All the world's a stage.

Heading to Ottawa one day late of the earthquake, I'll be across the street from the Chinese Embassy on Parliament Hill along with hundreds of others to once again say hi to the media and remind President Hu that he does indeed have opposition - as people can sometimes forget among the support rallies organized and paid for by their own governments and embassies.

"The Epoch Times has obtained a recording of a speech given Friday by Liu Shaohua, the first secretary of the education section at the Chinese embassy in Ottawa, to a crowd of between 40 and 50 students receiving Chinese state-scholarships to study there. Those students, Liu said, must attend the welcome events for Hu. 

In the recording, Liu said the embassy is covering hotels, food, travel, and clothing for what he estimates will be 3,000 people who will welcome Hu Wednesday through Friday, coming from as far away as Waterloo, Ont. 

The expenses easily total in the hundreds of thousands, based on Liu’s comments. But Liu described it as “little money” in light of the “political struggle” the Chinese regime is waging, the goal being to overshadow human rights advocates who plan to protest during Hu’s visit. "

                                          - from the Epoch Times, June 23, 2010

Granted, the Epoch Times doesn't have a great reputation for unbiased reporting.

But either way, the facts (in this article and in the hundreds of articles detailing G8 and G20 spending) show that hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars are being spent every time our world leaders meet, setting up a show for us to watch. Plane tickets, new buildings, new lakes, rallies, security fences, cameras, gourmet food, you name it - for every G8 meeting, G20 summit, and other events like the hopelessly unproductive Copenhagen Convention on Climate Change.

To them, All the world's a stage, all of us merely in the audience. But this is no quality Shakespeare - instead we see nothing more than a sketchy circus act, filled with tricks, slips, and lackluster performance. 

Oh, the show's about to start. Make sure you get a good seat, 'cause once the show's over, we're not only cleaning up, but picking up the tab.