Tuesday, August 30, 2005

1425 There's good news from Iraq

Chrenkoff posts his 34th entry of Good News. I thought of printing it out because of its length, but print preview shows it runs to 38 printed pages. Examples:

"USAID has been helping to bring the constitutional debate to the people (link in PDF): "The Constitutional Dialogue program has organized over 3,000 dialogues throughout Iraq, reaching almost 80,000 Iraqis who also shared their opinions through 64,000 questionnaires. To date, 210 nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have participated, including 151 NGOs contracted by USAID and 59 NGOs working as volunteers. Feedback indicates that the dialogues are achieving their dual purpose; to educate and consult the public."


Say what you will about this process, but it is going better than ours did back in the 1700s, with a lot more input from the people.
"Iraq's economic links with other countries keep expanding. "International Finance Corporation (IFC) considered the possibility of investing $210.3 million in the construction project of cement works in Iraq with a productive capacity of 2.9 million tons per annum. Also according to Russian analysis agency AK&M, IFC intends to participate in the capital of new company by investing $8.3 million. The first investment project in Iraq with participation of IFC was realized in finance sector in November 2004 when IFC invested $35 million in the capital of Credit Bank of Iraq."

And to think they don't even have an Alexander Hamilton!

"The first international airline flight to land in the southern Iraqi city of Basra in 15 years arrived here yesterday [22 August] receiving a warm welcome from local officials. A Sharjah-based Phoenix Air Boeing 747 arrived from Dubai with 22 passengers on board."

Tomato farmers are harvesting higher yields thanks to improved technologies learned under the Open Field Tomato Demonstration initiative of USAID's Agriculture Reconstruction and Development for Iraq (ARDI) program. For the demonstrations, ARDI established plots in Baghdad, Diyala and Babylon governorates on which they introduced drip irrigation, black plastic mulch, and fertilization. With the Ministry of Agriculture, USAID representatives monitored the plots and helped participating farmers control tomato pests...

Read the whole thing--and the previous entries too. Check the links bottom right. Also includes "Good News from Afghanistan."

2 comments:

Dr Zen said...

Norma, the best that can come out of the constitutional process in Iraq is an unstable, theocratic state. That's if there is not a civil war, which, so badly is the process going, looks very likely. The two sides -- Shia/Kurd and Sunni -- do not agree even about the fundamental question of whether Iraq should be federalist. Do try to look beyond rightwing shills for your comment.

Norma said...

I read many sources left and right. Probably more than certain lefty, misogynistic, identity-shy Brits. If you don't like the good news that Chrenkoff regularly posts, go match wits with him, if you dare. But since you usually just attack women, you'll probably slink back to your lair. This is my blog and you are certainly not welcome here. Go back to Usenet and harass someone else.