Saudis promote "morality-based" tourism in kingdom

For reasons only the Saudis know, the Wahabis are beginning to promote Saudi Arabia as a tourist destination.

Historically (and theologically) important locales that curious non-Muslims would like to see include the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. One problem: Infidels aren't allowed in either town.

I'm sure there are some fabulous desert vistas in the kingdom, but there are many wonderful sites in Nevada, North Africa, as well as other places in the Middle East.

So what is Saudi Arabia's draw? Morality-based tourism. Yawn.

From the Arab News:

Prince Sultan ibn Salman, secretary-general of the Supreme Commission for Tourism, emphasized SCT’s determination to promote morality-based tourism in the Kingdom.

"For us, tourism is a social activity rather than an economic venture," he said and referred to a growing world trend in support of family-based tourism.

Hmmm...I worked in the hospitality business for more than a decade, and I'm unaware of morality-based tourism. And I'm clearly oblivious as to why anyone, based on what I posted above, would want to waste their time and money in traveling to visit those terrorist-coddling Saudis.

Besides, they're likely to end up being bored out of their minds. If it's true "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas," it's equally true "What happens in Saudi, stays in Saudi."

Because no one will care to hear about it.

Technorati tags: Saudi Arabia Tourism travel
Current Affairs Islam Muslims vacation holiday

Ned Lamont is Mr. Right's latest photo caption victim

Mr. Right has his latest photo caption contest up, and this time Ned Lamont is his target in the name of laughter.

Lamont looks like a propped up corpse getting dressed up by morticians in the picture Mr. Right dug up.

Technorati tags: humor Jokes funny humour Ned Lamont Connecticut

Augustus Gloop in Wisconsin: Man falls into vat of chocolate

Darmin Garcia works at a chocolate factory in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Like the fictional Augustus Gloop of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory fame, Garcia fell into a pool of chocolate--actually a vat--at his chocolate factory.

He told people he thought he was going to die, according to AP.

He was taken to a hospital, but miraculously, he received only minor injuries.

Technorati tags: Wisconsin Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Augustus Gloop humor Jokes funny humour

The new greeting in Beirut

From Dr. Steven Plaut, who kept blogging from Haifa when the missiles were raining down, and who has also kept his sense of humor:

Earlier I posted the story of how all Israel achieved in the war was an agreement that the Hezbollah would not parade its weapons in too open a manner from now on, which I called hiding the katyusha in the Gabaliya.

Well, the new greeting on the streets of Beirut these days is now "Is that a katyusha you have hidden there in your gabaliya or are you just happy to see me?"

Technorati tags: humor Jokes funny humour katyusha Israel Terrorism Lebanon Beirut Hizbullah

Andrew Young resigns from Working Families for Wal-Mart

No organization of affiliated organization is perfect.

From AP. The quotes are from former Atlanta mayor and ex-US Ambassodor to the United Nations, Andrew Young:

"Those are the people who have been overcharging us, selling us stale bread and bad meat and wilted vegetables." He goes on about the mom-and-pop stores: "I think they've ripped off our communities enough. First it was Jews, then it was Koreans and now it's Arabs; very few black people own these stores.

He did the honorable thing and resigned from his position with Working Families for Wal-Mart.

The pro-Wal-Mart group is better off without him. I've disliked Young ever since he made made the outragous claim--while he was Jimmy Carter's man at Turtle Bay--that there were perhaps "thousands of political prisoners" being held in the US.

Technorati tags: Illinois business Wal-Mart Andrew Young Jimmy Carter Georgia Working Families for Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart expansion means more money for current Wal-Mart employees

At work today I met with a Wal-Mart employee who will be working at the new Niles Wal-Mart.

After some small talk, she explained that she's currently working at the Forest Park, Illinois Wal-Mart, but is taking this job in Niles because she's been promoted to a supervisory position--with a higher hourly wage.

Those "big box" opponents are clueless on a lot of things. Here's one more. Wal-Mart, Target, Lowe's etc. building new stores means higher wages for existing employees.

And if new stores aren't built? Well, you know the rest...

Oh, before someone chimes in that the "big boxes" drive out existing business, the current Chicago expansion plan is to build stores in low-income areas, so there is little existing retail presence to be driven out.

And if some businesses close? This will sound cruel, but one of the rules of capitalism is that businesses are supposed to fail. The A & P grocery chain and the Montgomery Ward department stores are just two of the many retail giants that have folded their tents. At one time, these blue chippers were as ubiquitous as Wal-Mart.

In fact, remember the driving-through-the-shopping-mall scene early on in the Blues Brothers film? Most of those retailers (a few won't be familiar to non-Chicagoans) that Jake and Elwood trashed with the Bluesmobile don't exist anymore.

The Blues Brothers was released in 1980.

Related post: Wal-Mart scorecard: Niles 2, Chicago 1

Update Sat. Aug 19: A commenter on the Illinoize blog pointed out that A&P does still exist. They are no longer a national powerhouse, but they have a cluster of 107 stores in the New York City area. The full name of A&P is Atlantic & Pacific, but the chain obviously is no longer coast to coast. What was once a giant is now roasted rump.

Technorati tags: Illinois business retail big box target Wal-Mart Lowe/'s Chicago Blues Brothers Film business history economics

Light blogging

Busy, busy, busy at work....

Constitutional Public Radio to interview Captain Ed today

Third Wave Dave e-mailed me the news that Mark and Andrea of Constitutional Public Radio will interview blogger Captain Ed of Captain's Quarters.

The interview will take place at 3pm EDT, 2PM Central.

Mark and Andrea had me as a guest on their show last month. They're great!

From their blog:

Join us Friday the 18th at 3 p.m. EDT by radio on AM 1510 or live stream on the net. We'll be opening the mics for you right around 3 p.m. Eastern. The Chat Room will be open for VIP seating.

Captain Ed Morrissey, Captain's Quarters -- in full voice.

UPDATE 7:55pm: The show will be replayed at 9pm EDT tonight, 8PM Central. Captain Ed will be on in the second half of the show.

Irony: Ed, like those other Northern Alliance guys, is probably a Minnesota Twins fan. I'll be listening tonight while I have the White Sox-Twins game from the Homerdome on silent.

Go Sox!

Technorati tags: Northern Alliance radio blog blogging Politics Minnesota

Chicago "big box" battle heats up some more

Supporters of the controversial "big box living wage" ordinance brought in a couple of out-of-towners to tell the Chicago City Council that the bill won't scare off massive retailers such as Wal-Mart, Target, and Lowe's from opening store in Chicago.

Since the ordinance was approved by the Council last month, Wal-Mart, Target, and Lowes have shown their disapproval by halting plans to expand in Chicago.

Santa Fe Mayor David Coss explained that his city's big box ordinance has not scared off retailers.

However, Mayor Richard Daley, who vehemently opposes the ordinance, and a few alderman scoffed at Coss' New Mexico example, as CBS 2 Chicago reports:

They have a population of 68,000 people. We have a population almost 3 million people, and in the metropolitan area we have a population of 9 million people," Daley said.

Daley adds that Santa Fe does not face the competition posed by Chicago's surrounding suburbs.

The Chicago region is the nation's third largest metropolitan area, Santa Fe and its suburbs rank at 268th.

NBC 5 reports this comment from ordinance opponent Ald Bernard Stone:

Of course, Santa Fe is not exactly the same as Chicago. Santa Fe is about the size of one of our wards. So, it's really hard to compare Santa Fe to the city of Chicago.

San Francisco City Supervisor Tom Ammiano also spoke of his city's big-box-living-wage-ordinance. San Francisco is an insanely expensive city. Ammiano comes to Chicago pounding on his chest about a Home Depot pays its employees $10.75 an hour. Are there other SF big boxes? (I need Third Wave Dave's help here.) Also, San Francisco has Chicago-like sprawl, but it's located at the end of a narrow peninsula.

Apples and oranges, again.

Oh, did Ammiano and Coss pay their own fares to fly to Chicago? Just wondering.

And finally, CBS 2 Chicago has a great video showing Daley going nuts on his opinion on the ordinance. Entertaining, yes. But he makes some good points too.


Technorati tags: Illinois business retail big box target Wal-Mart Lowe/'s Chicago New Mexico Santa Fe San Francisco

Columnist Kathleen Parker uses same quote Klocek used with Muslim DePaul students

In early September, 2004. Abdel Rahman al-Rashed, general manager of the al-Arabiya network wrote:

It is a certain fact that not all Muslims are terrorists, but it is equally certain, and exceptionally painful, that almost all terrorists are Muslims. . . . We cannot clear our names unless we own up to the shameful fact that terrorism has become an Islamic enterprise; an almost exclusive monopoly, implemented by Muslim men and women.

In her latest column, a missive on profiling, columnist Kathleen Parker used the same quote.

On September 15, 2005, DePaul professor Thomas Klocek repeated that quote to some Muslim students at the school, and since they didn't like what he had to say, DePaul fired him.

Kathleen Parker is still employed as a columnist, as far as I can gather.

Technorati tags: Illinois Chicago DePaul Academic freedom Free Speech Thomas Klocek College University Kathleen Parker Islam Muslims