Common sense response
Every day, as I read two “hometown” newspapers — the Taipei Times and the Tampa Bay Times — I am struck by the intelligent way in which Taiwan’s government, at all levels, is dealing with the ongoing COVID-19 challenge.
Not only do government representatives “walk the walk and talk the talk,” Taiwanese respond intelligently and wisely.
It is not the same here in the US, where such common-sense recommendations as “wear a mask” incite civil unrest and spur lawyers with questionable professional ethics to initiate court battles on behalf of “wronged clients” who resent being “told” to wear a protective face covering.
Thank goodness sanity still reigns in my favorite country. Looking forward to returning for a well-needed respite from insanity.
Kirk Hazlett
Adjunct professor, University of Tampa
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In memory of Diane Baker: one of the last working dance journalists, a true dance aficionado and dear friend. On Friday, through a mutual friend, I received the shocking news that dance critic Diane Baker had passed away suddenly at her apartment in Tianmu, Taipei. The news quickly spread, and messages of concern quickly swarmed in from the dance community in Taiwan and abroad. Her sister Sharon in the US later confirmed that Diane died of a heart attack on Wednesday last week. She was 65. Diane was a dear friend to Taiwan’s dance community. Her frequent appearance at dance performances in
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