Summer Considerations

With that ever-present goal of achieving productivity over the summer break, I spent some time this afternoon on the HSR to Kaohsiung composing an essay I want to send to the Taipei Times. Joe further encouraged me to organize a forum of important business leaders to speak about the relationship between reading fiction and success in business & life. But where to begin. Joe says I should start with David's wife, whose boss is a major public advocate for the arts. This sounds very doable. How to begin?

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Indigenous Writer's Workshop

On Tuesday last week (July 1, 2008) I had the good fortune of attending a workshop co-sponsored by the Taiwan government’s (Executive Yuan) Council of Indigenous Peoples and the New Zealand Commerce and Industry Office . The event was a dialogue between internationally renowned New Zealand author Witi Ihimaera and Taiwanese aboriginal artists Badai (novelist), Sakinu Tepiq (戴明雄) (filmmaker), Walis Nogang (educator), Paelabang Danapan (scholar), and Dadelavan Ibau (ethnomusicologist). The wor kshop was important for wh at was said, as the speakers addressed a number of issues th at are of relevance to indigenous peoples and com munities around the world. Topics of equity, excellence and justice for indigenous peoples were brou ght to the foreground. In his opening remarks, Ihimaera set the focus upon the necess ity of indigenous people coming together to discuss and even deal with local issues that are disturbingly global in scope. These crises—which include the loss of cult

Two Jackies is One Too Many

The two Jackies show their nervousness after a big thunderstorm. Yes, this Adoga has a couple of Indonesian myna birds, one of which is threatening to soil the keyboards even as we "speak." Problem is, only one of the birds is friendly enough to be a good pet, so it looks like in a couple of weeks the larger and more unfriendly bird will be returned to his original owner in Pingtung. Hand-raised, these birds are faithful to their "parents." I've seen them follow my friend around as he worked in his yard outside his house. He whistles to call them when they stray, and they return like well-trained dogs. He gave me these two "brothers," both of whom are n amed Jackie. Unfortunately, the Jackies are terribly aggressive to my other home-roaming pets, and today's attack upon my sparrow (rescued from a certain death as a hatchling kicked out of the nest) and bulbul (a trade from the bird breeder who couldn't keep my ailing baby dove alive) was especi

Hello Kitty Hell

A couple of days ago I went to EVA Airlines ticket center to reserve my flight to California, and it was there I noticed a photograph on a poster showing an EVA Air jet sporting a Hello Kitty motif. It can't get much worse than this. Then again, maybe it can. Below are some photos of a car parked in the Costco lot. Note the bad taste in auto decoration. At bottom is a link to a pdf article on "Hello Kitty and Identity Politics in Taiwan." Article: Hello Kitty and Identity Politics in Taiwan (2000)

My Life as Adoga

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