News and Events of Local Interest: Reforms to attract foreigners in pipeline, Daniel Pearl Day Concert

From the Facebook group Foreigners for Taiwan... a list of the Exec Yuan proposals for reforms aimed at attracting foreigners to work here....

SOAS Postgraduate Summer School -- Taiwan

For bigger size go here.

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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!

Miss Taiwanese-American Contest now looking for contestants!

I was going to enter it myself, but I thought I'd give some of you kids a chance to win. Have at it!
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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!

RUSI Conference on Smart Power

The premises of the conference are a bit off, but FYI to my readers....

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Smart Power and Taiwan on the International Stage
19 March 2010
Royal United Services Institute
www.rusi.org/taiwanconference

At a time when an increasingly assertive China is wielding its new-found power on the international stage, a considerable improvement in cross-strait relations has enabled Taiwan to move beyond the narrow focus of national recognition towards a broader spectrum of engagement on the world stage.

Taiwan’s leaders now hope to widen international space for manoeuvre whilst avoiding disruption of the current rapprochement with China. This conference will seek to ascertain what ‘smart power’ options are available to Taiwan and European perspectives towards this end.

With a keynote address from Dr. Lyushun Shen, Taiwan’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs the conference will consider the following themes:

* Foreign Aid: European and Taiwanese Experiences
* Taiwan's International Participation: Practical Needs and Political Dimensions.
* Smart Power: Options for Taiwan and Europe

In addition to a team of experts from Taiwan, panellists will include:

* Professor Malcolm Chalmers, RUSI Professorial Fellow
* Dr Steve Tsang, Oxford University

For more information and to register please visit www.rusi.org/taiwanconference
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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!

Announcements: Politics of Modern Taiwan/Obama Fundraiser

First, Dr Dafydd Fell alerted me to that Rutledge has just been published a great new Taiwan studies resource this summer titled, "Politics of Modern Taiwan." This four volume collection includes 63 of the best and most influential English language articles on Taiwan's domestic politics published in the last two decades. If you think the collection will be useful for you or your students, please do pass this information on to your librarian. Dr Fell says that a book launch for this publication will be held this year in London.[click to be taken to the image's flickr site; my capture, not Dr Fell's]

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Democrats Abroad is hosting a fundraiser for the future President Obama. They say:

Please join us in support of Barack Obama as the next President of the United States.

The election is very close and even here in Taiwan, we can help make a difference. Bring your friends and family to El Gallo at No. 42, Chung Shan N. Road, Sec. 7 for dinner on Saturday, September 27 from 7 to 9 pm to hear from the Obama Campaign and celebrate the upcoming election! Giving levels -

* Underwriter - $25,000 NT per couple ($800US)
* Hosts - $15,000 NT per couple ($500US)
* Benefactor - $7,500 NT per couple ($250US)
* Ticket price - $2,500 NT per person ($80US)

Donations will be made at the site using credit cards from individual donors and
will go directly to the campaign.

The Friends of Obama in Taiwan
Hosted by:
Amy and Alec Cooper
Milena and Chris Fay
Carolina and Max Ferran
Sarah and Scott McMullin
Gabrielle and Ken Petersen
Please RSVP to Amy Cooper at acooper@pstrategies.com or 0988062292

[Taiwan]

Election Registration for US Citizens Coming Up Quickly

Get out the vote! AIT wants to remind you (and you all in Taichung) that the time for registering for the November vote is coming up fast. From their website:

This is a reminder to U.S. citizens of voting age that individual state and territory voter-registration deadlines for the November elections are coming up fast. AIT strongly encourages all U.S. citizens residing in Taiwan to vote in all U.S. elections in which they’re eligible. Applications for all U.S. voting districts are available online at www.fvap.gov (Federal Voting Assistance Program). This interactive website guides users through registration by mail and provides complete state-specific instructions. In addition, our staff members in the American Citizen Services unit are available to answer your questions and provide relevant resources. Please write to VoteTaipei@state.gov with specific questions.

本處想在此提醒已達投票年齡的美國公民, 對於11月大選, 各州及地區的登記投票截止日即將到來. 美國在台協會熱切地鼓勵所有居住在台灣的美國公民, 能夠於有資格參加的各美國選舉中投票. 全美各投票區的申請書可以在網站 www.fvap.gov ( 聯邦投票服務中心) 上取得. 此互動式網頁會引導使用者如何郵寄投票登記及提供各州的詳細指示. 除此之外, 我們美國公民服務組同仁也會協助回答您的問題及提供相關資訊. 請將您的問題寄到 VoteTaipei@state.gov.

Get right on it!

[Taiwan]

Aug 30 Rally

Various pro-Taiwan groups are putting together a rally for the first 100 days of the Ma Administration on Aug 30, Saturday. The rally starts at 3 in the afternoon from either of 2 locations:

◎東區：台北市忠孝東路頂好商場 (East: Chunghsiao E. Rd, the Dinghao Commercial Square right next to SOGO)

◎西區：台北市龍山寺前廣場 (West: Lungshan Temple)

The two then march to Ketegalen Rd in front of the Presidential office where they gather at 4:30. The event ends at 7:30.

FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT: In Sick Around the World, Frontline looks at 5 capitalist democracies and how their health insurance programs work. Of course Taiwan is right there....

MILESTONE: This post is my 3000th.

[Taiwan]

Tainan May Jam 3-4th

The annual Tainan May Jam is upon us once more. The date is the weekend of May 3-4, or next weekend. Last year's information is the same as this year's, so dig in...

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TAINAN MAY JAM 2007 2008
The Tainan May Jam is a cross cultural original music event, featuring all kinds of Music, from: "Temple" to "Trash Metal", "Wedding" to "Jazz", "Folk "to "Rock". The Tainan May Jam wants to present the diverse music culture of southern Taiwan. Intentionally, different music genres follow one other, in order to show variety of music culture. While this event focuses on original music, but due to the nature of traditional music, some non-original music will be presented at the concert. However this event stands for tolerance, integration and encouragement. Further, despite Tainan's traditional outlook, this concert ("Tainan May Jam") wants to feature Tainan as a place of modern lifestyle. Since this is a family event children are very welcomed and wanted, they are our future, hope and dreams. In that regard any inappropriate material shown on stage or of stage, like pornography is absolutely unacceptable. The same counts for illegal drugs, etc. The "Tainan May Jam" is located the seaside at Anping, in a little forest, next to "Chou Mao Yuan". You don't have to travel all the way to Kending in order to have a good time at the ocean side, beach, sun, horseback riding, jet skiing, windsurfing or a simple good old BBQ. If you live here in Tainan, it takes you about 15 minutes to get there or if you come by train, you will have to take bus No. 2 or by taxi for about 200 NT$ from the train station. Like all outdoor events bad whether is always a factor we have to be prepared for and so had all previous "Tainan May Jams". There for the original "Tainan July Jam" had to be moved & renamed to the "Tainan June Jam", moved again & renamed to the current "Tainan May Jam". Hopefully this years event will stay dry without typhoon rains. But I must remind everyone, should there be rain in the whether forecast, the "Tainan May Jam" will be moved to the next following Sunday only. Should there be bad whether again and prohibit the Tainan May Jam to take place, the "Tainan May Jam" will be canceled then all together. For more information view the website on that day please.
Intentionally the "Tainan May Jam" is kept as simple as possible and as grass root as it could be, that not, even remotely a wrong impression of the intentions of the "Tainan May Jam" could arise. Further on the "Tainan May Jam" is a free, non-profit oriented and privately founded event, in its origin an event from musicians for musicians, to have one more opportunity to show their friends what they love to do. It is not a camping ground and the sanitarian facilities are spars but existing, the next convenient store rather far away but if you don't mind that bring your tent for a night, food and drinks and have a good time.
The "Tainan May Jam 2007" 2008 begins Saturday May 5th 3rd at 12:00 noon and will end at 22:00 PM and on Sunday, May 6th 4th at 12:00 noon and will end 21:00 PM too.

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Please note again -- this is May 3-4, or six days from now. Lots of good music on tap this year.... Taiwan bloggers Johnny Z of the Real Taiwan and Michael Klein, AKA The Bushman, will be bringing down the house....

[Taiwan]