Comments

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  Bernard Cleary September 15, 2009 at 8:39pm

  I never thought about this before, but I just came across something about it while translating instructions to bidders for a major project in Taiwan. Taiwan's own little Y2K problem!
  
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y1C_Problem
  
  As the article explains, traditionally and officially, dates in Taiwan have been expressed using the "Year of the Republic." This year, for example, is the 98th year of the Republic. Until pretty recently (certainly when I was in Taiwan in the 1980s), nobody used Gregorian calendar years for anything, but that has changed quite a bit in recent years. Still, government and school systems and many business systems were designed using that dating system, and many were designed using only two digits to express the year. Oops!
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  José Balido August 27, 2009 at 8:10pm

  Here's the link to Bernie's pics, now clickable:
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWdFpJA1QDE
  谢谢很多， 柯先生！
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  Bernard Cleary August 27, 2009 at 7:58pm

  Collection of photos of the aftermath of typhoon Morakot, set to music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWdFpJA1QDE
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  Bernard Cleary August 20, 2009 at 11:25pm

  An interesting (and very recent) article about hostels and other similar cheap lodging in Taiwan appears here: http://taiwanreview.nat.gov.tw/fp.asp?xItem=55569&CtNode=119
  
  The CYC Activity Centers mentioned in the article aren't bad. I stayed in one in Taipei on two separate occasions--once in 1981 and again in 1984, upon arrival in Taiwan for my two separate stints there as a student. They are reasonably clean and comfortable, and very affordable.
  
  The website where the article appears is the online version of a print magazine published by Taiwan's Government Information Office, the current head of which was a classmate of mine when I was in graduate school there. The site has other interesting pieces about various aspects of life in Taiwan.
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  David Paul Appell August 20, 2009 at 11:22pm

  Thank you Bernie, what an excellent resource! Added, here and in our Chinese Language/Culture Club.
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  Bernard Cleary August 20, 2009 at 11:08pm

  I would like to share http://tailingua.com/ as a place to learn about the Taiwanese language (dialects of the Southern Min language group in the Chinese language family, and collectively the native language of over two-thirds of Taiwan's population). When I lived in Taiwan, there was very little hope of learning it as a foreigner (and Mandarin was challenging enough!), but things have changed a bit. Enjoy!

  Introducing the Taiwanese Language | Tailingua

  This website aims to introduce the language to people unfamiliar with it, and to provide more information to those already acquainted.
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  David Paul Appell August 16, 2009 at 4:38pm

  Taiwan is the source of this week's "Top Tune From Around the Planet": pop singer Kuo Ch'ing's "Hsin Ch'iang (Wall Around the Heart)". Afterward, you can still catch it in our music archive.
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  José Balido August 15, 2009 at 1:41am

  Check out Bernie Cleary's pics of an aboriginal village in Taiwan!
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  Scott Lo August 10, 2009 at 5:29am

  yes, it's ok here in the north part, but the south is a disaster, I am not sure if it's close to Katrina damage or could be worse. Lots of people are homeless and trapped in water still.
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  José Balido August 10, 2009 at 5:02am

  Ten feet in one day??? How can that be possible! Hope all are safe too... Scott Lo, all ok on your end?