[ckilmer]

totally believe you except that the saudis have the money to turn the bottom picture into the top picture. whether anyone would want to go there is another question. further, how long it would be before zombies walked into town with bombs strapped to them is another question.

[rjsimmon]

Unless they construct a desalinization plant to feed any vegetation, it ain't gonna happen. The Riviera gets plenty of rainfall to keep the area lush. The Arabian peninsula, especially around the Red Sea gets very little. So little, that they measure it in millimeters.