground and sank off the coast near Fuzhou earlier this month. The contents of the ship has spilled into the ocean and is making its way toward northern Taiwan. The pesticides are reportedly highly toxic. You might want to stay clear of the beaches in the north. Of course, that won't help the ocean life." What else is out there?

BLOG:

• Battle of Formosa: the US Navy's raid on the Japanese colony in 1944
• Formosa Plastics sues professor for pointing out high cancer rates near its Mailiao plant
• J Michael Cole argues that the ROC's claims in the South China Sea might enable it to join international organizations. He also writes on the increase in intelligence flights around Okinawa by the PRC
• Last week one Cilliers Landman had a really bizarre letter in the Taipei Times. Drew responded to his nonsense about cycling here, while I took on his KMT propaganda claims in a letter to the Taipei Times
• The Writing Baron rips Ma for accepting both a leopard's head and having an audience with the insane ruler of Swaziland
• Craig offers the May 2012 Desktop calender of Taiwan imagery for download
• Richard climbs Mt Kinabalu in one of my favorite places, Borneo.

MEDIA:

• China's meat consumption passes US, its food demand reshaping the world.
• South China Sea standoff and its implications for US and China from the Asia Times Online
• US Air-Sea battle against China is conceptually wrong, says this author
• Ma says Taiwan must shed its protectionist mindset. Right. 
• Commonwealth Mag on Taiwan's Barren Waters: Taiwan's Fish are Gone, Taiwan's Dwindling Squid stocks
• Rupert Hammond-Chambers: Make Taiwan part of the US pivot in the WSJ
• China's space capabilities a threat to the US, Taiwan
• Road to Lishan still not fixed
• More on Formosa Plastics' attempt to silence a professor for remarking on pollutants from the Formosa Plastics plant in Mailiao
• Consumer confidence drops.
• Three cases of severe enterovirus in S Taiwan -- parents, make sure your kids wash their hands!

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