Jeddah sees largest beach cleanup ever--oh and voodoo vanquished too

Earlier I got all wrapped up in an E Magazine article discussing our ocean's declining ecosystem and how the Bush administration has ignored most of the recommendations of its own U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy which expired after they created the U.S. Ocean Action Plan. But then felt a little sigh of relief when I read this article about how Saudis were cleaning up Red Sea reefs.

In Jeddah yesterday Prince Sultan ibn Salman, the secretary-general of the Supreme Commission for Tourism, along with 350 divers participated in the largest beach clean up in the country. During the first dive divers removed three tons of garbage.

The campaign, organized by the Supreme Commission of Tourism and the Makkah Governorate, efforts hope to remove garbage and waste destroying the coral reefs. The Red Sea is one of Saudi Arabia's main tourist and environmental assets.

On a less serious note, Saudis were not only happy to free the reefs from trash and debris, but free "bewitched" people from voodoo black magic......yep you heard me! The Arab News article said divers found 13 voodoo curses which were examined by members of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice. Members of the Commission "read verses from the Holy Qur’an to undo the black magic."

Very interesting. I never knew voodoo was an issue in Saudi Arabia, but hey, you can't complain when you can free the Red Sea reefs of trash and voodoo......talk about all in a days work!