DOWN THE STRETCH

As I complete my final days on what has been an incredibly busy, and I feel productive time, I thought I would pause and pay tribute to the man above known to the world as Marco Polo, the Venician who was unquestionably the numero uno traveler of his era.  His statue is in front of the Louis Vuitton/Hugo Boss store fronts and he is looking south towards China where he travelled to and lived for 17 years before departing for home.  He stated in his published travels that the most inhospitable piece of earth imagined was the vast Gobi Desert which he traversed at least twice in a constant quest for water, food and shelter as he made his way across.  What the pigeon on his shoulder signifies I have no idea.  What would he think today looking out on UB, this thriving, vibrant, crowded, sunny city.

As for me, I was able to have a second and final meeting with the Minister Of Justice (he asked that I return to see him before I left).  Our discussion centered about defaamtion reform and the elimination of criminal libel except in the case of intentional libel something almost impossible to prove.  He pledged tht the new Parliament and President are seriously interested in reform to bring the country more into line with America and international law, all good news for those of us who understand that a free press and free speech is the cornerstone to a strong democracy (which they are committed to).  So all in all a nice ending to a good trip, one which I have enjoyed.  And so it goes...