Review: Steal This Story, Please!

Goodman's life and work is profiled

Amy Goodman is a journalist, broadcaster, columnist, investigative reporter and author. 

But most of all, she's fearless.

Yesterday I watched the documentary Steal This Story, Please!, profiling Goodman, 69, in her personal life and journalism career where she relentlessly asks questions and if there is something going on that isn't widely reported, you can be sure she makes sure you hear about it.

She is a relentless journalist

She is the co-founder, host and executive producer of Democracy Now! an independent news outlet that relies on the donations of viewers, and is not beholden to corporations.

During her career, Goodman has broken many stories, such as the Santa Cruz massacre, when some 250 demonstrators were killed by Indonesian soldiers using American weapons. She and her colleague Allan Nairn witnessed the incident and Nairn was physically assaulted.

Another was exposing Chevron transporting the Nigerian navy and police to quell protests, which led to the killing of two protestors and injuring 11 others. A Chevron spokesperson admitted transporting the troops on the record.

When President Bill Clinton called the station as a public service announcement to get people to vote, Goodman kept him on the air for 28 minutes, talking about a range of subjects in a combative interview. While the White House communications department accused her of violating rules when interviewing the President, Goodman replied that he continued talking -- he could have hung up at anytime.

She was also broadcasting around the clock on September 11 when two planes hit the twin towers, only blocks away from the studio. Goodman and her team also revealed how the dust from the area caused major health issues for New Yorkers even though the mayor and other health officials claimed the air quality was fine.

From a young age, Goodman was encouraged by her maternal grandfather, an Orthodox rabbi, to ask questions. When she was a child, her brother David started a self-published family paper and she collected subscription money, and wrote letters to the editor.

She covers stories mainstream media don't

She later edited the school paper and as Goodman tells it, she held the principal to account for his actions. 

In the documentary she explains after graduating from university she was obsessed with working on The Phil Donahue Show. She thought it was refreshing to watch people being frank and discussing issues on television.

Eventually the show contacted her, asking her to be there the next day -- to be a panellist about unemployed young people.

She took that as a sign to create her own work, and started working for a community radio station in the mid to late 80s.

In 1996 she started the program Democracy Now!, trained several people to be journalists, and the transition from radio to video.

We also see her visit her 106-year-old grandmother, who, despite hearing problems, insists Goodman must comb her hair. Goodman goes to Rivne in Ukraine (before the 2022 war) and pays her respects to her ancestors who didn't leave before the pogroms began.

Steal This Story, Please! is a collection of archival footage of Goodman, and it's quite impressive to see so much of it, especially in her early days of radio. When I worked at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in the radio current affairs department, we never filmed anything, except perhaps the odd celebrity interview or if the prime minister came by.

Her scoops reveal over and over again how mainstream media were completely unaware of what was going on, and had to use her footage because she had drawn so much attention to the story. 

Some accused her of being an activist-journalist, but to her these are stories that are worthy of attention, that no one is lesser; this is particularly the case of the plight of the Palestinians, and this was over 10 years ago. 

Goodman says the duty of journalists is to ask questions, and that can lead you closer to the truth.

Inspiring and yes, fearless.

Steal This Story, Please!

Directed by Carl Deal and Tia Lessen

98 minutes

Review: Mr. Nobody Against Putin

Talankin is inadvertently forced to take a stand on the war

It's hard to know what is really happening in Russia, with President Vladimir Putin in firm control.

But the Oscar-nominated documentary Mr. Nobody Against Putin gives a peek inside that is courageous, frightening and damning.

"Pasha" Talankin lives in Karabash, east of Moscow and the town is known for having the most polluted air on the planet thanks to the copper refinery, the major industry there.

Students begin singing patriotic songs

Talankin is the events coordinator in a primary school, and his job is to film things that happen there. It is also the school he went to, and feels most at home here, describing himself as a loner. Nevertheless some of the students like him and hang out with him as they get into their teens.

His wry remarks make him easily likeable to the viewer, but things change in February 2022 when Putin announces a special military operation -- in Ukraine.

Suddenly things at the school start to change and Talankin is ordered by the government to film teachers lecturing the students to justify the war in historical terms, and the students marching with the Russian flag, singing patriotic songs, and then uploading the footage to a government website.

This is not what he signed up for and not only is he overwhelmed with having to film so much propaganda, but Talankin himself wonders how he can protest against the war. He watches news clips of protesters being beaten and dragged by the police and concedes he isn't brave enough to do that.

A boy checking out an old rifle

Meanwhile viewers watch the students evolve from being excited to being at school to being bored out of their minds listening to what teachers are forced to tell them, their eyes glaze over. In the beginning they wear white blouses and skirts or shirts with pants, and towards the end are in army fatigues. 

One scene shows members of the Wagner Group at the school passing around a mine to students look at, and casually saying if they go near one that explodes, it will take out their leg; there are grenade throwing competitions, and most chilling is a boy holding an old rifle and aiming it at Talankin as he films him.

Eventually some of Talankin's former students are conscripted, or people at the school know of someone who had to become soldiers. Viewers feel on edge wondering what happened to them.

They also wonder what will happen to Talankin, as Putin declares in 2023 that anyone opposed to the Ukraine occupation would be guilty of treason. Talankin does rebel outwardly, resulting in some of his colleagues strongly disagreeing with him, and eventually students and colleagues are afraid to be associated with him.

One of the teachers marching with students

Mr. Nobody Against Putin was not shot expertly, and it is not meant to be, because all his clips were just for the school's records. But because Talankin had so much filming to do, another videographer was recruited, and that's where there are scenes with him hanging out with students, or of him walking around the school.

He amassed two years' worth of video footage that he and co-director David Borenstein sifted through and put together. The documentary is a brave and harrowing account of what it's like living in a small town, and how one man tried hard to push back in his own way.

Mr. Nobody Against Putin

Co-directed by Pasha Talankin and David Borenstein

90 minutes

Russian Pianist Wows Vancouver Crowd

The stage was set for Kissin to perform at the Chan Centre

Tonight the crowd at The Chan Centre for Performing Arts at the University of British Columbia were treated to not one, not two, but three encores after an exceptional performance by Russian-Jewish pianist Evgeny Kissin.

This is not his first time performing in Vancouver. Apparently his first concert here was at the Orpheum and it was sold out. 

I wasn't familiar with Kissin, 53, but a quick online search revealed the Muscovite was recognised as a child prodigy at the age of six and made his professional debut at the age of 10. 

He made his overseas debut in 1985 in Eastern Europe, and performed in Japan a year later.

Kissin soaking in the adoration

Kissin is also a composer and enjoys reciting poetry, both Russian and Yiddish poems.

When the war in Ukraine broke out in 2022, he and other Russian artists signed a letter against the invasion and even composed a piano trio in response to the invasion that Kissin premiered in Amsterdam in October 2022. 

Needless to say, two years later the Russian government declared Kissin a foreign agent. 

He lives in Prague with his wife. During the concert this evening, the crowd was rapt watching Kissin play the piano which was hardly shiny and new -- he specifically chose to play a piano from the music department at UBC. It has seen better days, the black lacquer rubbed off in many areas revealing its wear and tear.

But Kissin gave the instrument a lot of love -- he wasn't interested in sleek-looking pianos and theatrics, just pure joy in performing. And the audience loved him back, jumping to their feet and clapping practically non stop. Perhaps that's why he was easily swayed into giving the crowd three encores!

Every time he bowed, he made a point of looking up at the audience, soaking in the admiration. 

Performing could be his form of resistance and we should appreciate his courage too.

Partita No. 2 in C minor BWV 826 by Johann Sebastian Bach 

Sinfonia

Allemande

Courante

Sarabande

Rondeau

Capriccio

Nocturne in C# minor Op. 27 No. 1 by Frederic Chopin

Nocturne in A-flat major Op. 32 No. 2 by Frederic Chopin

Scherzo No. 4 in E major Op. 54 by Frederic Chopin

Piano Sonata No. 2 in B minor Op. 61 by Dmitri Shostakovich

Allegretto

Largo

Moderato

Adagio

Preludes and Fugues Op. 87 by Dmitri Shostakovich

No. 15 in D-flat major

Preludes and Fugues Op. 87 by Dmitri Shostakovich

No. 24 in D minor

China Caught in Massive Tariff Showdown

Trump said people were getting "yippy" in tariffs reversal

This morning over dim sum all the chatter was over US President Donald Trump imposing 104 percent tariffs on China.

About an hour later we saw stocks that were blood red were suddenly in the green -- Trump had reversed course and dropped worldwide tariffs down to 10 percent and 90 day pause -- except for China, which he imposed a jaw-dropping 125 percent.

Canada and Mexico still face 25 percent tariffs on cars, steel and aluminium.

Leavitt adamant tariff U-turn was art of the deal

The S&P 500 shot up more than 9 percent, but still not back "to normal". 

Trump gave in after massive selling on the bond markets, which are supposed to be a place of refuge for shell-shocked investors. Instead they were worried a recession was coming, if not here already.

"Over the last few days it looked pretty glum," Trump said. "I thought that people were jumping a little bit out of line. They were getting yippy. They were getting a little bit afraid."

His spokesperson Karoline Leavitt insisted to the media the move was part of the plan all along.

"Many of you in the media clearly missed The Art of the Deal," she said referring to Trump's book on negotiating. "You clearly failed to see what President Trump is doing here. You tried to say that the rest of the world would be moved closer to China, when in fact we've seen the opposite effect."

As for the 125 percent tariffs, Trump is expecting Xi to call him to negotiate... 

Talk about pushing to the limit. But China may not back down, and it's strong enough not to. Perhaps this is Beijing's way to call Trump's bluff?

One of the Chinese captured in Ukraine

Another story that grabbed headlines was Chinese citizens fighting in Ukraine for Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky stated two were captured and showed a video of them being interrogated. They had Chinese identification and bank cards.

The Ukrainian leader later claimed there were over 150 such Chinese citizens who were recruited by Russia to fight; unlike the North Korean soldiers, they were not officially sent there by Beijing.

Nevertheless, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said Bejing was "verifying the relevant situation", but dismissed the suggestion that more Chinese citizens were participating in the war. 

Officially Beijing has claimed to be neutral and pushing for peace, but has diplomatically and financially backed Moscow by buying large quantities of oil. 

Zelensky claimed Russia recruited the Chinese citizens via social media, and it was a sign that Russian President Vladimir Putin was not interested in peace.

"Ukraine believes that such blatant involvement of Chinese citizens in hostilities on the territory of Ukraine during the war of aggression is a deliberate step toward the expansion of the war, and is yet another indication that Moscow simply needs to drag out the fighting," Zelensky said.

Trump and Vance's Public Spat with Zelensky

Zelensky (left) with Trump and Vance berating him publicly

Appalled. Embarrassed. Outraged. Insane.

How do you describe what happened in the Oval Office today when Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky was berated by US President Donald Trump and Vice-President JD Vance?

Zelensky was set up to come to Washington for a dressing down which pleased Russian President Vladimir Putin to no end.

Trump and Vance raised their voices, trying to strong arm Zelensky into begging for help in front of the cameras.

But Zelensky held his ground -- we have a deal only if you can promise security for Ukraine.

Instead Trump and Vance tried to denounce the Ukrainian, claiming he was not respectful, and that he should thank them.

At one point Zelensky said that some day the US could be threatened by Russia. "You have a nice ocean and don't feel now, but you will feel it in the future," he said.

Badiucao's cartoon: "I am not playing cards"

Trump got angry and cut Zelensky off. "Don't tell us what we're going to feel," he said, raising his voice. "You're not in a good position. You don't have the cards right now."

"I'm not playing cards," Zelensky said calmly. "I'm very serious, Mr President. I'm the president in a war."

Then Trump said, "You're gambling with World War III. And what you're doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country, that's backed you far more than a lot of people said they should have."

Vance chimed in. "Have you said 'thank you' once this entire meeting? No."

It was two schoolyard bullies against a guest. How diplomatic.

A reporter even had the gall to ask why Zelensky didn't show up in a suit. The Ukrainian president is at war. How about asking Elon Musk the same question?

Sitting next to Vance was Secretary of State Marco Rubio looking like he wanted to sink into the couch and disappear.

But he later backed Trump on social media: "Thank you @POTUS for standing up for America in a way that no President has ever had the courage to do before."

Others gave similar praise, perhaps terrified of the consequences if they didn't stand with Trump.

Meanwhile a lot of Americans on social media apologised to Zelensky or voiced their shock and utter embarrassment of what happened, and that they stood with Ukraine.

Trump's abrupt about turn is breathtaking and shocking, but he has done it.

As Trump has unified Canada over the threat of tariffs, he has now united the EU to provide more support to Ukraine.

There's going to be more people and companies around the world who will boycott the US. It's in a desperate need of eggs now because of bird flu, with a dozen eggs costing over US$7 for a dozen. The US is looking to import eggs to fulfill demand, but if Trump wants to play hardball, then he'll have to pay more for imported goods, starting with eggs.

Trump Projected to Win... Again

Badiucao imagining what Kim, Xi and Putin are wishing for

It's 2.49am Eastern time and Donald Trump is on stage rambling about how he is going to make America great again, and how democracy is so beautiful, as he is poised to become the next president of the United States with 266 electoral votes, with four more to win.

For the Democrats it's 2016 all over again where Hilary Clinton suffered a shock loss, and now Kamala Harris. 

Analysts on CBC Radio are saying that President Joe Biden should be blamed for the result because he should have not run and given others a chance, that him holding on until after the first presidential debate showed he was egotistical and selfish.

Others said Harris didn't have enough time to tell voters who she is, and that she didn't clearly distinguish herself from Biden. For some voters it was the conflict in Gaza that hurt the Democrats versus Trump claiming he would make peace in a day.

For many it seems, the economy was top of mind, and high interest rates and tight budgets didn't help the Democrats, and voters remember Trump's presidency was in relatively good times and want to return to that. And so even women's rights on abortion wasn't enough of an issue to resonate with voters.

Some critics say the Republicans were more organised in getting voters registered compared to the Democrats even though Harris's team spent US$3 billion on her campaign, much more than Trump.

Canada is horrified by this impending result, and so is Europe. Ukraine won't be happy either, or Taiwan.

Political cartoonist Badiucao has drawn a cartoon of Kim Jong-un, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin praying for Trump to win, and they pretty much have their wish come true.

Will terrified Americans really move to Canada? Will women have to come up north to get an abortion? Will gay and trans people also come here too?

And will Trump go ahead with his Project 2025? Will he ban abortion nationwide? Will he kick out all illegal immigrants? Will he prosecute his enemies?

Some voters think the prosecutions and convictions against Trump were politically motivated...

Michelle Obama recently said in frustration: "We've got one candidate that's allowed to be lawless while the other one has to be flawless."

Harris unfortunately could not turn things around and could not even face her supporters tonight, who are grumbling that she didn't come out to thank them for voting for her.

She is probably overwhelmed that she actually lost... Democrats will be doing more soul-searching -- again...

The Need for Conversation in the Age of Rage

Off (centre) and Williams discussed their books on Friday

On Friday I went to a stimulating discussion at Granville Island as part of the Vancouver Writers Fest about the political and social divide, how disinformation is driving us as a society apart and how we can try to bridge the gap again. The answer? By talking to each other again.

Entitled "Listening in the age of rage", two authors, Carol Off and Ian Williams tackle this very timely topic in their books, At a Loss for Words: Conversation in an age of rage, and What I Mean to Say respectively. 

Off analyses six words

Off was the host of the CBC Radio current affairs show As It Happens and in her over 25,000 interviews, she began noticing, towards the end of her time there, that the people she interviewed, used words as weapons, something that wasn't so prevalent before. So she began examining six words: democracy, freedom, truth, woke, choice and taxes.

She gives the example of freedom and it was during the freedom convoy protests in January 2022 that the protesters kept using the word "freedom". Off says the protesters wanted freedom from society, freedom to do whatever they wanted, the freedom not to care for anyone else.

Meanwhile Williams is a Giller Prize-winning author and professor who has observed how there are two polar opposites, but most of us in the middle are too timid to speak for fear of being cancelled, but he says we need to listen to others and also stand our ground otherwise the middle will be lost and it will be even harder to find any kind of commonality.

He also talked about as a professor, he is expected to "care" more for his students than before. However, he is constrained by university protocols that he should care, but not get too involved, but at least show some empathy.

Off jumped in and said she guest lectured some students about her book and was annoyed that the students believe everyone is entitled to their own opinion and that these opinions are all valued. She said she lost it, and ranted then did that mean that Vladimir Putin's opinion that Ukraine should be annexed should be valued and talked about other dictators. She had a point. It was going too far.

Williams encourages active listening

In addition, she said these dictators do not appeal to rationality, but emotion. When all rationality is gone, all people have left is emotion, and used Donald Trump's silly statement that in Springfield, Ohio, the Haitian immigrants are eating cats and dogs. The media went there to check, and no, they were not eating people's pets, but it was Trump appealing to people's base emotions of feeling these immigrants were taking away jobs and invading the country.

This analysis helped the audience have a better understanding of how and why people think this way, but perhaps still not quite comprehend how people can even have this kind of bizarre thinking, but this is how dictators can control people, by appealing to their emotions not their rationality.

In the end Off and Williams encourage people to try to stop this by actively listening to the other side to try to understand where they come from and to question them about where they got their information from, to see how credible it is, or to show rationally that their argument has no basis.

An audience member asked about being part of the left, but there are disagreements within the left that he was not doing enough and pouring guilt on him. Williams suggested that he stop thinking this way, that he had done what he could do, or that he has other ways of promoting his point of view otherwise it gets too exhausting to defend yourself when you should be banding together to fight against the right.

The discussion was a lot to take in but it made people in the room realise we are all in this together and we each need to do our part to bridge the gap. So start listening and analysing what words really mean these days!

8 Authors Talk About Finding Joy in Turmoil

The eight authors with Abdelmahmoud (front) at the Playhouse

The 37th Vancouver Writers Fest officially kicked off today and this evening I attended one of the first events with the intriguing title: Finding Joy Amid Turmoil.

It was held at the Vancouver Playhouse and understandably sold out with attendees wanting to find out from eight authors how to find job amid turmoil.

CBC Radio Commotion host Elamin Abdelmahmoud was the emcee for the evening and he's funnier than he is on the radio. He explained that the festival changed its format for the grand opening event, which usually entailed a talk with a Giller Prize author.

But for some reason that did not happen, and the next suggestion was to present something on Alice Munro, but that was soon nixed, as it was revealed by her daughter that she was sexually abused by Munro's second husband, but did nothing about it.

So Abdelmahmoud joked that tonight's event was Plan C.

We appreciated this third option. Eight authors came up one by one to give their interpretation of finding joy amid turmoil.

Kim Thuy talked about how her family was very poor when they came to Canada from Vietnam, and how they scraped together money to put food on the table. But she and her uncle spent C$12 on the French novel, The Lover. She described how he explained the words to her and she would read the book over and over to the point where she could do dictation perfectly, down to the commas. 

As a 14-year-old she didn't make many friends because she talked like the book, "Your face, devastated".

Tanya Talaga is Anishinaabe and Polish, and talked about her latest book, The Knowing, researching her family's Indigenous stories, and told us how she gave a talk to high school students and reframed Canadian history from the point of view of aboriginals, how their land was arbitrarily taken away from them by the British. But she sees hope in the next generation who understand, but also embrace their indigenous classmates.

Irish author Roddy Doyle also talked about his 14-year-old self being beaten by the priest with a leather strap at school. Doyle still vividly remembers the searing pain, but says it was worth it because they had made fun of the priest for his sexual urges that he displayed during class (rubbing himself against the desk). One day the boys left chalk marks on the desk so that there would be white marks on the priest's groin area...

Heather O'Neill explained she did research for her book, The Capital of Dreams, spending time in Gaza just before the October 7 attacks. She read entries from her journal of her observations, some funny incidents, mostly at a human level.

After a short break the talks continued with John Valliant, speaking with no notes, but weaving a true story about when he first heard about the September 11 attacks, trying to process this shocking news, and then his nine-month old son crawling by and giving him joy. He also talked about how months later, cellist superstar Yo-Yo Ma was performing at the Orpheum and Valliant was amazed at how people were not concerned about their safety, but there for the concert. He said Ma was only focused on making music for people to enjoy, much like what we were doing right now.

Sadiya Ansari's book is Exile: Rupture, Reunion, and May Grandmother's Secret Life, where she described how her father only saw his mother twice, 18 years apart due to partition between Pakistan and India -- thanks to the British. 

Ukrainian journalist Andrey Kurkov wasn't able to make it -- his flight was delayed and he was in Portugal. But another author, Conor Kerr, who is part Ukrainian, read an excerpt from Kurkov's book, The Silver Bone, about the Ukraine-Russian war going on now. He described what it was like to celebrate New Year's Eve in Kiev, unsettling, but trying to make the most of it.

Finally Bill Richardson came on stage. He still talks like his CBC Radio days, linking together bizarre facts and stories. He joked that he was doing a Ted talk, having researched that while we all know Elizabeth Taylor the actress, in history there have been numerous other Elizabeth Taylors. He recounted some of their lives that were hilarious when he read them out. At one point there is Elizabeth Taylor the actress with a tiara on her head in a room full of balls. Richardson explained he had asked AI to find a picture of her in a ballroom. Ha ha.

His Elizabeth Taylor yarn went on a bit long, but he had us laughing, with joy.

The picture above (from left to right): Bill Richardson, John Valliant, Conor Kerr, Roddy Doyle, Sadiya Ansari, Tanya Talaga, Kim Thuy, and Heather O'Neill

Harris Commands Debate with Trump

Harris kept Trump on the defensive during the debate

Tonight was the highly-anticipated debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, and there was little doubt who the winner was.

Broadcast on ABC, the two anchors asked the two candidates questions on abortion, the economy, and on foreign policy, such as the war in Ukraine and Afghanistan.

It should have been easier for Trump to attack the incumbent, but he lost his footing when she baited him about the crowd sizes of his rallies, how people leave because they're bored.

She went over to shake his hand at the start

Unable to keep it together, Trump rambled on about topics that had nothing to do with the questions that were asked, and what he said was mostly false, as the New York Times fact-checked both his and Harris' points. 

The most egregious was about Springfield, Ohio, where he claimed Haitian immigrants were eating people's pets. Harris for her part laughed that Trump resorted to pulling out this outrageous claim that he said he saw on television.

Perhaps the best part was when she chastised Trump for being weak, which is why dictators liked him.

"This dictators and autocrats are rooting for you to be president again because they're so clear -- they can manipulate you with flattery and favours, and that is why so many military leaders who you have worked with, have told me you are a disgrace," she said.

Minutes after the debate was over superstar artist Taylor Swift published an Instagram post endorsing Harris and Tim Walz, and encouraged her Swifties to do their research and register to vote, and signed off as "Childless Cat Lady".

Swift publicly endorsed Harris after the debate

Walz found out about this live on TV with MSNBC, and was thrilled when Swift said she was impressed by his work supporting the LGBTQ community and women's reproductive rights. 

Seeing Trump and Harris tonight was literally night and day respectively; while he pitched darkness, negativity and hopelessness, she promoted change for the future, better lives and optimism.

It will be interesting to see the polling done after this debate, and what Trump's dictator buddies think of his chances now...

Foxconn's Terry Gou Makes Taiwanese Presidential Bid

Gou has announced he wants to run in Taiwan elections

The upcoming Taiwan presidential elections next year are going to be very interesting now that Foxconn founder Terry Gou has thrown his hat into the ring.

For months he has kept political pundits guessing, but now that he has made the announcement, the jockeying for power can begin in earnest, though some experts think the businessman does not have much of a chance.

That's because he is running as an independent and will need signatures of 1.5 per cent of Taiwan's voting population, or 290,000.

As for his platform, Gou aims to unify the opposition to defeat the governing Democratic Progressive Party led by Tsai Ing-wen, who has led Taiwan for two terms and cannot seek another.

He made his wealth from Foxconn factories

He criticised the DPP for its policies of bringing "Taiwan into the risk of war" with China, as it threatens to take back the territory it has claimed is its own.

"I will definitely not allow Taiwan to become the next Ukraine," Gou said.

He also said Taiwan needs new strategies for economic development and for issues at home.

"Domestically, the national policy direction is filled with all sorts of mistakes. There's no way to solve the difficulties of Taiwanese industry and people's livelihoods."

Politically he is more aligned with the Kuomingtang, who ruled China in the first half of the 20th century, then lost to the Chinese Communists in 1949 and fled to Taiwan ever since, and vowing to take back the mainland one day.

However the Kuomintang is worried Gou is splitting the vote of its own party, even though he claims to be uniting the opposition party. 

Gou has made his wealth from Foxconn, the main supplier to Apple that has many factories in China that produce iPhones.

One wonders what Beijing thinks of this entrepreneur friendly to China, running to become president of Taiwan...

Lai of DPP is leading in the polls

But for now Gou's immediate task is to find the 290,000 signatures he needs to qualify as an independent. 

According to Wang Yeh-lih, a professor of politics at National Taiwan University says Gou has never garnered more than 20 percent of support that put him in the running with three other candidates: former Taipei city mayor Ko Wen-je of the Taiwan People's Party, and current Vice President Lai Ching-te of the DPP, and new Taipei City Mayor Hou Yu-ih for the KMT.

Lai is the frontrunner, with Ko and Hou trailing.

Nevertheless, one can't dismiss Gou just yet -- with Taiwanese politics, anything can happen from now until voting day on January 13, 2024. 

Scholz's Beijing Visit Raises Eyebrows

Scholz met Xi in Beijing for a one-day visit

German media are pointing out Chancellor Olaf Scholz "weird" 11-hour visit to Beijing. Aside from the extreme Covid-19 protocols, critics say the German Chancellor is going against the country's strategy with regards to its relationship with China, and this could threaten unity of the European Union.

But first navigating the pandemic in China.

Everyone who got onto the plane with Scholz had to take two PCR tests before arriving in the Chinese capital, and a third as soon as they landed. The "big whites" in hazmat suits did throat swab tests in an airport transporter on the tarmac.

People in hazmat suits tested German delegation

But Scholz did not take the Chinese test -- instead he insisted on using a German-made test with the Chinese watching him have the test done.

The trip was also one day to avoid Scholz staying in a hotel and either contracting the virus or spreading it (if he was positive).

And everyone on board the plane had to sign an agreement that if they contracted the virus in China, they could fly back to Germany to avoid being stuck in quarantine in Beijing.

After the one-day trip was over, the plane flew from Beijing to South Korea where the flight crew were changed before continuing back to Berlin.

One German reporter wryly notes while all the above mentioned stuff was weird, it all points to both countries not trusting each other -- like their respective coronavirus tests for starters.

China allowed to buy a stake in Hamburg port

Many are wondering why Scholz is cozying up to President Xi Jinping, whom many consider a dictator because of the serious human rights violations on the Uyghurs, Hongkongers, and his own people during the pandemic, and how he is threatening to take over Taiwan by force.

It is strange that Scholz pushed for a Chinese state shipping company Costco to buy a  24.9 percent stake in one of Hamburg's port terminals, going against his own foreign minister's advice. 

He also brought a delegation of business leaders to Beijing to do deals even though the country is trying to be less dependent on China. 

Maybe that was all for show, or part of the deal to allow his short visit to go ahead?

"The trip sends a message that even though Berlin should be seriously rethinking the relationship with China, they are going back to business as usual," said Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy, an assistant professor at National Dong Hwa University in Taiwan, and a former political advisor to the European Parliament.

Germany giving mixed messages on this trip

"While I think Europe needs to find a way to constructively talk to China from a position of strength, what Berlin is doing undermines that position by pursuing its own interests at the expense of the emerging, yet fragile European unity that we've seen since the Ukraine war," she added.

Scholz's visit is seen as a big win for Beijing -- again making critics wonder why the chancellor was endorsing a dictator. Surely he knew what happened when Germany cozied up to Adolf Hitler? Or perhaps he forgot it didn't have a good ending?

UN Vote Rejects Uyghur Debate

Human Rights Council in the United Nations

The recent release of the UN report on the plight of Uyghurs in Xinjiang, China, is an important document that collates a lot of evidence to show the Chinese authorities may have committed crimes against humanity.

The report confirms what the Uyghur diaspora has been saying about their loved ones -- that they are separated from their families and children, placed in internment camps where they are forced to learn Mandarin and political indoctrination, in some cases women had forced sterilisations and endured rape. People had to do manual labour in factories, didn't have enough to eat, and endured terrible living conditions.

Red against, green for, and white abstained

As a follow-up to the report, today there was a proposal in the United Nations on whether to debate the alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang next year. 

The result? Proposal narrowly rejected, with 19 against, 17 for and strangely 11 abstained.

Those who abstained? Argentina, Armenia, Benin, Brazil, Gambia, India, Libya, Malawi, Malaysia, Mexico and Ukraine.

Ukraine! How strange, considering China has been supporting Russia in the current conflict.

And India too -- with its skirmishes with China one would think India would like to put China in the hot seat.

The South American countries may be getting some kind of cheque-book diplomacy? We may find out later.

HK protesters who supported Ukraine in 2019

In the meantime it is disappointing this report may fall off people's radars soon if there isn't a spotlight shining on it.

China must have been lobbying hard behind the scenes to get countries to vote no... If the countries for the debate aren't as organised then of course they are not going to have a steady block of votes.

The other reason is China is a permanent member of the Security Council which to some member states can be intimidating. 

In any event, this result does not bode well not only for Uyghurs but also Hongkongers if and when a debate about it ever came up. 

One wonders now if pro-democracy Hongkongers who previously supported Ukraine will now turn their backs on it? 

The tangled web of politics...

New Museum Attempts to Evoke Patriotism

Lee officially opens a museum dedicated to Chinese resistance

The patriotism drum is beating louder in Hong Kong these days.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu is leading the way by opening yet another museum, this time marking the Chinese resistance against the Japanese invasion in the lead-up to World War II.

The Hong Kong Sha Tau Kok Anti-War Memorial Hall was hailed by Lee as "a base for patriotic education".

The museum is in the Luo ancestral home

Shivers are running down people's backs reading this.

The museum is located at the Luo family ancestral home, because this was the base used by resistance fighters.

On social media Lee hailed the museum as "a base for patriotic education, which will facilitate national education, deepen citizens' understanding of Chinese history and enhance their recognition for the country".

At the opening ceremony, he said people displayed their love for the country when they defended its soil decades ago, "encouraging the people of China to fight for a great renaissance of the Chinese race".

Apparently this is a well-worn phrase used by mainland officials to refer to China's modern development.

But it is only natural for people to defend their country when it is under attack. One contemporary example is Ukraine fighting against the Russians now. Romanticising war as a bid to revive the Chinese race is melodramatic...

Lee says museum is "a base for patriotic education"

Nevertheless, the Chief Executive added the Hong Kong government "attaches great importance to the history marking the victory of the resistance and will let the public understand its role and all the stories during the war," he said.

What victory is he talking about?

In the Battle of Hong Kong, the allied forces of the British, Canadians and Indians tried to prevent the Japanese invasion, but the city fell on December 25, 1941. How is that a victory? 

Only when the Americans dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9, 1945 respectively, did the occupation end.

But perhaps this is how one whitewashes history and insists on this victorious narrative complete with a physical building as proof. In 2014 the National People's Congress declared September 3 as "Victory Day".

When researching this museum, it should be noted only mainland Chinese state media mentioned its opening...