Hunter,
The BBC is on track with that story. France is working on lifting an embargo that it imposed after the gulf war. Sorry I'm trying to find the story again.
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Easy enough mistake to make, we've all been there. Here's a great link for a lot of great info about Iraq. Note the literacy rate estimate is from 2000. Hopefully they've begun to recover and are even higher today.Quote:
OffshoreWealth wrote:
Correction,
Thanks munnybaggs, had mistakenly reversed 70% from stat report, you are correct about historical Iraq, but the cabinet demonstrates the reverse. Had to redig into history files.
Good luck and health to all, Mike
https://www.cia.gov/library/publicat...k/geos/iz.html
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 74.1%
male: 84.1%
female: 64.2% (2000 est.)
You got it, Ice. Add to the fact that when George Bush Sr. pulled out in the 1991 Desert Storm war Saddam raged and killed an entire generation of opposition elders and leaders. Any perceived threat was murdered in cold blood. The average Iraqi still lives in fear today, not only the violence currently around them, but of the Baathists whom they feel might re-emerge in a new and brutal leadership. We here live like Kings and it's easy for us to stereotype the Iraqi Nation as a whole. Namecalling is lazy and uneducated. Sure we are frustrated with the political progress. And we are damn angry the "leadership" wants to take a vacation in August. But lets not lose focus from who is really to blame. Had there not be evil monster terrorists murdering innocents on a daily basis, Iraq would be light years further along than they currently are. The wealth alone would have taken care of many social problems. Vent, sure, but let's remember we are already rich when you compare us to most of the World. Have patience and compassion. Have heart and belief. That's what real Americans do.Quote:
Icemann 30
Super post Munny! I would add only one thing. Many of the educated middle class, the very ones needed to step in at this time to take the reigns of power and run the industrial enterprizes, have fled during Sadams reign and since. So the country will need time to heal and time to rebuild. Our own govern. hasn't done things with the greatest of speed and efficency if one looks at history. We will not see positive changes happen according to our wishes or time fame. It will take a while.
Ice
could someone explain what is a reverse split is?
A reverse split is when a company tries to increase the value of
the stock by decreasing the number of shares on the market.
Example ---say you have 1000 shares of widget inc at 1.00 dollar apiece
a reverse split of 5 to 1 would mean you would have only 200 shares
but the value would be 5.00 a share. Usually only weak companies
try this as usually the value of the new shares usually goes down. Some splits are for every 2 shares you now have 1 etc. There is no set
ratio. Reverse splits are almost always BAD NEWS
Good point,
The fact that statisitics are impossible to prove under Saddam, or worse, with current situation, but it is a fact, of the millions who have left Iraq over the past couple decades, they were all the more educated, business owners, and hardly just the poor and illiterate. Sadly, when we also read statistics, what is the benchmark for illiterate, not able to read, what is the educational comparison? And then you have current situation of terrorism, most are not even attending school anymore, so one has to wonder, what will be the new statistics when all is said and done. It certainly won't be the same as 2000.
Good luck and health to all, Mike
I know it's a drag that the government might take August off, but honestly, if I lived somewhere where it was in the balmy 120 degree range, cooling off to maybe 100 at night, I might consider some high ground myself. Especially when they get a couple of hours of electricity per day. A workmate of mine was in the military in Iraq and said he personally knew 2 men who literally died in their sleep....of the heat. We don't hear those stats over here much. I think it would be hard to get much accomplished in the climate from hell, much as we want them to move it already.
Bit OT but checkout this video at time 2:49 and the currency amount.
YouTube - Iraq street scenes (Before the invasion)