Al-Huraisi Retrial to Begin Next Tuesday

4 April 2008 – 0:01

It has been a while since I have written about those evil buffoons here in Saudi Arabia, the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (or as I prefer to think of them, the Ministry of Licentiousness and Lasciviousness - the C-Men). However, they have been in the news here again.

I mentioned the killing of Salman Al-Huraisi by the C-Men in Thomo’s Hole before, and then mentioned the trial of the apparently guilty members (well, they pleaded guilty then recanted that plea under oath in court). You can read those posts here and here.

The Arab News reported on 2 April that a retrial into the death of Al-Huraisi will begin next Tuesday in the Riyadh General Court. You may remember that the C-Men burst commando style into Al-Huraisi’s home as he was apparently a bootlegger and maybe drug pusher. He was beaten to death by two C-Men later at their headquarters.

The Arab News noted in relation to the opening of this case that,

On Nov. 28 last year, the General Court acquitted the two commission members on charges of killing Al-Huraisi, who worked as a security guard, after taking him into custody in a raid on his home in May. The Cassation Court rejected the ruling after identifying several errors, including the judges’ failure to hear eyewitness testimonies.

“As many as seven members of the commission will testify in the new trial, which will begin next week,” said Yahya Al-Huraisi, one of the two lawyers representing the dead man’s family.

Al-Huraisi said the three judges in the original trial relied only on written testimonies taken by the General Investigation and Prosecution Board.

As far as questioning Al-Huraisi went, the autopsy report said that “Al-Huraisi died after suffering a severe blow to his head causing a 6 cm deep fracture to his skull”.

This particularly brutal beating resulted in new rules being issued by the Interior Ministry to prevent the religious police from taking suspects to commission centers. The new regulations require that the C-Men hand detainees into police custody. Incidentally, the C-Men are not supposed to engage in car chases either - but more on that in another post later.

By thomo the lost | Posted in Middle East, Saudi Arabia | Comments (0)

Nuisance Value

2 April 2008 – 22:17

I get to see a lot of stupid chain letters (or rather chain emails) and I also get to see my far share of hoax letters. At least two of my friends now check with me before blindly sending on those warnings of dire things happening to your PC that Norton and Microsoft are powerless before. As a result of my nice healthy cynicism, I also get asked to check other things as well now.

My good Chinese friend asked me to check this website, Say NO to United Nations’ abolishment of Traditional Chinese in 2008, to see if it was genuine or not as she particularly likes Traditional Chinese script and wanted to see her cultural heritage preserved. So I checked. It looked pretty legitimate and had lots of nice links to various websites pleading the same case.

Then I went hunting and checked further - partly because there was a little bell ringing in my head that said Chinese is only used by the Chinese and that is the People’s Republic of China; the SARs Hong Kong and Macao; and Taiwan. Singapore uses English and that’s it. Now Hong Kong and Macao do not have membership to the UN, so that leaves it at the PRC and Taiwan.

So I checked further - firstly with Wikipedia and then from there to sites such as the actual UN.

Seems that the UN will NOT abolish Traditional Chinese in 2008 as the UN ceased printing reports and using Traditional Chinese in 1971 when the PRC took Taiwan’s seat in the UN, replacing it with Simplified Chinese.

So, those 542108 folks who signed the petition are only about 37 years too late. The petition is just Nuisance Value!

By thomo the lost | Posted in Asia Pacific, China | Comments (0)

Thomo’s Quiet

26 March 2008 – 15:05

It has been very hectic at work for the last couple of weeks, so much so that I am about a week or two behind in emails (hi mum) and about two weeks behind in blog posts and about a month behind in my private reading, research and writing.

Hopefully I will get some time over the weekend (Thursday and Friday here) to catch up on some of those matters - perhaps even some more bizarre ship or boat sinkings from World War II.

By thomo the lost | Posted in General | Comments (0)

Airport Security? Cods!

14 March 2008 – 10:36

I’ve been travelling. I left Saudi Arabia on Sunday night and flew to Dubai, Bangkok, Sydney, then back to Bangkok and now I am sitting in Dubai prior to flying back to Saudi Arabia. So, that is five days, two airlines and four airports, twice over. The flights were Emirates (VERY nice airline) from Saudi Arabia to Dubai to Bangkok (and back) and British Airways (VERY old airline) from Bangkok to Sydney and back.

So, what’s the beef with security I hear you say? Simply that is is not consistent and, to be honest, in the many places you would expect it to be good, its not. Lets take a simple example - the personal body screening/search.

Walk into Jeddah International Airport and you have to have all your bags X-rayed, including carry-on bags. Then you can check in. After check in, then you get to have your carry-on bags X-rayed again and you get a personal screening as well (”please empty your pockets and walk through here”). I passed whilst wearing my shoes and my belt. First and most obvious thing, as the Middle East is a hotbed of terrorism (if we are to believe the politicians in the UK, US and Australia) why not do the body search when the person is entering the airport and save the extra search? Anyway, I’m not on the O&M committee at the airport so we’ll leave that.

Fly to Dubai - the instruments served with the meal are all metal - knife, fork and spoon. Arrive Dubai and go through another search (shoes and belt on, pockets empty - passed). Catch flight to Bangkok. Metal implements for eating with are again supplied. Arrive Bangkok and inside the airport I buy a toothbrush and toothpaste pack - the pack is in a clear plastic bag but it is a different bag to the one that airport security wants so the toothpaste has to be taken out of one plastic bag and put into another plastic bag. All items X-Rayed again (but this time laptop must be taken from its bag and X-Rayed separately). Shoes and belt left on and passed screening.

Head to the gate to board the flight. There is another security search there where the staff, equipped with latex gloves, check everything that is in the bag again. Hel-lo - it’s all just been X-Rayed and searched just 50 metres away. I must be honest here too - to a Thai security type person I am not a threatening character - goofy grin and more fulsome figure plus big hairy ears means the Thai security folks see me as a gentle person so the extra check is the security person saying “laptop in the bag?” and then letting me go without really looking at anything. Anyway, it is a requirement for flights into Australia because, basically, the Australian government does not believe that security officials can do a security check using technology, so must have more of the same officials doing the check again without technology. Anyone see anything stupid here?

Board the flight and have plastic utensils styled in a tasteful imitation silver colour supplied for the in-flight meals. Understand that it is hard plastic and if snapped is more dangerous than a metal bread and butter knife. Oh well on to Sydney.

OK - bummed around in Oz for two days getting a visa approved (no security check at the Saudi Embassy in Canberra - but no visitors for the last six days either). Head back to the airport to fly back and get to the security check. Send laptop through separately, belt and shoes left on and pass screening. Walk past a security gentleman who asks “excuse me sir we are performing random tests on passengers, would you mind coming here for some checking please?”

You answer “yes I mind because it is not random - I’ve been selected before and I watched you stand there and let about 30 other people go past”. In any case, it seems that when you answer a question honestly the security guys get all uppity and hurt and seem disappointed when they can’t find anything. Surely the sniffing for explosives could be done as the bags are being X-rayed - then everything would be checked - not just the bags of us rotund Middle Eastern looking gentlemen!

Anyway, I don’t have a choice so I stand there whilst he checks to see if my bag has been in contact with explosives. It hasn’t so I am allowed to pass.

Arrive in Bangkok after using the nice grey plastic knives and forks. Head off to the Emirates flight and after a single search (laptop out of bag, shoes and belt on) I board the aircraft. Metal utensils for the meal. Arrive in Dubai where the security check there this time is “shoes and belts off please”. So, laptop, still in bag, is X-rayed along with my shoes and belt - everything passes the check.

Now, the only other security check I have to go through is the compulsory X-Ray of everything by the customs guys in Jeddah looking to see if you are smuggling pornography because these guys have not heard of technology, the Internet or peer-to-peer file swapping. They seem to think that pornography smugglers are going to be so stupid as to have a DVD in their bag with the title “Debbie Does Dallas - Master Copy” written on the outside of it. They will examine the DVD’s attached to the cover of the PC User and APC magazines I have been reading on the flight, however, and will interrogate me about their content before letting me go through with them.

So, what does all this tell me? Basically no one really has any idea about airport security. I should add that in Bangkok I watched as the staff servicing the aircraft went through very thorough checking. There are about 20 or so cleaners for a 747-400. Before they enter the aircraft they are frisked by security officers and when they exit with their plastic bags full of garbage, they are frisked again. The security officers then go through and check every bag of rubbish to make sure things have not been hidden there. This does not happen in Sydney.

So, where is the best airport security? Without a doubt, I think the Bangkok security is better than either Middle East or Sydney - if for no other reason that they have thought it through and that I can be checked without getting half undressed. In Sydney there is only that one check - although arrogantly the Australian authorities (or is it Qantas and British Airways?) require a second meaningless check on passengers boarding flights from overseas with an arrival destination of an Australian city.

I am all for security at airports and on aircraft - I would just like to see some consistency and some efficiency.

By thomo the lost | Posted in Asia Pacific, Australia, Dubai, Middle East, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Travel | Comments (0)

Thomo Travels

9 March 2008 – 10:20

For the next 5 days I’m travelling - back from here to Canberra then back to here.

I probably will do no posts over this time although I hope to report a new development to the Hole here in a week or so - making it easier for the blog bunnies to find the wargame related stuff and for those interested in the traveller tales to find them.

In the meantime, three nights in aircraft and airport terminals, two nights in beds coming up. :shock: :sad:

By thomo the lost | Posted in General | Comments (1)

Bloody Big Catfish

3 March 2008 – 10:07

In a report, Sea Shepherd activists attack Japanese whaler, in the Sydney Morning Herald, there is a note of a conference in which:

Onodera spoke of the latest clash as he addressed a seminar in Tokyo with officials from 11 developing states that have recently joined or plan to join the deadlocked International Whaling Commission.

Japan is holding the meeting to win support for its position that the international body should allow “sustainable whaling”.

Western nations, led by Australia, strongly oppose Japan’s whaling.
The countries taking part in the seminar are Angola, Cambodia, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ghana, Laos, Malawi, Palau, Tanzania and Vanuatu, the Foreign Ministry said.

Of course, Laos is famous for its wonderful beaches and extensive pristine coastlines … not! Perhaps those Mekong River Catfish have gotten really really big :lol:

Mekong River Catfish - from ESPN website http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/fishing/news/story?id=2097849

Perhaps Japan is really just trying to stack the numbers at the International Whaling Commission - a fistful of dollars to the developing countries and the Japanese can continue to enjoy their whaleburgers - surely not!

Read the full article about this catfish at ESPN’s website - Thais catch 646-pound catfish in Mekong and for the Imperially challenged that is 293 kilograms. Its length was 9 feet, or 2.7 metres. Now that is a fish!

For more information too, see Giant Catfish Critically Endangered, Group Says on the National Geographic website.

By thomo the lost | Posted in Asia Pacific, Australia, Japan | Comments (0)

Albatros DVa and Pfalz DXII Being Restored at AWM

29 February 2008 – 11:07

It seems that the Australian War Memorial, being the proud possessor of an Albatros DVa and a Pfalz DXII, has decided to restore them for display in November this year (I guess as an exhibition on the Great War and to celebrate 90 years since Armistice Day).

The ABC had a report on it - you can read it at Rare warbirds restored in Canberra which contains info on the restoration as well as a couple of neat pictures. Best of all is the description of the camouflage of the aircraft which French aircraft expert Alain Vallet noted

When you have a look at this particular camouflage, you just see dots of colour but once in the air you just see a dark shade and we have experience with flying a 457 covered like this and it is the worst airplane to get a photograph of.You just see a blur, you don’t see a real shape, it is made to destroy the shape of the airplane. So it is lighter in colour on the underside of the airplane and much darker on the topside.

I, for one, will be hanging around there at that time.

By thomo the lost | Posted in Asia Pacific, Australia, History, Wargaming | Comments (0)

The Gallery Is Back

26 February 2008 – 17:41

Thomo’s Hole’s Gallery is back on-line thanks to the sterling efforts of Jeffro. I’m not sure what the problem was (like, was it me or something else). Will update this post later with details.

In the meantime, follow the link to the Gallery.

I’ll get the thumbnail views back on the sidebar later.

By thomo the lost | Posted in General | Comments (0)

Colour Schemes of WW1 Warships

20 February 2008 – 0:04

The following article is still copyright by Mal. Wright and is reproduced here with his permission. It provides a summary of the colour schemes applied to the warships of various nations.

Colour Schemes of WW1 Warships
By Mal.Wright. © Revised 2003.

British

At the commencement of WW1 the British were using a grey officially termed “Battleship Grey”. This was very dark, almost charcoal grey and can be easily Spotted in early photographs. During the first year however, this was changed to ‘mid’ grey, partly because of the shortage of dark pigments and the realisation that shortages might get worse as the War went on. The new shade proved better. In the mid war period, many Battlecruisers, had a panel of dark grey, or dark blue, amidships on the hull. This did not reach to the bow or stern. The length being usually, from fore turret to aft turret. It was intended to give a ‘shortening’ effect, when viewed at a long distance, to confuse the enemy as to range. New Zealand had a white ensign painted on both sides of her foretop. Black waterlines were discontinued in some areas, although major units, with the Grand Fleet usually continued the practice.

Torpedo Boats and Destroyers were usually black for early classes, but dark grey for newer vessels. Units of the ‘L’ class entered service in black, but soon changed to grey. War built units usually completed in ‘Mid Grey.’ By 1917 nearly all Destroyers and smaller were grey. Only a few torpedo boats continued in black, until the war’s end. On ‘Tiddly ships’ (Fancy) the practice of painting the metal areas around the anchor cables in Brunswick green was continued and most turret tops were in dark, flat, Brunswick Green on capital ships. Some may have used dark grey. After Jutland, the idea was adopted, of painting some turrets of Battleships and Battle cruisers, very dark grey. These were then marked with White calibration marks so that other ships could see the direction the guns were trained, even if unable to see the target, themselves.

Which turrets were painted this way, was deliberately varied from ship to ship in all classes, which helped within the squadron, when identifying units, in low visibility. The placing of aircraft flying off platforms was similarly varied.

Cortesine was a mid brown linoleum type decking used on small ships in areas where the crew required a good foot grip but timber would have been too heavy. Cortesine was also used on larger ships as an alternative to wood on high areas such as the bridge and bridge wings, where men had to stand for long hours on watch. This was to protect their feet from the cold of metal decks. Strips of Cortesine often ran along the decks of some ships particularly to torpedo tubes and etc. These formed an impression of footpaths running along the deck. Unlike other nations there is no evidence that the metal strips holding these down, were polished. On older ships that used coal, It was the custom, to paint the horizontal metal decks directly around the funnels black. This was discontinued on oil burning ships. Those with grey decks normally had the horizontal surfaces in a darker shade.
Read More »

By Mal Wright | Posted in Naval, Wargaming | Comments (0)

Walk Like An Egyptian … To The Buffet

19 February 2008 – 23:49

I would not have believed it had I not seen it. Mind you, I spent time in Cairo and I can’t remember seeing it there. However, here in Saudi Arabia I can now tell the Egyptian guests at the hotel restaurant.

It is the buffet.

Spending a lot of time in the restaurant at the hotel (like almost every night) we get to see lots of different guests. The interesting ones were the Egyptians. They come to the restaurant to eat from the buffet (soup, salads, main courses and dessert). They are the only guests I have seen who walk straight in (not worrying about selecting a table), and fetch a bowl of soup. They then bring this back to a table, put it down and head back to the salad bar. They then load up a plate with salad and bring that back to the table. Then it is back to the hot foods and load another plate up and carry that back to the table. At this point there is a variation as some now will sit down and proceed to eat from all three plates whilst others will select some cakes from the dessert area before sitting down to eat.

Apparently, according to the locals, it is only Egyptian guests who are like this at a buffet. So, the walk is a constant traipsing between food and table.

By thomo the lost | Posted in Middle East, Saudi Arabia | Comments (0)