In 2005 the government opened an anonymous account, anonymous in that you can put money in without anyone knowing who you are. As of April 7th 2008, the balance of that account has grown to 152 million riyals which equals about 40 and a half million dollars. Where did this money come from? No one [...]
Entries from May 2008
May 25, 2008
Al Watan Newspaper Oil Prices Cartoon
In Al Watan newspaper there was a cartoon published that reflected what a lot of Saudis are feeling, so much that it is making the rounds by Email. I thought I might share it here to help wipe out the misconception that Saudis are gaining anything from the rise in oil prices. It pretty much [...]
May 25, 2008
Prominent Saudis: Majed Abdulla
Majed Abdulla is a retired soccer player. Besides the fact that he is black, before researching him, I didn’t know what he looks like but his name is familiar to any and every Saudi ear. There’s even a funny Arabic rhyme that many people use to retort to a swear; when you say wAllah (I [...]
May 21, 2008
What do Saudis Read?
Not much. I’ve had a few Saudis who after visiting a western country comment on how many westerners carry books around with them and read in public. They are always surprised that average people might actually enjoy reading. Books here are considered very intellectual. Once I was sitting in a waiting room at the hospital [...]
May 19, 2008
Comfort Zone
Today in Arab News there was an article about a talk given on women’s Rights by Al Jowhara Al Angari, vice chairman of the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) on Saturday night at a meeting organized by the Khadijah Bint Khuwailid Center at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI). In it she [...]
May 16, 2008
Prominent Saudis: Dr. Salwa Al Hazza
Salwa AL Hazza is a rare breed of Saudi women. She has managed to gain and keep the respect of the male half of our society without strictly observing the hijab. This is due to three reasons; first that she has excelled in her medical field of ophthalmology, she got married and stayed married and [...]
May 15, 2008
Chicken Pox and the ER
On a more personal note, last week was crazy. It made me rethink my plans for having a fourth addition to our family. Last weekend I took my 5 year old to get his last vaccination shot, the MMR, so that he could enroll in first grade for next year. Now I was nervous about [...]
May 11, 2008
Great Saudi News Source
While surfing the channels, I sometimes pass by Watani channel. This channel is basically a screen with short written summaries of news stories as they break. International news on a line at the bottom of the screen and a big white box in the middle covers local news. What’s special about this particular news source [...]
May 9, 2008
Tourism in Saudi Arabia
In the past, Saudi Arabia did not advertise itself for tourism. On the contrary, it’s known for its extreme conservatism and seclusion. Up until a short time ago, it was virtually impossible for outsiders to visit Saudi Arabia for other than business reasons. There is no such thing as a tourist visa for Saudi Arabia. [...]
May 7, 2008
The Real Terrorists
This is on exhibit at one of the high schools here in Riyadh. I saw it and I just couldn’t resist taking a picture when no one was looking. It’ the Israeli and the American flag with a ban sign on them and surrounded with photos of Palestinian casualties. I thought it would really bring [...]
