Good grief...
Well, thank goodness that the Sri Lankan Military had enough free time on their hands to rescue one guy off the roof of a hotel...
And, I'm so glad the Kohl has bounced back, and will continue his holiday. Probably do some sightseeing, maybe a little windsurfing ("The waves are killer, dude"), and if there's time maybe a little beachcombing...
A spokesman for Mr Kohl said the 74-year-old had been staying at a coastal resort in Sri Lanka, where he was undergoing heath spa treatments, and was not hurt.
"Kohl intends to complete his holiday," he added.
Well thank goodness for that. With all the death and destruction, it sure would be a tragedy if ol' Helmut didn't get to finish his vacation.
"Kohl Rescued as Swedes Fear Worst"
I never thought that Kohl was THAT bad.
The morose Jacques Derrida used to talk about travelling since he travelled a lot and was a professional thinker. He pointed out that when going on a journey or voyage the odds were significant that one and ones travelling companions might die on the journey and that one might choose his travelling companions as to whether he might not mind being buried with them.
Come hell or high water, oh wait...
Not everyone vacationing on Asian beaches is a sex tourist. I have a cousin who spent considerable time in Sri Lanka. He is a professional whale watcher, which believe me is a very competitive occupation to get into. He sailed there on a 35-foot sailboat. (He has been dismasted twice, in rollovers during storms.)
I have other inlaws who have been to Thailand and Cambodia on shoestring budgets.
Helmut Kohl was one of the good guys as a politician. You can't blame him because he's an Important Man for whom rescue planes are sent. He got to be an Important Man completely legitimately.
When he says he'll remain there on vacation, I take that as solidarity with his Asian hosts. What do you think this quake will do to their tourist business? There are plenty of legitimate entrepreneurs running beach hotels there, I'm sure, and plenty of poor Asians who rely on tourists for jobs. They've suffered enough, without losing their livelihoods as well.
Ping to the Swedish Ping List.
Amazing. Even the sleaziest U.S. politicians at least PRETEND to go and help in disaster situations.
I now have a vision of Kohl wearing only a speedo being airlifted in a giant net by a helicopter.
Un-freaking-believable!
What do you want to bet that Herr Kohl was wearing an itty-bitty speedo? Europeans love doing that....