The Daily Bubble Tea

A quiet Friday morning in Jiji Township [View the large].  Who’s been making noise on the blogs?

• Image Coffee Grey with a splendid shot of Jhongsing Village.
• Biking in Taiwan lists five favorite day rides in the Taipei area.
• Welcome to Scooter Country – courtesy of Mark Forman.
• Jim takes a family trip to Kaohsiung.
• Wandering Taiwan checks out the Orange Daylilies of Liushi Shishan.
• Neil Wade visits Shiding and Shenkeng.
• The Tainan City Guide introduces readers to the Red Wolf Tavern.
• Pinyin News takes a look at a couple of signs in Taipei County.
• David Reid reviews Formosa Betrayed.
• Tim Maddog rounds up July’s big political news.
• A recent computerized scenario showed that it would take only three days for PLA forces to capture Taipei.  We don’t have to worry about that here in Nantou – we’re already occupied by Chinese tourists.

I once caught a fish this big.

• Guanxi – Taichung’s newest ex-pat magazine is out.
• Wandering Taiwan visits the Shanbanqiao Opera Life Culture Center.
• Stu hikes Snow Mountain.
• Mark goes to the Taichung Aboriginal Culture Festival.
• Shu Flies attends the Taipei Toy Festival.
• Biking in Taiwan rides Xindian’s Shizaitoushan.
• The Bradt Travel Guide with information on Lord Chi.
• Joshua Samuel Brown visits Keelung Night Market.
• Taiwanese Secrets with a travel guide for Dalun on the East Coast.
• Fili visits the 228 Memorial Park and Museum.
• Patrick Cowsill goes to court.
• Sponge Bear rants [Part I and Part II].
• Ben Goren rounds up today’s news.
• Formosa Plastics on fire [again].
• Global Voices Online covers a protest which turned the boulevard in front of the Presidential Office into rice fields.
• Save the Taiwan Humpback Dolphin reports that the environmentally destructive Hushan Dam will be completed in 2014.

• The Taiwan Pictures Digital Archive gets a facelift.
• Starbreez survives the Caoling Historic Trail.
• Taiwanese Secrets presents a travel guide for Hsinchu.
• Fili visits the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall.
• Lady Gaga’s favorite tea cup is purple.  What about yours?  Tea Masters with some tips for finding your favorite tea cup.
• Michael C. cycles a coastal adventure.
• Brian Q. Webb visits the World Chocolate Wonderland in Taipei.
• Patrick Cowsill has the scoop on trailers available for rent in Banchiao.
• Taichung Photowalk this weekend.
• Craig Ferguson offers photo tours in Taipei.
• The Battle of Fisherman’s Wharf with information about Danshui’s past cholera epidemics.
• A Chinese tourist caught in May taking photos in a restricted area may have been directed by PRC intelligence.
• Letters from Taiwan with recent survey results for the President, ECFA, and Legislature.

A Spotted Tortoise Beetle [Aspidomorpha miliaris] snacks on a leaf in Jhongsing Village.

• Rich searches for Anping’s sword lions.
• Michael C. cycles along Shiping Road.
• Wandering Taiwan visits Penghu’s Erkan Clan.
• Tai Wander Years has his cat quarantined on arrival.
• Rice Society introduces readers to a Buddhist second-hand store in Taipei.
• Sponge Bear covers professional baseball in Taiwan and its state of crisis.
• David visits a village relocation site in Alishan.
• The Taiwan Link and the possible US Asia-Pacific policy shift.
• The Far-Eastern Sweet Potato and Michael T. review Formosa Betrayed.

Kaniska canace drilon [琉璃蛺蝶] is one of my favorite butterflies.  On the outside, it looks like it survived a forest fire, but when it opens its wings it reveals a brilliant blue stripe.  What else was interesting this week?

• Tea Masters introduces readers to this year’s top Oriental Beauty Oolong.
• Stu and  Neil hike Yushan.
• Joshua Samuel Brown shares snapshots from Penghu.
• Drew shares tips for cycling in summer.
• Andre goes to Frank’s Texas BBQ at its new location.
• A Hungry Girl strongly recommends No. 168 Prime Steakhouse.
• Craig Ferguson with information on the Focus for Humanity Fellowship Grant.
• Noam Chomsky will deliver two lectures in Hsinchu in August.
• Michael T. discusses who make up Taiwan’s foreign population.
• Letters from Taiwan outlines twelve falsehoods often repeated in the media.
• The Far-Eastern Sweet Potato warns against jumping the gun on ECFA benefits.

A day late on the links, I was too busy chasing this butterfly around Jhongsing Village.

• Rice Society with info and pics of the new Lomography store in Taipei.
• Catherine visits an old toy shop.
• Wandering Taiwan goes to Penghu’s Ocean Ranch.
• Mark Forman photographs a model in Taichung City.
• A Hungry Girl strongly recommends Solo Pasta.
• David with information on Taiwan’s upcoming summer rock festivals.
• James Chen draws parallels between Somaliland and Taiwan’s quests for recognition.
• Drew with commentary on the February 28 Incident.
• Take part in the Worldwide Photowalk – walks will be held in Taichung and Taipei on Saturday, July 24.

The View from Taiwan has links on Mondays / Events listed at Taiwanderful / Concerts at GigGuideTW

View the large.

• Adrian reflects on cycling around Taiwan.
• Jenna watches the Dragon Boat races in Bitan.
• Rich Matheson attends a Taiwanese Opera performance.
• Neil goes hiking in Pingxi.
• Rice Society has moved.
• A Hungry Girl strongly recommends Mary Jane Pizza.
• Wandering Taiwan visits the Gold Ecological Park.
• Drew and Michael cycle the Central Cross Island Highway.
• Tim Maddog on the use of the word mainland.
• Portnoy Zheng at Global Voices covers the land grab in Miaoli.
• Lawmaker rejects calls to protect Matsu’s fish.
• The Far-Eastern Sweet Potato covers concerns raised about safety at the Kuosheng Nuclear Power Plant.

The Lin Family Estate in Wufeng. View the large.

• Taiwanese Secrets with 15 fantastic landscape pictures of Taiwan.
• Holly walks on rocks.
• Tai Wander Years visits the Aboriginal Culture Village with his company.
• Darren Melrose suggests capturing movement in part seven of his shooting people series.
• Drew on World Gym’s absurd bike policy.
• Baidu adds handwriting input.
• David Reid’s letter to the Taipei Times calls for the abolition of the death penalty.
• KMT Miaoli County Magistrate destroys crops to requisition land without permission.
• Formosan Plastics Group bus ad campaign.
• Ben Goren on the recent court decision acquitting a man of sexual harassment.  Why? Because a woman’s waist could not be considered a private body part.

• Adrian and crew conclude their cycling trip around Taiwan [be sure check out the whole series].
• Hanjie visits the Ma-Kau Ecological Park.
• Darren shares thoughts on torture.
• Michael C. and Drew K. ride a mountainous century.
• Brian Q. Webb visits Taiwan Storyland.
• The Tainan City Guide introduces readers to the Tainan Municipal Baseball Stadium.
• Joshua Samuel Brown reports the birdman’s actions to President Ma Ying-jeou.
• Taiwan Democracy urges consumers to boycott products made in China.
• Dixteel argues that Taichung has given Mayor Hu too long.
• Ben Goren covers protests at Taipei’s Computex Expo.
• President Ma to send military instructors to elementary schools.