Like the illusion of Wall Street, with its vast and powerful investment banks, now shuttered, China too is an illusion perpetuated by the Globalists that gave us the 15,000 mile Caesar salad, poisoned cat food and lead based paint on babies' pacifiers. Like the illusion that money would come from thin air to always push housing prices higher, China has spent a generation pursuing its illusion. Pursuing an unattainable dream to be like the West, while 6000 years of its carefully shepherded top soil blows into the sea.
Joined: Jun 03, 2008 Posts: 5 Location: San Chung City, Taiwan
Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 1:49 am Post subject: Greetings from San Chung City, Taiwan
Greetings from Taiwan,
I am from California and have lived in Taiwan for 15 years now where I teach and write about criminal law and procedure. I also write on different aspects of martial arts. My wife and I have published three books (two law books, one about martial arts history).
I look forward to meeting the people here and learning about oil, prices and the future.
Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 2:02 am Post subject: Re: Greetings from San Chung City, Taiwan
brianlkennedy wrote:
Greetings from Taiwan, I am from California and have lived in Taiwan for 15 years now where I teach and write about criminal law and procedure. I also write on different aspects of martial arts. My wife and I have published three books (two law books, one about martial arts history).
I look forward to meeting the people here and learning about oil, prices and the future.
Take care,
Brian
Welcome Brian! I lived in Taipei, teaching English and having a pretty amazing time way back in '93. What's it like these days?(just a tiny question!) Taipei was very polluted and chaotic when I was there, the roads were being torn up for the subway, the traffic was insane and there were still a lot of the old buildings around. I imagine it's changed a great deal since then.
I loved my time there, I was looked after so well by some great locals, and I used to enjoy going out into the mountains for motorbike rides and swims in the rivers. I've always intended to go back for a visit but somehow it's never happened. I should probably do it soon before air travel becomes the province of the super rich only...
Joined: Jun 03, 2008 Posts: 5 Location: San Chung City, Taiwan
Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2008 2:41 am Post subject: Re: Greetings from San Chung City, Taiwan
Hi folks,
Sorry for the delay in getting back but this week got kind of jammed up with work. I am not complaining, the way the U.S. and the Taiwanese economies are tanking, I feel blessed that I got a job to do that brings in enough to live on.
Yeahbut,
Wow, I got here in 1993. You mentioned that Taipei was: “polluted and chaotic when I was there, the roads were being torn up for the subway, the traffic was insane and there were still a lot of the old buildings around; every single one of those things is still true! No fooling. The subway (MRT) construction, the lunatic driving and the old scenic, but not so safe, buildings are all still around. Now of course in many ways the city has changed, but I suspect you would still find it quite familiar in its tone and character.
When I first got here I taught law for Soo Chow University Law School and (to bring in the real money), I taught for ELSI (Ken Hu’s school) in the business english division. Yvonne Wang was running the business english section back then. Which of the schools did you teach for?
RedStateGreen,
Small world department; I was a deputy public defender in Victorville in the 1980s. Our office also served the Big Bear Lake and Needles courthouses. So we are both ex-Inland Empire-ites. Sticking with the desert, in the early 1990s I was a deputy prosecutor in Imperial County, both in El Centro and in Calexico. Prior to all that I went to undergrad and law school in San Diego.
I really liked Victorville back then. I was married to my first wife and we lived on a nice big lot (a bit over one acre) and we got so see a bit of snow in the winter and although it was hot in the summer, it was dry heat so I did not mind. Plus, for some reason I always loved the Joshua Trees that were all over the place up in Victorville back then. Yeah, interesting place, a lot different than Taiwan.
Thanks for the welcome folks. My wife and I appreciate that.
Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2008 4:27 am Post subject: Re: Greetings from San Chung City, Taiwan
brianlkennedy wrote:
Hi folks,
Sorry for the delay in getting back but this week got kind of jammed up with work. I am not complaining, the way the U.S. and the Taiwanese economies are tanking, I feel blessed that I got a job to do that brings in enough to live on.
Yeahbut,
Wow, I got here in 1993. You mentioned that Taipei was: “polluted and chaotic when I was there, the roads were being torn up for the subway, the traffic was insane and there were still a lot of the old buildings around; every single one of those things is still true! No fooling. The subway (MRT) construction, the lunatic driving and the old scenic, but not so safe, buildings are all still around. Now of course in many ways the city has changed, but I suspect you would still find it quite familiar in its tone and character.
G'day Brian, it's great to hear about Taipei, somehow I feel reassured that it's still a little bit crazy. Believe it or not, I learned to ride a motorbike in Taipei- every traffic experience I've had round the world since then has been tame by comparison!
I can't believe they're still building the subway, I trust that it's the outer reaches of the lines you're talking about there...actually I had a late night adventure in the half-built subway, some mates and I had been drinking(surprise, surprise)for quite a while, and we decided it would be a great idea to climb down the 30 or so metres of scaff and explore the tracks. Being Taiwan, the barrier to us doing this was a strip of security tape ...so fortunately we got down without incident, and headed off down the tracks. An hour later we were sobering up, tired and starting to feel a bit freaked out, so we climbed back up. O f course, we found ourselves in a silent, industrial part of the city which we had never seen before...I believe I got home about dawn that time
Quote:
When I first got here I taught law for Soo Chow University Law School and (to bring in the real money), I taught for ELSI (Ken Hu’s school) in the business english division. Yvonne Wang was running the business english section back then. Which of the schools did you teach for?
My qualifications for teaching English in 1993 were: 3 years as a builders labourer, 3 years vineyard work and half a horticultural diploma. Even in those early, rather wild west years, this restricted my options to buxibans, kindergartens and conversation lessons with businessmen(my favourite as it usually involved getting paid to eat, drink and have a good chat). So I certainly wouldn't have worked anywhere reputable that you would recognise, but I gave it everything I had and really enjoyed it, and my students seemed to too.
So how is it over there? Do you feel China's shadow at all, or not worry about it?How's the price of gas, there are subsidies aren't there? How do you think Taiwan will get on if oil really is peaking now?(just another couple of small ones for you there)
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...so fortunately we got down without incident, and headed off down the tracks. An hour later we were sobering up, tired and starting to feel a bit freaked out, so we climbed back up. O f course, we found ourselves in a silent, industrial part of the city which we had never seen before...I believe I got home about dawn that time 
