Heard a Middle Eastern news story t'other day which really did shock me. Was Saudi, mind, so suppose I should've known. Anyhoo, some bloke stabbed his mate in a fight when they were 14 and he's been in jail for the decade since. Fairy muff. Then it gets weird. The bloke he stabbed is paralysed as a result of the stabbing so demanded compensation... which the bloke doesn't have cos he's been in prison since his mid-teens. So the Saudi courts have decided if he doesn't pay up he should be paralysed instead. Talk about "an eye for an eye". Yowzers
It's for reasons like this - and many others - I would not/could not visit certain parts of the Middle East on principle. One man's justice is another man's barbarsism
That and the Dubai poppy seed thing. Fuck they're harsh
But apparently Saudi women are now allowed to ride bikes (and even motorbikes

) in public. As long as they're suitably attired and accompanied by a male relative. Ack. I just could not bring myself to contribute to some economies no matter how pretty the scenery is. Nor how sexy the camels are. Fortunately I contribute to no economy so makes little difference. But worth a minor rant all the same :D