Intensive Killing-without-Expense of Arabia-dwelling-peoples
Published on September 1, 2004 By pseudosoldier In Consumer Issues
Perhaps you've seen the headline:

Three die in Saudi shop stampede!!! (or Three killed in Saudi shop stampede) (!!!)

Link and Link

See, this is why the infidel and his "simple, reasonably priced products" should stay out of the seat of Islamic power. Damn you capitalist pig! (Wait, what? Wrong insult? er, um... Okay...) Damn you great white satan!

I'd also like to use this opportunity to point out the discrepancies in the two reports, both from Reuters sources. The Al-Jazeera version says that there were 70,000 people who showed up, while BBCNews says 8,000. (I'd side with the UK here, as A-J tends to have some problems with over-reporting some numbers. You'd think, from the people who "invented the zero" and from whose language the name of Algebra is derived...) Additionally, the Al-Jazeera site seemed to imply that this was the first I.K.E.A. in Saudi Arabia (by calling it "the first [I.K.E.A.] showroom in Saudi Arabia"), but the BBC version clearly states that "the new showrooms have 200% more space than the old stores."

Speaking of that last bit... that was the very last line of the BBC article. The last line of the Al-Jazeera article was the bit about how I.K.E.A. was known for "simple, reasonably priced products." From 3 dead and 16 injured (and 20 fainting in the rock-concert-like crush) to a virtual advertisement for the store chain... hat tip to greywar for positing that Reuters may have some stock in I.K.E.A.

Comments
on Sep 02, 2004
Holy Who!
Remember Cincinatti, Ohio a long time ago?
"I'd walk over you to see The Who!"
The end of festival seating at stadiums.
on Sep 03, 2004

Remember Cincinatti, Ohio a long time ago?

ummm no most of us probably don't.....

on Sep 03, 2004
Young whippersnappers. Google it you geek.