ghost,
How do former Muslims get on in Saudi Arabia? And let me add that I have absolutely nothing but respect for Muslims, no different than followers of any other religion, though I've never been a fan of theocracies.
Thanks.
ghost,
How do former Muslims get on in Saudi Arabia? And let me add that I have absolutely nothing but respect for Muslims, no different than followers of any other religion, though I've never been a fan of theocracies.
Thanks.
To return to the initial point, I hope Roethlin is clean, as he is running great times and about the same age as me! But his nationality is irrelevant. The Swiss are as likely to dope as their counterparts elsewhere - see the EPO busts featuring a Swiss world champion in cycling, and a Swiss Olympic gold medalist in triathlon.
I have never been to Saudi, but am an expat living in the UK. There are things to like and things not to like about life in England. The "riots" (mainly opportunistic theft) were an embarrassment, and did not speak well of English/British culture. But I don't recognize the country that Ghost describes, and I see a lot of the less salubrious parts putting in the miles all over "feral" South London.
I wouldn't expect many expats to return, mainly for economic reasons. It is expensive to live here, and the nest egg earnt abroad goes a lot further in the poor countries listed. Poor countries mean low wages, cheap labour and services, and one can live a life of (expat) luxury more easily on the back of that.
Interesting that you are a Canuck (Canadian) who has elected domicile in London. I moved to Canada in 1998, and stayed until 2008, on and off, in Montreal, Quebec. Got my teaching degrees at McGill (go Redmen!) and the University of Windsor (go Lancers!). I was in Windsor for my B.Ed. in 2001-2002 during the time that Ryan McKenzie was there, he won all the titles in CIS. Also at Windsor was Andy Hahn, who was on the Canadian world cross team (Junior).
The point I wanted to make, is that Canada was much better in terms of personal safety and general quality of life compared with Britain. I lived in what was considered a 'tough area of Montreal' (Ville St Laurent/Cote Vertu) - with a lot of Asians and people of different origins(Cambodians, Laotians, Vietnamese, Pakistanis, Haitians, Jamaicans, Lebanese, Moroccans, Algerians) - but it felt and was much safer than the UK.
The UK is the worst country in the world for random, opportunistic violence, with no reason......but just because of the way you look.
I have been the victim of muggings in Brazil, the Dominican Republic and Mexico, but in those countries, if you give the thugs the money they require, they will move on, and leave you physically unharmed. Not so in Britain. In Britain the thugs will not only take what you have (IPhone, IPad and other valuables) but beat you up (often causing grievous bodily harm - GBH in police parlance) so badly that you may end up physically diminished for life.
In other countries when pubs close, you have a kind of jolly atmosphere with laughter and bonhommie. In Britain at pub closing time, you better get home as fast as your legs carry you, to avoid the feral youths on the lookout for easy prey to beat up and damage.
Ghost in Saudi,
, apply today
Yet again utter tosh from ghost, I have lived in Britain for 36 years, I have never ever seen a random act of violence on the street, in a pub or in a public building and I've lived in some of the least salubrious parts of London and some of the poorer cities and industrial areas in the uk. The riots were an embarrassment but were an incredibly rare and brief interlude in what is a pretty ordered and well behaved society. You can scare monger all you like but the uk is a good place to live. Even with the tough economic climate living standards are better than 30 yes ago and we don't have the horrendously low wage issues they have in the US thanks to the minimum wage. Most of the countries you mention as better 'retirement' destinations are poverty stricken countries where a uk pension will go far but the vast majority of the population live in poverty. Why do you choose to live in such god foresaken countries if u have such high opinions? My friend spent two days in customs with a strip search and interrogation because he had Christmas cards in his hand luggage for friends over there!!! Wow what a delightful place...
I ran CIAU XC back in the day.
I have lived 5+ years in both Montreal and London, so feel like I can compare the two. On average, living standards are higher in Canada. Personal safety, I'm not so sure. You are more likely to be murdered in Montreal. You are more likely to be mugged in London (but not suffer violent assault). I would have assumed that burglaries are more common here, but our contents insurance cost a ton more in Montreal, suggesting the opposite. London has the rich and the poor often living on the same street, so it is definitely true that middle class people are more likely to see rough stuff than in countries or cities where there is more income segregation.
I agree that there is an unpleasant vibe when the pubs close, but it is mainly that and no more. I would be more worried about random violence almost anywhere else in Europe. Big English train stations feel far safer at night than, say, Gare du Nord, Lille Flandres, Roma Termini. English people do like to talk up the rough stuff, or maybe you've had some bad experiences.
Google "Britain worst crime rate in Europe" or words to that effect, you will come across a lot of stats showing Britain is a high crime country, with many crime stats worse than the U.S. and South Africa.
Another sobering stat. Britain is the only country which 'freezes' your pension once you leave the country and become an expat. Hardly an incentive to go back to that place which is really overrated
I always advise my students to choose places like OZ, NZ, the U.S. and Canada to learn English. Never the UK. Overrated and expensive. I have even sent students to learn English in the Philippines, at bargain basement prices. Blighty - sorry but no thanks!
Ghost in Saudi,
, apply today
The UK actually comes 102nd in a table of homicide rates based upon 2000-2010, The US is 45th, New Zealand is 74th and Canada is 82nd, Australia is 96th...
Some of your picks... South Africa 10th, Thailand 43rd, South Korea 65th
even te phillipines has double the murder rate of the UK.
interesting how a thread on a marathoner from switzerland has turned into crime rates of different countries.
Your name is very apt in this argument, because you are looking at the wrong stats! I am referring to violent crime (without guns, which are not available in the UK) (GBH) or grievous bodily harm, not using guns, because Brits can basically not get their hands on guns.
I have been to most of the countries you list, and they are much, much safer than the UK, and none of them have that horrible 'yob' mentality and culture. Civilized people. Here is the paradox - the country (Britain) which touts itself as having and producing 'British gentleman' in fact produces a yob mentality, which most countries dread when visiting British football club teams arrive on their shores.
UK has much worse stats for GBH (grievous bodily harm) than all the countries you mention. It is a miserable and insecure place to live, especially for those who have the misfortune to be working class, living on council estates (the absolute pits on planet earth, and I speak from experience).
The vast majority of my colleagues from the UK never want to return, and nor would you, if you sampled life overseas. You would then think "what a mistake to have stayed in the UK for all those years!).
Douglas Burke, who has been following this thread, will, no doubt, concur that Rothlin is squeaky clean.
Ghost in Saudi,
, apply today
I live here now, it is a great place to live, having listened to your recommendations I can wholeheartedly say that having lived in Switzerland, France, Vietnam, Thailand, US and Japan this is the place I would want to live, particularly in retirement. I can only assume that you made poor decisions in your career because people in your age grouP should be in a very very good financial position had they made educated decisions in the last thirty to fourth years. A golden period with the perfect opportunity to make financial gain across scores of opportunities. It is the younger generations, those now in their twenties and thirties who will find it hard. As far as your stats go, you only get those scores because it reefs to 'reported crime', we live in a transparent law abiding environment where crimes are reported and recorded, unlike for example a corrupt despotic regime like Saudi where lots of crime is unreported, particularly that carried out by the state! Don't believe all the stats you read, they are most likely bullshit, how much crime do you think is 'recorded' or even 'reported' in Somalia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Mexico etc... If anything it is s sign of a good policing and transparency. You better not talk about that on here though, you mitt get your head chopped off... But of course it would never be reported.
You live where now? You did not specify the country? Surely not England, the UK? If that is the case, then you must be a very wealthy man, because, otherwise, England is not an attractive or enticing place to live in.
I had to laugh about the things you say about Saudi. I have lived here for over 4 years, and will sign a contract for year 5 next week. I have never seen crime in Saudi, despite going to Al Khobar, Dhahran and Dammam on a weekly basis, and visiting Shia Muslim strongholds like Qatif and Al Ahsa. Most Saudis one meets are charming. They have a charm that is definetely lacking in Britain.
The nearest I have seen to crime in Saudi, is the way the Saudi males drive - in a completely dangerous and lawless way. But overall, my experience here is positive. Where else in the world can you work a four hour day, and travel 4 times a year, jetting off to where your heart desires? Where else can you save $30,000 u.s. per year (or more in some cases)? I could go on.
Ghost in Saudi,
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ghost wrote:
Another sobering stat. Britain is the only country which 'freezes' your pension once you leave the country and become an expat. Hardly an incentive to go back to that place which is really overrated
Only some countries: "Though the Governments of some of the stronger countries, such as the European Union and the USA, have managed to persuade Britain to upgrade pensions paid to its residents in their countries, pensions paid to Britons resident in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Zimbabwe, another 43 Commonwealth countries and certain other countries remain frozen at the date they first either emigrated as pensioners or became eligible after emigration."
it is called dimensional transmutation.
ghost wrote:
The nearest I have seen to crime in Saudi, is the way the Saudi males drive - in a completely dangerous and lawless way.
How do the Saudi females drive?
Oh wait? They're what....
...really?
How do the Saudi females perform at the Olympics?
Oh wait? They're what....
...really?
From:
"17. Best place to be an athlete: US
Five of the top 10 highest-paid female sporting athletes in 2011 were from the US. The worst country, Saudi Arabia, has never sent a female athlete to the Olympics and bans girls from sports in state schools."
You are right about female sports in Saudi, although small strides are being made. In Jeddah, for example, there is a female basketball team. They have to play in closed quarters, obviously, but at least it is a first step.
In general, Saudis are extremely sedentary and this is reflected in illnesses, such as diabetes, where Saudi has the dubious distinction of being right at the top in the world rankings - with 23% of the population suffering from this illness and growing. Fast food is extremely popular, and the portions of rice served on plates (pure carbs) would be enough to feed a small army. In my case, if I order a dish with rice, I divide the meal into portions which last three days!
This is what happens when you have what was previously an active population of Bedoins turn into extreme sedentary beings.
Ghost in Saudi,
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If a man gets diabetes he gets medical treatment, but if a woman gets diabtetes she gets a year in prison and 100 lashes.
Or am I getting mixed up with if a woman gets raped?
Back to the original poster about Rothlin. What are your predictions for him in London 2012? Come to think of it, that is a useless question, because the marathon is the one event where it is extremely difficult to make predictions.
One thing - You get runners like Rothlin and Ruggiero Pertile who do well in championship races, despite having less than stellar times in under distance races. Pertile, for example has bests of 13.55/28.56 (5000/10,000). Despite this (or perhaps because of) he finished 4th in the Euro Marathon in 2010, and then, one year later, a very creditable 8th in the Worlds marathon in Daegu, Korea. And just a few days ago, ran a 2.10 marathon in Biwa, Japan. Ironic, that the 1.69/54kg Pertile has exact 'Japanese' stats with regard to height and weight!
Pertile, is the kind of runner who does very well in inclement weather - and that includes hot and cold. I recall the year when he ran 2.10 in Turin in freezing rain, when large numbers of runners were incapable of finishing the race, and many others suffered from hypothermia. Pertile is a very efficient runner with a good quick leg cadence, perfect for the marathon, perhaps, but which explains his modest track times.
Ghost in Saudi,
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Yes, you are right about the woman getting raped being punished in Saudi. The idea behind this is that the woman should not have been in a position where she 'allowed herself' to be raped. What is meant here, for those who don't know, is that no Saudi women should ever be allowed to be alone. A Saudi woman always has to have a 'ale guardian'(family member) with her everywhere. The idea behind this is noble, because, after all, women are the weaker sex, and might be defenceless in case of attack. Although, I do concede that it is inconvenient at times. But Saudi women do appear to be generally happy.
You see the women, clad in black abayas, accompanied by their huge, generally obese bearded husbands (in white thobes, in contrast to the black abayas the women are forced to wear) walking through the malls, with their numerous children (a normal number of children for a Saudi would be between 4 - minimum up to any number.....8, 10, 12). It is impressive to see these large families, and a reminder to the West that life is, after all, a procreation exercise, lest we forget the not so fortunate outcome of not doing so.
Women in Saudi fulfil their natural role, that they were designed to fill - create children and nurture them. Husbands in Saudi have the 'luxury' of having several wives. That is allowed in Islam, and actually very sensible, as all the male readers on this forum will concur, that it is unnatural and unreasonable to expect a husband to be faithful for life to just one woman. Man is hardwired to 'bed' many women. That is what we are, and undeniable, and the Qu'Oran makes provision for this.
That last example is another one which lets us really consider Islam as being a very logical and reasonable religion, when it pertains to all matters regarding life, the family and our natural desires.
By the way some readers have asked me about amputations. Here is the answer. First offence for stealing is usually a fine. Second offence is a prison sentence with lashes. Third offence is amputation of the hand. So it is not as bad as you think. At least the criminal is given the opportunity to 'correct' his behavior twice.
Ghost in Saudi,
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Saudi women are generally happy?
What would be the punishment for a Saudi woman who spoke up and showed that she was not 'generally happy'?
You've been there far too long mate, I think you're sick in the head.
Don't you think it's wrong that no Saudi woman is allowed to be on her own? Were you against apartheid in South Africa? Can't you see that this is exactly the same thing?