APEC 2007 = Comedy Festival?
Sydney-siders would no doubt be relieved that APEC 2007 has finished.
But APEC may not be what it purports to be. On paper it looks like a
serious forum for the discussion of matters affecting the countries of
the Pacific rim. Cynics would say it's just a succession of photo-
opportunities. Maybe the true purpose of APEC is to be a showcase of
the comedic talents of World Leaders, especially George W. Bush?
* "Bush backs 'Austrian troops' at 'OPEC'"
<http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/09/08/2027414.htm>
"Gaffe-prone US President George W Bush confused APEC with OPEC and
transformed Australian troops into Austrians in a series of blunders
in Sydney on Friday"
The Chaser Strikes Back. Was the highly-publicised security breach
by The Chaser an attempt to steal back the comedy spotlight from the
encroachments of the World Leaders?
* "Chaser stunt raises questions about APEC security"
<http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/09/07/2026566.htm>
"This is the most significant security event in Australia's history.
It's the most significant, international, diplomatic event in
Australia's history and therefore is extremely serious."
* "Aussie bin Laden penetrates APEC security"
<http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/09/06/apec_security_breach/>
Of course the annual class photos have been visually entertaining for
years now:
* APEC 2007: Leaders Official Photographs
<http://www.apec2007.org/lwgallery.aspx?event=AELM>
The photo gallery is available via the above link on the official site,
but the direct url is ridiculously long. Try this instead:
<http://tinyurl.com/26j9cu>
Don't they all look impressive in their blandly-coloured smocks, er,
Dryzabones? Actually, I'm a bit disappointed at how bland and smock-
like the coats look on those leaders. Nowhere near as colourful as
recent APEC efforts, highlighted in last year's B-List post:
<http://b-list.blogspot.com/search?q=apec+2006>
Perhaps they should've asked Ken Done to add some colour to the
drabfest?
<http://www.kendone.com.au/current_exhibition/flash.ASP>
