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Nathan wrote:
At any rate, I think it would be rational for those planning on attending to contact the embassy of their nation in Egypt, particularly if there is one in Alexandria, to request information on steps to take in case of a difficult or emergent situation. I don't think that the Wikimania organizers can reasonably be expected to ensure the complete safety of attendees, given restrictions on resources etc, so its incumbent upon those folks to take appropriate precautions. Of note is the fact that while there has been Islamic terrorist activity in Egypt between 2004 and 2006, none of it seems to have occurred in Alexandria.
Sweet Christ, can anyone remind me how in the hell we ever decided on Egypt in the first place? Was that when the probability of being killed by terrorists was equally rated with the desire to not host Wikimania on the same continent two years in a row?
Face it, Egypt shares very little of the same values that we do (especially the whole "not censored" part). There is a significant chance of violent protests breaking out, potentially bringing harm to our conference and our participants.
Torino doesn't look so bad anymore, huh?
- -- Ben "Cyde Weys" McIlwain ( http://www.cydeweys.com/blog/ )