Images and stories from the devastation that rocked Haiti reached all corners of the world. The tragedy affected millions of lives, but the most vulnerable have been the children. Even in a small city in Taiwan, students were moved to make an effort to reach out to the Haitian children.

With the recent earthquake activity grabbing world headlines, there has been a increased awareness on how tenuous and fragile life can be. No place is more prepared, aware and sensitive to the needs of earthquake victims than in Taiwan, where earthquakes are a part of life. The island experiences an average of 3 major tremors a year and have had its share of casualties.

When a 7th grade English class at LiMing Catholic School in the small city of Madou, Taiwan, heard of the continued struggles of the Haitian children, they chose to reach out. With the help of a network of Catholic organizations, the students will send drawings and messages of support, friendship, and hope.

An English teacher in the school explains, "These children want the children of Haiti know that people around the world understand what they are going through. We want them to feel that people in all corners of the world are praying for them to be strong and overcome their adversity and to know that their lives are cherished."

Living in Southern Taiwan, I am able to witness many traditions of Chinese culture that are disappearing in most other areas of Taiwan. One set of disappearing traditions are those that occur on the holiday known as Tomb Sweeping Day, or the Chinese equivalent of Memorial Day. It is the annual ceremony to honor the deceased ancestors, and to take care of their grave sites This year, the Tomb Sweeping Day (Qing Ming Jie) occurred on Monday, April 5th. The event is significant enough to be a national holiday in Taiwan, with schools and most businesses being closed.

One reason the traditional customs of Tomb Sweeping Day are disappearing is because the traditional Chinese outdoor tombs are becoming harder to find. The traditional outdoor tombs range from the simple to ornate, but they typically take up quite a bit of space. The tombs are also usually placed facing the homes of the deceased, so in Southern Taiwan, you can find many tombs facing West towards mainland China. It is surprising how ornate some of the tombs can be.

Around the countryside in Tainan County, I witnessed caravans of families gathered around the traditional burial plots that typically belonged to parents, grandparents or even great-grandparents. The first job was clearing the overgrown grass and weeds from the tombs. This is only done once a year, so it is usually a time-consuming process started in the morning. Some people used machetes, and others burned the overgrowth.

Offerings were made to the ancestors. Food was laid out on the tomb pavilion, with incense. Ghost money was burned in piles next to the tomb to offer to the ancestors. Ghost money was also “planted” in the large dirt mound of the tomb to complete the ceremony.

The Tomb Sweeping ceremony is not only significant for honoring the ancestors, but it is also an important occasion for families to reunite. It is one of the few times a year where people from all over come together to join their families. The ceremony becomes and important social event for families, strengthening family bonds and reasserting the importance of ancestry.

As development takes over areas of traditional family burial plots, the remains of the deceased are either moved to mausoleums designated to specific families or they are moved to public cemeteries. You will rarely find the traditional outdoor tombs in the developed cities of Taiwan. In large cities, multi-story modern buildings housing the ashes of the deceased are more commonplace. These public cemeteries hold ceremonies during Tomb Sweeping Day as the community gathers to offer food, ghost money and to pray.

In smaller towns, the family mausoleums are commonplace. You will see ornate buildings resembling small temples housing the ashes of specific families, such as the “Kuo,” “Hsu” or “Liu” families. Different families congregate and work together to maintain the facilities and hold ceremonies throughout the year.

Perhaps in a few generations, the traditional Chinese tombs will be a distant memory. Already, I saw many tombs that were overgrown by tall grass and trees, as they were forgotten by relatives. More importantly, on an island that is densely populated by people who are increasingly busy, it is becoming less practical to maintain the traditional Chinese tombs. The time and effort to show respect and love for the deceased is diminishing. In a society driven by practicality and convenience, many aspects of traditional culture are sacrificed. Tomb Sweeping Day is no different. Those who can still see the efforts of entire families that gather once a year to honor their ancestors will appreciate what the ceremony means to families who place an importance on their ancestry.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

I needed to buy socks for my son and myself, so today, I went to a clothing store in Houying Village in Tainan County, Taiwan. Twelve new pairs of white cotton socks were NT$100 (US $3.16), so I bought twelve pairs for him, and twelve pairs for me. While I was there, I noticed that new polyester ties were on sale for NT$10 each (US $0.32). A man can never have too many ties, so I bought ten for NT$100 (US $3.16).

I spent a total of NT$300 (US $9.50) for 24 new pairs of socks and ten new ties. I know I would have spent much more than that in the USA, even at Wal-Mart. The cost of living is very affordable in Taiwan.

I have included photos of the merchandise and their pricing.

As I approached the student center on the campus of National Cheng Kung University in Tainan, Taiwan, on the evening of April 19, 2010, I was taken by surprise by the size of the line of students waiting outside. Janet Hsieh, host of the TV travel series, Fun Taiwan, was scheduled to speak at 7:30 pm, and I arrived at 6:00 pm. Not only did she have fans from her television show, Janet was also a celebrity in Taiwan well-known for her modeling and television commercial endorsements. The auditorium was filled beyond capacity with people anxious to hear the speaker’s inspiring story-telling.

I had the opportunity to catch some time with Janet back-stage before her presentation. When asked about her draw to Tainan and what she enjoyed about the city that she has visited frequently, she beamed, “The food!” Tainan is famous for its many local delicacies and snacks.

Janet is truly a connoisseur of the foods she discovers on her travels. She also mentioned that she felt Tainan would be a place where she would like to further explore Dutch colonial history in Taiwan, as she felt she had some Dutch in her bloodlines.

When asked what she hoped the college students would come away with during her speech, Janet said that she hoped they would be inspired to try more new things. “People don’t have to travel the world to gain a new perspective about themselves. They can try new things and learn every day wherever they are and from whoever is around them.”

Janet Hsieh captured the audience with stories from her travels. She owed much of her open-mindedness and willingness to push the boundaries of what was possible, to the people who inspired her, especially her grandmother. Her Taiwanese grandmother learned French at the age of 40 and went to work in Africa. At age 16, Miss Hsieh was not willing to let $2000 in travel expenses deter her from earning herself a trip to Ecuador to help children in remote villages. Her ingenuity and creativity solved her financial obstacle, and in return she gained an eye-opening experience that showed her how she could positively impact the world.

Janet shared travel stories, photos and funny anecdotes in Mandarin Chinese, English and Taiwanese. More important than the interesting, and sometimes bizarre, travel experiences, were the lessons she shared with the students.

“Don’t focus on an itinerary. You don’t know what you will miss out on...”

“Learn from your mistakes and move on…”

“Learn from others’ mistakes…”

From the event, the audience learned valuable lessons. They also learned not to tell Janet that she can’t do something because she is a girl, no matter how crazy it sounds. I learned that this TV travel celebrity, who lives a life most people only dream of, didn’t luck into her life. Her success is a result of her curiosity, her willingness to learn, and the choices she makes in a world that offers many perspectives daily.

This annual event was hosted by the Cheng Kung Toastmaster’s Club. Club officers Amy Chen, Tiffany Twu, Kevin Hu, and Christy Chen worked tirelessly to promote the successful event, and show the student body the importance of public speaking and international perspectives. I owe them a special thanks for making the interview possible.

Teachers across America are finding themselves with the prospects of layoffs, due to State budget cuts. The problems faced by teachers in the United States aren’t just the recent budgetary dilemmas. In general, teachers have always experienced traditionally low wages, increasing class size, increasing workload, and a growing lack of respect. Currently, some teachers are relocating to look for work, or even taking on different jobs, such as selling insurance, or working for Wal-Mart. Even though things are looking bleak for teachers, there is a bright ray of hope for those fortunate enough to consider moving overseas to teach.

There are many countries where teachers who are native English speakers are highly valued. In job fairs across America, there are representatives from schools all over the world hoping to find teachers willing to relocate for at least a year. Teachers, especially those with valid teaching certificates, are finding strong incentives to teach in Russia, Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. They are being offered salaries of $20-40 per hour, and benefits, including health care, accommodations and even airfare. In most of these countries, the cost of living is much lower than in the USA, so the ability to save money is greater. There is also great value in the cultural and travel experiences, and teachers often develop connections that lead to many other opportunities. There are many online resources to find overseas teaching jobs before deciding on the move. People should be careful about the opportunities presented, and should never have to pay any fees out of their own pockets to be connected to a job.

One online resource to find jobs teaching overseas is TeachAbroad.com.

As attractive as the opportunities may sound, most people wouldn’t consider moving overseas to teach. Everyone has different situations, and it may be difficult to adjust one’s life to be able to move for a year or more. Owning and paying a mortgage on a home stops most people. Not being able to leave friends and family behind is another common obstacle. There are many fears that hold people back. For those who are able to overcome the fears, the rewards are waiting for them.

The choice is a matter of perspective. If people were offered a one-year trip around the world, where they were paid to travel and experience different cultures, many would choose to go. The experience of teaching overseas offers unpredictable rewards to those who choose to go, and the teachers are usually surprised by the impact they have wherever they go and the ease of their experience.

With so many countries to choose from, it may be hard to make a choice. Taiwan is the preferred choice of many English-speaking teachers from the UK, Canada, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. With the devolving job market for teachers in the United States, more American teachers are choosing Taiwan as a teaching destination, and they are discovering why it is so popular for foreign teachers.

In many cultures, teachers are honored and traditionally treated with a very high level of respect and reverence. In Chinese culture, that is especially so. The Taiwanese people treat teachers, and Americans in general, with friendliness and respect. Taiwan in some sense has been the best place for Westerners to experience Eastern culture, because it has been a place where East and West have collided and flourished. Taiwan is a democracy, the government is stable, the economy is relatively strong, healthcare is excellent and affordable, the cost of living is low, the quality of life is high, and the opportunities are many. Many Americans, especially those with teaching certificates, earn US $20-30 per hour. They don’t need to know any language but English, and their work is supported by other teaching staff. Many find themselves in situations where they are taken care of by a small community of people, and feel pampered and special. Because of the contrast with their experience back home, many teachers get comfortable very quickly and extend their stays for many years.

There are online resources to find job before traveling to Taiwan. Two online resources for teaching jobs in Taiwan are TeaLit.com and WorkInTaiwan.com.

Those who enjoy a cosmopolitan experience with great international communities and nightlife may consider the large cities of Taipei, Kaohsiung and Taichung. Others who enjoy a slower pace, have many smaller cities and towns to choose from. Often the schools in smaller places pay more money and offer more benefits. Often the quality of life and the cultural experiences in these smaller places are richer and more traditional.

With all of the stress and challenges faced in America right now, teachers can choose to wallow in their sorrows, or make lemonade from their lemons. One never know what rewards will be gained when they give up their comfort zone and experience the unknown. Teachers overseas, and especially in Taiwan, enjoy being ambassadors of the United States for people who love America and her people.

Tony Coolidge, the writer for this story, is an American businessman who moved his family to Taiwan in 2009, and he has experienced the pleasure of teaching English and making a difference for Taiwanese children. He has met many foreign teachers teaching English in Taiwan, and has noticed a surge in the number of Americans who have recently moved to there. Some of his best friends in Taiwan are Americans who have chosen to live in Taiwan for seven, ten, twelve or more years. They often say the experience of living in Taiwan is seductive for many reasons, and is hard to leave when you feel like you are put on a pedestal.

A question for both Ashton and Katherine.

Q: During the filming, how did you overcome the challenge of demanding work schedules over a long period of time, to sustain the intimacy and interaction needed in your personal relationships?

Thank you. I know that when making a movie, the demands on your time are great. Your insights may be helpful to most couples, who find themselves busier than ever just trying to support a family in a world that is becoming less affordable.

Tony Coolidge

Question for each actor:

What do you respect most about each of the other 2 actors?

Tony Coolidge

CNN iReporter

A question for both Ashton and Katherine.

Q: During the filming, how did you overcome the challenge of demanding work schedules over a long period of time, to sustain the intimacy and interaction needed in your personal relationships?

Thank you. I know that when making a movie, the demands on your time are great. Your insights may be helpful to most couples, who find themselves busier than ever just trying to support a family in a world that is becoming less affordable.

Tony Coolidge

The international conference focused on addressing the issues of the Austronesian indigenous peoples kicked off in Taipei and concluded at Sun Moon Lake. This event attracted indigenous participants from all over Asia, Central America, and Hawaii.

The Law School conference center on the campus of National Taiwan University in Taipei was the host site for the 2010 International Austronesian Conference. The Council of Indigenous Peoples has hosted this event since 2002. This year’s conference ran from June 8-11, 2010. A bright red carpet lead into the College of Law building, and banners with bright Polynesian-style motifs flapped in the breeze, welcoming the registered guests. Security was tight that opening morning ahead of the visiting government officials and dignitaries attending the opening ceremonies. Registration was hectic, with organizers greeting guests with cheerful smiles.

The conference brought together the academic community and government officials to discuss issues important to the indigenous group classified as the Austronesian group. Guest speakers from around the Pacific Rim shared presentations of research and case studies on a variety of topics. What was evident was how the issues of tribal peoples from New Zealand to the Philippines to Taiwan were shared, and how through cooperation and open dialogue, efforts to overcome issues could be strengthened.

The Austronesian ethnic group of over 240 million people, related by genetics, language and culture, is widespread. The range stretches from Madagascar in the west, to Easter Island in the east. The range covers Taiwan, the Hawaiian Islands and the South Pacific atolls. Scientists theorize that the Austronesian group of peoples originated from Taiwan and spread out through the Pacific over 10,000 years ago.

The first day of the conference kicked off with a blessing ceremony performed by a Puyuma tribal shaman. With betel nuts placed on the floor folded in leaves for each ceremonial guest, the shaman chanted in his native language. It was significant for the audience to hear the mesmerizing and ancient chant, containing so much meaning and intention. The audience would learn that this, and many indigenous languages were in danger of disappearing along with much indigenous knowledge.

An energetic and colorful Amis tribal dance welcomed the guests and made sure everyone was awake and aware of the expressive passion for life of Taiwanese indigenous people. Government officials followed the performance with generous welcomes to the international visitors, and acknowledgments to the visiting dignitaries and speakers.

On the first day, the line-up of speakers focused on Knowledge, Education and Cultural Inheritance. One of the featured speakers was Tom Calma, National Coordinator for Tackling Indigenous Smoking in Australia. Many of the issues faced by indigenous peoples, including loss of culture, poverty, alcohol and tobacco abuse could be solved through education. Mr. Calma discussed the difficulties in providing adequate education to remote tribal areas of Australia, and shared how efforts by the government have been slowly overcoming this problem of lack of resources and teachers. Also shared was how incorporating traditional indigenous education into a Western curriculum was important to give aboriginal youth improved ability to fit in as productive adults, and future teachers, in their own local communities.

On the second day, the speaking topics focused on Literature, Images, and the Cultural Creation Industry. The Maori film, “The Strength of Water” was screened during the conference, and the New Zealand screenwriter, Briar Grace-Smith, shared a presentation on her personal experiences as a Maori storyteller. She expressed hope for intertribal collaboration for future projects.

Participants of the Austronesian Conference were treated to a tour of Taiwanese indigenous communities before continuing the Conference in a different venue. The last day of the conference were hosted at the scenic Fleur De Chine Hotel, on Sun Moon Lake near Taichung. At this popular tourist area, the topics of the conference shifted to Indigenous Culture and the Environmental Ethics.

The seminar covered the lessons learned from the challenges of the reconstructions efforts of indigenous communities after Typhoon Morakot. It became obvious that ignoring indigenous knowledge and forcing policy on tribal communities can be a recipe for disaster. There are many lessons people can learn from the knowledge of the indigenous people. Known as stewards of the Earth, indigenous peoples shared how their intimate knowledge with nature and sustainable living could become the most valuable resource they can offer to global society. They only need to effectively deal with the obstacles and improve collaboration to move forward.

An advanced 7th grade English Class at LiMing Catholic School in Madou, Taiwan commemorated the Dragon Boat Festival holiday in a different way this year. They produced a video explaining the origins of this ancient Chinese festival to the English-speaking world. The video is narrated and scenes are acted out by the students, depicting the story of Qu Yuan, which took place 2,300 years ago.

The Dragon Boat Festival, or Duan Wu Jie, is celebrated this year on June 16th. It is always celebrated on the 5th day of the 5th month of the Lunar Calendar. The holiday originated in the ancient state of Chu, during the Warring States period. Qu Yuan was a court official to the King. He was beloved by the king and his people. However, his integrity and honesty made the other court officials jealous. They conspired together and convinced the king to banish Qu Yuan from the Chu Kingdom.

During his 28 years in exile, Qu Yuan wrote many poems, for which he is still revered. When his kingdom was conquered by the Qin Kingdom, he drowned himself in the Milou River on the 5th day of the 5th month of the Lunar Calendar. The local people loved him dearly and when they could not find him, they threw rice into the river to feed the fish, so they would not eat Qu Yuan’s body.

Today, the Dragon Boat festival is celebrated around the world with dragon boat races, and by eating rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo.

The 7th grade English class at LiMing Catholic School is quite unusual, on that they have taken on projects that reach out to the world. Not only do they learn English, but they get a chance to see at a young age the opportunities that English language provides them to connect with the world. In May, they had an art contest to draw posters of friendship to mail to students in Haiti. Besides producing a video on the Dragon Boat Festival, the students also produced a video explaining the traditions of Lunar New Year.

Amy Tsai, a 7th grade English student at Kelly's English school in Jiali, Taiwan, won an English essay contest promoting tourism to Taiwan. The goal of the essay contest was to give Taiwanese children an opportunity to reach out to people around the world and give their perspective on why Taiwan is a great place to visit. Cash prizes were awarded to winners, and the grand prize winner was able to feature her essay on CNN iReport.

Here is Amy's winning essay:

"Why Visit Taiwan?"

Do you know where is the most interesting place to visit in the world? The answer is Taiwan!Taiwan is about the size of Maine. This island in the Pacific between Japan and the Philippines has the most beautiful scenery, the most delicious food, the most historic monuments, and the friendliest people. Let me tell you more about these highlights.

First, the most popular scenic area is Sun-Moon Lake. It’s situated in Nantou County’s Yuchih Township, in the mountainous center of Taiwan. It’s the largest alpine lake on the island. The eastern part of the lake is round like sun and the western side is shaped like a crescent moon, hence it is named “Sun-Moon Lake.” You can go around the lake by ship, and enjoy taking in the majestic mountain scenery. Many people come from China and other parts of the world to visit this area. Now, there are cable cars at Sun-Moon Lake to take you up the mountains for a better view. This is the best way to see all of Sun-Moon Lake.

Another popular tourist site is Alishan, or you can call it Mount Ali. It has the most wonderful sunrise. If you want to see the sunrise from above the clouds, you have to get up very early. You can also go around the mountain on a scenic train. Mt. Ali rises over 2,600 meters high. It is not even the tallest mountain in Taiwan. Mt. Jade rises to 3,952 meters (12,966 ft).

In Taiwan, there is a lot of wonderful food. The most famous drink is pearl milk tea. The famous food selections are stinky tofu, oyster omelet, coffin bread, Taiwanese fried chicken, small steamed buns… there is just too many to mention here, and they are all very delicious. Many visitors to Taiwan think stinky tofu is very stinky, but this food is very popular in Taiwan because of its delicious taste. You can eat stinky tofu with Chinese pickled vegetables and the special sauce. Oyster omelet is tasty, too. It has many oysters, fresh vegetables and eggs. The cook usually puts a lot of ketchup on the oyster omelet. This is something you just have to try! Coffin bread is not a real coffin. Don’t be afraid. It’s toasted bread shaped like a coffin and filled with seafood. That’s so yummy!

Don’t miss the historic monuments in Taiwan. The most historic is Anping Fort. It was built in 1624 by the Dutch. There are cannons and artifacts in the restored fort. You can take beautiful pictures while touring the fort. There is a tall watchtower, from which you can see much of city of Tainan.

Everyone needs to spend time in the capital city of Taipei. There is a very tall building. It’s very famous. It used to be the tallest building in the world. Now it is the second tallest. Do you know it? It is called Taipei 101. You can buy a ticket on the 5th floor. The ticket allows you to take the world’s fastest elevators to 89th floor. It takes only 37 seconds. These elevators are in the Guinness Book of World Records! On the 89th floor, you can all of the large city of Taipei. At night, the city scenes from the observation deck are wonderful. Every year, Taipei 101 holds the Run Up Race, which anyone can sign up to run. People who join the race run up stairs to the 91st floor. The first person who gets to the 91st floor is the winner!

Do you want to come to Taiwan now? If you do, you can travel around Taiwan by High Speed Railway, riding at almost 200 km/hour. To travel from South to North, it takes only 90 minutes. Traveling in Taiwan is very fast and convenient! When you are in Taipei or Kaohsiung, there are MRT (subway) stations everywhere! The subways are clean, comfortable and fast.

Are you ready to visit Taiwan now? It’s a trip you won’t forget.

While on a trip to Shilou, in Yunlin County, Taiwan in mid-July, I savored an opportunity to learn the traditional method of producing (black soybean) soy sauce. Shilou is an old town in an agricultural area of Taiwan, and is home to Wuan Chuang Food. Wuan Chuang Food was established in 1909, during the Japanese Colonial era, and its current facilities sit on its original site. The company is perhaps one of the last manufacturers that produces soy sauce products from black soybeans with traditional methods that date back hundreds of years.

After sampling preserved soy sauce eggs at the gift shop next door, I entered the Wuan Chuang center for a tour. The tour guide showed display photos showing the history of the company. She explained exhibits describing the entire brewing process, and showed the tools that were used. The guide explained how the Japanese used yellow soy beans using a different process. In a bamboo tray were black beans growing mold on them. In the back of the building, in a small courtyard stood about 80 large brown clay urns covered with clay lids. She opened a lid revealing a top layer of salt about 2 inches thick covering the soy sauce underneath that was fermenting.

From what I learned from the tour, this is how black bean soy sauce is made:

1) Black soy beans are harvested and washed.

2) The black soy beans are steamed and placed on round bamboo trays to cool off.

3) The black soy beans remain in the bamboo trays for 7 days. During that time, a thick layer of mold (aspergillus oryzae and aspergillus soyae) grows on the soybeans. The mold has also permeated inside the soybeans.

4) The black soybeans are washed again and mixed with salt and some water.

5) This mixture is placed into large clay urns and sealed airtight with a layer of raw salt. A clay lid is placed on top. The urns stand outside, fermenting the beans for 180 days.

6) The fermented black soy paste is poured out of the urns and is strained and the particulates are removed. The soy paste may be bottled, or water may be added to make soy sauce.

Most soy sauce manufacturers in Asia use yellow soy beans. Taiwan has a few producers that use black beans, including Wuan Chuang, O’Long, TaTung, and RueiChun. Wuan Chuang celebrated its 100th anniversary last year, with a special urn of black bean soy sauce being brewed by the President of Taiwan.

The trip reinforces my belief that sometimes the old, traditional ways of doing things are the best  ways.

Amy Tsei, a 7th grade English student at Kelly's English school in Jiali, Taiwan, won an English essay contest promoting tourism to Taiwan. The goal of the essay contest was to give Taiwanese children an opportunity to reach out to people around the world and give their perspective on why Taiwan is a great place to visit. Cash prizes were awarded to winners, and the grand prize winner was able to feature her essay on CNN iReport.

Here is Amy's winning essay:

"Why Visit Taiwan?"

Do you know where is the most interesting place to visit in the world? The answer is Taiwan!Taiwan is about the size of Maine. This island in the Pacific between Japan and the Philippines has the most beautiful scenery, the most delicious food, the most historic monuments, and the friendliest people. Let me tell you more about these highlights.

First, the most popular scenic area is Sun-Moon Lake. It’s situated in Nantou County’s Yuchih Township, in the mountainous center of Taiwan. It’s the largest alpine lake on the island. The eastern part of the lake is round like sun and the western side is shaped like a crescent moon, hence it is named “Sun-Moon Lake.” You can go around the lake by ship, and enjoy taking in the majestic mountain scenery. Many people come from China and other parts of the world to visit this area. Now, there are cable cars at Sun-Moon Lake to take you up the mountains for a better view. This is the best way to see all of Sun-Moon Lake.

Another popular tourist site is Alishan, or you can call it Mount Ali. It has the most wonderful sunrise. If you want to see the sunrise from above the clouds, you have to get up very early. You can also go around the mountain on a scenic train. Mt. Ali rises over 2,600 meters high. It is not even the tallest mountain in Taiwan. Mt. Jade rises to 3,952 meters (12,966 ft).

In Taiwan, there is a lot of wonderful food. The most famous drink is pearl milk tea. The famous food selections are stinky tofu, oyster omelet, coffin bread, Taiwanese fried chicken, small steamed buns… there is just too many to mention here, and they are all very delicious. Many visitors to Taiwan think stinky tofu is very stinky, but this food is very popular in Taiwan because of its delicious taste. You can eat stinky tofu with Chinese pickled vegetables and the special sauce. Oyster omelet is tasty, too. It has many oysters, fresh vegetables and eggs. The cook usually puts a lot of ketchup on the oyster omelet. This is something you just have to try! Coffin bread is not a real coffin. Don’t be afraid. It’s toasted bread shaped like a coffin and filled with seafood. That’s so yummy!

Don’t miss the historic monuments in Taiwan. The most historic is Anping Fort. It was built in 1624 by the Dutch. There are cannons and artifacts in the restored fort. You can take beautiful pictures while touring the fort. There is a tall watchtower, from which you can see much of city of Tainan.

Everyone needs to spend time in the capital city of Taipei. There is a very tall building. It’s very famous. It used to be the tallest building in the world. Now it is the second tallest. Do you know it? It is called Taipei 101. You can buy a ticket on the 5th floor. The ticket allows you to take the world’s fastest elevators to 89th floor. It takes only 37 seconds. These elevators are in the Guinness Book of World Records! On the 89th floor, you can all of the large city of Taipei. At night, the city scenes from the observation deck are wonderful. Every year, Taipei 101 holds the Run Up Race, which anyone can sign up to run. People who join the race run up stairs to the 91st floor. The first person who gets to the 91st floor is the winner!

Do you want to come to Taiwan now? If you do, you can travel around Taiwan by High Speed Railway, riding at almost 200 km/hour. To travel from South to North, it takes only 90 minutes. Traveling in Taiwan is very fast and convenient! When you are in Taipei or Kaohsiung, there are MRT (subway) stations everywhere! The subways are clean, comfortable and fast.

Are you ready to come to Taiwan now? It’s a trip you won’t forget.

While on a trip to Shilou, in Yunlin County, Taiwan in mid-July, I savored an opportunity to learn the traditional method of producing (black soybean) soy sauce. Shilou is an old town in an agricultural area of Taiwan, and is home toWuan Chuang Food. Wuan Chuang Food was established in 1909, during the Japanese Colonial era, and its current facilities sit on its original site. The company is perhaps the last manufacturer that produces soy sauce products from black soybeans with traditional methods that date back hundreds of years.

After sampling preserved soy sauce eggs at the gift shop next door, I entered the Wuan Chuang center for a tour. The tour guide showed display photos showing the history of the company. She explained exhibits describing the entire brewing process, and showed the tools that were used. The guide explained how the Japanese used yellow soy beans using a different process. In a bamboo tray were black beans growing mold on them. In the back of the building, in a small courtyard stood about 80 large brown clay urns covered with clay lids. She opened a lid revealing a top layer of salt about 2 inches thick covering the soy sauce underneath that was fermenting.

From what I learned from the tour, this is how black bean soy sauce is made:

1) Black soy beans are harvested and washed.

2) The black soy beans are steamed and placed on round bamboo trays to cool off.

3) The black soy beans remain in the bamboo trays for 7 days. During that time, a thick layer of mold (aspergillus oryzae and aspergillus soyae) grows on the soybeans. The mold has also permeated inside the soybeans.

4) The black soybeans are washed again and mixed with salt and some water.

5) This mixture is placed into large clay urns and sealed airtight with a layer of raw salt. A clay lid is placed on top. The urns stand outside, fermenting the beans for 180 days.

6) The fermented black soy paste is poured out of the urns and is strained and the particulates are removed. The soy paste may be bottled, or water may be added to make soy sauce.

Most soy sauce manufacturers in Asia use yellow soy beans. Taiwan has a few producers that use black beans, including Wuan Chuang, O’Long, TaTung, and RueiChun. Wuan Chuang celebrated its 100th anniversary last year, with a special urn of black bean soy sauce being brewed by the President of Taiwan.

There used to be a time when people could expect the news to be unbiased and untainted by political views and agendas. After all, being fair and unbiased was usually an unspoken promise of the news services. When news outlets started taking political slants and leanings, one could still count on watching sports news to escape from politics.

This past week in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, young athletes from all over the world are competing for the Little League World Series title. A dominant team from the port city of Kaohsiung, Taiwan, has earned the right to play on this international stage, showcasing the baseball talent that the island of Taiwan often displays in international play. These hardworking kids earned the right to represent their city and their homeland in front of the world, especially if they win the International title this weekend. But because of sports news outlets like ESPN refer to their team as Chinese Taipei, it is hard to really know what city the members of this team represent.

For those who are uninformed, the team is from the large city of Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Taipei is the capital city of Taiwan. For their team to be referred to as Chinese Taipei, confuses the issue of their origin, and it smells of a well-known political agenda. That is like the LLWS baseball team from Texas being called something as ridiculous as American Washington DC.

Taiwan has sent many teams to the LLWS, and has been known for years in the USA as powerhouse Taiwan. It made most Taiwanese and Taiwanese-Americans proud to see their boys to achieve such a pinnacle of excellence in the great American pastime.

Typhoon Fanapi was the season's first major typhoon to hit the island of Taiwan. Before it continued on to Fujian Province in China, it unleashed heavy winds of up to 200 km/h and intense rain on the people of Taiwan. Fanapi made landfall in Taiwan's eastern city of Hualien at 8:40 am (0040 GMT) on Sunday and crossed the island throughout the day. The heaviest winds and rains battered Southern Taiwan in the late night hours into early Monday morning. Hundreds of thousands of people were left without power. Damage around the island was moderate, with landslides, downed trees, signage, and power lines.

At a local high school in Sigang, Tainan County, damage was significant. The 4th floor of the main building collapsed and was blown off onto the parking lot and street. Evidence of strong winds could be seen throughout the high school campus and other parts of town.

As I witness the media barrage on WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, like others, I can’t help but notice the significance of the unfolding events. This drama is hard to ignore, and presents some interesting thoughts to ponder. This is like something out of a modern spy novel, full of references to classified government documents, Interpol, and doomsday files. It is interesting how there are those in the media who are portraying Assange as paranoid. It makes you wonder, if you were going to support whistleblowers and facilitate the uncovering of wrongdoings and corruption by big business and government, would you not also be extremely cautious and have some damn good insurance and friends in your corner to keep you from meeting an ‘unfortunate accident?’ There are many other questions that come to mind:

Did the U.S. government realize their strong public objection to the release of the embassy cables to have the effect it is currently having on the popularity of WikiLeaks?

I, for one, never really had much interest in visiting the WikiLeaks site, until I read about the extremely strong reaction by government leaders. I wonder how many other people have now visited the WikiLeaks web site because of the boom in publicity, in spite of the efforts by organizations to keep the web site offline. It seems that Assange and his staff are quite up-to-speed on Internet technology and adept at keeping the information accessible through any search engine search.

Are the recent criminal proceedings against Assange related to the release of documents on WikiLeaks?

Spokespeople for the U.S. government deny it, but the timing is undeniably peculiar. Only time will tell if Assange is guilty of breaking the law in Sweden, or if this case will result in Assange being handed over to authorities in the USA. The correlation between Assange’s charges and WikiLeaks is unclear, but this makes me wonder if there are any other people who ever made it on Interpol’s Most Wanted List for alleged non-consentual sex. If not, would it be safe to assume that there were political factors involved?

Is it surprising to anyone else how strong and across the board the objection to WikiLeaks is?

Actually, it is not surprising to me that many people fear the possible repercussions of classified intelligence being leaked. In our society people fear what might empower or inspire terrorist activities. People fear looking bad and losing face. What is surprising to me is how much this fear crosses party lines, with strong objections raised by leaders in the Democratic and Republican Parties. Hillary Clinton has publicly attacked the leaks, and Sarah Palin has chimed in her objections on her Twitter account. (It is notable that WikiLeaks released Clinton Wedding Papers in July 27, 2010.) It seems as though the system of government and politics has its limits when accepting a policy of transparency. Maybe the Democrats and Republicans can finally embrace each other on a shared pursuit, after all. When you think about how polarized and political our society has become, perhaps this common ground a good thing.

Does the disclosure of classified materials provide a security risk for Americans?

I have read the arguments that information provided on WikiLeaks give our enemies an advantage that they can use against us. Attorney General Eric Holder condemned the release of information on WikiLeaks stating, “It puts at risk our national security, but in a more concrete way, it puts at risk individuals who are serving this country in a variety of capacities…” It is true that terrorists and other enemies could use the information they acquire to harm American interests. But do you ever wonder if there is really any way to provide real security against anyone who intended to do us harm? If all someone had to do was to spend less than $2000 to mail an explosive package from Yemen to cost the American taxpayers millions (maybe billions) of dollars for upgraded airport security measures, not to mention other side effects, do terrorists really need any help? I believe more focus should be on improving international relations, and trust-building efforts to improve economies collaboratively, and we will have fewer enemies to worry about.

Should the U.S. government take more responsibility for keeping their information classified?

It appears the Australian government thinks so, as they speak out to defend the rights of their citizen, Assange. The U.S. government can prosecute those who break the rules, but it seems like the recipients of the information, whether it be a media outlet or media information collector are protected under the Freedom Of Information Act. It is more obvious than ever, that as the major news outlets publish documents from WikiLeaks on a daily basis, it IS a news provider. They have provided the information for free, in keeping with the spirit of “free information access” that has made the Internet such a valuable tool for democracy. If they were charging the news media for access to their information, I would believe that WikiLeaks would have enough money to hire an army of attorneys for Assange.

Is anything beneficial going to come out of this WikiLeaks circus?

Well, again, perhaps time will tell. Until then, many people will consume the news daily with increased interest, and perhaps more people will visit the WikiLeaks web site to see what all of the fuss is about. I am sure that many in power would prefer that all of this were swept quietly under the carpet. If it weren’t for CNN news coverage, I wouldn’t have checked out WikiLeaks and found out about the grisly fate of two Reuters news staff that a U.S. Army Apache helicopter crew mistakenly believed were insurgents. I wouldn’t have seen the classified helicopter video showing the crew's seemingly indiscriminate killing of the two journalists and at least 10 other individuals who were just at the wrong place at the wrong time. Especially poignant to me, was seeing a minivan trying to rescue a wounded journalist, and watching hell being unleashed on the poor rescuers, including a 4 yr-old girl and 7 yr-old boy being riddled with bullets as their father tried in vain to cover them with his body. I can only imagine that without a Internet media tool like WikiLeaks, Reuters may have never discovered the truth about their missing staff members, and the world may have never known about the Iraqi family that was ‘erased’ when they tried to help a fellow human being in need.

Is this drama going to be a litmus test for our society? With democracy, there is a need for transparency and the media has traditionally been guardians of that transparency. The Supreme Court has guaranteed the right for the media to publish classified government information. The only way to ensure integrity in the government and in business is to keep it in the light of the public eye. Those who have the most to lose with transparency seem to always use “security issues” as a reason to stay out of the light. Shouldn’t the people want to be kept informed about the politicians they choose to represent them in government? If people with conscience find out about an issue of grave importance to the people, shouldn’t we want to give them a way to do so anonymously? Don’t we want a military and government that operates openly, and that is not afraid to admit its mistakes?

I believe that it will be interesting to see how the Obama Administration handles this matter, and to see which principals they choose to forward on the world stage. Regardless of the direction that we go, it seems WikiLeaks has already made its mark in history.

The new Municipality of Tainan, Taiwan rang in the New Year in style Friday night to mark a significant event in the region’s history. Tainan City and Tainan County recently merged as one, and is now known as Tainan Municipality, a sprawling city of 1.87 million people. On December 25th, 2010, the former legislator, Lai Ching-te, took office as the first mayor of the new municipality. One of his first major public appearances was to ring in the New Year, as the Municipal government hosted the 2011 New Year’s Eve Festival.

The festival featured a free, public concert on the City Hall grounds that was well-attended. Tainan citizens came to be entertained by well-known performers from Taiwan and other parts of the world. The performance roster, included Olivia Ong from Singapore, and Anthony Neely, a popular Taiwanese-American singer, and Dong Cheng Wei, a Taiwanese rock band.

On the cold, crisp Winter night, the music from a variety of bands energized the thousands of people in the crowd, with pop music, rock music, American songs, and even traditional Taiwanese songs. Mayor Lai gave a rousing welcome speech to his citizens standing on stage with his staff and celebrities, kicking off a new year that, with the merging of governments, is certain to be groundbreaking for the people of Tainan.