June 30, 2008

A Paradise on Earth

Well I certainly didn't see this one coming... From the London Times:
Robert Mugabe sails through summit unchallenged
A defiant Robert Mugabe sailed unchallenged through the first test of his presidency by his peers.

Freshly sworn-in following a single-candidate election, he received a leader�s welcome when he strode into the African Union summit in Sharm el-Sheikh today and emerged unfazed, his authority intact.

He dined at a lavish luncheon given by his Egyptian hosts, hugged heads of state and other diplomats in the corridors and stayed at one of the most luxurious resorts in this Red Sea town.

Delegates from the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) lodged at the Sheraton, while their leader Morgan Tsvangirai remained holed up in Zimbabwe.
I have this mental image of a bunch of little girls playing dress-up tea party. Oh so very serious but without any real impact on the world. Rope, tree, Mugabe, some assembly required... And Sharm is not a bad place to be staying -- from here: Sharm El Sheikh
The simplicity of sun, sea and sand. The luxury of five-star hotels, water sports, shopping and entertainment. This is Sharm el-Sheikh, one of the most accessible and developed tourist resort communities on the Sinai peninsula. All around are Bedouins, colorful tents, mountains and sea. There are small, intimate hotels with modern designs, as well as larger hotel complexes belonging to International chains, plus about all the amenities one could expect of a tourist center, including casinos, discos and nightclubs, golf courses and health facilities. In fact, with diving and snorkeling, windsurfing and other water sports, horses and camel riding, desert safaris, and great nearby antiquities attractions, it is almost impossible for a visitor to ever suffer from boredom.
Why don't they ever hold these conferences in the places where they actually live so that they can get a direct handle on the problems they need to address... Posted by DaveH at June 30, 2008 11:42 AM