Taiwan Job's Websites: 104, 123, etc.

Been busy the past few days working on a resume for these types of websites. Any of you have experience in applying to jobs on these websites? I'm specifically working on the http://www.104.com.tw/ website.

Would like any tips on this, especially as my Chinese is not that great - so any advice would be greatly appreciated. Such as, is it customary for people to put a picture on their resume? On the 104 website when setting up your information, education, background, etc., it also asks if you would like to upload a picture of yourself. Is it preferred, necessary, a bonus?

Thanks! And apologies for the lack of updates!

A Confused Ma

As Ma Ying-jeou was wrapping up his tour of Taiwan's allies in the Pacific, he commented that checkbook diplomacy is no longer being used, and that countries such as Australia should start up relations with Taiwan (read trade agreement) just as a trade agreement is on deck for Taiwan and China. Furthermore, he uses China as an example of how countries should have closer contact with Taiwan and have better relations, just as China has done.

What? To most of the world outside of the Taiwan Straits, in general China is viewed as a threat to Taiwan. We all know about the media propaganda that the minute Ma Ying-jeou stepped into office, relations between the Taiwan straits have improved. You know what actually has improved? China's military advantage against Taiwan. The latest U.S. military report on the regional area in Pacific Asia is:

The build-up of Chinese armed forces is continuing "unabated" and Beijing's goals appears to be power projection beyond Asia and to challenge America's freedom of action in the region, a top US admiral has said.

So how exactly are ballistic missiles aimed at Taiwan good for Taiwanese? If this is the type of "better relations" that Ma thinks of, perhaps he shouldn't be president in 2012.

The "Taiwanese" Check-box that never was? (Census 2010)

There is chatter (love using that word in this kind of context, so secretive) on the internet about the fact that the U.S. Census Bureau was willing to include a "Taiwanese" check-box for citizens to check instead of writing in Taiwanese. This supposedly happened last year, but the KMT sat on this and did nothing (no response to the U.S.). Still trying to get a news piece on this, but that's all for now.

Update: Here's an article saying that the Premier backs the "Taiwanese" drive in the U.S. Census. The question is, then why did they sit on the possibility of having "Taiwanese" included as a check-box?

During a visit to TECRO's Seattle branch office last year, U.S. census officials indicated their intention to include "Taiwanese" on the list of options but somehow this was not done because TECRO officials messed up, Kuan claimed.

Also this news clip from SET:





Finally, we have awkward wording, or perhaps misinformation on the TECRO website:

At the next US census in 2010, Taiwanese Americans will - for the first time - be given the choice to distinguish themselves from Chinese Americans.

Oh really? The first time? I wonder how those phantom Taiwanese were able to be counted as Taiwanese in the 2000 census...

You Know You're Taiwanese...

I'm sure many of you have seen the lists where it gives you a bunch of reasons why you know you're [enter ethnicity here]. If you haven't, here are a couple examples:
You know you're Taiwanese when... (taken from Occasional Ramblings),
Some highlights from this one:

51.You beat eggs with chopsticks.
55.If you are male, you clap at something funny and if you are female, you giggle whilst placing a hand over your mouth. (although I didn't know this was a Taiwanese thing)
77.Even if you're totally full, if someone says they're going to throw away the leftovers on the table, you'll finish them. (but I've come to drop this habit, most of the time)

Also this variation which I find much more interesting:
You know you've been in Taiwan too long if...
A few highlights which I found more true for myself:

24. The shortest distance between two points involves going through an alley.
46. You're always the first on the elevator to hit the "door close" button.

and my favorite...

90. You don't feel comfortable using a urinal unless there's a woman mopping the floor behind you.

Anyways, here's one to add concerning to 2010 Census:

You know You're Taiwanese when... your dad is the first to open the 2010 Census form and goes straight to Question 9 and writes in "Taiwanese," skipping the first 8 questions.

Lastly, sent to people in the Facebook group for the Taiwanese Census 2010:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact
March 17, 2010 Leona Chu
leona.chu@tacl.org
(626)551-0227

ASIAN AMERICANS ASK, WILL CENSUS EVER GET IT RIGHT?
The missteps and causes of recurring undercount of Asian Americans in the U.S. Census

Within the Asian American community, there are genuine concerns that minorities will not participate in the Census. Some of those reasons include unawareness of inclusion, language barriers, and fear of the government. Individuals whose race(s) are not listed as check-boxes, such as Indonesian, Sri Lankan, and Taiwanese would not automatically assume the option of writing in an unlisted response. "I didn't know there was a choice, I just marked off the next best option by default," said actor Adam Wang from the feature film, Formosa Betrayed.


Although the Census form will be offered in Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese has been dropped from the in-language forms mailed to households. This neglects a number of Asians who do not read Simplified Chinese; for example individuals from Taiwan and older overseas Chinese schooled in Traditional Chinese, such as community members from Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Singapore.

In another effort to reach out to underrepresented minority groups, Census 2010 ran in-language public service announcements on TV, online and the radio. Unfortunately, the PSA targeted to the Taiwanese community did not use a native speaker, making the ad largely incomprehensible to those it was targeting.

Non-profit organizations such as, Taiwanese American Citizens League (TACL), an official Census partner since 1990, were not contacted for the official Census 2010 “Taiwanese” PSA. TACL in conjunction with TaiwaneseAmerican.org, Slideshow Pictures and several second generation Taiwanese American organizations have come together to create its own PSA on YouTube. Since the launch in early March, the "Write In Taiwanese" PSA has gone viral and generated over 150,000 hits. In addition, t-shirt orders for the TACL "Check Other Asian" t-shirt have spiked. Orders from across the country, even overseas countries such as Canada, Singapore, Taiwan, and United Kingdom, have been pouring in.

Despite the popularity of the Write in Taiwanese PSA on YouTube, some regard the campaign as being controversial. Heated discussions on the YouTube message board have sprung up with debates on the validity of a Taiwanese identity being the main argument. However, this is a moot point, since the choice to check a race box, or check "Other Asian," will come down to the individual. Census Day is April 1, 2010.

Data obtained from the Census Form’s race question are necessary for (1) evaluating racial disparities, (2) assessing the characteristics and needs of particular communities, (3) implementing laws and programs that promote equal opportunity, and (4) allocating funds and other resources.

TACL is a non-profit organization of education, public affairs and human rights representing Americans of Taiwanese ancestry. The mission of TACL is to enhance the well being of Taiwanese Americans and to promote Taiwanese American's participation in American democracy.


For more information please find us online at:
TACL Census 2010: http://census2010.tacl.org
TACL Census PSA: http://taiwaneseamerican.org/census2010

###
If you'd like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Leona Chu, please call: (626)551-0227, or email leona.chu@tacl.org.

Physical press-kits are available upon request.

So there you have it. Write in Taiwanese if you consider yourself Taiwanese. I can attest to the nastiness that is going on in that YouTube video comments. There's a lot of Chinese and even a few Taiwanese telling others to not write in Taiwanese, but to just write mark Chinese. Of course there's the usual "it's all the same" and "you are all from Han Chinese" and the "how are you Taiwanese if you are American" idiocy.

Anyways, the point comes down to this. Taiwanese are born into a life of struggle. We struggle for our identity because of others that force the label "Chinese" onto us. So what is our fight? The fight for self-determination. As such, I don't care if other "Taiwanese" that are from Taiwan write in Chinese, all I care is that I can write what I want - Taiwanese. So please, go ahead and write "Chinese" if you are Chinese, "Iranian" if you are Iranian, "Thai" if you are Thai, and yes, "Chinese" if you feel like you are Chinese even though you are from Taiwan.

See the difference now between Chinese and Taiwanese? One side wants to tell you what you are, the other side just wants to speak for themselves. They may say the PSA is divisive, but the whole point is to inform the public that they can write whatever they want, and not be limited to the races listed next to the check boxes.

Say It Ain't So: Dodgers Love Taiwan Over China

The L.A. Dodgers have just finished up their three two-game stint in Taiwan (due to a rainout) and will leave Taiwan with only positive impressions of her. If you are not in Taiwan and didn't know the Dodgers were playing a couple exhibition games against Taiwanese "All-Star" players, well now you do. Not only that, but what originally had been negative stories leading up to the event (due to the Dodgers' starting line-up being a no-show for the trip) has turned into probably the best outcome that could be had for Taiwan - "Rave" reviews for Taiwan.

The major story on MLB.com is of the Dodgers in Taiwan, including the "Rave" review for Taiwan.

You don't realize how you touch people the way we do, even when they don't know your name, just the uniform," said catcher Lucas May, one of six Dodgers who also made the 2008 goodwill trip to China.

"The people here love baseball and are in awe of the Dodgers. The history of China was interesting, with the Great Wall and Tiananmen Square. But here, the people know their baseball and are so friendly and respectful. They're always smiling and that goes a long way."

No real surprise here. Accounts after accounts from my white friends who have visited Taiwan is that they have found Taiwanese to be very friendly to foreigners while being able to communicate in English. That is definitely a plus for any visitor/tourist in a foreign country. The article goes on with more quotes from players basically commenting on how pleasantly surprised they were with Taiwan and the people, and how stark the difference was with Taiwan and China.

James Loney said he's not surprised that players had a better time in Taiwan than China.

"The people here were excited to see us play. I didn't really hear that from the guys coming back from China," said Loney. "I guess it's not as intense there as it is here. I feel the people here look to us as important to them. The fans are very knowledgeable about the game. They know our team pretty well.

"I'm glad I came, I enjoyed it. A lot of guys didn't want to go after the China trip. I knew Taiwan as a country is a little ahead of China as far as the economy has developed. In China, most people are still trying to become more advanced. Here they have a TGIF and a Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. We went to the Nike Store, normal things you would do back home. Most people I encountered knew English. And they were real friendly people."

Not only do the players comment on the differences, but show their knowledge of Taiwan being a country. Bravo to the Dodgers and to their management for giving up their time for the Taiwanese fans. But, leave it to Manny to rake in $170,000 for some appearances that may have been the tipping point in him deciding to come to Taiwan.

Regardless, I think everyone was a winner here. The Dodgers leave Taiwan with lasting positive memories, the MLB gets some promotion in Taiwan, the Taiwanese fans get to see MLB players in their home country, and China... well they weren't even in the picture until the Dodgers started making comparisons... but I guess they got the short end of the stick here.

Taiwanese Americans in the U.S.

Came across this website, listed as the Taiwanese American Heritage Week Homepage, with a lot of information on Taiwanese in the U.S. Not sure if the numbers in the main diagrams in the front page are actual/projected numbers, or numbers reported in the 2000 Census. In any case, they should be representative in terms of relativity between states.

For example, it shows that the top three states with the highest number of Taiwanese Americans are California, New York, and Texas (with California being #1). New Jersey comes in 4th, followed by Washington in 5th. Not sure where the large Taiwanese presence in NJ comes from, as I would have thought Washington would have more. Nice to know though!

Most interesting is that while Taiwanese command the second highest Per Capita Income only behind Japanese, that Taiwanese are also the least represented group within the "Asian Americans." Taiwanese Americans, the few and not so proud? Hopefully that will change this year.

TAIEX Outlook - Week of March 7th

With the recent correction in the markets across the world over the first two months of 2010, many traders are wondering where we go from here. As far as the TAIEX is concerned, it is coming up on overhead resistance in the 7800-7900 area. I would watch what happens in this distribution area for signs of where the next couple months may have in store for the Taiwan markets.

Above 7900 on strength, there's not much resistance above, and could quite easily make a run for the '10 highs at 8395.38, with a test of 8100 gap resistance first.



As of now, going long or short is not the right move. The right move is to wait for the market to reveal itself.

Beijing: A Bunch of Crocks

Every time I read another article about how Beijing/China warns or protests against some other country (usually the U.S.) about some "internal matter" (in their minds, Tibet and Taiwan), I get just a bit more negative about those communists over there in China. On a larger scale, while maybe not fair, towards Chinese people as a whole. If you are Chinese and reading this, perhaps you should start speaking up for your Chinese community and saying that while you are Chinese, you may not necessarily agree with the actions the Chinese government does.

The latest warning from China about Tibet and Taiwan (nothing new actually, just more deceit and rubbish):

He said it was “totally unacceptable” for foreign governments to interfere in China’s affairs by selling arms to Taiwan, adding: “At a time when the Chinese people across the Taiwan Strait are carrying out friendly exchanges as brothers, the advanced arms sales to Taiwan by a certain country is like handing a dagger to one person when he is hugging his brother.”

What this official from Beijing does not understand is that what they believe does not mesh with what the U.S. believes. While the U.S. simply acknowledges China's stance on Taiwan and Tibet, it does not hold this stance as the U.S.'s own.

Furthermore, his comment regarding how the arms sales are akin to "handing a dagger to one person when he is hugging his brother" is quite retarded actually. Perhaps I shouldn't be so surprised that he is purposefully leaving out the fact that there are 1500+ missiles pointed at Taiwan right now. I believe a better analogy would be something like, "advanced arms sales to Taiwan by a certain country is like handing a dagger to one person when he is holding off his greedy neighbor who has a gun pointed at him."

This is exactly the situation that China has put Taiwan in. China is envious of Taiwan's success, such that it has basically held-up Taiwan in a stick-up, threatening to blow off her head if she decides to run. So the U.S. comes to provide a dagger (arms sales that are incomparable to the firepower that China currently has against Taiwan), in order to deter China.

Unfair? Yes. The reality? Yes. It is simply the reality that Taiwan faces every day. Not only the pressure from China, but the lies and deception that bleeds out of Beijing and into the mainstream media today.

Another 2010 Taiwanese Census Plug

Check out this PSA vieo released by "the Taiwanese Census Campaign, in conjunction with TACL, TaiwaneseAmerican.org and other 2G groups" :

Capital Losses

Decided to glance out the tax situation for myself and my parents this year, and would just like to say, the $3,000 capital loss limit per year is absolutely absurd. Perhaps for someone like me, I have many more years in my life to write off those $3,000 losses every year for maybe the next 30-40 years. But, for my parents who are certainly closing in on the years of retirement, tell me how in the world are they going to write off all those years of only $3,000 capital losses per year?

Here's a recent article on this issue. At the bottom are senators you can contact who are the main players on tax issues. Also, please write to your own senators.