Nicholas Kristof's recent NYT op-ed about #Taiwan set my teeth on edge. This is what happens when you lived in Taiwan half a century ago and asked two friends instead of reading a fucking poll laorencha.substack.com/p/when-it-co...

Not everyone is wrong, but most people are. laorencha.substack.com/p/almost-eve...

Do I really need to explain why the #Taiwan legislature are doing a "nuh-UH I'm rubber and you're glue and I locked the principal out of the classroom" strategy? laorencha.substack.com/p/for-the-ta...

I review Nathan Batto and Emily Beaulieu's book about brawling in legislatures in #Taiwan, #Ukraine and beyond! laorencha.substack.com/p/book-revie...

I'm being facetious, but really only a little laorencha.substack.com/p/does-anyon...

Ten more books about #Taiwan? Don't mind if I do laorencha.substack.com/p/ten-more-g...

I think I've found the best book to give friends and loved ones to learn more about #Taiwan, available for pre-order or Kindle now laorencha.substack.com/p/book-revie...

That's not to say I didn't like it! laorencha.substack.com/p/book-revie...

And I'm not sure how I feel about it. laorencha.substack.com/p/taiwans-fo...

I dunno. Who, in this dispute that was ultimately about what freedom of speech does or doesn't mean in #Taiwan, was right? Probably not the Little Grass, but perhaps my friend. laorencha.substack.com/p/handling-a...

I tell you a lot about myself in this post, but it's in service of discussing #Taiwan's healthcare system.

I wanted to write an article that covered every single argument for why #Taiwan is a country (from another perspective, every argument against why it's a part of China) so I only needed to offer one link to Internet chuds. Now, you have one link to send chuds, too ketagalanmedia.com/2025/09/28/a...

Classic 2am rant about #Taiwan needing to draw a line between making strategic choices, vs. cozying up with fascists -- personal stuff in there too laorencha.substack.com/p/no-i-wont-...

Conservatives love to darkly say stuff like “you aren’t prepared for what’s next, we’re not going to be moderate anymore, you have no idea what you’ve unleashed” and then cry like babies when you call them fascists

A solid "based on a true story" historical novel about twentieth century #Taiwan with an exceptional translation by Timothy Smith laorencha.substack.com/p/book-revie...

Even I was surprised how long it took for my neighbors in #Taiwan (same apartment for 14 years) to start treating me like I really lived here instead of a temporary weirdo, but it did eventually happen. A flooded back room a few weeks ago made that clear. laorencha.substack.com/p/without-an...

I'm still not convinced I should care about Ko himself, but the court of public opinion is fascinating. laorencha.substack.com/p/should-i-c...

Any other #americansabroad (in #taiwan or anywhere) who read the news from the US and don't want to visit at all because it looks like a dangerous shithole? Are we overreacting? I really don't know. laorencha.substack.com/p/through-th...

look, think of it this way: he’s probably not dead, but he is in bad enough shape that we will almost certainly get to run this back a number of times over the next 3.5 years and maybe one of them it’ll actually happen

he'll always be dead in our hearts

I will never understand how American elites managed to convince themselves that uncivil debate — not fascism, not impunity and not widespread indifference to facts — is the defining problem of our time. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/o...

This book is only nominally about #Taiwan but I did a #bookreview anyway because it's absolute trash. laorencha.substack.com/p/i-read-the...

I wasn't too enthusiastic about yesterday's vote in #Taiwan, but I have some takes anyway.

As someone who does occasional travel writing and acts as an unofficial tour guide to friends and family visiting #Taiwan, I have some thoughts. laorencha.substack.com/p/is-interna...

I moved to Substack and wrote about my recent (second) trip to Orchid Island (蘭嶼), #Taiwan! laorencha.substack.com/p/weather-st...

Here you go. #Taiwan recalls. Boo. laorencha.blogspot.com/2025/07/i-do...

This already feels like old news after that complete fuckin slaughter goddamnit

I attended both rallies (anti-recall/KMT and pro-recall/pan-green) for #Taiwan Total Recall Day. Spoiler alert: I liked one more than the other laorencha.blogspot.com/2025/07/some...

Taiwan Ministry of the Interior releases English-language air raid safety guide. This year, urban resilience drills will combine air raid, evacuation and traffic control measures across public transportation, shopping centers and government sites.

I felt I had to talk about the budget vote in #Taiwan, the $10k tax rebate, Taipower etc. but what I really wanted to show you was the New Taipei legislator who gave out trash bags as gifts because he faces a recall laorencha.blogspot.com/2025/07/week...

I love to see it (pro-recall bus ad in #Taiwan)

As a resident of Da'an, what does it actually look like to watch the pro-recall forces in #Taiwan and Lo Chih-chiang vie for support? It looks like a lot of aunties carrying signs, annoying rallies and on-point fliers. And a bus! laorencha.blogspot.com/2025/07/a-ne...

Oh nooooooo So do I try to listen to part of the inevitable 羅智強 anti-recall rally happening audibly from my apartment tomorrow, for blogging purposes, or do I RUN VERY FAR AWAY

If your “leader” enjoys showing off concentration camps -you’re in a fascist cult. “We’d like to see them in many states,” Trump said. “And at some point, they might morph into a system where you’re going to keep it for a long time.”

The BBC reporter interviewing a UN special rapporteur, he’s being a total cunt, basically accusing her of being emotional and offering shit defenses like “Israel would disagree that it’s a genocide so is it REALLY”. She is WRECKING him and I love to hear it

Well we don’t need a rapist for President but we fucking got one didnt we

Fuck Lisa Murkowski. But Susan Collins (technically my senator) actually made the right choice for once. Is this the only time?

There's a lot I want to talk about, but first let's talk about what makes good vs. bad #Taiwan boilerplate in 2025. laorencha.blogspot.com/2025/07/lets...

I genuinely cannot believe how many Democrats are spending their energy on destroying Mamdani when the GOP is trying to turn ICE into a full on secret police by drastically raising their budget

Orwell was right.

This is *almost* a good article about the threat against #Taiwan Vice President Hsiao in the Guardian, until the very last paragraph. It's an attempt to do better on old "split in 1949" boilerplate, but I think might actually be just as bad or worse.

I can’t imagine cheering for a bill that wrecks my healthcare, raises my costs, and guts my community, just to “own the coastal elites.” Congrats on proving how dumb you are in your desperate attempt to prove you’re not.

So basically DOJ was flagrantly violating the court’s order, as Sotomayor notes (her dissent was before this came out), but this is even worse: It’s a coordinated effort by top DOJ leadership to ignore court order; to mislead lower court in filings; to deflect on another agency; then to cover it up.

Notice how he immediately and correctly clocked how his $250,000 was more important to the person who he thought would win than his vote. Stating the obvious but….

It probably isn't the exact conclusion Beckershoff intended, but you're now on the KMT Hater Train across #Taiwan. Chugga chugga choo choo, motherfuckers. laorencha.blogspot.com/2025/06/book...

two things about the electorate are true 1. a decent number of Trump voters are gettable. not the base, which is a cult, but the squishy group who vaguely associated him with pre-covid times 2. most of these people are blithering dipshits unfortunately, in america, you need the dipshit vote

Does Israel or the United States need to show restraint? 2 nations have initiated bombing campaigns on a third, and the victim needs to show restraint in defending itself? I never thought I'd be defending Iran in 2025.

I checked -- this is real. And...what? I'm surprised he spelled "you're" correctly. Still...what?

If you were too young in 2003 here is what Bush told the American people: 1) The Iraq War won’t cost a lot of money 3) We won’t need a lot of troops 4) We’ll bring peace and freedom to Iraq 5) We’ll find WMDs 6) We’ll be welcomed as liberators 7) It will be easy 8) It won’t take long All lies.