Roundup: Sex on the beach in Dubai ruling; Hurricane Omar heads for Puerto Rico; Disney’s California Adventure unveils new theme
Good morning, travelers! Treat your boss right today. That’s right, it’s National Boss Day. Your boss deserves more than just an e-card, so put a little more thought into your gift.
Weather | Hurricane Omar has strengthened into a Category 3 storm and is headed for Puerto Rico in the northeastern Caribbean.
Dubai | Remember that couple that was being charged for sex on the beach in Dubai? The Dubai court sentenced them to three months in prison, plus a fine of $272 for drinking alcohol and they will be deported as soon as the prison sentence is finished. The prosecutor was expecting the sentence to be six months to a year. Vince Acors, 34, and Michelle Palmer, 36, claim that they did not have sex and got a medical report to prove it. Read: Dubai court sentences couple for sex on beach
Disney | Los Angeles Times staff writer Brady MacDonald has been giving us hints about the $1.1-billion makeover for Disney’s California Adventure. Yesterday the theme of the new California Adventure was unveiled—1920s Hollywood, just like when Walt Disney first came to town. Read: Disney unveils a 1920s theme for California Adventure
– Jen Leo, Los Angeles Times Travel & Deal blogger
[Video: YouTube/Associated Press]
One Comment on “Roundup: Sex on the beach in Dubai ruling; Hurricane Omar heads for Puerto Rico; Disney’s California Adventure unveils new theme”
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October 16th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
I recently returned to the US after living in Dubai. This case shows the complicated situation you get into when liberalizing the middle east.
The people of Dubai and the police are very tolerant of Western culture and ignore the enforcement of most of their conservative laws when it comes to foreigners (and actually locals too). They keep these laws on the books not just out of religious commitment, but also so their courts have the option to impose strict penalties in the event of blatant disregard as in this case.
These two people showed the ultimate in disrespect to both law and the minority locals. The law would have ignored their personal indiscretions, including the sex, but not doing it in a public place! By the way, you can’t have sex in public in the US, UK, or nearly anywhere in the world, so all we’re really talking about here is severity of the punishment.
As I said, I lived in Dubai. With my girlfriend (illegal), held hands and kissed in public places (illegal). But we were respectful enough not to cross any lines that would cause offence. This is just common sense. We never felt oppressed, quite the opposite the native Arabs were quite warm and friendly. The police were NOT threatening, and actually I found them more friendly than here in the US.
Their law enforcement is fair, and I can say they only are harsh in extreme situations like this, and also on drug or DUI infractions.