Highlights of 2007

As we sit here by the light of the dying embers of 2007, it might be good to see the highs and lows of a year that has treated us pretty well:

• New year's day in Colorado with R's recently broken leg.
• Return to Perth
• Catching up with family and friends
• Working at Milner College
• Good Vibrations Festival
• Weekend at Rottnest Island
• Week camping in South West WA
• Blues and Roots festival
• Pixies
• My sister's wedding
• Seeing a big chunk of family
• Return to Thailand
• Catching up with Suratthani Crew
• Kho Pang Nang
• Songkhran
• Patpong cultural tour with Willy in Bangkok
• Arriving in Taipei
• Heading to Koahsiung
• Finding an apartment
• working at Kojen
• Visa run to Hong Kong
• Dragon Boat Festival
• Buying a Scooter
• Kojen Summer Classes
• New job at The Wall Street Institute
• Guanziling
• Kenting
• Getting Cats
• Starting to exercise
• Mid Autumn Festival
• Hsiao Liouciou
• Maolin National Park
• Yule

Prophet: George Carlin

Corporate Flag

Essential English for Japanese

Thanks to Eric for finding the piece of Japanese gold.

Boycott List

One lunch time at work, a friend and colleague of mine, said, "Hey, do you want to head over to McDonald's and get a burger?"

"Yeah, nah. I don't do McDonald's."

"Why?" he said.

This got me to thinking - Why don't I eat McDonald's?

Well, there are a number of reasons, first among them is that it's shit food.

There is more to it than that though. This company does not make the world a better place and there is plenty of evidence to support this claim.

My philosophy, which I have espoused for many years is this:

You make a political decision every time you open your wallet.

The way the modern democracy works is through economics. If you give your money to a company, you are providing tacit approval of their practices.

If you don't give your money to a company, their profits go down, less people invest in it and the world becomes $3.50 a better place.

For example:

In the ten years since I stopped eating at McDonald's, their profits have fallen dramatically and for the first time in their history, they have actually closed stores.

I like to feel as if I have played some small part in their downfall.

There a number of companies that give me the shits. So I would like to pass on this list and the reasons:

• McDonald's: See the Mc Liable case on Mc Spotlight. The longest running legal case in British history when the largest fast food chain in the world tried to sue two hippies for giving out flyers.

Also check out "Super-size-me" if you haven't already.

• Disney: Part of the one of the largest Media owning conglomerates in the world, that has also been known for using contractors who employ child labour. They also never responded to my letters.

• Nike: "Just don't do it". Once again, poor corporate ethics but also the whole concept behind this company is evil.

"In Greek mythology, Nike (meaning "Victory") , was a goddess who personified triumph. She was the daughter of Pallas (Warrior) and Styx (Hatred)..."

There has been a lot said about this company by many people. My main bitch is anyone who feels the need to walk around with a giant swoosh-sticher on his chest might as well change his name to Bill, Bill Board!

http://www.oxfam.org.au/campaigns/nike/index.html

• Coke: Have you had to deal with kids who are jacked up on caffeine? Check out Killer Coke

• Kraft: This is not only the largest food and drink manufacturer in the world, but it has also been owned by a tobacco company since 1988. I only like to buy tobacco from tobacco companies - they don't need any more of my money.

www.mediarights.org

• Nestle: The second largest food company in the world and subject of International Boycott since 1977. There is too much on this company to note here.

There are more but this is a start. If you have any other additions please feel free to let me know.

I'm not saying you shouldn't grab a "red ambulance" when you are hung over and need that sugar-caffeine fix - just that the world would be a better place if these guys had less money.

It's up to you.

You create the world with your choices.

Just make sure you know what you're buying into.



For more interesting stuff - check out:

Merchants of Cool
Watch the whole doco online from PBS.

No Logo

Adbusters

Micheal Moore

Coconut Theory Validated

While flicking through Xpat magazine, a local English language periodical, I found some interesting facts which validate the theory that I put online in April 2006: Coconut Theory

"Number of people killed by falling coconuts each year: approximately 150

Number of people killed by sharks each year: approximately 10"

From: Xpat Volume 2 /Issue 3 / Fall 2007 p.11



Image from: http://whiteafrican.com/?p=56

Comment Response

Hi Leinad,

Here are the answers to the questions in your comments:

Leinad said...

played poker with them?

Yeah, a couple of times.

tell us more here.....when?

Over the last couple of months.

under what circumstances?

Wednesday night poker.

their place or yours?

At a little bar around the corner from us run by a friend of ours.

any chance he is pathological liar, living in fantasy alkie fueled world?

I couldn't really tell you whether he was a pathological liar, but he did seem very keen on poker, not really in a fun way. Seemed very keen on staying strictly to the rules.

He is a self confessed hard-core alcoholic. I was told by someone who knew him well that he would start the day with one of those long neck Taiwan Beers and read the paper before setting off to work.

On the night of the murder it is alleged that he was passed out on the couch in a booze induced coma in the living room while his missus stabbed Anita to death with a knife in the kitchen. This is all speculation and hearsay however.

is it also true, she controlled him, abused him physically and mentally, and he put up with it for alchohol tips?

She did seem like a very strong woman, but very amenable and small. It is hard to believe that she kept the body in the house for two days before dumping it without him knowing. At the same time those alco types can be easily manipulated. I guess we will never know.

dish, man, dish! this is trial of the century!

She has confessed and he claims not to know anything about it, so I will give him the benefit of the doubt. Regardless, it spells the end of his time in Taiwan. I'm sure no one will give him a job now and he is even less likely to get an ARC or work permit.

This case has larger implications for the rest of us however. Foreigners in Taiwan are branded by the locals as foul-smelling, alcoholic perverts, only here to abuse their culture, ignore their road laws, vomit on the side walks and do unspeakable thing to their women.

For the most part, this is fairly accurate stereotype from their point of view.

Now we have to deal with the stigma of being murders as well.

I think it is the responsibility of all expats to make an extra effort to treat the local population with the utmost courtesy and respect to restore our standing from murderers to plain old alco perverts.

The Joy of International Travel

Murder in Kaohsiung!

This has been the talk of the town.

We played poker with the two suspects.

Here's the story from The Taipei Times:

American, Filipina arrested over body in garbage bag

SUSPECTS IN CUSTODY: David Fillion and his girlfriend Armia were arrested at a private language school in Tsoying. The pair denied being involved in the murder
By Rich Chang
STAFF REPORTER, WITH CNA AND DPA
Wednesday, Sep 19, 2007, Page 1

Kaohsiung police on Monday night arrested a US citizen and his Filipina girlfriend on suspicion of murder after a woman's body was found in a garbage bag in front of a store in the city's Yencheng District (鹽埕) on Saturday evening.

Police said the two suspects -- US citizen David Fillion and his Filipina girlfriend Armia -- deny any involvement in the murder.

Police on Sunday named the deceased as 48-year-old Chou Mei-yun (邱美雲), a broker who helped foreigners find work teaching languages at private schools.

Chou left home last Wednesday afternoon, telling her son she would not be home for supper. She was never seen again.

Police said footage from a surveillance camera near the place where the body was found showed a woman riding a scooter towing a big black garbage bag on Friday at approximately 11pm.

The bag was carried on a two-wheeled trailer tied to the rear of the scooter, police said.

Police on Monday traced the scooter to its owner, a Japanese teacher who told the police that she had lent the scooter to Fillion on Friday and that he had not returned it.

Police then went to Fillion's residence in the city's Tsoying District (左營), but discovered that Fillion and Armia had moved out.

Investigators said they found traces of blood and dog hair in the apartment.

They had also found dog hair in the plastic bag which held Chiu's body.

A DNA test showed that the blood found at Fillion's apartment matched that of the deceased, the Kaohsiung City police said last night.

Police discovered that Fillion had gone to stay with a friend in the city's Linya District (苓雅) on Thursday.

Police officers visited the residence and were told by the friend, surnamed Lee, that Fillion had borrowed a trailer from him on Friday.

Fillion and Armia were arrested at a private language school in Tsoying, where Fillion worked, late on Monday.

The pair denied any involvement in the murder.

They were accompanied by several officials from the American Institute in Taiwan's Kaohsiung Office and had refused to answer questions overnight, the police said.

Kaohsiung District Prosecutors' Office spokesman Chung Chung-hsiao (鍾忠孝) yesterday told reporters that prosecutors had been able to question the two suspects yesterday afternoon, and they had asked the police to gather more evidence in support of their case.

Police said they were investigating whether Chou had had any financial disputes with Fillion.

They said they suspect the woman who abandoned the body was Armia and not a Japanese woman as originally thought.

Police said the victim had been tied up with nylon ropes and had multiple stab wounds to her chest and thigh, as well as marks on her neck that suggested possible strangulation.

Police suspect the murder was not committed by a single person.

###

Scary stuff.

Welcome

Well, here we are in Taiwan.

We have been here for about five months now and can finally say we've settled in.

We have an apartment which is cheap and convenient, even if it's at the top of six flights of stairs.

We've got gigs we enjoy, mostly, and were working on the language skills. I have to admit though, Robyn is more committed to the study than me.

My excuse - I have started studying again. I signed up with the Open Universities of Australia to do my Masters in Writing.

It's early days but I'm enjoying the intellectual stimulation - even though it is taking my attention away from the blogging, I will try to keep you posted.

The plan is to increase my employability outside the ESL "profession", so I'm not explaining the present perfect tense in five years time.

We also have a plant and two cats.