Englam’s Weblog

Today is the Seventh of the Lunar Seventh Month,七夕, and it is a “Valentine’s Day” of sort here in Taiwan and many other Asian countries. The folklore has it that a young “Cow Boy” 牛郎 and a “Maiden Weaver” 織女 were in deep affection with each other but somehow invited ire of the master, who, howeever was allowing them to meet once a week. Unfortunately it was wrongly conveyed to the lovers by a hapless magpie that they were allowed a tryst only on 七夕，the Seventh Eve of the Seventh month, once a year!
On summer evenings, there are three stars of Summer Triangle in the northern celestial hemisphere brightly attract our eyes. Two of the three are in Constellation Lyra, namely, Vega 織女星 and Altaire 牛郎星，16 light years apart from the other, are the main characteres of the joyous yet poignant story, celebrated each year by those who in love, vowing constancy to each other. In Japan, the 七夕 Tanabata is celebrated also on the Seventh Eve of the Seventh Month, but it is on solar July 7th after the country westernized. By the way, the Maiden Weaver Vega which shines with the bluish-white colour of a diamond, will be our Pole Star again in 120,000 years, due to tilted axis and rotation of our planet, as it was some 200,000 years ago.

Today, July 25th, according to Lunar calendar here, is the first day of the seventh month and it is the begining of the second half of the year. The majority of the people in Taiwan follow folk religion, and they believe that the Gate of Hell and the Underworlds were opened at zero hour of this day to let the denizens out to roam and wander at their wills for a month. It happenens that in 38 years the lunar July this year is a leap-momth, and so, it means that the denizens will have two month-long summer vacation! There is a shrine in Keelung, on the north of Taiwan, which is built in front of a sepulchre full of nameless dry bones, actually symbolically opens and closes a gate so named at the specific times every year. On the 15th, the day of full moon, households of the followers all over will prepare great feasts set at the front doors by the road to feed and entertain those wandering ghosts. After the feast, the ghosts will commance their return trip, or suppose to. This feast of feeding the hungry ghosts coincides with the Buddhists Urabon (the Feast of Lanterns in Japan) which aims at bring relief to one’s dead. Folk religionists here belive that the dead need to be fed regularly and especially on memorial days of deceasing.

Taiwan was a wild island and saw peoples come and go. Those men who came from the opposite shores in China in the 16th centry and on were the dispossessed people seeking for a new home. Different world powers also came to make use of this island for their own benefit. Struggles occured and many people died in the process of colonization. Their remains left unattended which is deeply in conflict with the religious belief of respect and hornor the dead. So, it is most fitting to remember those nameless ghosts and treat them well at least once a year. More than for the reason of afraiding their trick plays, as some one says, for remembering their contribution to the opening of the country. When Chinese gained controll of Taiwan after the WW II, soon they practiced “Clean Field”. The 228 Incident (Feb. 28th, 1946) and the aftermath in which people of Taiwan rose in protest of a corrupt Chinese governer were met with ruthless arrests and killing by the forces sent over from the Central Government in China. The victims were reported to be over a quarter million. The population of Taiwan at the time was just over 6 million. Many just lost and went uncounted even today. Thus, feeding of wandering ghosts has a very poignant meaning in this society.

It has been an irritable thing for many Taiwanese to receive a mail with an offensive and erronous notation “Province of China” after Taiwan. Instead of addressing Taiwan sinply and directly, it appeares as “Taiwan, Provice of China”. Hopefully this kind of practice will change and cease in the future. On May 9th this year of 2006, the US Postal Service sent an official letter to the Formosan Association for Pablic Affairs(FAPA), saying that the USPS will take FAPA’s advice and drop the erronous notation on Taiwan from all USPS nets and publications listing the nations of the world, and applogized for the previous mistake. It was pointed out to the USPS, that, in 1996, when the Taiwan Relation Acts were enacted, the US State Department will , there after, call Taiwan simply and directly as Taiwan, for the reason that the USA and the “Republic of China” have no diplomatic relations. As an enterprise established by the Congress, the USPS should heed and follow the governmental rulling to call Taiwan directly by her proper name and do not add any thing else! Similarly, in July last year, FAPA did successfully make the AMTRAK to drop the erronous notation when naming Taiwan. YEY! CALL US BY OUR NAME, BY ALL MEANS!

On his way back from the state visit to Latin America, President Chen Shui-bien turned down the US offer of a transit stop at Anchorage, Alaska and made his return trip by way of Tri-Polli, Libya and Batam, Indonesia before coming back to Taiwan on late hours of Friday, May 12th. He was expected to return on the 11th and thausands of people went to Taoyuen Airport to meet him. Again, the enthusiastic supporters of the President went to the airport on the 12th to hail the President for his miraculous diplomatic breakthrough, inspite of Chinese blockages and the US snubs. In Tri-Polli, he met with the Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi who invited Mr. Chen to establish an forward post of Taiwan for north Africa there. Mr. Chen stayed overnight in Batam and met with the Governer and other officials. Of course, Chaina lodged strong protests to Lybia and Indonesia, saying that they acted against their agreement on “One China” principle. The Indonesian governer replied to their angry foreign minister that they need and welcome Taiwan to invest in Batam. Mr. Qaddafi commented that why China opposed Taiwan so much yet can keep huge trade with Taiwan, and why Chinese should keep such close military cooperation with Israel which has encroached on so much Arab land?
The Pan-Blues (KMT and the like), who fled from China and were viciously anti-communists but now have reversed their stance and seeking Chinese help in order to regain power in Taiwan and thus becoming the tool of Chinese ambition, criticized Mr. Chen’s visit with “Rogue” Qaddafi and so became a colleague of the enemy of the USA. But an interesting development is that the US Secretary of State Rice announced on May 15th, soon after Mr. Chen’s return to Taiwan, that the USA will restore it’s full diplomatic relation with Lybia and also removing Lybia from the list of the nations that “suppote terrorism”. May be, it’s a way for making up the US’s mishandlings in connection with Mr. Chen’s odyssey.

Taiwan’s President, Chen Shui-Bien, is en route to Paraguai and Costa Rica for an eight-day state visit to Latin America. For the trip, Taiwan negotiated with the US, requested an overnight stay in New York and a stop in San Francisco on return journey, but the US rejected the request and suggested to have a refuel stopping at Hawai going and a similar technical stop at Anchorage, Alaska on return trip. It was reported that the decision was made by President Bush himself , or as so advised by the Secretary of State Rice. After a fierce negotiation at the last moment, the US offered to have stopovers in Alaska on both ways. This was turn downed by Mr. Chen and the President flew westward instead of heading east. Before his departure, this decision was communicated to the US Department of State and asked to keep it under cover. For some wiered reason, the State Department called Taiwan medias one by one on Wedensday (May 3rd.) and informed them that “he” has changed “his plan” and would not make a transit stop in the US. President Chen’s plane landed at Abu Dhabi, UAE arround 6pm Taipei time yesterday for refuelling stop en route to Paraguai. The Forign Minister Hwang said that because of the early leak by the “media”, the President’s plane was refused landing at Beirut, Lebanon at the very last minuits and so the plane turned to Abu Dhabi. The latest news is that from Abu Dhabi, the plane flew north and landed in Amstadam later, instead of fly to Dominican for refuelling before arriving Paraguai, as it was expected. The medias dubbed all this “a flight that gone astray”.
The matter of fact is that this is the predicament of Taiwan at present. No government officials can visit all the countries in the world except those arround twenty small nations that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, also called the Republic of China. The People’s Republic of china, or CHINA replaced the ROC (which occupied Taiwan after the WWII but was defeated by the Communists in 1971) in the UN since 1979 and claiming Taiwan to be just a part of it’s territory and blocking Taiwan’s every move at the international scenes. The sad thing about this incident of so called “a flight that gone astray”is that, the US seems to be in cahoots with the apparent enemy of Taiwan for what ever reasons! Taiwan is struggling to be FREE, but it is a hard road to travel.

The FORMOSAT - 3 was lefted into orbit on Saturday morning, April 15 on an US rocket. It will monitor changes of climate aiming for more accurate weather forcasts. The FORMOSAT - 3, a satellite mainly developed by Taiwanese scientists, is said to be a joint project of Taiwan and the US, was launched from a US Air Force base in California. The satellite is consisted with 6 microsatellites, each weighing 62kg. and orbiting seperately to collect and analyze information from 2,500 weather monitoring points aound the globe. Although it is said to be a joint project, Taiwan invested more than 80% of the expenses of about NT$80 million or US$2.42 million, even the rocket used in launching was paid by Taiwan. But the US State Department interfered (under Chinese pressure?) to deny the national flag of Taiwan to be painted on the FORMOSAT - 3. The previously launched FORMOSAT - 1 and FORMOSAT - 2 have the flags painted on as they were launched “commercially”. Though denied to have the national flag painted on it. after hard negotiations with officials in the US State Department, the US agreed to having the Chinese characters of Taiwan, Taiwan in English, and FORMOSAT - 3 be painted on the surface, along with a map of Taiwan covered with pictures of the island’s produces of fruits and fish and a tiny national flag at the rim of the Earth. The map was a contest wining picture of a very young boy. Some one has said that to have a satellite in orbit, carrying TAIWAN both in the Chinese characters and in English as the FORMOSAT - 3 does, is really a MERIT OF ACCIDENT!

A month ago, there was a survey for a most favored imaging of Taiwan with three most refered figures: 1, The newest 101 Story Building in Taipei; 2, Traditional Taiwanese Puppets; or 3, U-Shan(the Jade Mountain, or Mt. Morrison, the highest mountain of Taiwan). To many’s surprise, it was the puppets that took the leading, and not the U-Shan , the highest near four thausand meters Peak that overlooking all Taiwan. There is a grave disunity in the identity of Taiwan over whether Taiwan is a Soverieign Nation, or a Province of China. The People’s Republic of China of course wants to claim and engulf Taiwan, while the foreign policy of the US repeats it’s One China policy and would not allow Taiwan to take measures toward bona fide sovereignty. This situation lasted more than 60 years already. The mouths of our duely elected Presidents have been gagged, their hands were tied, and their feet been shakled. The remaining colonial power from China that was allowed to took hold of Taiwan after the WW War II but lost in the years 2000 and 2004 presidential elections still claiming that the Republick of China do exists and Taiwan is a part of it. They are minority in numbers in fact,but unfoutunately have more bought seats in the Congress. The majority of about 70% of people, however, want to be on their own. Both China(s) claim Taiwan and the US would not alter it’s “One China Policy”. In this kind of a bind, no wonder, people will feel like puppets, figures that move but no souls of their own. The people of Taiwan must not sell their souls, lest they lose their shadows even while standing under the Sun!

The Zootechnology Department of the National Taiwan University announced the other day that it has raised successfully a few pigs with green eyes, snoot and hooves and they also emit light from those parts like fireflies in the dark. It is claimed also that they will be valuable in medical resarches. There were reports of fishes having the kind of light emitting properties before by others. Another news that is being quite a hot item in media in Taiwan concerns a pair of black/white fured animals that China wants to give to Taiwan. The problem is that the animals are of endangered spicy and protectyed by international regulations and can not be exported to other countries without proper procedures. If Taiwan was to accept them without the internationally agreed procedures, that seemed to be the intention behind China’s move, then Taiwan will be coloured RED, as it will be seen as an intra-national moving of the animals and not an international deed. This move for the gift of pandas was a play written by the chaire-persons of the Pan-Blue parties(the KMT, PFT, et al.) when they visited China one after others last year. The Pan-Blues are those of the former occupiers of Taiwan after the WW II from China and held power over Taiwan even after they lost grip of China in 1972. In the year 2000, the KMT(the Chinese Nationalist Party) lost in a presidential election and again in 2004. But it is using its great material resources accumulated by hooks and croocks over a half centry in the past to attempt at regaining power. Their aim is unification with China.

On its online reservation web, the Amtrak listed Taiwan as a “Province of China” but recently apologized for the error. A formal letter of protest was sent to tthe President of the National Railrord Passenger Corp, David Gunn by the President of Formosan Association for Public Affairs(FAPA) in the US, which pointed out that as an US Government-related establishment, Amtrak should heed to the 1996 memorandum of the US State Department. The memorandum stated that since the US has no diplomatic relations with the Republic of China, US officials need to refer to Taiwan as “Taiwan”. The Amtrak official said that it has no specific stance in regard to Taiwan’s politial status but simply list all countries arround the world according to ISO 3166-1 provided by the International Organization for Standardization. But the fact is that, it does not list Taiwan as a Province of China. After the error was found, the Amtrak dropped that erroneous “Province of China” after the listing of Taiwan, and munificently sent FAPA a letter of APOLOGY!

After three months’ try and error, I finally get connected wireless. The freedom of movement within the range is really great as the signal quality is excellent. What I realized is that there is some basic knowledge that one needs to have so that one can follow things available now and will keep coming out. What needed is a desire to learn and fear no “new” things. I started learning to play cello 2 years ago and really enjoying it. Though it is 77, while I keep learning something new, senility can be delayed, hopefully.

The long awaited personal check blanks finally arrived yesterday. The order was first entered at a Bank of America local branch in person 10 days before Christmas last year, AD 2004. It was promised that we could pick them up at that office after 10 work days. My son and I went there for them in January after the New Year holidays and found the letter “T” was missing in my address in “Taiwan”. It was assured that corrected ones will be there in a week’s time. We called after good 10 days and the person who took the phone said that they could not find them but would check with the person responsible and call us back. But there was no call . We went there again and met with the manager and he reordered them for me and said that the blank checks will be sent via FedEx and will be awaiting me when I got back to Taiwan on January 18th. But I never got them. Meanwhile, I received a monthly statement from this same bank . To my horror, after scraching the Zip Code for my address in Taiwan, they added “China (PRC) 00000″. With that address, it will be or certainly be sent to CHINA in the first place! So I have to trouble my son to go to the bank to inquire about the blank checks ordered and make correction for a right address. My son made an appointment and found out at the bank that the blanks had the address of the branch instead of mine and were sent to that branch bank. In front of my son, Jane, at the office, reentered the order for blanks and repeated line by line with printer for correct address. She also entered correction for their mailing record and assured that “China (PRC) 00000″ will be dropped in the future. The amazing thing is that there is no “Taiwan” on the blanks I got finally almost after more than two months time and mistakes, and, on the monthly statement which just arrived still has that nasty “China (PRC) 00000″ . The address has not been corrected. While in the States, I have also notified the Board of Pensions of the Church my new address in Taiwan. I received a letter yesterday from it for verification of the address change. It is addressed, after my correct Taiwan address, an additional line,”Taiwan, Province of China”. Can you believe all this that happened?

I was gravely irritated two days ago by receiving a “Combined Tax Statement For Year 2004″ from my bank, the Bank Of America. A certain person there changed my address in Taiwan by adding “China (PRC) 03000″ to it and dropped the ZIP Code for my city in Taiwan. They should make sure that Taiwan is Taiwan, and China is China. Taiwan is not under China (PRC)! Otherwise, mails intended for me in Taiwan might or most certianly will be sent to China in the first place! How alarming !
It is said that one needs to show his/her colour, meaning that at critical situation or time, one’s true charater or self must be revealled, or clearly shown. When you looked at a world map, different countries are coloured with different colours so that one can be distinguished from other. If you go to a library and look for some historical maps of Taiwan, however, you will find it coloured differently for reasons that Taiwan was invaded or occupied by different world powers at different periods. Taiwan, or Formosa, though a historical home for the Pacific/South Islands peoples, was a “No Man’s land”, for 400 some years, occupied one after the other by the Dutch, Spaniard, French, Chinese, Japanese and Chinese again lately. There was a brief time, actually only a few months, in which Taiwan declared it’s independence and was reported as “A New Republic Born in Asia” in a London news paper. In 1890s, over domination of Korea, China(Ch’ing , the Manchiu Dynasty) and Japan went to war with each other. The Manchiu China which lost the war ceded Taiwan to Japan “in perpetuity”, as the Chinese regarded then Taiwan as “a land full of calamity and infection”. The Japanese Empire which covetted Taiwan for a long time had it’s desire satisfied. The officials and people of Taiwan who learned the ill fate, declared a Republic, ” Taiwan Democratic Country” , on May 16th, 1895, with a Yellow Tiger on Blue Ground as the flag of the Republic. The people continued to resist against the invading Japanese army, even after the officials fled back to China, but finally succumbed after they managed to mortally wound the Royal Commander of the invading Imperial Expedition. Japan then developped Taiwan and ruled for 50 yaers, but as the result of WWII,which ended on August 15th, 1945, the defeated Japan gave up Taiwan, it’s surrounding islands and the Pescedores. Troop of the Nationalist Republc of China then occupied Taiwan under the Directive of the Commander of the Allied Forces in the Far East and Pacifics, General D. MacArthur. The occupation army landed Taiwan from US conveyers on October 18th, 1945. The Nationalist China was defeated by the Comminist China in May, 1949 and retreated to Taiwan since. The Nationalist China, or the Republic of China then lost it’s seat in the UN in October, 1971, replaced by the People’s Republic of China. Again, Taiwan has increasingly becoming a political non-entity unless the people here claim their own colour. The ruthless dictatorial Chinese Nationalist Party and Government which ruled Taiwan for over 50 years was defeated by a democratic Taiwanese party in 2000 presidential election and again in 2004. But the people of Taiwan are suffering under a devided identification, pro-China, or pro-Taiwan , though pro-Taiwan voice is slitely leading. The Communist China (PRC) claims itself by virtue of having replaced the earlier Nationalist China(ROC) in China, although never ruled Taiwan for a single day, claims Taiwan to be it’s indivisible part and wants to force Taiwan heed to the claim, has even placed over 700 mistles on the other side of the strait threating Taiwan. But for me, we must Colour Taiwan Green! Taiwan is Taiwan, and China is China. Taiwan can not be coloured Red!

When this log was first set up with help of my son, there was only the name of the log on the banner. It looked kind of flat, so I asked my son to find some picture to put on it. In search of a suitable thing, it came to my mind that a map of Taiwan will do. He got one from a website which was a part of a larger area and the colour was that kind of an dirty yellow. by “dirty” I mean dirtlike, the colour of the earth arround Yellow River of China. The colour triggered some emotion in me and I asked my son to add some other colour to it. Then it seemed natural that it should be coloured “green “. Green, the colour of life. Life can not be just dirt. It must support life and covered by life! My native land must be coloured green! I will develop this theme in time to come.

In order to get my new HP loptop which I acquired while in the US last Christmas connected with a local server in Taiwan(Hinet ADSL), I asked help of a friend. He got me a 802.11b wireless broadband router. Before he went to get it, I forgot to tell him what my son indicated to me, that I should get a “g”. Anyway, the “b” was already in hand, so my friend just went ahead to have it connected to the old router I got when I first purchased the ADSL, installed by a Hinet technician. After dabbing with it for some time(in two days), my old PC got connected to the 802.11b router and I could get on. But, alas, the new HP simply could not get on wireless. My friend seemed to say that he could not help further. So I tried and tried to see if it would go wired! AND THERE, it got connected online! I think the problem is just lacking the knowledge or skill of how to get the wireless set up properly. So, I have a homework to do, studying up the books my son got me for most basics of the art.

My bank in Kingston, NJ was called Franklin which name then was changed to United Jersey, and then to Fleet, and recently it becomes a Bank of America. I have my accounts there since the time I was studying in Princeton in the late Sixties. I had a good supply of the United Jersey blank checks when it changed and became a Fleet and they said I can use them continually to the last blank. But residing in Taiwan, it was rather inconvinient to use those blanks when I wanted to cash one in though my bank there. So, when I came back to the States two years ago, I went to the Fleet Bank in Kingston, NJ personally and ordered a batch of blanks and I was assured that it will be waiting for me there when I got back to Taiwan. But it never came. Meanwhile, it has become a Bank of America, so on this trip visiting my family here in Nashua, NH, I went to a local branch with my son and ordered new ones 11 days before the Christmas Eve(2004) and was told that we can pick them up after 10 working days. We went back there on the 3rd of January for them and found that the address was wrong. Letter “T” was missing from “Taiwan”. The kind manager said they will print anew with correction in a week’s time. My son called the bank Monday this week, and was told that there was no such order. The person who took the call placed a new order and said that he will put a “Rush!!” on it and we can pick the new ones up on Friday( January 14th, 2005). But they could not find them when we called 3 PM this afternoon today, Friday. The person who was on the phone said that he will check with the others and call us back. We waited—– but no call back. I am leaving for Taiwan on Monday, January 17th at 08:55 from Manchester and it means that I will go back there empty handed. This is a real story, but it is hard to believe!

My old PC with Windows 98 and a Celdon 600 was quite fine with me as I only used it to send E-Mails to my son and daughter or some others when necessary but rarely. The other thing I do with it was to read news on the net. Now, with a new HP lap-top, a fast, powerful Mobile AMD Athlon XPM processor 3000+, operating at 1.6GHz which my son told me that I could do a lot of things with it and he set up things for me to learn and use. Without any prior knowledge or skills, I kept pesting him when I got stuck or lost, as I gingerly begin doing the “home works” he assigned me. He must be quite annoyed. To teah an old dog new tricks, as people say, is very difficult.

Alas, my math is slipping! In my earlier entry I said that with the chip I can take up to 86 pictures. It should be 96, as the newly purchased chip has 8 times as much capacity as the original one that came with the camera.

David and I went to a store called Best Buy this pm and got a new chip and a carrying case for my Sony Cyber-shot digital camera. The chip that came with the camara when purchased is a meager 32mb and can only hold a dozen or so pictures. With the new chip, I can take up to 86 pictures, as it has 256 mbs. I am sort of irked by the stingy practice of the company which has a big name and charging good high price for its product to be so cheap!!

This is the first post of my new journey. I can’t think of anything else to say. Ok, I have just realized that my 7 weeks stay here in Nashua,NH is about to be over. There is only one week left, to my regret and wishing that it could be longer! This trip has been very rich in learning and experiencing, even a sort of venturing into some unfamilialities. Therefore, in a real sense, a begining of a new journey!!