Uncategorized – The Foreigner in Formosa

Hillary Clinton Answers Her First Tough Question In Two Years

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‘Coz Every Girl’s Crazy ‘Bout A Sharp-Dressed Man

From the fashion houses of Beijing, the hottest designers bring you the very latest styles. And no self-respecting Chinese stormtrooper would be caught dead without these chic ensembles.

Head straight, eyes forward, maggots!

People's Liberation Army soldier standing at attention, head not drooping down because of needles in his collar.

Close-up of People's Liberation Army soldier with needles in his collar.

PLA soldiers in formation, each with needles in their collars.

Chairman Hu TOLD you not to slouch…

People's Liberation Soldiers kept ramrod straight by crosses held behind their backs.

"They immediately put irons on his legs and took him to a regiment. He was taught how to make right and left turns, raise and lower the ramrod, take aim, fire, and march double time, and he was beaten thirty times with a stick. The next day he performed his drills a little less badly and was given only twenty strokes; the following day he was given only ten, and his fellow soldiers regarded him as a prodigy."

-Voltaire, Candide

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The Ten Most Terrifying Words In The Chinese Language

I'm from the PRC government, and I'm here to help.

UPDATE: Runner-up would have to be, "I'm from the PRC government, would you mind stopping by my office for a spot of tea?"

Great By-Elections, Kid

Now don't get cocky.

Truth in Advertising: The Foreigner in Formosa no longer IN Formosa

Apologies to everyone for my absence. Spent the last 2 months moving out of Taiwan, and settling into my digs back in the Old Country.

Which leads to the question of what to do about this blog.

Guess I'll have to figure that one out as I go along . . .

Holiday

Been out of the country for a few weeks now, and won't be back for another week or two.

Damn rude of me not to have mentioned that earlier.

Vacation

Out of xountry for the next few weeks. Should be back sometime in early August.

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UPDATE (Aug 12/08): Heh. You know you're in a hurry when you can't even spell "country" properly.

Taiwan’s Pearl Harbor Connection

I did not know this:

…Niitakayama, the Japanese name of Jade Mountain which is Taiwan’s highest peak, was a code word for the launching of attacks on Pearl Harbor on December 8, 1941.

Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto received on December 7 the coded message: "Niitakayama nobore (Climb Mount Morrison, Jade Mountain’s popular name known in the West)." American intelligence agents monitored the message but didn’t know "Niitakayama" was the code for Pearl Harbor and "climb" meant "to attack."

Jade Mountain in Taiwan, covered in snow against a pure blue sky.

(Taiwan’s Jade Mountain a.k.a. Niitakayama a.k.a. Mount Morrison. Image from NationsOnline.org)

UPDATE (Apr 16/08): Shan Ding-lu has photos from a hike in the Jade Mountain vicinity. (Hat tip to David on Formosa)

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Blog Housekeeping

Just created a new category: Taiwan’s Campaign Document-gate Scandal.

Wordy, but more informative than calling it, "The March 12th Incident."

Vacation

Been out of the country for a spell. Apologies to readers who’ve been checking back here in vain. Should be back in late February, though there might be a post or two before then.