Grand Theft Auto: Taipei

I found this video of a police chase through Taipei and I thought I'd share.



It reminded me a lot of Grand Theft Auto on Playstation. The police chased this guy for miles and miles, had him in stopped traffic at least twice, and didn't break the window and drag him out. The chase went from city, to highway, back to city. They shot out his tires, but kept letting him drive. Every time he slowed down, they'd fire a volley of shots into this seemingly invincible Honda Hybrid (they build 'em tough in Japan.) Meanwhile the number of police cars (and scooters, ha!) kept multiplying until I figured the only logical next step would be to get a helicopter in on the action.

For those of you who can't stomach violence (or police inadequacy) they do eventually shoot and kill the guy at the end, but it took them long enough.

Japanese War Criminals Alive and Kicking

Someone linked me to an article recently that describes the atrocities committed by the Imperial Japanese Navy during WWII. Such horrendous acts as blowing up Red Cross and merchant vessels and then slaughtering or torturing any floating survivors, cruel medical experiments, and methods of execution ranging from beheading to sledge hammer to the head to burying alive and crucifixion.

British Historian Mark Felton has written a book documenting the horrors of these acts, Slaughter At Sea: The Story Of Japan's Naval War Crimes.

From the article:

According to Felton, officers of the Imperial Japanese Navy ordered the deliberately sadistic murders of more than 20,000 Allied seamen and countless civilians in cold-blooded defiance of the Geneva Convention.

"Many of the Japanese sailors who committed such terrible deeds are still alive today," he said.

"No one and nothing has bothered these men in six decades. There is only one documented case of a German U-boat skipper being responsible for cold-blooded murder of survivors. In the Japanese Imperial Navy, it was official orders."

Imperial soldiers at work exterminating Allies

What bothers me is that even 60 years later, and after overwhelming historical evidence and eyewitness testimony, the Japanese government refuses to formally apologize for war crimes and does nothing to prosecute those responsible for them. Former Japanese PM Shinzo Abe refused to admit that the Imperial Army and its contractors kidnapped women from Korea and China and forced them into sexual servitude, and the true nature of the evil and hatred that existed in Japanese society during the time of the Empire is totally diluted or ignored in modern Japanese education.

As much shame and embarrassment as it may cause the Japanese to admit wrongdoing, it must be done if they are ever to be taken seriously as a peaceful nation or are given any of their military power back.

I'll pass, thanks.

Good morning, Lucifer.

I'm constantly surprised by some of the English names that kids (and even adults) have here. At our kindergarten, we have a kid named Soccer, a kid named Seven, and another named Lucifer (really.) There are also students named Cicada, Virginie, Pony, Dabby, Queeny, and Alvis that roam the halls of Hess.

I've heard of friends teaching kids named Computer and Free Pizza (because 'everybody likes free pizza!') and I've met adults with such unusual English names as Ariel, Maximo, Buster, and Allister. I talked with a woman last night named Taco (I even checked the spelling.) I think with the kids, their English names are picked out by their parents or English teachers and they stick. With the adults though, they have the ability to pick their own names. After all, it's not like their English name is their legal name, but rather a convenience for English speaking Chinese when talking to other English speakers.

Still, with any sort of fluency with another language, you would think that they would pick names that sound a little more normal in conversation. I laugh every time I hear Christina tell little Lucifer to stop running or sit down, and I think about what it would be like for him if he lived the rest of his life with that unfortunate moniker.

When bad pets go bad, dang!

I've seen this photo before, but I've never read the full back story.

May 18, 2007—A saltwater crocodile holds the forearm of a veterinarian following a grisly attack at Taiwan's Shoushan Zoo in April.

Good God. Remind me to go to the aquarium if I ever feel the need to see Taiwan's imported wildlife.

Chicken McCostumes

Fright Night

Last night was the kindergarten Halloween party. Teacher Lilly and I were the hosts, and the night was a success, I think. The kids and their parents showed up, most in costume, and we scared them in our scary costumes before we put on our little spiel about being demons from the past who hid treasure in the school for the kids to find.

The kids went out around the block where we had different activities set up for them to do, and after each they were given a piece of the ancient treasure map. Then they came back to the school to find their treasure (candy.)

Here are some photos of the night:

Hess Kindy Halloween '07