I think that depends on who you are, and that it's not nearly as good as it used to be. Some of my mother's charges drive what can best be described as "beaters" and are working two jobs to make ends meet.

One big problem is that woman (Saudi woman, anyway) aren't really allowed to do anything by themselves, including things like driving. So while the men work a (sort of) typical 40 hour week, they also have to drive the wife to shopping, drive the kids to the doctor, chauffer mother around, etc. So there are lot of men, particularly younger men, who are none too keen on this discrimination against woman.

I've stated it before, I think KSA is headed for a serious revolution/popular uprising within the next few years. It's gotten a lot closer in the last year or so.

It was a compound affiliated with the Security Forces Hospital at the north end of the city. (At least I think that's what I understood I heard.)

Well, except for the driving.

Quote by KH:
I've stated it before, I think KSA is headed for a serious revolution/popular uprising within the next few years. It's gotten a lot closer in the last year or so.

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I lived in Iran until just shortly before the Shah abdicated and see some of the same pressures building in Saudi where the Royal family is just hanging on to steal as much as possible before abdicating. Unfortuantely,as in Iran, the void will be filled by religious extremists who will purge all the rich people from their perches and start the stealing for themselves under the guise of "Theocractic democracy".
The Iraqi situation will bring some hesitance to anti American fervour when the change comes but it will come; in fact look for the yanks and other western governments and the new governors to saddle up to each other because Saudi needs to sell oil no matter who's in charge or the whole economy just sinks into a big black hole.
The Venezuelan situation while not similar is indicative of how the yanks will overlook brutality and de facto dictatorship as long as the oil keeps flowing.

[This message has been edited by parnel (edited 11-10-2003).]

You said it right there! RANDOM VIOLENCE! What happens in KSA, Iraq and Afghanistan is not random violence, because in my definition of random violence there is an element of happening once in a specific location (for that matter a country). What happened to Bali last year was random violence. When it repeats itself it's no longer random. It's orchestrated like a military operation AND repeated.

Therefore, I keep traveling abroad in countries that have been under terrorists threats and actions (France, Germany, UK, etc..) and may well be in the very near future. It doesn't prevent me from going there, as a matter of fact I'm off to Europe next week taking 8 planes in 5 days, and I may be going right in the middle of something. Or may be not!

I'm just saying it's too dangerous to stick around SKA these days and if I had a relative killed during an attack (not random violence!! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif ) I would not forgive myself to have let that person stick around KSA.

I hope you understant my point. You don't have to agree with it tought!

The cure is worse than the disease

In the aftermath of the recent bombings, barricades have gone up all over Riyadh, particularly around compounds where ex-pats live. I suppose that seems like a good idea, except...

There was a fire at my mom's compound on Friday. Seems some smokers carelessly disgarded some butts, and the inevitable followed.

That shouldn't have been a problem, as the fire brigade is close by. BUT, the various road barricades precluded the fire trucks from getting anywhere near the building (just like they were supposed to, I suppose.)

Half the compound burned down, though not the end where my mom lives. No fatalities, but several serious, non-life-threatening injuries. Best guesses are that if it had not been for the barricades, the damage would have been minimal, and there would have been no injuries.

I guess that means they should put up some more barricades.