Taiwan Matters' new blog team

Introducing the lineup

After doing most of the writing on Taiwan Matters on my own for some time now, and with blogaholic Michael Turton (The View from Taiwan) taking a breather from politics to work on his PhD and do other things, I've invited some more writers to contribute to TM and bring it back more in line with its origins as a group blog.


No group photos of either the original bunch or the new lineup exist, so substitute "The Usual Suspects," and use your imagination.
What the new bloggers and I have in common is the ideal of keeping Taiwan free and independent, and I'd like to introduce them to you, just in case you haven't encountered their writing before.

* A-gu (阿牛) is the American blogger in Kaohsiung who writes That's Impossible: Politics from Taiwan. He has worked as both a translator and a steel salesman and has particular interest in the Taiwanese legislature and linguistic issues.

* Άλισον is a Taiwanese (not a Chinese) based in the EU, doing part-time research, advocating human rights, social justice, promoting Taiwan's interests abroad, and blogging (Talk Taiwan 談台灣). She had 10 years of public service experience (thank goodness not with the ROC); her diligence had earned her an "Innovation & Excellence" award from her employer. Her interest is on fairness and different taxation systems.

* British blogger Arthur Dent, the political commentator on Letters from Taiwan, is a relative newcomer to the Taiwan blogsphere, but a longtime observer of Taiwan's politics. He is a perennial student currently completing his Masters degree at a Taiwanese public university. Arthur is an active citizen based in central Taiwan whose heart lies south of the Hsiluo River.

* Claudia Jean is the blogger from In Claudia Jean's Eyes who brings a lot to the Taiwan blogosphere that English-only readers would otherwise never hear about.

* I, Tim Maddog, am an American who has lived in Taiwan since before its first democratic presidential election. I have a knack for spotting lies, contradictions, and spin in the media and for noticing the nefarious propaganda that pollutes our daily lives. I'm married to a Taiwanese woman, and I've been taking to the streets since the "228 Hand-in-Hand" rally of 2000.

Welcome aboard, y'all! Let's get this party started!

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Draft picks: Taiwan, 台灣

Cross-posted at It's Not Democracy, It's A Conspiracy!