So remember how the last time Taiwan and China agreed on anything was in 1992, when they formed a consensus that has served as the foundation for the One China Principle? Well, it turns out that that was al just a big lie. In 2000, when it became clear that Chen as going to be the next president, this guy made it up-made it up!-in order to try to ( Read more... )

As we all know by now, the going rate is US$1.2 million.

OK, in case you don't know what I'm talking about, the former PM of Malaysia recently admitted to the LA Times that he was aware of US$1.2 million being paid to some lobbyist (guess who ...) to arrange the visit. He denied, though, that his government had made the payment ( Read more... )

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I got into the first of what I hope will be many arguments about Brokeback Mountain a couple weeks ago. A prominent academic was hosting a dinner for a few of his son’s foreign friends, who were stuck in this foreign country with no family during Chinese New Year. A guy about my age, with whom I’d butted heads in the past, made the comment that he ( Read more... )

After a lot of thought, I've managed to change my understanding (what I believe) of the internet in order to better reflect the reality (what I know) of it. By that, I mean that I have mostly come to grips with the idea that every web page is hosted on a specific, physical computer; as much as I am attracted to the concept of information existing ( Read more... )

Reuters initially filed the story in their "Weird Stuff That Happened This Week" category. I submit that rather than this being a case of a major news agency bending over for The Man, it is a case of a major news agency having a little perspective and realizing that it doesn't matter. Too bad they've not got it on their main page now. And of course ( Read more... )

Most of you who have lived in Taiwan will remember Sergei; for those who don't know him, stay tuned and you soon will. Unfortunately, it's past midnight, so I don't have time to tell the story right now. Just know that I had the weirdest day ever, and it involved Sergei, and maybe you can pray for me a little. Suffice it to say, he is back, and he ( Read more... )

German is so cute.

Money is really getting tight around here. For my food today, I made a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich and bought a US$1.80 bowl of noodles. I feel like it's good for me to have the experience of living like this. I'm developing good habits like saving used ziplock bags. Still, I'll be glad when my job starts. By which I mean, when I get paid ( Read more... )

My mom always told me, "The eyes are the window to the soul." Today I became interested in this phrase, so I tried to discover where it came from. I haven't found any good guesses yet. As a result of my search, though, I read Matthew Chapter 6, which contains these two verses:22. The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, ( Read more... )