David on Formosa

Several dozen members of Falun Gong (aka Falun Dafa) protested the arrival of Chen Zhenggao (陳政高), the governor of Liaoning Province, in Taichung this afternoon. The protesters shouted, “Chen Zhenggao, you’ve been accused, stop persecuting Falun Gong” (陳政高，你被告了，停止迫害法輪功). According to a Falun Gong website 409 Falun Gong practitioners have died as a result of persecution in [...]

I had a letter published in the Taipei Times today on the subject of the birth rate and population growth. Another letter by Brian Schack also makes the same point that I do. There is much talk in Taiwan about the urgent need to lift the birth rate, however there is little balance in the [...]

Today is Valentine’s Day so it seems like an appropriate day to talk about sex. This article in the Taipei Times today discusses a survey about rates of condom use in Taiwan. It is based on a recent survey of more than 1,000 men aged 15-59 about condom use in Taiwan. Here are some key statistics [...]

The Taiwan Tourism Bureau has launched a new logo and slogan. “Taiwan – The Heart of Asia” replaces the grammatically incorrect “Taiwan, Touch Your Heart” which had been in use for ten years. Focus Taiwan reports the logo was designed with the assistance of London design firm Winkreative. It  packs in a bunch of symbols [...]

The Freak Out Beast (吵年獸) music festival began in 2006. It is held in Taipei each year around the time of the Lunar New Year holiday, when there is usually a lack of live music events. I attended the festival for the last couple of years in Ximending. This year the event moved to Da’an [...]

The death penalty has once again been in the spotlight in Taiwan over the past few days. The issue was brought to the fore after a man confessed* to a crime for which another man was executed in 1997. The wrongful conviction and execution of Chiang Kuo-ching (江國慶) was uncovered by a Control Yuan investigation in May [...]