Daily Links, Aug 16, 2010

The Suhua Highway and the sea-cliffs of eastern Taiwan, seen from the train.

Apologies in advance -- I left a long post below this one because it is likely I won't be posting for the remainder of this week. Please be patient with comments since I won't get around to them for a couple of days. In the meantime I'll leave you with plenty of links to explore below this one.....

BLOGS:

• Drew does 91 miles in Miaoli and Taichung
• A DPP political ad that is based on Hong Kong runs in Taiwan.
• Paul Katz looks at Hsiaolin one year after the disaster
• Dear Premier Wu, please stop calling people "idiot"
• Sponge Bear on Chunghsing Village
• Big in Asia takes lovely pics.
• Nascent Liner Notes goes back to Sanjih
• In Taiwan, you will need these winning strategies for rock paper scissors.
• Snarky Tofu leaves Taiwan.
• The 9/21 Earthquake museum, one of the best local museums on the island.
• F Varga hosts a great TT cartoon
• Wandering Taiwan with great pics of one of Taiwan's most eerie terrains, the salt flats of Beimen.
• Fili on the Fulong sand sculture festival
• AsiaEye with little noticed news links
• Save the Dolphins on the police and protesters
• Researcher wants to interview people about the Cold War days in Taiwan
• My Kafkaesque life with an exuberant post on Taipei that made even a confirmed Taipei-hater like me reconsider.
  

MEDIA:

• The legislature is going to hold an extraordinary session on ECFA. KMT news says that DPP and KMT views of how to approve the treaty clash.
• Yang Chiu-hsing's independent run in Kaohsiung is the subject of an informative editorial from the Taiwan News. Procedural unfairness? "Actually, the DPP headquarters accommodated Yang's demands by postponing the public polling from the original time frame of late March to early May to give the Kaohsiung County mayor more campaigning time." Meanwhile Yang is off to Singapore to learn how to make Kaohsiung more like that city. Potential turncoat Hsu Tain-tsair didn't make an expected announcement of an independent run in Tainan.
  
• Watch China's coasts, not its currency.
• As compensation talks break down, residents threaten blockade of Formosa naptha cracker
• Oral cancer quadruples in 40 years thanks to betel nut
• Despite the passage of 65 years, there are no memorials to Taiwanese servicemen in the Japanese Army in Taiwan
• Number of households in poverty hits record high
• Falun Gong sues Chinese official in Taiwan court.
• There's a shootout in an upscale shopping district in Taichung.
• After reaching 32 year high, growth falls in the second quarter
• Commonwealth with two pieces on petrochemicals in Taiwan, An End to the Era of the Wolf, and Can Taiwan live with Petrochemicals?
• Chinese students invade Taiwan islands
• US also putting finger into Mekong dam issues
  

REQUESTS: A friend wants to know...

Also, if you know of any films about Hsinchu County, or made by Hsinchu County filmmakers, please let me know.

Send me an email, please.
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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!

Daily Links, August 9, 2010

The east coast, seen from atop Niu Shan. I'll be biking there this weekend!

BLOGS:

• F Varga says ECFA is magic!
• RTI on confidence-building mechanisms
• maddog with a great discussion of Formosa Betrayed, and rip of Ian Bartholemew's ridiculously misinformed review of the film in the TT the other day. David also reviews Formosa Betrayed. J Michael's excellent interview of Will Tiao.
  
• Far Eastern Sweet Potato on Ma's dismissal of the PRC.
• Nascent Liner Notes takes a foggy journey
• The Dignified Rant on the new Chinese missile
• Taiwan Airpower on F-100s in Taiwan during the 1958 crisis
• Josh of Snarky Tofu has out and about pics of Taipei
• Taiwan's EPA: a Court stops work on the science park because of the environmental assessments but the EPA says the Court is wrong.
• Ben wants arguments against UK pro-China type.
• Neil Wade has pics of trip to Shiding and Shenkeng
• Five favorite rides in Taipei from Biking in Taiwan
• AsiaEye points to more missiles on the way to be pointed at Taiwan
• Cycling Satin Sestina does the Ta-keng route, with pics, and reflects on Taiwan's changing bike market
• Japanese coolies, and atrocities in Taiwan, 1895
  

MEDIA:

• Vietnam takes command of the great game of the Spratlys
• Cindy Sui with the latest in a string of excellent articles on ECFA.
• Commonwealth with a dead-on review of Taichung's development.
• Censored from TV stardom for getting the girl on a Chinese dating show
• The 104 job bank says the birth rate problem is a male thing. Men don't have enough savings or income, they feel.
• Taiwan exports up again for ninth straight month
• KMT uses disinformation to block Taiwan democracy
• Lawmakers from both sides push for geology act.
• Pomfret on how SE Asian nations are building up militaries in response to China's rise.

WAY COOL:

• Open source web fire mapper shows situation in Russia, elsewhere

_______________________
[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!

Daily Links, March 16, 2010 + UPDATED meetup info

Drew flipped me this photo from China posted to a bike forum with the invitation to caption this photo. Good luck!

BLOGS

• Peking Duck with an excellent post comparing brainwashing in China to the recent decision by the Texas School Board to brainwash its own students by omitting and distorting US history. When you legitimate your values via Transcendent Absolute, be it the Laws of History, God, Allah, or the State, the end result is always the urge to control the minds and bodies of others.What is your god but a claim to my mind?
• Dixteel on the health care issue, says if Taipei City repays its debt, no fee raises for NHI will be necessary. Just another way in which the rest of the island subsidizes the lifestyle of those in Taipei.
• David writes on Tears and Transitional Justice, reminding us that for all the debates about the death penalty, there is no debate whatsoever on how KMT officials and the associated torturers and murders of the martial law era are to be punished.
• Photos of rally for Tibet.
• Michael C with more pics of our trip to Laos.
• 1.3 billion people left sobbing: Dodgers prefer Taiwan to China.
• Taiwan Airpower on the U2 training for Taiwan
• Drew with an excellent piece on our saturday ride around Chingshui, an area rife with interesting local history. A little local knowledge really helps improve rides through urban areas. Drew also writes on his excellent local bike shop and gives advice on choosing your Taiwan bike.
  
• May the Froth Be With You.
• ESWN, always a great place to find T&A, has a post collecting information on the nude woman in Hualien who appeared in Google Drive-by.
  

MEDIA

• Textbook example of how China uses the manufacture of "tensions" to attempt gain leverage over the US: China blames US for recent "tensions". Luckily it seems, from watching US officialdom, that the Obama Administration is slowly waking up to the reality of China, the demon summoned by US elites into the international system, which can neither be banished nor shoved back into its pentacle. China Matters argues that the Obama Administration is rolling back Chinese influence in Africa.
  
• John Tkacik's remarks that ECFA is a bad idea draw return fire from KMT officials. Also in that article, DPP Chair Tsai Ing-wen observes that identification with Taiwan does not necessarily mean support for Taiwan nationalism. Interesting to see a public acknowledgment of that fact by a DPP leader.
  
• The Taipei Times today prints another anti-science propaganda screed from Bjorn Lomborg, the Screwtape demon of denialism. Isn't it time to stop giving the corporate anti-science crowd a voice in Taiwan's most important newspaper? And no, I'm not giving a link to that poisonous crap. Instead, Climate Progress has a discussion of a new book about Lomborg.
• Rising pay, labor shortages in China have Taiwan industry sourcing staff from Taiwan, or even moving back.
• Ma promotes ECFA to farmers, saying no ag imports will be allowed. They are not needed; smuggling is already rife. There's a good story there, local journalists!
• Criticism of government's plans to lower housing prices by massive infrastructure investments in Greater Taipei. Can someone explain to me how local improvements lower housing prices? "What? A park and metro going in next door? I think I'll drop the asking price on my house!"
  
• "It was not very strange, then, that Wen juxtaposed an ECFA and peaceful unification on Friday last week, because one is a natural and necessary prerequisite for the other." Good commentary.
  
• Central bank is monitoring hot money inflows.
• Why China drags its feet on Iran. A CS Monitor piece that misses the key advantage China gets by inexpensively reinforcing America's crazed obsession with the Middle East, keeping it from a vigorous effort to confront China in Asia and elsewhere. Once again showing that Israel's most important occupied territory is American foreign policy debates.
  
• Civic groups urge government to stop building reservoirs. Like health fees, water prices are too low, encouraging overuse. Building more dams conserves water use the way building more roads lowers vehicle use.
  
• DPP candidate for Kaohsiung stupidly claims the DPP mayor of Kaohsiung had him under surveillance.
• The Apple Daily argues, like a number of other publications, that elections are preventing progress in Taiwan.
• The Smangus Three win the in Taiwan High Court. Good news for aborigines, says Wild at Heart
• Taiwanese-American Goodwin Liu nominated for Ninth Circuit Court by Obama (Wiki).
  

UPCOMING BIKE RIDES AND HIKES:
If you want to come along, everyone is invited!

• April 3-4 (tentative): Biking the East Coast Rift down 193
• April 10-11: Reprise of recent ride in Nantou: from Shuili leaving at 10:00 AM to give Taipei residents time to join (take HSR/early train to Taichung, then local train to Shuili) to Hsitou the first day, second day to Shanlinhsi and then down to Linnei for train back to Taipei. Date moved up one week due to friend's wedding. Note to JM: time to unpack that Cannondale.
• April 24-25: East Coast two day ride -- first day to Changbin, second day leave early to make afternoon train in Taitung and home via south link line and Kaohsiung HSR.
• April 24: Drew is going on a Paris-Roubaix Tribute Ride. Taichung-Kaohsiung on Highway 17. 260km in one day.
• Check Pashan for updates on their latest hikes.
  
• As always, let me know if you are coming down to Taichung with a bike on the weekend. Although it appears that Taichung is located in a strange tesseract that has no direct connection to Taipei, for the denizens of Taipei appear quite unable to find it and often pass by without stopping.
  

EVENTS: Next meet up is the 20th, same time and place as always. Speaker is Pavel Suian Ph.D. Professor at Bogdan Voda Unviersity, Romania.Born in Transylvania, Romania, in 1940
Studies of law and international relations in Romania and Amsterdam University (Holland). Ph.D. in international relations.
Topic: Romania as it experienced Communism and later changed directions.

UPDATE: After the meeting, Linda Arrigo will guide a tour of the White Terror cemeteries above Liuzhangli station. $150 cab ride.
_______________________
[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!

Daily Links, March 8, 2010

Cooking up breakfast near the Changgung Hospital in Linkou

BLOGS

• Craig on licensing your photos
  
• Steven Crook links to a great piece from Taiwan Today on Taiwan's unfair naturalization laws.
• USTDC with an article from the 1960s on US-Taiwan defense planning
• Laowiseass interviewed by Pakistan newspaper
• Fili's second in his series on cross-cultural relationships
• Jenna rips on a China-India comparison
• A Hungry Girl visits Hook.
• J Michael observes how Beijing sees culture as a weapon.
• Wild at Heart says road expansion in Kenting is destroying it.
• Ben writes on how FarEastOne attempted to circumvent the laws preventing Chinese investment in critical tech sectors, and calls for a boycott.
• Biking in Taiwan on six day ride in southern Taiwan. Awesome.
• The China Beat with excellent piece on ChinaPol, the discussion forum. Note Baum's reference to academics, who are upbeat about China's rise, and journalists, who are more skeptical.
• Drew on biking the Central Cross.
  

Hanging out on the trails above Taichung.

MEDIA

• Blue Polls: UDN poll has Hau up by 9 over Su for the year-end election in Taipei. TVBS poll has Su up by 2, with large advantage over Hau in item on who would make a better mayor. Obviously pro-Blue Taipei recognizes who is the most competent, but refuses to vote for him regardless. Fascinating display of identity politics over rationality.
• Are there really 500,000 Falun Gong believers in Taiwan? I would have thought it an exaggeration to say "500".
• The government has killed China Mobile's investment in FarEastOne. Thankfully. But can you imagine the whining that would go on about how Chen's "anti-China" policy is hurting the economy, if this had happened under the previous Administration?
• Ban Ki-moon is still a China suck-up
• China hands out junkets to US Congressmen.
• Annette Lu finds out what many of us have been saying
• Health insurance premiums could rise as early as April. Good.
• The Premier unveils plan for 36 infrastructure projects in Kaohsiung.
• This China Times editorial on why the KMT keeps losing is a classic of bad thinking, outmoded Confucianist crap, and inability to face reality. Speaking of losers, President Ma says he will continue to reform the KMT, while the rest of us are still waiting for him to start.
• China reaches the tipping point in its demographic crisis.
• China warns again on Hong Kong democracy. And how do you think they will treat Taiwan?
• Poor victimized China says poor US-China relations are all Washington's fault. If Washington would only kow-tow, things would be ok.
• How is Ma going to get elected in 2012? Absentee voting is in the cards...
• Formosa Landlocked Salmon successfully spawned in the wild!
• President calls for more cross-strait religious exchanges. Religion is an important link in the emerging cross-strait political nexus.
  

A gorge in central Taiwan.

ACADEMIC/GOVERNMENT

• Project 2049 on Taiwan's military command and communications technology
• Kurt Campbell's review at State of US East Asian policy.

DON'T MISS
Robert Kelly's superb article on Yushan in the WSJ.
_______________________
[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!

Daily Links, March 1, 2010

In Fengyuan the other day, I found this small noodle factory drying its products by the side of the road.

What's hung on the blogs today?

• Drew expounds on the Bicycle and National Identity
• Dignified Rant on the need for F-16s
• Just Recently rounds up information on the recent elections here.
• Frozen Garlic says the new redistricting doesn't make for an unfair KMT advantage in the legislature.
• Taiwan Matters! on the election win for the DPP.
• Taiwan Photographers: Kaohsiung
• J Michael looks at the media coverage of the recent DPP election victories. And don't miss this post on news suppressed at China's request (?).
  
• Youtube: from Sean Su: "On 2/26 a KMT supporter threatened and started rushing March for Taiwan just after they marched from the 2/28 Memorial (for the KMT led massacre on Taiwan). When she fails to suppress freedom of speech, she gets pushed away and calls her 'friend at the Investigative Bureau'."
• Stocks and Politics on DPP victory.
• Letters from Taiwan on ECFA and the politics of fear.
• Michael C on our trip to Vang Vieng with many pics. Laos is a blast -- I can't wait to go back. Michael K with more excellent pics of same.
  
• The Former Native Speaker with notes on the publication of Formosa Betrayed.
• A-gu with excellent coverage of the recent proposals to pump up Chinese history in the curriculum. Speaking of education, the Taipei Education Bureau circulates memo warning on "unhealthy gay social activities". Speaking of unhealthy, how about those school workloads?
  
• Save the Dolphins on the Central Science Park EIA, voided, and that decision now upheld.
  

MEDIA:

• A positive Review of Formosa Betrayed. Rotten Tomatoes has a compilation of largely negative reviews. Jon Adams with the report on the film and the White Terror.
  
• China misread by Bulls and Bears alike (Carnegie Foundation)
• One good thing about the electoral defeats the KMT is suffering: the western media is actually printing negative information about Ma Ying-jeou. However, criticism of ECFA is still untouchable -- negative commentary is always sanitized by framing it as an alternative opposition viewpoint against which ECFA is presented as the default correct position. It is impossible to understand the public's disappointment with Ma without understanding that Ma/KMT China policies are not popular. Note how the Taiwan News' local explanation focuses on ECFA.
  
• How the nuke parts reached Iran through Taiwan.
• Yet another criticism of Taiwan's insane educational workloads. Note the low math scores.
• Heritage calls for F-16s for Taiwan.
• Meeting Taiwan's Defense Needs (Eurasia Review)
• South Korea: same pattern of women, marriage, and birth as Taiwan.
• MOEA plans more meetings on industrial trade policy with China.
• Jewel thief in Taipei 101 case held in Korea.
• It's flower season on Yangmingshan again.
• Land Bank says no construction loans for land over $6 million a ping, market just too overheated.
• The pro-KMT China Post report on the election loss. In this case, the explanation is that the nominated candidates were out of touch scholars. Yet the DPP's Hsinchu candidate appealed to the predominant educated demographic precisely because he has a scholarly background.
• Water shortages expected for after April in southern Taiwan.
• Taiwan's first graduate of VMI, now an officer, busted for tongue kissing male and female subordinates.
  

SPECIAL:

• Why is the public so horribly informed about science? RealClimate points out the awful state of science writing at a major UK paper.
  
• Asia Times with a provocative piece on how the Maldives and Seychelles are sinking themselves.
• Roy Berman on freethinkers in the Philippines.
  

_______________________
[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!

Daily Links, Jan 15, 2009

A traditional home construction method: a wall facing made of rice husks mixed with mud.

What's being constructed out there on the blogs this week?

Ma save us! Beautiful charts and some great comments on downturn in Taiwan and Korean exports. Hat tip to reeb.

Blogger James Lick has set up an English Wiki for the voucher program

David on Formosa's excellent post on the Freedom House report released in Taipei. Taiwan is now an area of concern, with the recent news about the judiciary, detentions, and behavior of the police during the Chen Yun-lin protest.

Also from Dave, an excellent link to citizen journalism in Taiwan

Watch out for those predatory Asian girls because they will steal your man and break up your expat marriage. Note to self: Must do firsthand research on this topic.

.

The Wild Strawberries appear on US TV

Vietnamese Workers Rights blog reports on Taiwan's new anti-trafficking law.

Taiwan's underground music scene from Fool's Mountain.

A-gu muses on the "peace accord" between Taiwan and China

The excellent Paul Katz on the Lantern Festival here.

Carrie Marshall published in JPG magazine.

Far Eastern Sweet Potato on Joe the Plumber in Gaza

Product labeling, Taiwan and China.

Mouse-eared Kiwi low carbs in Taiwan.

Fili looks at some statistical methods to see who the ranking expat bloggers in Taiwan are.

Kelake has a great post on Mandarin for his kids.

Chinese Consumer Connection Podcast on the Shilin Night Market

MEDIA: Taiwanese celebs searched on Beijing to Taipei flight after bomb threat. Macau Casinos struggle in the face of restrictions on mainland visitors, a drop in VIP whales, and upcoming competition from Taiwan. A Taiwan university introduces a course in porn. A Singapore paper has a piece on Master Hsing Yun, a mainlander who is one of the island's most influential Buddhist leaders, and who dreams of annexing the island to China. Cape No. 7 is being released in China. Many of my Blue friends say it is a "low class movie." Freedom House is concerned over Taiwan liberties. Probably shouldn't have regurgitated a ton of anti-democracy, pro-China propaganda in your report last year, Freedom House, if you were worried about the island's democracy. Taiwan is fifth in the world in baseball. Capitulationist Raccoons to be permitted only 22,000 visitors a day. "Only." AEI urges Obama to support Taiwan. Antique cannon unearthed in Checheng. Leader of last week's siege on Legislative Yuan sued by KMT. Taiwan Semiconductor shipments fall 43%. Chinese officials bitch about US arms sales to Taiwan to Kissinger (who runs consulting firm with strong China links) and Brezinski. 10,000 Chinese tourists to visit Taiwan during Lunar New Year. China's Somali pirate hunt is just more of its general global push. Taiwan, US in talks about piracy. Taiwanese Peace Corps.

MEDIA SPECIAL: Don't miss the post below this one on the skit that Taipei Prosecutors put together to make fun of Chen Shui-bian.

EVENTS:
San Ba Aboriginal Music Party:
Aboriginal Invitational Live Music in Pingtung County
Get ready for 2 nights of great music at the Aboriginal Invitational in Pingtung county.
Visit the event listing on our site for all the details:
http://www.sanba.dartless.com/content/aboriginal-invitational-live-music...
Date: 1/26 & 1/27
(Monday and Tuesday - 1st and 2nd day of Chinese New Year)
Time: 10pm till 5am both nights
Place: Dream Paiwan, an Aboriginal Restaurant and Art Space.
NT$400 gets you in the door with a pitcher of beer in your hand.
The Lineup: * DJ Marcus Aurelius (USA) * Ryan & Simon (USA, AUS) * Matzka & DeHot (Paiwan Tribe) * 吸引力樂團 (Paiwan Tribe) * 金曲歌手 家家 (Beinan Tribe) * 哈雷樂團/路達瑪幹 (Beinan Tribe) * Taiwan Indigenous TV Event w/ performers from Paiwan, Yami, and Atayal Tribes (http://www.sanba.dartless.com)

Democrats Abroad Meeting Saturday:
If you are not yet a member of Dems Abroad, sign up for the Taiwan Group at Dems Abroad and come to the organizational meeting on Jan 17 at Larry's Pizza (2 pm). Only registered members at Dems Abroad will be allowed to vote in the organizational elections. We have a fantastic slate of candidates for supervisory positions, although I may be biased, since I am one of them. Once you register at the website and log-in, you can get info on all the candidates. The Taipei Times had a piece on the revival here of Democrats Abroad.

SPECIAL: The fellow who was thinking of translating Kondo's story should contact Paul Barclay directly. Or me.

[Taiwan]

Daily Links, Dec 5, 2008

What's relaxing on the blogs today?

Global Voices rounds up the negative reaction to President Ma's decision to refuse to let the Dalai Lama come to Taiwan -- where he is widely revered. Also collects HIV positive Taiwan blogs

A-gu notes that the inheritance tax to be cut. Take his bet on the NUC.

Far Eastern Sweet Potato on Brookings, Day II

The Jiayou bike path.

The Foreigner with an excellent rip of China Post writer Joe Hung and good info on the Wild Strawberries. Bala Daily has a timeline on the Berries.

The Utterance with a great post on foreigners' complete lack of understanding of Chinese food.

Jerome has some good pieces this week, among them one on the Bar Association.

MEDIA: Amnesty International on Taiwan and the Wild Strawberries. Laughter Yoga founder coming to Taiwan to spread laughter. Steve Young of AIT reassures that Obama will continue to support Taiwan. 10 major infrastructure projects to be carried out 'seriously'. Taiwan's DRAM makers not looking forward to industry consolidation. President says time not right for visit from the Dalai Lama. Cold front on the way this weekend! Taiwan forecasts recession, plans to create 100K jobs. IHT compares China's execution of Taiwanese businessmen to US illegal prisons and says Guantanamo mebbe cost the US some moral authority. Ya think? Amway to send 13,000 employees from China on trip to Taiwan. Taiwan to accept students from China. Taiwan may get visa-free entry to the US. Once elected, Ma ignores southern Taiwan. What did they think would happen?

CONGRATULATIONS TO: The Wild Strawberries. The Assembly and Parade law is being addressed. Unfortunately the new revisions appear to be old wine in new bottles...

[Taiwan]

Daily Links, Nov 20, 2008

So what's being sprayed across the blogs out there?

Chinese Consumer Connection, Clyde Warden's podcasts on marketing in local culture, with a certain pudgy, balding blogger on marketing wine in Taiwan, and with Robert Reynolds holding forth in an excellent podcast on centralization vs deregulation in the educational system and elsewhere in local society.

Interview with Taiwanese-American actor Kevin Yu.

Fili on hong kong myths.

The China Beat on the Wild Strawberries.

The Mouse-Eared Kiwi does SYS.

Patrick on an old Tainan treat.

The Foreigner on the Obama Administration.

Old Taiwan photos from LIFE.

Latin American blog looks at Taiwan's struggle to maintain its "allies" in the Americas.

A-gu argues Ma does not want to sell out Taiwan to China, but will unintentionally.

D. Corey confronts Chinese students in America bent on stamping out pro-Taiwan statements.

Robert long and eloquent on the health care system here and the barbarism that is the US system.

Jerome on Annette Lu's statement on the recent detentions.

Stephanie at Tea Masters blogs on Da Yu Ling Oolong.

Mark goes to the same baseball game I did.

David on human rights here.

The Wild East: Revolutionary Agriculture right outside Taipei.

Everything of Niao-sung, photos of a small town in southern Taiwan, in English and in Chinese. A labor of love.

Kelake on micro-blogs.

The China Beat on the growing mess in China. Will nationalism + depression = war?

MEDIA: A very garbled view of Taiwan's history from Romania. An essay from a mainlander who discovers she is a global citizen in one of China's representative offices in the US. China says US is "needling" China with arms sales to Taiwan. US moves 60% of sub fleet to Pacific to offset China's growing threat. Who are the other 40% aimed at? And isn't China our benevolent strategic partner? An interview with the new Taiwan representative to Japan. Way cool: Taiwan, Lockheed in OTEC project in Hawaii. 29 Taiwanese fishermen missing after burnt out boat found off NZ. Adult children of foreigners to be able to stay in Taiwan. Because Taipei consumes a wildly disproportionate share of the nation's budget, other places are combining together to become "special municipalities" or "special regions" like Taipei. Now Kaohsiung is thinking about it. Giant economic stimulus on the way. Taiwan economy contracts in the 3rd quarter. Chen Shui-bian hospitalized. Call President stupid, get 30 days off.

EVENTS: Don't forget, Tuesday Heritage hosts Dr. Shieh to talk about his experiences in an apparent political prosecution.

[Taiwan]

Daily Links, Nov 13, 2008

What other wild creatures can be observed on the blogs today?

Cycling in Taiwan: a visitor observes.

Taiwan: on the protest front-line from Global Voices, and the student protests.

Red State blogger discusses the threat to Taiwan from Obama in total ignorance of actual Bush Administration policy.

Save the Dolphins on the Dolphins see off Mailiao.

Signs in Lukang

The Former Native Speaker shows you how to tell the Obama Administration your hopes for Taiwan.

Michella with a deeply moving post on her experiences of violence at the Chen Yunlin visit.

A-gu has a comprehensive MAC poll on sovereignty issues.

Todd actually got a shot of this bug I also spent 15 frustrating minutes trying to get the other day.

Taiwan Identity on the richness of non-mandarin culture in Taiwan

Jenna's excellent blog post on the sit-ins. Don't worry Jenna, the int'l media will be reporting soon!

Urban farming in Neili from Patrick.

J Michael on the assumption of Chen's guilt.

The Foreigner's thoughts on Chen Yunlin....

The last of the BlackCat Commanders.

PETITION: You can sign on to the petition on the erosion of justice here.

MEDIA: Taiwan donates $200K to help resettle families after a hurricane. Laughably, AP suggests in a poorly-balanced article that Chen Shui-bian's arrest calls into question the independence movement. If I had a nickel for every time the independence movement was said to be in decline, I'd be a wealthy man indeed. A Businessweek blog entry compares Chen Shui-bian to Bill Clinton. Kaohsiung tour operators complain that there are few Chinese tourists. Imagine that...falling NT dollar good news for Taiwan's silicon foundries. CDC urges you to get your flu shots! Chinese bride claims fax to China is "domestic" and shouldn't get international rates. There's 240,000 of these yammerheads in Taiwan. Freighter runs aground, spills 100 tons of oil. Taiwan's central bank cuts interest rate for fourth time in two months. Watch out for a plummeting NT! Ma and Tsai to meet? Ma save us! Exports fall. Commonwealth Mag on the economy's worrisome fundamentals. Taiwanese drug trafficker busted with 100 kg of horse. Seems like Horse is causing all sorts of trouble these days. TFT-LCD maker Chunghwa pays $65 million in price fixing fine, FBI announces.

WILD STRAWBERRIES STUDENT PROTESTS: First from their blog, Cheng Hua has updated the students' statement. TaiwaneseAmerican.org on the Wild Strawberry Movement. Five hundred scholars sign on in support. President Ma rejects the student demand for replacing the Chiefs of the Police and NSA. The students should drop their first two demands and focus on the changes in the Assembly and Parade laws. The CNA report on the student demands. Ma addresses students by radio. Taiwan cannot allow human rights rollback, warns Taiwan News. Groups demand revisions to Assembly and Parade Law. Sit-in: a lesson for preserving democracy. Jenna's excellent blog post on the sit-ins. The Bala Daily on their possible exit strategy.

EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS: Kaohsiung Charity Book Sale

Taiwan Communique, latest issue, is up.

Latest meetup information from Jerome, please RSVP to him as he needs a head count:

Topic: Taiwanese Media: Behind the Scenes.
Saturday November 29, 10 am

Speaker: Tzen-ping Su who served as Chariman of the Board of Taiwan's Central News Agency from July 2002 to June 2008.

Tzen-ping graduated from the Department of Economics at National Taiwan University and obtained a further degreee of Diplom-Volkswirt from the University ofFrankfurt in Germany.

He taught Economics at Soochow University, then worked forthe German Trade Office as senior staff and then became a journalist. From 1988 on he was a reporter, researcher, department head and then editorin chief at the Independence Evening Post Group. From 1996 to 2000 he worked for the Taiwan Daily as chief editorial writer.

In 2000 he was appointed the first non-mainlander DirectorGeneral (minister level) of the Government Information Office (GIO) and stayed there until the cabinet resuffle in Feb. 2002. After that he went to the Central News Agency for the regular six year term as Chairman.

Hewas also a co-initiatorand once president of the Association of Taiwanese Journalists, the first independent journalistorganization in Taiwan and now a member of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)

With those credentials he can give us a good look behind the scenes of the media situation in Taiwan..

Venue: the same restaurant where we have been meeting on AnHe Road, just north of HePing.
Time: 10 am. RSVP to Jerome at jkeating@ms67.hinet.net

[Taiwan]

Daily Links, Oct 31, 2008

What's being taken out of the bag on the blogs today?

Diogenes blogs on the promotion of Taipei as a place to find hot girls.

A-gu blogs on a key change in local media markets: Apple owner Jimmy Lai is buying the pro-KMT China Times and its cable news organization CTI. The media market is vicious here, and mergers and bankruptcies are probably inevitable.

Tumbling tumbles out to Sanxia with some gorgeous pictures.

The elegantly titled Memoirs of the Past Tense blogs on the 10/25 march with many pics.

Steve Crook on Yimin Temple, the Temple of the Dog.

Maddog rounds up the latest list of melamine contaminations.

David blogs on the hunger strike to get the referendum law changed.

Lief on Pu Du with lovely pics and prose.

Hiking around Taipei with Pashan.

Islaformosa on Taiwanese food.

Moshang on Taichung's hosting of a record large saxophone ensemble.

Fili goes to Heping Island, one of Taiwan's best-kept secrets.

Scott blogs on the latest webcast from Clyde Warden's China marketing podcasts, Talk of Asian Marketing.

Jerome asks what the heck does Ma mean, there will be no war?

The Bushman on the blogtoberfest

MEDIA: Former Vice Premier Chiou I-jen was arrested, another DPPer swept up in a "corruption" probe. Police bust a factory that had been faking $50 coins for a decade. As everyone knows, China negotiator Chen Yun-lin is on his way and will meet with Taipei mayor Hau over the pandas. In an apparent sop to China, the government took just nine days to indict the politician who challenged PRC hack Zhang Mingqing in Tainan. The DPP complained. Blackfaced Spoonbill season has begun. Former KMT Chairman and two-time Presidential loser Lien Chan was named envoy to APEC. China, Taiwan, set to begin talks on letting Chinese banks and other financial investments take place here. Taiwan eyes robotics market. Another excellent piece in the Asia Times Online by Cindy Sui, this one on Ma going too far, too fast. Looks like Ting-yi Tsai has a worthy successor.

DEFENSE: First, I don't have a link, but Janes Defense Weekly is reporting that China is getting 14 Su-33s [not -35s!] for training naval pilots and will apparently be purchasing these fighters. Second, the Jamestown brief has an article on the China's anti-aircraft capabilities and how they are changing things. Wendell Minnick's blog has two good pieces, one from Rupert Hammond-Chambers on the recent arms sale, and the other an article on the Bush Administration's refusal to sell Taiwan the parts it needs to make cruise missiles. Apparently the Bush Administration still hasn't got a lock on the difference between appeasement and abasement.

UPDATE: HIGHWAY 11 latest issue is out! Also:

Hello to you all. This is Brandon Shimoda, Director of Marketing at Wave Books in Seattle, USA, writing to let you know that Taiwanese poet, CHEN LI is being featured today (Tuesday, October 28th) on PoetryPolitic: A Blog in 50 Days --- (http://www.poetrypolitic.com) --- a blog running from September 15th through November 4th, 2008, presenting news from the intersection between poetry and politics. Chen Li has published seven books of poetry, as well as works of prose and translation. His poems have been translated into English, French, Dutch, Japanese and other languages.

Visit PoetryPolitic here: http://www.poetrypolitic.com.

PoetryPolitic is brought to you by Wave Books, an independent poetry press in Seattle, Washington, USA. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Wave at bshimoda@wavepoetry.com.

[Taiwan]

Daily links, Oct 2, 2008

Rice crushed by microbursts from the storm.

BAILOUT PASSES SENATE 74-25: Our elites are like a man who inherited a garden, which, properly cultivated, could have lasted forever, but who instead decided to sell off the topsoil in lots to make a quick buck....

....the cataclysms in Washington make what goes on here in Taiwan seem mere neighborhood gossip, like reporting on the doings of ants when the elephants have decided to commit suicide, but I'm putting out the links today because, as Nietzsche once observed, the force of habit is such that even when the house burns down, we still make lunch in the ashes....

Paul Batt reports on his trip to the Obama fundraiser in Taipei.

Several people sent me links to this interesting blog of a man walking around Taiwan in 80 days.

Darren Melrose has great pics of the typhoon and its aftermath. Another storm is due this weekend, BTW.

The Wild East on glocalization of English test scores in Taiwan.

Global Voices Online on the LGBT parade.

Wendell Minnick, one of the island's most important foreign correspondents and a longtime reporter on military affairs in Asia, has opened a blog containing some of his pieces. Here is a US official's speech from the US-Taiwan defense conference.

Both Todd and I love to take pics of Taiwan's amazing butterflies.

A-gu has another great piece on the continuing assault on RTI by the KMT. He also blogged on the re-introduction of Chinese classics in education.

Steve reports on religion scholar David Jordan.

fili reports on the Taichung Folk Park.

Don't miss: The Taiwan Link has a long, excellent piece on defense and weapons relations between Taiwan and the US.

A common sign now in establishments from tiny vendor stalls to gigantic retailers: a claim that there is no melamine in the milk products, displayed long with a certificate said to prove that. The sign says that "QQ's milk tea has no tainted milk powder" and shows two certificates, one for the tapioca pearls, the other for the milk.

MEDIA: Don't miss Glenn Greenwald on the bailout. He's been on a roll lately. Could someone please send me a link to a similarly excoriating piece from a conservative point of view? Taiwan bank donates to save coral reefs. Taiwan News points out the anti-democracy aspects of Ma's Greater ROC, including its absurd claim to own Mongolia. Anyone who wants to know what expansionist Chinese really think should look at an old ROC map. Our Fisheries agency says locally cultured fish are free of melamine. Sure. CRS report on Taiwan-US relations. Global rises in prices of other commodities have led to 15% increases in the price of the lifeblood of Taiwan's political economy, cement. Sacred ibises observed in southern Taiwan. Taipei and NZ cooperate in controlling illegal fishing. A French judge has dismissed the Lafayette case. Reuters with a very long piece on the effects of Regional Adminstrator Ma's "opening" to China. Another laudatory travel article in a Canadian newspaper, this one on temples and religion. China and Taiwan explore for oil together. Slate looks at the Asian-American vote, and asks why no one ever writes about it.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I feel a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of Chinese had suddenly gotten their feelings hurt." -- Karl "Goddamnit Turton" Smith.

[Taiwan]

Daily Links, August 28, 2008

What a day! A major American party nominated a non-white to be its candidate for the Presidency. I never thought I'd live to see that day. The Democrats did the nation proud.

What can we be proud of on the blogs today....

Paul Katz over at the China Beat has a great post on the KMT's changing fortunes in Taiwan recently.

Holly on today's air raid drill in Taipei.

Kent at the Taipei Air Station has a letter from a US kid here in the 1970s.

Amateur commune as always, with good pics.

Ming surfs in Yilan

A-gu, always on top of everything, blogs on China's rejection of UN agencies for Taiwan. He also discusses the DPP reaction to Pres. Ma's decision to grant landing visas to Chinese entering Taiwan.

Sponge Bear encounters a snake and writes on Taiwan-Japan relations.

Stocks and Politics blogs on what it feels like to become Chinese Taipei instead of Taiwan.

Scott S discusses N Daly's recent piece in the Taipei Times on English teaching.

Tea Masters on the shapes of pots.

Steve Crook with a nifty piece on the heart of old Hsinchu.

Taiwanonymous on a subject near and dear to my heart: the use of the word "besides" in writing here.

MEDIA: Global View magazine says Taichung Mayor Hu is tops in integrity. Temples that specializing in handling the guilt and regret of abortions. Japan Times hosts an article by a Taiwan official on participation in the UN, and by Max Hirsch on the KMT and Japan. The two nations are also in fishing talks. UPI online has an article on Chinese views of Taiwan democracy, which, like so many international media articles, repeats Ma Ying-jeou's criticism of Chen Shui-bian as Marcos, without mentioning that Ma is no stranger to downloading government funds himself. Note that Chen is accused repeatedly of money-laundering but in fact the issue is that he kept campaign funds without reporting or apparently, paying taxes. The ex-chief of intelligence was indicted on suspicions of covering up the alleged money laundering by Chen. The article says that Chen has denied "any illegal activity" in the case but that is not correct; Chen has already admitted he broke the law. Far Eastern Chair Douglas Hsu denies he bribed Chen. Taipower to build nuclear waste dump in Taipei County. Will Ma's "diplomatic truce" open space for Taiwan's participation in special agencies and other UN organs? Not a chance in hell, says China. The Vancouver Sun goes on a food trip to Taiwan. The CFR argues that Russia may attempt to strengthen its security ties in Asia in response to our insane foreign policy of pissing on their leg while telling them it is raining, while in the Financial Times Geoff Dyer says that China might be a bit miffed that Russia has supported the independence of two parts of Georgia and that this might offer leverage for the US to split the two giants. Sure, if we gave Taiwan to China first..... Joe Biden's instrumental role in establishing US listening posts in China. A major expert in vanishing languages puts Taiwan's Thao language among the world's 10 most endangered.

[Taiwan]

Daily Links, Aug 15, 2008

Plenty of stuff on the blog market today...

A great post on summer birding in Taiwan. He also has a great guide for summer birding here.

The Foreigner rips Joe Hung and the Taiwan-China Commonwealth crowd.

Mad Minerva on why Ma really seems to be turning out to be a disaster for Taiwan.

My friend Kurtis Pei has a great piece on mixing politics and mammals at Wild at Heart.

Robert with another piece on getting married. Just tell her that Taiwanese faithfully follow the rules on lucky days and Ghost Month and yet....divorce rates are skyrocketing.

J Michael on the Potemkin Girl who lip-synched at the Olympics. All I can say is that with a fidelity to the truth like that, no wonder the Bush Administration hearts China. Oh, and for a special thrill, read the amazingly stupid comments at ESWN and other China blogs about how horrible the western media is for printing why the poor rejected girl wasn't considered cute enough. Yes, that's right -- the western media is the real culprits here.

Everybody passes: A-gu and other bloggers have been commenting on the incredibly amazing entrance scores for Taiwan colleges. A-gu.

50 years ago this week was a major clash between the Chiang regime and Communist China over the Taiwan Strait. TaiwanAirPower has several pieces on it this week.

Stephen Nelson does the Matsu tour.

Missionary Scott Pagel on the recent court decision enabling schools to reject applicants from nutcase science backgrounds. Actually, Scott, there's plenty of academic freedom for methodologically sound science. That just doesn't include IDiocy and Creationism.

Roy Berman at the Japan blog Mutantfrog is visiting Taiwan this week and has a nice piece on Losheng.

Kelake on better brainstorming.

Mark Wilbur with some basic ideas on teaching young esl learners faster.

MEDIA: While a short blurb here says a RMB 3,000 vacation in Taiwan is not possible and Guangdong tour operators are putting together packages for twice that, Bloomberg reports that red tape and costs are impacting the tours. Beijing's architecture misinterprets modernity. The War Nerd on South Ossetia. Expect a slew of commentary comparing Taiwan to South Ossetia, somehow. For example, Taiwan should learn from Georgia conflict. Korea tourists to Taiwan grow 32.7%. KMT plans to restore original name of Dead Dictator Memorial Hall. Top business pessimistic about profits. Ma save us! Land tax collection falls sharply.

[Taiwan]

Daily Links, Aug 13, 2008

A few links for today...first up, Robert Maguire AKA The Only Redhead in Taiwan, is getting married. He has written a long post explaining that he needs your help with paperwork. Go leave a comment there!

A study in contrasts: Mark Forman has video of Taichung's largest market, down by the train station, and fili, now in Israel, blogs on a flea market in Jaffa with some neat video. Steve Crook has an article in Fountain No. 5, a mag dedicated to sports in Taiwan. David reviews Framing the Bride. In China there is no Taiwan, says Richard. Taiwanese Heart, Global Perspectives blogs on Taiwan, politics, and the Olympics too. Islaformosa on banks and banking here. US-Taiwan defense command has a few good pics on the evolution of the Grand Hotel in Taipei over the years. How dumb is numerology?

Over at DailyKos there's another great blog on the South Ossetia/Georgia mess that shows how impoverished the two competing media narratives from the Right (Perfidious Russia!) and the Left (Perfidious US!) really are.

[Taiwan]