Interesting piece in the Wall Street Journal about Theresa Christy, a mathematician who develop systems that make elevators run smoothly. One of the challenges she faced in her work involves elevators in Mecca:
At a hotel in the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, she has to make sure that the elevators can clear a building quickly enough to get most people out five times a day for prayer.
(via Kottke.org)
The Wall Street Journal interviews the head of the Commission for Promotion Virtue and Prevention of Vice on the proposed reforms for the morality police force:
Mr. Sheikh said individual members of the religious police will be held accountable for their actions when they violate the new guidelines. “The Hia'a was created as a guidance body and we want to make sure it is just a guidance authority,” he said. “If a member of the public does not comply with the Islamic law and a member of committee wants to stop this behavior, he will have to act in accordance with our laws and revert to the regular police for any further action.”
Some observers are skeptical of the durability of Mr. Sheikh’s reforms, predicting he will meet tough opposition from rank-and-file members of the Hia'a.