being in Lima Peru for election day has been surreal to say the least… the slums here are profound and the closeness to america just heightens the images of poverty… right next door to our country the third world is suffering and struggling in grim squalor… a coca cola truck full of product passes by starving dogs roaming the streets looking for food and i cant help but wonder if anyone here really needs coca cola… i’m a bit surprised and a lot disappointed by the outcome of the election, but given the nature of the beast maybe it should have been obvious: that 80% of the media in the US is controlled by a small handful of corporate interests that succeded in scaring the shit out of the majority of the people… it seems also that the vote was swayed by a fair degree of morality issues, stem cells, gay marriages, etc… people worrying about these things underscores the lack of information and the terrible levels of education here… the international reaction is depressing as hell and not something one will run into unless they watch CNN or the BBC… up to now the perception has been that the american people didnt necessarily back the ideals of the administation whereas now this perception has changed overnight some of the stuff ive been seeing coming from various world leaders is very severe… i’m proud of everyone who got out there and voted i only hope that my fears about america plunging over the edge arent realised… certainly its going to take a long time to dig out of this situation and it remains to see how it impacts everyone directly