China Marks 60 years of Communism

60 years of Communism is currently being celebrated in China. However, what is the view from Taiwan...

Source BBC News:
As China prepares to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, many people in Taiwan will not be celebrating what for them is the loss of a civil war. They will instead see the event as a reminder of a major turning point in history that dramatically affected their lives. "This was a historical tragedy - Chinese people fighting Chinese people. So many lives were lost, so many families ruined. It's the biggest shame of Chinese people," said Huang Shih-chung, an 84-year-old retired general who fought in the war against the Communists for the Nationalist side. "I really hope... Chinese people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait will not forget the lives lost."

Outside mainland China, Taiwan is the place most directly affected by Communist China's founding on 1 October 1949. The Nationalist or Kuomintang (KMT) army led by Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek retreated to the island after its defeat by Communist troops. About two million refugees from China, including hundreds of thousands of soldiers, fled to the island - changing its political, economic and social structure, and leaving behind a legacy still strong today.

Mr Huang, a 24-year-old army major at the time, was one of the people who fled to Taiwan in 1949. He joined the army to fight the Japanese, and did not expect that after Japan's defeat at the end of World War II, in 1945, he would have to fight his own people. When he had to retreat to Taiwan in 1949, he had no time to tell his family in his native Anhui province in eastern China. To this day, he does not know what happened to his parents, who he believes died in the anti-Japanese war. He also does not know the whereabouts of his only sibling - a younger sister.

Like many mainland Chinese people who had relatives in Taiwan, especially in the Kuomintang military, she was persecuted during China's Cultural Revolution, especially because Huang's family was of the land-owning class. "I heard later she was sent to (northwest China's) Xinjiang region to do hard labour. It's impossible for me to find her now, and it would be impossible for her to find me," said Huang. His story is typical - many of the people who fled here have lost contact with their families back home.

Deborah Kuo, a local journalist whose parents both fled China for Taiwan, said her mother's strong yearnings to contact her family indirectly led to the death of a relative. Wanting to send a letter to her cousin in Sichuan province, her mother had her elder brother mail the letter from overseas, but the Communist authorities discovered it had originated from Taiwan, she said. They put the cousin and her husband through days of interrogations, leading to the husband jumping out of the window to his death. "He could not stand the pressure," Ms Kuo

Despite what happened in the past, Ms Kuo and others whose relatives suffered under the Communists say they are happy that China has developed. "As an offspring of mainlander parents, I feel great for China that it has been able to achieve [so much]," she said. Ms Kuo plans to write a book about her mother so that her sons, who show little interest in China, will understand history and how it affected their family. "It's my responsibility to write it down; if I do not, the younger generation will know nothing about their history," she said. Many young people in Taiwan have never stepped foot in China despite its proximity - they are more interested in Japanese and Western culture. I really want to see the Chinese female soldiers parading in their mini-skirts

In a sign perceptions have changed over the past six decades, many Taiwanese do not see the weaponry to be displayed in China's military parade to mark the 60th anniversary as necessarily aimed at Taiwan, but more as a symbol of China's rise and power. One young Taiwanese soldier, Kyle Shih, quipped that his main reason for watching the parade was "to see the Chinese female soldiers parading in their mini-skirts". More seriously, he said he had made friends with mainlanders when he studied in the US, but that as a soldier he was restricted from travelling to China.
"I would love to go to China. I would like to know more about how they think," he said. Increased interaction between young people could spell a new chapter of peaceful relations, he added.

The 84-year-old retired General Huang Shih-chung said both sides must remember the cost of the civil war. "We really hope Chinese people won't kill each other and go to war because of differences," he said. Huang plans to visit China this year, for the first time in 60 years.

12) Robert Plant and Alison Krauss: 'Raising Sand'

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss come from completely different end of the musical spectrum. On the one hand we have Plant, the lead singer of the seminal band, Led Zeppelin, transcending all genres and infusing rock with blues, rockabilly, soul, funk and just about everything else in between. He epitomized the hedonistic lifestyle of a rock star; flamboyant, drugs, all night parties, sex orgies, the stories are legendary. On the other hand we have Krauss, a legend in her own right but from the more laid back genre of bluegrass, more at home with a fiddle and an early night.

Therefore placing these two misfits together seems to be a major mistake. It’s not just their personalities but Plant is just too overpowering for Alison to ever compete with. Yet, however unlikely the combination; the result is truly stunning and is due to three main reasons. The first is producer T Bone Burnett. His work on this album is nothing short of masterful. The second is the impeccable choice of material, thanks again to Burnett. All of which are cover versions yet many are reworked into unrecognizable and unique versions. The third is the common ground both singers seem to have reached almost effortlessly. This is largely achieved by the two singers taking turns at lead vocals. However, there are many examples of them singing together. The emotion displayed between these two legends is raw and beautiful throughout. Furthermore, the harmonies produced are tantalizing yet without losing their distinctive sound.

The opener ‘Rich Woman’ is as stunning as an opener can get with some intricate guitar work and excellent production. Similarly, ‘Killing the Blues’ is as good as the first song. ‘Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us’ showcases Alison’s angelic vocals soaring over a laid back fiddle and minimal instrumentalism, Plant simply provides backing vocals and remains incredibly restrained. ‘Polly Come Home’ is a slow tortured crawl compared to the original yet still hits the nail firmly on the head. ‘Gone Gone Gone’ is a masterpiece. This upbeat number was already a fantastic song by the Everly Brothers but this version just seems even classier and, dare I say, they trump the harmonies of the Everly’s. A clear example both can sing at the same time and not dominate one another, superb. ‘Through the Morning, Through the Night’ again see’s Alison take the lead with amazing form. ‘Please Read The Letter’ is a personal favorite of mine, an amazing collaboration and timeless song, perfectly fitting the country styling. ‘Trampled Rose’ is mesmerizing and has a rather gypsy feel to it. Then Plant appears to have been given some reign to rock out a bit with ‘Fortune Teller’ the vocals are terrific. ‘Stick With Me Baby’ is an odd little effort but likeable nonetheless. ‘Nothin’ was a miserable song to begin with yet Plant delves even deeper into the song to make you want to weep out loud. ‘Let Your Loss Be Your Lesson’ is another of the upbeat numbers but I feel it would maybe have worked better with Plant on lead. ‘Your Long Journey’ is as good an ending as he opener was. To sum up an absolute timeless masterpiece! Here at number twelve is Robert Plant and Alison Krauss with Raising Sand.

George's Birthday Party Part I

Last Thursday i came down with a pretty bad case of the flu. Friday was hell and so i finished work early and headed home with George who met me at work. Friday night was pretty much hell and felt terrible. Considering i had a fever too i decided to head to the hospital in the morning just to check i didn't have swine flu. After waiting an hour for the results i got the all clear. Just a case of flu and bronchitis.

I was beginning to feel better so we headed to the diner to meet Paul and ZiaZia and we were later joined by Caro and Noah. After that it was time to head home for some rest before tonight's KTV.

We got to KTV at 8 and waited till 8:30 to get up to the room. We were joined by Matt and Adam after about 20 minutes and we got some drinks and sang. We had to wait a hell of a long time before the others joined but finally at about 10 the others arrived. What pursued was a night of excessive drinking and singing. It was fantastic! Then we headed to some beach themed club after which would have been crap if i were not so drunk.

Sunday was spent chilling and recuperating from the double whammy of the flu and a hangover, it was no fun at all.

13) Mika: 'Life In Cartoon Motion'

Mika shot to fame in 2007 with this astonishing debut, Life in Cartoon Motion. Mika is the human equivalent of marmite; you either hate him or love him. I, for one, love this guy. Born in Beirut to a Lebanese mother and American father he fled the worn torn country to settle in the UK via Paris. If you can imagine an amalgam of Freddie Mercury, Elton John, Leo Sayer, George Michael and the Village People all collaborating to pen the next Eurovision Song Contest entry then you will get a flavor of the kind of album this is. Overtly camp, silly and falsetto that would make the Bee Gees blush it tethers on the line of annoying at times , yet delve deep beneath the surface and you will find innovative music, vocally gymnastics and some fantastic catchy pop. This album is certainly not for everyone, even I have to say he treads the line between brilliance and complete and utter annoyance.

On first listen many would be put off, considering their musical tastes way to high-brow to ever enjoy something like this. However, underneath the fun, falsetto and glam there is a serious and talented musician at work.

‘Grace Kelly’ was one of the most chirpy and catchiest songs of that year. What appears as a juvenile romp actually has some raw heartfelt emotions; it certainly sets the mood for the rest of the album. ‘Lollipop’ is, dare I say, an even more camp Elton John effort containing sexual innuendo yet in an innocent way. ‘My Interpretation’ is a welcome loss of the falsetto proving that he is not just all pomp and romp. However it is not too long before we are returning to falsetto with the turbo charged funk induced ‘Love Today’, one of the highlights of this album. Following on is ‘Relax, Take It Easy’ which borrows the same chord progression from Cutting Crew’s ‘I Just Died In Your Arms Tonight’ and could be something that the Bee Gee’s wish they had created. ‘Any Other World’ is not entirely up to standards and doesn’t really feel part of the overall theme of the album but is a pleasant offering nonetheless. ‘Billy Brown’ has a rather cabaret fell to it, and I don’t intent that as a criticism, It’s a fantastic little number! ‘Big Girl’s You Are Beautiful’ is the last all out dance tune before we are treated to one of the best tunes on the album, ‘Stuck In The Middle’ an Elton John-esque piano stomp with a catchy melody. Finally we end with ‘Happy Ending/Over My Shoulder’ and is by far the best slow number Mika offers here, a nice way to bow out. Here at number 13 is Mika with Life In Cartoon Motion.

Reunion Weekend

Last weekend can be summed up in one word, excess! Excessive amounts of eating and drinking. On Friday evening it was time to head to watershed. Noah wanted to surprise George with the return of his friend, Caro who is back for a short visit. It was my job to ensure George was at watershed. We got there about 11pm and met up with Noah and Eddie then we were joined by Jack and Caro, I think it was a big surprise for George to see her! Then Xander joined. We only stayed until about 12:30 as George was exhausted so we headed back home to rest.

On Saturday we headed to ZongXiao DongHua to meet up with George’s university classmates for an all-you-can-eat Indian buffet. It was great but did nothing for my waist line! Then it was home to rest. In the evening we headed to Bistro O where Zora and her French friend were. Her friend was staying for a couple of weeks so we decided to meet them up. Richard came along too for a few rounds of those great Mojito’s. Then it was off to watershed before heading back home.

On Sunday we went to the Sheraton hotel for another all-you-can-eat buffet with XiaXia and Paul who is finally back in Taiwan for a week. Again, it was great but way too much food for one weekend I think. Then we went to see a rather obscure film by Francis Ford Coppola ‘Youth Without Youth’. I’m not really sure what to make of it just yet, there was far too much trying to be put into one movie I feel. Anyway, a good weekend all round. Next weekend we will be celebrating Georges’ birthday a bit early as his friends will all be here. Looking forward to that one!

Roxy Revisited

Last weekend George and I stayed in on Friday evening as both of us were, as usual, feeling tired. On Saturday we got up and headed to Ximen to watch the new installment of the Final Destination franchise, number 4. It was fun to watch this kind of movie on IMAX 3D despite the plot being predictable and rather vapid. In fact it was the worst of all the 4 movies, still it was quite fun. Then we headed the ZhongXiao DongHua to meet Zia Zia for hot pot. After that we went to a bistro called Carbon, recommended by George;s friend David. The drinks were pretty damn good albeit expensive! Then it was off to Roxy99 to meet Steve. We headed home about 3ish. On Sunday we relaxed around home and watched a free DVD from Blockbuster's; He's just not that into you.

Chen Shui Bian Gets Life!

On the 11th September ex-President Chen Shui Bian was sentences to life in prison after being found guilty of corruption charges.

He was charged with embezzlement, taking bribes, and money laundering totalling to $15m during his term in office. His wife was also sentenced to life in prison. Thier son and daughter-in-law were snentenced to 20-30 months in prison along with other advisers in the administration.

The sentences was certainly rather harsh, some believe politically motivated. However, the charges are deadly serious and examples should be made of leaders who abuse power especially in young democracies.

The Death of Two Legends!

Yesterday saw the death of two legends, Patrick Swayze and legendary chef Keith Floyd. May both of you rest in peace.

14) The White Stripes: 'Elephant'

Everything about The White Stripes is exciting; a band like this doesn’t come along too often. They have released six albums to date and each one of them could probably be in my top 20 albums of the decade. However, in an effort not to reduce this list to a celebration of the works of Radiohead and The White Stripes, I thought it fair I only include one of their albums on my list.

Consisting of multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Jack White and backed up by Meg White, The White Stripes were formed in Michigan, Detroit in the mid 1990’s. They remained underground for a few years whilst homing their sound and blasted into prominence in 2002 almost single handedly paving the way for the garage rock revival. Their sound melds punk and blues into arrangements of stunning simplicity, but don’t be fooled, Jack White is probably one of the most talented musicians around right now.

Simplicity is seen not only in their music but also in their aesthetic image of red white and black. Curiosity and mystique constantly surrounded the duo. Were they married? Siblings? Who knew! This deliberate ploy was intended to keep the focus upon the music and not their relationship as a divorced couple.

Elephant was their first album with a proper record label yet thankfully the production remained low key and the end result was nothing short of spectacular.
‘Seven Nation Army’ is a flawless opener with its deep baseline providing a dance floor hit no matter where it’s played. The pace is furious for the next track ‘Black Math’ before we are allowed to catch our breath with the Queen inspired ‘There’s No Room for You Here’. There are not words to describe the cover of Dusty Springfield’s ‘I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself’. They managed to bring a possessed and desperate element to the song that was certainly not intended by Bacharach when writing it. ‘In The Cold, Cold Night’ see’s Meg take the microphone and although a good effort is not up to standard as the rest of the album. ‘The Boy To Win Your Mother’s Heart’ and ‘You’ve Got Her In Your Pocket’ are both nice blues numbers and allows the pace to decrease before we are treated to the magnificent ‘Ball and Biscuit’. ‘The Hardest Button to Press’ is as infectious as Seven Nation Army and really delivers. ‘Little Acorns’ is fairly forgettable but then we are treated again to an amazing frantic song, ‘Hypnotize’. The following two songs ‘You Have No Faith In Medicine’ and ‘The Air Near My Fingers’ are solid tunes before we are left with ‘It’s True We Love One Another’ with guest vocalist Holly Golightly, a great way to finish the album. Overall one of the best albums of any time! Here at number 14 is The White Stripes ‘Elephant’.

Muse: The Resistance

Muse return with what is undoubtedly one of the most anticipated rock albums of 2009, ‘The Resistance’. This album was always going to be difficult for Muse, they had painted themselves into a corner with their previous bombast releases, just too much is expected from them. A billion piece string section, falsetto rock-lord histrionics backing vocals by angels from above, acrobatic guitars powered by NASA. Well they haven’t achieved that but have come pretty damn close and built upon their previous work to encompass even more sounds and textures into their arsenal. This album hurls itself into the abyss of cod-symphonic astral pretension wading its way through themes of state control, war, marauding thought police, and overall, love. It’s an ambitious effort to say the least, too ambitious I might venture to say, barmy, overblown, and bombastic but, crucially, brilliant in places. Lyrically, the album is a love letter from 1984 with the message that forbidden love will triumph. ‘Uprising’ is a superb opening, a sort of mélange of the Dr Who theme and a dirtier version of Blondie. ‘Resistance’ combines synths and guitar to make it stand out as a rock piece and is fairly reminiscent of U2 at their best. ‘Undisclosed Desires’ is a little more out there with its heavily synth presence and noticeable absence of guitars. ‘United States Of Eurasia’ are where things really start to get interesting. It hurls everything at you and gives Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody a run for its money. Starting off with slow pianos, it builds into an awesome, Arabic inspired pentatonic melody and riff. The chorus is even more bizarre as it borrows a Chopin nocturne! ‘Guiding Light’ is a bit of a plodding epic ballad but gives time to breathe before we are hurled full speed into a metal frenzy of ‘Unnatural Selection’ and ‘MK Ultra’. What next? A little French I think, yes that is exactly what we get from ‘I Belong To You’. To round things off, a 13 minute Symphony no less! Stunning!

Best Cover Versions.

15) Gary Jules: Mad World (original Tears for Fears)
14) David Bowie: China Girl (original Iggy Pop)
13) James Taylor: You've Got a Friend (original Carole King)
12) Guns and Roses: Knocking on Heavens Doors (original Bob Dylan)
11) Kate Bush: Rocket Man (original Elton John)
10) Jeff Buckley: Hallelujah (Original Leonard Cohen)
9) Joss Stone: Fell in Love With a Boy (original The White Stripes)
8) Urge Overkill: Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon (original Neil Diamond)
7) A-Ha: Crying in the Rain (original The Everly Brothers)
6) The Communards: Don't Leave Me This Way (original Harold Melvin & Blue Notes)
5) Marc Almond: The Days of Pearly Spencer (original David McWilliams)
4) Jimi Hendrix: All Along the Watchtower (original Bob Dylan)
3) Sinead O'Connor: Nothing Compares To You (original Prince)
2) The White Stripes: Just Don't Know What to do with Myself(Dusty Springfield)
1) Joe Cocker: With a Little Help From My Friends (original The Beatles)

The Beatles Remastered

09-09-09 was a special day in more ways than one as it marked the release of the long awaited re-mastering of the original Beatles albums in Stereo and another box set of Mono releases. I would love to get my hands on these but it would set me back about 370 pounds!! As I don't have money to through away I won't be able to enjoy these new releases right now. At least they are finally available, one day i will get them!

Taiwan's plan to take back mainland

Most people in China and Taiwan might think they know what happened after the long and bloody civil war between the Chinese Nationalist Party and the Communist Party ended in 1949. But recently declassified government archives have revealed a previously unknown secretive plan by Taiwan's late President Chiang Kai-shek to take back mainland China. Chiang and his troops had fled to Taiwan after losing the war to the Communists but, despite great obstacles, he was obsessed with the idea of taking back the land he had lost. According to these newly-revealed government documents, by the 1960s Chiang thought the time was right to launch a counter-attack, given the devastating famine Mao Zedong's leadership had unleashed and the possibility China would soon have a nuclear weapon. The US was fighting the Vietnam War then, and Chiang knew he needed US military assistance if he were to succeed so he offered to help the Americans fight the war in Vietnam in exchange for US support. Washington objected to Chiang's suggestions, but Chiang went ahead with his preparations anyway.

The declassified information - photocopies of which went on public display in Taiwan for the first time in May - show that Chiang's planned offensive, called the Guo Guang [National Glory] Project, involved 26 operations including land invasions, special operations behind enemy lines and raids against the enemy. Chiang also instructed his son Chiang Ching-kuo to come up with a plan to launch an airborne attack on southern China's Fujian and Guangdong provinces. All of this was top secret at the time.

In 1965, the plans were ready. Soldiers and officers drew up their wills, while the top brass were trying to choose the most suitable "D-Day" to deploy their troops, according to the archives. But Beijing had discovered the plan. On 6 August 1965, two Taiwanese naval vessels assigned to transport troops on a reconnaissance mission were sunk by Communist forces. About 200 soldiers were killed. In November the same year, another vessel sent to drop off supplies for soldiers stationed on one of Taiwan's outlying islands was hit by Communist torpedoes, killing some 90 soldiers. The heavy loss of life surprised Chiang Kai-shek. He then realised China had significantly improved its naval capability. Chiang was forced to scale back and eventually abandon his plan.

But according to Gen Huang Chih-chung, who was an army colonel at the time and was part of the planning process, Chiang never completely gave up the desire to take back China. "Even when he died, he was still hoping the international situation would change and that the Communists would be wiped out one day."

The failure of Chiang's plan changed the course of Chinese and Taiwanese history. The Taiwanese "shifted the focus to modernising and defending Taiwan instead of preparing Taiwan to take back China," said Andrew Yang, a political scientist specialising in Taiwan-China relations at the Taipei-based Council of Advanced Policy Studies. Chiang's son, who later succeeded him as president, focused on maintaining peace between the mainland and Taiwan.

Details of this chapter in history were kept secret for 44 years, and were only revealed when the tourism department in Taoyuan County managed to convince the ministry of national defence and the national library to give it access to the archives. "There were 26 planned operations, but the department of defence only kept documents on 10 of them. The others were all destroyed," said Hsieh Shyang-ling, a spokeswoman for the Taoyuan tourism department. "Chiang Kai-shek didn't want people to know. What we have access to are only some of the documents."
It remains unclear how many soldiers died in the preparations leading up to the plan that was never actually carried out. "To this day, some of their families might not even know how they died," Andrew Yang said.

Chiang even built a secret bomb shelter in case of all-out war. The documents are now displayed in what was once a secret command centre in the scenic mountains of Taoyuan, which the tourism department opened to the public for the first time in May. Hundreds of tourists visit the area each day, including some Chinese tourists. "We feel that since this history existed, we should not hide it. We want to tell people there was this part of history," Ms Hsieh said. The now elderly Gen Huang said he hoped lessons could be learned from history. "Relations between Taiwan and China have totally changed now. I hope it will develop peacefully," he said. "There's no need for war."

15) The Strokes: 'Is This It'

Hailing from New York, The Strokes were hyped up by the critics as the saviours of rock and roll before they even released a single album. The excitement surrounding this band was phenomenal at the time. Harking back to the 1970’s garage rock sound of The Stooges, Television and in particular The Velvet underground, these band almost single handedly, along with the White Stripes, revived garage rock for the 21st century. There was nothing new about the sound or lyrics; it was a retro sound with clear themes of sex, drugs and rock and roll. They opened the flood gates for the plethora of garage rock bands which followed such as The Kings of Leon, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs and, across the pond, The Arctic Monkeys.

Most bands would have crumbled under the immense pressure placed upon them; however, ‘Is This It?’ is an amazing feat. The energy emulating from these boys is part and parcel of their success. The whole album is just a little over 30 minutes long and we and once you overcome the low-budget production the songs just shine through. The songs are aggressive and grainy with some neat guitar solos punctuated with lots of staccato chords from the rhythm section.

Is This It kicks off this masterpiece with a low-fi under produced number, a gem to open with. Then we are treated to a vocal which just gets lost in the amazing rhythm and guitar work of The Modern Age, a classic indie dance track. The musically airtight Soma next which again is a stunning track. Barely Legal continues in dance friendly mode and has some great lyrics. We are then treated to some cheery and laid back effort with Someday and Alone, Together. Last Nite is probably the most famous song from the album and always proves a winner at any indie club.
Hard to Explain is very simple yet is probably one of the best songs on the album also, proof that less is more. New York City Cops was banned from the original release due to the 9/11 attacks but is a superb song full of energy and fun. Trying Your Luck brings down the pace a little and is on level par with anything else on this album. Finally we end with Take It Or Leave It, an all out punk style track and a brilliant way to end this classic album. At Number 15, The Strokes with Is This It.

Relaxing Weekend

Last weekend turned out to be quite a relaxing weekend and a much needed one at that. On Friday we had pasta and wine at home while watching 2046 on DVD which was quite good although I was drifting of towards the end. I’m always so tired on Friday evenings! Then on Saturday we headed to the Diner for lunch but had to wait a while for a table so we headed to Carnegies for a quick drink. There we met Noah, Jack and Luca. Jack is moving to a place just off AnHe Road to open a new coffee shop. We took a look at his new place after we finished at The Diner. It has potential to be a good place I think. Then we headed home to just take it easy. We had hot pot for dinner then chilled out to ’Another Gay Movie: The Sequel’ which was good fun.

On Sunday we decided to finally head to Costco, I now have worldwide membership! We just mainly looked around for our first trip although I did buy a massive bag of kettle chips (almost 1kg’s worth) and we bought a French chocolate cake which was very nice. Then I watched 30th Century Man in the evening, a biography of Scott Walker. The weekend was over before I knew it!

Dalai Lama holds Taiwan prayers

Believers of the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, attend a ceremony to pray for survivors and victims of Typhoon Morakot, 1 Sept 2009. About 20,000 people attended the mass prayers for typhoon victims. The Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, has held a prayer ceremony in southern Taiwan in memory of the victims of last month's typhoon. It was the Dalai Lama's first major public appearance since he arrived on the island on Sunday. He has described his trip as non-political, but China has condemned it. It has reportedly postponed several delegations to Taiwan, at a time when relations between Beijing and Taipei have otherwise been improving.

China considers the Dalai Lama a dangerous separatist who is seeking Tibetan independence, and often criticises his official foreign visits. The trip to Taiwan is especially sensitive given that Beijing considers Taiwan - along with Tibet - as part of Chinese territory.


About 20,000 people assembled in the arena in the southern city of Kaohsiung on Tuesday to see the Dalai Lama. Many of the people there were Tibetan Buddhists from all over Taiwan, but a lot were also typhoon victims, according to the BBC's correspondent in the country, Cindy Sui.

Military soldiers helping to clean the streets of Linbian, in southern Taiwan
Many relatives of those killed in the south of Taiwan blame the government. The 74-year-old monk said he shared the sorrow of those who lost their loved ones during Typhoon Morakot, which hit Taiwan on 7 August and left more than 600 people dead or missing. The people prayed and chanted with the Dalai Lama in unison. At one point he even cracked a joke, saying: "I'm chanting in Tibetan and you'll be chanting in Mandarin, but it's going to sound like chaos."

According to our correspondent, nobody in the Kaohsiung arena was thinking about politics - they were simply very eager to get the spiritual message the Dalai Lama wanted to give them. But the trip is undoubtedly causing strain on Beijing-Taipei relations. On Sunday a statement from China's Taiwan Affairs Office said the Dalai Lama's visit was "bound to have a negative influence on the relations between the mainland and Taiwan".

Chen Shu-rong, spokeswoman for Taiwan's ruling Kuomintang (KMT) party, told reporters that a senior Communist Party official had already cancelled a visit to Taipei, and a Chinese delegation would not take part in Saturday's opening of the Deaf Olympics. Ms Chen told the Associated Press that while she could not confirm that that these actions were taken directly because of the Dalai Lama's visit, "we do not exclude the possibility".

Apart from the Dalai Lama's visit, Taiwan's KMT Party has actually been strengthening its ties with China in recent months. The Chinese government considers President Ma Ying-jeou's administration far easier to deal with than the island's previous pro-independence leadership. But according to our correspondent, Mr Ma had little choice when the opposition party requested an invitation to the Dalai Lama to pray for typhoon victims. His government had been accused of offering a slow and inefficient response to the typhoon, and our correspondent says he could not afford to hurt his and his party's image any further.

16) The Pet Shop Boys: 'Yes'

Many simply dismiss The Pet Shop Boys as gay synth-poppers from the 80’s. However, finally they seem to be getting the recognition they so rightly deserve; as crafters of some of the best pop music of any given generation. The instantly recognizable vocals of Neil Tennant’s sit perfectly with his intelligent and poignant lyrics which also mesh effortlessly alongside detailed and catchy melodies. From their glory days in the 80’s they have continuously had hit after hit. ‘What Have I Done To Deserve This?’, ‘Herat’, ‘West End Girls’, ‘Rent’; the list just goes on and on. Not only this, but they are kings of the cover versions too. ‘Go West’, ‘Always on My Mind’, and ‘Where the Streets Have No Name’ are all definitive versions of the originals. Admittedly their output in the 90s was not quite as stratospheric as during the 80s but in saying this, Bilingual was an excellent album and their remix albums simply entitled Disco are superb.

Therefore in 2009 one would not expect the Pet Shop Boys to be making groundbreaking albums. This album had no right to be as good as it was. This is the time they should be cashing in on bygone glories; yet they have created one of the best albums of their career with Yes. Working with Xenomania was the key move which, arguably, resulted in them finding their winning sound again. They start as they mean to go on with the epic opener Love etc’ which is probably one of the best singles of 2009 with its sardonic skewering of the rich and famous. They then decide to sample Tchaikovsky against rave beats on All Over the World which evolves into a magnificent orchestral cacophony. Beautiful People is a solid album track which is not as great as other songs on here but perfectly listenable nonetheless. Did You See Me Coming is a great party song and is truly uplifting, sure to make you feel good when feeling blue. Vulnerable has great lyrics and leads nicely into my favorite song on the album More Than A Dream. This song is truly awesome and I could dance to this all night long given the chance. Building a Wall continues in the same uplifting and energetic tone but then slows down for King of Rome. Why Kylie rejected the next song written for her by the boys is beyond me, Pandemonium would have been up there with some of her greatest work if she took this one on board, instead we are presented with probably a better version than one envisioned. The Way it Use to be is another solid track but unfortunately doesn’t end well with Legacy. It lasts a little too long and your left wishing it will end after a few minutes. However, this album is pure class, an amazing feat from a band at the height of success in the 1980s. I cannot think of any pop bands from the 80’s producing anything even close to this level in 2009. At number 16, The Pet Shop Boys ‘Yes’.