X Rated

So here's something funny...

They do a lot of censoring here, of all forms of media.  For example, all the magazines that they sell are previewed by some government agency, and if any of the content is deemed inappropriate (i.e. women wearing short sleeved shirts or showing their legs) they take a black permanent marker and color over it. So if there is a Martha Stewart Living issue that comes out that has an ad for, say, pool and patio furniture with a picture of a girl in a bathing suit, EVERY SINGLE ISSUE of that magazine will have the girl marked out with black permanent marker.  (We are buying stock in Sharpie while we are here.)  Same for CD covers, books, etc.etc.

Same for TV - lots of images are pixeled out, especially cleavage.  The latest is that they are bleeping out the word "pork" when people say it on TV, for example Rachel Ray doing a cooking show.  "I'm taking the <bleep> chops and marinating them with rosemary, and then you'll know when the <bleep> chops are done when the meat starts to fall off the bone."  Ugh.  Come on, guys.  We all know pork exists.  Crazy Saudis.  They are addicted to rules.

So anyway, the funny thing is that despite all this, the satellite TV service we have here shows hard core porn.  Yes.  They have a porn channel.  It is not blocked or pixeled out.  WHAT??  "Pork" = no but PORN = YES??  Oh the irony.  Somebody really dropped the ball here.  Uh, hello?

(If you're going to let that slide, I'd really like to have the word "pork" back as well.  Thanks.)

And - now here's the funny part - word on the street has it - that on one of the residential streets sort of close to us (well, everything is close to us...it's about half way to the main gate from us) somebody has a giant TV in their house and does not close the blinds.  And they watch porn.  GIANT porn. 

People have noticed.  Word has spread.  Did they report it?  HA HA!  These deprived people?  NO WAY!  You know what they did!  They gathered outside the person's house and watched!  They brought lawn chairs!  They brought snacks!  This is happening in Saudi.  This is hilarious!

Then somebody got mad and called the Middle School.  Ha!  Really?  What exactly is the Middle School supposed to do about it?

And here I am, not allowed to take pictures of the outside of my house, or my new baby in the hospital.  

Typical.  Welcome to the upside-down-crazy-world we call home.  

P.S.  PORK, PORK, PORK!!!  There.  I said it.