Latest posts by David Reid
Taiwan: Movie used to mend Taiwan-Japan relations
“Hatta Yoichi” (八田與一) is a Japanese animated film about a Japanese engineer who was responsible for the development of irrigation systems in southern Taiwan. Sponge Bear comments on an article discussing how Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou has used the release of the movie to improve relations between Taiwan and Japan.
Taiwan: Foreigners face discrimination from banks
Patrick Cowsill writes about the difficulties foreigners face in getting a credit card in Taiwan.
Taiwan: Issues of identity
Catherine at shu flies responds to an e-mail questioning how she identifies herself. Michella at Alive and Kicking! who was also a subject of the e-mail describes her own multi-cultural background. Catherine also follows up with a post on why she calls herself a Taiwanese-American.
Taiwan: LGBT Pride on parade
The annual Taiwan LGBT Pride event was held in Taipei on Saturday with an estimated crowd of 25,000 people. Poagao writes about joining the parade for the first time. shuflies has a report and photos. The event's official photographers also have photos at flickr.
Taiwan: Ethics of gift giving
Michella discusses the ethical issues for journalists offered gifts. She finds it difficult to understand some of the gift and money giving traditions in Taiwan.
Taiwan: Future of the Taiwanese language
Stocks and Politics discusses the fate of the Hoklo Taiwanese language and expresses concern about its decline. There are also some comparisons with the use of Cantonese.
Taiwan: Baseball past and present
Baseball is one of the most popular sports in Taiwan. The View from Taiwan analyses a paper on the history of baseball in Taiwan. Sponge Bear reports on watching a professional league game in Taichung.
Taiwan: Bike culture is growing
Bike Hugger reports on the growing bike culture in Taiwan and comments that the growth doesn't seem to include bicycle commuters.
Taiwan: Kaohsiung set to screen film amidst controversy
The Kaohsiung Film Festival came under pressure from China over its decision to screen The Ten Conditions of Love, a documentary about exiled Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer. As a result the Kaohsiung City Government decided to screen the documentary in advance of the film festival. Echo Taiwan criticises the Kaohsiung...
Taiwan: Pheasant-tailed Jacana struggles for survival
Typhoon Morakot damaged a reserve for the Pheasant-tailed Jacana (Hydrophasianus chirurgus) in Tainan County. Stop Hushan Dam! writes about the challenges the birds face to survive.
Thailand: Amnesty criticised on lese majeste issue
The issue of lese majeste is again in the news following the 18 year prison sentence given to Daranee Chanchoengsilpakul. International human rights groups including Amnesty International have come under criticism for their failure to take sufficient action in lese majeste cases. Political Prisoners in Thailand says that Amnesty should...
Taiwan: Deaflympics open in Taipei
The Deaflympics began with the opening ceremony in Taipei on Saturday night and the sporting events began on Sunday. Bartek reports on a volleyball match. Brian Webb reports on the friendly vibe at the main stadium.
Japan and Taiwan: Comparing the LDP and KMT
The election in Japan over the weekend brought an end to more than 50 years of almost continuous rule by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). The KMT also continuously held power in Taiwan for a similar period of time. Sponge Bear makes some comparisons between the LDP in Japan and...
Taiwan: Post-typhoon reconstruction attracts criticism
After Typhoon Morakot hit Taiwan earlier this month claiming hundreds of lives and making thousands homeless, the government is pushing forward a recovery plan. Michael Turton writes that the Ma government's post-typhoon reconstruction plan is a shock doctrine.
Taiwan: Criticisms of government response to floods
Following the terrible flooding from Typhoon Morakot there has been widespread criticisms of the Central Government for its slow response. Claudia Jean has written two posts detailing some of the failures of the Central Government: Part 1 and Part 2. The View from Taiwan looks at criticism of President Ma...
Taiwan: Typhoon disaster and call for volunteers
Southern Taiwan has been severely affected by floods associated with Typhoon Morakot (颱風莫拉克). Billy Pan posted (zh) a link to a Google Map showing the sites of the disaster (zh) and places where volunteers and assistance are required. On Twitter taiwanfloods is regularly tweeting the latest news about the situation...
Taiwan: Racist cartoon causes controversy
Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs published a booklet featuring two cartoon characters to inform the public about the proposed free trade agreement between Taiwan and China, commonly referred to as ECFA. The cartoons quickly attracted criticism as they were considered derogatory to certain ethnic groups.
Taiwan: How Kaohsiung won the World Games
The World Games open in Kaohsiung today. Blogger Claudia Jean writes about how former Kaohsiung Mayor Frank Hsieh got the Games for Kaohsiung despite many obstacles.
Taiwan: Bloggers comment on Xinjiang protests
Taiwan bloggers have responded to the massacre in Xinjiang with concern. Lao Ren Cha writes that her own experience of the people of Xinjiang is that they are unfairly portrayed as terrorists. The Far-Eastern Sweet Potato says the Ma government's lack of response to the event in Xinjiang is disturbing.
Taiwan: Is “adogah” a racist term?
Adogah (阿兜仔) is a Hoklo Taiwanese word used to refer to foreigners in Taiwan. Dan Bloom had an article in the Taipei Times discussing the use of the word. He had the article translated into Chinese on his blog. Following the Chinese text there are details in English of a...
China: Missiles threaten Taiwan and more
The Taiwan Link looks at China's Anti-ship Ballistic Missiles and the threat they pose to Taiwan. The Far-Eastern Sweet Potato looks at the missiles and China's second-generation nuclear-powered submarines. Both consider that the weapons systems pose threats to targets beyond Taiwan.
