[Spliffdaddy]

Think of the money they're saving every month.

[black bear theory]

Originally Posted by Spliffdaddy 

Think of the money they're saving every month.

yeah, i never thought of that.

er, wait. aren't we paying for it?

[Macrobat]

Sorry Black Bear Theory, but given the fact that Iraq is roughly the size of Texas and you r chart specifically says "Baghdad," you make the claim for all of Iraq.

Gee, does that mean that when power is out in Houston, it's out in ALL of Texas, too?

[black bear theory]

Originally Posted by Macrobat 

Sorry Black Bear Theory, but given the fact that Iraq is roughly the size of Texas and you r chart specifically says "Baghdad," you make the claim for all of Iraq.

and so i guess you're right about iraq over all.

“Under Saddam Hussein, Baghdad pulled its power away from the rest of Iraq. We’ve gone to a policy to try and equitably distribute that power across the country,” Army Col. Jon Christensen, GRD’s electricity sector director, said. “So now, outside of Baghdad, they have gone from zero in some cases, up to twelve or fourteen hours of power a day.”

Overall, the GRD has started 520 electricity-related projects and completed 220 of them so far. The peak generation capacity of Iraq’s nationwide network is now 4,500 megawatts -- still short of the goal of 6,000 megawatts, buthigher than the pre-war levels of 4,200. And much better-distributed, by much better equipment.

Electricity Levels in Baghdad at All Time Lows

but i'm still right about baghdad

[tie]

Originally Posted by Spliffdaddy 

Think of the money they're saving every month.

I realize you're joking, but there was a very good article a month or so ago about this. The government only provides power for a few hours a day -- and if we "stay the course," that should steadily drop to zero -- so Iraqis are dependent are local, private generators for their electricity service. Of course, this is very expensive -- they definitely aren't saving any money.

Here's the link, from Sep. 25, 2006:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/25/wo...pagewanted=all

BAGHDAD JOURNAL; As Iraqi Lights Flicker, 'Generator Man' Feels Heat

In offices across Iraq, a ritual plays out every morning during the hottest months. Haggard employees drag themselves into the room, mumble a pleasantry or two and slump into their chairs, moaning about what a bad night’s sleep they had: the power went out, the backup generator was broken, the heat was unbearable, the baby would not stop crying, mosquitoes were everywhere.

Inevitably, these grievances, like hornets, will gather in a single cloud of fury and swoop down on one target: the generator man, probably the most vilified figure in Iraqi society after Saddam Hussein.

Iraq has three sources of electrical power. At the low end is the frail national grid, which provides only about one hour of electricity every four hours — a total of six hours a day — and sometimes less.

At the top is the small, personal-size generator, a feature in many homes, though the steadily rising cost of fuel now makes it a luxury for most families.

Filling the gap, and carrying the load for much of urban Iraq, is the generator man, owner and operator of the neighborhood power plant. Throughout Baghdad, for example, there is at least one generator every few blocks to help power nearby homes and businesses.

The machines sit beneath corrugated tin roofs, on patches of sidewalk or in empty lots — hulking contraptions the size of small cars, jury-rigged with tubes and pipes that sputter and belch and make a deafening racket.

Customers run colored wires from their homes to the local generator by way of utility poles, converging with others into one wild, polychromatic river of wire that plunges through the roof of the generator shack, stopping at a makeshift fuse board.

In theory, the generator man provides 10 to 12 hours of power a day during periods of peak demand, seamlessly switching on when the national grid switches off. His services are especially valued during summer, when temperatures usually hover well over 100 degrees and air-conditioners are essential for sleep.

In addition, the generator man offers a better option, theoretically, than the personal generator, allowing families to pay less for a stronger current that will allow them to run all their major appliances simultaneously, rather than having to decide whether to forgo the television and computer for the washing machine or the air-conditioner and hair dryer for the refrigerator.

A subscription for about 10 amperes from the generator man — typical for an average middle-class family here in the capital — costs about $65 a month, a mere fraction of the cost of drawing a similar current from a personal generator for several hours a day.

But in practice, most here say, the generator man often falls way short of his promises.
...

[Kr0nos]

People can now engage in free trade, shop 'till they drop and enjoy munching on processed food to their heart's delight. They're obviously so much better off than they were before.

Oh yes, and they have freedom™.

[Dark Helmet]

If living in denial makes you happy go nuts.

[DBursey]

I'll give 'er a try ... finding the positive ...

- Extended curfews and the fear of leaving one's home can generally have favorable impacts on family bonding trends.

- Dearth of Iraqi oil on int'l markets partially offsets incredible waste of petroleum from Desert Storm era.

- Iraqi doctors becoming adept in dealing with multiple trauma victims under challenging conditions.

- Iraqi marshes flooded again - a plus for area and migratory species of birds, as well as fish (don't tell the dugongs, whose gulf habitat was all but wiped out in the aftermath of GWI ... but I digress).

But yes, the thread's central premise involves an exercise in denial.

[Troll]

Originally Posted by Kr0nos 

Oh yes, and they have freedom™.

So freedom is off the march then? Cool. I guess she puts her feet up and kicks back with the remote control then?

[hyteckit]

So, year in review.

How much of a success was the Iraq Job in 2006?
How much of a success was the Iraq job in 2007?

I'm glad the crook and war profiteer David H. Brooks, CEO of bulletproof vest maker DHB Industries was arrest and indicted for insider trading, fraud, obstruction of justice and tax evasion. The same person who threw a $10 million on daughters Bat Mitzvah, rather than donate millions of body armor to our troops or actually make armors that work like it's suppose to. I could smell that David Brooks was a crook miles away.

Feds say former DHB chief is a danger to community -- Newsday.com
Top Point Blank Armor Officials Indicted
CorpWatch�:�US: The Rise and Fall of a War Profiteer

"Over the course of 2005, the Marines and Army recalled a total of 23,000 vests – all of them produced by DHB -- after an investigation by the Marine Corps Times revealed that the vests had failed ballistics tests for stopping 9 mm bullets."

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