David on Formosa

• Hiking Taiwan climbs North Chatian Mountain.
• Portnoy at Global Voices on debate over the rural renewal program.
• A-gu on Ma’s confusion and more confusion about Taiwan’s sovereignty.
• The Far-Eastern Sweet Potato on Taiwan’s rapidly eroding status.
• A View from the ‘Hill criticises the language used at the DPP protest.
• Letters from Taiwan analyses the images on Taiwan’s $100 note.
• The Razzel Berry visits the hot springs on Green Island.
• Katie in Kaohsiung also tours the east coast.
• Pashan visits the Yellow Butterfly Valley in Meinong.
• Lao Ren Cha critiques the teaching of Mandarin at Shi-Da.
• Pinyin News on the simplified vs traditional character debate.
• Dixteel on Chen Chu’s visit to Beijing.
• Tim Maddog rips apart a China Post editorial.
• Rolands visits the Jiuhua Mountain Temple in Miaoli.

News: One year of President Ma: questions about human rights and press freedom and more critiques. Taiwan scholars write another open letter to President Ma (中文). Aborigines want action on Ma’s promises. Liu Shih-chung on Ma’s year in the pressure cooker.

The Control Yuan proves its uselessness. Jonathan Adams puts the spotlight on Taiwan’s judicial system. The ongoing trial of the Hsichih Trio further underlines the failure of the justice system. US Congressman Ed Royce speaks out for Taiwan. Gordon Chang sounds a warning about Taiwan’s future. The Economist writes protests are about all the DPP can do.

Taiwanese indigenous peoples NGO goes to UN Forum. Aborigines in Taidong protest nuclear waste plan. BBC on some strange jobs Taiwanese take to beat the recession. Taiwanese high school student discovers styrofoam eating bacteria. Three Taiwanese climb Mt Everest.

Taiwan Journal will cease publication from 22 May and relaunch online as Taiwan Today 1 June. The new website will carry translations from Taiwan’s Chinese-language newspapers, as well as all the regular articles that were in the Taiwan Journal. Details here.

And I’ve run out of space for details of the WHA controversy and the arrival of the H1N1 flu virus in Taiwan.

Events: Free Burma and Free Aung San Suu Kyi rally at the park opposite Watson’s in Shi-Da Road, Taipei from 7:00-9:30pm, Wednesday 27 May. Details at the Amnesty English blog or at TFBN in Chinese.

Kou Chou Ching (拷秋勤) play at The Wall on Sunday 31 May. The Howl at NTU on 31 May. The Pinglin River Bash is on from 29-31 May. The Dragon Boat Festival is on 28 May. There will be dragon boat races held on waterways around Taiwan and a long weekend for all to enjoy.