Just a few things...

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, there has been a few things going on that have distracted me from keeping the visitors to this blog up to date on things in KSA...

Dengue Fever has made an appearance here in KSA - according to the local press, only 139 people have been affected by it, with at least 2 fatalities. With the above normal rainfall over the last couple of weeks, the mosquito population is literally out of control, regardless of how much DDT is sprayed in the area. Best guess - add a zero or two to the numbers above for the true picture. Also, if Dengue Fever progresses to Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever, your chances of survival are almost zero...

Police have been clashing with Shiite pilgrims in Medina and other cities - It's the Shiite - Sunni/Wahhabi communities (Wahhabi's look at Shiites as being infidels)protesting for equal rights, with the police stepping in and clashing with the Shiites. How long this can be kept in check is anyone's guess right now, but there are threats of strikes and other acts of disobedience to come if there is no change

Internet cafes and secret videotaping - The Ministry of Interior has made it mandatory for Internet cafe's to secretly videotape and provide then with records on patrons that use them. "Big Abdulla" is watching you surf on the 'net here....

and last, but not least...Hai'a to improve their image - The Hai'a (better known as the Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice) are trying to improve their public image... the matawa's work for this arm of the government and enforce religious law in KSA. I think that they have some way to go, with the public executions and beatings that they administer as punishment - anyone know of a good PR firm for hire?

BTW - the punishment for defacing the Saudi flag is 150 lashes and jail time - a foreigner was awarded that recently. And people get upset at home with how the flag is treated under "free speech" - at least they don't get flogged in public for burning the Stars and Stripes...