| Submit your comments on this article |
| Arabia |
| Qatar Tries Robot Substitute for Camel Jockeys |
| 2004-04-01 |
| Guess Iâll have to come up with a new tipping system. Robots have been used as jockeys in Qatar for camel races, a favorite sport in the Gulf which has faced widespread criticism over the use of young children from the Indian sub-continent in such races. âA race organized on Sunday saw for the first time the use of robot-jockeys, to the surprise of the crowd,â said the president of the organizing committee of camel races in Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Faisal al-Thani. Thani, quoted in Doha newspapers, said the practice would be repeated and widened. The Gulf Arab monarchies are trying to bring order to the national sport of camel racing in the face of protests over the trafficking of children as jockeys. The US State Department and human rights groups have raised the alarm over the exploitation of small children by traffickers who pay impoverished parents a paltry sum or simply resort to kidnapping their victims. The children, mostly from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka or Pakistan, are then smuggled into the Gulf States. They are often starved by employers to keep them light and maximize their racing potential. Mounting camels three times their height, the children â some as young as six â face the risk of being thrown off or trampled. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #10 Fred Pruitt censors truth while Americans die in Iraq on basis of lies. |
| Posted by: Jones TROLL 2004-04-01 7:45:32 AM |
| #9 Now lets see who knows who R.D is? Caves of Steel, among others.... |
| Posted by: Pappy 2004-04-01 10:30:30 PM |
| #8 i like asimov and stur trek and exspecial when then do cross plots. |
| Posted by: HalfEmpty 2004-04-01 6:09:54 PM |
| #7 An Asimov reference, though in this case would you want a robot that can operate on the zeroeth (sp?) law of robotics in the ME? |
| Posted by: Chemist 2004-04-01 5:31:56 PM |
| #6 Its R. Daneel Olivaw, actually. |
| Posted by: Jezebel Bailey 2004-04-01 5:04:03 PM |
| #5 R.Danieal Olivaw would be proud. Now lets see who knows who R.D is? |
| Posted by: Raptor 2004-04-01 4:54:12 PM |
| #4 ...and at the far turn, it's Artoo Deetoo in the lead... |
| Posted by: mojo 2004-04-01 3:12:47 PM |
| #3 This must be a upgrade of the Algerian Donkey Guidance System we heard of last year. Another Arab technological breakthrough! |
| Posted by: Steve 2004-04-01 11:15:24 AM |
| #2 Way-ta-go,Fred.You must of really pissed-off Boris and his butt buddies. If push comes to shove I can pony-up a few bucks for Bail money. |
| Posted by: Raptor 2004-04-01 8:04:45 AM |
| #1 [Troll droppings deleted] |
| Posted by: Murray TROLL 2004-04-01 7:45:32 AM |