DAMMAM, 20 September 2007 — An elementary school here decided, perhaps unwisely, to indulge a four-year-old child’s demand that his maid sit in the classroom with him at all times, the daily Al-Yaum reported yesterday. The staff at the school has not protested the decision by the kid’s parents to allow him this unusual privilege; they allow the maid to be present with the kid at all times. Who knows the damage caused by this indulgence and how it could come back to haunt the parents later in life. After all, such co-dependence doesn’t encourage the kid to be a productive member of society.
Referee Halts Match Due to Advancing Sun
TAIF, 20 September 2007 A football tournament went on longer than everyone expected, so long, in fact, that the threat of a Ramadan sunrise was tinting the eastern sky. The referee, fearing that the tournament would go on until dawn stopped the tournament for a half-hour so he could have some pre-dawn eats in order to avert a rather unpleasantly long fasting period. Football tournaments often run late into the night during Ramadan since they tend to start late. It’s not unusual for people to go to the bank at 10 p.m. or have midnight dental appointments during the holy month.
Vendor Yells at Kids; Mom Beats Him Up
DAMMAM, 20 September 2007 — A fruit vendor here was assaulted by a mother of two children after the mother didn’t like the way he was reprimanding her kids, the daily Al-Yaum reported yesterday. The row started when the kids accidentally knocked some of the vendor’s fruits on the ground. Outraged, the vendor began yelling at the children. In turn, the mother reprimanded the fruit vendor for reprimanding her children. The man decided to walk away, but the mother decided she wasn’t through with him and proceeded to punch the man numerous times. The beating was so bad that blood was spewing from the vendors nose as he shouted for help.