[SunkenCiv]

an amusement park ride

One ride? Billions in cash pour in, and they buy one freakin' merry go round? Why don't they stick with what they know best -- throwing stones at the carcass of a dead goat, then panicking and trampling hundreds of fellow pilgrims to death.

[Berosus]

I thought Moslems were boycotting Starbucks, because the company's Jewish owner made a speech supporting the War on Terror in 2002. I was reminded of it recently when I saw cans of Caribou Coffee, the competitor Arabs set up, in a local store.

And if people are worried about Mecca becoming too commercial, big deal. It has already happened in Cairo.