SARS Flightmares

As the mainland-based chairman of the Society for Promoting Taiwanese Business in Shanghai, Chang Fu-mei seldom goes home to his native island. But since returning to Taipei from Shanghai on April 30, he's had more than enough time to reacquaint himself with the inside of his house. Chang's quick trip, necessary mainly to sign a business contract, ran smack into Taiwan's mandatory 10-day quarantine for Taiwanese travelers returning from places hit by SARS. Chang has been forced to count the flowers on his wallpaper while he serves his sentence. "All I can do at home is read," he complains. Adding to...