Talking Taiwan

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:   Peter Lin, is a trombone player, leader of the jazz band, The Lintet, and music teacher. He is a man who wears a lot of different hats! In March of 2018, Peter spoke with me about his career as a professional musician, the difference between being a bandleader versus a sideman, and how he met jazz legend Slide Hampton. We also talked about the Lintet’s first upcoming album, and the connection between Jeremy Lin, Linsanity, and The Lintet- all of which incidentally are not related to me.   Peter shared why he describes jazz as democratic, and a barometer of the United States’ social climate. In his first album, The Lintet introduces Taiwanese music to jazz listeners and jazz music to the Taiwanese.   Two years later, we’ve invited Peter back on to Talking Taiwan to let us know what he’s been up to, how he’s been dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, and to share some advice for how musicians can get through these tough times. Our follow up interview is coming up on the next episode of Talking Taiwan.   Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:   How Peter got started playing the trombone How he decided to become a professional musician Where the band’s name The Lintet came from What Peter does as a bandleader How jazz has historically reflected the social climate and race relations in the U.S. How The Lintet incorporates Taiwanese and Chinese songs done in jazz style at his performances and on their first album The twofold purpose The Lintet’s album to introduce Taiwanese to jazz music and to introduce jazz listeners to Taiwanese and Chinese music Peter’s observation that more Taiwanese people are becoming interested in jazz     Here’s the sound clip from one of the Lintet’s 2018 Lunar New Year performances. It’s a rendition of a classic Teresa Teng song:     Related Links:   Peter Lin’s Facebook profile: https://www.facebook.com/peterlinmusic   The Lintet’s first album, With Respect: https://peterlin.bandcamp.com/album/with-respect   The Lintet’s website: www.lintet.com

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:   Scott Simon, Professor in the School of Sociological and Anthropological Studies and Co-holder of the Research Chair in Taiwan Studies at the University of Ottawa spoke with us about an article he wrote for the Macdonald-Laurier Institute which served to sound a warning to the global community about China’s lack of transparency. In the case of the COVID-19 pandemic, several media sources have reported that Chinese authorities alerted the WHO on December 31, 2019, about several cases of pneumonia of unknown cause. China then announced its first death from the Coronavirus on January 11, 2020.   In our conversation, Scott also offered an anthropological perspective on the Coronavirus pandemic by discussing the term anthropocene, which is defined as the period of time during which human activities have had an environmental impact on the Earth regarded as constituting a distinct geological age. He also offered thoughts on what should be taken into consideration as the world begins to look at when to end lockdowns.   Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:   The March 16thincident in which China flew one of their military jets very close to Taiwan’s airspace at night Chinese aggressive behavior since the COVID-19 outbreak towards Taiwan’s outer islands, Taiwan’s main island, Japan and Guam Chinese military’s operations during the global COVID-19 pandemic How do we really know about what’s going on in China and the PLA Does China have its COVID-19 outbreak currently under control China’s lack of transparency How China has tried to rewrite history and dispute that COVID-19 originated from China How China has blocked Taiwan’s WHO membership How Taiwan and the WHO have differed in their early responses to COVID-19 The Free and Open Indo-Pacific foreign policy spearheaded by Japan Coronavirus cases on the USS Theodore Roosevelt Scott’s perspective as an anthropologist on the COVID-19 pandemic and what considerations should be made as lockdowns are lifted How the Western world failed to see the possible impact of the Coronavirus     Related Links:   Professor Scott Simon’s author page on The Center for International  Policy Studies of the University of Ottawa website: https://www.cips-cepi.ca/author/scott-simon/   We Must Be on Guard as China Seeks Strategic Advantage: Scott Simon for Inside Policy: https://www.macdonaldlaurier.ca/china-seeks-strategic-advantage-covid-19/?fbclid=IwAR0eRpwScoHNeHSIbMp-r3YjRK9cQpBT_C5LXuI4YJMh4Isw8bZGfg_t9W8   Macdonald-Laurier Institute (Canada's only truly national public policy think tank based in Ottawa): https://www.macdonaldlaurier.ca/   The Free and Open Indo-Pacific foreign policy: https://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/page25e_000278.html The Pandemic Is Turning the Natural World Upside Down: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2020/04/coronavirus-pandemic-earth-pollution-noise/609316/

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: I invited Emily Chen on to Talking Taiwan as a guest to talk about how she manages to homeschool during the coronavirus when having her kids home full-time during this pandemic. The idea for this episode came from a Google doc that was created and shared by Emily on Facebook. The link to it is listed below in the related links section of this post. You’ll see that it has over 100 weblinks to resources for parents and kids to try out during the Coronavirus pandemic. What a treasure trove of information it is! **SPOILER ALERT** Be sure to listen to the end of my interview with Emily for a special offering that she has for parents and kids to get through the quarantine of the COVID-19 pandemic. With so many parents and families struggling with managing their kids at home due to the COVID-19 outbreak, I realized that many people could benefit from this amazing list of resources that Emily has compiled. I also knew that because Emily has been homeschooling her kids, she could definitely provide some perspective with parents suddenly faced with this unfamiliar situation.   Our conversation touched upon what homeschooling is and the different approaches that people take to homeschooling. Imagine a teaching approach completely centered on a particular child’s interests and a more holistic approach to teaching. In essence every moment of teaching could be turned into a well-rounded lesson by looking at a particular subject matter from different angles by discussing the math, geography, history, or writing etc. involved.   It is a creative approach to teaching what a child is already interested and it makes what the child has learned seem much more meaningful and tangible. This conversation gave me a fuller understanding of how homeschooling works and how Emily is applying it to her kids.  In full disclosure, Emily is not only my Facebook friend, but also my cousin. Strange that we never got into such an in-depth conversation about this before.   Emily also shared her thoughts on how to manage working at home while having kids at home and how to parents your kids when you are at home full-time with your kids.   Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: How long Emily has been homeschooling her kids Why Emily decided to homeschool her kids What is homeschooling, and what approaches to people take to homeschooling their kids What is unschooling and different unschooling approaches Homeschooling vs. public schooling How she and her kids are dealing with social distancing and how that has impacted their homeschooling The challenges for parents having to be home full-time with their kids due to lockdown recommendations What’s on the Google doc list of resources that Emily put together for parents with kids at home How parents can deal with having kids of different ages and personalities at home at the same time How to manage working at home with having kids at home Talking to your kids about the Coronavirus How to parent your kids when you are at home full-time with your kids   Related Links: The Google doc that Emily has compiled with resources for homeschoolers and parents looking for things to do with their kids at home: https://bit.ly/2VuOOOR Emily’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/mchendraws/ Other resources for parents dealing with talking to kids about COVID-19: Coronavirus: Keeping Our Children And Ourselves Safe, With Pamela Cantor, M.D. (180 Podcast): https://www.turnaroundusa.org/the-180-podcast-coronavirus/ Turnaround For Children, an organization created by Dr. Pamela Cantor in the wake of 9/11, after co-authoring a study on the impact of the 9/11 attacks on NYC schoolchildren: https://www.turnaroundusa.org/ The Daily podcast episode, in which Carl Zimmer, science reporter and author of the “Matter” column for The New York Times answers kids questions about COVID-19: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-kids-guide-to-coronavirus/id1200361736?i=1000469699785 TED Talk 10 Tips for Cultivating Creativity in Your Kids: http://ideas.ted.com/10-tips-for-cultivating-creativity-in-your-kids/

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:   Since Taiwan has received a great deal of recognition globally for its successful containment of COVID-19, I've been looking to interview a medical professional about Taiwan's response and handling of the Coronavirus. Special thanks to Dr. Han Mingrong (韓明榮) for his help in connecting me with Dr. Brian Chang who is located in Taipei, Taiwan.    I spoke with Dr. Chang about the early steps that Taiwan took to contain the Coronavirus outbreak, and how having dealt with SARS in 2003, the government and the general public in particular was prepared to deal with COVID-19.    Note to listeners: my interview with Dr. Chang was pre-recorded. I spoke to him on April 2nd, 2020, which was around the time of the ching ming  jie or tomb sweeping weekend in Taiwan. I really appreciate the fact that Dr. Chang took the time out of his busy schedule to speak with me. Right after we spoke, he had planned to travel down to southern Taiwan to observe the tomb sweeping weekend.   Dr. Chang is the acting Secretary General of the Taiwan Medical Association and the Honorary Secretary of the World Organization of Family Doctors of the Asia Pacific Region. He is a specialist in family medicine and community medicine. Dr. Chang has been a Director in a public health center for 11 years.     Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this episode:   How Taiwan is currently dealing with the Coronavirus How Taiwan’s experience with SARS prepared it and its people to deal with COVID-19 What were the earliest steps that Taiwan took to contain the spread of COVID-19 How the government of Taiwan clearly communicated and educated its public about that precautions they needed to take regarding COVID-19  How the public in Taiwan initially reacted when the Coronavirus hit  How Taiwan’s government instilled confidence in the people of Taiwan How Taiwan’s government handled the spread of false news and rumors Dr. Chang’s recommendations of when to wear masks How the government created educational videos (public service announcements) to inform the public The biggest challenges for Taiwan currently in containing the spread of COVID-19 Fines enacted by the government of Taiwan for the violation of self-isolation rules What the U.S. can learn from Taiwan’s handling of COVID-19 What kind of aid Taiwan is currently offering to help other nations dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic What is our best hope to develop a vaccine or to find a cure? What medical advice Dr. Chang has for people who are currently under lockdown and trying to stay healthy     Related Links:   Dr. Brian Chang’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/brianclinic/     An article on how Taiwan has been so successful in managing the Coronavirus written by Brian Bih-Jeng Chang and Tai-Yuan Chiu, Ready for a long fight against the COVID-19 outbreak: an innovative model of tiered primary health care in Taiwan: https://bjgpopen.org/content/early/2020/04/07/bjgpopen20X101068   Taiwan’s CDC website (in Chinese characters): https://www.cdc.gov.tw   An example educational video (aka public service announcements) that the government created to inform the public about COVID-19:  https://youtu.be/gHc9WcEKWX4

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:   I’m pleased to welcome Dr. Wilson Wang back on to Talking Taiwan after five years for what turned out to be a very in-depth conversation, about the Coronavirus crisis in New York. Dr. Wang spoke with me about the COVID-19 pandemic from both a science-based and human perspective. This interview with Dr. Wang was recorded last week on March 30th, 2020.   Dr. Wilson Wang is the Founder and CEO of a health software company called Walking Doctors, a pediatric emergency room physician and hospitalist at NYU and NYC Public Hospital system, and adjunct faculty of Global Public Health at NYU.   Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this episode:   How Dr. Wang and his family are dealing with COVID-19 How Dr. Wang’s experience with Ebola led to establishing Walking Doctors The importance of standardizing diagnosis and treatment of disease Comparing the Ebola outbreak with COVID-19 Epidemics vs. pandemics The SARS 2003 epidemic The strategies that Taiwan used to contain the spread of COVID-19 Development of a test for COVID-19 Is the Coronavirus airborne and how long does it survive in the air? How long does the Coronavirus survive on surfaces? Comparing measles with the Coronavirus Dr. Wang’s recommendations on whether or not to wear a mask Why it’s important to adhere to social distancing and self-isolation Possible treatments for COVID-19 The ventilator shortage Which is our best hope a vaccine or cure? General advice to people trying to stay healthy and deal with social distancing and self-isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic   Related Links:   Dr. Wang’s blog: http://wilson-wang.squarespace.com/   JAMA Article: Response to COVID-19 in Taiwan Big Data Analytics, New Technology, and Proactive Testing: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2762689   Dr. Wang on social media:   LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/wilson-wang-9289554   Twitter: @walkingdoctors   Walking Doctors: https://walkingdocs.com/   Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Map: https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:   What does a robot, Jedi and Wi-Fi have to do with the Ebola crisis? In 2015 I spoke with Wilson Wang a medical doctor by training, who was a Senior Clinical director at the International Rescue Committee (IRC) at the time. We spoke about his work with IRC on the 2014 Ebola outbreak and his career in medicine and public health.     As we deal with the coronavirus here in New York City, I thought with this would be a good time to share this episode. Stay tuned for the next episode of Talking Taiwan. I’ll be bringing back Dr. Wang to speak about how his Ebola work led him to establish Waking Doctors and his current work on COVID-19, the coronavirus in New York City.     Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:   The origin, mission and work of International Rescue Committee Wilson’s career in medicine and public health leading up to his work with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) How Wilson balances the practice of medicine with health management How IRC was asked to create an Ebola treatment unit (i.e. a hospital) for Ebola patients How more people died in the 2014 Ebola epidemic than in all of the Ebola epidemics of the past 35 years How for nearly 40 years there hadn’t been reliable medical record keeping about the treatment of Ebola patients What the JEDI app acronym stands for The robot created by Vecna to be used in Liberia U.S. reaction to the Ebola outbreak What’s guided Dr. Wang in his particular career path   Related Links:   Dr. Wilson Wang’s website where he writes about his work: http://wilson-wang.squarespace.com/   Articles about Dr. Wang’s work with IRC on the Ebola epidemic:   http://time.com/3615990/ebola-electronic-health-records/   ihttp://www.fastcolabs.com/3039512/fighting-ebola-with-a-robot-and-an-app-called-jedi   Partners in Health: https://www.pih.org/   Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder: https://www.amazon.com/Mountains-Beyond-Tracy-Kidder/dp/0812973011   An article about the controversy over Dr. Craig Spencer, a volunteer Doctors Without Borders physician who returned to New York with Ebola: https://time.com/3535902/craig-spencer-ebowla-jokes-lack-empathy/

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:   Earlier this year I went to Books of Wonder (in New York City’s Upper Westside) to attend a book launch event for Loveboat, Taipei. There I heard the book’s author, Abigail Hing Wen speak frankly and openly about her 12-year writing career and journey leading up to getting her first book Loveboat, Taipei published. All too often when we hear of success stories like hers, what gets lost is what it took to get there. I was really impressed by her story of persistence and tenacity. After getting her first book rejected, writing five novels along the way, she wrote four versions and 26 drafts of Loveboat, Taipei, before deciding to make Ever Wong the main character. In her interview with me she was just as candid- talking about all of the hard work behind honing her craft of writing and how Loveboat, Taipei, a story about the rebellion of youth in a safe environment actually brought her closer to her parents.   The latest exciting news is that ACE Entertainment (the producers of Jenny Han’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before series) has optioned the film rights to Loveboat, Taipei.   If you’d like to learn more about the Love Boat language study program, be sure to listen to our previous episode, episode 66 [hyper link “episode 66” to: http://www.talkingtaiwan.com/love-boat-taiwan-interview-asian-american-studies-professor-film-maker-valerie-soe-ep-66/], which is about Love Boat: Taiwan, a documentary film made about the Love Boat program.     Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:   How Loveboat, Taipeihas benefitted from the growing interest in diverse characters and storylines The Love Boat study program experience When Loveboat, Taipei hit the New York Times bestseller’s list Abigail ‘s decision to step off the path to becoming a law professor and to try writing The first book Abigail tried to get published, but was ultimately rejected Abigail ‘s decision to enter an MFA in writing program How Abigail persisted for over ten years after her first novel was rejected and wrote five novels before Loveboat, Taipeigot published How she wrote Loveboat, Taipei from four different perspectives before deciding to write it from the perspective of Ever Wong The process of shopping around a book to get it published How Loveboat, Taipeihas been optioned for a film by ACE entertainment What Abigail hopes that people will learn from the story of Loveboat, Taipei The announcement that Loveboat, Taipeihas been optioned for a movie by ACE Entertainment, the producers of Jenny Han’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before series How important it is for writers to have critique partners Her role as a Senior Director of Emerging Technologies and Artificial Intelligence Abigail’s future book projects What advice Abigail has for people who want to write a book The feedback that Loveboat, Taipeihas received How Loveboat, Taipeihas brought Abigail closer to her parents Related Links:   Abigail’s website: https://www.abigailhingwen.com/   Abigail Hing Wen on social media:   https://www.facebook.com/abigail.hing.wen   https://www.instagram.com/abigailhingwen/   https://twitter.com/abigailhingwen   Confessions of an Undercover Novelist: https://lithub.com/confessions-of-an-undercover-novelist/   ACE Entertainment Acquires Rights To Abigail Hing Wen’s Novel ‘Loveboat, Taipei’: https://deadline.com/2020/02/ace-entertainment-abigail-hing-wen-loveboat-taipei-1202866995/   Getting Unstuck by Robert Butler: https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Unstuck-Discovering-Career-Timothy/dp/B00CAYMXU4

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: For many overseas born Chinese and Taiwanese, the Love Boat Taiwan language culture study program was quite the cultural phenomenon and rite of passage. We are dedicating two episodes of Talking Taiwan to the topic. The first will feature Asian American Studies professor and filmmaker Valerie Soe who’s made a documentary film called Love Boat: Taiwan. Learn more about the Love Boat program, the lasting impact on its participants- college and high school-aged individuals away from home for 6 weeks in Taiwan. It was the quintessential summer camp experience. What’s interesting to me is that the Love Boat program, which was started and run by the Chinese Nationalist government (aka the Kuomintang) set out to aggrandize the Republic of China (which at one time claimed to rule all of China), but instead, what it seems to have done is to solidify the difference between Taiwan and China in the minds of Love Boat participants. In the next episode of Talking Taiwan, I’ll be speaking with New York Times Bestselling author, Abigail Hing Wen, a Love Boat alum herself about her debut young adult novel, Loveboat, Taipei. Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: What the Love Boat program is How the Love Boat got its nickname How the program evolved over time The lasting relationships and Love Boat alumni connections Selection of the Love Boat program counselors Escape routes that Love Boat program attendees used to sneak out at night The Baby Boat or Tugboat program Typical rites of passage for the Love Boat participants Why Valerie had to stop working on the documentary for a year How to raise money for an independent documentary film What advice Valerie has for documentary filmmakers What Valerie would like people to take away from her film The influential alumni of the Love Boat program Related Links: Love Boat: Taiwan website: https://www.loveboat-taiwan.com/ Love Boat: Taiwan Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/LoveBoatTaiwan/ Love Boat Study Tour Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_Boat_(study_tour) Love Boat: Taiwan trailer: https://vimeo.com/350256328 Valerie’s blog: https://beyondasiaphilia.com/ Love Boat television show theme song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_wFEB4Oxlo

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: February 28th is a national holiday in Taiwan and it’s just around the corner. But how many know the somber significance behind the date and what it commemorates? Author Jennifer J. Chow has written a novel inspired by the 228 Incident (which refers to February 28, 1947). I spoke with her about the 228 Incident and how it relates to her novel, The 228 Legacy. Jennifer has a new book coming out in March, it’s a cozy mystery novel called, Mimi Lee Gets A Clue. We also spoke about that, her other book projects and her writing process. Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: What is the 228 Incident? How the 228 Incident is related to Jennifer's book The 228 Legacy How Jennifer learned about 228 Why she wrote the 228 Legacy Jennifer's upcoming book, Mimi Lee Gets A Clue The cozy mystery genre How her Winston Wong cozy mystery series is a tribute to her late mother Her writing process for the cozy mystery genre  How she approaches writing young adult fiction, adult fiction and cozy mysteries Her writing routine and habits Her advice for people who want to write a book Related Links: Jennifer’s website: http://jenniferjchow.com/ The 228 Incident: https://www.taiwandc.org/228-intr.htm The 228 Hand-In Hand Rally: http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2004/02/29/2003100533 Formosa Betrayed: https://www.amazon.com/Formosa-Betrayed-George-H-Kerr/dp/1910736538   Jennifer J. Chow on social media: https://www.facebook.com/JenJChow/ https://twitter.com/jenjchow https://www.instagram.com/jenjchow/

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin: I conducted an interview with author, musician, and journalist Joe Henley, about his latest book, Bu San Bu Si, and his first book, Sons of the Republic. In writing Bu San Bu Si, Joe clearly drew upon his multi-disciplinary background. The book after all is about a Taiwanese punk band and the struggles that the musicians face in reconciling their punk personas with Taiwan’s societal expectations. Joe, incidentally, has sung in punk rock and metal bands, and much of what he’s written in Bu San Bu Si was inspired by what he experienced in the Taipei punk and metal band scene. We also talked about what motivates people with creative pursuits and how important money and fame might be in that pursuit. I asked him about his writing process and to offer advice to aspiring writers. Joe was unabashedly frank about what motivated him to write his first book, Sons of the Republic and talked about the subject of his next book. Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode: Joe’s latest novel, Bu San Bu Si What the phrase “bu san bu si” means Joe’s writing process How Joe ended up in Taiwan How Saskatchewan (where Joe is from) compares to Taiwan How Joe adjusted from moving from Saskatoon to Taipei What motivated Joe to write his first novel, Sons of the Republic Joe’s career as a musician and freelance writer The topics of Joe’s future books Joe’s advice for aspiring authors Being a journalist vs. a novelist/author Joe’s two bands: Stench of Lust, and Revilement Related Links: www.jwhenley.com www.facebook.com/jwhenley www.Twitter.com/JoeReviled