Author Archives: Big John

Taiwan residents consider the best response to the threat of invasion from China Part 2 of a 2-part series By John Groot (You may share this article in whole or part if you link to this post and mention me … Continue reading →

It’s what we’ve all been dreading for years, a massive military attack by an aggressive, repressive, authoritarian China. One minute, we’re peacefully going about our business in this free, democratic, and basically humane country, Taiwan. The next, life is turned … Continue reading →

Sometimes I like to contemplate great voyages, like those of the Pacific Islanders in legendary times as they spread across vast expanses of ocean. I imagine their thousands of journeys: maybe 20 people on large, outrigger canoes, the navigators way-finding … Continue reading →

Established in 2004, the mission of the Taiwan Legal Aid Foundation (LAF) is to offer a comprehensive range of legal aid services for the financially disadvantaged in Taiwan. Mainly funded by an endowment from the Judicial Yuan worth just over … Continue reading →

The Righteous Threefold Path of Joe Henley One of the noble truths of Buddhism is that suffering is an innate part of life, and I admit that when I have to listen to death metal it certainly feels that way! … Continue reading →

It starts with the calm, measured tones of US President Jimmy Carter making an announcement on December 15, 1978. Good evening,                           I would like to read a joint communique which is being simultaneously issued in Peking at this very … Continue reading →

The 4th and final installment in my series of posts about the writing of my book Taiwanese Feet: My walk around Taiwan. During my first few years in Taiwan, I used to love walking around the old neighborhoods of Taipei. … Continue reading →

Part 3 In the story behind my book “Taiwanese Feet: My walk around Taiwan” September 21st, 1999. In Dounan Township, Yunlin County, Taiwan, John Grant Ross (a huge, bookish, beer-guzzling Kiwi ) was starting to realize that his plan to … Continue reading →

Part 2 of the story behind the story of “Taiwanese Feet: My walk around Taiwan.” The captain announced that we’d be touching down soon, and we soared over the land from the flat blue ocean, overflying hectares of farm ponds … Continue reading →