Good man Chevin! Quite agree with everything you say, amount of money irelevant. glad you came through OK. I'm with the arabs on this, chop their freakin hands off!!!
Talking of Saudi, I knew a friend who lived in Joburg. He spent 2 years in Saudi as a contract pipework draughtsman in the oil industry.
He actually had a great time. He lived in a compound and the contracters, most of them from USA and UK, even had their own pub.
He also fished in the Red Sea.
He saw no crime whatsoever. They gave him a car to use and he used to leave the keys in it when he parked.
However he did mention that Friday afternoon was great entertainment in the local town square as Sharia Law was carried out and several heads and hands were lopped off to say nothing of the floggings.
It would be interesting if any of the guys on the site have worked in Saudi, and if they saw many hand amputees walking the streets?
It would not be very good if you lost your hand in a legitimate accident?people would kick your ass every time you went out for a stroll thinking you were a rogue!
I have never been to Saudi, but I have spent a bit of time in China in areas where they have public executions. I used to eat at an outdoor food house opposite a stadium in which they performed the executions. While I was never there when executions were taking place, I often heard them 'practicing' with the drums etc.
Most of the executions seem to be for crimes against the state rather than crimes against other people.
I think i've put this up before, an english bloke in Saudi was caught shoplifting, consequently they amputated both his hands, he turned up at the British Embassy with the bloodied stumps, they told him that if he had brought his hands with him, that, what with modern micro-surgery, they could have sown them back on, he told them that he knew that, but he'd nothing to pick them up with !!!!.