King Salman of Saudi Arabia is expected to arrive in France later on Friday for a Riviera beach holiday, bringing with him no fewer than 1,000 people from his entourage.
While the king's three-week visit is a boon for the local economy, it has also sparked anger due to the closure of a public beach for the privacy and security of the royal party.
The king's inner circle will be put up at the family's private villa, which stretches across a kilometer of Riviera coastline between Antibes and Marseille.
Some 700 other members of his entourage will be accommodated at top hotels on the promenade in Cannes.
Hundreds of other Saudis will be following the king on his holiday — as is the tradition — bringing the total number of Saudi citizens flooding into the southern French beach resorts to around 1,000.
"Clearly this is good news," said Michel Chevillon, president of an association representing hotel managers in Cannes.
"These are people with great purchasing power, which will pep up not only the luxury-hotel industry but also the retail and tourism sectors of the town," said Chevillon.
But not everyone is happy.
An entire kilometer of public beach will be cordoned off for security and privacy reasons and coastguards will stop anyone coming within 300 meters of the villa by sea.
A petition against the "privatization" of the public beach gathered more than 45,000 signatures in eight days.
"We recall that this natural zone, like all maritime public estates, is an intrinsic public property that should be available for the benefit of all, residents, tourists, French, foreigners or people passing through," said the petition.
"We ask the state to guarantee the fundamental principle of the equality of all citizens before the law," the text added.
"We're sick and tired of this messing around," said a local woman, more succinctly.
"I can see it's normal that you need to guarantee their security, but they should let us go for a swim."
They should remain in the isles built around them...
- Whenever a poet or preacher, chief or wizard spouts gibberish, the human race spends centuries deciphering the message. - Umberto Eco - To assert that the earth revolves around the sun is as erroneous as to claim that Jesus was not born of a virgin. - Cardinal Bellarmine at the trial of Galilei
Wouldn't you like to be as rich as the people described in the links you post, ludwigm?
"Finally, for your rather strange idea that miracles are somehow linked to the amount of gay sexual gratification that is taking place would require that primitive Christianity was launched by gay sex, would it not?"
Dr. Shades wrote:Wouldn't you like to be as rich as the people described in the links you post, ludwigm?
If the richness necessarily involves arrogance, then I wouldn't, thanks.
Another "would have been" ?
- Whenever a poet or preacher, chief or wizard spouts gibberish, the human race spends centuries deciphering the message. - Umberto Eco - To assert that the earth revolves around the sun is as erroneous as to claim that Jesus was not born of a virgin. - Cardinal Bellarmine at the trial of Galilei
I think they were limited --- according the actual events...
King Salman of Saudi Arabia has cut short a holiday on the French Riviera where the closure of a beach for his security caused an uproar. After only eight days of what was planned as a three-week stay, the king flew on to Morocco, officials said.
With him were at least half of his 1,000-strong entourage, regional official Philippe Castanet added. ... Mr Castanet told AFP news agency that the beach would reopen to the public on Monday morning.
He said a temporary lift connecting the beach with the villa - which had also angered local residents - would be removed in the coming weeks.
Building the lift had involved pouring a large concrete slab on the sand.
The royal party generated mixed emotions among the local population.
- Whenever a poet or preacher, chief or wizard spouts gibberish, the human race spends centuries deciphering the message. - Umberto Eco - To assert that the earth revolves around the sun is as erroneous as to claim that Jesus was not born of a virgin. - Cardinal Bellarmine at the trial of Galilei
Dr. Shades wrote:Wouldn't you like to be as rich as the people described in the links you post, ludwigm?
There's a certain point, or number, where your wealth becomes an obscenity. I'm not quite sure what that number is (two, maybe three million in assets? Perhaps only one?), but in the face of so much public misery on the part of the poor in this country and around the world, I think it's shameful to amass wealth beyond your family's needs just to see how high you can make the numbers go. It seems to me the only reason to do it is so at the end of your life, your dick feels really big compared to everyone else's.
I really admire the Bill Gates' of the world who are giving large chunks of their wealth away through philanthropy. It's the right thing to do.
God belief is for people who don't want to live life on the universe's terms.
Dr. Shades wrote:Wouldn't you like to be as rich as the people described in the links you post, ludwigm?
There's a certain point, or number, where your wealth becomes an obscenity. I'm not quite sure what that number is (two, maybe three million in assets? Perhaps only one?), but in the face of so much public misery on the part of the poor in this country and around the world, I think it's shameful to amass wealth beyond your family's needs just to see how high you can make the numbers go. It seems to me the only reason to do it is so at the end of your life, your dick feels really big compared to everyone else's.
I really admire the Bill Gates' of the world who are giving large chunks of their wealth away through philanthropy. It's the right thing to do.
I personally admire Andrew Carnegie. His philanthropy, and that of those few like him show that there is some hope for us after all.
The fact is that so much of the ultra rich's wealth not only flies in the face of the suffering of the poor, but is a huge contributing factor to that suffering. It astounds me that the lower and middle class don't see it and do something about it.
As soon as you concern yourself with the 'good' and 'bad' of your fellows, you create an opening in your heart for maliciousness to enter. Testing, competing with, and criticizing others weaken and defeat you. - O'Sensei
Dr. Shades wrote:Wouldn't you like to be as rich as the people described in the links you post, ludwigm?
There's a certain point, or number, where your wealth becomes an obscenity.
And this is the main point of my OP.
- Whenever a poet or preacher, chief or wizard spouts gibberish, the human race spends centuries deciphering the message. - Umberto Eco - To assert that the earth revolves around the sun is as erroneous as to claim that Jesus was not born of a virgin. - Cardinal Bellarmine at the trial of Galilei
The central finding of this report is simple: Our analysis of 23 years’ worth of the Walton Family Foundation’s tax returns shows that Rob, Jim, Alice and Christy Walton—the second generation Walmart heirs—have contributed almost none of their personal fortune to the foundation which bears their family name.
"The great problem of any civilization is how to rejuvenate itself without rebarbarization." - Will Durant "We've kept more promises than we've even made" - Donald Trump "Of what meaning is the world without mind? The question cannot exist." - Edwin Land
beastie wrote:The democratic party's hip hop culture?
Donald Trump's love of hip-hop, and endorsements of Wu-Tang, mixed with his previous love affair with Democratic politicians (prior to realizing they can't be bought, by his own tacit admission) is likely the source of confusion.
"Some people never go crazy. What truly horrible lives they must lead." ~Charles Bukowski
beastie wrote:The democratic party's hip hop culture?
Donald Trump's love of hip-hop, and endorsements of Wu-Tang, mixed with his previous love affair with Democratic politicians (prior to realizing they can't be bought, by his own tacit admission) is likely the source of confusion.
The Wu-Tang Clan ain't nothin to “F” with!
As soon as you concern yourself with the 'good' and 'bad' of your fellows, you create an opening in your heart for maliciousness to enter. Testing, competing with, and criticizing others weaken and defeat you. - O'Sensei