AIG bailout.... call me socialist if you want !

We all know that credit crunch has been propelled by easy credit for mortgages. Mr. Smith bounght a house for 1m, got 700,000 USD, after one year the value of his property was 2m and banks were happy to lend 700,000 more, and so on.
When everyone realized the king was naked, things got nasty.
AIG played an important part on this process. Underwriting CDS for CDO, they hedged risks for many financial counterparts. Now they got bailed out, saving AIG and financial firms who lent too easily. With tax-payer money.
But, in easy terms, some tax-payers got money from banks for their properties and they were not able to repay. Most of them spent money they borrowed too easily in every types of goods, from basic to luxury, exstend the apparent benefit of easy credit to almost all US companies, from large retail to small specialized shops. Plus big corporates, which directly had benefit from spending euphoria, gave generouos compensation to their top dogs and nice dividends to their stockholders.
Now the bailout is asking all of them to give back part of these benefits, addressing the mistakes made in the past. These mistakes were made by few, true, but the majority had their advantages. Now the majority pays, and should not complain.
Not everyone had same portion of these toxic benefits, but I believe it's good everyone plays his role of giving back what was not fully entitled of, throught these massive bailouts.

Sinful hand

People are boarding on flight 818 from Riyadh to Dubai. A saudi woman, exausted for the long week, lays her hand on the top of the seat in front of me. Curious, I start staring and her hand, so close to my eyes. The woman notices it, and wrapped her hands in her black dress, furiously highlighting her movements to show me her disappointment and shame. Or just to sweetly warn me not to look at her hand...

Shisha outside Riyadh

The highway heads East, outside of town. Buildings in Ryiadh suburbs are obscure, with few small embrasures on the wall. Private spaces adsorbe private family life.
Outside the city, shisha is allowed. Large tends are structured to host guests. Coal warms the space. Noise from TVs. Solitare man smoking in front of Egyptian dancers. Tens of TVs. Lights and colors, songs, speeches and chronicles. Experts handle hot coal, trimmimg it in small pieces and position them on the edges of aluminium support, far from the small holes from which I breath.