Taiwan, China, and other things. Recovered from the defunct TypePad platform.
And a hit is a hit, or at least that’s what I tell myself. Still, it’s a strange feeling when you spend 4, 5, 6 hours writing up an entry on Taiwanese politics, only to find most of your visitors are dropping by so they can view posts like this.
No use fighting it, I guess. Everybody loves a squirrel in a uniform.
Francisco from Venezuela describes his experiences in learning Japanese. Entertaining and very well written.
If you were a car, what sort of car would you be?
Appropriate vehicles for the U.S. presidential candidates. Funny stuff. Click on the slideshow option. (Hat tip to Neatorama)
Tea. Earl Grey. Iced.
(Iced Earl Grey Milk Tea from a Taiwanese 7-11. Photo by The Foreigner.)
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During every Olympics, the host country is permitted to exhibit local spectator sports as a way of adding color to the Games. John Derbyshire at the National Review tries to imagine what uniquely Chinese events will be held in 2008. The best three:
Tibetan Snow Shooting. In their bid for a future Winter Olympics, the Communists will demonstrate their skills at picking off Tibetan refugees attempting to cross snow-covered Himalayan passes into Nepal. (This event may be scrapped because of a dispute with the Olympic authorities over the
use of telescopic sights and snow goggles.)Synchronized Slimming. Competitors here have to devise an agricultural policy so irrational that 30 million peasants starve to death simultaneously. Traditionally the winning contestant has his portrait hung in a prominent position overlooking Tiananmen Square, but for Olympic purposes a medal award will be substituted.
Chest thumping. In this rather advanced event, competitors attempt to intimidate each other by shooting down satellites, threatening to nuke major cities, asserting ancient claims to other people’s countries, and setting up missile installations aimed at long-independent provinces.
It has come to my attention that due to tightened health rules, hairy crabs from China will not be imported into Taiwan for this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival.
In lieu of these tasty crustaceans, I give you something even better – a YouTube clip of The Swedish Chef and the Lobster.
Zhong cho jeh kwai le, y’all.
Got a hot date with the drill coming up, and, discretion being the better part of valor, The Foreigner will NOT be engaging in political argument at the clinic:
Dentists form group to support [Chinese Nationalist Party]
Chen Shui-bian’s a bum, Chiang Kai-shek was the greatest thing ever, and the KMT’s Taiwan’s only hope?
Rrrrrr-AIR-rrrrrr!
"Ahhtever you shay, Doc!"
The wheel bone’s connected to the – brake bone,
The brake bone’s connected to the – handle bone…
(Taoyuan scooter image with unacceptably high contrast level by The Foreigner)
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Kind of a fun Chinese translation story from Venezuela. A few of the details aren’t quite right (I think part of the problem had to do with Simplified vs. Traditional script), but otherwise, yes, professional knowledge DOES count for SOMETHING.
Oil rig go boom.
And they’re coming…for ***YOU***!
Hava Nagila, Hava Nagila…
(Images from umt.edu and Animal House Magazine )
UPDATE (Apr 27/08): Fur-tunately, this sneaky little fella managed to avoid capture . . .
(Image from The People’s Cube)
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