David on Formosa

• Michael Turton reports on the Brookings Institute Cross-Strait conference. The Far-Eastern Sweet Potato details the second day at NCCU.
• Scott Sommers on the recognition of Chinese university degrees.
• A hungry girl is running a reader’s choice best of Taipei competition. There is a prize on offer.
• Craig Ferguson is running a photo theme competition.
• Tea Masters shares a tea brewing trick.
• Pashan hikes the Huangdi Dian trail.
• B@ Taiwan on the ugliness of domestic violence.
• Claudia Jean on the end of the Talking Show.
• Isla Formosa tells of African snails in Taiwan.

Events: On Tuesday 9 December from 7:00 to 10:45pm there is a “Music trumps nationality, human rights knows no borders” concert at Freedom Square in Taipei. On Wednesday 10 December there is a Tibet Freedom Concert at Da’an Park in Taipei starting at 6:30pm. This date is Human Rights Day marking the 60th anniversary of the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In Taiwan it also marks the anniversary of the 1979 Kaohsiung Incident (美麗島事件).

Alton sends details of the NTNU Symphony Orchestra concert on Monday 15 December at the National Concert Hall. The second half of the program features a display of Alton’s Taiwan photographs coordinated with a live performance of Mussorsky’s ‘Pictures at an Exhibition.’ More details here. The next breakfast meeting is on Saturday 13 December. Details here, note the slightly later time.

In the media: Lu I-ming writes how the Wild Strawberries have tapped the power of new media. Steven Crook writes about attempts to revive the Sirayan language and the Thao language. Cape No. 7 stars at the Golden Horse Awards. Taiwan gets a Hello Kitty maternity hospital. That should boost the birth rate!

Richard Hazeldine and J. Michael Cole report on what went on at President Ma Ying-jeou’s press conference. The China Daily reports on some of the questions Chinese wanted to ask Ma in his RTI interview. Annette Lu wants to start her own newspaper. Loa Iok-sin writes about discrimination in the Taiwanese media.