Drowning in Mecca (fwd)

here's an oddity from the cyberpunk writer Bruce Sterling's newsletter:


———- Forwarded message ———-
Date: 12 Nov 2003 04:37:03 -0000
From: Bruce Sterling <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Subject: Viridian Note 00390: Drowning in Mecca

Key concepts: Mecca, Ramadan, floods, obstreperous
Saudi behavior at climate change accords, pilgrims
drowning

Attention Conservation Notice: Few English-language
news sources seem to care much that Mecca is briefly
subaqueous

********************************************************
News has been coming out of Brazil lately that is
completely odd and off the map. Lula (and his peculiar
culture minister, Gilberto Gil) are the most remarkable
politicians today who aren't invading or shooting
anybody.
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/22831/story.htm

Johnson Atoll, chemical warfare disposal site, to be
returned to wilderness.
http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/2003_11_7.html#0E88A512
http://www.raytheon.com/rse/jatoll.html

New supercomputer climate model spawns unexpected tiny
typhoons.
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994211
********************************************************

(((It wasn't bad enough that Al Qaeda decided to blow up
Mecca during this year's Ramadan.)))
Link:
http://www.brunei-online.com/bb/tue/nov11w19.htm

(((They're also drowning. That's right, drowning from
torrential rains inside Saudi Arabia. Happens all the
time, eh? Eighteen feet of water in the spiritual center
of Islam, yep, move right along, business as usual,
nothing to notice here!)))

Links:
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?idw44
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/saudi_weather_floods

Source: Yahoo, AFP

"12 dead as torrential rains hit Mecca: medics

"RIYADH (AFP) == Torrential rains around the Muslim holy
city of Mecca left 12 people dead, including six children,
and 50 injured, Saudi medical sources said.

"The severe weather hit Mecca on Monday and water
levels in some parts of the city reached six meters (20
feet), according to the medical sources.

"Earlier the Al-Jazeera daily had put the death toll
from the flooding at seven dead and 48 injured.

"'The floods trapped students and employees and traffic
came to a standstill in the Al-Zaher and Nuaraya
neighbourhoods… and all over the city,' said the paper.

"Meanwhile, Mecca's ruler Prince Abdul Majeed bin
Abdul Aziz was quoted by Al-Watan daily as saying 'one
person was killed when he was trapped in the flooding in
one of Mecca's villages.'

"Although Saudi Arabia is one of the most arid
countries in the world and includes the vast Rub al-Khali
desert, or Empty Quarter, severe rainstorms are common in
the mountainous region along the west coast."

(((Well, what goes around, comes around.)))
http://www.up.umnw.ethz.ch/~mmalte/fossil/awards.php?country=saudiarabia

O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O
SEVEN PILLARS OF WISDOM
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