.....not having in-carriage announcements

Today I was in a bit of a dream, standing, as always, in the Dubai Metro Green Line train on the way from Union Station (Al Etihad) to Stadium Station (Al Stad). In fact, if I had imagined myself to be in a seat I would have been in an actual dream. Where was I? What day was it? Was it winter or spring? I didn't know, but it didn't matter because there would be a more than helpful in-carriage announcement bringing me back to reality.    I spent the first 30 years of my life travelling the London Underground when they only had announcements on the platform. Now, I think that there is nothing worse than not having the friendly Metro announcer telling me in Arabic and English when it's my time to get off.

..listening to another Middle East conspiracy theory

There's nothing worse than listening to another Middle East conspiracy theory.

Personally, I like to think that in the Middle East everything, politically, is what it seems, I have no reason to be cynical, but some outside commentators are. 

The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990 was encouraged by the US government to.... well, something to do with oil and control of the Middle East. The US invasion of Iraq was something to do with WMI, and oil and gas supply from the Middle East. Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood won the election due to a US government plot to put an authoritarian leader in place, because of ….... something to do with oil and/or control of the Middle East. The continuing tragedy of Syria was engineered by US oil baron-funded right-wing groups as a way of destroying the power of Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas, because of..... something to do with Israel, oil and control of the Middle East. Better men and women than me subscribe to these views. I do not.