what a week. . .

it will be a doozy. tuesday night here in taiwan will be the opening of polls in the US. it will be hard for me to sleep, knowing that CNN will be broadcasting on the election all night. i sent my ballot in weeks ago. i hope Obama wins, not because i think he will change everything or turn over the established order, but because he will carefully and pragmatically shepherd this very order. he will not lead us into war out of an egotistical belief that he is qualified to teach another country a lesson. he will make decisions based on cool reason, not a buddy-film emotion, the way Bush so wisely judged Putin. i wish he were further to the Left. but he does have a mainstream notion of fairness which will lead, if elected, to some modest rollbacks of the worst "soak the poor" policies of Reagan-Bush-Clinton-Bush.

i harbor hopes that he will take seriously the need to address global warming and nuclear disarmament -- not just reduction -- for these are the biggest threats to global security. he has the wisdom of judgment. but will enough Americans be shaken out of complacent support of our current system to support radical, brave measures?

the day before, Monday, Chen Yun-lin, China's top Taiwan Affairs official, will arrive in Taipei for negotiations on a list of issues, such as direct shipping links and food inspection. a few weeks ago i was hearing word that the opposition DPP party had vowed to besiege the talks with protests, but since then i have heard little. it could be a chaotic scene.

and finally, on friday morning, Sara will finally get her interview at the American Institute in Taiwan, the de facto embassy, in Taipei. Which means we could be on our way to the US this very month! Just as the weather begins to turn nice. . .