Kerim Friedman 傅可恩
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kerim.one
Kerim Friedman 傅可恩
@kerim.one
4.1K followers 2.1K following 2.3K posts
Taiwan-based anthropologist.
人類學家與台灣新住民。
https://kerim.one

My Triptych newsletter:
https://triptych.oxus.net/
Posts Replies Media Videos
kerim.one
Good idea!
johanhulaimi 22h Let's bring back "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" But all the contestants are billionaires so it's more of a threat.
November 17, 2025 at 8:12 AM
kerim.one
"Between 2007 and 2025, New York City’s GDP grew at an average annual rate of 5.1 percent, while city revenues grew at just 4.1 percent."

www.phenomenalworld.org/analysis/mam...
Line chart showing two colored lines trending upward from 2008 to 2025. The chart title reads "New York City annual revenue and GDP growth" with subtitle "2008-2025 (2008 = 100)". The vertical axis ranges from 100 to 250, while the horizontal axis marks years 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, and 2025. A blue line labeled "GDP" starts at 100 in 2008 and rises to approximately 255 by 2025, showing steady growth with a slight plateau around 2019-2020. A green line labeled "Revenue" also begins near 100 in 2008, dips slightly below before rising to approximately 195 by 2025, consistently tracking below the GDP line. The chart has a light beige background with gray horizontal gridlines. In the bottom left corner appears a diamond-shaped logo with "Phenomenal World" text. Attribution text at bottom reads: "Source: New York City Comptroller; BEA" followed by "Research & Analysis: Andrew Perry" and "Graphic: Yusuf Imaad Khan". (ALT Text by Claude AI)
November 16, 2025 at 4:20 AM
kerim.one
In the latest issue of Triptych: Adam Tooze on China's electrostate and the desire to "integrate the far flung territories of the Chinese nation state." As well as how "China’s green energy projects are fully part of an extractivist system of development."

triptych.oxus.net/kerims-tript...
A map of China with outlined provincial boundaries in light blue-green. Four major regions are highlighted in purple and labeled as energy production areas: Xingjiang in the northwest, Erdos Basin in the north-central region, Shanxi in the north, and Mongolia East along the northern border, with Southwest Base in the southwest. The remaining areas in light blue-green are labeled as energy consumption areas. Three types of arrows indicate energy infrastructure and flow: thin outlined arrows labeled "To be built, Potential import channel," thick solid blue arrows labeled "Run, building import channels," and thick solid red arrows labeled "Energy flow." The red energy flow arrows point from the purple production regions toward the eastern consumption areas. Text annotations specify coal production amounts: "Annual 3 million tons of coal" near Xingjiang, "Annual 3.3 million tons of coal" near Mongolia East, "Annual 9.2 million tons of coal" near Erdos Basin, "Annual 4 million tons of coal" near Southwest Base, and "Annual 7 million tons of coal" pointing toward the eastern region. A small inset map appears in the lower right corner. The caption reads "Fig. 2. Energy flow in China." (ALT Text by Claude AI)
November 11, 2025 at 1:52 AM
kerim.one
In @nkjemisin.bsky.social's sci-fi novel, The City We Became, Staten Island is the vector by which fascist aliens from a parallel dimension invade the city.
A map of New York City showing its five boroughs colored in two distinct schemes. Staten Island appears in a solid gold or tan color. The other four boroughs—Manhattan, Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn—are rendered in varying shades of blue, ranging from light to dark. Each borough is labeled with its name in black text. At the bottom of the image are two legends. The first reads "Mamdani" followed by a gradient scale in shades of blue, marked with "30 40 50%". The second reads "Cuomo" followed by a gradient scale in gold/tan tones, also marked with "30 40 50%". The blue boroughs show variation in shading intensity, with some areas appearing in darker blue and others in lighter blue, corresponding to the percentage scale. (ALT Text by Claude AI)
November 5, 2025 at 4:59 AM
kerim.one
Probably the most useful aspect of BPMF is that it is well suited for "ruby" characters, where the transcription is alongside the characters. You can do it with HYPY as well, but typographically this is much neater.
An educational display panel in orange/peach color with a red pushpin at the top. The panel features a circled number 4 on the left side. The main text appears in Traditional Chinese characters with phonetic notation marks above each character, reading "為負荷身體的重量 走路時以整個掌面貼地" followed by the English translation "They walk by their soles touching the ground to support their weight." Below this is additional Chinese text explaining that, like humans, Taiwanese black bears have five toes on their front and rear limbs, with claws that can reach 5 centimeters in length. Unlike felines, bear claws cannot retract. The text continues describing how bears' long, powerful claws leave deep marks on tree trunks when climbing. An inset photograph in the lower right shows a close-up of a bear's paw pad, displaying white or light-colored toe pads against dark fur and claws. (ALT Text by Claude AI)
October 31, 2025 at 6:15 AM
kerim.one
Israel is holding 4,000 more Palestinians captive than pre-October 2023. Including 580 more hostages in administrative detention. Administrative detainees are de facto hostages, held indefinitely without charge or trial.

Chart: Stephen Semler
Israel is holding 4,000 more Palestinians captive than pre-October 2023. Including 580 more hostages in administrative detention. September 2023 column: 5,088 total prisoners, including 1,264 administrative detainees and 3,824 other Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. October 2025 column: 9,106 total prisoners, including 1,844 administrative detainees and 7,262 other Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Post-ceasefire estimate based on reported 1 October 2025 data. Data: Israel Prison Service. Administrative detainees are de facto hostages, held indefinitely without charge or trial. Chart: Stephen Semler.
October 16, 2025 at 4:02 AM
kerim.one
Important explainer on Portland
alex.s.flagg 13h Portlander here. If you're wondering why Trump is declaring war against "domestic terrorists" in Portland, here's a vital piece of context. Local police accuse ICE of instigating conflicts with the protesters, and ICE has also violated its land agreement with the city. The mayor is discussing openly canceling their lease. Protest is working. Local police not cooperating, so they are trying to provoke us to get what they want: a fake "war" + propaganda video to justify a fascist crackdown. 1/2
September 28, 2025 at 5:06 AM
kerim.one
Here's some public art from Taiwan.

Source: www.flickr.com/photos/18367...
A large outdoor sculptural installation features two pig figures positioned in a mating pose against a blue sky with white clouds. The black pig figure is mounted behind a white pig that is lying down with a cheerful, smiling expression and closed eyes. The white pig's head is prominently displayed in the foreground, showing distinctive pig features including a snout and ears. The setting appears to be in a rural or park-like environment, with green trees visible in the background and rolling hills on the horizon. A paved road or pathway runs along the foreground of the image. The sculptures appear to be made of a smooth, painted material and are quite large in scale, likely several feet in height. (ALT Text by Claude AI)
September 24, 2025 at 8:17 AM
kerim.one
Migration Scholars' Global Solidarity and Resistance Network

The Global Teach-In/Teach-Out

11 November 2025

migrationscholarsmobilize.org/new-page
The image features a vibrant orange-red background with three raised fists rendered in black and white halftone dot pattern positioned on the left side. On the right side, bold black text reads "Don't Mourn — Organize. Resist. Build Solidarity." At the bottom of the image, a dark gray banner contains the website URL "MIGRATIONSCHOLARSMOBILIZE.ORG" and the text "Migration Scholars Mobilize Network" in white lettering. A small circular information icon appears in the bottom right corner. (ALT Text by Claude AI)
September 8, 2025 at 3:52 AM
kerim.one
Context:
Department of State @StateDept Our nation was founded on the recognition that moral virtue and a steadfast faith in God are necessary preconditions of freedom. Yet under the Biden Administration, U.S. foreign policy belittled Christianity and weaponized government against faith. That era has ended. Under @POTUS ’s leadership, the State Department will eradicate practices that devalue and demean the Christian faith. https://foxnews.com/politics/doj-task-force-finds-numerous-instances-anti-christian-government-bias-under-biden
September 6, 2025 at 6:38 AM
kerim.one
A brief anecdote used in my dad's book on the history of nuclear power sent me down this rabbit hole: radioactive toothpaste!
This vintage advertisement poster features a smiling blonde woman with shoulder-length wavy hair wearing a white collared shirt against a dark background. She has blue eyes and is positioned in the upper left portion of the image. The upper right displays stylized white wavy lines arranged in a radiating pattern with the text "radio aktiv" embedded within the design. The central focus is a large yellow and red tube of toothpaste labeled "Doramad Radioaktive Zahncreme." Below this, white cursive German text reads "erzeugt im Munde natürliche Frische!" At the bottom of the poster, there's a partial illustration of what appears to be a toothpaste tube cap or similar cylindrical object. The company information "AUERGESELLSCHAFT A.G. BERLIN N65" appears in light blue text at the very bottom, along with a triangular logo containing "AUER" on the right side. (ALT Text by Claude AI)
August 24, 2025 at 4:00 AM
kerim.one
It used to be that all the messages in my SPAM folder were for virility pills or penis enlargement; now they are all MAGA related. Is MAGA the new viagra?
This image shows a screenshot of what appears to be an email inbox interface with a dark background and white text. The interface displays a vertical list of email messages, each containing sender names on the left, subject lines or message previews in the center, and timestamps on the right side. The visible messages include senders such as "Kellyanne Conway," "RNC MAJOR ALERTS," "Nancy Mace for Gov...," "Heather, GOP Polling," "NRSC HQ" (appearing twice), "DOGE Inquiry," and "Mike Collins." The timestamps range from 4:40 PM to 5:40 PM. Each message entry shows a preview of the subject line or opening text, with some text appearing to be cut off with ellipses. At the top right of some entries, there appear to be small icons for various functions like archiving, deleting, or marking messages. (ALT Text by Claude AI)
August 17, 2025 at 4:12 PM
kerim.one
This stuff is even better. I was amazed that it is legal in Taiwan.
A hand holds a small glass bottle with a clear plastic measuring cup attachment at the top. The bottle contains a brown liquid and has a white label with red and black text in both Chinese and English. The label reads "晟德" at the top, followed by "甘草止咳水" and "Liquid Brown Mixture" with "(乾咳化痰劑)" underneath. The ingredients section lists "Glycyrrhiza Fluid Extract," "Opium Tincture," and "Antimony Potassium Tartrate" with corresponding measurements. Additional Chinese text provides usage instructions, warnings, and storage information. (ALT Text by Claude AI)
August 17, 2025 at 3:40 PM
kerim.one
Discovery from today's research rabbit hole: "How to adopt a Chinese name," a guide from Taiwan's Ministry of the Interior (2012):

"Please avoid inappropriate words such as: 豬角 (pig knuckle), 蝦 (shrimp), 罔市 (fed whatever), 色 (pervert), 肖維(crazy), 死 (dead) and 老爾 (old), etc."
Who needs to adopt a Chinese name? 1. Foreign spouses and their children; 2. Nationals without registered permanent residence and their children; 3. Other foreign nationals. When do you need to adopt a Chinese name? 1. When applying for the marriage registration, "it is required" to adopt a Chinese name Apply for marriage registration at the household registration office. Provide marriage certificates and related documents to be authenticated by an ROC Embassy or Mission abroad. Il. When applying for Alien Resident Certificate 1. For foreign spouses applying for the Alien Resident Certificate at local service centers of the National Immigration Agency, Ministry of the Interior, "it is required" to adopt a Chinese name. Those who have completed the marriage registration need to adopt the same Chinese name. 2. Other foreign nationals who apply for Alien Resident Certificate for reasons of investment, employment, schooling or missionary work "may" adopt a Chinese name. … Principles of adopting a Chinese name: 1. Surname first, and then the given name. 2. Those who do not have a surname can register the given name only. 3. Anyone can adopt an original Chinese name or Romanization of their foreign name. 4. Only the Chinese characters that may be found in the "dictionaries" are allowed. (e.g. Chinese dictionary, 辭 康熙字典 Chinese comprehensive dictionary, and Kangxi dictionary.) 5. The Chinese surname and given name cannot be separated by commas or " space 6. Anyone who adopts a surname, changes a surname or a given name or alters a surname or a given name should follow the Civil Code and Name Act. For Example, those who register adopted children at the household registration office also need to adopt a Chinese name. Reminder If this is the first time you adopt a Chinese name, please pay attention! 1. Use the same Chinese name for all registrations. …
August 12, 2025 at 11:03 AM
kerim.one
Cuomo should read this NY Times story about why Vienna has affordable housing. Short version: even wealthy people benefit from it.

Programs that only benefit the poor tend to be underfunded and poorly run.

archive.ph/2023.05.23-1...
Imagine a Renters’ Utopia. It Might Look Like Vienna. Soaring real estate markets have created a worldwide housing crisis. What can we learn from a city that has largely avoided it?
August 9, 2025 at 1:13 PM
kerim.one
This is the cake that convinced me to hire them.
This round cake is designed to resemble a traditional bamboo steamer basket, with brown fondant sides featuring horizontal ridged lines that mimic the texture of bamboo wood. The top surface is covered with bright green fondant shaped and textured to look like a large leaf, complete with detailed vein patterns and realistic creases. Sitting in the center of the green leaf surface is a small white fondant figure crafted to look like a steamed bao bun, featuring a simple black curved line for a smiling mouth and small arms positioned at its sides. On the side of the cake is a small white decorative medallion displaying the number "1". The entire cake sits on a white plate against a plain background. (ALT Text by Claude AI)
August 3, 2025 at 9:17 PM
kerim.one
Here's a link to his book:

global.oup.com/academic/pro...
Cover of the book: Nuclear Energy: Boom, Bust, and Emerging Renaissance, by Edward A. Friedman. Illustration of nuclear fission in the background. Logo of Oxford University press.
August 3, 2025 at 9:14 PM
kerim.one
We recently celebrated my father's 90th. Because he has just written a book on the future of nuclear power, we asked The Hudson Cakery to make a cake in the shape of a nuclear power plant. They did an outstanding job. Not only did the cake look fantastic, but everyone said it was delicious as well.
This elaborate cake depicts a nuclear power plant facility with two prominent grey cylindrical cooling towers, each decorated with black atomic symbols and topped with white decorative material resembling steam or vapor. The main facility consists of a rectangular gray-blue base decorated with various small architectural elements including purple, light blue, and dark colored buildings and structures. Many of these miniature buildings feature dark rectangular elements resembling solar panels on their rooftops. The facility includes red domed structures representing reactor cores, along with orange decorative elements, and at least one structure displays a yellow radiation warning symbol. The entire cake sits on a bright green base representing grass or ground cover, with small green decorative elements positioned around the perimeter to simulate trees or vegetation. The cake appears to be professionally crafted with fondant and detailed edible decorations to create a realistic representation of an industrial nuclear facility. (ALT Text by Claude AI)
August 3, 2025 at 9:12 PM
kerim.one
In this week’s Triptych newsletter, the Civil Rights Era origins of Trump’s weaponized lawsuits.

Also, prison-like Indigenous schools in India and the aesthetics of Taiwan’s recall campaign.

triptych.oxus.net/kerims-tript...
This bar chart displays the annual count of media and defamation lawsuits involving Trump from 1984 to 2025 (as of July 22). The chart shows red bars on a timeline, with the y-axis measuring lawsuit frequency from 0 to 5 cases per year. The data reveals a stark pattern: minimal lawsuit activity in the early decades (single cases in 1984, around 1990, 2006, 2010, and 2012), followed by a dramatic surge beginning in 2015 when Trump announced his presidential candidacy. From 2015 onward, the frequency increases substantially, with annual counts reaching 3-4 cases and peaking at 5 cases in both 2024 and 2025. The chart specifically notes Trump’s 1984 lawsuit against a Chicago Tribune architecture critic and marks 2015 as the pivotal year when he announced his presidential candidacy, clearly correlating this political milestone with the subsequent escalation in legal disputes.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ (Claude ai generated alt text)
July 27, 2025 at 2:18 PM
kerim.one
Not looking good for the recall. I really thought at least 4 or 5 would succeed. #taiwan
This image displays a dashboard showing recall election statistics in Traditional Chinese. The key information shows that out of 25 total recall cases, 0 have succeeded and 22 have failed to meet the required threshold. A progress bar indicates 88.0% completion toward some metric, with all cases either failing to reach the threshold or not yet completing the process. (ALT Text by Claude AI)
July 26, 2025 at 10:46 AM
kerim.one
This is the painting I use when I want to explain settler colonialism to my students. (And yes, I checked, this is real.)
You're absolutely right. Here's a more accurate description: A social media post from the Homeland Security account (@DHSgov) with a verified checkmark and Follow button. The post text reads "A Heritage to be proud of, a Homeland worth Defending." followed by "American Progress - John Gast." The image shows a 19th-century painting depicting a large female figure in flowing white robes floating above a vast landscape. She holds a book in one hand while trailing ribbons or banners flow behind her. The scene spans from left to right across a dramatic landscape with storm clouds on the left transitioning to clearer skies on the right. On the left side of the painting, Indigenous people on horseback are fleeing toward the darker, stormy area, along with buffalo and other wildlife retreating from the advancing figure. The center and right portions show covered wagons, a steam locomotive with smoke, telegraph poles, small settlements, and various settlers. Mountains are visible in the distant background, and the overall composition moves from wilderness and displaced Indigenous peoples on the left to Euro-American settlement and development on the right. (ALT Text by Claude AI)
July 24, 2025 at 10:59 AM
kerim.one
The international reporting on Taiwan's recall vote has suffered from their usual "both-sides" framing, but the FT gets it right: it is a story about the KMT becoming estranged from the electorate:

archive.ph/zGWcM
Taiwan’s once-dominant KMT falls ‘out of step’ with the electorate Party that has failed three times to win presidency since 2016 faces reckoning over its ties to China in looming recall vote
July 24, 2025 at 10:11 AM
kerim.one
Respect his privacy, please
Statement from our CEO Andy Byron: "Let me start by apologizing to my family, my wife, and our wonderful employees. My behavior is inexcusable and the shame I am receiving is well deserved. I tried to hide my actions but the truth has finally been revealed. I am a Coldplay fan. And not just of the first two albums. I also like the recent stuff. I am going to take some time to contemplate my future, please respect our family's privacy at this time."
July 18, 2025 at 10:57 AM
kerim.one
"Abolish ICE" is one of those slogans that was ridiculed as hopelessly naive by centrist liberal types. Now the future of American democracy (such as it is) depends on it.

talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/criti...
Last spring, when Dan Ziblatt and I taught a comparative course on democratic backsliding, our study of the Hungarian and German (1920s-30s) cases left me slightly reassured about the United States today. Hungary is highly centralized, and in Germany the most important state transformation happened just before Hitler was appointed Chancellor, when the previous government nationalized the Prussian police and bureaucracy, removing it from Social Democratic control in federated Germany’s largest state. Not long after, unexpectedly, Hitler could easily turn the centralized agencies into his Gestapo core. I thought last year that the USA was somewhat protected against any similar coerceive authoritarian takeover by its federal structure, given state and local government rights to control most U.S. police powers (I presented this argument in my Madison lecture for the Sept 2024 American Political Science Association). But now I see that the Miller-Trump ethno-authoritarians have figured out a devilishly clever workaround. Immigration is an area where a U.S. President can exercise virtually unchecked legal coercive power, especially if backed by a Supreme Court majority and corrupted Department of Justice. Now Congress has given ICE unprecedented resources – much of this windfall to be used for graft with private contractors Trump patronizes, but lots of to hire street agents willing to mask themselves and do whatever they are told against residents and fellow American citizens. The Miller-Trumpites are not interested only in rounding up undocumented immigrants. They will step up using ICE and DOJ enforcements use to harass Democrats, citizen critics, and subvert future elections if they can.
July 5, 2025 at 10:01 PM
kerim.one
The @theguardian.com published a letter from a Dr. Craig Reeves claiming that independent research had "debunked" concerns about "false positives" when using online tools to check for AI use in student papers. Except, if you actually read the three papers he cites, only one supports such a claim.
In 2023, a widely used assessment platform, Turnitin, released an AI indicator, reporting high reliability from huge-sample tests. However, many universities opted out of this indicator, without testing it. Noise about high “false positives” circulated, but independent research has debunked these concerns (Weber-Wulff et al 2023; Walters 2023; Perkins et al, 2024).
June 30, 2025 at 12:13 AM