Saudi Businessman purchases solid gold penis enlarger... no, really.

Just can't resist sharing this one... Good Old Saudi...

Saudi businessman orders solid gold penis enlarger

Wednesday, August 5 10:48 pm APF

A Saudi businessman has purchased what is being described by the Canadian seller as the world's most expensive adult novelty item -- a solid 18-carat gold penis enlarger worth nearly 50,000 dollars.


A general view shows the Saudi capital Riyadh in 2007

X4 Labs, a Canadian manufacturer of medical devices, received the unorthodox request and recruited a Montreal custom jeweler to help with its design and construction.

"This male health accessory is the most expensive traction device ever produced and will likely become a historical benchmark for the adult novelty industry," the company said in a statement.

Little is known about the buyer, except that he lives in Jeddah.

His glitzy new penis enlarger, however, is being encrusted at his request with 40 diamonds and several rubies and is to be delivered by armored car in October, said Rick Oh, X4 Labs co-owner.

Saudi law bans the import of adult sex toys, but the company insists its product is a US government certified medical device.

Such devices normally retail for less than 400 dollars. But this custom order is expected to cost about 47,000 dollars US, Oh said.

"It's an unusual request," Oh told AFP. "We didn't take it seriously at first, but once he sent us a deposit, we had to agree to it."

"Obviously, there were giggles initially when we presented our project to a jeweler and asked him for help."

But the seemingly lavish device was actually conceived for a practical purpose, Oh explained. "We were approached by the customer who insisted on a solid gold version of our product because he claimed to have a severe skin allergy to stainless steel."

Later, the buyer asked to add diamonds and rubies to it.

The company intends to now offer all customers custom designs for their male novelty devices, although it states it is "uncertain as to whether this will become a trend."

Product coordinator Matt West said he "is convinced that there is a demographic that is willing to pay for lavish medical devices for their private areas... to pay good money to spoil themselves."

"There is something tremendously selfish about the male ego, and subsequently 50,000-dollar orders may become the norm for companies like X4 Labs," he said.

The wacky world that is Saudi.

A couple of funny stories from the crazy wacky world of Saudi Arabia might amuse you.



First, young Saudi men are getting hooked on Viagra, to the extent that they can no longer get it up without it.

I love the way the default defense is that the problem is caused by the internet spam ads...Classic.

Young Saudi men go wild over notorious blue pill
By Abdul Rahman Shaheen, Correspondent
Published: April 30, 2009, 22:57

Riyadh: The kingdom has been gripped with a craze for erectile-dysfunction medications by young men - an occurrence which has many worried.

A large number of married Saudi youths are flocking to pharmacies to take hold of Viagra - "the little blue pill" - or any other stimulants that will give them more satisfaction. The catchy words and obscene images that appear on online advertisements of these medications are another factor luring youth into buying packets of these stimulants.

According to Saudi doctors, this phenomenon reflects the spread of a negative sexual culture among the younger generation in the Kingdom.

"[The] lack of an effective mechanism to monitor and curb these adverts was instrumental in spreading this mania among the youths," they said. However, agents of the pharmaceutical companies deny responsibility for this. The firms called for strict vigilance by authorities to stop the sale of counterfeit medications.

Several young men said that they started taking stimulants soon after marriage. Some of these youths dared to disclose their identity while others requested anonymity.

They agreed that the pills were instrumental in keeping them virile during love making. They also felt that their masculinity was directly linked to their potency.

Mohammad Nassir Al Qah'tani, said: "I started taking stimulant during the very first week after my marriage at the instance of one of my friends. This was an impressive experience for me and my wife."

He added that he stopped using the stimulants at the advice of a doctor but added that his sudden stoppage resulted in some mental disturbance.

Another young man, called M.A., said that he became addicted to the stimulant and could not make love to his wife without using the pill. He said he was now considering seeking psychiatric help.

Dr Duraid Yazji, a consultant urologist, said that the erectile-dysfunction medications were meant for aged men in their 50s and 60s with some degree of dysfunction due to reduced hormonal production.

Perhaps its because they are married to wives they have no attraction for? Because meanwhile, a Reuters report in the Gulf News that the Saudi authorities are closing woman-only gyms. Apparently there is no way for the businesses to get a license (unlike men-only gyms).

And, of course, everyone knows that such vigorous exercising might make girls loose their virginity. Nice point Shaikh Abdullah. Clearly you've been giving the idea of vigourously exercising young women a lot of thought.

Saudi women question government clampdown
Reuters
Published: May 01, 2009, 22:51
...
Unhappy at the growing number of unlicensed female gyms, the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs recently closed two in the Red Sea city of Jeddah and one in the city of Dammam on the Gulf Arab coast for not having a licence.
...
While male gyms get licences from a government sports body, female gyms have no official authority overseeing them.
...
"Football and basketball are sports that require a lot of movement and jumping," Shaikh Abdullah Al Maneea, member of the official Supreme Council of Religious Scholars, said in a religious opinion published in Okaz newspaper on Thursday.

He said such excessive movement may harm girls who are still virgins, possibly causing them to lose their virginity.
...

You've gotta love the comedy that the Supreme Council of Religious Scholars manages to pump out. This classic one was reported after an 8 year old girl finally got her divorce from a 50 yr old letch who had bought her from her father for $13,000.

Saudi Arabia's conservative Muslim clergy have opposed the drive to end child marriages. In January, the kingdom's most senior cleric said it was permissible for 10-year-old girls to marry and those who believe they are too young are doing the girls an injustice.

Oman win Gulf Cup!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We won!

On penalties perhaps, but we won. against Saudi. ha ha ha ha ha !

Very, very nice.

Celebrations continue. (If you see photos, I'm the one in the middle hanging out the roof of the Lambo. The other two are my wife and prospective wife no. 2, your honor.)

Well done Oman. And special kisses to Al Habsi.

Good news to report. In the little local bar I passed by for an ale to see the ending. Locals generally cheered the Minister officiating, and certainly cheered the images of HM that were tagged with the broadcast.

Oman through to a classic final against the old enemy: Saudi

It's the final we all wished for - as long as we win: us vs. RSA.


Tomorrow, at 6pm, Oman play Saudi in the regional Gulf football cup final. Its a big deal. And it'll be a nail biter game.

Oman got through their semi against Qatar thanks to the amazing Al Habsi. The team played pretty well.


Photo: Oman beat Qatar to face Saudi

In the other semi-final, Saudi vs Kuwait, it was a classic 'no lose' game for Oman. One of them was going to lose. And while everyone was cheering for Kuwait (honestly, just try cheering for Saudi.... I always find it just sticks in the throat), really we all wanted Saudi to win!

Why? So we, Oman, can kick their ass in the final. Omanis really can't stand Saudis. What with the war(s), the border disputes, the religious interference, and the 1980s Saudi official fatwa against all Ibadhi; lets say, there's not a lot of love lost between the people of Oman and the brotherly Kingdom to the West. The great thing is, this nationaistic passion will be subsumed in the sport of football. One can only wonder how long before Gaza could play Israel in a peaceful football match.

I really hope we win tomorrow. Getting beaten by the Saudis would totally suck.

Enjoy the game folks. Fingers crossed it doesn't go to penalties again... I'll be out with the crowds if they win!


And in other news...
Oh, it rained really hard last week, in case you hadn't heard/don't live here. The wind was IMHO a lot stronger than during Gonu for several minutes. And it hit very fast - a real storm. Mostly the city survived pretty well. Amazingly the pitch was OK for the matches too.



Photo: hail, wind and rain strikes Oman

Rain and hailstorms lash northern parts of Oman

By Sunil K. Vaidya, Bureau Chief
Published: January 14, 2009, 12:58

Muscat: Hailstorms lashed the northern parts of Omani capital for almost 30 minutes on Tuesday night.

"It was like small cubes of ice but not in definite shape," Saeed Masood, an Omani resident of Seeb, 45-km north of central Ruwi, told Gulf News.

He said the streets were covered with ice and traffic came to a halt as visibility reduced drastically.

"Our terrace was filled with solid pieces of ice," said Yogesh Shah, a long-time Oman resident who lives in a terrace flat in Seeb.

After the storm stopped, Shah said children in the area had a gala time. "For sometime children started throwing ice at each other," he said.

There was nothing unusual about hailstorms as it had happened in the past too, said Hamid Al Brashdi of the Meteorological and Air Navigation Department.

He predicted more rains, accompanied by thunderstorms, due to continued trough of low pressure that first brought rains in Musandam and Wusta region and then over Muscat.

The meteorological office advised people to take extra care during rains, especially in low-lying areas.

I do like the last point of advice. Surprised they didn't warn about being in wadis and things too.

Still Eid. Shine on you crazy moon... Very Important People confirm lack of moon sighting in Oman

Well, thankfully it's still Eid Holidays. On the International scale, Oman kicks butt on Public Holidays. I loose count of how many we get - although last year's unusual royal berevement count helped recently to give even more. (Can someone do the math and tell us? How many free holidays this year?)

Does everyone out there know we still use (except for banks) the Thursday-Friday as a weekend. So for second Eid, the Public Sector got Sunday through Saturday off, a whole week pretty much, in addition to annual leave quota (if you have such a thing).

It also means the town is pretty dead. Everyone who can is off, either camping or out of town. Most of the traffic consists of idiots from the UAE or GCC. Yippee. Is it any wonder we escape? The Dragon too succumbed to the lull of beaches, boats, bikini babes and booze. (In fact, I find most religious holidays are best celebrated in this time honoured way. Look at Christmas!) Hence the lack of posts past 2 days. Can you blame me?

Picture: How the Dragon spends his religious holidays.


The consternation of the masses over the timing of the holidays are the only thing of note. Ibadhi religious holidays are based on the observing the appearance and disappearance of the moon.

Picture: David Ryle at http://www.rylesprocket.com

There is an Official Moon Sighting Committee, tasked with receiving reports from across the land through notarised observers (not just someone stumbling out of the Ruwi Novotel). This is why we never know exactly when the holiday will be until the last minute.

But although one might think modern astronomy could easily determine the timing precisely for everyone, but no:

New Moon is often considered to occur at the time of the appearance of the first visible crescent of the Moon, after conjunction with the Sun. This takes place over the western horizon in a brief period between sunset and moonset, and therefore the precise time and even the date of the appearance of the New Moon by this definition will be influenced by the geographical location of the observer.

Ah hah. Makes planning holidays hard.

But it also meant that if the moon might have been theoretically visible (under ideal conditions) in parts of the Sultanate last week, because it was cloudy the moon went unsighted, and so Oman's Eid (and Islamic calendar date) is on a different day to Saudi's. Saudi you see, did see the moon. Saudi even send planes up to see it if necessary, which is why they can announce earlier with accuracy and religious consistency in their eyes [but then they have a Haj to run, and try having more than 2 million guests arrive on your doorstep at a few days notice].

Not Oman. Also, there can be astronomical differences between the observability of the moon between someone in Oman and in Saudi.

The Islamic calendar has retained an observational definition of the New Moon, marking the new month when the first Crescent Moon is actually seen, and making it impossible to be certain in advance of when a specific month will begin (in particular, the exact date on which Ramadan will begin is not known in advance). In Saudi Arabia, if the weather is cloudy when the New Moon is expected, observers are sent up in airplanes. In Iran a special committee receives observations of every new moon to determine the beginning of each month. This committee uses one hundred groups of observers.

So when the Omani committee confirmed the moon was not seen (when it had been expected), a lot of people were a little miffed, having booked holidays in advance, made plans, Haj, etc etc. I mean, aircraft don't schedule themselves, and modern enterprises also operate on a slightly longer operational timescale.

So the mighty Majlis had to weigh in and check that there hadn't been a cock-up with the whole moon thing. Which they did, and confirmed it was OK (no actual explanation though, your typical 'Because I said So, Trust Me' Omani Government public answer) and announced it in the papers. Oh, and they were careful to point out that other countries in the region agreed that Oman's call on the whole moon-thing was spot on.

Majlis clarifies doubts on Al Hijja moon-sighting
ONA
Saturday, December 06, 2008 11:34:49 PM Oman Time

MUSCAT — The Majlis Al Shura has confirmed that the justifications upon which the specialised committee has made its decision on sighting the moon of the month of Al Hijja 1429 were accurate. The Majlis, in a statement issued yesterday, said it has followed up the issue of sighting the moon announced by the specialised committee and pointed out that it has studied the issue with the Council of Ministers, and submitted its views, stressing the importance that moon-sighting should be based on agreement of Shariah and jurisprudence evidences among Islamic nations as well as the advancements made in moon-sighting by using new technologies. The Majlis confirmed the correctness of justification given by the specialised committee in sighting the moon and affirmed that differences in moon-sighting among the Islamic countries and difference in calculating timings is a normal thing. A number of Islamic nations have agreed with the Sultanate’s views on sighting the moon this year as confirmed by renowned observatories, the statement concluded.

'So all you peoples gossiping out there, just shut up! You're so annoying' [Said in accent of King Julian, Ruler of the Lemurs in Madagascar the movie, BTW]

But clearly they didn't quite shut up, so subsequently the ruling Council of Ministers weighed in too, with there own investigation of the investigation of the observation, and their own press release from the official news agency, saying that no, it really really was OK that Oman's Eid was different.

Which is great, as coming from the Council of Ministers it is also a very overtly political statement. It emphasises that in such things, Oman does its own thing, and doesn't look to Saudi or Iran to control their religion. Damn right. You go Oman!

Moon-sighting decision is ‘accurate’, says Council of Ministers
ONA
Monday, December 08, 2008 12:08:54 AM Oman Time

MUSCAT — The Council of Ministers affirmed that the decision taken by the Moon-Sighting Committee for the month of Dhul Hijja was accurate.

Celebrating Eid Al Adha by the Sultanate tomorrow was based on the committee’s decision and on what have been studied previously in coordination with the Majlis Al Shura and other state departments for moon-sighting in the Sultanate after resorting to astronomy and hearing of different opinions.

The council affirmed the accuracy of the decision as it was based on scientific facts as confirmed by astronomers in the Sultanate and abroad. The decisions was also based on the Shariah evidences that set the beginnings of the lunar months based on place and region of the moon sighting, it said.

The council appreciated the efforts made by different authorities including the Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs, the main committee for sighting the moon, the sub-committees in the various parts of the Sultanate, and the Oman Astronomy Association for Sighting the Moon and the evidence provided by them for fixing tomorrow, December 9, as the day of Eid. Saudi Arabia and several other nations celebrate Eid today.

The council extended its Eid greetings to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, the citizens and residents of Oman and Muslims all over the world.

I would have preferred if they printed some maps showing the degree of difficulty seeing a new moon (which can be done, see this example for a lunar eclipse) that night, wrt nearby countries, to explain to people why it can be different and sort of bolster their case on the 'no cock-up' part. But even if it was a screw up, it was 100% Oman's right to do so, so take that Saudi! Eid is Tuesday, so there.


Map showing degree of eclipse visibility

No more Happy Birthdays in The Kingdom?

Yes, more wackiness from the country that banned the sale of red roses on the 14th of February. Saudi and the Islamic establishment are now wasting their time debating whether or not it is haram to celebrate little kids’ birthdays with a party.

Rather than addressing real issues, such as perhaps Palestine, the damaging schism between Sunni and Shia, the equitable treatment of women, how to more effectively combine rule by theology with political representation, etc etc etc, it seems of late that re-arranging the intellectual deck chairs is the main preoccupation of senior clerics in the Kingdom.

Saudi Arabia debates birthday parties
September 05, 2008
Riyadh: When Hala Al Masa'ad invited her girlfriends over to celebrate her 18th birthday with cake and juice, little did the high school student know that she was stepping into an unusual public debate. Is celebrating birthdays un-Islamic?

Saudi Arabia's most senior Muslim cleric recently denounced birthday parties as an unwanted foreign influence, but another prominent cleric declared they were OK.

That has left Al Masa'ad with mixed feelings about her low-key celebration last month. She says she loves birthday parties because they make her feel that she has "moved from one stage in life to another."

"But I sometimes feel I'm doing something 'haram' [banned]," she said sheepishly.

The Saudi ban on birthdays is in line with the strict interpretation of Islam followed by the conservative Wahhabi sect adhered to in the Kingdom. All Christian and even most Muslim feasts are also prohibited because they are considered alien customs that the Saudi clerics do not approve.
…
The latest controversy started when a prominent Saudi Arabian cleric, Salman Al Audah, said on a popular satellite TV programme last month that it was OK to mark birthdays and wedding anniversaries with parties as long as the Arabic word "eid", meaning feast, is not used to describe the events.

That prompted a quick denunciation by Saudi Arabia's grand mufti and top religious authority, Shaikh Abdul Aziz Al Shaikh, who said such celebrations have no place in Islam and produced a list of foreign customs that he suggested were unacceptable.

Thank goodness Oman is above such silliness. This country really lucked out to have been the cradle that saved the Ibadhi Muslim sect. I only wish it would slowly replace the Wahhabi/Sunni/Shia versions globally as soon as possible. The key differences with Ibadhi is, as I am led to understand, Ibadhi not only have a more democratic vision for who the Imam should be, but also are allowed to “follow a method of allegorical interpretation of anthropomorphistic expressions in the Qu'ran.” IE Apply some common sense. Common sense seems to be something totally lacking in Saudi Arabia’s religious discussions.

For a more detailed and, IMHO, very reasonable description of Ibadhism and Omani religious history, I'd recommend interested readers check out this commentary by Valerie J. Hoffman, Professor of Islamic Studies at the University of Illinois. [It may also be a more appropriate read than the links on one of my previous posts recently on a subject perhaps somewhat Haraam given that this is the Holy Month of Ramadan! Sorry about that BlueChi.]

Saudi Moral police have poor IT skills and demand access to porn, social networking sites

In a classic case of 'yeah, right, sure you do' - the Saudi religious police, infamous for their stupidity, violence, and homophobic and misogynistic attitudes, have asked to have their internet filters turned off according to The Gulf News. They say its just to monitor immoral practices, naturally. (hey kids, don't try this 'oh I was just monitoring immoral practices' excuse at home, as, lets face it, it just won't wash. Blame an email virus...)

Its a sign of great relief I'm sure to many Saudis, especially the young ones, that the Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice is neither internet savvy enough to get around the filters already, and that there isn't already someone monitoring them as they use myspace and facebook to talk, meet members of their desired sexual orientation in virtual space and in person, and exchange saucy webcam and phone camera shots.

Fortunately, the Chairman of the Shura didn't seem to buy the excuse either.

Exclamations of laughter from the Council members combined with lots of winking, immediately following the request, were not reported.

Religious police demand access to blocked websites
By Mariam Al Hakeem, Correspondent
Published: August 28, 2008, 23:44
Riyadh: A number of members of the religious police (the Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice) have urged the Chairman of the Saudi Shura Council, Dr Saleh Bin Humaid, to enable them to have access to blocked websites to monitor immoral practices by visitors of these sites.

In an open meeting held by Dr Bin Humaid at the headquarters of the Commission in Makkah last night they justified this unexpected request by arguing that there are some male and female youngsters who exploit blocked websites to get involved in negative practices away from the eyes of the Saudi authorities.

"Since members of the Commission have no access to these blocked websites, such immoral practices cannot be pursued and put an end to," they said.

Dr Al Humaid told the Commission members to provide the relevant authorities with convincing justifications to give them to access to the blocked sites. However, he expressed doubt on the need for such a thing
"These justifications must be supported by clear evidence, otherwise there is no need for it," he said.

He said that Commission members should not think that they can correct all immoral practices in society but they have to advise society members who might listen to them.

"It is your duty to advise people and try to guide them to the right path, but you should not expect immediate results following your advice," he said. He urged them to be polite with wrong-doers and to listen to the views of others and try to strengthen relations with them.
...

While the Religious police focus on getting access to Penthouse, Hustler and Facebook, the Kingdom continues to lock up people for their political views. (see another Gulf News story)

Saudi group calls on rights body to stop illegal arrests of citizens
By Mariam Al Hakeem Correspondent
Published: August 28, 2008, 21:49
Riyadh: A group of citizens has urged the National Human Rights Association in Saudi Arabia to try to find a solution to the illegal arrest of Saudis, especially those who express their opinions in peaceful and civilised ways.

The group denounced the arrest of Professor Matrook Al Faleh, political science professor at King Saud University (KSU) which it described as an indication of a serious human rights violation. His family was not informed about his arrest until late at night. Dr Al Faleh was not provided with an attorney during questioning, even though Saudi law grants him that right.

Dr Al Faleh's wife, Jameela Al Aqla, said that her husband has been in prison for more than 80 days; however, he is still in solitary confinement in Al Haeer Jail. He is prohibited from receiving books, newspapers, and watching television.
...

Its always nice to remind myself that I'm not living in Saudi (or Yemen, or Kuwait, or Qatar, or..). Note: for those overseas, Oman does not have an equivalent of the Saudi Religious police.

So, if you get a bit down this Ramadan, with the extra-suicidal and super-rude driving that always accompanies the month of brotherly kindness; Take a breath. And repeat:
'At least I'm not in Saudi'.

MSM drops; Saudi Woman busted for driving

In domestic news today, the Muscat Stock Market dipped by more than 2%. What didn’t help of course was the Oman Central bank significantly cutting the banks ability to lend money. This was done to try to reduce the ever accelerating money supply growth in Oman, as the rial remains fixed to the dollar, oil revenues continue to soar, and the Government (and everyone else too it seems) is hell-bent on building, building, building.

It’s a pity the other big construction firms, apart from Galfar, remain privately held. They are coining it right now. The Bahwans, et al must be feeling very, very rich lately. I saw a nice brand new Lamborgini yesterday in Qurm. Veeery Niiice.

So, it would be likely the MSM will continue to climb steadily long term, but only as long as oil stays high. Beware, a significant drop in oil price will precipitate a really big drop in the MSM, IMHO.


Market crashes by 266 points

MUSCAT The MSM-30 General Index opened the week on a negative note, dropping 2.22 per cent or 266.51 points to close at 11,720.6 points.

The market breadth was extremely negative with five stocks advancing while 34 stocks ended lower. Turnover was RO20.72 million on a volume of 18.06 million, lower than its 21 day moving average (MA).

Among the sub-indices, the banking and investment index was the worst performer down 1.99 per cent driven by the hike in reserve requirement for commercial banks from 5 per cent to 8 per cent of total deposits, decrease in the lending ratio from 87.5 per cent to 82.5 per cent and lowering of interest rate ceiling on personal loans from 8.5 per cent to 8 per cent.
…
National Securities (NSCI) lost 7 per cent to close at RO1.712, while heavyweight BankMuscat (BKMB) lost 5.5 per cent to close at RO1.888.

Among the industrial sector stocks, Galfar Engineering (GECS) continued its decline for the second straight day closing 2.17 per cent lower while Majan Glass (MGCI) ended 6.8 per cent higher.
…

And from the world of public beheadings, and where all women have an official owner, this gem from the Gulf News. And how I wish we had a paper even close to this one. I love the court reports.
Saudi woman detained for violating driving ban

Gulf News Published: June 15, 2008, 23:44
Riyadh: Saudi police have detained a woman for violating rules banning women from driving in the country, a newspaper said on Sunday. The woman from Buraida north of Riyadh was stopped by a police patrol after driving 10km to collect her husband, Al Hayat newspaper said.

The woman's "legal guardian" - her husband - was required to sign a declaration that he would not allow her to drive again, it said. It was not immediately clear if she was released or would face legal action.

Oman is surrounded by shit holes

I’ve often noted that Oman is a beautiful country totally surrounded by shit-holes: Yemen [Crazy violent anarchy] Saudi [crazy religious nut cases and despots], Iran [crazy authoritarian religious nuke-seekers], and of course, the good ol’ UAE [spoilt oil rich pimps and labour expoiters].

This is a good example typical of UAE.

Dubai: A court has upheld a 10-year jail sentence against an unemployed visitor who sexually exploited a penniless housemaid by forcing her to sleep with 20 men in one day for money.

Here's the Gulf News article
That's OK, you might think. 10 yrs for pimping. What are you complaining about 'Dragon? Some bastard forces women into prostitution, essentially sex-slaves, and gets 10 yrs when he’s caught (by the woman getting the courage to report him despite the risk of beatings or worse).
And the response from the sympathetic UAE to the poor woman’s plight? She gets 1 year in jail for ‘prostitution’.

He was charged with beating, threatening and forcing L.K. into prostitution after locking her up in a flat which he rented for that purpose. He also forced a 22-year-old compatriot woman, B.A., to work in the sex industry. The court sentenced B.A. to one year in prison for prostitution

.
How totally fcuked up is that? The sentencing seems a little haphazard to say the least, reading in the same paper:

On Monday, the Dubai Court of First Instance sentenced two Chinese male pimps to six months in jail each for running a brothel of seven Chinese women who were each given six months in jail.

On Sunday, the court sentenced seven women, including six Indians and an Indonesian, aged between 24 and 38, to one year for working in the sex industry.

More Saudi Bullshit
And in yet another reason why Oman in so many ways is the 'Jewel in the Crown', the police force we don’t have here. Another good story about the misogynistic, arrogant, sadistic, torture and rape practicing religious nutcases that seem to constitute the unaccountable Saudi muttawa [aka religious police]. See Gulf News Saudi article

Riyadh: Saudi authorities are questioning two members of the kingdom's powerful religious police in the case of a traffic accident in which a man and a woman burned to death, an official said on Monday.
The Okaz newspaper said the couple were fleeing from the special police, whose duties include ensuring that unrelated men and women do not mix in public, when the accident occurred.
But Shaikh Sulaiman Al Oneizi, a senior official at the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, which runs the religious police, said there was no indication so far that the two commission members had been chasing the couple. Instead, the two were on a routine patrol near the northern town of Tabuk, when the couple's sedan crashed into a trailer truck on Sunday, Al Oneizi told The Associated Press.

No, absolutely. They were just speeding I guess, even tho witnesses at the scene confirm the couple were being chased.

I could go on. Just today, more Bombings in Yemen, fraudulent elections in Iran, oh, and the http://www.gulfnews.com/news/gulf/kuwait/10198136.html entire Kuwait Cabinet resign (again), after having some difficulty with the elected parliament not doing what they’re told and the concept of ‘opposition’.

So, go Oman.

Tommorrow I’ll try and bring some news about the story behind the Minister of Tourism’s big new house extension in Qurm, that rumors are flying about on the Expat scene. Oh, and more management disfunction at the infamous Blue City…

Penis envy overtakes Saudi…

Always a country that likes to flop it out when oil is concerned, Saudi is apparently planning a 1,600m high tower, which would be twice the height of the two Dubai towers and 60% higher than the Kuwaiti 1,001m tower. What a total waste of money. Its not like real estate is hard to find in the Middle East (unlike, say, New York). But I guess its too embarrassing for the Saudis to have their manhood questioned over the lack of a sufficiently big one.

Gulf states in race to build world’s tallest tower

What a turn-around for a country that less than 10 yrs ago had to lean on Abu Dhabi for a $5bln loan when oil was $10/bbl.

Apparently, the alternative being considered was to just build a small tower, and then pay lots of young Filipino girls to crowd around it, all saying how it really was the biggest they’d ever seen… But the plan was dismissed in the Saudi Ministry of Information as unlikely to be believed by the worlds press.

Thank goodness Oman seems sensible enough to avoid such stupidity.

Double Standards in Saudi

Hey guys and gals, sorry for the lapse, but even Dragon's got to party...

So many things I want to blog about in todays riveting Oman Times its hard to know where to begin... I'll just have to pick two.

First, the strange ad actually apologising for not making enough water lately by the Public Authority for Electricity and Water. Emergency halts - whatever that means - meant they weren't making water at the Barka AND Ghubra desalinisation plants at the same time. My question is: Why? [don't know yet, give me a few days and I'll chase the real story]. But like, isn't that their job? To make water? Preferably all the time? Best bit was how they added the statement 'The Public Authority for Electricity and Water advises all customers to install additional water tanks to store sufficient quantities of water that can meet their water need [sic] for two days at least, in case of emergencies.' And, a mini lecture that YOU should save water all the time, not just when they can't get their shit together enough to make water.
So that it's like YOUR fault there isn;t enough water. Muppets.

And many other stories. But the best?

The Saudis apparently [pg 16, Oman Tribune] don't want Mr Sarkozy, President of France, to visit with his girlfriend because they're not married. And totally hot. LOL. So, naturally, they're also encouraging Bahrain Hotels to deny rooms to Saudi men who want to just fuck prostitutes. While drinking a bottle of whiskey. Luckily they are also making sure Saudi men don't go on sex holidays to Thailand. And of course, the Royal Family of Saudi would not visit France with more than 1 wife, given polygamy is illegal in Europe. It is really hard to put on type how much shit I think the Saudi rulers are full of...

And the Egyptians now also(apparently) are now noticing that they didn't like it that Sarkozy was visiting them and 'sharing a room' with a woman who wasn't his wife.

What total hypocritical arseholes.

Anyhow. I hope Sarkozy gives them a big French Finger. Or says she's just a cousin staying in the next room. heh heh heh.

Thank God I'm in Oman. A country surrounded by shit holes.

Currency Revaluation Stalls

Sorry for the wait - was overseas on business and could not get a moment free to blog. Apologies!

As you will know, the GCC last week decided not to announce an immediate revaluation last week. Anonymous pointed out that I'd given "too much credit to the GCC fiscal policy makers."

Indeed. I had expected a quick 5-10% revaluation, especially of the UED, to postpone discussion on switching to a basket of currencies, and to stop the huge inflows of speculative money. I was wrong.

I think at the Doha talks it was mainly the Saudi's who refused to play along, knowing what damage it would do to the dollar (and their friends in Washington) and their vast investments that are dollar denominated. The official comments that came out from Bahrain and Qatar, after the talks, shows that the issue of revaluation was indeed discussed. What I found most interesting - as pointed out by a Standard Chartered Bank report yesterday - was that the official Doha communique did NOT state that a revaluation was NOT going to happen!

There was clearly an inability of the GCC States to agree, but at least it seems they agreed not to act unilaterally.

Perhaps the GCC see it as a link to the common currency and will thus wait until 2009? But at these oil prices the problem will not go away. If the dollar stops falling, at least imported inflation will get a lot better, inflation being a sustained rise in the price of goods and services. But the real problem is the inability of the GCC under a dollar peg to raise interest rates to reduce liquidity in the economies. It doesn't help either that world food prices are skyrocketing in any currency. The bottom line will be a need for pay increases for both State and Private employees in the GCC and more inflation to come.

I'd still hold AEDs until at least after December...